Discrimination a Law of Nature
Bishop Huntingdon., M. Henry. Matthew 3:12 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner… To me it establishes faith, and makes the awful doctrine of retribution reasonable, to see the law wrought into the whole fabric of Nature around us and the very constitution of man. Even in the orchards and gardens there is a visible economy of discrimination, of rejection, of judgment. Bad fruit drops off and is cast away by the same hand that gathers and garners the good. Sow chaff and grain together if you choose; the chaff rots, while the vital seeds sprout and grow and yield "some thirty, some sixty, some an hundred." Why not so when we come up to the immortal wheat? (Bishop Huntingdon.) 1. Christ is the universal Judge; "His fan is in His hand." He possesses authority, discrimination, and impartiality, — the three grand qualifications for this office. (M. Henry.) Parallel Verses KJV: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. WEB: His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing floor. He will gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire."