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A 
 
 PRACTICAL EXPOSITION 
 
 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. LUKE, 
 
 IN THK FORM OF 
 
 LECTURES, 
 
 INTENDED TO ASSIST THE PRACTICE OF DOMESTIC 
 INSTRUCTION AND DEVOTION. 
 
 By JOHN BIRD SUMNER, D.D. 
 
 ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY. 
 
 FIFTH EDITION. 
 
 LONDON : 
 
 THOMAS HATCHARD, J 87, PICCADILLY. 
 1850. 
 
 ^rio 
 
LONDON : 
 
 PRIHTE1> BY 0, J. PALMER, SAVOY STREET, STRAND. 
 
Si 
 
 I3SO 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 Lecture 1. — i. 1 — 7. 
 Short Account of St. Luke. His preface to his history. The 
 parents of John the Baptist. Their blameless character. 
 
 Paffe 1 
 
 Lecture IL — i. 8 — 17- 
 Pui;pose of John the Baptist's mission, declared by the angel to 
 his father Zacharias : viz. to turn the heart of the fathers to 
 the children : 2, to turn the hearts of the disobedient to the 
 wisdom of the just ; 3, to make ready a people prepared for 
 the Lord. . . . . .6 
 
 Lecture III.— i. 18—38. 
 Zacharias doubts the angel's word, and becomes dumb. The 
 purpose of God is declared to Mary, that she should become 
 the mother of Jesus, by an immaculate conception. . 12 
 
 Lecture IV. — i. 39 — 55. 
 Ehzabeth blesses Mary. Mary's hymn of thanksgiving and 
 praise. . . . . .17 
 
 Lecture V. — i. 56 — 80. 
 The Baptist is born, and named John. Zacharias' s prophetic 
 hymn, declaring the purpose of his birth. , . 23 
 
 02 
 
 452 
 
IV 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 Lecture VI. — ii. 1 — 14. 
 The birth of Jesus. Announced by angels to shepherds. The 
 angel's hymn — I. Glory to God m the highest. Peace on 
 earth. 3. Good will towards men. . . 28 
 
 Lecture VII. — ii. 15 — 24. 
 The shepherds visit Bethlehem, and are satisfied. The pre- 
 sentation of Jesus in the temples-compared to Christian bap- 
 tism. . . . . .33 
 
 Lecture VIII.— ii. 25—38. 
 
 Simon's hymn. Nunc Dimittis. 
 ceming Jesus. 
 
 He and Anna prophesy con- 
 39 
 
 Lecture IX.— ii. 39—52. 
 Childhood and early youth of Jesus. He astonishes the teachers 
 in the temple at Jerusalem : and excuses himself to his mo- 
 ther, as having been engaged in his Father's business. He 
 returns with them to Nazareth. . .44 
 
 Lecture X. — iii. 1 — 14. 
 John the Baptist exhorts to repentance. Gives advice, 1, to the 
 the people : 2, to the publicans : 3, to the soldiers. . '49 
 
 Lecture XI. — iii. 15 — 20. 
 
 John directs the people to Jesus, who should baptize with the 
 
 Holy Ghost and with fire. . . .56 
 
 Lecture XII.— iii. 21—38. 
 
 God, by the descent of the Holy Ghost, declares himself well 
 
 pleased with Jesus : 1 , as a sacrifice for sin : 2, as a pattern 
 
 of righteousness. The genealogy of Jesus by the side of 
 
 Mary. . . . . .60 
 
 Lecture XIII. — iii. 1 — 13. 
 
 The temptation of Jesus. Teaches all to expect, and to resist, 
 temptation. Departure of Satan. . . G7 
 
 Lecture XIV. — iv. 24—32. 
 Jesus declares at Nazareth the purpose of his incarnation, 
 is thrust out of the city. 
 
C ONTENTS. V 
 
 Lecture XV.— iv. 33-4 1. 
 
 Jesus casts out unclean spirits at Capernaum. The people de- 
 sire him to remain among them. . .77 
 
 Lecture XVL — v. 1 — II. 
 
 Simon, James, and John are called to be apostles . 82 
 
 Lecture XVIL— v. 12—26. 
 
 The healing of a leper. The sins of a paralytic man for- 
 given. . . . . .87 
 
 Lecture XVIIL— v. 27-39. 
 
 Matthew the publican is chosen to be an apostle. The mur- 
 muring of the Pharisees gives occasion to declare the design of 
 the gospel. Jesus excuses his disciples from fasting. 92 
 
 Lecture XIX. — vii. 1 — 11. 
 Jesus explains the use and object of the Sabbath. . 97 
 
 Lecture XX.— vi. 12—26. 
 The danger of riches and of popular favour. . .102 
 
 Lecture XXL— vi. 27—38. 
 The Christian temper of charity and forgiveness. . 113 
 
 Lecture XXIL— vi. 39—49. 
 The consistent Christian compared to a house upon a rock. 1 13 
 
 Lecture XXIII. — vii. 1 — 17- 
 A centurion's servant healed. The widow of Nain's son restored 
 to life. . . • . .119 
 
 Lecture XXIV.— vii. 18—35. 
 John the Baptist's disciples visit Jesus. Wisdom is justified of 
 her children. . . . .124 
 
 Lecture XXV. — vi. 36 — 50. 
 A woman who had been a sinner is pardoned, and her conduct 
 towards Jesus defended against the imputations of Simon . 130 
 
VI 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 Lecture XXVI. — viii. 1 — 15. 
 The parable of the sower. 
 
 136 
 
 Lecture XXVII.— viii. 16—21. 
 The answer of Jesus to his mother and his brethren. 
 
 142 
 
 Lecture XXVIII.— viii. 22—39. 
 A tempest stilled. A man is delivered from devils, which enter 
 into swine. . . . • .147 
 
 Lecture XXIX.- viii. 40—56. 
 The faith of a diseased woman is rewarded. Jairus' daughter 
 restored. . . . . .152 
 
 Lecture XXX. — ix. 1 — 17. 
 
 The twelve apostles sent to preach the gospel. Five thousand 
 miraculously fed. . . . .157 
 
 Lecture XXXI.— ix. 18—27. 
 
 The apostles acknowledge Jesus to be the Christ. They are 
 warned to prepare for trial and persecution. . 162 
 
 Lecture XXXII.— ix. 28—36. 
 The transfiguration : and testimony given to Jesus from hea- 
 ven. . . . . .167 
 
 Lecture XXXIII.— ix. 37—50. 
 Jesus heals a lunatic Predicts his own sufferings. Enforces 
 humihty by the example of a child. .. .172 
 
 Lecture XXXIV.— ix. 51—62. 
 The angry spirit of two apostles reproved. Perseverance in 
 rehgion required. . . . .177 
 
 Lecture XXXV.— x. 1—16. 
 Seventy disciples sent forth to proclaim the kingdom of God. 1 82 
 
 Lecture XXXVI.—x. 17—20. 
 Return of the seventy. Their names written in the book of 
 life. . . . . .187 
 
CONTENTS. vii 
 
 Lecture XXXVIL— x. 21-29. 
 Mysteries of the Gospel. Answer to a certain lawyer, who 
 inquires concerning eternal life. . . .191 
 
 Lecture XXXVIIL— x. 30—37. 
 The good Samaritan. . . . .197 
 
 Lecture XXXIX.— x. 38—42. 
 Jesus admonishes Martha that one thing is needful. . 201 
 
 Lecture XL. — xi. 1 — 13. 
 
 The efficacy of earnest, persevering prayer. . . 206 
 
 Lecture XLL — xi. 14 — 26. 
 A dumb man delivered from an evil spirit. Parable of the 
 strong man vanquished by one stronger. . .212 
 
 Lecture XLII — xi. 27 — 36. 
 Description of the truly blessed. The unbelief of the people 
 reproved. . . . . .219 
 
 Lecture XLIII. — xi. 37 — 54. 
 
 Hypocrisy of the Pharisees and lawyers condemned. 224 
 
 Lecture XLIV. — xii. 1 — 12. 
 The disciples charged to fear God and not man, and to show 
 themselves followers of Christ. . . . 230 
 
 Lecture XLV. — xii. 13 — 21. 
 The folly of the rich worldling, who lays up treasure for him- 
 self. . . . . .235 
 
 Lecture XLVI — xii. 22—34. 
 Anxious care about earthly things reproved. . 240 
 
 Lecture XLVIL— xii. 35—48. 
 Watchfulness enjoined. The plea of ignorance examined. 245 
 
 Lecture XLVIIL— xii. 49—59. 
 Jesus foretells some effects of his coming. He reproves the 
 people for their unbelief. . . .250 
 
VI 11 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 Lecture XLIX. — xiii. 1 — 9. 
 
 The nature of divine judgments. Parable of the barren fis;- 
 
 tree. ..... 255 
 
 Lecture L. — xii. 10 — 21. 
 Jesus defends his healing on the Sabbath. Parable of the 
 
 leaven. 
 
 260 
 
 Lecture LI. — xiii. 22 — 30. 
 Warning given to enter the strait gate in time. 
 
 Lecture LII — xiii. 31 — 35. 
 Jesus laments the doom of Jerusalem. 
 
 266 
 
 272 
 
 Lecture LIIL — xiv. 1 — 14. 
 A dropsical person healed on the sabbath. Pride rebuked. 
 Charity recommended. 
 
 Lecture LIV. — xiv. 15 — 24. 
 Parable of the great supper. 
 
 Lecture LV. — xiv. 25 — 35. 
 Self-denial and resolution needful. . 
 
 Lecture LVI. — xv. 1 — 7- 
 Parable of the lost sheep. 
 
 Lecture LVIL— xv. 8—10. 
 Parable of the lost piece of silver. . 
 
 277 
 
 283 
 
 288 
 
 292 
 
 298 
 
 Lecture LVin. — xv. 11 — 16. 
 The prodigal son. His departure from home, and misery. 302 
 
 Lecture LIX. — xv. 17 — 24. 
 
 The prodigal's repentance, return, and reception with his 
 father. . . . .307 
 
 Lecture LX. — xv. 25 — 32. 
 The jealousy of the j)rodigars elder brother. . 
 
 312 
 
CONTENTS. ix 
 
 Lecture LXI. — xvi. I — 12. 
 Parable of the unjust steward. . , .317 
 
 Lecture LXIL — xvi. 13 — 18. 
 Necessity of choosing between the service of God and mammon. 
 
 323 
 
 Lecture LXIIL— xvi. 19—31. 
 Parable of the rich man and Lazarus. . . 329 
 
 Lecture LXIV.— xvii. 1 — 10. 
 
 Forgiveness of injuries. The disciples are taught to count them- 
 selves unprofitable servants. . . .335 
 
 Lecture LXV. — xvii. 11 — 19. 
 Ten lepers healed. Only one returns thanks. . 34 1 
 
 Lecture LXVI.— xvii. 20—37. 
 The kingdom of God commenced, but neglected by men. 345 
 
 Lecture LXVIL — xviii. 1 — 8. 
 Parable of the widow and unjust judge. . .351 
 
 Lecture LXVIII. — xviii. 9 — 14. 
 Prayer of the Pharisee and publican. . . 357 
 
 Lecture LXIX. — xviii. 15 — 30. 
 Jesus receives little children. The recompense of those who 
 leave all, and follow him. . . .362 
 
 Lecture LXX. — xviii. 31 — 43. 
 A blind man restored to sight.. . . . 368 
 
 Lecture LXXI. — xix. 1 — 10. 
 Repentance of Zaccheus. . . .373 
 
 Lecture LXXII. — xix. 11 — 27. 
 
 Parable of the ten pounds. . , , 378 
 
 Lecture LXXIII.— xix. 28—40. 
 Triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. . . 385 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 . 401 
 
 407 
 
 Exodus. 
 . 413 
 
 Lecture LXXIV.— xix. 41—48. 
 Lamentation of Jesus over the impenitence of Jerusalem . 390 
 
 Lecture LXXV.— xx. 1-^18. 
 Parable of the rebellious husbandmen. . . 394 
 
 Lecture LXXVL— xx. 19—26. 
 Tribute due to Caesar, and allegiance to God. 
 
 Lecture LXXVIL— xx. 27-36. 
 Nature of the world to come. 
 
 Lecture LXXYIIl.— xx. 37—47. 
 Resurrection proved from a passage in the book of 
 Christ more than the son of David. 
 
 Lecture LXXIX.~xxi. 1 — 19. 
 Disciples warned of trials, and exhorted to patience. . 419 
 
 Lecture LXXX.—xxi. 20—28. 
 Destruction of Jerusalem. . , . 425 
 
 Lecture LXXXL— xxi. 29—38. 
 Danger of worldly snares. Watchfulness enjoined. . 430 
 
 Lecture LXXXIL — xxii. 1 — 16. 
 Apostacy of Judas. Fulfilment of the Passover. . 435 
 
 Lecture LXXXIIL— xxii. 17—30. 
 The last supper. Disciples exhorted to humility. . 441 
 
 Lecture LXXXIV.— xxii. 31—34. 
 Peter warned of the enmity of Satan. . . 446 
 
 Lecture LXXXV. — xxii. 35 — 53. 
 
 Jesus betrayed. 
 
 . 452 
 
 Lecture LXXXVL— xxii. 54—71 
 Peter's denial of Jesus. 
 
 . 457 
 
CONTENTS. xi 
 
 Lecture LXXXVIL— xxiii. 1--25. 
 Barabbas preferred to Jesus. Pilate consents to his cruci- 
 fixion. ..... 463 
 
 Lecture LXXXVIIL— xxiii. 26—43. 
 DiflFerent conduct of the two malefactors. . . 469 
 
 Lecture LXXXIX. — xxiii. 44 — 56. 
 Signs attending the death of Jesus. Their effect upon the be- 
 holders. His burial. . . .475 
 
 Lecture XC — xxiv. 1—12. 
 The resurrection of Jesus. . . . 480 
 
 Lecture XCI. — xxiv. 13 — 32. 
 The journey to Emniaus. Jesus expounds the Scriptures con- 
 cerning himself. . . . .486 
 
 Lecture XCIL — xxiv. 33—53. 
 Jesus opens the Scriptures to the apostles, and commissions 
 them to proclaim the gospel. . . .492 
 
EXPOSITORY LECTURES 
 
 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. LUKE. 
 
 LECTURE I. 
 
 PREFACE TO ST. LUKE'S HISTORY.—PARENTS OF 
 JOHN THE BAPTIST. 
 
 Luke i. 1 — 7. 
 
 It is not certain whether the author of this Gospel 
 was personally a follower of our Lord during his 
 ministry, like John and Matthew : or whether, like 
 Mark, he wrote not what he had seen or heard, but 
 what was delivered to him by others, and especially 
 by 8t. Paul, whom he accompanied in his travels/ 
 We know that he was not one of the Twelve ; but 
 many suppose that he was one of the Seventy, whom 
 Christ appointed to assist in making the gospel 
 known.2 This cannot be determined : but it is cer- 
 tain that he was the favourite companion and helper 
 of St. Paul, who calls him " the beloved physician," 
 and who, after mentioning some who had departed 
 from him, so as to disappoint his expectation, when 
 
 1 Acts xvi. 10 ; xxvii. 1, 2 ; xxviii. 7 — 10 ; Col. iv. 14 ; 2 Tim. 
 iv. 11 ; Philemon 24. 
 
 2 His namey which is not of Hebrew origin, is opposed to this 
 idea. 
 
 B 
 
2 LUKE I. 1—7. 
 
 he was prisoner at Rome, proceeds to say, " Only 
 Luke is with me." 
 
 In whatever way he came to the knowledge of 
 the things which he has related, he wrote under the 
 guidance of the Spirit of God. Under the influence 
 of the same Spirit, may the gospel which he has 
 delivered to us contribute to make us " wise unto 
 salvation, through faith that is in Christ Jesus." 
 
 St. Luke opens his history by declaring to a 
 Christian named Theophilus, the reason which in- 
 duced him to compose it."' 
 
 1. Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in 
 order a declaration of those tilings which are most surely 
 believed among us, 
 
 2. Even as they delivered thetn unto us, which from the 
 beginning were eye-witnesses, and ministers of the word; 
 
 3. It seemed good to me also, having had perfect under- 
 standing of all things from the very first, to write unto 
 thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, 
 
 4. That thou mightest know the certainty of those things 
 wherein thou hast been instructed. 
 
 This passage explains to us more clearly than 
 any other, the original composition of the gospel 
 histories. 
 
 The most important things said and done by 
 
 Jesus Christ, were recorded by those who, from the 
 
 beginning, were eye-ivitnesses and ministers of the 
 
 rcord. Such things, it is natural to suppose, would 
 
 be taken down by the converts from the mouth of 
 
 those who had heard them, and kept both for their 
 
 own use, and that they might be communicated to 
 
 3 The Acts of the Apostles are addressed to the same person. 
 Acts i. 1 . 
 
I 
 
 LUKE I. 1—7. 8 
 
 others. After some time, it was seen fit that Mat- 
 thew, one of these original eye-witnesses , should 
 write a connected history for the use of the Jewish 
 converts. St. Mark did the same, under the es- 
 pecial direction of St. Peter, another eye-witness 
 from the beginning. 
 
 Still there were many important things which 
 these had not inserted. And Luke, as he was 
 preaching the gospel among the Gentiles, was not 
 satisfied with the means of information which they 
 already possessed, and wrote this history for their 
 use and furtlier instruction, under the advice, as is 
 commonly believed, of St. Paul, in whose company 
 he was travelling. Forasmuch, he says, as many 
 have taken in hand to set forth in order a declara- 
 tion of those things which are most surely believed 
 among us, it seemed good to me also to do the same. 
 He does not here make a distinction between the 
 impulse of his own mind, and the suggestion of 
 the Holy Spirit. But God, who had contrived a 
 mighty plan to redeem the world, would surely 
 provide that the world should be correctly and fully 
 acquainted with all that concerned that redemption. 
 And therefore his Spirit " brought to the remem- 
 brance " of the apostles the things which they had 
 heard, and " guided them into all truth" ^ in relating 
 them : and directed by the same Spirit, the Evan- 
 gelists selected the scattered discourses, and de* 
 tached histories which were handed about among 
 Christians, and put them into such order as the use 
 of the church required. So St. John acquaints us, 
 that " many signs did Jesus in the presence of his 
 * John xiv. 16 ; xvi. 14. 
 
 B 2 
 
LUKE I. 1—7. 
 
 disciples, which are not written in this book : but 
 these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus 
 is the Christ, the Son of God ; and that believing, 
 ye might have life through his name."' 
 
 5. TJiere was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea^ 
 a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Ahia :^ 
 and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name 
 was Elisabeth . 
 
 6. And they were both righteous before God, walking in 
 all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blame- 
 less. 
 
 7. And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was 
 barren, and they both were now well stricken in years. 
 
 We learn, from all the histories of that age, that 
 at the period of Christ's appearance, the Jewish 
 nation, as a body, were living unworthily of their 
 privileges : were degraded by wickedness and error. 
 Still it was not in vain that God had revealed 
 himself to that people, had given them a holy 
 law, had instructed them in his will. There was 
 still a remnant, whose blessed character it was 
 that they walked in all the commandments and 
 ordinances of the Lord blameless. Such is the de- 
 scription given of Simeon, " a man just and devout, 
 waiting for the consolation of Israel : and the Holy 
 Ghost was upon him." Such was " Anna, a pro- 
 phetess, which departed not from the temple, but 
 served God with fasting and prayers night and 
 day." And such were Zacharias and his wife 
 Elisabeth. And these are the characters which 
 
 ^ David divided the family of Aaron into twenty-four courses, 
 or orders, that the regular duty of the temple might be performed 
 by them in weekly succession. 1 Chron. xxiv. 10. 
 
LUKE I. 1—7. 6 
 
 God approves. To such he sends his messengers. 
 In the opening of that dispensation, which was now 
 about to be fulfilled, he distinguished Abraham, 
 because he " knew him, that he would command 
 his children and his household after him, that they 
 should keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and 
 judgment."* So He now honoured, with an espe- 
 cial mark of favour, two persons who were described 
 by that noblest characteristic, that they walked in 
 all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord 
 blameless. 
 
 Blameless, speaking after the manner of men ; 
 blameless, compared with others ; blameless, as far 
 as man has a right to judge. Weighed indeed in 
 the strict balance of the sanctuary, we know that 
 they would not have been found blameless. They 
 had surely " done those things which they ought 
 not to have done, and had left undone those things 
 which they ought to have done." In this they 
 had been like the other children of a sinful race. 
 But unlike too many others of that race, who paid 
 no heed to the law which was intended to reclaim 
 them, they had made it the business of their lives 
 to serve God, and to follow his commandments : 
 to " do justice, and to love mercy, and to walk 
 humbly with their God." 
 
 Let such be the prayer, and the desire, and the 
 endeavour of all. Still, if thou, Lord, shouldest be 
 extreme to mark what is done amiss, who may abide 
 it ? " We do not presume to come before thee, 
 trusting in our own righteousness, but in thy mani- 
 * Gen. xviii. 18, 19. 
 
LUKE I. 8—17. 
 
 fold and great mercies." Our first and latest prayer 
 must be, " Hide thou thy face from our sins, and 
 blot out all our iniquities." 
 
 LECTURE 11. 
 
 PURPOSE OF JOHN THE BAPTIST'S MISSION, 
 DECLARED BY THE ANGEL TO HIS FATHER 
 ZACHARIAS. 
 
 Luke i. 8 — 17. 
 
 The character of Zacharias and his wife Elisabeth 
 has been already described. They were both right- 
 eous before God, walking in all the commandments 
 and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 
 
 Such are they whom God delights to honour. 
 He does not indeed confine his mercies to such 
 characters. He called Matthew from the " receipt 
 of custom," from the temptations, and perhaps 
 the sins, of a dangerous vocation, and showed that 
 there is a " victory which overcometh the world, 
 even our faith." He summoned Saul to leave a 
 career of violence and cruelty ; and showed the 
 power of divine truth over prejudice and error. 
 But his ordinary rule is, " Them that honour me, I 
 will honour :" '* Draw nigh unto God, and he will 
 draw nigh unto thee." 
 
 So, at least, it proved in the case of Zacharias, 
 who was selected to be the father of that messenger 
 which should prepare the way before the Messiah. 
 Such a forerunner had been predicted. And we 
 
LUKE I. 8-17. 7 
 
 cannot be surprised that something unusual, and 
 contrary to the common course of events, should 
 attend the birth of a person so remarkable, com- 
 missioned for a purpose so peculiar. 
 
 8. And it came to pass, that while he executed the 
 priesCs office before God in the order of his course^ 
 
 9. According to the custom of the priesfs office, Ids lot 
 was to hum incense when he went into the temple of the 
 Lord. 
 
 10. And the whole multitude of the people were praying 
 without at the time of incense. 
 
 11. And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord 
 standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 
 
 12. And when ZacJiarias saw him, he was troubled, 
 and fear fell upon him. 
 
 13. But the angel said unto him. Fear not, Zacharias, 
 for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall 
 hear thee a son, and thou shall call his name John. 
 
 14. And thou shall have joy and gladness, and many 
 shall rejoice at his birth. 
 
 15. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and 
 shall drink neither wine nor strong drink ; and he shall 
 be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother^ 
 womb. 
 
 16. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn 
 to the Lord their God, 
 
 17. And he shall go before him in the spirit and power 
 of EliaSi to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, 
 and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just ; to make 
 ready a people for the Lord. 
 
 Thus is described that prophet, who should fulfil 
 the promise of Malachi, (iv. 5,) " Behold, I will 
 send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of 
 the great and dreadful day of the Lord : and he 
 shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, 
 
8 LUKE I. 8—17. 
 
 and the heart of the children to the fathers, lest T 
 come and smite the earth with a curse." He was 
 to be separated, dedicated to God, after the man- 
 ner of the Nazarites, (Num. vi. 2,) concerning 
 whom it was ordained, " When either man or 
 woman shall separate themselves to vow a vow of 
 a Nazarite, to separate themselves unto the Lord : 
 he shall separate himself from wine and strong 
 drink all the days of his separation." So should that 
 messenger be distinguished, who was to go before 
 the Lord God, the Incarnate Word, in the spirit and 
 power of Elias : who was to derive his boldness and 
 energy, not from earthly aids, but from God, being 
 filled with the Holy Ghost from his mothers womb. 
 And thiis his power should be employed in the 
 purpose for which it was given ; to turn the hearts 
 of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient 
 to the ivisdom of the just : to make ready a people 
 prepared for the Lord, 
 
 This character of the Baptist's mission has an 
 interest beyond the immediate purpose for which 
 John was ordained. It shows us what the will of 
 God is in respect to men at all times. It specifies 
 three points to which we are bound especially to at- 
 tend. 
 
 L The Baptist was to turn the hearts of the fa- 
 thers to the children ; ^ to restore natural affection, 
 
 ^ The interpretations of this passage are various. Some change 
 the Hebrew particle, and render it, the ' heart of the fathers 
 with the children ;' i. e. that all may serve God. Some make 
 the words allude to the calling of the Gentiles ; shall turn 
 the hearts of the Jews, as fathers, to the Gentiles as their chil- 
 dren. Others, departing more widely from the letter of the 
 
LUKE I. 8—17. 9 
 
 to which, in its best sense, the carnal and worklly 
 mind is commonly a stranger. This proves it to be 
 the will of God, that parents should not neglect the 
 children to whom they have given a being, but re- 
 gard them with that concern which their highest 
 interests require, and bring them up in the nurture 
 and admonition of the Lord. To this the Jews 
 had been especially commanded.^ They were to 
 instruct their children in the reason and origin of 
 the ordinances prescribed in this law ; they were to 
 " teach them diligently all the words " which God 
 had commanded them to observe. Such was 
 David's example : " When the days drew nigh 
 that he should die, (I Kings ii. 1 — 3,) he charged 
 Solomon his son, saying, I go the way of all the 
 earth : be thou strong therefore, and show thyself 
 a man ; and keep the charge of the Lord thy 
 God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, 
 and his commandments, and his judgments, and 
 his testimonies, as it is written in the law of 
 Moses." This would be one sure sign of a con- 
 verted heart. 
 
 passage, make it signify the turning the hearts of the rising 
 generation to the ways of their ancestors ; i. e. to rehgion. The 
 original passage in Malachi, * shall turn the heart of the fathers 
 to the children, and of the children to their fathers,' supported 
 by the Septuagint, which says, * the heart of the father towards 
 his son, and the heart of a man towards his neighbour,' strongly 
 leads us to believe, that the restoration of mutual affection and 
 benevolence, which uniformly accompanies true religion, is speci- 
 fied here as one of the first-fruits of that conversion which the 
 preaching of the Baptist should effect. It is part of the cha- 
 racter of the irreligious to be do-ropyot, without natural affection. 
 Rom. 4. 31. 
 
 2 Deut. vi. 7. Exod. xii. 26; xiii. 14. 
 
10 
 
 LUKE I. 8—17. 
 
 2. Secondly, John the Baptist was to turn the 
 hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the just. 
 The disobedient are those who do not stu(^ to 
 walk after the will of God, righteously, soberly, 
 and piously, but who follow their own devices and 
 desires. These are to be turned to wisdom, to the 
 true wisdom of those who, " by patient continuance 
 in well-doing, seek for glory and honour and immor- 
 tality." This was accomplished, when the different 
 classes of people came to John, and asked, " What 
 shall we do then ?" ^ what doth God require of us ? 
 And it was more fully accomplished when the cove- 
 nant of grace was disclosed ; and those who were 
 really wise, being justified by faith, had peace with 
 God through the blood of the Redeemer, and were 
 enabled to serve him with a quiet mind. 
 
 3. The third object of the Baptist was to make 
 ready a people prepared for the Lord, 
 
 This purpose he eminently fulfilled, when he ex- 
 horted his countrymen to " repent, for the kingdom 
 of heaven was at hand :" when he convinced them 
 what they were in the sight of God, and what they 
 ought to be, and what they might become. This 
 was preparing them for the Lord : preparing them 
 for his free offer of salvation, by proving their want 
 of such mercy ; and showing their need of that divine 
 grace which might enable them to walk before God 
 in righteousness and holiness. He who should come 
 after him, would " baptize them with the Holy 
 Ghost, and with fire : would put a new heart and a 
 right spirit within them ; would strengthem them to 
 3 Luke iii. 10, &c. 
 
LUKE I. 8—17. 11 
 
 contend successfully against a sinful nature ; would 
 teach them to put off the old man, which is corrupt, 
 and to put on the new man, which acceptably serves 
 God, and works righteousness. 
 
 After this manner the Jewish people were pre- 
 pared by the preaching of the Baptist for the first 
 coming of the Lord Jesus. We also look for his 
 appearance, his second coming in glory. We pro- 
 fess to be " waiting for the Son from heaven;" to 
 be looking " for that blessed hope, and the glorious 
 appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus 
 Christ." * We therefore must be prepared : pre- 
 pared in the same manner. All who are ready for 
 the Lord's coming, will be zealously affected towards 
 their children and their household ; will be seeking 
 first the kingdom of God ; will be cherishing an 
 humble sense of their own unworthiness ; and will 
 be exercising themselves, that they may " keep a 
 conscience void of offence towards God and towards 
 men." 
 
 Thus may we all be found ready : " for we know 
 not the day nor the hour when our Lord cometh." 
 
 ^ Tit. ii. 13. 
 
12 
 
 LUKE I. 18—38. 
 
 LECTURE III. 
 
 ZACHARIAS DOUBTS THE ANGEL'S WORD.— THE 
 PURPOSE OF GOD IS ANNOUNCED TO MARY. 
 
 Luke i. 18—38. 
 
 18. And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall 
 I know this ? for I am an old man, and my wife well 
 stricken in years. 
 
 19. And the angel answering said unto him, I am Ga- 
 briel, that stand in the presence of God ; and am sent to 
 speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. 
 
 20. And., behold, thou shall be dumb, and not able to 
 speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, 
 because thou believest not my words, which shall be ful- 
 ailed in their season. 
 
 There was an example known to Zacharias, which 
 he would have done well to imitate. Abraham is 
 commended, (Rom. iv. 18,) " who against hope 
 believed in hope, that he might become the father 
 of many nations, according to that which was 
 spoken, So shall thy seed be." " He staggered not 
 at the promise of God through unbelief; but was 
 strong in faith, giving glory to God ; and being fully 
 persuaded, that what he had promised he was able 
 also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to 
 him for righteousness." 
 
 The appearance of the angel of the Lord to Zacha- 
 rias carried proof with it that he was God's messen- 
 ger. And, as God's messenger, he had a right to be 
 
LUKE I. 18—38. 13 
 
 implicitly believed. But Zacliarias had not the ready 
 faith of Abraham. Thus taken by surprise, he gave 
 way to doubts, and did not remember that the things 
 which are impossible with man, are possible with 
 God. He inquires, Whereby shall I know thisf 
 for 1 am an old 7nan, and my wife well stricken in 
 years. He asks for a sign : and the sign given 
 him is indicative of displeasure. Behold, thou 
 shalt he dumb, and not able to speak, until the day 
 that these things shall he performed, because thou 
 believest not my words. God expects us to believe, 
 and to act as if we believed, that the things which 
 he has declared to us, and which we have sure evi- 
 dence that he has declared, shall all he fulfilled in 
 their season, 
 
 21. And the people waited for Zacharias, and mar- 
 veiled that he tarried so long in the temple. 
 
 22. And when he came out, he could not speak unto them : 
 and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the tern' 
 pie : for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless. 
 
 23. And it came to pass, that as soon as the days of his 
 ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own 
 house. 
 
 24. And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, 
 and hid herself five months, saying, 
 
 25. Tlius hath the Lord dealt with me hi the days wherein 
 he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men. 
 
 The want of children passed for a reproach 
 among the Jews, probably through the prevailing 
 expectation of the Messiah. It is one of the many 
 instances, when what is a reproach among men, 
 may be highly esteemed of God. The people 
 thought that she must needs be of all women the 
 
14 
 
 LUKE I. 18—38. 
 
 most enviable, who should become the mother of the 
 Messiah. And it was a reasonable expectation, that 
 she should be " blessed among women." But the 
 Son himself has told us what is far more important 
 than any adventitious privilege : " Yea, rather 
 blessed are they who hear the word of God, and 
 keep it." " For whosoever shall do the will of my 
 Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, 
 and sister, and mother." 
 
 She, however, on whom the adventitious privi- 
 lege was not to be bestowed, had also the more 
 valuable possession of the divine favour. 
 
 26. And 171 the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent 
 from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 
 
 27. To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was 
 Joseph, of the house of David ; and the virgin's name was 
 Mary. 
 
 28. And the angel came in unto her, and said. Hail, 
 thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee : 
 blessed art thou among women. 
 
 29. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his 
 saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation 
 this should be. 
 
 30. And the angel said unto her. Fear not, Mary : for 
 thou hast found favour with God. 
 
 31. Andy behold, thou shall conceive in thy womb, and 
 bring forth a son, and shall call his name JESUS. 
 
 32. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the 
 Highest : and the Lord God shall give unto him the 
 throne of his father David : 
 
 33. And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever : 
 and of his kingdom there shall be no end. 
 
 34. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, 
 seeing I know not a man ? 
 
 35. And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy 
 
 5 
 
\ 
 
 LUKE I. 18—38. 15 
 
 Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest 
 shall overshadow thee : there/ore also that holy thing 
 which shall he born of thee shall he called the Son of God, 
 
 36. And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also 
 conceived a son in her old age : and this is the sixth 
 month with her, who was called barren. 
 
 37. For wi^h God nothing shall be impossible. 
 
 38. And Mary said. Behold the handmaid of the Lord; 
 he it unto me according to thy word. And the angel de- 
 parted from her. 
 
 Thus was explained the prophecy of Isaiah, 
 " Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, 
 and shall call his name Immanuel :" ^ " God with 
 us ;" God in our nature ; and yet justly distin- 
 guished as the Son of the Highest, because born 
 without the intervention of an earthly father. 
 
 We readily perceive why this was so ordained. 
 Had the Saviour, whom God designed for the re- 
 demption of the world, been born as other infants, 
 the offspring of marriage, he might have been the 
 chosen of God, he might have been the greatest 
 of those born of women ; he might have inherited 
 the throne of his father David : God mio-ht have 
 
 o 
 
 given him a name above every earthly name : he 
 might have delegated to him the power of a con- 
 queror, and the authority of a lawgiver. But he 
 could not have been properly styled " the Son of 
 the Highest,'" " the Son of God.'' Neither could 
 he have made satisfaction for our sins. His na- 
 ture, derived from what was corrupt, would have 
 
 ^ Is. Tii. 14, Matt. i. 22. — The prophecy of Isaiah had been 
 immediately fulfilled in its primary application ; this was its 
 complete aecomplishmeut. 
 
JO LUKE I. 18—38. 
 
 been itself imperfect, and could not atone for the 
 imperfection and corruption of others. " Such an 
 high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, un- 
 defiled, separate from sinners, and made higher 
 than the heavens :" " so that those who trust in him 
 might bave ground for confidence, that they have 
 committed their souls to one who "is able to save 
 unto the uttermost them that come unto God by 
 him," being himself " God over all, blessed for 
 evermore." 
 
 Again, the eternal Word, instead of taking the 
 substance of a human mother, like the children of 
 Adam, might doubtless have descended from hea- 
 ven, and assumed the form of man, and " dwelt 
 among us," as many suppose that he will hereafter 
 do in a personal reign of a thousand years : but in 
 that case he would not have been man, man in our 
 own nature, and subject to our infirmities. There 
 would not have been before mankind the example 
 of one exposed to our wants, suffering our trials, 
 submitting to our pains ; " in all points tempted 
 like as we are, yet without sin." ^ 
 
 Therefore, " wisdom is justified of all her chil- 
 dren," in the supernatural dispensation which is 
 here disclosed to Mary. And her conduct, which 
 is different from that of Zacharias, exhibits true 
 confidence in God. The Jewish people, and Mary 
 amongst them, were expecting one who should rule 
 over the house of Jacob for ever. The angel de- 
 clares to her, that the ponder of the Highest shall 
 be exercised, and that that holy th'ing should be 
 
 2 Ileb. vii 26. ^ Heb. iv. 15. 
 
LUKE I. 39-55. 17 
 
 horn of her, not the son of her espoused Joseph 
 but the Son of God. She could not doubt the 
 appearauige of the angel, and why should she doubt 
 his words? For with God nothing shall be im- 
 possible. 
 
 Her example may teach us to receive this great 
 truth — with God nothing shall be impossible, — and 
 to stagger not at his promises through unbelief. 
 Those promises are clear, that " God hath given to 
 us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that 
 hath the Son, hath life ; and he that hath not the 
 Son of God, hath not life." Our business is to say, 
 in Mary's humble temper, Behold the servants of 
 the Lord : Be it unto us according to his word. 
 
 LECTURE IV. 
 
 MARY BLESSED BY ELISABETH.— MARY'S HYMN 
 OF THANKSGIVING. 
 
 Luke i. 39 — 55. 
 
 39. And Marij arose in those days, and went into the 
 hill country with haste, into a city ofJuda; 
 
 40. And entered into the house of Zacharias, and sa- 
 luted Elisabeth. 
 
 4L And it came to pass that when Elisabeth heard the 
 salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb, and 
 Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost : 
 
 c 
 
18 
 
 LUKE I. 39—55. 
 
 42. Atid she spake out with a loud voice, and said, 
 Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of 
 thy womb. 
 
 43. Afid whence is this to me, that the mother of my 
 Lord should coTine to me? 
 
 44. For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded 
 in mine ears, the babe leaped in my ivomb for joy. 
 
 45. And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a 
 performance of those things which were told her from the 
 Lord. 
 
 The privation under which Zacharias was now 
 suffering, had been brought on him expressly for 
 this reason, because he had not believed. Probably 
 this occurred to the mind of Elisabeth, and leads 
 her to burst out in the exclamation, Blessed is she 
 that believed! It is however an universal truth, 
 Blessed are they who believe : there shall be a per- 
 formance of those things which ai^e told them from 
 the Lord. Many console themselves under a habit 
 of disobedience, and fondly hope that God will not 
 make good what he hath spoken : and others, more 
 excusably, but not more reasonably, are perplexed 
 by fears lest his promises should fail. But whether 
 we believe or believe not, " he abideth faithful ; he 
 cannot deny himself." Let us then beware, " lest 
 a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any 
 of us should come short of it through unbelief." 
 Unbelief is dishonourable to God, and destructive 
 to ourselves. 
 
 46. And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, 
 
 47. And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour, 
 
 48. For he hath regarded the low estate of his hand 
 
 7 
 
LUKE I. 30—55. 19 
 
 maiden : for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall 
 
 call me blessed. 
 
 49. For he that Is mighty hath done to me great things ; 
 and holy is his name. 
 
 50. And his mercy is on them that fear him- from gene- 
 ration to generation. 
 
 In the hymn of Mary here, as afterwards in those 
 of Zacharias and Simeon, the Holy Ghost has put 
 into the mouths of these servants of God words 
 suited to their own situation in the first place, but 
 also suited to God's people in all ages. The 
 thoughts which they uttered have on that account 
 been used by the Church to express the devotional 
 feelings and thanksgivings which belong to every 
 Christian. 
 
 When Mary says, My soul doth magnify the 
 Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Sa- 
 viour ; and that, because he had regarded her low 
 estate : she only utters what all have equal reason 
 to express, to whom the mystery of godliness is re- 
 vealed. For so St. Peter describes the Christian's 
 feelings towards the Redeemer: (1. i. 8,) " Whom 
 having not seen, ye love ; in whom, though now ye 
 see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy un- 
 speakable, and full of glory." The Christian re- 
 joices in God his Saviour, as being to him all that 
 he most needs and desires, " wisdom, and righte- 
 ousness, and sanctification, and redemption." He 
 rejoices, as the debtor, released from his obligations 
 by the bounty of a disinterested benefactor, would 
 rejoice in the name of him through whom he was 
 enjoying his daily freedom. He rejoices, as a cri- 
 minal at the mention of the intercessor to whose 
 
 c 2 
 
•20 
 
 LUKE T. 39—55. 
 
 favour he is indebted for liberty and life. If we 
 can realize to ourselves what these would feel, we 
 can understand how our spirit ought to rejoice in 
 God our Saviour. But we have still further reason 
 to rejoice in him, as strengthening and refreshing 
 our souls day by day. He has not only relieved 
 those who trust in him from the consequences of 
 past transgression, but enables them to live as those 
 who are " redeemed from all iniquity :" he is not 
 only the Benefactor who has purchased their free- 
 dom, but he gives them power to " stand fast in 
 the liberty wherewith he hath made them free from 
 the law of sin and death." So that whether the 
 Christian looks to the natural condition out of 
 which he is raised, or to the gracious condition 
 in which he is placed, or to the hope w^hich is set 
 before him, he has perpetual cause to say, My soul 
 doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit rejoiceth in 
 God my Saviour, 
 
 The hymn proceeds to notice the unexpected way 
 in which the Almighty had shown his mercy to one 
 who feared him, and done great things for a woman 
 of low degree, whom from henceforth all generations 
 should call blessed, while the rich and powerful had 
 been passed by. 
 
 51. He hath shewed strength with his arm , he hath 
 scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. 
 
 52. He hath put down the mighty from their seats y and 
 exalted them of low degree. 
 
 53. He hath filled the hungry with good things ; and the 
 rich he hath sent empty away. 
 
LUKE I. 39—55. 21 
 
 54. He hath holpen his servant Israel^ in rememhiance 
 of his mercy ; 
 
 55. As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his 
 seed for ever. 
 
 To this meek and humble virgin, it appeared a 
 subject of wonder and thankfulness that God had 
 chosen her to be the instrument of fulfilling his 
 gracious design : he had scattered the lofty ima- 
 ginations of the proud, and put down the mighty, 
 and had exalted one of lowly station. This how- 
 ever is, prophetically, a description of the whole 
 gospel dispensation. It is in its character humbling. 
 li puts down the mighty from their seats of pre-emi- 
 nence and obscurity, and levels them in the dust 
 before God. Are they to be really secure ? — they 
 must have peace with God through Jesus Christ. 
 Are they to be really strong ? — they must be strong 
 in faith. Are they to be truly rich? — they must 
 be " rich in good works." So too must the proud, 
 the self-righteous, descend from the imaginations 
 of their hearts, and cease to justify themselves 
 before God, as if they were " not as other men 
 are ;" but must consent to pray, *' God be mer- 
 ciful to me a sinner." The gospel has nothing for 
 those " who have need of nothing ;" ^ it sends empty 
 away all that in their own conceit are " rich and 
 increased with goods ;" but it fills the hungry with 
 good things : it supplies those who " hunger and 
 thirst after righteousness," with rules for godli- 
 ness, with the knowledge of God's commands, with 
 grace to " will and to do," with a comfortable hope 
 of divine favour. Therefore " let the brother of 
 1 See Rev. iii. 17. 
 
22 
 
 LUKE I. 39—55. 
 
 low degree rejoice in that he is exalted : but the 
 rich, in that he is made low :"^ low in his own 
 esteem, but great, through faith, in the sight of 
 God. " For thus saith the high and lofty One 
 which inhabiteth eternity, whose name is holy ; I 
 dwell in the high and holy place ; with him also 
 that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive 
 the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of 
 the contrite ones." ^ 
 
 Such would be the effect of that dispensation 
 which was now about to be revealed. Aiid in re- 
 vealing it, God had remembered his mercy : had 
 fulfilled the covenant which, in the beginning, he 
 had made to Abraham and his seed for ever. So 
 long a period had passed since it had been first 
 promised that the seed of the woman should bruise 
 the serpent's head,* and that in Abraham all the 
 families of the earth should be blessed, that it 
 might appear as if God had forgotten to be gra- 
 cious, and shut up his loving-kindness in displea- 
 sure. But now he had remembered his mercy, and 
 holpen his servant Israel. 
 
 And this may be our confidence, in regard to all 
 the promises of God. They are delayed, only that 
 they may be more surely and completely fulfilled. 
 His mercy is on them that fear him throughout all 
 generations. And sooner or later, those that now 
 may " go on their way weeping," and " sow in 
 tears, shall reap in joy." " Blessed are they that 
 mourn : for they shall be comforted." 
 
 2 James i. 9. 
 
 3 Isaiah Ivii. 15. * Gen. iii. 15 ; xii. 2. 
 
LUKE I. 56-80. 23 
 
 LECTURE V. 
 
 THE BAPTIST BORN, AND NAMED JOHN.—HIS FA- 
 THER FORETELLS THE DESTINATION OF JOHN. 
 
 Luke i. 56—80. 
 
 56. And Mary abode with her about three months, and 
 returned to her house. 
 
 57. Now ElisabetlCs full time came that she should be 
 delivered ; and she brought forth a son. 
 
 58. And her neighbours and her cousins heard how the 
 Lord had shewed great mercy upon her ; and they re- 
 joiced with her. 
 
 59. And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they 
 came to circumcise the child ; and they called him Za- 
 charias, after the name of his father. 
 
 60. Atid his mother answered and said. Not so ; but 
 he shall be called John. * 
 
 61. A?id they said unto her. There is none of thy kin- 
 dred that is called by this name. 
 
 62. And they made signs to his father, how he would 
 have him called. 
 
 63. And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying. 
 His name is John. And they marvelled all. 
 
 64. And his mouth was opened immediately, and his 
 tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God. 
 
 Q6. And fear came on all that dwelt round about them : 
 and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all 
 the hill country of Judea. 
 
 1 " He shall be called Johanan, Gracious : because he shall 
 introduce the gospel of Christ, wherein God's grace shines more 
 bright than ever." — M. Henry. 
 
24 LUKE I. 56-80. 
 
 66. And all they that heard them laid them up in their 
 hearts, saying^ What manner of child shall this he I And 
 the hand of the Lord was with him. 
 
 Thus the minds of the neiglibourhood were 
 awaked, and led to expect some event beyond 
 the ordinary course of things. And when, in due 
 time, this infant should grow up, and become a 
 preacher of righteousness, and men should inquire, 
 "From whence hath this man these things?" an 
 answer might be returned which should confirm 
 his authority, and show that this was a holy child, 
 acknowledged of God from his mother's womb, 
 and that the hand of the Lord was with him from 
 the beginning. 
 
 67. And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy 
 Ghost, and prophesied, saying ^ 
 
 68. Blessed he the Lord God of Israel ; for he hath 
 visited and redeemed his people, 
 
 69. And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in 
 the house of his servant David : 
 
 70. As he spake hy the mouth of his holy prophets, 
 which have been since the world began : 
 
 71. TJiat we should he saved from our enemies, and 
 from the hand of all that hate us : 
 
 72. To perform the mercy promised to our fatliers, and 
 to remember his holy covenant ; 
 
 73. TJie oath which he sware to our father Ahrahain, 
 
 74. That he would grant unto us, that we being de- 
 livered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him 
 without fear, 
 
 75. /w holiness and righteousness before him, all the 
 days of our life. 
 
 Zacharias saw in the Spirit that the fulness of 
 time was now arrived which David had foreseen 
 and foretold : (Dan. ix. 25 :) that the "seven weeks, 
 
LUKE 1. 56—80. ^5 
 
 and the threescore and two weeks," had passed, 
 and that " Messiah the prince " was at hand. Many 
 prophets and righteous men had desired to see this, 
 and had not seen it : many prophets and righteous 
 men had longed for the time when God should 
 visit and redeem his people ; but in vain : but now 
 God had, at length, remembered his mercy, and 
 raised up a horn of salvation, a delivering power, 
 in the house and family of David : as he had 
 spoken by the mouth of his holy prophets, lohich 
 had been since the world began. Few, and far 
 between, in the earlier times, are those prophe- 
 cies : yet still they form a connected chain, from 
 Adam to Abraham, from Moses to David, from 
 Isaiah to Malachi. Zacharias understood this ; 
 and recognizes, in the event which was prepar- 
 ing, the performance of the covenant which God 
 made with Abraham : namely, that we being de- 
 livered out of the hand of our enemies might serve 
 him without fear, in holiness and righteousness be- 
 fore him, all the days of our life. Yet these were 
 not the terms of the promise. The promise was 
 (Gen. xii. 3,) " In thee shall all the families of 
 the earth be blessed." And now, in the birth of 
 Jesus, was this promise to be performed. Here, 
 then, is an acknowledgment of the blessing which 
 the families of the earth stood most in need of; 
 that they, bei7ig delivered out of the hand of their 
 enemies, might serve God without fear. And Jesus 
 would confer this blessing. " For this was the 
 Son of God manifested, that he might destroy the 
 works of the devil :" that he might deliver out 
 of the hand of this enemy all who commit them- 
 
26 
 
 LUKE I. 56—80. 
 
 selves to him; and "give them power "^ to serve 
 God without fear^ in holiness and righteousness he- 
 fore him, all the days of their life. Such was his 
 eDcouragement to Paul : " My grace is sufficient for 
 thee :" and such the tenor of his promise to Peter, 
 " Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift 
 you (winnow you) as wheat ; but I have prayed for 
 thee, that thy faith fail not." And such is continu- 
 ally the comfort of the gospel : it brings men to God 
 by a sure and certain way ; it restores them to his 
 favour, that being cleansed from their sins, they may 
 serve him with a quiet mind : having firm ground to 
 rest upon, and a clear light to walk by : and saying 
 to every one, who is not already walking in that 
 light, "Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from 
 the dead, and Christ shall give thee light." ^ 
 
 Zacharias proceeds to speak more distinctly of his 
 own child, as the harbinger of this salvation. 
 
 76. And thou, child, shalt he called the Prophet of the 
 Highest : for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord, to 
 
 prepare his ways ; 
 
 77. To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the 
 remissio7i of their sins, 
 
 78. Through the tender mercy of our God ; ivhereby the 
 day-spring from on high hath visited us, 
 
 79. To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the 
 shadow of death, to guide our feet into the ivay of peace. 
 
 80. And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and 
 was in the desert till the day of his shewing unto Israel. 
 
 Zacharias, being filled with the Holy Ghost, al- 
 
 2 "To as many as receive him, to them gives he power to 
 become the sons of God." — John i. 12. 
 
 3 Eph. V. 14. 
 
LUKE I. 5()— 80. 27 
 
 ready saw that his infant child, when come to age, 
 shoukl go through Judea crying in the wiklerness, 
 " Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." 
 Already he foresaw that he should claim nothing to 
 himself, except as the prophet of the highest to pre- 
 pare his ways. " He was not the light, but was sent 
 to bear witness of that light, which lighteth every 
 man that cometli into the world."* 
 
 That light is here called the day spring from on 
 high : the dawn of the sun from heaven. And the 
 phrase suggests to us, what Christ is to the world, 
 and what he should be to ourselves. He visited 
 the world, which had been long overspread with 
 darkness, as the sun, after many months of absence, 
 revisits the northern regions, and enlightens them 
 once more. The people which sat in darkness, 
 saw great light ; and to them which sat in the 
 region and shadow of death light had sprung 
 up."^ And the purpose of his visit was not only 
 to the world in general, but to every individual : 
 to guide our feet into the way of peace : to give to 
 those who are his people, those "who receive him 
 and believe in his name," knowledge of salvation 
 hy the remission of their sins : and to lead them 
 into those ways, which are the ways of pleasant- 
 ness, to guide their feet in those paths, which are 
 the paths of peace. 
 
 Let this phrase, then, remind you, where alone 
 you have received, or can receive, light to conduct 
 you through this dark world ; even from Him, who 
 came for this express purpose, that as many as be- 
 lieve in him might not abide in darkness. Turn 
 * John i. 8. 5 Matt. iv. IG : from Is. ix. 2. 
 
28 LUKE II. 1 — 14. 
 
 to him as to the dayspring from on high, the Sun 
 of righteousness. As the sun in the heavens af- 
 fords light to the bodily eye, so does Christ afford 
 light to the soul. As one that walks in the sun's 
 light is in no danger ; so the soul is safe, which 
 follows Christ as a guide. But the sun is needful 
 not only to enlighten, but to cherish and support. 
 Christ also must nourish by his Spirit those whom 
 he guides by his counsel. Never cease to look up 
 to him, that he may heal your remaining infirmities, 
 and sustain your drooping powers : that the sun which 
 shone upon your spiritual birth may strengthen your 
 spiritual life, and daily shed abroad upon your soul 
 an increasing light of knowledge, and comfort, and 
 holiness. 
 
 LECTURE VI. 
 
 JESUS BORN AT BETHLEHEM.— HIS NATIVITY AN- 
 NOUNCED TO SHEPHERDS BY ANGELS. — THE 
 ANGELS' HYMN. 
 
 Luke ii. 1 — 14. 
 
 1 . And it came to pdss in those days, that there went out 
 a decree from Ccesar Augustus, that all the world should be 
 taxed} 
 
 2. {And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was 
 governor of Syria.) 
 
 ^ ATroyf)a<ji€(T6aL, enrolled. The Roman emperor decreed that 
 a census should be taken of all his subjects. 
 
LUKE IT. 1—11. 20 
 
 3. And all icent to he taxed, every one into his oivn city. 
 
 4. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city 
 of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is 
 called Bethlehem; {because he was of the house and lineage 
 of David :) 
 
 5. To he taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great 
 with child. 
 
 G. And so it was, that while they were there, the days 
 were accomplished that she should he delivered. 
 
 7. And she brought forth her first-born son, and wrapped 
 him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger ; be- 
 cause there was 7io room for them in the inn. 
 
 Thus bya concurrence of unexpected circumstances 
 the prophecy was accomplished, that Jesus should be 
 born at Bethlehem. The emperor of Rome issues 
 an edict that a census should be taken of all the 
 world that was tributary to him. This edict obliges 
 Joseph, at a season when he would not otherwise 
 have entered upon a journey, to come from the 
 place where he was living, to the place where it was 
 necessary that his name should be enrolled. It 
 brings him from Nazareth to Bethlehem : and of 
 Bethlehem it had been " written by the prophet, 
 And thou Bethlehem in the land of Juda art not the 
 least among the princes of Juda ; for out of thee 
 shall come a governor that shall rule my people 
 Israel." ^ Thus " known unto God are all his works 
 from the beginning of the world." 
 
 8. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding 
 in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 
 
 9. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and 
 the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they 
 were sore afraid, 
 
 2 Matt. ii. 6. Micah v. 9. 
 
30 LUKE II. 1—14. 
 
 10. Af?d the angel said unto them, Fear not : for, behold, 
 I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all 
 
 peojf)le. 
 
 11. For tin to you is born this day in the city of David 
 a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 
 
 12. And this shall be a sign unto you : Ye shall find the 
 babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 
 
 The expectation of the Messiah was so general 
 amongst the Jews, that, even to these men of hum- 
 ble education, it was no strange thing to hear an- 
 nounced the birth of a Saviour. Moses, however, 
 and Joshua, had been saviours, deliverers of the 
 people : yet themselves were frail and sinful men. 
 He, to whom the title was now given, is distin- 
 guished as Christ, the anointed one. But kings 
 and priests were anointed, on entering upon their 
 high office : therefore he was more : he was Christ, 
 the Lord : he was himself God, who " was with 
 God in the beginning." The prophecy had been 
 uttered : " Unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is 
 given :" " and his name shall be called the Mighty 
 God." ^ That prophecy had now been accomplished : 
 and because he was the Lord, whatever he had un- 
 dertaken, he was able to perform : and his birth 
 was a subject of congratulation, was good tidings 
 of great joy, both to those who first received the 
 announcement, and to all people, " For God had 
 sent his Son into the world, not to condemn the 
 world, but that the world, through him, might be 
 saved." 
 
 Whatever men will think of this, ** whether they 
 will hear, or whether they will forbear," there are 
 
 2 Is. ix. 6. 
 
LUKE II. 1—14. 31 
 
 those, those who are best able to appreciate its 
 importance, who were watching the whole plan of 
 mercy with joyful interest. 
 
 ] 3. A?id suddefily there was with the angel a multitude 
 of the heavenly host, praising God, a7id saying, 
 
 14. Glory to God in the highest, a7id on earth peace, 
 good-2vill toward men. 
 
 This short hymn declares, in few words, the 
 effect of that great event which had come to pass, 
 the incarnation of the Son of God. It brought, 
 first, glory to God in the highest, because it emi- 
 nently displays the attributes which belong to God. 
 It displays his justice, which takes account of man's 
 character, and discriminates between righteousness 
 and unrighteousness, between obedience and disobe- 
 dience. It displays his mercy : for, though he 
 " will by no means clear the guilty," he is still 
 " long-suffering and gracious ;" he has provided a 
 ransom, by which the penitent may be absolved ; 
 and, as " by one man's offence judgment came upon 
 all men to condemnation, even so might grace reign, 
 through righteousness, unto eternal life by Jesus 
 Christ our Lord." ^ It displays his wisdom : for by 
 showing, in one example, his hatred of sin, and his 
 mercy towards the sinner, he brings his adopted 
 children to obedience, by all the ties of fear, and 
 gratitude, and love ; and purifies unto himself a 
 peculiar people, redeemed from all iniquity. 
 
 Therefore do the angels sing, Glory to God in 
 the highest ! " Mercy and truth are met together, 
 righteousness and peace have kissed each other." 
 
 3 Rom. V. 21. 
 
32 
 
 LUKE II. 1—14. 
 
 The next result of the incarnation is, Peace on 
 earth. Peace between man and his Creator, be- 
 tween the sinner and his Judge ; a state of sure 
 and solid peace, such as may satisfy the most in- 
 quiring, and comfort the most fearful soul. True, 
 man is corrupt and sinful, owing a large debt to 
 God. But if a friend has discharged the debt, the 
 debtor can face his creditor without alarm. Christ 
 is that friend. He, by his one offering of himself 
 once offered, has made a full, perfect, and sufficient 
 satisfaction for the sins of the whole world. The 
 benefit of this satisfaction, which is freely proposed 
 to all, we take to ourselves by faith. " Therefore, 
 being justified by faith, we have peace with God, 
 through Jesus Christ." By him the covenant of 
 peace on earth was mercifully ratified. He is the 
 '' Prince of Peace," the appointed Mediator of re- 
 conciliation. 
 
 I 
 
 The last blessing revealed by the angels, as as- 
 sured by the coming of Christ, is God's good-will 
 towards men. For what was the object of Christ's 
 coming ? That he might " suffer for our sins, the 
 just for the unjust." God has indeed displayed his 
 good-will, by the nature of his message; callhig 
 men to repentance, and offering them pardon. He 
 has displayed it by the bearer of this message; 
 " even his beloved Son." He has displayed it, by 
 the purpose of this message ; the sanctification of 
 our hearts, their restoration to his love, their con- 
 formity to his will, their preparation for a heavenly 
 kingdom. This is indeed good-will towards men ; 
 this raises man's condition in the world : exalts the 
 
LUKE II. 15-24. 33 
 
 meek and humble, bow mean soever tbcir degree, 
 and sets them but little lower than the angels. 
 
 How, then, ought we to feel tow ards the possessor 
 of this glory, the author of this peace, the instru- 
 ment of this good will ! How ought we to feel 
 towards Him who so loved the world, that he gave 
 his only Son, that all that believe in him might not 
 perish ! How ought we to feel towards the Lord, 
 who " bought us," and " washed us from our sins in 
 his own blood !" 
 
 Surely our first and latest thought should be, to 
 secure this inestimable blessing to ourselves, and 
 to prove our gratitude towards Him who has called 
 us to enjoy it. Yes ; " worthy is the Lamb that 
 was slain, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, 
 and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. 
 Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto 
 him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the 
 Lamb, for ever and ever."* 
 
 LECTURE VII. 
 
 THE SHEPHERDS VISIT BETHLEHEM.— JESUS IS 
 PRESENTED IN THE TEMPLE. 
 
 Luke ii. 15 — 24. 
 
 15. And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away 
 from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another^ 
 
 * Rev. V. 12, 13. 
 
 D 
 
34 
 
 LUKE II. 15—24. 
 
 Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing 
 which is come to pass, tvhich the Lord hath made known 
 unto us. 
 
 16. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and 
 Joseph^ and the babe lying in a manger, 
 
 17. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad 
 the saying which was told them concerning this child. 
 
 18. And all they that heard it wondered at those thi?igs 
 which were told them by the shepherds. 
 
 19. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them 
 in her heart, 
 
 20. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising 
 God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it 
 was told unto them. 
 
 Here, therefore, in the circumstances attending 
 the birth of Jesus, as in that of John the Baptist, 
 provision was made that all should be found con- 
 sistent. When Jesus " began to manifest forth his 
 glory, and his disciples believed on him," those who 
 should go, as the shepherds went, to Bethlehem, to 
 make inquiry, might learn that God had given wit- 
 ness to his Son from the beginning. At present, 
 Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in 
 her heart, marvelling to what they might tend : 
 and all they that heard it wondered at those things 
 which were told them by the shepherds. But thirty 
 years afterwards, when Jesus entered upon his 
 ministry, what was remembered in the neighbour- 
 hood would confirm the authority which he claimed : 
 and it would appear, that the circumstances of his 
 birth had given promise of those signs and wonders, 
 by which his life was to be distinguished, and his 
 divinity declared. 
 
 And, doubtless, the shepherds, as represented in 
 
LUKE II. 15— -24. 35 
 
 the narration, acted as reasonable men might be 
 expected to act, in saying 07ie to another, Let us 
 no7v go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which 
 is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto 
 us. They did not neglect the message that had 
 been delivered to them, but followed it up with 
 prompt inquiry. None have ever met with disap- 
 pointment, who have thus sincerely and diligently 
 searched into the gospel. They may have met with 
 what surprised them, what they did not at first com- 
 prehend, what opposed their pre- conceived views : 
 as the shepherds would, doubtless, feel astonished 
 when they found l^/ing in a manger, the child whose 
 birth had been announced by angels, and saluted in 
 heavenly hymns. Yet there was really in this no- 
 thing w^hich does not admit of explanation, nothing 
 contradictory in his divine nature. We can readily 
 understand, on reflection, why the counsels of God 
 should have determined that the Messiah should be 
 born in a humble rather than an exalted station. 
 We perceive, further, that his nativity at Bethle- 
 hem, away from his father's home, was the fulfilment 
 of prophecy : and that it arose from the strange con- 
 currence of circumstances which brought that pro- 
 phecy to fulfilment, that he was laid in a manger, 
 because there was no room for them in the inn. 
 
 Indeed, there is nothing in the gospel, nothing 
 either in its history or its doctrines, though it may 
 at first appear surprising, which will not, when exa- 
 mined, contribute to prove its truth. The founda- 
 tion thereof standeth sure. Whoever searches into 
 the doctrine " shall know it to be of God." He will 
 find reason to return with the shepherds, glori/T/ing 
 
 D 2 
 
36 
 
 LUKE II. 15—24. 
 
 and praising God for all the things which he has seen 
 arid heard. 
 
 2 J . And when eight days were accomplished for the cir- 
 cumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS^ which 
 was so ?iamed of the angel before he was conceived in the 
 womb, 
 
 22. And when the days of her purification according to 
 the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to 
 Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord : 
 
 23. {As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male 
 that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord ;) 
 
 24. And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is 
 said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtle-doves, or two 
 young pigeons. 
 
 Two ceremonies were to be performed in the 
 temple : Mary, the tliirty-three days of her purifi- 
 cation being now at an end, had a sacrifice to offer 
 on her own account, a sin-offering, (Lev. xii. 1 — 8,) 
 which, for those who were not rich, was a pair of 
 turtle-doves^ or two young pigeons. And at the same 
 time the child Jesus was to be presented to the Lord, 
 and redeemed by the customary payment of five she- 
 kels to the sanctuary/ 
 
 God had given command to Moses, (Exod. xiii. 
 11 — 15,) "Thou shaft set apart unto the Lord all 
 that openeth the matrix, and every firstling that 
 cometh of a beast, which thou hast : the males 
 shall be the Lord's. And it shall be, when thy 
 son asketh thee in time to come, saying. What is 
 this ? that thou shalt say unto him, By strength 
 
 ^ " Those that are to be redeemed, from a month old, thou 
 shalt redeem, according to thine estimation, for the value of five 
 shekels.'* — Numb, xviii. 16. 
 
LUKE II. 15—24. 37 
 
 of hand the Lord brought us out from Egypt, from 
 the house of bondage. And it came to pass, when 
 Pharaoh would hardly let us go, that the Lord slew 
 all the first-born in the land of Egypt, both the first- 
 born of man, and the first-born of beast : therefore I 
 sacrifice unto the Lord all that openeth the matrix, 
 being males ; but the first-born of my children I 
 redeem." 
 
 Thus a memorial of the great deliverance achieved 
 for the Israelites was preserved ; and, with it, a me- 
 morial of the purpose for which they were delivered, 
 that they might be a chosen nation, a peculiar people, 
 serving the Lord. It was an acknowledgment that 
 the mercies of God gave him a title to the allegiance 
 of those who had enjoyed them. This, my child, is 
 thine, God : but for the strength of hand with 
 which thou broughtest us out of Egypt, this child 
 would have been born in bondage ; the property of 
 a cruel master : therefore I devote him to thee, who 
 hast a claim to his service, and to whom of right he 
 belongs. 
 
 I need not point out how justly this analogy 
 applies to christian parents. What master would 
 their children have served, if God had not sent his 
 Son to bless them, and deliver them "from the 
 power of Satan," and convert them to himself? 
 And therefore we present them to the Lord in 
 baptism : we pledge them to the service of God in 
 Christ Jesus : we pledge them that they shall " not 
 be ashamed to confess the faith of Christ crucified, 
 and manfully to fight under his banner against sin, 
 the world, and the devil ; and to continue Christ's 
 
38 
 
 LUKE 11. 15—24. 
 
 faitliful soldiers and servants unto their lives' end." ^ 
 When they " ask us in time to come, what is this ? " 
 as soon as they are of age, to understand the obli- 
 gations which lie upon them, we must teach them, 
 that they are " not their own ;" they are " bought 
 with a price ;" and that for this purpose were they 
 ransomed, that they might not, like those whom 
 " the day-spring from on high" hath never visited, 
 " live their time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but 
 to the will of God." 
 
 Thus let all, of whatever age — let the young, in- 
 stead of yielding to corrupt nature and evil practice, 
 and let those who are no longer young, and are able 
 to pay an intelligent service to their Maker — let all 
 be prepared to say, " We present unto Thee, 
 Lord, ourselves, our souls and bodies, to be a reason- 
 able, holy, and lively sacrifice unto Thee." " We 
 will never forget thy precepts, for with them thou 
 hast quickened us." " We are thine, save us : and 
 incline our hearts to perform thy statutes always, 
 even unto the end."^ 
 
 Baptismal Service. 
 
 3 Ps. cxix. 93, 94, 112. 
 
LUKE II. 25—38. 39 
 
 LECTURE VIII. 
 
 HYMN OF SIMEON, ON RECEIVING JESUS IN THE 
 TEMPLE. — HIS PROPHECY CONCERNING HIM, 
 AND THAT OF ANNA. 
 
 Luke ii. 25—38. 
 
 25. And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose 
 name was Simeon ; and the same man was just and devout, 
 waiting for the consolation of Israel : and the Holy Ghost 
 was upon him. 
 
 26. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, 
 that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lords 
 Christ. 
 
 27. And he came by the Spirit into the temple : and when 
 the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after 
 the custom of the law, 
 
 28. Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, 
 and said, 
 
 29. Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, 
 according to thy word : 
 
 80. For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, 
 
 31. Which thou hast prepared before the face of all 
 
 people ; 
 
 82. ^ light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy 
 
 people Israel. 
 
 The description here given of Simeon explains 
 the state of mind among the pious Jews at that 
 time. They were waiting for the consolation of 
 Israel: earnestly desiring the appearance of the 
 promised Messiah. And now that their expecta- 
 
40 
 
 LUKE II. 25—38. 
 
 tion was fulfilled, Simeon could die in peace : his 
 eyes had been blessed with the performance of 
 God's promises, who had " remembered his holy 
 covenant, the oath which he sware to Abraham." 
 Not that Simeon would before have doubted his 
 acceptance with God, or that he had now, indivi- 
 dually, clearer views of the divine mercy than he 
 had always enjoyed. But the glory of God, and the 
 welfare of mankind, burst suddenly upon his mind, 
 and awakened his exultation. I have seen, he says 
 within himself, the deliverance which God has ac- 
 complished. I acknowledge the fulfilment of the 
 prophecy : " The Lord shall arise upon thee, Jeru- 
 salem, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And 
 the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to 
 the brightness of thy rising."^ 
 
 The church, however, from the earliest age, has 
 applied this song of Simeon to Christians in general; 
 and therefore considers it as expressing sentiments 
 which befit Christians, as they look forward to their 
 departure from this world. 
 
 May the Christian, then, use such words : Lord^ 
 now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, accord- 
 ing to thy word ; for mine eyes have seen thy salva- 
 tion f 
 
 St. Paul certainly expressed a like state of mind, 
 when be said, (2 Tim. iv. 6 — 8,) " I am now ready to 
 be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. 
 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righ- 
 teousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall 
 give me at that day." 
 
 1 Isa. Ix. 2, 3. 
 
LUKE 11. 95—38. 41 
 
 And this prospect does not belong to an apostle 
 only. The weakest and lowest follower of Christ 
 may enjoy the same, though in a humble measure. 
 He has lived and laboured for this, that at last he 
 may depart in peace : and if he has so lived and 
 laboured, such may be his privilege: not, indeed, 
 because of his blameless life alone, or because of his 
 faitliful zeal ; but, because the eyes of his under- 
 standing being enlightened, he has seen that God 
 has provided a way of deliverance from all that 
 would otherwise condemn and destroy him. He 
 has seen the mercy of God, who " would not that 
 any should perish." He has seen that signal act of 
 mercy, by which he has prepared the atonement, the 
 sacrifice, which the sins of man require. He has 
 seen the proclamation, which declares, that " who- 
 soever shall call on the name of the Lord, shall be 
 saved." ^ And it may be, that he has had a comfort- 
 able sense, which could not be mistaken, of God's 
 favour towards him. " The Spirit itself has borne 
 witness with his spirit, that he is a child of God."^ 
 Such inward assurance will give him greater ground 
 of exultation, like that enjoyed by Simeon ; but it 
 is not necessary : he will trust in God's promises, 
 knowing that it is the essence of faith, to believe in 
 things not yet seen. 
 
 Here, however, we must observe, that it is not 
 the departure in peace which is a sure sign either 
 of divine favour, or of man's safety. It must be a 
 peace according to God^s word. It must be peace 
 which can be accounted for and warranted. The 
 ignorant and the impenitent, who know not the 
 ^ Joel ii. 32. Iloin. x. 13. ^ Rom. viii. 16. 
 
42 
 
 LUKE II. 25—38. 
 
 nature of death, or its awful consequences, are often 
 more free from apprehension of it, than the humble 
 and conscientious Christian. The only peaceful end 
 which we can really desire, or witness without re- 
 gret, is that of one, who in the midst of life has 
 lived for death : has perceived that he must meet 
 it, has inquired how he may safely meet it, has 
 sought for himself the road of safety, and is found 
 in that road at last : looking unto Him, who is " the 
 way, and the truth, and the life," for acceptance, for 
 deliverance ; for all that he is, and all that he hopes 
 to be. 
 
 These words of Simeon, therefore, furnish a literal 
 instrument of self-examination. Inquire, whether 
 they apply to your own state : whether, at this mo- 
 ment, you could depart in peace : whether, as the 
 servant of God : whether according to his word : 
 whether because your eyes have seen his salvation. 
 This is an inquiry which should be constantly made ; 
 and not left, as it too often is, to a season when 
 there is commonly little time and little strength for 
 serious reflection. 
 
 83. And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things 
 which were spoken of him. 
 
 34. And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his 
 mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising 
 again of many in Israel ; and for a sign which shall he 
 spoken against ; 
 
 35. {Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soid 
 also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may he revealed. 
 
 36. And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daugh- 
 ter of Phanuel, of the trihe of Aser : she was of a great 
 age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her 
 virginity ; 
 
LUKE II. -25—38 43 
 
 37. And she was a widow of about fourscore and four 
 yearSy which departed not from the temple, but served God 
 with fastings and prayers night and day. 
 
 38. And she coming in at that instant gave thanks like- 
 wise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked 
 for redemption in Jerusalem. 
 
 Thus " wisdom was justified of her children." 
 Those who trusted God, attended to his word, and 
 looked for his redemption, had full evidence of his 
 faithfulness and truth. 
 
 But we perceive that, from the very beginning, 
 a warning was given, which forbade those who 
 were waiting for the consolation of Israel, to ex- 
 pect its full accomplishment in this present world. 
 Joseph and Mary marvelled at the things which 
 were spoken of their child. But they must rejoice 
 with trembling. Simeon foresaw, for the Holy 
 Ghost was upon him^ that this child should he set 
 for a sign which should he spoken against : should 
 be despised and rejected of men. He foresaw that 
 his ministry, as it would prove "a savour of life 
 unto life," so it would also prove "a savour of 
 death unto death :" that as it would be the rising 
 of many in Israel^ and establish them in God's 
 favour ; so it would also be the fall of many. Nay, 
 he even foresaw that this same Mary, whom all gene- 
 rations should call " blessed among women," should 
 hereafter stand by the cross of Jesus,* and hear him 
 exclaim, " My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken 
 me ? " while the sword of grief and anguish should 
 pierce through her own soul. 
 
 It was well for Mary to be prepared for this. 
 * John xix. 25. 
 
44 
 
 LUKE II. 39-52. 
 
 It is well for all to be prepared for tribulation ; to 
 be early taught, that here is not their rest : and 
 that according to the ordinary lot of humanity, few 
 are permitted to pass through the changes and 
 chances of this mortal life, whose hearts are not 
 pierced through with many swords. But we know 
 who has said, " In the world ye shall have tribu- 
 lation : but be of good cheer ; I have overcome the 
 world." 
 
 LECTURE IX. 
 
 CHILDHOOD AND EARLY YOUTH OF JESUS.— HIS 
 DIVINITY SHOWN IN THE TEMPLE AT JERU- 
 SALEM. 
 
 Luke ii. 39 — 52. 
 
 89. And when they had performed all things according 
 to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their 
 own city of Nazareth. 
 
 40. And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, 
 filled with wisdom : and the grace of God was upon him. 
 
 41. Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at 
 the feast of the passover. 
 
 42. And when he was twelve years old, they went up to 
 Jerusalem after the custom of the feast. 
 
 43. And when they had fulfilled the days, as they re- 
 turned, the child Jesus tarried behind at Jerusalem ; and 
 Joseph and his mother knew not of it. 
 
 44. But tJiey, supposing him to have been in the com- 
 pany, went a day's journey ; and they sought him among 
 their kinsfolk and acquaintance. 
 
 ^ Ex. xxiii. 17. 
 
LUKE II. 39—52. 45 
 
 45. And when they foimd him not, they turned hack 
 again to Jerusalem, seeking him. 
 
 46. And it came to pass, that after three days they found 
 him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both 
 hearing them, and asking them questioiis. 
 
 47. And all that heard him were astonished at his un- 
 derstanding and answers. 
 
 48. And when they saw him, they were amazed : and his 
 mother said unto him. Son, why hast thou thus dealt with 
 us ? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. 
 
 49. And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought 
 me ? wist ye not that I must be about my Fathers busi- 
 ness ? 
 
 50. And they understood not the saying which he spake 
 unto them. 
 
 This incident of the early youth of Jesus con- 
 curs with the miraculous circumstances of his birth, 
 and shows that the proofs of his divinity were easy 
 to be attained by any who sought for them. When 
 he afterwards came forward in the synagogue at 
 Nazareth, and affirmed that " the Spirit of the Lord 
 had anointed him to preach the acceptable year 
 of the Lord;"^ those who were really desirous of 
 knowing the truth respecting him, would inquire 
 concerning his birth and education. Indeed they 
 did so ; for some asked, " Is not this the carpen- 
 ter's son ? Is not his mother called Mary ? and his 
 brethren, are they not all with us? Whence then 
 hath this man all these things ? " ^ When, then, they 
 had pursued the search, they would discover that he 
 was not the son of Joseph ; that his birth was su- 
 pernatural : that it had been foretold by prophets, 
 and announced by the ministry of angels : that, 
 
 2 Luke iv. 13, &c. ^ Matt. xiii. 34. 
 
46 
 
 LUKE IT. 39—52. 
 
 while he was yet in the lap of his mother, stran^r? 
 came from the east and worshipped him : that the 
 devout persons of the day had recognised him as 
 the expected Redeemer: and that when he was 
 twelve years old, he had been found conversing 
 among the teachers of the law in the temple, and 
 that all that heard him were astonished at his under- 
 standing and answers. 
 
 Nay, though he remained at Nazareth till the 
 proper time of his ministry arrived, in that humble 
 condition which he had chosen as best suited to his 
 purpose, he gave early intimation, that it was not 
 for this he came into the world. How is it that 
 ye sought me 1 Wist ye not that I must he about 
 my Father s business ? I have business to perform 
 which ye know not of. " I came not to do mine 
 own will, but the will of Him that sent me :" to 
 " do the works of my Father." 
 
 This sentence may remind every one, of the 
 l)urpose to which his life should be applied. The 
 creature is the property of his Creator. And the 
 Christian is bound by the double tie of redemption 
 as well as of creation — bound to Him, " who gave 
 himself for us, that he might redeem us from all 
 iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, 
 zealous of good works." The Christian, therefore, 
 cannot so immerse himself in the cares, and en- 
 gage himself in the ordinary pursuits of this world, 
 as to neglect the main concern, his Father's busi- 
 ness. 
 
 Without doubt, the business which God has given 
 every man to do, is the business of his station." 
 
I 
 
 LUKE II. 39—5-2. 47 
 
 " Let every man abide in the vocation wherein he 
 is called." Let men " learn to maintain good works 
 for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful." 
 ** Be not slothful in business, but fervent in spirit, 
 serving the Lord." But it should never be for- 
 gotten, that this earthly business must be sub- 
 servient to a higher end : and that there is one 
 work which God has prescribed for every man — 
 the work of subduing his iniquities, regulating 
 his passions, assisting his fellow-creatures, and 
 keeping things temporal in subordination to things 
 eternal. 
 
 Should, therefore, the Christian be complained 
 of by the lovers of this present world, " that he is 
 comparatively indifferent to matters of temporal 
 concern, that many of the things which interest 
 the mass of mankind have little interest for him ; 
 he has an answer in the answer of his Lord, Wist 
 ye not that I must he about my Father's business ? 
 and St. Paul will justify him, saying, " Brethren, 
 the time is short: it remaineth, that they that weep, 
 be as though they wept not ; and they that rejoice, 
 as though they rejoiced not ; and they that buy, as 
 though they possessed not ; and they that use this 
 world, as not abusing it : for the fashion of this 
 world passeth away." 
 
 5L And he went down with them, and came to Naza- 
 reth, and was subject unto them. : but his mother kept all 
 these sayings in her heart. 
 
 52. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in 
 favour with God and man. 
 
 All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge were 
 
 8 
 
48 
 
 LUKE II. 39—5-2. 
 
 laid up in Christ. But they were developed by 
 degrees. As he increased in stature, the grace 
 which was with him more fully appeared : and the 
 wisdom with which he was endowed became more 
 evident. He was in all things like as we are, ex- 
 cept that he was without sin; therefore he was 
 like as we are in progressive growth. But we 
 speak of natural growth. The grand distinction, 
 that he was without sin, assures us that his spiri- 
 tual growth was not progressive : he was perfect 
 from the beginning. In this respect the disciples 
 are not as their Master. It is their character, and 
 it must be their aim, from the beginning of their 
 course to the end, to " grow in grace, and in the 
 knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ." The nature 
 of the Christian life requires this : their errors are 
 gradually corrected, their graces formed, their cor- 
 ruption overcome, their souls established in the life 
 of faith. Experience of the past prepares them for 
 the future. The remembrance of unexpected fail- 
 ures increases fear and caution ; deliverance in- 
 spires confidence : spiritual power is confirmed 
 by trials and sorrows ; the storms of affliction, and 
 the heats of temptation, unite to bring patience 
 and dependence to maturity : that the whole man 
 may be settled in the faith, and strengthened in the 
 practice of holiness. 
 
 Happy indeed are those who answer this descrip- 
 tion, who, as they increase in years, increase in 
 wisdom, and in favour with God and man — keeping 
 the path in which their baptism had placed them, 
 and " shining brighter and brighter unto the perfect 
 day ! " 
 
LUKE III. 1-14. 49 
 
 ^ LECTURE X. 
 
 THE BAPTIST EXHORTS TO REPENTANCE. 
 Luke iii. 1 — 14. 
 
 (Matt. iii. 1—12. Mark i. 1—8.) 
 
 1. Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius 
 Ccesar, Pontius Pilate heing governor of Judea, and He- 
 rod being ietrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip ie- 
 trarch of Iturcea and of the region of Trachonitis, and 
 Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene, 
 
 2. Annas and Caiaphas being the high priest^ the 
 word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in 
 the wilderness. 
 
 3. And he came into all the country about Jordan, 
 preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission 
 of sins ; 
 
 4. As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias 
 the prophet, saying. The voice oj one crying in the wil- 
 derness. Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths 
 straight. 
 
 5. Every valley shall be filled^ and every mountain and 
 hill shall be brought low ; and the crooked shall be made 
 straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth ; ^ 
 
 6. And all flesh shall see the salvation of God. 
 
 7. Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be 
 
 1 The law of Moses appointed one high priest. Annas had 
 held the office eleven years, when he was deposed by the Roman 
 governor, and succeeded by his son-in-law Caiaphas. Probably 
 the authority of Annas was still respected by the people, and he 
 is on that account mentioned here conjointly with Caiaphas. 
 
 2 Isa. xl. 3 ; Iii. 10. 
 
50 
 
 LUKE III. 1—14. 
 
 baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warn- 
 ed you to Jiee from the wrath to come ? 
 
 8. Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance ; 
 and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham 
 to our father : for I say unto you, Tliat God is able of 
 these stones to raise up children unto Abraham, 
 
 9. A7id now also the axe is laid unto the root of the 
 trees : every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good 
 
 fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 
 
 10. And the people asked him, saying. What shall we 
 do then ? 
 
 11. He answereth and saith unto them. He that hath 
 two coats let him impart to him that hath none ; and he 
 that hath meat let him do likewise. 
 
 It is a satisfactory sign, when people's minds are 
 so far moved upon the subject of religion, as to in- 
 quire in earnest, luhat shall we do then f If there is 
 wrath to come, how shall we flee from it f If there 
 is a kingdom prepared for the righteous, how shall 
 we enter it? 
 
 The Holy Spirit had in this way carried the 
 words of John the Baptist to the hearts of some of 
 his hearers. And the -people asked him, what shall we 
 do then ? 
 
 This phrase, the people, must have included many 
 different characters: by whom, if they meant to 
 serve God, much must be hereafter done which 
 they had not done hitherto, and much left undone 
 which they had been used to do. But John gave a 
 reply, which, so far as it went, must be suitable to 
 all. He that hath two coats, let him impart to him 
 that hath none ; and he that hath meat, let him do 
 likewise. They must lay aside their selfishness. 
 They must live no longer, as men without religion 
 
LUKE III. 1—14. 51 
 
 do commonly live, for themselves alone, but for God 
 and their fellow-creatures. They must consider how 
 they can impart to others a share of the blessings 
 they enjoy. 
 
 You will ask, perhaps, Is this precept to be 
 literally followed? Certainly not. The nature of 
 mankind and of the world in which they are placed 
 would make that impossible. But, doubtless, the 
 words mean this — and less than this, they cannot 
 mean, that we should be ready to do good unto all 
 men, according to their wants and our opportuni- 
 ties. They furnish a general rule of kindness 
 and charitable feeling, suited not to one class of 
 people alone, but to all people : to every one who 
 has more of this world's goods than his neighbour. 
 " For whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his 
 brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of 
 compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God 
 in him!" 
 
 12. Then came also publicans to he baptized, and said 
 unto him^ Master, what shall we do ? 
 
 13. And he said unto them. Exact no more than that 
 which is appointed you. 
 
 The publicans employed under the authority of 
 the Roman government to collect the taxes, were 
 odious both on account of their office and their 
 character. Tribute is always unpopular, and es- 
 pecially that which is paid to a foreign government. 
 Therefore their office was odious. And because it 
 was so, few would take it, except those who were 
 careless of men's opinion, and had no reputation to 
 lose. On this account it was made a reproach 
 3 1 John iii. 17. 
 
 E 2 
 
52 
 
 LUKE 111. 1—14. 
 
 against our Lord, that he sat down " with pubhcans 
 and sinners." 
 
 Some of these came also to he baptized, and said 
 unto him, Master, what shall we do f 
 
 John did not answer, Lay down your office, and 
 seek another business. They often did practise ex- 
 tortion. But it was not necessary that they should. 
 So he enjoined them to remain in their situation, 
 doing their duty in it. Exact no more than is ap- 
 pointed you. Use no fraud, no injustice. You have 
 much temptation to those offences. Perhaps you 
 have committed them. If your desire is from hence- 
 forth to serve God, and continue in his favour, fol- 
 low such practices no more. 
 
 This leads to an useful consideration. There are 
 no conditions in life without temptations. Satan 
 takes advantage of these, to pervert and destroy. 
 People are apt to believe, that if they were in dif- 
 ferent circumstances, they should be safe. But in 
 no circumstances could they avoid danger, unless 
 they could escape from themselves. And the real 
 duty is, to pursue a Christian course in the station 
 to which every man belongs : to shun the particular 
 evils which beset us, whether in riches or in poverty, 
 in business or in leisure : to keep the golden rule in 
 view, " Seek first the kingdom of God and his 
 righteousness." 
 
 In the same spirit, therefore, as when he exhorted 
 the publicans to exact no more than was required, 
 the Baptist would exhort those who were much occu- 
 pied in worldly business; — Ye are tempted to be 
 " careful and troubled about many things. One 
 thing is needful." Whilst ye attend to the daily 
 
 3 
 
LUKE III. 1—14. 58 
 
 concerns of this present world, remember that one 
 most needful thing. 
 
 He would exhort others, who had less call for 
 active labour : — Idleness is the parent of sin. Find 
 out for yourselves some useful employment, in 
 which you may serve God. He has given to all a 
 work, the management of their own hearts. Neglect 
 it not. 
 
 He might say to another, who was depressed by 
 poverty : — You are tempted to murmur ; you are 
 tempted to relieve your wants by dishonest means. 
 Resist these evils ; and " cast your care upon God, 
 for he careth for you." 
 
 To another, who was " rich in this world," he 
 miglit say : — Your temptation is to luxury, to selfish 
 enjoyment. Do not indulge such a state of heart 
 and practice. Remember that the wrath of God 
 is revealed against the man who says within himself, 
 " Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years ; 
 take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry." 
 
 In this manner Scripture warns us to watch and 
 take heed against the dangers of our particular con- 
 dition in life, and to make them a mean, through 
 the grace of God, of " working out our salvation." 
 
 14. And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, 
 And what shall we do ? And he said unto them, Do vio- 
 lence to no man, neither accuse any falsely ; and he con- 
 tent with your wages. 
 
 This too is to be remarked. The Baptist knew 
 that the soldier's life was unfavourable to piety. 
 But he also knew, that it was not inconsistent with 
 it : that piety might be found in soldiers. We have 
 
54 
 
 LUKE III. 1—14. 
 
 many such instances in Scripture. So he does not 
 advise those who questioned him, to abandon their 
 vocation ; but he cautions them against its parti- 
 cular dangers. Their manner of life might make 
 them rude and unfeeling. Therefore he says, Do 
 violence to no man. They might be induced to 
 lay unjust informations, for the sake of private gain. 
 Against this he also warns them : neither accuse 
 any falsely. They might be prone to discontent 
 and mutiny. It must not be. Be content with 
 your wages. 
 
 These things, indeed, are not required of one 
 person more than another. Charity, honesty, peace- 
 ableness, and content, are duties binding upon all 
 men, in all stations. False witness, extortion, the 
 doing to other men what in our own case we should 
 condemn as unjust, are alike forbidden to every 
 one. But particular situations, particular habits, 
 particular dispositions, are more liable than others 
 to particular transgressions : and therefore need 
 especial warning. For of these Satan takes ad- 
 vantage. And John was not a false prophet, who, 
 in order to please his hearers, might shun the 
 mention of their peculiar sin, or peculiar duty. 
 But, like St. Paul afterwards, he " kept back no- 
 thing that was profitable for them, but showed 
 them, and taught them publicly," how to keep a 
 conscience void of offence both towards God and 
 towards men. 
 
 Two things must be observed, before we con- 
 clude this subject. First, that the abandonment 
 of sin, and the practice of righteousness, are not the 
 
LUKE III. 1—14. 55 
 
 procuring cause of salvation. It is not repentance, 
 but the " blood of Christ, which cleanseth from all 
 sin." Secondly, that the abandonment of sin, and 
 the practice of righteousness, are necessary to sal- 
 vation, though they are not its procuring cause. 
 Every one of those who believe in the Lord Jesus 
 Christ for the remission of sins, will ask the same 
 question which we read here : what shall we do then 1 
 How shall I show my abhorrence of that, for which 
 my Redeemer died ? How shall I prove my repent- 
 ance of a course which would have brought my soul 
 to ruin ? How shall I show myself a follower of him 
 in whom 1 trust ? How shall I make it evident, that 
 " the life which I live in the flesh, I live in the faith 
 of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself 
 for me ? " 
 
 And to all who thus inquire, there is one answer, 
 Bring forth fruit worthy of repentance. For "the 
 foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal. 
 Let every one that nameth the name of Christ, 
 depart from iniquity." * 
 
 4 2 Tim. ii. 19. 
 
