,pastor ,pastorum ,or ,the ,schooling of the ,apostles ,by ,our ,lord ,by ,rev4 ,henry ,latham ,m4,a4 ,master of ,trinity ,hall ,cambridge ,cambridge3 ,deighton ,bell ,and ,co4 ,london3 ,george ,bell ,and ,sons #ahii ,,contents ,preface4 ,introductory ,chapter4 ,chapter ,,ii4 ,human ,freedom4 ,chapter ,,iii4 ,of ,revelation4 ,chapter ,,iv4 ,our ,lord's ,use ,of ,signs4 ,chapter ,v4 ,the ,laws ,of ,the ,working ,of ,signs4 ,chapter ,,vi4 ,from ,the ,temptation ,to ,the ,ministry ,in ,galilee4 ,chapter ,,vii4 ,the ,preaching ,to ,the ,multitudes4 ,chapter ,,viii4 ,the ,choosing ,of ,the ,apostles4 ,chapter ,,ix4 ,the ,schooling ,of ,the ,apostles4 ,the ,mission ,to ,the ,cities4 ,chapter ,x4 ,to ,those ,who ,have1 ,is ,given4 ,chapter ,,xi4 ,from ,the ,mount ,to ,jerusalem4 ,chapter ,,xii4 ,the ,later ,lessons4 ,chapter ,,xiii4 ,the ,lessons ,of ,the ,resurrection4 ,chronological ,appendix4 ,index ,of ,texts4 ,general ,index4 ,footnotes ,,preface4 ,of the general purport of this book1 and of what led to the writing1 ,i have said all that is necessary in the ,introductory ,chapter4 ,the ideas it contains were growing into distinctness during the five and thirty years of my ,college work1 and to many of my old pupils they will offer little that is new4 ,but although the book took its source from teaching2 and instruction--but instruction divorced from examinations--is in some degree my object still1 yet it is meant1 not so much for professed students1 as for that large body of the public1 who entertain the desire1 happily spreading fast among the young1 of understanding with as great exactness as possible what it was that ,christ visibly effected1 and what means ,he employed in bringing it about4 ,i have avoided all technical terms of ,divinity or ,philosophy1 and where1 as in ,chapters ,,ii4 and ,,iii41 ,i have been led to touch on theological speculations1 ,i have tried to present the matter in as familiar a form as ,i could4 ,frequently1 ,i have explained in the notes some geographical and other particulars which a large majority among my readers may not require to be told2 in this case ,i must be pardoned for consulting the interest of the minority4 ,a didactic purpose and a literary one1 do not always run readily side by side4 ,a teacher who desires to inculcate certain principles or ideas1 is ever on the look out for illustrations and recurs to his topic again and again4 ,so1 having1 as ,i thought1 certain topics to teach1 ,i have brought them back into view more often than ,i should have done if ,i had written solely with a literary view4 ,i have not commonly given accounts of what has been said by others on the points of which ,i treat1 or criticised conclusions different from mine1 for ,i know that this manner of treatment is not in favour with the present generation4 ,i recollect the reason of an undergraduate1 in my early days1 for preferring the instruction of his private tutor to that officially provided--8,the ,lecturer tells you that ,hermann says it is this1 and ,wunder says it is that1 but ,blank 7the private tutor7 tells you what it is40 ,with the same view of making the book readable by the general public1 ,i have abstained from apologising when ,i have advanced a notion not commonly received4 ,in my first draft ,i had made such apologies for what ,i say on the second and third ,temptations1 on the ,mission to the ,cities1 the ,transfiguration1 the ,denials of ,peter and some minor points--but ,i afterwards thought it better to leave them out1 and to disclaim here once for all1 any intention to dogmatize1 or to fail in respect toward the weighty authorities with whom ,i have ventured to disagree4 ,in many cases1 however1 the views that ,i have taken rather supplement than supplant those that are commonly received4 ,writers on ,divinity have not so much opposed them1 as failed to notice the points on which ,i dwell4 ,there is however one topic--the parable of the ,unjust ,steward1 on which ,i find myself at variance with all the writers on the subject ,i know of1 excepting perhaps ,calvin1 who begins his ,comment on ,luke xvi4 #a by saying 8,the main drift of this parable1 is1 that we must shew kindness and lenity in dealing with our neighbours40 ,he does not1 however1 follow up this view as ,i have done4 ,though in so difficult a matter ,i cannot be confident of being right1 yet ,i do feel convinced1 that the accepted interpretation of the parable1 viz4 that it is intended to teach the right use of riches--8the really wise use of mammon0 as ,gbel puts it--is wholly inadequate4 ,so simple a moral would have been pointed by a simpler tale4 ,surely the riches would have been made the giver's own4 ,moreover the salient point of the outward story1 that which first catches attention1 always answers in our ,lord's parables to a cardinal matter in the interpretation4 ,here that salient point lies in the words 8,take thy bond and sit down quickly and write fifty0 and this has but a very oblique bearing on the true use of riches2 the distinctive point of the outward parable is the exercise of delegated power1 and the spiritual bearing must be in conformity with this4 ,i have everywhere followed the ,revised ,version1 and ,i must warn readers that where italics occur in the longer passages they are not mine1 except in passage on p4 #aja4 ,they are introduced1 not to mark words important for my purpose1 but simply because they are found in the ,revised ,version where they indicate1 of course1 that the corresponding word is wanting in the ,greek4 ,for the course of events ,i have generally followed the ,gospel of ,st ,mark up to the time of the feast of ,tabernacles2 and after that the ,gospel of ,st ,john4 ,of the great historical value of the latter ,i have1 like most biblical students1 become more deeply sensible1 the more closely ,i have studied it4 ,speaking of the absence of miracles wrought in public during the week of the ,passion1 p4 #dcj1 ,i have not noticed ,matt4 xxi4 #ad1 because ,i believe the ,evangelist to refer to miracles that had taken place during earlier visits to ,jerusalem4 ,it was beyond the scope of my book to discuss the differences of character of the different ,gospels4 ,in a few instances ,i follow an order of events different from that which is most commonly taken4 ,this order ,i have shewn in a ,chronological ,appendix1 in which ,i have tabulated the chief events of our ,lord's ,ministry1 taking them month by month from the time of the ,baptism to that of the great day of ,pentecost4 ,i have made this ,appendix more full1 in point of reference and arguments in support of the dates1 than would have been quite necessary for readers of this book1 because ,i thought it might be made useful generally to students of the ,gospel ,history4 ,i have to thank several persons for their assistance and advice1 especially ,canon ,huxtable1 without whose kind encouragement at the outset the book might not have been written4 ,i must note that ,i have made use of an idea on ,luke xii4 #di1 which ,i first came upon1 many years ago1 in a small publication of the ,rev4 ,a4 ,h4 ,wratislaw1 then one of the ,tutors of ,christ's ,college2 and that ,i was in like manner set on a track of thought by a sermon on the ,temptation1 by ,t4 ,colani1 published at ,strasburg in #ahfj4 ,i have acknowledged my obligations to ,bishop ,ellicott's 8,historical ,lectures10 and ,edersheim's 8,jesus the ,messiah40 ,many members of my own ,college1 and many other friends have assisted me greatly with advice and corrections4 ,although my book is not written with any thesis about the ,gospels to support1 still ,i trust that ,i have cleared away difficulties here and there1 and have shewn1 in small matters1 how one account undesignedly supports another4 ,if what ,i have said shall lead to discussion on some of the questions raised1 or if ,i shall induce younger men to apply themselves1 in some of those directions towards which ,i have pointed1 to work of a literary kind waiting to be done1 ,i shall not have spent my time and pains without result4 ,,trinity ,,hall ,,lodge1 ,may #ast1 #ahij4 ,,introductory ,,chapter4 ,in this opening chapter ,i propose to lay before the reader the leading ideas which will be developed in the book4 ,this will necessitate some repetition1 but many readers want to know at starting whither the author is going to take them1 and whether his notions are such that they will care for his company4 ,in the course of lecturing on the ,gospels1 being myself interested in questions of education1 my attention turned to the way in which our ,lord taught ,his disciples4 ,following the ,gospel ,history with this view1 ,i recognised in the train of circumstances through which ,christ led the disciples1 no less than in what ,he said to them1 an assiduous care in training them to acquire certain qualities and habits of mind4 ,i observed also method and uniformity both in what ,he did and in what ,he refrained from doing4 ,certain principles seem to govern ,his actions and to be observed regularly so far as we can see1 but we have no ground for stating that our ,lord came to resolutions on these points and bound ,himself to observe them4 ,a man sometimes sees his duty so clearly at one moment that he wishes to make the decision of that moment dominant over his life and he embodies it in a resolve1 but we must suppose that ,christ at each moment did what was best4 ,so that what ,i call a ,law of ,his conduct is only a generalization from ,his biography1 and means no more than that1 in such and such circumstances ,he usually acted in such and such ways4 ,i can easily conceive that ,he might have swerved from these ,laws had there been occasion4 ,i have fancied that ,i got glimpses of the processes by means of which the ,apostles of the ,gospels--striving among themselves who should be greatest1 looking for the restoration of the kingdom to ,israel1 and dismayed at the apprehension of their ,master--were trained to become the ,apostles of the ,acts1--testifying boldly before rulers and councils1 giving the right hand of fellowship to one who had not companied with them1 and breaking through ,jewish prejudices1 to own that there were no men made by ,god who were common or unclean4 ,the shape which much of the outward course of ,christ's life took1 ,his choice of ,galilee as a scene of action1 ,his withdrawal from crowds and ,his wanderings in secluded regions were admirably adapted to the educating of the ,apostles2 while ,his sending them1 two and two1 through the cities was a direct lesson in that self-reliance which reposes on a trust in ,god4 ,were not these courses ordered to these ends8 ,the training was wonderfully fitted to bring about the changes which occurred4 ,that this fashioning of the disciples should have been a very principal object with our ,lord is easy to conceive4 ,for what1 except ,his followers1 did ,he leave behind as the visible outcome of ,his work8 ,he had founded no institution and had left no writings as a possession for after time4 ,the ,apostles were the salt to season and preserve the world1 and if they had not savour whence could help be sought8 ,is it not then likely that the best means would be employed for choosing and shaping instruments for the work2 and can we do better than mark the ,divine wisdom so engaged8 ,on many sides the work of ,christ stretches away into infinity4 ,god's purpose in having created the world1 and put free intelligences into it1 as well as the changes which ,christ's death may have wrought in the relation of men's souls to ,god1 belong to that infinite side of things1 which we cannot explore4 ,but we can follow the treatment by which ,christ moulded the disciples1 because the changes are not wrought in them by a magical transformation1 but come about gradually as the result of what they saw and heard and did4 ,changes are brought about in the disciples by an education1 superhuman indeed in its wisdom1 superhuman in its insight into the habits of mind which were wanted1 and into the modes by which such habits might be fostered1 but not superhuman in the means employed4 ,we can analyse the influences which are brought to bear1 judge what they were likely to effect1 and estimate fairly well what they did effect1 because they were the same in kind as we now find working in the world4 ,christ's ways1 therefore1 in this province of ,his work fall within the range of our understanding4 ,the learners are taught less by what they are told than by what they see and do4 ,they are trained not only by listening1 but by following and--what was above all--by being suffered1 as in the mission to the cities of ,israel1 to take part in their ,master's work4 ,they are altered by their companionship with our ,lord1 insensibly1 just as we see the complexion of a man's character alter by his being thrown into the constant society of a stronger nature4 ,but ,christ works on them no magical change4 ,our ,lord never transforms men so as to obliterate their old nature1 and substitute a new one2 new powers and a new life spring up from contact with ,him1 but the powers work through the old organs1 and the life flows through the old channels2 they would not be the same men1 or preserve their individual responsibility if it were otherwise4 ,god's grace works with men1 it is true1 but it uses the organization it finds2 and as much cultivation and shaping of the disposition is required for turning ,god's ,grace to account1 as for making the most of any other good gift4 ,christ's particular care to leave the disciples their proper independence is everywhere apparent4 ,they come to ,him of their deliberate will4 ,they are not stricken by any over-mastering impression1 or led captive by moving words4 ,they are not forced to break with their old selves2 their growth in steadfastness comes of a better knowledge of their ,lord1 and the more they advance in understanding ,god's ways and therefore in believing1 the stronger are the grounds of assurance which are granted to them2 the more they have1 the more is given them2 the most attached are granted most4 ,christ1 we find1 draws out in ,his disciples the desired qualities of self-devotion and of healthy trust in ,god1 without effacing the stamp of the individual nature of each man4 ,he cherishes and respects personality4 ,the leader of a sect or school of thought is often inclined to lose thought of the individual in his care for the society which he is establishing1 or to expect his pupils to take his own opinions ready made1 in a block4 ,he is apt to be impatient if one of them attempts to think for himself4 ,his aim very commonly is 8,to make his own the mind of other men10 and a pupil who asserts his own personality1 and is not content with reflecting his master's1 is not of the sort he wants4 ,but our ,lord was a teacher of a very different kind4 ,he reverenced whatever the learner had in him of his own1 and was tender in fostering this native growth4 ,he was glad when ,his words roused a man into thinking on his own account1 even in the way of objection4 ,when the ,syro-phnician woman turns ,his own saying against ,him1 with the rejoinder1 8,yes ,lord1 yet the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs10 ,he applauds her ,faith the more for the independent thought that went with it4 ,men1 in ,his eyes1 were not mere clay in the hands of the potter1 matter to be moulded to shape4 ,they were organic beings1 each growing from within1 with a life of his own--a personal life which was exceedingly precious in ,his and ,his ,father's eyes--and ,he would foster this growth so that it might take after the highest type4 ,neither did ,he mean that what ,he told men should only be stored in their memories as in a treasure-house1 there to be kept intact4 ,they were to 8take heed how they heard40 ,with ,christ1 the part that the man had to do of himself went for infinitely more than what was done for him by another4 ,if men had the will and the power to turn to their own moral nutriment the mental food which was given them1 it would be well2 but if ,his words merely lay in their memories1 without affecting them or germinating within them1 then they were only as seeds falling on sterile spots4 ,the training of the disciples was partly practical1 turning on what they saw our ,lord do and were set or suffered to do themselves1 and partly it came from what they heard4 ,i want the reader to go along with me in marking how this training of the ,apostles was adapted to generate the qualities which the circumstances of their situation demanded when ,christ left the world2 and it is in the practical part of the work that this is most readily traced4 ,the selection of the ,apostles may serve as an instance of what ,i mean4 ,they were to preach a gospel to the poor--the movement was to spread upward from below4 ,this will be found to be the law of growth of great moral principles which have established their sway among mankind4 ,the ,apostles therefore were chosen from a class which1 though not the poorest1 had sympathies with the poor4 ,again the ,apostles were to be witnesses of the resurrection to after times2 it was important1 therefore1 that they should possess qualities which would make men trust them2 had they been imaginative1 had they been enthusiasts1 this would have been a bar to the accepting of their evidence2 but the ,apostles were singularly literal-minded men1 so little suspecting a metaphorical meaning in their ,master's sayings1 that when ,he told them to beware of the leaven of the ,pharisees1 they thought it meant that1 having no bread with them1 they would be constrained to eat some not made in the proper way4 ,we see no exaggeration in them1 no wild fervour1 nothing that belongs to the religious fanatic4 ,our ,lord never employs the force that such fanaticism affords2 when ,he meets with what seems the result of emotion1 as when the woman breaks out with 8,blessed is the womb that bare thee10 ,he always brings back to mind that doing is more than feeling4 ,we shall have to note1 moreover1 the progressive way in which our ,lord taught ,his followers self-reliance and faith1 and the tender care with which ,he lets ,his hold of them go by degrees4 ,wandering along with our ,lord1 they grow into a capacity for marking greatness1 and trusting themselves to a superior nature4 ,when they are sent1 two and two1 through the cities of ,israel1 they learn to use responsibility1 and to feel that ,his power could still protect them even when ,he was not by4 ,they lacked nothing then1 for ,christ provided for them2 but the time should come when they would complete their training and have real work to do1 and then they would have to employ all gifts which had fallen to them4 ,for the real conflict1 both the purse and the sword are to be taken2 prudence and judgment and courage must be brought into play in doing ,god's work as they are in doing that of every day life4 ,and when ,christ leaves the world1 the disciples are not for long exposed to the revulsion which the crucifixion would cause4 ,they are not suffered to feel their ,master's loss and miss ,him all at once4 ,they are not left to suppose that ,he had altogether gone1 that ,his cause had failed and all was over2 so that they had better wake from their delusion and go back1 with blighted hope and faith1 to ,galilee and their boats and nets4 ,soon comfort came4 ,the work for which they had been trained was still to go on1 only not in the way they had expected4 ,their following ,christ was not to be a mere episode in their lives3 they had not been wrong in thinking that they should serve ,him all their days4 ,christ is near them still1 and they see ,him now and again4 ,for forty days or more they felt that ,he was in their neighbourhood1 and might at any time appear2 any stranger who accosted them might turn out to be ,he4 ,thus they are carried through the time when the effects of shock on their mind and moral nature was most to be feared1 and they are brought one step nearer to the power of realising that ,christ is with them4 ,after the ,ascension1 ,he is withdrawn from the eye of sense altogether1 ,his presence will henceforth be purely spiritual1 but no sooner do they lose sight of ,him in the body than the ,comforter comes to their souls4 ,so long as men walked by the guidance of one whom they saw by their side1 they would not throw themselves on unseen spiritual aid4 ,the ,comforter would not come unless the ,lord went away1 but as soon as ,he was gone the comfort came4 ,i now come to the oral teaching4 ,here we note the same fitness of the means to the end1 but the purpose in view is a more abstract one3 a quality very essential for ,christ's purpose is expansiveness4 ,the truths which ,he revealed and the commandments ,he gave were to be accepted by different nations1 and in various states of society3 they belonged therefore to what is primary in the nature of man4 ,it is in this that ,christ's doctrine differs from all systems4 ,it does not belong to one age or one nationality but to all4 ,whether this character of ,universality was due to prospective wisdom or to chance1 ,i do not now discuss2 ,i only say that the substance of ,christ's teaching is suitable for men in different conditions2 that the form in which it is put makes this teaching easy for the ignorant to retain2 and that the circumstances which accompanied it were singularly conducive to its spread4 ,christ arose amongst a nation which was the most strikingly individualised of all peoples1 but ,he transmitted the type of ,humanity in its most general form4 ,we mark in ,him no trace of one race or of one epoch2 ,he was emphatically the ,son of ,man4 ,in all ,his sayings and doings1 our ,lord was most careful to leave the individual room to grow4 ,some of the 8negative characteristics0 of our ,lord's teaching arise out of this universality4 ,if we go to ,him looking for a ,social system or an ,ecclesiastical polity we find nothing of the sort4 ,humanitarian theorists have turned in disappointment from ,his word2 but a system suited to our age must have been unsuited to ,gospel times4 ,christ gave no system for recasting ,society by positive ,law1 and no ecclesiastical ,polity1 for men could make laws better when the circumstances which called for them arose4 ,he gave no system of philosophy1 for such systems are only the ways of looking at some of the enigmas of life1 which suit the cast of mind of the nation or the generation which shapes the system4 ,so different nations and generations should be left to make their systems as of old1 only a new truth was declared1 and a new force was set to work1 which systems would henceforth have to take into account4 ,again1 the next world is what all want to know about4 ,if the founder of a religion would win men's ears1 he must set this before them4 ,but1 as we cannot conceive a life under conditions wholly different from that we lead1 any description must be misleading4 ,false notions besides engendering devotees and fanatics1 would sap human activity and arrest progress4 ,hence ,christ speaks to the fact of a future existence1 but says nothing of the mode4 ,he assures us that eternal life awaits those accounted worthy1 but of the nature of this life ,he says nothing4 ,he gives no details on which imagination can dwell4 ,farther1 ,christ leaves no ritual4 ,for a ritual belongs to those outward things which must change2 it would in time symbolize a view no longer taken1 and if some should still cling to it from the idea that it had a magic worth of its own1 then it would stand in the way of the truth it was meant to set forth4 ,laws1 ,systems1 and ,ritual1 then1 were raiment to be changed as times went on2 with them therefore succeeding generations were left to deal4 ,the form must come of man1 so to man the shaping of it is left4 ,but ,christ gave what was more than raiment and more than form4 8,the words that ,i have spoken unto you10 said ,he1 8are ,spirit and are life40 ,he gave seed thoughts which should lie in men's hearts1 and germinate when fit occasion came4 ,these thoughts were clothed in terse sayings1 such as a man would carry in his head and dwell on the more because he did not see to the bottom of them all at once4 ,moreover some of these sayings1 for instance1 8,for whosoever hath1 to him shall be given107#a7 will startle the hearer as being contrary to what he would expect2 and the more he is perplexed1 the more he is provoked to think1 and thereby a greater impression is made4 ,other truths are wrapped up in parables4 ,the form of the parable1 not the matter it conveys1 concerns me now4 ,it is a form of speech which imbeds itself deeply in the memories of men and was admirably suited to preserve a genuine record during the time when the ,gospel should subsist as an oral tradition4 ,it put what was most important into the shape which made it most easy to recollect4 ,nothing except proverbs takes hold of men's memories so firmly as tales4 ,the most ancient literary possessions of the world are1 probably1 certain stories containing a moral4 ,of course our ,lord's teaching in parables answered greater ends than this of making ,his lessons easy to retain3 but this form of teaching agreed wonderfully well with what the circumstances required4 ,next to tales in respect of being easily remembered1 come narratives of detached striking acts4 ,so the materials of the ,gospel ,history1 sayings1 parables1 narratives of signs and wonders1 are cast into the forms best calculated for safe transmission through a period of tradition4 ,we find the same suitableness of the form to the needs of the case1 in the shape in which the whole ,gospel has been delivered to us4 ,i refer to its being narrative instead of didactic1 and coming from the ,evangelists instead of from ,christ4 ,if our ,lord had left writings of ,his own1 every letter of them would have been invested with such sanctity that there could have been no independent investigation of truth4 ,its place would have been taken by commentatorial works on the delivered word4 ,when writings are set before us and we are told1 8,all truth lies there2 look no further20 then our ingenuity is directed to extract diversities of meanings from the given words2 for matter must be set forth in human speech1 and human speech conveys different meanings to differently biased minds4 ,the ,jews regarded their sacred books as the actual words of ,god2 hence came that subserviency to the letter1 and that stretching of formulae which brought them to play fast and loose with their consciences4 ,the ,scribes looked on their ,law as a conveyancer on a deed3 they were bound by the letter1 and this led them to regard the ,almighty as ,one dealing with men under the terms of a contract4 ,this drew them out of the road which led to a true knowledge of ,god1 and helped to make them 8blind leaders of the blind40 ,our ,lord breaks down this slavery to the letter of the ,scripture which ,he found existing1 and ,he is careful not to build up a new bondage to ,his own words4 ,when matter has come down by oral tradition1 men can hardly worship the letter of it4 ,we possess only brief memoirs collected by men1 the dates and history of the composition of which are far from certain1 so that room is left for criticism and judgment4 ,the revelation of ,god is1 therefore1 not so direct that men will be awestricken and shut their minds at the sight of it2 but human intelligence can be brought to bear on the records1 whereby their meaning is brought out1 and men's intellects are braced by the exploration of lofty regions4 ,men may without irreverence raise the question1 whether the narrator had rightly understood ,christ's sayings1 and properly connected them with the circumstances out of which they arose4 ,our ,lord1 in ,galilee at any rate1 spoke ,aramaic1 and we have merely the ,greek2 we have only fragments of ,his teaching2 we possess different versions1 agreeing indeed in essentials1 but with such differences1 that we are forced to admit in the writers a human possibility of error4 ,we have our ,lord's words it is true1 but not in the order1 or in the connection1 in which they were spoken4 ,there is not only room for human judgment but a necessity for it4 ,hence the form in which our ,lord's utterances have come down to us is suited to the plan which seems to run through all our ,lord's teaching2 it calls for the free play of the human mind1 and leaves room for the admission of a certain choice as to what we accept as revealed truth4 ,it is true that some ,divines have endeavoured to do what our ,lord was careful not to do--they have1 by theories of verbal inspiration1 endeavoured to put our ,gospels in the position that actual writings of our ,lord would have held2 and1 so far as they have succeeded1 they have brought about the evils which attended the notions of the scribes4 ,but the form in which we have the ,gospels does not lend itself to such a theory4 ,if men go wrong in this way they have only themselves to blame4 ,there is another way in which this form of the ,gospels answers to the plan of ,christ's teaching4 ,he impressed men1 above all1 by ,his ,personality1 and the record of ,his life is preserved to us in that form which is best adapted to preserve personality and store it up for the future1 viz4 the form of memoirs put together by contemporaries1 or by those who were familiar with contemporaries4 ,history and literature furnish many instances of men who have made their mark in virtue of a striking personality2 whose reputation rests1 not on any visible tokens1--not on kingdoms conquered1 institutions founded1 books written1 or inventions perfected or anything else that they did1--but mainly on what they were4 ,their merely having passed along a course on earth1 and lived and talked and acted with others1 has left lasting effects on mankind4 ,this may serve to put us in the way of understanding what was wrought by the ,personality of ,christ3 for our ,lord's disciples followed ,jesus of ,nazareth for this above all1--that he was ,jesus of ,nazareth4 ,those of ,his own time had felt this ,personality working on them while they saw ,him and listened to ,him4 ,it is consistent1 then1 with what we gather of ,his prospective care1 that ,he should so provide1 that after generations should have as nearly as possible1 the same advantages as that with which ,he lived upon the earth4 ,this is effected by ,his being presented to them in the ,gospels1 not as a writer is in his works1 not as a lawgiver is in his codes1 but as the man ,christ ,jesus1 mixing with men1 sharing their feasts1 helping their troubles1 going journeys with them1 and in all these occasions turning their thoughts1 gently1 with a touch that is scarcely observed1 towards that knowledge of ,god which ,he came to bring4 ,which is it that sways us most8 ,is it the teacher who tells us1--,this is the way you are to think1 this is what you are to believe and what you are to do8 ,or is it the friend who blends his life and heart and mind with ours1 with whom we argue and differ1 but take something each from the other1 which assimilates with what is most our own8 ,surely we yield more freely to the one who helps to foster our particular personality than to him who would thrust it aside1 and replace it by his own4 ,now ,christ1 as portrayed in the ,gospels1 is such a friend4 ,he trusts to men's believing that the ,father is in ,him1 not because ,he has declared it in set dogmas1 but because ,he has been 8so long with them40 ,he is a friend who lifts us out of our common selves1 and helps each one of us to find his own truest self3 we catch fire from the new light which he kindles in us1 and we become conscious of a new force1 a spiritual one4 ,when the narrative brings us to the sacrifice on the ,cross1 we see what the spectators saw1 and something more1 for we see this new inward force transcending all outward violence4 ,when we turn to the ,sufferer on the ,cross1 we say 8after all1 the ,victory is there40 ,but not only is our ,lord's ,personality presented to us in the literary form in which it can best be put forth1 that of the informal memoir1 but we are given four such memoirs1 each regarding its subject from a different point4 ,we have then four different projections of what we want to construct4 ,the help of this is obvious2 and it is worth mentioning that hereby there is more scope for man's mental action than if we had only one ,gospel4 ,by diligently comparing and fitting in each with the other1 we cultivate our mind's eye to catch the lineaments of ,christ's figure4 ,a painter1 who has to produce a portrait from four photographs1 has a less simple task than if only a single photograph existed2 but his work will be more intellectual2 it will do him more good1 and the result will be more of a conception and less of a copy4 ,i believe that the education of man to a knowledge of ,god is part of the ,divine purpose running through ,god's ways1 and ,i detect in the narrative form in which our knowledge of ,christ has been delivered to us1 a wise tenderness for the spiritual freedom of man and a help to keep his faculties alive4 ,i spoke just now of ,laws of ,christ's conduct4 ,the more we look at ,christ's life and teaching as a whole1 the more we discern in it the observance of certain ,laws1 which give it unity and order4 ,when we stand near some large painting1 or masterpiece of ,art1 we are taken up with the portion of it just under our eye2 we scan this or that group and admire its finish and its truth4 ,but when we go a little way off1 and again look1 and give our minds to it1 we become aware of a different order of perfections in it1 namely those perfections which belong to it as a whole1 as the completed conception of a gifted mind4 ,so it is with the ,gospel ,history4 ,while we read chapter by chapter we see what answers to one group in the great picture2 but when we have the whole in our mind1 we see a consistent purpose holding it all together3 we find that our ,lord always acts along certain lines1 and carries out certain principles4 ,one of these1 which lies at the root of ,his ways of dealing with men1 is ,his carefulness to keep alive in each man the sense of his personal responsibility1 and of the dignity of such responsibility4 ,he would seem to say to each man1 8,it is no small thing to have been entrusted by ,god with the care of a soul which you may educate for fitness for eternal life40 ,we find in our ,lord1 indignation1 once1 at least1 even anger17#b7 towards men and their ways1 but never contempt or scorn4 ,a man is1 merely as a man1 entitled to be treated with respect4 ,the enforcing of this on the world is1 among all the 8,gesta ,christi10 perhaps the most noticeable now4 ,the simple fact of ,his dealing directly with men themselves1 shews that ,he owned their free agency more or less4 ,if men had been merely puppets moved by strings1 ,christ could only have benefited them by swaying the powers who held these strings1 and there would have been no meaning in ,his addressing ,himself to the puppets themselves and giving ,his life for them4 ,now1 if men are free they must be at liberty to go in a direction different from that which is best for them--that is to go wrong2 and so it must needs be that 8occasions of stumbling0 come1 and cause suffering4 ,i mention these principles now1 because they are the bases of the ,laws of which ,i am going to speak4 ,they will come before us again further on4 ,the marking of uniformities in ,christ's conduct1 and in ,his modes of conveying instruction1 is serviceable in this way4 ,we perceive the ,laws 7defined as in p4 #b7 by regarding ,christ's career as a whole2 and in return1 the ,laws1 when perceived1 help us to grasp its unity and completeness in a more thorough way2 and1 besides this1 we strengthen our critical faculty1 and arm it with a new criterion which may become an effective weapon in arguing on questions of internal evidence4 ,for if we find in any newly-discovered fragment1 or even in the ,gospels themselves1 that which runs counter to what we think we have established as a ,law1 then we have to ask ourselves whether it is likely that the passage is spurious or imperfect or put out of its right place2 or1 on the other hand1 whether our ,law has been framed too narrowly1 and ought to be restated or enlarged4 ,again1 when we find a ,law constantly observed1 and are sure that the narrative cannot have been written up to the ,law1 because the narrators knew nothing of such a ,law2 then we come on a new variety of internal evidence4 ,if1 in matters which only a student would observe1 our ,lord is found to adhere to certain ways1 this favours the view that the materials for the portrait came from life2 for an artist drawing from description or following an idea of his own must have missed these delicate details now and then4 ,this consistency uniformly observed forms a sort of undesigned coincidence ramifying through the mass1 and holding it all together4 ,the notion of ,laws underlying our ,lord's action1 and shewing their traces on the surface from time to time1 will be best illustrated by an example4 ,i shall take the rules which our ,lord observes in the working of ,signs and ,wonders2 and so ,i must here anticipate something of that1 which ,i shall make the subject of a whole chapter further on4 ,our ,lord is set apart from all other teachers by ,his use of ,signs and ,wonders4 ,we shall enquire1 how ,he regarded them8 ,what use ,he designed to make of them8 ,and1 what more especially concerns us now1 what ,laws ,he observes when ,he employs them8 ,these ,laws we shall find--wrapped up as it were--in our ,lord's answers to the ,tempter in the wilderness4 ,the narrative of the ,temptation1 which seems1 at first sight1 to be a fragment unconnected with the course of the action of the ,gospel ,history1 becomes1 when the ,laws are noted1 the key to the interpretation of much4 ,isolated phenomena fall into system4 ,i will relate the ,temptations in the order given by ,st ,luke1 and briefly state the ,laws indicated in the ,tempter's suggestions together with our ,lord's replies4 ,i4 ,christ will not turn stones into loaves to appease ,his hunger in the wilderness4 ,this refusal contains two principles to which our ,lord will be found to adhere4 7#a7 ,he will not use ,his special powers to provide for ,his personal wants or for those of ,his immediate followers4 ,when our ,lord provided food for the five thousand1 the loaves and fishes the ,apostles had with them were enough for their own party47#c7 7#b7 ,christ will not provide by miracle what could be provided by human endeavour or human foresight4 ,our ,lord will not even make men better by action on them from without2 ,he will not change their being by any spiritual action without their cooperation4 ,when the ,apostles said 8,increase our ,faith10 ,he worked no sudden change in them1 but ,he pointed out to them the efficacy of ,faith1 in order that by longing for it1 they might attain to it4 ,,ii4 ,christ will not purchase the visible 8kingdoms of the world and the glory of them0 by worshipping ,satan--that is to say1 ,he will not do homage to the ,spirit of the world to win the world's support4 ,he will not ally ,himself with worldly policy4 ,he will not fight the world with its own weapons1 and become its master by giving in to its views and its ways4 ,in addressing the people ,he runs counter to the notions they cherished the most4 ,he would not proclaim ,himself as the ,messiah1 or allow ,himself to be made a ,king though thousands1 who were looking for a national deliverer1 would have rallied round ,him if ,he had done so47#d7 ,he would not conciliate the favour of the great4 ,he would not display ,his powers1 for a matter of wonderment1 to satisfy the curiosity of ,herod1 nor would ,he use them to repel violence by open force4 ,he would not hearken to the temptation which said1 8,use your miraculous powers to establish a visible kingdom upon earth2 and when this is done you can frame a perfect form of society by positive ,law40 ,,iii4 ,christ will not throw ,himself from the pinnacle of the ,temple4 ,the ,temptation must have been to do this in the sight of the people4 ,else1 why is this pinnacle chosen rather than any other height8 ,the refusal points to the following important ,laws4 7#a7 ,no miracle is to be worked merely for miracles' sake1 apart from an end of benevolence or instruction4 ,what appear to be exceptions to this rule cease to be so when fully considered4 ,the walking on the waters1 as we shall see further on1 was a step in training the ,apostles to realize ,his nearness to them1 when ,he was not before their eyes4 ,the withering of the fig-tree1 which had leaves before its time1 but no fruit1 was an acted parable bearing on the ,jewish people4 ,these are miracles of instruction4 ,we shall find others of the same kind4 7#b7 ,no miracle is to be worked which should be so overwhelming in point of awfulness1 as to terrify men into acceptance1 or which should be unanswerably certain1 leaving no loop-hole for unbelief4 ,as1 in the second ,temptation1 our ,lord refused to allow physical force to be used to bring men to adopt ,his cause1 so here ,he refuses to employ moral compulsion4 ,the miracles only convinced the willing1 men might always disbelieve if they would4 ,they might allow the fact of the prodigies1 and yet set them down to magic or witchcraft3 it was with many an open question whether to ascribe them to ,god or to ,beelzebub1 for the latter had1 it was supposed1 a share of power upon the earth4 ,but one popular criterion there was of the power being ,god's3 in heaven1 said the ,jews1 ,god reigned supreme and alone4 ,a ,sign worked there would carry with it the autograph of ,god4 ,when ,joshua would convince their fathers1 he had wrought a ,sign in heaven2 he had made the sun and moon stand still4 ,let ,christ do this and they would believe4 ,no such ,sign will ,christ work4 ,if the world was to be converted nolens volens it might as well have been peopled from the first by beings incapable of error4 ,if the end of ,his coming had been to gain adherents1 ,his purpose would have been furthered by granting a ,sign which would have struck the imagination of the masses2 but to raise a large immediate following was not our ,lord's design4 ,he wanted only a few fit spirits as depositories of ,his word4 ,he came to educate men to know ,god4 ,in this knowledge lay the assurance of immortality4 ,the knowledge reached through this education could not be imparted by any mere telling or express communication1 but had to be unfolded from within the learner's self4 ,belief was to grow and not to be imposed4 ,it had two elements1 a perception of a ,divine agency at work in the world1 and a personal trust in ,christ who manifested ,god1--a trust based on something like the devotion of a soldier to his chief4 ,that the probability that ,his mission did really come from ,god1 should be made to exceed by a little the probability that it did not1 and that this balance of arguments should lead people to acknowledge ,him1 was not what ,christ had in view4 ,he sought only the homage of free1 loving1 human hearts4 ,the ,laws above mentioned will be found to regulate the course of our ,lord's actions as regards the performance of ,signs and ,wonders4 ,they are frequently violated in the ,apocryphal ,gospels1 never1 ,i think1 in the ,canonical ones4 ,there are other ,laws which ,i shall have to trace2 one1 which is very important1 is stated on at least two occasions2 ,i have referred to it as being paradoxical in form1 and the more fitted to force itself on men's minds on that account4 ,it is the text1 8,for whosoever hath to him shall be given1 but whosoever hath not from him shall be taken away even that which he hath40 ,this looks as if it would fall in strangely with the ,law of ,natural ,selection and the ,survival of the ,fittest1 in the organic world4 ,what ,i believe our ,lord to have meant by it will be discussed in its proper place4 ,i shall have also to speak of the prospective bearing of much that our ,lord says and does1 and to shew how this gives us a greater assurance of our ,lord's being 8with us always to the end of the world40 ,christ seems to me to look over the heads of the generation about ,him far into the future2 ,his eye is fixed on the distance1 but it does not look out vaguely into space2 it is turned in a direction that is precisely determined4 ,he walks with the assured step of one who marches to a goal4 ,but what that goal is ,he never tells men1 and when ,he designedly keeps men's curiosity unsatisfied1 we may conjecture that no answer could be given without touching on conditions of spiritual existence beyond our ken4 ,there may be such conditions which we could no more conceive than we could imagine space with another dimension1 beside length and breadth and height4 ,the history of the ,church and of the workings of men's minds may disclose the existence of ,laws1 lying under the events of ages and operating through them1 analogous to those laid down by our ,lord for his own conduct2 and we may look along the direction in which these ,laws point4 ,some have thought they descried1 at the end1 a time1 in which peace and righteousness should reign over the whole world4 ,but ,christ ,himself doubted whether ,he should find faith upon the earth when ,he came47#e7 ,however1 if ,he should not1 still ,he will not have failed1 we can be sure of this4 ,what ,he meant to effect1 whatever it was1 will have come about4 ,righteous souls may be garnered elsewhere1 and this earth may be only a school of life1 a training ground for the education and selection 7for these two go together7 of beings who shall be fitted to enter into the ,kingdom of ,heaven4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,human ,,freedom4 ,i have spoken in the foregoing chapter of certain characteristics of our ,lord's ways of dealing with men4 ,in considering these ways we find ourselves1 at almost every turn1 face to face with the great enigmas of life which underlie all ,theology4 ,questions about ,divine government and human freedom will1 ,i see1 force themselves upon us4 ,it would keep this book more close to its purpose1 if ,i could proceed at once with the examination of what our ,lord says and does1 and leave all these difficulties on one side1 taking it for granted that all my readers had arrived at their own views about them2 or if ,i were to refer them to works in which they are formally discussed4 ,but ,i trust my readers will forgive me1 if ,i suppose that it may be with them as with those ,i have been used to teach--that is to say1 that they will be attracted by these perplexities1 and that they will be impatient at being told that just what they want to ask lies outside my province4 ,many too1 ,i know1 would never turn to any of the learned works on these matters1 of which ,i might give them the names4 ,i have resolved1 therefore1 to deal with these matters once for all1 in as familiar a way as ,i can4 ,i cannot1 of course1 give my readers solutions of these questions2 ,i can only tell them how ,i manage to do without a solution myself1 and put before them the view of these matters which ,i hold till ,i can get a better1 so that they may more readily enter into my views of ,christ's ,laws of action1 and understand what ,i write4 ,the characteristics of our ,lord's ways which particularly bring us in contact with these mysteries1 and which therefore concern us most now1 are 7#a7 ,his care to keep alive in ,his hearers their sense of being free and responsible agents2 7#b7 ,his tolerance of the existence of evil in the world4 ,these questions of free will and the existence of evil have been for ages the battle-ground of divines1 and they come before us every day4 8,why did not ,god make every one good80 is a question which occurs to every intelligent child4 ,he runs to his first teachers with it1 and finding himself put off with an answer that is no answer--for a child is quick in detecting this--he gets his first notion that there are matters which even grown-up people know nothing about4 ,so1 that ,i may not serve my readers in this way1 ,i give them all ,i have myself4 ,i can no more tell them 8,how0 or 8,why0 ,god brought about the present state of things1 than ,i can solve the great mystery which is at the bottom of all mysteries3 8,how1 or ,why1 ,god and the world ever existed at all80 ,but ,i think ,i can shew that free agency in men1 and the existence of evil1 and also a reserve in the revelation of ,god's ways--a question ,i shall have to deal with next--are consistent with our situation in this world2 supposing that the mental and spiritual development of ,god's creatures is the proximate end and aim of the ,spiritual ,order4 ,some hypothesis we must make as to a purpose in the world1 if we regard it as the work of a mind2 and this is the purpose which most seems to fall in with what ,i observe4 ,our ,lord speaks of ,divine action as 8,the mystery of the kingdom of ,god407#f7 ,he directs the thoughts of ,his disciples to these ways by telling them1 not what they are1 but to what they are like4 ,we shall never1 while on earth1 perfectly know these ways1 but ,christ thinks it well for ,his disciples to strive after this knowledge1 and to look for lessons in all they see to help them towards it4 ,not only does ,christ give us what ,i have called seed-thoughts on these matters1 but ,he puts us in possession of a unique method for leading men towards the truth about them4 ,he takes an incident of familiar life1 and uses it to set forth spiritual verities4 ,so when we must discourse of these hard matters our safest course is to follow our ,lord's way4 ,no doubt1 ,he meant to shew us how to teach1 as well as to tell us what to teach2 so if we begin with a sort of allegory or parable1 we cannot be far wrong in point of form1 however feeble and faulty the execution may be4 ,i believe that the relation of a parent to his household affords likeness enough to that of the ,father to ,his world1 to be used as the ground of a parable on ,god's ,will and ,human ,freedom4 ,let us suppose that the father of a family1 a man of strong will1 and steadfastly abhorring evil1 should conceive the project of forcibly shutting it out from his home4 ,we will suppose the household planted in a spot remote from human intercourse1 in some self-supplying island or dale among the hills2 and1 as ,i do not mean to touch on physical evil1 let us suppose that no external calamity comes nigh the dwelling4 ,here1 let us suppose1 the children grow up1 uncontaminated by ill1 knowing no temptation1 reared in love and kindness1 treated wisely and with such even justice that envy and jealousy find no room to enter4 ,the parent proposes to himself to do away with all temptation1 all chance of individual aberration1 and to cast his children's character in a perfect mould4 ,he would have them merge themselves in him as much as possible1 repeating his thoughts and accepting his views without questioning them1 or supposing they could be questioned4 ,all society1 all books1 but what he approves1 are banished from that house1 so that no whisper of evil1 no pernicious notions can possibly intrude4 ,evil is by him regarded as a pestilent weed1 which only exists1 owing to some oversight in the making of the world1 for which he is at a loss to account4 ,it is at once to be eradicated whenever it is espied4 ,let us suppose that all goes well in our imagined household--that the children love their father and believe implicitly in him2 that they are so happy in their home and home pursuits that they do not look beyond2 and that the healthy labour1 which their common wants necessitate1 gives room for all their energies4 ,hence1 there is no repining at their narrow sphere1 no longing for more strenuous activity or more varied life4 ,each does his daily work1 and returns to pleasant rest and a happy home1 and no more asks himself whether he is happy than he asks whether the valves of his heart are opening and closing as they should4 ,the father1 then1 looks around him1 and sees his ideal accomplished4 ,he has a family of which no member does anything but what he approves1 or has a thought but what he shares with him3 not one of them sets up an opinion different from what he holds4 ,it never occurs to them to doubt the wisdom of any injunction4 ,life presents to them no moral difficulties1 because1 as soon as any question occurs to them1 they run with it to their father1 and on receiving his reply put aside the matter1 as being decided and disposed of for good and all4 ,we might suppose the parent would look around with unalloyed satisfaction4 ,but a moment comes when he finds something wanting4 ,he is not so thoroughly satisfied as he had expected to be with the ideal which he has worked out4 ,some misgiving obtrudes itself4 ,he asks himself--,is this condition1 this merging of my children's wills in mine1 what is best for them or what is best for me8 ,is not this goodness of theirs too negative8 ,is it not rather the absence of evil than the presence of good8 ,further he asks1 am not ,i substantially alone8 ,is not mine the only independent mind in the place1 of which all the rest are mere reflections8 ,am ,i not intensifying my loneliness and all the moral disadvantages that attach to it1 by thus rendering all who surround me merely portions of myself8 ,for my children are not separate persons1 but bits of me4 ,are not whole provinces of moral activity shut out from me1 by the very fact of my having everything my own way8 ,are there not virtues which require opposition to call them out8 ,is it not good to have to ask ourselves whether we are dealing fairly with opponents8 ,is it not good to forgive wrongs8 ,is it not good to reach out a helping hand1 and lift one who has stumbled1 back into his self-respect8 ,i engage in no struggles4 ,in my world there are no misdoings to forgive and no misdoers to restore4 ,have ,i not closed against myself whole worlds of moral action and of moral life8 ,then1 as to my children1 8,have ,i not been wrong in supposing that they must be good because they have never done wrong8 ,they have been so kept from the suggestion of evil that they could hardly help going right4 ,but could they resist temptation if it came8 ,they have never been braced by a struggle with it1 nor marked the ill fruits of evil4 ,they take it on trust from me that evil brings sorrow2 but it usually comes in disguise and declares itself harmless1 and how should they recognise it if it came80 ,so1 question after question suggests itself1 all destructive of his satisfaction4 8,can it be10 he says at last1 8that ,i have brought up these children so as to be fit for no world but that which ,i have carefully constructed for them8 ,i used to delight in their goodness2 but since ,i have suspected it to be mainly instinctive--an innocence that is the outcome of ignorance--my satisfaction in it is half gone40 ,at length1 he is harassed with the idea that he may have given up his life to a mistake1 that what he has done has cramped his own mental and moral expansion1 and that the excellence of his blameless family is only fair-weather goodness after all4 ,he casts about to think why it is that they have 8neither savour nor salt10 and concludes 8,what they want is personality--and how should they have got it1 living in a household where ,i have taken care to be all in all80 ,then his thoughts run upon evil1 which he has been at such pains to shut out1 closing against it every cranny and chink4 8,god10 he may say1 8has let evil into ,his world--was ,i right in keeping it forcibly out of mine8 ,may not the resisting and assuaging of evil give occasion for good to grow up1 and feel its own strength8 ,are there not many kinds of goodness1 brought out in this way1 which we could no more have without evil than we could have light in a picture without shade8 ,if there is no room for my children to go wrong1 what moral significance10 he asks1 8is there in saying that they go right80 ,so he is disheartened with his project1 and gives it up4 ,he abandons his isolated way of life1 and gives his children freedom4 ,he encourages them to act and judge for themselves4 ,henceforth they can choose their own books1 their own friends their own pursuits1 and go forth into life1 outside their charmed circle4 ,of course this involves the giving up of his absolute power2 this is inherent in the nature of things4 ,a man cannot be an autocrat and have free people about him4 ,if he would have intercourse with free intelligences1 in order to get the advantages to his own cultivation and expansion of character which spring from such intercourse2 this must be purchased by abdicating some of his powers1 or putting them in abeyance4 ,so the parent forbears using his power1 in order that his children may learn to be free1 and that he may hold communion with free1 loving hearts1 and engage in discussion with unfettered minds4 ,soon1 he finds that he has to encounter opposition4 ,the children are free to go wrong1 and wrong some of them will go3 evil appears in that household where it was not known4 ,the father sorrows over this1 but when he reviews his condition he finds that he has a countervailing comfort2 the good that is left about him is now real good4 ,it is the good of persons who have known and resisted evil4 ,besides this1 there is more life and greater vigour of character in his family1 than there was before4 ,they no longer sit with folded hands always waiting for direction2 they have the air of persons who see a purpose before them2 and they move along their way 8with the certain step of man40 ,so he concludes that it is better that all should engage in the struggle with evil1 even though some should fail1 than that they should move along paths ready shaped out for them1 shewing a merely mechanical goodness4 ,a great change has come over his life in another respect1 he is now no longer alone4 ,other wills come into contact1 sometimes into collision1 with his will2 a host of qualities1 which had been folded up and laid by for years1 come again into use4 ,he is no longer among echoes of himself1 but there are real voices in his new world4 ,his views may still prevail1 but it must be1 not merely because they are his1 but because they stand on solid ground4 ,he may still lead in action2 but it must be because he has the leader's strength1 because he will venture when others waver1 and decide when others doubt4 ,here we must leave him1 and say a word or two before making the obvious application of the parable3 ,we must not press the application too closely or draw conclusions from the mere machinery of the parable3 it must not1 of course1 be supposed that ,i conceive ,god to have dealt with man as the father does with his children2 that is to say1 to have kept him at first in tutelage1 and then found it desirable to enfranchise him4 ,the sole object of the story is to familiarise the reader with the need of freedom in moral growth4 ,it shews that for education to be carried out1 the will must be free to act4 ,when we have brought this home to his mind1 we shall be the better able 8to justify the ways of ,god to man0 in some important particulars4 ,the parable is designed to apply to the condition of men on earth on the supposition1 that their education--in the largest sense of the word--is the main work held in view3 all depends on the hypothesis that man is placed on earth to develop his powers4 ,the need of freedom for members of the imagined family depends on their being in a state of growth4 ,the parable would not apply to spiritual beings1 if we could conceive such1 whose qualities and character were unalterable4 ,perfected beings have done with growth and struggle1 and have attained to the highest condition1 viz4 existence in unison with ,god4 ,but for imperfect beings1 struggling on to their goal1 freedom is required and the opposition of evil is indispensable1 in order that the moral thews and sinews may harden4 ,whenever we come upon an objection to the ways of ,god's ordering of the world1 which is put in the form of a question1 such as 8,why was not the world made in this way or that80 we shall find it a good plan1 to follow out the line indicated in the complaint1 and see what would have come about1 supposing that ,god had made the world in the way which is suggested4 ,from the imaginary case here put1 we see to what the common child's question leads us--the question 8,why did not ,god make all people good and keep them so80--,if people had been 8made good and kept good10 that is to say if they had been constructed by ,god so as always to act as ,his will prompted1 then they would not in the proper sense of the word have been people at all2 they would have been mechanisms worked by ,god1 and so they could not have been 8good0 in the sense in which we use the word of a man1 but only in that in which we apply it to a watch4 ,there could be no moral life without freedom2 there could be no growth of character without temptations and difficulties to overcome2 no heroism1 no self-denial1 no sympathising tenderness1 no forgiving love1 without suffering or wrongdoing to call them forth4 ,moreover if not only people on earth1 but all created intelligences had1 in like manner1 been constrained to respond to every motion of the ,divine will1 ,god would have been the one spiritual being in the world and would therefore have been absolutely alone4 ,let us now suppose1 and the supposition falls in with what our conscience and the ,bible tell us1 that in ,god all goodness dwells4 ,this goodness cannot lie stored away as in a treasure-house1 so as to be merely an object of contemplation1 it must be active and in operation4 ,this is essential to our idea of goodness1 and it agrees with the view of ,god which ,christ presents to us1 which is that of a being ever operating4 8,my ,father worketh hitherto10 says our ,lord1 8and ,i work40 ,for good to unfold1 and advance toward perfection in its manifold ways1 an arena is wanted4 ,the world we know of affords the arena required2 in this1 ,god has been working from the first ,one kind of ,his work we can conceive to be the suggesting thoughts to men2 but if it be so1 ,he leaves the will free either to entertain or to reject the suggestions1 as we might those of a friend4 ,that we may not lose ourselves in the immensity of ,god and eternity1 we will withdraw our gaze from the rest of the ,universe1 and fix it on this planet of ours1 when organic life first began to appear upon it4 ,the spiritual and material world might1 before this1 have been going on1 each apart1 through countless ages2 but a moment came when the spiritual and the material were wondrously blended1 and life began upon the earth4 ,different orders of being succeeded each other1 and fresh forces came into play4 ,we may suppose that ,god sympathised with all ,his creation1 and that the qualities that appeared in it reflected something in ,himself4 ,god may have rejoiced in seeing the animal creation happy4 ,the animals were in a degree free1 but they were not self-conscious2 they did not know that they were happy1 or that they were loved1 and ,god may have required for the full unfolding of ,his infinite capacity for sympathy and love1 to be in relation with beings who could know ,him and love ,him1 and know that they loved ,him4 ,mr ,erskine of ,linlathen1 in his excellent book on the ,spiritual ,order1 says 8,is there not a comfort in the doctrine of the eternal ,sonship1 as a deliverance from the thought of a ,god1 whose very nature is ,love1 dwelling in absolute solitude from all eternity without an object of love80 ,we may extend this observation to other qualities besides love1 from the exercise of which1 a being who is alone in the world is necessarily debarred4 ,is it not likely that a ,god of mercy1 truth and justice would frame a world of beings1 in ,his dealing with whom all these qualities should find scope and exercise8 ,without self-conscious beings having free wills1 how could this be done8 ,close by the side of this question of free will1 lies that of the existence of moral evil1 in a world made by a being who1 by the hypothesis1 is perfectly good4 ,when we supposed the world to be formed for the evolution of moral goodness1 we1 perhaps without knowing it1 introduced the idea of moral evil1 implied in that of goodness2 for actual good is evolved in resisting evil and repairing the mischief it has done2 indeed many forms of it can no more exist without evil as an antagonist1 than a wheel can turn without the friction of the road4 ,now1 as ,i have said1 if men be left free1 they must have liberty to go wrong4 ,for if they had been originally made so perfect that they could not go wrong1 this would only mean that they were like watches very excellently fabricated2 they could only move in one particular way1 viz4 the way in which they had been designed to move by ,god4 ,inasmuch as such beings would not be persons1 we could not feel gratitude or anger towards them1 nor influence them in any way4 ,if men were like this1 there could be little or no growth1 little or no action of man on man4 ,if1 to take another supposition1 man had been so made that it would be possible for him to go wrong1 but that he had been sedulously kept out of temptation and placed in an abode where innocence reigned undisturbed2 then we come to a case very like that sketched in the foregoing parable4 ,there is a third case possible4 ,god might make men capable of going wrong1 but might watch over them and protect them1 whether they craved ,his help or not1 whenever temptation approached4 ,this constant supernatural interference would soon have destroyed all self-helpfulness2 men would never have formed habits of avoiding or resisting temptation4 8,god10 the man would say1 8will not let me sin--,i may go as near to danger as ,i like1 and need take no care of myself1 because ,i am sure of ,god's protection40 ,we know that a child does not learn to take care of himself1 so long as he feels that it is the nurse's business to see that no harm happens to him4 ,we come then to this result4 ,god requires free self-conscious beings1 for the full exercise of the moral goodness in ,himself and for its development and manifestation in the world4 ,but ,he cannot give others freedom1 and at the same time provide that they should act only in the way that ,he approves3 because this in itself would be a contradiction1 and a contradiction not even ,divine power can effect4 ,hence these free1 intelligent beings must be at liberty to go wrong1 and ,god must1 in exchange for having free wills about him1 forego part of ,his absolute prerogative3 and so ,he must allow evil a place in the world because this is involved in the 8liberty to go wrong0 just spoken of4 ,this brings us to the mystery of the 8origin of evil40 ,i shall not lay myself open to the charge made against divines1 8,that they no sooner declare a subject to be a mystery than they set to work to explain it40 ,i can see that if man is to be left free1 evil must needs come1 and that without evil in the world none of the more masculine virtues can be brought to the birth--that is to say1 ,i see that evil1 being in the world1 serves to discharge a function--but ,i do not pretend to say how it came4 ,i do not maintain that it came1 solely1 from man's misuse of his freedom4 ,from what we see in the world arises a fancy that every thing must have its opposite1 that light presupposes darkness1 and pleasure pain1 and so good may presuppose evil2 but this fancy is not substantial enough to build upon4 ,our ,lord's words on the occasions when ,he deals with evil1 are1 to my judgment1 most easily reconciled with one another1 and with the circumstances which call them forth1 by supposing ,him to recognise a personal spiritual influence1 presenting evil thoughts to the minds of men2 the man remaining free to choose whether he will entertain these suggestions or not4 ,i return to my immediate subject--the function that evil performs in the existing moral world4 ,we read in the ,book of ,genesis that the earth was to bring forth 8thorns and thistles10 and that man was 8to eat bread in the sweat of his brow407#g7 ,this is the result of a change worked1 we are told1 8for man's sake40 ,it was indeed for man's sake--though in a different sense--that this was so4 ,he would have remained a very poor creature if the earth had produced just what he wanted1 without any labour of his4 ,this illustrates the function of evil in the ordering of the world4 ,man's qualities1 moral and physical1 are developed by it4 ,it subserves the progress of the human race4 ,we should have less heroism1 without cruelty and oppression from without2 and could have no self-restraint1 without temptation from within4 ,piety and love indeed1 when they had once come into being1 might exist without evil2 we may believe that they satisfy the souls of the saints in heaven2 but among men they commonly owe their birth to a feeling of shelter against evil1 and to a sense of pardoned wrong4 ,another office which evil performs is this4 ,the contention with it helps to bring out the difference between man and man4 ,if any members of the family of my parable had possessed the germs of a strong character1 they could hardly have brought fruit to perfection3 the conditions of their innocent life tended to uniformity4 ,but as soon as temptations came1 latent differences would forthwith appear2 the strong would grow stronger and the bad worse4 ,now there is need of strong men for human progress4 ,they form the steps in the stairway by which the race mounts4 ,if life were smooth and easy1 men would1 as it were1 advance in line1 and the stronger men would not so surely come in front of the rest4 ,it is in times of trouble that men are most apt to recognise worth and capacity1 and make much of them4 ,so that the trials and difficulties of human life which come of evil1 have this good effect among others1 they help to pick out the men who are fitted to be the leaders of human movements and of human thought4 ,it may have struck us as strange that ,christ does not deal directly with these perplexing questions which trouble so many minds4 ,we shall see1 later on1 that ,his not doing so is quite consistent with the uniform 8tenour of ,his way40 ,but though our ,lord does not lay down dogmas on these points1 yet ,his own actions and expressions would1 of course1 accord with what ,he knew3 if1 then1 when we hit upon some view of this 8riddle of the painful earth10 which commends itself to our minds1 we find that it clashes with what our ,lord does or says1 then we may throw it aside at once3 and1 on the other hand1 if we arrive at a way of looking at the matter which seems to harmonise with what falls from ,him2 then1 we may hope1 not indeed that we have found a solution of the riddle1 but that our hypothesis will not mislead us1 so long as we own it to be an hypothesis1 and nothing more4 ,we may be supposed then to have arrived at this position4 ,we assume the existence of a mighty ,divine being1 in whom all goodness dwells4 ,we suppose that this world is an arena in which a struggle is to be carried on between good and evil by the agency of free intelligent beings2 that by means of this struggle the better natures will be strengthened and developed1 and come more and more into action2 we suppose also that ,god whispers counsel and comfort on the side of good4 ,further than this we need not now go4 ,as regards the presence of evil in the world1 there are several sayings of our ,lord which might be noted4 ,i must confine myself to one or two of the most important4 ,first let us consider the following passage from ,st ,john's ,gospel37#h7 8,and as he passed by1 he saw a man blind from his birth4 ,and his disciples asked him1 saying1 ,rabbi1 who did sin1 this man1 or his parents1 that he should be born blind8 ,jesus answered1 ,neither did this man sin1 nor his parents3 but that the works of ,god should be made manifest in him40 ,here the disciples take it for granted1 that the blindness was a punishment for sin1 either on the part of the man or his parents4 ,it is our ,lord's practice--and a practice so uniform that we may call it a ,law of proceeding--not to enter into controversy about wide-spread mistaken views on merely speculative subjects3 ,he usually gives a hint1 and leaves it to work in the hearer's mind4 ,our ,lord's answer in this case means1 not1 of course1 that the man and his parents had never committed sin1 but that the blindness was not the result of that sin2 and ,he passes rapidly on to state ,his view of one purpose answered by this infliction4 ,in ,his few words of answer our ,lord lets fall one of those hints1 seed thoughts1 as ,i have called them1 which lie so thickly in the ,gospels4 ,our ,lord tells us1 that the works of ,god were to be made manifest by this man's infirmity4 ,a light is thrown by these words on one of the 8uses of adversity40 ,suffering gives room for moral goodness to come into play4 ,the world is full of instances easy enough to note4 ,does not a sick child in a family educate all around it to tenderness and self-denial8 ,what more touching lesson in patience can be given than the sight of the little sufferer1 grieved at nothing so much as the trouble it causes1 making the most of every alleviation1 grateful beyond measure for every look or word of love4 ,rough brothers learn forbearance and gentleness2 and to all the household it becomes natural to think of something else before1 or at least beside1 themselves4 ,wordsworth tells us of a half-witted boy whose helplessness and simplicity fostered a spirit of kindliness in all the poor of the village1 and taught them to respect affliction4 ,again in the parable of the ,prodigal ,son1 we are taught how there is 8a soul of goodness in things evil40 ,the wickedness of the prodigal is made a means of revealing to him and to all the bystanders the ,divine beauty and efficacy of forgiving love4 ,we will now7#i7 turn to the history of the cure of the ,dmoniac in the country of the ,gadarenes4 ,i take the history in what seems to me the plain literal sense1 and ,i must suppose that our ,lord recognised some real evil existence1 which had possessed itself of the man1 and which1 by its presence in him1 had unhinged his whole mental or nervous organisation4 ,this existence is separable from him1 but it requires1 it would seem1 some body to inhabit and to work upon4 ,the dmon begs not to be suppressed or annihilated1 and our ,lord grants his petition and lets him go among the swine4 ,he saves the man--what other evils this dmon may work in the world1 so that he lets men go1 is no concern of ,his4 ,the ,son of ,man is concerned only with lives and souls--not with property in any way4 ,the point for us to note is this3 ,our ,lord does not annihilate evil4 ,he does not regard it as an outlawed intruder who had eluded ,god's notice1 and who1 as soon as he is discovered1 is to be expelled from the universe at once4 ,his ,father has suffered evil to be1 and ,he1 ,christ1 follows in ,his ,father's ways3 evil may still do its work1 only not on men4 ,this evil influence1 we must observe1 is something external to the man2 it would seem to belong to an order of existences1 engaged in working ill as their congenial business2 whispering bad counsel1 something in the way that ,god's ,spirit whispers good1 only1 of course1 not in such deep authoritative tones2 and1 in these cases of possession1 it masters the whole being of the sufferer4 ,why this was allowed to be1 is of course a mystery1 but yet it is hardly a greater mystery than why evil in its other forms should be allowed to exist1 and without evil in some shape1 as we have seen1 this earth would be a very imperfect exercise-ground for mankind4 ,to represent this case to our minds1 let us imagine some malignant 8germ0 that has caused a plague amongst men1 and which in time takes a slightly different form1 so that it is no longer adapted to human beings1 but finds its prey in cattle instead4 ,then the plague among men is exchanged for a murrain among cattle1 which1 as a matter of fact1 has been known to happen3 this answers to the allowing the dmon to go to the swine4 ,evil is not forcibly exterminated1 but it is transferred from man to the lower animals4 ,so our ,lord is gentle even with the powers of evil4 ,they had their function1 or they would not have been there1 and they were not to be crushed out of existence before the time4 ,if it be1 as ,i have argued1 that evil had a function in the world1 then we can see why it could not be removed by a universal decree4 ,but a single act of relief might be admissible in order to testify to the presence of an exceptional power2 this would not engender in people the habit of helplessly throwing themselves upon ,god4 ,for instance1 ,christ cures the son of the centurion merely by speaking the word1 but if ,he had abolished all fevers by one decree1 this would have been to disorganise the existing order in the universe4 ,a ,king going on a royal progress relieves the misery that comes in his way2 his own kindliness1 his royal dignity1 and the need of impressing on the people that their ,king delights in doing good1 and can do it1 require him so to do4 ,but a regal donation for the relief of all distress in the kingdom would turn it into a nation of paupers4 ,so our ,lord bestows ,his bounty on those who fall in ,his way4 ,he who asks1 ,why did not ,christ suppress evil8 may naturally ask also1 ,why did not ,christ sweep away all human error as to the relations of ,god with man8 ,and why did ,he not so vouch for the authenticity of ,his communication that any doubt about it should be impossible8 ,now we believe1 that ,god has revealed ,himself to man1 and yet has left men in some degree free as to what they will think about ,him1 and as fully at liberty to examine the credentials of those who have claimed to be ,his messengers1 and to judge of their authenticity1 as they would be in a purely human matter4 ,we find1 as a matter of fact1 that men who have accepted ,christ's revelation are not fettered in mind by it2 but are most often enterprising1 energetic and bold searchers after truth4 ,i believe that it would have been unfavourable to the preservation of this vigour of mind and to the temper which should 8try all things and hold fast those which are good10 if the full and absolute revelation which some demand had been delivered to mankind1 and all the problems which beset human life had thereby been settled once for all4 ,to the questions 8,why we are told what we are told80 8,why we are not told more80 and 8,why doubt and ambiguities are not all cleared away80--we cannot hope to give answers1 but we may find ways of looking at them which shall help in some degree 8,to justify the ways of ,god to man40 ,it will be best to discuss this subject in a separate ,chapter4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,of ,,revelation4 ,if ,i took the word ,revelation in its widest sense ,i should not attempt to treat of it here1 for it would comprise nothing less than ,god's education of the human race4 ,we talk of ,natural ,religion and ,revealed ,religion1 but all ,religion has in it an element of revelation from ,god4 ,if ,god had not provided man with a mind's eye suited to see ,him by1 and also something that shadowed ,him forth which that eye could behold1 we could have no religion at all4 ,of the processes by which belief has come about in men not the least notable is this4 ,men have recognised in some new tidings what they seemed to have been looking for1 without being aware of it4 ,some new teacher has become the spokesman of thoughts which were lying in them in a state too vague for utterance4 ,thus 8thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed407#aj7 ,now it is ,god who has planted these thoughts in men1 and ,he brings about the occasions which reveal them4 ,there are for man two worlds1 that which is without him and that which is within4 ,some races from temperament or circumstances have been most taken up with the former1 with the workings of nature and with active social life2 while others have looked within rather than without2--their minds have found most congenial play in the contemplation of their own natures1 and in brooding over the mystery of how they came to be what they were4 ,corresponding to these two leading diversities of the human mind1 there are two modes by which men are brought to recognise a great spiritual agency in the world4 ,the man of ,aryan race1 the type of the first variety1 caught sight of an infinite force underlying all the workings of nature1 and so conceived ,deities1 with a personal will like his own1 animating the physical world4 ,for the people of the ,semitic race on the other hand1 the surpassing wonder was their own selves--their minds turned to contemplating their own nature4 ,in so doing they noted this2 they found something within them which caused them to be happy when they acted in one way--when they had done a kindness for example--and made them unhappy when they had behaved differently4 ,this was so1 even when no one knew of the act1 and when they looked to no consequences from it4 ,they called such actions right and wrong2 but they asked1 ,where can this notion of right and wrong come from8 ,this conscience too which witnessed of it--which strove with them just as a friend might1 and seemed to be something outside them--,where did that come from8 ,they were led by this to conceive a spiritual personal ,being in the world who had left some trace of himself in men's hearts1 and kept up some communion with them through this voice of conscience4 ,thus men of different stamps of mind were led along different roads1 to the notion of something ,divine in the world2 and we may say that ,god revealed himself to man in these two ways4 ,now for knowledge to be sure and solid two elements must go to the making of it4 ,one from outside the learner1 and the other supplied by him4 ,this outside element is in physical science provided by observed fact1 and what answers to it in theology is authoritative revelation4 ,men can never feel fully assured about what is wholly spun out of their own brains1 and has no external sign or testimony to lend it support4 ,revelation1 in the sense in which ,i have to do with it just now1 means an authoritative communication from the ,almighty1 vouched by some outward sign1 or manifestation4 ,it is with this outward sign1 and with the difficulties attending the ways of bringing it about1 that ,i am now chiefly concerned4 ,for the present we will suppose that among the elements of human knowledge are truths revealed by ,god4 ,how is this element of absolutely certain knowledge to be made to fit in with that which is only matter of opinion or provisionally true8 ,here we come on the great problem of ,revelation4 ,how can the infinite be brought into the same account with the finite8 ,we know that if we give one term in an algebraical expression an infinite value1 all the rest go for nothing2 so likewise do probable judgments vanish in the face of absolute authority4 ,but if ,revelation is delivered in such a mode that its declarations admit of no question whatever1 then its statements possess absolute certainty4 ,compared with such certainty all our judgments would be doubtful and dim1 like candles in the presence of electric light4 ,would not this sharp contrast discourage man from using his own powers8 ,but is it not by regarding this world as an exercise ground for these same powers that we come most near to understanding it8 ,is it consistent with ,god's ways1 such as we make them out to be1 that after giving us faculties which would find their amplest field in the consideration of spiritual problems he should preclude the investigation of them by solving them all ,himself4 ,again the truth delivered in any ,divine ,revelation of the problems of the ,universe would come into contact with views based on supposed facts drawn from ,history or ,geology1 or with truths discovered by the human mind1 and difficulties would occur all along the line of demarcation between what was infallible and what was not4 ,for instance1 if the history of one nation were absolutely revealed1 much of that of the nations contiguous would be revealed too2 more particularly the results of the wars between them3 and if isolated facts belonging to science1 such as those relating to the formation of our globe1 were communicated on ,divine ,authority1 then systems of ,natural ,philosophy1 starting from these facts as axioms1 might claim1 upon religious grounds1 acceptance for every one of their conclusions4 ,if an independent system essayed to rear its head1 it would be crushed by coming into collision with some statement that brooked no question4 ,such scientific investigation as would be possible could only proceed by deduction from truths authoritatively delivered4 ,observation and induction1 which have led up to the knowledge of nature we now possess1 would find no place4 ,man would be discouraged from using his own endeavours to understand the problems of the universe1 and instead of so doing1 he would only pray the ,almighty to tell him all he wanted to know4 ,these ill effects do not follow in the case of ,christ's religion for two reasons4 ,first1 because ,christ does not reveal what man could find out for himself2 and therefore this revelation does not come1 so to say1 into competition with human investigations4 ,secondly1 because the genuineness of the revelation is not vouched for by evidence which is overwhelming and which finally settles the question2 but is only supported by just enough external testimony to command attentive consideration and respect4 ,the evidence that the ,sign is of ,god is not so cogent that there is no escape from it4 ,if it were so1 it would silence all discussion about the fact of ,revelation having been given1 in the way in question1 and would narrow the area for the exercise of religious thought4 ,reason may agree to bow to ,revelation as being ,god's declaration2 but she has a right to satisfy herself that it is ,god's declaration1 and she will call in learning and rules of criticism to help her in determining the question4 ,even when ,reason has satisfied herself as to the credentials of this ,revelation1 there comes another question which gives play for human intelligence4 ,it is asked 8,what does this ,revelation mean80 ,language is the outcome of the human mind1 and all statements made in language1 this ,revelation among the rest1 must be subject to the laws of the human understanding4 ,we see then1 that both as to its credentials and its meaning ,revelation must always be open to question2 and that a man is as much bound to exercise his judgment upon these points as upon the other problems of life4 ,this would seem a very natural state of things1 yet it causes dismay to some persons when they first begin to look into these matters for themselves4 ,they had expected1 moreover1 to find such a balance of evidence on their own side1 that no one except from wilfulness and perversity could decide the other way4 ,examination shews that1 regarding the question as one of historical evidence1 and putting all prepossessions apart1 the two sides are more nearly in a state of equipoise than they had been supposed to be2 and it is remarkable that this kind of equipoise has been maintained1 as far as we can make out by history1 from the time of the ,apostles till now4 ,arguments and testimony have1 from time to time1 appeared on one side1 and have been answered from the other2 and now and then some discovery has been made turning the balance on this side or that2 but soon some new idea has been started which has put another complexion on the matter4 ,so that positive evidence has never been so complete and decisive on either side as to prevent a man's habits or the bent of his mind from swaying his verdict4 ,when young men first look into these matters for themselves1 having heretofore taken certain notions on trust1 they are apt to be aghast at the unsettlement1 and at the call on them to use their own judgments and make up their minds4 ,unhappily they have often been led to suppose that to hold a particular set of opinions1 merely as opinions1 without any effect being produced in their character thereby1 gives them a claim to some degree of favour in the eyes of the ,almighty3 while to question these opinions1 or to enquire too closely into the grounds on which they rest1 is dangerous1 and calculated to bring them into disfavour with ,him4 ,i cannot stop to combat this notion now4 ,but whatever the reason may be1 the fact is certain1 that when persons begin to investigate for themselves the bases of their belief1 they find that many statements which they