25. C 24. Leave there thy gift before the Altar, and go thy Way, first beb reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. Agree with thine Adversary quickly, d whiles thou art in the way with him: left at any time the Adversary deliver thee to the Judge, and the Judge deliver thee to the Officer, and thou be cast into Prifon. 26. Verily I say unto thee, thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou haft paid the uttermost farthing. 27. Ye have heard that it was faid by them of old time, Thou shalt not Adultery. 28. But I say unto you, That whofoever f looketh on a woman to luft after her, hath commit e *† See Job 42.8. -Go to my Servant Job, and offer up for your selves a burnt-offering C3 with her. Lev. 20.10. - He that committeth adultery with his neighbours wife, the Adulterer and the Adulteress shall furely be put to found lying with a woman married to an husband, then they shall both of them die. - Prov. 6. 32. Whoso committeth adultery with a Mat. 18. 19. - If two of you hal agree on earth as 5 death Deut. 22. 22. If a man be touching any thing they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in HeaVen. 1 Tim. 2. 8. I will that men pray every where, liftingtoWomam, lacketh understanding: up holy hands without wrath and he that doth it, destroyeth his doubting. † 1 Pet. 3.7. - That own Soul Mal. 3. 5.-I will be your Prayers be not hindred. a swift Witness against the AdulRom. 12. 18. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably, with all Men. terers. Mar. 7. 21. From within, sout of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornicaLuk. 12. 58. When thou tions. - Joh. 8. 4, 5. Master, this goeft with thine Adversary to the Woman was taken in Adultery in Magiftrate, as thou art in the way, the very act. Now Mofes comgive diligence that thou mayst be20manded us that fuch should be stoned: delivered from him. but what sayst thou ? Heb. 134. Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whore See Pfal. 32. 6. For this shal every one that is godly, pray unto thee, in a time when thou mayst be mongers and adulterers God will found, &c. Prov. 25. 8 Go not25judge. Adultery is joined with oforth hastily to strive, left thou ther enormous Crimes which shut know not what to do in the end the guilty out of the kingdom of thereof, when thy neighbour hath heaven. See on 1 Cor. 6. 9. put thee to shame. Ifa. 55.6. f † Job. 31. 1. I made a car Seek ye the Lord while he may bezovenant with mine eyes; why then found, call upon him while he is should I think upon a maid. Prov. 6.25 Lust not after her beauty near: **Exod. 20. 14. Thou shalt in thine heart; neither let her not commit Adultery. Repeated, take thee with her eyelids. 2 Per. Deut. 5. 18. Lev. 18.20. Thou 2/ 14. Having eyes full of Adele shalt not lie carnally with thy3stery. neighbours Wife to defile thy felf h hath committed adultery with her already in his heart 29. And (5) if thyright eye * offend thee, [or, cause thee to offend] pluck it out, and caft it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. 30. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy Members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be caft into hell. 31. It hath been faid, Whosoever shall put away his Wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement. 32. But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his i 8. Mat. 18. 9. If thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and caft it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eve, rather than having two eyes to be 5 are upon the earth; fornication, that by any means when I have preached to others, I my felf should be a caft-away. † Col. 3.5. Mor tific therefore your Members which uncleanness, &c. i * Deut. 24. 1. When a Man hath taken a Wife and married her, cast into Hell-Fire. * Mar. 9. 47. If thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with oneroand it come to pass that she find eye, than having two eyes to be caft into Hell-Fire. Pfal. 119 37. Turn away mine eyes from behold. ing vanity. no favour in his eyes, because he hath found fome Uncleanness in her : then let him write her a Bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, † Mat. 19. 12. There areisand send her away. † See Mat. 19. 3, &c. The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a Man to put away his Wife for every cause, &c. † Mar. 10. 2, &c. The some Eunuchs, which were so born from their Mothers Womb; and there are some Eunuchs, which were made Eunuchs of Men: and there be Eunuchs, which have made them selves Eunuchs for the Kingdom of 20 Pharifees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a Man to put away his Wife? tempting him, &c. Heavens fake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it. † Rom. 8. 13. If ye live after the Flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body, ye shell live. 125 Cor. 9.27 I keep under my body, added. Mal. 2. 14, 15.- The Lord and bring it into fubjection: lest k. Mat. 19. 9. Our Lord affirms the fame thing: Alfo Luk. 16. 18. only this Clause [faving for the Cause of Fornication] is not (5) We are not to understand these, Precepts of our Lord, as if it were our duty in any Cafe to pull out our Eyes, or cut off our Hands; but the Meaning is, that though any finful Luft should be as dear to us as is a right Eye, or a right Hand, we must notwithstanding refolve to part with it, rather than by our indulging it, plunge both Body and Soul into Hell. Sin is in Scripture compared to a natural Body; as therefore the natural Bedy has many Members, so the Body of Sin has many Mem bers too. m his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery : and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced, committeth adultery. 33. ¶ Again ye have heard that it hath been faid by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thy self, but shalt " perform unto the Lord thine Oaths. 34. But I fay unto you, Swear not at all; neither by Heaven, for it is Gods throne. 35. Nor by the Earth, for it is his footstool: neither by Jerufalem, for it is the City of the great King. 36. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. 37. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these, cometh of evil. 38. Ye have heard that it hath been faid, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. C4 39. But Lord hath been witness between thou prophane the Name of thy thee and the wife of thy youth, a- God: I am the Lord. n gainft whom thou hast dealt tren† Deut. 23. 23. That [Vow] cherously: yet is the thy compani- which is gone out of thy lips thou on and the wife of thy covenant. 