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sence of the multitudes, the meaning of which being sufficiently obvious, the disciples did not feel it necessary to make further inquiries of him in private as to their purport. Here, however, they plainly perceived, that he did not intend fully to explain himself indiscriminately to his hearers; which led them to ask the reason of this new practice. Connecting this circumstance with what he had a little before said of the rapidity with which that "generation," the body of the people who had attended on his ministry, had been becoming of a worse disposition, more opposed to his doctrine, and more at enmity with his person and work, we see the force of the reason he assigns for not speaking to them so clearly as formerly on subjects for which they had less reverence, and which only provoked in many the enmity of the carnal heart. To the disciples therefore it was given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, those doctrines which had been kept secret from former ages, but which Christ was now appointed to reveal; but to the others it was not given. Why? Because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, nor understand. They had seen the greatest miracles, yet, as though they had not seen them, remained unmoved and unconvinced; and they had heard the doctrines of Christ, and were as though they had not heard them, they had not only paid no attention to understand them fully, bút, as far as they knew them, they had rejected them; their case therefore had become hopeless, and they were now by a righteous decision, grounded upon a principle of the moral government of God, deprived of the ad

vantages they had abused, at least in part, and preparatory to their total dereliction. That principle is laid down in verse 12, For whosoever hath, HATH PROFITABLY, implying a previous use.of what had been imparted, to him shall be given, and he shall have greater abundance of instruction, illumination, and grace. This was the case with the disciples: having improved their opportunities of attending on Christ's ministry, with humbleness of mind, and sincerity, they were finally led "into all truth," and made partakers of the full salvation of the gospel. But whosoever hath not, in the sense of profitably improving what had been communicated, from him shall be taken away even that he hath; that which was imparted for his edification and salvation: he shall be utterly deprived of those means and opportunities of salvation which he has neglected and slighted. This was accomplished in the unbelieving Jews, whose means of illumination, through his teaching, Christ now began to diminish, and from which they were at length entirely shut out. Thus they became a standing warning to all in future time, to whom the offers of salvation by Christ should be sent; for whoever despises or neglects such advantages, shall either finally see them withdrawn, or be suffered to sink into an obdurate and blinded state of mind which shall render them all inefficacious.

Verses 14, 15. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias.-This prophecy is in Isaiah vi. 9, 10. This quotation of St. Matthew nearly agrees with the Septuagint and with the Hebrew in sense, although the imperative verbs in the original are taken by the evangelists as indi

catives. In thus following the Greek translation they show how the Hebrew mode of speaking, "Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes," was understood by the Jews; that they express not what the prophet would do himself, but what he would be the innocent occasion of being done; not what God designed to do or to be done, but what he, by virtue of his prescience, knew that the people would do themselves upon hearing the prophet's message. The words were not only so understood by the translators of the Septuagint, and the evangelists; but also by the Chaldee paraphrast, and since by D. Kimchi and other Jewish commentators. As to the slight variation between the evangelists and the LXX., it may not only be again observed that the copies they used were in a more perfect state than the present; but also that as this version had only human authority, they did not servilely follow it. They had evidently in many of their quotations the Hebrew text before them, and often, probably, rendered that into the Greek of their own gospels, with more respect to the sense than to a literal translation. The words of Isaiah have been represented by many as having no other relation to the case of the Jews of our Lord's time, than as expressing a strong resemblance between their character and those of the people to whom Isaiah was sent. The formula by which St. Matthew introduces it, is indeed less strong than in some instances already noticed; yet no argument can be built upon that, since it is one which declares a direct accomplishment of Isaiah's words in the event.

The compound verb avananpow, may not indeed, as some have thought, signify that these words were again fulfilled in the days of Christ, and may be allowed to have no more force than the verb in its simple form; but that our Lord refers to Isaiah's words as a prediction accomplished in the Jews of his own age, as well as in those of the age of the prophet, rests upon stronger ground than verbal criticism. It is one of that class of prophecies which relate to a twofold event. It referred, first, to the obduracy of the Jews in rejecting God's messages by his prophets until they were overtaken by the divine judgments, so that "the cities should be wasted without inhabitant," &c., an event which certainly followed in the desolation of the country by the army of Babylon. But to the same quotation used by St. Matthew, St. John adds, "These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him," that is, of Christ; a sufficient proof that the inspired evangelists considered the prediction as referring ultimately and in the highest sense to the perverse conduct of the Jews, after the manifestation of the Messiah, which again issued in the destruction of their cities, and “ the removing of men far away," and a "great forsaking in the midst of the land," according to the prediction. That it is a prophecy, uttered when the prophet had a view of "the glory of Christ, we have the express testimony of the evangelists; and if so, it could only be a prophecy of the Messiah's rejection by the Jews, and their subsequent punishment as a nation.

By hearing ye shall hear.—AxON AKOVσETEThis has been thought a Hebraism, and

not to hear."

Their heart is waxed gross, &c.—A gross or fat heart is a metaphor taken for that stupidity and sloth which is the result of sensual indulgence. To this is added, Their ears hear heavily, and they have closed their eyes. Here we have a most graphic illustration of a fat, sensual, besotted man, oppressed with gluttony and riot; who, scarcely half awake, is made to hear sounds which rouse not his heavy hearing, and listlessly to open his eyes upon some object, and drowsily again to close them; so that no thorough impression is made upon his understanding, and he has no perception of what he is reluctantly roused to behold, and understands not the sounds he hears; only that he is provoked at being disturbed. That state of indolent inattention and carnal aversion to the spiritual doctrines of Christ, exhibited by a people besotted by their prejudices and their sins, is thus in a most striking manner portrayed.

Should be converted, and I should heal them. Should turn to God, and obtain salvation; for conversion is in the New Testament used generally in the sense of an effectual turning of the will and affections to God, so as to SEEK him, which is

tament. To be HEALED expresses the moral restoration of the soul to the favour and image of God; a figure common in all languages. Thus in Mark this clause is expressed paraphrastically: "And their sins should be forgiven them."

Verse 16. But blessed are your eyes, &c. That is, HAPPY are you, because your eyes see, and your ears hear: your eyes and your ears, your attention and understanding, being rightly employed, are become the means of your true and eternal happiness.

Verse 17. Many prophets and righteous men, &c.-St. Luke says, Prophets and kings," because many of these righteous men were of elevated rank, as Abraham, Melchizedec, Moses, David, and Solomon. The words, however, include all the ancient saints, who earnestly desired to see Messiah, to hear his words, to receive that fulness of grace which they knew he was appointed to convey, to understand more clearly those evangelical mysteries which were hidden under the veil of symbolical prophecies and types, and to witness the establishment of his kingdom. "These all died in the faith" that the great promise would be fulfilled, but were not permitted to witness it. "Prophets," says Maimonides, "have wished for the days of Messiah; and excellent men have eagerly expected them." See note on

Luke x. 24.

Verse 19. And understandeth it not.