,,expositions ,,of ,,holy ,,scripture ,,st4 ,,mark ,,alexander ,,maclaren1 ,d4 ,d41 ,litt4 ,d4 ,,contents ,,what ',,the ,,gospel' ,,is 7,mark i4 #a7 ,,the ,,strong ,,forerunner ,,and ,,the ,,stronger ,,son 7,mark i4 #a-aa7 ,,mighty ,,in ,,word ,,and ,,deed 7,mark i4 #ba-cd7 ,,healing ,,and ,,service 7,mark i4 #cj1 #ca1 ,r4,v47 ,a ,,parable ,,in ,a ,,miracle 7,mark i4 #dj-db7 ,,christ',s ,,touch 7,mark i4 #da7 ,,christ',s ,,authority ,,to ,,forgive 7,mark ii4 #a-ab7 ,,the ,,publicans' ,,friend 7,mark ii4 #ac-bb7 ,,the ,,secret ,,of ,,gladness 7,mark ii4 #ai7 ,,works ,,which ,,hallow ,,the ,,sabbath 7,mark ii4 #bc-bh2 iii4 #a-e7 ,,the ,,anger ,,and ,,grief ,,of ,,jesus 7,mark iii4 #e7 ,,ambassadors ,,for ,,christ 7,mark iii4 #f-ai7 ',,he ,,is ,,beside ,,himself' 7,mark iii4 #ba7 ,,the ,,mistakes ,,of ,,christ',s ,,foes ,,and ,,friends 7,mark iii4 #bb-ce7 ,,christ',s ,,kindred 7,mark iii4 #ca-ce7 ,,christ',s ,,relations 7,mark iii4 #ce7 ,,four ,,soils ,,for ,,one ,,seed 7,mark iv4 #aj-bj7 ,,lamps ,,and ,,bushels 7,mark iv4 #ba7 ,,the ,,storm ,,stilled 7,mark iv4 #ce-da7 ,,the ,,toiling ,,christ 7,mark iv4 #cf1 #ch7 ,,the ,,lord ,,of ,,demons 7,mark v4 #a-bj7 ,a ,,refused ,,request 7,mark v4 #ah1ai7 ,,talitha ,,cumi 7,mark v4 #bb-bd1 #ce-dc7 ,,the ,,power ,,of ,,feeble ,,faith 7,mark v4 #be1 #bg1 #bh7 ,,touch ,,or ,,faith8 7,mark v4 #bh1 #cd7 ,,the ,,looks ,,of ,,jesus 7,mark v4 #cb7 ,,the ,,master ,,rejected3 ,,the ,,servants ,,sent ,,forth 7,mark vi4 #a-ac7 ,,christ ,,thwarted 7,mark vi4 #e1 #f7 ,,herod--,a ,,startled ,,conscience 7,mark vi4 #af7 ,,the ,,martyrdom ,,of ,,john 7,mark vi4 #ag-bh7 ,,the ,,world',s ,,bread 7,mark vi4 #cj-dd7 ,,children ,,and ,,little ,,dogs 7,mark vii4 #bd-cj7 ,,the ,,pattern ,,of ,,service 7,mark vii4 #cc1 #cd7 ,,the ,,patient ,,teacher ,,and ,,the ,,slow ,,scholars 7,mark viii4 #ag1 #ah7 ,,the ,,religious ,,uses ,,of ,,memory 7,mark viii4 #ah7 ,,the ,,gradual ,,healing ,,of ,,the ,,blind ,,man 7,mark viii4 #bb-be7 ,,christ',s ,,cross1 ,,and ,,ours 7,mark viii4 #bg--;ix4 #a7 ,,the ,,transfiguration 7,mark ix4 #b-ac7 ',,this ,,is ,,my ,,beloved ,,son3 ,,hear ,,him' 7,mark ix4 #g7 ,,jesus ,,only 7,mark ix4 #h7 ,,christ',s ,,lament ,,over ,,our ,,faithlessness 7,mark ix4 #ai7 ,,the ,,omnipotence ,,of ,,faith 7,mark ix4 #bc7 ,,unbelieving ,,belief 7,mark ix4 #bd7 ,,receiving ,,and ,,forbidding 7,mark ix4 #cc-db7 ,,an ,,unanswered ,,question 7,mark ix4 #cc7 ,,salted ,,with ,,fire 7,mark ix4 #di7 ',,salt ,,in ,,yourselves' 7,mark ix4 #ej7 ,,children ,,and ,,childlike ,,men 7,mark x4 #ac-ae7 ,,almost ,a ,,disciple4 7,mark x4 #ag-bg7 ,,christ ,,on ,,the ,,road ,,to ,,the ,,cross 7,mark x4#cb7 ,,dignity ,,and ,,service 7,mark x4 #ce-de7 ,,bartimaeus 7,mark x4 #df7 ,,an ,,eager ,,coming 7,mark x4 #ej7 ,,love',s ,,question 7,mark x4 #ea2 ,acts ix4 #f7 ,a ,,royal ,,progress 7,mark xi4 #b7 ,,christ',s ,,need ,,of ,,us ,,and ,,ours 7,mark xi4 #c7 ,,nothing ,,but ,,leaves 7,mark xi4 #ac1 #ad7 ,,dishonest ,,tenants 7,mark xii4 #a-ab7 ,,god',s ,,last ,,arrow 7,mark xii4 #f7 ,,not ,,far ,,and ,,not ,,in 7,mark xii4 #cd7 ,,the ,,credulity ,,of ,,unbelief 7,mark xiii4 #f2 ,luke xviii1 #h7 ,,authority ,,and ,,work 7,mark xiii4 #cd7 ,,the ,,alabaster ,,box 7,mark xiv4 #f-i7 ,a ,,secret ,,rendezvous 7,mark xiv4 #ab-af7 ,,the ,,new ,,passover 7,mark xiv4 #ab-bf7 ',is ,,it ,i8' 7,mark xiv4 #ai7 ',,strong ,,crying ,,and ,,tears' 7,mark xiv4 #cb-db7 ,,the ,,sleeping ,,apostle 7,mark xiv4 #cg7 ,,the ,,captive ,,christ ,,and ,,the ,,circle ,,round ,,him 7,mark xiv4 #dc-ed7 ,,the ,,condemnation ,,which ,,condemns ,,the ,,judges 7,mark xiv4 #ee-fe7 ,,christ ,,and ,,pilate2 ,,the ,,true ,,king ,,and ,,his ,,counterfeit 7,mark xv4 #a-bj7 ,,the ,,death ,,which ,,gives ,,life 7,mark xv4 #ba-ci7 ,,simon ,,the ,,cyrenian 7,mark xv4 #ba7 ,,the ,,incredulous ,,disciples 7,mark xvi4 #a-ac7 ,,perpetual ,,youth 7,mark xvi4 #e7 ,,the ,,first ,,preaching ,,of ,,the ,,resurrection 7,mark xvi4 #e1 #f7 ,,love',s ,,triumph ,,over ,,sin 7,mark xvi4 #g7 ',,first ,,to ,,mary' 7,mark xvi4 #i7 ,,the ,,world-,,wide ,,commission 7,mark xvi4 #ae7 ,,the ,,enthroned ,,christ 7,mark xvi4 #ai7 ,,what ',,the ,,gospel' ,,is ,the beginning of the gospel of ,jesus ,christ4--,mark i4 #a ,my purpose now is to point out some of the various connections in which the ,new ,testament uses that familiar phrase1 'the gospel1' and briefly to gather some of the important thoughts which these suggest4 ,possibly the process may help to restore freshness to a word so well worn that it slips over our tongues almost unnoticed and excites little thought4 ,the history of the word in the ,new ,testament books is worth notice4 ,it seldom occurs in those lives of our ,lord which now are emphatically so called1 and where it does occur1 it is 'the gospel of the ,kingdom' quite as frequently as 'the gospel' of the ,king4 ,the word is never used in ,luke1 and only twice in the ,acts of the ,apostles1 both times in quotations4 ,the ,apostle ,john never employs it1 either in his 'gospel' or in his epistles1 and in the ,apocalypse the word is only once found1 and then it may be a question whether it refers to the good news of salvation in ,jesus ,christ4 ,john thought of the word which he had to proclaim as 'the message1' 'the witness1' 'the truth1' rather than as 'the gospel4' ,we search for the expression in vain in the epistles of ,james1 ,jude1 and to the ,hebrews4 ,thrice it is used by ,peter4 ,the great bulk of the instances of its occurrence are in the writings of ,paul1 who1 if not the first to use it1 at any rate is the source from which the familiar meaning of the phrase1 as describing the sum total of the revelation in ,jesus ,christ1 has flowed4 ,the various connections in which the word is employed are remarkable and instructive4 ,we can but touch lightly on the more important lessons which they are fitted to teach4 ,i4 ,the ,gospel is the ',gospel of ,christ4' ,on our ,lord's own lips and in the records of ,his life we find1 as has already been noticed1 the phrase1 'the gospel of the kingdom'--the good news of the establishment on earth of the rule of ,god in the hearts and lives of men4 ,the person of the ,king is not yet defined by it4 ,the diffused dawn floods the sky1 and upon them that sit in darkness the greatness of its light shines1 before the sun is above the horizon4 ,the message of the ,forerunner proclaimed1 like a herald's clarion1 the coming of the ,kingdom1 before he could say to a more receptive few1 ',behold the ,lamb of ,god4' ,the order is first the message of the ,kingdom1 then the discovery of the ,king4 ,and so that earlier phrase falls out of use1 and when once ,christ's life had been lived1 and ,his death died1 the gospel is no longer the message of an impersonal revolution in the world's attitude to ,god's will1 but the biography of ,him who is at once first subject and monarch of the ,kingdom of ,heaven1 and by whom alone we are brought into it4 ,the standing expression comes to be 'the gospel of ,christ4' ,it is ,his1 not so much because ,he is the author1 as because ,he is the subject of it4 ,it is the good news about ,christ4 ,he is its contents and great theme4 ,and so we are led up at once to the great central peculiarity of ,christianity1 namely that it is a record of historical fact1 and that all the world's life and blessedness lie in the story of a human life and death4 ,christ is ,christianity4 ,his biography is the good news for every child of man4 ,neither a philosophy nor a morality1 but a history1 is the true good news for men4 ,the world is hungry1 and when it cries for bread wise men give it a stone1 but ,god gives it the fare it needs in the bread that comes down from ,heaven4 ,though it be of small account in many people's eyes1 like the common barley cakes1 the poor man's food1 it is what we all need2 and humble people1 and simple people1 and uneducated people1 and barbarous people1 and dying people1 and the little children can all eat and live4 ,they would find little to keep them from starving in anything more ambitious1 and would only break their teeth in mumbling the dry bones of philosophies and moralities4 ,but the story of their ,brother who has lived and died for them feeds heart and mind and will1 fancy and imagination1 memory and hope1 nourishes the whole nature into health and beauty1 and alone deserves to be called good news for men4 ,all that the world needs lies in that story4 ,out of it have come peace and gladness to the soul1 light for the understanding1 cleansing for the conscience1 renovation for the will1 which can be made strong and free by submission1 a resting-place for the heart1 and a starting-point and a goal for the loftiest flights of hope4 ,out of it have come the purifying of family and civic life1 the culture of all noble social virtues1 the sanctity of the household1 and the elevation of the state4 ,the thinker has found the largest problems raised and solved therein4 ,the setting forth of a loftier morality1 and the enthusiasm which makes the foulest nature aspire to and reach its heaven-touching heights1 are found together there4 ,to it poet and painter1 architect and musician1 owe their noblest themes4 ,the good news of the world is the story of ,christ's life and death4 ,let us be thankful for its form2 let us be thankful for its substance4 ,but we must not forget that1 as ,paul1 who is so fond of the word1 has taught us1 the historical fact needs some explanation and commentary to make the history a gospel4 ,he has declared to us 'the gospel which he preached1' and to which he ascribes saving power1 and he gives these as its elements1 ',how that ,christ died for our sins1 according to the ,scriptures1 and that ,he was buried1 and that ,he rose again the third day1 according to the ,scriptures4' ,there are three facts--death1 burial1 resurrection4 ,these are the things that any eye could have seen4 ,are these the gospel8 ,is there any saving power in them8 ,not unless you add the commentary 'for our sins1' and 'according to the ,scriptures4' ,that death was a death for us all1 by which we are delivered from our sins--that is the main thing2 and in subordination to that thought1 the other that ,christ's death was the accomplishment of prophecies--these make the history a gospel4 ,the bare facts1 without the exhibition of their purpose and meaning1 are no more a gospel than any other story of a death would be4 ,the facts with any lower explanation of their meaning are no gospel1 any more than the story of the death of ,socrates or any innocent martyr would be4 ,if you would know the good news that will lift your heavy heart from sorrow and break your chains of sin1 that will put music into your life and make your days blaze into brightness as when the sunlight strikes some sullen mountain-side that lay black in shadow1 you must take the fact with its meaning1 and find your gospel in the life and death of ,him who is more than example and more than martyr4 ',how that ,christ died for our sins1 according to the ,scriptures1' is 'the gospel of ,christ4' ,,ii4 ,the ,gospel of ,christ is the ',gospel of ,god4' ,this form of the expression1 though by no means so frequent as the other1 is found throughout ,paul's epistles1 thrice in the earliest--,thessalonians 7#a ,thess4 ii4 #h71 once in the great ,epistle to the ,romans 7i4 #a71 once in ,corinthians 7#b ,cor4 xi4 #g71 and once in a modified form in the pathetic letter from the dungeon1 which the old man addressed to his 'son ,timothy' 7#a ,tim4 i4 #aa74 ,it is also found in the writings of ,peter 7#a ,pet4 iv4 #ag74 ,in all these cases the phrase1 'the gospel of ,god1' may mean the gospel which has ,god for its author or origin1 but it seems rather to mean 'which has ,god for its subject4' ,it was1 as we saw1 mainly designated as the good news about ,jesus ,christ1 but it is also the good news about ,god4 ,so in one and the same set of facts we have the history of ,jesus and the revelation of ,god4 ,they are not only the biography of a man1 but they are the unveiling of the heart of ,god4 ,these ,scripture writers take it for granted that their readers will understand that paradox1 and do not stop to explain how they change the statement of the subject matter of their message1 in this extraordinary fashion1 between their ,master who had lived and died on earth1 and the ,unseen ,almightiness throned above all heavens4 ,how comes that to be8 ,it is not that the gospel has two subjects1 one of which is the matter of one portion1 and the other of another4 ,it does not sometimes speak of ,christ1 and sometimes rise to tell us of ,god4 ,it is always speaking of both1 and when its subject is most exclusively the man ,christ ,jesus1 it is then most chiefly the ,father ,god4 ,how comes that to be8 ,surely this unconscious shifting of the statement of their theme1 which these writers practise as a matter of course1 shows us how deeply the conviction had stamped itself on their spirits1 ',he that hath seen ,me hath seen the ,father1' and how the point of view from which they had learned to look on all the sweet and wondrous story of their ,master's life and death1 was that of a revelation of the deepest heart of ,god4 ,and so must we look on that whole career1 from the cradle to the cross1 from ,calvary to ,olivet1 if we are to know its deepest tenderness and catch its gladdest notes4 ,that such a man has lived and died is beautiful1 and the portrait will hang for ever as that of the fairest of the children of men4 ,but that in that life and death we have our most authentic knowledge of what ,god is1 and that all the pity and truth1 the gentleness and the brotherliness1 the tears and the self-surrender1 are a revelation to us of ,god2 and that the cross1 with its awful sorrow and its painful death1 tells us not only how a man gave himself for those whom he loved1 but how ,god loves the world and how tremendous is ,his law--this is good news of ,god indeed4 ,we have to look for our truest knowledge of ,him not in the majesties of the starry heavens1 nor in the depths of our own souls1 not in the scattered tokens of ,his character given by the perplexed order of the world1 nor in the intuitions of the wise1 but in the life and death of ,his ,son1 whose tears are the pity of ,god as well as the compassion of a man1 and in whose life and death the whole world may behold 'the brightness of ,his glory and the express image of ,his person1' and be delivered from all their fears of an angry1 and all their doubts of an unknown1 ,god4 ,there is a double modification of this phrase4 ,we hear of 'the gospel of the grace of ,god' and 'the gospel of the glory of ,god1' which latter expression1 rendered in the ,english version misleadingly 'the glorious gospel1' is given in its true shape in the ,revised ,version4 ,the great theme of the message is further defined in these two noteworthy forms4 ,it is the tender love of ,god in exercise to lowly creatures who deserve something else that the gospel is busy in setting forth1 a love which flows forth unbought and unmotived save by itself1 like some stream from a hidden lake high up among the pure ,alpine snows4 ,the story of ,christ's work is the story of ,god's rich1 unmerited love1 bending down to creatures far beneath1 and making a radiant pathway from earth to heaven1 like the sevenfold rainbow4 ,it is so1 not merely because this mission is the result of ,god's love1 but also because ,his grace is ,god's grace1 and therefore every act of ,christ which speaks ,his own tenderness is therein an apocalypse of ,god4 ,the second of these two expressions1 'the gospel of the glory of ,god1' leads up to that great thought that the true glory of the divine nature is its tenderness4 ,the lowliness and death of ,christ are the glory of ,god6 ,not in the awful attributes which separate that inconceivable ,nature from us1 not in the eternity of ,his existence1 nor in the ,infinitude of ,his ,being1 not in the ,omnipotence of ,his unwearied arm1 nor in fire-eyed ,omniscience1 but in the pity and graciousness which bend lovingly over us1 is the true glory of ,god4 ,these pompous 'attributes' are but the fringes of the brightness1 the living white heart of which is love4 ,god's glory is ,god's grace1 and the purest expression of both is found there1 where ,jesus hangs dying in the dark1 ,the true throne of ,god's glory is not builded high in a remote heaven1 flashing intolerable brightness and set about with bending principalities and powers1 but it is the ,cross of ,calvary4 ,the story of the 'grace of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1' with its humiliation and shame1 is the 'gospel of the grace1' and therefore is the 'gospel of the glory1 of ,god4' ,,iii4 ,the good news of ,christ and of ,god is the gospel of our salvation and peace4 ,we read of 'the gospel of your salvation' 7,eph4 i4 #ac71 and in the same letter 7vi4 #ae7 of 'the gospel of peace4' ,in these expressions we pass from the consideration of the author or of the subject matter of the good news to that of its purpose and issue4 ,it is meant to bring to men1 and it does in fact bring to all who accept it1 those wide and complex blessings described by those two great words4 ,that good news about ,christ and ,god brings to a man salvation1 if he believes it4 ,to know and feel that ,i have a loving ,father who has so cared for me and all my brethren that ,he has sent ,his ,son to live and die for me1 is surely enough to deliver me from all the bonds and death of sin1 and to quicken me into humble consecration to ,his service4 ,and such emancipation from the burden and misery of sin1 from the gnawing consciousness of evil and the weakening sense of guilt1 from the dominion of wrong tastes and habits1 and from the despair of ever shaking them off which is only too well grounded in the experience of the past1 is the beginning of salvation for each of us4 ,that great keyword of the ,new ,testament covers the whole field of positive and negative good which man can need or ,god can give4 ,negatively it includes the removal of every evil1 whether of the nature of sorrow or of sin1 under which men can groan4 ,positively it includes the endowment with all good1 whether of the nature of joy or of purity1 which men can hope for or receive4 ,it is past1 present1 and future1 for every heart that accepts 'the word of the truth of the gospel'--past1 inasmuch as the first effect of even the most incomplete acceptance is to put us in a new position and attitude towards the law of ,god1 and to plant the germs of all holiness and joy in our souls2 present1 inasmuch as salvation is a growing possession and a continuous process running on all through our lives1 if we be true to ourselves and our calling2 future1 inasmuch as its completion waits to be unveiled in another order of things1 where perfect purity and perfect consecration shall issue in perfect joy4 ,and all this ennobling and enriching of human nature is produced by that good news about the grace and glory of ,god and of ,christ1 if we will only listen to it1 and let it work its work on our souls4 ,substantially the same set of facts is included under that other expression1 'the gospel of peace4' ,the ,hebrew use of the word 'peace' as a kind of shorthand for all good is probably to be remembered4 ,but even in the narrower sense of the word1 how great are the blessings set forth by it6 ,all inward serenity and outward calm1 the tranquillity of a soul free from the agitations of emotion and the storms of passions and the tumults of desire1 as well as the security of a life guarded from the assaults of foes and girded about with an impregnable barrier which nothing can destroy and no enemy overleap1 are ours1 if we take the good news about ,god to our heart4 ,they are ours in the measure in which we take it4 ,clearly such truths as those which the gospel brings have a plain tendency to give peace4 ,they give peace with ,god1 with the world1 and with ourselves4 ,they lead to trust1 and trust is peace4 ,they lead to union with ,god1 and that is peace4 ,they lead to submission1 and that is peace4 ,they lead to consecration1 and that is peace4 ,they lead to indifference to fleeting joys and treasures1 and that is peace4 ,they give to heart and mind and will an all-sufficient and infinite object1 and that is peace4 ,they deliver us from ourselves1 and that is peace4 ,they fill the past1 the present1 and the future with the loving ,father's presence1 and brighten life and death with the ,saviour's footsteps--and so to live is calm1 and to die is to lay ourselves down in peace and sleep1 quiet by ,his side1 like a child by its mother4 ,the good news about ,god and ,christ is the good news of our salvation and of our peace4 ,,iv4 ,the good news about ,christ and ,god is the gospel4 ,by far the most frequent form in which the word gospel occurs is that of the simple use of the noun with the definite article4 ,this message is emphatically the good news4 ,it is the tidings which men most of all want4 ,it stands alone2 there is no other like it4 ,if this be not the glad tidings of great joy for the world1 then there are none4 ,let no false liberality lead us to lose sight of the exclusive claims which are made in this phrase for the set of facts the narrative of which constitutes 'the gospel4' ,the life and death of ,jesus ,christ for the sins of the world1 ,his resurrection and continuous life for the saving of the world--these are the truths1 without which there can be no gospel4 ,they may be apprehended in different ways1 set forth in different perspective1 proclaimed in different dialects1 explained in different fashion1 associated with different accompaniments1 drawn out into different consequences1 and yet1 through all diversity of tones1 the message may be one4 ,sounded on a ram's horn or a silver trumpet1 it may be the same saving and joy-bringing proclamation1 and it will be1 if ,christ and ,his life and death are plainly set forth as the beginning and ending of all4 ,but if there be an omission of that mighty name1 or if a ,christ be proclaimed without a ,cross1 a salvation without a ,saviour1 or a ,saviour without a ,sacrifice1 all the adornments of genius and sincerity will not prevent such a half gospel from falling flat4 ,its preachers have never been able1 and never will be able1 to touch the general heart or to bring good cheer to men4 ,they have always had to complain1 ',we have piped unto you and ye have not danced4' ,they cannot get people to be glad over such a message4 ,only when you speak of a ,christ who has died for our sins1 will you cause the heavy heart of the world to sing for joy4 ,only that old1 old message is the good news which men want4 ,there is no second gospel4 ,men who preach a message of a different kind1 as ,paul tells us1 are preaching what is not really another gospel4 ,there cannot be two messages4 ,there is but one genuine2 all others are counterfeits4 ,for us it is all-important that we should be no less narrow than the truth1 and no more liberal than he was to whom the message 'how that ,jesus died for our sins' was the only thing worth calling the gospel4 ,our own salvation depends on our firm grasp of that one message1 and for some of us1 the clear decisiveness with which our lips ring it out determines whether we shall be blessings or curses to our generation4 ,there is a ,babel of voices now preaching other messages which promise good tidings of good4 ,let us cleave with all our hearts to ,christ alone1 and let our tongues not falter in proclaiming1 ',neither is there salvation in any other4' ,the gospel of the ,christ who died for our sins1 is the gospel4 ,and what we have for ourselves to do with it is told us in that pregnant phrase of the apostle's1 'my gospel1' and 'our gospel'2 meaning not merely the message which he was charged to proclaim1 but the good news which he and his brethren had made their own4 ,so we have to make it ours4 ,it is of no use to us1 unless we do4 ,it is not enough that it echoes all around us1 like music borne upon the wind4 ,it is not enough that we hear it1 as men do some sweet melody1 while their thoughts are busy on other things4 ,it is not enough that we believe it1 as we do other histories in which we have no concern4 ,what more is needed8 ,another expression of the apostle's gives the answer4 ,he speaks of 'the faith of the gospel1' that is the trust which that glad message evokes1 and by which it is laid hold of4 ,make it yours by trusting your whole self to the ,christ of whom it tells you4 ,the reliance of heart and will on ,jesus who has died for me1 makes it 'my gospel4' ,there is one ,god1 one ,christ1 one gospel which tells us of them1 and one faith by which we lay hold upon the gospel1 and upon the loving ,father and the ever-helpful ,saviour of whom it tells4 ,let us make that great word our own by simple faith1 and then 'as cold water to our thirsty soul1' so will be that 'good news from a far country1' the country where the ,father's house is1 and to which ,he has sent the ,elder ,brother to bring back us prodigal children4 ,,the ,,strong ,,forerunner ,,and ,,the ,,stronger ,,son ',the beginning of the gospel of ,jesus ,christ1 the ,son of ,god2 #b4 ,as it is written in the prophets1 ,behold1 ,i send ,my messenger before ,thy face1 which shall prepare ,thy way before ,thee4 #c4 ,the voice of one crying in the wilderness1 ,prepare ye the way of the ,lord1 make ,his paths straight4 #d4 ,john did baptize in the wilderness1 and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins4 #e4 ,and there went out unto him all the land of ,judaea1 and they of ,jerusalem1 and were all baptized of him in the river of ,jordan1 confessing their sins4 #f4 ,and ,john was clothed with camel's hair1 and with a girdle of a skin about his loins2 and he did eat locusts and wild honey2 #g4 ,and preached1 saying1 ,there cometh ,one mightier than ,i after me1 the latchet of whose shoes ,i am not worthy to stoop down and unloose4 #h4 ,i indeed have baptized you with water3 but ,he shall baptize you with the ,holy ,ghost4 #i4 ,and it came to pass in those days1 that ,jesus came from ,nazareth of ,galilee1 and was baptized of ,john in ,jordan4 ,and straightway coming up out of the water1 ,he saw the heavens opened1 and the ,spirit like a dove descending upon ,him3 #aa4 ,and there came a voice from heaven1 saying1 ,thou art ,my beloved ,son1 in whom ,i am well pleased4'--,mark i4 #a-aa4 ,the first words of ,in ,memoriam might be taken to describe the theme of ,mark's ,gospel4 ,it is the 'strong ,son of ,god' whom he sets forth in his rapid1 impetuous narrative1 which is full of fiery energy1 and delights to paint the unresting continuity of ,christ's filial service4 ,his theme is not the ,king1 as in ,matthew2 nor the ,son of ,man1 as in ,luke2 nor the eternal ,word manifested in flesh1 as in ,john4 ,therefore he neither begins by tracing ,his kingly lineage1 as does the first evangelist2 nor by dwelling on the humanities of wedded life and the sacredness of the family since ,he has been born2 nor by soaring to the abysses of the eternal abiding of the ,word with ,god1 as the agent of creation1 the medium of life and light2 but plunges at once into his subject1 and begins the ,gospel with the mission of the ,forerunner1 which melts immediately into the appearance of the ,son4 ,i4 ,we may note first1 in this passage1 the prelude1 including verses #a1 #b1 and #c4 ,we need not discuss the grammatical connection of these verses1 nor the relation of verses #b and #c to the following section4 ,however that be settled1 the result1 for our present purpose1 is the same4 ,mark considers that ,john's mission is the beginning of the gospel4 ,here are two noteworthy points1--his use of that well-worn word1 'the gospel1' and his view of ,john's place in relation to it4 ,the gospel is the narrative of the facts of ,christ's life and death4 ,later usage has taken it to be1 rather1 the statement of the truths deducible from these facts1 and especially the proclamation of salvation by the power of ,christ's atoning death2 but the primitive application of the word is to the history itself4 ,so ,paul uses it in his formal statement of the gospel which he preached1 with the addition1 indeed1 of the explanation of the meaning of ,christ's death 7#a ,cor4 xv4 #a-f74 ,the very name 'good news' necessarily implies that the gospel is1 primarily1 history2 but we cannot exclude from the meaning of the word the statement of the significance of the facts1 without which the facts have no message of blessing4 ,mark adds the dogmatic element when he defines the subject of the ,gospel as being ',jesus ,christ1 the ,son of ,god4' ,in the remainder of the book the simple name ',jesus' is used2 but here1 in starting1 the full1 solemn title is given1 which unites the contemplation of ,him in ,his manhood1 in ,his office as fulfiller of prophecy and crown of revelation1 and in ,his mysterious1 divine nature4 ,whether we regard verses #b and #c as connected grammatically with the preceding or the following verses1 they equally refer to ,john1 and define his position in relation to the ,gospel4 ,the ,revised ,version restores the true reading1 'in ,isaiah the prophet1' which some unwise and timid transcriber has1 as he thought1 mended into 'the prophets1' for fear that an error should be found in ,scripture4 ,of course1 verse #b is not ,isaiah's1 but ,malachi's2 but verse #c1 which is ,isaiah's1 was uppermost in ,mark's mind1 and his quotation of ,malachi is1 apparently1 an afterthought1 and is plainly merely introductory of the other1 on which the stress lies4 ,the remarkable variation in the ,malachi quotation1 which occurs in all three ,evangelists1 shows how completely they recognised the divinity of our ,lord1 in their making words which1 in the original1 are addressed by ,jehovah to ,himself1 to be addressed by the ,father to the ,son4 ,there is a difference in the representation of the office of the forerunner in the two prophetic passages4 ,in the former 'he' prepares the way of the coming ,lord2 in the latter he calls upon his hearers to prepare it4 ,in fact1 ,john prepared the way1 as we shall see presently1 just by calling on men to do so4 ,in ,mark's view1 the first stage in the gospel is the mission of ,john4 ,he might have gone further back--to the work of prophets of old1 or to the earliest beginnings in time of the self-revelation of ,god1 as the writer of the ,epistle to the ,hebrews does2 or he might have ascended even higher up the stream--to the true 'beginning1' from which the fourth ,evangelist starts4 ,but his distinctly practical genius leads him to fix his gaze on the historical fact of ,john's mission1 and to claim for it a unique position1 which he proceeds to develop4 ,,ii4 ,so we have1 next1 the strong servant and fore runner 7verses #d-h74 ,the abruptness with which the curtain is drawn1 and the gaunt figure of the desert-loving ascetic shown us1 is very striking4 ,it is like the way in which ,elijah1 his prototype1 leaps1 as it were1 full-armed1 into the arena4 ,the parallel passage in ,matthew links his appearance with the events which it has been narrating by the phrase 'in these days1' and calls him 'the ,baptist4' ,mark has no such words1 but lets him stand forth in his isolation4 ,the two accounts may profitably be compared4 ,their likenesses suggest that they rest on a common basis1 probably of oral tradition1 while their differences are1 for the most part1 significant4 ,mark differs in his arrangement of the common matter1 in omissions1 and in some variations of expression4 ,each account gives a general summary of ,john's teaching at the beginning2 but ,matthew puts emphasis on the ,baptist's proclamation that the kingdom of heaven was at hand1 to which nothing in ,mark corresponds4 ,his ,gospel does not dwell on the royalty of ,jesus1 but rather represents ,him as the ,servant than as the ,king4 ,mark begins with describing ,john as baptizing1 which only appears later in ,matthew's account4 ,mark omits all reference to the ,sadducees and ,pharisees1 and to ,john's sharp words to them4 ,he has nothing about the axe laid to the trees1 nothing about the children of ,abraham1 nothing about the fan in the hand of the great ,husbandman4 ,all the theocratic aspect of the ,messiah1 as proclaimed by ,john1 is absent2 and1 as there is no reference to the fire which destroys1 so neither is there to the fire of the ,holy ,ghost1 in which ,he baptizes4 ,mark reports only ,john's preaching and baptism of repentance1 and his testimony to ,christ as stronger than he1 and as baptizing with the ,holy ,ghost4 ,so1 on the whole1 ,mark's picture brings out prominently the following traits in ,john's personality and mission3--,first1 his preparation for ,christ by preaching repentance4 ,the truest way to create in men a longing for ,jesus1 and to lead to a true apprehension of ,his unique gift to mankind1 is to evoke the penitent consciousness of sin4 ,the preacher of guilt and repentance is the herald of the bringer of pardon and purity4 ,that is true in reference to the relation of ,judaism and ,christianity1 of ,john and ,jesus1 and is as true to-day as ever it was4 ,the root of maimed conceptions of the work and nature of ,jesus ,christ is a defective sense of sin4 ,when men are roused to believe in judgment1 and to realise their own evil1 they are ready to listen to the blessed news of a ,saviour from sin and its curse4 ,the ,christ whom ,john heralds is the ,christ that men need2 the ,christ whom men receive1 without having been out in the wilderness with the stern preacher of sin and judgment1 is but half a ,christ--and it is the vital half that is missing4 ,again1 ,mark brings out ,john's personal asceticism4 ,he omits much2 but he could not leave out the picture of the grim1 lean solitary1 who stalked among soft-robed men1 like ,elijah come to life again1 and held the crowds by his self-chosen privations no less than by his fierce1 fiery eloquence4 ,his desert life and contempt for ease and luxury spoke of a strength of character and purpose which fascinated commoner men1 and make the next point the more striking--namely1 the utter humility with which this strong1 self-reliant1 fiery rebuker of sin1 and despiser of rank and official dignities1 flings himself at the feet of the coming ,one4 ,he is strong1 as his life and the awestruck crowds testified2 how strong must that ,other be6 ,he feared not the face of man1 nor owned inferiority to any2 but his whole soul melted into joyful submission1 and confessed unworthiness even to unlace the sandals of that mightier ,one4 ,his transitional position is also plainly marked by our ,evangelist4 ,he is the end of prophecy1 the beginning of the ,gospel1 belonging to neither and to both4 ,he is not merely a prophet1 for he is prophesied of as well2 and he stands so near ,him whom he foretells1 that his prediction is almost fact4 ,he is not an ,evangelist1 nor1 in the closest sense1 a servant of the coming ,christ2 for his lowly confession of unworthiness does not imply merely his humility1 but accurately defines the limits of his function4 ,it was not for him to bear or to loose that ,lord's sandals4 ,there were those who did minister to ,him1 and the least of those1 whose message to the world was ',christ has come1' had the honour of closer service than that greatest among women-born1 whose task was to run before the chariot of the ,king and tell that ,he was at hand4 ,,iii4 ,we have the gentle figure of the stronger ,son4 ,the introduction of ,jesus is somewhat less abrupt than that of ,john2 but if we remember whom ,mark believed ,him to be1 the quiet words which tell of ,his first appearance are sufficiently remarkable4 ,there is no mention of ,his birth or previous years4 ,his deeds will tell who ,he is4 ,the years before ,his baptism were of no moment for ,mark's purpose4 ,nor has he any report of the precious conversation of ,jesus with ,john1 when the forerunner testified to ,christ's purity1 which needed no washing nor repentance1 and acknowledged at once his own sinfulness and the ,lord's cleansing power1 and when ,christ accepted the homage1 and1 by implication1 claimed the character1 purity1 and power which ,john attributed to ,him4 ,the omission may be accounted for on a principle which seems to run through all this ,gospel--of touching lightly or omitting indications of our ,lord's dignity1 and dwelling by preference on ,his acts of lowliness and service4 ,the baptism is recorded2 but the conversation1 which showed that the ,king of ,israel1 in submitting to it1 acknowledged no need of it for ,himself1 but regarded it as 'fulfilling righteousness' is passed by4 ,the sinlessness of ,jesus1 and the special meaning of ,his baptism1 are sufficiently shown by the descending ,spirit and the approving voice4 ,these ,mark does record2 for they warrant the great name by which1 in his first verse1 he has described ,jesus as 'the ,son of ,god4' ,the brief account of these is marked by the ,evangelist's vivid pictorial faculty1 which we shall frequently have to notice as we read his ,gospel4 ,here he puts us1 by a word1 in the position of eye-witnesses of the scene as it is passing1 when he describes the heavens as 'being rent asunder'--a much more forcible and pictorial word than ,matthew's 'opened4' ,he says nothing of ,john's share in the vision4 ,all is intended for the ,son4 ,it is ,jesus who sees the rending heavens and the descending dove4 ,the voice which ,matthew represents as speaking of ,christ1 ,mark represents as speaking to ,him4 ,the baptism of ,jesus1 then1 was an epoch in ,his own consciousness4 ,it was not merely ,his designation to ,john or to others as ,messiah1 but for ,himself the sense of ,sonship and the sunlight of divine complacency filled ,his spirit in new measure or manner4 ,speaking as we have to do from the outside1 and knowing but dimly the mysteries of ,his unique personality1 we have to speak modestly and little4 ,but we know that our ,lord grew1 as to ,his manhood1 in wisdom1 and that ,his manhood was continually the receiver1 from the ,father1 of the ,spirit2 and the reality of ,his divinity1 as dwelling in ,his manhood from the beginning of that manhood1 is not affected by the belief that when the dovelike ,spirit floated down on ,his meek head1 glistening with the water of baptism1 ,his manhood then received a new and special consciousness of ,his ,messianic office and of ,his ,sonship4 ,whilst that voice was for ,his sake1 it was for others too2 for ,john himself tells us 7,john i47 that the sign had been told him beforehand1 and that it was his sight of the descending dove which heightened his thoughts and gave a new turn to his testimony1 leading him to know and to show 'that this is the ,son of ,god4' ,the rent heavens have long since closed1 and that dread voice is silent2 but the fact of that attestation remains on record1 that we1 too1 may hear through the centuries ,god speaking of and to ,his ,son1 and may lay to heart the commandment to us1 which naturally follows ,god's witness to ,jesus1 ',hear ye ,him4' ,the symbol of the dove may be regarded as a prophecy of the gentleness of the ,son4 ,thus early in ,his course the two qualities were harmonised in ,him1 which so seldom are united1 and each of which dwelt in ,him in divinest perfection1 both as to degree and manner4 ,john's anticipations of the strong coming ,one looked for the manifestations of ,his strength in judgment and destruction4 ,how strangely his images of the axe1 the fan1 the fire1 are contrasted with the reality1 emblemed by this dove dropping from heaven1 with sunshine on its breast and peace in its still wings6 ,through the ages1 ,christ's strength has been the strength of gentleness1 and ,his coming has been like that of ,noah's dove1 with the olive-branch in its beak1 and the tidings of an abated flood and of a safe home in its return4 ,the ascetic preacher of repentance was strong to shake and purge men's hearts by terror2 but the stronger ,son comes to conquer by meekness1 and reign by the omnipotence of love4 ,the beginning of the gospel was the anticipation and the proclamation of strength like the eagle's1 swift of flight1 and powerful to strike and destroy4 ,the gospel1 when it became a fact1 and not a hope1 was found in the meek ,jesus1 with the dove of ,god1 the gentle ,spirit1 which is mightier than all1 nestling in ,his heart1 and uttering soft notes of invitation through ,his lips4 ,,mighty ,,in ,,word ,,and ,,deed ',and they went into ,capernaum2 and straightway on the ,sabbath day ,he entered into the synagogue1 and taught4 #bb4 ,and they were astonished at ,his doctrine3 for ,he taught them as one that had authority1 and not as the scribes4 #bc4 ,and there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit2 and he cried out1 #bd4 ,saying1 ,let us alone2 what have we to do with ,thee1 ,thou ,jesus of ,nazareth8 art ,thou come to destroy us8 ,i know ,thee who ,thou art1 the ,holy ,one of ,god4 #be4 ,and ,jesus rebuked him1 saying1 ,hold thy peace1 and come out of him4 #bf4 ,and when the unclean spirit had torn him1 and cried with a loud voice1 he came out of him4 #bg4 ,and they were all amazed1 insomuch that they questioned among themselves1 saying1 ,what thing is this8 what new doctrine is this8 for with authority commandeth ,he even the unclean spirits1 and they do obey ,him4 #bh4 ,and immediately ,his fame spread abroad throughout all the region round about ,galilee4 #bi4 ,and forthwith1 when they were come out of the synagogue1 they entered into the house of ,simon and ,andrew1 with ,james and ,john4 #cj4 ,but ,simon's wife's mother lay sick of a fever1 and anon they tell ,him of her4 #ca4 ,and ,he came and took her by the hand1 and lifted her up2 and immediately the fever left her1 and she ministered unto them4 #cb4 ,and at even1 when the sun did set1 they brought unto ,him all that were diseased1 and them that were possessed with devils4 #cc4 ,and all the city was gathered together at the door4 #cd4 ,and ,he healed many that were sick of divers diseases1 and cast out many devils2 and suffered not the devils to speak1 because they knew ,him4'--,mark i4 #ba-cd4 ,none of the incidents in this section are peculiar to ,mark1 but the special stamp of his ,gospel is on them all2 and1 both in the narration of each and in the swift transition from one to another1 the impression of ,christ's strength and unpausing diligence in filial service is made4 ,the short hours of that first ,sabbath's ministry are crowded with work2 and ,christ's energy bears ,him through exhausting physical labours1 and enables ,him to turn with unwearied sympathy and marvellous celerity to each new form of misery1 and to throw ,himself with freshness undiminished into the relief of each4 ,the homely virtue of diligence shines out in this lesson no less clearly than superhuman strength that tames demons and heals all manner of sickness4 ,there are four pictures here1 compressed and yet vivid4 ,mark can condense and keep all the essentials1 for his keen eye and sure hand go straight to the heart of his incidents4 ,i4 ,the strong ,son of ,god teaching with authority4 ',they enter2 we see the little group1 consisting of ,jesus and of the two pairs of brothers1 in whose hearts the mighty conviction of ,his ,messiahship had taken root4 ,simon and ,andrew were at home in ,capernaum2 but we may1 perhaps1 infer from the manner in which the sickness of ,peter's wife's mother is mentioned1 that ,peter had not been to his house till after the synagogue service4 ,at all events1 these four were already detached from ordinary life and bound to ,him as disciples4 ,we meet here with our first instance of ,mark's favourite 'straightway1' the recurrence of which1 in this chapter1 so powerfully helps the impression of eager and yet careful swiftness with which ,christ ran ,his course1 'unhasting1 unresting4' ,from the beginning ,mark stamps his story with the spirit of our ,lord's own words1 ',i must work the works of ,him that sent me1 while it is day3 the night cometh4' ,and yet there is no hurry1 but the calm1 equable rapidity with which planets move4 ,the unostentatious manner of ,christ's beginning is noteworthy4 ,he seeks to set ,himself in the line of the ordinary teaching of the day4 ,he knew all the faults of the synagogue and the rabbis1 and ,he had come to revolutionise the very conception of religious teaching and worship2 but ,he prefers to intertwine the new with the old1 and to make as little disturbance as possible4 ,it is easy to get the cheap praise of 'originality' by brushing aside existing methods4 ,it is harder and nobler to use whatever methods may be going1 and to breathe new value and life into them4 ,drowsy1 hair-splitting disputations about nothings and endless casuistry were the staple of the synagogue talk2 but when ,he opened ,his mouth there1 the weary formalism went out of the service1 and men's hearts glowed again when they once more heard a ,voice that lived1 speaking from a ,soul that saw the invisible4 ,mark has no mission to record many of our ,lord's sayings4 ,his ,gospel deals more with deeds4 ,the sermon he does not give1 but the hearer's comment he does4 ,matthew has the same words at the close of the ,sermon on the ,mount1 from which it would seem that they were part of the oral tradition which underlies the written ,gospels2 but ,mark probably has them in their right place4 ,very naturally1 the first synagogue discourse in ,capernaum would surprise4 ,deeper impressions might be made by its successors1 but the first hearing of that voice would be an experience that could never be repeated4 ,the feature of ,his teaching which astonished the villagers most was its 'authority4' ,that fits in with the impression of strength which ,mark wishes to make4 ,another thing that struck them was its unlikeness to the type of synagogue teaching to which they had been accustomed all their lives4 ,they had got so accustomed to the droning dreariness and trivial subtleties of the rabbis1 that it had never entered their heads that there could be any other way of teaching religion than boring men with interminable pedantries about trifles of ritual or outward obedience4 ,this new ,teacher would startle all1 as an eagle suddenly appearing in a sanhedrim of owls4 ,he would shock many2 ,he would fascinate a few4 ,nor was it only the dissimilarity of ,his teaching1 but also its authority1 that was strange4 ,the scribes spoke with authority enough of a sort1 lording it over the despised common people--'men of the earth1' as they called them--and exacting punctilious obedience and much obsequiousness2 but authority over the spirit they had none4 ,they pretended to no power but as expositors of a law2 and they fortified themselves by citations of what this1 that1 and the other rabbi had said1 which was all their learning4 ,christ quoted no one4 ,he did not even say1 ',moses has said4' ,he did not even preface ,his commands with a ',thus saith the ,lord4' ,he spoke of ,his own authority3 ',verily1 ,i say unto you4' ,other teachers explained the law2 ,he is a lawgiver4 ,others drew more or less pure waters from cisterns2 ,he is in ,himself a well of water1 from which all may draw4 ,to us1 as to these rude villagers in the synagogue of the little fishing-town1 ,christ's teaching is unique in this respect4 ,he does not argue2 ,he affirms4 ,he seeks no support from others' teachings2 ,he alone is sufficient for us4 ,he not only speaks the truth1 which needs no other confirmation than ,his own lips1 but ,he is the truth4 ,we may canvass other men's teachings1 and distinguish their insight from their errors2 we have but to accept ,his4 ,the world outgrows all others2 it can only grow up towards the fulness of ,his4 ,us and all the ages ,he teaches with authority1 and the guarantee for the truth of ,his teaching is ,himself4 ',verily1 verily1 ,i say unto you4' ,no other man has a right to say that to me4 ,but ,christ dominates the race1 and the strong ,son of ,god is the world's ,teacher4 ,,ii4 ,the strong conqueror of demons4 ,again we have 'straightway4' ,the language seems to imply that this wretched sufferer burst hurriedly into the synagogue and interrupted the utterance of astonishment by giving it new food4 ,perhaps the double consciousness of the demoniac may be recognised1 the humanity being drawn to ,jesus by some disturbed longings1 the demoniac consciousness1 on the other hand1 being repelled4 ,it is no part of my purpose to discuss demoniacal possession4 ,i content myself with remarking that ,i1 for one1 do not see how ,christ's credit as a divine ,teacher is to be saved without admitting its reality1 nor how such phenomena as the demoniac's knowledge of ,his nature are to be accounted for on the hypothesis of disease or insanity4 ,it is assuming rather too encyclopdiacal a knowledge to allege the impossibility of such possession4 ,there are facts enough around us still1 which would be at least as satisfactorily accounted for by it as by natural causes2 but as to the incident before us1 ,mark puts it all into three sentences1 each of which is pregnant with suggestions4 ,there is1 first1 the demoniac's shriek of hatred and despair4 ,christ had said nothing4 ,if1 as we suppose1 the man had broken in on the worship1 drawn to ,jesus1 he is no sooner in ,his presence than the other power that darkly lodged in him overpowers him1 and pours out fierce passions from his reluctant lips4 ,there is dreadful meaning in the preposition here used1 'a man in an unclean spirit1' as if his human self was immersed in that filthy flood4 ,the words embody three thoughts--the fierce hatred1 which disowns all connection with ,jesus2 the wild terror1 which asks or affirms ,christ's destructive might over all foul spirits 7for the 'us' means not the man and the demon1 but the demon and his fellows72 and the recognition of ,christ's holiness1 which lashes unholiness into a paroxysm of mingled despair and hate4 ,does this sound like a madman1 or an epileptic1 or like a spirit which knew more than men knew1 and trembled and hated more than they could do8 ,there is nothing more terrible than the picture1 self-drawn in these spasmodic words1 of a spirit which1 by its very foulness1 is made shudderingly sensitive to the disturbing presence of purity1 and would fain have nothing to do with ,him whom it recognises for the ,holy ,one of ,god1 and therefore its destroyer4 ,foul things that lurk under stones hurry out of the light when you lift the covering4 ,spirits that love the darkness are hurt by the light4 ,it is possible to recognise ,jesus for what ,he is1 and to hate ,him all the more4 ,what a miserable state that is1 to hope that we shall have nothing to do with ,him6 ,these wild utterances1 seething with evil passions and fierce detestation1 do point to the possible terminus for men4 ,a black gulf opens in them1 from which we are meant to start back with the prayer1 ',preserve me from going down into that pit6' ,what a contrast to the tempest of the demoniac's wild and whirling words is the calm speech of ,christ6 ,he knows ,his authority1 and ,his word is imperative1 curt1 and assured3 ',hold thy peace6' literally1 ',be muzzled1' as if the creature were a dangerous beast1 whose raving and snapping must be stopped4 ,jesus wishes no acknowledgments from such lips4 ,they who bear the vessels of the ,lord must be clean4 ,he had taught with authority1 and now ,he in like manner commands4 ,his teaching rested on ,his own assurance4 ,his miracle is done by ,his own power4 ,that power is put forth by ,his simple word2 that is to say1 the bare exercise or expression of ,his will is potent4 ,the third step in the narrative is the immediate obedience of the demon4 ,reluctant but compelled1 malicious to the last1 doing the house which he has to leave all the harm he can1 and though no longer venturing to speak1 yet venting his rage and mortification1 and acknowledging his defeat by one parting howl1 he comes out4 ,again1 we are bid to note the impression produced4 ,the interrupted buzz of talk begins once more1 and is vividly reported by the fragmentary sentences of verse #bg1 and by the remark that it was 'among themselves' that they compared notes4 ,two things startled the people3--first1 the 'new teaching'2 and second1 the authority over demons1 into which they naturally generalise the one instance4 ,the busy tongues were not silenced when they left the synagogue4 ,verse #bh shows what happened1 in one direction1 when the meeting broke up4 ,with another 'straightway1' ,mark paints the swift flight of the rumour over all the district1 and somewhat overleaps the strict line of chronology1 to let us hear how far the echo of such a blow sounded4 ,this first miracle recorded by him is as a duel between ,christ and the 'strong man armed1' who 'keeps his house4' ,the shield of the great oppressor is first struck in challenge by the champion1 and ,his first essay at arms proves ,him mightiest4 ,such a victory well heads the chronicle4 ,,iii4 ,the tenderness of the strong ,son4 ,we come back to the strict order of succession with another 'straightway1' which opens a very different scene4 ,the ,authorised ,version gives three 'straightways' in the three verses as to the cure of ,peter's mother-in-law4 ',immediately' they go to the house2 'immediately' they tell ,jesus of her2 'immediately' the fever leaves her2 and even if we omit the third of these1 as the ,revised ,version does1 we cannot miss the rapid haste of the narrative1 which reflects the unwearied energy of the ,master4 ,peter and ,andrew had apparently been ignorant of the sickness till they reached the house1 from which the inference is not that it was a slight attack which had come on after they went to the synagogue1 but that the two disciples had so really left house and kindred1 that though in ,capernaum1 they had not gone home till they took ,jesus there for rest and quiet and food after the toil of the morning4 ,the owners would naturally first know of the sickness1 which would interfere with their hospitable purpose2 and so ,mark's account seems more near the details than ,matthew's1 inasmuch as the former says that ,jesus was 'told' of the sick woman1 while ,matthew's version is that ,he 'saw' her4 ,luke says that they 'besought ,him for her4' ,no doubt that was the meaning of 'telling' ,him2 but ,mark's representation brings out very beautifully the confidence already beginning to spring in their hearts that ,he needed but to know in order to heal1 and the reverence which hindered them from direct asking4 ,the instinct of the devout heart is to tell ,christ all its troubles1 great or small2 and ,he does not need beseeching before ,he answers4 ,he did not need to be told either1 but ,he would not rob them or us of the solace of confiding all griefs to ,him4 ,their confidence was not misplaced4 ,no moment intervened unused between the tidings and the cure4 ',he came1' as if ,he had been in some outer room1 or not yet in the house1 and now passed into the sick chamber4 ,then comes one of ,mark's minute and graphic details1 in which we may see the keen eye and faithful memory of ,peter4 ,he 'took her by the hand1 and lifted her up4' ,mark is fond of telling of ,christ's taking by the hand2 as1 for instance1 the little child whom ,he set in the midst1 the blind man whom ,he healed1 the child with the dumb spirit4 ,his touch has power4 ,his grasp means sympathy1 tenderness1 identification of ,himself with us1 the communication of upholding1 restoring strength4 ,it is a picture1 in a small matter1 of the very heart of the gospel4 ',he layeth not hold of angels1 but ,he layeth hold of the seed of ,abraham4' ,it is a lesson for all who would help their fellows1 that they must not be too dainty to lay hold of the dirtiest hand1 both metaphorically and literally1 if they want their sympathy to be believed4 ,his hand banishes not only the disease1 but its consequences4 ,immediate convalescence and restoration to strength follow2 and the strength is used1 as it should be1 in ministering to the ,healer who1 notwithstanding ,his power1 needed the humble ministration and the poor fare of the fisherman's hut4 ,what a lesson for all ,christian homes is here6 ,let ,jesus know all that troubles them1 welcome ,him as a guest1 tell ,him everything1 and ,he will cure all diseases and sorrows1 or give the light of ,his presence to make them endurable4 ,consecrate to ,him the strength which ,he gives1 and let deliverances teach trust1 and inflame grateful love1 which delights in serving ,him who needs no service1 but delights in all4 ,,iv4 ,the strong ,son1 unwearied by toil and sufficient for all the needy4 ,each incident in this lesson has a note appended of the impression it made4 ,verses #cb-cd give the united result of all1 on the people of ,capernaum4 ,they wait till the ,sabbath is past1 and then1 without thought of ,his long day of work1 crowd round the house with their sick4 ,the sinking sun brought no rest for ,him1 but the new calls found ,him neither exhausted nor unwilling4 ,capernaum was but a little place1 and the whole city might well be 'gathered together at the door1' some sick1 some bearing the sick1 all curious and eager4 ,there was no depth in the excitement4 ,there was earnestness enough1 no doubt1 in the wish for healing1 but there was no insight into ,his message4 ,any travelling ,european with a medicine chest can get the same kind of cortege round his tent4 ,these people1 who hung upon ,him thus1 were those of whom ,he had afterwards to say that it would be 'more tolerable for ,sodom1 in the day of judgment1 than for them4' ,but though ,he knew the shallowness of the impression1 ,he was not deaf to the misery2 and1 with power which knew no weariness1 and sympathy which had no limit1 and a reservoir of healing virtue which the day's draughts had not emptied by a hairs-breadth1 ,he healed them all4 ,remarkable is the prohibition of the demons' speech1 ,they knew ,him1 while men were ignorant2 for they had met ,him before to-day4 ,he would have no witness from them2 not merely1 as has been said1 because their attestation would hinder1 rather than further1 ,his acceptance by the people1 nor because they may be supposed to have spoken in malice1 but because a divine decorum forbade that ,he should accept acknowledgments from such tainted sources4 ,so ended this first of 'the days of the ,son of ,man1' which our ,evangelist records4 ,it was a day of hard toil1 of merciful and manifold self-revelation4 ,as teacher and doer1 in the synagogue1 and in the home1 and in the city2 as ,lord of the dark realms of evil and of disease2 as ready to hear hinted and dumb prayers1 and able to answer them all2 as careless of ,his own ease1 and ready to spend ,himself for others' help1--,jesus showed ,himself1 on that ,sabbath day1 strong and tender1 the ,son of ,god and the servant of men4 ,,healing ,,and ,,service ',simon's wife's mother lay sick of a fever2 and straightway they tell ,him of her3 #ca4 ,and ,he came and took her by the hand1 and raised her up2 and the fever left her1 and she ministered unto them4'--,mark i4 #cj1 #ca1 ,r4 ,v4 ,this miracle is told us by three of the four ,evangelists1 and the comparison of their brief narratives is very interesting and instructive4 ,we all know1 ,i suppose1 that the common tradition is that ,mark was1 in some sense1 ,peter's mouthpiece in this ,gospel4 ,the truthfulness of that ancient statement is borne out by little morsels of evidence that crop up here and there throughout the ,gospel4 ,there is one of them in this context4 ,the other two ,evangelists tell us that our ,lord1 with ,his four attendant disciples1 'entered into the house of ,simon'2 ,mark knows that ,simon's brother ,andrew shared the house with him4 ,who was likely to have told him such an insignificant thing as that8 ,we seem to hear the ,apostle himself recounting the whole story to his amanuensis4 ,then1 further1 ,mark's narrative is distinguished from that of the other two ,evangelists in very minute and yet interesting points1 which will come out as we go along4 ,so ,i think we may fairly say that we have here ,peter himself telling us the story of his mother-in-law's cure4 ,now1 one thing that strikes one is that this is a very small miracle4 ,it is by no means--if we can apply the words 'great' and 'small' to these miraculous events--one of the more striking and significant4 ,another point to note is that it was done evidently without the slightest intention of vindicating ,christ's mission1 or of preaching any truth whatever1 and so it starts up into a new beauty as being simply and solely a manifestation of ,his love4 ,i think1 when some people are so busy in denying1 and others in proving1 the miraculous element in ,scripture1 and others in drawing doctrinal or symbolical lessons out of it1 that there is great need to emphasise this1 that the first thing about all ,christ's miracles1 and most conspicuously about this one1 is that they were the welling out of ,his loving heart which responded to the sight of human sorrow--,i was going to say instinctively2 but ,i will find a better word1 and say divinely4 ,the deed that had no purpose whatsoever except to lighten the burden upon a disciple's heart1 and to heal the passing physical trouble of one poor old woman1 is great1 just because it is small2 and full of teaching because1 to the superficial eye1 it teaches nothing4 ,the first thing in the story is1 as it seems to me-- ,i4 ,the disciple's intercession4 ,i wonder if ,peter knew that his wife's mother was ill1 when he said to ,jesus ,christ1 after that exciting morning in the synagogue1 ',come home1 and rest in our house'8 ,probably not4 ,one can scarcely imagine hospitality proffered under such circumstances1 or with a knowledge of them4 ,and if we look a little more closely into the preceding narrative we shall see that it is at least possible that ,peter and his brother had been away from home for some time2 so that the old woman might easily have fallen ill during their temporary absence4 ,but be that as it may1 they expect to find rest and food1 and they find a sick woman4 ,there must have been at least two rooms in the humble house1 because they 'come to ,jesus ,christ and tell ,him of her4' ,now if we turn to the other ,evangelists1 we shall find that ,matthew says nothing about any message being communicated to ,jesus1 but brings ,him at once1 as ,it were1 to the side of the sick-bed4 ,that is evidently an incomplete account4 ,and then we find in ,luke's ,gospel that1 instead of the simple 'tell ,him of her' of ,mark1 he intensifies the telling into 'they besought ,him for her4' ,now1 ,i think that ,mark's is plainly the more precise story1 because he lets us see that ,jesus ,christ did not commit such a breach of courtesy1 due to the humblest home1 as to go to the woman's bedside without being summoned1 and he also lets us see that the 'beseeching' was a simple intimation to ,him4 ,they did not ask2 they tell ,him2 being1 perhaps1 restrained from definite petitioning partly by reverence1 and partly1 no doubt1 by hesitation in these early days of their discipleship--for this incident occurred at the very beginning1 when all the subsequent manifestations of ,his character were yet waiting to be flashed upon them--as to whether it might be in accordance with their new ,teacher's very little known disposition and mind to help4 ,they knew that ,he could1 because ,he had just healed a demoniac in the synagogue1 but one can understand how1 at the beginning of their discipleship1 there was a little faltering of confidence as to whether they should go so far as to ask ,him to do such a thing4 ,so they 'tell ,him of her1' and do you not think that the tone of petition vibrated in the intimation1 and that there looked out of the eyes of the impulsive1 warm-hearted ,peter1 an unspoken prayer8 ,so ,luke was perfectly right in his interpretation of the incident1 though not precise in his statement of the external fact1 when1 instead of saying 'they tell ,him of her1' he translated that telling into what it meant1 and put it1 'they besought ,him for her4' ,ah6 dear brethren1 there are a great many things in our lives which1 though we ought to know ,jesus ,christ better than the first disciples at first did1 scarcely seem to us fit to be turned into subjects of petition1 partly because we have wrong notions as to the sphere and limits of prayer1 and partly because they seem to be such transitory things that it is a shame to trouble ,him about such insignificant matters4 ,well1 go and tell ,him1 at any rate4 ,i do not think that ,christians ought to have anything in their heads or hearts that they do not take to ,jesus ,christ1 and it is an uncommonly good test--and one very easily applied--of our hopes1 fears1 purposes1 thoughts1 deeds1 and desires--',should ,i like to go and make a clean breast of it to the ,master8' ',they tell ,him of her1' and that meant petition1 and ,jesus ,christ can interpret an unspoken petition1 and an unexpressed desire appeals to ,his sympathetic heart4 ,although the words be but ',o ,lord6 ,i am troubled1 perplexed2 and ,i do not know what to do1' ,he translates them into ',calm ,thou me2 enlighten ,thou me2 guide ,thou me'2 and be sure of this1 that as in the story before us1 so in our lives1 ,he will answer the unspoken petition in so far as may be best for us4 ,the next thing to note in this incident is-- ,,ii4 ,the ,healers method4 ,there1 again1 the three stories diverge1 and yet are all one4 ,matthew says1 ',he touched her'2 ,luke says1 ',he stood'-or rather1 as the ,greek means1 ',he bent over her--and rebuked the fever4' ,perhaps ,peter was close to the pallet1 and saw and remembered that there were not a standing over and rebuking the fever only1 but that there was the going out of ,his tender sympathy to the sufferer1 and that if there were stern words as of indignation and authority addressed to the disease as if to an unlawful intruder1 there were also compassion and tenderness for the victim4 ,for ,mark tells that it was not a touch only1 but that ',he took her by the hand and lifted her up1' and the grasp banished sickness and brought strength4 ,now the most precious of the lessons that we can gather from the variety of ,christ's methods of healing is this3 that all methods which ,he used were in themselves equally powerless1 and that the curative virtue was in neither the word nor the touch1 nor the spittle1 nor the clay1 nor the bathing in the pool of ,siloam1 but was purely and simply in the outgoing of ,his will4 ,the reasons for the wonderful variety of ways in which ,he communicated ,his healing power are to be sought partly in the respective moral1 and spiritual1 and intellectual condition of the people to be healed1 and partly in wider reasons and considerations4 ,why did ,he stoop and touch the woman1 and take her by the hand and gently lift her up8 ,because ,his heart went out to her1 because ,he felt the emotion and sympathy which makes the whole world kin1 and because ,his heart was a heart of love1 and bade ,him come into close contact with the poor fever-ridden woman4 ,unless we regard that hand-clasp as being such an instinctive attitude and action of ,christ's sympathetic love1 we lose the deepest significance of it4 ,and then1 when we have given full weight to that1 the simplest and yet the most blessed of all the thoughts that cluster round the deed1 we can venture further to say that in that small matter we see mirrored1 as a wide sweep of country in a tiny mirror1 or the sun in a bowl of water1 the great truth3 ',he took not hold of angels1 but ,he took hold of the seed of ,abraham1 wherefore it behoved ,him to be made in all things like unto ,his brethren4' ,the touch upon the fevered hand of that old woman in ,capernaum was as a condensation into one act of the very principle of the ,incarnation and of the whole power which ,christ exercises upon a fevered and sick world4 ,for it is by ,his touch1 by ,his lifting hand1 by ,his sympathetic grasp1 and by our real contact with ,him1 that all our sicknesses are banished1 and health and strength come to our souls4 ,so let us learn a lesson for our own guidance4 ,we can do no man any real good unless we make ourselves one with him1 and benefits that we bestow will hurt rather than help1 if they are flung down upon men as from a height1 or as people cast a bone to a dog4 ,the heart must go with them2 and identification with the sufferer is a condition of succour4 ,if we would take lepers and blind beggars and poor old women by the hand--,i mean1 of course1 by giving them our sympathy along with our help--we should see larger results from1 and be more ,christ-like in1 our deeds of beneficence4 ,the last point is-- ,,iii4 ,the healed sufferer's service4 ',she arose'--yes1 of course she did1 when ,christ grasped her4 ,how could she help it8 ',and she ministered to them1'--how could she help that either1 if she had any thankfulness in her heart8 ,what a lovely1 glad1 awe-stricken meal that would be1 to which they all sat down in ,simon's house1 on that ,sabbath night1 as the sun was setting6 ,it was a humble household4 ,there were no servants in it4 ,the convalescent old woman had to do all the ministering herself1 and that she was able to do it was1 of course1 as everybody remarks on reading the narrative1 the sign of the completeness of the cure4 ,but it was a great deal more than that4 ,how could she sit still and not minister to ,him who had done so much for her8 ,and if you and ,i1 dear friends1 have any living apprehension of ,christ's healing power1 and understand and respond at all to 'that for which we have been laid hold of' by ,him1 our thankfulness will take the same shape1 and we1 too1 shall become ,his servants4 ,up yonder1 amidst the blaze of the glory1 ,he is still capable of being ministered to by us4 ,the woman who did so on earth had no monopoly of this sacred office1 but it continues still4 ,and every housewife1 as she goes about her duties1 and every domestic servant1 as she moves round her mistress's dinner-table1 and all of us1 in our secular avocations1 as people call them1 may indeed serve ,christ1 if only we have regard to ,him in the doing of them4 ,there is also a yet higher sense in which that ministration1 incumbent upon all the healed1 and spontaneous on their part if they have truly been recipients of the healing grace1 is still possible for us4 ',when saw we ,thee444 in need444 and served ,thee8' ',inasmuch as ye did it unto one of the least of these ,my brethren1 ye did it unto ,me4' ,a ,,parable ,,in ,a ,,miracle ',and there came a leper to ,him1 beseeching ,him1 and kneeling down to ,him1 and saying unto ,him1 ,if ,thou wilt1 ,thou canst make me clean4 #da4 ,and ,jesus1 moved with compassion1 put forth ,his hand1 and touched him1 and saith unto him1 ,i will2 be thou clean4 #db4 ,and as soon as ,he had spoken1 immediately the leprosy departed from him1 and he was cleansed4'--,mark i4 #dj-db4 ,christ's miracles are called wonders--that is1 deeds which1 by their exceptional character1 arrest attention and excite surprise4 ,further1 they are called 'mighty works'--that is1 exhibitions of superhuman power4 ,they are still further called 'signs'--that is1 tokens of ,his divine mission4 ,but they are signs in another sense1 being1 as it were1 parables as well as miracles1 and representing on the lower plane of material things the effects of ,his working on men's spirits4 ,thus1 ,his feeding of the hungry speaks of ,his higher operation as the ,bread of ,life4 ,his giving sight to the blind foreshadows ,his illumination of darkened minds4 ,his healing of the diseased speaks of ,his restoration of sick souls4 ,his stilling of the tempest tells of ,him as the ,peace-bringer for troubled hearts2 and ,his raising of the dead proclaims ,him as the ,life-giver1 who quickens with the true life all who believe on ,him4 ,this parabolic aspect of the miracles is obvious in the case before us4 ,leprosy received exceptional treatment under the ,mosaic law1 and the peculiar restrictions to which the sufferer was subjected1 as well as the ritual of his cleansing1 in the rare cases where the disease wore itself out1 are best explained by being considered as symbolical rather than as sanitary4 ,it was taken as an emblem of sin4 ,its hideous symptoms1 its rotting sores1 its slow1 stealthy1 steady progress1 its defiance of all known means of cure1 made its victim only too faithful a walking image of that worse disease4 ,remembering this deeper aspect of leprosy1 let us study this miracle before us1 and try to gather its lessons4 ,i4 ,first1 then1 notice the leper's cry4 ,mark connects the story with our ,lord's first journey through ,galilee1 which was signalised by many miracles1 and had excited much stir and talk4 ,the news of the ,healer had reached the isolated huts where the lepers herded1 and had kindled a spark of hope in one poor wretch1 which emboldened him to break through all regulations1 and thrust his tainted and unwelcome presence into the shrinking crowd4 ,he seems to have appeared there suddenly1 having forced or stolen his way somehow into ,christ's presence4 ,and there he was1 with his horrible white face1 with his tightened1 glistening skin1 with some frowsy rag over his mouth1 and a hunted look as of a wild beast in his eyes4 ,the crowd shrank back from him2 he had no difficulty in making his way to where ,christ is sitting1 calmly teaching4 ,and ,mark's vivid narrative shows him to us1 flinging himself down before the ,lord1 and1 without waiting for question or pause1 interrupting whatever was going on1 with his piteous cry4 ,misery and wretchedness make short work of conventional politeness4 ,note the keen sense of misery that impels to the passionate desire for relief4 ,a leper with the flesh dropping off his bones could not suppose that there was nothing the matter with him4 ,his disease was too gross and palpable not to be felt2 and the depth of misery measured the earnestness of desire4 ,the parallel fails us there4 ,the emblem is all insufficient1 for here is the very misery of our deepest misery1 that we are unconscious of it1 and sometimes even come to love it4 ,there are forms of sickness in which the man goes about1 and to each inquiry says1 ',i am perfectly well1' though everybody else can see death written on his face4 ,and so it is with this terrible malady that has laid its corrupting and putrefying finger upon us all4 ,the worse we are1 the less we know that there is anything the matter with us2 and the deeper the leprosy has struck its filthy fangs into us1 the more ready we are to say that we are sound4 ,we preachers have it for one of our first duties to try to rouse men to the recognition of the facts of their spiritual condition1 and all our efforts are too often--as ,i1 for my part1 sometimes half despairingly feel when ,i stand in the pulpit--like a firebrand dropped into a pond1 which hisses for a moment and then is extinguished4 ,men and women sit in pews listening contentedly and quietly1 who1 if they saw themselves1 ,i do not say even as ,god sees them1 but as others see them1 would know that the leprosy is deep in them1 and the taint patent to every eye4 ,i do not charge you1 my brother1 with gross transgressions of plain moralities2 ,i know nothing about that4 ,i know this3 ',as face answereth to face in a glass1' so doth the heart of man to man1 and ,i bring this message1 verified to me by my own consciousness1 that we have all gone astray1 and 'wounds and bruises and putrefying sores' mark us all4 ,if the best of us could see himself for once1 in the light of ,god1 as the worst of us will see himself one day1 the cry would come from the purest lips1 ',oh6 wretched man that ,i am6 who shall deliver me from the body of this death8'--this life in death that ,i carry1 rotting and smelling foul to ,heaven1 about with me1 wheresoever ,i go4 ,note1 further1 this man's confidence in ,christ's power3 ',thou canst make me clean4' ,he had heard all about the miracles that were being wrought up and down over the country1 and he came to the ,worker1 with nothing of the nature of religious faith in ,him1 but with entire confidence1 based upon the report of previous miracles1 in ,christ's ability to heal4 ,i do not suppose that in its nature it was very different from the trust with which savages will crowd round a traveller who has a medicine-chest with him1 and expect to be cured of their diseases4 ,but still it was real confidence in our ,lord's power to heal4 ,as a rule1 though not without exceptions1 ,he required 7we may perhaps say ,he needed7 such confidence as a condition of ,his miracle-working power4 ,if we turn from the emblem to the thing signified1 from the leprosy of the body to that of the spirit1 we may be sure of ,christ's omnipotent ability to cleanse from the extremest severity of the disease1 however inveterate and chronic it may have become4 ,sin dominates men by two opposite lies4 ,i have said how hard it is to get people's consciences awakened to see the facts of their moral and religious condition2 but then1 when they are waked up1 it is almost as hard to keep them from the other extreme4 ,the devil1 first of all1 says to a man1 ',it is only a little sin4 ,do it2 you will be none the worse4 ,you can give it up when you like1 you know4 ,that is the language before the act4 ,afterwards1 his language is1 first1 ',you have done no harm1 never mind what people say about sin4 ,make yourself comfortable1' and then1 when that lie wears itself out1 the mask is dropped1 and this is what is said3 ',i have got you now1 and you cannot get away4 ,done is done6 ,what thou hast written thou hast written2 and neither thou nor anybody else can blot it out4' ,hence the despair into which awakened consciences are apt to drop1 and the feeling1 which dogs the sense of evil like a spectre1 of the hopelessness of all attempts to make oneself better4 ,brethren1 they are both lies2 the lie that we are pure is the first2 the lie that we are too black to be purified is the second4 ',if we say that we have no sin1 we deceive ourselves and make ,god a liar1' but if we say1 as some of us1 when once our consciences are stirred1 are but too apt to say1 ',we have sinned1 and it cleaves to us for ever1' we deceive ourselves still worse1 and still more darkly and doggedly contradict the sure word of ,god4 ,christ's blood atones for all past sin1 and has power to bring forgiveness to every one4 ,christ's vital ,spirit will enter into any heart1 and1 abiding there1 has power to make the foulest clean4 ,note1 again1 the leper's hesitation4 ',if ,thou wilt'--he had no right to presume on ,christ's good will4 ,he knew nothing about the principles upon which ,his miracles were wrought and ,his mercy extended4 ,he supposed1 no doubt1 as he was bound to suppose1 in the absence of any plain knowledge1 that it was a mere matter of accident1 of caprice1 of momentary inclination and good nature1 to whom the gift of healing should come4 ,and so he draws near with the modest ',if ,thou wilt'2 not pretending to know more than he knew1 or to have a claim which he had not4 ,but his hesitation is quite as much entreaty as hesitation4 ,what do we mean when we say about a man1 ',he can do it1 if he likes1' but to imply that it is so easy to do it1 that it would be cruel not to do it8 ,and so1 when the leper said1 ',if ,thou wilt1 ,thou canst1' he meant1 ',there is no obstacle standing between me and health but ,thy will1 and surely it cannot be ,thy will to leave me in this life in death4' ,he1 as it were1 throws the responsibility for his health or disease upon ,christ's shoulders1 and thereby makes the strongest appeal to that loving heart4 ,we stand on another level4 ,the leper's hesitation is our certainty4 ,we know the principle upon which ,his mercy is dispensed2 we know that it is a universal1 all-embracing love2 we know that no caprice nor passing spasm of good nature lies at the bottom of it4 ,we know that if any men are not healed1 it is not because ,christ will not1 but because they will not4 ,if ever there springs in our hearts the dark doubt ',if ,thou wilt1' which was innocent in this man in the twilight of his knowledge1 but is wrong in us in the full noontide of ours1 we ought to be able to banish it at once1 and to lay none of the responsibility of our continuing unhealed on ,christ1 but all on ourselves4 ,he has laid it there1 when ,he lamented1 ',how often would ,i--and ye would not6' ,nothing can be more in accordance with the will of ,god1 of which ,jesus ,christ is the embodiment1 than to deliver men from sin1 which is the opposite of ,his will4 ,,ii4 ,notice1 secondly1 the ,lord's answer4 ,mark's record of this incident puts the miracle in very small compass1 and dilates rather upon the attitude and mind of ,jesus ,christ preparatory to it4 ,as if1 apart altogether from the supernatural element and the lessons that are to be drawn from it1 it was worth our while to ponder1 for the gladdening of our hearts and the strengthening of our hopes1 that lovely picture of sheer simple compassion and tender-heartedness4 ',jesus1 moved with compassion'--a clause which occurs only in ,mark's account--'put forth ,his hand and touched him1 and said1 ,i will2 be thou clean4' ,note1 then1 three things--the compassion1 the touch1 the word4 ,as to the first1 is it not a precious boon for us1 in the midst of our many wearinesses and sorrows and sicknesses1 to have that picture of ,jesus ,christ bending over the leper1 and sending1 as it were1 a gush of pitying love from ,his heart to flood away all his miseries8 ,it is a true revelation of the heart of ,jesus ,christ4 ,simple pity is its very core4 ,that pity is eternal1 and subsists as ,he sits in the calm of the heavens1 even as it was manifest whilst ,he sat teaching in the humble house in ,galilee4 ,for 'we have not a ,high ,priest which cannot be touched with a feeling of our infirmities4' ,the pitying ,christ is near us all4 ,nor let us forget that it is this swift shoot of pity which underlies all that follows--the touch1 the word1 and the cure4 ,christ does not wait to be moved by the prayers that come from these leprous lips1 but ,he is moved by the leprous lips themselves4 ,the sight of the man affects ,his pitying heart1 which sets in motion all the wheels of ,his healing powers4 ,so we may learn that the impulse to which ,his redeeming activity owes its origin wells up from ,his own heart4 ,show ,him sorrow1 and ,he answers it by a pity of such a sort that it is restless till it helps and assuages4 ,we may rise higher4 ,the pity of ,jesus ,christ is the summit of ,his revelation of the ,father1 and1 looking upon that gentle heart1 into whose depths we can see as through a little window by these words of my text1 we must stand with hushed reverence as beholding not only the compassion of the ,man1 but therein manifested the pity of the ,god who1 ',like as a father pitieth his children1 pitieth them that fear ,him1' and pities yet more the more miserable men who fear and love ,him not4 ,the ,christian's ,god is no impassive ,being1 indifferent to mankind1 but ',one who in all our afflictions is afflicted1 and1 in ,his love and in ,his pity1' redeems and bears and carries4 ,note1 still further1 the ,lord's touch4 ,with swift obedience to the impulse of ,his pity1 ,christ thrusts forth ,his hand and touches the leper4 ,there was much in that touch1 but whatever more we may see in it1 we should not be blind to the loving humanity of the act4 ,remember that the man kneeling there had felt no touch of a hand for years2 that the very kisses of his own children and his wife's embrace of love were denied him4 ,and now ,jesus puts out ,his hand1 and1 without thinking of ,mosaic restrictions and ceremonial prohibitions1 yields to the impulse of ,his pity1 and gives assurance of ,his sympathy and ,his brotherhood1 as ,he lays ,his pure fingers upon the rotting ulcers4 ,all men that help their fellows must be contented thus to identify themselves with them and to take them by the hand1 if they would seek to deliver them from their evils4 ,remember1 too1 that according to the ,mosaic law it was forbidden to any but the priest to touch a leper4 ,therefore1 in this act1 beautiful as it is in its uncalculated humanity1 there may have been something intended of a deeper kind4 ,our ,lord thereby does one of two things--either ,he asserts ,his authority as overriding that of ,moses and all his regulations1 or ,he asserts ,his sacerdotal character4 ,either way there is a great claim in the act4 ,further1 we may take that touch of ,christ's as being a parable of ,his whole work4 ,it was a piece of wonderful sympathy and condescension that ,he should put out ,his hand to touch the leper2 but it was the result of a far greater and more wonderful piece of sympathy and condescension that ,he had a hand to touch him with4 ,for the 'sweet human hands and lips and eyes' which ,he wore in this world were assumed by ,him in order that ,he might make ,himself one with all sufferers and bear the burden of all their sins4 ,so ,his touch of the leper symbolises ,his identifying of ,himself with mankind1 the foulest and the most degraded2 and in this connection there is a profound meaning in one of the ordinarily trivial legends of the ,rabbis1 who1 founding upon a word of the fifty-third chapter of ,isaiah1 tell us that when ,messias comes ,he will be found sitting amongst the lepers at the gate of the city4 ,so ,he was numbered amongst the transgressors in ,his life1 and 'with the wicked in ,his death4' ,he touches1 and1 touching1 contracts no impurity1 cleansing as the sunlight and the fire do1 by burning up the impurity1 and not by receiving it into ,himself4 ,note the ,lord's word1 ',i will2 be thou clean4' ,it is shaped1 convolution for convolution1 so to speak1 to match the man's prayer4 ,he ever moulds ,his response according to the feebleness and imperfection of the petitioner's faith4 ,but1 at the same time1 what a ring of autocratic authority and conscious sovereignty there is in the brief1 calm1 imperative word1 ',i will2 be thou clean6' ,he accepts the leper's ascription of power2 ,he claims to work the miracle by ,his own will1 and therein ,he is either guilty of what comes very near arrogant blasphemy1 or ,he is rightly claiming for ,himself a divine prerogative4 ,if ,his word can tell as a force on material things1 what is the conclusion8 ,he who 'spake and it was done' is ,almighty and ,divine4 ,,iii4 ,lastly1 note the immediate cure4 ,mark tells1 with his favourite word 'straightway1' how as soon as ,christ had spoken1 the leprosy departed from the leper4 ,and to turn from the symbol to the fact1 the same sudden and complete cleansing is possible for us4 ,our cleansing from sin must depend upon the present love and present power of ,jesus ,christ4 ,on account of ,christ's sacrifice1 whose efficacy is eternal and lies at the foundation of all our blessedness and our purity until the heavens shall be no more1 we are forgiven our sins and our guilt is taken away4 ,by the present indwelling of that cleansing ,spirit of the ever-living ,christ1 which will be given to us each if we seek it1 we are cleansed day by day from our evil4 ',the blood of ,jesus ,christ cleanseth from all sin1' not only when shed as propitiatory1 but when applied as sanctifying4 ,we must come to ,christ1 and there must be a real living contact between us and ,him through our faith1 if we are to possess either the forgiveness or the cleansing which are wrapped up inseparable in ,his gift4 ,further1 the suddenness of this cure and its completeness may be reproduced in us4 ,people tell us that to believe in sudden conversion is fanatical4 ,this is not the place to argue that question4 ,it seems to me that such suddenness is in accordance with analogy4 ,and ,i1 for my part1 preach with full belief and in the hope that the words may not be spoken altogether in vain to every man1 woman1 and child listening to me1 irrespective of their condition1 character1 and past1 that there is no reason why they should not go to ,him straightway2 no reason why ,he should not put out ,his hand straightway and touch them2 no reason why their leprosy should not pass from them straightway1 and they lie down to sleep to-night 'accepted in the ,beloved' and cleansed in ,him4 ,trust ,him and ,he will do it4 ,only remember1 it was of no use to the leper that crowds had been healed1 that floods of blessing had been poured over the land4 ,what he wanted was that a rill should come and refresh his own lips4 ,if you wish to have ,christ's cleansing you must make personal work of it1 and come with this prayer1 ',on me be all that cleansing shown6' ,you do not need to go to ,him with an ',if' nor a prayer1 for ,his gift has not waited for our asking1 and ,he has anticipated us by coming with healing in ,his wings4 ,the parts are reversed1 and ,he prays you to receive the gift1 and stands before each of us with the gentle remonstrance upon ,his lips1 ',why will ye die when ,i am here ready to cure you8' ,take ,him at ,his word1 for ,he offers to us all1 whether we desire it or no1 the cleansing which we need4 ,take ,him at ,his word1 trust ,him wholly1 trust to ,his death for forgiveness1 to ,his sanctifying ,spirit for cleansing1 and 'straightway' your 'leprosy will depart from you1' and your flesh shall become like the flesh of a little child1 and you shall be clean4 ,,christ',s ,,touch ',jesus put forth ,his hand1 and touched him4'--,mark i4 #da4 ,behold the servant of the ,lord' might be the motto of this ,gospel1 and ',he went about doing good and healing' the summing up of its facts4 ,we have in it comparatively few of our ,lord's discourses1 none of ,his longer1 and not very many of ,his briefer ones4 ,it contains but four parables4 ,this ,evangelist gives no miraculous birth as in ,matthew1 no angels adoring there as in ,luke1 no gazing into the secrets of ,eternity1 where the ,word who afterwards became flesh dwelt in the bosom of the ,father1 as in ,john4 ,he begins with a brief reference to the ,forerunner1 and then plunges into the story of ,christ's life of service to man and service for ,god4 ,in carrying out his conception the ,evangelist omits many things found in the other ,gospels1 which involve the idea of dignity and dominion1 while he adds to the incidents which he has in common with them not a few fine and subtle touches to heighten the impression of our ,lord's toil and eagerness in ,his patient1 loving service4 ,perhaps it may be an instance of this that we find more prominence given to our ,lord's touch as connected with ,his miracles than in the other ,gospels1 or perhaps it may merely be an instance of the vivid portraiture1 the result of a keen eye for externals1 which is so marked a characteristic of this gospel4 ,whatever the reason1 the fact is plain1 that ,mark delights to dwell on ,christ's touch4 ,the instances are these--first1 ,he puts out ,his hand1 and 'lifts up' ,peter's wife's mother1 and immediately the fever leaves her 7i4 #ca72 then1 unrepelled by the foul disease1 ,he lays ,his pure hand upon the leper1 and the living mass of corruption is healed 7i4 #da72 again1 ,he lays ,his hand on the clammy marble of the dead child's forehead1 and she lives 7v4 #da74 ,further1 we have the incidental statement that ,he was so hindered in ,his mighty works by unbelief that ,he could only lay ,his hands on a few sick folk and heal them 7vi4 #e74 ,we find next two remarkable incidents1 peculiar to ,mark1 both like each other and unlike our ,lord's other miracles4 ,one is the gradual healing of that deaf and dumb man whom ,christ took apart from the crowd1 laid ,his hands on him1 thrust ,his fingers into his ears as if ,he would clear some impediment1 touched his tongue with saliva1 said to him1 ',be opened'2 and the man could hear 7vii4 #cd74 ,the other is1 the gradual healing of a blind man whom our ,lord again leads apart from the crowd1 takes by the hand1 lays ,his own kind hands upon the poor1 sightless eyeballs1 and with singular slowness of progress effects a cure1 not by a leap and a bound as ,he generally does1 but by steps and stages2 tries it once and finds partial success1 has to apply the curative process again1 and then the man can see 7viii4 #bc74 ,in addition to these instances there are two other incidents which may also be adduced4 ,it is ,mark alone who records for us the fact that ,he took little children in ,his arms1 and blessed them4 ,and it is ,mark alone who records for us the fact that when ,he came down from the ,mount of ,transfiguration ,he laid ,his hand upon the demoniac boy1 writhing in the grip of his tormentor1 and lifted him up4 ,there is much taught us1 if we will patiently consider it1 by that touch of ,christ's1 and ,i wish to try to bring out its meaning and power4 ,i4 ,whatever diviner and sacreder aspect there may be in these incidents1 the first thing1 and in some senses the most precious thing1 in them is that they are the natural expression of a truly human tenderness and compassion4 ,now we are so accustomed1 and as ,i believe quite rightly1 to look at all ,christ's life down to its minutest events as intended to be a revelation of ,god1 that we are sometimes apt to think about it as if ,his motive and purpose in everything was didactic4 ,so an unreality creeps over our conceptions of ,christ's life1 and we need to be reminded that ,he was not always acting and speaking in order to convey instruction1 but that words and deeds were drawn from ,him by the play of simple human feelings4 ,he pitied not only in order to teach us the heart of ,god1 but because ,his own man's heart was touched with a feeling of men's infirmities4 ,we are too apt to think of ,him as posing before men with the intent of giving the great revelation of the ,love of ,god4 ,it is the love of ,christ ,himself1 spontaneous1 instinctive1 without the thought of anything but the suffering that it sees1 which gushes out and leads ,him to put forth ,his hand to the outcast beggars1 the blind1 the deaf1 the lepers4 ,that is the first great lesson we have to learn from this and other stories--the swift human sympathy and heart of grace and tenderness which ,jesus ,christ had for all human suffering1 and has to-day as truly as ever4 ,there is more than this instinctive sympathy taught by ,christ's touch1 but it is distinctly taught4 ,how beautifully that comes out in the story of the leper6 ,that wretched man had long dwelt in his isolation4 ,the touch of a friend's hand or the kiss of loving lips had been long denied him4 ,christ looks on him1 and before ,he reflects1 the spontaneous impulse of pity breaks through the barriers of legal prohibitions and of natural repugnance1 and leads ,him to lay ,his holy and healing hand on his foulness4 ,true pity always instinctively leads us to seek to come near those who are its objects4 ,a man tells his friend some sad story of his sufferings1 and while he speaks1 unconsciously his listener lays his hand on his arm1 and1 by a silent pressure1 speaks his sympathy4 ,so ,christ did with these men--not only in order that ,he might reveal ,god to us1 but because ,he was a man1 and therefore felt ere ,he thought4 ,out flashed from ,his heart the swift sympathy1 followed by the tender pressure of the loving hand--a hand that tried through flesh to reach spirit1 and come near the sufferer that it might succour and remove the sorrow4 ,christ's pity is shown by ,his touch to have this true characteristic of true pity1 that it overcomes disgust4 ,all real sympathy does that4 ,christ is not turned away by the shining whiteness of the leprosy1 nor by the eating pestilence beneath it2 ,he is not turned away by the clammy marble hand of the poor dead maiden1 nor by the fevered skin of the old woman gasping on her pallet4 ,he lays hold on each1 the flushed patient1 the loathsome leper1 the sacred dead1 with the all-equalising touch of a universal love and pity1 which disregards all that is repellent1 and overflows every barrier and pours itself over every sufferer4 ,we have the same pity of the same ,christ to trust to and to lay hold of to-day4 ,he is high above us and yet bending over us2 stretching ,his hand from the throne as truly as ,he put it out when here on earth2 and ready to take us all to ,his heart in spite of our weakness and wickedness1 our failings and our shortcomings1 the fever of our flesh and hearts' desires1 the leprosy of our many corruptions1 and the death of our sins1--and to hold us ever in the strong1 gentle clasp of ,his divine1 omnipotent1 and tender hand4 ,this ,christ lays hold on us because ,he loves us1 and will not be turned from ,his compassion by the most loathsome foulness of ours4 ,,ii4 ,and now take another point of view from which we may regard this touch of ,christ3 namely1 as the medium of ,his miraculous power4 ,there is nothing to me more remarkable about the miracles of our ,lord than the royal variety of ,his methods of healing4 ,sometimes ,he works at a distance1 sometimes ,he requires1 as it would appear for good reasons1 the proximity of the person to be blessed4 ,sometimes ,he works by a simple word3 ',lazarus1 come forth6' ',peace be still6' ',come out of him6' sometimes by a word and a touch1 as in the instances before us2 sometimes by a touch without a word2 sometimes by a word and a touch and a vehicle1 as in the saliva that was put on the tongue and in the ears of the deaf1 and on the eyes of the blind2 sometimes by a vehicle without a word1 without a touch1 without ,his presence1 as when ,he said1 ',go wash in the pool of ,siloam1 and he washed and was clean4' ,so the divine worker varies infinitely and at pleasure1 yet not arbitrarily but for profound1 even if not always discoverable1 reasons1 the methods of ,his miracle-working power1 in order that we may learn by these varieties of ways that ,he is tied to no way2 and that ,his hand1 strong and almighty1 uses methods and tosses aside methods according to ,his pleasure1 the methods being vitalised when they are used by ,his will1 and being nothing at all in themselves4 ,the very variety of ,his methods1 then1 teaches us that the true cause in every case is ,his own bare will4 ,a simple word is the highest and most adequate expression of that will4 ,his word is all-powerful3 and that is the very signature of divinity4 ,of whom has it been true from of old that ',he spake and it was done1 ,he commanded and it stood fast'8 ,do you believe in a ,christ whose bare will1 thrown among material things1 makes them all plastic1 as clay in the potter's hands1 whose mouth rebukes the demons and they flee1 rebukes death and it looses its grasp1 rebukes the tempest and there is a calm1 rebukes disease and there comes health8 ,but this use of ,christ's touch as apparent means for conveying ,his miraculous power also serves as an illustration of a principle which is exemplified in all ,his revelation1 namely1 the employment in condescension to men's weakness1 of outward means as the apparent vehicles of ,his spiritual power4 ,just as by the material vehicle sometimes employed for cure1 ,he gave these poor sense-bound natures a ladder by which their faith in ,his healing power might climb1 so in the manner of ,his revelation and communication of ,his spiritual gifts1 there is provision for the wants of us men1 who ever need some body for spirit to make itself manifest by1 some form for the ethereal reality1 some 'tabernacle' for the 'sun4' ',sacraments1' outward ceremonies1 forms of worship1 are vehicles which the ,divine ,spirit uses in order to bring ,his gifts to the hearts and the minds of men4 ,they are like the touch of the ,christ which heals1 not by any virtue in itself1 apart from ,his will which chooses to make it the apparent medium of healing4 ,all these externals are nothing1 as the pipes of an organ are nothing1 until ,his breath is breathed through them1 and then the flood of sweet sound pours out4 ,do not despise the material vehicles and the outward helps which ,christ uses for the communication of ,his healing and ,his life1 but remember that the help that is done upon earth1 ,he does it all ,himself4 ,even ,christ's touch is nothing1 if it were not for ,his own will which flows through it4 ,,iii4 ,consider ,christ's touch as a shadow and symbol of the very heart of ,his work4 ,go back to the past history of this man4 ,ever since his disease declared itself no human being had touched him4 ,if he had a wife he had been separated from her2 if he had children their lips had never kissed his1 nor their little hands found their way into his hard palm4 ,alone he had been walking with the plague-cloth over his face1 and the cry ',unclean6' on his lips1 lest any man should come near him4 ,skulking in his isolation1 how he must have hungered for the touch of a hand6 ,every ,jew was forbidden to approach him but the priest1 who1 if he were cured1 might pass his hand over the place and pronounce him clean4 ,and here comes a ,man who breaks down all the restrictions1 stretches a frank hand out across the walls of separation1 and touches him4 ,what a reviving assurance of love not yet dead must have come to the man as ,christ grasped his hand1 even if he saw in ,him only a stranger who was not afraid of him and did not turn from him6 ,but beside this thrill of human sympathy1 which came hope--bringing to the leper1 ,christ's touch had much significance1 if we remember that1 according to the ,mosaic legislation1 the priest and the priest alone was to lay his hands on the tainted skin and pronounce the leper whole4 ,so ,christ's touch was a priest's touch4 ,he lays ,his hand on corruption and is not tainted4 ,the corruption with which ,he comes in contact becomes purity4 ,are not these really the profoundest truths as to ,his whole work in the world8 ,what is it all but laying hold of the leper and the outcast and the dead--,his sympathy leading to ,his identification of ,himself with us in our weakness and misery8 ,that sympathetic life-bringing touch is put forth once for all in ,his ,incarnation and ,death4 ',he taketh hold of the seed of ,abraham1' says the ,epistle to the ,hebrews1 looking at our ,lord's work under this same metaphor1 and explaining that ,his laying hold of men was ,his being 'made in all points like unto ,his brethren4' ,just as he took hold of the fevered woman and lifted her from her bed2 or1 as ,he thrust ,his fingers into the deaf ears of that poor man stopped by some impediment1 so1 in analogous fashion1 ,he becomes one of those whom ,he would save and help4 ,in ,his assumption of humanity and in ,his bowing of ,his head to death1 we behold ,him laying hold of our weakness and entering into the fellowship of our pains and of the fruit of sin4 ,just as ,he touches the leper and in unpolluted1 or the fever patient and receives no contagion1 or the dead and draws no chill of mortality into ,his warm hand1 so ,he becomes like ,his brethren in all things1 yet without sin4 ,being found in 'the likeness of sinful flesh1' ,he knows no sin1 but wears ,his manhood unpolluted and dwells among men 'blameless and harmless1 the ,son of ,god1 without rebuke4' ,like a sunbeam passing through foul water untarnished and unstained2 or like some sweet spring rising in the midst of the salt sea1 which yet retains its freshness and pours it over the surrounding bitterness1 so ,christ takes upon ,himself our nature and lays hold of our stained hands with the hand that continues pure while it grasps us1 and will make us purer if we grasp it4 ,brethren1 let your touch answer to ,his2 and as ,he lays hold of us1 in ,his incarnation and ,his death1 let the hand of our faith clasp ,his outstretched hand1 and though our hold be as faltering and feeble as that of the trembling1 wasted fingers which one timid woman once laid on ,his garment's hem1 the blessing which we need will flow into our veins from the contact4 ,there will be cleansing for our leprosy1 sight for our blindness1 life driving out death from its throne in our hearts1 and we shall be able to recount our joyful experience in the old ,psalmist's triumphant strains--',he sent me from above1 ,he laid hold upon me1 ,he drew me out of many waters4' ,,iv4 ,finally1 we may look upon these incidents as being in a very important sense a pattern for us4 ,no good is to be done by any man to his fellows except at the cost of true sympathy which leads to identification and contact4 ,the literal touch of your hand would do more good to some poor outcasts than much solemn advice1 or even much material help flung to them as from a height above them4 ,a shake of the hand might be more of a means of grace than a sermon1 and more comforting than ever so many free breakfasts and blankets given superciliously4 ,and1 symbolically1 we may say that we must be willing to take those by the hand whom we wish to help2 that is to say1 we must come down to their level1 try to see with their eyes1 and to think their thoughts1 and let them feel that we do not think our purity too fine to come beside their filth1 nor shrink from them ,with repugnance1 however we may show disapproval and pity for their sin4 ,much work done by ,christian people has no effect1 nor ever will have1 because it has peeping through it a poorly concealed ',i am holier than thou4' ,an instinctive movement of repugnance has ruined many a well-meant effort4 ,christ has come down to us1 and has taken all our nature upon ,himself4 ,if there is an outcast and abandoned soul on earth which may not feel that ,jesus has laid a loving and healing touch on him1 ,jesus is not the ,saviour for the world4 ,he shrinks from none1 ,he unites ,himself with all1 therefore ',he is able to save to the uttermost all who come unto ,god by ,him4' ,his conduct is the pattern and the law for us4 ,a ,church is a poor affair if it is not a body of people whose experience of ,christ's pity and gratitude for the life which has become theirs through ,his wondrous making ,himself one with them1 compels them to do the like in their degree for the sinful and the outcast4 ,thank ,god1 there are many in every communion who know that constraint of the love of ,christ4 ,but the world will not be healed of its sickness till the great body of ,christian people awakes to feel that the task and honour of each of them is to go forth bearing ,christ's pity certified by their own4 ,the sins of professing ,christian countries are largely to be laid at the door of the ,church4 ,we are idle when we ought to be at work4 ,we 'pass by on the other side' when bleeding brethren lie with wounds gaping to be bound up by us4 ,and even when we are moved to service by ,christ's love1 and try to do something for our fellows1 our work is often tainted by a sense of our own superiority1 and we patronise when we should sympathise1 and lecture when we should beseech4 ,we must be content to take lepers by the hand1 if we would help them to purity1 and to let every outcast feel the warmth of our pitying1 loving grasp1 if we would draw them into the forsaken ,father's ,house4 ,lay your hands on the sinful as ,christ did1 and they will recover4 ,all your holiness and hope come from ,christ's laying hold of you4 ,keep hold of ,him1 and make ,his great pity and loving identification of ,himself with the world of sinners and sufferers1 your pattern as well as your hope1 and your touch1 too1 will have virtue4 ,keeping hold of ,him who has taken hold of us1 you too may be able to say1 ',ephphatha1 be opened1' or to lay your hand on the leper1 and he will be cleansed4 ,,christ',s ,,authority ,,to ,,forgive ',and again ,he entered into ,capernaum after some days2 and it was noised that ,he was in the house4 #b4 ,and straightway many were gathered together1 insomuch that there was no room to receive them1 no1 not so much as about the door2 and ,he preached the word unto them4 #c4 ,and they come unto ,him1 bringing one sick of the palsy1 which was borne of four4 #d4 ,and when they could not come nigh unto ,him for the press1 they uncovered the roof where ,he was3 and when they had broken it up1 they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay4 #f4 ,when ,jesus saw their faith1 ,he said unto the sick of the palsy1 ,son1 thy sins be forgiven thee4 #f4 ,but there were certain of the scribes sitting there1 and reasoning in their hearts1 #g4 ,why doth this man thus speak blasphemies6 who can forgive sins but ,god only6 #h4 ,and immediately when ,jesus perceived in ,his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves1 ,he said unto them1 ,why reason ye these things in your hearts8 #i4 ,whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy1 ,thy sins be forgiven thee2 or to say1 ,arise1 and take up thy bed1 and walk6 #aj4 ,but that ye may know that the ,son of ,man hath power on earth to forgive sins1 7,he saith to the sick of the palsy17 #aa4 ,i say unto thee1 ,arise1 and take up thy bed1 and go thy way into thine house4 #ab4 ,and immediately he arose1 took up the bed1 and went forth before them all2 insomuch that they were all amazed1 and glorified ,god1 laying1 ,we never saw it on this fashion4'--,mark ii4 #a-ab4 ,mark alone gives ,capernaum as the scene of this miracle4 ,the excitement which had induced our ,lord to leave that place had been allowed 'some days' to quiet down1 'after' which ,he ventures to return1 but does not seem to have sought publicity1 but to have remained in 'the house'--probably ,peter's4 ,there would be at least one woman's heart there1 which would love to lavish grateful service on ,him4 ,but ',he could not be hid1' and1 however little genuine or deep the eagerness might be1 ,he will not refuse to meet it4 ,mark paints vividly the crowd flocking to the humble home1 overflowing its modest capacity1 blocking the doorway1 and clustering round it outside as far as they could hear ,christ's voice4 ',he was speaking the word to them1' proclaiming ,his mission1 as ,he had done in their synagogue1 when ,he was interrupted by the events which follow1 no doubt to the gratification of some of ,his hearers1 who wanted something more exciting than 'teaching4' ,i4 ,we note the eager group of interrupters4 ,mark gives one of the minute touches which betray an eye-witness and a close observer when he tells us that the palsied man was carried by four friends--no doubt one at each corner of the bed1 which would be some light framework1 or even a mere quilt or mattress4 ,the incident is told from the point of view of one sitting beside ,jesus2 they 'come to ,him1' but 'cannot come near4' ,the accurate specification of the process of removing the roof1 which ,matthew omits altogether1 and ,luke tells much more vaguely1 seems also to point to an eye-witness as the source of the narrative1 who would1 of course1 be ,peter1 who well remembered all the steps of the unceremonious treatment of his property4 ,his house was1 probably1 one of no great pretensions or size1 but like hundreds of poor men's houses in ,palestine still--a one-storied building with a low1 flat roof1 mostly earthen1 and easily reached from the ground by an outside stair4 ,it would be somewhat difficult to get a sick man and his bed up there1 however low1 and somewhat free-and-easy dealing with another man's house to burrow through the roof a hole wide enough for the purpose2 but there is no impossibility1 and the difficulty is part of the lesson of the incident1 and is recognised expressly in the narrative by ,christ's notice of their 'faith4' ,we can fancy the blank looks of the four bearers1 and the disappointment on the sick man's thin face and weary eyes1 as they got to the edge of the crowd1 and saw that there was no hope of forcing a passage4 ,had they been less certain of a cure1 and less eager1 they would have shouldered their burden and carried him home again4 ,they could well have pleaded sufficient reason for giving up the attempt4 ,but 'we cannot' is the coward's word4 ',we must' is the earnest man's4 ,if we have any real consciousness of our need to get to ,christ1 and any real wish to do so1 it is not a crowd round the door that will keep us back4 ,difficulties test1 and therefore increase1 faith4 ,they develop a sanctified ingenuity in getting over them1 and bring a rich harvest of satisfaction when at last conquered4 ,these four eager faces looked down through the broken roof1 when they had succeeded in dropping the bed right at ,christ's feet1 with a far keener pleasure than if they had just carried him in by the door4 ,no doubt their act was inconvenient2 for1 however light the roofing1 some rubbish must have come down on the heads of some of the notabilities below4 ,and1 no doubt1 it was interfering with property as well as with propriety4 ,but here was a sick man1 and there was his ,healer2 and it was their business to get the two together somehow4 ,it was worth risking a good deal to accomplish4 ,the rabbis sitting there might frown at rude intrusiveness2 ,peter might object to the damage to his roof2 some of the listeners might dislike the interruption to ,his teaching2 but ,jesus read the action of the bearers and the consent of the motionless figure on the couch as the indication of 'their faith1' and ,his love and power responded to its call4 ,,ii4 ,note the unexpected gift with which ,christ answers this faith4 ,neither the bearers nor the paralytic speak a word throughout the whole incident4 ,their act and his condition spoke loudly enough4 ,obviously1 all five must have had1 at all events1 so much 'faith' as went to the conviction that ,he could and would heal2 and this faith is the occasion of ,christ's gift4 ,the bearers had it1 as is shown by their work4 ,it was a visible faith1 manifest by conduct4 ,he can see the hidden heart2 but here ,he looks upon conduct1 and thence infers disposition4 ,faith1 if worth anything1 comes to the surface in act4 ,was it the faith of the bearers1 or of the sick man1 which ,christ rewarded8 ,both4 ,as ,abraham's intercession delivered ,lot1 as ,paul in the shipwreck was the occasion of safety to all the crew1 so one man's faith may bring blessings on another4 ,but if the sick man too had not had faith1 he would not have let himself be brought at all1 and would certainly not have consented to reach ,christ's presence by so strange and1 to him1 dangerous a way--being painfully hoisted up some narrow stair1 and then perilously let down1 at the risk of cords snapping1 or hands letting go1 or bed giving way4 ,his faith1 apparently1 was deeper than theirs2 for ,christ's answer1 though it went far beyond his or their expectations1 must have been moulded to meet his deepest sense of need4 ,his heart speaks in the tender greeting 'son1' or1 as the margin has it1 'child'--possibly pointing to the man's youth1 but more probably an appellation revealing the mingled love and dignity of ,jesus1 and taking this man into the arms of ,his sympathy4 ,the palsy may have been the consequence of 'fast' living2 but1 whether it were so or no1 ,christ saw that1 in the dreary hours of solitary inaction to which it had condemned the sufferer1 remorse had been busy gnawing at his heart1 and that pain had done its best work by leading to penitence4 ,therefore ,he spoke to the conscience before ,he touched the bodily ailment1 and met the sufferer's deepest and most deeply felt disease first4 ,he goes to the bottom of the malady with ,his cure4 ,these great words are not only closely adapted to the one case before ,him1 but contain a general truth1 worthy to be pondered by all philanthropists4 ,it is of little use to cure symptoms unless you cure diseases4 ,the tap-root of all misery is sin2 and1 until it is grubbed up1 hacking at the branches is sad waste of time4 ,cure sin1 and you make the heart a temple and the world a paradise4 ,we ,christians should hail all efforts of every sort for making men nobler1 happier1 better physically1 morally1 intellectually2 but let us not forget that there is but one effectual cure for the world's misery1 and that it is wrought by ,him who has borne the world's sins4 ,,iii4 ,note the snarl of the scribes4 ',certain of the scribes1' says ,mark--not being much impressed by their dignity1 which1 as ,luke tells us1 was considerable4 ,he says that they were ',pharisees and doctors of the law 444 out of every village of ,galilee and ,judaea and ,jerusalem itself1 who had come on a formal errand of investigation4 ,their tempers would not be improved by the tearing up of the roof1 nor sweetened by seeing the 'popularity' of this doubtful young ,teacher1 who showed that ,he had the secret1 which they had not1 of winning men's hearts4 ,nobody came crowding to them1 nor hung on their lips4 ,professional jealousy has often a great deal to do in helping zeal for truth to sniff out heresy4 ,the whispered cavillings are graphically represented4 ,the scribes would not speak out1 like men1 and call on ,jesus to defend ,his words4 ,if they had been sure of their ground1 they should have boldly charged ,him with blasphemy2 but perhaps they were half suspicious that ,he could show good cause for ,his speech4 ,perhaps they were afraid to oppose the tide of enthusiasm for ,him4 ,so they content themselves with comparing notes among themselves1 and wait for ,him to entangle ,himself a little more in their nets4 ,they affect to despise ,him1 ',this man' is spoken in contempt4 ,if ,he were so poor a creature1 why were they there1 all the way from ,jerusalem1 some of them8 ,they overdo their part4 ,the short1 snarling sentences of their muttered objections1 as given in the ,revised ,version1 may be taken as shared among three speakers1 each bringing his quota of bitterness4 ,one says1 ',why doth ,he thus speak8' ,another curtly answers1 ',he blasphemeth'2 while a third formally states the great truth on which they rest their indictment4 ,their principle is impregnable4 ,forgiveness is a divine prerogative1 to be shared by none1 to be grasped by none1 without1 in the act1 diminishing ,god's glory4 ,but it is not enough to have one premise of your syllogism right4 ,only ,god forgives sins2 and if this man says that ,he does1 ,he1 no doubt1 claims to be1 in some sense1 ,god4 ,but whether ,he 'blasphemeth' or no depends on what the scribes do not stay to ask2 namely1 whether ,he has the right so to claim3 and1 if ,he has1 it is they1 not ,he1 who are the blasphemers4 ,we need not wonder that they recoiled from the right conclusion1 which is--the divinity of ,jesus4 ,their fault was not their jealousy for the divine honour1 but their inattention to ,christ's evidence in support of ,his claims1 which inattention had its roots in their moral condition1 their self-sufficiency and absorption in trivialities of externalism4 ,but we have to thank them for clearly discerning and bluntly stating what was involved in our ,lord's claims1 and for thus bringing up the sharp issue--blasphemer1 or ',god manifest in the flesh4' ,,iv4 ,note our ,lord's answer to the cavils4 ,mark would have us see something supernatural in the swiftness of ,christ's knowledge of the muttered criticisms4 ,he perceived it 'straightway' and 'in ,his spirit1' which is tantamount to saying by divine discernment1 and not by the medium of sense1 as we do4 ,his spirit was a mirror1 in which looking ,he saw externals4 ,in the most literal and deepest sense1 ,he does 'not judge after the sight of ,his eyes1 neither reprove after the hearing of ,his ears4' ,the absence from our ,lord's answer of any explanation that ,he was only declaring the divine forgiveness and not ,himself exercising a divine prerogative1 shuts us up to the conclusion that ,he desired to be understood as exercising it4 ,unless ,his pardon is something quite different from the ministerial announcement of forgiveness1 which ,his servants are empowered to make to penitents1 ,he wilfully led the cavillers into error4 ,his answer starts with a counter-question--another 'why8' to meet their' why8' ,it then puts into words what they were thinking2 namely1 that it was easy to assume a power the reality of which could not be tested4 ,to say1 ',thy sins be forgiven1' and to say1 ',take up thy bed1' are equally easy4 ,to effect either is equally beyond man's power2 but the one can be verified and the other cannot1 and1 no doubt1 some of the scribes were maliciously saying3 ',it is all very well to pretend to do what cannot be tested4 ,let ,him come out into daylight1 and do a miracle which we can see4' ,he is quite willing to accept the challenge to test ,his power in the invisible realm of conscience by ,his power in the visible region4 ,the remarkable construction of the long sentence in verses #aj and #aa1 which is almost verbally identical in the three ,gospels1 parenthesis and all1 sets before us the suddenness of the turn from the scribes to the patient with dramatic force4 ,mark that our ,lord claims 'authority' to forgive1 the same word which had been twice in the people's mouths in reference to ,his teaching and to ,his sway over demons4 ,it implies not only power1 but rightful power1 and that authority which ,he wields as ',son of ,man' and 'on earth4' ,this is the first use of that title in ,mark4 ,it is ,christ's own designation of ,himself1 never found on other lips except the dying ,stephen's4 ,it implies ,his ,messianic office1 and points back to ,daniel's great prophecy2 but it also asserts ,his true manhood and ,his unique relation to humanity1 as being ,himself its sum and perfection--not a1 but the ,son of ,man4 ,now the wonder which ,he would confirm by ,his miracle is that such a manhood1 walking on earth1 has lodged in it the divine prerogative4 ,he who is the ,son of ,man must be something more than man1 even the ,son of ,god4 ,his power to forgive is both derived and inherent1 but1 in either aspect1 is entirely different from the human office of announcing ,god's forgiveness4 ,for once1 ,christ seems to work a miracle in response to unbelief1 rather than to faith4 ,but the real occasion of it was not the cavils of the scribes1 but the faith and need of the man and ,his friends2 while the silencing of unbelief1 and the enlightenment of honest doubt1 were but collateral benefits4 ,v4 ,note the cure and its effect4 ,this is another of the miracles in which no vehicle of the healing power is employed4 ,the word is enough2 but here the word is spoken1 not as if to the disease1 but to the sufferer2 and in ,his obedience he receives strength to obey4 ,tell a palsied man to rise and walk when his disease is that he cannot6 ,but if he believes that ,christ has power to heal1 he will try to do as he is bid2 and1 as he tries1 the paralysis steals out of the long-unused limbs4 ,jesus makes us able to do what ,he bids us do4 ,the condition of healing is faith1 and the test of faith is obedience4 ,we do not get strength till we put ourselves into the attitude of obedience4 ,the cure was immediate2 and the cured man1 who was 'borne of four' into the healing presence1 walked away1 with his bed under his arm1 'before them all4' ,they were ready enough to make way for him then4 ,and what said the wise doctors to it all8 ,we do not hear that any of them were convinced4 ,and what said the people8 ,they were 'amazed1' and they 'glorified ,god1' and recognised that they had seen something quite new4 ,that was all4 ,their glorifying ,god cannot have been very deep-seated1 or they would have better learned the lesson of the miracle4 ,amazement was but a poor result4 ,no emotion is more transient or less fruitful than gaping astonishment2 and that1 with a little varnish of acknowledgment of ,god's power1 which led to nothing1 was all the fruit of ,christ's mighty work4 ,let us hope that the healed man carried his unseen blessing in a faithful and grateful heart1 and consecrated his restored strength to the ,lord who healed him6 ,,the ,,publicans' ,,friend ',and ,he went forth again by the sea side2 and all the multitude resorted unto ,him1 and ,he taught them4 #ad4 ,and as ,he passed by1 he saw ,levi the son of ,alphus sitting at the receipt of custom1 and said unto him1 ,follow me4 ,and he arose and followed ,him4 #ae4 ,and it came to pass1 that1 as ,jesus sat at meat in his house1 many publicans and sinners sat also together with ,jesus and ,his disciples3 for there were many1 and they followed ,him4 #af4 ,and when the scribes and ,pharisees saw ,him eat with publicans and sinners1 they said unto ,his disciples1 ,how is it that ,he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners6 #ag4 ,when ,jesus heard it1 ,he saith unto them1 ,they that are whole have no need of the physician1 but they that are sick3 ,i came not to call the righteous1 but sinners to repentance4 #ah4 ,and the disciples of ,john and of the ,pharisees used to fast3 and they come and say unto ,him1 ,why do the disciples of ,john and of the ,pharisees fast1 but ,thy disciples fast not6 #ai4 ,and ,jesus said unto them1 ,can the children of the bridechamber fast1 while the bridegroom is with them6 as long as they have the bridegroom with them1 they cannot fast4 #bj4 ,but the days will come1 when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them1 and then shall they fast in those days4 #ba4 ,no man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment3 else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old1 and the rent is made worse4 #bb4 ,and no man putteth new wine into old bottles3 else the new wine doth burst the bottles1 and the wine is spilled1 and the bottles will be marred3 but new wine must be put into new bottles4'--,mark ii4 #ac-bb4 ,by calling a publican1 ,jesus shocked 'public opinion and outraged propriety1 as the ,pharisees and scribes understood it4 ,but ,he touched the hearts of the outcasts4 ,a gush of sympathy melts souls frozen hard by icy winds of scorn4 ,levi 7otherwise ,matthew7 had probably had wistful longings after ,jesus which he had not dared to show1 and therefore he eagerly and instantly responded to ,christ's call1 leaving everything in his custom-house to look after itself4 ,mark emphasises the effect of this advance towards the disreputable classes by ,jesus1 in his repeated mention of the numbers of them who followed ,him4 ,the meal in ,matthew's house was probably not immediately after his call4 ,the large gathering attracted the notice of ,christ's watchful opponents1 who pounced upon ,his sitting at meat with such 'shady' people as betraying ,his low tastes and disregard of seemly conduct1 and1 with characteristic ,eastern freedom1 pushed in as uninvited spectators4 ,they did not carry their objection to ,himself1 but covertly insinuated it into the disciples' minds1 perhaps in hope of sowing suspicions there4 ,their sarcasm evoked ,christ's own 'programme' of ,his mission1 for which we have to thank them4 ,i4 ,we have1 first1 ,christ's vindication of ,his consorting with the lowest4 ,he thinks of ,himself as 'a physician1' just as ,he did in another connection in the synagogue of ,nazareth4 ,he is conscious of power to heal all soul-sickness1 and therefore ,he goes where ,he is most needed4 ,where should a doctor be but where disease is rife8 ,is not his place in the hospital8 ,association with degraded and vicious characters is sin or duty1 according to the purpose of it4 ,to go down in the filth in order to wallow there is vile2 to go down in order to lift others up is ,christ's mission and ,christ-like4 ,but what does ,he mean by the distinction between sick and sound1 righteous and sinners8 ,surely all need ,his healing1 and there are not two classes of men4 ,have not all sinned8 ,yes1 but ,jesus speaks to the cavillers1 for the moment1 in their own dialect1 saying1 in effect1 ',i take you at your own valuation1 and therein find ,my defence4 ,you do not think that you need a physician1 and you call yourselves 'righteous and these outcasts 'sinners4' ,so you should not be surprised if ,i1 being the healer1 turn away to them1 and prefer their company to yours4' ,but there is more than taking them at their own estimate in the great words1 for to conceit ourselves 'whole' bars us off from getting any good from ,jesus4 ,he cannot come to the self-righteous heart4 ,we must feel our sickness before we can see ,him in ,his true character1 or be blessed by ,his presence with us4 ,and the apparent distinction1 which seems to limit ,his work1 really vanishes in the fact that we all are sick and sinners1 whatever we may think of ourselves1 and that1 therefore1 the errand of the great ,physician is to us all4 ,the ,pharisee who knows himself a sinner is as welcome as the outcast4 ,the most outwardly respectable1 clean-living1 orthodoxly religious formalist needs ,him as much1 and may have ,him as healingly1 as the grossest criminal1 foul with the stench of loathsome disease4 ,that great saying has changed the attitude towards the degraded and unclean1 and many a stream of pity and practical work for such has been drawn off from that ,nile of yearning love1 though all unconscious of its source4 ,,ii4 ,we have ,christ's vindication of the disciples from ascetic critics4 ,the assailants in the second charge were reinforced by singular allies4 ,pharisees had nothing in common with ,john's disciples1 except some outward observances1 but they could join forces against ,jesus4 ,common hatred is a wonderful unifier4 ,this time ,jesus ,himself is addressed1 and it is the disciples with whom fault is found4 ,to speak of ,his supposed faults to them1 and of theirs to ,him1 was cunning and cowardly4 ,his answer opens up many great truths1 which we can barely mention4 ,first1 note that ,he calls ,himself the 'bridegroom'--a designation which would surely touch some chords in ,john's disciples1 remembering how their ,master had spoken of the 'bridegroom' and his 'friend4' ,the name tells us that ,jesus claimed the psalms of the 'bride-groom' as prophecies of ,himself1 and claimed the ,church that was to be as ,his bride4 ,it speaks tenderly of ,his love and of our possible blessedness4 ,next1 we note the sweet suggestion of the joyful life of the disciples in intercourse with ,him4 ,we perhaps do not sufficiently regard their experience in that light1 but surely they were happy1 being ever with ,him1 though they knew not yet all the wonder and blessedness which ,his presence involved and brought4 ,they were a glad company1 and ,christians ought now to be joyous1 because the bridegroom is still with them1 and the more really so by reason of ,his ascending up where ,he was before4 ,we have seen ,him again1 as ,he promised1 and our hearts should rejoice with a joy which no man can take from us4 ,next1 we note ,christ's clear prevision of ,his death1 the violence of which is hinted at in the words1 ',shall be taken away from them4' ,further1 we note the great principle that outward forms must follow inward realities1 and are genuine only when they are the expression of states of mind and feeling4 ,that is a far-reaching truth1 ever being forgotten in the tyranny which the externals of religion exercise4 ,let the free spirit have its own way1 and cut its own channels4 ,laughter may be as devout as fasting4 ,joy is to be expressed in religion as well as grief4 ,no outward form is worth anything unless the inner man vitalises it1 and such a mere form is not simply valueless1 but may quickly become hypocrisy and conscious make-believe4 ,,iii4 ,jesus adds two similes1 which are condensed parables1 to deal with a wider question rising out of the preceding principles4 ,the difference between ,his disciples' religious demeanour and that of their critics is not merely that the former are not now in a mood for fasting1 but that a new spirit is beginning to work in them1 and therefore it will go hard with a good many old forms besides fasting4 ,the essential point in both the similes of the raw cloth stitched on to the old1 and of the new wine poured into stiff old skins1 is the necessary incongruity between old forms and new tendencies4 ,undressed cloth is sure to shrink when wetted1 and1 being stronger than the old1 to draw its frayed edges away4 ,so1 if new truth1 or new conceptions of old truth1 or new enthusiasms1 are patched on to old modes1 they will look out of place1 and will sooner or later rend the old cloth4 ,but the second simile advances on the first1 in that it points not only to harm done to the old by the unnatural marriage1 but also to mischief to the new4 ,put fermenting wine into a hard1 unyielding1 old wine-skin1 and there can be but one result1--the strong effervescence will burst the skin1 which may not matter much1 and the precious wine will run out and be lost1 sucked up by the thirsty soil1 which matters more4 ,the attempt to confine the new within the limits of the old1 or to express it by the old forms1 destroys them and wastes it4 ,the attempt was made to keep ,christianity within the limits of ,judaism2 it failed1 but not before much harm had been done to ,christianity4 ,over and over again the effort has been made in the ,church1 and it has always ended disastrously1--and it always will4 ,it will be a happy day for both the old and the new when we all learn to put new wine into new skins1 and remember that ',god giveth it a body as it hath pleased ,him1 and to every seed his own body4' ,,the ,,secret ,,of ,,gladness ',and ,jesus said unto them1 ,can the children of the bridechamber fast1 while the bridegroom is with them8'--,mark ii4 #ai4 ,this part of our ,lord's answer to the question put by ,john's disciples as to the reason for the omission of the practice of fasting by ,his followers4 ,the answer is very simple4 ,it is--',my disciples do not fast because they are not sad4' ,and the principle which underlies the answer is a very important one4 ,it is this3 that all outward forms of religion1 appointed by man1 ought only to be observed when they correspond to the feeling and disposition of the worshipper4 ,that principle cuts up all religious formalism by the very roots4 ,the ,pharisee said3 ',fasting is a good thing in itself1 and meritorious in the sight of ,god4' ,the modern ,pharisee says the same about many externals of ritual and worship2 ,jesus ,christ says1 ',no6 ,the thing has no value except as an expression of the feeling of the doer4' ,our ,lord did not object to fasting2 ,he expressly approved of it as a means of spiritual power4 ,but ,he did object to the formal use of it or of any outward form4 ,the formalist's form1 whether it be the elaborate ritual of the ,catholic ,church1 or the barest ,nonconformist service1 or the silence of a ,friends' meeting-house1 is rigid1 unbending1 and cold1 like an iron rod4 ,the true ,christian form is elastic1 like the stem of a palm-tree1 which curves and sways and yields to the wind1 and has the sap of life in it4 ,if any man is sad1 let him fast2 'if any man is merry1 let him sing psalms4' ,let his ritual correspond to his spiritual emotion and conviction4 ,but the point which ,i wish to consider now is not so much this1 as the representation that is given here of the reason why fasting was incongruous with the condition and disposition of the disciples4 ,jesus says3 ',we are more like a wedding-party than anything else4 ,can the children of the bridechamber fast as long as the bridegroom is with them8' ,the 'children of the bridechamber' is but another name for those who were called the 'friends' or companions 'of the bridegroom4' ,according to the ,jewish wedding ceremonial it was their business to conduct the bride to the home of her husband1 and there to spend seven days in festivity and rejoicing1 which were to be so entirely devoted to mirth and feasting that the companions of the bridegroom were by the ,talmudic ritual absolved even from prayer and from worship1 and had for their one duty to rejoice4 ,and that is the picture that ,christ holds up before the disciples of the ascetic ,john as the representation of what ,he and ,his friends were most truly like4 ,very unlike our ordinary notion of ,christ and ,his disciples as they walked the earth6 ,the presence of the ,bridegroom made them glad with a strange gladness1 which shook off sorrow as the down on a sea-bird's breast shakes off moisture1 and leaves it warm and dry1 though it floats amidst boundless seas4 ,i wish now to meditate on this secret of imperviousness to sorrow arising from the felt presence of the ,christ4 ,there are three subjects for consideration arising from the words of my text3 ,the ,bridegroom2 the presence of the ,bridegroom2 the joy of the ,bride-groom's presence4 ,i4 ,now with regard to the first1 a very few words will suffice4 ,the first thing that strikes me is the singular appropriateness and the delicate1 pathetic beauty in the employment of this name by ,christ in the existing circumstances4 ,who was it that had first said3 ',he that hath the bride is the bridegroom1 but the friend of the bridegroom that standeth by and heareth him1 rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice4 ,this my joy therefore is fulfilled'8 ,why1 it was the master of these very men who were asking the question4 ,john's disciples came and said1 ',why do not your disciples fast8' and our ,lord reminded them of their own teacher's words1 when he said1 ',the friend of the bridegroom can only be glad4' ,and so ,he would say to them1 ',in your master's own conception of what ,i am1 and of the joy that comes from ,my presence1 you have an answer to your question4 ,he might have taught you who ,i am1 and why it is that the men that stand around ,me are glad4' ,but this is not all4 ,we cannot but connect this name with a whole circle of ideas found in the ,old ,testament1 especially with that most familiar and almost stereotyped figure which represents the union between ,israel and ,jehovah1 under the emblem of the marriage bond4 ,the ,lord is the 'husband'2 and the nation whom ,he has loved and redeemed and chosen for ,himself1 is the 'wife'2 unfaithful and forgetful1 often requiting love with indifference and protection with unthankfulness1 and needing to be put away1 and debarred of the society of the husband who still yearns for her2 but a wife still1 and in the new time to be joined to ,him by a bond that shall never be broken and a better covenant4 ,and so ,christ lays ,his hand upon all that old history and says1 ',it is fulfilled here in ,me4' ,a familiar