Chapter 7:
| Darby
| Geneva
| Gill
| Jamieson Faussett Brown
| Johnson
| Lightfoot
| Matthew Henry
| Matthew Henry Concise
| McGarvey Pendleton
| Wesley
| Index
| Bible Gateway |
Introduction 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Malachi Mark
Matthew 7
Our Lord now proceeds to warn us against the chief
hindrances of holiness. And how wisely does he begin with
judging? wherein all young converts are so apt to spend that zeal
which is given them for better purposes.
Verse
1. Judge not - any man without full, clear, certain knowledge,
without absolute necessity, without tender love. Luke vi, 37.
Verse
2. With what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you -
Awful words! So we may, as it were, choose for ourselves,
whether God shall be severe or merciful to us. God and man will
favour the candid and benevolent: but they must expect judgment
without mercy, who have showed no mercy.
Verse
3. In particular, why do you open your eyes to any fault of your
brother, while you yourself are guilty of a much greater? The
mote - The word properly signifies a splinter or shiver of wood.
This and a beam, its opposite, were proverbially used by the Jews,
to denote, the one, small infirmities, the other, gross, palpable
faults. Luke vi, 41.
Verse
4. How sayest thou - With what face?
Verse
5. Thou hypocrite - It is mere hypocrisy to pretend zeal for the
amendment of others while we have none for our own. Then -
When that which obstructed thy sight is removed.
Verse
6. Here is another instance of that transposition, where of the two
things proposed, the latter is first treated of. Give not - to dogs -
lest turning they rend you: Cast not - to swine - lest they trample
them under foot. Yet even then, when the beam is cast out of thine
own eye, Give not - That is, talk not of the deep things of God to
those whom you know to be wallowing in sin. neither declare the
great things God hath done for your soul to the profane, furious,
persecuting wretches. Talk not of perfection, for instance, to the
former; not of your experience to the latter. But our Lord does in
nowise forbid us to reprove, as occasion is, both the one and the
other.
Verse
7. But ask - Pray for them, as well as for yourselves: in this there
can be no such danger. Seek - Add your own diligent endeavours
to your asking: and knock - Persevere importunately in that
diligence. Luke xi, 9.
Verse
8. For every one that asketh receiveth - Provided he ask aright,
and ask what is agreeable to God's will.
Verse
11. To them that ask him - But on this condition, that ye follow
the example of his goodness, by doing to all as ye would they
should do to you. For this is the law and the prophets - This is the
sum of all, exactly answering Chap. v, 17. The whole is
comprised in one word, Imitate the God of love. Thus far
proceeds the doctrinal part of the sermon. In the next verse begins
the exhortation to practice it.
Verse
12. Luke vi, 31.
Verse
13. The strait gate - The holiness described in the foregoing
chapters. And this is the narrow way. Wide is the gate, and many
there are that go in through it - They need not seek for this; they
come to it of course. Many go in through it, because strait is the
other gate - Therefore they do not care for it; they like a wider
gate. Luke xiii, 24.
Verse
15. Beware of false prophets - Who in their preaching describe a
broad way to heaven: it is their prophesying, their teaching the
broad way, rather than their walking in it themselves, that is here
chiefly spoken of. All those are false prophets, who teach any
other way than that our Lord hath here marked out. In sheep's
clothing - With outside religion and fair professions of love:
Wolves - Not feeding, but destroying souls.
Verse
16. By their fruits ye shall know them - A short, plain, easy rule,
whereby to know true from false prophets: and one that may be
applied by people of the weakest capacity, who are not
accustomed to deep reasoning. True prophets convert sinners to
God, or at least confirm and strengthen those that are converted.
False prophets do not. They also are false prophets, who though
speaking the very truth, yet are not sent by the Spirit of God, but
come in their own name, to declare it: their grand mark is, "Not
turning men from the power of Satan to God." Luke vi, 43, 44.
Verse
18. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither a corrupt tree
good fruit - But it is certain, the goodness or badness here
mentioned respects the doctrine, rather than the personal
character. For a bad man preaching the good doctrine here
delivered, is sometimes an instrument of converting sinners to
God. Yet I do not aver, that all are true prophets who speak the
truth, and thereby convert sinners. I only affirm, that none are
such who do not.
Verse
19. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and
cast into the fire - How dreadful then is the condition of that
teacher who hath brought no sinners to God!
Verse
21. Not every one - That is, no one that saith, Lord, Lord - That
makes a mere profession of me and my religion, shall enter -
Whatever their false teachers may assure them to the contrary: He
that doth the will of my Father - as I have now declared it.
Observe: every thing short of this is only saying, Lord, Lord.
Luke vi, 46.
Verse
22. We have prophesied - We have declared the mysteries of thy
kingdom, wrote books; preached excellent sermons: In thy name
done many wonderful works - So that even the working of
miracles is no proof that a man has saving faith.
Verse
23. I never knew you - There never was a time that I approved of
you: so that as many souls as they had saved, they were
themselves never saved from their sins. Lord, is it my case? Luke
xiii, 27.
Verse
24. Luke vi, 47.
Verse
29. He taught them - The multitudes, as one having authority -
With a dignity and majesty peculiar to himself as the great
Lawgiver, and with the demonstration and power of the Spirit:
and not as the scribes - Who only expounded the law of another;
and that in a lifeless, ineffectual manner.
Chapter 7:
| Darby
| Geneva
| Gill
| Jamieson Faussett Brown
| Johnson
| Lightfoot
| Matthew Henry
| Matthew Henry Concise
| McGarvey Pendleton
| Wesley
| Index
| Bible Gateway |
Introduction 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Malachi Mark
This version of Wesley's Notes on the Bible is a derivative of an electronic version, Copyright 1997, by Sulu D. Kelley. All rights reserved. Used by permission. It may not be modified or used commercially without permission of Wesleyan Heritage Publishing and Sulu Kelley. A special thanks to Mr. Kelley and Wesleyan Heritage Publishing for permission to create and post this version of Wesley's Notes on the Bible.
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