56 
 
 LUKE III. 15—20. 
 
 LECTURE XL 
 
 JOHN DIRECTS THE PEOPLE TO JESUS, WHO 
 SHOULD BAPTIZE WITH THE HOLY GHOST. 
 
 Luke iii. 15 — 20. 
 
 (Matt. iii. 11, 12. Mark i. 7, 8.) 
 
 15. And as the people were in expectation, and all men 
 mused in their hearts of John^ whether he were the Christ 
 or not ; 
 
 16. John answered^ saying unto them all, I indeed bap- 
 tize you with water ; hut one mightier than I cometh, the 
 latchet of whose shoes I am, not worthy to unloose : he 
 shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire : 
 
 17. Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly 
 purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner : 
 but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable. 
 
 18. And many other things in his exhortation preached 
 he unto the people. 
 
 19. But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for 
 Herodias his brother Philips s wife, and for all the evils 
 which Herod had done, 
 
 20. Added yet this above all, that he shut up John in 
 prison,^ 
 
 The office for which John was commissioned, was 
 to " prepare the way of the Lord, to make his paths 
 straight." But while he performed this office, he 
 never forgot that he was but a messenger, sent to 
 direct his countrymen to " the Lamb of God, which 
 
 I St. Luke, as he was speaking of Johii, introduces this fact 
 here, and does not notice it afterwards in the order of time. 
 
LUKE TIL 1^—20. 57 
 
 taketh away the sin of the world." He " came for 
 a witness. He was not that light, but he came to 
 bear witness of that light." And the words of John 
 in this passage of his exhortation were well suited 
 to rouse their minds, and awaken their expectations. 
 One cometh, who is not, like me, the labourer, but 
 the " lord of the harvest :" who will act as one 
 having authority: who shall fulfil the prophecy, 
 " Behold, the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly 
 come to his temple. But who may abide the day of 
 his coming? and who shall stand when he ap- 
 peareth ? "a 
 
 John intimates that he could not enable his 
 hearers to abide his coming. " I indeed baptize you 
 with water unto repentance." I show that you 
 have need " to be sprinkled from an evil con- 
 science," and cleansed from your iniquities : but he 
 who cometh after me must complete the work, and 
 renew your hearts in righteousness and true holiness. 
 He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with 
 fire. He shall pour out his Spirit upon you, and 
 its effect shall be like the effect of fire. 
 
 It is thus that what relates to the divine nature 
 is set before us in Scripture. It is described by its 
 effects. We cannot comprehend the nature of the 
 Holy Spirit. But we are well acquainted with the 
 power of fire: how it breaks, how it melts, how 
 it changes the things which it lays hold of: how it 
 enlightens, cheers, and nourishes. The same sort 
 of power has the Holy Spirit on the heart : pro- 
 duces the same effect; works the like change. 
 And therefore the Scriptures compare it to fire. 
 
 2Mal. iii. L 
 
58 
 
 LUKE III. 15—20. 
 
 He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with 
 fire. And we are told that on the day of Pentecost 
 " there appeared unto the apostles cloven-tongues 
 like as of a fire, and sat upon each of them." And 
 St. John, in the Revelation, describes " seven lamps 
 of fire burning before the heavenly throne, which 
 are the seven spirits of God." 
 
 Did then the Baptist in the spirit foresee the day 
 of Pentecost? Certainly, if he had perceived it, he 
 could not have expressed more clearly the descent 
 of the Holy Ghost upon the apostles. Its effect 
 was not merely shown by the fiery tongues, which 
 enabled " every man to hear them speak in his 
 own language." But it appeared in the change 
 wrought upon their hearts and understandings. We 
 know how faint had been their notion of the purpose 
 of Christ's coming in the flesh, or of the nature of 
 his kingdom. Had they rightly apprehended this, 
 they would have perceived that his death was need- 
 ful, and have looked for his resurrection, as surely 
 about to follow. Whereas the first effect of his 
 death was to bury with him all their hopes. Had 
 their understanding been more opened, they would 
 have learnt that his " kingdom was not of this 
 world." But their question, at the very moment of 
 his ascension, showed that they looked still towards 
 this world. " Lord, wilt thou at this time restore 
 the kingdom unto Israel ? " 
 
 Then, however, was the promise given, which 
 was to explain the words of John: "Ye shall 
 be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days 
 hence." Accordingly, within ten days afterwards, 
 " There came a sound from heaven as of a rushing 
 
LUKE III. 15—20. 59 
 
 mighty wind, and it filled all the house where 
 they were sitting : and they were all filled with the 
 Holy Ghost." And how great the change, both in 
 their minds and in their hearts ! Their minds were 
 enlightened, their hearts were strengthened. The 
 way of salvation became clear to them, through the 
 efficacy of that very death which so lately had re- 
 duced them to despair. And their hearts were made 
 bold, and ready to resign anything, and to risk any- 
 thing in this present world, looking to a glorious 
 recompense in heaven. 
 
 With reason, therefore, John taught his disciples 
 to look for one, who, coming after Mm, should be 
 preferred before him, and should baptize them with 
 the Holy Ghost, and with fire. " Holy men, indeed, 
 of old, had spoken as they were moved by the 
 Holy Ghost." And Simeon, as we lately read, being 
 " filled with the Holy Ghost," had prophesied of 
 Jesus in the temple : but now the time was come, 
 when the Spirit should exercise a more general and 
 effectual influence, and fulfil the promise of that 
 new covenant, when God should put a new heart 
 and a right spirit within his people. 
 
 A promise, we must remember, not given to the 
 apostles, or the first disciples only, but to all who 
 take upon them the faith of Christ. The hearts of all 
 men are as dark by nature as those of the apostles, 
 and equally need the illumination of the Spirit, that 
 they may be guided into truth. But the very first 
 use made by Peter and his brother apostles of the gift 
 bestowed upon them, was to engage a like blessing 
 for all who should obey their exhortation, and adopt 
 their faith. (Acts ii. 38.) " Then Peter said unto 
 
60 
 
 LUKE III. 21—38. 
 
 tliem, Repent and be baptized, everyone of you, in 
 the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins ; 
 and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." 
 The same Spirit which has given us a sufficiency 
 which we have not of ourselves, which has enabled 
 us to stand forth and address you, shall also give 
 you a sufficiency, as believers in Christ, to work 
 out your salvation in the vocation to which ye are 
 called. " Looking unto Jesus, the author and 
 finisher of your faith, ye shall be enabled to lay aside 
 every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset 
 you, and to run with patience the race which is set 
 before you. " 3 
 
 Such is the promise. That all may ensure it, let 
 all seek it. Avoid whatever may quench the sacred 
 lire, and follow all such things as may excite it more 
 and more, till it burn in your hearts with a steady 
 light, and an ardent flame which shall shine brighter 
 and brighter unto the end. 
 
 LECTURE XII. 
 
 TESTIMONY OF GOD TO HIS SON.— GENEALOGY 
 OF JESUS, ON THE SIDE OF MARY. 
 
 Luke iii. 21—88. 
 
 (Matt. iii. 13—16. Mark i. 9, 10.) 
 
 21. Now when all the people were baptized^ it came to 
 pass that Jesus also being baptized, and praying , the hea* 
 ven was opened, 
 
 ^ Ileb. xii. 1, 2. 
 
LUKE III. 21—38. 61 
 
 22. And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like 
 a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said. 
 Thou art my beloved Son : in thee I am well pleased. 
 
 Thus Jesus also was baptized. He insisted upon 
 submitting to the ordinance, though " John forbade 
 him, saying, i I have need to be baptized of thee : 
 and comest thou to me ? " He chose to give this 
 testimony to the importance of a rite, which was to 
 be the future entrance into his religion. And God 
 confirmed the testimony, and declared by a voice 
 from heaven, that this was He of whom Moses and 
 the prophets had written, whom the nation had been 
 so long expecting, and who was now come to fulfil 
 the promise made to Abraham and his seed for 
 ever. This is my beloved Son, in whom 1 am well 
 pleased, 
 
 A testimony so important should be carefully 
 weighed, and the consideration of it may help to 
 fix and settle our faith. What was there in the 
 character of Christ, which the Father thus solemnly 
 approves ? 
 
 His incarnation had two great objects. First, 
 to make an atonement for sin, and reconcile man to 
 God. And, secondly, to give a rule of righteous- 
 ness, inculcated by his precepts, and illustrated by 
 his example. 
 
 And with the Son, in his two-fold character, as a 
 sacrifice of sin, and an example of righteousness, 
 the Father declares himself well pleased, 
 
 1. He was well pleased with him as a sacrifice 
 for sin. He was well pleased, that " mercy and 
 
 1 Matt. iii. 14. 
 
62 
 
 LUKE III. iil— 38. 
 
 truth should meet together, that righteousness and 
 peace should kiss each other." His justice was 
 satisfied by the proof held up to all the universe, 
 that " the wages of sin is death." And the mercy 
 which he delights in was gratified by the deliver- 
 ance of the penitent offender. He was " in Christ, 
 reconciling the world unto himself," and saying to 
 all who have ears to hear, " Let the wicked for- 
 sake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, 
 and return unto the Lord, for he will have mercy 
 upon him, and to our God, for he will abundantly 
 pardon." 
 
 2. But, further, God was well pleased with his 
 beloved Son, now " manifest in the flesh," as a 
 pattern of perfect righteousness. It is the nature 
 of God to delight in holiness. " Holy, holy, holy, 
 is the Lord God Almighty." Our reason tells us 
 that it must be so : and Scripture confirms what 
 our reason tells us, and shows throughout, that sin 
 is " the abominable thing which he hates : " that he 
 is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity : that per- 
 fect goodness is inseparable from his own nature : 
 and that his creatures, who are in the world, the 
 nearer they approach to goodness, are more and 
 more the objects of his regard and favour. Now 
 the Lord Jesus was altogether holy. His enemies 
 could find no fault in him : he was without spot 
 of sin : and he displayed in his life and conversa- 
 tion an example of unblemished purity ; an exam- 
 ple of uninterrupted godliness ; an example of meek- 
 ness, of courteousness, of patience, and forgiveness ; 
 an example of universal love and charity ; an exam- 
 ple of unwearied diligence in the service of God. 
 
LUKE III. 21—38. 63 
 
 This character was not merely described or recom- 
 mended, but seen and practised in the life of the 
 Lord Jesus. " Tempted in all points like as we 
 are, he was yet without sin : " when he was re- 
 viled, he reviled not again : when he suffered, he 
 threatened not : the mind that was in him was of 
 one " meek and lowly of heart." Armed with " the 
 sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God," he 
 resisted the devil, and the devil fled from him. The 
 principle on which he lived and acted, was the glory 
 of God, and the love of man. And with this ex- 
 ample of perfect and unspotted righteousness, God 
 declares himself well pleased. 
 
 Such was the ground of that testimony, which 
 God now gave publicly to the character of his be- 
 loved Son. And the voice came not on account of 
 hira, but for our sakes, that we might learn to con- 
 template that character, and approve it too. 
 
 1. God was well pleased that his Son should pay 
 the price of our redemption, and reconcile us to 
 himself. Are we also well pleased with this ? Are 
 we willing to confess, that in ourselves we have 
 nothing to plead or claim, but must receive " eter- 
 nal life as the gift of God, through Jesus Christ ? " 
 If not, our mind, and the mind of God, do not 
 agree: we must look closer into ourselves, closer 
 into the holy law of God, and closer into that judg- 
 ment, when the secrets of all hearts shall be dis- 
 closed ; and so learn to thank God, " that by grace 
 we are saved, through faith ; not of works, lest any 
 man should boast." ^ We must receive Christ under 
 2 Eph. ii. 8, 9. 
 
64 
 
 LUKE III. 21—38. 
 
 the character in which he is revealed to us, as the 
 Saviour, the Redeemer. 
 
 2. God, however, was well pleased with Christ, 
 not only as a propitiation for sin, but also as a pattern 
 of righteousness. And he will be pleased with the 
 disciples of Christ, in proportion as they follow that 
 pattern. They were redeemed for this especial pur- 
 pose, that they might become " a peculiar people, 
 zealous of good works : " might imitate him, whose 
 " meat and drink it was to do the will of his hea- 
 venly Father." As he, " for the joy set before 
 him, endured the cross, despising the shame," so 
 must we " walk not after the flesh, but after the 
 Spirit," and " set our aifections on things above." 
 
 He who declared himself well pleased with his 
 beloved Son, has also declared himself well pleased 
 with those who thus receive him: receive him as 
 their Priest to atone, and as their King to rule. 
 For he says of them, " I will receive you, and be 
 a Father unto you ; and ye shall be my sons and 
 daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." 
 
 23. And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years 
 of age, ^ being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which 
 was the son of Heli^ 
 
 3 The Jewish priests did not commence their ministry till they 
 had attained this age. 
 
 * St. Matthew (ch. i.) had given the genealogy of Jesus in the 
 line of Joseph : St, Luke gives it in the line of Mary : but 
 describes him as the son of Joseph, because the names of the 
 husbands only, and not of the wives, were inserted in the regis- 
 ters, from which it is believed that these genealogies were copied. 
 The object appears to be, to show that Jesus was indeed the 
 ** seed of the woman,'* as Matthew had shown that he was de- 
 scended from Abraham. 
 
LUKE III. 21—38. 65 
 
 24. Which was the son of Mat that, which was the son 
 of Levi, which was the son of Melchi, which was the son 
 of J anna, which was the son of Joseph, 
 
 25. Wliich was the son of Mattathias, which was the son 
 of Amos, ichich was the so?i of Naum, which was the son 
 of Esli, which icas the son ofNagge, 
 
 2^. Which was the son of Maath, which was the son of 
 Mattathias, which was the son of Semei, which ivas the 
 son of Joseph, which was the son ofJada, 
 
 27. Which was the son of Joanna, which was the son of 
 Rhesa, which was the son of Zorobahel, which was the son 
 of Salathiel, which was the son of Neri, 
 
 28. Which was the son of Melchi, which was the son of 
 Addi, which was the son of Cosam, which was the son of 
 Elmodam, ichich was the son of Er, 
 
 29. Which was the son of Jose, which was the son of 
 Eliezer, which was the son ofJorim, ichich was the son of 
 Matthat, which was the son of Levi, 
 
 30. Which was the son of Simeon, which was the son of 
 Juda, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of 
 Jonan, which itas the son of E Hakim, 
 
 31. Which was the son of Melea, which was the son of 
 Menan, which was the son ofMattatha, which was the son 
 of Nathan, which was the son of David, 
 
 32. Which was the son of Jesse, which was the son of 
 Ohed, which was the son of Booz, which was the son of 
 Salmon, which was the son of Naasson, 
 
 33. Which was the son of Aminadah, which was the son 
 of Aram, tvhich was the son of Esrom, which was the son 
 of Phares, which was the son of Juda, 
 
 34. Which was the son of Jacob, which was the son of 
 Lsaac, which was the son of Abraham, which was the son 
 of Thara, which was the son of Nachor, 
 
 35. Wliich was the son of Saruch, which was the son of 
 Ragau, which was the son of Phalec, which was the son 
 of Heber, which was the son of Sala, 
 
 36. Which was the son of Cainan, which was the son 
 
 F 
 
(56 
 
 LUKE III. 21—38. 
 
 of Arphaxad, which was the son of Sem, which ivas the 
 son of Noe, which was the son of Lantech, 
 
 37. Which was the son of Mathusala, which was the 
 son of Enoch, which was the son of Jared, whiclt was the 
 son of Maleleel, which was the son of Cainan, 
 
 38. Which was the son of Enos, which was the soti of 
 Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of 
 God. 
 
 Thus the line of Mary's genealogy is traced up to 
 the beginning, when " God said, Let us make man 
 in our image, after our likeness." So Adam became 
 the Son of God. 
 
 How has sin corrupted that divine nature, and 
 defaced the Father's image ! Christ Jesus, the 
 ETERNAL SoN OF GoD, appeared to restore that 
 nature, and to renew the soul " after the image of 
 him that created him." For " as many as received 
 him, to them gave he power to become the sons of 
 God, even to them that believe on his name ; which 
 were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, 
 nor of the will of man, but of God." ^ 
 
 5 Johni. 12, 13. 
 
LUKE IV. 1— 1;3. 67 
 
 LECTURE XIIL 
 
 TEMPTATION OF JESUS. 
 
 Luke iv. 1 — 13. 
 
 (Matt. iv. 1—11. Mark i. 12, 13.) 
 
 1 . And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returnedfrom 
 Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 
 
 2. Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those 
 days he did eat nothing : and when they were ended, he 
 afterward hungered. 
 
 The case of our Lord, in this temptation, is too 
 peculiar to be closely urged in the way of example. 
 But this much should be observed. The tempta- 
 tion was foreseen. And he prepared himself for it 
 by fasting. This may admonish every one to " keep 
 under the body, and bring it into subjection:" 
 and so accustom it to self-denial, that it may not be 
 " brought under the power " of any gratification.* 
 
 3. And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of 
 God, command this stone that it be made bread. 
 
 4. And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written. That 
 man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of 
 God? 
 
 5. And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, 
 shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment 
 of time, 
 
 1 See 1 Cor. vi. 12. 3 Deut. viii. 3. 
 
 F 2 
 
68 
 
 LUKE IV. 1—13. 
 
 6. And the devil said unto him ^ All this power will I 
 give thee^ and the glory of them : for that is delivered unto 
 me ; and to whomsoever I will I give it. 
 
 7. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall he thine. 
 
 8. And Jesus answered and said unto him. Get thee he- 
 hind me, Satan : for it is written, TJiou shalt worship the 
 Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve? 
 
 9. And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a 
 pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him. If thou he the 
 Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: 
 
 10. For it is written, He shall give his angels charge 
 over thee^ to keep thee : 
 
 11. Atid in their hands they shall hear thee up^ lest at 
 any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 
 
 12. And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, 
 Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.^ 
 
 Observe, from this account, the arts of that ad- 
 versary with whom we have to contend : how he 
 suits his different temptations to the different cir- 
 cumstances of those whom he endeavours to with- 
 draw from God. In the present instance, he per- 
 suades our Lord to use his divine power for a 
 personal object, to gratify his own wants : Comynand 
 this stone, that it may be made bread. Or to esta- 
 blish an earthly kingdom : All this power will I 
 give thee, and the glory of them. Or to yield to 
 presumption and vanity, by casting himself down 
 from the pinnacle of the temple^ that all the people 
 might be astonished at his miraculous preservation. 
 
 Satan employs the same devices, when he lays 
 wait for every age and condition of life with its 
 peculiar snare : when he tempts the poor man to 
 better his condition by dishonesty : when he tempts 
 the rich man to selfish luxury : when he tempts the 
 
 3 Exod. XX. 3, 4. 
 
 ^Ps. xci. 11. 
 
LUKE IV. 1—13. 69 
 
 man in power to oppress those whom he ought to 
 defend : when he tempts the lower classes to dis- 
 content and turbulence : when he tempts the pros- 
 perous to neglect God, the afflicted to murmur at 
 his will : when he tempts the young with pleasure, 
 the middle-aged with ambition, and the old with ava- 
 rice. And with the sin, he will find the excuse for 
 sin. He urges our Lord, by the words of prophecy, 
 It is written, he shall give his angels charge over thee, 
 to keep thee. So there is no wickedness wliich an 
 evil heart of unbelief will not find means of palli- 
 ating, if it yields to the suggestions of Satan. And, 
 on the other hand, there are no suggestions of 
 Satan which Scripture will not enable us to refute. 
 " The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 
 will quench all the fiery darts of the evil one." 
 
 We are encouraged, therefore, to resist tempta- 
 tion, by the same history which warns us to expect 
 it. Nowhere, certainly, are we allowed to hope 
 that we shall escape temptation. St. Peter writes, 
 " Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery 
 trial which is to try you, as though some strange 
 thing had happened to you : but rejoice, inasmuch 
 as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings." St. Paul 
 tells his converts, " There hath no temptation taken 
 you, but such as is common to man." And the 
 Spirit saith unto the churches, in the book of 
 Revelation, " Fear none of those things which thou 
 shalt suffer : behold, the devil shall cast some of 
 you into prison, that ye may be tried ; and ye shall 
 have tribulation ten days : be thou faithful unto 
 death, and I will give thee a crown of life." So 
 that " temptation is no strange thing :" it "is 
 
70 LUKE IV. 1—13. 
 
 common to man :" and the crown of life is pre- 
 pared for " him that overcometh, and is faithful unto 
 death." 
 
 But we might even go further, and say, that it is 
 a bad sign to be conscious of no temptation. It 
 would be a sign that we were not closely watching 
 the errors of our hearts, or carefully attentive to 
 the purity of God's law: not sufficiently diligent 
 to make the one agree with the other. No man 
 can look at the perfect rule of thought, word, and 
 deed, which the Bible sets before us, and at the evil 
 ways to which his heart is naturally disposed, with- 
 out feeling that he has a constant struggle to main- 
 tain. All, indeed, are not tempted alike. Some are 
 tempted at home, in their families, and otliers abroad 
 in their business : some from their own inward weak- 
 ness, and others from unchristian companions. Some 
 have to contend with evil tempers, as envy, pride, 
 malice, jealousy, discontent : some have sensual pas- 
 sions, the lusts of the flesh, to subdue : some are 
 disposed to covetousness, others to self-indulgence : 
 but every child of Adam has his besetting sin, either 
 of habit or of constitution, which he must strive to 
 root out of his heart. Whoever is not doing this, 
 has not begun the contest which his baptism en- 
 gaged him to, " against the world, the flesh, and 
 the devil." And whosoever is not aware of this, 
 has not entered in earnest upon the great concern 
 of " working out his salvation." 
 
 Such is the warning conveyed by this history. 
 It concludes with a merciful encouragement. 
 
 13. And when the devil had ended all the temptation ^ 
 he departed from, him for a season. 
 
LUKE IV. 1—13. 71 
 
 Here, then, is our consolation. As with the 
 master, so with the servants: the devil will leave 
 those servants who oppose him in their master's 
 strength. Resist him, and he will depart from yov, 
 at least for a season. And though he may return, 
 he will return not as a prevailing, but as a defeated 
 enemy. We know the power which a man pos- 
 sesses over another, who has once been led by him 
 into sin. He has no such power over those, who, 
 when enticed, have not consented. It is the same 
 with the temptations of Satan. Their power is 
 great or feeble, just according as heretofore they 
 have been rejected or indulged. 
 
 Happy those, who in the days of their early 
 youth resist temptation: whom the devil leaveth, 
 when he finds that the allurements of sin, now first 
 opening to their view, are opposed by a ruling 
 sense of the obedience which they owe to God : 
 from those he departs, as he departed from the holy 
 Jesus ; and permits them, unsubdued by sin, though 
 encompassed by frailty, to pass the more tranquil 
 season of their age in peaceful expectation of the 
 hope that is set before them. 
 
 This is a state which every Christian must la- 
 bour to attain : when all the actions of the life, and 
 all the thoughts and imaginations of the heart are 
 brought into willing captivity to the obedience of 
 Christ : when the word of God is the daily suste- 
 nance of the soul: and the principle which habi- 
 tually prevails. Thou shall worship the Lord thy 
 God^ and him only shall thou serve. 
 
7-2 
 
 LUKE IV. 14—32. 
 
 LECTURE XIV. 
 
 JESUS DECLARES, AT NAZARETH, THE PURPOSE 
 OF HIS INCARNATION. 
 
 Luke iv. 14 — 32. 
 
 14. And Jesus returned in the 'power of the Spirit into 
 Galilee : and there went out a fame of him through all the 
 region round about. 
 
 15. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified 
 of all. 
 
 16. And he came to 'Nazareth, where he had been brought 
 up : and as his custo?n was, he went into the synagogue on 
 the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. 
 
 17. And there was delivered unto him the booh of the 
 prophet Esaias. And when he had opefied the book, he 
 found the place where it was written ., 
 
 18. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath 
 anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor ; he hath sefit 
 me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the 
 captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at 
 liberty them that are bruised, 
 
 19. To preach the acceptable year of the Lord} 
 
 20. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the 
 minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that 
 were in the synagogue were fastened on him. 
 
 21. And he bega?i to say unto them. This day is this 
 Scripture fulfilled in your ears. 
 
 By the custom of the Jewish law, those designed 
 of God for a high and sacred office, were anointed 
 with oil.'^ " Samuel," for example, ** took a vial of oil, 
 1 Is. Ixi. 1—3. 2 1 Sam. x. 1. 
 
LUKE IV. 14-3-2. 73 
 
 and poured it on the head of Saul, and kissed him, 
 and said. Is it not because the Lord hath anointed 
 thee to be captain over his inheritance ? " Jesus, 
 however, was anointed, not by the type of the Spirit, 
 but by the Spirit himself. The Spirit of the Lord 
 had anointed him. He was " the Christ, the Son 
 of the living God." 
 
 And he seizes this occasion, at the entrance of 
 his ministry, and in the place where he had been 
 brought up, to declare for what purpose he was 
 come. It was not to give fresh sanction to the 
 laws of God : though he did sanction them, de- 
 claring that whoever should break one of the least 
 commandments, and should teach men so, should 
 be accounted least in the kingdom of heaven. 
 Neither did he come to denounce ** indignation and 
 wrath, tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of 
 man that doeth evil," and to promise " eternal life 
 to them who, by patient continuance in well-doing, 
 seek for glory, and honour, and immortality." 
 Though this he also did, and made it the founda- 
 tion of all his teaching. But this might have been 
 performed by another Moses, or another Samuel, 
 who should speak as the Spirit directed, and prove 
 the truth of their commission, like the apostles, " by 
 signs following." 
 
 But the purpose for which the Son of God came, 
 w^as one which he alone could execute. And the 
 message which he brought derives a tenfold im- 
 portance from the messenger. He came with a 
 message of reconciliation from God to his guilty 
 creatures. So God loved the world, that he sent 
 his only Son, to reconcile the world unto himself: 
 
74 
 
 LUKE IV. 14-32. 
 
 nay, to pay the price of reconciliation ; to make a 
 propitiation for sin, that as many as believe in him 
 might not perish, but have everlasting life. This 
 preaching the acceptable year of the Lord^ would 
 be to the broken and contrite spirit, what the 
 trumpet which proclaimed the year of jubilee had 
 formerly been to the slave, and the prisoner, and 
 the debtor among the Israelites.^ That procla- 
 mation cancelled debts, and gave slaves their free- 
 dom. This proclamation would Cancel the debt 
 of the ten thousand talents which the sinner owes 
 to God, and so set his heart at ease. It would 
 heal the broken-hearted : deliver the captive : re- 
 cover sight to the blind : set at liberty them that are 
 bruised. Such was too often the misery under 
 which the captives of old time laboured : their 
 imprisonment was hopeless ; their eyes were blinded 
 they were bruised with fetters ; the iron entered 
 into their soul. And under all these miseries would 
 the captives of Satan labour : blindness was come 
 upon them : they were tied and bound with the 
 chain of their sins : they would look for deliverance 
 in vain. But the gospel announces to such cap- 
 tives. Be of good cheer: God has found a ransom. 
 " Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away 
 the sins of the world." Continue in his word, 
 " and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall 
 make you free." The broken-hearted may rejoice : 
 God offers them the covenant of peace. The 
 poor hear glad tidings ; God careth for them. 
 The captives are delivered ; for greater is He that 
 is with us, than he that is in the world. The blind 
 ^ Sec Levit. xxv. 8, 
 
LUKE IV. 14—3-2. 75 
 
 recoi'>er sight : for he that believes in Christ " shall 
 not abide in darkness." The himised are set at 
 liberty : for he " will heal them of their wounds, 
 saith the Lord." The acceptable year of the 
 Lord is come ; for he hath sent his beloved Son, 
 to announce a message of mercy to his rebellious 
 children. 
 
 This, then, is the purpose for which Christ was 
 anointed, and the purpose which he alone could 
 execute : for he alone could say, " Fear not ; I 
 am the first and the last ; I am he that liveth, and 
 was dead; and behold, I am alive for evermore, 
 Amen ; and have the keys of hell and death." * 
 
 But though now this is made clear to us ; easily 
 understood and explained ; we cannot wonder that 
 when first uttered, those who heard it were as- 
 tonished. 
 
 22. And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gra- 
 cious words which proceeded out of his mouth» And they 
 said, Is not this JosepKs son ? 
 
 23. And he said unto them, Ye shall surely say unto me 
 this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have 
 heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country. 
 
 24. And he said, Verily I say unto you. No prophet is 
 accepted in his own country. 
 
 Jesus, it appears, had been heard of, as perform- 
 ing miracles at Capernaum. They might expect 
 him to perform like miracles at his own home, as 
 a physician might be expected to bestow his first 
 attention on himself. But their state of mind pre- 
 vented it. " He could do no mighty works there, 
 4 Rev. i. 18. 
 
76 LUKE IV. 14—32. 
 
 because of their unbelief." They cavilled, and 
 said, Is not this Joseph's son f They knew his 
 humble education, and they thought they knew his 
 parentage ; and hence was excited that jealousy and 
 envy of our corrupt nature, which often deprives a 
 good man of the honour done to him, where it 
 ought to be first paid, in his own country, in his 
 own family and neighbourhood. Therefore he re- 
 fuses the signs to Nazareth, which he granted to 
 Capernaum : and reminds them, that it had been 
 the way of God with their forefathers, to " have 
 mercy on whom he will have mercy. '^ A heathen 
 widow, at Sarepta, a city of Sidon, and a heathen 
 officer, Naaman a Syrian, had received benefits 
 which were denied to the many lepers and widows 
 of faithless Israel. 
 
 25. But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in 
 Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven ivas shut up 
 three years and six months, when great famine was 
 throughout all the land ; 
 
 26. But unto no?ie of them was Elias sent, save unto 
 Sarej)ta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a ividow} 
 
 27. And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eli- 
 seus the proj^het ; and none of them was cleansed, saving 
 Naaman the Syrian.^ 
 
 28. And all they in the synagogue, ichen they heard 
 these things, were filled with wrath, 
 
 29. And rose tip, and thrust him out of the city, and 
 led him unto the brow of the hill whereoti their city was 
 huilt, that they might cast him down headlong, 
 
 30. But he passing through the midst of them went his 
 way, 
 
 31. And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, 
 and taught them on the sabbath days. 
 
 5 1 Kings xvii. ^ 2 Kings v. 
 
LUKE IV. 33—44. 77 
 
 32. And they were astonished at his doctrine : for his 
 icord was with power. 
 
 " He taught as one having authority, and not as 
 the scribes." A power, however, must be present 
 with those who hear, as well as those who speak, 
 that the word may benefit the soul. In vain is the 
 arrow pointed, if the heart is cased in iron. The 
 people of Nazareth ivondered at the gracious loords 
 which proceeded out of his mouth : but when these 
 words opposed their carnal thoughts, they were 
 filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust him out 
 of the city. 
 
 Thus " the kingdom of God had come nigh them ;" 
 but they rejected it, and knew not " that there had 
 been a prophet amongst them." 
 
 LECTURE XV. 
 
 UNCLEAN SPIRITS CAST OUT.— THE PRESENCE 
 OF JESUS DESIRED. 
 
 Luke iv. 33—44. 
 (Mark i. 23—39.) 
 
 33. And in the sytiagogue there was a man, which had a 
 spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice, 
 
 34. Saying, Let us alone ; what have we to do with thee, 
 
78 LUKE IV. 33—44. 
 
 thou Jesus of Nazareth 1 art thou come to destroy us ? I 
 know thee who thou art ; the Holy One of God. 
 
 35. And Jesus rebuked him, saying^ Hold thy peace, and 
 come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him in 
 the midst y he came out of him, and hurt him not. 
 
 36. And they were all amazed, and spake among them- 
 selves, saying. What a word is this ! for with authority and 
 j)ower he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come 
 out. 
 
 37. And the fame of him went out ifito every place of 
 the country round about. 
 
 The enmity of Satan and his host against God 
 and righteousness, is strongly manifested upon this 
 occasion. The Son of God, the Saviour, who is 
 Christ the Lord, enters the synagogue, and instructs 
 the people in temperance, and righteousness, and 
 judgment to come. " And they were astonished 
 at his doctrine; for his word was with power." 
 Immediately an unclean spirit, by which one pre- 
 sent was possessed, recognises his conqueror, and 
 cried out with a loud voice, saying, Let us alone : 
 what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Naza- 
 reth ? Art thou come to destroy us 1 I know thee 
 who thou art ; the Holy one of God. 
 
 This is the key to the whole state of man upon 
 earth. This explains the difficulties which god- 
 liness encounters. "We wrestle not against flesh 
 and blood, but against principalities and powers; 
 against the prince of the power of the air, against 
 spiritual wickedness in high places." Hence it 
 comes, that the gate of life is strait, its way nar- 
 row. Satan will divert us out of it if he can. He 
 will dread the entrance of grace into the heart, 
 and will oppose the sentiments which accompany 
 
LUKE IV. 33—44. 79 
 
 grace, as much as he dreads the entrance of Christ 
 into the synagogue. He will use every means in 
 his power to obstruct the beginning of a life of 
 holiness. Here, however, is the encouraging reflec- 
 tion, "For this was the Son of God manifested, 
 that he might destroy the works of the devil." 
 The unclean spirit knew it, and asks, Let us alone : 
 what have we to do with thee^ thou Jesus of Naza- 
 reth f Art thou come to destroy us f And Jesus 
 did not deny it, but rebuked him, saying. Hold thy 
 'peace, and come out of him. 
 
 In this case the body was enthralled and harassed. 
 Satan is no less unwilling to loose his hold over the 
 soul, and exercises all his efforts to retain men 
 under the power of sin. We know, for example, that 
 Nicodemus was much astonished by the miracles 
 and doctrines of our Lord, and was disposed to ad- 
 here to him. This appeared in an assembly of his 
 brethren the Pharisees, when he ventured to say, 
 in behalf of Jesus, " Doth our law judge any man 
 before it hear him, and know what he doeth? 
 They answered and said unto him, Art thou also 
 of Galilee ? " ^ Here Satan attempted, by a snare 
 and a reproach, to stifle the infant faith of Nico- 
 demus, and to keep that power to himself which 
 Jesus was come to destroy. But his malice is impo- 
 tent and vain, wherever Jesus sees fit to interpose. 
 He can say to the most dangerous emissary of 
 Satan, to the most inveterate prejudice, or the most 
 besetting sin, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. 
 With authority and power he commandeth the un- 
 clean spirits, and they obey him, " When God 
 ^ John vii. 51, 
 
80 LUKE IV. 33—44. 
 
 arises, his enemies shall be scattered, and they also 
 which hate him, flee before him." ^ 
 
 (Matt. viii. 14—17.) 
 
 38. And he arose out of the Synagogue, and entered into 
 Simo?is house. And Simons wife's another was taken with 
 a great fever ; and they besought him for her, 
 
 39. And he stood over her, and rebuked the fever ; and 
 it left her ; and immediately she arose and ministered unto 
 them. 
 
 40. Now when the sun was setting, all they that had 
 any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him : and 
 he laid his ha?ids on every one of them, atid healed them. 
 
 41. And devils also came out of many, crying out, and 
 saying J Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking 
 them suffered them not to speak : for they knew that he 
 was Christ? 
 
 42. And when it was day, he departed and went into a 
 desert place ; and the people sought him and came unto hiniy 
 and stayed him^ that he should not depart from them. 
 
 43. And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom 
 of God to other cities also ; for therefore am I sent. 
 
 44. And he preached in the synagogues of Galilee 
 
 This people had seen and tasted so many of his 
 benefits, that they desired to retain him amongst 
 them. But the ministry of Christ, like that of 
 John, and like that of his apostles, was not to be a 
 particular, but a general ministry : he must not 
 confine himself to one fold, but preach to all " the 
 lost sheep of the house of Israel." 
 
 It is a favourable sign, when any are so con- 
 
 2 Psalm Ixviii. 1. 
 
 3 He would not be so proclaimed ; he would be known by his 
 miraeles and his doctrine ; and he would give no occasion of 
 suspicion, that there could be any compact between himself and 
 them. 
 
hVKK V. 88—44. 81 
 
 vinced of the value of faithful Christian instruction, 
 that they grieve to lose it, and cling to it as their 
 dearest privilege. But they cannot be always gra- 
 tified : St. Paul was obliged to leave the neighbour- 
 hood of Ephesus and Miletus, where, for the space 
 of three years, he had warned every one, and taught 
 them publicly from house to house ; though he left 
 them "weeping, and sorrowing for the words he 
 spake, that he should see their face no more." * 
 
 This, however, must be borne in mind by the 
 Christian. Jesus could not be stayed in the desert 
 of Galilee ; he inust preach the kingdom of God to 
 other cities also : he must depart from those who 
 would gladly have detained him. But his spiritual 
 presence, the consolation of his Spirit, will never 
 depart from any one of the humblest of those who 
 trust in him. Whilst here upon earth, and in the 
 body, he must go from place to place : Capernaum 
 must be without the blessing of his cures, that Ga- 
 lilee might possess them. Many might be sick of 
 fevers, whilst only Simon's wife's mother could have 
 the benefit of his presence, to stand oijer her and 
 rebuke the fever. But now he is with his disciples 
 "alway, even unto the end of the world." We 
 know his gracious promise, (John xiv. 16,) "I will 
 pray the Father, and he shall give you another 
 Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever ; 
 even the Spirit of truth ; whom the world cannot 
 receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth 
 him : but ye know him ; for he dwelleth with you, 
 and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfort- 
 less ; I will come to you." 
 
 t Acts XX 36—38. 
 
 G 
 
82 LUKE V. 1—11. 
 
 They, however, on their part, must have the 
 same spirit as the people here ; they must stay him, 
 that he should not depart from them. They must 
 feel a desire of his presence in their heart. And 
 they must strive to render themselves worthy of 
 their heavenly guest. They must court him by 
 prayer and meditation. They must harbour no sin, 
 and keep themselves from their iniquity. We have 
 seen, in the course of this narrative, that there is 
 no " concord between Christ and Belial." He and 
 Satan cannot be entertained together, or dwell in 
 the same heart. But a sense of his power, as the 
 only Saviour; and of our own need, as being en- 
 compassed with a cloud of enemies ; must lead 
 us to pray that he may "come unto us, and make 
 his abode with us;" and so preserve us unto the 
 end. 
 
 J 
 
 LECTURE XVL 
 
 A MIRACULOUS DRAUGHT OF FISHES LEADS TO 
 THE CALL OF SIMON, JAMES, AND JOHN, TO 
 BE FOLLOWERS OF JESUS. 
 
 Luke v. 1 — 11. 
 
 (Matt. iv. 18—22. Mark i. 16—20.) 
 
 1. And it came to pass, that as the people pressed upon 
 him to hear the word of Ood, he stood by the lake of Gen- 
 nesaret, ^ 
 
 ^ Also called the sea of Tiberias. 
 
LUKE V. 1—11. 83 
 
 2. Aiid saw two ships standing by the lake : hut the 
 fishermen loere gone out of them, and were laashing their 
 nets. 
 
 3. And he entered into one of the ships, which was 
 Simons, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little 
 from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people 
 
 out of the ship. 
 
 4. Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, 
 Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a 
 dr^aught. 
 
 5. And Simon answering said unto him. Master, we 
 have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing : never- 
 theless at thy word I will let down the net. 
 
 6. And when they had this done, they enclosed a great 
 multitude of fishes, and their net brake. 
 
 7. And they beckoned unto their partners, which were 
 in the other ship, that they should come and help them. 
 And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began 
 to sink. 
 
 8. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' 
 knees, saying, Depart from me ; for I am a sinful man, 
 Lord. 
 
 9. For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at 
 the draught of the fishes which they had taken ; 
 
 10. And so was also James, and John, the sons of Ze- 
 hedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said 
 unto Simon, Fear not ; from henceforth thou shalt catch 
 men. 
 
 11. And when they had brought their ships to land, they 
 forsook oil, and followed him. 
 
 In this history, our attention is first directed 
 to the conduct of Peter. When the miracle so 
 unexpectedly wrought before his eyes brought with 
 it a sudden and strong conviction of the divine 
 power of Jesus, he fell down at Jesus' feet, saying, 
 Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord, 
 
 G 2 
 
84 
 
 LUKE V. 1—11. 
 
 This appears, at first the very reverse of what migm 
 be expected. Depart from me. Is it to be classed 
 with the entreaty of the unclean spirits in the pre- 
 ceding chapter : " Let us alone ; what have we to 
 do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth ?" 
 
 The words of Peter express that sudden sense of 
 awe, which arose from a consciousness of his own 
 unwortliiness, contrasted with the divinity before 
 him. The same feeling appears, on several occa- 
 sions, in the Old Testament. When Manoah and 
 his wife (Judges xiii.) received a promise of the 
 birth of Samson, the angel, who bore the message, 
 assumed the form of man. Suddenly, as they were 
 engaged in offering sacrifice, "it came to pass? 
 when the flame went up toward heaven from off 
 the altar, that the angel of the Lord ascended in 
 the flame of the altar. And Manoah and his wife 
 looked on it, and fell on their faces to the ground. 
 And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely 
 die, because we have seen God." So, likewise, the 
 prophet Isaiah relates, (vi. 1 — 5,) that a vision was 
 granted him, in which lie " saw the Lord, sitting 
 upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train 
 filled the temple. Then he said. Woe unto me ! for 
 I am undone ; because I am a man of unclean lips, 
 and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips ; 
 for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of 
 hosts." 
 
 The feeling on the mind of Peter was of the 
 same nature. He perceived in whose presence he 
 stood, and his immediate impression was, Who 
 am I, that I should stand in the presence of God ? 
 Depart from ?we, for J am a sinful man., O Lord, 
 
 I 
 
LUKE V. 1 — 11 85 
 
 Why have we not all a like impression of the 
 majesty of God, in whose presence we are con- 
 stantly standing? "Whither shall we go from his 
 Spirit, or whither shall we flee from his presence ?" 
 It is because here on earth '* we walk by faith, and 
 not by sight :" and the eye of faith is dim, and gives, 
 at best, a very imperfect view of the divine glory. 
 
 The exclamation, therefore, of Peter, was one 
 of self-abasement and humility : Depart from me, 
 for I am a sinful man, O Lord : and thou art of 
 purer eyes than to behold iniquity. And it will be 
 the feeling of every one, who is acquainted with his 
 own heart, and acquainted with the holiness of God, 
 that he is a sinful man, " unworthy of the least of 
 all God's mercies." But the more truly he is sen- 
 sible of this, so much the more earnestly will he 
 entreat the Lord not to depart from him, but to be 
 present with him, that his sins may no longer make 
 a separation between him and his God. We must 
 all own ourselves sinful men, and that Jesus Christ 
 might justly depart from us : but we must, therefore, 
 fall down at his knees, to pray him that he should 
 not depart : for woe unto us if he leave us, if the 
 Saviour of sinners depart from the sinful man."^ 
 
 The other point of interest, is the comparison 
 between the employment to which our Lord was 
 calling these apostles, and that in which they had 
 been hitherto engaged. And Jesus said unto 
 Simon, Fear not ; from henceforth thou shalt catch 
 men. "The kingdom of God is like unto a net 
 cast into the sea." The sea is the world, and the 
 
 2 Henry in loco. 
 
86 
 
 LUKE V. 1—11. 
 
 apostles were to cast the net ; as this same Simon 
 did, when he offered to his countrymen the invita- 
 tion of the gospel, saying, (Acts iii. 26,) " Unto 
 you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent 
 him to bless you, in turning away every one of you 
 from his iniquities." He might reasonably have 
 despaired of success, when we remember, that 
 Jesus, during his own ministry, had toiled long, 
 and taken comparatively nothing. His disciples 
 were a small and obscure band. Simon, however, 
 and his brethren, at his command, let down the 
 net : they became " witnesess to Christ, both in 
 Jerusalem, and in all Judea."^ And the predic- 
 tion here given was fulfilled. The draught of 
 fishes, which the nets could hardly sustain, was far 
 less astonishing than the effects of the apostle's 
 preaching, when " the word of God increased, and 
 the number of disciples multiplied in Jerusalem 
 greatly, and a great company of the priests were 
 obedient to the faith." ^ Because " God had chosen 
 the weak things of the world to confound the 
 mighty: that no flesh should glory in his pre- 
 sence :" ^ and that it might be seen, that the mi- 
 racle now wrought upon the sea, and the power 
 afterwards exercised over the heart, were the 
 operations of the same hand, and fulfilled the assur- 
 ance given to Simon, From henceforth thou shall 
 catch men. 
 
 They judged wisely, then, when, in obedience to 
 the summons, they forsook all and folloived him. 
 Like the merchantman in the parable, " seeking 
 
 I 
 
 ^ Acts i. 8. 
 
 * Acts vi. 7. 
 
 5 1 Cor. i. 27. 
 
LUKE V. 12—26. 87 
 
 goodly pearls : who, wlieii he had found one pearl 
 of great price, went and sold all that he had, and 
 bought it." 
 
 LECTURE XVII. 
 
 A LEPER HEALED.— THE SINS OF A PARALYTIC 
 MAN FORGIVEN. 
 
 Luke v. 12—26. 
 
 (Matt. viii. 2—4. Mark i. 40—45.) 
 
 12. And it came to pass, whe7i he was in a certain city, i 
 behold a man full of leprosy : who seeing Jesus, fell on his 
 face, and besought him saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou 
 canst make me clean. 
 
 13. And he put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, 
 I will : be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy de- 
 parted from him. 
 
 14. And he charged him to tell no man; but go, and 
 shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing, ac- 
 cording as Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. ^ 
 
 15. But so much the more went there a fame abroad of . 
 him : and great multitudes came together to hear, and to 
 be healed by him of their infirmities. 
 
 16. And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and 
 prayed. 
 
 ' "A city of Galilee: perhaps Chorasin or Bethsaida." — 
 Newcome. 
 
 ^ Levit. xiv. 4. 
 
88 
 
 LUKE V. 12— 26. 
 
 The case of Jesus, who was " without sin," is 
 not the case of ordinary men. His soul was not 
 pressed down by the corruption of its nature ; he 
 had no evil disposition to mortify : he was subject 
 to none of those distractions, which divert our 
 thoughts from things unseen. Yet, he withdrew 
 himself into the wilderness^ and prayed. It has 
 been the habit of all those who have advanced to 
 high degrees of piety and usefulness, to follow this 
 example : to have their seasons of particular retire- 
 ment, when they might " commune with their own 
 hearts, in their chamber, and be still." Prayer is 
 not the business of life ; but it is the prescribed 
 means, by which we may be enabled to perform 
 what is the business of life, the duties assigned us, 
 with fidelity and usefulness, to the glory of God, and 
 with the blessing of God. 
 
 (Matt. ix. 2—8. Mark ii. 1-12.) 
 
 17. And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was 
 teaching, that there were Phai^sees and doctors of the laio 
 sitting by, which were come out of every town in Galilee, 
 and Judea, and Jerusalem : a7id the power of the Lord 
 was present to heal them. 
 
 18. And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was 
 taken with a palsy : and they sought means to bring hint 
 in, and lay him before him. 
 
 19. And when they could not find by what way they 
 might bring him in because of the midtitude, they luent upon 
 the house-top, and let him down through the tiling with his 
 couch into the midst before Jesus. '^ 
 
 20. And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, 
 Man, thy sins are forgiven thee. 
 
 21. And the Scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, 
 
 ^ This is explained, Mark ii. 4. 
 
LUKE V. 12— :>6. Hi) 
 
 saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies 'i Who can 
 forgive sins, but God alone ? 
 
 22. But lohen Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answer- 
 ing said unto them, What 7'eason ye in your hearts ? 
 
 23. Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee ; 
 or to say. Rise up and walk ? 
 
 24. But that ye may know that the Son of man hath 
 2)ower upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of 
 the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise and take up thy couch, 
 and go unto thine house. 
 
 25. And immediately he rose up before them, and took 
 up that whereon he lay, and depai^ted to his own house, 
 glorifying God. 
 
 26. And they were all amazed, and they glorified God, 
 and were filled with fear, saying, We have seen strange 
 things to-day. 
 
 Our Lord, no doubt, had a reason for departing 
 in this case from his usual mode of expression : 
 for not saying, Hise up and walk, "thy faith hath 
 made thee whole ;" but Man, thy sins are forgiven 
 thee. 
 
 We were before informed, that there were Pha- 
 risees and doctors of the law sitting by, who were 
 come out of every town of Galilee, and Judea, and 
 Jerusalem. Probably, therefore, he studiously 
 turned their attention to the great truth, that the 
 Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins : 
 and on this account used an expression, which 
 would justly excite their surprise, as if he were as- 
 suming undue power, and speaking blasphemies. 
 
 " Unto us it is given to know the mysteries of 
 the kingdom of God." We understand, that the 
 Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins. 
 And we understand on what ground that power 
 
90 LUKE V. 12—26. 
 
 belongs to him. He has offered the propitiation 
 which God has consented to receive: a propitia- 
 tion, which acknowledges the guilt of sin, and 
 maintains the honour of God's government : sanc- 
 tions the law as "holy, just, and good." And 
 because he has made this propitiation, the Son of 
 man hath power on earth to forgive sins. Because 
 he has once " suffered for sins, the just for the un- 
 just," he has power to " bring us to God," and 
 " present us faultless before the presence of his 
 glory." 
 
 Jesus, therefore, does not speak in the language 
 of Nathan, when he said to David, " The Lord hath 
 put away thy sin :" nor in the language of Moses, 
 " When thou shalt return unto the Lord thy God, 
 and obey his voice, the Lord will turn thy cap- 
 tivity, and have compassion upon thee." ^ He does 
 not even speak as the apostles, " Believe in the 
 Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved : — but 
 he uses the tone of personal authority, Man, thy 
 sins he forgiven thee. 
 
 They might reasonably be astonished at his 
 words. But he justifies the words, giving a proof 
 that he had a right to use them : a proof by which 
 they might know that the Son of man hath power 
 on earth to forgive sins. He saith unto the sick of 
 the palsy, I say unto thee. Arise, and take up thy 
 couch, and go unto thine house. This, indeed, alone 
 did not prove him to be God. Others had been 
 gifted with the power of working miracles. But it 
 did prove, that God was with him. Except God 
 
 * Deut. XXX. 2. 3. 
 
LUKE V. 12—26. 91 
 
 were with him, no man could do such works. And 
 if God were with him, he could not speak blas- 
 phemies. Therefore, they were without excuse, that 
 they did not apply to him, listen to him, learn of 
 him : and had they done this, they would have been 
 led on "to know of the doctrine, that it was of 
 God :" as was the case, perhaps, in the end, with 
 some who now glorified God, and were filled with 
 fear^ saying, We have seen strange things to-day. 
 
 Observe, in conclusion, that what appeared this 
 man's misfortune, his palsy, proved his greatest 
 blessing, because it brought him to the Saviour, 
 and procured the forgiveness of his sins. Such is 
 any cause which leads to the like effect. V/hatever 
 it is which shows a man his helplessness, and 
 brings him to the author of all spiritual strength — 
 whether it be sickness, or sorrow, or temporal 
 calamity — whatever it be, if it have that end, it is 
 the greatest mercy, however disguised by imme- 
 diate suffering. Multitudes have had reason to say 
 thankfully with David, "Before I was afflicted, I 
 went astray : but now have I kept thy word." 
 
92 LUKE V. 27—39. 
 
 LECTURE XVIIL 
 
 MATTHEW, THE PUBLICAN, CHOSEN TO BE AN 
 APOSTLE.— DESIGN OF THE GOSPEL TO CALL 
 SINNERS TO REPENTANCE. 
 
 Luke v. 27—39. 
 
 (Matt. ix. 9—17. Mark ii. 14—22.) 
 
 27. And after these things he went forth, and saw a pub- 
 lican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom : and he 
 said unto him, Follow me. 
 
 28. And he left all, rose up, and followed him. 
 
 29. And Levi made him a great feast in his own house ; 
 and there was a great company of publicans and of others 
 that sat down with them. ' 
 
 30. But the Scribes and Pharisees murmured against 
 his disciples, saying. Why do ye eat and drink with pub- 
 licans and sinners ? 
 
 31. And Jesus answering said unto them. They that are 
 whole need not a j)hysician ; but they that are sick. 
 
 32. / came not to call the righteous, hut sinners to re- 
 pentance. 
 
 It may at first sight appear surprising that publi- 
 cans and sinners should display so much readiness 
 to belong to the company of Jesus. Here they 
 were present at the entertainment made for him; 
 
 ^ Though St. Luke mentions this entertahiment in connexion 
 with the call of Levi, (or Matthew,) it is not supposed to have 
 taken place on the same day. 
 
LUKE V. 27—39. 93 
 
 and further on we read, that " all the publicans and 
 sinners drew near to him." ^ 
 
 The Pharisees and scribes, on the other hand, 
 whose lives were more outwardly regular, and who 
 professedly respected the law of God, disputed 
 against him, and denied his authority; insomuch 
 that the question was asked, " Have any of the 
 Pharisees, or the scribes, believed on him ? " 
 
 This may be easily explained, if we consider the 
 nature of our Lord's discourses, and their object, as 
 here described. / came not to call the righteous, 
 but sinners to repentance. I came to a guilty 
 world : they that are whole need not a physician ; 
 and they who think themselves whole will never 
 seek one ; but they that are sick require one, and 
 they that feel themselves sick will come to one. 
 Now the publicans and sinners, when they heard 
 the holiness of God's law expounded, and the con- 
 demnation of the wicked declared, could not gain- 
 say it ; could not deny their ungodliness. They 
 could not deny that they lived unworthily of reason- 
 able beings ; still more unworthily of immortal 
 beings ; still more unworthily of beings who had 
 been blessed with a revelation from God. They 
 could not but feel that they were wrong, sinful, de- 
 serving of God's wrath and indignation. 
 
 Therefore, when the word came, Repent — they 
 could not deny their need of repentance ; when the 
 promise was issued. Believe, and ye shall be saved 
 — they were prompt and ready to attend ; for in 
 the offered mercy of God a hope was held out to 
 them. Had they been tried on the ground of 
 ^ Luke XV. i . 
 
94 
 
 LUKE V. 27—39. 
 
 obedience for the time past, they must have be 
 despair : but when an offer came of free forgiveness, 
 light shone in upon their darkness. " The wrath 
 to come," and the way to " flee from it," were 
 opened to them at the same time. 
 
 Now the guilt of the Pharisees was not so plain 
 to themselves. It was of a diiferent sort ; less 
 gross, but more deceiving. They kept up the ap- 
 pearance of religion; they observed the Sabbath 
 with rigorous strictness ; they made a conscience of 
 paying money for sacred purposes. St. Paul bore 
 them witness, that some at least " had a zeal for 
 God, but not according to knowledge." ^ 
 
 Therefore they were not prepared to hear them- 
 selves condemned. What ! w^e who keep up a re- 
 spectable appearance, who " know the law," who 
 "fast twice in the week," who would not on the 
 sabbath pluck or rub an ear of corn ; " are we blind 
 also ? " Are we to be classed with the ignorant 
 vulgar ? Are we to be told, that " except we re- 
 pent, we shall all perish ? " 
 
 Thus it was, that their very appearance of god- 
 liness increased their condemnation. Not because 
 it made their state worse, for even the appearance 
 of godliness is better than open ungodliness ; but 
 because it made them more hard to be convinced of 
 the actual condition of their hearts, alienated from 
 God, devoted to the world, full of pride and self- 
 conceit, the very last disposition which is likely to 
 be brought to repentance : which, instead of re- 
 joicing that the hearts of the disobedient were in 
 the way of being turned to the wisdom of the just, 
 s Rom. X. 2. 
 
LUKE V. 27—39. 95 
 
 made it a subject of accusation against our Lord, 
 that he ate and drank with publicans and sinners. 
 
 But this afforded an opportunity of leaving to 
 them, and to all future ages, that memorable decla- 
 ration, / came to call sinners to repentance, I came 
 to effect, and to proclaim, reconciliation between the 
 penitent sinner and the offended God. " Come 
 unto me, all je that labour and are heavy laden, 
 and ye shall find rest unto your souls." 
 
 33. And they said unto him, Why do the disciples of 
 John fast often, and make prayers, and likewise the dis- 
 ciples of the Pharisees ; hut thine eat and drink ? 
 
 34. A7id he said unto them, Can ye make the children of 
 the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them ? 
 
 35. Bid the days will come, when the bridegroom shall 
 he taken away from them, and then shall they fa^t in those 
 days. 
 
 36. And he spake also a parable unto them; No man 
 putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old ; if otherwise 
 then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was 
 taken out of the new agreeth not with the old. 
 
 37. And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else 
 the new wine will burst the bottles, and he spilled, and the 
 bottles shall perish. 
 
 38. But new wine must be put into new bottles ; and 
 both are preserved. 
 
 39. No man also having drunk old wine straightway 
 desireth new : for he saith, The old is better. 
 
 These parables all allude to the particular cir- 
 cumstances of the disciples at the present time. 
 Fasting, about which the Pharisees inquired, was 
 a part of mourning ; and fasting, whilst he was with 
 them to cheer and support them, would be as un- 
 suitable as mourning at a marriage. As it is in 
 
96 
 
 LUKE V. 27—30. 
 
 human life in general, so it would be with them. 
 There is a season for weeping, and a season for joy. 
 The days would come when he in whom they now 
 rejoiced would be taken from them ; ayid then sJiall 
 they fast in those days. 
 
 Why, too, should the ways of John's disciples be 
 the way of the disciples of Jesus ? Why should the 
 new (garment be fixed upon the old f 
 
 Why, again, should his young and weak disciples 
 be tried with severe discipline, which they were no 
 more able to bear, than bottles, become tender and 
 worn with use, to bear the fermentation of new 
 wine ? They must not be deterred from following 
 him by austerities, for which they were not pre- 
 pared. So St. Paul says, that " to the weak he 
 became as weak, that he might gain the weak;" he 
 did not insist upon things that were not essential, 
 " that he might by all means save some." * 
 
 Jt was not, however, to be expected of human 
 nature, that those who had long been accustomed 
 to one mode of thinking on those things, should 
 immediately receive another and a different mode. 
 As the natural taste becomes settled, and no man 
 having drunk old wine straightway desireth new : 
 so it is with the mind ; it must be treated gently 
 and reasonably, and be gradually convinced that the 
 old is not always better than the new. And there- 
 fore the Lord, in compassion to the weakness of his 
 disciples, " spake the word unto them, as they were 
 able to hear it."^ " He fed his flock like a shepherd 
 w^ho gathers the lambs in his bosom, and gently 
 leads them that are with young." ^ 
 
 ♦ 1 Cor. ix. 22. 
 
 ^ Mark iv. .33. 
 
 6 Isa. xl. 11 
 
LUKE VI. 1—11. 1)7 
 
 LECTURE XIX. 
 
 THE USE AND OBLIGATION OF THE SABBATH. 
 
 Luke vi. 1 — 11. 
 
 (Matt. xii. 1—8. Mark ii. 23—28.) 
 
 1. And it came to pass ^ on the second sabbath after the 
 first} that he went through the corn fields : and his dis- 
 ciples plucked the ears of corUy and did eat, rubbing them 
 in their hands? 
 
 2. And certain of the Pharisees said unto them. Why do 
 ye that which is not lawful to do on the sabbath days ? 
 
 3. A?id Jesus answering them said, Have ye not read so 
 much as this, What David did, when himself was an 
 hungred, and they which were with him ; 
 
 4. How he went into the house of God, and did take and 
 eat the shew-bread, and gave also to them that were with 
 him; which is not lawful to eat but for the priests alone .^ 
 
 5. And he said unto them. That the son of man is Lord 
 also of the sabbath, 
 
 David, urged by necessity, transgressed the ge- 
 neral law, and appeased his hunger with the bread 
 which belonged to the altar, and was appropriated 
 to the use of the priests alone. David's doing this, 
 would not have made an unlawful action lawful. 
 
 ^ It is not clearly understood what sabbath day is signified by 
 this phrase. 
 
 2 Deut. xxiii. 2,5. 
 
 H 
 
98 
 
 LUKE VI. 1-11 
 
 But David was never blamed for this : and by the 
 same rule, man is not to perish for the sabbath's 
 sake, since " the sabbath was made for man :" ap- 
 pointed to bless, and not to destroy him. 
 
 But even if there were no such example in the 
 Jewish history, Jesus was at liberty to set one. The 
 Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath. The Son of 
 man has authority to correct all errors respecting 
 that day. The Son of man, if he saw fit, might even 
 abrogate the institution of the sabbath. 
 
 Some have supposed that he did so ; and because 
 on this, and other occasions, he refuted the unrea- 
 sonable prejudices of the Pharisees, have urged that 
 he meant to set aside the sabbath itself, together 
 with the ceremonial part of the law of Moses. 
 
 Surely, had this been his intention, he would 
 have declared it on some such opportunity as the 
 present. He declared of the magnificent temple, 
 that the time was coming, when not one stone 
 should be left upon another. He said to the Sa- 
 maritan woman, " The time cometh, when ye shall, 
 neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, 
 worship the Father." ^ And it is not probable that 
 he would have said, The time cometh, when not 
 the seventh day only, but every day, shall be kept 
 holy to the Lord ? 
 
 Scripture acquaints us, that, from the first, " God 
 blessed the seventh day, and hallowed it." Why, 
 then, should we suppose that the sabbath is only 
 a Jewish ordinance, and was done away when the 
 Jewish law was superseded by the gospel ? Doubt- 
 less, it is found among the commandments given of 
 •■' John iv. 21. 
 
LUKE VI. 1—11. 99 
 
 God to the Israelites, that they should " remember 
 the sabbath day to keep it holy.'* But in what 
 company do we find it ? Not among the ceremonial, 
 but the moral laws. We find it joined with the 
 command to serve and worship the one true God ; 
 not to profane his name : to honour parents : to do 
 no murder; not to steal, or bear false witness. And 
 these commandments are not binding on the Jews 
 alone ; they are binding upon all, who have the 
 means of knowing, through the Scripture, the will 
 of God. Would these have been set aside by the 
 gospel, if no passage in the New Testament had 
 happened to enforce them ? These were among the 
 laws, of which Jesus so plainly said, " Think not 
 that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets : 
 I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil." 
 
 If, indeed, we had found the appointment of the 
 sabbath among those other institutions of Moses, 
 which were intended, partly to separate his people 
 from other nations, and partly to prepare the way 
 for the religion of Christ ; then there might be 
 reason for supposing that this command had lost 
 its force, when, in the fulness of time, Christ came 
 and drew men towards God, by a better law than 
 that of types and ceremonies. Like the national 
 festivals, it would have fallen to the ground, when 
 the Jews were no longer a chosen nation. Like the 
 daily sacrifice offered for sin, it would cease when 
 the one great sacrifice had been made. Like the ordi- 
 nance of the passover, when Christ, our passover, 
 has been sacrificed for us, w^e should no longer keep 
 that feast. " When that which is perfect is come, 
 then that which is in part shall be done away." 
 
 H 2 
 
100 LUKE VI. 1 — 11. 
 
 And when that which is perfect is come, then the 
 institution of the sabbath shall be done away. The 
 earthly sabbath shall cease, when men enter into 
 that eternal " rest, which remaineth for the people 
 of God." Then, and not before. The reasons why 
 God separated to himself a seventh part of time ; 
 why he "blessed the seventh day, and hallowed 
 it ;" were reasons, not lasting for a certain period, 
 or suited to a particular people only, but for all 
 times, and all human beings. Those reasons will 
 last as long as men are the creatures of God, and 
 God the governor of men : as long as men are 
 liable to forget God, and to be engrossed by the 
 business of this world : as long as they are forced 
 to " eat bread by the sweat of their brow :" as 
 long as they have a soul to save, or lose, and an 
 everlasting condition to prepare for. So long will 
 the sabbath be needful for them : and so long will 
 it be the distinction of those who are earnestly 
 seeking the kingdom of God, that they "hallow 
 his sabbaths." 
 
 In one respect, we act upon the conviction, that 
 the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath. We 
 are satisfied, by the example of his apostles and 
 earliest disciples, that, in keeping holy the first day 
 of the week, and not the last, we do not transgress 
 against the will of God. God, in raising his Son 
 Jesus from the dead, has given to mankind a double 
 reason why they should live to his service and 
 glory. To the mercy of creation he- has added the 
 mercy of redemption. The Jews commemorated 
 the creation of the world, and therefore kept that 
 day holy, on which God rested from the work wliich 
 
 4 
 
LUKE VI. 1—11. 101 
 
 he had made. The Cliristiaii commemorates both 
 the creation and the redemption : and therefore he 
 hallows the day which reminds him of both, and 
 calls it THE Lord's day. 
 
 We perceive, by what follows, how much cause 
 there was to correct the prevailing notions, as to 
 the real purpose of the sabbath. 
 
 6. And it came to pass also on another sabbath^ that he 
 entered into the synagogue and taught : and there was a 
 man whose right hand was withered. 
 
 7. And the Scribes and Pharisees watched him, whether 
 he would heal on the sabbath day ; that they might Jind an 
 accusation against him. 
 
 8. But he knew their thoughts^ and said to the man 
 which had the withered hand^ Rise up, and stand forth in 
 the midst. And he a^'ose and stood forth. 
 
 9. Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thirty; 
 Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil ? 
 to save life J or to destroy it ? 
 
 10. And looking round about upon them ally he said unto 
 the man, Stretch forth thy hand. And he did so : and his 
 hand was restored whole as the other, 
 
 11. And they were filled with madness ; and communed 
 one with another what they might do to Jesus. 
 
 When fire does not melt, it hardens. So these 
 Scribes and Pharisees, instead of being softened by 
 the truths which they heard, or the works of mercy 
 which they saw, were filled with madness, and 
 communed one with another what they might do to 
 Jesus. The innocence of the righteous, which 
 sometimes disarms the wicked, sometimes enrages 
 them. It was so with Cain, " who slew his bro- 
 ther. And wherefore slew he him ? Because his 
 own works were evil, and his brother's righteous." ^ 
 3 1 John iii. 12. 
 
102 
 
 LUKE VI. 12—26. 
 
 Corrupt nature furnishes great reason for the 
 prayer of our Litany : " From envy, hatred, malice, 
 and all uncharitableness, good Lord, deliver us ! " 
 For this example shows us how hateful such a 
 temper is, how unfit to enter a kingdom where all 
 shall be peace and love. 
 
 LECTURE XX. 
 
 THE APOSTLES 
 
 CHOSEN.— SUNDRY TRUTHS 
 DECLARED. 
 
 Luke vi. 12 — 26. 
 
 (Matt. X. 2—4. Mark ill. 13—19.) 
 
 12. And it came to pass in those days, that he went out 
 into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer 
 to God, 
 
 13. And when it was day, he called unto him his dis- 
 ciples : and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named 
 apostles : 
 
 14. Simon, whom he also named Peter, and Andrew 
 his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew, 
 
 15. Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alpheus, 
 and Simon called Zelotes, 
 
 16. And Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, 
 which also was the traitor. 
 
 17. And he came doivn with Ihem, and stood in the 
 plain, and the company of his disciples, and a great mul- 
 titude of people out of all Judea and Jerusalem, and from 
 the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear him, 
 and to be healed of their diseases ; 
 
 18. And they that were vexed with unclean spirits ; and 
 they were Jtealed. 
 
LUKE VI. 12—26. 103 
 
 19. And the whole multitude sought to touch him ; fo?' 
 there went virtue out of him, and healed them all. 
 
 (Matt. V. 1—12.) 
 
 20. And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples^ ayid said. 
 Blessed he ye poor : for yours is the kingdom of God. 
 
 Blessed he ye poor. Not indeed because of your 
 poverty, as if poverty were meritorious, or wealth 
 sinful. God is no respecter of persons, and has one 
 standard for all, and looks with an equal eye upon 
 high and low, rich and poor, one with another. 
 But ye are happy, because the deceitful ness of 
 riches, and the lusts of other things, do not turn 
 you aside from seeking first the kingdom of God. 
 That kingdom is yours : for it must be sought, that 
 it may be obtained ; " the violent take it by force f ' 
 and ye are not tempted to spend your strength on 
 earthly things, and to " go away sorrowing," when 
 ye hear that you must leave all, and follow me, for 
 the sake of treasure in heaven. 
 
 21. Blessed are ye, that hunger now : for ye shall be 
 filled. Blessed are ye that weep now : for ye shall laugh. 
 
 There is much need of the caution given by 
 Moses to the Israelites, (Deut. viii. 12 ;) " Beware, 
 lest when thou hast eaten, and art full, and hast 
 built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; and when 
 thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver 
 and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast 
 is multiplied ; then thine heart be lifted up, and 
 thou forget the Lord thy God." There is also reason 
 to say with Solomon, (Eccles. vii. 2,) " It is better 
 to go to the house of mourning than to go to the 
 house of feasting." The house of mourning better 
 
104 
 
 LUKE VI. 12—26. 
 
 suits a nature prone to sin, and a heart which has 
 much to correct and repent of, than the " house of 
 mirth, the laughter or the song of fools." Blessed 
 therefore, are those who weep or hunger now, if 
 by " the sadness of the countenance the heart has 
 been made better ;" if " the famine of bread, or the 
 thirst for water," has brought thee to " the wells of 
 salvation," or led thee to seek man's best sustenance, 
 the word of God. 
 
 There is that, however, in Christian faith, which 
 enables a man, in whatsoever state he is, therein to 
 abide with God ; to be content with poverty, and to 
 enjoy with moderation. " I know," says St. Paul, 
 " I know both how to be abased, and I know how to 
 abound ; everywhere, and in all things, I am in- 
 structed both to be full and to be hungry, both to 
 abound and to suffer need." ^ Yet he intimates, in 
 the same breath, its difficulty. " I can do all things 
 through Christ which strengtheneth me." It is the 
 effect of grace ; it is the result of prayer. 
 
 22. Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when 
 they shall separate you from their company, and shall re- 
 proach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of 
 mans sake. 
 
 23. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy ; for, behold, 
 your reward is great in heaven ; for in the like manner 
 did their fathers unto the prophets. 
 
 Micaiah, the son of Imlah, was happier (1 Kings 
 xxii. 27, &c.) when Ahab cast him into prison, 
 because what " the Lord said unto him, that would 
 he speak," than those false prophets in whose 
 
 1 Phil. iv. 12. 
 
LUKE VI. 1-2- 2(). 105 
 
 mouths was "a lying spirit." So they, who, be- 
 cause they reverenced Jesus, were reviled by the 
 Pharisees, saying, "This people which know not 
 the law are cursed :" they were far more blessed 
 than the rest who *' believed on him, but because of 
 the Pharisees did not confess him, lest they should 
 be put out of the synagogue." These had "the 
 praise of men ;" a poor and uncertain recompense 
 even now ; the others had " the praise of God," and 
 their reward is great in heaven. 
 
 24. But woe unto you that are rich ! for ye have received 
 your consolation. 
 
 25. Woe unto you that are full I for ye shall hunger. 
 Woe unto you that laugh now ! for ye shall mourn and 
 weep. 
 
 This does not denounce woe against Abram, 
 though he was " very rich in cattle, in silver, and 
 in gold :" ^ or woe against Joseph, though he was 
 *' set over all the land of Egypt :" ^ or woe against 
 David, though he " dwelt in a house of cedar :" 
 but woe against all who, because they have received 
 an inheritance of comfort here, look for no better 
 consolation. Doubtless, woe is laid up for those 
 who say unto their soul, " Soul, thou hast much 
 goods laid up for many years ; take thine ease, eat, 
 drink, and be merry." For the time shall come 
 when " the kings of the earth, and the rich men, 
 and the chief captains, and the mighty men, 
 shall say to the mountains and the rocks. Fall on us, 
 and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the 
 throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb."* Let 
 those to whom God may have given all things 
 2 Gen. xiii. 2. ' Gen. xli. 41. ^ Rev. vi. 15. 
 
106 LUKE VI. 12-26. 
 
 richly to enjoy, take heed that they " make to 
 themselves friends of the mammon of unrighteous- 
 ness ; that when ye fail, they may receive you into 
 everlasting habitations." 
 
 29. Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you ! 
 for so did their fathers of the false prophets. 
 
 The nature of man, as we know and feel, is cor- 
 rupt : therefore it is hardly to be expected that all 
 men should speak well of him who is faithful to the 
 gospel, either in precept or in practice. He must 
 condemn the many, both by his word and his ex- 
 ample. And how shall they speak well of him by 
 whom they are condemned ? " If ye were of the 
 world, the world would love his own ; but because 
 ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out 
 of the world, therefore the world hateth you." ^ 
 " The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests 
 bear rule by their means; and my people love to 
 have it so." ^ 
 
 The gospel, however, encourages no one to court 
 reproach. Do nothing to incur it ; forbear nothing 
 to avoid it ; place no stumbling-block in another's 
 way unnecessarily. Strive by all lawful means " to 
 save some." 
 
 In the preceding sentence we find our Lord 
 turning the course of this world's thoughts, and 
 judging of circumstances as one would judge to 
 whose mind eternity were present. All depends 
 on this. We see the poor man rising up early, and 
 late taking rest, and still, perhaps, huncjering tiow, 
 
 5 John XV. 19. ^ Jcr. v. 31. 
 
LUKE VI. 12—26. 107 
 
 scarcely able to procure " the bread of carefulness." 
 We see others rich and prosperous : " the tabret, 
 and the viol, and the wine, are in their feasts ;" 
 abounding in earthly consolations. We see some 
 sliding smoothly through the world ; commended 
 on every side for their gentleness and courtesy. 
 Others are pursuing a more rugged road; bearing 
 on their shoulders the cross of reproach, contumely, 
 or suspicion. Were there nothing beyond this 
 world, who could hesitate between the several con- 
 ditions ? But the whole case is changed, from the 
 moment that eternity comes in view. Place your- 
 selves, in imagination, by the side of Jesus when he 
 spoke these words ; spoke that which he knew, and 
 testified that which he had seen : and suppose him 
 contemplating at once a Lazarus, and the rich man 
 at whose gate Lazarus was wont to lie. He would 
 pass, at a single glance, beyond the present mo- 
 ment to the day when Lazarus died, " and the rich 
 man also died, and was buried ;" and then what re- 
 mains to either, of the comforts or the sorrows 
 which they had experienced on earth? What is 
 the rich man better for all his sumptuous fare ? 
 Or what are those the worse, who were reproached 
 and cast out as evil, for the Son of mans sake ? 
 But the use which each party made of their con- 
 dition — how did the rich man employ his wealth ? 
 how did the poor man abide his poverty ? — through 
 evil report or good report, was allegiance to Christ 
 maintained ? — this alone will signify. The things 
 which once appeared so important will have va- 
 nished away, and nothing will remain but the ac- 
 count which must be rendered of our use of them. 
 
108 LUKE VI. -27—38. 
 
 As we are warned by the apostle, " The time is 
 short : it remaineth " that every one take heed to 
 himself that he " be found faithful ;" that the poor 
 so use his poverty as to secure the praise which be- 
 longs to the meek and poor in spirit ; and that the 
 prosperous so use their prosperity as a talent lent 
 them of God, who expects to receive again " his own 
 with usury." Unless " the poor of this world are 
 rich in faith," they are not ** chosen to be heirs of 
 the kingdom." And if those who are " rich in this 
 world," are also " rich in good works," they shall 
 "lay up a good foundation against the time to 
 come. ' 
 
 LECTURE XXI. 
 
 THE CHRISTIAN TEMPER. 
 Luke vi. 27—38. 
 
 (Matt. V. 39—48.) 
 
 27. But I say unto you which hear. Love your enemies, 
 do good to them which hate you, 
 
 28. Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which 
 despitefuUy use you, 
 
 29. And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer 
 also the other ; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid 
 not to take thy coat also. 
 
 30. Give to every man that asketh of thee : and of him 
 that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. 
 
 "> James ii. 5 ; 1 Tim. vi. 17. 
 
LUKE VI. 27—38. 109 
 
 31. And as ye would that men shoidd do to you, do ye 
 also to them likewise. 
 
 In reading these precepts, our heart and con- 
 science acknowledge their beauty. We " delight 
 in the law of God, after the inward man." We 
 "consent unto the law, that it is holy, just, and 
 good." And w^e cannot help exclaiming, in the 
 words of David, "The statutes of the Lord are 
 right, rejoicing the heart : the commandment of the 
 Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes." ^ If these 
 were practised among men, God might, once more, 
 look down upon the world which he has made, and 
 pronounce it " very good." 
 
 Remember, then, we are ourselves the persons 
 who are to assist in fulfilling this : in bringing about 
 the time, when, as the prophet says, " The wolf and 
 the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat 
 straw like the bullock. They shall not hurt nor 
 destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the Lord." ^ 
 The precepts are not issued to angels, to beings of 
 another world : they are given to direct the lives of 
 all who profess and call themselves Christians. 
 
 But how great a change must take place in the 
 heart, before it is thus disposed to love an enemy, 
 to bless them that curse us, to do good to them 
 which hate us. We see the natural state of the 
 heart in the case of Esau. His brother Jacob had 
 used him despitefully : had taken away his goods : 
 had despoiled him of his birthright and his blessing. 
 (Gen. xxvii. 41.) " And Esau said in his heart, 
 The days of mourning for my father are at hand ; 
 
 1 Ps. xix. 8. 2 isa. Ixv. 25; 
 
 I 
 
110 LUKE VI. 27—38. 
 
 then will I slay my brother Jacob." Grace changes 
 this malice for pity, this revenge for benevolence. 
 It is exemplified by the martyr Stephen. (Acts vii. 
 60.) He, too, was used despitefully ; men took 
 away not his goods only, but his life : but he prayed 
 for those who were thus treating him, and breathed 
 his last, saying, " Lord, lay not this sin to their 
 charge." 
 
 Every Christian will desire to act after this 
 model. And if he is frowned upon, and reproached, 
 because he is "not of the world," and does not 
 live like those who have taken this world for their 
 portion ; he will bless, and curse not : he will 
 " resist not evil :" " the same mind will be in him 
 which was in Christ Jesus: who, when he was 
 reviled, reviled not again ; when he suffered, he 
 threatened not ; but committed himself to him that 
 judgeth righteously." 
 
 Without looking to extraordinary cases, like those 
 of Esau or Stephen, in common affairs of life, how 
 far are men from observing that rule so much ap- 
 plauded, but so little practised, As ye would that 
 men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. 
 Is it not more common for men to think, with re- 
 gard to others, how they can make the most ad- 
 vantage of them, than how they can do the most 
 good to them ? If I take advantage of this man's 
 ignorance, of that man's necessity, that I may benefit 
 or enrich myself, am I doing as / would that men 
 should do to me f When I see, in the weakness or 
 simplicity of a fellow-creature, or it may be in the 
 corruption of his nature, a character which I may 
 practise upon, to gratify my wishes or advance my 
 
 8 
 
r.UKK VT. 07—38. Ill 
 
 interests, — am I doing as / would that man should 
 do to me? Yet such is life, that these are its ordi- 
 nary transactions : and they prove, too surely, that 
 men are " very far gone from original righteousness," 
 and very far from having returned to it again. 
 They must, however, return to it, if they will be 
 <' children of the kingdom." See, by what follows, 
 that he who is " the door" of the kingdom, requires 
 no less. 
 
 32. For if ye love them tvhich love you, what thank 
 have ye ? for sinners also love those that love them. 
 
 33. And if ye do good to them which do good to you, 
 what thank have ye ? for sinners also do even the same. 
 
 34. A7id if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, 
 what thank have ye ? for sinners also lend to sinners, to 
 receive as much again. 
 
 35. But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, 
 hoping for nothing again ; and your reward shall he great, 
 and ye shall be the children of the Highest : for he is kind 
 unto the U9ithankful and to the evil. 
 
 S6. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is 
 merciful. 
 
 37. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn 
 not, and ye shall not be condemned -.forgive, and ye shall 
 be forgiven. 
 
 38. Give, and it shall be given unto you; good mea- 
 sure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running 
 over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same 
 measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you 
 again. 
 
 So much have we all to learn, and so much have 
 many to unlearn, that they may be the children of 
 the Highest. 
 
 Let no one say, if we are to live thus, " we 
 
112 
 
 LUKE VL 27—38. 
 
 must needs go out of the world." Experience is 
 otherwise : experience shows, that they who direct 
 their lives in nearest conformity to these rules, in- 
 stead of being, as they might fear, trampled on 
 and ruined, do in truth inherit a blessing ; and 
 find that God, in the order of his providence, se- 
 cures from harm those who believe his word, and 
 entrust themselves to his care. He, indeed, is 
 kind unto the unthankful, and to the evil: but far 
 more certainly is he kind to those, who are his own 
 children by adoption in Jesus Christ. " He that 
 spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for 
 us all, how shall he not with him also freely give 
 us all things ? " 
 
 And again, let none be discouraged, because their 
 natural spirit is so unlike the Christian spirit, and 
 inclines them to despair. Seen from below, the 
 hill which we must climb is so far out of our 
 reach, that the ascent appears impossible. Yet 
 many have ascended, and looked down from the 
 top with joy and thankfulness: they have found 
 the footing easier, the labour less, than they had 
 feared : for they had with them Jesus, " the author 
 and finisher of their faith ;*' and " his grace has 
 been sufficient for them." 
 
 Instead, therefore, of taking alarm at the excel- 
 lence of these precepts, let their excellence animate 
 you to follow them. The spirit of heaven must be 
 cultivated on earth. Else how does it appear that 
 ye are seeking heaven ? What thank have ye f 
 "What do ye more than others?" To pardon, if 
 injured; — to forbear, if oppressed; — to yield, if 
 provoked ; — to give, whenever we can benefit by 
 
LUKE VI. 39—49. 113 
 
 giving ; — to lend, looking for nothing again f this 
 is the practice which results from faith in Christ 
 Jesus : for all this He practised, and it is required 
 of his disciples that they " follow his steps." 
 
 May that faith, the root of all charity, be 
 strengthened in our hearts, and the fruits become 
 more and more abundant ! 
 
 LECTURE XXIL 
 
 THE PROOFS, AND THE BLESSINGS, OF CHRIS- 
 TIAN FAITH. 
 
 Luke vi. 39—49. 
 
 (Matt. XV. 14.) 
 
 39. And he spake a parable unto them, Can the Mind 
 lead the hlitid ? shall they not both fall into the ditch ? 
 
 40. The disciple is not above his master ; but every one 
 that is perfect shall be as his master. 
 
 It is a melancholy truth, that blindness perpe- 
 tuates blindness. The disciple seldom rises above 
 his master. Ignorance is easily led : and a corrupt 
 heart, averse from spiritual things, lends itself to 
 error. If the priest will give ready absolution, the 
 
 ^ Certain limitations to these general precepts will be found 
 on Matt. V. 38— 42, 
 
114 LUKE VI. 39—49. 
 
 disciple is ready to be absolved. If the master is 
 satisfied with a Christian name, and formal obser- 
 vances, and a deathbed sacrament, the disciple is 
 willing to be lulled into a false security. If the 
 w-atchmen " are blind," are " ignorant," are " dumb," 
 Satan will gain his advantage over the heart, for 
 it is not warned of his devices ; and both they and 
 the people " shall fall : in the time of their visitation 
 they shall not stand, saith the Lord :" " the wicked 
 man shall die in his iniquity :" and the watchman 
 has not " delivered his own soul." ^ 
 
 (Matt. vii. 3—5.) 
 
 41. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy 
 brother^ s eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine 
 own eye. 
 
 42. Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, 
 let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou 
 thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 
 Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own 
 eye, and then shall thou see clearly to pull out the mote 
 that is in thy brotJiefs eye. 
 
 43. For the good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit ; 
 neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit, 
 
 44. For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of 
 thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather 
 they grapes. 
 
 45. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart 
 bringeth forth that which is good ; and an evil man out 
 of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which 
 is evil; for of the abundance of the heart his mouth 
 speaketh. 
 
 46. And why call ye me, Lord^ Lord, and do not the 
 things which I say ? 
 
 ^ Ezek. xxxiii. 1 — .5. 
 
LUKE VI. 39—49. 115 
 
 (Matt. vii. 24—27.) 
 
 47. mioaoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings y 
 and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like : 
 
 48. He is like a man which built an house, and digged 
 deep, and laid the foundation on a rock : a7id when the 
 
 Jlood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, 
 and could not shake it ; for it was founded upon a rock. 
 
 49. But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man 
 that without a foundation built an house upon the earth ; 
 against which the stream did beat vehemently, and imme- 
 diately it fell ; and the ruin of that house was great. 
 
 In the preceding discourse, Jesus had been giv- 
 ing rules of life and conduct, which showed, that 
 they who were " his disciples indeed," must be " a 
 peculiar people, zealous of good works." He well 
 foreknew, how many masters in his school would 
 mislead their scholars : how many hypocrites would 
 be more ready to correct others than themselves : 
 how many trees in his vineyard would bring no 
 fruit to perfection : how many would call him., 
 Lord, Lord, and do not the things which he said. 
 Therefore, he concludes with a solemn contrast be- 
 tween the end of faith merely nominal, and of faith 
 which influences the heart. He declares of the man 
 who calls him. Lord, and does not the things which 
 the Lord says, that great will be the ruin of his soul. 
 But that whosoever cometh unto him, and heareth 
 his sayings and doeth them, has built his house 
 upon a rock which shall never fall. 
 
 This conclusion of such a discourse is too impor- 
 tant to be passed over. It brings religion to a test : 
 and fixes salvation upon these points — coming to 
 Christ — healing his sayings — and doing them. 
 
 I 2 
 
116 LUKE VI. 39—49. 
 
 Many, probably, came to him at that time out of 
 curiosity. Many heard him for a while, and then 
 " walked no more with him." So, many now pro- 
 fess his religion, merely as belonging to a Christian 
 land. But that coming to Christ, which really lays 
 a sure foundation for the soul, is a deliberate, so- 
 lemn act, proceeding from a movement of our 
 heart, and induced by a sense that w^e have spiri- 
 tual wants which he can alone supply. And who- 
 soever thinks at all, must feel that this is the case 
 with himself. He has need of knowledge : he has 
 need of pardon: he has need of assistance. With- 
 out these, all beyond the present world is a dreary 
 blank. 
 
 These obvious wants the gospel meets and re- 
 lieves. It testifies that " God has given to us eter- 
 nal life, and this life is in his Son." *' He that hath 
 the Son, hath life : and he that hath not the Son 
 of God, hath not life." 
 
 Therefore, whoever cometh to Christ, that is, 
 whoever studies his gospel with a desire to learn 
 from it, heareth these sayings. And many stop 
 there: many Aea7% and do not. The state of num- 
 bers in a Christian land, is a state of knowledge and 
 belief, that " God was in Christ, reconciling the 
 world unto himself;" but a belief which is vague, 
 and a knowledge which is unprofitable, because it 
 never proceeds to a vital application of that truth. 
 We must hear the sayings, and do them. We must 
 close with the offer which they convey, and per- 
 sonally accept Christ Jesus in all his offices; — as 
 the Prophet who declares the will of God ; — as the 
 Priest who has made the atoning sacrifice ; — as the 
 
 i 
 
 J 
 
LUKE VI. 39—49. 117 
 
 Lord who issues statutes, by which his people must 
 be governed : by their observance of which they 
 are known here, and will be judged hereafter. 
 
 This is to lay our foundation on a rocL Not 
 to be content that by baptism we were made 
 members of Christ, without being assured of such 
 membership by the testimony of our hearts. Not 
 to be content even with the testimony of the heart, 
 unless our lives agree with it : for the heart is de- 
 ceitful, and must be tried by the standard of out- 
 ward and visible obedience : that we " be doers of 
 the word, and not hearers only, deceiving our own 
 selves." 
 
 And the end of this, says our Lord, is a good hope 
 against the time when the floods shall arise, and 
 the sti^eam heat vehemently against the house. It 
 is hope which is built upon a rock, and cannot be 
 shaken. It may indeed be assaulted ; assaulted by 
 temptations of Satan, assaulted by natural fears. 
 But when your hope is thus threatened, examine 
 and see that all is right with the foundation, and if 
 any part is weakened, correct and strengthen it ; 
 and secure the " testimony of your conscience, that 
 in simplicity and godly sincerity you have your con- 
 versation in the world;" that " out of the good 
 treasure of the heart you bring forth that which is 
 good :" that you are mortifying those lusts " which 
 war against the soul :" that " the world is crucified 
 unto you, and you unto the world :" that you 
 " love not in word, neither in tongue, but in deed 
 and in truth. For hereby we know that we are of 
 the truth, and shall assure our hearts before God. 
 For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than 
 
118 LUKE VI. 39—49. 
 
 our heart, and knoweth all things. But if our 
 heart condemn us not, then have we confidence 
 towards God." ^ 
 
 Our heart, indeed, will be very unfaithful, or 
 very ill instructed in the holiness of the divine law, 
 and the extent of our duty, if it does not warn us, 
 on every examination, of sad omissions and trans- 
 gressions. To the end, the believers in Christ have 
 to contend against an evil nature, which shows its 
 corruption in various ways : and find daily occa- 
 sion to lament, that they are not, in temper, in de- 
 votedness, in neglect of this world, in love of spi- 
 ritual things, what they either ought to be, or desire 
 to be. But still they have inward assurance that 
 their heart is set upon the kingdom of God ; 
 that their confidence is in Christ; that they are 
 making the will of Christ their rule ; that there is 
 nothing in this world which they desire, in com- 
 parison of holiness and heaven. They have the cha- 
 racter which describes one who builds on a right 
 foundation. They have come to Christ, and heard 
 Ms sayings, and are doing them. They have ap- 
 plied to him for pardon ; applied to him for " grace 
 to help in time of need :" they have received his in- 
 structions, and are living by them, and constantly 
 endeavouring to be more faithful, more perfect: 
 they are drinking of " that spiritual rock which 
 follows them, and that rock is Christ." Such shall 
 inherit " the end of their faith, the salvation of 
 their souls." 
 