note in ,old ,testament ,messianic prophecy too is caught and echoed here1 especially that grand marriage ode of the forty-fifth psalm1 in which he must be a very prosaic or very deeply prejudiced reader who hears nothing more than the shrill wedding greetings at the marriage of some ,jewish king with a foreign princess4 ,its bounding hopes and its magnificent sweep of vision are a world too wide for such interpretation4 ,the ,bridegroom of that psalm is the ,messiah1 and the ,bride is the ,church4 ,i need only refer in a sentence to what this indicates of ,christ's self-consciousness4 ,what must ,he1 who takes this name as ,his own1 have thought ,himself to be to the world1 and the world to ,him8 ,he steps into the place of the ,jehovah of the ,old ,testament1 and claims as ,his own all these great and wonderful prophecies4 ,he promises love1 protection1 communion1 the deepest1 most mystical union of spirit and heart with ,himself2 and ,he claims quiet1 restful confidence in ,his love1 absolute1 loving obedience to ,his authority1 reliance upon ,his strong hand and loving heart1 and faithful cleaving to ,him4 ,the ,bridegroom of humanity1 the ,husband of the world1 if it will only turn to ,him1 is ,christ ,himself4 ,,ii4 ,but a word as to the presence of the ,bridegroom4 ,it might seem as if this text condemned us who love an unseen and absent ,lord to exclusion from the joy which is made to depend on ,his presence4 ,are we in the dreary period when 'the ,bridegroom is taken away' and fasting appropriate8 ,surely not4 ,the time of mourning for an absent ,christ was only three days2 the law for the years of the ,church's history between the moment when the uplifted eyes of the gazers lost ,him in the symbolic cloud and the moment when ,he shall come again is1 ',lo1 ,i am with you alway4' ,the absent ,christ is the present ,christ4 ,he is really with us1 not as the memory or the influence of the example of the dead may be said to remain1 not as the spirit of a teacher may be said to abide with his school of followers4 ,we say that ,christ has gone up on high and sits on 'the right hand of ,god4' ,the right hand of ,god is ,his active power4 ,where is 'the right hand of ,god'8 ,it is wherever ,his divine energy works4 ,he that sits at the right hand of ,god is thereby declared to be wherever the divine energy is in operation1 and to be ,himself the wielder of that divine ,power4 ,i believe in a local abode of the glorified human body of ,jesus ,christ now1 but ,i believe likewise that all through ,god's universe1 and eminently in this world1 which ,he has redeemed1 ,christ is present1 in ,his consciousness of its circumstances1 and in the activity of ,his influence1 and in whatsoever other incomprehensible and unspeakable mode ,omnipresence belongs to a divine ,person4 ,so that ,he is with us most really1 though the visible1 bodily ,form is no longer by our sides4 ,that ,presence which survives1 which is true for us here to-day1 may be a far better and more blessed and real thing than the presence of the mere bodily ,form in which ,he once dwelt4 ,we may have lost something by ,his going away in visible form2 ,i doubt whether we have4 ,we have lost the manifestation of ,him to the sense1 but we have gained the manifestation of ,him to the spirit4 ,and just as the great men1 who are only men1 need to die and go away in order to be measured in their true magnitude and understood in their true glory2 just as when a man is in amongst the mountains1 he cannot tell which peak is the dominant one1 but when he gets away a little space across the sea and looks back1 distance helps to measure magnitude and reveal the sovereign summit which towers above all the rest1 so1 looking back across the ages with the foreground between us and ,him of the history of the ,christian ,church ever since1 and noticing how other heights have sunk beneath the waves and have been wrapped in clouds and have disappeared behind the great round of the earth1 we can tell how high this ,one is2 and know better than they knew who it is that moves amongst men in 'the form of a servant1' even the ,bridegroom of the ,church and of the world4 ',it is expedient for you that ,i go away1' and ,christ is1 or ought to be1 nearer to us to-day in all that constitutes real nearness1 in our apprehension of ,his essential character1 in our reception of ,his holiest influences1 than ,he ever was to them who walked beside ,him on the earth4 ,but1 brethren1 that presence is of no use at all to us unless we daily try to realise it4 ,he was with these men whether they would or no4 ,whether they thought about ,him or no1 there ,he was2 and just because ,his presence did not at all depend upon their spiritual condition1 it was a lower kind of presence than that which you and ,i have now1 and which depends altogether on our realising it by the turning of our hearts to ,him1 and by the daily contemplation of ,him amidst all our bustle and struggle4 ,do you1 as you go about your work1 feel ,his nearness and try to keep the feeling fresh and vivid1 by occupying heart and mind with ,him1 by referring everything to ,his supreme control8 ,by trusting yourselves utterly and absolutely in ,his hand1 and gathering round you1 as it were1 the sweetness of ,his love by meditation and reflection1 do you try to make conscious to yourselves your ,lord's presence with you8 ,if you do1 that presence is to you a blessed reality2 if you do not1 it is a word that means nothing and is of no help1 no stimulus1 no protection1 no satisfaction1 no sweetness whatever to you4 ,the children of the ,bridegroom are glad only when1 and as1 they know that the ,bridegroom is with them4 ,,iii4 ,and now a word1 last of all1 about the joy of the ,bridegroom's presence4 ,what was it that made these humble lives so glad when ,christ was with them1 filling them with strange new sweetness and power8 ,the charm of personal character1 the charm of contact with one whose lips were bringing to them fresh revelations of truth1 fresh visions of ,god1 whose whole life was the exhibition of a nature beautiful1 and noble1 and pure1 and tender1 and sweet1 and loving1 beyond anything they had ever seen before4 ,ah6 brethren1 there is no joy in the world like that of companionship1 in the freedom of perfect love1 with one who ever keeps us at our best1 and brings the treasures of ever fresh truth to the mind1 as well as beauty of character to admire and imitate4 ,that is one of the greatest gifts that ,god gives1 and is a source of the purest joy that we can have4 ,now we may have all that and much more in ,jesus ,christ4 ,he will be with us if we do not drive ,him away from us1 as the source of our purest joy1 because ,he is the all-sufficient ,object of our love4 ,oh6 you men and women who have been wearily seeking in the world for love that cannot change1 for love that cannot die and leave you2 you who have been made sad for life by irrevocable losses1 or sorrowful in the midst of your joy by the anticipated certain separation which is to come1 listen to this ,one who says to you3 ',i will never leave thee1 and ,my love shall be round thee for ever'2 and recognise this1 that there is a love which cannot change1 which cannot die1 which has no limits1 which never can be cold1 which never can disappoint1 and therefore1 in it1 and in ,his presence1 there is unending gladness4 ,he is with us as the source of our joy1 because ,he is the ,lord of our lives1 and the absolute ,commander of our wills4 ,to have ,one present with us whose loving word it is delight to obey1 and who takes upon ,himself all responsibility for the conduct of our lives1 and leaves us only the task of doing what we are bid--that is peace1 that is gladness1 of such a kind as none else in the world gives4 ,he is with us as the ground of perfect joy1 because ,he is the adequate object of all our desires1 and the whole of the faculties and powers of a man will find a field of glad activity in leaning upon ,him1 and realising ,his presence4 ,like the ,apostle whom the old painters loved to represent lying with his happy head on ,christ's heart1 and his eyes closed in a tranquil rapture of restful satisfaction1 so if we have ,him with us and feel that ,he is with us1 our spirits may be still1 and in the great stillness of fruition of all our wishes and fulfilment of all our needs1 may know a joy that the world can neither give nor take away4 ,he is with us as the source of endless gladness1 in that ,he is the defence and protection for our souls4 ,and as men live in a victualled fortress1 and care not though the whole surrounding country may be swept bare of all provision1 so when we have ,christ with us we may feel safe1 whatsoever befalls1 and 'in the days of famine we shall be satisfied4' ,he is with us as the source of our perfect joy1 because ,his presence is the kindling of every hope that fills the future with light and glory4 ,dark or dim at the best1 trodden by uncertain shapes1 casting many a deep shadow over the present1 that future lies1 unless we see it illumined by ,christ1 and have ,him by our sides4 ,but if we possess ,his companionship1 the present is but the parent of a more blessed time to come2 and we can look forward and feel that nothing can touch our gladness1 because nothing can touch our union with our ,lord4 ,so1 dear brethren1 from all these thoughts and a thousand more which ,i have no time to dwell upon1 comes this one great consideration1 that the joy of the presence of the ,bridegroom is the victorious antagonist of all sorrow and mourning4 ',can the children of the bridechamber mourn1 while the bridegroom is with them8' ,the answer sometimes seems to be1 ',yes1 they can4' ,our own hearts1 with their experience of tears1 and losses1 and disappointments1 seem to say3 ',mourning is possible1 even whilst ,he is here4 ,we have our own share1 and we sometimes think1 more than our share1 of the ills that flesh is heir to4' ,and we have1 over and above them1 in the measure in which we are ,christians1 certain special sources of sorrow and trial1 peculiar to ourselves alone2 and the deeper and truer our ,christianity the more of these shall we have4 ,but notwithstanding all that1 what will the felt presence of the ,bridegroom do for these griefs that will come8 ,well1 it will limit them1 for one thing2 it will prevent them from absorbing the whole of our nature4 ,there will always be a ,goshen in which there is 'light in the dwelling1' however murky may be the darkness that wraps the land4 ,there will always be a little bit of soil above the surface1 however weltering and wide may be the inundation that drowns our world4 ,there will always be a dry and warm place in the midst of the winter1 a kind of greenhouse into which we may get from out of the tempest and fog4 ,the joy of the ,bridegroom's presence will last through the sorrow1 like a spring of fresh water welling up in the midst of the sea4 ,we may have the salt and the sweet waters mingling in our lives1 not sent forth by one fountain1 but flowing in one channel4 ,our joy will sometimes be made sweeter and more wonderful by the very presence of the mourning and the pain4 ,just as the pillar of cloud1 that glided before the ,israelites through the wilderness1 glowed into a pillar of fire as the darkness deepened1 so1 as the outlook around becomes less and less cheery and bright1 and the night falls thicker and thicker1 what seemed to be but a thin1 grey1 wavering column in the blaze of the sunlight will gather warmth and brightness at the heart of it when the midnight comes4 ,you cannot see the stars at twelve o'clock in the day2 you have to watch for the dark hours ere heaven is filled with glory4 ,and so sorrow is often the occasion for the full revelation of the joy of ,christ's presence4 ,why have so many ,christian men so little joy in their lives8 ,because they look for it in all sorts of wrong places1 and seek to wring it out of all sorts of sapless and dry things4 ',do men gather grapes of thorns8' ,if you fling the berries of the thorn into the winepress1 will you get sweet sap out of them8 ,that is what you are doing when you take gratified earthly affections1 worldly competence1 fulfilled ambitions1 and put them into the press1 and think that out of these you can squeeze the wine of gladness4 ,no6 ,no6 brethren1 dry and sapless and juiceless they all are4 ,there is one thing that gives a man worthy1 noble1 eternal gladness1 and that is the felt presence of the ,bridegroom4 ,why have so many ,christians so little joy in their lives8 ,a religion like that of ,john's disciples and that of the ,pharisees is a poor affair4 ,a religion of which the main features are law and restriction and prohibition1 cannot be joyful4 ,and there are a great many people who call themselves ,christians1 and have just religion enough to take the edge off worldly pleasures1 and yet have not enough to make fellowship with ,christ a gladness for them4 ,there is a cry amongst us for a more cheerful type of religion4 ,i re-echo the cry1 but ,i am afraid that ,i do not mean by it quite the same thing that some of my friends do4 ,a more cheerful type of ,christianity means to many of us a type of ,christianity that will interfere less with our amusements2 a more indulgent doctor that will prescribe a less rigid diet than the old ,puritan type used to do4 ,well1 perhaps they went too far2 ,i do not care to deny that4 ,but the only cheerful ,christianity is a ,christianity that draws its gladness from deep personal experience of communion with ,jesus ,christ4 ,there is no way of men being religious and happy except being profoundly religious1 and living very near their ,master1 and always trying to cultivate that spirit of communion with ,him which shall surround them with the sweetness and the power of ,his felt presence4 ,we do not want ,pharisaic fasting1 but we do want that the reason for not fasting shall not be that ,christians like eating better1 but that their religion must be joyful because they have ,christ with them1 and therefore cannot choose but sing1 as a lark cannot choose but carol4 ',religion has no power over us1 but as it is our happiness1' and we shall never make it our happiness1 and therefore never know its beneficent control1 until we lift it clean out of the low region of outward forms and joyless service1 into the blessed heights of communion with ,jesus ,christ1 ',whom having not seen we love4' ,i would that ,christian people saw more plainly that joy is a duty1 and that they are bound to make efforts to obey the command1 ',rejoice in the ,lord always1' no less than to keep other precepts4 ,if we abide in ,christ1 ,his joy 'will abide in us1 and our joy will be full4' ,we shall have in our hearts a fountain of true joy which will never be turbid with earthly stains1 nor dried up by heat1 nor frozen by cold4 ,if we set the ,lord always before us our days may be at once like the happy hours of the 'children of the bridechamber1' bright with gladness and musical with song2 and also saved from the enervation that sometimes comes from joy1 because they are also like the patient vigils of the servants who 'wait for the ,lord1 when ,he shall return from the wedding4' ,so strangely blended of fruition and hope1 of companionship and solitude1 of feasting and watching1 is the ,christian life here1 until the time comes when ,his friends go in with the ,bridegroom to the banquet1 and drink for ever of the new joy of the kingdom4 ,,works ,,which ,,hallow ,,the ,,sabbath ',and it came to pass1 that ,he went through the cornfields on the ,sabbath day2 and ,his disciples began1 as they went1 to pluck the ears of corn4 #bd4 ,and the ,pharisees said unto ,him1 ,behold1 why do they on the ,sabbath day that which is not lawful8 #be4 ,and ,he said unto them1 ,have ye never read what ,david did1 when he had need1 and was an hungred1 he1 and they that were with him8 #bh4 ,how he went into the house of ,god in the days of ,abiathar the high priest1 and did eat the shewbread1 which is not lawful to eat but for the priests1 and gave also to them which were with him8 #bg4 ,and ,he said unto them1 ,the ,sabbath was made for man1 and not man for the ,sabbath3 #bh4 ,therefore the ,son of ,man is ,lord also of the ,sabbath4'--,mark ii4 #bc-bh4 ',and ,he entered again into the synagogue2 and there was a man there which had a withered hand4 #b4 ,and they watched ,him1 whether ,he would heal him on the ,sabbath day2 that they might accuse ,him4 #c4 ,and ,he saith unto the man which had the withered hand1 ,stand forth4 #d4 ,and ,he saith unto them1 ,is it lawful to do good on the ,sabbath days1 or to do evil8 to save life1 or to kill8 ,but they held their peace4 #e4 ,and when ,he had looked round about on them with anger1 being grieved for the hardness of their hearts1 ,he saith unto the man1 ,stretch forth thine hand4 ,and he stretched it out3 and his hand was restored whole as the other4'--,mark iii4 #a-e4 ,these two ,sabbath scenes make a climax to the preceding paragraphs1 in which ,jesus has asserted ,his right to brush aside ,rabbinical ordinances about eating with sinners and about fasting4 ,here ,he goes much further1 in claiming power over the divine ordinance of the ,sabbath4 ,formalists are moved to more holy horror by free handling of forms than by heterodoxy as to principles4 ,so we can understand how the ,pharisees' suspicions were exacerbated to murderous hate by these two incidents4 ,it is doubtful whether ,mark puts them together because they occurred together1 or because they bear on the same subject4 ,they deal with the two classes of 'works' which later ,christian theology has recognised as legitimate exceptions to the law of the ,sabbath rest2 namely1 works of necessity and of mercy4 ,i4 ,whether we adopt the view that the disciples were clearing a path through standing corn1 or the simpler one1 that they gathered the ears of corn on the edge of a made path as they went1 the point of the ,pharisees' objection was that they broke the ,sabbath by plucking1 which was a kind of reaping4 ,according to ,luke1 their breach of the ,rabbinical exposition of the law was an event more dreadful in the eyes of these narrow pedants2 for there was not only reaping1 but the analogue of winnowing and grinding1 for the grains were rubbed in the disciples' palms4 ,what daring sin6 ,what impious defiance of law6 ,but of what law8 ,not that of the ,fourth ,commandment1 which simply forbade 'labour1' but that of the doctors' expositions of the commandment1 which expended miraculous ingenuity and hair-splitting on deciding what was labour and what was not4 ,the foundations of that astonishing structure now found in the ,talmud were1 no doubt1 laid before ,christ4 ,this expansion of the prohibition1 so as to take in such trifles as plucking and rubbing a handful of heads of corn1 has many parallels there4 ,but it is noteworthy that our ,lord does not avail ,himself of the distinction between ,god's commandment and men's exposition of it4 ,he does not embarrass himself with two controversies at once4 ,at fit times ,he disputed ,rabbinical authority1 and branded their casuistry as binding grievous burdens on men2 but here ,he allows their assumption of the equal authority of their commentary and of the text to pass unchallenged1 and accepts the statement that ,his disciples had been doing what was unlawful on the ,sabbath1 and vindicates their breach of law4 ,note that ,his answer deals first with an example of similar breach of ceremonial law1 and then rises to lay down a broad principle which governed that precedent1 vindicates the act of the disciples1 and draws for all ages a broad line of demarcation between the obligations of ceremonial and of moral law4 ,clearly1 ,his adducing ,david's act in taking the shewbread implies that the disciples' reason for plucking the ears of corn was not to clear a path but to satisfy hunger4 ,probably1 too1 it suggests that ,he also was hungry1 and partook of the simple food4 ,note1 too1 the tinge of irony in that ',did ye never read8' ,in all your minute study of the letter of the ,scripture1 did you never take heed to that page8 ,the principle on which the priest at ,nob let the hungry fugitives devour the sacred bread1 was the subordination of ceremonial law to men's necessities4 ,it was well to lay the loaves on the table in the ,presence1 but it was better to take them and feed the fainting servant of ,god and his followers with them4 ,out of the very heart of the law which the ,pharisees appealed to1 in order to spin restricting prohibitions1 ,jesus drew an example of freedom which ran on all-fours with ,his disciples' case4 ,the ,pharisees had pored over the ,old ,testament all their lives1 but it would have been long before they had found such a doctrine as this in it4 ,jesus goes on to bring out the principle which shaped the instance he gave4 ,he does not state it in its widest form1 but confines it to the matter in hand--,sabbath obligations4 ,ceremonial law in all its parts is established as a means to an end--the highest good of men4 ,therefore1 the end is more important than the means2 and1 in any case of apparent collision1 the means must give way that the end may be secured4 ,external observances are not of permanent1 unalterable obligation4 ,they stand on a different footing from primal moral duties1 which remain equally imperative whether doing them leads to physical good or evil4 ,david and his men were bound to keep these1 whether they starved or not2 but they were not bound to leave the shew bread lying in the shrine1 and starve4 ,man is made for the moral law4 ,it is supreme1 and he is under it1 whether obedience leads to death or not4 ,but all ceremonial regulations are merely established to help men to reach the true end of their being1 and may be suspended or modified by his necessities4 ,the ,sabbath comes under the class of such ceremonial regulations1 and may therefore be elastic when the pressure of necessity is brought to bear4 ,but note that our ,lord1 even while thus defining the limits of the obligation1 asserts its universality4 ',the ,sabbath was made for man'--not for a nation or an age1 but for all time and for the whole race4 ,those who would sweep away the observance of the weekly day of rest are fond of quoting this text2 but they give little heed to its first clause1 and do not note that their favourite passage upsets their main contention1 and establishes the law of the ,sabbath as a possession for the world for ever4 ,it is not a burden1 but a privilege1 made and meant for man's highest good4 ,christ's conclusion that ,he is ',lord even of the ,sabbath' is based upon the consideration of the true design of the day4 ,if it is once understood that it is appointed1 not as an inflexible duty1 like the obligation of truth or purity1 but as a means to man's good1 physical and spiritual1 then ,he who has in charge all man's higher interests1 and who is the perfect realisation of the ideal of manhood1 has full authority to modify and suspend the ceremonial observance if in ,his unerring judgment the suspension is desirable4 ,this is not an abrogation of the ,sabbath1 but1 on the contrary1 a confirmation of the universal and merciful appointment4 ,it does not give permission to keep or neglect it1 according to whim or for the sake of amusement1 but it does draw1 strong and clear1 the distinction between a positive rite which may be modified1 and an unchangeable precept of the moral law which it is better for a man to die than to neglect or transgress4 ,the second ,sabbath scene deals with the same question from another point of view4 ,works of necessity warranted the supercession of ,sabbath law2 works of beneficence are no breaches of it4 ,there are circumstances in which it is right to do what is not 'lawful' on the ,sabbath1 for such works as healing the man with a withered hand are always 'lawful4' ,we note the cruel indifference to the sufferer's woe which so characteristically accompanies a religion which is mainly a matter of outside observances4 ,what cared the ,pharisees whether the poor cripple was healed or no8 ,they wanted him cured only that they might have a charge against ,jesus4 ,note1 too1 the strange condition of mind1 which recognised ,christ's miraculous power1 and yet considered ,him an impious sinner4 ,observe our ,lord's purpose to make the miracle most conspicuous4 ,he bids the man stand out in the midst1 before all the cold eyes of malicious ,pharisees and gaping spectators4 ,a secret espionage was going on in the synagogue4 ,he sees it all1 and drags it into full light by setting the man forth and by ,his sudden1 sharp thrust of a question4 ,he takes the first word this time1 and puts the stealthy spies on the defensive4 ,his interrogation may possibly be regarded as having a bearing on their conduct1 for there was murder in their hearts 7verse #f74 ,there they sat with solemn faces1 posing as sticklers for law and religion1 and all the while they were seeking grounds for killing ,him4 ,was that ,sabbath work8 ,whether would ,he1 if ,he cured the shrunken arm1 or they1 if they gathered accusations with the intention of compassing ,his death1 be the ,sabbath-breakers8 ,it was a sharp1 swift cut through their cloak of sanctity2 but it has a wider scope than that4 ,the question rests on the principle that good omitted is equivalent to evil committed4 ,if we can save1 and do not1 the responsibility of loss lies on us4 ,if we can rescue1 and let die1 our brother's blood reddens our hands4 ,good undone is not merely negative4 ,it is positive evil done4 ,if from regard to the ,sabbath we refrained from doing some kindly deed alleviating a brother's sorrow1 we should not be inactive1 but should have done something by our very not doing1 and what we should do would be evil4 ,it is a pregnant saying which has many solemn applications4 ,no wonder that they 'held their peace4' ,unless they had been prepared to abandon their position1 there was nothing to be said4 ,that silence indicated conviction and obstinate pride and rooted hatred which would not be convinced1 conciliated1 or softened4 ,therefore ,jesus looked on them with that penetrating1 yearning gaze1 which left ineffaceable remembrances on the beholders1 as the frequent mention of it indicates4 ,the emotions in ,christ's heart as ,he looked on the dogged1 lowering faces are expressed in a remarkable phrase1 which is probably best taken as meaning that grief mingled with ,his anger4 ,a wondrous glimpse into that tender heart1 which in all its tenderness is capable of righteous indignation1 and in all its indignation does not set aside its tenderness6 ,mark that not even the most rigid prohibitions were broken by the process of cure4 ,it was no breach of the fantastic restrictions which had been engrafted on the commandment1 that ,jesus should bid the man put out his hand4 ,nobody could find fault with a man for doing that4 ,these two things1 a word and a movement of muscles1 were all4 ,so ,he did 'heal on the ,sabbath1' and yet did nothing that could be laid hold of4 ,but let us not miss the parable of the restoration of the maimed and shrunken powers of the soul1 which the manner of the miracle gives4 ,whatever we try to do because ,jesus bids us1 ,he will give us strength to do1 however impossible to our unaided powers it is4 ,in the act of stretching out the hand1 ability to stretch it forth is bestowed1 power returns to atrophied muscles1 stiffened joints are suppled1 the blood runs in full measure through the veins4 ,so it is ever4 ,power to obey attends on the desire and effort to obey4 ,,the ,,anger ,,and ,,grief ,,of ,,jesus ,he looked round about on them with anger1 being grieved for the hardness of their hearts4'--,mark iii4 #e4 ,our ,lord goes into the synagogue at ,capernaum1 where ,he had already wrought more than one miracle1 and there ,he finds an object for ,his healing power1 in a poor man with a withered hand2 and also a little knot of ,his enemies4 ,the scribes and ,pharisees expect ,christ to heal the man4 ,so much had they learned of ,his tenderness and of ,his power4 ,but their belief that ,he could work a miracle did not carry them one step towards a recognition of ,him as sent by ,god4 ,they have no eye for the miracle1 because they expect that ,he is going to break the ,sabbath4 ,there is nothing so blind as formal religionism4 ,this poor man's infirmity did not touch their hearts with one little throb of compassion4 ,they had rather that he had gone crippled all his days than that one of their ,rabbinical ,sabbatarian restrictions should be violated4 ,there is nothing so cruel as formal religionism4 ,they only think that there is a trap laid--and perhaps they had laid it--into which ,christ is sure to go4 ,so1 as our ,evangelist tells us1 they sat there stealthily watching ,him out of their cold eyes1 whether ,he would heal on the ,sabbath day1 that they might accuse ,him4 ,our ,lord bids the man stand out into the middle of the little congregation4 ,he obeys1 perhaps1 with some feeble glimmer of hope playing round his heart4 ,there is a quickened attention in the audience2 the enemies are watching ,him with gratification1 because they hope ,he is going to do what they think to be a sin4 ,and then ,he reduces them all to silence and perplexity by ,his question--sharp1 penetrating1 unexpected3 ',is it lawful to do good on the ,sabbath day1 or to do evil8 ,you are ready to blame ,me as breaking your ,sabbatarian regulations if ,i heal this man4 ,what if ,i do not heal him8 ,will that be doing nothing8 ,will not that be a worse breach of the ,sabbath day than if ,i heal him8' ,he takes the question altogether out of the region of pedantic ,rabbinism1 and bases ,his vindication upon the two great principles that mercy and help hallow any day1 and that not to do good when we can is to do harm1 and not to save life is to kill4 ,they are silenced4 ,his arrow touches them2 they do not speak because they cannot answer2 and they will not yield4 ,there is a struggle going on in them1 which ,christ sees1 and ,he fixes them with that steadfast look of ,his2 of which our ,evangelist is the only one who tells us what it expressed1 and by what it was occasioned4 ',he looked round about on them with anger1 being grieved4' ,mark the combination of emotions1 anger and grief4 ,and mark the reason for both2 'the hardness1' or as you will see1 if you use the ,revised ,version1 'the hardening' of their hearts--a process which ,he saw going on before ,him as ,he looked at them4 ,now ,i do not need to follow the rest of the story1 how ,he turns away from them because ,he will not waste any more words on them1 else ,he had done more harm than good4 ,he heals the man4 ,they hurry from the synagogue to prove their zeal for the sanctifying of the ,sabbath day by hatching a plot on it for murdering ,him4 ,i leave all that1 and turn to the thoughts suggested by this look of ,christ as explained by the ,evangelist4 ,i4 ,consider then1 first1 the solemn fact of ,christ's anger4 ,it is the only occasion1 so far as ,i remember1 upon which that emotion is attributed to ,him4 ,once1 and once only1 the flash came out of the clear sky of that meek and gentle heart4 ,he was once angry2 and we may learn the lesson of the possibilities that lay slumbering in ,his love4 ,he was only once angry1 and we may learn the lesson that ,his perfect and divine charity 'is not easily provoked4' ,these very words from ,paul's wonderful picture may teach us that the perfection of divine charity does not consist in its being incapable of becoming angry at all1 but only in its not being angry except upon grave and good occasion4 ,christ's anger was part of the perfection of ,his manhood4 ,the man that cannot be angry at evil lacks enthusiasm for good4 ,the nature that is incapable of being touched with generous and righteous indignation is so1 generally1 either because it lacks fire and emotion altogether1 or because its vigour has been dissolved into a lazy indifference and easy good nature which it mistakes for love4 ,better the heat of the tropics1 though sometimes the thunderstorms may gather1 than the white calmness of the frozen poles4 ,anger is not weakness1 but it is strength1 if there be these three conditions1 if it be evoked by a righteous and unselfish cause1 if it be kept under rigid control1 and if there be nothing in it of malice1 even when it prompts to punishment4 ,anger is just and right when it is not produced by the mere friction of personal irritation 7like electricity by rubbing71 but is excited by the contemplation of evil4 ,it is part of the marks of a good man that he kindles into wrath when he sees 'the oppressor's wrong4' ,if you went out hence to-night1 and saw some drunken ruffian beating his wife or ill-using his child1 would you not do well to be angry8 ,and when nations have risen up1 as our own nation did seventy years ago in a paroxysm of righteous indignation1 and vowed that ,british soil should no more bear the devilish abomination of slavery1 was there nothing good and great in that wrath8 ,so it is one of the strengths of man that he shall be able to glow with indignation at evil4 ,only all such emotion must be kept well in hand must never be suffered to degenerate into passion4 ,passion is always weak1 emotion is an element of strength4 ',the gods approve ,the depth and not the tumult of the soul4' ,but where a man does not let his wrath against evil go sputtering off aimlessly1 like a box of fireworks set all alight at once1 then it comes to be a strength and a help to much that is good4 ,the other condition that makes wrath righteous and essential to the perfection of a man1 is that there shall be in it no taint of malice4 ,anger may impel to punish and not be malicious1 if its reason for punishment is the passionless impulse of justice or the reformation of the wrong-doer4 ,then it is pure and true and good4 ,such wrath is a part of the perfection of humanity1 and such wrath was in ,jesus ,christ4 ,but1 still further1 ,christ's anger was part of ,his revelation of ,god4 ,what belongs to perfect man belongs to ,god in whose image man was made4 ,people are very often afraid of attributing to the divine nature that emotion of wrath1 very unnecessarily1 ,i think1 and to the detriment of all their conceptions of the divine nature4 ,there is no reason why we should not ascribe emotion to ,him4 ,passions ,god has not2 emotions the ,bible represents ,him as having4 ,the god of the philosopher has none4 ,he is a cold1 impassive ,somewhat1 more like a block of ice than a god4 ,but the ,god of the ,bible has a heart that can be touched1 and is capable of something like what we call in ourselves emotion4 ,and if we rightly think of ,god as ,love1 there is no more reason why we should not think of ,god as having the other emotion of wrath2 for as ,i have shown you1 there is nothing in wrath itself which is derogatory to the perfection of the loftiest spiritual nature4 ,in ,god's anger there is no self-regarding irritation1 no passion1 no malice4 ,it is the necessary displeasure and aversion of infinite purity at the sight of man's impurity4 ,god's anger is ,his love thrown back upon itself from unreceptive and unloving hearts4 ,just as a wave that would roll in smooth1 unbroken1 green beauty into the open door of some sea-cave is dashed back in spray and foam from some grim rock1 so the love of ,god1 meeting the unloving heart that rejects it1 and the purity of ,god meeting the impurity of man1 necessarily become that solemn reality1 the wrath of the most high ,god4 ',a ,god all mercy were a ,god unjust4' ,the judge is condemned when the culprit is acquitted2 and he that strikes out of the divine nature the capacity for anger against sin1 little as he thinks it1 is degrading the righteousness and diminishing the love of ,god4 ,oh1 dear brethren1 ,i beseech you do not let any easygoing gospel that has nothing to say to you about ,god's necessary aversion from1 and displeasure with1 and chastisement of1 your sins and mine1 draw you away from the solemn and wholesome belief that there is that in ,god which must hate and war against and chastise our evil1 and that if there were not1 ,he would be neither worth loving nor worth trusting4 ,and ,his ,son1 in ,his tears and in ,his tenderness1 which were habitual1 and also in that lightning flash which once shot across the sky of ,his nature1 was revealing ,him to us4 ,the ,gospel is not only the revelation of ,god's righteousness for faith1 but is also 'the revelation of ,his wrath against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men4' ',it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks4' ,the ox1 with the yoke on his neck1 lashes out with his obstinate heels against the driver's goad4 ,he does not break the goad1 but only embrues his own limbs4 ,do not you do that6 ,,ii4 ,and now1 once more1 let me ask you to look at the compassion which goes with our ,lord's anger here2 'being grieved at the hardness of their hearts4' ,the somewhat singular word rendered here 'grieved1' may either simply imply that this sorrow co-existed with the anger1 or it may describe the sorrow as being sympathy or compassion4 ,i am disposed to take it in the latter application1 and so the lesson we gather from these words is the blessed thought that ,christ's wrath was all blended with compassion and sympathetic sorrow4 ,he looked upon these scribes and ,pharisees sitting there with hatred in their eyes2 and two emotions1 which many men suppose as discrepant and incongruous as fire and water1 rose together in ,his heart3 wrath1 which fell on the evil2 sorrow1 which bedewed the doers of it4 ,the anger was for the hardening1 the compassion was for the hardeners4 ,if there be this blending of wrath and sorrow1 the combination takes away from the anger all possibility of an admixture of these questionable ingredients1 which mar human wrath1 and make men shrink from attributing so turbid and impure an emotion to ,god4 ,it is an anger which lies harmoniously in the heart side by side with the tenderest pity--the truest1 deepest sorrow4 ,again1 if ,christ's sorrow flowed out thus along with ,his anger when ,he looked upon men's evil1 then we understand in how tragic a sense ,he was 'a ,man of sorrows and acquainted with grief4' ,the pain and the burden and the misery of ,his earthly life had no selfish basis4 ,they were not like the pain and the burdens and the misery that so many of us howl out so loudly about1 arising from causes affecting ourselves4 ,but for ,him--with ,his perfect purity1 with ,his deep compassion1 with ,his heart that was the most sensitive heart that ever beat in a human breast1 because it was the only perfectly pure one that ever beat there--for ,him to go amongst men was to be wounded and bruised and hacked by the sharp swords of their sins4 ,everything that ,he touched burned that pure nature1 which was sensitive to evil1 like an infant's hand to hot iron4 ,his sorrow and ,his anger were the two sides of the medal4 ,his feelings in looking on sin were like a piece of woven stuff with a pattern on either side1 on one the fiery threads--the wrath2 on the other the silvery tints of sympathetic pity4 ,a warp of wrath1 a woof of sorrow1 dew and flame married and knit together4 ,and may we not draw from this same combination of these two apparently discordant emotions in our ,lord1 the lesson of what it is in men that makes them the true subjects of pity8 ,ay1 these scribes and ,pharisees had very little notion that there was anything about them to compassionate4 ,but the thing which in the sight of ,god makes the true evil of men's condition is not their circumstances but their sins4 ,the one thing to weep for when we look at the world is not its misfortunes1 but its wickedness4 ,ah6 brother1 that is the misery of miseries2 that is the one thing worth crying about in our own lives1 or in anybody else's4 ,from this combination of indignation and pity1 we may learn how we should look upon evil4 ,men are divided into two classes in their way of looking at wickedness in this world4 ,one set are rigid and stern1 and crackling into wrath2 the other set placid and good-natured1 and ready to weep over it as a misfortune and a calamity1 but afraid or unwilling to say3 ',these poor creatures are to be blamed as well as pitied4' ,it is of prime importance that we all should try to take both points of view1 looking on sin as a thing to be frowned at1 but also looking on it as a thing to be wept over2 and to regard evil-doers as persons that deserve to be blamed and to be chastised1 and made to feel the bitterness of their evil1 and not to interfere too much with the salutary laws that bring down sorrow upon men's heads if they have been doing wrong1 but1 on the other hand1 to take care that our sense of justice does not swallow up the compassion that weeps for the criminal as an object of pity4 ,public opinion and legislation swing from the one extreme to the other4 ,we have to make an effort to keep in the centre1 and never to look round in anger1 unsoftened by pity1 nor in pity1 enfeebled by being separated from righteous indignation4 ,,iii4 ,let me now deal briefly with the last point that is here1 namely1 the occasion for both the sorrow and the anger1 ',being grieved at the hardening of the hearts4' ,as ,i said at the beginning of these remarks1 'hardness1' the rendering of our ,authorised ,version1 is not quite so near the mark as that of the ,revised ,version1 which speaks not so much of a condition as of a process3 ',he was grieved at the hardening of their hearts1' which ,he saw going on there4 ,and what was hardening their hearts8 ,it was ,he4 ,why were their hearts being hardened8 ,because they were looking at ,him1 ,his graciousness1 ,his goodness1 and ,his power1 and were steeling themselves against ,him1 opposing to ,his grace and tenderness their own obstinate determination4 ,some little gleams of light were coming in at their windows1 and they clapped the shutters up4 ,some tones of ,his voice were coming into their ears1 and they stuffed their fingers into them4 ,they half felt that if they let themselves be influenced by ,him it was all over1 and so they set their teeth and steadied themselves in their antagonism4 ,and that is what some of you are doing now4 ,jesus ,christ is never preached to you1 even although it is as imperfectly as ,i do it1 but that you either gather yourselves into an attitude of resistance1 or1 at least1 of mere indifference till the flow of the sermon's words is done2 or else open your hearts to ,his mercy and ,his grace4 ,oh1 dear brethren1 will you take this lesson of the last part of my text1 that nothing so tends to harden a man's heart to the gospel of ,jesus ,christ as religious formalism8 ,if ,jesus ,christ were to come in here now1 and stand where ,i am standing1 and look round about upon this congregation1 ,i wonder how many a highly respectable and perfectly proper man and woman1 church and chapel-goer1 who keeps the ,sabbath day1 ,he would find on whom ,he had to look with grief not unmingled with anger1 because they were hardening their hearts against ,him now4 ,i am sure there are some of such among my present audience4 ,i am sure there are some of you about whom it is true that 'the publicans and the harlots will go into the ,kingdom of ,god before you1' because in their degradation they may be nearer the lowly penitence and the consciousness of their own misery and need1 which will open their eyes to see the beauty and the preciousness of ,jesus ,christ4 ,dear brother1 let no reliance upon any external attention to religious ordinances2 no interest1 born of long habit of hearing sermons2 no trust in the fact of your being communicants1 blind you to this1 that all these things may come between you and your ,saviour1 and so may take you away into the outermost darkness4 ,dear brother or sister1 you are a sinner4 ',the ,god in whose hand thy breath is1 and whose are all thy ways1 thou hast not glorified4' ,you have forgotten ,him2 you have lived to please yourselves4 ,i charge you with nothing criminal1 with nothing gross or sensual2 ,i know nothing about you in such matters2 but ,i know this--that you have a heart like mine1 that we have all of us the one character1 and that we all need the one gospel of that ,saviour 'who bare our sins in ,his own body on the tree1' and died that whosoever trusts in ,him may live here and yonder4 ,i beseech you1 harden not your hearts1 but to-day hear ,his voice1 and remember the solemn words which not ,i1 but the ,apostle of ,love1 has spoken3 ',he that believeth on the ,son hath everlasting life1 he that believeth not the ,son shall not see life1 but the wrath of ,god abideth upon him4' ,flee to that sorrowing and dying ,saviour1 and take the cleansing which ,he gives1 that you may be safe on the sure foundation when ,god shall arise to do ,his strange work of judgment1 and may never know the awful meaning of that solemn word--'the wrath of the ,lamb4' ,,ambassadors ,,for ,,christ ',and the ,pharisees went forth1 and straightway took counsel with the ,herodlans against ,him1 how they might destroy ,him4 #g4 ,but ,jesus withdrew ,himself with ,his disciples to the sea3 and a great multitude from ,galilee followed ,him1 and from ,juda #h4 ,and from ,jerusalem1 and from ,iduma beyond ,jordan2 and they about ,tyre and ,sidon1 a great multitude1 when they had heard what great things ,he did1 came unto ,him4 #i4 ,and ,he spake to ,his disciples1 that a small ship should wait on ,him because of the multitude1 lest they should throng ,him4 #aj4 ,for he had healed many2 insomuch that they pressed upon ,him for to touch ,him1 as many as had plagues4 #aa4 ,and unclean spirits1 when they saw ,him1 fell down before ,him1 and cried1 saying1 ,thou art the ,son of ,god4 #ab4 ,and ,he straitly charged them that they should not make ,him known4 #ac4 ,and ,he goeth up into a mountain1 and calleth unto ,him whom ,he would3 and they came unto ,him4 #ad4 ,and ,he ordained twelve1 that they should be with ,him1 and that ,he might send them forth to preach1 #ae4 ,and to have power to heal sicknesses1 and to cast out devils3 #af4 ,and ,simon ,he surnamed ,peter2 #ag4 ,and ,james the son of ,zebedee1 and ,john the brother of ,james2 and ,he surnamed them ,boanerges1 which is1 ,the sons of thunder3 #ah4 ,and ,andrew1 and ,philip1 and ,bartholomew1 and ,matthew1 and ,thomas1 and ,james the son of ,alphus ,thaddus ,simon the ,canaanite1 #ai4 ,and ,judas ,iscariot1 which also betrayed ,him3 and they went into an house4'--,mark iii4 #f-ai4 ,a common object of hatred cements antagonists into strange alliance4 ,hawks and kites join in assailing a dove4 ,pharisees and ,herod's partisans were antipodes2 the latter must have parted with all their patriotism and much of their religion1 but both parties were ready to sink their differences in order to get rid of ,jesus1 whom they instinctively felt to threaten destruction to them both4 ,such alliances of mutually repellent partisans against ,christ's cause are not out of date yet4 ,extremes join forces against what stands in the middle between them4 ,jesus withdrew from the danger which was preparing1 not from selfish desire to preserve life1 but because ,his 'hour' was not yet come4 ,discretion is sometimes the better part of valour4 ,to avoid peril is right1 to fly from duty is not4 ,there are times when ,luther's ',here ,i stand2 ,i can do nothing else2 ,god help me6 ,amen1' must be our motto2 and there are times when the persecuted in one city are bound to flee to another4 ,we shall best learn to distinguish between these times by keeping close to ,jesus4 ,but side by side with official hatred1 and in some measure the cause of it1 was a surging rush of popular enthusiasm4 ,pharisees took offence at ,christ's breaches of law in his ,sabbath miracles4 ,the crowd gaped at the wonders1 and grasped at the possibility of cures for their afflicted4 ,neither party in the least saw below the surface4 ,mark describes two 'multitudes'--one made up of ,galileans who1 he accurately says1 'followed ,him'2 while the other 'came to ,him' from further afield4 ,note the geographical order in the list3 the southern country of ,judea1 and the capital2 then the trans-,jordanic territories beginning with ,idumea in the south1 and coming northward to ,perea2 and then the north-west bordering lands of ,tyre and ,sidon4 ,thus three parts of a circle round ,galilee as centre are described4 ,observe1 also1 how turbid and impure the full stream of popular enthusiasm was4 ,christ's gracious1 searching1 illuminating words had no attraction for the multitude4 ',the great things ,he did' drew them with idle curiosity or desire for bodily healing4 ,still more impure was the motive which impelled the 'evil spirits' to approach ,him1 drawn by a strange fascination to gaze on ,him whom they knew to be their conqueror1 and hated as the ,son of ,god4 ,terror and malice drove them to ,his presence1 and wrung from them acknowledgment of ,his supremacy4 ,what intenser pain can any hell have than the clear recognition of ,christ's character and power1 coupled with fiercely obstinate and utterly vain rebellion against ,him8 ,note1 further1 our ,lord's recoil from the tumult4 ,he had retired before cunning plotters2 ,he withdrew from gaping admirers1 who did not know what they were crowding to1 nor cared for ,his best gifts4 ,it was no fastidious shrinking from low natures1 nor any selfish wish for repose1 that made ,him take refuge in the fisherman's little boat4 ,but ,his action teaches us a lesson that the best ,christian work is hindered rather than helped by the 'popularity' which dazzles many1 and is often mistaken for success4 ,christ's motive for seeking to check rather than to stimulate such impure admiration1 was that it would certainly increase the rulers' antagonism1 and might even excite the attention of the ,roman authorities1 who had to keep a very sharp outlook for agitations among their turbulent subjects4 ,therefore ,christ first took to the boat1 and then withdrew into the hills above the lake4 ,in that seclusion ,he summoned to ,him a small nucleus1 as it would appear1 by individual selection4 ,these would be such of the 'multitude' as ,he had discerned to be humble souls who yearned for deliverance from worse than outward diseases or bondage1 and who therefore waited for a ,messiah who was more than a physician or a patriot warrior4 ,a personal call and a personal yielding make true disciples4 ,happy we if our history can be summed up in ',he called them unto ,him1 and they came4' ,but there was an election within the chosen circle4 ,the choice of the ,twelve marks an epoch in the development of ,christ's work1 and was occasioned1 at this point of time1 by both the currents which we find running so strong at this point in it4 ,precisely because ,pharisaic hatred was becoming so threatening1 and popular enthusiasm was opening opportunities which ,he singly could not utilise1 ,he felt ,his need both for companions and for messengers4 ,therefore ,he surrounded ,himself with that inner circle1 and did it then1 ,the appointment of the ,apostles has been treated by some as a masterpiece of organisation1 which largely contributed to the progress of ,christianity1 and by others as an endowment of the ,twelve with supernatural powers which are transmitted on certain outward conditions to their successors1 and thereby give effect to sacraments1 and are the legitimate channels for grace4 ,but if we take ,mark's statement of their function1 our view will be much simpler4 ,the number of twelve distinctly alludes to the tribes of ,israel1 and implies that the new community is to be the true people of ,god4 ,the ,apostles were chosen for two ends1 of which the former was preparatory to the latter4 ,the latter was the more important and permanent1 and hence gave the office its name4 ,they were to be 'with ,christ1' and we may fairly suppose that ,he wished that companionship for ,his own sake as well as for theirs4 ,no doubt1 the primary purpose was their training for their being sent forth to preach4 ,but no doubt1 also1 the lonely ,christ craved for companions1 and was strengthened and soothed by even the imperfect sympathy and unintelligent love of these humble adherents4 ,who can fail to hear tones which reveal how much ,he hungered for companions in ,his grateful acknowledgment1 ',ye are they which have continued with ,me in ,my temptations'8 ,it still remains true that we must be 'with ,christ' much and long before we can go forth as ,his messengers4 ,note1 too1 that the miracle-working power comes last as least important4 ,peter had understood his office better than some of his alleged successors1 when he made its qualification to be having been with ,jesus during ,his life1 and its office to be that of being witnesses of ,his resurrection 7,acts i474 ,the list of the ,apostles presents many interesting points1 at which we can only glance4 ,if compared with the lists in the other ,gospels and in ,acts1 it brings out clearly the division into three groups of four persons each4 ,the order in which the four are named varies within the limits of each group2 but none of the first four are ever in the lists degraded to the second or third group1 and none of these are ever promoted beyond their own class4 ,so there were apparently degrees among the ,twelve1 depending1 no doubt1 on spiritual receptivity1 each man being as close to the ,lord1 and gifted with as much of the sunshine of ,his love1 as he was fit for4 ,further1 their places in relation to each other vary4 ,the first four are always first1 and ,peter is always at their head2 but in ,matthew and ,luke1 the pairs of brothers are kept together1 while1 in ,mark1 ,andrew is parted from his brother ,simon1 and put last of the first four4 ,that place indicates the closer relation of the other three to ,jesus1 of which several instances will occur to every one4 ,but ,mark puts ,james before ,john1 and his list evidently reflects the memory of the original superiority of ,james as probably the elder4 ,there was a time when ,john was known as ',james's brother4' ,but the time came1 as ,acts shows1 when ,john took precedence1 and was closely linked with ,peter as the two leaders4 ,so the ties of kindred may be loosened1 and new bonds of fellowship created by similarity of relation to ,jesus4 ,in ,his kingdom1 the elder may fall behind the younger4 ,rank in it depends on likeness to the king4 ,the surname of ,boanerges1 ',sons of ,thunder1' given to the brothers1 can scarcely be supposed to commemorate a characteristic prior to discipleship4 ,christ does not perpetuate old faults in his servants' new names4 ,it must rather refer to excellences which were heightened and hallowed in them by following ,jesus4 ,probably1 therefore1 it points to a certain majesty of utterance4 ,do we not hear the boom of thunder-peals in the prologue to ,john's ,gospel1 perhaps the grandest words ever written8 ,in the second quartet1 ,bartholomew is probably ,nathanael2 and1 if so1 his conjunction with ,philip is an interesting coincidence with ,john i4 #de1 which tells that ,philip brought him to ,jesus4 ,all three ,gospels put the two names together1 as if the two men had kept up their association2 but1 in ,acts1 ,thomas takes precedence of ,bartholomew1 as if a closer spiritual relationship had by degrees sprung up between ,philip1 the leader of the second group1 and ,thomas1 which slackened the old bond4 ,note that these two1 who are coupled in ,acts1 are two of the interlocutors in the final discourses in the upper room 7,john xiv474 ,mark1 like ,luke1 puts ,matthew before ,thomas2 but ,matthew puts himself last1 and adds his designation of 'publican1'--a beautiful example of humility4 ,the last group contains names which have given commentators trouble4 ,i am not called on to discuss the question of the identity of the ,james who is one of its members4 ,thaddeus is by ,luke called ,judas1 both in his ,gospel and in the ,acts2 and by ,matthew1 according to one reading1 ,lebbaeus4 ,both names are probably surnames1 the former being probably derived from a word meaning breast1 and the latter from one signifying heart4 ,they seem1 therefore1 to be nearly equivalent1 and may express large-heartedness4 ,simon 'the ,canaanite' 7,auth4 ,ver47 is properly 'the ,cananan' 7,rev4 ,ver474 ,there was no alien in blood among the ,twelve4 ,the name is a late ,aramaic word meaning zealot4 ,hence ,luke translates it for ,gentile readers4 ,he was one of the fanatical sect who would not have anything to do with ,rome1 and who played such a terrible part in the final catastrophe of ,israel4 ,the baser elements were purged out of his fiery enthusiasm when he became ,christ's man4 ,the hallowing and curbing of earthly passion1 the ennobling of enthusiasm1 are achieved when the pure flame of love to ,christ burns up their dross4 ,judas ,iscariot closes the list1 cold and venomous as a snake4 ,enthusiasm in him there was none4 ,the problem of his character is too complex to be entered on here4 ,but we may lay to heart the warning that1 if a man is not knit to ,christ by heart's love and obedience1 the more he comes into contact with ,jesus the more will he recoil from ,him1 till at last he is borne away by a passion of detestation4 ,christ is either a sure foundation or a stone of stumbling4 ',,he ,,is ,,beside ,,himself' ',and when ,his friends heard of it1 they went out to lay hold on ,him3 for they said1 ,he is beside ,himself'--,mark iii4 #ba4 ,there had been great excitement in the little town of ,capernaum in consequence of ,christ's teachings and miracles4 ,it had been intensified by ,his infractions of the ,rabbinical ,sabbath law1 and by ,his appointment of the twelve ,apostles4 ,the sacerdotal party in ,capernaum apparently communicated with ,jerusalem1 with the result of bringing a deputation from the ,sanhedrim to look into things1 and see what this new rabbi was about4 ,a plot for ,his assassination was secretly on foot4 ,and at this juncture the incident of my text1 which we owe to ,mark alone of the ,evangelists1 occurs4 ,christ's friends1 apparently the members of ,his own family--sad to say1 as would appear from the context1 including ,his mother--came with a kindly design to rescue their misguided kinsman from danger1 and laying hands upon ,him1 to carry ,him off to some safe restraint in ,nazareth1 where ,he might indulge ,his delusions without doing any harm to ,himself4 ,they wish to excuse ,his eccentricities on the ground that ,he is not quite responsible--scarcely ,himself2 and so to blunt the point of the more hostile explanation of the ,pharisees that ,he is in league with ,beelzebub4 ,conceive of that6 ,the ,incarnate ,wisdom shielded by friends from the accusation that ,he is a demoniac by the apology that ,he is a lunatic6 ,what do you think of popular judgment8 ,but this half-pitying1 half-contemptuous1 and wholly benevolent excuse for ,jesus1 though it be the words of friends1 is like the words of ,his enemies1 in that it contains a distorted reflection of ,his true character4 ,and if we will think about it1 ,i fancy that we may gather from it some lessons not altogether unprofitable4 ,i4 ,the first point1 then1 that ,i make1 is just this--there was something in the character of ,jesus ,christ which could be plausibly explained to commonplace people as madness4 ,a well-known modern author has talked a great deal about 'the sweet reasonableness of ,jesus ,christ4' ,his contemporaries called it simple insanity2 if they did not say ',he hath a devil1' as well as ',he is mad4' ,now1 if we try to throw ourselves back to the life of ,jesus ,christ1 as it was unfolded day by day1 and think nothing about either what preceded in the revelation of the ,old ,covenant1 or what followed in the history of ,christianity1 we shall not be so much at a loss to account for such explanations of it as these of my text4 ,remember that charges like these1 in all various keys of contempt or of pity1 or of fierce hostility1 have been cast against all innovators1 against every man that has broken a new path2 against all teachers that have cut themselves apart from tradition and encrusted formulas2 against every man that has waged war with the conventionalisms of society2 against all idealists who have dreamed dreams and seen visions2 against every man that has been touched with a lofty enthusiasm of any sort2 and1 most of all1 against all to whom ,god and their relations to ,him1 the spiritual world and their relations to it1 the future life and their relations to that1 have become dominant forces and motives in their lives4 ,the short and easy way with which the world excuses itself from the poignant lessons and rebukes which come from such lives is something like that of my text1 ',he is beside himself4' ,and the proof that he is beside himself is that he does not act in the same fashion as these incomparably wise people that make up the majority in every age4 ,there is nothing that commonplace men hate like anything fresh and original4 ,there is nothing that men of low aims are so utterly bewildered to understand1 and which so completely passes all the calculus of which they are masters1 as lofty self-abnegation4 ,and wherever you get men smitten with such1 or with anything like it1 you will find all the low-aimed people gathering round them like bats round a torch in a cavern1 flapping their obscene wings and uttering their harsh croaks1 and only desiring to quench the light4 ,one of our cynical authors says that it is the mark of a genius that all the dullards are against him4 ,it is the mark of the man who dwells with ,god that all the people whose portion is in this life with one consent say1 ',he is beside himself4' ,and so the ,leader of them all was served in ,his day2 and that purest1 perfectest1 noblest1 loftiest1 most utterly self-oblivious1 and ,god-and-man-devoted life that ever was lived upon earth1 was disposed of in this extremely simple method1 so comforting to the complacency of the critics--either ',he is beside ,himself1' or ',he hath a devil4' ,and yet1 is not the saying a witness to the presence in that wondrous and gentle career of an element entirely unlike what exists in the most of mankind8 ,here was a new star in the heavens1 and the law of its orbit was manifestly different from that of all the rest4 ,that is what 'eccentric' means--that the life to which it applies does not move round the same centre as do the other satellites1 but has a path of its own4 ,away out yonder somewhere1 in the infinite depths1 lay the hidden point which drew it to itself and determined its magnificent and overwhelmingly vast orbit4 ,these men witness to ,jesus ,christ1 even by their half excuse1 half reproach1 that ,his was a life unique and inexplicable by the ordinary motives which shape the little lives of the masses of mankind4 ,they witness to ,his entire neglect of ordinary and low aims2 to ,his complete absorption in lofty purposes1 which to ,his purblind would-be critics seem to be delusions and fond imaginations that could never be realised4 ,they witness to what ,his disciples remembered had been written of ,him1 ',the zeal of ,thy house hath eaten ,me up'2 to ,his perfect devotion to man and to ,god4 ,they witness to ,his consciousness of a mission2 and there is nothing that men are so ready to resent as that4 ,to tell a world1 engrossed in self and low aims1 that one is sent from ,god to do ,his will1 and to spread it among men1 is the sure way to have all the heavy artillery and the lighter weapons of the world turned against one4 ,these characteristics of ,jesus seem then to be plainly implied in that allegation of insanity--lofty aims1 absolute originality1 utter self-abnegation1 the continual consciousness of communion with ,god1 devotion to the service of man1 and the sense of being sent by ,god for the salvation of the world4 ,it was because of these that ,his friends said1 ',he is beside ,himself4' ,these men judged themselves by judging ,jesus ,christ4 ,and all men do4 ,there are as many different estimates of a great man as there are people to estimate1 and hence the diversity of opinion about all the characters that fill history and the galleries of the past4 ,the eye sees what it brings and no more4 ,to discern the greatness of a great man1 or the goodness of a good one1 is to possess1 in lower measure1 some portion of that which we discern4 ,sympathy is the condition of insight into character4 ,and so our ,lord said once1 ',he that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward1' because he is a dumb prophet himself1 and has a lower power of the same gift in him1 which is eloquent on the prophet's lips4 ,in like manner1 to discern what is in ,christ is the test of whether there is any of it in myself4 ,and thus it is no mere arbitrary appointment which suspends your salvation and mine on our answer to this question1 ',what think ye of ,christ8' ,the answer will be--,i was going to say--the elixir of our whole moral and spiritual nature4 ,it will be the outcome of our inmost selves4 ,this ploughshare turns up the depths of the soil4 ,that is eternally true which the grey-bearded ,simeon1 the representative of the ,old1 said when he took the ,infant in his arms and looked down upon the unconscious1 placid1 smooth face4 ',this ,child is set for the rise and fall of many in ,israel1 that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed4' ,your answer to that question discloses your whole spiritual condition and capacities4 ,and so to judge ,christ is to be judged by ,him2 and what we think ,him to be1 that we make ,him to ourselves4 ,the question which tests us is not merely1 ',whom do men say that ,i am8' ,it is easy to answer that2 but this is the all-important interrogation1 ',whom do ye say that ,i am8' ,i pray that we may each answer as he to whom it was first put answered it1 ',rabbi1 ,thou art the ,son of ,god1 ,thou art the ,king of ,israel6' ,,ii4 ,secondly1 mark the similarity of the estimate which will be passed by the world on all ,christ's true followers4 ,the same elements exist to-day1 the same intolerance of anything higher than the low level1 the same incapacity to comprehend simple devotion and lofty aims1 the same dislike of a man who comes and rebukes by his silent presence the vices in which he takes no part4 ,and it is a great deal easier to say1 ',poor fool6 enthusiastic fanatic6' than it is to lay to heart the lesson that lies in such a life4 ,the one thing1 or at least the principal thing1 which the ,christianity of this generation wants is a little more of this madness4 ,it would be a great deal better for us who call ourselves ,christians if we had earned and deserved the world's sneer1 ',he is beside himself4' ,but our modern ,christianity1 like an epicure's rare wines1 is preferred iced4 ,and the last thing that anybody would think of suggesting in connection with the demeanour--either the conduct or the words--of the average ,christian man of this day is that his religion had touched his brain a little4 ,but1 dear friends1 go in ,christ's footsteps and you will have the same missiles flung at you4 ,if a church or an individual has earned the praise of the outside ring of godless people because its or his religion is 'reasonable and moderate2 and kept in its proper place2 and not allowed to interfere with social enjoyments1 and political and municipal corruptions1' and the like1 then there is much reason to ask whether that church or man is ,christian after ,christ's pattern4 ,oh1 ,i pray that there may come down on the professing ,church of this generation a baptism of the ,spirit2 and ,i am quite sure that when that comes1 the people that admire moderation and approve of religion1 but like it to be 'kept in its own place1' will be all ready to say1 when they hear the 'sons and the daughters prophesying1 and the old men seeing visions1 and the young men dreaming dreams1' and the fiery tongues uttering their praises of ,god1 ',these men are full of new wine6' ,would we were full of the new wine of the ,spirit6 ,do you think any one would say of your religion that you were 'beside yourself1' because you made so much of it8 ,they said it about your ,master1 and if you were like ,him it would be said1 in one tone or another1 about you4 ,we are all desperately afraid of enthusiasm to-day4 ,it seems to me that it is the want of the ,christian ,church1 and that we are not enthusiastic because we don't half believe the truths that we say are our creed4 ,one more word4 ,christian men and women have to make up their minds to go on in the path of devotion1 conformity to ,christ's pattern1 self-sacrificing surrender1 without minding one bit what is said about them4 ,brethren1 ,i do not think ,christian people are in half as much danger of dropping the standard of the ,christian life by reason of the sarcasms of the world1 as they are by reason of the low tone of the ,church4 ,don't you take your ideas of what a reasonable ,christian life is from the men round you1 howsoever they may profess to be ,christ's followers4 ,and let us keep so near the ,master that we may be able to say1 ',with me it is a very small matter to be judged of you1 or of man's judgment4 ,he that judgeth me is the ,lord4' ,never mind1 though they say1 ',beside himself6' ,never mind1 though they say1 ',oh6 utterly extravagant and impracticable4' ,better that than to be patted on the back by a world that likes nothing so well as a ,church with its teeth drawn1 and its claws cut2 which may be made a plaything and an ornament by the world4 ,and that is what much of our modern ,christianity has come to be4 ,,iii4 ,lastly1 notice the sanity of the insane4 ,i have only space to put before you three little pictures1 and ask you what you think of them4 ,i dare say the originals might be found among us without much search4 ,here is one4 ,suppose a man who1 like the most of us1 believes that there is a ,god1 believes that he has something to do with ,him1 believes that he is going to die1 believes that the future state is1 in some way or other1 and in some degree1 one of retribution2 and from ,monday morning to ,saturday night he ignores all these facts1 and never allows them to influence one of his actions4 ,may ,i venture to speak direct to this hypothetical person1 whose originals are dotted about in my audience8 ,it would be the very same to you if you said ',no' instead of ',yes' to all these affirmations4 ,the fact that there is a ,god does not make a bit of difference to what you do1 or what you think1 or what you feel4 ,the fact that there is a future life makes just as little difference4 ,you are going on a voyage next week1 and you never dream of getting your outfit4 ,you believe all these things1 you are an intelligent man--you are very likely1 in a great many ways1 a very amiable and pleasant one2 you do many things very well2 you cultivate congenial virtues1 and you abhor uncongenial vices2 but you never think about ,god2 and you have made absolutely no preparation whatever for stepping into the scene in which you know that you are to live4 ,well1 you may be a very wise man1 a student with high aims1 cultivated understanding1 and all the rest of it4 ,i want to know whether1 taking into account all that you are1 and your inevitable connection with ,god1 and your certain death and certain life in a state of retribution--,i want to know whether we should call your conduct sanity or insanity8 ,which8 ,take another picture4 ,here is a man that believes--really believes--the articles of the ,christian creed1 and in some measure has received them into his heart and life4 ,he believes that ,jesus ,christ1 the ,son of ,god1 died for him upon the ,cross1 and yet his heart has but the feeblest tick of pulsating love in answer4 ,he believes that prayer will help a man in all circumstances1 and yet he hardly ever prays4 ,he believes that self-denial is the law of the ,christian life1 and yet he lives for himself4 ,he believes that he is here as a 'pilgrim' and as a 'sojourner1' and yet his heart clings to the world1 and his hand would fain cling to it1 like that of a drowning man swept over ,niagara1 and catching at anything on the banks4 ,he believes that he is sent into the world to be a 'light' of the world1 and yet from out of his self-absorbed life there has hardly ever come one sparkle of light into any dark heart4 ,and that is a picture1 not exaggerated1 of the enormous majority of professing ,christians in so-called ,christian lands4 ,and ,i want to know whether we shall call that sanity or insanity8 ,the last of my little miniatures is that of a man who keeps in close touch with ,jesus ,christ1 and so1 like ,him1 can say1 ',lo6 ,i come2 ,i delight to do ,thy will1 ,o ,lord4 ,thy law is within my heart4' ,he yields to the strong motives and principles that flow from the ,cross of ,jesus ,christ1 and1 drawn by the 'mercies of ,god1' gives himself a 'living sacrifice' to be used as ,god will4 ,aims as lofty as the ,throne which ,christ ,his ,brother fills2 sacrifice as entire as that on which his trembling hope relies2 realisation of the unseen future as vivid and clear as ,his who could say that ,he was 'in ,heaven' whilst ,he walked the earth2 subjugation of self as complete as that of the ,lord's1 who pleased not ,himself1 and came not to do ,his own will--these are some of the characteristics which mark the true disciple of ,jesus ,christ4 ,and ,i want to know whether the conduct of the man who believes in the love that ,god hath to him1 as manifested in the ,cross1 and surrenders his whole self thereto1 despising the world and living for ,god1 for ,christ1 for man1 for eternity--whether his conduct is insanity or sanity8 ',the fear of the ,lord is the beginning of wisdom4' ,,the ,,mistakes ,,of ,,christ',s ,,foes ,,and ,,friends ',and the scribes which came down from ,jerusalem said1 ,he hath ,beelzebub1 and by the prince of the devils casteth ,he out devils4 #bc4 ,and ,he called them unto ,him1 and said unto them in parables1 ,how can ,satan cast out ,satan8 #bd4 ,and if a kingdom be divided against itself1 that kingdom cannot stand4 #be4 ,and if a house be divided against itself1 that house cannot stand4 #bf4 ,and if ,satan rise up against himself1 and be divided1 he cannot stand1 but hath an end4 #bg4 ,no man can enter into a strong man's house1 and spoil his goods1 except he will first bind the strong man2 and then he will spoil his house4 #bh4 ,verily ,i say unto you1 ,all sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men1 and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme3 #bi4 ,but he that shall blaspheme against the ,holy ,ghost hath never forgiveness1 but is in danger of eternal damnation3 #cj4 ,because they said1 ,he hath an unclean spirit4 #ca4 ,there came then ,his brethren and ,his mother1 and1 standing without1 sent unto ,him1 calling ,him4 #cb4 ,and the multitude sat about ,him1 and they said unto ,him1 ,behold1 ,thy mother and ,thy brethren without seek for ,thee4 #cc4 ,and ,he answered them1 saying1 ,who is my mother1 or my brethren8 #cd4 ,and ,he looked round about on them which sat about ,him1 and said1 ,behold ,my mother and ,my brethren6 #ce4 ,for whosoever shall do the will of ,god1 the same is ,my brother1 and ,my sister1 and mother4'--,mark iii4 #bb-ce4 ,we have in this passage three parts1--the outrageous official explanation of ,christ and ,his works1 the ,lord's own solution of ,his miracles1 and ,his relatives' well-meant attempt to secure ,him1 with ,his answer to it4 ,i4 ,the scribes1 like ,christ's other critics1 judged themselves in judging ,him1 and bore witness to the truths which they were eager to deny4 ,their explanation would be ludicrous1 if it were not dreadful4 ,mark that it distinctly admits ,his miracles4 ,it is not fashionable at present to attach much weight to the fact that none of ,christ's enemies ever doubted these4 ,of course1 the credence of men1 in an age which believed in the possibility of the supernatural1 is more easy1 and their testimony less cogent1 than that of a jury of twentieth-century scientific sceptics4 ,but the expectation of miracle had been dead for centuries when ,christ came2 and at first1 at all events1 no anticipation that ,he would work them made it easier to believe that ,he did4 ,it would have been a sure way of exploding ,his pretensions1 if the officials could have shown that ,his miracles were tricks4 ,not without weight is the attestation from the foe that 'this man casteth out demons4' ,the preposterous explanation that ,he cast out demons by ,beelzebub1 is the very last resort of hatred so deep that it will father an absurdity rather than accept the truth4 ,it witnesses to the inefficiency of explanations of ,him which omit the supernatural4 ,the scribes recognised that here was a man who was in touch with the unseen4 ,they fell back upon 'by ,beelzebub1' and thereby admitted that humanity1 without seeing something more at the back of it1 never made such a man as ,jesus4 ,it is very easy to solve an insoluble problem1 if you begin by taking the insoluble elements out of it4 ,that is how a great many modern attempts to account for ,christianity go to work4 ,knock out the miracles1 waive ,christ's own claims as mistaken reports1 declare ,his resurrection to be entirely unhistorical1 and the remainder will be easily accounted for1 and not worth accounting for4 ,but the whole life of the ,christ of the ,gospels is adequately explained by no explanation which leaves out ,his coming forth from the ,father1 and ,his exercise of powers above those of humanity and 'nature4' ,this explanation is an instance of the credulity of unbelief4 ,it is more difficult to believe the explanation than the alternative which it is framed to escape4 ,if like produces like1 ,christ cannot be explained by anything but the admission of ,his divine nature4 ,serpents' eggs do not hatch out into doves4 ,the difficulties of faith are 'gnats' beside the 'camels' which unbelief has to swallow4 ,,ii4 ,the true explanation of ,christ's power over demoniacs4 ,jesus has no difficulty in putting aside the absurd theory that1 in destroying the kingdom of evil1 ,he was a servant of evil and its dark ruler4 ,common-sense says1 ,if ,satan cast out ,satan1 he is divided against himself1 and his kingdom cannot stand4 ,an old play is entitled1 ',the ,devil is an ,ass1' but he is not such an ass as to fight against himself4 ,as the proverb has it1 ',hawks do not pick out hawks' eyes4' ,it would carry us too far to deal at length with the declarations of our ,lord here1 which throw a dim light into the dark world of supernatural evil4 ,his words are far too solemn and didactic to be taken as accommodations to popular prejudice1 or as mere metaphor4 ,is it not strange that people will believe in spiritual communications1 when they are vouched for by a newspaper editor1 more readily than when ,christ asserts their reality8 ,is it not strange that scientists1 who find difficulty in the importance which ,christianity attaches to man in the plan of the universe1 and will not believe that all its starry orbs were built for him 7which ,christianity does not allege71 should be incredulous of teachings which reveal a crowd of higher intelligences8 ,jesus not only tests the futile explanation by common-sense1 but goes on to suggest the true one4 ,he accepts the belief that there is a 'prince of the demons4' ,he regards the souls of men who have not yielded themselves to ,god as ,his 'goods4' ,he declares that the lord of the house must be bound before his property can be taken from him4 ,we cannot stay to enlarge on the solemn view of the condition of unredeemed men thus given4 ,let us not put it lightly away4 ,but we must note how deep into the centre of ,christ's work this teaching leads us4 ,translated into plain language it just means that ,christ by incarnation1 life1 death1 resurrection1 ascension1 and present work from the throne1 has broken the power of evil in its central hold4 ,he has crushed the serpent's head1 his heel is firmly planted on it1 and1 though the reptile may still 'swinge the scaly horror of his folded tail1' it is but the dying flurries of the creature4 ,he was manifested 'that ,he might destroy the works of the devil4' ,no trace of indignation can be detected in ,christ's answer to the hideous charge4 ,but ,his patient heart overflows in pity for the reckless slanderers1 and ,he warns them that they are coming near the edge of a precipice4 ,their malicious blindness is hurrying them towards a sin which hath never forgiveness4 ,blasphemy is1 in form1 injurious speaking1 and in essence1 it is scorn or malignant antagonism4 ,the ,holy ,spirit is the divine agent in revealing ,god's heart and will4 ,to blaspheme ,him is 'the external symptom of a heart so radically and finally set against ,god that no power which ,god can consistently use will ever save it4' ',the sin1 therefore1 can only be the culmination of a long course of self-hardening and depraving4' ,it is unforgivable1 because the soul which can recognise ,god's revelation of ,himself in all ,his goodness and moral perfection1 and be stirred only to hatred thereby1 has reached a dreadful climax of hardness1 and has ceased to be capable of being influenced by ,his beseeching4 ,it has passed beyond the possibility of penitence and acceptance of forgiveness4 ,the sin is unforgiven1 because the sinner is fixed in impenitence1 and his stiffened will cannot bow to receive pardon4 ,the true reason why that sin has never forgiveness is suggested by the accurate rendering1 ',is guilty of an eternal sin' 7,r4,v474 ,since the sin is eternal1 the forgiveness is impossible4 ,practically hardened and permanent unbelief1 conjoined with malicious hatred of the only means of forgiveness1 is the unforgivable sin4 ,much torture of heart would have been saved if it had been observed that the ,scripture expression is not sin1 but blasphemy4 ,fear that it has been committed is proof positive that it has not2 for1 if it have been1 there will be no relenting in enmity1 nor any wish for deliverance4 ,but let not the terrible picture of the depths of impenitence to which a soul may fall1 obscure the blessed universality of the declaration from ,christ's lips which preludes it1 and declares that all sin but the sin of not desiring pardon is pardoned4 ,no matter how deep the stain1 no matter how inveterate the habit1 whosoever will can come and be sure of pardon4 ,,iii4 ,the attempt of ,christ's relatives to withdraw ,him from publicity1 and ,his reply to it4 ,verse #ba tells us that ,his kindred sent out to lay hold on ,him2 for they thought ,him beside ,himself4 ,he was to be shielded from the crowd of followers1 and from the plots of scribes1 by being kept at home and treated as a harmless lunatic4 ,think of ,jesus defended from the imputation of being in league with ,beelzebub by the excuse that ,he was mad6 ,this visit of ,his mother and brethren must be connected with their plan to lay hold on ,him1 in order to apprehend rightly ,christ's answer4 ,if they did not mean to use violence1 why should they have tried to get ,him away from the crowd of followers1 by a message1 when they could have reached ,him as easily as it did8 ,he knew the snare laid for ,him1 and puts it aside without shaming its contrivers4 ,with a wonderful blending of dignity and tenderness1 ,he turns from kinsmen who were not akin1 to draw closer to ,himself1 and pour ,his love over1 those who do the will of ,god4 ,the test of relationship with ,jesus is obedience to ,his ,father4 ,christ is not laying down the means of becoming ,his kinsmen1 but the tokens that we are such4 ,he is sometimes misunderstood as saying1 ',do ,god's will without ,my help1 and ye will become ,my kindred4' ,what ,he really says is1 ',if ye are ,my kindred1 you will do ,god's will2 and if you do1 you will show that you are such4' ,so the statement that we become ,his kindred by faith does not conflict with this great saying4 ,the two take hold of the ,christian life at different points3 the one deals with the means of its origination1 the other with the tokens of its reality4 ,faith is the root of obedience1 obedience is the blossom of faith4 ,jesus does not stand like a stranger till we have hammered out obedience to ,his ,father1 and then reward us by welcoming us as ,his brethren1 but ,he answers our faith by giving us a life kindred with1 because derived from1 ,his own1 and then we can obey4 ,it is active submission to ,god's will1 not orthodox creed or devout emotion1 which shows that we are ,his blood relations4 ,by such obedience1 we draw ,his love more and more to us4 ,though it is not the means of attaining to kinship with ,him1 it is the condition of receiving love-tokens from ,him1 and of increasing affinity with ,him4 ,that relationship includes and surpasses all earthly ones4 ,each obedient man is1 as it were1 all three1--mother1 sister1 and brother4 ,of course the enumeration had reference to the members of the waiting group1 but the remarkable expression has deep truth in it4 ,christ's relation to the soul covers all various sweetnesses of earthly bonds1 and is spoken of in terms of many of them4 ,he is the bridegroom1 the brother1 the companion1 and friend4 ,all the scattered fragrances of these are united and surpassed in the transcendent and ineffable union of the soul with ,jesus4 ,every lonely heart may find in ,him what it most needs1 and perhaps is bleeding away its life for the loss or want of4 ,to many a weeping mother ,he has said1 pointing to ,himself1 ',woman1 behold thy son'2 to many an orphan ,he has whispered1 revealing ,his own love1 ',son1 behold thy mother4' ,all earthly bonds are honoured most when they are woven into crowns for ,his head2 all human love is then sweetest when it is as a tiny mirror in which the great ,sun is reflected4 ,christ is husband1 brother1 sister1 friend1 lover1 mother1 and more than all which these sacred names designate1--even ,saviour and life4 ,if ,his blood is in our veins1 and ,his spirit is the spirit of our lives1 we shall do the will of ,his and our ,father in heaven4 ,,christ',s ,,kindred ',there came then ,his brethren and ,his mother1 and1 standing without1 sent unto ,him1 calling ,him4 #cb4 ,and the multitude sat about ,him2 and they said unto ,him1 ,behold1 ,thy mother and ,thy brethren without seek for ,thee4 #cc4 ,and ,he answered them1 saying1 ,who is ,my mother1 or ,my brethren8 #cd4 ,and ,he looked round about on them which sat about ,him1 and said1 ,behold ,my mother and ,my brethren6 #ce4 ,for whosoever shall do the will of ,god1 the same is ,my brother1 and ,my sister1 and mother4'--,mark iii4 #ca-ce4 ,we learn from an earlier part of this chapter1 and from it only1 the significance of this visit of ,christ's brethren and mother4 ,it was prompted by the belief that ',he was beside ,himself1' and they meant to lay hands on ,him1 possibly with a kindly wish to save ,him from a worse fate1 but certainly to stop ,his activity4 ,we do not know whether ,mary consented1 in her mistaken maternal affection1 to the scheme1 or whether she was brought unwillingly to give a colour to it1 and influence our ,lord4 ,the sinister purpose of the visit betrays itself in the fact that the brethren did not present themselves before ,christ1 but sent a messenger2 although they could as easily have had access to ,his presence as their messenger could4 ,apparently they wished to get ,him by ,himself1 so as to avoid the necessity of using force against the force that ,his disciples would be likely to put forth4 ,jesus knew their purpose1 though they thought it was hidden deep in the recesses of their breasts4 ,and that falls in with a great many other incidents which indicate ,his superhuman knowledge of 'the thoughts and intents of the heart4' ,but1 however that may be1 our ,lord here1 with a singular mixture of dignity1 tenderness1 and decisiveness1 puts aside the insidious snare without shaming its contrivers1 and turns from the kinsmen1 with whom ,he had no real bond1 to draw closer to ,himself1 and pour out ,his love over1 those who do the will of ,his ,father in heaven4 ,his words go very deep2 let us try to gather some1 at any rate1 of the surface lessons which they suggest4 ,i4 ,first1 then1 the true token of blood relationship to ,jesus ,christ is obedience to ,god4 ',whosoever shall do the will of ,god1 the same is ,my brother1 and ,my sister1 and mother4' ,now ,i must not be betrayed into a digression from my main purpose by dwelling upon what yet is worthy of notice--viz41 the consciousness1 on the part of ,jesus ,christ1 which here is evidently implied1 that the doing of the will of ,god was the very inmost secret of ,his own being4 ,he was conscious1 only and always1 of delighting to do the will of ,god4 ,when1 therefore1 ,he found that delight in others1 there ,he recognised a bond of union between ,him and them4 ,we must carefully observe that these great words of our ,lord are not intended to describe the means by which men become ,his kinsfolk1 but the tokens that they are such4 ,he is not saying--as superficial readers sometimes run away with the notion that ,he is saying--',if a man will1 apart from ,me1 do the will of ,god1 then he will become ,my true kinsman1' but ,he is saying1 ',if you are ,my kinsman1 you will do the will of ,god1 and if you do it1 you will show that you are related to ,myself4' ,in other words1 ,he is not speaking about the means of originating this relationship1 but about the signs of its reality4 ,and1 therefore1 the words of my text need1 for their full understanding1 and for placing them in due relation to all the rest of ,christ's teaching1 to be laid side by side with other words of ,his1 such as these3--',apart from ,me ye can do nothing4' ,for the deepest truth in regard to relationship to ,jesus ,christ and obedience is this1 that the way by which men are made able to do the will of ,god is by receiving into themselves the very life-blood of ,jesus ,christ4 ,the relationship must precede the obedience1 and the obedience is the sign1 because it is the sequel1 of the relationship4 ,but far deeper down than mere affinity lies the true bond between us and ,christ1 and the true means of performing the commandments of ,god4 ,there must be a passing over into us of ,his own life-spirit4 ,by ,his inhabiting our hearts1 and moulding our wills1 and being the life of our lives and the soul of our souls1 are we made able to do the commandments of the ,lord4 ,and so1 seeing that actual union with ,jesus ,christ1 and the reception into ourselves of ,his life1 is the precedent condition of all true obedience1 then the more familiar form of presenting the bond between ,him and us1 which runs through the ,new ,testament1 falls into its proper place1 and the faith1 which is the condition of receiving the life of ,christ into our hearts1 is at once the affinity which makes us ,his kindred1 and the means by which we appropriate to ourselves the power of obedient submission and conformity to the will of ,god4 ',this is the work of ,god1 that ye believe on ,him whom ,he hath sent4' ,so1 then1 my text does not in the slightest degree contradict or interfere with the great teaching that the one way by which we become ,christ's brethren is by trusting in ,him4 ,for the text and the doctrine that faith unites us to ,him take up the process at different stages3 the one pointing to the means of origination1 the other to the tokens of reality4 ,faith is the root1 obedience is the flower and the fruit4 ,he that doeth the will of ,god1 does it1 not in order that he may become1 but because he already is1 possessor of a blood-relationship to ,jesus ,christ4 ,then1 notice1 again1 with what emphatic decisiveness our ,lord here takes simple1 practical obedience in daily life1 in little and in great things1 as the manifestation of being akin to ,himself4 ,orthodoxy is all very well2 religious experiences1 inward emotions1 sweet1 precious1 secret feelings and sentiments cannot be over-estimated4 ,external forms1 whether of the more simple or of the more ornate and sensuous kind1 may be helps for the religious life2 and are so in view of the weaknesses that are always associated with it4 ,but all these1 a true creed1 a belief in the creed1 the joyous and deep and secret emotions that follow thereupon1 and the participation in outward services which may help to these1 all these are but scaffolding3 the building is character and conduct conformed to the will of ,god4 ,evangelical preachers1 and those who in the main hold that faith1 are often charged with putting too little stress on practical homely righteousness4 ,i would that the charge had less substance in it4 ,but let me lay it upon your consciences1 dear brethren1 now1 that no amount of right credence1 no amount of trust1 nor of love and hope and joy will avail to witness kindred to ,christ4 ,it must be the daily life1 in its efforts after conformity to the known will of ,god1 in great things and in small things1 that attests the family resemblance4 ,if ,christ's blood be in our veins1 if 'the law of the spirit of life' in ,him is the law of the spirit of our lives1 then these lives will run parallel with ,his1 in some visible measure1 and we1 too1 shall be able to say1 ',lo6 ,i come4 ,i delight to do ,thy will2 and ,thy law is within my heart4' ,obedience is the test of relationship to ,jesus4 ,then1 still further1 note how1 though we must emphatically dismiss the mistake that we make our selves ,christ's brethren and friends by independent efforts after keeping the commandments1 it is true that1 in the measure in which we do thus bend our wills to ,god's will1 whether in the way of action or of endurance1 we realise more blessedly and strongly the tie that binds us to the ,lord1 and as a matter of fact do receive1 in the measure of our obedience1 sweet tokens of union with ,him1 and of love in ,his heart to us4 ,no man will fully feel living contact with ,jesus ,christ if between ,christ and him there is a film of conscious and voluntary disobedience to the will of ,god4 ,the smallest crumb that can come in between two polished plates will prevent their adherence4 ,a trivial sin will slip your hand out of ,christ's hand2 and though ,his love will still come and linger about you1 until the sin is put out it cannot enter in4 ',it can but listen at the gate1 ,and hear the household jar within4' ',he that doeth the will of ,god1 the same is'--and feels himself to be--',my brother1 and sister1 and mother4' ,,ii4 ,this relationship includes all others4 ,that is a very singular form of expression which our ,lord employs4 ',whosoever shall do the will of ,god1 the same is ,my brother1 and sister1 and mother4' ,we should have expected1 seeing that ,he was speaking about three different relationships1 that ,he would have used the plural verb1 and said1 ',the same are ,my brother1 and sister1 and mother4' ,and ,i do not think that it is pedantic grammatical accuracy to point out this remarkable form of speech1 and even to venture to draw a conclusion from it--viz41 that what our ,lord meant was1 not that if there were three people1 of different sexes1 and of different ages1 all doing the will of ,god1 one of these sweet names of relationship would apply to ,a1 another to ,b1 and the other to ,c2 but that to each who does the will of ,god1 all the sweetnesses that are hived in all the names1 and in any other analogous ones that can be uttered1 belong4 ,of course the selection here of relationships specified has reference to the composition of that group outside the circle4 ,but there is a great deal more than that in it4 ,whether you accept the grammatical remark that ,i have made or no1 we shall1 at least1 ,i suppose1 all agree in this1 that1 in fact1 the bond of kindred that unites a trusting obedient soul with ,jesus ,christ does in itself include whatsoever of sweetness1 of power1 of protection1 of clinging trust1 and of any other blessed emotion that makes a shadow of ,eden still upon earth1 has ever been attached to human bonds4 ,remember how many of these1 ,christ1 and ,his servants for ,him1 have laid their hands upon1 and claimed to be ,his4 ',thy ,maker is thy husband'2 ',he that hath the ,bride is the bridegroom'2 ',go tell ,my brethren'2 ',i have not called you servants1 but friends4' ,and if there be any other sweet names1 they belong to ,him1 and in ,his one pure1 all-sufficient love they are all enclosed4 ,fragmentary preciousnesses are strewed about us4 ,there is 'one pearl of great price4' ,many fragrances come from the flowers that grow on the dunghill of the world1 but they are all gathered in ,him whose name is 'as ointment poured forth1' filling the house with its fragrance4 ,for ,christ is to us all that all separated lovers and friends can be4 ,and whatsoever our poor hearts may need most1 of human affection and sympathy1 and may see least possibility of finding now1 among the incompletenesses and limitations of earth1 that ,jesus ,christ is waiting to be4 ,all solitary souls and mourning hearts may turn themselves to1 and rest themselves on1 these great words4 ,and as they look at the empty places in their circle1 in their homes1 and feel the ache of the empty places in their hearts1 they may hear ,his voice saying1 ',behold ,my mother and ,my brethren4' ,he comes to us all in the character that we need most4 ,just as the great ocean1 when it flows in amongst the land1 takes the shape imposed upon it by the containing banks of the loch1 so ,christ pours ,himself into our hearts1 and there assumes the form that the outline of their emptiness tells we need most4 ,to many1 in all generations1 who have been weeping over departed joys1 ,he says again1 though with a different application1 turning not away from but to ,himself mourning eyes and hearts1 ',woman1 behold thy ,son'--not on the cross nor in the grave1 but on the throne--',son1 behold ,thy mother4' ,,iii4 ,lastly1 this relationship requires always the subordination1 and sometimes the sacrifice1 of the lower ones4 ,we have to think of ,christ here as ,himself putting away the lower claims1 in order more fully to yield ,himself to the higher4 ,it was because it would have been impossible for ,him to do the will of ,his ,father if ,he had yielded to the purposes of ,his brethren and ,his mother1 that ,he steeled ,his heart and made solemn ,his tone in refusing to go with them4 ,that group that had come for ,him suggests to us the ways in which earthly ties may limit heavenly obedience4 ,in regard to them the situation was complicated1 because ,jesus ,christ was their kinsman according to the flesh1 and their ,messiah1 according to the spirit4 ,but in them their earthly love1 and familiarity with ,him1 hid from them ,his higher glory2 and in them ,he found impediments to ,his true consecration1 and would-be thwarters of ,his highest work4 ,and1 in like manner1 all our earthly relationships may become means of obscuring to us the transcendent brightness and greatness of ,jesus ,christ as our ,saviour ,and1 in like manner as to ,him these1 ,his brethren1 became 'stumbling blocks' that ,he had decisively to put behind ,him1 so in regard to us 'a man's foes may be those of his own household'2 and not least his foes when they are most his idols1 his comforts1 and his sweetnesses4 ,if our earthly loves and relationships obscure to us the face of ,christ2 if we find enough in them for our hearts1 and go not beyond them for our true love2 if they make us negligent of duty2 if they bind us to the present2 if they make us careless of that loftier affection which alone can satisfy us2 if they clog our steps in the divine life1 then they are our foes4 ,they need to be always subordinated1 and1 so subordinated1 they are more precious than when they are placed mistakenly foremost4 ,they are better second than first4 ,they are full of sweetness when our hearts know a sweetness surpassing theirs2 they are robbed of their possible power to harm when they are rigidly held in inferiority to the one absolute and supreme love4 ,there need be no collision--there will be no collision--if the second is second and the first is first4 ,but sometimes beggars get upon horseback1 and the crew mutinies and would displace the commander1 and then there is nothing for it but sacrifice4 ',if thy hand offend thee1 cut it off and cast it from thee4' ',i communed not with flesh and blood1' and we must not1 if ever they conflict with our supreme devotion to ,jesus ,christ4 ,these other things and relationships are precious to us1 but ,he is priceless4 ,they are shadows1 but ,he is the substance4 ,they are brooks by the way2 ,he is the boundless1 bottomless ocean of delights and loves4 ,shall we not always subordinate--and sometimes1 if needful1 sacrifice--the less to the greater8 ,if we do1 we shall get the less back1 greatened by its surrender4 ',he that loveth father or mother more than ,me is not worthy of ,me' commands the sacrifice4 ',there is no man that hath left brethren or sisters1 or father or mother1 or wife or children1 for ,my sake and the ,gospel's1 but he shall receive a hundredfold now1 in this time' promises the reward4 ,,christ',s ,,relations ',whosoever shall do the will of ,god1 the same is ,my brother1 and ,my sister1 and mother4'--,mark iii4 #ce4 ,there was a conspiracy to seize ,jesus because ,he is 'mad1' and ,mary was in the plot6 ,i4 ,the example for us4 7#a7 ,of how all natural and human ties and affections are to be subordinated to doing ,god's will4 ,obedience to ,him is the first and main thing to which everything else bows1 and which determines everything4 ,if others compete or interfere1 reject them4 ,out of that common obedience new ties are formed among men4 7#b7 ,of how all these ties may be doubled in power and preciousness by being based on that obedience4 ,,ii4 ,the promise for us4 ,of ,christ's loving relationship in which ,he finds delight2 in which ,he sustains and transcends all these in ,his own proper person and to each4 ,,four ,,soils ,,for ,,one ,,seed ',and when ,he was alone1 they that were about ,him with the twelve asked of ,him the parable4 #aa4 ,and ,he said unto them1 ,unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of ,god3 but unto them that are without1 all these things are done in parables3 #ab4 ,that seeing they may see1 and not perceive2 and hearing they may hear1 and not understand2 lest at any time they should be converted1 and their sins should be forgiven them4 #ac4 ,and ,he said unto them1 ,know ye not this parable8 and how then will ye know all parables8 #ad4 ,the sower soweth the word4 #ae4 ,and these are they by the way side1 where the word is sown2 but when they have heard1 ,satan cometh immediately1 and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts4 #af4 ,and these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground2 who1 when they have heard the word1 immediately receive it with gladness2 #ag4 ,and have no root in themselves1 and so endure but for a time3 afterward1 when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake1 immediately they are offended4 #ah4 ,and these are they which are sown among thorns2 such as hear the word1 #ai4 ,and the cares of this world1 and the deceitfulness of riches1 and the lusts of other things entering in1 choke the word1 and it becometh unfruitful4 #bj4 ,and these are they which are sown on good ground2 such as hear the word1 and receive it1 and bring forth fruit1 some thirtyfold1 some sixty1 and some an hundred4'--,mark iv4 #aj-bj4 ,dean ,stanley and others have pointed out how the natural features of the land round the lake of ,gennesaret are reflected in the parable of the sower4 ,but we must go deeper than that to find its occasion4 ,it was not because ,jesus may have seen a sower in a field which had these three varieties of soil that ,he spoke1 but because ,he saw the frivolous crowd gathered to hear ,his words4 ,the sad1 grave description of the threefold kinds of vainly-sown ground is the transcript of ,his clear and sorrowful insight into the real worth of the enthusiasm of the eager listeners on the beach4 ,he was under no illusions about it2 and1 in this parable1 ,he seeks to warn ,his disciples against expecting much from it1 and to bring its subjects to a soberer estimate of what ,his word required of them4 ,the full force and pathos of the parable is felt only when it is regarded as the expression of our ,lord's keen consciousness of ,his wasted words4 ,this passage falls into two parts--,christ's explanation of the reasons for ,his use of parables1 and ,his interpretation of the parable itself4 ,i4 ,christ was the centre of three circles3 the outermost consisting of the fluctuating masses of merely curious hearers2 the second1 of true but somewhat loosely attached disciples1 whom ,mark here calls 'they that were about ,him'2 and the innermost1 the twelve4 ,the two latter appear1 in our first verse1 as asking further instruction as to 'the parable1' a phrase which includes both parts of ,christ's answer4 ,the statement of ,his reason for the use of parables is startling4 ,it sounds as if those who needed light most were to get least of it1 and as if the parabolic form was deliberately adopted for the express purpose of hiding the truth4 ,no wonder that men have shrunk from such a thought1 and tried to soften down the terrible words4 ,inasmuch as a parable is the presentation of some spiritual truth under the guise of an incident belonging to the material sphere1 it follows1 from its very nature1 that it may either reveal or hide the truth1 and that it will do the former to susceptible1 and the latter to unsusceptible1 souls4 ,the eye may either dwell upon the coloured glass or on the light that streams through it2 and1 as is the case with all revelations of spiritual realities through sensuous mediums1 gross and earthly hearts will not rise above the medium1 which to them1 by their own fault1 becomes a medium of obscuration1 not of revelation4 ,this double aspect belongs to all revelation1 which is both a 'savour of life unto life and of death unto death4' ,it is most conspicuous in the parable1 which careless listeners may take for a mere story1 and which those who feel and see more deeply will apprehend in its depth4 ,these twofold effects are certain1 and must therefore be embraced in ,christ's purpose2 for we cannot suppose that issues of ,his teaching escaped ,his foresight2 and all must be regarded as part of ,his design4 ,but may we not draw a distinction between design and desire8 ,the primary purpose of all revelation is to reveal4 ,if the only intention were to hide1 silence would secure that1 and the parable were needless4 ,but if the twofold operation is intended1 we can understand how mercy and righteous retribution both preside over the use of parables2 how the thin veil hides that it may reveal1 and how the very obscurity may draw some grosser souls to a longer gaze1 and so may lead to a perception of the truth1 which1 in its purer form1 they are neither worthy nor capable of receiving4 ,no doubt1 our ,lord here announces a very solemn law1 which runs through all the divine dealings1 ',to him that hath shall be given2 and from him that hath not1 shall be taken away even that which he hath4' ,,ii4 ,we turn to the exposition of the parable of the sower1 or rather of the fourfold soils in which he sows the seed4 ,a sentence at the beginning disposes of the personality of the sower1 which in ,mark's version does not refer exclusively to ,christ1 but includes all who carry the word to men4 ,the likening of 'the word' to seed needs no explanation4 ,the tiny1 living nucleus of force1 which is thrown broadcast1 and must sink underground in order to grow1 which does grow1 and comes to light again in a form which fills the whole field where it is sown1 and nourishes life as well as supplies material for another sowing1 is the truest symbol of the truth in its working on the spirit4 ,the threefold causes of failure are arranged in progressive order4 ,at every stage of growth there are enemies4 ,the first sowing never gets into the ground at all2 the second grows a little1 but its greenness soon withers2 the third has a longer life1 and a yet sadder failure1 because a nearer approach to fertility4 ,the types of character represented are unreceptive carelessness1 emotional facility of acceptance1 and earthly-mindedness1 scotched1 but not killed1 by the word4 ,the dangers which assault1 but too successfully1 the seed are the personal activity of ,satan1 opposition from without1 and conflicting desires within4 ,on all the soils the seed has been sown by hand2 for drills are modern inventions2 and sowing broadcast is the only right husbandry in ,christ's field with ,christ's seed4 ,he is a poor workman1 and an unfaithful one1 who wants to pick his ground4 ,sow everywhere2 ',thou canst not tell which shall prosper1 whether this or that4' ,the character of the soil is not irrevocably fixed2 but the trodden path may be broken up to softness1 and the stony heart changed1 and the soul filled with cares and lusts be cleared1 and any soil may become good ground4 ,so the seed is to be flung out broadcast2 and prayer for seed and soil will often turn the weeping sower into the joyous reaper4 ,the seed sown on the trodden footpath running across the field never sinks below the surface4 ,it lies there1 and has no real contact1 nor any chance of growth4 ,it must be in1 not on1 the ground1 if its mysterious power is to be put forth4 ,a pebble is as likely to grow as a seed1 if both lie side by side1 on the surface4 ,is not this the description of a mournfully large proportion of hearers of ,god's truth8 ,it never gets deeper than their ears1 or1 at the most1 effects a shallow lodgment on the surface of their minds4 ,so many feet pass along the path1 and beat it into hardness1 that the truth has no chance to take root4 ,habitual indifference to the gospel1 masked by an utterly unmeaning and unreal acceptance of it1 and by equally habitual decorous attendance on its preaching1 is the condition of a dreadfully large proportion of church-goers4 ,their very familiarity with the truth robs it of all penetrating power4 ,they know all about it1 as they suppose2 and so they listen to it as they would to the clank of a mill-wheel to which they were accustomed1 missing its noise if it stops1 and liking to be sent to sleep by its hum4 ,familiar truth often lies 'bedridden in the dormitory of the soul1 beside exploded errors4' ,and what comes of this idle hearing1 without acceptance or obedience8 ,truth which is common1 and which a man supposes himself to believe1 without having ever reflected on it1 or let it influence conduct1 is sure to die out4 ,if we do not turn our beliefs into practice they will not long be our beliefs4 ,neglected impressions fade2 the seed is only safe when it is buried4 ,there are flocks of hungry1 sharp-eyed1 quick-flying thieves ready to pounce down on every exposed grain4 ,so ,mark uses here again his favourite 'straightway' to express the swift disappearance of the seed4 ,as soon as the preacher's voice is silent1 or the book closed1 the words are forgotten4 ,the impression of a gliding keel on a smooth lake is not more evanescent4 ,the distinct reference to ,satan as the agent in removing the seed is not to be passed by lightly4 ,christ's words about demons have been emptied of meaning by the allegation that ,he was only accommodating ,himself to the superstition of the times1 but no explanation of that sort will do in this case4 ,he surely commits ,himself here to the assertion of the existence and agency of ,satan2 and surely those who profess to receive ,his words as the truth ought not to make light of them1 in reference to so solemn and awe-inspiring a revelation4 ,the seed gets rather farther on the road to fruit in the second case4 ,a thin surface of mould above a shelf of rock is like a forcing-house in hot countries4 ,the stone keeps the heat and stimulates growth4 ,the very thing that prevents deep rooting facilitates rapid shooting4 ,the green spikelets will be above ground there long before they show in deeper soil4 ,there would be many such hearers in the 'very great multitude' on the shore1 who were attracted1 they scarcely knew why1 and were the more enthusiastic the less they understood the real scope of ,christ's teaching4 ,the disciple who pressed forward with his excited and unasked ',master1 ,i will follow ,thee whithersoever ,thou goest6' was one of such--well-meaning1 perfectly sincere1 warmly affected1 and completely unreliable4 ,lightly come is lightly go4 ,when such people forsake their fervent purposes1 and turn their backs on what they have been so eagerly pursuing1 they are quite consistent2 for they are obeying the uppermost impulse in both cases1 and1 as they were easily drawn to follow without consideration1 they are easily driven back with as little4 ,the first taste of supposed good secured their giddy-pated adhesion2 the first taste of trouble ensures their desertion4 ,they are the same men acting in the same fashion at both times4 ,two things are marked by our ,lord as suspicious in such easily won discipleship--its suddenness and its joyfulness4 ,feelings which are so easily stirred are superficial4 ,a puff of wind sets a shallow pond in wavelets4 ,quick maturity means brief life and swift decay1 as every 'revival' shows4 ,the more earnestly we believe in the possibility of sudden conversions1 the more we should remember this warning1 and make sure that1 if they are sudden1 they shall be thorough1 which they may be4 ,the swiftness is not so suspicious if it be not accompanied with the other doubtful characteristic--namely1 immediate joy4 ,joy is the result of true acceptance of the gospel2 but not the first result4 ,without consciousness of sin and apprehension of judgment there is no conversion4 ,we lay down no rules as to depth or duration of the 'godly sorrow' which precedes all well-grounded 'joy in the ,lord'2 but the ,christianity which has taken a flying leap over the valley of humiliation will scarcely reach a firm standing on the rock4 ,he who 'straightway with joy' receives the word1 will straightway1 with equal precipitation1 cast it away when the difficulties and oppositions which meet all true discipleship begin to develop themselves4 ,fair-weather crews will desert when storms begin to blow4 ,the third sort of soil brings things still farther on before failure comes4 ,the seed is not only covered and germinating1 but has actually begun to be fruitful4 ,the thorns are supposed to have been cut down1 but their roots have been left1 and they grow faster than the wheat4 ,they take the 'goodness' out of the ground1 and block out sun and air2 and so the stalks1 which promised well1 begin to get pale and droop1 and the half-formed ear comes to nothing1 or1 as the other version of the parable has it1 brings 'forth no fruit to perfection4' ,there are two crops fighting for the upper hand on the one ground1 and the earlier possessor wins4 ,the 'struggle for existence' ends with the 'survival of the fittest'2 that is1 of the worst1 to which the natural bent of the desires and inclinations of the unrenewed man is more congenial4 ,the 'cares of this world' and the 'deceitfulness of riches' are but two sides of one thing4 ,the poor man has cares2 the rich man has the illusions of his wealth4 ,both men agree in thinking that this world's good is most desirable4 ,the one is anxious because he has not enough of it1 or fears to lose what he has2 the other man is full of foolish confidence because he has much4 ,eager desires after creatural good are common to both2 and1 what with the anxiety lest they lose1 and the self-satisfaction because they have1 and the mouths watering for the world's good1 there is no force of will1 nor warmth of love1 nor clearness of vision1 left for better things4 ,that is the history of the fall of many a professing ,christian1 who never apostatises1 and keeps up a reputable appearance of godliness to the end2 but the old worldliness1 which was cut down for a while1 has sprung again in his heart1 and1 by slow degrees1 the word is 'choked'--a most expressive picture of the silent1 gradual dying-out of its power for want of sun and air--and 'he' or 'it' 'becometh unfruitful1' relapsing from a previous condition of fruit-bearing into sterility4 ,no heart can mature two crops4 ,we must choose between ,god and ,mammon--between the word and the world4 ,there is nothing fixed or necessary in the faults of these three classes1 and they are not so much the characteristics of separate types of men as evils common to all hearers1 against which all have to guard4 ,they depend upon the will and affections much more than on anything in temperament fixed and not to be got rid of4 ,so there is no reason why any one of the three should not become 'good soil'3 and it is to be noted that the characteristic of that soil is simply that it receives and grows the seed4 ,any heart that will1 can do that2 and that is all that is needed4 ,but to do it1 there will have to be diligent care1 lest we fall into any of the evils pointed at in the preceding parts of the parable1 which are ever waiting to entrap us4 ,the true 'accepting' of the word requires that we shall not let it lie on the surface of our minds1 as in the case of the first2 nor be satisfied with its penetrating a little deeper and striking root in our emotions1 like the second1 of whom it is said with such profound truth1 that they 'have no root in themselves1' their roots being only in the superficial part of their being1 and never going down to the true central self2 nor let competing desires grow up unchecked1 like the third2 but cherish the 'word of the truth of the gospel' in our deepest hearts1 guard it against foes1 let it rule there1 and mould all our conduct in conformity with its blessed principles4 ,the true ,christian is he who can truly say1 ',thy word have ,i hid in mine heart4' ,if we do1 we shall be fruitful1 because it will bear fruit in us4 ,no man is obliged1 by temperament or circumstances1 to be 'wayside1' or 'stony1' or 'thorny' ground4 ,wherever a heart opens to receive the gospel1 and keeps it fast1 there the increase will be realised--not in equal measure in all1 but in each according to faithfulness and diligence4 ,mark arranges the various yields in ascending scale1 as if to teach our hopes and aims a growing largeness1 while ,matthew orders them in the opposite fashion1 as if to teach that1 while the hundredfold1 which is possible for all1 is best1 the smaller yield is accepted by the great ,lord of the harvest1 who ,himself not only sows the seed1 but gives it its vitality1 blesses its springing1 and rejoices to gather the wheat into ,his barn4 ,,lamps ,,and ,,bushels ',and ,jesus said unto them1 ,is a candle brought to be put under a bushel1 or under a bed8 and not to be set on a candlestick8'--,mark iv4 #ba4 ,the furniture of a very humble ,eastern home is brought before us in this saying4 ,in the original1 each of the nouns has the definite article attached to it1 and so suggests that in the house there was but one of each article2 one lamp1 a flat saucer with a wick swimming in oil2 one measure for corn and the like2 one bed1 raised slightly1 but sufficiently to admit of a flat vessel being put under it without danger1 if for any reason it were desired to shade the light2 and one lampstand4 ,the saying appeals to common-sense4 ,a man does not light a lamp and then smother it4 ,the act of lighting implies the purpose of illumination1 and1 with everybody who acts logically1 its sequel is to put the lamp on a stand1 where it may be visible4 ,all is part of the nightly routine of every ,jewish household4 ,jesus had often watched it2 and1 commonplace as it is1 it had mirrored to ,him large truths4 ,if our eyes were opened to the suggestions of common life1 we should find in them many parables and reminders of high matters4 ,now this saying is a favourite and familiar one of our ,lord1 occurring four times in the ,gospels4 ,it is interesting to notice that ,he1 too1 like other teachers1 had ,his favourite maxims1 which ,he turned round in all sorts of ways1 and presented as reflecting light at different angles and suggesting different thoughts4 ,the four occurrences of the saying are these4 ,in my text1 and in the parallel in ,luke's ,gospel1 it is appended to the ,parable of the ,sower1 and forms the basis of the exhortation1 ',take heed how ye hear4' ,in another place in ,luke's ,gospel it is appended to our ,lord's words about 'the sign of the prophet ,jonah1' which is explained to be the resurrection of ,jesus ,christ1 and it forms the basis of the exhortation to cultivate the single eye which is receptive of the light4 ,in the ,sermon on the ,mount it is appended to the declaration that the disciples are the lights of the world1 and forms the basis of the exhortation1 ',let your light so shine before men4' ,i have thought that it may be interesting and instructive if in this sermon we throw together these three applications of this one saying1 and try to study the threefold lessons which it yields1 and the weighty duties which it enforces4 ,i4 ,so1 then1 ,i have to ask you1 first1 to consider that we have a lesson as to the apparent obscurities of revelation and of our duty concerning them4 ,that is the connection in which the words occur in our text1 and in the other place in ,luke's ,gospel1 to which ,i have referred4 ,our ,lord has just been speaking the ,parable of the ,sower4 ,the disciples' curiosity has been excited as to its significance4 ,they ask ,him for an explanation1 which ,he gives minutely point by point4 ,then he passes to this general lesson of the purpose of the apparent veil which ,he had cast round the truth1 by throwing it into a parabolic form4 ,in effect ,he says3 ,if ,i had meant to hide ,my teaching by the form into which ,i cast it1 ,i should have been acting as absurdly and as contradictorily as a man would do who should light a lamp and immediately obscure it4' ,true1 there is the veil of parable1 but the purpose of that relative concealment is not hiding1 but revelation4 ',there is nothing covered but that it should be made known4' ,the veil sharpens attention1 stimulates curiosity1 quickens effort1 and so becomes positively subsidiary to the great purpose of revelation for which the parable is spoken4 ,the existence of this veil of sensuous representation carries with it the obligation1 ',take heed how ye hear4' ,now all these thoughts have a far wider application than in reference to our ,lord's parables4 ,and ,i may suggest one or two of the considerations that flow from the wider reference of the words before us4 ',is a candle brought to be put under a bushel1 or under a bed and not upon a candlestick8' ,there are no gratuitous and dark places in anything that ,god says to us4 ,his revelation is absolutely clear4 ,we may be sure of that if we consider the purpose for which ,he spoke at all4 ,true1 there are dark places2 true1 there are great gaps2 true1 we sometimes think1 ',oh6 it would have been so easy for ,him to have said one word more2 and the one word more would have been so infinitely precious to bleeding hearts or wounded consciences or puzzled understandings4' ,but 'is a candle brought to be set under a bushel8' ,do you think that if ,he took the trouble to light it ,he would immediately smother it1 or arbitrarily conceal anything that the very fact of the revelation declares ,his intention to make known8 ,his own great word remains true1 ',i have never spoken in secret1 in a dark place of the earth4' ,if there be1 as there are1 obscurities1 there are none there that would have been better away4 ,for the intention of all ,god's hiding--which hiding is an integral part of his revealing--is not to conceal1 but to reveal4 ,sometimes the best way of making a thing known to men is to veil it in a measure1 in order that the very obscurity1 like the morning mists which prophesy a blazing sun in a clear sky by noonday1 may demand search and quicken curiosity and spur to effort4 ,he is not a wise teacher who makes things too easy4 ,it is good that there should be difficulties2 for difficulties are like the veins of quartz in the soil1 which may turn the edge of the ploughshare or the spade1 but prophesy that there is gold there for the man who comes with fitting tools4 ,wherever1 in the broad land of ,god's word to us1 there lie dark places1 there are assurances of future illumination4 ,god's hiding is in order to revelation1 even as the prophet of old1 when he was describing the great ,theophany which flashed in light from the one side of the heaven to the other1 exclaimed1 ',there was the hiding of ,his power4' ',he hides the purpose of ,his grace ,to make it better known4' ,and the end of all the concealments1 and apparent and real obscurities1 that hang about ,his word1 is that for many of them patient and diligent attention and docile obedience should unfold them here1 and for the rest1 'the day shall declare them4' ,the lamp is the light for the night-time1 and it leaves many a corner in dark shadow2 but1 when 'night's candles are burnt out1 and day sits jocund on the misty mountain-tops1' much will be plain that cannot be made plain now4 ,therefore1 for us the lesson from this assurance that ,god will not stultify ,himself by giving to us a revelation that does not reveal1 is1 ',take heed how ye hear4' ,the effort will not be in vain4 ,patient attention will ever be rewarded4 ,the desire to learn will not be frustrated4 ,in this school truth lightly won is truth loosely held2 and only the attentive scholar is the receptive and retaining disciple4 ,a great man once said1 and said1 too1 presumptuously and proudly1 that he had rather have the search after truth than truth4 ,but yet there is a sense in which the saying may be modifiedly accepted2 for1 precious as is all the revelation of ,god1 not the least precious effect that it is meant to produce upon us is the consciousness that in it there are unscaled heights above1 and unplumbed depths beneath1 and untraversed spaces all around it2 and that for us that ,word is like the pillar of cloud and fire that moved before ,israel1 blends light and darkness with the single office of guidance1 and gleams ever before us to draw desires and feet after it4 ,the lamp is set upon a stand4 ',take heed how ye hear4' ,,ii4 ,secondly1 the saying1 in another application on our ,lord's lips1 gives us a lesson as to ,himself and our attitude to ,him4 ,i have already pointed out the other instance in ,luke's ,gospel in which this saying occurs1 in the #aath chapter1 where it is brought into immediate connection with our ,lord's declaration that the sign to be given to ,his generation was 'the sign of the prophet ,jonah1' which sign ,he explains as being reproduced in ,his own case in ,his ,resurrection4 ,and then he adds the word of our text1 and immediately passes on to speak about the light in us which perceives the lamp1 and the need of cultivating the single eye4 ,so1 then1 we have1 in the figure thus applied1 the thought that the earthly life of ,jesus ,christ necessarily implies a subsequent elevation from which ,he shines down upon all the world4 ,god lit that lamp1 and it is not going to be quenched in the darkness of the grave4 ,he is not going to stultify ,himself by sending the ,light of the ,world1 and then letting the endless shades of death muffle and obscure it4 ,but1 just as the conclusion of the process which is begun in the kindling of the light is setting it on high on the stand1 that it may beam over all the chamber1 so the resurrection and ascension of ,jesus ,christ1 ,his exaltation to the supremacy from which ,he shall draw all men unto ,him1 are the necessary and1 if ,i may so say1 the logical result of the facts of ,his incarnation and death4 ,then from this there follows what our ,lord dwells upon at greater length4 ,having declared that the beginning of ,his course involved the completion of it in ,his exaltation to glory1 ,he then goes on to say to us1 ',you have an organ that corresponds to ,me4 ,i am the kindled lamp2 you have the seeing eye4' ',if the eye were not sunlike1' says the great ,german thinker1 'how could it see the sun8' ,if there were not in me that which corresponds to ,jesus ,christ1 ,he would be no ,light of the ,world1 and no light to me4 ,my reason1 my affection1 my conscience1 my will1 the whole of my spiritual being1 answer to ,him1 as the eye does to the light1 and for everything that is in ,christ there is in humanity something that is receptive of1 and that needs1 ,him4 ,so1 then1 that being so1 ,he being our light1 just because ,he fits our needs1 answers our desires1 satisfies our cravings1 fills the clefts of our hearts1 and brings the response to all the questions of our understandings--that being the case1 if the lamp is lit and blazing on the lampstand1 and you and ,i have eyes to behold it1 let us take heed that we cultivate the single eye which apprehends ,christ4 ,concentration of purpose1 simplicity and sincerity of aim1 a heart centred upon ,him1 a mind drawn to contemplate unfalteringly and without distraction of crosslights ,his beauty1 ,his supremacy1 ,his completeness1 and a soul utterly devoted to ,him--these are the conditions to which that light will ever manifest itself1 and illumine the whole man4 ,but if we come with divided hearts1 with distracted aims1 giving ,him fragments of ourselves1 and seeking ,him by spasms and at intervals1 and having a dozen other deities in our ,pantheon1 beside the calm form of the ,christ of ,nazareth1 what wonder is there that we see in ,him 'no beauty that we should desire ,him'8 ',unite my heart to fear ,thy name4' ,oh ,i if that were our prayer1 and if the effort to secure its answer were honestly the effort of our lives1 all ,his loveliness1 ,his sweetness1 ,his adaptation to our whole being1 would manifest themselves to us4 ,the eye must be 'single1' directed to ,him1 if the heart is to rejoice in ,his light4 ,i need not do more than remind you of the blessed consequence which our ,lord represents as flowing from this union of the seeing heart and the revealing light--viz41 ',thy whole body shall be full of light4' ,in every eye that beholds the flame of the lamp there is a little lamp-flame mirrored and manifested4 ,and just as what we see makes its image on the seeing organ of the body1 so the ,christ beheld is a ,christ embodied in us2 and we1 gazing upon ,him1 are 'changed into the same image from glory to glory1 even as by the ,lord the ,spirit4' ,light that remains without us does not illuminate2 light that passes into us is the light by which we see1 and the ,christ beheld is the ,christ ensphered in our hearts4 ,,iii4 ,so1 lastly1 this great saying gives us a lesson as to the duties of ,christian men as lights in the world4 ,i pointed out that another instance of the occurrence of the saying is in the ,sermon on the ,mount1 where it is transferred from the revelation of ,god in ,his written word1 and in ,his ,incarnate ,word1 to the relation of ,christian men to the world in which they dwell4 ,i need not remind you how frequently that same metaphor occurs in ,scripture2 how in the early ,jewish ritual the great seven-branched lampstand which stood at first in the ,tabernacle was the emblem of ,israel's office in the whole world1 as it rayed out its light through the curtains of the ,tabernacle into the darkness of the desert4 ,nor need ,i remind you how our ,lord bare witness to ,his forerunner by the praise that ',he was a burning and a shining light1' nor how ,he commanded ,his disciples to have their 'loins girt and their lamps burning1' nor how ,he spoke the ,parable of the ,ten ,virgins with their lamps4 ,from all these there follows the same general thought that ,christian men1 not so much by specific effort1 nor by words1 nor by definite proclamation1 as by the raying out from them in life and conduct of a ,christlike spirit1 are set for the illumination of the world4 ,the bearing of our text in reference to that subject is just this--our obligation as ,christians to show forth the glories of ,him who hath 'called us out of darkness into ,his marvellous light' is rested upon ,his very purpose in drawing us to ,himself1 and receiving us into the number of his people4 ,if ,god in ,christ1 by communicating to us 'the light of the knowledge of the glory of ,god1 in the face of ,jesus ,christ1' has made us lights of the world1 it is not done in order that the light may be smothered incontinently1 but ,his act of lighting indicates ,his purpose of illumination4 ,what are you a ,christian for8 ,that you may go to ,heaven8 ,certainly4 ,that your sins may be forgiven8 ,no doubt4 ,but is that the only end8 ,are you such a very great being as that your happiness and well-being can legitimately be the ultimate purpose of ,god's dealings with you8 ,are you so isolated from all mankind as that any gift which ,he bestows on you is to be treated by you as a morsel that you can take into your corner and devour1 like a grudging dog1 by yourselves8 ,by no means4 ',god1 who commanded the light to shine out of darkness1 hath shined into our hearts in order that' we might impart the light to others4 ,or1 as ,shakespeare has it1 in words perhaps suggested by the ,scripture metaphor1 ',heaven doth with us as we with torches do1 ,not light them for themselves4' ,he gave you ,his ,son that you may give the gospel to others1 and you stultify ,his purpose in your salvation unless you become ministers of ,his grace and manifesters of ,his light4 ,then take from this emblem1 too1 a homely suggestion as to the hindrances that stand in the way of our fulfilling the ,divine intention in our salvation4 ,it is1 perhaps1 a piece of fancy1 but still it may point a lesson4 ,the lamp is not hid 'under a bushel1' which is the emblem of commerce or business1 and is meant for the measurement of material wealth and sustenance1 or 'under a bed'--the place where people take their ease and repose4 ,these two loves--the undue love of the bushel and the corn that is in it1 and the undue love of the bed and the leisurely ease that you may enjoy there--are large factors in preventing ,christian men from fulfilling ,god's purpose in their salvation4 ,then take a hint as to the means by which such a purpose can be fulfilled by ,christian souls4 ,they are suggested in the two of the other uses of this emblem by our ,lord ,himself4 ,the first is when ,he said1 ',let your loins be girded'--they are not so1 when you are in bed--'and your lamps burning4' ,your light will not shine in a naughty world without your strenuous effort1 and ungirt loins will very shortly lead to extinguished lamps4 ,the other means to this manifestation of visible ,christlikeness lies in that tragical story of the foolish virgins who took no oil in their vessels4 ,if light expresses the outward ,christian life1 oil1 in accordance with the whole tenor of ,scripture symbolism1 expresses the inward gift of the ,divine ,spirit4 ,and where that gift is neglected1 where it is not earnestly sought and carefully treasured1 there may be a kind of smoky illuminations1 which1 in the dark1 may pass for bright lights1 but1 when the ,lord comes1 shudder into extinction1 and1 to the astonishment of the witless five who carried them1 are found to be 'going out4' ,brethren1 only ,he who does not quench the smoking flax but tends it to a flame1 will help us to keep our lamps bright4 ,first of all1 then1 let us gaze upon the light in ,him1 until we become 'light in the ,lord4' ,and then let us see to it that1 by girt loins and continual reception of the illuminating principle of the ,divine ,spirit's oil1 we fill our lamps with 'deeds of odorous light1 and hopes that breed not shame4' ,then1 ',when the ,bridegroom1 with his feastful friends1 ,passes to bliss on the mid-hour of night1' we shall have 'gained our entrance' among the 'virgins wise and pure4' ,,the ,,storm ,,stilled ',and the same day1 when the even was come1 ,he saith unto them1 ,let us pass over unto the other side4 #cf4 ,and when they had sent away the multitude1 they took ,him even as ,he was in the ship4 ,and there were also with ,him other little ships4 #cg4 ,and there arose a great storm of wind1 and the waves beat into the ship1 so that it was now full4 #ch4 ,and ,he was in the hinder part of the ship1 asleep on a pillow3 and they awake ,him1 and say unto ,him1 ,master1 carest ,thou not that we perish8 #ci4 ,and ,he arose1 and rebuked the wind1 and said unto the sea1 ,peace1 be still4 ,and the wind ceased1 and there was a great calm4 #dj4 ,and ,he said unto them1 ,why are ye so fearful8 how is it that ye have no faith8 #da4 ,and they feared exceedingly1 and said one to another1 ,what manner of man is this1 that even the wind and the sea obey ,him8'--,mark iv4 #ce-da4 ,mark seldom dates his incidents1 but he takes pains to tell us that this run across the lake closed a day of labour1 ,jesus was wearied1 and felt the need of rest1 ,he had been pressed on all day by 'a very great multitude1' and felt the need of solitude4 ,he could not land from the boat which had been ,his pulpit1 for that would have plunged ,him into the thick of the crowd1 and so the only way to get away from the throng was to cross the lake4 ,but even there ,he was followed2 'other boats were with ,him4' ,i4 ,the first point to note is the wearied sleeper4 ,the disciples 'take ,him1 444 even as ,he was1' without preparation or delay1 the object being simply to get away as quickly as might be1 so great was ,his fatigue and longing for quiet4 ,we almost see the hurried starting and the intrusive followers scrambling into the little skiffs on the beach and making after ,him4 ,the 'multitude' delights to push itself into the private hours of its heroes1 and is devoured with rude curiosity4 ,there was a leather1 or perhaps wooden1 movable seat in the stern for the steersman1 on which a wearied-out man might lay his head1 while his body was stretched in the bottom of the boat4 ,a hard 'pillow' indeed1 which only exhaustion could make comfortable6 ,but it was soft