Enter
through the narrow gate:
Eiselthate (2PAAM)
dia tes stenes pules
(3:2,8;
18:2,3;
23:13;
Proverbs 9:6;
Isaiah 55:7;
Ezekiel 18:27-32;
Luke 9:33;
13:24;
Luke 13:25;
14:33;
John 10:9;
14:6;
Acts 2:38-40;
3:19;
2 Corinthians 6:17;
Galatians 5:24)
Enter
(1525)
(eiserchomai from eis = of motion into + erchomai
= come, go, enter) is literally to enter into or come into and is given
in the form of a command (aorist
imperative) which
means to do it now, do it effectively, do it even with a sense of
urgency.
Narrow (4728)
(stenos from histemi = to stand) is derived from
histemi meaning to stand and pictures obstacles standing close to
each other, and thus means restricted, less than standard width,
limited in size, a small breadth or width in comparison to length. The
KJV reads " Enter ye in at the strait gate" where strait
means narrow or cramped or affording little room (there is no "wiggle
room" when it comes to entering the Kingdom of heaven for their is but
One Door, John 10:9).
Vincent records...
A remarkable parallel to this
passage occurs in the “Pinax” or “Tablet” of Cebes, a writer
contemporary with Socrates. In this, human life, with its dangers and
temptations, is symbolically represented as on a tablet. The passage is
as follows: “Seest thou not, then, a little door, and a way before the
door, which is not much crowded, but very few travel it? This is the way
which leadeth into true culture.”
Spurgeon writes...
Do not be ashamed of being called
Puritanical, precise, and particular: Enter ye in at the narrow gate.”
It is a way of self-denial, it is a
way of humility, it is a way which is distasteful to the natural pride
of men; it is a precise way, it is a holy way, a strait way, and
therefore men do not care for it. They are too big, too proud, to go
along a narrow lane to heaven; yet this is the right way. There are many
broad ways, as Bunyan says, that abut upon it; but you may know them by
their being broad, and you may know them by their being crowded. The
Christian man has to swim against the current; he has to do more than
that, he has to go against himself, so strait is the road; but if you
wish to go down to perdition, you have only to float with the stream,
and you can have any quantity of company that you like.
***
Do not be ashamed of being called
narrow. Do not be ashamed of being supposed to lead a life of great
precision and exactness. There is nothing very grand about breadth,
after all. And I have: noticed one thing: the broadest men I have ever
met with in the best sense ]lave always kept to the narrow way, and the
narrowest people I know are those who are so fond of the broad way. I
could indicate some literature which professes to be exceedingly
liberal; it is liberal indeed in finding fault with everybody who holds
the gospel, but its tone is bitterness itself towards all the orthodox.
Wormwood and gall are honey compared with what the liberal people
generally pour out upon those who keep close to the truth. I prefer to
cultivate a broad spirit to a narrow heart, and then to talk about the
breadth of the way.
J C Ryle comments that...
our Lord gives us a general caution
against the way of the many in religion. It is not enough to think as
others think, and do as others do. It must not satisfy us to follow the
fashion, and swim with the stream of those among whom we live. He tells
us that the way that leads to everlasting life is "narrow," and "few"
travel in it. He tells us that the way that leads to everlasting
destruction is "broad," and full of travelers. "Many are those who enter
in by it."
These are fearful truths! They ought to raise great searchings of heart
in the minds of all who hear them. "Which way am I going? By what road
am I traveling?" In one or other of the two ways here described, every
one of us may be found. May God give us an honest, self-inquiring
spirit, and show us what we are!
We may well tremble and be afraid, if our religion is that of the
multitude. If we can say no more than this, that "we go where others go,
and worship where others worship, and hope we shall do as well as others
at last," we are literally pronouncing our own condemnation. What is
this but being in the "broad way?" What is this but being in the road
whose end is "destruction?" Our religion at present is not saving
religion.
We have no reason to be discouraged and cast down, if the religion we
profess is not popular, and few agree with us. We must remember the
words of our Lord Jesus Christ in this passage: "The gate is narrow."
