Matthew 6

Notes

Ver. 7, 8. Though in prayer ye may very properly repeat some important and affecting terms to express the fervent requests of your hearts, and, on some occasions, enlarge your supplications or thanksgivings, yet never multiply words merely to spin out your prayers, or as if ye were praying to heathen idols, which are inattentive, unable, or unwilling to understand or answer your requests; for your heavenly Father, who loves you, and takes pleasure in blessing you, is thoroughly acquainted with all your wants and desires. 9-13. Therefore draw near to him with reverence and confidence, as children to a Father, infinitely kind and exalted, able and ready to help you and others around you, and acknowledge your own unworthiness, weakness, sinfulness, wants, and dangers; entreat and plead that he would, by his grace, enable you and others to glorify him in all things whereby he makes himself known; and that he would dispose all things in the church and world to his own glory; that Satan's dominion in the world and the hearts of men may be destroyed, and the kingdom of grace set up in the gospel dispensation, and daily advanced, by the bringing of multitudes into the church, and into a state of real fellowship with Christ, helping them therein, and increasing their knowledge, comfort, and holiness, till at length they be admitted to an eternal triumph in the kingdom of glory; that, by his grace, ye and others may be enabled to know, obey, and submit to his will in all things, as glorified saints and holy angels do in heaven; and that of his free gift, even in the most perilous times, ye may receive a competent portion of the good things of this life, and his blessing with them; and that, for Christ's sake, he may freely pardon all your sins of omission and commission in heart and life, by which ye have forfeited all enjoyments, and owe a debt of obedience to his injured law and justice, especially as his mercy is so infinitely superior to yours, whom, by his grace, he has enabled from the heart to forgive the injuries done to you; and that he would either keep you from being tempted to sin, or support and deliver you when ye are tempted. And take all your encouragement in prayer from God's own perfections, characters, and promises; and in all your prayers praise him for what he is, what he has done, is doing, or will do; and let both prayers and praises be offered up with earnest desire, and in full assurance of being acceptably regarded. 14, 15. And remember that your hearty forgiving of injuries done you is of inexpressible importance in your supplications; for if God's grace enable you to do this, it is a certain evidence of your being his children, whose iniquities he is engaged, by grace and promise, to pardon; but if ye indulge an implacable and revengeful temper, which makes you averse to forgive injuries done against you, your prayers for pardon are a contradiction to the design of the gospel, and a mocking of God, and ye in vain expect that he will be merciful in pardoning your infinitely greater provocations against himself. 16-18. When ye keep a private fast, on a religious account, never affect to make it known to the world around you by demure looks, disfigured faces, or slovenly airs, that ye may be extolled as wonderfully pious and mortified men. But, instead thereof, conceal your work as much as ye can from the world, and let it lie between God and your soul, in great searchings of heart, ingenuous confessions of sin, deep contrition and humiliation for it, and in serious meditation and solemn prayer. Then shall your all-seeing heavenly Father publicly own and bless you in this world and in that which is to come. 19-24. Never let your chief care and pains be exerted in getting and hoarding up earthly treasures, which are so perishing and apt to be lost, or even to endanger your lives; but chiefly esteem and labour to enjoy the favour of God, the graces of his Spirit, and the complete enjoyment of him hereafter, which are heavenly treasures that can neither perish nor be taken from you. For whatever you reckon your chief treasure will command your thoughts and affections, aims and pursuits; and ye will be either earthly or heavenly minded, and all your happiness either mean and perishing, or great and everlasting, according as earthly or heavenly things are the chief good in your account. Ye have therefore great need of a true spiritual judgment in making your choice; for if, the heart being weaned from this world, your mind has a right and clear discerning of the excellency of spiritual things, all the other faculties of your soul will be well directed in their pursuits after them. But if, through an inordinate affection to the world, your mind be blind or biassed with respect to spiritual things, the other faculties of your soul will, to your inexpressible hurt, be misguided and perverted by it; and remember, that as no man can, at one and the same time, heartily, truly, and perseveringly serve two masters of contrary tempers, commands, and interests, no more can your hearts and lives be at once devoted to the service of God and seeking after the riches, gains, and treasures of this world. 25-30. Never be anxiously or distrustfully careful about the necessaries or conveniences of this present life; but, in the way of dutiful diligence in your callings, quietly depend upon God for what he, in his infinite wisdom, sees best for you; for if, without your care, he gave you your life and being, which are more valuable, why not trust him for whatever is necessary to support them in his service? Will your heavenly Father, who, without their anxious care or labour, provides necessary food for the fowls of the air, ever neglect to provide for you, his dear children and redeemed servants? And when all your anxious care cannot add to the height of your body or the length of your life, why should ye not entirely rely on the all-giving and all-governing providence of God to nourish and preserve them? And with respect to your raiment, if God so protect and gloriously adorn the flowers of the field, which are so quickly to wither and be burned, what a shameful weakness of faith it betrays in you to doubt of his providing proper raiment for you, who are made and redeemed for infinitely more noble and lasting purposes? 31-34. Never therefore, as if ye were mere heathens, be distracted and torn to pieces with anxious cares about your food, raiment, or other temporal enjoyments; but quietly and firmly depend on your heavenly Father, who knows your necessities, and has given you his promises that he will supply you with everything truly good and useful. And let it be your first and principal concern to mind what pertains to the glory of God and the eternal salvation of your own souls, as set before you in the gospel; seek, without delay, all the rich advantages of his kingdom of grace and glory; seek that divine righteousness by which ye are entitled to the same, and that heavenly grace and holiness of conversation which qualifies you for the enjoyment of the eternal blessedness in heaven; and then ye may safely trust God to provide for you the necessaries of life. Be therefore content with such things as ye have, and never distress your minds with fears about future wants and troubles in this world. For God has promised that as your days are, so your strength shall be; and ye will always find enough of present trouble to exercise all the grace ye have at the time.