enough for the worn-out ,christ1 who had apparently flung ,himself down in sheer tiredness as soon as they set sail4 ,how real such a small detail makes the transcendent mystery of the ,incarnation6 ,jesus is our pattern in small common things as in great ones1 and among the sublimities of character set forth in ,him as our example1 let us not forget that the homely virtue of hard work is also included4 ,jonah slept in a storm the sleep of a skulking sluggard1 ,jesus slept the sleep of a wearied labourer4 ,,ii4 ,the next point is the terrified disciples4 ,the evening was coming on1 and1 as often on a lake set among hills1 the wind rose as the sun sank behind the high land on the western shore astern4 ,the fishermen disciples were used to such squalls1 and1 at first1 would probably let their sail down1 and pull so as to keep the boat's head to the wind4 ,but things grew worse1 and when the crazy1 undecked craft began to fill and get water-logged1 they grew alarmed4 ,the squall was fiercer than usual1 and must have been pretty bad to have frightened such seasoned hands4 ,they awoke ,jesus1 and there is a touch of petulant rebuke in their appeal1 and of a sailor's impatience at a landsman lying sound asleep while the sweat is running down their faces with their hard pulling4 ,it is to ,mark that we owe our knowledge of that accent of complaint in their words1 for he alone gives their ',carest ,thou not8' ,but it is not for us to fling stones at them1 seeing that we also often may catch ourselves thinking that ,jesus has gone to sleep when storms come on the ,church or on ourselves1 and that ,he is ignorant of1 or indifferent to1 our plight4 ,but though the disciples were wrong in their fright1 and not altogether right in the tone of their appeal to ,jesus1 they were supremely right in that they did appeal to ,him4 ,fear which drives us to ,jesus is not all wrong4 ,the cry to ,him1 even though it is the cry of unnecessary terror1 brings ,him to ,his feet for our help4 ,,iii4 ,the next point is the word of power4 ,again we have to thank ,mark for the very words1 so strangely1 calmly authoritative4 ,may we take ',peace6' as spoken to the howling wind1 bidding it to silence2 and ',be still6' as addressed to the tossing waves1 smoothing them to a calm plain8 ,at all events1 the two things to lay to heart are that ,jesus here exercises the divine prerogative of controlling matter by the bare expression of ,his will1 and that this divine attribute was exercised by the wearied man1 who1 a moment before1 had been sleeping the sleep of human exhaustion4 ,the marvellous combination of apparent opposites1 weakness1 and divine omnipotence1 which yet do not clash1 nor produce an incredible monster of a being1 but coalesce in perfect harmony1 is a feat beyond the reach of the loftiest creative imagination4 ,if the ,evangelists are not simple biographers1 telling what eyes have seen and hands have handled1 they have beaten the greatest poets and dramatists at their own weapons1 and have accomplished 'things unattempted yet in prose or rhyme4' ,a word of loving rebuke and encouragement follows4 ,matthew puts it before the stilling of the storm1 but ,mark's order seems the more exact4 ,how often we too are taught the folly of our fears by experiencing some swift1 easy deliverance6 ,blessed be ,god6 ,he does not rebuke us first and help us afterwards1 but rebukes by helping4 ,what could the disciples say1 as they sat there in the great calm1 in answer to ,christ's question1 ',why are ye fearful8' ,fear can give no reasonable account of itself1 if ,christ is in the boat4 ,if our faith unites us to ,jesus1 there is nothing that need shake our courage4 ,if ,he is 'our fear and our dread1' we shall not need to 'fear their fear1' who have not the all-conquering ,christ to fight for them4 ',well roars the storm to them who hear ,a deeper voice across the storm4' ,jesus wondered at the slowness of the disciples to learn their lesson1 and the wonder was reflected in the sad question1 ',have ye not yet faith8'--not yet1 after so many miracles1 and living beside ,me for so long8 ,how much more keen the edge of that question is when addressed to us1 who know ,him so much better1 and have centuries of ,his working for ,his servants to look back on4 ,when1 in the tempests that sweep over our own lives1 we sometimes pass into a great calm as suddenly as if we had entered the centre of a typhoon1 we wonder unbelievingly instead of saying1 out of a faith nourished by experience1 ',it is just like ,him4' ,,the ,,toiling ,,christ ',they took ,him even as ,he was in the ship4444 ,and ,he was in the hinder part of the ship1 asleep on a pillow4'--,mark iv4 #cf1 #ch4 ,among the many loftier characteristics belonging to ,christ's life and work1 there is a very homely one which is often lost sight of2 and that is1 the amount of hard physical exertion1 prolonged even to fatigue and exhaustion1 which ,he endured4 ,christ is our pattern in a great many other things more impressive and more striking2 and ,he is our pattern in this1 that 'in the sweat of ,his brow' ,he did ,his work1 and knew not only what it was to suffer1 but what it was to toil for man's salvation4 ,and1 perhaps1 if we thought a little more than we do of such a prosaic characteristic of ,his life as that1 it might invest it with some more reality for us1 besides teaching us other large and important lessons4 ,i have thrown together these two clauses for our text now1 simply for the sake of that one feature which they both portray so strikingly4 ',they took ,him even as ,he was in the ship4' ,now many expositors suppose that in the very form of that phrase there is suggested the extreme of weariness and exhaustion which ,he suffered1 after the hard day's toil4 ,whether that be so or no1 the swiftness of the move to the little boat1 although there was nothing in the nature of danger or of imperative duty to hurry ,him away1 and ,his going on board without a moment's preparation1 leaving the crowd on the beach1 seem most naturally accounted for by supposing that ,he had come to the last point of physical endurance1 and that ,his frame1 worn out by the hard day's work1 needed one thing--rest4 ,and so1 the next that we see of ,him is that1 as soon as ,he gets into the ship ,he falls fast asleep on the wooden pillow--a hard bed for ,his head6--in the stern of the little fishing boat1 and there ,he lies so tired--let us put it into plain prose and strip away the false veil of big words with which we invest that nature--so tired that the storm does not awake ,him2 and they have to come to ,him1 and lay their hands upon ,him1 and say to ,him1 ',master1 carest ,thou not that we perish8' before compassion again beat back fatigue1 and quickened ,him for fresh exertions4 ,this1 then1 is the one lesson which ,i wish to consider now1 and there are three points which ,i deal with in pursuance of my task4 ,i wish to point out a little more in detail the signs that we have in the ,gospels of this characteristic of ,christ's work--the toilsomeness of ,his service2 then to consider1 secondly1 the motives which ,he ,himself tells us impelled to such service2 and then1 finally1 the worth which that toil bears for us4 ,i4 ,first1 then1 let me point out some of the significant hints which the gospel records give us of the toilsomeness of ,christ's service4 ,now we are principally indebted for these to this ,gospel by ,mark1 which ancient tradition has set forth as being especially and eminently the ',gospel of the ,servant of ,god1' therein showing a very accurate conception of its distinguishing characteristics4 ,just as ,matthew's ,gospel is the ,gospel of the ,king1 regal in tone from beginning to end2 just as ,luke's is the ,gospel of the ,man1 human and universal in its tone2 just as ,john's is the ,gospel of the ,eternal ,word1 so ,mark's is the ,gospel of the ,servant4 ,the inscription written over it all might be1 ',lo1 ,i come to do ,thy will1 ,o ,god4' ',behold my ,servant whom ,i uphold4' ,and if you will take this briefest of all the ,gospels1 and read it over from that point of view1 you will be surprised to discover what a multitude of minute traits make up the general impression1 and what a unity is thereby breathed into the narrative4 ,for instance1 did you ever observe the peculiar beginning of this ,gospel8 ,there are here none of the references to the prophecies of the ,king1 no tracing of ,his birth through the royal stock to the great progenitor of the nation1 no adoration by the ,eastern sages1 which we find in ,matthew1 no miraculous birth nor growing childhood as in ,luke1 no profound unveiling of the union of the ,word with ,god before the world was1 as in ,john2 but the narrative begins with ,his baptism1 and passes at once to the story of ,his work4 ,the same ruling idea accounts for the uniform omission of the title ',lord' which in ,mark's ,gospel is never applied to ,christ until after the resurrection4 ,there is only one apparent exception1 and there good authorities pronounce the word to be spurious4 ,even in reports of conversations which are also given in the other ,gospels1 and where ',lord' occurs1 ,mark1 of set purpose1 omits it1 as if its presence would disturb the unity of the impression which he desires to leave4 ,you will find the investigation of the omissions in this ,gospel full of interest1 and remarkably tending to confirm the accuracy of the view which regards it as the ,gospel of the ,servant4 ,notice then these traits of ,his service which it brings out4 ,the first of them ,i would suggest is--how distinctly it gives the impression of swift1 strenuous work4 ,the narrative is brief and condensed4 ,we feel1 all through these earlier chapters1 at all events1 the presence of the pressing crowd coming to ,him and desiring to be healed1 and but a word can be spared for each incident as the story hurries on1 trying to keep pace with ,his rapid service of quick-springing compassion and undelaying help4 ,there is one word which is reiterated over and over again in these earlier chapters1 remarkably conveying this impression of haste and strenuous work2 ,mark's favourite word is 'straightway1' 'immediately1' 'forthwith1' 'anon1' which are all translations of one expression4 ,you will find1 if you glance over the first1 second1 or third chapters at your leisure1 that it comes in at every turn4 ,take these instances which strike one's eye at the moment4 ',straightway they forsook their nets'2 ',straightway ,he entered into the synagogue'2 ',immediately ,his fame spread abroad throughout all the region'2 ',forthwith they entered into the house of ,simon's mother'2 ',anon1 they tell ,him of her'2 ',immediately the fever left her4' ,and so it goes on through the whole story1 a picture of a constant succession of rapid acts of mercy and love4 ,the story seems1 as it were1 to pant with haste to keep up with ,him as ,he moves among men1 swift as a sunbeam1 and continuous in the outflow of ,his love as are these unceasing rays4 ,again1 we see in ,christ's service1 toil prolonged to the point of actual physical exhaustion4 ,the narrative before us is the most striking instance of that which we meet with4 ,it had been a long wearying day of work4 ,according to this chapter1 the whole of the profound parables concerning the kingdom of ,god had immediately preceded the embarkation4 ,but even these1 with their explanation1 had been but a part of that day's labours4 ,for1 in ,matthew's account of them1 we are told that they were spoken on the same day as that on which ,his mother and brethren came desiring to speak with ,him1--or1 as we elsewhere read1 with hostile intentions to lay hold on ,him as mad and needing restraint4 ,and that event1 which we may well believe touched deep and painful chords of feeling in ,his human heart1 and excited emotions more exhausting than much physical effort1 occurred in the midst of an earnest and prolonged debate with emissaries from ,jerusalem1 in the course of which ,he spoke the solemn words concerning blasphemy against the ,holy ,ghost1 and ,satan casting out ,satan1 and poured forth some of ,his most terrible warnings1 and some of ,his most beseeching entreaties4 ,no wonder that1 after such a day1 the hard pillow of the boat was a soft resting-place for ,his wearied head2 no wonder that1 as the evening quiet settled down on the mountain-girdled lake1 and the purple shadows of the hills stretched athwart the water1 ,he slept2 no wonder that the storm which followed the sunset did not wake ,him2 and beautiful1 that wearied as ,he was1 the disciples' cry at once rouses ,him1 and the fatigue which shows ,his manhood gives place to the divine energy which says unto the sea1 ',peace6 be still4' ,the lips which1 a moment before1 had been parted in the soft breathing of wearied sleep1 now open to utter the omnipotent word--so wonderfully does ,he blend the human and the divine1 'the form of a servant' and the nature of ,god4 ,we see1 in ,christ1 toil that puts aside the claims of physical wants4 ,twice in this ,gospel we read of this ',the multitude cometh together again1 so that they could not so much as eat bread4' ',there were many coming1 and they had no leisure so much as to eat4' ,we see in ,christ's service a love which is at every man's beck and call1 a toil cheerfully rendered at the most unreasonable and unseasonable times4 ,as ,i said a moment or two ago1 this ,gospel makes one feel1 as none other of these narratives do1 the pressure of that ever-present multitude1 the whirling excitement that eddied round the calm centre4 ,it tells us1 for instance1 more than once1 how ,christ1 wearied with ,his toil1 feeling in body and in spirit the need of rest and still communion1 withdrew ,himself from the crowd4 ,he once departed alone that ,he might seek ,god in prayer2 once ,he went with ,his wearied disciples apart into a desert place to rest awhile4 ,on both occasions the retirement is broken in upon before it is well begun4 ,the sigh of relief in the momentary rest is scarcely drawn1 and the burden laid down for an instant1 when it has to be lifted again4 ,his solitary prayer is interrupted by the disciples1 with ',all men seek for ,thee1' and1 without a murmur or a pause1 ,he buckles to ,his work again1 and says1 ',let us go into the next towns that ,i may preach there also2 for therefore am ,i sent4' ,when ,he would carry ,his wearied disciples with ,him for a brief breathing time to the other side of the sea1 and get away from the thronging crowd1 'the people saw ,him departing1 and ran afoot out of all cities1' and1 making their way round the head of the lake1 were all there at the landing place before ,him4 ,instead of seclusion and repose ,he found the same throng and bustle4 ,here they were1 most of them from mere curiosity1 some of them no doubt with deeper feelings2 here they were1 with their diseased and their demoniacs1 and as soon as ,his foot touches the shore ,he is in the midst of it all again4 ,and ,he meets it1 not with impatience at this rude intrusion on ,his privacy1 not with refusals to help4 ,only one emotion filled ,his heart4 ,he forgot all about weariness1 and hunger1 and retirement1 and ',he was moved with compassion towards them1 because they were as sheep not having a shepherd1 and ,he began to teach them many things4' ,such a picture may well shame our languid1 self-indulgent service1 may stir us to imitation and to grateful praise4 ,there is only one other point which ,i touch upon for a moment1 as showing the toil of ,christ1 and that is drawn from another ,gospel4 ,did you ever notice the large space occupied in ,matthew's ,gospel by the record of the last day of ,his public ministry1 and how much of all that we know of ,his mission and message1 and the future of the world and of all men1 we owe to the teaching of these four-and-twenty hours8 ,let me put together1 in a word1 what happened on that day4 ,it included the conversation with the chief priests and elders about the baptism of ,john1 the parable of the householder that planted a vineyard and digged a winepress1 the parables of the kingdom of heaven1 the controversy with the ,herodians about the tribute money1 the conversation with the ,sadducees about the resurrection1 with the ,pharisee about the great commandment in the law1 the silencing of the ,pharisees by pointing to the #aajth ,psalm1 the warning to the multitude against the scribes and ,pharisees who were hypocrites1 protracted and prolonged up to that wail of disappointed love1 ',behold6 your house is left unto you desolate4' ,and1 as though that had not been enough for one day1 when ,he is going home from the ,temple to find1 for a night1 in that quiet little home of ,bethany1 the rest that ,he wants1 as ,he rests wearily on the slopes of ,olivet1 the disciples come to ,him1 ',tell us1 when shall these things be8 and what shall be the sign of ,thy coming8' and there follows all that wonderful prophecy of the destruction of ,jerusalem and the end of the world1 the parable of the fig tree1 the warning not to suffer the thief to come1 and the promise of reward for the faithful and wise servant1 the parable of the ten virgins1 and in all probability the parable of the king with the five talents2 and the words1 that might be written in letters of fire1 that tell us the final course of all things1 and the judgment of life eternal and death everlasting6 ,all this was the work of 'one of the days of the ,son of ,man4' ,of ,him it was prophesied long ago1 ',for ,jerusalem's sake ,i will not rest'2 and ,his life on earth1 as well as ,his life in heaven1 fulfils the prediction--the one by the toilsomeness of ,his service1 the other by the unceasing energy of ,his exalted power4 ,he toiled unwearied here1 ,he works unresting there4 ,,ii4 ,in the second place1 let me ask you to notice how we get from our ,lord's own words a glimpse into the springs of this wonderful activity4 ,there are three points which distinctly come out in various places in the ,gospels as ,his motives for such unresting sedulousness and continuance of toil4 ,the first is conveyed by such words as these3 ',i must work the works of ,him that sent ,me4' ',let us preach to other cities1 also3 for therefore am ,i sent4' ',wist ye not that ,i must be about ,my ,father's business8' ',my meat is to do the will of ,him that sent ,me1 and to finish ,his work4' ,all these express one thought4 ,christ lived and toiled1 and bore weariness and exhaustion1 and counted every moment as worthy to be garnered up and precious1 as to be filled with deeds of love and kindness1 because wherever ,he went1 and to whatsoever ,he set ,his hand1 ,he had the one consciousness of a great task laid upon ,him by a loving ,father whom ,he loved1 and whom1 therefore1 it was ,his joy and ,his blessedness to serve4 ,and1 remember that this motive made the life homogeneous--of a piece4 ,in all the variety of service1 one spirit was expressed1 and1 therefore1 the service was one4 ,no matter whether ,he were speaking words of grace or of rebuke1 or working works of power and love1 or simply looking a look of kindness on some outcast1 or taking a little child in ,his arms1 or stilling with the same arms outstretched the wild uproar of the storm--it was all the same4 ,to ,him life was all one4 ,there was nothing great1 nothing small2 nothing so insignificant that it could be done negligently2 nothing so hard that it surpassed ,his power4 ,the one motive made all duties equal2 obedience to the ,father called forth ,his whole energy at every moment4 ,to ,him life was not divided into a set of tasks of varying importance1 some of which could be accomplished with a finger's touch1 and some of which demanded a dead lift and strain of all the muscles4 ,but whatsoever ,his hand found to do ,he did with ,his might and that because ,he felt1 be it great or little1 that it all came1 if ,i may so say1 into the day's work1 and all was equally great because the ,father that sent ,him had laid it upon ,him4 ,there is one thing that makes life mighty in its veriest trifles1 worthy in its smallest deeds1 that delivers it from monotony1 that delivers it from insignificance4 ,all will be great1 and nothing will be overpowering1 when1 living in communion with ,jesus ,christ1 we say as ,he says1 ',my meat is to do the will of ,him that sent ,me4' ,and then1 still further1 another of the secret springs that move ,his unwearied activity1 ,his heroism of toil1 is the thought expressed in such words as these3--',while ,i am in the world ,i am the light of the world4' ',i must work the works of ,him that sent ,me while it is day2 the night cometh when no man can work4' ,jesus ,christ manifested on earth performs indeed a work--the mightiest which ,he came to do--which was done precisely then when the night did come--namely1 the work of ,his death1 which is the atonement and 'propitiation for the sins of the world4' ,and1 further1 the 'night1 when no man can work1' was not the end of ,his activity for us2 for ,he carries on ,his work of intercession and rule1 ,his work of bestowing the gifts purchased by ,his blood1 amidst the glories of heaven2 and that perpetual application and dispensing of the blessed issues of ,his death ,he has ,himself represented as greater than the works1 to which ,his death put a period1 in which ,he healed the bodies and spoke to the hearts of those who heard1 and lived a perfect life here upon this sinful earth4 ,but yet even ,he recognised the brief hour of sunny life as being an hour that must be filled with service1 and recognised the fact that there was a task that ,he could only do when ,he lived the life of a man upon earth4 ,and so1 if ,i might so say1 ,he was a miser of the moments1 and carefully husbanding and garnering up every capacity and every opportunity4 ,he toiled with the toil of a man who has a task before him1 that must be done before the clock strikes six1 and who sees the hands move over the dial1 and by every glance that he casts at it is stimulated to intenser service and to harder toil4 ,christ felt that impulse to service which we all ought to feel--',the night cometh2 let me fill the day with work4' ,and then there is a final motive which ,i need barely touch4 ,he was impelled to ,his sedulous service not only by loving1 filial obedience to the divine law1 and by the consciousness of a limited and defined period into which all the activity of one specific kind must be condensed1 but also by the motive expressed in such words as these1 in which this ,gospel is remarkably rich1 ',and ,jesus1 moved with compassion1 put forth ,his hand and touched him4' ,thus1 along with that supreme consecration1 along with that swift ardour that will fill the brief hours ere nightfall with service1 there was the constant pity of that beating heart that moved the diligent hand4 ,christ1 if ,i may so say1 could not help working as hard as ,he did1 so long as there were so many men round about ,him that needed ,his sympathy and ,his aid4 ,,iii4 ,so much then for the motives2 and now a word finally as to the worth of this toil for us4 ,i do not stay to elucidate one consideration that might be suggested1 viz41 how precious a proof it is of ,christ's humanity4 ,we find it easier to bring home ,his true manhood to our thoughts1 when we remember that ,he1 like us1 knew the pressure of physical fatigue4 ,not only was it a human spirit that wept and rejoiced1 that was moved with compassion1 and sometimes with indignation1 but it was a human body1 bone of our bone1 and flesh of our flesh1 that1 wearied with walking in the burning sun1 sat on the margin of the well2 that was worn out and needed to sleep2 that knew hunger1 as is testified by ,his sending the disciples to buy meat2 that was thirsty1 as is testified by ,his saying1 ',give ,me to drink4' ,the true corporeal manhood of ,jesus ,christ1 and the fact that that manhood is the tabernacle of ,god--without these two facts the morality and the teaching of ,christianity swing loose in vacuo1 and have no holdfast in history1 nor any leverage by which they can move men's hearts6 ,but1 when we know that the common necessities of fatigue1 and hunger1 and thirst belonged to ,him1 then we gratefully and reverently say1 ',forasmuch as the children were partakers of flesh and blood1 he also ,himself took part of the same4' ,this fact of ,christ's toil is of worth to us in other ways4 ,is not that hard work of ,jesus ,christ a lesson for us1 brethren1 in our daily tasks and toils--a lesson which1 if it were learnt and practised1 would make a difference not only on the intensity but upon the spirit with which we labour8 ,a great deal of fine talk is indulged in about the dignity of labour and the like4 ,labour is a curse until communion with ,god in it1 which is possible through ,jesus ,christ1 makes it a blessing and a joy4 ,christ1 in the sweat of ,his brow1 won our salvation2 and our work only becomes great when it is work done in1 and for1 and by ,him4 ,and what do we learn from ,his example8 ,we learn these things3 the plain lesson1 first1--task all your capacity and use every minute in doing the duty that is plainly set before you to do4 ,christian virtues are sometimes thought to be unreal and unworldly things4 ,i was going to say the root of them1 certainly the indispensable accompaniment for them all1 is the plain1 prosaic1 most unromantic virtue of hard work4 ,and beyond that1 what do we learn8 ,the lesson that most toilers in ,england want4 ,there is no need to preach to the most of us to work any harder1 in one department of work at any rate2 but there is great need to remind us of what it was that at once stirred ,jesus ,christ into energy and kept ,him calm in the midst of labour--and that was that everything was equally and directly referred to ,his ,father's will4 ,people talk nowadays about 'missions4' ,the only thing worth giving that name to is the 'mission' which ,he gives us1 who sends us into the world not to do our own will1 but to do the will of ,him that sent us4 ,there is a fatal monotony in all our lives--a terrible amount of hard drudgery in them all4 ,we have to set ourselves morning after morning to tasks that look to be utterly insignificant and disproportionate to the power that we bring to bear upon them1 so that men are like elephants picking up pins with their trunks2 and yet we may make all our commonplace drudgery great1 and wondrous1 and fair1 and full of help and profit to our souls1 if1 over it all--our shops1 our desks1 our ledgers1 our studies1 our kitchens1 and our nurseries--we write1 ',my meat is to do the will of ,him that sent me4' ,we may bring the greatest principles to bear upon the smallest duties4 ,what more do we learn from ,christ's toil8 ,the possible harmony of communion and service4 ,his labour did not break ,his fellowship with ,god4 ,he was ever in the 'secret place of the ,most ,high1' even while ,he was in the midst of crowds4 ,he has taught us that it is possible to be in the 'house of the ,lord' all the days of our lives1 and by ,his ensample1 as by ,his granted ,spirit1 encourages us to aim at so serving that we shall never cease to behold1 and so beholding that we shall never cease to serve our ,father4 ,the life of contemplation and the life of practice1 so hard to harmonise in our experience1 perfectly meet in ,christ4 ,what more do we learn from our ,lord's toils8 ,the cheerful constant postponement of our own ease1 wishes1 or pleasure to the call of the ,father's voice1 or to the echo of it in the sighing of such as be sorrowful4 ,i have already referred to the instances of ,his putting aside ,his need for rest1 and ,his desire for still fellowship with ,god1 at the call of whoever needed ,him4 ,it was the same always4 ,if a ,nicodemus comes by night1 if a despairing father forces his way into the house of feasting1 if another suppliant finds ,him in a house1 where ,he would have remained hid1 if they come running to ,him in the way1 or drop down their sick before ,him through the very roof--it is all the same4 ,he never thinks of ,himself1 but gladly addresses ,himself to heal and bless4 ,how such an example followed would change our lives and amaze and shake the world6--',i come1 not to do ,mine own will4' ',even ,christ pleased not ,himself4' ,but that toil is not only a pattern for our lives2 it is an appeal to our grateful hearts4 ,surely a toiling ,christ is as marvellous as a dying ,christ4 ,and the immensity and the purity and the depth of ,his love are shown no less by this1 that ,he labours to accomplish it1 than by this1 that ,he dies to complete it4 ,he will not give blessings which depend upon mere will1 and can be bestowed as a king might fling a largess to a beggar without effort1 and with scarce a thought1 but blessings which ,he ,himself has to agonise and to energise1 and to lead a life of obedience1 and to die a death of shame1 in order to procure4 ',i will not offer burnt-offering to ,god of that which doth cost me nothing1' says the grateful heart4 ,but in so saying it is but following in the track of the loving ,christ1 who will not give unto man that which cost ,him nothing1 and who works1 as well as dies1 in order that we may be saved4 ,and1 ,o brethren6 think of the contrast between what ,christ has done to save us1 and what we do to secure and appropriate that salvation6 ,he toiled all ,his days1 buying our peace with ,his life1 going down into the mine and bringing up the jewels at the cost of ,his own precious blood4 ,and you and ,i stand with folded arms1 too apathetic to take the rich treasures that are freely given to us of ,god6 ,he has done everything1 that we may have nothing to do1 and we will not even put out our slack hands to clasp the grace purchased by ,his blood1 and commended by ,his toil6 ',therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard1 lest at any time we should let them slip4' ,,the ,,lord ,,of ,,demons ',and they came over unto the other side of the sea1 into the country of the ,gadarenes4 #b4 ,and when ,he was come out of the ship1 immediately there met ,him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit1 #c4 ,who had his dwelling among the tombs2 and no man could bind him1 no1 not with chains3 #d4 ,because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains1 and the chains had been plucked asunder by him1 and the fetters broken in pieces3 neither could any man tame him4 #e4 ,and always1 night and day1 he was in the mountains1 and in the tombs1 crying1 and cutting himself with stones4 #f4 ,but when he saw ,jesus afar off1 he ran and worshipped ,him1 #g4 ,and cried with a loud voice1 and said1 ,what have ,i to do with ,thee1 ,jesus1 ,thou ,son of the most high ,god8 ,i adjure ,thee by ,god1 that ,thou torment me not4 #h4 ,for ,he said unto him1 ,come out of the man1 thou unclean spirit4 #i4 ,and ,he asked him1 ,what is thy name8 ,and he answered1 saying1 ,my name is ,legion3 for we are many4 #aj4 ,and he besought ,him much that ,he would not send them away out of the country4 #aa4 ,now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding4 #ab4 ,and all the devils besought ,him1 saying1 ,send us into the swine1 that we may enter into them4 #ac4 ,and forthwith ,jesus gave them leave4 ,and the unclean spirits went out1 and entered into the swine3 and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea1 7they were about two thousand27 and were choked in the sea4 #ad4 ,and they that fed the swine fled1 and told it in the city1 and in the country4 ,and they went out to see what it was that was done4 #ae4 ,and they come to ,jesus1 and see him that was possessed with the devil1 and had the legion1 sitting1 and clothed1 and in his right mind3 and they were afraid4 #af4 ,and they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil1 and also concerning the swine4 #ag4 ,and they began to pray ,him to depart out of their coasts4 #ah4 ,and when ,he was come into the ship1 he that had been possessed with the devil prayed ,him that he might be with ,him4 #ai4 ,howbeit ,jesus suffered him not1 but saith unto him1 ,go home to thy friends1 and tell them how great things the ,lord hath done for thee1 and hath had compassion on thee4 #bj4 ,and he departed1 and began to publish in ,decapolis how great things ,jesus had done for him3 and all men did marvel4'--,mark v4 #a-bj4 ,the awful picture of this demoniac is either painted from life1 or it is one of the most wonderful feats of the poetic imagination4 ,nothing more terrible1 vivid1 penetrating1 and real was ever conceived by the greatest creative genius4 ,if it is not simply a portrait1 schylus or ,dante might own the artist for a brother4 ,we see the quiet landing on the eastern shore1 and almost hear the yells that broke the silence as the fierce1 demon-ridden man hurried to meet them1 perhaps with hostile purpose4 ,the dreadful characteristics of his state are sharply and profoundly signalised4 ,he lives up in the rock-hewn tombs which overhang the beach2 for all that belongs to corruption and death is congenial to the subjects of that dark kingdom of evil4 ,he has superhuman strength1 and has known no gentle efforts to reclaim1 but only savage attempts to 'tame' by force1 as if he were a beast4 ,fetters and manacles have been snapped like rushes by him4 ,restless1 sleepless1 hating men1 he has made the night hideous with his wild shrieks1 and fled1 swift as the wind1 from place to place among the lonely hills4 ,insensible to pain1 and deriving some dreadful satisfaction from his own wounds1 he has gashed himself with splinters of rock1 and howled1 in a delirium of pain and pleasure1 at the sight of his own blood4 ,his sharpened eyesight sees ,jesus from afar1 and1 with the disordered haste and preternatural agility which marked all his movements1 he runs towards ,him4 ,such is the introduction to the narrative of the cure4 ,it paints for us not merely a maniac1 but a demoniac4 ,he is not a man at war with himself1 but a man at war with other beings1 who have forced themselves into his house of life4 ,at least1 so says ,mark1 and so said ,jesus2 and if the story before us is true1 its subsequent incidents compel the acceptance of that explanation4 ,what went into the herd of swine8 ,the narrative of the restoration of the sufferer has a remarkable feature1 which may help to mark off its stages4 ,the word 'besought' occurs four times in it1 and we may group the details round each instance4 ,i4 ,the demons beseeching ,jesus through the man's voice4 ,he was1 in the exact sense of the word1 distracted--drawn two ways4 ,for it would seem to have been the self in him that ran to ,jesus and fell at ,his feet1 as if in some dim hope of rescue2 but it is the demons in him that speak1 though the voice be his4 ,they force him to utter their wishes1 their terrors1 their loathing of ,christ1 though he says ',i' and 'me' as if these were his own4 ,that horrible condition of a double1 or1 as in this case1 a manifold personality1 speaking through human organs1 and overwhelming the proper self1 mysterious as it is1 is the very essence of the awful misery of the demoniacs4 ,unless we are resolved to force meanings of our own on ,scripture1 ,i do not see how we can avoid recognising this4 ,what black thoughts1 seething with all rebellious agitation1 the reluctant lips have to utter6 ,the self-drawn picture of the demoniac nature is as vivid as1 and more repellent than1 the ,evangelist's terrible portrait of the outward man4 ,whatever dumb yearning after ,jesus may have been in the oppressed human consciousness1 his words are a shriek of terror and recoil4 ,the mere presence of ,christ lashes the demons into paroxysms3 but before the man spoke1 ,christ had spoken ,his stern command to come forth4 ,he is answered by this howl of fear and hate4 ,clear recognition of ,christ's person is in it1 and not difficult to explain1 if we believe that others than the sufferer looked through his wild eyes1 and spoke in his loud cry4 ,they know ,him who had conquered their prince long ago2 if the existence of fallen spirits be admitted1 their knowledge is no difficulty4 ,the next element in the words is hatred1 as fixed as the knowledge is clear4 ,god's supremacy and loftiness1 and ,christ's nature1 are recognised1 but only the more abhorred4 ,the name of ,god can be used as a spell to sway ,jesus1 but it has no power to touch this fierce hatred into submission4 ',the devils also believe and tremble4' ,this1 then1 is a dark possibility1 which has become actual for real living beings1 that they should know ,god1 and hate as heartily as they know clearly4 ,that is the terminus towards which human spirits may be travelling4 ,christ's power1 too1 is recognised1 and ,his mere presence makes the flock of obscene creatures nested in the man uneasy1 like bats in a cave1 who flutter against a light4 ,they shrink from ,him1 and shudderingly renounce all connection with ,him1 as if their cries would alter facts1 or make ,him relax ,his grip4 ,the very words of the question prove its folly4 ',what is there to me and thee8' implies that there were two parties to the answer2 and the writhings of one of them could not break the bond4 ,to all this is to be added that the 'torment' deprecated was the expulsion from the man1 as if there were some grim satisfaction and dreadful alleviation in being there1 rather than 'in the abyss'--as ,luke gives it--which appears to be the alternative4 ,if we put all these things together1 we get an awful glimpse into the secrets of that dark realm1 which it is better to ponder with awe than flippantly to deny or mock4 ,how striking is ,christ's unmoved calm in the face of all this fury6 ,he is always laconic in dealing with demoniacs2 and1 no doubt1 ,his tranquil presence helped to calm the man1 however it excited the demon4 ,the distinct intention of the question1 ',what is thy name8' is to rouse the man's self-consciousness1 and make him feel his separate existence1 apart from the alien tyranny which had just been using his voice and usurping his personality4 ,he had said ',i' and 'me4' ,christ meets him with1 ,who is the ',i'8 and the very effort to answer would facilitate the deliverance4 ,but for the moment the foreign influence is still too strong1 and the answer1 than which there is nothing more weird and awful in the whole range of literature1 comes3 ',my name is ,legion2 for we are many4' ,note the momentary gleam of the true self in the first word or two1 fading away into the old confusion4 ,he begins with 'my1' but he drops back to 'we4' ,note the pathetic force of the name4 ,this poor wretch had seen the solid mass of the ,roman legion1 the instrument by which foreign tyrants crushed the nations4 ,he felt himself oppressed and conquered by their multitudinous array4 ,the voice of the 'legion' has a kind of cruel ring of triumph1 as if spoken as much to terrify the victim as to answer the question4 ,again the man's voice speaks1 beseeching the direct opposite of what he really would have desired4 ,he was not so much in love with his dreadful tenants as to pray against their expulsion1 but their fell power coerces his lips1 and he asks for what would be his ruin4 ,that prayer1 clean contrary to the man's only hope1 is surely the climax of the horror4 ,in a less degree1 we also too often deprecate the stroke which delivers1 and would fain keep the legion of evils which riot within4 ,,ii4 ,the demons beseeching ,jesus without disguise4 ,there seems to be intended a distinction between 'he besought1' in verse #aj1 and they 'besought1' in verse #ab4 ,whether we are to suppose that1 in the latter case1 the man's voice was used or no1 the second request was more plainly not his1 but theirs4 ,it looks as if1 somehow1 the command was already beginning to take effect1 and 'he' and 'they' were less closely intertwined4 ,it is easy to ridicule this part of the incident1 and as easy to say that it is incredible2 but it is wiser to remember the narrow bounds of our knowledge of the unseen world of being1 and to be cautious in asserting that there is nothing beyond the horizon but vacuity4 ,if there be unclean spirits1 we know too little about them to say what is possible4 ,only this is plain--that the difficulty of supposing them to inhabit swine is less1 if there be any difference1 than of supposing them to inhabit men1 since the animal nature1 especially of such an animal1 would correspond to their impurity1 and be open to their driving4 ,the house and the tenant are well matched4 ,but why should the expelled demons seek such an abode8 ,it would appear that anywhere was better than 'the abyss1' and that unless they could find some creature to enter1 thither they must go4 ,it would seem1 too1 that there was no other land open to them--for the prayer on the man's lips had been not to send them 'out of the country1' as if that was the only country on earth open to them4 ,that makes for the opinion that demoniacal possession was the dark shadow which attended1 for reasons not discoverable by us1 the light of ,christ's coming1 and was limited in time and space by ,his earthly manifestation4 ,but on such matters there is not ground enough for certainty4 ,another difficulty has been raised as to ,christ's right to destroy property4 ,it was very questionable property1 if the owners were ,jews4 ,jesus owns all things1 and has the right and the power to use them as ,he will2 and if the purposes served by the destruction of animal life or property are beneficent and lofty1 it leaves no blot on ,his goodness4 ,he used ,his miraculous power twice for destruction--once on a fig-tree1 once on a herd of swine4 ,in both cases1 the good sought was worth the loss4 ,whether was it better that the herd should live and fatten1 or that a man should be delivered1 and that he and they who saw should be assured of his deliverance and of ,christ's power8 ',is not a man much better than a sheep1' and much more than a pig8 ,they are born to be killed1 and nobody cries out cruelty4 ,why should not ,christ have sanctioned this slaughter1 if it helped to steady the poor man's nerves1 or to establish the reality of possession and of his deliverance8 ,notice that the drowning of the herd does not appear to have entered into the calculations of the unclean spirits4 ,they desired houses to live in after their expulsion1 and for them to plunge the swine into the lake would have defeated their purpose4 ,the stampede was an unexpected effect of the commingling of the demonic with the animal nature1 and outwitted the demons4 ',the devil is an ass4' ,there is a lower depth than the animal nature2 and even swine feel uncomfortable when the demon is in them1 and in their panic rush anywhere to get rid of the incubus1 and1 before they know1 find themselves struggling in the lake4 ',which things are an allegory4' ,,iii4 ,the terrified ,gerasenes beseeching ,jesus to leave them4 ,they had rather have their swine than their ,saviour1 and so1 though they saw the demoniac sitting1 'clothed1 and in his right mind1' at the feet of ,jesus1 they in turn beseech that ,he should take ,himself away4 ,fear and selfishness prompted the prayer4 ,the communities on the eastern side of the lake were largely ,gentile2 and1 no doubt1 these people knew that they did many worse things than swine-keeping1 and may have been afraid that some more of their wealth would have to go the same road as the herd4 ,they did not want instruction1 nor feel that they needed a healer4 ,were their prayers so very unlike the wishes of many of us8 ,is there nobody nowadays unwilling to let the thought of ,christ into his life1 because he feels an uneasy suspicion that1 if ,christ comes1 a good deal will have to go8 ,how many trades and schemes of life really beseech ,jesus to go away and leave them in peace6 ,and ,he goes away4 ,the tragedy of life is that we have the awful power of severing ourselves from ,his influence4 ,christ commands unclean spirits1 but ,he can only plead with hearts4 ,and if we bid ,him depart1 ,he is fain to leave us for the time to the indulgence of our foolish and wicked schemes4 ,if any man open1 ,he comes in--oh1 how gladly ,i but if any man slam the door in ,his face1 ,he can but tarry without and knock4 ,sometimes ,his withdrawing does more than ,his loudest knocking2 and sometimes they who repelled ,him as ,he stood on the beach call ,him back1 as ,he moves away to the boat4 ,it is in the hope that they may1 that ,he goes4 ,,iv4 ,the restored man's beseeching to abide with ,christ4 ,no wonder that the spirit of this man1 all tremulous with the conflict1 and scarcely able yet to realise his deliverance1 clung to ,christ1 and besought ,him to let him continue by ,his side4 ,conscious weakness1 dread of some recurrence of the inward hell1 and grateful love1 prompted the prayer4 ,the prayer itself was partly right and partly wrong4 ,right1 in clinging to ,jesus as the only refuge from the past misery2 wrong1 in clinging to ,his visible presence as the only way of keeping near ,him4 ,therefore1 ,he who had permitted the wish of the demons1 and complied with the entreaties of the terrified mob1 did not yield to the prayer1 throbbing with love and conscious weakness4 ,strange that ,jesus should put aside a hand that sought to grasp ,his in order to be safe2 but ,his refusal was1 as always1 the gift of something better1 and ,he ever disappoints the wish in order more truly to satisfy the need4 ,the best defence against the return of the evil spirits was in occupation4 ,it is the 'empty' house which invites them back4 ,nothing was so likely to confirm and steady the convalescent mind as to dwell on the fact of his deliverance4 ,therefore he is sent to proclaim it to friends who had known his dreadful state1 and amidst old associations which would help him to knit his new life to his old1 and to treat his misery as a parenthesis4 ,jesus commanded silence or speech according to the need of the subjects of ,his miracles4 ,for some1 silence was best1 to deepen the impression of blessing received2 for others1 speech was best1 to engage and so to fortify the mind against relapse4 ,a ,,refused ,,bequest ',he that had been possessed with the devil prayed ,jesus that he might be with ,him4 #ai4 ,howbeit ,jesus suffered him not1 but saith unto him1 ,go home to thy friends1 and tell them how great things the ,lord hath done for thee4'--,mark v4 #ah1ai4 ,there are three requests1 singularly contrasted with each other1 made to ,christ in the course of this miracle of healing the ,gadarene demoniac4 ,the evil spirits ask to be permitted to go into the swine2 the men of the country1 caring more for their swine than their ,saviour1 beg ,him to take ,himself away1 and relieve them of ,his unwelcome presence2 the demoniac beseeches ,him to be allowed to stop beside ,him4 ,two of the requests are granted2 one is refused4 ,the one that was refused is the one that we might have expected to be granted4 ,christ forces ,himself upon no man1 and so1 when they besought ,him to go1 ,he went1 and took salvation with ,him in the boat4 ,christ withdraws ,himself from no man who desires ,him4 ',howbeit ,jesus suffered him not1 and said1 ,go home to thy friends1 and tell them how great things the ,lord hath done for thee4' ,now1 do you not think that if we put these three petitions and their diverse answers together1 and look especially at this last one1 where the natural wish was refused1 we ought to be able to learn some lessons8 ,the first thing ,i would notice is1 the clinging of the healed man to his ,healer4 ,think of him half an hour before1 a raging maniac2 now all at once conscious of a strange new sanity and calmness2 instead of lashing himself about1 and cutting himself with stones1 and rending his chains and fetters1 'sitting clothed1 and in his right mind1' at the feet of ,jesus4 ,no wonder that he feared that when the ,healer went the demons would come back--no wonder that he besought ,him that he might still keep within that quiet sacred circle of light which streamed from ,his presence1 across the border of which no evil thing could pass4 ,love bound him to his ,benefactor2 dread made him shudder at the thought of losing his sole ,protector1 and being again left1 in that partly heathen land1 solitary1 to battle with the strong foes that had so long rioted in his house of life4 ,and so 'he begged that he might be with ,him4' ,that poor heathen man--for you must remember that this miracle was not wrought on the sacred soil of ,palestine--that poor heathen man1 just having caught a glimpse of how calm and blessed life might be1 is the type of us all4 ,and there is something wrong with us if our love does not1 like his1 desire above all things the presence of ,jesus ,christ2 and if our consciousness of impotence does not1 in like manner1 drive us to long that our sole ,deliverer shall not be far away from us4 ,merchant-ships in time of war1 like a flock of timid birds1 keep as near as they can to the armed convoy1 for the only safety from the guns of the enemy's cruisers is in keeping close to their strong protector4 ,the traveller upon some rough1 unknown road1 in the dark1 holds on by his guide's skirts or hand1 and feels that if he loses touch he loses the possibility of safety4 ,a child clings to his parent when dangers are round him4 ,the convalescent patient does not like to part with his doctor4 ,and if we rightly learned who it is that has cured us1 and what is the condition of our continuing whole and sound1 like this man we shall pray that ,he may suffer us to be with ,him4 ,fill the heart with ,christ1 and there is no room for the many evil spirits that make up the legion that torments it ,the empty heart invites the devils1 and they come back1 ,even if it is 'swept and garnished1' and brought into respectability1 propriety1 and morality1 they come back1 ,there is only one way to keep them out2 when the ark is in the ,temple1 ,dagon will be lying1 like the brute form that he is1 a stump upon the threshold4 ,the condition of our security is close contact with ,jesus ,christ4 ,if we know the facts of life1 the temptations that ring us round1 the weakness of these wayward wills of ours1 and the strength of this intrusive and masterful flesh and sense that we have to rule1 we shall know and feel that our only safety is our ,master's presence4 ,further1 note the strange refusal4 ,jesus ,christ went through the world1 or at least the little corner of it which ,his earthly career occupied1 seeking for men that desired to have ,him1 and it is impossible that ,he should have put away any soul that desired to be present with ,him4 ,yet1 though ,his one aim was to draw men to ,him1 and the prospect that ,he should be able to exercise a stronger attraction over a wider area reconciled ,him to the prospect of the ,cross1 so that ,he said in triumph1 ',i1 when ,i am lifted up from the earth1 will draw all men unto ,me1' he meets this heathen man1 feeble in his crude and recent sanity1 with a flat refusal4 ',he suffered him not4' ,most probably the reason for the strange and apparently anomalous dealing with such a desire was to be found in the man's temperament4 ,most likely it was the best thing for him that he should stop quietly in his own house1 and have no continuance of the excitement and perpetual change which would have necessarily been his lot if he had been allowed to go with ,jesus ,christ4 ,we may be quite sure that when the ,lord with one hand seemed to put him away1 ,he was really1 with a stronger attraction1 drawing him to ,himself2 and that the peculiarity of the method of treatment was determined with exclusive reference to the real necessities of the person who was subject to it4 ,but yet1 underlying the special case1 and capable of being stated in the most general terms1 lies this thought1 that ,jesus ,christ's presence1 the substance of the demoniac's desire1 may be as completely1 and1 in some cases1 will be more completely1 realised amongst the secularities of ordinary life than amidst the sanctities of outward communion and companionship with ,him4 ,jesus was beginning here to wean the man from his sensuous dependence upon ,his localised and material presence4 ,it was good for him1 and it is good for us all1 to 'feel our feet1' so to speak4 ,responsibility laid1 and felt to be laid1 upon us is a steadying and ennobling influence4 ,and it was better that the demoniac should learn to stand calmly1 when apparently alone1 than that he should childishly be relying on the mere external presence of his ,deliverer4 ,be sure of this1 that when the ,lord went away across the lake1 ,he left ,his heart and ,his thoughts1 and ,his care and ,his power over there1 on the heathen side of the sea2 and that when 'the people thronged ,him' on the other side1 and the poor woman pressed through the crowd1 that virtue might come to her by her touch1 virtue was at the same time raying out across the water to the solitary newly healed demoniac1 to sustain him too4 ,and so we may all learn that we may have1 and it depends upon ourselves whether we do or do not have1 all protection all companionship1 and all the sweetness of ,christ's companionship and the security of ,christ's protection just as completely when we are at home amongst our friends--that is to say1 when we are about our daily work1 and in the secularities of our calling or profession--as when we are in the 'secret place of the ,most ,high' and holding fellowship with a present ,christ4 ,oh1 to carry ,him with us into every duty1 to realise ,him in all circumstances1 to see the light of ,his face shine amidst the darkness of calamity1 and the pointing of ,his directing finger showing us our road amidst all perplexities of life6 ,brethren1 that is possible4 ,when ,jesus ,christ 'suffered him not to go with ,him1' ,jesus ,christ stayed behind with the man4 ,lastly1 we have here the duty enjoined4 ',go home to thy friends1 and tell them how great things the ,lord hath done for thee4' ,the man went home and translated the injunction into word and deed4 ,as ,i said1 the reason for the peculiarity of his treatment1 in his request being refused1 was probably his peculiar temperament4 ,so again ,i would say the reason for the commandment laid upon him1 which is also anomalous1 was probably the peculiarity of his disposition4 ,usually our ,lord was careful to enjoin silence upon those whom ,he benefited by ,his miraculous cures4 ,that injunction of silence was largely owing to ,his desire not to create or fan the flame of popular excitement4 ,but that risk was chiefly to be guarded against in the land of ,israel1 and here1 where we have a miracle upon ,gentile soil1 there was not the same occasion for avoiding talk and notoriety4 ,but probably the main reason for the exceptional commandment to go and publish abroad what the ,lord had done was to be found in the simple fact that this man's malady and his disposition were such that external work of some sort was the best thing to prevent him from relapsing into his former condition4 ,his declaration to everybody of his cure would help to confirm his cure2 and whilst he was speaking about being healed1 he would more and more realise to himself that he was healed4 ,having work to do would take him out of himself1 which no doubt was a great security against the recurrence of the evil from which he had been delivered4 ,but however that may be1 look at the plain lesson that lies here4 ,every healed man should be a witness to his ,healer2 and there is no better way of witnessing than by our lives1 by the elevation manifested in our aims1 by our aversion from all low1 earthly1 gross things1 by the conspicuous--not made conspicuous by us1 conspicuous because it cannot be hid--concentration and devotion1 and unselfishness and ,christlikeness of our daily lives to show that we are really healed4 ,if we manifest these things in our conduct1 then1 when we say 'it was ,jesus ,christ that healed me1' people will be apt to believe us4 ,but if this man had gone away into the mountains and amongst the tombs as he used to do1 and had continued all the former characteristics of his devil-ridden life1 who would have believed him when he talked about being healed8 ,and who ought to believe you when you say1 ',christ is my ,saviour1' if your lives are1 to all outward seeming1 exactly what they were before8 ,the sphere in which the healed man's witness was to be borne tested the reality of his healing4 ',go home to thy friends1 and tell them4' ,i wonder how many ,christian professors there are who would be least easily believed by those who live in the same house with them1 if they said that ,jesus had cast their devils out of them4 ,it is a great mistake to take recent converts1 especially if they have been very profligate beforehand1 and to hawk them about the country as trophies of ,god's converting power4 ,let them stop at home1 and bethink themselves1 and get sober and confirmed1 and let their changed lives prove the reality of ,christ's healing power4 ,they can speak to some purpose after that4 ,further1 remember that there is no better way for keeping out devils than working for ,jesus ,christ4 ,many a man finds that the true cure--say1 for instance1 of doubts that buzz about him and disturb him1 is to go away and talk to some one about his ,saviour4 ,work for ,jesus amongst people that do not know ,him is a wonderful sieve for sifting out the fundamental articles of the ,christian faith4 ,and when we go to other people1 and tell them of that ,lord1 and see how the message is sometimes received1 and what it sometimes does1 we come away with confirmed faith4 ,but1 in any case1 it is better to work for ,him than to sit alone1 thinking about ,him4 ,the two things have to go together2 and ,i know very well that there is a great danger1 in the present day1 of exaggeration1 and insisting too exclusively upon the duty of ,christian work whilst neglecting to insist upon the duty of ,christian meditation4 ,but1 on the other hand1 it blows the cobwebs out of a man's brain2 it puts vigour into him1 it releases him from himself1 and gives him something better to think about1 when he listens to the ,master's voice1 ',go home to thy friends1 and tell them what great things the ,lord hath done for thee4' ',master6 it is good for us to be here4 ,let us make three tabernacles4 ,stay here2 let us enjoy ourselves up in the clouds1 with ,moses and ,elias2 and never mind about what goes on below4' ,but there was a demoniac boy down there that needed to be healed2 and the father was at his wits' end1 and the disciples were at theirs because they could not heal him4 ,and so ,jesus ,christ turned ,his back upon the ,mount of ,transfiguration1 and the company of the blessed two1 and the ,voice that said1 ',this is ,my beloved ,son1' and hurried down where human woes called ,him1 and found that ,he was as near ,god1 and so did ,peter and ,james and ,john1 as when up there amid the glory4 ',go home to thy friends1 and tell them'2 and you will find that to do that is the best way to realise the desire which seemed to be put aside1 the desire for the presence of ,christ4 ,for be sure that wherever ,he may not be1 ,he always is where a man1 in obedience to ,him1 is doing ,his commandments4 ,so when ,he said1 ',go home to thy friends1' ,he was answering the request that ,he seamed to reject1 and when the ,gadarene obeyed1 he would find1 to his astonishment and his grateful wonder1 that the ,lord had not gone away in the boat1 but was with him still4 ',go ye into all the world and preach the ,gospel4 ,lo6 ,i am with you always4' ,,talitha ,,cumi ,and1 behold1 there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue1 ,jairus by name2 and when he saw ,him1 he fell at ,his feet1 #bc4 ,and besought ,him greatly1 saying1 ,my little daughter lieth at the point of death3 ,i pray ,thee1 come and lay ,thy hands on her1 that she may be healed2 and she shall live4 #bd4 ,and ,jesus went with him2 and much people followed ,him1 and thronged ,him4444 #ce4 ,while ,he yet spake1 there came from the ruler of the synagogue's house certain which said1 ,thy daughter is dead3 why troublest thou the ,master any further8 #cf4 ,as soon as ,jesus heard the word that was spoken1 ,he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue1 ,be not afraid1 only believe4 #cg4 ,and ,he suffered no man to follow ,him1 save ,peter1 and ,james1 and ,john the brother of ,james4 #ch4 ,and ,he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue1 and seeth the tumult1 and them that wept and wailed greatly4 #ci4 ,and when ,he was come in1 ,he saith unto them1 ,why make ye this ado1 and weep8 the damsel is not dead1 but sleepeth4 #dj4 ,and they laughed ,him to scorn4 ,but when ,he had put them all out1 ,he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel1 and them that were with ,him1 and entereth in where the damsel was lying4 #da4 ,and ,he took the damsel by the hand1 and said unto her1 ,talitha cumi2 which is1 being interpreted1 ,damsel1 ,i say unto thee1 arise4 #db4 ,and straightway the damsel arose1 and walked2 for she was of the age of twelve years4 ,and they were astonished with a great astonishment4 #dc4 ,and ,he charged them straitly that no man should know it2 and commanded that something should be given her to eat4'--,mark v4 #bb-bd1 #ce-dc4 ,the scene of this miracle was probably ,capernaum2 its time1 according to ,matthew1 was the feast at his house after his call4 ,mark's date appears to be later1 but he may have anticipated the feast in his narrative1 in order to keep the whole of the incidents relating to ,matthew's apostleship together4 ,jairus's knowledge of ,jesus is implied in the story1 and perhaps ,jesus' acquaintance with him4 ,i4 ,we note1 first1 the agonised appeal and the immediate answer4 ,desperation makes men bold4 ,conventionalities are burned up by the fire of agonised petitioning for help in extremity4 ,without apology or preliminary1 ,jairus bursts in1 and his urgent need is sufficient excuse4 ,jesus never complains of scant respect when wrung hearts cry to ,him4 ,but this man was not only driven by despair1 but drawn by trust4 ,he was sure that1 even though his little darling had been all but dead when he ran from his house1 and was dead by this time1 for all he knew1 ,jesus could give her life4 ,perhaps he had not faced the stern possibility that she might already be gone1 nor defined precisely what he hoped for in that case4 ,but he was sure of ,jesus' power1 and he says nothing to show that he doubted ,his willingness4 ,a beautiful trust shines through his words1 based1 no doubt1 on what he had known and seen of ,jesus' miracles4 ,we have more pressing and deeper needs1 and we have fuller and deeper knowledge of ,jesus1 wherefore our approach to ,him should be at least as earnest and confidential as ,jairus's was4 ,if our ,lord was at the feast when this interruption took place1 ,his gracious1 immediate answer becomes more lovely1 as a sign of ,his willingness to bring the swiftest help4 ',while they are yet speaking1 ,i will hear4' ,jairus had not finished asking before ,jesus was on ,his feet to go4 ,the father's impatience would be satisfied when they were on their way1 but how he would chafe1 and think every moment an age1 while ,jesus stayed1 as if at entire leisure1 to deal with another silent petitioner6 ,but ,his help to one never interferes with ,his help to another1 and no case is so pressing as that ,he cannot spare time to stay to bless some one else4 ,the poor1 sickly1 shamefaced woman shall be healed1 and the little girl shall not suffer4 ,,ii4 ,we have next the extinction and rekindling of ,jairus's glimmer of hope4 ,distances in ,capernaum were short1 and the messenger would soon find ,jesus4 ,there was little sympathy in the harsh1 bald announcement of the death1 or in the appended suggestion that the ,rabbi need not be further troubled4 ,the speaker evidently was thinking more of being polite to ,jesus than of the poor father's stricken heart1 ,jairus would feel then what most of us have felt in like circumstances1--that he had been more hopeful than he knew4 ,only when the last glimmer is quenched do we feel1 by the blackness1 how much light had lingered in our sky1 ,but ,jesus knew ,jairus's need before ,jairus himself knew it1 and ,his strong word of cheer relit the torch ere the poor father had time to speak4 ,that loving eye reads our hearts and anticipates our dreary hopelessness by ,his sweet comfortings4 ,faith is the only victorious antagonist of fear4 ,jairus had every reason for abandoning hope1 and his only reason for clinging to it was faith4 ,so it is with us all4 ,it is vain to bid us not be afraid when real dangers and miseries stare us in the face2 but it is not vain to bid us 'believe1' and if we do that1 faith1 cast into the one scale1 will outweigh a hundred good reasons for dread and despair cast into the other4 ,,iii4 ,we have next the tumult of grief and the word that calms4 ,the hired mourners had lost no time1 and in ,eastern fashion were disturbing the solemnity of death with their professional shrieks and wailings4 ,true grief is silent4 ,woe that weeps aloud is soon consoled4 ,what a contrast between the noise outside and the still death-chamber and its occupant1 and what a contrast between the agitation of the sham comforters and the calmness of the true ,helper6 ,christ's great word was spoken for us all when our hearts are sore and our dear ones go4 ,it dissolves the dim shape into nothing ness1 or1 rather1 it transfigures it into a gracious1 soothing form4 ,sleep is rest1 and bears in itself the pledge of waking4 ,so ,christ has changed the 'shadow feared of man' into beauty1 and in the strength of ,his great word we can meet the last enemy with ',welcome6 friend4' ,it is strange that any one reading this narrative should have been so blind to its deepest beauty as to suppose that ,jesus was here saying that the child had only swooned1 and was really alive4 ,he was not denying that she was what men call 'dead1' but ,he was1 in the triumphant consciousness of ,his own power1 and in the clear vision of the realities of spiritual being1 of which bodily states are but shadows1 denying that what men call death deserves the name4 ',death' is the state of the soul separated from ,god1 whether united to the body or no1--not the separation of body and soul1 which is only a visible symbol of the more dread reality4 ,,iv4 ,we have finally the life-giving word and the life-preserving care4 ,probably ,jesus first freed ,his progress from the jostling crowd1 and then1 when arrived1 made the further selection of the three apostles1--the first three of the mighty ones--and1 as was becoming1 of the father and mother4 ,with what hushed1 tense expectation they would enter the chamber6 ,think of the mother's eyes watching ,him4 ,the very words that ,he spoke were like a caress4 ,there was infinite tenderness in that ',damsel6' from ,his lips1 and so deep an impression did it make on ,peter that he repeated the very words to ,mark1 and used them1 with the change of one letter 7',tabitha' for ',talitha'71 in raising ,dorcas4 ,the same tenderness is expressed by ,his taking her by the hand1 as1 no doubt1 her mother had done1 many a morning1 on waking her4 ,the father had asked ,him to lay ,his hand on her1 that she might be made whole and live4 ,he did as ,he was asked1--,he always does--and ,his doing according to our desire brings larger blessings than we had thought of4 ,neither the touch of ,his hand nor the words ,he spoke were the real agents of the child's returning to life4 ,it was ,his will which brought her back from whatever vasty dimness she had entered4 ,the forth-putting of ,christ's will is sovereign1 and ,his word runs with power through all regions of the universe4 ',the dull1 cold ear of death' hears1 and 'they that hear shall live1' whether they are1 as men say1 dead1 or whether they are 'dead in trespasses and sins4' ,the resurrection of a soul is a mightier act--if we can speak of degrees of might in ,his acts--than that of a body4 ,it would be calming for the child of such strange experiences to see1 for the first thing that met her eyes opening again on the old familiar home as on a strange land1 the bending face of ,jesus1 and ,his touch would steady her spirit and assure of ,his love and help4 ,the quiet command to give her food knits the wonder with common life1 and teaches precious lessons as to ,his economy of miraculous power1 like ,his bidding others loosen ,lazarus's wrappings1 and as to ,his devolution on us of duties towards those whom ,he raises from the death of sin4 ,but it was given1 not didactically1 but lovingly4 ,the girl was exhausted1 and sustenance was necessary1 and would be sweet4 ,so ,he thought upon a small bodily need1 and the love that gave life took care to provide what was required to support it4 ,he gives the greatest2 ,he will take care that we shall not lack the least4 ,,the ,,power ,,of ,,feeble ,,faith ',and a certain woman 444 #bg4 ,when she had heard of ,jesus1 came in the press behind1 and touched ,his garment4 #bh4 ,for she said1 ,if ,i may touch but ,his clothes1 ,i shall be whole4'--,mark v4 #be1 #bg1 #bh4 ,in all the narratives of this miracle1 it is embedded in the story of ,jairus's daughter1 which it cuts in twain4 ,i suppose that the ,evangelists felt1 and would have us feel1 the impression of calm consciousness of power and of leisurely dignity produced by ,christ's having time to pause even on such an errand1 in order to heal by the way1 as if parenthetically1 this other poor sufferer4 ,the child's father with impatient earnestness pleads the urgency of her case--',she lieth at the point of death'2 and to him and to the group of disciples1 it must have seemed that there was no time to be lost4 ,but ,he who knows that ,his resources are infinite can afford to let her die1 while ,he cures and saves this woman4 ,she shall receive no harm1 and her sister suppliant has as great a claim on ,him4 ',the eyes of all wait' on ,his equal love2 ,he has leisure of heart to feel for each1 and fulness of power for all2 and none can rob another of his share in the ,healer's gifts1 nor any in all that dependent crowd jostle his neighbour out of the notice of the ,saviour's eye4 ,the main point of the story itself seems to be the illustration which it gives of the genuineness and power of an imperfect faith1 and of ,christ's merciful way of responding to and strengthening such a faith4 ,looked at from that point of view1 the narrative is very striking and instructive4 ,the woman is a poor shrinking creature1 broken down by long illness1 made more timid still by many disappointed hopes of core1 depressed by poverty to which her many doctors had brought her4 ,she does not venture to stop this new ,rabbi-physician1 as ,he goes with the rich church dignitary to heal his daughter1 but lets ,him pass before she can make up her mind to go near ,him at all1 and then comes creeping up in the crowd behind1 puts out her wasted1 trembling hand to ,his garment's hem--and she is whole4 ,she would fain have stolen away with her new-found blessing1 but ,christ forces her to stand out before the throng1 and there1 with all their eyes upon her--cold1 cruel eyes some of them--to conquer her diffidence and shame1 and tell all the truth4 ,strange kindness that6 strangely contrasted with ,his ordinary care to avoid notoriety1 and with ,his ordinary tender regard for shrinking weakness6 ,what may have been the reason8 ,certainly it was not for ,his own sake at all1 nor for others' chiefly1 but for hers1 that ,he did this4 ,the reason lay in the incompleteness of her faith4 ,it was very incomplete--although it was1 ,christ answered it4 ,and then ,he sought to make the cure1 and the discipline that followed it1 the means of clearing and confirming her trust in ,himself4 ,i4 ,following the order of the narrative thus understood1 we have here first the great lesson1 that very imperfect faith may be genuine faith4 ,there was unquestionable confidence in ,christ's healing power1 and there was earnest desire for healing4 ,our ,lord ,himself recognises her faith as adequate to be the condition of her receiving the cure which she desired4 ,of course1 it was a very different thing from the faith which unites us to ,christ1 and is the condition of our receiving our soul's cure2 and we shall never understand the relation of multitudes of the people in the ,gospels to ,jesus1 if we insist upon supposing that the 'faith to be healed1' which many of them had1 was a religious1 or1 as we call it1 'saving faith4' ,but still1 the trust which was directed to ,him1 as the giver of miraculous temporal blessings1 is akin to that higher trust into which it often passed1 and the principles regulating the operation of the loftier are abundantly illustrated in the workings of the lower4 ,the imperfections1 then1 of this woman's faith were many4 ,it was intensely ignorant trust4 ,she dimly believes that1 somehow or other1 this miracle-working ,rabbi will heal her1 but the cure is to be a piece of magic1 secured by material contact of her finger with ,his robe4 ,she has no idea that ,christ's will1 or ,his knowledge1 much less ,his pitying love1 has anything to do with it4 ,she thinks that she may get her desire furtively1 and may carry it away out of the crowd1 and ,he1 the source of it1 be none the wiser1 and none the poorer1 for the blessing which she has stolen from ,him4 ,what utter blank ignorance of ,christ's character and way of working6 ,what complete misconception of the relation between ,himself and ,his gift6 ,what low1 gross1 superstitious ideas6 ,yes1 and with them all what a hunger of intense desire to be whole2 what absolute assurance of confidence that one finger-tip on ,his robe was enough6 ,therefore she had her desire1 and her ,lord recognised her faith as true1 foolish and unworthy as were the thoughts which accompanied it6 ,thank ,god6 the same thing is true still1 or what would become of any of us8 ,there may be a real faith in ,christ1 though there be mixed with it many and grave errors concerning ,his work1 and the manner of receiving the blessings which ,he bestows4 ,a man may have a very hazy apprehension of the bearing and whole scope of even ,scripture declarations concerning the profounder aspects of ,christ's person and work1 and yet be holding fast to ,him by living confidence4 ,i do not wish to underrate for one moment the absolute necessity of clear and true conceptions of revealed truth1 in order to a vigorous and fully developed faith2 but1 while there can be no faith worth calling so1 which is not based upon the intellectual reception of truth1 there may be faith based upon the very imperfect intellectual reception of very partial truth4 ,the power and vitality of faith are not measured by the comprehensiveness and clearness of belief4 ,the richest soil may bear shrunken and barren ears2 and on the arid sand1 with the thinnest layer of earth1 gorgeous cacti may bloom out1 and fleshy aloes lift their sworded arms1 with stores of moisture to help them through the heat4 ,it is not for us to say what amount of ignorance is destructive of the possibility of real confidence in ,jesus ,christ4 ,but for ourselves1 feeling how short a distance our eyesight travels1 and how little1 after all our systems1 the great bulk of men in ,christian lands know lucidly and certainly of theological truth1 and how wide are the differences of opinion amongst us1 and how soon we come to towering barriers1 beyond which our poor faculties can neither pass nor look1 it ought to be a joy to us all1 that a faith which is clouded with such ignorance may yet be a faith which ,christ accepts4 ,he that knows and trusts ,him as ,brother1 ,friend1 ,saviour1 in whom he receives the pardon and cleansing which he needs and desires1 may have very much misconception and error cleaving to him1 but ,christ accepts him4 ,if at the beginning ,his disciples know but this much1 that they are sick unto death1 and have tried without success all other remedies1 and this more1 that ,christ will heal them2 and if their faith builds upon that knowledge1 then they will receive according to their faith4 ,by degrees they will be taught more2 they will be brought to the higher benches in ,his school2 but1 for a beginning1 the most cloudy apprehension that ,christ is the ,saviour of the world1 and my ,saviour1 may become the foundation of a trust which will bind the heart to ,him and knit ,him to the heart in eternal union4 ,this poor woman received her healing1 although she said1 ',if ,i may touch but the hem of ,his garment1 ,i shall be whole4' ,her error was akin to one which is starting into new prominence again1 and with which ,i need not say that ,i have no sort of sympathy1--that of people who attach importance to externals as means and channels of grace1 and in whose system the hem of the garment and the touch of the finger are apt to take the place which the heart of the wearer and the grasp of faith should hold4 ,the more our circumstances call for resistance to this error1 the more needful is it to remember that1 along with it and uttering itself through it1 may be a depth of devout trust in ,christ1 which should shame us4 ,many a poor soul that clasps the base of the crucifix clings to the cross2 many a devout heart1 kneeling before the altar1 sees through the incense-smoke the face of the ,christ4 ,the faith that is tied to form1 though it be no faith for a man1 though in some respects it darken ,god's ,gospel1 and bring it down to the level of magical superstition1 may yet be1 and often is1 accepted by ,him whose merciful eye recognised1 and whose swift power answered1 the mistaken trust of her who believed that healing lay in the fringes of ,his robe1 rather than in the pity of ,his heart4 ,again1 her trust was very selfish4 ,she wanted health2 she did not care about the ,healer4 ,she thought much of the blessing in itself1 little or nothing of the blessing as a sign of ,his love4 ,she would have been quite contented to have had nothing more to do with ,christ if she could only have gone away cured4 ,she felt but little glow of gratitude to ,him whom she thought of as unconscious of the good which she had stolen from ,him4 ,all this is a parallel to what occurs in the early stages of many a ,christian life4 ,the first inducement to a serious contemplation of ,christ is1 ordinarily1 the consciousness of one's own sore need4 ,most men are driven to ,him as a refuge from self1 from their own sin1 and from the wages of sin4 ,the soul1 absorbed in its own misery1 and groaning in a horror of great darkness1 sees from afar a great light1 and stumbles towards it4 ,its first desire is deliverance1 forgiveness1 escape2 and the first motions of faith are impelled by consideration of personal consequences4 ,love comes after1 born of the recognition of ,christ's great love to which we owe our salvation2 but faith precedes love in the natural order of things1 however closely love may follow faith2 and the predominant motive in the earlier stages of many men's faith is distinctly self-regard4 ,now1 that is all right1 and as it was meant to be4 ,it is an overstrained and caricatured doctrine of self-abnegation1 which condemns such a faith as wrong4 ,the most purely self-absorbed wish to escape from the most rudely pictured hell may be1 and often is1 the beginning of a true trust in ,christ4 ,some of our superfine modern teachers who are shocked at ,christianity1 because it lays the foundation of the loftiest1 most self-denying morality in 'selfishness' of that kind1 would be all the wiser for going to school to this story1 and laying to heart the lesson it contains1 of how a desire no nobler than to get rid of a painful disease was the starting-point of a moral transformation1 which turned a life into a peaceful1 thankful surrender of the cured self to the service and love of the mighty ,healer4 ,but while this faith1 for the sake of the blessing to be obtained1 is genuine1 it is undoubtedly imperfect4 ,quite legitimate and natural at first1 it must grow into something nobler when it has once been answered4 ,to think of the disease mainly is inevitable before the cure1 but1 after the cure1 we should think most of the ,physician4 ,self-love may impel to ,his feet2 but ,christ-love should be the moving spring of life thereafter4 ,ere we have received anything from ,him1 our whole soul may be a longing to have our gnawing emptiness filled2 but when we have received ,his own great gift1 our whole soul should be a thank-offering4 ,the great reformation which ,christ produces is1 that ,he shifts the centre for us from ourselves to ,himself2 and whilst ,he uses our sense of need and our fear of personal evil as the means towards this1 ,he desires that the faith1 which has been answered by deliverance1 should thenceforward be a 'faith which worketh by love4' ,as long as we live1 either here or yonder1 we shall never get beyond the need for the exercise of the primary form of faith1 for we shall ever be compassed by many needs1 and dependent for all help and blessedness on ,him2 but as we grow in experience of ,his tender might1 we should learn more and more that ,his gifts cannot be separated from ,himself4 ,we should prize them most for ,his sake1 and love ,him more than we do them4 ,we should be drawn to ,him as well as driven to ,him4 ,faith may begin with desiring the blessing rather than the ,christ4 ,it must end with desiring ,him more than all besides1 and with losing self utterly in ,his great love4 ,its starting-point may rightly be1 ',save1 ,lord1 or ,i perish4' ,its goal must be1 ',i live1 yet not ,i1 but ,christ liveth in me4' ,again1 here is an instance of real faith weakened and interrupted by much distrust4 ,there was not a full1 calm reliance on ,christ's power and love4 ,she dare not appeal to ,his heart1 she shrinks from meeting ,his eye4 ,she will let ,him pass1 and then put forth a tremulous hand4 ,cross-currents of emotion agitate her soul4 ,she doubts1 yet she believes2 she is afraid1 yet emboldened by her very despair2 too diffident to cast herself on ,his pity1 she is too confident not to resort to ,his healing virtue4 ,and so is it ever with our faith4 ,its ideal perfection would be that it should be unbroken1 undashed by any speck of doubt4 ,but the reality is far different4 ,it is no full-orbed completeness1 but1 at the best1 a growing segment of reflected light1 with many a rough place in its jagged outline1 prophetic of increase2 with many a deep pit of blackness on its silver surface2 with many a storm-cloud sweeping across its face2 conscious of eclipse and subject to change4 ,and yet it is the light which ,he has set to rule the night of life1 and we may rejoice in its crescent beam4 ,we are often tempted to question the reality of faith in ourselves and others1 by reason of the unbelief and disbelief which co-exist with it4 ,but why should we do so8 ,may there not be an inner heart and centre of true trust1 with a nebulous environment of doubt1 through which the nucleus shall gradually send its attracting and consolidating power1 and turn it1 too1 into firm substance8 ,may there not be a germ1 infinitesimal1 yet with a real life throbbing in its microscopic minuteness1 and destined to be a great tree1 with all the fowls of the air lodging in its branches8 ,may there not be hid in a heart a principle of action1 which is obviously marked out for supremacy1 though it has not yet come to sovereign power and manifestation in either the inward or the outward being8 ,where do we learn that faith must be complete to be genuine8 ,our own weak hearts say it to us often enough2 and our lingering unbelief is only too ready to hiss into our ears the serpent's whisper1 ',you are deceiving yourself2 look at your doubts1 your coldness1 your forgetfulness3 you have no faith at all4' ,to all such morbid thoughts1 which only sap the strength of the spirit1 and come from beneath1 not from above1 we have a right to oppose the first great lesson of this story--the reality of an imperfect faith4 ,and1 turning from the profitless contemplation of the feebleness of our grasp of ,christ's robe to look on ,him1 the fountain of all spiritual energy1 let us cleave the more confidently to ,him for every discovery of our own weakness1 and cry to ,him for help against ourselves1 that ,he would not 'quench the smoking flax'2 for the old prayer is never offered in vain1 when offered1 as at first1 with tears1 ',lord1 ,i believe2 help ,thou mine unbelief4' ,,ii4 ,the second stage of this story sets forth a truth involved in what ,i have already said1 but still needing to be dealt with for a moment by itself--namely1 that ,christ answers the imperfect faith4 ,there was no real connection between the touch of ,his robe and the cure1 but the poor ignorant sufferer thought that there was2 and1 therefore1 ,christ stoops to her childish thought1 and allows her to prescribe the path by which ,his gift shall reach her4 ,that thin wasted hand stretched itself up beyond the height to which it could ordinarily reach1 and1 though that highest point fell far short of ,him1 ,he lets ,his blessing down to her level4 ,he does not say1 ',understand ,me1 put away thy false notion of healing power residing in ,my garment's hem1 or ,i heal thee not4' ,but ,he says1 ',dost thou think that it is through thy finger on ,my robe8 ,then1 through thy finger on ,my robe it shall be4 ,according to thy faith1 be it unto thee4' ,and so it is ever4 ,christ's mercy1 like water in a vase1 takes the shape of the vessel that holds it4 ,on the one hand1 ,his grace is infinite1 and 'is given to every one of us according to the measure of the gift of ,christ'--with no limitation but ,his own unlimited fulness2 on the other hand1 the amount which we practically receive from that inexhaustible store is1 at each successive moment1 determined by the measure and the purity and the intensity of our faith4 ,on ,his part there is no limit but infinity1 on our sides the limit is our capacity1 and our capacity is settled by our desires4 ,his word to us ever is1 ',open thy mouth wide1 and ,i will fill it4' ',be it unto thee even as thou wilt4' ,a double lesson1 therefore1 lies in this thought for us all4 ,first1 let us labour that our faith may be enlightened1 importunate1 and firm3 for every flaw in it will injuriously affect our possession of the grace of ,god4 ,errors in opinion will hinder the blessings that flow from the truths which we misconceive or reject4 ,languor of desire will diminish the sum and enfeeble the energy of the powers that work in us4 ,wavering confidence1 crossed and broken1 like the solar spectrum1 by many a dark line of doubt1 will make our conscious possession of ,christ's gift fitful4 ,we have a deep well to draw from4 ,let us take care that the vessel with which we draw is in size proportionate to its depth and our need1 that the chain to which it hangs is strong1 and that no leaks in it let the full supply run out1 nor any stains on its inner surface taint and taste the bright treasure4 ,and the other lesson is this4 ,there can be no faith so feeble that ,christ does not respond to it4 ,the most ignorant1 self-regarding1 timid trust may unite the soul to ,jesus ,christ4 ,to desire is to have2 and 'whosoever will1 may take of the water of life freely4' ,if you only come to ,him1 though ,he have passed1 ,he will stop4 ,if you come trusting and yet doubting1 ,he will forgive the doubt and answer the trust4 ,if you come to ,him1 knowing but that your heart is full of evil which none save ,he can cure1 and putting out a lame hand--or even a tremulous finger-tip--to touch ,his garment1 be sure that anything is possible rather than that ,he should turn away your prayer1 or ,his mercy from you4 ,,iii4 ,the last part of this miracle teaches us that ,christ corrects and confirms an imperfect faith by the very act of answering it4 ,observe how the process of cure and the discipline which followed are1 in ,christ's loving wisdom1 made to fit closely to all the faults and flaws in the suppliant's faith4 ,she had thought of the healing energy as independent of the ,healer's knowledge and will4 ,therefore ,his very first word shows her that ,he is aware of her mute appeal1 and conscious of the going forth from ,him of the power that cures--',who touched ,me8' ,as was said long ago1 'the multitudes thronged ,him1 but the woman touched4' ,amidst all the jostling of the unmannerly crowd that trod with rude feet on ,his skirts1 and elbowed their way to see this new ,rabbi1 there was one touch unlike all the rest2 and1 though it was only that of the finger-tip of a poor woman1 wasted to skin and bone with twelve years' weakening disease1 ,he knew it2 and ,his will and love sent forth the 'virtue' which healed4 ,may we not fairly apply this lesson to ourselves8 ,christ is1 as most of us1 ,i suppose1 believe1 ,lord of all creatures1 administering the affairs of the universe2 the steps of ,his throne and the precincts of ,his court are thronged with dependants whose eyes wait upon ,him1 and who are fed from ,his stores2 and yet my poor voice may steal through that chorus-shout of petition and praise1 and ,his ear will detect its lowest note1 and will separate the thin stream of my prayer from the great sea of supplication which rolls to ,his seat1 and will answer me4 ,my hand uplifted among the millions of empty and imploring palms that are raised towards the heaven will receive into its clasping fingers the special blessing for my special wants4 ,again1 she had been selfish in her faith1 had not cared for any close personal relation with ,him2 and so she was taught that ,he was in all ,his gifts1 and that ,he was more than all ,his gifts4 ,he compels her to come to ,his feet that she may learn ,his heart1 and may carry away a blessing not stolen1 but bestowed ',with open love1 not secret cure1 ,the ,lord of hearts would bless4' ,and thus is laid the foundation for a personal bond between her and ,christ1 which shall be for the joy of her life1 and shall make of that life a thankful sacrifice to ,him1 the ,healer4 ,thus it is with us all4 ,we may go to ,him1 at first1 with no thought but for ourselves4 ,but we have not to carry away ,his gift hidden in our hands4 ,we learn that it is a love-token from ,him4 ,and so we find in ,his answer to faith the true and only cure for all self-regard2 and moved by the mercies of ,christ1 are led to do what else were impossible--to yield ourselves as 'living sacrifices' to ,him4 ,again1 she had shrunk from publicity4 ,her womanly diffidence1 her enfeebled health1 the shame of her disease1 all made her wish to hide herself and her want from ,his eye1 and to hide herself and her treasure from men4 ,she would fain steal away unnoticed1 as she hoped she had come4 ,but she is dragged out before all the thronging multitude1 and has to tell the whole4 ,the answer to her faith makes her bold4 ,in a moment she is changed from timidity to courage2 a tremulous invalid ready to creep into any corner to escape notice1 she stretched out her hand--the instant after1 she knelt at ,his feet in the spirit of a confessor4 ,this is ,christ's most merciful fashion of curing our cowardice--not by rebukes1 but by giving us1 faint-hearted though we be1 the gift which out of weakness makes us strong4 ,he would have us testify to ,him before men1 and that for our own sakes1 since faith unacknowledged1 like a plant in the dark1 is apt to become pale and sickly1 and bear no bright blossoms nor sweet fruit4 ,but1 ere ,he bids us own ,his name1 ,he pours into our hearts1 in answer to our secret appeal1 the health of ,his own life1 and the blissful consciousness of that great gift which makes the tongue of the dumb sing4 ,faith at first may be very timid1 but faith will grow bold to witness of ,him and not be ashamed1 in the exact proportion in which it is genuine1 and receives from ,christ of ,his fulness4 ,and then--with a final word to set forth still more clearly that she had received the blessing from ,his love1 not from ,his magical power1 and through her confidence1 not through her touch--',daughter6 thy faith'--not thy finger--'hath made thee whole2 go in peace and be whole'--,jesus confirms by ,his own authoritative voice the furtive blessing1 and sends her away1 perhaps to see ,him no more1 but to live in tranquil security1 and in her humble home to guard the gift which ,he had bestowed on her imperfect faith1 and to perfect--we may hope--the faith which ,he had enlightened and strengthened by the over-abundance of ,his gift4 ,dear friends1 this poor woman represents us all4 ,like her1 we are sick of a sore sickness1 we have spent our substance in trying physicians of no value1 and are 'nothing the better1 but rather the worse4' ,oh6 is it not strange that you should need to be urged to go to the ,healer to whom she went8 ,do not be afraid1 my brother1 of telling ,him all your pain and pining--,he knows it already4 ,do not be afraid that your hand may not reach ,him for the crowd1 or that your voice may fail to fall on ,his ear4 ,do not be afraid of your ignorance1 do not be afraid of your wavering confidence and many doubts4 ,all these cannot separate you from ,him who ',himself took our infirmities and bare our sicknesses4' ,fear but one thing--that ,he pass on to carry life and health to other souls1 ere you resolve to press to ,his feet4 ,fear but one thing--that whilst you delay1 the hem of the garment may be swept beyond the reach of your slow hand4 ,imperfect faith may bring salvation to a soul3 hesitation may ruin and wreck a life4 ,,touch ,,or ,,faith8 ',if ,i may touch but ,his clothes1 ,i shall be whole4444 ,daughter1 thy faith hath made thee whole4'--,mark v4 #bh1cd4 ,i4 ,the erroneous faith4--,in general terms there is here an illustration of how intellectual error may coexist with sincere faith4 ,the precise form of error is clearly that she looked on the physical contact with the material garment as the vehicle of healing--the very same thing which we find ever since running through the whole history of the ,church1 e4g4 the exaltation of externals1 rites1 ordinances1 sacraments1 etc4 ,take two or three phases of it-- #a4 ,you get it formularised into a system in sacramentarianism4 7a7 ,baptismal regeneration1 7b7 ,holy ,communion4 ,religion becomes largely a thing of rites and ceremonies4 #b4 ,you get it in ,protestant form among ,dissenters in the importance attached to ,church membership4 ,outward acts of worship4 ,there is abroad a vague idea that somehow we get good from external association with religious acts1 and so on4 ,this feeling is deep in human nature1 is not confined to the ,roman ,catholic ,church1 and is not the work of priests4 ,there is a strange revival of it to-day1 and so there is need of protest against it in every form4 ,,ii4 ,the blessing that comes to an erroneous faith4--,the woman here was too 'ritualistic4' ,how many good people there are in that same school to-day6 ,yet how blessed for us all1 that1 even along with many errors1 if we grasp ,him we shall not lose the grace4 ,,iii4 ,christ's gentle enlightenment on the error4--',thy faith hath saved thee4' ,how wonderfully beautiful6 ,he cures by giving the blessing and leading on to the full truth4 ,in regard to the woman1 it might have been that her touch did heal2 but even there in the physical realm1 since it was ,he1 not ,his robe1 that healed1 it was her faith1 not her hand1 that procured the blessing4 ,this is universally true in the spiritual realm4 7a7 ,salvation is purely spiritual and inward in its nature--not an outward work1 but a new nature1 'love1 joy1 peace4' ,hence 7b7 ,faith is the condition of salvation4 ,faith saves because ,he saves1 and faith is contact with ,him4 ,it is the only thing which joins a soul to ,christ4 ,then learn what makes a ,christian4 7c7 ,hence1 the place of externals is purely subsidiary to faith4 ,if they help a man to believe and feel more strongly1 they are good4 ,their only office is the same as that of preaching or reading4 ,in both1 truth is the agent4 ,their power is in enforcing truth4 ,,the ,,looks ,,of ,,jesus ',and ,he looked round about to see her that had done this thing4'--,mark v4 #cb4 ,this ,gospel of ,mark is full of little touches that speak an eye-witness who had the gift of noting and reproducing vividly small details which make a scene live before us4 ,sometimes it is a word of description3 ',there was much grass in the place4' ,sometimes it is a note of ,christ's demeanour3 ',looking up to heaven1 ,he sighed4' ,sometimes it is the very ,aramaic words ,he spoke3 ',ephphatha4' ,very often the ,evangelist tells us of our ,lord's looks1 the gleams of pity and melting tenderness1 the grave rebukes1 the lofty authority that shone in them4 ,we may well believe that on earth as in heaven1 ',his eyes were as a flame of fire1' burning with clear light of knowledge and pure flame of love4 ,these looks had pierced the soul1 and lived for ever in the memory1 of the eye-witness1 whoever he was1 who was the informant of ,mark4 ,probably the old tradition is right1 and it is ,peter's loving quickness of observation that we have to thank for these precious minutiae4 ,but be that as it may1 the records in this ,gospel of the looks of ,christ are very remarkable4 ,my present purpose is to gather them together1 and by their help to think of ,him whose meek1 patient 'eye' is 'still upon them that fear ,him1' beholding our needs and our sins4 ,taking the instances in the order of their occurrence1 they are these--',he looked round on the ,pharisees with anger1 being grieved for the hardness of their hearts' 7iii4 #e74 ,he looked on ,his disciples and said1 ',behold ,my mother and ,my brethren6' 7iii4 #cb74 ,he looked round about to see who had touched the hem of ,his garment 7v4 #cb74 ,he turned and looked on ,his disciples before rebuking ,peter 7viii4 #cc71 ,he looked lovingly on the young questioner1 asking what he should do to obtain eternal life 7x4 #ba71 and in the same context1 ,he looked round about to ,his disciples after the youth had gone away sorrowful1 and enforced the solemn lesson of ,his lips with the light of ,his eye 7x4 #bc1 #bg74 ,lastly1 ,he looked round about on all things in the temple on the day of ,his triumphal entry into ,jerusalem 7xi4 #aa74 ,these are the instances in this ,gospel4 ,one look of ,christ's is not mentioned in it1 which we might have expected--namely1 that which sent ,peter out from the judgment hall to break into a passion of penitent tears4 ,perhaps the remembrance was too sacred to be told--at all events1 the ,evangelist who gives us so many similar notes is silent about that look1 and we have to learn of it from another4 ,we may throw these instances into groups according to their objects1 and so bring out the many-sided impression which they produce4 ,i4 ,the welcoming look of love and pity to those who seek ,him4 ,two of the recorded instances fall into their place here4 ,the one is this of our text1 of the woman who came behind ,christ to touch ,his robe1 and be healed3 the other is that of the young ruler4 ,take that first instance of the woman1 wasted with disease1 timid with the timidity of her sex1 of her long sickness1 of her many disappointments4 ,she steals through the crowd that rudely presses on this miracle-working ,rabbi1 and manages somehow to stretch out a wasted arm through some gap in the barrier of people about ,him1 and with her pallid1 trembling finger to touch the edge of ,his robe4 ,the cure comes at once4 ,it was all that she wanted1 but not all that ,he would give her4 ,therefore ,he turns and lets ,his eye fall upon her4 ,that draws her to ,him4 ,it told her that she had not been too bold4 ,it told her that she had not surreptitiously stolen healing1 but that ,he had knowingly given it1 and that ,his loving pity went with it4 ,so it confirmed the gift1 and1 what was far more1 it revealed the ,giver4 ,she had thought to bear away a secret boon unknown to all but herself4 ,she gets instead an open blessing1 with the ,giver's heart in it4 ,the look that rested on her1 like sunshine on some plant that had long pined and grown blanched in the shade1 revealed ,christ's knowledge1 sympathy1 and loving power4 ,and in all these respects it is a revelation of the ,christ for all time1 and for every seeking timid soul in all the crowd4 ,can my poor feeble hand find a cranny anywhere through which it may reach the robe8 ,what am ,i1 in all this great universe blazing with stars1 and crowded with creatures who hang on ,him1 that ,i should be able to secure personal contact with ,him8 ,the multitude--innumerable companies from every corner of space--press upon ,him and throng ,him1 and ,i--out here on the verge of the crowd-how can ,i get at ,him8--how can my little thin cry live and be distinguishable amid that mighty storm of praise that thunders round ,his throne8 ,we may silence all such hesitancies of faith1 for ,he who knew the difference between the light touch of the hand that sought healing1 and the jostling of the curious crowd1 bends on us the same eye1 a ,god's in its perfect knowledge1 a man's in the dewy sympathy which shines in it4 ,however imperfect may be our thoughts of ,his blessing1 their incompleteness will not hinder our reception of ,his gift in the measure of our faith1 and the very bestowment will teach us worthier conceptions of ,him1 and hearten us for bolder approaches to ,his grace4 ,he still looks on trembling suppliants1 though they may know their own sickness much better than they understand ,him1 and still ,his look draws us to ,his feet by its omniscience1 pity1 and assurance of help4 ,the other case is very different4 ,instead of the invalid woman1 we see a young man in the full flush of his strength1 rich1 needing no material blessing4 ,pure in life1 and righteous according to even a high standard of morality1 he yet feels that he needs something4 ,having real and strong desires after 'eternal life1' he comes to ,christ to try whether this new ,teacher could say anything that would help him to the assured inward peace and spontaneous goodness for which he longed1 and had not found in all the round of punctilious obedience to unloved commandments4 ,as he kneels there before ,jesus1 in his eager haste1 with sincere and high aspirations stamped on his young ingenuous face1 ,christ's eyes turn on him1 and that wonderful word stands written1 ',jesus1 beholding him1 loved him4' ,he reads him through and through1 knowing all the imperfection of his desires after goodness and eternal life1 and yet loving him with more than a brother's love4 ,his sympathy does not blind ,jesus to the limitations and shallowness of the young man's aspirations1 but ,his clear knowledge of these does not harden the gaze into indifference1 nor check the springing tenderness in the ,saviour's heart4 ,and the ,master's words1 though they might sound cold1 and did embody a hard requirement1 are beautifully represented in the story as the expression of that love4 ,he cared for the youth too much to deceive him with smooth things4 ,the truest kindness was to put all his eagerness to the test at once4 ,if he accepted the conditions1 the look told him what a welcome awaited him4 ,if he started aside from them1 it was best for him to find out that there were things which he loved more than eternal life4 ,so with a gracious invitation shining in ,his look1 ,christ places the course of self-denial before him2 and when he went away sorrowful1 he left behind ,one more sorrowful than himself4 ,we can reverently imagine with what a look ,christ watched his retreating figure2 and we may hope that1 though he went away then1 the memory of that glance of love1 and of those kind1 faithful words1 sooner or later drew him back to his ,saviour4 ,is not all this too an everlasting revelation of our ,lord's attitude8 ,we may be sure that ,he looks on many a heart--on many a young heart--glowing with noble wishes and half-understood longings1 and that ,his love reaches every one who1 groping for the light1 asks ,him what to do to inherit eternal life4 ,his great charity 'hopeth all things1' and does not turn away from longings because they are too weak to lift the soul above all the weights of sense and the world4 ,rather ,he would deepen them and strengthen them1 and ,his eternal requirements addressed to feeble wills are not meant to 'quench the smoking flax1' but to kindle it to decisive consecration and self-surrender4 ,the loving look interprets the severe words4 ,if once we meet it full1 and our hearts yield to the heart that is seen in it1 the cords that bind us snap1 and it is no more hard to 'count all things but loss1' and to give up ourselves1 that we may follow ,him4 ,the sad and feeble and weary who may be half despairingly seeking for alleviation of outward ills1 and the young and strong and ardent whose souls are fed with high desires1 have but little comprehension of one another1 but ,christ knows them both1 and loves them both1 and would draw them both to ,himself4 ,,ii4 ,the ,lord's looks of love and warning to those who have found ,him4 ,there are three instances of this class4 ,the first is when ,he looked round on ,his disciples and said1 ',behold ,my mother and ,my brethren6' 7iii4 #cd74 ,perhaps no moment in all ,christ's life had more of humiliation in it than that4 ,there could be no deeper degradation than that ,his own family should believe ,him insane4 ,not ,his brethren only1 but ,his mother herself seems to have been shaken from her attitude of meek obedience so wonderfully expressed in her two recorded sayings1 ',be it unto me according to ,thy word1' and ',whatsoever ,he saith unto you1 do it4' ,she too appears to be in the shameful conspiracy1 and to have consented that her name should be used as a lure in the wily message meant to separate ,him from ,his friends1 that ,he might be seized and carried off as a madman4 ,what depth of tenderness was in that slow circuit of ,his gaze upon the humble loving followers grouped round ,him6 ,it spoke the fullest trustfulness of them1 and ,his rest in their sympathy1 partial though it was4 ,it went before ,his speech1 like the flash before the report1 and looked what in a moment ,he said1 ',behold ,my mother and ,my brethren6' ,it owned spiritual affinities as more real than family bonds1 and proved that ,he required no more of us than ,he was willing to do ,himself when ,he bid us 'forsake father and mother1 and wife and children' for ,him4 ,we follow ,him when we tread that road1 hard though it be4 ,in ,him every mother may behold her son1 in ,him we may find more than the reality of every sweet family relationship4 ,that same love1 which identified ,him with those half-enlightened followers here1 still binds ,him to us1 and ,he looks down on us from amid the glory1 and owns us for ,his true kindred4 ,that look of unutterable love is strangely contrasted with the next instance4 ,we read 7viii4 #cb7 that ,peter 'took ,him'--apart a little way1 ,i suppose--'and began to rebuke ,him4' ,he turns away from the rash ,apostle1 will say no word to him alone1 but summons the others by a glance1 and then1 having made sure that all were within hearing1 ,he solemnly rebukes ,peter with the sharpest words that ever fell from ,his lips4 ,that look calls them to listen1 not that they may be witnesses of ,peter's chastisement1 but because the severe words concern them all4 ,it bids them search themselves as they hear4 ,they too may be ',satans4' ,they too may shrink from the cross1 and 'mind the things that be of men4' ,we may take the remaining instance along with this4 ,it occurs immediately after the story of the young seeker1 to which we have already referred4 ,twice within five verses 7x4 #bc-bg7 we read that ,he 'looked on ,his disciples1' before ,he spoke the grave lessons and warnings arising from the incident4 ,a sad gaze that would be6--full of regret and touched with warning4 ,we may well believe that it added weight to the lesson ,he would teach1 that surrender of all things was needed for discipleship4 ,we see that it had been burned into the memory of one of the little group1 who told long years after how ,he had looked upon them so solemnly1 as seeming to read their hearts while ,he spoke4 ,not more searching was the light of the eyes which ,john in ,patmos saw1 'as a flame of fire4' ,still ,he looks on ,his disciples1 and sees our inward hankerings after the things of men4 ,all our shrinkings from the cross and cleaving to the world are known to ,him4 ,he comes to each of us with that sevenfold proclamation1 ',i know thy works1' and from ,his loving lips falls on our ears the warning1 emphasised by that sad1 earnest gaze1 ',how hard is it for them that have riches to enter into the ,kingdom of ,god6' ,but1 blessed be ,his name1 the stooping love which claims us for ,his brethren shines in ,his regard none the less tenderly1 though ,he reads and warns us with ,his eye4 ,so1 we can venture to spread all our evil before ,him1 and ask that ,he would look on it1 knowing that1 as the sun bleaches cloth laid in its beams1 ,he will purge away the evil which ,he sees1 if only we let the light of ,his face shine full upon us4 ,,iii4 ,the ,lord's look of anger and pity on ,his opponents4 ,that instance occurs in the account of the healing of a man with a withered arm1 which took place in the synagogue of ,capernaum 7iii4 #a-e74 ,in the vivid narrative1 we can see the scribes and ,pharisees1 who had already questioned ,him with insolent airs of authority about ,his breach of the ,rabbinical ,sabbatic rules1 sitting in the synagogue1 with their gleaming eyes 'watching ,him' with hostile purpose4 ,they hope that ,he will heal on the ,sabbath day4 ,possibly they had even brought the powerless-handed man there1 on the calculation that ,christ could not refrain from helping him when ,he saw his condition4 ,they are ready to traffic in human misery if only they can catch ,him in a breach of law4 ,the fact of a miracle if nothing4 ,pity for the poor man is not in them4 ,they have neither reverence for the power of the miracle-worker1 nor sympathy with ,his tenderness of heart4 ,the only thing for which they have eyes is the breach of the complicated web of restrictions which they had spun across the ,sabbath day4 ,what a strange1 awful power the pedantry of religious forms has of blinding the vision and hardening the heart as to the substance and spirit of religion6 ,that ,christ should heal neither made them glad nor believing1 but that ,he should heal on the ,sabbath day roused them to a deadly hatred4 ,so there they sit1 on the stretch of expectation1 silently watching4 ,he bids the man stand forth--a movement1 and there the cripple stands alone in the midst of the seated congregation4 ,then comes the unanswerable question which cut so deep1 and struck their consciences so hard that they could answer nothing1 only sit and scowl at ,him with a murderous light gleaming in their eyes4 ,he fronts them with a steady gaze that travels over the whole group1 and that showed to at least one who was present an unforgettable mingling of displeasure and pity4 ',he looked round about on them with anger1 being grieved for the hardness of their hearts4' ,in ,christ's perfect nature1 anger and pity could blend in wondrous union1 like the crystal and fire in the abyss before the throne4 ,the soul that has not the capacity for anger at evil wants something of its due perfection1 and goes 'halting' like ,jacob after ,peniel4 ,in ,christ's complete humanity1 it could not but be present1 but in pure and righteous form4 ,his anger was no disorder of passion1 or 'brief madness' that discomposed the even motion of ,his spirit1 nor was there in it any desire for the hurt of its objects1 but1 on the contrary1 it lay side by side with the sorrow of pity1 which was intertwined with it like a golden thread4 ,both these two emotions are fitting to a pure manhood in the presence of evil4 ,they heighten each other4 ,the perfection of righteous anger is to be tempered by sympathy4 ,the perfection of righteous pity for the evildoer is to be saved from immoral condoning of evil as if it were only calamity1 by an infusion of some displeasure4 ,we have to learn the lesson and take this look of ,christ's as our pattern in our dealings with evildoers4 ,perhaps our day needs more especially to remember that a righteous severity and recoil of the whole nature from sin is part of a perfect ,christian character4 ,we are so accustomed to pity transgressors1 and to hear sins spoken of as if they were misfortunes mainly due to environment1 or to inherited tendencies1 that we are apt to forget the other truth1 that they are the voluntary acts of a man who could have refrained if he had wished1 and whose not having wished is worthy of blame4 ,but we need to aim at just such a union of feeling as was revealed in that gaze of ,christ's1 and neither to let our wrath dry up our pity nor our pity put out the pure flame of our indignation at evil4 ,that look comes to us too with a message1 when we are most conscious of the evil in our own hearts4 ,every man who has caught even a glimpse of ,christ's great love1 and has learned something of himself in the light thereof1 must feel that wrath at evil sits ill on so sinful a judge as he feels himself to be4 ,how can ,i fling stones at any poor creature when ,i am so full of sin myself8 ,and how does that ,lord look at me and all my wanderings from ,him1 my hardness of heart1 my ,pharisaism and deadness to ,his spiritual power and beauty8 ,can there be anything but displeasure in ,him8 ,the answer is not far to seek1 but1 familiar though it be1 it often surprises a man anew with its sweetness1 and meets recurring consciousness of unworthiness with a bright smile that scatters fears4 ,in our deepest abasement we may take courage anew when we think of that wondrous blending of anger shot with pity4 ,,iv4 ,the look of the ,lord on the profaned ,temple4 ,on the day of ,christ's triumphal entry into ,jerusalem1 apparently the ,sunday before ,his crucifixion1 we find 7xi4 #aa7 that ,he went direct to the ,temple1 and 'looked round about on all things4' ,the ,king has come to ,his palace1 the ,lord has 'suddenly come to ,his ,temple4' ,how solemn that careful1 all-comprehending scrutiny of all that ,he found there--the bustle of the crowds come up for the ,passover1 the trafficking and the fraud1 the heartless worship6 ,he seems to have gazed upon all1 that evening in silence1 and1 as the shades of night began to fall1 ,he went back to ,bethany with the ,twelve4 ,to-morrow will be time enough for the 'whip of small cords1' for to-day enough to have come as ,lord to the temple1 and with intent1 all-comprehending gaze to have traversed its courts4 ,apparently ,he passed through the crowds there unnoticed1 and beheld all1 while ,himself unrecognised4 ,is not that silent1 unobserved ,presence1 with ,his keen searching eye that lights on all1 a solemn parable of a perpetual truth8 ,he 'walks amidst the seven golden candlesticks' to-day1 as in the temple of ,jerusalem1 and in the vision of ,patmos4 ,his eyes like a flame of fire regard and scrutinise us too4 ',i know thy works' is still upon ,his lips4 ,silent and by many unseen1 that calm1 clear-eyed1 loving but judging ,christ walks amongst ,his churches to-day4 ,alas6 what does ,he see there8 ,if ,he came in visible form into any congregation in ,england to-day1 would ,he not find merchandise in the sanctuary1 formalism and unreality standing to minister1 and pretence and hypocrisy bowing in worship8 ,how much of all our service could live in the light of ,his felt presence8 ,and are we never going to stir ourselves up to a truer devotion and a purer service by remembering that ,he is here as really as ,he was in the ,temple of old8 ,our drowsy prayers1 and all our conventional repetitions of devout aspirations1 not felt at the moment1 but inherited from our fathers1 our confessions which have no penitence1 our praises without gratitude1 our vows which we never mean to keep1 and our creeds which in no operative fashion we believe--all the hollowness of profession with no reality below it1 like a great cooled bubble on a lava stream1 would crash in and go to powder if once we really believed what we so glibly say--that ,jesus ,christ was looking at us4 ,he keeps silence to-day1 but as surely as ,he knows us now1 so surely will ,he come to-morrow with a whip of small cords and purge ,his ,temple from hypocrisy and unreality1 from traffic and thieves4 ,all the churches need the sifting4 ,christ has done and suffered too much for the world1 to let the power of ,his gospel be neutralised by the sins of ,his professing followers1 and ,christ loves the imperfect friends that cleave to ,him1 though their service be often stained1 and their consecration always incomplete1 too well to suffer sin upon them4 ,therefore ,he will come to purify ,his ,temple4 ,well for us1 if we thankfully yield ourselves to ,his merciful chastisements1 howsoever they may fall upon us1 and believe that in them all ,he looks on us with love1 and wishes only to separate us from that which separates us from ,him6 ,on us all that eye rests with all these emotions fused and blended in one gaze of love that passeth knowledge--a look of love and welcome whensoever we seek ,him1 either to help us in outward or inward blessings2 a look of love and warning to us1 owning us also for ,his brethren1 and cautioning us lest we stray from ,his side2 a look of love and displeasure at any sin that blinds us to ,his gracious beauty2 a look of love and observance of our poor worship and spotted sacrifices4 ,let us lay ourselves full in the sunshine of ,his gaze1 and take for ours the old prayer1 ',search me1 ,o ,christ1 and know my heart6' ,it is heaven on earth to feel ,his eye resting upon us1 and know that it is love4 ,it will be the heaven of heaven to see ,him 'face to face1' and 'to know even as we are known4' ,,the ,,master ,,rejected3 ,,the ,,servants ,,sent ,,forth ',and ,he went out from thence1 and came into ,his own country2 and ,his disciples follow ,him4 #b4 ,and when the ,sabbath day was come1 ,he began to teach in the synagogue3 and many hearing ,him were astonished1 saying1 ,from whence hath this man these things8 and what wisdom is this which is given unto ,him1 that even such mighty works are wrought by ,his hands8 #c4 ,is not this the carpenter1 the ,son of ,mary1 the ,brother of ,james1 and ,joses1 and of ,juda1 and ,simon6 and are not ,his sisters here with us8 ,and they were offended at ,him4 #d4 ,but ,jesus said unto them1 ,a prophet is not without honour1 but in his own country1 and among his own kin1 and in his own house4 #f4 ,and ,he could there do no mighty work1 save that ,he laid ,his hands upon a few sick folk1 and healed them4 #f4 ,and ,he marvelled because of their unbelief4 ,and ,he went round about the villages1 teaching4 #g4 ,and ,he called unto ,him the twelve1 and began to send them forth by two and two2 and gave them power over unclean spirits2 #h4 ,and commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey1 save a staff only2 no scrip1 no bread1 no money in their purse3 #i4 ,but be shod with sandals2 and not put on two coats4 #aj4 ,and ,he said unto them1 ,in what place soever ye enter into an house1 there abide till ye depart from that place4 #aa4 ,and whosoever shall not receive you1 nor hear you1 when ye depart thence1 shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them4 ,verily ,i say unto you1 ,it shall be more tolerable for ,sodom and ,gomorrha in the day of judgment1 than for that city4 #ab4 ,and they went out1 and preached that men should repent4 #ac4 ,and they cast out many devils1 and anointed with oil many that were sick1 and healed them4'--,mark vi4 #a-ac4 ,an easy day's journey would carry ,jesus and ,his followers from ,capernaum1 on the lake-side1 to ,nazareth1 among the hills4 ,what took our ,lord back there8 ,when last ,he taught in the synagogue of ,nazareth1 ,his life had been in danger2 and now ,he thrusts ,himself into the wolf's den4 ,why8 ,mark seems to wish us to observe the connection between this visit and the great group of miracles which he has just recorded2 and possibly the link may be our ,lord's hope that the report of these might have preceded ,him and prepared ,his way4 ,in ,his patient long-suffering ,he will give ,his fellow-villagers another chance2 and ,his heart yearns for ',his own country1' and ',his own kin1' and ',his own house1' of which ,he speaks so pathetically in the context4 ,i4 ,we have here unbelief born of familiarity1 and its effects on ,christ 7verses #a-f74 ,observe the characteristic avoidance of display1 and the regard for existing means of worship1 shown in ,his waiting till the ,sabbath1 and then resorting to the synagogue4 ,he and ,his hearers would both remember ,his last appearance in it2 and ,he and they would both remember many a time before that1 when1 as a youth1 ,he had sat there4 ,the rage which had exploded on ,his first sermon has given place to calmer1 but not less bitter1 opposition4 ,mark paints the scene1 and represents the hearers as discussing ,jesus while ,he spoke4 ,the decorous silence of the synagogue was broken by a hubbub of mutual questions4 ',many' spoke at once1 and all had the same thing to say4 ,the state of mind revealed is curious4 ,they own ,christ's wisdom in ,his teaching1 and the reality of ,his miracles1 of which they had evidently heard2 but the fact that ,he was one of themselves made them angry that ,he should have such gifts1 and suspicious of where ,he had got them4 ,they seem to have had the same opinion as ,nathanael--that no 'good thing' could 'come out of ,nazareth4' ,their old companion could not be a prophet2 that was certain4 ,but ,he had wisdom and miraculous power2 that was as certain4 ,where had they come from8 ,there was only one other source2 and so1 with many headshakings1 they were preparing to believe that the ,jesus whom they had all known1 living ,his quiet life of labour among them1 was in league with the devil1 rather than believe that ,he was a messenger from ,god4 ,we note in their questions1 first1 the glimpse of our ,lord's early life4 ,they bring before us the quiet1 undistinguished home and the long years of monotonous labour4 ,we owe to ,mark alone the notice that ,jesus actually wrought at ,joseph's handicraft4 ,apparently the latter was dead1 and1 if so1 ,jesus would be the head of the house1 and probably the 'breadwinner4' ,one of the fathers preserves the tradition that ,he 'made plows and yokes1 by which ,he taught the symbols of righteousness and an active life4' ,that good father seems to think it needful to find symbolical meanings1 in order to save ,christ's dignity2 but the prose fact that ,he toiled at the carpenter's bench1 and handled hammer and saw1 needs nothing to heighten its value as a sign of ,his true participation in man's lot1 and as the hallowing of manual toil4 ,how many weary arms have grasped their tools with new vigour and contentment when they thought of ,him as their ,pattern in their narrow toils6 ,the ,nazarenes' difficulty was but one case of a universal tendency4 ,nobody finds it easy to believe that some village child1 who has grown up beside him1 and whose undistinguished outside life he knows1 has turned out a genius or a great man4 ,the last people to recognise a prophet are always his kindred and his countrymen4 ',far-away birds have fine feathers4' ,men resent it as a kind of slight on themselves that the other1 who was one of them but yesterday1 should be so far above them to-day4 ,they are mostly too blind to look below the surface1 and they conclude that1 because they saw so much of the external life1 they knew the man that lived it4 ,the elders of ,nazareth had seen ,jesus grow up1 and to them ,he would be 'the carpenter's son' still4 ,the more important people had known the humbleness of ,his home1 and could not adjust themselves to look up to ,him1 instead of down4 ,his equals in age would find their boyish remembrances too strong for accepting ,him as a prophet4 ,all of them did just what the most of us would have done1 when they took it for certain that the ,man whom they had known so well1 as they fancied1 could not be a prophet1 to say nothing of the ,messiah so long looked for4 ,it is easy to blame them2 but it is better to learn the warning in their words1 and to take care that we are not blind to some true messenger of ,god just because we have been blessed with close companionship with him4 ,many a household has had to wait for death to take away the prophet before they discern him4 ,some of us entertain 'angels unawares1' and have bitterly to feel1 when too late1 that our eyes were holden that we should not know them4 ,these questions bring out strongly what we too often forget in estimating ,christ's contemporaries--namely1 that ,his presence among them1 in the simplicity of ,his human life1 was a positive hindrance to their seeing ,his true character4 ,we sometimes wish that we had seen ,him1 and heard ,his voice4 ,we should have found it more difficult to believe in ,him if we had4 ',his flesh' was a 'veil' in other sense than the ,epistle to the ,hebrews means2 for1 by reason of men's difficulty in piercing beneath it1 it hid from many what it was meant and fitted to reveal4 ,only eyes purged beheld the glory of 'the ,word' become flesh when it 'dwelt among us'--and even they saw ,him more clearly when they saw ,him no more4 ,let us not be too hard on these simple ,nazarenes1 but recognise our kith and kin4 ,the facts on which the ,nazarenes grounded their unbelief are really irrefragable proof of ,christ's divinity4 ,whence had this man ,his wisdom and mighty works8 ,born in that humble home1 reared in that secluded village1 shut out from the world's culture1 buried1 as it were1 among an exclusive and abhorred people1 how came ,he to tower above all teachers1 and to sway the world8 ',with whom took ,he counsel8 and who instructed ,him1 and taught ,him8' ,the character and work of ,christ1 compared with the circumstances of ,his origin and environment1 are an insoluble riddle1 except on one supposition--that ,he was the word and power of ,god4 ,the effects of this unbelief on our ,lord were twofold4 ,it limited ,his power4 ,matthew says that ',he did not many mighty works4' ,mark goes deeper1 and boldly days ',he could not4' ,it is mistaken jealousy for ,christ's honour to seek to pare down the strong words4 ,the atmosphere of chill unbelief froze the stream4 ,the power was there1 but it required for its exercise some measure of moral susceptibility4 ,his miraculous energy followed1 in general1 the same law as ,his higher exercise of saving grace does2 that is to say1 it could not force itself upon unwilling men4 ,christ 'cannot' save a man who does not trust ,him4 ,he was hampered in the outflow of ,his healing power by unsympathetic disparagement and unbelief4 ,man can thwart ,god4 ,faith opens the door1 and unbelief shuts it in ,his face4 ,he 'would have gathered1' but they 'would not1' and therefore ,he 'could not4' ,the second effect of unbelief on ,him was that ,he 'marvelled4' ,he is twice recorded to have wondered--once at a ,gentile's faith1 once at ,his townsmen's unbelief4 ,he wondered at the first because it showed so unusual a susceptibility2 at the second1 because it showed so unreasonable a blindness4 ,all sin is a wonder to eyes that see into the realities of things and read the end2 for it is all utterly unreasonable 7though it is1 alas6 not unaccountable7 and suicidal4 ',be astonished1 ,o ye heavens1 at this4' ,unbelief in ,christ is1 by ,himself1 declared to be the very climax of sin1 and its most flagrant evidence 7,john xvi4 #i72 and of all the instances of unbelief which saddened ,his heart1 none struck more chill than that of these ,nazarenes4 ,they had known ,his pure youth2 ,he might have reckoned on some touch of sympathy and predisposition to welcome ,him4 ,his wonder is the measure of ,his pain as well as of their sin4 ,nor need we wonder that ,he wondered2 for ,he was true man1 and all human emotions were ,his4 ,to one who lives ever in the ,father's bosom1 what can seem so strange as that men should prefer homeless exposedness and dreary loneliness8 ,to one whose eyes ever behold unseen realities1 what so marvellous as men's blindness8 ,to one who knew so assuredly ,his own mission and rich freightage of blessing1 how strange it must have been that ,he found so few to accept ,his gifts6 ,jesus knew that bitter wonder which all men who have a truth to proclaim which the world has not learned1 have to experience--the amazement at finding it so hard to get any others to see what they see4 ,in ,his manhood1 ,he shared the fate of all teachers1 who have1 in their turn1 to marvel at men's unbelief4 ,,ii4 ,the new instrument which ,christ fashions to cope with unbelief4 ,what does ,jesus do when thus 'wounded in the house of ,his friends'8 ,give way to despondency8 ,no2 but meekly betake ,himself to yet obscurer fields of service1 and send out the ,twelve to prepare ,his way1 as if ,he thought that they might have success where ,he would fail4 ,what a lesson for people who are always hankering after conspicuous 'spheres1' and lamenting that their gifts are wasted in some obscure corner1 is that picture of ,jesus1 repulsed from ,nazareth1 patiently turning to the villages6 ,the very summary account of the trial mission of the ,twelve here given presents only the salient points of the charge to them1 and in its condensation makes these the more emphatic4 ,note the interesting statement that they were sent out two-and-two4 ,the other ,evangelists do not tell us this1 but their lists of the ,apostles are arranged in pairs4 ,mark's list is not so arranged1 but he supplies the reason for the arrangement1 which he does not follow2 and the other ,gospels1 by their arrangement1 confirm his statement1 which they do not give4 ,two-and-two is a wise rule for all ,christian workers4 ,it checks individual peculiarities of self-will1 helps to keep off faults1 wholesomely stimulates1 strengthens faith by giving another to hear it and to speak it1 brings companionship1 and admits of division of labour4 ,one-and-one are more than twice one4 ,the first point is the gift of power4 ,unclean spirits are specified1 but the subsequent verses show that miracle-working power in its other forms was included4 ,we may call that ,christ's greatest miracle4 ,that ,he could1 by ,his mere will1 endow a dozen men with such power1 is more1 if degree come into view at all1 than that ,he ,himself should exercise it4 ,but there is a lesson in the fact for all ages--even those in which miracles have ceased4 ,christ gives before ,he commands1 and sends no man into the field without filling his basket with seed-corn4 ,his gifts assimilate the receiver to ,himself1 and only in the measure in which ,his servants possess power which is like ,his own1 and drawn from ,him1 can they proclaim ,his coming1 or prepare hearts for it4 ,the second step is their equipment4 ,the special commands here given were repealed by ,jesus when ,he gave ,his last commands4 ,in their letter they apply only to that one journey1 but in their spirit they are of universal and permanent obligation4 ,the ,twelve were to travel light4 ,they might carry a staff to help them along1 and wear sandals to save their feet on rough roads2 but that was to be all4 ,food1 luggage1 and money1 the three requisites of a traveller1 were to be 'conspicuous by their absence4' ,that was repealed afterwards1 and instructions given of an opposite character1 because1 after ,his ascension1 the ,church was to live more and more by ordinary means2 but in this journey they were to learn to trust ,him without means1 that afterwards they might trust ,him in the means4 ,he showed them the purpose of these restrictions in the act of abrogating them4 ',when ,i sent you forth without purse 444 lacked ye anything8' ,but the spirit remains unabrogated1 and the minimum of outward provision is likeliest to call out the maximum of faith4 ,we are more in danger from having too much baggage than from having too little4 ,and the one indispensable requirement is that1 whatever the quantity1 it should hinder neither our march nor our trust in ,him who alone is wealth and food4 ,next comes the disposition of the messengers4 ,it is not to be self-indulgent4 ,they are not to change quarters for the sake of greater comfort4 ,they have not gone out to make a pleasure tour1 but to preach1 and so are to stay where they are welcomed1 and to make the best of it4 ,delicate regard for kindly hospitality1 if offered by ever so poor a house1 and scrupulous abstinence from whatever might suggest interested motives1 must mark the true servant4 ,that rule is not out of date4 ,if ever a herald of ,christ falls under suspicion of caring more about life's comforts than about his work1 good-bye to his usefulness6 ,if ever he does so care1 whether he be suspected of it or no1 spiritual power will ebb from him4 ,the next step is the messengers' demeanour to the rejecters of their message4 ,shaking the dust off the sandals is an emblem of solemn renunciation of participation1 and perhaps of disclaimer of responsibility4 ,it meant certainly1 ',we have no more to do with you1' and possibly1 ',your blood be on your own heads4' ,this journey of the ,twelve was meant to be of short duration1 and to cover much ground1 and therefore no time was to be spent unnecessarily4 ,their message was brief1 and as well told quickly as slowly4 ,the whole conditions of work now are different4 ,sometimes1 perhaps1 a ,christian is warranted in solemnly declaring to those who receive not his message1 that he will have no more to say to them4 ,that may do more than all his other words4 ,but such cases are rare2 and the rule that it is safest to follow is rather that of love which despairs of none1 and1 though often repelled1 returns with pleading1 and1 if it have told often in vain1 now tells with tears1 the story of the love that never abandons the most obstinate4 ,such were the prominent points of this first ,christian mission4 ,they who carry ,christ's banner in the world must be possessed of power1 ,his gift1 must be lightly weighted1 must care less for comfort than for service1 must solemnly warn of the consequences of rejecting the message2 and so they will not fail to cast out devils1 and to heal many that are sick4 ,,christ ,,thwarted ',and ,he could there do no mighty work1 save that ,he laid ,his hands upon a few sick folk1 and healed them4 ,and ,he marvelled because of their unbelief4'--,mark vi4 #e1f4 ,it is possible to live too near a man to see him4 ,familiarity with the small details blinds most people to the essential greatness of any life4 ,so these fellow-villagers of ,jesus in ,nazareth knew ,him too well to know ,him rightly as they talked ,him over2 they recognised ,his wisdom and ,his mighty works2 but all the impression that these would have made was neutralised by their acquaintance with ,his former life1 and they said1 ',why1 we have known ,him ever since ,he was a boy4 ,we used to take our ploughs and yokes to ,him to mend in the carpenter's shop4 ,his brothers and sisters are here with us4 ,where did ,he get ,his wisdom8' ,so they said2 and so it has been ever since4 ',a prophet is not without honour1 save in his own country4' ,surrounded thus by unsympathetic carpers1 ,jesus ,christ did not exercise ,his full miraculous power4 ,other ,evangelists tell us of these limitations1 but ,mark is alone in the strength of his expression4 ,the others say 'did no mighty works'2 ,mark says 'could do no mighty works4' ,startling as the expression is1 it is not to be weakened down because it is startling1 and if it does not fit in with your conceptions of ,christ's nature1 so much the worse for the conceptions4 ,matthew states the reason for this limitation more directly than ,mark does1 for he says1 ',he did no mighty works because of their unbelief4' ,but ,mark suggests the reason clearly enough in his next clause1 when he says3 ',he marvelled because of their unbelief4' ,there is another limitation of ,christ's nature1 ,he wondered as at an astonishing and unexpected thing1 ,we read that ,he 'marvelled' twice3 once at great faith1 once at great unbelief4 ,the centurion's faith was marvellous2 the ,nazarenes' unbelief was as marvellous4 ,the 'wild grapes' bore clusters more precious than the tended 'vines' in the 'vineyard4' ,faith and unbelief do not depend upon opportunity1 but upon the bent of the will and the sense of need4 ,but ,i have chosen these words now because they put in its strongest shape a truth of large importance1 and of manifold applications--viz41 that man's unbelief hampers and hinders ,christ's power4 ,now let me apply that principle in two or three directions4 ,i4 ,let us look at this principle in connection with the case before us in the text4 ,you will find that1 as a rule and in the general1 our ,lord's miracles require faith1 either on the part of the persons helped1 or on the part of those who interceded for them4 ,but whilst that is the rule there are distinct exceptions1 as for instance1 in the case of the feeding of the thousands1 and in the case of the raising of the widow's son of ,nain1 as well as in other examples4 ,and here we find that1 though the prevalent unbelief hindered the flow of our ,lord's miraculous power1 it did not so hinder it as to stop some little trickle of the stream4 ',he laid ,his hands on a few sick folk1 and healed them4' ,the brook was shrunken as compared with the abundance of the flood recorded in the previous chapter4 ,now1 why was that8 ,there is no such natural connection between faith and the working of a miracle as that the latter is only possible in conjunction with the former4 ,and the exceptions show us that ,jesus ,christ was not so limited as that men's unbelief could wholly prevent the flow of ,his love and ,his power4 ,but still there was a restriction4 ,and what sort of a 'could not' was it that thus hampered ,him in ,his work8 ,we know far too little about the conditions of miracle-working to entitle us to dogmatise on such a matter1 but ,i suppose that we may venture