Exposition of the Sermon on the Mount, Chapter 5 · Verse 22
vers. 22.
But I say vntounto you, whosoeuer shall be angrie with his brother vnaduisedly shall be culpable of iudgement: and whosoeuer saith vntounto his brother, Raca, shall be worthie to be punished by the Councell: and whosoeuer shall say, foole, shall be worthie to be punished by hell fire.
Here our Sauiour Christ propounds the true interpretation of this Commandement: But I say vntounto you) that is, whatsoeuer you hauehaveExposition. heard the Scribes or Pharisies teach you from themselues, or from their fathers, it is nothing, let them not deceiue you: for I that am the Lawgiuer and Doctor of my Church, and therefore best know the meaning of mine owne law, I say otherwise vntounto you: whosoeuer is angrie with his brother, &c. Here Christ laies downe three kinds of murther, and three degrees of punishments for the same. The first degree of murther is Anger, not anger simply: but rash and indiser…et anger towards1 a brother: and by Brother, he meaneth, first, one Iew with an other, to3. degrees of murther. whome Christ spake; secondly, one neighbour with an other, whether Iew or Gentile: for by creation we are all brethren, hauing one father which is God, as Adam is called the sonne of God. Luk. 3. 38. The second2 degree of murther, is calling his brother Raca. Some expound this word Raca, an idle or emptie braine: others, an euill man: others take it to signifie a loathsome man, one to be spit at, as we by spitting vse to shew our contempt: but these interpretations cannot so fitly stand: for then the third degree of murther and this second, should be one and the same: for to call a man emptie braine, euill, or loathsome, and to call him foole are equall in degree. Now Christs intent is to set downe distinct degrees of murther, as is euident by the distinct degrees of punishment adioined thereunto. A more fit exposition is this, that Raca hath no perfect signification, but is onelyonly an interiection of indignation, whereby a man doth not slaunder or reuile his brother, but onelyonly in gesture shew the contempt and anger of his heart against him; as when in English we say, fie, tush, or such like: which words are not open raylings, but onelyonly outward signes of the inward anger and contempt concealed in the heart; so that the meaning is this: He that is angrie with his brother, and expresseth this his anger either in gesture or countenance, by frowning lookes, gnashing of teeth, or by imperfect speech, as tush, fie, pish, or such like, he is guiltie of murther. The third degree of murther is, whē a man doth shew his anger against3 his brother by open raylings, and reproachfull names; expressed in these words, whosoeuer shall call his brother foole. And all these three degrees are beyond the interpretation of the Iewish Teachers, who onelyonly condemned actuall killing by this commandement.
Now to these seuerall kinds of murther, Christ addeth distinct degrees of punishment. The first is, to be culpable of iudgement for vnaduised anger. The second, to be worthie to be punished of a Councell, for outward signes of this anger. The third is, to be worthie of hell fire, for reproachfull names or raylings. And here we must vnderstand, that Christ speaketh not properly, in setting downe these degrees of punishment, but figuratiuely alluding to the custome of punishing offendersCourts among the Iewes, 3. P. Fagius in Deut. 16. vsed among the Iewes: for they had three courts; The first was held by three men for meane matters, and other cases of small importance. The second was held by three and twentie men, wherein were determined matters of great importance, that could not be decided in the first court; as matters of life and death: and it was kept in the cheife cities of the land. The third court was held at Ierusalem onelyonly, called the court of the Seauentie-two, from which none might appeale to any other. In it were all weightie and great causes determined, and this court is here called a Councell. Now Christ alluding hereto, saith to this effect: Look… as among you Iewes there are different courts, and some matters are adiudged in your courts of iudgement, and others in the Councell at Ierusalem; so God also he hath his Iudgement, and his councell: those that are rashly angrie, shall vndergoe Gods iudgement: and he that makes knowne his anger by speech or countenance, shall be punished more grieuously and vndergoe a deeper iudgement, as it were by the Lords councell: but he that shall by open reuilings and raylings, shew forth his malice against his brother; as by calling him foole, or such like, he shall be worthie the most grie…us iudgement and torment of hell fire; alluding to the highest degree of torment among the Iewes, which was burning: for before their Gouernment was taken from them by Herod, the Iewes vsed these foure kinds of punishments; hanging, beheading, stoning, and burning. Further, the words translated hell fire, are properly the fire of Gehenna; for there was a place neere to the suburbs of Ierusalem called Gehenna, which is a compound Hebrew word, signifyingGehenna. the valley of Hinnon, wherein was a place called Tophet, Ier. 7. 31. where the idolatrous Iewes, following the horrible superstition of the Nations about them, vsed to burne their children vntounto Molech: for which fact the place became so odious to the godly, that to aggrauate the heinousnes of this crime, they vsed this name to signifie and betoken the place of torment appointed for the reprobate: whereupon in Christs time, Gehenna, and the fire of hell, were in signification all one. Now in this valley the Iewes vsed to burne their malefactours; and vntounto this kinde of iudgement Christ alludeth, meaning not simply hell fire, the torments of the damned, but a more grieuous and greater kind of punishment then the former, because it was a higher degree of sinne: so that Christs meaning is this; Howsoeuer your Scribes and Pharisies teach you, that there is no murther but actuall killing, and that it onelyonly deserues condemnation: yet I which am the law-giuer say vntounto you, that as you hauehave diuers punishments in seuerall courts for diuers offences, as hanging, stoning, and burning: so God he hath diuers degrees of punishments for the seuerall breaches of this commandement: he that is rashly angrie, is worthie of iudgement: and he that giues out any shew of his anger in gesture, shall be punished more grieuously; but he that shewes forth his anger by rayling and reuiling, shall endure the most grieuous punishment of all.