Ver. 2. Do not sound a trumpet. As there is no rabbinical record of the custom of sounding a trumpet before almsgivers, this expression has been generally interpreted as a metaphorical expression for ostentation. This supposition, however, seems inconsistent with our Lord's usual graphic delineation of existing manners. And that a people who 'loved to pray in the corners of the streets, that they might be seen of men' (ver. 5), should also court a like publicity for their alms-deeds, is perfectly consistent with that uniformity that generally prevails in human character. C.

Ver. 13. Temptation. That is, trial of faith and resolution. This petition has been paraphrased, 'Suffer us not to be led into temptation;' and translated, 'Abandon us not to temptation.' But the Authorized Version is worthy of all preference; and contains an humble and expressive acknowledgment of a weakness, nay, of bias to sin, that deprecates being led into any trial. C.

Ver. 22. Single. Unmixed with blood, as during active inflammation; or unobstructed by specks or opaque films, when the inflammation has subsided. C.

Ver. 27. A cubit[≈ 46 cm · 1 ft 6 in] being 18 inches, the idea of most men desiring to add so much to their stature is out of the question. But as David says, 'Thou hast made my days an handbreadth[≈ 7.6 cm · 3 in],' 'cubit' may likewise be taken as a measure of time, and not of stature. So the word is taken, Jn. 9. 23; He. 11. 11. C.

**Reflections.—**Alas! what a general and powerful evil is pride. Fearfully it spreads into and corrupts men's actions, even those which are good in themselves. But no religious exercise can be truly sincere, and acceptable to God, that does not flow from union to, and regeneration by, Christ. Without sanctified and upright hearts, bodily service will profit nothing, but to procure men's empty applause. And in all our prayers we must view God as our Father in Christ, and prefer the concerns of his glory to our own comforts. Never must we draw our encouragement in prayer from anything but from God himself; and never must we pray under the power of malice, hatred, or envy of our neighbour; nor give our alms, pray, or fast, but with a view to his glory as our chief end. Insignificant, perishing, and uncertain are all the advantages of this world, when compared with the great, the solemn, and eternal realities of the heavenly inheritance. Surely, then, it is highly absurd to be eager in our contrivances and labours, hopes and fears, wishes and cares, about them, while we are so indolent and unmoved about the things of God. If we are interested in Jesus' kingdom and righteousness, it is very unbecoming to distrust our divine Father, and torment ourselves with anxious cares about the necessaries of life. Will the God who largely sheds his bounty on fowls and flowers deny what is necessary to his redeemed children, to whom he has given his Son—given himself?