 Be wise, therefore, in time ; and now, when the 
 ojiportunity is granted, build for eternity. 
 
 2 1 John iii. 19—21. 
 
LUKE VII. 1—17. 119 
 
 LECTURE XXTIL 
 
 A CENTURION'S SERVANT HEALED. — A WIDOW'S 
 SON RESTORED TO LIFE. 
 
 Luke vii. 1 — 17. 
 
 (Matt. viii. i— 13.) 
 
 1. Now when he had ended all his sayings in the 
 audience of the people, he entered into Capernaum, 
 
 2. And a certain centurion^s servant, who was dear unto 
 him, was sick, and ready to die. 
 
 3. And when he heard of Jesus, he sent unto him the 
 elders of the Jews, beseeching him that he would come and 
 heal his servant. 
 
 4. And when they came to Jesus, they besought him in- 
 stantly, saying. That he was worthy for whom he should 
 do this : 
 
 5. For he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a 
 synagogue. 
 
 6. Then Jesus went with him,. And when he was now 
 not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, 
 saying imto him. Lord, trouble not thyself; for I am not 
 worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof: 
 
 7. Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come 
 unto thee ; but say in a word, and my servant shall be 
 healed, 
 
 8. For I also am a man set under authority, having 
 under me soldiers, a?id I say unto one. Go, and he goeth ; 
 and to another. Come, and he cometh ; and to my servant. 
 Do this, and he doeth it. 
 
 9. When Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at 
 him, and turned him about, and said unto the people that 
 
120 LUKE VII. 1—17. 
 
 followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great 
 faith, no, not in Israel. 
 
 10. A7id they that were sent, returning to the house, 
 found the servant whole that had been sick. 
 
 Thus " the eyes of the Lord run to and fro 
 throughout the whole earth," noticing the faith of 
 men, noticing their want of faith, noticing the pro- 
 portion which their faith bears to their knowledge 
 or opportunities. And this centurion is an ex- 
 ample of those who " shall come from the east and 
 west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, 
 and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven." For " God 
 is no respecter of persons; and in every nation, he 
 that feareth God, and worketh righteousness, is 
 accepted of him."^ The centurion had done this. 
 He had been sent by the duties of his profession, as 
 a soldier, into Judea. That is, he had been led by 
 the foreknowledge of God within the influence of 
 his word ; and being led thither, he had not " re- 
 jected the counsel of God against himself;" he had 
 not shut his eyes against the light which shone 
 around him, but had learnt to serve the living and 
 true God, and had proved his sincerity by building 
 a synagogue. And this man, thus " prepared for 
 the Lord," is brought in the way of Jesus, has rea- 
 son to beseech his mercy, witnesses his power, con- 
 fesses his divinity, and gives to unbelieving Israel 
 an example of that faith which is precious in itself, 
 and precious in the sight of God. 
 
 The incarnation of Christ, and the doctrines of 
 his gospel, were " unto the Jews a stumbling-block, 
 and unto the Greeks foolishness." They are so 
 1 Acts X. 35. 
 
LUKE VII. 1—17. 121 
 
 still to many. But " unto them which are called, 
 both Jews and Greeks," these truths are " the 
 power of God, and the wisdom of God." ^ 
 
 1 1 . And it came to pass the day after, that he went into 
 a city called Nain ; and many of his disciples went with 
 him, and much people. 
 
 12. Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, be- 
 hold, there was a dead man carried out, the only so?i of his 
 mother, and she was a widow : and much people of the 
 city was with her, 
 
 13. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on 
 her, and said unto her. Weep not, 
 
 14. And he came and touched the hier : and they that 
 hare him stood still. And he said. Young man, I say unto 
 thee. Arise, 
 
 15. And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. 
 And he delivered him to his mother. 
 
 We are first reminded, by this history, of the un- 
 certainty of all earthly treasures. Here is a woman 
 who was a widow ; and her only son is carried out 
 to burial. The relief which this mourner so un- 
 expectedly received is without parallel ; but mis- 
 fortunes like hers are not uncommon; and we are 
 warned by them, " to possess, as though we pos- 
 sessed not ;" that is, to be ready to part with our 
 possessions : to " rejoice, as though we rejoiced not ;" 
 that is, so to enjoy, that we may be able to resign 
 our treasures. Some heathen moralists, knowing by 
 experience the corruption of human nature, though 
 ignorant of its cause, advised every one who formed 
 a friendship, to bear in mind, that he who was now 
 the friend might hereafter become the enemy. This 
 would be no Christian sentiment : but we may 
 2 1 Cor. i. 23. 
 
122 LUKE VII. 1—17. 
 
 illustrate from it what is Christian wisdom ; namely, 
 so to use any present gratifications, as to remember 
 that they are lent us of the Lord, who very pro- 
 bably may see fit to recall them. 
 
 When Jesus was near to the procession, and saw 
 the case of this unhappy widow, he had compassion 
 on hei\ and said unto her, Weep not And he came 
 and touched the hier, and said. Young man, I say 
 unto thee, Arise. 
 
 So likewise, now that he sits on the right hand 
 of the majesty on high, he sees many of his people 
 grievously afflicted. And he has compassion on 
 them. He does not say unto them. Weep not ; he 
 does not take away the cause of weeping, as he did 
 by this miracle. There were many widows in the 
 land of Israel : and the son of this widow of Nain 
 alone was restored to life. For often the sorrow is 
 sent in mercy, and is intended to withdraw the 
 heart from some earthly attachment which has too 
 strong hold, and to recall it to its one important con- 
 cern : and in any case, sorrow gives occasion to the 
 exercise of graces which are pleasing to God in his 
 people. It displays faith, and patience, and resig- 
 nation, and makes them active principles. Sorrow 
 showed Eli, judge of Israel, to be a man of God. 
 Some parts of his character were blameably defec- 
 tive ; but he was manifestly under the power of 
 divine grace when he submitted to his affliction, and 
 said, It is the Lord, let him do what seemeth him cjood. 
 And we can discover no reason in the character of Job 
 for the remarkable trials to which he was called, 
 except that in that character a new feature might 
 be formed and perfected, whicli had otherwise no 
 
LUKE VII. 1—17. 123 
 
 opportunity of exercise. It was a grace, and a 
 most valuable grace, to be thankful, and humble, 
 and moderate in prosperity. And all this Job had 
 been. It was another and a different grace to say, 
 " The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away : 
 blessed be the name of the Lord." And this grace 
 was manifested in affliction. 
 
 There may be reasons such as these why Jesus 
 does not exempt his people from suffering. Yet 
 certainly he has compassion on them : and this is 
 evident from the support which they receive ; from 
 the inward comfort which cheers their outward 
 sorrow : their tears are noted in his book, their 
 losses compensated by his presence, their minds 
 made tranquil by his consolations. He does not, 
 indeed, restore the dead. The present still remains 
 bereft ; the widow does not hear the surprising 
 words. Young man, I say unto thee. Arise: her son 
 is not delivered to her arms again. But he bids 
 them "sorrow not as those without hope;" for 
 " blessed are the dead which die in the Lord ;" and 
 though they rise not again, like this widow's son, to 
 the mixed scene of this world, to its labours, its 
 cares, its dangers, they shall rise in glory. " He 
 shall change their vile body, and make it like unto 
 his glorious body." And with these thoughts they 
 are comforted, and enabled to possess their souls in 
 patience. 
 
 16. And there came a fear on all; and they glorified 
 God, saying. That a great prophet is risen up among us ; 
 and, That God hath visited his people, 
 
 17. And this rumour of him went forth throughout all 
 Judea, and throughout all the region roundabout. 
 
 5 
 
124 LUKE VII. 18-35. 
 
 That which was the sudden impression of the 
 Jews, who witnessed this miracle, is the permanent 
 impression of every Christian; the truth in which 
 he lives and moves. A great prophet is risen up 
 amongst us. " Yea, and more than a prophet." 
 God has visited his people : " God, who at sundry 
 times and in divers manners spake in times past unto 
 the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days 
 spoken unto us by his Son ;" ^ " and his name is 
 called Immanuel ; God with us." * " He that be- 
 lieveth on him, though he were dead, yet shall he 
 live ; and he that liveth, and belie veth on him, shall 
 never die." ^ 
 
 LECTURE XXIV. 
 
 JOHN THE BAPTIST'S DISCIPLES VISIT JESUS.— 
 WISDOM JUSTIFIED OF HER CHILDREN. 
 
 Luke vii. 18 — 35. 
 
 (Matt. xi. 2—19.) 
 
 18. And the disciples of John showed him of all these 
 things. 
 
 19. And John calling unto him two of his disciples sent 
 them to Jesus, saying, Art thou he that should come ? or 
 look we for another ? ^ 
 
 s Heb. i. 1. * Isa. vii. 14. ^ John xi. 25, 26. 
 ^ It had before been revealed to John, that Jesus was the 
 Messiah, *' the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sins of the 
 
LUKE VII. 18-35. 125 
 
 20. When the men were come unto hwi, they said, John 
 Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou he that 
 should come ? or look we for another I 
 
 21. And in the same hour he cured many of their infir- 
 mities and plagues, and of evil spirits : and tmto many that 
 were blind he gave sight 
 
 22. Then Jesus answering said unto them. Go your way, 
 and tell John what things ye have seen and heard ; how 
 that the blind see, the lame lualk, the lepers are cleansed, 
 the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is 
 preached. 
 
 23. And blessed is he, luhosoever shall not be offended in 
 me. 
 
 24. And when the messengers of Johi tuere departed, he 
 began to speak unto the people concerning John, What went 
 ye out iiito the wilderness to see ? a read shaken with the 
 wind 1 
 
 25. But what went ye out for to see ? A man clothed 
 in soft raiment ? Behold, they which are gorgeously ap- 
 parelled, and live delicately, are in kings courts. 
 
 26. But what went ye out for to see ? A prophet ? Yea, I 
 say unto you, and much more than a prophet 
 
 27. This is he, of whom it is written. Behold, I send 
 my messengers before thy face, which shall prepare thy way 
 before thee. ^ 
 
 28. For I say unto you. Among those that are born of 
 women there is not a greater prophet than John the Bap- 
 tist : but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater 
 than he. 
 
 John had before given his testimony to Jesus. 
 Here Jesus gives his testimony to John. He was 
 not a reed shaken with the wind: he was not as 
 
 world." We must suppose, therefore, either that he sent to give 
 his disciples a more certain assurance, or that his own faith re- 
 quired additional confirmation. 
 2 Mal.iii. 1. 
 
126 LUKE VII. 18—35. 
 
 " a wave of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed:" 
 he boldly reproved the people for their sins, and 
 exhorted the Scribes and Pharisees to repentance : 
 and whether Herod " heard him gladly," or whether 
 he resented his faithfulness, and " cast him into 
 prison," he was equally firm and consistent, fearing 
 God, and knowing no other fear. 
 
 Neither was he clothed in soft raiment, a man of 
 delicacy and luxury, such as dwell in kings courts. 
 He had greater concerns to engage him, and did 
 not entangle himself with the pleasures of this life, 
 but " endured hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus 
 Christ." ^ 
 
 Those, indeed, who occupy a station in the king- 
 dom of God, and are charged with the mysteries of 
 the gospel, are greater than he : greater, not in their 
 character, but in the objects of their ministry. He 
 came to "prepare the way :" they are able to 
 point out the road, and conduct men along it. He 
 desired to see the things which they see, and did not 
 see them. They have no need to ask the question, 
 Art thou he that should come? or look we for ano- 
 ther f One that is least in the kingdom of God, 
 has a clearer insight into the mysteries of redemp- 
 tion than the Baptist could attain. But they must 
 imitate his consistency, his fidelity, his self-denial, 
 that they may be made partakers of his reward : 
 they must be like him, " faithful unto death," that 
 they may receive " the crown of life." 
 
 29. And all the people that heard him, and the publi- 
 cans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of 
 John. 
 
 2 See 2Tim. ii. 3,4. 
 
LUKE VII. 18—35. 127 
 
 80. But the Pharisees and Lawyers rejected the counsel 
 of God against themselves, being not baptized of him. 
 
 31. And the Lo7'd said, Wherennto then shall I liken 
 the men of this generation ? and to what are they like ? 
 
 82. They are like unto children sitting in the market- 
 place, and calling one to another, and saying, We have 
 piped unto you, and ye have not danced ; loe have mourned 
 to you, and ye have not wept. 
 
 83. For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor 
 drinking wine ; and ye say. He hath a devil. 
 
 34. The Son of man is come eating and drinking ; and 
 ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebihber, a friend 
 of publicans and sinners ! 
 
 35. But wisdom is justified of all her children. 
 
 That may be said of this generation, which chil- 
 dren complain of in their companions. We have 
 piped unto you, and ye have not danced ; we have 
 mourned to you, and ye have not wept. We have 
 tried you with mirth, and you have not joined 
 our mirth ; we have tried you with seriousness, 
 and our seriousness has been lost upon you. Per- 
 verse children, in whatever is proposed to them, 
 will find something to dislike. And this perverse 
 generation does the same. John came with austerity : 
 he abode in the wilderness, and companied not with 
 other men : and they say. He hath a devil, he is mad 
 with melancholy. The Son of man had another 
 object, and a different way of life ; he entered into 
 the societies of men, that he might warn, instruct, 
 exhort, rebuke. But they find a reason to blame 
 him too : they say, " this man receiveth sinners, 
 and eateth with them !" they believe that he is en- 
 joying their conviviality, not that he is reforming 
 their lives. 
 
128 LUKE VII. 18—35. 
 
 Religious people now are often judged after the 
 same hard fashion. If they decline much inter- 
 course with others, they are too serious and exclu- 
 sive : if they keep up such intercourse, they are too 
 much of the world. If they are solemn, they are 
 considered austere and distant ; if they are cheerful 
 and light-hearted, they are not sincere in their pro- 
 fession. Enmity against religion will always find 
 some fault. 
 
 But loisdom is justified of all her childreyi. Wis- 
 dom is religion, and religion is wisdom : and there 
 are still those who pursue and value it. We read 
 just before, that the people and the publicans justi- 
 fied God J being baptized with the baptism of John : 
 approved the justice of his rebukes and counsels, 
 and acted upon them. In the same manner, the 
 children of wisdom, the truly wise, justify wisdom : 
 understand, approve religion : approve the method of 
 salvation which God has offered, accept, pursue it, 
 and show its wisdom by their lives. 
 
 Observe, then, what is here pointed out. There 
 are children of wisdom, and children of folly. We 
 can be at no loss for the distinction between them. 
 The children of folly, like the Pharisees and law- 
 yers, reject the counsel of God against theinselves. 
 He tries them in every way, as the children in their 
 sports tried their companions ; he tries them with 
 gracious promises, and with awful threatenings : 
 but they follow their own purposes, and are deaf to 
 the voice of the charmer, charm he ever so 
 wisely. 
 
 The children of wisdom, on the other hand, 
 when life and death are set before them, arc taught 
 
LUKE VII. 18—35. 129 
 
 from above to choose the good, and refuse the evil. 
 Mary, sister of Lazarus, is a well-known example. 
 Others were busied about perishing, passing things. 
 She " sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word." And he 
 praised her choice ; she had laid hold on everlasting 
 life, and w^as seeking first the kingdom of God. Others 
 were surprised, and blamed her : she acted on prin- 
 ciples which they could not understand : just as 
 St. Peter afterwards observes, that the Christians, 
 to whom he wrote, were marvelled at, because they 
 ran not to the same excess of riot, as those who 
 seek their portion in this life. * But the children 
 of wisdom, in their turn, marvel at those who, 
 while in their creed they confess Christ Jesus, and 
 call him Lord, " in w^orks deny him ;" while they 
 look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life 
 of the world to come, confine their wishes and their 
 thoughts, their hopes and their pursuits, to this 
 present time. 
 
 Nothing is true wisdom, nothing is real under- 
 standing, which does not keep the end of life in 
 constant view ; and with that reference, make it the 
 first thought in pursuing " things temporal," to render 
 them subservient to " things eternal." 
 
 * 1 Pet. iv. 4. 
 
130 LUKE VTI. 36—50. 
 
 LECTURE XXV. 
 
 A WOMAN WHO HAD BEEN A SINNER IS PAR- 
 DONED, AND HER LOVE COMMENDED. 
 
 Luke vii. 3G — 50. 
 
 36. And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would 
 eat with him. And he went into the Pharisees house, and 
 sat down to meat. 
 
 87. And behold, a woman in the city, which was a sin- 
 ner, ^ when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Phari- 
 see's house, hr ought an alabaster box of ointment, 
 
 38. And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and be- 
 gan to wash his feet with tears, and wipe them luith the 
 hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them 
 with the ointment. ^ 
 
 This sign of respect and affection was similar in 
 nature to that shown by Mary, sister of Lazarus., 
 who, when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of 
 Simon the leper, poured an alabaster box of very 
 precious ointment upon his head as he sat at meat. ^ 
 It was a distinguished mark of honour and attention 
 to which Mary was led by her love of Jesus as her 
 
 » " Who this woman was, does not appear. She is commonly 
 confounded with Mary Magdalene, but without good ground in 
 Scripture." Henry. 
 
 ^ Their mode of sitting at meat made this easily practicable. 
 They did not sit on chairs, but reclined on couches. 
 
 3 Matt. xxvi. 6 ; John xi. 2. 
 
LUKE VII. 36-50. 131 
 
 benefactor and divine teacher. This woman was a 
 different character; she had been known as a 
 sinner : but she was one whose sins pressed heavily 
 upon her conscience, for she shows extraordinary 
 emotion ; she stood at his feet weeping, and washed 
 them with her tears. She had learnt that " the Son 
 of man hath power on earth to forgive sins." And 
 whether she had before found comfort from his 
 words, or whether she was now, for the first time, 
 seeking it, her action and emotion testified the sin- 
 cerity of her faith and repentance. 
 
 The Pharisee, Simon, who was receiving Jesus, 
 was little aware of the purpose for which he had 
 come into the world, and that that purpose was now 
 fulfilled by the pardon of this woman's sin. His 
 good opinion, therefore, of our Lord was shaken. 
 
 39. Now when the Pharisee which had hidden him saw 
 it, he spake within himself , saying, This man, if he were a 
 prophet, would have known who and what manner of 
 woman this is that toucheth him : for she is a sinner. 
 
 40. And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have 
 somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on. 
 
 41. There was a certain creditor which had two debtors : 
 the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. 
 
 42. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly for- 
 gave them both. Tell, me, therefore, which of them will love 
 him most ? 
 
 43. Simon answered and said, I suppose that he to whom 
 he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly 
 judged. 
 
 44. And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, 
 Seest thou this woman ? I entered into thine house, thou 
 gavest me no water for my feet : hut she hath washed my 
 feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. 
 
 K 2 
 
13-2 LUKE VII. 36—50. 
 
 45. Thou gavest rue no kiss : hut this woman, since the 
 time I came in, hath not ceased to kiss my feet. 
 
 46. My head with oil thou didst not anoint : hut this 
 woman hath anointed m^y feet with ointment. 
 
 47. Wherefore, I say unto thee, Her sins, which are 
 many, are forgiven ; for she loved much : hut to whom 
 little is forgiven, the same loveth little. 
 
 This story exemplifies the wisdom of that me- 
 thod in which the Scriptures have been written for 
 our instruction. 'J'he persons above all others who 
 require comfort and encouragement, are those who 
 have been brought by grace to repentance and con- 
 version, after a course of heinous wilful sin, con- 
 demning them in their own eyes, and degrading 
 them in the eyes of men. To such as these the re- 
 membrance of their offences is painfully grievous, 
 as it ought to be; the burthen of them is in- 
 tolerable. This woman, it is evident, was such an 
 one. Her conduct displays the tenderness of her 
 disposition ; " and blessed are they that mourn ; 
 for they shall be comforted." Who could have 
 expected that the gospel should contain, not only a 
 general assurance " that Christ died for all," that he 
 came to seek and to save that which was lost, but a 
 particular assurance to penitents such as these ? 
 
 To furnish such assurance, this scene providentially 
 occurred, and is left among the things recorded. Nay, 
 a reason is given why the sense of danger and un- 
 worthiness which such persons may be expected to 
 feel, may lead to a degree of gratitude and love 
 which is peculiarly acceptable to the Lord. The 
 debtor who has been excused the largest sum will 
 have most reason to be grateful to his creditor ; 
 
 I 
 
LUKE VII. 36—50. 133 
 
 and the sinner whose sins have been of the deepest 
 dye will owe most to the precious blood by which 
 they have been cleansed. A sense of such obligation 
 disposed this woman to show a greater attention to 
 Jesus than others had paid him. A like sense may 
 lead others to a degree of zealous exertion in the 
 cause of religion, w^hich many do not use, but which 
 Christ approves and recommends. / say unto thee. 
 Her sins, ichich are many, are forgiven ; for she 
 loved much : but to whom little is forgiven, the same 
 loveth little. 
 
 This may require some brief observations, Is it 
 therefore desirable to have a conscience loaded with 
 many sins, that much love may follow? Suppose 
 that Simon and this woman were equally disciples 
 of our Lord, would his case be worse than hers, 
 because less had been forgiven him ? 
 
 We must ever remember that sin is " the abo- 
 minable thing which God hate;^," and against which 
 the whole of his word is directed; and though pe- 
 nitent sinners are so gladly received by him, that 
 there is joy in heaven over their conversion, pre- 
 sumptuous sin is a great gulf, out of which few who 
 fall into it are restored. 
 
 Further, it is not the sin of this woman which 
 Christ approves, but her love. She loved much, 
 and she showed it by her conduct. The debtor 
 who has been forgiven five hundred pence, has 
 received more from his creditor's forbearance than 
 one who has been forgiven fifty. But if fifty would 
 equally have condemned him to end his days in pri- 
 son, the escape of one is as much matter of thank- 
 
134 LUKE VII. 36—50. 
 
 fulness as the other's : men, therefore, do not need 
 any unusual heinousness of actual transgression to 
 inspire them with gratitude towards Him, through 
 whom alone they have a hope of everlasting life. 
 " We thus judge, that if he died for all, then were 
 all dead." He is the sole author of spiritual life to 
 any one ; without him we are dead towards God : 
 he is the sole author of eternal life to any one ; 
 without him " we are children of wrath, even as 
 others." Do we need more cause than this to ex- 
 cite our love ? 
 
 And who, after all, are they to whom little is 
 forgiven? Few can look back on a past life, and 
 say that such is the case with them. And still 
 fewer will. When they compare what they are, or 
 have been, with what they ought to be, and might 
 have been, if they had made better use of the means 
 of grace vouchsafed them — when, instead of mea- 
 suring themselves by others, they measure them- 
 selves by the law of God ; — they will not palliate 
 the coldness of their love, by reason of the fewness 
 of their sins, but they will condemn it as a remain- 
 ing evidence of a heart that needs to be more fully 
 renewed. 
 
 What then we require is, not more sin to excite 
 our thankfulness, but a stronger sense of the need 
 we have to be thankful ; a stronger sense of the ho- 
 liness of God, and a livelier faith in the efficacy of 
 Christ's blood, by which that holiness is satisfied. 
 Such faith will produce love, as it produced love in 
 the woman here: and from the like love the like 
 effects will flow. She evidenced it by reverence 
 towards our Lord's person; we, who cannot give 
 
LUKE VII. 30—50. 135 
 
 the same proofs of affection, shall evidence it by love 
 towards liis name, his word, his people. And as he 
 approved it in her, he will approve it in his disci- 
 ples of all times, that they love mucky because they 
 have been much forgiven. 
 
 48. And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. 
 
 49. And they that sat at meat with him began to say 
 tuithin themselves, tvho is this tliat forgiveth sins also .^ 
 
 50. And he said to the woman. Thy faith hath saved 
 thee ; go in peace. 
 
 It has not yet become fully evident who this was 
 that forgiveth sins also. To us it is revealed, that 
 " the Father hath delivered all things into his 
 hand:" let us learn to desire and seek the same 
 blessing ; Go in peace. Such blessing follows the 
 like faith, working with the like love. * For that 
 none may ever doubt whether this love was the 
 fruit of faith, he said to the woman, Thy faith hath 
 saved thee. 
 
 ^ " In Christ Jesus neither circumcision availetli anything, 
 nor uncircumcision : but faith which worketh by love." Gal. 
 V. 6. 
 
136 
 
 LUKE VIII. 1—15. 
 
 LECTURE XXVL 
 
 PARABLE OF THE SOWER. 
 
 Luke viii. 1 — 15. 
 
 1. And it came to pass afterwards, that he went through- 
 out every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad 
 tidings of the kingdom of God : and the twelve were tvith 
 him, 
 
 2. Aiid certain women, which had been healed of evil 
 spirits and infirmities, Mary, called Magdalene, out oj 
 whom went seven devils, 
 
 3. And Joanna the wife of Ghuza, Herod's steward, and 
 Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of 
 their substance. 
 
 4. And when much people were gathered together, and 
 were come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable : 
 
 (Matt. xiii. 4—20. Mark iv. 2—20.) 
 
 5. A sower went out to sow his seed : and as he soiued, 
 some fell by the way side ; and it was trodden down, and 
 the fowls of the air devoured it 
 
 6. And some fell upon a rock ; and as soon as it was 
 sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. 
 
 7. And some fell among thorns ; and tJie thorns sprang 
 up with it, and choked it. 
 
 8. And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and 
 bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these 
 things. He cried. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. 
 
 We shall best see the force of this parable, if we 
 review the circumstances under which it was ut- 
 tered. He went throughout every city and village, 
 preaching^ and showing the glad tidings of the 
 
LUKE Vm. 1—15 137 
 
 kingdom of God: and much people were gathered 
 together, and loere come to him out of every city. 
 
 To an inexperienced eye, the sight of such a 
 congregation would be like that of a springing 
 field, promising an abundant harvest. But the 
 husbandman is not so easily elated. He knows 
 how many things may occur, to blight the prospect, 
 and disappoint the promise. And so he who 
 knew the heart, knew how much light curiosity, 
 how much fickleness, how much worldliness, lurked 
 among these hearers : how many would leave him, 
 when they learnt the real nature of his kingdom ; 
 learnt that " if any man would come after him, he 
 must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow 
 him." This he foretold, under a figure which the 
 disciples were at a loss to understand. 
 
 9. And his disciples asked hiin, saying^ What might this 
 parable be ? 
 
 10. And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mys- 
 teries of the kingdom of Ood : but to others in 'parables ; 
 that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not 
 U7iderstand. ^ 
 
 11. Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of 
 God 
 
 12. Those by the way side are they that hear; then 
 Cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their 
 hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. 
 
 Some hear, or read the word of God with so 
 little attention, that it never lays hold on their 
 minds. They immediately forget it : even though 
 
 1 This might as properly be translated, * So that seeing they 
 do not see, and hearing they do not understand.' They have not 
 the state of mind whicli God sees fit to open and enUghten. 
 
138 LUKE VTII. 1—15. 
 
 their own state or danger be described, they do not 
 apply the word themselves. And he that hinders, 
 is the devil : who makes his advantage of their habits 
 or their disposition, and taketh away the word out of 
 their heai^ts, lest they should believe, and be saved. 
 Seeing, they see not : so that St. James compares 
 them to " a man beholding his natural face in the 
 glass, who beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and 
 straightway forgetteth what manner of man he 
 was." Scripture preached to such persons is like 
 seed falling on the way-side, the beaten road. Seed 
 must enter within the soil, and be covered with 
 the earth, or it cannot grow. 
 
 13. They on the rock are they, which when they hear, 
 receive the word with joy ; and these have no root, which for 
 a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. 
 
 Some, when they hear the glad tidings of the king- 
 dom of God, are pleased with its promises, touched 
 by divine mercy which it displays, and moved 
 by the apprehension of losing its blessings; they 
 make, perhaps, a sort of wild wish, " let me die the 
 death of the righteous, and let my last end be like 
 his !" And these wishes and good purposes con- 
 tinue till they have left the church and reached 
 their home, and find there business to disturb or 
 friends to amuse them: and sometimes the bitter 
 thoughts continue even longer, especially if formed 
 in a time of sorrow and separation from the concerns 
 and pleasures of the world. But there is no settled re- 
 solution to seek the kingdom of God in the first place, 
 no constancy of mind to deny themselves, and follow 
 the Lord, fully counting the cost, counting also the 
 
 8 
 
LUKE VIII. 1—15. 139 
 
 eternal gain. At the first trial or difficulty tliey 
 fall away : like seed cast upon stony or rocky 
 ground, which soon springs up into a blade, but the 
 earth is too thin and shallow to nourish it for any 
 time ; it is parched up and withered by the heat of 
 the summer sun. 
 
 14. A fid that which /ell among thorns are they, which 
 when they have heard^ go forth, and are choked with cares 
 and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to 
 perfection. 
 
 These go further still : are convinced of the truth 
 of the gospel, acknowledge its excellence, profess to 
 be partakers of its promises. But the love of this 
 world, though shaken, is not subdued in their 
 hearts : and if not subdued, it will, in the end, pre- 
 vail. To such St. John has written, " Love not 
 the world, neither the things that are in the world. 
 If any man love the world, the love of the Father 
 is not in him." A decided choice must be made, a 
 decided preference shown. " The Lord our God 
 is a jealous God ;" and will not be satisfied with a 
 divided heart, or a partial share of our affections. 
 The cares of life cannot be avoided; but they 
 must not choke the word : neither must the riches 
 and pleasures of this life; these two must be 
 kept subservient to the main object, the pleasures 
 which are at God's right hand ; they must be made 
 to promote, and not to supersede, " the love of the 
 Father." " They that will be rich," ^ and they that 
 will involve themselves in the cares of this world 
 and the lust of other things, " fall into temptation 
 
 - I Tim. vi. 9. In the original, ol (3ov\ovTaL irXovTeLv. 
 
140 
 
 LUKE VIII. 1—15. 
 
 and a snare, and into any foolish and hurtful lusts, 
 M^hich drown men in destruction and perdition." ^ 
 Religion may not be thrown off entirely ; it may 
 keep a place in their thoughts and habits ; but the 
 love of God does not predominate: the corn runs 
 up, and even comes to ear, but together with the 
 corn such a crop of thorns and weeds, that no fruit 
 is brought to perfection. 
 
 15. But that on the good ground are they, which in an 
 honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and 
 bring forth fruit with patience. 
 
 The word is still the same : the whole difference 
 is in the heart. So, where the seed is the same, the 
 whole difference is in the soil. In the former 
 cases it has been unbroken, or rocky, or overspread 
 with thorns; here it is good ground. And what 
 makes it so ? 
 
 No human heart is good of itself, so as to " re- 
 ceive the things of the Spirit of God." It is rendered 
 such from above. It was " the Lord who opened 
 the heart of Lydia, (Acts xvii. 14,) that she at- 
 tended to the things spoken of Paul." " The God 
 of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Glory, gives 
 the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the know- 
 ledge of him." ^ 
 
 But as the husbandman both labours much, and 
 can effect much in preparing his ground for seed ; 
 as he can soften what is hard, break up what is 
 stony, and clear away briers and weeds ; so there 
 is much which every man can do, and must do, to 
 entertain the Spirit of God, and prepare his heart 
 ^ Eph. i. 17. 
 
LUKE VUl. 1—15. 141 
 
 for the word. He must attend to it, as if it con- 
 cerned him ; lie must resolve to treat the care of 
 the soul as the one thing needful ; he must not ex- 
 pose himself to needless cares and temptations ; he 
 must watch and pray, that the seed may enter into 
 the heart, and abide, and take root there, and so 
 spring up to everlasting life. 
 
 And this is the chief thing to be considered ; has 
 the seed done this ? There is much in the nature of 
 different soils, which no philosopher can trace or 
 explain. And there is much that is mysterious in 
 the dispositions of the heart, and the operations of 
 the Spirit. One thing we know, — that the Spirit 
 prevents us, that we may have a good will,* and 
 works with us when the will is present with us. 
 But whether we have the good will or no, is the fact 
 of primary importance; and this fact of primary 
 importance cannot be doubtful or mistaken. The 
 honest and good heart, having heard the word, keeps 
 it, and brings forth fruit with patience. It brings 
 forth the beautiful and wholesome fruit of Christian 
 duties and graces ; love to God, and love to man ; 
 charity, honesty, meekness, temperance. This is 
 the sure test of the quality of the soil. However 
 well it may look and promise beforehand, so as to 
 raise tlie hopes even of a practised husbandman, if it 
 does not bear its proper return of corn, it cannot 
 be called good ground. So with the heart. If sin 
 is not gradually subdued ; if temptations have not 
 less power; if passion has not less vehemence; if 
 worldly pleasures are not less esteemed ; if worldly 
 cares are not less oppressive to the mind ; if the af- 
 
 * Art. X. 
 4 
 
142 LUKE VIII. 16—21. 
 
 fections are not more and more set on things above ; 
 there is no proof of the word having yet been so 
 received as to be retained. A corrupt tree cannot 
 bring forth good fruit ; neither can a sound tree 
 bring forth evil fruit, or be altogether barren. 
 Therefore by your fruits shall ye know yourselves, 
 and be known of others. " In this the children of 
 God are manifest, and the children of the devil. 
 Whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, 
 neither he that loveth not his brother." 
 
 LECTURE XXVIL 
 
 FUTURE REVELATION OF TRUTH DECLARED.— 
 THE DUTIES AND DANGERS OF NATURAL AF- 
 FECTION. 
 
 Luke viii. 16 — 21. 
 
 (Mark iv. 21—23.) 
 
 16. No man, when he hath lighted a candle, cover eth it 
 with a vessel, or putteth it under a bed ; but setteth it on 
 a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the light, 
 
 17. For nothing is secret, that shall not be made mani- 
 fest : neither anytJiing hid, that shall not be known and 
 come abroad, 
 
 18. Take heed therefore how ye hear ; for tvhosoever 
 hath, to him shall be given ; and whosoever hath not, from 
 him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have. 
 
 These words were spoken to the disciples, who 
 had before asked Jesus to expound to them the 
 
LUKE VIII. 10—21. 143 
 
 parable of tlie sower. To them it was given to 
 know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, in order 
 that hereafter, in the proper season, they might 
 declare them to others. For he had come a light 
 into the world, but not a light which was to be con- 
 cealed, any more than a candle was lighted for the 
 purpose of being covered ; but a light which was to 
 be lifted up, that all who enter in might see the 
 light, and no longer abide in darkness. Whatever 
 was now secret should soon be made manifest ; what- 
 ever was now hidden should soon be known and 
 come abroad ; the counsels of God should become 
 clear, and the character and life of Jesus be seen to 
 agree with all that Moses and the prophets had 
 written concerning him. 
 
 Those whom he had chosen out of the world, his 
 especial disciples, were to convey this knowledge. 
 Let them therefore take heed how they heard ; let 
 them ponder these things in their hearts, and ap- 
 ply their faculties, and " stir up the gift of God " 
 within them. The privileges which they enjoyed 
 were talents of which they must give account ; God 
 would deal with them as a master who withdraws 
 his confidence from the unprofitable servant, and 
 gives it to the careful steward ; or as a father, who 
 takes away from the spendthrift son what he adds 
 to the share of the wise and prudent. So that, 
 whosoever hath, to him shall he given; and who- 
 soever hath not, from him shall he taken away even 
 that which he seemeth to have. 
 
 " Righteous art thou, Lord ; and upright are 
 thy judgments." 
 
144 LUKE VIII. 16-21. 
 
 (Matt. xii. 47—50. Mark iii. 31—35.) 
 
 19. Then came to him his mother and his brethren, and 
 could not come at him for the press, 
 
 20. And it was told him hy certain which said^Thy mo- 
 ther and thy brethren stand without, desiring to see thee. 
 
 21. And he answered and said unto them, My mother 
 and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, 
 and do it. 
 
 It does not appear in this passage, for what pur- 
 pose the mother and brethren of our Lord desired 
 to see him. Perhaps to restrain his zealous ex- 
 ertions; for in St. Mark we are told, (iii. 21,) that 
 when his friends heard of the multitudes which sur- 
 rounded him, " they went out to lay hold of him ; 
 for they said, He is beside himself." At present, 
 certainly, they neither understood his object, nor 
 believed in his divinity ;^ therefore he did not see 
 fit to give way to them. As he answered them 
 when they found him in the temple, " both hearing 
 the doctors of the law, and asking them questions, 
 Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's busi- 
 ness ? " so now he restrains their interruption, and 
 asks. Who are my mother and brethren ? Who are 
 they who would withdraw me from that work which 
 my heavenly Father has given me to do ? My 
 mother and my brethren are these which hear the 
 word of God, and do it. Those who understand 
 my design in coming into the world, and join in 
 promoting it, are those whom 1 must acknowledge 
 as my own. 
 
 1 John vii. T). Afterwards we find them collected with the 
 rest of his disciples, and engaged with them in prayer and sup- 
 plication. Acts i. 14. 
 
LUKE VITT. 1(5—21. 145 
 
 The answer of Jesus on this occasion must not 
 be supposed to countenance any neglect of natural 
 affection. The Christian is commanded to " honour 
 all men ;" how much more his father and mother ! 
 As it is written, " Children, obey your parents 
 in the Lord, for this is right." ^ The Christian 
 cannot be exempted from love towards his own 
 kindred, when love of all his fellow-creatures is 
 required by the apostle as the proof of his faith. 
 " For he that loveth not his brother whom he hath 
 seen, how can he love God whom he hath not 
 seen ? " ^ Jesus himself, we know, provided for the 
 comfort of his mother's declining years. With his 
 dying breath he recommended her to his beloved 
 disciple ; " and from that hour that disciple took 
 her unto his own home." * Let no one, therefore, 
 make use of this example to excuse his coldness 
 towards any who have a first right to his affection 
 and dutiful regard. 
 
 Two inferences, however, are properly deduced 
 from this passage. 
 
 First, that no outward circumstances or acci- 
 dental privileges, that nothing but personal cha- 
 racter, gives acceptance with God. With men it is 
 different : birth has advantages ; kindred has ad- 
 vantages ; nations or districts have advantages, in- 
 dependently of character. And there is a natural 
 inclination among mankind to suppose that it 
 will be the same hereafter ; to trust to circum- 
 stances of a like kind, and to dispense with personal 
 holiness. The Jewish people prided themselves that 
 
 2 Eph. vi. 1. M John iv. 20. * John xix. 27. 
 
 L 
 
146 LUKE VIII. 16—21. 
 
 they were " Abraham's children." Christ represents 
 those who shall plead before him at the last : " We 
 have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast 
 taudit in our streets :" ^ and we read of a woman 
 in his company who gave utterance to a like notion, 
 saying, " Blessed is the womb that bare thee, 
 and the paps which thou hast sucked."^ Here, 
 however, as there, we are plainly assured that no 
 such circumstances can avail in the sight of God. 
 If there were any whom such things could profit, 
 they must be the mother that bare him, and his 
 brethren, the children of that mother. But " rather, 
 blessed are they who hear the word of God, and 
 keep it." 
 
 The other inference is, that when a duty to God 
 is to be performed, not even the tie of relationship 
 should be suffered to interfere. Amiable as natural 
 affection is, and indispensable as a test of a chris- 
 tian state of mind, it must not usurp the claim 
 which God has, in the first place, to our service 
 and our love. When the call is a call of religious 
 duty, men must not make excuse and say, " I have 
 married a wife, and therefore I cannot come." 
 Christ has here shown us, by his example, that the 
 service of God must have the preference ; and he 
 has illustrated his own words, " Whoever loveth 
 father or mother more than me, is not worthy of 
 me." 
 
 And as it is sometimes a duty, on one side, to 
 show this preference, — as it may be a case of self- 
 denial, to which the Christian is called, — so it is a 
 duty, on the other side, to allow this preference 
 ^ Luke xiii. 26. ^ Luke xi. 27. 
 
LUKE VIII. 22—39. 147 
 
 without grudging or repining, and not to put a 
 stumbling-block in the way of those we love. 
 Friends and relations are sometimes placed in a 
 dangerous alternative, when they must either of- 
 fend those dearest to them on earth, or act un- 
 faithfully towards their Father who is in heaven. 
 All our affections, however natural or laudable in 
 themselves, must be regulated and controlled by 
 our duty to Him, who hath the first claim to our 
 obedience and love. 
 
 LECTURE XXVIII. 
 
 JESUS STILLS A TEMPEST, AND FREES A MAN 
 FROM THE POWER OF DEVILS. 
 
 Luke viii. 22—39. 
 
 (Matt. viii. 18—34. Mark iv. 35—41 ; v. 1—20.) 
 
 22. Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went 
 into a ship with his disciples : a?id he said unto them, Let 
 us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they 
 launched forth. 
 
 23. Bui as they sailed he fell asleep ; and there came 
 down a storm of wind on the lake ; and they were filled 
 with water, and were in jeopardy. 
 
 24. And they came to him, and awoke him, saying. 
 Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked 
 the wind and the raging of the water : and they ceased, 
 and there was a calm. 
 
 L 2 
 
148 LUKE VIII. 22-39. 
 
 25. Atid he said unto them, Where is yoiir faith 9 And 
 they being afraid wondered^ saying one to another^ What 
 manner of man is this ? for he commandeth even the winds 
 and water, and they obey him. 
 
 Our Lord took this opportunity of showing the 
 disciples his power, that having seen it, their faith 
 might be confirmed. Where is your faith f Have 
 ye yet to learn that with me ye are secure ? 
 
 One thing must be observed. It is only when 
 Christ is with us, and only because he is with us, that 
 his disciples are secure. These were already with 
 him in the ship, and he with them : they had not to 
 seek him when the storm arose. But when faith 
 has attained such union, and passing through the 
 sea of this world, ye have Christ present with your 
 heart, he will restrain every storm, and calm every 
 vexation. " When thou shalt consider that his 
 truth, and person, and honour, are embarked in 
 the same vessel with thee, thou may est resolve on 
 one of these ; either he will be my pilot in the 
 ship, as he was to the disciples in the present 
 danger; or, he will be my plank in the sea, to 
 carry me to land. If I suffer in his company, and 
 as his member, he suffers with me, and then I may 
 triumph to be made any way conformable to Christ, 
 my head. If I am weak in body, Christ, my head, 
 was wounded too : if I am weak in mind, Christ, 
 my head, was * heavy unto death ;' if I suffer in my 
 state, Christ, my head, for my sake, became poor ; 
 if my name is reproached, Christ, my head, was es- 
 teemed vile, and despised of men." ^ 
 
 ^ Owen. 
 
LUKE VIII. 22-39. 149 
 
 Cleave then to him, " with full purpose of heart," 
 in all time of wealth, and in all time of tribulation : 
 and give him no reason to complain, Where is 
 your faith f 
 
 26. And they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, 
 which is over against Galilee. 
 
 27. And when he went forth to land, there met him out 
 of the city a certain man, which had devils long time, and 
 ware no clothes, neither abode in any house, hut in the 
 tombs, 
 
 28. Wlien he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down 
 before him, and with a loud voice said, Wliat have I to do 
 with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high ? I beseech 
 thee, torment me not, 
 
 29. [For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come 
 out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught him ; and he 
 v:as kept bound with chains and in fetters ; and he brake 
 the bands, and was driven of the devil into the wilderness.) 
 
 30. And Jesus asked him, saying. What is thy name ? 
 And he said, Legion : because many devils were entered 
 into him, 
 
 31. And they besought him that he would not command 
 them to go out into the deep, 
 
 32. And there was there an herd of many swine feeding 
 on the mountain : and they besought him that he would 
 suffer them to enter into them. And he suffered them, 
 
 33. Then went the devils out of the man, and entered 
 into the swine : and the herd ran violently down a steep 
 place into the lake, and were choked. 
 
 Much is told us here concerning the world of 
 evil spirits, which, though working in this instance 
 in an extraordinary manner, are always on the 
 watch to injure and destroy. And what is told us 
 may well excite our fears: they are many: their 
 
150 LUKE VIII. 22—39. 
 
 name is Legion, They are inveterate against men ; 
 and had kept the wretched person here described in 
 a miserable condition ; a terror to himself and 
 others. He was hound with chains, and in fetters : 
 and he brake the bands, and was dmen of the devil 
 into the wilderness : he ware no clothes, neither abode 
 in any house, but in the tombs. 
 
 On the other hand, we learn that these malig- 
 nant spirits are completely under the control of 
 Jesus. He commands them, as he had before com- 
 manded the winds and the waters, and they obeyed 
 him : they can do nothing against his power. They 
 besought him that he would not command them to 
 go out into the deep : and again, they besought him 
 that he would suffer them to enter into the herd of 
 swine. Till he permitted, they could not prevail 
 against the meanest animal : how much less shall 
 they prevail against man, who is God's peculiar 
 care, who was made in his own image? How 
 much less still shall they prevail against those whom 
 FAITH has made his children ? They could not, we 
 see, destroy this man, or they would have done it, 
 as they destroyed the swine : there was no want of 
 evil will, but a restraint was held over their power. 
 In truth, the very injury which they had been able 
 to inflict, became, in the providence of God, the 
 highest blessing, for it rendered him the object of 
 Christ's compassion ; and the pitiable being which 
 was just now described, is brought to a situation 
 which all might have cause to envy. 
 
 34. When they that fed them saw what was do7ie, they 
 Jled, and went and told it in the city and in the country. 
 
 35. Then they went out to see what was done ; and came 
 
LUKE VIII. 22—39. 151 
 
 to Jesus, atid found the man, out of whom the devils were 
 departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his 
 right mind ; and they were afraid. 
 
 36. They also which saw it told them by what means he 
 that was possessed of the devils was healed. 
 
 37. Then the whole multitude of the country of the Ga- 
 darenes round about besought him to depart from them : 
 
 for they were taken with great fear : and he went up into 
 the ship, and returned hack again. 
 
 38. ^ow the man out of whom the devils were departed 
 besought him that he might be with him ; but Jesus sent 
 him away, saying, 
 
 39. Return to thine own house y and shew how great 
 thifigs God hath done unto thee. And he went his way, 
 and published throughout the whole city how great things 
 Jesus had done unto him. 
 
 The man who had received this amazing benefit 
 would gladly have joined himself to our Lord's com- 
 pany. Those who are sensible of the blessings which 
 Christ has purchased for them, will never willingly 
 leave him, or be separate from his people. But 
 Jesus sent him away, saying, Return to thine own 
 house, and show how great things God hath done 
 unto thee — that his friends and neighbours might be 
 eye-witnesses of the change, and be won over to be- 
 lieve in the same Saviour. So the Israelites were 
 designed and commanded, in the midst of an idola- 
 trous world, to bear testimony to the name of God, 
 who had delivered them from the power of Egypt. * 
 So Paul was converted, that he might be a chosen 
 vessel unto God, and " preach the faith which once 
 
 2 Exodus xii. 25, &c. 
 
152 
 
 LUKE VIII. 40—56. 
 
 he destroyed," and those who heard it might glorify 
 God in him. 3 
 
 No doubt, to depart from a country of unbe- 
 lievers, and to be with Christ, would have seemed 
 far better to this man than to remain in his own 
 home among the Gadarenes. But he must con- 
 sider, not his own comfort, but the souls of others, 
 and the glory of God. That glory must be testi- 
 fied by the people here, often among many spiritual 
 privations, and many bitter trials. Hereafter they 
 shall dwell with him, "where the wicked cease 
 from troubling, and the weary are at rest." 
 
 i 
 
 LECTURE XXIX. 
 
 JESUS REWARDS THE FAITH OF A DISEASED 
 WOMAN J AND RESTORES A CHILD TO LIFE. 
 
 Luke viii. 40 — 56. 
 (Matt. ix. 18—26. Mark v. 22—43.) 
 
 40. And it came to pass, that when Jesus was returtied, 
 the people gladly received him : for they were all waiting 
 for him. 
 
 41. And, behold, there came a man named Jairus, and 
 he was a ruler of the synagogue : and he fell down at 
 Jesui feet, and besought him that he would come into his 
 house ; 
 
 42. For he had one only daughter, about twelve years of 
 
 3 Compare Acts ix. 15, and Gal. i. 23. 
 
LUKE VIII. 40—56. 158 
 
 age^ and she lay a dying. But as he went the people 
 thronged him, 
 
 43. And a woman having an issue of blood twelve y ears ^ 
 which had spent all her living upon physicians^ neither 
 could he healed of any, 
 
 44. Came behind him, afid touched the border of his gar^ 
 ment : and immediately Iter issue of blood stanched, 
 
 45. Af id Jesus said, Who touched me ? When all denied, 
 Peter and they that were with him said. Master, the multi- 
 tude throng thee a?id press thee, and sayest thou. Who 
 touched me ? 
 
 46. And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me; for I 
 perceive that virtue is gone out of me. 
 
 47. And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she 
 came trembling, a?id falling down before him, she declared 
 unto him before all the people for what cause she had 
 touched him, and how she was healed immediately. 
 
 48. Afid he said unto her. Daughter, be of good com- 
 fort : thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace. 
 
 The mercy exercised towards this woman, sug- 
 gests comfort to any who may stand in need of 
 similar mercy. She had heard of the power which 
 Christ displayed ; she had seen, perhaps, those who 
 had been healed by it. She felt the burthen of her 
 own case, and why should she not experience a like 
 relief? So she came behind him, and touched the 
 hem of his garment : and immediately her issue of 
 blood stanched. 
 
 No doubt there is many a soul, unknown to the 
 world, unknown, perhaps, even to its nearest 
 friends, which feels its own spiritual wants : feels 
 itself unable to meet the searching eye of God: 
 feels itself " carnal, sold under sin ;" while " the 
 
154 LUKE VIII. 40-56. 
 
 law is holy, just, and good." Trembling at tlie 
 prospect of judgment, it vents itself in secret aspi- 
 rations towards him " who loved us, and gave 
 himself for us." It has no other hope : it has tried 
 all other means in vain : has sought for comfort 
 from the various deceitful pleas, by which too many 
 minds are fatally misled and lulled ; and could be 
 healed of none: has found tliem inadequate and 
 ineffectual. It is a just thought : " There is no 
 health in us." But it is also a just saying, that 
 " Christ Jesus came into the world to save sin- 
 ners." He can avert that anger which we dread. 
 And he will reject none that seek him. This very 
 miracle may strengthen confidence. For it de- 
 scribes one who doubted whether she might ven- 
 ture to approach : she came htldnd him, and touched 
 the border of his garment. But none can doubt, 
 who have the Scripture in their hands. "Come 
 unto me, all ye that travail and are heavy laden, 
 and I will give you rest." She came uninvited, 
 and received a cure : they to whom the invitation 
 is sent, will never be denied: and "the promise is 
 to us, and to our children, and to them that are 
 afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall 
 call." 
 
 We may take a further illustration. She came 
 weak and helpless : she returned strong, being 
 healed immediately : she felt in her body that she 
 was whole of her plague. So it is with the Chris- 
 tian. So it was with St. Paul. In his weakness 
 " he besought the Lord," and his weakness became 
 strength : for the answer was given, " My grace 
 
LUKE VIII. 40—56. 155 
 
 is sufficient for thee ; for my strength is made per- 
 fect in weakness." ^ 
 
 She came, too, in perplexity and grief. She 
 came trembling, and fell down before him. She 
 returned in health and comfort. For Jesus said 
 unto her. Daughter, be of good comfort : thy faith 
 hath made thee whole ; go in peace. And such is 
 the merciful design of the gospel. " Being justi- 
 fied by faith, we have peace with God, through 
 Jesus Christ." For "he is our peace," having 
 borne our chastisement, having, "suffered for sin, 
 the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to 
 God." And this benefit we procure to ourselves by 
 faith. Faith made this woman whole, because faith 
 brought her within reach of the physician. And 
 faith justifies the believer in Christ, because it ap- 
 plies the blood of Christ to the guilty soul. To 
 speak strictly, it was not the woman's faith, but the 
 power of Christ, which wrought the cure. And 
 so, to speak strictly, it is the blood of Christ 
 which cleanses from all sin, and justifies the Chris- 
 tian. But by faith we take that blood, and sprinkle 
 it on the soul. Or, to use another metaphor, 
 " As Christ is the garment, which, being put on, 
 covers the shame of our corrupt nature, hides the 
 imperfection of our works, preserves us blameless 
 in the sight of God ; so faith is the hand, which 
 puts on Christ unto justification ;" ^ and draws from 
 him the gracious return, Be of good comfort : thy 
 faith hath made thee whole. 
 
 1 2 Cor. xii. 8, 9. 
 
 2 Hooker's Discourse on Justification, s. 31. 
 
156 LUKE VIII. 40—56. 
 
 49. While he yet spake, there cometh one from the ruler 
 of the synagogues house, saying to him. Thy daughter is 
 dead ; trouble not the Master. 
 
 50. But when Jesus heard it, he answered him^ saying. 
 Fear not : believe only, and she shall be made whole. 
 
 b\. And when he came into the house, he suffered no 
 man to go in save Peter, and James, and John, and the 
 father and the mother of the maiden. 
 
 52. And all wept, and bewailed her : but he said. Weep 
 not : she is not dead, but sleepeth. 
 
 53. And they laughed him to scorn, knowing that she 
 was dead, 
 
 54. And he put them all out, and took her by the hand, 
 and called, saying, Maid, arise. 
 
 55. And her spirit came again, and she arose straight- 
 way : and he commanded to give her meat. 
 
 56. And her parents were astonished : and he charged 
 them that they should tell no man what was done, ^ 
 
 Let this miracle remind us of the hour that is 
 coming, when "all that are in the graves shall hear 
 the voice of the Son of God, and shall come forth ; 
 they that have done good, unto the resurrection of 
 life, and they that have done evil, unto the resur- 
 rection of damnation." * The power that first cre- 
 ated, can create again ; can restore to every one 
 his own body. Some indeed may take offence, and 
 say. How shall these things be? When Paul 
 preached at Athens the resurrection of the dead, 
 we are told, that some mocked. So in the house of 
 Jajrus, when Jesus said. She is not dead, hut sleeps 
 eth; they laughed him to scorn, knowing that she 
 
 3 Perhaps, that a similar exercise of his power in restoring the 
 dead to Ufe might not be generally expected. 
 * John V. 28. 
 
LUKE IX. 1—17. 157 
 
 was dead. The spirit of this child had fled ; but 
 at the command of him who quickeneth whom he 
 will, it came again, and she arose straightway. 
 The spirits of all those who are in the grave are also 
 ready, and at the same command shall return, and 
 animate " every one his own body," " that body 
 which shall be," which shall "be raised incorrup- 
 tible." 
 
 Watch, therefore, and pray always, that ye may 
 be able to " escape the corruption that is in the 
 world," "and to stand before the Son of man." 
 " Behold, he cometh quickly, and his reward is with 
 him." 
 
 LECTURE XXX. 
 
 THE TWELVE APOSTLES ARE SENT TO PREACH 
 THE KINGDOM OF GOD.— FIVE THOUSAND MI- 
 RACULOUSLY FED. 
 
 Luke xi. 1 — 17. 
 
 (Matt. X. 1, 15. Mark vi. 7, 11.) 
 
 1 . Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave 
 them power and authority over all devils, and to cure dis- 
 eases. 
 
 2. And he seiit them to preach the kingdom of God, 
 and to heal the sick, 
 
 3. And he said unto them, Take nothing for your journey, 
 neither staves, nor scrip, neither bread, neither money; 
 neither have two coats apiece. 
 
158 
 
 LUKE IX. 1—17. 
 
 4. A?id whatsoever house ye enter into, there abide, am 
 thence depart. 
 
 5. And whosoever will not receive you, when ye go out of 
 that city, shake off the very dust from your feet, for a tes- 
 timony against them. 
 
 6. And they departed, and went through the towns, 
 preaching the gospel, and healing every where. 
 
 Preaching the gospel : that is, declaring the glad 
 tidings ; " God has visited and redeemed his peo- 
 ple ;" " Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith 
 your God." Unto us that child is born, unto us 
 that Son is given, concerning whom it was promised 
 to Abraham, two thousand years ago, that in him 
 "all the nations of the earth should be blessed." 
 For, " as in Adam all died, even so in Christ shall 
 all be made alive." As by the first Adam "sin 
 entered into the world, and death by sin," so, by 
 the righteousness of Christ, the second Adam, " the 
 free gift is come upon all men unto justification of 
 life." ' 
 
 This is the gospel; these are the glad tidings. 
 But how few treat them as such! Because they 
 do not perceive their state, or acknowledge their 
 condemnation. Even the disciples, probably, at 
 this time, understood it not. They preached the 
 kingdom of God, as John had done, saying, " Re- 
 pent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." 
 They might do more, and aflSrm, " We have found 
 him, of whom Moses in the law and the prophets 
 did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." s 
 But they had yet to learn, themselves, the extent of 
 
 ^ 1 Cor. XV. 22. Rom. v. 12—18. 
 
 John i. 45. 
 
LUKE IX. 1—17. 169 
 
 the glad tidings, and the nature of the redemption 
 which he came to effect. 
 
 They went, however, "in the name of the 
 Lord ;" they declared the fulfilment of long- 
 cherished expectations, and the accomplishment of 
 prophecies which had been always known in Judea ; 
 and they gave evidence of their authority by heaU 
 iiig the sick ; and therefore it was said, Whosoever 
 will not receive you, when ye go out of that city, 
 shake off the very dust fi'om your feet for a testimony 
 against them. Give this sign that you abandon that 
 city, and renounce it. So Paul and Barnabas 
 were forced to " shake off the dust of their feet " 
 against the people of Antioch in Pisidia, and pro- 
 ceeded to Iconium. * 
 
 That dust will rise up against many in the day 
 of judgment, as well as against the inhabitants of 
 Judea, and show that when God would have gathered 
 his people together, even as a hen gathereth her 
 chickens under her wings, " they would not !" 
 
 7. Now Herod the tetrarch * heard of all that was done 
 hy him : and he was perplexed, because that it was said of 
 some, that John was risen from the dead ; 
 
 8. And of some, that Elias had appeared ; and of others, 
 that one of the old prop)hets was risen again. 
 
 9. And Herod said, John have I beheaded ; but who is 
 this, of whom I hear such things ? and he desired to see him. 
 
 (Matt. xiv. 13—21 ; Mark vi. 32—44 ; John vi. 1—14.) 
 
 10. And the apostles, when they were returned, told him 
 all that they had done. And he took them, and luent aside 
 
 3 Acts xiii. 51. 
 
 * So called, because he had succeeded to a fourth part of the 
 dominions of his father, Herod the great. 
 
160 LUKE IX. 1—17. 
 
 privately into a desert place belonging to the city called 
 Bethsaida. 
 
 11. And the people, when they knew it followed him: 
 and he received them, and spake unto them of the kingdom 
 of Gody and healed them that had need of healing. 
 
 12. And when the day began to wear away, then came the 
 twelve, and said unto him. Send the multitude away, that 
 they may go into the towns and country round about, and 
 lodge, and get victuals : for we are here in a desert place. 
 
 13. But he said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And 
 they said, We have no more but five loaves and two fishes : 
 except we should go and buy meat for all this people. 
 
 14. For they were about five thousand men. And he said 
 to his disciples, Make them sit down by fifties in a company. 
 
 1 5. And they did so, and made them all sit down. 
 
 16. Then he took the five loaves and the two fishes, and 
 looking up to heaven, he blessed them, and brake, and gave 
 to the disciples to set before the multitude. 
 
 17. And they did eat, and were all filled : and there was 
 taken up of fragments that remained to them twelve baskets. 
 
 This miracle is related by all the Evangelists in 
 succession ; which seems to intimate that we should 
 seek for further instruction from it, than is conveyed 
 by the mere exhibition of divine power. 
 
 One inference is very obvious. Those who 
 " seek first the kingdom of God and his righteous- 
 ness," shall not be allowed to remain destitute of 
 other things. 
 
 The persons here collected had shown themselves 
 so much in earnest, as to follow our Lord into a 
 desert place, far from their homes, and unmindful 
 of their wants. We know that there are many 
 who are deterred from any care of the soul by the 
 slightest inconvenience ; whilst others are found to 
 struggle against many obstacles, that they may en- 
 3 
 
LUKE TX. 1—17 161 
 
 joy the means of grace, and obtain instruction. 
 This is doubtless pleasing to God. It is a proof of 
 faith, of earnestness, of constancy : and the example 
 here gives encouragement to such zeal. 
 
 The twelve, foreseeing the straits to which the 
 multitude would shortly be exposed, oifered to 
 send them away, that they might go into the towns 
 and country round about ^ and lodge, and get them- 
 selves victuals. But he said unto them. Give ye them 
 to eat. As if to intimate, that all who make reli- 
 gion their first concern, place themselves under the 
 especial care of God, and shall not be neglected by 
 him. It is commonly found so. When St. Paul 
 said to the Philippians, " My God shall supply all 
 your need," he spoke from his own experience. 
 Many, by too great anxiety for temporal things? 
 have lost both these and the favour of God also : 
 but few have ever been made poorer, even as re- 
 gards this world, by following the Lord fully, and 
 leaving themselves in his hands. 
 
 Oh that men would be wise, and understand this ! 
 How many persist in practices which are contrary 
 to their principles, which distress their consciences, 
 through fear of worldly loss ! And how many others, 
 whom the grace of God has enabled to forego such 
 practices, trusting to his support, have realized the 
 truth which says, " Seek ye first the kingdom of 
 God and his righteousness, and all these things shall 
 be added unto you !" 
 
 In the present case, Jesus took the five loaves and 
 two fishes, and gave to the disciples to set before the 
 multitude, and they did all eat, and were filled. 
 Here the Creator exercised a visible and immediate 
 
 M 
 
162 LUKP: IX. 18—27. 
 
 power over tlie work of his hand. But he also 
 governs the hearts of men, and the circumstances of 
 life. In this instance he acted upon the material 
 elements, and moulded them to his purpose. With 
 the same ease he can so influence human agents, and 
 so dispose events, that all shall concur to establish 
 the truth of David's words, " I have been young, 
 and now am old ; yet never saw I the righteous 
 forsaken, nor his seed begging their bread." 
 
 LECTURE XXXI. 
 
 THE APOSTLES ACKNOWLEDGE JESUS TO BE THE 
 CHRIST.— HE WARNS THEM TO EXPECT TRIALS, 
 AND EXHORTS THEM TO SUFFER FOR HIS SAKE. 
 
 Luke ix. 18—27. 
 
 (Matt. xvi. 13—27. Mark viii. 27—38.) 
 
 18. And it came to pass, as he was alone praying, his 
 discijples were with him : and he asked them, saying, Whom 
 say the people that I am ? 
 
 19. They answering said, John the Baptist: hit some 
 say, Elias ; and others say , that one of the old prophets is 
 risen again, 
 
 20. He said unto them. But whom say ye that I am ? 
 Peter answering said, The Christ of God. 
 
 21. And he straitly charged them, and cotnmafided 
 them to tell no man that thing ; 
 
 22. Saying, The Son of 7?ia?i must suffer many things^ 
 and he rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, 
 and he slain, and he raised the third day. 
 
LUKE IX 18—27. 163 
 
 Many reports, it appears, were spread abroad, and 
 many diiFerent opinions entertained respecting Jesus. 
 Some supposed, like Herod, that John the Baptist 
 had risen again ; others considered him to be 
 Elijah, that prophet who was expected as the 
 forerunner of the Messiah ; and others thought 
 that God had restored to life one of the older pro- 
 phets, to warn and instruct his people. But so 
 little did Jesus answer the expectations which pre- 
 vailed concerning him who was to come, that the 
 apostles alone perceived him to be the Christ of 
 God. 
 
 To them this truth had been revealed by the 
 Holy Ghost: but it was not to be yet generally 
 proclaimed, except as far as his doctrines and his 
 miracles proclaimed it. He commanded them to tell 
 no man that thing. Much was to be accom- 
 plished concerning the Son of man, before his king- 
 dom was set up. The were probably supposing 
 that earthly power and dignity would belong to 
 Christ and his followers. No : the Son of man 
 must suffer many things, and be rejected of the 
 elders, and he slain, and be raised the third day. 
 And so too must his disciples suffer many things : 
 his religion must be a religion of self-denial ; and 
 its principle, a sacrifice of this world for that which 
 is to come. 
 
 23. Atid he said to them all, If any man will come after 
 me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily, and 
 follow me. 
 
 24. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it : but 
 whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save 
 it. 
 
 m2 
 
164 LUKE IX. 18—27. 
 
 25. For what is a mail advantaged:, if he gain the whole 
 world, and lose hiinself, or be cast away ? 
 
 26. For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my 
 words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he 
 shall come in his own glory, and in his Father s, and of 
 the holy angels. 
 
 27. But 1 tell you of a truth, there be some standing 
 here, tvhich shall not taste of death till they see the king- 
 dom of God*'^ 
 
 The prominent lesson here, is the inestimable 
 value of the inheritance prepared for all who, " by 
 patient continuance in well-doing, seek for glory> 
 and honour, and immortality." For what is a man 
 advantaged' if he gain the whole world, and lose 
 himself, or he cast away? And yet no reason- 
 able person will deny that there is much in the 
 world which may be very naturally an object of de- 
 sire. To possess, for instance, those things which 
 all the early Christians were forced to resign : to 
 be esteemed, and spoken well of by friends and 
 neighbours ; to live in the society of those we love, 
 and who love us in return ; to enjoy those common 
 comforts and gratifications which a bountiful Pro- 
 vidence has spread over the surface of the world : 
 al this is surely something ; and though these ad- 
 vantages may be short-lived, and cannot be secured 
 to us for any length of time, still that time is the 
 present : so that whoever refuses the good things 
 which the world has to offer him, may surely be 
 
 ^ The apostles saw the kingdom of God, when many of the 
 Jews " became obedient to tliefaitb," and multitndes of heathens 
 •* were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the 
 remission of sins, and received the gift of the Holy Ghost." 
 
LUKE IX. 18—27. 165 
 
 said to deny himself, to act contrary to the inclina- 
 tion of his nature, as nmch as He did who was 
 obliged to take up his cross, and bear it on his 
 shoulders to the place of execution. 
 
 Yet all this, and more than all this : all that 
 the whole world can give, whether of ordinary com- 
 forts, or of riches, honours, and pleasures, — all 
 are as nothing to a man if he gains them in ex- 
 change for his soul ; if, in order to possess them, he 
 forfeits his eternal inheritance. What is a man 
 advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose 
 himself, or be cast away ^ The idea represents 
 one who, for the sake of a vast reward, is about to 
 undertake some enterprise which, to a moral cer- 
 tainty, will cost him his life. We might allow that 
 the reward were tempting ; that it would enrich 
 him ; would enable him to purchase much, and to 
 enjoy much ; but we should ask, What can it profit 
 you? What good will you obtain from a reward 
 which you can only procure at the expense of life ? 
 
 Such is the light in which He to whom heaven 
 and earth, the condition of men here, and the con- 
 dition of just men made perfect, were equally known 
 and manifest ; such is the light in which He viewed 
 all the advantages, all the comforts, all the treasures 
 of this world, when compared with the joys of 
 heaven. He knew what his apostles, he knew 
 what many after his apostles, would be called to 
 resign and to suffer ; and he left them an argument 
 which might sustain their faith. Faith needed 
 strong support, when Christians were dragged be- 
 fore heathen magistrates : on one side stood the 
 altar of some heathen deity, to wliich they were 
 
166 
 
 LUKE IX. 18—27. 
 
 commanded to pay reverence ; on the other side 
 instruments of torture were prepared, ready to 
 punish their refusal. It was on an occasion of this 
 sort that the words of our Lord in this passage 
 gave encouragement to Poly carp, Bishop of Smyrna, 
 and enabled him to witness a good confession. 
 The Roman magistrate exhorted him to have pity 
 on his old age, to swear by the fortunes of Caesar, 
 and so save himself: and at last said, Reproach 
 Christ, and I will release thee. Reproach Christ ! 
 replied the martyr ; these eighty-and-six years have 
 I served him, and he has never wronged me ; 
 and how can I blaspheme my king who hath saved 
 me?^ 
 
 The historian who relates these circumstances, re- 
 marks, concerning this and the other martyrs, 
 " The fire of savage tormentors was cold to them ; 
 for they had steadily in view a desire to avoid that 
 fire which never shall be quenched ; and with the 
 eyes of their heart they had respect to the good 
 things reserved for those who endure : ' things which 
 eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it 
 entered into the heart of man to conceive.'" So 
 they acted upon the promise, Whosoevei' will lose 
 his life for my sake, the same shall save it. 
 
 Be encouraged by such examples. To act up to 
 the standard of the gospel, though it does not lead 
 to martyrdom, will always require encouragement. 
 While the generality of those around us live as if 
 nothing could bring the soul into hazard, it will 
 always be needful to remember, What is a man 
 advantaged if he gain the whole wo7'ld, and lose 
 2 Euscb. lib. iv. ch. 1.5. Sec Milner, vol. i. ch. v. 
 
 ^ 
 
LUKE IX. 28—30. 1«7 
 
 himself, or he cast away f Whilst the laws of the 
 gospel, as far as they enforce self-denial, modera- 
 tion, gentleness, meekness, temperance, are despised 
 by multitudes who profess to recognise them, we 
 shall always need to bear in mind the sentence, 
 Whosoever shall he ashamed of me, and of my words, 
 of him shall the Son of man he ashamed, when he 
 shall come in his own glory, and in his Father s^ 
 and of his holy angels. 
 
 LECTURE XXXII. 
 THE TRANSFIGURATION. 
 Luke ix. 28—36. 
 
 (Matt. xvii. 1—9. Mark ix. 2—8.) 
 
 28. And it came to pass about an eight days after these 
 sayings, he took Peter and John and James, and went up 
 into a mountain to pray. 
 
 29. And as he prayed, the fashion of his comitenance 
 was altered., and his raiment was white and glistering. 
 
 30. And, behold, there talked with him two men, which 
 were Moses and Elias : 
 
 31. Who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease 
 which he should accomplish at Jerusalem. 
 
 32. But Peter and they that were with him were heavy 
 with sleep : and wheti they were awake, they saw his glory, 
 and the two men that stood with him. 
 
 33. And it came to pass, as they departed from him^ 
 Peter said unto Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be 
 
168 LUKE IX. 28—36. 
 
 here : and let us make three tabernacles ; one for thee, 
 and one for Moses, a?id one for JElias : not knowing what 
 he said. 
 
 In this account of the transfiguration of our 
 Lord, we are first told that he selected three from 
 the number of his apostles, whom be saw fit to 
 make eye-witnesses of his glory. The same privi- 
 leges are not granted to all Christians equally. 
 God '* divideth to every man severally as he will." 
 An intimate sense of God's presence in the heart : 
 lively anticipations of future blessedness : strong 
 assurances of divine favour: these, and many other 
 spiritual enjoyments, belong to some Christians far 
 more abundantly than others. But this is no proof 
 that others are excluded from God's favour. The 
 apostles who were left behind upon the plain, un- 
 doubtedly possessed the favour of Christ, though 
 Peter and James and John were selected for a 
 peculiar honour. 
 
 And as he prated, the fashion of his counte- 
 nance was altered. The divine majesty was re- 
 stored to that countenance, which here on earth 
 was marred, so as to be without " form or come- 
 liness :" it received a portion of that glory which 
 he who was now praying, had in the beginning with 
 God. And there appeared with him Moses and Elias, 
 and spake of his decease which he should accomplish 
 at Jerusalem, 
 
 Here then is proof, if proof were needed, of the 
 great object of the incarnation. The subject which 
 these conversed on, was not the bringing more 
 clearly to man's knowledge a future state of immor- 
 tality, though life and immortality were brought to 
 
LUKE IX. 28—36. 100 
 
 light by the gospel ; neither was it the strict en- 
 forcement of the great rules of righteousness, though 
 he did enforce these by the strongest sanctions : but 
 what they spake of was, his decease which he should 
 accomplish at Jerusalem : the propitiation by which 
 he should atone for sin, and reconcile man to God. 
 This it was that interested Moses and Elias : the 
 things which " angels desire to look into ;" the 
 things belonging to our redemption. To this there- 
 fore, our attention must first be fixed ; how " Christ 
 once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that 
 he might bring us to God." ^ 
 
 Thus it was permitted to these apostles to enjoy 
 a glimpse of heaven — a glimpse of the society of 
 heaven. They beheld glory which they could not 
 compare to anytliing on earth : and they beheld two 
 of those "just men made perfect" who are ad- 
 mitted to the presence of God, to be " before the 
 throne of God, and to serve him day and night in 
 his temple." ^ Can we wonder if they said, Master, 
 it is good for us to be here : here let us set up our 
 tent : here let us dwell for ever. 
 
 It was not so to be. Our rest is not on this 
 side the grave. These apostles, like their Master, 
 '* must suffer many things " before they entered 
 into glory. The visions of divine things, which are 
 granted here on earth, shine but for a time, and 
 are soon, like this, succeeded by a cloud. 
 
 34. While he thus spake, there came a cloud, and over- 
 shadowed them ; and they feared as they entered into the 
 cloud. 
 
 1 1 Pet. iii. 18. « Rev. vii. 15. 
 
170 
 
 LUKE IX. 28—36. 
 
 35. Atid there came a voice out of the cloud, saying^ 
 This is my beloved Son : hear him. 
 
 36. And when the voice was past, Jesus was found 
 alone* And they kept it close, and told no man in those 
 days any of those things which they had seen. 
 
 Though the visions of glory may be transient, 
 the effect ought not to be transient, but to remain, 
 and influence, and guide, and strengthen, the future 
 course of those who are so favoured by divine grace. 
 Such was the case with Peter. Long afterwards 
 he appealed to " the voice which came from heaven, 
 which he heard," he says, " on the holy mount." 
 It was a voice which said, This is my beloved Son : 
 hear him.^ Hear him, when he assures you, that 
 God, who in former times spoke to the fathers by 
 his prophets, " hath in these last days spoken unto 
 you by his Son." Hear him, when he says, what 
 this vision was especially meant to prove, that this 
 beloved Son is " the brightness of his glory, and 
 the express image of his person."* Hear him, 
 when he says, " I am the way, and the truth, and 
 the life." Hear him when he asks, " What shall it 
 profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and 
 lose his own soul ? " 
 
 Alas ! it is not so. Men hearken to any, rather 
 than to him who has the first and only claim to our 
 attention. We listen to our friends : we listen to 
 general opinion : we listen to our own hearts ; and 
 make these, and not the words of Christ, the 
 scripture which we believe and trust to. 
 
 Therefore, inquire of yourselves according to the 
 voice ivhich came out of the cloud saying. This is 
 3 2 Pet. i. 18. * See Heb. i. 1. 
 
 ■ 
 
LUKE IX. 28—36. 171 
 
 my beloved Son : hear him. He lias opened the 
 way of salvation. Have ye examined it — seen it 
 — followed it — and are ye pursuing it ? Does " the 
 Spirit bear witness with your spirit, that ye are 
 the children of God ? " Such inquiries will not be 
 painful, unless they ought to be, unless there is 
 too good reason why they should be. They ought 
 to be painful, if ye are not seeking eternal life at 
 all : if ye are not seeking it first and chiefly : if 
 ye are not seeking it by the rule of Christ's in- 
 structions. It is right that your conscience should 
 be awakened, if ye are looking towards the world 
 to come by any other light than that which he has 
 set up to guide you. It is right that your con- 
 science should be awakened, if ye are depending 
 upon no certain ground of hope for the future con- 
 dition of your soul, but leaving to doubt and un- 
 certainty the only concern of life which really de- 
 serves to be called important. But if ye have 
 indeed listened to the gospel with " a hearing ear 
 and an understanding heart," every inquiry into 
 the state of our soul will give you the comfort to 
 which ye are entitled : the unspeakable comfort 
 of " peace with God," offered by his covenant, and 
 ratified by his word. " And hereby we know that 
 we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts 
 before him."^ 
 
 5 1 Johu iii. 19. 
 
17-2 
 
 LUKE IX. 37—50. 
 
 LECTURE XXXIIL 
 
 JESUS HEALS A LUNATIC— PREDICTS HIS OWN 
 SUFFERINGS. — ENFORCES HUMILITY BY THE 
 EXAMPLE OF A CHILD. 
 
 Luke ix. 37 — 50. 
 
 (Matt. xvii. 14—23. Mark ix. 14—40.) 
 
 37. And it came to pass, that on the next day, ivhen they 
 were come down from the hill, much people met him. 
 
 38. And, behold, a man of the company cried out, say- 
 ing. Master, I beseech thee, look upon my son : for he is 
 mine only child. 
 
 39. And, lo, a spirit taketh him, and he suddenly crieth 
 out ; and it teareth him that hefoameth again, and bruis- 
 ing him hardly departeth from him. 
 
 40. And I besought thy disciples to cast him, out ; and 
 they could not. 
 
 41. And Jesus answering said, O faithless and perverse 
 generation, how long shall I be with you, and suffer you ? * 
 Bring thy son hither. 
 
 42. And as he was yet a coming, the devil threw him 
 down, and tare him. And Jesus rebuked the unclean 
 spirit, and healed the child, and delivered him again to 
 his father. 
 
 1 This rebuke of Jesus to his disciples is explained by what he 
 afterwards says to them : (Matt. xvii. 20 :) " If ye had faith as 
 a grain of mustard-seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Re- 
 move hence to yonder plain ; and it shall remove : and nothing 
 shall be impossible unto you.*' 
 
LUKE IX. 37—50. 173 
 
 43. And they were all amazed at the mighty jwwer of 
 God. But ivhile they ivondered every one at all thi/if/n 
 which Jesus did, he said unto his discijdes^ 
 
 44. Let these sayings sink down into your ears: for the 
 Soft of man shall he delivered into the hands of men. 
 
 45. But they understood not this saying, and it was hid 
 from them, that they perceived it not : and they feared to 
 ask him of that saying. 
 
 The apostles, though they partook of the general 
 expectation of their country, derived from the pro- 
 phets, that the Messiah should come into the 
 world, were as yet unacquainted with the great 
 purpose of his coming, " the decease which he 
 should accomplish at Jerusalem." On the con- 
 trary, they partook likewise of the general expec- 
 tation of their country, that the Messiah should 
 " redeem Israel " out of the hands of their enemies. 
 The glory which three of the apostles had so lately 
 witnessed, and the power which all had been just 
 now witnessing, the mighty power of God at which 
 they were amazed, would strengthen and encourage 
 this belief. It was hard for them to conceive that 
 one who possessed this power and majesty, sliould be 
 delivered into the hands of men. 
 
 He seized, however, the opportunity, and solemnly 
 declared that truth to them. Let these sayings sink 
 down into your ears. Receive the assurance ; dwell 
 upon it ; ponder it. 
 
 Truths which are heard, do not always sink 
 down into the ears. More commonly they fall by 
 the way-side, and the fowls of the air devour them. 
 But as the grain which is sown must be covered by 
 the earth, or it is lost ; so spiritual truth must sink 
 
174 LUKE IX. 37—50. 
 
 down into the heart and be cherished there, or it 
 will not spring up unto everlasting life. 
 
 So strange, however, did this saying appear, and 
 so contradictory to their former notions, that, plainly 
 as it was declared, they could not receive it. It 
 was hid from therriy that they perceived it not, 
 
 (Matt, xviii. I — 5.) 
 
 46. Theji there arose a reasoning among them, which of 
 them should be greatest, 
 
 47. And Jesus perceiving the thought of their heart, took 
 a child, and set him by him. 
 
 48. And said unto them, Whosoever shall receive this 
 child in my name receiveth me : and whosoever shall receive 
 me receiveth him that sent me : for he that is least amotig 
 you all, the same shall be great. 
 
 How slowly do precepts become practice, which 
 are so contrary to the natural heart as humility and 
 self-denial ! The disciples had just heard what is, 
 of all things, most calculated to produce humility ; 
 for they had heard of the humiliation of Christ : and 
 it is by his humiliation that " the world is crucified 
 unto us, and we unto the world." But still there 
 arose a reasoning among them, ivhich should he the 
 greatest. The Lord perceived and rebuked this 
 thought of their heart. He set a child before them, 
 as an example of the simplicity and humility which 
 he approved, and desired them to imitate. For the 
 purpose of his word, and of his Spirit, the purpose, 
 in short, of his religion, was to make men "first 
 pure ; then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be en- 
 treated, without partiality, and without hypocrisy." 
 And of these qualities the simplicity of the child was 
 
LUKE IX. 37—50. 175 
 
 a model. The child has much which the perfect 
 Christian must not have; and the child wants much 
 which must not be wanting to the perfect Christian. 
 But the chikl is meek, and indifferent to honours 
 and precedence ; and that is the part of the chris- 
 tian character which is here in question : for it was 
 tliat which the apostles had not acquired, when they 
 disputed which should he the greatest : therefore 
 he says. Whosoever shall receive this child iii my 
 name, receiveth me. Whosoever shall receive one 
 like this child in disposition : whosoever, instead of 
 despising a meek, self-denying, unpresuming Chris- 
 tian, regards and favours him, receiveth me. He 
 receives the character which Christ recommends 
 and approves ; nay, he receives Christ's own cha- 
 racter, for He was " meek, and lowly in heart ;" 
 and therefore he receives Christ ; he gives this 
 proof of receiving him, that he admires the disposi- 
 tion which he exhibited to the world, and com- 
 mands the world to imitate. Further still ; he re- 
 ceives the Father also ; for he and his Father are 
 one : and the Father, who declared himself well 
 pleased in his beloved Son, has sealed his meek and 
 lowly character with the testimony of his approba- 
 tion. 
 
 Consider this, then, as a test of faith proposed to 
 your own hearts. Has your faith produced this dis- 
 position in you, which must arise from a humble 
 sense of our own deserts, and a renunciation of this 
 present world? The common language is, — assert 
 your dignity — show a becoming spirit — maintain 
 your own. Thus did the apostles : they rea- 
 soned among themselves which should he the 
 
176 LUKE IX. 37—50. 
 
 greatest : and they are told in answer, that " ex- 
 cept they be converted," and this proud spirit be 
 subdued and changed, they " cannot enter into the 
 kingdom of heaven " at all. ^ For he that is least 
 among you all, the same shall be greatest. *' He that 
 humbleth himself shall be exalted." He that is 
 least in his own eyes, is great in the sight of God ; 
 because he shows this proof of grace prevailing in 
 his heart, and giving him the mind which was in 
 Christ Jesus, who came not to be ministered unto, 
 but to minister, and consented, for man's sake, to 
 be " despised, and rejected, and numbered with the 
 transgressors." 
 
 The want of this same humble spirit is seen in the 
 complaint which follows. 
 
 49. And John answered and said. Master, we saw one 
 casting out devils in thy name ; and we forbad him, he- 
 cause he followeth not with us, 
 
 50. A7id Jesus said unto him. Forbid him not : for he 
 that is not against us is for us. 
 
 There are two interests in the world, — the in- 
 terests of Satan, and the interests of God ; and 
 whoever is opposed to the interests of Satan, as this 
 man must have been who was casting out devils in 
 Christ's name, is, in truth, advancing the interests 
 of God. Whoever is against the cause of sin, and 
 not against the cause of righteousness, is for Him 
 who was manifested for this very purpose, that he 
 might " fulfil all righteousness, and destroy the 
 works of the devil." 
 
 2 See the parallel place in Matt, xviii. 1 — 5. 
 
MIKK IX. ;-)!— 02. 177 
 
 LECTURE XXXIV. 
 
 THE SPIRIT OF TWO APOSTLES REPROVED.— 
 NECESSITY OF RESOLUTE PERSEVERANCE IN 
 RELIGION. 
 
 Luke ix. 51 — 62. 
 
 5 1 . A?id it came to pass, when the time was come that he 
 should he received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to 
 Jerusalem, 
 
 52. And sent messengers hefore his face: and they went, 
 and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready 
 for him, 
 
 53. And they did not receive him, because his face was 
 as though he would go to Jerusalem. 
 
 54. And when his disciples James and John saw this, 
 they said, Lord^ wilt thou that we command fire to come 
 down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did ? 
 
 55. But he turned, and rehuked them, and said. Ye knoiv 
 7iot what manner of spirit ye are of. 
 
 56. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's 
 lives, hut to save them. And they went to another village. 
 
 Though " the Jews had no dwellings with the Sa- 
 maritans," we cannot suppose that it was usual with 
 them to show such enmity as is here described. 
 They did not receive him, because his face was as 
 though he would go to Jerusalem. It was a pecuhar 
 instance of hostility, because Jesus was known as a 
 teacher of high authority, and he did not favour the 
 Samaritan claims, and prefer their mount Gerizim to 
 the temple of Jerusalem. 
 
 N 
 
178 LUKE IX. 51-62. 
 
 Ill this same district, in Samaria, Elijali had 
 called down fire from heaven to consume a party of 
 his enemies. The case was extraordinary : the pro- 
 phet had sent a message to Ahaziah, announcing 
 the wrath of God against that idolatrous king. 
 Ahaziah, on receiving the message, despatched a 
 company of fifty men to seize the prophet. (2 Kings 
 i. 9.) " And he went up to him : and behold, he sat 
 on the top of a hill : and he spake unto him, Thou 
 man of God, the king hath said, Come down. And 
 Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, 
 If I be a man of God, let fire come down from 
 heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there 
 came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and 
 his fifty." 
 
 Reminded by this occurrence, the disciples James 
 and John advise a similar exercise of power, to chas- 
 tise the present enmity of the Samaritans. But 
 Jesus turned, and rebuked them : " for as many as 
 he loves, he rebukes and chastens ;" and never more 
 certainly than when they mistake the nature of the 
 religion they profess, and indulge a fiery zeal. Ye 
 know not what spii^it ye are of. They know not 
 that their spirit, under the semblance of regard for 
 their Master's honour, or zeal for his cause, was, in 
 truth, the spirit of revenge, of malice. But the 
 Son of man was not come to destroy men's lives, bat 
 to save them How beautifully does this introduce 
 the purpose of his Incarnation, not yet understood 
 by the disciples, but never out of the view of the 
 Redeemer ! The Son of man is come, not to de- 
 siroy, but to save: his message is peace, his object 
 mercy. And such must be the temper of his dis- 
 
LUKE IX. 51—62. r79 
 
 ciples. Though they have the most active zeal, and 
 the most resistless eloquence, if they have not 
 charity they are nothing ; if they have not that 
 charity wliicli " sufl^ereth long, and is kind ; that 
 charity which envieth not; that charity which 
 vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not 
 behave itself unseemly, seeketh not its own, is not 
 easily provoked, thinketh no evil. " i 
 
 (Matt. viii. 19—22.) 
 
 57. And it came to pass, (hat, as they uwnt in the tvay, 
 a certain man said nnto him, Lord, I will follow thee 
 whithersoever thou goest. 
 
 58. And Jesus said unto him. Foxes have holes, and 
 birds of the air have iiests ; hut the Son of man hath not 
 where to lay his head. 
 
 59. And he said unto another. Follow me. But he said, 
 Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father, 
 
 60. Jesus said unto him. Let the dead bury their dead : 
 but go thou a7id jyreach the kingdom of God. ^ 
 
 61. And ajiother also said. Lord, I will follow thee ; but 
 let me first go to bid them farewell, which are at home at 
 my house, 
 
 62. And Jesus said imto him. No man having put his 
 hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom 
 of God. 
 
 In these three answers, three different qualities 
 are recommended to all who are actively engaged in 
 the service of religion. In the first, considera- 
 tion ; in the second, devotedness ; in the third, 
 
 ^ See 1 Cor. xiii. 1 — 5. 
 
 2 Thy call is peculiar, and supersedes common duties. Let 
 these be performed by such as are at present dead towards God, 
 and religion, and the concerns of the soul. See on Matt. viii. 
 19-22. 
 
 N 2 
 
180 LUKE IX. 51--()-2. 
 
 steady resolution and perseverance; as illustrated 
 by the proverb, 7io man having put his hand to the 
 plough^ aud looking back, is Jit for the kingdom of 
 God, As the man who has once set himself to the 
 plough, must not look back, but forward, or his 
 work is spoiled ; so he who has made it his choice to 
 devote himself to the service of Christ, must reso- 
 lutely proceed. Had the apostles, for example, shrunk, 
 from the dangers which assailed them when they 
 asserted the resurrection of Jesus, they would have 
 offended against this maxim. They had put their 
 hand to the plough, when they left all, and followed 
 Jesus, knowing that he had the words of eternal life. 
 If they had afterwards yielded to the threats of the 
 rulers, commanding them, " not to speak at all or 
 teach in the name of Jesus," ^ they would have looked 
 back, and so proved themselves not fit for the king- 
 dom of God, St. Paul had put his hand to the plough 
 when he was baptized in that name which before he 
 had blasphemed, and began to "preach Christ in 
 the synagogues, that he is the Son of God."* If 
 afterwards he had obeyed the entreaties of his 
 friends, when " they besought him not to go up to 
 Jerusalem," or had shrunk from the " bonds and 
 afflictions " which awaited him, he too would have 
 been guilty of looking back after taking on himself 
 the ministry of the kingdom. 
 
 The same sentence ap2)lies to e\QYy man. All 
 have not the gosj)el to preach, but all have the 
 gospel to obey. They too must consider; they too 
 must resolve ; they too must persevere. They must 
 not look back on the things which they have left, or 
 3 Acts. iv. 18. * Acts ix. 20. ^ Acts xxi. 12. 
 