had regarded as true beyond all question are found to stand on less sure ground than they had thought2 and since they fancy that if the authority of any word of the ,bible is shaken they will soon have no standing ground left1 they become much disturbed4 ,then it is that we hear the outcry3 8,why cannot all be made clear8 ,or1 if we cannot be told every thing1 why1 at any rate1 is not that which we are told put so plainly1 that there can only be one way of looking at it8 ,why were not things so written that one who runs may read8 ,why are we not given quite positive assurance of the truth of what is revealed8 ,why have we not a ,sign in ,heaven as the ,jews demanded1 or1 what would suit our times better1 an incontestable demonstration of the truth of ,christianity80 8,why1 in short10 to use the words of the objectors of the last century1 8,if ,god desired to make a ,revelation to man1 did ,he not write it in the skies80 ,to none of these 8,whys0 can we supply its proper 8,because40 ,we cannot give the reasons of a man's conduct unless we can enter into his mind2 and as we cannot enter into ,god's mind1 we cannot give ,his reasons for having made the ways of the universe such as we find them4 ,but though we cannot give the enquirer what he asks1 we can do something to help him all the same4 ,we may be able to shew him that it is better for him only 8to know in part20 and we may also be able to explain to him that a certain fringe of shadow must needs encompass those portions of truth which are revealed2 for if they had clear-cut edges and hard outlines1 when we had to fit them together1 like pieces in a dissected map of knowledge1 we should meet with all those difficulties about a line of demarcation between truth absolute and beliefs of opinion of which ,i spoke just now4 ,the service of all ,revelation is to supply our craving after infinity2 and if our demand to have this infinity presented to us in a finite form--for that is really what we are clamouring for--could be approximately gratified1 then we should find that1 though a certain portion of the infinite field lying outside human knowledge had been enclosed and added on to our intellectual possessions1 still we were as far as ever from having what we wanted3 this new possession would have become finite1 and what we wanted was the infinite4 ,we should have got a new science in exchange for our old religion1 but the craving after infinitude would still remain4 ,the very definiteness introduced into these matters we should find destructive of their fascination for us4 ,to take one point at a time1 ,i will begin with a side of the question which fits on to the subject of the last chapter4 ,these cries after certitude are1 in fact1 petitions to be relieved of free will and responsibility in deciding religious matters for ourselves4 ,what the complaints come to is this3 ,why am not ,i and every one else compelled to believe certain truths about ,god's dealings with man whether we like to do so or not8 ,the point of the matter lies in these last words4 ,if we had no part of our own to perform in accepting this belief1 if it were no more a matter of our own choice and feeling whether or not we admitted the revealed truths1 than whether we admitted some indisputable fact in history or some proposition in science2 then this belief would not be religion for us at all1 it would be a branch of science and nothing more4 ,it would have no more moral significance than a proposition in ,euclid4 ,to admit that a certain system may be built up from premises that are undoubted1 is merely a matter of intellect4 ,one man may have a head to follow the steps and another not1 but conscience has no part in the matter4 ,it was distinctive of the ,son of ,man that ,his ,gospel was to be preached to the poor2 and a system which addressed only minds capable of clear reasoning1 could not be suited to all mankind2 in fact1 it would necessarily set up a ,hierarchy of intellectual culture4 ,so our ,lord did not speak to the understandings but to the hearts of ,his hearers4 ,he dealt with ,his disciples on the supposition1 that there was in them a germ which would respond to the quickening influences of ,his teaching1 and grow into a capacity for eternal life4 ,just as the dormant seed germinates when warmth and moisture reach it1 so would what was dormant in their hearts burst into life and growth1 when the required vivifying influence was brought to bear4 ,our spiritual life is made to depend not only on what is delivered to us1 but on our recognising the truth we want1 and seizing on it as what we are craving after3 so that we say1 8,i have always felt that there was something ,i was in want of2 now ,i know what it is1 and ,i have it here40 ,the ,jews1 who would not believe1 wanted to be shewn a ,sign from ,heaven4 ,they said1 8,give us a proof which is beyond contradiction1 and we will believe10 which comes to saying3 ,if we cannot help believing1 believe we will4 ,but they did not mean the same thing by the word 8believe0 as our ,lord did4 ,our ,lord did not call on ,his disciples to accept notions about ,him1 but to believe in ,him1 to trust ,him as a child does his parent1 or a soldier his commander4 ,what the ,jews meant was1 that they would give credence to a particular kind of evidence1 as to the fact of ,his being their ,messiah4 ,the demand for additional proof is dealt with by our ,lord in the parable of ,dives and ,lazarus4 ,the drift of a parable is usually pointed out in the concluding words2 and the verse 8,if they believe not ,moses and the prophets1 neither will they believe though one rose from the dead107#aa7 spoken of the rich man's brethren1 is1 ,i believe1 the key to one intent of this parable47#ab7 ,the state of mind here pointed at is a common one enough4 ,it is that of the man who is rather uneasy at his own want of belief2 but thinks the blame should be laid1 not on any defect in himself1 but on the want of proper proofs and external light4 ,he thinks that his difficulty comes from the scanty evidence offered him2 he has no idea that what he really wants is a better moral eyesight to see it by4 ,so he begs for a little bit more of proof4 ,if he could only be satisfied1 he says1 on this point and that1 he would believe4 ,but what would his belief be worth8 ,our ,lord's answer goes to this3--,no amount of external testimony can supply what you want1 because the defect is within you4 ,if a man did come to you from the dead1 you might be terrified into acquiescence in everything he told you--you would probably be stupefied into the most abject submission--but instead of being elevated into trust in ,god1 you would1 very likely1 be so cowed and paralysed1 as to be incapable of any feeling of a noble or spiritual kind4 ,in the present day people do not ask for ,signs from ,heaven1 or that men should rise from the dead--but the same spirit shews itself in the same way4 ,the corresponding demand is1 8,give us an undeniable philosophical proof of the truth of ,christianity40 8,shew us this10 say men1 8and we will believe40 ,accept the demonstration of course they must1 if it be irrefragable2 just as they must accept the truth that the three angles of a triangle are equal to two right angles2 but such acceptance is a mental act of a wholly different order from adopting a religious belief--from feeling for instance that 8,christ is with us to the end of the world40 ,much confusion has arisen from this difference not being properly marked4 ,from what ,i said at first1 as to the nature of a revelation it appears that there are two elements in it1 one within us and one without us4 ,we must have 8ears to hear0 when ,god speaks--a faculty that discerns ,his voice--and also we must have some outward sign cognisable by human senses1 or by such judgments based on experience as we form about historical evidence4 ,i have just shewn that the first requisite is essential for any religious belief1 and that it is a quality different from the logical understanding4 ,but when we come to the attestation of the ,sign which vouches the revelation1 then the understanding assumes its ordinary jurisdiction4 ,we are to judge by the common rules of evidence as to the authenticity of this ,sign and the genuineness of our information4 ,reason and instructed judgment are to be used in these matters as in all others1 and external evidence is allowed its weight by our ,lord4 ,when the ,baptist sends his disciples to enquire1 our ,lord works cures before them1 and bids them report what they saw4 ,a man wants some testimony to which he may turn1 which is independent of himself4 ,there are times when the surest believers mistrust themselves and their intuitions and ask1 8,how am ,i to know that this persuasion of mine is not a creature of my own brain1 due to my temperament and mental conformation40 8,how can ,i call on other men to accept it80 ,men are not left1 unaided1 to the distress of this kind of doubt4 ,the ,apostles were allowed to witness the ,transfiguration and the presence of ,jesus risen from the dead that doubt might not overcome them in moments of physical weakness or distress of mind4 ,they could always turn to these recollections and say 8,we know the glory of ,god2 for we have seen it40 ,we are not to expect that the ,sign which attests a ,revelation shall be guaranteed by a standing miracle2 because such a standing miracle would be out of harmony with all ,god's ways as revealed in the ,universe4 ,for a standing miracle means that ,god is always1 in one particular direction1 visibly displaying the power elsewhere concealed4 ,if such a miracle existed there would be one set of facts in the world not of a piece with the rest4 ,if instead of working the world as ,he does by self-acting machinery1 ,god were to reserve one department for ,his personal management1 ,he might as well interpose in all1 and direct all the movements in the world2 in which case1 as ,i said in the last chapter1 the world would cease to have any independent existence1 and would become merely a portion of the ,divine existence4 ,so when it is demanded 8,that a revelation should be written in the skies0 we may ask1 ,how would you have ,god's autograph attested8 ,the ,jews1 it will be said1 had the visible ,shechinah1 the light between the ,cherubim2 but if this light existed now1 there would be no proof of its being ,divine3 it would only be another phenomenon1 and science would take cognisance of it4 ,if we had an oracle declaring future events1 all human enterprise would perish--for enterprise rests on hope and fear4 ,the ,delphic oracles would have paralysed action1 if they had been unerring1 unambiguous1 and easy of access4 ,a series of prophecies1 it may be thought1 fulfilled from time to time1 would serve to authenticate revelation3 and this aid is1 indeed1 admissible in attestation of the ,sign we speak of2 but it must be subject to the same condition which must attach to all external testimony3 it must not be too clear or too strong4 ,men must always be able to reject it1 if they like3 either by ascribing the coincidences to chance1 by declaring that the prophecy brought about its own fulfilment1 or by some similar argument4 ,if we had a series of prophecies all of which1 up to the present time1 had been fulfilled with due regularity1 so that no one could doubt but that the rest would punctually come to pass1 human action would be very much paralysed4 ,the miracles of our ,lord's life serve us for our 8,signs20 and our assurance that they occurred is to be based both on the external evidence1 which in this case is the testimony to the authenticity of the record1 and on the internal probability1 which comes out of the conformity of the miracles with the ,laws of ,christ's action and the declared purpose of ,his coming4 ,the miracles could always be referred to ,beelzebub in old days1 and they can always be disbelieved or explained away now4 ,since the external evidence is not conclusive on this side or on that1 the judgment formed must depend partly on the degree in which the ,scriptures establish their own authority2 and this degree depends on the mind and heart which the investigator brings to his work4 ,one critic will see nothing but difficulties4 ,another will say1 ,our histories are photographs1 imperfect no doubt1 but what they show must have been there when they were taken3 we see the main figures under different aspects1 but we know them for the same4 ,some will feel as much convinced1 from the character of thought and expression1 that certain sayings came from our ,lord1 as a connoisseur in art might be that a certain picture came from the easel of a great master whose works had been the study of his life3 he knows the touch4 ,christ's great ,revelation was not given in a book1 not in a history or a treatise1 but in a ,life and ,death4 ,he shewed the world a ,man who knew not ,self1 and ,he also shewed it the ,force that came from ,god4 ,men will realize this ,revelation in different ways in different ages2 part may come to light at one time1 part at another4 ,sayings which have long lain hardly noticed are one day found to be keys to unlock a treasure1 and give insight beyond what we dreamt of4 ,but besides this ,revelation1 personal to individuals1 broad ,truths are conveyed which we should not otherwise possess4 ,some of the leading ,truths are these4 ,that ,jesus came from the ,father4 ,that the ,father loved men who believed in ,him1 and owned them as sons1 and sent into their hearts7#ac7 a filial spirit which should enable them to lay hold more firmly of this ,revelation4 ,christ tells them that ,he came to manifest ,god to the world17#ad7 and that1 whether they chose to believe it or not1 the kingdom of ,god was drawn nigh to them47#ae7 ,he tells them that to know ,god is eternal life17#af7 and that they who are counted worthy will attain a resurrection to such a life47#ag7 ,above all he tells them--and this is the very charter of the ,christian ,church1 without which her ,doctrines would be only a set of notions1 destitute of real vital power--8,lo1 ,i am with you alway1 even unto the end of the world407#ah7 ,there is no clashing with human knowledge here1 nothing that can tie the hands of the enquirer4 ,the advance in spiritual knowledge is not brought about1 simply by the communication of a new truth from without1 which had never been dreamt of before3 men feel rather as if they were reminded of something they must once have known4 ,there appears1 if ,i may so say1 a tenderness of ,god in dealing with man1 a carefulness so to reveal himself as not to obliterate a man's own personality1 but to leave him to feel that any resolution he has reached is his own1 arrived at1 no doubt1 by listening to ,god's prompting2 without such prompting superseding the action of his proper self4 ,no two men represent ,god to themselves quite in the same way3 ,he was not the same for ,peter that ,he was for ,john4 ,i believe that a revelation of ,god is needed for the education of what is highest in man1 and for bringing him to the highest point he can reach2 and that ,god has been always revealing ,himself in one way or another4 ,but the revelation of every age must be suited to the character of that age4 ,man must be educated up to it1 or he cannot receive it4 ,our ,lord tells his disciples 8,i have yet many things to say unto you but ye cannot bear them now407#ai7 ,later generations are taught in this same way4 ,the events related in the ,acts1 and the labours which came upon the ,apostles fitted them by degrees for fresh revelations4 ,if our ,lord had declared to ,st ,peter when he first joined him in ,galilee that the ,gentiles should have as full a share in ,him and in the ,kingdom as he would have2 might not he too have turned away8 ,or if1 as is likely1 he had been personally drawn to ,christ too powerfully to quit ,him1 yet such a sudden shock to all his notions might have closed his mind spasmodically against new ideas8 ,for when a man recoils from a view which unsettles him and turns him giddy1 he clutches at his supports with iron grip4 ,many have been made bigots in this way4 ,our ,lord is careful to avoid for the disciples all turmoil of mind2 the new seed must be left undisturbed that it may take firm root2 so that for our ,lord to have disordered all ,st ,peter's convictions by a premature disclosure1 would have been contrary to ,his ways of acting4 ,an age must be ripe for the truth1 and the truth must be ripe for the age for the last to profit by the first4 ,if the theory of gravitation had appeared ten centuries ago1 it would have passed unregarded away1 for then1 nobody thought the outer world worth scrutiny4 ,on the other hand the neo-,platonic philosophy which once moved masses of men has now become so many words4 ,how then is ,christ's revelation to last for all time8 ,it is enabled to do so1 because there is life in it and growth along with life2 because ,christ does not deliver propositions about ,god which men are passively to receive once for all1 but his sayings fall upon the human heart1 and are quickened there1 some in one generation and some in another3 each generation seizes on its proper nutriment1 and brings out of ,his sayings the special lesson it requires4 ,st ,paul1 to recur to the quotation which is1 in fact1 the burden of this chapter1 speaking of the effect produced by the preaching of the word on the hearers says-- 8,the secrets of his heart are made manifest407#bj7 ,christ's words reveal for a man the secrets of his own heart to himself4 ,they interpret to him his own confused and dreamy thoughts4 ,this was what drew men so mightily to ,him4 ,it was not so much the novelty of what ,he told them that attracted them1 as that they recognised in ,his teaching old familiar puzzles1 which had come and gone through their minds1 times without number1 only in such shadowy guise that they could not fix and scrutinize them4 ,christ spake and then men said 8,this is what has been always troubling us40 ,here is what we have always been wanting to say1 and could not put into plain words--and now these floating impressions of ours are found not to have come by chance but to belong to truths set in our being4 ,god has 8sent forth the ,spirit of ,his ,son into our hearts crying ,abba1 ,father407#ba7 ,but ,he would not have done so if we had not had the capacity for being sons1 to begin with4 ,we shall see too1 when we think of it1 that a revelation to men can only come by man1 or in a voice or words like those of a man4 ,man's understanding is fashioned in a certain way2 his language is the creature of his understanding2 ideas could not be conveyed to him unless they were clothed in language which he could understand2 ,revelation therefore must express itself in terms of human notions because they alone can be made intelligible in human speech4 ,if ,god speaks1 ,he must speak after the fashion of men1 or ,his words will be an unknown tongue4 ,to take an illustration3 ,if a man1 owing to something abnormal in his vision1 became aware of a new colour1 something which had nothing to do with red or yellow or blue2 he could not communicate his new sensation because he could find no pigment which would in any degree represent it1 and he could not describe it in words1 by likeness to anything in the world4 ,so ,god can only reveal to man about spiritual existence what man can conceive1 that is to say only that to which he finds something analogous in his own being2 for all must be put into that form with which man's understanding can deal2 and the only spiritual creature he can conceive is man2 the only ideas he can conceive are human ideas2 his mind must work on the lines along which men's minds move2 the only creature with whom he can sympathise1 and whom he can believe to sympathise with him is man1 and so--since there can be no real teaching without mutual understanding--by man he must be taught4 ,christ's revelation meets this need4 ,it was as the ,son of ,man that ,christ declared ,himself1 and in this character ,he conveyed to men the germs of all the spiritual enlightenment they can receive4 ,does not this throw light on the words1 8,no one knoweth who the ,father is save the ,son1 and he to whomsoever the ,son willeth to reveal ,him107#bb7 and again1 8,no man cometh to the ,father but by me807#bc7 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,our ,,lord',s ,,use ,,of ,,signs4 ,it has been already observed that there is one feature of our ,lord's way of revealing truths to men which distinguishes ,him from all teachers before or since4 ,this is the use of ,signs4 ,miracles may have been attributed to those who have promulgated creeds at various times1 but these miracles did not form a constituent part of the teaching2 they were not blended with it as those of our ,lord were4 ,they are introduced only to serve for credentials1 so that an appeal to them may silence incredulity2 they convey no lesson1 they only serve for proof4 ,i hope to shew that it was otherwise with the signs wrought by ,christ4 ,my especial concern in this chapter is not with the nature or the credibility of miracles in general1 but only with the purposes for which ,christ introduced them2 and with the questions of how far they were performed with a view to draw men to listen and to set forth ,god's kingdom1 and how far for the purpose of working conviction4 ,in the first chapter ,i have stated certain ,laws1 which our ,lord observed in working ,signs4 ,these ,i shall presently discuss2 but what ,i am concerned with now is the general question 8,why did our ,lord work ,signs80 ,i use the word 8,signs0 instead of miracles because it is our ,lord's own word4 ,the latter expression fastens attention on the wonderment which these deeds raised in men4 ,but our ,lord uses the word 8,sign10 which implies that these acts were tokens of some underlying power which1 in these instances1 passed into operation in an exceptional way4 ,to our ,lord1 they of course were not wonders1 and ,he never dwells on their wondrousness4 ,in the accounts of ,st ,matthew1 ,st ,mark and ,st ,luke1 the word 8,signs0 is that most commonly employed by our ,lord when speaking of ,his own working of miracles2 while in the ,gospel of ,st ,john1 the term 8works0 is generally found in the like case1 though 8powers0 sometimes takes its place4 ,the expression 8,signs and wonders0 means1 not two separate sorts of works1 but signs that make men wonder3 it means prodigies1 worked to shew a divine commission1 taken on the side of the awe they inspire4 ,our ,lord only uses this expression twice--once when ,he says that false prophets shall come and 8shew great signs and wonders107#bd7 and again in ,his answers to the nobleman whose son was sick at ,capernaum1 8,unless ye see signs and wonders ye will not believe407#be7 ,on these occasions the term refers to the popular conception of the form which ,divine interposition would take4 ,the expression 8signs and wonders0 occurs very frequently in the ,acts of the ,apostles4 ,when1 as here1 we are in search of the purposes which our ,lord had in view1 in something that ,he did1 it is of service to ask1 8,what purpose or purposes did it actually fulfil80 ,what ,he did would not be likely to fail in producing the effect intended1 or to bring about a result not contemplated by ,him4 ,so we must try to unravel the complex effects of these signs1 and to discriminate the several ways in which they worked4 ,some were witnessed both by the people and by the disciples1 and some by the disciples and apostles only4 ,the function of the miracles may have been different in the different cases4 ,but1 besides their effect on the actual witnesses1 the record of these mighty doings has had a prodigious effect on generation after generation1 from the time when our ,lord walked in ,galilee to the present day2 and we may suppose that this posthumous effect was included in the ,divine design4 ,the character of our ,lord's miracles we shall find to be determined by the nature of the work ,he came to do4 ,the work and miracles were adapted each to the other1 and1 owing to this1 the study of the miracles throws a light on ,his purpose1 and the more insight we get into ,his purpose the more reason we see for the miracles being of the kind they were4 ,we will consider1 under different heads1 the various functions which ,our ,lord's miracles fulfilled4 ,that which comes naturally first in order is 7#a7 ,the attraction of hearers4 ,one effect of signs on the beholders lay on the surface4 ,they awoke attention2 they caused men's eyes to be turned to the ,son of ,man4 ,jesus won a mastery over men's souls both by what ,he did and what ,he said2 but the doing had to come first1 because without this ,he would not so soon have gained a hearing4 ,from a district of small towns and scattered hamlets a crowd was not drawn together without some cogent influence4 ,it was the rumour of the things 8done in ,capernaum07#bf7 and of other mighty works that caused the crowd to gather1 and attracted the multitudes who listened1 both in the synagogue and on the ,mount4 ,the works of healing would be attractive enough to draw within the reach of our ,lord's influence all who were likely to profit1 as well as some who were not3 while ,his words and the influence of ,his presence would attach to ,him as true disciples those1 and those only1 who had 8ears to hear30 in this way the crowd would be sifted4 ,one of the characteristics of our ,lord1 which puzzled ,his followers1 and which also strikes us1 was ,his seeming indifference about the number1 or the worldly position of ,his adherents4 ,he does not aim at gaining converts2 when ,his popularity seems at its height ,he withdraws from the people4 ,a warrior ,messiah1 or a prophet seeking to convince the world1 would have displayed signs suited to attract the blind devotion of the multitude3 he would have wanted to prove his pretensions by the striking character of his signs and wonders4 ,such was the ,messiah whom the ,jews were led to expect2 in general they imagined no other1 and for no other did they care3 so we find that it surprised the disciples and the brethren of ,jesus1 that ,he should content himself with healing poor sick people in hamlets of ,galilee1 instead of confounding ,herod in ,tiberias1 or the scribes in ,jerusalem4 ,and if we regard our ,lord as a leader looking to an immediate purpose and depending for success on ,his influence with those of ,his own day1 his conduct is indeed inexplicable2 but the whole tenour of it falls in well with the view which regards ,him as setting afoot a movement which was to go on working to the end of the world4 ,hurry belongs to the mortal who wants to see the outcome of his work1 while eternity is lavish of time47#bg7 ,we shall see later on that it is foreign to our ,lord's ways to inflame the feelings and blind the eyes of men by kindling speech4 ,the overmastering influence of a great leader will 8take the prisoned soul0 of the people and make it follow his will4 ,but ,christ's first care is to leave each man master of his own will--the man who is no longer so1 ceases to count as a unit4 ,just as this is seen in our ,lord's teaching1 so is it also in the miracles which set that teaching forth--they are not worked in the ways or the place that a ,thaumaturge would have chosen--people are not invited to a spectacle--nor are the wonders so overwhelming as to cause a whole population to fall prostrate at our ,lord's feet4 ,the rumour of them is sufficient to make those who 8have ears to hear0 enquire further and 8come and see20 and a further function of 8,signs0 is then called into play4 ,this function is that they should serve to select from the multitude those fitted to follow our ,lord4 7#b7 ,selection4 ,i have said in a previous chapter that education and selection are inseparable4 ,any process that unfolds the powers which lie within men1 emphasizes1 so to say1 the differences between them4 ,the witnessing of wonders1 declared to be wrought by the finger of ,god1 must have stirred men's minds1 and so brought about in them a species of education1 well calculated to winnow out the chaff from the grain4 ,but the quality1 which this kind of education seizes upon and develops1 is not intellectual ability1 but the capacity for 8savouring the things of ,god40 ,the miracles served as a touchstone for detecting this4 ,many would look1 and wonder1 and go their way--they had seen a strange sight1 that they would allow1 but it did not touch their souls3 while to a few others it would seem as if they had lighted on what they had been watching for all their lives4 ,they had always seen dimly that there must be in the world a living power2 not a dead ,god in the keeping of the scribes1 but a living ,god who should speak in their hearts and to their hearts1 and they had found ,him now4 ,the minds of those who were worth rousing were put on the alert1 and the sense of ,god's kingdom being near them1 the sense that this every day world was ,his and worked by ,him1 was expanded within them4 7#c7 ,preparation4 ,we have a distinct instance of the use of 8,signs0 to produce preparation4 ,the seventy were sent working these ,signs1 8in every city unto which ,he ,himself would come40 ,this preparation would consist1 partly1 in the drawing out from the mass those who were likely to profit4 ,when our ,lord ,himself came1 these latter would be eager to hear ,him1 and the great announcements ,he made would not strike them as altogether strange4 ,the district over which these messengers were sent probably lay outside the country where our ,lord's ministry had been chiefly carried on1 and was only visited by ,him on this one occasion4 ,this made it the more important that the right men1 rightly prepared1 should form ,his audience4 ,his truths were not to fail of taking root1 from want of the soil having been loosened beforehand4 ,we shall see1 over and over again1 how careful our ,lord is to prevent the opportunities ,he gives being lost4 ,he never neglects or underrates the need of properly preparing men for receiving new truths3 ,he employs the ordinary means for effecting this1 and ,he would have the ,children of ,light be as wise in their generation1 and as judicious in the use of such means1 as the children of this world4 ,again1 the display of the miracles roused some1 the ,scribes and ,pharisees in particular1 into active hostility--they watched the ,signs to find ground for charges of blasphemy and ,sabbath-breaking4 ,priesthoods1 occupied with the externals of their function are aghast at the assertion of a living and working ,god4 ,the worldly are terrified also and with the terror that awakens fury4 ,these classes answer to those servants in the parable who said1 8,we will not have this man to reign over us40 ,whenever a vital religion has been proclaimed it has found opponents of both characters4 ,history witnesses to this1 from the stoning of the prophets to the assaults on religionists in modern times4 ,the miracles divided men into three great sections3 there were those who were for ,christ1 and those who were against ,him1 and between these came a body who were not wholly indifferent or unaffected1 but who quieted themselves with saying that such weighty matters were no business of theirs4 ,this breaking up of men into friends and foes was a kind of preparation for the ,apostles' work4 ,when men begin to take sides their minds cannot lie torpid3 evil passion and selfishness mix with their doings1 no doubt2 but in the storm and stress men get to the bottom of their own hearts and find out their true selves2 and men's truest selves were wanted by ,christ4 ,so far we have spoken of miracles as means of rousing attention and drawing out from the mass those who had ears to hear4 ,we will now consider them as practical illustrations accompanying the preaching1 and 7#d7 ,setting forth the ,kingdom of ,god4 ,they shew not only how close this ,kingdom is to us but they also convey visible lessons1 to help men to conceive it aright4 ,we learn from our ,lord's own lips that one purpose for which ,he wrought ,signs was to make men sure that the ,kingdom of ,heaven was come upon them4 ,when ,he was charged with casting out devils through ,beelzebub1 ,he says1 after disposing of the accusation1 8,but if ,i by the finger of ,god cast out devils1 then is the kingdom of ,god come upon you407#bh7 ,whether ,our ,lord preached in the villages ,himself1 or the ,apostles or the ,seventy1 going two by two1 did so in ,his name the burden of their preaching was always the same4 ,they call on men to change to a better mind1 and declare that the ,kingdom of ,god is come nigh4 ,the seventy are bid to say to those who rejected them1 8,howbeit know this that the ,kingdom of ,god is come nigh407#bi7 ,whether men chose to own it or not1 ,god's ,kingdom was near them even at their doors4 ,st ,mark1 at the outset of his history of our ,lord's ,ministry1 tells us7#cj7 8,now after that ,john was put in prison1 ,jesus came into ,galilee1 preaching the gospel of the kingdom of ,god1 8,and saying1 the time is fulfilled1 and the kingdom of ,god is at hand3 repent ye1 and believe the gospel40 ,christ declared that ,god was working underneath the ordinary agencies1 which seemed to men to be working of themselves4 ,god had been so working all along from the very beginning1 but now ,christ had come to reveal ,god--that is to say to make men sensible of the ,divine presence and ,divine agency in all that went on both within them and without4 ,this revelation ,he would effect in the ways best adapted to make men understand it4 ,and as the unlearned are most readily taught by what is set before their eyes2 and as the teacher is much helped by having something to shew2 so ,christ declares the ,kingdom and its nature1 not only in parables and discourses1 but by practical instances and illustrations as well2 namely by the ,signs ,he wrought4 ,it was as though ,he had said1 8,i have told you that ,god's power was lying close about you3 ,behold it operating here40 ,the combination of the word and the ,sign1 as the two essential elements of the teaching1 is expressly put before us in one passage3 we read1 8,and they went forth1 and preached every where1 the ,lord working with them1 and confirming the word with signs following4 ,amen407#ca7 7#e7 ,teaching wrought by signs4 ,the ,signs shew us1 not only that the ,kingdom is ,god's1 but something also of the nature of that ,kingdom as well4 ,our ,lord speaks of the power displayed in miracles as ,god's power working through ,him4 ,it is 8by the finger of ,god0 that ,he casts out devils and the man who is healed is bidden to tell his friends what ,god has done for him47#cb7 ,christ nowhere claims the power as ,his own4 ,it rests in ,god's hands2 but it is granted to ,his prayer1 because ,his will and ,god's are one4 ,moreover the ,signs set forth ,god's love and goodness to men1 and thereby they tell us something of ,his nature4 ,all the ,signs worked by our ,lord before the people at large1 and all the works which the ,twelve and the ,seventy performed in their mission among the cities of ,israel1 were works of healing2 with the exception of the two instances of the feeding of the multitudes1 which also were works of ,divine beneficence4 ,there are other miracles of a different character1 as we shall see presently1 but those were witnessed either by the disciples only1 or by a circle of private friends as at ,cana of ,galilee4 ,the men of ,galilee had hitherto known the ,lord as the ,god of ,israel1 who was especially concerned with the fortunes of their race and nation as a whole2 but now they were told that ,he was the ,father of every person in that nation1 and was sent especially to the lost sheep among them4 ,it was this declaration--that of the individual relation of each man to ,god1 and of the preciousness of the very hairs of his head in ,god's eyes--that constituted1 in great part1 the comforting nature of the 8good tidings of ,god40 ,the miracles wrought in connection with the preaching could not bring this point very prominently forward3 but so far as the miracles bear on the point they are in accord with the teaching4 ,they were worked1 not upon masses of men at once1 but on individuals1 and our ,lord addresses ,himself personally to each particular sufferer1 as though his case was considered by itself4 ,i shall soon1 for another purpose1 notice two miracles recorded by ,st ,mark which afford good instances of our ,lord's sympathetic insight into individual cases4 ,he does not1 on entering a village1 ordain that all the lepers in it shall be cleansed1 or all the palsied restored to the use of their limbs4 ,he condescends to take each case by itself4 ,there is hardly a case of healing narrated in ,st ,mark1 who1 of all our authorities1 gives the most detailed account1 which does not shew traces of special attention on the part of our ,lord to the spiritual and physical features of the particular case4 ,we will take for an instance the cure of the sick of the palsy4 ,the connection of what is spiritual with that which is physical is here very strongly marked4 ,our ,lord begins by saying to the man 8thy sins be forgiven thee40 ,it is possible that the man's condition may have been due to imprudence or something worse2 the thought of this may have rankled in his mind and the mental trouble may have aggravated the physical infirmity3 the great physician cures both together4 ,his restoration seems to come with the sense of pardon1 but he does not shew himself aware of his recovery1 until our ,lord bids him arise4 ,the shewing that the ,divine power worked blessings on men one by one1 contained in itself a lesson as to ,god's infinity2 for a finite being would have been incapable of concerning himself for every unit of the world's population4 ,any supply of energy1 short of an infinite one1 would have been exhausted4 ,hence the notion of ,god's personal care for each soul is bound up with the conception of ,his infinity4 ,christ does not begin with the abstract and say3 8,god is infinite and therefore ,he can find room in ,his heart to love men1 every one20 but ,he begins with the concrete and says1 8,god does love you and every one else30 and ,he leaves it to men to arrive at the truth at the other end of the proposition3 viz4 that if ,god's strength is not lessened by drawing upon it1 this can only be because there is no limit to it4 ,from this infinity of ,god it also follows that the distinction between what we call great occasions and small ones--between occasions that we think would justify ,divine interposition and those which would not--may not exist in ,god's eyes4 ,in the presence of ,his infinity1 the difference between great and small things may disappear2 certainly ,his measure will be a very different one from ours4 ,this brings us to another point in the use of miracles to illustrate the ways of ,god's ,kingdom3 they exemplify the truth that ,god is no respecter of persons4 ,neither the persons on whom they are wrought1 or before whom they are wrought1 obtain this privilege by any merit or superiority4 ,men are not healed because they deserve it4 ,as ,god sends rain on the just and unjust1 so ,christ cures the sick who come in ,his way1 rich and poor alike--the son of the nobleman1 and the blind beggar2 for our ,lord1 worldly distinctions do not seem to exist4 ,a man1 as man1 was of such transcendent value in the eyes of the ,son of ,man that1 compared to this1 little outer differences were but as the hills and dales of the earth1 which scarcely roughen the surface of the globe when seen as a whole4 ,men1 too1 are not1 except for very special purposes1 picked out by ,christ to witness the miracles2 any more than they are in ,god's world to receive special mercies1 or the lessons1 or the afflictions of life4 ,those who were passing by saw the ,signs1 some profited and some did not3 ,herod and other great men would gladly have witnessed a miracle1 but it was not granted them4 ,the ,signs wrought by ,christ harmonise with ,his teaching in another way3 they never have the air of ostentatiously overriding and superseding ,nature4 ,his power1 in its tranquil might1 proceeded calmly along the homely track of every-day life2 just as if it had always been present ruling quietly in its own domain1 and might at any time have interposed without effort1 if the ,spiritual ,order had needed it4 ,a man is healed and an evil spirit is quelled by a word1 and a multitude in the desert is supplied with food they do not know how1--all proceeds in a calm continuous way4 ,fresh energy is given to natural powers1 and effects are produced of vast magnitude and with astonishing rapidity2 but these powers seem to work through the organs and along the channels which nature provides3 to our ,lord there is one primary source of all life and movement and light and force1 and that is ,god1 from ,whom all ,his power comes4 ,he does not call certain visible manifestations nature1 and refer others to ,god1 as though nature and ,god were different powers4 ,the ,signs1 accordingly1 are worked in such a way that it is hard to mark the particular point where what is called the supernatural comes into play--to say1 in fact1 when nature ends and ,god begins4 ,the cures1 so far as we can trace them1 are effected by the renewal of vitality in a disordered organ2 this vitality would seem to proceed from ,christ2 just as the power which set life going on earth proceeded from ,god4 8,for as the ,father hath life in ,himself1 so hath ,he given to the ,son to have life in ,himself407#cc7 ,here1 of course1 we pass beyond the realm of the forces we can measure1 but this imparted force only restores the organs needed for the cure2 the optic nerve is reinvigorated or the absorbent vessels are stimulated to abnormal action1 and the eye becomes again efficient4 ,the man is not enabled to see without an eye1 as was claimed to be done by some workers of miracles in the middle ages2 and there is no miracle in the ,gospels like that mentioned in ,paley's ,evidences1 where a man who had only one leg becomes possessed of two4 ,christ restores organs and withered limbs4 ,he does not dispense with the proper organ or create new ones4 ,st ,mark gives us full particulars of two cures1 of which we can in some degree trace the process4 8,and he took the blind man by the hand1 and led him out of the town2 and when he had spit on his eyes1 and put his hands upon him1 he asked him if he saw ought4 ,and he looked up1 and said1 ,i see men as trees1 walking4 ,after that he put his hands again upon his eyes1 and made him look up3 and he was restored1 and saw every man clearly407#cd7 ,from this it appears that the eye was gradually restored1 and our ,lord's question shews that ,he did not expect an instantaneous cure4 ,he speaks as a surgeon might who had performed an operation4 ,he does not take it for granted that the man must have received his sight4 ,he applies ,his hands1 a second time and then the ill-defined dark objects which the man spoke of1 become distinct4 ,the other case is that of one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech4 8,and he took him aside from the multitude1 and put his fingers into his ears1 and he spit1 and touched his tongue2 and looking up to heaven1 he sighed1 and saith unto him1 ,ephphatha1 that is1 ,be opened4 ,and straightway his ears were opened1 and the string of his tongue was loosed1 and he spake plain407#ce7 ,the restoration of the disabled organs is clearly indicated here4 ,i have referred to these two cases a few pages back4 ,we now come to-- 7#f7 ,miracles as a practical lesson to the disciples4 ,so far1 we have spoken of miracles as performed for the sake of the multitude2 in order to draw them to listen and to sift from among them those fit to become disciples3 ,i have remarked too how the 8,signs0 incidentally conveyed instruction1 how they exhibited to the crowd the goodness and the power of ,god4 ,but there were some miracles1 as ,i have said in the first chapter1 which were especially miracles of instruction1 and ,i would say a word or two about those1 before ,i pass on to miracles as means of assurance4 ,these miracles of instruction were1 in almost all cases1 performed when but few of the disciples were by2 and they are mostly wrought in the later period of our ,lord's ,ministry4 ,among the miracles of this class are1 ,the miraculous draughts of fishes1 ,the walking on the sea1 ,the stater in the fish's mouth1 ,the withering of the fig tree1 and the ,transfiguration4 ,the last named1 is not usually classed among miracles or considered in books which treat of them1 but a 8,sign0 it certainly was and it carries lessons with it which1 bit by bit1 the world is learning still4 ,that miracles should be employed as a means of impressing truths on the learner1 we can well understand4 ,in no way could a great truth be presented so forcibly to the mind as by being clothed in the garb of a miracle4 ,the wondrous circumstances would print themselves on the mind's eye at once and for ever2 and as they recurred in lonely hours of thought1 something more of their drift and purport would peep out every time4 ,it is characteristic of our ,lord's ways1 that ,his teaching yields its fruit gradually2 much as a seed-vessel driven by the wind1 which scatters the contents1 now of one cell1 now of another1 as it whirls along4 ,i trace in many miracles of instruction1 a bearing on the great movement in which ,st ,peter was the chief actor2 namely1 the calling of the ,gentiles1 and the taking from the ,jews thereby their exclusive position1 as the one people who knew ,god4 ,our ,lord quietly1 and by slow degrees familiarizes ,st ,peter with this idea4 ,he is not suddenly brought face to face with a notion which would cause a violent shock to his mind4 ,with men like the ,apostles new ideas want a little time to grow into shape3 we know how easily a man is startled into shutting his mind against novelty when it is suddenly presented4 ,st ,peter could not have been instructed as to ,god's plans without a long course of explanation which it was not our ,lord's way to give3 so ,he lets the lesson lie in ,st ,peter's mind till the circumstances shall come which shall be the key to it4 ,of what ,i call miracles of instruction1 ,i propose to consider two briefly1 with a view chiefly to illustrating the way in which the instruction was conveyed4 ,there is this singularity about the ,transfiguration1 that our ,lord foretells it1 and in most remarkable words4 8,and he said unto them1 ,verily ,i say unto you1 ,that there be some of them that stand here1 which shall not taste of death1 till they have seen the kingdom of ,god come with power407#cf7 ,this promise ,i understand to mean that some of the ,apostles should1 even while yet alive on the earth1 be vouchsafed a glimpse of another world1 and behold ,christ in the glorified state which belongs to ,him4 ,the expression 8in no wise taste of death10 which occurs in all three accounts1 must mean that they should not only have this experience after passing from this life to another1 but even while yet in mortal frame4 ,for six days these words are allowed to work in the minds of the disciples1 and then3 8,jesus taketh with him ,peter1 and ,james1 and ,john1 and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves3 and he was transfigured before them407#cg7 ,during the six days and on the way up the mountain after they were taken from the rest1 ,peter1 ,james1 and ,john must have wondered what the 8coming of the kingdom of ,god with power0 would be4 ,this prevented their being so stupefied with astonishment as to miss the lesson of the appearance4 ,here again we note our ,lord's mode of preparation for the receiving of truths4 ,i do not discuss the nature of the vision1 because ,i have now only to deal with the matter as to its educational effect4 ,when the ,apostles saw the glorified ,lord with ,moses and ,elijah--their impression was not fear but joy4--8,it is good for us to be here0 says ,st ,peter4 ,he thought they had arrived in another world1 and he proposes to build tents1 as if he had landed in a strange island4 ,he expects to be always there4 ,but what1 in the view ,i am taking is the cardinal point of all1 is the voice out of the cloud--8,this is my beloved ,son1 ,hear ye ,him407#ch7 ,in these last words the old covenant is replaced by the new4 ,moses representing the ,law1 and ,elijah the ,prophets--they who had been hitherto the spiritual teachers of men1--stood there to hand over their office to the ,son4 ,their work in nursing the minds of a people set apart as the depositary of the knowledge of ,god was now at an end2 now ,humanity had succeeded to its heritage1 and its teacher was to be the ,son of ,man4 ,a religion which is shaped by the history and the mind of a particular people will be cast in a particular mould3 its outward form must be rendered plastic if it is to become ,universal4 ,so ,moses and ,elijah the teachers of ,israel lay down their functions in the presence of the chosen three1 who hear their ,master owned as ,god's own ,son1 to whom the world is henceforth to listen4 ,and when1 many years later1 the truth broke upon ,st ,peter so that he said3 8,of a truth ,i perceive that ,god is no respecter of persons3 but in every nation he that feareth him1 and worketh righteousness1 is acceptable to him107#ci7 then a new light might illumine these recollections1 which had been laid by in his mind1 and they would draw a fuller meaning from the new idea by which he was impelled2 and he would see how ,god's purposes1 long entertained1 work to the surface by degrees4 ,there is one miracle in which ,i can see no other intent1 than that of the instruction of the disciples and1 as it may not come before us again1 ,i will say a few words on it now4 ,the withering of the fig tree was1 as ,i have said in the ,introduction1 an acted parable3 the most circumstantial account is that given by ,st ,mark4 8,and on the morrow1 when they were come from ,bethany1 he was hungry3 and seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves1 he came1 if haply he might find any thing thereon3 and when he came to it1 he found nothing but leaves2 for the time of figs was not yet4 ,and ,jesus answered and said unto it1 ,no man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever4 ,and his disciples heard it407#dj7 ,of the next day it is related3 8,and in the morning1 as they passed by1 they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots4 ,and ,peter calling to remembrance saith unto him1 ,master1 behold1 the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away4 ,and ,jesus answering saith unto them1 ,have faith in ,god407#da7 ,when our ,lord remarked from a distance one fig tree--probably one out of several1 for ,bethphage was named from its figs--which alone was in full leaf1 ,he was drawn to it2 whether this was because ,he saw occasion for impressing a lesson which ,he had at heart to give1 or because ,he really expected to find refreshment1 we cannot decide4 ,the last motive is not excluded1 for though the time of figs was not yet1 still we are told that in ,juda the fruit of the fig is ripe by the time the leaves have reached their full size2 and this display of foliage therefore gave prospect of fruit4 ,we must not argue that our ,lord would1 of his superhuman illumination1 have known that the tree was barren1 for our ,lord never uses this source of knowledge to find out what may be learned by ordinary means4 ,but whether our ,lord approached the fig tree with the lesson in ,his mind or not1 the aptness of the circumstance struck ,him and the lesson it furnished was given on the spot4 ,it was unusual for a tree to have leaves at that early season3 by putting them forth1 however1 it held out hopes of fruit which it disappointed4 ,this presented in a parable the situation of 8the ,jews' religion407#db7 ,they made a show1 and contrasted themselves with other nations1 they dwelt on the fact that they alone worshipped the true ,god1 and knew and observed ,his laws--they invited admiration on this ground--but of all this nothing came4 ,so the fig tree seemed to say3 8,see ,i am green when other trees are leafless1 you may look to me for fruit40 ,it is said that this precocious putting forth of leaves shews that the tree is diseased and should be cut down1 in like manner it was time that the ,jewish ,hierarchy should lose its office4 ,it is to this ,hierarchy that the words 8,no man eat fruit of thee henceforth and for ever0 are really spoken4 ,mankind was no longer to draw its teaching from the scribes and priesthood of the ,jews4 ,individual ,israelites might of course enlighten the world1 as indeed they have done in a most remarkable degree2 but the ,jewish nation as a body was no longer to be the one recognised channel of ,god's communication with mankind4 ,the leading people among them had wrapped themselves up in self-complacency and self-sufficiency2 they had moreover enslaved themselves to the letter of their canonical books and to rabbinical traditions3 they were therefore neither ready nor able to expand when expansion was needed4 ,in other words1 they were no longer fitted for a living world2 which must1 of its very nature1 grow and change and discard all that will not change along with it2 and so like the pretentious tree they were to wither away1 and no man henceforth was to eat fruit of them for ever4 ,it would have been long before an ,israelite could have brought himself to see this meaning in the words of our ,lord2 but ,st ,peter must have thought over this last miracle1 all the more from the apparent harshness of our ,lord shewn in it--from its being the solitary instance of a final condemnation from ,his lips--and he must have asked himself2 ,what did it mean8 ,there are many other miracles in which the instruction of the ,apostles and notably of ,st ,peter seems to be the leading aim4 ,the walking on the water might have taught him how closely failure treads on the heels of impulse3 the prophecy1 8,before the cock crow thou shalt deny me thrice10 again conveyed this same lesson together with much beside3 and the words 8,then are the children free10 which point the moral of the finding of the stater in the fish's mouth1 must have recurred to ,st ,peter when the ,church at ,jerusalem was debating as to how far she could free her ,gentile members from the burdens of the ,law4 ,of this ,i shall speak again4 ,i have adduced sufficient instances to shew what ,i mean by miracles of instruction and the way in which they worked4 ,lastly we come to the important subject of 7#g7 ,miracles as a means of proof4 ,the signs1 worked by our ,lord1 whatever other functions they fulfilled1 had one office which in the eyes of some apologists is so important as to drive all other functions into the back-ground4 ,they are regarded as the main ground of conviction4 ,the ,apostles1 it is true1 make little appeal to the ,signs worked by ,christ3 this may have been because they worked similar ,signs themselves1 and knew that their enemies ascribed them to magic4 ,their favourite arguments were the fulfilment of prophecy and the resurrection of the ,lord4 ,the earlier hearers were ,jews1 and the question with them was1 8,did ,jesus of ,nazareth answer to the prophetic notices of the expected deliverer of their race80 ,the ,jews we hear 8were mightily convinced0 by ,apollos1 not because he declared ,christ's works but because he 8shewed by the ,scriptures that ,jesus was the ,christ407#dc7 ,but in time the early preachers addressed themselves to the ,gentiles4 ,the ,jewish notion of the ,messiah was strange to hearers1 who had never heard of the prophets2 while the idea that ,god should love the world and reveal ,himself to it commended itself to them1 and they would expect that such a revelation would be accompanied by manifestations beyond human experience4 ,the consequence was that1 after a century or two1 less was made of prophecy and more was made of miracles3 and if the question 8,what makes you believe that ,jesus of ,nazareth was the ,son of ,god80 had then been put to all ,christendom1 the answer of an overwhelming majority would have been1 8,because of the wondrous works which ,he performed40 ,we shall see1 however1 that our ,lord does not ,himself put ,signs in the very forefront of ,his claims to the allegiance of men4 ,he only appeals to them as subsidiary proofs2 on which ,he would rest ,his cause when1 owing to the situation or the disposition of the hearer1 no higher kind of proof was available47#dd7 ,it will be asked1 8,if miracles were only a subsidiary ground on which our ,lord claimed belief2 ,what was the primary one80 ,we shall see that our ,lord's first appeal was ,personal2 ,he claimed men's allegiance from what they had seen of ,him and from what they knew4 ,there is a passage in ,st ,john's ,gospel which brings this very clearly before us4 ,the naturalness of it and its fidelity to character and situation are such1 that ,i am as sure that these words passed between ,philip and our ,lord1 as if they were found in all four of the ,gospels1 though they only occur in the last4 ,they occur in the final discourse of our ,lord when ,he and the ,apostles are on the way to the garden of ,gethsemane4 ,our ,lord has said1 8,and whither ,i go1 ye know the way4 ,thomas saith unto him1 ,lord1 we know not whither thou goest2 how know we the way8 ,jesus saith unto him1 ,i am the way1 and the truth1 and the life3 no man cometh unto the ,father1 but by me4 ,if ye had known me1 ye would have known my ,father also3 from henceforth ye know him1 and have seen him4 ,philip saith unto him1 ,lord1 shew us the ,father1 and it sufficeth us4 ,jesus saith unto him1 ,have ,i been so long time with you1 and dost thou not know me1 ,philip8 he that hath seen me hath seen the ,father2 how sayest thou1 ,shew us the ,father8 ,believest thou not that ,i am in the ,father1 and the ,father in me8 the words that ,i say unto you ,i speak not from myself3 but the ,father abiding in me doeth his works4 ,believe me that ,i am in the ,father1 and the ,father in me3 or else believe me for the very works' sake407#de7 ,in ,philip's words we perceive an assurance of the reasonableness of what he asks1 which is most true to the life4 ,he never doubts but that ,god could be brought before his eyes2--he supposed that the clouds might be rolled away1 so as to reveal a form of awful majesty clothed with resplendent light1 and with one glimpse of this he would be content4 ,he thinks that he makes a most moderate request4 ,our ,lord shews a sort of surprise1 that after having been so long with them1 going in and out among them1 they should have missed seeing that ,god was in ,him4 ,it was perhaps this constant companionship that stood in ,philip's way2 that what was ,divine should have mingled with his daily life was beyond his conception4 ,god1 he supposed1 could only shew ,himself in some strange and appalling manner4 ,that ,god's presence is reflected1 in the least broken way1 in that course of things which is most normal and most ordinary1 was an idea that did not belong to ,philip's race or time2 but ,christ drops a germ from which it should arise4 ,it is the concluding verse of the passage with which ,i am most concerned-- 8,believe me that ,i am in the ,father1 and the ,father in me3 or else believe me for the very works' sake407#df7 ,the first appeal is to that belief1 which ought to have grown up from personal knowledge2 that failing1 ,he points to the works4 ,this belief was of the same order as that which we have in the rectitude of an honoured friend4 ,in knowing a man1 we get to a deeper kind of knowledge than we do in knowing an object3 all we can tell about an object is what its properties are1 we know nothing about what it is2 but we do get nearer to knowing what a friend is1 our souls interpenetrate1 as it were1 a little4 ,so that if ,philip had known our ,lord as ,peter did1 he would1 like him1 have recognised the 8,son of the living ,god40 ,supposing1 however1 that he was not sufficiently 8finely touched0 for such a knowledge1 that he judged mainly from his senses1 and needed proofs of which they could take cognisance2 then--as an alternative course though a very inferior one--,he might believe for the mere ,signs' sake4 ,signs were provided to suit the cases of those who could not believe without them4 ,but while many take it for granted that ,christ rested ,his claims on miracles and worked ,his ,signs to provide ,himself with credentials2 others have gone to the other extreme1 and have urged that ,christ disparaged the belief that was engendered by the sight of wonders4 ,no doubt the principle--8,blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed0 runs through all our ,lord's teaching1 but it was better they should believe from the sight of such ,signs as our ,lord worked--,signs which were not coercive--than not believe at all4 ,signs1 certainly1 have led men to believe1 when1 either from inward or outward causes1 they would not have believed without4 ,this effect ,i regard as a good one1 and all good that has ensued from what our ,lord did1 ,i believe that ,he intended to do4 ,the chief texts adduced in disparagement of miracles are3 8,except ye see signs and wonders1 ye will in no wise believe107#dg7 and 8,an evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign407#dh7 ,if signs and wonders were the appointed means of bringing men to believe1 8,why10 ask the objectors1 8are those blamed who cannot believe without seeing them80 8,our ,lord10 they say1 8here shews that ,he sets little value on the belief that comes of seeing signs40 ,this is1 no doubt1 quite true of the sort of belief that comes of the mere assent of a terrified man3 but our ,lord did not terrify men1 and the belief that sprung from seeing ,his signs involved a will and a disposition to recognize ,god's hand4 ,i do not feel sure1 however1 that the first text really bears on the matter4 ,i think it quite possible that the stress should be laid on the word see4 ,the nobleman 8besought him that he would come down1 and heal his son2 for he was at the point of death407#di7 ,he thought that our ,lord must go down to ,capernaum with him and work the cure there2 he cannot believe that it will be done unless it is wrought before his eyes4 ,when he began to speak he had not the faith of the ,roman centurion2 he could not suppose that the power of healing could be exercised from afar2 but he soon caught this confidence from looking on our ,lord4 ,if the text have this sense it does not touch the question before us4 ,the second text refers to a sign from ,heaven4 ,it is spoken of those who wanted an overwhelming miracle to be wrought1 which should settle the question and compel assent in the unwilling4 ,the generation is not called 8evil and adulterous0 for seeking after such ,signs as our ,lord wrought1 for crowding to see the cures for instance1 but1 for challenging ,him to produce a ,sign of a very different character1 a magical one1 which1 for reasons explained in the last chapter1 ,he would not do4 ,our ,lord ,himself on several occasions points to another result of ,his working of ,signs4 ,it rendered the rejection of ,him a sin2 this was because the will was called into operation to explain these ,signs away4 ,the leaders among those adverse to ,him invented loopholes1 such as referring the works to ,beelzebub1 and those who wanted to escape being convinced availed themselves of them4 ,in this way1 the acceptance or non-acceptance of ,signs formed a touchstone for discriminating those who virtually said 8,we will not have this man to reign over us0--a section of people to whom ,i alluded in the earlier part of the chapter4 ,men were pardoned the unbelief of blindness and dulness1 but not the wilful hatred which went out of its way to find grounds for rejection1 and which would refer works of pure beneficence to the chief of the devils2 this shewed innate aversion4 ,the following are passages in point3 8,woe unto thee1 ,chorazin6 woe unto thee1 ,bethsaida6 for if the mighty works had been done in ,tyre and ,sidon which were done in you1 they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes407#ej7 8,he that hateth me hateth my ,father also4 ,if ,i had not done among them the works which none other did1 they had not had sin3 but now have they both seen and hated both me and my ,father407#ea7 ,again1 it is easier to convey to another by description an external fact than a personal impression3 and thus the evidence from ,signs is easier to transmit from man to man than that which arises from realising a ,personality4 ,those who followed our ,lord were subjugated by ,his influence2 some of us too may extract from ,his memoirs a conception of ,his ,personality3 but it is only those possessing the gift of seeing the reality in the outline1 who can lay hold of this source of belief2 while in a miracle1 all can perceive credentials given by ,god4 ,our ,lord's course of proceeding in a very important instance1 the occasion on which ,john the ,baptist sends his disciples to ,him1 is a most instructive instance of ,his use of ,signs4 ,these ,signs furnished the kind of evidence most available in that particular case4 ,when the ,baptist is in prison he sends two of his disciples to our ,lord with the question1 8,art ,thou ,he that cometh1 or look we for another807#eb7 ,many months had passed since the baptism of our ,lord1 and it seemed that nothing had been done4 ,he was himself in prison1 removed from the presence1 and personal influence of our ,lord4 ,his recollections of ,him were perhaps fading1 and his faith growing low4 ,he was then in the position for which the argument from signs is especially suitable--nothing would help him like facts4 ,he was in the situation in which tens of thousands of ,christians are still--believing1 and yet having misgivings now and then whether what they call their ,faith may not be fancy1--longing for something positive to cling to1 some support outside themselves4 ,such support our ,lord affords the ,baptist2 ,he puts him as nearly as possible in the position of a witness of the miracles4 ,we read3 8,in that hour he cured many of diseases and plagues and evil spirits2 and on many that were blind he bestowed sight4 ,and he answered and said unto them1 ,go your way1 and tell ,john what things ye have seen and heard2 the blind receive their sight1 the lame walk1 the lepers are cleansed1 and the deaf hear1 the dead are raised up1 the poor have good tidings preached to them4 ,and blessed is he1 whosoever shall find none occasion of stumbling in me407#ec7 ,we have no other instance in which miracles are wrought in order to assist one who is in doubt4 ,our ,lord does not give a direct answer to the words 8,art thou ,he that cometh80 ,if ,he had said 8,i am ,he0--and yet had not restored the kingdom to ,israel as the ,baptist expected1 ,he would only have led him into further bewilderment4 ,so his disciples take back for sole reply1 an account of 8what they hear and see40 ,the works are such as our ,lord continually performed2 but ,john's disciples are given a special opportunity of witnessing them for their ,master's sake4 ,the ,baptist is however certified of this2 a great work of ,god was being carried on in the world1 through ,him on whom he had seen the ,spirit descend when ,he rose from ,jordan47#ed7 ,of the two grounds1 then1 on which our ,lord claimed men's allegiance--,his personal influence and the signs ,he worked--our ,lord rests preferably on the first1 but the second has its place and it is an important one4 ,our ,lord is the great physician who deals with all according as the case and the constitution require4 ,in different ages men's minds require different kinds of proof4 ,i believe that such different kinds are provided--that there is lying ready for each generation and each type of mind the degree of evidence which is good for it and of the kind which it is fitted to assimilate4 ,miracles are not the sort of evidence most wanted now2 but it was the sort which for many centuries was looked on as the most incontrovertible4 ,it spoke to those who could understand nothing else4 ,it was for many ages what men especially wanted1 and there it was to their hand4 ,a future generation may find their main ground of belief in ,christ in a realization of ,his ,personality2 and they may in this way arrive at that kind of knowledge of ,him which our ,lord had hoped that ,philip might have gained4 ,this we can scarcely obtain without a careful study of our ,lord's ways of influencing men4 ,i have not yet spoken of our ,lord's miraculous knowledge of events or of ,his insight into men's hearts4 ,there have been a few persons in the course of the world's history who have1 in a wondrous way1 discerned the ends towards which events were working2 and others who have divined the thoughts of other men4 ,these gifts in the fullest degree our ,lord possessed2 and when ,he needed stronger illumination for the purpose of ,his work these faculties were exalted beyond human range4 ,the superhuman supervened1 proceeding along the lines of human action2 and this1 like the powers whereby ,his other works were wrought1 came from the ,father in answer to prayer4 ,by displaying this divining power ,he converts ,nathanael1 and ,he forcibly impresses the woman of ,samaria4 ,but effective as the display of this superhuman penetration was for bringing about conviction1 it was much more than an evidence of ,divine power4 ,the knowledge of this insight of their ,master into their hearts played a large part in the ,apostles' ,schooling4 ,they were habituated by means of it to feel that their hearts were known1 and this habit became so much a part of themselves that when ,christ had left the world they could realize to themselves that they were under ,his eye still4 ,this condition of mind was required for their special work1 and ,christ's training was directed to develop it within them as ,i hope to show4 ,in the next ,chapter ,i pass to the discussion of the ,laws which our ,lord appears to follow in ,his working of ,signs4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,,the ,,laws ,,of ,,the ,,working ,,of ,,signs4 ,i have already1 in the introductory ,chapter1 given my view of the principles which guided our ,lord in the exercise of ,his superhuman powers4 ,he is tempted to employ them when ,he saw they should not be employed1 and the ,laws are drawn from ,his refusals4 ,consequently they all take the form that1 for such and such a purpose1 or under such and such circumstances these superhuman powers are not to be brought into action4 ,i will recapitulate the ,laws before stated-- 7#a7 ,our ,lord will not provide by miracle what could be provided by human endeavour or human foresight4 ,he ,himself1 as far as we can see1 never employs superhuman power or illumination to effect what could be arrived at by human effort4 7#b7 ,our ,lord will not use ,his special powers to provide for ,his personal wants or for those of ,his immediate followers4 7#c7 ,no miracle is to be worked merely for miracles' sake1 apart from an end of benevolence or instruction4 7#d7 ,no miracle is to be worked to supplement human policy or force--as 7for instance7 those of ,joshua were4 7#e7 ,no miracle is to be worked which should be overwhelming in point of awfulness so as to terrify men into acceptance1 or which should be unanswerably certain1 leaving no loophole for unbelief4 ,before going into particulars about these ,laws there is something to be said about the narrative of the ,temptation itself1 and the form in which it has come down to us4 ,the incident of the ,temptation is recorded in all the ,gospels except that of ,st ,john2 but the account in ,st ,mark's ,gospel relates only that our ,lord withdrew into the wilderness1 and that ,he was there 8forty days tempted of ,satan40 ,in the ,gospels of ,st ,matthew and ,st ,luke we find1 with some small variations to be noted presently1 what is commonly known as the ,history of the ,temptations of our ,lord4 ,the narratives1 taken from the ,revised ,version1 are as follows3 8,then was ,jesus led up of the ,spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil4 ,and when he had fasted forty days and forty nights1 he afterward hungered4 ,and the tempter came and said unto him1 ,if thou art the ,son of ,god1 command that these stones become bread4 ,but he answered and said1 ,it is written1 ,man shall not live by bread alone1 but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of ,god4 ,then the devil taketh him into the holy city2 and he set him on the pinnacle of the temple1 and saith unto him1 ,if thou art the ,son of ,god1 cast thyself down3 for it is written1 ,he shall give his angels charge concerning thee3 ,and on their hands they shall bear thee up1 ,lest haply thou dash thy foot against a stone4 ,jesus said unto him1 ,again it is written1 ,thou shalt not tempt the ,lord thy ,god4 ,again1 the devil taketh him unto an exceeding high mountain1 and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world1 and the glory of them2 and he said unto him1 ,all these things will ,i give thee1 if thou wilt fall down and worship me4 ,then saith ,jesus unto him1 ,get thee hence1 ,satan3 for it is written1 ,thou shalt worship the ,lord thy ,god1 and him only shalt thou serve4 ,then the devil leaveth him2 and behold1 angels came and ministered unto him407#ee7 8,and straightway the ,spirit driveth him forth into the wilderness4 ,and he was in the wilderness forty days tempted of ,satan2 and he was with the wild beasts2 and the angels ministered unto him407#ef7 8,and ,jesus1 full of the ,holy ,spirit1 returned from the ,jordan1 and was led by the ,spirit in the wilderness during forty days1 being tempted of the devil4 ,and he did eat nothing in those days3 and when they were completed1 he hungered4 ,and the devil said unto him1 ,if thou art the ,son of ,god1 command this stone that it become bread4 ,and ,jesus answered unto him1 ,it is written1 ,man shall not live by bread alone4 ,and he led him up2 and shewed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time4 ,and the devil said unto him1 ,to thee will ,i give all this authority1 and the glory of them3 for it hath been delivered unto me2 and to whomsoever ,i will ,i give it4 ,if thou therefore wilt worship before me1 it shall all be thine4 ,and ,jesus answered and said unto him1 ,it is written1 ,thou shalt worship the ,lord thy ,god1 and him only shalt thou serve4 ,and he led him to ,jerusalem1 and set him on the pinnacle of the temple1 and said unto him1 ,if thou art the ,son of ,god1 cast thyself down from hence3 for it is written1 ,he shall give his angels charge concerning thee1 to guard thee3 and1 ,on their hands they shall bear thee up1 ,lest haply thou dash thy foot against a stone4 ,and ,jesus answering said unto him1 ,it is said1 ,thou shalt not tempt the ,lord thy ,god4 ,and when the devil had completed every temptation1 he departed from him for a season407#eg7 ,what we find in ,st ,mark may have been generally known to our ,lord's disciples from the earliest period of the ministry4 ,but the account of the ,temptations themselves1 which we find in ,st ,matthew and ,st ,luke1 can only have come from our ,lord ,himself4 ,assuming this to be the case1 the passage before us is singular in two respects4 ,first1 ,because the ,evangelists have here1 and here only1 altered the form of what our ,lord delivered1 and changed into a narration in the third person what must1 in the first instance1 have been expressed in the first4 ,secondly1 ,because this is the only instance in which our ,lord breaks through ,his reticence as to ,his own personal history on earth4 ,here and here only does ,he give us a glimpse of what had befallen ,him or of what had passed within ,his breast4 ,st ,matthew and ,st ,luke differ as to the order of the second and third ,temptations4 ,i have adopted that given by ,st ,luke4 ,according to my view1 our ,lord in the one rejects the use of physical violence and in the other that of moral compulsion4 ,it is more after our ,lord's way to proceed from what is concrete to what is abstract1 than in the reverse order4 ,i feel strengthened in this view by some of the characteristics of the ,gospel of ,st ,matthew1 in the form in which it has come down to us4 ,this ,evangelist has always the ,kingdom before his eyes4 ,he would therefore be inclined to account the rejection of 8all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them0 as the highest possible instance of the renunciation of self2 and as he accounted it the most severe of the temptations he would naturally place it last4 ,st ,matthew moreover throughout his ,gospel often puts together the discourses of our ,lord according to their subject-matter1 and not in the order in which they were spoken4 ,he would therefore have no scruple about changing the order of the account of the ,temptations which may have come before him as a detached document4 ,on the other hand we do not know of any bias of ,st ,luke which should lead him to prefer one order of events to another4 ,another slight variation may be noticed4 ,st ,matthew tells us that ,he was 8led up of the ,spirit to be tempted of the devil407#eh7 ,the words imply that ,he was led up with a view to undergoing temptation4 ,but in ,st ,mark and ,st ,luke we have 8being tempted0 without any intimation of purpose4 ,grave difficulties attach to the view that our ,lord went into the desert with the set purpose of seeking and confronting temptation4 ,moreover it is of the essence of temptation that it should come on us unawares4 ,if we know that endeavours are about to be made to persuade us to a particular course1 we close our ears to all that pleads for it--being forewarned1 we are forearmed2 so that1 as regards these words1 and indeed throughout the passage1 ,i place more confidence in the version of ,st ,luke than in that of ,st ,matthew1 or1 to speak more accurately1 that of his translator from ,hebrew4 ,the words 8,get thee hence10 at the close of ,st ,matthew's relation of the temptation on the mount1 have been supposed to indicate the final banishment of the ,tempter1 and therefore to shew that this temptation came last4 ,the force of the argument rests on our supposing1 as no doubt the author of ,st ,matthew's ,gospel did1 that the events here related formed three distinct visible scenes1 occurring in close succession1 towards the end of the forty days4 ,whereas ,i hold that we have here a representation of our ,lord's inward conflicts1 clothed by ,him in a garb of outward imagery1 that they might be the better understood4 ,if this view be taken1 the trials may have gone on simultaneously throughout the forty days1 and may have been so far like our own inward troubles that one harassing perplexity may well have been most pressing at one moment and another at the next4 ,but if these struggles are represented by visible occurrences1 these occurrences must necessarily be related one after the other4 ,the words 8,get thee hence0 might refer not necessarily to a final banishment1 but only to the end of one assault4 ,st ,luke's version is reconcileable with the view that he understood our ,lord to be speaking figuratively and personifying the voices that tempted him4 ,it may be asked1 8,at what period of ,his ministry did our ,lord give the disciples the account of what passed in the desert80 ,we can only guess1 but the guess is worth making4 ,we do not know whether the account which we possess was contained in what critics call 8the original document10 on which the ,gospels of ,st ,matthew and ,st ,mark are supposed to be based4 ,its omission by ,st ,mark rather favours the supposition that it was not4 ,it may have been1 in the first instance1 put down in writing by one who heard the recital from our ,lord's lips1 and may have come into the hands of the evangelists as a separate 8parchment407#ei7 ,this document might contain no note of the time and place at which our ,lord delivered the account--and1 in the absence of information on this point1 the compiler of the gospel might have made the alteration from the first person to the third1 if it had not been made before1 and have inserted the account in the place belonging to it in the order of events4 ,i conjecture that the communication was made near the end of the ministry1 possibly after the feast of the dedication17#fj7 at the time when 8,he went away again beyond ,jordan into the place where ,john was at the first baptizing2 and there he abode407#fa7 ,the place would recall what had happened after ,he had been 8driven0 from that spot by the ,spirit into the wilderness about two years before4 ,other considerations also lead me to this conjecture4 ,it is strange that no allusion is ever made to so important a record3 and this would be far more strange if the knowledge had lain in the minds of the ,apostles all through the period of our ,lord's ministry1 than if they had only obtained it when the close was at hand4 ,moreover1 the absence of any account of the circumstances under which the relation was made inclines me to think that this must have taken place at a time of which our records are scanty2 and there is no time in the sacred history of which the narrative is less full than the period at which ,i place the communication1 viz41 the early spring preceding the ,passion of our ,lord4 ,there is also this consideration of a different kind4 ,in all education there are two elements1 that which is communicated by the teacher ready made1 and which the pupil has only to register1 and that which the learner elicits by turning over in his mind the matter which gives food for thought4 ,in our ,lord's teaching of the disciples the proportion of the latter element to the former steadily increases from first to last4 ,at first1 sayings are given them to remember2 latterly1 they receive mysteries on which to meditate4 ,in the ,sermon on the ,mount men are told plainly what it was desirable for them to know2 afterwards1 the teaching passes through parables and hard sayings up to the mysteries conveyed by the ,last ,supper4 ,the lessons of the ,temptation have the form of the later teaching of our ,lord3 they contain hard matters and only yield their fruit by being long laid to heart4 ,not only would the lessons of the ,temptation have been more intelligible to the ,apostles towards the end of the ministry than at the beginning2 but1 turning as they do on the use of superhuman powers1 they would suit the time when the ,apostles were about to exercise similar powers themselves4 ,now comes the great question of all3 ,in what sense is the narrative to be taken8 ,many writers accept it as literal history and suppose the ,tempter to have appeared in bodily form and to have conveyed our ,lord1 also in the body1 both to the mountain top and the pinnacle of the ,temple4 ,others have regarded it as a vision2 and intermediate views have been adopted by many4 ,on one point fortunately we may be pretty confident4 ,the substance of the history came from our ,lord4 ,the most unfavourable critics allow this1 from the extreme difficulty of referring it to any other source4 ,it cannot have been introduced in order to make the ,gospel fall in with ,jewish notions of the ,messiah1 for there are no traditions that the ,messiah should be tempted3 and if the passage had been devised by men1 the drift of it would have been plainer1 and the temptations would have been such as men would feel might have come upon themselves4 ,we have many accounts1 in the legends of the saints1 of the sort of trials which present themselves to the imagination of human writers2 and they differ totally from these4 ,i have let fall already a few words shewing in what way ,i regard the passage4 ,i must now speak more fully on the subject4 ,it may be assumed that1 in all our ,lord's dealings with ,his disciples1 ,his primary purpose was to do them good4 ,he did not leave behind ,him this reference to ,his sojourn in the wilderness and its momentous results1 merely as materials for biographers4 ,the trials which had beset ,him would soon beset them also in doing the work ,he destined for them2 before ,he left them ,he would therefore relate in what disguises the temptations had appeared and how they had been repelled4 ,behind the ,apostles1 who formed as it were the front rank of ,his audience1 there stretched long files of hearers1--all those to whom ,his words have since come4 ,at the end of this file we ourselves stand2 and those among us who have special gifts1 and are tempted to use them for selfish ends1 or for putting a yoke1 physical or mental1 upon other men1 may well take them to heart4 ,my business however now is with the ,apostles4 ,it was likely that our ,lord would give them some hint as to the principles on which superhuman power can be safely employed3 and it was certain that this lesson would be put by ,him in the form which would best convey it1 and which would make the most lasting impression4 ,the form then1 as well as the matter of the lesson1 must be worth studying closely4 ,one reason why this passage has such a powerful interest for men is that the history is a personal one4 ,our ,lord riveted the most earnest attention of ,his hearers by speaking to them of ,himself2 and something of the same effect is felt by readers of the story now4 ,we know how a teacher at once enchains the interest of his class when1 leaving things abstract1 or what he finds in books1 he says1 8,now ,i will tell you something that happened to me20 and we can understand the eagerness with which the ,apostles would gather round our ,lord1 and can imagine how intently they would gaze upon ,him1 when ,he told them that ,he1 like them1 had been tempted1 that ,he too had fought hard battles and that ,he would tell them what they were4 ,another source of interest is that the story deals with inner struggles in a figurative way--the voices are personified and the action is localised4 ,that ,satan should have appeared in a bodily form is1 to my mind1 opposed to the spirituality of all our ,lord's teaching4 ,such an appearance presents endless difficulties1 not only physical but moral4 ,if our ,lord knew the tempter to be ,satan1 ,he was as ,i have said forearmed2 if ,he did not know him1 this introduces other difficulties4 ,he must at any rate have been surprised at meeting a specious sophist in the wilderness4 ,milton deals with the subject with great skill1 from his point of view1 in ,paradise ,regained4 ,certain points he leaves unexplained1 and those ,i believe to be inexplicable4 ,they are these4 ,i cannot understand that our ,lord should suffer ,satan to transport ,him to the mountain top1 or to the pinnacle of the ,temple1 or that the ,evil ,one should propose to ,jesus to fall down and worship him4 ,i can however readily comprehend that our ,lord should represent under this imagery and under these personifications what had passed within ,himself4 ,he could not indeed bring the lesson home to ,his hearers in any other way4 ,to have represented mental emotions1 to have spoken of the thoughts that had passed through ,his mind1 would have been wholly unsuited to ,his hearers4 ,we know how difficult it is to keep up an interest in a record of inward struggles and experiences4 ,men want something to present to their mind's eye1 and they soon weary of following an account of what has been going on within a man's heart1 void of outward incident4 ,a recital of what had passed in our ,lord's mind would have taken no hold of men's fancy and would soon have faded from their thoughts4 ,but the figure of ,satan would catch their eye1 the appearance of contest would animate the hearers' interest2 while the survey of the realms of the earth1 and the dizzy station on the pinnacle of the ,temple1 would take possession of men's memories and minds4 ,the ,apologue was to ,orientals a favourite vehicle for conveying moral lessons2 and we have a familiar instance in ,english ,literature of the attraction of allegory4 ,would ,bunyan's ,pilgrim's ,progress have possessed itself1 as it has done1 of the hearts of whole sections of the ,british race1 if1 shorn of its human characters and its scenery1 it had only analysed and depicted the inward conflicts1 the mental vicissitudes and religious difficulties of a sorely-tried ,christian youth8 ,the use of the name ,satan must be considered4 ,this name1 which means the enemy1 occurs in the ,old ,testament1 in the book of ,job and elsewhere but not in the ,pentateuch4 ,the ,jews we know had a dmonology of their own4 ,the gods of the heathen they regarded as devils1 of whom the ,sidonian deity ,beelzebub was ,prince4 ,our ,lord never countenances these views4 ,i believe that ,he uses the word ,satan in a generic sense to personify evil spiritual influences exercised upon earth4 ,when the ,apostles returned safe after being sent through the cities1 our ,lord regards this as an augury of their success in the great conflict and says that ,he 8beheld ,satan fallen as lightning from ,heaven407#fb7 ,we have clearly impersonation here4 ,he says also 8,if ,satan hath risen up against himself and is divided107#fc7 a supposition which excludes the idea of an individual being1 and agrees with the collective meaning ,i attribute to the term4 ,when ,st ,peter rebukes our ,lord for declaring before ,his followers that ,he would be 8rejected and killed and after three days rise again10 our ,lord says 8,get thee behind me1 ,satan40 ,st ,peter1 by saying of the suffering of which our ,lord spake 8this shall never be unto thee107#fd7 unwittingly had acted as the ally of those who would tempt our ,lord from yielding implicitly to ,his ,father's will1 and our ,lord therefore calls him ,satan4 ,on the whole then ,i lean to the view that the communication1 or discourse of our ,lord1 which has been preserved in the form of the narrative of the ,temptation1 was delivered by ,him in the form of an apologue or species of parable1 in which our ,lord1 after ,eastern fashion1 introduced ,satan as an embodiment of the powers of evil4 ,it must not be supposed that by giving up here the personality of the tempter we are making an abatement of what is superhuman in the ,gospel1 in order that1 in virtue of having so done1 we may hope to win this or that section of doubters over to our side--the whole question of evil remains a mystery1 and in mystery there can be no degrees4 ,it is of no use endeavouring to make infinity a trifle less infinite4 ,whether the word ,satan be here used collectively or personally is altogether a different question from the existence of intermediate intelligences1 and is quite an open one even for the most orthodox4 ,temptation to turn stones into loaves4 ,i now come to the ,temptations themselves4 ,as these trials were mental1 we can only realise them by imagining what1 consistently with our history1 may have passed in our ,lord's mind4 ,what actually did so pass is of course beyond our knowledge altogether4 ,we are however justified in supposing that1 as our ,lord was 8tempted as man10 the thoughts and feelings which actuated ,him would be such as men might follow and more or less understand4 ,it would appear that when ,god lays a work on a man ,he gives him a general view of the end to be kept in sight1 a vehement desire to accomplish it1 and a forefeeling of the capacity so to do4 ,but ,he does not shew him how he is to do it1 ,he does not make the way clear so that he sees his course before him and marks its several stages4 ,if a man were so guided he would not fulfil the conditions of human agency1 there would be no room for his own will to act1 he would have no responsibility4 ,he would move along a pre-arranged path4 ,god would1 in effect1 be doing all and he nothing1 and so it would come to much the same thing as if the work were done once for all by ,god's fiat1 independently of human action--and this1 as we have already seen1 is not ,god's way of governing the world4 ,when ,st ,paul takes his last journey to ,jerusalem1 the ,spirit1 he tells us1 8testifieth unto me in every city1 saying that bonds and afflictions abide me40 ,that he must go to ,jerusalem he knew and to go he was resolved1 but what course of conduct he was to adopt or what the result was to be he did not know at all2 afterwards in like manner1 he knew that he was to bear witness at ,rome1 but he had no directions as to what he was to do4 ,it was left to him to act as seemed to him to be the best4 ,this may give us a help towards understanding how it may have been with our ,lord1 when the mighty charge unto which ,he was born came home to ,his mind1 and ,he felt1 rising in ,him1 the wondrous powers given to aid ,him in carrying it out4 ,our ,lord when driven by the ,spirit into the wilderness would take no thought of food or shelter4 ,the one thing ,he craved for was to be alone2 ,he must have solitude1 and the wilderness provided that4 ,when ,he reflected1 ,he could hardly help asking ,himself whether this light which had shone upon ,him--this voice from ,heaven1--were the resuscitation of ,his ,diviner life or only something in ,his own eyes and ears8 ,a sure test lay ready3 when ,he had heard ,himself hailed as the ,son of ,god a conviction had risen in ,him that ,god would give effect to ,his commands4 ,he had only to try whether this was so and all doubts would be resolved4 ,perhaps the whisper came 8,try this experiment in a very small matter first40 ,who could think this apparent caution and prudence came from an ill quarter8 ,spiritual evil always chooses a trifle1 something from which it seems that no harm can possibly come1 to win its victim to the first false step4 ,our ,lord was hungry1 and loaf-shaped stones were lying all about ,him4 ,why not turn a few actually into the loaves they looked like8 ,in so doing1 how could ,he possibly be wrong8 ,however plausible the appeal of the ,tempter1 it was not entertained4 ,we can conceive that a whole array of objections would arise2 some may have been such as these-- ,this putting of ,god to trial by a test of my own choosing1 that ,i may determine whether ,i will believe ,his words or not3 this implying that ,i will admit ,his authority if ,he speaks in one way and not if ,he speaks in another--,is this befitting one called to a work like this8 ,then came another point--,he was hungry4 ,as ,st ,mark says nothing about the fasting it will be best not to assume that the fasting was part of our ,lord's original purpose2 but as1 in the desert of ,judea1 food could not be got without a journey of some miles1 our ,lord1 whether designedly or not1 had put ,himself out of the immediate reach of food4 ,should ,he remedy this by using the mysterious power with which ,he felt ,he was invested8 ,this power was given ,him to forward ,god's ,kingdom upon earth--should ,he use it for ,himself8 ,then the tempter might return to the assault4 ,there are fluxes and refluxes in human feeling2 we are always afraid that we have gone too far in one direction1 or been too obstinate about our own point2 it strikes us that perhaps we have made more of it than it was worth1 and then we listen submissively to the other side4 ,such a whisper as this may have come--,these powers are given you to enable you to set up ,god's ,kingdom upon earth2 for this you must win adherents4 ,these adherents must be maintained4 ,your opponents are supported by the great ones of the earth2 the ,god of ,heaven has committed to you ,his powers for the support of yours4 ,this little incident of the loaves only points the way to a much weightier matter2 you must use your special powers to supply your own bodily wants in the coming contest1--why not begin with using them for this purpose now8 ,here we have arrived at the gravest point of the debate--,were these powers really to be used for ,his bodily wants or not8 ,as the true conditions of ,his work rose before ,him1 the principles grew clearer2 ,he was to deliver mankind as the ,son of ,man1 ,he was to work as man1 to suffer as man1 that suffering men might always look to ,him1 saying 8,he was one of us40 ,and how could this be1 if ,his lot was so unlike theirs that ,he met ,his own wants by a word of command directly they arose8 ,how could ,his followers own the duty of labouring for their daily bread1 if stones at a word were turned into loaves for ,him8 ,how could ,he tell men not to think overmuch of the meat that perisheth1 if ,he had used ,divine powers to provide it for ,himself as soon as ,he possessed them8 ,if ,he were to be the stay of loving human hearts1 ,he must say to men1 8,as you live1 ,i live3 of all your ills and troubles ,i claim my part40 ,our ,lord's answer points out a train of thought along which ,he may have passed1 until at length ,he reached a firm resolve and reduced the ,tempter to silence4 ,it will not be irreverent to imagine what might1 consistently with what we learn1 have been its nature4 ,man wants no reminding that he lives by bread4 ,there is no fear of his not giving care enough to the needs of his body2 but there is danger lest he should think of nothing but these needs1 and starve his soul and become such that eternal life1 without a body to care for1 would only be a condition of aimless weariness4 ,he resolved therefore to keep ,his powers apart for spiritual ends4 ,he will work no miracle to shew that ,he can work a miracle1 or to assure either ,himself or others that ,he is the ,son of ,god2 neither will ,he use this power to provide what others win by toil1 or to preserve ,himself or ,his followers from the common ills of human life4 ,there are a few of our ,lord's ,signs which might1 at first sight1 look as if in them this principle were not observed4 ,at the marriage of ,cana in ,galilee1 the ,sign is worked as an act of kindness to save the host from mortification arising from an accident4 ,i have mentioned1 as regards the miracles of the loaves and fishes1 that on both occasions the supply which our ,lord's own company had with them was sufficient for their immediate wants4 ,the crowds1 however1 had1 by their rapt attention to our ,lord1 been detained away from their homes and their supplies1 and1 if they had had to go a distance to buy bread1 they would have suffered from taking so long a journey fasting4 ,the case was an exceptional emergency parallel to that of illness1 and our ,lord meets it by miraculous means4 ,the miraculous draughts of fishes benefited probably all who were partners in the vessel1 but they were not wrought to meet any necessity on the part of our ,lord4 ,all night long they had taken nothing2 this scarcity may have been part of the lesson of the miracle1 and the great draught is only a bounteous compensation4 ,this is a miracle of instruction1 as ,i said in the last chapter3 it tells men that a turn comes at the moment when they are about to give up1 and that the faith which bears up long is rewarded4 ,moreover1 to recur to what ,i said in the last chapter1 ,st ,peter had been told that he was to be henceforth a fisher of men2 and when multitudes1 both of ,jews and ,gentiles1 were gathered into the ,church in ,jerusalem he must have thought of this as answering to the ,sign4 ,the miracle of the stater in the fish's mouth also requires notice4 ,it is not wrought to obtain the coin1 but to keep before ,peter's mind that he as well as his ,master were the children and not the servants or tributaries of ,god4 ,from ,st ,peter's answering without hesitation that his master would pay the didrachm1 it is clear that there was no difficulty about producing the small sum4 ,he does not speak to our ,lord on the matter1 but our ,lord1 directly he enters the house1 asks him1 8,what thinkest thou1 ,simon8 the kings of the earth1 from whom do they receive toll or tribute8 from their sons1 or from strangers807#fe7 ,this miracle1 as we said in the last chapter1 is one of instruction4 ,the payment according to the received view was the half-shekel that every ,israelite had to pay for providing victims for the ,temple service4 ,it gave the idea of a tribute to ,god which stood in the way of the conception of perfect sonship4 ,it implied that ,israelites alone had part or lot in the worship of the living ,god4 ,our ,lord would have ,st ,peter regard ,god as the ,father of mankind and not only as the ,lord and ruler of ,israel4 ,the whole point of the lesson lies in the words 8then are the children free40 ,these words would be stamped on ,st ,peter's mind by the finding the stater in the fish's mouth2 and they would recur to him and bring their proper lesson with them when the right moment came4 ,the circumstance is not in itself necessarily miraculous1 but it was rendered so in this case by our ,lord's foreseeing that the coin would be found in the first fish that came4 ,the ,temptation on the ,mount4 ,next comes a scene in which the ,spirit of the ,world is represented as pointing out all the glories of the empire of the inhabited earth1 and offering it to our ,lord on the strange condition that ,he should fall down and worship him4 ,this represents1 in plain and very forcible imagery1 a spiritual temptation to which those who have laboured to regenerate mankind have fallen victims over and over again4 ,those who have most nearly attained universal conquest1 ,mahomet1 ,zengis1 ,timour1 and many great political leaders as well1 have begun with a genuine wish to alleviate the ills of mankind1 of whom eventually they became a scourge4 ,i believe that what our ,lord sets before us here is the temptation to aim at visible and comparatively immediate success1 and to bring about our ideal by using the arts of worldly policy2 which were to be supported in the case before us by superhuman power4 ,we can conceive a ,tempter1 such as the ,satan of ,paradise ,regained1 saying as he does1 8,great acts require great means of enterprise10 and urging worldly counsels such as these3--8,you seek to set up a perfect kingdom upon earth1 to minimise evil by wise laws1 and to make men love ,god and serve ,god out of love4 ,you want success and you want it soon1 in order that in your lifetime you may see your plans matured4 ,for this1 first of all1 you must have at your back not merely disciples who shall listen and meditate1 but men who can advance a cause4 ,the uppermost feeling of the people among whom you have come is the desire to be free from ,rome4 ,they have drawn from the ,scriptures a notion that a ,messiah will soon come and restore the kingdom to ,israel4 ,with this view1 be it right or wrong1 you must fall in4 ,you carry with you powers like those wielded by the prophets of old4 ,proclaim yourself such a ,messiah as men expect4 ,strike to the ground the ,roman eagles that are sent against you4 ,offer to all who fall on your side a paradise of palpable enjoyments such as they can understand4 ,shew yourself invulnerable1 and be everywhere foremost in the fight4 ,your superhuman power will balance the enormous might of ,rome4 ,in order to win the empire of the world you must employ policy as well as arms4 ,you must excite enthusiasm4 ,you must fascinate crowds by eloquence and lead them to serve your purpose when they think that you are serving theirs4 ,when you have secured the empire1 you can inaugurate a golden reign and call on men to bless your ,father who sent you to their aid40 ,if suggestions such as these had been made to our ,lord by such a ,tempter as ,milton imagines1 we can see from the reply in our narrative how they would have been met4 ,this kingdom1 our ,lord would say1 so gained might indeed be mine but assuredly it will not be ,god's2 and my business is not to work for myself but for ,him4 ,it was this utter absence of self1 in our ,lord1 which men could not comprehend2 their common standards could not measure ,him--they are bewildered by this1 and all but the higher sort are put out of touch with ,him4 ,the picture which our ,lord leaves us of ,his struggle with the evil suggestions of ,his insidious foe teaches us many lessons1 but the clearest of all are these--,if we fight the world with its own weapons we soon put our hands out for using any others than those4 ,if we seek what the world has to give we soon fall down and worship it1 without having the least intention of doing anything of the kind4 ,but besides giving a lesson for after ages1 our ,lord here indicates a particular resolve which shaped ,his action upon earth4 ,it was this1--,he would not employ ,his superhuman powers to force men to obey1 or even to resist the violence which might be offered ,him4 ,he would not use them to assist in setting up the outward fabric of a ,kingdom of ,god3 and then1 going a little further1 ,he determines not to set up by ,his own hand any outward fabric of such a ,kingdom at all4 ,he was not to be an aspirant for worldly distinction--,he was not to be the leader of a cause--,he was not to be the founder of a school of philosophy or of any external form of religion at all4 ,he came to do a ,work1 ,the ,central ,work of the ,history of mankind4 ,he declared ,god1 and declared ,himself to be united to ,god1 and that ,he would be with men for ever until the end of the world4 ,but all that has to do with organisation1 outward customs1 effective sanctions1 or the condensing of doctrines into the formul of creeds1 belongs to the human side of religion1 and men of different climes and ages must shape such matters for themselves4 ,he came1 as ,i have said1 only to kindle the fire and to set a new force moving in the world4 ,this ,law1--that neither force nor worldly policy should be used to carry out the ,work of ,god1--governs all our ,lord's acts4 ,it need hardly be said that there is no miracle of our ,lord's recounted in the canonical ,scriptures in which violence is either done or repelled4 ,in the apocryphal ,gospels we find endless legends of the retribution which our ,lord brought on those who injured ,him1 especially in ,his boyish years4 ,neither do we ever find that our ,lord so displays ,his signs or shapes ,his conduct1 as to win from the crowd material support for the work ,he is carrying on4 ,it was never more important for ,him to win over the enthusiasm of the people than when ,he taught in ,jerusalem in the week of the ,passover3 but no public miracle at all is then performed4 ,it must have seemed strange to the disciples that ,he did not confound ,pilate on his judgment seat1 or ,herod on his throne1 but we see that the whole meaning of ,his coming would have been lost if ,he had4 ,the disciples however are not left at that time without some indication that ,his ,divine power remained unimpaired--the withering of the fig-tree1 and the foretelling to ,peter that he should deny ,him thrice1 shewed them that ,jesus was still the ,lord4 ,when the ,lord in the hands of ,his enemies turned and looked upon ,peter1 how striking must have been the contrast between the ,kingdoms of the earth and of ,god6 ,there is one occasion where our ,lord is urged to act in violation of this principle4 ,the sons of ,zebedee ask whether they may not call down fire from ,heaven on those who would not receive them4 8,but ,he turned and rebuked them407#ff7 ,again1 if ,he had come down from the cross when challenged to do so1 this principle would have been broken through4 ,those who said 8,he saved others1 ,himself ,he cannot save107#fg7 uttered a truth deeper than they dreamed of3 it was of the very essence of ,his mission that ,he should not use ,his powers for ,himself4 ,in connexion with this it may be noted that when ,st ,peter is delivered from the prison17#fh7 and ,st ,paul and ,silas at ,philippi1 these deliverances are represented1 not as being worked by ,st ,peter or ,st ,paul1 but as being worked for them by the ,divine power1 without any doing of theirs4 ,the ,temptation on the ,pinnacle of the ,temple4 ,when the temptation to employ open force was repelled1 a more insidious one came in its stead4 ,it was to use moral compulsion1 and1 by the public display of a resistless manifestation1 to make doubt and opposition disappear4 ,our ,lord1 as ,i believe1 clothes this suggestion in imagery suited to ,his hearers3 ,he represents ,himself as borne to the pinnacle of the ,temple and bidden to cast ,himself down4 ,of this pinnacle an account is given by ,dr ,edersheim3 he considers it to have overlooked the ,court of the ,priests4 ,the following extracts are from his account3-- 8,in the next temptation ,jesus stands on the watch-post which the white-robed priest has just quitted4 ,in the ,priests' ,court below ,him the morning sacrifice has been offered4444 ,now let ,him descend1 ,heaven-borne1 into the midst of priests and people4 ,what shouts of acclamation would greet ,his appearance6 ,what homage of worship would be ,his607#fi7 ,this pinnacle1 supposing my view to be correct1 would offer a fitting scene for the story of this trial1 not only as being a giddy height1 but because also the spot was a public one1 and a crowd of spectators would witness the display4 ,if our ,lord had only been tempted to assure ,himself of ,his power by a miracle of adventurous rashness1 any precipice would have served as well4 ,the essential force of the temptation lay in the suggestion to prostrate men's minds1 and to subjugate their wills1 by performing before their eyes an appalling act1 the superhuman nature of which could not possibly be gainsaid4 ,when we leave the external imagery1 and come to the gist of the lesson1 we find in it the truth which we have had before us over and over again47#gj7 ,a man's belief is not his belief and will not be effective for moulding his life unless his mind and his will have some part in the acceptance of it2 and if his own endeavours were to be on a sudden superseded by ,divine action1 this would be inconsistent with that studious culture of man's distinctive freedom which runs through the conduct of the world4 ,if will and reason are to be dumbfounded by the interference of absolute power1 why should men possess them or care to put them to use8 ,as a fact1 ,god suggests but does not compel1 and our ,lord's signs agree herewith4 ,they emphasise ,his lessons1 and witness for ,god to those who have eyes for ,him--but men can reject the lesson1 signs and all if they please4 ,let us imagine the form the ,tempter's arguments might take in the mouth of one like ,milton's ,satan3 8,you wish10 he might suggest1 8men to believe that your power comes from on high4 ,leave them no room for doubt4 ,people about you look for a ,sign from ,heaven1 such as ,joshua worked in ,ajalon1 and ,isaiah displayed in the days of ,hezekiah4 ,beelzebub1 they think1 may work ,signs on earth1 but ,heaven1 they own1 is ,god's domain1 and what is written in the skies carries ,god's hand and seal4 ,shew men these ,signs for which they ask1 and display your wonders so as to strike men the most4 ,cures and works of mercy1 witnessed by a few score people1 create but little stir4 ,shew something that all ,judea1 or at least ,jerusalem1 can behold at once2--great emotions take strongest hold among men in a mass3 display a comet or darken the sun2 or1 to begin with1 stand on the pinnacle of the ,temple--there is a tradition that there the ,messiah should appear7#ga7--;and in the presence of all the crowd hurl yourself into the ,priests' ,court below40 ,to meet these thoughts suggested by the ,tempter1 there would rise in our ,lord's mind a crowd of arguments3 some of these ,i have already ventured to imagine4 ,if our ,lord had displayed a ,sign of overwhelming effect1 and bidden men deny it if they could1 ,he would have paralysed intellectual growth in mankind4 ,men had been gifted with faculties fitting them to explore and to judge of spiritual things3 if these were curtailed of room for exercise1 they would languish like limbs disused4 ,should ,he bar investigation in one-half of reason's realm8 ,should ,he so appal mankind1 as to enforce an involuntary acceptance of ,his claims8 ,would not this be putting fresh fetters on those whom ,he was come on earth to set free8 ,some miracles of a stupendous character are worked by our ,lord1 no doubt3 such are the ,transfiguration and the raising of ,jairus' daughter4 ,but1 marvellous as these two manifestations were1 they were not worked for the mere wonder's sake2 men were not brought together to see them4 ,the wondrousness is an inevitable accompaniment of the declaration of ,god's ,kingdom and the disclosing of ,his ways1 but it is not the prime motive of the act4 ,there is no display1 no appearance of effort4 ,expectation is not awakened or the imagination aroused by the announcement of a coming prodigy4 ,neither were these great works wrought to win proselytes3 the few who witness them are already convinced of their ,master's ,divine power2 it is not so much a fuller assurance that they derive from them1 as a deeper insight into the ways of ,god4 ,to the three apostles who already best discerned ,god's ways1 ,god's power is in these manifestations more fully displayed2 no others behold it4 ,here as everywhere1 it is to those who have that more is given4 ,this same ,law governs the appearances of the risen ,lord4 ,he does not stand forth in triumph and confound disbelief4 ,he had only to shew ,himself in the temple and ,his enemies would have lain at ,his feet4 ,but men were not to be convinced against their will3 all our accounts agree that it was to ,his apostles only that our ,lord appeared4 ,st ,peter says to ,cornelius and his friends3 8,him ,god raised up the third day1 and gave him to be made manifest1 not to all the people1 but unto witnesses that were chosen before of ,god1 even to us1 who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead407#gb7 ,this limitation is very carefully maintained4 ,our ,lord never appears in ,his own form1 when there is any chance of ,his being beheld by others than disciples4 ,in the garden1 at the tomb1 and on the way to ,emmaus1 ,he shews ,himself to disciples in a strange shape and is only made known to them for a moment3 ,he was not to be seen and recognised by any ordinary passer by4 ,his resurrection was not to be a subject of popular rumour or one for the wonderment of the crowd4 ,some might say1 with the man in the parable1 8,nay1 but if one go to them from the dead17#gc7 they will repent10 but our ,lord is averse to sensational impressions3 men had had the option of believing or not1 and they had made their choice4 ,when however the apostles are together in their upper chamber and the doors are shut1 ,he appears in ,his accustomed form1 with the print of the nails upon ,his hands and feet1 for there was no need then for disguise4 ,the principle that room is to be left for man's will to act in determining his creed is observed not only in all the ,new ,testament but throughout the spiritual history of mankind4 ,towards the close of the third chapter ,i have remarked on the analogy between an overwhelming manifestation1 such as a ,sign from ,heaven1 and a rigorous demonstration that ,christ's revelation is of ,god4 ,men have at times cried out both for one and the other2 but if what they demand had been given them1 the higher knowledge would have been discontinuous1 with uncertainty on one side of a line and absolute certainty on the other4 ,there would have been rigid dykes1 as of granite1 crossing the field of spiritual thought1 which would have baulked our progress4 ,the ,laws which ,i have stated concerning ,signs are steadily observed throughout the canonical ,scriptures1 although the writers of the books knew nothing of any such ,laws4 ,the ,apocryphal ,gospels on the other hand violate these ,laws at every turn4 ,this opens out almost a new line of argument on internal evidence4 ,is not the coincidence strange1 supposing that the writers allowed play to their fancies1 that all the four ,evangelists should have uniformly refrained from introducing any miracle worked merely for miracles' sake2 or anyone which served to minister to the bodily wants of the worker2 or which was employed either to enforce submission or to punish hostility8 ,is it not also strange that neither in the ,gospels nor the ,acts have we any instance of any public display of power such as should awe the crowds into belief against their wills8 ,in this chapter ,i have considered the series of ,temptations1 with reference to their bearing on the miracles4 ,i have tried to shew that they supply insight into our ,lord's way of solving the problem of introducing the infinite element without causing the finite to disappear4 ,but this is only a student view2 and the lesson which the church has always drawn from them is of infinitely greater practical worth4 ,the heads of this lesson are3 that the great prizes of life presented themselves to ,jesus as they do to us2 that they glittered in ,his eyes as they do in ours2 that they offered themselves to ,his grasp as they sometimes do to ours1 and were deliberately renounced by ,him as hollow1 compared with the blessing of knowing and doing the will of ,god4 ,without this record1 could we have conceived our ,lord as being 8,man of the substance of ,his mother born in the world08 ,might we not have looked on ,jesus ,christ as only a manifestation of ,deity1 clad in outer human guise1 but without human affections2 visible indeed to men's eyes1 but destitute of a pulse which beats in unison with theirs8 ,this error would have lodged ,christianity in mens' heads instead of in their hearts and would have destroyed its universality and force2 and this error1 the narrative of the ,temptation--whether we regard it as apologue or fact--is alike effectual to dispel4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,from ,,the ,,temptation ,,to ,,the ,,ministry ,,in ,,galilee4 ,outset of the ,work4 ,we now come in sight of that part of our ,lord's work which is the special subject of this book4 ,we have been shewn something of what passed in ,his mind during the days in the desert2 but we are not told what ,he intended to accomplish or by what practical steps ,he would proceed4 ,we need not suppose that ,he came forth from the desert with ,his plan of action completely prepared4 ,he may not have settled where ,he should lay the scene of ,his work or whom ,he should take for ,his helpers4 ,all this would grow clear to ,him as time went on4 ,but though ,he may have been waiting for the guidance of inner voice and outward circumstance as to the way of executing ,his charge1 yet that ,he had ,god's work to do and meant to do it is written unmistakeably in ,his air4 ,we are shown ,him in ,st ,john's ,gospel on ,his way to ,galilee4 ,a glimpse is given us across ,his path1 and we see ,him pass along with the assured tread of one whose part is taken and who knows whither ,his steps lead4 ,on one point touching the form of ,his work ,he is already clear4 ,he is not to come as a practical reformer or as a claimant of power2 in these characters ,he would need active human aid1 and the ,spirit of the ,world would enter in3 but though ,he is given functions beyond teaching1 yet1 in order to wear a garb familiar to the people1 ,he will be in their eyes nothing more1 at first1 than 8a teacher come from ,god207#gd7 ,his followers are to be purely disciples and not adherents of any other kind4 ,his concern was not with political or social forms of order1--these must be different in different times and different lands4 ,his province was to waken into activity the capacity for knowing ,god which was practically dormant in the mass of mankind4 ,before laying down any plan or organising any society1 ,he passes some months in exploring1 so to say1 the tempers1 and minds and capacities of the different classes of persons in ,jerusalem and ,galilee4 ,he is in search of the fittest receptacles for the word4 ,he looks into the hearts of the disciples of ,john1 and of those who like ,nicodemus were 8scribes instructed into the kingdom of heaven40 ,he turns ,his eye upon ,samaritans and peasants of ,galilee2 and finally1 as we know1 decides to choose the quiet ,lake shore for the cradle of the ,faith4 ,the peasants and fishers whose ways ,he knew--unsentimental1 serviceable men--were taken as witnesses for the new revelation3 they offered the new flasks wanted for the new wine4 ,a man who sets about regenerating society commonly begins by remodelling institutions2 he trusts to good institutions to make men good3 our ,lord1 as a ,teacher1 begins at the other end2 ,he goes straight to the men themselves and tries to make them better2 better men would bring about better ways of ordering their outward lives2 but each generation must do this for itself4 ,the success of ,his enterprise did not rest on its immediate acceptance2 and so1 ,he did not aim at drawing numbers round ,him or at gaining influential proselytes or at consolidating a school or a sect4 ,christ's work was to go on for ever1 and mankind would be redeemed equally1 whether many followers or few attended ,him while on earth4 ,it may be asked 8,did our ,lord from the first see all that lay before ,him80 ,the conclusion from the facts of the history must be that1 unless when it were specially summoned1 ,his divine prescience remained in abeyance1 and that ,he1 as the ,son of ,man1 was subject to those uncertainties as to the future which attend ordinary human action4 ,he could not have worked together with men1 as ,he did with the ,apostles1 if ,he had differed so essentially from them as to know perfectly every day what was going to happen on the next3 he could not have experienced surprise2 and surprise our ,lord certainly shews at the dulness of the disciples in catching ,his meaning3 8,he marvelled0 too at the unbelief of some districts4 ,on occasion we know that ,he could search men's hearts2 but they did not lie bare to ,his view4 ,neither can we suppose that1 when ,he charged men not to publish their cures1 ,he knew that ,he would be disobeyed2 or that ,he chose ,judas for an ,apostle knowing that he would betray ,him4 ,the general drift of the purport of ,his coming1 and ,his insight into it1 grew clearer and clearer the nearer ,he came to the end2 but we have no warrant for supposing that the details of all that would happen on the way lay before ,him from the first4 ,he draws ,his disciples to ,him at first with a cheerful hope3 but towards the close of ,his career ,he has the air of one moving under a load2 and once ,he gives utterance to what lies at ,his heart4 ,the words in which ,he does this throw a light on the question of ,his purpose and ,his plan2 they are spoken apparently to ,st ,peter-- 8,i came to cast fire upon the earth2 and what will ,i1 if it is already kindled8 ,but ,i have a baptism to be baptized with2 and how am ,i straitened till it be accomplished607#ge7 ,it needed one sent from ,god to kindle this fire1 and to bring home to men the truth that ,his ,spirit worked within them to will and to do2 but when the kindling was once effected1 the rest might be left to human effort4 ,men could feed the flame and men could fan it2 and so1 following the law we have traced in operation so often1 to men the flame was left1 for them to feed and fan4 8,this being done10 our ,lord might say1 8this for which ,i came1--why do ,i linger here8 what more do ,i want80 and yet ,he might add 8,my whole work is not done3 the crowning act remains4 ,men will never understand my love at all unless ,i die for them40 ,until ,he was baptised with this baptism of suffering1 ,he was like one straitened on every side by an imperious task which claims his every thought4 ,our ,lord's movements from the ,temptation on to the ,ministry in ,galilee are made known to us by the ,gospel of ,st ,john4 ,jesus appears on the banks of the ,jordan1 where ,john was still baptising his disciples2 ,he mixes with the throng2 the ,baptist points ,him out to two young men1 one of whom1 ,andrew1 brings his brother to visit ,him2 the other was probably the ,evangelist himself4 ,afterwards our ,lord ,himself finds ,philip1 and ,philip finds ,nathanael1 and the little party travel on foot to ,cana of ,galilee4 ,no writer1 who did not confine himself to facts about which he was certain1 would have given so homely a story of the beginning of so mighty a matter4 ,the ,gospel of ,st ,john is manifestly written by one who is in the position of a disciple2 he sees everything from the disciple's point of view3 what the disciples thought of things that happened seems to be always uppermost in his mind4 ,he is not a writer composing a continuous biography of our ,lord1 but a disciple drawing lessons from particular scenes of his ,master's life2 and he no more thinks of considering why our ,lord took the course ,he did1 than he would consider why the seasons change4 ,an historian might have looked for reasons why our ,lord did not appear in public life in ,jerusalem2 but ,john does not look on the matter with an historian's eye4 ,i will here summarise the occasions on which the disciples are mentioned1 in the period of the history embraced in this chapter4 ,we first hear of them in the account of the wedding at ,cana4 ,the ,evangelist relates that 8,he manifested forth ,his glory1 and ,his disciples believed on ,him407#gf7 ,next we find the disciples spoken of1 as if they stood in a kind of family relation to ,him4 8,he went down to ,capernaum1 ,he1 and ,his mother1 and ,his brethren1 and ,his disciples407#gg7 ,when we come to the account of the cleansing of the ,temple1 it is pointed out how that action struck the disciples4 ,they talked it over among themselves2 they recalled the verse in the ,psalms1 8,the zeal of ,thine house shall eat me up107#gh7 and thought they saw a ,messianic prophecy fulfilled3 we are told too that after our ,lord's death they recalled ,his words about building the ,temple in three days4 ,we hear also that they were numerous3 8many believed on ,his name1 beholding the signs which ,he did407#gi7 ,next comes a fact of great importance2 it is that1 though our ,lord did not baptise adherents1 yet that ,his disciples did so1 and that finally more resorted to them than to the ,baptist47#hj7 ,a few disciples attended our ,lord in the journey through ,samaria1 and to them ,his first recorded discourse as a teacher is addressed3 there is no further mention of them during the period embraced in this chapter4 ,such is the summary of the matter bearing on my subject2 ,i proceed to discuss points of interest that arise out of it4 ,the advent of our ,lord differed from that of other enlighteners of mankind in one very striking way4 ,he had1 in the ,baptist1 a special forerunner1 who gave out1 on all occasions1 that the final cause of his own preaching was to prepare the way for one greater than himself4 ,events of national history1 themselves part of that wide-spreading 8,preparatio ,evangelica0 which1 to my mind1 underlies the history of the world1 had raised a ferment in the minds of the inhabitants of ,palestine4 ,to this movement the ,baptist gave a particular turn4 ,he brought men to desire that the world should become better1 and taught them that they must begin by becoming better themselves4 ,without this preparation1 the germs of truth which our ,lord scattered would more largely have failed to quicken3 the ,baptist had broken up the soil to receive the seed2 his preaching put the people in an attitude of expectancy1 and an expectant condition is a receptive one4 ,the ,old ,testament prophecies had worked to this same end2 they had made expectancy congenial to the nation's mind4 ,the ,israelites were like spectators waiting to see a great king come with a procession3 the sight of a forerunner sets the crowd astir1 and such a forerunner ,john was4 ,i have observed before1 that in carrying out ,his own work our ,lord is careful to use preparation4 ,the disciples are sent 8to every place where ,he ,himself would come40 ,men were not to be repelled from the new movement by reason of its being strange to them4 ,what this preparation did for the villages of ,galilee the ,baptist did on a grander scale for all ,juda4 ,we get but a glimpse of the nature of the relation between ,john and his disciples1 and need only notice it briefly4 ,young men did not1 like those who sat at the feet of a ,rabbi1 resort to him for definite instruction3 the disciples of ,john did not look to be taught interpretations of the ,law or of the ,prophets1 but they looked for a rule of life for themselves and a brighter future for their country or their race--they were ill-satisfied with the present and eagerly turned to one who represented both in aspect and in utterance the prophets of old4 ,there was one feature in ,john's ministry1 so distinctive that he drew his appellation from it4--,he caused his disciples to be baptised4 ,the doctrines implied in the rite do not now concern me2 to some it symbolised the cleansing from sin1 to others the rising into a new life2 but the practical effect of it was to make those who received it feel that they had1 in a way1 pledged their allegiance to ,john by receiving baptism at his hands3 they had assumed a badge1 and were bound by ties of personal loyalty to their master and to one another47#ha7 ,but ,john's disciples were not separated off from the outside mass by baptism alone4 ,to the mind of his countrymen a religion was not a religion at all1 unless it included a regimen1 unless it parcelled out their days1 according to hours of prayer and times of fasting4 ,with such a distinctive rule ,john provided his followers4 ,he taught them to pray17#hb7 he accustomed them to voluntary fasts27#hc7 and on some points of ceremonial1 such as purification1 he may have had tenets of his own47#hd7 ,we will now trace the steps by which our ,lord gathers disciples round ,him4 ,it is possible that even before our ,lord left ,galilee ,he had been the centre of a group of young men who looked up to ,him1 and the ,galileans among ,john's disciples might therefore have heard of ,him4 ,it falls in also with this supposition1 that our ,lord seems to have been already acquainted with ,philip of ,bethsaida1 and to have purposely sought him out4 ,we read--8,he findeth ,philip1 and saith unto him1 ,follow me407#he7 ,philip hastens to ,nathanael17#hf7 who came from ,cana in ,galilee1 and tells him that the ,messiah has been found in the person of 8,jesus the son of ,joseph1 the man from ,nazareth407#hg7 ,the words in italics may imply 8of whom we have all heard20 for ,cana was not more than six miles from ,nazareth1 and ,bethsaida was in the same district4 ,the ,baptist1 we know1 regarded ,him1 when ,he came to be baptised1 as his equal or superior in the favour of ,god4 ,five of the ,apostles--,john1 ,andrew1 ,peter1 ,philip and ,nathanael--were drawn to our ,lord in the few days spent at ,bethabara on ,his return from the desert2 and probably all these went back with ,him to ,galilee4 ,among these five we find traces of a lasting tie4 ,this is worth noting1 because such a tie would naturally arise from comradeship in early years1 and of this comradeship ,st ,john's ,gospel speaks4 ,these five had gone together from ,galilee1 in the zeal of their young days1 to listen to the strange preacher in the desert of ,juda2 they had lived together1 faring alike1 and baring their hearts each to the other in the confidence of youth4 ,we can understand that this would bind men fast together1 and that ,st ,john writing his ,gospel at the end of his life1 with possibly ,st ,andrew at his side1 should have been mindful of all the circumstances in which these old friends took part1 and have gladly taken occasion to mention their names47#hh7 ,accordingly1 we find mention made in the ,gospel1 without positive occasion1 of these ,apostles by name4 ,we did not need to know that it was ,andrew who said 8,there is a lad here who hath five barley-loaves and two small fishes407#hi7 ,the ,synoptists7#ij7 all relate the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand1 but ,andrew is named by ,st ,john alone3 ,philip1 another of this little company1 is close by2 he is addressed by our ,lord1 and ,andrew interposes4 ,we find ,philip and ,andrew together at a later time4 ,when the ,greeks who came up and worshipped at the feast wished to see ,jesus they applied to ,philip27#ia7 then we have 8,philip cometh and telleth ,andrew3 ,andrew cometh1 and ,philip1 and they tell ,jesus40 ,st ,john here seems almost to go out of his way to speak of ,andrew4 ,philip also1 who scarcely appears in the ,synoptical ,gospels1 is mentioned six times by ,st ,john2 and he is found in company1 now with ,andrew1 now with ,nathanael1 as if the ties of old companionship still held4 ,the particulars we have of ,philip are instructive4 ,our ,lord1 as we have seen1 8found him10 which ,i take to mean1 not that ,he merely lighted upon him1 but that ,he sought him4 ,he thought him1 therefore1 a suitable companion for ,his coming journey to ,jerusalem for the ,passover4 ,a point of fitness may have been that he knew ,greek3 his ,greek name would not by itself go far to prove this2 but1 taking it along with the fact that when the ,greeks come up to worship in ,jerusalem they address themselves to ,philip1 it seems likely that he knew their language4 ,our ,lord at the ,passover would meet many ,israelites who talked ,greek more readily than ,aramaic1 and a ,greek-speaking follower would be of service to ,him4 ,again when ,philip says1 8,lord1 shew us the ,father and it sufficeth us107#ib7 our ,lord replies1 ,have ,i been so long with you and you have not known me8 ,the words 8so long0 are particularly applicable to ,philip1 as he had been called a year before the twelve were formed into a body1 and may have remained in constant attendance on our ,lord when the other disciples quitted ,him after the return through ,samaria4 ,with ,nathanael also there is much interest connected4 ,he1 in the last chapter of ,st ,john's ,gospel1 is called ,nathanael of ,cana of ,galilee1 and is named among others who are ,apostles4 ,he is identified1 on good grounds1 with the ,bartholomew of the ,synoptical ,gospels47#ic7 ,we mark in ,nathanael an aptitude for discerning spiritual greatness2 but1 with all this1 he held stoutly to old prejudices in which he had been born and bred2 and when ,philip comes to him with his tidings1 he breaks out with3 8,can there any good thing come out of ,nazareth80 ,there is no reason to suppose that ,nazareth was held generally in bad estimation4 ,natives of ,jerusalem would look down on all villages in ,galilee without distinction1 but ,nathanael belonged not to ,jerusalem but to ,cana4 ,cana and ,nazareth were a few miles apart1 each being the chief town in its own district2 and the local jealousy and tendency to mutual disparagement between neighbours1 which is not unknown among ourselves1 and was rife in those times1 will account for ,nathanael's words47#id7 ,it was of no ill augury for his holding fast the ,faith when he had found it1 that he clung to the old traditionary feeling of his native town4 ,he was not blinded by it2 he is ready to 8go and see40 ,here our ,lord exercises ,his singular gift of introspection1 8,behold10 says ,he1 8an ,israelite indeed1 in whom there is no guile40 8,nathanael saith unto him1 ,whence knowest thou me8 ,jesus answered and said unto him1 ,before ,philip called thee1 when thou wast under the fig-tree1 ,i saw thee4 ,nathanael answered him1 ,rabbi1 thou art the ,son of ,god2 thou art ,king of ,israel407#ie7 ,probably ,nathanael recalled what had passed in his mind when he had been under the fig-tree4 ,perhaps some mystery of existence had then weighed upon his soul1 and on coming to ,christ he found 8the thoughts of his heart revealed407#if7 ,in our ,lord's reply to ,nathanael we find ,his first recorded utterance as a ,preacher of the ,word2 here ,he first speaks of ,himself as the ,son of ,man1 and here we have the first hint of the ,law1 8,to him who hath shall be given10 a law which has been several times before us and will be so again before long4 ,nathanael had something already2 he was enough in earnest to drop his prejudices2 a slight token had enabled him to see in our ,lord 8the ,son of ,god1 the ,king of ,israel30 he is told that he shall see greater things than these4 ,jacob had dreamed of old7#ig7 that there was a ladder between earth and heaven1 by which ,god's angels went and came2 such a ladder ,christ was1 and he1 the ,israelite in whom there was no guile1 should see 8the angels of ,god ascending and descending upon the ,son of ,man407#ih7 ,so far ,i have followed the ,gospel of ,st ,john4 ,the ,synoptists afford corroborative matter to shew that the little company1 which had met at ,bethabara1 continued to hang together4 7#a7 ,in ,st ,mark's7#ii7 list of the ,apostles--the names 8and ,andrew1 and ,philip1 and ,bartholomew0 come together in the enumeration4 ,if we were asked for the names of a society of twelve men whom we knew--they would occur by the twos and threes who were most together4 ,st ,peter1 whom we may regard here as ,st ,mark's informant1 gives the names as they came to mind4 ,he recalls journeys in the hill country1 when the disciples had walked in scattered groups1 three or four together4 ,in one of these little knots ,andrew1 ,philip1 and ,bartholomew may commonly have been found4 7#b7 ,from the way in which ,st ,matthew's7#ajj7 list is given we may infer something of greater interest still4 ,st ,matthew gives the names of the ,apostles in pairs3 ,simon and ,andrew1 ,james and ,john1 ,philip and ,bartholomew1 ,thomas and ,matthew--and so on4 ,immediately after the list of names we have the sending forth of the ,apostles to the cities of ,israel4 ,i believe that the ,apostles went on this mission in the pairs which are above-named4 ,why else should the names be coupled together8 ,the ,evangelist had in his eye the party as they had stood listening to their ,master's words1 with their staves in their hands1 ready to start4 ,he recollects their separating--two going one way1 and two another1--and therefore1 two by two1 he puts them down in his list47#aja7 ,it is curious that though ,st ,matthew couples the names1 yet he does not say1 as ,st ,mark and ,st ,luke do1 that the ,apostles were sent two and two together4 ,the coupling in ,st ,matthew is a kind of coincidence with that express direction which is preserved by ,st ,mark and ,st ,luke4 ,not only1 then1 is there probable evidence to shew that1 out of the little body of the earliest disciples1 three clung together2 but also that two of them--,philip and ,bartholomew--formed one of the pairs that went forth declaring to the villages of ,galilee that the ,kingdom of ,god was at hand4 ,at all events the ,synoptists testify to a special intimacy between two disciples2 and circumstances1 which are disclosed by ,st ,john alone1 shew how this intimacy naturally arose4 ,thus we have1 what is always worth noting1 a corroboration by the ,synoptists of the narrative of the fourth ,evangelist4 ,to return to the history in the ,gospel of ,st ,john4 ,our ,lord sets out on ,his return to ,galilee1 and may have been ,nathanael's guest at ,cana for the night preceding the wedding4 ,it does not fall within my scope to say more about the miracle than has been said already4 ,the statement important for my purpose is1 that our ,lord manifested ,his glory1 8and ,his disciples believed on ,him407#ajb7 ,the fact that a new teacher worked wonders and drew disciples round him made a stir in the district2 and this may throw light upon the passage which follows4 8,after this he went down to ,capernaum1 he1 and his mother1 and his brethren1 and his disciples3 and there they abode not many days407#ajc7 ,this event leads to no consequences in the history4 ,it would only have been mentioned by one who1 having the sequence of occurrences in his head1 detailed them all4 ,still1 there must have been some motive for this removal of the whole family to ,capernaum4 ,i will hazard a conjecture1 which if correct will help to explain the following text which occurs later on3 8,and after the two days he went forth from thence into ,galilee4 ,for ,jesus himself testified1 that a prophet hath no honour in his own country4 ,so when he came into ,galilee1 the ,galilans received him1 having seen all the things that he did in ,jerusalem at the feast3 for they also went unto the feast407#ajd7 ,why does the ,evangelist say that our ,lord was ,himself an instance of the rejection of a prophet in his own country1 at the very time when he is about to say that the ,galileans did receive ,him because they had seen what ,he did at the feast8 ,there must have been some previous occasion on which ,he had not been received4 ,i believe that the last quoted passage1 fully expressed1 might run thus3 8,he went forth from thence into ,galilee but not to ,nazareth1 for ,jesus ,himself testified that a prophet hath no honour in his own country10 and therefore ,he passed by ,nazareth and went on to ,cana1 a few miles further north4 ,now1 at what time could our ,lord have experienced this ill reception8 ,i find no occasion on which such disparagement of ,his claims can have been shewn1 excepting in the short interval between the miracle at ,cana and this withdrawal of the whole family to ,capernaum4 ,i would therefore conjecture that on leaving ,cana1 after the miracle1 our ,lord had returned with ,his mother to ,nazareth1 and that the inhabitants had then in some way shown ill-will47#aje7 ,he probably brought with ,him some disciples belonging to ,cana--a place of which they were jealous--hailing ,him as ,rabbi1 and proclaiming ,him their ,master4 ,the people of ,nazareth resented this assumption of superiority on the part of a townsman whom they had known from ,his birth4 ,the whole family are involved in the unpopularity1 and remove to ,capernaum1 to wait the time for going up to the ,passover4 ,though ,st ,john makes no mention1 in its proper place1 of the animosity of the people of ,nazareth1 yet the recollection of it remains in his mind2 so that1 when he says that our ,lord went into ,galilee on ,his return from ,samaria1 this seems to him noticeable1 as though it were strange ,he should go where ,he had been ill received before2 and he tells us why ,he is well received on this occasion2 namely1 because some had brought back word of ,his vigorous action in cleansing the ,temple4 ,our ,lord does not go to ,nazareth1 but again makes ,his stay at ,cana4 ,to return to this short stay at ,capernaum4 ,the point ,i am most concerned with is1 that it is here that the disciples are first mentioned as attached to our ,lord in ,his movements2 they form1 as it were1 part of ,his family4 ,if our ,lord had already met with opposition1 as ,i have conjectured1 this would have helped to bind the little company closer together4 ,we hear of no preaching or working of ,signs during the short stay at ,capernaum4 ,we are not positively told that the disciples went with our ,lord to ,jerusalem27#ajf7 but ,i imagine that the five of whom we have read went up to the ,passover1 though some may have returned to ,galilee soon after the feast47#ajg7 ,the narrative of the cleansing of the ,temple shews how burning was our ,lord's indignation at practices that degraded men's notions of ,god4 ,personal attacks ,he bore with meekness1 8when ,he was reviled ,he reviled not again1 when ,he suffered ,he threatened not207#ajh7 but ,he gives free vent to a godly wrath when ,he finds men driving a traffic in holy things4 ,a personal characteristic of our ,lord1 shewn again and again1 comes for the first time before us here3 ,he carried authority in ,his air1 an authority that needed no assertion1 but to which men bowed4 ,the owners of the oxen yield without resistance to the determination ,he shews4 ,it is only the ,hierarchy who ask1 8,what sign shewest thou unto us1 seeing that thou doest these things807#aji7 ,i need not say that on demand ,he will work no ,sign at all3 this is ,his invariable rule4 ,st ,john says nothing of the nature of the miracles wrought by our ,lord at this time2 we only hear that they induced people 8to believe in ,his name407#aaj7 ,they may have been chiefly miracles of introspection1 like the recognition of ,peter1 the seeing of ,nathanael under the fig-tree1 and the divining of ,his mother's meaning when she said 8they have no wine20 for ,st ,john assiduously keeps before his hearers this insight of our ,lord into men's minds4 ,in particular he says1 in reference to the disciples who gathered round ,him in ,juda1 8,but ,jesus did not trust himself unto them1 for that he knew all men1 and because he needed not that any one should bear witness concerning man3 for he himself knew what was in man407#aaa7 ,when our ,lord drove out the money-changers and those who sold doves1 people thronged to ,him in ,jerusalem1 thinking that the leader whom they sought had come4 ,but these were not disciples after ,his own heart1 not such as should receive the kingdom of ,god as little children4 ,these were men who had both notions and a purpose of their own2 men who would follow ,him as long as ,he went their way2 and who1 when ,he did not1 would 8go back and walk no more with ,him407#aab7 ,the relation of our ,lord to these early ,judan disciples was very different from that in which ,he stood1 either to the five who had gone with ,him from ,bethabara to ,cana and ,capernaum1 or to those who afterwards thronged to ,his preaching of the ,kingdom of ,heaven4 ,to these ,judan disciples our ,lord as far as we know delivers no lessons and issues no directions2 we do not hear that they were especially chosen for witnesses of the ,signs in ,jerusalem1 or that they formed an organised body in any way4 ,it seems rather as if a body of men ranged themselves round our ,lord and1 from their admiration for ,him1 took the name of ,his disciples1 but did not hold themselves to be under orders1 and came and went as they pleased4 ,our ,lord had not yet begun ,his real ,ministry2 ,he was probing the capacities and natures both of individual men and of different classes in the community1 with a view to testing their fitness for taking part in ,his great work4 ,something inclined ,him1 we may suppose1 to take ,galilee for the cradle of the new movement2 and the circumstance that those who first adhered were all ,galilans pointed along the same way4 ,it would appear to be a method of ,divine guidance1 to speak by a whisper within1 and1 at the same time1 so to order circumstances without1 that one should fall in with the other3 sometimes this coincidence will be perceived and will strike the beholder with a kind of awe1 and sometimes it will operate on him without his being aware4 ,there was much that made ,galilee suitable3 its position was at once central and retired1 and its inhabitants were1 according to ,josephus1 sturdy and independent1 and1 of course1 free from the pedantry of ,rabbinical schools4 ,jerusalem however claimed a trial from our ,lord4 ,he desired to know what was passing there in the minds of those who were seeking truth4 ,it was possible that a cradle for the infant church might be found among the followers of the ,baptist1 or among ,scribes like ,nicodemus4 ,our ,lord gauges the fitness of both these bodies of men4 ,we know what conclusion settled itself in ,his mind during those early days3 ,he must not put new wine into old bottles4 ,the enlightened party among those in authority were more after the type of ,erasmus than of ,luther1 they lacked force3 they had been trained to pick their way through difficulties of interpretation1 but not to grasp great principles1 still less to act2 and though they divined that there was a truth dawning from afar1 yet their feeling for it was not so much a passion as a taste4 ,after the discourse with ,nicodemus the ,evangelist returns to narration1 and tells us of a visit of our ,lord and ,his disciples to the district where the ,baptist was carrying on his work4 ,it may have been that he meant to represent our ,lord as turning from ,nicodemus to ,john's disciples2 as if1 when ,he found the former unequal to the need1 ,he would try how the latter might serve4 ,the words are 8,after these things came ,jesus and his disciples into the land of ,juda2 and there he tarried with them1 and baptized4 ,and ,john also was baptizing in non near to ,salim1 because there was much water there3 and they came1 and were baptized407#aac7 ,it is not said that our ,lord actually went to the spot where ,john was2 but the narrative favours the view that the two companies were not far from one another4 ,we are told that followers were drawn in large numbers to our ,lord and that ,his disciples baptised them4 ,this adoption of the rite which1 though not unknown before1 had been brought into special prominence by the ,baptist1 excited jealousy in ,john's disciples-- 8,and they came unto ,john1 and said to him1 ,rabbi1 he that was with thee beyond ,jordan1 to whom thou hast borne witness1 behold1 the same baptizeth1 and all men come to him407#aad7 ,one reason of the anxiety of the disciples to baptise may possibly have been this2 they saw how that outward rite supplied ,john's disciples with a badge that marked them out and made one body of them2 they were all bound together to the same master by having received baptism at his hands1--bound together not merely by holding the same opinions and honouring the same man1 but by something that had been done1 by a work wrought upon them4 ,some might interpret this 8outward and visible sign0 in one way and some in another1 but all could see the value of such a sign or symbol for giving coherence and permanency to their new community4 ,in the fourth chapter we find that the ,pharisees at ,jerusalem1--they who constituted the religious world of the place1--had come to the knowledge that the resort to ,jesus was greater than that to ,st ,john-- 8,when therefore the ,lord knew how that the ,pharisees had heard that ,jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than ,john 7although ,jesus himself baptized not1 but his disciples71 he left ,juda and departed again into ,galilee407#aae7 ,i make out ,st ,john's meaning to be1 that our ,lord quitted ,juda because ,he found ,himself thrust into apparent rivalry with ,john the ,baptist4 ,the ,judan disciples wanted a sect of their own2 and the ,pharisees regarded our ,lord's following as an offshoot from the movement of ,john1 an offshoot which was likely to out-top the parent tree4 ,it seems to me that our ,lord was taking a survey of the different religious sections in ,juda and examining their fitness to furnish helpers for ,his work4 ,scholars who like ,nicodemus were quick to ask 8,how can these things be80 were not of the right order for setting a great movement afoot4 ,if men were fully possessed with the momentous nature of ,god's spiritual working in the world1 the idea of this as a fact would take up all their minds leaving no room for the question of mode4 ,if ,nicodemus had been capable of seeing how sublime was the future presented to him1 he would never have expected to understand how it could come to pass4 ,next our ,lord tried the disciples of ,john2 these may have been too full of the spirit of partizanship1 and too much taken up with questions of purifying and the like1 to be fit foster parents for the new ,faith4 ,whatsoever were the cause1 in neither of these classes did our ,lord find a cradle for the faith4 ,he required men plastic and receptive1 capable of devoted self-surrender and possessed of self-transforming and expanding powers4 ,these did not grow freely in the social climate of ,juda2 our ,lord's thoughts then1 we may suppose1 went back to ,his own people and ,his own country1 and ,he preached the ,kingdom first in ,galilee4 ,our ,lord's leaving ,juda was precipitated by the rivalry which was threatening between ,his adherents and those of ,john2 more especially as that rivalry was taking the form of a competition in point of numbers4 ,for the spirit which this would engender was to our ,lord abhorrent in the extreme4 ,when sect strives with sect1 and they would decide the contest for superiority by counting heads1 they are both in a way to fall down and worship the ,spirit of the world4 ,our ,lord was not founding or setting up a form of religion to which ,he personally would convert mankind2 but ,he and ,his work were part of the subject-matter of all religion--the relations of ,god to man4 ,the apostles are never encouraged to exult in the number of their converts4 ,even when they were sent through the cities1 on what we might regard as a missionary errand1 they are not directed to win men over by strong entreaty--they are not then bidden1 as men afterwards were by ,st ,paul1 to 8be instant in season and out of season207#aaf7 they are only to proclaim the ,kingdom of ,god3 those who have ears to hear will hear1 and the rest will go their way4 ,any competition with ,john the ,baptist was above all to be shunned4 ,our ,lord and the ,baptist were bound together by early ties4 ,jesus had sought and received ,baptism at his hand1 and we always see a delicate and unswerving fidelity in ,his behaviour towards him4 ,it might be that ,he was to increase and ,john was to decrease1 but it should not be by any action of ,his that that change of relative position should be brought about4 ,the ,gospel itself1 then1 discloses grounds for our ,lord's sudden departure into ,galilee4 ,thus early1 among the hearers of our ,lord and the ,baptist1 appeared an insidious tendency to form parties1 a tendency which broke out disastrously in later times2 when some said1 8,i am of ,paul0 and others 8,i am of ,apollos407#aag7 ,there is no valid reason for supposing that our ,lord left ,juda from fear of persecution4 ,the ,pharisees may have been in commotion when they heard that ,jesus baptised more disciples than ,john2 and there may have been some stir in sacerdotal circles at ,jerusalem1 but there is no appearance of violence having been threatened4 ,neither do ,i connect our ,lord's journey with the captivity of the ,baptist4 ,i believe that ,john was not thrown into prison till three or four months after this journey through ,samaria2 but supposing that the imprisonment had already taken place and it had seemed likely that ,herod's jealousy of ,john would extend to ,jesus1 our ,lord would not have left ,juda1 which was not under ,herod's jurisdiction1 and have gone into ,galilee which was so4 ,at any rate our ,lord quits ,juda and the ,judan disciples1 or all but a few of them1 and travels back to ,galilee with a little company who were bound to ,him1 and who tended ,him1 it would seem1 with affectionate solicitude47#aah7 ,it does not come into my plan to discuss the discourses of our ,lord except so far as they bear on the training of the apostles1 and so ,i pass by the discourse with the woman of ,samaria1 as ,i have done that with ,nicodemus4 ,i believe that only three or four disciples attended our ,lord on ,his journey3 if they had been numerous1 they would not all have left ,him1 wearied and alone at the fountain4 ,but in visiting a strange town in ,samaria1 it might be unwise to enter with a smaller party than three or four2 so that if the disciples numbered no more than this1 we can account for our ,lord being left by ,himself4 ,this journey through ,samaria has an important bearing on my subject4 ,here1 for the first time1 we have a conversation of our ,lord with ,his disciples2 and1 what is more1 we get a glimpse of an office in store for them1 of a work that is to give a meaning to their lives4 ,the disciples of the ,baptist had been learners and listeners only2 but our ,lord's disciples were not to be mere passive recipients of teaching4 ,they were to be taught by doing as well as by hearing2 they were to take part with ,him in the great work that was to be wrought in the world4 ,they were not servants--8for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth107#aai7 but they were friends joining in the common cause4 ,we may wonder why no earlier converse of our ,lord with ,his disciples is preserved4 ,possibly1 before this1 there were in the company some of those to whom ,he 8did not commit ,himself407#abj7 ,while these were present1 our ,lord may have maintained a reserve1 and said nothing bearing on ,his work which it was important for the ,evangelist to record4 ,but1 when our ,lord set out through the semi-hostile country of ,samaria in the midst of the early summer heat1 those only followed who were in earnest1 and on whom ,he could rely4 ,i pass on at once to that address to the disciples to which ,i have alluded4 ,our ,lord had been cheered by the ,samaritan woman's openness to the truth4 ,on leaving the well ,he comes on a scene1 than which few are more gladdening--a great expanse of corn growing luxuriantly1 swaying with the wind and glistening in the sun4 ,we mark that ,he was always keenly alive to external impression1 and in all ,he saw espied matter that fitted what ,he taught4 ,our ,lord is struck by the sight1 ,he sees in it something that answers to ,his thoughts1 and which seems to convey a promise which rejoices ,his soul--not for ,himself but for ,his disciples4 ,the discourse is as follows3 8,say not ye1 ,there are yet four months1 and then cometh the harvest8 behold1 ,i say unto you1 ,lift up your eyes1 and look on the fields1 that they are white already unto harvest ,he that reapeth receiveth wages1 and gathereth fruit unto life eternal2 that he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together4 ,for herein is the saying true1 ,one soweth1 and another reapeth4 ,i sent you to reap that whereon ye have not laboured3 others have laboured1 and ye are entered into their labour407#aba7 ,the work before the disciples is only to reap3 others had ploughed and sown4 ,prophets and teachers1 and also rulers and judges1 all who had helped to bring the ,israelites into the condition of being ripe for better things--these past teachers of men1 as well as all the impersonal workings of the unseen hand which had smoothed the way--all these answered to the ploughers and sowers of the crop which the apostles were now to reap4 ,this 8,prparatio ,evangelica10 so often before us1 had been the combined result of many sorts of action1 and into the fruits of this labour the disciples were now to enter4 ,they1 along with all those who had sowed and tended1 should one day rejoice together1 when the grain was garnered in heaven1 and when those accounted worthy of the ,resurrection to ,eternal ,life should enter on their reward4 ,gleams of gladness in our ,lord's career come rarely1 and ,his joy is always for others' sake4 ,it is not for ,himself1 not even for the cause that ,he rejoices--that cause would surely triumph in its own time--but ,his joy is1 that ,he beholds a successful and glorious career opening before ,his fellow-labourers1 the few friends at ,his side4 ,on the return of the seventy recorded by ,st ,luke1 this same joy for ,his disciples' sake is especially spoken of4 8,in that same hour he rejoiced in the ,holy ,spirit1 and said1 ,i thank thee1 ,o ,father1 ,lord of heaven and earth1 that thou didst hide these things from the wise and understanding1 and didst reveal them unto babes3 yea1 ,father2 for so it was well-pleasing in thy sight4 ,all things have been delivered unto me of my ,father3 and no one knoweth who the ,son is1 save the ,father2 and who the ,father is1 save the ,son1 and he to whomsoever the ,son willeth to reveal him407#abb7 ,it would seem that such happiness as our ,lord found on earth came from marking the affectionate fidelity of the ,apostles and their growth in favour with ,god4 8,ye are they10 says ,he to them1 8who have continued with me in my temptations07#abc7 and ,he speaks of the 8joy in heaven0 and again of the 8joy in the presence of the angels of ,god10 8over one sinner that repenteth207#abd7 every one who turned to ,him with a single heart brought ,him gladness4 ,this joyousness1 we may believe1 spread a gleam over the life of our ,lord and of ,his disciples1 until when near the end the shadow came4 ,the disciples were always slow to understand ,his hints of coming sorrow2 they could not conceive that the spiritual triumph was to be emphasised by being contrasted with bodily suffering2 and ,he had no more the heart to break the whole sad truth to them1 than ,he had to waken the sleepers at ,gethsemane4 ,circumstances would teach the apostles all the truth in time1 but even ,his plain words on the last journey7#abe7 do not seem to have been taken literally4 ,for reasons given in the chronological appendix ,i place the return of our ,lord through ,samaria early in ,may ,a4,d4 #bh4 ,between the return through ,samaria and the journey up to 8the feast of the ,jews107#abf7 some months have to be accounted for4 ,st ,john relates but a single incident1 the cure of the nobleman's son at ,capernaum1 as belonging to this time2 but ,i would also place here the preaching in the synagogues in ,galilee mentioned by ,st ,luke4 ,his words are-- 8,and ,jesus returned in the power of the ,spirit into ,galilee3 and a fame went out concerning him through all the region round about4 ,and he taught in their synagogues1 being glorified of all407#abg7 ,this is parallel with ,st ,john's statement1 before discussed1 8,the ,galilans received ,him1 having seen all the things that ,he did at ,jerusalem at the feast407#abh7 ,i also refer to this period the preaching in the synagogue at ,nazareth4 ,the tone of this discourse as ,i have already observed 7pp4 #afd1 #afe7 tallies with the notion before advanced of a previous ill reception of our ,lord at ,nazareth4 ,there is no mention of our ,lord's mother or brethren1 they had left ,nazareth 7,john ii4 #ab7 and we do not hear of their return4 ,at other places in ,galilee1 our ,lord had been received with enthusiasm1 but at ,nazareth petty jealousies prevailed4 ,he does not1 in this sermon1 speak like one returning with renown to a warm welcome in his own town4 ,he has an air of expecting opposition1 as if ,he had met with it before4 ,he condemns the narrow localising spirit of ,his hearers1 and goes so far as to impugn the exclusive claim of the people of ,israel to be the recipients of the favour of ,god4 ,it is to be remarked that no mention is made of disciples being in attendance upon our ,lord1 from the time of ,his reaching ,galilee by way of ,samaria to that of ,his presenting ,himself to the four ,apostles by the ,lake shore--that is1 as ,i take it1 from ,may to ,october ,a4,d4 #bh47abi7 ,the little company that came through ,samaria probably broke up on reaching ,galilee4 ,they had their bread to earn and for the most part went back to their callings2 while our ,lord during the summer of ,a4,d4 #bh was preaching in various synagogues1 and went1 almost unattended1 to ,jerusalem4 ,the absence of ,his followers would account for the scantiness of our information as to this period4 ,i suppose that the feast spoken of in ,st ,john's ,gospel 7chap4 v4 #a71 took place early in the autumn of the same year ,a4,d4 #bh4 ,it was1 ,i conceive1 about the close of this feast that the ,baptist was thrown into prison2 upon this1 our ,lord returned into ,galilee1 and ,his official ministry began47#acj7 ,we cannot suppose ,him to have been quite alone at this feast at ,jerusalem1 because some one must have been there to report what took place4 ,i do not think that ,john was with our ,lord at the feast1 because1 if he had been so1 he could only have been absent from ,him a few days before our ,lord rejoined him on the ,lake shore1 and the incidents of this call give the impression that the separation had been of much greater length4 ,i incline to think that our ,lord was attended by ,philip1 who alone1 at that time1 had received the order 8,follow ,me407#aca7 ,if ,john drew some of his information from ,philip1 this will help to account for his frequent mention of him47#acb7 ,it was on our ,lord's visit to this feast that ,he first incurred the active enmity of the ,scribes4 ,it followed from ,his miracle at the pool of ,bethesda1 which took place on the ,sabbath day4 ,since the cure was wrought by a word there was no breach of the law2 but 8the ,jews0 7by which word ,st ,john indicates the hierarchy7 were shocked that ,he should tell the man to carry his bed on the ,sabbath day4 8,the man went away1 and told the ,jews that it was ,jesus which had made him whole4 ,and for this cause did the ,jews persecute ,jesus1 because he did these things on the sabbath4 ,but ,jesus answered them1 ,my ,father worketh even until now1 and ,i work4 ,for this cause therefore the ,jews sought the more to kill him1 because he not only brake the sabbath1 but also called ,god his own ,father1 making himself equal with ,god407#acc7 ,the hostility of the ,scribes1 we see1 is very deadly4 ,the ,pharisees are often scandalised at infractions of their sabbath notions1 but they do not seek our ,lord's death as the ,scribes do4 ,the latter were probably ,sadducees1 tinged with western philosophy1 and they were actuated by other motives beside zeal for the ,law4 ,for one thing1 they were in reality made uneasy by our ,lord's assertion that a living ,god was working among them and close by4 ,ministers of state who have possessed themselves of sovereign power are startled and infuriated if their nominal monarch personally asserts his power3 and1 something in the same way1 a priesthood occupied in promulgating ecclesiastical laws and carrying on the externals of worship were frightened at the announcement that ,god1 instead of leaving matters for them to manage1 had ,himself come to reign and rule upon the earth4 ,but what was more effective than even spiritual awe was their personal alarm4 ,the dread which one of their body afterwards expressed--8,the ,romans will come and take away both our place and our nation07#acd7--was always over their heads4 ,they were a sacerdotal oligarchy trembling for their existence4 ,the people hated the ,romans1 and the ,scribes were bound to stand well with both3 an outbreak might bring to an end whatever ecclesiastical independence they still possessed4 ,the priesthood saw something in our ,lord which might lead the people to take ,him and make ,him a king4 ,the reply1 8,my ,father worketh hitherto and ,i work107#ace7 is characteristic of our ,lord's way4 ,he does not meet the charge by contesting the interpretation of the ,law4 ,he ignores all quibbles of legality and goes to the root of the matter4 ,it is by the working of ,god that the world is maintained4 ,his ,father worketh hitherto1 on ,sabbath days and all1 and ,he1 the ,son1 follows in ,his ,father's ways4 ,the same test of ,sonship--that the child takes after the ,father--is applied in the ,sermon on the mount47#acf7 ,i must notice another verse of this discourse1 8,i am come in my ,father's name1 and ye receive me not3 if another shall come in his own name1 him ye will receive407#acg7 ,our ,lord here lays bare the reason why so few would follow ,him4 ,he touches the very centre of the matter4 ,to kindle enthusiasm among a mass of men1 you must have a person or a name4 ,a cause is best embodied in an actual claimant standing before men's eyes2 but failing this they will often rally to a name that they know4 ,our ,lord used only ,his ,father's name2 this did not move their human sympathies for 8,the ,father0 had no personality for them4 ,it was reserved for the ,apostles to draw men over to the ,faith1 and they were given the advantage which ,jesus was content to forego4 ,they could put forward a personal claimant for the loyalty of men3 they had ,christ's story to tell and ,christ's name for a watchword and they won men for the kingdom of ,god by gaining their homage for the ,son of ,man4 ,the temporary separation of the ,apostles from our ,lord during the summer of ,a4,d4 #bh may have answered higher ends than merely enabling them to earn their livelihood4 ,it gave them time to think over the events of the last six months4 ,it is a feature of our ,lord's way in ,his course of teaching1 not to suffer one set of ideas or influences to be disturbed before they have had time to take root4 ,after a period of stress1 or when new impressions had been stamped on the minds of his disciples1 ,he provides for them an interval of calm4 ,when the disciples return exulting from their mission through the cities1 ,he says1 8,come ye yourselves apart into a desert place1 and rest a while40 ,when crowds thronged them and courted them for access to their ,master1 ,he carried them away1 that the impressions ,he wanted to preserve might not be effaced in the turmoil4 ,it may have been in pursuance of this treatment that1 after the resurrection1 they were sent for a time into ,galilee1 there to wait and to watch4 ,all teachers know that the time of rest that follows a period in which new matter has been taken into the mind is precious for good mental growth3 conceptions then become more clear and complete1 and effect a sure lodgement in the mind3 but this1 like many processes in education1 helps to widen the distance between the weak and the strong4 ,for it is only with the more thoughtful that this half unconscious brain-process goes on2 the active minded mature their acquirements during rest1 while the unthinking let them fade away4 ,it argued well1 in consequence1 for ,peter and ,andrew and ,john1 that ,christ's influence had lost nothing through 7as ,i believe7 weeks of separation1 but that as soon as they were called they sprang to their feet at once1--8they straightway left the nets and followed ,him407#ach7 ,reverence for great men whom we have known1 and the power of appreciating them1 grow during absence4 ,we may have been living so familiarly with one far above the common standard1 that we may almost lose thought of his greatness2 the little matters of common life1 which come before us everyday1 take more than their share of notice2 and1 as regards these1 great men and smaller ones must be much alike4 ,but when we are away from our guide1 our recollections turn to what is distinctive of him--to the points in which he contrasts with everyday men3 what he had in common with such disappears1 and our mental portrait preserves what is characteristic1 and gives us the individual more forcibly than our nearer view had done4 ,we often first become aware of the true proportions of greatness1 when we look back on it from a little way off4 ,out of a range of mountains1 all1 when seen from the valley1 appearing much of a height1 one is found to vastly out-top the rest when we mount the opposite hill-side4 ,we may suppose that some process like this was going on in the minds of ,peter and ,andrew and ,james and ,john during that summer spent in their fishers' work by the ,sea of ,galilee4 ,our ,lord's image would1 all the more1 be kept alive in their minds because when they chanced to meet their talk would be of ,him2 and their ,master's form would seem to rise before them when they sat beside one another1 with their boats drawn up on the beach4 ,we need not suppose that they saw into their ,master's plans1 far less into ,his nature2 we do not know that they had heard from ,him about the ,kingdom of ,heaven which the ,baptist had told them was at hand2 but the foundation for ,faith was being laid in a capacity for intense personal devotion4 ,first they learnt to love the ,master whom they saw by their side2 next1 by thinking of ,him while ,he was away1 they learned how much they loved ,him1 and became aware that their affection for ,him had in it something different from the common affections they knew4 ,shortly1 as we shall presently see1 a sense of shelter and of fostering protection mingled with this love1 and grew into a trust1 first in the ,master who was with them1 and afterwards in the ,lord in ,heaven4 ,it is hardly too much to say that the germ of the new quality1 which was to order the world afresh1 was planted in men's hearts by the side of the ,sea of ,galilee in that summer of ,a4,d4 #bh1 and that then ,faith--,faith as our ,lord speaks of it--dawned upon the world4 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,the ,,preaching ,,to ,,the ,,multitudes4 ,it was1 as ,i believe1 soon after that 8feast of the ,jews0 lately mentioned 7pp4 #ahj and #aha note71 that the news of the apprehension of the ,baptist by ,herod reached our ,lord at ,jerusalem4 ,at once ,he enters on ,his own ,great ,work7#aci7 and goes straight into ,galilee1 preaching on the way that the ,kingdom of ,god is come4 ,the reasons for ,his holding back1 came to an end together with the liberty of ,john4 ,we lose now the guidance of ,st ,john1 and we pass to the more continuous transcript of events which the ,synoptists give4 ,up to this time of ,his advent into ,galilee our ,lord was in part1 as ,i have said1 exploring the condition and the tempers of the people in quest of the fittest cradle for the ,faith4 ,it may possibly have been that our ,lord in ,his visit to ,jerusalem was giving the ,holy ,city a last trial2 but ,i see no ground to suppose that our ,lord ever seriously contemplated any course different from that which ,he actually took4 ,in any case1 this outbreak of hostility on the part of the scribes settled the matter3 for the kind of mental growth which our ,lord wished to bring about in the disciples could not go on in the midst of party warfare4 ,young men on the watch for attack are not in a state for fertilizing seed thoughts or for turning over hard matters in their minds1 and care for the state of the recipient characterizes the teaching of ,christ4 ,men are to take heed how they hear1 as well as what they hear1 and are to reach full growth and shape1 not from outward moulding but by living process from within4 ,our ,lord's eye is never off ,his pupils1 and yet visible direction hardly ever appears2 ,he sways them by an insensible touch4 ,a great truth is brought to light by an incident of wonder1 a pregnant word is let drop1 a hard parable is delivered now and then2 but between whiles the disciples are left to dwell on their own thoughts1 as their fishing boat sails along1 or as they follow their ,master among the northern hills4 ,our ,lord is ever bent on making men thoughtful and on calling out in each the inner life which is proper to the man1 and for this1 tranquillity1 or at least frequent opportunity for quiet communing with their own thoughts1 was absolutely required4 ,the antagonism at ,jerusalem might have stopped short of violence and yet the wrangling spirit of the place might have had a very evil effect on the disciples4 ,it was above all essential that they should have a single hearted love of truth2 and this can hardly grow up when party is ranged against party and each tries to set the views and statements of the other in the most damaging light1 and to dispose his own propositions in polemical order with a strategic view4 ,as soon therefore as the hostility of the scribes was displayed1 it became clear1 that the schooling of the ,apostles must be brought about elsewhere than in ,juda4 ,but apart from this1 ,jerusalem was1 for other reasons easy to perceive1 ill-suited for the purpose4 ,it was too ,academical2 the place was full of ,rabbis1 round whose feet a circle of pupils sat4 ,each school adopted its master's dicta with the undiscriminating loyalty of youth2 and the scholars of other teachers1 by steadily taking it for granted that ,jesus of ,nazareth was a teacher like the ,rabbis they knew1 would have half persuaded ,his followers that there was something in common between ,him and the ,doctors who expounded the ,law4 ,the ,rabbis gave their scholars something to show for their lessons--expositions of the ,law and systematic doctrine--and their pupils would have said to the disciples1 8,our master gives us this or that2 what does your master give you80 ,this would have set them looking for what was intentionally withheld4 ,our ,lord did not fill them with opinions or directions to be remembered1 but ,he made them what ,he wanted them to be4 ,to understand how wisely things were ordered1 we must give a glance to what would have been the result of the most obvious and apparently 8the most natural0 course4 ,our ,lord's brethren recommended that ,he should go and show ,himself and teach at ,jerusalem4 ,i have shown the ill effects this would have had on the training of the disciples2 ,i will now say a word on the way in which it would have affected the ,church4 ,if ,jerusalem had been the seat of teaching1 the disciples there1 instead of numbering 8a hundred and twenty10 would have been a large body4 ,possibly they might have offered armed resistance to the apprehension of our ,lord2 and the whole moral of the action would have been lost if they had4 ,but passing this by1 if a large body of disciples dwelling at ,jerusalem had claimed our ,lord as peculiarly their own1 the universality of ,his work would have been obscured4 ,the ,church at ,jerusalem might have dwelt more on ,his being their particular ,founder and ,bishop than on ,his being the ,redeemer of the ,world4 ,again1 ,how would it have been with the authority of the ,twelve8 ,those who had sat at ,his feet and listened1 just as the ,apostles had done1 might have hesitated when ,he was gone to acknowledge the ,twelve as the founders of the ,church2 for the ,church1 they would have said1 began with themselves4 ,more than this1 practical evils would have come about2 for these original disciples1 regarding themselves as the depositaries of tradition1 would have recalled every practice of their ,lord1--for instance the way in which ,he had given thanks at meat1 or ordered service in prayer1 as well as ,his practice as to the ,sabbath and fasting1--these would have been passed down as ,divinely sanctioned1 and the externals of religion would have been