16¶ Moreover, when ye fast, be not as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily, I say unto you, They have their reward. 17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thy head, and wash thy face;

18 That thou appear not unto

16.

Jesus gives the same direction concerning fasting, as concerning prayer; that be performed in sincerity and truth, and not ostentatiously. Fast. Literally, to abstain from food. Intense sorrow generally destroys the appetite for food. Hence fasting has, in all ages, been regarded as an emblem of sorrow. As a religious observance, it indicates sorrow for sin. But where such sorrow does not exist, the emblem is useless. Of a sad countenance. That is, do not appear sour, morose, melancholy, and gloomy, as the hypocrites do, who fast merely to be seen of men. Such seems to be the force of the original. They disfigure their faces. That is, they do not anoint and wash themselves as usual; they are uncombed, filthy, squalid, and haggard. It said that they were often in the habit of throwing ashes on their heads and faces; and this, mixing with their tears, seemed still further to disguise their faces. So much ains will men take, and so much sufering will they undergo, and so much that is ridiculous will they assume, to impose on God and men. But they deceive neither. God sees through the flimsy veil. Human eyes can pierce a disguise so thin. Hypocrites overact their part. Not having the genuine principles of piety at heart, they know not its proper expression, and hence appear supremely contempttle and abominable."-Barnes. 17, 18. When thou fastest, &c. Do not change your habits of cleanliness; but rash and anoint as usual. Let it not be known by your outward appearance, that you are fasting. If you have trespassed against men, let them know your sorrow. But they have no concern with your acts of penitence towards God.

It is sufficient for you, that God beholds your sorrow for sín. You need not fear that he will overlook you.

men, to fast, but unto thy Father, which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal :

20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither

The trappings of grief are not needed to attract his attention. He looketh on the heart. And if you reverence him in spirit, you shall not lose your reward. ¶ Openly. This word is very generally rejected by the critics as spurious.

19. Our Lord exhorts his disciples not to fix their affections on perishable treasures, but rather to acquire spiritual riches. The phrase is a common Hebraism; and the meaning is, strive not so much for earthly as for heavenly treasures. See note on Matt. ix. 13. A prudent provision for temporal wants is both a dictate of nature and a precept of religion. See 1 Tim. v. 8. ¶Treasures. The treasures of the crientals consisted, to a considerable extent, in rich apparel. Gen. xlv. 22; 2 Chron. ix. 24. The precious metals, also, such as gold and silver, were objects of desire. ¶ Moth. An insect, which eats and destroys clothing.

Rust. Or, canker, which corrodes and gradually consumes metals. The caution is as useful to us, as to the ancients. For, although our earthly treasures are somewhat different in kind, they are equally uncertain and perishable. The man who places his affections on these, and trusts in them, is liable to severe disappointment. Fire and flood, fraud and villany, and a host of other agencies, may wrest from his grasp his cherished idol and hope.

20. Treasures in heaven. Whether heaven here indicate the state of glory hereafter, or the reign of the gospel on earth, the character of heavenly treasures is much the same; consisting of the Christian virtues and graces. These are chiefly to be desired and cherished. They are not perishable, nor can any human power deprive us of them. These will be a source of enjoyment, whatever be our earthly lot. If riches be granted us, we shall thus be able to

moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.

21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

22 The light of the body is the eye if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.

23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of dark

use them for the advancement of human happiness; and if poverty await us, we shall be able to submit without repining, and trust in him who feeds the ravens, to feed us also.

21. There will your heart be. Whatever man esteems a treasure, his affections will be placed upon it, in proportion to its supposed value. Matt. xiii. 44; Luke xii. 19. If the affections rest on earthly treasures, disappointment must be expected; if on heavenly, perpetual enjoyment may be confidently anticipated; not even death can terminate that enjoyment, for godliness is as profitable in the future life as in the present. 1 Tim. iv. 8. How important then, that our hearts' affections be not misplaced.

22, 23. The same subject, the impropriety of desiring earthly rather than heavenly treasures,-is illustrated by a physical fact. "That the business here

is about a covetous or a not covetous

mind, may be gathered, (1.) from the context on either hand; for ver. 20, 21, the discourse is concerning treasures either earthly or heavenly; and .ver. 24, concerning serving God or mammon. (2.) From a very usual manner of speech of the nation. For a good eye,' to the Jews, is the same with a bountiful mind; and an 'evil eye' is the same with a covetous mind."Light foot. When the eye is single, that is, clear, in health, and steadily directed to one object, the vision is perfect, and all necessary light enjoyed. But if it be evil, that is, diseased, or clouded, or if it be rapidly turned from object to object, and fixed steadily on none, no useful light is obtained; and if its power of vision be destroyed, total darkness ensues. In like manner, if the mind be pure from contamination, and fixed steadily on holiness as the great object to be attained, a beam of

ness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!