LUKE IX. 51— ()-2. 18t 
 
 the things which they have passed by, but must press 
 steadily onward, remembering- that " the kingdom 
 of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it 
 by force." They who would inherit it must be re- 
 solute and stedfast. All that we read in Scripture 
 assures us, that the faith which " lays hold on eter- 
 nal life," as offered in the gospel, must undergo and 
 endure a trial. Had any of the apostles' converts at 
 Corinth or Thessalonica, who had been convinced^ 
 by what they saw and heard, that God had raised 
 his Son Jesus from the dead, and had been baptized 
 in his name for the remission of sin; had any of 
 these returned to practices which, in their heathen 
 state, they had reckoned lawful or indifferent ; had 
 they refused that discipline and self-denial which 
 is needful to all the people of God ; they would 
 have had the guilt of looking back after putting 
 their hand to the plough, and would have " lost the 
 things which they had wrought," instead of receiv- 
 ing " the end of their faith, even the salvation of 
 their souls." 
 
 " Blessed is the man that endureth tempta- 
 tion," whether it comes from friends or ene- 
 mies ; from those of his own household, or those 
 that are abroad ; from the snares of the world, or 
 the corruptions of his own heart. Blessed, there- 
 fore, is he to whom the Lord gives strength to re- 
 sist such trials ; and to say, in the spirit of Paul, 
 "None of these things move me, neither count I 
 my life dear unto myself, so that I may finish my 
 course with joy :" ^ may leave no evidence of unfaith- 
 fulness against my own soul, that I am not fit for 
 the kingdom of God.'' 
 
 « Acts XX. 21. 
 
182 LUKE X. 1— lo\ 
 
 LECTURE XXXV, 
 
 SEVENTY DISCIPLES SENT FORTH TO PROCLAIM 
 THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 
 
 Luke x. 1 — 16. 
 
 1. After these things the Lord appointed other seventy 
 also, and se?it them two and two before his face into every 
 city and place, whither he himself would come. 
 
 2. Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is 
 great y hut the labourers are few : pray ye therefore the 
 Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into 
 his harvest. 
 
 3. Go your ways : behold, I send you forth as lambs 
 among wolves. 
 
 4. Carry neither purse, nor scrijj, ?wr shoes : afid salute 
 no man by the way. • 
 
 5. And into whatsoever house ye enter ^ first say, Peace 
 be to this house. 
 
 In addition to the twelve apostles, these seventy 
 were also appointed to perform an office like that 
 of John the Baptist, to prepare the minds of men 
 for a visit from Christ himself, and to warn them 
 that " the kingdom of heaven was at hand." They 
 were to go as labourers into a field, where the har- 
 vest was ripe and plentiful, and few to gather it, 
 
 ^ Let nothing divert you from your main business. Sec a 
 similar injunction, 2 Kings iv. 29. The rest of those directions, 
 being the same as those given to the twehe apostles, are more 
 fully considered on Matt. x. 1 — lo. 
 
LUKE X. 1-10. 183 
 
 But they were to go not as ordinary labourers, sup- 
 plied witli their provision, but depending for sup^ 
 port on him whose messengers they were. 
 
 Into whatsoever house they entered, their first 
 salutation was. Peace be to this house. And this was 
 not a sentence of courtesy alone. The gospel offers 
 peace. Its first announcement promised " peace on 
 earth, good-will towards men." Its voice is the 
 voice of mercy, and its ministers are ministers of 
 reconciliation. 
 
 This is as true now as ever. The gospel says to 
 every family, Peace he to this house. It brings the 
 peace of God to all who receive Christ Jesus as 
 their Lord and Saviour. And it gives also peace at 
 home ; — peace within, and peace in our intercourse 
 with others. The elements of strife and discord are 
 removed, when a religion of charity, and humility, 
 and mutual concession prevails : and where men are 
 too much engaged in securing an eternal inheritance, 
 to contend about the trifles which concern the 
 present time. 
 
 It is strange, but it is too true, that men do not 
 always perceive this ; and that the religion of hap- 
 piness and peace is sometimes feared as a danger, 
 and treated as an enemy. All are not children of 
 peace. This is implied in what follows : 
 
 6. And if the son of peace he therey '^ your peace shall rest 
 upon it : if not, it shall turn to you again. 
 
 7. And in the same house remain, eating and drinking 
 such things as they give : for the labour ei^ is worthy of his 
 hire. Go notfrovfi house to house. 
 
 2 Son of peace, a Hebrew phrase. One of an " honest and 
 good heart ;" a heart " prepared of the Lord " to receive the 
 words of truth. 
 
]84 LUKE X. 1—16. 
 
 8. And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive 
 you, eat such things as are set before you : 
 
 9. And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto themj 
 The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. 
 
 10. But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you 
 not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say, 
 
 11. Even the very dust of your city, tuhich cleaveth on us, 
 we do wipe off against you : notwithstanding he ye sure of 
 this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. 
 
 12. But I say unto you that it shall he more tolerahle in 
 that day for Sodom, than for that city. 
 
 13. ^¥oe unto thee, Chorazin ! woe unto thee, Bethsaida ! 
 for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, 
 which have heen done in you, they had a gr^eat while ago 
 repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes." ^ 
 
 14. But it shall he more tolerahle for Tyre and Sidon at 
 the judgment, than for you. 
 
 15. A7id thou, Capernaum, which art exalted m heaven, 
 shall he thrust down to hell. * 
 
 16. He that heareth you heareth me : and he that de- 
 spiseth you despiseth me ; and he that despiseth me despiseth 
 him that sent me. 
 
 The words which demand our attention here, 
 are those of that weighty sentence. The kingdom of 
 God is come nigh unto you. A heavenly kingdom, 
 purchased by the blood of Christ, and prepared of 
 God from the foundation of the world — this is come 
 nigh unto you : for ye are invited to enter it, and 
 to enrol yourselves among those for whom it is 
 intended. 
 
 3 These were places in Judea, where, as at Capernaum, Jesus 
 had sojourned longer and oftener, and therefore performed more 
 miracles, than elsewhere. See Matt. xi. 20. 
 
 '^ Shalt he as* low in thine humiliation as thou art now proud 
 in security. 
 
LUKE X. 1— IG. 1S5 
 
 This kjiigdoni was now to be set up in the world. 
 Christ was establishing it. These were the first 
 subjects of it, who came to him, believed in him, 
 and followed his teaching. And it was brought 
 nigh to every individual who heard the message of 
 the gospel : heard the wonderful truth, that " God 
 had sent his Son to reconcile the world unto himself, 
 and to give them access through the Spirit unto 
 the Father." 
 
 For it cannot be said of the world at large, that 
 it is the kingdom of God. It cannot be said now. 
 Much less could it be said, when these words were 
 first spoken. Mankind had thrown off the sove- 
 reignty of God : had set up idols in their houses, 
 and idols in their country, and idols in their hearts ; 
 and God was not in all their thoughts. They had 
 " changed the truth of God into a lie, and wor- 
 shipped and served the creature more than the 
 Creator." 
 
 Christ Jesus, therefore, had come to restore the 
 kingdom of God : that the sovereignty might be 
 acknowledged, to which God had a rightful claim; 
 that his grace might renew the hearts of men, and 
 his will direct their lives. 
 
 In this sense, the kingdom of God might be said 
 to come nigh to Athens, when Paul declared in 
 full assembly there, that the times of past " igno- 
 rance God winked at : but now commands all 
 men everywhere to repent, because he has ap- 
 pointed a day in the which he will judge the world 
 in righteousness, by that man whom he hath or- 
 dained." ' 
 
 5 Acts xvii. 30, 31. 
 
186 LUKE X. 1— 1()\ 
 
 Jn this sense the kingdom of God was received 
 by the Thessalonians, when they " turned to God 
 from idols to serve the living and true God, and to 
 wait for his Son from heaven." « 
 
 And in this sense the kingdom of God was now 
 carried nigh to the persons, to whom these seventy 
 made known the fact, that God had performed the 
 promise made to their fathers, and had sent into the 
 world " a Saviour, which was Christ the Lord." 
 
 The kingdom of God has more than come nigh 
 to us. We are all outwardly numbered among its 
 subjects. But more than this is needful in order to 
 obtain its benefits. The Jewish nation was out- 
 wardly the kingdom of God, who had chosen them 
 to himself as a peculiar people. Yet these were 
 the people, the people of God by birth and educa- 
 tion, and by the outward covenant of circumcision, 
 to whom the seventy were sent, and commanded 
 to say, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto 
 you. Those, therefore, alone are to have the 
 privilege of subjects, who have a heart obedient 
 to the King, and lead a life corresponding to the 
 kingdom. 
 
 Inquire how it is with yourselves : and whether 
 ye have personally ratified the covenant by which 
 as Christians you are bound : whether you, like 
 the Thessalonians, have turned to God from all 
 those idols of which the world is full, and have 
 made it your choice to serve him, and to " wait for 
 his Son from heaven." " For of such is the king- 
 dom of God." 
 
 « 1 Thess. i. 1). 
 
[.UKE X. 17—20. 1H7 
 
 LECTURE XXXVI. 
 
 RETURN OF THE SEVENTY. — THEIR NAMES 
 WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF LIFE. 
 
 Luke x. 17—20. 
 
 17. And the seventy returned again with joy, saying. 
 Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy 
 name. 
 
 18. A7id he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lig?Uni?ig 
 fall from heaven. 
 
 19. Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents 
 and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy : and 
 nothing shall by any means hurt you. 
 
 Thus the seventy return from their commission, 
 rejoiced, and, it would seem, surprised at their suc- 
 cess. Lord, even the devils are subject to us. But 
 the means are added : in thy name. Every victory 
 over Satan and his works, public or private, must 
 be sought in the name of Christ, who came for 
 this very purpose, " that he might destroy the 
 works of the devil." Those who seek that victory 
 through the same means, will be enabled to rejoice, 
 like the seventy here, and find even the devils sub- 
 ject to them. " Never any man did or shall perish 
 by the power of any lust, sin, or corruption, who 
 could raise his soul by faith to an expectation of 
 relief from Jesus Christ." ^ 
 
 ^ Owen. 
 
188 LUKE X. 17-20. 
 
 The Lord Jesus, in the account thus brought him, 
 recognises a fulfihnent of the object of his coming. 
 / heheld Satan fall as lightning from heaven. His 
 power is already shaken, and begins to totter to- 
 wards its fall. 
 
 And this gives us, incidentally, a test of the 
 progress of the gospel in the heart. Its design is 
 to destroy the power of Satan. And in proportion 
 as that power is weakened, and men become dead 
 to him and his influence, and alive to God and 
 righteousness, in that proportion is the prince of 
 this world cast out, and the kingdom of God en- 
 larged. No wonder, therefore, if he opposes ob- 
 stacles to the extension of the gospel, whether in 
 the w^orld at large, or in the heart of the individual. 
 This is our danger. Our security is the protection 
 of Satan's conqueror. Behold, I give unto you 
 power over all the power of the enemy : and nothing 
 shall hy any means hurt you, 
 
 20. Notwithstanding, in this rejoice not, thai the spirits 
 are subject unto you ; but rather rejoice, because your 
 names are written in heaven. 
 
 The Lord here moderates their exultation with 
 a salutary warning. They might do greater works 
 than these, and yet be " nothing." For what 
 should extraordinary gifts and special privileges 
 avail them, when the end came ? " Many will say 
 to him in that day. Lord, Lord, have we not pro- 
 I)hesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast 
 out devils ? and in thy name done many wonderful 
 works ? And then will he profess unto them, I 
 
LUKE X. 17—20. 189 
 
 never knew you." ^ In tliis then were tliey to re- 
 joice, that their names were written in heaven : 
 that they were known to God, and accepted of 
 him. The expression is figurative. Men are accus- 
 tomed to record certain names in their books, of 
 those who have a claim upon them, or whom they 
 design to favour or reward. Speaking after the 
 manner of men, God is said to do the same. 
 Moses speaks of being enrolled in the book which 
 God had written. Isaiah speaks of being " written 
 in the book of the living." Daniel speaks of the 
 people of God being " written in a book." St. 
 Paul speaks of his fellow-labourers, " whose names 
 are in the book of life :" speaks of " the assembly 
 and church of the first-born, whose names are 
 written in heaven." And in the Revelation a 
 book is mentioned, which is " the Lamb's book of 
 life.'"^ 
 
 The important question is, whose names are 
 there written ? The names of all who believe in 
 Christ Jesus. Such was the case with those, of 
 whom it is here said, that their names are written in 
 heaven. When Jesus went through the country of 
 Judea, calling men to repent and believe the gos- 
 pel, these had attended to him, and " come to him, 
 that they might have life." Many had turned a 
 deaf ear to his invitation. These had accepted it. 
 These were induced to listen to the call, which so 
 many heard in vain. The Lord had opened their 
 hearts, that they attended unto the things spoken 
 
 2 Matt. vii. 22. 
 
 3 Exod. xxxii. 32 ; Isa. iv. 3 ; Dan. xii. 1 ; Phil. iv. 3 ; Heb. 
 xii. 23; Rev. xxi. 27. 
 
190 LUKE X. 17— -20. 
 
 of Jesus. And the same Lord is ready to open 
 every heart. His ofi'er is universal. " Come unto 
 me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I 
 will give you rest." None who accept his offer, 
 and do come unto him, are rejected. " Him that 
 cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast out." 
 
 The inquiry, therefore, which all are bound to 
 make, — whether their own names are written in 
 heaven, — is not an inquiry into God's counsels, but 
 into the state of their hearts. Do we believe in 
 Christ? For "as many as believe in him, shall 
 not perish, but have everlasting life." Have we 
 received him ? " To as many as receive him, to 
 them gives he power to become the sons of God." 
 Do we belong to his flock ? " His sheep hear 
 his voice, and he knows them, and they follow him : 
 and he gives unto them eternal life, and none shall 
 pluck them out of his hand." Do we " mind the 
 things of the Spirit ? " For " as many as are led 
 by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." 
 And " there is no condemnation to them that are 
 in Christ Jesus, w^ho walk not after the flesh, but 
 after the Spirit." 
 
 How great the comfort, to know that there is 
 " a book of life,*' and that there are " names written 
 in heaven," and that nothing except our own fault 
 or negligence, can prevent our name from being 
 included there ! 
 
 But if ye have reasonable hopes that your names 
 are written in that book, be careful that they be 
 not blotted out. Watch and pray, that ye may 
 be accounted worthy to attain that world, and the 
 resurrection from the dead : not as though ye had 
 8 
 
LUKE X. 21—29. 191 
 
 already attained, either were already perfect. Re- 
 member that " the foundation of the Lord standeth 
 sure, having his seal, The Lord knoweth them that 
 are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name 
 of Christ depart from iniquity." * This is your cau- 
 tion, that if ye regard iniquity in your heart, ye 
 have no right to name the name of Christ. " For 
 not every one that saith unto him, Lord, Lord, shall 
 enter into the kingdom of heaven ; but he that doeth 
 the will of his Father who is in heaven." On the 
 other hand, this is your comfort, your security, " The 
 Lord knoweth them that are his," and will " pray 
 that their faith fail not," and " will perform unto 
 the end the good work which he has begun in them." 
 
 LECTURE XXXVII. 
 
 MYSTERIES OF THE GOSPEL.— A LAWYER IN- 
 QUIRES CONCERNING ETERNAL LIFE. 
 
 Luke x. 21—29. 
 
 (Mark xi. 25—27.) 
 
 21. In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I 
 thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou 
 hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, a/nd hast 
 revealed them unto bales: even so, Father ; for so it 
 seemed good in thy sight. 
 
 •22. All things are delivered to me of my Father : and 
 no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and 
 
 * 2 Tim. ii. 19. 
 
192 LUKE X. -21— -29. 
 
 who the Father is, hut the Son, and he to ulwm the Son 
 will reveal him. 
 
 No man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father. 
 The Father alone understands the mysterious union 
 which exists between himself and the Son ; the Fa- 
 ther alone understands the mysterious union which 
 exists between the Son's divine nature, and that na- 
 ture which he took upon him when he consented to 
 be born as man. Nay, there are mysteries in that 
 redemption which are known to the Father alone. 
 What knowledge of it is needful for man, he com- 
 municates, through the Spirit, to those who ask 
 him : but there are heights and depths connected 
 with it which we should vainly attempt to reach. 
 So, again, the Father is known to us only through 
 the Son ; " He dwelleth in the light which no man 
 can approach unto." The philosophers of old, the 
 wise and prudent of the East, sought after him, " if 
 haply they might find him :" and even still his 
 attributes are mistaken, his will perverted, his coun- 
 sels misrepresented, by all except those to whom the 
 Son sees fit to reveal him} Nay, they who have 
 learnt most concerning him, will be the first to ex- 
 claim, " O the depth of the . riches both of the wis- 
 dom and knowledge of God ! How unsearchable 
 are his judgments, and his ways past finding out ! 
 For who hath known the mind of the Lord ? or 
 who hath been his counsellor ? " 
 
 Great, indeed, is the privilege of the meek and 
 simple hearts, the babes in spirit, though not in un- 
 derstanding, to whom those things are revealed. 
 He that is instructed in the gospel has a knowledge 
 of the Father through the Son, of the attributes of 
 
 ^ tav ySovAi/rai aTroKoAvj/'ai. 
 
LUKE X. 21 — 20. 193 
 
 God through this wondorful manifestation of them, 
 which many prophets and kings may have desired 
 in vain.- 
 
 23. And he turned him imto his disciples, and said 
 privately y Blessed are the eyes which see the things that 
 ye see : 
 
 24. For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have 
 desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen 
 them : and to hear those things which ye hear, and have 
 not heard them. 
 
 25. And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted 
 him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal 
 life? 
 
 Though the question here was prompted by no 
 good motive, it is a question for all to ask most 
 seriously, What shall I do to inherit eternal life f 
 Let none take it for granted that everlasting happi- 
 ness will be theirs of course. We must provide for 
 the next day, for the next year, that it may go well 
 with us : and must not we provide for the world 
 which is to be hereafter ? 
 
 We cannot now apply to the Author of eternal 
 life in person ; but his word is a living oracle, and 
 shall not deceive us. No man ever entered upon 
 the inquiry with an honest, simple heart, and was 
 disappointed : for it is a clear promise, " If any 
 man will do the will of God, he shall know of the 
 doctrine that it be of God." *' Blessed are they 
 that do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for 
 they shall be filled." 
 
 Jesus intimates to this inquirer that he was not 
 without a revelation of God's will. 
 2 See 1 Pet. i. 10—12. 
 
194 LUKE X. 21—29. 
 
 26. He said unto him, WJiat is written in the law f 
 hoiv readest thou 9 
 
 27. And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord 
 thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and 
 with all thy strength, and with all thy mind ; and thy 
 neighbour as thyself, 
 
 28. And he said unto him. Thou hast answered right ; 
 this do, and thou shalt live. 
 
 These words at first surprise us. When the Jews 
 inquired of Peter and the rest of the apostles, (Acts 
 ii. 87,) "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" 
 Peter said unto them, " Repent, and be baptized 
 every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for 
 the remission of sins." When " the keeper of the 
 prison at Philippi (Acts xvi. 27, &c.) fell down be- 
 fore Paul and Silas, and said. Sirs, what must I do 
 to be saved ? they said. Believe on the Lord Jesus 
 Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." 
 But our Lord here refers the lawyer to the com- 
 mandments, and adds, l^his do, and thou shalt live, 
 
 A short consideration will reconcile the apparent 
 difficulty. 
 
 What would be the reflection of a serious in- 
 quirer after salvation, when he was told by a teacher 
 whom he revered, that if he loved the Lord his 
 God with his whole soul, and served him with all 
 his powers, and also loved his neighbour as himself, 
 doing unto all men as he would tliat they should do 
 unto him, he should inherit eternal life ? Certainly, 
 one who had so conducted himself, would live in 
 the sight and favour of God: and, certainly, every 
 one, under whatever dispensation he may be placed, 
 and whatever he may be trusting to for acceptance, 
 
LUKE X. 21—20. 195 
 
 must aim to keep tliese first and great command- 
 ments. But would not one who bad been striving 
 to follow such a course of life, when he heard the 
 answer, This do, and thou shalt live, — would he not 
 ask, " Who then can be saved ? " How shall man, 
 " the imagination of whose heart is evil continually,'' 
 surrounded as he is by things of earth, and disposed 
 to set his affections on them ; how shall he obey this 
 law, and love the Lord his God with all his heart, 
 and soul, and strength, and mind ? And who was 
 ever kept so free from selfishness, as to consider his 
 neighbour's wishes and interests as his own, and 
 constantly to think, and speak of him, and act to- 
 wards him, as he would himself desire to be dealt 
 with, to be thought, or spoken of? When, there- 
 fore, our Lord replies, This do, and thou shalt live, 
 what is it but to say that no man shall inherit 
 eternal life? 
 
 Such, surely, would be the reflection of any se- 
 rious mind on hearing these words. And had the 
 lawyer reasoned thus, he might have been answered 
 as the young ruler was, who did carry his inquiry 
 further, " Come, follow me, and thou shalt inherit 
 eternal life." ^ True, the law which says, " Do this, 
 and thou shat live," says also, " Cursed is every one 
 that continueth not in all things which are written 
 in the book of the law, to do them."* But the 
 words of the Lord Jesus are, Come, follow me ; 
 enrol yourself among my disciples, and learn how 
 God has prepared a way in which his mercy and his 
 justice may meet together, in which he may be " at 
 the same time just, and the justifier of them that 
 3 Matt. xix. 21 * See Galat. iii. 10—12. 
 
 o 2 
 
196 LUKE X. 21—29. 
 
 believe in Jesus." And since I am not come to de- 
 stroy, but to fulfil the law ; since all my disciples 
 must be ruled by the law, though they do not look 
 to the law for justification ; follow me, and ye shall 
 be taught of God himself to serve him with a per- 
 fect heart and a willing mind ; he shall put a new 
 heart and a right spirit within you : for that which 
 is impossible to man, in his own nature, becomes 
 possible to him when his corrupt nature is renewed 
 by the almiglity grace of God. 
 
 Thus the law might have had its due effect. 
 " For by the law is the knowledge of sin ;" and 
 this man, like St. Paul afterwards, might come to 
 know how " the Scripture hath concluded all under 
 sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might 
 be given to them that believe." But he did not 
 come with the " honest and good heart, which, 
 having heard the word, keeps it." He was not 
 really anxious about eternal life ; he turned from 
 the subject, and showed that there was nothing 
 sincere in his inquiry. 
 
 29. But he, willing to justify himself , said unto Jesus, 
 And who is my neighbour ? 
 
 Alas ! how common is that state of mind ! He was 
 willing to justify himself. Every unconverted man 
 is ready to justify himself, and is able to find some 
 plausible reason why it should be no worse with him 
 than others. But one who is touched by the grace 
 of God, instead of justifying himself, habitually feels 
 that if God were severe to mark what he has done 
 amiss, he could not abide it ; and his constant 
 prayer is, " Enter not into judgment with thy ser- 
 vant, Lord, for in thy sight shall no man living be 
 justified." 
 
.UKE X. 30—37. lOr 
 
 LECTURE XXXVIII. 
 
 THE GOOD SAMARITAN. 
 
 Luke x. 80—37. 
 
 We know how the Jewish teachers perverted the 
 law of God, when to the command, " Thou shalt 
 love thy neighbour," they added the clause, " and 
 hate thine enemy." It was likely that such 
 teachers would proceed to limit the term neighbour 
 within very narrow bounds. They did so. To 
 commit murder upon a foreigner was not a capital 
 crime ; nor did they think themselves bound to 
 rescue him, if in danger of death. The irrelevant 
 question by which the lawyer evaded the argument 
 of our Lord, when, willmg to justify himself, he 
 asked. Who is my neighbour? gave an opportunity 
 of inculcating that universal benevolence which 
 is the glory of the Christian faith from which it 
 springs. 
 
 30. And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down 
 from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which 
 stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and de- 
 parted, leaving him half dead. 
 
 31. And by chance there came down a certain priest that 
 way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 
 
 32. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, 
 came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. 
 
 33. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where 
 he was : and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, 
 
 34. And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring 
 
LUKE X. 30—87. 
 
 in oil and wine, and set him 071 his own beast, and brought 
 him to an i?i??, and took care of him. 
 
 35. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out 
 two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him. 
 Take care of him : and whatsoever thou spendest more, 
 when I come again, I will repay thee. 
 
 36. Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neigh- 
 bour unto him that fell amoyig the thieves ? 
 
 37. And he said. He that shewed mercy on him. Tlien 
 said Jesus unto him. Go, and do thou likewise. 
 
 Go, and learn, that every man, of every nation, 
 to whom thou canst possibly do good, is intended of 
 God when he commands, Thou shalt love thy 
 neighbour as thyself. The traveller whom the Sa- 
 maritan assisted, was not his relation, his friend, or 
 even his countryman. He was called to relieve 
 him by no tie, natural or civil, except that he was a 
 creature of God like himself, and in need. The 
 priest and the Levite passed him by because he was 
 a stranger, and left him to his own people ; the Sa- 
 maritan took pity on him : and Jesus says to every 
 one of his disciples. Go, and do thou likewise. 
 
 He indeed has taught us this by example, as well 
 as precept ; for none of the human race can be fur- 
 ther removed from us, than the whole race of man- 
 kind was alienated from God, when God so loved 
 the world as to send his only Son for their salvation. 
 In this, " God commendeth his love towards us, in 
 that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." 
 " Herein was love : not that we loved God, but that 
 he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation 
 for our sins." And hence the just and universal 
 inference, " If God so loved us, we ought also to 
 love one another." 
 
LUKE X. 30—37. 199 
 
 The story further teaches, that no man must 
 quiet his conscience by reflecting after any such 
 manner as this : Charity is indeed a christian virtue, 
 a delightful ornament to the man who practises it, 
 and to the society in which it is practised ; but it is 
 a virtue which requires leisure and convenient 
 opportunity ; it cannot fairly be expected of those 
 who have much worldly business on their hands, 
 and are fully occupied with their own concerns. 
 Few could have pleaded this more justly than the 
 Samaritan. He was on a journey ; yet he stopped 
 his journey ; he delayed, to dress the stranger's 
 wounds ; he applied to him that very oil and wine 
 which he had carried for his own provision ; he set 
 the wounded person on his own beast, and brought 
 him to an inn, and took care of him, and did not 
 depart till he had provided for his safety. He forgot 
 his private affairs, submitted to trouble and fatigue ; 
 and our Lord has said, Go, and do thou likewise. 
 
 A third inference must be added. Our neigh- 
 bour has a soul, as well as a body ; and his soul 
 may need assistance when his body needs it not. 
 We may wonder that a priest and a Levite could be 
 found who should see a fellow-creature naked and 
 wounded on the road, and yet pass by on the other 
 side. Yet might it not be often urged against our- 
 selves, " Thou art the man ! " There are many 
 perhaps, within our reach, whose souls are, we must 
 know, in grievous danger ; who are stripped of all 
 that is really valuable, and lying in the death of 
 trespasses and sins ; and yet we pass by on the other 
 side. It is not our concern ; the minister will not 
 fail to warn them ; they have a master to watch over 
 
LUKE X. 30—37/ 
 
 them: or, perhaps, we are satisfied that they have 
 a heavenly Master, to whom they stand or fall. 
 Many such thoughts come across the mind, and pre- 
 vent that wholesome word of advice, that salutary 
 warning, that timely reproof, which might have 
 done a neighbour far greater and more lasting good 
 than a whole fortune bestowed upon his temporal 
 wants. And he who approved the Samaritan's 
 conduct, and left it for our imitation, when he went 
 out of his way to relieve one with whom his coun- 
 trymen had no dealings, he will note as graciously 
 the efforts made to benefit the soul of a neighbour, 
 as he will recompense the oil and wine, or even 
 '* the cup of cold water " given to refresh his body. 
 
 Remember, in conclusion, what gave occasion to 
 this history : the question. What shall I do to in- 
 herit eternal life f Certainly we trust not to the 
 deeds of the law for eternal life. We know that 
 *' by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified 
 before God. By grace are ye saved ; not of works, 
 that any man should boast." But we do depend 
 upon our conformity to the spirit of the law, as a 
 proof that we have imbibed the spirit of the gospel. 
 If we could possibly disregard the wants of our 
 neighbour, either spiritual or temporal, as they were 
 disregarded by the priest and the Levite, it would 
 be proof that we had neither part nor lot in " the 
 grace of God which bringeth salvation." For the 
 Author of that salvation has said, " If ye love me, 
 keep my commandments. And this is my command- 
 ment, that ye love one another as I have loved you." 
 
LUKE X. 38—42. 201 
 
 LECTURE XXXIX. 
 
 JESUS IS RECEIVED IN THE HOUSE OF MARTHA. 
 REMINDS HER THAT ONE THING IS NEEDFUL. 
 
 Luke x. 38—42. 
 
 38. Now it came to pass, as they wervty that he entered 
 into a certain village : and a certain woman named Martha 
 received him into her house. 
 
 39. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at 
 Jesus' feet, and heard his word. 
 
 As this conduct of Mary was blamed by her sister, 
 and afterwards solemnly approved by our Lord, we 
 should consider it. Jesus enters the house of these 
 two sisters : and, as his custom was, expounded the 
 things relating to the kingdom of God. There 
 were household duties, proper in themselves, by 
 which Mary might have been occupied; and there 
 is no reason to suppose that if Mary had followed 
 the example of her sister, and employed herself in 
 them, Jesus would have reproved her. But Mary 
 could not be persuaded to engage in ordinary 
 affairs, while an opportunity of hearing divine truth 
 was present to her. So she sat at the feet of 
 Jesus, and heard his word. Such conduct discloses 
 the bent of the heart ; the spirit which prevails 
 here ; the uppermost object of desire. Othert 
 
202 
 
 LUKE X. 38—42. 
 
 things may be done ; but that must be done, whicl 
 concerns the soul. 
 
 40. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, 
 and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that 
 my sister hath left me to serve alone ? bid her therefore that 
 she help me. 
 
 41. A7id Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, 
 Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things : 
 
 42. But one thing is needful : and Mary hath chosen 
 that good part, which shall not be taken away from her. 
 
 One thing is needful. So our reason must con- 
 vince us. If the soul is to survive the grave, as we 
 believe ; if it is to be reunited to the body, as we 
 believe ; if we are then to enter upon a state of un- 
 speakable happiness, or of unspeakable misery, as we 
 believe ; if that state is to continue for ever, as we 
 believe, because God has revealed this to us ; then 
 our business is clearly laid down: the one thing 
 needful is set before our eyes : it is to secure the 
 soul for eternity ; to escape the wrath of God, and 
 obtain a place in his kingdom. 
 
 Our reason, our conscience, cannot but assent to 
 this : yet who that beholds mankind would suppose 
 it to be true, and to be acknowledged true? If 
 we look to one class of those around us, what 
 would appear the one thing needful ? To be higher 
 than others in rank ; to be more widely talked of, 
 more generally known ; to live more magnificently ; 
 or to leave a larger fortune behind them, when it 
 can be no longer useful to themselves : who, that 
 judged only from what he saw and heard, who 
 would not conclude that this had been revealed 
 from heaven as the one needful thing ? 
 
LUKE X. 38—42. 203 
 
 And how is it with that larger class, which forms, 
 and always must form, the great mass of mankind ? 
 They that have less of this world's good, are they 
 seeking more earnestly a heavenly treasure? No 
 — the nature of man is still the same ; and cir- 
 cumstances only vary the object by which he is 
 deceived : what the present world can give, however 
 little of it can be obtained, still appears the one 
 thing needful. Warnings neglected; inattentive 
 hearers ; sabbath after sabbath misspent : these 
 things too generally prove how much some worldly 
 concern occupies the mind, how little the care of 
 the soul occupies it : in some way or other, to better 
 our condition here, and to please ourselves, seems a 
 far more necessary thing, than to serve God, or 
 secure our condition hereafter. 
 
 And this is especially the danger of the more sober 
 and moral. They would be alarmed at open, flagrant 
 sins. But they are not aware that the bias of the 
 heart proves the character ; for it is the heart which 
 God requires ; and the heart may be as fully en- 
 gaged by the cares of the world, and the deceit- 
 fulness of riches, and the lusts of other things, as by 
 a course of sensuality or dishonesty. God is not so 
 grossly offended : but he is no less forgotten. The 
 things were not sinful in themselves, which led the 
 guests in the parable "with one accord to make 
 excuse," and excluded them for ever from the ban- 
 quet of the King. 
 
 Martha blamed her sister. Lord, dost thou not 
 care that my sister hath left me to serve alone f It 
 is part of that self-deception which lulls the con- 
 science in a worldly course, to think others wrong 
 
204 
 
 LUKE X. 38—45. 
 
 who are less worldly. Some blame them altogether. 
 Others, more candid, allow them to be well mean- 
 ing, though mistaken persons, who do not perceive 
 how God is to be served, or in what manner he de- 
 signs that all should promote the interests of their 
 families. Certainly it is the will of God that all 
 should discharge the duties of their stations. But 
 we have no reason to think that he will ever cast 
 men off, because they have loved or served the world 
 too little. All the precepts of Scripture show on 
 which side the danger lies. " These things ought 
 ye to have done; but not to leave the others 
 undone." 
 
 The answer returned to Martha is an answer 
 once for all. Martha was more excusable than 
 most persons like her would be, for she was cum- 
 bered not about serving herself, but others; nay, 
 she was entertaining the Saviour of the world and 
 his followers. But she was not actuated by the 
 same spirit which her sister afterwards displayed, 
 when she poured a box of precious ointment 
 on the head of Jesus. That action was com- 
 mended : but He, who knew the heart, gave 
 Martha a timely caution. Martha, Martha^ thou 
 art careful and troubled about many things ; hut one 
 thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good 
 part, which shall not he taken away from her. 
 
 Surely there is enough in that thought to jus- 
 tify Mary's choice : the part which she has chosen 
 shall not be taken away from her. The same can- 
 not be said of earthly pursuits. " The world 
 passeth away, and the lust thereof." "Man returns 
 to liis earth, and all his thoughts perish." All such 
 
 i 
 
LUKE X. 38—42. 205 
 
 thoughts as Martha was then engaged with, " perish 
 in the using :" but the words which Mary sat at 
 Jesus' feet and heard, " abide for ever." God has 
 said, "The heavens shall vanish away like smoke, 
 and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they 
 that dwell therein shall die in like manner : but my 
 salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness 
 shall not be abolished." i 
 
 It would be well if all arose in the morning 
 with that sentence upon their minds. One thing is 
 needful : and closed the day by solemnly inquiring, 
 What progress have I made in the only needful 
 thing ? It is a sentence, certainly, which gives a 
 most just encouragement to those who have chosen 
 the good part. They are sure to need encourage- 
 ment against the indifference of others, if not 
 against their censure. And they may find that en- 
 couragement here. He who came as a light into 
 the world, to show mankind their errors, he has 
 said. One thing is needful. Have you believed this 
 truth, and are you acting in reasonable conformity 
 to it ? Then give God the glory, who has enabled 
 your eyes to see, and your ears to hear the things 
 which belong to your peace. Give him the glory, 
 for it is the work of his grace ; he permits you to 
 appropriate to yourselves the comfort and the joy of 
 knowing, that the good part which you have chosen 
 shall never be taken away, 
 
 1 Isa. li. 6. 
 
206 
 
 LUKE XL 1—13. 
 
 LECTURE XL. 
 
 JESUS TEACHES HIS DISCIPLES TO PRAY,— AND 
 SHOWS THE EFFICACY OF EARNEST, PERSEVER- 
 ING PRAYER. 
 
 Luke xi. 1 — 13. 
 
 1. And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a 
 certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto 
 him. Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his dis- 
 ciples. 
 
 2. And he said unto them. When ye pray, say, Our 
 Father which art in heaven, hallowed he thy name. Thy 
 kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in 
 earth. 
 
 3. Give us day by day our daily bread. 
 
 4. And forgive us our sins : for we also forgive every 
 one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into tempta- 
 tion ; but deliver us from evil. 
 
 John the Baptist, we here learn, was not con- 
 tent with calling men to repentance, and showing 
 them their duty : he also taught them to pray for 
 the contrite heart, and the power to do the works 
 meet for repentance. 
 
 Our Lord has done the same : and has left his 
 disciples words which the simplest Christian may 
 use with understanding, if only he has a soul 
 awakened to eternal things: and which the most 
 enlightened Christian may daily repeat on earth, 
 
 7 
 
LUKE XL 1—13. 207 
 
 and yet find something to take with him to heaven. 
 He will not, indeed, when delivered from the bur- 
 tlien of the flesh, he will not need to pray that his 
 daily bread may be continued to him, that his tres- 
 passes may be forgiven, or that he may be kept 
 from temptation. His pardon will be clear ; his 
 wants ended ; and his rest assured. But the saint 
 at his last hour — nay, even his spirit made perfect, 
 and received among the angels in heaven, may 
 unite with them in desiring that the Father's name 
 may be hallowed, his will obeyed, and his kingdom 
 universal ! 
 
 Our Lord, however, while he left this prayer for 
 the use of his disciples, knew the errors of the 
 human heart ; how prone it is to mistake the na- 
 ture of prayer, and to substitute lifeless words for 
 earnest desire. He takes an example from common 
 life, to show what prayer is, and what is prayer. 
 Prayer is something to be done for the sake of 
 something desired: something to be persevered in 
 earnestly, till the object is attained. 
 
 5. And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a 
 friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto 
 him, Friend, lend me three loaves ; 
 
 6. For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, 
 and I have nothing to set before him ? 
 
 7. And he from within shall ansiver and say, TroiMe me 
 not : the door is now shut, and my children are with me in 
 bed ; I cannot rise and give thee. 
 
 8. I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, 
 because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he 
 will rise and give him as many as he needeth. 
 
 The object of this familiar example is to show 
 
208 LUKE XT. 1—13. 
 
 that prayer to God, persevering prayer, is the 
 mean which he expects us to use, in order to 
 obtain what blessings we require. The person de- 
 scribed in the parable felt a want. A friend had 
 come to him at midnight in his journey, and needed 
 refreshment. It may appear to us unreasonable : 
 but in the hot countries of the East men travel in 
 the cool of the evening, and through the early hours 
 of the night. And those who travel there, still 
 look for refreshment in the house of their friend or 
 their father's friend, and not, as we do, in public 
 places of entertainment. It was no remarkable 
 case, therefore, for a guest to come at midnight 
 unexpectedly in the course of his journey. But 
 the person to whose house he came, had no means 
 of entertaining him. Yet he would be distressed, to 
 fail in the duties of hospitality. So he proceeds 
 to the house of a neighbour, and says to him, 
 Friend, lend me three loaves ; for a friend of mine 
 in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to 
 set before him. 
 
 This, then, is an example of the manner in 
 which, "in every thing, by prayer and supplica- 
 tion, we are to make our requests known unto 
 God ;'* and more especially, when we feel the 
 corruption of nature pressing down the soul, the 
 remainder of sin still harassing our hearts, and the 
 flesh lusting against the spirit, so that we cannot 
 do the things we would. Then is the promise 
 given : 
 
 9. And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you ; 
 seek, and ye sJiall find ; knock, and it shall be ope^ied unto 
 you. 
 
LUKE XT. 1—13. 209 
 
 10. For every one that asketh receireth ; and he that 
 seeketh Jindeth : and to him that knocketh it shall he 
 opened. 
 
 11. If a son shall ask bread of any of you, that is a 
 father, will ye give him a stone ? or if he ask afish^ tvill 
 
 he for a fish give him a serpent ? 
 
 12. Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scor- 
 pion ? ^ 
 
 13. If ye then, hing evil, know how to give good gifts 
 unto your children : how much more shall your heavenly 
 Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him ? 
 
 Our Lord had a merciful consideration for the 
 weakness of our nature, when he left these encou- 
 ragements to earnest, persevering prayer. When a 
 person seriously applies himself to the main business 
 of a Christian's life, that of subduing the sinfulness 
 of his nature and of his practice, he begins with ear- 
 nestness and vigour. The new thoughts which are 
 uppermost in his mind, or the thoughts which, 
 though they had been long in his mind, are now 
 for the first time uppermost, carry him forward ra- 
 pidly. But, after a while, he finds that it is easy 
 to declare war against sin ; but not easy to conquer 
 it. That which is deeply rooted in our heart, that 
 which, perhaps, has gained strength by being long 
 unchecked and uninterrupted, is constantly rising 
 up again, and trying to make head. Whatever the 
 sin may be, this has been always found the case. 
 Sin will not quit its hold readily. Whether it 
 be violence of passion: whether it be obstinate or 
 irritable temper : whether it be evil desire : whether 
 
 ^ The size and appearance of this reptile is not unlike that of 
 an egg. 
 
 P 
 
210 
 
 LUKE XI. 1-13. 
 
 it be intemperate excess : we have not subdued it, as 
 soon as we have begun to oppose it. Indeed, if we 
 had, where would be our trial ? All the servants of 
 God have found this in all ages. Can we doubt, 
 whether St. Paul found it so, when he wrote of his 
 own practice ; " 1 keep under my body, and bring it 
 into subjection ; lest, while I have preached to 
 others, I myself should become a cast away." Why 
 should he keep his body under, if it were not wont 
 to rebel ? Why bring it into subjection, if it were 
 not disinclined to yield to proper discipline ? 
 
 This, then, is the call for persevering prayer. 
 Prayer alone can get a lasting dominion over sin. 
 And prayer will obtain it, if we " pray always, 
 and do not faint." The victory may be slower, and 
 the enemy stronger, than was expected. Men may 
 be discouraged by many disappointments. They 
 may be ready to say with David, " Has the Lord 
 forgotten to be gracious, and will he shut up his 
 loving-kindness in displeasure ? Is his mercy clean 
 gone for ever, and his promise come utterly to an 
 end ? " Go on, however, to say with him ; " This is 
 my infirmity. But I will remember the years of the 
 riirht hand of the Most High." I will remember 
 that he said, If ye then, being evil, know how to 
 give good gifts unto your children : how much more 
 shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to 
 them that ask him 1 
 
 And the parable which introduces these words 
 is especially intended to furnish reasons why we 
 should not doubt, but earnestly believe, that if we 
 
LUKE XI. 1—13. 211 
 
 ash, it shall he given to its : if we seek, ive shall 
 find : if we knock, it shall be opened unto us. The 
 neighbour here, to whom the request is made, is 
 represented as being what men too often are, selfish : 
 loving himself, and his own ease and pleasure, 
 too well to assist another. His reply is, Trouble 
 me not : the door is now shut ; and my children 
 are with me in bed : I cannot rise and give thee. 
 Yet even he is prevailed on, and cannot resist im- 
 portunity. 1 say unto you, Though he ivill not rise 
 and give him because he is his friend, yet because of 
 his importunity, he will rise and give him as many as 
 he needeth. 
 
 With what different feelings may we approach 
 God in prayer ! He is always ready to receive us : 
 he assures us, that we can never apply unseason- 
 ably. We may offend him by not asking : but our 
 petitions can never offend him. We may " ask 
 amiss," and therefore not receive : but what we 
 ask faithfully, we shall obtain effectually ; be the 
 request ever so great, even for eternal life itself: 
 be the petitioner ever so unworthy, even a sinner 
 seeking pardon for his transgressions. 
 
 The heart, however, which shall be disposed to 
 profit by God's mercy, must still be the gift of his 
 mercy. And we must end, as the disciples began, 
 by entreating, Lord, teach us to pray ! 
 
 p 2 
 
•212 LUKE XI. 14—26. 
 
 LECTURE XLL 
 
 THE DELIVERANCE OF A DUMB MAN FROM AN 
 UNCLEAN SPIRIT GIVES OCCASION TO DECLARE 
 THE POWER OF JESUS OVER SATAN. 
 
 Luke xi. 14—26. 
 
 (Matt. xii. 22—30. Mark iii. 20—30.) 
 
 14. And he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. 
 And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the 
 dumb spake ; and the people wondered. 
 
 15. But some of them said. He casteth out devils through 
 Beelzebub the chief of the devils. 
 
 16. And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from 
 heaven, 
 
 17. But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, 
 Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desola- 
 tion : and a house divided against a house falleth. 
 
 18. If Satan also be divided against himself how shall 
 his kingdom stand ? because ye say that I cast out devils 
 through Beelzebuh. 
 
 19. And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do 
 your sons cast them out ? therefore shall they be your 
 judges. 
 
 20. But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no 
 doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you. 
 
 St. John relates, (John xi. 47,) that after the re- 
 surrection of Lazarus, the chief priests and elders 
 held a council together, saying. What do we ? For 
 this man doeth many miracles. So they resolved 
 upon his death. The time for this was not now come. 
 
LUKE XI. U—2(i. 213 
 
 But some explanation must be given to the people 
 of his power of working miracles, which they could 
 not deny ; so they ascribed them to a confederacy 
 with Satan. He casteth out devils through Beelze- 
 bub,^ the chief of the devils. 
 
 Our Lord, knoioing their thoughts, showed the 
 folly of them. What ! he said, is it likely that Sa- 
 tan should fight against himself? When he has 
 possessed a wretched creature, and got him into 
 his power, will he himself furnish the arms by which 
 he may be driven out ? If a house is divided against 
 a house, or a kingdom against itself, that family and 
 that nation must quickly come to ruin. And so if 
 Satan opposes his own instruments, and frees the 
 soul which his spirits have enthralled, — hoio shall 
 his kingdom stand ? 
 
 But, in truth, the kingdom of God is established 
 to destroy the power of Satan. As Jesus had re- 
 cently intimated, when the seventy exulted, " saying. 
 Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through 
 thy name. And he said unto them, I beheld 
 Satan as lightning fall from heaven." He would 
 not, therefore, strengthen the hand which was to 
 subdue him. It must then be the finger of God : 
 And if I by the finger of God cast out devils, no 
 doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you. My 
 overcoming the power of devils, and relieving men 
 from their dominion, is a sure sign that I have an 
 authority greater than theirs. Ye have thus a clear 
 proof that I am come in the power of God, and are 
 bound to believe and follow me. 
 
 ^ The name of a god worshipped among the Philistines, and 
 adopted from them by the IsraeUtes, to signify the chief of evil 
 spirits. 
 
214 LUKE XI. 14—26. 
 
 This our Lord illustrates by a parable. He com- 
 pares it to what happens among men, when the 
 palace or fortress of a king is invaded by an enemy 
 whom he is unable to resist, or prevent from enter- 
 ing and taking possession. 
 
 21. Wlien a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his 
 goods are in peace : 
 
 22. But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, 
 and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour 
 wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils. 
 
 The same thing took place when one who had 
 been long harassed, perhaps " from a child," by an 
 unclean spirit, and deprived of the faculties of a 
 reasonable being, was delivered from his enemy, 
 and restored to " his right mind." Satan was 
 strong who had done the mischief ; and, at the pre- 
 sent season especially, unusual power seems to have 
 been permitted him ; but Jesus was stronger than he, 
 so as to overcome him, and release men from his 
 dominion. 
 
 But the parable does more than illustrate the 
 victory of our Lord over evil spirits of this kind ; it 
 also explains the manner in which " the children 
 of disobedience," who have long been given up 
 as slaves to " the prince of this world," are some- 
 times reclaimed by divine grace, and made the chil- 
 dren of God. 
 
 The heart of the worldly man is Satan's palace. 
 Does this seem a harsh saying ? It is the saying of 
 him who is full of compassion and mercy. He says 
 of the impenitent and unbelieving, "Ye are of your 
 father the devil : and the lusts of your father ye 
 
LUKE XI. 14—26. 215 
 
 will do." ^ " He that committeth sin is of the 
 devil." And this agrees too well with much that 
 we observe. How many pass the time appointed 
 them on earth in a way which we can only explain, 
 by supposing that the spirit of evil is using his au- 
 thority over them ? They go through life, neglect- 
 ing all that is good and commanded of God, despising 
 whatever could possibly prepare them for any better 
 state, and growing more and more hardened as they 
 advance in years. It is not, that the strong man 
 armed keepeth his palace? He has safe and un- 
 disturbed possession ; and the goods are his ; the 
 man's faculties, and means, and time, and opportu- 
 nities, are all engaged in the service of Satan, and 
 denied to God. And still perhaps all is in peace ; 
 such sinners little suspect to whom they are en- 
 slaved, and feel less fear than many of the humble 
 and meek servants of their God and Saviour. 
 
 It may happen that " the grace of God which 
 bringeth salvation," touches the heart of one thus 
 living. The words are carried home to him, 
 " Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the 
 dead, and Christ shall give thee light." The annals 
 of the Christian faith abound with instances of this 
 sort, when the power of Satan has been remarkably 
 overcome, and the Spirit of Christ has prevailed in 
 its room. The stronger king enters the heart, dis- 
 possesses Satan, and takes from him all the armour 
 in which he trusted, and divideth the spoils.^ When 
 
 2 John viii. 44. 
 
 3 rriv iravoirXiav. Omnia armorum genera quibus militem in- 
 strui decet. Steph. Thes. 
 
216 LUKE XI. 14-20. 
 
 a man lias conquered his enemy, he deprives him of 
 the weapons by which the fight might otherwise be 
 renewed : and this is added in proof of Christ's 
 power over Satan, that he takes away all the ar- 
 mour in which he trusted. Unbelief is one such 
 weapon of defence : Satan uses it to keep men in 
 bondage, and encourage them in sin. They disbe- 
 lieve in God, speaking to them through his Son : 
 " Tush, say they, God careth not ;" — the threaten- 
 ings of Scripture will never be fulfilled : — " all 
 things continue as they were from the beginning of 
 the creation." The Spirit of Christ removes the 
 veil from the heart, and convinces men " of sin, 
 and of righteousness, and of judgment ;" he shows 
 the truth of God's word, the purity of his law, the 
 certainty of his judgments, the terror of his wrath : 
 and thus he disarms Satan of one of his chief 
 weapons. 
 
 Another weapon in which Satan greatly trusts 
 is ANY SINFUL HABIT. He uscs siu, which makes 
 men his subjects, to keep them so for ever. Whilst 
 any habitual sin is allowed, the gospel can have no 
 saving power over the heart : Herod's adultery, 
 Judas's dishonesty, were a complete barrier against 
 the power of faith. Satan, therefore, entrenches 
 himself behind those sinful habits. Leave me, he 
 suggests, and ye must leave them ; leave me, and 
 repent, and ye must leave your favourite delights, 
 and abandon your profitable gains. Such are the 
 aims in which he trusts, and which Christ takes 
 away ; showing that " for the sake of these things 
 the wrath of God cometh upon the disobedient;" 
 showing, also, that there is another and a better 
 
LUKE XL 14—20. 217 
 
 way to live than by following Satan and neglecting 
 God : 2. e, in truth, changing the heart, with all its 
 thoughts, affections, and desires. 
 
 When Satan is driven from his two strong-holds, 
 unbelief and sinful practice, he is no longer the 
 strong man he was ; the armour in which he trusted 
 is demolished, and he must needs surrender the 
 palace to the conqueror : and now his goods are 
 taken away, and pass into better hands. When a 
 conqueror has overcome his enemy, he divides his 
 spoils: and when the Spirit of Christ has ejected 
 Satan from the heart, he will use its powers for his 
 own purposes. Perhaps the man whom he has 
 brought over to himself has authority to command 
 or persuade others : whilst Satan ruled him, the in- 
 fluence was used against religion; it is now used to 
 promote religion. Perhaps he has wealth : that 
 was used for selfish, or even sinful objects ; it is now 
 used prudently, considerately, and charitably. His 
 abilities are employed too in the same cause ; to 
 convince, advise, persuade. Very mean abilities 
 can often corrupt others ; very humble abilities 
 may also instruct or amend others ; and whatever 
 the spoils are, great or little, they will now be used 
 in the service of God. 
 
 The conclusion of the parable gives an awful 
 warning. It acquaints us, that as Satan never quits 
 a heart without a struggle, so he will always watch 
 for an opportunity of returning to it. 
 
 23. He that is not with me, is against me ; and he that 
 gathereth not with me scattereth. * 
 
 * See Matt. xii. 30. 
 
218 
 
 LUKE XL 14—26. 
 
 24. Whefi the unclean spirit is gone out of a man^ he 
 walketh through dry places, seeking rest ; andjinding none, 
 he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out. 
 
 25. And when hecomethjiejindethit sivept and garnished, 
 
 26. Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits 
 more wicked than himself ; ajid they enter in, and dwell 
 there : and the last state of that man is worse than the first. 
 
 There may be a relinquishment of gross and 
 open sins : there may be a partial repentance, or an 
 appearance of repentance, as when "Ahab humbled 
 himself, and went softly ;" as when Herod " did 
 many things " at the warning of John the Baptist ; 
 but still the heart may be unsubdued, and not sur- 
 rendered to its rightful Lord. If so, Satan will 
 come, and find it ready for him ; swejpt and gar- 
 nished to receive him again ; and he will not fail to 
 regain possession, and make the last state of that 
 man worse than the first ; as when covetousness 
 still predominated in the heart of Ananias, who had 
 outwardly embraced the faith of Jesus. ^ Ananias 
 having "counted the blood of the covenant, by 
 which he was sanctified, an unholy thing," ^ was 
 left without defence, and the fortress remained open 
 to the enemy. 
 
 Watch, therefore, and pray always, that your 
 hearts may retain him who is stronger than Satan, 
 the only guardian who can secure them. Satan re- 
 tires from the hearts which he finds thus furnished 
 and fortified ; they are then become the i>alace of 
 one against whom the powers of hell shall not pre- 
 vail. 
 
 5 See Acts v. 2. 
 
 « See Heb. x. 26—29. 
 
LUKE XI. 27— 3f>. 219 
 
 I 
 
 LECTURE XLIL 
 
 JESUS DECLARES WHO ARE TRULY BLESSED.— 
 REPROVES THE UNBELIEF OF THE PEOPLE, AND 
 WARNS THEM AGAINST MISTAKEN OR FALSE 
 PRINCIPLES. 
 
 Luke xi. 27— 3G. 
 
 27. And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a cer- 
 tain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said 
 unto him. Blessed is the womb that hare thee, and the paps 
 which thou hast sucked. 
 
 28. But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear 
 the word of God, and keep it 
 
 Though the remark made by the woman here was 
 very natural, our Lord could not allow it to pass 
 without introducing a great truth. There is always 
 a disposition in men to expect the favour of God on 
 account of their nation, or their parentage, or on 
 some other ground than that of personal character. 
 We are here assured that the divine blessing de- 
 pends on one thing only, — the state of the heart 
 before God. It was nothing to be the son of Abra- 
 ham, unless the son of Abraham were also the fol- 
 lower of Abraham. It would not even profit to be 
 the mother of Jesus, according to the flesh, unless 
 that mother were endowed with the further quali- 
 fications of faith and holiness. Those alone are 
 truly blessed ivho hear the word of Godj and keep it, 
 
 4 
 
•220 
 
 LUKE XL 27—36. 
 
 (Matt. xii. 38—42.) 
 
 29. And when the people were gathered thick together, 
 he began to say, This is an evil generation : they seek a 
 sign ; and there shall no sign he given it, but the sign of 
 Jonas the prophet. 
 
 30. For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall 
 also the Son of man be to this generation. 
 
 31. The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment 
 with the men of this generation, and condemn them ; for she 
 came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom 
 of Solomon ; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here. 
 
 32. The men of Nineve shall rise up in the judgment 
 with this generation, and shall condemn it : for they 7'e- 
 pented at the preaching of Jonas ; and, behold, a greater 
 than Jonas is here. 
 
 33. iVo man, ivhen he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in 
 a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, 
 that they which come in may see the light. 
 
 84. The light of the body is the eye : therefore luhen thine 
 eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light ; but when 
 thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. 
 
 35. Take heed therefoi^e that the light' which is in thee be 
 not darkness. 
 
 S6. If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having 
 no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the 
 bright shining of a candle doth give thee light. 
 
 It was a natural and a laudable question, when 
 asked in a proper spirit, " Master, what sign 
 showest thou, seeing that thou doest these things ?" 
 What evidence dost thou give that God is with 
 thee? Jesus does not condemn the Pharisees 
 for seeking a sign, but for being obstinately blind 
 to the signs which they were daily beholding, 
 because they were an evil generation. God 
 would not send his Son into the world without 
 7 
 
LUKE XI. 27—36. 221 
 
 giving the world sufficient proof that he had thus 
 visited men, and called them to repentance. This 
 would be acting like a man who should light a 
 candle, and then hide it in a secret place, or under 
 a bushel. Whereas Christ was come as a light into 
 the world, that whoever believed in him should not 
 abide in darkness. Why then was the light not 
 perceived ? why were the signs not acknowledged ? 
 It is with the mind as with the eye, — both must be 
 in a sound and healthy state, or the light may be 
 poured upon them in vain. The light of the body 
 is the eye ; but the whole body may he full of dark- 
 ness, though surrounded by the brightest sunshine, if 
 the eye which should enlighten it is diseased : and 
 so, if the eye of the mind is evil, the light which is 
 in it will be darkness. The heart will not be 
 guided and directed, but misled and deceived to its 
 own ruin. 
 
 The occasion of this discourse will plainly show 
 what our Lord condemned as the eye that is not 
 single. He had restored a man who had an unclean 
 spirit, and was dumb ; " But some of them said, 
 He casteth out devils through Beelzebub, the prince 
 of the devils." Here then was the evil eye, so per- 
 verted as to call darkness light, and light darkness ; 
 to ascribe the work of God to Satan, the good deed 
 to the enemy of goodness. Therefore shall no sign 
 be given to this evil generation^ but the sign of 
 Jonas the prophet. They shall be allowed to pro- 
 ceed in their wicked blindness till they " crucify the 
 Prince of life :" till the resurrection of his body from 
 the grave fulfils the type of Jonas, who, after a like 
 interment, became a sign unto the Ninevites. And 
 
222 LUKE XL 27—36. 
 
 the Ninevites, though not " a chosen nation, a pecu- 
 liar people," perceived that the sign was from 
 heaven, and obeyed it. (Jonah iii. 5.) The people 
 of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast ; 
 and the king arose from his throne, and laid his 
 robe from him, and published throughout Nineveh, 
 " Let all cry mightily unto God ; yea, let them 
 turn every one from his evil way, and from the 
 violence that is in their hands. Who can tell if 
 God will turn and repent, and turn away from his 
 fierce anger, that we perish not ?" Should not this 
 condemn the hardened inhabitants of Jerusalem, 
 the unrepenting men of Judah ? 
 
 And so, the queen of the souths the queen of 
 Sheba, (1 Kings x.) " when she heard of the fame 
 of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she 
 came to prove him with hard questions, and com- 
 muned with him of all that was in her heart. And 
 when the queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon's 
 wisdom, there was no more spirit in her ; and she 
 said to the king, " It was a true report that I heard 
 in mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom : 
 blessed be the Lord thy God, which delighteth in 
 thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel !" Here then 
 was an example for the Jews : a greater than Solo- 
 mon was amongst them : gracious words proceeded 
 out of his mouth, and he taught them as one having 
 authority ; but they came to him, not to inquire, but 
 to cavil, and with hearts hardened against convic- 
 tion. Therefore should the queen of the south, and 
 the men of Nineveh, rise up in the judgment with the 
 men of this generation, and condemn them. 
 
 We must attend to the reason why they fell into 
 
LUKE XL -27—30. 223 
 
 this condemnation : the light which was in them 
 was darkness, and they " loved darkness rather 
 than light, because their deeds were evil." They 
 opposed our Lord because they fancied themselves 
 righteous ; they thought they had eternal life, and 
 they would not come unto him that they might have 
 life; might repent, and be converted, and he might 
 heal them. 
 
 Hence the warning. Take heed that the light 
 which is in thee be not darkness. Take heed that 
 the principle on which you act be not a false prin- 
 ciple ; the dependence on which you trust a vain 
 dependence, which has no foundation. 
 
 Doubtless the most destructive errors often arise 
 from a principle within, which makes the light dark- 
 ness. The light in St. Paul was darkness at the 
 time when he " thought verily within himself that 
 he ought to do many things against the name of 
 Jesus of Nazareth."^ The light in the Jews was 
 darkness, when "being ignorant of God's righte- 
 ousness, and going about to establish their own 
 righteousness, they did not submit themselves to the 
 righteousness of God." The apostle bore them 
 witness that " they had a zeal for God, but not 
 according to knowledge." ^ 
 
 And the case is still the same. We often find 
 those who, instead of searching the Scriptures for 
 rules of action, make rules for themselves ; or, if 
 they do search the Scriptures, search them rather 
 to support their own notions, than really to become 
 acquainted with the divine will. 
 
 Many, for example, boldly maintain that it signi- 
 1 Acts xxvi. 9i 2 Ron,, x. 2, 3. 
 
224 LUKE XL 37—54. 
 
 fies little what a man may believe, so that bis morals 
 are without blame. Now, if it be true that " He 
 that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the 
 Son hath not life,"^ then such men's principle is 
 wrong, and the light within them darkness. 
 
 Others, again, will hold that Christ is our righte- 
 ousness ; and that to look for evidences of faith is to 
 subvert the finished work of Christ. Now, if it be 
 true that " by works is faith made perfect," * this 
 principle is also wrong, this light darkness. 
 
 So much need is there to take heed, for " the 
 heart is deceitful above all things." Still " liglit is 
 come into the world," and "he that doeth truth, 
 whose eye is single, cometh to the light, that his 
 deeds may be made manifest that they are wrought 
 of God." Spch an one shall not be left to abide in 
 darkness ; the Spirit of Christ shall shine upon him, 
 and as the bright shining of a candle shall give him 
 light. He only " that doeth evil hateth the light, 
 neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be 
 reproved." ^ 
 
 LECTURE XLIIL 
 
 JESUS CONDEMNS THE HYPOCRISY OF THE PHA- 
 RISEES, AND OF THE INTERPRETERS OF THE 
 LAW. 
 
 Luke xi. 37 — 54. 
 
 37. And as he spake, a certain Pharisee besought him to 
 dine iviih him : and he went in, and sat down to meat 
 
 3 1 John V. 12. < James ii. 22. '^ See John iii. 2L 
 
I 
 
 LUKE XI. 37—54. 225 
 
 38. And wheti the Pharisee saiv it, he marvelled that 
 he had notjirst tvashed before dinner, 
 
 39. And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees 
 make clean the outside of the cup and the platter ; but 
 your imvard part is full of ravening and wickedness. 
 
 40. Ye fools, did not he that made that which is without 
 make that which is within also ? 
 
 41. But rather give alms of such things as ye have : 
 and, behold, all things are clean unto you. 
 
 We might be disposed, at first, to wonder that 
 our Lord should not have complied with the cus- 
 tom of the guests who sat at meat, rather than 
 risk offending them. And if the Pharisees had 
 considered the loasJiing before dinner merely as an 
 ordinary matter of convenience, doubtless he would 
 have practised it, on the same ground as he paid 
 tribute, rather "than give offence in anything."^ 
 But this practice was not with them indifferent, 
 but superstitious. " For the Pharisees, and all the 
 Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, 
 holding the tradition of the elders."^ They did 
 it as a ceremony which was important: by which 
 God was served or pleased. And he would not 
 countenance an error, which implied that the favour 
 of God could depend on things like these. The 
 case is like that of St. Paul. As long as none 
 could mistake his reasons, he was ready to conform 
 to any custom, and to become " all things to 
 all men," if by not offending he might gain 
 them. But as soon as there was danger of 
 his practice being misinterpreted, he declined com- 
 pliance even with things indifferent. The question 
 
 1 Cor. X. 32. 2 gee Mark vii. 2—4. 
 
 Q 
 
2-26 
 
 LUKE XT. 37—54. 
 
 is argued in 1 Cor. viii. May we Christians, who 
 " know that an idol is nothing," eat meat which 
 has been offered in sacrifice to idols? Certainly 
 we might do so, if we stood alone in the world. 
 But there are weak brethren around us, who have 
 been brought up in idolatrous habits, and accus- 
 tomed to eat this sacrifice as a holy thing. And 
 though we, from our better knowledge, might fol- 
 low this practice innocently, our example must not 
 encourage them to follow it sinfully. The liberty 
 of those who are strong in the faith must not cause 
 them that are weak to fall. 
 
 A Christian may often have a like duty now. 
 There are many worldly usages in which he might 
 bear a part, and remained unharmed, as far as his 
 own heart was concerned. But by such compliance 
 he would confirm or justify others in habits, which 
 to them are not innocent and blameless : and there- 
 fore he abstains, lest his practice should make his 
 brother to offend. 
 
 Our Lord warned the Pharisees what religion 
 was not. He also taught them what it was. Not 
 outward appearance, but a heart right with God. 
 Ye Pharisees put ceremonies in the place of religion. 
 Ye make all look well outwardly : and forget that 
 though men see no further, the Creator and Judge 
 of men sees that which is within also. If ye wish 
 to be justified in the sight of God, rather give alms 
 of such things as ye have : and, behold, all things 
 are clean unto you. 
 
 And yet a man may give alms, and not be justi- 
 fied before God. As St. Paul has shown, " Though 
 I give all my goods to feed the poor, and have not 
 
 7 
 
LUKE XI. 37—54. 227 
 
 charity, I am nothing." ^ The giving of alms may 
 be an outward thing, as well as the washing of hands. 
 It is instanced here, however, as the visible evidence 
 of the spirit which ought to prevail within. " If a 
 man love not his brother whom he hath seen, how 
 shall he love God whom he hath not seen ? " No 
 washing of hands could purify the rich man, who, 
 while "he fared sumptuously every day," allowed 
 Lazanis to lie neglected at his gate, and desiring 
 ** to be fed with the crumbs which fell from his 
 table." Till his temper was renewed, and his 
 habits amended, he could never be clean before 
 God. If he be clean before God, he will certainly 
 show this proof of pure and undefiled religion, that 
 whilst he enjoys his own portion, he will remember 
 those " for whom no portion is prepared." For 
 " love is the fulfilling of the law." 
 
 42. But woe unto you, Pharisees I for ye tithe mint and 
 rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and 
 the love of God : these ought ye to have done, and not to 
 leave the other undone. 
 
 It was tbe Pharisee's boast, I give tithes of all 
 that I possess. I do not, as many do, " rob God " 
 of what is due to the service of the sanctuary. 
 And for this he is not blamed. No man can be 
 too strict or honest. This ought ye to have done. 
 But not to leave the other undone. Not to pass 
 over judgment and the love of God. " For this 
 does the Lord require of thee, O man, to do justly, 
 and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy 
 God."* There can be no commutation between 
 3 1 Cor. xiii. 3. * Micah vi. 8. 
 
 q2 
 
228 
 
 LUKE XI. 37—54. 
 
 duties performed and duties neglected. " For if a 
 man keep the whole law, and offend in one point," 
 allow himself in one known transgression, " he is 
 guilty of all." The righteousness which he has 
 done shall not be mentioned : in the iniquity which 
 showed that his heart was still unconverted towards 
 God, in that shall he die. 
 
 43. Woe unto you, Pharisees ! for ye Jove the uppermost 
 seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets. 
 
 44. Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hijpocrites ! 
 for ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that 
 
 walk over them are not aware of them.^ 
 
 45. The7i answered one of the lawyers, and said unto 
 him. Master, thus saying thou reproachest us also. 
 
 46. And he said, Woe unto you also, ye lawyers ! for ye 
 lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye your- 
 selves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers. 
 
 47. Woe unto you ! for ye build the sepulchres of the 
 prophets, and your fathers killed them. 
 
 48. Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of 
 your fathers : for they indeed killed them, and ye build 
 their sepulchres.^ 
 
 49. Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send 
 them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall 
 slay and persecute : 
 
 50. That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed 
 from the foundation of the world, may be required of this 
 generation : 
 
 51. From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, 
 
 ^ You deceive men to their ruin. When all appears fair and 
 smooth, death Ues below. 
 
 fi Ye profess to reverence the memory of the prophets ; yet 
 ye have the same spirit as your fathers who killed them. — See 
 Matt, xxiii. 29. 
 
LUKE XL 37—54. 229 
 
 which perished betiveen the altar and the temple:'^ verily 
 I say unto you, It shall he required of this generation, 
 
 52. Woe unto you, lawyers ! for ye have taken aivay 
 the key of knowledge : ye enter not in yourselves, and 
 them that were entering in ye hindered. 
 
 53. And as he said these things unto them^ the Scribes 
 and the Pharisees began to urge him vehemently, and to 
 provoke him to speak of many things : 
 
 54. Laying wait for him, and seeking to catch some- 
 thing out of his mouth, that they might accuse him. 
 
 The spirit of the Scribes and Pharisees here, is 
 the spirit of all irreligious persons. They turn 
 their indignation, not against their sin, but against 
 him who points out their sin. They will endea- 
 vour to find in him some inconsistency, some- 
 thing whereof to accuse him. Their conscience is 
 irritated : their heart not subdued. The Pharisees 
 could not deny that they had perverted the law of 
 God by their traditions. The interpreters of the 
 law could not deny that they tried the consciences 
 of men with burthens of ceremonies and obser- 
 vances grievous to be borne, and not required of 
 God, nor respected by themselves: they had kept 
 out of view the real will of God, and tahen away the 
 key of knowledge, not to use but to conceal it, like 
 those who withhold the Scriptures from the people. 
 This they could not deny. But though convicted, 
 they were not converted. The heart was still the 
 heart of stone. Instead of humbling themselves 
 before God, they laid wait for some cause to 
 accuse their accuser. They were filling up the 
 measure of their fathers ; and who could wonder 
 
 7 See the account of his death, 2 Chron. xxiv. 20. 
 
230 LUKE XII. 1—12. 
 
 if the long-suffering of God were at an end, and a 
 flood was now preparing, which, while they knew 
 not, and heeded not, should come and sweep them 
 all away ? 
 
 LECTURE XLIV. 
 
 THE DISCIPLES ARE CHARGED AND ENCOURAGED 
 TO FEAR GOD AND NOT MAN. 
 
 Luke xii. 1--12. 
 
 (Matt. X. 26—32.) 
 
 1. In the mean time^ when there were gathered together 
 an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they 
 Irode one upon another, ho began to say unto his disciples 
 
 first of all. Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which 
 is hypocrisy,^ 
 
 2. For there is nothing covered, that shall not be re- 
 vealed ; neither hid, that shall not be known. 
 
 3. Tlierefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness 
 shall be heard in the light ; afid that which ye have spoken 
 in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the house- 
 tops. 
 
 4. And I say unto you, my friends. Be not afraid of 
 them that kill the body, and after that have no more that 
 they can do. 
 
 5. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear : Fear 
 him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into 
 hell: yea, I say unto you, Fear him. 
 
 ^ Matt. xvi. C. 
 
LUKE XII. 1—12. 231 
 
 Our Lord is here looking forward to the time, 
 when, as he well knew, his disciples shoukl he 
 brought into synagognes, and unto magistrates, and 
 powers, and charged with the crime of believing 
 that Jesus was the Christ. So he warns them to 
 beware of that spirit, into which such circumstances 
 might betray them. Beware of the leaven of the 
 Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. The Pharisees, 
 caring only for the opinion of men, would main- 
 tain or deny a truth, according as the prevailing 
 current of advantage flowed. The leaven of insin- 
 cerity was mixed up with whatever they said and 
 did, and corrupted all. 
 
 But there is a consideration, which may exclude 
 such leaven : the anticipation of that day when 
 the secrets of all hearts shall be disclosed, and when 
 whatever has been concealed, or denied, or alleged, 
 through fear of present evil or hope of present 
 good, shall be made known and publicly proclaimed, 
 before God and the holy angels. Fix therefore in 
 your minds the fear of God as a security against the 
 fear of man. Provide not to save the body, but 
 the soul. 
 
 The disciples would be placed in situations when 
 nothing could preserve them from apostasy, except 
 a prevailing conviction that the anger of God is of 
 all things the most to be dreaded and avoided. 
 Others had been in like circumstances before. The 
 three Jewish youths among the captives in Babylon 
 had set a noble example. (Dan. iii.) The king 
 had taunted them, saying, " If ye worship not the 
 image which I have set up, ye shall be cast the 
 same hour into the midst of a burning fiery fur- 
 
232 LUKE XII. 1— 1>. 
 
 nace : and who is that God that shall deliver you 
 out of my hands ? Then Shadrach, Meshach, and 
 Abednego, answered and said unto the king, Ne- 
 buchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in 
 this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve 
 is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, 
 and he will deliver us out of thy hand, king. 
 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we 
 will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden 
 image which thou hast set up." The prophet 
 Daniel had done the same, when, though aware 
 of the snare which had been laid for him, yet " his 
 windows being open in his chamber toward Jeru- 
 salem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, 
 and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he 
 did aforetime." (Dan. vi. 10.) 
 
 A fear had influenced these men, superior to the 
 present terrors which encompassed them : the fear 
 of " Him who is invisible." And this fear Jesus 
 approves and encourages. It is not such fear which 
 the gospel is intended to remove : such fear has no 
 " torment " with it :^ and " perfect love ' does not 
 cast out, but cherish, that filial awe which shrinks 
 from God's displeasure more sensibly than from any 
 other evil which can be presented to the mind : 
 and, in reply to all temptations, has the answer 
 ready, " How shall I do this great wickedness, and 
 sin against God ? " 
 
 That the fear of God ought to overcome e\ery 
 
 other fear, is avowed by all who believe in a day 
 
 of judgment. The difficulty is, so to realise that 
 
 day to our minds, that it shall surmount present 
 
 « 1 John iv. 18. 
 
LUKE XII. 1—1-2. 283 
 
 impressions. The fiery furnace waves before the 
 eye : the den of lions shows its immediate horrors : 
 while the judgments of God are far above out of 
 our sight, and can only be represented by the 
 power of FAITH. And the prayer of every man 
 must be that this faith may be so strengthened, as to 
 enable him to forego good forbidden, or endure 
 threatened evil. 
 
 A merciful encouragement is contained in the 
 words that follow. 
 
 6. Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not 
 one of them is forgotten before God ? 
 
 7. But even the very hairs of your head are all num- 
 bered. Fear not therefore : ye are of more value than 
 many sparrows. 
 
 The time might come, when it should almost ap- 
 pear that God had forgotten his church and people. 
 But let nothing persuade them of this. Even the 
 very hairs of your head are all numbered. Pre- 
 cious in the sight of the Lord is the condition of 
 his saints. An angel is not always sent to release 
 them, as when Peter was delivered from prison. 
 The mouths of lions are not always stopped, nor 
 the violence of fire quenched. An earthquake 
 would not ordinarily be commissioned to break 
 open the doors in which apostles were confined, 
 and loose their bands, and bring their jailor on 
 his knees before them.^ But the providence of 
 God is as surely over those who fall, as over 
 those who are preserved. Not the meanest of his 
 creatures is forgotten before God: how much less 
 
 3 See Acts xvi. 30. 
 
234 LUKE XII. 1--1-2. 
 
 those who are most precious to him ; and whose 
 value in his sight has been evinced by this, that 
 for them " Christ died ?" Fear not therefore, 
 "He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall 
 be saved." 
 
 8. Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me be- 
 fore men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the 
 angels of God : 
 
 9. But he that denieth me before men shall be denied be- 
 fore the angels of God. 
 
 10. And whosoever shall speak a word against the Soil 
 of man, it shall be forgiven him : but unto him that bias- 
 phemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven.^ 
 
 11. And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and 
 unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or 
 what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say : 
 
 12. For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour 
 what ye ought to say. 
 
 In this manner the apostles were assured, that 
 as long as they were faithful to their Master, he 
 would not be wanting to them : though all men 
 should forsake them, he would stand with them 
 and strengthen them.^ 
 
 But let us not suppose that this passage concerns 
 apostles only. Whosoever shall confess me before 
 me7i, him shall the Son of man also confess hefm^e 
 the angels of God, To confess Christ, even in a 
 christian land, still requires a determinate resolu- 
 
 * This is spoken not in reference to the disciples, but their 
 opposers. Let the disciples beware of denying Christ. Let 
 their enemies beware of resisting the Holy Ghost, in whose 
 power the apostles came. 
 
 5 Sec 2 Tim. iv. 16, 17. 
 
LUKE XII. 13—21. 235 
 
 tion. They alone confess him, who regulate their 
 course of life, their domestic habits, and their inter- 
 course with the world, according to the analogy of 
 Scripture ; and so prove, that in whatever line the 
 stream of the world may run, they are governed by 
 the principles of the gospel. To do this consistently 
 and faithfully, we must still recur to the awful sug- 
 gestion. He that denieth me before men, shall be de- 
 nkd before the angels of God, " Life is sweet," said 
 one to Bishop Hooper at the stake, " and death is 
 bitter." " True, friend," he replied : " but eternal 
 life is more sweet, and eternal death more bitter." 
 This is the truth which should be engraven upon 
 our hearts, and exhibited in our lives. 
 
 LECTURE XLV. 
 
 A CASE OF COVETOUSNESS GIVES OCCASION TO 
 THE PARABLE OF THE RICH WORLDLING, 
 WHOSE LIFE IS SUDDENLY REQUIRED. 
 
 Luke xii. 13 — 21. 
 
 13. And one of the company said unto him, Master, 
 speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me. 
 
 14. And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge 
 or a divider over you ? 
 
 Our Lord claimed no temporal authority; he 
 was not a civil magistrate ; it was not his business 
 to decide between litigants, or direct divisions of 
 property. The law was open, and there were 
 
236 
 
 LUKE XII. 13—21. 
 
 judges : let them implead one another. So, in St. 
 John, he says to the adultress, " Hath no man 
 condemned thee ? Neither do I condemn thee f 
 I am not come to inflict the temporal punishment 
 which the law adjudges to your crime. 
 
 This, however, was the season for striking at the 
 root of injustice and litigation. Whence come 
 disputes and quarrels among you ? Come they not 
 hence, even of your lusts, your covetousness ? And 
 how unreasonable is covetousness ? That for which 
 we struggle and contend cannot add a moment to 
 our life, when it pleases God to bring it to a close. 
 
 15. And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of 
 covetousness : for a mans life consisteth not in the abun- 
 dance of the things which he possesseth. 
 
 16. And he spake a parable unto them, saying. The 
 ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully : 
 
 17. And he thought within himself, saying, What shall 
 I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits ? 
 
 18. And he said, This will I do : I will pidl down my 
 barns, and build greater ; and there will I bestow all my 
 fruits and my goods. 
 
 19. And I will say to my soul, Soid, thou hast much 
 goods laid up for many years ; take thine ease, eat, drink, 
 and be merry. 
 
 20. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy 
 soul shall be required of thee : then whose shall those things 
 be which thou hast provided ? 
 
 21. So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and 
 is not rich toward God. 
 
 So is he : so unwise, imprudent, irrational 
 And yet how awfully large is the class which he re- 
 presents ? Here is simply the description of a person 
 whose affections are set on earthly things. He does 
 
LUKE XII. 13—21. 237 
 
 not defraud ; be does not withhold the inheritance 
 from his brother ; his goods were increased in the 
 most lawful mode ; his ground brought forth plen- 
 tifully. Now this, surely, is no crime : it is always 
 mentioned in the Old Testament as a sign of God's 
 favour. In the Gospel we are told, that " godhness 
 has the promise of the life that now is ; " and there 
 is a provision in the order of things that, to a cer- 
 tain extent, it shall be so. The Christian is prudent, 
 diligent, temperate ; honest in his dealings, and 
 simple in his habits ; and these qualities, in every 
 situation of life, have a tendency to procure and in- 
 crease wealth. 
 
 It was not, therefore, the possession of wealth, 
 but the use which he made of it, which deserved the 
 censure of our Lord. 
 
 Look then at his conduct. He found himself 
 rich ; his farm had been productive, his trade lu- 
 crative ; a large inheritance had fallen to him. 
 And he thought within himself, saying. What shall 
 I do, because I have no room where to bestow my 
 fruits? His question is not. What I shall do to 
 express my gratitude towards the source of every 
 good ? how shall I promote the glory of Him who 
 has thus far loaded me with blessings ? His thoughts 
 are all upon his own enjoyment, " the lust of the 
 flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life ; " 
 Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years ; 
 take thine ease, cat, drink, and be merry. 
 
 Multitudes act upon these thoughts, who do not 
 utter them, or put them into words: for what 
 else is in their minds, but to take their ease, eat, 
 drink and be merry f In this purpose their 
 
238 
 
 LUKE XII. J 3-21. 
 
 tliouglits are occupied; for this purpose their in- 
 come is expended, and for this purpose they will 
 almost contend that life was given them. At the 
 end of a month, or of a year, what else have they 
 done, what else have they pursued ? Nay, to this 
 purpose even their religious duties are subservient. 
 They could not take their ease so perfectly, if they 
 did not quiet conscience by some attention to the 
 observances of religion ; so that Sunday has its 
 business as well as other days ; " They come unto 
 God as the people cometh, and they sit before him 
 as his people, and they hear his words, but they will 
 not do them : for with their mouth they shew much 
 love, but their heart goeth after their covetous- 
 ness. " * 
 
 If the parable does not condemn such a life as 
 this, what does it condemn? Here is no mention 
 of excess ; no mention of open sin ; no mention of 
 anything which the world would generally accuse 
 or blame ; such a person would be praised by many 
 as an excellent member of society, as one who spent 
 his fortune liberally. 
 
 But He does not praise him who came to tell us 
 what life is meant for, and teach us real wisdom. 
 He blames the folly of such a life ; Thou fooly this 
 night thy soul shall be required of thee : then whose 
 shall those things be which thou hast provided f He 
 blames his impiety; So is he that layeth up trea- 
 sures for himself, and is not rich towards God. 
 
 It is then a duty to be 'iich towards God, and 
 this man is condemned for his neglect of it. How 
 may we avoid his condemnation ? 
 1 Ezek. xxxiii. 31. 
 
LUKE XII. 13—21. 239 
 
 Had this man been a disciple of Christ Jesus, he 
 would have learnt of him to consider life as a 
 stewardship of which he must give account; to 
 consider wealth as a talent, which he who lends it 
 expects to receive again with usury. The Lord 
 has not said, Take the portion of goods which 
 falleth to thee ; but he has said, " Occupy till I 
 come." The Lord has not said. Enjoy thyself, but, 
 Deny thyself. The Lord has not said, Take thine 
 ease, eat, drink, and be merry, but, Watch and 
 pray, that ye enter not into temptation. See that 
 ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise ; re- 
 deeming the time, because the days are evil. ^ 
 
 With these general remarks before his eyes, he 
 would have asked advice of God, and of the Scrip- 
 tures, and of his conscience, and of pious men, how 
 in his particular station he might so order his 
 goings, as to be rich towards Godj and make to 
 himself friends of the mammon of unrighteousness. 
 So Job used his wealth ; (Job xxxi, 16 — 19;) " He 
 did not withhold from the poor their desire, or 
 cause the eyes of the widow to fail : he did not 
 eat his morsel by himself alone, without sharing 'it 
 with the fatherless, or see any perish for want of 
 clothing." And so it was the first inquiry of 
 David, when God had blessed him with wealth and 
 power, how he could manifest his gratitude by pro- 
 moting God's honour; (1 Chron. xvii. 1 ;) " Lo, I 
 dwell in an house of cedars, but the ark of the co- 
 venant of the Lord remaineth under curtains : " he 
 who has caused me to lodge in a palace has no tem- 
 ple worthy of his name. 
 
 2 Eph. V. 15. 
 
240 LUKE XII. 22—34. 
 
 When the summons of death is sent to one who 
 has thought and acted thus, it is in terms very unlike 
 those of the parable, Thou fool, this night thy soul 
 shall he required of thee. Such an one does not in- 
 deed expect eternal life as the reward of what he 
 has done, or the recompense for what he has de- 
 nied himself. He has a better and more enduring 
 trust, founded on " the unsearchable riches of 
 Christ ; " but still the words are designed for him, 
 ** Come, thou blessed servant of my Father; enter 
 thou into the joy of thy Lord." 
 
 So is he which layeth up treasure for himself not 
 on earth but in heaven, where he shall find it after 
 many days. 
 
 LECTURE XLVL 
 
 THE DISCIPLES ARE WARNED AGAINST ANXIOUS 
 CARE OF EARTHLY THINGS. 
 
 Luke xii. 22 — 34. 
 
 22. And he said unto his disciples, Tlierefore I say unto 
 you, Take no thought ^ for your life, what ye shall eat ; 
 neither f 07' the body, what ye shall put on. 
 
 23. The life is more than meat, and the body is more 
 than raiment? 
 
 1 M^ /x€pt/xvaT€. Be not anxious concerning those things. See 
 Matt. vi. 25, &c. 
 
 ' Of more consequence, more deserving thought ; and hesides, 
 he wlio gave the one may surely be depended upon for the other. 
 
LUKE XII. -22-34. 241 
 
 24. Consider the ravens .for they neither sow nor reap ; 
 which neither have storehouse nor ham ; and Godfeedeth 
 fhem ; how much more are ye hetter than the fowls ? 
 
 25. And which of you by taking thought can add to his 
 stature one cuhit .^ 
 
 26. If ye then he not able to do that thing which is 
 least, why take ye thought for the rest ? 
 
 27. Consider the lilies how they grow : they toil not, 
 they spin not ; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in 
 all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 
 
 28. If then God so clothe the grass, whcih is to-day in 
 the field, and to-morroiv is cast into the oven ; how much 
 more will he clothe you, Oye of little faith ? 
 
 29. And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall 
 drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. 
 
 30. For all these things do the nations of the world 
 seek after : and your Father knoweth that ye have need 
 of these tilings. 
 
 31. But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all 
 these things shall be added unto you. 
 
 A precept is given here which is not easy to fol- 
 low, and which even the sincerest Christian is long 
 in learning. Take no thought for your life : he not 
 careful, anxious, cumbered with anxiety about the 
 future. And yet it is our nature to look towards 
 the future ; it is the point in which men differ from 
 the brute creation, which has no power to look 
 beyond the present ; mankind take a prospect of 
 time to come. Nay, in our faculty of doing this 
 all religion depends : which makes provision for 
 things not seen as yet, and teaches us to walk by 
 faith and not by sight. 
 
 Still we are here enjoined to indulge no anxiety 
 about to-morrow. And St. Paul teaches the same 
 lesson : " Be careful for nothing, but in everything, 
 
 R 
 
242 
 
 LUKE XII. 22—34. 
 
 i)y prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let 
 your requests be made known unto God." 
 
 But how to effect this? Precepts are easily 
 given, but how are tliey to be acted upon? When 
 it is natural for us to feel anxiety, or desire, or 
 sorrow ; when there is much to make us wish, and 
 fear, and grieve how are we to subdue these feel- 
 ings? For many will say, Difficulties press upon 
 us : the burthen of a family ; the uncertainty of 
 health ; the advance of life ; all these things fill us 
 with care, not only beyond what is good for us, but 
 beyond and against our will. 
 
 Our blessed Lord, however, was aware of this ; 
 he pities our infirmities, for he knows that we are 
 but dust, and that while we are in the flesh, the 
 flesh must trouble us. While, therefore, he issues 
 a ])recept, and prescribes a duty, he also gives 
 reasons which may enable us to obey it. Your 
 Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things ; 
 he knoweth your wants, and he will provide for 
 them. A lively perception of this gives that peace 
 which passeth all understanding. Those who have 
 " acquainted themselves with God," and become re- 
 conciled to him through the Redeemer, are lifted 
 above earthly cares, and enabled to repose with 
 perfect confidence upon Him who " careth for 
 them." 
 
 And there is as much reason as there is comfort 
 in such peacefulness. " Except the Lord build the 
 house, their labour is but lost that build it : except 
 the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but 
 in vain." If ye then he not able to do that thing 
 which is leasts why take ye thought for the rest f 
 
LUKE Xn. 22—34. 243 
 
 Ye can secure nothing for yourselves; all your 
 care, all your diligence, may be frustrated by one 
 breath of the divine will. But he can do all for you, 
 as easily as he has ordained that the flowers of the 
 field shall grow, aud the fowls of the air be 
 nourished, by the wise arrangements of his provi- 
 dence. The poor or the distressed man thinks him- 
 self happy if he can obtain the protection of a fellow- 
 creature who is richer than himself, and a little 
 higher in the world. How much more reason have 
 they for ease and comfort, who have placed them- 
 selves in the hand of an Almighty Protector ! 
 
 But it will be said, Troubles, after all, do not 
 spare the Christian ; he is often in pain, distress, 
 and poverty. True ; but these are as much the 
 fruits of paternal care, as the temporal blessings 
 which he would prefer to them. If our heavenly 
 Father sends these things, it is because he knoweth 
 we have need of them : and there is the same love 
 in the provision which chastens, as in that which re- 
 wards. In that affecting history in Genesis, where 
 Abraham sets out to offer his son Isaac in sacrifice 
 to God, we read that Isaac attends his father will- 
 ingly, and submits, without murmuring, even to the 
 moment when the knife was in the father's hand ; 
 knowing that what a parent did, must be done in 
 tenderness and wisdom. And he who has com- 
 mitted himself to God, will feel, or strive to feel, 
 the same. 
 
 There must, indeed, be the heart converted to 
 God before this confidence can exist. We do not 
 pretend to say to the careless or the ignorant, to 
 those who are only Christians because they are 
 
 R 2 
 
244 
 
 LUKE XIT 52—34. 
 
 born in a christian country, Take no thought for 
 your life. The nations of the world must seek after 
 the things of the world. But those who have made 
 up their minds to seek the kingdom of God, are 
 entitled to his gracious promise, All these things 
 shall he added unto you. They are entitled to the 
 still higher promise which follows. 
 