First, whereas Christ here maketh degrees of punishments for diuersRhem. o… this place. sinnes, the Papists hereon would build their distinction of sinnes into veniall, and mortall. Veniall sinnes (say they) are light sinnes, as badde thoughts, vaine speeches, and such like, which doe not deserue damnation, but some temporall punishment onelyonly, such as were alotted to ciuill courts among the Iewes: for here (say they) Christ onelyonly makes open rayling & reuiling of our brother, such an heinous sinne as deserues hell fire. But this distinction cannot here be grounded: for Christ doth not appropriate condemnation to this tearme of hell fire: but he hath reference thereto in eueryevery phrase that here imports a punishment; as, to be culpable of iudgement for vnaduised anger, is to deserue condemnation in hell fire; and to be punished by a Councell, for testifying anger by outward signes, is to deserue condemnation, but yet in a deeper degree: And to be worthie to be punished with the fire of Gehennah, for open rayling, is to deserue condemnation also, but yet in a deeper measure then the former: for as among the Iewes by the sentence of their Courts, some offences were punished by beheading or hanging; greater offences by stoning, and the greatest by burning; all which punishments differed in degree, and yet eueryevery one was death: so before God, lesser sinnes deserue lesser condemnation in hell fire, and greater sinnes deeper damnation; and yet eueryevery sinne deserues damnation: for the wages of sinne, be it neuer so little, is death, Rom. 6. 23. so that Christ here makes degrees of punishments, according to the degrees of sinne; & yet so, as eueryevery sinne is mortall, deseruing dānation, & none venial in it self.
Secondly, we may here obserue two excellent Rules for the expoū ding2. Rules for the expounding of the Law. of the Morall law. First, that vnderunder one sinne named in a commandement, are forbidden all sinnes of the same kind, with all the causes thereof: 1for Christ in expounding this sixt commandement, doth not onelyonly condemne Actuall murther, but euen Rash anger in the heart, and all signes thereof in countenance and gesture, with all rayling, and reuiling speeches, as breaches of this commandement: and the like he obserueth in those which follow. II. Rule. To the breach of eueryevery commandement 2there is annexed a curse, albeit it be not expressed: for Christ here fetting downe the breaches of this sixt commandement, threatneth condemnation to the least breach thereof; saying, he that is vnaduisedly angrie with his brother, shall be culpable of iudgement. Is it not then a wonder to see, how ignorant people doe vse the commandements for prayers, when as indeede (if they could perceiue it) they are Gods thunderbolts to throw their soules to hell for eueryevery sinne they commit?
Thirdly, Christ condemning vnaduised anger as a breach of this law, giueth vsus to vnderstand, that aduised anger is not vnlawfull: and true it is, that all anger is not sinnefull: for aMark. …. 5.Christ was ofttlines angrie withAduised anger not vnlawfull. the …ewes, and the Apostle bids vsus bEph. 4. 26. …ow lawful anger may be discerned.to be angrie, but sinne n…t. If any here a…ke, how we may discerne godly anger, from that which is euill and vnaduised: I answer: two waies, first, by the beginning of it: for good anger proceedeth from the louelove of him with whome we are angrie; now louelove is the fulfilling of the law, and therefore anger proceeding from louelove and guided thereby, cannot be a breach thereof: but euill1 anger proceedeth from selfe-louelove, from dislike or hatred of the partie with whome we are angrie. Secondly, we may discerne it by the2 ende. Good anger is for Gods glorie against sinne, because God thereby is dishonoured; and for our brothers good: but euill anger wants these ends, and intendeth priuate respects. It is quickly mooued, it continueth long, and also carieth with it a desire of reuenge.
