Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is known by its fruit.
33. Either make the tree good It might look like absurdity, that men should be allowed a choice of being either good or bad; but if we consider what sort of persons Christ is addressing, the difficulty will be speedily resolved.
Satan blinds the eye of faith and seals up the lips of prayer; a soul under his power sees nothing and says nothing to the purpose. But Christ's mercy is directly opposite to Satan's malice. When Satan's power breaks, the eyes open to see God's glory and the lips open to speak His praise.
AI summary
Commenting on Matthew 12:22-37
Then certain of the Scribes and Pharisees answered,.... Not the same that charged him with casting out devils, by the prince of devils; but others, that were present, as appears from Luk 11:16 and who do not take upon them to make a proper reply to what he had said, or return an answer to that, but address him on another account; being willing to...