 32. Fear not, little Jloch ; for it is your Father's good 
 pleasure to give you the kingdom. 
 
 33. Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide your- 
 selves hags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens 
 that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither 
 moth corrupteth. 
 
 34. For where your treasure is, there will your heart 
 he also. 
 
 Many disciples of Christ complied with this ad- 
 vice in the most literal sense. We find, by the 
 Acts of the Apostles, (ii. 44,) that for a while " all 
 that believed were together, and had all things 
 common : and sold their possessions and goods, and 
 parted them to all men, as every man had need." s 
 This was not required of them : it was done volun- 
 tarily ; but it was done wisely : for when a few 
 days or years were past, where would have been 
 their treasure if laid up on earth ? And what 
 would have been its value now ? Yet, evident as 
 this is, it is not perceived till the Spirit of God im- 
 presses it upon the heart. Men go on, and realise 
 by experience, the truth of the proj)het's remon- 
 strance, " Ye have sown much, and bring in little ; 
 ye eat, but ye have not enough : ye drink, but ye 
 are not filled with drink : ye clothe you, but there is 
 ^ See Acts iv. 35, and v. 4. 
 
LUKK Xll. 85—48. 245 
 
 none warm ; and he that carneth wages, earneth 
 wages to j)ut into a bag with holes." * 
 
 Do ye seek rather the kingdom of God: provide 
 for yourselves bags that wax not old, a treasure in 
 the heavens that faileth not: and let your hearts be 
 fixed there, where true riches and true joys are to 
 be found. 
 
 LECTURE XLVII. 
 
 THE DISCIPLES WARNED AGAINST SLOTHFUL- 
 NESS, AND NEGLECT OF OPPORTUNITIES.— 
 THE PLEA OF IGNORANCE CONSIDERED. 
 
 Luke xii. 35 — 48. 
 
 35. Let your loins he girded about, and your lights 
 burning ; 
 
 36. And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their 
 lord, when he icill return from the wedding ; that when 
 he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him imme- 
 diately. 
 
 T^vo qualities are here implied as requisite in the 
 Christian : activity and watchfulness. The long 
 and flowing garments worn in the East, impede 
 the free use of the limbs. Those, therefore who 
 had need to employ themselves actively, had their 
 loins girded about, fastened up their garments, or 
 girded them more tightly. And so must the Chris- 
 * Haggai i. 6. 
 
246 
 
 LUKE XII. 35—48. 
 
 tian lay aside every weight which encumbers him, 
 and disentangle himself from such affairs of this 
 life as would prevent his being ready and pre- 
 pared for his Master's business.^ Again, the par- 
 ties who were instructed to wait for their Lord 
 till he should return, had their lights burning. If 
 the lord or the guest arrive, and find all darkness, 
 no light shining before men, no lamp of life held 
 up, there cannot be no sure proof that he comes be- 
 fore he was expected, and that those within are 
 not ready to open unto him immediately. But, 
 
 37. Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he 
 cometh shall find watching : verily I say unto you, that he 
 shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, 
 and will come forth and serve them. ^ 
 
 38. And if he shall come in the second watch, or come 
 in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those 
 servants. 
 
 39. And this know, that if the good man of the house 
 had known what hour the thief would come, he would 
 have watched, and not have suffered his house to he 
 broken through. 
 
 40. Be ye therefore ready also : for the Son of man 
 cometh at an hour when ye think not. 
 
 41. Then Peter said unto him. Lord, speakest thou this 
 parable unto us, or even to alii 
 
 42. And the Lord said, Wlio then is that faithful and 
 wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his 
 household, to give them their portion of meat in due sea- 
 son ? 
 
 43. Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he 
 cometh shall find so doing. 
 
 1 See 2 Tim. ii. 4. 
 
 2 There is no kindness or condescension which he will not 
 show them, lie will not only give them all that they had hoped, 
 but much which they had never dared to liope. 
 
LUKE XII. 35—48. 247 
 
 44. Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him 
 ruler over all that he hath. 
 
 45. But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord 
 delayeth Ids coming ; and shall begin to heat the men^ 
 servants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to he 
 drunken ; 
 
 46. The lord of that servant will come in a day when 
 he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not 
 aware, and will cut him i?i sunder, and will appoint him 
 his portion with the nnhelievers, 
 
 47. And that servant tvhich knew his lord)s will, and 
 prepared not himself neither did according to his will, 
 shall he beaten with ma?iy stripes. 
 
 48. But he that knew not, and did not commit things 
 worthy of stripes, shall he beaten with few stripes. For 
 unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall he much re* 
 quired: and to whom men have committed much, of him 
 they will ash the more. 
 
 In answer to Peters inquiry, whether the in- 
 junction of watchfulness applied to all the disciples 
 of Jesus, or was addressed more especially to his 
 chosen apostles, our Lord's answer seems to imply, 
 " What I say unto you, I say unto all, Watch.** 
 But what I say unto all, I say more especially unto 
 you, and those who, like you, are peculiarly cn- 
 p^aged in my service. Ye are as stewards, whose 
 Lord expects to find them faithful : ye are as 
 servants to whom the Lord's will is plainly re- 
 vealed. And it is with God, as it is among men : 
 unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much 
 required : and to whom men have committed much, of 
 him they will ask the more, 
 
 A general truth is here declared, which falls in 
 with our natural expectations : men are accountahh' 
 for their opportunities, and will be judged according 
 
 8 
 
2i8 
 
 LUKE XIL 35—48. 
 
 to the use they make of them. " For there is no re- 
 spect of persons with God. For as many as have 
 sinned without law shall also perish without law : 
 and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged 
 by the law ; in the day when God shall judge the 
 secrets of men by Jesus Christ." ^ The caviller in- 
 deed will still say, as the cavillers of old said," the way 
 of the Lord is not equal :" — " reaping where he hath 
 not sown, and gathering where he hath not strawed." * 
 *^ Hear now, house of Isarel : Is not the way of 
 God equal ? are not your ways unequal ?" For 
 the word of God says, that " where no law is, 
 there is no transgression :" ^ but " this is the 
 condemnation, that light is come into the w^orld, 
 and men love darkness rather than light, because 
 their deeds are evil."® 
 
 Such, at least, will be the condemnation of those 
 who, in a country like this, a country of churches, 
 and of ministers, and of Bibles, set up the plea of 
 ignorance. A common plea ; the want of scholar- 
 ship, to understand the mysteries of religion ; the 
 want of instruction in the ways of righteousness. 
 These excuses are frequent : but they can avail 
 only as far as they are seen to be true by Him who 
 knows what is in the heart. Alas ! that very igno- 
 rance by which many seek to justify themselves, is 
 the aggravation of their guilt. The corrupt heart, 
 even from early years, turns away from sjiiritual 
 things ; rejects whatever might restrain evil incli- 
 nation. Have those, who complain of ignorance, 
 taken pains to acquire knowledge ? Have they 
 
 « Rom.ii. 11— IG. 
 " Horn. iv. 15. 
 
 ^ Ezck. xviii. 25 ; Matt. xxv. 2 
 ^' Johiiiii. 19. 
 
LUKE XII. .35—48. 2i9 
 
 rightly employed tlie leisure of the sabbath, and 
 souffht not for amusement but instruction ? Even 
 when present at the worship of God have they felt 
 any desire, any appetite for knowledge of the truth? 
 Have they used every opportunity of inquiry: and 
 acted in the case of religion, as they would act 
 concerning any other subject in which they were 
 interested, and wished to be informed ? 
 
 Those who have not done this, cannot justly 
 plead that they know not their Lord's will. They 
 cannot expect any mitigation of the wrath to come : 
 they cannot expect the few stripes : the least misera- 
 ble condition. Theirs is the case of servants who 
 were aware that their lord had sent a message, but 
 refused to open it, to hearken to it: who would 
 " not come unto the light lest their deeds should be 
 reproved." This is the real cause of ignorance ; a 
 preference of it, as if diminishing responsibility ; an 
 aversion from all religious inquiry. Those who 
 neglect the means which God hath put into their 
 hands ; who reckon anything better worth caring 
 for, or seeking for, than the way of eternal life ; 
 who take that season which God has destined for 
 the concerns of the soul, and devote it to amuse- 
 ment or sloth, or to wordly concerns ; those, indeed, 
 must necessarily remain ignorant of their Lord's 
 will : but let them not bring forward ignorance as an 
 excuse for their disobedience : much has been given 
 them, and of them shall he much required, " Shall 
 not the Judge of all the earth do right," and 
 from his justice in condemning those, who refuse 
 to seek his mercy in pardoning ? 
 
 But they which " cry after knowledge, and lift 
 
•250 
 
 LUKE XII. 49—59. 
 
 up their voice for understanding : who seek her 
 as silver, and search after lier as for hid trea- 
 sures : they shall understand the fear of the 
 Lord, and find the knowlege of God." ^ 
 
 LECTURE XLVIII. 
 
 JESUS FORETELLS THE CONSEQUENCES OF HIS 
 COMING, AND WARNS THE PEOPLE AGAINST 
 UNBELIEF. 
 
 Luke xii. 49 — 59. 
 
 49. / am come to send fire on earth ; and tvhat will /, 
 if it be already kindled?^ 
 
 Here, and in the following- verses, our Lord 
 drops some reflections on the consequences which 
 should result from his incarnation. 
 
 / am come to send fire on the earth. His mi- 
 nistry, and that of his apostles, lighted the fire of 
 zeal, of piety, of love towards God and man : 
 and it also lighted the unhallowed fire of hatred, 
 suspicion, and jealousy. Both w^cre already kindled : 
 the enmity of the Pharisees was burning with a 
 desire to entrap and destroy him : and the love of 
 
 7 Prov. ii. 4. 
 
 See Matt. x. 31. 
 
LUKE XII. 49—59. . 251 
 
 the disciples had excited them to leave all and fol- 
 low him. 
 
 A fire ought to inflame every christian breast. 
 Let there be no coldness in a cause, which con- 
 cerns the glory of God : no lukewarmness respect- 
 ing the interests of a soul for which Christ died. 
 
 50. But I have a baptism to he baptized with ; ^ and 
 how am I straitened till it be accomplished ! 
 
 Here our Lord intimates the purpose for which 
 he had taken upon him our nature ; and foresees 
 the hour, when the deep waters of anguish should 
 go even over his soul. But for this cause came he 
 into the world, that he might " once suffer for sins, 
 the just for the unjust." And how was he straitened 
 till it was accomplished ! till the will of God should 
 be fulfilled, and the work of redemption com- 
 pleted. 
 
 We, too, are baptized with a baptism, which is 
 designed to purify us from sin, and present us unto 
 God as a holy and peculiar people. " The like 
 figure, even baptism, doth now save us ; not the 
 putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer 
 of a good conscience towards God." ^ How ought 
 we to be straitened till this purpose is accomplished 
 in us, and we are delivered from " the law of sin 
 which is in our members !" 
 
 51. Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth ? 
 I fell you, Nay ; but rather division : 
 
 52.. For from henceforth there shall be jive in one house 
 divided, three against two, and two against three. 
 
 2 See Matt. xx. 22. '^ 1 Pet. iii. 21. 
 
252 LUKE XII. 49—59. 
 
 53. The father shall he divided against the son, and the 
 son against the father ; the mother against the daughter, 
 and the daughter against the mother ; the mother-in-law 
 against her daughter-in-law, and the daughte^'-in-law 
 against her mother-in-law. 
 
 In one sense, we know, our Lord was come to 
 give "peace on earth. His birth was announced, as 
 bringing the glad tidings of " peace on earth, good 
 will towards men." And his promise is, to all 
 who take up his yoke, "My peace I give unto 
 you; not as the world giveth, give I unto you." 
 But it was equally certain that the effect of his 
 coming would be dimswn : division between rela- 
 tives and households. They who confessed the 
 faith of Christ, would be zealous to convert such as 
 continued in unbelief : and they who continued in 
 unbelief would be provoked, and would hate and 
 persecute those who by their faith and obedience 
 bore a testimony against them. A spirit of bigotry 
 has in all ages broken through the strongest bonds 
 of relationship and natural affection. Even fathers 
 and children, mothers and daughters, fall out about 
 religion : and the unconverted are ready to deliver 
 unto prison or unto death such as believe, though 
 otherwise very near or dear to them. So we find 
 in the Acts, that wherever the gospel was preached, 
 persecution was stirred up : it was " everywhere 
 spoken against," and there was " no small stir 
 about that way." 
 
 Something of the same nature must be expected, 
 as long as Satan opposes the kingdom of God, as 
 long as the Holy Spirit and the heart of man are 
 contrary the one to the other. Our duty is, so to 
 
LUKE XII. J9— 51). 253 
 
 unite and temper zeal with love, and cliarity with 
 zeal, as to give no just cause of displeasure, either 
 to God as being neglected, or to man as being 
 offended. The religion which is from above is at 
 the same time " pure and peaceable," while it is 
 " full of mercy and good fruits." 
 
 54. And he said also to the i)eople^ When ye see a cloud 
 rise out of the west^ straightway ye say, Thei'e cometh a 
 shower ; and so it is. 
 
 55. And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say. There 
 will he heat; and it cometh to pass. 
 
 66. Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and 
 of the earth ; hut how is it that ye do not discern this 
 time ? 
 
 57. Yea, and why even of yourselves judge ye not what 
 is right ? 
 
 68. When thou goest with thine adversary to the magis- 
 trate, as thou art in the way, give diligence that thou mayest 
 he delivered from him ; lest he hale thee to the judge, and 
 the judge deliver thee to the officer, and the officer cast thee 
 into prison. 
 
 69. / tell thee, thou shall not depart thence, till thou 
 hast paid the very last mite. 
 
 The people now collected in our Lord's presence 
 were professedly expecting the Messiah. Devout 
 men, who were looking for the redemption of 
 Israel, discovered the signs of the times, and re- 
 joiced when their eyes had seen the salvation of 
 God. Such persons as Simeon, and Anna, and 
 Zacharias, considered the prophecies of Isaiah and 
 Daniel, as a shepherd sees a cloud rise out of the 
 west, or perceives the south wind Mow. He says, 
 there will he heat, or there cometh a shower ; and so 
 it is. And the prophets say, " Blessed be the Lord 
 
254 
 
 LUKE XII. 49—5}). 
 
 God of Israel, for he hath visited and redeemed his 
 people : he hath performed the mercy promised to 
 our fathers, and the oath which he svvare to Abra- 
 ham."^ But the great mass of the nation, who are 
 here rebuked, neither of themselves discovered this 
 time^ or judged what is right, neither would they be- 
 lieve what Jesus openly declared, " I that speak 
 unto thee, am he." " The Spirit of the Lord hath 
 anointed me to preach the gospel." They were re- 
 fusing therefore, daily refusing, the opportunity 
 granted them of becoming reconciled to God. They 
 would not do that in the case of their souls, which 
 common prudence recommends in the case of worldly 
 things. They would not agree with their adversary 
 quickly, as they were in the way, or give diligence 
 that they might he delivered from him. They would 
 not deal with their heavenly Judge, as they would 
 be ready and thankful to act in earthly affairs. 
 They who have incurred a debt which they cannot 
 pay : they who have transgressed a law : they who 
 have offended a patron : would lose no time in en- 
 deavouring to set matters right, and escape the con- 
 sequences. So let men act towards God. 
 
 But does this affect ourselves? Is God our adver- 
 sary ? Let each inquire of their own heart, and of 
 themselves judge what is right. God is the adversary 
 of all who live in unrepented, unforsaken sin. 
 God is the adversary of all who are not at peace 
 with him through the blood of the Cross, the 
 redemption that is in Christ Jesus. He is the great 
 Reconciler : who has paid to the very last mite that 
 
 * See eh. i. 67, &c. ; and xi. 29—32. 
 
LUKE XIII. 1— J). 255 
 
 wliicli man never could pay, tlio penalty of sin, and 
 has blotted out the debt of all who accept his ran- 
 som. These shall never be cast into prison. They 
 go in peace ; their faith has saved them. 
 
 LECTURE XLIX. 
 
 THE NATURE OF DIVINE JUDGMENTS.— PARABLE 
 OF THE BARREN FIG-TREE. 
 
 Luke xiii. 1 — 9. 
 
 1. There tvere present at that season some that told him 
 of the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with 
 their sacrifices. 
 
 2. And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that 
 these Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans, be- 
 cause they suffered such things ? 
 
 3. / tell you. Nay : except ye repent, ye shall all 
 likewise perish. . 
 
 4. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam 
 fell^ and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above 
 all them that dwelt in Jerusalem ? 
 
 5. / tell you. Nay : except ye repent, ye shall all like- 
 tvise perish. 
 
 We know nothing of the circumstances mentioned 
 in this passage, except what is here told us. In 
 one case, the soldiers of Pilate seem to have sur- 
 
 ^ One of the towers belonging to the wall of Jerusalem near 
 the pool of the same name, mentioned John v. 2 ; ix. 7. 
 
'25G 
 
 LUKE XIII. 1—9. 
 
 j)rised a party of Galileans, while sacrificing, and 
 destroyed them ; in the other ease, a tower had 
 fallen and buried eighteen persons in its ruins. 
 This gives rises to a general remark. Suppose ye 
 that these were persons of unusual wickedness, and 
 therefore objects of God's vengeance? / tell you. 
 Nay, Such judgments are no proof of this; but 
 they are a call to every one, that they consider 
 their ways. All calamity, all pain, all death, arc 
 testimonies of the anger of God on account of sin ; 
 and by what are termed remarkable providences, by 
 earthquakes, and pestilence, and famine, and war, and 
 whatsoever causes desolation, he aw^akens men from 
 carelessness and sinful habits, if peradventure they 
 may be converted and live. But those who perish 
 by such calamities are not more certainly the ob- 
 jects of his anger than those who survive : it is a 
 summons to repentance ; it is a note preparatory 
 to that awful sound, at which the earth and the 
 sea shall give up their dead, and all shall stand be- 
 fore the Son of man : it is the warning trumpet 
 which says, Except ye repent, ye shall all likeivise 
 perish ; Except ye be found in a state of acceptance 
 through the Beloved, ye shall perish everlastingly, 
 
 This truth is further enforced by a parable, 
 which explains why many sinners are spared, 
 though others fall. 
 
 5. He spake also this parable : A err tain man had a 
 i7'ee planted in his rinei/ard ; and he cawc and sovyJit 
 fruit thereon, and found none. 
 
 The Jewish people were as trees in the vineyard 
 
LUKE XIII. 1 — 9. 257 
 
 of the Lord of hosts, that vineyard which he had 
 planted by the hand of Moses, and defended by the 
 hedge of his law. We Christians are also trees in 
 the vineyard which he has planted for himself by 
 his beloved Son. He expected that the Jewish 
 people should bring forth such fruit as he ap- 
 proves ; not the evil fruit which springs from cor- 
 rupt nature, but the good and acceptable fruits 
 of " love, joy, peace, long-suffering, faith, gen- 
 tleness, goodness, meekness, temperance." He 
 expects the same from us: these are the signs of 
 religion in the heart ; these are fruits of the 
 Spirit, which he from whom the Spirit proceeds re- 
 quires of the trees in his vineyard. He comes, and 
 seeks fruit : and happy indeed are those on whom, 
 when he comes, he finds this mark of sound and 
 lively faith. He leaves them to flourish for a while 
 in his earthly vineyard, to give proofs of the power 
 of his grace,, to display the excellence of his gospel, 
 to nourish and adorn the world to which they be- 
 long ; and at last, in his own good time, he takes 
 them away from the ungenial climate to which they 
 were exposed on earth, and transplants them into 
 his heavenly vineyard, which no tempest ever 
 reaches, and where no harm can touch them. For 
 that which is sown in corruption is raised in incor- 
 ruption. 
 
 It would be happy indeed for the world, and for 
 those who compose the world, if this fruit were 
 always found growing on the trees of the vineyard. 
 The parable tells us, that He came and sought fruit 
 thereon, and found none. Remember, God con- 
 demns the tree, not only which is poisonous but 
 
 s 
 
258 
 
 LUKE XIII. 1—9. 
 
 which is barren. He comes, and seeks fruit ; he ex- 
 pects the heart to be full of love and reverence 
 towards himself; to be abounding in benevolence 
 towards mankind ; he expects it to be adding to faith, 
 virtue, and knowledge, and temperance, and patience, 
 and godliness, and brotherly kindness, and charity. 
 Ask of yourselves, does he find this fruit in you ? 
 
 7. Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, 
 these three years I come seking fruit on this Jig-tree, and 
 
 find none : cut it down ; why cumhereth it the ground ? 
 
 8. A7id he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone 
 this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it : 
 
 9. And if it hear fruit, well : and if not, then after that 
 thou shalt cut it down. 
 
 Here is the merciful offer of the dresser of 
 the vineyard, the Lord Jesus, who " ever liveth at 
 the right hand of God to make intercession for us." 
 Let it alone this year also, till L shall dig about it 
 and dung it. Various are the methods which he 
 takes with men to convince them of their sin, their 
 dancrer. Sometimes he tries the careless or the 
 wicked with sickness, if that may bring the certainty 
 of death and judgment before their eyes ; sometimes 
 he visits them wiih affliction, if that may make 
 them quit their hold of earthly things; and other 
 warnings are constantly given them. The Bible 
 warns them ; the minister warns them ; their friends 
 and acquaintances are taken away, and remind them 
 what must be their own case soon. These things 
 pass in the world as the ordinary occurrences of life : 
 but we learn from Scripture that they are con- 
 nected with a divine plan, and constitute part of 
 
LUKE XIII. 1—1) 259 
 
 God's dealings with mankind : they are the means 
 which he uses to bring them to himself. It is thus 
 that his Spirit strives witli them ; and the Saviour, 
 before final sentence is passed, and the cumberers 
 of the ground are cut down, is represented as saying, 
 Let them hear once more the message of my gospel ; 
 let them hear of the ransom which has been paid ; 
 let them hear that I am ready to give them 
 pardon for the past, and grace for the time to 
 come, that they may lead a new life, following 
 the commands of God, and walking from hence- 
 forth in his holy ways : let this be again set before 
 them, and if they bear fruit, well; it will be to the 
 glory of God, who is not willing that any should 
 perish ; it will be additional fruit of the propitiation 
 which has been made for the sin of the world. 
 
 While we gratefully admire " the long-suffering 
 of God, which leadeth to repentance," we must 
 ever bear in mind that there is a last time. If not, 
 then after that thou shalt cut it down. And grievous 
 indeed it is when death becomes a sentence of con- 
 demnation, and not a summons to that " rest which 
 remaineth for the people of God." But " there is 
 no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus, 
 who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." 
 *' Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord ; for 
 they rest from their labours." " The Lamb which is 
 in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall 
 lead them unto living fountains of waters ; and God 
 shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." 
 
 s2 
 
J^OO LUKE XIII. 10—21 
 
 LECTURE L. 
 
 JESUS DEFENDS HIS HEALING ON THE SABBATH 
 DAY.— THE PARABLE OF THE LEAVEN. 
 
 Acts xiiL 10 — 21. 
 
 10. And he was teachmg in one of the synagognea on the 
 sahhath. 
 
 11. And, behold, there was a woman ivhich had a spirit 
 of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and 
 could in no wise lift up herself. 
 
 12. And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and 
 said unto her, JVoman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. 
 
 13. And he laid his hands on her ; and immediately she 
 was made straight, and glorified God. 
 
 14. And the ruler of the synagogue answered with 
 indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath 
 day, and said unto the people, Titer e are six days in which 
 men ought to work : in them therefore come and be healed, 
 and not on the sabbath day. 
 
 15. Tlie Lord then answered him, and said, TIwu hypo- 
 ceite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox 
 or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering ? 
 
 16. And ought not this woman, being a daughter of 
 Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, 
 he loosed from this bond on the sabbath day ? 
 
 17. And when he had said these things, all his adversa- 
 ries were ashamed: and all the people rejoiced for all the 
 glorious things that were done by him. 
 
 The conduct of the ruler of the synagogue might 
 lead us to suppose that an evil thing had been com- 
 
LUKE XIII. 10—21. 261 
 
 niitted, when this woman, w^ho came to find comfort 
 under her affliction in the synagogue, found what 
 she had not expected, a cure. Had he been a man 
 of piety, he would have pointed this out, and encou- 
 raged others by the example ; he would have said. 
 Let all the congregation acknowledge the blessings 
 which belong to the sanctuary; this poor woman 
 came hither with pain and trouble to herself, because 
 it is the house of prayer, and she returns home loosed 
 from her infirmity. Instead of this, he answered 
 ivith iiidignation. Jesus saw into his heart, and 
 shows how prejudice and enmity had blinded his 
 reason. You permit a work of mercy to be done 
 in the case of your labouring cattle ; and will you 
 not permit a work of mercy to be done in the case of 
 a fellow-creature, a daughter of Abraham f 
 
 Truth and reason do not alone convert the heart, 
 but they are not without their effect ; and here the 
 adversaries were ashamed and silenced. Thus, at 
 least, the way is opened for the conviction of others. 
 The people rejoiced for all the glorious things which 
 were done by him, 
 
 18. Tlien said he, Unto what is the kingdom of God 
 like ? and ivhereunto shall I resemble it .^ 
 
 19. It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took 
 and cast into his garden ; and it grew, and waxed a great 
 tree ; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it. 
 
 20. And again he said, Whereunto shall I liken the 
 kingdom of God? 
 
 21. It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in 
 three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened. 
 
 This example of the leaven may be well applied 
 in two senses ; it equally describes the progress of 
 
262 LUKE XIII. 10—21. 
 
 the gospel through the world, and its effect upon the 
 heart. In the former sense, the suitableness of the 
 comparison is easily seen, when we remember what 
 the gospel was at the time when our Lord likened it 
 to a grain of mustard seed, or a handful of leaven ; 
 and how, within a few years, it grew mightily and 
 prevailed. The seed became a tree ; the leaven was 
 silently diffused, and raised a ferment through the 
 regions of idolatry and superstition. 
 
 We will consider it, however, in the other sense, 
 in its effect upon the heart ; for there too the prin- 
 ciples of the gospel are like leaven. Leaven 
 changes the qualities of the meal with which it is 
 mixed, and renders it serviceable and wholesome 
 for the use of man : so faith in Christ Jesus, when 
 hid within the heart, converts it to the service and 
 fits it for the purposes of God, and makes its various 
 qualities, its hopes and fears, its wishes and desires, 
 entirely different from what, without that leaven, 
 they would prove. 
 
 Even the operation of the leaven, and the opera- 
 tion of the principles of the gospel, have a resem- 
 blance ; both work silently, gradually, incomprehen- 
 sibly. 
 
 Perhaps, at first, the leaven put into the heart was 
 no more than a single thought, no more than this — 
 I am here in a transitory state of being : every day I 
 am reminded, by something which takes place among 
 my neighbours, how uncertain my stay here is. And 
 what will be the end ? What shall it profit me if I 
 gain the whole world, and lose my OAvn soul ? Such a 
 tliought as this may prove, under God's blessing, the 
 first introduction of the leaven. 
 
LUKE XIII. 10—21. 268 
 
 Another truth succeeds to this ; " It is appointed 
 unto all men once to die, and after that tlie judg- 
 ment." " For we must all appear before the judg- 
 ment-seat of Christ, to receive according to the 
 things done in the body, whether they be good or 
 bad." Then the wicked shall go into everlasting 
 punishment, but the righteous into life eternal." 
 When the heart receives a thorough belief and con- 
 viction of this, another step has been gained in the 
 operation of the leaven. 
 
 The next thought may be of this kind : '' The 
 Son of man shall come in his glory, and before him 
 shall be gathered all nations ;" and at that time 
 I shall appear among the rest. But " who shall 
 abide his coming ?" How many thoughts, and words, 
 and deeds, which are contrary to the law of God, 
 and which I cannot excuse or wipe away, will rise up 
 against me in the judgment ? Who shall reconcile 
 us to God, and take away his just displeasure against 
 sin? 
 
 When thoughts like these arise in the mind, it is 
 a sign that the leaven is working. Things future 
 are so far realised, that we begin to prepare and 
 provide against them. A person may know that he 
 is in debt beyond the means of payment, and yet 
 may continue much at ease, as long as the day of 
 reckoning is uncertain, and at a distance. But 
 when he looks closely into his affairs, and sees that 
 he must be prepared with a certain sum against a 
 certain day, and knows that he cannot raise that 
 sum, — then the friend who should step in and say, 
 I have satisfied your creditor, trust to me for the 
 payment, — he would indeed be a welcome friend. 
 
264 LUKE XIII. 10—21. 
 
 Thus it is with the aifairs of the soul : men are 
 aware that thej must die, but it is uncertain when ; 
 that judgment follows, but it is distant ; and that 
 they cannot stand in the judgment, but they conceal 
 from themselves the extent of their condemnation. 
 Therefore the redemption which is in Christ Jesus 
 is nothing to them : they have a general notion of 
 his religion, but as a Saviour to themselves, as a 
 Redeemer of their ow^n souls, as a Deliverer from 
 wrath which they are themselves about to feel, — as 
 all this, they are unacquainted with him. But when 
 a view of the nearness of death, and of their own 
 sinfulness, and of the strictness of judgment, is 
 brought clearly before them through the influence 
 of the Holy Spirit and the agency of God's word, 
 then they are ready to close with the offer of the 
 gospel, and to say. Save, Lord, or I perish ! Be 
 thou my shelter from the storm, my refuge from God, 
 against whom I have offended ! " I have heard of 
 thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye 
 seeth thee ;" seeth thee as the anchor of my soul, 
 and the hope of my salvation. 
 
 When the heart vents itself in thoughts and 
 prayers like these, the gospel is fermenting and 
 spreading through the soul, and promises soon to 
 leaven the whole lump. 
 
 But we must not suppose that the whole is yet 
 leavened. There may be a strong sense of sin, and 
 a true sorrow for it, and a glad feeling of the mercy of 
 God in Jesus Christ : but much is still to be done ; 
 the image of God is begun, but not finished ; the 
 change in the heart lias conmienced, but must be 
 gradually completed by the inward renewing of the 
 
LUKE XIII. 10— '21. 265 
 
 Spirit, and the daily teaching of God's word. By 
 decrees the Christian is enabled to set his affec- 
 tion on things above ; to walk not after the flesh, 
 but after the Spirit ; to mortify his corrupt de- 
 sires ; to keep under his besetting sins ; to deny 
 himself, and take up his cross, if need be, in obe- 
 dience to his Saviour. This must be done and con- 
 tinued with careful soberness, with daily self-exami- 
 nation, with habitual prayer, till by degrees the 
 whole is leavened, and made fit for the Master's 
 use, as a vessel for his service here, and his glory 
 hereafter. 
 
 This subject affords an useful opportunity for 
 examining whether the principles you profess have 
 affected your hearts, and are working there. Leaven 
 works in what it is mixed up with, till it produces 
 a change : such a process must be going on in the 
 heart of every Christian, till he is " renewed in 
 knowledge, in righteousness, in holiness, after the 
 imaofe of Him who created him."^ The renewal 
 will not be complete in the present world ; the 
 process will be continued during the whole of life ; 
 but no one should be satisfied, whose conscience 
 does not bear him witness that it is begun. 
 
 1 Col. iii. 10. 
 
•266 
 
 LUKE XIII. 2-2— 30. 
 
 LECTURE LI. 
 
 JESUS GIVES A WARNING THAT THE STRAIT 
 GATE MUST BE ENTERED EARNESTLY AND IN 
 TIME. 
 
 Luke xiii. 22—30. 
 
 22. And he luent through the cities and villages, teaching , 
 and journeying toward Jerusalem. 
 
 23. Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that 
 he saved ? And he said unto them, 
 
 24. Strive to enter in at the strait gate : ^ for many, I 
 say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. 
 
 In regard to this passage, we must carefully ob- 
 serve that our Lord is not speaking of anything 
 which takes place in the present world, but of what 
 will take place at the last day. No one who here, in 
 this the acceptable time, strives to enter in at the 
 strait gate, seeks first the kingdom of God and his 
 righteousness, no such one shall strive in vain. The 
 language of Scripture is, " Ho ye, every one that 
 thirsteth, come ye to the waters ;" " whosoever will, 
 let him take of the water of life freely." In this the 
 earnest pursuit of earthly things and of heavenly 
 things so greatly differs : the desire of earthly things 
 is commonly disappointed ; the desire of things above 
 is never left unsatisfied. Many, there is cause to 
 fear, will be excluded at the last from the narrow 
 gate of heaven ; but not one will say, Lord, I have 
 prayed, but thou didst not receive my prayer ; 
 
 1 Sec Matt. vii. 13. 
 8 
 
LUKE Xlll. ^'i— 30. -267 
 
 Lord, I believed, but thou didst reject my faith; 
 Lord, I strove to subdue the fleshly lusts which 
 warred against my soul, but Satan prevailed over 
 me. In the appointed path, through him who is 
 the way, the truth, and the life, none shall seek to 
 enter in, and not he able. 
 
 But very different will be the case at the gate of 
 heaven. The Jews were now expecting to enter 
 there, because they were the children of Abraham ; 
 and they were taught, and willing to believe, that 
 all the chosen nation, the peculiar people, should 
 have a place in the world to come. Jesus warns 
 them that they were deceiving themselves with false 
 hopes ; that many shall find themselves mistaken at 
 the last, in expecting to enter the kingdom of hea- 
 ven without the needful qualifications. Hear his 
 words. 
 
 25. When once the master of the house is risen up, and 
 hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and 
 to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us ; 
 and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not 
 whence ye are : 
 
 26. Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk 
 in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. 
 
 27. But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence 
 ye are ; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. 
 
 28. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when 
 ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the 
 prophets, in the kingdom, of God, and you yourselves thrust 
 out 
 
 29. And they shall come from the east, and from the 
 luest, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit 
 down in the kingdom of God. 
 
 30. And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and 
 there are first ivhich shall be last. 
 
268 LUKE XIII. 22—30. 
 
 Speaking after the manner of men, the parable 
 describes men who are shut out from a place of 
 happiness, or a place of safety, which they have 
 neglected to enter in time. The storm comes on, 
 the danger is at hand, they seek refuge in vain. So 
 it was in the days of Noah : he entered into the 
 ark ; the deluge increased ; destruction threatened. 
 Many, no doubt, would now have been eager to 
 take the same resource. But we read, " The Lord 
 shut him in:"^ the ark was no longer open ; be- 
 cause He had called, and they refused ; he had 
 stretched out his hand, and no man regarded ; and 
 now when " desolation came on them as a whirl- 
 wind," ^ he shall answer, I know you not. 
 
 It seems, however, that these plead a reason why 
 they should still be admitted ; Then shall ye begin 
 to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, 
 and thou hast taught in our streets. This was cer- 
 tainly the case with the Jews of that time : they 
 had eaten and drunk in his presence ; they had 
 been of the company when he had said, " Except ye 
 repent, ye shall all likewise perish." They had 
 heard him correct the errors of their nation, and 
 teach them, not as the scribes, but as one having 
 authority. He had preached in their streets ; and 
 here was their sin, they would not listen to his 
 teaching ; they would not leave their iniquities ; 
 they ascribed his miracles to Satan ; they would not 
 have him to reign over them ; they would not come 
 unto him, that they might have life. 
 
 The people of this land will say, Here, at least, 
 
 2 Gen. vii. 16. " Prov. i. 27. 
 
LUKE Xlll. '2'2-SO. 269 
 
 we are guiltless : this cannot be laid to our charge. 
 But let every one seriously consider, whether he 
 may not be expecting eternal life, on the like 
 grounds. We have been baptized in thy name; 
 we have had the title of Christians : we have eaten 
 and drunk at thy table. Are there not some who 
 will have no better cause than this to show, why 
 the Master of the house should open to them ? 
 
 This, however, is not the reason why they are 
 rejected, though it is not alone a sufficient reason 
 why they should be received. On the contrary, to 
 show these outward tokens of faith, is the first step, 
 and a necessary step, towards the kingdom of God. 
 The real ground of their rejection is plainly stated : 
 He shall say, I know you not, whence ye are ; depart 
 from me, all ye workers of iniquity. 
 
 I know you not. Now the Lord does "know 
 them that are his." He knows them by a double 
 token : by their faith, and by their obedience. 
 
 He knows them, when their hearts move towards 
 him, as their shelter from the wrath of God ; the 
 Mediator between God and man ; the Redeemer, 
 who bore their sins in his own body. As such, 
 they receive him : and to as many as receive him, 
 to them he opens the strait gate ; " he gives them 
 power to become the sons of God, even to them 
 who believe in his name." 
 
 They who are here excluded, had understood 
 nothing of this. They had eaten and drunk in his 
 presence, and he had taught in our streets; but 
 
•270 LUKE XIII. •2-2— 30. 
 
 they had not received him, or taken up his yoke, 
 or learnt of him. And so still. How many, in 
 this christian land, know nothing of Jesus but his 
 name : nothing of their own sinfulness, nothing of 
 redemption through his blood ! They never felt a 
 sense of danger, so as to commit their souls to him, 
 and claim the benefit of his propitiation. Surely 
 then he must answer, / know you not, whence ye 
 are. 
 
 But there is another sign by which the Lord 
 knows them that are his. He knows them by their 
 obedience. " Let every one that nameth the name 
 of Christ, depart from iniquity." He distinguishes 
 his flock by their conformity to his will. " My 
 sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they 
 follow me." ^ He will not acknowledge those who 
 do not answer, in the main, the great object of his 
 coming, which was " to purify unto himself a pecu- 
 liar people, zealous of good works, and living 
 righteously, soberly, and godly." He will not ac- 
 knowledge any who are not labouring to preserve 
 this character : to keep themselves from presump- 
 tuous sins, and to overcome all that is wrong, all 
 that savours of corrupt nature, in their habits, and 
 tempers, and dispositions. For this is the will of 
 God, and the purpose of Christ, " even our sancti- 
 fication." 
 
 Those, however, against whom the door is shut, 
 had given no such proof of being Christ's. He 
 
 3 John X. 27. 
 
LUKE XIII. 2-2—30. 271 
 
 says to them, Depart from me, all ye workers of 
 iniquity. 
 
 This, then, is the conclusion of the whole. 
 Whilst life endures, the master of the house, the 
 Lord Jesus, to whom the Father hath delivered all 
 things, he sits at mercy's gate, over which it is 
 written, " Knock and it shall be opened unto 
 you." No one, during this his day, his day of 
 salvation, shall seek to enter in, and shall not he 
 able. No one shall seek growth in grace and 
 knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, and not attain 
 it : no one shall seek power to subdue the sin which 
 separates him from God, and shall not succeed : no 
 one, in short, shall strive,^ with the earnestness 
 which is implied in that expressive word, to enter 
 in at the strait gate, and shall find it closed against 
 him. 
 
 But are all striving, with earnest pains, or seek- 
 ing with real desire ? Remember, at last, the 
 Master of the house, the King of heaven, rises up ; 
 the sinner appears, unrepenting, unconverted, un- 
 sanctified ; he is cut down like a tree in full bear- 
 ing, with all the evil fruit of sin upon him : the 
 Master shuts the door of heaven against him, and 
 bars him out for ever. Ah ! there shall be weeping 
 and gnashing of teeth. 
 
 " Therefore, be ye ready ; for, behold, in a day 
 when ye think not, the Son of man cometh." 
 
272 LUKE Xni. 31—35. 
 
 LECTURE LII. 
 
 JESUS FORETELLS AND LAMENTS THE DOOM OF 
 JERUSALEM. 
 
 Luke xiii. 31 — 35. 
 
 SL The same day there came certain of the Pharisees, 
 saying unto him. Get thee out, and depart hence : for Herod 
 will kill theey 
 
 32. And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox,^ 
 Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to-day and to- 
 morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected. 
 
 83. Nevertheless I must walk to-day and to-morrow, and 
 the day following : for it cannot be that a prophet perish 
 out of Jerusalem.^ 
 
 This answer implies, what Jesus afterwards more 
 openly affirmed to Pilate, " Thou couldst have no 
 power at all against me, except it were given thee 
 from above."* A power of which Herod knew 
 nothing, held him in restraint. Whatever he might 
 threaten, whatever he might purpose, Jesus would 
 cast out devils, and do cures to-day and to-morrow, 
 
 1 Depart from Galilee, which is within the reach of Herod's 
 jurisdiction. 
 
 2 That crafty and wicked prince. 
 
 3 It is said, that a prophet could only be judged by the great 
 council, which assembled at Jerusalem. The meaning, however, 
 may be, that Jerusalem would always maintain its character of 
 killing its prophets, and stoning them which were sent unto her. 
 
 * John xix. 11. 
 
LUKE Xlll. :31— 35. 273 
 
 till, according to the determinate counsel and fore- 
 knowledge of God, the hour should arrive in which 
 he shall be perfected, in which the Son of man 
 shall be glorified : his office as the Messiah, the 
 Christ, receive its mysterious completion. He 
 " had a baptism to be baptized with ; and how was 
 he straitened till it was accomplished!" But all 
 things must first be performed : the work which 
 God had given him to do, must be finished. He 
 must walk to-day, and to-morrow, and the day fol- 
 lowing : nay, he must needs go up to Jerusalem ; 
 for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jeru- 
 salem. The whole nation was a rebellious nation ; 
 but Jerusalem was the capital seat of their iniquity, 
 and must now fill up the measure of its crimes. 
 That city had enjoyed many offers of mercy; but 
 in vain : and now its day of grace was passed, and 
 its final destruction was at hand. 
 
 34. Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which hillest the prophets, 
 and stonest them that are sent unto thee ; how often would 
 I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather 
 her hrood under her wings, and ye would not ? 
 
 How awful are these words. Ye would not ! 
 The various warnings, both of expostulation and 
 of judgment, which God had sent by the prophets, 
 the summons to repentance begun by John the Bap- 
 tist, and repeated now by Jesus, had been, as it 
 were, the anxious callings of the parent bird, which 
 would gather her brood under her wings : and 
 they would not. And this suggests the reason, why 
 similar warnings on the part of God are too often 
 of no avail. They are not met by a corresponding 
 feeling on the part of man. 
 
 T 
 
274 LUKE XIII. 31-35. 
 
 We see this plainly in the history of the Jews. 
 They would not. There was in them a hardness 
 of heart, which refused to be melted. There was 
 an obstinacy which set itself against God, whether 
 he spoke to them in the language of command or 
 of love. He gave them precepts : they disobeyed. 
 He sent them prophets : they quarrelled with the 
 message : perhaps ill-treated the messenger. Alas ! 
 how much, how far too much, is this the history of 
 mankind in all ages and countries ! They will dis- 
 pute the word of God. They will often be angry 
 with the minister who explains it faithfully, and 
 arraign him as uncharitable, unjust. But they will 
 not turn their attention inwardly to their own hearts, 
 and ask, Is it not all true ? 
 
 The complaint of Jesus is, that they would not. 
 Let us consider, what ought they to have done ? 
 
 The purpose of God's messages had been, that 
 they should cast oif the idols which had possession 
 of their hearts, and return to the Lord : acknow- 
 ledge his government, conform to his will, and live 
 to his glory. Such is the intention of God, wher- 
 ever he issues his revelation : that men should live 
 TO HIM : live to him, as one man is said to live to 
 himself, another to his friends, according as he has 
 his own inclinations, or according as he has the in- 
 terests of his family, nearest to his heart : so God 
 calls us to live to him : to be dead to sin, and dead 
 to the world, as far as it might withdraw us from 
 that service, and to be alive unto God, and to do all 
 to his glory : to " glorify God with our body and our 
 spirit, which are his." 
 
LUKE Xlll. 31—85. 275 
 
 Tliis, then, is the purpose of his word : and the 
 purpose of his warnings is to search us, whetlicr 
 we are living so. His Spirit strives with our hearts, 
 through the medium of what we term conscience ; 
 and reminds us that if we forsake him, he will for- 
 sake us : if we do not listen to him in time, when 
 he tells us to draw nigh to him, there may be a 
 season when we shall call upon him in vain. Be- 
 hold your house is left unto you desolate I "Seek 
 ye the Lord whilst he may be found ; call ye upon 
 him whilst he is near;" lest in the end ye should 
 call, and he will not hear: and ye be as those, 
 " unto whom he sware in his wrath, that they should 
 not enter into his rest." 
 
 When warnings like those which Judea had been 
 lately hearing, were sent to Nineveh through the 
 ministry of Jonah, the king and people repented 
 and humbled themselves, and turned from their 
 evil way. The Jewish nation, on the contrary, 
 when our Lord came, found reasons why they 
 should not believe in him. He was of Nazareth : 
 and they pretended that out of Nazareth could no 
 prophet come. He healed their sick: they mur- 
 mured, because he healed them on the sabbath dav. 
 He went into their companies, that he might teach 
 and warn: they complained, "this man receiveth 
 sinners, and eateth with them." He did mighty 
 deeds : they affirmed that he was in league with 
 the Evil Spirit. Had he not reason to say, Ye 
 would not? They would not incline their hearts, 
 and bend to conviction. 
 
 And in this, as in everything else, tlte whole 
 stress lies upon the will. Men may be brought 
 
 t2 
 
276 LUKE XIII. 31-35. 
 
 to live to God through different ways : some, by 
 a sense of his mercies ; some, by a hope of eter- 
 nal life ; some, by fear of his wrath ; some, by 
 the soft whisper of conscience ; and others, by the 
 loud thunder of affliction. Though " it is the 
 same Spirit which worketh all in all, yet there are 
 diversities of operations. But whatever may be 
 the mode of operation, the result must be, a 
 WILLING service. Our will must be so wrought 
 upon and turned, that the service of God becomes 
 our own choice, our fixed desire, our resolute pur- 
 pose. Otherwise, when the first impulse is over, 
 and the feeling evaporated ; when the affliction is 
 past, or conscience has done speaking ; we shall 
 return to ungodliness, and fall back upon the 
 world. The apostles were gently drawn to Christ, 
 and persuaded of his authority, by hearing his 
 words and observing his miracles. And their will 
 became so engaged on his side, that they could not 
 think of abandoning him. They said, " Lord, to 
 whom shall we go ? thou hast the words of eternal 
 life." St. Paul was more strongly urged : he heard 
 the voice of Heaven ; he saw the supernatural light ; 
 be was struck with blindness. But the end was 
 the same : his will was changed ; and his first 
 question was, " Lord, what wouldest thou have me 
 to do ?" I am thine : what wouldest thou have me 
 do? 
 
 Such is the difference between those who would, 
 and those who would not Our Lord concludes 
 with a prophecy, which awfully declares the conse- 
 quence of impenitence, of hardness of heart, and 
 contempt of God's word. It anticipates "the day of 
 
LUKE XIV. I— J J. .277 
 
 wrath, and revelation of the righteous judgment of 
 God."^ 
 
 35. Behold, your house is left unto you desolate : and 
 verily I say unto you. Ye shall 7iot see me, until the time 
 come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the 
 name of the Lord. 
 
 Such will be the language of all at last, when 
 this world is passed away, Blessed is he that cometh 
 in the name of the Lord. Let it be the feeling of 
 all now, and the sting will be taken from death, and 
 its victory from the grave. 
 
 LECTURE LIII. 
 
 JESUS HEALS A DROPSICAL PERSON ON THE 
 SABBATH. — PRIDE REBUKED. — CHARITY RE- 
 COMMENDED. 
 
 Luke xiv. 1 — 14. 
 
 \. And it came to pass, as fie went into the house of one 
 of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that 
 they watched him. 
 
 2. A7id, behold, there was a certain man before him which 
 had the dropsy. 
 
 3. And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and 
 Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day ? 
 
 4. And they held their peace. And he took him, and 
 healed him, and let him go : 
 
 5. And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have 
 
 ^ Rom. ii. 5. 
 
278 LUKE XIV. 1—14. 
 
 an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and tvill not straightway 
 pull him out on the sabbath day ? 
 
 6. And they coidd not answer him again to these things. 
 
 It might be a natural question for one brought 
 up under the law of Moses, 75 it lawful to heal on 
 the sabbath day f The commandment says, " Six 
 days shalt thou labour, and do all that thou hast to 
 do : but the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord 
 thy God." If we depart from the letter of this 
 rule, we ought to have a reason for so doing. And 
 Jesus, in this passage, encourages such consideration 
 and inquiry. Your beasts of burthen are in danger 
 on the sabbath. One has fallen into a pit — another 
 has need of food. To preserve these, you relax 
 the obligation of the sabbath : and is it not more 
 important in the eye of God, to relieve one whom 
 he has made in his own image ?^ 
 
 We ought to bring our own conduct to a like 
 test. We do not observe the seventh day accord- 
 ing to its literal strictness : " On the seventh day 
 thou shalt do no manner of work, thou, and thy 
 son, and thy daughter, thy man-servant, and thy 
 maid-servant, and the stranger that is within thy 
 gates. And how do we justify ourselves in this ? 
 Not because we doubt its being as much the will of 
 God, and the command of God, that Christians 
 should keep the seventh day holy, as the Jewish 
 people ; but because on the careful consideration 
 of Scripture, we believe that the thing forbidden is 
 not that work which is needful for decency and 
 reasonable comfort, but that which would confound 
 
 ^ Sec ch. xiii. IG. 
 
LUKE XIV. 1—14. 279 
 
 the holy day with the ordinary day, and defeat the 
 intended purpose of the sabbath. 
 
 The spiritual uses which the day of rest is meant 
 to serve, are clearly unfolded in that important pas- 
 sage of the prophet, (Isa. Iviii. 13,) where a bless- 
 ing is pronounced on those who have kept the sab- 
 bath from polluting it ; " honouring God, not doing 
 their own ways," not ** finding their own pleasure," 
 not " speaking their own words ;" but " calling the 
 sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honour- 
 able." And if we try by the spirit of that text 
 our observance of the sabbath, we shall not go 
 widely wrong. We shall hold it lawful to do that 
 work of necessity or charity on the sabbath day, 
 which cannot be done on other days : but at the 
 same time we shall regret the means of grace which 
 it may be needful to forego, and those hours which 
 are taken from communion with God, and with- 
 drawn from things divine, and thoughts of heaven. 
 For it is the reward of those w^ho sanctify the sab- 
 bath in their hearts, that " they delight themselves 
 in the Lord :" find a pleasure in his service, to 
 which the pleasures of the world are not to be 
 forgotten. 
 
 7. And he put forth a parable to those which tcere hidden^ 
 when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms ; say. 
 ing unto them, 
 
 8. When thou art hidden of any man to a wedding, sit 
 not doivn in the highest room ; lest a more honourable man 
 than thou be bidden of him ; 
 
 9. And he that hade thee and him come and say to thee. 
 Give this man place ; and thou begin with shame to take 
 the lowest room. 
 
280 LUKE XIV. 1—14. 
 
 10. But when thou art hidden, go and sit down in the 
 lowest room ; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may 
 say unto thee, Frie?id, go up higher ; then shalt thou have 
 worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee, 
 
 11. For whosoever exalteth himself shall he abased; 
 and lie that humbleth himself shall be exalted. 
 
 Tn the East, on festive occasions, it is usual to 
 fill all the apartments with the acquaintances of the 
 master of the house. Our Lord perceived the 
 workings of pride, in the manner in which the 
 more honourable seats were coveted : and he re- 
 minded them of the advice of Solomon, " Stand 
 not in the place of great men : for better it is that 
 it be said unto thee, Come up hither; than that 
 thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the 
 prince whom thine eyes have seen." 2 But he en- 
 forced this by a general truth : Whosoever exalt- 
 eth himself^ shall be abased; and he that humbleth 
 himself, shall be exalted. The choosing out the 
 chief rooms, the claim of precedence, is an out- 
 ward act ; but it springs from an inward source : 
 that source is pride ; and " pride is not made for 
 man." 
 
 The spirit of lowliness and self-denial which God 
 approves, and which becomes mankind, is further 
 illustrated by another example. 
 
 12. Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou 
 makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy 
 brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours ; 
 lest they also bid thee agai?i, and a recomitense be made 
 thee. 
 
 7 Iloni. XXV. fi, 7. \ 
 
LUKE XIV. 1-14. 281 
 
 1 3. But when thou makest a feast, call the 2>oor, the 
 maimed^ the lame, the blind : 
 
 14. And thou shall he hlessed ; for they cannot recom- 
 j)ense thee : for thou shall be r€co?/ipensed at the resurrec- 
 tio?i of the just. 
 
 Both this and the former remark tend to the 
 same purport, that we humble ourselves, and exalt 
 others ; that we deny ourselves, and gratify others. 
 And both look towards the same great end, the 
 resurrection of the dead, and the sentence of God 
 at the last. It is humiliating, even on earth, that 
 it should be said, Give this man place : it is grati- 
 fying, even now, when it is said, Friend, go up 
 higher. But how far more important the scene to 
 which Jesus directs our thoughts : when the King 
 shall pronounce the final decree ; and say to one, 
 «' Friend, how camest thou in hither, not having 
 the wedding garment ?" and to another, " Enter 
 thou into the joy of thy Lord." For we are assured, 
 '* many that are last shall be first, and the first 
 last." 
 
 So likewise, in the world, he is often highly 
 esteemed, who makes a splendid entertainment, a 
 dinner or a supper, and calls his friends, and his 
 brethren, and his kinsmen, and his rich neighbours. 
 But in this, he may have himself alone in view ; his 
 credit, his influence, his ostentation, or his luxury. 
 There may have been nothing of real bounty or real 
 hospitality. They will also bid him again, and a 
 recompense be made him : such a recompense as this 
 world is wont to give, and is able to give. Whereas, 
 what a man spares from himself, and his own grati- 
 fication, and bestows upon the comfort of those who 
 
282 LUKE XIV. 1—14. 
 
 are without comforts, or the relief of those by whom 
 relief is needed, — is not lost, but lent unto the Lord : 
 and what he so lays out, shall be paid him again. 
 Thou shall be blessed: for the poor cannot recompense 
 thee : but there is One who careth for the poor ; and 
 thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the 
 just. 
 
 If all were to set before their eyes that day, and 
 the account which must then be given ; how altered 
 would be the appearance of the world ! We cannot, 
 indeed, render equal the different conditions of man- 
 kind. Do what we may, we shall have the poor al- 
 ways with us. But He who has in his providence 
 ordained this, has likewise commanded that what is 
 superfluous to one should supply the wants of others. 
 It is a test of love towards him, that the poor^ the 
 maimed, the halt, the blind, whom he makes his 
 care, be not left without regard. It is a test of faith 
 in his promises, that in our daily habits of life we 
 look not for the present recompense of self-gratifica- 
 tion, but for that i^ecompense at the resurrection of 
 the ju^t which shall belong to those, who have been 
 " rich in good works, and laid up a good foundation 
 against the time to come." ^ 
 
 3 1 Tim. vi. 18. 
 
LUKE XIV. 15—24. 283 
 
 LECTURE LIV. 
 
 PARABLE OF THE GUESTS INVITED TO A GREAT 
 FEAST, WHO SEND EXCUSE. 
 
 Luke xiv. 15 — 24. 
 
 1 5. And when one of them that sat at meat with him 
 heard these thitiys, he said unto him^ Blessed is he that 
 shall eat bread in the kingdom of God. 
 
 This is a natural remark. Our Lord, as he sat at 
 meat, had been dropping instruction from his lips, 
 and showing how those should order their life and 
 conversation, who look for the resurrection of the just. 
 One of the company, struck with the glorious vision 
 which passed before his mind, is led to observe. 
 Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of 
 God. Blessed is he, who instead of the entertain- 
 ment which they were then enjoying, and which had 
 given the subject of their discourse, shall be admit- 
 ted to the kingdom where " they shall hunger no 
 more, and thirst no more ;" the kingdom prepared of 
 God for the righteous. 
 
 Our Lord, in the parable which follows, seems to 
 say, " This is indeed most true. Blessed is he that 
 shall eat bread in the kingdom of God. But who has 
 believed our report ?" How is it with the world ? 
 Are they ready to receive the invitation ? Think 
 how the fact stands. 
 
284 
 
 LUKE XIV. 15—24. 
 
 J 6. Then said he unto hini, A certain man made a great 
 supper, and bade matiy : ^ 
 
 17. And sent his servant at supper time to say to them 
 that were hidden^ Come ; for all things are now ready. 
 
 All tilings are now ready. The kingdom of 
 heaven is at hand. The Son of man is about to 
 open that kingdom to all believers. The predicted 
 Deliverer is born. The glad tidings are revealed. 
 The promises are fulfilled. The prophecies are 
 receiving their accomplishment. The expectations 
 are realised. All things are now ready : and the 
 Messiah has sent forth his apostles, saying, " Come 
 unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and 
 ye shall find rest unto your souls." Now then we 
 might suppose that all would hasten, and thankfully 
 meet the invitation. 
 
 18. And they all with o?ie consent began to make excuse. 
 The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, 
 and must needs go and see it : I pray thee have me 
 excused. 
 
 19. And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen^ 
 and I go to prove them : I pray thee have me excused. 
 
 20. And another said, I have matried a wife, and there- 
 fore I cannot come. 
 
 Such was the conduct of the people at that time- 
 As it had been in the days of Noah, so was it also 
 in the days of the Son of man : they bought ; 
 they sold ; they were eating and drinking, marry- 
 ing, and giving in marriage ; the things of this 
 world so occupied their hearts, that they gave no 
 heed to the message which was sounding through 
 
 ^ A parable to the Hkc purpose occurs in Matt. xxii. 1 — 10. 
 
LUKE XIV. 15--2J. 285 
 
 their country, and which said, " Repent ye, for the 
 kingdom of heaven is at hand." 
 
 And judging from what has been, and from what 
 still is the case, we have reason to fear that so it 
 will remain to the end. The great majority of those 
 who hear the invitation — Come, for all things are 
 now ready — will be so engrossed with things tem- 
 poral, that things eternal shall have no value for 
 them. They will not " lay hold on eternal life." 
 They will neglect the *' treasure hid in the field," 
 for the treasure which is before their eyes. They will 
 not quit the earthly trifles which they are catching 
 at, for that " pearl of great price," which lies beyond 
 the surface of this present world. 
 
 May God increase in us that faith, which is *' the 
 substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things 
 not seen !" 
 
 ^\. So that servant came, and showed his lord these 
 things. Then the master of the house being afigry said to 
 his servant. Go out quickly into- the streets and lanes of the 
 city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the 
 halt, and the blind. 
 
 22. And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast 
 commanded, and yet there is room. 
 
 Jerusalem, and the chief people of the Jews, 
 were putting from them eternal life, and rejecting 
 the Lord of glory. But there were still many Jews 
 dispersed among the Gentiles, and there were others 
 in different parts of the neighbouring country, 
 and there were Samaritans, to whom it was not yet 
 known that God had " remembered his holy cove- 
 nant," and " visited and redeemed his people." 
 
 8 
 
286 
 
 LUKE XIV. 15-24. 
 
 These were obscure persons, compared with the 
 inhabitants of Jerusalem ; and some of them much 
 despised : treated as maimed, and halt, and blind. 
 But all souls are alike in the sight of God : and our 
 Lord, before he ascended up to heaven, commanded 
 his apostles to go into these streets and lanes : saying, 
 " Ye shall be witnesses to me both in Jerusalem, 
 and in all Judea, and in Samaria." 2 And it was 
 done as he commanded. " They that were scattered 
 abroad by the persecution at Jerusalem, went every- 
 where preaching the word." ^ 
 
 Thus, according to the will of God, "the grace 
 of God that bringeth salvation " was first made 
 manifest to the Jewish people. But his mercy was 
 intended for the Gentiles also. 
 
 22. And the lord said tmto the servant, Go out into the 
 highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my 
 house may he filled. 
 
 24. For I say nnto you. That 7ione of those men which 
 ivere hidde7i shall taste of my supper. 
 
 Here a doom is passed upon the unbelieving 
 Jews of that day, like the sentence which had been 
 pronounced in the wilderness : " Unto whom I 
 swear in my wrath, that they should not enter into 
 my rest.'' Grace despised, is grace forfeited. The 
 Jewish people were disinherited. As a nation, they 
 lost the favour of God : nay, they incurred his 
 heaviest anger. " Because of unbelief they were 
 broken off," as branches of a tree which bore no 
 fruit. And the Gentiles, who received the word of 
 God with joy, and repented, and embraced the faith 
 
 2 Acts i. 8. 
 
 •* Actsviii. 1 — 5. 
 
LUKE XIV. 15—24. 287 
 
 of Christ ; these were *' grafted in." * Justly may we 
 say with the apostle, " Behold the goodness and se- 
 verity of God : towards them that fell, severity ; but 
 towards thee, goodness, if thou continue in his good- 
 ness." that every Christian nation, and every 
 christian individual, would walk more worthily of his 
 goodness, more worthily of the vocation wherewith 
 they are called ! 
 
 One remark must be distinctly made, before we 
 dismiss this parable. The things which are repre- 
 sented here as keeping men at a distance from God, 
 and preventing their return to him, are not things 
 sinful in themselves, but things needful and proper : 
 the lawful concerns, the indipensable business, the 
 ordinary transactions of life. Many, no doubt, 
 perish through open transgressions, and bold defi- 
 ance of God's law. But many also perish by things 
 which no law forbids, things which they might 
 justly and unblameably have done, if they had not, 
 for their sake, left things still more needful undone. 
 
 Mixed with this warning, there is also comfort 
 in the parable. We learn, that yet there is room : 
 that it is God's will; that his house shall be filled : 
 that " all should come to repentance and the know- 
 ledge of the truth:" and that not until the end, 
 when mercy has been long despised and grace neg- 
 lected, is the sentence issued. None of those men 
 that were bidden shall taste of my supper, 
 
 4 See Rom. xi. 17—22. 
 10 
 
28S LUKE XIV. 25—35 
 
 LECTURE LV. 
 
 SELF-DENIAL AND RESOLUTION NEEDFUL TO 
 THE DISCIPLES OF CHRIST. 
 
 Luke xiv. 25 — 85. 
 
 25. And there went great multitudes with him : and he 
 turned^ and said unto them, 
 
 2G. If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and 
 mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters^ 
 yea, and his own life also, he cannot he my disciple. ^ 
 
 27. And whosoever doth not hear his cross, and come 
 after me, cannot he my disciple. 
 
 These words bring our religious state and cha- 
 racter to a point : to be a disciple of Christ is a per- 
 sonal thing, which every one must take up for him- 
 self, individually and deliberately. 
 
 Our Lord sees a multitude around him ; thinking, 
 perhaps, that to follow him was the easy road to 
 temporal success, and wealth, and honour. 
 
 He turns round, and undeceives them : If any 
 man come to me^ let him come with full j)urpose of 
 heart, prepared to renounce everything else, every 
 thing dear to him in the world, for he may be called 
 so to do. I warn you of this now, that you may not 
 discover it too late; that you may not be dis- 
 heartened, and turn back, after having professed to 
 be my followers. 
 
 ' See Matt. xvi. 24— 2G. 
 
LUKE XIV. 25—35. J>89 
 
 The persons first concerned in these remarks were 
 the individuals to whom it was addressed, and who 
 would be literally forced, in many cases, to act as if 
 they hated father, and mother, and wife, and chil- 
 dren, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and their own life 
 also. 
 
 But Jesus had those likewise in his view who 
 should hereafter believe in him through the Scrip- 
 tures recorded for their instruction: and these 
 are warned that even under a different order of 
 things, when Christianity is the religion of a land, 
 still a national religion is one thing, and personal 
 faith another. There must be an individual ad- 
 herence to Christ, as Saviour and as Lord, in all 
 who shall profit by his redemption. Is this always 
 considered ? Because we are early baptized and 
 bred up in the christian faith ; because an ac- 
 quaintance with christian truth comes gradually to 
 our minds ; we are in danger of looking upon our 
 religion, as we look upon our native country, as a 
 thing of course, in which we have no choice or con- 
 cern. But a man is not thus made a disciple of 
 Christ. We see that he is not ; we see that he is 
 not thus led to christian practice, led to oppose the 
 prevailing current, or leave the beaten road ; 
 whenever these are in a wrong direction, the no- 
 minal Christian goes along with them. He is a 
 Christian as far as Christianity and the world agree, 
 and no farther. Still the words remain against him ; 
 Whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after 
 me, cannot be my disciple. And the serious, reso- 
 lute determination which is required is illustrated by 
 two examples. 
 
 u 
 
290 LUKE XIV. 25—35. 
 
 28. For which of yoUy intending to build a tower, sit- 
 teth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he 
 have sufficient to finish it 1 
 
 29. L£st haply, after he hath laid the foundation , and 
 is not able to furnish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, 
 
 30. Saying, TJiis man began to build, and was not able 
 to finish. 
 
 31. Or what king, going to make war against another 
 king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be 
 able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against 
 him with twenty thousand .^ 
 
 32. Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he 
 sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. 
 
 33. So likewise, whosoever he be of you that foi'saketh 
 not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. 
 
 34. Salt is good : but if the salt have lost his savour, 
 wherewith shall it be seasoned ? ^ 
 
 35. It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dung- 
 hill: but men ca^t it out. He that hath ears to hear, let 
 him hear. 
 
 The disciples of Christ are the salt of the earth, 
 and their influence is good, and keeps the world 
 from corruption. But if this salt have lost its 
 savour ; if Christians do no more than others ; if, 
 as soon as tribulation or persecution arise because 
 of the word, they are offended ; if in time of temp- 
 tation they fall away; wherewith shall the earth be 
 seasoned ? What example will they furnish to the 
 lovers of this present world ? Such nominal faith is 
 neither acceptable to God nor profitable to man ; 
 but is like salt which hath lost his savour. 
 
 The Christian , may never be called upon to for- 
 sake all that he hath, in order to act as a disciple of 
 
 3 See Matt. v. 13. 
 
 . 
 
LUKE XIV. '25-35. 591 
 
 Christ; but he must nevertheless maintain in his 
 heart the principle which would lead him to that 
 sacrifice ; and to some sacrifice he will undoubtedly 
 be called. He will meet with opposition from the 
 course of the world around him ; he will meet with 
 opposition from his own heart within ; from the 
 besetting sins of his nature. Who can doubt this 
 who reads the description of Christ's disciples, as 
 set forth in his discourse from the Mount? Who 
 can doubt whether, without opposition, labour, and 
 self-denial, a man can maintain the character of those 
 who are poor in spirit; who are meek ; who hunger 
 and thirst after righteousness ; who are merciful ; 
 who are pure in heart ; who are persecuted for 
 righteousness' sake ? 
 
 Let him then expect this, and be prepared for it. 
 If a man intending to build a tower, sitteth down 
 first, and counteth the cost ; let none suppose that 
 they can build for themselves an eternal habitation 
 in the heavens without that fulness of purpose and 
 resolution which shall endure unto the end. If a 
 king going to make war against another king, 
 sitteth down first and consulteth ; those must do 
 the same who " wrestle not against flesh and blood, 
 but against principalities, against powers, against the 
 rulers of darkness, against spiritual wickedness in 
 high places." The whole tenor of Scripture shows 
 that the road to heaven is steep, and must be 
 climbed ; is opposed, and must be contended for ; 
 and he that contends must do it with resolution, he 
 that climbs with perseverance. 
 
 But if we are to count the cost on the one side, 
 let us count it on the other also. If we are not 
 
 u2 
 
292 LUKE XV. 1—7. 
 
 Christ's disciples, what shall we be? To whom shall 
 we go ? We must count the cost of being at en- 
 mity with God ; we must count the cost of entering 
 into his presence without an advocate, without a 
 propitiation. Therefore whatever else we do, or 
 leave undone, let us at least secure a refuge for our 
 souls. Before God enter into judgment with us, 
 let us send an amhassage and desire conditions of 
 peace ; even though the conditions are, that we bear 
 the cross of Christ, and forsake everything which 
 would render us unfit for heaven. 
 
 After all, it will be found that the cross has its 
 comforts, and the self-devotion its reward; and 
 the promise is made good, " Take my yoke upon 
 you, and learn of me, and ye shall find rest unto 
 your souls." 
 
 LECTURE LVL 
 
 JESUS JUSTIFIES HIS RECEIVING PUBLICANS AND 
 SINNERS, BY THE PARABLE OF THE LOST SHEEP. 
 
 Luke xv. 1 — 7. 
 
 1. Then drew near unto him all the publicans and 
 sinners for to hear him. 
 
 2. And The Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, 
 This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. 
 
LUKE XV. 1—7. 293 
 
 The scribes and Pharisees, we know, were con- 
 stantly seeking occasion to diminish our Lord's 
 credit and authority. They had themselves no 
 reality of religion, though they desired to derive 
 honour from the appearance of it: but they had 
 no zeal for God's glory, or for the welfare of man ; 
 and therefore when Jesus did not exclude sinners 
 from the benefit of his instmctions, instead of being 
 gratified by his condescension, they make it a ground 
 of accusation against him. 
 
 We will take, however, the more favourable side, 
 and suppose that they spoke in good faith. This 
 man receweth sinners, and eateth loith them. They 
 had always kept aloof, themselves, from such per- 
 sons. And they thought it strange that he, who 
 was a teacher of righteousness, a reformer of evil 
 doctrine and evil practice, should receive sinners to 
 the same house and table with himself: should hold 
 conversation with them in public, and allow them 
 to sit at meat with him. 
 
 Certainly, if he had chosen them as his compa- 
 nions, or lived with them as his friends, they would 
 have had a right to wonder. No good man can 
 take a bad man for his companion. No religious 
 person can willingly consort with persons who are 
 without religion. Both his duty and his inclination 
 will preclude it. St. Paul is very decisive upon 
 this point. (1 Cor. vi. IL) "I have written unto 
 you not to keep company, if any man that is called 
 a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an ido- 
 later, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner ; 
 with such an one no not to eat." And again, 
 (2 Cor. vi. 14.) " Be ye not unequally yoked to- 
 
•294 LUKE XV. 1—7. 
 
 gether with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath 
 righteousness with unrighteousness ? and what com- 
 munion hath light with darkness? and what con- 
 cord hath Christ with Belial ?" 
 
 It was impossible, therefore, that our Lord should 
 choose ungodly men, for his friends or companions : 
 and if the Pharisees had been able to say, This man 
 allows his followers to remain sinners, they would 
 indeed have found a weighty allegation against 
 him. 
 
 But their complaint was. This man receiveth 
 sinners J and eateth with them. He does not shut 
 them out from his discourses and exhortations. 
 And this was much the same as to accuse a physi- 
 cian, because he received into his house those who 
 were sick and diseased : those who have most evi- 
 dent and urgent need of him. 
 
 The complaint leads to a parable, which both 
 corrects the error on which the remark of the 
 Pharisees was founded, and also declares the mer- 
 ciful purpose of God in sending his Son into the 
 world. Our Lord was accused of receiving sinners. 
 Now, sinners are those who have departed from the 
 service of God to which they were bound, and are 
 living in the service of Satan. They are like sheep 
 who have left the safe fold and the right shepherd, 
 and have strayed into a wilderness, where they 
 will either die of hunger, or be a prey to wild 
 beasts. 
 
 3. And he spake this parable unto them, saying, 
 
 4. What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he 
 lose one of them y doth not leave the ninety and nine in the 
 
LUKE XV. 1—7. 295 
 
 wilderness, and (/o after that which is lost, until he jitid 
 itl 
 
 5. And when lie hath found it^ he layeth it on his shoul- 
 ders, rejoicing. 
 
 6. And when he cometh homCy he calleth together his 
 friends and neighhours, saying unto them^ Rejoice with 
 me ; for I have found my sheep which was lost. 
 
 Therefore, would our Lord say, why should not 
 I do that for God's creatures, " the" sheep of his 
 pasture," which you would do for your dumb 
 flocks? Who would call that man a good shep- 
 herd, who should content hinself with staying by 
 the sheep which remained safe in the fold, and took 
 no pains to recover those which had strayed? 
 God willeth not the death of a sinner, but rather 
 that he should be converted and live : and there- 
 fore he sent his Son into the world, " to seek and 
 to save that which was lost." 
 
 7. / say unto you, that likewise joy shall he in heaven 
 over one sinner that repenteth^ more than over ninety and 
 nifie just ^erso7iSy which need no repentance. 
 
 Likewise. This word is to be observed. As 
 the shepherd thinks more of the one sheep lost, \ i^\J 
 than of the whole safe flock ; and rejoices more 
 over the one sheep recovered, than over the whole 
 fold which had occasioned him no fears : such is 
 the joy in heaven over a returning and repenting 
 sinner. Not because a repenting sinner is more 
 beloved or valued in heaven than a company of 
 just persons who need no repentance : but because 
 one had been given up as lost, and no fears had 
 been suffered on account of the others. This is 
 quite natural. While David, in his youthful avo- 
 
296 LUKE XV. 1—7. 
 
 cations, had his fathers sheep in safety, he was 
 quiet and easy about them, with no strong feelings 
 of joy or sorrow. But when the lion came, and 
 " took a lamb out of the flock : and he went out 
 after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of 
 his mouth :" ^ then he felt joy over the one lamb 
 which he had rescued, more than over all the rest 
 which had not been placed in jeopardy. 
 
 Such is the joy in heaven oi^er one sinner that 
 repenteth. Not that the ninety and nine persons 
 who are walking in the faith and fear of God, are 
 less valuable in his sight than the one person who 
 may be converted from the ways of sin. If the indi- 
 vidual soul is precious to him, how far more precious 
 are the souls of so great a number ! But Jesus 
 has used a familiar example, first to reprove the 
 Pharisees, who boasted of themselves that " they 
 were righteous, and despised others ;" and further 
 to encourage sinners, by assuring them of God's 
 mercy, that they may come unto him, and he may 
 heal them. God will receive the penitent; will 
 admit him to his favour. Nay, there is joy in 
 heaven over one sinner that repenteth. He is not 
 only received, but rejoiced over, when recovered 
 " from darkness to light, from the power of Satan 
 unto God." 
 
 A word must still be said upon the concluding 
 sentence, which speaks of just persons that need 
 no I'epciitance. In a strict and proper sense, we 
 know that there are none such ? all need repent- 
 ance ; for " all have sinned, and come short of the 
 M Sam. xvii. 34. 
 
LUKE XV. 1—7. 297 
 
 glory of God," and can only receive eternal life as 
 the gift of God through Christ Jesus. But there are, 
 through the power of the Holy Spirit, just persons, 
 who though they daily need, and daily feel, and 
 daily express their penitence, still need no change of 
 life, but are already at peace with God through faith 
 in the Redeemer, and " walk not after the flesh, but 
 after the Spirit." These are comparatively safe : the 
 inhabitants of heaven are not uneasy on their behalf : 
 there is reasonable hope that " he who hath begun 
 a good work in them shall perform it unto the end," 
 and that they shall be " kept by the power of God 
 through faith unto salvation." But they are uneasy 
 about the sinner, who lives in the way which God 
 forbids. Concerning him they have anxiety ; such 
 anxiety as may be where blessed angels are. They 
 see him in the broad road which leadeth to destruc- 
 tion. The stroke of death may come as a thief in 
 the night, and hurry him to judgment, and from 
 judgment to outer darkness, " where shall be weep- 
 ing and gnashing of teeth." And therefore when 
 they see the wicked man turning away from his 
 wickedness, and the thoughtless man awakened 
 from his carelessness and seeking peace with God 
 through the blood of the cross, and praying to be 
 received into the fold of Christ, and to be kept 
 within its pale ; then their fears for his soul are 
 quieted, and their holy sorrow is turned into joy. 
 Every fresh conversion from sin, every fresh grant 
 of pardon, brings an increase to happiness even 
 where they are, where happiness is perfect, and 
 there is fulness of joy for evermore. 
 
298 
 
 LUKE XV. 8—10. 
 
 LECTURE LVII. 
 
 REPENTANCE ENCOURAGED BY THE PARABLE 
 OF THE LOST PIECE OF SILVER. 
 
 Luke xv. 8 — 10. 
 
 The great principle which the gospels declares 
 and repeats, and enforces, is, that " God will have 
 all men to be saved, and come to the knowledge of 
 the truth." Mercy was the basis of the dispensa- 
 tion : " God so loved the world, that he gave his 
 only begotten Son, that all that believe in him 
 might not perish." And the same mercy is every- 
 where manifested; and is epescially illustrated by 
 the parables which this chapter contains. 
 
 In the one to which we last attended, the ex- 
 ample is that of a sheep which had strayed, and 
 which the shepherd had sought and recovered to 
 the fold. Another parable now awaits us, taken, 
 like the former, from the practice of ordinary life. 
 
 8. Either what woman having ten pices of silver, if she 
 lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, 
 and seek diligently till she find it ? 
 
 9. And when she hathfotind it, she calleth her friends 
 and her neighbours together, saying. Rejoice with me : for 
 I have found the piece which I had lost. 
 
 10. Likewise, I say unto yon, there is joy in the presence 
 of the angels of God over one sinner that repentelh. 
 
LUKE XV. 8—10. 209 
 
 1. Now the first thing observable here, is the in- 
 terest which God is described as taking in his sinful 
 creatures ; i. e. in those who, whether through the 
 entanglements of wicked habits, or through the 
 cares and deceitful allurements of earthly things, 
 are living without him in the world. His conduct 
 was compared in the former parable to that of the 
 shepherd who goes after his wandering sheep : and 
 here, to the woman who having lost a piece of 
 silver, lights a candle, and sweeps the house, and 
 seeks diligently till she find it, He follows the 
 sinner by the dealings of his providence, by the 
 calls of his word, by the influence of his Spirit, 
 that he may be reclaimed. Sometimes affecting the 
 heart with fear — What wilt thou do in the end? 
 sometimes with love — Shall I crucify the Son of 
 God afresh, and put him to an open shame ? some- 
 times with distress or pain : thus stopping the 
 career of sin, and introducing better thoughts. 
 " Before I was afflicted, I went astray : but now 
 have I kept thy words." 
 
 How grievous it is, that there should be all this 
 willingness in God to receive, and so little willing- 
 ness in man to " return unto the Lord, that he 
 may have mercy upon him, and to our God, that 
 he may abundantly pardon !" 
 
 2. This willingness is further shown, by the joy 
 which attends the sinner's conversion. And when 
 she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her 
 neighbours together, and saith unto them. Rejoice 
 with me, for I have found the piece which I had 
 lost. To this woman, it is a matter of importance 
 to recover a portion of her substance. But, " Lord, 
 
300 
 
 LUKE XV. 8—10. 
 
 what is man, that thou art mindful of him, or' tlie 
 son of man, that thou so regardest him?" One 
 only reason can be devised. Man is an immortal 
 being, and must be happy for ever, or miserable 
 for ever. And God is very merciful, and desires 
 his everlasting happiness : and therefore he rejoices 
 when men seek happiness, where alone it is to be 
 found in the fear of God, and in the ways oi 
 holiness. 
 
 The same satisfaction extends throughout all the 
 inhabitants of heaven. I say unto you, there is 
 joy in the presence of the angels of God over one 
 sinner that repenteth. We can understand this, 
 even from what is experienced by ourselves on 
 earth. Whoever is at peace with God, and enjoys 
 the blessings of the covenant of grace, desires to 
 communicate those blessings, as far as possible, to 
 his friends, his neighbourhood, and even to foriegn 
 lands. And only those are indifferent about others, 
 who are indifferent about themselves. 
 
 Indeed it is worth observing, how unlike the 
 views of some men on earth are to the thoughts which 
 are here represented as being the thoughts of hea- 
 ven. That change, which is described as filling, 
 heaven with joy, is here often treated as a trifling, 
 unimportant matter, of too little consequence to be 
 regarded. We see multitudes, the tenor of whose 
 life is such as God has forbidden. We see others 
 evidently labouring and striving to " enter in at 
 the strait gate, which leadeth unto life" eternal. 
 And this difference, this everlasting difference, is 
 treated as the effect of circumstances, as depending 
 on education or cou)panion!^hip, and lightly passed 
 
I 
 
 LUKE XV. 8—10 301 
 
 over in the world. Why ? But because we do not 
 make Scripture the foundation of our sentiments. 
 We think after the manner of men, and not after 
 the manner of God. We need stronger faith : a 
 firmer conviction that things will be as God has 
 revealed. 
 
 But a reflection may arise from this passage, 
 which is well suited to overcome the levity of the 
 world. Universally, whether we look towards 
 earth or heaven, those are found to be most anxious 
 about the soul, who have the best means of under- 
 standing what reason there is it to be so, God him- 
 self has shown the value of the soul. Man had no 
 sooner ruined himself by sin, than God devised a 
 scheme for his redemption. The Son of God has 
 shown the value of the soul : for he " came to 
 give his life a ransom" for it, to " seek and to 
 save that which was lost." The angels which are 
 in the presence of God rejoice over one soul that 
 is saved. They know the danger that is escaped, 
 they know the blessing which is obtained. What 
 with us, at best, is only faith, with them is sight 
 and knowledge. And, lastly, the sinner himself 
 who has repented, he also shows, what once he did 
 not understand, the value of the soul. For his first 
 and latest thought is to bring others out of the 
 gulf of destruction which he has left, to the haven 
 of peace which he has found. As the man who 
 has himself escaped from shipwreck, and reached a 
 safe and quiet shore, rejoices in his own deliverance, 
 but rejoices afresh at the arrival of every dear com- 
 panion, who had been involved in the same dan- 
 ger : so does every one who has been delivered 
 
 7 
 
302 
 
 LUKE XV. 11— l(j. 
 
 from wordly vanities into " the glorious liberty of 
 the sons of God," participate in the joy which is 
 felt in the presence of the angels of God over one 
 sinner that repenteth. 
 
 If, then we act as if our own souls, or the 
 souls of others, were of light and trifling value, it 
 is because we do not rightly comprehend what they 
 have to lose, and what they may obtain : what they 
 may suffer, and what they may enjoy. 
 
 Judge, therefore, of the worth of the soul, from 
 those who are alone capable of estimating it. There 
 may be indifference on earth : but there is no such 
 indifference in heaven. Nay, there is joy in the 
 presence of the angels of God over one sinner that 
 repenteth. 
 
 LECTURE LVlll. 
 
 REPENTANCE ENCOURAGED BY THE EXAMPLE 
 OF THE PRODIGAL SON.— THE DEPARTURE 
 AND MISERY OF THE PRODIGAL. 
 
 Luke xv. 11 — IG. 
 
 11. And he said, A certain man had two so?is : 
 
 12. And the younger of them said to his father, Father, 
 give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he 
 divided unto them his living. 
 
 13. And not many dxtys after the younger son gathered 
 (ill together, and took his journey into afar country, and 
 there wasted his substance with riotous living. 
 
LUKE XV. 11 --16. 303 
 
 In this description of the prodigal, we read, alas ! 
 the description of too many of God's family. For 
 the Jews were God's family, as compared with the 
 rest of the world, at the time when this parable was 
 uttered : and such are Christians now : adopted as 
 children of God in Christ Jesus, dedicated to him 
 by their baptism, brought up, as it were, in his 
 house, and early taught to love and honour him as 
 their Father which is in heaven. Happy indeed 
 are those, who, like Samuel, like Timothy, like the 
 patriarch Joseph, never go widely astray from this 
 blessed home : who remember their Creator in the 
 days of their youth, and do not seek after what they 
 falsely suppose to be happiness, by departing from 
 the laws which regulate his family. But is this a 
 common case ? Do young persons in general, when 
 they become of age to show their disposition, and 
 to choose for themselves, do they remain at home 
 with God? Or do they make haste to throw off 
 the restraint to which his children must conform ? 
 They take the portion of goods that falleth to them; 
 they take their health, and their strength, and their 
 understanding, and their fortune ; and what do they 
 inquire ? How they can best spend these in their 
 Father's service ? Is it not rather — how can they 
 best please, and serve, and amuse themselves ? Few 
 indeed, when temptation is set before them, think 
 of replying with the patriarch of old. How shall I 
 do this wickedness, and sin against my heavenly 
 Father ! Few, indeed, among the conflicting engage- 
 ments of life, have the spirit to say, " Wist ye not 
 that I must be about my Father's business ?" They 
 may not all waste their substance in riotous living : 
 
 4 
 
304 
 
 LUKE XV. 11— IG. 
 
 there are many modes of departure from God : — a 
 man may be very unlike this prodigal in his way of 
 life, and yet be very little superior to him as to the 
 state of his soul. He may be sober and diligent* 
 yet God may not be in his thoughts : he may be 
 temperate, but covetous and selfish: he may be 
 strictly just and honest, yet malicious and uncha- 
 ritable : he may be outwardly moral, and so far it 
 is well ; but there may be no humility within : 
 no preparation for heaven ; no love of God, no 
 peace with God : the whole affections may be set 
 on things below. Remember, whether it be gross 
 and wilful sin, or whether it be covetousness, or 
 whether it be pride, or whether it be pleasure, or 
 whether it be worldly care, or whatever it be that 
 keeps the heart at a distance from our heavenly 
 Father ; the heart that is not with him, is not in its 
 right place ; has wandered from its only safe home ; 
 and is separated from God by a gulf as wide as 
 that which separates one country from another. 
 
 We can examine ourselves by a sure test. Do 
 we act with God, as towards a Father? Do we 
 hold with him the constant intercourse of prayer ? 
 Do we resort to him in our joys as a Benefactor, 
 and as a Protector in our sorrows or our tempta- 
 tions? For this it is to be at home with God, 
 as in a father's house : this it is to " have received 
 the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Fa- 
 ther." 1 
 
 14. And when he had spent all, there arose a vriffhty 
 fainine in that land ; and he began to he in want. 
 
 Rom. viii. 15, 
 
LUKE XV. 11 — U). 305 
 
 Sucli is the end of alienation from God. When 
 he had spent all, he began to be in ivant. A man 
 may not, indeed, have wasted his substance ; he may 
 even have increased it by rapacity, by avarice, by 
 unremitted attention to worldly concerns, by seizing 
 every opportunity of advancing his own interest. 
 But the time will arrive, when there will be a famine 
 in the land. His days have been consumed : old age 
 draws on : this world fails him : and he is in want 
 of anything to clieer his heart, to excite hope, to 
 comfort a sick bed, and enable him to look towards 
 eternity. 
 
 This wretchedness is feelingly described in what 
 follows. 
 
 15. And he went a fid joined himself to a citizen of that 
 country ; and he sent him out into his fields to feed swine. 
 
 The circumstance here introduced deserves par- 
 ticular remark. The Jews were forbidden to keep 
 swine : the animal was unclean, according to the >^ 
 law of Moses. But this man had departed from 
 God ; and he is reduced to a state of misery and 
 degradation which in his father's land he would not 
 have known. He went and joined himself to a 
 citizen of that country : and he sent him into his 
 fields to feed swine. So when the Christian leaves 
 his father's house, — abandons the faith and practice 
 of a Christian, — he is often led into evils which 
 living as a Christian he would have avoided, and 
 brought into straits which one who leads a christian 
 life is never suffered to experience. 
 
 16. And he would fain have filled his belly with the 
 husks that the swine did eat : and no man gorve unto him. 
 
 X 
 
306 
 
 LUKE XV. 11—16. 
 
 This represents a state of great temporal distress. 
 It may represent no less accurately the state of one 
 who strives to satisfy his mind with things which 
 give no real satisfaction. Why do ye labour for 
 that which is not bread ? In the season of sickness, 
 of sorrow, of privation, of those reverses which often 
 attend the worldly man, what is the return which 
 the world makes him ? It has nothing but husks to 
 offer, which cannot minister food to the diseased 
 mind. Pleasures ! what are they in such an hour ? 
 Those that may have been innocent, are now vanity : 
 and those that were not innocent, are now vexation 
 of spirit ; grievous to look back upon. Riches ! what 
 can they do ? They can furnish outward comforts : 
 but little indeed is the difference which outward 
 comforts make, when the heart is sick and will 
 not be comforted. And no man gives unto him. 
 Worldly friends soon abandon the companion who 
 can no longer partake of their pursuits, or assist 
 their interests : and if they do look in upon him, 
 what can they give? Nothing better than husks. 
 All which they can give is of the earth, earthly ; 
 and when earth is receding, and eternity opening to 
 the view, earthly things have lost their value ; they 
 are truly unsatisfying, whether a man has anything 
 instead of them or no. 
 
 The children who have remained in their Father's 
 house, and conformed to the rules of his family, are 
 not reduced to a state like this. Many who have 
 walked before him in righteousness, are no stran- 
 gers to ])ain, and sickness, and poverty : many who 
 have soui>ht first the kingdom of God, have proved 
 that his kingdom is not of this world. But they 
 
LUKE XV. 17—24. 307 
 
 are not reduced to feed ou husks: — they have still 
 " the bread of life," which those who eat " shall 
 never hunger ;" — and they are not destitute : — for 
 they cast their care upon God, and he careth for 
 them. The words of David are verified, " I have 
 been young, and now am old ; yet have I not seen 
 the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging their 
 bread." ' 
 
 LECTURE LIX. 
 
 REPENTANCE, RETURN, AND RECEPTION OF THE 
 PRODIGAL SON. 
 
 Luke xv, 17 — 24. 
 
 17. And when he came to himself, he said. How many 
 hired servants of my fathers have bread enough and to 
 spare, and I perish with himyer ! 
 
 18. 1 will arise, and go to my father, and will say unto 
 him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, 
 
 19. Afid am no more worthy to be called thy son : make 
 me as one of thy hired servants. 
 
 We left the prodigal in a condition of great 
 wretchedness. It was well, that he felt his misery. 
 Many are really as wretched as he was, because 
 they are as distant from the Author of all happiness, 
 and yet are not conscious of their state, their spi- 
 ritual destitution. 
 