to say this1 that the working of the miracles was 'impossible' in the absence of faith and the presence of its opposite1 regard being had to the purposes of the miracle and of ,christ's whole work4 ,it was not congruous1 it was not morally possible1 that ,he should force ,his benefits upon unwilling recipients4 ,now1 ,i need not do more than just in a sentence call attention to the bearing of this fact upon the true notion of the purpose of ,christ's miraculous works4 ,a superficial1 and1 as ,i think1 very vulgar1 estimate1 says that ,christ's miracles were chiefly designed to produce faith in ,him and in ,his mission4 ,if that had been their purpose1 the very place for the most abundant exhibition of them would have been the place where unbelief was most pronounced4 ,the atmosphere of non-receptiveness and non-sympathy would have been the very one that ought to have evoked them most4 ,where the darkness was the deepest1 there should the torch have flared4 ,where the stupor was most complete1 there should the rousing shock have been administered4 ,but the very opposite is the case4 ,where faith is present already1 the miracle comes4 ,where faith is absent1 miracles fail4 ,therefore1 though a subsidiary purpose of our ,lord's miracles was1 no doubt1 to evoke faith in ,his mission1 their chief purpose is not to be found in that direction4 ,it was a condescension to men's weakness and obstinacy when ,he said1 ',if ye believe not ,me1 believe the works4' ,but the works were signs1 symbols1 manifestations on the lower material platform of what lie would be and do for men in the higher1 and they were the outcome of ,his own loving heart and ever-flowing compassion1 and only secondarily were they taken1 and have they ever been taken1 when ,christian faith has been robust and intelligent1 as being evidences of ,his ,messiahship and ,divinity4 ,but there is another consideration that ,i would like to suggest in reference to this limitation of our ,lord's power1 by reason of the prevalence of an atmosphere of unbelief1 and that is that it is a pathetic proof of ,his manhood's being influenced by all the emotions and circumstances that influence us4 ,we all know how hearts expand in the warm atmosphere of affection and sympathy1 and shut themselves up like tender flowerets when the cold east wind blows4 ,and just as a great orator subtly feels the sympathy of his audience1 and is buoyed up by it to higher flights1 while in the presence of cold and indifferent and critical hearers his tongue stammers1 and he falls beneath himself1 so we may reverently say ,jesus ,christ could not put forth ,his mightiest and most abundant miraculous powers when the cold wind of unbelieving criticism blew in ,his face4 ,if that is true1 what a glimpse it gives us of the conditions of ,his earthly life1 and how wonderful it makes that love which1 though it was hampered1 was never stifled by the presence of scorn and malice and of hatred4 ,he is our ,brother1 bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh2 and even when the divinity within was in possession of the power of working the miracle1 the humanity in which it dwelt felt the presence of the cold frost and closed its petals4 ',he could do no mighty works1' and it was 'because of their unbelief4' ,,ii4 ,but now1 secondly1 let us apply this principle in regard to ,christ's working on ourselves4 ,i have said that there was no such natural connection between faith and miracle as that miracle was absolutely impossible in the absence of faith4 ,but when we lift the thought into the higher region of our religious and spiritual life1 we do come across an absolute impossibility4 ,there1 in regard to all that appertains to the inward life of a soul1 ,christ can do no mighty works1 in the absence of our faith4 ,by faith1 ,i mean1 of course1 not the mere intellectual reception of the ,christian narratives or of the ,christian doctrines as true1 but ,i mean what the ,bible means by it always1 a process subsequent to that intellectual reception--viz41 the motion of the will and of the heart towards ,christ4 ,faith is belief1 but belief is not faith4 ,faith is belief plus trust4 ,and it is that which is the condition of all ,christ's gifts being received by any of us4 ,now1 a great many people seem to think that what ,jesus ,christ brings to the world1 and offers to each of us1 is simply the escape from the penal consequences of our past transgressions4 ,if you conceive salvation to be nothing else than shutting the doors of an outward hell1 and opening the doors of an outward ,heaven1 ,i can quite understand why you should boggle at the thought that faith is a condition of these4 ,for if salvation is such a material1 external1 and forensic matter as that1 then ,i do not see why ,god should not have given it to everybody1 without any conditions at all4 ,but if you will understand rightly what ,christ's gifts are1 you will see that they cannot be bestowed upon men irrespective of the condition of their wills1 desires1 and hearts4 ,for what is salvation8 ,what are the blessings that ,jesus ,christ bestows8 ,a new life1 a new love1 new desires1 a new direction of the whole being1 a new spirit within us4 ,these are the gifts2 and how can these be given to a man if he has not trust in the ,giver8 ,salvation is at bottom that a man's will shall be harmonised with the will of ,god4 ,but if a man has not faith1 his will is discordant with the will of ,god1 and how can it be harmonised and discordant at the same time8 ,what are the powers by which ,christ works upon men's hearts8 ,his truth1 ,his love1 ,his ,spirit4 ,how can a truth operate if it is not believed8 ,how can love bless and cherish if it is not trusted8 ,how can the ,spirit hallow and cleanse if it is not yielded to8 ,the condition is inherent in the nature of ,god the ,giver1 of man the receiver1 and of the gifts bestowed4 ,and so we understand the metaphors that put that inevitable connection in various forms4 ,faith is 'a door4' ,how can you enter if the door be fast closed8 ,he knocks2 if any man opens ,he comes in4 ,if a man does not open1 ',he can but listen at the gate1 ,and hear the household jar within4' ,faith is the connection between the fountain and the reservoir4 ,if there be no such connection1 how can the reservoir be filled8 ,faith is the hand with stretched-out empty palms1 and widespread fingers for the reception of the gifts4 ,how can the gifts be put into it if it hangs listless by the side1 or in obstinately closed and pushed behind the back8 ,he 'can do no mighty works' on an unbelieving soul4 ,now1 brethren1 let me insist1 in one sentence1 on this solemn truth2 ,god would save every man if ,he could1 faith or no faith4 ,but the condition which brings faith into connection with salvation as its necessary prerequisite is no arbitrary condition4 ,the love of ,god cannot alter it4 ,in the nature of things it must be so4 ',he that believeth shall be saved2 he that believeth not shall be condemned4' ,that is no result of an artificial scheme1 but of the necessities of the case4 ,again1 let me remind you that the measure of our faith is the measure of our possession of these gifts4 ,our ,lord more than once put the whole doctrine of this matter1 in regard1 however1 to the lower plane of miracle1 when ,he said1 ',according to your faith be it unto you1' ',open thy mouth wide1 and ,i will fill it4' ,we have an inheritance like that of men who get a piece of land in some mining district3 so much as we peg out and claim is ours1 and no more4 ,let me narrate a parable of my own making4 ,there was once a king who told all his people that on a given day the fountain in the market-place in the centre of the city would flow with wine and other precious liquors1 and that every man was free to bring his vessel and carry away as much as he would4 ,the man that brought a tiny wineglass got a glassful2 the man that brought a gallon pitcher got that full4 ,the measure of your desires is the measure of your possessions of ,christ's power4 ,our faith determines the amount of ,his cleansing1 healing1 vivifying energy which will reside in us4 ,the width of the bore of the water-pipe that is laid down settles the amount of water that will come into your cistern4 ,the water may be high outside the lock4 ,if the lock-gate be kept fast closed1 the height of the water outside produces no raising of the low level of that within1 ,if you open a chink of the gate a trickle will pass through1 and if you fling the gates wide the levels will be the same on both sides4 ,the only limit of our possession of ,god is our faith and desire4 ,the true limit is ,his own boundlessness4 ,it is possible that a man may be 'filled with all the fulness of ,god2 but the real working limit for each of us is our own faith4 ,so1 brethren1 endless progress is possible for us1 on condition of continual trust4 ,,iii4 ,lastly1 let us apply this principle in regard to ,christ's working through ,his people4 ,jesus ,christ cannot work mightily through a feebly believing ,church4 ,and here is the reason why ,christianity has taken so long to do so little in this world of ours2 and why nineteen centuries after the ,cross and ,pentecost there remaineth yet so much land to be possessed4 ',ye are not straitened in ,me1 ye are straitened in your own selves4' ,we hinder ,christ from doing ,his work through us by reason of our own unbelief4 ,the men that have done most for the ,lord ,jesus1 and for their fellows in this world1 have been of all sorts1 of all conditions1 of all grades of intellectual ability and acquirement2 some of them scholars1 some of them tinkers1 some of them philosophers1 some of them next door to fools4 ,they have belonged to different communions and have held different ecclesiastical and theological dogmas1 and sometimes1 alas6 they have not been able to discern each other's ,christlike lineaments4 ,but there is one thing in which they have all been alike1 and that is that they have been men of faith1 intense1 operative1 perpetual4 ,and that is why they have succeeded4 ,if we were what we might be1 'full of faith4' we should1 as the ,acts of the ,apostles teaches us1 by its collocation in the description of one of its characters1 be 'full of the ,holy ,spirit and of power4' ,brethren1 you hear a great deal to-day about new ways of ,christian working1 about the necessity of adapting the forms of setting forth ,christ's truth to the spirit of the age1 and new ideas4 ,adopt new methods if you like2 methods are not sacred4 ,fashion new forms of presenting ,christian truths if you please2 our forms are only forms4 ,but you may alter your methods and you may modify your dogmas as you like1 and you will do nothing to move the world unless the ,church is again baptized with the ,divine ,spirit1 which will only be the case if the ,church again puts forth a far mightier faith than it exercises to-day4 ,if only we will trust ,jesus ,christ absolutely1 and live near ,him by our faith1 ,his power will flow into us1 and of us1 too1 it will be said1 'through faith they wrought righteousness 444 subdued kingdoms 444 waxed valiant in fight1 turned to flight the armies of the aliens4' ,but if the low level of average ,christian faith in all the churches is not elevated1 then the attempts to conquer the world by half-believing ,christians will meet with the old fate1 and the man in whom the evil spirit was will leap upon them and overcome them1 and say1 ',jesus ,i know1 and ,paul ,i know1 but who are ye8' ',why could we not cast him out8' ,and ,he answered and said unto them1 ',because of your unbelief4' ,brethren1 we may starve in the midst of plenty1 if we lock our lips4 ,we can be like some obstinate black rock1 washed over for ever by the ,atlantic surges1 and yet so close-grained that only the surface is moistened1 and1 an inch within1 it is dry4 ',neither life1 nor death1 nor angels1 nor principalities1 nor powers1 nor things present1 nor things to come1 nor height1 nor depth1 nor any other creature1 is able to separate you from the love and power of ,god which are in ,christ ,jesus our ,lord1' ,but you can separate yourselves1 and you do separate yourselves1 by your unbelief4 ,the all-sufficiency of ,christ's redemption1 and the yearning of ,his love to bless each of us individually1 will be nothing to us if we lift up between ,him and us the black barrier of unbelief1 and so dam back the stream that was meant to give life to all the world and life to us4 ,christ infinitely desires to bless us1 but ,he cannot unless we trust ,him4 ,i beseech you1 do not let this be the epitaph on your tombstone3--',christ could there do no mighty work because of his unbelief4' ,,herod--,a ,,startled ,,conscience ',but when ,herod heard thereof1 he said1 ,it is ,john1 whom ,i beheaded3 he is risen from the dead4'--,mark vi4 #af4 ,the character of this ,herod1 surnamed ,antipas1 is a sufficiently common and a sufficiently despicable one4 ,he was the very type of an ,eastern despot1 exactly like some of those half-independent ,rajahs1 whose dominions march with ours in ,india2 capricious1 crafty1 as the epithet which ,christ applied to him1 ',that fox6' shows2 cruel1 as the story of the murder of ,john the ,baptist proves2 sensuous and lustful2 and withal weak of fibre and infirm of purpose4 ,he1 ,herodias1 and ,john the ,baptist make a triad singularly like the other triad in the ,old ,testament1 of ,ahab1 ,jezebel1 and ,elijah4 ,in both cases we have the weak ruler1 the beautiful she-devil at his side1 inspiring him for all evil1 and the stern prophet1 the rebuker and the incarnate conscience for them both4 ,the words that ,i have read are the terrified exclamation of this weak and wicked man when he was brought in contact with the light and beauty of ,jesus ,christ4 ,and if we think who it was that frightened him1 and ponder the words in which his fear expressed itself1 we get1 as it seems to me1 some lessons worth the drawing4 ,i4 ,you have here the voice of a startled conscience4 ,herod killed ,john without much sense of doing wrong4 ,he was sorry1 no doubt1 for he had a kind of respect for the man1 and he was reluctant to put him to death4 ,but though there was reluctance1 there was no hesitation4 ,his fantastic sense of honour came in the way4 ,in the one scale there was the life of a poor enthusiast who had amused him for a while1 but of whom he had got tired4 ,in the other scale there were his word1 the pleasure of ,herodias1 and the applause of the half-drunken boon companions that were sitting with them at the table4 ,so1 of course1 the prophet was slain1 and the pale head brought in to that wild revel1 and1 except for the malignant gloating of the woman over her gratified revenge1 the event1 no doubt1 very quickly passed from the memories of all concerned4 ,but then there came stealing into the silken seclusion of the palace1 where he was wallowing in his sensuality like a hog in the sty1 the tidings of another peasant ,teacher that had risen up among the people4 ,christ's name had been ringing through the land1 and been sounded with blessings in poor men's huts long before it got within the gates of ,herod's palace4 ,that is the place where religious earnestness makes its mark last of all4 ,but it finally ran thither also2 and light gossip went round concerning this new sensation4 ',who is ,he8 ,who is ,he8' ,each man had his own theory about ,him1 but a sudden memory started up in the frivolous despot's soul1 and it was with a trembling heart that he said to himself1 ',i know6 ,i know6 ,it is ,john1 whom ,i beheaded6 ,he is risen from the dead6' ,his conscience and his memory and his fears all awoke4 ,now1 my friends1 ,i pray you to lay that simple lesson to heart4 ,we all of us do evil things with regard to which it is not hard for us to bribe or to silence our memories and our consciences4 ,the hurry and bustle of daily life1 the very weakness of our characters1 the rush of sensuous delights1 may make us blind and deaf to the voice of conscience2 and we think that all chance of the evil deed rising again to harm us is past4 ,but some trifle touches the hidden spring by mere accident2 as in the old story of the man groping along a wall till his finger happens to fall upon one inch of it1 and immediately the concealed door flies open1 and there is the skeleton4 ,so with us1 some merely fortuitous association may freshen faded memories and wake a dormant conscience4 ,an apparently trivial circumstance1 like some hooked pole pushed at random into the sea1 may bring up by the locks some pale and drowned memory long plunged in an ocean of oblivion4 ,here1 in ,herod's case1 a report reaches him of a new ,rabbi who bears but a very faint resemblance to ,john1 and that is enough to bring his crime back in its naked atrocity4 ,my friends1 we all have these hibernating serpents in our consciences1 and nobody knows when the needful warmth may come that will wake them and make them lift their forked heads to sting4 ,the whole landscape of my past life lies there behind the mists of apparent forgetfulness1 and any light air of suggestion may sweep away the clouds and show it all4 ,what have you laid up in these memories of yours to start into life some day3 'at the last biting like a serpent and stinging like an adder'8 ',it is ,john6 ,it is ,john1 whom ,i beheaded6' ,take this other thought1 how1 as the story shows us1 when once at the bidding of memory conscience begins to work1 all illusions as to the nature of my action and as to my share in it are swept away4 ,when the evil deed was done1 ,herod scarcely felt as if he did it4 ,there was his plighted troth1 there was ,herodias's pressure1 there was the excitement of the moment4 ,he seemed forced to do it1 and scarcely responsible for doing it4 ,and no doubt1 if he ever thought about it afterwards1 he shuffled off a large percentage of the responsibility of the guilt upon the shoulders of the others4 ,but when1 ',in the silent sessions of things past1' the image and remembrance of the deed come up to him1 all the helpers and tempters have disappeared1 and ',it is ,john1 whom ,i beheaded6' 7,there is emphasis in the ,greek upon the ',i4'7 ',yes1 it was ,i4 ,herodias tempted me2 ,herodias' daughter titillated my lust2 ,i fancied that my oath bound me2 ,i could not help doing what would please those who sat at the table--,i said all that before ,i did it4 ,but now1 when it is done1 they have all disappeared1 every one of them to his quarter2 and ,i and the ugly thing are left together alone4 ,it was ,i that did it1 and nobody besides4' ,the blackness of the crime1 too1 presents itself to the startled conscience as it did not in the doing4 ,there are many euphemisms and soft words in which1 as in cotton-wool1 we wrap our evil deeds and so deceive ourselves as to their hardness and their edge2 but when conscience gets hold of them1 and they pass out of the realm of fact into the mystical region of remembrance1 all the wrappings1 and all the apologies1 and all the soft phrases drop away2 and the ugliest1 briefest1 plainest word is the one by which my conscience describes my own evil4 ',i beheaded him6 ,i1 and none else1 was the murderer4' ,oh6 dear brethren1 do you see to it that what you store up in these caves and treasure-cellars of memory which we all carry with us1 are deeds that will bear being brought out again and looked at in the pure white light of conscience1 and which you will neither be ashamed nor afraid to lay your hand upon and say3 ',it is mine2 ,i planted and sowed and worked it1 and ,i am ready to reap the fruit4' ',if thou be wise thou shalt be wise for thyself1 if thou scornest thou alone shalt bear it4' ,take care of the storehouses of memory and of conscience1 and mind what kind of things you lay up there4 ,,ii4 ,now1 once more1 ,i take these words as setting before us an example of a conscience awakened to the unseen world4 ,many commentators tell us that this ,herod was a ,sadducee2 that is to say that theologically and theoretically he had given up the belief in a future state and in spiritual existence4 ,i do not know that that can be sustained1 but much more probably he was only a ,sadducee in the way in which a great many of us are ,sadducees3 he never thought about these things1 he did not think about them enough to know whether he believed in them or not4 ,he was a practical1 if not a theoretical ,sadducee2 that is to say1 this present was his world1 and as for the future1 it did not come much into his mind4 ,but now1 notice that when conscience begins to stir1 it at once sends his thoughts into that unseen world beyond4 ,there is a very close connection1 as all history proves1 between theoretical disbelief in a future life and in spiritual existence1 and superstition4 ,so strong is the bond which unites men with the unseen world1 that if they do not link themselves with that world in the legitimate and true fashion1 it is almost certain to avenge itself upon them by leading them to all manner of low and abject superstitions4 ,spiritualism is the disease of a generation that disbelieves in another life4 ,the ,french ,revolution1 with its infidelities1 was also the age of quacks and impostors such as ,cagliostro and the like4 ,the time when ,christ lived presented precisely the same phenomena4 ,if ,herod was a ,sadducee1 ,herod's ,sadduceeism1 like frost upon the window-panes1 was such a thin layer shutting out the invisible world1 that the least warmth of conscience melted it1 and the clear daylight glared in upon him4 ,and ,i am afraid that there are a great many of us who may be half-inclined to reject the belief in another life1 who would find precisely the same thing happening to us4 ,but be that as it may1 it seems to me that whenever a man comes to think very seriously about his conduct as being wrong in the sight of ,god1 there at once starts up before him the thought of a future life and a judgment-bar4 ,and ,i want to know why and how it is that the vigorous operation of conscience is always accompanied with a 'fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation4' ,i think it is worth your while to reflect upon the fact1 and to try and ascertain for yourselves the reason of it1 that whenever a man's conscience begins to tell him of his wrong1 its message is not only of transgressions but of judgment1 and that beyond the grave4 ,and1 moreover1 notice here how the startled conscience1 when it becomes aware of an unseen world beyond the grave1 cannot but think that out of that world there will come evil for it4 ,these words of my text are obviously the words of a frightened man4 ,it was terror that made ,herod say3 ',it is ,john1 whom ,i beheaded4 ,he is risen from the dead6' ,who was it that frightened ,herod8 ,it was ,he who came from the bosom of the ,father1 with ,his hands full of blessings and ,his heart full of love3 who came to quiet all fears1 and to cleanse all consciences1 and to satisfy all men's souls with ,his own sweet love and ,his perfect righteousness4 ,and it was this genial and gracious and divine form1 with all its actualities of gentleness and its possibilities of grace1 which the evil conscience of the terrified tetrarch converted into a messenger of judgment come from the tomb to rebuke and to smite him for his evils4 ,that is to say1 men may always make that future life and their relation to it what they will4 ,either the heavens may pour down their dewy influences of benediction and fruitfulness upon them1 or may pour down fire and brimstone upon their spirits4 ,men have the choice which it shall be4 ,the evil conscience drapes the future in darkness1 and is right in doing it4 ,the evil conscience forebodes chastisement1 judgment1 condemnation coming to it from out of the unseen world1 and1 with limitations1 it is right in doing it4 ,you can make ,christ ,himself the ,messenger of condemnation and of death to you4 ,my dear friends1 do you choose whether1 fronting eternity with an unforgiven burden of sin upon your shoulders and a conscience unsprinkled by the blood of ,jesus ,christ1 you make of it one great fear2 or whether you make it what it really is1 a lustrous hope1 a perfect joy4 ,is the ,messenger that comes out of the unseen to come to you as a ,judge of your buried evils started into life1 or is ,he to come to you as the ,christ that bears in ,his hand the price of your redemption1 and with ,his blood 'sprinkles your conscience from dead works' and from all its terrors8 ,,iii4 ,and now1 lastly1 ,i see in this saying an illustration of a conscience which1 partially stirred1 soon went finally to sleep again4 ,strangely enough1 if we pursue the story1 this very terror and clear-eyed perception of the nature of his action led the frivolous king to nothing more than a curious wish to see this new ,teacher4 ,it was not gratified2 and thus by degrees he came to hate ,him and to wish to kill ,him4 ,and then1 finally1 on the eve of the ,crucifixion ,jesus was brought into his presence1 and ,herod was glad that his curiosity was satisfied at last4 ,his conscience lay perfectly still4 ,there was no trace of the old convictions or of the old tremor4 ,he 'questioned ,jesus many things1 and ,christ answered him nothing1' because ,he knew it was of no use to speak to him4 ,so ',herod and his men of war mocked ,him and set ,him at nought'2 and sent ,him back to ,pilate2 and he let his last chance of salvation go1 and never knew what he had done4 ,now1 there is a lesson for us all4 ,do not tamper with partially awakened consciences2 do not rest satisfied till they are quieted in the legitimate way4 ,there was a man who trembled when he heard ,paul remonstrating with him about 'righteousness and temperance'--both of which the unjust judge had set at naught--'and judgment to come' ,and he 'sent for him often and communed with him gladly1' but we never hear that ,felix trembled any more4 ,it is possible for you so to lull yourselves into indifference1 and1 as it were1 so to waterproof your consciences that appeals1 threatenings1 pleadings1 mercies1 the words of men1 the ,gospel of ,god1 and the beseechings of ,christ ,himself may all run off them and leave them dry and hard4 ,one very potent means of rendering consciences insensible is to neglect their voice4 ,the convictions which you have not followed out1 like the ruins of a bastion shattered by shell1 protect your remaining fortifications against the impact of ,god's truth4 ,i believe that there is no man1 woman1 or child listening to me at this moment but has had1 some time or other in the course of his or her life1 convictions which only needed to be followed out1 gleams of guidance which only required to be faithfully pursued1 to bring him or her into loving fellowship with1 and true faith in1 ,jesus ,christ4 ,but some of you have neglected them2 some of you have choked them with cares and studies and occupations of different kinds2 and you are driving on to this result1--,i do not know that it is ever reached in this life1 but a man may come indefinitely near it1--that you shall stand1 like ,herod1 face to face with ,jesus ,christ and feel nothing1 and that all ,his love and grace shall be offered and not excite the faintest stirring in your hearts of a desire to accept it4 ,oh6 my friend1 we have all of us evils enough in these charnel-houses of our memory to make us dread the awakening of conscience1 to make us look with fear and apprehension beyond the veil to a judgment-seat4 ,and1 blessed be ,god6 we have all of us had1 and some of us have now1 drawings to which we need but to yield ourselves in order to find that ,he who comes from the heavens is no ',john whom we beheaded1' risen for judgment1 but a mightier than he1 that ,son of ,god who came 'not to condemn the world1 but that the world through ,him might be saved4' ,,the ,,martyrdom ,,of ,,john ',for ,herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon ,john1 and bound him in prison for ,herodias' sake1 his brother ,philip's wife3 for he had married her4 #ah4 ,for ,john had said unto ,herod1 ,it is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife4 #ai4 ,therefore ,herodias had a quarrel against him1 and would have killed him2 but she could not3 #bj4 ,for ,herod feared ,john1 knowing that he was a just man and an holy1 and observed him2 and when he heard him1 he did many things1 and heard him gladly4 #ba4 ,and when a convenient day was come1 that ,herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords1 high captains1 and chief estates of ,galilee2 #bb4 ,and when the daughter of the said ,herodias came in1 and danced1 and pleased ,herod and them that sat with him1 the king said unto the damsel1 ,ask of me whatsoever thou wilt1 and ,i will give it thee4 #bc4 ,and he sware unto her1 ,whatsoever thou shalt ask of me1 ,i will give it thee1 unto the half of my kingdom4 #bd4 ,and she went forth1 and said unto her mother1 ,what shall ,i ask8 ,and she said1 ,the head of ,john the ,baptist4 #be4 ,and she came in straightway with haste unto the king1 and asked1 saying1 ,i will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of ,john the ,baptist4 #bf4 ,and the king was exceeding sorry2 yet for his oath's sake1 and for their sakes which sat with him1 he would not reject her4 #bg4 ,and immediately the king sent an executioner1 and commanded his head to be brought3 and he went and beheaded him in the prison1 #bh4 ,and brought his head in a charger1 and gave it to the damsel3 and the damsel gave it to her mother4'--,mark vi4 #ag-bh4 ,this ,herod was a son of the grim old tiger who slew the infants of ,bethlehem4 ,he was a true cub of a bad litter1 with his father's ferocity1 but without his force4 ,he was sensual1 cruel1 cunning1 and infirm of purpose4 ,rome allowed him to play at being a king1 but kept him well in hand4 ,no doubt his anomalous position as a subject prince helped to make him the bad man he was4 ,herodias1 the ,jezebel to this ,ahab1 was his brother's wife1 and niece to both her husband and ,herod4 ,elijah was not far off2 ,john's daring outspokenness1 of course1 made the indignant woman his implacable enemy4 ,i4 ,this story gives an example of the waking of conscience4 ,when ,christ's name reached even the court1 where such tidings would have no ready entrance1 what was only an occasion of more or less languid gossip and curiosity to others stirred the sleeping accuser in ,herod's breast4 ,he had no doubt as to who this new ,teacher1 armed with mightier powers than ,john who 'did no miracles' had ever possessed1 was4 ,his conviction that he was ,john1 come back with increased power1 was immediate1 and was held fast1 in spite of the buzz of other opinions4 ,note the unusual order of the sentence in verse #af3 ',john whom ,i beheaded1 he is1' etc4 ,the terrified king blurts out the name of his dread first1 then tremblingly takes the guilt of the deed to himself1 and last speaks the terrifying thought that he is risen4 ,a man who has a sin in his memory can never be sure that its ghost will not suddenly start up4 ,trivial incidents will rouse the sleeping conscience4 ,some nothing1 a chance word1 a scent1 a sound1 the look on a face1 the glow of an evening sky1 may bring all the foul past up again4 ,a puff of wind clears away the mist of oblivion1 and the old sin starts into vividness as if done yesterday4 ,you touch a secret spring1 and there yawns in the floor a gap leading down to a dungeon4 ,conscience thus wakened is free from all illusions as to guilt4 ',i beheaded4' ,there are no excuses now about ,herodias' urgency1 or ,salome's beauty1 or the rash oath1 or the need of keeping it1 before his guests4 ,the deed stands clear of all these1 as his own act4 ,it is ever so4 ,when conscience speaks1 sophistications about temptations or companions1 or necessity1 or the more learned excuses which philosophers make about environment and heredity as weakening responsibility and diminishing guilt1 shrivel to nothing4 ,the present operations of conscience distinctly predict future still more complete remembrance of1 and sense of responsibility for1 long past sins4 ,there will be a resurrection of men's evil deeds1 as well as of their bodies1 and each of them will shake its gory locks at its author1 and say1 ',thou didst it4' ,there is no proof that ,herod was a ,sadducee1 disbelieving in a resurrection2 but1 whether he was or not1 the terrors of conscience made short work of the difficulties in the way of his supposition4 ,he was right in believing that evil deeds are gifted with an awful immortality1 and will certainly rise again to shake their doer's soul with terrors4 ,,ii4 ,the narrative harks back to tell the story of ,john's martyrdom4 ,it sets vividly forth the inner discord and misery of half-and-half convictions4 ,herodias was strong enough to get ,john put in prison1 and apparently she tried with all the tenacity of a malignant woman to have him assassinated1 by contrived accident or open sentence2 but that she could not manage4 ,mark's analysis of the play of contending feeling in the weak king is barely intelligible in the ,authorised ,version1 but is clearly shown in the ,revised ,version4 ,he 'feared ,john1'--the jailer afraid of his prisoner1--'knowing that he was a righteous man and an holy4' ,goodness is awful4 ,the worst men know it when they see it1 and pay it the homage of dread1 if not of love4 ',and kept him safe' 7not ob- but pre-served him72 that is1 from ,herodias' revenge4 ',and when he heard him1 he was much perplexed4' ,the reading thus translated differs from that in the ,authorised ,version by two letters only1 and obviously is preferable4 ,herod was a weak-willed man1 drawn by two stronger natures pulling in opposite directions4 ,so he alternated between lust and purity1 between the foul kisses of the temptress at his side and the warnings of the prophet in his dungeon4 ,but in all his vacillation he could not help listening to ,john1 but 'heard him gladly1' and mind and conscience approved the nobler voice4 ,thus he staggered along1 with religion enough to spoil some of his sinful delights1 but not enough to make him give them up4 ,such a state of partial conviction is not unusual4 ,many of us know quite well that1 if we would drop some habit1 which may not be very grave1 we should be less encumbered in some effort which it is our interest or duty to make2 but the conviction has not gone deeper than the understanding4 ,like a shot which has only got half way through the armoured skin of a man-of-war1 it has done no execution1 nor reached the engine-room where the power that drives the life is4 ,in more important matters such imperfect convictions are widespread4 ,the majority of slaves to vice know perfectly well that they should give it up4 ,and in regard to the salvation which is in ,christ1 there are multitudes who know in their inmost consciousness that they ought to be ,christians4 ,such a condition is one liable to unrest and frequent inner conflict4 ,truly1 he is 'much perplexed' whose conscience pulls him one way1 and his inclinations another4 ,there is no more miserable condition than that of the man whose will is cleft in twain1 and who has a continual battle raging within4 ,conscience may be bound and thrust down into a dungeon1 like ,john1 and lust and pride may be carousing overhead1 but their mirth is hollow1 and every now and then the stern voice comes up through the gratings1 and the noisy revelry is hushed1 while it speaks doom4 ,such a state of inner strife comes often from unwillingness to give up one special evil4 ,if ,herod could have plucked up resolve to pack ,herodias about her business1 other things might have come right4 ,many of us are ruined by being unwilling to let some dear delight go4 ',if thine eye causeth thee to stumble1 pluck it out4' ,we do not make up for such cowardly shrinking from doing right by pleasure in the divine word which we are not obeying4 ,herod no doubt thought that his delight in listening to ,john went some way to atone for his refusal to get rid of ,herodias4 ,some of us think ourselves good ,christians because we assent to truth1 and even like to hear it1 provided the speaker suit our tastes4 ,glad hearing only aggravates the guilt of not doing4 ,it is useless to admire ,john if you keep ,herodias4 ,,iii4 ,the end of the story gives an example of the final powerlessness of such half-convictions4 ,one need not repeat the grim narrative of the murder4 ,we all know it4 ,one knows not which is the more repugnant--the degradation of the poor child ,salome to the level of a dancing-girl1 the fell malignity of the mother who would shame her daughter for such an end1 the maudlin generosity of ,herod1 flushed with wine and excited passion1 the hideous request from lips so young1 the ineffectual sorrow of ,herod1 his fantastic sense of obligation1 which scrupled to break a wicked promise and did not scruple to murder a prophet1 or the ghastly picture of the girl hurrying to her mother with the freshly severed head1 dripping on to the platter and staining her fair young hands4 ,this was what all the convictions of ,john's righteousness had come to4 ,so had ended the half yielding to his brave rebukes and the ineffectual aspirations after cleaner living4 ,that chaos of lust and blood teaches that partial reformation is apt to end in a deeper plunge into fouler mire4 ,if a man is false to his feeblest conviction1 he makes himself a worse man all through4 ,a partial thaw is generally followed by keener frost than before4 ,a soul half melted and cooled again is harder to melt than before4 ,an abortive slave-rising rivets the chains4 ,the incident teaches that simple weakness may come to be the parent of great sin4 ,in a world like this1 where there are always more voices soliciting to wrong than to right1 to be weak is in the long run to be wicked4 ,fatal facility of disposition ruins hundreds of unthinking men4 ,nothing is more needful than that young people should learn to say ',no1' and should cultivate a wholesome obstinacy which is afraid of nothing but of sinning against ,god4 ,if we look onwards to this ,herod's last appearance in ,scripture1 we get further lessons4 ,he desired to see ,jesus that he might see a miracle done to amuse him1 like a conjuring trick4 ,convictions and terrors had faded from his frivolous soul4 ,he has forgotten that he once thought ,jesus to be ,john come again4 ,he sees ,christ1 and sees nothing in ,him2 and ,christ says nothing to ,herod1 because ,he knew it would be useless4 ,it is an awful thing to put one's self beyond the hearing of that voice1 which 'all that are in the graves shall hear4' ,the most effectual stopping for our ears is neglect of what we know to be ,his will4 ,if we will not listen to ,him1 we shall gradually lose the power of hearing ,him1 and then ,he will lock ,his lips1 and answer nothing4 ,we dare not say that ,jesus is dumb to any man while life lasts1 but we dare not refrain from saying that that condition of utter insensibility to ,his voice may be indefinitely approached by us1 and that neglected convictions bring us terribly far on the way towards it4 ,,the ,,world',s ,,bread ',and the apostles gathered themselves together unto ,jesus1 and told ,him all things1 both what they had done1 and what they had taught4 #ca4 ,and ,he said unto them1 ,come ye yourselves apart into a desert place1 and rest a while3 for there were many coming and going1 and they had no leisure so much as to eat4 #cb4 ,and they departed into a desert place by ship privately4 #cc4 ,and the people saw them departing1 and many knew ,him1 and ran afoot thither out of all cities1 and outwent them1 and came together unto ,him4 #cd4 ,and ,jesus1 when he came out1 saw much people1 and was moved with compassion toward them1 because they were as sheep not having a shepherd3 and ,he began to teach them many things4 #ce4 ,and when the day was now far spent1 ,his disciples came unto ,him1 and said1 ,this is a desert place1 and now the time is far passed3 #cf4 ,send them away1 that they may go into the country round about1 and into the villages1 and buy themselves bread3 for they have nothing to eat4 #cg4 ,he answered and said unto them1 ,give ye them to eat4 ,and they say unto ,him1 ,shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread1 and give them to eat8 #ch4 ,he saith unto them1 ,how many loaves have ye8 go and see4 ,and when they knew1 they say1 ,five1 and two fishes4 #ci4 ,and he commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass4 #dj4 ,and they sat down in ranks1 by hundreds1 and by fifties4 #da4 ,and when ,he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes1 ,he looked up to heaven1 and blessed1 and brake the loaves1 and gave them to ,his disciples to set before them2 and the two fishes divided ,he among them all4 #db4 ,and they did all eat1 and were filled4 #dc4 ,and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments1 and of the fishes4 #dd4 ,and they that did eat of the loaves were about five thousand men4'--,mark vi4 #cj-dd4 ,this is the only miracle recorded by all four ,evangelists4 ,matthew brings it into immediate connection with ,john's martyrdom1 while ,mark links it with the ,apostles' return from their first mission4 ,his account is1 as usual1 full of graphic touches1 while ,john shows more intimate knowledge of the parts played by the ,apostles1 and sets the whole incident in a clearer light4 ,i4 ,mark brings out the preceding events1 and especially the seeking for solitude1 which was baulked by popular enthusiasm4 ,the ,apostles came back to ,jesus full of wondering joy1 and were eager to tell what they had done and taught4 ,note that order1 which hints that they thought more of the miracles than of the message4 ,they were flushed and excited by success1 and needed calming down even more than physical rest4 ,so ,jesus1 knowing their need1 bids them come with ,him into healing solitude1 and rest awhile4 ,after any great effort1 the body cries for repose1 but still more does the soul's health demand quiet after exciting and successful work for ,christ4 ,without much solitary communion with ,jesus1 effort for ,him tends to become mechanical1 and to lose the elevation of motive and the suppression of self which give it all its power4 ,it is not wasted time which the busiest worker1 confronted with the most imperative calls for service1 gives to still fellowship in secret with ,god4 ,there can never be too much activity in ,christian work1 but there is often disproportioned activity1 which is too much for the amount of time given to meditation and communion4 ,that is one reason why there is so much sowing and so little reaping in ,christian work to-day4 ,but1 on the other hand1 we have sometimes to do as ,jesus was driven to do in this incident2 namely1 to forgo cheerfully1 after brief repose1 the blessed and strengthening hour of quiet4 ,the motives of the crowds that hurried round the head of the lake while the boat was pulled across1 and so got to the other side before it1 were not very pure4 ,curiosity drove them as much as any nobler impulse4 ,but we must not be too particular about the reasons that induce men to resort to ,jesus1 and if we can give them more than they sought1 so much the better4 ,let us be thankful if1 for any reason1 we can get them to listen4 ,jesus 'came forth'2 that is1 probably from a short withdrawal with the ,twelve4 ,brief repose snatched1 ,he turned again to the work4 ,the 'great multitude' did not make ,him impatient1 though1 no doubt1 some of the ,apostles were annoyed4 ,but ,he saw deeply into their condition1 and pity welled in ,his heart4 ,if we looked on the crowds in our great cities with ,christ's eyes1 their spiritual state would be the most prominent thing in sight4 ,and if we saw that as ,he saw it1 disgust1 condemnation1 indifference1 would not be uppermost1 as they too often are1 but some drop of ,his great compassion would trickle into our hearts4 ,the masses are still 'as sheep without a shepherd1' ignorant of the way1 and defenceless against their worst foes4 ,do we habitually try to cultivate as ours ,christ's way of looking at men1 and ,christ's emotions towards men8 ,if we do1 we shall imitate ,christ's actions for men1 and shall recognise that1 to reproduce as well as we can the 'many things' which ,he taught them1 is the best contribution which ,his disciples can make to healing the misery of a ,christless world4 ,,ii4 ,the difference between ,john and ,mark in regard to the conversation of ,jesus with the disciples about finding food for the crowd1 is easily harmonised4 ,john tells us what ,jesus said at the first sight of the multitude2 ,mark takes up the narrative at the close of the day4 ,we owe to ,john the knowledge that the exigency was not first pointed out by the disciples1 but that ,his calm1 loving prescience saw it1 and determined to meet it1 long before they spoke4 ,no needs arise unforeseen by ,christ1 and ,he requires no prompting to help4 ,difficulties which seem insoluble to us1 when we too late wake to perceive them1 have long ago been taken into account and solved by ,him4 ,the ,apostles1 according to ,mark1 came with a suggestion of helpless embarrassment4 ,they could think of nothing but to disperse the crowd1 and so get rid of responsibility4 ,he answers with a paradox of conscious power1 which commands a seeming impossibility1 and therein prophesies endowment that will make it possible4 ,has not the ,church ever since been but too often faithless enough to let the multitudes drift away to 'the cities and villages round about1' and there1 amid human remedies for their sore needs1 'buy themselves1' with much expenditure1 a scanty provision8 ,are we not all tempted to shuffle off responsibility for the world's hunger8 ,do we not often think that our resources are absurdly insufficient1 and so1 faintheartedly make them still less8 ,is not ,his command still1 ',give ye them to eat'8 ,let us rise to the height of our duties and of our power1 and be sure that whoever has ,christ has enough for the world's hunger1 and is bound to call men from 'that which is not bread1' and to feed them with ,him who is4 ,philip's morning calculation 7curiously in keeping with his character7 seems to have been repeated by the ,apostles1 as1 no doubt1 he had been saying the same thing all day at intervals4 ,they had made a rough calculation of how much would be wanted4 ,it was a sum far beyond their means4 ,it was as much as about #g4 ,and where was such wealth as that in that company8 ,but calculations which leave out ,christ's power are not quite conclusive4 ,the ,apostles had reckoned up the requirement1 but they had not taken stock of their resources4 ,so they were sent to hunt up what they could1 and ,john tells us that it was ,andrew who found the boy with five barley loaves and two fishes4 ,how came a boy to be so provident8 ,probably he had come to try a bit of trade on his own account4 ,at all events1 the ,twelve seem to have been able to buy his little stock1 which done1 they went back to tell ,jesus1 no doubt thinking that such a meagre supply would end all talk of their giving the crowd to eat4 ,jesus would have us count our own resources1 not that we may fling up ,his work in despair1 but that we may realise our dependence on ,him1 and that the consciousness of our own insufficiency may not diminish one jot our sense of obligation to feed the multitude4 ,it is good to learn our own weakness if it drives us to lean on ,his strength4 ',five loaves and two fishes1' plus ,jesus ,christ1 come to a good deal more than 'two hundred pennyworth of bread4' ,,iii4 ,the miracle is told with beautiful vividness and simplicity4 ,mark's picturesque words show the groups sitting by companies of hundreds or of fifties4 ,he uses a word which means 'the square garden plots in which herbs are grown4' ,so they sat on the green grass1 which at that ,passover season would be fresh and abundant4 ,what half-amused and more than half-incredulous wonder as to what would come next would be in the people6 ,many of them would be saying in their hearts1 and perhaps some in words1 ',can ,god furnish a table in the wilderness8' 7,ps4 lxxviii4 #ai74 ,in that small matter ,jesus shows that ,he is 'not the ,author of confusion1' but of order4 ,the rush of five thousand hungry men struggling to get a share of what seemed an insufficient supply would have been unseemly and dangerous to the women and children1 but the seated groups become as companies of guests1 and ,he the orderer of the feast4 ,to get at the numbers would be easy1 while the passage of the ,apostles through the groups was facilitated1 and none would be likely to remain unsupplied or passed over4 ,the point at which the miraculous element entered is not definitely stated1 but if each portion passed through the hands of ,christ to the servers1 and from them to the partakers1 the multiplication of the bread must have been effected while it lay in ,his hand2 that is to say1 the loaves were not diminished by ,his giving4 ,that is true about all divine gifts4 ,he bestows1 and is none the poorer4 ,the streams flow from the golden vase1 and1 after all outpouring1 it is brimful4 ,many irrelevant difficulties have been raised about the mode of the miracle1 and many lame analogies have been suggested1 as if it but hastened ordinary processes4 ,but these need not detain us4 ,note rather the great lesson which ,john records that our ,lord ,himself drew from this miracle4 ,it was a symbol1 in the material region1 of ,his work in the spiritual1 as all ,his miracles were4 ,he is the ,bread of the world4 ,ho gives ,himself still1 and in a yet more wonderful sense ,he gave ,his flesh for the life of the world4 ,he gives us ,himself for our own nourishment1 and also that we may give ,him to others4 ,it was an honour to the ,twelve that they should be chosen to be ,his almoners4 ,it should be felt an honour by all ,christians that through them ,christ wills to feed a hungry world4 ,a somewhat different application of the miracle reminds us that ,jesus uses our resources1 scanty and coarse as five barley loaves1 for the basis of ,his wonders4 ,he did not create the bread1 but multiplied it4 ,our small abilities1 humbly acknowledged to be small1 and laid in ,his hands1 will grow4 ,there is power enough in the ,church1 if the power were consecrated1 to feed the world4 ,all four ,gospels tell the command to gather up the 'broken pieces' 7not the fragments left by the eaters1 but the unused pieces broken by ,christ74 ,this union of economy with creative power could never have been invented4 ,unused resources are retained4 ,the exercise of ,christian powers multiplies them1 and after the feeding of thousands more remains than was possessed before4 ',there is that scattereth1 and yet increaseth4' ,,children ,,and ,,little ,,dogs ',and from thence ,he arose1 and went into the borders of ,tyre and ,sidon1 and entered ,into an house1 and would have no man know it3 but ,he could not be hid4 #be4 ,for a certain woman1 whose young daughter had an unclean spirit1 heard of ,him1 and came and fell at ,his feet3 #bf4 ,the woman was a ,greek1 a ,syrophenician by nation2 and she besought ,him that ,he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter4 #hg4 ,but ,jesus said unto her1 ,let the children first be filled3 for it is not meet to take the children's bread1 and to cast it unto the dogs4 #bh4 ,and she answered and said unto ,him1 ,yes1 ,lord3 yet the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs4 #bi4 ,and ,he said unto her1 ,for this saying go thy way2 the devil is gone out of thy daughter4 #cj4 ,and when she was come to her house1 she found the devil gone out1 and her daughter laid upon the bed4'--,mark vii4 #bd-cj4 ,our ,lord desired to withdraw from the excited crowds who were flocking after ,him as a mere miracle-worker and from the hostile espionage of emissaries of the ,pharisees1 'which had come from ,jerusalem4' ,therefore ,he sought seclusion in heathen territory4 ,he1 too1 knew the need of quiet1 and felt the longing to plunge into privacy1 to escape for a time from the pressure of admirers and of foes1 and to go where no man knew ,him4 ,how near to us that brings ,him6 ,and how the remembrance of it helps to explain ,his demeanour to the ,syrophcenician woman1 so unlike ,his usual tone6 ,naturally the presence of ,jesus leaked out1 and perhaps the very effort to avoid notice attracted it4 ,rumour would have carried ,his name across the border1 and the tidings of ,his being among them would stir hope in some hearts that felt the need of ,his help4 ,of such was this woman1 whom ,mark describes first1 generally1 as a ',greek' 7that is1 a ,gentile71 and then particularly as 'a ,syrophcenician by race'2 that is1 one of that branch of the ,phoenician race who inhabited maritime ,syria1 in contradistinction from the other branch inhabiting ,north-eastern ,africa1 ,carthage1 and its neighbourhood4 ,her deep need made her bold and persistent1 as we learn in detail from ,matthew1 who is in this narrative more graphic than ,mark4 ,he tells us that she attacked ,jesus in the way1 and followed ,him1 pouring out her loud petitions1 to the annoyance of the disciples4 ,they thought that they were carrying out ,his wish for privacy in suggesting that it would be best to 'send her away' with her prayer granted1 and so stop her 'crying after us1' which might raise a crowd1 and defeat the wish4 ,we owe to ,matthew the further facts of the woman's recognition of ,jesus as 'the ,son of ,david1' and of the strange ignoring of her cries1 and of ,his answer to the disciples' suggestion1 in which ,he limited ,his mission to ,israel1 and so explained to them ,his silence to her4 ,mark omits all these points1 and focuses all the light on the two things--,christ's strange and apparently harsh refusal1 and the woman's answer1 which won her cause4 ,certainly our ,lord's words are startlingly unlike ,him1 and as startlingly like the ,jewish pride of race and contempt for ,gentiles4 ,but that the woman did not take them so is clear2 and that was not due only to her faith1 but to something in ,him which gave her faith a foothold4 ,we are surely not to suppose that she drew from ,his words an inference which ,he did not perceive in them1 and that ,he was1 as some commentators put it1 'caught in ,his own words4' ,mark alone gives us the first clause of ,christ's answer to the woman's petition3 ',let the children first be filled4' ,and that 'first' distinctly says that their prerogative is priority1 not monopoly4 ,if there is a 'first1' there will follow a second4 ,the very image of the great house in which the children sit at the table1 and the 'little dogs' are in the room1 implies that children and dogs are part of one household2 and ,jesus meant by it just what the woman found in it1--the assurance that the meal-time for the dogs would come when the children had done4 ,that is but a picturesque way of stating the method of divine revelation through the medium of the chosen people1 and the objections to ,christ's words come at last to be objections to the 'committing' of the 'oracles of ,god' to the ,jewish race2 that is to say1 objections to the only possible way by which a historical revelation could be given4 ,it must have personal mediums1 a place and a sequence4 ,it must prepare fit vehicles for itself and gradually grow in clearness and contents4 ,and all this is just to say that revelation for the world must be first the possession of a race4 ,the fire must have a hearth on which it can be kindled and burn1 till it is sufficient to bear being carried thence4 ,universalism was the goal of the necessary restriction4 ,pharisaism sought to make the restriction permanent4 ,jesus really threw open the gates to all in this very saying1 which at first sounds so harsh4 ',first' implies second1 children and little dogs are all parts of the one household4 ,christ's personal ministry was confined to ,israel for obvious and weighty reasons4 ,he felt1 as ,matthew tells us1 that ,he said in this incident that ,he was not sent but to the lost sheep of that nation4 ,but ,his world-wide mission was as clear to ,him as its temporary limit1 and in ,his first discourse in the synagogue at ,nazareth ,he proclaimed it to a scowling crowd4 ,we cannot doubt that ,his sympathetic heart yearned over this poor woman1 and ,his seemingly rough speech was meant partly to honour the law which ruled ,his mission even in the act of making an exception to it1 and partly to test1 and so to increase1 her faith4 ,her swift laying of her finger on the vulnerable point in the apparent refusal of her prayer may have been due to a woman's quick wit1 but it was much more due to a mother's misery and to a suppliant's faith4 ,there must have been something in ,christ's look1 or in the cadence of ,his voice1 which helped to soften the surface harshness of ,his words1 and emboldened her to confront ,him with the plain implications of ,his own words4 ,what a constellation of graces sparkles in her ready reply6 ,there is humility in accepting the place ,he gives her2 insight in seeing at once a new plea in what might have sent her away despairing2 persistence in pleading2 confidence that ,he can grant her request and that ,he would gladly do so4 ,our ,lord's treatment of her was amply justified by its effects4 ,his words were like the hard steel that strikes the flint and brings out a shower of sparks4 ,faith makes obstacles into helps1 and stones of stumbling into 'stepping-stones to higher things4' ,if we will take the place which ,he gives us1 and hold fast our trust in ,him even when ,he seems silent to us1 and will so far penetrate ,his designs as to find the hidden purpose of good in apparent repulses1 the honey secreted deep in the flower1 we shall share in this woman's blessing in the measure in which we share in her faith4 ,jesus obviously delighted in being at liberty to stretch ,his commission so as to include her in its scope4 ,joyful recognition of the ingenuity of her pleading1 and of her faith's bringing her within the circle of the 'children1' are apparent in ,his word1 ',for this saying go thy way4' ,he ever looks for the disposition in us which will let ,him1 in accordance with ,his great purpose1 pour on us ,his full-flowing tide of blessing1 and nothing gladdens ,him more than that1 by humble acceptance of our assigned place1 and persistent pleading1 and trust that will not be shaken1 we should make it possible for ,him to see in us recipients of ,his mercy and healing grace4 ,,the ,,pattern ,,of ,,service ',he touched his tongue2 and looking up to heaven1 ,he sighed1 and saith ,ephphatha1 that is1 ,be opened4'--,mark vii #cc1 #cd4 ,for what reason was there this unwonted slowness in ,christ's healing works8 ,for what reason was there this unusual emotion ere ,he spoke the word which cleansed8 ,as to the former question1 a partial answer may perhaps be that our ,lord is here on half-heathen ground1 where aids to faith were much needed1 and ,his power had to be veiled that it might be beheld4 ,hence the miracle is a process rather than an act2 and1 advancing as it does by distinct stages1 is conformed in appearance to men's works of mercy1 which have to adapt means to ends1 and creep to their goal by persevering toil4 ,as to the latter1 we know not why the sight of this one poor sufferer should have struck so strongly on the ever-tremulous chords of ,christ's pitying heart2 but we do know that it was the vision brought before ,his spirit by this single instance of the world's griefs and sicknesses--in which mass1 however1 the special case before ,him was by no means lost--that raised ,his eyes to heaven in mute appeal1 and forced the groan from ,his breast4 ,the 'missionary spirit' is but one aspect of the ,christian spirit4 ,we shall only strengthen the former as we invigorate the latter4 ,harm has been done1 both to ourselves and to that great cause1 by seeking to stimulate compassion and efforts for heathen lands by the use of other excitements1 which have tended to vitiate even the emotions they have aroused1 and are apt to fail as when we need them most4 ,it may therefore be profitable if we turn to ,christ's own manner of working1 and ,his own emotions in ,his merciful deeds1 set forth in this remarkable narrative1 as containing lessons for us in our missionary and evangelistic work4 ,i must necessarily omit more than a passing reference to the slow process of healing which this miracle exhibits4 ,but that1 too1 has its teaching for us1 who are so often tempted to think ourselves badly used1 unless the fruit of our toil grows up1 like ,jonah's gourd1 before our eyes4 ,if our ,lord was content to reach ,his end of blessing step by step1 we may well accept 'patient continuance in well-doing' as the condition indispensable to reaping in due season4 ,but there are other thoughts still more needful which suggest themselves4 ,those minute details which this ,evangelist ever delights to give of our ,lord's gestures1 words1 looks1 and emotions1 not only add graphic force to the narrative but are precious glimpses into the very heart of ,christ4 ,that fixed gaze into heaven1 that groan which neither the glories seen above nor the conscious power to heal could stifle1 that most gentle touch1 as if removing material obstacles from the deaf ears1 and moistening the stiff tongue that it might move more freely in the parched mouth1 that word of authority which could not be wanting even when ,his working seemed likest a servant's1 do surely carry large lessons for us4 ,the condition of all service1 the cost of feeling at which our work must be done1 the need that the helpers should identify themselves with the sufferers1 and the victorious power of ,christ's word over all deaf ears--these are the thoughts which ,i desire to connect with our text and to commend to your meditation now4 ,i4 ,we have here set forth1 in the ,lord's heavenward look1 the foundation and condition of all true work for ,god4 ,the profound questions which are involved in the fact that1 as man1 ,christ held communion with ,god in the exercise of faith and aspiration1 the same in kind as ours1 do not concern us here4 ,i speak to those who believe that ,jesus is for us the perfect example of complete manhood1 and who therefore believe that ,he is 'the leader of faith1' the head of the long processions of those who in every age have trusted in ,god and been 'lightened4' ,but1 perhaps1 though that conviction holds its place in our creeds1 it has not been as completely incorporated with our thoughts as it should have been4 ,there has1 no doubt1 been a tendency1 operating in much of our evangelical teaching1 and in the common stream of orthodox opinion1 to except1 half unconsciously1 the exercises of the religious life from the sphere of ,christ's example1 and we need to be reminded that ,scripture presents ,his vow1 ',i will put my trust in ,him1' as the crowning proof of ,his brotherhood1 and that the prints of ,his kneeling limbs have left their impressions where we kneel before the throne4 ,true1 the relation of the ,son to the ,father involves more than communion-namely1 unity4 ,but if we follow the teaching of the ,bible1 we shall not presume that the latter excludes the former1 but understand that the unity is the foundation of perfect communion1 and the communion the manifestation1 so far as it can be manifested1 of the unspeakable unity4 ,the solemn words which shine like stars--starlike in that their height above us shrinks their magnitude and dims their brightness1 and in that they are points of radiance partially disclosing1 and separated by1 abysses of unlighted infinitude--tell us that in the order of eternity1 before creatures were1 there was communion1 for 'the ,word was with ,god1' and there was unity1 for 'the ,word was ,god4' ,and in the records of the life manifested on earth the consciousness of unity loftily utters itself in the unfathomable declaration1 ',i and my ,father are one'2 whilst the consciousness of communion1 dependent like ours on harmony of will and true obedience1 breathes peacefully in the witness which ,he leaves to ,himself3 ',the ,father has not left ,me alone1 for ,i do always the things that please ,him4' ,we are fully warranted1 then1 in supposing that that wistful gaze to heaven means1 and may be taken to symbolise1 our ,lord's conscious direction of thought and spirit to ,god as ,he wrought ,his work of mercy4 ,there are two distinctions to be noted between ,his communion with ,god and ours before we can apply the lesson to ourselves4 ,his heavenward look was not the renewal of interrupted fellowship1 but rather1 as a man standing firmly on firm rock may yet lift his foot to plant it again where it was before1 and settle himself in his attitude before he strikes with all his might2 so we may say ,christ fixes ,himself where ,he always stood1 and grasps anew the hand that ,he always held1 before ,he does the deed of power4 ,the communion that had never been broken was renewed2 how much more the need that in our work for ,god the renewal of the--alas6 too sadly sundered--fellowship should ever precede and always accompany our efforts6 ,and again1 ,christ's fellowship was with the ,father1 while ours must be with the ,father through the ,son4 ,the communion to which we are called is with ,jesus ,christ1 in whom we find ,god4 ,the manner of that intercourse1 and the various discipline of ourselves with a view to its perfecting which ,christian prudence prescribes1 need not concern us here4 ,as for the latter1 let us not forget that a wholesome and wide-reaching self-denial cannot be dispensed with4 ,hands that are full of gilded toys and glass beads cannot grasp durable riches1 and eyes that have been accustomed to glaring lights see only darkness when they look up to the violet heaven with all its stars4 ,as to the former1 every part of our nature above the simply animal is capable of ,god1 and the communion ought to include our whole being4 ,christ is truth for the understanding1 authority for the will1 love for the heart1 certainty for the hope1 fruition for all the desires1 and for the conscience at once cleansing and law4 ,fellowship with ,him is no indolent passiveness1 nor the luxurious exercise of certain emotions1 but the contact of the whole nature with its sole adequate object and rightful ,lord4 ,such intercourse1 brethren1 lies at the foundation of all work for ,god4 ,it is the condition of all our power4 ,it is the measure of all our success4 ,without it we may seem to realise the externals of prosperity1 but it will be all illusion4 ,with it we may perchance seem to 'spend our strength for nought'2 but heaven has its surprises2 and those who toiled1 nor left their hold of their ,lord in all their work1 will have to say at last with wonder1 as they see the results of their poor efforts1 ',who hath begotten me these8 behold1 ,i was left alone2 these1 where had they been8' ,consider in few words the manifold ways in which the indispensable prerequisite of all right effort for ,christ may be shown to be communion with ,christ4 ,the heavenward look is the renewal of our own vision of the calm verities in which we trust1 the recourse for ourselves to the realities which we desire that others should see4 ,and what is equal in persuasive power to the simple utterance of one's own intense conviction8 ,he only will infuse his own religion into other minds1 whose religion is not a set of hard dogmas1 but is fused by the heat of personal experience into a river of living fire4 ,it will flow then1 not otherwise4 ,the only claim which the hearts of men will listen to1 in those who would win them to spiritual beliefs1 is that ancient one3 ',that which we have seen with our eyes1 which we have looked upon1 declare we unto you4' ,mightier than all arguments1 than all 'proofs of the truth of the ,christian religion1' and penetrating into a sphere deeper than that of the understanding1 is the simple proclamation1 ',we have found the ,messias4' ,if we would give sight to the blind1 we must ourselves be gazing into heaven4 ,only when we testify of that which we see1 as one might who1 standing in a beleaguered city1 discerned on the horizon the filmy dust-cloud through which the spearheads of the deliverers flashed at intervals1 shall we win any to gaze with us till they too behold and know themselves set free4 ,the heavenward look draws new strength from the source of all our might4 ,in our work1 dear brethren1 contemplating as it ought to do exclusively spiritual results1 what we do depends largely on what we are1 and what we are depends on what we receive1 and what we receive depends on the depth and constancy of our communion with ,god4 ',the help which is done upon earth ,he doeth it all ,himself4' ,we and our organisations are but the channels through which this might is poured2 and if we choke the bed with turbid masses of drift and heavy rocks of earthly thoughts1 or build from bank to bank thick dams of worldliness compact with slime of sin1 how shall the full tide flow through us for the healing of the salt and barren places8 ,will it not leave its former course silted up with sand1 and cut for itself new outlets1 while the useless quays that once rang with busy life stand silent1 and 'the cities are solitary that were full of people'8 ,we are ',the trumpet at ,thy lips1 the clarion ,full of ,thy cry1 sonorous with ,thy breath4' ,let us see to it that by fellowship with ,christ we keep the passage clear1 and become recipients of the inspiration which shall thrill our else-silent spirits into the blast of loud alarum and the ringing proclamation of the true ,king4 ,the heavenward look will guard us from the temptations which surround all our service1 and the distractions which lay waste our lives4 ,it is habitual communion with ,christ that alone will give the persistency that makes systematic1 continuous efforts for ,him possible1 and yet will keep systematic work from degenerating1 as it ever tends to do1 into mechanical work4 ,there is no greater virtue in irregular desultory service than in systematised labour4 ,the one is not freer from besetting temptations than the other1 only the temptations are of different sorts4 ,machinery saves manual toil1 and multiplies force4 ,but we may have too heavy machinery for what engineers call the boiler power1--too many wheels and shafts for the steam we have to drive them with4 ,what we want is not less organisation1 or other sorts of it1 but more force4 ,any organisation will do if we have ,god's ,spirit breathing through it4 ,none will be better than so much old iron if we have not4 ,we are ever apt to trust to our work1 to do it without a distinct recurrence at each moment to the principles on which it rests1 and the motives by which it should be actuated1--to become so absorbed in details that we forget the purpose which alone gives them meaning1 to over-estimate the external aspects of it1 to lose sight of the solemn truths which make it so grand1 and to think of it as commonplace because it is common1 as ordinary because it is familiar4 ,and from these most real dangers1 which beset us all1 there is no refuge but the frequent1 the habitual1 gaze into the open heavens1 which will show us again the realities of things1 and bring to our spirits1 dwarfed even by habits of goodness1 the renewal of former motives by the vision of ,jesus ,christ4 ,such constant communion will further surround us with an atmosphere through which none of the many influences which threaten our ,christian life and our ,christian work can penetrate4 ,as the diver in his bell sits dry at the bottom of the sea1 and draws a pure air from the free heavens far above him1 and is parted from that murderous waste of green death that clings so closely round the translucent crystal walls which keep him safe2 so we1 enclosed in ,god1 shall repel from ourselves all that would overflow to destroy us and our work1 and may by ,his grace lay deeper than the waters some courses in the great building that shall one day rise1 stately and many-mansioned1 from out of the conquered waves4 ,for ourselves1 and for all that we do for ,him1 living communion with ,god is the means of power and peace1 of security and success4 ,it was never more needful than now4 ,feverish activity rules in all spheres of life4 ,the iron wheels of the car which bears the modern idol of material progress whirl fast1 and crush remorselessly all who cannot keep up the pace4 ,christian effort is multiplied and systematised beyond all precedent4 ,and all these facts make calm fellowship with ,god hard to compass4 ,the measure of the difficulty is the measure of the need4 ,i1 for my part1 believe that there are few ,christian duties more neglected than that of meditation1 the very name of which has fallen of late into comparative disuse1 that augurs ill for the frequency of the thing4 ,we are so busy thinking1 discussing1 defending1 inquiring2 or preaching1 and teaching1 and working1 that we have no time and no leisure of heart for quiet contemplation1 without which the exercise of the intellect upon ,christ's truth will not feed1 and busy activity in ,christ's cause may starve1 the soul4 ,there are few things which the ,church of this day in all its parts needs more than to obey the invitation1 ',come ye yourselves apart into a lonely place1 and rest a while4' ,christ has set us the example4 ,let our prayers ascend as ,his did1 and in our measure the answers which came to ,him will not fail us4 ,for us1 too1 'praying1 the heavens' shall be 'opened1' and the peace-bringing spirit fall dove-like on our meek hearts4 ,for us1 too1 when the shadow of our cross lies black and gaunt upon our paths1 and our souls are troubled1 communion with heaven will bring the assurance1 audible to our ears at least1 that ,god will glorify ,himself even in us4 ,if1 after many a weary day1 we seek to hold fellowship with ,god as ,he sought it on the ,mount of ,olives1 or among the solitudes of the midnight hills1 or out in the morning freshness of the silent wilderness1 like ,him we shall have men gathering around us to hear us speak when we come forth from 'the secret place of the ,most ,high4' ,if our prayer1 like ,his1 goes before our mighty deeds1 the voice that first pierced the skies will penetrate the tomb1 and make the dead stir in their grave-clothes4 ,if our longing1 trustful look is turned to the heavens1 we shall not speak in vain on earth when we say1 ',be opened6' ,brethren1 we cannot do without the communion which our ,master needed4 ,do we delight in what strengthened ,him8 ,does our work rest upon the basis of inward fellowship with ,god which underlay ,his8 ,alas6 that our ,pattern should be our rebuke1 and that the readiest way to force home our faults on our consciences should be the contemplation of the life which we say that we try to copy6 ,,ii4 ,we have here pity for the evils we would remove1 set forth by the ,lord's sigh4 ,the frequency with which this ,evangelist records our ,lord's emotions on the sight of sin and sorrow has been often noticed4 ,in his pages we read of ,christ's grief at the hardness of men's hearts1 of ,his marvelling because of their unbelief1 of ,his being moved with compassion for an outcast leper and a hungry multitude1 of ,his sighing deeply in ,his spirit when prejudiced hostility1 assuming the appearance of candid inquiry1 asked of ,him a sign from heaven4 ,all these instances of true human feeling1 like ,his tears at the grave of ,lazarus1 and ,his weariness as ,he sat on the well1 and ,his tired sleep in the stern of the little fishing-boat1 and ,his hunger and ,his thirst1 are very precious as aids in realising ,his perfect manhood2 but they have a worth beyond even that4 ,they show us how the manifold ills and evils of man's fate and conduct appealed to the only pure heart that ever beat1 and how quickly and warmly it1 by reason of its purity1 throbbed in sympathy with all the woe4 ,one might have thought that in the present case the consciousness that ,his help was so near would have been sufficient to repress the sigh4 ,one might have thought that the heavenward look would have stayed the tears4 ,but neither the happiness of active benevolence1 nor the knowledge of immediate cure1 nor the glories above flooding ,his vision1 could lift the burden from ,his labouring breast4 ,and surely in this too1 we may discern a law for all our efforts1 that their worth shall be in proportion to the expense of feeling at which they are done4 ,men predict the harvests in ,egypt by the height which the river marks on the gauge of the inundation4 ,so many feet there represent so much fertility4 ,tell me the depth of a ,christian man's compassion1 and ,i will tell you the measure of his fruitfulness4 ,what was it that drew that sigh from the heart of ,jesus8 ,one poor man stood before him1 by no means the most sorely afflicted of the many wretched ones whom ,he healed4 ,but ,he saw in him more than a solitary instance of physical infirmities4 ,did there not roll darkly before ,his thoughts that whole weltering sea of sorrow that moans round the world of which here is but one drop that ,he could dry up8 ,did there not rise black and solid1 against the clear blue to which ,he had been looking1 the mass of man's sin1 of which these bodily infirmities were but a poor symbol as well as a consequence8 ,he saw1 as none but ,he could bear to see1 the miserable realities of human life4 ,his knowledge of all that man might be1 of all that the most of men were becoming1 ,his power of contemplating in one awful aggregate the entire sum of sorrows and sins1 laid upon ,his heart a burden which none but ,he has ever endured4 ,his communion with heaven deepened the dark shadow on earth1 and the eyes that looked up to ,god and saw ,him1 could not but see foulness where others suspected none1 and murderous messengers of hell walking in darkness unpenetrated by mortal sight4 ,and all that pain of clearer knowledge of the sorrowfulness of sorrow1 and the sinfulness of sin1 was laid upon a heart in which was no selfishness to blunt the sharp edge of the pain nor any sin to stagnate the pity that flowed from the wound4 ,to ,jesus ,christ1 life was a daily martyrdom before death had 'made the sacrifice complete1' and ,he 'bore our griefs and carried our sorrows' through many a weary hour before ,he 'bare them in ,his own body on the tree4' ,therefore1 ',bear ye one another's burdens1 and so fulfil the law' which ,christ obeyed1 becomes a command for all who would draw men to ,him4 ,and true sorrow1 a sharp and real sense of pain1 becomes indispensable as preparation for1 and accompaniment to1 our work4 ,mark how in us1 as in our ,lord1 the sigh of compassion is to be connected with the look to heaven4 ,it follows upon that gaze4 ,the evils become more real1 more terrible1 by their startling contrast with the unshadowed light which lives above cloudracks and mists4 ,it is a sharp shock to turn from the free sweep of the heavens1 starry and radiant1 to the sights that meet us in 'this dim spot which men call earth4' ,thus habitual communion with ,god is the root of the truest and purest compassion4 ,it does not withdraw us from our fellow feeling with our brethren1 it cultivates no isolation for undisturbed beholding of ,god4 ,it at once supplies a standard by which to measure the greatness of man's godlessness1 and therefore of his gloom1 and a motive for laying the pain of these upon our hearts1 as if they were our own4 ,he has looked into the heavens to little purpose who has not learned how bad and how sad the world now is1 and how ,god bends over it in pitying love4 ,and that same fellowship which will clear our eyes and soften our hearts1 is also the one consolation which we have when our sense of 'all the ills that flesh is heir to' becomes deep nearly to despair4 ,when one thinks of the real facts of human life1 and tries to conceive of the frightful meanness and passion and hate and wretchedness that have been howling and shrieking and gibbering and groaning through dreary millenniums1 one's brain reels1 and hope seems to be absurdity1 and joy a sin against our fellows1 as a feast would be in a house next door to where was a funeral4 ,i do not wonder at settled sorrow falling upon men of vivid imagination1 keen moral sense1 and ordinary sensitiveness1 when they brood long on the world as it is4 ,but ,i do wonder at the superficial optimism which goes on with its little prophecies about human progress1 and its rose-coloured pictures of human life1 and sees nothing to strike it dumb for ever in men's writhing miseries1 blank failures1 and hopeless end4 ,ah6 brethren1 if it were not for the heavenward look1 how could we bear the sight of earth8 ',we see not yet all things put under ,him4' ,no6 ,god knows1 far enough off from that4 ,man's folly1 man's submission to the creatures he should rule1 man's agonies1 and man's transgression1 are a grim contrast to the ,psalmist's vision4 ,if we had only earth to look to1 despair of the race1 expressed in settled melancholy apathy or in fierce cynicism1 were the wisest attitude4 ,but there is more within our view than earth2 'we see ,jesus'2 we look to the heaven1 and as we behold the true ,man1 we see more than ever1 indeed1 how far from that pattern we all are2 but we can bear the thought of what men as yet have been1 when we see that perfect ,example of what men shall be4 ,the root and the consolation of our sorrow for men's evils is communion with ,god4 ,let me remind you1 too1 that still more dangerous than the pity which is not based upon1 and corrected by1 the look to heaven1 is the pity which does not issue in strenuous work4 ,it is easy to excite people's emotions2 but it is perilous for both the operator and the subject1 unless they be excited through the understanding1 and pass on the impulse to the will and the practical powers4 ,the surest way to petrify a heart is to stimulate the feelings1 and give them nothing to do4 ,they will never recover their original elasticity if they have been wantonly drawn forth thus4 ,coldness1 hypocrisy1 spurious sentimentalism1 and a whole train of affectations and falsehoods follow the steps of an emotional religion1 which divorces itself from active work4 ,pity is meant to impel to help4 ,let us not be content with painting sad and true pictures of men's woes1--of the gloomy hopelessness of idolatry1 for instance--but let us remember that every time our compassion is stirred1 and no action ensues1 our hearts are in some measure indurated1 and the sincerity of our religion in some degree impaired4 ,white-robed ,pity is meant to guide the strong powers of practical help to their work4 ,she is to them as eyes to go before them and point their tasks4 ,they are to her as hands to execute her gentle will4 ,let us see to it that we rend them not apart2 for idle pity is unblessed and fruitless as a sigh cast into the fragrant air1 and unpitying work is more unblessed and fruitless still4 ,let us remember1 too1 that ,christlike and indispensable as ,pity is1 she is second1 and not first4 ,let us take heed that we preserve that order in our own minds1 and in our endeavours to stimulate one another4 ,for if we reverse it1 we shall surely find the fountains of compassion drying up long before the wide stretches of thirsty land are watered1 and the enterprises which we have sought to carry on by appealing to a secondary motive1 languishing when there is most need for vigour4 ,here is the true sequence which must be observed in our missionary and evangelistic work1 ',looking up to heaven1 ,he sighed4' ,dear brethren6 must we not all acknowledge woful failures in this regard8 ,how much of our service1 our giving1 our preaching1 our planning1 has been carried on without one thought of the ills and godlessness we profess to be seeking to cure6 ,if some angel's touch could annihilate all that portion of our activity1 what gaps would be left in all our subscription lists1 our sermons1 and our labours both at home and abroad6 ,annihilate1 do ,i say8 ,it is done already4 ,such work is nothing1 and comes to nothing4 ',yea1 it shall not be planted2 yea1 it shall not be sown2 and ,he shall also blow upon it1 and it shall wither4' ,the hindrances to such abiding consciousness of and pity for the world's woes run all down to the one tap-root of all sin1 selfishness4 ,the remedies run all up to the common form of all goodness1 the self-absorbing communion with ,jesus ,christ4 ,and besides that mother-tincture of everything wrong1 subsidiary impediments may be found in the small amounts of time and effort which any of us give to bring the facts of the world's condition vividly before our minds4 ,the destruction of all emotion is the indolent acquiescence in general statements which we are too lazy or busy to break up into individual cases4 ,to talk about hundreds of millions of idolaters leaves the heart untouched4 ,but take one soul out of all that mass1 and try to feel what his life is in its pitchy darkness1 broken only by lurid lights of fear and sickly gleams of hope1 in its passions ungoverned by love1 its remorse uncalmed by pardon1 its affections feeling like the tendrils of some climbing plant for the stay they cannot find1 and in the cruel blackness that swallows it up irrevocably at last4 ,follow it from the childhood that knows no discipline to the grave that knows no waking1 and will not the solitary instance come nearer our hearts than the millions8 ,but however that may be1 the sluggishness of our imaginations1 the very familiarity with the awful facts1 our own feeble hold on ,christ1 our absorption in personal interests1 the incompleteness and desultoriness of our communion with our ,lord1 do all concur with our natural selfishness to make a sadly large proportion of our apparent labours for ,god and men utterly cold and unfeeling1 and therefore utterly worthless4 ,has the benighted world ever caused us as much pain as some trivial pecuniary loss has done8 ,have we ever felt the smart of the gaping wounds through which our brothers' blood is pouring forth as much as we do the tiniest scratch on our own fingers8 ,does it sound to us like exaggerated rhetoric when a prophet breaks out1 ',oh that my head were waters1 and mine eyes a fountain of tears1 that ,i might weep night and day6' or when an ,apostle in calmer tones declares1 ',i have great heaviness and continual sorrow of heart'8 ,some seeds are put to steep and swell in water1 that they may be tested before sowing4 ,the seed which we sow will not germinate unless it be saturated with our tears4 ,and yet the sorrow must be blended with joy2 for it is glad labour which is ordinarily productive labour--just as the growing time is the changeful ,april1 and one knows not whether the promise of harvest is most sure in the clouds that drop fatness1 or in the sunshine that makes their depths throb with whitest light1 and touches the moist-springing blades into emeralds and diamonds4 ,the gladness comes from the heavenward look1 the pain is breathed in the deep-drawn sigh2 both must be united in us if we would 'approve ourselves as the servants of ,god--as sorrowful1 yet always rejoicing4' ,,iii4 ,we have here loving contact with those whom we would help set forth in the ,lord's touch4 ,the reasons for the variety observable in ,christ's method of communicating supernatural blessing were1 probably1 too closely connected with unrecorded differences in the spiritual conditions of the recipients to be distinctly traceable by us4 ,but though we cannot tell why a particular method was employed in a given case1 why now a word1 and now a symbolic action1 now the touch of ,his hand1 and now the hem of ,his garment1 appeared to be the vehicles of ,his power1 we can discern the significance of these divers ways1 and learn great lessons from them all4 ,his touch was sometimes obviously the result of what one may venture to call instinctive tenderness1 as when ,he lifted the little children in ,his arms and laid ,his hands upon their heads4 ,it was1 ,i suppose1 always the spontaneous expression of love and compassion1 even when it was something more4 ,the touch of ,his hand on the ghastly glossiness of the leper's skin was1 no doubt1 ,his assertion of priestly functions1 and of elevation above all laws of defilement2 but what was it to the poor outcast1 who for years had never felt the warm contact of flesh and blood8 ,it always indicated that ,he ,himself was the source of healing and life4 ,it always expressed ,his identification of ,himself with sorrow and sickness4 ,so that it is in principle analogous to1 and may be taken as illustrative of1 that transcendent act whereby ,he 'became flesh1 and dwelt among us4' ,indeed1 the very word by which our ,lord's taking the blind man by the hand is described in the chapter following our text1 is that employed in the ,epistle to the ,hebrews when1 dealing with the true brotherhood of ,jesus1 the writer says1 ',he took not hold of angels1 but of the seed of ,abraham ,he taketh hold4' ,christ's touch is ,his willing contact with man's infirmities and sins1 that ,he may strengthen and hallow4 ,and the lesson is one of universal application4 ,wherever men would help their fellows1 this is a prime requisite1 that the would-be helper should come down to the level of those whom he desires to aid4 ,if we wish to teach1 we must stoop to think the scholar's thoughts4 ,the master who has forgotten his boyhood will have poor success4 ,if we would lead to purer emotions1 we must try to enter into the lower feelings which we labour to elevate4 ,it is of no use to stand at the mouth of the alleys we wish to cleanse1 with our skirts daintily gathered about us1 and smelling-bottle in hand1 to preach homilies on the virtues of cleanliness4 ,we must go in among the filth1 and handle it1 if we want to have it cleared away4 ,the degraded must feel that we do not shrink from them1 or we shall do them no good4 ,the leper1 shunned by all1 and ashamed of himself because everybody loathes him1 hungers in his hovel for the grasp of a hand that does not care for defilement1 if it can bring cleansing4 ,even in regard to common material helps the principle holds good4 ,we are too apt to cast our doles to the poor like bones to a dog1 and then to wonder at what we are pleased to think men's ingratitude4 ,a benefit may be so conferred as to hurt more than a blow2 and we cannot be surprised if so-called charity which is given with contempt and a sense of superiority1 should be received with a scowl1 and chafe a man's spirit like a fetter4 ,such gifts bless neither him who gives nor him who takes4 ,we must put our hearts into them1 if we would win hearts by them4 ,we must be ready1 like our ,master1 to take blind beggars by the hand1 if we would bless or help them4 ,the despair and opprobrium of our modern civilisation2 the gulf growing wider and deeper between ,dives and ,lazarus1 between ,belgravia and ,whitechapel2 the mournful failure of legalised help1 and of delegated efforts to bridge it over1 the darkening ignorance1 the animal sensuousness1 the utter heathenism that lives in every town of ,england1 within a stone's-throw of ,christian houses1 and near enough to hear the sound of public worship--will yield to nothing but that sadly forgotten law which enjoins personal contact with the sinful and the suffering1 as one chief condition of raising them from the black mire in which they welter4 ,but the same law has its special application in regard to the enterprise of ,christian missions4 ,it defines the spirit in which ,christian men should proclaim the ,gospel4 ,the effect of much well-meant ,christian effort is simply to irritate4 ,people are very quick to catch delicate intonations which reveal a secret sense1 'how much better1 wiser1 more devout ,i am than these people6' and wherever a trace of that appears in our work1 the good of it is apt to be marred4 ,we all know how hackneyed the charge of spiritual pride and ,pharisaic self-complacency is1 and1 thank ,god1 how unjust it often is4 ,but averse as men may be to the truths which humble1 and willing as they may be to assume that the very effort on our parts to present these to others implies a claim which they resent1 we may at least learn from the threadbare calumny1 what strikes men about our position1 and what rouses their antagonism to us4 ,it is allowable to be taught by our enemies1 especially when it is such a lesson as this1 that we must carefully divest our evangelistic work of apparent pretensions to superiority1 and take our stand by the side of those to whom we speak4 ,we cannot lecture men into the love of ,christ1 ,we can win them to it only by showing ,christ's love to them2 and not the least important element in that process is the exhibition of our own love4 ,we have a ,gospel to speak of which the very heart is that the ,son of ,god stooped to become one with the lowliest and most sinful2 and how can that ,gospel be spoken with power unless we too stoop like ,him8 ,we have to echo the invitation1 ',learn of ,me1 for ,i am lowly in heart'2 and how can such divine words flow from lips into which like grace has not been poured8 ,our theme is a ,saviour who shrank from no sinner1 who gladly consorted with publicans and harlots1 who laid ,his hand on pollution1 and ,his heart1 full of ,god and of love1 on hearts reeking with sin2 and how can our message correspond with our theme if1 even in delivering it1 we are saying to ourselves1 ',the ,temple of the ,lord are we3 this people which knoweth not the law is cursed'8 ,let us beware of the very real danger which besets us in this matter1 and earnestly seek to make ourselves one with those whom we would gather into ,christ1 by actual familiarity with their condition1 and by identification of ourselves in feeling with them1 after the example of that greatest of ,christian teachers who became 'all things to all men1 that by all means he might gain some'2 after the higher example1 which ,paul followed1 of that dear ,lord who1 being ,highest1 descended to the lowest1 and in the days of ,his humiliation was not content with speaking words of power from afar1 nor abhorred the contact of mortality and disease and loathsome corruption2 but laid ,his hands upon death1 and it lived2 upon sickness1 and it was whole2 on rotting leprosy1 and it was sweet as the flesh of a little child4 ,the same principle might be further applied to our ,christian work1 as affecting the form in which we should present the truth4 ,the sympathetic identification of ourselves with those to whom we try to carry the ,gospel will certainly make us wise to know how to shape our message4 ,seeing with their eyes1 we shall be able to graduate the light4 ,thinking their thoughts1 and having in some measure succeeded1 by force of sheer community of feeling1 in having1 as it were1 got inside their minds1 we shall unconsciously1 and without effort1 be led to such aspects of ,christ's all-comprehensive truth as they most need4 ,there will be no shooting over people's heads1 if we love them well enough to understand them4 ,there will be no toothless generalities1 when our interest in men keeps their actual condition and temptations clear before us4 ,there will be no flinging fossil doctrines at them from a height1 as if ,christ's blessed ,gospel were1 in another than the literal sense1 'a stone of offence1' if we have taken our place on their level4 ,and without such sympathy1 these and a thousand other weaknesses and faults will certainly vitiate much of our ,christian effort4 ,let me not be misunderstood when ,i speak of adapting our presentation of the ,gospel to the wants of those to whom we carry it4 ,that general statement may express the plainest dictate of ,christian prudence or the most dangerous practical error4 ,the one great truth of the ,gospel wants no adaptation1 by our handling1 to any soul of man4 ,it is fitted for all1 and demands only plain1 loving1 earnest statement4 ,there must be no tampering with central verities1 nor any diplomatic reserve on the plea of consulting the needs of the men whom we address4 ,every sinful spirit needs the simple ,gospel of salvation by ,jesus ,christ more than it needs anything else4 ,nor does adaptation mean deferential stretching a point to meet man's wishes in our presentation of the truth4 ,their wishes have to be contravened1 that their wants may be met4 ,the truth which a man or a generation requires most is the truth which he or it likes least2 and the true ,christian teacher's adaptation of his message will consist quite as much in opposing the desires and contradicting the lies1 as in seeking to meet the felt wants1 of the world4 ,nauseous medicines or sharp lancets are adapted to the sick man1 quite as truly as pleasant food and soothing ointment4 ,but remembering all this1 we still have a wide field for the operation of practical wisdom and loving common-sense1 in determining the form of our message and the manner of our action4 ,and not the least important of qualifications for solving the problems connected therewith is cheerful identification of ourselves with the thoughts and feelings of those whom we would fain draw to the love of ,god4 ,such contact with men will win their hearts1 as well as soften ours1 ,it will make them willing to hear1 as well as us wise to speak4 ,it will enrich our own lives with wide experience and multiplied interests4 ,it will lift us out of the enchanted circle which selfishness draws around us4 ,it will silently proclaim the ,lord from whom we have learnt it4 ,the clasp of the hand will be precious1 even apart from the virtue that may flow from it1 and may be to many a soul burdened with a consciousness of corruption1 the dawning of belief in a love that does not shrink even from its foulness4 ,let us preach the ,lord's touch as the source of all cleansing4 ,let us imitate it in our lives1 that 'if any will not hear the word1 they may without the word be won4' ,,iv4 ,we have here the true healing power and the consciousness of wielding it set forth in the ,lord's authoritative word4 ,all the rest of ,his action was either the spontaneous expression of ,his true participation in human sorrow1 or a merciful veiling of ,his glory that sense-bound eyes might see it the better4 ,but the word was the utterance of ,his will1 and that was omnipotent4 ,the hand laid on the sick1 the blind or the deaf was not even the channel of ,his power4 ,the bare putting forth of ,his energy was all-sufficient4 ,in these we see the loving1 pitying man4 ,in this blazes forth1 yet more loving1 yet more compassionate1 the effulgence of manifest ,god4 ,therefore so often do we read the very syllables with which ,his 'voice then shook the earth1' vibrating through all the framework of the material universe4 ,therefore do the ,gospels bid us listen when ,he rebukes the fever1 and it departs2 when ,he says to the demons ',go1' and they go2 when one word louder in its human articulation than the howling wind hushes the surges2 when ',talitha cumi' brings back the fair young spirit from dreary wanderings among the shades of death4 ,therefore was it a height of faith not found in ,israel when the ,gentile soldier1 whose training had taught him the power of absolute authority1 as heathenism had driven him to long for a man who should speak with the imperial sway of a god1 recognised in ,his voice an all-commanding power4 ,from of old1 the very signature of divinity has been declared to be1 ',he spake1 and it was done'2 and ,he1 the breath of whose lips could set in motion material changes1 is that ,eternal ,word1 by whom all things were made4 ,what unlimited consciousness of sovereign dominion sounds in that imperative from ,his autocratic lips6 ,it is spoken in deaf ears1 but ,he knows that it will be heard4 ,he speaks as the fontal source1 not as the recipient channel1 of healing4 ,he anticipates no delay1 no resistance4 ,there is neither effort nor uncertainty in the curt command4 ,he is sure that ,he has power1 and ,he is sure that the power is ,his own4 ,there is no analogy here between us and ,him4 ,alone1 fronting the whole race of man1 ,he stands--utterer of a word which none can say after ,him1 possessor of unshared might1 'and of ,his fulness do all we receive4' ,but even from that divine authority and solitary sovereign consciousness we may gather lessons of infinite value for all ,christian workers4 ,of ,his fulness we have received1 and the power of the word on ,his lips may teach us that of ,his word even on ours1 as the victorious certainty with which ,he spake ,his will of healing may remind us of the confidence with which it becomes us to proclaim ,his name4 ,his will was almighty then4 ,is it less mighty or less loving now8 ,does it not gather all the world in the sweep of its mighty purpose of mercy8 ,his voice pierced then into the dull1 cold ear of death1 and has it become weaker since8 ,his word spoken by ,him was enough to banish the foul spirits that run riot1 swine-like1 in the garden of ,god in man's soul1 trampling down and eating up its flowers and fruitage2 is the word spoken of ,him less potent to cast them out8 ,were not all the mighty deeds which ,he wrought by the breath of ,his lips on men's bodies prophecies of the yet mightier ones which ,his ,will of love1 and the utterance of that ,will by stammering lips1 may work on men's souls8 ,let us not in our faintheartedness number up our failures1 the deaf that will not hear1 the dumb that will not speak ,his praise1 nor unbelievingly say1 ',christ's own word was mighty1 but the word concerning ,christ is weak on our lips4' ,not so2 our lips are unclean1 and our words are weak1 but ,his word--the utterance of ,his loving ,will that men should be saved--is what it always was and always will be4 ,we have it1 brethren1 to proclaim4 ,did our ,master countenance the faithless contrast between the living force of ,his word when ,he dwelt on earth1 and the feebleness of it as ,he speaks through ,his servant8 ,if ,he did1 what did ,he mean when ,he said1 ',he that believeth on ,me1 the works that ,i do shall he do also1 and greater works than these shall he do1 because ,i go unto the ,father'8 ,and the reflection of ,christ's triumphant consciousness of power should irradiate our spirits as we do ,his work1 like the gleam from gazing on ,god's glory which shone on the lawgiver's stern face while he talked with men4 ,we have everything to assure us that we cannot fail4 ,the manifest fitness of the ,gospel to be the food of all souls2 the victories of nineteen centuries1 which at least prove that all conditions of society1 all classes of civilisation1 all varieties of race1 all peculiarities of individual temperament1 all depths of degradation and distances of alienation1 are capable of receiving the word1 which1 like corn1 can grow in every latitude1 and1 though it be an exotic everywhere1 can anywhere be naturalised2 the firm promises of unchanging faithfulness1 the universal aspect of ,christ's work1 the prevalence of ,his continual intercession1 the indwelling of ,his abiding ,spirit1 and1 not least1 the unerring voice of our own experience of the power of the truth to bless and save--all these are ours4 ,in view of these1 what should make us doubt8 ,unwavering confidence is the only attitude that corresponds to such certainties4 ,we have a rock to build on2 let us build on it with rock4 ,putting fear and hesitancy far from us1 let us gird ourselves with the joyful strength of assured victory1 striking as those who know that conquest is bound to their standard1 and who through all the dust of the field see the fair vision of the final triumph4 ,the work is done before we begin it4 ',it is finished' was a clarion blast proclaiming that all was won when all seemed lost4 ,weary ages have indeed to roll away before the great voice from heaven shall declare1 ',it is done'2 but all that lies between the two is but the gradual unfolding and appropriating of the results which are already secured4 ,the 'strong man' is bound2 what remains is but the 'spoiling of his house4' ,the head is bruised2 what remains is but the dying lashing of the snaky horror's powerless coils4 ',i send you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour4' ,the tearful sowing in the stormy winter's day has been done by the ,son of ,man4 ,for us there remains the joy of harvest--hot and hard work1 indeed1 but gladsome too4 ,then1 however languor and despondency may sometimes tempt us1 thinking of slow advancement and of dying men who fade from the place of the living before the gradual light has reached their eyes1 our duty is plain--to be sure that the word we carry cannot fail4 ,you remember the old story how1 when ,jerusalem was in her hour of direst need1 and the army of ,babylon lay around her battered walls1 the prophet was bid to buy 'the field that is in ,anathoth1 in the country of ,benjamin1' for a sign that the transient fury of the invader would be beaten back1 that ,israel might again dwell safely in the land4 ,so with us1 the host of our ,king's enemies comes up like a river strong and mighty2 but all this world1 held though it be by the usurper is still ',thy land1 ,o ,immanuel1' and over it all ,thy peaceful rule shall be established6 ,many things in this day tempt the witnesses of ,god to speak with doubting voice4 ,angry opposition1 contemptuous denial1 complacent assumption that a belief in old-fashioned evangelical truth is1 ipso facto1 a proof of mental weakness1 abound4 ,let them not rob us of our confidence4 ,shame on us if we let ourselves be frightened from it by a sarcasm or a laugh6 ,do you fall back on all these grounds for assured reliance to which ,i have referred1 and make the good old answer yours1 ',why1 herein is a marvellous thing1 that ye know not whence ,he is1 and yet--,he hath opened mine eyes'6 ,trust the word which you have to speak4 ,speak it and work for its diffusion as if you did trust it4 ,do not preach it as if it were a notion of your own4 ,in so far as it is1 it will share the fate of all human conceptions of divine realities--'will have its day1 and cease to be4' ,do not speak it as if it were some new nostrum for curing the ills of humanity1 which might answer or might not4 ,speak it as if it were what it is--'the word of ,god which liveth and abideth for ever4' ,speak it as if you were what you are1 neither its inventors nor its discoverers1 but only its messengers1 who have but to 'preach the preaching which ,he bids' you4 ,and to all the widespread questionings of this day1 filmy and air-filling as the gossamers of an autumn evening1 to all the theories of speculation1 and all the panaceas of unbelieving philanthropy1 present the solid certainties of your inmost experience1 and the yet more solid certainty of that all-loving name and all-sufficient work on which these repose4 ',we know that we are of ,god1 and the whole world lieth in wickedness4 ,and we know that the ,son of ,god is come4' ,then our proclamation1 ',this is the true ,god and eternal life1' will not be in vain2 and our loving entreaty1 ',keep yourselves from idols1' will be heard and yielded to in many a land4 ,the sum of the whole matter is briefly this4 ,the root of all our efficiency in this great task to which we1 unworthy1 have been called1 is in fellowship with ,jesus ,christ4 ',the branch cannot bear fruit of itself2 without ,me ye can do nothing4' ,living near ,him1 and growing like ,him by gazing upon ,him1 ,his beauty will pass into our faces1 ,his tender pity into our hearts1 ,his loving identification of ,himself with men's pains and sins will fashion our lives2 and the word which ,he spoke with authority and assured confidence will be strong when we speak it with like calm certainty of victory4 ,if the ,church of ,christ will but draw close to her ,lord till the fulness of ,his life and the gentleness of ,his pity flow into her heart and limbs1 she will then be able to breathe the life which she has received into the prostrate bulk of a dead world4 ,only she must do as the meekest of the prophets did in a like miracle4 ,she must not shrink from the touch of the cold clay nor the odour of incipient corruption1 but lip to lip and heart to heart must lay herself upon the dead and he will live4 ,the pattern for our work1 dear brethren1 is before us in the ,lord's look1 ,his sigh1 ,his touch1 ,his word4 ,if we take ,him for the example1 and ,him for the motive1 ,him for the strength1 ,him for the theme1 ,him for the reward1 of our service1 we may venture to look to ,him as the prophecy of our success1 and to be sure that when our own faint hearts or an unbelieving world question the wisdom of our enterprise or the worth of our efforts1 we may answer as ,he did1 ',go and show again those things which ye do hear and see2 the blind receive their sight1 and the lame walk1 the lepers are cleansed1 and the deaf hear1 the dead are raised up1 and the poor have the ,gospel preached unto them4' ,,the ,,patient ,,teacher1 ,,and ,,the ,,slow ,,scholars ',and when ,jesus knew ,it1 ,he saith unto them1 ,why reason ye1 because ye have no bread8 perceive ye not yet1 neither understand8 have ye your heart yet hardened8 #ah4 ,having eyes1 see ye not8 having ears1 hear ye not8 and do ye not remember8'--,mark viii4 #ag1ah4 ,how different were the thoughts of ,christ and of ,his disciples1 as they sat together in the boat1 making their way across the lake6 ,he was pursuing a train of sad reflections which1 the moment before their embarkation1 had caused ,him to sigh deeply in ,his spirit and say1 ',why doth this generation seek after a sign8' ,absorbed in thought1 ,he spoke1 ',beware of the leaven of the ,pharisees1' who had been asking that question4 ,so meditated and spoke ,jesus in the stern1 and amidships the disciples' thoughts were only concerned about the negligent omission1 very excusable in the hurry of embarkation1 by which they had forgotten to lay in a fresh supply of provisions1 and had set sail with but one loaf left in the boat4 ,so taken up were they with this petty trouble that they twisted the ,master's words as they fell from ,his lips1 and thought that ,he was rebuking them for what they were rebuking themselves for4 ,so apt are we to interpret others' sayings by the thoughts uppermost in our own minds4 ,and then our ,lord poured out this altogether unusual--perhaps ,i may say unique--hail of questions which indicate how deeply moved from ,his ordinary calm ,he was by this strange slowness of apprehension on the part of ,his disciples4 ,there is no other instance that ,i can recall in the whole ,gospels1 with the exception of ,gethsemane1 where our ,lord's words seem to indicate such agitation of the windless sea of ,his spirit as this rapid succession of rebuking interrogations4 ,they give a glimpse into the depths of ,his mind1 showing us what ,he generally kept sacredly shut up1 and let us see how deeply ,he was touched and pained by the slowness of apprehension of ,his servants4 ,let us look at these questions as suggesting to us two things--the grieved ,teacher and the slow scholars4 ,i4 ,the grieved ,teacher4 ,i have said that the revelation of the depths of our ,lord's experience here is unexampled4 ,we can understand the mood of which it is the utterance2 the feeling of despair that sometimes comes over the most patient instructor when he finds that all his efforts to hammer some truth into1 or to print some impression on1 the brain or heart of man or boy1 have been foiled1 and that years1 it may be1 of patient work have scarcely left more traces on unretentive minds than remain on the ocean of the passage through it of a keel4 ,christ felt that2 and ,i do not think we half enough realise how large an element in the sorrows of the ,man of ,sorrows1 and of the grief with which ,he was acquainted1 was ,his necessary association with people who1 ,he felt1 did not in the least degree understand ,him1 however truly1 blindly1 and almost animally1 they might love ,him4 ,it was ,his disciples' misconception that stung him most4 ,if ,i might so say1 ,he calculated upon being misunderstood by ,pharisees and outsiders1 but that these followers who had been gathered round about ,him all these months1 and had been the subjects of ,his sedulous toil1 should blurt out such words as these which precede the question of my text1 cut deep into that loving heart4 ,it was not only the pain of being misunderstood1 but also the pain of feeling that the people who cared most for ,him did not understand ,him1 and were so hard to drag up to the level where they could even catch a glimpse of ,his meaning1 that struck ,his heart with almost a kind of despair2 and1 as ,i said1 made ,him pour out this rain of questions4 ,and what do the questions suggest8 ,not only emotion very unusual in ,him1 yet truly human1 and showing ,him to be our ,brother2 but they suggest three distinct types of emotion1 all of them dashed with pain4 ',why reason ye8 ,having eyes1 see ye not8 ,do ye not remember8' ,that speaks of ,his astonishment4 ,do not start at the word1 or suppose that it in any degree contradicts the lofty beliefs that ,i suppose most of us have with regard to the ,deity of our ,lord and ,saviour4 ,we find in another place in the ,gospels1 not by inference as here1 but in plain words1 the ascription to ,him of wonder2 ',he marvelled at their unbelief4' ,and we read of a more blessed kind of surprise as having once been ,his1 when ,he wondered at the faith of the heathen centurion4 ,but here ,his astonishment is that after all these years of toil1 and of sympathy1 and of discipleship1 and of listening and trying to get hold of ,his meaning1 ,his disciples were so far away from any understanding of what ,he was driving at4 ,he had to learn by experience the depths of men's stupidity and ignorance4 ,and although ,he was the ,word of ,god made flesh1 we recognise here the token of a true brother in that ,he was capable not only of the physical feelings of weariness1 and hunger1 and thirst1 and pain1 but that ,he1 too1 had that emotion which only a limited understanding can have--the emotion of wonder4 ,and it was drawn out by ,his disciples' denseness and inertness4 ,ah6 dear friends1 does ,he not wonder at us8 ,one of the prophets says1 ',be astonished1 ,o heavens6' ,and be sure of this1 that the manhood of ,jesus ,christ is not now so lifted up above what it was upon earth as that that same sensation--twin-sister to yours and mine--of surprise1 does not sometimes visit ,him when ,he looks down upon us2 and has to say to us--as1 alas6 ,he has to say--what ,he once said to one of the ,twelve1 ',have ,i been so long time with you1 and yet hast thou not known me1 ,philip8' ,is not the same question coming to us8 ,why is it that we do not understand8 ,wonder1 then1 is the first emotion that is expressed in this question4 ,there is another one3 ,pain4 ,and there again ,i fall back not upon inference1 but upon plain words of another part of the ,gospels4 ',he looked round upon them with anger1 being grieved at the hardness of their hearts4' ,it seems daring to venture to say that the exalted and glorified humanity of ,jesus ,christ to-day is1 in any measure1 capable of feeling analogous to that2 but it will not seem so daring if you remember the solemn charge of one of the ,apostles1 ',grieve not the ,holy ,spirit of ,god4' ,it is ,christ's disciples that pain ,him most4 ',they vexed ,his ,holy ,spirit1 therefore ,he fought against them4' ,brethren1 let us look into our own hearts and our own lives1 and ask ourselves if there is not something there that gives a pang even to the heart of the glorified ,master1 and makes ,him sigh deeply within ,himself8 ,may ,i add one more emotion which seems to me to be unmistakably expressed by this rapid fusilade of questions8 ,that is indignation4 ,again ,i fall back upon plain words3 ',he looked round about upon them with anger1 being grieved4' ,the two things were braided together in ,his heart1 and did not conflict with each other ,there were infinite sorrow1 infinite pity1 and real displeasure4 ,you must take all notions of passion and of malignity1 and of desire to do harm to the subject1 out of the conception of anger as applied to ,god or to ,christ who is the revelation of ,god4 ,but it seems to me that it is a maimed ,christ that we put before the world unless we say that in the ,love there lie the possibilities of ,wrath4 ',behold the ,lion of the tribe of ,judah1 and ,i beheld1 and lo6 a ,lamb6' ,wrath and gentleness are in ,him inseparably united1 neither of them limiting nor making impossible the other4 ,so here we have a self-revelation1 as by one glimpse into a great chamber1 of the deep heart of ,christ1 the great ,teacher1 moved to astonishment1 grief1 and indignation4 ,,ii4 ,now let me say a word about the slow scholars4 ,i have spoken of these questions as being rapid and repeated1 and as a rain of what we may almost call fiery interrogation4 ,but they are by no means tautology or useless and aimless repetition4 ,if we look at them closely1 ,i think we shall see that they open out to us several different sides and phases of the fault in ,his disciples that moves these emotions4 ,there is1 first1 ,his scholars' stolid insensibility1 which moves ,him to anger1 to astonishment1 and to grief4 ',are your hearts yet hardened8' by which is meant1 not hardened in the sense of being suddenly and stiffly set in antagonism to ,him1 but simply in the sense of being--may ,i use the word8--so pachydermatous1 so thick-skinned1 that nothing can go through them4 ,they showed it is a dull1 stolid insensibility1 and it marks some of us professing ,christians1 on whom promises and invitations and revelations of truth all fall with equal ineffectiveness1 and from whom they glide off with equal rapidity4 ,you may rain upon a black basalt rock to all eternity1 and nothing will grow upon it4 ,all the drops will run down the polished sides1 and a quarter of an inch below the surface it will be as dry as it was before the first drop fell4 ,and here are we ,christian ministers1 talk--talk--talking1 week in and week out2 and here is ,christ1 by ,his providences and by ,his word1 speaking far more loudly than any of us2 and it all falls with absolute impotence on hosts of people that call themselves ,christians4 ,ah6 brethren1 it is not only unbelievers who have their hearts hardened4 ,orthodox professors are often guilty of the same4 ,if ,i might alter the metaphor1 many of us have waterproofed our minds1 and the ingredients of the mixture by which we have waterproofed them are our knowledge of 'the plan of salvation1' our connection with a ,christian community1 our membership in a church1 our obedience to the formalisms of the devout life4 ,all these have only made a non-transmitting medium interposed between ourselves and the concentrated electric energy that ever flashes from ,jesus ,christ4 ,our hardened hearts1 with their stolid insensibility1 amaze our ,master1 and no wonder that they do4 ,but that is not all4 ,there is not only what ,i have ventured to call stolid insensibility1 but1 as a result of it1 there is the not using the capacities that we have4 ',having eyes1 see ye not8 ,having ears1 hear ye not8' ,we are not like children that cannot1 but like careless1 untrained schoolboys that will not1 learn4 ,we have the capacity1 and it is our own fault that we are dunces in the school1 and at the bottom of the class4 ,use the power that you have1 and 'unto him that hath shall be given1 and he shall have in abundance4' ,there are fishes in the caverns of ,north ,america that have lived so long in the dark1 underground channels1 that the present generation of them has no eyes4 ,we are doing our best to deprive ourselves of our capacities of beholding by refusing to use them4 ',having eyes1 see ye not8' ,our non-use of the powers we have amazes and grieves our ,master4 ,further1 the reason why there are this stolid insensibility and this non-use of capacity lies here3 ',ye reason about the bread4' ,the absorption of our minds and efforts and time with material things1 that perish with the using1 come in between us and our apprehension of ,christ's teaching4 ,ah6 brethren1 it is not only the rich man that is swallowed up with the present world2 the poor man may be so as really4 ,all of us1 by reason of the absolute necessities of our lives1 are in danger of getting our hearts so filled and crowded with the things that are 'seen and temporal' that we have no time1 nor room1 for the things that are 'unseen and eternal4' ,i do not need to elaborate that point4 ,we all know that it is there that our danger1 in various forms1 lies4 ,if you in the bows of the ship are reasoning about bread1 you will misunderstand ,christ in the stern warning against 'the leaven of the ,pharisees4' ,the last suggestion from these questions is that the cure for all that stolid insensibility1 and its resulting misuse of capacity1 and the absorption in daily visible things1 is remembrance of ,his and our past--',do ye not remember8' ,it was only that same morning1 or the day before at the furthest1 that one of the miracles of feeding the thousands had been performed4 ,christ wonders1 as well ,he might1 at the short memories of the disciples who1 with the baskets-full of fragments scarcely eaten yet1 could worry themselves because there was only one loaf in the locker4 ',do ye not remember1 when ,i broke the loaves among the thousands1 how many baskets took ye up8 ,and they said1 seven4 ,and ,he said1 ,how is it that ye do not understand8' ,yes1 ,memory is the one wing and ,hope the other1 that lift our heaviness from earth towards heaven4 ,and any man who will bethink himself of what ,jesus ,christ has been for him1 did for him on earth1 and has done for him during his life1 will not be so absorbed in worldly cares as that he will have no eyes to see the things unseen and eternal2 and the hard1 dead insensibility of his heart will melt into thankful consecration1 and so he will rise nearer and nearer to intelligent apprehension of the lofty and deep things that the ,incarnate ,word says to him4 ,we are here in ,christ's school1 and it depends upon the place in the class that we take here where we shall be put at what schoolboys call the 'next remove4' ,if here we have indeed 'learned of ,him the truth as it is in ,jesus1' we shall be put up into the top classes yonder1 and get larger and more blessed lessons in the ,father's house above4 ,,the ,,religious ,,uses ,,of ,,memory ',do ye not remember6'--,mark viii4 #ah4 ,the disciples had misunderstood our ,lord's warning 'against the leaven of the ,pharisees1' which they supposed to have been occasioned by their neglect to bring with them bread4 ,their blunder was like many others which they committed1 but it seems to have singularly moved our ,lord1 who was usually so patient with ,his slow scholars4 ,the swift rain of questions1 like bullets rattling against a cuirass1 of which my text is one1 shows how much ,he was moved1 if not to impatience or anger1 at least to wonder4 ,but what ,i wish particularly to notice is that ,he traces the disciples' slowness of perception and distrust mainly to forgetfulness4 ,there was a special reason for that1 of course1 in that the two miracles of the feeding the multitude1 one of which had just before occurred1 ought to have delivered them from any uneasiness1 and to have led them to apprehend ,his higher meaning4 ,but there is a wider reason for the collocation of questions than this4 ,there is no better armour against distrust1 nor any surer purge of our spiritual sight1 than religious remembrance4 ,so my text falls in with what ,i hope are1 or at any rate should be1 thoughts which are busy in many of our hearts now4 ,every ,sunday is the last ,sunday of a year4 ,but we are influenced by the calendar1 even though there is nothing in reality to correspond with the apparent break1 and though time runs on in a continuous course4 ,i would fain say a word or two now which may fit in with thoughts that are wholesome for us always1 but1 ,i suppose1 come with most force to most of us at such a date as this4 ,and1 if you will let me1 ,i will put my observations in the form of exhortations4 ,i4 ,first of all1 then1 remember and be thankful4 ,there are few of us who have much time for retrospect1 and there is a very deep sense in which it is wise to 'forget the things that are behind1' for the remembrance of them may burden us with a miserable entail of failure2 may weaken us by vain regrets1 may unfit us for energetic action in the living and available present4 ,but oblivion is foolish1 if it is continual1 and a remembered past has treasures in it which we can little afford to lose4 ,chiefest of these is the power of memory1 when applied to our own past lives1 to bring out1 more clearly than was possible while that past was being lived1 the perception of the ever-present care and working of our ,father1 ,god4 ,it is hard to recognise ,him in the bustle and hurry of our daily lives1 and the meaning of each event can only be seen when it is seen in its relation to the rest of a life4 ,just as a landscape1 which we may look at without the smallest perception of its beauty1 becomes another thing when the genius of a painter puts it on canvas1 and its symmetry and proportion become more manifest1 and an ethereal clearness broods over it1 and its colours are seen to be deeper than our eyes had discerned1 so the common events of life1 trivial and insignificant while they are passing1 become1 when painted on the canvas of memory1 nobler and greater1 and we understand them more completely than we can do whilst we are living in them4 ,we need to be at the goal in order to judge of the road4 ,the parts are only explicable when we see the whole4 ,the full interpretation of to-day is reserved for eternity4 ,but1 by combining and massing and presenting the consequences of the apparently insignificant and isolated events of the past1 memory helps us to a clearer perception of ,god1 and a better understanding of our own lives1 ,on the mountain-summit a man can look down all along the valley by which he has wearily plodded1 and understand the meaning of the divergences in the road1 and the rough places do not look quite so rough when their proportion to the whole is a little more clearly in his view4 ,only1 brethren1 if we are wisely to exercise remembrance1 and to discover ,god in the lives which1 whilst they are passing1 had little perception of ,him1 we must take into account what the meaning of all life is--that is1 to make men of us after the pattern of ,his will4 ',not enjoyment1 and not sorrow1 ,is our destined end or way4' ,but the growth of ,christlike and ,god-pleasing character is the divine purpose1 and should be the human aim1 of all lives4 ,our tasks1 our joys1 our sorrows1 our gains1 our losses--these are all but the scaffolding1 and the scaffolding is only there in order that1 course upon course1 may rise the temple-palace of a spirit1 devoted to1 shaped and inhabited by1 our ,father1 ,god4 ,so ,i venture to say that thankful remembrance should exclude no single incident1 however bitter1 however painful1 of any life4 ,there is a remembrance of vanished hands1 of voices for ever stilled1 which is altogether wrong and weakening4 ,there is a regret1 a vain regret which comes with memory for some of us1 that interferes with thankfulness4 ,but it is possible--and1 if we understand that the meaning of all is to make us ,godlike1 it is not hard--to remember vanished joys1 and to confer upon them by remembrance a kind of gentle immortality4 ,and1 thus remembered1 they are ennobled2 for all the gross material body of them1 as it were1 is got rid of1 and only the fine spirit is left4 ,the roses bloom1 and over bloom1 and drop1 but a poignant perfume is distilled from the fallen petals4 ,the departed are greatened by distance2 when they are gone we recognise the 'angels' that we 'entertained unawares'3 and that recognition is no illusion1 but it is the disclosure of their real character1 to which they were sometimes untrue1 and we were often blind4 ,therefore ,i say1 ',thou shalt remember all the way by which the ,lord thy ,god hath led thee1' and in the thankfulness include departed joys1 vanished hands1 present sorrows1 the rough places as well as the smooth1 the crooked things as well as the straight4 ,,ii4 ,secondly1 let me say1 remember and repent4 ,memory is not wise unless it is1 so to speak1 the sergeant-at-arms of ,conscience1 and brings our past before the bar of that judge within1 and puts into the hands of that judge the law of the ,lord by which to estimate our deeds4 ,we all have been making up our accounts to the #cast of ,december--or are going to do it to-morrow4 ,and what ,i plead for is that we should take stock of our own characters and aims1 and sum up our accounts with duty and with ,god4 ,we look back upon a past1 of which ,god gave us the warp and we had to put in the woof4 ,the warp is all bright and pure4 ,the threads that have crossed it from our shuttles are many of them very dark1 and all of them stained in some part4 ,so1 dear brethren1 let us take the year that has gone1 and spread them out by the agency of this servant of the court1 ,memory1 before the supreme judge1 ,conscience4 ,let us remember that we may be warned and directed4 ,we shall understand the true moral character of our actions a great deal better when we look back upon them calmly1 and when all the rush of temptation and the reducing whispers of our own weak wills are silenced4 ,there is nothing more terrible1 in one aspect1 there is nothing more salutary and blessed in another1 than the difference between the front and the back view of any temptation to which we yield--all radiant and beautiful on the hither side1 and when we get past it and look back at it1 all hideous4 ,like some of those painted canvases upon the theatre-stage3 seen from this side1 with the delusive brilliancy of the footlights thrown upon them1 they look beautiful works of art2 seen at the back1 dirty and cobwebbed canvas1 all splashes and spots and uglinesses4 ,let us be thankful if memory can show us the reverse side of the temptations that on the near side were so seductive4 ,it is when you see your life in retrospect that you understand the significance of the single deeds in it4 ,we are so apt to isolate our actions that we are startled--and it is a wholesome shock--when we see how1 without knowing it1 we have dropped into a habit4 ,when each temptation comes1 as the moments are passing1 we say1 ',oh1 just this once1 just this once4' ,and the 'onces' come nearer and nearer together2 and what seem to be distinctly separated points1 coalesce into a line2 and the acts that we thought isolated we find out to our horror--our wholesome horror--have become a chain that binds and holds us4 ,look back over the year1 and drag its events to the bar of ,conscience1 and ,i shall be surprised if you do not discover that you have fallen into wrong habits that you never dreamed had dominion over you4 ,so1 ,i say1 remember and repent4 ,brethren1 ,i do not wish to exaggerate1 ,i do not wish to urge upon you one-sided views of your character or conduct4 ,i give all credit to many excellences1 many acts of sacrifice1 many acts of service2 and yet ,i say that the main reason why any of us have a good opinion of ourselves is because we have no knowledge of ourselves2 and that the safest attitude for all of us1 in looking back over what we have made of life1 is1 hands on mouths1 and mouths in dust1 and the cry coming from them1 ',unclean6 unclean6' ,a little mud in a stream may not be perceptible when you take a wine-glassful of it and look at it1 but if you saw a river-full or a lake-full you would soon discover the taint4 ,summon up the past year to the sessions of silent thought1 and let the light of ,god's will pour in upon it1 and you will find how dark has been the flow of the river of your lives4 ,the best use which the memory can serve for us is that it should drive us closer to ,jesus ,christ1 and make us cling more closely to ,him4 ,that past can be cancelled1 these multitudinous sins can be forgiven4 ,memory should be one of the strongest strands in the cord that binds our helplessness to the all-forgiving and all-cleansing ,christ4 ,,iii4 ,lastly1 let me say1 remember and hope4 ,memory and ,hope are twins4 ,the latter can only work with the materials supplied by the former4 ,hope could paint nothing on the blank canvas of the future unless its palette were charged by ,memory4 ,memory brings the yarn which ,hope weaves4 ,our thankful remembrance of a past which was filled and moulded by ,god's perpetual presence and care ought to make us sure of a future which will in like manner be moulded4 ',thou hast been my help'--if we can say that1 then we may confidently pray1 and be sure of the answer1 ',leave me not nor forsake me1 ,o ,god of my salvation4' ,and if we feel1 as memory teaches us to feel1 that ,god has been working for us1 and with us1 we can say with another ,psalmist3 ',thy mercy1 ,o ,lord1 endureth for ever4 ,forsake not the work of ,thine own hands'2 and we can rise to his confidence1 ',the ,lord with perfect that which concerneth me4' ,our remembrance1 even of our imperfections and our losses and our sorrows1 may minister to our hope4 ,for surely the life of every man on earth1 but most eminently the life of a ,christian man1 is utterly unintelligible1 a mockery and a delusion and an incredibility1 if there be a ,god at all1 unless it prophesies of a region in which imperfection will be ended1 aspirations will be fulfilled1 desires will be satisfied4 ,we have so much1 that unless we are to have a great deal more1 we had better have had nothing4 ,we have so much1 that if there be a ,god at all1 we must have a great deal more4 ,the new moon1 with a ragged edge1 'even in its imperfection beautiful1' is a prophet of the complete resplendent orb4 ',on earth the broken arc1 in heaven the perfect round4' ,further1 the memory of defeat may be the parent of the hope of victory4 ,the stone ,ebenezer1 ',hitherto hath the ,lord helped us1' was set up to commemorate a victory that had been won on the very site where ,israel1 fighting the same foes1 had once been beaten4 ,there is no remembrance of failure so mistaken as that which takes the past failure as certain to be repeated in the future4 ,surely1 though we have fallen seventy times seven--that is #dij1 is it not8--at the #diast attempt we may1 and if we trust in ,god we shall1 succeed4 ,so1 brethren1 let us set our faces to a new year with thankful remembrance of the ,god who has shaped the past1 and will mould the future4 ,let us remember our failures1 and learn wisdom and humility and trust in ,christ from our sins4 ,let us set our 'hope on ,god1 and not forget the works of ,god1 but keep ,his commandments4' ,,the ,,gradual ,,healing ,,of ,,the ,,blind ,,man ',and ,jesus cometh to ,bethsaida2 and they bring a blind man unto ,him1 and besought ,him to touch him4 #bc4 ,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 #bd4 ,and he looked up1 and said1 ,i see men as trees1 walking4 #be4 ,after that ,he put ,his hands again upon his eyes1 and made him look up3 and he was restored1 and saw every man clearly4'--,mark viii4 #bb-be4 ,this miracle1 which is only recorded by the ,evangelist ,mark1 has about it several very peculiar features4 ,some of these it shares with one other of our ,lord's miracles1 which also is found only in this ,gospel1 and which occurred nearly about the same time--that miracle of healing the deaf and dumb man recorded in the previous chapter4 ,both of them have these points in common3 that our ,lord takes the sufferer apart and works ,his miracle in privacy2 that in both there is an abundant use of the same singular means--our ,lord's touch and the saliva upon ,his finger2 and that in both there is the urgent injunction of entire secrecy laid upon the recipient of the benefit4 ,but this miracle had another peculiarity in which it stands absolutely alone1 and that is that the work is done in stages2 that the power which at other times has but to speak and it is done1 here seems to labour1 and the cure comes slowly2 that in the middle ,christ pauses1 and1 like a physician trying the experiment of a drug1 asks the patient if any effect is produced1 and1 getting the answer that some mitigation is realised1 repeats the application1 and perfect recovery is the result4 ,now1 how unlike that is to all the rest of ,christ's miraculous working we do not need to point out2 but the question may arise1 ,what is the meaning1 and what the reason1 and what the lessons of this unique and anomalous form of miraculous working8 ,it is to that question that ,i wish to turn now2 for ,i think that the answer will open up to us some very precious things in regard to that great ,lord1 the revelation of whose heart and character is the inmost and the loftiest meaning of both ,his words and ,his works4 ,i take these three points of peculiarity to which ,i have referred3 the privacy1 the strange and abundant use of means veiling the miraculous power1 and the gradual1 slow nature of the cure4 ,i see in them these three things3 ,christ isolating the man that ,he would heal2 ,christ stooping to the sense-bound nature by using outward means2 and ,christ making ,his power work slowly1 to keep abreast of the man's slow faith4 ,i4 ,first1 then1 here we have ,christ isolating the man whom ,he wanted to heal4 ,now1 there may have been something about our ,lord's circumstances and purposes at the time of this miracle which accounted for the great urgency with which at this period ,he impressed secrecy upon all around ,him4 ,what that was it is not necessary for us to inquire here1 but this is worth noticing1 that in obedience to this wish1 on ,his own part1 for privacy at the time1 ,he covers over with a veil ,his miraculous working1 and does it quietly1 as one might almost say1 in a corner4 ,he never sought to display ,his miraculous working2 here ,he absolutely tries to hide it4 ,that fact of ,christ's taking pains to conceal ,his miracle carries in it two great truths--first1 about the purpose and nature of miracles in general1 and second1 about ,his character--as to