not proceed deliberately, so to speak, to trample the pearls under their feet, but, wholly disregarding them, would give them this treatment incidentally. They could not, therefore, be said to “turn again,” for this representation would imply, that they had first concluded somewhat, to which, withdrawing for the purpose, they had, to use again this expression, deliberately applied themselves; and, besides, we cannot regard it as a representation in keeping with the habits of swine. But the picture is in all respects congruous when ravenous dogs are represented as first rushing to devour the sacrificial flesh given to them, and, having devoured it, turn-* ing again, and from ferocity, and the expectation of procuring more food, "rending" the giver. But, while it may be perceived that such a connection as has now been indicated obtains in a given passage, the existence of it will be reluctantly admitted, unless it be known that it is a natural result of a method, or a principle of arrangement, or a mode of structure of ascertained occurrence in the Scriptures. And, in multitudes of cases, it is only under the guidance of just views of structure that the actual connection can be at all discovered. 2. In investigating the structure of the sermon on the mount, it may be easily perceived that the first seven and the last four verses of it-v. 3–10, and vii. 24-27—are distinguished by a marked peculiarity, of which, however, I have not observed that any notice has been taken by expositors. While, in the rest of the discourse, our Lord speaks not only to but also of his hearers, using the second person—“ Ye are the salt of the earth . . . . ye have heard take heed ... • . . seek ye . . . . judge not. . . . ask . . . . enter ye” -in the verses which we have specified, still speaking to his hearers, he does not speak of them as such, but of all who bear a certain character; and he, accordingly, uses the third person-"Blessed are the poor in spirit," &c.; "Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him," &c. And, while the two extreme portions of the dis course have this common peculiarity of form, they are also parallel in meaning. In the first of them, our Lord, describing the righteous by different features of their character, pronounces them "blessed;" and, in the last of them, he again describes the character of the righteous, "Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them," and presents a striking illustration of their blessedness, "I will liken him unto a wise man," &c. When, at the beginning of the discourse, the righteous are pronounced blessed, it is implied that the unrighteous are cursed.-(Comp. Luke's Report, vi. 24-26). This implied fact is expressly declared in the concluding portion-"Every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man," &c.-(vii. 26, 27). Thus the two portions are evidently parallel-distinguished from the rest of the discourse by a common peculiarity of form, and identical in meaning. They stand, however, in somewhat different relations to the body of the sermon. The one announces, as the subject of the sermon, the great truth that the righteous, and the righteous alone, are blessed; and, this truth having been illustrated, established, and enforced, the other re-states it, as the lesson taught to the hearers, and to which it deeply concerned them to give its proper practical influence over their hearts and their lives. 8. When it is declared that the righteous-that is, the righteous alone are blessed (v. 3-10), the necessity of righteousness is implied. And, in the second member of the discourse (ver. 11-20), our Lord, after applying to his hearers, whom he now addresses in the second person, the declaration that the righteous are blessed, in terms fitted and doubtless designed to move and engage them to cultivate righteousness, and to persevere in the cultivation of it, to whatever evils they might in consequence be exposed (ver. 11, 12), proceeds to establish the implied assertion of the necessity of righteousness in the subjects of his kingdom. And he establishes it on two grounds-the office assigned to the subjects of his kingdom, as "the salt of the earth" and "the light of the world," an office which the righteous only can fulfil (ver. 13-16); and the continued, unimpaired, and indestructible authority of the law (ver. 17-20), which he came to "fulfil,” and not to "destroy." 