5. Thou hypocrite--"Hypocrite."
first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see
clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye--Our Lord uses a
most hyperbolical, but not unfamiliar figure, to express the monstrous
inconsistency of this conduct. The "hypocrisy" which, not without
indignation, He charges it with, consists in the pretense of a zealous
and compassionate charity, which cannot possibly be real in one who
suffers worse faults to lie uncorrected in himself. He only is fit to be
a reprover of others who jealously and severely judges himself. Such
persons will not only be slow to undertake the office of censor on their
neighbors, but, when constrained in faithfulness to deal with them, will
make it evident that they do it with reluctance and not
satisfaction, with moderation and not exaggeration, with love
and not harshness.
JFB.
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