Repentance, and faith in Christ, and holiness of life, have never been
fashionable. The true flock of Christ has always been small. It must not
move us to find that we are reckoned singular, and peculiar, and
bigoted, and narrow-minded. This is "the narrow way." Surely it is
better to enter into life eternal with a few, than to go to
"destruction" with a great company (J. C. Ryle. Expository Thoughts)
Jesus concludes His sermon
four warnings arranged in several paired contrasts, even showing how
"narrow minded" Christianity is! Christianity is not a both/and but an
either/or proposition. Jesus leaves no room for a middle ground or for
being a "spiritual mugwump" (In early 1900's a term that came to mean a
politician who either could not or would not make up his mind on some
important issue, or who refused to take a stand when expected to do so)
Jesus' hearers would have been
familiar with the image of "two ways" because the language of "twos" was a common teaching method in
Judaism (see examples below) as well as in Greco-Roman philosophy. This
last section is a call by Jesus for a decision. He is not leaving room
for any middle ground. And so we see Him contrasting...
Two gates, two ways, two groups,
two destinations (Mt 7:13-14)
Two trees, two fruits (Mt 7:15-20)
Two professions of Jesus (sincere and false), two destinies (Mt 7:21-23)
Two builders, two houses, two foundations
(Mt 7:24-27).
Robert Frost wrote a secular poem
that closely parallels Jesus' words:
"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I---
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."
Wiersbe observes that in
regard to one's eternal destiny...
the greatest danger is
self-deception. The scribes and Pharisees had fooled themselves into
believing that they were righteous and others were sinful. It is
possible for people to know the right language, believe intellectually
the right doctrines, obey the right rules, and still not be saved.
(Wiersbe,
W: Bible Exposition Commentary. 1989. Victor)
Keep in mind that most Jews believed
that Israel as a whole would be saved (a delusion Paul dealt with
vigorously in Romans 2) and that the few who were lost would be
exceptions to the general rule. Jesus' teaching radically destroys that
delusion.
Enter (1525)
(eiserchomai from eis = into + erchomai = come)
means to go or come into and so to enter into. The
aorist imperative
conveys the sense of urgency, calling
for immediate and effective action! Don't delay! Enter now! This is the idea.
Don't just admire the principles of the Sermon on the Mount and yet
never follow those principles.
Narrow (4728)
(stenos) means compressed, strait (KJV), restricted or limited in
extent, amount or scope as a narrow gorge between high rocks. Stenos
comes from a root that means “to groan,” as from being under pressure,
and is used figuratively to represent a restriction or constriction. In the
present context the picture refers to the strict requirements relating
to the entrance to eternal life, specifically God's perfect standard of
righteousness (see
Matthew 5:20) in stark contrast to the self-righteousness of the scribes
and Pharisees (and every other false religious system that ultimately is
based on man's best efforts which always fall eternally short of God's
best effort manifest by His Son on the Cross.) This gate is constraining and beset
with difficulty, but it ends in life with God. On the other hand the
wide gate leading to the broad, easy way ends where it began, in
separation from God. Jesus' point is that choosing Him is neither the
popular nor the easy way.
Gate (4439)
(pule) is a leaf or wing of a folding entrance and here
describes a door or gate. Note that there are only 2 gates and every
person will enter one or the other. To not choose to enter the narrow
gate is in fact a choice to enter the wide gate and subsequent
destruction.
In John Jesus taught...
"I am the door; if anyone enters
through Me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find
pasture." (John 10:9)
"I am the (specific, exclusive) way, and the (specific,
exclusive) truth, and the (specific, exclusive) life;
(absolutely) no one comes to the Father, but through Me." (John
14:6)
Comment: In Greek the
definite article "the" is important as it speaks of specificity...in
other words, had Jesus been one of many ways, He would not have used the
definite article "the" but would have identified Himself as "a"
way, "a" truth, "a" life, one of many gates/ways.
Jesus did not teach that there are many roads that lead to the Kingdom
of Heaven but clearly taught "I am the only Way."