each of which a few words may be said4 ,this fact1 of a miracle done in intended secrecy1 and shrouded in deep darkness1 suggests to us the true point of view from which to look at the whole subject of miracles4 ,people say they were meant to be attestations of ,his divine mission4 ,yes1 no doubt that is true partially2 but that was never the sole nor even the main purpose for which they were wrought2 and when any one asked ,jesus ,christ to work a miracle for that purpose only1 ,he rebuked the desire and refused to gratify it4 ,he wrought ,his miracles1 not coldly1 in order to witness to ,his mission1 but every one of them was the token1 because it was the outcome1 of ,his own sympathetic heart brought into contact with human need4 ,and instead of the miracles of ,jesus ,christ being cold1 logical proofs of ,his mission1 they were all glowing with the earnestness of a loving sympathy1 and came from ,him at sight of sorrow as naturally as rays beam out from the sun4 ,then1 on the other hand1 the same fact carries with it1 too1 a lesson about ,his character4 ,is not ,he here doing what ,he tells us to do2 ',let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth'8 ,he dares not wrap ,his talent in a napkin1 ,he would be unfaithful to ,his mission if ,he hid ,his light under a bushel4 ,all goodness 'does good by stealth1' even if it does not 'blush to find it fame'--and that universal mark of true benevolence marked ,his4 ,he had to solve in ,his human life what we have to solve1 the problem of keeping the narrow path between ostentation of powers and selfish concealment of faculty2 and ,he solved it thus1 'leaving us an example that we should follow in ,his steps4' ,but that is somewhat aside from the main purpose to which ,i intended to turn in these first remarks4 ,christ did not invest the miracle with any of its peculiarities for ,his own sake only4 ,all that is singular about it1 will1 ,i think1 find its best explanation in the condition and character of the subject1 the man on whom it was wrought4 ,what sort of a man was he8 ,well1 the narrative does not tell us much1 but if we use our historical imagination and our eyes we may learn something about him4 ,first he was a ,gentile2 the land in which the miracle was wrought was the half-heathen country on the east side of the ,sea of ,galilee4 ,in the second place1 it was other people that brought him2 he did not come of his own accord4 ,then again1 it is their prayer that is mentioned1 not his--he asked nothing4 ,you see him standing there hopeless1 listless2 not believing that this ,jewish stranger is going to do anything for him2 with his impassive blind face glowing with no entreaty to reinforce his companions' prayers4 ,and suppose he was a man of that sort1 with no expectation of anything from this ,rabbi1 how was ,christ to get at him8 ,it is of no use to speak to him4 ,his eyes are shut1 so cannot see the sympathy beaming in ,his face4 ,there is one thing possible--to lay hold of ,him by the hand2 and the touch1 gentle1 loving1 firm1 says this at least3 ',here is a man that has some interest in me1 and whether ,he can do anything or not for me1 ,he is going to try something4' ,would not that kindle an expectation in him8 ,and is it not in parable just exactly what ,jesus ,christ does for the whole world8 ,is not that act of ,his by which ,he put out ,his hand and seized the unbelieving limp hand of the blind man that hung by his side1 the very same in principle as that by which ,he 'taketh hold of the seed of ,abraham1' and is made like to ,his brethren8 ,are not the mystery of the ,incarnation and the meaning of it wrapped up as in a germ in that little simple incident1 ',he put out ,his hand and touched him'8 ,is there not in it1 too1 a lesson for all you good-hearted ,christian men and women1 in all your work8 ,if you want to do anything for your afflicted brethren1 there is only one way to do it-to come down to their level and get hold of their hands1 and then there is some chance of doing them good4 ,we must be content to take the hands of beggars if we are to make the blind to see4 ,and then1 having thus drawn near to the man1 and established in his heart some dim expectation of something coming1 ,he gently led him away out of the little village4 ,i wonder no painter has ever painted that1 instead of repeating ad nauseam two or three scenes out of the ,gospels4 ,i wonder none of them has ever seen what a parable it is--the ,christ leading the blind man out into solitude before ,he can say to him1 ',behold6' ,how1 as they went1 step by step1 the poor blind eyes not telling the man where they were going1 or how far away he was being taken from his friends1 his conscious dependence upon this stranger would grow6 ,how he would feel more and more at each step1 ',i am at ,his mercy2 what is ,he going to do with me8' ,and how thus there would be kindled in his heart some beginnings of an expectation1 as well as some surrendering of himself to ,christ's guidance6 ,these two things1 the expectation and the surrender1 have in them1 at all events1 some faint beginnings and rude germs of the highest faith1 to lead up to which is the purpose of all that ,christ here does4 ,and is not that what ,he does for us all8 ,sometimes by sorrows1 sometimes by sick-beds1 sometimes by shutting us out from chosen spheres of activity1 sometimes by striking down the dear ones at our sides1 and leaving us lonely in the desert-is ,he not saying to us in a thousand ways1 ',come ye yourselves apart into a desert place'8 ,as ,israel was led into the wilderness that ,god might 'speak to her heart1' so often ,christ draws us aside1 if not by outward providences such as these1 yet by awaking in us the solemn sense of personal responsibility and making us feel our solitude1 that ,he may lead us to feel ,his all-sufficient companionship4 ,ah6 brethren1 here is a lesson from all this--if you wish ,jesus ,christ to give you ,his highest gifts and to reveal to you ,his fairest beauty1 you must be alone with ,him4 ,he loves to deal with single souls4 ,our lives1 many of them1 can never be outwardly alone4 ,we are jammed up against one another in such a fashion1 and the hurry and pressure of city life is so great with us all1 that it is often impossible for us to secure outward secrecy and solitude4 ,but a man maybe alone in a crowd2 the heart may be gathered up into itself1 and there may be a still atmosphere round about us in the shop and in the market and amongst the busy ways of men1 in which we and ,christ shall be alone together4 ,unless there be1 ,i do not think any of us will see the ,king in ,his beauty or the far-off land4 ',i was left alone1 and ,i saw this great vision1' is the law for all true beholding4 ,so1 dear brethren1 try to feel how awful this earthly life of ours is in its necessary solitude2 that each of us by himself must shape out his own destiny1 and make his own character2 that every unit of the swarms upon our streets is a unit that has to face the solemn facts of life for and by itself2 that alone we live1 that alone we shall die2 that alone we shall have to give account of ourselves before ,god1 and in the solitude let the hand of your heart feel for ,his hand that is stretched out to grasp yours1 and listen to ,him saying1 ',lo6 ,i am with you always1 even to the end of the world4' ,there was no dreariness in the solitude when it was ,christ that 'took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the city4' ,,ii4 ,we have ,christ stooping to a sense-bound nature by the use of material helps4 ,no doubt there was something in the man1 as ,i have said1 which made it advisable that these methods should be adopted4 ,if he were the sort of person that ,i have described1 slow of faith1 not much caring about the possibility of cure1 and not having much hope that any cure would come to pass--then we can see the fitness of the means adopted3 the hand laid upon the eyes1 the finger1 possibly moistened with saliva1 touching the ball1 the pausing to question1 the repeated application4 ,these make a ladder by which his hope and confidence might climb to the apprehension of the blessing4 ,and that points to a general principle of the divine dealings4 ,god stoops to a feeble faith1 and gives to it outward things by which it may rise to an apprehension of spiritual realities4 ,is not that the meaning of the whole complicated system of ,old ,testament revelation8 ,is not that the meaning of the altars1 and priests1 and sacrifices1 and the old cumbrous apparatus of the ,mosaic law8 ,was it not all a picture-book in which the infant eyes of the race might see in a material form deep spiritual realities8 ,was not that the meaning and explanation of our ,lord's parabolic teaching8 ,he veils spiritual truth in common things that ,he may reveal it by common things--taking fishermen's boats1 their nets1 a sower's basket1 a baker's dough1 and many another homely article1 and finding in them the emblems of the loftiest truth4 ,is not that the meaning of ,his own ,incarnation8 ,it is of no use to talk to men about ,god--let them see ,him2 no use to preach about principles--give them the facts of ,his life4 ,revelation does not consist in the setting forth of certain propositions about ,god1 but in the exhibition of the acts of ,god in a human life4 ',and so the ,word had breath1 and wrought ,with human hands the creed of creeds4' ,and still further1 may we not say that this is the inmost meaning and purpose of the whole frame of the material universe8 ,it exists in order that1 as a parable and a symbol1 it may proclaim the things that are unseen and eternal4 ,its depths and heights1 its splendours and its energies are all in order that through them spirits may climb to the apprehension of the ',king1 eternal1 immortal1 invisible1' and the realities of ,his spiritual kingdom4 ,so in regard to all the externals of ,christianity1 forms of worship1 ordinances1 and so on--all these1 in like manner1 are provided in condescension to our weakness1 in order that by them we may be lifted above themselves2 for the purpose of the ,temple is to prepare for the time and the place where the seer 'saw no temple therein4' ,they are but the cups that carry the wine1 the flowers whose chalices bear the honey1 the ladders by which the soul may climb to ,god ,himself1 the rafts upon which the precious treasure may be floated into our hearts4 ,if ,christ's touch and ,christ's saliva healed1 it was not because of anything in them2 but because ,he willed it so2 and ,he ,himself is the source of all the healing energy4 ,therefore1 let us keep these externals in their proper place of subordination1 and remember that in ,him1 not in them1 lies the healing power2 and that even ,christ's touch may become the object of superstitious regard1 as it was when that poor woman came through the crowd to lay her finger on the hem of ,his garment1 thinking that she could bear away a surreptitious blessing without the conscious outgoing of ,his power4 ,he healed her because there was a spark of faith in her superstition1 but she had to ,i earn that it was not the hem of the garment but the loving will of ,christ that cured1 in order that the dross of superstitious reliance on the outward vehicle might be melted away1 and the pure gold of faith in ,his love and power might remain4 ,,iii4 ,lastly1 we have ,christ accommodating the pace of ,his power to the slowness of the man's faith4 ,the whole story1 as ,i have said1 is unique1 and especially this part of it--',he put ,his hands upon him1 and asked him if he saw aught4' ,one might have expected an answer with a little more gratitude in it1 with a little more wonder in it1 with a little more emotion in it4 ,instead of these it is almost surly1 or at any rate strangely reticent-a matter-of-fact answer to the question1 and there an end4 ,as our ,revised ,version reads it better3 ',i see men1 for ,i behold them as trees walking4' ,curiously accurate6 ,a dim glimmer had come into the eye1 but there is not yet distinctness of outline nor sense of magnitude1 which must be acquired by practice4 ,the eye has not yet been educated1 and it was only because these blurred figures were in motion that he knew they were not trees4 ',after that ,he put ,his hands upon his eyes and made him look up1' or1 as the ,revised ,version has it with a better reading1 'and he looked steadfastly1' with an eager straining of the new faculty to make sure that he had got it1 and to test its limits and its perfection4 ',and he was restored and saw all things clearly4' ,now ,i take it that the worthiest view of that strangely protracted process1 broken up into two halves by the question that is dropped into the middle1 is this1 that it was determined by the man's faith1 and was meant to increase it4 ,he was healed slowly because he believed slowly4 ,his faith was a condition of his cure1 and the measure of it determined the measure of the restoration2 and the rate of the growth of his faith settled the rate of the perfecting of ,christ's work on him4 ,as a rule1 faith in ,his power to heal was a condition of ,christ's healing1 and that mainly because our ,lord would rather make men believing than sound of body4 ,they often wanted only the outward miracle1 but ,he wanted to make it the means of insinuating a better healing into their spirits4 ,and so1 not that there was any necessary connection between their faith and the exercise of ,his miraculous power1 but in order that ,he might bless them with ,his best gifts1 ,he usually worked on the principle ',according to your faith be it unto you4' ,and here1 as a nurse or a mother with her child might do1 ,he keeps step with the little steps1 and goes slowly because the man goes slowly4 ,now1 both the gradual process of illumination and the rate of that process as determined by faith1 are true for us4 ,how dim and partial a glimmer of light comes to many a soul at the outset of the ,christian life6 ,how little a new convert knows about ,god and self and the starry truths of ,his great revelation6 ,christian progress does not consist in seeing new things1 but in seeing the old things more clearly3 the same ,christ1 the same ,cross1 only more distinctly and deeply apprehended1 and more closely incorporated into my very being4 ,we do not grow away from ,him1 but we grow into knowledge of ,him4 ,the first lesson that we get is the last lesson that we shall learn1 and ,he is the ',alpha' at the beginning1 and the ',omega' at the end of that alphabet1 the letters of which make up our knowledge for earth and heaven4 ,but then let me remind you that just in the measure in which you expect blessing of any kind1 illumination and purifying and help of all sorts from ,jesus ,christ1 just in that measure will you get it4 ,you can limit the working of ,almighty power1 and can determine the rate at which it shall work on you4 ,god fills the water-pots 'to the brim1' but not beyond the brim2 and if1 like the woman in the ,old ,testament story1 we stop bringing vessels1 the oil will stop flowing4 ,it is an awful thing to think that we have the power1 as it were1 to turn a stopcock1 and so increase or diminish1 or cut off altogether1 the supply of ,god's mercy and ,christ's healing and cleansing love in our hearts4 ,you will get as much of ,god as you want and no more4 ,the measure of your desire is the measure of your capacity1 and the measure of your capacity is the measure of ,god's gift4 ',open thy mouth wide and ,i will fill it6' ,and if your faith is heavily shod and steps slowly1 ,his power and ,his grace will step slowly along with it1 keeping rank and step4 ',according to your faith shall it be unto you4' ,ah6 dear friends1 ',ye are not straitened in ,me1 ye are straitened in yourselves4' ,desire ,him to help and bless you1 and ,he will do it4 ,expect ,him to do it1 and ,he will do it4 ,go to ,him like the other blind man and say to ,him--',jesus1 ,thou ,son of ,david1 have mercy on me1 that ,i may receive my sight1' and ,he will lay ,his hand upon you1 and at any rate a glimmer will come1 which will grow in the measure of your humble1 confident desire1 until at last ,he takes you by the hand and leads you out of this poor little village of a world and lays ,his finger for a brief moment of blindness upon your eyes and asks you if you see aught4 ,then you will look up1 and the first face that you will behold will be ,his1 whom you saw 'as through a glass darkly' with your dim eyes in this twilight world4 ,may that be your experience and mine1 through ,his mercy6 ,,christ',s ,,cross1 ,,and ,,ours ',and ,jesus went out1 and ,his disciples1 into the towns of ,caesarea ,philippi3 and by the way ,he asked ,his disciples1 saying unto them1 ,whom do men say that ,i am8 #bh4 ,and they answered1 ,john the ,baptist3 but some say1 ,elias2 and others1 ,one of the prophets4 #bi4 ,and ,he saith unto them1 ,but whom say ye that ,i am8 ,and ,peter answereth and saith unto ,him1 ,thou art the ,christ4 #cj4 ,and ,he charged them that they should tell no man of ,him4 #ca4 ,and ,he began to teach them1 that the ,son of ,man must suffer many things1 and be rejected of the elders1 and of the chief priests1 and scribes1 and be killed1 and after three days rise again4 #cb4 ,and ,he spake that saying openly4 ,and ,peter took ,him1 and began to rebuke ,him4 #cc4 ,but when ,he had turned about and looked on ,his disciples1 ,he rebuked ,peter1 saying1 ,get thee behind me1 ,satan3 for thou savourest not the things that be of ,god1 but the things that be of men4 #cd4 ,and when ,he had called the people unto ,him with ,his disciples also1 ,he said unto them1 ,whosoever will come after ,me1 let him deny himself1 and take up his cross1 and follow ,me4 #ce4 ,for whosoever will save his life shall lose it2 but whosoever shall lose his life for ,my sake and the gospel's1 the same shall save it4 #cf ,for what shall it profit a man1 if he shall gain the whole world1 and lose his own soul8 #cg4 ,or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul8 #ch4 ,whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of ,me and of ,my words in this adulterous and sinful generation2 of him also shall the ,son of ,man be ashamed1 when ,he cometh in the glory of ,his ,father with the holy angels4 ,,ix4 #a4 ,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 power4'--,mark viii4 #bg-;ix4 #a4 ,our ,lord led ,his disciples away from familiar ground into the comparative seclusion of the country round ,caesarea ,philippi1 in order to tell them plainly of ,his death4 ,he knew how terrible the announcement would be1 and ,he desired to make it in some quiet spot1 where there would be collectedness and leisure to let it sink into their minds4 ,his consummate wisdom and perfect tenderness are equally and beautifully shown in ,his manner of disclosing the truth which would try their faithfulness and fortitude4 ,from the beginning ,he had given hints1 gradually increasing in clearness2 and now the time had come for full disclosure4 ,what a journey that was6 ,he1 with the heavy secret filling ,his thoughts2 they1 dimly aware of something absorbing ,him1 in which they had no part4 ,and at last1 'in the way1' as if moved by some sudden impulse--like that which we all know1 leading us to speak out abruptly what we have long waited to say--,he gives them a share in the burden of ,his thought4 ,but1 even then1 note how ,he leads up to it by degrees4 ,this passage has the announcement of the ,cross as its centre1 prepared for1 on the one hand1 by a question1 and followed1 on the other1 by a warning that ,his followers must travel the same road4 ,i4 ,note the preparation for the announcement of the ,cross 7verses #bg-cj74 ,why did ,christ begin by asking about the popular judgment of ,his personality8 ,apparently in order to bring clearly home to the disciples that1 as far as the masses were concerned1 ,his work and theirs had failed1 and had1 for net result1 total misconception4 ,who that had the faintest glimmer of what ,he was could suppose that the stern1 fiery spirits of ,elijah or ,john had come to life again in ,him8 ,the second question1 ',but whom say ye that ,i am8' with its sharp transition1 is meant to force home the conviction of the gulf between ,his disciples and the whole nation4 ,he would have them feel their isolation1 and face the fact that they stood alone in their faith2 and ,he would test them whether1 knowing that they did stand alone1 they had courage and tenacity to re-assert it4 ,the unpopularity of a belief drives away cowards1 and draws the brave and true4 ,if none else believed in ,him1 that was an additional reason for loving hearts to cleave to ,him2 and those only truly know and love ,him who are ready to stand by ,him1 if they stand alone--,athanasius contra mundum4 ,mark1 too1 that this is the all-important question for every man4 ,our own individual 'thought' of ,him determines our whole worth and fate4 ,mark gives ,peter's confession in a lower key1 as it were1 than ,matthew does1 omitting the full-toned clause1 ',the ,son of the living ,god4' ,this is not because ,mark has a lower conception than his brother ,evangelist1 for the first words of this ,gospel announce that it is 'the ,gospel of ,jesus1 the ,messiah1 the ,son of ,god4' ,and1 as he has identified the two conceptions at the outset1 he must1 in all fairness1 be supposed to consider that the one implies the other1 and to include both here4 ,but possibly there is truth in the observation that the omission is one of a number of instances in which this ,gospel passes lightly over the exalted side of ,christ's nature1 in accordance with its purpose of setting ,him forth rather as the ,servant than as the ,lord4 ,it is not meant that that exalted side was absent from ,mark's thoughts1 but that his design led him rather to emphasise the other4 ,matthew's is the ,gospel of the ,king2 ,mark's1 of the ,worker4 ,the omission of ,christ's eulogium on ,peter has often been pointed out as an interesting corroboration of the tradition that he was ,mark's source2 and perhaps the failure to record the praise1 and the carefulness to tell the subsequent rebuke1 reveal the humble-hearted 'elder' into whom the self-confident young ,apostle had grown4 ,flesh delights to recall praise2 faith and self-knowledge find more profit in remembering errors forgiven and rebukes deserved1 and in their severity1 most loving4 ,how did these questions and their answers serve as introduction to the announcement of the ,cross8 ,in several ways4 ,they brought clearly before the disciples the hard fact of ,christ's rejection by the popular voice1 and defined their own position as sharply antagonistic4 ,if ,his claims were thus unanimously tossed aside1 a collision must come4 ,a rejected ,messiah could not fail to be1 sooner or later1 a slain ,messiah4 ,then clear1 firm faith in ,his ,messiahship was needed to enable them to stand the ordeal to which the announcement1 and1 still more1 its fulfilment1 would subject them4 ,a suffering ,messiah might be a rude shock to all their dreams2 but a suffering ,jesus1 who was not ,messiah1 would have been the end of their discipleship4 ,again1 the significance and worth of the ,cross could only be understood when seen in the light of that great confession4 ,even as now1 we must believe that ,he who died was the ,son of the living ,god before we can see what that ,death was and did4 ,an imperfect conception of who ,jesus is takes the meaning and the power out of all ,his life1 but1 most of all1 impoverishes the infinite preciousness of ,his ,death4 ,the charge of silence contrasts singularly with the former employment of the ,apostles as heralds of ,jesus4 ,the silence was partly punitive and partly prudential4 ,it was punitive1 inasmuch as the people had already had abundantly the proclamation of ,his gospel1 and had cast it away4 ,it was in accordance with the solemn law of ,god's retributive justice that offers rejected should be withdrawn2 and from them that had not1 even that which they had should be taken away4 ,christ never bids ,his servants be silent until men have refused to hear their speech4 ,the silence enjoined was also prudential1 in order to avoid hastening on the inevitable collision2 not because ,christ desired escape1 but because ,he would first fulfil ,his day4 ,,ii4 ,we have here the announcement of the ,cross 7verses #ca-cc74 ,there had been many hints before this2 for ,christ saw the end from the beginning1 however far back in the depths of time or eternity we place that beginning4 ,we do not sufficiently realise that ,his ,death was before ,him1 all through ,his days1 as the great purpose for which ,he had come4 ,if the anticipation of sorrow is the multiplication of sorrow1 even when there is hope of escaping it1 how much must ,his have been multiplied1 and bitterness been diffused through all ,his life1 by that foresight1 so clear and constant1 of the certain end6 ,how much more gracious and wonderful ,his quick sympathy1 ,his patient self forgetfulness1 ,his unwearied toil1 show against that dark background6 ,mark here the solemn necessity4 ,why 'must' ,he suffer8 ,not because of the enmity of the three sets of rejecters4 ,he recognises no necessity which is imposed by hostile human power4 ,the cords which bind this sacrifice to the horns of the altar were not spun by men's hands4 ,the great 'must' which ruled ,his life was a cable of two strands--obedience to the ,father1 and love to men4 ,these haled ,him to the ,cross1 and fastened ,him there4 ,he would save2 therefore ,he 'must' die4 ,the same 'must' stretches beyond death4 ,resurrection is a part of ,his whole work2 and1 without it1 ,his ,death has no power1 but falls into the undistinguished mass of human mortality4 ,bewildered as the disciples were1 that assurance of resurrection had little present force1 but even then would faintly hint at some comfort and blessed mystery4 ,what was to them a nebulous hope is to us a sun of certitude and cheer1 ',christ that died' is no gospel until you go on to say1 ',yea1 rather1 that is risen again4' ,peter's rash 'rebuke1' like most of his appearances in the ,gospel1 is strangely compounded of warm-hearted1 impulsive love and presumptuous self-confidence4 ,no doubt1 the praise which he had just received had turned his head1 not very steady in these early days at its best1 and the dignity which had been promised him would seem to him to be sadly overclouded by the prospect opened in ,christ's forecast4 ,but he was not thinking of himself2 and when he said1 ',this shall not be unto ,thee1' probably he meant to suggest that they would all draw the sword to defend their ,master4 ,mark's use of the word 'rebuke1' which is also ,matthew's1 seems to imply that he found fault with ,christ4 ,for what8 ,probably for not trusting to ,his followers' arms1 or for letting ,himself become a victim to the 'must1' which ,peter thought of as depending only on the power of the ecclesiastics in ,jerusalem4 ,he blames ,christ for not hoisting the flag of a revolt4 ,this blind love was the nearest approach to sympathy which ,christ received2 and it was repugnant to ,him1 so as to draw the sharpest words from ,him that ,he ever spoke to a loving heart4 ,in his eagerness1 ,peter had taken ,jesus on one side to whisper his suggestion2 but ,christ will have all hear ,his rejection of the counsel4 ,therefore ,he 'turned about1' facing the rest of the group1 and by the act putting ,peter behind ,him1 and spoke aloud the stern words4 ,not thus was ,he wont to repel ignorant love1 nor to tell out faults in public2 but the act witnessed to the recoil of ,his fixed spirit from the temptation which addressed ,his natural human shrinking from death1 as well as to ,his desire that once for all1 every dream of resistance by force should be shattered4 ,he hears in ,peter's voice the tone of that other voice1 which1 in the wilderness1 had suggested the same temptation to escape the ,cross and win the crown by worshipping the ,devil2 and he puts the meaning of ,his instinctive gesture into the same words in which he had rejected that earlier seducing suggestion4 ,jesus was a man1 and 'the things that be of men' found a response in ,his sinless nature4 ,it shrank from pain and the ,cross with innocent and inevitable shrinking4 ,does not the very severity of the rebuke testify to its having set some chords vibrating in ,his soul8 ,note that it may be the work of ',satan' to appeal to 'the things that be of men1' however innocent1 if by so doing obedience to ,god's will is hindered4 ,note1 too1 that a ,simon may be ',peter' at one moment1 and ',satan' at the next4 ,,iii4 ,we have here the announcement of the ,cross as the law for the disciples too 7verses #cd-ch74 ,christ's followers must follow1 but men can choose whether they will be ,his followers or not4 ,so the 'must' is changed into 'let him1' and the 'if any man will' is put in the forefront4 ,the conditions are fixed1 but the choice as to accepting the position is free4 ,a wider circle hears the terms of discipleship than heard the announcement of ,christ's own sufferings4 ,the terms are for all and for us4 ,the law is stated in verse #cd1 and then a series of reasons for it1 and motives for accepting it1 follow4 ,the law for every disciple is self-denial and taking up his cross4 ,how present ,his own ,cross must have been to ,christ's vision1 since the thought is introduced here1 though ,he had not spoken of it1 in foretelling ,his own death6 ,it is not ,christ's ,cross that we have to take up4 ,his sufferings stand alone1 incapable of repetition and needing none2 but each follower has his own4 ,to slay the life of self is always pain1 and there is no discipleship without crucifying 'the old man4' ,taking up my cross does not merely mean meekly accepting ,god-sent or men-inflicted sorrows1 but persistently carrying on the special form of self-denial which my special type of character requires4 ,it will include these other meanings1 but it goes deeper than they4 ,such self-immolation is the same thing as following ,christ2 for1 with all the infinite difference between ,his ,cross and ours1 they are both crosses1 and on the one hand there is no real discipleship without self-denial1 and on the other there is no full self-denial without discipleship4 ,the first of the reasons for the law1 in verse #ce1 is a paradox1 and a truth with two sides4 ,to wish to save life is to lose it2 to lose it for ,christ's sake is to save it4 ,both are true1 even without taking the future into account4 ,the life of self is death2 the death of the lower self is the life of the true self4 ,the man who lives absorbed in the miserable care for his own well-being is dead to all which makes life noble1 sweet1 and real4 ,flagrant vice is not needed to kill the real life4 ,clean1 respectable selfishness does the work effectually4 ,the deadly gas is invisible1 and has no smell4 ,but while all selfishness is fatal1 it is self-surrender and sacrifice1 'for ,my sake and the gospel's1' which is life-giving4 ,heroism1 generous self-devotion without love to ,christ1 is noble1 but falls short of discipleship1 and may even aggravate the sin of the man who exhibits it1 because it shows what treasures he could lay at ,christ's feet1 if he would4 ,it is only self-denial made sweet by reference to ,him that leads to life4 ,who is this who thus demands that ,he should be the motive for which men shall 'hate' their own lives1 and calmly assumes power to reward such sacrifice with a better life8 ,the paradox is true1 if we include a reference to the future1 which is usually taken to be its only meaning2 but on that familiar thought we need not enlarge4 ,the 'for' of verse #cf seems to refer back to the law in verse #cd1 and the verse enforces the command by an appeal to self-interest1 which1 in the highest sense of the word1 dictates self-sacrifice4 ,the men who live for self are dead1 as ,christ has been saying4 ,suppose their self-living had been 'successful' to the highest point1 what would be the good of all the world to a dead man8 ',shrouds have no pockets4' ,he makes a poor bargain who sells his soul for the world4 ,a man gets rich1 and in the process drops generous impulses1 affections1 interest in noble things1 perhaps principle and religion4 ,he has shrivelled and hardened into a mere fragment of himself2 and so1 when success comes1 he cannot much enjoy it1 and was happier1 poor and sympathetic and enthusiastic and generous1 than he is now1 rich and dwindled4 ,he who loses himself in gaining the world does not win it1 but is mastered by it4 ,this motive1 too1 like the preceding1 has a double application--to the facts of life here1 when they are seen in their deepest reality1 and to the solemn future4 ,to that future our ,lord passes1 as ,his last reason for the command and motive for obeying it1 in verse #ch4 ,one great hindrance to out-and-out discipleship is fear of what the world will say4 ,hence come compromises and weak compliance on the part of disciples too timid to stand alone1 or too sensitive to face a sarcasm and a smile4 ,a wholesome contempt for the world's cackle is needed for following ,christ4 ,the geese on the common hiss at the passer-by who goes steadily through the flock4 ,how grave and awful is that irony1 if we may call it so1 which casts the retribution in the mould of the sin6 ,the judge shall be 'ashamed' of such unworthy disciples--shall blush to own such as ,his4 ,may we venture to put stress on the fact that ,he does not say that ,he will reject them8 ,they who were ashamed of ,him were secret and imperfect disciples4 ,perhaps1 though ,he be ashamed of them1 though they have brought ,him no credit1 ,he will not wholly turn from them4 ,how marvellous the transition from the prediction of the ,cross to this of the ,throne6 ,the ,son of ,man must suffer many things1 and the same ,son of ,man shall come1 attended by hosts of spirits who own ,him for their ,king1 and surrounded by the uncreated blaze of the glory of ,god in which ,he sits throned as ,his native abode4 ,we do not know ,jesus unless we know ,him as the crucified ,sacrifice for the world's sins1 and as the exalted ,judge of the world's deeds4 ,he adds a weighty word of enigmatical meaning1 lest any should think that ,he was speaking only of some far-off judgment4 ,the destruction of ,jerusalem seems to be the event intended1 which was1 in fact1 the beginning of retribution for ,israel1 and the starting-point of a more conspicuous manifestation of the kingdom of ,god4 ,it was1 therefore1 a kind of rehearsal1 or picture in little1 of that coming and ultimate great day of the ,lord1 and was meant to be a 'sign' that it should surely come4 ,,the ,,transfiguration ',and after six days ,jesus taketh with ,him ,peter1 and ,james1 and ,john1 and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves3 and ,he was transfigured before them4 #c4 ,and ,his raimemt became shining1 exceeding white as snow2 so as no fuller on earth can white them4 #d4 ,and there appeared unto them ,elias with ,moses3 and they were talking with ,jesus4 #e4 ,and ,peter answered and said to ,jesus1 ,master1 it is good for us to be here3 and let us make three tabernacles2 one for ,thee1 and one for ,moses1 and one for ,elias4 #f4 ,for he wist not what to say2 for they were sore afraid4 #g4 ,and there was a cloud that overshadowed them3 and a voice came out of the cloud1 saying1 ,this is ,my beloved ,son3 hear ,him4 #h4 ,and suddenly1 when they had looked round about1 they saw no man any more1 save ,jesus only with themselves4 #i4 ,and as they came down from the mountain1 ,he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen1 till the ,son of ,man were risen from the dead4 #aj4 ,and they kept that saying with themselves1 questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should mean4 #aa4 ,and they asked ,him1 saying1 ,why say the scribes that ,elias must first come8 #ab4 ,and ,he answered and told them1 ,elias verily cometh first1 and restoreth all things2 and how it is written of the ,son of ,man1 that ,he must suffer many things1 and be set at nought4 #ac4 ,but ,i say unto you1 ,that ,elias is indeed come1 and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed1 as it is written of him4'--,mark ix4 #b-ac4 ,all three ,evangelists are careful to date the ,transfiguration by a reference to the solemn new teaching at ,caesarea1 and ,mark's 'six days' plainly cover the same time as ,luke's 'eight'--the former reckoning excluding in the count1 and the latter including1 the days on which the two incidents occurred4 ,if we would understand the ,transfiguration1 then1 we must look at it as the sequel to ,jesus' open announcement of ,his death4 ,his seeking the seclusion of the hills1 attended only by the innermost group of the faithful three1 is a touching token of the strain to which that week had subjected ,him4 ,how ,peter's heart must have filled with thankfulness that1 notwithstanding the stern rebuke1 he was taken with the other two6 ,there were three stages in the complex incident which we call the ,transfiguration--the change in ,jesus' appearance1 the colloquy with ,moses and ,elijah1 and the voice from the cloud4 ,luke1 who has frequent references to ,jesus' prayers1 tells us that the change in our ,lord's countenance and raiment took place 'as ,he prayed'2 and probably we are reverently following his lead if we think of ,jesus' prayer as1 in some sense1 the occasion of the glorious change4 ,so far as we know1 this was the only time when mortal eyes saw ,him absorbed in communion with the ,father4 ,it was only 'when ,he ceased praying' in a certain place that 'they came to ,him' asking to be taught to pray 7,luke xi4 #a72 and in ,gethsemane the disciples slept while ,he prayed beneath the olives quivering in the moonlight4 ,it may be that what the three then saw did not occur then only4 ',in such an hour of high communion with' ,his ,father the elevated spirit may have more than ordinarily illuminated the pure body1 and the pure body may have been more than ordinarily transparent4 ,the brighter the light1 fed by fragrant oil within an alabaster lamp1 the more the alabaster will glow4 ,faint foreshadowings of the spirit's power to light up the face with unearthly beauty of holiness are not unknown among us4 ,it may be that the glory which always shone in the depths of ,his perfectly holy manhood rose1 as it were1 to the surface for that one time1 a witness of what ,he really was1 a prophecy of what humanity may become4 ,did ,jesus will ,his transfiguration1 or did it come about without ,his volition1 or perhaps even without ,his consciousness8 ,did it continue during all the time on the mountain1 or did it pass when the second stage of the incident began8 ,we cannot tell4 ,matthew and ,mark both say that ,jesus was transfigured 'before' the three1 as if the making visible of the glory had special regard to them4 ,it may be that ,jesus1 like ,moses1 'knew not that the skin of ,his face shone'2 at all events1 it was the second stage of the incident1 the conversation with ,elijah and ,moses1 that had a special message of strength for ,him4 ,the first and third stages were1 apparently1 intended for the three and for us all2 and the first is a revelation1 not only of the veiled glory that dwelt in ,jesus1 but of the beauty that may pass into a holy face1 and of the possibilities of a bodily frame becoming a 'spiritual body1' the adequate organ and manifestation of a perfect spirit4 ,paul teaches the prophetic aspect of the ,transfiguration when he says that ,jesus 'shall change the body of our humiliation that it may be fashioned like unto the body of ,his glory4' ,luke adds two very significant points to the accounts by ,matthew and ,mark--namely1 the disciples' sleep1 and the subject on which ,moses and ,elijah talked with ,jesus4 ,mark lays the main stress on the fact that the two great persons of the old economy1 its founder and its restorer1 the legislator and the chief of the prophets1 came from the dim region to which one of them had passed in a chariot of fire1 and stood by the transfigured ,christ1 as if witnessing to ,him as the greater1 to whom their ministries were subordinate1 and in whom their teachings centred4 ,jesus is the goal of all previous revelation1 mightier than the mightiest who are honoured by being ,his attendants4 ,he is the ,lord both of the dead and of the living1 and the 'spirits of just men made perfect' bow before ,him1 and reverently watch ,his work on earth4 ,so much did that appearance proclaim to the mortal three1 but their slumber showed that they were not principally concerned1 and that the other three had things to speak which they were not fit to hear4 ,the theme was the same which had been1 a week before1 spoken to them1 and had doubtless been the subject of all ,jesus' teachings for these 'six days4' ,no doubt1 their horror at the thought1 and ,his necessary insistence on it1 had brought ,him to need strengthening4 ,and these two came1 as did the angel in ,gethsemane1 and1 like him1 in answer to ,christ's prayer1 to bring the sought-for strength4 ,how different it would be to speak to them 'of the decease which ,he should accomplish at ,jerusalem1' from speaking to the reluctant1 protesting ,twelve6 ,and how different to listen to them speaking of that miracle of divine love expressed in human death from the point of view of the 'principalities and powers in heavenly places1' as over against the remonstrances and misunderstandings with which ,he had been struggling for a whole week6 ,the appearance of ,moses and ,elijah teaches us the relation of ,jesus to all former revelation1 the interest of the dwellers in heavenly light in the ,cross1 and the need which ,jesus felt for strengthening to endure it4 ,peter's foolish words1 half excused by his being scarcely awake1 may be passed by with the one remark that it was like him to say something1 though he did not know what to say1 and that it would therefore have been wise to say nothing4 ,the third part of this incident1 the appearance of the cloud and the voice from it1 was for the disciples4 ,luke tells us that it was a 'bright' cloud1 and yet it 'overshadowed them4' ,that sets us on the right track and indicates that we are to think of the cloud of glory1 which was the visible token of the divine presence1 the cloud which shone lambent between the cherubim1 the cloud which at last 'received ,him out of their sight4' ,luke tells1 too1 that 'they entered into it4' ,who entered8 ,moses and ,elijah had previously 'departed from ,him4' ,jesus and the disciples remained1 and we cannot suppose that the three could have passed into that solemn glory1 if ,he had not led them in4 ,in that sacred moment ,he was 'the way1' and keeping close to ,him1 mortal feet could pass into the glory which even a ,moses had not been fit to behold4 ,the spiritual significance of the incident seems to require the supposition that1 led by ,jesus1 they entered the cloud4 ,they were men1 therefore they were afraid2 ,jesus was with them1 therefore they stood within the circle of that light and lived4 ,the voice repeated the attestation of ,jesus as the 'beloved ,son' of the ,father1 which had been given at the baptism1 but with the addition1 ',hear ,him1' which shows that it was now meant for the disciples1 not1 as at the baptism1 for ,jesus ,himself4 ,while the command to listen to ,his voice as to the voice from the cloud is perfectly general1 and lays all ,his words on us as all ,god's words1 it had special reference to the disciples1 and that in regard to the new teaching which had so disturbed them--the teaching of the necessity for ,his death4 ',the offence of the ,cross' began with the first clear statement of it1 and in the hearts that loved ,him best and came most near to understanding ,him4 ,to fail in accepting ,his teaching that it 'behoved the ,son of ,man to suffer1' is to fail in accepting it in the most important matter4 ,there are sounds in nature too low-pitched to be audible to untrained ears1 and the message of the ,cross is unheard unless the ears of the deaf are unstopped4 ,if we do not hear ,jesus when ,he speaks of ,his passion1 we may almost as well not hear ,him at all4 ,moses and ,elijah had vanished1 having borne their last testimony to ,jesus4 ,peter had wished to keep them beside ,jesus1 but that could not be4 ,their highest glory was to fade in ,his light4 ,they came1 they disappeared2 ,he remained--and remains4 ',they saw no man any more1 save ,jesus only with themselves4' ,so should it be for us in life4 ,so may it be with us in death6 ',hear ,him1' for all other voices are but for a time1 and die into silence1 but ,jesus speaks for eternity1 and ',his words shall not pass away4' ,when time is ended1 and the world's history is all gathered up into its final issue1 ,his name shall stand out alone as ,author and ,end of all4 ',,this ,,is ,,my ,,beloved ,,son3 ,,hear ,,him' ',and there was a cloud that overshadowed them3 and a voice came out of the cloud1 saying1 ,this is ,my beloved ,son3 hear ,him4'--,mark ix4 #g4 ,with regard to the first part of these words spoken at the ,transfiguration1 they open far too large and wonderful a subject for me to do more than just touch with the tip of my finger1 as it were1 in passing1 because the utterance of the divine words1 ',this is ,my beloved ,son1' in all the depth of their meaning and loftiness1 is laid as the foundation of the two words that come after1 which1 for us1 are the all-important things here4 ,and so ,i would rather dwell upon them than upon the mysteries of the first part1 but a sentence must be spared4 ,if we accept this story before us as the divine attestation of the mystery of the person and nature of ,jesus ,christ1 we must take the words to mean--as these disciples1 no doubt1 took them to mean--something pointing to a unique and solitary revelation which ,he bore to the ,divine ,majesty4 ,we have to see in them the confirmation of the great truth that the manhood of ,jesus ,christ was the supernatural creation of a direct divine power4 ',conceived of the ,holy ,ghost1 born of the ,virgin ,mary'2 therefore1 'that ,holy ,thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the ,son of ,god4' ,and we have to go1 as ,i take it1 farther back than the earthly birth1 and to say1 ',no man hath seen ,god at any time--the only begotten ,son which is in the bosom of the ,father4' ,he was the ,son here by human birth1 and was in the bosom of the ,father all through that human life4 ',he hath declared ,him1' and so not only is there here the testimony to the miraculous incarnation1 and to the true and proper ,divinity and ,deity of ,jesus ,christ1 but there is also the witness to the perfectness of ,his character in the great word1 ',this is ,my beloved ,son1' which points us to an unbroken communion of love between ,him and the ,father1 which tells us that in the depths of that divine nature there has been a constant play of mutual love1 which reveals to us that in ,his humanity there never was anything that came as the faintest film of separation between ,his will and the will of the ,father1 between ,his heart and the heart of ,god4 ,but this revelation of the mysterious personality of the divine ,son1 the perfect harmony between ,him and ,god1 is here given as the ground of the command that follows3 ',hear ,him4' ,god's voice bids you listen to ,christ's voice--,god's voice bids you listen to ,christ's voice as ,his voice4 ,listen to ,him when ,he speaks to you about ,god--do not trust your own fancy1 do not trust your own fear1 do not trust the dictates of your conscience1 do not consult man1 do not listen to others1 do not speculate about the mysteries of the earth and the heavens1 but go to ,him1 and listen to the only begotten ,son in the bosom of the ,father4 ,he declares unto us ,god2 in ,him alone we have certain knowledge of a loving ,father in heaven4 ,hear ,him when ,he tells us of ,god's tenderness and patience and love4 ,hear ,him above all when ,he says to us1 ',as ,moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness1 even so must the ,son of ,man be lifted up4' ,hear ,him when ,he says1 ',the ,son of ,man came to give ,his life a ransom for many4' ,hear ,him when ,he speaks of ,himself as ,judge of you and me and all the world1 and when ,he says1 ',the ,son of ,man shall come in ,his glory1 and before ,him shall be gathered all nations4' ,hear ,him then4 ,hear ,him when ,he calls you to ,himself4 ,hear ,him when ,he says to you1 ',come unto ,me all ye that labour and are heavy laden4' ,hear ,him when ,he says1 ',if any man come unto ,me he shall never thirst4' ,hear ,him when ,he says1 ',cast your burden upon ,me1 and ,i will sustain you4' ,hear ,him when ,he commands4 ,hear ,him when ,he says1 ',if ye love ,me keep ,my commandments1' and when ,he says1 ',abide in ,me and ,i in you1' hear ,him then4 ',in all time of our tribulation1 in all time of our well-being1 in the hour of death1 and in the day of judgment1' let us listen to ,him4 ,dear friends there is no rest anywhere else2 there is no peace1 no pleasure1 no satisfaction--except close at ,his side4 ',speak ,lord6 for ,thy servant heareth4' ',to whom shall we go but unto ,thee8 ,thou hast the words of eternal life4' ,look how these disciples1 grovelling there on their faces1 were raised by the gentle hand laid upon their shoulder1 and the blessed voice that brought them back to consciousness1 and how1 as they looked about them with dazed eyes1 all was gone4 ,the vision1 the cloud1 ,moses and ,elias--the lustre and radiance and the dread voice were past1 and everything was as it used to be4 ,christ stood alone there like some solitary figure relieved against a clear daffodil sky upon some extended plain1 and there was nothing else to meet the eye but ,he4 ,christ is there1 and in ,him is all4 ,that is a summing up of all ,divine revelation4 ',god1 who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets1 hath1 in these last days1 spoken unto us by ,his ,son4' ,moses dies1 ,elijah fades1 clouds and symbols and voices and all mortal things vanish1 but ,jesus ,christ stands before us1 the manifest ,god1 for ever and ever1 the sole illumination of the world1 ,it is also a summing up of all earthly history4 ,all other people go4 ,the beach of time is strewed with wrecked reputations and forgotten glories4 ,and ,i am not ashamed to say that ,i believe that1 as the ages grow1 and the world gets further away in time from the ,cross upon ,calvary1 more and more everything else will sink beneath the horizon1 and ,christ alone be left to fill the past as ,he fills the present and the future4 ,we may make that scene the picture of our lives4 ,distractions and temptations that lie all round us are ever seeking to drag us away4 ,there is no peace anywhere but in having ,christ only--my only pattern1 my only hope1 my only salvation1 my only guide1 my only aim1 my only friend4 ,the solitary ,christ is the sufficient ,christ1 and that for ever4 ,take ,him for your only friend1 and you need none other4 ,then at death there may be a brief spasm of darkness1 a momentary fear1 perchance1 but then the touch of a ,brother's hand will be upon us as we lie there prone in the dust1 and we shall lift up our eyes1 and lo6 life's illusions are gone1 and life's noises are fallen dumb1 and we 'see no man any more1 save ,jesus only1' with ourselves4 ,,jesus ,,only6 ',they saw no man any more1 save ,jesus only with themselves4'--,mark ix4 #h4 ,the ,transfiguration was the solemn inauguration of ,jesus for ,his sufferings and death4 ,moses1 the founder1 and ,elijah1 the restorer1 of the ,jewish polity1 the great ,lawgiver and the great ,prophet1 were present4 ,the former had died and been mysteriously buried1 the latter had been translated without 'seeing death4' ,so both are visitors from the unseen world1 appearing to own that ,jesus is the ,lord of that dim land1 and that there they draw their life from ,him4 ,the conversation is about ,christ's 'decease1' the wonderful event which was to constitute ,him ,lord of the living and of the dead4 ,the divine voice of command1 ',hear ,him6' gives the meaning of their disappearance4 ,at that voice they depart and ,jesus is left alone4 ,the scene is typical of the ultimate issue of the world's history4 ,the ,king's name only will at last be found inscribed on the pyramid4 ,typical1 too1 is it not1 of a ,christian's blessed death8 ,when the 'cloud' is past no man is seen any more but ',jesus only4' ,i4 ,the solitary ,saviour4 ,the disciples are left alone with the divine ,saviour4 #a4 ,he is alone in ,his nature4 ',son of ,god4' #b4 ,he is alone in the sinlessness of ,his manhood4 ',my ,beloved ,son6' #c4 ,he is alone as ,god's ,voice to men4 ',hear ,him6' ,the solitary ,saviour1 because sufficient4 ',thou1 ,o ,christ1 art all ,i want4' ,sufficient1 too1 for ever4 ,his life is eternal4 ,his love is eternal4 ,the power of ,his ,cross ,is eternal4 ,,ii4 ,the vanishing witnesses4 #a4 ,the connection of the past with ,christ4 ,the authority of the two representatives of the ,old ,covenant was only 7a7 derived and subordinate2 7b7 prophetic2 7c7 transient4 #b4 ,the thought may be widened into that of the relation of all teachers and guides to ,jesus ,christ4 #c4 ,the two witness to the relation of the unseen world to ,jesus ,christ4 7a7 ,its inhabitants are undying4 7b7 ,are subject to the sway of ,jesus4 7c7 ,are expectantly waiting a glorious future4 #d4 ,they witness to the central point of ,christ's work--',his decease4' ,this great event is the key to the world's history4 ,,iii4 ,the waiting disciples4 #a4 ,what ,christian life should be4 ,giving ,him our sole trust and allegiance4 7a7 ,seeing ,him in all things4 7b7 ,constant communion4 ',abide in ,me4' 7c7 ,using everything as helps to ,him4 #b4 ,what ,christian death may become4 ,,christ',s ,,lament ,,over ,,our ,,faithlessness ',he answereth him and saith1 ,o faithless generation1 how long shall ,i be with you8 how long shall ,i suffer you8'--,mark ix4 #ai4 ,there is a very evident1 and1 ,i think1 intentional contrast between the two scenes1 of the ,transfiguration1 and of this healing of the maniac boy4 ,and in nothing is the contrast more marked than in the demeanour of these enfeebled and unbelieving ,apostles1 as contrasted with the rapture of devotion of the other three1 and with the lowly submission and faith of ,moses and ,elias4 ,perhaps1 too1 the difference between the calm serenity of the mountain1 and the hell-tortured misery of the plain--between the converse with the sainted perfected dead1 and the converse with their unworthy successors--made ,christ feel more sharply and poignantly than ,he ordinarily did ,his disciples' slowness of apprehension and want of faith4 ,at any rate1 it does strike one as remarkable that the only occasion on which there came from ,his lips anything that sounded like impatience and a momentary flash of indignation was1 when in sharpest contrast with ',this is my beloved ,son3 hear ,him1' ,he had to come down from the mountain to meet the devil-possessed boy1 the useless agony of the father1 the sneering faces of the scribes1 and the impotence of the disciples4 ,looking on all this1 ,he turns to ,his followers--for it is to the ,apostles that the text is spoken1 and not to the crowd outside--with this most remarkable exclamation3 ',o faithless generation6 how long shall ,i be with you8 how long shall ,i suffer you8' ,now1 ,i said that these words at first sight looked almost like a momentary flash of indignation1 as if for once a spot had come on ,his pallid cheek--a spot of anger--but ,i do not think that we shall find it so if we look a little more closely4 ,the first thing that seems to be in the words is not anger1 indeed1 but a very distinct and very pathetic expression of ,christ's infinite pain1 because of man's faithlessness4 ,the element of personal sorrow is most obvious here4 ,it is not only that ,he is sad for their sakes that they are so unreceptive1 and ,he can do so little for them--,i shall have something to say about that presently--but that ,he feels for ,himself1 just as we do in our poor humble measure1 the chilling effect of an atmosphere where there is no sympathy4 ,all that ever the teachers and guides and leaders of the world have in this respect had to bear--all the misery of opening out their hearts in the frosty air of unbelief and rejection--,christ endured4 ,all that men have ever felt of how hard it is to keep on working when not a soul understands them1 when not a single creature believes in them1 when there is no one that will accept their message1 none that will give them credit for pure motives--,jesus ,christ had to feel1 and that in an altogether singular degree4 ,there never was such a lonely soul on this earth as ,his1 just because there never was one so pure and loving4 ',the little hills rejoice together8 as the ,psalm says1 'on every side1' but the great ,alpine peak is alone there1 away up amongst the cold and the snows4 ,thus lived the solitary ,christ1 the uncomprehended ,christ1 the unaccepted ,christ4 ,let us see in this exclamation of ,his how humanly1 and yet how divinely1 ,he felt the loneliness to which ,his love and purity condemned ,him4 ,the plain felt soul-chilling after the blessed communion of the mountain4 ,there was such a difference between ,moses and ,elias and the voice that said1 ',this is ,my beloved ,son3 hear ,him1' and the disbelief and slowness of spiritual apprehension of the people down below there1 that no wonder that for once the pain that ,he generally kept absolutely down and silent1 broke the bounds even of ,his restraint1 and shaped for itself this pathetic utterance3 ',how long shall ,i be with you8 how long shall ,i suffer you8' ,dear friends1 here is 'a little window through which we may see a great matter' if we will only think of how all that solitude1 and all that sorrow of uncomprehended aims1 was borne lovingly and patiently1 right away on to the very end1 for every one of us4 ,i know that there are many of the aspects of ,christ's life in which ,christ's griefs tell more on the popular apprehension2 but ,i do not know that there is one in which the title of ',the ,man of ,sorrows' is to all deeper thinking more pathetically vindicated than in this--the solitude of the uncomprehended and the unaccepted ,christ and ,his pain at ,his disciples' faithlessness4 ,and then do not let us forget that in this short sharp cry of anguish--for it is that--there may be detected by the listening ear not only the tone of personal hurt1 but the tone of disappointed and thwarted love4 ,because of their unbelief ,he knew that they could not receive what ,he desired to give them4 ,we find ,him more than once in ,his life1 hemmed in1 hindered1 baulked of ,his purpose1 thwarted1 as ,i may say1 in ,his design1 simply because there was no one with a heart open to receive the rich treasure that ,he was ready to pour out4 ,he had to keep it locked up in ,his own spirit1 else it would have been wasted and spilled upon the ground4 ',he could do no mighty works there because of their unbelief'2 and here ,he is standing in the midst of the men that knew ,him best1 that understood ,him most1 that were nearest to ,him in sympathy2 but even they were not ready for all this wealth of affection1 all this infinitude of blessing1 with which ,his heart is charged4 ,they offered no place to put it4 ,they shut up the narrow cranny through which it might have come1 and so ,he has to turn from them1 bearing it away unbestowed1 like some man who goes out in the morning with his seed-basket full1 and finds the whole field where he would fain have sown covered already with springing weeds or encumbered with hard rock1 and has to bring back the germs of possible life to bless and fertilise some other soil4 ',he that goeth forth weeping1 bearing precious seed1 shall doubtless come again with joy'2 but ,he that comes back weeping1 bearing the precious seed that ,he found no field to sow in1 knows a deeper sadness1 which has in it no prophecy of joy4 ,it is wonderfully pathetic and beautiful1 ,i think1 to see how ,jesus ,christ knew the pains of wounded love that cannot get expressed because there is not heart to receive it4 ,here ,i would remark1 too1 before ,i go to another point1 that these two elements--that of personal sorrow and that of disappointed love and baulked purposes--continue still1 and are represented as in some measure felt by ,him now4 ,it was to disciples that ,he said1 ',o faithless generation6' ,he did not mean to charge them with the entire absence of all confidence1 but ,he did mean to declare that their poor1 feeble faith1 such as it was1 was not worth naming in comparison with the abounding mass of their unbelief4 ,there was one spark of light in them1 and there was also a great heap of green wood that had not caught the flame and only smoked instead of blazing4 ,and so ,he said to them1 ',o faithless generation6' ,ay1 and if ,he came down here amongst us now1 and went through the professing ,christians in this land1 to how many of us--regard being had to the feebleness of our confidence and the strength of our unbelief--,he would have to say the same thing1 ',o faithless generation6' ,the version of that clause in ,matthew and ,luke adds a significant word1--'faithless and perverse generation4' ,the addition carries a grave lesson1 as teaching us that the two characteristics are inseparably united2 that the want of faith is morally a crime and sin2 that unbelief is at once the most tragic manifestation of man's perverse will1 and also in its turn the source of still more obstinate and wide-spreading evil4 ,blindness to ,his light and rejection of ,his love1 ,he treats as the very head and crown of sin4 ,like intertwining snakes1 the loathly heads are separate2 but the slimy convolutions are twisted indistinguishably together1 and all unbelief has in it the nature of perversity1 as all perversity has in it the nature of unbelief4 ',he will convince the world of sin1 because they believe not on ,me4' ,may we venture to say1 as we have already hinted1 that all this pain is in some mysterious way still inflicted on ,his loving heart8 ,can it be that every time we are guilty of unbelieving1 unsympathetic rejection of ,his love1 we send a pang of real pain and sorrow into the heart of ,christ8 ,it is a strange1 solemn thought4 ,there are many difficulties which start up1 if we at all accept it4 ,but still it does appear as if we could scarcely believe in ,his perpetual manhood1 or think of ,his love as being in any real sense a human love1 without believing that ,he sorrows when we sin2 and that we can grieve1 and wound1 and cause to recoil upon itself1 as it were1 and close up that loving and gracious ,spirit that delights in being met with answering love4 ,if we may venture to take our love as in any measure analogous to ,his--and unless we do1 ,his love is to us a word without meaning--we may believe that it is so4 ,do not we know that the purer our love1 and the more it has purified us1 the more sensitive it becomes1 even while the less suspicious it becomes8 ,is not the purest1 most unselfish1 highest love1 that by which the least failure in response is felt most painfully8 ,though there be no anger1 and no change in the love1 still there is a pang where there is an inadequate perception1 or an unworthy reception1 of it4 ,and ,scripture seems to countenance the belief that ,divine ,love1 too1 may know something1 in some mysterious fashion1 like that feeling1 when it warns us1 ',grieve not the ,holy ,spirit of ,god1 whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption4' ,so we may venture to say1 ,grieve not the ,christ of ,god1 who redeems us2 and remember that we grieve ,him most when we will not let ,him pour ,his love upon us1 but turn a sullen1 unresponsive unbelief towards ,his pleading grace1 as some glacier shuts out the sunshine from the mountain-side with its thick-ribbed ice4 ,another thought1 which seems to me to be expressed in this wonderful exclamation of our ,lord's1 is--that this faithlessness bound ,christ to earth1 and kept ,him here4 ,as there is not anger1 but only pain1 so there is also1 ,i think1 not exactly impatience1 but a desire to depart1 coupled with the feeling that ,he cannot leave them till they have grown stronger in faith4 ,and that feeling is increased by the experience of their utter helplessness and shameful discomfiture during ,his brief absence ,they had shown that they were not fit to be trusted alone4 ,he had been away for a day up in the mountain there1 and though they did not build an altar to any golden calf1 like their ancestors1 when their leader was absent1 still when ,he comes back ,he finds things all gone wrong because of the few hours of ,his absence4 ,what would they do if ,he were to go away from them altogether8 ,they would never be able to stand it at all4 ,it is impossible that ,he should leave them thus--raw1 immature4 ,the plant has not yet grown sufficiently strong to take away the prop round which it climbed4 ',how long must ,i be with you8' says the loving ,teacher1 who is prepared ungrudgingly to give ,his slow scholars as much time as they need to learn their lesson4 ,he is not impatient1 but ,he desires to finish the task2 and yet ,he is ready to let the scholars' dulness determine the duration of ,his stay4 ,surely that is wondrous and heart-touching love1 that ,christ should let their slowness measure the time during which ,he should linger here1 and refrain from the glory which ,he desired4 ,we do not know all the reasons which determined the length of our ,lord's life upon earth1 but this was one of them1--that ,he could not go away until ,he had left these men strong enough to stand by themselves1 and to lay the foundations of the ,church4 ,therefore ,he yielded to the plea of their very faithlessness and backwardness1 and with this wonderful word of condescension and appeal bade them say for how many more days ,he must abide in the plain1 and turn ,his back on the glories that had gleamed for a moment on the mountain of transfiguration4 ,in this connection1 too1 is it not striking to notice how long ,his short life and ministry appeared to our ,lord ,himself8 ,there is to me something very pathetic in that question ,he addressed to one of ,his ,apostles near the end of ,his pilgrimage3 ',have ,i been so long time with you1 and yet hast thou not known ,me8' ,it was not so very long--three years1 perhaps1 at the outside--and much less1 if we take the shortest computation2 and yet to ,him it had been long4 ,the days had seemed to go tardily4 ,he longed that the 'fire' which ,he came to fling on earth were already 'kindled1' and the moments seemed to drop so slowly from the urn of time4 ,but neither the holy longing to consummate ,his work by the mystery of ,his passion1 to which more than one of ,his words bear witness1 nor the not less holy longing to be glorified with 'the glory which ,he had with the ,father before the world was1' which we may reverently venture to suppose in ,him1 could be satisfied till his slow scholars were wiser1 and ,his feeble followers stronger4 ,and then again1 here we get a glimpse into the depth of ,christ's patient forbearance4 ,we might read these other words of our text1 ',how long shall ,i suffer you8' with such an intonation as to make them almost a threat that the limits of forbearance would soon be reached1 and that lie was not going to 'suffer them' much longer4 ,some commentators speak of them as expressing 'holy indignation1' and ,i quite believe that there is such a thing1 and that on other occasions it was plainly spoken in ,christ's words4 ,but ,i fail to catch the tone of it here4 ,to me this plaintive question has the very opposite of indignation in its ring4 ,it sounds rather like a pledge that as long as they need forbearance they will get it2 but1 at the same time1 a question of 'how long' that is to be4 ,it implies the inexhaustible riches and resources of ,his patient mercy4 ,and ,oh1 dear brethren6 that endless forbearance is the only refuge and ground of hope we have4 ,his perfect charity 'is not soon angry2 beareth all things1' and 'never faileth4' ,to it we have all to make the appeal-- ',though ,i have most unthankful been ,of all that e'er ,thy grace received2 ,ten thousand times ,thy goodness seen1 ,ten thousand times ,thy goodness grieved2 ,yet1 ,lord1 the chief of sinners spare4' ,and1 thank ,god6 we do not make our appeal in vain4 ,there is rebuke in ,his question1 but how tender a rebuke it is6 ,he rebukes without anger4 ,he names the fault plainly4 ,he shows distinctly ,his sorrow1 and does not hide the strain on ,his forbearance4 ,that is ,his way of cure for ,his servants' faithlessness4 ,it was ,his way on earth2 it is ,his way in heaven4 ,to us1 too1 comes the loving rebuke of this question1 ',how long shall ,i suffer you8' ,thank ,god that our answer may be cast into the words of ,his own promise3 ',i say not unto thee1 until seven times2 but until seventy times seven4' ',bear with me till ,thou hast perfected me2 and then bear me to ,thyself1 that ,i may be with ,thee for ever1 and grieve ,thy love no more4' ,so may it be1 for 'with ,him is plenteous redemption1' and ,his forbearing 'mercy endureth for ever4' ,,the ,,omnipotence ,,of ,,faith ,jesus said unto him1 ,if them canst believe1 all things are possible to him that believeth4'--,mark ix4 #bc4 ,the necessity and power of faith is the prominent lesson of this narrative of the healing of a demoniac boy1 especially as it is told by the ,evangelist ,mark1 ,the lesson is enforced by the actions of all the persons in the group1 except the central figure1 ,christ4 ,the disciples could not cast out the demon1 and incur ,christ's plaintive rebuke1 which is quite as much sorrow as blame3 ',o faithless generation ,i how long shall ,i be with you8 how long shall ,i suffer you8' ,and then1 in the second part of the story1 the poor father1 heart-sick with hope deferred1 comes into the foreground4 ,the whole interest is shifted to him1 and more prominence is given to the process by which his doubting spirit is led to trust1 than to that by which his son is healed4 ,there is something very beautiful and tender in ,christ's way of dealing with him1 so as to draw him to faith4 ,he begins with the question1 ',how long is it ago since this came unto him8' and so induces him to tell all the story of the long sorrow1 that his burdened heart might get some ease in speaking1 and also that the feeling of the extremity of the necessity1 deepened by the very dwelling on all his boy's cruel sufferings1 might help him to the exercise of faith4 ,truly ',he knew what was in man1' and with tenderness born of perfect knowledge and perfect love1 ,he dealt with sore and sorrowful hearts4 ,this loving artifice of consolation1 which drew all the story from willing lips1 is one more little token of ,his gentle mode of healing4 ,and it is profoundly wise1 as well as most tender4 ,get a man thoroughly to know his need1 and vividly to feel his helpless misery1 and you have carried him a long way towards laying hold of the refuge from it4 ,how wise and how tender the question is1 is proved by the long circumstantial answer1 in which the pent-up trouble of a father's heart pours itself out at the tiny opening which ,christ has made for it4 ,he does not content himself with the simple answer1 ',of a child1' but with the garrulousness of sorrow that has found a listener that sympathises1 goes on to tell all the misery1 partly that he may move his hearer's pity1 but more in sheer absorption with the bitterness that had poisoned the happiness of his home all these years4 ,and then his graphic picture of his child's state leads him to the plaintive cry1 in which his love makes common cause with his son1 and unites both in one wretchedness4 ',if thou canst do anything1 have compassion on us and help us4' ,our ,lord answers that appeal in the words of our text4 ,there are some difficulties in the rendering and exact force of these words with which ,i do not mean to trouble you4 ,we may accept the rendering as in our ,bible1 with a slight variation in the punctuation4 ,if we take the first clause as an incomplete sentence1 and put a break between it and the last words1 the meaning will stand out more clearly3 ',if thou canst believe--all things are possible to him that believeth4' ,we might paraphrase it somewhat thus3 ,did you say ',if thou canst do anything'8 ,that is the wrong 'if4' ,there is no doubt about that4 ,the only 'if' in the question is another one1 not about me1 but about you4 ',if thou canst believe--' and then the incomplete sentence might be supposed to be ended with some such phrase as ',that is the only question4 ,if thou canst believe--all depends on that4 ,if thou canst believe1 thy son will be healed1' or the like4 ,then1 in order to explain and establish what ,he had meant in the half-finished saying1 ,he adds the grand1 broad statement1 on which the demand for the man's faith as the only condition of his wish being answered reposes3 ',all things are possible to him that believeth4' ,that wide statement is meant1 ,i suppose1 for the disciples as well as for the father4 ',all things are possible' both in reference to benefits to be received1 and in reference to power to be exercised4 ',if thou canst believe1 poor suppliant father1 thou shalt have thy desire4 ,if thou canst believe1 poor devil-ridden son1 thou shalt be set free4 ,if ye can believe1 poor baffled disciples1 you will be masters of the powers of evil4' ,do you remember another 'if' with which ,christ was once besought8 ',there came a leper to ,him1 beseeching ,him1 and kneeling down to ,him1 and saying unto ,him1 ,if ,thou wilt1 ,thou canst make me clean4' ,in some respects that man had advanced beyond the father in our story1 for he had no doubt at all about ,christ's power1 and he spoke to ,him as ',lord4' ,but he was somehow not quite sure about ,christ's heart of pity4 ,on the other hand1 the man in our narrative has no doubt about ,christ's compassion4 ,he may have seen something of ,his previous miracles1 or there may still have been lying on our ,lord's countenance some of the lingering glory of the ,transfiguration--as indeed the narrative seems to hint1 in its emphatic statement of the astonishment and reverential salutations of the crowd when ,he approached--or the tenderness of our ,lord's listening sympathy may have made him feel sure of ,his willingness to help4 ,at any rate1 the leper's 'if' has answered itself for him4 ,his own lingering doubt1 ,christ waives aside as settled4 ,his 'if' is answered for ever4 ,so these two 'ifs' in reference to ,christ are beyond all controversy2 ,his power is certain1 and ,his love4 ,the third 'if' remains1 the one that refers to us--',if thou canst believe'2 all hinges on that1 for 'all things are possible to him that believeth4' ,here1 then1 we have our ,lord telling us that faith is omnipotent4 ,that is a bold word2 ,he puts no limitations2 'all things are possible4' ,i think that to get the true force of these words we should put alongside of them the other saying of our ,lord's1 ',with ,god all things are possible4' ,that is the foundation of the grand prerogative in our text4 ,the power of faith is the consequence of the power of ,god4 ,all things are possible to ,him2 therefore1 all things are possible to me1 believing in ,him4 ,if we translate that into more abstract words1 it just comes to the principle that the power of faith consists in its taking hold of the power of ,god4 ,it is omnipotent because it knits us to ,omnipotence4 ,faith is nothing in itself1 but it is that which attaches us to ,god1 and then ,his power flows into us4 ,screw a pipe on to a water main and turn a handle1 and out flows the water through the pipe and fills the empty vessel4 ,faith is as impotent in itself as the hollow water pipe is1 only it is the way by which the connection is established between the fulness of ,god and the emptiness of man4 ,by it divinity flows into humanity1 and we have a share even in the divine ,omnipotence4 ',my strength is made perfect in weakness4' ,in itself nothing1 it yet grasps ,god1 and therefore by it we are strong1 because by it we lay hold of ,his strength4 ,great and wonderful is the grace thus given to us1 poor1 struggling1 sinful men1 that1 looking up to the solemn throne1 where ,he sits in ,his power1 we have a right to be sure that a true participation in ,his greatness is granted to us1 if once our hearts are fastened to ,him4 ,and there is nothing arbitrary nor mysterious in this flowing of divine power into our hearts on condition of our faith4 ,it is the condition of possessing ,christ1 and in ,christ1 salvation1 righteousness1 and strength1 not by any artificial appointment1 but in the very nature of things4 ,there is no other way possible by which ,god could give men what they receive through their faith1 except only their faith4 ,in all trust in ,god there are two elements3 a sense of need and of evil and weakness1 and a confidence more or less unshaken and strong in ,him1 ,his love and power and all-sufficiency2 and unless both of these two be in the heart1 it is1 in the nature of things1 impossible1 and will be impossible to all eternity1 that purity and strength and peace and joy1 and all the blessings which ,christ delights to give to faith1 should ever be ours4 ,unbelief1 distrust of ,him1 which separates us from ,him and closes the heart fast against ,his grace1 must cut us off from that which it does not feel that it needs1 nor cares to receive2 and must interpose a non-conducting medium between us and the electric influences of ,his might4 ,when ,christ was on earth1 man's want of faith dammed back ,his miracle-working power1 and paralysed ,his healing energy4 ,how strange that paradox sounds at first hearing1 which brings together ,omnipotence and impotence1 and makes men able to counter-work the loving power of ,christ4 ',he could there do no mighty work4' ,the ,evangelist intends a paradox1 for he uses two kindred words to express the inability and the mighty work2 and we might paraphrase the saying so as to bring out the seeming contradiction3 ',he there had no power to do any work of power4' ,the same awful1 and in some sense mysterious1 power of limiting and restraining the influx of ,his love belongs to unbelief still1 whether it take the shape of active rejection1 or only of careless1 passive non-reception4 ,for faith makes us partakers of divine power by the very necessity of the case1 and that power can attach itself to nothing else4 ,so1 'if thou canst believe1 all things are possible to him that believeth4' ,still further1 we may observe that there is involved here the principle that our faith determines the amount of our power4 ,that is true in reference to our own individual religious life1 and it is true in reference to special capacities for ,christ's service4 ,let me say a word or two about each of these4 ,they run into each other1 of course1 for the truest power of service is found in the depth and purity of our own personal religion1 and on the other hand our individual ,christian character will never be deep or pure unless we are working for the ,master4 ,still1 for our present purpose1 these two inseparable aspects of the one ,christian life may be separated in thought4 ,as to the former1 then1 the measure of my trust in ,christ is the measure of all the rest of my ,christian character4 ,i shall have just as much purity1 just as much peace1 just as much wisdom or gentleness or love or courage or hope1 as my faith is capable of taking up1 and1 so to speak1 holding in solution4 ,the 'point of saturation' in a man's soul1 the quantity of ,god's grace which he is capable of absorbing1 is accurately measured by his faith4 ,how much do ,i trust ,god8 ,that will settle how much ,i can take in of ,god4 ,so much as we believe1 so much can we contain4 ,so much as we can contain1 so much shall we receive4 ,and in the very act of receiving the 'portion of our ,father's goods that falleth' to us1 we shall feel that there is a boundless additional portion ready to come as soon as we are ready for it1 and thereby we shall be driven to larger desires and a wider opening of the lap of faith1 which will ever be answered by 'good measure1 pressed together and running over1 measured into our bosoms4' ,but there will be no waste by the bestowment of what we cannot take4 ',according to your faith1 be it unto you4' ,that is the accurate thermometer which measures the temperature of our spiritual state4 ,it is like the steam-gauge outside the boiler1 which tells to a fraction the pressure of steam within1 and so the power which can at the moment be exerted4 ,may ,i make a very simple1 close personal application of this thought8 ,we have as much religious life as we desire2 that is1 we have as much as our faith can take4 ,there is the reason why such hosts of so-called ,christians have such poor1 feeble ,christianity4 ,we dare not say of any1 ',they have a name to live1 and are dead4' ,there is only one ,eye who can tell when the heart has ceased to beat4 ,but we may say that there are a mournful number of people who call themselves ,christians1 who look so like dead that no eye but ,christ's can tell the difference4 ,they are in a syncope that will be death soon1 unless some mighty power rouse them4 ,and then1 how many more of us there are1 not so bad as that1 but still feeble and languid1 whose ,christian history is a history of weakness1 while ,god's power is open before us1 of starving in the midst of abundance1 broken only by moments of firmer faith1 and so of larger1 happier possession1 that make the poverty-stricken ordinary days appear ten times more poverty-stricken4 ,the channel lies dry1 a waste chaos of white stones and driftwood for long months1 and only for an hour or two after the clouds have burst on the mountains does the stream fill it from bank to bank4 ,do not many of us remember moments of a far deeper and more earnest trust in ,christ than marks our ordinary days8 ,if such moments were continuous1 should not we be the happy possessors of beauties of character and spiritual power1 such as would put our present selves utterly to shame8 ,and why are they not continuous8 ,why are our possessions in ,god so small1 our power so weak8 ,dear friends6 'ye are not straitened in yourselves4' ,the only reason for defective spiritual progress and character is defective faith4 ,then look at this same principle as it affects our faculties for ,christian service4 ,there1 too1 it is true that all things are possible to him that believeth4 ,the saying had an application to the disciples who stood by1 half-ashamed and half-surprised at their failure to cast out the demon1 as well as to the father in his agony of desire and doubt4 ,for them it meant that the measure of ,christian service was mainly determined by the measure of their faith4 ,it would scarcely be an exaggeration to say that in ,christ's service a man can do pretty nearly what he believes he can do1 if his confidence is built1 not on himself1 but on ,christ4 ,if those nine ,apostles1 waiting there for their ,master1 had thought they could cast out the devil from the boy1 do you not think that they could have done it8 ,i do not mean to say that rash presumption1 undertaking in levity and self-confidence unsuitable kinds of work1 will be honoured with success4 ,but ,i do mean to say that1 in the line of our manifest duty1 the extent to which we can do ,christ's work is very much the extent to which we believe1 in dependence on ,him1 that we can do it4 ,if we once make up our minds that we shall do a certain thing by ,christ's help and for ,his sake1 in ninety cases out of a hundred the expectation will fulfil itself1 and we shall do it4 ',why could not we cast him out8' ,they need not have asked the question4 ',why could not you cast him out8 ,why1 because you did not think you could1 and with your timid attempt1 making an experiment which you were not sure would succeed1 provoked the failure which you feared4' ,the ,church has never believed enough in its ,christ-given power to cast out demons4 ,we have never been confident enough that the victory was in our hands if we knew how to use our powers4 ,the same thing is true of each one of us4 ,audacity and presumption are humility and moderation1 if only we feel that 'our sufficiency is of ,god4' ',i can do all things' is the language of simple soberness1 if we go on to say 'through ,christ which strengthened me4' ,there is one more point1 drawn from these words1 viz41 our faith can only take hold on the divine promises4 ,such language as this of my text and other kindred sayings of our ,lord's has often been extended beyond its real force1 and pressed into the service of a mistaken enthusiasm1 for want of observing that very plain principle4 ,the principle of our text has reference to outward things as well as to the spiritual life4 ,but there are great exaggerations and misconceptions as to the province of faith in reference to these temporal things1 and consequently there are misconceptions and exaggerations on the part of many very good people as to the province of prayer in regard to them4 ,it seems to me that we shall be saved from these1 if we distinctly recognise a very obvious principle1 namely1 that 'faith' can never go further than ,god's clear promises1 and that whatever goes beyond ,god's word is not faith1 but something else assuming its appearance4 ,for instance1 suppose a father nowadays were to say3 ',my child is sore vexed with sickness4 ,i long for his recovery4 ,i believe that ,christ can heal him4 ,i believe that ,he will4 ,i pray in faith1 and ,i know that ,i shall be answered4' ,such a prayer goes beyond the record4 ,has ,christ told you that it is ,his will that your child shall be healed8 ,if not1 how can you pray in faith that it is8 ,you may pray in confidence that he will be healed1 but such confident persuasion is not faith4 ,faith lays hold of ,christ's distinct declaration of ,his will1 but such confidence is only grasping a shadow1 your own wishes4 ,the father in this story was entitled to trust1 because ,christ told him that his trust was the condition of his son's being healed4 ,so in response to the great word of our text1 the man's faith leaped up and grasped our ,lord's promise1 with ',lord1 ,i believe4' ,but before ,christ spoke1 his desires1 his wistful longing1 his imploring cry for help1 had no warrant to pass into faith1 and did not so pass4 ,christ's word must go before our faith1 and must supply the object for our faith1 and where ,christ has not spoken1 there is no room for the exercise of any faith1 except the faith1 ',it is the ,lord2 let ,him do what seemeth to ,him good4' ,that is the true prayer of faith in regard to all matters of outward providence where we have no distinct word of ,god's which gives unmistakable indication of ,his will4 ,the 'if' of the leper1 which has no place in the spiritual region1 where we know that 'this is the will of ,god1 even our sanctification1' has full force in the temporal region1 where we do not know before the event what the will of the ,lord is1 ',if ,thou wilt1 ,thou canst1' is there our best prayer4 ,wherever a distinct and unmistakable promise of ,god's goes1 it is safe for faith to follow2 but to outrun ,his word is not faith1 but self-will1 and meets the deserved rebuke1 ',should it be according to thy mind8' ,there are unmistakable promises about outward things on which we may safely build4 ,let us confine our expectations within the limits of these1 and turn them into the prayer of faith1 so shooting back whence they came ,his winged words1 ',this is the confidence that we have1 that if we ask anything according to ,his will ,he heareth us4' ,thus coming to ,him1 submitting all our wishes in regard to this world to ,his most loving will1 and widening our confidence to the breadth of ,his great and loving purpose in regard to our own inward life1 as well as in regard to our practical service1 ,his answer will ever be1 ',great is thy faith2 be it unto thee even as thou wilt4' ,,unbelieving ,,belief ',and straightway the father of the child cried out1 and said with tears1 ,lord1 ,i believe2 help ,thou mine unbelief4'--,mark ix4 #bd4 ,we owe to ,mark's ,gospel the fullest account of the pathetic incident of the healing of the demoniac boy4 ,he alone gives us this part of the conversation between our ,lord and the afflicted child's father4 ,the poor man had brought his child to the disciples1 and found them unable to do anything with him4 ,a torrent of appeal breaks from his lips as soon as the ,lord gives him an opportunity of speaking4 ,he dwells upon all the piteous details with that fondness for repetition which sorrow knows so well4 ,jesus gives him back his doubts4 ,the father said1 ',if thou canst do anything1 have compassion on us and help us4' ,christ's answer1 according to the true reading1 is not as it stands in our ,authorised ,version1 ',if thou canst believe'--throwing1 as it were1 the responsibility on the man--but it is a quotation of the father's own word1 ',if ,thou canst1' as if ,he waved it aside with superb recognition of its utter unfitness to the present case4 ',say not1 ,if ,thou canst4 ,that is certain4 ,all things are possible to thee' 7not to do1 but to get7 'if'--which is the only 'if' in the case--'thou believest4 ,i can1 and if thy faith lays hold on ,my ,omnipotence1 all is done4' ,that majestic word is like the blow of steel upon flint2 it strikes a little spark of faith which lights up the soul and turns the smoky pillar of doubt into clear flame of confidence4 ',lord1 ,i believe2 help ,thou mine unbelief4' ,i think in these wonderful words we have four things--the birth1 the infancy1 the cry1 and the education1 of faith4 ,and to these four ,i turn now4 ,i4 ,first1 then1 note here the birth of faith4 ,there are many ways to the temple1 and it matters little by which of them a man travels1 if so be he gets there4 ,there is no royal road to the ,christian faith which saves the soul4 ,and yet1 though identity of experience is not to be expected1 men are like each other in the depths1 and only unlike on the surfaces1 of their being4 ,therefore one man's experience carefully analysed is very apt to give1 at least1 the rudiments of the experience of all others who have been in similar circumstances4 ,so ,i think we can see here1 without insisting on any pedantic repetition of the same details in every case1 in broad outline1 a sketch-map of the road4 ,there are three elements here3 eager desire1 the sense of utter helplessness1 and the acceptance of ,christ's calm assurances4 ,look at these three4 ,this man knew what he wanted1 and he wanted it very sorely4 ,whosoever has any intensity and reality of desire for the great gifts which ,jesus ,christ comes to bestow1 has taken at least one step on the way to faith4 ,conversely1 the hindrances which block the path of a great many of us are simply that we do not care to possess the blessings which ,jesus ,christ in ,his ,gospel offers4 ,i am not talking now about the so-called intellectual hindrances to belief1 though ,i think that a great many of these1 if carefully examined1 would be found1 in the ultimate analysis1 to repose upon this same stolid indifference to the blessings which ,christianity offers4 ,but what ,i wish to insist upon is that for large numbers of us1 and no doubt for many men and women whom ,i address now1 the real reason why they have not trust in ,jesus ,christ is because they do not care to possess the blessings which ,jesus ,christ brings4 ,do you desire to have your sins forgiven8 ,has purity any attraction for you8 ,do you care at all about the calm and pure blessings of communion with ,god8 ,would you like to live always in the light of ,his face8 ,do you want to be the masters of your own lusts and passions8 ,i do not ask you1 ,do you want to go to ,heaven or to escape ,hell1 when you die8 but ,i ask1 ,has that future in any of its aspects any such power over you as that it stirs you to any earnestness and persistency of desire1 or is it all shadowy and vain1 ineffectual and dim8 ,what we ,christian teachers have to fight against is that we are charged to offer to men a blessing that they do not want1 and have to create a demand before there can be any acceptance of the supply4 ',give us the leeks and garlics of ,egypt1' said the ,hebrews in the wilderness2 'our soul loatheth this light bread4' ,so it is with many of us2 we do not want ,god1 goodness1 quietness of conscience1 purity of life1 self-consecration to a lofty ideal1 one-thousandth part as much as we want success in our daily occupations1 or some one or other of the delights that the world gives4 ,i remember ,luther1 in his rough way1 has a story--,i think it is in his ,table-talk--about a herd of swine to whom their keeper offered some rich dainties1 and the pigs said1 ',give us grains4' ,that is what so many men do when ,jesus ,christ comes with ,his gifts and ,his blessings4 ,they turn away1 but if they were offered some poor earthly good1 all their desires would go out towards it1 and their eager hands would be scrambling who should first possess it4 ,oh brethren1 if we saw things as they are1 and our needs as they are1 nothing would kindle such intensity of longing in our hearts as that rejected or neglected promise of life eternal and divine which ,jesus ,christ brings4 ,if ,i could only once wake in some indifferent heart this longing1 that heart would have taken at least the initial step to a life of ,christian godliness4 ,further1 we have here the other element of a sense of utter helplessness4 ,how often this poor father had looked at his boy in the grip of the fiend1 and had wrung his hands in despair that he could not do anything for him6 ,that same sense of absolute impotence is one which we all1 if we rightly understand what we need1 must cherish4 ,can you forgive your own sins8 ,can you cleanse your own nature8 ,can you make yourselves other than you are by any effort of volition1 or by any painfulness of discipline8 ,to a certain small extent you can4 ,in regard to superficial culture and eradication1 your careful husbandry of your own wills may do much1 but you cannot deal with your deepest needs4 ,if we understand what is required1 in order to bring one soul into harmony and fellowship with ,god1 we shall recognise that we ourselves can do nothing to save1 and little to help ourselves4 ',every man his own redeemer1' which is the motto of some people nowadays1 may do very well for fine weather and for superficial experience1 but when the storm comes it proves a poor refuge1 like the gay pavilions that they put up for festivals1 which are all right whilst the sun is shining and the flags are fluttering1 but are wretched shelters when the rain beats and the wind howls4 ,we can do nothing for ourselves4 ,the recognition of our own helplessness is the obverse1 so to speak1 and underside1 of confidence in the divine help4 ,the coin1 as it were1 has its two faces4 ,on the one is written1 ',trust in the ,lord'2 on the other is written1 ',nothing in myself4' ,a drowning man1 if he tries to help himself1 only encumbers his would-be rescuer1 and may drown him too4 ,the truest help he can give is to let the strong arm that has cleft the waters for his sake fling itself around him and bear him safe to land4 ,so1 eager desire after offered blessings and consciousness of my own impotence to secure them--these are the initial steps of faith4 ,and the last of the elements here is1 listening to the calm assurance of ,jesus ,christ3 ',if ,thou canst6 ,do not say that to ,me2 ,i can1 and because ,i can1 all things are possible for thee to receive4' ,in like manner ,he stands at the door of each of our hearts and speaks to each of our needs1 and says3 ',i can satisfy it4 ,rest for thy soul1 cleansing for thy sins1 satisfaction for thy desires1 guidance for thy pilgrimage1 power for thy duties1 patience in thy sufferings--all these will come to thee1 if thou layest hold of ,my hand4' ,his assurance helps trembling confidence to be born1 and out of doubt the great calm word of the ,master smites the fire of trust4 ,and we1 dear brethren1 if we will listen to ,him1 shall surely find in ,him all that we need4 ,think how marvellous it is that this ,jewish peasant should plant ,himself in the front of humanity1 over against the burdened1 sinful race of men1 and pledge ,himself to forgive and to cleanse their sins1 to bear all their sicknesses1 to be their strength in weakness1 their comfort in sorrow1 the rest of their hearts1 their heaven upon earth1 their life in death1 their glory in heaven1 and their all in all2 and not only should pledge ,himself1 but in the blessed experience of millions should have more than fulfilled all that ,he promised4 ',they trusted in ,him1 and were lightened1 and their faces were not ashamed4' ,will you not answer ,his sovereign word of promise with your ',lord1 ,i believe'8 ,,ii4 ,then1 secondly1 we have here the infancy of faith4 ,as soon as the consciousness of belief dawned upon the father1 and the effort to exercise it was put forth1 there sprang up the consciousness of its imperfection4 ,he would never have known that he did not believe unless he had tried to believe4 ,so it is in regard to all excellences and graces of character4 ,the desire of possessing some feeble degree of any virtue or excellence1 and the effort to put it forth1 is the surest way of discovering how little of it we have4 ,on the other side1 sorrow for the lack of some form of goodness is itself a proof of the partial possession1 in some rudimentary and incipient form1 of that goodness4 ,the utterly lazy man never mourns over his idleness2 it is only the one that would fain work harder than he does1 and already works tolerably hard1 who does so4 ,so the little spark of faith in this man's heart1 like a taper in a cavern1 showed the abysses of darkness that lay unillumined round about it4 ,thus1 then1 in its infancy1 faith may and does coexist with much unfaith and doubt4 ,the same state of mind1 looked at from its two opposite ends1 as it were1 may be designated faith or unbelief2 just as a piece of shot silk1 according to the angle at which you hold it1 may show you only the bright colours of its warp or the dark ones of its weft4 ,when you are travelling in a railway train with the sun streaming in at the windows1 if you look out on the one hand you will see the illumined face of every tree and blade of grass and house2 and if you look out on the other1 you will see their shadowed side4 ,and so the same landscape may seem to be all lit up by the sunshine of belief1 or to be darkened by the gloom of distrust4 ,if we consider how great and how perfect ought to be our confidence1 to bear any due proportion to the firmness of that upon which it is built1 we shall not be slow to believe that through life there will always be the presence in us1 more or less1 of these two elements4 ,there will be all degrees of progress between the two extremes of infantile and mature faith4 ,there follows from that thought this practical lesson1 that the discovery of much unbelief should never make a man doubt the reality or genuineness of his little faith4 ,we are all apt to write needlessly bitter things against ourselves when we get a glimpse of the incompleteness of our ,christian life and character4 ,but there is no reason why a man should fancy that he is a hypocrite because he finds out that he is not a perfect believer4 ,but1 on the other hand1 let us remember that the main thing is not the maturity1 but the progressive character1 of faith4 ,it was most natural that this man in our text1 at the very first moment when he began to put his confidence in ,jesus ,christ as able to heal his child1 should be aware of much tremulousness mingling with it4 ,but is it not most unnatural that there should be the same relative proportion of faith and unbelief in the heart and experience of men who have long professed to be ,christians8 ,you do not expect the infant to have adult limbs1 but you do expect it to grow4 ,true1 faith at its beginning may be like a grain of mustard seed1 but if the grain of mustard seed be alive it will grow to a great tree1 where all the fowls of the air can lodge in the branches4 ,oh6 it is a crying shame and sin that in all ,christian communities there should be so many grey-headed babies1 men who have for years and years been professing to be ,christ's followers1 and whose faith is but little1 if at all1 stronger--nay6 perhaps is even obviously weaker--than it was in the first days of their profession4 ',ye have need of milk1 and not of strong meat1' very many of you4 ,and the vitality of your faith is made suspicious1 not because it is feeble1 but because it is not growing stronger4 ,,iii4 ,notice the cry of infant faith4 ',help ,thou mine unbelief' may have either of two meanings4 ,the man's desire was either that his faith should be increased and his unbelief 'helped' by being removed by ,christ's operation upon his spirit1 or that ,christ would 'help' him and his boy by healing the child1 though the faith which asked the blessing was so feeble that it might be called unbelief4 ,there is nothing in the language or in the context to determine which of these two meanings is intended2 we must settle it by our own sense of what would be most likely under the circumstances4 ,to me it seems extremely improbable that1 when the father's whole soul was absorbed in the healing of his son1 he should turn aside to ask for the inward and spiritual process of having his faith strengthened4 ,rather he said1 ',heal my child1 though it is unbelief as much as faith that asks ,thee to do it4' ,the lesson is that1 even when we are conscious of much tremulousness in our faith1 we have a right to ask and expect that it shall be answered4 ,weak faith is faith4 ,the tremulous hand does touch4 ,the cord may be slender as a spider's web that binds a heart to ,jesus1 but it does bind4 ,the poor woman in the other miracle who put out her wasted finger-tip1 coming behind ,him in the crowd1 and stealthily touching the hem of ,his garment1 though it was only the end of her finger-nail that was laid on the robe1 carried away with her the blessing4 ,and so the feeblest faith joins the soul1 in the measure of its strength1 to ,jesus ,christ4 ,but let us remember that1 whilst thus the cry of infant faith is heard1 the stronger voice of stronger faith is more abundantly heard4 ,jesus ,christ once for all laid down the law when ,he said to one of the suppliants at ,his feet1 ',according to your faith be it unto you4' ,the measure of our belief is the measure of our blessing4 ,the wider you open the door1 the more angels will crowd into it1 with their white wings and their calm faces4 ,the bore of the pipe determines the amount of water that flows into the cistern4 ,every man gets1 in the measure in which he desires4 ,though a tremulous hand may hold out a cup into which ,jesus ,christ will not refuse to pour the wine of the kingdom1 yet the tremulous hand will spill much of the blessing2 and he that would have the full enjoyment of the mercies promised1 and possible1 must 'ask in faith1 nothing wavering4' ,the sensitive paper which records the hours of sunshine in a day has great gaps upon its line of light answering to the times when clouds have obscured the sun2 and the communication of blessings from ,god is intermittent1 if there be intermittency of faith4 ,if you desire an unbroken line of mercy1 joy1 and peace1 keep up an unbroken continuity of trustful confidence4 ,,iv4 ,lastly1 we have here the education of faith4 ,christ paid no heed in words to the man's confession of unbelief1 but proceeded to do the work which answered his prayer in both its possible meanings4 ,he responded to imperfect confidence by ,his perfect work of cure1 and1 by that perfect work of cure1 ,he strengthened the imperfect confidence which it had answered4 ,thus ,he educates us by ,his answers--,his over-answers--to our poor desires2 and the abundance of ,his gifts rebukes the poverty of our petitions more emphatically than any words of remonstrance beforehand could have done4 ,he does not lecture us into faith1 but ,he blesses us into it4 ,when the ,apostle was sinking in the flood1 ,jesus ,christ said no word of reproach until ,he had grasped him with ,his strong hand and held him safe4 ,and then1 when the sustaining touch thrilled through all the frame1 then1 and not till then1 ,he said--as we may fancy1 with a smile on ,his face that the moonlight showed--as knowing how unanswerable ,his question was1 ',o thou of little faith1 wherefore didst thou doubt8' ,that is how ,he will deal with us if we will2 over-answering our tremulous petitions1 and so teaching us to hope more abundantly that 'we shall praise ,him more and more4' ,the disappointments1 the weaknesses1 the shameful defeats which come when our confidence fails1 are another page of ,his lesson-book4 ,the same ,apostle of whom ,i have been speaking got that lesson when1 standing on the billows1 and1 instead of looking at ,christ1 looking at their wrath and foam1 his heart failed him1 and because his heart failed him he began to sink4 ,if we turn away from ,jesus ,christ1 and interrupt the continuity of our faith by calculating the height of the breakers and the weight of the water that is in them1 and what will become of us when they topple over with their white crests upon our heads1 then gravity will begin to work1 and we shall begin to sink4 ,and well for us if1 when we have sunk as far as our knees1 we look back again to the ,master and say1 ',lord1 save me2 ,i perish6' ,the weakness which is our own when faith sleeps1 and the rejoicing power which is ours because it is ,his1 when faith wakes1 are ,god's education of it to fuller and ampler degrees and depth4 ,we shall lose the meaning of life1 and the best lesson that joy and sorrow1 calm and storm1 victory and defeat1 can give us1 unless all these make us 'rooted and grounded in faith4' ,dear friend1 do you desire your truest good8 ,do you know that you cannot win it1 or fight for it to gain it1 or do anything to obtain it1 in your own strength8 ,have you heard ,jesus ,christ saying to you1 ',come 444 and ,i will give you rest'8 ,oh6 ,i beseech you1 do not turn away from ,him1 but like this agonised father in our story1 fall at ,his feet with ',lord1 ,i believe2 help ,thou mine unbelief1' and ,he will confirm your feeble faith by ,his rich response4 ,,receiving ,,and ,,forbidding ',and ,he came to ,capernaum3 and being in the house ,he asked them1 ,what was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way8 #cd4 ,but they held their peace3 for by the way they had disputed among themselves1 who should be the greatest4 #ce4 ,and ,he sat down1 and called the ,twelve1 and saith unto them1 ,if any man desire to be first1 the same shall be last of all1 and servant of all4 #cf4 ,and ,he took a child1 and set him in the midst of them3 and when ,he had taken him in ,his arms1 ,he said unto them1 #cg4 ,whosoever shall receive one of such children in ,my name1 receiveth ,me3 and whosoever shall receive ,me1 receiveth not ,me1 but ,him that sent ,me4 #ch4 ,and ,john answered ,him1 saying1 ,master1 we saw one casting out devils in ,thy name1 and he followeth not us3 and we forbad him1 because he followeth not us4 #ci4 ,but ,jesus said1 ,forbid him not3 for there is no man which shall do a miracle in ,my name1 that can lightly speak evil of ,me4 #dj4 ,for he that is not against us is on our part4 #da4 ,for whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in ,my name1 because ye belong to ,christ1 verily ,i say unto you1 he shall not lose his reward4 #db4 ,and whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in ,me1 it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck1 and he were cast into the sea4'--,mark ix4 #cc-db4 ,surely the disciples might have found something better to talk about on the road from ,caesarea1 where they had heard from ,jesus of ,his sufferings1 than this miserable wrangle about rank6 ,singularly enough1 each announcement of the ,cross seems to have provoked something of the sort4 ,probably they understood little of ,his meaning1 but hazily thought that the crisis was at hand when ,he should establish the kingdom2 and so their ambition1 rather than their affection1 was stirred4 ,perhaps1 too1 the dignity bestowed on ,peter after his confession1 and the favour shown to the three witnesses of the ,transfiguration1 may have created jealousy4 ,matthew makes the quarrel to have been about future precedence2 ,mark about present4 ,the one was striven for with a view to the other4 ,how chill it must have struck on ,christ's heart1 that those who loved ,him best cared so much more for their own petty superiority than for ,his sorrows6 ,i4 ,note the law of service as the true greatness 7verses #cc-ce74 ',when ,he was in the house1 ,he asked them4' ,he had let them talk as they would on the road1 walking alone in front1 and they keeping1 as they thought1 out of ear-shot2 but1 when at rest together in the house 7perhaps ,peter's7 where ,he lived in ,capernaum1 ,he lets them see1 by the question and still more by the following teaching1 that ,he knew what ,he asked1 and needed no answer4 ,the tongues that had been so loud on the road were dumb in the house--silenced by conscience4 ,his servants still do and say many things on the road which they would not do if they saw ,him close beside them1 and they sometimes fancy that these escape ,him4 ,but when they are 'in the house' with ,him1 they will find that ,he knew all that was going on2 and when ,he asks the account of it1 they1 too1 will be speechless4 ',a thing which does not appear wrong by itself shows its true character when brought to the judgment of ,god and the knowledge of ,jesus ,christ4 7,bengel74 ,christ deals with the fault with much solemnity1 seating ,himself1 as ,teacher and ,superior1 and summoning the whole ,twelve to hear4 ,we do not enter on the difficult question of the relation of ,mark's report of our ,lord's words to those of the other ,evangelists1 but rather try to bring out the significance of their form and connection here4 ,note1 then1 that here we have not so much the nature of true greatness1 as the road to it4 ',if any man would be first1' he is to be least and servant1 and thereby he will reach his aim4 ,of course1 that involves the conception of the nature of true greatness as service1 but still the distinction is to be kept in view4 ,further1 'last of all' is not the same as 'servant of all4' ,the one phrase expresses humility2 the other1 ministry4 ,an indolent humility1 so very humble that it does nothing for others1 and a service which if not humble1 are equally incomplete1 and neither leads to or is the greatness at which alone a ,christian ought to aim4 ,there are two paradoxes here4 ,the lowest is the highest1 the servant is the chief2 and they may be turned round with equal truth--the highest is the lowest1 and the chief is the servant4 ,the former tells us how things really are1 and what they look like1 when seen from the centre by ,his eye4 ,the latter prescribes the duties and responsibilities of high position4 ,in fact and truth1 to sink is the way to rise1 and to serve is the way to rule--only the rise and the rule are of another sort than contents worldly ambition1 and the ,christian must rectify his notions of what loftiness and greatness are4 ,on the other hand1 distinguishing gifts of mind1 heart1 leisure1 position1 possessions1 or anything else1 are given us for others1 and bind us to serve4 ,both things follow from the nature of ,christ's kingdom1 which is a kingdom of love2 for in love the vulgar distinctions of higher and lower are abolished1 and service is delight4 ,this is no mere pretty sentiment1 but a law which grips hard and cuts deep4 ,christ's servants have not learned it yet1 and the world heeds it not2 but1 till it governs all human society1 and pulls up ambition1 domination1 and pride of place by the roots1 society will groan under ills which increase with the increase of wealth and culture in the hands of a selfish few4 ,,ii4 ,note the exhibition of the law in a life4 ,children are quick at finding out who loves them1 and there would always be some hovering near for a smile from ,christ4 ,with what eyes of innocent wonder the child would look up at ,him1 as ,he gently set him there1 in the open space in front of ,himself6 ,mark does not record any accompanying words1 and none were needed1 ,the unconsciousness of rank1 the spontaneous acceptance of inferiority1 the absence of claims to consideration and respect1 which naturally belong to childhood as it ought to be1 and give it winningness and grace1 are the marks of a true disciple1 and are the more winning in such because they are not of nature1 but regained by self-abnegation4 ,what the child is we have to become4 ,this child was the example of one-half of the law1 being 'least of all1' and perfectly contented to be so2 but the other half was not shown in him1 for his little hands could do but small service4 ,was there1 then1 no example in this scene of that other requirement8 ,surely there was2 for the child was not left standing1 shy1 in the midst1 but1 before embarrassment became weeping1 was caught up in ,christ's arms1 and folded to ,his heart4 ,he had been taken as the instance of humility1 and he then became the subject of tender ministry4 ,christ and he divided the illustration of the whole law between them1 and the very inmost nature of true service was shown in our ,lord's loving clasp and soothing pressure to ,his heart4 ,it is as if ,he had said1 ',look6 this is how you must serve2 for you cannot help the weak unless you open your arms and hearts to them4' ,jesus1 with the child held to ,his bosom1 is the living law of service1 and the child nestling close to ,him1 because sure of ,his love1 is the type of the trustful affection which we must evoke if we are to serve or help4 ,this picture has gone straight to the hearts of men2 and who can count the streams of tenderness and practical kindliness of which it has been the source8 ,christ goes on to speak of the child1 not as the example of service1 but of being served4 ,the deep words carry us into blessed mysteries which will recompense the lowly servants1 and lift them high in the kingdom4 ,observe the precision of the language1 both as regards the persons received and the motive of reception4 ',one of such little children' means those who are thus lowly1 unambitious1 and unexacting4 ',in ,my name' defines the motive as not being simple humanity or benevolence1 but the distinct recognition of ,christ's command and loving obedience to ,his revealed character4 ,no doubt1 natural benevolence has its blessings for those who exercise it2 but that which is here spoken of is something much deeper than nature1 and wins a far higher reward4 ,that reward is held forth in unfathomable words1 of which we can but skim the surface4 ,they mean more than that such little ones are so closely identified with ,him that1 in ,his love1 ,he reckons good done to them as done to ,him4 ,that is most blessedly true4 ,nor is it true only because ,he lovingly reckons the deed as done to ,him1 though it really is not2 but1 by reason of the derived life which all ,his children possess from ,him1 they are really parts of ,himself2 and in that most real though mystic unity1 what is done to them is1 in fact1 done to ,him4 ,further1 if the service be done in ,his name1 then1 on whomsoever it may be done1 it is done to ,him4 ,this great saying unveils the true sacredness and real recipient of all ,christian service4 ,but more than that is in the words4 ,when we 'receive' ,christ's little ones by help and loving ministry1 we receive ,him1 and in ,him ,god1 for joy and strength4 ,unselfish deeds in ,his name open the heart for more of ,christ and ,god1 and bring on the doer the blessing of fuller insight1 closer communion1 more complete assimilation to his ,lord4 ,therefore such service is the road to the true superiority in ,his kingdom1 which depends altogether on the measure of ,his own nature which has flowed into our emptiness4 ,,iii4 ,the ,apostles' conscience-stricken confession of their breach of the law 7verses #ch-dj74 ,peter is not spokesman this time1 but ,john1 whose conscience was more quickly pricked4 ,at first sight1 the connection of his interruption with the theme of the discourse seems to be merely the recurrence of the phrase1 'in ,thy name'2 but1 besides that1 there is an obvious contrast between 'receiving' and 'forbidding4' ,the ,apostle is uneasy when he remembers what they had done1 and1 like an honest man1 he states the case to ,christ1 half-confessing1 and half-asking for a decision4 ,he begins to think that perhaps the man whom they had silenced was 'one such little child1' and had deserved more sympathetic treatment4 ,how he came to be so true a disciple as to share in the power of casting out devils1 and yet not to belong to the closer followers of ,jesus1 we do not know1 and need not guess4 ,so it was2 and ,john feels1 as he tells the story1 that perhaps their motives had not been so much their ,master's honour as their own4 ',he followeth not us1' and yet he is trenching on our prerogatives4 ,the greater fact that he and they followed ,christ was overshadowed by the lesser that he did not follow them4 ,there spoke the fiery spirit which craved the commission to burn up a whole village1 because of its inhospitality4 ,there spoke the spirit of ecclesiastical intolerance1 which in all ages has masqueraded as zeal for ,christ1 and taken 'following us' and 'following ,him' to be the same thing4 ,but there spoke1 too1 a glimmering consciousness that gagging men was not precisely 'receiving' them1 and that if 'in ,thy name' so sanctified deeds1 perhaps the unattached exorcist1 who could cast out demons by it1 was 'a little one' to be taken to their hearts1 and not an enemy to be silenced4 ,pity that so many listen to the law1 and do not1 like ,john1 feel it prick them6 ,christ forbids such 'forbidding1' and thereby sanctions 'irregularities' and 'unattached' work1 which have always been the bugbears of sticklers for ecclesiastical uniformity1 and have not seldom been the life of ,christianity4 ,that authoritative1 unconditional 'forbid him not' ought1 long ago1 to have rung the funeral knell of intolerance1 and to have ended the temptation to idolise 'conformity1' and to confound union to organised forms of the ,christian community with union to ,christ4 ,but bigotry dies hard4 ,the reasons appended serve to explain the position of the man in question4 ,if he had wrought miracles in ,christ's name1 he must have had some faith in it2 and his experience of its power would deepen that4 ,so there was no danger of his contradicting himself by speaking against ,jesus4 ,the power of 'faith in the ,name' to hallow deeds1 the certainty that rudimentary faith will1 when exercised1 increase1 the guarantee of experience as sure to lead to blessing from ,jesus1 are all involved in this saying4 ,but its special importance is as a reason for the disciples' action4 ,because the man's action gives guarantees for his future1 they are not to silence him4 ,that implies that they are only to forbid those who do speak evil of ,christ2 and that to all others1 even if they have not reached the full perception of truth1 they are to extend patient forbearance and guidance4 ',the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped'2 but the mouth that begins to stammer ,his name is to be taught and cherished4 ,christ's second reason still more plainly claims the man for an ally4 ,commentators have given themselves a great deal of trouble to reconcile this saying with the other--',he that is not with ,me is against ,me4' ,if by reconciling is meant twisting both to mean the same thing1 it cannot be done4 ,if preventing the appearance of contradiction is meant1 it does not seem necessary4 ,the two sayings do not contradict1 but they complete1 each other4 ,they apply to different classes of persons1 and common-sense has to determine their application4 ,this man did1 in some sense1 believe in ,jesus1 and worked deeds that proved the power of the ,name4 ,plainly1 such work was in the same direction as the ,lord's and the disciples'4 ,such a case is one for the application of tolerance4 ,but the principle must be limited by the other1 else it degenerates into lazy indifference4 ',he that is not against us is for us1' if it stood alone1 would dissolve the ,church1 and destroy distinctions in belief and practice which it would be fatal to lose4 ',he that is not with ,me is against ,me1' if it stood alone1 would narrow sympathies1 and cramp the free development of life4 ,we need both to understand and get the good of either4 ,,iv4 ,we have the reward of receiving ,christ's little ones set over against the retribution that seizes those who cause them to stumble 7verses #da1 #db74 ,these verses seem to resume the broken thread of verse #cg1 whilst they also link on to the great principle laid down in verse #dj4 ,he that is 'not against' is 'for1' even if he only gives a 'cup of water' to ,christ's disciple because he is ,christ's4 ,that shows that there is some regard for ,jesus in him4 ,it is a germ which may grow4 ,such an one shall certainly have his reward4 ,that does not mean that he will receive it in a future life1 but that here his deed shall bring after it blessed consequences to himself4 ,of these1 none will be more blessed than the growing regard for the ,name1 which already is1 in some degree1 precious to him4 ,the faintest perception of ,christ's beauty1 honestly lived out1 will be increased4 ,every act strengthens its motive4 ,the reward of living our convictions is firmer and more enlightened conviction4 ,note1 too1 that the person spoken of belongs to the same class as the silenced exorcist1 and that this reads the disciples a further lesson4 ,jesus will look with love on the acts which even a ,john wished to forbid4 ,note1 also1 that the disciples here are the recipients of the kindness4 ,they are no longer being taught to receive the 'little ones1' but are taught that they themselves belong to that class1 and need kindly succour from these outsiders1 whom they had proudly thought to silence4 ,the awful1 reticent words1 which shadow forth and yet hide the fate of those who cause the feeblest disciple to stumble1 are not for us to dilate upon4 ,jesus saw the realities of future retribution1 and deliberately declares that death is a less evil than such an act4 ,the 'little ones' are sacred because they are ,his4 ,the same relation to ,him which made kindness to them so worthy of reward1 makes harm to them so worthy of punishment4 ,under the one lies an incipient love to ,him2 under the other1 a covert and perhaps scarcely conscious opposition4 ,it is devil's work to seduce simple souls from allegiance to ,christ4 ,there are busy hands to-day laying stumbling-blocks in the way1 especially of young ,christians--stumbling-blocks of doubt1 of frivolity1 of slackened morality1 and the like4 ,it were better1 says ,one who saw clearly into that awful realm beyond1 if a heavy millstone were knotted about their necks1 and they were flung into the deepest place of the lake that lay before ,him as he spoke4 ,he does not speak exaggerated words2 and if a solemn strain of vehemence1 unlike ,his ordinary calm1 is audible here1 it is because what ,he knew1 and did not tell1 gave solemn earnestness to ,his veiled and awe-inspiring prophecy of doom4 ,what imagination shall fill out the details of the 'worse than' which lurks behind that 'better'8 ,,an ,,unanswered ,,question ',what was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way8'--,mark ix4 #cc4 ,was it not a strange time to squabble when they had just been told of ,his death8 ,note-- ,i4 ,the variations of feeling common to the disciples and to us all3 one moment 'exceeding sorrowful1' the next fighting for precedence4 ,,ii4 ,christ's divine insight into ,his servants' faults4 ,this question was put because ,he knew what the wrangle had been about4 ,the disputants did not answer1 but ,he knew without an answer1 as ,his immediately following warnings show4 ,how blessed to think that ,psalm cxxxix4 applies to ,him--',there is not a word in my tongue1 but lo1 ,o ,lord6 ,thou knowest it altogether1' ,,iii4 ,the compassion of ,christ seeking to cure the sins ,he sees4 ,his question is not to rebuke1 but to heal2 so ,his perfect knowledge is blended with perfect love4 ,,iv4 ,the test of evil4 ,they were ashamed to tell ,him the cause of their dispute4 ,v4 ,the method of cure4 ,the presence of ,christ is the end of strife and of sin in general4 ,,salted ,,with ,,fire ',every one shall be salted with fire4'--,mark ix4 #di4 ,our ,lord has just been uttering some of the most solemn words that ever came from ,his gracious lips4 ,he has been enjoining the severest self-suppression1 extending even to mutilation and excision of the eye1 the hand1 or the foot1 that might cause us to stumble4 ,he has been giving that sharp lesson on the ground of plain common sense and enlightened self-regard4 ,it is better1 obviously1 to live maimed than to die whole4 ,the man who elects to keep a mortified limb1 and thereby to lose life1 is a suicide and a fool4 ,it is a solemn thought that a similar mad choice is possible in the moral and spiritual region4 ,to these stern injunctions1 accompanied by the awful sanctions of that consideration1 our ,lord appends the words of my text4 ,they are obscure and have often been misunderstood4 ,this is not the place to enter on a discussion of the various explanations that have been proposed of them4 ,a word or two is all that is needful to put us in possession of the point of view from which ,i wish to lay them on your hearts at this time4 ,i take the 'every one' of my text to mean not mankind generally1 but every individual of the class whom our ,lord is addressing--that is to say1 ,his disciples4 ,he is laying down the law for all ,christians4 ,i take the paradox which brings together 'salting' and 'fire1' to refer1 not to salt as a means of communicating savour to food1 but as a means of preserving from putrefaction4 ,and ,i take the 'fire' here to refer1 not to the same process which is hinted at in the awful preceding words1 'the fire in not quenched1' but to be set in opposition to that fire1 and to mean something entirely different4 ,there is a fire that destroys1 and there is a fire that preserves2 and the alternative for every man is to choose between the destructive and the conserving influences4 ,christian disciples have to submit to be 'salted with fire1' lest a worse thing befall them1 ,i4 ,and so the first point that ,i would ask you to notice here is--that fiery cleansing to which every ,christian must yield4 ,now ,i have already referred to the relation between the words of my text and those immediately preceding1 as being in some sense one of opposition and contrast4 ,i think we are put on the right track for understanding the solemn words of this text if we remember the great saying of ,john the ,baptist1 where1 in precisely similar fashion1 there are set side by side the two conceptions of the chaff being cast into the unquenchable fire 7the same expression as in our text71 and ',he shall baptize you with the ,holy ,ghost and with fire4' ,the salting fire1 then1 which cleanses and preserves1 and to which every ,christian soul must submit itself1 to be purged thereby1 is1 as ,i take it1 primarily and fundamentally the fire of that ,divine ,spirit which ,christ ,himself told us that ,he had come to cast upon the earth1 and yearned1 in a passion of desire1 to see kindled4 ,the very frequent use of the emblem in this same signification throughout ,scripture1 ,i suppose ,i need not recall to you4 ,it seems to me that the only worthy interpretation of the words before us1 which goes down into their depths and harmonises with the whole of the rest of the teaching of ,scripture1 is that which recognises these words of my text as no unwelcome threat1 as no bitter necessity1 but as a joyful promise bringing to men1 laden and burdened with their sins1 the good news that it is possible for them to be purged from them entirely by the fiery ministration of that ,divine ,spirit4 ,just as we take a piece of foul clay and put it into the furnace1 and can see1 as it gets red-hot1 the stains melt away1 as a cloud does in the blue1 from its surface1 so if we will plunge ourselves into the influences of that divine power which ,christ has come to communicate to the world1 our sin and all our impurities will melt from off us1 and we shall be clean4 ,no amount of scrubbing with soap and water will do it4 ,the stain is a great deal too deep for that1 and a mightier solvent than any that we can apply1 if unaided and unsupplied from above1 is needed to make us clean4 ',who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean1' especially when the would-be bringer is himself the unclean thing8 ,surely not one4 ,unless there be a power ab extra1 unparticipant of man's evils1 and yet capable of mingling with the evil man's inmost nature1 and dealing with it1 then ,i believe that universal experience and our individual experience tell us that there is no hope that we shall ever get rid of our transgressions4 ,brethren1 for a man by his own unaided effort1 however powerful1 continuous1 and wisely directed it may be1 to cleanse himself utterly from his iniquity1 is as hopeless as it would be for him to sit down with a hammer and a chisel and try by mechanical means to get all the iron out of a piece of ironstone4 ,the union is chemical1 not mechanical4 ,and so hammers and chisels will only get a very little of the metal out4 ,the one solvent is fire4 ,put the obstinate crude ore into your furnace1 and get the temperature up1 and the molten metal will run clear4 ,there should be mountains of scoriae1 the dross and relics of our abandoned sins1 around us all4 ,if we desire to be delivered1 let us go into the fire4 ,it will burn up all our evil1 and it will burn up nothing else4 ,keep close to ,christ4 ,lay your hearts open to the hallowing influences of the motives and the examples that lie in the story of ,his life and death4 ,seek for the fiery touch of that transforming ,spirit1 and be sure that you quench ,him not1 nor grieve ,him4 ,and then your weakness will be reinvigorated by celestial powers1 and the live coal upon your lips will burn up all your iniquity4 ,but1 subordinately to this deepest meaning1 as ,i take it1 of the great symbol of our text1 let me remind you of another possible application of it1 which follows from the preceding4 ,god's ,spirit cleanses men mainly by raising their spirits to a higher temperature4 ,for coldness is akin to sin1 and heavenly warmth is akin to righteousness4 ,enthusiasm always ennobles1 delivers men1 even on the lower reaches of life and conduct from many a meanness and many a sin4 ,and when it becomes a warmth of spirit kindled by the reception of the fire of ,god1 then it becomes the solvent which breaks the connection between me and my evil4 ,it is the cold ,christian who makes no progress in conquering his sin4 ,the one who is filled with the love of ,god1 and has the ardent convictions and the burning enthusiasm which that love ought to produce in our hearts1 is the man who will conquer and eject his evils4 ,nor must we forget that there is still another possible application of the words4 ,for whilst1 on the one hand1 the ,divine ,spirit's method of delivering us is very largely that of imparting to us the warmth of ardent1 devout emotion2 on the other hand1 a part of this method is the passing of us through the fiery trials and outward disciplines of life4 ',every one shall be salted with fire' in that sense4 ,and we have learned1 dear brethren1 but little of the loving kindness of the ,lord if we are not able to say1 ',i have grown more in likeness to ,jesus ,christ by rightly accepted sorrows than by anything besides4' ,be not afraid of calamities2 be not stumbled by disaster4 ,take the fiery trial which is sent to you as being intended to bring about1 at the last1 the discovery 'unto praise and honour and glory' of your faith1 that is 'much more precious than gold that perisheth1 though it be tried with fire4' ',every one shall be salted with fire1' the ,christian law of life is1 ,submit to the fiery cleansing4 ,alas6 alas6 for the many thousands of professing ,christians who are wrapping themselves in such thick folds of non-conducting material that that fiery energy can only play on the surface of their lives1 instead of searching them to the depths4 ,do you see to it1 dear brethren1 that you lay open your whole natures1 down to the very inmost roots1 to the penetrating1 searching1 cleansing power of that ,spirit4 ,and let us all go and say to ,him1 ',search me1 ,o ,god6 and try me1 and see if there be any wicked way in me4' ,,ii4 ,notice the painfulness of this fiery cleansing4 ,the same ideas substantially are conveyed in my text as are expressed1 in different imagery1 by the solemn words that precede it4 ,the 'salting with fire' comes substantially to the same thing as the amputation of the hand and foot1 and the plucking out of the eye1 that cause to stumble4 ,the metaphor expresses a painful process4 ,it is no pleasant thing to submit the bleeding stump to the actual cautery1 and to press it1 all sensitive1 upon the hot plate that will stop the flow of blood4 ,but such pain of shrinking nerves is to be borne1 and to be courted1 if we are wise1 rather than to carry the hand or the eye that led astray unmutilated into total destruction4 ,surely that is common sense4 ,the process is painful because we are weak4 ,the highest ideal of ,christian progress would be realised if one of the metaphors with which our ,lord expresses it were adequate to cover the whole ground1 and we grew as the wheat grows1 'first the blade1 then the ear1 after that the full corn in the ear4' ,but the tranquillity of vegetable growth1 and the peaceful progress which it symbolises1 are not all that you and ,i have to expect4 ,emblems of a very different kind have to be associated with that of the quiet serenity of the growing corn1 in order to describe all that a ,christian man has to experience in the work of becoming like his ,master4 ,it is a fight as well as a growth2 it is a building requiring our continuity of effort1 as well as a growth4 ,there is something to be got rid of as well as much to be appropriated4 ,we do not only need to become better1 we need to become less bad4 ,squatters have camped on the land1 and cling to it and hold it vi et armis2 and these have to be ejected before peaceful settlement is possible4 ,one might go on multiplying metaphors ad libitum1 in order to bring out the one thought that it needs huge courage to bear being sanctified1 or1 if you do not like the theological word1 to bear being made better4 ,it is no holiday task1 and unless we are willing to have a great deal that is against the grain done to us1 and in us1 and by us1 we shall never achieve it4 ,we have to accept the pain4 ,desires have to be thwarted1 and that is not pleasant4 ,self has to be suppressed1 and that is not delightsome4 ,a growing conviction of the depth of one's own evil has to be cherished1 and that is not a grateful thought for any of us4 ,pains external1 which are felt by reason of disciplinary sorrows1 are not worthy to be named in the same day as those more recondite and inward agonies4 ,but1 brother1 they are all 'light' as compared with the exceeding weight of 'glory1' coming from conformity to the example of our ,master1 which they prepare for us4 ,and so ,i bring you ,christ's message3 ,he will have no man to enlist in ,his army under false pretences4 ,he will not deceive any of us by telling us that it is all easy work and plain sailing4 ,salting by fire can never be other than to the worse self an agony1 just because it is to the better self a rapture4 ,and so let us make up our minds that no man is taken to heaven in his sleep1 and that the road is a rough one1 judging from the point of view of flesh and sense2 but though rough1 narrow1 often studded with sharp edges1 like the plough coulters that they used to lay in the path in the old rude ordeals1 it still leads straight to the goal1 and bleeding feet are little to pay for a seat at ,christ's right hand4 ,,iii4 ,lastly1 notice the preservative result of this painful cleansing4 ,our ,lord brings together1 in our text1 as is often ,his wont1 two apparently contradictory ideas1 in order1 by the paradox1 to fix our attention the more vividly upon ,his words4 ,fire destroys2 salt preserves4 ,they are opposites4 ,but yet the opposites may be united in one mighty reality1 a fire which preserves and does not destroy4 ,the deepest truth is that the cleansing fire which the ,christ will give us preserves us1 because it destroys that which is destroying us4 ,if you kill the germs of putrefaction in a hit of dead flesh1 you preserve the flesh2 and if you bring to bear upon a man the power which will kill the thing that is killing him1 its destructive influence is the condition of its conserving one4 ,and so it is1 in regard to that great spiritual influence which ,jesus ,christ is ready to give to every one of us4 ,it slays that which is slaying us1 for our sins destroy in us the true life of a man1 and make us but parables of walking death4 ,when the three ,hebrews were cast into the fiery furnace in ,babylon1 the flames burned nothing but their bonds1 and they walked at liberty in the fire4 ,and so it will be with us4 ,we shall be preserved by that which slays the sins that would otherwise slay us4 ,let me lay on your hearts before ,i close the solemn alternative to which ,i have already referred1 and which is suggested by the connection of my text with the preceding words4 ,there is a fire that destroys and is not quenched4 ,christ's previous words are much too metaphorical for us to build dogmatic definitions