The Gospel of the Kingdom: A Popular Exposition of the Gospel According to Matthew

Few and simple should be the words which introduce this eagerlyexpected book to the many friends who will welcome it.

The beloved author has gone to his eternal reward, he is “the blessed of the Lord for ever”; but he has left with us this last precious legacy, which draws our hearts heavenward after him.

It stands alone in its sacred and sorrowful significance. It is the tired worker’s final labour of love for his Lord. It is the last sweet song from lips that were ever sounding forth the praises of his King. It is the dying shout of victory from the standard-bearer, who bore his Captain’s colours unflinchingly through the thickest of the fight.

Reverently we lay it at the dear Master’s feet, with love, and tears, and prayers. It needs no comment. It is beyond all criticism. But His acceptance and approval will be its reward and glory.

During two previous winters in the South of France, a great part of dear Mr. Spurgeon’s leisure had been devoted to the production of this Commentary, and it bears much internal evidence of the brightness of the sunny shore where it was written.

On the last visit to Mentone, after his terrible illness, his mental strength was apparently quite restored, and this delightful service was eagerly resumed; so eagerly, that we often feared his health would suffer from his devotion to his happy task. But it was difficult to persuade him to relax his efforts; with his Master, he could say, “My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me, and to finish His work;” and till within a few days of the termination of his lovely and gracious life, he was incessantly occupied in expounding this portion of God’s Word.

Much of the later portion of the work, therefore, was written on the very Border-land of Heaven, amid the nearing glories of the unseen world, and almost “within sight of the Golden Gates.”

Such words acquire a solemnity and pathos with which nothing else could invest them. We listen almost as to a voice “from the excellent glory.”

Yet, in reading over the proof-sheets ot my beloved’s last work, I have been as much struck by the profound simplicity as by the tender power of the dear expositor’s comments. Surely the secret of his great strength lay in this, that he was willing to say what God put in his heart, and did not seek to use “enticing words of man’s wisdom.”.

Although the Master’s call to His faithful servant came before he could complete the revision of his manuscripts, the concluding pages have been compiled, with loving care, entzrely from his own spoken” and written words, by the dear friend who was most closely associated with him in all his work for God.

WESTWOOD,
BEULAH HILL,
UrrerR NORWOOD.
Fanuary, 1893.

He book of the generation of Jesus Ohrist, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

This verse gives us a clue to the special drift of Matthew’s gospel. He was moved of the Holy Spirit to write of our Lord Jesus Christ as Kine — “the son of David.” He is to be spoken of as specially reigning over the true seed of Abraham; hence he is called ‘the son of Abraham.” Lord Jesus, make us each one to call thee, “My God and King!’? As we read this wonderful Gosrrn or tim Kinepom, may we be full of loyal obedience, and pay thee humble homage! Thou art both a King and a kine’s Son.

The portion before us looks like a string of names, and we might fancy that it would yield us little spiritual food; but we may not think lightly of any line of the inspired volume. Here the Spirit sets before us the pedigree of Jesus, and sketches the family tree of ‘‘the King of the Jews.” Marvellous condescension, that he should be a man, and have a genealogy, even HE who “was in the beginning with God”, and ‘‘thought it not robbery to be equal with God”! Let us read: each line of ‘‘ The book of the generation” with adoring gratitude that we have a King who is one with us in our nature: ‘‘in ties of blood with

sinnersone.”

2. Abraham begat Tsauc 3 and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren.

ES tips
or THE Kine.]

With Abraham was the covenant made, that in his seed should all the nations of the earth be blessed. The line ran not in Ishmael, the offspring of the flesh, but in Isaac, who was born after the promise; and by the divine purpose it flowed in elect Jacob, and not in the firstborn, Esau. Let us observe and admire the sovereignty of God. Our Lord sprang out of Judah, of which tribe nothing is said concerning the priesthood, that it might be clear that his priesthood is ‘not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life.” Yet comes he of Judah’s royal tribe; for he is King. /

3, 4. And Judas begat Phares and Zura” of Thamar; and Phares begat Lisromv; and Esrom- begat Aram; and Azam begat Aminadab; and Aminadab beyat Naasson; and Naasson begat Salmon.

Observe the dash of unclean blood which enters the stream through Judah’s incest with Thamar. O Lord, thou art the sinner’s Friend!

5. And Salmon begat Booz of Ruchab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse. )

We note that two women are mentioned in this fifth verse: a Canaanite and a Moabitess. Thus Gentile blood mingled with the Hebrew strain. Our King has come to break down the partition wall. As Gentiles we rejoice in this. Jesus is heir of a line in which

9; THe PEDIGREE OF THE Kine.

flows the blood of the harlot Rahab, and of the rustic Ruth; he is akin to the fallen and to the lowly, and he will show his love even to the poorest and most obscure. I, too, may have a part and lot in him.

6 — 9. And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias; and Solomon begat Roboam; and Roboam begat

Abia; and Abia begat Asa; and Asa begat Josaphat; and Josaphat begat Joram; and Joram begat Ozias; and Ozias begat Joatham; und Joatham begat Achaz; and Achaz begut Hzekias.

Well may our hearts melt at the memory of David and Bathsheba! The fruit of their unholy union died; but, after repentance, she who ‘‘had been the wife of Urias”’ became the wife of David, and the mother of Solomon. Signal was the grace of God in this case, that the line should be continued in this once guilty pair; but, oh, what kinship with fallen humanity does this indicate in our Lord! We will not pry into the mystery of the incarnation, but we must wonder at the condescending grace which appointed our Lord such a pedigree.

10. And Ezehias begat Manasses; and Manasses begat Amon; and Amon begat Josias.

A line of kings of a mixed character; not one of them perfect, and some of them as bad as bad could be. Three are left out altogether: even sinners who were only fit to be forgotten were in the line of this succession; and this shows how little can be made of being born of the will of man, or of the will of the flesh. In this special line of descent, salvation was not of blood, nor of birth. Specially let us think of such a one as Manasses being among the ancestors of our Lord, as if to hint that, in the line which comes after him, there would be some of tho chief of sinners who would be miracles of mercy. Again we say,

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