Fourthly, seeing vnaduised anger, with the signe thereof, is a breachAnger must be bridled. of this law deseruing death; hereby we are admonished to beware of this headstrong affection of anger, and betime to restraine and bridle the same: it hath a bad beginning, and an euill ende, and thereby we become murtherers. Now that we may ouerrule it, so as it preuaile notHow. against vsus: first, we must lay to our hearts this commandement of God1 forbidding rash anger, as a barre to stoppe it. Secondly, we must remember,2 how louingly and mercifully God deales with vsus eueryevery day, in forbearing and forgiuing vsus: and therefore we ought to be like minded towards our brethren. Eph. 4. 31, 32.
The second branch of sinne here condemned is, to say vntounto our brother, Raca: whereby we may see that eueryevery gesture expressing rash anger,Signes of despite are degrees of murther. and despite of heart towards another, is murther before God; as casting downe the countenance towards him: this God reprooued in Cain, Gen. 4. 6. frowning & nodding the head, or shaking it in contempt,1 as the Iewes did to Christ, Matth. 27. 39. also contemptuous laughter 2and deriding: hence cGen. 21. 9. …Isma…ls …eering at Isaac, is called persecution, Gal.3 5. 29. and the like may be said of all signes of contempt in words: as fie, tush, pish, and to (thou) a man in disdaine, for otherwise a superiour may4 thou his inferiour: so also when … man contemptuo…sly takes a thing in 5snuffe, though he say nothing, but flings away with an heart rising against his brother. All these and such like tokens of contempt, and disdaine, are here condemned for murther of heart: and therefore it standethMake conscience of gesture. vsus in hand, to make conscience of eueryevery gesture of our bodie, of the casting of our eyes, of our laughter, and of all passionate words, lest thereby we shew any contempt, or anger towards our brethren.
If it be saide, how can eueryevery gesture expressing rash anger or contempt be murther, seeing the law permits a widow to dDeut. 25. 7, 8, 9.spit in the face of her husbands brother, or next kinseman, euen before the Elders of the citie, if he refused to raise vp seed… vntounto his brother. Ans. First, the Lord might command her so to doe, thereby to manifest his great dislike of want of louelove in him towards his dead brother. Secondly, I answer, the words may as fitly be translated thus, and spit in his sight, that is, spit on the ground before his face, that he might see her: and that seemeth to be the true meaning of that place: for it was very vnseemely for any one, much more for a woman, so publikely to spit in a mans face. And in that sense is the word vsed in the same booke, Deut. 4. 37. where God is said to bring Israel out of Egypt in his face, that is, in his sight.
Secondly, vnderunder this branch of murther by signe of contempt, are manyAbuses of the tongue. abuses of the tongue most iustly condemned: as first, bitternesse of 1speech; when men that be at variance, giuegive out hard and grieuous words one against an other: these are as pricks of eProv. 12. 18swords, as the wise man saith: and therefore the holy Ghost chargeth vsus, that fEph. 4. 31.all bitternes, anger, and wrath be put away from vsus. Secondly, all wrangling and contentious 2speech betweene parties disagreeing, when as neither will yeild, but each one thinks to hauehave the last word: Philip. 2. 14. Doe all things without murmuring and reasoning: for that springs of choler and stout stomacke, cleane contrarie to meekenes and patience, a fruit of the spirit. Thirdly, gEph. 4. 31.crying also is here forbidden, whereby men or women3 beeing at variance in priuate speeches, doe through choler and malice lift vp their voices, that they may be heard a farre off. This is a fruit of raging anger, and surie, Fourthly, threatning speeches are also here condemned,4 when as men from an inward dislike and rage▪ in their owne priuate cause, doe giuegive out menacing words against others: Eph. 6. 9. Masters are forbidden thus to deale with their seruants: much lesse then may one brother thus threaten an other. Fiftly, all kind of girding 5and taunting others by priuie and close nipps, is here condemned, although there be no open rayling: for thereby men seeke to disgrace their brethren, and to glad their owne hearts by grieuing others; which is more then to say, Raca.