upon4 ,but ,jesus ,christ did not exaggerate4 ,if here and now sin has so destructive an effect upon a man1 ,o1 who will venture to say that he knows the limits of its murderous power in that future life1 when retribution shall begin with new energy and under new conditions8 ,brethren1 whilst ,i dare not enlarge1 ,i still less dare to suppress2 and ,i ask you to remember that not ,i1 or any man1 but ,jesus ,christ ,himself1 has put before each of us this alternative--either the fire unquenchable1 which destroys a man1 or the merciful fire1 which slays his sins and saves him alive4 ,social reformers1 philanthropists1 you that have tried and failed to overcome your evil1 and who feel the loathly thing so intertwisted with your being that to pluck it from your heart is to tear away the very heart's walls themselves1 here is a hope for you4 ,closely as our evil is twisted in with the fibres of our character1 there is a hand that can untwine the coils1 and cast away the sin1 and preserve the soul4 ,and although we sometimes feel as if our sinfulness and our sin were so incorporated with ourselves that it made oneself1 with a man's head and a serpent's tail1 let us take the joyful assurance that if we trust ourselves to ,christ1 and open our hearts to ,his power1 we can shake off the venomous beast into the fire and live a fuller life1 because the fire has consumed that which would otherwise have consumed us4 ',,salt ,,in ,,yourselves' ',have salt in yourselves1 and have peace one with another4'--,mark ix4 #ej4 ,in the context 'salt' is employed to express the preserving1 purifying1 divine energy which is otherwise spoken of as 'fire4' ,the two emblems produce the same result4 ,they both salt--that is1 they cleanse and keep4 ,and if in the one we recognise the quick energy of the ,divine ,spirit as the central idea1 no less are we to see the same typified under a slightly different aspect in the other4 ,the fire transforms into its own substance and burns away all the grosser particles4 ,the salt arrests corruption1 keeps off destruction1 and diffuses its sanative influence through all the particles of the substance with which it comes in contact4 ,and in both metaphors it is the operation of ,god's cleansing ,spirit1 in its most general form1 that is set forth1 including all the manifold ways by which ,god deals with us to purge us from our iniquity1 to free us from the death which treads close on the heels of wrongdoing1 the decomposition and dissolution which surely follow on corruption4 ,this the disciples are exhorted to have in themselves that they may be at peace one with another4 ,perhaps we shall best discover the whole force of this saying by dealing-- ,i4 ,with the symbol itself and the ideas derived from it4 ,the salt cleanses1 arrests corruption which impends over the dead masses1 sweetens and purifies1 and so preserves from decay and dissolution4 ,it works by contact1 and within the mass4 ,it thus stands as an emblem of the cleansing which ,god brings1 both in respect 7a7 to that on which it operates1 7b7 to the purpose of its application1 and 7c7 to the manner in which it produces its effects4 7a7 ,that on which it operates4 ,there is implied here a view of human nature1 not flattering but true4 ,it is compared with a dead thing1 in which the causes that bring about corruption are already at work1 with the sure issue of destruction4 ,this in its individual application comes to the assertion of sinful tendency and actual sin as having its seat and root in all our souls1 so that the present condition is corruption1 and the future issue is destruction4 ,the consequent ideas are that any power which is to cleanse must come from without1 not from within2 that purity is not to be won by our own efforts1 and that there is no disposition in human nature to make these efforts4 ,there is no recuperative power in human nature4 ,true1 there may be outward reformation of habits1 etc41 but1 if we grasp the thought that the taproot of sin is selfishness1 this impotence becomes clearer1 and it is seen that sin affects all our being1 and that therefore the healing must come from beyond us4 7b7 ,the purpose--namely1 cleansing4 ,in salt we may include the whole divine energy2 the ,word1 the ,christ1 the ,spirit4 ,so the intention of the ,gospel is mainly to make clean4 ,preservation is a consequence of that4 7c7 ,the manner of its application4 ,inward1 penetrating1 by contact2 but mainly the great peculiarity of ,christian ethics is that the inner life is dealt with first1 the will and the heart1 and afterwards the outward conduct4 ,,ii4 ,the part which we have to take in this cleansing process4 ',have salt' is a command2 and this implies that while all the cleansing energy comes from ,god1 the working of it on our souls depends on ourselves4 7a7 ,its original reception depends on our faith4 ,the 'salt' is here1 but our contact with it is established by our acceptance of it4 ,there is no magical cleansing2 but it must be received within if we would share in its operation4 7b7 ,its continuous energy is not secured without our effort4 ,let us just recall the principle already referred to1 that the 'salt' implies the whole cleansing divine energies1 and ask what are these8 ,the ,bible variously speaks of men as being cleansed by the 'blood of ,christ1' by the 'truth1' by the ',spirit4' ,now1 it is not difficult to bring all these into one focus1 viz41 that the ,spirit of ,god cleanses us by bringing the truth concerning ,christ to bear on our understandings and hearts4 ,we are sanctified in proportion as we are coming under the influence of ,christian truth1 which1 believed by our understandings and our hearts1 supplies motives to our wills which lead us to holiness by copying the example of ,christ4 ,hence the main principle is that the cleansing energy operates on us in proportion as we are influenced by the truths of the ,gospel4 ,again1 it works in proportion as we seek for1 and submit to1 the guidance of ,god's ,holy ,spirit4 ,in proportion as we are living in communion with ,christ4 ,in proportion as we seek to deny ourselves and put away those evil things which 'quench the ,spirit4' ,this great grace1 then1 is not ours without our own effort4 ,no original endowment is enough to keep us right4 ,there must be the daily contact with1 and constant renewing of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,hence arises a solemn appeal to all ,christians4 ,note the independence of the ,christian character4 ',in yourselves4' ',the water that ,i shall give him shall be in him a fountain1' etc4 ,not1 therefore1 derived from the world1 nor at second-hand from other men1 but you have access to it for yourselves4 ,see that you use the gift4 ',hold fast that which thou hast1' for there are enemies to withstand--carelessness1 slothfulness1 and self-confidence1 etc4 ,,iii4 ,the relation to one another of those who possess this energy4 ,in proportion as ,christians have salt in themselves1 they will be at peace with one another4 ,remember that all sin is selfishness2 therefore if we are cleansed from it1 that which leads to war1 alienation1 and coldness will be removed4 ,even in this world there will be an anticipatory picture of the perfect peace which will abound when all are holy4 ,even now this great hope should make our mutual ,christian relations very sweet and helpful4 ,thus emerges the great principle that the foundation of the only real love among men must be laid in holiness of heart and life4 ,where the ,spirit of ,god is working on a heart1 there the seeds of evil passions are stricken out4 ,the causes of enmity and disturbance are being removed4 ,men quarrel with each other because their pride is offended1 or because their passionate desires after earthly things are crossed by a successful rival1 or because they deem themselves not sufficiently respected by others4 ,the root of all strife is self-love4 ,it is the root of all sin4 ,the cleansing which takes away the root removes in the same proportion the strife which grows from it4 ,we should not be so ready to stand on our rights if we remembered how we come to have any hopes at all4 ,we should not be so ready to take offence if we thought more of ,him who is not soon angry4 ,all the train of alienations1 suspicions1 earthly passions1 which exist in our minds and are sure to issue in quarrels or bad blood1 will be put down if we have 'salt in ourselves4' ,this makes a very solemn appeal to ,christian men4 ,the ,church is the garden where this peace should flourish4 ,the disgrace of the ,church is its envyings1 jealousies1 ill-natured scandal1 idle gossip1 love of preeminence1 willingness to impute the worst possible motives to one another1 sharp eyes for our brother's failings and none for our own4 ,i am not pleading for any mawkish sentimentality1 but for a manly peacefulness which comes from holiness4 ,the holiest natures are always the most generous4 ,what a contrast the ,church ought to present to the prevailing tone in the world6 ,does it8 ,why not8 ,because we do not possess the 'salt4' ,the dove flees from the cawing of rooks and the squabbling of kites and hawks4 ,the same principle applies to all our human affections4 ,our loves of all sorts are safe only when they are pure4 ,contrast the society based on common possession of the one ,spirit with the companionships which repose on sin1 or only on custom or neighbourhood4 ,in all these there are possibilities of moral peril4 ,the same principle intensified gives us a picture of heaven and of hell4 ,in the one are the 'solemn troops and sweet societies'2 in the other1 no peace1 no confidence1 no bonds1 only isolation1 because sin which is selfishness lies at the foundation of the awful condition4 ,friends1 without that salt our souls are dead and rotting4 ,here is the great cure4 ,make it your own4 ,so purified1 you will be preserved1 but1 on the other hand1 unchecked sin leads to quick destruction4 ,the dead1 putrefying carcass--what a picture of a soul abandoned to evil and fit only for ,gehenna6 ,,children ,,and ,,childlike ,,men ',and they brought young children to ,him1 that ,he should touch them3 and ,his disciples rebuked those that brought them4 #ad4 ,but when ,jesus saw it1 ,he was much displeased1 and said unto them1 ,suffer the little children to come unto ,me1 and forbid them not3 for of such is the kingdom of ,god4 #ae4 ,verily ,i say unto you1 ,whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of ,god as a little child1 he shall not enter therein4' --,mark x4 #ac-ae4 ,it was natural that the parents should have wanted ,christ's blessing1 so that they might tell their children in later days that ,his hand had been laid on their heads1 and that ,he had prayed for them4 ,and ,christ did not think of it as a mere superstition4 ,the disciples were not so akin to the children as ,he was1 and they were a great deal more tender of ,his dignity than ,he4 ,they thought of this as an interruption disturbing their high intercourse with ,christ4 ',these children are always in the way1 this is tiresome1' etc4 ,i4 ,christ blessing children4 ,it is a beautiful picture3 the great ,messiah with a child in ,his arms4 ,we could not think of ,moses or of ,paul in such an attitude4 ,without it1 we should have wanted one of the sweetest1 gentlest1 most human traits in ,his character2 and how world-wide in its effect that act has been6 ,how many a mother has bent over her child with deeper love2 how many a parent has felt the sacredness of the trust more vividly2 how many a mother has been drawn nearer to ,christ2 and how many a little child has had childlike love to ,him awakened by it2 how much of practical benevolence and of noble sacrifice for children's welfare1 how many great institutions1 have really sprung from this one deed6 ,and1 if we turn from its effects to its meaning1 it reveals ,christ's love for children3--in its human side1 as part of ,his character as man2 in its deeper aspect as a revelation of the divine nature4 ,it corrects dogmatic errors by making plain that1 prior to all ceremonies or to repentance and faith1 little children are loved and blessed by ,him4 ,unconscious infants as these were folded in ,his arms and love4 ,it puts away all gloomy and horrible thoughts which men have had about the standing of little children4 ,this is an act of ,christ to infants expressive of ,his love to them1 ,his care over them1 their share in ,his salvation4 ,baptism is an act of man's1 a symbol of his repentance and dying to sin and rising to a new life in ,christ1 a profession of his faith1 an act of obedience to his ,lord4 ,it teaches nothing as to the relation of infants to the love of ,jesus or to salvation4 ,it does not follow that because that love is most sure and precious1 baptism must needs be a sign of it4 ,the question1 what does baptism mean1 must be determined by examination of texts which speak about baptism2 not by a side-light from a text which speaks about something else4 ,there is no more reason for making baptism proclaim that ,jesus ,christ loves children than for making it proclaim that two and two make four4 ,,ii4 ,the child's nearness to ,christ4 ',of such is the kingdom4' ',except ye be converted and become like little children1' etc4 ,now this does not refer to innocence2 for1 as a matter of fact1 children are not innocent1 as all schoolmasters and nurses know1 whatever sentimental poets may say4 ,innocence is not a qualification for admission to the kingdom4 ,and yet it is true that 'heaven lies about us in our infancy1' and that we are further off from it than when we were children4 ,nor does it mean that children are naturally the subjects of the kingdom1 but only that the characteristics of the child are those which the man must have1 in order to enter the kingdom2 that their natural disposition is such as ,christ requires to be directed to ,him2 or1 in other words1 that childhood has a special adaptation to ,christianity4 ,for instance1 take dependence1 trust1 simplicity1 unconsciousness1 and docility4 ,these are the very characteristics of childhood1 and these are the very emotions of mind and heart which ,christianity requires4 ,add the child's strong faculty of imagination and its implicit belief2 making the form of ,christianity as the story of a life so easy to them4 ,and we may add too3 the absence of intellectual pride2 the absence of the habit of dallying with moral truth4 ,everybody is to the child either a 'good' man or a 'bad4' ,they have an intense realisation of the unseen2 an absence of developed vices and hard worldliness2 a faculty of living in the present1 free from anxious care and worldly hearts4 ,but while thus they have special adaptation for receiving1 they too need to come to ,christ4 ,these characteristics do not make ,christians4 ,they are to be directed to ,christ4 ',suffer them to come unto ,me1' the youngest child needs to1 can1 ought to1 come to ,christ4 ,and how beautiful their piety is1 ',out of the mouths of babes and sucklings ,thou hast perfected praise4' ,their fresh1 unworn trebles struck on ,christ's ear4 ,children ought to grow up in ,christian households1 'innocent from much transgression4' ,we ought to expect them to grow up ,christian4 ,,iii4 ,the child and the ,church4 ,the child is a pattern to us men4 ,we are to learn of them as well as teach them2 what they are naturally1 we are to strive to become1 not childish but childlike4 ',even as a weaned child' 7see ,psalm cxxxi474 ,the child-spirit is glorified in manhood4 ,it is possible for us to retain it1 and lose none of the manhood4 ',in malice be ye children1 but in understanding be men4' ,the spirit of the kingdom is that of immortal youth4 ,the children are committed to our care4 ,the end of all training and care is that they should by voluntary act draw near to ,him4 ,this should be the aim in ,sunday schools1 for instance1 and in families1 and in all that we do for the poor around us4 ,see that we do not hinder their coming4 ,this is a wide principle1 viz41 not to do anything which may interfere with those who are weaker and lower than we are finding their way to ,jesus4 ,the ,church1 and we as individual ,christians1 too often hinder this 'coming4' ,do not hinder by the presentation of the ,gospel in a repellent form1 either hardly dogmatic or sour4 ,do not hinder by the requirement of such piety as is unnatural to a child4 ,do not hinder by inconsistencies4 ,this is a warning for ,christian parents in particular4 ,do not hinder by neglect4 ',despise not one of these little ones4' ,,almost ,a ,,disciple ',and when ,he was gone forth into the way1 there came one running1 and kneeled to ,him1 and asked ,him4 ,good ,master1 what shall ,i do that ,i may inherit eternal life6 #ah4 ,and ,jesus said unto him1 ,why callest thou ,me good6 there is none good but one1 that is1 ,god4 #ai4 ,thou knowest the commandments1 ,do not commit adultery1 ,do not kill1 ,do not steal1 ,do not bear false witness1 ,defraud not1 ,honour thy father and mother4 #bj4 ,and he answered and said unto ,him1 ,master1 all these have ,i observed from my youth1 #ba4 ,then ,jesus beholding him loved him1 and said unto him1 ,one thing thou lackest3 go thy way1 sell whatsoever thou hast1 and give to the poor1 and thou shalt have treasure in heaven2 and come1 take up the cross1 and follow ,me4 #bb4 ,and he was sad at that saying1 and went away grieved3 for he had great possessions4 #bc4 ,and ,jesus looked round about and saith unto ,his disciples1 ,how hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of ,god6 #bd4 ,and the disciples were astonished at ,his words4 ,but ,jesus answereth again1 and saith unto them1 ,children1 how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of ,god6 #be4 ,it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle1 than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of ,god4 #bf4 ,and they were astonished out of measure1 saying among themselves1 ,who then can be saved8 #bg4 ,and ,jesus looking upon them saith1 ,with men it is impossible1 but not with ,god3 for with ,god all things are possible4'--,mark x4 #ag-bg4 ,there were courage1 earnestness1 and humility in this young ruler's impulsive casting of himself at ,christ's feet in the way1 with such a question4 ,he was not afraid to recognise a teacher in ,him whom his class scorned and hated2 he was deeply sincere in his wish to possess eternal life1 and in his belief that he was ready to do whatever was necessary for that end2 he bowed himself as truly as he bent his knees before ,jesus1 and the noble enthusiasm of youth breathed in his desires1 his words1 and his gesture4 ,but his question betrayed the defect which poisoned the much that was right and lovable in him4 ,he had but a shallow notion of what was 'good1' as is indicated by his careless ascription of goodness to one of whom he knew so little as he did of ,jesus1 and by his conception that it was a matter of deeds4 ,he is too sure of himself2 for he thinks that he is ready and able to do all good deeds1 if only they are pointed out to him4 ,how little he understood the resistance of 'the mind of the flesh' to discerned duty6 ,probably he had had no very strong inclinations to contend against1 in living the respectable life that had been his4 ,it is only when we row against the stream that we find out how fast it runs4 ,he was wrong about the connection of good deeds and eternal life1 for he thought of them as done by himself1 and so of buying it by his own efforts4 ,fatal errors could not have been condensed in briefer compass1 or presented in conjunction with more that is admirable1 than in his eager question1 asked so modestly and yet so presumptuously4 ,our ,lord answers with a coldness which startles2 but it was meant to rouse1 like a dash of icy water flung in the face4 ',why callest thou ,me good8' is more than a waving aside of a compliment1 or a lesson in accuracy of speech4 ,it rebukes the young man's shallow conception of goodness1 as shown by the facility with which he bestowed the epithet4 ',none is good save one1 even ,god1' cuts up by the roots his notion of the possibility of self-achieved goodness1 since it traces all human goodness to its source in ,god4 ,if ,he is the only good1 then we cannot perform good acts by our own power1 but must receive power from ,him4 ,how1 then1 can any man 'inherit eternal life' by good deeds1 which he is only able to do because ,god has poured some of ,his own goodness into him8 ,jesus shatters the young man's whole theory1 as expressed in his question1 at one stroke4 ,but while ,his reply bears directly on the errors in the question1 it has a wider significance4 ,either ,jesus is here repudiating the notion of ,his own sinlessness1 and acknowledging1 in contradiction to every other disclosure of ,his self-consciousness1 that ,he too was not through and through good1 or else ,he is claiming to be filled with ,god1 the source of all goodness1 in a wholly unique manner4 ,it is a tremendous alternative1 but one which has to be faced4 ,while one is thankful if men even imperfectly apprehend the character and nature of ,jesus1 one cannot but feel that the question may fairly be put to the many who extol the beauty of ,his life1 and deny ,his divinity1 ',why callest thou ,me good8' ,either ,he is ',god manifest in the flesh1' or ,he is not 'good4' ,the remainder of ,christ's answer tends to deepen the dawning conviction of the impossibility of meriting eternal life by acts of goodness1 apart from dependence on ,god4 ,he refers to the second half of the ,decalogue only1 not as if the first were less important1 but because the breaches of the second are more easily brought to consciousness4 ,in thus answering1 ,jesus takes the standpoint of the law1 but for the purpose of bringing to the very opposite conviction from that which the young ruler expresses in reply4 ,he declares that he has kept them all from his youth4 ,jesus would have had him confess that in them was a code too high to be fully obeyed4 ',by the law is the knowledge of sin1' but it had not done its work in this young man4 ,his shallow notion of goodness besets and blinds him still4 ,he is evidently thinking about external deeds1 and is an utter stranger to the depths of his own heart4 ,it was an answer betraying great shallowness in his conception of duty and in his self-knowledge4 ,it is one which is often repeated still4 ,how many of us are there who1 if ever we cast a careless glance over our lives1 are quite satisfied with their external respectability6 ,as long as the chambers that look to the street are fairly clean1 many think that all is right4 ,but what is there rotting and festering down in the cellars8 ,do we ever go down there with the 'candle of the ,lord' in our hands8 ,if we do1 the ruler's boast1 ',all these have ,i kept1' will falter into ',all these have ,i broken4' ,but let us be thankful for the love that shone in ,christ's eyes as ,he looked on him4 ,we may blame2 ,he loved4 ,jesus saw the fault1 but ,he saw the longing to be better4 ,the dim sense of insufficiency which had driven this questioner to ,him was clear to that all-knowing and all-loving heart4 ,do not let us harshly judge the mistakes of those who would fain be taught1 nor regard the professions of innocence1 which come from defective perception1 as if they were the proud utterances of a ,pharisee4 ,but ,christ's love is firm1 and can be severe4 ,it never pares down ,his requirements to make discipleship easier4 ,rather it attracts by heightening them1 and insisting most strenuously on the most difficult surrender4 ,that is the explanation of the stringent demand next made by ,him4 ,he touched the poisonous swelling as with a sharp lancet when ,he called for surrender of wealth4 ,we may be sure that it was this man's money which stood between him and eternal life4 ,if something else had been his chief temptation1 that something would have been signalised as needful to be given up4 ,there is no general principle of conduct laid down here1 but a specific injunction determined by the individual's character4 ,all diseases are not treated with the same medicines4 ,the command is but ,christ's application of ,his broad requirement1 ',if thine eye causeth thee to stumble1 pluck it out4' ,the principle involved is1 surrender what hinders entire following of ,jesus4 ,when that sacrifice is made1 we shall be in contact with the fountain of goodness1 and have eternal life1 not as payment1 but as a gift4 ',his countenance fell1' or1 according to ,mark's picturesque word1 'became lowering1' like a summer sky when thunder-clouds gather4 ,the hope went out of his heart1 and the light faded from his eager face4 ,the prick of the sharp spear had burst the bubble of his superficial earnestness4 ,he had probably never had anything like so repugnant a duty forced upon him1 and he cannot bring himself to yield4 ,like so many of us1 he says1 ',i desire eternal life1' but when it comes to giving up the dearest thing he recoils4 ',anything else1 ,lord1 thou shalt have1 and welcome1 but not that4' ,and ,christ says1 ',that1 and nothing else1 ,i must have1 if thou art to have ,me4' ,so this man 'went away sorrowful4' ,his earnestness evaporated2 he kept his possessions1 and he lost ,christ4 ,a prudent bargain6 ,but we may hope that1 since 'he went away sorrowful1' he felt the ache of something lacking1 that the old longings came back1 and that he screwed up his resolution to make 'the great surrender1' and counted his wealth 'but dung1 that he might win ,christ4' ,what a world of sad and disappointed love there would be in that look of ,jesus to the disciples1 as the young ruler went away with bowed head6 ,how graciously ,he anticipates their probable censure1 and turns their thoughts rather on themselves1 by the acknowledgment that the failure was intelligible1 since the condition was hard6 ,how pityingly ,his thoughts go after the retreating figure6 ,how universal the application of ,his words6 ,riches may become a hindrance to entering the kingdom4 ,they do so when they take the first place in the affections and in the estimates of good4 ,that danger besets those who have them and those who have them not4 ,many a poor man is as much caught in the toils of the love of money as the rich are4 ,jesus modifies the form of ,his saying when ,he repeats it in the shape of ',how hardly shall they that trust in riches1' etc4 ,it is difficult to have1 and not to trust in them4 ,rich men's disadvantages as to living a self-sacrificing ,christian life are great4 ,to ,christ's eyes1 their position was one to be dreaded rather than to be envied4 ,so opposed to current ideas was such a thought1 that the disciples1 accustomed to think that wealth meant happiness1 were amazed4 ,if the same doctrine were proclaimed in any great commercial centre to-day1 it would excite no less astonishment4 ,at least1 many ,christians and others live as if the opposite were true4 ,wealth possessed1 and not trusted in1 but used aright1 may become a help towards eternal life2 but wealth as commonly regarded and employed by its possessors1 and as looked longingly after by others1 is a real1 and in many cases an insuperable1 obstacle to entering the strait gate4 ,as soon drive a camel1 humps and load and all1 through 'a needle's eye1' as get a man who trusts in the uncertainty of riches squeezed through that portal4 ,no communities need this lesson more than our great cities4 ,no wonder that the disciples thought that1 if the road was so difficult for rich men1 it must be hard indeed4 ,christ goes even farther4 ,he declares that it is not only hard1 but 'impossible1' for a man by his own power to tread it4 ,that was exactly what the young man had thought that he could do1 if only he were directed4 ,so our ,lord's closing words in this context apply1 not only to the immediately preceding question by the disciples1 but may be taken as the great truth conveyed by the whole incident1 ,man's efforts can never put him in possession of eternal life4 ,he must have ,god's power flowing into him if he is to be such as can enter the kingdom4 ,it is the germ of the subsequent teaching of ,paul2 ',the gift of ,god is eternal life4' ,what we cannot do1 ,christ has done for us1 and does in us4 ,we must yield ourselves to ,him1 and surrender ourselves1 and abandon what stands between us and ,him1 and then eternal life will enter into us here1 and we shall enter into its perfect possession hereafter4 ,,christ ,,on ,,the ,,road ,,to ,,the ,,cross ',and they were in the way going up to ,jerusalem2 and ,jesus went before them3 and they were amazed2 and as they followed they were afraid4' --,mark x4 #cb4 ,we learn from ,john's ,gospel that the resurrection of ,lazarus precipitated the determination of the ,jewish authorities to put ,christ to death2 and that immediately thereafter there was held the council at which1 by the advice of ,caiaphas1 the formal decision was come to4 ,thereupon our ,lord withdrew ,himself into the wilderness which stretches south and east of ,jerusalem2 and remained there for an unknown period1 preparing ,himself for the ,cross4 ,then1 full of calm resolve1 ,he came forth to die4 ,this is the crisis in our ,lord's history to which my text refers4 ,the graphic narrative of this ,evangelist sets before us the little company on the steep rocky mountain road that leads up from ,jericho to ,jerusalem2 our ,lord1 far in advance of ,his followers1 with a fixed purpose stamped upon ,his face1 and something of haste in ,his stride1 and that in ,his whole demeanour which shed a strange astonishment and awe over the group of silent and uncomprehending disciples4 ,that picture has not attracted the attention that it deserves4 ,i think if we ponder it with sympathetic imagination helping us1 we may get from it some very great lessons and glimpses of our ,lord's inmost heart in the prospect of ,his ,cross4 ,and ,i desire simply to set forth two or three of the aspects of ,christ's character which these words seem to me to suggest4 ,i4 ,we have here1 then1 first1 what1 for want of a better name1 ,i would call the heroic ,christ4 ,i use the word to express simply strength of will brought to bear in the resistance to antagonism2 and although that is a side of the ,lord's character which is not often made prominent1 it is there1 and ought to have its due importance4 ,we speak of ,him1 and delight to think of ,him1 as the embodiment of all loving1 gracious1 gentle virtues1 but ,jesus ,christ as the ideal man unites in ,himself what men are in the habit1 somewhat superciliously1 of calling the masculine virtues1 as well as those which they somewhat contemptuously designate the feminine4 ,i doubt very much whether that is a correct distinction4 ,i think that the heroism of endurance1 at all events1 is far more an attribute of a woman than of a man4 ,but be that as it may1 we are to look to ,jesus ,christ as presenting before us the very type of all which men call heroism in the sense that ,i have explained1 of an iron will1 incapable of deflection by any antagonism1 and which coerces the whole nature to obedience to its behests4 ,there is nothing to be done in life without such a will4 ',to be weak is to be miserable1 doing or suffering4' ,and our ,master has set us the example of this2 that unless there run through a man's life1 like the iron framework on the top of the spire of ,antwerp ,cathedral1 on which graceful fancies are strung in stone1 the rigid bar of an iron purpose that nothing can bend1 the life will be nought and the man will be a failure4 ,christ is the pattern of heroic endurance1 and reads to us the lesson to resist and persist1 whatever stands between us and our goal4 ,so here1 the ,cross before ,him flung out no repelling influence towards ,him1 but rather drew ,him to itself4 ,there is no reason that ,i can find for believing the modern theory of the rationalists' school that our ,lord1 in the course of ,his mission1 altered ,his plan1 or gradually had dawning upon ,his mind the conviction that to carry out ,his purposes ,he must be a martyr4 ,that seems to me to be an entire misreading of the ,gospel narrative which sets before us much rather this1 that from the beginning of our ,lord's public career there stood unmistakably before ,him the ,cross as the goal4 ,he entertained no illusions as to ,his reception4 ,he did not come to do certain work1 and1 finding that ,he could not do it1 accepted the martyr's rle2 but ,he came for the twofold purpose of serving by ,his life1 and of redeeming by ,his death4 ',he came not to be ministered unto1 but to minister1 and to give ,his life a ransom for the many4' ,and this purpose stood clear before ,him1 drawing ,him to itself all through ,his career4 ,but1 further1 ,christ's character teaches us what is the highest form of such strength and tenacity1 viz41 gentleness4 ,there is no need to be brusque1 obstinate1 angular1 self-absorbed1 harsh1 because we are fixed and determined in our course4 ,these things are the caricatures and the diminutions1 not the true forms nor the increase1 of strength4 ,the most tenacious steel is the most flexible1 and he that has the most fixed and definite resolve may be the man that has his heart most open to all human sympathies1 and is strong with the almightiness of gentleness1 and not with the less close-knit strength of roughness and of hardness4 ,christ1 because ,he is perfect love1 is perfect power1 and ,his will is fixed because it is love that fixes it4 ,so let us take the lesson that the highest type of strength is strength in meekness1 and that the ,master who1 ,i was going to say1 kept ,his strength of will under1 but ,i more correctly say1 manifested ,his strength of will through1 ,his gentleness1 is the pattern for us4 ,,ii4 ,then again1 we see here not only the heroic1 but what ,i may call the self-sacrificing ,christ4 ,we have not only to consider the fixed will which this incident reveals1 but to remember the purpose on which it was fixed1 and that ,he was hastening to ,his ,cross4 ,the very fact of our ,lord's going back to ,jerusalem1 with that decree of the ,sanhedrim still in force1 was tantamount to ,his surrender of ,himself to death4 ,it was as if1 in the old days1 some excommunicated man with the decree of the ,inquisition pronounced against him had gone into ,rome and planted himself in the front of the piazza before the buildings of the ,holy ,office1 and lifted up his testimony there4 ,so ,christ1 knowing that this council has been held1 that this decree stands1 goes back1 investing of set purpose ,his return with all the publicity that ,he can bring to bear upon it4 ,for this once ,he seems to determine that ,he will 'cause ,his voice to be heard in the streets'2 ,he makes as much of a demonstration as the circumstances will allow1 and so acts in a manner opposite to all the rest of ,his life4 ,why8 ,because ,he had determined to bring the controversy to an end4 ,why8 ,was ,he flinging away ,his life in mere despair8 ,was ,he sinfully neglecting precautions8 ,was the same fanaticism of martyrdom which has often told upon men1 acting upon ,him8 ,were these ,his reasons8 ,no1 but ,he recognised that now that 'hour' of which ,he spoke so much had come1 and of ,his own loving will offered ,himself as our ,sacrifice4 ,it is all-important to keep in view that ,christ's death was ,his own voluntary act4 ,whatever external forces were brought to bear in the accomplishment of it1 ,he died because ,he chose to die4 ,the 'cords' which bound this sacrifice to the horns of the altar were cords woven by ,himself4 ,so ,i point to the incident of my text1 as linking in along with the whole series of incidents marking the last days of our ,lord's life1 in order to stamp upon ,his death unmistakably this signature1 that it was ,his own act4 ,therefore the publicity that was given to ,his entry2 therefore ,his appearance in the ,temple2 therefore the increased sharpness and unmistakableness of ,his denunciations of the ruling classes1 the ,pharisees and the scribes4 ,therefore the whole history of the ,passion1 all culminating in leaving this one conviction1 that ,he had 'power to lay down ,his life1' that neither ,caiaphas nor ,annas1 nor ,judas1 nor the band1 nor priests1 nor the ,council1 nor ,pilate1 nor ,herod1 nor soldiers1 nor nails1 nor cross1 nor all together1 killed ,jesus1 but that ,jesus died because ,he would4 ,the self-sacrifice of the ,lord was not the flinging away of the life that ,he ought to have preserved1 nor carelessness1 nor the fanaticism of a martyr1 nor the enthusiasm of a hero and a champion1 but it was the voluntary death of ,him who of ,his own will became in ,his death the 'oblation and satisfaction for the sins of the whole world4' ,love to us1 and obedience to the ,father whose will ,he made ,his own1 were the cords that bound ,christ to the ,cross on which ,he died4 ,his sacrifice was voluntary2 witness this fact that when ,he saw the ,cross at hand ,he strode before ,his followers to reach that1 the goal of ,his mission4 ,,iii4 ,i venture to regard the incident as giving us a little glimpse of what ,i may call the shrinking ,christ4 ,do we not see here a trace of something that we all know8 ,may not part of the reason for ,christ's haste have been that desire which we all have1 when some inevitable grief or pain lies before us1 to get it over soon1 and to abbreviate the moments that lie between us and it8 ,was there not something of that feeling in our ,lord's sensitive nature when ,he said1 for instance1 ',i have a baptism to be baptized with1 and how am ,i straitened until it be accomplished'8 ',i am come to send fire upon the earth1 and ,o6 how ,i wish that it were already kindled6' ,was there not something of the same feeling1 which we cannot call impatient1 but which we may call shrinking from the ,cross1 and therefore seeking to draw the ,cross nearer1 and have done with it1 in the words which ,he addressed to the betrayer1 ',that thou doest1 do quickly1' as if ,he were making a last appeal to the man's humanity1 and in effect saying to him1 ',if you have a heart at all1 shorten these painful hours1 and let us have it over'8 ,and may we not see1 in that swift advance in front of the lagging disciples1 some trace of the same feeling which we recognise to be so truly human8 ,christ did shrink from ,his ,cross4 ,let us never forget that ,he recoiled from it1 with the simple1 instinctive1 human shrinking from pain and death which is a matter of the physical nervous system1 and has nothing to do with the will at all4 ,if there had been no shrinking from it there had been no fixed will4 ,if there had been no natural instinctive drawing back of the physical nature and its connections from the prospect of pain and death1 there had been none of the heroism of which ,i am speaking4 ,though it does not become us to dogmatise about matters of which we know so little1 ,i think we may fairly say that that shrinking never rose up into the regions of ,christ's will2 never became a desire2 never became a purpose4 ,howsoever the ship might be tossed by the waves1 the will always kept its level equilibrium4 ,howsoever the physical nature might incline to this side or to that1 the will always kept parallel with the great underlying divine will1 the ,father's purpose which ,he had come to effect4 ,there was shrinking which was instinctive and human1 but it never disturbed the fixed purpose to die4 ,it had so much power over ,him as to make ,him march a little faster to the ,cross1 but it never made ,him turn from it4 ,and so ,he stands before us as the ,conqueror in a real conflict1 as having yielded ,himself up by a real surrender1 as having overcome a real difficulty1 'for the joy that was set before ,him1 having endured the ,cross1 despising the shame4' ,,iv4 ,so1 lastly1 ,i would see here the lonely ,christ4 ,in front of ,his followers1 absorbed in the thought of what was drawing so near1 gathering together ,his powers in order to be ready for the struggle1 with ,his heart full of the love and the pity which impelled ,him1 ,he is surrounded as with a cloud which shuts ,him 'out from their sight1' as afterwards the cloud of glory 'received ,him4' ,what a gulf there was between them and ,him1 between their thoughts and ,his1 as ,he passed up that rocky way6 ,what were they thinking about8 ',by the way they had disputed amongst themselves which of them should be the greatest4' ,so far did they sympathise with the ,master6 ,so far did they understand ,him6 ,talk about men with unappreciated aims1 heroes that have lived through a lifetime of misunderstanding and never have had any one to sympathise with them6 ,there never was such a lonely man in the world as ,jesus ,christ4 ,never was there one that carried so deep ,in ,his heart so great a purpose and so great a love1 which none cared a rush about4 ,and those that were nearest ,him1 and loved ,him best1 loved ,him so blunderingly and so blindly that their love must often have been quite as much of a pain as of a joy4 ,in ,his ,passion that solitude reached the point of agony4 ,how touching in its unconscious pathos is ,his pleading request1 ',tarry ye here1 and watch with ,me6' ,how touching in their revelation of a subsidiary but yet very real addition to ,his pains are ,his words1 ',all ye shall be offended because of ,me this night4' ,oh1 dear brethren6 every human soul has to go down into the darkness alone1 however close may be the clasping love which accompanies us to the portal2 but the loneliness of death was realised by ,jesus ,christ in a very unique and solemn manner4 ,for round ,him there gathered the clouds of a mysterious agony1 only faintly typified by the darkness of eclipse which hid the material sun in the universe1 what time ,he died4 ,and all this solitude1 the solitude of unappreciated aims1 and unshared purposes1 and misunderstood sorrow during life1 and the solitude of death with its elements ineffable of atonement2--all this solitude was borne that no human soul1 living or dying1 might ever be lonely any more4 ',lo6 ,i1' whom you all left alone1 'am with you1' who left ,me alone1 'even till the end of the world4' ,so1 dear brethren1 ponder that picture that ,i have been trying very feebly to set before you1 of the heroic1 self-sacrificing1 shrinking1 solitary ,saviour4 ,take ,him as your ,saviour1 your ,sacrifice1 your ,pattern2 and hear ,him saying1 ',if any man serve ,me1 let him follow ,me1 and where ,i am there shall also ,my servant be4' ,an old ecclesiastical legend conies into my mind at the moment1 which tells how an emperor won the true ,cross in battle from a pagan king1 and brought it back1 with great pomp1 to ,jerusalem2 but found the gate walled up1 and an angel standing before it1 who said1 ',thou bringest back the ,cross with pomp and splendour4 ,he that died upon it had shame for ,his companion2 and carried it on ,his back1 barefooted1 to ,calvary4' ,then1 says the chronicler1 the emperor dismounted from his steed1 cast off his robes1 lifted the sacred ,rood on his shoulders1 and with bare feet advanced to the gate1 which opened of itself1 and he entered in4 ,we have to go up the steep rocky road that leads from the plain where the ,dead ,sea is1 to ,jerusalem4 ,let us follow the ,master1 as ,he strides before us1 the ,forerunner and the ,captain of our salvation4 ,,dignity ,,and ,,service ',and ,james and ,john1 the sons of ,zebedee1 come unto ,him1 saying1 ,master1 we would that ,thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire4 #cf4 ,and ,he said unto them1 ,what would ye that ,i should do for you8 #cg4 ,they said unto ,him1 ,grant unto us that we may sit1 one on ,thy right hand1 and the other on ,thy left hand1 in ,thy glory4 #ch4 ,but ,jesus said unto them1 ,ye know not what ye ask3 can ye drink of the cup that ,i drink of6 and he baptized with the baptism that ,i am baptized with6 #ci4 ,and they said unto ,him1 ,we can4 ,and ,jesus said unto them1 ,ye shall indeed drink of the cup that ,i drink of2 and with the baptism that ,i am baptized withal shall ye be baptized3 #dj4 ,but to sit on ,my right hand and on ,my left hand is not ,mine to give2 but it shall be given to them for whom it its prepared4 #da4 ,and when the ,ten heard it1 they began to be much displeased with ,james and ,john4 #db4 ,but ,jesus called them to ,him1 and saith unto them1 ,ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the ,gentiles exercise lordship over them2 and their great ones exercise authority upon them4 #dc4 ,but so shall it not be among you3 but whosoever will be great among you1 shall be your minister3 #dd4 ,and whosoever of you will be the chiefest1 shall be servant of all4 #de4 ,for even the ,son of ,man came not to be ministered unto1 but to minister1 and to give ,his life a ransom for many4'--,mark x4 #ce-de4 ,how lonely ,jesus was6 ,while ,he strode before the ,twelve1 absorbed in thoughts of the ,cross to which ,he was pressing1 they1 as they followed1 'amazed' and 'afraid1' were thinking not of what ,he would suffer1 but of what they might gain4 ,he saw the ,cross4 ,they understood little of it1 but supposed that somehow it would bring in the kingdom1 and they dimly saw thrones for themselves4 ,hence ,james and ,john try to secure the foremost places1 and hence the others' anger at what they thought an unfair attempt to push in front of them4 ,what a contrast between ,jesus1 striding on ahead with 'set' face1 and the ,twelve unsympathetic and self-seeking1 lagging behind to squabble about pre-eminence6 ,we have in this incident two parts3 the request and its answer1 the indignation of the ,ten and its rebuke4 ,the one sets forth the qualifications for the highest place in the kingdom2 the other1 the paradox that pre-eminence there is service4 ,james and ,john were members of the group of original disciples who stood nearest to ,jesus1 and of the group of three whom ,he kept specially at ,his side4 ,their present place might well lead them to expect pre-eminence in the kingdom1 but their trick was mean1 as being an underhand attempt to forestall ,peter1 the remaining one of the three1 as putting forward their mother as spokeswoman1 and as endeavouring to entrap ,jesus into promising before the disclosure of what was desired4 ,matthew tells that the mother was brought in order to make the request1 and that ,jesus brushed her aside by directing ,his answer to her sons 7',ye know not what ye ask'74 ,the attempt to get ,jesus' promise without telling what was desired betrayed the consciousness that the wish was wrong4 ,his guarded counter-question would chill them and make their disclosure somewhat hesitating4 ,note the strangely blended good and evil of the request4 ,the gold was mingled with clay2 selfishness and love delighting in being near ,him had both place in it4 ,we may well recognise our own likenesses in these two with their love spotted with self-regard1 and be grateful for the gentle answer which did not blame the desire for pre-eminence1 but sought to test the love4 ,it was not only to teach them1 that ,he brought them back to think of the ,cross which must precede the glory1 but because ,his own mind was so filled with it that ,he saw that glory only as through the darkness which had to be traversed to reach it4 ,but for us all the question is solemn and heart-searching4 ,was not the answer1 ',we are able1' too bold8 ,they knew neither what they asked nor what they promised2 but just as their ignorant question was partly redeemed by its love1 their ignorant vow was ennobled by its very rashness1 as well as by the unfaltering love in it4 ,they did not know what they were promising1 but they knew that they loved ,him so well that to share anything with ,him would be blessed4 ,so it was not in their own strength that the swift answer rushed to their lips1 but in the strength of a love that makes heroes out of cowards4 ,and they nobly redeemed their pledge4 ,we1 too1 if we are ,christ's1 have the same question put to us1 and1 weak and timid as we are1 may venture to give the same answer1 trusting to ,his strength4 ,the full declaration of what had been only implied in the previous question follows4 ,jesus tells the two1 and us all1 that there are degrees in nearness to ,him and in dignity in that future1 but that the highest places are not given by favouritism1 but attained by fitness4 ,he does not deny that ,he gives1 but only that ,he gives without regard to qualification4 ,paul expected the crown from 'the righteous ,judge1' and one of these two brethren was chosen to record ,his promise of giving a seat on ,his throne to all that overcome4 ',those for whom it is prepared' are those who are prepared for it1 and the preparation lies in 'being made conformable to ,his death1' and being so joined to ,him that in spirit and mind we are partakers of ,his sufferings1 whether we are called to partake of them in outward form or not4 ,the two had had their lesson1 and next the ,ten were to have theirs4 ,the conversation with the former had been private1 for it was hearing of it that made the others so angry4 ,we can imagine the hot words among them as they marched behind ,jesus1 and how they felt ashamed already when ',he called them4' ,what they were to be now taught was not so much the qualifications for pre-eminence in the kingdom1 whether here or hereafter1 as the meaning of preeminence and the service to which it binds4 ,in the world1 the higher men are1 the more they are served2 in ,christ's kingdom1 both in its imperfect earthly and in its perfect heavenly form1 the higher men are1 the more they serve4 ,so-called ',christian' nations are organised on the former un-,christian basis still4 ,but wherever pre-eminence is not used for the general good1 there authority rests on slippery foundations1 and there will never be social wellbeing or national tranquillity until ,christ's law of dignity for service and dignity by service shapes and sweetens society4 ',but it is not so among you' laid down the constitution for earth1 and not only for some remote heaven2 and every infraction of it1 sooner or later1 brings a ,nemesis4 ,the highest is to be the lowest2 for ,he who is 'higher than the highest' has shown that such is the law which ,he obeys4 ,the point in the heaven that is highest above our heads is in twelve hours deepest beneath our feet4 ,fellowship in ,christ's sufferings was declared to be the qualification for our sharing in ,his dignity4 ,his lowly service and sacrificial death are now declared to be the pattern for our use of dignity4 ,still the thought of the ,cross looms large before ,jesus1 and ,he is not content with presenting ,himself as the pattern of service only1 but calls on ,his disciples to take ,him as the pattern of utter self-surrender also4 ,we cannot enter on the great teaching of these words1 but can only beseech all who hear them to note how ,jesus sets forth ,his death as the climax of ,his work1 without which even that life of ministering were incomplete2 how ,he ascribes to it the power of ransoming men from bondage and buying them back to ,god2 and of how ,he presents even these unparalleled sufferings1 which bear or need no repetition as long as the world lasts1 as yet being the example to which our lives must be conformed4 ,so ,his lesson to the angry ,ten merges into that to the self-seeking two1 and declares to each of us that1 if we are ever to win a place at ,his right hand in ,his glory1 we must here take a place with ,him in imitating ,his life of service and ,his death of self-surrender for men's good4 ',if we endure1 we shall also reign with ,him4' ,,bartimaeus ,blind ,bartimaeus1 the son of ,timaeus1 sat by the highway side begging4'--,mark x4 #df4 ,the narrative of this miracle is contained in all the ,synoptical ,gospels1 but the accounts differ in two respects--as to the number of men restored to sight1 and as to the scene of the miracle4 ,matthew tells us that there were two men healed1 and agrees with ,mark in placing the miracle as ,jesus was leaving ,jericho4 ,mark says that there was one1 and that the place was outside the gate in departing4 ,luke1 on the other hand1 agrees with ,matthew as to the number1 and differs from him and ,mark as to the place1 which he sets at the entrance into the city4 ,the first of these two discrepancies may very easily be put aside4 ,the greater includes the less2 silence is not contradiction4 ,to say that there was one does not deny that there were two4 ,and if ,bartimaeus was a ,christian1 and known to ,mark's readers1 as is probable from the mention of his name1 it is easily intelligible how he1 being also the chief actor and spokesman1 should have had ,mark's attention concentrated on him4 ,as to the other discrepancy1 many attempts have been made to remove it4 ,none of them are altogether satisfactory4 ,but what does it matter8 ,the apparent contradiction may affect theories as to the characteristics of inspired books1 but it has nothing to do with the credibility of the narratives1 or with their value for us4 ,mark's account is evidently that of an eye-witness4 ,it is full of little particulars which testify thereto4 ,whether ,bartimaeus had a companion or not1 he was obviously the chief actor and spokesman4 ,and the whole story seems to me to lend itself to the enforcement of some very important lessons1 which ,i will try to draw from it4 ,i4 ,notice the beggar's petition and the attempts to silence it4 ,remember that ,jesus was now on ,his last journey to ,jerusalem4 ,that night ,he would sleep at ,bethany2 ,calvary was but a week off4 ,he had paused to win ,zacchaeus1 and now ,he has resumed ,his march to ,his ,cross4 ,popular enthusiasm is surging round ,him1 and for the first time ,he does not try to repress it4 ,a shouting multitude are escorting ,him out of the city4 ,they have just passed the gates1 and are in the act of turning towards the mountain gorge through which runs the ,jerusalem road4 ,a long file of beggars is sitting1 as beggars do still in ,eastern cities1 outside the gate1 well accustomed to lift their monotonous wail at the sound of passing footsteps4 ,bartimaeus is amongst them4 ,he asks1 according to ,luke1 what is the cause of the bustle1 and is told that ',jesus of ,nazareth is passing by4' ,the name wakes strange hopes in him1 which can only be accounted for by his knowledge of ,christ's miracles done elsewhere4 ,it is a witness to their notoriety that they had filtered down to be the talk of beggars at city gates4 ,and so1 true to his trade1 he cries1 ',jesus 444 have mercy upon me6' ,now1 note two or three things about that cry4 ,the first is the clear insight into ,christ's place and dignity4 ,the multitude said to him1 ',jesus of ,nazareth passeth by4' ,that was all they cared for or knew4 ,he cried1 ',jesus1 thou ,son of ,david1' distinctly recognising our ,lord's ,messianic character1 ,his power and authority1 and on that power and authority he built a confidence2 for he says not as some other suppliants had done1 either ',if ,thou wilt ,thou canst1' or ',if ,thou canst do anything1 have compassion on us4' ,he is sure of both the power and the will4 ,now1 it is interesting to notice that this same clear insight other blind men in the ,evangelist's story are also represented as having had4 ,blindness has its compensations4 ,it leads to a certain steadfast brooding upon thoughts1 free from disturbing influences4 ,seeing ,jesus did not produce faith2 not seeing ,him seems to have helped it4 ,it left imagination to work undisturbed1 and ,he was all the loftier to these blind men1 because the conceptions of their minds were not limited by the vision of their eyes4 ,at all events1 here is a distinct piece of insight into ,christ's dignity1 power1 and will1 to which the seeing multitudes were blind4 ,note1 further1 how in the cry there throbs the sense of need1 deep and urgent4 ,and note how in it there is also the realisation of the possibility that the widely-flowing blessings of which ,bartimaeus had heard might be concentrated and poured1 in their full flood1 upon himself4 ,he individualises himself1 his need1 ,christ's power and willingness to help him4 ,and because he has heard of so many who have1 in like manner1 received ,his healing touch1 he comes with the cry1 ',have mercy upon me4' ,all this is upon the low level of physical blessings needed and desired4 ,but let us lift it higher4 ,it is a mirror in which we may see ourselves1 our necessities1 and the example of what our desire ought to be4 ,ah6 brethren1 the deep consciousness of impotence1 need1 emptiness1 blindness1 lies at the bottom of all true crying to ,jesus ,christ4 ,if you have never gone to ,him1 knowing yourself to be a sinful man1 in peril1 present and future1 from your sin1 and stained and marred by reason of it1 you never have gone to ,him in any deep and adequate sense at all4 ,only when ,i thus know myself am ,i driven to cry1 ',jesus6 have mercy on me4' ,and ,i ask you not to answer to me1 but to press the question on your own consciences--',have ,i any experience of such a sense of need2 or am ,i groping in the darkness and saying1 ,i see8 am ,i weak as water1 and saying ,i am strong8' ',thou knowest not that thou art poor1 and naked1 and blind'2 and so that ,jesus of ,nazareth should be passing by has never moved thy tongue to call1 ',son of ,david1 have mercy upon me6' ,again1 this man's cry expressed a clear insight into something at least of our ,lord's unique character and power4 ,brethren1 unless we know ,him to be all that is involved in that august title1 'the ,son of ,david1' ,i do not think our cries to ,him will ever be very earnest4 ,it seems to me that they will only be so when1 on the one hand1 we recognise our need of a ,saviour1 and1 on the other hand1 behold in ,him the ,saviour whom we need4 ,i can quite understand--and we may see plenty of illustrations of it all round us--a kind of ,christianity real as far as it goes1 but in my judgment very superficial1 which has no adequate conception of what sin means1 in its depth1 in its power upon the victim of it1 or in its consequences here and hereafter2 and1 that sense being lacking1 the whole scale of ,christianity1 as it were1 is lowered1 and ,christ comes to be1 not1 as ,i think the ,new ,testament tells us that ,he is1 the ,incarnate ,word of ,god1 who for us men and for our salvation 'bare our sins in ,his own body on the tree1' and 'was made sin for us1 that we might be made the righteousness of ,god in ,him1' but an ,example1 a ,teacher1 or a pure ,model1 or a social ,reformer1 or the like4 ,if men think of ,him only as such1 they will never cry to ,him1 ',have mercy upon me6' ,dear friends1 ,i pray you1 whether you begin with looking into your own hearts and recognising the crawling evils that have made their home there1 and thence pass to the thought of the sort of ,redeemer that you need and find in ,christ--or whether you begin at the other side1 and1 looking upon the revealed ,christ in all the fulness in which ,he is represented to us in the ,gospels1 from thence go back to ask yourselves the question1 ',what sort of man must ,i be1 if that is the kind of ,saviour that ,i need8'--,i pray you ever to blend these two things together1 the consciousness of your own need of redemption in ,his blood and the assurance that by ,his death we are redeemed1 and then to cry1 ',lord6 have mercy upon me1' and claim your individual share in the wide-flowing blessing4 ,turn all the generalities of ,his grace into the particularity of your own possession of it4 ,we have to go one by one to ,his cross1 and one by one to pass through the wicket gate4 ,we have not cried to ,him as we ought1 if our cry is only ',christ1 have mercy upon us4 ,lord1 have mercy upon us4 ,christ1 have mercy upon us4' ,we must be alone with ,him1 that into our own hearts we may receive all the fulness of ,his blessing2 and our petition must be ',thou ,son of ,david6 have mercy upon me4' ,have you cried that8 ,notice1 further1 the attempts to stifle the cry4 ,no doubt it was in defence of the ,master's dignity1 as they construed it1 that the people sought to silence the persistent1 strident voice piercing through their hosannas4 ,ah6 they did not know that the cry of wretchedness was far sweeter to ,him than their shallow hallelujahs4 ,christian people of all churches1 and of some stiffened churches very especially1 have been a great deal more careful of ,christ's dignity than ,he is1 and have felt that their formal worship was indecorously disturbed when by chance some earnest voice forced its way through it with the cry of need and desire4 ,but this man had been accustomed for many a day1 sitting outside the gate1 to reiterate his petition when it was unattended to1 and to make it heard amidst the noise of passers-by4 ,so he was persistently bold and importunate and shameless1 as the shallow critics thought1 in his crying4 ,the more they silenced him1 the more a great deal he cried4 ,would ,god that we had more crying like that2 and that ,christ's servants did not so often seek to suppress it1 as some of them do6 ,if there are any of you who1 by reason of companions1 or cares1 or habits1 or sorrows1 or a feeble conception of your own need or a doubtful recognition of ,christ's power and mercy1 have been tempted to stop your supplications1 do like ,bartimaeus1 and the more these1 your enemies1 seek to silence the deepest voice that is in you1 the more let it speak4 ,,ii4 ,so1 notice ,christ's call and the suppliant's response4 ',he stood still1 and commanded him to be called4' ,remember that ,he was on ,his road to ,his ,cross1 and that the tension of spirit which the ,evangelists notice as attaching to ,him then1 and which filled the disciples with awe as they followed ,him1 absorbed ,him1 no doubt1 at that hour1 so that ,he heard but little of the people's shouts4 ,but ,he did hear the blind beggar's cry1 and ,he arrested ,his march in order to attend to it4 ,now1 dear friends1 ,i am not merely twisting a ,biblical incident round to an interpretation which it does not bear1 but am stating a plain un-rhetorical truth when ,i say that it is so still4 ,jesus ,christ is no dead ,christ who is to be remembered only4 ,he is a living ,christ who1 at this moment1 is all that ,he ever was1 and is doing in loftier fashion all the gracious things that ,he did upon earth4 ,that pause of the ,king is repeated now1 and the quick ear which discerned the difference between the unreal shouts of the crowd1 and the agony of sincerity in the cry of the beggar1 is still open4 ,he is in the heavens1 surrounded by its glories1 and1 as ,i think ,scripture teaches us1 wielding providence and administering the affairs of the universe4 ,he does not need to pause in order to hear you and me4 ,if ,he did1 ,he would--if ,i may venture upon such an impossible supposition--bid the hallelujahs of heaven hush themselves1 and suspend the operations of ,his providence if need were1 rather than that you or ,i1 or any poor man who cries to ,him1 should be unheard and unhelped4 ,the living ,christ is as tender a friend1 has as quick an ear1 is as ready to help at once1 to-day1 as ,he was when outside the gate of ,jericho2 and every one of us may lift his or her poor1 thin voice1 and it will go straight up to the throne1 and not be lost in the clamour of the hallelujahs that echo round ,his seat4 ,christ still hears and answers the cry of need4 ,send you it up1 and you will find that true4 ,notice the suppliant's response4 ,that is a very characteristic right-about-face of the crowd1 who one moment were saying1 ',hold your tongue and do not disturb ,him1' and the next moment were all eager to encumber him with help1 and to say1 ',rise up1 be of good cheer2 ,he calleth thee4' ,no thanks to them that ,he did4 ,and what did the man do8 ,sprang to his feet--as the word rightly rendered would be--and flung away the frowsy rags that he had wrapped round him for warmth and softness of seat1 as he waited at the gate2 'and he came to ,jesus4' ,brethren1 'casting aside every weight and the sin that doth so easily beset us1 let us run' to the same ,refuge4 ,you have to abandon something if you are to go to ,christ to be healed4 ,i dare say you know well enough what it is4 ,i do not2 but certainly there is something that entangles your legs and keeps you from finding your way to ,him4 ,if there is nothing else1 there is yourself and your trust in self1 and that is to be put away4 ,cast away the 'garment spotted with the flesh' and go to ,christ1 and you will receive succour4 ,,iii4 ,notice the question of all-granting love1 and the answer of conscious need4 ',what wilt ,thou that ,i should do unto thee8' ,a very few hours before ,he had put the same question with an entirely different significance1 when the sons of ,zebedee came to ,him1 and tried to get ,him to walk blindfold into a promise4 ,he upset their scheme with the simple question1 ',what is it that you want8' which meant1 ',i must know and judge before ,i commit ,myself1' ,but when ,he said the same thing to ,bartimaeus ,he meant exactly the opposite4 ,it was putting the key of the treasure-house into the beggar's hand4 ,it was the implicit pledge that whatever he desired he should receive4 ,he knew that the thing this man wanted was the thing that ,he delighted to give4 ,but the tenderness of these words1 and the gracious promise that is hived in them1 must not make us forget the singular authority that speaks in them4 ,think of a man doing as ,jesus ,christ did--standing before another and saying1 ',i will give you anything that you want4' ,he must be either a madman or a blasphemer1 or ',god manifest in the flesh'2 ,almighty power guided by infinite love4 ,and what said the man8 ,he had no doubt what he wanted most--the opening of these blind eyes of his4 ,and1 dear brother1 if we knew ourselves as well as ,bartimaeus knew his blindness1 we should have as little doubt what it is that we need most4 ,suppose you had this wishing-cap that ,christ put on ,bartimaeus's head put on yours3 what would you ask8 ,it is a penetrating question if men will answer it honestly4 ,think what you consider to be your chief need4 ,suppose ,jesus ,christ stood where ,i stand1 and spoke to you3 ',what wilt thou that ,i should do for you8' ,if you are a wise man1 if you know yourself and ,him1 your answer will come as swiftly as the beggar's--',lord6 heal me of my blindness1 and take away my sin1 and give me ,thy salvation4' ,there is no doubt about what it is that every one of us needs most4 ,and there should be no doubt as to what each of us would ask first4 ,the supposition that ,i have been making is realised4 ,that gracious ,lord is here1 and is ready to give you the satisfaction of your deepest need1 if you know what it is1 and will go to ,him for it4 ',ask6 and ye shall receive4' ,,iv4 ,lastly1 notice1 sight given1 and the ,giver followed4 ,bartimaeus had scarcely ended speaking when ,christ began4 ,he was blind at the beginning of ,christ's little sentence2 he saw at the end of it4 ',go thy way2 thy faith hath saved thee4' ,the answer came instantly1 and the cure was as immediate as the movement of ,christ's heart in answer4 ,i am here to proclaim the possibility of an immediate passage from darkness to light4 ,some folk look askance at us when we talk about sudden conversions1 but these are perfectly reasonable2 and the experience of thousands asserts that they are actual4 ,as soon as we desire1 we have1 and as soon as we have1 we see4 ,whenever the lungs are opened the air rushes in2 sometimes the air opens the lungs that it may4 ,the desire is all but contemporaneous with the fulfilment1 in ,christ's dealing with men4 ,the message is flashed along the wire from earth to heaven1 in an incalculably brief space of time1 and the answer comes1 swift as thought and swifter than light4 ,so1 dear friends1 there is no reason whatever why a similar instantaneous change should not pass over any man who hears the ,good ,news4 ,he may be unsaved when his hearing of it begins1 and saved when his hearing of it ends4 ,it is for himself to settle whether it shall be so or not4 ,here we have a clear statement of the path by which ,christ's mercy rushes into a man's soul4 ',thy faith hath saved thee4' ,but it was ,christ's power that saved him4 ,yes1 it was2 but it was faith that made it possible for ,christ's power to make him whole4 ,physical miracles indeed did not always require trust in ,christ1 as a preceding condition1 but the possession of ,christ's salvation does1 and cannot but do so4 ,there must be trust in ,him1 in order that we may partake of the salvation which is owing solely to ,his power1 ,his love1 ,his work upon the ,cross4 ,the condition is for us2 the power comes from ,him4 ,my faith is the hand that grasps ,his2 it is ,his hand1 not mine1 that holds me up4 ,my faith lays hold of the rope2 it is the rope and the ,person above who holds it1 that lift me out of the 'horrible pit and the miry clay4' ,my faith flees for refuge to the city2 it is the city that keeps me safe from the avenger of blood4 ,brother6 exercise that faith1 and you will receive a better sight than was poured into ,bartimaeus's eyes4 ,now1 all this story should be the story of each one of us4 ,one modification we have to make upon it1 for we do not need to cry persistently for mercy1 but to trust in1 and to take1 the mercy that is offered4 ,one other difference there is between ,bartimaeus and many of my hearers4 ,he knew what he needed1 and some of you do not4 ,but ,christ is calling us all1 and my business now is to say to each of you what the crowd said to the beggar1 ',rise6 be of good cheer2 ,he calleth thee4' ,if you will fling away your hindrances1 and grope your path to ,his feet1 and fall down before ,him1 knowing your deep necessity1 and trusting to ,him to supply it1 ,he will save you4 ,your new sight will gaze upon your ,redeemer1 and you will follow ,him in the way of loving trust and glad obedience4 ,jesus ,christ was passing by4 ,he was never to be in ,jericho any more4 ,if ,bartimaeus did not get ,his sight then1 he would be blind all his days4 ,christ and ,his salvation are offered to thee1 my brother1 now4 ,perhaps if you let ,him pass1 you will never hear ,him call again1 and may abide in the darkness for ever4 ,do not run the risk of such a fate4 ,,an ,,eager ,,coming ',and he1 casting away his garment1 rose1 and came to ,jesus4'--,mark x4 #ej4 ,mark's vivid picture--long wail of the man1 crowd silencing him1 but wheeling round when ,christ calls him--and the quick energy of the beggar1 flinging away his cloak1 springing to his feet--and blind as he was1 groping his way4 ,i4 ,what we mean by coming to ,jesus3--faith1 communion1 occupation of mind1 heart1 and will4 ,,ii4 ,how eagerly we shall come when we are conscious of need4 ,this man wanted his eyesight3 do we not want too8 ,,iii4 ,we must throw off our hindrances if we would come to ,him4 ,impediments of various kinds4 ',lay aside every weight'--not only sins1 but even right things that hinder4 ,occupations1 pursuits1 affections1 possessions1 sometimes have to be put away altogether2 sometimes but to be minimised and kept in restraint4 ,there is no virtue in self-denial except as it helps us to come nearer ,him4 ,,iv4 ,we must do it with quick1 glad energy4 ,bartimaeus springs to his feet at once with a bound4 ,so we should leap to meet ,jesus1 our sight-giver4 ,how slothful and languid we often are4 ,we do not put half as much heart into our ,christian life as people do into common things4 ,far more pains are taken by a ballet-dancer to learn her posturing than by most ,christians to keep near ,christ4 ,,love',s ,,question ',what wilt thou that ,i should do unto thee8'--,mark x4 #ea4 ',what wilt ,thou have me to do6'--,acts ix4 #f4 ,christ asks the first question of a petitioner1 and the answer is a prayer for sight4 ,saul asks the second question of ,jesus1 and the answer is a command4 ,different as they are1 we may bring them together4 ,the one is the voice of love1 desiring to be besought in order that it may bestow2 the other is the voice of love1 desiring to be commanded in order that it may obey4 ,love delights in knowing1 expressing1 and fulfilling the beloved's wishes4 ,i4 ,the communion of ,love delights on both sides in knowing the beloved's wishes4 ,christ delights in knowing ours4 ,he encourages us to speak though ,he knows1 because it is pleasant to ,him to hear1 and good for us to tell4 ,his children delight in knowing ,his will4 ,,ii4 ,it delights in expressing wishes--,his commandments are the utterance of ,his ,love3 ,his ,providences are ,his loving ways of telling us what ,he desires of us1 and if we love ,him as we ought1 both commandments and providences will be received by us as lovers do gifts that have 'with my love' written on them4 ,on the other hand1 our love will delight in telling ,him what we wish1 and to speak all our hearts to ,jesus will be our instinct in the measure of our love to ,him4 ,,iii4 ,it delights in fulfilling wishes--puts key of treasure-house into our hands4 ,he refused ,john and ,james4 ,be sure that ,he does still delight to give us our desires1 and so be sure that when any of these are not granted there must be some loving reason for refusal4 ,our delight should be in obedience1 and only when our wills are submitted to ,his does ,he say to us1 ',what wilt thou8' ',if ye abide in ,me and ,my words abide in you1 ye shall ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you4' ,a ,,royal ,,progress '444 ,go your way into the village over against you3 and as soon as ye be entered into it1 ye shall find a colt tied1 whereon never man sat2 loose him1 and bring him4'--,mark xi4 #b4 ,two considerations help us to appreciate this remarkable incident of our ,lord's triumphal entry into ,jerusalem4 ,the first of these is its date4 ,it apparently occurred on the ,sunday of the ,passion ,week4 ,the ,friday saw the crosses on ,calvary4 ,the night before1 ,jesus had sat at the modest feast that was prepared in ,bethany1 where ,lazarus was one of the guests1 ,martha was the busy servant1 and ,mary poured out the lavish treasures of her love upon ,his feet4 ,the resurrection of ,lazarus had created great popular excitement2 and that excitement is the second consideration which throws light upon this incident4 ,the people had rallied round ,christ1 and1 consequently1 the hatred of the official and ecclesiastical class had been raised to boiling-point4 ,it was at that time that our ,lord deliberately presented ,himself before the nation as the ,messiah1 and stirred up still more this popular enthusiasm4 ,now1 if we keep these two things in view1 ,i think we shall be at the right point from which to consider the whole incident4 ,to it1 and not merely to the words which ,i have chosen as our starting-point1 ,i wish to draw attention now4 ,i am mistaken if there are not in it very important and practical lessons for ourselves4 ,i4 ,first1 note that deliberate assumption by ,christ of royal authority4 ,i shall have a good deal to say presently about the main fact which bears upon that1 but in the meantime ,i would note1 in passing1 a subsidiary illustration of it1 in the errand on which ,he sent these messengers to the little 'village over against' them2 and in the words which ,he put into their mouths4 ,they were to go1 and1 without a word1 to loose and bring away the colt fastened at a door1 where it was evidently waiting the convenience of its owner to mount it4 ,if1 as was natural1 any objection or question was raised1 they were to answer exactly as servants of a king would do1 if he sent them to make requisition on the property of his subjects1 ',the ,lord hath need of him4' ,i do not dwell on our ,lord's supernatural knowledge as coming out here2 nor on the fact that the owner of the colt was probably a partial disciple1 perhaps a secret one--ready to recognise the claim that was made4 ,but ,i ask you to notice here the assertion1 in act and word1 of absolute authority1 to which all private convenience and rights of possession are to give way unconditionally4 ,the ,sovereign's need is a sovereign reason4 ,what ,he requires ,he has a right to take4 ,well for us1 brethren1 if we yield as glad1 as swift1 and as unquestioning obedience to ,his claims upon us1 and upon our possessions1 as that poor peasant of ,bethphage gave in the incident before us6 ,but there is not only the assertion1 here1 of absolute authority1 but note how1 side by side with this royal style1 there goes the acknowledgment of poverty4 ,here is a pauper ,king1 who having nothing yet possesses all things4 ',the ,lord'--that is a great title--'hath need of him'--that is a strange verb to go with such a nominative4 ,but this little sentence1 in its two halves of authority and of dependence1 puts into four words the whole blessed paradox of the life of ,jesus ,christ upon earth4 ',though ,he was rich1 yet for our sakes ,he became poor'2 and being ,lord and ,owner of all things1 yet owed ,his daily bread to ministering women1 borrowed a boat to preach from1 a house wherein to lay ,his head1 a shroud and a winding-sheet to enfold ,his corpse1 a grave in which to lie1 and from which to rise1 'the ,lord of the dead and of the living4' ,not only so1 but there is another thought suggested by these words4 ,the accurate1 or1 at least1 the probable reading1 of one part of the third verse is given in the ,revised ,version1 ',say ye that the ,lord hath need of him1 and straightway he will send him back hither4' ,that is to say1 these last words are not ,christ's assurance to ,his two messengers that their embassy would succeed1 but part of the message which ,he sends by them to the owner of the colt1 telling him that it was only a loan which was to be returned4 ,jesus ,christ is debtor to no man4 ,anything given to ,him comes back again4 ,possessions yielded to that ,lord are recompensed a hundredfold in this life1 if in nothing else in that there is a far greater sweetness in that which still remains4 ',what ,i gave ,i have1' said the wise old epitaph4 ,it is always true4 ,do you not think that the owner of the patient beast1 on which ,christ placidly paced into ,jerusalem on ,his peaceful triumph1 would be proud all his days of the use to which his animal had been put1 and would count it as a treasure for the rest of its life8 ,if you and ,i will yield our gifts to ,him1 and lay them upon ,his altar1 be sure of this1 that the altar will ennoble and will sanctify all that is laid upon it4 ,all that we have rendered to ,him gains fragrance from ,his touch1 and comes back to us tenfold more precious because ,he has condescended to use it4 ,so1 brethren1 ,he still moves amongst us1 asking for our surrender of ourselves and of our possessions to ,him1 and pledging ,himself that we shall lose nothing by what we give to ,him1 but shall be infinitely gainers by our surrender4 ,he still needs us4 ,ah6 if ,he is ever to march in triumph through the world1 and be hailed by the hosannas of all the tribes of the earth1 it is requisite for that triumph that ,his children should surrender first themselves1 and then all that they are1 and all that they have1 to ,him4 ,to us there comes the message1 ',the ,lord hath need of you4' ,let us see that we answer as becomes us4 ,but then1 more important is the other instance here of this assertion of royal authority4 ,i have already said that we shall not rightly understand it unless we take into full account the state of popular feeling at the time4 ,we find in ,john's ,gospel great stress laid on the movement of curiosity and half-belief which followed on the resurrection of ,lazarus4 ,he tells us that crowds came out from ,jerusalem the night before to gaze upon the ,lifebringer and the quickened man4 ,he also tells us that another enthusiastic crowd flocked out of ,jerusalem before ,jesus sent for the colt to the neighbouring village4 ,we are to keep in mind1 therefore1 that what ,he did here was done in the midst of a great outburst of popular enthusiasm4 ,we are to keep in mind1 too1 the season of ,passover1 when religion and patriotism1 which were so closely intertwined in the life of the ,jews1 were in full vigorous exercise4 ,it was always a time of anxiety to the ,roman authorities1 lest this fiery people should break out into insurrection4 ,jerusalem at the ,passover was like a great magazine of combustibles1 and into it ,jesus flung a lighted brand amongst the inflammable substances that were gathered there4 ,we have to remember1 too1 that all ,his life long ,he had gone exactly on the opposite tack4 ,remember how ,he betook ,himself to the mountain solitudes when they wanted to make ,him a king4 ,remember how ,he was always damping down ,messianic enthusiasm4 ,but here1 all at once1 ,he reverses ,his whole conduct1 and deliberately sets ,himself to make the most public and the most exciting possible demonstration that ,he was ',king of ,israel4' ,for what was it that ,he did8 ,our ,evangelist here does not quote the prophecy from ,zechariah1 but two other ,evangelists do4 ,our ,lord then deliberately dressed ,himself by the mirror of prophecy1 and assumed the very characteristics which the prophet had given long ago as the mark of the coming ,king of ,zion4 ,if ,he had wanted to excite a popular commotion1 that is what ,he would have done4 ,why did ,he act thus8 ,he was under no illusion as to what would follow4 ,for the night before ,he had said3 ',she hath come beforehand to anoint ,my body for the burial4' ,he knew what was close before ,him in the future4 ,and1 because ,he knew that the end was at hand1 ,he felt that1 once at least1 it was needful that ,he should present ,himself solemnly1 publicly1 ,i may almost say ostentatiously1 before the gathered nation1 as being of a truth the ,fulfiller and the fulfilment of all the prophecies and the hopes built upon them that had burned in ,israel1 with a smoky flame indeed1 but for so many ages4 ,he also wanted to bring the rulers to a point4 ,i dare not say that ,he precipitated ,his death1 or provoked a conflict1 but ,i do say that deliberately1 and with a clear understanding of what ,he was doing1 ,he took a step which forced them to show their hand4 ,for after such a public avowal of who ,he was1 and such public hosannas surging round ,his meek feet as ,he rode into the city1 there were but two courses open for the official class3 either to acknowledge ,him1 or to murder ,him4 ,therefore ,he reversed ,his usual action1 and deliberately posed1 by ,his own act1 as claiming to be the ,messiah long prophesied and long expected4 ,now1 what do you think of the man that did that8 ,if ,he did it1 then either ,he is what the rulers called ,him1 a 'deceiver1' swollen with inordinate vanity and unfit to be a teacher1 or else we must fall at ,his feet and say ',rabbi6 ,thou art the ,son of ,god2 ,thou art the ,king of ,israel4' ,i venture to believe that to extol ,him and to deny the validity of ,his claims is in flagrant contradiction to the facts of ,his life1 and is an unreasonable and untenable position4 ,,ii4 ,notice the revelation of a new kind of ,king and ,kingdom4 ,our ,evangelist1 from whom my text is taken1 has nothing to say about ,zechariah's prophecy which our ,lord set ,himself to fulfil4 ,he only dwells on the pathetic poverty of the pomp of the procession4 ,but other ,evangelists bring into view the deeper meaning of the incident4 ,the centre-point of the prophecy1 and of ,christ's intentional fulfilment of it1 lies in the symbol of the meek and patient animal which ,he bestrode4 ,the ass was1 indeed1 used sometimes in old days by rulers and judges in ,israel1 but the symbol was chosen by the prophet simply to bring out the peacefulness and the gentleness inherent in the ,kingdom1 and the ,king who thus advanced into ,his city4 ,if you want to understand the meaning of the prophet's emblem1 you have only to remember the sculptured slabs of ,assyria and ,babylon1 or the paintings on the walls of ,egyptian temples and tombs1 where ,sennacherib or ,rameses ride hurtling in triumph in their chariots1 over the bodies of prostrate foes2 and then to set by the side of these1 ',rejoice6 ,o daughter of ,zion2 thy ,king cometh unto thee riding upon an ass1 and upon a colt the foal of an ass4' ,if we want to understand the significance of this sweet emblem1 we need only1 further1 remember the psalm that1 with poetic fervour1 invokes the ,king3 ',gird ,thy sword upon ,thy thigh1 ,o ,most ,mighty1 and in ,thy majesty ride prosperously 444 and ,thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things4 ,thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the ,king's enemies2 the people fall under ,thee4' ,that is all that that ancient singer could conceive of the triumphant ,king of the world1 the ,messiah2 a conqueror1 enthroned in ,his chariot1 and the twanging bowstring1 drawn by ,his strong hand1 impelling the arrow that lodged in the heart of ,his foes4 ,and here is the fulfilment4 ',go ye into the village over against you1 and ye shall find a colt tied 444 ,and they set ,him thereon4' ,christ's kingdom1 like its ,king1 has no power but gentleness and the omnipotence of patient love4 ,if ',christian' nations1 as they are called1 and ,churches had kept the significance of that emblem in mind1 do you think that their hosannas would have gone up so often for conquerors on the battlefields2 or that ,christian communities would have been in complicity with war and the glorifying thereof1 as they have been8 ,and1 if ,christian churches had remembered and laid to heart the meaning of this triumphal entry1 and its demonstration of where the power of the ,master lay1 would they have struck up such alliances with worldly powers and forms of force as1 alas6 have weakened and corrupted the ,church for hundreds of years8 ,surely1 surely1 there is no more manifest condemnation of war and the warlike spirit1 and of the spirit which finds the strength of ,christ's ,church in anything material and violent1 than is that solitary instance of ,his assumption of royal state when thus ,he entered into ,his city4 ,i need not say a word1 brethren1 about the nature of ,christ's kingdom as embodied in ,his subjects1 as represented in that shouting multitude that marched around ,him4 ,how ,caesar in his golden house in ,rome would have sneered and smiled at the ,jewish peasant1 on the colt1 and surrounded by poor men1 who had no banners but the leafy branches from the trees1 and no pomp to strew in his way but their own worn garments6 ,and yet these were stronger in their devotion1 in their enthusiastic conviction that ,he was the ,king of ,israel and of the whole earth1 than ,caesar1 with all his treasures and with all his legions and their sharp swords4 ,christ accepts poor homage because ,he looks for hearts2 and whatever the heart renders is sweet to ,him4 ,he passes on through the world1 hailed by the acclamations of grateful hearts1 needing no bodyguard but those that love ,him2 and they need to bear no weapons in their hands1 but their mission is to proclaim with glad hearts hosannas to the ,king that 'cometh in the name of the ,lord4' ,there is one more point that ,i may note4 ,another of the ,evangelists tells us that it was when the humble cortge swept round the shoulder of ,olivet1 and caught sight of the city gleaming in the sunshine1 across the ,kedron valley1 that they broke into the most rapturous of their hosannas1 as if they would call to the city that came in view to rejoice and welcome its ,king4 ,and what was the ,king doing when that sight burst upon ,him1 and while the acclamations eddied round ,him8 ,his thoughts were far away4 ,his eyes with divine prescience looked on to the impending end1 and then they dimmed1 and filled with tears2 and ,he wept over the city4 ,that is our ,king2 a pauper ,king1 a meek and patient ,king1 a ,king that delights in the reverent love of hearts1 a ,king whose armies have no swords1 a ,king whose eyes fill with tears as ,he thinks of men's woes and cries4 ,blessed be such a ,king6 ,,iii4 ,lastly1 we have the ,royal visitation of the ,temple4 ,our ,evangelist has no word to speak about the march of the procession down into the valley1 and up on the other side1 and through the gate1 and into the narrow streets of the city that was 'moved' as they passed through it4 ,his language sounds as if he considered that our ,lord's object in entering ,jerusalem at all was principally to enter the ,temple4 ,he 'looked round on all things' that were there4 ,can we fancy the keen observance1 the recognition of the hidden bad and good1 the blazing indignation1 and yet dewy pity1 in those eyes8 ,his visitation of the ,temple was its inspection by its ,lord4 ,and it was an inspection in order to cleanse4 ,to-day ,he looked2 to-morrow ,he wielded the whip of small cords4 ,his chastisement is never precipitate4 ,perfect knowledge wields ,his scourge1 and pronounces condemnation4 ,brethren1 ,jesus ,christ comes to us as a congregation1 to the church to which we belong1 and to us individually1 with the same inspection4 ,he whose eyes are a flame of fire1 says to ,his churches to-day1 ',i know thy works4' ,what would ,he think if ,he came to us and tested us8 ,in the incident of my text ,he was fulfilling another ancient prophecy1 which says1 ',the ,lord shall suddenly come to ,his ,temple1 and 444 sit as a refiner of silver 444 like a refiner's fire and as fuller's soap 444 and ,he shall purify the sons of ,levi4444 ,then shall the offering of ,jerusalem be pleasant1 as in the days of old4' ,we need nothing more1 we should desire nothing more earnestly1 than that ,he would come to us3 ',search me1 ,o ,christ1 and know me4 ,and see if there be any wicked way in me1 and lead me in the way everlasting4' ,jesus ,christ is the ,king of ,england as truly as of ,zion2 and ,he is your ,king and mine4 ,he comes to each of us1 patient1 meek1 loving2 ready to bless and to cleanse4 ,dear brother1 do you open your heart to ,him8 ,do you acknowledge ,him as your ,king8 ,do you count it your highest honour if ,he will use you and your possessions1 and condescend to say that ,he has need of such poor creatures as we are8 ,do you cast your garments in the way1 and say3 ',ride on1 great ,prince'8 ,do you submit yourself to ,his inspection1 to ,his cleansing8 ,remember1 ,he came once on 'a colt1 the foal of an ass1 meek1 and having salvation4' ,he will come 'on the white horse1 in righteousness to judge and to make war' and with power to destroy4 ,oh6 ,i beseech you1 welcome ,him as ,he comes in gentle love1 that when ,he comes in judicial majesty you may be among the 'armies of heaven that follow after1' and from immortal tongues utter rapturous and undying hosannas4 ,,christ',s ,,need ,,of ,,us ,,and ,,ours '444 ,say ye that the ,lord hath need of him2 and straightway he will send him hither4'--,mark xi4 #c4 ,you will remember that ,jesus ,christ sent two of ,his disciples into the village that looked down on the road from ,bethany to ,jerusalem1 with minute instructions and information as to what they were to do and find there4 ,the instructions may have one of two explanations--they suggest either superhuman knowledge or a previous arrangement4 ,perhaps1 although it is less familiar to our thoughts1 the latter is the explanation4 ,there is a remarkable resemblance1 in that respect1 to another incident which lies close beside this one in time1 when our ,lord again sent two disciples to make preparation for the ,passover1 and1 with similar minuteness1 told them that they would find1 at a certain point1 a man bearing a pitcher of water4 ,him they were to accost1 and he would take them to the room that had been prepared4 ,now the old explanation of both these incidents is that ,jesus ,christ knew what was going to happen4 ,another possible explanation1 and in my view more probable and quite as instructive1 is1 that ,jesus ,christ had settled with the two owners what was to happen4 ,clearly1 the owner of the colt was a disciple1 because at once he gave up his property when the message was repeated1 'the ,lord hath need of him4' ,probably he had been one of the guests at the modest festival that had been held the night before1 in the village close by1 in ,simon's house1 and had seen how ,mary had expended her most precious possession on the ,lord1 and1 under the influence of the resurrection of ,lazarus1 he1 too1 perhaps1 was touched1 and was glad to arrange with ,jesus ,christ to have his colt waiting there at the cross-road for his ,master's convenience4 ,but1 be that as it may1 it seems to me that this incident1 and especially these words that ,i have read for a text1 carry very striking and important lessons for us1 whether we look at them in connection with the incident itself1 or whether we venture to give them a somewhat wider application4 ,let me take these two points in turn4 ,i4 ,now1 what strikes one about our ,lord's requisitioning the colt is this1 that here is a piece of conduct on ,his part singularly unlike all the rest of ,his life4 ,all through it1 up to this last moment1 ,his one care was to damp down popular enthusiasm1 to put on the drag whenever there came to be the least symptom of it1 to discourage any reference to ,him as the ,messiah-,king of ,israel1 to shrink back from the coarse adulation of the crowd1 and to glide quietly through the world1 blessing and doing good4 ,but now1 at the end1 ,he flings off all disguise4 ,he deliberately sets ,himself1 at a time when popular enthusiasm ran highest and was most turbid and difficult to manage1 at the gathering of the nation for the ,passover in ,jerusalem1 to cast an effervescing element into the caldron4 ,if ,he had planned to create a popular rising1 ,he could not have done anything more certain to bring it about than what ,he did that morning when ,he made arrangements for a triumphal procession into the city1 amidst the excited crowds gathered from every quarter of the land4 ,why did ,he do that8 ,what was the meaning of it8 ,then there is another point in this requisitioning of the colt4 ,he not only deliberately set ,himself to stir up popular excitement1 but ,he consciously did what would be an outward fulfilment of a great ,messianic prophecy4 ,i hope you are wiser than to fancy that ,zechariah's prophecy of the peaceful monarch who was to come to ,zion1 meek and victorious1 and riding upon a 'colt the foal of an ass1' was fulfilled by the outward fact of ,christ being mounted on this colt 'whereon never man sat4' ,that is only the shell1 and if there had been no such triumphal entry1 our ,lord would as completely have fulfilled ,zechariah's prophecy4 ,the fulfilment of it did not depend on the petty detail of the animal upon which ,he sat when ,he entered the city1 nor even on that entrance4 ,the meaning of the prophecy was that to ,zion1 wherever and whatever it is1 there should come that ,messianic ,king1 whose reign owed nothing to chariots and horses and weapons of war for its establishment1 but who1 meek and patient1 pacing upon the humble animal used only for peaceful services1 and not mounted on the prancing steed of the warrior1 should inaugurate the reign of majesty and of meekness4 ,our ,lord uses the external fact just as the prophet had used it1 as of no value in itself1 but as a picturesque emblem of the very spirit of ,his kingdom4 ,the literal fulfilment was a kind of finger-post for inattentive onlookers1 which might induce them to look more closely1 and so see that ,he was indeed the ,king ,messiah1 because of more important correspondences with prophecy than ,his once riding on an ass4 ,do not so degrade these ,old ,testament prophecies as to fancy that their literal fulfilment is of chief importance4 ,that is the shell3 the kernel is the all-important thing1 and ,jesus ,christ would have fulfilled the rle1 that was sketched for ,him by the prophets of old1 just as completely if there never had been this entrance into ,jerusalem4 ,but1 further1 the fact that ,he had to borrow the colt was as significant as the choice of it4 ,for so we see blended two things1 the blending of which makes the unique peculiarity and sublimity of ,christ's life3 absolute authority1 and meekness of poverty and lowliness4 ,a ,king1 and yet a pauper-,king6 ,a ,king claiming ,his dominion1 and yet obliged to borrow another man's colt in order that ,he might do it6 ,a strange kind of monarch6--and yet that remarkable combination runs through all ,his life4 ,he had to be obliged to a couple of fishermen for a boat1 but ,he sat in it1 to speak words of divine wisdom4 ,he had to be obliged to a lad in the crowd for barley loaves and fishes1 but when ,he took them into ,his hands they were multiplied4 ,he had to be obliged for a grave1 and yet ,he rose from the borrowed grave the ,lord of life and death4 ,and so when ,he would pose as a ,king1 ,he has to borrow the regalia1 and to be obliged to this anonymous friend for the colt which made the emphasis of ,his claim4 ',who1 though ,he was rich1 yet for our sakes became poor1 that we through ,his poverty might be rich4' ,,ii4 ,and now turn for a moment to the wider application of these words4 ',the ,lord hath need of him4' ,that opens the door to thoughts1 that ,i cannot crowd into the few minutes that ,i have at my disposal1 as to that great and wonderful truth that ,christ cannot assume ,his kingdom in this world without your help1 and that of the other people whose hearts are touched by ,his love4 ',the ,lord hath need' of them4 ,though upon that ,cross of ,calvary ,he did all that was necessary for the redemption of the world and the salvation of humanity as a whole1 yet for the bearing of that blessing into individual hearts1 and for the application of the full powers that are stored in the ,gospel and in ,jesus1 to their work in the world1 the missing link is man4 ,we 'are fellow-labourers with ,god4' ,we are ,christ's tools4 ,the instruments by which ,he builds ,his kingdom are the souls that have already accepted ,his authority4 ',the ,lord hath need of him1' though1 as the psalmist sings1 ',if ,i were hungry ,i would not tell thee1 for all the beasts of the forest are ,mine4' ,yes1 and when the ,word was made flesh1 ,he had need of one of the humblest of the beasts4 ,the ,christ that redeemed the world needs us1 to carry out and to bring into effect ,his redemption4 ',god mend all1' said one1 and the answer was1 ',we must help ,him to mend it4' ,notice again the authoritative demand1 which does not contemplate the possibility of reluctance or refusal4 ',the ,lord hath need of him4' ,that is all4 ,there is no explanation or motive alleged to induce surrender to the demand4 ,this is a royal style of speech4 ,it is the way in which1 in despotic countries1 kings lay their demands upon a poor man's whole plenishing and possession1 and sweep away all4 ,jesus ,christ comes to us in like fashion1 and brushes aside all our convenience and everything else1 and says1 ',i want you1 and that is enough4' ,is it not enough8 ,should it not be enough8 ,if ,he demands1 ,he has the right to demand4 ,for we are ,his1 'bought with a price4' ,all the slave's possessions are his owner's property4 ,the slave is given a little patch of garden ground1 and perhaps allowed to keep a fowl or two1 but the master can come and say1 ',now ,i want them1' and the slave has nothing for it but to give them up4 ',the ,lord hath need of him' is in the autocratic tone of ,one who has absolute power over us and ours4 ,and that power1 where does it come from8 ,it comes from ,his absolute surrender of ,himself to us1 and because ,he has wholly given ,himself for us4 ,he does not expect us to say one contrary word when ,he sends and says1 ',i have need of you1 or of yours4' ,here1 again1 we have an instance of glad surrender4 ,the last words of my text are susceptible of a double meaning4 ',straightway he will send him hither'--who is 'he'8 ,it is usually understood to be the owner of the colt1 and the clause is supposed to be ,christ's assurance to the two messengers of the success of their errand4 ,so understood1 the words suggest the great truth that ,love loosens the hand that grasps possessions1 and unlocks our treasure-houses4 ,there is nothing more blessed than to give in response to the requirement of love4 ,and so1 to ,christ's authoritative demand1 the only proper answer is obedience swift and glad1 because it is loving4 ,many possibilities of joy and blessing are lost by us through not yielding on the instant to ,christ's demands4 ,hesitation and delay are dangerous4 ,in 'straightway' complying are security and joy4 ,if the owner had begun to say to himself that he very much needed the colt1 or that he saw no reason why some one else's beast should not have been taken1 or that he would send the animal very soon1 but must have the use of him for an hour or two first1 he would probably never have sent him at all1 and so would have missed the greatest honour of his life4 ,as soon as ,i know what ,christ wants from me1 without delay let me do it2 for if ,i begin with delaying ,i shall probably end with declining4 ,the ,psalmist was wise when he laid emphasis on the swiftness of his obedience1 and said1 ',i made haste and delayed not1 but made haste to keep ,thy commandments4' ,but another view of the words makes them part of the message to the owner of the colt1 and not of the assurance to the disciples4 ',say ye that the ,lord hath need of him1 and that straightway 7when ,he has done with him7 ,he will send him back again4' ,that is a possible rendering1 and ,i am disposed to think it is the proper one4 ,by it the owner is told that he is not parting with his property for good and all1 that ,jesus only wishes to borrow the animal for the morning1 and that it will be returned in the afternoon4 ,what does that view of the words suggest to us8 ,do you not think that that colt1 when it did come back--for of course it came back some time or other1--was a great deal more precious to its owner than it ever had been before1 or ever could have been if it had not been lent to ,christ1 and ,christ had not made ,his royal entry upon it8 ,can you not fancy that the man1 if he was1 as he evidently was1 a disciple and lover of the ,lord1 would look at it1 especially after the ,crucifixion and the ,ascension1 and think1 ',what an honour to me1 that ,i provided the mount for that triumphal entry6'8 ,it is always so4 ,if you wish anything to become precious1 lend it to ,jesus ,christ1 and when it comes back again1 as it will come back1 there will be a fragrance about it1 a touch of ,his fingers will be left upon it1 a memory that ,he has used it4 ,if you desire to own yourselves1 and to make yourselves worth owning1 give yourselves to ,christ4 ,if you wish to get the greatest possible blessing and good out of possessions1 lay them at ,his feet4 ,if you wish love to be hallowed1 joy to be calmed1 perpetuated1 and deepened1 carry it to ,him4 ',if the house be worthy1 your peace shall rest upon it2 if not1' like the dove to the ark when it could find no footing in the turbid and drowned world1 'it shall come back to you again4 ,straightway ,he will 'send him back again1' and that which ,i give to ,jesus ,he will return enhanced1 and it will be more truly and more blessedly mine1 because ,i have laid it in ,his hands4 ,this 'altar' sanctifies the giver and the gift4 ,,nothing ,,but ,,leaves ',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 444 #ad4 ,and ,jesus 444 said unto it1 ,no man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever4'--,mark xi4 #ac1 #ad4 ,the date of this miracle has an important bearing on its meaning and purpose4 ,it occurred on the ,monday morning of the last week of ,christ's ministry4 ,that week saw ,his last coming to ,israel1 'if haply ,he might find any thing thereon4' ,and if you remember the foot-to-foot duel with the rulers and representatives of the nation1 and the words1 weighty with coming doom1 which ,he spoke in the ,temple on the subsequent days1 you will not doubt that the explanation of this strange and anomalous miracle is that it is an acted parable1 a symbol of ,israel in its fruitlessness and in its consequent barrenness to all coming time4 ,this is the only point of view1 as it seems to me1 from which the peculiarities of the miracle can either be warranted or explained4 ,it is our ,lord's only destructive act4 ,the fig-tree grew by the wayside2 probably1 therefore1 it belonged to nobody1 and there was no right of property affected by its loss4 ,he saw it from afar1 'having leaves1' and that was why1 three months before the time1 ,he went to look if there were figs on it4 ,for experts tell us that in the fig-tree the leaves accompany1 and do not precede1 the fruit4 ,and so this one tree1 brave in its show of foliage amidst leafless companions1 was a hypocrite unless there were figs below the leaves4 ,therefore ,jesus came1 if haply ,he might find anything thereon1 and finding nothing1 perpetuated the condition which ,he found1 and made the sin its own punishment4 ,now all that is plain symbol1 and so ,i ask you to look with me1 for a few moments1 at these three things--7#a7 ,what ,christ sought and seeks2 7#b7 ,what ,he found and often finds2 7#c7 ,what ,he did when ,he found it4 ,i4 ,what ,christ sought and seeks4 ,he came 'seeking fruit4' ,now ,i may just notice1 in passing1 how pathetically and beautifully this incident suggests to us the true1 dependent1 weak manhood of that great ,lord4 ,in all probability ,he had just come from the home of ,mary and ,martha1 and it is strange that having left their hospitable abode ,he should be 'an hungered4' ,but so it was4 ,and even with all the weight of the coming crisis pressing upon ,his soul1 ,he was conscious of physical necessities1 as one of us might have been1 and perhaps felt the more need for sustenance because so terrible a conflict was waiting ,him4 ,nor1 ,i think1 need we shrink from recognising another of the characteristics of humanity here1 in the limitations of ,his knowledge and in the real expectation1 which was disappointed1 that ,he might find fruit where there were leaves4 ,i do not want to plunge into depths far too deep for any man to find sure footing in1 nor seek to define the undefinable1 nor to explain how the divine inosculates with the human1 but sure ,i am that ,jesus ,christ was not getting up a scene in order to make a parable out of ,his miracle2 and that the hunger and the expectancy and the disappointment were all real1 however they afterwards may have been turned by ,him to a symbolical purpose4 ,and so here we may see the weak ,christ1 the limited ,christ1 the true human ,christ4 ,but side by side1 as is ever the case1 with this manifestation of weakness1 there comes an apocalypse of power4 ,wherever you have1 in the history of our ,lord1 some signal exemplification of human infirmity1 you have flashed out through 'the veil1 that is1 ,his flesh1' some beam of ,his glory4 ,thus this hungry ,man could say1 ',no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever'2 and ,his bare word1 the mere forth-putting and manifestation of ,his will1 had power on material things4 ,that is the sign and impress of divinity4 ,but ,i pass from that1 which is not my special point now4 ,what did ,christ seek8 ',fruit4' ,and what is fruit in contradistinction to leaves8 ,character and conduct like ,his4 ,that is our fruit4 ,all else is leafage4 ,as the ,apostle says1 ',love1 joy1 hope1 peace1 righteousness in the ,holy ,ghost'2 or1 to put it into one word1 ,christ-likeness in our inmost heart and nature1 and ,christ-likeness1 so far as it may be possible for us1 in our daily life1 that is the one thing that our ,lord seeks from us4 ,o brethren6 we do not realise enough for ourselves1 day by day1 that it was for this end that ,jesus ,christ came4 ,the cradle in ,bethlehem1 the weary life1 the gracious words1 the mighty deeds1 the ,cross on ,calvary1 the open grave1 ,olivet with ,his last footprints2 ,his place on the throne1 ,pentecost1 they were all meant for this1 to make you and me good men1 righteous people1 bearing the fruits of holy living and conduct corresponding to ,his own pattern4 ,emotions of the selectest kind1 religious experience of the profoundest and truest nature1 these are blessed and good4 ,they are the blossom which sets into fruit4 ,and they come for this end1 that by the help of them we may be made like ,jesus ,christ4 ,he has yet to learn what is the purpose and the meaning of the ,gospel who fixes upon anything else as its ultimate design than the production in us1 as the results of the life of ,christ dwelling in our hearts1 of character and conduct like to ,his4 ,i suppose ,i ought to apologise for talking such commonplace platitudes as these1 but1 brethren1 the most commonplace truths are usually the most important and the most impotent4 ,and no 'platitude' is a platitude until you have brought it so completely into your lives that there is no room for a fuller working of it out4 ,so ,i come to you1 ,christian men and women1 real and nominal1 now with this for my message1 that ,jesus ,christ seeks from you this first and foremost1 that you shall be good men and women 'according to the pattern that has been showed us in the ,mount1' according to the likeness of ,his own stainless perfection4 ,and do not forget that ,jesus ,christ hungers for that goodness4 ,that is a strange1 and infinitely touching1 and absolutely true thing4 ,he is only 'satisfied1' and the hunger of ,his heart appeased1 when ',he sees of the travail of ,his soul' in the righteousness of ,his servants4 ,i passed a day or two ago1 in a country place1 a great field on which there was stuck up a board that said1 '----'s trial ground for seeds4' ,this world is ,christ's trial ground for seeds1 where ,he is testing you and me to see whether it is worth while cultivating us any more1 and whether we can bring forth any 'fruit to perfection' fit for the lips and the refreshment of the ,owner and ,lord of the vineyard ,christ longs for fruit from us4 ,and--strange and wonderful1 and yet true--the 'bread' that ,he eats is the service of ,his servants4 ,that1 amongst other things1 is what is meant by the ancient institution of sacrifice1 'the food of the gods4' ,christ's food is the holiness and obedience of ,his children4 ,he comes to us1 as ,he came to that fig-tree1 seeking from us this fruit which ,he delights in receiving4 ,brethren1 we cannot think too much of ,christ's unspeakable gift in itself and in its consequences2 but we may easily think too little1 and ,i am sure that a great many of us do think too little1 of ,christ's demands4 ,he is not an austere man1 'reaping where ,he did not sow'2 but having sowed so much1 ,he does look for the harvest4 ,he comes to us with the heart-moving appeal1 ',i have given all to thee2 what givest thou to ,me8' ',my well-beloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill2 and he fenced it and planted it1 and built a tower and a wine-press in it'--and what then8--'and he looked that it should bring forth grapes4' ,christ comes to each of you professing ,christians1 and asks1 ',what fruit hast thou borne after all ,my sedulous husbandry8' ,,ii4 ,now note1 in the next place1 what ,christ found4 ',nothing but leaves4' ,i have already said that we are told that the habit of growth of these trees is that the fruit accompanies1 and sometimes precedes1 the leaves4 ,whether it is so or no1 let me remind you that leaves are an outcome of the life as well as fruit1 and that they benefit the tree1 and assist in the production of the fruit which it ought to bear4 ,and so the symbol suggests things that are good in themselves1 ancillary and subsidiary to the production of fruit1 but which sometimes tend to such disproportionate exuberance of growth as that all the life of the tree runs to leaf1 and there is riot a berry to be found on it4 ,and if you want to know what such things are1 remember the condition of the rulers of ,israel at that time4 ,they prided themselves upon their nominal1 external1 hereditary connection with a system of revelation1 they trusted in mere ritualisms1 they had ossified religion into theology1 and degraded morality into casuistry4 ,they thought that because they had been born ,jews1 and circumcised1 and because there was a daily sacrifice going on in the ,temple1 and because they had ,rabbis who could split hairs ad infinitum1 therefore they were the 'temple of the ,lord1' and ,god's chosen4 ,and that is exactly what hosts of pagans1 masquerading as ,christians1 are doing in all our so-called ,christian lands1 and in all our so-called ,christian congregations4 ,in any community of so-called ,christian people there is a little nucleus of real1 earnest1 ,god-fearing folk1 and a great fringe of people whose ,christianity is mostly from the teeth outward1 who have a nominal and external connection with religion1 who have been 'baptized' and are 'communicants1' who think that religion lies mainly in coming on a ,sunday1 and with more or less toleration and interest listening to a preacher's words and joining in external worship1 and all the while the 'weightier matters of the law'--righteousness1 justice1 and the love of ,god--they leave untouched4 ,what describes such a type of religion with more piercing accuracy than 'nothing but leaves'8 ,external connection with ,god's ,church is a good thing4 ,it is meant to make us better men and women4 ,if it does not1 it is a bad thing4 ,acts of worship1 more or less elaborate--for it is not the elaboration of ceremonial1 but the mistaken view of it1 that does the harm--acts of worship may be helpful1 or may be absolute barriers to real religious life4 ,they are becoming so largely to-day4 ,the drift and trend of opinion in some parts of so-called ,christendom is in the direction of outward ceremonial4 ,and ,i1 for one1 believe that there are few things doing more harm to the ,christian character of ,england to-day than the preposterous recurrence to a reliance on the mere externals of worship4 ,of course we ,dissenters pride ourselves on having no complicity with the sacramentarian errors which underlie these4 ,but there may be quite as much of a barrier between the soul and ,christ1 reared by the bare worship of ,nonconformists1 or by the no-worship of the ,society of ,friends4 ,if the absence of form be converted into a form1 as it often is1 there may be as lofty and wide a barrier raised by these as by the most elaborate ritual of the highest ceremonial that exists in ,christendom4 ,and so ,i say to you1 dear brethren1 seeing that we are all in danger of cleaving to externals and substituting these which are intended to be helps to the production of godly life and character1 it becomes us all to listen to the solemn word of exhortation that comes out of my text1 and to beware lest our religion runs to leaf instead of setting into fruit4 ,it does so with many of us2 that is a certainty4 ,i am thinking about no individual1 about no individuals1 but ,i am only speaking common sense when ,i say that amongst as many people as ,i am now addressing there will be an appreciable proportion who have no notion of religion as anything beyond a more or less imperative and more or less unwelcome set of external observances4 ,,iii4 ,and so1 lastly1 let me ask you to notice what ,christ did4 ,i do not need to trouble myself nor you with vindicating the morality of this miracle against the fantastic objections that often have been made against it2 nor need ,i say a word more than ,i have already said about its symbolical meaning4 ,israel was in that week being asked for the last time to 'bring forth fruit' to the ,lord of the vineyard4 ,the refusal bound barrenness on the synagogue and on the nation1 if not absolutely for ever1 at all events until 'it shall turn to the ,lord1' and partake again of 'the root and fatness' from which it has been broken off4 ,what thirsty lips since that week have ever got any good out of ,rabbinism and ,judaism8 ,no 'figs' have grown on that 'thistle4' ,the world has passed it by1 and left all its subtle casuistries and painfully microscopic studies of the letter of ,scripture--with utter oblivion of its spirit--left them all severely and wisely alone4 ,judaism is a dead tree4 ,and is there nothing else in this incident8 ',no man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever'2 the punishment of that fruitlessness was confirmed and eternal barrenness4 ,there is the lesson that the punishment of any ,bin is to bind the sin upon the doer of it4 ,but1 further1 the church or the individual whose religion runs to leaf is useless to the world4 ,what does the world care about the ceremonials and the externals of worship1 and a painful orthodoxy1 and the study of the letter of ,scripture8 ,nothing4 ,a useless church or a ,christian1 from whom no man gets any fruit to cool a thirsty1 parched lip1 is only fit for what comes after the barrenness1 and that is1 that every tree that bringeth 'not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire4' ,the churches of ,england1 and we1 as integral parts of these1 have solemn duties lying upon us to-day2 and if we cannot help our brethren1 and feed and nourish the hungry and thirsty hearts and souls of mankind1 then--then6 the sooner we are plucked up and pitched over the vineyard wall1 which is the fate of the barren vine1 the better for the world and the better for the vineyard4 ,the fate of ,judaism teaches1 to all of us professing ,christians1 very solemn lessons4 ',if ,god spared not the natural branches1 take heed lest ,he also spare not thee4' ,what has become of the seven churches of ,asia ,minor8 ,they hardened into chattering theological 'orthodoxy1' and all the blood of them went to the surface1 so to speak4 ,and so down came the ,mohammedan power--which was strong then because it did believe in a ,god1 and not in its own belief about a ,god--and wiped them off the face of the earth4 ,and so1 brethren1 we have1 in this miracle1 a warning and a prophecy which it becomes all the ,christian communities of this day1 and the individual members of such1 to lay very earnestly to heart4 ,but do not let us forget that the ,evangelist who does not tell us the story of the blasted fig-tree does tell us its analogue1 the parable of the barren fig-tree1 and that in it we read that when the fiat of destruction had gone forth1 there was one who said1 ',let it alone this year also that ,i may dig about it1 444 and if it bear fruit1 well6 ,if not1 after that thou shalt cut it down4' ,so the barren tree may become a fruitful tree1 though it has hitherto borne nothing but leaves4 ,your religion may have been all on the surface and in form1 but you can come into touch with ,him in whom is our life and from whom comes our fruitfulness4 ,he has said to each of us1 ',as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself1 except it abide in the vine1 no more can ye1 except ye abide in ,me4' ,,dishonest ,,tenants ',and ,he began to speak unto them by parables4 ,a certain man planted a vineyard1 and set an hedge about it1 and digged a place for the winefat1 and built a tower1 and let it out to husbandmen1 and went into a far country4 #b4 ,and at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant1 that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard4 #c4 ,and they caught him1 and beat him1 and sent him away empty4 #d4 ,and again he sent unto them another servant2 and at him they cast stones1 and wounded him in the head1 and sent him away shamefully handled4 #e4 ,and again he sent another2 and him they killed1 and many others2 beating some1 and killing some #f4 ,having yet therefore one son1 his well beloved1 he sent him also last unto them1 saying1 ,they will reverence my son4 #g4 ,but those husbandmen said among themselves1 ,this is the heir2 come1 let us kill him1 and the inheritance shall be ours4 #h4 ,and they took him1 and killed him1 and cast him out of the vineyard4 #i4 ,what shall therefore the lord of the vineyard do8 ,he will come and destroy the husbandmen1 and will give the vineyard unto others4 #aj4 ,and have ye not read this scripture3 ,the stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner3 #aa4 ,this was the ,lord's doing1 and it is marvellous in our eyes8 #ab4 ,and they sought to lay hold on ,him1 but feared the people3 for they knew that ,he had spoken the parable against them2 and they left ,him1 and went their way4'--,mark xii4 #a-ab4 ,the ecclesiastical rulers had just been questioning ,jesus as to the authority by which ,he acted4 ,his answer1 a counter-question as to ,john's authority1 was not an evasion4 ,if they decided whence ,john came1 they would not be at any loss as to whence ,jesus came4 ,if they steeled themselves against acknowledging the ,forerunner1 they would not be receptive of ,christ's message4 ,that keen-edged retort plainly indicates ,christ's conviction of the rulers' insincerity1 and in this parable ,he charges home on these solemn hypocrites their share in the hereditary rejection of messengers whose authority was unquestionable4 ,much they cared for even divine authority1 as they and their predecessors had shown through centuries6 ,the veil of parable is transparent here4 ,jesus increased in severity and bold attack as the end drew near4 ,i4 ,the parable begins with a tender description of the preparation and allotment of the vineyard4 ,the picture is based upon ,isaiah's lovely apologue 7,isaiah v4 #a71 which was1 no doubt1 familiar to the learned officials4 ,but there is a slight difference in the application of the metaphor which in ,isaiah means the nation1 and in the parable is rather the theocracy as an institution1 or1 as we may put it roughly1 the aggregate of divine revelations and appointments which constituted the religious prerogatives of ,israel4 ,our ,lord follows the original passage in the description of the preparation of the vineyard1 but it would probably be going too far to press special meanings on the wall1 the wine-press1 and the watchman's tower4 ,the fence was to keep off marauders1 whether passers-by or 'the boar out of the wood' 7,psalm lxxx4 #ab1ac72 the wine-press1 for which ,mark uses the word which means rather the vat into which the juice from the press proper flowed1 was to extract and collect the precious liquid2 the tower was for the watchman4 ,a vineyard with all these fittings was ready for profitable occupation4 ,thus abundantly had ,god furnished ,israel with all that was needed for fruitful1 happy service4 ,what was true of the ancient ,church is still more true of us who have received every requisite for holy living4 ,isaiah's solemn appeal has a still sharper edge for ,christians3 ',judge1 ,i pray you1 betwixt me and my vineyard4 ,what could have been done more to my vineyard that ,i have not done in it8' ,the 'letting of the vineyard to husbandmen' means the committal to ,israel and its rulers of these divine institutions1 and the holding them responsible for their fruitfulness4 ,it may be a question whether the tenants are to be understood as only the official persons1 or whether1 while these are primarily addressed1 they represent the whole people4 ,the usual interpretation limits the meaning to the rulers1 but1 if so1 it is difficult to carry out the application1 as the vineyard would then have to be regarded as being the nation1 which confuses all4 ,the language of ,matthew 7which threatens the taking of the vineyard and giving it to another nation7 obliges us to regard the nation as included in the husbandmen1 though primarily the expression is addressed to the rulers4 ,but more important is it to note the strong expressions for man's quasi-independence and responsibility4 ,the ,jew was invested with full possession of the vineyard4 ,we all1 in like manner1 have intrusted to us1 to do as we will with1 the various gifts and powers of ,christ's gospel4 ,god1 as it were1 draws somewhat apart from man1 that he may have free play for his choice1 and bear the burden of responsibility4 ,the divine action was conspicuous at the time of founding the polity of ,judaism1 and then came long years in which there were no miracles1 but all things continued as they were4 ,god was as near as before1 but ,he seemed far off4 ,thus ,jesus has1 in like manner1 gone 'into a far country to receive a kingdom and to return'2 and we1 the tenants of a richer vineyard than ,israel's1 have to administer what ,he has intrusted to us1 and to bring near by faith ,him who is to sense far off4 ,,ii4 ,the next scenes paint the conduct of the dishonest vine-dressers4 ,we mark the stern1 dark picture drawn of the continued and brutal violence1 as well as the flagrant unfaithfulness1 of the tenants4 ,matthew's version gives emphasis to the increasing harshness of treatment of the owner's messengers1 as does ,mark's4 ,first comes beating1 then wounding1 then murder4 ,the interpretation is self-evident4 ,the 'servants' are the prophets1 mostly men inferior in rank to the hierarchy1 shepherds1 fig-gatherers1 and the like4 ,they came to rouse ,israel to a sense of the purpose for which they had received their distinguishing prerogatives1 and their reward had been contempt and maltreatment4 ,they 'had trial of mockings and scourgings1 of bonds and imprisonment3 they were stoned1 they were sawn asunder1 they were slain with the sword4' ,the indictment is the same as that by which ,stephen wrought the ,sanhedrim into a paroxysm of fury4 ,to make such a charge as ,jesus did1 in the very ,temple courts1 and with the already hostile priests glaring at ,him while ,he spoke1 was a deliberate assault on them and their predecessors1 whose true successors they showed themselves to be4 ,they had just been solemnly questioning ,him as to ,his authority4 ,he answers by thus passing in review the uniform treatment meted by them and their like to those who came with ,god's manifest authority4 ,if a mere man had spoken this parable1 we might admire the magnificent audacity of such an accusation4 ,but the ,speaker is more than man1 and we have to recognise the judicial calmness and severity of ,his tone4 ,israel's history1 as it shaped itself before ,his 'pure eyes and perfect judgment1' was one long series of divine favours and of human ingratitude1 of ample preparations for righteous living and of no result1 of messengers sent and their contumelious rejection4 ,we wonder at the sad monotony of such requital4 ,are we doing otherwise8 ,,iii4 ,then comes the last effort of the ,owner1 the last arrow in the quiver of ,almighty ,love4 ,two things are to be pondered in this part of the parable4 ,first1 that wonderful glimpse into the depths of ,god's heart1 in the hope expressed by the ,owner of the vineyard1 brings out very clearly ,christ's claim1 made there before all these hostile1 keen critics1 to stand in an altogether singular relation to ,god4 ,he asserts ,his ,sonship as separating ,him from the class of prophets who are servants only1 and as constituting a relationship with the ,father prior to ,his coming to earth4 ,his ,sonship is no mere synonym for ,his ,messiahship1 but was a fact long before ,bethlehem2 and its assertion lifts for us a corner of the veil of cloud and darkness round the throne of ,god4 ,not less striking is the expression of a frustrated hope in 'they will reverence ,my ,son4' ,men can thwart ,god's purpose4 ,his divine charity 'hopeth all things4' ,the mystery thus sharply put here is but that which is presented everywhere in the co-existence of ,god's purposes and man's freedom4 ,the other noteworthy point is the corresponding casting of the vine-dressers' thoughts into words4 ,both representations are due to the graphic character of parable2 both crystallise into speech motives which were not actually spoken4 ,it is unnecessary to suppose that even the rulers of ,israel had gone the awful length of clear recognition of ,christ's ,messiahship1 and of looking each other in the face and whispering such a fiendish resolve4 ,jesus is here dragging to light unconscious motives4 ,the masses did wish to have their national privileges and to avoid their national duties4 ,the rulers did wish to have their sway over minds and consciences undisturbed4 ,they did resent ,jesus' interference1 chiefly because they instinctively felt that it threatened their position4 ,they wanted to get ,him out of the way1 that they might lord it at will4 ,they could have known that ,he was the ,son1 and they suppressed dawning suspicions that ,he was4 ,alas6 they have descendants still in many of us who put away ,his claims1 even while we secretly recognise them1 in order that we may do as we like without ,his meddling with us6 ,the rulers' calculation was a blunder4 ,as ,augustine says1 ',they slew ,him that they might possess1 and1 because they slew1 they lost4' ,so is it always4 ,whoever tries to secure any desired end by putting away his responsibility to render to ,god the fruit of his thankful service1 loses the good which he would fain clutch at for his own4 ,all sin is a mistake4 ,the parable passes from thinly veiled history to equally transparent prediction4 ,how sadly and how unshrinkingly does the meek yet mighty ,victim disclose to the conspirators ,his perfect knowledge of the murder which they were even now hatching in their minds6 ,he foresees all1 and will not lift a finger to prevent it4 ,mark puts the 'killing' before the 'casting out of the vineyard1' while ,matthew and ,luke invert the order of the two things4 ,the slaughtered corpse was1 as a further indignity1 thrown over the wall1 by which is symbolically expressed ,his exclusion from ,israel1 and the vine-dressers' delusion that they now had secured undisturbed possession4 ,,iv4 ,the last point is the authoritative sentence on the evil-doers4 ,mark's condensed account makes ,christ ,himself answer ,his own question4 ,probably we are to suppose that1 with hypocritical readiness1 some of the rulers replied1 as the other ,evangelists represent1 and that ,jesus then solemnly took up their words4 ,if anything could have enraged the rulers more than the parable itself1 the distinct declaration of the transference of ,israel's prerogatives to more worthy tenants would do so4 ,the words are heavy with doom4 ,they carry a lesson for us4 ,stewardship implies responsibility1 and faithlessness1 sooner or later1 involves deprivation4 ,the only way to keep ,god's gifts is to use them for ,his glory4 ',the grace of ,god1' says ,luther somewhere1 'is like a flying summer shower4' ,where are ,ephesus and the other apocalyptic churches8 ,let us 'take heed lest1 if ,god spared not the natural branches1 ,he also spare not us4' ,jesus leaves the hearers with the old psalm ringing in their ears1 which proclaimed that 'the stone which the builders rejected becomes the head stone of the corner4' ,other words of the same psalm had been chanted by the crowd in the procession on entering the city4 ,their fervour was cooling1 but the prophecy would still be fulfilled4 ,the builders are the same as the vine-dressers2 their rejection of the stone is parallel with slaying the ,son4 ,but though ,jesus foretells ,his death1 ,he also foretells ,his triumph after death4 ,how could ,he have spoken1 almost in one breath1 the prophecy of ,his being slain and 'cast out of the vineyard1' and that of ,his being exalted to be the very apex and shining summit of the true ,temple1 unless ,he had been conscious that ,his death was indeed not the end1 but the centre1 of ,his work1 and ,his elevation to universal and unchanging dominion8 ,,god',s ,,last ,,arrow ',having yet therefore one son1 his well-beloved1 he sent him also last unto them4'--,mark xii4 #f4 ,reference to ,isaiah v4 ,there are differences in detail here which need not trouble us4 ,isaiah's parable is a review of the theocratic history of ,israel1 and clearly the messengers are the prophets2 here ,christ speaks of ,himself and ,his own mission to ,israel1 and goes on to tell of ,his death as already accomplished4 ,i4 ,the ,son who follows and surpasses the servants4 7a7 ,our ,lord here places ,himself in the line of the prophets as coming for a similar purpose4 ,the mission to ,israel was the same4 ,the mission of ,his life was the same4 ,the last words of the lawgiver certainly point to a person 7,deut4 xviii4 #ah73 ',a prophet shall the ,lord your ,god raise up unto you like unto me4 ,him shall ye hear4' ,how ridiculous the cool superciliousness with which modern historical criticism 'pooh-poohs' that interpretation6 ,but the contrast is quite as prominent as the resemblance4 ,this saying is one which occurs in all the ,synoptics1 and is as full a declaration of ,sonship as any in ,john's ,gospel4 ,it reposes on the scene at the baptism 7,matt1 iii473 ',this is ,my beloved ,son6' ,such a saying was well enough understood by the ,jews to mean more than the ',messiah4' ,it clearly involves kindred to the divine in a far other and higher sense than any prophet ever had it4 ,it involves pre-existence4 ,it asserts that ,he was the special object of the divine love1 the 'heir4' ,you cannot relieve the ,new ,testament ,christ of the responsibility of having made such assertions4 ,there they are6 ,he did deliberately declare that ,he was1 in a unique sense1 'the ,son' on whom the love and complacency of the ,father rested continually4 ,,ii4 ,the aggravation of men's sins as tending to the enhancement of the divine efforts4 ,the terrible ,nemesis of evil is that it ever tends to reproduce itself in aggravated forms4 ,think of the influence of habit2 the searing of conscience1 so that we become able to do things that we would have shrunk from at an earlier stage4 ,remember how impunity leads to greater sin4 ,so here the first servant is merely sent away empty1 the second is wounded and disgraced1 the third is killed4 ,all evil is an inclined plane1 a steady1 downward progress4 ,how beautifully the opposite principle of the divine love and patience is represented as striving with the increasing hate and resistance6 ,according to ,matthew1 the householder sent other servants 'more than the first1' and the climax was that he sent his son4 ,mightier forces are brought to bear4 ,this attraction increases as the square of the distance4 ,the blacker the cloud1 the brighter the sun2 the thicker the ice1 the hotter the flame2 the harder the soil1 the stronger the ploughshare4 ,note1 too1 the undertone of sacrifice and of yearning for the son which may be discerned in the 'householder's' words4 ,the son is his 'dearest treasure1' his mightiest gift1 than which is nothing higher4 ,the mission of ,christ is the ultimate appeal of ,god to men4 ,in the primary sense of the parable ,jesus does close the history of the divine strivings with ,israel4 ,after ,christ1 the last of the prophets1 the divine voice ceases2 after the blaze of that light all is dark4 ,there is nothing more remarkable in the whole history of the world than that cessation in an instant1 as it were1 of the long1 august series of divine efforts for ,israel4 ,henceforward there is an awful silence4 ',forsaken ,israel wanders lone4' ,and the principle involved for us is the same4 ',christ crucified' is more than ,christ miracle-working4 ,that 'more' we have1 as the ,jews had4 ,but if that avails not1 then nothing else will4 ,he is 'last' because highest1 strongest1 and all-sufficient4 ,he is 'last' inasmuch as all since are but echoes of ,his voice and proclaimers of ,his grace4 ,he is 'last' as the eternal and the permanent1 the 'same for ever' 7,heb4 xiii4 #h74 ,there are to be no new powers for the world2 no new forces to draw men to ,god4 ,god's quiver is empty1 ,his last bolt shot1 ,his most tender appeal made4 ,,iii4 ,the unwearied divine charity4 ',they will reverence ,my ,son4' ,may we not say this is a divine hope8 ,it is not worth while to make a difficulty of the bold representation4 ,it is but parallel to all the dealings of ,god with men2 and it sets forth the possibility that ,he might have won ,israel back to ,god and to obedience4 ,it suggests the good faith and the earnestness with which ,god sent ,him1 and ,he came1 to bring ,israel back to ,god4 ,but we are not to suppose that this divine hope excluded the divine purpose of ,his death or was inconsistent with that1 for ,he goes on to speak of ,his death as if it were past 7verse #h74 ,this shows how distinctly ,he foreknew it4 ,its highest aspect is not here1 for it was not needed for the parable4 ',with wicked hands ye have crucified1' etc41 is true1 as well as ',i lay it down of ,myself4' ,let us lay to heart the solemn love which warns by prophesying1 tells what men are going to do in order that they may not do it 7and what ,he will do in order that ,he may not have to do it74 ,and let us yield ourselves to the power of ,christ's death as ,god's magnet for drawing us all back to ,him2 and as certain to bring about at last the satisfaction of the ,father's long-frustrated hope3 ',they will reverence my ,son1' and the fulfilment of the ,son's long-unaccomplished prediction3 ',i1 if ,i be lifted up from the earth1 will draw all men unto ,me4' ,,not ,,far ,,and ,,not ,,in ',thou art not far from the kingdom of ,god4'--,mark xii4 #cd1 ',a bruised reed ,he will not break1 and the smoking flax ,he will not quench4' ,here is ,christ's recognition of the low beginnings of goodness and faith4 ,this is a special case of a man who appears to have fully discerned the spirituality and inwardness of law1 and to have felt that the one bond between ,god and man was love4 ,he needed only to have followed out the former thought to have been smitten by the conviction of his own sinfulness1 and to have reflected on the latter to have discovered that he needed some one who could certify and commend ,god's love to him1 and thereby to kindle his to ,god4 ,christ recognises such beginnings and encourages him to persevere3 but warns him against the danger of supposing himself in the kingdom1 and against the prolongation of what is only good as a transition state4 ,this ,scribe is an interesting study as being one who recognised the ,law in its spiritual meaning1 in opposition to forms and ceremonies4 ,his intellectual convictions needed to be led on from recognition of the spirituality of the ,law to recognition of his own failures4 ',by law