4. Of what follows, as we shall afterwards see, and indeed obviously, the aim is different, until we come to near the end of the discourse, when we again find the righteous pronounced blessed (vii. 21), and the necessity of righteousness asserted (ver. 22, 23). And, in addition to this correspondence in meaning, this latter passage fits on so exactly to the former, that it bears the appearance of the immediate continuation of it. The former passage concludes with the warning, "Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven" (v. 20); and this latter passage begins with a reiteration of this warning, in other and somewhat explanatory terms, which might very well form the next sentence, "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord," making a loud profession, like the pharisees, "shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven," not "making it void by the traditions of men," as the pharisees did. 5. It may be thought that in these verses the third person is used, and that they ought, therefore, to be classed with the four following verses. The force, however, of the previous use of the second person still continues, as we know from verse 20 it does in verses 17-19. But at verse 24 a transition is evidently made, and the same form of general statement is adopted as we find at the beginning of the dis course. 6. It thus appears that, as the two extreme portions of the sermon are parallel, so also are the portions which lie immediately within these.-(v. 13-20, and vii. 21–23.) 7. Within the range of professed adherence to religion, the interests of righteousness are exposed to danger from two different quarters. On the one hand, it is exposed to danger from antinomianism, and, on the other, from pharisaism. Some would deny the necessity of it; and others, admitting that it is necessary, would reduce it to a lifeless, partial, external thing. Our Lord opposes himself to both. In opposition to the former, he asserts, as we have seen, the necessity of righteousness (v. 13-20); and, in opposition to the latter, he describes and discriminates the true righteousness, as pervading and characterising the whole life, internal and external. As regards negative duties, or those enjoined in prohibitory precepts, pharisaism would place righteousness in mere outward abstinence from sin; and our Lord teaches that such abstinence does not bear the character of righteousness apart from the corresponding state of the heart (ver. 21–37); and as freedom from the affections, which impel to forbidden acts, would not constitute that state of heart, and could not be realised without the presence and operation of the opposite spirit, he requires the presence and operation of it.—(Ver. 38–48.) 8. Passing then from forbidden to commanded acts, he requires that these latter be performed from a supreme regard to the ultimate ends to be sought by us-the glory of God (vi. 1-18), and blessedness in the enjoyment of him.-(Ver. 19-34.) 9. In vindicating the spirituality and true import of the prohibitions of the law, in opposition to the glosses and limitations of tradition, our Lord teaches, as we have seen, that they are directed not only against outward acts of sin, but also against the corresponding sinful affections, and imply a requirement that the heart be occupied and the life duly influenced by the spirit and power of the opposite affection of love. That we may not violate them, therefore, it is not enough, for example, that we do not kill, we must not hate; and not only so, but we must love, and love our enemies, and act towards them as loving them, however differently they may act towards us.—(v. 39–47.) In Luke's report, the exhortation, "judge not," with which Matthew begins chapter vii., forms a part of this inculcation of the exercise of love (vi. 37; comp. 38 with Matt. v. 42, and 35 with Matt. v. 44, 45); and, guided by this collocation, we may easily discover that it properly falls under this head. The scribes and pharisees, on the authority of tradition, taught retaliation-the returning of evil for evil in outward act (Matt. v. 38), and of hatred for hatred in inward feeling.-(Ver. 43.) In opposition to this casuistry, our Lord, as we have already seen, not only forbids retaliation, but enjoins the most opposite procedure. Now, retaliation is a manifestation of the spirit of hatred on our part, on occasion of a previous manifestation of it towards us on the part of others; and, when it is required that we flee to the greatest possible distance from the manifestation of it, even when thus provoked, it must of course be required that we be not ourselves beforehand in manifesting it, and that we do not perversely create, or search out for ourselves, or even too readily recognise, incitements to its activity. This, however, we should do, if we pried into the character of others with a secret, if not a conscious, desire to discover blemishes, and, the moment we discovered or could persuade ourselves we discovered any, greedily converted them into grounds of condemnation; if, in other words, we "judged," and "beheld the mote that is in our brother's eye." We shall not pursue this course towards those whom we love. It originates in hatred, and conducts to it. Besides, at the beginning of the section, which we hold to be here resumed, we find an emphatic condemnation of the use of epithets expressive of harsh and unbrotherly judgments.--(v. 22.) We are thus authorised, not only by Luke's collocation, but also by the parallelism in respect of meaning, to regard the first five verses of chap. vii. as a resumption of chap. v. 38–48. 10. There is some difficulty in determining the connection of chap. vii. 6, from the abruptness of its introduction, and |