The third degree of murther is, in Reviling tearmes, calling our brotherReuiling tearmes forbidden. foole, or such like: this also is a sinne against the ninth commandement, by robbing him of his good name: for one sinne in diuers respects may be against many commandements. It is a breach of this sixt commandement, in that hereby we grieue and trouble our neighbour, and so farre as a reproach can goe, make him wearie of his life.
VponUpon the ground of this degree of murther, be all grieuous practisesGrieuous practises here forbidden. of men against their brethren, iustly condemned for bloodie practises. As first, Usurie, whereby men binde their brethren to returne1 gaine, for the bare lone of money or other goods, which naturally yeildVsurie. no increase; without all respect to their necessitie, or to the successe of the imploying of it. Hereby many are brought to great pouertie: reuiling tearmes doe nothing so much pinch the poore, as this oppression. Secondly, the hoarding vp of corne till times of dearth, that thereby they 2may gaine the more: these men make a priuate gaine of Gods commonHoarding vp of corne. iudgement vponupon the poore. Indeede it is not vnlawfull in time of plentie, to lay vp stoare against a time of dearth: but to doe it with the hurt of the poore, is to sucke their blood, and to eate vp Gods people; as when men keepe their garners full, and suffer the poore to starue; the peoples curse lies on such, Prou. 11. 26. Thirdly, fighting and striking 3by priuate persons, or by others in their priuate causes: for they woundFighting. or weaken the bodie of their neighbours, which is more then to grieue him by reuiling speeches. Fourthly, the detaining the foode of the soule, 4by those that cannot, or will not preach, is a damage against eternallSoule-staruing. life: and therefore Paul to cleare himselfe from blood in this behalfe, said, He kept nothing backe, Act. 20. 26, 27. Fiftly, to giuegive offence by5 Offending.word or deede, whereby others are occasioned to fall: this is vncharitable walking, Rom. 14. 15. whereby we doe as much as in vsus lieth, destroy him for whome Christ died. As this is cruell in all, so especially in publike persons, as Magistrates, Ministers, Parents, Masters, and such like, because their practises are Rules to their inferiours. They are like lights in an hauen which guides the shippes that saile by night, which standing amisse, leade the shippes vponupon rockes and sands, and so cause shipwracke.
Hauing seene the true meaning of this Law expounded by Christ, let es here further obserue, how he restoreth the true vse thereof. We must not thinke, that he did onelyonly here intend the rectifying of our iudgements for vnderstanding, and not also strike at the reformation of our hearts and liues for practise. Touching the vse of this law therefore,The true vse of this law. Christ here teacheth vsus two things: first, to descend into our owne hearts, and there to search how we hauehave broken this commandement:1. Search our hearts. as whether we hauehave borne in our hearts any malice against our brother, and whether we hauehave expressed the rash anger of our hearts by speech or gesture, or hauehave any way wronged him by reuiling tearmes, or other iniuries against his life: if we hauehave, Christ tells vsus we are murtherers.
Secondly, Christ setting downe the curse to eueryevery degree of murther; teacheth vsus, vponupon due examination of our hearts, fuiding our2. Iudge our selues. selues guiltie in any degree, to cast downe our selues before the Lord, to accuse and condemne our selues, crying out that all shame and confusion belongs vntounto vsus: this we must doe, that by the view of our miseries, we may be mooued more earnestly to sue for merciemercy. And indeede if we examine our hearts, and our behauiours throughly, we shall finde, that we are all murtherers. For though we may be free from actuall killing, yet our consciences will tell vsus, that the motions of wrath and malice, and the signes of vnaduised anger hauehave broken forth, both in our wordes and gesture: for who can say he neuer snuffed at an other by way of contempt or dislike? who can cleare himselfe from deriding and disgracing others? now these things and such like, make vsus guiltie of sinne against the law, and so subiect to the wrath and curse of God; which must needes be fulfilled, though heauen and earth should passe away. This vndoubtedly is our miserable and wofull case in our selues. And there is no way to escape this curse, but onelyonly this: we must humble our selues before God, and confesse against our selues the murther of our hearts, declared in our gesture, speech, and behauiour; then we must labour to be grieued for these sinnes: for which ende we must applie vntounto our selues, Gods fearefull iudgements due vntounto vsus for them. Thirdly, we must earnestly sue vntounto God for merciemercy and pardon, as for life and death, like as poore prisoners doe, when the sentence of death is to be pronounced against them: yea, we must crie with sighs and grones that cannot be expressed, and giuegive the Lord no rest, till he send into our consciences the comfortable message of merciemercy and pardon by his good spirit. This done, we must labour in our callings for the time to come, to procure and further the welfare and safetie of our brethren, as well as our owne: we must not seeke our selues, but the common good, eschewing those things that may grieue our brethren; and doing those that may be good and comfortable vntounto them: that so by new obedience we may shew forth thankefulnes for Gods merciemercy and fauour towards vsus.