stereotyped as thoroughly as though they had been a new ,ceremonial ,law1 like that from which ,he desired to release mankind4 ,moreover the body of believers who had personally known our ,lord1 would have constituted a kind of ecclesiastical aristocracy2 and distinctions--respect of persons--would have been introduced from the first4 ,what actually happened was far more consistent with the general tenour of ,christ's plan so far as we can make it out4 ,the few original disciples at ,jerusalem were lost in the crowd who were added to the ,church after the day of ,pentecost1 and the ,apostles ruled with unquestioned authority from the first4 ,galilee we have seen1 as a retired spot with an honest-hearted people1 was admirably fitted for the scene of the ministry2 but yet it could not be 8that a prophet should perish out of ,jerusalem10 and it was imperative that there the end should come4 ,the ,holy ,city was also fitted1 in a very peculiar manner1 to be the centre from which the new movement was to radiate forth4 ,the ,lord's death1 the ,supreme ,event in the history of mankind1 was not to take place in a corner4 ,the circumstances of it could not be too notorious or too widely vouched4 ,it was to be made known in ,east and ,west to the ,hebrew1 the ,greek1 the ,roman and to all mankind4 ,now ,jerusalem1 both geographically1 and as the point to which the ,jews of the dispersion bent watchful eyes from many lands1 was wondrously adapted to be a centre of diffusion4 ,it was in a very remarkable way a 8city set upon a hill40 ,it stood accessible to three continents1 at the centre of gravity of the known world1 and it was on the watershed of two civilizations3 the ,aryan and ,semitic races and languages and the different modes of thinking which go along with the languages were brought together there4 ,moreover1 owing to the dispersion of the ,jews and their custom of visiting ,jerusalem at the great feasts when they possibly could1 8devout men from every nation under ,heaven0 were drawn together there from time to time1 and a common interest in what concerned 8,israel0 was spread over the globe4 ,the agency of these festivals connected ,jerusalem1 as by electric threads1 with every great city in the inhabited world1 and the ,israelites who were settled in every large town of the empire afterwards provided nests for the new ,faith4 ,the ,apostles1 as was natural1 after the ,resurrection went back to ,galilee4 ,it can only have been owing to directions they must have received1 that they all returned to ,jerusalem for the ,ascension4 ,our ,lord then enjoined them to remain and from thence to propagate the ,faith4 ,this injunction explains their abandonment of their homes and callings1 which is hard to account for otherwise4 ,i now proceed with the history4 ,during this chapter ,i shall for the most part follow ,st ,mark1 who relates the events nearly in the order in which ,i believe they happened4 ,after a brief notice of ,john and of the temptation he proceeds thus3 8,now after that ,john was delivered up1 ,jesus came into ,galilee1 preaching the gospel of ,god1 and saying1 ,the time is fulfilled1 and the kingdom of ,god is at hand3 repent ye1 and believe in the gospel407#adj7 ,the ,evangelist does not say that our ,lord came from ,juda1 but ,he could have come from nowhere else4 ,it would seem that our ,lord on arriving in ,galilee went at once to the ,lake shore and called the two pair of fisher brethren to ,his side4 8,and passing along by the sea of ,galilee1 he saw ,simon and ,andrew brother of ,simon casting a net in the sea3 for they were fishers4 ,and ,jesus said unto them1 ,come ye after me1 and ,i will make you to become fishers of men4 ,and straightway they left the nets1 and followed him4 ,and going on a little farther1 he saw ,james the son of ,zebedee1 and ,john his brother1 who also were in the boat mending the nets4 ,and straightway he called them3 and they left their father ,zebedee in the boat with the hired servants1 and went after him407#ada7 ,this passage would offer an opening for criticism1 if it were not for the light thrown on it by ,st ,john's ,gospel1 by help of which an apparent difficulty is turned into a coincidence4 ,if we did not possess the ,gospel of ,st ,john1 the story of the call of the ,apostles would stand thus3 ,it would appear that our ,lord came down to the ,sea of ,galilee1 and said to two fishermen--whom1 for all we should know to the contrary1 ,he had never seen before1--8,come ye after me1 and ,i will make you to become fishers of men40 ,these would seem startling words to hear from a stranger1 but the brothers1 without asking further1 and without one consulting the other1 at once left their work and followed our ,lord4 ,this would be unlikely1 but not passing belief2 men are mastered in a moment1 by personal influence1 now and then2 but still the preponderance of probabilities is against the truth of the story4 ,the ,evangelist however goes on to relate that our ,lord passes on along the ,lake side1 and within a few hundred yards comes upon another pair of brothers1 also fishermen2 he addresses them nearly in the same terms and they also leave their nets and follow ,him4 ,now this repetition1 the critic would say1 savours in itself of the ,eastern legend4 ,but1 what is far more than this1 the combination of the two improbabilities produces an improbability of a far higher order47#adb7 ,the information gained from the ,gospel of ,st ,john clears the difficulty away4 ,we may learn from this1 how a word or two of fresh information might1 in like manner1 clear away other discrepancies which are stumbling-blocks to learners now4 ,there we find1 that these fisher brethren were old disciples of our ,lord4 ,it is consistent with the ,gospel to suppose that during the summer they had been at their work1 nursing the memory of their ,master all the time4 ,they now hear that ,he has come preaching the ,kingdom of ,god in their own land4 ,they are waiting for ,him and expecting ,his call4 ,the two pair of brethren stood in the same relation to ,him1 consequently they were treated in the same way1 and the result was naturally the same4 ,this unhesitating compliance on the part of the brethren1 which seems so strange1 points to a previous acquaintance with our ,lord2 of this acquaintance ,st ,john's ,gospel speaks1 and so ,st ,mark strengthens ,st ,john just as ,st ,john does ,st ,mark4 ,in the ,gospels of ,st ,matthew and ,st ,mark1 which we suppose to be both based on a primitive document1 the story is told without the slightest idea of obviating objection or mistrust4 ,the writers never appear to contemplate readers to whom the fact that ,simon and the rest had1 before this1 been associated with our ,lord should be unknown4 ,they took it for granted that this was too notorious to call for mention4 ,but we have another ,evangelist1 ,st ,luke1 a more practised writer1 whose design was to present his account in a coherent form4 ,he did not possess the ,gospel of ,st ,john and possibly did not know the particulars of the earlier call of ,simon and ,andrew and ,john4 ,it may well have been that he was himself somewhat startled at the abruptness of our ,lord's call to the ,apostles1 and at their unhesitating compliance with it1 as related in the primitive document1 and felt that it required to be accounted for3 consequently1 having the account of the miraculous draught of fishes among the materials he speaks of--an account not contained in the ,gospels of ,st ,matthew and ,st ,mark--he finds in this ,sign an explanation of the prompt adherence of the pairs of brethren1 and he combines the two events4 ,we should gather from him that the ,apostles were struck by the miraculous draught of fishes1 and that the ,lord thereupon invited them to follow and become 8fishers of men10 but ,i think it most likely that the call took place as ,st ,matthew and ,st ,mark relate4 ,the circumstantial minuteness of the details in these two ,gospels1 and the naturalness of the picture--two brothers are engaged in casting1 and the other pair in mending their nets--convinces me that this relation comes originally from one who saw for himself4 ,this draught of fishes may have taken place some days after the call of the brethren4 ,for we need not suppose1 that1 before the ,twelve were chosen1 those who were called abandoned the craft by which they lived1 although they probably resorted to their ,master day by day4 ,the early miracles were mostly wrought in the sight of the multitude2 they seem meant to show that the ,kingdom of ,god was come2 but this miracle of the draught of fishes was performed when few but disciples were by4 ,it was a miracle of instruction1 it lent great impressiveness to great lessons2 it emphasized in a way never to be forgotten the call to become 8fishers of men10 and it gave good augury of success4 ,the thought of this draught must have come back to ,peter at many a juncture in his life1 a notable one being the morrow of the ,feast of ,pentecost1 when 8there were added unto them in that day about #cjjj souls407#adc7 ,the ,apostles may have learned another lesson from this miracle4 ,all night they had toiled and taken nothing1 yet they had not given up in despair but had worked on hard2 the morning brought success beyond all hope4 ,men1 waiting long for the yield of their labour1 have found encouragement in calling this to mind4 ,simon1 though thinking there is little hope of taking fish1 nevertheless obeys at once4 ,he frankly tells his ,master his view of a matter about which he might be supposed to know best1 and leaves ,him to judge1 but he does immediately as his ,master bids4 ,our ,lord does not promise him success2 ,he only tells him to try once more2 and thereupon without a word1 wearied and out of heart as he may be supposed to have been by a night of bootless labour1 he does what he is told4 ,it is enough for ,simon to know that his ,master wishes him to 8,put out into the deep and let down his nets for a draught407#add7 ,his cheerful compliance shews a happy disposition and a loyal nature2 for if there had been a grain of peevishness or selfishness in him1 it would have been likely to be uppermost then4 ,in the last chapter1 we saw our ,lord exploring the characters of classes of men4 ,his eye is now turned on individuals2 ,he is peering down into ,his disciples' hearts1 taking them unawares1 when their every day selves lie uppermost1 putting them1 by chance as it were1 through some little exercise which shall reveal some tendency or some hidden quality2 and to our ,lord this incident brought the secret heart of ,simon into the light of day4 ,it shewed that he was altogether free from that kind of stubbornness which is born of self-regard1 and that he did not attach a sanctity to an opinion or a resolve1 merely because it was his4 ,he learnt from this miracle that it was best to trust to ,christ4 ,he might say to himself1 8,i never felt more convinced that we should take nothing by letting down the nets1 than ,i did on that morning on the lake1 but ,i let them down and found ,i was wrong40 ,a memorable act is not done with1 educationally1 when it is over4 ,the recollection of it is an attendant monitor always pointing the same way2 and so this miracle may have done much towards accustoming ,peter to look to the ,lord's prompting1 and to be ready at ,his word to give up that about which he felt most sure4 ,it may well have helped him to that openness of mind1 which stood the ,church in good stead1 years after at ,joppa1 when the envoys of ,cornelius were knocking at ,peter's door4 ,this miracle has been called a miracle of coincidence1 meaning that the marvel lay in the passing of the shoal at the moment when the net was cast2 it might not be a miracle at all1 because the chances against its being a natural phenomenon1 though enormous1 are not absolutely infinite4 ,it is not one which would appal ordinary beholders3 the boatmen1 we may suppose1 thought chiefly of securing the fish4 ,our ,lord is now testing the capacity of men for discerning ,god1 and ,he therefore performs miracles of a less striking order first2 these impress those only who have their eyes open for the manifestation of what is spiritual2 and those who are found to possess this 8vision and faculty ,divine0 are afterwards shewn 8greater things than these40 ,simon had no doubt seen our ,lord work cures1 but this mastery of our ,lord over the creation comes more home to him than ,his power over disease1 and his feelings break forth4 ,it is characteristic of him1 that what is in him must come out at once2 whether it be an objection that occurs to him1 or a motion of indignation or of elation1 or of the panic to which ,orientals are subject--out it must come2 this is the point in which the identity of his character is most visibly preserved in all our narratives4 ,here he is mastered by the emotions of the moment and must give them outward show2 and along with his gush of feeling comes the sense of his unworthiness1 the impression of his being wholly unequal to the duty and position thrust upon him2 an impression not uncommon with men in such junctures2 though biographies abundantly show that those who feel it most very often acquit themselves admirably when the trial comes4 ,touched by this1 ,simon throws himself at his ,master's feet and says1 8,depart from me1 for ,i am a sinful man1 ,o ,lord407#ade7 ,we go back now to the course of the narrative in ,st ,mark's ,gospel1 and there we find that the first thing which struck the hearers of our ,lord was the authority with which ,he spoke4 8,and they were astonished at his teaching3 for he taught them as having authority1 and not as the scribes407#adf7 ,we saw in the last chapter1 that men bowed to the authority in the air of our ,lord when ,he purged the ,temple of ,jerusalem3 this authority now passed into ,his words1 and it swayed the hearts of men4 ,it is the special instinct of a crowd that it quickly discerns those whom it must hear1 and this multitude saw that our ,lord had something to tell them and that1 not of tradition1 but out of ,his own very self4 ,here was a genuine authority coming of nature or of ,god1 by the side of which the stated legal authority of the officiating scribes paled away out of sight4 ,in what ways was it1 we may ask1 that this authority of ,christ shone out now1 and took such hold of men8 ,first of all1 ,i would answer1 ,he brought to the birth1 within men1 thoughts which were lying in embryo in their own hearts4 ,this1 which was also ,socrates' way1 ,i have spoken of in the ,introductory ,chapter and once or twice since4 ,our ,lord wakened within men the perception of truths which they seemed to have once known and forgotten2 especially that ,god was the ,father1 not only of ,israel as a nation1 but of every particular man in it4 ,the common people had been told by the learned that they were not worth ,god's notice1 and when ,christ asserted the dignity of each individual soul they said to themselves 8we always thought it must be so2 and so it is40 ,the beatitudes in like manner commended themselves to men's hearts2 they felt that if there was a ,god in the world1 it ought to be as our ,lord said it was4 ,secondly1 our ,lord not only told men that they were the children of ,god1 that they should strive after their ,father's likeness1 and that they might approach nearer and nearer to being perfect as ,he is perfect3 but1 what was more than this1 in every word ,he spake1--whether of teaching1 or reproof1 or expostulation1 or in ,his passing words to those who received ,his mercies--,he treated them as ,god's children4 ,man1 as man1 has in ,his eyes a right to respect4 ,anger we find with our ,lord often1 as also surprise at slowness of heart1 indignation at hypocrisy and at the ,rabbinical evasions of the ,law2 but never in our ,lord's words or looks do we find personal disdain4 ,towards no human being does ,he shew contempt4 ,the scribe would have trodden the rabble out of existence2 but there is no such thing as rabble in our ,lord's eyes4 ,the master1 in the parable1 asks concerning the tree1 which is unproductively exhausting the soil1 why cumbers it the ground2 but it is not to be rooted up1 till all has been tried4 ,there it stands1 and mere existence gives it claims1 for all that exists is the ,father's4 ,this notion1 that every thing belonged to ,god1 and was therefore to be reverently regarded1 lay very deep in the hearts of the children of ,israel1 even the poorest in ,galilee2 and when the ,lord brought it to light1 men listened to ,him with breathless respect4 ,thirdly4 ,if a scribe spoke to the people1 he bethought himself of topics within their comprehension3 he had a double self2 one he showed to them and one he kept for his equals3 he was afraid of talking over his hearers' heads1 so he took them on the side of what he supposed they might understand1 of their interests1 for example1 and spoke of the advantages of good repute1 or1 at the highest1 of the blessings which ,god brought on ,his servants in this life and hereafter1 and of the ill fate which awaited offenders4 ,all this implied1 8,we who speak to you1 of course1 have for ourselves higher principles and purer motives than those we have named1 but these are quite good enough for you40 ,now there is nothing that men1 young or old1 so surely detect1 as whether a man serves them with the same thoughts that he gives to himself and his friends4 ,the people1 moreover1 are always grateful for being supposed capable of higher sentiments than mere hope of gain and fear of loss1 and for the appreciation shewn in taking them on higher ground2 they seldom fail the speaker who boldly addresses their consciences2 they are eager to justify his trust in them3 8,he has treated us as men10 they say1 8and men he shall find we are40 ,above all they feel the compliment of being not flattered1 but supposed reasonable enough to hear the truth about themselves and shewn their failings2 and we feel sure that men went away from the ,sermon on the ,mount confident of ,christ's respect and regard for them1 without ,his telling them of it in so many words4 ,he talks to them quite naturally of their ,father who is also ,his ,father1 just as men speak of any common tie3 and this took hold of their hearts4 ,fourthly4 ,we find in the earlier portions of the ,sermon on the ,mount1 which best represent this preaching to the multitude17#adg7 that our ,lord assumes a certain positive authority1 by putting ,his own commands in contrast with the written ,law4 ,it had probably been given out by our ,lord's opponents that ,he had come to destroy the ,law1 and our ,lord in this ,sermon declares that ,he is not come to destroy but to fulfil4 ,we shall see the point most clearly1 if we understand the word 8fulfil10 to mean1 8carry out into its full completeness40 ,for our ,lord does not destroy the ,law but he supersedes it by bringing ,god's ways to light1 and merging in this light the previous partial revelations1 of which the ,mosaic ,law was one4 ,a mathematician supersedes the practical rules which the pupil at first employs for solving particular cases of a problem1 by giving a complete and general solution of the whole subject4 ,this may illustrate the way in which our ,lord merges the particular case of human conduct in a wider rule embracing human dispositions1 and which regards1 not only what men do1 but also what they are1 and what they will become4 ,to take another point4 ,slavery to the letter of a written ,law hampered moral and spiritual growth2 it led men to regard authority as the sole test of truth2 it tended to prevent their thinking for themselves as our ,lord desired them to do4 ,no word of our ,lord countenances the idea of verbal inspiration4 ,he treats the provisions of the ,levitical ,law as subject to criticism1 ,he never attributes them to ,god1 but either to ,moses or those of old time1 and after quoting them in ,his sermon and elsewhere ,he commonly adds1 8,but ,i say unto you0 and then delivers ,his own precept--embracing that of ,moses no doubt--but so widely overstepping it1 that it would seem to the people to amount to a repeal4 ,a teaching which claimed authority coordinate with that of ,moses might well startle the multitude by its contrast with that of the scribes4 ,it may be asked--8,why1 if our ,lord desired to free men's minds1 did ,he not declare how far and in what sense their sacred books contained the word of ,god40 ,we answer1 8,he would have caused utter bewilderment if ,he had entered on such a matter at all40 ,the truth may be gathered by observing ,his practice4 ,he never states abstract principles1 but ,he acts as ,he deems fit and leaves us to infer ,his views by marking what ,he does4 ,he never contests the rules about the ,sabbath1 but ,he observes them only in ,his own way4 ,he does not tell the ,jews that their ,law is not traced by the finger of ,god1 but ,he amends and criticizes its provisions as though they were of man4 ,let us suppose1 for a moment--not of course that ,he had cried down the ,law like one who exulted in finding a flaw--but that ,he had attempted to put into men's heads views about it which their minds had not yet shaped themselves to receive2 that ,he had told them1 for instance1 that laws must be fitted to human needs1 and that as these needs vary1 laws must vary too1 and cannot be the subject of an ordinance unchanging and ,divine4 ,could ,he1 by such explanations1 have given ,his auditors any true view of ,divine rule8 ,would not the ,galileans have cried out1 8,that if the tables of the ,law were not graven by ,god's finger they were nothing at all80 ,nothing1 in our ,lord's wisdom1 strikes me more than ,his moderation with regard to error4 ,what seems false to one man's mind may be true to that of another4 ,when men1 as soon as they spy out an error1 cry1 8,root it up10 our ,lord seems to answer1 8,along with the tares some wheat needs must go40 ,men are complex beings2 and much that is best in them is so intertwined with habits and association that we cannot sweep away long-standing notions and outward symbols and ceremonies without destroying also what is of the essence4 ,take away from an ,italian woman her belief in the ,virgin1 or from a ,scotch peasant that in the sacred obligation of the ,sabbath1 and a great deal of what is best in them will go too4 ,our ,lord's way of proceeding is always positive1 never merely negative4 ,he leaves the ,law1 but ,he sows seed which will grow up and displace the spirit of blind subservience to it3 just as some particular species in the herbage of a land is often ousted when a more robust one is brought in4 ,the ,apostles had1 up to the end1 many wrong notions1 and we may wonder why our ,lord did not set them right2 but it would have shaken the whole fabric of their belief if ,he had so done2 and the sure teaching of circumstances would1 as ,he knew1 dissipate the errors in time4 ,so far we have dealt chiefly with the matter of our ,lord's teaching of the multitudes1 but something must be said about its form4 ,one striking point in our ,lord's practice in contrast with that of the scribes1 is this4 ,he cites no authorities1 all comes from ,himself2 there is hardly a text of ,scripture in the fifth chapter of ,st ,matthew1 except those which are quoted in order to be extended or gainsaid4 ,the scribes depended on their learning1 they overwhelmed men with quotations1 they laid text by text1 and built up their conclusions upon an array of authorities4 ,now a preacher1 or a teacher of any kind1 is sure to lose hold of his audience when he goes away from himself and gives other people's opinions instead of his own4 ,they look to him for guidance2 and when he says1 8,this is one man's view and that is another's10 and not1 8,this is mine10 then they turn from the trumpet of uncertain sound4 ,the multitude suppose that in all questions there is a right and a wrong--just as there is a right and a wrong answer to a sum--and they do not want to know what one authority says or the other1 but what they are to accept4 ,again1 rightly to apprehend the form of this discourse1 we must bear in mind that it is not a written collection of precepts1--though ,st ,matthew may have appended some delivered at a later time--and that still less is it a ,code of ,laws4 ,it is an oral address to a crowd of villagers gathered on the top of the fell4 ,we mark in it the natural rhetoric of earnest speech3 the first necessity is always to win men to listen1 and thus the speaker at the opening strikes ,his most impressive chords4 ,words of blessing fell on the ears of those who were used only to hear of their shortcomings and to be treated as outcasts2 and when their attention was caught by the unusual sound and they listened to hear who it was who were blessed1 they found it was not the strong and the wealthy and the high spirited--those whom they regarded as having the good things of existence while they themselves had the bad--but the blessed are the poor in spirit1 and this ,kingdom of ,heaven1 newly proclaimed1 belonged to them4 ,the attention caught by the opening is kept alive by the unexpected nature of the matter4 ,again1 our ,lord is at pains so to put what ,he says that it may not be taken for a fresh body of injunctions added to the ,law2 for the people were already1 as ,he said1 overburdened with such injunctions4 ,he puts therefore what ,he has to say into such strong forms1 and1 by way of example1 takes such extreme cases1 that it is plain that ,he is illustrating a principle and not laying down a literal rule4 ,we have 8,ye have heard that it was said1 ,an eye for an eye1 and a tooth for a tooth3 but ,i say unto you1 ,resist not him that is evil3 but whosoever smiteth thee on thy right cheek1 turn to him the other also4 ,and if any man would go to law with thee1 and take away thy coat1 let him have thy cloke also4 ,and whosoever shall compel thee to go one mile1 go with him twain407#adh7 ,he ,himself1 before the ,high ,priest1 does not submit to wrong1 without asking in remonstrance 8,why smitest thou me80 and the most literal minded of our ,lord's hearers would not have felt bound to offer his cloke to one who had stolen his coat4 ,the language shews by its very strength that it is figurative4 ,indeed1 a code of ,law can hardly be delivered in an address to a multitude4 ,if it is to meet all cases it must be complex1 and to the hearer wearisome4 ,if our ,lord had delivered a treatise telling men what they were to do in the ordinary occasions of life1 the precepts must have been so encumbered by qualifications that all impressiveness would have been lost4 ,if to the saying 8,give to him that asketh of thee0 our ,lord had appended all the obvious exceptions--such as the cases in which what is asked for would be hurtful--the whole force of the passage would have been frittered away4 ,as long as a preacher delivers broad truths1 put forcibly1 his audience are ready to hear2 but as soon as he begins to qualify his statements and to make exceptions1 his hold over his hearers is gone1 and they think he is unsaying what he said4 ,our ,lord wished to leave seed thoughts lying in men's minds4 ,he knew that ,his words would have to be carried in men's memories for a long while before being written down4 ,they must therefore be clad in the form in which they would last longest and be easiest to carry4 ,he therefore embodied what ,he wished to have remembered in terse sayings1 illustrated by cases which are familiar but extreme4 ,the hearer could carry these sentences away1 and would ponder on them all the more1 because in their literal sense they are startling and impracticable as rules of conduct4 ,i can conceive no style better fitted for the purpose which ,i believe to have been dominant with our ,lord1 than that employed in the ,sermon on the ,mount4 ,it seems to me to be part of the strange adaptation of circumstances to the needs of the ,faith1 that what was most vital and most universal was uttered in the ,hebrew tongue4 ,this was the language of the comparative infancy of the world2 and there is in the genius of it much--especially its ready lending itself to the form of balanced sentences--which takes hold of the hearts of untutored men4 ,such men store their wisdom in saws and proverbs2 and in like manner the wisdom of the ,hebrew is dropped in separate pearls1 which can easily be treasured up4 ,when the time came for touching cultured minds1 and connected argument was required1 ,greek forms of thought and speech were needed4 ,saul was then converted2 and ,greek became the language of the ,word4 ,nothing in our ,lord's ministry impresses me more than the extraordinary sobriety of the whole movement4 ,we hear nothing of religious transport or ecstatic devotion4 ,people listen in awe to our ,lord's preaching as to a communication made from above4 ,they never dare to applaud4 ,he is too much above them for that4 ,many have since come crying 8,lord1 ,lord10 in different accents1 at different times2 we have heard of 8revivals0 among great multitudes1 carried headlong by wild excitement1 and of religious delirium reaching to the borders of mania4 ,all this is in the strongest contrast with the ways of teaching of our ,lord4 ,true human freedom was with ,him a sacred thing2 what man was made for was that he might be a free spiritual being2 and a man is not free when he is fascinated by fervid oratory and becomes the blind tool of another1 or when he is intoxicated by religious fanaticism and is no longer master of his own mind4 ,any agencies1 therefore1 which would impair the health and freedom of a man's will ,christ refused to employ4 ,they belonged to that ,spirit of the ,world whose alliance ,he had refused4 ,one cause of this sobriety of the great movement may be found in the elevation and tone of authority which has just been spoken of as characterizing our ,lord4 ,he seemed to move in a plane parallel indeed to that of men1 but a little above it4 ,for a speaker to kindle men's passions he must be possessed by the notions and feelings of the time3 he and his hearers must have common objects of desire1 or a common jealousy of those who possess what they themselves want1 they must therefore wear the stamp of a passing and particular phase of mankind4 ,now it was the distinctive peculiarity of our ,lord's ,personality that it belongs not more to one time or class than to another4 ,the ,son of ,man represents ,humanity in the abstract1 and no party has ever been able to claim ,him as their own4 ,in the course of the winter of ,a4,d4 #bh-bi1 ,levi1 in the vernacular of ,galilee called also ,matthew1 a toll-taker on the borders of the lake1 is summoned to follow our ,lord4 ,he justified our ,lord's choice in a signal manner1 for 8he forsook all1 and rose up and followed ,him40 ,there must have been in this man 8a soul of goodness0 of rare efficacy in resisting influences to ill4 ,his position must have offered temptation to exaction4 ,this was corrupting1 but the steady and persistent effect of feeling himself despised must have been more so even than this4 ,he was hated not only as the tax-gatherer1 but also as having accepted the service of the foreign oppressors of the land4 ,however justly the publican might have striven to act1 it would be taken for granted that he was endeavouring to fleece those who came into his hands2 and a man soon becomes what people about him will have it that he is4 ,now and then1 however1 in all positions1 we come across natures which run counter to the influences around them1 or which by a happy chemistry decompose the evil and turn its elements to good4 ,everything in the publican's calling fostered the love of gain2 and to be able to save enough to give it up and live down ill report was his only hope4 ,but ,matthew breaks with his means of subsistence totally and at once4 ,at one word of our ,lord he throws all away without a moment's thought1 and joins the little band of followers which was being drawn into closer attendance on our ,lord4 ,this man surely had 8salt in himself40 ,st ,matthew has left us his ,gospel4 ,we learn from this which way his thoughts lean1 and we see that he was not of that type of mind most commonly associated with the idea of the ,apostle of a new creed4 ,he was probably not very young and his views were formed and fixed3 his national sympathy was intense4 ,god was to him1 first of all1 the ,god of ,israel1 and he regarded our ,lord as the ,messiah1 after the type which ,jewish hopes and fancies had fashioned for themselves4 ,in all that occurred he saw the reproduction of what was narrated in the old books2 and the burden 8,now this was done that the ,scripture might be fulfilled0 runs through all his writings4 ,here then1 some might say1 we have a man chosen as a witness and promulgator of a faith which is to be universal1 yet this man's sympathies flow only along one narrow channel1 and he is wedded to old ways of reading the mind of ,god4 ,he was however a guileless1 ,god-fearing1 high-hearted man2 and it could not but strengthen the cause to have among the ,apostles one who could enter into the minds of those who looked for the consolation of ,israel in the old ,hebrew way4 ,the first function of the ,apostles1--one on which ,i shall soon speak pretty fully--was that they were to bear witness of ,christ4 ,this was set forth in that which1 so to say1 was their charter of incorporation4 8,ye shall be my witnesses both in ,jerusalem and in all ,juda and ,samaria and unto the uttermost parts of the earth407#adi7 ,now the more varied the characters of the witnesses the stronger would be the case when they agreed4 ,our ,lord1 then1 will have1 among ,his immediate followers1 minds of every sort4 ,he does not pick out those only who are most after ,his own heart1 nor does he mould men into one fashion1 so that they should think on all points alike4 ,we cannot have freedom among human beings without diversity4 ,st ,matthew1 we perhaps say1 had old world views2 but it may have been just because of these1 that he was the most fit ,apostle for the ,eastern world4 ,there would be crowds of men whom he would understand and who would understand him1 but whose minds would have been closed to the utterances of ,paul4 ,the vineyard to which ,christ called his labourers was the whole world2 it contained vines of every stock growing on every soil4 ,it was well then1 that there should be labourers bred in various schools of husbandry1 and that each should work in the fashion in which he felt he could do it best4 ,another point to be noted about the call of ,st ,matthew is this3 ,the choice of a publican was a practical proof to the other disciples1 as it is to the ,church for ever1 that ,christ is in no way a respecter of persons4 ,the two pairs of brethren who followed our ,lord may have been startled at the call of ,matthew1 for they no doubt looked on publicans as their countrymen did2 and this act of our ,lord's taught them1 more forcibly than any words could have done1 that with ,him outward circumstance went for nothing and the inward man was all in all4 ,in this call of ,matthew the spirit of universality which belongs to the ,christian ,church is folded up like the embryo in the seed4 ,our ,lord makes no comment on this call2 nor do we hear of any murmurs from the disciples1 who had by this time learned that our ,lord was wiser than they1 as ,peter had found when he let down the net4 ,shortly before the call of ,st ,matthew a miracle occurred1 the cure of the sick of the palsy1 when our ,lord's renown was at its height--a miracle at the performance of which 8there were ,pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by1 which were come out of every village of ,galilee and ,juda and ,jerusalem407#aej7 ,the presence of these strangers bears on what follows4 ,hitherto we have read of no contest or conflict in ,capernaum2 but these ,pharisees conceived misgivings about the movement they had come to see4 ,this hostility was very different from that of the ,sadducees in ,jerusalem1 who1 regarding the movement as an insane delusion likely to bring things about their ears1 set themselves remorselessly to root it out4 ,but the ,pharisees do not seem at first to have borne our ,lord any personal hatred1 but only to have been uneasy about the new teaching which went too far for them1 and did not follow the course which they had expected4 ,the ,pharisees1 nevertheless1 were now on the watch for occasion to find fault4 ,this is not an occupation which brings out the amiable side of men's natures2 and they became still more soured by finding nothing on which to hang a charge2 so that at last they even leagued with the ,herodians1 their natural opponents1 against our ,lord4 ,the most popular of all accusations1 and one for which it was easy to find ground1 was a breach of the traditionary rules for keeping the ,sabbath4 ,the ,sabbath was an inestimable ,law4 ,it was maintained by ,divine sanction at a time when a ,law could not be upheld by any other means3 it debarred men from 8doing what they would with their own0 on one day out of seven1 so far as regarded the labour of themselves or of their children1 their servants1 their ox or their ass4 ,it secured for the race this portion of time against the greed of gain3 but all this was done for men1 although the ,jews had come to look on it as something done by men for ,god1 and in so doing they made ,god a taskmaster like the gods of the pagans4 ,moreover the ,sabbath kept alive in each ,israelite his self-respect as one of ,god's people2 however sordid his calling1 he put away every seventh day his squalor and his toil and resumed the dignity of ,abraham's son4 ,the ,sabbath question was the chosen battle-ground of those who reduced all virtues to that literal unquestioning obedience to authoritative records1 which was so damaging to moral and spiritual life4 ,men thought that ,god's favour was won or ,his wrath incurred in virtue of acts--such as the keeping within or the overstepping the limit of the journey allowed on the ,sabbath-day--which in themselves had no moral significance at all4 ,here again we see how our ,lord deals with views falling short of the truth4 ,the moral creed of ,his countrymen was imperfect2 it unduly exalted and obtruded formal duties1 but it was all that they had2 their whole life and that of their nation was moulded by it2 instincts fostered by it had become hereditary1 and to break it ruthlessly down would have been to lay waste men's souls4 ,in the instance before us our ,lord introduces a freer practice2 and trusts to this to give birth in time to more intelligent notions about the ,sabbath day4 ,one passage in the history ,i purposely passed by4 ,i thought that ,i might have to write of it at such a length as to break the continuity of the narrative1 and ,i therefore kept it for the close of the chapter4 ,the passage in question1 which ,i subjoin1 immediately follows the account of the entertainment of our ,lord in ,matthew's house4 8,then come to him the disciples of ,john1 saying1 ,why do we and the ,pharisees fast oft1 but thy disciples fast not8 ,and ,jesus said unto them1 ,can the sons of the bride-chamber mourn1 as long as the bridegroom is with them8 but the days will come1 when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them1 and then will they fast4 ,and no man putteth a piece of undressed cloth upon an old garment2 for that which should fill it up taketh from the garment1 and a worse rent is made4 ,neither do men put new wine into old wine-skins3 else the skins burst1 and the wine is spilled1 and the skins perish3 but they put new wine into fresh wine-skins1 and both are preserved407#aea7 ,the ,pharisees practised fasting on the second and fifth days of the week3 the same practice was probably followed by the disciples of ,john2 and if we suppose that ,matthew made this feast on one of the fasting days1 this would bring the contrast between the ways of ,john and of ,jesus more sharply out4 ,before examining the charge and the reply1 a word must be said on the absence of all distinctive religious observances in the practice of our ,lord and ,his disciples4 ,the ,baptist1 we know1 enjoined stated fasts and taught his people to pray1 and above all enforced the initiatory rite from which he drew his name4 ,at a later period our ,lord's disciples beg to be taught to pray1 8as ,john also taught his disciples407#aeb7 ,in those days people looked to a religion to order the externals of a man's life2 hours of prayer portioned out his day2 and so1 even the disciples appear to have felt that with them there was something lacking1 and that they were at a disadvantage compared with ,john's disciples because they were not1 through conformity to a special rule1 formed into a body and marked with a badge4 ,it is easy to find reasons why our ,lord should have avoided doing what ,john did4 ,if ,he had enjoined any system of religious observance1 this would have limited the spread of ,his ,kingdom1 and have laid on observances in general more stress than ,he desired4 ,one ,law or one ritual would not suit all nations1 or all times2 for forms must vary with men's modes of life1 and if our ,lord had introduced a form of worship ,he would have particularised that which1 of its very essence1 was meant to be universal4 ,john came as a prophet and forerunner1 and he set on foot a sect1 which was held together and long kept alive by usages of its own2 but the very observances which gave it vitality as a sect prevented its ever becoming anything more than a sect4 ,our ,lord is not founding a sect at all2 ,he is not a missionary making converts4 ,he comes on earth to proclaim that ,god loves men1 and to open a way by which men should 8come to the ,father40 ,he leaves behind ,him men suited to direct a religious movement1 but ,he organises none himself4 ,whether ,he drew many round ,him or few1 ,his great work for the world would equally be completed on the ,cross4 ,he never baptised1 never instituted rites1 laws or fasts1 or stated services of prayer2 it is not till ,he leaves the earth that ,he enjoins the sacraments of ,his ,church4 ,it was to be left to men to put all into shape1 for the outer form belongs to man2 and1 if ,he had ,himself adopted any particular practice in any of the matters above named1 men might imagine that this was binding for evermore and had a virtue in itself4 ,we come now to our ,lord's plain and practical answer to the particular questions of the ,pharisees which have led to these remarks4 ,fasting comes by nature when a man is sad1 and it is in consequence the natural token of sadness3 when a man is very sad1 for the loss of relations or the like1 he loses all inclination for food4 ,but every outward sign that can be displayed at will is liable to abuse1 and so men sometimes fasted when they were not really sad1 but when it was decorous to appear so4 ,moreover a kind of merit came to be attached to fasting as betokening sorrow for transgressions2 and at last it came to be regarded as a sort of self-punishment which it was thought the ,almighty would accept in lieu of inflicting punishment ,himself4 ,our ,lord does not decry stated fasts or any other ,jewish practices1 they had their uses and they would last their times2 only ,he points men to the underlying truth which was at the bottom of the ordinance4 ,when our ,lord spoke1 the children of the bridechamber the companions of the bridegroom's youth1 were still with ,him1 but ,he and they would soon have to part4 ,sorrow must needs come upon them for the following reason1 if for no other1 that man's education cannot be perfect without it4 ,then indeed would they fast1 not because it was enjoined1 not of any stated precept1 but because they were bereaved of their ,lord4 ,our ,lord now turns to a metaphor1 it was a familiar one4 ,the lesson it seems to carry is this3 our ,lord will not meddle with the old form of things1 ,he will not patch up the old tenement in order that the new spirit may make shift to dwell in it4 ,change with ,him is never mechanical1 always organic2 it comes1 not by alteration in construction1 but always purely of growth4 ,he is propagating spiritual truth in the souls of men2 the time is not yet ripe for rites and ordinances and hours of worship4 ,but the days would come when the truth would need a garb--it would have to struggle amongst human institutions1 and it must then have outer expression just as other institutions have4 ,this expression men must give1 and ,christ was careful that1 when the time came for this to be done1 the right men should be in their place to do it4 ,he takes a second metaphor to set forth the second part of ,his work3 ,he will have new flasks for the new wine4 ,this new doctrine was not committed either to the disciples of ,john or even to scribes enlightened about the kingdom of heaven1 but to those who1 having no preconceptions1 received it as children do their parents' words4 ,this new wine would go on working and would want room to expand4 ,peter we know expanded with it2 but men whose minds had stiffened into shape under existing systems were like old flasks of skin1 so harsh and dry that they would sooner crack than stretch2 they were neither plastic nor elastic1 and our ,lord wanted vessels that should be both the one and the other4 ,these new flasks were now soon to be chosen2 and when this was done the work would enter on a new phase4 ,up to the time of the call of the ,apostles1 our ,lord's most conspicuous concern is for the multitudes4 ,after that call1 the ,apostles occupy the foreground1 and the whole manner of teaching is rather suddenly changed4 ,it is no longer adapted to a congregation of peasants2 parables take the place of plain speech1 and instead of everything being done for the learner as before1 much is left to be done by him for himself4 ,we mark another change also in the manner4 ,hitherto there has been no haste1 all has proceeded in the most leisurely way2 but soon danger will begin to threaten and time to press1 and act to follow act in close succession4 ,following the subject of my book1 ,i have been careful to mark how our ,lord from the very first had an eye for characters of the sort ,he wanted and how ,he shaped them1 with an unseen hand2 but ,i must not have it supposed1 because we see little lasting outcome from the preaching to the multitude1 that therefore it was unimportant compared with the training of the ,apostles4 ,we must not suppose that ,christ taught and healed chiefly that the ,apostles might listen and learn4 ,we can discern two kinds of good wrought by our ,lord4 ,in preaching to the multitude he was1 then and there1 bringing ,god's light into the souls of men4 ,in choosing and fashioning the disciples1 ,he was providing for the future of ,his ,church4 ,the work which the ,apostles should set on foot would spread over the earth and affect all future times1 while our ,lord could ,himself touch but a single generation in a single spot4 ,those1 however1 who heard ,him1 carried to their homes a memory to last their lives2 among them ,his ,personality survived4 ,if1 afterwards1 troubled questions arose about ,him they would put them by1 feeling that they had drunk at the source before the stream had got sullied on its way4 ,when our ,lord came into villages where ,he was known1 people crowded to him from all sides1 and the new delight of communion with ,god--the assurance that the whisper which told them that ,god cared for them was a true voice--beamed from the hearers' faces and gladdened the ,master's soul4 ,it was during this active ministry of our ,lord1 that the choice of the ,apostles was made and the foundations of their education were laid4 ,the differences in their minds and characters would be brought into prominence by the greater intensity of the lives they afterwards led2 new capacities would peep out among those who1 beholding the intense earnestness of our ,lord1 learned to be in earnest themselves4 ,no defined line was as yet drawn between the multitude and the disciples4 ,those who were of the multitude one day1 and chose to follow1 might count as disciples on the morrow4 ,our ,lord never wholly loses sight either of the multitude or of the disciples2 but1 while the former were ,his first care in the period embraced in this chapter1 the disciples1 and especially the apostles1 will be so in that which will come before us in the next47#aec7 ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,,the ,,choosing ,,of ,,the ,,apostles4 ,in treating of the calling of the ,apostles1 we encounter the questions1 8,what led our ,lord to surround ,himself with a constituted body of this kind80 and1 8,in virtue of what qualities were its members chosen80 ,i am led to conclude that our ,lord presaged that which actually came about1 and provided for future needs which he foresaw2 so precisely do the measures he takes meet what subsequent occasions required4 ,the choice of the agents1 moreover1 is singularly happy with respect to the extraordinary part which was put into their hands2 and it must be noted that this part was one which ,jesus alone1 and1 if ,he had only been what some of ,his biographers represent1 not even ,he could have contemplated3 while for the parts1 which1 from the obvious prospects of the case it was likely they would have to play1 they were not calculated at all4 ,the apostles were not suited to advance a social or a political cause or to spread doctrinal views2 but they were specially fitted1 as ,i shall shew1 to gain credence for facts which they could declare had passed before their eyes4 ,before choosing the ,apostles our ,lord spent the night alone on the mountain in prayer2 on one other occasion only did ,he do the same47#aed7 ,if we regard only the duties expressly laid upon the ,twelve at their call17#aee7 and the immediate services expected from them1 our ,lord's concern about them may seem more intense than the circumstances explain4 ,but if we regard them as the heirs of ,his work1 as those by whom the fire kindled by ,him on earth was to be kept alive and spread1 then our ,lord's keen anxiety about them is accounted for4 ,he looked to an early death1 and when this death came it would depend on their constancy to carry the cause through the moment of dismay2 and it would depend on the trust they commanded among men1 whether it should be believed or not1 that ,he had risen in triumph from the dead4 ,if we should find that the ,apostles were1 as a body1 specially qualified to fulfil particular functions1 and that these very functions it fell afterwards to them to discharge2 then1 surely1 it is not unreasonable to suppose that our ,lord1 in choosing the ,twelve1 was guided by ,his foreknowledge of the situation in which they would be placed1 and of the particular kind of work which they would be wanted to perform4 ,it will be shewn that the ,apostles were qualified to be trustworthy witnesses of fact4 ,if the course of events had been such that there had been no fact to witness1 this capacity of theirs would have found no sphere2 it would have been provided and never employed2 but1 as it was1 the transcendent ,fact that ,christ died and rose again took place before their eyes4 ,the knowledge of this ,fact was to be the most precious possession of the human race4 ,how then was it to be preserved and transmitted8 ,a fact only subsists for a future time in the relation of witnesses4 ,so the greatest care is taken to provide for this ,fact witnesses who would command belief4 ,some hearers will soonest trust one kind of witness and some another2 witnesses therefore of different kinds are provided1 that every man might be likely to find one in whom he could confide3 but all these witnesses have this in common--they are all convinced of the reality of what they relate1 and are not men to be easily carried away by their fancy or their feelings4 ,if the religion had depended on the promulgating of theological doctrines which needed subtle expositors1 then the ,apostles would not have been the right men for the work2 but being founded as it was upon the facts of ,christ's life and death1 what was wanted was1 that credible witnesses should be present when these facts occurred and should remain to tell the tale4 ,this want was supplied with a completeness which to my mind testifies of design4 ,to proceed with the history4 ,during this winter of ,a4,d4 #bh-bi1 our ,lord1 keeping ,capernaum for his place of abode1 made excursions to the neighbouring towns1 preaching as he went1 and shewing by ,his miraculous cures that the ,divine power was working through ,his hands4 ,after the call of the fishermen on the ,lakeside1 ,he was constantly accompanied by ,his disciples1 and from that time forth the education of ,his followers was always in ,his mind4 ,this education went on like the quiet processes of nature2 the subjects of it never felt that they were being educated at all1 but those who were of the right natures slowly changed in the direction of what ,he would have them be4 ,he did not make them all copies after one pattern4 ,that which was native to the man1 and which marked him off from all other men1 was lovingly preserved4 ,he intensified in each man his proper life1 which grew with all the greater vigour through being let to follow its own bent4 ,as yet we hear of no lessons given to the disciples by themselves1 they only shared what was said to the crowd3 this may have been as much as they could then receive1 and possibly their greatest profit came from what was not given in the way of lessons at all1 from words dropt in daily intercourse and from watching their master's doings in the thousand little occurrences of their wayfaring daily life4 ,it is worth noting that during all this time of their earliest spiritual education all was prosperity4 ,from the autumn1 in which1 as ,i believe1 our ,lord called the fisher brethren1 to the springtime which we have now reached in the narrative1 ,his renown had steadily grown4 ,wherever ,he went1 men were grateful for ,his coming1 and drew close to hear2 all seemed eager to press into the kingdom of ,heaven1 and to clutch at it as at treasure trove47#aef7 ,first from the neighbouring towns1 then from ,juda and ,samaria1 and1 at the time when this chapter opens1 even from ,idumea and ,tyre and ,sidon1 men came to listen to one who was said to have the words of ,eternal life4 ,those who took their early impressions of ,christ's service from those days1 would retain a glowing recollection of it all their lives long4 ,their minds would be strung to hopeful confidence4 ,when persecution came they would regard it as something permitted by their ,master for reasons into which they did not inquire3 the allegiance of mankind belonged1 they would say1 to their ,master of right2 ,he might for a moment waive his claim1 but ,he could always resume it when ,he chose4 ,our ,lord sets a high value on the personal trust and devotion of his disciples1 both for its own sake and because it was the bud which was to blossom into the new and transforming quality of ,faith3 this was forwarded in its early growth by the sunshine of success4 ,the general who would win the young soldier's heart must lead him to glory in his first campaign2 he will cling to him through all disasters after his heart is won4 ,i take up the narrative at the beginning of the third chapter of ,st ,mark's ,gospel4 8,and the ,pharisees went out1 and straightway with the ,herodians took counsel against him1 how they might destroy him4 ,and ,jesus with his disciples withdrew to the sea3 and a great multitude from ,galilee followed3 and from ,juda407#aeg7 ,the ,evangelists seldom speak of our ,lord's motives1 but here the collocation indicates that it was this confederacy of ,pharisees and ,herodians which caused our ,lord to leave ,capernaum4 ,the ,herodians were more formidable than the ,pharisees4 ,the latter would only set the law in motion1 but the former did not scruple to employ violence2 and the ,macedonian guards of the ,tetrarch were at ,tiberias within call4 ,our ,lord never1 until ,his time was come1 exposed ,himself unnecessarily to danger2 and at this particular moment ,his freedom and safety were of vital importance4 ,all that ,he had done would1 humanly speaking1 be lost or have to be done over again if ,he were cast into prison or slain3 the pressure of this danger may have hastened the appointment of the ,twelve4 ,the body of disciples following our ,lord had as yet no corporate life of its own2 it was only held together by gravitation to ,him and would fall to pieces if ,he were taken away2 at this juncture then1 there was no time to be lost in giving the body organic life4 ,as soon as the ,twelve received their commission this body became possessed of a vital centre1 and the continuous existence of the ,church was secured1 even though its ,master should be removed from earth4 ,this plot of the ,pharisees was probably known but to few--people when they take counsel together do not publish their design on the house-tops--and the absence of excitement among the crowd favours the view that the danger of the prophet of ,nazareth was not suspected by them4 ,whatever may have been ,his motive1 our ,lord left ,capernaum1 together with ,his followers1 and took1 it seems1 the road along the sea shore towards the north4 ,some words of our ,lord1 belonging probably to this place1 are recorded by ,st ,matthew4 8,but when he saw the multitudes1 he was moved with compassion for them1 because they were distressed and scattered1 as sheep not having a shepherd4 ,then saith he unto his disciples1 ,the harvest truly is plenteous1 but the labourers are few4 ,pray ye therefore the ,lord of the harvest1 that he send forth labourers into his harvest407#aeh7 ,st ,matthew probably found in this need of labourers a sufficient reason for the call of the ,apostles4 ,more hands were wanted for ministering to the multitude1 and it was desirable that some should be set apart for the work4 ,but our ,lord's great earnestness in the matter points1 as ,i have just said17#aei7 to something more than this1 as though this calling of the ,twelve was of vital concern for the great work that was being done for the world4 ,it would only have bewildered the disciples if our ,lord had explained to them the meaning and motive of the commissioning of the ,twelve4 ,they could not be told that ,christ's ,kingdom on earth was being vested in the ,twelve as an undying body in order that it might not be shattered by ,his death4 ,they could not yet be told of the coming ,resurrection1 or that they were being trained to bear witness of ,christ's spiritual presence with ,his own4 ,our ,lord's talk with ,his disciples was primarily suited to their wants and to their minds1 and not to those of the people of after times3 we must not therefore expect to find in it answers to the questions we want to put4 ,but we have one advantage which the disciples had not2 they1 as actors in the drama1 were taken up with their parts for the moment1 while we contemplate it as spectators from beginning to end2 and even if we cannot quite follow the action1 yet we can make out enough of sequence to see that this action forms a whole3 we mark the drift of the earlier incidents when we see the goal for which all was making1 and our ,lord's purposes are sometimes made more apparent by the course of ,his acts than by ,his words4 ,without pretending to enter into our ,lord's mind1 we cannot help imagining the considerations which the situation must have inspired4 ,the danger to the cause from allowing it to hang upon a single life was becoming more pressing day by day4 ,though our ,lord in passing through the country1 had kindled men's hearts as ,he went along1 yet ,he had left no working agency behind4 ,there was no rallying point1 no minister1 no constituted body in any district or town4 ,it may be asked1 8,why did not our ,lord do as ,st ,paul did80 ,why did ,he not 8ordain elders in every city10 and establish ,his religion territorially step by step1 just as an advancing army occupies the ground it has won8 ,this is part of the wider question1 8,why did not our ,lord found a ,church ,himself80 to which an answer has been given before4 ,his business was to 8kindle the fire0 and only to kindle it4 ,what has been said of ritual 7p4 #bbb7 applies to ,church government as well4 ,church polities1 like forms of secular government1 were to be formed by men of each age for themselves2 and to lay down a system1 for which a ,divine authority would inevitably be claimed1 would bar all human intervention in matters ecclesiastical1 and hamper men's minds in ways that ,i have glanced at before4 ,if a system of ,christian communities had been spread over ,galilee by our ,lord as it was spread over ,asia ,minor by ,st ,paul1 the forms of ecclesiastical government so sanctioned1 and all that related to outer worship would have been regarded as a part of revealed truth4 ,a visible ,church framed by our ,lord would have afforded a model1 from any line in the construction of which it would have been a heresy to swerve4 ,men would not only have consecrated the principles of its polity but they would have seized on the visible constitution and points of practice and have battled for these to the death4 ,we should have had an institution1 ,divinely authorised1 and which therefore could not in the smallest particular be changed1 imposed on races inheriting different temperaments1 and one ecclesiastical rule would have been fixed for all time4 ,in all matters of procedure the one question asked would have been1 8,what was the practice of the ,lord80 ,church polity would have depended wholly on conclusions drawn from antiquarian study and1 what would have been worse than all1 people having outgrown the institutions regarded as ,divine would have lulled their consciences by being studiously regardful of the form after the meaning had disappeared1 and they would have stretched the formul to make them fit the times4 ,in doing this they would have played fast and loose with their honesty of mind4 ,moreover it seems to me an incongruity that the ,redeemer of the ,world should also be the founder of a local ,church2 the disproportion is so vast between the two terms4 ,a way was perfected in that night of prayer upon the hills1 whereby an organic life was imparted to the little community without setting up a ,church1 from the pattern of which no deviation could be allowed4 ,the ,twelve formed a centre round which the disciples might cluster1 and this rudiment of organisation was enough for the time4 ,christ gave only such a germ of external polity as the immediate need required4 ,the commissioning of the ,twelve imposed no particular form of rule2 but it taught the lesson that organisation and order and the distribution of duty were essential in things spiritual as well as in things temporal1 and that it was well for the children of light to be as 8wise in their generation0 as the children of the world4 ,when a danger or perplexity offers itself to men1 they seek counsel one of another1 but our ,lord takes counsel of the ,father alone1 there is with ,him no hesitancy1 no balancing of this course against that4 ,in this case1 when the morning comes ,his resolve is distinct1 and it is forthwith carried out4 ,the constitution and proper functions of the body that ,he should create1 as well as the persons who were to be the first members1 all were determined on4 ,we read3 8,he went out into the mountain to pray2 and he continued all night in prayer to ,god207#afj7 again1 we have 8,he goeth up into the mountain1 and calleth unto him whom he himself would3 and they went unto him4 ,and he appointed twelve1 that they might be with him1 and that he might send them forth to preach1 and to have authority to cast out devils407#afa7 ,this is all we are told of the planting of that germ1 of which the upgrowth is the ,church of ,christ4 ,the organisation thus introduced was just enough to make of the disciples one body4 ,henceforth they could speak of themselves as 8we20 but as yet1 they were only pupils1 chosen to be about their master's person1 intrusted with special powers for the good of those among whom they ministered1 but with no authority over the rest of the disciples4 ,the hour to which our ,lord had looked forward1 the time 8when the bridegroom should be taken away10 arrived at last1 and our ,lord's timely measures in finding the right men and training them in the right way proved of signal service then4 ,when the critical moment came the men proper for the work were found upon the spot4 ,when our ,lord at ,gethsemane1 declining all superhuman aid1 resigned ,himself into ,his captors' hands1 consternation and bewilderment for a moment overcame the ,twelve--8they all left ,him1 and fled407#afb7 ,the recollection of this moment's failure may have been of service to them in after days2 it may have made them more lenient to the lapses of others1 and1 like the 8thorn in the flesh0 given to ,st ,paul1 might prevent their being 8exalted overmuch40 ,the situation in which the ,apostles found themselves called out the qualities desired4 ,as soon as their ,master had suffered there came upon them the sense of responsibility1 and they rose to the circumstances as men with depth of character do4 ,the cause did not die down even for a moment1 it was kept alive in that upper chamber where the eleven met4 ,to them1 from the first1 the other disciples looked for direction1 and to them they brought their news4 ,the women never doubted about where they were to go with the news that the sepulchre was empty1 and late in the ,resurrection ,day the disciples from ,emmaus proceeded straight to the upper chamber1 knowing that the eleven would be there4 ,hardly had the two who returned from ,emmaus told their tale1 when 8,he himself stood in the midst of them1 and saith unto them1 ,peace be unto you407#afc7 ,the eleven had taken the helm quietly1 as a matter of course1 when the ship seemed to be disabled4 ,they had been faithful in a little and straightway they are called unto much1 they are chosen for witnesses of the ,supreme ,event in the history of ,man1 of the ,resurrection of our ,lord and ,saviour ,jesus ,christ4 ,it is this character of witnesses which distinguishes the ,apostles from all other depositaries of a ,master's cause4 ,this was the charge that governed the disposition of their lives4 ,other men might organise churches and set forth the teaching of the ,lord1 but in the character of appointed witnesses of the ,resurrection they stood alone4 ,before the ,resurrection they are told 8,and ye also bear witness1 because ye have been with me from the beginning107#afd7 and afterwards it is as witnesses that they are singled out by our ,lord1 8,and ye shall be my witnesses both in ,jerusalem and in all ,juda and ,samaria1 and unto the uttermost parts of the earth407#afe7 ,in this distinctive light too they regard themselves4 ,when a successor to ,judas has to be appointed1 ,st ,peter says1 8of these must one become a witness with us of his resurrection07#aff7 and ,peter and all the ,apostles say1 before the ,sanhedrin1 8,we are witnesses of these things40 ,peter again1 speaking to the brethren from ,joppa calls the ,apostles 8witnesses chosen before of ,god407#afg7 ,i find in the ,twelve a special fitness for the particular work which it fell to them to perform4 ,they brought to the attestation of the ,resurrection the concurring evidence of eleven eyewitnesses1 simple1 truthloving1 matter-of-fact men1 of different types of mind4 ,the unanimity of the eleven1 both as to their testimony and as to their adoption of a particular course of conduct has been less dwelt on by ,apologists than ,i should have expected4 ,if one or two could have been gained over by the ,scribes to dissent from the account of the rest1 the moral force of the evidence would have been lost4 ,the chances against the agreement of the entire body in an illusion or a misrepresentation are enormous4 ,but an event so transcendent as to wipe out of the minds of the witnesses everything else--8all trivial1 fond records0 would efface small subjective differences by the overwhelming force of the objective impression2 and the occurrence of such an event would account for that perfect agreement in action among men who had not uniformly agreed before1 which is among the many striking phenomena which the book of the ,acts of the ,apostles discloses to our own view4 ,the chosen witnesses have exactly the qualities which a judge would point out to a jury1 as grounds for giving particular weight to their evidence on questions of fact coming within their view4 ,i must say something more on this point4 ,nothing carries more weight with a jury than the impression that the witness has an intense belief in the truth of what he says4 ,such an impression the ,apostles conveyed2 the possibility that they should themselves doubt in the slightest about any fact to which they speak never occurs to their mind2 all through the ,acts and the ,epistles the atmosphere is one of certainty1 settled and serene4 ,the ,apostles had not been always so assured2 we find them in the ,gospels impatient for clearer statements and more decisive signs3 8,now speakest thou plainly and speakest no parable0 they regard as high praise4 ,but after the ,resurrection all this is changed1 they are then quite certain of the fact that ,christ is ,divine1 and they have given up trying to understand the ways and forms in which the ,divine power might show itself4 ,they had probably1 once thought1 like ,naaman1 that it must operate something after the fashion which absolute power uses upon earth4 ,they have got past this when we meet with them in the ,acts4 ,i have spoken of the difference of character among the ,apostles for this reason4 ,that eleven men1 and a particular eleven1 should all have agreed in an account of what they said they had seen1 when by so doing they gained none of the objects of human desire1 is hard to explain unless we suppose that they were convinced of the truth of their report4 ,if1 however1 these men had but one mind among them1 either because one or two master spirits controlled the rest1 or because they had been so carefully drilled into uniformity that they could not help judging alike1 then the value of this unanimity would disappear1 for the eleven would become1 virtually1 only one or two4 ,now that the ,apostles were men of independent minds is clear from what we hear of their disputings by the way1 and from the offence taken at ,james and ,john when they ask for seats on the right and left at their ,master's side2 and1 indeed1 the ,gospel portraiture of all the ,apostles leaves on us the impression that they were of different types of character and had personalities that were strongly marked4 ,certainly ,st ,peter had a turn of mind which was specially his own4 ,he arrived at steadfast conviction not by reasoning from step to step--this was a mental process rarely practised by ,galilean fishers--but by inward intuition1 after his own strong ,hebrew sort4 ,when an impulse seized on him it must have its way1 and when his heart was full of a matter he must pour it out4 ,of ,matthew what ,i said 7p4 #bae7 may stand in place of a notice here4 ,his ,gospel shews us from what side he looked on the work then being set afoot4 ,james and ,john the 8,sons of ,thunder0 may be set down as representing energy and vehemence4 ,they were not likely to follow a lead1 or to fall in with a fantasy started by anyone else4 ,our notices of ,thomas and ,philip and ,bartholomew1 remind us of sketches1 in which a few spirited pen-strokes present a figure which we can fancy we have seen4 ,though ,thomas so loved our ,lord that he was the first to propose to go with ,him to ,jerusalem that 8they might die with ,him107#afh7 yet he will not take it on hearsay that ,christ is risen4 ,he knew how dearly the disciples longed to have their ,master back1 and he mistrusted their report because he feared that their impression might come of their strong desire4 ,his doubts however like those of ,nathanael1 are those of an investigator1 not of an assailant2 like him he is 8without guile0 and is glad to accept the offer 8,come and see40 ,of ,philip ,i have often spoken4 ,his words1 8,shew us the ,father and it sufficeth us0 lay his mind bare before us4 ,these three men last named were all inclined to be incredulous1 they were matter of fact persons1 looking without rather than within1 and such are the most trustworthy witnesses to external fact4 ,of one ,apostle1 ,simon1 it is true we learn that he had been a 8zealot10 that is1 that he had once belonged to a band of men fired with fanatical devotion4 ,but1 when we hear of him1 he had caught sight of a different kind of ,divine ,kingdom from any that he had thought of bringing about1 and he was by degrees learning that 8the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of ,god407#afi7 ,not one of these men had sufficient imagination--sufficient creative faculty--to embody his longings1 even if he had such1 in a vision so unexampled as that we have4 ,that some of the eleven should have had one illusive fancy and some another would not have been improbable1 but that all should have had the same would have been inordinately so4 ,as a matter of fact the portraiture of the risen ,lord given in our different memoirs is a conception singularly consistent1 and one which the writers could not have drawn except from concurring traditions or personal knowledge of the facts4 ,there was one ,apostle who did not witness the resurrection--,judas ,iscariot4 ,with all that has been written about him1 the problems of his call and of the purpose of his treason remain unsolved4 ,if1 as many suppose1 ,judas came from some place in ,juda1 ,kerioth by name1 he was1 among the ,apostles1 the only one who was not a ,galilan4 ,it is possible that he may have been one of those who attached themselves to our ,lord at ,jerusalem before ,his active ministry began4 ,our ,lord did not 8trust ,himself07#agj7 with these as a body but one or two may have gone with ,him through ,samaria into ,galilee4 ,judas may have been of a mind less simply receptive than the rest of the twelve4 ,perhaps he had aims for ,israel1 perhaps also for himself1 the patriotic element may sometimes have been uppermost and sometimes the selfish one1 and perhaps he wanted to hasten the ,divine scheme and help it forward in ,his own way4 ,his presence among the disciples shews that our ,lord did not confine his choice to those who were of one type1 and that a man who had in him great possibilities1 attracted his sympathy1 although these possibilities might be turned to evil1 and the things meant for his good might become an occasion of falling4 ,but while each individual of the ,apostolic body had a specific character of his own1 yet beneath this lay a generic condition common to them all4 ,they all belonged to the lower middle class1 living by labour but above want2 they were able to read and write and some could probably talk ,greek with the neighbouring ,hellenists in the country to the north4 ,the ,apostles were plain and homely in their minds and in their talk4 ,in what they heard they saw little beyond the meaning that lay on the surface of the words4 ,this literal mindedness does not belong to one ,apostle or two1 but characterizes them all1 and it appears in ,st ,john's ,gospel as frequently as in the other three4 ,the ,evangelists relate these displays of simplicity without ever dreaming that they throw thereby any disparagement on the ,apostles3 such they expected them to be1 and such they note that they were4 ,when men have the wants of the day full in view every morning of their lives1 and must supply these wants by the labour of their hands1 their thoughts naturally take a practical turn4 ,now this we note as a signal trait in the behaviour of the ,apostles and it is exactly what would characterize men brought up as they had been4 ,they always look first to what under the circumstances has to be done2 like seafaring men1 they are prompt in resource4 ,when the five thousand stay till nightfall on the mountain side far from any place where food could be got1 the thought of the ,apostles is1 8,how are they to be fed80 ,they take it on them to advise that the crowd be sent away while there was still daylight enough for them to reach the villages4 ,in the little daily business of common life they act as if matters of service fell within their own sphere and on them they had a right to speak4 ,i have already spoken of their pressing our ,lord to take food on the journey through ,samaria4 ,again1 when the three ,apostles are with our ,lord on the ,mount of ,transfiguration1 ,peter evidently supposes that they have entered a new and heavenly country where they are to stay1 and his first thought is to be of service4 ,people1 he supposes1 will want abiding places in the new country as well as in the old land they had left1 so he proposes to build huts as if they had been camping in the hills4 ,an ,alpine guide would have spoken much in the same way4 ,these little distinctive characteristics are carefully preserved1 and the instinctive thought of the attendant ,apostles for their ,master in their little acts of personal service is true to nature in a rare and delicate way4 ,such men are good witnesses for they have eyes for everything4 ,i contend then1 first that the ,apostles were singularly adapted for affording the testimony required1 and next1 that1 if men were especially picked out on account of their qualifications as witnesses1 then our ,lord must have had in view some great event for which witnesses were required4 ,in the selection of these plain men to found the church we light upon the first hint of the distinctive feature of the ,christian revelation mentioned above1 viz4 that it was to be centred1 not in notions but in a stupendous ,fact 7p4 #bcj74 ,when the gospel had to be preached to ,greeks who sought after a methodical system1 and the need came for doctrine1 the work was given to ,st ,paul4 ,but twelve ,st ,pauls as witnesses to fact would not have carried as much weight as the ,apostles did2 for though the most truthful of men1 yet the world of his own thoughts was nearly as present to him as the world without1 and it was not always perfectly clear when he was speaking of one and when of the other4 ,the minds of the ,apostles1 on the other hand1 were quite limpid2 they received all 8as little children10 registering truly what came from without1 and declaring it just as their five senses set it before them4 ,i have said 7l4c47 that the ,apostles were not the men whom the ,founder of a policy or a school would have chosen to win men over to his views4 ,our ,lord does not choose his successors for their power of attracting crowds4 ,he does not teach them to argue or to preach4 ,they prevailed by what they were and what they did1 more than by what they said4 ,they had not the art of kindling enthusiasm and leading captive the minds of men4 ,they do not possess the magic which masters the will4 ,their success comes of what they had to say1 not of the way in which they said it4 ,they were indeed to be the promulgators of the religion which was to grow up around the person of ,christ1 they were to 8teach all nations107#aga7 but they are not to dominate men and bear them down by impetuous oratory4 ,this is too near akin to delusion and tyranny for teachers of the freemen whom 8the truth makes free40 ,nor were they to rate their success by the multitude of those they baptized4 ,the truths revealed in ,christ's life and death were given to the world to be part of its possessions through all time1 and whether they were generally accepted a little sooner or a little later was of small account4 ,it may be remarked here what a small part in the ,divine economy1 the gift of eloquence plays4 ,moses had no utterance1 the speech of ,paul was contemptible1 and the ,apostles can1 indeed1 say what needs saying1 but have not the gift1 so infinitely valued by the ,greek1 of leading men captive by persuasive words4 ,but though to have been witnesses of the ,resurrection was the great glory of the ,apostles1 yet they were something more than witnesses2 they were also the first guardians and propagators of the ,faith that transformed the world4 ,they were the depositories of the leaven which gradually set up its working through the minds of men4 ,for this other function of their office they were also singularly qualified in various external ways4 ,the social position of the ,apostles was advantageous for the promulgating of a ,faith which was to become universal4 ,they belonged to the stratum in which the ,centre of ,gravity of ,humanity lay4 ,the small land owners and handicraftsmen in ,galilee were in contact with people in different stations of life2 they could talk with the rich and they could feel with the poor2 they were on the border land between the learned and the ignorant1 and had just enough knowledge to be able to get more when they wanted it4 ,there was one truth1 essential and vital to a ,faith which was to exalt and dignify all mankind1 which in the class from which the ,apostles came was found growing with especial vigour as on its native soil4 ,this truth was the surpassing value of a man as man1--the sanctity which clothes a human being who is made in the image of ,god4 ,the sense of this truth is much keener among the poor than among the rich2 it is the poor who are most scandalised if a human being is treated like a brute4 ,the rich have wealth1 dignities and the like1 on which their thoughts rest with satisfaction4 ,but when the poor man takes account of his condition he finds but one item on the credit side1 and he makes the most of it3 it is that 8,he too is a ,man40 ,the upper class in ,palestine had little mind for anything wider than a philosophical or political sect1 and they treated the poor as if they had no souls4 ,christianity therefore could not have made its cradle with them1 and the lowest class had little intelligence and no power of combination and would have been at once trodden under foot4 ,unless the ,church had taken root in the lower middle class1 it could hardly have spread as it did4 ,that its earliest promulgators belonged to this class ,i will not suppose to have been a matter of mere chance4 ,to proceed with the course of events4 ,our ,lord having called to ,him 8whom ,he ,himself would0 and chosen the twelve1 assigns to them their name4 ,they are 8,apostles10 men sent forth to preach4 ,but it was not till the risen ,christ appeared to the eleven in that upper chamber and said1 8,peace be unto you2 as my ,father hath sent me even so send ,i you10 that they saw all that was meant by this name2 viz4 that ,christ was the ,apostle of ,his ,father and that they were the ,apostles of ,christ4 ,our ,lord on coming down with the ,twelve from the mountain found a great gathering of people waiting for ,him on a spot of level ground4 ,st ,luke's account is this4 8,and he came down with them1 and stood on a level place1 and a great multitude of his disciples1 and a great number of the people from all ,juda and ,jerusalem1 and the sea coast of ,tyre and ,sidon1 which came to hear him1 and to be healed of their diseases2 and they that were troubled with unclean spirits were healed4 ,and all the multitude sought to touch him3 for power came forth from him1 and healed them all407#agb7 ,the address to the newly chosen ,apostles which follows this passage in ,st ,luke's gospel has been incorporated by ,st ,matthew with the ,sermon on the ,mount4 ,the portions belonging to it may there be recognised by the absence both of allusions to the ,law and of the opposed phrases1 8,it was said to those of old time0 and 8,but ,i say unto you10 phrases which point the contrast which forms the main theme of the earlier address4 ,the multitudes who awaited our ,lord 8in the level place0 were made up of ,apostles1 disciples1 and people 8who came to hear him and be healed40 ,in some passages of this discourse our ,lord had the disciples1 and in others the rest of the people1 particularly in view4 ,it was to the disciples that ,he turned when ,he began to speak4 8,and he lifted up his eyes on his disciples1 and said1 ,blessed are ye poor3 for yours is the kingdom of ,god407#agc7 ,the four beatitudes are1 to my mind1 expressly addressed to those who are about to take service on ,christ's side4 ,it was only to a disciple that our ,lord could say that ,he would be hated1 and cut off and vilified 8for the son of man's sake10 and it was only disciples1 and disciples too who were active in spreading the word1 who could be brought into comparison with prophets either true or false4 ,the interpretation also of these beatitudes depends on the fact that our ,lord is speaking to the disciples4 ,blessing did not belong to the poor as an appanage of their poverty but because they were ,his disciples and theirs was the ,kingdom of ,god2 it was easier for the poor than the rich to enter this ,kingdom1 and then their earthly poverty brought out by contrast the greatness of their spiritual wealth4 ,there is this difference between the lessons taught here and those delivered in the ,sermon on the ,mount2 here all is personal while there it is general4 ,here1 our ,lord is speaking to ,his disciples and says1 8for yours is the ,kingdom of ,heaven10 and 8ye shall be filled40 ,in the ,sermon on the ,mount the corresponding pronouns are theirs and they4 ,a special lesson is conveyed to the ,twelve is the last of these beatitudes4 8,blessed are ye1 when men shall hate you1 and when they shall separate you from their company1 and reproach you1 and cast out your name as evil1 for the ,son of man's sake4 ,rejoice in that day1 and leap for joy3 for behold1 your reward is great in heaven3 for in the same manner did their fathers unto the prophets407#agd7 ,although the enthusiastic reception of their ,master must have cheered the ,apostles and set them forward in good heart1 yet they were not to think that they were called to share in a triumph that was already won4 ,they were not to be over-elated by this passing favour of men4 ,the danger was1 lest they should be too sanguine and be carried away by the fascination of popular goodwill4 ,well might they be lifted up4 ,their ,master had just entrusted them with superhuman powers1 and multitudes had come from miles around and had waited for them all night at the foot of the hills4 ,so1 in the midst of the flush of success1 our ,lord tells them that the criterion of their being true soldiers of ,god is their winning1 not the world's praise but its hate4 ,there is in the world an enmity to ,god as ,god4 ,there are many who will readily enough acknowledge a ,deity so long as ,he is not real and actual and is not brought too near2 they find in the abstract idea a serviceable support for their social institutions2 but from the notion of a living ,god close by them they shrink in dismay1 and along with their terror goes hate4 ,parallel with these beatitudes run the denunciations of woe4 8,but woe unto you that are rich6 for ye have received your consolation4 ,woe unto you1 ye that are full now6 for ye shall hunger4 ,woe unto you1 ye that laugh now6 for ye shall mourn and weep4 ,woe unto you1 when all men shall speak well of you6 for in the same manner did their fathers to the false prophets407#age7 ,these denunciations are not found in the ,sermon on the ,mount4 ,that discourse was addressed to people mostly of the same class and in the same posture of mind4 ,when our ,lord first spoke to the crowds on the hillside people had not begun to take sides2 but1 at the period of the history now before us1 they had already clustered into parties2 some had declared for the word and some against it1 while many remained indifferent or in doubt1 and to these several parties our ,lord speaks in turn4 ,i think that when our ,lord began to utter 8,woe10 he turned to the men of station and substance in whom curiosity was mixed with considerations of prudence4 ,they are not denounced for being rich any more than the poor are blessed for being poor2 but their calamity is this1 that in riches they find enough consolation to prevent their striving heartily after anything better4 ,they do not 8hunger and thirst after righteousness10 they do not 8seek a country20 they do not steadily seek anything2 but1 if they feel for a moment uneasy1 they clutch their possessions and say1 8,at any rate ,i have thus much comfort secure here40 ,this it was which made it next to impossible for them to enter the kingdom of ,god1 and our ,lord cries unto them1 8,woe40 ,in the last denunciation our ,lord comes back to the disciples again4 ,the ills that men's hatred brought with it were patent enough1 but men's favour was an insidious snare2 for it might lead them unawares