Many are skeptical, agnostic or even
antagonistic regarding Jesus' teaching on the narrow gate and scoff at
the idea of such rigid "exclusivity" regarding salvation. The Gospel
message however is clearly very dogmatic, very exclusive and very
narrow. Obviously while we as Christians are not to be narrow-minded
people per se, we must be narrow-minded regarding the way, the truth and
the life, if we truly believe that salvation is found in no one else,
and that there is no other name under heaven that has been given to men
by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12). As offensive as such a truth may
be to non-Christians, we must continually make it clear in our witness
(our life, then our lips!) to them, for without Christ they are lost and
bound for hell.
Here are a few other NT passages that
support this "narrow minded" view and to encourage you to defend the
faith once for all delivered to the saints...
Matthew 5:20 (note)
"For I say to you, that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the
scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven. (This
would have shocked many in the Jewish audience, who knew the Pharisees
as the most religious people in the world. But as Jesus alluded to they
may have had religion but in their hearts they rejected the "narrow
gate" of Christ.)
Matthew 7:21,
22 (note)
Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of
heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. "Many
will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your
name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many
miracles?' (This is a frightening verse, for it clearly teaches that
"many" people who profess Christ are self-deceived. It isn’t a matter of
outward profession, but inward faith and obedience, that saves us.)
John 8:24 "I said therefore to you, that you shall die in your
sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you shall die in your sins."
John 10:9 "I am the door; if
anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out,
and find pasture.
Romans 3:10 (note)
as it is written, "THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE;
11 THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR
GOD;12 ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS;
THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE."...23
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being
justified (declared righteous) as a gift by His grace through the
redemption which is in Christ Jesus;
1 Corinthians 3:11 For no man
can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus
Christ. (There is no other foundation for a holy, blessed, abundant,
eternal life other than Christ).
1 Timothy 2:5-6: For there is one God, and ONE mediator
also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, Who gave Himself as a
ransom for all, the testimony borne at the proper time. (Only one
Mediator. Only one ransom, the blood of Christ shed on the Cross.)
Hebrews 2:3 (note)
how shall we escape if
we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken
through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard
Hebert Lockyer gives us an
example of one who entered the small gate and tread the dangerous way of
a disciple in his fascinating book entitled
"Last Words of Saints and Sinners"
writing that
John Bradford, Chaplain to Edward VI
in 1552, was one of the most popular preachers of his day in England.
With the accession of Queen Mary, Bradford was arrested for seditious
utterances and heresy. Refusing to recant, (he was) condemned to be
burnt at Smithfield, and he met his death tied to the same stake as a
young man found guilty of the same supposed crime. As the flames covered
their bodies, Bradford consoled the youth by saying
"Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life,
and few there be that find it."
Elsewhere, Lockyer gives a
tragic quote which is in diametric opposition to that of John
Bradford....
Robert Green Ingersoll (1833-1899) ,
famous American lawyer and prominent agnostic, lectured on Biblical
inaccuracies and contradictions. His famed lecture The Mistakes Of
Moses led one defender of the Bible to say that he would like to
hear Moses speak for five minutes on The Mistakes Of Ingersoll.
Standing by his graveside, his brother exclaimed
"Life is a narrow vale
between the narrow peaks of two eternities. We strive
in vain to look beyond the heights. We cry aloud, and
the only answer is the echo of our wailings."
John Milton makes mention of the small gate in Paradise
Regained
"A deathlike sleep,
A gentle wafting to immortal life.
Truth shall retire
Bestruck with sland'rous darts,
And works of faith rarely be found.
And to the faithful, Death the gate of life."
for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction:
hoti plateia e pule kai euruchoros e
odos e apagousa (PAPFSN) eis ten apoleian, kai polloi eisin (3PPAI) oi
eiserchomenoi (PMPMPN) di' autes;
(Wide
Genesis 6:5,12;
Psalms 14:2,3;
Isaiah 1:9;
Romans 3:9-19;
2 Corinthians 4:4;
Ephesians 2:2,3;
1 John 5:19;
Revelation 12:9;
13:8;
20:3)
(Destruction
25:41,46;
Proverbs 7:27;
16:25;
Romans 9:22;
Philippians 3:19;
2 Thessalonians 1:8,9;
1 Peter 4:17,18;
Revelation 20:15)
Wide (4116)
(platus) means broad, wide, having a distance larger than usual
from side to side or having ample extent from side to side or between
limits.
