7. Nor does meekness restrain only the outward act, as the Scribes and Pharisees taught of old, and the miserable teachers, who are not taught of God, will not fail to do in all ages. Our Lord guards against this, and shews the true extent of it, in the following words: _Ye have heard, that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment_, ver. 21, &c. _But I say unto you, that whosoever shall be angry with his brother without a cause, shall be in danger of the judgment; and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell-fire._ 8. Our Lord here ranks under the head of murder, even that anger which goes no farther than the heart; which does not shew itself by any outward unkindness; no, not so much as a passionate word. _Whosoever is angry with his brother_, with any man living, seeing we are all brethren, whosoever feels any unkindness in his heart, any temper contrary to love: whosoever is angry _without a cause_, without a sufficient cause, or farther than that cause requires, _shall be in danger of the judgment_, ἔνοχος ἔστι· _shall_ in that moment _be obnoxious to_ the righteous judgment of God. But would not one be inclined to prefer the reading of those copies, which omit the word, εἰκῆ, _without a cause_? Is it not entirely superfluous? For if _anger at persons_ be a temper contrary to love, how can there be a cause, a sufficient cause for it? Any that will justify it in the sight of God? _Anger at sin_, we allow. In this sense we may _be angry and_ yet we _sin not_. In this sense our Lord himself, is once recorded to have been angry. He _looked round about upon them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts_. He was grieved at the sinners, and angry at the sin. And this is undoubtedly right before God. 9. _And whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca_: whosoever shall give way to anger, so as to utter any contemptuous word. It is observed by commentators, that _Raca_ is a _Syriack_ word, which properly signifies, _empty, vain, foolish_: So that it is as inoffensive an expression as can well be used, toward one at whom we are displeased. And yet whosoever should use this, as our Lord assures us, _shall be in danger of the council_: Rather, shall be obnoxious thereto: he shall be liable to a severer sentence from the Judge of all the earth.