to love 8the praise of men more than the praise of ,god40 ,the more kindly the young preacher is received1 the more distressing it is to him to incur dislike2 and consequently the greater is the temptation to soften down ,christ's sternness and to meet the world halfway4 ,our ,lord warns his new helpers by the example of those who in old times had prophesied smooth things1 and had gone the way of the world while the world had made believe it was going theirs4 ,the beatitudes and warnings of woe form the prelude1 and when this was over our ,lord may be supposed to have lifted up his eyes from those who stood nearest--probably the ,apostles and most notable persons--and to have addressed the whole multitude2 for1 ,his words1 8,but ,i say unto you which hear107#agf7 ,i take to imply1 8all you which hear40 ,the twelve verses which follow form a sermon of general application of which 8,love your enemies0 is taken as the text4 ,on this sermon being ended we read 8,and he spake also a parable unto them1 ,can the blind guide the blind8 shall they not both fall into a pit8 ,the disciple is not above his master3 but every one when he is perfected shall be as his master407#agg7 ,this parable is addressed to the newly appointed ,twelve4 ,it bears on the temptations of young teachers4 ,they are in danger of being elated at finding themselves teachers when they had so lately been learners2 they might lean to correction1 and might incline to be over busy in giving directions and in finding fault2 they might persuade themselves too that they thought only of the learners' good1 when in reality there was1 mixed with this1 a good spice of the love of exercising superiority4 ,they are told that if they are to act as guides they must see their own way first2 the light within them must not be darkness4 ,the last verse of the last quotation1 refers1 not to ,christ and ,his disciples--there is no suggestion that these should reach ,his perfection--but to the disciples and their scholars4 ,the especial point of the verse is the responsibility laid upon the teacher1 by the pupils taking him as their ideal4 ,the pupils of the disciples would copy the disciples themselves1 and they could not excel their pattern4 ,the learner could not be above his master1 what is cast in a mould cannot be better shaped than the mould itself2 but the perfected work that is turned out exactly represents the mould4 ,the disciples therefore must watch against every defect1 for their pupils would copy them faults and all4 ,the text has another application besides this1 the pupil when perfected would stand on a level with ,his master2 the latter had no indefeasible superiority4 ,when they had lighted the lamps of others the light of the rest would be as bright as their own4 ,if they were to glory it should be1 not in their superiority to their pupils1 but in their pupils having become as good as themselves4 ,they were not to be like those teachers who keep back from their prentices some special secret of their art4 ,next comes the verse1 8,for there is no good tree that bringeth forth corrupt fruit407#agh7 ,this applies both to those who teach and to those who learn4 ,if the master's scholars mostly turn out ill it may be inferred that he is a bad master2 and if the master be self-seeking at bottom1 whatever disguise he may put on1 the evil will come to light3 selfishness always generates counter-selfishness1 and false pretension detected in one case may lead a young man into general mistrust4 ,in another view of the verse1 the behaviour of the man is the fruit and his nature is the tree4 ,this fruit is not without value in itself1 but is of more value still as an evidence of the condition of the tree4 ,this falls in with the constant burden of ,christ's teaching1 8,god looks to what you are as well as to what you do1 and part of the importance of what you do comes from its shewing what you are1 or from its helping by way of practice to confirm you in your ways whether good or bad40 ,in the last four verses of the address our ,lord again speaks to the whole company of hearers4 ,he takes one of ,his familiar topics1 viz41 that good is not only to be admired1 it must also be done4 ,this is expressed by the illustration of the house on the rock and that on the earth4 ,many who followed ,him counted themselves ,his disciples because they carried away his commands in their heads and talked about them4 ,he tells them that they can only get firm hold of them by putting them into practice4 ,there were many hearers who would put our ,lord's precepts away somewhere in their memory1 and be satisfied with possessing right and beautiful thoughts without carrying them into practice1 keeping them like curios in a drawer4 ,these were like men building on the earth1 who do only just what the moment requires4 ,but the habit formed by steady obedience effects a structural change in the man's own mind4 ,this is a lasting possession--it has taken time and pains to acquire1 but it is storm proof like the house upon the rock4 ,when speaking of the ,sermon on the ,mount1 ,i touched on the form in which our ,lord delivers what ,he says4 ,the remarks there made apply to the discourse before us and1 in addition1 it may be said1 that this address is admirably adapted to be carried away by the hearers as a whole4 ,it is strongly marked by its characteristic style1 so that an addition or alteration by another hand would strike even an unpractised ear1 as not having the true ring4 ,there are four beatitudes and four denunciations1 corresponding each to each2 this numerical symmetry assists recollection4 ,then comes the sermon1 made up of sayings so short and terse that the most unlettered may carry the whole away2 and finally all ends with a parable1 which is so well suited to the popular mind that it is now perhaps the best known of all pieces of ,bible imagery4 ,those who like may trace in this a certain prevision1 a designed fashioning of the garb of the word to suit it for that oral transmission on which1 at one period1 its preservation would depend4 ,when our ,lord had finished ,his discourse ,he returned to ,capernaum4 8,and he cometh into a house4 ,and the multitude cometh together again1 so that they could not so much as eat bread4 ,and when his friends heard it1 they went out to lay hold on him3 for they said1 ,he is beside himself407#agi7 ,there were occasions in our ,lord's life in which the ,divine nature seemed to glow through the human receptacle4 ,it was so when ,he came down from the ,mount of ,transfiguration1 so too1 when he went forward1 apart from the rest1 at the outset of ,his final journey to ,jerusalem2 and so ,i believe it was when ,he came back to ,capernaum bringing with ,him the ,twelve whom ,he had chosen to form the nucleus of ,his everlasting ,church4 ,something in ,his air seems to have amazed ,his friends1 8they said he is beside himself40 ,the ,scribes1 marking the temper of the crowd1 thought it wise to drop their schemes of violence1 but they set afoot the notion that ,he was possessed by the ,prince of the ,devils and ruled the spirits of evil in his name4 ,our ,lord made no long stay at ,capernaum1 but took the ,twelve with ,him on a journey to the cities in ,galilee that they might see how ,he preached and taught1 and1 what was more1 that they might learn to put complete trust in ,his wise guidance and sheltering love4 ,this was the first practical lesson they collectively received4 ,it was in the interval between the calling of the ,twelve and the despatching of them1 two and two1 on their missions1 or possibly while they were gone1 that the messengers sent by the ,baptist came up with our ,lord and ,his party4 ,as the next chapter will be taken up with the lessons belonging to this mission of the ,twelve1 ,i shall deal with this incident in this chapter1 although1 chronologically1 it might fall in the next4 ,it is related by ,st ,matthew as follows3 8,now when ,john heard in the prison the works of the ,christ1 he sent by his disciples1 and said unto him1 ,art thou he that cometh1 or look we for another8 ,and ,jesus answered and said unto them1 ,go your way and tell ,john the things which ye do hear and see3 the blind receive their sight1 and the lame walk1 the lepers are cleansed1 and the deaf hear1 and the dead are raised up1 and the poor have good tidings preached to them4 ,and blessed is he1 whosoever shall find none occasion of stumbling in me407#ahj7 ,the question asked by the ,baptist shews us his condition of mind4 ,a voice in his heart had told the ,baptist that he was born to be the forerunner of one mightier than himself1 and the sign at the ,baptism had shewn him who that ,person was4 ,he had recognised in ,him 8the ,lamb of ,god who was to take away the sins of the world10 the ,son in whom the ,father was well pleased4 ,this conveys the impression that ,john regarded our ,lord as the ,jewish ,messiah1 but the ,baptist's notions about the ,messiah may have been vague1 like those which the people and even the ,scribes entertained2 although he was a prophet and more than a prophet1 he would not know more than other people1 except on matters directly revealed to him4 ,the ,divine light is indeed a 8lantern to a man's path10 but it is a lantern that throws its light only in the direction in which he who carries it has to go4 ,i believe that ,john sent to our ,lord because he was bewildered by what he heard4 ,that the ,messiah should preach and heal was agreeable to what he had expected3 but1 8,was this to be all80 ,was ,he going to restore the kingdom ,himself1 or was another to come and take up that portion of the work8 ,our ,lord1 it would appear1 wished to give ,john as nearly as might be the same advantages as ,his disciples had4 ,the emissaries are accordingly made witnesses of the ,signs4 ,they are told to relate what they saw and ,he adds the significant words1 8,and blessed is he whosoever shall find none occasion of stumbling in me407#aha7 ,our ,lord could not say that ,he was the ,messiah without letting loose all the divers erroneous imaginations which hovered round the name4 ,our ,lord1 after ,his fashion1 gives the ,baptist a suggestive hint1 leaving it to him whether ,he should follow out the clue rightly or not4 ,as soon as ,john's messengers1 who for a while had witnessed the works that ,he did1 had turned back home1 our ,lord addressed himself to the company who were with him1 people1 disciples and all1 and spoke to them of ,john4 ,this discourse contained lessons of tolerance which helped to widen the disciples' minds1 and ,i shall therefore discuss it at some length4 ,it has a bearing extending beyond those to whom it was addressed4 ,i shall take ,st ,luke's version of this discourse because in that of ,st ,matthew it is1 ,i think1 mixed with matter spoken on other occasions4 ,it is our ,lord's way to point the drift of a whole discourse by a pregnant sentence at the end1 in which the expositor finds the key to the whole4 ,such a saying we have here1 in the closing words1 8,and wisdom is7#ahb7 justified of all her children407#ahc7 ,the meaning of the passage turns on the sense given to the word 8justified40 ,it is employed1 near the beginning of the discourse1 in the same sense which it has here at the end1 and this helps us to understand its particular meaning in this place4 ,i refer to the passage3 8,and all the people when they heard1 and the publicans1 justified ,god1 being baptized with the baptism of ,john4 ,but the ,pharisees and the lawyers rejected for themselves the counsel of ,god1 being not baptized of him407#ahd7 ,the word 8justified0 is used in this passage in the sense it has when we say 8my son has justified all my outlay10 or 8the event justified all my precautions40 ,the publicans by accepting the baptism of ,john shewed that ,god's good offices in their behalf were not thrown away1 that they had not been regarded with excessive hopefulness or a too indulgent eye2 but the ,scribes and ,pharisees frustrated ,god's good purpose in their behalf4 ,so far as they were concerned his measures were of no effect4 ,they would have none of them4 ,the fact was1 that1 though they talked about ,god1 they were in fact ,god-blind1 and when asked to follow ,his teachers they found special reasons for declining in each particular case4 ,john renewed an ideal which had passed out of sight2 he appeared in the ascetic garb of the prophets of old2 his strict life and his outspoken words disturbed their consciences and they put him aside by the readiest of expedients1 they declared that he was mad4 ,then came our ,lord declaring ,himself the ,son of ,man1 living as other men did1 and consecrating thereby the ordinary course and usages of human life4 ,in ,his case also the ,scribes had an objection to make4 ,a messenger from ,god1 they thought1 would come upon the earth in a different way from other men1 and all his doings would be of an exceptional kind3 whereas ,christ lived to all appearance just as they did themselves4 ,in the same way that courtiers surround a prince by a wall of etiquette in order to elevate him and hold him apart from the people1 so would the ,scribes have encompassed ,god's messenger with hallowed observances4 ,they were not likely to understand that the closer ,jesus kept to the ordinary and universal ways of men which were of natural growth1 the more ,he was at home in the ,kingdom of ,his ,father who had made the world and ordered the ways of men4 ,christ goes to the root of both these objections4 ,he takes an image drawn from what was always under their eyes4 ,he supposes a crowd of children playing in the market place1 while others are sitting somewhat sullenly by4 ,they play at a wedding1 and they pretend to pipe and dance1 but those who sit by will not stir2 and then they change to a funeral1 and imitate the wailing of the relatives and of the train of hired mourners1 but those whom they wish to gain for playmates will not have this either2 they do not want to play at all4 ,the people would learn from this image as much as was within their comprehension4 ,they could see that when the ,pharisees objected on opposite grounds to two courses1 their aversion was really not to either course but to that to which both courses tended4 ,but the last verse1 8wisdom is justified of all her children10 goes beyond what the people would see at the time2 and1 indeed1 as ,st ,matthew in his version omits the important word all1 it looks as if he had himself missed the full sense4 ,the text conveys a lesson of ample tolerance which even in these days1 all minds are not stretched wide enough to receive4 ,the point is this4 ,god has children of more types than one1 and all these1 in their own different ways1 justify ,god's thought for them by taking advantage of ,his help4 ,the ways of ,jesus and the ways of ,john differ widely1 but men may reach ,god coming round by either way4 ,some may gain access to the ,kingdom through ,john and others by ,jesus2 but all who are ,god's will get there by some way or other4 ,if the ,scribes and ,pharisees were winnowed away by this trial it was because the germs of a ,divine nature within them had been suffered to perish4 ,they were ,god's children no longer1 and ,god's ways for ,his children would not succeed with them4 ,that wisdom is justified of all her children1 is a truth carrying to different generations the precise lesson of tolerance it needs4 ,it was not long before the ,apostles themselves had occasion to call this very lesson to mind4 ,an exclusive spirit1 and the desire to have their privileges all to themselves led them to forbid a man who followed not with them to cast out devils in their ,master's name4 ,they are very gently set right4 ,our ,lord is never hard upon errors arising from mistaken notions2 he gently checks them at the time and takes early occasion1 by a parable1 or some lesson of circumstance1 to suggest the proper counter view4 ,but though the ,apostles might profit by this apophthegm1 yet it was aimed directly at the ,scribes who held that in all questions there must be one right view1 all others being wrong2 so that toleration of anything that deviated from the accepted view1 implied indifference to truth4 ,but it is only 8truth absolute0 which is one and exclusive and this1 in spiritual matters1 can only be attained by an unmistakeable dictum of revelation4 ,in a geometrical investigation1 we have an infallible logic dealing with definite notions2 we therefore get one precise result1 and all that differ from this are worthless4 ,but in matters spiritual an element of infinity must be present2 notions enter which cannot be defined2 men may use the same words in stating their views1 but whether these words convey the same conceptions to them all1 no one can possibly say4 ,in things spiritual1 therefore1 no one answer completely excludes all other answers because we never get a perfect solution at all2 we only get approximations4 ,in like manner there are insoluble problems in ,mathematical ,physics to which we can only get answers approximately correct4 ,these being points in a circle round the unattainable centre may be infinite in number4 ,these hard sayings shew that ,christ1 when he spoke1 looked beyond his hearers into infinite space and saw there 8other sheep who were not of this fold407#ahe7 ,he must also have felt sure that these words of ,his would be preserved for after times2 for certainly1 it was not merely for ,galilean hearers that our ,lord uttered pregnant words like those ,i have just discussed47#ahf7 ,the candle was not lighted to be put in a cupboard4 ,the hard sayings of our ,lord as well as many of ,his passing words1 which called forth no notice at the time1 are to me part of the witness1 everywhere peeping out1 of our ,lord's prospective view in what ,he said and did4 ,he must have had in view persons or bodies of men1 who would find1 some in one of these utterances and some in another1 what answered to a want or a question rising in their hearts2 and1 as a fact1 men have in every age lighted on words of our ,lord which seemed to be a revelation directed to their own case1 the key to the special riddle which vexed their souls4 ,there are herbs and simples growing on the earth1 which men for ages have passed carelessly by1 but some new form of malady has one day appeared1 and in the disregarded plant has the needful help been found4 ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,,the ,,schooling ,,of ,,the ,,apostles4 ,,the ,,mission ,,to ,,the ,,cities4 ,the point we have now reached in the history is marked by a signal change as well in the form of our ,lord's teaching as in the outer tenour of ,his life4 ,his discourses are no longer a string of positive precepts1 but they consist largely of parables1 commonly closing with a moral put into a striking1 not to say a paradoxical1 form4 ,his way of life is altered also1 it is no longer that of a resident of ,capernaum1 but that of a wayfarer undertaking considerable journeys1 accompanied by the ,twelve who had left all to follow ,him4 ,outward circumstances1 such as danger from the side of ,herod1 may have had influence in bringing this latter change about1 but all things fell together to further the kind of education desired for the ,twelve4 ,this change from a stationary life to a wandering one was conducive to the growth of certain qualities valuable for the founders of a ,church4 ,these qualities we find conspicuously displayed by the ,apostles in the ,acts1 and we may ask whether they had not acquired them in this course of practical education1 and also whether our ,lord did not frame this course with a view to its educational effects1 and the fitting of the ,apostles for their work4 ,was it of pure accident that all this came about8 ,we can also1 although with less positiveness1 draw some inferences from the courses which our ,lord avoided taking as well as from those which ,he took4 ,when we are disposed to wonder why our ,lord did not take some particular step1 it is a good plan to consider what would have come about if ,he had done so4 ,we shall often find that the proposed course would have had an ultimate effect1 very different from that immediate and obvious one which had at first occurred to us4 ,so1 by examining the educational consequences which would have resulted from certain courses that were not taken we shall1 ,i think1 learn something about what to avoid in education ourselves4 ,although the education of the ,apostles is a purpose ever in our ,lord's view1 yet it is only now and then that we are plainly told that something was said or done for the ,apostles' sakes4 ,this silence as to the effect which is aimed at is1 in education1 often a necessity4 ,if a pupil is told by his master that he is put through certain studies1 not that he may learn the subject1 but that he may perfect himself in certain mental motions and improve his capacities1 he is apt to be made self-conscious and coxcombical or else1 feeling satisfied that his mind and capacities are very well as they are1 he gives small attention to what he is told4 ,from the very first we have seen indications that our ,lord was divining the natures of men1 selecting them with a forecast to their coming work1 and fitting them to receive and promulgate ,his revelation of ,god4 ,but this inner purpose1 which1 until the ,twelve are called1 has lain underground1 now crops out on the surface and forces itself into view2 and we feel bound to ask of every subsequent incident in the sacred ,history1 8,how was the ,apostles' character influenced by this80 ,i have spoken of the 8,schooling of the ,apostles0 for want of a better phrase1 but the mental changes wrought in the disciples by their ,master's company constitute a very different sort of schooling from what commonly goes by the name4 ,they receive no doctrinal instruction in dogmatic form1 they obtain nothing which they can display1 they are shewn no new system for dealing with the problems of life1 nor are they given fresh views about the ,messiah4 ,those who come asking 8,what they are to do80 are always told that they already know1 or should know1 this very well of themselves4 ,among the great ,teachers of the world there is hardly one1 whose chosen pupils have received so few tenets in a formulated shape as those of ,christ2 and yet the ,apostles at the time of the ,ascension have undergone a transformation1 compared with what they were when our ,lord first found them1 greater than was ever wrought in men in the same time before4 ,one special function was assigned to the ,apostles which sets them apart from all other men4 ,in them was engendered a new quality belonging to spiritual life2 they were the trustees of mankind for a new capacity2 they were the depositaries of the faculty for realising 8the assurance of things hoped for1 the proving of things not seen407#ahg7 ,in them ,faith1 which elsewhere existed only in the germ1 was brought to perfection and bore fruit1 and scattered seed4 ,their progress in this quality proceeds by certain steps2 these are roughly indicated in the first chapter of this book 7pp4 #h1 #i71 but ,i will name them here again4 ,first of all1 the men who were chosen for the work had a more than usual power of savouring the things of ,god4 ,they are brought under the influence of ,one whom they regard as the ,messiah but about whom something of mystery hangs4 ,they conceive for him a passionate loyalty1 and an affection1 of which that inspired by the highest human natures will only serve to give a bare idea2 they are with him day by day2 they look on his ,signs and ,wonders1 but it seems to them so natural that a ,man like ,him should work wonders1 that they scarcely marvel at them4 ,inward evil1 selfish thoughts and all1 disappear when ,he is by4 ,again1 they are educated to feel that in ,his company they are safe against outward dangers4 ,this growing confidence7#ahh7 was tried and found wanting when they were with their ,master on the ,lake and the storm arose2 the lesson had to be studied a little longer4 ,as soon as it was fully learned they were advanced another stage2 the ,apostles1 in the great practical lesson which is the leading matter of this chapter1 were taught that ,christ's power reached beyond ,his presence1 that it could even be delegated to them1 and that ,his shelter could be spread over them1 though ,he might be far away4 ,they are sent forth without purse and scrip that they may the better feel that they are in ,christ's hand and need give no thought to petty daily cares4 ,the same lesson is afterwards given to the ,seventy disciples4 ,the ,crucifixion brought about an education of a very different kind1 that of affliction and trial2 but the ,apostles do not1 at once1 wholly lose their ,master1 ,he is withdrawn from them by degrees4 ,after the ,resurrection though ,he no longer lives on the earth a common life with men1 yet ,his disciples feel that ,he is not absolutely gone2 ,he seems to be still close by1 and they may at any moment see ,his loved and honoured form and hear the words 8,peace be unto you40 ,the stranger who joins them on the road may prove to be ,he2 they may catch sight of the ,lord's features as ,he vanishes away4 ,then comes the last stage of separation when ,he is completely lost to eye and ear1 and ,spiritual ,communion only is maintained4 ,most carefully and by wisely ordered degrees had they been brought to apprehend this ,spiritual ,communion1 and they were actuated by the inner sense of ,his presence during all the rest of their lives4 ,this it was1 this realization of our ,lord's words 8,lo1 ,i am always with you unto the end of the world10 which rendered--and still is rendering--the ,christian ,church a body living and organic1 and not a mere exponent or depository of doctrines1 and of traditions about the ,lord4 ,christ is the ,divine core of the true life of ,humanity1 and ,he1 when one set of views are outgrown1 may whisper to the 8company of ,god's faithful people10 and there may be disclosed to them another aspect of that truth absolute which men in the body cannot completely discern or receive4 ,soon after the call of the ,apostles the fixed residence of our ,lord at ,capernaum was broken up4 ,very little consideration will be wanted to see that it was serviceable1 with a view to the education of the ,apostles1 that it should be so4 ,up to this time the fisher brethren had gone on working for their livelihood more or less1 but now their ,master saw that ,he should be but a short time with them and ,he would have them all to ,himself4 ,of labour1 both bodily and mental1 the ,apostles should indeed have enough1 but so long as they were with their ,master--so long as the bridegroom was with them--all this labour must tend to the single object unto which they were to consecrate their lives4 ,we can readily see that so long as ,christ was on earth it was their one duty to follow and to hear2 they should be engrossed by the sole duty of attending ,him and were not to be distracted by sordid cares or by having to labour for their daily bread4 ,they were to learn that the work to which they were called was of a sublime order1 and that the business of common life was as nothing by its side4 ,after this time the ,apostolic party were supported from their own savings or from the contributions of their friends1 or of others interested in the 8words of eternal life40 ,the following passage belongs to this time3 8,and it came to pass soon afterwards1 that he went about through cities and villages1 preaching and bringing the good tidings of the kingdom of ,god1 and with him the twelve1 and certain women which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities1 ,mary that was called ,magdalene1 from whom seven devils had gone out1 and ,joanna the wife of ,chuza ,herod's steward1 and ,susanna1 and many others1 which ministered unto them of their substance407#ahi7 ,but as soon as they ceased to labour for their daily bread1 they were kept continuously and actively engaged in their ,master's service2 for they were not to be exposed to the dangers attending the lack of settled occupation4 ,thus we find that as soon as they ceased to earn their livelihood they were occupied incessantly1 journeying in attendance on our ,lord4 ,this matter may be approached at either of its two ends4 ,it may have been our ,lord's first care that the ,apostles should be freed from secular labour1 and the journeys may have been secondary to this purpose2 or the journeyings may have been of primary importance1 and the ,twelve would then necessarily abandon their callings1 and have to be supported out of some common fund4 ,in both cases the educational effect was the same4 ,if the ,twelve after being freed from earning their livelihood had remained in ,capernaum1 there must have been some part of the day when they were not in actual attendance on their ,master2 they would have to meet the reproach of idleness1 and they might lose some self-respect by feeling that they were eating others' bread2 or1 in their spare time they might fall into those polemical discussions from which our ,lord safeguards them with especial care4 ,all these evils were obviated by the course which was actually taken4 ,our ,lord left his fixed home at ,capernaum1 and ,he and the ,twelve adopted a wandering life4 ,these journeys taken in company supplied a need which in all education is a foremost one1 that of discipline4 ,they were given duties to perform4 ,when men travel together1 faring hardly on rough mountain ways1 bound to start together and to keep up each with the rest1 whether disposed to do so or not1 they soon come to set inclination on one side and to learn what obligation means4 ,there is no kind of companionship which binds men in a closer and heartier fellowship than this journeying together4 ,thus the ,schooling of the ,twelve went on1 without their guessing it1 as they went with their ,master1 sometimes on foot over the hills1 sometimes rowing the boat on the ,lake1 sometimes providing for ,his reception in the cities1 or marshalling hearers to listen to the word2 and sometimes1 when multitudes had to be fed1 arranging them1 plot by plot1 so that they might be reached by those who distributed the food47#aij7 ,this work afforded the very training required4 ,nothing is more remarkable in the ,apostles than their unbroken mental health4 ,the histories of religious communities are full of instances of ecstacies and hysterical delusions2 but never do we find among our ,lord's followers anything approaching to a spiritual craze4 ,such crazes are commonly the growth of solitude1 and no ,apostle while the new ideas are working in him is suffered to be long alone4 ,this health of theirs came in great measure from their being constantly employed about matters of which their hearts were full4 ,the training of the ,apostles fulfils all the conditions for sound spiritual health2 the ,twelve lead lives of out-door labour1 with constant change of scene1 with varied interests1 with occupations to engage their minds2 some had the provisioning to see to17#aia7 some the contributions1 some were sent on in advance to secure lodging17#aib7 and some wrought works of healing in their ,master's name4 ,all this was conducive to their becoming self helpful1 fertile in practical resource1 as well as earnestly devoted to their ,master1 confident both of ,his power and of that delegated to themselves4 ,their way of life brought them also into acquaintance with the various dispositions and ways of men3 all of this was essential for their work4 ,at the same time this regular occupation1 though sufficient to prevent any evil spirit finding in them a corner 8empty1 swept and garnished10 yet was not absorbing or exhausting1 it left their minds and wills free play2 they could fall into groups as they chose1 they could talk freely on the way1 they could debate on the meaning of a parable1 or on the nature and time of coming of the ,kingdom of ,heaven4 ,after1 what seems to have been a short mission journey1 with the ,twelve1 into the villages of ,gennesareth1 which served to initiate them into their new life and to teach them confidence in their ,master1 our ,lord came back to the ,lake coast where a great crowd assembled1 whom ,he addressed from a boat upon the ,lake near the shore4 ,the crowd that gathered there heard a teaching new to the world both in matter and in form2 men who had listened to the ,sermon on the ,mount might scarcely believe that the speaker was the same2 hitherto the lessons to the multitude had placed before them truths of life1 moral and spiritual1 put in such a way as to require no effort of the learner to be fully understood2 the right or wrong about some matter1 with which they had daily to deal1 had been set before them in a light in which they had never seen it before4 ,but what they heard now was not apopthegm1 not precept1 but1 on the face of it1 only a simple tale4 8,this0 they would say 8is all well1 but how is it like the ,kingdom of ,god80 ,whether much more might not be learnt1 even from these plain lessons1 by turning them over a second time in the mind1 was a question which only a few asked1 and of these few the greater part were probably already among the disciples of ,jesus4 ,they were no longer given instruction in a condition ready for use1 but only material from which they should extract it for themselves2 and to do this they must both use their wits and have hearts alive to ,god4 ,i shall speak1 further on1 of the principle on which our ,lord acted in withdrawing from the mass the opportunities they had had before4 ,he states it himself1 in words ,i have many times cited1 8to those who have shall be given02 words which we have not done with yet1 but which it would draw me from my point to discuss now4 ,it was apparently for the sake of the ,apostles that this form of teaching is introduced4 ,one of the services it rendered is obvious1 it set the hearers thinking4 ,a new form of intellectual exercise was laid before the listeners1 something was proposed which they had to solve for themselves2 they are given the solution in two cases1 and they are provided with other examples on which they are to try their own skill4 ,beside the stimulus thus given to intellectual activity by the new kind of teaching1 it kept before the eyes of the students those lofty conceptions of ,divine agency in the world which preachers of the ,kingdom of ,heaven would require4 ,personal trust in our ,lord's words1 cooperating with some intuition of their own1 had made them feel sure that ,god's ,kingdom had come4 ,now they were told that they might know something of its ways2 they are set to ponder on them1 but the direction their thoughts are to follow is marked out2 they are not left to rove hither and thither in their own imaginations1 they are not suffered to pass disjointedly from notion to notion as in a dream2 the puzzle of the parable arrests their attention1 and the thread which the circumstance of it supplies serves as a clue confining their thoughts to move along a certain path4 ,here again1 as we have observed so often1 a selective action comes in1 for it is the more active intellects that are most drawn towards a puzzle4 ,they find in it something that their minds may work upon and this is what they seek2 while the sluggish desire nothing of the kind1 but turn aside from anything they cannot at once understand4 ,again1 if the ,apostles solved a parable for themselves and thereby arrived at a new aspect of some ,divine truth1 this fresh knowledge would be much more their own1 and have a far greater effect in forming their minds1 than if the solution had come from their ,master4 ,a problem solved by the pupil himself does him more good than a dozen of which he reads the solutions in a book4 ,the parable suggested certain parallels between things outward and things spiritual in the world1 and1 without conceiving anything so abstract as an analogy between these two orders of things1 the ,twelve may have caught a glimpse of the truth1 that a workmanship betokening the same hand runs through all provinces of the universe4 ,when the disciples had thus been filled with new thoughts and new ideas1 our ,lord withdrew them from turmoil that the ideas might germinate undisturbed1 we read 8,and on that day1 when even was come1 he saith unto them1 ,let us go over unto the other side407#aic7 ,an incident in this little voyage served as a test of the condition of that ,faith1 the growth of which in the ,apostles' hearts was being1 ,i believe1 watched anxiously by our ,lord4 8,and there ariseth a great storm of wind1 and the waves beat into the boat1 insomuch that the boat was now filling4 ,and he himself was in the stern1 asleep on the cushion3 and they awake him1 and say unto him1 ,master1 carest thou not that we perish8 ,and he awoke1 and rebuked the wind1 and said unto the sea1 ,peace1 be still4 ,and the wind ceased1 and there was a great calm4 ,and he said unto them1 ,why are ye fearful8 have ye not yet faith807#aid7 ,this yet is emphatic4 ,this was a miracle of instruction1 and it served also as a test of how far the ,apostles were fit for the high lesson in store for them1 that namely of trusting in the ,lord's protection when they were out of ,his sight4 ,their behaviour shewed that they had not as yet fully mastered the easier one of trusting in ,him when ,he was by4 ,first let us notice a trait of nature in the recital which shews the hand of an eye-witness4 ,the words 8,master1 carest thou not that we perish0 exactly express the irritation of alarm1 which turns against those who remain undisturbed4 ,no fabricator would in those days have hit on this trait2 and a compiler from tradition1 unless he had felt constrained by his authority1 might have preferred to pass it by4 ,it is not quite clear from the account whether the disciples hoped for superhuman help from our ,lord or not4 ,the works of ,his which had most gained notice had been cures1 and that ,he should have power over the winds and waves had probably never entered their minds4 ,still1 it is obvious1 that they turned to their ,master in peril1 as a child does to its parent1 expecting at least to find ,him solicitous about them4 ,if our ,lord had asked them1 as soon as the wind rose1 8,shall you1 if a storm should come1 feel safe because ,i am with you80 they would have answered1 and answered truly1 that they would4 ,but their ,oriental disposition to panic lay deeper in them than their newly born confidence in their ,master1 and the sudden emergency brought the depths to the surface4 ,their trust1 we may be sure1 advanced after that night both in intensity and breadth4 ,the miracle in the country of the ,gadarenes1 into which our ,lord went1 brings out one point which belongs to my subject47#aie7 ,this miracle ,i regard as a practical illustration of the lesson of the parable of the ,tares1 inasmuch as both one and the other bear on the great puzzle of ,god's tolerance of evil in the world4 ,while the parable and interpretation are yet fresh in the minds of the ,apostles1 the case of this ,demoniac comes before them4 ,it may have struck them--as it must often have struck ourselves--how often after having learnt something one day we come1 unaccountably1 on an instance or illustration of it on the next4 ,the circumstance was this1 an evil agency was1 so to say1 taken prisoner by our ,lord2 should it be deprived of existence1 or at any rate of activity at once8 ,men generally would answer 8,yes40 ,they would regard it as something that had escaped ,god's eye and which ,god's servants ought to destroy whenever they could4 ,this is not ,christ's view4 ,evil is not regarded by him as an oversight of ,god4 ,god has allowed it to exist in the world1 and so it has probably some function to perform4 ,it is not to be extirpated with ruthless hand4 ,the tares are to grow until the harvest4 ,on the same principle our ,lord will not send the ,spirit into the pit4 ,he is the ,son of ,man1 and men he has come to deliver2 of the man therefore this evil agency must loosen his hold2 but1 saving this1 he may pursue the vocation he was following when ,christ crossed the ,lake4 ,our ,lord rescues the man1 because to do good unto men ,he was sent1 but for property he is not concerned4 ,if the ,demon must be about some evil1 but will be content with turning to the swine1 to the swine he is at liberty to go2 he is not sent to them1 but neither is he interdicted4 ,the plague on men is1 as was observed above1 turned into a murrain among swine47#aif7 ,the destruction of the swine was the act of the ,divine government only in the same sense that the losses by the cattle plague are so now4 ,as we go on we read3 8,and they began to beseech him to depart from their borders407#aig7 ,it would be hard upon this people to say that they counted the deliverance of their brother a less matter than the loss of their swine2 they were terror-stricken at the display of superhuman power1 and they wished to be rid of their cause of fear4 ,in the above verse we find the first instance of indifference or aversion among those to whom our ,lord went4 ,the schooling of the ,apostles leads them steadily on2 step by step they advance into the rougher ground of actual life1 and one such step is noted here4 ,it was well1 as ,i have said1 that a glow of success should at starting rest upon their path1 but they could never grow into hardy wayfarers if all the ways were smooth and all the weather bright2 there were in them many qualities1 good and hard1 which could only take their proper lustre by rubbing against what was rough4 ,so they were early taught to expect opposition1 and they saw in what spirit it was dealt with by our ,lord4 ,men1 thinking only of the contest1 are apt to lose sight of the matter in debate1 and make it a point of honour not to give way4 ,they are often made obstinate by being opposed4 ,our ,lord counts the fact that opposition exists to be material in the case and allows it its weight4 ,here the people pray ,him to go and ,he goes4 ,he could do them no good by staying against their will4 ,he returns at once to the western side of the ,lake1 and soon after his arrival we read of the raising of ,jairus' daughter4 ,with the miracle itself ,i have nothing to do2 ,i am concerned with the choosing of ,peter1 ,james and ,john1 to witness the miracle17#aih7 but this is an instance of the principle which will form the subject of the next chapter and will there be discussed4 ,after this1 according to my view of the chronology1 our ,lord paid a second visit to ,nazareth accompanied by ,his disciples4 ,he may have supposed that the news of ,his doings would have turned ,his townspeople towards ,him2 but the old impression is still strong among them4 ,a man from ,god1 they thought1 must come they knew not whence1 whereas ,jesus and ,his brothers they had known all their lives2 and although it seems that ,his mother and brethren had gone to live at ,capernaum17#aii7 ,his sisters were still among them in ,nazareth4 ,we may gather from these two events that the faith of the disciples had by this time grown strong enough to encounter opposition without harm4 ,a strong conviction is confirmed by attack2 it takes up a firm position on its bases of support2 while a stripling faith bends and quivers at every gust of disbelief4 ,it was soon after this rejection at ,nazareth1 and possibly from the neighbourhood of that place1 that our ,lord sent forth the ,twelve on their mission journey1 giving them the very remarkable injunction1 which ,i print below4 ,st ,luke tells us of another mission of seventy disciples2 how long a time elapsed between the two missions1 or whether the ,apostles were among the seventy1 we do not know2 inasmuch as the circumstances of the two journeys1 and the directions given are very similar1 and the educational purport of the two is alike1 ,i shall print both the narratives here1 and consider the two events together4 ,st ,mark's account is as follows3 8,and he called unto him the twelve1 and began to send them forth by two and two2 and he gave them authority over the unclean spirits2 and he charged them that they should take nothing for their journey1 save a staff only2 no bread1 no wallet1 no money in their purse2 but to go shod with sandals3 and1 said he1 put not on two coats4 ,and he said unto them1 ,wheresoever ye enter into a house1 there abide till ye depart thence4 ,and whatsoever place shall not receive you1 and they hear you not1 as ye go forth thence1 shake off the dust that is under your feet for a testimony unto them4 ,and they went out1 and preached that men should repent4 ,and they cast out many devils1 and anointed with oil many that were sick1 and healed them407#bjj7 ,st ,luke gives this account of the sending of the seventy4 8,now after these things the ,lord appointed seventy others1 and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place1 whither he himself was about to come4 ,and he said unto them1 ,the harvest is plenteous1 but the labourers are few3 pray ye therefore the ,lord of the harvest1 that he send forth labourers into his harvest4 ,go your ways3 behold1 ,i send you forth as lambs in the midst of wolves4 ,carry no purse1 no wallet1 no shoes3 and salute no man on the way4 ,and into whatsoever house ye shall enter1 first say1 ,peace be to this house4 ,and if a son of peace be there1 your peace shall rest upon him3 but if not1 it shall turn to you again4 ,and in that same house remain1 eating and drinking such things as they give3 for the labourer is worthy of his hire4 ,go not from house to house4 ,and into whatsoever city ye enter1 and they receive you1 eat such things as are set before you3 and heal the sick that are therein1 and say unto them1 ,the kingdom of ,god is come nigh unto you4 ,but into whatsoever city ye shall enter1 and they receive you not1 go out into the streets thereof and say1 ,even the dust from your city1 that cleaveth to our feet1 we do wipe off against you3 howbeit know this1 that the kingdom of ,god is come nigh407#bja7 ,in the account of ,st ,matthew we find some small differences4 ,the discourses delivered on the two occasions are perhaps combined47#bjb7 ,it so rarely happens that practical directions as to conduct or behaviour are given to the ,apostles by our ,lord1 that we may be convinced that there is strong reason for ,his so doing in this case4 ,a lesson of great moment was to be taught by this mission2 much depended on the spirit in which it was carried out4 ,this spirit would be affected by the external circumstances1 and these are therefore so ordered as to give the greatest possible impressiveness to the lesson in view4 ,these missions have another singularity4 ,our ,lord1 contrary to ,his usual practice1 explains the part they bore in the education of ,his followers4 ,in a few words spoken to the ,twelve1 as ,he was leaving the chamber on the way to ,gethsemane1 ,he throws abundant light on the whole purport of these journeys4 ,the words are these3 8,and he said unto them1 ,when ,i sent you forth without purse1 and wallet1 and shoes1 lacked ye anything8 ,and they said1 ,nothing4 ,and he said unto them1 ,but now1 he that hath a purse1 let him take it1 and likewise a wallet3 and he that hath none1 let him sell his cloke1 and buy a sword4 ,for ,i say unto you1 that this which is written must be fulfilled in me1 ,and he was reckoned with transgressors3 for that which concerneth me hath fulfilment4 ,and they said1 ,lord1 behold1 here are two swords4 ,and he said unto them1 ,it is enough407#bjc7 ,from this it is seen that all these provisions and directions had a definite purpose1 tending to give certain strong impressions to the ,twelve1 one of the most important being that the ,twelve might trust themselves to ,christ's guardianship even when ,he was not by4 ,they were sent without purse and scrip and shoes1 and they found that those among whom they came would not suffer them to lack anything3 all went smoothly as they proceeded with their work in the ,lord's name4 ,they were to be kept free from sordid anxieties and harassing bodily wants1 in order that their minds might be open to higher lessons2 and that they might gain the habit of trusting--not indeed that ,christ would send them on every occasion just what they desired--but that ,he would not suffer them to be tried beyond their strength4 ,possibly1 on that journey all their needs were supplied so easily1 that it may hardly have struck them as strange that they never had felt the lack of anything they required4 ,they may never have thought that what seemed to come by accident was really the ,lord's doing and part of ,his plan1 until ,he ,himself recalled this mission to their minds4 ,our ,lord goes on to teach them that these journeys of theirs to the cities1 compared to the missions awaiting them in the actual life on which they so soon would enter1 were only what the mimic fight on a day of review is to the conflict of real war2 or what the exercise of a swimmer in a school1 within reach of his instructor's help1 is to the crossing a river for his life4 ,in the exercise ground one lesson1 or one set of motions is taught at a time2 but when the faculty acquired is brought into actual practice all a man's capacities and endowments are wanted to work together at once4 ,so1 in ,christ's schooling also1 one thing is taught at a time4 ,two leading qualities only1 viz4 trustfulness in ,christ's spiritual oversight and a helpful self-reliance1 were cultivated and tested by this preparatory mission2 but in the actual work itself which awaited the ,twelve1 every gift of nature or fortune1 and every faculty of their being would have to be brought into play and turned to the best account4 ,they went on their way through the cities without purse or wallet1 and they found then that no money or provision was needed2 but in the real work awaiting them1 in the open world1 they must take thought beforehand for all their needs2 and those who have worldly means are to use them in ,god's service just as they must do their talents or their strength4 ,they are to be wise as serpents as well as simple as doves4 ,prudence and a good judgment are entrusted gifts whose true worth is most apparent when they are turned to the service of ,god4 ,it is not only piety for which ,god has a care2 ,he claims for his service all endowments of fortune and body and mind2 station and wealth1 health and skill of hand1 judgment1 utterance1 and clearness of thought--all these are held on trust for ,him4 ,the ,apostles had been sent on the mission without any provision1 in order that they might learn this one particular lesson--what it was to abandon themselves to the guardianship of ,christ4 ,in the real work now lying close before them1 ,he bids them use the same forethought and the same practical good sense in all that relates to ,god's service as in what relates to their own4 ,they went to the cities without arms1 and they were unmolested on their way2 but now they are told to provide weapons of self-defence1 even though they should sell their garments to buy them4 ,it is not the arms themselves that are the gist of the matter1 but they stand for a symbol of that personal courage which would have to play no small part in the work of the ,christian ,church4 ,again these words of our ,lord throw a stream of light upon what was ,his object in the plan ,he pursued2 they shew that the training of the ,apostles was carried on continually and systematically from the first1 and was among the things always uppermost in ,his mind4 ,when the ,twelve set out on this first mission journey it seemed to them a passing act in the regular course of ministerial duty1 but after a year had gone by1 it is brought back to their minds by our ,lord2 and they learn the significance of that which they had almost suffered to pass out of mind4 ,it is cited1 not with regard to what it effected directly--not for the good it did to those who were taught--but for the qualities it fostered in the preachers themselves4 ,that these preachers rendered service to those to whom they were sent there can be no doubt1 but the notice of our ,lord calls attention1 not to this1 but to the lesson which the ,apostles learned4 ,there are some points in these directions which it is hard to explain if we suppose them given solely with the practical view of furthering the ,apostles' work1 as ,christ's forerunners in making known to the people the advent of the ,kingdom of ,god4 ,we do not1 on such an hypothesis1 see why they should have gone without food or raiment or have saluted no man on the way2 they would have made no fewer converts if they had taken purse and scrip and wished 8,god speed0 to those they met4 ,they might1 indeed1 have done the same good1 but they would not have got the same good4 ,we shall see presently how these instructions were calculated to make them feel that they were ,god's servants1 dignified by their duty1 and withdrawn by their special overmastering vocation from the ordinary intercourse of man with man4 ,the effects of this journey were twofold4 ,there was an outside good to be done by the workers in the world1 and an inside good to be done within themselves4 ,this last was brought about by the mental processes and motions they went through in doing the outside good to which only they gave their thoughts at the time4 ,they supposed that they were sent on this mission because their ,master wished the ,kingdom of ,god to be preached in the cities1 and they regarded the particular injunctions1--if they thought about them at all1--as the set rules of garb and procedure for preachers of the ,kingdom4 ,it never occurred to them that by all this they were being made to grow inwardly in the way that ,christ desired4 ,they could not be told unto what end they were being educated1 for self-consciousness would have spoiled all4 ,they would have got no inner good1 if they had not believed they were doing outer good1 and good no doubt they did4 ,moreover they never thought about themselves at all4 ,christ's disciples are always led away from doing so4 ,they are1 with sedulous care1 kept so occupied in body and mind that at last self is lost sight of1 and they become absorbed in their love for their ,master1 and in the glory of feeling that they have a share in ,his work4 ,along with the lesson of confidence in their ,master's care1 there went another1 not less prominently insisted upon1 that of the dignity of the work they were being consecrated to do4 ,they were to go in ,christ's name1 preaching the ,kingdom ,he had declared1 and affirming its presence by such ,signs as ,he had ,himself shewn4 ,this dignity belonged1 not personally to themselves1 but to the ,lord whom they represented2 they felt secure1 just as the ,ambassador of a power feels ,sacrosanct because he represents the ,majesty of his ,state4 ,they were to be possessed with the sense of the greatness of the charge laid on them1 and all their being was to be concentrated in this4 ,their eyes are never to be off their goal2 hence the minute precautions against distraction4 ,the directions for their equipment will be seen to further the growth of the impressions desired4 ,they are to go two together2 this is a rule always observed4 ,our ,lord sent 8messengers before his face7#bjd7 into a village of the ,samaritans to make ready for him20 it is not said that they were two in number1 but as ,james and ,john are loud in their indignation1 it is not improbable that they were the messengers4 ,two disciples are sent to find the colt before our ,lord's entrance to ,jerusalem17#bje7 and ,peter and ,john together are sent to make ready the ,passover47#bjf7 ,afterwards1 in all the ,apostolic journeys the ,church followed the practice4 ,in these mission journeys of the newly chosen ,apostles we see how well it suited the objects in view that they should go in pairs4 ,if three or more had gone together the sacred character of their journey might more easily have dropped out of sight4 ,conversation on indifferent points would have been more likely to arise and dissension might have ensued2 two might have differed in opinion and each have tried to gain over the third4 ,they could hardly have remained so absorbed in their purpose1 as when they went two together1 full of the one matter in their hearts and rarely interchanging a word4 ,neither would it have been well for them to go one by one4 ,a man by himself has many dangers4 ,he may grow downcast1 and a depressed condition is not favourable to the growth of ,faith2 or he may harp upon one idea1 and having no one with him to criticise it and reduce it to its right proportion1 it may overshadow his whole mind and degenerate into a craze4 ,the solitary missionary might find danger also in success4 ,if the cures he wrought excited admiration1 he might be inclined to take some of the glory to himself3 or he might be tempted to go beyond his commission to preach the ,kingdom1 and try to establish some notions of his own about ,jesus as the ,christ4 ,the presence of his colleague would recall him to his true position and remind him that he was not about his own work but his ,master's4 ,if one of the pair were inclined to take too much on himself1 or to allow the people to exaggerate his own part in the wonder wrought1 he would be sure to find a silent monitor in his colleague's eye4 ,when two men go together not only does each represent to the other the purpose with which he is sent1 but also each supports the other4 ,when one is inclined to despond the other feels forced to take a hopeful tone and this does good to both4 ,the ,apostles were to salute no man by the way2 they were not to join in any trivial wayside talk4 ,this served to impress upon them the solemn nature of their work2 all their thoughts were to be centred in that1 it was to supply the master purpose of their lives4 ,they had ,god's work to do and ,god's message to give1 and there should be no room in their hearts for any thing but this4 ,this severed them for the time from the rest of the world4 ,they were to go1 side by side1 with their staves in their hands1 not looking this way or that1 but having the fixed gaze and steadfast air of men who are marching determinedly to their goal4 ,when they come to the city where they will stay they are not to plead for hospitality2 they have not come of themselves or for themselves--they are ,god's messengers2 they are to go to the house which they think fittest1 and1 if denied1 they are to shake off the dust from their feet and go elsewhere1 and1 when admitted1 there they are to abide as of right4 ,there is to be no shifting of quarters2 disturbance and unsettlement is studiously avoided1 as in all other proceedings of our ,lord4 ,many among the householders of a village might strive to have a share in entertaining the prophets of ,god2 and the passing of these from house to house would bring into play little worldly jealousies and call off the attention of the missionary from his single object4 ,where they are admitted1 they are told1 8there abide and thence depart40 ,the ,apostles are given minute directions as to outfit and demeanour but very little as to what they were to say4 ,they were not to be mere mouthpieces1 they were teachers as well1 and were left to teach in their own way4 ,to use responsibility was the highest part of the lesson they had to learn1 and if they had been tied down too precisely this responsibility would have been lost4 ,we have no record of their preaching on this journey--they are sent to proclaim one truth and one only 8,that the ,kingdom of ,god was come40 ,this truth they might enforce in any way they chose--they might preach to many or few1 in houses or synagogues or on the mountain side--and if any disbelieved that ,god's ,kingdom was come1 they were to assure their hearers that it was none the less about them on every side1 because they did not choose to believe it was there47#bjg7 ,on their return1 they relate what they had taught47#bjh7 ,there is another point4 ,they are not directed even to name our ,lord2 ,he would not suffer them to proclaim ,jesus of ,nazareth1 for ,he had not 8come in his own name407#bji7 ,this law is most steadily observed2 the seventy say on their return1 that the devils were subject to them through our ,lord's name1 but though they may have used ,his name when they wrought cures1 they do not seem to have declared that the expected ,messiah had come2 they kept to what they were told to do4 ,the wonder is that no one on this mission should have announced ,jesus as the ,messiah3 they could not have been warned against doing so1 because to warn them specially would have been to suggest the notion of that which was to be avoided4 ,a similar circumstance may have been one cause of the fervent thanks which our ,lord renders to ,his ,father on the return of the seventy47#baj7 ,how long this journey of the ,apostles lasted we do not know2 the exigencies of harmonists have led some of them to reduce it to a day or two1 but ,i should suppose it to have occupied at least a week4 ,neither do we know in what districts the journeys took place2 but that the ,twelve started from the neighbourhood of ,nazareth in the spring of ,a4,d4 #bi1 and the seventy from the ,northern border of ,juda or from ,pera in the following autumn1 is a plausible guess4 ,the words1 8,go not into the way of the ,gentiles10 c4 which ,st ,matthew puts at the head of our ,lord's directions1 ,i think refer to the mission of the seventy4 ,in ,pera they were close to ,gentile countries and ,samaria lay in the way to parts of ,galilee and ,juda4 ,they are told not to abide in any ,samaritan city or set foot at all in a ,gentile land2 our ,lord is first sent to the lost sheep of the house of ,israel4 ,all went well on both occasions4 ,on the return of the seventy our ,lord saw in this success of ,his disciples in their ministration1 an augury of the establishment of ,his ,church4 ,men1 it was plain1 could be trusted for the great work in view2 and in this success of the disciples in setting it afoot our ,lord seemed to behold the ,power of ,evil falling from the sky4 ,our ,lord pours out ,his soul on this occasion in thankfulness to ,his ,father4 8,in that same hour he rejoiced in the ,holy ,spirit1 and said1 ,i thank thee1 ,o ,father1 ,lord of heaven and earth1 that thou didst hide these things from the wise and understanding1 and didst reveal them unto babes3 yea1 ,father2 for so it was well-pleasing in thy sight4 ,all things have been delivered unto me of my ,father3 and no one knoweth who the ,son is1 save the ,father2 and who the ,father is1 save the ,son1 and he to whomsoever the ,son willeth to reveal him407#baa7 ,this thankfulness of our ,lord assures us of one point2 these seventy must have been exposed to the possibility of failure4 ,our ,lord's joy is that of one delivered from a great anxiety4 ,this instance bears out the view that our ,lord's knowledge of the immediate future was1 partly at least1 in abeyance during ,his stay on earth4 ,indeed1 if ,he had been free from all feeling of uncertainty1 ,his life could not have been truly human4 ,the course of daily events depending on the will of others did not in general lie spread out to ,his view4 ,another illustration of this occurs on the return of the ,twelve2 our ,lord goes to the desert seeking quiet1 but in this ,he is disappointed1 for ,he finds ,himself attended by five thousand people4 ,st ,mark tells us 8,and the apostles gather themselves together unto ,jesus2 and they told him all things1 whatsoever they had done1 and whatsoever they had taught4 ,and he saith unto them1 ,come ye yourselves apart into a desert place1 and rest a while4 ,for there were many coming and going1 and they had no leisure so much as to eat4 ,and they went away in the boat to a desert place apart407#bab7 ,this rule of our ,lord to give the ,apostles rest and leisure after a period of mental strain1 or when much food for reflection had been taken in1 is almost invariable4 ,our ,lord's intention is1 in this case1 frustrated by the zeal of the multitude1 who running together from the villages1 go round the head of the ,lake and meet ,him on the shore near the northern end4 ,st ,john speaking of this matter says3 8,now the passover1 the feast of the ,jews1 was at hand4 ,jesus therefore lifting up his eyes1 and seeing that a great multitude cometh unto him1 saith unto ,philip1 ,whence are we to buy bread1 that these may eat807#bac7 ,we see that ,st ,john attributed this great concourse of people to its being the time of the ,passover4 ,now the road from ,damascus to ,jerusalem went past the north end of the ,lake1 and it has been supposed that the great caravan of ,syrian ,jews was passing on its way to the feast1 and that to this the 8great company0 belonged4 ,st ,matthew1 ,st ,mark and ,st ,luke1 however1 all imply that the multitude came from the neighbouring cities1 and ,st ,john says that they 8followed ,him 7i4e4 from the villages of ,gennesaret7 because they beheld the ,signs20 and ,st ,mark tells us that the people 8saw them going and many knew them40 ,the crowd therefore could not have been strangers from ,damascus4 ,st ,john1 however1 would not have here mentioned the ,passover1 if there had not been some connexion between it and the presence of the crowd4 ,the connexion1 ,i believe to have been this4 ,he means to account for the crowd by saying1 8,it was feast time1 no work was being done1 and large bodies of men were therefore at leisure to follow40 ,some think that the ,evangelist may have seen in this miraculous meal a substitute for the ,paschal feast1 which our ,lord and his followers can hardly have kept according to due form4 ,in this miracle1 ,i am particularly concerned47#bad7 ,in speaking of it in an earlier ,chapter ,i observed that our ,lord's rule of abstaining from using ,his miraculous power to provide for the physical wants of ,his followers or ,himself1 holds in this case1 inasmuch as our ,lord's party had enough for themselves2 this proceeds on the supposition that the loaves and fishes belonged to the ,apostles1 although if they had had the money1 and bought what would just have sufficed for themselves1 the law would have held good4 ,it may be asked1 8,had the ,apostles the loaves with them or did they buy them of the lad80 ,as a matter of explanation1 ,i think it more consistent with the narrative of the other ,evangelists to suppose that the lad mentioned by ,andrew7#bae7 was carrying provisions belonging to the party1 than that he had brought them for sale and that the disciples bought them4 ,st ,matthew1 ,st ,mark and ,st ,luke speak as though the loaves and fishes belonged to the ,apostolic company1 while ,st ,john says 8,there is a lad here who has c40 ,the supposition that the lad was employed to carry the provisions does not1 it is said1 agree with the received notions of the poverty of the ,apostles4 ,we find1 however1 that they had the use of various boats1 and ,st ,mark speaks of 8hired servants0 in ,zebedee's boat47#baf7 ,i suppose that one of these servants1 not being wanted while the boat was ashore1 was employed to carry the sack of provisions for the party4 ,it supports my view that the two common articles of diet should both be brought by the same lad1 in just such quantity as to suffice for our ,lord's company4 ,the words 8,how many loaves have ye8 ,go and see0 shew1 that our ,lord supposed them to have brought a supply27#bag7 moreover the quantity of provisions was nearly the same and they were of the same kind1 as those which the ,twelve had with them on the subsequent occasion of the feeding of the four thousand47#bah7 ,it is unlike the ,east1 as we now know it1 that there should have been no bargaining1 and that one lad should have seen the opportunity of selling his commodities and followed from one of the villages1 and that no other should have done so4 ,whether the provisions belonged to the disciples or were7#bai7 purchased at the time1 the wants of our ,lord's own party1 as ,i have just said1 could have been supplied without miraculous intervention2 and the rule1 answering to the refusal to turn ,stones into ,loaves1 would hold4 ,these rules1 or ,laws as ,i have called them1 treated of in ,chapter ,v4 are not formally imposed by our ,lord on ,himself1 or alluded to in express terms4 ,they are uniformities observed in his conduct1 which harmonise with the course taken in the ,temptations4 ,we need not suppose that ,he said to ,himself 8,i will always adhere to this rule or that10 but ,he observed the rule because to follow it best forwarded in each case the end in view4 ,our ,lord's company are never in straits for food1 but our ,lord once implies that if they had been so ,his power might always be trusted as a means of supply47#bbj7 ,he would not have adhered to ,his practice narrowly1 when it would have weakened the lesson of ,trust4 ,philip may have been charged with the care of provisioning the party1 just as ,judas ,iscariot carried the purse2 this conjecture would account for our ,lord turning to him with the question1 8,whence are we to buy bread807#bba7 ,what our ,lord said on this occasion to the multitude we do not know2 we are told only that 8,he began to teach them many things107#bbb7 and in listening they lost all count of time1 so that when our ,lord had finished1 it was too late for them to go and buy bread4 ,after the meal ,he perceived that they 8were about to come and take him by force to make him king407#bbc7 ,the people must have just heard of the execution of ,john2 they may have been exasperated against ,herod and thought they had found in our ,lord one who would treat the ,romans like ,sennacherib's host4 ,we hear of no outbreak of enthusiasm1 no clamorous demonstration of fervour2 they were perhaps too much possessed by reverential awe for that1 at any rate their orderliness is very remarkable4 ,no malice on the part of the scribes could have been so fatal to what our ,lord had in view1 as this giving of a political turn to the movement which ,he was setting afoot4 ,the erroneous impression would spread fast and become ineradicable1 so that the work of saving the world might have to be begun over again in another way4 ,he hurried the disciples on board that they might not catch the contagion of this idea4 8,and straightway he constrained his disciples to enter into the boat1 and to go before him unto the other side to ,bethsaida1 while he himself sendeth the multitude away4 ,and after he had taken leave of them1 he departed into the mountain to pray407#bbd7 ,solitary prayer on our ,lord's part commonly betokens some important step in his course of proceeding4 ,here it precedes ,his leaving ,galilee2 possibly this political manifestation made it advisable2 at any rate1 very shortly after this1 ,he goes to the borders of ,tyre and ,sidon and sees little more of ,galilee during his life4 ,on the passage of the ,apostles back to the western shore1 occurred the miracle of the ,lord walking on the sea4 8,and when even was come1 the boat was in the midst of the sea1 and he alone on the land4 ,and seeing them distressed in rowing1 for the wind was contrary unto them1 about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them1 walking on the sea2 and he would have passed by them3 but they1 when they saw him walking on the sea1 supposed that it was an apparition1 and cried out3 for they all saw him1 and were troubled4 ,but he straightway spake with them1 and saith unto them1 ,be of good cheer3 it is ,i2 be not afraid4 ,and he went up unto them into the boat2 and the wind ceased3 and they were sore amazed in themselves2 for they understood not concerning the loaves1 but their heart was hardened407#bbe7 ,this miracle is one mainly of instruction1 it is a step in that ascending course1 whereby the ,apostles were led to the conception of the crowning truth that ,christ was 8ever with them unto the end of the world40 ,the experience of the journey taught that they 8lacked nothing0 when on duty for ,christ2 they were now to obtain assurance that in moments of danger ,he was at hand to protect4 ,it is worth notice that they were doing their utmost for themselves1 8toiling in rowing10 when ,christ comes to their help4 ,in like manner the miraculous draught of fishes was not given to men who had lightly accepted disappointment1 but to those who had toiled all night47#bbf7 ,i know of no ,gospel instance of ,divine assistance granted to men sitting with folded hands1 and leaving ,providence to do all4 ,from this miracle they would learn a truth which was much more fully taught after the ,resurrection1 viz4 that their ,master was ever by them1 and might assume a body not subject to the forces affecting matter1 and become apparent at any time4 ,these lessons would be graven on the ,apostles' memory1 and would come upon them from time to time in after life4 ,they would naturally look back to the days when they went forth on their first mission1 full of hope and not without exultation2 and when they recalled how all had gone well with them1 how the devils had been subject to them and how all their needs had been provided for as it were by chance1 it would come home to them that matters may be ,divinely guided without the finger of ,god being suffered to appear4 ,many a time they may have cheered one another saying 8,christ provided for us when we went forth with only our staves in our hands4 ,he will not desert us now20 and many a time also in sore days of distress1 the ,apostles may have reminded one another that they were doing their very utmost--not sitting still and praying for help when the sea ran high--at the time when their ,master appeared and said3 8,be of good cheer3 it is ,i2 be not afraid407#bbg7 ,,chapter ,x4 ,,to ,,those ,,who ,,have1 ,,is ,,given4 ,the ,teaching by ,parables4 ,we have1 on our way to this point1 while tracing the course of ,christ's ,schooling of the ,apostles every now and then caught sight of the working of the principle1 8to whomsoever hath1 shall be given40 ,this apopthegm is recorded to have been three times spoken2 first1 as has been just mentioned1 when our ,lord gave to ,his disciples ,his reasons for teaching in parables1 and again as the moral at the end of the parables of the talents and of the pounds4 ,we draw from it that our ,lord was about to exercise selection and deal with different hearers in different ways4 ,up to this time ,he had put ,his lessons into terse sayings1 like pearls strung on a string2 a hearer could easily carry a single one away1 he had only to listen and learn4 ,for a multitude who came and went like the shifting atoms of a cloud1 this was the most that could be done4 ,but among those who now listened to the parables at ,capernaum were apostles1 disciples1 and listeners variously disposed1 and they received a lesson from which different hearers drew profit in very different degrees4 ,the time now began to draw in sight when the most momentous duties that ever fell to men1 would be laid on the ,twelve1 and to them our ,lord now turned with an interest which daily grew more intent4 ,the ,apostles were not mere recipients as the crowd had been4 ,they were not mere passive hearers receiving and storing wise sayings4 ,what they heard was meant to set their minds at work1 and the good they got from it depended on themselves4 ,in the crowd on the ,lake shore which stood listening to our ,lord as ,he spoke from the boat1 there were characters of all sorts disposed towards ,jesus in every variety of way4 ,there were many followers and some foes1 while perhaps nearly half were neither the one nor the other1 but merely the loiterers who throng every eastern town3 these would go where others went1 glad of anything which broke the sameness of the day4 ,they had come to listen--after their way of listening1 taking no heed how they heard--many a time before1 and no good had come of it1 though the teaching was so plain that he who ran might read2 with all their opportunities they had got nothing1 and so from them was taken 8what they seemed to have10 that is to say1 these very opportunities themselves4 ,they now heard only what appeared to be the story of an every-day event1 and they wondered what good it could do to them4 ,thus1 this mode of teaching sorted out its auditory by a self-acting mechanism4 ,it threw off the light1 while it attracted earnest and enquiring minds who1 never doubting of a deep meaning in all our ,lord said1 asked themselves and one another what this meaning could be4 ,the aphorism 8that to him who had1 more was given0 was1 as applied to material wealth1 in some form or other probably familiar to the shrewd men of the time1 just as the saying1 that 8nothing succeeds like success0 is among ourselves now4 ,but what was startling was1 that this principle should be adopted by ,christ and laid down as one of those upon which ,god's government is carried on4 ,for this inequality in human conditions1 and the tendency to rise faster the higher one gets and to sink faster the lower one falls1 was a thing that was commonly regarded as a defect in the world's arrangement1 due to some inherent perversity in matter or in man4 ,people's minds1 in those days1 were possessed by the notion that ,god must have intended to make things fair and equal for all1 but that inequality had slipt into the world in the making1 when ,god's eye was off it for a moment3 soon1 however1 the ,messiah would come and set this right among other things4 ,hence it startled our ,lord's hearers to find this defect1 as they deemed it1 in the order of the world brought forward by ,him1 and not only not explained away as they would have expected1 but set forth as among the ,laws according to which the ,spiritual ,order of the world was carried on4 ,from the prominence given to this statement in the narrative of the three earlier gospels we see what a deep impression it made4 ,our ,lord applies this aphorism1 solely1 to the advantages and opportunities which men should have for learning the ways of ,god4 ,but the analogy between this principle and some observed principles of economic and organic science is very striking and interesting1 to say no more2 while in education the working of this rule is abundantly obvious in every school4 ,that the world is ordered on a basis not of equality but of inequality1 is a patent fact2 and lately it has been shewn that it is of inequality that all progress comes4 ,one little superiority1 due to what seems an accidental variation1 gives an advantage for gaining a greater superiority and so on4 ,uniformity1 indeed1 implies stagnation4 ,if all men had just the same powers and minds and characters1 would not such a world stagnate from its insupportable dulness and the want of stimulus for the faculties of men8 ,if1 at every step1 it grew harder to get farther on1 then no one could go very far4 ,a bullet fired into a tree1 which hardens from the bark to the core1 is brought to a standstill very soon4 ,such a state of things would preclude exalted eminence2 mediocrity would reign supreme and the onward march of mankind would be checked4 ,our ,lord1 as a fact1 asserts not only that inequalities widen1 but also that they are purposely so widened4 ,as the explorer advances1 he is brought into more open ground and is better recompensed for his toil4 ,spiritual progress was to be brought about after the plan upon which all other human progress proceeds4 ,it was to originate in individuals1 who should push forward1 seize upon posts in the foreground and hold them till the rest came up3 it is not the way of ,humanity to advance in line along the whole front4 ,all progress comes of individual excellence and the world is so ordered as to favour the growth of one beginning to out-top the rest4 ,it is an aid in this direction1 that in education advance becomes commonly easier1 and always more pleasurable as we proceed4 ,education moreover sorts out men4 ,a hundred boys1 near of an age1 thrown together in a school seem at first nearly on a par2 but an aristocracy develops itself wonderfully soon1 both in the school and out of doors1 and every half year the distinctions between boy and boy grow wider and become more strongly marked4 ,however conscientiously the teachers may distribute their pains1 the abler boy gets more attention1 because he asks more intelligent questions and1 seeing his interest in his work1 the teacher's thoughts in spare moments revert to him4 ,the same holds of spiritual life1 for when a man attains a sense of communion with ,god he becomes conscious of an inward joy1 which illuminates his life1 and this helps him on4 ,nothing is more striking in the ,acts than the 8exceeding great joy0 which with the ,apostles was the habitual state4 ,a very material point as to the bearing of this principle is brought out in the two parables in which it occurs4 ,what is spoken of as that which a man hath1 is not what has been given him or what he has inherited1 but only what he has acquired for himself4 ,it is not so much the possession of the pounds or the talents which is the ground of reward1 as the assiduity1 energy and intelligence1 by which they have been earned4 ,i will consider the pair of parables7#bbh7 just mentioned1 before the discourse in which the saying first occurs1 although they stand later in the history1 because they shew most clearly what ,christ's meaning was4 ,in both parables we remark the following points4 7#a7 ,the rewards are proportioned1 not to the amount of the original arbitrary gifts1 which1 ,i suppose1 stand for natural advantages1 but to what has been obtained by turning these gifts to account4 7#b7 ,what the servants are recompensed for is administrative efficiency4 ,this shews that our ,lord had in view some active service in ,god's cause and not internal self-improvement alone4 7#c7 ,the rewards are not such that the servants can use them for their own gratification1 they are not given money for their own use1 but they are promoted to wider governments4 ,he who has made five talents is given the rule of a larger province4 ,and the servants are not so promoted merely for their own sake1 the general welfare of the ruler's domain is the paramount object1 and in order to promote this those who have proved themselves the ablest are given the amplest charge4 ,in the parable of the talents1 the 8man going into a far country0 entrusts to his servants sums varying in amount1 8to each according to his several abilities40 ,with these they are to carry on business on his behalf during his absence4 ,one of them1 he who was of the lowest capacity1 received only one talent--with him ,i am not now concerned2 but the rest double the capital which had been put into their hands and all of these1 those who have made two talents as well as those who have made five receive the same reward4 ,to each is said 8,well done1 thou good and faithful servant3 thou hast been faithful over a few things1 ,i will set thee over many things3 enter thou into the joy of thy ,lord40 ,here the rewards are not in proportion to the original gifts1 which were as five and two1 but are in proportion to the rate of profit1 which was in both cases the same4 ,all have shewn the same diligence and all are recompensed alike4 ,the same principle appears in the parable of the pounds4 ,the like sum1 one pound1 is entrusted to each servant2 and the difference in the returns1 one making ten pounds and the other five1 is wholly due to the difference of judgment or diligence in using the money4 ,the reward is exactly proportional to the amount which each servant has earned4 ,the greater charge is given to him who had made ten pounds--not purely as a reward1 but because he has shewn himself twice as well adapted to govern the ten cities as the servant who had only made five pounds4 ,a few words in the parable of the pounds shew how well our ,lord knew what the prevalent notion about equality was4 ,the notion ,i mean that ,god must have intended men to share all advantages alike4 ,when the pound is taken from him who has left it unused and given to him who has turned his own pound into ten1 the bystanders in the parable1 who1 we may suppose1 represent common current opinion1 are surprised1 not at the pound being taken away1 but at its being so bestowed as to augment the inequality4 ,they would have looked to see it go to him who had made five pounds1 so as to bring the conditions of the two servants more nearly to a par4 ,they say1 8,lord1 he hath ten pounds10 implying 8,why give more to him who has so much already80 ,men are jealous of ,god's prodigality in reward1 although such reward may not diminish what they obtain themselves4 ,the master in this parable makes no reply to the bystanders1 and our ,lord concludes the parable with the moral1 8,i say unto you1 that unto every one that hath shall be given2 but from him that hath not1 even that which he hath shall be taken away from him407#bbi7 ,the pounds in this parable1 be it observed1 are not bestowed on the servants as absolute gifts1 they represent money held on trust1 and this is the case not only with the original pound1 but with the profit as well4 ,the ,lord 7,st ,luke xix4 #bc7 evidently regards all the produce as his own4 ,the ten pounds have never been given over to the servant who gained them1 so as to be absolutely his4 ,neither is the forfeited pound bestowed on him as a free gift1 it is only an addition to the ten pounds of profit1 which formed a fresh amount of capital in the hands of the most diligent of the servants to be used in his new employ4 ,all this agrees with the view which ,i have taken1 that the question in the parable is not one merely of reward and amercement but of putting the greatest opportunities into the best hands4 ,in like manner our ,lord looks to a practical end and adopts practical means4 ,the paramount object that ,he has in view is the effective carrying forward of ,god's work2 and those who shall prove most efficient are to receive as their reward1--not anything they can sit down to and enjoy1--but a wider sphere of activity1 an extended range of opportunities1 and of duties answering thereunto4 ,this remark of the bystanders1 so casual in its form and so weighty in its substance1 exemplifies our ,lord's way of dealing with erroneous ideas4 ,a hint is dropped1 attention is called to what many had taken for granted1 and there the matter is left4 ,it might be many days before the world would find the seed thus cast upon the waters1 but found1 some day or other1 it would be4 ,when there is question of practical evil our ,lord is plain and positive enough4 ,the ,pharisees are upbraided sharply1 for making the ,law of no effect by their traditions1 and the ,sadducees are told that in denying the resurrection 8they do greatly err40 ,but as regards the enigmas of life ,he only drops hints1 which men may take or not4 ,i now come to the discourse1 which ,i had put aside for a moment that the parables might be discussed4 ,as soon as our ,lord had ended the parable of the ,sower 8,the disciples came1 and said unto him1 ,why speakest thou unto them in parables807#bcj7 ,observe the words unto them4 ,it is not about themselves that they ask1 but the crowd4 ,they were desirous to see our ,lord's influence increase1 and were perhaps anxious that new proselytes should swell their number1 and so they were puzzled at this new form of teaching1 which seemed calculated to repel converts4 8,in order to win men over10 they would say to themselves1 8it would surely be best to speak in the plainest and most direct way40 ,the fullest version of the reply is that given by ,st ,mark4 8,and he said unto them1 ,unto you is given the mystery of the kingdom of ,god3 but unto them that are without1 all things are done in parables3 that seeing they may see1 and not perceive2 and hearing they may hear1 and not understand2 lest haply they should turn again1 and it should be forgiven them407#bca7 ,this is followed by the interpretation of the parable of the ,sower4 ,and then comes a discourse explaining for what purposes the teaching by parables was employed1 which throws a strong light both on this matter and on education in its highest sense4 ,here the principle comes to the front1 that it is not so much what is done upon the man1 or for the man1 as what is done by the man himself1 that transforms him into a higher creature4 8,unto you10 says our ,lord1 turning to the disciples and the ,twelve1 8is given the mystery of the kingdom of ,god40 ,the mystery was given not to save their thinking but to set them thinking on a right track4 ,what bore on the practical conduct of life had been preached to all1 but the glimpse of the underlying spiritual order was vouchsafed to few3 all must learn to tell time from a clock1 but all need not know how it works4 ,it is not the application of the parable which is here the difficulty--that is told the hearers at once--but it lies