 Misery however was the means, in the hands of 
 God, of bringing this man to himself: to a sense 
 
 2 Ps. xxxvii. 25. 
 
 x2 
 
308 
 
 LUKE XV. 17—24. 
 
 of what he was, and what he 
 
 might 
 
 have been, if 
 
 he had never gone astray, and dealt wickedly. 
 How many hired servants of my father have bread 
 enough, and to spare, and I perish with hunger ! 
 
 We may here remark the blessings which attend a 
 religious family, a religious education. The prodigal 
 remembers what he had seen in his father's house : 
 he had seen comfort and peace ; not perfect com- 
 fort, indeed, nor uninterrupted peace ; but such 
 peace and comfort as is attainable in a fallen state, 
 and can belong to corrupt hearts and a sinful world : 
 peace and comfort such as is only to be found in the 
 ways of righteousness. And though he had once 
 disliked the restraints which order and duty lay upon 
 perverse inclination, though he had left his father's 
 house that he might be free from them ; he now 
 looks back with sad remembrance on what he had 
 formerly despised and abandoned. 
 
 Still a resource remains. He knows the character 
 of the father whom he had deserted : and he may 
 possibly find a place in his family again. 1 will arise, 
 and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, 
 I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am 
 no more worthy to be called thy son : make me as one 
 of thy hired servants. 
 
 Reflect here upon the blessing which belongs to 
 us, to whom is made known the mercy of God as 
 revealed in the gospel. We know that " God so 
 loved the world, that he gave his only begotten 
 Son, that all that believe in him might not perish." 
 We know that " God willeth not that any should 
 perish, but that all should come to repentance.'* 
 The unenlightened heathen is sometimes affected 
 
 d 
 
LUKE XV. 17—24. 301) 
 
 by a sense of sin, and endeavours to expiate his 
 transgressions by penance, or by expensive sacri- 
 fice ; by making offerings, or by suffering priva- 
 tions : by tormenting himself, or even by torment- 
 ing others. But we possess the revelation of God's 
 mercy. We know that a propitiation has been 
 made, and a way of access opened from man to 
 God. We are not left to doubt whether he will 
 receive the returning sinner ; whether he to whom 
 in our sorrows we address our prayer, is a God 
 who heareth and answereth prayer; whether he 
 whom we feel to be a God of power, is also a God 
 of mercy : this we are forbidden to doubt : for 
 " this is a faithful saying, and worthy of all men to 
 be received, that Christ Jesus came into the world 
 to save sinners." 
 
 Observe, however, the conduct of the prodigal : 
 and learn from it, the nature of true repentance. 
 It is a deliberate, solemn act : an act of religious 
 humiliation and prayer. His extravagance has 
 ruined his fortune. More regular habits will place 
 him in a more creditable situation, are more suit- 
 able to his advancing years. Many feel this, and 
 calmly talk of entering upon a new course, as they 
 might talk of wearing a new dress, or changing a 
 place of residence. There is no penitence in this, 
 though it bespeaks an altered purpose : it is a 
 change of life, but not a change of heart, which 
 may just as little humble before God as ever. 
 The prodigal perceives that he has been offending 
 one whom he ought to have loved and reverenced, 
 and that his first care must be to seek forgiveness. 
 
310 LUKE XV. 17—24. 
 
 He has been living at enmity with his father : he 
 must openly, solemnly, submissively sue for recon- 
 ciliation : in a deliberate, penitent manner, he 
 must cast his transgressions on the head of him 
 who died to make atonement for them, who *' bore 
 our sins in his own body, that he might bring us to 
 God." The language of the contrite heart is re- 
 corded in Scripture. " I acknowledge my trans- 
 gressions, and my sin is ever before me." " O 
 remember not the sins and offences of my youth." 
 " Wash me thoughly from my wickedness, and 
 cleanse me from my sin. Make me a clean 
 heart, God, and renew a right spirit within me. 
 Cast me not away from thy presence. Give me 
 the comfort of thy help again, and stablish me with 
 thy free Spirit." Such was David's repentance. ^ 
 Such was the repentance of the prodigal. Such is 
 true repentance. 
 
 And for those who do thus arise, and go to 
 their father, what an encouragement is proposed! 
 How beautifully, in the next verse, is the mercy 
 described, with which God regards and receives the 
 penitent ! 
 
 20. A?id lie arose, and came to his father. But when he 
 was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had com- 
 passion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. 
 
 21. And the so?i said unto him. Father, I have simied 
 against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy 
 to he called thy son. 
 
 22. But the father said to his servants. Bring forth the 
 best robe, and put it on him / and put a ring on his hand, 
 and shoes on his feet : 
 
 ' Sec Ps. li. 
 
LUKE XV. 17—24. 311 
 
 23. Ami hriv(j hither the fatted calf and kill it ; a/iaf 
 let us eat and be merry, 
 
 24. For this my son was dead ^ arid is alive again: he 
 was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry. 
 
 Thus mercifully does God regard the heart, 
 which is turned from Satan unto Him. When the 
 penitent is yd a great way off, he meets him with 
 compassion and with pardon. He is yet a great 
 way off; far from standing complete and perfect in 
 the will of God : much labour, continued watch- 
 fulness, habitual prayer, will be long needed, before 
 he can reach the measure of the stature of the ful- 
 ness of Christ. But from the moment that one 
 who has gone wilfully, or gone ignorantly, astray, 
 determines in earnest to give up his life to God, 
 he is seen from afar and favoured : the Holy Spirit, 
 who has insensibly moved him with fear, and led 
 him to repent, now brings him on his way : reveals 
 to him more, and more the extent of the Redeemer's 
 will and power to save : encourages him with a 
 prospect of happiness which, as an alien from God, 
 he never could have enjoyed : adds strength to his 
 weakness, and gives him " grace for grace." In- 
 stead of the nakedness of the corrupt heart, de- 
 graded by trespasses and sins, the best robe is put 
 upon hiiiiy the robe of righteousness, the garments 
 of salvation. And there is joy in heaven, that one 
 who ivas dead, is alive again ; one who was lost, is 
 found. These words give an awful view of the end 
 and consequence of a sinful state. It is compared to 
 utter destitution ; this my son was lost : it it is com- 
 pared to the horror and loathsomeness of death ; 
 this my son was dead. And thence comes the ex- 
 
312 
 
 LUKE XV. 25—32. 
 
 ceeding joy, when one who was dead, is alive again : 
 '' dead indeed unto sin," but alive to the purposes, 
 for which life is given him ; " alive unto God 
 through Jesus Christ :" and awakened to all the 
 hopes which the gospel sets before the righteous. 
 
 Here, then, we leave the prodigal. No longer 
 in a land of famine, perishing with hunger ; but 
 safe in his father's house, and in his father's hands. 
 *' The lions do lack, and suffer hunger : but they 
 that fear the Lord, shall want no manner of thing 
 that is good." " Happy are the people which are 
 in such a case : yea, blessed are they that have the 
 Lord for their God." 
 
 LECTURE LX. 
 
 THE ELDER BROTHER'S JEALOUSY OF THE PRO- 
 DIGAL'S RECEPTION. 
 
 Luke xv. 25—32. 
 
 We read in the description of the prodigal, the 
 description of one who in despite of the many ad- 
 vantages of his father s house, had left it, and pre- 
 ferred a strange country and the ways of sin. He 
 repents, however, and returns, and is received once 
 more : nay, he is cordially welcomed, and his trans- 
 gressions are not remembered against him. 
 
 The sequel of the parable introduces a different 
 character : one who had remained at home with his 
 
LUKE XV. 25—32. 313 
 
 father, had acted conformably to his will, and ren- 
 dered him service. And he is jealous of the wel- 
 come given to his unworthy brother. 
 
 26. Now his elder son was in thejield : and as he came 
 and drew 7iigh to the house, he heard music and dancing. 
 
 26. A?id he called one of the servants, and asked what 
 these things meant. 
 
 27. And he said tinto him, Thy brother is come : and thy 
 father hath hilled the fatted calf, because he hath received 
 
 him safe and sound, 
 
 28. And he teas angry, and would not go in : therefore 
 came his father out, and entreated him, 
 
 28. And he answering said to his father, Lo, these 
 many years do I serve thee ; neither transgressed I at any 
 time thy comma^idment ; and yet thou never gavest me a 
 kid, that I might make merry with my friends : 
 
 80. But as soofi as this thy son was come, which hath 
 devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him 
 the fatted calf. 
 
 It was a complaint of this kind, which furnished 
 the occasion of these parables of mercy. " The 
 Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying. This man 
 receiveth sinners, and eateth with them." And 
 afterwards, when the proclamation of the gospel 
 was widely sounded, and recalled all prodigals back 
 to their father's house, the Jewish people could not 
 brook the thought that '* God had granted to the 
 Gentiles also repentance unto life." The elder 
 brethren would have closed the door against the 
 younger. 
 
 The elder son here, however, is not a Pharisee, 
 nor a Jewish blasphemer. The father does not 
 treat him as a hypocrite, as one who had the form 
 
314 
 
 LUKE XV. 25—32. 
 
 of godliness without the power, but answers him 
 with favour and commendation. How is it that 
 such an one should complain of God's mercy shown 
 towards the prodigal ? Why is his eye evil, because 
 God is good ? 
 
 Human nature is very various and very incon- 
 sistent; and Scripture wonderfully meets it at 
 every turn. Here is something of the same leaven 
 which is corrected in the parable of the labourers : 
 where those who had borne the burthen and heat 
 of the day are indignant against the lord of the 
 vineyard, because he rewarded the last and the 
 first alike. And it is not unusual in life, to 
 find a somewhat similar feeling in correct and 
 devout persons, who have been kept from great 
 transgressions. They are jealous of endeavours 
 used to convert notorious sinners : they are suspi- 
 cious of their apparent penitence, and doubt the 
 sincerity of their change. Such must remember 
 that the whole dispensation of the gospel is a plan 
 of remedial mercy : that the Son of man came 
 " not to call the righteous, but sinners to repent- 
 ance :" to ** seek and to save that which was lost f ' 
 and that these parables would never have been 
 uttered or recorded, if there were not joy in heaven 
 over one sinner that repenteth. 
 
 Observe, however, the tenderness of our hea- 
 venly Father. He is not severe against his unrea- 
 sonable son : he does not *' provoke him to wrath :" 
 but he himself comes out to entreat him, and ex- 
 l)lain. Even though there is much of peevishness 
 in the case : though the elder son exaggerates his 
 brother's evil doings : though he proclaims his own 
 
LUKE XV. 25— 32. 315 
 
 merits — fo, these many years do I serve thee : 
 though he seems to accuse his ftither of unkindness 
 — thou never gavest vie a kid that I might make 
 merry with my friends : — still is the father mild 
 and patient, and says, " Come now and let us rea- 
 son together." " Are not my ways equal : are not 
 thy ways unequal?" 
 
 31. And he said unto him. Son, thou art ever with me, 
 and all that I have is thine. 
 
 32. It was meet that we should make merry, and he 
 glad : for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again ; 
 and was lost, and is found. 
 
 Here then is the reply, if any should complain of 
 the mercy shown to penitents : should complain 
 that Saul, the persecutor, the blasphemer, and 
 Timothy, who from his youth up had followed the 
 Scriptures, are placed in the same scale, regarded 
 with the same favour. Those who have been hap- 
 pily preserved from falling, want no additional 
 reward. They have reward enough, and more 
 than enough, in that greatest of all blessings, an 
 unstained conscience, and an assurance of the divine 
 favour. Son, thou art ever with me, and all that 1 
 have is thine. What more could they enjoy ? 
 Thou art ever with me. Thou hast been mindful 
 of the pledge which devoted thee to my service : 
 thou hast remembered thy Creator in the days of 
 thy youth : thou hast not forgotten the God that 
 made thee. And he has never forgotten thee, but 
 all that he has is thine. Whatever might be pro- 
 fitable for thee he has given, and will give : he has 
 watched over thee for good ; if ho has yielded thee 
 
316 
 
 LUKE XV. 25—3-2. 
 
 thy heart's desire, or if he has denied the request 
 of thy lips, the denial and the grant have proceeded 
 alike from love, and been directed to one end : and 
 of whom wilt thou be jealous, or what wouldest 
 thou seek more ? 
 
 There are others of a different stamp, who in- 
 stead of grudging the repentant sinner his share of 
 God's free mercy, seem to envy him : and to 
 lament over themselves, because they cannot show, 
 with the same clearness, the date of their conver- 
 sion. But this is error. It is a delightful truth, 
 that there are prodigals who return : and great 
 reason have they to magnify the grace of God, 
 who has not given them over unto death : just 
 cause thankfully to remember and note the time 
 when they came to themselves, and said, / will 
 arise and go to my Father. But it is not the Fa- 
 ther's will that there should be any prodigals : that 
 any should leave his house for a strange land. 
 " The grace of God that bringeth salvation has 
 appeared unto all men, teaching us that denying 
 ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live 
 righteously, soberly, and godly, in this present 
 world." It is true that they who, in spite of the grace 
 of God, have lived otherwise, when they turn away 
 from their wickedness, are received with joy. But 
 the occasion of that joy, is the danger, the awful 
 danger, from which they have been delivered. 
 Let that joy be taken as the measure of their peril. 
 Tlii8 my son was dead, and is alive again ; was 
 lost^ and is found. How many of those who 
 wander, arc lost eternally ! How many of those 
 who once become dead in sin, are dead for ever: 
 
LUKE XVI. 1-1-2. 317 
 
 never "awake, or arise from the dead, that Christ 
 may give them light !" 
 
 Therefore let " the young man cleanse his way." 
 Let him lay up for himself the unspeakable conso- 
 lation : "With my whole heart have I sought 
 thee : thy word have I hid within my heart, that I 
 miorht not sin aorainst thee." " Blessed is the man 
 who has not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, 
 nor stood in the way of sinners, nor sat in the seat 
 of the scornful : but his delight is in the law of the 
 Lord : aud in his law does he meditate day and 
 night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers 
 of w^ater, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season ; 
 his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he 
 doeth, it shall prosper." ^ 
 
 LECTURE LXI. 
 
 THE CARE OF THE SOUL ENFORCED BY THE 
 PARABLE OF THE UNJUST STEWARD. 
 
 Luke xvi. 1 — 12. 
 
 1. And he said unto his disciples, There was a certain 
 rich man which had a steward ; and the saTne was accused 
 unto him that he had wasted his goods. 
 
 2. And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that 
 I hear this of thee ? give an account of thy stewardship ; 
 for thou mayest he no longer steward, 
 
 1 Ps. cxix. 9—11 ; aud i. 1—6. 
 
318 
 
 LUKE XVI. 1—12. 
 
 3. Then the steward said within himself, What shall I 
 do ? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship ; I 
 cannot dig ; to beg I am ashamed. 
 
 4. / am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of 
 the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses. 
 
 5. So he called every one of his lord's debtors unto him, 
 and said unto the first. How much owest thou unto my 
 lord ? 
 
 6. And he said. An hundred measures of oil. And he 
 said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and 
 write fifty- 
 
 7. Then said he to another, And how much owest thou ^ 
 And he said. An hundred measures oftuheat. And he said 
 unto him. Take thy bill, and write fourscore. 
 
 8. And the lord commended the unjust steward, because 
 he had done wisely : for the children of this world are in 
 their generation wiser than the children of light. 
 
 9. And I say unto you. Make to yourselves friends of 
 the mammon of unrighteousness ; that, when ye fail, they 
 may receive you into everlasting habitations. 
 
 Though we are at first surprised, to hear that 
 the lord commended the unjust steward, a little 
 attention shows what it was that he commended. 
 Not his dishonesty, by which he was himself the 
 sufferer : this is all along condemned, whilst the 
 man is called the unjust steward: but he com- 
 mends the prudence which he had shown in pro- 
 viding against the future. What shall I do, when 
 my lord puts me out of the stewardship ? And he 
 commends the quickness with which he had used 
 the means which he possessed, to secure to himself 
 a provision : / am resolved what to do, that when I 
 am put out of the stewardship, they may receive 
 me into their houses. This is the main scope of 
 
LUKE XVI. 1— J2. 319 
 
 the parable. It inculcates the duty of watchful- 
 ness and activity, in turning to the best account all 
 the opportunities and advantages with which God 
 entrusts us as stewards. It reminds all to be con- 
 stantly inquiring, What shall I do, when the lord 
 puts me out of the stewardship 1 It is well with 
 me now : how will it be then ? It teaches all 
 to be resolved what to do : so to use the world, 
 without abusing it, so to make to themselves friends 
 of the mammon of unrighteousness, that when wo 
 fail and die, they may receive us into everlasting 
 habitations. 
 
 This is what the parable teaches. And much 
 need is there, that we be taught it. For how 
 grievously is the remark verified, The children of 
 this world are in their generation wiser than the 
 children of light. How quicksighted are they in 
 perceiving their interests ! Judas, for instance, 
 (John xii. 3 — 6,) on that occasion, when " Mary 
 took a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, 
 and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet 
 with her hair : and the house was filled with the 
 odour of the ointment. Then said Judas Iscariot, 
 why was not this ointment sold for three hundred 
 pence, and given to the poor?" How immediately 
 he caught at the opportunity of gratifying his fa- 
 vourite sin ! " This he said, not that he cared for 
 the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the 
 bag, and bare what was put therein." And what 
 is this, but a portrait of the children of this world ? 
 How readily does the dishonest tradesman learn 
 all the secrets of his craft ? How skilfully does 
 the man who buys, take advantage of the ignorance 
 
320 
 
 LUKE XVI. 1—12. 
 
 or necessities of the seller ? How does the seller, 
 in his turn, watch for one who must buy, at any 
 rate, or who knows not how to buy? How do 
 men, practised in the world, make the most of any 
 passion or weakness in their neighbours ! one pro- 
 fiting by their fears : another by their resentments : 
 another by their follies and extravagances : and 
 another, perhaps, even by their meekness and reli- 
 gious forbearance ! 
 
 So quick-sighted are the children of this world : 
 so easily are they resolved what to do. Do we find 
 the same among the children of light ? Are they 
 as ready to watch every advantage which may pro- 
 mote the interests of the soul? If so, we shall 
 find them arguing after the same manner. This is 
 a practice which has been injurious to me ; — it has 
 ruffled my temper — or it has excited my pride — or 
 it has occupied too much of my time — or it has 
 required money which might have been better em- 
 ployed — I must lay aside this pi-actice. Or again ; 
 I have found by experience, that after joining in 
 such or such an amusement, or engaging in such or 
 such company, my heart has been estranged from 
 heavenly things : I have gone farther back from 
 God, instead of approaching nearer to him : this 
 must not be — my object is, to press forward : and 
 w^hatever does not carry me on, must be abandoned. 
 In this way, every profitable book, every profitable 
 companion, every profitable opportunity of dis- 
 course, every means of hearing the word of God, 
 will be seized as eagerly by the earnest Christian, 
 as every opportunity of pleasure or of gain is seized 
 by the children of this world. 
 
LUKE XVI. 1—1*2. 3-21 
 
 And so it must be, if we look for a reward in 
 heaven. The words which follow, show that God 
 notices his servants, observes the use which they 
 make of the mammon of tmrighteousness, expects 
 them to improve the talents entrusted to them: 
 and, taking from the slothful " that which he hath," 
 assigns it to the zealous and wise. 
 
 10. He that is faithful in that which is least, is faithful 
 also in much : and he that is unjust in the least, is unjust 
 also in much. 
 
 11. If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous 
 mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches ? 
 
 12. And if ye have not been faithful in that which is 
 another man^s, who shall give you that which is your own ? 
 
 It is a general truth, that he who is faithful iu 
 one trust, will be faithful also in another : and that 
 he who is unjust in a small thing, will be unjust 
 also in a greater. If therefore ye have not been 
 faithful in the unrighteous mammon, in the use of 
 God's ordinary gifts of time, of fortune, of influ- 
 ence, will he bestow upon you his spiritual gifts, 
 the true riches f If ye have not been faithful in 
 another's ; ^ that is, in what God has entrusted to 
 you, in the talents which he has lent for a time ; 
 how can ye expect that he should make his eternal 
 rewards yours, that he should give you that which 
 is your own : that which, if ye be found faithful, 
 he designs for you, and which will remain yours 
 for ever ? " For unto every one that hath, shall be 
 given : but unto him that hath not, shall be taken 
 away even that he hath." 
 
 ^ iv TO) aXXoTpii^ — another* 8, not another man*8. 
 
 Y 
 
322 
 
 LUKE XVI. 1—12. 
 
 Let all be admonished, by this parable, that they 
 " are not the children of the night, nor of darkness, 
 and must walk as children of light." Be quick- 
 sighted for earth, as far as may be lawful ; but never 
 forgot that earthly things " perish in the using : " 
 and certainly be quick-sighted to discover and follow 
 the narrow way that leads to life eternal. Be dili- 
 gent in pursuing the business of your stations : but 
 never forget that if you are not also diligent in pursu- 
 ing the business which God had given you to do for 
 him, he may justly say at the last. Out of thine 
 own practice will I judge thee, thou wicked and 
 slothful servant : thou couldest plan and labour for 
 the world out of which thou wert soon to pass, but 
 thou couldest not plan and labour for eternity. 
 
 Every day's labour, every hour's thought which 
 is employed upon the present world, condemns 
 those who attend to that alone. These things 
 ought they to have done, but not have left the 
 others undone. They can think of the next week, 
 but they cannot think of the next world. They can 
 provide for an uncertain future, but they will not 
 provide for a future which is sure. They can labour 
 for what they may never be able to acquire, but they 
 will not labour for what no one ever sought in 
 vain. The unjust steward is represented as having 
 gained his object, and secured a refuge : but that is 
 not always the case with the children of this world ; 
 many fail ; and many who succeed, are discontented 
 after all. But the children of light have the pro- 
 mise of a faithful God. " Ye shall seek me, and 
 ye shall find me, if ye seek me with your whole 
 heart : " and they are 8up])orted by a strength which 
 
LUKE XVI. 13—18. 823 
 
 the worldling knows not, the power communicated 
 to them by an almighty Saviour. Lot them, there- 
 fore, dread and avoid the just reproach, that the chil- 
 dren of this world are wiser in their generation than 
 the children of light. 
 
 LECTURE LXTI. 
 
 THE NECESSITY OF CHOOSING BETWEEN THE 
 SERVICE OF GOD AND MAMMON. — THE OBLI- 
 GATIONS OF THE LAW OF GOD. 
 
 Luke xvi. 13 — 18. 
 
 12. ^ No servant can serve two masters: for either he 
 will hate the one, and love the other ; or else he will hold 
 to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and 
 mammon.^ 
 
 It is taken for granted here, that men know 
 whom they are bound to serve. Ye cannot serve 
 God and mammon; and ye are bound to serve 
 God. Ye cannot be servants both to God and 
 this world. 
 
 1 See Matt. vi. 24. 
 
 2 The Syriac word mammon properly signifies riches. The 
 things which lead men from God are procured by riches, " the 
 lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life." 
 These " are not of the Father, but of the world ;" and therefore 
 the terra here expresses what is commonly meant in Scripture 
 by the world. 
 
 Y 2 
 
324 
 
 LUKE XVI. 13—18. 
 
 This, though a plain truth, is a startling truth: 
 We are in the world : we have much to do with 
 the world : much that seems indispensable. And 
 yet we are told, and told by him who cannot err, 
 that the world and God cannot be served together. 
 It is a text, therefore, which deserves anxious ex- 
 amination. 
 
 Now, to a certain extent, a man may serve two 
 masters, i. e. he may do some service to both. If 
 their wishes do not disagree ; if their interests are 
 one ; if they only want a part of his service, a man 
 may be useful to two masters : or if one engages 
 always to give way, when his services are required 
 by the other. 
 
 And so it is with regard to God and the world. 
 In truth, no man can discharge his duty to God, 
 without doing some service to the world ; and he 
 will do this world the best service, who is the truest 
 servant of God. A man cannot provide for his 
 own household ; he cannot be industrious in his 
 calling; he cannot exercise his vocation, whe- 
 ther by the labour of his hands, or the labour of 
 his mind; without at the same time serving the 
 world. And all these he is required to do. 
 Christians are instructed to *' maintain good works 
 for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful.''^ 
 And whosoever serves God best, will do the world 
 most service : in whatever station he may be, he 
 will be the most valuable member of society: he 
 will be of all men the most useful and most profit- 
 able. 
 
 But this the text declares, that no man can de- 
 
 •» Tit. iii. 14. 
 
LUKE XVI. 13-18. 325 
 
 vote himself to two masters; can engage himself 
 to two ; can enter into the service of two. And 
 in this sense it is, that ye cannot serve God and 
 mammon. How should ye ? God requires our 
 full service. " Thou shalt worship the Lord thy 
 God, and him only shalt thou serve." He requires 
 that we enter solemnly into his service. As Elijah 
 said to the Israelites, " If Baal be God, follow 
 him : but if the Lord be God, then follow him." 
 And Christ Jesus expects of all, that they *' take his 
 yoke upon them." Further, God requires the devo- 
 tion of the heart to himself. " Thou shalt love the 
 Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy 
 mind, and with all thy soul, and with all thy 
 strength." And the heart must have its ruling ob- 
 ject : can be given but to one. 
 
 1. This will soon appear, if we consider the 
 matter practically. In the case of the Lord's Day, 
 for instance, God and mammon have separate in- 
 terests. The one says. Ye cannot spare it from 
 your worldly concerns : or, it is your day of lei- 
 sure, and ye must employ it in recreation. The 
 other says, " Hallow my sabbaths." " Six days 
 shalt thou labour, and do all that thou hast to do : 
 but the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy 
 God." 
 
 Here then, in the very outset of a religious life, 
 is a dispute between God and mammon : and who- 
 ever is engaged in the service of one, must displease 
 the other. 
 
 2. It is the same, in the case of pleasures. 
 Mannnon commands us, to take our fill of plea- 
 sure ; to rejoice in our youth ; to follow our own 
 
 7 
 
326 
 
 LUKE XVI. 13—18. 
 
 inclination, or the practices which prevail, without 
 considering their nature, their tendency, their effect 
 upon others, or upon themselves. But Scripture 
 enjoins, that we love the Lord our God with all our 
 heart : forbids us to be " lovers of pleasure more 
 than lovers of God : " warns us to " use the world as 
 not abusing it :" to abstain from every appearance 
 of evil ; and " whatsoever things are pure, what- 
 soever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of 
 good report ; if there be any virtue, and if there be 
 any praise, to think on these things." 
 
 Here, again, we are called to choose whom we 
 will serve. Those who are really serving God, must 
 give up many things which the world calls pleasures, 
 and which worldly people seek as pleasures. We 
 cannot serve both God and mammon. 
 
 3. So likewise in regard to wealth, and all other 
 temporal advantages. Those who serve mammon, 
 will seek them first: those who serve God, will 
 moderate their desire of them : will engage in 
 worldly business so far and no farther, as shall be 
 consistent with God's service; and as shall leave 
 the mind free for reflection, and serious reading and 
 habitual prayer. Their character is watchfulness, 
 and their reason " the Lord is at hand." 
 
 4. I shall mention but one more case, in which 
 the commands of God and mammon are contrary 
 to one another. Mammon requires us to conceal 
 our religious feelings and sentiments, whenever 
 they are warmer or stricter than others entertain. 
 Mammon approves of decency in religion, but dis- 
 countenances zeal. God, on the contrary, com- 
 mands us to " let our light shine before men :" to 
 
LUKE XVJ. 13—18. 327 
 
 " liave no fellowship with the unfruitful works of 
 darkness, but rather reprove them : " not to be 
 conformed to this world, but to be crucified to it 
 through the cross of Christ. And where there is 
 this opposition between the two masters, we must 
 decide : not for the sake of singularity, but for the 
 sake of sincerity : not for the sake of loud pro- 
 fession, but for the sake of a substantial reality in 
 our religion. If we are the servants of God, we 
 must be on the Lord's side. If we are the ser- 
 vants of God, we must avow his cause : must pro- 
 mote the interests of his gospel : must not only 
 pray, but labour, that his kingdom may be ex- 
 tended, and his ways made known on earth : by 
 our active exertions, as well as by our eminent 
 example, we must both serve him ourselves, and 
 strive to enlarge the number of those by whom 
 he is served. 
 
 14. And the Pharisees also, who were covetous , heard all 
 thinys ; and they derided him. 
 
 15. And he said unto them. Ye are they which justify 
 yourselves before men ; hut God knoweth your hearts : for 
 that which is highly esteemed among men, is abomination in 
 the sight of God. 
 
 16. The law and the prophets were until John : since 
 that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man 
 presseth into it.* 
 
 17. And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than 
 one tittle of the law should fail.^ 
 
 18. Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth 
 another, committeth adultery : and whosoever marrieth 
 
 * See Matt. xi. 12. ^ Matt. v. 17, 18. 
 
328 
 
 LUKE XVI. 13—18. 
 
 her that is put away from her husband, committeth adul- 
 adultery. ^ 
 
 We cannot wonder if the sayings of our Lord 
 were distasteful to the Pharisees, who were covetous^ 
 and devoted to mammon, while they " made their 
 boast of God," But they are plainly told that 
 they will be tried by the Searcher of hearts, and 
 judged by the state of their heart. A new order 
 of things was at hand, which John the Baptist had 
 introduced. It should be, more emphatically, the 
 kingdom of God, Not ineded to destroy the law 
 and the prophets : but to fulfil and establish them. 
 They might judge of its purity from one example. 
 The relaxation of the law respecting marriage ad- 
 mitted by Moses, was at an end; no writing of 
 divorcement allowed, except in the case of unfaith- 
 fulness . 7 
 
 But to the unconverted heart every law of God 
 is unacceptable. In order to receive his heavenly 
 precepts, the heart must be set at liberty from the 
 world : and those who have given themselves up to 
 the w^orld, like the Pharisees, will only deride a way 
 of life which proceeds on the principle of self-denial, 
 or purity, or temperance, or moderation, or religious 
 zeal, or active charity. 
 
 6 Matt. V. 31,32. 
 
 7 See Matt. xix. 7—9. 
 
LUKE XVI. 19-31. 3,>y 
 
 LECTURE LXIII. 
 PARABLE OF THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS. 
 
 Luke xvi. 19 — 31. 
 
 19. There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in 
 purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day. 
 
 20. And there was a certain heggar named Lazarus, 
 which was laid at his gate, full of sores. 
 
 2L And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell 
 from the rich man^s table : moreover, the dogs came and 
 licked his sores. 
 
 The connexion in which this parable is found, ex- 
 plains its object. Our Lord had been showing the 
 necessity of using the good things of this world, as 
 faithful stewards : of " making to ourselves friends 
 out of the mammon of unrighteousness." He had 
 also declared the impossibility of serving both God 
 and mammon: which implied a condemnation of 
 the Pharisees, who were covetous ; and who in their 
 turn derided him. 
 
 This leads him to unveil the scene, and open the 
 prospect beyond this present world. If there were 
 no such prospect, and all were to close here, why 
 should not the atheist's maxim be pursued, " Let 
 us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die ? " But if 
 " all must stand before the judgment-seat of God, 
 to receive according to the things done in the 
 body : " then take heed that ye be not like the rich 
 
330 
 
 LUKE XVI. 19—31. 
 
 man in this parable, who in his lifetime receivec 
 his good things, but laid up no treasure in heaven. 
 For here, as we know, was the fault. Poverty 
 is no virtue : riches are no crime : it is the order 
 of God's providence that there should be some 
 rich, and many poor, and that the expenditure of 
 one class should employ and support the other. 
 Such is the course of things ; and we might as well 
 endeavour to level the mountains of the globe, and 
 make the earth one smooth plain, as to level all 
 conditions, and give to all one like inheritance. 
 Neither, again, is poverty a virtue: nor was La- 
 zarus rewarded in heaven, because on earth he had 
 evil things. Had he not possessed that " godli- 
 ness which is great gain ; " that patience, that 
 humility, which, though it is tried by affliction, is 
 not produced by affliction — angels would not have 
 ministered to him as an heir of salvation. And 
 the wealth of the rich man, instead of increasing 
 his condemnation, might have added jewels to his 
 crown of righteousness, if he had not been de- 
 voted to mammon rather than God : if he had not 
 " said unto his soul. Soul, take thine ease, eat, 
 drink, and be merry:" whilst he owned no respon- 
 sibility to the Author of all his blessings. This is 
 evident from the description. 77ie rich man was 
 clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sump- 
 tuously every day : while the beggar Lazarus was 
 laid at his gate full of sores, and desiring to be 
 fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich mans 
 table. This does not describe the character which 
 St. Paul commends in a rich Christian : one who 
 is " rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing 
 
LUKE XVI. 19—31. 331 
 
 to communicate, laying up in store for himself a 
 good foundation against the time to come.'' ^ Had 
 this been his character, here was an opportunity at 
 hand : and Lazarus would not have lain neglected 
 at his gate, while the dogs came and licked his 
 sores. 
 
 22. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was 
 carried hy the angels into Abrahams bosom : the rich man 
 also died, and was buried : 
 
 23. And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, 
 and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 
 
 24. And he cried and said. Father Abraham, have mercy 
 on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his 
 
 Jinger m water, and cool my tongue ; for I am tormented 
 in this flame. 
 
 25. But Abraham said. Son, remember that thou in 
 thy lifetime receivdest thy good things, and likewise Laza- 
 rus evil things : but now he is comforted, and thou art tor- 
 mented. 
 
 26. Aud besides ail this, between lis and you there is a 
 great gulph fixed : so that they which would pass from 
 hence to you cannot ; neither can they pass to us, that 
 would come from thence. 
 
 Such is the dreadful consequence of treating 
 this present life, as if it were a mere scene of busi- 
 ness, or of self-gratification : looking to nothing 
 beyond : devoting the heart to the creature in- 
 stead of the Creator ; serving not God, but mammon. 
 Well might the apostle say, " Love not the world, 
 neither the things that are in the world. For the 
 world passeth away, and the lust thereof" lite 
 rich man dies, and is buried : and all that he ever 
 possessed cannot purchase him a drop of consola* 
 1 1 Tim. vi. 17— ly. 
 
332 
 
 LUKE XVI. 19—31 
 
 tion, whilst he is suffering the anguish of " the 
 worm that dieth not, and the fire that is not 
 quenched." How striking is this comment upon 
 the acknowledged but forgotten truth. " What 
 shall it profit a man if he should gain the whole 
 world, and lose his own soul?" The rich man feels 
 this, now that it is too late ; and desires to warn the 
 friends whom he had left behind. 
 
 27. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that 
 thou wouldest send him to my father'' s house : 
 
 28. For I have five brethren ; that he may testify unto 
 them, lest they also come into this place of torment. 
 
 29. Abraham saith unto him. They have Moses and the 
 prophets ; let them hear them. 
 
 30. And he said, Nay, Father Abraham : but if one went 
 unto them from the dead, they will repent. 
 
 31. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and 
 the prophets^ neither will they be persuaded, though one 
 rose from the dead. 
 
 This, at first, may seem a hard saying. But it 
 is altogether true. Want of testimony is not the 
 cause which keeps men at a distance from God. 
 Add evidence to evidence, warning to warning, the 
 heart too often remains the same; a stranger to 
 penitence and prayer. 
 
 For what could one rising from the dead tell us 
 of which we are not assured already ? Moses and 
 the prophets had forewarned this rich man, that 
 although he might " walk in the ways of his heart, 
 and in the sight of his eyes, yet for all these things 
 God would bring him into juc^gmeut." - It seems 
 that he shut his ears to this, and led a life of 
 
 2 See Ecck^b. xi, 9. 
 
LUKE XVI. 19—31. 333 
 
 thouglitless luxury, instead of a life of self-denial 
 and holiness. lie did not believe it on the testi- 
 mony of Scripture; why should he believe it on 
 the testimony of one rising from the dead ? 
 
 The truth is, however, that men do believe these 
 things on the testimony which they' possess: but 
 that it is one thing to know and believe, and an- 
 other thing to act as if we knew and believed. A 
 messenger from the dead might report to us of a 
 holy God, a searching judgment, and an all-suffi- 
 cient Saviour. ]3ut what would he testify except 
 what we believe already ? Many live as if they 
 denied these things : but there are few who do not 
 profess that they believe them. And on a bed of 
 sickness, it appears that they really have believed 
 them. For then they begin to act upon the belief: 
 though sickness gives no fresh proof or assurance : 
 sickness brings no one from the dead to open new 
 evidence : but sickness takes away those earthly 
 things, those objects of this world, which too com- 
 monly stand between men and a future state, and 
 prevent their living according to their belief. One 
 rising from the dead would not mortify us to " the 
 lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the 
 pride of life," unless he could also put a right spirit 
 within us, and make us less attached to the honours, 
 or riches, or pleasures of this world. For a few 
 days, perhaps a few months, the impression might 
 be vivid, and remain ; as it often proves for a 
 time, when the loss of some valued friend, or the 
 expectation of a man's own death, strongly affects 
 the mind. By degrees the effect would wear off, 
 and leave him as he w as before ; believing, but not 
 
334 
 
 LUKE XVI. 19-31, 
 
 acting on his belief: not doubting, but living in- 
 consistently with his knowledge. 
 
 Our religious knowledge, however, unless it 
 is to condemn us, must be acted on. If it is effec- 
 tual, our faith must be " the substance of things 
 hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.'' It 
 must make us live, as believing. And there is one 
 thought which ought to leave a strong impression 
 on the mind. What would have been this rich 
 man's eagerness, if when he made his requests to 
 Abraham, Abraham could have replied to him in 
 the same terms as Paul addressed to the Philippian 
 jailor, " Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou 
 shalt be saved — ^and thy house :" ^ — those jive bre- 
 thren, concerning whom thou art so justly anxious, 
 the door is open unto them also. The Son of God 
 has given himself a sacrifice, to redeem thee from 
 the sins of which thou art suffering the punishment. 
 He will make thy peace with God, and the gulf 
 shall be removed which separates us. For " there 
 is no condemnation to them that are in Christ 
 Jesus." 
 
 This truth is known to us ; and to those who 
 are yet on earth, there is still space for repentance 
 and remission of sin. But this parable too plainly 
 confirms the certainty, that though there is room 
 for sorrow and remorse, there is no room for re- 
 pentance or change of condition in the grave. 
 3Actsxvi. 31. 
 
LUKE XVII. I -10. 335 
 
 LECTURE LXIV. 
 
 FORGIVENESS OF INJURIES.— CHRISTIANS ARE 
 TO ACCOUNT THEMSELVES UNPROFITABLE 
 SERVANTS. 
 
 Luke xvii. 1 — 10. 
 
 1. Then said he unto his disiples, It is impossible but 
 that offences will come : but woe unto him, through whom 
 they come ! 
 
 2. It were better for him that a millstone were hanged 
 about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should 
 offend one of these little ones} 
 
 3. Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass 
 against thee, rebuke him : and if he repent, forgive him. 
 
 4. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, 
 and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I re- 
 pent ; thou shall forgive him. 
 
 Our Lord is here looking onward to the state of 
 those who should believe in him. They would not 
 be secure from danger. So far otherwise, It is 
 impossible but that offences will come. Such are 
 the circumstances in which they will be placed, and 
 the evil hearts with which they will have to do, 
 that they must often be in temptation, and liable to 
 fall. And grievous is the sin of him through whom 
 the offence cometh ! 
 
 » Cause to offend. Be the occasion of his stumbling, or falling 
 from the faith. See on Matt, xviii. 7. 
 
336 
 
 LUKE XVII. I-IO. 
 
 And as they will not be safe, so neither will they 
 be perfect. They will trespass one against another. 
 Such trespasses must be rebuked, as often as they are 
 committed ; and as often as they are acknowledged 
 they must be forgiven. Forgiveness is essentially 
 a christian duty. It springs naturally out of that 
 conviction which the Christian bears about him, 
 that he is living by mercy, and constantly needing 
 forgiveness. " I forgave thee all that debt, be- 
 cause thou desiredst me : shouldest not thou also 
 have had compassion on thy fellow-servant, even as 
 I had pity on thee?" The apostles, as yet, could 
 hardly understand this. Elsewhere Peter inquires 
 " Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, 
 and I forgive him ?" And here, their answer 
 seems to refer to the difficulty of the precept. 
 They pray for an increase of that quality which 
 can alone enable them to live as they were required 
 to live.2 
 
 5. And the spostles said unto the Lord, Increase our 
 faith, 
 
 6. And the Lord saidy If ye had faith as a grain of 
 mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be 
 thou pinched up by the root, and be thou jjlanted in the sea ; 
 and it should obey you, 
 
 7. But which of you, having a servant ploughing or feed- 
 ing cattle, will say unto him, by and by, when he is come 
 from the field. Go and sit down to meat ? 
 
 8. And will not rather say unto him, Mahe ready where- 
 with I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have 
 eaten and drunken ; and afterwards thou shalt eat and 
 drink ? 
 
 2 Unless it be supposed, as is perhaps more probable, that a 
 separate discourse is now entered npon. 
 
 1 
 
LUKE XVIT. 1—10. 337 
 
 9. Doth he thank that servant because fie did the things 
 that were commanded him ? I trow not. 
 
 10. So likewise ye, when ye shall have don-e all those 
 things which are commanded you, say, We are unjtrojitahle 
 servants : we have done that which was our duty to do. 
 
 In describing the effects of faith, Jesus had been 
 alluding to the wonderful works which the apostles 
 should do in his name : means by which they 
 should promote the glory of God, and bring 
 many over to serve and honour him. This might 
 give birth to pride and self-sufficiency. Therefore, 
 by one example, he cuts away the root of all such 
 boasting among his disciples. Ye are the servants 
 of God : the instruments which he has made, and 
 which he uses for his own purposes. Do not, there- 
 fore, suppose that ye may claim merit, or indulge 
 arrogant notions of yourselves. Ye are servants, 
 who could perform no extraordinary or super- 
 fluous service ; for all that ye could perform, was 
 due. As St. Paul felt in his own case afterwards ; 
 " Though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to 
 glory of ; for necessity is laid upon me ; yea, woe 
 is unto me, if I preach not the gospel." ^ 
 
 The full force and meaning of this passage will 
 not be seen, if we confine our ideas to the servants 
 of our own time and country. It is very possible 
 that the servants with whom we are concerned, 
 might do more than they could strictly be required 
 to do. But the servants of that day, and of whom 
 our Lord is speaking, were bondmen : the whole 
 of whose time, and strength, and possessions, were 
 the property of their masters. They could have no- 
 
 3 1 Cor. ix. IG. 
 
338 
 
 LUKE XVII. 1—10. 
 
 thing, and could do nothing, to which their masters 
 had not a claim. 
 
 Here, then, is set before us, illustrated by this 
 strong figure, the state of man with God. " Whe- 
 ther we live, we live unto the Lord, or whether we 
 die, we die unto the Lord." We are his, that he 
 should do with us what seemeth him good, and 
 that we should do for him what he sees fit to re- 
 quire. He has a property in us by the most indis- 
 putable of all titles, the title of creation. Without 
 him, we never should have existed. If he had not 
 breathed into our nostrils the breath of life; we 
 should have had no more sense or motion than the 
 clay we tread upon. He gave us being : and, 
 together with our being, he gave all we have, all 
 our faculties, all our understanding. Are we then 
 not bound to serve him to whom we owe all we 
 have, or ever can have ; all we are, or ever can be ? 
 Does he not justly claim all the affection we can 
 feel, all the obedience we can show, all the service 
 we can perform ? 
 
 If we have paid him this, then we have done 
 what we were bound to do, and no more. We 
 have still nothing to claim. Does the master thank 
 his bondman because he did the things which were 
 commanded him f I trow not. And why should 
 God be more liberal to the creature who has done 
 for his Creator the things for which he was created ? 
 Therefore, when ye shall have done all those things 
 which are commanded you, say. We are unprofitable 
 servants ; we have done that which it was our duty 
 to do. 
 
LUKE XVII. 1 — 10. 339 
 
 We need not here notice what every one must ac- 
 knowledge to be the real case, that he has not done 
 all. This passage ap])lies to those who, like the 
 apostles, have devoted themselves to God, to per- 
 form the work appointed to themselves particularly 
 in their respective stations. It describes what 
 should be their habitual feeling and sentiment. 
 They are unprofitable servants after all: and can 
 only come before God with an humble hope that 
 he will receive them, not weighing their merits, 
 but pardoning their offences, through Jesus Christ 
 our Lord. 
 
 And in this humility they have a comfort which 
 nothing else can give them. There is no comfort in 
 casting up accounts of service, and defect of ser- 
 vice, and trying to prove that God is our debtor. 
 Truth and conscience will always cloud any such 
 calculation and disturb the balance which we 
 vainly endeavour to establish in our favour. Such 
 a confidence may suffice, when judgment seems to 
 be at a distance. But when we most need support, 
 it proves but a broken reed. 
 
 It is not till men use, and feel, the language of 
 the apostle: — "By the grace of God, I am what I 
 am : " — " Not according to w'orks of righteousness 
 which we have done, but according to his mercy 
 he saved us : " — " By grace are ye saved ; not of 
 works, lest any man should boast:" — it is not till 
 then, that they enjoy comfort : and " humility " is 
 found to be before honour," not only in the sight 
 of God, but in the satisfaction which it confers upon 
 the mind. 
 
 At the same time, though this is the feeling 
 3 z 2 
 
340 
 
 LUKE XVII. 1—10. 
 
 which every man must cherish in himself, it does 
 not follow that his services are not really pleasing 
 and acceptable to God. We are his bondmen. 
 But he does not treat us as a master treats his 
 bondmen. For he does both graciously acknow- 
 ledge, and bountifully reward, the poor services to 
 which he has a claim. We know that " whatsoever 
 good thing any man doeth, the same shall he re- 
 ceive of the Lord." " Thou hast been faithful over 
 a few things ; I will make thee ruler over many 
 things : enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." 
 
 Neither does it follow, because the Christian puts 
 no confidence in his works, that he has no comfort 
 in them. He looks upon that obedience which the 
 grace of God has enabled him to pay, as a testi- 
 mony that God is with him of a truth. Nay, he 
 looks upon his devotedness to the will of God here, 
 in reference to the reward prepared for him. He 
 has nothing at all to claim. But God is not so 
 limited, as to confine his bounty to man's actual de- 
 sert : and great indeed is that crown of righteous- 
 ness which is laid up for all them that, " by pa- 
 tient coutinuance in well-doing, seek for glory and 
 honour and immortality." 
 
 Such is the ground of the apostle's earnest exhor- 
 tation ; " I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the 
 mercies of God, that ye present yourselves, your 
 souls and bodies, a willing sacrifice, holy, acceptable 
 unto God, which is your reasonable service. For 
 God is not unrighteous, to forget your work and 
 labour of love, which ye have showed towards his 
 
 name 
 
 "4 
 
 * Romans xii. 1. Hcb. vi. 10. 
 
LUKE XVII. 11—19. Ml 
 
 LECTURE LXV. 
 
 TEN LEPERS ARE HEALED-ONE RETURNS TO 
 GIVE THANKS. 
 
 Luke xvii. 11 — 19. 
 
 11. A/id it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem^ that 
 he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. 
 
 12. And as he entered into a certain villar/e, there met 
 him ten men that were lepers, ivhich stood afar off: 
 
 13. And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus ^ Mas- 
 ter , have mercy on us. 
 
 The law of Moses prescribed strict regulations 
 concerning the plague of leprosy. Those afflicted 
 by it were required to "dwell alone:" to have 
 " their habitation without the camp : " not to in- 
 habit the towns, and communicate the contagion of 
 so grievous a disorder. This accounts for the 
 number here collected together. Misfortune had 
 united them. Deprived of the general comfort of 
 society, they might comfort and assist each other. 
 
 For the same reason, they stood afar off, whilst 
 they entreated the help of Jesus. How different 
 from the case of those whom the leprosy of Adam's 
 sin has infected, and left unclean ! They are per- 
 mitted to " draw near with faith : " they are at 
 liberty to " come boldly to the throne of grace, 
 that they may find grace to help in time of need." 
 
342 LUKE XVII. 11—19. 
 
 The leper, when healed, was not considered free 
 from the restraints laid upon him, till he had been 
 declared so by the priest, and certain solemnities 
 observed.^ Hence the answer of Jesus. 
 
 14. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew 
 yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that as 
 they went, they were dearised. 
 
 15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, 
 turned hack, and with a loud voice glorified God. 
 
 16. And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him 
 thanks : and he was a Samaritan. 
 
 17. And Jesus answering, said, Were there not ten 
 cleansed ? but where are the nine ? 
 
 18. There are not found that returned to give glory to 
 God, save this stranger. 
 
 19. And he said unto him. Arise, go thy way ; thy faith 
 hath made thee whole. 
 
 It was evident that nothing except the power of 
 God immediately exercised in behalf of these men, 
 could have wroudit their cure. And whether we 
 consider the greatness of the miracle, or the great- 
 ness of the blessing, we should equally expect 
 that gratitude would be kindled within them, and 
 bring them to the feet of him through whom the 
 benefit was received. But there are not found 
 that returned to give glory to God, save one Sama- 
 ritan, Here, as in the case of the Roman centu- 
 rion, our Lord met with more faith in a stranger, 
 than in Israel : ^ the best spirit, where was the 
 least outward i)rivilege. 
 
 And happy would it be, if the ingratitude which 
 is here exhibited, occurred less frequently in the 
 experience of the christian ministry. Restoration from 
 
 1 Lev. xiv. 2—32. ^ Matt. viii. 10. 
 
LUKE XVII. 11-19. 343 
 
 otlier dangerous diseases gives the same occasion of 
 showing the heart, as the recovery of these lepers. 
 One who has lived a careless, ungodly life, is seized 
 with illness. The sense of his unfitness to meet God 
 in judgment comes strongly upon his mind. He 
 prays, Jes7is, Master , have mercy on me, " Spare 
 me a little, that I may recover my strength, before 
 I go hence, and be no more seen." Nay, he com- 
 monly does more than these lepers ; for his prayer is 
 accompanied with earnest protestations and resolu- 
 tions that he will return and glorify God, if he may 
 be allowed to live, and not die. 
 
 In the dispensations of Providence the opportu- 
 nity is often given of trying the strength of these 
 resolutions. And what is the result of experience ? 
 Are there not ten cleansed f But ivhere are the 
 nine? Restored in body, but with no change of 
 heart. The near view of eternity had roused the 
 mind, so that it had perceived the vanity of this 
 present world, and the necessary connexion between 
 holiness and the happiness of heaven : but the heart 
 is not therefore converted : and when the light 
 which broke in upon it no longer shines, the man 
 remains what he was before, and is not found to 
 return and give glory to God, 
 
 We learn from this how little can be trusted to 
 the effect of bodily illness : and how great is the 
 mistake of supposing that it will necessarily pro- 
 duce repentance. It often leads a man to sorrow 
 that he has not repented : but sorrow is not grace, 
 and does not convert the soul. 
 
 The ingratitude of these lepers meets with ano- 
 ther unhappy parallel, in the case of those who 
 
344 
 
 LUKE XVII. 11 — 10. 
 
 have been brought to God in christian baptism, 
 and dedicated to him in tlie name of Jesus. We 
 presume them to be regenerate ; made his children 
 by adoption and grace : placed in a new condition ; 
 no longer children of wrath, but " accepted of God 
 in the Beloved." But looking out into the world 
 of those who have been thus "admitted into the 
 fellowship of Christ's religion," and called to enjoy 
 the benefits of his death and passion, — what are we 
 forced to acknowledge? Were there not ten 
 cleansed ? But where are the nine f Led by an 
 evil heart to follow evil examples, they fall into the 
 temptations which await them, and are not found 
 to give glory to God by walking before him in 
 righteousness and holiness. But it was for the 
 intent that glory should be ascribed to God, who 
 had given this testimony to his beloved Son ; for 
 this intent were the lepers cleansed. So like- 
 wise for the intent, that men should live no longer 
 unto themselves, but unto him who died for them, 
 they are received as children of God in baptism, 
 and enjoy the pledge of his favour. The Sama- 
 ritan, when he saw that he was healed, turned hack, 
 and with a loud voice glorified God, giving him 
 thanks. The Christian also, when he comes to age, 
 and sees that a deliverance is granted him from the 
 corruption of his nature, will turn away from an evil 
 world, and live as the disciple of that Saviour to 
 whom his deliverance is due. And to those only 
 who do so fulfil the purpose of their redemption, will 
 he give the final answer, Arise, go thy way : thy 
 faith hath made thee whole. 
 
LUKE XVII. 20—37. 345 
 
 LECTURE LXVL 
 
 JESUS SIGNIFIES THE COMING OF THE KINGDOM 
 OF GOD, AND THE INDIFFERENCE OF MEN RE- 
 SPECTING IT. 
 
 Luke xvii. 20—37. 
 
 20. And when he was demanded of the Pharisees ^ when 
 tJte kingdom of God shoidd come, he answered them and 
 said, the kingdom of God cometh not with observation. 
 
 21. Neither shall they say, Lo here ! or, to there ! for 
 behold, the kingdom of God is within you. 
 
 If we consider the state of the Jewish nation 
 at the time when Christ appeared, w^e cannot won- 
 der that their minds were earnestly bent upon tem- 
 poral deliverance Oppressed by the power of a 
 foreign country : paying tribute to a foreign mo- 
 narch : their city held by foreign soldiers, and com- 
 manded by a foreign governor : we can easily con- 
 ceive that they would gladly lay hold of the notion, 
 that the Messiah so long promised and predicted, 
 should be designed to redeem them from this foreign 
 yoke. Therefore at one time Jesus was obliged to 
 escape out of their hands, because the people would 
 come by force to make him a king. After his 
 death, his disciples lamented, saying, ** We trusted 
 it had been he who should redeem Israel." And 
 at the moment of his ascension, they put a question 
 to him, " Lord, wilt thou at this time restore the 
 
346 LUKE XVII. 20—37. 
 
 kingdom unto Israel ? " So much were they ex- 
 pecting that the Redeemer's kingdom of glory- 
 should have its beginning, at least, in this world 
 below. 
 
 He, however, as constantly undeceived them. 
 He taught them to look for poverty, not wealth ; 
 for contempt, not honour ; for labour and sorrow 
 on earth, and treasure in heaven. " My kingdom," 
 he affirmed, "is not of this world." And here, 
 being demanded of the Pharisees^ when the king- 
 dom of God should come ; i. e. when God should 
 appear in a manifestation of his power, to exalt 
 his ancient people — he answered them and said. 
 The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: 
 neither shall they say, Lo here ! or, lo there ! for, 
 behold, the kingdom of God is within you. The 
 kingdom of God is not a kingdom of outward show 
 and grandeur. It was foretold of him who should 
 come, that he should be despised, and not esteemed ; 
 that there should be no beauty in him that men 
 should desire him. For, behold, the kingdom of 
 God is within you. The Founder of it is already 
 within your country, within your city. He is 
 accomplishing the things which were written in the 
 law and the prophets concerning him. And '' why 
 do ye not discern the signs of the time ? " ^ 
 
 22. Arid he said unto the disciples, The days ivill come, 
 when ye shall desire to see one of the days ofilw Son of 
 man, and ye shall not see it. 
 
 ^ This interpretation agrees better with the context than that 
 whicli is preferred by Schlensner and others : viz. the kingdom 
 of God is not an outward, but an inward thing : Eftt in animo 
 vestro. 
 
LUKE XVII. 20—37. :347 
 
 23. And they shall say unto you, See here, or see there: 
 go not after them, nor folloiu them. 
 
 24. For as the lightning, that Ughteneth out of the one 
 part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under hea- 
 ven ; so shall also the Son of man be in his day. 
 
 25. But first must he suffer many things, and he rejected 
 of this generation. 
 
 26. And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it he also 
 in the days of the Son of man. 
 
 27. The did eat, they drank, they married wives, they 
 were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into 
 the ark : and the flood came, and destroyed them all. 
 
 28. Likewise also, as it was in the days of Lot ; they did 
 eat, they drank, they hought, they sold, they planted, they 
 huilded : 
 
 29. But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom, it 
 rained fire and hrimstone from heaven, and destroyed 
 them all. 
 
 30. Even thus shall it he in the day when the Son of man 
 is revealed. 
 
 31. In that day, he which shall he upon the house-top 
 and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it 
 away ; and he that is in the field, let him likewise not re- 
 turn hack. 
 
 32. Remember Lot's wife. 
 
 33. Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it ; and 
 whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it. 
 
 84. I tell you, in that night there shall he two men in 
 one bed; the one shall he taken, and the other shall he 
 left. 
 
 35. Two women shall he grinding together ; the one shall 
 he taken, the other left. 
 
 36. Two men shall he in the field ; the one shall he taken, 
 and the other left. 
 
 37. And they answered and said unto him. Where, Lord ? 
 Aiid he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither 
 will the eagles be gathered together. 
 
'348 LUKE XVIT. 20—37. 
 
 The general purport of this discourse is to de- 
 clare, first, the certainty of those things which 
 awaited the Jewish people : and, next, to leave for 
 the christian disciples a timely warning, how they 
 might save themselves from that untoward genera- 
 tion. And our Lord rebukes the thoughtlessness, 
 indifference, and unbelief which should generally 
 prevail, in terms which are but too applicable to 
 all times, as well as to the destruction of Jeru- 
 salem. 
 
 How was it in the days of Noah? God had 
 revealed his intention to destroy the world which 
 he had made. He had communicated his purpose 
 to Noah. For a long season the ark was pre- 
 paring, which was itself an admonition : a practical 
 admonition, enforcing the remonstrances which 
 Noah, being a preacher of righteousness, was utter- 
 ing. ^ Yet they did eat, they drank, they 7narried^ 
 and were given in marriage, until the day when Noah 
 entered into the ark, and the flood came and destroyed 
 them all. 
 
 So in the days of Lot. God declared his pur- 
 pose to that just man, and in mercy to him would 
 have delivered all that belonged to him. Warned 
 by the angel, (Gen. xix. 14,) " Lot went out, and 
 spake unto his sons-in-law, which married his daugh- 
 ters, and said, Up, get ye out of this place; for 
 the Lord will destroy this city. But he seemed as 
 one that mocked unto his sons-in-Jaw." So they 
 did eat, they drank, they planted, they builded. 
 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom, it 
 
 2 See 2 Pet. ii. 5. 
 
LUKE XVII. 20—37. 349 
 
 rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed 
 them all. Even bis wife showed an undue fondness 
 for the things which she had left, and transgressed 
 the command, " Look not behind thee, neither stay 
 thou in all the plain." And she became a monu- 
 ment of God's anger against those who " mind 
 earthly things," instead of raising their hearts to 
 those heavenly things which God has prepared for 
 them that love him. 
 
 Even so should it be in the days of the Son of 
 man : in the days when the fulfilment of his pre- 
 dictions should prove him to be " the Christ of 
 God." He had clearly disclosed God's purposes ; 
 and together with his warnings he had given direc- 
 tions, by which they might escape, who should be- 
 lieve and obey. But these would bQ few. As it was 
 in the days of Noah and Lot, even thus shall it be in 
 the day when the Son of man is revealed. For as the 
 lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under 
 heaven, shineth to the other part under heaven : so 
 shall also the Son of man be in his day. As sudden, 
 as terrible, and as unlooked for as lightning he shall 
 descend, and " slay those murderers, and burn up 
 their city." 
 
 And how shall it be in that last great day of 
 which these past destructions, the deluge of water, 
 and the deluge of fire, and the deluge of war, 
 are emblems? " When the Son of man cometh, 
 shall he find faith in the earth ?" There is every 
 reason to fear, that former examples will too ex- 
 actly describe the ftiture too. In defiance of warn- 
 ings, and in neglect of revelations, the world will 
 be taken by surprise. Men will continue to eat 
 
350 LUKE XVII. 20—37. 
 
 and drink, to buy and sell, to plant and build, till 
 " the day of the Lord shall come as a thief in the 
 night ; in the which the heavens shall pass away 
 with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with 
 fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are 
 therein shall be burned up." ^ We know where the 
 fault is ; not in eating, or drinking, or selling, or 
 buying, or planting, or building, but in fixing the 
 heart upon these and other things below, and buying 
 no real truth, building no eternal habitation, laying 
 up no treasure in heaven. 
 
 Yet it need not be so. At the destruction of 
 Jerusalem, two women should he grinding together ; 
 the one should he taken, and the other left. Two 
 men should he in the field ; the one should he taken, 
 and the other left. So shall it be at the end of the 
 world. The same employments, the same circum- 
 stances, the same condition of life, shall send forth 
 heirs of death, and heirs of everlasting glory. 
 Rememher Lot's wife. Entangled with earthly 
 affections, she perished : whilst Lot departed from 
 the wilderness around him, escaped to the moun- 
 tain, and looked down from his place of safety 
 upon the burning plain below. Remember the 
 days of Noah, The world was delighting in wick- 
 edness, or engrossed with cares : whilst Noah pre- 
 pared an ark for the saving of his house, and did 
 not perish with the world. Remember the days of 
 the Son of man. The mass of the Jewish people 
 turned their eyes from testimony, and their ears 
 from warning, till the eagles came and preyed upon 
 the carcase of the large and wealthy city ; whilst 
 3 2 Pet. iii. 10. 
 
LUKE XVIII. 1—8. 351 
 
 the Christians, separated from the mass of their 
 countrjmeu, obeyed their Master's injunctions, and 
 were secure from the general destruction. And 
 even so in the last great *' day of judgment and 
 perdition of ungodly men," * all those shall be safe 
 who have taken timely warning, and sought shelter 
 in the cross of Christ. '^ Even then shall his hand 
 lead them, and his right hand shall hold them." For 
 it is not the will of our heavenly Father, that one of 
 his little ones should perish. 
 
 LECTURE LXVIL 
 
 BY THE PARABLE OF THE WIDOW AND THE 
 UNJUST JUDGE, JESUS ILLUSTRATES THE EFFL 
 CACY OF PERSEVERING PRAYER. 
 
 Luke xviii. 1 — 8. 
 
 1. And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that 
 men ought always to pray, and not to faint ; 
 
 2. Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared 
 not God, neither regarded man : 
 
 3. And there was a widow in that city ; and she cam^e 
 unto him saying. Avenge me of mine adversary. 
 
 4. And he would not for a while -' but afterward he 
 said within himself Though I fear not God, nor regard 
 Tnan : 
 
 5. Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge 
 her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. 
 
 * 2 Pet. iii. 7. 
 
352 LUKE XVIII. 1—8. 
 
 We cannot mistake the purport of the parable. 
 It was spoken to this end, that men ought always 
 to pray, and not to faint : that having an object 
 which they desire to obtain from God, they should 
 seek it of him, and persist in seeking it, by earnest 
 and continual prayer. The widow had her object ; 
 that she might be avenged of her adversary, i. e. 
 that some one who had taken advantage of her help- 
 less condition to do her injury, might be brought by 
 the judge to give her her just rights. But the 
 point to be observed is, the manner in which she 
 offers her petition. Not carelessly, not hypocriti- 
 cally, not occasionally : not after the manner in 
 which we fear that the prayers of the church, and 
 the prayers of the family, and the prayers of the 
 closet, are too often offered. It was not that sort 
 of prayer which the judge was so afraid of, that 
 he granted the poor widow her entreaty, lest by her 
 continual coming she should weary him. 
 
 When God, by the mouth of his prophet, (Mai. i. 
 8,) was reproving the Israelites for their hypo- 
 crisy, because they pretended to come to him with 
 sacrifice, but brought the blind, and the sick, and 
 the lame, instead of the male without blemish and 
 without spot : — he said, " Offer it now unto thy 
 governor : will he be pleased with thee, or accept 
 thy person ?" So might we often say of what is 
 termed prayer. Offer it to the governor, and see 
 whether it will prevail with him. Offer it to the 
 rich man, and see whether it will be answered by a 
 gift. Offer it to the adversary whom you have 
 offended, and see whether it will incline him to be 
 reconciled. 
 
LUKE XVI 1 1. 1— «. 353 
 
 To avoid such worse than useless prayer, often 
 reflect what prayer is : the chain between heaven 
 and earth, by whicli God's blessings are brought 
 down to us — the blessings of this workl, and of 
 that which is to come — the blessings of pardon, 
 and grace, and spiritual joy. Let this thought 
 rouse our dull and sluggish hearts ; and incline us 
 to put up one prayer, at least, with meaning and 
 earnestness, that we may be enabled to pray with 
 faith, and pray with life ! 
 
 But the point which the parable is especially 
 directed to show, is, that prayer must be persevered 
 in, till the object which we desire is gained. That 
 which the widow sought, the judge refused for a 
 while : but afterward he said within himself, Be- 
 cause this widow trouhleth me, I will avenge her, 
 lest by her continual coming she weary me. 
 
 6. A?id the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge 
 saith. 
 
 7. And shall 7iot God ave^ige his own elect, which cry 
 day and night unto him, though he hear long with them ? 
 
 8. / tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Never- 
 theless when the Son of man cometh, shall he Jind faith on 
 the earth ? 
 
 These words point out to us, that when we desire 
 anything in this world, we seek it with perseverance ; 
 we do not easily take a denial ; and often procure by 
 importunity, what otherwise we should never have 
 succeeded in obtaining. 
 
 God invites us to follow the same course, in those 
 things which we ask of Him, and which he alone 
 can grant us. 
 
 A A 
 
354 
 
 LUKE XVIII. 1—8. 
 
 All, for example, have need of pardon. It often 
 happens that persons who have sought this, and 
 rightly sought it, through the blood of tlie Redeemer, 
 yet cannot obtain peace of mind. They are still 
 fearful of the wrath of God. Death still appears to 
 them as the king of terrors. This parable, however, 
 forbids them to yield to despondency, and cease from 
 seeking. The parable is to this end, that men ought 
 always to pray, and faint not. Shall not God 
 avenge his own elect, though he bear long with them ? 
 God may delay his answer, but he always hears the 
 prayer of faith. And at the right time his answer 
 will arrive. 
 
 We may speak also of affliction : such as loss of 
 friends, or disease, or pain, or indigence. God often 
 sees fit to visit men with such trials. They betake 
 themselves to prayer. Those, even, who have been 
 little used to prayer, fly to it as their best refuge 
 under the pressure of affliction. And if we would 
 know what real prayer is, we should visit the abode 
 of some sick person, who believes himself within a 
 few hours of death : or if some tender parent, whose 
 child is in urgent danger : or of some diseased suf- 
 ferer, who is racked with the severity of pain. When 
 we witnessed their fervour, and heard their entrea- 
 ties for relief, we could no longer doubt whether 
 their hearts were engaged in prayer. 
 
 We are encouraged, by the example in the para- 
 ble, to persist in this earnest suit. The very reason 
 why God bears so long with his people, is that he 
 may try, and confirm their faith. *^ Tribulation work- 
 eth patience." "He knows what ye have need of 
 before you ask him." And it might be inquired. 
 
LUKE XVIII. 1—8. 'So5 
 
 Why then need we ask? Simply that we may ye^/ 
 our dependence on him : and that we may show our 
 dependence on him : that we may learn to hope 
 against hope ; that we may " rejoice in the Lord," 
 though all things seem adverse : and like suffering 
 Job, " though he slay us, yet trust in him." ^ 
 
 Many encouragements to this confidence may be 
 taken from the circumstances of the parable. The 
 widow, for instance, was a stranger ; no way related 
 to the judge. But Christians are the elect of God : 
 his favoured and peculiar people : those whom he 
 has chosen to receive his offer of salvation : those 
 whom he has called to become his children by adop- 
 tion in Christ Jesus. The unjust judge believed the 
 stranger widow : and shall not God avenge his own 
 elect f 
 
 Further, with a character like that of the judge, 
 the widow had little ground for hope. He was 
 known neither to fear God, nor regard man, God 
 has implanted in mankind a salutary love of the 
 good opinion of others, that they who fear not Him 
 who is invisible, may yet be restrained by a sense of 
 what is valuable to themselves. This judge had 
 neither of such motives to incline him in the suitor's 
 favour. We, on the other hand, apply to a loving 
 and compassionate Father. " Turn (says the pro- 
 phet 2) unto the Lord your God : for he is merciful 
 and gracious, slow to anger, and of great kind- 
 ness, and repenteth him of the evil." And shall 
 not he avenge his own elect, who cry day and night 
 unto him ? 
 
 1 Job xiii. 15. 2 j^el i. 13. 
 
 A A 
 
 o 
 
356 LUKE XVIII. 1—8. 
 
 The poor widow, again, had none to intercede 
 for her. To this severe judge, from whom so little 
 was to be hoped, she was forced to go alone. But 
 we have one to plead for us, who cannot plead in 
 vain. "If any man sin, we have an Advocate 
 with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, and he 
 is the propitiation for our sins." " He ever liveth 
 at the right hand of God, to make intercession for 
 us." And he bids us " come boldly to the throne 
 of grace." For he has said. Shall not God avenge 
 his own elect f I tell you, that he will avenge them 
 speedily. 
 
 Nevertheless, when the Son of man cometh, shall 
 he find faith in the earth f Shall he find men be- 
 lieving and acting upon the truth, that God does re- 
 gard his people, and will make a final difference 
 between them and others ? ^ We know not how this 
 may prove, when the Son of man cometh. But we do 
 know that there never yet has been a period, when, 
 if he had come, he would have found this faith pre- 
 vailing generally in the earth. 
 
 However, the great and important thing is, that 
 it exist in ourselves. Would he find it in our- 
 selves, if he were to issue his summons now ? 
 Would he find us believing that there is a people 
 which is of God, as there is a people which is not of 
 God, in the world ? And would he find us ranged 
 among those which are of God, and marked as such 
 by our faith and practice ? 
 
 Our earnest, persevering prayer must be, that 
 we may be so found at the last : that, " by his spe- 
 cial grace preventing us, he may put into our 
 
 3 See Mai. iii. 18. 
 
LUKE XVIII. 9-14, 357 
 
 hearts good desires, and by his continual help 
 enable us to bring the same to good effect, tlirough 
 Jesus Christ our Lord." 
 
 LECTURE LXVIII. 
 
 THE SELF-JUSTIFYING PHARISEE IS CONDEMNED. 
 THE SELF-CONDEMNING PUBLICAN IS JUSTI- 
 FIED. 
 
 Luke xviii. 9 — 14. 
 
 9. And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted 
 in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others : 
 
 10. Ttvo men went up to the temple to pray ; the one a 
 Pharisee, and the other a publican. 
 
 11. The Pharisee stood up and prayed thus with himself 
 God, I thank thee, that I am not, as other men are, extortion- 
 ers, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 
 
 12. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I 
 possess. 
 
 13. A7id the publican, standing afar off, would not lift 
 up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his 
 breast, saying, God be merciful to me a siimer. 
 
 14. / tell you, this man went down to his house justified 
 rather than the other ; for every one that exalteth himself 
 shall be abased : and he that humbleth himself shall be 
 exalted. 
 
 We are expressly informed, against what cha- 
 racter of persons this parable is directed : against 
 certain which trusted in themselves that they were 
 righteous, and despised others. This was the cha- 
 racter of the Pharisees in general. It was the foun- 
 
358 LUKE XVIII. 9—14. 
 
 dation of the reproach which they frequently cast 
 upon Jesus and his disciples, because they ate with 
 publicans and sinners. They trusted in themselves 
 that they were righteous. They " rested in the law, 
 and made their boast of God, and were confident 
 that they were guides of the blind." i They despised 
 others; saying of them, " This people, which know 
 not the law, are cursed." " Stand by, come not near 
 me, I am holier than thou." ^ 
 
 Now a spirit like this shuts the heart against 
 " the truth as it is in Jesus." It is an absolute 
 barrier agains the reception of the gospel. " They 
 that are whole need not a physician." He who 
 perceives no darkness within, will never look up to 
 that " light which lighteth every man that cometh 
 into the world," He who does not feel himself to be 
 heavy laden vrith the sinfulness which he bears about 
 bim, will never take up the yoke of Christ as an 
 easier burthen. 
 
 The spirit which despises others is less common 
 now than it was among the Jews. But the spirit 
 which trusts in itself that it is righteous, is always 
 too prevalent among mankind. Men do not indeed 
 go into the temple, and utter a prayer like that of 
 the Pharisee, because the church supplies them with 
 prayers in a very different strain. But their inward 
 and actual trust is often no other than his : they are 
 not as other men are : their neighbours are worse, or 
 at least no better : and they have kept clear from 
 many notorious vices : they are not extortioners, 
 unjust, adulterers : the call to mind the sins which 
 they have avoided, rather than those into which 
 
 ^ See Rom. ii. - John vii. 49. Isa. Ixv. 5. 
 
LUKE XVIIl. D— 14. 359 
 
 they have fallen : their language is that of boasting, 
 not of penitence: and the sum is, that God cannot 
 in justice condemn them, unless he condemns the 
 whole world. 
 
 It is only when divine grace touches the heart, 
 that it recognises its own sinfulness. Hold up to a 
 man the clearest mirror, in which he may see his 
 character reflected to the life : he will not perceive 
 the resemblance, unless his eyes are opened by the 
 Spirit of God. And he then discovers a thousand 
 sins, where before all appeared clear and pure. 
 The sunbeam shows the motes floating in the air. 
 They had been there before, but were not perceived 
 before. But they are perceived now : and he stands 
 afar off, and dares not so much as to lift up his eyes 
 to heaven, hut smites upon his breast and says, God 
 be merciful to me a sinner. 
 
 This is the spirit w^hich finds favour with God. 
 The spirit of one who feels, as well as owns, his 
 unworthiness : which smites upon the breast, and 
 seems to say. This heart has departed from God : 
 which dares not raise the eye to heaven, the abode 
 of holiness, and think himself fit to obtain a place 
 there. / tell you, this man went down to his house 
 justified rather than the other, A man is justified, 
 accounted righteous, in one of two ways ; either by 
 being proved free from sin ; or by being treated 
 as if he had not sinned. The Pharisee had de- 
 pended upon being free from sin. God, I thaiik 
 thee that I am not as other men are. But in this 
 way shall no man living be really justified : for 
 "if we say that we have no sin, we deceive our- 
 selves." The publican, on the contrary, confessed 
 
360 
 
 LUKE XVIII. 9—14. 
 
 his sinfulness, and lamented it; and therefore he 
 received pardon : like David, who when he hum- 
 bled himself before God, saying, " I have sinned 
 against the Lord ; " was greeted with the blessed 
 reply, " The Lord hath put away thy sin." For 
 every one that exalteth himself, shall he abased: 
 and he that humbleth himself, shall be exalted. 
 
 It is this humble, penitent, self-condemning spirit, 
 which the parable is designed to recommend. It 
 is not meant to intimate that there is no difference 
 between the good and the bad man : for there is 
 a wide difference. It is not meant to intimate 
 that a man does wrong in being thankful, because 
 he has been preserved from those crimes, "on 
 account of which the wrath of God cometh on the 
 children of disobedience." The Pharisee is not 
 condemned, because he had been free from those 
 vices : but for pride and boasting. The publican 
 is not justified, because of his sinfulness, but be- 
 cause of his contrition. Whatever the Pharisee 
 had not been, he had the great crime of self-righte- 
 ousness and spiritual pride. Whatever the pub- 
 lican had been, he had now that contrite spirit, to 
 which the promises of the gospel are engaged, and 
 which is in the sight of God of great price. 
 
 Doubtless there is a spirit, in which a man may 
 look back upon his past life, and be thankful that 
 he is not as too many are, extortioners, unjust, 
 adulterers. St. John exhorts Christians to examine 
 themselves, and judge of their state by their love 
 of God, their love of the brethren, their renuncia- 
 tion of the world. " For this is the victory which 
 overcometh the world, even our faith." (1 John ii. 
 
LUKE XVIII. 9—14. 361 
 
 3 — 5.) " And hereby we do know that we know 
 Christ, if we keep his commandments. He that 
 saith, I know him, and keepeth not his command- 
 ments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But 
 whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of 
 God perfected: hereby know we that we are in 
 him." Such a testimony of his conscience gave a 
 cause of rejoicing, though not of boasting, to the 
 apostle Paul, when he said, " I have fought a good 
 fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the 
 faith : henceforth there is laid up for me a crown 
 of righteousness." All depends upon the spirit in 
 which the words are spoken, whether it be the 
 spirit of vanity and self-confidence, or the spirit of 
 thoughtful humility. " By the grace of God I am 
 what I am." All depends upon the purpose of the 
 heart : whether it is setting up a claim, or whether 
 it is seeking for an evidence of faith in him, through 
 whom alone the Christian is really justified in the 
 sight of God. 
 
 The whole may be summed up in the dying 
 words of one, who had drunk deep of the spirit of 
 the gospel. " Though by the grace of God 1 have 
 loved him in my youth, and feared him in mine 
 age, and laboured to have a conscience void of 
 offence to him and to all men : yet, if thou, Lord, 
 be extreme to mark what I have done amiss, who 
 can abide it ? And therefore, when I have failed, 
 Lord, show mercy to me ; for I plead not my 
 righteousness, but the forgiveness of my unrighte- 
 ousness, for his merits, who died to purchase a 
 pardon for penitent sinners." ^ 
 
 ' Hooker. — See his Life, bv Walton. 
 
362 LUKE XVIII. 15—30. 
 
 LECTURE LXIX. 
 
 JESUS RECEIVES LITTLE CHILDREN.— COMMENDS 
 THE CHOICE OF THE DISCIPLES, WHO HAD 
 LEFT ALL, AND FOLLOWED HIM. 
 
 Luke xviii. 15 — 30. 
 
 (Matt. xix. 13—30. Mark x. 13— 3 L) 
 
 15. And they brought unto him also infants, that he 
 would touch them : hut when his disciples saw it, they re- 
 buked them. 
 
 16. But Jesus called them unto him, and said. Suffer 
 little children to come unto me, and forbid them not : for of 
 such is the kingdom of God. 
 
 1 7. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive 
 the kingdom of God as a little child, shall in no wise enter 
 therein. 
 
 Jesus displays on this occasion his merciful dis- 
 position. These infants were brought to him in a 
 laudable spirit, with a desire that they might re- 
 ceive a blessing from one who himself was mani- 
 festly blessed of God. He would not disappoint 
 the wish, or refuse the blessing. But, further, he 
 makes use of the opportunity in order to point out 
 the spirit and temper of mind which is pleasing to 
 God. Perhaps he perceived in the disciples some 
 want of that spirit : some want of forbearance and 
 humility. Perhaps, in the manner in which these 
 infants were kept back from him, he saw a defi- 
 ciency of that charity which " hopeth all things, 
 
LUKE XVIIl. 15—30. 3()3 
 
 endure th all things." For he says, Suffer little 
 children to come unto me, and forhid them not. 
 There is much in them, from which an example 
 may be taken. For of such is the khicjdom of 
 God, There is that humility and simplicity, which 
 if a person has not, he will not receive the kingdom 
 of God. It will be to him as to the Jews, a stum- 
 bling block ; or as to the Greeks, foolishness. His 
 pride will despise it, or his carnal heart reject it. 
 Whoever does not come to the Bible, as a child to 
 its instructor, not to dispute, but to listen and be- 
 lieve, will in no wise enter into the kingdom. 
 
 18. And a certain ruler asked him, sayiiig, Good Master, 
 what shall I do to inherit eternal life ? 
 
 1 9. And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good ? 
 none is good, save one, that is, God, 
 
 20. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit 
 adultery, Do not kill. Do not steal, Do not bear false wit- 
 ness. Honour thy father and thy mother. 
 
 21. And he said, All these have I kept from my youth 
 
 UJ), 
 
 22. Now when Jesus heard these things, he said iifito 
 him, Yet lackest thou one thing ; sell all that thou hast, a?id 
 distribute unto the poor, and thou shall have treasure i?i 
 heaven : and come, follow me. 
 
 23. And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful; for 
 he was very rich. 
 
 24. And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he 
 said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the 
 kingdom of God ? 
 
 25. For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's 
 eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of 
 God. 
 
 26. And they that heard it said. Who then can be 
 saved ? 
 
364 LUKE XVIII. 15—30. 
 
 27. A?id he said, The things which are impossible wit 
 men are possible with God. 
 
 This young man, who knew the law and observed 
 it, still lacked one thing. His heart was not de- 
 voted to God ; his affections were not mainly set 
 on things above. There was still something which 
 he loved better than God or eternal life : or other- 
 wise he would not have hesitated to sell all that he 
 had^ and distribute to the poor, and follow Jesus, 
 The poor disciples, removed from their usual course 
 of life and livelihood, must be supported: and it 
 was needful that those who went to preach the 
 kingdom of God, should leave their worldly affairs. 
 "So that as many as were possessors of lands or 
 houses, sold them, and brought the prices of the 
 things that were sold ; and distribution was made 
 to every man according as he had need." (Acts iv. 
 34 — 47.) This was proof of the truth of those 
 words of Jesus, The things which are impossible 
 with men are possible with God, The grace of 
 God can overcome the worldly and carnal heart, 
 and make it seek treasure in heaven. It had been 
 proved so in the apostles themselves. For though 
 they were not like this ruler, who was very rich : 
 they had what was dear to them : they had houses, 
 and kindred, and wives, and children. Difficult as 
 it is to abandon these, the Spirit had enabled them 
 to obey the call of Christ, and to e7iter into the king- 
 dom of God, As we read in what follows. 
 
 28. Then Peter said, Lo, we have left all, and followed 
 thee. 
 
 29. And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There 
 
 5 
 
LUKE XVIII. 15—30. .3()5 
 
 is no man that hath left house, or imrents, or hrethren, or 
 wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake, 
 
 30. Who shall not receive manifold more in this present 
 time, and in the world to come life everlasting. 
 
 Here we may be disposed to ask, How can this 
 be ? How shall he who has left house^ or parents, 
 or brethren^ or wife, or children, for the kingdom 
 of Gods sake, receive manifold more in this present 
 timef What has life more than these? What 
 sources of enjoyment remain, when these are taken 
 away ? We evidently see, therefore, that the pro- 
 mise refers not to temporal, bat spiritual blessings. 
 The promise is, that whoever resigns things that 
 are naturally dear and valuable to him for Christ's 
 sake and the gospel's, shall receive a return, even 
 in this present time, which shall be far more pre- 
 cious to him. What he resigns, is often accom- 
 panied with cares and anxieties : for it is uncertain, 
 it may be short-lived : and at best, if it does not 
 leave him, he will be called from it. What he 
 receives, is without such alloy: it is sure and 
 permanent. What he resigns, may contribute to 
 outward comfort : but cannot afford that, without 
 which outward comforts avail nothing. What he 
 receives, is that inward peace which results from 
 peace with God, and passeth all understanding. 
 For there is this peace, this "joy in believing," 
 "shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Ghost." 
 It is joy to know that the Almighty Father, the 
 High and Holy One that inhabiteth eternity, re- 
 gards the Christian with favour, as being reconciled 
 to him through the Son of his love, made his own 
 child by adoption and grace, and designed for an 
 
366 LUKE XVIII. 15—30. 
 
 everlasting inheritance. There is joy in knowing, 
 that whatever the occurrences of this world may 
 prove, whether agreeable or disagreeable to the 
 natural heart, still "all things shall work together 
 for good to them that love God." There is joy in 
 believing, that notwithstanding the dangers which 
 beset, and the infirmities which hinder, he who has 
 begun the good work will perform it unto the end, 
 and has taken the soul under his almighty care. 
 In all this, and in more than all this, of which the 
 Christian is assured, there is a joy with which a 
 stranger intermeddleth not, and a peace which this 
 world can neither give nor take away: for it is 
 not of the earth, earthly, but it comes from above, 
 and is sustained by power from above : and there- 
 fore it is manifold more than any worldly advantage 
 which he may have resigned. 
 
 It may be said, however, that the promise is not 
 always made good. Many sincere Christians are 
 strangers to inward peace and spiritual joy. True. 
 But they are not placed in the circumstances here 
 supposed. They are not called to leave house, or 
 parents, or hrethren, or wife, or children, for the 
 kingdom of God's sake. They are not the less 
 under the watchful care and tutelage of God : and 
 he, as a wise and tender Father, dispenses or with- 
 holds the comforts which he has in store for his 
 children, as he sees to be most expedient for them. 
 It may be needful that they should be depressed, 
 rather than exalted : forced to put their entire 
 dependance upon him : forced to afflict themselves, 
 and mourn, and weep, that hereafter they may be 
 lifted up. Should they ever be called to circum- 
 
LUKE XVIII. 15— ;>0. 367 
 
 stances of worldly trial, tliey may still have expe- 
 rience of the truth, that God rewards those who 
 suffer for the kingdom of God's sake with manifold 
 moj^e in this present time. 
 
 Still it must be remembered that as the Christian's 
 rest is not here, so neither is his recompense. 
 What he looks to, is future ; in the world to come, 
 life everlasting. It was a future recompense which 
 the Captain of his salvation foresaw, when "for 
 the joy that was set before him he endured the 
 cross, despising the shame." It was this which 
 enabled the apostles and their followers to " count 
 it all joy, when they fell into divers temptations : " 
 they could " rejoice, and be exceeding glad, for 
 great was their reward in heaven." They " reck- 
 oned, that the sufferings of this present time were 
 not worthy to be compared with the glory which 
 should be revealed." And in proportion as the 
 mind is enabled to realize this life of glory, it will 
 consider things temporal, whether prosperous or 
 adverse, as subordinate to things eternal ; it will 
 rejoice with moderation when earthly desires are 
 gratified, it will secure comfort from above when 
 present comfort is denied. 
 
 Lord, evermore give us this faith ! To over- 
 come the world, and the things that are in the 
 world, is, with man, impossible : we are plainly 
 told so, and we daily find it so. They are present ; 
 and we are naturally led by things present. But 
 the things which are impossible with man are 
 possible with God. And " whatsoever is born of 
 God overcometh the world." ^ 
 
 ^ 1 John V. 4. 
 
368 LUKE XVIII. 31—43. 
 
 LECTURE LXX. 
 
 JESUS PROCEEDING TOWARDS JERUSALEM RE- 
 STORES SIGHT TO A BLIND MAN WHO SAT BY 
 THE WAY SIDE. 
 
 Luke xviii. 31 — 43. 
 
 (Matt. XX. 17—34. Mark x. 32—52.) 
 
 3L Then he took unto him the twelve ^ and said unto 
 them^ Behold, we go np to Jerusalem, and all things that 
 are written by the prophets co7icerning the son of man 
 shall be accomplished. 
 
 32. For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall 
 he mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on : 
 
 33. And they shall scourge him, and put him to death ; 
 and the third day he shall rise again. 
 
 34. And they understood no7ie of these thi?igs ; and this 
 saying was hid from them, tieither knew they the things 
 which were spokeii, 
 
 35. And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh 
 unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side 
 begging. ^ 
 
 30. And hearing the tnultitude pass by, he asked what 
 it meant. 
 
 37. Atid they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth 
 by. 
 
 38. And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou son of David, have 
 mercy 07i me. 
 
 ^ Matthew speaks of two blind men. Probably one is here 
 specified, as a man generally known ; being named by Mark as 
 *• blind Bartimeus, the son of Timeus.'* 
 
LUKE XVIII. 31-43. 3r{9 
 
 39. j4nd they which ivent before rebuked him, that he 
 should hold his peace : but he cried so much the 7nore, 
 TJu)u son of David, have mercy on me. 
 
 This is one of the many miracles which admits 
 of a spiritual and universal application. It serves 
 to illustrate the way in which the redemption that 
 is in Christ Jesus is made available to those who 
 commit themselves to him. 
 
 A certain blind man sat by the way side, beggincj. 
 What is the state of the heart when unenlightened 
 by Scripture, but a state of blindness ? for it is 
 ignorant of God ; ignorant of the nature and con- 
 sequences of sin ; ignorant of the way of escape. 
 Too often, indeed, it is far more grievous than the 
 blindness of the bodily eye. Yet that is felt and 
 lamented, and any available remedy is anxiously 
 sought after. Whereas the sinner frequently knows 
 not, or confesses not, his own case : being blind, 
 he thinks himself in light: and perceives not 
 " that he is miserable, and blind, and poor." =^ 
 There is better hope if he be found by the way 
 side, begging : seeking after God, if haply he may 
 find him, asking spiritual help from those who have 
 more instruction, and ready to profit by the remedy 
 which God has provided. 
 
 Such was the state of the blind man in this his- 
 tory. Hearing the multitude pass by, he asked 
 what it meant. And they told him, Jesus of Na- 
 zareth passeth by, Aiid he cried, saying, Jesus, 
 thou son of David, have mercy on me. 
 
 The fame of our Lord had now been spread 
 abroad. The signs and wonders which he wrought 
 
 2 R«v. iii. 17. 
 
 B B 
 
370 LUKE XVIII. 31—43. 
 
 were widely known. This man had heard of him. 
 Indeed he must have had some information respect- 
 ing him, as the Messiah who should come: for he 
 addressed him as the son of David. Perhaps he had 
 been attracted by the prophetic promise, that in the 
 days of the son of David the eyes of the blind should 
 be opened.^ It applied to his own wants, to wants 
 which he was daily feeling : and he remembered it, 
 and treasured it up ; so that the prayer was ready 
 upon his lips, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy 
 on me. 
 
 And thus should every one sue for deliverance, 
 who is " alienated from the life of God through the 
 blindness that is in him." The fame of Jesus is 
 sufficiently spread, who came " to seek and to save 
 that which was lost." Prophets have foretold it ; 
 apostles have testified it; his own words confirms 
 it. Through him is remission of sins past ; through 
 him is the gift of the Holy Ghost, the Sanctifier. 
 And he will not reject the suppliant who bows the 
 knees of his heart before him, and says, Jesus, thou 
 son of David, have mercy on me. 
 