24 No man can serve two masters for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

25 Therefore I say unto you. Take no thought for your life light falls upon it, which becomes brighter and brighter until the perfect day. Prov. iv. 18. But if the mind be debased by the grovelling things of earth, and so engrossed in these as to have no relish for spiritual things, truly dark and dreary is the prospect. There can be no true enjoyment, while the mind is thus darkened.

If he

24. No man can serve two masters, &c. The same subject is further illus. trated by a well known fact, that no man can faithfully serve two masters, whose demands are of opposite character, the one requiring what the other forbids. He must necessarily love one more than the other, and disobey one in obeying the other. Thus opposite are the demands of God and mammon. God requires the practice of holiness. Mammon prompts to injustice, fraud, cruelty, and all unrighteousness. If man obey God, he cannot, at the same time, be supremely devoted to the acquisition of worldly treasures. sacrifice his soul on the altar of mammon, he cannot, at the same time, cul. tivate those holy affections, and per. form those deeds of justice, and me:cy, and benevolence, which God requires. Mammon is a Syriac word, signifying riches. It is said the god of wealth was formerly worshipped under this name. It is to be feared that the same idol has an altar now in many hearts, and that more zealous devotion is paid to it than to the living God. By the use of this word, our Lord by no means intended to admit the actual existence of a god, once worshipped under this name, but only thus personified the love of riches.

what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they

with patience to commit the rest, when we have done sufficiently for our parts." Rhemish Test. "I do not think there is, in the common version, a more palpable deviation than this from the sense of the original. To take no thought about what concerns our own support, and the support of those who depend upon us, would inevitably prove the source of that improvidence and inaction, which are in the New Testament branded as criminal in a high degree. See 1 Tim. v. 8; 2 Thess. iii. 8. There is not an apparent only, but a real, contradiction in the apostle's sentiments to our Lord's precepts, as they appear in the common version, but not the shadow of a repugnancy to them, as expressed by the evangelist. To be without anxiety is most commonly the attendant of industry in our vocation, joined with an habitual trust in Providence, and acquiescence in its dispensations."-Campbell. The meaning is, be not anxious, or solicitous, concerning the means of preserving life by food and raiment; but trust rather in the Giver of life for its preservation and its comforts. In the remainder of the chapter, this admonition is enforced by several weighty arguments. ¶ Is not the life more than meat? Is not the life more valuable than the food necessary for its sustenance? And will not God, who has bestowed the greater gift, bestow the less also? And, in like manner, having bestowed the body, fearfully and wonderfully made, will he not also provide means for its preservation? Perform your own duty faithfully, without solicitude or anxiety, and rely on him for such blessings as you may need. Meat. Food; nourishment of any kind. Such was the ordinary use of the word when this translation was made. ¶ Raiment. Clothing.

26. Behold the fools of the air, &c. We are not to understand our Lord as counselling us, in imitation of the birds, neither to sow nor reap; that is, to

reap, nor gather into barns, yel your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature ?

28 And why take ye thought for

neglect the ordinary means of obtaining what is necessary to the preservation of life; for this would be unnatural, and contradictory to other precepts and apostolic example. John xxi. 3-6; Acts xviii. 3; xx. 34. But he would have us cheerfully confide in God for protection. The birds welcome the approach of dawn with cheerful and animated songs, and fill the air with melody at the close of day. So should man be cheerful in the performance of his various duties, and not torment himself by distrusting Providence. never knew an earthly father take care of his fowls, and neglect his children; and shall we fear this from our heavenly Father? God forbid." T Much better than they. More valuable in the sight of God; more dear to him; more worthy of preservation; being endowed with reason and conscience, and made heirs of immortality.

"We

27. One cubit to his stature. Or, "prolong his life one hour."--Campbell. The same interpretation is given by Pearce, who refers to John ix. 21, 23, and Heb. xi. 4, for a similar use of the word here translated stature. He adds, "so the sense of the place here seems to require the word to be understood; for the discourse is about food for preserving life, the consequence of which is always an increase of age, not an increase of stature, except in very young persons." In this opinion, most cominentators agree. The only difficulty consists in the use of the word cubit,— denoting the length from the elbow to the tip of the finger, or about eighteen inches, as a measure of time or duration. But this difficulty is removed by the fact, that a similar use of measures of length is found in the Old Testament. Ps. xxxix. 5, 6. "Among the heathens, the expression took its rise from their allegorical fable of the thread of life, which the Parcæ or Fates spun out for every man, and which they no sooner cut, than the person for whom. it was designed died. Taken in this