in the original differences between men1 how far these come of men's own selves1 how far of heredity1 and how far men are answerable for their own dispositions2 here we come on great difficulties which beset all creeds alike4 ,in the parable of the ,tares we are confronted with the origin of moral ill2 the ,apostles are to contemplate these mysteries1 and they are given a way of looking at them which will serve for the practical purposes of life1 but they are by no means led to believe that they can see to the bottom of them4 ,the second passage brings out a positive use of parables4 ,they are not primarily meant to hide truth but to show it4 ,the matter is only for a moment put out of sight1 in order that men may search after it1 prize it when found1 and1 bringing to it eyes sharpened by keen search1 may discern all particulars more truly and well4 ,the sifting of the auditory of which ,i have spoken above was only a secondary and subordinate use of the parable2 its primary one was this2 it enshrined an abstract truth in such a portable concrete form that it was made accessible to men2 it put it into a shape1 familiar to ,orientals1 a shape to which the ,eastern tongue lent itself with ease1 and which fitted readily into the minds of men2 they could carry the story about with them1 and they would in so doing learn its lesson by degrees4 ,there was also another point2 the meaning of these new utterances gave men some pains to find1 and when they had found it1 they delighted in it as something they had conquered for themselves4 ,our ,lord lets men into this secret of all learning4 ,did they suffer those words of ,his which 8were ,spirit and which were ,life0 to fecundate their hearts1 turning them over in their minds again and again8 ,the words 8with what measure ye mete07#bcb7 have no bearing on outward dealings here2 what they mean is1 8,in proportion to the pains and attention which you bestow in searching out all that my words contain1 so will the profit be4 ,if you bestow thought freely1 and time as well1 freely will ,god requite the same--something will you then have1 and more shall be given you40 ,to him who had been faithful over a few things a wider range of duties1 and that alone1 would be given as reward4 ,i note a connection between the introduction of the new form of teaching and the course of events4 ,when our ,lord began to teach in parables 8,his departure which he was about to accomplish at ,jerusalem07#bcc7 was shaping itself more and more definitely in ,his mind4 ,time was getting short1 and so ,he now spake for those only who had ears to hear4 ,the nature of this departure was too shocking to ,jewish notions and too inexplicable to be declared in plain terms to the mass4 ,we know that even the ,twelve were bewildered with the hints that our ,lord drops about the end1 and we can easily see how ill-suited such declarations would have been for the people at large4 ,again1 we can understand that as the end in all its awfulness came more and more distinctly into view1 our ,lord should confine ,his teaching very much to those to whom was committed the mystery of the ,kingdom of ,god2 and1 inasmuch as the ,twelve differed in spiritual capacity among themselves and higher duties were to be laid on some than on others1 within that body a further selection had to be made4 ,peter and ,james and ,john form an inner circle1 they are chosen as witnesses of the things that were not to be proclaimed until the ,son of ,man should come47#bcd7 ,it is worth noting that in ,st ,john's ,gospel we find no trace of the preeminence of these three2 this falls in with the hypothesis of the author being the ,apostle ,john1 who carefully avoids mention of himself4 ,this choosing of the ,three ,apostles who should be preferred before the rest touches my purpose closely in another way2 it was no insignificant part of the ,schooling of the ,twelve4 ,they would learn from it that ,christ gave what charge ,he would to whom ,he would2 that in ,god's service it is honour enough to be employed at all2 and that no man is to be discouraged because he sees allotted to another what appears to be a higher sphere of work than his own4 ,we all know how heavily jealousy among subordinates who administer affairs clogs the wheels of the state1 and it was of the highest importance that this vice should be eradicated1 with a view to the practical business of the ,church4 ,so the great lesson taught to the ,apostles--and in the end it was taught more completely than ever men were taught it before--was self abnegation4 ,they came at last not to think about themselves at all4 ,this unselfishness is never preached to them1 because it cannot be taught by preaching4 ,if a man has self-surrender pressed incessantly upon him1 this keeps the idea of self ever before his view4 ,christ does not cry down self1 but he puts it out of a man's sight by giving him something better to care for1 something which shall take full and rightful possession of his soul4 ,the ,apostles1 without ever having any consciousness of sacrificing self1 were brought into a habit of self sacrifice by merging all thoughts for themselves in devotion to a ,master and a cause1 and in thinking what they could do to serve it themselves4 ,have not most of us known cases of men1 seemingly immersed in amusements and frivolities1 who would gladly have flung these to the winds1 if only we could have found them something which would fill their hearts4 ,if such people are selfish1 it is not because they really care very much for themselves2 but because self seems a little more real and a little more under their own control than anything else4 ,they have found unreality in many things2 perhaps when they have attempted to do good they have been thrown back by ridicule or discouragement1 and are thereby brought to feel at a loss for an interest in life2 and in this case an evil one1 who is always by1 has seemed to whisper1 8,do good to thyself and the world will speak well of thee40 ,if now1 at the right moment1 you could shew these men a real good1 they would be glad enough to throw aside the self which they have been only trying to persuade themselves that they cared for1 and would seize upon anything which appeared to answer to the secret hope1 asleep1 but still alive in their hearts4 ,it is a good test of the nature of the devotion above spoken of to be able to endure the preference of others to ourselves4 ,if the ,apostles generally had resented the preeminence of the three1 it would have shewn that they had not realised 8what spirit they were of40 ,we see from ,st ,luke xxii4 #bd that they had not quite overcome all personal feeling1 but we hear at this time no word of murmur1 though they ventured pretty freely to murmur when they were displeased3 from this ,i gather that1 little by little they were losing personal ambition and merging themselves in their ,master's cause4 ,thus this selection of the ,three out of the body carried with it a lesson in the postponement of self4 ,this reserving of special attention for those only who shewed promise is1 as ,i said just now1 connected with the appearance on the horizon of the ,end at ,jerusalem4 8,times and seasons0 the ,father 8had put in ,his own power10 and it may not have been till a year before the ,passion that our ,lord had known how short a time was left for ,him on earth4 ,before ,he had preached unto all alike1 now1 his time and pains were reserved for the hopeful few4 ,something of this same reservation of teaching for those likely to profit by it1 was seen when the ,apostles were sent out two and two4 ,they were only to be a few days away1 consequently they were to waste no time over cases that were hopeless2 when one city would not receive them they were to go to another4 ,resumption of the ,narrative4 ,i left the narrative at the point where the vessel with the ,apostles1 whom our ,lord had joined upon the sea1 had just reached the shores of the country of ,gennesaret4 ,the multitude sought ,him on ,his arrival bringing their sick to be healed4 ,our ,lord's words addressed to them suit the occasion so exactly1 that we may be sure they belong to this place4 ,the discourse7#bce7 is preserved only by ,st ,john4 ,it was probably begun upon the shore and was afterwards continued by our ,lord in the synagogue4 ,this discourse is very ably treated by ,mr ,sanday17#bcf7 and the doctrinal matters of which it treats do not fall within my sphere4 ,it is the character of ,st ,john's versions of our ,lord's discourses that we find it hard to trace in them the progress of thought4 ,one or two points usually form the burden2 in this case these points are 8,i am the bread of life0 and 8,i will raise him up at the last day40 ,this mannerism suits with the supposition that ,st ,john's ,gospel was written by a very old man2 for this recurrence to the dominant topic is a marked peculiarity of the utterances of old age4 ,st ,john had probably preached on these discourses over and over again1 and he set them down in the ,gospel in the form in which they were most familiar to him1 with1 possibly1 something of the amplification required to adapt them to homiletic use4 ,this speech is pitched in so high a spiritual key that it was not all who had ears to hear it3 it notably effected the purpose of separating the chaff from the wheat4 ,what the people expected of the ,messiah1 and what they looked for in the future life may be gathered from the gospels or from ,jewish books27#bcg7 our ,lord's words gave no promise of ,his fulfilling these hopes of theirs1 and so we read-- 8,upon this many of his disciples went back1 and walked no more with him407#bch7 ,another cause of offence arose at this time4 ,the ,pharisees and certain of the ,scribes who had come from ,jerusalem had seen that some of his disciples ate their bread with defiled1 8that is unwashed hands40 ,these persons had not come from ,jerusalem at this time--,passover time--without serious intentions1 and these we may be sure were not friendly to our ,lord4 ,they fasten on this point of washing before meals1 a process not enjoined by ,moses but resting on a 8tradition of the elders40 ,the stress however laid on it by the ,rabbis was excessively great17#bci7 and the provisions with regard to it were so minute and troublesome that only those classes who possessed leisure could possibly observe them4 ,here we come upon a self-righteous exclusiveness2 but what was worse than all was the low idea of ,god involved in the notion that ,he gave or withdrew his favour according as men were or were not punctilious about trivial acts4 ,our ,lord turns the attack against ,his assailants1 8,full well10 said ,he1 8do you reject the commandment of ,god that ye may keep your traditions40 ,he shews how by a ,rabbinical fiction they evaded the natural duty of maintaining their parents in their age4 8,and he called to him the multitude again1 and said unto them1 ,hear me all of you1 and understand3 there is nothing from without the man1 that going into him can defile him3 but the things which proceed out of the man are those that defile the man407#bdj7 ,it is to be noted that here our ,lord turns to the multitude4 ,he calls--not only disciples and not only scribes1 but every one--to listen to this vindication of the ways of ,god4 ,these are our ,lord's last words to the people of ,capernaum1 and the discourse in the synagogue is nearly ,his last utterance in a place of worship4 ,he would not leave them without a denunciation of that stress upon outward observances1 which prevented spiritual religion from growing in their souls4 ,his words are wide1 ,i believe intentionally so1 and sweep away those ordinances about meats clean and unclean1 which1 as sanitary measures1 had done good1 no doubt1 in their time1 but which now led one man to think that because he did not eat what another did1 he stood religiously on a higher level than his brother4 ,for spiritual religion to become possible1 men must be freed from the idea that ,god's favour depended on what they eat or drank4 ,this notion however was1 by heredity1 part and parcel of the mental constitution of every ,jew4 ,the disciples regard this statement of our ,lord as so bold that it cannot be intended to be taken literally1 they call it 8the parable40 ,we can understand1 they would say1 this about eating with unclean hands1 but the ,master's words would go to do away with all distinction of meats1 and this surely ,he cannot intend4 ,no explanation does our ,lord give2 ,he restates in the plainest terms what was matter of offence4 ,he expresses wonder that the disciples should be startled at ,his words--there was that in store which would offend them more-- 8,many therefore of his disciples1 when they heard this1 said1 ,this is a hard saying2 who can hear it8 ,but ,jesus knowing in himself that his disciples murmured at this1 said unto them1 ,doth this cause you to stumble8 ,what then if ye should behold the ,son of man ascending where he was before8 ,it is the spirit that quickeneth2 the flesh profiteth nothing3 the words that ,i have spoken unto you are spirit1 and are life407#bda7 ,as far as affection and loyalty went our ,lord carried them with ,him4 ,but their minds had not kept pace with their hearts1 habit was their master still4 ,that many who had counted themselves disciples should have taken offence at this bold assertion1 8whatsoever from without goeth into the man it cannot defile him10 is easily conceived4 ,it did away with a ready source of self congratulation4 ,if a ,jew's conscience pricked him1 he turned for comfort to the thought that he had never eaten anything unclean4 ,so many fell away that our ,lord's company was reduced to a handful4 ,he had expected1 and probably intended1 to thin it considerably1 but the withdrawals among the disciples appear to have surprised ,him1 ,he says to the ,apostles1 8,will ye also go away80 ,puzzled by our ,lord's declarations no doubt they were1 but of one thing they were sure3 having known ,christ they could follow no one else but ,him4 ,the mountain journey clenched their devotion and their faith4 8,and from thence he arose1 and went away into the borders of ,tyre and ,sidon4 ,and he entered into a house1 and would have no man know it3 and he could not be hid407#bdb7 ,now at last does our ,lord find for the ,apostles the rest which ,he had desired to give them before4 ,it is not a missionary journey1 ,he does not preach to the people2 and the miracles which ,he performs are no longer illustrations of ,god's ,kingdom1 but works of beneficence wrung from ,him by the sight of suffering4 ,the cures are wrought as privately as is possible4 ,the ,syro-,phnician woman obtains what she desires by her exceptional openness to ,divine impression3 when ,he entered into a house 8and would have no man know it10 she sought ,him out4 ,the man who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech1 is taken 8aside from the multitude privately10 and our ,lord charged the witnesses 8that they should tell no man407#bdc7 ,so again with the blind man at ,bethsaida 7probably ,bethsaida ,julias at the head of the lake77#bdd7 8,he took hold of the blind man by the hand and brought him out of the village10 and at the end 8,he sent him away to his home1 saying1 ,do not even enter into the village407#bde7 ,our ,lord appears to have returned southwards along the valley and down the eastern side of the ,lake1 where the miracle of the feeding of the four thousand took place4 ,this country on the east of the ,sea of ,galilee1 contained a mixed population1 of which only the smaller part were of ,israelite descent4 ,the four thousand had followed day after day seeking cures2 but there was no fear of these men trying to make ,jesus a ,king1 for there was little nationalist feeling on that side the sea4 ,our ,lord might therefore exert ,his beneficence without imprudence4 ,it seems strange that the disciples should not have thought of the feeding of the five thousand2 but they may have thought that it was out of the question that a miracle should be wrought for people who were mostly heathen2 or it may have been one of those not uncommon cases in which a man has seen his mistake and supposes that he can never make it again1 and yet when circumstances arise1 similar except for some slight variation1 he does exactly what he did before4 ,when the four thousand were sent away1 our ,lord takes boat and crosses the lake to ,magada in 8the parts of ,dalmanutha40 ,of this region we know nothing except that it must have been on the western side of the lake4 ,here our ,lord again finds himself among the haunts of men1 and1 since wherever there was a town population ,pharisees were to be found1 these 8came forth1 and began to question with him1 seeking of him a ,sign from heaven1 tempting him407#bdf7 ,perhaps they had heard of the feeding of the four thousand and wanted to put ,him to what they considered a conclusive test4 8,could ,he shew a ,sign in ,heaven80 ,this iterated cry shewed the poorness of the soil1 they had nothing else to utter but a demand for credentials4 ,if our ,lord had worked a 8,sign in ,heaven0 they would have examined it to find a flaw1 and even if they had been driven to admit that it was valid1 no change whatever would have ensued in the men themselves4 ,chronic evil requires1 not a passing shock but a long continued reparative process for its cure4 ,so1 here1 to those who have not nothing is given1 indeed nothing could be given to any purpose1 and they soon lose even what they had1 viz4 our ,lord's presence1 for ,he leaves them and goes elsewhere4 ,on the way across the ,lake1 while this circumstance is still in ,his mind1 our ,lord warns the ,apostles against this ,pharisaic spirit1 the leaven of the ,pharisees1 which would kill all that is spiritual in religion by reducing every thing to matter of dry proof and dead authority4 ,on the mistake of the disciples1 8,it is because we have no bread10 ,i have already spoken 7p4 #g71 it is to me a proof of the genuineness of the story4 ,who would have introduced it1 and who has not met scores of people who would have clung to the literal sense of the words just as the ,apostles did8 ,our ,lord and the band of apostles travel along the upper valley of the ,jordan to the neighbourhood of ,csarea ,philippi4 ,most if not all of the outer disciples had by this time fallen away1 and the opportunity for giving ,his higher inmost teaching had come4 ,never yet1 except to the woman of ,samaria1 had ,our ,lord spoken of ,himself as the ,messiah4 ,the notions of the ,jews about the ,messiah varied greatly1 but the notion of an era of material physical enjoyment was dominant in all1 and this had the demoralising effect of leading men to regard sensuous well being as the supreme good4 ,if our ,lord had proclaimed ,himself the ,messiah1 crowds would have rallied to his side1 hoping to have found one who would give them what they desired4 ,this would have been fatal to all spiritual growth4 ,our ,lord's reticence about the ,messiah and also about ,his own nature1 is very significant3 ,i think it means that truth absolute about heavenly things is not within the reach of man4 ,what follows1 is so important1 that it must be given in the words of ,st ,matthew whose narrative is the most full4 8,now when ,jesus came into the parts of ,csarea ,philippi1 he asked his disciples1 saying1 ,who do men say that the ,son of man is8 ,and they said1 ,some say ,john the ,baptist2 some1 ,elijah3 and others1 ,jeremiah1 or one of the prophets4 ,he saith unto them1 ,but who say ye that ,i am8 ,and ,simon ,peter answered and said1 ,thou art the ,christ1 the ,son of the living ,god4 ,and ,jesus answered and said unto him1 ,blessed art thou1 ,simon ,bar-,jonah3 for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee1 but my ,father which is in heaven4 ,and ,i also say unto thee1 that thou art ,peter1 and upon this rock ,i will build my church2 and the gates of ,hades shall not prevail against it4 ,i will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven3 and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven3 and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven4 ,then charged he the disciples that they should tell no man that he was the ,christ407#bdg7 ,the doctrinal and ecclesiastical bearings of this passage are beyond my scope1 they have been fully treated over and over again2 but one point belongs to my special province--,peter's knowledge had not come from anything he had been told4 ,our ,lord had not breathed it to him1 but it had grown up in him as great truths have grown up in prophetic souls by the prompting of ,god4 ,this is the true inspiration of ,god2 ,he whispers thoughts into the hearts of men1 some nurse them and bring them to maturity1 with others they take no hold4 ,blessed are those with whom they rest4 ,our ,lord had said in the synagogue at ,capernaum 8,no man can come to me1 except the ,father which sent me draw him3 and ,i will raise him up in the last day407#bdh7 ,peter had been drawn towards ,him in this way4 ,another point is to be noted4 ,henceforth the ,apostles had a secret--they were to 8tell no man that he was ,jesus the ,christ40 ,so long as the belief in our ,lord as the ,messiah was only a surmise1 growing in ,peter's mind more and more into positive shape1 he was not lifted up by it2 but now he had become1 as he thought1 a species of chief minister1 and he looked to the declaration of an earthly kingdom2 so that when1 immediately after the promise of power1 our ,lord speaks of sufferings and death1 ,peter replies1 8,these things be far from thee40 ,he never doubts but that our ,lord would use ,his powers in self-defence4 ,he looks on ,his words only as evil boding1 and it strikes him that it is impolitic to utter them1 because they will confuse and dishearten both the disciples and the ,twelve4 ,this remonstrance of ,peter's drew from our ,lord the first stern words which an ,apostle had received from ,his lips1 and very stern they were4 8,but he turned1 and said unto ,peter1 ,get thee behind me1 ,satan3 thou art a stumblingblock unto me3 for thou mindest not the things of ,god1 but the things of men407#bdi7 ,it will help us to understand what moved our ,lord so deeply if we go back to the ,temptations4 ,st ,luke ends his account of the ,temptations thus1 8,and when the devil had completed every temptation1 he departed from him for a season407#bej7 ,the words 8for a season0 imply that ,temptations recurred from time to time1 and that our ,lord1 now and again1 heard inward voices harping on the old themes1 one of the most persistent being that which said 8,employ supernatural might to bring your ,kingdom about40 ,peter now spoke in the same strain4 ,could it be that even ,his 8own familiar friend0 had gone over to the foe4 ,the following discourse sounds a new note4 ,now for the first time our ,lord speaks of the sufferings that awaited his followers4 8,then said ,jesus unto his disciples1 ,if any man would come after me1 let him deny himself1 and take up his cross1 and follow me4 ,for whosoever would save his life shall lose it3 and whosoever shall lose his life for my sake shall find it407#bea7 ,the ,apostles understood this probably as applying to the hardships and vicissitudes of the campaign which would result in the restoration of the ,kingdom to ,israel2 for they looked for such a restoration up to the last 7see ,st ,luke xxiv4 #ba74 ,this notion might have been removed no doubt2 but what could have been put in its place8 the idea of a ,kingdom over men's consciences1 could not be implanted in men by words or in a short time4 ,it could come about only by long experience in seeing and sharing suffering and toil1 and by turning again and again to the abiding recollections of the ,cross4 ,notions mischievously erroneous would have sprouted up in the ,apostles' minds from any thing they could have been told in a few words4 ,one promise however made at this time must have seemed to them to afford just what they wanted4 8,and he said unto them1 ,verily ,i say unto you1 ,there be some here of them that stand by1 which shall in no wise taste of death1 till they see the kingdom of ,god come with power407#beb7 ,i understand this verse in a way with which not every body will agree4 ,i take it as referring entirely to the ,transfiguration1 and ,i consider that the strong expression 8shall in no wise taste of death0 means that the witnesses should see what is spoken of during their actual earthly lives4 ,many might be blessed enough to behold this after death2 but what was to distinguish the chosen witnesses from other men was this1 that while in the body they should see the ,kingdom of ,god come with power4 ,this boon is given1 not to those who needed assurance1 but to those who possessed it most2 it seems given only to those to whom it is superfluous4 ,the ,law of the working of ,signs 7see pp4 #adb1 #adc7 is rigorously observed4 ,the vision on the ,mount of ,transfiguration coerced no one into belief4 ,during those six days we may suppose that the ,apostles were busy in their minds1 they would wonder who these 8some0 were to be1 and why1 supposing that the ,kingdom of ,god came with the kind of power they looked for--a legion of angels for instance--why they should not all see it at once4 ,of the ,transfiguration itself and the lessons it contains1 the superseding of the teaching of the ,law and the ,prophets by the revelation of the incarnate ,word1 ,i have spoken fully in ,chap4 ,,iv4 7p4 #id74 ,we shall see as we go farther on1 that our ,lord is careful that there shall be nothing so rigid in ,his teaching as to prevent its being applicable to all races and conditions of men4 ,it was no longer ,moses1 and no longer the prophets embodied in the person of ,elijah1 to whom men were to listen now4 ,hitherto all had rested on authority--on the letter of written ,law4 ,in the place of this were given words which 8were ,spirit and which were life40 ,henceforth for their knowledge of ,god they were to turn to ,christ4 ,he manifests ,god unto the world1 both in ,his own ,personality depicted in the ,gospels and by ,spiritual ,communion1 whispering unto the end of the world to those who are ready to hear4 ,one point that was gained by this manifestation may be noted here4 ,supposing that the foes of ,jesus had dispatched ,him at the ,feast of ,tabernacles1 still something would have been already accomplished1 something secured for the world4 ,there would have been three witnesses--men not given to visions or dreaming--who could declare that a voice from ,heaven had sounded in their ears1 and that while ,moses and ,elias were standing by1 a voice from ,heaven had declared that they were superseded as the ,divine teachers of men by ,jesus of ,nazareth1 of whom it declared1 8,this is my beloved ,son1 ,,hear ,,him40 ,as soon as these words are uttered1 all that is wondrous disappears4 ,the ,apostles find themselves with their ,master on the mountain top1 and all is as it was before ,he had begun to pray4 ,if there had been but one witness he would have found it hard to convince men that he had seen all this with his waking eyes2 but there were three ,apostles to say 8we were together and awake when we saw it40 ,is it likely that three men should have fallen asleep together and have waked at the same moment1 having all dreamed the same dream8 ,the supposition1 however1 of a vision affords a means of escape from accepting the narration4 ,this exemplifies the ,law that in every revelation delivered to men not already convinced1 room is left for them to disbelieve if they like1 because assent to proof which is irrefragable is not moral belief at all4 ,there were people who would have said of this ,transfiguration 8we would rather believe that you all three slept and dreamed the same dream than that your story is true40 ,and some ground is left for such men to stand upon1 though we who believe may think them straitened for room4 ,with the three ,apostles themselves1 the conviction that their ,master was ,divine1 already formed part of their being1 it could hardly be strengthened2 acceptance was not forced on them for they already accepted all4 ,what they beheld did not act upon them as additional proof1 but as a glimpse of another world1 a revelation of new modes of existence--something to give shape to that message of eternal life which is henceforth the ground theme of our ,lord's teaching4 ,it may seem surprising that this revelation of their ,master's glory should cause so little disturbance in the ,apostles' minds1 or in their freedom of intercourse with the ,lord4 ,if one whom we ourselves held in honour changed his mortal guise in the way described1 not only would the shock upset our judgment but never after could we approach our friend in the old familiar way2 he would belong to another order and have his true existence in another plane4 ,we read1 it is true1 that the ,apostles were for a moment 8sore afraid10 but this was superficial fear due to the spectacle1 to impression on the outward sense4 ,st ,peter1 who is persuaded that they have been removed to a strange and blessed country1 quickly regains self-possession4 ,following his instincts as a worker with his hands1 he bethinks himself at once1 as was said in ,chapter ,,viii4 7p4 #bdh71 of what is to be done4 ,when our ,lord and the three take their way down the mountain we find again the old confident relation of ,master and disciple existing among them1 it was so deep-rooted that all were sure that nothing could disturb that4 ,their ,master's spiritual exaltation did not put a gulf between ,him and them1 because they were so far one with ,him that they were in a measure uplifted together2 what was ,his1 was also in part their own2 whether in earth or heaven1 or wherever their ,master's ,kingdom should be1 they felt sure they must be by ,his side4 ,they could not be estranged from ,him by awe of a newly discovered dignity1 for they had been sure of ,his possessing this before1 and only wondered that it had not come more patently to light4 ,thus the complete love of the three which transfused their being into ,christ and rendered the idea of separation inconceivable1 made it possible for them to receive that as a blessing which if given to others might have proved a bewilderment4 ,they already possessed something which made them capable of receiving more4 ,our ,lord makes no comment on the manifestation witnessed by the three beyond charging them 8that they should tell no man what things they had seen1 till the ,son of man were risen from the dead407#bec7 ,what they had beheld contained a varied store of lessons1 and men in the after times of the world would draw out one or another according to the turn taken by their thoughts4 ,the ,apostles1 at the moment1 only understood a small part of what this revelation conveyed4 ,no exposition given in words could have brought to the comprehension of the three a perception of the whole bearing of what they had seen1 but they would live into more of its meaning in time4 ,if our ,lord had discoursed on this manifestation1 and represented its purport in this view or in that1 men might have supposed that ,he meant ,his account to be exhaustive1 and that the fact contained no lessons beyond those which ,he ,himself set forth4 ,here we come ,i think upon a possible reason why our ,lord is sparing of exposition regarding the facts of revelation4 ,he could not briefly point out every truth that a fact embodied1 and if in an exposition1 which was seemingly full1 ,he should pass any lessons by1 these it might be supposed ,he intended to exclude2 in this way ,his reticence preserves for us the many-sidedness of ,divine truth and engages men to ponder on it for themselves4 ,for the ,apostles to have been allowed to spread abroad the story of the solemn scene upon the ,mount would have been damaging to the work both for the world and themselves4 ,the old cry might again have been raised to take ,jesus and make ,him a king2 or the people might have been seized with a fever of curiosity1 and the scribes would have grown all the more bitter in their hatred from its being leavened with awe4 ,the ill effect on the ,apostles of becoming authorised to promulgate such momentous tidings is easy enough to perceive4 ,when people run about to disseminate some scrap of news which they alone possess the result is usually not beneficial either to character or to mind4 ,from this temptation the ,apostles were guarded4 ,what they have seen and heard is not matter which they may use to magnify their importance or excite envy--it is a sacred trust4 ,this signal manifestation besides being a light to help to the understanding of what ,christ meant by eternal life1 was to furnish them with a reserve of certitude4 ,the three might never need to draw on it for themselves1 but it would be of no slight avail with ,jewish converts to be able to assure them that ,christ had visibly appeared in ,glory and that ,god had directed men henceforth to listen1 not to the ,law or the ,prophets1 not to ,moses or ,elijah1 but to ,him4 ,it is significant that this is to be kept secret not only until our ,lord's death but until ,his ,resurrection4 ,the three were not allowed to use it to comfort and reassure the rest as soon as their ,master had suffered on the cross4 ,the nine were to go through this trial unaided1 eight stood the test1 and held together in ,jerusalem4 ,when the ,resurrection came1 the ,apostles 8were glad when they saw the ,lord10 and then in the delight and exultation of that moment the three may have poured forth the secret they had in store4 ,the ,apostles were not surprised at being told that they were to tell no man2 they had received the same charge when they had seen ,jairus' daughter raised to life2 but they were greatly puzzled by the words 8till the ,son of man were risen from the dead40 ,they believed probably in a ,resurrection1 but that was to be ages hence1 whereas this rising of ,christ from the dead must take place in their own lifetime1 because after it had happened they were to be free to speak of the ,vision on the ,mount4 ,they asked each other what this rising could be1 and perhaps some fancied that our ,lord would permanently assume the glorified existence of which ,he had given them a glimpse4 ,then came the question of ,elijah4 ,our ,lord turns the allusion to the prophets towards ,his coming rejection4 ,men had ill-treated the prophets2 they will set at nought the ,son of man too4 8,even so shall the ,son of man also suffer of them407#bed7 ,this news is broken to the disciples gently and little by little1 but they never believe that it is literally true4 ,their cause must1 they were sure1 succeed in the end1 ,christ would not have engaged them in failure4 ,what leader ever prophesied his own discomfiture and death8 ,our ,lord first broke this truth to ,peter at ,csara ,philippi1 then to the three1 and again1 as we shall see presently1 to all the ,twelve on their way to ,capernaum2 thus the stream of communication broadens out4 ,we learn from ,st ,luke7#bee7 that it was not till the next day that our ,lord 8came down from the hill and much people met him10 so that in the night1 and in the long day's walk down to the inhabited country1 the ,apostles had ample time for quietly thinking over all that had taken place4 ,our ,lord is always careful to leave time for one impression to fix itself1 before another takes its place4 ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,,from ,,the ,,mount ,,to ,,jerusalem4 ,the spot at which our ,lord had left the disciples when ,he went up to the ,mount of the ,transfiguration must have been well peopled and provided with synagogues1 for our ,lord on ,his return finds a 8great multitude about them and scribes questioning with them40 ,the people were greatly amazed either at ,his sudden appearance or at something uplifted in ,his air4 ,the ,scribes were holding an altercation with the disciples1 possibly exulting over the failure of these to cure the child1 and our ,lord1 addressing the ,scribes who were1 it would seem1 the assailing party1 asks 8,what question ye with them8 ,and one of the multitude answered him1 ,master1 ,i brought unto thee my son1 which hath a dumb spirit2 and wheresoever it taketh him1 it dasheth him down3 and he foameth1 and grindeth his teeth1 and pineth away3 and ,i spake to thy disciples that they should cast it out2 and they were not able4 ,and he answereth them and saith1 ,o faithless generation1 how long shall ,i be with you8 how long shall ,i bear with you8 bring him unto me4 ,and they brought him unto him3 and when he saw him1 straightway the spirit tare him grievously2 and he fell on the ground1 and wallowed foaming4 ,and he asked his father1 ,how long time is it since this hath come unto him8 ,and he said1 ,from a child4 ,and oft-times it hath cast him both into the fire and into the waters1 to destroy him3 but if thou canst do anything1 have compassion on us1 and help us4 ,and ,jesus said unto him1 ,if thou canst6 ,all things are possible to him that believeth4 ,straightway the father of the child cried out1 and said1 ,i believe2 help thou mine unbelief4 ,and when ,jesus saw that a multitude came running together1 he rebuked the unclean spirit1 saying unto him1 ,thou dumb and deaf spirit1 ,i command thee1 come out of him1 and enter no more into him4 ,and having cried out1 and torn him much1 he came out3 and the child became as one dead2 insomuch that the more part said1 ,he is dead4 ,but ,jesus took him by the hand1 and raised him up2 and he arose4 ,and when he was come into the house1 his disciples asked him privately1 saying1 ,we could not cast it out4 ,and he said unto them1 ,this kind can come out by nothing1 save by prayer407#bef7 ,our ,lord's question to the father is just what a physician would ask1 8,how long is it since this hath come to him807#beg7 ,it may have been that the longer the standing of the complaint the greater would be the effort required for the cure2 for that in working these cures some physical strain on the nervous energy was incurred may be inferred from our ,lord's feeling that 8virtue was gone out of ,him10 when the woman touched the hem of ,his garment in the press round the house of ,jairus47#beh7 ,this force depended on spiritual life1 and if this were lowered in the disciples by their ,master's absence1 or by any little rivalry or thought of personal display in the cure1 we can understand that in this difficult case--for our ,lord distinctly recognises its exceptional difficulty--they should fail of success4 ,the words 8faithless and perverse generation0 may apply to all those whom he finds wrangling1 more or less the disciples were faithless1 and the ,scribes perverse4 ,he came from a region of serene peace and heavenly communion1 and the contrast of that with what ,he finds as soon as he comes to the resort of men1 draws from ,him these stern words4 ,from the disciples' surprise that they could not cast the devil out1 it may be inferred that they had succeeded in what they regarded as similar cases before4 ,the narrative proceeds thus 8,and they went forth from thence1 and passed through ,galilee2 and he would not that any man should know it407#bei7 ,our ,lord now lays aside for a time ,his setting forth of ,god's ,kingdom to the people at large1 and devotes ,himself entirely to preparing the ,apostles for what was to come4 ,he now breaks to all the ,twelve the news of what ,his end on earth would be4 ,he speaks in the plainest terms but they do not understand3 their own preconception firmly holds its ground4 ,some perhaps thought that this death spoken of would be like a temporary trance1 from which their ,master would rise to a life in the body such as ,he had led before4 ,our ,lord1 we may be sure1 did not suppose that they would understand1 nor was ,he careful that they should do so1 if ,he had been ,he would have asked them questions and commented on their replies4 ,if the whole sad truth had been unfolded1 they would have had no heart for daily work2 the cloud in the future would have overcast their souls4 ,thus it is that our ,lord does not dwell upon the end4 ,he says nothing of its meaning1 ,he utters no word of doctrine1 but ,he states the facts in the barest form4 ,his intention in doing this is made known to us in words spoken long afterwards3 8,but these things have ,i spoken unto you1 that when their hour is come1 ye may remember them1 how that ,i told you4 ,and these things ,i said not unto you from the beginning1 because ,i was with you407#bfj7 ,it was not ,his object that they should know beforehand what was coming1 but that when circumstances furnished the key1 they should understand that all was taking place in the way ,he had foreseen3 neither should they be made to grieve while the bridegroom was with them4 ,when the ,crucifixion came1 it would be some support to the disciples to mark that it was a fulfilment of their ,master's words4 ,they would get a larger view of ,god's plans by marking that what came about was part of a purpose worked steadily out1 on lines long before laid down4 ,whatever our ,lord's words might mean1 no doubt about the final restoration of the ,kingdom to ,israel entered the ,apostles' heads4 ,come what might this was to them a certainty1 and the notion of a ,kingdom over the hearts and consciences of men1 without the sanctions or appurtenances of royal sway1 was one which neither they nor any others of those times could conceive2 it had to appear1 indeed1 as a fact1 before it could be entertained as an idea4 ,the ,apostles were ready enough to admit that vicissitudes of fortune might befall them and their ,master on their way1 but that their cause must finally triumph was a conviction which formed part of themselves4 ,they made light of the conflicts and dangers which beset the road1 for they saw behind all these an empire settled for evermore and stretching over the world4 ,this material view brought with it at the time the ills that cling to error4 ,it made them think of what they should themselves receive4 ,their care for self1 which had passed almost out of sight while they devotedly followed their ,master over the mountains or the ,lake1 swelled out greatly now4 ,our ,lord1 so tolerant of merely speculative error1 is made anxious by the symptoms of rivalry displayed4 ,mistaken opinions1 or illusions1 due to the traditions in which they had been reared1 events already impending would dispel2 but self-regard among the founders of the ,church would be fatal to the work4 8,and they came to ,capernaum3 and when he was in the house he asked them1 ,what were ye reasoning in the way807#bfa7 ,we get here a glimpse of the ,apostolic company taking their road along the path which had been chosen as being unfrequented47#bfb7 ,we may picture them journeying on1 with our ,lord a little in front1 with them but not quite of them--for always ,he is essentially alone--close enough to hear a medley of voices and to catch the tones which indicated contest1 but not near enough to distinguish words--and after ,him the ,apostles following in knots of two or three which now and then came together into one group4 ,our ,lord is not quick to interrupt2 ,he is singularly sparing of interposing the ,master's hand1 ,he does not turn on them and chide4 ,the ,apostles would not have grown to what they did if they had been checked at every turn4 ,the dispute has died away1 their journey is over and they are together in the house at ,capernaum which they had left some months before1 when our ,lord asks the question in the text just quoted shewing that ,he knew their hearts1 and they held their peace4 ,our ,lord sat down and called the ,twelve2 from this they might be sure that ,he had something of moment to say4 ,st ,mark gives his words thus1 8,if any man would be first1 he shall be last of all1 and minister of all407#bfc7 ,this evangelist's way of putting what was said makes it look like a penal provision against seeking the mastery2 as if he who was convicted of aiming at the highest place was to be put down to the bottom of the scale4 ,but ,st ,luke's version points to a view more consistent with ,our ,lord's usual way4 ,he makes our ,lord say1 8for he that is least among you all1 the same is great407#bfd7 ,christian greatness is born of willingness to lay the lowliest duties on yourself1 and the way to be first is to be ready to remain last4 ,our ,lord goes to the root of this matter of greatness4 ,he makes them put it to themselves what they meant by being greater one than another4 ,he recalls them from what is worldly and ephemeral1 from gradations of precedence and authority1 to what constitutes the real greatness of a spiritual being1 his favour in ,god's sight4 ,st ,matthew's account of this discourse is the most full1 and if we take out of it the denunciations of offence1 and suppose them put subsequently as ,st ,mark gives them1 it makes it easier to follow the connexion of thought4 8,in that hour came the disciples unto ,jesus1 saying1 ,who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven8 ,and he called to him a little child1 and set him in the midst of them1 and said1 ,verily ,i say unto you1 ,except ye turn1 and become as little children1 ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven4 ,whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child1 the same is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven4 ,and whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me3 but whoso shall cause one of these little ones which believe on me to stumble1 it is profitable for him that a great millstone should be hanged about his neck1 and that he should be sunk in the depth of the sea4 ,woe unto the world because of occasions of stumbling6 for it must needs be that the occasions come2 but woe to that man through whom the occasion cometh6 ,see that ye despise not one of these little ones2 for ,i say unto you1 that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my ,father which is in heaven407#bfe7 ,a child does not feel that he is humbling himself by helping even in the lowliest matters in his parents' work2 rather is he elated at being found to be of use4 ,the ,apostles could take a lesson by children in this particular2 and in order to learn this lesson1 they could hardly do better than try to win children to them1 not counting them lightly because they were children1 but feeling a reverence for childhood1 because ,christ claimed children as ,his own1 and1 what was more1 declared that in heaven their angels always beheld ,his ,father's face4 ,this gentleness of our ,lord in rebuking1 has an effect which gentleness often has1 it awakens compunctions in those to whom it is shewn4 ,a child1 who by severity is set on its defence or drawn into falsehood1 is often melted into full confession by being loved and trusted more than it deserves4 ,while our ,lord was speaking of offences1 ,st ,john had been asking himself whether he had ever put back any who were pressing toward ,christ in their own way1 whether he had ever chilled a nascent faith2 his conscience is not clear and he must come out with what troubles him4 ,they had seen one casting out devils in their ,master's name7#bff7 and the evil spirit of exclusiveness had come over them4 ,their ,master they thought was wholly theirs1 and no one who did not become altogether one of themselves was to have any part in ,him2 there is a touch of truth to nature in this which makes us sure that what we read took place4 ,our ,lord's reply is again gentle2 to be hard on a fault that was confessed would have dried up that confidence which flowed so freely4 ,they were to take the large view1 they are told 8,he that is not against us is for us40 ,man is a weak being and where there is good1 however partial1 there is hope4 ,spirits1 on the contrary1 we may suppose are either good or evil and do not change their nature2 so when speaking of them1 not of mankind1 in the reply to the charge that ,he cast out devils by ,beelzebub1 we find the opposite statement4 8,he that is not with me is against me2 and he that gathereth not with me scattereth407#bfg7 ,it is commonly supposed that it was at this visit to ,capernaum that the half shekel was demanded of ,peter1 which was provided by the stater found in the fish's mouth2 of this miracle ,i have spoken already1 but ,i may have occasion to recur to it again4 ,we find in ,st ,matthew's ,gospel7#bfh7 a lesson delivered at this time by our ,lord on the forgiveness of offences4 ,st ,peter1--characteristically ready to bring out what is in his heart--is willing to accept the duty of forgiveness2 but he cannot get rid of the notion in which he has been trained1 that all conduct must be ordered by definite rule4 ,he would forgive his brother as he was told to do1 but he must know how many times he was to do so4 ,he could bring himself to acts of forgiveness1 but he did not yet feel that it was more blessed to forgive than to resent4 ,a parable is spoken expressly for him1 it is that of the king who made the reckoning with his servants4 ,later on1 when he had himself needed and received forgiveness for denying his ,master1 a new light in this direction streamed in1 no doubt1 upon his soul4 ,this discourse of our ,lord precedes ,his setting out for ,jerusalem to the feast of ,tabernacles1 and may be supposed to contain his parting directions to the body of disciples left behind at ,capernaum4 ,nothing would be so disastrous as the breaking out of rivalry among them2 ,his injunctions therefore1 like those which ,he gave to the ,apostles at the last1 are to the effect that they should forgive and love one another4 ,at the end of the #ith ,chapter in ,st ,mark1 we have a hard passage which has suffered from interpolation27#bfi7 this ,i believe to have been the close of the lesson given to the ,twelve in the house at ,capernaum1 when our ,lord called them round ,him and sat down4 8,for every one shall be salted with fire4 ,salt is good3 but if the salt have lost its saltness1 wherewith will ye season it8 ,have salt in yourselves1 and be at peace one with another407#bgj7 ,when our ,lord says 8every one shall be salted with fire0 ,i believe that ,he is thinking of that fire which ,he had come to send upon the earth2 that new sense of communion with ,god1 which ,christ awakened in the consciences of men and which has been a mighty transforming agency in the world4 ,the ,apostles who were to be instinct with this ,spirit were the salt of the world4 ,this ,spirit should be to them what salt is to that which it seasons and preserves2 but if the preserving principle1 embodied in the ,apostles1 and which was to emanate from them should itself prove corrupt1 then where could help be found8 ,if they1 the chosen ones1 became selfish1 if they wrangled about who should be greatest2 then the fire which our ,lord had come to send upon earth was clearly not burning in them1 and whence could it be kindled afresh4 ,so our ,lord parts from the body of disciples1 going with a few on ,his way to the feast1 and ,his last injunction is that they should have salt in themselves and be at peace one with another4 ,at this point1 the end of the ninth chapter1 we lose the guidance of the ,gospel of ,st ,mark4 ,all that the writer gives for the events of half a year1 lies in this verse3 8,and he arose from thence1 and cometh into the borders of ,juda and beyond ,jordan3 and multitudes come together unto him again2 and1 as he was wont1 he taught them again407#bga7 ,it would seem as if it was the ,galilan ministry that he had set himself to relate1 and that when our ,lord passed into ,juda and ,pera he--being perhaps no longer a constant eye witness and not willing to speak from hearsay--broke off his tale4 ,the narrative is supplied here by ,st ,john 7,chap4 vii47 and also by ,st ,luke who1 in a section of the ,gospel which has driven formal ,harmonists to despair 7,chaps4 ix4 #ej to xviii4 #ae71 preserves matter of the greatest value belonging apparently to this time4 ,st ,luke speaks of a journey to ,jerusalem1 and of our ,lord's coming to a village of the ,samaritans on the way47#bgb7 ,this journey is identified with that to the feast of ,tabernacles 7,st ,john vii4 #aj7 which must be the same as that spoken of above by ,st ,mark4 ,it is doubtful whether our ,lord saw ,capernaum again before ,his death1 but ,he may have done so just before the final journey to ,jerusalem4 ,a word or two must be said about ,st ,john's account of the circumstances under which our ,lord set out3 his account is this4 8,now the feast of the ,jews1 the feast of tabernacles1 was at hand4 ,his brethren therefore said unto him1 ,depart hence1 and go into ,juda1 that thy disciples also may behold thy works which thou doest4 ,for no man doeth anything in secret1 and himself seeketh to be known openly4 ,if thou doest these things1 manifest thyself to the world4 ,for even his brethren did not believe on him4 ,jesus therefore saith unto them1 ,my time is not yet come2 but your time is alway ready4 ,the world cannot hate you2 but me it hateth1 because ,i testify of it1 that its works are evil4 ,go ye up unto the feast3 ,i go not up yet unto this feast2 because my time is not yet fulfilled4 ,and having said these things unto them1 he abode still in ,galilee4 ,but when his brethren were gone up unto the feast1 then went he also up1 not publicly1 but as it were in secret407#bgc7 ,this disbelief was not1 in our ,lord's brethren1 grounded on an opposition of will like that of the scribes4 ,it came from the 8slowness of heart0 of men who had not imagination for things ,divine4 ,what came before their eyes was never doubted by them2 they did not explain ,his miracles away as ,his enemies did1 only they did not see what the possession of this power implied4 ,after the ,ascension they are found among the believers47#bgd7 ,like the rest of the people at ,nazareth they admired 8the wisdom given unto this man0 and 8the mighty works wrought by ,his hands107#bge7 but they could not imagine that one who had grown up along with them had a nature of a different order from theirs4 ,our ,lord never upbraids them2 they worked their work and ,he ,his4 ,they were blameless commonplace men1 wondering at their brother's powers and also that1 with all ,his wisdom1 ,he should fail in the practical sense necessary for turning ,his superiority to account4 ,what was the good of these wonders being wrought if nobody knew of them8 ,that ,he must aim at notoriety seemed to them too much a matter of course to need saying2 and now when the great feast to which all ,israel gathered was at hand1 it was inexplicable that ,he should not join the company that travelled from ,galilee1 and thus enter ,jerusalem with a following at his back4 ,the voice which1 at the ,temptation1 had whispered1 8,use your superhuman power to lend material aid to your designs10 spoke in ,his brothers' advice as it had done by ,peter4 ,they were not unconcerned for ,his safety1 if they had foreseen danger they would have kept ,him away from the ,feast 7,st ,mark iii4 #ba71 but they either underrated the hostility of ,his foes or assumed that ,he would protect ,himself by ,his superhuman power2 for that1 possessing miraculous powers as they knew ,he did1 ,he should hesitate1 on an emergency1 to exert them in self-defence was to them an idea too unreasonable to be entertained4 ,the deep truth unconsciously uttered by ,his foes1 8,he saved others1 ,himself ,he cannot save10 was one which their minds were not constructed to contain4 ,our ,lord foresaw that a public entry into ,jerusalem would lead to commotion1 and1 as afterwards happened1 might bring about ,his death4 ,a man's life1 if he have a great matter in hand1 is the more precious to him until this be done3 so it was with our ,lord4 ,until ,he had finished what was given ,him to accomplish1 ,he took such precautions for personal safety as a prudent man would4 ,to have made light of danger1 trusting to baffle it by superhuman means1 would have spoiled the lesson and the moral of ,his life4 ,when the brethren spoke of ,his 8going up to ,jerusalem10 they thought of the journey in public as much as of the feast itself4 ,half ,galilee would be upon the road1 men would mix and converse freely on the way1 and ,jesus1 they thought1 would1 by travelling thus1 come in contact with a number of zealous men and increase ,his following largely4 ,but herein lay one of the dangers which made our ,lord shun this course4 ,the people1 proud of the great prophet from their own district1 might have revived the project of making ,him a ,king1 and by a turbulent entry to ,jerusalem have alarmed the ,romans as well as the scribes4 ,again1 the turmoil of this journey would have disturbed those processes of growth in the ,apostles' mind over which our ,lord held watch2 the feast of ,tabernacles was1 above all1 a festival of joyousness1 and the journey to it was made an occasion of pleasure and social union4 ,for the ,apostles to have joined the crowd would have been unfavourable for the germination of the solemn thoughts of which our ,lord had dropped the seed on ,his way from the ,mount to ,capernaum4 ,by going up privately in the middle of the ,feast these dangers were avoided4 ,there was no public arrival1 no welcome4 ,the ,romans would know and care nothing about a new preacher who appeared in the ,temple1 and the priests1 in face of the diversity of opinion about ,jesus of ,nazareth1 would hesitate to lay hands upon ,him4 ,for the ,apostles too1 the journey through an unfriendly country would give plenty of occasion for turning over in their minds the strange words they had heard about the sufferings of the ,christ1 and the injunctions to 8have salt in themselves40 ,what gives this journey its great interest to me1 with my particular purpose in view1 is the refusal of hospitality to our ,lord by the ,samaritan villages1 and the enquiry of ,james and ,john1 whether they should not call down fire from heaven2 wherein the 8,sons of ,thunder0 justify their name4 8,and it came to pass1 when the days were well-nigh come that he should be received up1 he stedfastly set his face to go to ,jerusalem1 and sent messengers before his face3 and they went1 and entered into a village of the ,samaritans1 to make ready for him4 ,and they did not receive him1 because his face was as though he were going to ,jerusalem4 ,and when his disciples ,james and ,john saw this1 they said1 ,lord1 wilt thou that we bid fire to come down from heaven1 and consume them8 ,but he turned1 and rebuked them4 ,and they went to another village407#bgf7 8,some ancient authorities10 as we read in the margin of our ,revised ,version1 8add1 and said1 ,ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of40 ,this is so exactly after our ,lord's manner1 not only in the quality but in the quantity of rebuke1 that ,i have no doubt but that it is a genuine saying of ,christ preserved by tradition whether it were originally in ,st ,luke's ,gospel or not4 ,it is like our ,lord to drop a word indicating error and leave the real correction to grow up in the learner's mind as though it was supplied by himself4 ,he rarely dilates on what is blameworthy and never recurs to a failing that has been noticed at the time4 ,james and ,john1 we must recollect1 had just witnessed the ,transfiguration1 this helps to explain their mood of mind4 ,they dwelt upon the recollection of this all the more because it was a secret possession of the three4 ,the contrast of their ,master's inherent greatness and the humiliation to which ,he was subjected moved their indignation4 ,the ,lord of heaven was refused hospitality by a village in ,samaria1 and this not out of niggardliness--that would have moved the ,apostles less--but from an old animosity about where men should worship4 ,they1 no doubt1 regarded their 8jealousy for the ,lord ,god0 as something commendable1 and were surprised at our ,lord's rebuking them and telling them that they knew not what ,spirit they were of4 ,the fact was1 that our ,lord detected in this fierce proposal a further growth of that tendency to spiritual arrogance which had been indicated by their forbidding the man who followed not with them1 and this seems to cause our ,lord concern4 ,he treats it as a spiritual affection which it would require care to remove4 ,he does not inveigh against it1 but ,his parables and the drift of ,his teaching militate against the propensity to exercise 8,lordship0 over men4 ,our ,lord subsequently takes occasion to exalt the blessing of forgiveness and to teach that overmuch must not be expected or demanded from men4 ,he gives the parables of the ,prodigal ,son and of the unjust ,steward1 of which last ,i shall speak in the next chapter4 ,peter saw that when our ,lord said1 8,blessed are those servants whom the ,lord when ,he cometh shall find watching10 ,he had ,his eye upon the future rulers of ,his community4 8,and ,peter said1 ,lord1 speakest thou this parable unto us1 or even unto all8 ,and the ,lord said1 ,who then is the faithful and wise steward1 whom his lord shall set over his household1 to give them their portion of food in due season8 ,blessed is that servant1 whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing4 ,of a truth ,i say unto you1 that he will set him over all that he hath4 ,but if that servant shall say in his heart1 ,my lord delayeth his coming2 and shall begin to beat the men-servants and the maidservants1 and to eat and drink1 and to be drunken2 the lord of that servant shall come in a day when he expecteth not1 and in an hour when he knoweth not1 and shall cut him asunder1 and appoint his portion with the unfaithful407#bgg7 ,there is a hint of possible priestly oppression in the mention of the ill-treatment of inferiors by those upper servants1 who1 forgetting that their master might at any moment return1 deal with the possessions as their own4 ,i said a little while ago that in this matter the 8,sons of thunder0 justified their name4 ,if we had not this passage1 critics would wonder how such a surname could have been chosen2 ,st ,john1 it is true1 forbade the working of cures by one who 8followed not with them10 still we regard him as the ,apostle of ,love1 and in the ,gospels we hear nothing of ,st ,james4 ,this coincidence1 though in a small matter1 is worth noting4 ,this incident preserved by ,st ,luke shews that there was at the bottom of the natures of these two1 loving though they were1 a fund of impetuousness and wrath1 and that they could break out into a storm of indignation1 bearing out the name imposed4 ,it is worth mentioning that this falls in with what we read in the ,acts1 viz4 that when 8,herod the king put forth his hands to afflict certain of the church0 the first on whom he seized was 8,james the brother of ,john207#bgh7 this shews that ,james was a vehement1 energetic character standing in the front1 who to the political authorities was a marked man4 ,for this was a political execution2 if the priests had dealt with him for blasphemy he would have been stoned1 not 8slain with the sword40 ,our ,lord gathered round ,him men of very various temperaments2 it is not only one type of man1 but those of all types1 the impetuous as well as the gentle1 for whom ,christ finds place in the realm of action4 ,on arriving at ,jerusalem1 ,jesus 8went up into the ,temple and taught407#bgi7 ,his discourse is addressed to the crowd2 and as many visitors would come from the cities of ,asia1 the tone of it is necessarily very different from that of ,his sermons in ,galilee4 ,it is even possible1 as many of the strangers had lost their ,hebrew1 that ,he spoke in ,greek17#bhj7 this would account for the disuse of parables1 a form of speech which went with the ,hebrew tongue4 ,during all ,his stay1 in or near ,jerusalem1 possibly of some weeks' duration1 broken by ,mission journeys1 we hear nothing of the disciples2 all our ,lord's discourses are with 8the ,jews10 and in general with 8the ,pharisees40 7,see ,st ,john1 ,chaps4 vii4 and viii47 ,the ,apostles1 or at least some of them1 may have been absent on mission duties1 for ,st ,luke places the sending out of the seventy near this time4 ,the question may be asked1 where during this time did our ,lord reside8 ,during the feast ,jerusalem was thronged with strangers1 it was a time when all were keeping holiday2 every family left their house1 and lived in a tent or booth decorated with vine branches and flowers4 ,jerusalem at any time1 was not1 as ,i have said in an earlier chapter17#bha7 favoured by our ,lord as a residence for ,his disciples1 and ,he is not likely to have suffered them to stay there long during the turmoil of the feast4 ,at the beginning of the fragment concerning the woman taken in adultery we find a line which points to ,bethany as the place where our ,lord sojourned4 ,this document1 which ,i regard as genuinely historical1 begins abruptly thus17#bhb7 8,and they went every man unto his own house1 but ,jesus went unto the mount of ,olives40 ,it looks as if the writer was speaking of the breaking up of a gathering1 towards nightfall4 ,bethany was just beyond the ,mount of ,olives1 something more than two miles to the east of ,jerusalem4 ,it was there1 ,st ,luke tells us1 that 8,a certain woman1 ,martha10 received our ,lord--but1 as far as appears1 not any disciples--8into her house40 ,this was on some subsequent journey1 but our ,lord's affection for ,lazarus and his sisters may have arisen1 or at least have grown up1 during the weeks following this feast4 ,bethany would furnish for such of the ,apostles as were with our ,lord just the retreat desired4 ,at this point ,i shall cease to attempt to follow the order of time4 ,we can indeed trace our ,lord's movements in ,st ,john's ,gospel1 and we can find in ,st ,luke's account indications of journeys which may be made fairly well to correspond with these movements1 but much uncertainty must attend the assigning of particular events or parables to their proper occasions4 ,st ,luke in this part of his ,gospel had lost1 it would seem1 the guidance of the original memoir which is supposed to have been the basis of the rest1 but he was in possession of much valuable matter1 a part of which was1 very possibly1 in the form of detached documents1 which he does his best to arrange in order of time4 ,we can understand that parables1 such as those of ,lazarus and the ,prodigal ,son1 would be copied and circulated and handed from preacher to preacher1 as would also incidents of particular interest1 or discourses of our ,lord4 ,this part of ,st ,luke's ,gospel seems drawn from such sources1 and the connecting matter is sparingly supplied4 ,nothing1 then1 will be gained by endeavouring to keep any longer to chronological order4 ,henceforth1 therefore1 ,i shall treat the points of interest as separate topics and1 passing over all that does not immediately bear on the ,schooling of the ,apostles1 ,i shall take the matters connected with it1 about which ,i have something to say1 and discuss them one by one4 ,,note4--,the passage from ,st ,luke1 xii4 #da1 c4 7quoted at p4 #cfg71 contains the only mention of ,st ,peter in all the ,gospel narrative1 between the going up to the ,feast of ,tabernacles 7,october7 and the final journey to ,jerusalem 7,april72 although occasions occur in this interval1 such as that when ,thomas says3 8,let us also go1 that we may die with him0 7,st ,john xi4 #af71 when we should have expected that ,peter would not be silent4 ,in ,st ,john's ,gospel he is not named between ,chaps4 i4 and xiii4 ,the question arises1 was ,peter continuously in attendance on his ,master during this last winter2 or was he1 during part of it1 learning to feed his ,master's sheep by holding together the disciples at ,capernaum8 ,if when his ,master was in ,juda1 he only went backwards and forwards to him1 this would account for the omission of the history of this half year in the ,gospel of ,st ,mark1 for which ,peter furnished the materials1 and also for the brief mention of the ,temptation2 for ,i suppose our ,lord to have given the fuller history of this to the disciples1 when he was near the banks of the ,jordan1 after the ,feast of the ,dedication 7,st ,john x4 #dj74 ,see p4 #aai4 ,st ,peter1 who may not have been present1 would probably limit his narrative to what he had himself seen1 or heard from his ,master's lips4 ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,,the ,,later ,,lessons4 ,different cases receive different treatment4 ,st ,luke ix4 #eg-fb4 8,and as they went in the way1 a certain man said unto him1 ,i will follow thee whithersoever thou goest4 ,and ,jesus said unto him1 ,the foxes have holes1 and the birds of the heaven have nests2 but the ,son of man hath not where to lay his head4 ,and he said unto another1 ,follow me4 ,but he said1 ,lord1 suffer me first to go and bury my father4 ,but he said unto him1 ,leave the dead to bury their own dead2 but go thou and publish abroad the kingdom of ,god4 ,and another also said1 ,i will follow thee1 ,lord2 but first suffer me to bid farewell to them that are at my house4 ,but ,jesus said unto him1 ,no man1 having put his hand to the plough1 and looking back1 is fit for the kingdom of ,god40 ,what caught attention and led to the collocation of these two 7and in ,st ,luke three7 instances was the diversity of our ,lord's treatment of cases apparently similar4 ,the disciples saw that our ,lord repelled one who was willing to follow him at once1 and imperatively summoned two others who asked for delay4 ,but though they might be puzzled at this inconsistency1 they felt sure that there was a purpose and a meaning in it2 so they transcribed these contrasting cases side by side1 to show that for different conditions of soul ,christ had different treatment ready4 ,the second and third7#bhc7 of these colloquies probably took place at a different time from the first4 ,they seem to have been held between our ,lord and some of the disciples who were summoned to go out on the mission of the seventy1 for ,st ,luke inserts this document in his history just before his account of the mission4 ,thus ,st ,matthew in his narrative puts the passage where the first incident occurs1 while ,st ,luke fixes its place by the second and third4 ,this individualising in our ,lord's treatment of men struck the disciples as something new2 they do not indeed point it out as a novel feature1 for they never remark upon our ,lord's ways1 but the care of the ,evangelists in preserving the most striking instances of this diversity of treatment shews that it caught their notice4 ,to our ,lord's eye every human being had a moral and spiritual physiognomy of his own4 ,he saw at once1 what it was in each man which went to make him emphatically and distinctly his very self1 and ,he addressed ,himself largely to this4 ,i will now consider the separate instances one by one4 ,st ,matthew1 in the passage parallel to part of this17#bhd7 tells us that the first speaker was a scribe1 and it appears that he was1 in some sort1 also a disciple of our ,lord1 for on coming to the next case ,st ,matthew speaks of 8another of the disciples40 ,it was1 ,i think1 in ,galilee1 as ,st ,matthew tells us1 that this profession of adhesion was made4 ,at the time he speaks of1 popular feeling in our ,lord's favour was at its greatest height1 and it was owing to the thronging of the multitude to the ,lake shore near ,capernaum that our ,lord gave orders to depart unto the other side4 ,the circumstances tally perfectly with the language of the passage1 for our ,lord was then going into a wild country4 ,but where the passage stands in ,st ,luke1 our ,lord is travelling 8as it were in secret0 from a village in ,samaria to ,jerusalem4 ,in this journey1 rapidly made1 he would not have been likely to have fallen in with the scribe at all1 and1 as ,he did not preach as ,he went1 we cannot account for the emotion which the scribe displays2 moreover1 it could hardly be said that at ,jerusalem1 ,he would not have 8where to lay ,his head40 ,what most particularizes the scribe is his impulsiveness4 ,we have here another example of that mistrust of emotional fervour which our ,lord uniformly shews4 ,the woman who cried 8,blessed is the womb that bare thee107#bhe7 the scribe in the case before us1 and ,st ,peter1 when he said1 8,i am ready to go with thee both to prison and to death107#bhf7 all are answered by our ,lord in the same tone of repression47#bhg7 ,sudden transports and ebullitions of feeling like those just named1 come mainly of temperament and of passing physical conditions which subjugate the agent1 and our ,lord does not regard them as betokening a character on which he can depend4 ,it speaks well for the right feeling of this scribe that he forbears to press his suit4 ,he divined1 with the delicacy of a well bred ,oriental1 that our ,lord's reply1 though apparently only discouraging him from following for his own sake1 shewed that ,he held it best that he should stay behind4 ,he is satisfied that our ,lord's judgment will be right and he yields at once4 ,a man with less perception might have protested against the imputation on his endurance1 and have declared that he would go with the ,master though he should have to lie on the bare earth4 ,that1 however genuine his devotion may have been1 it was best for the scribe to stay at home is easy to understand2 he had been used to an indoors life and under hardships and exposure he would have broken down2 besides1 while being a burden to the rest1 he could1 as a jaded man1 have gained little in moral or spiritual growth4 ,he was moreover1 both as to culture and social caste1 of a different type from the rest1 and his presence would have made the party less homogeneous4 ,another important consideration was this2 by remaining where he was1 he might do that particular kind of good for which he was suited by temper and condition better than by following our ,lord4 ,the course which had taken hold of his imagination may not have been that in which he could do the best work4 ,by remaining in ,galilee and mixing with other educated men1 he1 like ,joseph of ,arimathea and ,nicodemus1 might help to spread tolerance and leaven the mass4 ,the two cases which follow1 no doubt1 puzzled the disciples much4 ,our ,lord had so strenuously enforced a man's duty to his parents1 that they would have expected these pleas for delay to be admitted without a word4 ,they are however very positively rejected1 and the refusal is put in so impressive a form that ,i cannot but infer that our ,lord intended these colloquies to be recorded4 ,it has commonly been taken for granted1 that the father of the spokesman in the first of these cases was lying dead when our ,lord met him and bade him follow2 but ,eastern usages almost preclude this view1 for the ,jews buried within twenty-four hours of the death1 and for a son to be seen in public while his father was lying dead would to their minds have been highly indecent4 ,some think that1 the father being in extreme age1 the son asked to be allowed to stay with him till he died2 what seems to me more likely is that the completion of the ten days of strict mourning was regarded as part of the obsequies1 and that the word 8buried0 applies to this4 ,the father might have been laid in the ground1 but the ten days not having expired1 the funeral solemnities were not considered over4 ,i think that our ,lord meant in this case to leave a lesson1 and that the lesson was this4 ,family ties and duties1 blessed though they usually are1 must not be turned into idols or suffered to hamper the 8clear spirit0 in its ascent to ,god4 ,there is such a thing as the tyranny of family just as there is of social usage or public opinion1 and from each and all of these our ,lord would set men free4 ,this kind of freedom would cost a struggle as other kinds also would1 and owing to divisions caused by change of ,faith even parents might be set against children and children against parents--a heavy price indeed1 but one that vanishes compared with the opening of eternal life to mankind4 ,supposing1 as ,i do1 that these disciples were summoned by our ,lord to go forth with the seventy1 ,i find in this inflexibility which our ,lord displays something quite of a piece with the order to 8salute no man by the way107#bhh7 and to wipe off the dust from their feet when not received2 all this is consistent1 when taken together1 and viewed as a lesson in the dignity of consecration to ,god and the imperative character of the charge imposed4 ,it is important to observe that though these disciples make excuse1 and our ,lord has usually little tolerance for excuses1 yet1 instead of being dismissed1 these men are despatched to preach the ,kingdom of ,god4 ,this shews that the defect in them was not organic1 and that it had not touched the vital centres4 ,their malady was of a different order from that of the guests invited to the great supper who said1 8,i pray thee have me excused10 for these latter made light of the invitation2 while1 if my view be correct1 these two men were terrified and overawed by being called to duties which their imagination painted as beyond their powers4 ,they were sensitive and distrustful of self1 with highly strung nerves1 and the suddenness of the call to preach the ,kingdom of ,god took away their breath4 ,they do not refuse1 but they beg for delay4 ,if they had obtained such a postponement it would have been all the worse for them1 because they would have been working themselves into a fever all the while4 ,they are panic stricken at the idea of going into strange districts proclaiming the ,kingdom of ,god4 ,they were quailing under a nerve-storm and by devising excuses they only gave it greater force2 every moment that they lingered increased the hold of the morbid impression3 a foreign will must come to their help and take the place of that which was failing4 ,such a will acts most effectively in the form of an imperative command1 calling the patient to immediate positive action4 ,this treatment is followed here4 ,these two men1 no doubt1 followed as they were bidden4 ,they yielded to authority and herein they found their cure2 they1 like the rest1 set out with only their staves in their hands and came back exulting that the devils were subject to them through the ,lord's name4 ,thus each of the three personages receives the proper specific for his case2 ,christ divines the treatment that every particular diathesis requires4 ,but the crowning case of all is yet to come4 ,it belongs to a later time than the above1 and is related more at length4 ,it was soon after our ,lord had entered on his final public journey to ,jerusalem1 teaching and discoursing as ,he went1 that a young man1 8a certain ruler10 in ,st ,luke's words1 ran to ,him and threw himself at ,his feet4 ,st ,mark's account is the most full of detail4 8,and as he was going forth into the way1 there ran one to him1 and kneeled to him1 and asked him1 ,good ,master1 what shall ,i do that ,i may inherit eternal life8 ,and ,jesus said unto him1 ,why callest thou me good8 none is good save one1 even ,god4 ,thou knowest the commandments1 ,do not kill1 ,do not commit adultery1 ,do not steal1 ,do not bear false witness1 ,do not defraud1 ,honour thy father and mother4 ,and he said unto him1 ,master1 all these things have ,i observed from my youth4 ,and ,jesus looking upon him loved him1 and said unto him1 ,one thing thou lackest3 go1 sell whatsoever thou hast1 and give to the poor1 and thou shalt have treasure in heaven3 and come1 follow me4 ,but his countenance fell at the saying1 and he went away sorrowful3 for he was one that had great possessions407#bhi7 ,behind the young man's question there lay this view4 ,he regarded eternal life as the reward of certain good works and the punctilious observance of what was divinely enjoined4 ,our ,lord on the other hand represents it1 not as being granted or withheld according to the record of performances1 but rather as coming 8of congruity07#bij7 along with the fitness for it which has been acquired in the whole education of a life4 ,the man's works have no doubt had very much to do with making him what he is1 but other influences have acted as well4 ,our ,lord rejects the appellation 8,good ,master40 ,in these terms1 scholars addressed the ,rabbi at whose feet they sat1 they accepted his dicta1 and gave up all independent judgment of their own4 ,but our ,lord1 fostering and1 in some sort1 respecting the individual principle in each man1 would free them from fetters of all kinds1 those of the ,rabbis among the rest4 ,here ,he would say1 8,why do you run to a human master0 7for as such only could the mass regard our ,lord7 8to tell you what it is right to do8 ,about this no authority can be absolute but ,god1 and ,his commandments you know40 ,these commandments the young ruler had kept1 indeed it was hardly possible that one in his position could have done otherwise1 but an empty place was still left in his soul4 ,life he felt sure must have a higher meaning and more satisfying occupations than any he had yet found4 ,surely he thought 8,the ,master cannot mean to put me off with telling me to keep the commandments20 and he was right4 ,he had known of no other guide to virtuous life than rules of conduct1 and so he had come asking for a fresh set of such rules2 but a new light was breaking on his soul and what he really wanted was for the clouds to be cleared away4 ,this young man had a noble soul and our ,lord 8looking on him loved him40 ,the scribe1 spoken of above1 would do best by remaining where he was2 but this young man would do best by following4 ,he was worth rescuing from the conventionalities and littlenesses of his every day life and lifting into communion with ,god4 ,had he the force to wrench asunder the bonds1 slender singly but countless in number1 which fastened him down1 and to give up1 not merely soft living--that he would abandon with joy--but the social consideration and what went with it1 personal connections and all1 which he would fling away by doing as ,christ bade8 ,this was the question4 ,our ,lord had not told the scribe to sell all he had and give to the poor4 ,he laid no such rule on ,his disciples1 but here it was these possessions and1 more than all1 the position they conferred that clogged the soul and prevented its rise4 ,the 8giving to the poor0 is not enjoined merely as benevolence2 in that virtue it was not likely that this young man would fail1 it is only a means of disposing of the weight that drags him down2 the magnitude of the sacrifice required staggered the young ruler and he went sorrowful away2 but perhaps there was more hope of him than if1 at our ,lord's word1 he had impulsively surrendered all that he had4 ,he may have been one of those who afterwards sold their land or houses 8and brought the prices of the things that were sold and laid them at the ,apostles' feet407#bia7 ,from this interview our ,lord draws the moral1 8,how hardly shall they that have riches enter into the ,kingdom of ,god20 this is not a denunciation of the rich but rather a commiseration of them1 owing to the peculiar and insidious temptations to which they are unceasingly exposed4 ,the ,apostles are 8astonished exceedingly07#bib7 at our ,lord's severity1 they had perhaps been pleased at the prospect of the accession to their community of a man who was rich and high in station and well spoken of on all sides4 ,as soon as they had heard him told to give up all and follow1 ,peter1 with a touch of almost infantine nature which stamps the narrative as authentic1 looking to his own case says1 8,lo we have left all and have followed thee40 ,this was no boast or our ,lord would not have answered as he does2 it was rather an expression of relief at finding that this special difficulty which beset the young ruler no longer stood in their way4 ,they had been called to leave settled homes and they had done so4 ,peter1 we know1 had a wife1 and ,james and ,john had a father and mother alive4 ,our ,lord seems to give them very positive comfort4 ,those who had left home or family or lands for ,his sake and the ,gospel's should now1 in this time1 receive the same a hundred fold7#bic7 as well as life hereafter4 ,we seem to find here a direct promise of worldly benefit1 which would be strangely out of accord with the general tenour of ,christ's words2 but then comes a clause1 preserved only by ,st ,mark1 which alters all the meaning4 ,it contains but two words 8with persecutions40 ,this appears to unsay all that was said before2 for of what good1 in the way of enjoyment1 are family and possessions 8in the midst of persecution08 ,our ,lord1 to my thinking1 in this passage has ,his eye on a certain time to come2 the 8brethren and sisters and mothers and children0 must mean the great ,christian family1 and the 8lands0 are the possessions of that community which1 while the ,church was confined to ,jerusalem1 had all things common1 8,when the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and soul3 and not one of them said that aught of the things which he possessed was his own407#bid7 ,in the exaltation of spirit in which that community lived1 persecution would seem only a superficial ill1 without which their happiness would have been too ecstatic for permanent spiritual health4 ,their condition as we know from the ,acts was replete with joy2 over and over again we are reminded of the gladness which filled the souls of the early converts4 ,the reward promised1 when qualified by this phrase1 might rightly be set before the ,apostles1 for it was no reward at all except to spiritually minded men4 ,these two words1 which are omitted by ,st ,luke1 enable us to understand--what seems a little strange--why this promise is not accepted with joy and with eager questions as to when this happy time should come2 it puzzled the hearers4 ,any rising exultation is checked by the words1 8with persecutions10 and the hearers are perhaps set wondering why ,christ often drops difficulties into ,his speech1 just when ,he seems to be going to reveal what men particularly want to know1 and why1 when holding out a promise1 ,he should dash the cup from their lips4 ,parable of the unjust ,steward4 ,st ,luke xv41 xvi4 ,more and more1 as our ,lord's work draws near the close1 do we notice that ,his eye1 somewhat diverted from what is passing about ,him1 is directed to a condition of things foreseen 8being yet far off40 ,it is to provide for this that ,he is ever taking thought and imparting lessons2 and if no state of things had come about in which these lessons might find a field of exercise1 we should be at a loss to understand what they meant or why they were there4 ,the explanation is found in the early history of the ,church of ,christ4 ,in the parables and discourses of the later ministry there is one image to which our ,lord again and again recurs4 ,it is that of men labouring in a ,master's service1 and most commonly in that of a ,master who is away from home and may at any time come back4 ,it may be that the ,master is a great ,king1 in which case the labourers are his ministers1 and frequently there is mention made of diversity of office and of some who exercised authority over 8men-servants and maid-servants40 ,in these cases we frequently find1 either in the parable itself or in the 8hard saying0 which commonly closes it1 an allusion to some special danger attaching to delegated power4 ,one such moral danger there is besetting those entrusted with any charge1 and above all with a spiritual charge1 which is very insidious1 and more easily corrected by a lesson given in a story than by direct reproof2 it is that of the severity and rigour which comes of over-scrupulosity and over-zeal4 ,the trustee of a property will sometimes feel morally or legally bound to exact the very uttermost1 and to use a hardness which he would never think of shewing in his own affairs2 and by habitually constraining himself to use hardness he may become actually hard of nature himself4 ,when we come to matters spiritual and ecclesiastical all this is true in an intensified degree4 ,the more exalted the priest's notion of his function and the more genuine his appreciation of the ,majesty of ,god1 the more impossible it seems to him to abate one iota of ,god's claims4 ,things sacred1 he has been taught to think1 differ in kind from things secular1 and demand rules of management of their own4 ,he holds it unlawful to make composition with offenders against ,god2 he is the appointed upholder of the rights and dignities of the ,almighty and he dares not bate a hair4 ,honestly awe-stricken at the tremendous responsibility1 he flies where he can to a written ,law1 and1 pointing to the letter1 he takes refuge in the sacerdotal 8non possumus0 as an answer to every extenuating plea4 ,i believe that when our ,lord delivered the parable of the unjust ,steward1 ,he had