 As it often happens, that the power of faith may 
 be strengthened by exercise, difficulties were thrown 
 in the way of this blind man. T'hey rebuked him, 
 that he should hold his peace. For what reason, 
 we are not told. Did they say. Thou art too mean 
 and insignificant to be regarded ? All are alike in 
 the sight of God, and only grace makes one to 
 differ from another. Did they say, What hope can 
 there be for blindness ? Tlie prophets had de- 
 clared that *' the blind should receive their sight.' 
 2 Isa. xliii. 7 ; xxix. 18. 
 
LUKE XVIII. 3 J— 43. S71 
 
 Did they say, He is pressing forward to Jerusalem, 
 and cannot be delayed? This indeed was true: 
 he was hastening, that all things that were written 
 in the prophets concerning the Son of man might 
 be accomplished : but the same mercy which urged 
 him to Jerusalem, would also dispose him to 
 leave a blessing by the way. Why then sliould 
 they rebuke the suppliant, and deprive him of his 
 only hope ? 
 
 However, a real feeling of misery is not easily 
 deterred ? and he cried so much the mor^e, Thou 
 son of Davidj have mercy on me. This part of the 
 history closely resembles the case of the Canaanitish 
 woman, who persevered with similar earnestness 
 against similar obstacles. The disciples would have 
 paid her no attention. But Jesus would not lose 
 the opportunity of showing mercy. So here, he 
 stopped his progress : — 
 
 40. And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought 
 unto him ; and when he was come near^ he asked him, 
 
 41. Saying^ What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? 
 And he said. Lord, that I may receive my sight. 
 
 When the evil affects the body, it is insensibly 
 felt. There was no doubt, no hesitation on the 
 part of the blind man, in regard either to his mi- 
 sery or his wish : Lord, that I may receive my 
 sight. It is not thus with the blindness of the 
 soul. The misfortune is not known or acknow- 
 ledo^ed. There is no desire that it should be re- 
 lieved. To receive spiritual sight, is to receive a 
 knowledge of sin ; a knowledge which humbles, 
 convicts, condemns. To receive spiritual sight, is 
 
 B B 2 
 
372 LUKE XVIII. 31-43. 
 
 to receive a knowledge of God, who cannot look 
 upon evil, and before whom " all the world becomes 
 guilty." To receive spiritual sight, is to recognise 
 Christ Jesus as "the way, the truth, and the life," by 
 whom alone we " have access to the Father." To 
 receive spiritual sight, is to receive an assurance 
 that " without holiness no man shall see the Lord." 
 Now a willingness to perceive all these truths, is 
 not natural to man : it is the gift of God. And 
 where the desire is excited, it will never be disap- 
 pointed. Tt was not disappointed in the case of 
 this blind man. 
 
 42. And Jesus said unto him. Receive thy sight : thy 
 faith hath saved thee. 
 
 43. And immediately he received his sight, and followed 
 him, glorifying God : and all the people, when they saw it 
 gave praise unto God. 
 
 Thy faith have saved thee. What then did he 
 believe ? That Jesus could heal him ; could open 
 the eyes of the blind. For this purpose he be- 
 sought him : for this object he persevered in be- 
 seeching him : and therefore he was blessed in ob- 
 taining his desire, and received his sight. 
 
 The same faith must actuate all who seek a spi- 
 ritual cure. They must believe, as this blind man 
 believed, that Jesus came into the world to fulfil 
 the promises which declared of him, that he should 
 '' give light to them that sat in darkness, and guide 
 their feet into the way of ])eace." They must be- 
 lieve, that all who are not his, are in darkness : 
 but that with him is light, to enlighten every man. 
 And towards this light they must turn the desire 
 
LUKE XIX. 1— 10. 373 
 
 of their heart, that " the eyes of their understand- 
 ing" being opened, they may know the truth, and 
 know it more abundantly : that " God who com- 
 manded the light to shine out of darkness, may shine 
 in their hearts, and give the light of the knowledge 
 of his glory in the face of Jesus Christ." * 
 
 LECTURE LXXL 
 
 JESUS IS RECEIVED IN THE HOUSE OF ZAC- 
 CHEUS.— ZACCHEUS DECLARES HIS REPENT- 
 ANCE. 
 
 Luke xix. 1 — 10. 
 
 1. And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 
 
 2. And, behold, there was a man named Zaccheus, which 
 was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. 
 
 3. And he sought to see Jesus who he was ; and could 
 not for the press, because he was little of stature. 
 
 4. And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycamore 
 tree to see him ; for he was to pass that way. 
 
 There was something in the state of heart which 
 influenced Zaccheus, known to him who observes 
 the heart, which brought him a blessing. This 
 action of his might have sprung from mere curio- 
 sity : from a desire of seeing one of whom he 
 
 * 2 Cor iv. 6. 
 
374 
 
 LUKE XIX. 1—10. 
 
 had heard much report, and whom many were fol- 
 lowing. But the event shows that this was not 
 all. There was a desire to know his doctrine, a 
 disposition to receive and keep it : a disposition 
 which was not far from the kingdom of God. That 
 kingdom was now brought nigh unto him, and he 
 advanced to meet it, and became an example of the 
 consolatory truth, that such a disposition will not be 
 left unnoticed or unsatisfied. 
 
 Many persons in a Christian land grow up to 
 man's estate with very little more knowledge of 
 Christ Jesus than Zaccheus had hitherto possessed. 
 He knew that Jesus was deemed a prophet, and 
 that many mighty works were said to have been 
 done by him. And these know that they are called 
 by his name, and that his faith is taught in their 
 schools and in their churches: but they have no 
 distinct acquaintance with it, such as to act upon, 
 and live by. It is happy for them, if the example 
 of others, or if a book, or a sermon, or a con- 
 versation, excites within them a desire to see more 
 of Jesus ; to acquaint themselves with the grounds 
 on which he receives the allegiance of so many, 
 and demands the allegiance of all. Let them follow 
 up the inquiry ; let them study his word, and the 
 proofs that it is his word ; let th6m encourage an 
 earnestness to search out the truth : it is not hard 
 to find, when it is sincerely sought : they will soon 
 be rewarded, as Zaccheus was, with the notice of 
 the Son of God, with the grace which bringeth 
 salvation.^ 
 
 ' Sec llic promise, Jolui vii. 1 
 
LUKE XIX. 1—10. 375 
 
 5. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and 
 saw him, and said unto him, Zaccheus, make haste, and 
 come down ; for to-day I must abide at thy house, 
 
 (). And he made haste, and came down, and received him 
 joyfully. 
 
 7. And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying. 
 That he was gone to he guest with a man that is a sinner, 
 
 8. And Zaccheus stood, and said unto the Lord, Behold, 
 Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor and if I 
 have take?i anything from any man by false accusation, I 
 restore him four/old. 
 
 How much may be going on in relation to the 
 soul, and no man know it ! The Pharisees mur- 
 mured, saying, that he was gone to he guest with a man 
 that is a sinner. But the Lord knew what was 
 passing within the heart of Zaccheus ; that the 
 elements of change were working there, and would 
 soon be manifested by a moral transformation. 
 
 The discourses which immediately produced this 
 change are not recorded. We have, however, the 
 particulars of other discourses of Jesus which he 
 held not long before on very similar occasions.^ 
 And they turned upon two points : first, upon the 
 resurrection of the just, and the comparative 
 worthlessness of earthly things : and next, upon 
 the mercy of God, and his willingness to receive 
 the penitent. 
 
 These joint considerations are well calculated, 
 under divine grace, to produce the resolution which 
 Zaccheus announces. The kingdom of God must 
 be opened to the mind, in order that the kingdom 
 of Satan may be abandoned. We may point out 
 
 2 See chapters xiv. xv. and xvi. 
 
376 LUKE XIX. 1—10. 
 
 the uncertainty of all earthly possessions ; we may 
 show the vanity of those pursuits which keep men 
 away from God and heaven : — and we cannot say 
 more upon this, than the fact warrants ; — still will 
 a man resign these, whilst they are his all ? They 
 occupy his mind ; they engage his care and anxiety ; 
 they are the objects which he pursues, and has been 
 long pursuing : we must furnish him with another 
 object of desire : one more pernament, more valu- 
 able : and further, we must show that it is within 
 his reach ; that though he may have long neglected 
 it, he is not shut out for ever : for that God has 
 mercy for the penitent, and will receive the return- 
 ing prodigal, and rejoice over the sheep which are 
 recovered to his fold. 
 
 Still it must be borne in mind, that the mere 
 proposal of a heavenly kingdom is not sufficient. 
 It was proposed in the plainest terms to the young 
 ruler : and he went away sorrowing, when he was 
 exhorted to sell what he had, and give to the poor, 
 and he should have treasure in heaven. Zaccheus, 
 on the contrary, resolves at once. Feeling, per- 
 haps, that covetousness had been his besetting sin, 
 he conquers it at a blow. Behold, Lord^ the half 
 of my goods 1 give to the poor ; and if I have 
 taken anything from any man by false accusation, 
 I restore him fourfold. Because " with God all 
 thing are possible ;" and he saw fit to open Zac- 
 cheus's heart, and give him the faith which looks 
 not to the things which are seen, and are temporal, 
 but to the things which are not seen and are, 
 eternal. 
 
LUKE XIX. 1—10. 377 
 
 9. And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation 
 come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of 
 Abraham, 
 
 10. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that 
 which was lost. 
 
 Such is the remark which is addressed to the 
 murmurs of the Pharisees. Ought not this son of 
 Abraham to partake of the benefit, which is come 
 through the seed of Abraham to all the children of 
 men ? Suppose that he has been a sinner. Then 
 he is a fit object for the mercy of him, the purpose 
 of whose incarnation was " to save sinners ; " who 
 would not have appeared on earth at all, except to 
 seek and to save that which was lost. 
 
 We see here, by a clear example, what it is to 
 be lost, and what it is to be saved, Zaccheus was 
 lost while living a worldly life, devoted to things 
 of earth, and following the various dishonest prac- 
 tices which belonged to his profession. On a 
 sudden he resolves to change his course ; to serve 
 not mammon, but God: to " set his affections on 
 things above : " to be " rich in good works," and 
 look for a future recompense. Jesus had sought 
 and saved him. And his conduct is the conduct of 
 all those who are brought into a state of salvation. 
 Their faith " overcomes the world." " Sin has no 
 more dominion over them." " The love of Christ 
 constraineth them, to live no longer unto them- 
 selves, but unto him who loved them, and gave him- 
 self for them." 
 
378 LUKE XIX. 11-27. 
 
 LECTURE LXXII. 
 
 THE PARABLE OF THE TEN POUNDS. 
 
 Luke xix. 11 — 27. 
 
 11. Ajid as they heard these things, he added and spahe 
 a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because 
 they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately 
 appear. 
 
 This is one of the many occasions, on which our 
 Lord corrects the errors of his disciples, and re- 
 strains their expectations. They perceived that he 
 was stedfastly purposed to go up to Jerusalem : and 
 they believed that his object was, to take possession 
 of his kingdom : not to suffer, but to reign. They 
 still hoped, probably, to reign with him. So he ex- 
 plained by a parable the nature of God's dispensa- 
 tion : how a man is not crowned, till he has endured 
 the contest : how the husbandman must first labour, 
 before he is partaker of the fruits.* 
 
 12. He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a 
 far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to rC" 
 turn.^ 
 
 13. And he called his ten servants, and delivered them 
 ten pounds, and said unto them. Occupy till I come. 
 
 ' See 2 Tim. ii. 5, 6. 
 
 2 That his right to the kingdom might be confirmed : a prac- 
 tice not unusual where a foreign nation, as Rome, had others 
 tributary to itself. 
 
LUKE XIX. 11—27. 379 
 
 14. But his citizens hated him^ and sent a message after 
 him, saying^ We will not have this man to reign over us. 
 
 A clear distinction is drawn here, between the 
 citizens, the Jewish nation, who rejected their King, 
 and his servants, his professed disciples. To these, 
 when he retired to a far country, when he as- 
 cended up to heaven, he committed the truths of 
 the gospel, not to be locked up within their own 
 hearts, but to be proclaimed abroad. And he deli- 
 vered to them the powers, the means, by which 
 this might be done. He gave them the power of 
 utterance ; he confirmed his promise, that the Holy 
 Ghost should put into their hearts what they should 
 speak : nay, he enabled them so to speak, that, 
 every man should hear in his own language the 
 wonderful works of God. And these talents they 
 were to employ, these gifts to use, to occupy.^ It 
 was no easy or safe duty : they were straitly threat- 
 ened, that " they should not speak at all nor teach 
 in the name of Jesus." And this he foresaw ; he 
 well knew that the great body of the citizens would 
 hate them ; and as they had treated him, so would 
 they treat his servants. By this their fidelity was 
 to be tried, that they should continue to occupy, till 
 he came to take account."^ 
 
 In the same manner he assigns to all, who pro- 
 fess his faith, their respective portions of duty in 
 their respective stations. A business is entrusted 
 to them. One has the gift of fortune, another of 
 mind ; one has temporal, another has moral influ- 
 
 2 II/oay/xaT€vcra(r^€. Use or employ in trading. 
 ^ 1 Cor. iv. 5. 
 
380 LUKE XIX. 11—27. 
 
 ence. There is no escape, no exemption from this 
 duty, though it may be more solemnly enforced 
 upon one than upon another : — still the command is 
 universal, Occupy till I come, 
 
 15. And it came to pass, that when he was returned, 
 having received the kingdom, then he commanded these ser- 
 vants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the 
 money, that he might know how much every man had gained 
 by trading. 
 
 J 6. Then came the first, saying. Lord, thy pound hath 
 gained ten pounds. 
 
 17. And he said unto him. Well, thou good servant : be- 
 cause thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou au- 
 thority over ten cities, 
 
 18. And the second came, saying. Lord, thy pound hath 
 gained five pounds. 
 
 19. And he said likewise to him. Be thou also over five 
 cities. 
 
 We should wonder, in reading the history of the 
 apostles without this key to their actions, what 
 could influence them to be " in labours so abun- 
 dant, in deaths oft, in prisons frequent, in weari- 
 ness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger 
 and thirst, in fastings often, in cold -and nakedness./ 
 But " they had respect unto the recompense of re- 
 ward," which the Lord has held out for the encou- 
 ragement of his servants in the diligent use of the 
 powers entrusted to them. This is the motive 
 which we find St. Paul employing, when he excites 
 others to " stir up the gift of God which was in 
 them." " Every man's work shall be made mani- 
 fest : " so that " whatsoever good thing a man 
 5 2 Cor. xi. 27. 
 
 3 
 
LUKE XIX. 11— -27. 381 
 
 doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord." 
 This was the motive by which he himself was 
 actuated ; which made him " labour, that he might 
 present every man perfect in Christ Jesus :" that 
 they whom he had " turned from darkness to light, 
 from the power of Satan unto God," might be his 
 "hope, and joy, and crown of rejoicing in the 
 presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming." ^ 
 For he had said, "Behold, I come quickly: and 
 my reward is with me, to give to every man accord- 
 ing as his work shall be." ^ 
 
 Such is the mercy of God, who first bestows 
 the power, and then rewards its use : first gives 
 the will and the ability to serve, and then assigns 
 an infinite recompense of service. This, too, the 
 apostle suffers not his fellow servants to forget. 
 " For who maketh thee to differ from another ? 
 and what hast thou that thou didst not receive ? 
 Now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory 
 as if thou hast not received it ? " ^ Therefore, " he 
 that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord:" and if he 
 is made " a steward of the manifold grace of 
 God,"^ let him remember that "it is required in 
 stewards that a man be found faithful." ^ 
 
 For all, alas ! are not found faithful. All do not 
 trade with their gifts, to the purpose for which they 
 are bestowed. 
 
 20. And another came, saying. Lord, behold, here is thy 
 pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin : 
 
 6 1 Cor. iii. 13—15. Eph. vi. 8. 
 
 7 1 Thess. ii. 19. ^ Rev. xxii. 12. 
 
 9 1 Cor. iv. 7. ' 1 Pet. iv. 10. ^ j Cor. iv. 1. 
 
382 LUKE XIX. 11—27. 
 
 21. For I feared thee, beeause thou art an austere man ; 
 thou takest up that thou lay est not down, and reapest that 
 thou didst not sow. 
 
 22. And he said unto him, Out of thine own mouth will 
 I Judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I 
 was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and 
 reaping that I did not sow : 
 
 23. Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the 
 hank, that at my coming I might have required mine own 
 with usury ? 
 
 This, we see, God expects in his servants : that 
 they should repay him his own with usury ; with 
 interest; with increase: that as the seed is re- 
 turned back to the husbandman, some thirty fold, 
 some sixty, and some an hundred ; so his gifts 
 should not return unto him void, but should ac- 
 complish the purpose which he desires to be per- 
 formed. But the servant here brought back his 
 pound, which he had kept laid up in a napkin 
 He had neglected to use the talents bestowed on 
 him. He had suffered his time to run to waste. 
 He had employed his mind on things of no real 
 value. He had not applied his reason to con- 
 vince others, or his influence to persuade them. 
 None had been benefited by his advice or his ex- 
 ample. 
 
 Yet, strange to say, he is described as defending 
 himself by reasoning. He feared the strictness of 
 the judgment, he feared the severity of the judge, 
 and therefore he had not prepared to meet him. 
 But he is condemned out of his own mouth : and 
 leaves a striking proof of the futility of those ex- 
 cuses, by which too many deceive their own souls. 
 
 6 
 
LUKE XIX. 11—27. 383 
 
 One says, I had little knowledge. — For that very 
 reason, thou ©lightest to have sought more, and not 
 to have been satisfied with ignorance. Another 
 says, I was absorbed in cares. The business of 
 this world overwhelmed me. — Thou oughtest to 
 have first secured the " one thing needful." An- 
 other pleads, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin 
 did my mother conceive me. — Thou oughtest to 
 have sought Him, who would " put a new heart 
 and a right spirit within you." Another is en- 
 slaved by the circumstances in which he was 
 placed. — Thou oughtest to have known, that " God 
 suffers no man to be tempted above that he is able, 
 but will with the temptation make a way to escape, 
 that he may be able to bear it." 
 
 So it will appear at last ; but too late for the 
 slothful servant, who is already turned out of his 
 stewardship. 
 
 24. And he said unto them that stood by. Take from him 
 the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds. 
 
 25. {And they said unto him. Lord, he hath ten 
 pounds.) 
 
 26. For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath 
 shall he given ; and from him that hath not, even that he 
 hath shall he taken away from him.^ 
 
 " It is the rule of justice, that those should be 
 most encouraged who have been most industrious, 
 and that those w^ho have most laid themselves out 
 to do good, should have their opportunities of doing 
 good enlarged. To him that hath gotten, shall 
 more be given, that he may be in a capacity to get 
 
 ^ See on Matt. xiii. 12. Mark iv. 25. Luke xviii. 18. 
 
384 LUKE XIX. 11— 27. 
 
 more. It is also the rule of justice, that those who 
 have their gifts as if they had them not, who have 
 them to no purpose, should be deprived of them. 
 Those that endeavour to increase the grace they 
 have, God will increase it : those that neglect it, 
 and suffer it to decline, can only expect that God 
 should do so too." ^ This needful warning Christ 
 gave to his disciples, that, using all diligence, they 
 might improve the faculties, and gifts, and means of 
 usefulness conferred upon them, " as those who 
 must give account." 
 
 " But terrible voice of most just judgment," * 
 which at the last shall condemn the wicked and 
 impenitent — those enemies of Christ, ivJio would not 
 have Mm to reign over them. He summoned, but 
 they refused to hear ; he offered, but they refused 
 to receive : and the doom reserved for them, is ex- 
 pressed in terms at which the stoutest heart may 
 tremble. 
 
 27. But those mine enemies, which would not that I 
 should reign over them, bring hither, and stay them before 
 me. 
 
 * M. Henry in loco. ^ Commination Service. 
 
LUKK XIX. -JS— 10. 385 
 
 LECTURE LXXITI. 
 
 JESUS ENTERS JERUSALEM IN TRIUMPH WITH 
 THE ACCLAMATIONS OF THE PEOPLE. 
 
 Luke xix. 28 — 40. 
 
 (Matt. xxi. 1—16. Matt. xi. 1 — 10. John xii. 12, 13.) 
 
 28. And when he had thus spoken, he went before, as- 
 cending up to Jerusalem. 
 
 29. And it came to pass, when he was come nigh to 
 Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount called the mount 
 of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, 
 
 30. Saying, Go ye into the village oi^er against you ; 
 in the which at your entering ye shall find a colt tied, 
 whereon yet never man sat : loose him, and bring him 
 hither. 
 
 31. And if any man ask you, IVIiy do you loose him ? 
 thus shall ye say unto him, Because the Lord hath need 
 of him. 
 
 32. And they that were sent went their way, and found 
 even as he had said unto them. 
 
 33. And as they were loosing the colt, the owners there- 
 of said unto them. Why loose ye the colt ? 
 
 34. Afid they said, the Lord hath need of him. 
 
 It would be happy, could we constantly bear in 
 mind that we hold our possessions on this tenure, to 
 be resigned when the Lord hath need of them. This 
 would sanctify their use. But as his Spirit prepared 
 the minds of the owners of the colt, that they 
 
 c c 
 
386 LUKE XIX. 28—40. 
 
 might willingly yield it to the Lord's service : so 
 the same Spirit can alone enable us to say with a 
 humble and willing resignation, " the Lord gave, 
 and the Lord hath taken away : blessed be the name 
 of the Lord/' 
 
 35. And they brought him to Jesus : and they cast their 
 garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon. 
 
 36. And' as they went, they spread their clothes in the 
 tvay. 
 
 37. And when he was come nigh, even now at the de- 
 scent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the 
 disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud 
 voice for all the mighty works that they had seen : 
 
 38. Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the 
 name of the Lord : peace in heaven, and glory in the 
 highest. 
 
 On this single occasion Jesus meets with that 
 reception which he ought to have experienced 
 everywhere. The multitude exult in his approach, 
 and he is welcomed by their acclamations : nay, 
 such expressions are put into their mouths, as are 
 suitable to his character, and the purposes of his 
 coming. The whole multitude of the disciples 
 began to rejoice and to praise God with a loud 
 voice for all the mights/ works that they had seen. 
 These mighty works were the outward proofs which 
 testified him to be the Son of God : and their re- 
 joicing is, that he who came with these mighty 
 works, these credentials of supreme power, had 
 appeared not in anger, but in mercy : not to con- 
 demn the world, but that the world through him 
 might be saved. Blessed be the King that cometh 
 in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and 
 
LUKE XIX. 28—40. 387 
 
 glory in the highest, Jesus was that king. He 
 came in the name of the Lord to fulfil the gracious 
 purpose announced from the beginning : to " bruise 
 the serpent's head : " to bless " the nations of the 
 earth." 
 
 And truly so he did. Look at the state of things 
 as he found them. Look at Judea as he found it. 
 
 Those who professed to be teachers, " shut up the 
 kingdom of heaven against men : they neither went 
 in themselves, neither suffered they them that 
 would enter to go in." ^ We have many examples 
 of their character in the gospels : but no instance 
 appears of tenderness on their part towards the 
 miserable, or of compassion towards the sinful. 
 They show no sympathy with the afflicted : they 
 find pretexts for repelling and distressing them. 
 The words of Ezekiel were verified ; (xxxiv. 4 ;) 
 " The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither 
 have ye healed that which was sick, neither have 
 ye bound up that which was broken, neither have 
 ye brought again that which was driven away, nei- 
 ther have ye sought that which was lost ; but with 
 force and with cruelty have ye ruled them." 
 Jesus came to this deserted flock as a faithful shep- 
 herd : he " gathered the lambs in his bosom, and 
 gently led them that were with young : " he showed 
 to the weary their way, and eased the heavy laden 
 of their burthens. They had good reason to ex- 
 claim. Blessed is the King that cometh in the name 
 of the Lord, 
 
 And we have no less reason to repeat the hymn. 
 To all who receive him as their King, he gives 
 ' Matt, xxiii. 13. 
 
 c c -2 
 
388 
 
 LUKE XTX. 28—40. 
 
 the same cause for triumph and rejoicing. He re- 
 lieves them from a state of ignorance, or of doubt, 
 or of thoughtlessness ; of unavailing fear, or of 
 presumptuous confidence ; and places them on safe 
 and firm ground. He acquaints them with their 
 Creator, and shows to whom there is peace in heaven : 
 he acquaints them with themselves, their own hopes 
 and prospects : if they commit their souls to him, 
 they shall be " kept by the power of God through 
 faith unto salvation." 
 
 Thus the King who came in the name of the 
 Lord, has brought blessings to those who belong- 
 to his train, and are enrolled as his subjects. 
 Whatever there is of peace and comfort in this 
 world, it is enjoyed by them, and them alone. 
 Whoever knows the heart, knows that its principal 
 distresses and its principal joys come from within. 
 The pains even and privations of life are compa- 
 ratively trifling, when the heart is at peace with 
 itself and at peace with God. All the worst cala- 
 mities of our earthly condition proceed from what 
 Jesus came to heal and allay ; they proceed from 
 irregular desires, from restless passions, from un- 
 restrained appetites, from immoderate attachment 
 to earthly things : while these remain, there can 
 be no permanent happiness in any condition : and 
 when these are under the control of divine grace, 
 no condition is altogether miserable. " For this 
 was the Son of God manifested, that he might 
 destroy the works of the devil : " and those are the 
 works which ruin the peace and comfort of man- 
 kind : the works of malice, cruelty, envy, hatred, 
 variance, dishonesty, sensuality, pride, covetous- 
 
LUKE XIX. 28—40. 389 
 
 ness, intemperance. Tlie very mention of these 
 sins raises up the thouohts of misery and the 
 images of sorrow in the mind. Whoever looks 
 around him, and forms his judgment from what he 
 knows of persons and of families, will see that 
 they are " the wicked" to whom " there is no peace." 
 Whereas, there may be peace, there may be ha])pi- 
 ness, even amidst the trials of disease and the 
 straits of poverty, wherever there is peace with 
 heaven ; wherever there is reconciliation with God 
 through Christ Jesus, and the heart is regulated by 
 his Spirit, and the life governed by his laws. The 
 result of those laws, and the fruits of that Spirit, 
 are brotherly kindness, gentleness, meekness, con- 
 tentment, fidelity, temperance, patience, charity: 
 qualities which are alike approved of God, and 
 valuable to men : profitable for the life that now is, 
 as well as for that which is to come. 
 
 Well, therefore, might the prophets foresee the 
 advent of the King, as a ransom of rejoicing, and 
 call upon Jerusalem to " shout, for her King 
 Cometh,"^ and to rise and shine, for the glory of 
 God had risen upon her. And justly might the 
 people who now witnessed this season take up the 
 strain, and praise God with a loud voice^ saying. 
 Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of 
 the Lord. 
 
 The Pharisees, however, as might be expected, 
 were jealous of these triumphal honours. 
 
 31). And same of the Pharisees from among the multi- 
 tude said unto him. Master^ rebuke thy disciples, 
 
 2 Zech. ix. 9. Isa. Ix. 1. 
 
390 LUKE XIX. 41-48. 
 
 40. And fie answered and said unto themj I tell you 
 that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would 
 immediately cry out. 
 
 It could not be, that no testimony should be 
 given to the Son of God now " manifest in the 
 flesh." Rather should " the stone cry out of the 
 wall, and the beam out of the timber should answer 
 it : " 3 proclaiming honour to God, who had visited 
 and redeemed his people : and proclaiming reproach 
 to the unworthy nation, who were rejecting the 
 mercy shown them. 
 
 May our hearts ever respond to the words. 
 Blessed he the King that cometh in the name of 
 the Lord. " Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, 
 who hath raised up a horn of salvation for us ; that, 
 being delivered out of the hand of our enemies, we 
 might serve him without fear, in holiness and righ- 
 teousness before him, all the days of our life." * 
 
 LECTURE LXXIV. 
 
 JESUS LAMENTS OVER THE IMPENITENCE OF JE- 
 RUSALEM.— DRIVES THE BUYERS AND SELLERS 
 FROM THE TEMPLE. 
 
 Luke xix. 41 — 48. 
 
 4 1 . And when he was come near, he beheld the city, 
 and wept over it, 
 
 3 Hab. ii. n. "Lukci. (3^-^7 
 
LUKE XIX. 41-48. 391 
 
 42. Sayingy If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in 
 this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but 
 now they are hid from, thine eyes. 
 
 43. For the days shall come upon thee, that thine ene- 
 mies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee 
 round, and keep thee in on every side. 
 
 44. And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy 
 children within thee ; afid they shall not leave in thee 
 one stone upon another ; because thou knewest not the 
 time of thy visitation. 
 
 In this most affecting passage, our Lord laments 
 over the case of Jerusalem, which had not known 
 the things belonging to her peace. It belonged to 
 her peace that she should repent, and receive the 
 Messiah whom God had sent with an embassy of 
 mercy. John the Baptist had traversed Judea, 
 saying, " Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is 
 at hand." Jesus had gone through the country, 
 proclaiming, " I am come a light into the world, 
 that as many as believe in me should not abide in 
 darkness, but have eternal life." He had com- 
 missioned his disciples to " go into every city 
 and place," preaching the gospel of the kingdom. 
 When Jonah had entered Nineveh, declaring, 
 " Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be over- 
 thrown : " the Ninevites believed the prophet's words, 
 and turned to God in weeping, fasting, and prayer. 
 But the inhabitants of Jerusalem rejected God's 
 message, and said, " We will not have this man to 
 reign over us.'* They would not believe that any- 
 thing was wanting to their peace. They pretended 
 to know God, while in works they denied him. 
 They were carnal ; and the carnal mind is enmity 
 
 10 
 
395 LUKE XIX. 41—48. 
 
 against God. They were covetous : and covetous- 
 iiess is idolatry. Their hearts were hardened, and 
 their eyes blinded, as to those things which really 
 belonged to their peace. 
 
 And this was their day: the season in which 
 these things might be known. When Noah warned 
 the antediluvians of the approaching deluge, that 
 was their day : their day of grace. When the 
 angel sent Lot to his sons-in-law, to say, " Up, get 
 ye out of this place, for the Lord will destroy this 
 city : " it was their day : their hour of grace.i 
 And this was the day of the Jewish people. They 
 had long acted unworthily of their knowledge and 
 their privileges : and now, at last, he had sent 
 " his beloved Son : it might be they would reve- 
 rence him when they saw him;" when they saw him 
 *' full of grace and truth ; " when they saw his 
 glory, '' the glory as of the only begotten of the 
 Father." It was true, he came not with magni- 
 ficence, with outward pomp and show. But he 
 came with works of mercy, and works of power, 
 and with words of heavenly authority : and they 
 would have recognised him as their predicted and 
 expected King, if their hearts had not been set 
 against the repentance which he enjoined, and the 
 self-denial which he practised, and the purity which 
 he required. Light was come into the world, 
 but they chose rather to abide in darkness, llie 
 things belonging to their peace were hid from 
 their eyes : and they knew not the time of their 
 visitation. 
 
 When the compassionate Jesus thought of this 
 1 2 Pet. ii. 5—8. Gen. xix. 14. 
 
LUKE XIX. 41—48. 303 
 
 when the prosj)ect of the city lying before him re- 
 minded him of the miserable consequences await- 
 ing their obstinacy, he wept over it And tliink, 
 what expressive tears ! Think of the truths which 
 they reveal ! " Tears, such tears, falling from 
 such eyes, the issues of the purest, the best go- 
 verned feeling thas ever was, show the greatness of 
 the cause." ^ 
 
 Certainly they show this awful truth ; that 
 there is a consequence inseparable from unrepented 
 sin, which God would not that any should suffer, 
 but which men must suffer, unless they repent and 
 be converted. Jesus beheld the cityy and wept over 
 it. Were it not then easy to pardon it ? To put 
 an end at once to the sorrows awaiting Jerusalem, 
 and to his own grief on account of them ? — It 
 could not be so. As there is joy in heaven over 
 one sinner that repenteth, so there is sorrow over 
 the sinner that repenteth not. But that sorrow 
 does not prevent the divine decree, by which 
 misery follows sin : it arises out of it, and testifies 
 its certainty : but the decree remains unchangeable. 
 If there is a thought that should move the heart 
 of him, who has not yet known the things belonging 
 to his peace, it is surely this : Jesus wept over the 
 evils of Jerusalem, yet those evils were inflicted ! 
 " As the judge bewails the sad end of the male- 
 factor, whom justice obliges him not to spare or 
 save." ' 
 
 There is still, how^ever, another reflection, and 
 one abounding in consolation. How readily will 
 he, who wept over the impenitent, receive the 
 3 Howe. 3 Ibid. 
 
894 LUKE XX. J— 18. 
 
 repentant offender, who has perceived the time of 
 his visitation ! How gladly will he deliver him 
 from all that he has incurred, and all that he is 
 fearing ! As he had before complained concerning 
 Jerusalem, " How often would I have gathered 
 thy children together, and thou wouldest not ! " — 
 so is it his merciful desire that his blood should 
 rather save the souls of all, than that his tears 
 should lament over the condemnation of any 
 sinner. 
 
 (Matt.xxi. 12, 13. Mark xi. 15 — 19.) 
 
 45. And he went into the temple, and began to cast out 
 them that sold therein, and them that bought ; 
 
 46. Saying unto them, It is written. My house is the 
 house of prayer : but ye have made it a den of thieves. 
 
 47. And he taught daily ifi the temple. But the chief 
 priests and the scribes and the chief of the people sought 
 to destroy him. 
 
 48. And could not find what they might do : for all 
 the people were very attentive to hear him. 
 
 LECTURE LXXV. 
 
 JESUS SILENCES THE SCRIBES AND ELDERS.--^ 
 UTTERS AGAINST THE JEWS THE PARABLE OF 
 THE REBELLIOUS HUSBANDMEN. 
 
 Luke xx. 1 — 18. 
 
 (Matt. xxi. 23—46. Mark xi. 27—33 ; xii. 1—12.) 
 
 1. And it came to pass, that on one of those days, as he 
 taught the people in the temple, and preached the gospel, 
 
LUKE XX. 1—18. 393 
 
 tJte chief priests and the scribes came upon him with the 
 elders, 
 
 2. And spake unto him, saying. Tell us. By what autho- 
 rity doest thou these things / or who is he that giveth thee 
 this authority ? 
 
 3. And he answered and said unto them, I will also ask 
 you one thing : and answer vie : 
 
 4. The haptism of John, was it from heaven, or of 
 men ? 
 
 5. And they reasoneck with themselves, saying. If we 
 shall say. From heaven ; he will say. Why then believed 
 ye him not ? 
 
 6. But and if we say. Of men ; all the people ivill sto?ie 
 us: for they be persuaded that John was a prophet. 
 
 7. And they answered, that they could not tell whence 
 it was. 
 
 8. Afid Jesus said ufito them. Neither tell I you by what 
 authority I do these things. 
 
 Enough of evidence had been given to these 
 chief priests and scribes, to show the authority 
 which Jesus bore. When there is honest, reason- 
 able doubt, God will clear it ; nothing shall be 
 wanting to satisfy the conscientious inquirer. But 
 again, nothing shall be granted to ** the disputer 
 of this world," who shuts his eyes against the light 
 he has. " Whosoever hath not, even that he hath 
 shall be taken away from him." ^ John had testified 
 that Jesus was the Messiah. They could not deny 
 that John was sent and taught of God : why then 
 did they not believe him ? For the same reason 
 that some would not believe, " though one rose 
 from the dead." They " loved darkness rather than 
 light, because their deeds were evil." 
 
 ' Matt. xiii. 12, 
 
396 
 
 LUKE XX. 1—18. 
 
 9. Then began he to speak to the people this parable ; A 
 certain man planted a vineyard, and let it forth to hus- 
 bandmen, and went into afar country for a long time. 
 
 10. And at the season he sent a servant to the husband- 
 men, that they should give him of the fruit of the vine- 
 yard : but the husbandmen beat him, and sent him away 
 empty. 
 
 11. And again he sent another servant : and they beat 
 him also, and entreated him shamefully, and sent him 
 away empty. 
 
 12. And again he sent a third : and they wounded him 
 also, and cast him out. 
 
 13 Then said the Lord of the vineyard, What shall I 
 do ? I will send my beloved son : it may be they will re- 
 verence him when they see him. 
 
 14. But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned 
 among themselves, saying, This is the heir : come, let us 
 kill him, that the inheritance may be ours. 
 
 This parable applied, in the first case, to the 
 Jewish nation, the vineyard which God had planted 
 in the world, and from which he expected fruit : 
 expected an example of national piety, of spiritual 
 worship, of righteousness and holiness. He 
 " fenced it/' as the prophet shows : (Isa. v. 2 :) 
 he separated it from an idolatrous neighbourhood. 
 He " gathered out the stones thereof," forbidding 
 all that was impure and unjust : — " he planted it 
 with the choicest vine," establishing a law which 
 was "holy, just, and good:" — he "built a town 
 in the midst of it, and also made a winepress 
 therein :" — " at Salem was his tabernacle, and his 
 dwelling in Sion :" — and "he looked that it should 
 bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild 
 grapes." He might justly ask, *' What could have 
 been done more to my vineyard that I have not 
 
LUKE XX. I—IS. 307 
 
 done in it ? Wherefore, when I looked that it 
 should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild 
 grapes ?" 
 
 Isaiah, who uttered this remonstrance, was one 
 of those servants who were sent to the hushandmen 
 that they might give him of the fruit of the vine- 
 yard : and the history tells us of many more, who 
 were neglected, and ill treated, and sent away 
 empty. 
 
 At last the Son is commissioned, for whom the 
 whole inheritance had been prepared : and God is 
 represented as speaking after the manner of men, 
 It may he they will reverence him when they see 
 him. 
 
 Now this come more nearly home to ourselves. 
 " To us also are the words of this salvation sent." 
 " God, who at sundry times and in divers manners 
 spake in times past unto the fathers by the pro- 
 phets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his 
 Son." And surely it is a just demand, that men 
 reverence him when they see him. 
 
 For consider the offer made. " This is the re- 
 cord that God hath given unto us eternal life, and 
 this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son, hath 
 life, and he that hath not the Son of God, hath not 
 life." « 
 
 Consider the mercy displayed in such a message. 
 " Herein is love : not that w^e loved God, but that 
 he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation 
 for our sins." * 
 
 Consider the authority with which he came in- 
 vested. " God so loved the world, that he gave 
 ' Heb. i. 1. 3 1 John v. 11, 12. * lb. iv 10. 
 
398 LUKE XX. 1—18. 
 
 his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in 
 him should not perish, but have everlasting life." ^ 
 
 Consider the mighty works by which his autho- 
 rity was established : the excellent doctrines, wor- 
 thy of him who taught them, by which he corrected 
 the errors of the people, and instructed all future 
 ages, and raised the moral standard of mankind. 
 
 Consider the beings who are the subjects of this 
 offer : beings who are entirely dependent upon 
 him who made them, who cannot add a cubit to 
 their stature, or make a single hair white or black : 
 beings uncertain of a day : uncertain whether be- 
 fore the morrow's dawn they may not be summoned 
 into the presence of their Creator, " to give an ac- 
 count of the things done in the body." 
 
 Surely of such we might say beforehand, they 
 will reverence the Son of God when they see him. 
 
 But it has not proved so. Of the Jewish nation, 
 we know that they cast him out of the vineyard 
 and killed him. And amongst ourselves, how many 
 of those who live within the reach of his mercy 
 and the sound of his word, reject him as entirely 
 from their thoughts, as the Jews did from their 
 city? How many more, who would not refuse 
 in words to " call him Lord," " in w^orks deny 
 him;" "crucify the Son of God afresh, and put 
 him to an open shame !" As a people, indeed, we 
 style ourselves a Christian people, and many bless- 
 ings, incalculable blessings, belong to the national 
 profession of the gospel : and many more are pre- 
 sumed upon, as the Jews presumed upon being the 
 children of Abraham. But as Jesus said to them, 
 
 ^ John iii. 16. 
 
LUKE XX. 1—18. 399 
 
 " If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the 
 works of Abraham :" 6 — so does he assure us, " Not 
 every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall 
 enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that 
 doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." 
 If ye reverence the Son, and receive him as king 
 to reign over you, then acknowledge his laws. 
 Make them your rule of right and wrong, and not 
 the practice of the world. Judge of conduct and 
 of character by these, and not by the standard of 
 men. When he says, "Blessed are the poor in 
 spirit," "blessed are the meek," "blessed are the 
 pure in heart," *' blessed are they who do hunger 
 and thirst after righteousness ;" — let these be the 
 qualities which ye promote in yourselves, and ap- 
 prove in others. Let the father set them before 
 his children, the master before his servants ; as the 
 apostles, who recognise no other rule — " Ye know 
 the words of the Lord Jesus" — "let this mind be 
 in you which was also in Christ Jesus." This is 
 indeed, to reverence the Son: otherwise, he will 
 justly inquire, " Why call ye me Lord, Lord, and 
 do not the things which I say ?" 
 
 The concluding words of the parable point out 
 in awful language the danger of despising the mercy 
 of God. 
 
 15. So they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed 
 him. What there/ore shall the lord of the vineyard do 
 unto them ? 
 
 16. He shall come and destroy these husbandmen, and 
 shall give the vineyard to others. And when they heard 
 it, they said, God forbid. 
 
 6 John viii. 39. 
 
400 
 
 LUKE XX. 1—18. 
 
 He did come, and blotted the kingdom of the 
 Jews out of the book of nations, and gave the 
 vineyard to the Gentiles. It was vain to answer, 
 God forbid ! Jesus pointed to the Scripture which 
 foretold it. 
 
 17. And he beheld them ; and said, Wliat is this then 
 that is written, The stone which the builder's rejected, the 
 same is become the head of the corner ? 
 
 18. Wliosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be 
 broken ; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him 
 to powder. 
 
 Most complete has been the accomplishment of 
 these words. The Jews refuse to rebuild their 
 church upon the foundation of the prophets, and ac- 
 cording to the spirit of the law, making " Jesus 
 Christ the chief corner stone." Many individuals 
 stumbled against that stone, and were broken : and 
 at last the stone fell on the whole people, and 
 ground them to powder: since which it has *' be- 
 come a great mountain, and filled the whole 
 earth." ^ 
 
 From first to last, the dispensation utters a fear 
 ful, yet a merciful warning : " Behold, ye despisers,] 
 and wonder :" ^ and that ye perish not, do not' 
 disappoint the just expectations of God ; who,j 
 when he sent his Son into the world that as many' 
 as believe in him might have everlasting life, 
 had reason to demand that the world should reve- 
 rence his Son, 
 
 7 Dan. ii. 35. 
 ^ Isa. xxix. 14. See Acts xiii. 41, 
 
LUKE XX. 19-26. 401 
 
 LECTURE LXXVL 
 
 A QUESTION CONCERNING THE RIGHT OF CESAR 
 TO TRIBUTE, GIVES JESUS OCCASION TO EN- 
 FORCE THE RIGHT OF GOD TO THE ALLEGI- 
 ANCE OF MEN. 
 
 Luke xx. 19—26. 
 
 (Matt. xxii. 15- 2L Mark xii. 12—17.) 
 
 19. A/id the chief priests and the scribes the same hour 
 sought to lay hands 07i him; and they feared the jteople : 
 for they perceived that he had spoken this parable against 
 
 them. 
 
 20. And they watched him, and sent forth spies, ivhich 
 should feigfi themselves just me?i, that they might take hold 
 of Ms wordSi that so they anight deliver him unto the power 
 and authority of the governor. 
 
 21. Atid they asked him, saying^ Master, we know that 
 thou sayest and teachest rightly, neither acceptest thou the 
 person of any, but teachest the way of God truly ; 
 
 22. Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Ccesar, or 
 no'? 
 
 A party among the Jews at this time, as it ap- 
 pears, maintained that it was not lawful for them, 
 " a royal nation, a peculiar people," to give tribute 
 vnto CcBsar. They had no king but God. This 
 was a favourite doctrine with the common sort, 
 who were proud of being children of Abraham, 
 and " never in bondage to any man." So that these 
 artful enemies, in suborning men who should pro- 
 
 D D 
 
402 
 
 LUKE XX. 19—26. 
 
 n 
 
 pose the question to Jesus, hoped to destroy his 
 influence with the people, if he replied in favour of 
 tribute : or, if he declared against it, to accuse him 
 before the Roman governor. 
 
 23. But he jperceived their craftiness, mid said unto 
 them. Why tempt ye me ? 
 
 24 Shew me a penny. Whose image and super scription 
 hath it ? They answered and saidy Ccesa/s. 
 
 25. And he said unto them. Render therefore unto Ccesar 
 the things which he Ccesar s, and unto God the things 
 which be Gods. 
 
 26. And they could not take hold of his tvords before the 
 people ; and they marvelled at his answer, and held their 
 peace. 
 
 The admittance of Caesar's coin into the land, 
 seemed evident proof that he had dominion in the 
 land. And if he had dominion, allegiance was due 
 to him, and with allegiance tribute. Render there- 
 fore unto Ccesar the things which he Ccesar s : 
 " for the powers that be, are ordained of God ; " 
 whose will it is, that confusion should thus be pre- 
 vented in the world, and order maintained. 
 
 But if allegiance is due to an earthly king, much 
 more is it due to our King who is in heaven. If 
 Caesar is to have his due, so is God to have his due. 
 Render unto God the things which he God's. 
 
 It is the refusal of this right, the neglect of this 
 allegiance, which constitutes the sin of mankind, 
 and makes them what they are in the sight of God — 
 offenders who need a Saviour. 
 
 For God, when he created mankind, did not 
 leave them to themselves, to follow the devices and 
 desires of their own hearts. From the beginning, 
 
I 
 
 I.UKE XX. 19—20. 403 
 
 lie reserved to himself dominion. Even in i)ara- 
 dise the first man and woman were not left without 
 law. When they were so circumstanced, that there 
 were few duties which they could either observe or 
 transgress, God appointed them a law, that they 
 might acknowledge him as governor, and be accus- 
 tomed to obedience. (Gen. ii. 16.) "The Lord 
 God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree 
 in the garden thou mayest freely eat : but of the 
 tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt 
 not eat of it ; for in the day that thou eatest thereof, 
 thou shalt surely die." That obedience they were 
 bound to render unto God : and in transgressing 
 it, they sinned against him, and incurred the con- 
 sequence of transgression. 
 
 So again, in after times, God issued laws by the 
 mouth of his servant Moses to regulate his people 
 Israel. (Deut. iv. 1.) "Hearken, Israel, unto 
 the statutes and unto the judgments which I teach 
 you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in 
 and possess the land which the Lord God of your 
 fathers giveth you." 
 
 The heathen w^orld to whom this revelation of 
 God's will was not formally made know^n, still 
 were not without law. " They had a law written 
 in their hearts : " * that is, they might have known 
 what was fitting for them to do, and what to avoid, 
 by the light of their conscience and reasonable 
 understanding. 
 
 I need not say that God has given a law to us 
 
 Christians. Jesus Christ confirmed the rule which 
 
 God had laid down to govern his creatures, and 
 
 1 Rom. ii. 15. 
 
 D d2 
 
404 
 
 LUKE XX. 19-26. 
 
 summed it up in two short and weighty sentences : 
 " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy 
 heart and with all thy mind, and thy neighbour as 
 thyself." Thou shalt "walk righteously, soberly, 
 and godly in this present world." 
 
 Such are the commands of God our King. And 
 to transgress them, is not to render unto God his 
 due. Adam refused this, when he took of the fruit 
 which God had forbidden him to use. The Jewish 
 people refused it, when they joined themselves unto 
 the idols of the nations around them. The hea- 
 thens refused this, when they did not live according 
 to the light of their reason : when, though " they 
 knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither 
 were thankful, but worshipped and served the 
 creature more than the Creator."^ And we Chris- 
 tians refuse it, if in anything we fall short of that 
 excellent pattern of holiness set before us in the 
 gospel. " The law is holy, just, and good." In 
 proportion as men keep it, they approach the image 
 of God in which they were made, and become 
 fitted for that better state to which this world is 
 designed to lead them. And in proportion as men 
 violate the law, they become guilty before God. 
 "The transgression of the law is sin." Whoever 
 has a right to enact the law, is offended when the 
 law is broken. 
 
 Yet who, that knows how lightly sin is treated in 
 the world, would suppose that he against whom it 
 is committed were the everlasting God, and that 
 death, eternal death, were the penalty of trans- 
 
 gression 
 
 Do thou, Lord, soften 
 2Rom. i. 21. 
 
 our hearts, 
 
LUKE XX. 19—26. 405 
 
 and enlighten our understandings, that we may 
 perceive and feel "the exceeding sinfulness of 
 sin!"^ 
 
 Consider the justice of this ; consider, for a 
 moment, what it is to break a law, which one 
 who has a right to govern us prescribes. It is to 
 say : My ruler has told me his will ; but I will 
 follow my own. It is to say, for instance: God 
 has commanded me to " remember the sabbath- 
 day, to keep it holy." But I will not keep it holy : 
 I will do my own pleasure, and follow my own 
 ways. God has commanded me to do unto all 
 men, as I would they should do unto me : not to 
 steal from their property ; not to injure their per- 
 son; not to slander their good name. But I will 
 not obey him. I will defraud, when I can do it 
 with impunity: I will revenge myself, when 
 wrong is offered me : I will speak evil of my 
 neighbour when I please. God has commanded 
 me to keep my body in subjection, and to abstain 
 from fleshly lusts which war against the soul. But 
 I will indulge my passions, and yield to my appe- 
 tites whatever they desire. " Who is the Lord, 
 that I should obey his voice ? " I will not have 
 him to reign over me. 
 
 Such is the real nature of sin : of refusing unto 
 God the honour and the fear which he justly claims. 
 Men, indeed, will argue, that in serving mammon, 
 in yielding to their appetites, in indulging covet- 
 ousness, or malice, or envy, — they bad no intention 
 of rebelling against God. They pleased them- 
 selves : God had no place in their mind. Here, 
 3 Rom. vii. 13. 
 
400 LUKE XX. 19-26. 
 
 however, is the very thing which makes sin hei- 
 nous. God ought to be in our mind, to be u])per- 
 most in our mind : and the offence is, that he is 
 not kept so. "A son honoureth his father, and a 
 servant his master," 4 and a soldier his general; 
 and it would be no excuse for them to urge, that 
 thej had forgotten the duty or the post assigned 
 them. And yet the excuse which an earthly parent 
 or commander would disdain to receive, is thought 
 sufficient for the God who is above, " in whom we 
 live, and move, and have our being." Those who 
 have lived, literally, " without God in the world ; " 
 lived very much as they would, if there had been 
 no God : are satisfied, perhaps, in their minds, and 
 their conscience is at ease, because they may not 
 have grievously wronged their neighbour; — have 
 not stolen — have not killed — have not committed 
 adultery. 
 
 How will these answer, when tried by the 
 precept. Render unto God the things which are 
 God's? 
 
 Such is the justice of that sentence, " the Scrip- 
 ture hath concluded all under sin." ^ It is a truth 
 which must not be once owned, and then lost sight 
 of: it must be constantly brought home to the 
 mind. It is a truth which we are learning all our 
 days: and which the most advanced saint often 
 feels more strongly than the newly convinced 
 sinner. Tt is the truth which corrects and instructs 
 us, that it m.iy lead us to Christ : that feeling the 
 justice of our condemnation, we may feel the value 
 of the atonement: that a sense of guilt may en- 
 4 Mai. i. 6. 5 Gal. iii. 22. 
 
LUKE XX. -27—30. 407 
 
 liaiice our sense of the Redeemer's mercy. " He 
 once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that 
 he might bring" us to God:"^ bring us from that 
 neglect and forgetfulness of God by which we 
 stand condemned before him, to render unto God 
 the things lohich he God's: which are love, and 
 fear, and honour, and reverence, and obedience: — 
 that "blessing and honour, glory and power, may 
 be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto 
 the Lamb, for ever and ever." ^ 
 
 LECTURE LXXVIL 
 
 JESUS, IN ANSWER TO THE SADDUCEES, DE- 
 SCRIBES THE NATURE OF THE WORLD TO 
 COME, AND THE CHARACTER OF THE CHIL- 
 DREN OF THE RESURRECTION. 
 
 Luke xx. 27—36. 
 
 (Matt xxii. 23—32. Mark xii. 18—27.) 
 
 27. The)i came to him certain of the Sadducees, which 
 deny that there is any resurrection ; and they asked hiniy 
 
 28. Saying, Master, Moses tvrote unto us. If any ma?is 
 brother die, having a wife, and he die without children, 
 that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto 
 his brother. 
 
 29. There were therefore seven brethren : and the first 
 took a wife, and died without childreti. 
 
 6 1 Pet. iii. 18. 7 Rev. v. 13. 
 
408 
 
 LUKE XX. 27—36. 
 
 30. A?id the second took her to wife, and he died child- 
 less, 
 
 31. And the third took her ; and in like manner the seven 
 also : and they left no children^ a7id died. 
 
 32. Last of all the ivoman died also. 
 
 33. Therefore in the resurrection, whose wife of them is 
 she ? for seven had her to wife. 
 
 34. And Jesus answering said unto them, The children 
 of this ivorld marry, and are given in marriage : 
 
 35. But they ivhich shall he accounted worthy to obtain 
 that worldy and the resurrection from the dead, neither 
 marry, nor are given in marriage : 
 
 36. "Neither can they die any more : for they are equal 
 unto the angels ; and are the children of God, being the 
 children of the resurrection. 
 
 The Sadducees, by their question, thought to 
 cast a ridicule upon the doctrine of the resurrection 
 of the dead. But their weapons recoiled upon 
 themselves. They furnished to our Lord an op- 
 portunity of leaving a truth on record, which is 
 beyond others suited to inspire us with a desire of 
 living for the world to come. They which shall 
 he accounted worthy to obtain that world, are equal 
 unto the angels P' for they are the children of God, 
 being the children of the resurrection. In con- 
 templating this, we recognize the expectation 
 which had so sublime an effect upon the apostles 
 and other followers of Christ, who, for the hope 
 set before them, "suffered the loss of all things, 
 and even of life itself," not accepting deliverance: 
 " for they had respect unto the recompense of 
 reward." Such an encouragement is often needed 
 among the trials and difficulties, the privations and 
 
 * lo-ayycAot — "as the angels which are in heaven." — Mark. 
 
LUKE XX. 27—36. 409 
 
 sorrows, which sometimes encompass Christians in 
 this workl. 
 
 It is useful also for another purpose : namely, 
 that we may rightly understand the nature of the 
 promised blessedness. It would be well, if all 
 M'ho, as we profess to do, look forward to a future 
 world, would examine their conceptions of it by 
 this passage. Scripture nowhere attempts to give 
 any exact description of heaven. It speaks of it 
 cbiefly in the way of comparison or figure. And 
 so we read here; — the children of the resurrection 
 are equal unto the angels. 
 
 If this, however, is not an exact or full descrip- 
 tion, it is a description well calculated to elevate 
 our thoughts, and to correct them. It allows us 
 to look forward to nothing but an exalted, purified 
 state : to anticipate no enjoyments but such as are 
 entirely spiritual. They which shall be accounted 
 worthy to obtain that world, are equal unto the 
 angels. And without pretending to dive into 
 mysteries, or to go beyond things revealed, we may 
 mention two points of resemblance. 
 
 1. First, they will possess a nature free from sin. 
 And this indeed will be happiness. When St. 
 Paul complains of the " law of the members" 
 warring against the " law of his mind : " when he 
 complains of the flesh lusting against the spirit, so 
 that " ye cannot do the things that ye would : " ^ 
 when he speaks of the necessity of " keeping under 
 his body, and bringing it into subjection:" when 
 he calls the corru|)t nature a " body of death : " 
 what does he but set the example to all Christians 
 2 Gal. V. 17. 
 
410 
 
 LUKE XX. 27—36. 
 
 after him? All feel the same, when they have 
 once begun to oppose sin. All feel this corruption, 
 affecting even their best works ; — disturbing their 
 prayers with thoughts they had rather banish ; — 
 spoiling their charities by selfishness or vanity ; — 
 inflaming their tempers by trifles not worth a care ; — 
 vexing the Spirit of God, and rendering their 
 hearts unworthy of his presence. All who are 
 striving to overcome tlie evil of their nature, feel 
 these proofs of it in a greater or less degree : and 
 all who do feel them, will agree, that to be freed 
 from them, will be true and real happiness. To 
 be freed from the " adversary," who is here on 
 the watch to destroy : to be endangered by no 
 temptation : to be incapable of ingratitude, or un- 
 belief, or distractions in duty: this will be hea- 
 ven : for there the soul will be purified from the 
 corruption in which it is here born : there the 
 temptations which nourish this corruption will be 
 removed : there those things will be unknown 
 which here encumber and oppress us, and hinder us 
 from setting our affections on things above. 
 
 It would be a bad sign of our present religious 
 state, if we were not so far sensible of the evil of 
 sin now, as to understand that the being for ever 
 delivered from it, may well constitute the happiness 
 of the heavenly kingdom. 
 
 2. The other point in which those who are the 
 children of the resurrection are equal unto the 
 angels, is the society which they will be permitted 
 to enjoy. It is |)romised to the Christian, that he 
 shall be with Christ ; who has said, *' I will come 
 again, and take you to myself." " Where 1 am, 
 
LUKE XX. 27— 3G. 411 
 
 there also shall my servant be." So that St. Paul, 
 when he thought of death, reckoned that " to de- 
 j)art, and to be with Christ," was far better than 
 this present world. 
 
 Christ, indeed, is now with his people, in spirit. 
 He stands by them and strengthens them in trials ; 
 he enables them to overcome temptation; he 
 watches over them and relieves them in distress. 
 By faith "we are one with him, and he with us: 
 we dwell in him, and he in us." But who does 
 not feel, that the reality of such presence will be 
 very different from the brightest glimpses of the 
 Redeemer which we can enjoy here, where we walk 
 by faith, and not by sight? 
 
 Together with the presence of the glorious God- 
 head, will be " the spirits of just men made per- 
 fect." The society of those whom we love, is one 
 of our best enjoyments here on earth. But this 
 blessing, now, is not perfect : is not free from un- 
 easiness. Our friends are afflicted ; — so too are 
 we. We must weep with them when they weep. 
 Sometimes we lament their bodily illness: some- 
 times we are in anxiety about their souls. None 
 of such alloys will exist in heaven : but loye will 
 be free from all care, all fear, all jealousy. 
 
 Neither will those trials remain, which the 
 people of God are obliged to suffer here from 
 those who are unlike themselves. There will be 
 nothing to disturb piety, or injure holiness. All 
 will be following one course, and agreeing in one 
 mind. There will be the same feeling, as there 
 will be the same song of thanksgiving and praise : 
 when "a great multitude, of all nations, and 
 
 8 
 
41^ LUKE XX. 27-36. 
 
 kindred, and people, and tongues, stand before the 
 throne and before the Lamb, saying. Salvation to 
 our God who sitteth upon the throne, and unto the 
 Lamb." 3 
 
 We shall form a better judgment, in this respect, 
 of heaven, if we consider what it would be here 
 on earth, to live with those, and only those, who 
 are equal unto the angels : v/hose character it was, 
 to " love without dissimulation : to abhor that which 
 is evil, and cleave to that which is good : to be 
 kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly 
 love : to prefer one another in honour : to be of 
 the same mind one towards another : to condescend 
 to men of low estate : not to be wise in their own 
 conceits : to live peaceably with all men."* Such 
 will be the character of all in heaven : with none 
 of the alloy of remaining sinfulness, and with none 
 of the evils which surround us here below, and 
 prevent even such characters, if such there were, 
 from enjoying perfect happiness, or imparting it to 
 others. Can we be surprised, if those to whom a 
 clear and full revelation of such a state was per- 
 mitted, could ** reckon the sufferings of this pre- 
 sent time as not worthy to be compared with the 
 glory that should be revealed ? " 
 
 One inference remains ; a most important in- 
 ference. The present scene is the preparation for 
 the future. We are now in the infancy of an 
 immortal existence: and the child must be edu- 
 cated for what the man is to become. Heaven is 
 a holy place. Its distinction is, that there is no 
 3 Rev. vii. 9, 10. * Rom. xii. 9—18. 
 
LUKE XX 37-47. 413 
 
 more sin. Those alone, then, can be in progress 
 towards heaven, who are hungering and thirsting 
 after righteousness. And further, Heaven is the 
 society of the saints in light. Those only are in 
 progress towards it, who can enjoy such society 
 and conversation here, who " walk as children of 
 light," whose "delight is in such as excel in virtue." 
 Heaven is the presence of Christ and of God. 
 Those alone are in progress towards it, who have 
 learnt here by faith to know the Father through the 
 Son : and who can say with sincerity and meaning, 
 " Unto him that loved us, and washed us from 
 our sins in his own blood, be glory and dominion 
 for ever." ° 
 
 LECTURE LXXVIII. 
 
 THE DOCTRINE OF THE RESURRECTION PROVED 
 FROM THE BOOK OF EXODUS— THE CHRIST 
 SHOWN TO BE MORE THAN THE SON OF DA- 
 VID.—THE SCRIBES ARE CENSURED. 
 
 Luke xx. 37 — 47. 
 
 (Matt. xxii. 31—33. Mark xii. 26—29.) 
 
 In the discourse which we are now considering, 
 our blessed Lord is engaged in removing the doubts 
 which obscured the great doctrine of the resurrec- 
 tion. He had answered, in a manner which they 
 5 Rev. i. 5. 
 
4U 
 
 LUKE XX. 37—47. 
 
 could not gainsay, the cavil which the Sadducees 
 had urged against it. In what follows, he proceeds 
 further ; and points out to the Jews who surround- 
 ed him, that this was no new doctrine, but one 
 which they might have collected from their earliest 
 Scriptures, if they had rightly read them. 
 
 37. Now that the dead are raised, even Moses shewed at 
 the hush, when he called the Lord the God of Abraham, and 
 the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. 
 
 38. For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living : 
 for all live unto him. 
 
 If the words spoken of God to Moses were con- 
 fined to a limited meaning, they would simply de- 
 clare that he who was now manifesting his power 
 and majesty at Horeb, was the God whom Abra- 
 ham, and Isaac, and Jacob, had served and wor- 
 shipped ; and under whose favour they had en- 
 -A joyed prosperity. (Ex. iii. 15.) "God said unto 
 Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of 
 Israel : The Lord God of your fathers, the God 
 of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of 
 Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name 
 for ever, and this is my memorial unto all genera- 
 tions." 
 
 But we are here taught to look deeper into 
 Scripture. At the time when these words were 
 spoken, Abraham was dead, and Isaac, and Jacob : 
 and yet God said, I am their God. Though no 
 longer upon earth, they still live unto Me : having 
 attained that heavenly country which they looked 
 for, and laboured for : " wherefore God is not 
 ashamed to be called their God, for he hath pre- 
 
LUKE XX. :37— 47. 415 
 
 j)ared for them a city." ^ Had they become extinct, 
 liad their life come to an end when their bodies re- 
 turned to dust, they would have been no longer any 
 thing to God : lie is not the God of senseless dust 
 and ashes, but of living souls : " the grave cannot 
 praise thee : death cannot celebrate thee : the liv- 
 ing, the living, he shall praise thee."^ 
 
 Another inference may be drawn from this pas- 
 sage, highly interesting to ourselves. Concerning 
 the resurrection, God has mercifully vouchsafed to 
 us a proof of fact which is beyond all argument. 
 " Now IS Christ risen from the dead, and become 
 the first-fruits of them that slept." s But this pas- 
 sage confirms those numerous places of Scripture, 
 which show that those who " die in the Lord," do 
 not wait till the general resurrection, when all men 
 shall rise again with their bodies, for a summons 
 from a state of sleep, but at once come into pos- 
 session of a foretaste of their everlasting happiness. 
 This passage explains and warrants the sentiment 
 of St. Paul, who says that "to die, and be with 
 Christ, is far better " * than a lingering sojourn in 
 this world of trial. Yes, it is better, — if the dead 
 sleep not in silence ; if, when not dead to this world, 
 they still live unto God. But, otherwise, surely 
 to be living in his service, to be enjoying his 
 favour, to be sensible of the consolations of his 
 Spirit, would appear a state superior to unconscious 
 sleep; which only differs from death in not being 
 eternal. If God was the God of Abraham, and 
 
 ^ Heb. xi. 16. ^ Isa. xxxviii. 18. 
 
 3 1 Cor. XV. 20. * Phil. i. 23. 
 
416 
 
 LUKE XX. 37—47. 
 
 Isaac, and Jacob, though they had been long buried 
 in their graves ; and if it is a proof that these pa- 
 triarchs were not extinct, because God is not the 
 God of the dead, but of the living ; — therefore those 
 are living to God, who have died in the faith of 
 Christ.^ We dare not affirm further, or attempt 
 to describe their state of existence : but we believe 
 it to be a state, to which the word life can properly 
 be applied, and not what can be strictly termed a 
 state of sleep : we believe it to be a state of con- 
 sciousness, and a state of blessedness. 
 
 Observe, however, what is here intimated. All 
 live unto God. Those must live to him here, who 
 are children of the resurrection; who are to live 
 with him in the world to come. 
 
 (Matt. xxii. 41—46 ; xxiii. 1—14. Mark xii. 35—40.) 
 
 39. Then certain of the scribes answering said^ Master, 
 thou hast well said. 
 
 40. And after that they durst not ask him any question 
 at all. 
 
 41. And he said unto them, How say they that Christ is 
 Davids son ? 
 
 42. And David himself saith i?i the Book of Psalms, 
 The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, 
 
 43. Till I make thine enemies thy footstool, 
 
 44. David therefore called him Lord : how is he then his 
 son ? 
 
 The object of this remark, is to raise their ex- 
 pectations and awaken their inquiries concerning 
 the Christ : that they might " search the Scrip- 
 
 ^ When St. Paul speaks of those who sleep in the Lord, or 
 who have fallen asleep in Jesus, he only uses the common Greek 
 phrase for dying. 
 
 6 
 
 I 
 
I 
 
 LUKE XX. 37—47. 417 
 
 tures," and find what " they testified " concerning 
 him. It was well understood from prophecy, that 
 he sliould be " of the house and lineage of David." 
 So that even the blind man by the way side, when 
 he heard that Jesus was passing by, addressed him 
 as the " Son of David." But other things are also 
 said of him, which prove that he should be more 
 than the son of David.'* David himself, in the book 
 of Psalms, called him Lord, How is he then his son ? 
 That is not the term which a father uses towards his 
 child. 
 
 Therefore, in the language of their own pro- 
 phet, they had a proof that the Christ, though he 
 appeared on earth as a man, though he " was 
 made flesh, and dwelt among us," was likewise 
 more than man : that his name was justly called 
 " Emmanuel, God with us." He could not, as 
 man, have been of higher rank than David's son. 
 If any man could have been styled Lord by David, 
 his own Son might have been so styled. • But if 
 that was improper and unsuitable, it follows that 
 Jesus, though he was *' man of the substance of 
 his mother, born in the world, was also God of the 
 substance of the Father, begotten before the 
 worlds." ^ So that he that honoureth not the Son, 
 honoureth not the Father : but he that honoureth 
 the Son, honoureth the Father also : for " he and 
 his Father are one." '' 
 
 6 Athanasian Creed. 7 John x. 30. 
 
 E E 
 
418 
 
 LUKE XX. 37-47. 
 
 45. Then in the audience of all the peojyle he said unlu 
 his disciples y 
 
 46. Beware of the scribes, which desire to walk in Ion r/ 
 robes, and love greetings in the markets, and the highest 
 seats in the synagogues, and the chief rooms at feasts ; 
 
 47. Which devour widows houses, a fid for a shew make 
 lotig prayers : the same shall receive greater damnation. 
 
 These words describe to us the characters which 
 are displeasing to God. Pride, self-conceit, covet- 
 ousness, hypocrisy, all are condemned. Those who 
 prefer themselves, and not " others, in honour f ' 
 those who are *' wise in their own conceits :" who 
 set their affections upon earthly dignity : those who 
 employ their power to enrich themselves at the 
 expense of others : those whose religion is a show 
 which has no substance, no reality: — their doom 
 is here pronounced. Their hearts are far from 
 God ; and because while their hearts are far from 
 him, they pretend to honour him with their lips, 
 they shall receive a greater, a surer condemnation. 
 And yet these, who could be thus described, set 
 themselves on high, and boasted themselves as in- 
 structors and teachers I ^ What reason is there for 
 the prayer, — " From all blindness of heart ; from 
 pride, vain glory, and hypocrisy ; — good Lord, deliver 
 us !" 
 
 ^ See Rom. ii. 19,20. 
 
LUKE XXI. 1—19. 419 
 
 LECTURE LXXIX. 
 
 THE WIDOW'S MITE IS ACCEPTED— JESUS FORE- 
 TELLS THE EVILS WHICH WERE TO COME, 
 AND ENFORCES PATIENCE. 
 
 Luke xxi. 1 — 19. 
 
 (Matt. xii. 41—44.) 
 
 1. A?id he looked uj), and saw the ?ich men casting their 
 gifts into the treasury. 
 
 2. A7id he saw also a certain poor widoiv casting in thi- 
 ther tivo mites, 
 
 3. And he said, Of a truth I say unto you. That this 
 poor widow hath cast in more than they all : 
 
 4. For all these have of their abundance cast in unto 
 the ojferings of God : but she of her petiury hath cast in all 
 the living that she had. 
 
 Those who, like the Pharisees, were disposed 
 rather to censure than encourage the signs of piety, 
 would have blamed this poor widow for her rash- 
 ness and imprudence. She cast in all the pittance 
 which she had in her possession. But Jesus com- 
 mends her. She did what she could in the cause 
 of religion and of God : and she gave a practical 
 proof that she could trust Him, in whose hand are 
 the silver and the gold, i and who knoweth what 
 his children need, and who has promised that 
 
 ^ ILaggai ii. 8. 
 
 E E 2 
 
420 LUKE XXI. 1—19. 
 
 " their bread shall be given them, and their waters 
 shall be sure." ^ 
 
 (Matt. XXV. 1—13. Mark xiii. 1—13.) 
 
 5. And as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned 
 with goodly stones and gifts , he said, 
 
 G. As for these things which ye behold, the days will 
 come, in the which there shall not he left one stone upon 
 another, that shall not he thrown down, 
 
 7. And they ashed him, sayi?ig. Master, hut when shall 
 these things he ? and what sig?i will there he when these 
 things shall come to pass ? 
 
 8. And he said. Take heed that ye be not deceived : for 
 many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ ; and 
 the time draweth 7iear : go ye not therefore after them. 
 
 9. But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be 
 not terrified : for these things must first come to pass ; hut 
 the end is not by and by. 
 
 1 0. Then said he unto them. Nation shall rise against 
 nation, and kingdom against kingdom : 
 
 11. And great earthquakes shall he in divers places, and 
 famines, a?id pestilences ; a?id fearful sights, and great 
 signs shall there be from heaven, 
 
 12. But before all these, they shall lay their hands on 
 you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, 
 and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for 
 my name's sake. 
 
 13. A7id it shall turn to you for a testimony. 
 
 14. Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate 
 before what ye shall answer / 
 
 15. For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all 
 your adversaries shall not he able to gainsay or resist. 
 
 16. And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and 
 brethren, a?id kinsfolks, and friends ; and some of youshall 
 thejtj cause to be put to death. 
 
 2 Isa. xxxiii. 16. 
 
LUKE XXI. l—ll). 421 
 
 17. And ye shall he hated of all men for my names 
 sake. 
 
 J 8. But there shall not an hair of your head iierish. 
 
 19. /// your patience possess ye your souls. 
 
 In the first portion of these prophetic words, we 
 Lave a representation of the state of things which 
 should precede the destruction of Jerusalem — wars 
 and commotions. These things proceed from the 
 passions of mankind, and the circumstances in 
 which they are placed : but God overrules them 
 all. They are instruments in his hands, for rebuke, 
 for trial, for correction in righteousness. 
 
 Meanwhile, while earthquakes in divers places, 
 and famines, and pestilences, and fearful sights, and 
 great signs from heaven, awakened and aroused 
 men's minds, the gospel should be proclaimed by 
 the apostles. They would be opposed by governors, 
 accused before councils, threatened, persecuted, 
 chastised, imprisoned : assailed by enemies, and be- 
 trayed by friends. But he would be with them, 
 without whom the most powerful governor can do 
 nothing : who stills the noise of the waves and the 
 madness of the people. He would inspire them 
 with confidence, and arm them with inward 
 strength. He would give them a mouth and wisdom, 
 which all their adversaries should not he able to gain- 
 say. 
 
 Still the work of persecution should go on, though 
 restrained within the bounds assigned it. Some of 
 them shall be put to death. Even unto that end 
 they were to endure. In your patience possess ye 
 your souls. 
 
42-2 LUKE XXI. 1-19. 
 
 A needful — yet a difficult precept. How was it 
 to be obeyed ? Accused — defamed — deserted — 
 betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kins- 
 folk — hated of all men — persecuted even unto 
 death — they were yet to possess their souls in 
 patience. It may be useful to inquire, on what 
 grounds ? For although the trials which beset the 
 earhest preachers and disciples of the faith are un- 
 known to the present times ; still the Cliristian 
 cannot always expect to be free from difficulties ; 
 and he may be placed in circumstances, where he 
 shall encounter something very like persecution: 
 where he may be forced to choose, between offend- 
 ing those who are dearest to him on earth, or 
 offi^nding his heavenly King: where he must either 
 consent to suffer worldly loss, or to betray his prin- 
 ciples. How then may he be enabled to possess his 
 soul in patience f 
 
 1. First he must commit himself, and all that 
 concerns him, to God. Unless this is done reso- 
 lutely and sincerely, a breath of wind will shake 
 him. But God will " keep him in perfect peace," 
 whose mind is stayed upon himself. The same 
 reflection will support him, which our Lord ex- 
 pressed to Pilate; " Thou couldest have no power 
 at all against me, except it were given thee from 
 above." If he to whose safe keeping I have com- 
 mitted my soul, did not see it good for me, my 
 friend could not desert me, my acquaintance could 
 not taunt me, my enemies could not persecute me^ 
 my interests could not be injured, my comforts 
 could not be taken away. For it has been pro- 
 
 10 
 
LUKE XXL 1 — 10. 423 
 
 mised to the disciples of Christ, that not a hair of 
 their head shall perish, or ** be forgotten before 
 God." 
 
 2. The other consideration, by which the soul is 
 maintained in patience, is to keep stedfastly in view 
 the time — we know not how near — when the 
 things wliich now seem most important, will be as 
 notliing ; and when that which it is now so diffi- 
 cult to realise, will be the only thing present to the 
 mind. It was this thought which animated the 
 Christians of the first ages, and made them " choose 
 rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, 
 than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season: 
 esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than 
 the treasures of the world ; for they had respect 
 unto the recompense of reward." s Let eternity 
 be brought habitually before the mind. This will 
 give to things present their due and proper value. 
 It will not prevent our enjoying them, when con- 
 sistent with duty. It will not prevent our prefer- 
 ring the comforts of life, or the favour of friends, or 
 the good opinion of men, to the want and absence of 
 these, when they may justly and safely belong to us. 
 But it will prevent our so valuing them, as to risk 
 the loss of God's approbation for the sake of them : 
 it will prevent our feeling as if all was lost, when 
 these are taken away. 
 
 By thoughts like these, the Christian is enabled 
 to preserve his mind in a state of self-possession ; 
 and, without unreasonable cares or overwhelming 
 anxieties, to maintain a steady and consistent 
 course, acceptable to God. It may be well illus- 
 
 ^ Ileb, xi. 25. 
 
424 LUKE XXI. 1—19. 
 
 trated by the language of St. Paul at Miletus to the 
 elders of the church: (Acts xx. 22:) " And now, 
 behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, 
 not knowing the things that may befall me there : 
 save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every 
 city, saying, that bonds and afflictions abide me. 
 But none of these things move me, neither count I 
 my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my 
 course with joy." This was the settled feeling of his 
 mind. And so it appeared, not long afterwards, 
 when Agabus, in a prophetic spirit, came forward, 
 and " took Paul's girdle, and bound his own hands 
 and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So 
 shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man which 
 owns this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands 
 of the Gentiles." (Acts xxi. 10.) This was a sudden 
 trial, and proved the fixed resolution of the heart. 
 He persevered, " nothing wavering :" he shook off 
 the entreaties of his friends, answering, " What 
 mean ye to weep and to break my heart ?" What 
 if bonds and persecutions do await me ? " I am 
 ready, not to be bound only, but to die at Jerusalem 
 for the sake of the Lord Jesus." 
 
 Let the same principle be established and inherent 
 in us all, ready to start forward and dictate a like 
 reply to every unworthy suggestion. It is the 
 trying of our faith. And, "know this, that the try- 
 ing of your faith worketh patience. But let pa- 
 tience have her perfect work, that ye may be per- 
 fect and entire, wanting nothing." * 
 
 ^ James i. 3, 4. 
 
LUKE XXI. 20—28. 425 
 
 LECTURE LXXX. 
 
 THE DISCIPLES ARE WARNED OF THE DESTRUC- 
 TION OF JERUSALEM. 
 
 Luke xxi. 20—28. 
 
 (Matt. xxiv. 14—31. Mark xiii. 14—27.) 
 
 20. Afid whe7i ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with 
 armieSy then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. 
 
 21. Thefi let them which are in Judeaflee to the moun- 
 tains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart 
 out ; and let not them that are in the countries enter there- 
 into. 
 
 22. For these be the days of vengeance, that all things 
 which are written may he fulfilled, 
 
 23. But woe unto them that are with child, and to them 
 that give suck in those days ! for there shall be great dis- 
 tress in the land, and wrath upon this 'people. 
 
 24. And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, atid 
 shall be led away captive into all nations ; and Jerusalem 
 shall be troddefi dowti of the Gentiles, until the times of the 
 Gentiles be fulfilled. 
 
 It was plainly declared by our Lord in the be- 
 ginning of his prophecy, which was before consi- 
 dered, that the first preachers of the gospel, and 
 those who believed in them, would not be exempted 
 from persecution. The enmity of Satan, and of 
 evil men his instruments, would be exerted against 
 them : so that all the world should see that the 
 
 7 
 
426 LUKE XXI. 20—28. 
 
 Christian faith was established " not in the wisdom 
 of men, but in the power of God." i 
 
 But a visitation was impending over the guilty 
 land of Judea, in whieh it was not just that the 
 Christians should be involved. " That the righteous 
 should be as the wicked, that be far from God :" ^ 
 that the righteous who had received the Messiah, 
 should be as the wicked who had rejected him. 
 Therefore they are warned. The time and means 
 of escape are pointed out to them. When they 
 should see Jerusalem compassed about with armies, 
 when the eagles should be gathered together, then 
 let them leave the carcase, for God had abandoned 
 his holy city, and her desolation was drawing nigh. 
 For these he the days of vengeance, that all things 
 which are written may be fulfilled: the things 
 foretold by Moses fifteen hundred years before, 
 " when the Lord should scatter them among all 
 people, from the one end of the earth even to the 
 other :" ^ when they shoidd be led away captive into 
 all nations^ and Jerusalem should be trodden down 
 of the Gentiles. 
 
 It is known to us all how wonderfully this 
 has been accomplished, and is still accomplish- 
 ing. Other nations have been conquered, have 
 been overrun by enemies, and those who sur- 
 vived the calamity have gradually melted away, 
 or the conquered and the conquerors have be- 
 come blended and united, till the one could 
 no longer be distinguished from the other. The 
 Jewish people form a single exception. Led 
 captive into all nations, they have become a 
 
 ^ 1 Cor. ii. .5. ~ Gen. xviii. 2.j. " Dcut. xxviii. C4. 
 
LUKE XXI. 20—28. 427 
 
 sign to all nations, and " an astonishment, a pro- 
 verb and a by- word : " * separate in language, in 
 manners, in religion, in appearance, from all those 
 with whom they are concerned in the daily trans- 
 actions of life : strangers and foreigners in the 
 country to which by birth and residence they 
 belong. " It is the Lord's doing, and it is mar- 
 vellous in our eyes." Wherever we see an indi- 
 vidual remnant of the Jewish stock, we see a proof 
 of the truth of God's word, which " none of our 
 adversaries are able to gainsay or resist." 
 
 The end, however, is not yet. Jerusalem is still 
 trodden down of the Gentiles. It is, and generally 
 has been, under the power of those who are alike 
 enemies of the Jewish and the Christian name. 
 But a period seems to be hinted at, when this 
 desolation shall no longer be. Jerusalem shall be 
 trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of 
 the Gentiles shall he fulfilled. When the purposes 
 of God respecting other nations have had their full 
 accomplishment, then, perhaps, he " shall plant 
 the Jews again upon their land, and they shall 
 never be pulled up."^ "Jerusalem shall be safely 
 inhabited : " and the promise of the prophet Ezekiel 
 shall be verified, (xxxvii. 21 — 25,) " Thus saith 
 the Lord God : Behold I will take the children of 
 Israel from among the heathen, whither they be 
 gone, and will gather them on every side, and 
 bring them into their own land ; and David my 
 servant shall be king over them : and they all shall 
 have one shepherd : they shall also walk in my 
 judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them. 
 "^ Deut. xxviii. 37. ^ Jer. xxiv. 6. 
 
428 LUKE XXI. 20—28. 
 
 And they shall dwell in the land that I have given 
 unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have 
 dwelt : and they shall dwell therein, even they, and 
 their children, and their children's children for 
 ever: and my servant David shall be their prince 
 for ever." 
 
 This, however, is among the secret things which 
 time must unfold. The prophecy is as yet "a 
 light shining in a dark place," till the events of 
 God's providential government disclose his counsels 
 to our view. 
 
 25. And there shall he signs in the sun, and in the moon, 
 and in the stars : and upon the earth distress of nations, 
 with perplexity ; the sea and the waves roaring ; 
 
 26. Mens hearts failing theni for fear, and for looking 
 after those things which are coining on the earth : for the 
 powers of heave ft shall he shaken. 
 
 . 27. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a 
 cloud, with power and great glory. 
 
 28. And whefi these things hegin to come to pass, then 
 look up, and lift up your heads ; for your redemption 
 draweth nigh. 
 
 When God's judgments are upon the earth, then 
 appears the blessedness of those who have believed 
 and acted upon his word. Perplexity and alarm 
 should pervade the Jewish nation : men's hearts 
 failing them for fear^ when their enemies ap- 
 proached, when they were threatened by an over- 
 whelming force, when they were hesitating between 
 the signs of God's anger, and a presumptuous con- 
 fidence in his protection. Till at last the Son of 
 God i>roved himself what he claimed to be, " the 
 
LUKE XXI. 20—28. 429 
 
 Lord of glory," in the destruction of his adver- 
 saries, and the fulfilment of his words. 
 
 But while such would be the consternation of 
 " those his enemies, who would not have him to 
 reign over them," how different the state of the 
 Christian! When these things begin to come to 
 pass, when the Jewish people, your inveterate foes, 
 are overthrown, then look up, and lift up your 
 heads ; for your redemption draweth nigh : the 
 wicked will cease from troubling you : the weary 
 churches will have rest; and ye will enjoy a con- 
 firmation of the divinity of him in whom you have 
 believed. 
 
 This brings to our minds a season in which all are 
 concerned, and which is closely connected with a 
 description of the things which should befall Jeru- 
 salem. When men's hearts were failing them for 
 fear, and for looking upon those things which were 
 coming upon the earth : the Christians might 
 look up, and lift up their heads ; for their redemp- 
 tion was drawing nigh. Is not this realised even 
 here ? The things which concern eternity begin 
 to come to pass even in this present world : and 
 when the powers of life are shaken, and men look 
 after those things which are coming upon them, 
 and the hearts of those who have forgotten God, 
 or have lived in defiance of his will, fail them for 
 fear: then is the difference perceived "between 
 him that serveth God, and him that serveth him 
 not." The Christian can look up, lift his head 
 towards heaven: his redemption draweth nigh. 
 He is now about to possess what faith hath long 
 promised him. He can say with the first martyr 
 
430 LUKE XXI. 29—38. 
 
 Stephen, " Behold, I see tlie heavens opened, and 
 the Son of man standing at the right hand of 
 God."« 
 
 Thus blessed are they who have believed. It is 
 too late to acknowlege the prophecy, when its 
 accomplishment is fulfilled. " Watch ye, therefore, 
 and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy 
 to escape those things that shall come to pass, and 
 to stand before the Son of man." 
 
 LECTURE LXXXI. 
 
 THE DISCIPLES ARE TAUGHT TO BEWARE OF 
 WORLDLY SNARES, AND TO MAINTAIN A STATE 
 OF WATCHFULNESS. 
 
 Luke xxi. 29— S8. 
 
 (Matt. xxiv. 32—44. Mark xiii. 28—36.) 
 
 29. And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig 
 tree, and all the trees ; 
 
 30. When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your 
 own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. 
 
 31. So likewise ye, when ye see these thi^igs come to 
 pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. 
 
 32. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass 
 away, till all befidfilled. 
 
 33. Heaven and earth shall pass away : but my words 
 shall not j^ass away. 
 
 ^ Acts vii. .00. 
 
LUKE XXT. 29—38. 431 
 
 When the evils which Jesus had foretold were 
 approaching, when there should be signs in heaven 
 which indicated God's displeasure, and upon the 
 earth distress of nations, with perplexity : there 
 would be need of a promise like this to support the 
 Christian's hope. They were the signs, however, of 
 the truth of that word on which he was relying. 
 When ye see these things come to pass, know ye 
 that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. 
 
 The kingdom of God, the truth of the gospel, 
 rests npon this as one of its main pillars, that the 
 nation which rejected it, and " killed the Prince 
 of life," should be overthrown. When then ye see 
 these things come to pass, as sure as the budding 
 fig-tree foretells the coming summer, so surely do 
 these signs prove that the word of Christ is faith- 
 ful, and that he will establish his kingdom on the 
 ruin of his enemies. The Jewish dispensation shall 
 be brought to an end, and the kingdom of God 
 shall be preached among all nations : and though 
 the Jews put the gospel from them, the Gentiles 
 will "receive it gladly," and God shall erect to 
 himself a kingdom from the one end of the earth 
 even to the other. 
 
 34. And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your 
 hearts he overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, 
 and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you un- 
 awares. 
 
 35. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell 
 on the face of the whole earth. 
 
 36. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may 
 he accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall 
 come to pass, and to stand hefore the Son of man. 
 
432 LUKE XXI. 29—38. 
 
 S7. And in the day time he was teaching in the temple ; 
 and at night he went out, and abode in the mount that is 
 called the mount of Olives. 
 
 38. And all the people came early in the morning to him 
 in the temple, for to hear him. 
 
 Jesus had now given a general outline of the 
 things which in the providence of God should 
 happen in Judea. He concludes his discourse with 
 a warning to all that they should keep themselves 
 in a state of readiness. Take heed to yourselves, 
 lest at any time your heart should he overcharged 
 with surfeiting and drunkenness, and cares of this 
 life, and so that day come upon you unawares. 
 But could these words be addressed to the disci- 
 ples ? Could it be needful to guard them against 
 surfeiting and drunkenness ? Humbling indeed 
 is the truth that even when the heart has been 
 made acquainted with the love of Christ, and " the 
 powers of the world to come,"^ present things 
 should retain so strong a hold, and keep it down 
 to the earth by sensual desires and bodily appetites. 
 But Jesus knew what was in man. And St. Paul 
 has repeated the warning ; and writes to the Thessa- 
 lonians, (1 Thess. v. 5,) " We are not children of the 
 night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, 
 as do others ; but let us watch and be sober. For 
 they that sleep, sleep in the night, and they that be 
 drunken, are drunken in the night. But let us who 
 are of the day, be sober:" be temperate in all things, 
 and maintain a strict watch over our habits. And 
 he describes his own practice of self-denial, arising 
 from conviction that self-indulgence is dangerous and 
 1 Heb. vi. 5. 
 
LUKE XXr. 29-38. 433 
 
 enervating, and must be habitually restrained. 
 ** All tilings are lawful unto me, but all things are 
 not expedient : all things are lawful for me, but I 
 will not be brought under the power of any." 
 " I keep under my body, and bring it into subjec- 
 tion : lest that by any means, when I have preached 
 to others, T myself should become a castaway." 2 If 
 the appetite is indulged, and the body pampered in 
 every lawful thing, it will be disposed to stretch 
 beyond the bounds of lawfulness. A habit of self- 
 denial keeps the mind in that sober, temperate 
 frame, which befits those who are standing on slip- 
 pery ground, and on the brink of eternity. 
 
 But there is another danger mentioned, and of 
 another sort : Take heed to yourselves, lest your 
 hearts be overcharged with cares of this life. The 
 cares of life are to a certain extent the duties of 
 life. Employment, and a regular course of busi- 
 ness, tend to preserve the soul in health, and 
 give occasion for the exercise of christian graces 
 But if wordly affairs engross the heart; interfere 
 with its seasons of retirement or devotion; are 
 made, in short, the first object of life : the hea- 
 venly things are gradually lost to view: faith 
 grows weak and inefficient, and, instead of stirring 
 up every faculty to the service of God, becomes a 
 lifeless principle. 
 
 An eminent minister^ has related, that he was 
 once requested to advise a member of his congre* 
 
 ' 1 Cor. vi. 12 ; ix. 27. 
 
 ^ Cecil. The account is given in that singularly interesting 
 volume, his " Remains." 
 