Way (3598)
(hodos) can refer to a road and figuratively as used by Jesus
refers to a course of behavior.
Spurgeon comments on the
non-exclusivity of the broad way...
The road is so wide that there may be
many independent tracks in it, and the drunkard may find his way along
it without ever ruffling the complacency of the hypocrite. The mere
moralist may pick a clean path all the way, while the immoral wretch may
wade up to his knees in mire throughout the whole road. Be-hold how
sinners disagree and yet agree in this, that they are op-posed to God!
It is a broad road
C. S. Lewis described this
broad way that was leading him to destruction...
I was soon (in the famous words ) altering “I believe” to “one does
feel.” And oh, the relief of it! … From the tyrannous noon of revelation
I passed into the cool evening twilight of Higher Thought, where there
was nothing to be obeyed, and nothing to be believed except what was
either comforting or exciting. (C. S. Lewis, Surprised by Joy)
John MacArthur comments that
The way that is broad is the easy,
attractive, inclusive, indulgent, permissive, and self-oriented way of
the world. There are few rules, few restrictions, and few requirements.
All you need do is profess Jesus, or at least be religious, and you are
readily accepted in that large and diverse group. Sin is tolerated,
truth is moderated, and humility is ignored. God’s Word is praised but
not studied, and His standards are admired but not followed. This way
requires no spiritual maturity, no moral character, no commitment, and
no sacrifice. It is the easy way of floating downstream, in “the course
of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the
spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience” (Eph. 2:2).
It is the tragic way “which seems right to a man,” but whose “end is
the way of death” (Prov. 14:12).A West Indian who had chosen Islam
over Christianity said his reason was that Islam “is a noble, broad
path. There is room for a man and his sins on it. The way of Christ is
too narrow.” It seems that many preachers today do not see that issue
as clearly as that unbelieving Muslim.
(MacArthur, J:
Matthew 1-7 Macarthur New Testament Commentary
Chicago: Moody Press)
D A Carson has an interesting note
writing that...
The "wide" gate seems
far more inviting. The "broad" road (not "easy," RSV) is
spacious and accommodates the crowd and their baggage; the other road is
"narrow"- but two different words are used: stene
("narrow," Mt 7:13) and tethlimmene (Mt 7:14), the latter being cognate
with thlipsis (2347)
("tribulation"), which almost always refers to persecution. So this text
says that the way of discipleship is "narrow," restricting, because it
is the way of persecution and opposition-a major theme in Matthew (see
Matthew 5:10-12,
5:44; 10:16-39; 11:11-12; 24:4-13...). Compare Acts 14:22:
"We must go through many hardships [...`through much
persecution'] to enter the kingdom of God."...
Democratic decisions do not determine
truth and righteousness in the kingdom. That there are only two ways is
the inevitable result of the fact that the one that leads to life is
exclusively by revelation. But if truth in such matters must not be
sought by appealing to majority opinion (Exod 23:2), neither can it be
found by each person doing what is right in his own eyes (Pr 14:12; cf.
note
Jdg 21:25).
God must be true and every man a liar (Ro 3:4).(Gaebelein,
F, Editor: Expositor's Bible Commentary 6-Volume New Testament.
Zondervan Publishing)
Leads (520)
(apago from apo = from + ago = lead) means to lead
away. This word was used of prisoners being taken under armed guard to
prison or execution!
The broad way leads to eternal
death and hell (cf. Mt 25:34, 46; John 17:12; Ro 9:22: Phil. 1:28; 3:19;
1Ti 6:9; Heb. 10:39; 2 Pe 2:1, 3; 3:16; Rev 17:8, 11)
MacArthur has an interesting
note writing that...