in view this particular evil which is all the more dangerous because it wears the garb of 8jealousy for the ,lord ,god40 ,if the ,apostles1 feeling that they formed the personal staff of a ,king endowed with all power from on high1 had not been lifted up and shewn some touch of imperious and exclusive spirit1 they must indeed have been more or less than men4 ,that symptoms of such a spirit had appeared and caused our ,lord concern may be gathered1 not only from the positive instances1 such as1 the forbidding one who followed not with them to cast out devils in the ,lord's name2 the demand to be allowed to call down fire from heaven2 and the rebuking of those who brought to ,christ 8their babes that ,he might touch them20 but1 even more certainly1 from the repeated animadversions1 in the later teaching of our ,lord1 on personal ambition and the over-straining of authority4 ,moderation1 as to what may be expected from human nature1 though not enforced by positive injunctions1 is commended to us1 after our ,lord's way1 by a gentle influence everywhere present1 and by a current in the teaching setting steadily towards the point in view4 ,our ,lord had been speaking to the people in a series of parables--the lost sheep1 the lost piece of silver1 the ,prodigal ,son1--all set in one key1 all bearing on the 8joy in the presence of the angels of ,god over one sinner that repenteth107#bie7 and ,he then turned to the disciples1 with1 as ,i believe1 the same thought still uppermost in ,his mind1 and urges them as the 8pastors and masters0 of the future1 not1 by insisting on the utmost1 to make reformation too hard4 ,the parable of the unjust ,steward was addressed1 we are told1 to the disciples1 and as the disciples had no worldly goods at all1 it cannot be the main drift of the parable1 as has been sometimes maintained1 to inculcate ,christian prudence in the use of these4 ,i find in this parable a closing comment in a very terse form2 this leads me to suspect that the key to the main purport lies therein4 ,the verse is this1 8,for the sons of this world are for their own generation wiser than the sons of the light407#bif7 ,the drift of the parable is1 indeed1 to teach a kind of prudence1 but not one in which money is concerned4 ,the administration of property is only the vehicle in which the lesson is conveyed4 ,what ,i take to be inculcated here is true ,christian wisdom as to the exercise of authority--spiritual authority above all4 ,the moral that ,i discern is this2 that the ,apostles and their successors may do more good by shewing a little indulgence--by conceding something to weak human nature1 not enforcing ,jewish formalities1 and not insisting too inflexibly upon every point which they think may touch the honour or the privileges of ,christ's ,church--than by adhering to the strictest regard for observances1 and imposing rules for sanctity of thought and conduct with which only a chosen few would be able to comply4 ,how many have been repelled from religion by the rigour1 which ,priests or ,puritans fancied themselves under compulsion to employ1 and how has this fretful anxiety for discipline sometimes soured the natures of those who had it in charge6 ,i proceed to a short examination of the parable1 of which ,i will quote the whole4 8,and he said also unto the disciples1 ,there was a certain rich man1 which had a steward2 and the same was accused unto him that he was wasting his goods4 ,and he called him1 and said unto him1 ,what is this that ,i hear of thee8 render the account of thy stewardship2 for thou canst be no longer steward4 ,and the steward said within himself1 ,what shall ,i do1 seeing that my lord taketh away the stewardship from me8 ,i have not strength to dig2 to beg ,i am ashamed4 ,i am resolved what to do1 that1 when ,i am put out of the stewardship1 they may receive me into their houses4 ,and calling to him each one of his lord's debtors1 he said to the first1 ,how much owest thou unto my lord8 ,and he said1 ,a hundred measures of oil4 ,and he said unto him1 ,take thy bond1 and sit down quickly and write fifty4 ,then said he to another1 ,and how much owest thou8 ,and he said1 ,a hundred measures of wheat4 ,he saith unto him1 ,take thy bond1 and write fourscore4 ,and his lord commended the unrighteous steward because he had done wisely3 for the sons of this world are for their own generation wiser than the sons of the light4 ,and ,i say unto you1 ,make to yourselves friends by means of the mammon of unrighteousness2 that1 when it shall fail1 they may receive you into the eternal tabernacles4 ,he that is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much3 and he that is unrighteous in a very little is unrighteous also in much4 ,if therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon1 who will commit to your trust the true riches8 ,and if ye have not been faithful in that which is another's1 who will give you that which is your own807#big7 ,i do not pretend to have made out for every particular in the story of the parable a spiritual parallel after my own view1 indeed ,i think that interpreters sometimes look for too complete a correspondence4 ,i can quite understand that a detail might be introduced which should give life to the story and so help to fix it in the hearers' minds1 which might have no analogue in the spiritual interpretation at all4 ,this parable is1 as we are told1 addressed neither to the people nor to the scribes1 but to the disciples1 and1 as it must have been delivered during our ,lord's journeys in the north of ,juda or its neighbourhood when ,he was but slightly attended1 it is probable that when ,he spoke it few beside the ,apostles were by4 ,one peculiarity1 which strengthens my impression that it was uttered for the special benefit of the first hearers of it1 is1 that it turns on a matter which only those who were conversant with the customs of that place and time could fully understand4 ,we know so little of the way in which estates were managed in ,palestine1 that the relations between the steward and his ,lord are imperfectly conceived1 and much of the difficulty of this parable arises from this cause3 in the other parables the circumstances forming the shell of the story belong to all countries and all times alike4 ,if now1 as ,i have supposed1 the primary use of this parable was for those who first listened to it2 if it were specially intended to teach the ,twelve and their immediate successors not to make too heavy demands on their converts2 then it would matter less1 if the story should not be so clear for men of later times4 ,what ,i regard as the point of the story is this1 that it is just as unwise to exact the utmost that is due in moral and spiritual matters--casting off every one who falls short in conduct or differs in religious views--as it would be in worldly business to stand out always for the utmost penny of your rights4 ,the honesty or dishonesty of the steward is not the central point on which the moral turns1 it is his tact in remitting part of his claims with a long-sighted view4 ,i do not think that we need now trouble ourselves with the question of who it is that answers to the 8rich man which had a steward20 but that he does not represent ,providence is clear from the eighth verse1 which includes him among the 8sons of this world20 for it is his sense in commending the steward which draws forth the moral1 8,the sons of this world are for their own generation wiser than the sons of the light40 ,this rich man's verdict on his steward's conduct may be taken to represent the view which practically minded men1 versed in affairs and regarding matters little on their ethical side1 would take of the case in hand2 in fact he stands for the public opinion of his class4 ,next comes the question1 ,what was the business position of the steward8 ,it agrees best both with the circumstances before us and with such extraneous information as we possess1 to suppose that the functionary1 called here steward1 managed absolutely his master's property1 and that he was paid by a poundage on the net receipts1 or by some similar method1 so that his interest and his master's would1 generally speaking1 coincide4 ,there is no allegation against him of fraud or corrupt bargaining1 and indeed1 his being in danger of beggary shews that he is not supposed to have made himself a purse4 ,he is charged with having 8wasted the goods10 but this may mean in the way of over leniency with creditors or of unproductive outlay1 not in that of personal appropriation4 ,he was clearly not treated as though he were liable to criminal prosecution4 ,it is of course meant to represent him as a bad steward1 and the word here construed unjust sometimes means little more than bad1 as will be seen from ,archbishop ,trench's note1 in the sense of being ineffective and unsatisfactory to his employers4 ,dr ,edersheim observes as follows37#bih7 8,it must be borne in mind that he is still steward1 and as such has full power of disposing of his master's affairs4 ,when1 therefore1 he sends for one after another of his master's debtors1 and tells each to alter the sum in the bond1 he does not suggest to them forgery or fraud1 but1 in remitting part of the debt1 whether it had been incurred as rent in kind or as the price of produce purchased1 he acts1 although unrighteously1 yet strictly within his rights40 ,his master praised his astuteness1 he had kept within the law and so long as this was done the current code of morality was satisfied4 ,it is a point to be noted that no bargain is made with the debtors1 he trusts to their gratitude to receive him into their houses4 ,a lesson prominent in the parable and which is brought out in the application is1 that as he had made friends by his leniency in administering the substance of the master so they1 ,christian pastors and masters1 should make to themselves friends out of something which is called the 8mammon of unrighteousness0 7about which we shall presently enquire74 ,these friends would1 out of gratitude1 receive them into 8the eternal tabernacles40 ,for these friends are to be in ,heaven themselves1 and they must have got there--if we are to keep to the story--not only through their pastor's teaching and ministrations1 but they must have partly owed their salvation to the loving and merciful treatment they had met with4 ,an offender may be sometimes won over and completely changed for the better by feeling that he has been treated more kindly and leniently than he deserves4 ,the parable implies that these might not have reached heaven if their guides had been more hard with them1 if they had exacted every religious duty1 and had been severe upon every failing4 ,these men having reached the eternal tabernacles welcomed into them those who by lessening their burdens had been the means of their getting there themselves4 ,we now come to the hard question1 ,what is meant by the words 8the mammon of unrighteousness0 or 8unrighteous mammon0--which are identical8 ,i think they must mean the temporal authority in regulating things outward which the earliest rulers of the ,church necessarily possessed4 ,the word translated 8unrighteous0 does not here imply inherent badness1 but that the seeming wealth has only a value according to worldly judgment and worldly measure1 without intrinsic worth in itself4 ,this may corrupt its possessor as much as worldly riches4 ,i give1 in a note1 ,archbishop ,trench's discussion of the ,greek word47#bii7 ,riches1 as riches1 are never called unrighteous by our ,lord4 ,i do not think1 however1 that wealth in its common sense can be intended by the word 8mammon0 here1 for of 8silver and gold0 the ,apostles would have none4 ,but though the ,apostles had not money1 yet they had advantages for the use of which they must answer2 they had1 in authority and position1 what answered to wealth2 they could regulate the lives of the converts2 they could lay hands on those chosen for the ,ministry2 they could enforce or remit certain of the ,laws of ,moses4 ,this power dealt with things outward1--contributions1 observances1 rules of discipline and the like1--and so1 if1 as the authorities quoted seem to shew1 the word here translated unrighteous may mean false1 in the sense of unreal1 as paste to diamond1 then this possession of theirs which gave room for the exercise of clemency--this apparel of dignity--might be so termed in contrast with inward spiritual riches1 which form part of the condition of the individual man4 ,of such real wealth we presently hear4 ,soon after this 8the ,apostles said unto our ,lord1 ,increase our faith107#cjj7 but this faith is not to be given from without2 it cannot be transferred into them as though it could be poured from one receptacle into another4 ,they are to fit themselves for it and grow into it in the exercise of their work2 when attained it would move mountains1 it would be a wealth that no man could take from them1 something inalienably bound up in their existence1 comprising the blessing of feeling ,god present in their souls4 ,here indeed is a treasure compared to which not only silver and gold1 but power and authority and the right of ordering of matters in the churches1 would seem trifling and unreal like glass beside the gem4 ,again what is the 8little0 and the 8much0 of verse #aj8 ,according to my view the 8little0 answers to the externals of religious management1 and the 8much0 to the spiritual verity which passes from soul to soul3 those who are unfaithful in matters of administration which are comparatively little1 will find that this spreading laxity will overgrow their whole nature and that they will soon become unfaithful in that which is great47#cja7 ,if ,god's servants had not been faithful in administering their rule1 if they had not in ,god's affairs used good sense and judgment1 such as men employ in their own business1 if they had not controlled their tempers1 disregarded their personal interest and suppressed that temptation to lord it over others which goes with new-born power2--if they had not1 that is1 been faithful in the use of that wealth which is by comparison unreal1 then1 not being faithful in the discharge of this delegated trust1 8that which is another's10 who would give them that 8clear-eyed ,faith10 that sense that ,god was abiding in their hearts1 which would be essentially their very 8own40 ,thus we reach what ,i take to be the close of the parable2 for the verse about serving two masters1 which occurs also in the ,sermon on the ,mount1 does not1 ,i think1 belong to this parable1 but has only been attracted1 so to say1 into its place by the occurrence in both passages of the rare word 8mammon10 which induced ,st ,luke to put the two together4 ,i need hardly say1 how far from positive ,i must be about the interpretation of a parable which has caused such an infinitude of comment4 ,our ,lord refusing to judge4 ,if we regard the ,gospels in the light of memoirs of our ,lord's actual life upon earth1 it may seem strange that so few occasions are noticed in which we are shewn our ,lord dealing with the business of ordinary life4 ,whenever we do find ,him forced to take part in any secular proceeding1 ,he is uniformly careful to avoid such decisive action as would establish an authoritative precedent in regard to things which might be left to men to manage4 ,some people are now disappointed at ,his not having furnished a wholly new and perfect scheme of human society4 ,so far is ,he from doing this1 that ,he will not even put patches upon that which ,he found existing4 ,god had supplied men with faculties to frame social institutions for themselves1 and these faculties ,christ would leave free to work4 ,if ,he had interposed to set the world right by absolute power1 it might have been asked1 ,why this had not been done before8 and1 ,whether it was owing to accident that the world had been let to go wrong8 ,living among the people as our ,lord did1 ,he must commonly have conformed to ,jewish usages4 ,he could hardly have performed any act without coming into contact with their ways4 ,if the particulars of every little occurrence in ,his private life had been set down1 perhaps we might have realised1 what we now hardly perceive1 that in the ,gospel we are reading of ,jewish life in ,galilee two thousand years ago4 ,this absence of what is called 8local colour0 is partly due to the omission of small particulars4 ,an outline can be more general and more universal than a picture of minute elaboration2 and the portraiture of our ,lord would have lost much of its singular character of belonging to every age as its own1 if the draughtsman's attention had been distracted from what was characteristic1 in order to present every detail with equal care4 ,now arises the question1 ,how far did our ,lord ,himself determine which among ,his doings and sayings should be recorded and which not8 ,if ,he had ,himself left a record1 every word would have been regarded as inspired1 and the ,christian church would have been ruled1 not by an indwelling ,spirit1 but by a book written once for all4 ,it could not have been ruled by both1--for men cannot walk after the letter and after ,faith at the same time--and that wooden fixity which characterised ,rabbinical ,judaism1 would have affected ,christianity as well4 ,it pleased ,god that it should be left to men to tell the tale1 and so other men may venture to use their judgment about it4 ,but as ,christ passed on ,his course1 ,he must ,himself have felt that this or that incident or discourse ought to be handed down4 ,how could ,he effect this without miracle of any kind8 ,it seems to me that ,he may have selected1 as it were1 matters for preservation thus4 ,when ,he desired an incident to be known1 8,wheresoever the ,gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world107#cjb7 ,he emphasizes it1 by some action or declaration1 as above1 viz4 by letting drop some vivid expression which takes hold of the minds of men4 ,thus the story of the denials of ,peter is rendered indelible by the words1 8before the cock crow twice40 ,the hard saying or striking expression1 sometimes because it touched the quick of men's understandings1 and sometimes because it puzzled them to make it out1 was thought of again and again1 and remained by them as part of themselves4 ,the incident which called the saying forth1 or the colloquy in which it occurred would have to be recorded to explain the saying itself3 a mass of the matrix would go along with the precious metal embedded in it4 ,what it was not thought needful to preserve1 was not enriched with these pregnant sayings and has not survived4 ,hence ,i believe that the withdrawal from us of those 8many other things that ,jesus did0 was not without design4 ,the consequences of this may be of service to us in many ways1 but the only one of which ,i shall speak is this4 ,if every detail of our ,lord's acts had been set down1 many more of those matters of daily life1 on which judgment is now left open1 would have been determined for us by the recorded example of our ,lord4 ,many ,christians would have felt bound to act as ,christ had done1 even in those concerns of ordinary life which might well be left to the individual2 and many inexorable necessities--many rigid lines for which there was no occasion--would have traversed the field of ,christian action4 ,that our ,lord should have thus placed a limit on the particulars that should be recorded about ,him falls in with the views taken in this book1 viz4 that ,he was anxious to preserve individual freedom of action1 and that ,he looked forward with a general prescience to the course of events4 ,it is my opinion that our ,lord foresaw1 that1 in time to come1 men of different races and under different conditions would desire to fashion their lives after ,his1 and that therefore ,he purposely freed the account of ,himself that should come into their hands from all that was immaterial1 and particularly from all that was exclusively ,jewish in its garb2 but whether this were so or not1 the fact remains that no particular national institutions or social usages are consecrated by our ,lord's words or practice4 ,supposing that our ,lord knew that posterity would regard ,his example as a sacred rule1 and that ,he wished men not to be hampered in this way1 but to retain free play of thought and will1 it is hard to devise for ,him a course more expedient for the end in view than that which he actually took4 ,several instances occur in the ,gospels1 of appeal being made to our ,lord about vexed matters belonging to the life of that time4 ,such appeals ,he always meets much in the same way4 ,he puts the matter aside1 either by positively refusing to judge or by giving the question an unexpected turn4 ,the cases to which ,i shall refer are1 7#a7 the disputed inheritance1 7#b7 the woman taken in adultery1 7#c7 the paying of the didrachma1 7#d7 the judgment on the tribute to ,csar4 #a4 ,it seems to have been during the ministry in some city1 either in ,juda or ,pera1 when the people were pressing on one another to get near our ,lord1 that one of the multitude said to ,him1 8,master bid my brother divide the inheritance with me407#cjc7 ,this man was influenced by some notion that he had been wronged1 a notion which was very likely born of cupidity4 ,this greed he carried always about him1 it was uppermost in his mind1 and when he found the crowd listening to the ,preacher of righteousness1 he thought that he might turn the influence of this ,preacher to account for his own ends4 ,if1 by an ex parte statement he could get ,christ's judgment on his side1 possibly his brother would do ,his bidding4 ,the ,jewish ,law of inheritance was plain and courts of ,law were accessible1 but perhaps his claim had been disallowed2 at any rate he thought it a cheaper plan to get the great ,preacher to interfere4 ,our ,lord repudiates in strong terms the notion that ,he is a 8judge or a divider40 ,judges and dividers through many ages had been provided for regular duty in a regular way2 but ,christ's coming was an act standing by itself in the ,history of the race4 ,it had nothing to do with the internal concerns of this people or of that4 ,its influence was worldwide4 ,he was to kindle the new fire1 to set alight the spiritual passion in mankind4 ,he notes how1 in the man who appeals to ,him1 every affection had been absorbed and killed by his covetousness4 ,he turns to the multitude and inveighs against this insidious vice1 and delivers to them the parable7#cjd7 of the rich man who would pull down his barns and build greater4 ,there is no hidden meaning lying behind this parable as there is in those in which ,he set the ,kingdom forth1 it is only an instructive story for the hearers to carry away4 ,then1 turning to the disciples1 ,he puts the matter in a higher light4 ,his moral is ever this1 that to improve a man's well being1 whether of a material or a social kind1 you must begin by making the man himself as good as you can4 ,such material well being as is needed for society will follow on the moral and spiritual improvement of individual men4 8,seek ye first10 says ,he1 8the ,kingdom of ,god and ,his righteousness1 and all these things shall be added unto you407#cje7 ,let us suppose for a moment that our ,lord had listened to this man and reviewed his case and left a judgment4 ,what would have been the result8 ,we should have had an isolated case of the ,law of inheritance1 on which an irreversible decision had been pronounced4 ,every code framed for ,christian lands would have had to accept and embody this4 ,endless comments on this particular case would have been written1 endless guesses at the circumstances of it would have been made1 and every one who contested a distribution would have endeavoured to shew that this decision covered his claims4 ,moreover1 whenever the ,christian missionary came to a new country1 instead of holding a purely spiritual position he would have brought with him a new law of inheritance as part of the new religion1 and people could not have accepted his teaching without changing usages to which they clung4 7#b7 ,next comes the case of the woman taken in adultery 7see p4 #cgj74 ,in the criminal jurisdiction of ,moses the leading thought was to 8put away evil20 but men had grown less cruel1 and pity for the offender and hope of his reformation were coming into play4 ,if the ,lord had given judgment either in one way or the other we should have been landed in endless perplexity4 ,the difficult questions of the distinction between a sin and a crime1 and whether it is advisable for a state to enforce morality1 would have been complicated by a ,divine decision in a case of which the relation would not1 unless the account were fuller than the ,gospel notices usually are1 contain all the particulars that are material4 ,the two cases that remain refer to polity rather than to law4 7#c7 ,the 8didrachma0 were levied apparently as a tax for the ,temple service1 enforced by custom1 if not by positive law4 ,those who collected it ask ,peter if our ,lord does not pay this annual sum1 and ,peter at once declares that ,he does4 ,but our ,lord will not leave the matter so4 ,the money shall be paid1 because to refuse the payment would waken ill feeling and give an impression altogether false2 but our ,lord will not sanction such a payment with ,his authority1 without protest and explanation4 ,it might have been made the ground of supporting many kinds of religious impost if ,he had4 ,he puts the question in such a light that ,his practice can never be quoted in support of any such demand4 7#d7 ,those who came asking whether it was lawful to pay tribute to ,csar1 like those who brought the woman taken in adultery1 had a hostile intent4 ,they asked with a view only to entangle1 not with a desire to learn4 ,our ,lord always baffles those who address ,him in this spirit4 ,in dealing with the question of the tribute1 ,he avoids each horn of the dilemma and teaches a grand lesson to the people who heard4 ,for they were to render to ,god 8the things that were ,god's10 that is to say1 not a man's money1 but the whole man himself1 for he is made in ,god's image and carries the likeness of it in his personality1 just as the coin carries on its face the name and the impress of ,csar4 ,thus1 in these words1 the whole man is claimed as ,god's own by ,christ4 ,if our ,lord had either enforced or forbidden these two payments1 ,his authority1 appealed to on this side or that1 would have further embittered questions which are bitter enough of themselves4 ,men have often pored over ,scripture to extract an authority for what they wanted to do1 and the case of the tribute money1 notwithstanding our ,lord's answer1 has been pressed into the service of the upholders of imperial power4 ,dr ,bryce speaking of the ,medival ,empire says3-- 8,from the ,new ,testament the authority and eternity of ,rome herself was established4 ,every passage was seized on where submission to the powers that be is enjoined1 every instance cited where obedience had actually been rendered to imperial officials1 a special emphasis being laid on the sanction which ,christ ,himself had given to ,roman dominion by pacifying the world through ,augustus1 by being born at the time of the taxing1 by paying tribute to ,csar1 by saying to ,pilate1 #8,thou couldest have no power at all against ,me except it were given thee from above4' 0 ,in finishing this notice ,i must remark that there is one social institution about which our ,lord does not shun to speak2 this is marriage4 ,he upholds the sanctity and inviolability of the marriage tie more stringently than did the ,jewish ,law4 ,the scribe who came 8making trial0 of our ,lord is confounded--not by being put off without an answer--as usually happens in these cases1 but by the singular positiveness of the reply4 8,and ,i say unto you1 ,whosoever shall put away his wife1 except for fornication1 and shall marry another1 committeth adultery3 and he that marrieth her when she is put away committeth adultery407#cjf7 ,this exception is not inconsistent with the principles governing our ,lord's acts4 ,christ's teaching was meant for all mankind1 and ,christianity would have been less adapted for universal use if it had been bound up with particular institutions4 ,but marriage is not a particular institution1 it is declared to be as universal as the human race2 it goes down deeper than all divisions1 it belongs to the stock below the point where the branches sprout4 ,thus ,christ's recognition of the sanctity of marriage does not hamper human legislation1 or prevent the growth of ,humanity in any manner consistent with its health4 ,close by the side of this matter lies another on which ,i must only say a word4 ,it is one of the ,gesta ,christi that ,he has put woman into her right place4 ,slowly and quietly has this come about1 as a growth from seed turned up in the soil1 and not a construction upreared by men1--as indeed1 with the changes that are wrought by ,christ is mostly the way4 ,he says not a word about the social condition of women or their position in the eye of the ,law2 ,he puts forward no grievances1 ,he asserts no claim4 ,to have done either one or the other in ,his day would have been to bring about a violent upheaval1 which would have destroyed all chance of the germination of the seed4 ,nowhere do men cling to old usages with more tenacity than in the matter of relations between sex and sex4 ,these variations of usage may rest upon solid grounds1 and it would have stood in the way of the adaptability of what ,he left to the needs of all races and all times1 if by one rigid ordinance ,he had enforced uniformity1 even in the justest way4 ,but though our ,lord says little about the right place of women yet ,he treats them as though that proper place were already theirs2 for parts are given them in ,his great world-drama consistent with those they take in the common life of family and home47#cjg7 ,one word that our ,lord drops has too important a bearing on this point to be passed by4 ,frequently as our ,lord alludes to eternal life1 it is rarely that anything as to the modes of this life can be gathered from ,his speech1 but in the one passage in which ,he does touch on this directly1 ,he implies that distinction of sex ceases with the life upon earth4 8,but they that are accounted worthy to attain to that world1 and the resurrection from the dead1 neither marry1 nor are given in marriage3 for neither can they die any more3 for they are equal unto the angels2 and are sons of ,god1 being sons of the resurrection407#cjh7 ,there is to be no marrying or giving in marriage in the ,kingdom of ,god4 ,all will there be as the angels of heaven4 ,there can be no such thing as a male or female soul4 ,some may be educated for eternal life in the frame of man and others in that of woman1 but when out of the body all distinction comes to an end1 and both one and the other1 if deemed worthy of the resurrection to life1 assume the nature of angels of ,god4 ,when this comes home to a people and they see that the distinction of male and female is one of a day1 while the angelic existence1 in which no distinction shall remain1 is an everlasting one1 then whatever remains that seems degrading in the condition of woman will be in the way to disappear4 ,i will end this by stating the truth which ,i have had it in view to bring out4 ,supposing that ,christ1 lest ,he should hamper free human growth1 was unwilling to tie down posterity to particular rules touching the affairs of life1 and that ,he also foresaw that in time men would take ,his behaviour as a model for their own2 then the course ,he actually took1 in refusing to sanction by ,his example this or that course of proceeding in matters coming within man's cognizance1 was admirably suited to ,his end1 and met perfectly the circumstances of the case4 ,our ,lord's action prospective4 ,but if our ,lord's behaviour in secular matters is often hard to explain1 unless we suppose ,him to have had a glimpse of what has actually come to pass1 much more is this the case in what concerns the building of ,his ,church4 ,we know from ,his own words that ,he saw ,his end to be near at hand4 ,we know how ,he loved the ,apostles and we know how ,his heart was set on ,his great work2 so that it is inexplicable that ,he should have left the ,apostles without directions for their personal conduct1 and as to the practical shape they were to give to the work in view4 ,all is explained1 if they were merely being exposed to a few hours of trial1 and if our ,lord meant to commission them with definite duties and give the necessary directions1 when ,he rose again4 ,apart from any miraculous foreknowledge1 our ,lord could foresee that ,his end was near1 and that persecution awaited those who for more than two years had formed the chief visible interest of ,his life4 ,would ,he have left them at ,jerusalem perfectly at a loss1 would ,he have left them in the position of a boat's crew in the open sea1 whose captain has died without giving them their course8 ,if ,he had not felt certain of being soon again by their side1 then indeed we should1 with the author of 8,ecce ,homo10 have felt constrained to confess 8that there was no historical character whose motives1 objects and feelings remained so incomprehensible to us40 ,after the ,resurrection1 the forms needful for a religious community are delivered to the ,apostles4 ,they are given a rite1 marking admission to the body1 and sacramental words serving as a symbol and the nucleus of a creed4 ,they are to go and baptize all nations in the name of the ,father and of the ,son and of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,moreover they are told what they are1 for the moment1 to do4 ,they are to remain at ,jerusalem1 till they be endowed with power from on high4 ,christ opens to them the ,scriptures and possibly left some instruction as to the earliest form of ,his ,church which1 agreeably to ,his unfailing method1 ,he does not communicate to aftertimes4 ,he will not stereotype the outward garb which he would have adapt itself to the changing wants of men4 ,christ's intimations of the future wear the appearance of being given1 less to communicate fore-knowledge than that when the event came to pass the hearers might feel that ,christ had 8told them before307#cji7 if ,he had thought good ,he would have made the lessons plainer4 ,it may have helped to sustain the ,apostles during the terrible hours when their ,master lay in the grave1 to turn to these words of forecast and from them to gather that all was being carried forward towards a purpose preordained of ,god4 ,it is true that our ,lord had told the ,apostles again and again what the end was to be1 but they could not believe that ,he would permit ,his enemies to prevail1 and our ,lord hardly seems to expect that they would take ,his words as literal truth4 ,if1 during the last days1 they had really believed that ,he was about to perish on the cross1 they would have been paralysed with anguish and dismay1 and the last lessons would have fallen on the ears of men who were prostrated and stunned4 ,that our ,lord's action was suited to what did actually happen1 and not to what was likely to happen after the judgment of men1 appears also in another way4 ,the ,apostles1 both in themselves and in virtue of their training1 were exactly adapted to the part which came into their hands1 but they were by no means of the sort which the leader either of a political or a religious movement would have picked out to carry it forward when ,he should die4 ,they were not men to fascinate crowds and lead them whither they would1 they were not men to discover that aspect of a dogma which should commend itself to the understandings of their hearers4 ,they had no skill in policy1 no experience in government or in organising bodies of men2 their strength lay not in their talent but their truth4 ,if they had possessed brilliant capacity1 and all or any of the qualities named above1 the danger of disunion or of there being as many different followings as there were ,apostles 7see #a ,cor4 i4 #ab7 would have been thereby increased4 ,we read in ,history or ,philosophy of great men who have left empires or systems for their chosen successors to maintain4 ,did such successors keep free from dissension and disruption in the way that those did whom ,jesus chose and trained8 ,did any such body answer its purpose as the ,apostles did8 ,the training of the ,apostles fitted them admirably1 as has been said above1 for witnesses who should carry credit with the world2 it brought them1 by the road of personal devotion to a visible ,master1 unto ,faith in an unseen ,god2 it endowed them with wonderful endurance1 it taught them the patience whereby they might 8win their souls207#caj7 it educated their intuitions to discern ,god's ways and recognise ,god's whisper in the voice which spake at their hearts4 ,but they were destitute of eloquence and of many of the gifts with which the founder of a sect would have been careful to see that those were furnished who were to take ,his place2 and this omission only becomes intelligible when we find that the deficiencies are supplied by ,christ's presence with them1 and by the ,spirit from on high4 ,what was most important of all was1 that no act or word of ,christ's should seem to shut out from their share in ,him any section of mankind4 ,agreeably with this1 ,he never proclaims ,himself the ,jewish ,messiah4 ,no ,greek or ,roman would have listened for a moment to one who declared ,himself the especial prophet of the ,jews4 ,though of the 8house and family of ,david107#caa7 ,he will accept no advantage on this score4 ,he repudiates for the ,redeemer of the world the title of 8,son of ,david107#cab7 which from its nature was based on legitimacy and must rest on the veracity of genealogical rolls4 ,the ,apostles were to divine the nature of ,his ,personality by long and close intercourse7#cac7 with ,him1 more than by canvassing claims or interpreting texts4 ,when ,his disciples ask to be taught to pray1 8as ,john also taught his disciples107#cad7 ,he gives them a prayer very unlike what ,john would have given1 for it contains not a word of that petition for blessing upon ,israel1 which1 in any prayer that an ,israelite offered1 contained1 to his mind1 the gist of the whole4 ,this prayer too was offered1 not to the 8,lord ,god of ,israel0 or the 8,god of their ,fathers10--as ,jewish prayers7#cae7 were2 there was not a word in it1 echoing their boast that ,god was peculiarly their own--but every human being is emboldened by it to turn to ,god as his ,father in ,heaven4 ,in all this1 however1 our ,lord never loosens the bonds of ,israelite life4 ,he proceeds always in a positive and not a negative way2 without removing the ,kingdom of ,israel from view1 ,he lets it dissolve1 as it were1 into the ,kingdom of ,god4 ,there is another point brought out in this later ministry2 ,christ does not look forward to ultimate visible success in the way of making converts4 ,no hope is held out of the whole world being eventually won over to allegiance--of a spiritual conquest1 any more than of a material one--8,howbeit10 says ,he--and who would have said this but ,christ8--8when the ,son of man cometh shall he find ,faith upon the earth80 ,no other than ,christ ever dared to tell his followers1 not only that their ,master would be put to death1 and they themselves ill used1 but also that it was very doubtful whether their cause1 as far as visible appearances went1 would finally prevail4 ,with ,christ indeed as with ,god1 there is no speaking of such a thing as either failure or success at all2 ,he moves steadily onward toward the development of the ,design of the ,world4 ,but this men do not easily perceive2 adversaries of the ,faith are apt to say 8,if this religion were of ,god1 the world would have been compelled to accept it40 ,but of what good could such acceptance have been8 ,christianity is not a project of ,god1 which it gratifies ,him for men to be made to fall in with4 ,christ views ,his word as a winnowing fan sorting out those who are ,god's1 that they may be brought to that knowledge of ,him in which eternal life resides4 ,at some epochs of the world's history1 the yield will be rich and at others poor2 and although ,christ may come at a moment when the wheat is almost lost in the abundance of the chaff2 nevertheless the grain of earlier harvests will have been sifted out and garnered in heaven1 and ,christ's work will have accomplished its end4 ,but besides sifting out those who could be educated to eternal life1 it is by ,christ's words and work that the world has been preserved such that ,holiness can grow in it2 without this it might have perished of evil4 ,wickedness might have so got the ,mastery that the world could not have served its purpose as an exercise ground for man's capacity for reaching the knowledge of ,god4 ,the whole scheme of ,christ's action is made complete by the promise1 8,i am with you always until the end of the world40 ,not only is it in virtue of this truth that the ,church is a living organism1 and not merely a body dispensing doctrines or following directions which have been received once for all1 but ,i also see the fulfilment of this promise in the alacrity and vigour which characterised the ,apostles' work4 ,they must have felt that they were something more than a society of men held together by love for a lost ,leader2 and ,i cannot explain how the eleven held together1 and subordinated every personal care to their ,master's glory2--,i cannot account for this personal transformation of them1 everyone1--except by supposing them animated by the feeling that ,christ was among them still4 ,it is far more in harmony with our ,lord's ways for ,him to put the ,apostles1 by ,his spiritual monitions1 into the way of organising their ,society for themselves1 than that ,he should peremptorily lay down a formal plan to which they must adhere4 ,what ,christ left undone1 was what it would be good for man to endeavour to do for himself3 but if ,christ had not been by to whisper1 men might never have set themselves to the work at all4 ,the energy and persistent determination of the ,apostles could hardly have been maintained without a sense of ,christ's abiding presence2 and that they had eye and ear open for discerning this ,i count to have come1 partly of ,god's free gift1 partly of their ingrained nature1 but in far greater degree to have been the outcome of the gentle and almost imperceptible ,schooling of ,christ4 ,christ washing the ,apostles' feet4 ,st ,john xiii4 #a-ad4 8,now before the feast of the passover1 ,jesus knowing that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the ,father1 having loved his own which were in the world1 he loved them unto the end4 ,and during supper1 the devil having already put into the heart of ,judas ,iscariot1 ,simon's son1 to betray him1 ,jesus1 knowing that the ,father had given all things into his hands1 and that he came forth from ,god1 and goeth unto ,god1 riseth from supper1 and layeth aside his garments2 and he took a towel1 and girded himself4 ,then he poureth water into the bason1 and began to wash the disciples' feet1 and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded4 ,so he cometh to ,simon ,peter4 ,he saith unto him1 ,lord1 dost thou wash my feet8 ,jesus answered and said unto him1 ,what ,i do thou knowest not now2 but thou shalt understand hereafter4 ,peter saith unto him1 ,thou shalt never wash my feet4 ,jesus answered him1 ,if ,i wash thee not1 thou hast no part with me4 ,simon ,peter saith unto him1 ,lord1 not my feet only1 but also my hands and my head4 ,jesus saith to him1 ,he that is bathed needeth not save to wash his feet1 but is clean every whit3 and ye are clean1 but not all4 ,for he knew him that should betray him2 therefore said he1 ,ye are not all clean4 ,so when he had washed their feet1 and taken his garments1 and sat down again1 he said unto them1 ,know ye what ,i have done to you8 ,ye call me1 ,master1 and1 ,lord3 and ye say well2 for so ,i am4 ,if ,i then1 the ,lord and the ,master1 have washed your feet1 ye also ought to wash one another's feet407#caf7 ,more than once ,i have characterised certain of 8the things which ,jesus did07#cag7 as 8acted parables40 ,the cursing of the fig-tree1 which is the type of the class1 shews what is meant by the term4 ,the washing of the ,apostles' feet is another of these parables of action4 ,these acted parables are usually furnished by incidents lying a little out of the main drift of the action2 as though ,christ1 struck by some plant or berry in which virtue lay1 should have stepped to the way-side to gather it and preserve it for use4 ,the drift of the practical lesson of which we read above1 ,i take to be this4 ,there are men1 right in heart towards ,god1 who are beset with infirmities which lead them astray4 ,the more alive their conscience is1 the more they are distressed by their lapses into ill4 ,this distress may grow morbid1 and lead to ruin and despair4 ,christ in this symbolic action1 anticipatory of ,his ,supreme ,work1 brings healing for such men's woes4 ,he does not merely remit the penalty of sin1 ,he actually 8puts the sin away407#cah7 ,he is like a physician who can assure the patient that the canker he thought was malignant is only skin-deep1 and can be removed at once4 ,the parable speaks of a man who is 8bathed10 and whose body is therefore clean1 but who by travelling along the dusty road has got his feet sullied on the way2 he has only to wash them1 to become 8clean every whit40 ,so a man1 righteous and godfearing at bottom1 may be taken off his guard and carried away by the stream1 or he may contract moral and spiritual ill from a physical irritation akin to bodily ailment2 these are the evils contracted on 8life's common way40 ,these kinds of spiritual ill answer to the dust on the feet1 they can be wiped off2 they have not seriously damaged the soul4 ,this was a cheering lesson1 and it was made to bear on the duty of mutual restoration4 ,they were to wash one another's feet4 ,it is not the way of the world to do this4 ,if1 in a body aiming at holiness of life1 one of the society should go wrong1 it might seem the readiest way of upholding the society's good name to thrust out the offending member at once2 but ,christians are not to deal with one another thus4 ,it is just when a man goes wrong that he most wants his brethren's support4 ,who else is there to stand by him8 ,so if a disciple does amiss1 the rest are told to wash his feet as ,christ had washed theirs--not making out that he was clean--fully allowing that he was sullied1 but telling him that the soil would wash off2 telling him that they had not given him up as being bad to the core1 and that they were sure that his ,father in ,heaven had not cast him off4 ,so doing they might lift him back into self-respect4 ,it is in ,st ,john's ,gospel only that this account is found1 and it is not hard to understand why the writers of the earlier narratives should have passed it by4 ,they looked for historical matter that was linked on with what came before and after1 or else1 they took for their material pregnant sayings along with the events out of which they sprang4 ,they may have omitted this incident1 because of this washing nothing seemed to come4 ,they did not perceive how significant our ,lord's remark on it was4 ,the writers were just coming to the account of the ,lord's ,supper1 their minds were taken up with that1 and they went straight forward to this crowning act4 ,they probably saw in our ,lord's words nothing more than an injunction to lay upon themselves the lowliest duties in serving each other4 ,but the words1 8,what ,i do thou knowest not now1 but thou shalt understand hereafter0 rested in ,st ,john's ear4 ,they implied that behind this washing of the ,apostles' feet there lay something more than appeared4 ,what could this be8 ,he turned the matter over and over again in his mind1 and a sparkle of the truth was1 perhaps1 struck out which served to make him careful to set the matter down precisely as it took place1 for men to look into when they should have a better light4 ,without entering into the controverted question as to whether the ,last ,supper was the ,passover or not17#cai7 ,i adopt ,dr ,edersheim's view that the contention for precedence arose as they were taking places at the table4 ,st ,luke tells us1 8there arose a contention among them which of them is accounted to be greatest407#cbj7 ,st ,john omits the account of the contention and ,st ,luke that of the feetwashing1 but the two fit together admirably well4 ,our ,lord1 by this action of ,his1 gently gives the ,apostles the lesson which they had shewn themselves to need4 ,the scene evidently rises before the writer as he takes up his pen1 and every movement of our ,lord is followed and set down1 from ,his quitting ,his seat to ,his wiping the ,apostles' feet with the towel which ,he had wrapped round ,his waist4 ,the narrative goes on1 8,so he cometh to ,simon ,peter40 ,peter's individuality is strong and marked in its character4 ,not only is he demonstrative but he is quick to receive impressions and new emotion soon displaces the old4 ,his ,master's dignity was dear to him1 and when he thought this infringed1 every other sentiment was lost in his indignation4 ,he says1 8,thou shalt never wash my feet40 ,but as soon as he is told that unless his ,master wash him1 8he has no part with ,him10 he is transported to the opposite extreme1 and begs our ,lord to wash--not his feet only--but his hands and head as well4 ,throughout the ,gospel history we discern our ,lord's care to keep men in a fit condition to serve ,god by active work4 ,all that would impair their efficiency is to be shunned4 ,now1 to repine and brood over some past error cuts the sinews of action2 from this the ,apostles therefore are always diverted1 and they are to be watchful to prevent others from sinking into dejection and folding their hands in despair4 ,a man who is hopeless has no heart for work1 but when he is so far encouraged as to be able to exert himself his despondency soon disappears4 ,thus1 by their washing one another's feet1 the efficiency of their ,society in all ways would be notably increased4 ,the ,apostles seem to have rightly learned the lesson which ,christ here inculcates4 ,st ,mark had turned back in his first mission journey1 but he is afterwards spoken of with affection and found of great service2 and ,st ,paul's words1 with which ,i shall close this notice1 are quite in the spirit of this acted parable4 8,brethren1 even if a man be overtaken in any trespass1 ye which are spiritual1 restore such a one in a spirit of meekness2 looking to thyself1 lest thou also be tempted4 ,bear ye one another's burdens1 and so fulfil the law of ,christ407#cba7 ,use of ,signs in the later ,ministry4 ,ever since the time when after the feeding of the five thousand1 the people wanted to take ,him and make ,him a ,king1 our ,lord has been chary of working ,signs and ,wonders2 and such as are wrought are no longer used for demonstration2 ,signs are now hardly if at all employed to attract attention and waken interest4 ,they had already done in this way all the good they were likely to effect1 and if they had been employed longer1 some of those bye-effects1 which potent agencies are almost sure to produce along with that which is intended1 might have come into operation with injurious results4 ,between the journey to the feast of ,tabernacles and the week of the ,passion1 three only of the leading miracles are recorded2 they are the giving of sight to one born blind in ,jerusalem1 the raising of ,lazarus1 and the opening of the eyes of the blind near ,jericho4 ,this last1 of which ,i shall first speak1 occurred on that final journey of our ,lord to ,jerusalem during which ,he seems to have resumed for a moment ,his earliest function1 that of witness of the ,kingdom of ,god to the people at large4 ,we seem to see1 once again1 the same ,jesus who lived at ,capernaum and taught the people by the ,lake side4 ,whether our ,lord1 on ,his way to this last ,passover1 set out ,himself from ,galilee or joined on the road the great company travelling from the north is left uncertain1 but we find our ,lord among a throng of visitants to the feast1 who are proud of having the ,great ,prophet of ,nazareth among them2 and men come to ,him--some with real troubles of soul like the young ruler--and others1 like the ,pharisees1 either curious to obtain ,his decision on some vexed question1 or maliciously setting ,him in a dilemma between the contravention of ,moses' ,law1 and the retaining of a burden which men were loth to bear4 ,one small event1 preserved to us in the account of this journey1 gives us the clearest glimpse of our ,lord's air and general demeanour that we ever obtain4 ,there was1 about ,him1 that indefinable something which wins children's confidence at sight4 ,the little ones1 who swarmed in the hamlets of the ,jordan valley1 were drawn to ,him by something in ,his look1 and--after long gazing out of their dark eastern eyes1 in childhood's own intent way--they made out that they would be safe with ,him1 and stole to ,his side4 ,the miracle of healing1 worked on the way1 that of the cure of the blind men in ,jericho1 is nearly after the old sort4 ,as ,jesus nears the end1 ,he reverts to the ways with which ,his revelation began4 ,our ,lord was touched no doubt by the affliction of these men and their urgent cry1 and this was a miracle of beneficence1 but ,he takes no pains now to withdraw the act from public view1 ,he does not call them 8aside from the multitude107#cbb7 and heal them in private as ,he had done on ,his way back from the coasts of ,tyre and ,sidon some months before4 ,this miracle stirred the hearts of many beholders1 and this emotion of theirs may have played no small part in the great drama to which this journey was the prelude2 for the company that came with our ,lord from ,galilee formed the staple of that great concourse which shouted 8,blessed is the kingdom that cometh1 the kingdom of our father ,david3 ,hosanna in the highest107#cbc7 and this shout of the people not only roused in the priests that terror which 8sits hard by hate10 but gave them the very thing they wanted--grounds for calling upon ,pilate to prove himself ,csar's friend4 ,it is not likely that any of our ,lord's doings were without an ordered purpose1 and that this cessation of ,signs certainly was not so1 is apparent from our ,lord's words spoken probably soon after the performance of the first of those miracles mentioned above4 ,the words are these4 8,and when the multitudes were gathering together unto him1 he began to say1 ,this generation is an evil generation3 it seeketh after a sign2 and there shall no sign be given to it but the sign of ,jonah407#cbd7 ,on this text as given by ,st ,matthew ,i have already commented2 it is only the coincidence of the time when it was spoken with the gradual withdrawal of visible ,signs that ,i have to notice now4 ,our ,lord looks to sowing the germs of spiritual ,faith4 ,this would not grow up either from the curiosity of those who sought for ,signs1 or the stupefaction of those who gazed in wonderment4 ,henceforth it is 8the word of eternal life0 which lays hold of men4 ,the questions asked in the deepest earnest turn now upon this47#cbe7 ,the revelation of it did not come by express statements or descriptions1 but rather it grew up in men through their consorting with ,christ4 ,they could not believe that ,he would perish1 and ,he told them that because ,he lived they should live also47#cbf7 ,christ1 speaking just before the end1 rests ,his expectation of bringing about the knowledge of ,god1 not on ,his works but on ,his ,personality4 ,his reply to the words 8,shew us the ,father10 is not1 ,have ,i not done mighty works before your eyes8 but1 8,have ,i been so long time with you and dost thou not know me1 ,philip80 ,i now pass to the raising of ,lazarus4 ,it is not within my scope to discuss the nature of the miracle1 ,i have to do with it only in its relation to that ,law of the working of ,signs1 which is suggested in the ,temptation of the ,pinnacle of the ,temple4 ,no ,sign is given to men whose belief is in the formative stage1 in order to force it on2 but to those whose belief is already assured a conclusive miracle may be shown1 because it does not now constrain judgment but only confirms it4 ,if the miracle had been at once published wherever the gospel was preached1 and if it had been supported by testimony which no one could dispute1 this would have been an exception to the rule so often marked in our ,lord's conduct4 ,this miracle is in its nature appalling and conclusive1 and it could not be attributed to ,beelzebub2 but a loop-hole in point of evidence is left for those indisposed to believe1 for it rests on the unsupported testimony of ,st ,john4 ,the raising of ,lazarus was not1 we may conclude1 recorded in the ,apostolic memoir which some suppose to have been the basis of the ,synoptic ,gospels4 ,i have said in the last chapter that ,i think it possible that the entire body of ,apostles were not continuously about the person of our ,lord during the six months between the ,feast of ,tabernacles and the last journey4 ,when ,thomas said1 speaking of the proposed visit to ,jerusalem at the time of ,lazarus' death1 8,let us also go that we may die with ,him107#cbg7 ,i can hardly suppose that ,peter can have been by and have held his peace4 ,supposing then that the writers of this memoir1 among whom ,peter must have held a foremost place1 confined themselves as much as possible to what they knew from personal knowledge1 they would have abstained from introducing a matter so wondrous as that of the raising of ,lazarus1 which they had not witnessed themselves4 ,in whatever way this silence is to be explained1 the silence itself accords with the above-noted ,law4 ,passing on to the events of the ,passion week1 we may be struck by the absence of all public and notable ,signs at a time when1 if ever1 they seemed of vital importance for the cause4 ,a signal miracle wrought before the crowd in the ,temple would have rallied the people to the side of our ,lord in such numbers and with such vehement support1 that none of ,his foes would have dared to lift a hand4 ,for even if the priesthood should have persisted in persuading themselves that our ,lord's power did not come from ,god1 yet1 they would not have dared to move1 if the popular feeling had been strong1 lest they should provoke a riot and the ,roman authorities should intervene4 ,but the people were themselves disappointed by our ,lord's working no ,sign or ,wonder1 during these last days of teaching in the ,temple4 ,some looked for the restoration of ,israel1 and were impatient at the continued delay1 while the lower part of the populace had set their hearts on seeing a prodigy1 and none came4 ,it may be true that1 among the crowd who had shouted 8,hosanna10 the lead had been taken by the caravan of pilgrims from ,galilee1 but still1 at the time of the triumphal entry1 the feeling of the people of ,jerusalem went the same way2 this had cooled down to indifference when our ,lord left the ,temple for the last time2 and disappointment had turned into contemptuous chagrin when our ,lord1 after yielding passively to the ,temple guard1 stood before ,pilate apparently as powerless as they would have been themselves4 ,to ,christians of to-day it seems of the essence of ,christ's sacrifice that ,he should have submitted of ,his own free will to indignity and torment1 when1 by raising a finger or uttering a word1 ,he might have shivered the power both of the priesthood and of ,rome4 ,his behaviour in this point is therefore exactly what we expect4 ,but this truth1 inconceivable for the people1 had hardly dawned as yet on the ,apostles' minds4 ,the multitude would be told and would1 in general1 believe that the miracles of ,jesus1 which all had heard of and some had seen1 must have been unreal or the work of ,beelzebub2 while those who had leaned towards ,him would conclude that1 if ,he had ever been endowed with ,divine power1 it had left ,him now1 or ,he would certainly have used it for defence4 ,but the ,apostles were not left without fresh assurance1 given to them alone4 ,although of ,signs1 notable and public1 during this period there were none1 still two ,signs of a special character there were1 which exactly met the requirements of the case2 they created no stir1 they were not observed by the people1 but they served to keep alive in the ,apostles' hearts the certainty that ,god was with their ,master still4 ,one was the withering of the fig-tree1 the other the foretelling that ,peter would deny his ,lord2 of the first of these miracles ,i have spoken fully before47#cbh7 ,this latter miracle is connected with our ,lord's strange faculty of seeing what was passing in men's hearts1 and of tracing what the outcome of it would be4 ,when men felt that ,christ knew their hearts1 they were getting near the idea of ,his spiritual presence with them2 so that all this leads up to the crowning point of ,christ's education1 the rendering the ,apostles sensitive to every breath of the ,spirit1 capable1 amid a din of inward voices calling them diverse ways1 of discerning with sure ear the tones of ,god4 ,this miracle and this event contain a lesson on forgiven error1 intended for all time4 ,here1 as before observed1 we have an instance of ,christ's way of ensuring that what ,he desired to preserve should be handed down4 ,this event is stamped with life-like particulars which ensure its currency and its becoming familiar in the mouths of men4 ,the words 8the cock shall not crow twice0 give to the incident a reality which vitalises the story and preserves it for ever4 ,contrast the tale such as we have it1 with what it would have been if our ,lord had only said1 8,you will deny me before ,i die40 ,as to the miracle itself a few words must be said4 ,it brings out the identity of the idiosyncrasy of ,st ,peter1 who is given up to the impulse of the moment4 ,the ,peter who denied and then wept bitterly1 is the same man1 psychologically1 as he who begged his ,master to call him to come upon the sea1 and whose faith failed4 ,this liability to panic clung to him2 years after1 we find him at ,antioch going along with ,paul in freeing the converts from ,jewish obligations2 but1 as soon as 8certain came from ,james107#cbi7 he was alarmed at his temerity and separated himself1 8fearing them that were of the circumcision40 7,see also pp4 #dbc1 #dbd47 ,neither by our ,lord or any of the brethren is this failing of ,peter's ever touched upon again4 ,this is exactly a case of what was noted at page #dba4 ,christ washes from off ,peter's feet the soil contracted on the way1 and he becomes clean every whit4 ,the evil was only skin deep and had not tainted the blood4 ,for this denial was1 ,i am sure1 not due to any base fear4 ,peter had drawn and struck for his ,master1 and was naturally bewildered at finding that his ,master would neither suffer ,his disciples to fight nor call the legions of angels to ,his help4 ,in their utter confusion of mind the ,apostles fled1 but ,peter and ,john followed a little way off4 ,this they would not have done if they had been in actual terror of being punished themselves4 ,but there was no real ground for any such fear2 no attempt is made to apprehend any follower of our ,lord4 ,to have tried to do so would have increased that danger of riot1 which the rulers shunned4 ,what ,peter did fear was forcible separation from ,christ4 ,he was afraid that1 if proved to be a follower of ,jesus1 he would be turned out of the judgment hall of ,caiaphas4 ,he would have said or done almost anything to avoid that4 ,it was1 as we have seen1 part of his nature to be mastered by the feeling that was uppermost4 ,he clung to his ,master's side with the instinctive fidelity of a ,highland henchman to his chief4 ,thrice he might have gone away1 but this he will on no account do4 ,after being noticed he on each occasion moves away and returns1 only shifting his position2 he goes into the vestibule1 and finally tries to mix with the crowd round the fire1 whence1 out of the half-darkness which saved him from recognition1 he could still see his ,master4 ,but 8his speech bewrayeth0 him2 he is noticed again as he had been before1 and for the third time he denies4 ,whereupon the cock crows1 and turning towards the arcade at the end of the court where the trial was going on1 he meets our ,lord's eyes fixed upon him4 ,then1 for the first time1 it strikes him that he has done wrong4 ,it never occurred to ,peter that in saying 8,i know not the man10 he was being disloyal to the ,master he loved4 ,he wanted to keep sight of his ,master1 and did not feel bound to speak the truth to a foe4 ,no words are needed to shew him his fault4 ,one look of our ,lord settles the matter2 it awakens the higher sense of truth1 which had gone to sleep when the old instinct of the ,oriental peasant1 the habit of confronting authority with a flat denial1 became dominant in ,peter's breast4 ,when the company of ,apostles was scattered on their ,master's apprehension1 the strength they had drawn from association with ,jesus vanished at once2 and then ,peter dropped from the moral level of a disciple of ,christ into the ,galilean fisherman he had been before4 ,he had been used to regard officials of ,herod1 or any ruling power1 as his natural enemies1 to whom he was not bound to speak the truth1 and to this1 his old self1 he came back now4 ,but though ,peter's heart may have acquitted him of cowardly forsaking his ,master1--though he knew that he would1 if need were1 have gone with him to prison and to death1--yet he felt that this denial was1 in words--though only in words--a falling away from perfect loyalty2 it made clear to him1 as it may have been meant to do1 the weakness of his character in the way of yielding to impulse1 and awakened floods of self reproach4 ,he went out and wept bitterly2 but no trace appears afterwards of a loss of self respect1 or of his feeling it possible that he could be in disgrace with his ,master2 in fact his part in his ,master becomes all the greater1 owing to his having needed that ,he should wash his feet4 ,these two miracles of instruction then1 the prediction of ,peter's denials and the withering of the fig tree1 were an assurance to the disciples that our ,lord still retained ,his superhuman power1 and that whether ,he should drink of the cup or put it away1 up to the last1 rested entirely with ,him4 ,these powers of ,his could not be displayed to the people without hindrance to the accomplishment of that ,baptism with which ,he 8had to be baptised20 even the working of miracles of healing might so have moved the crowd that they would have risen in ,his defence47#ccj7 ,the ,apostles1 however1 were to be rendered sure that these powers remained what they had ever been and that they were1 for them1 in operation still2 so that they might never doubt but that1 amid all the apparent defeat1 it was with the voluntary sufferer on the ,cross that the real ,victory--the moral ,victory lay4 ,,chapter ,,xiii4 ,,the ,,lessons ,,of ,,the ,,resurrection4 ,when contemplating the ,passion and the ,resurrection of ,christ1 we have little attention to spare for the subordinate personages in the scene4 ,the effects of these manifestations1 in working changes in the hearts and minds of the witnesses1 are put out of sight by the brilliancy and intrinsic grandeur of the manifestations themselves1 and by the momentous character of their direct consequences1 universally affecting mankind4 ,but the transformation in temper1 in views1 and in habits of mind which converted the ,apostles of the ,gospels into the ,apostles of the ,acts--a transformation to me otherwise inexplicable--was consummated and clenched by the hours of hard trial and bitter anguish of that ,sabbath day1 when there was nothing to be done but to mourn and to wonder2 as well as by the burst of gladness when the ,risen ,lord appeared to the eleven4 ,throughout all the ,post-,resurrection interval1 during which the ,apostles felt that ,he was close by and might at any time appear--indeed that any stranger accosting them might turn out to be ,he--the changes which had been wrought were taking lasting hold4 ,the data for the history of that ,passover season of ,a4,d4 #cj must have been furnished by the ,apostles1 yet we find in it scarcely any mention of themselves2 all personal thought was driven from their minds2 the narrators1 like ourselves1 had eyes for the ,saviour alone4 ,from the hour of cockcrow on the ,thursday night to the time when it 8began to dawn toward the first day of the week0 all that we hear of the ,apostles1 and that comes out incidentally1 is that ,john stood at the foot of the ,cross4 ,there is not a word to explain their flight at ,gethsemane1 they do not tell us1 that they stood in the crowd or followed to ,golgotha2 neither have we1 what for my purpose would be invaluable1 any word of how they passed that ,sabbath day of enforced inaction1 which--in accordance with our ,lord's way of letting intervals of quiet alternate with times of stress and strain--followed on the violent perturbation and intense dismay of the ,crucifixion4 ,the ,apostles could not be perfected for the part that awaited them1 unless they encountered some great desolation of soul4 ,acute suffering1 which searches the innermost nature1 works after the law which has become so trite to my readers1 it gives to those who have4 ,there are some who under its pangs learn that they possess a kind of strength of which they did not know1 and find that when some1 seemingly more robust1 break down in trouble1 resource and tenacity are still left in them4 ,this kind of strength the ,apostles possessed2 they stood the test of being apparently forsaken and were the better for it4 ,each individual after the trial felt surer that he could rely on himself than he had been before1 and each then knew for certain that he could rely on the rest4 ,they might1 as soon as the ,sabbath was over1 have taken their northward journey1 going every man to his own2 and1 as they did not feel safe where they were--for they had to close their doors for fear of the ,jews--and must have been grievously bewildered1 this is what some out of the eleven at any rate might have been expected to do4 ,it is the steadfastness of the whole number that is so surprising4 ,the trial to which the ,apostles were subjected1 during those six and thirty hours1 was excessively severe4 ,they were left as sheep without a shepherd1 with no rallying point1 no organised rule2 and not only were they in the deepest anguish1 owing to their personal affection for their ,master1 but the lodestar of their lives1 the hope of the ,restoration of the ,kingdom to ,israel1 seemed suddenly and totally withdrawn4 ,the ,jewish notion of a ,messiah1 who would inaugurate a golden age of national glory and material enjoyment1 was so engrained in the ,israelite nature that only facts could drive it out4 ,our ,lord never argues against it2 if ,he beheld1 in the course of coming events1 a fact approaching1 which would do more to dispel error than all the arguments in the world1 this would explain ,his silence on these points4 ,the awakening would not be without dangers4 ,it is a perilous moment for a man1 when the one dream1 the one exalted hope1 that has lifted him above selfish considerations is rudely dispelled2 and ,god1 whom he had thought to serve1 seems to disregard him altogether4 ,then self and the world say1 8,we told you so2 now give yourself to us8 ,our votaries will be found to have taken the right road after all40 ,of all the temptations that assailed the ,apostles this was perhaps the direst2 but their loyalty to their ,master1 born of nearly two years' daily fellowship1 held fast4 ,even if ,he were gone they could be true to ,his memory still1 and that was something left4 ,one lesson1 which the ,apostles could hardly help learning1 would arise1 in this way1 out of the discomfiture of their hopes4 ,they might ask themselves1 on what this confident expectation of theirs1 of a ,messianic kingdom1 rested by way of grounds4 ,they would have to own that ,christ had never spoken of it1 but1 indeed1 had often given hints of what had really come to pass--hints which they had always quickly brushed aside4 ,they had believed in this material ,kingdom because everybody around them had done so4 ,they had not formed any notion about it of their own selves2 no movement of their own minds had gone towards forming the belief4 ,they had imbibed it and that was all4 ,hence finding themselves deceived by trusting to a popular belief1 there may have arisen in them a healthy mistrust of positiveness about the ways of ,god4 ,again1 their disappointment might put them in a better direction for finding their way4 8,some hope10 they might say1 8assuredly ,christ did hold out to us10 and the search after this hope might lead them to recollect that latterly they had heard little from ,him of the ,kingdom1 and much of the future ,life2 ,he had told them that because ,he lived they should live also2 and the conception of a ,kingdom1 not of this world1 might arise in their minds1 and take the place of that of the expected ,supremacy of ,israel1 which was dissolving out of sight4 ,another effect of their affliction was that it drew them closer together4 ,when a family1 is orphaned by a heavy blow1 what they first feel may be helplessness1 but soon follows the feeling that they must cling together and be true to one another1 and each in his degree supply the help that is lost4 ,soon the elder brothers1 if there is good in them1 learn what duty is1 and this new responsibility draws capacity out4 ,now the ,apostles stood in the position of elder brethren to all the family of ,christ's disciples4 ,it is a striking feature of the change worked in the ,apostles1 that1 after the ,resurrection1 all thoughts of self disappeared4 ,the ,apostles1 as the ,history shews us1 had been originally no less prone to wrangle as to 8which should be greatest0 than the average of men4 ,we find in the ,gospel the self-regard that we might naturally expect3 sometimes it is of a healthy sort1 as when ,peter says1 8,we have left all and followed thee20 and sometimes it is unhealthy1 like that soreness on points of precedence1 which we mark even just before the ,last ,supper2 but in the ,acts we find among the ,apostles no trace of self-regard at all4 ,the history in our hands will account for this change satisfactorily enough2 for these men were called to a ,work1 so transcending all human interests1 so absolute1 that it would leave no room for any personal thought in their souls4 ,they were to be fellow-workers with the living ,god4 ,what could be the worth of the difference between this office or dignity in ,god's service and that1 compared with being counted worthy to take a conscious part in ,god's service at all8 ,some powerful impression must have been employed to bring about such a moral change as this2 and what could better account for such an impression1 than to have witnessed ,christ upon the ,cross8 ,how could they1 the servants1 cavil about social consideration or dignity1 when their ,master had spurned all dignity and cast away all that common men hold dear1 and that too1 when by speaking a word1 all that earth could bestow might have been ,his4 ,lastly1 the sense that ,christ was present with them and knew their hearts1 was made so real and effectual by the ,post-,resurrection intercourse1 that it afterwards dominated their lives4 ,this feeling would still the disposition to rivalry1 if any such lingered in their hearts2 for1 being convinced that their ,master knew what went on in them1 they would know that ,he grieved over anything that was wrong1 as ,he had done when ,he was by their side2 and they would shrink from causing ,him pain4 ,the story of the ,apostles is unique in ,history in another way4 ,no one of them endeavoured to draw a following about himself1 or to claim succession to the ,master's place4 ,little differences of view and little disagreements as to the course to be followed now and then there were2 if1 indeed1 our records did not speak of such we should suspect that something was kept back4 ,we have cases enough of causes passed on to a company of successors from the dying leaders' hands1 but in no instance1 that ,i recollect1 have these successors remained united as the ,apostles did 7p4 #dad74 ,monarchs have sometimes left empires in trust to their generals1 whose quarrels have finally torn them to bits4 ,philosophers have left their systems or their discoveries to their favourite pupils1 who1 taking hold of them by different ends1 have set up new philosophies of their own4 ,kingly dynasties and political parties have bequeathed causes claiming to be sanctioned by ,divine right1 or to embody immutable principles1 and the inheritors have so fallen out over points of policy1 that the broad principle1 broken up into branching channels1 has lost its momentum and disappeared in the sands4 ,i pass on to the lessons which our ,history of the ,resurrection conveys4 ,the different narratives relate our ,lord's appearances1 with differing circumstances of persons and place4 ,herein ,i find that loophole for disbelief which may be discovered in every miraculous manifestation of our ,lord4 ,if the fact of our ,lord's ,resurrection had been so attested that no sane person could doubt of the fact2 if ,he had appeared in public1 and appalled ,pilate on his judgment seat or ,herod on his throne1 then--strange as it may appear--by the very fact of the historical certainty being thus established1 the moral significance of the ,resurrection would be impaired1 for the acceptance of it would be independent of that which ,i have so often said is essential to religious belief1 the concurrence of the free human will4 ,although1 as to the occasions and circumstances of the appearances1 we find in the different accounts rather more than their customary diversity2 yet in the nature of the appearances the agreement is so singular1 and the conception involved is so unexampled1 that it is impossible for different writers to have lighted at the same time on the idea1 and ,i can find no explanation for the phenomena1 except by supposing that the picture was taken from life4 ,the appearances themselves1 as we should expect from their nature1 leave on the mental retina an impression indelible and distinct2 but the traditions about when and how they occurred1 undergo variation as they pass from mouth to mouth4 ,the character of our ,lord's appearances1 in all the ,gospels1 is alike4 ,most commonly ,he is not recognised at first1 and does not appear in ,his own form1 when other than disciples are by2 only to those1 who had already mastered the words of eternal life1 was it given to see ,him ,risen from the dead4 ,he comes men know not how1 when they are sitting with fastened doors ,he appears in the midst2 ,he goes they know not where1 and the disciples who beforetime were so full of curiosity1 do not venture to ask whither ,he goes or where ,he abides4 ,but1 what bears most of all on my subject1 is the mode in which our ,lord assuages that dread of a disembodied spirit1 which would have paralysed the ,apostles' minds4 ,this terror1 reasonable or not1 certainly existed1 and ,christ always deals with the fact ,he finds4 ,there were lessons still to be taught and for the right learning of them it was needful that the old confidence between ,master and learners should still subsist4 ,could the disciples have listened to the ,lord1 as their old ,master1 receiving his direction to go back to ,jerusalem and tarry there till they were 8endued with power20--could they have rested gladly on the assurance that ,he would appear and help them in any need that came1 if they had regarded ,him as a spectre belonging to another world8 ,in order to calm their instinctive terror of a spirit1 and be again in some degree what ,he had been on the ,lake shore of ,galilee1 it was necessary for our ,lord to assure the ,apostles that ,he had a body even as they4 ,the deep doctrinal significance of this lies beyond the limited purpose of my book1 but the point which is within my range--the effect on the ,apostles themselves of the conviction of our ,lord's existence in the body--is important and full of instruction4 ,it was essential that confidence should be restored1 and the course actually adopted did restore it in a wonderful way4 ,men thought that a spirit might be seen and heard but only a body could be felt4 ,our ,lord therefore at once appeals to touch--,he eats and drinks before them4 ,he tells them that ,he has flesh and bones4 ,he suffers them to 8handle ,him and see40 ,to this corporal presence as a crowning fact ,st ,john recurs1 saying 8,that which we beheld and our hands handled207#cca7 and ,st ,peter says 8,him ,god raised up the third day1 and gave him to be made manifest1 not to all the people1 but unto witnesses that were chosen before of ,god1 even to us1 who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead407#ccb7 ,our ,lord would not ,himself establish a visible ,church4 ,i have amply set out1 p4 #bcf1 the difficulties that would have ensued if ,he had so done2 but it was essential that the ,apostles should receive some indication--though only so much as was essential to the lines upon which they were to build2 and this being a matter of human cognisance was to be given by ,christ in ,his human guise4 ,a phantom1 or a voice from ,heaven1 would have seemed an agency of a different order from the intervention of the ,son of ,man4 ,here ,i will stop for a moment1 to consider these narratives of the ,resurrection under a purely literary point of view4 ,these accounts present us with the same general aspect of the risen ,lord1 and they remain true to the primary conception in unnoticeable points of detail such as no one would have introduced out of purposed imitation4 ,inasmuch as we cannot suppose that the same wondrous creation of fancy presented itself to different writers at the same time1 we are driven to suppose1 either that the accounts relate actual facts1 as ,christians generally believe2 or else that they were imagined by one person who disseminated the story4 ,but who this writer can have been is not only a mystery but a mystery embodying almost a miracle1 for here we have a genius compared with whom--in point of dealing naturally with the supernatural--,shakespeare is thrown into the shade2 and further this genius1 we must suppose1 never invented or wrote anything else in that particular line in which he so wondrously surpassed the rest of mankind4 ,the ,orientals delighted in tales4 ,did they suffer the greatest imaginative genius of the world to live and die unknown8 ,there was nothing in ,literature to furnish a hint for the portraiture of the risen ,lord2 the idea of the ,resurrection body must have been due to one man's imagination and have been presented with extraordinary literary skill at a time when imaginative narration was wholly unknown4 ,the writers of the age in which the ,gospels appeared could set down events and record colloquies1 and depict living personalities with truth and force2 but they were no more capable of conceiving a character1 of making him act1 and putting into his mouth words which should seem to be his own2 or of imagining a new supernatural phenomenon1 and keeping their account always true to itself2 than they were of conceiving the vibrations of an elastic medium4 ,that this phenomenon also1 exactly met the requirements of a most singular condition of things adds greatly to the wonder1 but in another way4 ,if the ,christian records had been thrown aside and forgotten1 while the world1 passing on its way1 reached a mental culture such as we now possess2 and then1 in some exploration1 the ,gospels had been brought to light3 would they not have been regarded by the critics of that day as wholly anomalous1 and as refusing to fit in with any theory of the growth and progress of the literary faculty in mankind8 ,the surprise caused by the discovery would have been like that of excavators at ,mycenae1 if they had found a watch in the treasury of ,agamemnon4 ,this aspect of the matter belongs to the realm of critical literature rather than to mine1 and ,i only note it for a hint4 ,the literary aspect of the ,history of the ,resurrection has yet to be written2 it would be curious to see it treated from the point of view of one1 who1 shut out from a knowledge of the religious history of mankind1 lighted on it as a mere literary treasure4 ,there is one point on which ,i cannot forbear to touch4 ,our ,lord never mentions ,his persecutors1 ,he never touches on the past4 ,the apparition of a legend usually either reveals a burning secret1 or embodies resentment for the past2 frequently it personifies hatred or foretells destruction1 and its fateful whispers make the blood of enemies run cold4 ,but in all the utterances of the ,risen ,lord not a word is said of the coming destruction of ,jerusalem1 not a syllable is breathed of the treason of ,judas1 or of the persistent malice of the scribes4 ,there is an ineffable grandeur--so unconscious that we may fail to mark it--in the utter oblivion that is passed on the foes who had beset the path of the ,son of ,man4 ,he no more resents the ills that men had wrought ,him on ,his way through life1 than the traveller1 who has reached his home1 resents the insect plague of the desert or the tempests he has met with at sea4 ,the past is lost to sight1 and our ,lord displays but one thought and one interest1 and that is for the disciples and their work4 ,he has now done with the rest of the world and ,he belongs wholly to them4 ,he is lifted above all human contention into that serene atmosphere1 which we feel ourselves to be breathing1 when1 reading the story1 we seem to find ourselves in the presence of the ,risen ,lord4 ,i will now quote ,st ,paul's account of the chief occasions when our ,lord appeared2 but ,i can only discuss one or two points of the ,history4 8,and that he appeared to ,cephas2 then to the twelve2 then he appeared to above five hundred brethren at once1 of whom the greater part remain until now1 but some are fallen asleep2 then he appeared to ,james2 then to all the apostles2 and last of all1 as unto one born out of due time1 he appeared to me also407#ccc7 ,i take the view1 that within a few days of the ,resurrection1 the ,apostles1 by our ,lord's command1 returned to ,galilee4 ,if the ,resurrection had been immediately followed by a time of agitation--one of persecution for instance--so that the ,apostles could not have let their minds dwell on what had happened1 the lessons of that period would have been soon effaced2 but our ,lord1 as we have seen1 is ever careful to provide seasonable opportunity for reflection1 and it was not likely that ,he would suffer it to be wanting now4 ,the ,apostles in ,galilee1 engaging again in their old callings1 would have leisure to review1 not only the last few days1 but the whole of the two eventful years since they had been called from their work to follow ,christ4 ,it was probably here in ,galilee that the ,apostles received a command to return to ,jerusalem2 for we cannot account for the presence there of all the eleven1 at the time of the ,ascension1 together with the mother and brethren of our ,lord1 except by special direction of our ,lord4 ,they would not1 without some injunction1 have remained at ,jerusalem after the ,resurrection17#ccd7 neither would they have gone up thither for ,pentecost1 having been so lately at the ,passover4 ,whether the appearance to the 8five hundred brethren at once07#cce7 be1 as ,i think it was1 identical with that on the mountain in ,galilee recorded in ,st ,matthew's ,gospel1 c4 xxviii41 v4 #af1 is a matter of discussion4 ,but where else1 except in ,galilee could five hundred disciples have been got together8 ,it could not have been at ,jerusalem1 at the ,ascension1 because the brethren there only numbered one hundred and twenty souls47#ccf7 ,st ,matthew1 it is true1 only speaks of the eleven disciples as going 8into ,galilee unto the mountain10 but others must have been present because we are told that 8some doubted10 and the eleven would not have doubted4 ,this admission shews that when the writer drew up his account1 he felt no eagerness to strengthen the evidence for the ,resurrection2 and that ,he had no fear of its being disbelieved by those for whom he wrote4 ,the eagerness that ,st ,matthew does shew is to find instances of the fulfilment of ,scripture1 not to support his