Exposition of the Sermon on the Mount, Chapter 6 · Verse 2
v. 2.
Therfore when thou giuest thine almes, thou shalt not make a trūpet to be blowen before thee, as the hypocrites doe in the Synagogues & in the streets, to be praised of men. Verely I say vntounto you, they hauehave their reward.
Here Christ propoundeth by way of prohibition, a particular exāple of the corrupt maner of Almes-giuing, proceeding frō pride of heart & ambition, borowed frō the practise of the Scribes & Pharisies; & withal he annexeth in the ende of the verse an effectuall reason to mooue men to circumspection about the ground and ende of their Almes deedes.
The Expos. The original is this: Thou shalt not blow a trumpet before thee; so that our trāslation doth also expoūd the words of Christ, according to the cōmon rule of Diuines; that words of fact, are oftentimes put A rule of interpretation.for words of speech: which being well obserued, will cleare many places frō false interpretation. Exo. 13. 2. God saith to Moses, sanctifie vntounto me all the first borne: & tofIosh. 5. 2. Iosua, Make thee sharp kniues, and circumcise the sonnes of Israel, that is, command them to be sanctified, and circumcised. Ier. 1. 10. I hauehave set thee ouer nations and kingdomes (saith God to Ieremie) to plucke vp, to roote out, to destroy, and throw downe, to build, and to plant: that is, to preach, and by preaching to pronounce that I the Lord will doe these things. Ioh. 4. 1. Christ is saide to baptise, that is, (as the next verse imports) he commanded his Disciples to baptise: and, Act. 10. 15. God is said to purifie things; that is, he pronounceth things to be pure. As hypocrites doe in the Synagogue▪ The word hypocrite, betokenethHypocrite, …hat it signifies. one that takes vponupon him to represent the person of an other, as players doe, who sometime represent mightie Kings, otherwhiles poore beggers, and to them it properly belongeth. Now by resemblance it is applied to any, that outwardly faigne themselues to hauehave that goodnes and holines which they hauehave not: for hypocrisie is nothing el…, but a shew of that goodnes outwardly, which indeede is not in the heart. Now in this instance is included a second reason of the former commaundement touching the manner of Almes-giuing, seruing to make all Christs hearers circumspect, both for the ground and ende of their good workes: and the reason stands thus: That which hypocrites doe, you must not doe: but they doe their Almes to be praised of men, as is plaine in this example: and therefore you are not to giuegive almes to be seene and praised of men.
Out of this example we may learne these Instructions. First, thatA propertie of hypocrisie. it is the propertie of an hypocrite to doe good workes for false endes; as, to be seene of men, and to be praised of men: for indeed an hypocrite in his heart makes choise not of God, but of men to be the Iudges and approouers of his good workes. And this is grosse hypocrisie, because hereby the honour due to God is taken from him and giuen to men, for God ought to be the Iudge and approouer of all our actions.
Now as Christ laies this sinne vponupon the Scribes and Pharises, soWe make men, not God, the iudge of our actions. ought eueryevery one of vsus to lay it on ourselues, considering our selues as we are by nature out of Christ; for so we make not God, but men the Iudges and approouers of our actions: this will hereby appeare euidently, for when we doe a good thing, and yet thereby incurre the dispraise of men, are we not more grieued thereat, then when by sinne we offend God himselfe? which could not be, but that our hearts doe more respect the censure of men, then of the Lord. And to cleare this point yet further; consider this, that the roote of hypocrisie and of Atheisme is in our nature, whereby naturally wee doe these three things, wee LoueLove, feare, and trust in men more then in God, and therefore doe make men the Iudges of our actions. 1. for LoueLove, are wee not greeued when we our selues or our freinds are dishonoured, and on the contrarie, when wee our selues or our freinds are praised, are we not glad and reioyce? but when God is dishonoured, who is greeued? or whose heart doth leape for ioye, when God is glorified? which argues plainely that our affection of louelove is more inclined towards our selues and to our freinds then vntounto God. 2. for feare; are not most men more afraide when they offend a mortall man like themselues, then when they offend the euerliuing God? 3. for trust and confidence in the time of affliction, most men are more comforted if some friend promise them helpe, then they are by all the promises of God himselfe in his word. But men will say, that they louelove and feare, and trust in God aboue all: This indeede is the ordinarie profession of ignorant people; but the truth is, that by nature we refuse God to be our iudge and our approouer, and appeale vntounto men: and therefore we must labour to see and feele and to bewaile this hypocrisie, and to be indued with the contrarie grace whereby we may simply and sincerely seeke to be approoued of God in all our actions.
Secondly, in this example note one euident cause of the disorderA maine cause of many beggers … the Iewes. which was among the Iewes in respect of their poore: for they begged in the high waies, in the streetes of the cities, and gates of the Temple, flat against Gods commandement, who would not hauehave such a begger in Israel: other occasions there were of this abuse; but one principall cause is here noted; namely, that priuate persons were permitted to giuegive their priuate almes vntounto the poore with their owne hands in publike places. This was a great disorder, and the cause of many beggers: for priuate men could not discerne the particular wants of all that begged so; and therefore God had otherwise prouided for them in the old Testament, as he shewed before. And in the new Testament there were chosen faithfull men called Dea…ons in eueryevery congregation, who were to looke-vntounto their poore, to collect for them, and to distribute to eueryevery one according to their necessitie. It is not vnlawfull for a priuate man to giuegive Almes in publike place if neede require: but where the poore are no otherwise prouided for, then by such priuate releefe, it is a great disorder: like as it is in a family, where the children and seruants know not where and when to hauehave their dinners: for the poore are Gods children in his family, and ought to be prouided for in better sort then by such priuate releefe: and therefore where good order is wanting for prouision for the poore, it ought in conscience to be begunne, and where it is begunne, men must carefully maintaine and continue the same.
Thirdly, in this example of a corrupt manner of Almes-giuing, see the concurrence of sundrie sinnes. First, here is noted hypocrisie, whichSinne goes not alone. were enough to condemne a man; but yet with this there goes ambition, and with both, an open contempt and breach of good order in prouiding for the poore: which shewes euidently that no sinne goes alone, but ordinarily hath his companions: for sinnes are so infolded one in an other, that he which commits one, is not free from any other: this may plainly be shewed by many examples. In Adams sinne there was the breach of the whole law in eueryevery commandement, either directly or by consequence: for he shewed euident want of louelove to God, in beleeuing Satan more then God; therein he chose Satan for his God; he worshipped Satan, and tooke Gods name in vaine; he shewed also euident want of brotherly louelove, for hereby he became a murtherer not onelyonly of himselfe, but of all his posteritie: and thus doe sinnes concurie in eueryevery wicked action, in which regard it may be said with gIam. …. 10.Iames, that he which faileth in one commandement, is guiltie of all: which must admonish vsus to make conscience of eueryevery sinne: for we cannot liue in any one, but we must needes runne into many other.
Uerely I say vntounto you, they hauehave their reward. These words containe the reason of the former prohibition, wherein we may see the vanitie of this giuing of Almes: for the praise of men is all their reward; they hauehave none with God, as we shewed in the former verse.