 F F 
 
434 LUKE XXI. 29—38. 
 
 gation, with a view to his wordly advantage. 
 The man had long held a subordinate situation in 
 a mercantile concern. His principal had so just a 
 sense of his worth, that they offered him a loan of 
 ten thousand pounds, and desired him to become a 
 partner. But that he strenuously refused. And 
 when the minister was urgent with him, and used 
 such reasons as might be expected to prevail ; he si- 
 lenced him by saying, Sir, I have often heard from 
 you, that it is no easy thing to get to heaven. I have 
 sufficient for my wants. More would embarrass 
 and encumber me, and perhaps bring my salvation 
 into hazard. 
 
 So fearful was this Christian, lest he should be 
 overcharged with cares of this life, and that day 
 should come upon him unawares. For as a snare 
 shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of 
 the whole earth. The snare is laid, the net is 
 spread : the birds against which it is prepared are 
 in the mean while fluttering in security, seeking 
 provision for themselves or for their young, and 
 enjoying what nature has to allure and gratify them. 
 On a sudden the snare is sprung, and they are in 
 the hands of the fowler. What an exact picture 
 of the busy, careless, fluttering, unconscious world ! 
 And suddenly "the soul is required." The sum- 
 mons is issued, and there is neither escape nor 
 interval. A few hours of anguish or of insen- 
 sibility, and then eternity. Commonly not even 
 time to trim the lamp, which must be kept burning, 
 lest that day come unawares. 
 
 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye 
 may he accounted worthy to escape all those things 
 
 10 
 
LUKE XXll. \—lii. 435 
 
 that shall came to pass, and to stand before the Son 
 of man. This is the attitude of the Christian. By 
 watchfulness, he is guarding against those evils which 
 might surprise his soul : and by prayer he is seek- 
 ing strength to resist them. He is not unmindful 
 of the corruption of his nature. He considers the 
 occasions which have fostered it. He considers 
 what ways, what companies, what opportunities, 
 what pursuits and engagements, are unfavourable 
 to his spiritual welfare. He sets himself on the 
 watch against them. The Spirit of God favours 
 such watchfulness, and does not leave him to him- 
 self, to fall into sins against which he has diligently 
 laboured : and he is one of the *' blessed servants," 
 whom, whenever the master of the house comes, 
 he finds watching, and receives into the joy of his 
 Lord.* 
 
 LECTURE LXXXIL 
 
 THE APOSTASY OF JUDAS.— THE FULFILMENT OF 
 THE PASSOVER IN THE SACRIFICE OF JESUS. 
 
 Luke xxii. 1 — 16. 
 
 (Matt. xxiv. 1—19. Mark xiv. 10—16.) 
 
 1. Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which 
 is called the Passover} 
 
 * See Matt, xxiv 42—51. 
 
 1 The time answering to our Wednesday, two days preceding 
 the Passover. 
 
 F F 2 
 
436 LUKE XXII. 1-16. 
 
 2. And the chief priests and scribes sought how they 
 might kill him ; for they feared the people. 
 
 3. Tlien entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, 
 being of the number of the twelve. 
 
 4. Atid he went his way, and communed with the chief 
 priests and captains, how he might betray him unto them- 
 
 5. And they were glad, and covenanted to give him 
 money. 
 
 6. And he promised, and sought opportunity to betray 
 him unto them in the absence of the multitude. 
 
 The multitude was at this time favourable to 
 Jesus. They had been enlightened by his doctrine, 
 they had been benefited by the merciful exercise of 
 his power. The chief priests and scribes could 
 not venture to arrest him publicly. This induced 
 them to take counsel with one of his companions — 
 " his own familiar friend whom he trusted, who 
 did eat bread with him" — that they might appre- 
 hend him without danger of uproar from the people. 
 And Judas was found a proper subject for their 
 purpose. Satan entered into him, and instigated 
 him to become an accomplice in their crime. 
 
 How came Satan to enter into Judas ? Why was 
 this permission granted him ? 
 
 We are told, (Luke xi. 24,) " When the unclean 
 spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through 
 dry places, seeking rest : and finding none, he saith, 
 I will return unto my house whence I came out. 
 And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and gar- 
 nished. Thengoethhe, and taketh to himself seven 
 other spirits more wicked than himself; and they 
 enter in and dwell there, and the last state of that man 
 is M orse than the first." The case of Judas exactly 
 
! 
 
 LUKE XXII. 1—10. 487 
 
 illustrates this. Satan, reluctant to lose a victim, 
 and always " seeking to devour," watches for the 
 season of returning to the soul which he had left, 
 tliat he may draw it back unto perdition, He finds 
 the house of Judas swept and garnished : i. e. pre- 
 pared for him, open to his reception : ^ for Judas, 
 with the precepts of holiness in his ears, had been 
 nourishing a secret sin, and in the midst of hea- 
 venly discourses he had continued the slave of this 
 world.^ So he enters in : and the last state of that 
 man is worse than the first. He has sinned against 
 more grace ; he has resisted more knowledge- 
 There is less hope of the mercy of God being exer- 
 cised towards him. 
 
 " Take heed therefore how ye hear : for who- 
 soever hath, to him shall be given ; and whosoever 
 hath not, from him shall be taken even that which 
 he seemeth to have." * 
 
 7. Then came the day of unleavened bread, when the 
 passover, must be killed. 
 
 8. And he sent Peter and John, saying, Go, and prepare 
 us the passover that we may eat. 
 
 9. And they said unto him, Where wilt thou that we 
 prepare ? 
 
 10. And he said unto them, Behold, when ye are entered 
 into the city, there shall a man meet you^ bearing a pitcher 
 of water ; follow him into the house where he entereth in. 
 
 11. And ye shall say unto the good man of the house, 
 The Master saith unto thee, Where is the guest-chamber 
 where I shall eat the passover with my disciples ? 
 
 2 The original word, in Matthew xii. 44, o-xoXa^ovra, more ex- 
 actly exj3resses this. 
 ^ See John xii. 6. 
 " Luke viii. 18. 
 
438 LUKE XXII. 1—16. 
 
 12. And he shall shew you a large upper room furnished : 
 there make ready 
 
 13. And they went, and found a^ he had said unto them : 
 and they made ready the passover. 
 
 14. And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the 
 twelve apostles with him. 
 
 15. And he said unto them. With desire I have desired 
 to eat this passover with you before I suffer : 
 
 16. For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, 
 until it he fulfilled in the kingdom of God. 
 
 Long as this ordinance of the passover had been 
 established and observed, even fifteen hundred 
 years ; yet, it seems, it was not yet fulfilled : its 
 entire meaning was not yet explained. 
 
 Refering to the original appointment, we find 
 these words of Moses. (Exodus xii, 3 — 12.) 
 " Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, say- 
 ing. In the tenth day of this month they shall take 
 to them every man a lamb. Your lamb shall be 
 without blemish, a male of the first year. And ye 
 shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same 
 month : and the whole assembly of the congrega- 
 tion of Israel shall kill it in the evening. And 
 they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the 
 two side-posts and on the upper door-post of the 
 houses, wherein they shall eat it. And they shall 
 eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire : and ye 
 shall let nothing of it remain until the morning. 
 It is the Lord's passover. For I will pass through 
 the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the 
 first-born of the land of Egypt : and the blood 
 shall be to you for a token upon the houses were 
 ye are ; and when I see the blood, I will pass over 
 
LUKE XXII. 1 — 10. 439 
 
 you, and the plague shall not he upon you to destroy 
 you, when I smite the land of Egypt." 
 
 Such was the original ordinance. The typical 
 meaning was now to he unfolded, and shown to 
 apply to " the Lamb slain from the foundation of 
 the world." ^ And very remarkable is the accom- 
 plishment of the various particulars. The lamb 
 was kept up from the tenth to the fourteenth day of 
 the month Abib. So Jesus " set his face stedfastly 
 towards Jerusalem," and arrived there four days 
 previous to the passover at which he suffered. Again, 
 he was a lamb in the early prime of life, " without 
 blemish and without spot;" and it proved most 
 unexpectedly that he was declared so even by his 
 judge. Again, as all the congregation of Israel 
 joined in killing the passover, so the death of Jesus 
 was the act of the united assembly : all crying, with 
 no dissenting voice, " Crucify him, crucify him." 
 And as no part of the Lamb might remain until the 
 morning, so the body of Jesus was buried without 
 delay on the very night of his crucifixion. 
 
 Therefore Jesus said to his disciples, / will 
 not any more eat of this passover, until it he fulfilled 
 in the kingdom of God That kingdom will shortly 
 be established, the dispensation completed, and the 
 typical passover fulfilled, by the sacrifice of the 
 Lamb of God. 
 
 But there is a still further fulfilment. The ori- 
 ginal ordinance of the passover was not a mere 
 ceremony. An important consequence was attached 
 to it. (ver. 23.) " For the Lord will pass through 
 to smite the Egyptians : and when he seeth the 
 5 Rev. xiii. 8. 
 
440 LUKE XXII. 1—16. 
 
 blood uj3on the lintel, and on the two side-posts, 
 the Lord will pass over the door, and will not 
 suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to 
 smite you. 
 
 This will be hereafter fulfilled, when " the Son of 
 man shall come in his glory," and "• all that are in 
 the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth," 
 and stand before him. Then the security will be, 
 the blood of Christ sprinkled upon the soul. For 
 he is " our passover," who was sacrificed for us.^ 
 As when the angel passed through the land of 
 Egypt, the blood was to the Israelites for a token 
 upon the houses where they were : and when he 
 saw the blood, he passed over them, and the plague 
 was not upon them to destroy them : so when the 
 dead, small and great, stand before God, the angels 
 which " shall gather out of the kingdom all things 
 that offend, and them which do iniquity,"^ will 
 pass over such as have on their foreheads the token 
 of Christ's blood. It is their ransom. *' For the 
 blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin,'' ^ 
 
 Realise then to yourselves that time, of which 
 the awful night which brought desolation to all the 
 families in Egypt is but a feeble emblem. If the 
 angel were now to pass through, and survey every 
 heart among us, would he find the blood of Christ 
 sprinkled there ? The Israelites had no other pro- 
 mise of security, but the blood which was to them 
 for a token of the houses where they were. Nei- 
 ther is any other way of safety offered us. We do 
 not read, that among them any disobeyed, any 
 perished. that it were so, with all that profess 
 
 ^ I Cor. V. 7. 7 Matt. xiii. U. « Sec 1 John i. 7. 
 
 I 
 
LUKE XXII. 17-30. 441 
 
 and call themselves Christians ! And that all who 
 are outwardly sprinkled with the water of baptism, 
 were also inwardly sprinkled with the baptism of 
 that blood which was shed for the remission of 
 sins ! For there is one way, by which we may 
 " have boldness to enter into the holiest : by the 
 blood of Jesus." ^ "Neither is there salvation in 
 any other : for there is none other name under 
 heaven given among men, whereby we must be 
 saved." '' 
 
 LECTURE LXXXIIL 
 
 JESUS INSTITUTES THE SACRAMENT OF THE 
 HOLY SUPPER. — EXHORTS THE DISCIPLES TO 
 HUMILITY. 
 
 Luke xxii. 17 — 30. 
 
 Jesus was now engaged with his disciples in ob- 
 serving the passover ; that ordinance, the full mean- 
 ing of which had not yet been understood, but re- 
 mained to be developed, when he, " our passover, was 
 sacrificed for us." ^ That ordinance, being fulfilled, 
 w^ould be at an end : it would vanish, like the other 
 shadows of the law : the type had served its pur- 
 pose. But Christ has left another ordinance, 
 
 9 Heb. X. 19. 10 Acts iv. 12. 
 
 1 See 1 Cor. v. /. 
 
442 LUKE XXII. 17—30. 
 
 which will only be abolished by his second and final 
 coming, and which is endeared to his disciples alike 
 by the time of its appointment, and by the event 
 which it brings to mind. The bread and wine were 
 now spread before them : 
 
 (Matt. xxvi. 26—29. Mark xiv. 22—25.) 
 
 1 7. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, 
 Take this, and divide it among yourselves ; 
 
 18. For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of 
 the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come, 
 
 19. And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, 
 and gave unto them, saying, Tliis is my body which is 
 given for you ; this do in remembrance of me. 
 
 20. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying. This 
 cup is the new Testament in my blood, which is shed for 
 you. 
 
 21. But, behold, the hand of him that betrayeth me is 
 with me on the table. 
 
 22. And truly the Son jof man goeth as it was deter- 
 mined : but woe unto that ma?i by whom he is betrayed ! 
 
 23. And they began to inquire among themselves, which 
 of them it was that should do this thing. 
 
 It was determined that the " Messiah should 
 be cut off:" for this cause came he into the world, 
 that he might "give his life a ransom for many." 
 It was also foreseen and predicted, that he who 
 did eat bread with him, should lift up his heel 
 against liim.^ But there was nothing in this to 
 affect the character of Judas, or oblige him to act 
 as he did. And therefore Jesus says, Woe unto 
 that man by whom he is betrayed. 
 
 2 Ps. xli. 9. John xiii. 18. 
 
LUKE XXII. 17—30. 443 
 
 And if we look into what we know of Judas, it 
 is easy to trace the steps which led to his sinful 
 treachery. Judas, with all his advantages, had 
 never been a converted person : that is, he had 
 never withdrawn his heart from this world, and 
 devoted it to God : he had never made surrender 
 of his evil dispositions in obedience to God's will. 
 We are distinctly informed by St. John, that he had 
 been in the habit of purloining the monies com- 
 mitted to his charge. By indulging this evil prac- 
 tice, he had cherished the corruption which he 
 ought to have resisted, and given it additional 
 power over him. A temptation was now in his 
 way : a snare was laid for him by Satan : and not- 
 withstanding the most earnest and solemn warnings, 
 he had no strength to resist the opportunity. He 
 had habitually grieved the Holy Spirit by yielding to 
 wilful sin ; and now, in the season of trial, the Holy 
 Spirit was withdrawn. 
 
 There is much in this to instruct the wavering, 
 and nothing to discourage the sincere. All the 
 knowledge which Judas had of the power of Jesus 
 did not preserve him, when temptation arose. The 
 wavering may perceive by this sad example, that a 
 full belief of the great truths of the gospel is no 
 security against deadly sin, unless that belief has 
 been acted upon, and united them to God in a firm 
 and unhesitating covenant. 
 
 The sincere may receive comfort, from reflecting, 
 that he who fell into this awful transgression, had 
 never been as they : never been sincere. The dis- 
 ciples, when they heard their Master's words, began 
 to inquire among themselves, which of them it was 
 
444 LUKE XXII. 17—30. 
 
 that should do this thing. " They were exceeding 
 sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto 
 him, Lord, is it I ? " ^ It was least likely to be those, 
 who were fearful and distrustful of themselves. No 
 doubt, the fact is grievous, that of those who profess 
 the name and faith of Christ, many, he knows, shall 
 betray him. But they are those who have never 
 given up their hearts to him : those who have still 
 served mammon whilst they have been engaged to 
 God, and have provoked him to anger by honouring 
 him with their lips, whilst in their hearts they have 
 " gone after their covetousness." ^ 
 
 24. And there was also a strife among them^ which of 
 them should he accounted the greatest. 
 
 25. And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles 
 exercise lordship over them ; and they that e.xercise autho- 
 rity upon them are called benefactors. 
 
 26. But ye shall not he so : hut he that is greatest among 
 you, let him he as the younger ; and he that is chief, as he 
 that doth serve, 
 
 27. For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he 
 that serveth ? is not he that sitteth at meat ? but I am among 
 you as he that serveth. 
 
 28. Ye are they which have continued with me in my 
 temptations : 
 
 29. And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father 
 hath appointed unto me. 
 
 30. That ye may eat and drink at my table in my king- 
 dom, and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of 
 Israel. 
 
 Of such slow growth is the christian spirit of 
 lowliness and humility, that there was even now 
 a strife amongst the apostles, which should be 
 
 3 Matt. xxvi. 22. * Ezck. xxxiii. 31. 
 
LUKE XXII. 17—30. 445 
 
 accounted greatest. The Lord rebukes .them. 
 Among the Gentiles such a temper would exist, 
 and might be expected. But it should not be so 
 amongst them. The same mind must be in them, 
 of which he had set the wonderful example : for 
 he had " humbled himself," and been among them 
 as he that serveth!" 
 
 We must observe, however, that it is not the 
 being greatest, but the desinng to be accounted 
 greatest, which is forbidden. Some must be first 
 and greatest : and if God had designed it to be 
 otherwise, he would have dispensed to all the 
 same talents and the like opportunities. Difference 
 of circumstances, and difference of abihties, will 
 always set one above another in station and autho- 
 rity. Of the apostles afterwards, John and Peter, 
 James and Paul, justly took the lead. But they 
 who were greatest in eminence, were as the 
 youngest and lowest in their spirit : and Paul, 
 though " in labours more abundant," and though 
 he might have gloried " in visions and revelations, 
 of the Lord,"^ would only "glory in the things 
 which concerned his infirmities," and owned him- 
 self " the least of all the apostles, who was not meet 
 to be called an apostle." We find in life, that the 
 highest are often the humblest ; and that pride is 
 as common in the cottage as on the throne. The 
 real greatness of man on earth, must consist in the 
 knowledge of his own unworthiness ; and true 
 ambition will aim at the world to come. That 
 was the kingdom to which Jesus bid his apostles 
 look : there they should be great indeed ; and sit 
 & See Phil. ii. 8. ^ 2 Cor. xii. 1 : and xi. 30. 
 
446 LUKE XXII. 31-34. 
 
 on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 
 For " many that are last shall be first, and the first 
 last : " and the tribes of Israel who rejected the 
 Messiah, and persecuted his disciples, should then 
 stand convicted by those who had recognised the 
 tokens of his divinity ; should be judged and con- 
 demned by those humble and despised persons who 
 had heard his voice, and followed him. 
 
 In that day, may we be found to have been par- 
 takers of his humility, that we may also be par- 
 takers of his glory ! 
 
 LECTURE LXXXIV. 
 
 JESUS WARNS PETER OF THE ENMITY OF SATAN, 
 AND PROMISES TO PRESERVE HIM. 
 
 Luke xxii. 31 — 34. 
 
 (Matt. xxvi. 33—35. Mark xiv. 29—31.) 
 
 31. And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan 
 hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat : 
 
 32. But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not ; 
 and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. 
 
 33. And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with 
 thee, both into prison, and to death. 
 
 34. And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the coch shall not 
 crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou 
 knowest me. 
 
 I 
 
LUKE XXII. 31-34. 447 
 
 The apostles had hitherto been comparatively 
 secure. They had been supported by their Mas- 
 ter's presence, and strengthened by his advice and 
 example. This calm was now at an end : the 
 storm was threatening. He was to be taken from 
 them ; and they would be exposed to all the 
 reviling, persecution, and cruelty which he had 
 foretold. 
 
 Of this, he now forewarns them. He forewarns 
 them, also, of the author of the evil. Satan hath 
 desired to have you} (to have all of you in his 
 power,) that he may sift you as wheat : may agi- 
 tate and harass you by inward doubts and outward 
 difficulties, as when corn is winnowed, or shaken 
 in the sieve. And soon, indeed, were these words 
 proved true : when danger approached, all forsook 
 him and fled : he to whom the warning was parti- 
 cularly addressed, was induced by his fears to deny 
 that he knew his Lord : and, dismayed at his death, 
 they gave up all hopes that Jesus were he who 
 should redeem Israel. 
 
 Here, then, was the danger. Satan would take 
 advantage of their circumstances, to overthrow their 
 faith. 
 
 But this was not the danger of the apostles only. 
 Satan will do his worst against all to whom the 
 gospel is proposed, to keep them from the way of 
 salvation, or to withdraw them out of it. He 
 desires to have them, that he may sift them as 
 wheat. Their situation, their disposition, the 
 events that happen to them, all of these he will 
 turn against them. He will tempt the rich to 
 
 ^ etqrqaaTO v/xas. 
 
448 LUKE XXII. 31—34. 
 
 self-indulgence : the poor to dishonesty : the pros- 
 perous to covetousness : the unfortunate to discon- 
 tent : the timid to sinful compliance : the bold to 
 rashness and presumption. 
 
 Hence the warning of this very apostle to his 
 own disciples afterwards ; " Be sober, be vigilant, 
 because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, 
 walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 
 whom resist, stedfast in the faith ; knowing that 
 the same afflictions are accomplished in your bre- 
 thren that are in the world." 2 
 
 Having declared the danger, Jesus proceeds to 
 say, addressing Peter in particular : But I have 
 prayed for thee^ that thy faith fail not. I have 
 prayed that the enmity of Satan may not prevail to 
 overthrow thy faith, and effect thy ruin. 
 
 Here, then, was Peter's safety. Christ had 
 taken him under his charge, to shield him from the 
 adversary's power. " All things had been delivered 
 to Jesus of his Father," " that he should give eter- 
 nal life to as many as he had given him : " and 
 " they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck 
 them out of his hand." And he, the conqueror of 
 Satan, the Redeemer of the world, had prayed for 
 Peter that his faith might not fail. 
 
 This leads to an important question. We are all 
 threatened and endangered by the same enemy. May 
 we obtain to ourselves the like security ! 
 
 Let us inquire what Peter had done, to protect 
 himself against the arts of Satan. What he had 
 done, we may do. For he was a man as we are, 
 
 1 Pet. V. 8, 9. ^ cyo) iSirj&rjv TrepL crov. 
 
 1 
 
LUKE XXTT. 3 1—8 J. 449 
 
 j)lace{l ill the same world, and with the same nature 
 as ourselves. 
 
 Looking to what the Scriptures make known to 
 us respecting him, we find, first, that he had 
 acknowledged Christ Jesus in his true character, 
 as the Son of God, the Saviour of the world. It 
 was he who had stood forward before the rest, 
 when Jesus was discussing the reports which pre- 
 vailed concerning him, and said, " Thou art the 
 Christ, the Son of the living God."* Peter dis- 
 cerned him, as the promised Saviour, " the Lord 
 our righteousness :" the completion of that won- 
 derful scheme for the deliverance of man from his 
 ruined, sinful state, which the Bible discloses to 
 our view. 
 
 And such understanding of his person and his 
 purpose, must be the groundwork of trust in him 
 to all. In order that we- may become holy through 
 his grace, wise through his instruction, and ac- 
 cepted through his ransom, we must know of a 
 truth, and be ultimately convinced, that " it hath 
 pleased God that in him should all fulness dwell," 
 and that " God hath made him to us wisdom, and 
 righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption." 
 
 2. Peter, however, had not been content with 
 knowing what Christ was. Though there cannot 
 be faith without knowledge, there may be know- 
 ledge without faith. The apostle had both. He 
 had seen that in Christ was life : and for the sake 
 of that life he had given up every thing, and reso- 
 lutely devoted himself to his Lord. When, after a 
 certain time, many of his disciples went back, and 
 ^ Matt. xvi. IG. 
 
 G G 
 
450 LUKE XXII. 31-34. 
 
 walked no more with him, Peter answered and 
 said, " Lord, to whom shall we go ? Thou hast 
 the words of eternal life." And having thus re- 
 solved, he was prepared to suffer any loss and 
 encounter any difficulty, rather than separate him- 
 self from the side of Christ. We read the answer, 
 which his heart prompted, when warned of the 
 malice of Satan, Lord, I am ready to go with thee 
 to prison and to death. He overrated, as we know, 
 his strength : but he spoke the settled purpose of 
 his mind, the purpose to which he quickly returned, 
 and which he steadfastly maintained. Being more 
 fully converted by the power of the Holy Spirit, 
 he was enabled to fulfil the command of his Master, 
 and to strengthen his brethren. 
 
 In order to be secured against the enemy of our 
 salvation, we must have formed the same resolu- 
 tion. With a like intelligent and undoubting faith, 
 we must have united ourselves to Christ : and with 
 a like determined purpose we must follow the ex- 
 ample which he set, and walk in the path which he 
 has prescribed. We are in no danger of prison or of 
 death. But circumstances are sure to arise, by which 
 our state of lieart will be tried : in which it must 
 be seen, whether we only call him Lord, or obey 
 him as Lord. We must renounce things, in which 
 we might otherwise find pleasure : we must forego 
 things by which we might perhaps increase our 
 worldly advantage : we must have formed a settled 
 plan of life according to his gospel, from which 
 neither inconvenience nor opposition must cause 
 us to turn aside. Our maxim must be, What shall 
 separate us from the faith of Christ, from the 
 
LUKE XXIT. 31—34. 451 
 
 love of Christ, from the precepts of Christ? By 
 him the world is crucified unto us, and we unto 
 the world. , 
 
 Make these words of Jesus an occasion of in- 
 quiry, how it is with yourselves. Ye perceive 
 your danger. Satan will desire to have you. He 
 allows no man to escape temptation. Christ Jesus 
 is the security against Satan. " For this was he 
 manifested, that he might destroy the works of the 
 devil." Have ye fully understood both your need 
 of his salvation, and his power to save? And 
 having understood it, have ye sought it, and pro- 
 cured it to yourselves ? " The promise is to us, 
 and to our children." 
 
 Further, having united yourself to him, by a 
 firm, unhesitating faith, are ye adhering to him 
 through rough ways and smooth, through evil 
 report and good report, in all time of tribulation, 
 in all time of wealth ? Then " Christ that died, 
 yea rather, that is risen again, who is ever at the 
 right hand of God, shall make intercession for 
 you ; " ^ and though Satan may desire to sift you as 
 wheat, he will pray that your faith fail not in the 
 hour of trial. 
 
 ^ Rom. viii. 34. 
 
 GG 2 
 
452 LUKE XXII. 35—53. 
 
 LECTURE LXXXV. 
 
 JESUS WARNS HIS DISCIPLES OF THE COMING 
 DANGER. — HIS PRAYER AND AGONY. — HE IS 
 BETRAYED BY JUDAS. 
 
 Luke xxii. 35 — 53. 
 
 Jesus had now, in this his last discourse, assured 
 his disciples that they who had listened to his call, 
 and followed him, and continued with him in his 
 temptations, should not lose their reward : a king- 
 dom was appointed unto them, though not a king- 
 dom of this world. He had also given to Peter 
 an express assurance which implied, that a power 
 belonged to him which would enable all who 
 trusted in him to prevail against every danger. 
 Now, how^ever, in conclusion, he sees fit to warn 
 them, that for a while his power should be with- 
 held. They had already experienced its suffi- 
 ciency : they had seen that he was able so to dis- 
 pose the hearts of men towards them, that thougli 
 " having nothing," they " possessed all things." 
 They should find the same again: but not at the 
 present moment. 
 
 35. And he said unto them, when I sent you without 
 jmrse, and scrij), a?id shoes, lacked ye any thinrf ? And 
 they said, Nothing. 
 
LUKE XXII. 35—53. 453 
 
 30. Then said he unto them. But now, he that hath a 
 purse, let him take it, and likewise his serij) : a?td he that 
 hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one. 
 
 37. For I say unto you. That this that is written must 
 yet be accomplished in me. And he was reckoned among 
 the transgressors : for the things concerning me have an 
 end. 
 
 38. And they said. Lord, behold, here are two swords. 
 And he said ufito them, It is enough. 
 
 The prophet Jeremiah, when he was foreteHing 
 a great destruction of the people, predicts it by 
 bidding them act as they would do if death had 
 brought desolation upon a family. ^ " Call for the 
 mourning women, that they may come; and send 
 for cunning women : and let them make haste, and 
 take up a wailing for us, that our eyes may run 
 down with tears, and our eyelids gush out with 
 waters." Jesus uses a similar way of speaking : 
 and in that manner intimates to his disciples, that 
 for a while they must depend upon themselves, 
 and be in the midst of dangers : Now^ he that hath 
 a purse., let him take it : and he that hath no sword, 
 let him sell his garment and buy one. There are 
 occasions, when a sword is more necessary than a 
 garment : and for such they must be prepared. 
 He spoke in the way of figure. But they under- 
 stood him literally ; and said, Lord, here are two 
 swords. And he said unto them. It is enough, 
 I forewarn you to expect evil, but I do not coun- 
 sel you to resist evil : for " they that take the 
 sword, shall perish by the sword :" and the things 
 concerning me have an end. 
 
 ^ Jcrem. ix. 17> IB. See Campbell in loco. 
 
45^ LUKE XXII. 35—53. 
 
 (Matt. xxvi. 30—56. Mark xiv. 26—52.) 
 
 39. And he came out, and ivent, as he was woyit, to the 
 nioujit of Olives : a?id his discij)les also followed him. 
 
 40. And when he was at the place, he said mito them. 
 Pray, that ye enter not into temptation. 
 
 41. And he was withdrawn from them about a stones 
 cast J and kneeled down, and prayed, 
 
 42. Saying, Father, if thou he willing, remove this 
 cup from me : nevertheless, not my will, hut thine he 
 done, 
 
 43. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, 
 strengthening him. 
 
 44. And being in an agony, he prayed more earnestly : 
 and his sweat was as it were great drops of hlood falling 
 down to the ground. 
 
 45. And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to 
 his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow, 
 
 46. A7id said unto them. Why sleep ye ? rise and pray, 
 lest ye enter into temptation. 
 
 " Here a warning is given which the present 
 exigency required. Whi/ sleep ye f Rise and 
 pray that ye enter not into temptation. And in- 
 deed it is a question which might be often asked, 
 Why sleep ye? Why are ye off your guard ? 
 Why are ye not on the watch? While ye are 
 sleeping, Satan is waking, and plotting snares 
 against those whom he may find unprepared. 
 Rise and pray : let your attitude be that of men 
 who know their danger, and are using the means 
 by which they may escape or resist it. 
 
 Even the present season, which was a time of 
 predestined grief, that all that was written might 
 be accomplished, — even that holds out an encou- 
 ragement to rise and pray against temptation. It 
 
 I 
 
LUKE XXII. 35-^53. 455 
 
 did not [)lease tlie Father to remove this cup from bis 
 beloved Son : for this cause came he to that hour, 
 that the ransom required by the sins of men might 
 be fully and actually paid. But nevertheless, there, 
 appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strength- 
 ening him. And so it may often happen that the 
 immediate object of prayer shall not be granted. 
 But the prayer, the prayer of faith, never falls to the 
 ground : and he who ordains the trial, " will with 
 the temptation make a way to escape, that ye may 
 be able to bear it." According to the need, 
 strength shall be supplied. 
 
 47. And while he yet spake, hehold a multitude, and he 
 that was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them, 
 and dreiv near unto Jesus to kiss him. 
 
 48. But Jesus said unto him, Judas, hetrayest thou the 
 Soji of man with a kiss ? 
 
 49. When they which were alout him saw what would 
 follow, they said unto him. Lord, shall we smite with the 
 sword ? 
 
 50. A?id one of them smote the servant of the high priest, 
 and cut off his right ear. 
 
 51. And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far. 
 A7id he touched his ear, and healed him. 
 
 52. Then Jesus said unto the chief priests, and captains 
 of the temple, and the elders, tchich were come to him, Be 
 ye come out, as against a thief, with swords and staves ? 
 
 53. When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched 
 forth 710 hands against me ; hut this is your hour, and the 
 power of darkness. 
 
 It might be plain, to all who were not blinded 
 against the truth, that what was now transacting, 
 was out of the ordinary course of things. Jesus 
 
450 LUKE XXll. 35—53. 
 
 had long exercised, and even was still exercising, 
 divine power. But he did not employ it to defend 
 himself. The power, then, which his enemies had 
 against him, was "given them from above:" they 
 acted under permission. Jesus had been daily with 
 them in the streets and in the temple, yet they 
 stretched forth no hand against him: his hour was 
 not then come. 
 
 Now, however, was their hour, and the power 
 of darkness. The time had arrived, when he 
 should "be perfected:" when the original pro- 
 phecy should be fulfilled, and Satan should " bruise 
 the heel " of that seed of the woman, who was 
 appointed to " bruise his head." ^ St. Paul gives 
 " thanks unto the Father, who has delivered us 
 from the power of darkness, and translated us into 
 the kingdom of his dear Son."^ To accomplish 
 this, Jesus was content to yield for a while to that 
 power of darkness. He could not otherwise have 
 discharged the penalty of sin, because he could not 
 have borne its curse. He bore the curse of the 
 law^ the curse which comes from the power of 
 darkness, that we might " have redemption through 
 his blood, even the forgiveness of our sins." 
 
 See then what attends the power of darkness. 
 " Indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish," 
 such as Jesus was now to suffer. Escape it, through 
 that way of deliverance which his sufferings have 
 opened. If Satan lays, as he will lay, tempta- 
 tions, difficulties, and hardships in the path of 
 duty, — oppose him, in the strength and in the 
 words of Jesus : This is your hour, and the power 
 2 Gen. iii. 15. ^ Col. i. 13. 
 
LUKK XXII. 54—71. 457 
 
 of darkness. It must be endured for a while, that 
 we may escape "the blackness of darkness for 
 ever." Hereafter another and a brighter hour 
 shall come ; " the hour of judgment," * when " the 
 prince of this world, " the accuser of the bre- 
 thren," shall be cast out. Hereafter shall be 
 *' heard a loud voice, saying in heaven. Now is 
 come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of 
 our God, and the power of his Christ." ^ 
 
 " He which testificth these things, saith, Surely 
 I come quickly. Amen. Even so ; come. Lord 
 Jesus."' 
 
 LECTURE LXXXVL 
 
 PETER'S DENIAL OF JESUS.- JESUS IS EXAMINED 
 BY THE COUNCIL. 
 
 Luke xxii. 54 — 71. 
 
 (Matt. xxvi. 57—75 ; Mark xiv. 53—72 ; John xviii. 15—27.) 
 
 54. Then took they him, and led him, and brought him 
 into the high priest's house. And Peter followed afar off. 
 
 55. And when they had kindled a fire in the midst of 
 the hally and were set down together, Peter sat down among 
 tliem. 
 
 56. But a certain maid beheld him as he sat by the fire, 
 and earnestly looked upon him, and said. This man was 
 also with him. 
 
 ^ Rev. xiv. 7. ^ lb. xii. 10. « lb. xxii. 20. 
 
458 LUKE XXII. 54— 7 J. 
 
 67. And he denied hinij saying, Woman, I know him 
 not 
 
 58. And after a little while, another saw him, and said, 
 Thou art also of them. And Peter said, Man, I am not. 
 
 59. And about the space of one hour aHer, another con- 
 fidently affirmed, saying. Of a truth this fellow also was 
 with him : for he is a Galilean. 
 
 60. A7id Peter said, Man, I know not what thou say est 
 And immediately, while he yet spake, the cock crew. 
 
 61. And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter : and 
 Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had 
 said unto him. Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me 
 thrice. 
 
 62. And Peter went out, and wept bitterly. 
 
 Jesus had said, not long before, to Peter, 
 " When thou art converted, strengthen thy bre- 
 thren." It might have been thought that he was 
 converted. He had discerned that Jesus was " the 
 Christ, the Son of the living God : " he had " left 
 all, and followed him." But something was want- 
 ing still : that perfect faith was wanting, which 
 should realise things future, and enable him to say, 
 like Paul afterwards, in the actual crisis of danger, 
 "None of these things move me, neither count I 
 my life dear unto myself, so that I may finish my 
 course with joy.'' ^ Therefore, when suddenly 
 questioned, in the midst of enemies, and in a time 
 of dismay, he fell into a sin of which he had be- 
 lieved himself incapable, and showed how much 
 more fully the heart of man is known to God, than 
 to man himself He had been sincere in saying, 
 " Though I should die with thee, yet will I not 
 
 ' Acts XX. 24. 
 
LUKE XXll. 54— 7J. 469 
 
 deny thee." But Christ had better understood his 
 nature, when he replied, " Peter, the cock shall 
 not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny 
 that thou knowest me." 
 
 And now the Lord turned, and looked upon 
 Peter, and reminded him of the truth of these 
 words. It miglit have been a reproaching look. 
 Is this thy faithfulness ? Is this thy return for the 
 peculiar favour shown thee ? There was great 
 reason to upbraid the disciple, who had been so 
 forward to promise, and had failed so grievously 
 in the performance. There was just ground to 
 condemn him, when he had displayed the " lying 
 lip," which is " abomination unto the Lord : " nay, 
 when he had confirmed his falsehood by solemn 
 asseverations. The Lord might have looked in 
 anger upon Peter, and cast him off for ever. 
 
 But the history shows that the look which he did 
 turn towards him, was in accordance with his mer- 
 ciful character. " For he knoweth our frame : he 
 remembereth that we are dust." It was rather to 
 convince and warn, than to reproach and condemn. 
 It convinced Peter, that even now, whilst the 
 enemy was prevailing, and Jesus appeared to have 
 lost all power, he could exhibit the greatest power : 
 he could read the heart, and foretell the future. 
 And it warned him of his weakness and insuffi- 
 ciency. Thou saidst, that thou wouldest "go with 
 me to prison and to death." Whereas thou couldest 
 not suffer with me one hour: thou couldest not 
 acknowledge me, when challenged by my enemies. 
 Know then thyself: know that thou must seek 
 something stronger than thyself : know that only 
 7 
 
4C0 LUKE XXII. 54—71. 
 
 through the Spirit which proceedeth from the Fa- 
 ther and the Son, thou canst maintain thy pro- 
 fession, and " overcome the world." 
 
 Christ does not look in vain. Virtue attends 
 the light of his countenance. Peter remembered 
 the word of the Lord, and went 02it, and wept bit- 
 terly : wept over his ingratitude and his sin. And 
 the Lord put away his sin. He pitied the frailty 
 of his servant, "like as a father pitieth his chil- 
 dren : " he blotted out the offence with his own pre- 
 cious blood, and gave to Peter a boldness and a 
 strength which by nature he had not, a courage 
 which should resist even unto death, striving against 
 the enemies of his Master's cause. 
 
 Observe, however, in this, the difference between 
 the promises of men, and the promises of God. 
 Peter had affirmed, "Though I should die with 
 thee, yet will I not deny thee." Likewise also 
 said all the disciples. Yet " they all forsook him and 
 fled." God has promised — " I will never leave 
 thee nor forsake thee."^ And when aas he 
 failed his people? Who can complain that they 
 have not received support in proportion to their 
 reliance, or assistance according to their need ? 
 A revelation had been made to Paul, " lie not 
 afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: for 
 I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee 
 to hurt thee."^ And Paul bore testimony to the 
 performance of this promise, even at the greatest 
 exigency: writing to Timothy from Rome, (2 
 'J'im. iv. 16,) "At my first answer^ no man stood 
 
 2 Deut. xxxi. 6. Ileb. xiii. 5. 
 
 ^ Acts xviii. 9. ' uttoX oy lu, defence. 
 
LUKE XXIT. 54—71. 401 
 
 witli mo, but all forsook me: notwithstanding the 
 Lord stood with me, and strengthened me ; and I 
 w^as delivered out of the mouth of the lion." He 
 " knoweth them that are his ; " and does not deny 
 them in the hour of trial. He makes good his pro- 
 mise : (Isa. xliii. 2 :) " When thou passest through 
 the w'aters, I will be with thee ; and through the 
 rivers, they shall not overflow thee : when thou 
 walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burnt ; 
 neither shall the flame kindle upon thee." 
 
 63. And the men that held Jesus mocked him, and smote 
 him. 
 
 64. And when they had blindfolded him, they struck 
 him on the face, and asked him, saying. Prophesy, Who is 
 it that smote thee ? 
 
 65. And many other things, blasphemously spake they 
 against him. 
 
 66. And as soon as it was day, the elders of the people, 
 and the chief priests, and the scribes, came together, and 
 led him into their council, saying, 
 
 67. Art thou the Christ ? tell us. And he said unto 
 them. If I tell you, ye will not believe ; 
 
 68. And if I also ask you, ye will not answer me, nor 
 let me go, 
 
 69. Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand 
 of the power of God. 
 
 70. Then said they all. Art thou then the Son of God ? 
 And he said unto them. Ye say that I am. 
 
 71. And they said. What need we any further witness ? 
 for we ourselves have heard of his own mouth. 
 
 What he was, they believed not now ; but they 
 should believe hereafter, when they saw him in 
 power. Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the 
 
462 LUKE XXir. 54—71. 
 
 light hand of the power of God. Had they exa- 
 mined, they would have seen that he answered the 
 character of the Christ. The people of their own 
 accord had said, "When Chrjst cometh, will he 
 do more miracles than these which this man hath 
 done ? " 5 Another said, " Come, see a man which 
 told me all things that ever I did : is not this the 
 Christ ? " ^ Yet, now, because he did not deny 
 himself to be the Son of God, they condemned 
 him of blasphemy. What need we any further wit- 
 ness f for we ourselves have heard of his own mouth. 
 
 Such is the blindness of the human heart: so 
 thick a veil is spread over it by prejudice and 
 habits of sin. " The understanding is darkened : " 
 and truth and reason cannot penetrate. May 
 " the Spirit of truth" enable us to see the truth, 
 and leave it not : to see that God has made him, 
 whom the rulers of the Jewish nation rejected, the 
 corner-stone of our salvation : him whom they cru- 
 cified and slew, the author of spiritual and eternal 
 life to all them that obey him. 
 
 5 Johnvii. 31. 6 jb iv. 29. 
 
LUKE XXIII. 1—25. 463 
 
 LECTURE LXXXVII. 
 
 JESUS IS ACCUSED BEFORE PILATE.— BARABBAS 
 IS PREFERRED TO HIM.— PILATE CONSENTS TO 
 HIS CRUCIFIXION. 
 
 Luke xxiii. 1 — 25. 
 
 (Matt, xxvii. 1 — 25. Mark xv. 1 — 15. John xviii. 21 — 40 ; 
 xix. 1—16.) 
 
 1. And the whole multitude of them arose, and led him 
 unto Pilate. 
 
 2. And they began to accuse him, saying, We found this 
 fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute 
 to Ccesar, saying. That he himself is Christ a king. 
 
 8. And Pilate asked him, saying, Art thou the king of the 
 Jews ? And he answered him and said. Thou say est it 
 
 4. Then said Pilate to the chief priests, and to the peo- 
 ple, I find no fault in this man. 
 
 5. And they were the more fierce, saying, He stirreth up 
 the people, teaching throughout all Jewry, beginning from 
 Galilee to this place. 
 
 We are here presented with a picture of popular 
 accusation. Jesus had never proclaimed himself as 
 king. So far from perverting the nation with 
 desire of change, when the people would have 
 come by force to make him a king, he withdrew 
 himself from them, i So far from forbidding to 
 
 1 John vi. 15. 
 
464 LUKE XXriT. 1— 05. 
 
 give tribute to Ccesar, we know that ho counte- 
 nanced the giving tribute to Caesar.^ But he came 
 as " a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord." And the 
 Christ had been foretold and expected as a king, 
 who should " redeem Israel," who should " give 
 the kingdom unto Israel," on whose " shoulder 
 the government should be," who should "sit on 
 the throne of David for ever." Those, therefore, 
 who had no views beyond this world, concluded 
 that his views were worldly : and others who only 
 desired his condemnation, brought him before Pi- 
 late on this plausible charge. 
 
 6. When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked whether the 
 inan were a Galilean. 
 
 7. And as soon as he knew that he belonged unto Herod's 
 jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who himself also was 
 at Jerusalem at that time. 
 
 -^ 8. And when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding glad : 
 for he was desirous to see him of a long season, because he 
 
 had heard many things of him ; and he hoped to have seen 
 
 some miracle done by him. 
 
 9. Then he questioned with him in many words : but he 
 answered him nothing. 
 
 10. And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehe- 
 mently accused him. 
 
 11. And Herod with his men of war set him at nought, 
 and mocked him, and arrayed him in a gorgeous robe, and 
 sent him again to Pilate. 
 
 12. And the same day Pilate and Herod luere made 
 friends together : for before they ivere at enmity between 
 themselves. 
 
 13. And Pilate, when he had called together the chief 
 priests and the rulers and the people, 
 
 2 Matt. xvii. 27; xxii. 21, &c. 
 
LUKE XXIII. 1—25. 465 
 
 14. Said unto them, ye have brought this man unto me, 
 as one that perverteth the people ; and behold, I, liaving 
 examined him before you, have found no fault in this man 
 touching those things whereof you accuse him : 
 
 15. No, nor yet Herod : for I sent you to him ; and, lot 
 nothing woi'thy of death is done unto him. 
 
 16. / luill therefore chastise him, and release him. 
 
 17. {For of necessity he must release one unto them at 
 the feast) 
 
 18. And they cried out all at once, saying, Away with 
 this man, and release unto us Barabbas : 
 
 19. (WJiofora certain sedition made in the city, and 
 for murder, was cast into prison) 
 
 It had been said in former times, to extol the 
 loveliness of Virtue, that if men could behold an 
 image of her, they would adore her. Yet here 
 was that perfect image ; and instead of it, the 
 people preferred one who for sedition and for 
 murder was cast into prison. The philosopher 
 who had uttered that saying, was not acquainted 
 with the corruption of the human heart. In order 
 that we may admire and love any thing, there must 
 be something within us similar. There was not 
 in the Jewish populace any thing similar to tlie 
 character of Jesus : they had none of his meek- 
 ness, his sincerity, his benevolence, his purity. So 
 they set him at nought, and reviled and mocked 
 him, and preferred a robber to him. 
 
 Perhaps it may seem impossible that we should 
 do the same. Yet often, too often, is a liked pre- 
 ference shown, when vice is better liked than 
 virtue : when the will of man is followed rather 
 than the will of God : when the maxims of an evil 
 world are more approved than the humbling doc- 
 
 H H 
 
466 LUKE XXIII. 1—25. 
 
 trines and holy precepts of the gospel. And not 
 only so, but those are condemned, often condemned 
 without a hearing, who would withdraw us from 
 them. We have loved idols, and after them we 
 will go : w^e will listen to no one who would 
 prove them vanity ; such an one perverteth the 
 nation, stirreth up the people. So infatuated are 
 they who " feed on ashes ; a deceived heart hath 
 turned them aside, that they cannot deliver their 
 soul, or say, Is there not a lie in my right 
 hand?"^ 
 
 20. Pilate therefore, xcilling to release Jesus, spake again 
 to them. 
 
 21. But they cried, saying. Crucify him. Crucify him. 
 
 22. And he said unto them the third time. Why, what 
 vil hath he done ? I have found no cause of death in 
 
 him : J will therefore chastise him, and let him go. 
 
 23. And they were instant with loud voices, requiring 
 that he might he crucified. And the voices of them and of 
 the chief priests prevailed. 
 
 24. And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they 
 required. 
 
 25. And he released unto them him that for sedition and 
 murder was cast into prison, whom they had desired : but 
 he delivered Jesus to their will. 
 
 The conduct of Pilate here deserves to be consi- 
 dered. Against his inclination, and against his 
 better judgment, he delivers Jesus to the will of 
 his enemies. He had power to release, and power 
 to condemn : he was unwilling to condemn, and 
 desirous to release : but for the sake of his pri- 
 
 3 Isa. xliv. 20. 
 
LUKE XXIII. 1—25. 467 
 
 vate interest, and through fear of temporal injury, 
 he gave sentence that it should be as they required. 
 
 It may be thought, perhaps, that as a heathen, 
 having no clear acquaintance with the law of God, 
 he could not be expected to act more justly. But 
 his conduct well illustrates what St. Paul says to 
 the Roman people, of whom Pilate was one : 
 (Rom. ii. 14:) where he affirms that God has not 
 left men without law ; but that the Gentiles, with- 
 out a revealed law, " shew the work of the law 
 written in their hearts, their conscience also bear- 
 ing witness, and their thoughts the mean while 
 accusing or else excusing one another." 
 
 Now it is very plain, that Pilate's conscience did 
 not excuse him to himself. He said " to the chief 
 priests and to the people, I find no fault in this 
 man." He said again, " Take ye him, and cru- 
 cify him : for I find no fault in him." His reason 
 told him, that a man who could be convicted of 
 no crime ought not to be condemned by the 
 magistrate. His conscience told him, that he, as 
 magistrate, ought not to condemn one against 
 whom no charge could be justly proved. In this 
 way the faculties which he received from God 
 were " a law to him." But he opposed his reason 
 and his conscience, and trangressed against the 
 law by which he ought to have been directed, and 
 so became "guilty before God." Being "with- 
 out" revealed "law," he will be "judged with- 
 out " revealed " law," in the day when God shall 
 judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ.'"' The 
 
 ' Rom. ii. 16. 
 
 H H 2 
 
468 LUKE XXIII. 1—25. 
 
 secret of his heart will then appear, how he obeyed 
 the Jews, when they " cried out saying, If thou 
 let this man go, thou art not Caesar's friend : 
 Avhosoever maketh himself a king, speaketh against 
 C^sar." ' 
 
 We all stand in need of one and the same thing ; 
 such a settled principle of action, as shall raise us 
 above present interests. No doubt it would have 
 been, for a while, distressing to Pilate to have been 
 accused at Rome as not being Caesar s friend ; to 
 have lost, perhaps, his government. But this risk 
 would have been as nothing to him, if he had once 
 learnt to seek the praise of God, and not the 
 praise of men : if he had lived by the maxim, 
 " Fear not them that kill the body, and after 
 that have no more that they can do. But I will 
 forewarn you whom ye shall fear : Fear him, whicli 
 after he hatli killed hath power to cast into hell ; 
 yea, I say unto you, Fear him." 6 
 
 Lord, evermore give us this fear ! 
 
 ^ John xix. 12. ^ Luke xii. 5. 
 
LUKE XXIII. 20—43. 409 
 
 LECTURE LXXXVIIL 
 
 JESUS, GOING TO HIS CRUCIFIXION, LAMENTS 
 OVER THE DESTINY OF JERUSALEM.— THE 
 DIFFERENT CONDUCT OF THE TWO MALE- 
 FACTORS. 
 
 Luke xxiii. 26 — 43. 
 
 (Matt, xxviii. 32—43. Mark xv. 21—32. John xix. 17—30.) 
 
 20. And as they led him away, they laid hold upon one 
 Simon, a Cyi-enian, coming out of the country, and on him 
 they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus. 
 
 27. And there followed him a great company of people, 
 and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him. 
 
 28. But Jesus turning unto them, said, Daughters of 
 Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and 
 for your children. 
 
 29. For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they 
 shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never 
 bare, and the paps which never gave suck. 
 
 30. Then shall they begin to say to the mountains. Fall 
 on us ; and to the hills, Cover us. 
 
 31. For if they do\these things in a green tree, what shall 
 be done in the dry ? 
 
 A proverbial expression. If these things are 
 done, and permitted to be done, towards one who 
 is no more fit to suffer them than a green tree is 
 fit for burning, what must those expect wlio are as 
 
470 LUKE XXIII. 26—43. 
 
 dry wood ready to be " hewn down and cast into 
 the fire?" Therefore the women of Jerusalem, 
 who through a natural tenderness, or through the 
 affection which they had for Jesus, were now be- 
 wailing and lamenting him, and whose tears would 
 not fall unnoticed before God, these had still 
 more reason to weep for themselves, and for their 
 children, upon whom the consequences of national 
 wickedness should descend. Jesus was foreseeing 
 the time, when the Romans, the instruments of 
 God's righteous vengance, should come and take 
 away the sinful place in which these things were 
 done, and the sinful nation which was guilty of 
 them. The sorrows were present to his mind, of 
 which the historians who witnessed them relates, 
 that if all the miseries which the world had known 
 could be summed up, they would not equal those 
 which w^ere endured at Jerusalem. And thus, 
 even to the last, we perceive the same compas- 
 sionate and loving spirit, which forgets itself, and 
 thinks only of the pain of others. Weep not for 
 me, but for yourselves, and for your children ! 
 
 •32. And there were also two other malefactors led with 
 him to he put to death. 
 
 33. And when they were come to the place, which is 
 called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefac- 
 tors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left. 
 
 34. Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them ; for they 
 know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and 
 cast lots, 
 
 35. And the people stood beholding. And the rulers 
 so with them derided him^ saying. He saved others ; let 
 him save himself, if he he Christ, the chosen of God. 
 
LUKE XXIII. 26—43. 471 
 
 36. A7id the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him^ 
 and offering him vinegar. 
 
 37. And saying. If thou he the king of the Jews, save 
 thyself. 
 
 38. And a superscription also was written over him in 
 letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, THIS IS 
 THE KING OF THE JEWS. 
 
 39. And one of the malefactors which were hanged 
 railed on him saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and 
 us. 
 
 This is an awful picture of human depravity. 
 It is commonly supposed that the approach of 
 death subdues a man, and softens the evil passions 
 which have before prevailed within him. But here 
 we find the same evil passions embittering even 
 the agonies of death : the same feeling of enmity, 
 the same expression of mockery. If thou be 
 
 Christy save thyself and us. There can be no 
 stronger proof that something more is needful to 
 affect man's heart, than the circumstances in which 
 the man is placed. Circumstances give him the 
 opportunity of showing w4iat is there ; but the 
 heart is not changed by outward circumstances; 
 and he that has been an enemy of God, and a 
 hater of goodness, through life, will be a hater of 
 goodness when his life is come to an end : a hater 
 of goodness as goodness, though he may have a 
 juster sense of its value than this hardened male- 
 factor, and a greater dread of the consequences of 
 sinning against it. There may be more of natural 
 dread upon him, than will permit him to rail at 
 
 Christ : he may even cry out, Save me, in a very 
 
472 LUKE XXIII. 26—43. 
 
 different sense from this malefactor : but whatever 
 his fears or his words may be, his heart too often 
 remains ungodly, unjust, unsanctified. We see it 
 by the event, when space is given for the proof: 
 when restoration from expected death brings no 
 recovery from sin. 
 
 If the one man shows, thus awfully, what pain 
 and death cannot do, the other shows the power of 
 the Spirit of God. He gives evidence of a tender 
 conscience, and a subdued mind. 
 
 40. But the other ansivering, rebuked him, saying. 
 Dost thou not fear God, seeing thou art in the same con- 
 demnation ? 
 
 41. And we indeed justly ; /or tee receive the due re- 
 ward o/ our deeds : but this man hath done nothing amiss. 
 
 42. And he said unto Jesus, Lord^ remember me when 
 thou contest into thy kingdom. 
 
 43. And Jesus said unto him^ Verily, I say unto thee. 
 To day shall thou be with me in paradise. 
 
 We know nothing of what this man had been, 
 nothing of the offences which had brought him 
 to this sad end. But whatever he had been, he 
 now exhibits the features of that altered cha- 
 racter to which Scripture uniformly promises for- 
 giveness. 
 
 The language of the prophet was, " Let the 
 wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man 
 his thoughts, and return unto the Lord ; for he 
 will have mercy upon him."^ And the language 
 of the gospel is, " Repent, and believe in the Lord 
 
 1 Isa. Iv. 7. 
 
 I 
 
 
LUKE XXIII. 26—43. 473 
 
 Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and thou 
 shalt be saved." *^ 
 
 And such is the case of this malefactor. Ho 
 forsakes his unrighteous thoughts, and rebukes his 
 hardened companion. Dost not thou fear God, 
 who art hi the same condemnation with him whom 
 thou art mocking and reviling, but whose state 
 before God is very different? He has done nothing 
 amiss : whilst we are justly suffering : are receiving 
 the due reward of our deeds. This is the very 
 spirit and language of penitence : which fears God : 
 which feels the difference between obedience and 
 disobedience : which acknowledges transgression : 
 which receives the chastisement of transgression 
 humbly. 
 
 Joined to this penitence, is faith, of which it 
 might be truly observed, " I have not found so 
 great faith, no, not in Israel." He turns to 
 Jesus, Lo7'd, remember me lohen thou comest into 
 thy kingdom. Others had thought that his sub- 
 mission to his enemies must disprove his divinity. 
 He saved others ; let him save himself, if he be the 
 Christ, the chosen of God. But this man perceived 
 that Jesus had never claimed " a kingdom of this 
 world." His death, therefore, was no disparage- 
 ment of his authority, no confutation of his words. 
 And he looks to him in that hour of extremity ; 
 Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy king- 
 dom. 
 
 It was fitting that the cross of Christ should be 
 distinguished by a signal exhibition of its atoning 
 
 2 Compare Acts ii. 38 with xvi. 31. 
 
474 LUKE XXIIl. 26—43. 
 
 power. This criminal had sinned against the 
 Lord : but the Lord put away his sin, and cheered 
 him witli the merciful reply, Verily, I say unto 
 thee, this day shalt thou he with me in paradise. 
 Thy body is perishing : but thy soul shall retain 
 its life, its activity, its consciousness : and being 
 received into the paradise of God, shall see and 
 know its Redeemer, even as it is seen and known of 
 him. 
 
 Thus, in all its parts, the cross of Jesus pre- 
 serves the same character of warning and encou- 
 ragement. In itself, it alike exhibits the conse- 
 quences of sin, and holds out the hope of pardon. 
 And in the circumstances attending it, in the 
 conduct of these two malefactors, we read the 
 same moral. In the one, hardness of heart and 
 contempt of God continue unto the end of life 
 and of hope. Here is warning. Let the pre- 
 sumptuous offender tremble. The other repents, 
 and " is accepted in the Beloved." Here is en- 
 couragement. Let the penitent take comfort : for 
 the Lord " has found a ransom," and will " abun- 
 dantly pardon." 
 
LUKE XXIll. 44—56 475 
 
 LECTURE LXXXIX. 
 
 THE SIGNS WHICH ATTENDED THE DEATH OF 
 JESUS, AND THEIR EFFECT UPON THE BE- 
 HOLDERS.— THE BURIAL OF JESUS. 
 
 Luke xxiii. 44 — 56, 
 
 (Matt, xxvii. 45—66. Mark xv. 33 — 47. Johnxix. 31—42.) 
 
 44. And it was about the sixth ho?ir, and there was a 
 darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. 
 
 45. A nd the sun was darkened, and the vail of the temple 
 was rent in the midst* 
 
 46. And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, 
 Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit : and having 
 said thus, he gave up the ghost. 
 
 47. Now when the centurion saw what was done, he glo- 
 rified God, saying, Certainly this was a righteous man. 
 
 48. And all the people that came together to that sight, 
 beholding the things which were done, smote their breasts, 
 and returned, 
 
 49. And all his acquaintance, and the women that fol- 
 lowed him from Galilee, stood afar off, beholding these 
 things. 
 
 It appears from this history that the power of 
 God might be seen, by all who were willing to ob- 
 serve it, in the death, as well as the birth, of Jesus. 
 Circumstances attended both, which would prove, 
 to any sincere inquirer, " Truly this was the Son 
 6 
 
476 LUKE XXIII. 44—56. 
 
 of God." When his apostles afterwards asserted his 
 divinity, it would be natural to ask, Did any un- 
 usual signs attend his birth? Yes: angels an- 
 nounced it ; strangers from the East recognised the 
 infant King, and prophecy was wonderfully ful- 
 filled. Did any unusual signs attend his death ? 
 Yes : during the time that he hung upon the cross, 
 there was darkness over all the land ; and an earth- 
 quake followed, such as rent the vail of the temple 
 in the midst. The whole was so little like an ordi- 
 nary event, or an effect of nature, that the heathen 
 centurion acknowledged what was proved by it, 
 testifying, that this was a righteous man. Nay ; 
 a change, a sudden change, took place in the minds 
 of the people that came toe/ether to that sight. Many 
 of them, doubtless, had concurred in his execution : 
 all had consented to it : none interposed to restrain 
 the cruelty, or to rebuke the mockery which em- 
 bittered it: none alleviated the sufferings of the 
 cross by signs of affection, or words of pity : none 
 stood forward to say, Is this a due return to one 
 who went about doing good, who healed your 
 sicknesses, and took away your infirmities ? 
 
 But now we read, that beholding the things 
 ivhich were done, they smote upon their breasts, 
 and returned. They smote upon their breasts, in 
 token of remorse and fear ; and some, perhaps, 
 said within themselves, like another who smote 
 upon his breast, " God be merciful to me a sinner ! " 
 They returned with altered sentiments : no longer 
 breathing violence and indignation against him who 
 came to them in the name of the Lord ; but with 
 painful doubts and api)rehensions. Have wc no- 
 
 I 
 
LUKE XXIII. 44—56. 477 
 
 thing to fear in what has been done ? Is there no 
 cause to expect that anger of God which was fore- 
 told ? Do not this darkness and this earthquake 
 seem like signs which precede that tempest of divine 
 WTath, which was to come upon ourselves, and upon 
 our children ? 
 
 They would have had far more reason for such 
 feelings, could they at that moment have under- 
 stood the real cause for which all this had been 
 permitted ; why violence and malice had been suf- 
 fered to prevail. At present all they could have 
 felt, was this : they had consented to the shedding 
 of innocent blood. And he, in whose sight the 
 blood of his saints is precious, had signified his 
 righteous anger. But if there was enough of con- 
 science in them to stir up remorse, because a right- 
 eous man was put to death ; how deeply must they 
 have been affected, could they have known that this 
 blood w^as shed for themselves ! — was the price of 
 their own ransom! — that he, against whom they 
 were venting their cruelty, was at that moment 
 filled with so much love towards them, as to be 
 laying down his life for their sakes ! 
 
 This thought may be improved to the use of every 
 disciple of Christ Jesus. Whatever wilful sin he 
 allows himself to indulge in, brings him into the state 
 of the people here described. He is " crucifying 
 the Son of God afresh, and putting him to an open 
 shame." If he does not learn to smite upon his 
 breast, and return to God in sorrow and contrition, 
 — we know the end ; — " indignation and wrath, tri- 
 bulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that 
 doeth evil," whether under the name of Jew or 
 
478 LUKE XXITI. 44—56. 
 
 Gentile, Infidel or Christian. But if the mercy of 
 God should bring him to repentance, what grief is 
 he preparing for himself against the time when, 
 like the spectators of the cross of Jesus, he begins 
 to reflect upon the nature and heinousness of his 
 sin ! How will he smite his breast to think, that 
 when Christ had shown him so much pity, so much 
 kindness ; when he had drawn him by his Spirit to- 
 wards himself; he had added new thorns to his 
 crown, and pierced his side afresh, by sinning 
 against his love and mercy ! 
 
 It is well, when thoughts like these afford a mo- 
 tive to repentance. It is far better, when they 
 prevent transgression. " How shall I do this wicked- 
 ness, and sin against the Lord ? " " He was bruised 
 for my transgressions, he was wounded for my 
 iniquities : " shall I wound him afresh, and add new 
 Iniquities to the burthen which he bore? No! 
 rather, " having the promises " purchased by his 
 precious blood, " let us cleanse ourselves from all 
 pollution of the flesh and spirit ; " let the " love 
 of Christ constrain us " to " perfect holiness in the 
 fear of God." ' 
 
 50. And behold, there was a man named Joseph, a coun- 
 sellor, and he was a good man, and a just : 
 
 51. (The same had not consented to the counsel and deed 
 of them :) he was of Arimathea, a city of the Jews : who 
 also himself waited for the kingdom of God. 
 
 52. This man went unto Pilate, and begged the body of 
 Jesus. 
 
 53. And he took it down^ and wrapped it in linen, and 
 
 1 See 2 Cor, vii. 1 ; and v. 14. 
 
LUKE XXIII. 44—56. 479 
 
 laid it in a sepulchre that ivas hewn in stone, wherein never 
 man before was laid, 
 
 54. And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath 
 drew on. 
 
 55. And the women also, which came with him from 
 Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how 
 his body was laid. 
 
 66. And they returned, and prepared spices and oint- 
 ments ; and rested the sabbath day according to the com- 
 mandment. 
 
 It was agreeable to the divine counsels in the 
 great work of redemption, that Jesus should be 
 born in a humble estate of life. But his birth was 
 not without honour. It was saluted by the voice 
 of angels, and proclaimed by the hymns of heaven. 
 So it was part of the same counsels that he should 
 die the death of shame, and " be numbered with 
 the transgressors." But the sure word of prophecy 
 had also declared that he should " be with the rich 
 in his death." And this Joseph of Arimathea was 
 the proper instrument through whom the prophecy 
 might be fulfilled. He had not consented to the 
 counsel and deed by which Jesus was condemned. 
 If he had, he would have been unfitted to become 
 the honoured instrument of God's will. Yet he 
 had not been known as a regular follower of Jesus, 
 or jealousy would have attached to him, and have 
 spoiled the influence which he possessed with Pi- 
 late, as a man of wealth and authority, when he 
 Tjuent unto him and begged the body of Jesus. 
 
 " Not many mighty, not many noble," were em- 
 ployed in establishing the kingdom of Christ on 
 earth ; that the " faith should not stand in the wis- 
 
480 LUKE XXIV. 1-12. 
 
 dom of men, but in the power of God." ^ But he 
 does not disdain to employ the mighty and noble. 
 And happy are those who apply to the service of 
 God the talents entrusted to them, of fortune, or of 
 station ; and are brought, like Joseph here, to se- 
 cure to themselves an interest in the death of Christ. 
 They shall also be partakers of that which is to 
 follow — partakers of his resurrection, partakers of 
 his glory. 
 
 LECTURE XC. 
 
 ANGELS DECLARE TO THE WOMEN ASSEMBLED 
 AT THE TOMB OF JESUS, THAT HE IS RISEN. 
 
 Luke xxiv. 1 — 12. 
 
 (Matt, xxviii. 1—8. Mark xvi. 1—8. John xx. I — 10.) 
 
 1. Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the 
 morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices 
 which they had prepared, and certain others with them. 
 
 The death of Jesus had so completely dismayed 
 his followers, that the assurance which he had given 
 them of his resurrection seems to have vanished 
 from their minds. He had often, and in many 
 different ways, repeated to them the truth, that he 
 " must be killed, and the third day rise again." 
 He had spoken of it in the way of figure, saying to 
 2 See 1 Cor. i. 26 ; and ii. 5. 
 
LUKE XXTV. 1-12. 481 
 
 the Jews, " Destroy this temple, and in three days 
 I will raise it up ;" w hen " he spake of the temple 
 of his body."^ He had affirmed it plainly; for» 
 going up to Jerusalem, (Matt. xx. 17,) he " took 
 the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto 
 them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem ; and the 
 Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests 
 and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him 
 to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles to 
 mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him : and the 
 third day he shall rise again.*' He had appealed to 
 this event as the great proof of his truth ; saying* 
 (Matt. xii. 39,) " An evil and adulterous genera- 
 tion seeketh after a sign ; and there shall no sign 
 be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas ; for 
 as Jonas was three days and three nights in the 
 whale's belly ; so shall the Son of man be three days 
 and three nights in the heart of the earth." And his 
 enemies had been less forgetful than his friends. For 
 after the body had been laid in the tomb, (Matt- 
 xxvii. 63,) the chief priests and Pharisees went to 
 Pilate, saying. Sir, we remember that that deceiver 
 said, while he was yet alive. After three days I will 
 rise again. Command, therefore, that the sepulchre 
 be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples 
 come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the 
 people, He is risen from the dead." 
 
 His disciples, however, thought of nothing less. 
 They resigned themselves to disappointment and 
 sorrow, and had no other desire than that of paying 
 the last tribute to his lifeless body. The women 
 which came with Mm from Galilee followed, and 
 
 1 Johnii. 19. 
 
 I I 
 
^82 LUKE XXIV. 1—1-2. 
 
 beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid. 
 And they returned, and prepared spices and oint- 
 ments ; and rested the sabbath day, according to the 
 commandment : and now, very early in the morning 
 of the third day, they came unto the sepulchre, 
 bringing the spices which they had prepared. We 
 even know the subject on which they were com- 
 muning as they approached the place. They were 
 not saying one to another, " Now we shall see the 
 fulfilment of prophecy, and the truth of our Master s 
 words :" but they were doubting together, " Who 
 shall roll us away the stone from the door of the se- 
 pulchre ? For it was very great." ^ This difficulty 
 was soon removed : but it only cleared the way to 
 fresh astonishment. 
 
 2. And they found the stone rolled away from the se* 
 pulchre. 
 
 -^3. And they entered in, and found not the body of the 
 Lord Jesus. 
 
 4. And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed 
 thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining 
 garments : 
 
 5. Adidas they were afraid, and boived down their faces 
 to the earth, they said unto them. Why seek ye the living 
 among the dead ? 
 
 6. He is not here, but is risen : remember how he spake 
 unto you when he was yet in Galilee, 
 
 7. Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the 
 hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day 
 rise again. 
 
 8. And they remembered his words, 
 
 9. And returned from the sepulchre, and told all these 
 things unto the eleven, and to all the rest. 
 
 2 Mark xvi. 3. 
 
LUKE XXIV. 1—1-2. 483 
 
 10. It was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary 
 the mother ofJames,and other women that were with them, 
 which told these things unto the apostles, 
 
 1 1 And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and 
 they believed them not. 
 
 12. Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre ; and 
 stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by them- 
 selves ^ and departed., wondering in himself at that which 
 was come to pass. 
 
 So slowly is the mind reconciled to truths 
 which oppose our preconceived ideas ! To Peter 
 and the rest, the death of Jesus was a new and 
 unexpected thing : they could not receive it, or 
 reason upon it. So likewise his resurrection. The 
 resurrection of the body made no part of their reli- 
 gious expectations. An actual example, it seems, 
 like this, was needed, to conquer incredulity, and 
 establish the assurance that all men shall rise again, 
 with their bodies. 
 
 God saw fit to send his angels, and dispel the 
 doubts of his disciples. Thej/ said unto them, 
 Why seek ye the living among the dead f He is not 
 here, hut is risen : remember how he spake unto 
 you. 
 
 It was indeed great ignorance of all that Jesus 
 was, and of all that had been foretold concerning 
 him, to seek among the dead for him, the living 
 God. He could not lie imprisoned in the tomb, 
 who " was in the beginning with God, and was 
 God :" ** who has life in himself, and quickeneth 
 whom he will." The prophecy concerning him 
 must be fulfilled, — " Thou wilt not leave my sou 
 
 1x2 
 
484 LUKE XXIV. 1-12. 
 
 in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to 
 see corruption," 
 
 Therefore the angels might justly rebuke these 
 disconsolate mourners, and say, Why seek ye the 
 living among the dead? Have you been so slow 
 to discover the character, so slow to perceive the 
 power of your divine Master, so dull to compre- 
 hend his words, as to think that he who gave 
 life, is not also able to resume it at his will ? He 
 is not here, but is risen : your own eyes shall have 
 the proof of it, before he ascends above to that place 
 where ye must hereafter seek him, on the right 
 hand of the Majesty on high. " He goeth before 
 you into Galilee : there shall ye see him, as he said 
 unto you." ^ 
 
 Two remarks arise from this. One has been 
 expressed by St. Paul in writing to the Thessalo- 
 nians, and offers a comfortable thought to those 
 whose friends have been removed from this world. 
 (1 Thess. iv. 13 :) "I would not have you to be 
 ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are 
 asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which 
 have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died 
 and rose again, even so them also which sleep in 
 Jesus will God bring with him." Number not the 
 living among the dead. Those for whom we weep 
 are still living : they have entered upon an immortal 
 and a blessed existence : they are not lying in the 
 grave ; they are risen to their Saviour and their 
 God. Grieve not that they should ** depart, and be 
 with Christ." 
 
 3 Mark xvi. 7. 
 
LUKE XXIV. 1—1-2. 486 
 
 2. But there is a spiritual, as well as a bodily 
 resurrection : and in that sense the words, Why 
 seek ye the living among the dead? ought to ap- 
 ply to the Christian in this present world. The 
 apostle so applies them ; and speaks of Cin-istians 
 as already " risen ;" — " risen with Christ." Christ 
 was not like the children of men. Their bodies 
 perish ; his could not perish in the grave. So, too, 
 the Christian is not like other men, whose thoughts 
 are fixed upon the earth ; who are dead to God, 
 dead to the concerns of the soul. But the Christian 
 is " alive unto God, through Jesus Christ." He 
 must not be sought among the dead ; he must not 
 be found among the dead ; he must not be found 
 in the ways and haunts of sinners ; he must not be 
 sought among those who have none of the life of 
 God^ within them ; but among those whose " con- 
 versation is in heaven." If Christ had not risen, 
 it had been evidence that he were not the Son of 
 God. And so, if the Christian does not rise above 
 the cares, and desires, and pursuits, and pleasures of 
 this present evil world, it is proof that he is not what 
 he calls himself : he must still be reckoned among 
 the dead. 
 
 That therefore which the angels affirmed of 
 Christ, is also, in its measure, true of those who 
 believe in Christ. They are not here, hut are risen. 
 Their body, indeed, is still in this world : but their 
 better part, the soul, is risen above it, and is dwell- 
 ing in heaven with their Lord and Saviour. There 
 are their affections set : thither they mount above 
 the trifling cares and more trifling amusements 
 
486 LUKE XXIV. 1 — 1-2. 
 
 of the present life : there their treasure is ; and 
 where their treasure is, there will their hearts be 
 also. 
 
 Let none rest satisfied, until their consciences 
 and their lives bear witness that this is, in some 
 tolerable degree, a description of themselves. 
 
 LECTURE XCI. 
 
 JESUS APPEARS TO TWO OF THE DISCIPLES ON 
 THEIR WAY TO EMMAUS, AND EXPOUNDS TO 
 THEM THE SCRIPTURES CONCERNING HIMSELF. 
 
 Luke xxiv. 13 — 32. 
 
 (Mark xvi. 2—13.) 
 
 13. And behold, two of them went that same day to a 
 village called Emmaus^ which was from Jerusalem about 
 threescore furlongs. 
 
 14. And they talked together of all these things which 
 had happened. 
 
 15. And it came to pass, that while they communed to- 
 gether and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went 
 with them. 
 
 16. But their eyes were hoi den, that they should not know 
 him. 
 
 17. And he said \into them, What manner of communi- 
 cations are those that ye have one to another, as ye ivalk, 
 and are sad ? 
 
LUKE XXIV. 13—3-2. 487 
 
 18. And the one of them, whose name was Cleopns, an- 
 swering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jeru- 
 salem, and hast not known the things which are come to. 
 pass there in these days ? 
 
 19. And he said unto them. What things? And they 
 said unto him. Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was 
 a j)rophet mighty in deed and word before God and all 
 the people: 
 
 20. And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered 
 him to be condemed to death, and have crucified him. 
 
 21. But we trusted that it had been he which should 
 have redeemed Israel : and beside all this, to-day is the 
 third day since these things were done. 
 
 22. Yea, and certain women also of our company made 
 us astonished, which were also at the sepulchre ; 
 
 23. And when they found not his body, they came, say- 
 ing, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said 
 that he was alive. 
 
 24. And certain of them which were with us went to the 
 sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said : 
 hut him they saw not. 
 
 We may well suppose that the minds of the 
 disciples would be occupied with the things that had 
 happened, and that their discourse would relate to 
 them. They still, it appears, considered the death 
 of Jesus, not as confirming, but contradicting his 
 title of Messiah : and they were still slow to be- 
 lieve his resurrection. This narrative, however, 
 seems to show, that the evidence of it was begin- 
 ning to break upon their minds. They were now 
 communing together, and reasoning : one, perhaps, 
 arguing with the other, and afraid of trusting them- 
 selves to credit what they so eagerly desired to be 
 true. Their reply to the stranger's inquiry shows 
 some proofs of an approach towards conviction. 
 
 10 
 
488 LUKE XXIV. 13—32. 
 
 We trusted that it had been he which should have 
 redeemed Israel, But his death filled us with dis- 
 may. Yet he spoke of his death, though we heeded 
 it not; and of rising again the third day. The 
 third day is now come : to-day is the third day 
 since these things were done. And this very morning 
 we have heard what has made us astonished. 
 Certain women of our company, who went out early to 
 the sepulchre, found that the body which they were 
 seeking was not there, and tell us that they saw 
 a vision of angels, which said that he was alive. 
 How are we to receive this ? We know not 
 what to think. If he is risen again, it must be 
 in the power of God. Yet if the counsel of God 
 designed to raise him, why did it suffer him to 
 die? 
 
 Such appears to have been the state of their 
 minds, which it was now time to refresh and en- 
 lighten. 
 
 25. Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart 
 to believe all that the prophets have spoken : 
 
 26. Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and 
 to enter into his glory f 
 
 27. And beginning at Moses, and all the prophets, he 
 expounded unto theni in all the scriptures the things con- 
 cerning himself 
 
 The explanation of Jesus is here directed to- 
 wards the great point to which the disciples 
 stumbled. Ought not Christ to have suffered 
 these things'^ That he ought, — that it was the 
 will of God concerning him, they could not com- 
 prehend. The Messiah, to whose advent we have 
 
LUKE XXIV. 13—32. 489 
 
 looked forward from the earliest time, and whose 
 power we expected to be irresistible, and whose 
 kingdom is foretold in snch magnificent terms : — 
 how could he be delivered into the hands of wicked 
 men ? — how could he be put to death, even the 
 death of the cross? Here was their difficulty, 
 which all the declarations of Jesus concerning what 
 was to befall him, did not enable them to over- 
 come. To this difficulty Jesus now applies him- 
 self: the time was arrived when it should be 
 cleared. Ought not Christ to have suffered these 
 things, and to enter into his glory f Instead of 
 contradicting the Scriptures, do not the Scriptures 
 plainly point to this, and can they be otherwise ac- 
 complished ? The spirit of Christ, which was in 
 the prophets, " testified beforehand the sufferings of 
 Christ, and the glory that should follow." * Moses, 
 indeed, spoke of him only as a prophet. (Deut. 
 xviii. 18.) " The Lord said unto me, 1 will raise 
 them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like 
 unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth ; 
 and he shall speak unto them all that I shall com- 
 mand him."^ But in the history of Moses we 
 find proofs that the Son of man must be lifted up 
 upon the cross.^ And in the law of Moses we 
 find sacrifices commanded and insisted on, which in 
 themselves could have no virtue ; for " it is not pos- 
 sible that the blood of bulls and of goats should 
 take away sins : " but which were intended to fore- 
 show the one great sacrifice, " the offering of the 
 
 1 1 Pet. i. 11. 2 Acts iii. 23. 
 
 3 Numb. XX. () — 9. John iii. 14. 
 
490 LUKE XXIV. 13—32. 
 
 body of Jesus Christ once for all." * The prophets 
 are clear to the same point. Daniel, (ix. 25, 26,) 
 who predicts the very period when " the Messiah 
 the Prince shall come," says also, that " Messiah 
 shall be cut off, but not for himself." And Isaiah has 
 more fully described his humiliation : (liii. 3 — 9 :) 
 " He is despised and rejected of men ; a man of 
 sorrows, and acquainted with grief ; and we hid as 
 it were our faces from him ; he was despised, and 
 we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our 
 griefs, and carried our sorrows : yet we did esteem 
 him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. He 
 was taken from prison and from judgment : and 
 who shall declare his generation ? for he was cut 
 off out of the land of the living: for he transgres- 
 sion of my people was he stricken." Nay, further, 
 does not David, in the Psalms, foretell those very 
 indignities which the Jewish people and the sol- 
 diers heaped upon the head of Jesus ? (Ps. xxii. 7, 
 16, 18.) " All they that see me laugh me to scorn : 
 they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, 
 He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him : 
 let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him." 
 " For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of 
 the wicked have enclosed me ; they pierced my 
 hands and my feet. They parted my garments 
 among them, and cast lots upon my vesture." 
 
 Is it not evident, then, that, according to the 
 Scriptures, Christ ought to suffer these things f 
 If he had not suffered them, those Scriptures would 
 remain unexplained. They speak, indeed, of glory : 
 but they speak of humiliation too. They speak of 
 i Ilcb. X. .S— 10. 
 
LUKE XXIV. 13—32. 491 
 
 darkness and the grave, as well as of the presence 
 of God, " where is fulness of joy, and pleasures for 
 evermore/' ^ 
 
 28. And they drew nigh unto the villaye, whither they 
 went : and he made as though he would have gone further. 
 
 29. But they constrained him saying, Abide with us : 
 for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he 
 went in to tarry with them. 
 
 80. And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he 
 took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave it to them. 
 
 31. And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; 
 and he vanished out of their sight. 
 
 32. And they said one to another. Did not our heart burn 
 within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while 
 he opened to us the Scriptures ? 
 
 Hitherto, Jesus had concealed himself, that his 
 purpose might be better answered. Their eyes 
 were holden that they should not know him. He 
 had now fulfilled his purpose : and their eyes were 
 opened, and they kneiv him. There was something 
 in the manner in which he took bread, and blessed 
 it, and brake and gave to them, which could not be 
 mistaken. He who had been talking with them by 
 the way, and had opened to them the Scriptures, was 
 the very divine Master whom they had so long- 
 loved and reverenced. 
 
 And he will still reveal himself to all who love 
 and reverence him. He will give them comfort, 
 and grace, and knowledge, as he sees expedient 
 for them. Even if for a time their eyes are holden, 
 and " the mystery of godliness, Christ manifest 
 in the flesh," is not fully disclosed to their minds : 
 
 5 Psalm xvi. 10, 11. 
 
492 LUKE XXIV. 33—53. 
 
 by-and-bye the veil will be taken away, and they 
 " shall know, if they follow on to know the Lord." 
 "After two days will he revive us: in the third 
 day he will raise us up, and w^e shall live in his 
 sio'ht." 6 
 
 LECTURE XCIL 
 
 JESUS APPEARS TO ALL THE APOSTLES, AND 
 OPENS THE SCRIPTURES TO THEM, AND COM- 
 MISSIONS THEM TO PROCLAIM HIS GOSPEL. 
 
 Luke xxiv. 33 — 53. 
 
 (Matt, xxviii. 16—20. Mark xvi. 13—20. John xx. 19—30.) 
 
 33. And they rose up the same hour, and returned to 
 Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and 
 them that were with them, 
 
 34. Saying^ The Lord is risen indeed, and Jiath appeared 
 to Simon? 
 
 35. And they told what things were done in the way, and 
 how he was known of them in breaking of bread. 
 
 The two disciples had set out for Emma us, un- 
 certain in their minds what to think respecting tlie 
 
 6 Hos. vi. 2, 3. 
 
 * To these two disciples when they entered. 
 
 « The particulars of this appearance are not recorded. St. 
 Paul alludes to it, 1 Cor. xv. 5, "He rose again the third day 
 according to the Scriptures ; atid was seen of Cephas : then 
 of the twelve." 
 
 7 
 
 H 
 
LUKE XXIV. 33—53. 493 
 
 resurrection. They had left the eleven in a like 
 perplexity. In the interval of their absence, both 
 parties had received evidence which rendered the 
 fact no longer doubtful. So that those who came 
 in haste to tell their tale, how Jesus had joined 
 them in the way, and had opened to them the 
 Scriptures, and at length was known of them in 
 breaking of bread, are first saluted with the joyful 
 tidings, The Lord is risen indeed^ and hath appeared 
 to Simon. 
 
 These words, we are told, were familiarly used 
 by Christians in the first ages of the church. They 
 were wont to greet one onother on the morning of 
 Easter with the phrase, The Lord is risen. It is 
 a truth to be much remembered, a thought to be 
 much considered. The Lord is risen indeed, " and 
 become the first-fruits of them that slept.'* And 
 we too, if we die with him, shall also rise with 
 him. 
 
 He soon gave indisputable proof to them all, 
 that he had both risen again, and risen in the same 
 body which had suffered upon the cross, and been 
 deposited in the tomb. They were to be witnesses 
 to proclaim this fact, and it was needful that they 
 should be fully persuaded in their own minds. 
 
 36. And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the 
 midst of them^ and said unto them, Peace be unto you. 
 
 37. But they luere terrified and affrighted, and supposed 
 that they had seen a spirit. 
 
 38. And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled ? and 
 why do thoughts arise in your hearts ? 
 
 39. Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: 
 
494 LUKE XXIV. 33—53. 
 
 handle me, and see ; for a spirit hath not flesh and hones, 
 as ye see me have. 
 
 40. And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his 
 hands and feet 
 
 41. And while they yet believed not for joy, and won- 
 dered, he said unto them. Have ye here any meat ? 
 
 42. And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and 
 of an honeycomb. 
 
 43. And he took it, and did eat before them. 
 
 44. And he said unto them, These are the words which I 
 spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things 
 must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, 
 and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. 
 
 45. Then opened he their understanding, that they might 
 understand the Scriptures. 
 
 46. And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it 
 behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third 
 day : 
 
 47. And that repentance and remission of sins should be 
 preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jeru- 
 salem. 
 
 48. And ye are witnesses of these things. 
 
 Now, probably, for the first time, the disciples 
 were enabled to comprehend the purpose of Christ's 
 death, as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of men. 
 Then opened he their understanding, that they 
 7night understand the Scriptures, and said unto 
 them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved 
 Christ to suffer.^ He had before spoken of giving 
 "his life a ransom for many." He had before 
 spoken of "laying down his life for his friends:" 
 of being "lifted up from the earth," and so 
 "drawing all men unto him." He had compared 
 
 3 ovTws cSct TTaOtiv TON XPI2T0N. 
 
LUKE XXTV. 33-53. 496 
 
 himself to "a corn of wheat, which if it die 
 bringeth forth much fruit." In these and otlicr 
 ways he had shadowed out the truth. But " they 
 understood not his words." Now the counsels 
 of God were perfected, and could receive their 
 clear development, their full explanation. Ye 
 wonder at my death. But was it not a part of the 
 original prophetic promise, that the serpent should 
 " bruise the heel " of the woman's seed ? * You 
 do not perceive the cause why it should be. 
 But has not Isaiah written, " He was wounded 
 for our transgressions, he was bruised for our ini- 
 quities : the chastisment of our peace was upon 
 him ; and with his stripes we are healed ?" " For 
 tlie Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." s 
 Ye wonder that the death of the cross should 
 have been chosen. This however was foreshown, 
 when Moses raised the brazen serpent in the wil- 
 derness, and the perishing Israelities looked up to 
 it, and were healed.^ Ye wonder that such a 
 sacrifice should be required. But remember that 
 " under the law, without shedding of blood was no 
 remission." '^ Thus it behoved Christ to suffer, 
 and to rise again the third day : " to put away sin 
 by the sacrifice of himself : and unto them that look 
 for him shall he appear the second time without 
 sin unto salvation." ^ 
 
 In this way, the mighty scheme of redemption 
 might now be unfolded in all its parts from the be- 
 ginning : how " as in Adam all died, even so in 
 Christ should all be made alive : " as " by one man 
 
 * Gen. ii. 15. ^ jga. Uii. 5, 6. « Numb. xxi. 9. 
 
 7 Heb. ix. 22. 8 Heb. ix. 26—28. 
 
496 LUKE XXIV. 33—53. 
 
 sin entered into the world, and death by sin ; even 
 so the grace of God, and the gifts by grace, which 
 is by one man, Jesus Christ, had abounded unto 
 many." That "as by one man's disobedience 
 many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one 
 shall many be made righteous." ^ 
 
 Thus it behoved Christ to suffer. But all would 
 have been still spoken in vain, if he had not at the 
 same time opened their understandings, and enabled 
 them to comprehend the reason why it behoved 
 Christ to suffer : to perceive the holiness of God, the 
 sinfulness of sin, and the consequent guilt of man. 
 This is the key to those Scriptures, which without it 
 are fast closed. The office of the Spirit is, to " re- 
 prove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of 
 judgment :" " to conclnde all under sin, that the 
 promise by faith of Jesus Christ may be unto them 
 that believe." 
 
 These were the grounds, on which repentance 
 and remission of sin should he preached in his 
 name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 
 And the apostles were to be witnesses of these 
 things. First, therefore, they must receive them 
 into their own hearts, in order that they might be 
 witnesses of them to the world. " Out of the 
 abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." And 
 it was his own conviction which enabled Peter to 
 counsel his astonished countrymen, "Repent, and 
 be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ 
 for the remission of sins." ^ It was from personal 
 conviction that Paul said, " By him all that be- 
 lieve are justified from all things, from which ye 
 could not be justified by the law of Moses." ^ 
 oRomv. 12— 21. lActs ii. 38. 2 ^cts xiii. 39. 
 
LUKE XXIV. 33-53. 497 
 
 Yet still how sliould they be sufficient for these 
 things ? How should these ** unlearned »and igno- 
 rant men " stand before governors, and kings, and 
 councils ? How should they overcome the preju- 
 dices of the Jews, how awaken the deadness of the 
 Gentile heart ? "A mouth and wisdom must be 
 given them, which their adversaries should not be 
 able to resist." 
 
 49. And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon 
 you : hut tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem^ until ye he 
 endued with power from on high. 
 
 50. And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he 
 lifted up his hands, and hlessed them. 
 
 61. And it.came to pass, while he hlessed them, he was 
 parted from them, and carried up into heaven. 
 
 52. And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem 
 tvith great joy : 
 
 53. And were continually in the temple, praising and 
 blessing God. Amen. 
 
 Such was the conduct of the disciples. And 
 how could it be otherwise? They could not re- 
 turn to the ordinary business or duties of life, who 
 had thus " tasted of the heavenly gift, and the 
 powers of the world to come." They must be 
 speaking of the things which they had seen and 
 heard. They must be praising aud blessing God^ 
 who had "remembered his holy covenant," and 
 "given knowledge of salvation unto his people." 
 They must be thinking within themselves, What 
 are we, and what is our father's house, *^ that we 
 should be appointed witnesses of these things f 
 
 12 See 2 Sam. vii. 18. 
 
 K K 
 
498 
 
 LUKE XXIV. 33—53. 
 
 Let us remember that what was cause of joy 
 and praise to the apostles, is equal cause of joy and 
 praise to ourselves, who believe in Jesus " through 
 their word." Such is the habitual feeling of the 
 Christian, the state of his mind : that ** Him, 
 having not seen, we love ; and in him, though now 
 we see him not, yet believing, we rejoice with joy 
 unspeakable, and full of glory." ^^ 
 
 i» I Pet. i. 8. 
 
 THE END. 
 
 I'UINTED BY (;. J. 
 
 LOiNDON '. 
 
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