صور الصفحة
PDF
النشر الإلكتروني

of soul and body, but simply a renewal of life, in whatever manner this may happen. He holds that the fundamental error of the Sadducees was not barely the denial of the resurrection of the body, but the denial of the immortality of the soul, and that our Lord's argument in this passage tends to prove no more than that the soul survives the body and subsists after the body is dissolved.

The opinion must be received with caution. It solves some difficulties undoubtedly, but involves us in others.

28.-[His brother should take his wife.] The law of Moses here referred to, (Deut. xxv. 5.) ought to be carefully studied, and compared with Leviticus xviii. 16. It is clear that marriage with a deceased husband's brother was only allowed under certain peculiar circumstances, and as a general rule was unlawful. How any Bible reader can advocate a man's marriage with a deceased wife's sister, in the face of such texts as Leviticus xviii. 16 and xx. 21, is, to my mind, quite incomprehensible. If it is wrong for a woman to marry two brothers, it must be wrong for a man to marry two sisters. The exceptional permission to a woman to marry two brothers was only granted when the first brother had died without leaving any children. To argue from this permission that a man may marry two sisters in succession, on the ground that the first wife left children, who need an aunt's care, seems very singular logic!

29.-[First took a wife, and died childless.] Let it be noted that Ambrose and Jerome attach allegorical meanings to this story, and regard the woman as an emblem of the Jewish synagogue. The idea seems utterly improbable.

31.-[The seven also,...left no children.] The possibility of such a thing happening as that which is here described, of course cannot be denied. The gross improbability of it, however, must be evident to all reflecting minds. The most probable view is that the story was a supposed case invented to supply a foundation for a difficulty.

34.-[Children of this world marry.] We must beware that we do not allow these words to give any sanction to Roman Catholic notions of the superior holiness of the state of virginity to the state of matrimony. The distinction our Lord draws implies no reflection on matrimony. It is simply a declaration that the condition of men and women in a world to come is utterly unlike

their condition in this world.

"The children of this world," we must remember, do not in this place signify unconverted people, but simply people who are living on earth.

35.-[The resurrection from the dead.] The Greek words here are

remarkable. They would be rendered more literally," the resurrection out from the dead." They seem strongly to favour the opinion that there is a first resurrection peculiar to the righteous. (Rev. xx. 5, &c.) The expression, " children of the resurrection," in the following verse, seems to point the same way.

36.-[Equal to the angels. We must not conclude from these words that the glorified saints are exactly like the angels. Angels have not bodies like ours, but are spiritual beings. The meaning appears to be, that in freedom from death and disease, and in complete deliverance from a condition of being in which marriage and birth are needful to supply the continual waste occasioned by death, the saints shall be like the angels.

[The children of God.] This means evidently, that the saints are introduced into a state of peculiar privilege as members of God's family, and residents in God's house, after a fashion that they know nothing of here on earth.

37.-[That dead raised...Moses shewed, &c.] The quotation contained in this verse has caused much controversy. At first sight it does not appear to be any proof of a resurrection, but only of a life to come.

Some have thought that stress ought to be laid on the expression in the original quotation, "I am," and not "I was" the God of Abraham, &c.

Some think, with Mede and others, that our Lord refers to the promise of the land of Canaan to Abraham and his seed, and to the fact, that this promise, yet unfulfilled, will literally be fulfilled one day by Abraham rising again, and possessing the land.

Some think, with Campbell, that our Lord's object all through is not so much to prove a resurrection as a life to come.

One thing, however, is very clear. The argument which our Lord used completely silenced the Sadducees, and called forth the approbation of the Scribes. Now if the Sadducees had not felt the argument convincing and silencing, they would not have submitted to it so quietly as they did. If we do not see the full force of the argument, the fault is evidently in ourselves. We do not see the fulness of Scripture as we ought to do. There is depth of meaning in many texts which we have not fathomed. 38.-[All live unto him.] This expression is remarkable, and peculiar to St. Luke's Gospel. It probably means, In His sight all are living," though long dead, buried, and removed from this world. There is no such thing as annihilation.

[ocr errors]

LUKE XX. 41-47.

