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I. WHAT IS HERE MEANT BY "THE WISDOM OF GOD." "Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles," &c. In St. Matthew, our Saviour speaks this in His own name — "Wherefore, behold I send unto you prophets ": for which reason, some think that by "the wisdom of God" our Saviour here designed Himself; as if He had said, Therefore I, who am the "wisdom of God," declare unto you. But this is not very probable, our Saviour nowhere else in the Gospel speaking of Himself in any such style; though St. Paul calls Him "the power of God," and "the wisdom of God." Others think that our Saviour here refers to some prophecy of the Old Testament to this purpose: "Therefore, the Wisdom of God hath said"; that is, the Holy Spirit of wisdom, which inspired the prophets in the Old Testament. But this conceit is utterly without ground, for we find no such passage. But the most plain and simple interpretation is this: "Therefore hath the wisdom of God said"; that is, the most wise God hath determined to send among you such messengers and holy men, and I foresee that ye will thus abuse them, and thereby bring wrath and destruction upon yourselves. And whereas our Saviour says, in St. Matthew, "behold I send unto yon prophets"; it is very probable He speaks in God's name, and that it is to be understood, Behold, says God, I send unto you. By apostles is here meant all sorts of Divine messengers; for so St. Matthew expresseth it, "I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes"; that is, several holy and excellent men, endowed with all sorts of Divine gifts.

II. WHO THIS ZACHARIAS WAS HERE MENTIONED BY OUR SAVIOUR.

III. IN WHAT SENSE, AND WITH WHAT REASON AND JUSTICE IT IS HERE THREATENED, THAT "THE BLOOD OF ALL THE PROPHETS AND RIGHTEOUS MEN, SHED FROM THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD," SHOULD BE REQUIRED OF THAT GENERATION.

1. That it hath been the lot of holy and righteous men, in most ages of the world, to meetwith very bad usage, to be "persecuted and slain." The devil began this work early.

2. We may observe likewise, hence, how great a sin they are guilty of who persecute the righteous, and how terrible a vengeance from God waits on them.

3. From this whole passage of our Saviour, which I have been explaining to you, we may learn how vain it is for men to pretend to honour the dead saints, when they persecute the living.

(Archbishop Tillotson.)

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KJV: Woe unto you! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.

WEB: Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.