Hitherto we hauehave hādled the three degrees of murther, which Christ condemneth by this law, beyond the doctrine of the Iewish teachers.Actuall killing. Besides these, there is a fourth degree here condemned, which is actuall killing. This Christ doth not here name, because he taketh it for graunted, euen by the doctrine of the Scribes and Pharisies. Now because it is the main sinne of this cōmandement, therfore here it is to be handled; which we wil doe thus: first, we wil shew when killing is murther, and when it is not: and then handle the kinds thereof.
For the first: Killing is not alwaies murther, for sometime a manWhen killing is allowed. hath power giuen of God to kill, and it is no sinne: now God giues a man power to kill three waies: I. by the written word: thus Princes and Gouerners, and vnderunder them executioners, are allowed to kill malefactours1 that deserue death: and thus souldiers are warranted to kill their enemies in a lawfull warre: II. by an extraordinarie Commandement: 2and so Abraham might lawfully hauehave killed his sonne, if the aCen. 22. 2. 10, 11.Angel of the Lord had not staied his hand: III. by an extraordinarie3 instinct, which is answerable to a speciall commandement: and so bPsal. 106. 30, 31.Phinees slue Zimri and Cosbie, without guilt of murther. But killing is murther, when men of their own wills, without warrant from God, slay others: and this sinne is plainely and directly forbidden in this commandement.
II. Point. The kindes of killing be two; either voluntarie, or casuall. The kinds of killing. 1. Voluntarie.Uoluntarie killing is, when a man killeth of purpose and intent: and this sinne is so hainous, that it cNumb. 35. 33.defileth the land where the blood is shedde, till it be purged by the blood of him that shedde it. And this purpose to kill is twofold; either with deliberation and fore-desire of reuenge, as when a man hath caried a grudge in his heart long before: or without deliberation, when a man without all former malice is suddenly caried by furie and anger to slay his brother: and this second kinde of killing is distinguished from that which is vponupon deliberation, by the name of manslaughter, and also fauoured by the lawes of someManslaughter is murther. Countries, because it is not done of set purpose, but through sudden anger before the blood be cold: but Gods law maketh both of them murther, and admitteth dNum. 35. 3….no recompense for the life of the murtherer: nay, beside it adiudgeth the murtherer to eternall death, both in soule and bodie. To this voluntarie murther, we must referre those that2 giuegive commandement, counsell, or helpe vntounto the murtherer: for he that commandeth is the principall Agent, and the murtherer is his instrument.3 Againe, it is voluntarie murther to strike an other, though with purpose onelyonly to wound, if death follow thereon: And that also which is committed by a drunken man: for his will is free, though sense and reason be blinded.
Casuall killing, commonly called chance medlie, is when a man killethCasuall killing. The signes thereof. an other, hauing no purpose to doe him hurt. The presumptions of casuall killing be these: First, if a man kill an other, hauing no ill will or anger towardes him, nor to any other for his sake; neither is mooued1 thereto by couetousnes, or any affection. Secondly, if he be doing2 the lawfull duties of his particular calling. Thirdly, if he be well occupied, doing some lawfull worke beside his calling. And lastly, if he be3 doing a thing which he ordinarily practiseth, keeping his vsuall place4 and time. And albeit this kind of killing, if it be meerely casuall, is no sinne, yet the partie committing it, in old time was bound to come to his answer, thereby to purge and cleare himselfe from suspition of murther, as also to auoide the hatred and daunger of the friends of the partie killed; and lastly, to keepe and maintaine the hatred of murther among Gods people. Now this sixt commandement, is not to be vnderstood of casuall, but of voluntarie killing. And this also must be obserued, that Christ giueth the name of murther, to all the occasions thereof, that he might breede in our hearts an hatred of them all, as of murther it selfe.