Both the broad and the
narrow ways point to the good life, to salvation, heaven, God, the
kingdom, and blessing-but only the narrow way actually leads to
those. There is nothing here to indicate that the broad way
is marked “Hell.” The point our Lord is making is that it is marked
“Heaven” but does not lead there. That is the great lie of all the
false religions of human achievement. The two very different
destinations of the two ways are made clear by the Lord (cf. Jer
21:8). The broad … leads to destruction, whereas only the
narrow … leads to life. Every religion except Christianity, the only
religion of divine accomplishment, follows the same spiritual way and
leads to the same spiritual end, to hell. There are many of those roads,
and most of them are attractive, appealing, and crowded with travelers.
But not a single one leads where it promises; and not a single one fails
to lead where Jesus says it leads-to destruction.
(MacArthur, J:
Matthew 1-7 Macarthur New Testament Commentary
Chicago: Moody Press)
Destruction (684) (apoleia
from apo = marker of separation, away from + olethros =
ruin, death but not annihilation) describes destruction, in this case
the utter ruin or complete loss epitomized by eternal punishment, which
is ruin away from or separated from God.
The idea of apoleia
is not that of annihilation but that which is ruined and is no longer
usable for its intended purpose. Apoleia does not describe the
complete loss of being, but the complete loss of well-being. The related root word apollumi
is the term Jesus used to speak of those who are thrown into hell
And do not fear those who kill the body, but are unable to
kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy
[apollumi] both soul and body in hell. (Mt 10:28)
As Jesus makes clear
elsewhere, hell is not a place or state of nothingness or
unconscious existence, as is the Hindu Nirvana. It is the place of
everlasting torment, the place of eternal death, where there will be “weeping
and gnashing of teeth” forever (see Mt 13:42, 50).
All people are created by
God for His glory, but when they refuse to come to Him "through the
narrow gate" for salvation, they lose their opportunity for eternal
redemption and ultimately the opportunity of becoming what God intended
for them to be in Christ. At that time, they are fit only for condemnation and
destruction.
Destruction for the sinner does not result in annihilation or
extinction. In other words as noted above, "destruction" is not
the loss of being, but of well-being! The gospel promises everlasting
life for him who believes. The failure to possess this life will involve
the utter ruin of those that perish.
Jesus is not giving many
paths. His command is "either...or"! There is a choice between
two ways and only one leads to eternal life, while the other leads to
eternal death. This picture of Two Ways was not a new thought for
the same truth is brought out by several Old Testament passages...
"I call heaven and earth to witness
against you today, that I have set before you life and death,
the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that
you may live, you and your descendants" (Deut 30:19)
As Joshua neared the fulfillment of
his job on earth, he presented Israel once again with the choice: “"And
if it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for
yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your
fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites
in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve
the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15)
"You shall also say to this people,
'Thus says the LORD, "Behold, I set before you the way of life
and the way of death" (Jeremiah 21:8)
"For the LORD knows the way of the
righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish." (Psalm
1:6)
On Mount Carmel the prophet Elijah
asked the people of Israel,
“How long will you hesitate between
two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal,
follow him” (1 Kings 18:21)
John Oxenham wrote that...
“To every man there openeth
A way and ways and a way;
And the high soul treads the high way,
And the low soul gropes the low;
And in between on the misty flats
The rest drift to and fro;
But to every man there openeth
A high way and a low;
And every man decideth
The way his soul shall go.”
Cebes, the disciple of
Socrates was close to the truth but still managed only to describe the
counterfeit writing...
“Dost thou see a little door, and a
way in front of the door, which is not much crowded, but the travelers
are few? That is the way that leadeth to true instruction.”
Jesus called for a choice
in the gospel of John and the tragic result was that
“many of His disciples withdrew, and
were not walking with Him anymore. Jesus said therefore to the twelve,
"You do not want to go away also, do you?" Simon Peter answered Him,
"Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. And we have
believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God." (John
6:66-69)
John MacArthur emphasizes
that...
