Exposition of the Sermon on the Mount, Chapter 5 · Verse 40
Verse 40.
And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him hauehave thy cloake also.
Here Christ propoūds the second example of wrong done vntounto mē,2. Example of suffering wrong. wherein he forbids the party wronged to reuenge himselfe; to wit, being iniuried in his goods, either priuatly, or vnderunder colour of law, for both these may here well be vnderstood. By coate properly is meant the inner garment; & by cloake the outward: but here the words are not so strictly to be takē, but indifferently for any diuers garments; for in Luke they are thus set downe, And him that would take away thy cloake, forbid not to take thy coate also. And Christs meaning is this; If one vniustly contend with thee, to take from thee one garment, let him hauehave another also, whether coate, or cloake, or such like thing. And yet this commandement is not simply, but comparatiuely to bee vnderstood; to wit, rather then a man should seeke priuate reuenge, he must not onelyonly suffer the losse of one garment, but of moe, and so of other temporall goods.
Out of this example, wee may learne these Instructions; First, that1 Christians must be quiet and patient, and not giuen to contend, whetherContenti… lawing, not Christianlike. it be priuately, or openly by suite at the law. This contention Paul reprooued in the Corinthians, 1. Cor. 3. 3. and chargeth the Philippians, that nothing be done among them by contention, Philip. 2. 3. which is a notable rule; for though men be at difference, yet there ought to be no contentions either in word or deede, all things ought to bee done in louelove, and so strife shall cease: that wrangling spirit is not of God, wherby men striue to put downe others in words: when a man hath spoken his minde, hee ought to cease, for multiplying of words is against Christian ciuilitie, and eueryevery where condemned in the holy Scripture.
Secondly, here is condemned, not the lawfull, but the common vse2 of lawing, whereby men for eueryevery trisle will trouble the Courts. ThisCommon vsus… of lawing nought. argues a contentious spirit, and a minde that is giuen to reuenge, which beseemeth not Christians, as Paul sheweth, 1. Cor. 6. 1, 2, 5, 6. and yet it is the common practise in these our daies, from whence come such vnchristian speeches as this, I will be reuenged on him, or else I will spend all that I hauehave. But the truth is, that rather then a man should goe thus to law, he ought to suffer a double and treble losse.
Thirdly, here Christ teacheth, that in all our dealings we must hauehave3 a principall regard vntounto charitie, and rather seeke to maintaine this grace in our hearts, then our outward worldly goods.
Fourthly, we are here taught to preferre our owne peace and quietnesse,4 before our temporall goods; yet not simply, but in this respect,How wee ought to esteeme of peace. that hereby wee may hauehave fitter time with quietnesse to imploy our selues in the worship of God, and to edifie our selues in holinesse and pietie: this dutie concerneth them especially, which hauehave much dealing in the world, and thereupon many occasions of anger and vexation, for such vnruly passions make a man vnfit for Gods seruice; it is the meeke and lowly heart that receiues the blessing from the Lord, Matthew, 11. 29.
Lastly, in this example is set downe vntounto vsus, a second propertie of euil 5men; namely, to be giuen to wrong their brethren in their goods, eitherWrong doing a note of an euill person. priuately, or vnderunder colour of law; such a one was Zacheus before his calling, when he gathered tribute and custome for the Romane Emperour, he vsed aLuk. 19. 8.forged cauillation, for his own▪gaine: and these our daies abound with those that eurich themselues by pilling and polling of their brethren; but all such are vniust and euill persons, by the iudgment of our Sauiour Christ.