Mercy in forgiving Injuries. Matt. vi. 14. p. 218 SERMON I. MATT. VI. 1. Take heed that ye do not your (a) Alms before Men, to be feen of them; otherwife ye have no Reward of your Father which is in Heaven. W E are now entering upon the fixth Chapter of this Gospel, being a Continuation of our Saviour's Sermon on the Mount. As to the Connexion and Dependance on the former Difcourfe (tho' that is not always neceffary to be enquired into) there feems to be a very plain Connexion in this Place; for in faulting the Righteoufnefs of the Scribes and Pharifees, our Saviour first went upon their Corruptions, or imperfect Gloffes and Interpretations of the Law. having finished that in the fifth Chapter, he goes on now to guard his Hearers against some other Blemishes, which marred the Righteousness of VOL. III. (a) Your Righteousness. B And the the fame Scribes and Pharifees, tho' without any Pretence of Countenance from the Law. Thefe Blemishes were chiefly Pride, Covetoufnefs, and Cenforiousness, which they fo mixed with other commendable Duties, that they marred the Grace of them; and therefore it was neceffary for our Saviour, who had taught his Difciples that unless their Righteousness exceeded the Righteousness of the Scribes and Pharifees, they should in no Cafe enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; it was neceffary for him, I fay, after he had detected fuch Faults in their Righteousness, as proceeded from their corrupt Interpretations of the Law, to discover likewife fuch additional Blemishes of it, as, by long Custom, without Pretence of Law, they had introduced. Thefe Blemishes, intermixed with their Righteousness (for he doth not meddle here with their other Perfonal Faults) are, as I faid, chiefly Pride, Covetoufnefs, and Cenforiousness; and against these our Saviour guards his Disciples, from hence to the 7th Verfe of the next Chapter. To begin firft with that Part of their Righteoufness which was marred with Pride; there are three noble Duties our Saviour inftances in, namely, Almfgiving, Prayer, and Fafting, which they corrupted with this Moth of Pride; and our Saviour here carefully guards them against it, in them all. But, firft, he seems to me, tho' he instances only in thefe three, to give in this first Verse a general Caution concerning all Duties whatsoever, that we should take care to do them fo, as not to hunt for the Applaufe of Men, but to approve ourselves in them to Almighty God. And for fupporting this Senfe, I am to acquaint you |