In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus
presents still again that great choice of choices. This sermon
therefore cannot be simply admired and praised for its ethics. Its
truths will bless those who accept the King but will stand in judgment
over those who refuse Him. The one who admires God’s way but does not
accept it is under greater judgment, because he acknowledges that he
knows the truth. Nor does this sermon apply only to the future age of
the millennial kingdom. The truths Jesus teaches here are truths whose
essence God teaches in the Old Testament and throughout the New
Testament. They are truths for God’s people of every age, and the
decision about the gate and the way has always been a now decision...
There have always been but two systems of religion in the world. One is
God’s system of divine accomplishment, and the other is man’s system of
human achievement. One is the religion of God’s grace, the other the
religion of men’s works. One is the religion of faith, the other the
religion of the flesh. One is the religion of the sincere heart and the
internal, the other the religion of hypocrisy and the external.
(MacArthur, J:
Matthew 1-7 Macarthur New Testament Commentary
Chicago: Moody Press)
(Bolding added)
and there are many who enter through it
Many (4183)
(polus) is much of number, quantity or amount. The many will
include nominal professing Christians, atheists, religionists, theists,
humanists, Jews and Gentiles form every background, persuasion or
circumstance who has not found and entered the small gate and come to
saving faith in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Wiersbe wisely observes
that...
The broad way is the easy way; it is
the popular way. But we must not judge spiritual profession by
statistics; the majority is not always right. The fact that “everybody
does it” is no proof that what they are doing is right. Quite the
contrary is true: God’s people have always been a remnant, a small
minority in this world. The reason is not difficult to discover: The way
of life is narrow, lonely, and costly. We can walk on the broad way and
keep our “baggage” of sin and worldliness. But if we enter the narrow
way, we must give up those things. Here, then, is the first test: Did
your profession of faith in Christ cost you anything? If not, then it
was not a true profession. Many people who “trust” Jesus Christ never
leave the broad road with its appetites and associations. They have an
easy Christianity that makes no demands on them. Yet Jesus said that the
narrow way was hard. We cannot walk on two roads, in two different
directions, at the same time.
(Wiersbe,
W: Bible Exposition Commentary. 1989. Victor)
Marvin Vincent comments
that...
A remarkable parallel to this passage
occurs in the “Pinax” or “Tablet” of Cebes, a writer contemporary with
Socrates. In this, human life, with its dangers and temptations, is
symbolically represented as on a tablet. The passage is as follows:
“Seest thou not, then, a little door,
and a way before the door, which is not much crowded, but very few
travel it? This is the way which leadeth into true culture.”
(Vincent,
M. R. Word Studies in the New Testament. Vol. 1, Page 3-50
)
Arthur Pink has some
relatively pithy comments on Mt 7:13-14 that you might care to read...
The verses to which we have now come
are closely connected with the previous sections of the Lord’s Sermon,
in which He had described the character of those who were the subjects
of His kingdom and had laid down the rules by which they must walk. Such
teaching as He had given out was at direct variance with the popular
views entertained by His hearers. The Jews supposed that they were all
to be the subjects of the Messiah, simply from being the natural
descendants of Abraham and because they bore in their flesh the mark of
the covenant (circumcision).
But throughout this discourse the
Lord Jesus had made it abundantly clear that something more essential
than physical lineage and submission to ceremonial rites was required to
make them spiritual heirs of the patriarch. There was a straiter gate
which had to be entered than any privilege which natural birth gave
admittance to, a narrower way to be traversed than that religious life
mapped out by the scribes and the Pharisees. Only those are accounted
the true children of Abraham who have his faith (Ro 4:16), who do his
works (Jn 8:39), and who are vitally united to Christ (Gal 3:29).
If the teaching of Christ was
radically different from that in which the Jews of His day had been
brought up, it is in equally sharp contrast with most of the concepts
which now prevail in Christendom. If the Jews were completely ignorant
of the high and searching requirements of God’s holiness it cannot be
said that our own generation is any better informed.
If they (the Jews) plumed themselves
on being the children of Abraham, a large percentage of our people
complacently assume that they are members of a “Christian nation.”
If they believed that the rite of
circumcision secured for them the favor of God, mult
