Exposition of the Sermon on the Mount, Chapter 5 · Verse 46 – Verse 47
Verse. 46.
… if you louelove them that louelove you, what reward shall yee hauehave? doe not the Publicans euen the same?
In these words our Sauiour Christ propounds a second reason to… perswade his Disciples and hearers to louelove their enemies, and to the end it might take the deeper root in their hearts, he repeats the same againe in the next verse, which in effect is the same with this. The words are plaine, if we know what Publicans were; Publicans therefore were… officers that gathered t…ll and tribute, taxes, and rents, of the Iewes, for the Romane Emperom, to whom the Iewes were in subiection. Now in the gathering of it, they vsed much iniustice & oppression, for which cause they were hated of the Iewes, aboue all other people, & esteemed most basely of▪ Now (saith Christ) though these Publicans be void of all good conscience, yet they will louelove their friends, of whom they are loued. And hence Christ reasons thus, If you my hearers doe but lo…e them that louelove you, ye do but as these Publicans do; but you must do more then such vngodly persons doe: and therefore you must louelove your very enemies.
Here first obserue, that Christ doth not forbid one friend to louelove another, for then he should be cōt…ary to himselfe; but here he condemnes carnall louelove, whereby one man loues another, onelyonly because he is loued againe, which in effect is nothing else, but for a man to louelove himselfe in another. And here to note the true maner of louing our neighbour, thisRule of lo … our neighbour. Rule must be remembred, that all the commandements of the second Table, must be practised in & with the first cōmandement, touching the louelove of God: thus father and mother must be honoured, in God & for God; & thus one man must louelove another in God; yea thogh he be his enemy, because he is Gods creature, & beares his image, as well as he himselfe doth; yea, he is by God commēded to our louelove. This must be the groūd, though for other respects our louelove may increase towards our brother.
What reward shall ye hauehave? Here Christ would teach vsus singular wisdomeW… …. for the ordering of our liues; namely, that we giuegive our selues especially to the doing of such things, as with God hauehave promise of reward: what moued Moses to refuse to be called the sonne of P…ar… daughter, to forsake the pleasures and riches of Egypt, and to choose to suffer affliction with Gods people? the word of God is plaine, f… 11. 2…, 26.he had respect to the recompence of reward. But this doctrine is not regarded, else how should all places abound so much with idle persons, and such as giuegive themselues wholly to gaming and company keeping, to sports and delight: now what reward can these looke for at Gods hands, vnlesse it be the wages of sinne, which is eternall death? Let vsus therefore beware of such a course, and learne to abound in good works, which are things good and profitable.
Doe not the Publicanes euen the same? Our Sauiour Christs intent inChristians …n… abound …. this instance, is to shewe that his Disciples, and so all professors of the Gospel, must goe beyond all other people in duties of louelove; indeede then whole life should be spent in the practise of this vertue, Ephes. 5. 1. Wal…e, that is, lead the course of your life in louelove; and the state of the Church is, to dwell in louelove, 1. Iohn 4. 16. The reason is great, for Christians of all other, receiue the greatest measure of louelove from God, through Iesus Christ, and therefore they must abound in this grace; first …wards God, and then one towards another: this is the badge of a Christian, and the grace of our religion, and therefore let vsus shewe it forth.
Verse 47.
And if yee be friendly to your brethren onelyonly, what singular thing doe ye? doe not euen the Publicanes likewise?
Christs drif… in these words, is further to inforce the dutie of louelove, to the same effect with the former verse. The word translated be friendly, foreignbetokens the friendship which was shewed in that countrie in salutations, by embracing; now saith Christ, the very Publicanes will kindly embrace their friends, therefore you must doe more.
We obserued before, three branches of kind vsage to be shewed towardsKind vsage of an enemy. an enemie; to wit, to speake well of him, to pray for him, & to do him good: now here we may annexe a fourth, euen friendly salutation. This Christ enioyned to his Disciples, when hee sent them to preach,Friendly salutation. when ye come into an house salute the same: Mat. 10. 12. although it may be, afterward they cursed it, because it was vnworthy. And hēce we must learne to be kind and courteous in salutation to our professed enemies.
Obiect. 1. This is to countenance them in their sinne, & wrong doing vntounto vsus? Ans. In saluting an enemie, we must put a difference betweene his person and his sinne; we must shew kindnesse to his person, but not countenance his sinne: nay, when we embrace his person, if occasion be offered, we must disgrace his sinne.
Ob. 2. 2. Ioh. 10. If any man bring not this doctrine, bid him not God speed. Ans. Iohn there speaks of such persons as are enemies to God, to his truth, & to his Church, & such indeed we must not embrace: 2. Kin. …. 14. Elisha saith to Iehorā the idolatrous king of Israel, that hee would not hauehave looked vponupon him nor seene him, had it not beene for reuerence of Iehosaphat the good king of Iudah then present. But priuate enemies of whome Christ here speaketh, must alwaies be kindly vsed in salutation. And yet there is a case, wherein this kinde salutation may be denied to one that is not a publike enemie: to wit, when a superiour omitteth it as a part of chastisement and correction vponupon the inferiour. Thus Dauid denied libertie to Absalon to come in his sight for a time, after he had pardoned him for killing Am…on, 2. Sam. 14. 24. but among equalls and priuate men this must be practised; yea, we must salute kindly though they salute vsus not againe.