5 shalt keep and perform. And did not he make one? yet had he the refidue of the Spirit: and wherefore one? that he might feeka godly Seed: therefore take heed to your Spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wifer of his youth. Mar. 10. 11. Whofoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her. * 1 Cor. 7. 10, 11. 0 Mat. 23. 16. recited un der ver. 33. in the following Verses is condemned Swearing by the Altar or any created things. †Jam. 5. 12. But above all things, my Brethren, swear not, neither by Heaven, neither by the Earth, neither by any other oath. P † Ifa. 66. 1. See on Mat. 23. 22. Unto the married I command, yet 15 1 † Pf. 48. 2. Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth is mount Zion, on the fides of the North, the City of the great King. I not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband: But and if the depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the hus-20 Col. 4. 6. Let your speech be always with Grace, seasoned with falt, that ye may ay know how ye ought to answer every Man. "Jam. 5. 12. - Let your you be yea, and your nay, nay; left ye fall into condemnation. band put away his wife. 1 † Mat. 23. 16. Wo unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Who- foever shall swear by the Temple, it is nothing: but whosoever shall25 Swear by the Gold of the Temple, she is a debter. * Exod. 20. 7. The 3d Commandment. Deut. 5. 11. the fame. Levit. 19. 12. Ye shall not swear by my name falsly, neither shalt f* Excd. 21. 24. Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot. * Lev. 24. 20. Breach for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth: as he hath caused a ble ! 39. But I say unto you, That ye resist (6) not evil but whosoever shall imite thee on thy right cheek, turn * น to mish in a Man, so shall it be hand, foot for foot. S your selves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written. Vengeance is mine, I will repay, faith the Lord. *1 Cor. 6.7. There cause ye go to Law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? Why do ye not rather fuffer your selves to be † : Theff. 5. 15. † Prov. 24. 29. Say not I will do to him as he hath done to me: I will render to the Man according to his work. Lev. 19.10defrauded? 18. Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy People. Prov. 20. 22. Say not thou, I will recompence evil: but wait on the Lord, and he shall save thee. Ecclesi-15reviled, reviled not again; when See that none render evil for evil unto any Man: but ever follow that which is good, both among your selves and to all Men. 1 Pet. 2. 23. Who when he was he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously. † 1 Pet. 3.9. Not rendring evil for evil, or asticus 28. 1,&c. He that revengeth riwife Bleffing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a Blessing. the one Cheek, offer also the o- * (6) This Verse and the following are not to be understood according to the strict Letter, but as spoken proverbially. For we are not required here to turn the other Cheek to the Smiter, nor to give up our Poffeffions to every unrighteous and illegal invader; nor are we forbidden to make use of the Law in our own De fence, when we are called before Magistrates; for this our Lord did in the Cafe of him that smote him in the Prefence of the HighPrieft, Joh. 18. 22, 23. And St. Paul pleads his Privilege of being a Roman to fave himself from Scourging, Aits 22. 5. Nor are we forbidden in all Cafes to bring others before Judges and Magistrates in order to do our selves right. For St. Paul's Behaviour towards those Magiftrates who had beaten him and Silas uncondemned, being Romans, Alt. 16. 37, &c. feems to imply that he intended so to do, had not the Magiftrates by their compliance with the Terms proposed by him prevented it. But we are here forbidden to go to Law for small and inconfiderable Losses and Injuries. We are forbid private Revenge, and even pullick Appeals to Courts of Judicature, only to gratifie a malicious Temper of Mind; also seeking fuch reparation for Injuries as will make us no amends, which he would do who should require Eye for to him the other also. 40. And if any man will fue thee at the Law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke alfo. compel (7) thee to go a mile, go with him twain. 42. Give to 41. And whosoever shall him that asketh thee, and from him b a 43. borrow of thee, turn not thou away heard that it hath been faid, Thou shalt Neighbour, and d hate thine Enemy. that would Ye have C love thy 44. But I fay unto you, Love your Enemies, bless them that curse *† See Mat. 27. 32. And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by Name: him they compelled to bear his Cross. Mar. 15. 21. And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed 5 by, coming out of the Country. Thou 13.34. d. Pf. 41. 10. But thou, O Lord, be merciful unto me, and raise me up, that I may requite e 'Deut. 15. 8, 10. shalt open thine hand wide unto him (the poor Man], and shalt surely lenahim sufficient for his need intothem. that which he wanteth. Thou thalt surely give him, and thine heart shalt not be grieved when thou givest unto him; because that for this thing the Lord thy 1 sspitefully use you. Rom. 12 14, *Luk. 6. 27, 28. Love your Enemies, do good to them which hate you: Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which de God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto. + Luk. 6. 35. Love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing20doing thou shalt heap coals of again: and your reward shall be Fire on his head. 20. Bless them which perfecute you, bless, and curse not. If thine Enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so for Eye, &c. had we any such Law amongst us. Turning the Creek to the Smiter is no more than the patient bearing of Injuries. Thofe who defire farther Satisfaction in this Matter may confult Mr. Kettlewel's Discourse of Worthy Communicating, Part 3. Chap. 4. (1) The Word here rendred compel is derived from a Persian Word, which fignifies fuch Persons as we in our Language call Pofts. These | People being employed in carrying Letters and Dispatches from Court, had authority to press Men, Cattle, and Ships, to expedite their Journey. And it is not unlikely but that this Authority might be sometimes abufed to the Oppreffion of their fellow Subjects. It does not follow from what our Lord heresays, that we are obliged to be at the Command of every one that would employ us; but our Lord's Meaning leems to be, that if any small Violence should be offered to us under the Pretext of Authority, we should be willing to do more than our Duty, rather than raise a Contention about it. |