statements of fact4 ,it seems to me likely1 that1 in ,galilee1 among ,his earliest followers1 our ,lord should have appeared more publicly than ,he did elsewhere2 here only could ,he find a body of believers who should serve as witnesses1 and1 inasmuch as among these five hundred1 there must have been men in different states of belief1 it falls in with our ,lord's way1 so often noted1 that ,he should appear in a form1 not indisputably recognisable at once and by all1 but with ,his aspect so changed1 by some glorification perhaps1 that those who were half-hearted in their belief might remain in doubt or disbelief if they chose2 while the faithful and loving would be in no uncertainty about their ,master's lineaments and voice4 ,the appearance 8to ,james0 which is related by ,st ,paul alone1 is important1 and calls for special notice4 ,there are three persons called 8,james0 in the sacred books1 and there may be a question which of these it is of whom ,st ,paul speaks4 ,i am of opinion that it is ,james the brother of our ,lord4 ,the ,corinthians1 to whom ,st ,paul is writing1 would hardly know of any other2 he was the head of the church at ,jerusalem and when ,paul speaks of 8,james0 simply1 as in ,galatians ii4 #i1 #ab1 he means always the brother of the ,lord4 8,james1 the son of ,zebedee10 ,acts xii4 #b1 is designated 8the brother of ,john0 for distinction's sake1 and of ,james the son of ,alphaeus we never hear4 ,every disciple however in the ,church at ,corinth had heard of ,james1 the 8pillar0 of the ,church at ,jerusalem47#ccg7 ,nothing is heard of our ,lord's brethren during the week of the ,passion2 possibly1 they were not in ,jerusalem1 but1 from the ,acts1 as has been just said1 we find that they were present there at the time of the ,ascension4 8,these all with one accord continued steadfastly in prayer1 with the women1 and ,mary the mother of ,jesus1 and with his brethren40 ,acts i4 #ad4 ,this adhesion of the brethren falls in with the supposition that our ,lord appeared to ,his brother ,james after the ,resurrection in ,galilee4 ,it was natural that ,james and the younger brethren should have found difficulty in comprehending that their elder brother1 who had played among them as a child was of a nature essentially different from their own2 and that this exceptional hindrance to belief should be counterpoised by an exceptional1 but not absolutely decisive1 revelation is what we might expect4 ,it is not inconsistent with our ,lord's treatment of doubt2 for the difficulty arose out of circumstances and not from adverse will4 ,of ,james1 our ,lord may have felt sure2 and ,joses and ,jude and ,simon17#cch7 no one of whom could have been much over thirty years of age1 while one or two of them must have been quite young men1 may have been brought to full discipleship by what they heard from ,james4 ,from what ,st ,paul says1 8,am ,i not an ,apostle8 ,have ,i not seen ,jesus our ,lord807#cci7 it seems likely that to have beheld the ,risen ,lord was held to be a condition of the status of an ,apostle4 ,st ,paul must have meant 8seen the ,risen ,jesus10 for to have cast eyes on the bodily presence of ,jesus1 as ,he journeyed and taught1 would have been a distinction shared with thousands4 ,without some recognition of ,james by our ,lord1 such as is related by ,st ,paul1 it is hard to account for his being placed at the head of the ,church4 ,we hear of no election or form of appointment1 but we find him in this position about ten years after this time4 ,it would have been at variance with our ,lord's repeated injunctions to the ,apostles not to seek authority one over the other1 if the primacy had been made a matter of contest47#cdj7 ,organisation and graduation of authority grew up in the ,church1 not after any plan settled and declared1 but as the need of it arose4 ,it agreed in this respect with the history of those human institutions that have proved the most enduring4 ,in this1 as in all matters1 our ,lord1 wherever it was possible1 left ,his followers free2 not but what1 when these same followers turned to their ,master and prayed for guidance1 as in the election of ,matthias1 they found in their hearts an answer positive and plain4 ,st ,peter1 in the earliest days of the ,church1 stands forth as the foremost personage2 but this influence rests on personal qualities and not on any formal appointment4 ,he1 as ,i have said 7pp4 #bdh1 #cdd71 was the man of action1 the person who in every juncture addressed himself at once to the question1 8,what is to be done80 ,it was ,peter1 who took immediate steps to fill up the vacancy which the apostacy of ,judas had left4 ,he was the speaker on the day of ,pentecost1 and he it was who in the case of ,ananias sternly repressed falsehood unto ,god4 ,but the impetuosity of ,peter1 and his disposition to give himself up completely to the impression of the moment1 though it served well to carry forward a great movement at its outset1 may have made him ill adapted for the ruler of an infant ,church1 in which discordant elements had to be welded into one2 while the well-poised judgment of ,james the ,just7#cda7 and his practical sense fitted him particularly for this kind of rule4 ,that this admirable selection1 this putting of each in his right place1 should have come about without dispute2 and that those who had 8borne the burden and heat of the day0 should have admitted to equality--or something more--in outward dignity1 one who was 8of the eleventh hour10 bears out what ,i have said of the phenomenal subordination of self displayed by the ,apostles4 ,it shews that outward dignity and authority--that which ,i have taken to be the 8false mammon0 of the parable--was as nothing in their eyes compared to the true riches1 the priceless feeling that their work great or small1 as men might count it1 was all done for ,god and all accepted by ,god4 ,the ,ascension4 ,what was said of the ,resurrection we may say of the ,ascension too4 ,the changes it brought about in the position and characters of those few 8men of ,galilee0 who stood 8gazing up into heaven10 seem small matters compared with the immensity of its import for the ,human ,race4 ,but1 that our ,lord did not leave out of sight the effect on the ,apostles of the change in their condition which ,his departure would cause1 is clear from words spoken to the ,twelve1 which are preserved to us by ,st ,john1 and on which there is something to say4 8,nevertheless ,i tell you the truth2 ,it is expedient for you that ,i go away3 for if ,i go not away1 the ,comforter will not come unto you2 but if ,i go1 ,i will send him unto you407#cdb7 ,this saying the ,apostles may have found hard to comprehend2 for it must have seemed to them impossible that it could ever be for their good for their ,master to leave them2 and1 why the ,comforter should not come1 while they all continued together1 would by no means be clear to their minds4 ,neither here nor elsewhere does our ,lord explain to the ,apostles either the reason of ,his regimen or the way in which it was to work4 ,he tells them simply the fact1 without a word as to how or why4 ,he never leads them to examine into the modus operandi of ,his treatment1 ,he would have awakened--what ,he carefully avoids--self-consciousness1 if ,he had so done4 ,that they could not learn1 at the same time1 from ,him in the body and also from the ,comforter in their own souls1 arose1 not from any 8determinate counsel of ,god10 but because the mind cannot perform two operations at once4 ,it rested on the positive psychological fact that we cannot walk by ,sight and by ,faith at the same time2 that we cannot turn one ear to an earthly monitor1 and keep the other open to the whispers of a spiritual guide4 ,the posture of our minds when we are hanging on the lips of a living ,master1 is different from that in which we set ourselves to listen for the ,comforting ,voice from within4 ,the ,apostles would not have learned to hearken to the promptings of the ,spirit so long as they could turn to ,christ by their side2 and it was therefore 8expedient for them0 that ,christ should go away4 ,they would not otherwise have reached full communion with the ,spirit on high4 ,instances in the ,acts shew us in what way the ,spirit acted in the hearts of believers4 ,sometimes1 when human judgment and inclination seemed to agree1 an unaccountable inward reluctance to follow their dictates was nevertheless felt--a repugnance1 not resting on a new argument1 but simply saying 8,no40 ,when men experienced such feelings1 some might overbear them by will2 but ,paul and ,silas recognised in them the voice of the ,spirit4 ,for we hear that they 8went through the region of ,phrygia and ,galatia1 having been forbidden of the ,holy ,ghost to speak the word in ,asia2 and when they were come over against ,mysia1 they assayed to go into ,bithynia2 and the ,spirit of ,jesus suffered them not407#cdc7 ,again ,christ's ,church was to be everlasting and universal1 and this it could only become by changing outward and visible for inward spiritual rule4 ,so long as the ,lord was in bodily presence among them1 the disciples naturally looked only to ,him4 ,where ,he was1 there and there only to their minds was ,his ,kingdom and ,his ,church4 ,for ,his sway to become universal it was essential that ,he should go away1 for it is only ,spiritual influence that can be everywhere at once4 ,the fire had to be set alight at a particular spot and at a particular time1 but it was then to be left to spread over the earth and to go on burning1 seemingly all of itself4 ,all through the ,gospel we mark how men cling to the ,letter1 and how ,christ1 with tender hand extricates the ,spirit from it and tells ,his hearers1 that it is this which gives the ,letter its worth4 ,a law such as that of ,moses has its place in the ,schooling of a race at a certain epoch of national life2 but a code or a creed that cannot be expanded must at last be outgrown4 ,if however a ,divine and living ,spirit be enshrined in a ,church1 it may direct its development1 and transform the outward tenement as inward need requires4 ,christ came to set men spiritually free2 but1 strange to say1 men are slow to take this freedom up4 ,among some ,african races1 a man set free from a master at once goes and sells himself to another1 he cannot be troubled with managing for himself4 ,this is like the way in which men liberated from one absolute and infallible authority have so often handed themselves over to another4 ,they must have something or somebody to take their beliefs and consciences in charge4 ,fancying that they are to be saved by holding proper opinions--for by belief they often mean no more than taking up and maintaining opinion--they come1 asking1 8,what are we to believe80 just as the ,scribe asked1 8,what am ,i to do80 ,christ's answer to him practically was1 that he possessed already grounds enough to frame for himself a rule of conduct such as he required4 ,might ,he not answer the others nearly in the same strain8 ,belief1 in ,christ's sense of the word1 is not the acceptance of a theory1 it is something that will actuate the man's whole being1 and which requires the concurrence of an emancipated will4 ,now this emancipation brings with it a responsibility--a call to mental effort--which a large proportion of mankind steadfastly abhor4 ,thus the ,israelitish party in ,st ,paul's time and after1 hugged the chains of the ,jewish ,law2 then1 after turbulent ages of fierce doctrinal dissension1 when combative spirits found in polemics the strife which their temperaments required1 the ,churches of ,greece and of ,rome took charge of the consciences of men4 ,a revolt at length took place against the external authority of the ,church1 but there was no more religious freedom under the new regimes than under the old4 ,confessions of ,faith came into vogue1 and men tried to tie down after ages to the ways in which the controversialists of the sixteenth century had1 with much giving and taking1 agreed to regard the insoluble problems of existence4 ,the ,bible was now often held up1 not to reveal ,god's will and ways1 but to yield texts for weapons in disputes4 ,christ's care to guard against a bondage unto written matter is apparent in the whole form of ,his teaching2 and especially in ,his leaving no writings of ,his own1 and no directly accredited record of ,his life2 but the craving of men after an unerring touchstone of truth has wrapped them again in bonds like those from which ,christ would have set them free2 and the ,canonical books have been invested with a character of literal inspiration1 not unlike what would have attached to writings of our ,lord ,himself4 ,the verses of ,john1 ,chap4 xvi4 #i1 #aj which follow that of which ,i have been speaking1 while leading us to the profoundest ,theology1 bear on the change from a visible teacher to a spiritual one1 and so far they come within my scope4 ,i have only to do with them so far as they illustrate this change4 ,the reason given for the intervention of the ,spirit is1 that ,christ1 in the body1 will no longer bring home to the world the sense of sin and of righteousness and of judgement4 8,and he1 when he is come1 will convict the world in respect of sin1 and of righteousness1 and of judgement3 of sin1 because they believe not on me2 of righteousness1 because ,i go to the ,father1 and ye behold me no more2 of judgement1 because the prince of this world has been judged40 ,john xvi4 #h-aa4 ,i should place the emphasis on the pronouns--,he and ,i4 ,the ,spirit is to take the place of the departed ,lord4 ,so long as ,christ was in the world ,he ,himself brought home to the men who believed on ,him the sense of sin2 ,he presented the ideal of righteousness1 and ,he enforced the conviction that moral evil brought doom and destruction upon men4 ,henceforth the witness to all this would no longer be ,christ in the body1 whose contact with the world was necessarily limited to one point1 but the ,holy ,spirit1 which could speak to the hearts of all mankind at once4 ,it would lead me too far from my province if ,i enlarged on the topic of ,judgment2 and ,i turn to another matter4 ,it may be asked1 ,why did this ,post-,resurrection state last as long as it did and not longer8 ,god's reasons we leave aside1 but this we can say1 ,christ never hurries forward processes in the ,apostles' mind1 and these processes1 in this case1 needed all the time allowed2 also1 since a state of watchfulness involves a nerve-strain1 it agrees with ,christ's carefulness for the body that this condition should not last too long4 ,the durations of the different stages of our ,lord's teaching--that while ,he was in the flesh1 and that while ,he wore the body of the ,resurrection--seem to me just as wisely ordered for the end in view1 as are the other circumstances of the case4 ,christ's way of teaching is the very opposite of that which would make the learner a mere reflection of his ,master4 ,in the ,mission to the cities and in the ministrations of their every-day life1 ,christ had left the ,apostles to act very much for themselves1 ,he had kept their self-helpfulness alive in various ways2 we find them bold to question1 and not slow to murmur1 and both questions and murmurs are readily tolerated by our ,lord4 ,but1 even with all these precautions1 if they had remained too long in attendance on ,him1 we can imagine that they would have got confirmed in the habit of looking constantly to their ,master and of1 at once1 carrying to ,him every difficulty without considering it themselves1 and they would thus have lost capacity both to think and to act4 ,they might also have fallen into habits of mind which1 serviceable so long as they were subordinates1 would stand in their way when they had to take the lead4 ,they might have become faithful to execute1 but helpless to plan4 ,when subordinates1 or young people1 are too long deprived of opportunity for judging and acting for themselves1 their minds are apt to become passive and purely receptive2 they become slow to start a notion or suggest an expedient2 ideas of theirs1 they fancy1 are not wanted1 and so they soon cease to have ideas at all4 ,our ,lord guarded against this by restricting the period of the ,apostles' pupilage4 ,as soon as the ground plan of their characters was marked out1 ,he left them to rear the superstructure for themselves4 ,he was so tender in preserving every line of individuality that ,he would not shackle freedom of growth in ,his disciples1 even by prolonging ,his own companionship and instruction beyond the proper time4 ,but1 if the period of our ,lord's stay on earth in the body1 served its educational purpose all the better from being no longer than it was2 so did that also of the forty days after the ,resurrection 7supposing that we accept the traditional chronology7 for the opposite reason1 from its being extended so long4 ,four days would have served as well as forty for the manifestation of the ,risen ,lord1 for the conclusive witness to ,his ,divine nature1 and for ratifying the hope of immortality in the bosoms of mankind2 within this time ,he could have given ,his final charge to the infant ,church1 and have set it on its way4 ,a higher work however remained which could not be perfected all at once4 ,the ,apostles were now to receive the crowning lesson of the course4 ,they were about to pass out of the training ground into the real arena of danger and of toil4 ,they were to be gradually fitted to exercise authority1 and to feel trust in the presence with them of a ,spiritual ,guide4 ,it took time for their faculties to grow into shape and adapt themselves to the change4 ,christ always brings ,his scholars on by gradual progress2 ,he moulds them as nature moulds organic forms2 there are with ,him no sharp or sudden turns1 no jerks in the movements1 but all proceeds along one even curve4 ,if the forty days of this transitional condition had not intervened1 but the ,apostles had been suddenly transformed from disciples into the rulers of a community2 if1 more than this1 they had found themselves all at once exalted into the accredited ministers of the ,almighty in the most express and patent of ,his dispensations1 what human beings could have stood the strain8 ,gradually1 during those forty days1 they got used to possessing authority4 ,it was not formally conferred2 but the other disciples took it for granted that they were to look to them for direction or advice4 ,in this season also1 the ,apostles acquired a habit of watchfulness over themselves1 knowing that ,christ was looking into their hearts1 and might at any moment appear by their side4 ,the framing of a society in which ,christ's word should be the outer ,law and ,christ's spiritual presence be the sustaining life1 was to be the work of men1 because it was to be adapted to human needs4 ,it does not derogate from man's free agency1 that he should own and follow the promptings of ,god1 for to do this is part of his proper nature2 these promptings are not an alien influence1 but belong to his own self as he was intended to be4 ,with the descent of the ,holy ,spirit at the end of the forty days1 the outward visible training of the ,apostles1 which it has been my business to trace1 was brought to an end2 and the guidance of ,god's ,spirit1 working in men to will and to do of ,his good pleasure1 came in its place47#cdd7 ,the fire which ,christ had come into man's world to kindle1 was now alight1 and the special need for ,christ's presence on earth did not longer exist4 ,what was it1 we may ask1 that ,he left behind8 ,the chief visible outcome of ,his work was the little band of ,apostles2 but the mightiest of ,his influences were imponderable and unseen4 ,our ,lord's sojourn on earth had changed the world in which ,he had dwelt1 so that all subsequent ,history reads differently from that which goes before4 ,by what means was this change wrought8 ,christ left no new code of regulations for men to live by4 ,he introduced no changes into ,human ,society or into any of the forms of ,government which ,he found upon earth4 ,if men might not be left to frame such things for themselves1 what had freedom and faculties been given to them for8 ,what ,christ did leave1 was infinitely more than a reorganisation of ,society or a scheme for the reformation of men4 ,on that day of ,pentecost a new faculty--that of communing with ,god's ,spirit--came to the birth4 ,and a new force--that of living religion--sprang into existence as a fresh agent in the affairs of the world--a force which ,emperors and sacerdotal castes and schools of philosophers had soon to reckon with4 ,this fire has now and then burned low1 but at such times some 8circumstance0 has often come about1 which1 answering to some expression of our ,lord--perhaps one which seemed till then obscure--has opened out a vista in the minds of men4 ,people say1 8,now we see what that hard saying meant10 or 8,christ must have had this in view when ,he spoke40 ,or else--what has sometimes happened--an idea has sprung up in men's hearts1 seemingly everywhere at once1 and ,christ's words have caught a fuller meaning1 read by the light of this4 ,so far we have traced the steps by which the ,apostles were taught ,faith in the unseen4 ,first by confidence in a ,master at their side1 next by the assurance that1 though unseen1 ,he was close by1 and could1 if needed1 appear and help as of old2 and now1 lastly1 when seeing ,him no more1 there comes in their hearts an assurance that ,he is with them to the end of the world4 ,when ,i say that the ,apostles were taught ,faith1 ,i use the word taught in a different sense from that which it has when applied to the subjects of knowledge4 ,i mean that through wise moral treatment1 a quality existing only as a rudiment was so developed as to fit the disciples for communion with ,god2 and not only did they in this sense learn ,faith1 but--what also need learning1 more than we suppose--,love and ,hope as well4 ,i spoke casually just now of the joy which1 as appears by the ,book of ,acts1 illumined the ,apostles' lives4 ,this came greatly of ,love2 not merely from the affection of the brethren for each other1 but from a general ,lovingness1 a capacity for ,love1 which1 on coming into action1 made them look differently on all they saw4 ,this1 like their ,faith1 had grown up from their being in their ,master's company4 ,they felt how ,he loved them2 and if ever one among them was disposed to think lightly or unkindly of a brother disciple1 he might recollect how dear that brother--faults and all--was to ,christ2 and then he could hardly help feeling that if his ,master bore with him he might do so too4 ,they marked also ,christ's beneficence1 ,his eagerness to render kindness1 ,his readiness to use ,his wondrous power for the good of those who had no claim upon ,him1 ,his gentleness in rebuke1 ,his never recurring to a bygone fault4 ,and this sense of being beloved1 this living in an atmosphere of affection1 generated in them the capacity for ,loving1 just as the ,home ,love that is round a child1 not only awakens in it affection to those who shew affection towards it1 but teaches it what ,love is2 and engenders in it a great outcome of ,lovingness which it strews broadcast1 and bestows1 not on persons only1 but on animals1 and even on inanimate things4 ,we have had sight of the ,apostles at a time when this ,love was only half fledged among them1 and did not understand itself4 ,it was yet in this state in ,st ,peter when he asked3 ,how often he must forgive the brother who sinned against him47#cde7 ,love with him was then only unfolding in his mind1 it was still a thing of bounds and measures2 later on he learnt--and his ,master's sacrifice crowned the lesson--that it is in essence infinite4 ,by the time when the ,apostles had to stand alone and labour for their charge1 they had learnt what ,love was4 ,from that came the unity and harmony of which ,i have spoken above4 ,a common interest or even common devotion to a cause would not have gone deep enough down to have quenched all rivalries4 ,even if paramount interests had put self out of sight for a while1 it would still have been there1 ready to reappear when opportunity came4 ,impatience would have come out now and then4 ,it is ,love only which brings others as close to a man as his own self4 ,this lesson of ,love was perfected1 for the ,apostles1 by their witnessing ,christ's death upon the cross--a death not for friends1 not for those under ,his protection1 but for men 8while they were yet sinners407#cdf7 ,they saw1 too1 that when ,he rose from the dead in absolute might ,divine1 ,he breathed not a word shewing that ,he remembered ,his wrongs1 but quietly put the past away4 ,all this filled the ,apostles' hearts with ,lovingness2 they could not have gone on with their work1 with so little return to shew1 unless they had loved the brethren and the converts4 ,the joy which we note in the ,apostles1 resting like a halo upon them1 comes of their feeling sure that ,god loves them1 and of their loving all ,god's creatures in return4 ,it was this ,love that fascinated their hearers2 when the words of ,paul1 notwithstanding that his speech--so they said--was contemptible1 went to the hearts of ,greeks and ,barbarians1 as we know they did1 what he touched them by was this magic of ,love4 ,a word about the nature of that ,hope which nestled in the ,apostles' hearts must end my book4 ,if their ,master doubted1 whether1 when ,he should come at the last1 8,he should find ,faith upon the earth20 what1 it may be asked1 could this ,hope of the ,apostles have been8 ,now1 that these words of ,christ were not spoken in despondency is clear enough for many reasons1 but this one reason1 that they caused no despondency to the hearers would1 to my mind1 be sufficient of itself4 ,what this saying tells us is1 that we are not to look for ,christ's ,kingdom in the shape of a perfected community existing at the last upon the earth4 ,science and observation seem to point in the same way4 ,men are never so selfish and so regardless of others as when they are pushing for place in a crowd4 ,now this globe can only yield food for a time1 it must be exhausted of its stores1 and even1 it would seem1 of its reproductive powers1 at last2 and a half-regenerated humanity would be apt to degenerate back again when they were struggling for standing room and for bread4 ,to take another point2 though science has not settled the future of this planet of ours1 yet opinion leans greatly towards our system's having an end4 ,but1 if we accept ,christ's teaching1 ,man need not come to an end together with the fabric of the world4 ,the earth is only the spot upon which he is reared and put to proof4 ,those who come out of the trial we believe to be removed1 perhaps after an interval1 to another kind of life elsewhere2 so that1 though this outer fabric of the world may perish1 ,man1 we may believe1 will survive1 not in a material but in 8a spiritual body07#cdg7 whose nature of course we cannot know4 ,thus the ,human episode in the great ,epic of ,existence1 may1 as far as life upon this planet goes1 come to an end1 but the ,humanity for which the ,christian labours and for which ,christ died1 will exist for ever2 for the ,spirits of just men made perfect will have been garnered from age to age into abodes prepared for them from the first4 ,and though ,christ1 in ,his wisdom1 be sparing of utterances about that which is winnowed away1 yet there are not wanting analogies justifying hope4 ,the education of human souls to fitness for everlasting spiritual life1 is of all ,god's purposes the one which we can most continuously discern4 ,no reign of peace and bliss upon this earth could be of indefinite continuance2 a perfected ,humanity could only endure for a time4 ,consequently1 if we limit our ,love to a ,humanity visibly existing on the earth1 we give up our hearts to something which must necessarily come to an end3 if we make a ,deity of this we shall serve but a temporary ,god4 ,but--although the earth should be calcined to powder1 or fly off into regions of space where the temperature is fatal to life--still that ,humanity which has the ,son of ,man for its central and presiding figure may abide with ,him for ever1 in some of the many mansions of ,his ,father's ,house4 ,,chronological ,,appendix4 ,it will be of service to readers to have a summary of the actions and movements of our ,lord1 in the order in which they are treated of in the ,text4 ,few of the dates can be fixed with any certitude and it remains a matter of opinion in what order many of the events occurred4 ,the only dates which can be historically determined are those of the death of ,herod1 and of the beginning 7,a4,d4 #be7 and end 7,a4,d4 #cf7 of the ,governorship of ,pilate2 with these latter ,i am not now concerned4 ,when ,st ,luke names the fifteenth year of ,tiberius 7,a4,d4 #bh1 ,a4,u4,c4 #gha beginning on ,august #ai71 it is not quite certain whether he means to fix the time when ,john began to preach1 or when ,jesus was baptised1 or when ,john was cast into prison4 ,the grounds for fixing the dates of our ,lord's birth1 ,his appearance in public1 and the duration of ,his ,ministry are given in ,tischendorf's 8,synopsis ,evangelica40 ,i assume1 as sufficiently admitted for my working hypothesis1 7#a7 that our ,lord was born early in the year ,b4,c4 #d1 ,a4,u4,c4 #gej1 ,in which1 shortly before the passover1 as we learn from ,josephus1 ,herod the ,great died2 and also 7#b7 that the ,baptism of our ,lord took place in the very beginning of ,a4,d4 #bh4 ,i propose to exhibit the order of events1 taken month by month1 as ,i suppose them to have occurred4 ,in the greater number of cases ,i am supported by the authority of ,dr ,edersheim in his work on the 8,life and ,times of ,jesus the ,messiah10 and also frequently by ,bishop ,ellicott1 from the ,notes to whose ,historical ,lectures on the ,life of our ,lord1 delivered #ahfj1 ,i have obtained much help in forming this ,appendix4 ,a4,d4 #bh4 ,january4 ,a4,u4,c4 #gha4 ,i place the ,baptism of our ,lord near the close of the month4 ,this was immediately followed by ,his withdrawal into the wilderness4 ,a4,d4 #bh4 ,february4 ,the whole of this month ,i suppose to have been passed by our ,lord in the wilderness4 ,a4,d4 #bh4 ,march4 ,about the #ajth or #abth of ,march our ,lord appears 8in ,bethany 7or ,bethabarah7 beyond ,jordan where ,john was baptizing40 ,john i4 #bh4 ,on the next day1 ,john1 ,simon and ,andrew come to our ,lord1 and on that which follows our ,lord 8findeth ,philip10 and 8,philip findeth ,nathanael40 ,john i4 #dc1 #de4 ,indications in the ,gospels of the season of the year in which the events happened are so rare that we catch even at slight matters--one such occurs here--,nathanael is seen 8sitting under the fig tree10 ,john i4 #dh2 and as he would hardly have done so if the tree had been bare1 it is probable that at this time the fig tree was already in leaf4 ,it might have been so by ,march #ajth2 for the climate of the ,jordan valley1 in the deep cleft of the limestone rocks1 far beneath the level of the ,mediterranean and three thousand feet lower than the hills of ,juda1 was almost tropical2 and fig trees1 which on the high ground about ,jerusalem were not in leaf till ,april1 would be at least a month earlier at this 8,peran ,bethany10 as the place is called by ,bishop ,ellicott ,i suppose our ,lord to have left 8the place where ,john was baptizing0 not later than ,march #ajth and to have been present at the marriage at ,cana on or near the #adth4 ,the ,passover in this year fell on the #cjth of ,march1 and1 assuming that our ,lord reached ,jerusalem on the #bhth ,march1 a fortnight has to be accounted for4 ,i have explained1 p4 #afe1 what ,i suppose to have happened in the meanwhile1 viz4 that our ,lord returned with ,his family to ,nazareth1 which was #d miles from ,cana1 and that1 owing to the displeasure shewn by the inhabitants1 either at ,his pretensions or at ,his having performed ,his first miracle at another place1 ,he and ,his mother1 ,his brethren and ,his disciples removed to ,capernaum--8there they abode not many days10 ,john ii4 #ab4 ,our ,lord then went to ,jerusalem1 and ,his family1 though not mentioned1 may have gone there also4 ,whether they ever settled again at ,nazareth is uncertain4 ,they were at ,capernaum in ,march1 ,a4,d4 #bi1 ,mark iii4 #ba1 #cb4 ,observe that the sisters of our ,lord are not named3 they remained at ,nazareth1 where they were probably married4 ,we read1 8,are not ,his sisters here with us80 7implying that the brothers were not so71 ,mark vi4 #c4 ,a4,d4 #bh4 ,april4 ,our ,lord during this month was with ,his disciples at ,jerusalem2 the events are related in ,st ,john1 ,chap4 ii4 #ac to ,chap4 iii4 #ba4 ,a4,d4 #bh4 ,may4 ,henceforth the ,chronology depends greatly on the time at which we suppose our ,lord's journey through ,samaria to have taken place4 ,i place it in ,may ,a4,d4 #bh1 but many authorities put it in the ,december of that year4 ,we read1 8,after these things came ,jesus and his disciples into the land of ,juda2 and there he tarried with them1 and baptized4 ,and ,john also was baptizing in non near to ,salim1 because there was much water there3 and they came1 and were baptized40--,john iii4 #bb1 #bc4 ,this choice of non on account of there being 8much water there0 points to water having already become somewhat scarce elsewhere4 ,there are in the ,north-eastern part of ,juda only a few springs which never fail4 ,these are much valued1 and one such spring at least was found at non2 its site is doubtful 7see ,bishop ,westcott1 8,st ,john's ,gospel074 ,if1 as some have supposed1 it was late in the ,autumn when our ,lord made this journey1 water would be abundant enough in many places1 as the streams become full in ,november4 ,i speak of this because it bears out my view that our ,lord's journey through ,samaria took place in the ,may and not in the ,december of ,a4,d4 #bh4 ,in the latter half of the former month1 ,i suppose that our ,lord left ,juda and passed1 with only a few disciples1 through ,samaria into ,galilee 7see pp4 #aga1 #agd1 #agf1 #agi74 ,the verse-- 8,say not ye1 ,there are yet four months1 and then cometh the harvest8 behold1 ,i say unto you1 ,lift up your eyes1 and look on the fields1 that they are white already unto harvest10 ,john iv4 #ce1 is important in determining the dates4 ,some regard the above saying as having been spoken soon after seed time2 and think that the first sentence refers to the state of the corn at that moment1 when it would have been just coming up1 it being then four months from harvest3 this would agree with the view that the journey was taken at the end of ,december17#cdh7 and that the 8whiteness to harvest0 referred metaphorically to the harvest of conversions the ,apostles were to reap4 ,others1 among whom is ,dr ,edersheim1 regard the country as being at the time of speaking white 7that is bright7 with harvest1 and consider the words to have been spoken in ,may and to bear a literal sense4 ,this latter view seems to me to agree best with the incidents of the journey1 many of which--our ,lord's weariness1 ,his resting at the fountain7#cdi7 and ,his asking for drink--wear1 to my mind1 an aspect of summer2 moreover1 the words 8,say ye not0 apply better to a maxim of husbandry lying in the minds of the people1 than to such an indisputable fact as the time of year when they were spoken4 ,it would have seemed more natural to say 8,are we not four months now from harvest80 ,it was a fact which was in every husbandman's mouth1 that the interval between seed time 7,december71 and barley harvest 7,april7 was four months1 and our ,lord's meaning is1 8,the husbandman has to wait four months for his harvest1 you begin at once to reap2 law-givers and prophets and agencies unseen have sown for you40 ,a4,d4 #bh4 ,june4 ,our ,lord arrives at ,cana in ,galilee4 ,a 8certain nobleman0 comes to ,him from ,capernaum2 our ,lord heals his son1 ,john iv4 #df4 ,the words 8whatsoever we have heard done at ,capernaum10 ,luke iv4 #bc1 refer ,i think to this1 if so1 they help to fix the date of the ,preaching at ,nazareth related in ,st ,luke's ,gospel1 chap4 iv4 #af-cj4 ,for additional reasons for placing the ,sermon in the synagogue at ,nazareth at this time instead of after ,john's imprisonment1 see above1 pp4 #afd1 #afe1 #agi1 and also ,dr ,edersheim1 8,life and ,times of ,jesus10 vol4 #a4 p4 #dcj4 ,it should be noted that we hear nothing of our ,lord's mother and brethren4 ,if they had been in ,nazareth1 they would probably have interposed as they subsequently did at ,capernaum where we find them living1 ,mark iii4 #ca4 ,the few disciples who came with our ,lord through ,samaria probably went to their homes when ,he reached ,galilee1 for ,st ,john does not speak of them afterwards4 ,this account of the ,preaching at ,nazareth is peculiar to ,st ,luke1 ,i conceive it to have come into his hands as an isolated piece of information1 which he fits into the history to the best of his judgment4 ,the events at ,capernaum1 which in the ,gospel of ,st ,luke 7iv4 #ca-dd7 are related immediately after this sermon1 took place after our ,lord had come preaching the ,kingdom 7see ,mark i4 #ba-ci74 ,in the ,sermon at ,nazareth there is no mention of the 8,kingdom of ,god10 nor do the disciples seem to have been in attendance4 ,this favours the view that the public ,ministry in ,galilee had not yet begun4 ,a4,d4 #bh4 ,july1 ,august4 ,i believe our ,lord to have spent this summer preaching in the synagogues1 not only of ,galilee but also of ,juda4 ,with regard to the verse 7,luke iv4 #dd71 8and he was preaching in the synagogues of ,galilee10 we have in the margin of the ,revised ,version 8very many ancient authorities read ,juda40 ,we can understand ,juda being altered into ,galilee1 to suit the mention of ,capernaum1 but it is not easy to comprehend a change from ,galilee into ,juda 7see also ,acts x4 #cg74 ,it agrees with my view of our ,lord's course that ,he should at this time have been exploring the tempers of the people both in ,juda and in ,galilee2 and ,i believe the summer of ,a4,d4 #bh to have been passed in this work4 ,the ,lord may have gone about unattended or nearly so1 ,he had as yet bidden no one to follow except ,philip 7,john i4 #dc74 ,the #aeth year of ,tiberius began in this ,august1 but possibly ,st ,luke might speak of the whole year1 from ,jan4 #ast1 by this name4 ,a4,d4 #bh4 ,september4 ,the feast of ,john v4 which1 both by ,bishop ,westcott and ,dr ,edersheim1 is spoken of as 8the unknown feast10 ,i believe to have taken place in this month4 ,i am inclined to identify it with the feast of ,tabernacles1 see p4 #aha4 ,it was1 as ,i think1 in this month that ,john was imprisoned by ,herod ,antipas1 who may have feared that the great influence of the prophet would be especially dangerous when the country would be thronged with visitors to the great feast4 ,the ,feast of ,tabernacles in ,a4,u4,c4 #gha began on ,sept4 #ah1 and lasted till ,sept4 #bi4 ,josephus1 8,antiquities of the ,jews10 ,bk4 xviii4 ,chap4 v1 ,whiston's translation1 gives the following account3 8,now1 when many others came in crowds about him1 for they were greatly moved or pleased by hearing his words1 ,herod1 who feared lest the great influence ,john had over the people might put it into his power and inclination to raise rebellion 7for they seemed to do any thing he should advise71 thought it best1 by putting him to death1 to prevent any mischief he might cause1 and not bring himself into difficulties1 by sparing a man who might make him repent of it when it should be too late4 ,accordingly he was sent a prisoner1 out of ,herod's suspicious temper1 to ,macherus1 the castle ,i before mentioned1 and was there put to death40 ,the ,gospel account is not at variance with this1 for if ,john denounced ,herod's intentions with regard to ,herodias as a violation of ,law1 this would be likely to increase the disaffection of the people4 ,when the news reaches our ,lord 7probably in ,juda7 ,he goes at once into ,galilee 7,matth4 iv4 #ab1 #ac2 ,mark i4 #ad2 ,acts x4 #cg7 and ,his public preaching of the ,kingdom of ,god begins4 ,a4,d4 #bh4 ,october1 ,november1 ,december4 ,early in ,october our ,lord comes to the sea of ,galilee and calls ,simon and ,andrew and ,james and ,john4 ,matth4 iv4 #ah2 ,mark i4 #af-ai2 ,luke v4 #d4 ,following this1 comes ,his residence at ,capernaum1 and the events of ,mark i4 #ad-de1 and ,mark ii4 ,a4,d4 #bi4 ,january1 ,february4 ,a4,u4,c4 #ghb4 ,the events of ,mark iii4 may be placed here4 ,the call of the ,twelve 7,mark iii4 #ac1 #ad2 ,luke vi4 #ac7 probably took place early in ,february4 ,neither ,st ,matthew nor ,st ,john gives an express account of the calling1 but both refer to it1 8,and he called unto him his twelve disciples10 ,matt4 x4 #a2 and1 8,jesus said therefore unto the ,twelve10 ,john vi4 #fg4 ,i suppose it to have been near the end of the month when the two disciples sent by ,john the ,baptist came to ,christ4 ,matth4 xi4 #b2 ,luke vii4 #ah4 ,a4,d4 #bi4 ,march4 ,in this month ,i should place the following events in the order given below3 7#a7 ,the teaching by parables4 ,matth4 xiii4 #c2 ,mark iv4 #a2 ,luke viii4 #d4 7#b7 ,the visit to the country of the ,gerasenes 7or ,gadarenes74 ,matth4 viii4 #bh2 ,mark v4 #a2 ,luke viii4 #bf4 7#c7 ,the raising of ,jairus' daughter4 ,matth4 ix4 #ah2 ,mark v4 #ba-da2 ,luke viii4 #da4 7#d7 ,the second visit to ,nazareth4 8,and he went out from thence2 and he cometh into his own country2 and his disciples follow him20 ,mark vi4 #a1 also ,matth4 xiii4 #ed4 ,this mention of 8disciples0 is one of many circumstances which distinguish this visit to ,nazareth from that of ,luke iv4 #ae4 7#e7 ,the sending out of the twelve two by two4 ,matth4 x4 #a2 ,mark vi4 #g2 ,luke ix4 #a4 7#f7 ,execution of ,john the ,baptist4 ,tischendorf is inclined to think that ,herod was celebrating not his birthday but his accession1 which took place on the death of ,herod the ,great about ten days before the ,passover1 which in ,a4,u4,c4 #gej fell on ,april #b4 ,this conjecture is doubtful4 ,matth4 xiv4 #b2 ,mark vi4 #ba2 ,luke iii4 #ai4 ,a4,d4 #bi4 ,april4 ,the order of events in this month ,i take to have been1 approximately1 as follows3 7#a7 ,herod's misgiving that ,john had risen from the dead4 ,matth4 xiv4 #b2 ,mark vi4 #af4 7#b7 ,our ,lord1 on the return of the twelve1 crosses the lake4 ,matth4 xiv4 #ac2 ,mark vi4 #cb2 ,luke ix4 #aj4 7#c7 ,the ,passover was now at hand1 ,john vi4 #d4 ,feeding of the five thousand1 ,matth4 xiv4 #ae2 ,mark vi4 #ce2 ,luke ix4 #ab2 ,john vi4 #e4 ,the walking on the sea1 ,matth4 xiv4 #be2 ,mark vi4 #dh2 ,john vi4 #ai4 ,the day of the passover ,a4,d4 #bi was the #ahth of ,april4 ,what is mentioned by ,st ,mark1 viz4 that the multitude sat down on 8the green grass10 agrees with this indication of the season4 ,it was only during a short time in spring1 and then only in a few places1 that green grass was found in ,palestine4 ,this impressed itself on the narrator1 and is an indication of eye-witness work2 it is what critics call 8autoptic40 ,there is no mention of green grass in the feeding of the #djjj which was in the late summer4 ,this miracle was followed by the return to ,capernaum 7,discourse on the bread of life1 ,john1 chap1 vi47 and the controversy with the ,pharisees on traditions1 ,matth4 xv4 #a1 #bj2 ,mark vii4 #a-bc4 ,a4,d4 #bi4 ,may1 ,june1 ,july1 ,august4 7#a7 ,journey to the borders of ,tyre and ,sidon1 ,matth4 xv4 #ba2 ,mark vii4 #bd4 7#b7 ,return from thence4 8,and again he went out from the borders of ,tyre1 and came through ,sidon unto the sea of ,galilee and through the midst of the borders of ,decapolis0 7on the east of the sea of ,galilee71 ,matth4 xv4 #bi2 ,mark vii4 #ca4 7#c7 ,there the feeding of the four thousand takes place 7see under ,april74 ,matth4 xv4 #cb2 ,mark viii4 #a4 7#d7 ,our ,lord crosses the lake 8into the borders of ,magadan10 ,matth4 xv4 #ci2 or 8into the parts of ,dalmanutha10 ,mark viii4 #aj1 this was on the western coast4 ,he then proceeds to the north of the lake2 there ,he heals the blind man at ,bethsaida ,julias4 7#e7 8,and ,jesus went forth1 and his disciples into the villages of ,csarea ,philippi10 ,mark xiii4 #cc4 ,confession of ,peter1 ,matth4 xvi4 #ac2 ,mark viii4 #bi2 ,luke ix4 #bj4 7#f7 ,the ,transfiguration2 ,matth4 xvii4 #a2 ,mark ix4 #b2 ,luke ix4 #bh4 7#g7 ,return of our ,lord with ,peter1 ,james and ,john from the ,mount1 to the place where ,he had left the disciples4 ,mark ix4 #i4 ,a4,d4 #bi4 ,september4 8,they went forth from thence and passed through ,galilee2 and he would not that any man should know it10 ,mark ix4 #cj1 8and they came to ,capernaum10 ,mark ix4 #cc4 ,the miracle of the stater in the fish's mouth 7,matth4 xvii4 #bd7 is usually placed at this point of the narrative4 ,we have no other account than that given in ,st ,matthew's ,gospel1 where it seems to be related as happening at this time4 ,but the evidence as to chronology is not conclusive4 ,this stater or half-shekel was the payment for the ,temple service1 and we know that this was levied in ,march4 ,that the demand should be made in ,september is explained by saying that our ,lord's absence since ,april might have prevented the collection of the tax4 ,it is however possible that this event may have taken place in ,march1 ,a4,d4 #cj1 see below4 ,our ,lord1 leaving ,capernaum1 made the journey through ,samaria to ,jerusalem1 ,john vii4 #c1 ,luke ix4 #ea1 #ef1 arriving there about the #ahth of ,september1 which in this year was the middle of the ,feast of ,tabernacles4 ,the sending out of the ,seventy took place soon afterwards1 ,luke x4 #a4 ,a4,d4 #bi4 ,october4 ,our ,lord takes up ,his residence in ,juda1 possibly at ,bethany1 see p4 #cgj4 ,incident of woman taken in adultery1 ,john viii4 #a4 ,our ,lord in the house of ,martha1 ,luke x4 #ch-dj4 ,november4 ,our ,lord probably passed this month in ,juda4 ,many of the events of ,luke1 chapters xi41 xii41 xiii4 may have occurred at this time1 but we must not conclude for certain from ,st ,luke's account that the events of these chapters all fell together in one short period4 ,some of them are related by ,st ,matthew in a different connexion2 it seems impossible to place them in order4 ,a4,d4 #bi4 ,december4 ,the ,feast of dedication 7encaenia71 ,john x4 #bb1 fell in this year on the #bjth of ,december1 and lasted eight days4 ,at the end of our ,lord's discourse at this feast1 ,st ,john says 8,they sought again to take him3 and he went forth out of their hand4 ,and he went away again beyond ,jordan into the place where ,john was at first baptizing1 and there he abode40 ,john x4 #ci1 #dj4 ,a4,d4 #cj4 ,january4 ,a4,u4,c4 #ghc4 ,our ,lord may have remained at the place just mentioned1 8the ,peran ,bethany0 7see ,a4,d4 #bh1 ,march71 during this month1 having probably only a few followers with ,him4 8,and many came unto him2 and they said1 ,john indeed did no sign3 but all things whatsoever ,john spake of this man were true40 ,john x4 #da4 ,the people contrast ,him with ,john4 ,this agrees with what is said of the place1 viz4 that ,john had baptized there2 the people recollected him4 ,the teaching of our ,lord in ,pera1 of which we have an account only in ,luke1 chaps1 xv41 xvi41 was probably given about this time4 ,a4,d4 #cj4 ,february4 ,early in this month our ,lord leaves ,pera1 where ,he had been travelling about1 being warned by the ,pharisees-- 8,and he went on his way through cities and villages1 teaching1 and journeying on unto ,jerusalem40 ,luke xiii4 #bb4 8,in that very hour there came certain ,pharisees1 saying to him1 ,get thee out1 and go hence3 for ,herod would fain kill thee40 ,st ,luke xiii4 #ca4 ,a4,d4 #cj4 ,march4 ,while on this progress the news of the sickness of ,lazarus reaches our ,lord4 ,he seems then to have been little more than a day's journey from ,jerusalem1 but outside the limits of ,juda3 8,the sisters therefore sent unto him1 saying1 ,lord1 behold1 he whom thou lovest is sick4 ,but when ,jesus heard it1 he said1 ,this sickness is not unto death1 but for the glory of ,god1 that the ,son of ,god may be glorified thereby407#cej7 ,john xi4 #c1 #d4 8,when therefore he heard that he was sick1 he abode at that time two days in the place where he was4 ,then after this he saith to the disciples1 ,let us go into ,juda again40 ,john xi4 #f1 #g4 ,after the raising of ,lazarus1 the chief priests and ,pharisees 8from that day forth took counsel that they might put him 7,jesus7 to death3 ,jesus therefore walked no more openly among the ,jews1 but departed thence into the country near to the wilderness1 into a city called ,ephraim2 and there he tarried with the disciples40 ,john xi4 #ec1 #ed4 ,from ,ephraim1 the position of which is uncertain1 7,dr ,edersheim1 as ,i understand him1 thinks it may have been near the north end of the sea of ,galilee1 in ,decapolis17 our ,lord passes through 8the midst of ,samaria and ,galilee0--,st ,luke xvii4 #aa4 ,this would seem1 from the order in which the places are named1 to refer to the journey on the way north to ,ephraim1 but no certain conclusion can be drawn4 ,towards the end of the month1 our ,lord joins the company of people on their way from ,galilee to ,jerusalem1 passing by ,jericho4 ,the incidents of the journey and the important discourses on the way are related in ,mark1 chap1 x41 and in the parallel passages of ,matthew and ,luke4 ,the question arises1 ,where did our ,lord join this company8 ,i incline to think that after a short stay at ,capernaum1 ,he went with the ,galilean company up to the ,passover4 ,during the stay at ,ephraim1 the disciples would have had leisure to turn over in their minds what they had seen and heard2 especially the raising of ,lazarus1 and the words to ,martha on eternal life1 the plainest our ,lord ever spoke2 ,john xi4 #be4 ,it is our ,lord's way1 as ,i have often pointed out1 to leave intervals for reflection4 ,on the way south 7supposing that ,ephraim was to the north71 with ,his small company of disciples1 ,he may have made a short stop at ,capernaum1 where1 according to my view 7see p4 #cgb71 ,st ,peter may have partly resided since the feast of ,tabernacles1 joining from time to time the disciples in attendance on our ,lord4 ,jesus would1 on this supposition1 be in ,st ,peter's house in the month of ,march when the officers1 in due course1 called for the ,temple contribution1 and in this way we avoid the hypothesis of a payment overdue 7see under ,sept ,a4,d4 #bi74 ,it may be noted that the officers make no question about ,peter's paying the half-shekel2 he was a regular resident and their claim was undoubted1 but our ,lord had been long absent and was only passing through the place1 so that in ,his case the payment was less obligatory4 ,this is one view of the matter1 but ,i am inclined to think from the form of the collector's question1 8,your ,master1 does not ,he pay80 7,matth4 xvii4 #bd7 that they half expected an objection on higher grounds4 ,the internal evidence1 that is to say the tone of doctrine1 which appears in the words1 8,then are the children free10 favours the adopting the later period1 inasmuch as it reminds us of the later discourses in chaps1 xv41 xvi41 xvii4 of ,john4 ,a4,d4 #cj4 ,april4 ,our ,lord may have made ,his entry into ,jerusalem on ,sunday1 ,april #b4 ,he returned that night to ,bethany after looking 8round about upon all things40 ,mark xi4 #aa4 ,monday1 ,april #c4 ,cursing of fig tree on the way to ,jerusalem 7see ,march1 ,a4,d4 #bh71 ,matth4 xxi4 #ai2 ,mark xi4 #ac4 ,cleansing of ,temple1 ,matth4 xxi4 #ab2 ,mark xi4 #ae2 ,luke xix4 #de4 ,return to ,bethany1 ,mark xi4 #ai4 ,either on this day or the next1 the ,greeks seek ,jesus1 ,john xii4 #bj4 ,tuesday1 ,april #d4 ,tree is found withered4 ,parables delivered in ,temple4 ,controversies with ,pharisees1 ,herodians and ,sadducees4 ,our ,lord takes leave of the ,temple2 ,mark xi4 #bj and chaps1 xii41 xiii4 and parallel passages in ,matthew and ,luke4 ,wednesday1 ,april #e4 ,treason of ,judas4 ,thursday1 ,april #f4 ,last ,supper4 ,our ,lord's apprehension4 ,friday1 ,april #g4 ,the ,crucifixion4 ,sunday1 ,april #i4 ,the ,resurrection4 ,i should place the journey of the ,apostles to ,galilee in the subsequent week4 ,this change would do the ,apostles good in many ways4 ,it would relieve the strain on their minds1 and was medicine for the shock they had received4 ,for our ,lord's care for the physical and mental health of ,his followers1 see text1 p4 #cjb1 on the words1 8,come ye yourselves apart into a desert place and rest a while40 ,during this stay in ,galilee1 there took place the appearance of our ,lord on the mountain1 which ,i take to be that named1 #a ,cor4 xv4 #f 7see text1 last chapter71 and at this time ,i also place the important interview of our ,lord with ,james1 our ,lord's brother1 #a ,cor4 xv4 #ag1 and probably with the rest of ,his brethren1 see below4 ,a4,d4 #cj4 ,may4 ,the appearance at the sea of ,tiberias 7but see ,mr ,sanday on the 8,authorship of the ,fourth ,gospel10 chap4 xvii47 may have taken place in this month1 as also the return of the ,apostles from ,galilee to ,jerusalem with the women and ,mary the ,mother of ,jesus1 and the brethren of our ,lord4 ,the latter1 possibly1 had not been in ,jerusalem at the ,crucifixion1 but had at last learned1 perhaps through ,james1 the fulness of their brother's greatness4 ,the ,apostles as well as the relations of our ,lord must have been enjoined to return to ,jerusalem1 or they would not without exception have gone thither4 ,the ,feast of ,pentecost was not a sufficiently imperative call to account for their presence4 ,this injunction must have been given in ,galilee4 ,if we had only ,st ,luke's account1 we should suppose that the ,apostles never left ,jerusalem2 but this would in itself be unlikely and is contradicted by the other ,evangelists4 ,the day given for the ,ascension by ,wieseler1 8,chronologie des ,apostolischen ,zeitalters10 #ahdh1 is ,may #ah4 ,the ,ascension was followed by the choice of ,matthias4 ,the day of ,pentecost1 as fixed by ,wieseler1 was ,may #bg1 ,a4,d4 #cj4 ,,index ,,of ,,texts4 ,,genesis4 iii4 #ah1 #ai2 #dd xxviii4 #ab2 #afa ,,deuteronomy4 xviii4 #ae2 #id xix4 #af2 #cif #ah2 #cif ,,ii ,,samuel4 xii4 #ac2 #dbj ,,job4 xiii4 #d2 #cif ,,psalms4 cxix4 #afb2 #bcb ,,proverbs4 vi4 #ai2 #cif xii4 #ag2 #cif ,,isaiah4 vi4 #aj2 #cba xi4 #a2 #afj ,,jeremiah4 vi4 #ca2 #cif ,s4 ,,matthew4 iii4 #e2 #ahi iv4 #a2 #aag #a-aa2 #aad #bj2 #ahf vi4 #be2 #djd vii4 #ag2 #bei viii4 #ai2 #cge ix4 #ad-ag2 #bbj #cf-ch2 #bcd x4 #b-f2 #afb #e-ae2 #bij xi4 #b-f2 #bfb #ab2 #bcb #ba2 #ajf xii4 #bh2 #hc #cj2 #ceh #df2 #ahj xiii4 #aj2 #cba xiv4 #ag2 #bb #bc2 #bbi xvi4 #ac-bj2 #cbg xvi4 #bb2 #abf #bc2 #cbi #bd1 #be2 #cdj xvii4 #ab2 #cdh #be2 #acc xviii4 #a-aa2 #cef #ba2 #dfi #ba1 #bb2 #ceh xix4 #f2 #djh xxii4 #db1 #dc2 #dae xxiv4 #bd2 #ge #be2 #dac xxv4 #ad-cj2 #caf xxviii4 #af2 #dea #ai2 #bej xxviii4 #bj2 #fi ,s4 ,,mark4 i4 #ab1 #ac2 #aad #ad2 #ahh #ad1 #ae2 #hc1 #aie #af-bj2 #aie #bj2 #cje #bb2 #bjb ii4 #af-bb2 #bbj iii4 #e2 #ai #f1 #g2 #bcc #ac1 #ad2 #bci #ad1 #ae2 #bbi #ag-ai2 #afa #bj1 #ba2 #bfa #bf2 #abf #cb2 #bhh iv4 #aa2 #cj #aa1 #ab2 #cba #bd2 #cbc #ce2 #bhc #ce-dj2 #bgd #cg-dj2 #bhc v4 #a2 #dh #ag2 #bhf #ai2 #hd #cj2 #cea #cg2 #bhg vi4 #a-f2 #ahj #b2 #cfb #c2 #bhh1 #ded #g-ac2 #bhi #cj-cb2 #cjb #cj2 #cjj #cd2 #cjg #ch2 #cje #ci1 #dj2 #bgh #de1 #df2 #cjg #dg-eb2 #cjh #ej2 #caj vii4 #ad1 #ae2 #cca #bd2 #ccc #cc2 #dbg #cc-ce2 #ia vii4 #cc-cf2 #ccd viii4 #e-g2 #cje #aa2 #cce #ad2 #cjf #af1 #ag2 #cjf #bc-be2 #ij #bc-bf2 #ccd ix4 #a2 #cdj #b-h2 #id #g2 #id #i2 #cde #ag-bi2 #cej #cj2 #cea1 #ced #ca2 #bbg #cc2 #ced #ce2 #cee #dj-ej2 #cfj x4 #a2 #bbg1 #cfa #ag-bb2 #cha #bd2 #chc #cj2 #chd xi4 #aj2 #dbg #ab-ad2 #if #bj-bb2 #if xii4 #ce-cg2 #dae xiii4 #bb2 #ge xiv4 #i2 #djj #ej2 #bdj xv4 #ca2 #aci xvi4 #bj2 #hd ,s4 ,,luke4 ii4 #d2 #dae #ce2 #eb1 #afa iv4 #a-ac2 #aae #ac2 #cci #ad1 #ae2 #agi v4 #d2 #bjj #h2 #bjb #ag2 #bah #cc2 #aee vi4 #ab2 #bci #ag-ai2 #bec #bj2 #bec #bb1 #bc2 #bed #bc2 #gi #bd-bf2 #bee #bg2 #beg #ci1 #dj2 #beg #dc2 #bei vii4 #ah-bc2 #bff #bj2 #ajg #ba-bc2 #ajh #bc2 #bfd #bi1 #cj2 #bfe #ce2 #bfd viii4 #a-c2 #bgf #c2 #aff #bf2 #dh ix4 #bg2 #ic #ca2 #cbd #cg2 #cdh #ea1 #eb2 #bgi #ea-ef2 #cff #eb2 #bif #dh2 #cee #ee2 #ach x4 #a-aa2 #bij #d-aa2 #cgi #i-aa2 #cjj #aa2 #fh1 #hc #ac2 #ajf #ah2 #abf #ba2 #cjj #ba1 #bb2 #agh1 #cjb #bb2 #gc xi4 #a2 #aee1 #bba1 #dae #bj2 #hc #bg2 #cgf #bi2 #dbh xii4 #ad2 #djc #af-bj2 #djd #cf2 #djd #da2 #cgb #da-df2 #cfh #di1 #ej2 #aej xiii4 #bc2 #dbh xiv4 #ae2 #cgf xv4 #aj2 #agh1 #chi xvi4 #a-ab2 #cia #h2 #chi #cj2 #add #ca2 #fc xvii4 #e2 #cig xviii4 #h2 #bg #ai2 #dbh xix4 #aa-bg2 #caf #bf2 #cai #bi2 #big xx4 #ce2 #fh #ce1 #cf2 #daj #da2 #dae xxi4 #ai2 #dad xxii4 #h2 #big #bd-cj2 #dbc #bh2 #agh #cc2 #cgf #ce-ch2 #bia xxiv4 #cf2 #bdj #dh2 #bda ,s4 ,,john4 i4 #cb1 #cc2 #aji #dc2 #aef1 #ahb #de2 #aef #df2 #aef #dh1 #di2 #afj #ea2 #afa ii4 #aa2 #aeb1 #afc #ab2 #aeb1 #afd1 #ahj #af2 #afg #ag2 #aeb #bc2 #aec1 #afg #bd2 #agf1 #bdf #bd1 #be2 #afg iii4 #b2 #adh #bb2 #aec #bb1 #bc2 #agj #be2 #aee1 #ccj #bf2 #agj iv4 #a1 #b2 #aga #b2 #aec #bg2 #dji #ca2 #age #ce-ch2 #agg #dc-de2 #afd #de2 #agi #dg2 #aje #dh2 #gf1 #ajd v4 #a2 #agi1 #aha #ae-ah2 #ahb #ag2 #ahc #bf2 #hi #ce2 #ahi #dc2 #ahd1 #cjj vi4 #d1 #e2 #cjc #e2 #cjf #h2 #aeg #i2 #cjd #ae2 #bc1 #cjg #be-fe2 #cbh #dd2 #cch #fj-fc2 #ccb #ff2 #afh1 #cbi vii4 #b2 #aha #b-aj2 #cfc #ad2 #cfi #ce2 #cfi #ec2 #cgj viii4 #a2 #cgj ix4 #a-c2 #df x4 #af2 #bfi #dj2 #aai1 #cgb xi4 #af2 #bde1 #cgb1 #dcj #dh2 #ahc xii4 #bj-bb2 #aeh xiii4 #a-ad2 #dbj xiv4 #d-aa2 #aja #f2 #gc #i2 #aei1 #dae #aa2 #ajb #ai2 #dbh xv4 #ae2 #agf #bc1 #bd2 #ajf #bg2 #bda xvi4 #d2 #ceb #g1 #h2 #deg #h-aa2 #dfb #ab2 #fi xvii4 #c2 #fh xvii4 #f2 #fh xxi4 #b2 #aef #be2 #dbj ,,acts4 i4 #h2 #baf1 #bda #ad2 #cfb1 #dec #ae2 #deb #bb2 #bda ii4 #cb2 #bda #da2 #aii iii4 #ae2 #bda iv4 #cb2 #che #ce2 #chc x4 #dj1 #da2 #adc1 #ddg #cd1 #ce2 #ie #da2 #bda xii4 #aci #b2 #cfi1 #dec xiii4 #ca2 #bda xvi4 #f-h2 #dei xviii4 #ba2 #ajj ,,romans4 v4 #h2 #dgj #a ,,corinthians4 i4 #ab2 #agd #ad-ae2 #aee ix4 #a2 #ded xiv4 #bd2 #ga xv4 #e-h2 #dej #f2 #dea #dd2 #dga ,,galatians4 i4 #ac2 #ig ii4 #i-ab2 #dec #aa-ad2 #dcc iv4 #f2 #fh1 #gb vi4 #a1 #b2 #dbe ,,philippians4 ii4 #ac2 #dff #a ,,timothy4 vi4 #ag2 #cif #b ,,timothy4 iv4 #b2 #agc #ac2 #aai ,,hebrews4 xi4 #a2 #bgc ,,james4 i4 #bj2 #bde #a ,,peter4 ii4 #bc2 #afg #a ,,john4 i4 #a2 #ddf ,,general ,,index4 ,address to newly chosen ,apostles1 #bec-bfa ,advent of our ,lord into ,galilee1 #ahh1 #ahi ,andrew1 #aeg ,animosity of people of ,nazareth1 when first shewn1 #afe ,apologue1 #abe1 #abf ,apostles 7,the71 named in pairs by ,matthew1 reason suggested1 #afb2 must have been directed to return to ,jerusalem for the ,ascension1 #aid1 #dea2 not fit men to promulgate ,theological doctrines1 #bcj2 general characteristics of the1 #bdg2 not men whom the ,founder of a policy would have chosen1 #bdi2 the chosen three1 #cbe1 #cbg2 the crowning lesson of1 #dfe2 steps by which they learnt ,faith in an unseen presence1 #dfg2 taught ,love1 #dfh2 taught ,hope1 #dgj ,ascension1 #deg2 expedient that ,christ should go away1 #deg2 ,holy ,spirit swaying human action1 #dei ,astonishment produced by our ,lord's teaching1 #bjb ,authority manifested by ,christ1 #afg1 #bjc-bjf ,baptist 7,the7 and his disciples1 #aec-aee2 competition with1 shunned by our ,lord1 #agc ,baptist's 7,the7 messengers1 their arrival1 #bfb2 their question and their answer1 #bfh ,bartholomew1 #aei1 see ,nathanael ,bethany in ,pera 7,bethabara71 #aai1 #afa1 #afh1 #ahi note ,bethany in ,juda1 when did our ,lord first resort thither8 #cgj ,bethsaida ,julias1 #ccd ,brethren of our ,lord1 #cfb1 #dec ,christ leaves disciples independent1 #e2 with them after the ,resurrection1 #i1 #bgd2 influence of ,his ,personality1 #af1 #ag2 did ,he from the first see all that lay before ,him8 #adj2 explores the tempers of different classes of men1 #adh2 ,his return from the wilderness1 #aea2 calls to him certain disciples1 #aea2 at ,cana and ,capernaum1 #aeb2 leaves time for impressions to fix themselves1 #ahe2 arrives at the ,lake of ,galilee and calls the brethren1 #aie-aih2 ,his way of proceeding positive1 #bjh2 enjoins no system of religious observance1 #bbb2 why did ,he not found a church ,himself8 #bcf2 lays stress on what men are1 as well as on what they do1 #bei2 ceases to have a stationary abode1 #bgj2 educational effects of the change of place1 #bge-bgi2 journey to borders of ,tyre and ,sidon1 #ccc2 at ,csarea ,philippi1 #ccf-cch 7see ,transfiguration72 returns to ,capernaum after the ,transfiguration1 #ced2 sets out for the feast of ,tabernacles1 #cei-cfb2 refusing to judge1 #cii2 upholds sanctity of marriage1 #dji2 disclaims for the ,messiah the title of ,son of ,david1 #dae2 does not look to visibly converting the world1 #daf2 the washing the disciples' feet1 an acted parable1 #dai2 always endeavours to set men free1 #dfj2 calls the conscience into play1 #dfg2 ,his ,kingdom not upon earth1 #dga ,christian revelation centred in a ,fact1 #bcj ,demoniac in country of ,gadarenes1 #bhe ,didrachma1 paying of1 #djf ,disciples not in attendance at first visit to ,nazareth1 #ahj2 doubtful if present at feast1 ,john v41 #aha2 early ,judan1 #ahh ,dives and ,lazarus1 parable of1 #fb ,ecce ,homo1 quoted1 p4 #dab4 ,edersheim1 ,dr1 life and times of ,jesus the ,messiah1 quoted1 #aci1 #adj1 #cbi1 #ccd1 #cid2 on our ,lord's conversing with the woman at ,sychar1 #dji ,eloquence1 its small part in the ,divine economy1 #bej ,erskine of ,linlathen1 quotation1 #dj ,evil1 existence of1 #bi2 functions of1 in the world1 #dc-ea ,family1 description of a1 restrained from knowing evil1 #cj-cf ,feast of the ,jews1 ,john v4 #a1 #aha ,five 7,the7 first called1 ,john1 ,andrew1 ,peter1 ,philip1 ,nathanael1 #aef ,form of ,christ's ,teaching1 #bji ,free ,will1 #bi2 implies liberty to go wrong1 #da ,galilans receive our ,lord1 #agi ,galilee1 why suited for cradle of movement1 #afi ,gospel of ,st ,john1 surely written by a disciple1 #aea1 #aeg ,gospels1 advantages of narrative form1 #ac1 #dfa ,herodians1 #bcc ,inheritance1 ,the disputed1 #djc ,james1 our ,lord's brother1 #deb-ded ,james and ,john1 the sons of thunder1 #cfe1 #cfh ,jerusalem1 not a favourable spot for the schooling of the apostles1 #aij2 not desirable that the ,christian community should originate there1 #aib ,judas ,iscariot1 #bdf ,laws of our ,lord's conduct--sense in which term is used1 #b1 #ah-bj1 #cjf ,lazarus1 raising of1 #dbi ,levi 7see also ,matthew71 #bad ,levitical ,law1 #bjg ,mammon of unrighteousness1 #cie-cig ,matthew1 #bad-baf2 his call a proof that ,christ was no respecter of persons1 #bag ,messiah1 what the people expected him to be1 #cbi ,milton1 8,paradise ,regained10 #abd ,miracle of feeding of the #ejjj1 #cjd2 of ,christ walking on sea1 #cjh2 of feeding of the #djjj1 #cje ,miracles1 standing1 not to be expected1 #fe2 use of1 #ge2 ,laws of1 #aab2 as works of beneficence1 #ccc ,miraculous draught of fishes1 #aih1 #bjb ,mission 7,the7 to the cities1 #h1 #bhh2 referred to by our ,lord1 #bia-bic2 effects of these mission journeys1 #bie2 directions given1 #bie-cjj ,mission of ,seventy1 #bhi1 #cja-cjb ,moses1 #bjg ,nathanael1 #aei1 #afa ,natural ,selection1 #bf1 #cad ,nazareth1 preaching in synagogues at1 #gi2 second visit of ,christ to1 #bhg ,negative characteristics of ,christ's teaching1 #aj ,nicodemus1 #adh1 #afi1 #agb ,parables1 #cab2 that of the talents1 #cag2 that of the pounds1 #cah2 intended not to hide truth but to show it1 #cbc2 of the unjust steward1 #chh and preface ,passover1 #bnd1 at time of feeding of the #ejjj1 #cjc2 see ,teaching ,peter1 with our ,lord at the ,passover1 ,a4,d4 #bh1 probably returned to ,galilee1 #aff2 how far in attendance before call1 #aff2 his giving himself up on a sudden1 to one impression1 #bdd2 was he in constant attendance during the winter1 ,a4,d4 #bi1 #cj8 #cgb note2 his practical character1 #bdh1 #dee2 denials of1 #dcc ,pharisees1 their hostility and that of the ,sadducees contrasted1 #bah ,philip1 #aeh1 #cjf ,preparatio ,evangelica1 #aec-aid ,preparation1 noted in our ,lord's ways1 #hj1 #id ,prospective action of our ,lord1 #daa ,receiving a hundred fold 8with persecutions10 #cha ,resurrection1 grandeur in the conception of the ,risen ,christ1 #dej2 appearance of ,christ to #ejj brethren at once1 #dea2 appearance to ,james1 #dec2 literary aspect of the history of1 #ddi2 duration of post ,resurrection period1 #dfd ,revelation1 #eb-gc2 8should be written in the skies10 this demand considered1 #ei ,ruler1 the young1 #cha ,sabbath1 its value1 #bai2 our ,lord's practice in relation to1 #bbj ,samaria1 #ast journey through1 #age ,sanday1 ,mr1 authorship and historical character of the fourth ,gospel1 references1 #aje1 #cbh ,satan1 #abj1 #abe ,seed thoughts1 #bab2 see ,sermon on the ,mount ,sermon on the ,mount1 not a ,code of ,laws1 #baj1 #baa2 contains seed thoughts1 #bab ,sex ceases with life upon earth1 #daj ,signs and ,wonders3 their laws1 #ba2 distinguished1 #ge2 functions of1 to attract hearers1 #gg2 for selection1 #gi2 for preparation1 #hj2 for setting forth the kingdom1 #hb2 for general teaching1 #hd2 they shew that ,god does not respect persons1 #hg2 they do not wholly supersede the processes of nature1 #hh1 #hi2 practical lessons furnished by them to disciples1 #ia2 ,laws of1 recapitulated1 #aab ,signs1 sparingly displayed after the ,feast of ,tabernacles1 #dbe2 absence of public and notable signs during the ,passion week1 #dcj ,silas1 #aci ,simon the ,zealot1 #bde ,spiritual order1 how far analogous to natural selection1 #cad1 #cae ,storm on sea of ,galilee1 #bhc ,successors inheriting a cause1 #dad1 #ddc ,suffer me first to bury my father1 #cgg ,synoptists1 term explained1 #aeg note ,tabernacles1 ,feast of1 #aha ,teaching in parables1 #ab1 #bhj-bhb1 #cba ,teaching of ,christ1 its form1 #bji2 that for the multitudes and that for the disciples1 #bbe ,temptation1 to turn stones into loaves1 #abg-ace2 on the ,mount1 #acd-aci2 on the pinnacle of ,temple1 #aci-ada ,temptations in the wilderness1 form of the narrative1 #aac-aag2 where communicated to disciples1 #aai2 whether literal history1 #aai ,transfiguration1 #ic1 #cda-cdh ,trench1 ,archbishop1 on demoniacs1 #bhd2 on the miracles1 #cif ,tribute to ,csar1 #djf ,twelve1 the1 their call1 #bci2 their fitness for the work which fell to them1 #bci2 their character as witnesses1 #bda-bdc ,universality of ,christ's ,kingdom1 #aj1 #dae ,wisdom justified of all her children1 #bfd-bfi ,withering of fig-tree1 #ie1 #dcb ,witnessing to ,christ the first function of the ,apostles1 #baf1 #bda ,woman taken in adultery1 #dje ,,footnotes #a ,matth4 xiii4 #ab4 #b ,mark iii4 #e4 #c ,st ,matth4 xiv4 #ag4 #d ,john vi4 #ae4 #e ,luke xviii4 #h4 #f ,mark iv4 ,,ii4 #g ,gen4 iii4 #ah1 #ai4 #h ,john ix4 #a-c4 #i ,st ,luke viii4 #bf2 ,st ,mark v4 #a4 #aj ,luke ii4 #ce4 #aa ,luke xvi4 #ca4 #ab ,trench1 ,parables1 #dth ,edition1 p4 #dec4 8,the rebuke of unbelief is the aim and central thought of the parable40 #ac ,galatians iv4 #f4 #ad ,john xvii4 #f4 #ae ,luke x4 #aa4 #af ,john xvii4 #c4 #ag ,luke xx4 #ce4 #ah ,matth4 xxviii4 #bj4 #ai ,john xvi4 #ab4 #bj #a ,cor4 xiv4 #be4 ,this is commonly referred to a sense of guilt1 which is included1 no doubt1 but the words bear a wider meaning4 #ba ,galatians iv4 #f4 #bb ,luke x4 #bb4 #bc ,john xiv4 #f4 #bd ,mark xiii4 #bb2 ,matth4 xxiv4 #bd4 #be ,john iv4 #dh4 #bf ,luke vi4 #bc4 #bg ,a friend recalls to me ,st ,augustine's words1 8,deus patiens est quia ternus40 #bh ,luke xi4 #bj4 #bi ,luke x4 #aa4 #cj ,mark i4 #ad1 #ae4 #ca ,mark xvi4 #bj4 #cb ,mark v4 #ai4 #cc ,john v4 #bf4 #cd ,mark viii4 #bc-be4 #ce ,mark vii4 #cc-ce4 #cf ,mark ix4 #a4 ,luke ix4 #bg4 #cg ,mark ix4 #b-h4 #ch ,mark ix4 #g4 ,compare ,deuteronomy xviii4 #ae1 8,unto him ye shall hearken40 #ci ,acts x4 #cd1 #ce4 #dj ,mark xi4 #ab-ad4 #da ,mark xi4 #bj-bb4 #db 1 ,gal4 i4 #ac4 #dc ,acts xviii4 #bh4 #dd ,see next chapter4 #de ,john xiv4 #d-aa4 #df ,john xiv4 #aa4 #dg ,john iv4 #dh4 #dh ,matt4 xii4 #ci4 #di ,john iv4 #dg4 ,mr ,sanday considers this miracle to be identical with the healing of the centurion's servant1 and that the 8ye see0 is addressed to the elders who stand by4 ,with this ,i am not prepared to agree4 ,see the ,authorship of the ,fourth ,gospel1 ,w4 ,sanday1 ,m4,a41 ,macmillan and ,co41 a well-known and excellent book4 #ej ,matth4 xi4 #ba2 ,luke x4 #ac4 #ea ,john xv4 #bc1 #bd4 #eb ,luke vii4 #bj4 #ec ,luke vii4 #ba-bc4 #ed ,john i4 #cb1 #cc4 #ee ,matth4 iv4 #a-aa4 #ef ,mark i4 #ab1 #ac4 #eg ,luke iv4 #a-ac4 #eh ,matth4 iv4 #a4 #ei #b ,timothy iv4 #ac4 #fj ,dec4 #bj1 a4d4 #bi4 #fa ,john x4 #dj4 #fb ,luke x4 #ah4 #fc ,mark iii4 #bf4 #fd ,matth4 xvi4 #bb4 #fe ,matth4 xvii4 #be4 #ff ,luke ix4 #ee4 #fg ,mark xv4 #ca4 #fh ,acts xii4 #g1 #h4 ,acts xvi4 #bf4 #fi ,the ,life and ,times of ,jesus the ,messiah4 ,dr4 ,edersheim1 i4 p4 #cjd4 #gj ,see pp4 #bc1 #bd1 and pp4 #eg1 #eh4 #ga ,dr ,edersheim4 #gb ,acts x4 #dj1 #da4 #gc ,luke xvi4 #cj4 #gd ,john iii4 #b4 #ge ,luke xii4 #di1 #ej4 #gf ,john ii4 #aa4 #gg ,john ii4 #ab4 #gh ,john ii4 #ag4 #gi ,john ii4 #bc4 #hj ,john iii4 #bb1 iv4 #b4 #ha 8,i thank ,god that ,i baptized none of you save ,crispus and ,gaius2 lest any man should say that ye were baptized into my name40 #a ,cor4 i4 #ad1 #ae4 ,this1 with the context1 illustrates the notion of a personal tie established by baptism4 ,st ,paul is combating the charge of establishing a sect of his own4 #hb ,luke xi4 #a4 #hc ,luke v4 #cc4 #hd ,john iii4 #be4 #he ,john i4 #dc4 #hf ,john i4 #de2 xxi4 #b4 #hg 4 ,john i4 #df4 #hh ,a fragment of a very ancient account of the ,canon of the ,n4 ,test4 has been preserved by ,muratori4 ,i will quote the translation of it from ,professor ,westcott's work4 7,prof4 ,westcott1 ,gospel of ,st ,john1 p4 xxxv47 8,the fourth ,gospel was written by ,john1 one of the disciples 7i4e4 ,apostles74 ,when his fellow-disciples and bishops urgently pressed 7cohortantibus7 him1 he said1 #8,fast with me from to-day1 for three days1 and let us tell one another any revelation which may be made to us1 either for or against the plan of writing 7quid cuique fuerit revelatum alterutrum7'4 ,on the same night it was revealed to ,andrew1 one of the ,apostles1 that ,john should relate all in his own name1 and that all should review his writing40 ,if we accept this authority1 ,john and ,andrew were together in their age as they had been in their youth4 ,philip also was at ,hierapolis not very far off4 #hi ,john vi4 #h4 #ij ,i4e4 the ,evangelists ,matthew1 ,mark1 and ,luke4 #ia ,john xii4 vv4 #bj-bb4 #ib ,john xiv4 #i4 #ic ,bartholomew son of ,tolmai1 so that ,nathanael son of ,tolmai or 7as ,dr ,edersheim writes it7 of ,temalgon1 would be the full name4 #id ,tacitus speaking of ,lugdunum and ,vienna on opposite sides of the ,rhone1 tells us that they regarded each other with the animosity which 8serves as a link between those whom only a river separates0 78unde aemulatio et invidia et uno amne discretis connexum odium074 ,tac4 ,hist4 i4 c4 #fe4 ,st ,matthew speaks of that 8which was spoken by the prophets1 ,he shall be called a ,nazarene40 ,this prophecy1 in the words given1 is not found in our canonical books4 ,the ,evangelist is supposed to refer to ,is4 xi4 #a4 ,the ,hebrew word for a ,branch1 there used1 is ,natsar4 #ie ,john i4 #dh1 #di4 #if ,luke ii4 #ce4 #ig ,genesis xxviii4 #ab4 #ih ,john i4 #ea4 #ii ,mark iii4 #ag-ai4 #ajj ,matth4 x4 #b-f4 #aja ,if a party of young men were in the habit of separating for excursions and going two by two1 and one of the party were afterwards asked for a list of the company2 it would help his memory to recall them1 pair by pair4 ,the ,evangelist is going to tell us of our ,lord's directions to the twelve about their mission4 ,it then strikes him that he must record their names4 #ajb ,john ii4 #aa4 #ajc ,john ii4 #ab4 #ajd ,john iv4 #dc-de4 #aje ,the tone of ,his discourse delivered there1 after ,his visit to ,jerusalem1 falls in with this view4 #ajf ,it must be recollected that there is no mention in ,st ,john's ,gospel of any disciple by name1 after the first chapter1 until we come to the sixth4 #ajg ,it may be asked1 ,how were the disciples maintained during several weeks at ,jerusalem8 ,though not of the poorest class they could not have lived long without labour4 ,john may have been spared because ,james remained to help his father in his work4 ,but if ,peter and ,andrew had both stayed at ,jerusalem through all the early summer1 it is hard to see how they1 and ,peter's wife1 could have been supported4 ,i should conjecture therefore that if ,peter went to ,jerusalem to the first passover1 he only made a brief stay4 ,there were1 at this time1 apparently no contributions such as we hear of afterwards 7,luke viii4 #c74 #ajh #a ,peter ii4 #bc4 #aji ,john ii4 #af4 #aaj ,john ii4 #bc4 #aaa ,john ii4 #bd1 #be4 #aab ,john vi4 #ff4 #aac ,john iii4 #bb1 #bc4 #aad ,john iii4 #bf4 #aae ,john iv4 #a1 #b4 #aaf #b ,tim4 iv4 #b4 #aag #a ,cor4 i4 #ab4 #aah ,john iv4 #ca4 ,they press ,him to take bodily support about which they thought ,him careless4 ,this must be an eye-witness's account4 #aai ,john xv4 #ae4 #abj ,john ii4 #bd4 #aba ,john iv4 #ce-ch4 ,see ,chronological ,appendix4 #abb ,luke x4 #ba1 #bb4 #abc ,luke xxii4 #bh4 #abd ,luke xv4 #aj4 #abe ,mark x4 #cc1 #cd4 #abf ,john v4 #a4 #abg ,luke iv4 #ad1 #ae4 #abh ,john iv4 #de4 #abi ,if a body of disciples had accompanied our ,lord to ,nazareth1 they would probably have offered some opposition to the ,nazarenes4 ,the absence of all mention of disciples in ,st ,luke1 chap4 iv4 gives reason for supposing that the visit to ,nazareth here recorded is not the same with that related in ,st ,matthew and ,st ,mark2 for the disciples were then present4 ,see ,mark vi4 #a-f1 ,matth4 xiii4 #ec4 #acj ,i incline to the old view which identified this feast with the feast of ,tabernacles2 the time suits well with my chronological scheme4 ,this was 8the feast0 of the ,jews1 it caused great stir4 ,now ,josephus tells us1 that ,herod put ,john in prison because men came to him in crowds4 ,this was more likely to happen when men were set free from their work by the holiday than at other times4 ,it is true that in ch4 vii4 #b1 ,john calls the feast of tabernacles by name4 ,but he is there writing his own account1 while here he is only recasting1 as ,i believe1 what he has received from an eye-witness4 ,this may account for the difference of expression4 ,some ,,mss4 but not the weightiest1 read 8the feast10 in ,john v4 #a4 ,if this were received it would go far to settle the point4 #aca ,john i4 #dc4 #acb ,the historical part of ,john ,chap4 #e1 vv4 #a-ah has the air of an account condensed from materials furnished by another4 ,we are told that ,philip was bishop of ,hierapolis in ,phrygia4 ,he may therefore have kept up communication with ,john at ,ephesus4 #acc ,john v4 #ae-ah4 #acd ,john xi4 #dh4 #ace ,john v4 #ag4 #acf ,matth4 v4 #de4 #acg ,john v4 #dc4 #ach ,matth4 iv4 #bj4 #aci ,i place this advent of our ,lord into ,galilee at the end of ,september ,a4,d4 #bh1 but the evidence is insufficient for a positive opinion4 ,my reasons for supposing that ,john was not imprisoned till after this feast are as follows4 ,the ,synoptists say that after ,john's imprisonment our ,lord came into ,galilee preaching the ,kingdom4 ,now when ,he returned through ,samaria ,he did not begin to preach the ,kingdom1 and therefore the advent of ,mark i4 #ad refers to some other occasion2 ,i believe to a subsequent one4 ,in ,st ,john's ,gospel chaps4 iv4 and v4 we hear nothing of 8the ,kingdom0 and no disciples are mentioned as attending our ,lord4 ,i think therefore that the events related in these chapters occurred before the advent into ,galilee2 this is one argument for placing this visit to the feast1 where ,i do4 ,moreover it is hard to find another place for it4 ,the ,synoptical narrative is fairly continuous from the advent 7,mark i4 #ad7 up to the journey to the ,feast of ,tabernacles1 and there is in it no mention either of a visit to ,jerusalem1 which must have occupied several days1 or of our ,lord's quitting ,his disciples4 ,all proceeds consistently if we suppose1 as ,i have done1 that ,john was put in prison at the time of this feast or soon after4 ,but there is one difficulty about this4 ,our ,lord says of the ,baptist ,john v4 #ce1 8,he was the lamp that burneth and shineth1 and you were willing for a season to rejoice in his light40 ,the use of the imperfect tense is supposed to show that ,john was in prison when this was said1 but surely if it is to be pressed rigorously it would mean that he was dead3 for he received his disciples in prison and could give counsel and direction to those without4 ,he did not cease to shine for them4 ,i take these words to mean that he was no longer a light to the ,priests and ,levites4 ,they had gone to him when he was preaching in the wilderness of ,juda1 ,matth4 iii4 #e1 and afterwards they had sent to him in ,bethany beyond ,jordan3 he was now in the territory of ,herod1 and there he was out of sight1 and with the ,priests and ,levites he was out of mind4 ,they could not make him a partisan or an ally and they had given him up4 ,if ,john was in prison at this time1 his imprisonment must have been a recent event1 and we should expect our ,lord to allude to it when ,he speaks of him4 #adj ,mark i4 #ad1 #ae4 #ada ,mark i4 #af-bj4 #adb ,for instance1 if the separate probability of each of two events is #a_/aj1 that of the joint event is #a_/aj x #a_/aj or #a_/ajj1 or there are ninety-nine chances to one against it4 #adc ,acts ii4 #da4 #add ,luke v4 #d4 #ade ,luke v4 #h4 #adf ,mark i4 #bb4 #adg ,by comparing the ,sermon on the ,mount with the parallel passages in ,st ,luke we find that much of it must have been spoken after the call of the ,apostles3 this applies particularly to the latter half of the discourse4 #adh ,matt4 v4 #ch-da4 #adi ,acts i4 #h4 #aej ,luke v4 #ag4 #aea ,matth4 ix4 #ad-ag4 ,i here adopt ,st ,matthew's version in preference to that of ,st ,mark ii4 #af-bb4 ,st ,matthew was not likely to forget any circumstance of his call1 least of all the words then used by our ,lord2 and the quotation 8,i will have mercy and not sacrifice0 which he alone relates1 is exactly in our ,lord's manner4 ,the passage printed above differs also from ,st ,mark's version in this1 that in the latter the disciples of the ,pharisees put the question together with ,john's disciples4 ,some disciples of ,john may have belonged to the ,pharisees as their religious party4 #aeb ,luke xi4 #a4 #aec ,st ,mark distinguishes between these two objects of our ,lord's care1 the multitude and the disciples4 ,when our ,lord after ,his journey to the ,north is passing through ,galilee we read that 8,he passed through ,galilee1 and would not that any man should know it1 for he taught ,his disciples40 ,mark ix4 #ca4 ,and soon after1 when he is beyond ,jordan1 we have 8and multitudes came together unto him again2 and1 as he was wont1 he taught them again40 ,mark x4 #a4 #aed viz4 after the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand4 ,matth4 xiv4 #bc4 #aee viz41 8that they might be with him and that he might send them forth to preach and to have authority to cast out devils40 ,mark iii4 #ad1 #ae4 #aef 1 ,matth4 xi4 #ab4 8 especially with such verbs as etc4 is employed to denote #8a highly prized possession1 an unexpected gain4' 0 ,bishop ,lightfoot's ,philippians1 p4 #aaa4 ,compare ,ps4 cxix4 #afb4 8,i am as glad of thy word as one that findeth great spoils40 #aeg ,mark iii4 #f1 #g4 #aeh ,matth4 ix4 #cf-ch4 #aei p4 #bcd4 #afj ,luke vi4 #ab4 #afa ,mark iii4 #ac1 #ad4 #afb ,mark xiv4 #ej4 #afc ,luke xxiv4 #cf4 #afd ,john xv4 #bg4 #afe ,acts i4 #h4 #aff ,acts i4 #bb4 #afg ,acts x4 #da4 ,for other instances see ,luke xxiv4 #dh2 ,acts ii4 #cb2 iii4 #ae2 xiii4 #ca4 #afh ,john xi4 #af4 #afi ,james i4 #bj4 #agj ,john ii4 #bd4 #aga ,matt4 xxviii4 #ai4 #agb ,luke vi4 #ag-ai4 #agc ,luke vi4 #bj4 #agd ,luke vi4 #bb1 #bc4 #age ,luke vi4 #bd-bf4 #agf ,luke vi4 #bg4 #agg ,luke vi4 #ci1 #dj4 #agh ,luke vi4 #dc1 also ,matth4 vii4 #ag where the converse is added4 #agi ,mark iii4 #bj1 #ba4 #ahj ,matt4 xi4 #b-f4 ,see also ,luke vii4 #ah-bc4 #aha ,luke vii4 #bc4 #ahb ,marginal rendering1 was4 #ahc ,luke vii4 #ce4 #ahd ,luke vii4 #bi1 #cj4 #ahe ,john x4 #af4 #ahf p4 #bfe4 #ahg ,heb4 xi4 #a4 #ahh ,mark iv4 #ce-dj4 #ahi ,luke viii4 #a-c4 #aij ,mark vi4 #ci1 #dj4 #aia ,possibly ,philip had this charge1 see page #cjf4 #aib ,luke ix4 #ea1 #eb4 #aic ,mark iv4 #ce4 #aid ,mark iv4 #cg-dj4 #aie ,in 8,trench on the ,miracles0 this miracle and the question of the demoniacs in the ,new ,testament are thoroughly discussed4 ,i purposely confine myself to what bears on the education of the ,apostles4 ,see also above ,chap4 #b1 p4 #dh4 #aif ,see above1 p4 #di4 #aig ,mark v4 #ag4 #aih ,mark v4 #cg4 #aii ,compare ,mark iii4 #cb and ,mark vi4 #c4 #bjj ,mark vi4 #g-ac4 #bja ,luke x4 #a-aa4 #bjb ,matth4 x4 #e-ae4 #bjc ,luke xxii4 #ce-ch4 #bjd ,luke ix4 #eb4 #bje ,luke xix4 #bi4 #bjf ,luke xxii4 #h4 #bjg ,luke x4 #i-aa4 #bjh ,mark vi4 #cj4 #bji ,john v4 #dc4 #baj ,luke x4 #ba4 #baa ,luke x4 #ba1 #bb4 #bab ,mark vi4 #cj-cb4 #bac ,john vi4 #d1 #e4 #bad ,see p4 #bb4 #bae ,john vi4 #i4 #baf ,mark i4 #bj4 #bag ,mark vi4 #ch4 #bah ,mark viii4 #e-g4 #bai ,that the disciples habitually carried loaves with them on their journey is clear from ,mark viii4 #ad4 #bbj ,mark viii4 #af1 #ag4 #bba ,john vi4 #e4 #bbb ,mark vi4 #cd4 #bbc ,john vi4 #ae4 #bbd ,mark vi4 #de1 #df4 #bbe ,mark vi4 #dg-eb4 #bbf ,see pp4 #aii1 #bjj4 #bbg ,mark vi4 #ej4 #bbh ,matth4 xxv4 #ad-cj2 ,luke xix4 #aa-bg4 #bbi ,luke xix4 #bf4 #bcj ,matth4 xiii4 #aj4 #bca ,mark iv4 #aa1 #ab4 ,see also ,isaiah vi4 #aj4 #bcb ,mark iv4 #bd4 #bcc ,luke ix4 #ca4 #bcd ,three it would seem is the number adopted for witnesses just as two is that for missionaries on their way4 #bce ,john vi4 #be-fe4 #bcf ,w4 ,sanday1 8,authorship and ,historical character of the ,fourth ,gospel40 #bcg ,speaking of the beliefs of the ,rabbis as to the days of the ,messiah1 ,dr ,edersheim1 quoting from the ,rabbis1 says3 8,in that vast new ,jerusalem 7not in heaven but in the literal ,palestine7 the windows and gates were to be of precious stones1 the walls of silver1 gold1 and gems1 while all kinds of jewels would be strewed about1 of which every ,israelite was at liberty to take4444 ,the land would spontaneously produce the best dresses and the finest cakes40 8,jesus the ,messiah10 ,book v4 p4 #dch4 #bch ,john vi4 #ff4 #bci ,cf4 ,john iii4 #be4 #bdj ,mark vii4 #ad1 #ae4 #bda ,john vi4 #fj-fc4 #bdb ,mark vii4 #bd4 #bdc ,mark vii4 #cc-cf4 #bdd ,bethsaida means ,fishertown2 many places were so named4 ,dr ,edersheim4 #bde ,mark viii4 #bc-bf4 #bdf ,mark viii4 #aa4 #bdg ,matth4 xvi4 #ac-bj4 #bdh ,john vi4 #dd4 #bdi ,matth4 xvi4 #bc4 #bej ,luke iv4 #ac4 #bea ,matth4 xvi4 #bd1 #be4 #beb ,mark ix4 #a4 #bec ,mark ix4 #i4 #bed ,matthew xvii4 #ab4 #bee ,luke ix4 #cg4 #bef ,mark ix4 #ag-bi4 #beg ,see page #ie4 #beh ,mark v4 #cj4 #bei ,mark ix4 #cj4 #bfj ,john xvi4 #d4 #bfa ,mark ix4 #cc4 #bfb ,mark ix4 #cj4 #bfc ,mark ix4 #ce4 #bfd ,luke ix4 #dh4 #bfe ,matt4 xviii4 #a-aa4 #bff ,this incident shews that the ,apostles even while journeying along with our ,lord were sometimes out of ,his sight and acted independently4 ,perhaps they were in some degree dispersed when they halted for the night4 ,this forbidding cannot have taken place while our ,lord was in the ,mount because ,john was there with ,him4 #bfg ,matthew xii4 #cj4 #bfh xviii4 #ba1 #bb4 #bfi ,compare the ,revised ,version with that of #afaa4 #bgj ,mark ix4 #di1 #ej4 #bga ,mark x4 #a4 #bgb ,luke ix4 #ea1 #eb4 #bgc ,john vii4 #b-aj4 #bgd ,acts i4 #ad1 8with his brethren40 #bge ,mark vi4 #b4 #bgf ,luke ix4 #ea-ef4 #bgg ,luke xii4 #da-df4 #bgh ,acts xii4 #b4 #bgi ,john vii4 #ad4 #bhj ,that our ,lord spoke ,greek when required is inferred from ,his being understood by the ,syro-,phnician woman and by ,pilate1 who probably knew no ,hebrew1 see ,john xviii4 #cc-ch4 ,see also ,john vii4 #ce1 ,revised ,version4 #bha ,page #aia4 #bhb ,john vii4 #ec2 viii4 #a4 #bhc ,the third is preserved only by ,luke4 #bhd ,matthew viii4 #ai4 #bhe ,luke xi4 #bg4 #bhf ,luke xxii4 #cc4 #bhg ,see also ,luke xiv4 #ae4 ,the exclamation1 8,blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of ,god0 is met by the parable of the ,great ,supper4 #bhh ,luke x4 #d-aa4 #bhi ,mark x4 #ag-bb4 #bij ,articles of ,religion1 ,,xiii4 #bia ,acts iv4 #ce4 #bib ,mark x4 #bd4 #bic ,mark x4 #cj4 #bid ,acts iv4 #cb4 #bie ,luke xv4 #aj4 #bif ,luke xvi4 #h4 #big ,luke xvi4 #a-ab4 #bih 8,life and times of ,jesus the ,messiah10 p4 #bfg4 #bii 8,the use of for #8false' runs through the whole ,septuagint4 ,thus1 ,deut4 xix4 #af1 1 a false witness2 and ver4 #ah1 1 he hath witnessed falsely4 ,see ,prov4 vi4 #ai2 xii4 #ag2 ,jer4 v4 #ca1 #8,the prophets prophesy falsely' 771 and many more examples might be adduced4 ,so here the #8unrighteous' mammon is the false mammon1 that which will betray the reliance which is placed on it 7#a ,tim4 vi4 #ag74 ,thus 7,job xiii4 #d71 #8physicians of no value4' 0 ,trench1 8,on the ,parables10 ,the unjust ,steward4 #cjj ,luke xvii4 #e4 #cja ,it is clear that 8unrighteous10 in verse #aj means 8superficial0 and 8unreal10 because it is contrasted with 8true40 ,the opposite of is here 4 #cjb ,mark xiv4 #i4 #cjc ,luke xii4 #ad4 #cjd ,luke xii4 #af-bj4 #cje ,luke xii4 #cf4 ,matt4 vi4 #be4 #cjf ,matthew xix4 #i4 #cjg ,on the conversation of our ,lord at ,sychar with the woman of ,samaria1 ,dr ,edersheim says3 8,that ,jesus should converse with a woman was so contrary to all ,jewish notions of a ,rabbi that they wondered40 ,the disciples 8marvelled that he was speaking with a woman10 ,john iv4 #bg2 and in a note ,dr ,edersheim has3 8,readers know how thoroughly opposed to ,jewish notions was any needless converse with a woman40 #cjh ,luke xx4 #ce1 #cf4 #cji ,matth4 xxiv4 #be4 #caj ,luke xxi4 #ai4 #caa ,luke ii4 #d4 #cab ,matth4 xxii4 #db1 #dc4 ,mark xii4 #ce-cg4 ,luke xx4 #da4 #cac ,see ,john xiv4 #i4 #cad ,luke xi4 #a4 #cae ,see ,edersheim1 vol4 ,i4 p4 #ddj4 #caf ,john xiii4 #a-ad4 #cag ,john xxi4 #be4 #cah #b ,sam4 xii4 #ac4 #cai ,dr ,edersheim1 who takes the view that this is the ,paschal meal1 says that it was usual for the head of the company to wash the hands of the guests4 ,the washing of the feet would therefore only be an extension of a common practice and would excite no great attention4 8,life and ,times of ,jesus the ,messiah10 vol4 ,,ii4 pp4 #die-dih4 #cbj ,luke xxii4 #bd1 #cj4 #cba ,galatians vi4 #a1 #b4 #cbb ,mark vii4 #cc4 ,see p4 #ccc4 #cbc ,mark xi4 #aj4 #cbd ,luke xi4 #bi4 ,see p4 #ajd4 #cbe ,luke xiii4 #bc2 xviii4 #ai4 #cbf ,john xiv4 #ai4 #cbg ,john xi4 #af1 see p4 #cgb4 #cbh pp4 #ie1 #if1 #ig4 #cbi ,galatians ii4 #aa-ad4 #ccj ,see ,preface4 #cca #a ,john i4 #a4 #ccb ,acts x4 #dj1 #da4 #ccc #a ,cor4 xv4 #e1 #f1 #g1 #h4 #ccd ,see ,chronol4 ,append41 ,may ,a4,d4 #cj4 #cce #a ,cor4 xv4 #f4 #ccf ,acts i4 #ae4 #ccg ,i would point out that in the passage from #a ,cor4 xv4 quoted p4 #dej1 we have 8then to the ,twelve10 and later1 8then to all the ,apostles40 ,may not ,st ,paul have meant the latter term to be a wider one than the former1 and1 possibly1 to include ,james8 #cch ,mark vi4 #c4 #cci #a ,cor4 ix4 #a4 #cdj 8,clement of ,alexandria says that ,peter1 ,james and ,john after our ,lord's ascension were not ambitious of dignity1 honoured though they had been by the preference of their ,master1 but chose ,james the ,just as ,bishop of ,jerusalem40 ,dr ,salmon1 8,introduction to the ,new ,testament10 p4 #efe4 #cda 8,this ,james whom the ancients 444 surnamed the ,just40 ,eusebius1 ,eccl4 ,hist4 #f1 ii4 c4 #a4 #cdb ,john xvi4 #g1 #h4 #cdc ,acts xvi4 #f-h4 #cdd ,philippians ii4 #ac4 #cde ,matth4 xviii4 #ba4 #cdf ,romans v4 #h4 #cdg #a ,cor4 xv4 #dd4 #cdh ,the harvest in ,palestine ripens at different times in different localities2 but as a general rule the barley-harvest may be considered as taking place from the middle to the close of ,april1 and the wheat-harvest about a fortnight later2 see ,robinson1 ,palestine1 ,vol4 #a4 p4 #dca 7ed4 #b71 and compare ,stanley1 ,palestine1 p4 #bdj1 note 7ed4 #b74 ,note taken from ,bishop ,ellicott's ,historical ,lectures on the 8,life of our ,lord10 page #ajf4 #cdi ,john iv4 #f4 ,the marginal rendering of the ,revised ,version is 8,jesus 444 sat as he was by the well40 ,the words in italics answer to 8thus10 4 ,this means that ,he did not call for ,his cloke and wrap it round ,him1 as in winter ,he would have done4 ,this is clearly eye-witness narration4 #cej ,this glorifying consisted not in its gaining ,him glory in the common sense but in its being an event leading ,him to the ,cross1 to the fullest abandonment to ,his ,father's will4 ,this is the true glory4 ,compare ,john xii4 #bh1 xxi4 #ai4