is the knowledge of sin4' ,his intellectual convictions needed to pass over into and influence his heart and life4 ,he recognised true piety1 and was earnestly striving after it1 but entrance into the kingdom is by faith in the ,saviour1 who is 'the ,way4' ,so ,jesus' praise of him is but measured4 ,for in him there was separation between knowing and doing4 ,i4 ,who are near8 ,christ's kingdom is near us all1 whether we are heathen1 infidel1 profligate or not4 ,here is a distinct recognition of two things--7a7 ,degrees of approximation2 7b7 decisive separation between those who are1 and those who are not1 within the kingdom4 ,this ,scribe was near1 and yet not in1 the kingdom1 because1 like so many in all ages1 he had an intellectual hold of principles which he had never followed out to their intellectual issues1 nor ever enthroned as1 in their practical issues1 the guides of his life4 ,how constantly we find characters of similar incompleteness among ourselves6 ,how many of us have true thoughts concerning ,god's law and what it requires1 which ought1 in all reason1 to have brought us to the consciousness of our own sin1 and are yet untouched by one pang of penitence6 ,how many of us have lying in our heads1 like disused furniture in a lumber-room1 what we suppose to be beliefs of ours1 which only need to be followed out to their necessary results to refurnish with a new equipment the whole of our religious thinking6 ,how few of us do really take pains to bring our beliefs into clear sunlight1 and to follow them wherever they lead us6 ,there is no commoner fault1 and no greater foe1 than the hazy1 lazy half-belief1 of which its owner neither knows the grounds nor perceives the intellectual or the practical issues4 ,there are multitudes who have1 or have had1 convictions of which the only rational outcome is practical surrender to ,jesus ,christ by faith and love4 ,such persons abound in ,christian congregations and in ,christian homes4 ,they are on the verge of 'the great surrender1' but they do not go beyond the verge1 and so they perpetrate 'the great refusal4' ,and to all such the word of our text should sound as a warning note1 which has also hope in its bone4 ',not far from' is still 'outside4' ,,ii4 ,why they are only near4 ,the reason is not because of anything apart from themselves4 ,the ,christian gospel offers immediate entrance into the ,kingdom1 and all the gifts which its ,king can bestow1 to all and every one who will4 ,so that the sole cause of any man's non-entrance lies with himself4 ,we have spoken of failure to follow out truths partially grasped1 and that constitutes a reason which affects the intellect mainly1 and plays its part in keeping men out of the ,kingdom4 ,but there are other1 perhaps more common1 reasons1 which intervene to prevent convictions being followed out into their properly consequent acts4 ,the two most familiar and fatal of these are3-- 7a7 ,procrastination4 7b7 ,lingering love of the world4 ,,iii4 ,such men cannot continue near4 ,the state is necessarily transitional4 ,it must pass over into--7a7 ,either going on and into the ,kingdom1 or 7b7 going further away from it4 ,christ warns here1 and would stimulate to action1 for--7a7 ,convictions not acted on die2 7b7 truths not followed out fade2 7c7 impressions resisted are harder to be made again2 7d7 obstacles increase with time2 7e7 the habit of lingering becomes strengthened4 ,,iv4 ,unless you are in1 you are finally shut out4 ',city of refuge4' ,it was of no avail to have been near4 ',strive to enter in4' ,appeal to all such as are in this transition stage4 ,,the ,,credulity ,,of ,,unbelief ',many shall come in ,my name1 saying1 ,i am ,christ1 and shall deceive many4'--,mark xiii4 #f4 ',when the ,son of ,man cometh1 shall ,he find faith on the earth8'--,luke xviii4 #h4 ,it was the same generation that is represented in these two texts as void of faith in the ,son of ,man1 and as credulously giving heed to impostors4 ,unbelief and superstition are closely allied4 ,religion is so vital a necessity1 that if the true form of it be cast aside1 some false form will be eagerly seized in order to fill the aching void4 ,men cannot permanently live without some sort of a faith in the ,unseen1 but they can determine whether it shall be a worthy recognition of a worthy conception of that ,unseen1 or a debasing superstition4 ,an epoch of materialism in philosophic thought has always been followed by violent reaction1 in which quacks and fanatics have reaped rich harvests4 ,if the dark is not peopled with one loved ,face1 our busy imagination will fill it with a crowd of horrible ones4 ,just as a sailor1 looking out into the night over a solitary1 islandless sea1 sees shapes2 intolerant of the islandless expanse1 makes land out of fogbanks2 and1 sick of silence1 hears 'airy tongues' in the moanings of the wind and the slow roll of the waves1 so men shudderingly look into the dark unknown1 and if they see not their ,father there1 will either shut their eyes or strain them in gazing it into shape4 ,the sight of ,him is religion1 the closed eye is infidelity1 the strained gaze is superstition4 ,the second and the third are each so unsatisfying that they perpetually pass over into one another and destroy one another1 as when ,i shut my eyes1 ,i see slowly shaping itself a coloured image of my eye1 which soon flickers and fluctuates into black nothingness again1 and then rises once more1 once more to fade4 ,men1 if they believe not in ,god1 then do service to 'them which by nature are no gods4' ,but let us come to more immediately ,christian thoughts4 ,christ does what men so urgently require to be done1 that if they do not believe in ,him they will be forced to shape out for themselves some fancied ways of doing it4 ,the emotions which men cherish towards ,him so irrepressibly need an object to rest on1 that if not ,he1 then some far less worthy one1 will be chosen to receive them4 ,it is just to the illustration of these thoughts that ,i seek to turn now1 and in such alternatives as these-- ,i4 ,reception of ,christ as the ,revealer is the only escape from unmanly submission to unworthy pretenders4 ,that function is one which the instincts of men teach them that they need4 ,christ comes to satisfy the need as the visible true embodiment of the ,father's love1 of the ,father's wisdom4 ,if ,he be rejected--what then8 ,why1 not that the men who reject will contentedly continue in darkness--that is never possible2 but that some manner or other of satisfying the clamant need will be had recourse to1 and then that to it will be transferred the submission and credence that should have been ,his4 ,if we have ,him for our ,teacher and ,guide1 then all other teachers and guides will take their right places4 ,we shall not angrily repel their power1 nor talk loudly about 'the right of private judgment1' and our independence of all men's thoughts4 ,we are not so independent4 ,we shall thankfully accept all help from all men wiser1 better1 more manly than ourselves1 whether they give us uttered words of wisdom and beauty1 having 'grace poured into their lips1' or whether they give us lives ennobled by strenuous effort1 or whether they give us greater treasure than all these--the sight once more of a loving heart4 ,all is good1 all is helpful1 all we shall receive2 but in proportion to the felt obligations we are laid under to them will be the felt authority of that saying1 ',call no man your master on earth1 for ,one is your ,master1 even ,christ4' ,that command forbids our slavishly accepting any human domination over our faith1 but it no less emphatically forbids our contemptuously rejecting any human helper of our joy1 for it closes with 'and all ye are brethren'--bound then to mutual observance1 mutual helpfulness1 mutual respect for each other's individuality1 mutual avoidance of needless division4 ,to have ,him for his ,guide makes the human guide gentle and tender among his disciples 'as a nurse among her children1' for he remembers 'the gentleness of ,christ1' and he dare not be other than an imitator of ,him4 ,a ,christian teacher's spirit will always be1 'not for that we have dominion over your faith1 but we are helpers of your joy'2 his most earnest word1 ',i beseech you1 therefore1 brethren'2 his constant desire1 ',he must increase4 ,i must decrease4' ,and to have ,christ for our ,guide makes the taught lovingly submissive to all who by largeness of gifts and graces are set by ,him above them1 and yet lovingly recalcitrant at any attempt to compel adhesion or force dogmas4 ,the one freedom from undue dependence on men and men's opinions lies in this submission to ,jesus4 ,then we can say1 when need is1 ',i have a ,master4 ,to ,him ,i submit2 if you seek to be master1 ,i demur3 of them who seemed to be somewhat1 whatsoever they were1 it maketh no matter to me4' ,but the greatest danger is not that our guides shall insist on our submission1 but that we shall insist on giving it4 ,it is for all of us such a burden to have the management of our own fate1 the forming of our own opinions1 the fearful responsibility of our own destiny1 that we are all only too ready to say to some man or other1 from love or from laziness1 ',where thou goest1 ,i will go2 thy people shall be my people1 and thy ,god my ,god4' ,few things are more strange and tragic than the eagerness with which people who are a great deal too enlightened to render allegiance to ,jesus ,christ will install some teacher of their own choosing as their authoritative master1 will swallow his dicta1 swear by him1 and glory in being called by his name4 ,what they think it derogatory to their mental independence to give to the ,teacher of ,nazareth1 they freely give to their chosen oracle4 ,it is not in 'the last times' only that men who will not endure sound teaching 'heap to themselves teachers after their own lusts1' and have 'the ears' which are fast closed to 'the ,truth' wide open 'to fables4' ,on the small scale we see this melancholy perversity of conduct exemplified in every little coterie and school of unbelievers4 ,on the great scale ,mohammedanism and ,buddhism1 with their millions of adherents1 write the same tragic truth large in the history of the world4 ,,ii4 ,faith in the reconciling ,christ is the only sure deliverance from debasing reliance on false means of reconciliation4 ,in a very profound sense ignorance and sin are the same fact regarded under two different aspects4 ,and in the depths of their natures men have the longing for some ,power who shall put away sin1 as they have the longing for one that will dispel ignorance4 ,the consciousness of alienation from ,god lies in the human heart1 dormant indeed for the most part1 but like a coiled1 hibernating snake1 ready to wake and strike its poison into the veins4 ,christ by ,his great work1 and specially by ,his sacrificial death1 meets that universal need4 ,but closely as ,his work fits men's needs1 it sharply opposes some of their wishes1 and of their interpretations of their needs4 ,the ,jew 'demands a sign1' the ,greek craves a reasoned system of 'wisdom1' and both concur in finding the ,cross an 'offence4' ,but the rejection of ,jesus as the ,reconciler does not quiet the cravings1 which make themselves heard at some time or other in most consciences1 for deliverance from the dominion and from the guilt of sin4 ,and men are driven to adopt other expedients to fill up the void which their turning away from ,jesus has left4 ,sometimes they fall back on a vague reliance on a vague assertion that ',god is merciful'2 sometimes they reason themselves into a belief--or1 at any rate1 an assertion--that the conception of sin is an error1 and that men are not guilty4 ,sometimes they manage to silence the inward voice that accuses and condemns1 by dint of not listening to it or drowning it by other noises4 ,but these expedients fail them some time or other1 and then1 if they have not cast the burden of their sin and their sins on the great ,reconciler1 they either have to weary themselves with painful and vain efforts to be their own redeemers1 or they fall under the domination of a priest4 ,hence the hideous penances of heathenism2 and hence1 too1 the power of sacramentarian and sacerdotal perversions of evangelical truth4 ,,iii4 ,faith in ,christ as the ,regenerator is the only deliverance from baseless hopes for the world4 ,the world is today full of moaning voices crying1 ',art thou ,he that should come1 or do we look for another8' and it is full of confident voices proclaiming other means of its regeneration than letting ,christ 'make all things new4' ,the conviction that society needs to be reconstituted on other principles is spread everywhere1 and is often associated with intense disbelief in ,christ the ,regenerator4 ,has not the past proved that all schemes for the regeneration of society which do not grapple with the fact of sin1 and which do not provide a means of infusing into human nature a new impulse and direction1 will end in failure1 and are only too likely to end in blood8 ,these two requirements are met by ,jesus1 and by ,him only1 and whoever rejects ,him and ,his gift of pardon and cleansing1 and ,his inbreathing of a new life into the individual1 will fail in his effort1 however earnest and noble in many aspects1 to redeem society and bring about a fair new world4 ,it is pitiable to see the waste of high aspiration and eager effort in so many quarters today4 ,but that waste is sure to attend every scheme which does not start from the recognition of ,christ's work as the basis of the world's transformation1 and does not crown ,him as the ,king1 because ,he is the ,saviour1 of mankind4 ,,authority ,,and ,,work ',for the ,son of ,man is as a man taking a far journey1 who left his house1 and gave authority to his servants1 and to every man his work1 and commanded the porter to watch4'--,mark xiii4 #cd4 ,church order is not directly touched on in the ,gospels1 but the principles which underlie all ,church order are distinctly laid down4 ,the whole community of ,christian people is a family or household1 being brethren because possessors of a new life through ,christ4 ,in that household there is one ',master1' and all its members are 'servants4' ,that name suggests the purpose for which they exist2 the meaning of all their offices1 dignities1 etc4 ,i4 ,the authority with which the servants are invested4 ,we hear a great deal about the authority of the ,church in these days1 as a determiner of truth and as a prescriber of ,christian action4 ,it means generally official authority1 the power of guidance and definition of the ,church's action1 etc41 which some people think is lodged in the hands of preachers1 pastors1 priests1 either individually or collectively4 ,there is nothing of that sort meant here4 ,whatever this authority is1 it belongs to the whole body of the servants1 not to individuals among them4 ,it is the prerogative of the whole ecclesia1 not of some handful of them4 ',this honour1' whatever it be1 'have all the saints4' ,explain by reference to 'the kings of the earth exercise lordship over them'2 'the greatest shall be your servant4' ,it is then but another name for capacity for service1 power to bless1 etc4 ,and this idea is still further borne out if we go back to the parable of our text4 ,a man leaves his house in charge of his servants4 ,to them is committed the responsibility for his goods4 ,his honour and interests are in their hands4 ,they have control over his possessions4 ,this is the analogy which our ,lord suggests as presenting a vivid likeness to our position in the world4 ,christ has committed the care of ,his kingdom1 the glory of ,his name1 the growth of ,his cause in the world to ,his ,church1 and has endowed it with all 'talents1' i4e4 gifts needful for that work4 ,or1 to put it in other words1 they are ,his representatives in the world4 ,they have to defend ,his honour4 ,his name is scandalised or glorified by their actions4 ,they have to see to ,his interests4 ,they are charged with the carrying out of ,his mind and purposes4 ,the foundation of all is laid4 ,henceforth building on it is all1 and that is to be done by men4 ,human lips and ,christian effort--not without the divine ,spirit in the word--are to be the means4 ,it is as when some commander plans his battle1 and from an eminence overlooks the current of the fight1 and marks the plunging legions as they struggle through the smoke4 ,he holds all the tremendous machinery in his hands4 ,the plan and the glory are his1 but the execution of the plan lies with the troops4 ,in a still more true sense all the glory of the ,christian conquest of the world is ,his1 but still the instruments are ourselves4 ,the whole counsel of ,god is on our side4 ,we 'go not a warfare at our own charges4' ,note the perfect consistency of this with all that we hold of the necessity of divine influence1 etc4 ,his servants are intrusted with all ,his 'goods4' ,they have authority over the gifts which ,he has given them1 i4e4 ,christian men are stewards of ,christ's riches for others4 ,they have access to the free use of them all for themselves4 ,thus the 'authority' is all derived4 ,it is all given for the sake of others4 ,it is all capacity for service4 ,hence-- ,,ii4 ,the authority with which the servants are invested binds every one of them to hard work for ,christ4 ',to every man his work' 7#a7 ,gifts involve duties4 ,that is the first great thought4 ,to have received binds us to impart4 ',freely ye have received1 freely give4' ,all selfish possession of the gifts which ,christ bestows is grave sin4 ,the price at which they were procured1 that miracle and mystery of self-sacrifice1 is the great pattern as well as the great motive for our service4 ,the purpose for which we have received them is plainly set forth3 in the existence of the solidarity in which we are all bound2 in the definite utterances of ,scripture4 ,the need for their exercise is only too palpable in the condition of things around us4 7#b7 ,in this multitude of servants every one has his own task4 ,the universality of the great gift leads to a corresponding universality of obligation4 ,all ,christians have their gifts4 ,each of us has his special work marked out for him by character1 relationships1 circumstances1 natural tastes1 etc4 ,how solemn a divine call there is in these individual peculiarities which we so often think of as unimportant accidents1 or regard mainly in their bearing on our own ease and comfort6 ,how reverently we should regard the diversities which are thus revelations of ,god's will concerning our tasks6 ,how earnestly we should seek to know what it is that we are fitted for6 ,the importance of all protests against priestly assumption lies here1 that they strengthen the force with which we proclaim that every man has his 'work4' ,ponder the variety of characters and gifts which ,christ gives and desires ,his servants to use1 and the indispensable need for them all4 ,the ideal ,church is the 'body' of ,christ1 in which each member has its place and function4 ,our fault in this matter4 7#c7 ,the duties are to be done in the spirit of hard toil4 ,the servant has 'his work' allotted him1 and the word implies that the work calls for effort4 ,the race is not to be run without dust and sweat4 ,our ,christian service is not to be regarded as a 'bye-product' or parergon4 ,it is1 so to speak1 a vocation1 not an avocation4 ,it deserves and demands all the energy that we can put forth1 continuity and constancy1 plan and system4 ,nothing is to be done for ,god1 any more than for ourselves1 without toil4 ',in the sweat of thy brow shalt thou eat bread and give it to others4' ,,iii1 ,to do this work1 watchfulness is needed4 ,the division of tasks between 'servant' and 'porter' is only part of the drapery of the parable4 ,to show that watchfulness belongs to all1 see the two following verses4 ,what is this watchfulness8 ,not constant fidgety curiosity about the coming of the ,lord2 not hunting after apocalyptic dates4 ,the modern impression seems to be that such study is 'watchfulness4' ,christ says that the time of ,his coming is hidden 7see previous verses74 ,ignorance of that is the very reason why we are to watch4 ,watchfulness1 then1 is just a profound and constant feeling of the transiency of this present4 ,the mind is to be kept detached from it2 the eye and heart are to be going out to things 'unseen and eternal'2 we are to be familiarising ourselves with the thought that the world is passing away4 ,this watchfulness is an indispensable part of our 'work4' ,the true ,christian thought of the transiency of the world sets us to work the more vigorously in it1 and increases1 not diminishes1 our sense of the importance of time and of earthly things1 and braces us to our tasks by the thought of the brevity of opportunity1 as well as by guarding us against tastes and habits which eat all earnestness out of the soul4 ,thus 'working and watching1' happy will be the servant whom his ,lord will find 'so doing1' i4e4 at work1 not idly looking for ,him4 ,our common duties are the best preparation for our ,lord's coming4 ,,the ,,alabaster ,,box ',and ,jesus said1 ,let her alone2 why trouble ye her8 she hath wrought a good work on ,me4444 #h4 ,she hath done what she could3 she is come aforehand to anoint ,my body to the burying4 #i4 ,verily ,i say unto you4 ,wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world1 this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her4'--,mark xiv4 #f-i4 ,john's ,gospel sets this incident in its due framework of time and place1 and tells us the names of the actors4 ,the time was within a week of ,calvary1 the place was ,bethany1 where1 as ,john significantly reminds us1 ,jesus had raised ,lazarus from the dead1 thereby connecting the feast with that incident2 the woman who broke the box of ointment and poured the perfume on the head and feet of ,jesus was ,mary2 the first critic of her action was ,judas4 ,selfishness blames love for the profusion and prodigality1 which to it seem folly and waste4 ,the disciples chimed in with the objection1 not because they were superior to ,mary in wisdom1 but because they were inferior in consecration4 ,john tells us1 too1 that ,martha was 'amongst them that served4' ,the characteristics of the two sisters are preserved4 ,the two types of character which they respectively represent have great difficulty in understanding and doing justice to one another4 ,christ understands and does justice to them both4 ,martha1 bustling1 practical1 utilitarian to the finger-tips1 does not much care about listening to ,christ's words of wisdom4 ,she has not any very high-strung or finely-spun emotions1 but she can busy herself in getting a meal ready2 she loves ,him with all her heart1 and she takes her own way of showing it4 ,but she gets impatient with her sister1 and thinks that her sitting at ,christ's feet is a dreamy waste of time1 and not without a touch of selfishness1 'taking no care for me1 though ,i have got so much on my back4' ,and so1 in like manner1 ,mary is made out to be a monster of selfishness2 ',why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence1 and given to the poor8' ,she could not serve1 she would only have been in ,martha's road if she had tried4 ,but she had one precious thing which was her very own1 and she caught it up1 and in the irrepressible burst of her thankful love1 as she saw ,lazarus sitting there at the table beside ,jesus1 she poured the liquid perfume on ,his head and feet4 ,he casts ,his shield over the poor1 unpractical woman1 who did such an utterly useless thing1 for which a basin of water and a towel would have served far better4 ,there are a great many useless things which1 in ,heaven's estimate1 are more valuable than a great many apparently more practical ones4 ,christ accepts the service1 and in ,his deep words lays down three or four principles which it would do us all good to carry with us into our daily lives4 ,so ,i shall now try to gather from these utterances of our ,lord's some great truths about ,christian service4 ,i4 ,the first of them is the motive which hallows everything4 ',she hath wrought a good work on ,me4' ,now that is pretty nearly a definition of what a good work is1 and you see it is very unlike our conventional notions of what constitutes a 'good work4' ,christ implies that anything1 no matter what are its other characteristics1 that is 'on' ,him1 that is to say1 directed towards ,him under the impulse of simple love to ,him1 is a 'good work'2 and the converse follows1 that nothing which has not that saving salt of reference to ,him in it deserves the title4 ,did you ever think of what an extraordinary position that is for a man to take up8 ',think about ,me in what you do1 and you will do good4 ,do anything1 no matter what1 because you love ,me1 and it will be lifted up into high regions1 and become transfigured2 a good work4' ,he took the best that any one could give ,him1 whether it was of outward possessions or of inward reverence1 abject submission1 and love and trust4 ,he never said to any man1 ',you are going over the score4 ,you are exaggerating about ,me4 ,stand up1 for ,i also am a ,man4' ,he did say once1 ',why callest thou ,me good8' not because it was an incorrect attribution1 but because it was a mere piece of conventional politeness4 ,and in all other cases1 not only does ,he accept as ,his rightful possession the utmost of reverence that any man can do ,him1 and bring ,him1 but ,he here implies1 if ,he does not1 as ,he almost does1 specifically declare1 that to be done for ,his sake lifts a deed into the region of 'good' works4 ,have you reflected what such an attitude implies as to the self-consciousness of the ,man who took it1 and whether it is intelligible1 not to say admirable1 or rather whether it is not worthy of reprobation1 except upon one hypothesis--',thou art the everlasting ,son of the ,father1' and all men honour ,god when they honour the ,incarnate ,word8 ,but that is aside from my present purpose4 ,is not this conception1 that the motive of reverence and love to ,him ennobles and sanctifies every deed1 the very fundamental principle of ,christian morality8 ,all things are sanctified when they are done for ,his sake4 ,you plunge a poor pebble into a brook1 and as the sunlit ripples pass over its surface1 the hidden veins of delicate colour come out and glow1 and the poor stone looks a jewel1 and is magnified as well as glorified by being immersed in the stream4 ,plunge your work into ,christ1 and do it for ,him1 and the giver and the gift will be greatened and sanctified4 ,but1 brethren1 if we take this point of view1 and look to the motive1 and not to the manner or the issues1 or the immediate objects1 of our actions1 as determining whether they are good or no1 it will revolutionise a great many of our thoughts1 and bring new ideas into much of our conventional language4 ',a good work' is not a piece of beneficence or benevolence1 still less is it to be confined to those actions which conventional ,christianity has chosen to dignify by the name4 ,it is a designation that should not be clotted into certain specified corners of a life1 but be extended over them all4 ,the things which more specifically go under such a name1 the kind of things that ,judas wanted to have substituted for the utterly useless1 lavish expenditure by this heart that was burdened with the weight of its own blessedness1 come1 or do not come1 under the designation1 according as there is present in them1 not only natural charity to the poor whom 'ye have always with you1' but the higher reference of them to ,christ ,himself4 ,all these lower forms of beneficence are imperfect without that4 ,and instead of1 as we have been taught by authoritative voices of late years1 the service of man being the true service of ,god1 the relation of the two terms is precisely the opposite1 and it is the service of ,god that will effloresce into all service of man4 ,judas did not do much for the poor1 and a great many other people who are sarcastic upon the 'folly1' the 'uncalculating impulses' of ,christian love1 with its 'wasteful expenditure1' and criticise us because we are spending time and energy and love upon objects which they think are moonshine and mist1 do little more than he did1 and what beneficence they do exercise has to be hallowed by this reference to ,jesus before it can aspire to be beneficence indeed4 ,i sometimes wish that this generation of ,christian people1 amid its multifarious schemes of beneficence1 with none of which would one interfere for a moment1 would sometimes let itself go into manifestations of its love to ,jesus ,christ1 which had no use at all except to relieve its own burdened heart4 ,i am afraid that the lower motives1 which are all right and legitimate when they are lower1 are largely hustling the higher ones into the background1 and that the river has got so many ponds to fill1 and so many canals to trickle through1 and so many plantations to irrigate and make verdant1 that there is a danger of its falling low at its fountain1 and running shallow in its course4 ,one sometimes would like to see more things done for ,him that the world would call 'utter folly1' and 'prodigal waste1' and 'absolutely useless4' ,jesus ,christ has a great many strange things in ,his treasure-house--widows' mites1 cups of water1 ,mary's broken vase--has ,he anything of yours8 ',she hath wrought a good work on ,me4' ,,ii4 ,now1 there is another lesson that ,i would gather from our ,lord's apologising for ,mary1 and that is the measure and the manner of ,christian service4 ',she hath done what she could'2 that is generally read as if it were an excuse4 ,so it is1 or at least it is a vindication of the manner and the direction of ,mary's expression of love and devotion4 ,but whilst it is an apologia for the form1 it is a high demand in regard to the measure4 ',she hath done what she could4' ,christ would not have said that if she had taken a niggardly spoonful out of the box of ointment1 and dribbled that1 in slow and half-grudging drops1 on ,his head and feet4 ,it was because it all went that it was to ,him thus admirable4 ,i think it is ,john ,foster who says1 ',power to its last particle is duty4' ,the question is not how much have ,i done1 or given1 but could ,i have done or given more8 ,we ,protestants have indulgences of our own2 the guinea or the hundred guineas that we give in a certain direction1 we some of us seem to think1 buy for us the right to do as we will with all the rest4 ,but 'she hath done what she could4' ,it all went4 ,and that is the law for us ,christian people1 because the ,christian life is to be ruled by the great law of self-sacrifice1 as the only adequate expression of our recognition of1 and our being affected by1 the great ,sacrifice that gave ,himself for us4 ',give all thou canst6 ,high ,heaven rejects the lore ,of nicely calculated less or more4' ,but whilst thus there is here a definite demand for the entire surrender of ourselves and our activities to ,jesus ,christ1 there is also the wonderful vindication of the idiosyncrasy of the worker1 and the special manner of her gift4 ,it was not ,mary's mtier to serve at the table1 nor to do any practical thing4 ,she did not know what there was for her to do2 but something she must do4 ,so she caught up her alabaster box1 and without questioning herself about the act1 let her heart have its way1 and poured it out on ,christ4 ,it was the only thing she could do1 and she did it4 ,it was a very useless thing4 ,it was an entirely unnecessary expenditure of the perfume4 ,there might have been a great many practical purposes found for it1 but it was her way4 ,christ says to each of us1 ,be yourselves1 take circumstances1 capacities1 opportunities1 individual character1 as laying down the lines along which yon have to travel4 ,do not imitate other people4 ,do not envy other people2 be yourselves1 and let your love take its natural expression1 whatever folk round you may snarl and sneer and carp and criticise4 ',she hath done what she could1' and so ,he accepts the gift4 ,engineers tell us that the steam-engine is a very wasteful machine1 because so little of the energy is brought into actual operation4 ,i am afraid that there are a great many of us ,christian people like that1 getting so much capacity1 and turning out so little work4 ,and there are a great many more of us who simply pick up the kind of work that is popular round us1 and never consult our own bent1 nor follow this humbly and bravely1 wherever it will take us4 ',she hath done what she could4' ,,iii4 ,and now the last thought that ,i would gather from these words is as to the significance and the perpetuity of the work which ,christ accepts4 ',she hath come beforehand to anoint ,my body to the burying4' ,i do not suppose that such a thought was in ,mary's mind when she snatched up her box of ointment1 and poured it out on ,christ's head4 ,but it was a meaning that ,he1 in ,his tender pity and wise love and foresight1 put into it1 pathetically indicating1 too1 how the near ,cross was filling ,his thought1 even whilst ,he sat at the humble rustic feast in ,bethany village4 ,he puts meaning into the service of love which ,he accepts4 ,yes1 ,he always does4 ,for all the little bits of service that we can bring get worked up into the great whole1 the issues of which lie far beyond anything that we conceive1 ',thou sowest not that body that shall be1 but bare grain 444 and ,god giveth it a body as it hath pleased ,him4' ,we cast the seed into the furrows4 ,who can tell what the harvest is going to be8 ,we know nothing about the great issues that may suddenly1 or gradually1 burst from1 or be evolved out of1 the small deeds that we do4 ,so1 then1 let us take care of the end1 so to speak1 which is under our control1 and that is the motive4 ,and ,jesus ,christ will take care of the other end that is beyond our control1 and that is the issue4 ,he will bring forth what seemeth to ,him good1 and we shall be as much astonished 'when we get yonder' at what has come out of what we did here1 as poor ,mary1 standing there behind ,him1 was when ,he translated her act into so much higher a meaning than she had seen in it4 ',lord6 when saw we ,thee hungry and fed ,thee8' ,we do not know what we are doing4 ,we are like the ,hindoo weavers that are said to weave their finest webs in dark rooms2 and when the shutters come down1 and not till then1 shall we find out the meanings of our service of love4 ,christ makes the work perpetual as well as significant by declaring that 'in the whole world this shall be preached for a memorial of her4' ,have not 'the poor' got far more good out of ,mary's box of ointment than the three hundred pence that a few of them lost by it8 ,has it not been an inspiration to the ,church ever since8 ',the house was filled with the odour of the ointment4' ,the fragrance was soon dissipated in the scentless air1 but the deed smells sweet and blossoms for ever4 ,it is perpetual in its record1 perpetual in ,god's remembrance1 perpetual in its results to the doer1 and in its results in the world1 though these may be indistinguishable1 just as the brook is lost in the river and the river in the sea4 ,but did you ever notice that the ,evangelist who records the promise of perpetual remembrance of the act does not tell us who did it1 and that the ,evangelists who tell us who did it do not record the promise of perpetual remembrance8 ,never mind whether your deed is labelled with your address or not1 ,god knows to whom it belongs1 and that is enough4 ,as ,paul says in one of his letters1 'other my fellow-labourers also1 whose names are in the ,book of ,life4' ,apparently he had forgotten the names1 or perhaps did not think it needful to occupy space in his letter with detailing them1 and so makes that graceful1 half-apologetic suggestion that they are inscribed on a more august page4 ,the work and the worker are associated in that ,book1 and that is enough4 ,brethren1 the question of ,judas is far more fitting when asked of other people than of ,christians4 ',to what purpose is this waste8' may well be said to those of you who are taking mind1 and heart1 and will1 capacity1 and energy1 and all life1 and using it for lower purposes than the service of ,god1 and the manifestation of loving obedience to ,jesus ,christ4 ',why do ye spend money for that which is not bread8' ,is it not waste to buy disappointments at the price of a soul and of a life8 ,why do ye spend that money thus8 ',whose image and superscription hath it8' ,whose name is stamped upon our spirits8 ,to whom should they be rendered8 ,better for us to ask ourselves the question to-day about all the godless parts of our lives1 ',to what purpose is this waste8' than to have to ask it yonder6 ,everything but giving our whole selves to ,jesus ,christ is waste4 ,it is not waste to lay ourselves and our possessions at ,his feet4 ',he that loveth his life shall lose it1 and he that loseth his life for ,my sake1 the same shall find it4' ,a ,,secret ,,rendezvous ',and the first day of unleavened bread1 when they killed the pastorer1 ,his disciples said unto ,him1 ,where wilt ,thou that we go and prepare that ,thou mayest eat the passover8 #ac4 ,and ,he sendeth forth two of ,his disciples1 and saith unto them1 ,go ye into the city1 and there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water3 follow him4 #ad4 ,and wheresoever he shall go in1 say ye to the goodman of the house1 ,the ,master saith1 ,where is the guestchamber1 where ,i shall eat the passover with ,my disciples8 #ae4 ,and he will show you a large upper room furnished and prepared3 there make ready for us4 #af4 ,and ,his disciples went forth1 and came into the city1 and found as ,he had said unto them3 and they made ready the passover4'--,mark xiv4 #ab-af4 ,this is one of the obscurer and less noticed incidents1 but perhaps it contains more valuable teaching than appears at first sight4 ,the first question is--,miracle or ,plan8 ,does the incident mean supernatural knowledge or a preconcerted token1 like the provision of the ass at the entry into ,jerusalem8 ,i think that there is nothing decisive either way in the narrative4 ,perhaps the balance of probability lies in favour of the latter theory4 ,a difficulty in its way is that no communication seems to pass between the two disciples and the man by which he could know them to be the persons whom he was to precede to the house4 ,there are advantages in either theory which the other loses2 but1 on the whole1 ,i incline to believe in a preconcerted signal4 ,if we lose the supernatural1 we gain a suggestion of prudence and human adaptation of means to ends which makes the story even more startlingly real to us4 ,but whichever theory we adopt1 the main points and lessons of the narrative remain the same4 ,i4 ,the remarkable thing in the story is the picture it gives us of ,christ as elaborately adopting precautions to conceal the place4 ,they are at ,bethany4 ,the disciples ask where the passover is to be eaten4 ,the easy answer would have been to tell the name of the man and his house4 ,that is not given4 ,the deliberate round-aboutness of the answer remains the same whether miracle or plan4 ,the two go away1 and the others know nothing of the place4 ,probably the messengers did not come back1 but in the evening ,jesus and the ten go straight to the house which only ,he knew4 ,all this secrecy is in strong contrast with ,his usual frank and open appearances4 ,what is the reason8 ,to baffle the traitor by preventing him from acquiring previous knowledge of the place4 ,he was watching for some quiet hour in ,jerusalem to take ,jesus4 ,so ,christ does not eat the passover at the house of any well-known disciple who had a house in ,jerusalem1 but goes to some man unknown to the ,apostolic circle1 and takes steps to prevent the place being known beforehand4 ,all this looks like the ordinary precautions which a man who knew of the plots against him would take1 and might mean simply a wish to save his life4 ,but is that the whole explanation8 ,why did ,he wish to baffle the traitor8 7a7 ,because of ,his desire to eat the passover with the disciples4 ,his loving sympathy4 7b7 ,because of ,his desire to found the new rite of ,his kingdom4 7c7 ,because of ,his desire to bring ,his death into immediate connection with the ,paschal sacrifice4 ,there was no reason of a selfish kind1 no shrinking from death itself4 ,the fact that such precautions only meet us here1 and that they stand in strongest contrast with the rest of ,his conduct1 emphasises the purely voluntary nature of ,his death3 how ,he chose to be betrayed1 taken1 and to die4 ,they suggest the same thought as do the staggering back of ,his would-be captors in ,gethsemane1 at ,his majestic word1 ',i am ,he4444 ,let these go their way4' ,the narrative sets ,him forth as the ,lord of all circumstances1 as free1 and arranging all events4 ,judas1 the priests1 ,pilate1 the soldiers1 were swept by a power which they did not know to deeds which they did not understand4 ,the ,lord of all gives ,himself up in royal freedom to the death to which nothing dragged ,him but ,his own love4 ,such seem to be the lessons of this narrative in so far as it bears on our ,lord's own thoughts and feelings4 ,,ii4 ,we note also the authoritative claim which ,he makes4 ,one reading is 'my guest-chamber1' and that makes ,his claim even more emphatic2 but apart from that1 the language is strong in its expression of a right to this unknown man's 'upper room4' ,mark the singular blending here1 as in all ,his earthly life1 of poverty and dignity--the lowliness of being obliged to a man for a room2 the royal style1 ',the ,master saith4' ,so even now there is the blending of the wonderful fact that ,he puts ,himself in the position of needing anything from us1 with the absolute authority which ,he claims over us and ours4 ,,iii4 ,the answer and blessedness of the unknown disciple4 7a7 ,jesus knows disciples whom the other disciples know not4 ,this man was one of the of 'secret' disciples4 ,there is no excuse for shrinking from confession of ,his name2 but it is blessed to believe that ,his eye sees many a 'hidden one4' ,he recognises their faith1 and gives them work to do4 ,add the striking thought that though this man's name is unrecorded by the ,evangelist1 it is known to ,christ1 was written in ,his heart1 and1 to use the prophetic image1 'was graven on the palms of ,his hands4' 7b7 ,the true blessedness is to be ready for whatever calls ,he may make on us4 ,these may sometimes be sudden and unlooked for4 ,but the preparation for obeying the most sudden or exacting summons of ,his is to have our hearts in fellowship with ,him4 7c7 ,the blessedness of ,his coming into our hearts1 and accepting our service4 ,how honoured that man felt then6 how much more so as years went on6 how most of all now6 ,our greatest blessedness that ,he does come into the narrow room of our hearts3 ',if any man open the door1 ,i will sup with him4' ,,the ,,new ,,passover ',and the first day of unleavened bread1 when they killed the ,passover1 the disciples said unto ,him1 ,where wilt ,thou that we go and prepare that ,thou mayest eat the ,passover8 #ac4 ,and ,he sendeth forth two of ,his disciples1 and saith unto them1 ,go ye into the city1 and there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water3 follow him4 #ad4 ,and wheresoever he shall go in1 say ye to the goodman of the house1 ,the ,master saith1 ,where is the guestchamber1 where ,i shall eat the ,passover with ,my disciples8 #ae4 ,and he will shew you a large upper room furnished and prepared3 there make ready for us4 #af4 ,and ,his disciples went forth1 and came into the city1 and found as ,he had said unto them3 and they made ready the ,passover4 #ag4 ,and in the evening ,he cometh with the twelve4 #ah4 ,and as they sat and did eat1 ,jesus said1 ,verily ,i say unto you1 ,one of you which eateth with ,me shall betray ,me4 #ai4 ,and they began to be sorrowful1 and to say unto ,him one by one1 ,is it ,i8 and another said1 ,is it ,i8 #bj4 ,and ,he answered and said unto them1 ,it is one of the twelve1 that dippeth with ,me in the dish4 #ba4 ,the ,son of ,man indeed goeth1 as it is written of ,him3 but woe to that man by whom the ,son of ,man is betrayed6 good were it for that man if he had never been born4 #bb4 ,and as they did eat1 ,jesus took bread1 and blessed1 and brake it1 and gave to them1 and said1 ,take1 eat3 this is ,my body4 #bc4 ,and ,he took the cup1 and when ,he had given thanks1 ,he gave it to them3 and they all drank of it4 #bd4 ,and ,he said unto them1 ,this is ,my blood of the new testament1 which is shed for many4 #be4 ,verily ,i say unto you1 ,i will drink no more of the fruit of the vine1 until that day that ,i drink it new in the kingdom of ,god4 #bf4 ,and when they had sung an hymn1 they went out into the mount of ,olives4'--,mark xiv4 #ab-bf4 ,this passage falls into three sections--the secret preparation for the ,passover 7verses #ab-ag71 the sad announcement of the betrayer 7verses #ah-ba71 and the institution of the ,lord's ,supper 7verses #bb-bf74 ,it may be interesting to notice that in the two former of these ,mark's account approximates to ,luke's1 while in the third he is nearer ,matthew's4 ,a comparison of the three accounts1 noting the slight1 but often significant1 variations1 should be made4 ,nothing in the ,gospels is trivial4 ',the dust of that land is gold4' ,i4 ,the secret preparation for the ,passover4 ,the three ,evangelists all give the disciples' question1 but only ,luke tells us that it was in answer to our ,lord's command to ,peter and ,john to go and prepare the ,passover4 ,they very naturally said ',where8' as they were all strangers in ,jerusalem4 ,matthew may not have known of our ,lord's initiative2 but if ,mark were1 as he is1 with apparent correctness1 said to have been1 ,peter's mouthpiece in his ,gospel1 the reticence as to the prominence of that ,apostle is natural1 and explains the omission of all but the bare fact of the despatch of the two4 ,the curiously roundabout way in which they are directed to the 'upper room' is only explicable on the supposition that it was intended to keep them in the dark till the last moment1 so that no hint might leak from them to ,judas4 ,whether the token of the man with the waterpot was a preconcerted signal or an instance of our ,lord's supernatural knowledge and sovereign sway1 his employment as a silent and probably unconscious guide testifies to ,christ's wish for that last hour to be undisturbed4 ,a man carrying a water-pot1 which was woman's special task1 would be a conspicuous figure even in the festival crowds4 ,the message to the householder implies that he recognised 'the ,master' as his ,master1 and was ready to give up at ,his requisition even the chamber which he had prepared for his own family celebration of the feast4 ,thus instructed1 the two trusted ,apostles left ,bethany1 early in the day1 without a clue of their destination reaching ,judas's hungry watchfulness4 ,evidently they did not return1 and in the evening ,jesus led the others straight to the place4 ,mark says that ,he came 'with the twelve'2 but he does not mean thereby to specify the number1 but to define the class1 of ,his attendants4 ,each figure in this preparatory scene yields important lessons4 ,our ,lord's earnest desire to secure that still hour before pushing out into the storm speaks pathetically of ,his felt need of companionship and strengthening1 as well as of ,his self-forgetting purpose to help ,his handful of bewildered followers and ,his human longing to live in faithful memories4 ,his careful arrangements bring vividly into sight the limitations of ,his manhood1 in that ,he1 'by whom all things consist1' had to contrive and plan in order to baffle for a moment ,his pursuers4 ,and1 side by side with the lowliness1 as ever1 is the majesty2 for while ,he stoops to arrange1 ,he sees with superhuman certitude what will happen1 moves unconscious feet with secret and sovereign sway1 and in royal tones claims possession of ,his servant's possessions4 ,the two messengers1 sent out with instructions which would only guide them half-way to their destination1 and obliged1 if they were to move at all1 to trust absolutely to ,his knowledge1 present specimens of the obedience still required4 ,he sends us out still on a road full of sharp turnings round which we cannot see4 ,we get light enough for the first stage2 and when it is traversed1 the second will be plainer4 ,the man with the water-pot reminds us how little we may be aware of the ,hand which guides us1 or of our uses in ,his plans4 ',i girded thee1 though thou hast not known ,me1'--how little the poor water-bearer knew who were following1 or dreamed that he and his load would be remembered for ever6 ,the householder responded at once1 and gladly1 to the authoritative message1 which does not ask a favour1 but demands a right4 ,probably he had intended to celebrate the ,passover with his own family1 in the large chamber on the roof1 with the cool evening air about it1 and the moonlight sleeping around4 ,but he gladly gives it up4 ,are we as ready to surrender our cherished possessions for ,his use8 ,,ii4 ,the sad announcement of the traitor 7verses #ah-ba74 ,as the ,revised ,version indicates more clearly than the ,authorised1 the purport of the announcement was not merely that the betrayer was an ,apostle1 but that he was to be known by his dipping his hand into the common dish at the same moment as our ,lord4 ,the prophetic psalm would have been abundantly fulfilled though ,judas's fingers had never touched ,christ's2 but the minute accomplishment should teach us that ,jewish prophecy was the voice of divine foreknowledge1 and embraced small details as well as large tendencies4 ,many hands dipped with ,christ's1 and so the sign was not unmistakably indicative1 and hence was privately supplemented1 as ,john tells us1 by the giving of 'the sop4' ,the uncertainty as to the indication given by the token is reflected by the reiterated questions of the ,apostles1 which1 in the ,greek1 are cast in a form that anticipates a negative answer3 ',surely not ,i8' ,mark omits the audacious hypocrisy of ,judas's question in the same form1 and ,christ's curt1 sad answer which ,matthew gives4 ,his brief and vivid sketch is meant to fix attention on the unanimous shuddering horror of these faithful hearts at the thought that they could be thus guilty--a horror which was not the child of presumptuous self-confidence1 but of hearty1 honest love4 ,they thought it impossible1 as they felt the throbbing of their own hearts--and yet--and yet--might it not be8 ,as they probed their hearts deeper1 they became dimly aware of dark gulfs of possible unfaithfulness half visible there1 and so betook themselves to their ,master1 and strengthened their loyalty by the question1 which breathed at once detestation of the treason and humble distrust of themselves4 ,it is well to feel and speak the strong recoil from sin of a heart loyal to ,jesus4 ,it is better to recognise the sleeping snakes1 the possibilities of evil in ourselves1 and to take to ,christ our ignorance and self-distrust4 ,it is wiser to cry ',is it ,i8' than to boast1 ',although all shall be offended1 yet will not ,i4' ',hold ,thou me up1 and ,i shall be safe4' ,our ,lord answers the questions by a still more emphatic repetition of the distinctive mark1 and then1 in verse #ba1 speaks deep words of mingled pathos1 dignity1 and submission4 ,the voluntariness of ,his death1 and its uniqueness as ,his own act of return to ,his eternal home1 are contained in that majestic 'goeth1' which asserts the impotence of the betrayer and his employers1 without the ,lord's own consent4 ,on the other hand1 the necessity to which ,he willingly bowed is set forth in that 'as it is written of ,him4' ,and what sadness and lofty consciousness of ,his own sacred personality and judicial authority are blended in the awful sentence on the traitor6 ,what was ,he that treachery to ,him should be a crime so transcendent8 ,what right had ,he thus calmly to pronounce condemnation8 ,did ,he see into the future8 ,is it the voice of a ,divine ,judge1 or of a man judging in his own cause1 which speaks this passionless sentence8 ,surely none of ,his sayings are more fully charged with ,his claims to pre-existence1 divinity1 and judicial authority1 than this which ,he spoke at the very moment when the traitor's plot was on the verge of success4 ,,iii4 ,the institution of the ,lord's ,supper 7verses #bb-bf74 ,mark's account is the briefest of the three1 and his version of ,christ's words the most compressed4 ,it omits the affecting ',do this for remembering ,me1' which is pre-supposed by the very act of instituting the ordinance1 since it is nothing if not memorial2 and it makes prominent two things--the significance of the elements1 and the command to partake of them4 ,to these must be added ,christ's attitude in 'blessing' the bread and cup1 and ,his distribution of them among the disciples4 ,the ,passover was to ,israel the commemoration of their redemption from captivity and their birth as a nation4 ,jesus puts aside this divinely appointed and venerable festival to set in its stead the remembrance of ,himself4 ,that night1 'to be much remembered of the children of ,israel1' is to be forgotten1 and come no more into the number of the months2 and its empty place is to be filled by the memory of the hours then passing4 ,surely ,his act was either arrogance or the calm consciousness of the unique significance and power of ,his death4 ,think of any mere teacher or prophet doing the like6 ,the world would meet the preposterous claim implied with deserved and inextinguishable laughter4 ,why does it not do so with ,christ's act8 ,christ's view of ,his death is written unmistakably on the ,lord's ,supper4 ,it is not merely that ,he wishes it rather than ,his life1 ,his miracles1 or words1 to be kept in thankful remembrance1 but that ,he desires one aspect of it to be held high and clear above all others4 ,he is the true ',passover ,lamb1' whose shed and sprinkled blood establishes new bonds of amity and new relations1 with tender and wonderful reciprocal obligations1 between ,god and the 'many' who truly partake of that sacrifice4 ,the key-words of ,judaism--'sacrifice1' 'covenant1' 'sprinkling with blood'--are taken over into ,christianity1 and the ideas they represent are set in its centre1 to be cherished as its life4 ,the ,lord's ,supper is the conclusive answer to the allegation that ,christ did not teach the sacrificial character and atoning power of ,his death4 ,what1 then1 did ,he teach when ,he said1 ',this is ,my blood of the covenant1 which is shed for many'8 ,the ,passover was a family festival1 and that characteristic passes over to the ,lord's ,supper4 ,christ is not only the food on which we feed1 but the ,head of the family and distributor of the banquet4 ,he is the feast and the ,governor of the feast1 and all who sit at that table are 'brethren4' ,one life is in them all1 and they are one as partakers of ,one4 ,the ,lord's ,supper is a visible symbol of the ,christian life1 which should not only be all lived in remembrance of ,him1 but consists in partaking by faith of ,his life1 and incorporating it in ours1 until we come to the measure of perfect men1 which1 in one aspect1 we reach when we can say1 ',i live2 yet not ,i1 but ,christ liveth in me4' ,there is a prophetic element1 as well as a commemorative and symbolic1 in the ,lord's ,supper1 which is prominent in ,christ's closing words4 ,he does not partake of the symbols which ,he gives2 but there comes a time1 in that perfected form of the kingdom1 when perfect love shall make all the citizens perfectly conformed to the perfect will of ,god4 ,then1 whatsoever associations of joy1 of invigoration1 of festal fellowship1 clustered round the wine-cup here1 shall be heightened1 purified1 and perpetuated in the calm raptures of the heavenly feast1 in which ,he will be ,partaker1 as well as ,giver and ,food4 ',thou shalt make them drink of the river of ,thy pleasures4' ,the ,king's lips will touch the golden cup filled with un-foaming wine1 ere ,he commends it to ,his guests4 ,and from that feast they will 'go no more out1' neither shall the triumphant music of its great 'hymn' be followed by any ,olivet or ,gethsemane1 or any denial1 or any ,calvary2 but there shall be 'no more sorrow1 nor sin1 nor death'2 for 'the former things are passed away1' and ,he has made 'all things new4' ',,is ,,it ,i8' ',is it ,i8'--,mark xiv4 #ai ,the scene shows that ,judas had not as yet drawn any suspicion on himself4 ,here the ,apostles seem to be higher than their ordinary stature2 for they do not take to questioning one another1 or even to protest1 ',no6' but to questioning ,christ4 ,i4 ,the solemn prophecy4 ,it seems strange at first sight that our ,lord should have introduced such thoughts then1 disturbing the sweet repose of that hallowed hour4 ,but the terrible fact of the betrayal was naturally suggested by the emblems of ,his death1 and still more by the very confiding familiarity of that hour4 ,his household were gathered around ,him1 and the more close and confidential the intercourse1 the bitterer that thought to ,him1 that one of the little band was soon to play the traitor4 ,it is the cry of ,his wounded love1 the wail of ,his unrequited affection1 and1 so regarded1 is infinitely touching4 ,it is an instance of that sad insight into man's heart which in ,his divinity ,he possessed4 ,what a fountain of sorrow for ,his manhood was that knowledge6 how it increases the pathos of ,his tenderness6 ,not only did ,he read hearts as they thought and felt in the present1 but ,he read their future with more than a prophet's insight4 ,he saw how many buds of promise would shrivel1 how many would go away and walk no more with ,him4' ,that solemn prophecy may well be pondered by all ,christian assemblies1 and specially when gathered for the observance of the ,lord's ,supper4 ,perhaps never since that first institution has a community met to celebrate it without ,him who 'walks amid the candlesticks1' with eyes as a flame of fire marking a ,judas among the disciples4 ,there is1 ,i think1 no doubt that ,judas partook of the ,lord's ,supper4 ,but be that as it may1 he was among the number1 and our ,lord knew him to be 'the traitor4' ,in its essence ,judas's sin can be repeated still1 and the thought of that possibility may well mingle with the grateful and adoring contemplations suitable to the act of partaking of the ,lord's ,supper4 ,in the hour of holiest ,christian emotion the thought that ,i may betray the ,lord who has died for me will be especially hateful1 and to remember the possibility then will do much to prevent its ever becoming a reality4 ,,ii4 ,the self-distrustful question1 ',is it ,i8' ,it suggests that the possibilities of the darkest sin are in each of us1 and especially1 that the sin of treason towards ,christ is in each of us4 ,think generally of the awful possibilities of sin in every soul4 ,all sin has one root1 so it is capable of passing from one form to another as light1 heat1 and motion do1 or like certain diseases that are ,protean in their forms4 ,one sin is apt to draw others after it4 ',none shall want her mate4' ,wild beasts of 'the desert' meet with wild beasts of 'the islands4' ,sins are gregarious1 as it were2 they 'hunt in couples4' ',then goeth he1 and taketh with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself4' ,the roots of all sin are in each4 ,men may think that they are protected from certain forms of sin by temperament1 but identity of nature is deeper than varieties of temperament4 ,the greatest sins are committed by yielding to very common motives4 ,love of money is not a rare feeling1 but it led ,judas to betray ,jesus4 ,anger is thought to be scarcely a sin at all1 but it often moves an arm to murder4 ,temptations to each sin are round us all4 ,we walk in a tainted atmosphere4 ,there is progress in evil4 ,no man reaches the extreme of depravity at a bound4 ,judas's treachery was of slow growth4 ,so still there is the constant operation and pressure of forces and tendencies drawing us away from ,jesus ,christ4 ,we1 every one of us1 know that1 if we allowed our nature to have its way1 we should leave ,him and 'make shipwreck of faith and of a good conscience4' ,the forms in which we might do it might vary1 but do it we should4 ,we are like a man desperately clutching some rocky projection on the face of a precipice1 who knows that if once he lets go1 he will be dashed to pieces4 ',there goes ,john ,bradford1 but for the grace of ,god6' ,but for this same restraining grace1 to what depths might we not sink8 ,so1 in all ,christian hearts there should be profound consciousness of their own weakness4 ,the man 'who fears no fall' is sure to have one4 ,it is perilous to march through an enemy's country in loose order1 without scouts and rearguard4 ,rigorous control is ever necessary4 ,brotherly judgment1 too1 of others should result from our consciousness of weakness4 ,examples of others falling are not to make us say cynically1 ',we are all alike1' but to set us to think humbly of ourselves1 and to supplicate divine keeping1' ,lord1 save me1 or ,i perish6' ,,iii4 ,the safety of the self-distrustful4 ,when the consciousness of possible falling is brought home to us1 we shall carry1 if we are wise1 all our doubts as to ourselves to ,jesus4 ,there is safety in asking ,him1 ',is it ,i8' ,to bare our inmost selves before ,him1 and not to shrink1 even if that piercing gaze lights on hidden meannesses and incipient treachery1 may be painful1 but is healing4 ,he will keep us from yielding to the temptation of which we are aware1 and which we tell frankly to ,him4 ,the lowly sense of our own liability to fall1 if it drives us closer to ,him1 will make it certain that we shall not fall4 ,while the other disciples asked ',is it ,i8' ,john asked ',who is it8' ,the disciple who leaned on ,christ's bosom was bathed in such a consciousness of ,christ's love that treason against it was impossible4 ,he1 alone of the ,evangelists1 records his question1 and he tells us that he put it1 'leaning back as he was1 on ,jesus's breast4' ,for the purpose of whispering his interrogation1 he changed his attitude for a moment so as to press still closer to ,jesus4 ,how could one who was thus nestling nearer to that heart be the betrayer8 ,the consciousness of ,christ's love1 accompanied with the effort to draw closer to ,him1 is our surest defence against every temptation to faithlessness or betrayal of ,him4 ,any other fancied ground of security is deceptive1 and will sooner or later crumble beneath our deceived feet4 ,on this very occasion1 ,peter built a towering fabric of profession of unalterable fidelity on such shifting ground1 and saw it collapse into ruin in a few hours4 ,let us profit by the lesson6 ,that wholesome consciousness of our weakness need not shade with sadness the hours of communion1 but it may well help us to turn them to their highest use in making them occasions for lowlier self-distrust and closer cleaving to ,him4 ,if we thus use our sense of weakness1 the sweet security will enter our souls that belongs to those who have trusted in the great promise3 ',he shall not fall1 for ,god ,is able to make him stand4' ,the blessed ones who are kept from falling and 'presented faultless before the presence of ,his glory1' will hear with wonder the voice of the ,judge ascribing to them deeds of service to ,him of which they had not been conscious1 and will have to ask once more the old question1 but with a new meaning3 ',lord1 is it ,i8 when saw we ,thee an hungered1 and fed ,thee8' ',,strong ,,crying ,,and ,,tears' ',and they came to a place which was named ,gethsemane3 and ,he saith to ,his disciples1 ,sit ye here1 while ,i shall pray4 #cc4 ,and ,he taketh with ,him ,peter and ,james and ,john1 and began to be sore amazed1 and to be very heavy2 #cd4 ,and saith onto them1 ,my soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death3 tarry ye here1 and watch4 #ce4 ,and ,he went forward a little1 and fell on the ground1 and prayed that1 if it were possible1 the hour might pass from ,him4 #cf4 ,and ,he said1 ,abba1 ,father1 all things are possible unto ,thee2 take away this cup from ,me3 nevertheless not what ,i will1 but what ,thou wilt4 #cg4 ,and ,he cometh1 and findeth them sleeping1 and saith unto ,peter1 ,simon1 sleepest thou6 couldest not thou watch one hour8 #ch4 ,watch ye and pray1 lest ye enter into temptation4 ,the spirit truly is ready1 but the flesh is weak4 #ci4 ,and again ,he went away1 and prayed1 and spake the same words4 #dj4 ,and when ,he returned1 ,he found them asleep again1 7for their eyes were heavy17 neither wist they what to answer ,him4 #da4 ,and ,he cometh the third time1 and saith unto them1 ,sleep on now1 and take your rest1 it is enough1 the hour is come2 behold1 the ,son of ,man is betrayed into the hands of sinners4 #db4 ,rise up1 let us go2 lo1 he that betrayeth ,me is at hand4--,mark xiv4 #cb-db4 ,the three who saw ,christ's agony in ,gethsemane were so little affected that they slept4 ,we have to beware of being so little affected that we speculate and seek to analyse rather than to bow adoringly before that mysterious and heart-subduing sight4 ,let us remember that the place is 'holy ground4' ,it was meant that we should look on the ,christ who prayed 'with strong crying and tears1' else the three sleepers would not have accompanied ,him so far2 but it was meant that our gaze should be reverent and from a distance1 else they would have gone with ,him into the shadow of the olives4 ',gethsemane' means 'an oil-press4' ,it was an enclosed piece of ground1 according to ,matthew and ,mark2 a garden1 according to ,john4 ,jesus1 by some means1 had access to it1 and had 'oft-times resorted thither with ,his disciples4' ,to this familiar spot1 with its many happy associations1 ,jesus led the disciples1 who would simply expect to pass the night there1 as many ,passover visitors were accustomed to bivouac in the open air4 ,the triumphant tone of spirit which animated ,his assuring words to ,his disciples1 ',i have overcome the world1' changed as they passed through the moonlight down to the valley1 and when they reached the garden deep gloom lay upon ,him4 ,his agitation is pathetically and most naturally indicated by the conflict of feeling as to companionship4 ,he leaves the other disciples at the entrance1 for ,he would fain be alone in ,his prayer4 ,then1 a moment after1 ,he bids the three1 who had been on the ,mount of ,transfiguration and with ,him at many other special times1 accompany ,him into the recesses of the garden4 ,but again need of solitude overcomes longing for companionship1 and ,he bids them stay where they were1 while ,he plunges still further into the shadow4 ,how human it is6 ,how well all of us1 who have been down into the depths of sorrow1 know the drawing of these two opposite longings6 ,scripture seldom undertakes to tell ,christ's emotions4 ,still seldomer does ,he speak of them4 ,but at this tremendous hour the veil is lifted by one corner1 and ,he ,himself is fain to relieve ,his bursting heart by pathetic self-revelation1 which is in fact an appeal to the three for sympathy1 as well as an evidence of ,his sharing the common need of lightening the burdened spirit by speech4 ,mark's description of ,christ's feelings lays stress first on their beginning1 and then on their nature as being astonishment and anguish4 ,a wave of emotion swept over ,him1 and was in marked contrast with ,his previous demeanour4 ,the three had never seen their calm ,master so moved4 ,we feel that such agitation is profoundly unlike the serenity of the rest of ,his life1 and especially remarkable if contrasted with the tone of ,john's account of ,his discourse in the upper room2 and1 if we are wise1 we shall gaze on that picture drawn for us by ,mark with reverent gratitude1 and feel that we look at something more sacred than human trembling at the thought of death4 ,our ,lord's own infinitely touching words heighten the impression of the ,evangelist's ',my soul is exceeding sorrowful1' or1 as the word literally means1 'ringed round with sorrow4' ,a dark orb of distress encompassed ,him1 and there was nowhere a break in the gloom which shut ,him in4 ,and this is ,he who1 but an hour before1 had bequeathed ,his 'joy' to ,his servants1 and had bidden them 'be of good cheer1' since ,he had 'conquered the world4' ,dare we ask what were the elements of that all-enveloping horror of great darkness8 ,reverently we may4 ,that astonishment and distress no doubt were partly due to the recoil of flesh from death4 ,but if that was their sole cause1 ,jesus has been surpassed in heroism1 not only by many a martyr who drew his strength from ,him1 but by many a rude soldier and by many a criminal4 ,no6 ,the waters of the baptism with which ,he was baptized had other sources than that1 though it poured a tributary stream into them4 ,we shall not understand ,gethsemane at all1 nor will it touch our hearts and wills as it is meant to do1 unless1 as we look1 we say in adoring wonder1 ',the ,lord hath made to meet on ,him the iniquity of us all4' ,it was the weight of the world's sin which ,he took on ,him by willing identification of ,himself with men1 that pressed ,him to the ground4 ,nothing else than the atoning character of ,christ's sufferings explains so far as it can be explained1 the agony which we are permitted to behold afar off4 ,how nearly that agony was fatal is taught us by ,his own word 'unto death1' ,a little more1 and ,he would have died4 ,can we retain reverence for ,jesus as a perfect and pattern man1 in view of ,his paroxysm of anguish in ,gethsemane1 if we refuse to accept that explanation8 ,truly was the place named ',the ,olive-press1' for in it ,his whole being was as if in the press1 and another turn of the screw would have crushed ,him4 ,darkness ringed ,him round1 but there was a rift in it right overhead4 ,prayer was ,his refuge1 as it must be ours4 ,the soul that can cry1 ',abba1 ,father6' does not walk in unbroken night4 ,his example teaches us what our own sorrows should also teach us--to betake ourselves to prayer when the spirit is desolate4 ,in that wonderful prayer we reverently note three things3 there is unbroken consciousness of the ,father's love2 there is the instinctive recoil of flesh and the sensitive nature from the suffering imposed2 and there is the absolute submission of the will1 which silences the remonstrance of flesh4 ,whatever the weight laid on ,jesus by ,his bearing of the sins of the world1 it did not take from ,him the sense of sonship4 ,but1 on the other hand1 that sense did not take from ,him the consciousness that the world's sin lay upon ,him4 ,in like manner ,his cry on the ,cross mysteriously blended the sense of communion with ,god and of abandonment by ,god4 ,into these depths we see but a little way1 and adoration is better than speculation4 ,jesus shrank from 'this cup1' in which so many bitter ingredients besides death were mingled1 such as treachery1 desertion1 mocking1 rejection1 exposure to 'the contradiction of sinners4' ,there was no failure of purpose in that recoil1 for the cry for exemption was immediately followed by complete submission to the ,father's will4 ,no perturbation in the lower nature ever caused ,his fixed resolve to waver4 ,the needle always pointed to the pole1 however the ship might pitch and roll4 ,a prayer in which 'remove this from me' is followed by that yielding 'nevertheless' is always heard4 ,christ's was heard1 for calmness came back1 and ,his flesh was stilled and made ready for the sacrifice4 ,so ,he could rejoin the three1 in whose sympathy and watchfulness ,he had trusted--and they all were asleep6 ,surely that was one ingredient of bitterness in ,his cup4 ,we wonder at their insensibility2 and how they must have wondered at it too1 when after years taught them what they had lost1 and how faithless they had been6 ,think of men who could have seen and heard that scene1 which has drawn the worshipping regard of the world ever since1 missing it all because they fell asleep6 ,they had kept awake long enough to see ,him fall on the ground and to hear ,his prayer1 but1 worn out by a long day of emotion and sorrow1 they slept4 ,jesus was probably rapt in prayer for a considerable time1 perhaps for a literal 'hour4' ,he was specially touched by ,peter's failure1 so sadly contrasted with his confident professions in the upper room2 but no word of blame escaped ,him4 ,rather ,he warned them of swift-coming temptation1 which they could only overcome by watchfulness and prayer4 ,it was indeed near1 for the soldiers would burst in1 before many minutes had passed1 polluting the moonlight with their torches and disturbing the quiet night with their shouts4 ,what gracious allowance for their weakness and loving recognition of the disciples' imperfect good lie in ,his words1 which are at once an excuse for their fault and an enforcement of ,his command to watch and pray6 ',the flesh is weak1' and hinders the willing spirit from doing what it wills4 ,it was an apology for the slumber of the three2 it is a merciful statement of the condition under which all discipleship has to be carried on4 ',he knoweth our frame4' ,therefore we all need to watch and pray1 since only by such means can weak flesh be strengthened and strong flesh weakened1 or the spirit preserved in willingness4 ,the words were not spoken in reference to ,himself1 but in a measure were true of ,him4 ,his second withdrawal for prayer seems to witness that the victory won by the first supplication was not permanent4 ,again the anguish swept over ,his spirit in another foaming breaker1 and again ,he sought solitude1 and again ,he found tranquillity--and again returned to find the disciples asleep4 ',they knew not what to answer ,him' in extenuation of their renewed dereliction4 ,yet a third time the struggle was renewed4 ,and after that1 ,he had no need to return to the seclusion1 where ,he had fought1 and now had conclusively conquered by prayer and submission4 ,we too may1 by the same means1 win partial victories over self1 which may be interrupted by uprisings of flesh2 but let us persevere4 ,twice ,jesus' calm was broken by recrudescence of horror and shrinking2 the third time it came back1 to abide through all the trying scenes of the passion1 but for that one cry on the ,cross1 ',why hast ,thou forsaken ,me8' ,so it may be with us4 ,the last words to the three have given commentators much trouble4 ',sleep on now1 and take your rest1' is not so much irony as 'spoken with a kind of permissive force1 and in tones in which merciful reproach was blended with calm resignation4' ,so far as ,he was concerned1 there was no reason for their waking4 ,but they had lost an opportunity1 never to return1 of helping ,him in ,his hour of deepest agony4 ,he needed them no more4 ,and do not we in like manner often lose the brightest opportunities of service by untimely slumber of soul1 and is not 'the irrevocable past' saying to many of us1 ',sleep on now since you can no more do what you have let slip from your drowsy hands'8 ',it is enough' is obscure1 but probably refers to the disciples' sleep1 and prepares for the transition to the next words1 which summon them to arise1 not to help ,him by watching1 but to meet the traitor4 ,they had slept long enough1 ,he sadly says4 ,that which will effectually end their sleepiness is at hand4 ,how completely our ,lord had regained ,his calm superiority to the horror which had shaken ,him is witnessed by that majestic ',let us be going4' ,he will go out to meet the traitor1 and1 after one flash of power1 which smote the soldiers to the ground1 will yield ,himself to the hands of sinners4 ,the ,man who lay prone in anguish beneath the olive-trees comes forth in serene tranquillity1 and gives ,himself up to the death for us all4 ,his agony was endured for us1 and needs for its explanation the fact that it was so4 ,his victory through prayer was for us1 that we too might conquer by the same weapons4 ,his voluntary surrender was for us1 that 'by ,his stripes we might be healed4' ,surely we shall not sleep1 as did these others1 but1 moved by ,his sorrows and animated by ,his victory1 watch and pray that we may share in the virtue of ,his sufferings and imitate the example of ,his submission4 ,,the ,,sleeping ,,apostle ',simon1 sleepest thou6'--,mark xiv4 #cg ,it is a very old ,christian tradition that this ,gospel is in some sense the ,apostle ,peter's4 ,there are not many features in the ,gospel itself which can be relied on as confirming this idea4 ,perhaps one such may be found in this plaintive remonstrance1 which is only preserved for us here4 ,matthew's ,gospel1 indeed1 tells us that the rebuke was addressed to ,peter1 but blunts the sharp point of it as directed to him1 by throwing it into the plural1 as if spoken to all the three slumberers3 ',what1 could ye not watch with ,me one hour8' ,to ,matthew1 the special direction of the words was unimportant1 but ,peter could never forget how the ,master had come out from the shadow of the olives to him lying there in the moonlight1 and stood before him worn with ,his solitary agony1 and in a voice yet tremulous from ,his awful conflict1 had said to him1 so lately loud in his professions of fidelity1 ',sleepest thou8' ,it was but an hour or two since he had been saying1 and meaning1 ',i will lay down my life for ,thy sake1' and this was what all that fervour had come to4 ,no wonder if there is almost a tone of surprise discernible in our ,lord's word1 as if ,he who 'marvelled at the unbelief' of those who were not ,his followers1 marvelled still more at the imperfect sympathy of those who were1 and marvelled most of all at such a sudden ebb of such a flood of devotion4 ,surprise and sorrow1 the pain of a loving heart thrown back upon itself1 the sharp pang of feeling how much less one is loved than one loves1 the pleading with ,his forgetful servant1 rebuke without anger1 all breathe through the question1 so pathetic in its simplicity1 so powerful to bow in contrition by reason of its very gentleness and self-restraint4 ,the record of this ,evangelist proves how deep it sank into the impulsive1 loving heart of the apostle1 and yet the denials in the high priest's palace1 which followed so soon1 show how much less power it had on him on the day when it was spoken1 than it gained as he looked back on it through the long vista of years that had passed1 when he told the story to ,mark4 ,the first lesson to be gathered from these words is drawn from the name by which our ,lord here addresses the apostle3 ',simon1 sleepest thou8' ,now the usage of ,mark's ,gospel in reference to this apostle's name is remarkably uniform and precise4 ,both his names occur in ,mark's catalogue of the ,apostles3 ',simon he surnamed ,peter4' ,he is never called by both again1 but before that point he is always ,simon1 and after it he is always ,peter1 except in this verse4 ,the other ,evangelists show similar purpose1 for the most part1 in their interchange of the names4 ,luke1 for instance1 always calls him ,simon up to the same point as ,mark1 except once where he uses the form ',simon ,peter1' and thereafter always ,peter1 except in ,christ's solemn warning1 ',simon1 ,simon1 ,satan hath desired to have you1' and in the report of the tidings that met the disciples on their return from ,emmaus1 ',the ,lord hath appeared to ,simon4' ,so ,matthew calls him ,simon in the story of the first miraculous draught of fishes1 and in the catalogue of ,apostles1 and afterwards uniformly ,peter1 except in ,christ's answer to the apostle's great confession1 where ,he names him ',simon ,bar ,jona1' in order1 as would appear1 to bring into more solemn relief the significance of the immediately following words1 ',thou art ,peter4' ,in ,john's ,gospel1 again1 we find the two forms ',simon ,peter' and the simple ',peter' used throughout with almost equal frequency1 while ',simon' is only employed at the very beginning1 and in the heart-piercing triple question at the end1 ',simon1 son of ,jonas1 lovest thou ,me8' ,the conclusion seems a fair one from these details that1 on the whole1 the name ,simon brings into prominence the natural unrenewed humanity1 and the name ,peter suggests the ,apostolic office1 the bold confessor1 the impulsive1 warm-hearted lover and follower of the ,lord4 ,and it is worth noticing that1 with one exception1 the instances in which he is called by his former name1 after his designation to the apostolate1 occur in words addressed to him by our ,lord4 ,he had given the name1 and surely ,his withdrawal of it was meant to be significant1 and must have struck with boding1 rebuking emphasis on the ear and conscience of the apostle4 ',simon1 ,simon1 ,satan hath desired to have you'3 ',remember thy human weakness1 and in the sore conflict that is before thee1 trust not to thine own power4' ',simon1 sleepest thou8' ',can ,i call thee ,peter now1 when thou hast not cared for ,my sorrow enough to wake while ,i wrestled8 ,is this thy fervid love8' ',simon1 son of ,jonas1 lovest thou ,me8' ',thou wast ,peter because thou didst confess ,me2 thou hast fallen back to thine old level by denying ,me4 ,it is not enough that in secret ,i should have restored thee to ,my love4 ,here before thy brethren1 thou must win back thy forfeited name and place by a confession as open as the denial1 and thrice repeated like it4 ,once thou hast answered1 but still thou art ,simon4 ,twice thou hast answered1 but not yet can ,i call thee ,peter4 ,thrice thou hast answered1 by each reply effacing a former denial1 and now ,i ask no more4 ,take back thine office2 henceforth thou shalt be called ,cephas as before4' ,and so it was4 ,in the ,acts of the ,apostles1 and in ,paul's letters1 ',peter' or ',cephas' entirely obliterates ',simon4' ,only for ease in finding him1 the messengers of ,cornelius are to ask for him in ,joppa by the name by which he would be known outside the ,church1 and his old companion ,james begins his speech to the council at ,jerusalem by referring with approbation to what ',simeon' had said1 as if he liked to use the old name1 that brought back memories of the far-off days in ,galilee1 before they had known the ,master4 ,very touching1 too1 is it to notice how the apostle himself1 while using the name by which he was best known in the ,church1 in the introduction to his first ,epistle1 calls himself ',simon ,peter' in his second1 as if to the end he felt that the old nature clung to him1 and was not yet1 'so long as he was in this tabernacle1' wholly subdued under the dominion of the better self1 which his ,master had breathed into him4 ,so we see that a bit of biography and an illustration of a large truth are wrapped up for us in so small a matter as the apparently fortuitous use of one or other of these names4 ,i do not suppose that in every instance where either of them occur1 we can explain their occurrence by a reference to such thoughts4 ,but still there is an unmistakable propriety in several instances in the employment of one rather than the other1 and we may fairly suggest the lesson as put hero in a picturesque form1 which ,paul gives us in definite words1 ',the flesh lusteth against the spirit1 and the spirit against the flesh4' ,the better and the worse nature contend in all ,christian souls1 or1 as our ,lord says with such merciful leniency in this very context1 ',the spirit is willing1 but the flesh is weak4' ,however real and deep the change which passes over us when ',christ is formed in us1' it is only by degrees that the transformation spreads through our being4 ,the renewing process follows upon the bestowment of the new life1 and works from its deep inward centre outwards and upwards to the circumference and surface of our being1 on condition of our own constant diligence and conflict4 ,true1 ',if any man be in ,christ1 he is a new creature'2 but also1 and precisely because he is1 therefore the daily and hourly exhortation is1 ',put on the new man4' ,the leaven is buried in the dough1 and must be well kneaded up with it if the whole is to be leavened4 ,peter is still ,simon1 and sometimes seems to be so completely ,simon that he has ceased to be ,peter4 ,he continues ,simon ,peter to his own consciousness to the very end1 however his brethren call him4 ,the struggle between the two elements in his nature makes the undying interest of his story1 and brings him nearer to us than any of the other disciples are4 ,we1 too1 have to wage the conflict between the old nature and the new2 for us1 too1 the worse part seems too often to be the stronger1 if not the only part4 ,the ,master has often to speak to us1 as if ,his merciful all-seeing eye could discern in us nothing of our better selves which are in truth ,himself1 and has to question our love4 ,we1 too1 have often to feel how little those who think best of us know what we are4 ,but let us take heart and remember that from every fall it is possible to rise by penitence and secret converse with ,him1 and that if only we remember to the end our lingering weakness1 and 'giving all diligence1' cleave to ,him1 'an entrance shall be ministered unto us abundantly into ,his everlasting kingdom4' ,we may briefly notice1 too1 some other lessons from this slumbering apostle4 ,let us learn1 for instance1 to distrust our own resolutions4 ,an hour or two at the most had passed since the eager protestation1 ',though all should deny ,thee1 yet will not ,i4 ,i will lay down my life for ,thy sake4' ,it had been most honestly said1 at the dictate of a very loving heart1 which in its enthusiasm was over-estimating its own power of resistance1 and taking no due account of obstacles4 ,the very utterance of the rash vow made him weaker1 for some of his force was expended in making it4 ,the uncalculating1 impulsive nature of the man makes him a favourite with all readers1 and we sympathise with him1 as a true brother1 when we hear him blurting out his big words1 followed so soon by such a contradiction in deeds4 ,he is the same man all through his story1 always ready to push himself into dangers1 always full of rash confidence1 which passes at once into abject fear when the dangers which he had not thought about appear4 ,his sleep in the garden1 following close on his bold words in the upper chamber1 is just like his eager wish to come to ,christ on the water1 followed by his terror4 ,he desires to be singled out from the others2 he desires to be beside his ,master1 and then as soon as he feels a dash of spray on his cheek1 and the heaving of that uneasy floor beneath him1 all his confidence collapses and he shrieks to ,christ to save him4 ,it is just like his thrusting himself into the high priest's palace--no safe place1 and bad company for him by the coal fire--and then his courage oozing out at his fingers' ends as soon as a maidservant's sharp tongue questioned him4 ,it is just like his hearty welcome of the heathen converts at ,antioch1 and his ready breaking through ,jewish restrictions1 and then his shrinking back into his old shell again1 as soon as 'certain came down from ,jerusalem4' ,and in it all1 he is one of ourselves4 ,we have to learn to distrust all our own resolutions1 and to be chary of our vows4 ',better is it that thou shouldest not vow1 than that thou shouldest vow and not pay4' ,so1 aware of our own weakness1 and the flutterings of our own hearts1 let us not mortgage the future1 nor lightly say ',i will'--but rather let us turn our vows into prayers1 ',nor confidently say1 ,i never will deny ,thee1 ,lord ,but1 ,grant ,i never may4' ,let us note1 too1 the slight value of even genuine emotion4 ,the very exhaustion following on the strained emotions which these disciples had been experiencing had sent them to sleep4 ,luke1 in his physician-like way1 tells us this1 when he says that they 'slept for sorrow4' ,we all know how some great emotion which we might have expected would have held our eyes waking1 lulls to slumber4 ,men sleep soundly on the night before their execution4 ,a widow leaves her husband's deathbed as soon as he has passed away1 and sleeps a dreamless sleep for hours4 ,the strong current of emotion sweeps through us1 and leaves us dry4 ,sheer exhaustion and collapse follow its intenser forms4 ,and even in its milder1 nothing takes so much out of a man as emotion4 ,reaction always follows1 and people are in some degree unfitted for sober work by it4 ,peter1 for example1 was all the less ready for keeping awake1 and for bold confession1 because of the vehement emotions which had agitated him in the upper chamber4 ,we have1 therefore1 to be chary1 in our religious life1 of feeding the flames of mere feeling4 ,an unemotional ,christianity is a very poor thing1 and most probably a spurious and unreal thing4 ,but a merely emotional ,christianity is closely related to practical unholiness1 and leads by a very short straight road to windy wordy insincerity and conscious hypocrisy4 ,emotion which is firmly based upon an intelligent grasp of ,god's truth1 and which is at once translated into action1 is good4 ,but unless these two conditions be rigidly observed1 it darkens the understanding and enfeebles the soul4 ,lastly1 notice how much easier it is to purpose and to do great things than small ones4 ,i have little doubt that if the ,roman soldiers had called on ,peter to have made good his boast1 and to give up his life to rescue his ,master1 he would have been ready to do it4 ,we know that he was ready to fight for ,him1 and in fact did draw a sword and offer resistance4 ,he could die for ,him1 but he could not keep awake for ,him4 ,the great thing he could have done1 the little thing he could not do4 ,brethren1 it is far easier once in a way1 by a dead lift1 to screw ourselves up to some great crisis which seems worthy of a supreme effort of enthusiasm and sacrifice1 than it is to keep on persistently doing the small monotonies of daily duty4 ,many a soldier will bravely rush to the assault in a storming-party1 who would tremble in the trenches4 ,many a martyr has gone unblenching to the stake for ,christ1 who had found it far harder to serve ,him in common duties4 ,it is easier to die for ,him than to watch with ,him4 ,so let us listen to ,his gentle voice1 as ,he speaks to us1 not as of old in the pauses of ,his agony1 and ,his locks wet with the dews of the night1 but bending from ,his throne1 and crowned with many crowns3 ',sleepest them8 ,watch and pray1 lest ye enter into temptation4' ,,the ,,captive ,,christ ,,and ,,the ,,circle ,,round ,,him ',and immediately1 while ,he yet spake1 cometh ,judas1 one of the twelve1 and with him a great multitude with swords and staves1 from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders4 #dd4 ,and he that betrayed ,him had given them a token1 saying1 ,whomsoever ,i shall kiss1 that same is ,he2 take ,him1 and lead ,him away safely4 #de4 ,and as soon as he was come1 he goeth straightway to ,him1 and saith1 ,master1 ,master2 and kissed ,him4 #df4 ,and they laid their hands on ,him1 and took ,him4 #dg4 ,and one of them that stood by drew a sword1 and smote a servant of the high priest1 and cut off his ear4 #dh4 ,and ,jesus answered and said unto them1 ,are ye come out1 as against a thief1 with swords and with staves to take ,me8 #di4 ,i was daily with you in the temple teaching1 and ye took ,me not3 but the scriptures must be fulfilled4 #ej4 ,and they all forsook ,him1 and fled4 #ea4 ,and there followed ,him a certain young man1 having a linen cloth cast about his naked body2 and the young man laid hold on ,him3 #eb4 ,and he left the linen cloth1 and fled from them naked4 #ec4 ,and they led ,jesus away to the high priest3 and with him were assembled all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes4 #ed4 ,and ,peter followed ,him afar off1 even into the palace of the high priest3 and he sat with the servants1 and warmed himself at the fire4'--,mark xiv4 #dc-ed4 ,a comparison of the three first ,gospels in this section shows a degree of similarity1 often verbal1 which is best accounted for by supposing that a common 7oral87 ',gospel1' which had become traditionally fixed by frequent and long repetition1 underlies them all4 ,mark's account is briefest1 and grasps with sure instinct the essential points2 but1 even in his brevity1 he pauses to tell of the young man who so nearly shared the ,lord's apprehension4 ,the canvas is narrow and crowded2 but we may see unity in the picture1 if we regard as the central fact the sacrilegious seizure of ,jesus1 and the other incidents and persons as grouped round it and ,him1 and reflecting various moods of men's feelings towards ,him4 ,i4 ,the avowed and hypocritical enemies of incarnate love4 ,again we have ,mark's favourite 'straightway1' so frequent in the beginning of the ,gospel1 and occurring twice here1 vividly painting both the sudden inburst of the crowd which ,interrupted ,christ's words and broke the holy silence of the garden1 and ,judas's swift kiss4 ,he is named--the only name but our ,lord's in the section2 and the depth of his sin is emphasised by adding 'one of the twelve4' ,he is not named in the next verse1 but gibbeted for immortal infamy by the designation1 'he that betrayed ,him4' ,there is no dilating on his crime1 nor any bespattering him with epithets4 ,the passionless narrative tells of the criminal and his crime with unsparing1 unmoved tones1 which have caught some echo beforehand of the ,judge's voice4 ,to name the sinner1 and to state without cloak or periphrasis what his deed really was1 is condemnation enough4 ,which of us could stand it8 ,judas was foremost of the crowd4 ,what did he feel as he passed swiftly into the shadow of the olives1 and caught the first sight of ,jesus8 ,that the black depths of his spirit were agitated is plain from two things--the quick kiss1 and the nauseous repetition of it4 ,mark says1 ',straightway 444 he kissed ,him much4' ,probably the swiftness and vehemence1 so graphically expressed by these two touches1 were due1 not only to fear lest ,christ should escape1 and to hypocrisy overacting its part1 but to a struggle with conscience and ancient affection1 and a fierce determination to do the thing and have it over4 ,judas is not the only man who has tried to drown conscience by hurrying into and reiterating the sin from which conscience tries to keep him4 ,the very extravagances of evil betray the divided and stormy spirit of the doer4 ,in the darkness and confusion1 the kiss was a surer token than a word or a pointing finger would have been2 and simple convenience appears to have led to its selection4 ,but what a long course of hypocrisy must have preceded and how complete the alienation of heart must have become1 before such a choice was possible6 ,that traitor's kiss has become a symbol for all treachery cloaked in the garb of affection4 ,its lessons and warnings are obvious1 but this other may be added--that such audacity and nauseousness of hypocrisy is not reached at a leap1 but presupposes long underground tunnels of insincere discipleship1 through which a man has burrowed1 unseen by others1 and perhaps unsuspected by himself4 ,much hypocrisy of the unconscious sort precedes the deliberate and conscious4 ,how much less criminal and disgusting was the rude crowd at ,judas's heels6 ,most of them were mere passive tools4 ,the ,evangelist points beyond them to the greater criminals by his careful enumeration of all classes of the ,jewish authorities1 thus laying the responsibility directly on their shoulders1 and indirectly on the nation whom they represented4 ,the semi-tumultuous character of the crowd is shown by calling them 'a multitude1' and by the medley of weapons which they carried4 ,half-ignorant hatred1 which had had ample opportunities of becoming knowledge and love1 offended formalism1 blind obedience to ecclesiastical superiors1 the dislike of goodness--these impelled the rabble who burst into the garden of ,gethsemane4 ,,ii4 ,incarnate love1 bound and patient4 ,we may bring together verses #df1 #dh1 and #di1 the first of which tells in simplest1 briefest words the sacrilegious violence done to ,jesus1 while the others record ,his calm remonstrance4 ',they laid hands on ,him4' ,that was the first stage in outrage--the quick stretching of many hands to secure the unresisting prisoner4 ,they 'took ,him1' or1 as perhaps we might better render1 ',they held ,him fast1' as would have been done with any prisoner4 ,surely1 the quietest way of telling that stupendous fact is the best6 ,it is easy to exclaim1 and1 after the fashion of some popular writers of lives of ,christ1 to paint fancy pictures4 ,it is better to be sparing of words1 like ,mark1 and silently to meditate on the patient long-suffering of the love which submitted to these indignities1 and on the blindness which had no welcome but this for ',god manifest in the flesh4' ,both are in full operation to-day1 and the germs of the latter are in us all4 ,mark confines himself to that one of ,christ's sayings which sets in the clearest light ,his innocence and meek submissiveness4 ,with all its calmness and patience1 it is majestic and authoritative1 and sounds as if spoken from a height far above the hubbub4 ,its question is not only an assertion of ,his innocence1 and therefore of his captor's guilt1 but also declares the impotence of force as against ,him--',swords and staves to take ,me6' ,all that parade of arms was out of place1 for ,he was no evil-doer2 needless1 for ,he did not resist2 and powerless1 unless ,he chose to let them prevail4 ,he speaks as the stainless1 incarnate ,son of ,god4 ,he speaks also as ,captain of 'the noble army of martyrs1' and ,his question may be extended to include the truth that force is in its place when used against crime1 but ludicrously and tragically out of place when employed against any teacher1 and especially against ,christianity4 ,christ1 in ,his persecuted confessors1 puts the same question to the persecutors which ,christ in the flesh put to ,his captors4 ,the second clause of ,christ's remonstrance appeals to their knowledge of ,him and ,his words1 and to their attitude towards ,him4 ,for several days ,he had daily been publicly teaching in the ,temple4 ,they had laid no hands on ,him4 ,nay1 some of them1 no doubt1 had helped to wave the palm-branches and swell the hosannas4 ,he does not put the contrast of then and now in its strongest form1 but spares them1 even while ,he says enough to bring an unseen blush to some cheeks4 ,he would have them ask1 ',why this change in us1 since ,he is the same8 ,did ,he deserve to be hailed as ,king a few short hours ago8 ,how1 then1 before the palm-branches are withered1 can ,he deserve rude hands8' ,men change in their feelings to the unchanging ,christ2 and they who have most closely marked the rise and fall of the tide in their own hearts will be the last to wonder at ,christ's captors1 and will most appreciate the gentleness of ,his rebuke and remonstrance4 ,the third clause rises beyond all notice of the human agents1 and soars to the divine purpose which wrought itself out through them4 ,that divine purpose does not make them guiltless1 but it makes ,jesus submissive4 ,he bows utterly1 and with no reluctance1 to the ,father's will1 which could be wrought out through unconscious instruments1 and had been declared of old by half-understanding prophets1 but needed the obedience of the ,son to be clear-seeing1 cheerful1 and complete4 ,we1 too1 should train ourselves to see the hand that moves the pieces1 and to make ,god's will our will1 as becomes sons4 ,then ,christ's calm will be ours1 and1 ceasing from self1 and conscious of ,god everywhere1 and yielding our wills1 which are the self of ourselves1 to ,him1 we shall enter into rest4 ,,iii4 ,rash love defending its ,lord with wrong weapons 7verse #dg74 ,peter may have felt that he must do something to vindicate his recent boasting1 and1 with his usual headlong haste1 stops neither to ask what good his sword is likely to do1 nor to pick his man and take deliberate aim at him4 ,if swords were to be used1 they should do something more effectual than hacking off a poor servant's ear4 ,there was love ,in the foolish deeds and a certain heroism in braving the chance of a return thrust or capture1 which should go to ,peter's credit4 ,if he alone struck a blow for his ,master1 it was because the others were more cowardly1 not more enlightened4 ,peter has had rather hard measure about this matter1 and is condemned by some of us who would not venture a tenth part of what he ventured for his ,lord then4 ,no doubt1 this was blind and blundering love1 with an alloy of rashness and wish for prominence2 but that is better than unloving enlightenment and caution1 which is chiefly solicitous about keeping its own ears on4 ,it is also worse than love which sees and reflects the image of the meek ,sufferer whom it loves4 ,christ and ,his cause are to be defended by other weapons4 ,christian heroism endures and does not smite4 ,not only swords1 but bitter words which wound worse than they1 are forbidden to ,christ's soldier4 ,we are ever being tempted to fight ,christ's battles with the world's weapons2 and many a 'defender of the faith' in later days1 perhaps even in this very enlightened day1 has repeated ,peter's fault with less excuse than he1 and with very little of either his courage or his love4 ,,iv4 ,cowardly love forsaking its ,lord 7verse #ej74 ',they all forsook ,him1 and fled4' ,and who will venture to say that he would not have done so too8 ,the tree that can stand such a blast must have deep roots4 ,the ,christ whom they forsook was1 to them1 but a fragment of the ,christ whom we know2 and the fear which scattered them was far better founded and more powerful than anything which the easy-going ,christians of to-day have to resist4 ,their flight may teach us to place little reliance on our emotions1 however genuine and deep1 and to look for the security for our continual adherence to ,christ1 not to our fluctuating feelings1 but to ,his steadfast love4 ,we keep close to ,him1 not because our poor fingers grasp ,his hand--for that grasp is always feeble1 and often relaxed--but because ,his strong and gentle hand holds us with a grasp which nothing can loosen4 ,whoso trusts in his own love to ,christ builds on sand1 but whoso trusts in ,christ's love to him builds on rock4 ,v4 ,adventurous curiosity put to flight 7verses #ea1 #eb74 ,probably this young man was ,mark4 ,only he tells the incident1 which has no bearing on the course of events1 and was of no importance but to the person concerned4 ,he has put himself unnamed in a corner of his picture1 as monkish painters used to do1 content to associate himself even thus with his ,lord4 ,his hastily cast-on covering seems to show that he had been roused from sleep4 ,mingled love and curiosity and youthful adventurousness made him bold to follow when ,apostles had fled4 ,no effort appears to have been made to stop their flight2 but he is laid hold of1 and1 terrified at his own rashness1 wriggles himself out of his captors' hands4 ,the whole incident singularly recalls ,mark's behaviour on ,paul's first missionary journey4 ,there are the same adventurousness1 the same inconsiderate entrance on perilous paths1 the same ignominious and hasty retreat at the first whistle of the bullets4 ,a man who pushes himself needlessly into difficulties and dangers without estimating their force is pretty sure to take to his heels as soon as he feels them1 and to cut as undignified a figure as this naked fugitive4 ,,vi4 ,love frightened1 but following 7verse #ed74 ,fear had driven ,peter but a little way4 ,love soon drew him and ,john back4 ,sudden and often opposite impulses moved ,ms conduct and ruffled the surface of his character1 but1 deep down1 the core was loyal love4 ,he followed1 but afar off2 though 'afar off1' he did follow4 ,if his distance betrayed his terror1 his following witnessed his bravery4 ,he is not a coward who is afraid1 but he who lets his fear hinder him from duty or drive him to flight4 ,what is all ,christian living but following ,christ afar off8 ,and do the best of us do more1 though we have less apology for our distance than ,peter had8 ',leaving us an example1 that ye should follow ,his steps' said he1 long after1 perhaps remembering both that morning and the other by the lake when he was bidden to leave other servants' tasks to the ,master's disposal1 and1 for his own part1 to follow ,him4 ,his love pushed him into a dangerous place4 ,he was in bad company among the inferior sort of servants huddled around the fire that cold morning1 at the lower end of the hall2 and as its light flickered on his face1 he was sure to be recognised4 ,but we have not now to do with his denial4 ,rather he is the type of a true disciple1 coercing his human weakness and cowardice to yield to the attraction which draws him to his ,lord1 and restful in the humblest place where he can catch a glimpse of ,his face1 and so be1 as he long after alleged it as his chief title to authority to have been1 'a witness of the sufferings of ,christ4' ,,the ,,condemnation ,,which ,,condemns ,,the ,,judges ',and the chief priests and all the council sought for witness against ,jesus to put ,him to death2 and found none4 #ef4 ,for many bare false witness against ,him1 but their witness agreed not together4 #eg4 ,and there arose certain1 and bare false witness against ,him1 saying1 #eh4 ,we heard ,him say1 ,i will destroy this temple that is made with hands1 and within three days ,i will build another made without hands4 #ei4 ,but neither so did their witness agree together4 #fj4 ,and the high priest stood up in their midst1 and asked ,jesus1 saying1 ,answerest ,thou nothing8 what is it which these witness against ,thee8 #fa4 ,but ,he held ,his peace1 and answered nothing4 ,again the high priest asked ,him1 and said unto ,him1 ,art ,thou the ,christ1 the ,son of the ,blessed8 #fb4 ,and ,jesus said1 ,i am3 and ye shall see the ,son of ,man1 sitting on the right hand of power1 and coming in the clouds of heaven4 #fc4 ,then the high priest rent his clothes1 and saith1 ,what need we any further witnesses8 #fd4 ,ye have heard the blasphemy3 what think ye8 ,and they all condemned ,him to be guilty of death4 #fe4 ,and some began to spit on ,him1 and to cover ,his face1 and to buffet ,him1 and to say unto ,him1 ,prophesy3 and the servants did strike ,him with the palms of their hands4'--,mark xiv4 #ee-fe4 ,mark brings out three stages in our ,lord's trial by the ,jewish authorities--their vain attempts to find evidence against ,him1 which were met by ,his silence2 ,his own majestic witness to ,himself1 which was met by a unanimous shriek of condemnation2 and the rude mockery of the underlings4 ,the other ,evangelists1 especially ,john1 supply many illuminative details2 but the essentials are here4 ,it is only in criticising the ,gospels that a summary and a fuller narrative are dealt with as contradictory4 ,these three stages naturally divide this paragraph4 ,i4 ,the judges with evil thoughts1 the false witnesses1 and the silent ,christ 7verses #ee-fa74 ,the criminal is condemned before ,he is tried4 ,the judges have made up their minds before they sit1 and the ,sanhedrim is not a court of justice1 but a slaughter-house1 where murder is to be done under sanction of law4 ,mark1 like ,matthew1 notes the unanimity of the 'council1' to which ,joseph of ,arimathea--the one swallow which does not make a summer--appears to have been the only exception2 and he probably was absent1 or1 if present1 was silent4 ,he did 'not consent'2 but we are not told that he opposed4 ,that ill-omened unanimity measures the nation's sin4 ,flagrant injustice and corruption in high places is possible only when society as a whole is corrupt or indifferent to corruption4 ,this prejudging of a case from hatred of the accused as a destroyer of sacred tradition1 and this hunting for evidence to bolster up a foregone conclusion1 are preeminently the vices of ecclesiastical tribunals and not of ,jewish ,sanhedrim or ,papal ,inquisition only4 ,where judges look for witnesses for the prosecution1 plenty will be found1 ready to curry favour by lies4 ,the eagerness to find witnesses against ,jesus is witness for ,him1 as showing that nothing in ,his life or teaching was sufficient to warrant their murderous purpose4 ,his judges condemn themselves in seeking grounds to condemn ,him1 for they thereby show that their real motive was personal spite1 or1 as ,caiaphas suggested1 political expediency4 ,the single specimen of the worthless evidence given may be either a piece of misunderstanding or of malicious twisting of innocent words2 nor can we decide whether the witnesses contradicted one another or each himself4 ,the former is the more probable1 as the fundamental principle of the ,jewish law of evidence 7'two or three witnesses'7 would1 in that case1 rule out the testimony4 ,the saying which they garble meant the very opposite of what they made it mean4 ,it represented ,jesus as the restorer of that which ,israel should destroy4 ,it referred to ,his body which is the true ,temple2 but the symbolic temple 'made with hands' is so inseparably connected with the real1 that the fate of the one determines that of the other4 ,strangely significant1 therefore1 is it1 that the rulers heard again1 though distorted1 at that moment when they were on their trial1 the far-reaching sentence1 which might have taught them that in slaying ,jesus they were throwing down the ,temple and all which centred in it1 and that by ,his resurrection1 ,his own act1 ,he would build up again a new polity1 which yet was but the old transfigured1 even 'the ,church1 which is ,his body4' ,his work destroys nothing but 'the works of the devil4' ,he is the restorer of the divine ordinances and gifts which men destroy1 and ,his death and resurrection bring back in nobler form all the good things lost by sin1 'the desolations of many generations4' ,the history of all subsequent attacks on ,christ is mirrored here4 ,the foregone conclusion1 the evidence sought as an after-thought to give a colourable pretext1 the material found by twisting ,his teaching1 the blindness which accuses ,him of destroying what ,he restores1 and fancies itself as preserving what it is destroying1 have all reappeared over and over again4 ,our ,lord's silence is not only that of meekness1 'as a sheep before her shearers is dumb4' ,it is the silence of innocence1 and1 if we may use the word concerning ,him1 of scorn4 ,he will not defend ,himself to such judges1 nor stoop to repel evidence which they knew to be worthless4 ,but there is also something very solemn and judicial in ,his locked lips4 ,they had ever been ready to open in words of loving wisdom2 but now they are fast closed1 and this is the penalty for despising1 that ,he ceases to speak4 ,deaf ears make a dumb ,christ1 ,what will happen when ,jesus and ,his judges change places1 as they will one day do8 ,when ,he says to each1 ',answerest thou nothing8 ,what is it which these1 thy sins1 witness against thee8' each will be silent with the consciousness of guilt and of just condemnation by ,his all-knowing justice4 ,,ii4 ,christ's majestic witness to ,himself received with a shriek of condemnation4 ,what a supreme moment that was when the head of the hierarchy put this question and received the unambiguous answer6 ,the veriest impostor asserting ,messiahship had a right to have his claims examined2 but a howl of hypocritical horror is all which ,christ's evoke4 ,the high priest knew well enough what ,christ's answer would be4 ,why1 then1 did he not begin by questioning ,jesus1 and do without the witnesses8 ,probably because the council wished to find some pretext for ,his condemnation without bringing up the real reason2 for it looked ugly to condemn a man for claiming to be ,messias1 and to do it without examining ,his credentials4 ,the failure1 however1 of the false witnesses compelled the council to 'show their hands1' and to hear and reject our ,lord solemnly and1 so to speak1 officially1 laying ,his assertion of dignity and office before them1 as the tribunal charged with the duty of examining ,his proofs4 ,the question is so definite as to imply a pretty full and accurate knowledge of our ,lord's teaching about ,himself4 ,it embraces two points--office and nature2 for 'the ,christ' and 'the ,son of the ,blessed' are not equivalents4 ,the latter title points to our ,lord's declarations that ,he was the ,son of ,god1 and is an instance of the later ,jewish superstition which avoided using the divine name4 ,loving faith delights in the name of the ,lord4 ,dead formalism changes reverence into dread1 and will not speak it4 ,sham reverence1 feigned ignorance1 affected wish for information1 the false show of judicial impartiality1 and other lies and vices not a few1 are condensed in the question2 and the fact that the judge had to ask it and hear the answer1 is an instance of a divine purpose working through evil men1 and compelling reluctant lips to speak words the meaning and bearing of which they little know4 ,jesus could not leave such a challenge unanswered4 ,silence then would have been abandonment of ,his claims4 ,it was fitting that the representatives of the nation should1 at that decisive moment1 hear ,him declare ,himself ,messiah4 ,it was not fitting that ,he should be condemned on any other ground4 ,in that answer1 and its reception by the council1 the nation's rejection of ,jesus is1 as it were1 focused and compressed4 ,this was the end of centuries of training by miracle1 prophet and psalmist--the saddest instance in man's long1 sad history of his awful power to frustrate ,god's patient educating6 ,our ,lord's majestic ',i am1' in one word answers both parts of the question1 and then passes on1 with strange calm and dignity1 to point onwards to the time when the criminal will be the judge1 and the judges will stand at ,his bar4 ',the ,son of ,man1' ,his ordinary designation of ,himself1 implies ,his true manhood1 and ,his representative character1 as perfect man1 or1 to use modern language1 the 'realised ideal' of humanity4 ,in the present connection1 its employment in the same sentence as ,his assertion that ,he is the ,son of ,god goes deep into the mystery of ,his twofold nature1 and declares that ,his manhood had a supernatural origin and wielded divine prerogatives4 ,accordingly there follows the explicit prediction of ,his assumption of the highest of these after ,his death4 ,the ,cross was as plain to ,him as ever2 but beyond it gleamed the crown and the throne4 ,he anticipates 'sitting on the right hand of power1' which implies repose1 enthronement1 judicature1 investiture with omnipotence1 and administration of the universe4 ,he anticipates 'coming in the clouds of heaven1' which distinctly claims to be the future ,judge of the world4 ,his hearers could scarcely fail to discern the reference to ,daniel's prophecy4 ,was ever the irony of history more pungently exemplified than in an ,annas and ,caiaphas holding up hands of horror at the 'blasphemies' of ,jesus8 ,they rightly took ,his words to mean more than the claim of ,messiahship as popularly understood4 ,to say that ,he was the ,christ was not 'blasphemy1' but a claim demanding examination2 but to say that ,he1 the ,son of ,man1 was ,son of ,god and supreme ,judge was so1 according to their canons4 ,how unconsciously the exclamation1 ',what need we further witnesses8' betrays the purpose for which the witnesses had been sought1 as being simply ,his condemnation6 ,they were 'needed' to compass ,his death1 which the council now gleefully feels to be secured4 ,so with precipitate unanimity they vote4 ,and this was ,israel's welcome to their ,king1 and the outcome of all their history6 ,and it was the destruction of the national life4 ,that howl of condemnation pronounced sentence on themselves and on the whole order of which they were the heads4 ,the prisoner's eyes alone saw then what we and all men may see now--the handwriting on the wall of the high priest's palace3 ',weighed in the balance1 and found wanting4' ,,iii4 ,the savage mockers and the patient ,christ 7verse #fe74 ,there is an evident antithesis between the 'all' of verse #fd and the 'some' of verse #fe1 which shows that the inflictors of the indignities were certain members of the council1 whose fury carried them beyond all bounds of decency4 ,the subsequent mention of the 'servants' confirms this1 especially when we adopt the more accurate rendering of the ,revised ,version1 'received ,him with blows4' ,mark's account1 then1 is this3 that1 as soon as the unanimous howl of condemnation had beep uttered1 some of the 'judges'767 fell upon ,jesus with spitting and clumsy ridicule and downright violence1 and that afterwards ,he was handed over to the underlings1 who were not slow to copy the example set them at the upper end of the hall4 ,it was not an ignorant mob who thus answered ,his claims1 but the leaders and teachers--the crme de la crme of the nation4 ,a wild beast lurks below the ,pharisee's long robes and phylacteries2 and the more that men have changed a living belief in religion for a formal profession1 the more fiercely antagonistic are they to every attempt to realise its precepts and hopes4 ,the 'religious' men who mock ,jesus in the name of traditional religion are by no means an extinct species4 ,it is of little use to shudder at the blind cruelty of dead scribes and priests4 ,let us rather remember that the seeds of their sins are in us all1 and take care to check their growth4 ,what a volcano of hellish passion bursts out here6 ,spitting expresses disgust2 blinding and asking for the names of the smiters is a clumsy attempt at wit and ridicule2 buffeting is the last unrestrained form of hate and malice4 ,the world has always paid its teachers and benefactors in such coin2 but all other examples pale before this saddest1 transcendent instance4 ,love is repaid by hate2 a whole nation is blind to supreme and unspotted goodness2 teachers steeped in 'law and prophets' cannot see ,him of and for whom law and prophets witnessed and were1 when ,he stands before them4 ,the sin of sins is the failure to recognise ,jesus for what ,he is4 ,his person and claims are the touchstone which tries every beholder of what sort ,he is4 ,how wonderful the silent patience of ,jesus6 ,he withholds not ,his face 'from shame and spitting4' ,he gives ',his back to the smiters4' ,meek endurance and passive submission are not all which we have to behold there4 ,this is more than an uncomplaining martyr4 ,this is the sacrifice for the world's sin2 and ,his bearing of all that men can inflict is more than heroism4 ,it is redeeming love4 ,his sad1 loving eyes1 wide open below their bandage1 saw and pitied each rude smiter1 even as ,he sees us all4 ,they were and are eyes of infinite tenderness1 ready to beam forgiveness2 but they were and are the eyes of the ,judge1 who sees and repays ,his foes1 as those who smite ,him will one day find out4 ,,christ ,,and ,,pilate3 ,,the ,,true ,,king ,,and ,,his ,,counterfeit ',and straightway in the morning the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council1 and bound ,jesus1 and carried ,him away1 and delivered ,him to ,pilate4 #b4 ,and ,pilate asked ,him1 ,art ,thou the ,king of the ,jews8 ,and ,he answering said unto him1 ,thou sayest it4 #c4 ,and the chief priests accused ,him of many things3 but ,he answered nothing4 #d4 ,and ,pilate asked ,him again1 saying1 ,answerest ,thou nothing8 behold how many things they witness against ,thee4 #f4 ,but ,jesus yet answered nothing2 so that ,pilate marvelled4 #f4 ,now at that feast he released unto them one prisoner1 whomsoever they desired4 #g4 ,and there was one named ,barabbas1 which lay bound with them that had made insurrection with him1 who had committed murder in the insurrection4 #h4 ,and the multitude crying aloud began to desire him to do as he had ever done unto them4 #i4 ,but ,pilate answered them1 saying1 ,will ye that ,i release unto you the ,king of the ,jews8 #aj4 ,for he knew that the chief priests had delivered ,him for envy4 #aa4 ,but the chief priests moved the people1 that he should rather release ,barabbas unto them4 #ab4 ,and ,pilate answered and said again unto them1 ,what will ye then that ,i shall do unto ,him whom ye call the ,king of the ,jews8 #ac4 ,and they cried out again1 ,crucify ,him4 #ad4 ,then ,pilate said unto them1 ,why1 what evil hath ,he done8 ,and they cried out the more exceedingly1 ,crucify ,him4 #ae4 ,and so ,pilate1 willing to content the people1 released ,barabbas unto them1 and delivered ,jesus1 when he had scourged ,him1 to be crucified4 #af4 ,and the soldiers led ,him away into the hall1 called ,praetorium2 and they call together the whole band4 #ag4 ,and they clothed ,him with purple1 and platted a crown of thorns1 and put it about ,his head1 #ah4 ,and began to salute ,him1 ,hail1 ,king of the ,jews6 #ai4 ,and they smote ,him on the head with a reed1 and did spit upon ,him1 and bowing their knees worshipped ,him4 #bj4 ,and when they had mocked ,him they took off the purple from ,him1 and put ,his own clothes on ,him1 and led ,him out to crucify ,him4'--,mark xv4 #a-bj4 ,the so-called trial of ,jesus by the rulers turned entirely on his claim to be ,messias2 ,his examination by ,pilate turns entirely on ,his claim to be king4 ,the two claims are indeed one1 but the political aspect is distinguishable from the higher one2 and it was the ,jewish rulers' trick to push it exclusively into prominence before ,pilate1 in the hope that he might see in the claim an incipient insurrection1 and might mercilessly stamp it out4 ,it was a new part for them to play to hand over leaders of revolt to the ,roman authorities1 and a governor with any common sense must have suspected that there was something hid below such unusual loyalty4 ,what a moment of degradation and of treason against ,israel's sacredest hopes that was when its rulers dragged ,jesus to ,pilate on such a charge6 ,mark follows the same method of condensation and discarding of all but the essentials1 as in the other parts of his narrative4 ,he brings out three points--the hearing before ,pilate1 the popular vote for ,barabbas1 and the soldiers' mockery4 ,i4 ,the true ,king at the bar of the apparent ruler 7verses #a-f74 ,the contrast between appearance and reality was never more strongly drawn than when ,jesus stood as a prisoner before ,pilate4 ,the ,one is helpless1 bound1 alone2 the other invested with all the externals of power4 ,but which is the stronger8 and in which hand is the sceptre8 ,on the lowest view of the contrast1 it is ideas versus swords4 ,on the higher and truer1 it is the incarnate ,god1 mighty because voluntarily weak1 and man 'dressed in a little brief authority1' and weak because insolently 'making his power his god4' ,impotence1 fancying itself strong1 assumes sovereign authority over omnipotence clothed in weakness4 ,the phantom ruler sits in judgment on the true ,king4 ,pilate holding ,christ's life in his hand is the crowning paradox of history1 and the mystery of self-abasing love4 ,one exercise of the ,prisoner's will and ,his chains would have snapped1 and the governor lain dead on the marble 'pavement4' ,the two hearings are parallel1 and yet contrasted4 ,in each there are two stages--the self-attestation of ,jesus and the accusations of others2 but the order is different4 ,the rulers begin with the witnesses1 and1 foiled there1 fall back on ,christ's own answer1 ,pilate1 with ,roman directness and a touch of contempt for the accusers1 goes straight to the point1 and first questions ,jesus4 ,his question was simply as to our ,lord's regal pretensions4 ,he cared nothing about ,jewish 'superstitions' unless they threatened political disturbance4 ,it was nothing to him whether or no one crazy fanatic more fancied himself 'the ,messiah1' whatever that might be4 ,was ,he going to fight8--that was all which ,pilate had to look after4 ,he is the very type of the hard1 practical ,roman1 with a 'practical' man's contempt for ideas and sentiments1 sceptical as to the possibility of getting hold of 'truth1' and too careless to wait for an answer to his question about it2 loftily ignorant of and indifferent to the notions of the troublesome people that he ruled1 but alive to the necessity of keeping them in good humour1 and unscrupulous enough to strain justice and unhesitatingly to sacrifice so small a thing as an innocent life to content them4 ,what could such a man see in ,jesus but a harmless visionary8 ,he had evidently made up his mind that there was no mischief in ,him1 or he would not have questioned ,him as to ,his kingship4 ,it was a new thing for the rulers to hand over dangerous patriots1 and ,pilate had experience enough to suspect that such unusual loyalty concealed something else1 and that if ,jesus had really been an insurrectionary leader1 ,he would never have fallen into ,pilate's power4 ,accordingly1 he gives no serious attention to the case1 and his question has a certain half-amused1 half-pitying ring about it4 ',thou a king8 '--poor helpless peasant6 ,a strange specimen of royalty this6 ,how constantly the same blindness is repeated1 and the strong things of this world despise the weak1 and material power smiles pityingly at the helpless impotence of the principles of ,christ's gospel1 which yet will one day shatter it to fragments1 like a potter's vessel6 ,the phantom ruler judges the real ,king to be a powerless shadow1 while himself is the shadow and the other the substance4 ,there are plenty of ,pilates to-day who judge and misjudge the ,king of ,israel4 ,the silence of ,jesus in regard to the eager accusations corresponds to ,his silence before the false witnesses4 ,the same reason dictated both4 ,his silence is ,his most eloquent answer4 ,it calmly passes by all these charges by envenomed tongues as needing no reply1 and as utterly irrelevant4 ,answered1 they would have lived in the ,gospels2 unanswered1 they are buried4 ,christ can afford to let many of ,his foes alone4 ,contradictions and confutations keep slanders and heresies above water1 which the law of gravitation would dispose of if they were left alone4 ,pilate's wonder might and should have led him further4 ,it should have prompted to further inquiry1 and that might have issued in clearer knowledge4 ,it was the little glimmer of light at the far-off end of his cavern1 which1 travelled towards1 might have brought him into free air and broad day4 ,one great part of his crime was neglecting the faint monitions of which he was conscious4 ,his light may have been dim1 but it would have brightened2 and he quenched it4 ,he stands as a tremendous example of possibilities missed1 and of the tragedy of a soul that has looked on ,jesus1 and has not yielded to the impressions made on him by the sight4 ,,ii4 ,the people's favourite 7verses #g-ae71 ',barabbas' means 'son of the father1' ,his very name is a kind of caricature of the ',son of the ,blessed1' and his character and actions present in gross form the sort of ,messias whom the nation really wanted4 ,he had headed some one of the many small riots against ,rome which were perpetually sputtering up and being trampled out by an armed heel4 ,there had been bloodshed1 in which he had himself taken part 7'a murderer1' ,acts iii4 #ad74 ,and this coarse1 red-handed desperado is the people's favourite1 because he embodied their notions and aspirations1 and had been bold enough to do what every man of them would have done if he had dared4 ,he thought and felt1 as they did1 that freedom was to be won by the sword4 ,the popular hero is as a mirror which reflects the popular mind4 ,he echoes the popular voice1 a little improved or exaggerated4 ,jesus had taught what the people did not care to hear1 and given blessings which even the recipients soon forgot1 and lived a life whose 'beauty of holiness' oppressed and rebuked the common life of men4 ,what chance had truth and kindness and purity against the sort of bravery that slashes with a sword1 and is not elevated above the mob by inconvenient reach of thought or beauty of character8 ,even now1 after nineteen centuries of ,christ's influence have modified the popular ideals1 what chance have they8 ,are the popular 'heroes' of ,christian nations saints1 teachers1 lovers of men1 in whom their ,christ-likeness is the thing venerated8 ,the old saying that the voice of the people is the voice of ,god receives an instructive commentary in the vote for ,barabbas and against ,jesus4 ,that was what a plebiscite for the discovery of the people's favourite came to4 ,what a reliable method of finding the best man universal suffrage1 manipulated by wirepullers like these priests1 is6 and how wise the people are who let it guide their judgments1 or still wiser1 who fret their lives out in angling for its approval6 ,better be condemned with ,jesus than adopted with ,barabbas4 ,that fatal choice revealed the character of the choosers1 both in their hostility and admiration2 for excellence hated shows what we ought to be and are not1 and grossness or vice admired shows what we would fain be if we dared4 ,it was the tragic sign that ,israel had not learned the rudiments of the lesson which 'at sundry times and in divers manners' ,god had been teaching them4 ,in it the nation renounced its ,messianic hopes1 and with its own mouth pronounced its own sentence4 ,it convicted them of insensibility to the highest truth1 of blindness to the most effulgent light1 of ingratitude for the richest gifts4 ,it is the supreme instance of short-lived1 unintelligent emotion1 inasmuch as many who on ,friday joined in the roar1 ',crucify ,him6' had on ,sunday shouted ',hosanna6' till they were hoarse4 ,pilate plays a cowardly and unrighteous part in the affair1 and tries to make amends to himself for his politic surrender of a man whom he knew to be innocent1 by taunts and sarcasm4 ,he seems to see a chance to release ,jesus1 if he can persuade the mob to name ,him as the prisoner to be set free1 according to custom4 ,his first proposal to them was apparently dictated by a genuine interest in ,jesus1 and a complete conviction that ,rome had nothing to fear from this ',king4' ,but there are also in the question a sneer at such pauper royalty1 as it looked to him1 and a kind of scornful condescension in acknowledging the mob's right of choice4 ,he consults their wishes for once1 but there is haughty consciousness of mastery in his way of doing it4 ,his appeal is to the people1 as against the priests whose motives he had penetrated4 ,but in his very effort to save ,jesus he condemns himself2 for1 if he knew that they had delivered ,christ for envy1 his plain duty was to set the prisoner free1 as innocent of the only crime of which he ought to take cognisance4 ,so his attempt to shift the responsibility off his own shoulders is a piece of cowardice and a dereliction of duty4 ,his second question plunges him deeper in the mire4 ,the people had a right to decide which was to be released1 but none to settle the fate of ,jesus4 ,to put that in their hands was an unconditional surrender by ,pilate1 and the sneer in 'whom ye call the ,king of the ,jews' is a poor attempt to hide from them and himself that he is afraid of them4 ,mark puts his finger on the damning blot in ,pilate's conduct when he says that his motive for condemning ,jesus was his wish to content the people4 ,the life of one poor ,jew was a small price to pay for popularity4 ,so he let policy outweigh righteousness1 and1 in spite of his own clear conviction1 did an innocent man to death4 ,that would be his reading of his act1 and1 doubtless1 it did not trouble his conscience much or long1 but he would leave the judgment-seat tolerably satisfied with his morning's work4 ,how little he knew what he had done6 ,in his ignorance lies his palliation4 ,his crime was great1 but his guilt is to be measured by his light1 and that was small4 ,he prostituted justice for his own ends1 and he did not follow out the dawnings of light that would have led him to know ,jesus4 ,therefore he did the most awful thing in the world's history4 ,let us learn the lesson which he teaches6 ,,iii4 ,the soldiers' mockery 7verses #af-bj74 ,this is characteristically different from that of the rulers1 who jeered at ,his claim to supernatural enlightenment1 and bade ,him show ,his ,messiahship by naming ,his smiters4 ,the rough legionaries knew nothing about a ,messiah1 but it seemed to them a good jest that this poor1 scourged prisoner should have called ,himself a ,king1 and so they proceed to make coarse and clumsy merriment over it4 ,it is like the wild beast playing with its prey before killing it4 ,the laughter is not only rough1 but cruel4 ,there was no pity for the ,victim 'bleeding from the ,roman rods1' and soon to die4 ,and the absence of any personal hatred made this mockery more hideous4 ,jesus was nothing to them but a prisoner whom they were to crucify1 and their mockery was sheer brutality and savage delight in torturing4 ,the sport is too good to be kept by a few1 so the whole band is gathered to enjoy it4 ,how they would troop to the place6 ,they get hold of some robe or cloth of the imperial colour1 and of some flexible shoots of some thorny plant1 and out of these they fashion a burlesque of royal trappings4 ,then they shout1 as they would have done to ,caesar1 ',hail1 ,king of the ,jews6' repeating again with clumsy iteration the stale jest which seems to them so exquisite4 ,then their mood changes1 and naked ferocity takes the place of ironical reverence4 ,plucking the mock sceptre1 the reed1 from ,his passive hand1 they strike the thorn-crowned ,head with it1 and spit on ,him1 while they bow in mock reverence before ,him1 and at last1 when tired of their sport1 tear off the purple1 and lead him away to the ,cross4 ,if we think of who ,he was who bore all this1 and of why ,he bore it1 we may well bow not the knee but the heart1 in endless love and thankfulness4 ,if we think of the mockers--rude ,roman soldiers1 who probably could not understand a word of what they heard on the streets of ,jerusalem--we shall do rightly to remember our ,lord's own plea for them1 'they know not what they do1' and reflect that many of us with more knowledge do really sin more against the ,king than they did4 ,their insult was an unconscious prophecy4 ,they foretold the basis of ,his dominion by the crown of thorns1 and its character by the sceptre of reed1 and its extent by their mocking salutations2 for ,his ,kingship is founded in suffering1 wielded with gentleness1 and to ,him every knee shall one day bow1 and every tongue confess that the ,king of the ,jews is monarch of mankind4 ,,the ,,death ,,which ,,gives ,,life ',and they compel one ,simon a ,cyrenian1 who passed by1 coming out of the country1 the father of ,alexander and ,rufus1 to bear ,his cross4 #bb4 ,and they bring ,him unto the place ,golgotha1 which is1 being interpreted1 ,the place of a skull4 #bc4 ,and they gave ,him to drink wine mingled with myrrh3 but ,he received it not4 #bd4 ,and when they had crucified ,him1 they parted ,his garments1 casting lots upon them1 what every man should take4 #be4 ,and it was the third hour1 and they crucified ,him4 #bf4 ,and the superscription of ,his accusation was written over1 ,,the ,,king ,,of ,,the ,,jews4 #bg4 ,and with ,him they crucify two thieves2 the one on ,his right hand1 and the other on ,his left4 #bh4 ,and the ,scripture was fulfilled1 which saith1 ,and ,he was numbered with the transgressors4 #bi4 ,and they that passed by railed on ,him1 wagging their heads1 and saying1 ,ah1 ,thou that destroyest the temple1 and buildest it in three days1 #cj4 ,save ,thyself1 and come down from the cross4 #ca4 ,likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes1 ,he saved others2 ,himself ,he cannot save4 #cb4 ,let ,christ the ,king of ,israel descend now from the cross1 that we may see and believe4 ,and they that were crucified with ,him reviled ,him4 #cc4 ,and when the sixth hour was come1 there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour4 #cd4 ,and at the ninth hour ,jesus cried with a loud voice1 saying1 ,eloi1 ,eloi1 lama sabachthani8 which is1 being interpreted1 ,my ,god1 ,my ,god1 why hast ,thou forsaken ,me8 #ce4 ,and some of them that stood by1 when they heard it1 said1 ,behold1 ,he calleth ,elias4 #cf4 ,and one ran and filled a sponge full of vinegar1 and put it on a reed1 and gave ,him to drink1 saying1 ,let alone2 let us see whether ,elias will come to take ,him down4 #cg4 ,and ,jesus cried with a loud voice1 and gave up the ghost4 #ch4 ,and the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom4 #ci4 ,and when the centurion1 which stood over against ,him1 saw that ,he so cried out1 and gave up the ghost1 he said1 ,truly this man was the ,son of ,god4'--,mark xv4 #ba-ci4 ,the narrative of the crucifixion is1 in ,mark's hands1 almost entirely a record of what was done to ,jesus1 and scarcely touches what was done by ,him4 ,we are shown the executioners1 the jeering rabble1 the triumphant priests1 the fellow-sufferers reviling2 but the only glimpses we get of ,him are ,his refusal of the stupefying draught1 ,his loud cries1 and ,his giving up the ghost4 ,the narrative is perfectly calm1 as well as reverently reticent4 ,it would have been well if our religious literature had copied the example1 and treated the solemn scene in the same fashion4 ,mark's inartificial style of linking long paragraphs with the simple 'and' is peculiarly observable here1 where every verse but vv4 #cj and #cb1 which are both quotations1 begins with it4 ,the whole section is one long sentence1 each member of which adds a fresh touch to the tragic picture4 ,the monotonous repetition of 'and1' 'and1' 'and1' gives the effect of an endless succession of the wares of sorrow1 pain1 and contumely which broke over that sacred head4 ,we shall do