41 And he said unto them, How say they that Christ is David's son?

42 And David himself saith in the book of Psalms, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, 43 Till I make thine enemies thy footstool.

44 David therefore calleth him Lord, how is he then his son ?

people he said unto his disciples,

46 Beware of the Scribes, which desire to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the markets, and the highest seats in the synagogues, and the chief rooms at feasts;

47 Which devour widow's houses, and for a shew make long prayers: the same shall receive greater dam

45 Then in the audience of all the nation.

LET us observe in this passage, what striking testimony to Christ's divinity the book of Psalms contains. We read that after patiently replying to the attacks of His enemies, our Lord in turn propounds a question to them. He asks them to explain an expression in the hundred and tenth Psalm, where David speaks of the Messiah as his Lord. To this question the Scribes could find no answer. They did not see the mighty truth, that Messiah was to be God as well as man, and that while as man He was to be David's son, as God he was to be David's Lord. Their ignorance of Scripture was thus exposed before all the people. Professing themselves to be instructors of others and possessors of the key of knowledge, they were proved unable to explain what their own Scriptures contained. We may well believe that of all the defeats which our Lord's malicious enemies met with, none galled them more than this. Nothing so mortifies the pride of man, as to be publicly proved ignorant of that which he fancies is his own peculiar department of knowledge.

We have probably little idea how much deep truth is contained in the book of Psalms. No part of the Bible perhaps is better known in the letter, and none so little understood in the spirit. We err greatly if we suppose that it is nothing but a record of David's feelings, of David's ex

perience, David's praises, and David's prayers. The hand that held the pen was generally David's. But the subject matter was often something far deeper and higher than the history of the son of Jesse. The book of Psalms, in a word, is a book full of Christ,-Christ suffering,-Christ in humiliation,-Christ dying,-Christ rising again,Christ coming the second time,-Christ reigning over all. Both the advents are here,-the advent in suffering to bear the cross,-the advent in power to wear the crown. Both the kingdoms are here,-the kingdom of grace, during which the elect are gathered,—the kingdom of glory, when every tongue shall confess that Jesus is Lord. Let us always read the Psalms with a peculiar reverence. Let us say to ourselves as we read, "A greater than David is here."

The remark now made, applies more or less to all the Bible. There is a fulness about the whole Book, which is a strong proof of its inspiration. The more we read it, the more it will seem to contain. All other books become thread-bare, if they are constantly read. Their weak points, and their shallowness become every year more apparent. The Bible alone seems broader, and deeper, and fuller, the oftener it is studied. We have no need to look for allegorical and mystical meanings. The fresh truths that will constantly spring up before our eyes, are simple, plain, and clear. Of such truths the Bible is an inexhaustible mine. Nothing can account for this, but the great fact, that the Bible is the word, not of man, but of God.

Let us observe, secondly, in this passage, how abominable is hypocrisy in the eyes of Christ. We are told that "in

the audience of all the people he said unto His disciples, beware of the Scribes, which desire to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the markets, and the highest seats in the synagogues, and the chief rooms at feasts; which devour widows' houses, and for a show make long prayers." This was a bold and remarkable warning. It was a public denunciation, we must remember, of men who "sat in Moses' seat," and were the recognized teachers of the Jewish people. It teaches us clearly that there may be times when the sins of people in high places make it a positive duty to protest publicly against them. It shows us that it is possible to speak out, and yet not to "speak evil of dignities."

No sin seems to be regarded by Christ as more sinful than hypocrisy. None certainly drew forth from His lips such frequent, strong, and withering condemnation, during the whole course of His ministry. He was ever full of mercy and compassion for the chief of sinners. "Fury was not in him" when He saw Zacchæus, the penitent thief, Matthew the Publican, Saul the persecutor, and the woman in Simon's house. But when He saw Scribes and Pharisees wearing a mere cloak of religion, and pretending to great outward sanctity, while their hearts were full of wickedness, His righteous soul seems to have been full of indignation. Eight times in one chapter (Matt. xxiii.) we find Him saying, "Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites."

Let us not forget that the Lord Jesus never changes. He is the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever. Whatever else we are in religion let us be true. However feeble our faith, and hope, and love, and obedience

« السابقةمتابعة »