The Censorious Spirit
H. W. Beecher. Luke 6:37 Judge not, and you shall not be judged: condemn not, and you shall not be condemned: forgive, and you shall be forgiven: 1. Springs not from the Divine but from the malign elements of our nature. 2. Some men exercise it under the form of a blunt, plain-speaking honesty. There is nothing so blunt as a bull; but a bull is not usually considered to be a good thing to have in orphan asylums or in society. Men, however, who have come up along that line of development, go bellowing and horning their way through life, and justify their action because they are blunt, honest, plain-spoken men. 3. Then there are men who "hate hypocrisy," and who are always and everywhere looking around and suspecting people. 4. There is another form of uncharitableness which in some respects is harder to bear than any other. That is where criticism is put in the form of wit. Gold and silver are gold and silver, whether they be in the shape of coin or not; but when they are in the shape of coin and are in circulation, they have a power which otherwise they would not have. 5. The spirit of uncharitableness adds to the irritations, and quarrellings, and sufferings of life. 6. To form judgments of men, so far as their superficial qualities are concerned, requires but little; but to form judgments of their character and disposition is one of the most elaborate and difficult things possible. (H. W. Beecher.) Parallel Verses KJV: Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: WEB: Don't judge, and you won't be judged. Don't condemn, and you won't be condemned. Set free, and you will be set free.