Matthew 18:10 Take heed that you despise not one of these little ones; for I say to you… Look at the sources of contempt; and what are its correctives. I. THE SOURCES OF CONTEMPT. 1. Want of knowledge will produce contempt. You could not despise the smallest and meanest in God's great universe if only you had a true and enlarged conception of what that universe is. God watches over all; how can we treat with contempt the meanest object of His care. 2. Want of wisdom produces contempt. I cannot imagine it being said it is hardly true that enlarged knowledge diminishes contempt. As we grow older we find out the weaknesses of those we were taught to reverence. But no wisdom lies in that. A wise man newt despises; he reads beneath the surface. There is an angel behind the meanest form. 3. Want of reverence produces contempt. II. THE REMEDY. Sympathy is the antidote to contempt, as love is the restorative of all the ills of the universe. This shows that in the meanest men there are splendid possibilities, (Bishop Carpenter, D. D.) Parallel Verses KJV: Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven. |
    |