court of justice, &c.,-but He tells us that this comes from the evil one, as the Greek has it, or from necessity.

Rash swearing and profanation of sacred names and things are certainly forbidden. A solemn oath is merely permitted, because of the wickedness of men. Why it is so permitted, and has been so used by the best of writers, cannot be explained, except, we suppose, a traditional gloss which time has sanctioned, and which all Christians, with the exception of a few fanatical sects, have admitted.

False swearing or perjury is a heinous sin.

1st. It insults God who is called to witness a falsehood.

2nd. It injures our neighbour against whom it is used.

3rd. It injures the perjurer by penalties temporal and

eternal.

Rash swaering or what is called cursing is to be condemned on the same grounds as perjury. Then it has a special deformity.

Ist. This habit does the sinner no good, like stealing. 2nd. It brings the wrath of God upon him.

3rd. In case of parents it

All codes of law and nations brings evil on their offspring

are severe on this.

38. "Audîstis quia dictum est: Oculum pro oculo, et dentem pro dente.

39. "Ego autem dico vobis. non resistere malo; sed, si quis te percusserit in dexteram maxillam tuam, præbe illi et alteram ;

40. "Et ei qui vult tecum judicio contendere et tunicam tuam tollere, dimitte ei et pallium;

41. "Et quicumque te angariaverit mille passus, vade cum illo et alia duo.

42. "Qui petit à te, da ei, et volenti mutuari à te ne avertaris.

and themselves.

38. 'You have heard that it hath been said: An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.

39. But I say to you, not to resist evil: but if any man strike thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

40. And if any man will go to law with thee, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.

41. And whosoever shall force thee to go one mile, go with him other two.

42. Give to him that asketh of thee, and from him that would borrow of thee, turn not

away.

1The lex talionis which receives a sacred sanction in Exodus xxi. 24., is here considerably modified. No; it is not only modified and abrogated, but literally over-done. The lex talionis or law of retaliation was to be administered by the judge or public authority in order, as S. Jerome remarks, to modify the spirit of private revenge which would have more than a tooth for a tooth, etc., if left to its own suggestions.

2But I say to you, etc.-Here Our Lord gives the dictates of high perfection, and the manner in which commentators qualify the passage does not seem perfectly satisfactory. There are three kinds of injuries we may have to bear, to the person, to the property, to the place or circumstances.

If a man strike you on one cheek, turn to him the other. This is the highest kind of forbearance, and shown by Our Lord, who when struck on the cheek gave even His body to the stripes.

If a man take thy coat give him thy cloak, or the reverse as in S. Luke, and this Our Lord verified, and so did the martyrs, as well as saints who had the spirit of poverty.

If a man forces you angariare (a mongrel kind of word) one mile, go with him two. The very same idea beautifully carried

out.

Most casuists modify this sacrifice of the lex talionis and try to keep interpretations thereof within certain bounds. General good, private interest, how the wicked could do what they liked, precept and counsel and all these things are invoked and explained. Quite right. Our Lord here gives the law of perfection; and although He wishes all to reach it He is far from compelling us to do so; just like His decision with regard to vows of chastity. This is the only plain way of explaining the text. Many saints have obeyed every ordinance here literally, and have been honoured therefor.

Retaliation does no good.

Ist. It does not benefit the injured to knock a tooth out of another's head.

2nd. It does not lessen the malice existing.

3rd. The satisfaction taken is human but ignoble.

Detachment from earthly things easily lets the coat go and even the shirt inside it.

It will work for a friend or an enemy even to the border of human life.

1Hate thy enemy. This is not said anywhere in the sacred scripture, nor does Our Lord use the form "it was said to them of old;" but, "you have heard that it hath been said." This seems to imply that the Pharisees were reported to have interpreted the orders about the destruction of Canaanites and exclusiveness of Israelites as a divine ordinance for personal hatred of those who did not belong to the chosen few.

Love your enemies.-After the example of our eternal Father.

3If you love those, etc.-S. Jerome remarks that even bears, tigers and lions do this; let alone heathens and publicans.

Be you therefore perfect.-This clause seems to be the leading idea pervading the text from verse 33, down. What went before that is of precept, what follows is recommended as something equal to what is called in the processes of Saints "heroic virtue."

Our Lord puts before us the high standard of perfection and in a few divine strokes shows us in what it consists. Jurists and canonists in explaining the moral law lay down what is a mortal sin and what is not. That is the business of a theologian; but the ascetic theologian finds all his glory in insisting upon the literal observance of Our Lord's counsels, which are contained in these few verses.

CHAPTER VI.

1. "Attendite ne justitiam vestram faciatis coràm hominibus ut videamini ab eis: alioquin mercedem non habebitis apud Patrem vestrum qui in cœlis

est.

2. "Cùm ergò facis eleemosynam, noli tubâ canere ante te, sicut hypocritæ faciunt, in synagogis et in vicis, ut honorificentur ab hominibus. Amen dico vobis, receperunt mercedem

suam.

3. "Te autem faciente eleemosynam, nesciat sinistra tua quid faciat dextera tua.

4. "Ut sit eleemosyna tua in abscondito: et Pater tuus, qui videt in abscondito, reddet tibi.

5. "Et cùm oratis, non eritis sicut hypocritæ, qui amant in synagogis et in angulis platearum stantes orare, ut videantur ab hominibus. Amen dico vobis, receperunt mercedem

suam.

1. Take heed that you do not your justice before men, that you may be seen by them: otherwise you shall not have a reward from your Father, who is in heaven.

2. Therefore, when thou doest an alms-deed, sound not a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be honoured by men. Amen I say to you, they have received their reward.

3. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:

4. That thy alins may be in secret, and thy Father, who seeth in secret, will repay thee.

5. And when you pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites, who love to pray standing in the synagogues and at the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men: Amen I say to you, they have received their reward.

1Your justice. In some Greek copies the word for alms-deeds is inserted instead of that for justice. Justice here means sanctity or the fulfilment of the perfection we are striving for. The first condition Our Lord places for all our works of charity and mercy is purity of intention. By the three eminent Good Works, Alms-deeds, Prayer and Fasting, is the perfection of Christian justice to be attained. In all three there are ingredients which enter, in the shape of vanity, self-sufficiency, pride,

F