best simply to note each billow as it breaks4 ,the first point is the impressing of ,simon to bear the ,cross4 ,that was not dictated by compassion so much as by impatience4 ,apparently the weight was too heavy for ,jesus1 and the pace could be quickened by making the first man who could be laid hold of help to carry the load4 ,mark adds that ,simon was the 'father of ,alexander and ,rufus1' whom he supposes to need no introduction to his readers4 ,there is a ,rufus mentioned in ,romans xvi4 #ac as being1 with his mother1 members of the ,roman ,church4 ,mark's ,gospel has many traces of being primarily intended for ,romans4 ,possibly these two ,rufuses are the same2 and the conjecture may be allowable that the father's fortuitous association with the crucifixion led to the conversion of himself and his family1 and that his sons were of more importance or fame in the ,church than he was4 ,perhaps1 too1 he is the ',simeon called ,niger' 7bronzed by the hot ,african sun7 who was a prophet of ,antioch1 and stands by the side of a ,cyrenian 7,acts xiii4 #a74 ,it is singular that he should be the only one of all the actors in the crucifixion who is named2 and the fact suggests his subsequent connection with the ,church4 ,if so1 the seeking love of ,god found him by a strange way4 ,on what apparently trivial accidents a life may be pivoted1 and how much may depend on turning to right or left in a walk6 ,in this bewildering network of interlaced events1 which each ramifies in so many directions1 the only safety is to keep fast hold of ,god's hand and to take good care of the purity of our motives1 and let results alone4 ,the next verse brings us to ,golgotha1 which is translated by the three ,evangelists1 who give it as meaning 'the place of a skull4' ,the name may have been given to the place of execution with grim suggestiveness2 or1 more probably1 ,conder's suggested identification is plausible1 which points to a little1 rounded1 skull-shaped knoll1 close outside the northern wall1 as the site of the crucifixion4 ,in that case1 the name would originally describe the form of the height1 and be retained as specially significant in view of its use as the place of execution4 ,that was the 'place' to which ,israel led its ,king6 ,the place of death becomes a place of life1 and from the mournful soil where the bones of evildoers lay bleaching in the sun springs the fountain of water of life4 ,arrived at that doleful place1 a small touch of kindness breaks the monotony of cruelty1 if it be not merely apart of the ordinary routine of executions4 ,the stupefying potion would diminish1 but would therefore protract1 the pain1 and was possibly given for the latter rather than the former effect4 ,but ,jesus 'received it not4' ,he will not1 by any act of ,his1 lessen the bitterness4 ,he will drink to the dregs the cup which ,his ,father hath given ,him1 and therefore ,he will not drink of the numbing draught4 ,it is a small matter comparatively1 but it is all of a piece with the greater things4 ,the spirit of ,his whole course of voluntary1 cheerful endurance of all the sorrows needful to redeem the world1 is expressed in ,his silent turning away from the draught which might have alleviated physical suffering1 but at the cost of dulling conscious surrender4 ,the act of crucifixion is but named in a subsidiary clause1 as if the writer turned away1 with eyes veiled in reverence1 from the sight of man's utmost sin and ,christ's utmost mystery of suffering love4 ,he can describe the attendant circumstances1 but his pen refuses to dwell upon the central fact4 ,the highest art and the simplest natural feeling both know that the fewest words are the most eloquent4 ,he will not expressly mention the indignity done to the sacred ,body in which 'dwelt all the fulness of the ,godhead1' but leaves it to be inferred from the parting of ,christ's raiment1 the executioner's perquisite4 ,he had nothing else belonging to ,him1 and of even that poor property ,he is spoiled4 ,according to ,john's more detailed account1 the soldiers made an equal parting of ,his garments except the seamless robe1 for which they threw lots4 ,so the 'parting' applies to one portion1 and the 'casting lots' to another4 ,the incident teaches two things3 on the one hand1 the stolid indifference of the soldiers1 who had crucified many a ,jew1 and went about their awful work as a mere piece of routine duty2 and1 on the other hand1 the depth of the abasement and shame to which ,jesus bowed for our sakes4 ',naked shall ,i return thither' was true in the most literal sense of ,him whose earthly life began with ,his laying aside ,his garments of divine glory1 and ended with rude legionaries parting ',his raiment' among them4 ,mark alone tells the hour at which ,jesus was nailed to the ,cross 7verse #be74 ,matthew and ,luke specify the sixth and ninth hours as the times of the darkness and of the death2 but to ,mark we owe our knowledge of the fact that for six slow hours ,jesus hung there1 tasting death drop by drop4 ,at any moment of all these sorrow-laden moments ,he could have come down from the ,cross1 if ,he would4 ,at each1 a fresh exercise of ,his loving will to redeem kept ,him there4 ,the writing on the ,cross is given here in the most condensed fashion 7verse #bf74 ,the one important point is that ,his 'accusation' was--',king of the ,jews4' ,it was the official statement of the reason for ,his crucifixion1 put there by ,pilate as a double-barrelled sarcasm1 hitting both ,jesus and the nation4 ,the rulers winced under the taunt1 and tried to get it softened2 but ,pilate sought to make up for his unrighteous facility in yielding ,jesus to death1 by obstinacy and jeers4 ,so the inscription hung there1 a truth deeper than its author or its angry readers knew1 and a prophecy which has not received all its fulfilment yet4 ,the narrative comes back1 in verse #bg1 to the sad catalogue of the insults heaped on ,jesus4 ,verse #bh is probably spurious here1 as the ,revised ,version takes it to be2 but it truly expresses the intention of the crucifixion of the thieves as being to put ,him in the same class as they1 and to suggest that ,he was a ringleader1 pre-eminent in evil4 ,possibly the two robbers may have been part of ,barabbas' band1 who had been brigands disguised as patriots2 and1 if so1 the insult was all the greater4 ,but1 in any case1 the meaning of it was to bring ,him down1 in the eyes of beholders1 to the level of vulgar criminals4 ,if a ,cranmer or a ,latimer had been bound to the stake with a housebreaker or a cut-throat1 that would have been a feeble image of the malicious contumely thus flung at ,jesus2 but ,his love had identified ,him with the worst sinners in a far deeper and more real way1 and not a crime had stained these men's hands1 but its weight pressed on ,him4 ,he numbered ,himself with transgressors1 that they may be numbered with ,his saints4 ,then follows 7verses #bi-cb7 the threefold mockery by people1 priests1 and fellow-sufferers4 ,that is spread over three hours1 and is all which ,mark has to tell of them4 ,other ,evangelists give us words spoken by ,jesus2 but this narrative has only one of the seven words from the ,cross1 and gives us the picture rather of the silent ,sufferer1 bearing in meek resolution all that men can lay on ,him4 ,both pictures are true1 for the words are too few to make notable breaches in the silence4 ,the mockery harps on the old themes1 and witnesses at once the malicious cruelty of the mockers and the innocence of the ,victim1 at whom even such malice could find nothing to fling except these stale taunts4 ,the chance passengers1 of whom there would be a stream to and from the adjacent city gate1 'wag their heads' in gratified and fierce hate4 ,the calumny of the discredited witnesses1 although even the biased judges had not dared to treat it as true1 has lodged in the popular mind1 and been accepted as proved4 ,lies are not killed when they are shown to be lies4 ,they travel faster than truth4 ,ears were greedily open for the false witnesses' evidence which had been closed to ,christ's gracious teaching4 ,the charge that ,he was a would-be destroyer of the ,temple obliterated all remembrance of miracles and benefits1 and fanned the fire of hatred in men whose zeal for the ,temple was a substitute for religion4 ,are there any of them left nowadays--people who have no real heart-hold of ,christianity1 but are fiercely antagonistic to supposed destroyers of its externals1 and not over-particular to the evidence against them8 ,these mockers thought that ,christ's being fastened to the ,cross was a reductio ad absurdum of ,his claim to build the ,temple4 ,how little they knew that it led straight to that rebuilding1 or that they1 and not ,he1 were indeed the destroyers of the holy house which they thought that they were honouring1 and were really making 'desolate'6 ,the priests do not take up the people's mockery1 for they know that it is based upon a falsehood2 but they scoff at ,his miracles1 which they assume to be disproved by ,his crucifixion4 ,their venomous gibe is profoundly true1 and goes to the very heart of the gospel4 ,precisely because ',he saved others1' therefore ',himself ,he cannot save'--not1 as they thought1 for want of power1 but because ,his will was fixed to obey the ,father and to redeem ,his brethren1 and therefore ,he must die and cannot deliver ,himself4 ,but the necessity and inability both depend on ,his will4 ,the priests1 however1 take up the other part of the people's scoff4 ,they unite the two grounds of condemnation in the names 'the ,christ1 the ,king of ,israel1' and think that both are disproved by ,his hanging there4 ,but the ,cross is the throne of the ,king4 ,a sacrificial death is the true work of the ,messiah of law1 prophecy1 and psalm2 and because ,he did not come down from the ,cross1 therefore is ,he 'crowned with glory and honour' in heaven1 and rules over grateful and redeemed hearts on earth4 ,the midday darkness lasted three hours1 during which no word or incident is recorded4 ,it was nature divinely draped in mourning over the sin of sins1 the most tragic of deaths4 ,it was a symbol of the eclipse of the ,light of the world2 but ere ,he died it passed1 and the sun shone on ,his expiring head1 in token that ,his death scattered our darkness and poured day on our sad night4 ,the solemn silence was broken at last by that loud cry1 the utterance of strangely blended consciousness of possession of ,god and of abandonment by ,him1 the depths of which we can never fathom4 ,but this we know3 that our sins1 not ,his1 wove the veil which separated ,him from ,his ,god4 ,such separation is the real death4 ,where cold analysis is out of place1 reverent gratitude may draw near4 ,let us adore1 for what we can understand speaks of a love which has taken on itself the iniquity of us all4 ,let us silently adore1 for all words are weaker than that mystery of love4 ,the first hearers of that cry misunderstood it1 or cruelly pretended to do so1 in order to find fresh food for mockery4 ',eloi' sounded like enough to ',elijah' to suggest to some of the flinty hearts around a travesty of the piteous appeal4 ,they must have been ,jews1 for the soldiers knew nothing about the prophet2 and if they were ,scribes1 they could scarcely fail to recognise the reference to the ,twenty-second ,psalm1 and to understand the cry4 ,but the opportunity for one more cruelty was too tempting to be resisted1 and savage laughter was man's response to the most pitiful prayer ever uttered4 ,one man in all that crowd had a small touch of human pity1 and1 dipping a sponge in the sour drink provided for the soldiers1 reached it up to the parched lips4 ,that was no stupefying draught1 and was accepted4 ,matthew's account is more detailed1 and represents the words spoken as intended to hinder even that solitary bit of kindness4 ,the end was near4 ,the lips1 moistened by the 'vinegar1' opened once more in that loud cry which both showed undiminished vitality and conscious victory2 and then ,he 'gave up the ghost1' sending away ,his spirit1 and dying1 not because the prolonged agony had exhausted ,his energy1 but because ,he chose to die1 ,he entered through the gate of death as a conqueror1 and burst its bars when ,he went in1 and not only when ,he came out4 ,his death rent the ,temple veil4 ,the innermost chamber of the ,divine ,presence is open now1 and sinful men have 'access with confidence by the faith of ,him1' to every place whither ,he has gone before4 ,right into the secret of ,god's pavilion we can go1 now and here1 knowledge and faith and love treading the path which ,jesus has opened1 and coming to the ,father by ,him4 ,bight into the blaze of the glory we shall go hereafter2 for ,he has gone to prepare a place for us1 and when ,he overcame the sharpness of death ,he opened the gate of heaven to all believers4 ,jews looked on1 unconcerned and unconvinced by the pathos and triumph of such a death4 ,but the rough soldier who commanded the executioners had no prejudices or hatred to blind his eyes and ossify his heart4 ,the sight made its natural impression on him2 and his exclamation1 though not to be taken as a ,christian confession or as using the phrase ',son of ,god' in its deepest meaning1 is yet the beginning of light4 ,perhaps1 as he went thoughtfully to his barrack that afternoon1 the process began which led him at last to repeat his first exclamation with deepened meaning and true faith4 ,may we all gaze on that ,cross1 with fuller knowledge1 with firm trust1 and endless love6 ,,simon ,,the ,,cyrenian ',and they compel one ,simon1 a ,cyrenian1 who passed by1 coming out of the country1 the father of ,alexander and ,rufus1 to bear ,his ,cross4'--,mark xv4 #ba4 ,how little these soldiers knew that they were making this man immortal6 ,what a strange fate that is which has befallen chose persons in the ,gospel narrative1 who for an instant came into contact with ,jesus ,christ4 ,like ships passing athwart the white ghostlike splendour of moonlight on the sea1 they gleam silvery pure for a moment as they cross its broad belt1 and then are swallowed up again in the darkness4 ,this man ,simon1 fortuitously1 as men say1 meeting the little procession at the gate of the city1 for an instant is caught in the radiance of the light1 and stands out visible for evermore to all the world2 and then sinks into the blackness1 and we know no more about him4 ,this brief glimpse tells us very little1 and yet the man and his act and its consequences may be worth thinking about4 ,he was a ,cyrenian2 that is1 he was a ,jew by descent1 probably born1 and certainly resident1 for purposes of commerce1 in ,cyrene1 on the ,north ,african coast of the ,mediterranean4 ,no doubt he had come up to ,jerusalem for the ,passover2 and like very many of the strangers who flocked to the ,holy ,city for the feast1 met some difficulty in finding accommodation in the city1 and so was obliged to go to lodge in one of the outlying villages4 ,from this lodging he is coming in1 in the morning1 knowing nothing about ,christ nor ,his trial1 knowing nothing of what he is about to meet1 and happens to see the procession as it is passing out of the gate4 ,he is by the centurion impressed to help the fainting ,christ to carry the heavy ,cross4 ,he probably thought ,jesus a common criminal1 and would resent the task laid upon him by the rough authority of the officer in command4 ,but he was gradually touched into some kind of sympathy2 drawn closer and closer1 as we suppose1 as he looked upon this dying meekness2 and at last1 yielded to the soul-conquering power of ,christ4 ,tradition says so1 and the reasons for supposing that it was right may be very simply stated4 ,the description of him in our text as 'the father of ,alexander and ,rufus' shows that1 by the time when ,mark wrote1 his two sons were members of the ,christian community1 and had attained some eminence in it4 ,a ,rufus is mentioned in the salutations in ,paul's ,epistle to the ,romans1 as being 'elect in the ,lord1' that is to say1 'eminent1' and his mother is associated in the greeting1 and commended as having been motherly to ,paul as well as to ,rufus4 ,now1 if we remember that ,mark's ,gospel was probably written in ,rome1 and for ,roman ,christians1 the conjecture seems a very reasonable one that the ,rufus here was the ,rufus of the ,epistle to the ,romans4 ,if so1 it would seem that the family had been gathered into the fold of the ,church1 and in all probability1 therefore1 the father with them4 ,then there is another little morsel of possible evidence which may just be noticed4 ,we find in the ,acts of the ,apostles1 in the list of the prophets and teachers in the ,church at ,antioch1 a ',simon1 who is called ,niger' 7that is1 black1 the hot ,african sun having tanned his countenance1 perhaps71 and side by side with him one ',lucius of ,cyrene1' from which place we know that several of the original brave preachers to the ,gentiles in ,antioch came4 ,it is possible that this may be our ,simon1 and that he who was the last to join the band of disciples during the ,master's life and learned courage at the ,cross was among the first to apprehend the world-wide destination of the ,gospel1 and to bear it beyond the narrow bounds of his nation4 ,at all events1 ,i think we may1 with something like confidence1 believe that his glimpse of ,christ on that morning and his contact with the suffering ,saviour ended in his acceptance of ,him as his ,christ1 and in his bearing in a truer sense the ,cross after ,him4 ,and so ,i seek now to gather some of the lessons that seem to me to arise from this incident4 ,i4 ,first1 the greatness of trifles4 ,if ,simon had started from the little village where he lodged five minutes earlier or later1 if he had walked a little faster or slower1 if he had happened to be lodging on the other side of ,jerusalem1 or if the whim had taken him to go in at another gate1 or if the centurion's eye had not chanced to alight on him in the crowd1 or if the centurion's fancy had picked out somebody else to carry the ,cross1 then all his life would have been different4 ,and so it is always4 ,you go down one turning rather than another1 and your whole career is coloured thereby4 ,you miss a train1 and you escape death4 ,our lives are like the ,cornish rocking stones1 pivoted on little points4 ,the most apparently insignificant things have a strange knack of suddenly developing unexpected consequences1 and turning out to be1 not small things at all1 but great and decisive and fruitful4 ,let us then look with ever fresh wonder on this marvellous contexture of human life1 and on ,him that moulds it all to ,his own perfect purposes4 ,let us bring the highest and largest principles to bear on the smallest events and circumstances1 for you can never tell which of these is going to turn out a revolutionary and formative influence in your life4 ,and if the highest ,christian principle is not brought to bear upon the trifles1 depend upon it1 it will never be brought to bear upon the mighty things4 ,the most part of every life is made up of trifles1 and unless these are ruled by the highest motives1 life1 which is divided into grains like the sand1 will have gone by1 while we are waiting for the great events which we think worthy of being regulated by lofty principles4 ',take care of the pence and the pounds will take care of themselves4' ,look after the trifles1 for the law of life is like that which is laid down by the ,psalmist about the ,kingdom of ,jesus ,christ3 ',there shall be a handful of corn in the earth1' a little seed sown in an apparently ungenial place 'on the top of the mountains4' ,ay6 but this will come of it1 ',the fruit thereof shall shake like ,lebanon1' and the great harvest of benediction or of curse1 of joy or of sorrow1 will come from the minute seeds that are sown in the great trifles of our daily life4 ,let us learn the lesson1 too1 of quiet confidence in ,him in whose hands the whole puzzling1 overwhelming mystery lies4 ,if a man once begins to think of how utterly incalculable the consequences of the smallest and most commonplace of his deeds may be1 how they may run out into all eternity1 and like divergent lines may enclose a space that becomes larger and wider the further they travel2 if1 ,i say1 a man once begins to indulge in thoughts like these1 it is difficult for him to keep himself calm and sane at all1 unless he believes in the great loving ,providence that lies above all1 and shapes the vicissitude and mystery of life4 ,we can leave all in ,his hands--and if we are wise we shall do so--to whom great and small are terms that have no meaning2 and who looks upon men's lives1 not according to the apparent magnitude of the deeds with which they are filled1 but simply according to the motive from which1 and the purpose towards which1 these deeds were done4 ,,ii4 ,then1 still further1 take this other lesson1 which lies very plainly here--the blessedness and honour of helping ,jesus ,christ4 ,if we turn to the story of the ,crucifixion1 in ,john's ,gospel1 we find that the narratives of the three other ,gospels are1 in some points1 supplemented by it4 ,in reference to our ,lord's bearing of the ,cross1 we are informed by ,john that when ,he left the judgment hall ,he was carrying it ,himself1 as was the custom with criminals under the ,roman law4 ,the heavy cross was laid on the shoulder1 at the intersection of its arms and stem1 one of the arms hanging down in front of the bearer's body1 and the long upright trailing behind4 ,apparently our ,lord's physical strength1 sorely tried by a night of excitement and the hearings in the ,high priest's palace and before ,pilate1 as well as by the scourging1 was unequal to the task of carrying1 albeit for that short passage1 the heavy weight4 ,and there is a little hint of that sort in the context4 ,in the verse before my text we read1 ',they led ,jesus out to crucify ,him1' and in the verse after1 'they bring1' or bear ',him to the place ,golgotha1' as if1 when the procession began1 they led ,him1 and before it ended they had to carry ,him1 ,his weakness having become such that ,he ,himself could not sustain the weight of ,his cross or of ,his own enfeebled limbs4 ,so1 with some touch of pity in their rude hearts1 or more likely with professional impatience of delay1 and eager to get their task over1 the soldiers lay hold of this stranger1 press him into the service and make him carry the heavy upright1 which trailed on the ground behind ,jesus4 ,and so they pass on to the place of execution4 ,very reverently1 and with few words1 one would touch upon the physical weakness of the ,master4 ,still1 it does not do us any harm to try to realise how very marked was the collapse of ,his physical nature1 and to remember that that collapse was not entirely owing to the pressure upon ,him of the mere fact of physical death2 and that it was still less a failure of ,his will1 or like the abject cowardice of some criminals who have had to be dragged to the scaffold1 and helped up its steps2 but that the reason why ,his flesh failed was very largely because there was laid upon ,him the mysterious burden of the world's sin4 ,christ's demeanour in the act of death1 in such singular contrast to the calm heroism and strength of hundreds who have drawn all their heroism and strength from ,him1 suggests to us that1 looking upon ,his sufferings1 we look upon something the significance of which does not lie on the surface2 and the extreme pressure of which is to be accounted for by that blessed and yet solemn truth of prophecy and ,gospel alike--',the ,lord hath laid on ,him the iniquity of us all4' ,but1 apart from that1 which does not enter properly into my present contemplations1 let us remember that though changed in form1 very truly and really in substance1 this blessedness and honour of helping ,jesus ,christ is given to us2 and is demanded from us1 too1 if we are ,his disciples4 ,he is despised and set at nought still4 ,he is crucified afresh still4 ,there are many men in this day who scoff at ,him1 mock ,him1 deny ,his claims1 seek to cast ,him down from ,his throne1 rebel against ,his dominion4 ,it is an easy thing to be a disciple1 when all the crowd is crying ',hosanna6' ,it is a much harder thing to be a disciple when the crowd1 or even when the influential cultivated opinion of a generation1 is crying ',crucify ,him6 crucify ,him6' ,and some of you ,christian men and women have to learn the lesson that if you are to be ,christians you must be ,christ's companions when ,his back is at the wall as well as when men are exalting and honouring ,him1 that it is your business to confess ,him when men deny ,him1 to stand by ,him when men forsake ,him1 to avow ,him when the avowal is likely to bring contempt upon you from some people1 and thus1 in a very real sense1 to bear ,his ,cross after ,him4 ',let us go forth unto ,him without the camp1 bearing ,his reproach'2--the tail end of ,his ,cross1 which is the lightest6 ,he has borne the heaviest end on ,his own shoulders2 but we have to ally ourselves with that suffering and despised ,christ if we are to be ,his disciples4 ,i do not dwell upon the lesson often drawn from this story1 as if it taught us to 'take up our cross daily and follow ,him4' ,that is another matter1 and yet is closely connected with that about which ,i speak2 but what ,i say is1 ,christ's ,cross has to be carried to-day2 and if we have not found out that it has1 let us ask ourselves if we are ,christians at all4 ,there will be hostility1 alienation1 a comparative coolness1 and absence of a full sense of sympathy with you1 in many people1 if you are a true ,christian4 ,you will come in for a share of contempt from the wise and the cultivated of this generation1 as in all generations4 ,the mud that is thrown after the ,master will spatter your faces too1 to some extent2 and if you are walking with ,him you will be1 to the extent of your communion with ,him1 objects of the aversion with which many men regard ,him4 ,stand to your colours4 ,do not be ashamed of ,him in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation4 ,and there is yet another way in which this honour of helping the ,lord is given to us4 ,as in ,his weakness ,he needed some one to aid ,him to bear ,his ,cross1 so in ,his glory ,he needs our help to carry out the purposes for which the ,cross was borne4 ,the paradox of a man's carrying the ,cross of ,him who carried the world's burden is repeated in another form4 ,he needs nothing1 and yet ,he needs us4 ,he needs nothing1 and yet ,he needed that ass which was tethered at 'the place where two ways met1' in order to ride into ,jerusalem upon it4 ,he does not need man's help1 and yet ,he does need it1 and ,he asks for it4 ,and though ,he bore ,simon the ,cyrenian's sins 'in ,his own body on the tree1' ,he needed ,simon the ,cyrenian to help ,him to bear the tree1 and ,he needs us to help ,him to spread throughout the world the blessed consequences of that ,cross and bitter ,passion4 ,so to us all is granted the honour1 and from us all are required the sacrifice and the service1 of helping the suffering ,saviour4 ,,iii4 ,another of the lessons which may very briefly be drawn from this story is that of the perpetual recompense and record of the humblest ,christian work4 ,there were different degrees of criminality1 and different degrees of sympathy with ,him1 if ,i may use the word1 in that crowd that stood round the ,master4 ,the criminality varied from the highest degree of violent malignity in the ,scribes and ,pharisees1 down to the lowest point of ignorance1 and therefore all but entire innocence1 on the part of the ,roman legionaries1 who were merely the mechanical instruments of the order given1 and stolidly 'watched ,him there1' with eyes which saw nothing4 ,on the other hand1 there were all grades of service and help and sympathy1 from the vague emotions of the crowd who beat their breasts1 and the pity of the daughters of ,jerusalem1 or the kindly-meant help of the soldiers1 who would have moistened the parched lips1 to the heroic love of the women at the ,cross1 whose ministry was not ended even with ,his life4 ,but surely the most blessed share in that day's tragedy was reserved for ,simon1 whose bearing of the ,cross may have been compulsory at first1 but became1 ere it was ended1 willing service4 ,but whatever were the degrees of recognition of ,christ's character1 and of sympathy with the meaning of ,his sufferings1 yet the smallest and most transient impulse of loving gratitude that went out towards ,him was rewarded then1 and is rewarded for ever1 by blessed results in the heart that feels it4 ,besides these results1 service for ,christ is recompensed1 as in the instance before us1 by a perpetual memorial4 ,how little ,simon knew that 'wherever in the whole world this gospel was preached1 there also1 this that he had done should be told for a memorial of him6' ,how little he understood when he went back to his rural lodging that night1 that he had written his name high up on the tablet of the world's memory1 to be legible for ever4 ,why1 men have fretted their whole lives away to win what this man won1 and knew nothing of--one line in the chronicle of fame4 ,so we may say1 it shall be always1 ',i will never forget any of their works4' ,we may not leave our deeds inscribed in any records that men can read4 ,what of that1 ,if they are written in letters of light in the ',lamb's ,book of ,life1' to be read out by ,him before ,his ,father and the holy angels1 in that last great day8 ,we may not leave any separable traces of our services1 any more than the little brook that comes down some gulley on the hillside flows separate from its sisters1 with whom it has coalesced1 in the bed of the great river1 or in the rolling1 boundless ocean1 ,what of that so long as the work1 in its consequences1 shall last8 ,men that sow some great prairie broadcast cannot go into the harvest-field and say1 ',i sowed the seed from which that ear came1 and you the seed from which this one sprang4' ,but the waving abundance belongs to them all1 and each may be sure that his work survives and is glorified there1--'that he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together4' ,so a perpetual remembrance is sure for the smallest ,christian service4 ,,iv4 ,the last lesson that ,i would draw is1 let us learn from this incident the blessed results of contact with the suffering ,christ4 ,simon the ,cyrenian apparently knew nothing about ,jesus ,christ when the ,cross was laid on his shoulders4 ,he would be reluctant to undertake the humiliating task1 and would plod along behind ,him for a while1 sullen and discontented1 but by degrees be touched by more of sympathy1 and get closer and closer to the ,sufferer4 ,and if he stood by the ,cross when it was fixed1 and saw all that transpired there1 no wonder if1 at last1 after more or less protracted thought and search1 he came to understand who ,he was that he had helped1 and to yield himself to ,him wholly4 ,yes6 dear brethren1 ,christ's great saying1 ',i1 if ,i be lifted up1 will draw all men unto ,me1' began to be fulfilled when ,he began to be lifted up4 ,the centurion1 the thief1 this man ,simon1 by looking on the ,cross1 learned the ,crucified4 ,and it is the only way by which any of us will ever learn the true mystery and miracle of ,christ's great and loving ,being and work4 ,i beseech you1 take your places there behind ,him1 near ,his ,cross2 gazing upon ,him till your hearts melt1 and you1 too1 learn that ,he is your ,lord1 and your ,saviour1 and your ,god4 ,the ,cross of ,jesus ,christ divides men into classes as the ,last ,day will4 ,it1 too1 parts men--'sheep' to the right hand1 'goats' to the left4 ,if there was a penitent1 there was an impenitent thief2 if there was a convinced centurion1 there were gambling soldiers2 if there were hearts touched with compassion1 there were mockers who took ,his very agonies and flung them in ,his face as a refutation of ,his claims4 ,on the day when that ,cross was reared on ,calvary it began to be what it has been ever since1 and is at this moment to every soul who hears the ,gospel1 'a savour of life unto life1 or of death unto death4' ,contact with the suffering ,christ will either bind you to ,his service1 and fill you with ,his ,spirit1 or it will harden your hearts1 and make you tenfold more selfish--that is to say1 'tenfold more a child of hell'--than you were before you saw and heard of that divine meekness of the suffering ,christ4 ,look to ,him1 ,i beseech you1 who bears what none can help ,him to carry1 the burden of the world's sin4 ,let ,him bear yours1 and yield to ,him your grateful obedience1 and then take up your cross daily1 and bear the light burden of self-denying service to ,him who has borne the heavy load of sin for you and all mankind4 ,,the ,,incredulous ,,disciples ',and when the ,sabbath was past1 ,mary ,magdalene1 and ,mary the mother of ,james1 and ,salome1 had bought sweet spices1 that they might come and anoint ,him4 #b4 ,and very early in the morning1 the first day of the week1 they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun4 #c4 ,and they said among themselves1 ,who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre8 #d4 ,and when they looked1 they saw that the stone was rolled away3 for it was very great4 #f4 ,and entering into the sepulchre1 they saw a young man sitting on the right side1 clothed in a long white garment2 and they were affrighted4 #f4 ,and he saith unto them1 ,be not affrighted3 ,ye seek ,jesus of ,nazareth1 which was crucified3 ,he is risen2 ,he is not here3 behold the place where they laid ,him4 #g4 ,but go your way1 tell ,his disciples and ,peter that ,he goeth before yon into ,galilee3 there shall ye see ,him1 as ,he said unto you4 #h4 ,and they went out quickly1 and fled from the sepulchre2 for they trembled and were amazed3 neither said they anything to any man2 for they were afraid4 #i4 ,now1 when ,jesus was risen early the first day of the week1 ,he appeared first to ,mary ,magdalene1 out of whom ,he had cast seven devils4 #aj4 ,and she went and told them that had been with ,him1 as they mourned and wept4 #aa4 ,and they1 when they had heard that ,he was alive1 and had been seen of her1 believed not4 #ab4 ,after that ,he appeared in another form unto two of them1 as they walked1 and went into the country4 #ac4 ,and they went and told it unto the residue3 neither believed they them4'--,mark xvi4 #a-ac4 ,it is not my business here to discuss questions of harmonising or of criticism4 ,i have only to deal with the narrative as it stands4 ,its peculiar character is very plain4 ,the manner in which the first disciples learned the fact of the ,resurrection1 and the disbelief with which they received it1 much rather than the ,resurrection itself1 come into view in this section4 ,the disciples1 and not the risen ,lord1 are shown us4 ,there is nothing here of the earthquake1 or of the descending angel1 or of the terrified guard1 or of our ,lord's appearance to the women4 ,the two appearances to ,mary ,magdalene and to the travellers to ,emmaus1 which1 in the hands of ,john and ,luke1 are so pathetic and rich1 are here mentioned with the utmost brevity1 for the sake chiefly of insisting on the disbelief of the disciples who heard of them4 ,mark's theme is mainly what they thought of the testimony to the ,resurrection4 ,i4 ,he shows us1 first1 bewildered love and sorrow4 ,we leave the question whether this group of women is the same as that of which ,luke records that ,joanna was one1 as well as the other puzzle as to harmonising the notes of time in the ,evangelists4 ,may not the difference between the time of starting and that of arrival solve some of the difficulty8 ,when all the notes are more or less vague1 and refer to the time of transition from dark to day1 when every moment partakes of both and may be differently described as belonging to either1 is precision to be expected8 ,in the whirl of agitation of that morning1 would any one be at leisure to take much note of the exact minute8 ,are not these 'discrepancies' much more valuable as confirmation of the story than precise accord would have been8 ,it is better to try to understand the feelings of that little band than to carp at such trifles4 ,sorrow wakes early1 and love is impatient to bring its tribute4 ,so we can see these three women1 leaving their abode as soon as the doleful grey of morning permitted1 stealing through the silent streets1 and reaching the rock-cut tomb while the sun was rising over ,olivet4 ,where were ,salome's ambitious hopes for her two sons now8 ,dead1 and buried in the ,master's grave4 ,the completeness of the women's despair1 as well as the faithfulness of their love1 is witnessed by their purpose4 ,they had come to anoint the body of ,him to whom in life they had ministered4 ,they had no thought of a resurrection1 plainly as they had been told of it4 ,the waves of sorrow had washed the remembrance of ,his assurances on that subject clean out of their minds4 ,truth that is only half understood1 however plainly spoken1 is always forgotten when the time to apply it comes4 ,we are told that the disbelief of the disciples in the ,resurrection1 after ,christ's plain predictions of it1 is 'psychologically impossible4' ,such big words are imposing1 but the objection is shallow4 ,these disciples are not the only people who forgot in the hour of need the thing which it most concerned them to remember1 and let the clouds of sorrow hide starry promises which would have turned mourning into dancing1 and night into day4 ,christ's sayings about ,his resurrection were not understood in their1 as it appears to us1 obvious meaning when spoken4 ,no wonder1 then1 that they were not expected to be fulfilled in their obvious meaning when ,he was dead4 ,we shall have a word to say presently about the value of the fact that there was no anticipation of resurrection on the part of the disciples4 ,for the present it is enough to note how these three loving souls confess their hopelessness by their errand4 ,did they not know1 too1 that ,joseph and ,nicodemus had been beforehand with them in their labour of love8 ,apparently not4 ,it might easily happen1 in the confusion and dispersion1 that no knowledge of this had reached them2 or perhaps sorrow and agitation had driven it out of their memories2 or perhaps they felt that1 whether others had done the same before or no1 they must do it too1 not because the loved form needed it1 but because their hearts needed to do it4 ,it was the love which must serve1 not calculation of necessity1 which loaded their hands with costly spices4 ,the living ,christ was pleased with the 'odour of a sweet smell1' from the needless spices1 meant to re-anoint the dead ,christ1 and accepted the purpose1 though it came from ignorance and was never carried out1 since its deepest root was love1 genuine1 though bewildered4 ,the same absence of 'calm practical common sense' is seen in the too late consideration1 which never occurred to the three women till they were getting near the tomb1 as to how to get into it4 ,they do not seem to have heard of the guard2 but they know that the stone is too heavy for them to move1 and none of the men among the disciples had been taken into their confidence4 ',why did they not think of that before8 what a want of foresight6' says the cool observer4 ',how beautifully true to nature6' says a wiser judgment4 ,to obey the impulse of love and sorrow without thinking1 and then to be arrested on their road by a difficulty1 which they might have thought of at first1 but did not till they were close to it1 is surely just what might have been expected of such mourners4 ,mark gives a graphic picture in that one word 'looking up1' and follows it with picturesque present tenses4 ,they had been looking down or at each other in perplexity1 when they lifted their eyes to the tomb1 which was possibly on an eminence4 ,what a flash of wonder would pass through their minds when they saw it open6 ,what that might signify they would be eager to hurry to find out2 but1 at all events1 their difficulty was at an end4 ,when love to ,christ is brought to a stand in its venturous enterprises by difficulties occurring for the first time to the mind1 it is well to go close up to them2 and it often happens that when we do1 and look steadily at them1 we see that they are rolled away1 and the passage cleared which we feared was hopelessly barred4 ,,ii4 ,the calm herald of the ,resurrection and the amazed hearers4 ,apparently ,mary ,magdalene had turned back as soon as she saw the opened tomb1 and hurried to tell that the body had been carried off1 as she supposed4 ,the guard had also probably fled before this2 and so the other two women enter the vestibule1 and there find the angel4 ,sometimes one angel1 sometimes two1 sometimes none1 were visible there4 ,the variation in their numbers in the various narratives is not to be regarded as an instance of 'discrepancy4' ,many angels hovered round the spot where the greatest wonder of the universe was to be seen1 'eagerly desiring to look into' that grave4 ,the beholder's eye may have determined their visibility4 ,their number may have fluctuated4 ,mark does not use the word 'angel' at all1 but leaves us to infer what manner of being he was who first proclaimed the ,resurrection4 ,he tells of his youth1 his attitude1 and his attire4 ,the angelic life is vigorous1 progressive1 buoyant1 and alien from decay4 ,immortal youth belongs to them who 'excel in strength' because they 'do his commandments4' ,that waiting minister shows us what the children of the ,resurrection shall be1 and so his presence as well as his speech expounds the blessed mystery of our life in the risen ,lord4 ,his serene attitude of sitting 'on the right side' is not only a vivid touch of description1 but is significant of restfulness and fixed contemplation1 as well as of the calmness of a higher life4 ,that still watcher knows too much to be agitated2 but the less he is moved1 the more he adores4 ,his quiet contrasts with and heightens the impression of the storm of conflicting feelings in the women's tremulous natures4 ,his garments symbolise purity and repose4 ,how sharply the difference between heaven and earth is given in the last words of verse #e6 ,they were 'amazed1' swept out of themselves in an ecstasy of bewilderment in which hope had no place4 ,terror1 surprise1 curiosity1 wonder1 blank incapacity to know what all this meant1 made chaos in them4 ,the angel's words are a succession of short sentences1 which have a certain dignity1 and break up the astounding revelation he has to make into small pieces1 which the women's bewildered minds can grasp4 ,he calms their tumult of spirit4 ,he shows them that he knows their errand4 ,he adoringly names his ,lord and theirs by the names recalling ,his manhood1 ,his lowly home1 and ,his ignominious death4 ,he lingers on the thought1 to him covering so profound a mystery of divine love1 that his ,lord had been born1 had lived in the obscure village1 and died on the ,cross4 ,then1 in one word1 he proclaims the stupendous fact of ,his resurrection as ,his own act--',he is risen4' ,this crown of all miracles1 which brings life and immortality to light1 and changes the whole outlook of humanity1 which changes the ,cross into victory1 and without which ,christianity is a dream and a ruin1 is announced in a single word--the mightiest ever spoken save by ,christ's own lips4 ,it was fitting that angel lips should proclaim the ,resurrection1 as they did the ,nativity1 though in either ',he taketh not hold of angels1' and they had but a secondary share in the blessings4 ,yet that empty grave opened to 'principalities and powers in heavenly places' a new unfolding of the manifold wisdom and love of ,god4 ,the angel--a true evangelist--does not linger on the wondrous intimation1 but points to the vacant place1 which would have been so drear but for his previous words1 and bids them approach to verify his assurance1 and with reverent wonder to gaze on the hallowed and now happy spot4 ,a moment is granted for feeling to overflow1 and certainty to be attained1 and then the women are sent on their errand4 ,even the joy of that gaze is not to be selfishly prolonged1 while others are sitting in sorrow for want of what they know4 ,that is the law for all the ,christian life4 ,first make sure work of one's own possession of the truth1 and then hasten to tell it to those who need it4 ',and ,peter'--,mark alone gives us this4 ,the other ,evangelists might pass it by2 but how could ,peter ever forget the balm which that message of pardon and restoration brought to him1 and how could ,peter's mouthpiece leave it out8 ,is there anything in the ,gospels more beautiful1 or fuller of long-suffering and thoughtful love1 than that message from the risen ,saviour to the denier8 ,and how delicate the love which1 by calling him ,peter1 not ,simon1 reinstates him in his official position by anticipation1 even though in the subsequent full restoration scene by the lake he is thrice called ,simon1 before the complete effacement of the triple denial by the triple confession6 ,galilee is named as the rendezvous1 and the word employed1 'goeth before you1' is appropriate to the ,shepherd in front of ,his flock4 ,they had been 'scattered1' but are to be drawn together again4 ,he is to 'precede' them there1 thus lightly indicating the new form of their relations to ,him1 marked during the forty days by a distance which prepared for his final withdrawal4 ,galilee was the home of most of them1 and had been the field of ,his most continuous labours4 ,there would be many disciples there1 who would gather to see their risen ,lord 7'five hundred at once'72 and there1 rather than in ,jerusalem which had slain ,him1 was it fitting that ,he should show ,himself to ,his friends4 ,the appearances in ,jerusalem were all within a week 7if we except the ,ascension71 and the connection in which ,mark introduces them 7if verse #ad be his7 seems to treat them as forced on ,christ by the disciples' unbelief1 rather than as ,his original intention4 ,it looks as if ,he meant to show ,himself in the city only to one or two1 such as ,mary1 ,peter1 and some others1 but to reserve ,his more public appearance for ,galilee4 ,how did the women receive the message8 ,mark represents them as trembling in body and in an ecstasy in mind1 and as hurrying away silent with terror4 ,matthew says that they were full of 'fear and great joy1' and went in haste to tell the disciples4 ,in the whirl of feeling1 there were opposites blended or succeeding one another2 and the one ,evangelist lays hold of one set1 and the other of the other4 ,it is as impossible to catalogue the swift emotions of such a moment as to separate and tabulate the hues of sunrise4 ,the silence which ,mark tells of can only refer to their demeanour as they 'fled4' ,his object is to bring out the very imperfect credence which1 at the best1 was given to the testimony that ,christ was risen1 and to paint the tumult of feeling in the breasts of its first recipients4 ,his picture is taken from a different angle from ,matthew's2 but ,matthew's contains the same elements1 for he speaks of 'fear1' though he completes it by 'joy4' ,,iii4 ,the incredulity of the disciples4 ,the two appearances to ,mary ,magdalene and the travellers to ,emmaus are introduced mainly to record the unbelief of the disciples4 ,a strange choice that was1 of the woman who had been rescued from so low a debasement1 to be first to see ,him6 ,but her former degradation was the measure of her love4 ,longing eyes1 that have been washed clean by many a tear of penitent gratitude1 are purged to see ,jesus2 and a yearning heart ever brings ,him near4 ,the unbelief of the story of the two from ,emmaus seems to conflict with ,luke's account1 which tells that they were met by the news of ,christ's appearance to ,simon4 ,but the two statements are not contradictory4 ,if we remember the excitement and confusion of mind in which they were1 we shall not wonder if belief and unbelief followed each other1 like the flow and recoil of the waves4 ,one moment they were on the crest of the billows1 and saw land ahead2 the next they were down in the trough1 and saw only the melancholy surge4 ,the very fact that ,peter was believed1 might make them disbelieve the travellers2 for how could ,jesus have been in ,jerusalem and ,emmaus at so nearly the same time8 ,however the two narratives be reconciled1 it remains obvious that the first disciples did not believe the first witnesses of the ,resurrection1 and that their unbelief is an important fact4 ,it bears very distinctly on the worth of their subsequent conviction4 ,it has special bearing on the most modern form of disbelief in the ,resurrection1 which accounts for the belief of the first disciples on the ground that they expected ,christ to rise1 and that they then persuaded themselves1 in all good faith1 that ,he had risen4 ,that monstrous theory is vulnerable at all points1 but one sufficient answer is--the disciples did not expect ,christ to rise again1 and were so far from it that they did not believe that ,he had risen when they were told it4 ,their original unbelief is a strong argument for the reliableness of their final faith4 ,what raised them from the stupor of despair and incredulity8 ,only one answer is 'psychologically' reasonable3 they at last believed because they saw4 ,it is incredible that they were conscious deceivers2 for such lives as they lived1 and such a gospel as they preached1 never came from liars4 ,it is as incredible that they were unconsciously mistaken2 for they were wholly unprepared for the ,resurrection1 and sturdily disbelieved all witnesses for it1 till they saw with their own eyes1 and had 'many infallible proofs4' ,let us be thankful for their unbelief and its record1 and let us seek to possess the blessing of those 'that have not seen1 and yet have believed6' ,,perpetual ,,youth ',and entering ,into the sepulchre1 they saw a young man sitting on the right side1 clothed in a long white garment4'--,mark xvi4 #e4 ,many great truths concerning ,christ's death1 and its worth to higher orders of being1 are taught by the presence of that angel form1 clad in the whiteness of his own ,god-given purity1 sitting in restful contemplation in the dark house where the body of ,jesus had lain4 ',which things the angels desire to look into4' ,many precious lessons of consolation and hope1 too1 lie in the wonderful words which he spake from his ,lord and theirs to the weeping waiting women4 ,but to touch upon these ever so slightly would lead us too far from our more immediate purpose4 ,it strikes one as very remarkable that this superhuman being should be described as a 'young man4' ,immortal youth1 with all of buoyant energy and fresh power which that attribute suggests1 belongs to those beings whom ,scripture faintly shows as our elder brethren4 ,no waste decays their strength1 no change robs them of forces which have ceased to increase4 ,for them there never comes a period when memory is more than hope4 ,age cannot wither them4 ,as one of our modern mystics has said1 hiding imaginative spiritualism under a crust of hard1 dry matter-of-fact1 ',in heaven the oldest angels are the youngest4' ,what is true of them is true of ,god's children1 who are 'accounted worthy to obtain that world and the resurrection from the dead1' for 'they are equal unto the angels4' ,for believing and loving souls1 death too is a birth4 ,all who pass through it to ,god1 shall1 in deeper meaning than lay in the words at first1 'return unto the days of their youth'2 and when the end comes1 and they are 'clothed with their house from heaven1' they shall stand by the throne1 like him who sat in the sepulchre1 clothed with lustrous light and radiant with unchanging youth4 ,such a conception of the condition of the dead in ,christ may be followed out in detail into many very elevating and strengthening thoughts4 ,let me attempt to set forth some of these now4 ,i4 ,the life of the faithful dead is eternal progress towards infinite perfection4 ,for body and for spirit the life of earth is a definite whole1 with distinct stages1 which succeed each other in a well-marked order4 ,there are youth1 and maturity1 and decay--the slow climbing to the narrow summit1 a brief moment there in the streaming sunshine1 and then a sure and gradual descent into the shadows beneath4 ,the same equable and constant motion urges the orb of our lives from morning to noon1 and from noon to evening4 ,the glory of the dawning day1 with its golden clouds and its dewy freshness1 its new awakened hopes and its unworn vigour1 climbs by silent1 inevitable stages to the hot noon4 ,but its ardours flame but for a moment2 but for a moment does the sun poise itself on the meridian line1 and the short shadow point to the pole4 ,the inexorable revolution goes on1 and in due time come the mists and dying purples of evening and the blackness of night4 ,the same progress which brings ,april's perfumes burns them in the censer of the hot summer1 and buries summer beneath the falling leaves1 and covers its grave with winter's snow4 ',everything that grows ,holds in perfection but a little moment4' ,so the life of man1 being under the law of growth1 is1 in all its parts1 subject to the consequent necessity of decline4 ,and very swiftly does the direction change from ascending to descending4 ,at first1 and for a little while1 the motion of the dancing stream1 which broadens as it runs1 and bears us past fields each brighter and more enamelled with flowers than the one before it1 is joyous2 but the slow current becomes awful as we are swept along when we would fain moor and land--and to some of us it comes to be tragic and dreadful at last1 as we sit helpless1 and see the shore rush past and hear the roar of the falls in our ears1 like some poor wretch caught in the glassy smoothness above ,niagara1 who has flung down the oars1 and1 clutching the gunwale with idle hands1 sits effortless and breathless till the plunge comes4 ,many a despairing voice has prayed as the sands ran out1 and joys fled1 ',sun1 stand thou still on ,gibeon2 and thou1 ,moon1 in the valley of ,ajalon1' but in vain4 ,once the wish was answered2 but1 for all other fighters1 the twelve hours of the day must suffice for victory and for joy4 ,time devours his own children4 ,the morning hours come to us with full hands and give1 the evening hours come with empty hands and take2 so that at the last 'naked shall he return to go as he came4' ,our earthly life runs through its successive stages1 and for it1 in body and mind1 old age is the child of youth4 ,but the perfect life of the dead in ,christ has but one phase1 youth4 ,it is growth without a limit and without decline4 ,to say that they are ever young is the same thing as to say that their being never reaches its climax1 that it is ever but entering on its glory2 that is1 as we have said1 that the true conception of their life is that of eternal progress towards infinite perfection4 ,for what is the goal to which they tend8 ,the likeness of ,god in ,christ--all ,his wisdom1 ,his love1 ,his holiness4 ,he is all theirs1 and ,his whole perfection is to be transfused into their growing greatness4 ',he is made unto them of ,god4 wisdom1 and righteousness1 and salvation and redemption1' nor can they cease to grow till they have outgrown ,jesus and exhausted ,god4 ,on the one hand is infinite perfection1 destined to be imparted to the redeemed spirit4 ,on the other hand is a capability of indefinite assimilation to1 by reception of1 that infinite perfection4 ,we have no reason to set bounds to the possible expansion of the human spirit4 ,if only there be fitting circumstances and an adequate impulse1 it may have an endless growth4 ,such circumstances and such impulse are given in the loving presence of ,christ in glory4 ,therefore we look for an eternal life which shall never reach a point beyond which no advance is possible4 ',the path of the just' in that higher state 'shineth more and more1' and never touches the zenith4 ,here we float upon a landlocked lake1 and on every side soon reach the bounding land2 but there we are on a shoreless ocean1 and never hear any voice that says1 ',hitherto shalt thou come1 and no farther4' ,christ will be ever before us1 the yet unattained end of our desires2 ,christ will be ever above us1 fairer1 wiser1 holier1 than we2 after unsummed eternities of advance there will yet stretch before us a shining way that leads to ,him4 ,the language1 which was often breathed by us on earth in tones of plaintive confession1 will be spoken in heaven in gladness1 ',not as though ,i had attained1 either were perfect1 but ,i follow after1' ,the promise that was spoken by ,him in regard to our mortality will be repeated by ,him in respect to our celestial being1 ',i am come that they might have life1 and that they might have it more abundantly4' ,and as this advance has no natural limit1 either in regard to our ,pattern or to ourselves1 there will be no reverse direction to ensue4 ,here the one process has its two opposite parts2 the same impulse carries up to the summit and forces down from it4 ,but it is not so then4 ,there growth will never merge into decay1 nor exacting hours come to recall the gifts1 which their free-handed sisters gave4 ,they who live in ,christ1 beyond the grave1 begin with a relative perfection4 ,they are thereby rendered capable of more complete ,christ-likeness4 ,the eye1 by gazing into the day1 becomes more recipient of more light2 the spirit cleaves closer to a ,christ more fully apprehended and more deeply loved2 the whole being1 like a plant reaching up to the sunlight1 grows by its yearning towards the light1 and by the light towards which it yearns--lifts a stronger stem and spreads a broader leaf1 and opens into immortal flowers tinted by the sunlight with its own colours4 ,this blessed and eternal growth towards ,him whom we possess1 to begin with1 and never can exhaust1 is the perpetual youth of ,god's redeemed4 ,we ought not to think of those whom we have loved and lost as if they had gone1 carrying with them declining powers1 and still bearing the marks of this inevitable law of stagnation1 and then of decay1 under which they groaned here4 ,think of them rather as having1 if they sleep in ,jesus1 reversed all this1 as having carried with them1 indeed1 all the gifts of matured experience and ripened wisdom which the slow years bring1 but likewise as having left behind all the weariness of accomplished aims1 the monotony of a formed character1 the rigidity of limbs that have ceased to grow4 ,think of them as receiving again from the hands of ,christ much of which they were robbed by the lapse of years4 ,think of them as then crowned with loving-kindness and satisfied with good1 so that 'their youth is renewed like the eagle's4' ,think of them as again joyous1 with the joy of beginning a career1 which has no term but the sum of all perfection in the likeness of the infinite ,god4 ,they rise like the song-bird1 aspiring to the heavens1 circling round1 and ever higher1 which 'singing still doth soar1 and soaring ever singeth'--up and up through the steadfast blue to the sun6 ',even the youths shall faint and be weary1 and the young men shall utterly fall2 but they that wait upon the ,lord shall renew their strength4' ,they shall lose the marks of age as they grow in eternity1 and they who have stood before the throne the longest shall be likest him who sat in the sepulchre young with immortal strength1 radiant with unwithering beauty4 ,,ii4 ,the life of the faithful dead recovers and retains the best characteristics of youth4 ,each stage of our earthly course has its own peculiar characteristics1 as each zone of the world has its own vegetation and animal life4 ,and1 for the most part1 these characteristics cannot be anticipated in the preceding stage1 nor prolonged into the succeeding4 ,to some small extent they will bear transplanting1 and he is nearest a perfect man who carries into each period of his life some trace of the special beauty of that which went before1 making 'the child the father of the man1' and carrying deep into old age the simple self-forgetfulness of the child and the energy of the youth4 ,but this can only be partially done by any effort2 and even those whose happily constituted temperaments make it comparatively easy for them1 do often carry the weakness rather than the strength of the earlier into the later epochs4 ,it is easier to be always childish than to be always childlike4 ,the immaturity and heedlessness of youth bear carriage better than the more precious vintages of that sunny land--its freshness of eye and heart1 its openness of mind1 its energy of hand4 ,even when these are in any measure retained--beautiful as they are in old age--they are but too apt to be associated with an absence of the excellences more proper to the later stages of life1 and to involve a want of patient judgment1 of sagacious discrimination1 of rooted affections1 of prudent1 persistent action4 ,beautiful indeed it is when the grace of the child and the strength of the young man live on in the fathers1 and when the last of life encloses all that was good in all that went before4 ,but miserable it is1 and quite as frequent a case1 when grey hairs cover a childish brain1 and an aged heart throbs with the feverish passion of youthful blood4 ,so for this life it is difficult1 and often not well1 that youth should be prolonged into manhood and old age4 ,but the thought is none the less true1 that the perfection of our being requires the reappearance and the continuance of all that was good in each successive stage of it in the past4 ,the brightest aspects of youth will return to all who live in ,jesus1 beyond the grave1 and will be theirs for ever4 ,such a consideration branches out into many happy anticipations1 which we can but very cursorily touch on here4 ,for instance--,youth is the time for hope4 ,the world then lies all before us1 fair and untried4 ,we have not learnt our own weakness by many failures1 nor the dread possibilities that lie in every future4 ,the past is too brief to occupy us long1 and its furthest point too near to be clothed in the airy purple1 which draws the eye and stirs the heart4 ,we are conscious of increasing powers which crave for occupation4 ,it seems impossible but that success and joy shall be ours4 ,so we live for a little while in a golden haze2 we look down from our peak upon the virgin forests of a new world1 that roll away to the shining waters in the west1 and then we plunge into their mazes to hew out a path for ourselves1 to slay the wild beasts1 and to find and conquer rich lands4 ,but soon we discover what hard work the march is1 and what monsters lurk in the leafy coverts1 and what diseases hover among the marshes1 and how short a distance ahead we can see1 and how far off it is to the treasure-cities that we dreamed of2 and if at last we gain some cleared spot whence we can look forward1 our weary eyes are searching at most for a place to rest1 and all our hopes have dwindled to hopes of safety and repose4 ,the day brings too much toil to leave us leisure for much anticipation4 ,the journey has had too many failures1 too many wounds1 too many of our comrades left to die in the forest glades1 to allow of our expecting much4 ,we plod on1 sometimes ready to faint1 sometimes with lighter hearts1 but not any more winged by hope as in the golden prime1--unless indeed for those of us who have fixed our hopes on ,god1 and so get through the march better1 because1 be it rough or smooth1 long or short1 ,he moves before us to guide1 and all our ways lead to ,him4 ,but even for these there comes1 before very long1 a time when they are weary of hoping for much more here1 and when the light of youth fades into common day4 ,be it so6 ,they will get the faculty and the use of it back again in far nobler fashion1 when death has taken them away from all that is transient1 and faith has through death given for their possession and their expectation1 the certitudes of eternity4 ,it will be worth while to look forward again1 when we are again standing at the beginning of a life4 ,it will be possible once more to hope1 when disappointments are all past4 ,a boundless future stretching before us1 of which we know that it is all blessed1 and that we shall reach all its blessedness1 will give back to hearts that have long ceased to drink of the delusive cup which earthly hope offered to their lips1 the joy of living in a present1 made bright by the certain anticipation of a yet brighter future4 ,losing nothing by our constant progress1 and certain to gain all which we foresee1 we shall remember and be glad1 we shall hope and be confident4 ,with 'the past unsighed for1 and the future sure1' we shall have that magic gift1 which earth's disappointments dulled1 quickened by the sure mercies of the heavens4 ,again1 youth has mostly a certain keenness of relish for life which vanishes only too soon4 ,there are plenty of our young men and women too1 of this day1 no doubt1 who are as blas and wearied before they are out of their 'teens as if they were fifty4 ,so much the sadder for them1 so much the worse for the social state which breeds such monsters4 ,for monsters they are3 there ought to be in youth a sense of fresh wonder undimmed by familiarity1 the absence of satiety1 a joy in joyful things because they are new as well as gladsome4 ,the poignancy of these early delights cannot long survive4 ,custom stales them all1 and wraps everything in its robe of ashen grey4 ,we get used to what was once so fresh and wonderful1 and do not care very much about anything any more4 ,we smile pitying smiles--sadder than any tears--at 'boyish enthusiasm1' and sometimes plume ourselves on having come to 'years which bring the philosophic mind'2 and all the while we know that we have lost a great gift1 which here can never come back any more4 ,but what if that eager freshness of delight may yet be ours once again8 ,what if the eternal youth of the heavens means1 amongst other things1 that there are pleasures which always satisfy but never cloy8 ,what if1 in perpetual advance1 we find and keep for ever that ever new gladness1 which here we vainly seek in perpetual distraction8 ,what if constant new influxes of divine blessedness1 and constant new visions of ,god1 keep in constant exercise that sense of wonder1 which makes so great a part of the power of youth8 ,what if1 after all that we have learned and all that we have received1 we still have to say1 ',it doth not yet appear what we shall be'8 ,then1 ,i think1 in very profound and blessed sense1 heaven would be perpetual youth4 ,i need not pause to speak of other characteristics of that period of life--such as its enthusiasm1 its life by impulse rather than by reason1 its buoyant energy and delight in action4 ,all these gifts1 so little cared for when possessed1 so often misused1 so irrevocably gone with a few brief years1 so bitterly bewailed1 will surely be found again1 where ,god keeps all the treasures that ,he gives and we let fall4 ,for transient enthusiasm1 heaven will give us back a fervour of love like that of the seraphs1 that have burned before ,his throne unconsumed and undecaying for unknown ages4 ,for a life of instinctive impulse1 we shall titan receive a life in which impulse is ever parallel with the highest law1 and1 doing only what we would1 we shall do only what we ought4 ,for energy which wanes as the years wax1 and delight in action which is soon worn down into mechanical routine of toil1 there will be bestowed strength akin to ,his 'who fainteth not1 neither is weary4' ,all of which maturity and old age robbed us is given back in nobler form4 ,all the limitation and weakness which they brought1 the coldness1 the monotony1 the torpor1 the weariness1 will drop away4 ,but we shall keep all the precious things which they brought us4 ,none of the calm wisdom1 the ripened knowledge1 the full-summed experience1 the powers of service acquired in life's long apprenticeship1 will be taken from us4 ,all will be changed indeed4 ,all will be cleansed of the impurity which attaches to all4 ,all will be accepted and crowned1 not by reason of its goodness1 but by reason of ,christ's sacrifice1 which is the channel of ,god's mercy4 ,though in themselves unworthy1 and having nothing fit for the heavens1 yet the souls that trust in ,jesus1 the ,lord of ,life1 shall bear into their glory the characters which by ,his grace they wrought out here on earth1 transfigured and perfected1 but still the same4 ,and to make up that full-summed completeness1 will be given to them at once the perfection of all the various stages through which they passed on earth4 ,the perfect man in the heavens will include the graces of childhood1 the energies of youth1 the steadfastness of manhood1 the calmness of old age2 as on some tropical trees1 blooming in more fertile soil and quickened by a hotter sun than ours1 you may see at once bud1 blossom1 and fruit--the expectancy of spring1 and the maturing promise of summer1 and the fulfilled fruition of autumn--hanging together on the unexhausted bough4 ,,iii4 ,the faithful dead shall live in a body that cannot grow old4 ,scripture assures us1 ,i believe1 that the dead in ,christ are now in full1 conscious enjoyment of ,his presence1 and of all the blessedness that to dwell in ,christ can bring to a spirit4 ,all1 then1 which we have been saying applies to the present condition of those who sleep in ,jesus4 ,as concerning toil and trouble they take rest in sleep1 as concerning contact with an outer world they slumber untroubled by its noise2 but as concerning their communion with their ,lord they1 like us1 'whether we wake or sleep1 live together with ,him4' ,but we know too1 from ,scripture1 that the dead in ,christ wait for the resurrection of the body1 without which they cannot be perfected1 nor restored to full activity of outward life in connection with an external creation4 ,the lesson which we venture to draw from this text enforces the familiar teaching of ,scripture as to that body of glory--that it cannot decay1 nor grow old4 ,in this respect1 too1 eternal youth may be ours4 ,here we have a bodily organisation which1 like all other living bodies1 goes through its appointed series of changes1 wastes in effort1 and so needs reparation by food and rest1 dies in growing1 and finally waxes old and dissolves4 ,in such a house1 a man cannot be ever young4 ,the dim eye and shaking hand1 the wrinkled face and thin grey hairs cannot but age the spirit1 since they weaken its instruments4 ,if the redeemed of the ,lord are to be always young in spirit1 they must have a body which knows no weariness1 which needs no repose1 which has no necessity of dying impressed upon it4 ,and such a body ,scripture plainly tells us will belong to those who are ,christ's1 at ,his coming4 ,our present acquaintance with the conditions of life makes that great promise seem impossible to many learned men amongst us4 ,and ,i know not that anything but acquaintance with the sure word of ,god and with a risen ,lord will make that seeming impossibility again a great promise for us4 ,if we believe it at all1 ,i think we must believe it because the resurrection of ,jesus ,christ says so1 and because the ,scriptures put it into articulate words as the promise of ,his resurrection4 ',ye do err1' said ,christ long ago1 to those who denied a resurrection1 'not knowing the ,scriptures nor the power of ,god4' ,then knowledge of the ,scriptures leads to belief in the resurrection of the dead1 and the remembrance of our ignorance of the power of ,god disposes of all the doubts which are raised on the supposition that ,his present works are the pattern of ,his future ones1 or the limits of ,his unexhausted energy4 ,we are content then to fall back on ,scripture words1 and to believe in the resurrection of the dead simply because it is1 as we believe1 told us from ,god4 ,for all who accept the message1 this hope shines clear1 of a building of ,god imperishable and solid1 when contrasted with the tent in which we dwell here--of a body 'raised in incorruption1' 'clothed with immortality1' and so1 as in many another phrase1 declared to be exempt from decay1 and therefore vigorous with unchanging youth4 ,how that comes we cannot tell4 ,whether because that body of glory has no proclivity to mutation and decay1 or whether the perpetual volition and power of ,god counteract such tendency and give1 as the ,book of ,revelation says1' to eat of the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise of ,god'--matters not at all4 ,the truth of the promise remains1 though we have no means of knowing more than the fact1 that we shall receive a body1 fashioned like ,his who dieth no more4 ,there shall be no weariness nor consequent need for repose--'they rest not day nor night4' ,there shall be no faintness nor consequent craving for sustenance-'they shall hunger no more neither thirst any more4' ,there shall be no disease--'the inhabitant thereof shall no more say1 ,i am sick1' 'neither can they die any more1 for they are equal unto the angels4' ,and if all this is true1 that glorious and undecaying body will then be the equal and fit instrument of the perfected spirit1 not1 as it is now1 the adequate instrument only of the natural life4 ,the deepest emotions then will be capable of expression1 nor as now1 like some rushing tide1 choke the floodgates through whose narrow aperture they try to press1 and be all tossed into foam in the attempt4 ,we shall then seem what we are1 as we shall also be what we ought4 ,all outward things will then be fully and clearly communicated to the spirit1 for that glorious body will be a perfect instrument of knowledge4 ,all that we desire to do we shall then do1 nor be longer tortured with tremulous hands which can never draw the perfect circle that we plan1 and stammering lips that will not obey the heart1 and throbbing brain that will ache when we would have it clear4 ,the ever-young spirit will have for true yokefellow a body that cannot tire1 nor grow old1 nor die4 ,the aged saints of ,god shall rise then in youthful beauty4 ,more than the long-vanished comeliness shall on that day rest on faces that were here haggard with anxiety1 and pinched with penury and years4 ,there will be no more palsied hands1 no more scattered grey hairs1 no more dim and horny eyes1 no more stiffened muscles and slow throbbing hearts4 ',it is sown in weakness1 it is raised in power4' ,it is sown in decaying old age1 it is raised in immortal youth4 ,his servants shall stand in that day among 'the young-eyed cherubim1' and be like them for ever4 ,so we may think of the dead in ,christ4 ,but do not forget that ,christian faith may largely do for us here what ,god's grace and power will do for us in heaven1 and that even now we may possess much of this great gift of perpetual youth4 ,if we live for ,christ by faith in ,him1 then may we carry with us all our days the energy1 the hope1 the joy of the morning tide1 and be children in evil while men in understanding4 ,with unworn and fresh heart we may 'bring forth fruit in old age1' and have the crocus in the autumnal fields as well as in the spring-time of our lives4 ,so blessed1 we may pass to a peaceful end1 because we hold ,his hand who makes the path smooth and the heart quiet4 ,trust yourselves1 my brethren1 to the immortal love and perfect work of the ,divine ,saviour1 and by ,his dear might your days will advance by peaceful stages1 whereof each gathers up and carries forward the blessings of all that went before1 to a death which shall be a birth4 ,its chill waters will be as a fountain of youth from which you will rise1 beautiful and strong1 to begin an immortality of growing power4 ,a ,christian life on earth solves partly1 a ,christian life in heaven solves completely1 the problem of perpetual youth4 ,for those who die in ,his faith and fear1 'better is the end than the beginning1 and the day of one's death than the day of one's birth4' ,christ keeps the good wine until the close of the feast4 ',such is ,thy banquet1 dearest ,lord2 ,o give us grace1 to cast ,our lot with ,thine1 to trust ,thy word1 ,and keep our best till last4' ,,the ,,angel ,,in ,,the ,,tomb ',they saw a young man sitting on the right side1 clothed in a long white garment2 and they were aifrighted4 #f4 ,and he saith unto them1 ,be not affrighted4 ,ye seek ,jesus of ,nazareth1 which was crucified3 ,he is risen2 ,he is not here2 behold the place where they laid ,him4'--,mark xvi4 #e1f4 ,each of the four ,evangelists tells the story of the ,resurrection from his own special point of view4 ,none of them has any record of the actual fact1 because no eye saw it4 ,before the earthquake and the angelic descent1 before the stone was rolled away1 while the guards perhaps slept1 and before ,love and ,sorrow had awakened1 ,christ rose4 ,and deep silence covers the event4 ,but in treating of the subsequent portion of the narrative1 each ,evangelist stands at his own point of view4 ,mark has scarcely anything to say about our ,lord's appearance after the ,resurrection4 ,his object seems mainly to be to describe rather the manner in which the report of the ,resurrection affected the disciples1 and so he makes prominent the bewildered astonishment of the women4 ,if the latter part of this chapter be his1 he passes by the appearance of our ,lord to ,mary ,magdalene and to the two travellers to ,emmaus with just a word for each--contrasting singularly with the lovely narrative of the former in ,john's ,gospel and with the detailed account of the latter in ,luke's4 ,he emphasises the incredulity of the ,twelve after receiving the reports1 and in like manner he lays stress upon the unbelief and hardness of heart which the ,lord rebuked4 ,so1 then1 this incident1 the appearance of the angel1 the portion of his message to the women which we have read1 and the way in which the first testimony to the ,resurrection affected its hearers1 may suggest to us some thoughts which1 though subsidiary to the main teaching of the ,resurrection1 may yet be important in their place4 ,i4 ,note the first witness to the ,resurrection4 ,there are singular diversities in the four ,gospels in their accounts of the angelic appearances1 the number1 occupation1 and attitude of these superhuman persons1 and contradictions may be spun1 if one is so disposed1 out of these varieties4 ,but it is wiser to take another view of them1 and to see in the varying reports1 sometimes of one angel1 sometimes of two1 sometimes of one sitting outside the sepulchre1 sometimes one within1 sometimes none1 either different moments of time or differences produced by the different spiritual condition of the beholders4 ,who can count the glancing wings of the white-winged flock of sea-birds as they sail and turn in the sunshine8 ,who can count the numbers of these 'bright-harnessed angels1' sometimes more1 sometimes less1 flickering and fluttering into and out of sight1 which shone upon the vision of the weeping onlookers8 ,we know too little about the laws of angelic appearances2 we know too little about the relation in that high region between the seeing eye and the objects beheld to venture to say that there is contradiction where the narratives present variety4 ,enough for us to draw the lessons that are suggested by that quiet figure sitting there in the inner vestibule of the grave1 the stone rolled away and the work done1 gazing on the tomb where the ,lord of men and angels had lain4 ,he was a youth4 ',the oldest angels are the youngest1' says a great mystic4 ,the angels 'excel in strength' because they delight to do ,his commandments1 hearkening unto the voice of ,his word4' ,the lapse of ages brings not age to them who 'wait on the ,lord' in the higher ministries of heaven1 and run unwearied1 and walk unfainting1 and when they are seen by men are radiant with immortal youth4 ,he was 'clothed in a long white garment1' the sign at once of purity and of repose2 and he was sitting in rapt contemplation and quiet adoration there1 where the body of ,jesus had lain4 ,but what had he to do with the joy of ,resurrection8 ,it delivered him from no fears1 it brought to him no fresh assurance of a life which was always his4 ,wherefore was he there8 ,because that ,cross strikes its power upwards as well as downwards2 because ,he that had lain there is the ,head of all creation1 and the ,lord of angels as well as of men2 because that ,resurrection following upon that ,cross1 'unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places1' opened a new and wonderful door into the unsounded and unfathomed abyss of divine love2 because into these things 'angels desire to look1' and1 looking1 are smitten with adoring wonder and flushed with the illumination of a new knowledge of what ,god is1 and of what man is to ,god4 ,the ,resurrection of the ,prince of ,life was no mystery to the angel4 ,to him the mystery was in ,his death4 ,to us the death is not a mystery1 but the ,resurrection is4 ,that gazing figure looks from the other side upon the grave which we contemplate from this side of the gulf of death2 but the eyes of both orders of ,being fix upon the same hallowed spot--they in adoring wonder that there a ,god should have lain2 we in lowly thankfulness that thence a man should have risen4 ,further1 we see in that angel presence not only the indication that ,christ is his ,king as well as ours1 but also the mark of his and all his fellows' sympathetic participation in whatsoever is of so deep interest to humanity4 ,there is a certain tone of friendship and oneness in his words4 ,the trembling women were smitten into an ecstasy of bewildered fear 7as one of the words1 'affrighted' might more accurately be rendered71 and his consolation to them1 ',be not affrighted1 ye seek ,jesus1' suggests that1 in all the great sweep of the unseen universe1 whatsoever beings may people that to us apparently waste and solitary space1 howsoever many they may be1 'thick as the autumn leaves in ,vallambrosa' or as the motes that dance in the sunshine1 they are all friends and allies and elder brethren of those who seek for ,jesus with a loving heart4 ,no creature that owns ,his sway can touch or injure or need terrify the soul that follows after ,christ4 ',all the servants of our ,king in heaven and earth are one1' and ,he sends forth ,his brightest and loftiest to be brethren and ministers to them who shall be 'heirs of salvation4' ,so we may pass through the darkest spaces of the universe and the loneliest valleys of the shadow of death1 sure that whosoever may be there will be our friend if we are the friends of ,christ4 ,,ii4 ,so much1 then1 for the first point that ,i would suggest here4 ,note1 secondly1 the triumphant light cast upon the cradle and the ,cross4 ,there is something very remarkable1 because for purposes of identification plainly unnecessary1 in the minute particularity of the designation which the angel lips give to ,jesus ,christ4 ',jesus1 the ,nazarene1 who was crucified4' ,do you not catch a tone of wonder and a tone of triumph in this threefold particularising of the humanity1 the lowly residence1 and the ,ignominious death8 ,all that lowliness1 suffering1 and shame are brought into comparison with the rising from the dead4 ,that is to say1 when we grasp the fact of a risen ,christ1 we look back upon all the story of ,his birth1 ,his lowly life1 ,his death of shame1 and see a new meaning in it1 and new reasons for triumph and for wonder4 ,the cradle is illuminated by the grave1 the ,cross by the empty sepulchre4 ,as at the beginning there is a supernatural entrance into life1 so at the end there is a supernatural resumption of it4 ,the birth corresponds with the resurrection1 and both witness to the divinity4 ,the lowly life culminates in the conquest over death2 the ,nazarene despised1 rejected1 dwelling in a place that was a byword1 sharing all the modest lowliness and self-respecting poverty of the ,galilean peasants1 has conquered death4 ,the ,man that was crucified has conquered death4 ,and the fact that ,he has risen explains and illuminates the fact that ,he died4 ,brethren1 let us lay this to heart1 that unless we believe in the ,resurrection of ,jesus ,christ1 the saying ',he was crucified' is the saddest word that can be spoken about any of the great ones of the past4 ,if ,jesus ,christ be lying in some nameless grave1 then all the power of ,his death is gone1 and ,he and it are nothing to me1 or to you1 or to any of our fellow-men1 more than a thousand deaths of the mighty ones of old4 ,but ,easter day transfigures the gloom of the day of the ,crucifixion1 and the rising sun of its morning gilds and explains the ,cross4 ,now it stands forth as the great redeeming power of the world1 where my sins and yours and the whole world's have been expiated and done away4 ,and now1 instead of being ignominy1 it is glory1 and instead of being defeat it is victory1 and instead of looking upon that death as the lowest point of the ,master's humiliation1 we may look upon it as ,he ,himself did1 as the highest point of ,his glorifying4 ,for the ,cross then becomes ,his great means of winning men to ,himself1 and the very throne of ,his power4 ,on the historical fact of a ,resurrection depend all the worth and meaning of the death of ,christ4 ',if ,he be not risen our preaching is vain1 and your faith is also vain4' ',if ,christ be not risen1 ye are yet in your sins4' ,but if what this day commemorates be true1 then upon all ,his earthly life is thrown a new light2 and we first understand the ,cross when we look upon the empty grave4 ,,iii4 ,again1 notice here the majestic announcement of the great fact1 and its confirmation4 ',he is risen2 ,he is not here4' ,the first preacher of the ,resurrection was an angel1 a true ev-angel-ist4 ,his message is conveyed in these brief sentences1 unconnected with each other1 in token1 not of abruptness and haste1 but of solemnity4 ',he is risen' is one word in the original--a sentence of one word1 which announces the mightiest miracle that ever was wrought upon earth1 a miracle which opens the door wide enough for all supernatural events recorded of ,jesus ,christ to find an entrance to the understanding and the reason4 ',he is risen4' ,the ,resurrection of ,jesus ,christ is declared by angel lips to be ,his own act2 not1 indeed1 as if ,he were acting separately from the ,father1 but still less as if in it ,he were merely passive4 ,think of that2 a dead ,christ raised ,himself4 ,that is the teaching of the ,scripture4 ,i do not dwell here1 at this stage of my sermon1 on the many issues that spring from such a conception1 but this only ,i urge1 ,jesus ,christ was the ,lord of life2 held life and death1 ,his own and others'1 at ,his beck and will4 ,his death was voluntary2 ,he was not passive in it1 but ,he died because ,he chose4 ,his resurrection was ,his act2 ,he rose because ,he willed4 ',i have power to lay it down1 ,i have power to take it again4' ,no one said to ,him1 ',i say unto ,thee1 arise6' ,the divine power of the ,father's will did not work upon ,him as from without to raise ,him from the dead2 but ,he1 the embodiment of divinity1 raised ,himself1 even though it is also true that ,he was raised from the dead by the glory of the ,father4 ,these two statements are not contradictory1 but the former of them can only be predicated of ,him2 and it sets ,him on a pedestal immeasurably above1 and infinitely apart from1 all those to whom life is communicated by a divine act4 ,he ,himself is 'the ,life1' and it was not possible that ,life should be holden of ,death2 therefore ,he burst its bonds1 and1 like the ancient ,jewish hero1 though in far nobler fashion1 our ,samson enters into the city which is a prison1 and on ,his strong shoulders bears away the gates1 that none may ever there be prisoners without hope4 ,now1 then1 note the confirmation of this stupendous fact4 ',he is risen2 ,he is not here4' ,the grave was empty1 and the trembling women were called upon to look and see for themselves that the body was not there4 ,one remark is all that ,i wish to make about this matter--viz4 this1 all theories1 ancient or modern1 which deny the ,resurrection1 are shattered by this one question1 ,what became of ,jesus ,christ's body8 ,we take it as a plain historical fact1 which the extremest scepticism has never ventured to deny1 that the grave of ,christ was empty4 ,the trumped-up story of the guards sufficiently shows that4 ,when the belief of a resurrection began to be spread abroad1 what would have been easier for ,pharisees and rulers than to have gone to the sepulchre and rolled back the stone1 and said1 ',look there6 there is your risen ,man1 lying mouldering1 like all the rest of us4' ,they did not do it4 ,why8 ,because the grave was empty4 ,where was the body8 ,they had it not1 else they would have been glad to produce it4 ,the disciples had it not1 for if they had1 you come back to the discredited and impossible theory that1 having it1 and knowing that they were telling lies1 they got up the story of the ,resurrection4 ,nobody believes that nowadays--nobody can believe it who looks at the results of the preaching of this1 by hypothesis1 falsehood4 ',men do not gather grapes of thorns1 nor figs of thistles4' ,and whether the disciples were right or wrong1 there can be no question in the mind of anybody who is not prepared to swallow impossibilities compared to which miracles are easy1 that the first disciples heartily believed that ,jesus ,christ was risen from the dead4 ,as ,i say1 one confirmation of the belief lies in the empty grave1 and this question may be put to anybody that says ',i do not believe in your ,resurrection'3--',what became of the sacred body of ,jesus ,christ8' ,now1 note the way in which the announcement of this tremendous fact was received4 ,with blank bewilderment and terror on the part of these women1 followed by incredulity on the part of the ,apostles and of the other disciples4 ,these things are on the surface of the narrative1 and very important they are4 ,they plainly tell us that the first hearers did not believe the testimony which they themselves call upon us to believe4 ,and1 that being the state of mind of the early disciples on the ,resurrection day1 what becomes of the modern theory1 which seeks to explain the fact of the early belief in the ,resurrection by saying1 ',oh1 they had worked themselves into such a fever of expectation that ,jesus ,christ would rise from the dead that the wish was father to the thought1 and they said that ,he did because they expected that ,he would'8 ,no6 they did not expect that ,he would2 it was the very last thing that they expected4 ,they had not in their minds the soil out of which such imaginations would grow4 ,they were perfectly unprepared to believe it1 and1 as a matter of fact1 they did not believe until they had seen4 ,so ,i think that that one fact disposes of a great deal of pestilent and shallow talk in these days that tries to deny the ,resurrection and to save the character of the men that witnessed it4 ,,iv4 ,and now1 lastly1 note here the summons to grateful contemplation4 ',behold the place whore they laid ,him4' ,to these women the call was simply one to come and see what would confirm the witness4 ,but we may1 perhaps1 permissibly turn it to a wider purpose1 and say that it summons us all to thankful1 lowly1 believing1 glad contemplation of that empty grave as the basis of all our hopes4 ,look upon it and upon the ,resurrection which it confirms to us as an historical fact4 ,it sets the seal of the divine approval on ,christ's work1 and declares the divinity of ,his person and the all-sufficiency of ,his mighty sacrifice4 ,therefore let us1 laden with our sins and seeking for reconciliation with ,god1 and knowing how impossible it is for us to bring an atonement or a ransom for ourselves1 look upon that grave and learn that ,christ has offered the sacrifice which ,god has accepted1 and with which ,he is well pleased4 ',behold the place where they laid ,him1' and1 looking upon it1 let us think of that ,resurrection as a prophecy1 with a bearing upon us and upon all the dear ones that have trod the common road into the great darkness4 ,christ has died1 therefore they live2 ,christ lives1 therefore we shall never die4 ,his grave was in a garden--a garden indeed4 ,the yearly miracle of the returning 'life re-orient out of dust1' typifies the mightier miracle which ,he works for all that trust in ,him1 when out of death ,he leads them into life4 ,the graveyard has become ',god's acre'2 the garden in which the seed sown in weakness is to be raised in power1 and sown corruptible is to be raised in incorruption4 ',behold the place where they laid ,him1' and in the empty grave read the mystery of the ,resurrection as the pattern and the symbol of our higher life2 that1 'like as ,christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the ,father1 even so we also should walk in newness of life4' ,oh to partake more and more of that power of ,his ,resurrection6 ,in ,christ's empty grave is planted the true 'tree of life1 which is in the midst of the true ,paradise of ,god4' ,and we1 if we truly trust and humbly love that ,lord1 shall partake of its fruits1 and shall one day share the glories of ,his risen life in the heavens1 even as we share the power of it here and now4 ,,love',s ,,triumph ,,over ,,sin ',tell ,his disciples and ,peter that ,he goeth before yon into ,galilee4--,mark xvi1 #g4 ,this prevailing tradition of ,christian antiquity ascribes this ,gospel to ,john ,mark1 sister's son to ,barnabas1 and affirms that in composing it he was in some sense the 'interpreter' of the ,apostle ,peter4 ,some confirmation of this alleged connection between the ,evangelist and the ,apostle may be gathered from the fact that the former is mentioned by the latter as with him when he wrote his ,first ,epistle4 ,and1 in the ,gospel itself1 there are some little peculiarities which seem to look in the same direction4 ,a certain speciality is traceable here and there1 both in omissions of incidents in the ,apostle's life recorded by some of the other ,evangelists1 and in the addition of slight facts concerning him unnoticed by them4 ,chief among these is the place which his name holds in this very remarkable message1 delivered by the angels to the women who came to ,christ's tomb on the ,resurrection morning4 ,matthew1 who also reports the angels' words1 has only 'tell ,his disciples4' ,mark adds the words1 which must have come like wine and oil to the bruised heart of the denier1 'tell ,his disciples and ,peter4' ,to the others1 it was of little importance that his name should have been named then2 to him it was life from the dead1 that he should have been singled out to receive a word of forgiveness and a summons to meet his ,lord2 as if ,he had said through ,his angel messengers--',i would see them all2 but whoever may stay behind1 let not him be absent from our glad meeting again4' ,we find1 too1 that the same individualising of the ,apostle1 which led to his being thus greeted in the first thoughts of his risen ,lord1 led also to an interview with ,him on that same day1 about which not a syllable of detail is found in any ,gospel1 though the fact was known to the whole body of the disciples4 ,for when the two friends who had met ,christ at ,emmaus came back in the night with their strange tidings1 their eagerness to tell their joyful news is anticipated by the eagerness of the brethren to tell their wonderful story3 ',the ,lord is risen indeed1 and hath appeared to ,simon4' ,paul1 too1 gives that meeting1 when the ,lord was alone with the penitent1 the foremost place in his list of the evidences of ,christ's resurrection1 ',he was seen of ,cephas4' ,what passed then is hidden from all eyes4 ,the secrets of that hour of deep contrition and healing love ,peter kept secretly curtained from sight1 in the innermost chamber of his memory4 ,but we may be sure that then forgiveness was sought and granted1 and the bond that fastened him to his ,lord was welded together again1 where it had snapped1 and was the stronger because it had been broken1 and at the point of fracture4 ,the man must be first re-united to his ,saviour1 before the ,apostle can be reinstated in his functions4 ,in secrecy1 not beheld by any1 is the personal act of restoration to love and friendship effected2 and then in public1 before his brethren1 who were concerned in his official position1 but not in his personal relation to his ,lord1 the reappointment of the pardoned disciple to his apostleship takes place4 ,his sin had had a public aspect1 and his threefold denial must1 in so far as it was an outward act1 be effaced by his threefold confession4 ,then he becomes again ',peter'--not merely ',simon ,bar ,jonas'2 and1 as the ,book of the ,acts shows1 never ceases to hear the divine commissions1 ',feed ,my sheep1' ',follow ,me'2 nor ever forgets the lessons he had learned in these bitter hours of self-loathing1 and in the rapturous moments when again he saw his ,lord4 ,putting all these things together--this message from ,christ1 the interview which followed it1 and the subsequent history of the ,apostle--we have a connected series of facts which may illustrate for us1 better than many dry words of mine could do1 the triumph over sin of the forgiving love of ,christ4 ,i4 ,notice1 then1 first1 the loving message with which ,he beckons the wanderer back4 ,if we try to throw ourselves back into the ,apostle's black thoughts during the interval between his denial and the ,resurrection morning1 we shall better feel what this love-token from the grave must have been to him4 ,his natural character1 as well as his real love for his ,master1 ensured that his lies could not long content him4 ,they were uttered so vehemently because they were uttered in spite of inward resistance4 ,overpowered by fear1 beaten down from all his vain-glorious self-confidence by a woman-servant's sharp tongue and mocking eye1 he lied--and then came the rebound4 ,the same impulsive vehemence which had hurried him into the fault1 would swing him back again to quick penitence when the cock crew1 and that ,divine ,face1 turning slowly from before the judgment-seat with the sorrow of wounded love upon it1 silently said1 ',remember4' ,we can fancy how that bitter weeping1 which began so soon1 grew more passionate and more bitter when the end came4 ,we are singularly happy if we do not know the pang of remembering some fault to the loved dead--some hasty word1 some momentary petulance1 some selfish disregard of their happiness1 some sullen refusal of their tenderness4 ,how the thought that it is all irrevocable now embitters the remorse6 ,how passionately we long that we could have one of the moments again1 which seemed so trivial while we possessed them1 that we might confess and be forgiven1 and atone6 ,and this poor1 warm-hearted1 penitent denier had to think that his very last act to the ,lord whom he loved so well had been such an act of cowardly shrinking from acknowledging ,him2 and that henceforward his memory of that dear face was to be for ever saddened by that last look6 ,that they should have parted so6 that that sad gaze was to be the last he should ever have1 and that it was to haunt him for the rest of his life6 ,we can understand how heavily the hours passed on that dreary ,saturday4 ,if1 as seems probable1 he was with ,john in his home1 whither the latter had led the mother of our ,lord1 what a group were gathered there1 each with a separate pang from the common sorrow6 ,into this sorrow come the tidings that all was not over1 that the irrevocable was not irrevocable1 that perhaps new days of loyal love might still be granted1 in which the doleful failure of the past might be forgotten2 and then1 whether before or after his hurried rush to the grave we need not here stay to inquire1 follows the message of our text1 a word of forgiveness and reconciliation1 sent by the ,lord as the herald and outrider of ,his own coming1 to bring gladness and hope ere ,he ,himself draws near4 ,think of this message as a revelation of love that is stronger than death4 ,the news of ,christ's resurrection must have struck awe1 but not necessarily joy1 into the disciples' hearts4 ,the dearest ones suffer so solemn a change to our apprehensions when they pass into the grave1 that to many a man it would be maddening terror to meet those whom he loved and still loves4 ,so there must have been a spasm of fear even among ,christ's friends when they heard of ,him as risen again1 and much confusing doubt as to what would be the amount of resemblance to ,his old self4 ,they probably dreaded to find ,him far removed from their familiar love1 forgetful perhaps of much of the old life1 with other thoughts than before1 with the atmosphere of the other world round about ,him1 which glorified ,him indeed1 but separated ,him too from those whose grosser lungs could live only in this thick air4 ,these words of our text would go far to scatter all such fears4 ,they link on the future to the past1 as if ,his first thought when ,he rose had been to gather up again the dropped threads of their intercourse1 and to carry on their ancient concord and companionship as though no break had been at all4 ,for all the disciples1 and especially for him who is especially named1 they confirm the identity of ,christ's whole dispositions towards them now1 with those which ,he had before4 ,death has not changed ,him at all4 ,much has been done since ,he left them2 the world's history has been changed1 but nothing which has happened has had any effect on the reality of ,his love1 and on the inmost reality of their companionship4 ,in these respects they are where they were1 and even ,calvary and the tomb are but as a parenthesis4 ,the old bonds are all re-knit1 and the junction is all but imperceptible4 ,this is how we have to think of our ,lord now1 in ,his attitude towards us4 ,we1 too1 may have our share in that message1 which came like morning twilight before ,he shone upon the apostles' darkness4 ,to them it proclaimed a love which was stronger than death4 ,to us it may declare a love which is stronger than all change of circumstances4 ,he is no more parted from us by the ,throne than from them by the ,cross4 ,he descended into 'the lower parts of the earth1' and ,his love lived on1 and so it does now1 when ,he has 'ascended up far above all heavens4' ,love knows no difference of place1 conditions1 or functions4 ,from out of the blazing heart of the ,glory the same tender face looks that bent over sick men's pallets1 and that turned on ,peter in the judgment-hall4 ,the hand that holds the sceptre of the universe is the hand that was nailed to the ,cross1 and that was stretched out to that same ,peter when he was ready to sink4 ,the breast that is girt with the golden girdle of priestly sovereignty is the same tender home on which ,john's happy head rested in placid contentment4 ,all the love that ever flowed from ,christ flows from ,him still4 ,to ,him1 'whose nature and whose name are ,love1' it matters nothing whether ,he is in the house at ,bethany1 or in the upper room1 or hanging on the ,cross1 or lying in the grave1 or risen from the dead1 or seated on the right hand of ,god4 ,he is the same everywhere and always4 ',i have loved thee with an everlasting love4' ,again1 this message is the revelation of a love that is not turned away by our sinful changes4 ,peter may have thought that he had1 with his own words1 broken the bond between him and his ,lord4 ,he had renounced his allegiance2 was the renunciation to be accepted8 ,he had said1 ',i am not one of them'2 did ,christ answer1 ',be it so2 one of them thou shalt no more be'8 ,the message from the women's lips settled the question1 and let him feel that1 though his grasp of ,christ had relaxed1 ,christ's grasp of him had not1 ,he might change1 he might cease for a time to prize his ,lord's love1 he might cease either to be conscious of it or to wish for it2 but that love could not change4 ,it was unaffected by his unfaithfulness1 even as it had not been originated by his fidelity4 ,repelled1 it still lingered beside him4 ,disowned1 it still asserted its property in him4 ,being reviled1 it blessed2 being persecuted1 it endured2 being defamed1 it entreated2 and1 patient through all wrongs and changes1 it loved on till it had won back the erring heart1 and could fill it with the old blessedness again4 ,and is not that same miracle of long-enduring love presented before every one of us1 as in ,christ's heart for us8 ,true1 our sin interferes with our sense of it1 and modifies the form in which it must deal with us2 but1 however real and disastrous may be the power of our evil in troubling the communion of love between us and our ,lord1 and in compelling ,him to smite before ,he binds up1 never forget that our sin is utterly impotent to turn away the tide that sets to us from the heart of ,christ4 ,earthborn vapours may hang about the low levels1 and turn the gracious sun himself into a blood-red ball of lurid fire2 but they reach only a little way up1 and high above their region is the pure blue1 and the blessed light pours down upon the upper surface of the white mist1 and thins away its opaqueness1 and dries up its clinging damp1 and at last parts it into filmy fragments that float out of sight1 and the dwellers on the green earth see the sun1 which was always there even when they could not behold it1 and which1 by shining on1 has conquered all the obstructions that veiled its beams4 ,sin is mighty1 but one thing sin cannot do1 and that is to make ,christ cease to love us4 ,sin is mighty1 but one other thing sin cannot do1 and that is to prevent ,christ from manifesting ,his love to us sinners1 that we may learn to love and so may cease to sin4 ,christ's love is not at the beck and call of our fluctuating affections4 ,it has its source deeper than in the springs in our hearts1 namely in the depths of ,his own nature4 ,it is not the echo or the answer to ours1 but ours is the echo to ,his2 and that being so1 our changes do not reach to it1 any more than earth's seasons affect the sun4 ,for ever and ever ,he loves4 ,whilst we forget ,him1 ,he remembers us4 ,whilst we repay ,him with neglect or with hate1 ,he still loves4 ,if we believe not1 ,he still abides faithful to ,his merciful purpose1 and1 in spite of all that we can do1 will not deny ,himself1 by ceasing to be the incarnate ,patience1 the perfect ,love4 ,he is ,himself the great ensample of that 'charity' which ,his ,apostle painted2 ,he is not easily provoked2 ,he is not soon angry2 ,he beareth all things2 ,he hopeth all things4 ,we cannot get away from the sweep of ,his love1 wander we ever so far4 ,the child may struggle in the mother's arms1 and beat the breast that shelters it with its little hand2 but it neither hurts nor angers that gentle bosom1 nor loosens the firm but loving grasp that holds it fast4 ,he carries1 as a nurse does1 ,his wayward children1 and1 blessed be ,his name6 ,his arm is too strong for us to shake it off1 ,his love too divine for us to dam it back4 ,and still further1 here we see a love which sends a special message because of special sin4 ,if one was to be singled out from the little company to receive by name the summons of the ,lord to meet ,him in ,galilee1 we might have expected it to have been that faithful friend who stood beneath the ,cross1 till his ,lord's command sent him to his own home2 or that weeping mother whom he then led away with him2 or one of the two who had been turned from secret disciples into confessors by the might of their love1 and had laid ,his body with reverent care in the grave in the garden4 ,strange reward for true love that they should be merged in the general message1 and strange recompense for treason and cowardice that ,peter's name should be thus distinguished6 ,is sin1 then1 a passport to ,his deeper love8 ,is the murmur true after all1 ',thou never gavest me a kid1 but as soon as this thy son is come1 which hath devoured thy living with harlots1 thou hast killed for him the fatted calf'8 ,yes1 and no4 ,no1 inasmuch as the unbroken fellowship hath in it calm and deep joys which the returning prodigal does not know1 and all sin lays waste and impoverishes the soul4 ,yes1 inasmuch as ,he1 who knows all our needs1 knows that the denier needs a special treatment to bring him back to peace1 and that the further a poor heart has strayed from ,him1 the mightier must be the forthputting of manifested love1 if it is to be strong enough to travel across all the dreary wastes1 and draw back again1 to its orbit among its sister planets1 the wandering star4 ,the depth of our need determines the strength of the restorative power put forth4 ,they who had not gone away would come at the call addressed to them all1 but he who had sundered himself from them and from the ,lord would remain in his sad isolation1 unless some special means were used to bring him back4 ,the more we have sinned1 the less can we believe in ,christ's love2 and so the more we have sinned1 the more marvellous and convincing does ,he make the testimony and operations of ,his love to us4 ,it is ever to the poor bewildered sheep1 lying panting in the wilderness1 that ,he comes4 ,among ,his creatures1 the race which has sinned is that which receives the most stupendous proof of the seeking divine love4 ,among men1 the publicans and the harlots1 the denying ,peters and the persecuting ,pauls1 are they to whom the most persuasive entreaties of ,his love are sent1 and on whom the strongest powers of ,his grace are brought to bear4 ,our sin cannot check the flow of ,his love4 ,more marvellous still1 our sin occasions a mightier burst of the manifestation of ,his love1 for eyes blinded by selfishness and carelessness1 or by fear and despair1 need to see a brightness beyond the noonday sun1 ere they can behold the amazing truth of ,his love to them2 and what they need1 they get4 ',go1 tell ,peter4' ,here1 too1 is the revelation of a love which singles out a sinful man by name4 ,christ does not deal with us in the mass1 but soul by soul4 ,our finite minds have to lose the individual in order to grasp the class4 ,our eyes see the wood far off on the mountain-side1 but not the single trees1 nor each fluttering leaf4 ,we think of 'the race'--the twelve hundred millions that live to-day1 and the uncounted crowds that have been1 but the units in that inconceivable sum are not separate in our view4 ,but ,he does not generalise so4 ,he has a clear individualising knowledge of each2 each separately has a place in ,his mind or heart4 ,to each ,he says1 ',i know thee by name4' ,he loves the world1 because ,he loves every single soul with a distinct love4 ,and ,his messages of blessing are as specific and individualising as the love from which they come4 ,he speaks to each of us as truly as ,he singled out ,peter here1 as truly as when ,his voice from heaven said1 ',saul1 ,saul4' ,english names are on ,his lips as really as ,jewish ones4 ,he calls to thee by thy name--thou hast a share in ,his love4 ,to thee the call to trust ,him is addressed1 and to thee forgiveness1 help1 purity1 life eternal are offered4 ,thou hast sinned2 that only infuses deeper tenderness into ,his beseeching tones4 ,thou hast gone further front ,him than some of thy fellows2 that only makes ,his recovering energy greater4 ,thou hast denied ,his name2 that only makes ,him speak thine with more persuasive invitation4 ,look1 then1 at this one instance of a love stronger than death1 mightier than sin1 sending its special greeting to the denier1 and learn how deep the source1 how powerful the flow1 how universal the sweep1 of that river of the love of ,god1 which streams to us through the channel of ,christ ,his ,son4 ,,ii4 ,notice1 secondly1 the secret meeting between our ,lord and the ,apostle4 ,that is the second stage in the victorious conflict of divine love with man's sin4 ,as ,i have said1 that interview took place on the day of the ,resurrection1 apparently before our ,lord joined the two sorrowful travellers to ,emmaus1 and certainly before ,he appeared to the company gathered by night in the closed chamber4 ,the fact was well known1 for it is referred to by ,luke and by ,paul1 but nothing beyond the fact seems to have been known1 or at all events is made public by them4 ,all this is very significant and very beautiful4 ,what tender consideration there is in meeting ,peter alone1 before seeing him in the companionship of the others6 ,how painful would have been the rush of the first emotions of shame awakened by ,christ's presence1 if their course had been checked by any eye but ,his own beholding them6 ,how impossible it would have then been to have poured out all the penitent confessions with which his heart must have been full1 and how hard it would have been to have met for the first time1 and not to have poured them out6 ,with most loving insight1 then1 into the painful embarrassment1 and dread of unsympathising standers-by1 which must have troubled the contrite ,apostle1 the ,lord is careful to give him the opportunity of weeping his fill on ,his own bosom1 unrestrained by any thought of others1 and will let him sob out his contrition to ,his own ear alone4 ,then the meeting in the upper chamber will be one of pure joy to ,peter1 as to all the rest4 ,the emotions which he has in common with them find full play1 in that hour when all are reunited to their ,lord4 ,the experience which belongs to himself alone has its solitary hour of unrecorded communion4 ,the first to whom ,he1 who is 'separate from sinners1' appeared was ',mary ,magdalene1 out of whom ,he had cast seven devils4' ,the next were the women who bore this message of forgiveness2 and probably the next was the one among all the company who had sinned most grievously4 ,so wondrous is the order of ,his preferences1 coming ever nearest to those who need ,him most4 ,and may we not regard this secret interview as representing for us what is needed on our part to make ,christ's forgiving love our own8 ,there must be the personal contact of my soul with the loving heart of ,christ1 the individual act of my own coming to ,him1 and1 as the old ,puritans used to say1' my transacting' with ,him4 ,like the ocean of the atmosphere1 ,his love encompasses me1 and in it ,i 'live1 and move1 and have my being4' ,but ,i must let it flow into my spirit1 and stir the dormant music of ray soul4 ,i can shut it out1 sealing my heart love-tight against it4 ,i do shut it out1 unless by my own conscious1 personal act ,i yield myself to ,him1 unless by my own faith ,i come to ,him1 and meet ,him1 secretly and really as did the penitent ,apostle1 whom the message1 that proclaimed the love of his ,lord1 emboldened to meet the ,lord who loved1 and by ,his own lips to be assured of forgiveness and friendship4 ,it is possible to stumble at noontide1 as in the dark4 ,a man may starve1 outside of barns filled with plenty1 and his lips may be parched with thirst1 though he is within sight of a broad river flowing in the sunshine4 ,so a soul may stiffen into the death of self and sin1 even though the voice that wakes the dead to a life of love be calling to it4 ,christ and ,his grace are yours if you will1 but the invitations and beseechings of ,his mercy1 the constant drawings of ,his love1 the all-embracing offers of ,his forgiveness1 may be all in vain1 if you do not grasp them and hold them fast by the hand of faith4 ,that personal act must be preceded by the message of ,his mighty love4 ,ever ,he sends such messages as heralds of ,his coming1 just as ,he prepared the way for ,his own approach to the ,apostle1 by the words of our text4 ,our faith must follow ,his word4 ,our love can only be called forth by the manifestation of ,his4 ,but ,his message must be followed by that personal act1 else ,his word is spoken in vain1 and there is no real union between our need and ,his fulness1 nor any cleansing contact of ,his grace with our foulness4 ,mark1 too1 the intensely individual character of that act of faith by which a man accepts ,christ's grace4 ,friends and companions may bring the tidings of the risen ,lord's loving heart1 but the actual closing with the ,lord's mercy must be done by myself1 alone with ,him4 ,as if there were not another soul on earth1 ,i and ,he must meet1 and in solitude deep as that of death1 each man for himself must yield to ,incarnate ,love1 and receive eternal life4 ,the flocks and herds1 the wives and children1 have all to be sent away1 and ,jacob must be left alone1 before the mysterious ,wrestler comes whose touch of fire lames the whole nature of sin and death1 whose inbreathed power strengthens to hold ,him fast till ,he speaks a blessing1 who desires to be overcome1 and makes our yielding to ,him our prevailing with ,him4 ,as one of the old mystics called prayer 'the flight of the lonely man to the only ,god1' so we may call the act of faith the meeting of the soul alone with ,christ alone4 ,do you know anything of that personal communion8 ,have you1 your own very self1 by your own penitence for your own sin1 and your own thankful faith in the ,love which thereby becomes truly yours1 isolated yourself from all companionship1 and joined yourself to ,christ8 ,then1 through that narrow passage where we can only walk singly1 you will come into a large place4 ,the act of faith1 which separates us from all men1 unites us for the first time in real brotherhood1 and they who1 one by one1 come to ,jesus and meet ,him alone1 next find that they 'are come to the city of ,god1 to an innumerable company1 to the festal choirs of angels1 to the ,church of the ,first-born1 to the spirits of just men made perfect4' ,,iii4 ,notice1 finally1 the gradual cure of the pardoned ,apostle4 ,he was restored to his office1 as we read in the supplement to ,john's ,gospel4 ,in that wonderful conversation1 full as it is of allusions to ,peter's fall1 ,christ asks but one question1 ',lovest thou ,me8' ,that includes everything4 ',hast thou learned the lesson of ,my mercy8 hast thou responded to ,my love8 then thou art fit for ,my work1 and beginning to be perfected4' ,so the third stage in the triumph of ,christ's love over man's sin is1 when we1 beholding that love flowing towards us1 and accepting it by faith1 respond to it with our own1 and are able to say1 ',thou knowest that ,i love ,thee4' ,the all-embracing question is followed by an equally comprehensive command1 ',follow thou ,me1' a two-worded compendium of all morals1 a precept which naturally results from love1 and certainly leads to absolute perfectness4 ,with love to ,christ for motive1 and ,christ ,himself for pattern1 and following ,him for our one duty1 all things are possible1 and the utter defeat of sin in us is but a question of time4 ,and the certainty1 as well as the gradual slowness1 of that victory1 are well set forth by the future history of the ,apostle4 ,we know how his fickleness passed away1 and how his vehement character was calmed and consolidated into resolved persistency1 and how his love of distinction and self-confidence were turned in a new direction1 obeyed a divine impulse1 and became powers4 ,we read how he started to the front2 how he guided the ,church in the first stage of its development2 how whenever there was danger he was in the van1 and whenever there was work his hand was first on the plough2 how he bearded and braved rulers and councils2 how--more difficult still for him--he lay quietly in prison sleeping like a child1 between his guards1 on the night before his execution2 how--most difficult of all--he acquiesced in ,paul's superiority2 and1 if he still needed to be withstood and blamed1 could recognise the wisdom of the rebuke1 and in his calm old age could speak well of the rebuker as his 'beloved brother ,paul4' ,nor was the cure a change in the great lines of his character4 ,these remain the same1 the characteristic excellences possible to them are brought out1 the defects are curbed and cast out4 ,the 'new man' is the 'old man' with a new direction1 obeying a new impulse1 but retaining its individuality4 ,weaknesses become strengths2 the sanctified character is the old character sanctified2 and it is still true that 'every man hath his proper gift of ,god1 one after this manner1 and another after that4' ,it is very instructive to observe how deeply the experiences of his fall1 and of ,christ's mercy then1 had impressed themselves on ,peter's memory1 and how constantly they were present with him all through his after-life4 ,his ,epistles are full of allusions which show this4 ,for instance1 to go a step further back in his life1 he remembered that the ,lord had said to him1 ',thou art ,peter1' 'a stone1' and that his pride in that name had helped to his rash confidence1 and so to his sin4 ,therefore1 when he is cured of these1 he takes pleasure in sharing his honour with his brethren1 and writes1 ',ye also1 as living stones1 are built up4' ,he remembered the contempt for others and the trust in himself with which he had said1 ',though all should forsake ,thee1 yet will not ,i'2 and1 taught what must come of that1 he writes1 ',be clothed with humility1 for ,god resisteth the proud1 and giveth grace to the humble4' ,he remembered how hastily he had drawn his sword and struck at ,malchus1 and he writes1 ',if when ye do well and suffer for it1 ye take it patiently1 this is acceptable with ,god4' ,he remembered how he had been surprised into denial by the questions of a sharp-tongued servant-maid1 and he writes1 ',be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you1 with meekness4' ,he remembered how the pardoning love of his ,lord had honoured him unworthy1 with the charge1 ',feed ,my sheep1' and he writes1 ranking himself as one of the class to whom he speaks--',the elders ,i exhort1 who am also an elder 444 feed the flock of ,god4' ,he remembered that last command1 which sounded ever in his spirit1 ',follow thou ,me1' and discerning now1 through all the years that lay between1 the presumptuous folly and blind inversion of his own work and his ,master's which had lain in his earlier question1 ',why cannot ,i follow ,thee now8 ,i will lay down my life for ,thy sake'--he writes to all1 ',christ also suffered for us1 leaving us an example1 that ye should follow ,his steps1' ,so well had he learned the lesson of his own sin1 and of that immortal love which had beckoned him back1 to peace at its side and purity from its hand4 ,let us learn how the love of ,christ1 received into the heart1 triumphs gradually but surely over all sin1 transforms character1 turning even its weakness into strength1 and so1 from the depths of transgression and very gates of hell1 raises men to ,god4 ,to us all this divine message speaks4 ,christ's love is extended to us2 no sin can stay it2 no fall of ours can make ,him despair4 ,he will not give us up4 ,he waits to be gracious4 ,this same ,peter once asked1 ',how oft shall my brother sin against me and ,i forgive him8' ,and the answer1 which commanded unwearied brotherly forgiveness1 revealed inexhaustible divine pardon--',i say not unto thee until seven times1 but until seventy times seven4' ,the measure of the divine mercy1 which is the pattern of ours1 is completeness ten times multiplied by itself2 we know not the numbers thereof4 ',let the wicked forsake his way 444 and let him return unto the ,lord1 for ,he will have mercy upon him2 and to our ,god1 for ,he will multiply to pardon4' ',,first ,,to ,,mary' '444 ,he appeared first to ,mary ,magdalene1 out of whom ,he had cast seven devils4'--,mark xvl4 #i4 ,a great pile of legend has been built on the one or two notices of ,mary ,magdalene in ,scripture4 ,art1 poetry1 and philanthropy have accepted and inculcated these1 till we almost feel as if they were bits of the ,bible4 ,but there is not the shadow of a foundation for them4 ,she has generally been identified with the woman in ,luke's ,gospel 'who was a sinner4' ,there is no reason at all for that identification4 ,on the contrary1 there is a reason against it1 in the fact that immediately after that narrative she is named as one of the little band of women who ministered to ,jesus4 ,here is all that we know of her3 that ,christ cast out the seven devils2 that she became one of the ,galilean women1 including the mothers of ,jesus and of ,john1 who 'ministered to ,him of their substance'2 that she was one of the ,marys at the ,cross and saw the interment2 that she came to the sepulchre1 heard the angel's message1 went to ,john with it1 came back and stood without at the sepulchre1 saw the ,lord1 and1 having heard ,his voice and clasped ,his feet1 returned to the little company1 and then she drops out of the narrative and is no more named4 ,that is all4 ,it is enough4 ,there are large lessons in this fact which ,mark 7or whoever wrote this chapter7 gives with such emphasis1 ',he appeared first to ,mary ,magdalene4' ,think what the ,resurrection is--how stupendous and wonderful6 ,who might have been expected to be its witnesses8 ,but see6 the first eye that beholds is this poor sin-stained woman's4 ,what a distance between the two extremes of her experience--devil-ridden and gazing on the ,risen ,saviour6 ,i4 ,an example of the depth to which the soul of man can descend4 ,this fact of possession is very obscure and strange4 ,i doubt whether we can understand it4 ,but ,i cannot see how we can bring it down to the level of mere disease without involving ,jesus ,christ in the charge of consciously aiding in upholding what1 if it be not an awful truth1 is one of the grimmest1 ghastliest superstitions that ever terrified men4 ,in all ways ,he gives in ,his adhesion to the fact of demoniacal possession4 ,he speaks to the demons1 and of them1 rebukes them1 holds conversations with them1 charges them to be silent4 ,he distinguishes between possession and diseases4 ',heal the sick1 cleanse the lepers1 raise the dead'--these commands bring together forms of sickness running its course2 why should ,he separate from them ,his next command and endowment1 'cast out devils1' unless because ,he regarded demoniacal possession as separate from sickness in any form8 ,he sees in ,his casting of them out the triumph over the personal power of evil4 ',i beheld ,satan as lightning fall from heaven4' ,but while the fact seems to be established1 the thing is only known to us by its signs4 ,these were madness1 melancholy1 sometimes dumbness1 sometimes fits and convulsions2 the man was dominated by an alien power2 there was a strange1 awful double consciousness2 ',we are many1' ',my name is ,legion4' ,there was absolute control by this alien power1 which like some parasitical worm had rooted itself within the poor wretch1 and there lived upon his blood and life juices--only that it lived in the spirit1 dominated the will1 and controlled the nature4 ,probably there had always been the yielding to the impulse to sin of some sort1 or at any rate the man had opened the door for the devil to come in4 ,this woman had been in the deepest depths of this awful abyss4 ',seven' is the numerical symbol of completeness1 so she had been utterly devil-ridden4 ,and she had once been a little child in some ,galilean home1 and parents had seen her budding beauty and early1 gentle1 womanly ways4 ,and now1 think of the havoc6 the distorted face1 the foul words1 the blasphemous thoughts6 ,and is this worse than our sinful case8 ,are not the devils that possess us as real and powerful8 ,,ii4 ,an example of the cleansing power of ,christ4 ,we know nothing about how she had come under ,his merciful eye1 nor any of the circumstances of her healing1 but only that this woman1 with whom the serpent was so closely intertwined1 as in some pictures of ,eve's temptation1 was not beyond ,his reach1 and was set free4 ,note-- ,there is no condition of human misery which ,christ cannot alleviate4 ,none is so sunk in sin that ,he cannot redeem them4 ,for all in the world there is hope4 ,look on the extremest forms of sin4 ,we can regard them all with the assurance that ,christ can cleanse them--prostitutes1 thieves1 respectable worldlings4 ,none is so bad as to have lost ,his love4 ,none is so bad as to be excluded from the purpose of ,his death4 ,none is so bad as to be beyond the reach of ,his cleansing power4 ,none has wandered so far that he cannot come back4 ,think of the earliest believers--a thief1 a 'woman that was a sinner1' this ,mary1 a ,zacchus1 a persecuting ,paul1 a rude1 rough jailer1 etc4 ,remember ,paul's description of a class of the ,corinthian saints--'such were some of you4' ,as long as man is man1 so long is ,god ready to receive him back4 ,there is no place where sun does not shine4 ,no heart is given over to irremediable hardness4 ,none ever comes to ,christ in vain4 ,the ,saviour is greater than all our sins4 ,the deliverance is more than sufficient for the worst4 ',god is able of these stones to raise up children to ,abraham4' ,ezekiel's vision of dry bones4 ,,iii4 ,an example of how the remembrance of past and pardoned sin may be a blessing4 ,mary evidently tried always to be beside ,him4 ,the cure had been perfect1 but perhaps there was a tremulous fear1 as in the man that prayed 'that he might be with ,him4' ,and so1 look how all the notices give us one picture of a heart set on ,him4 ,there were-- 7a7 ,consciousness of weakness1 that made her long for ,his presence as a security4 7b7 ,deep love1 that made her long for ,his presence as a joy4 7c7 ,thankful gratitude1 that made her long for opportunities to serve ,him4 ,and this is what the remembrance of ,jesus should be to us4 ,,iv4 ,an example of how the most degraded may rise highest in fellowship with ,christ4 ',first' to her1 because she needed ,him and longed for ,him4 ,now this is but an illustration of the great principle that by ,god's mercy sin when it is hated and pardoned may be made to subserve our highest joys4 ,it is not sin which separates us from ,god1 but it is unpardoned sin4 ,not that the more we sin the more we are fit for ,him1 for all sin is loss4 ,there are ways in which even forgiven and repented sin may injure a man4 ,but there is nothing in it to hinder our coming close to the ,saviour and enjoying all the fulness of ,his love1 so that if we use it rightly it may become a help4 ,if it leads us to that clinging of which we have just spoken1 then we shall come nearer to ,god for it4 ,the divine presence is always given to those who long for it4 ,sin may help to kindle such longings4 ,he who has been almost dead in the wilderness will keep near the guide4 ,the man that has been starved with cold in ,arctic night will prize the glory and grace of sunshine in fairer lands4 ,instances in ,church history--,paul1 ,augustine1 ,bunyan4 ',publicans and harlots go into the kingdom before you4' ,the noblest illustration is in heaven1 where men lead the song of ,redemption4 ,god uses sin as a black background on which the brightest rainbow tints of ,his mercy are displayed4 ,you can come to this ,saviour whatever you have been4 ,i say to no man1 ',sin1 for it does not matter4' ,but ,i do say1 ',if you are conscious of sin1 deep1 dark1 damning1 that makes no barrier between you and ,god4 ,you may come all the nearer for it if you will let your past teach you to long for ,his love and to lean on ,him4' ',he appeared first to ,mary ,magdalene1' and those who stand nearest the throne and lead the anthems of heaven1 and look up with undazzled angels' faces to the ,god of their joy1 whose name blazes on their foreheads1 all these were guilty1 sinful men4 ,but they 'have washed their robes and made them white4' ,there will be in heaven some of the worst sinners that ever lived on earth4 ,there will not be one out of whom ,he has not 'cast seven devils4' ,,the ,,world-,,wide ,,commission ',every creature4'--,mark xvi4 #ae4 ,the missionary enterprise has been put on many bases4 ,people do not like commandments1 but yet it is a great relief and strength to come back to one1 and answer all questions with ',he bids me6' ,now1 these words of our ,lord open up the whole subject of the ,universality of ,christianity4 ,i4 ,the divine audacity of ,christianity4 ,take the scene4 ,a mere handful of men1 whether 'the twelve' or 'the five hundred brethren' is immaterial4 ,how they must have recoiled when they heard the sweeping command1 ',go ye into all the world'6 ,it is like the apparent absurdity of ,christ's quiet word3 ',they need not depart2 give ye them to eat1' when the only visible stock of food was 'five loaves and two small fishes4' ,as on that occasion1 so in this final commandment they had to take ,christ's presence into account4 ',i am with you4' ,so note the obviously world-wide extent of ,christ's claim of dominion4 ,he had come into the world1 to begin with1 that 'the world through ,him might be saved4' ',if any man thirst1 let him come4' ,the parables of the kingdom of heaven are planned on the same grand scale4 ',i will draw all men unto ,me4' ,it cannot be disputed that ,jesus 'lived and moved and had ,his being' in this vision of universal dominion4 ,here emerges the great contrast of ,christianity with ,judaism4 ,judaism was intolerant1 as all merely monotheistic faiths must be1 and sure of future universality1 but it was not proselytising--not a missionary faith4 ,nor is it so to-day4 ,it is exclusive and unprogressive still4 ,mohammedanism in its fiery youth1 because monotheistic was aggressive1 but it enforced outward profession only1 and left the inner life untouched4 ,so it did not scruple to persecute as well as to proselytise4 ,christianity is alone in calmly setting forth a universal dominion1 and in seeking it by the ,word alone4 ',put up thy sword into its sheath4' ,,ii4 ,the foundations of this bold claim4 ,christ's sole and singular relation to the whole race4 ,there are profound truths embodied in this relation4 7a7 ,there is implied the adequacy of ,christ for all4 ,he is for all1 because ,he is the only and all-sufficient ,saviour4 ,by ,his death ,he offered satisfaction for the sins of the whole world4 ',look unto ,me1 and be ye saved1 all the ends of the earth1 for ,i am ,god1 and there is none else4' ',neither is there 'salvation in any other1 for there is none other name1' etc4 7b7 ,the divine purpose of mercy for all4 ',god will have all men to be saved1 and to come to a knowledge of the truth4' 7c7 ,the adaptation of the ,gospel message to all4 ,it deals with all men as on one level4 ,it addresses universal humanity4 ',unto you1 ,o men1 ,i call1 and ,my voice is to the sons of men4' ,it speaks the same language to all sorts of men1 to all stages of society1 and in all ages4 ,christianity has no esoteric doctrine1 no inner circle of the 'initiated4' ,consequently it introduces a new notion of privileged classes4 ,note the history of ,christianity in its relation to slavery1 and to inferior and down-trodden races4 ,christianity has no belief in the existence of 'irreclaimable outcasts1' but proclaims and glories in the possibility of winning any and all to the love which makes godlike4 ,there is one ,saviour1 and so there is only one ,gospel for 'all the world4' ,,iii4 ,its vindication in facts4 ,the history of the diffusion of the ,gospel at first is significant4 ,think of the varieties of civilisation it approached and absorbed4 ,see how it overcame the bonds of climate and language1 etc4 ,how unlike the ,europe of to-day is to the ,europe of ,paul's time6 ,in this twentieth century ,christianity does not present the marks of an expiring superstition4 ,note1 further1 that the history of missions vindicates the world-wide claim of the ,gospel4 ,think of the wonderful number of converts in the first fifty years of gospel preaching4 ,the ,roman empire was ,christianised in three centuries6 ,recall the innumerable testimonies down to date2 e4g4 the absolute abandonment of idols in the ,south ,sea ,islands1 the weakening of caste in ,india1 the romance of missions in ,central ,africa1 etc4 etc4 ,the character1 too1 of modern converts is as good as was that of ,paul's4 ,the gospel in this century produces everywhere fruits like those which it brought forth in ,asia and ,europe in the first century4 ,the success has been in every field4 ,none has been abandoned as hopeless4 ,the ,moravians in ,greenland4 ,the ,hottentots4 ,the ,patagonians 7,darwin's testimony74 ,christianity has constantly appealed to all classes of society4 ,not many 'noble1' but some in every age and land4 ,,iv4 ,the practical duty4 ',go ye and preach4' ,the matter is literally left in our hands4 ,jesus has returned to the throne4 ,ere departing ,he announces the distinct command4 ,there it is1 and it is age-long in its application1--',preach6' that is the one gospel weapon4 ,tell of the name and the work of ',god manifest in the flesh4' ,first 'evangelise1' then 'disciple the nations4' ,bring to ,christ1 then build up in ,christ4 ,there are no other orders4 ,let there be boundless trust in the divine gospel1 and it will vindicate itself in every mission-field4 ,let us think imperially of ',christ and the ,church4' ,our anticipations of success should be world-wide in their sweep4 ,as when they kindle the festival lamps round the dome of ,st4 ,peter's1 there is a first twinkling spot here and another there1 and gradually they multiply till they outline the whole in an unbroken ring of light1 so 'one by one' men will enter the kingdom1 till at last 'every knee shall bow1 and every tongue confess that ,jesus is ,lord4' ',he shall reign from shore to shore4 ,with illimitable sway4' ,,the ,,enthroned ,,christ ',so then after the ,lord had spoken unto them1 ,he was received up into heaven1 and sat on the right hand of ,god4'--,mark xvi4 #ai4 ,how strangely calm and brief is this record of so stupendous an event6 ,do these sparing and reverent words sound to you like the product of devout imagination1 embellishing with legend the facts of history8 ,to me their very restrainedness1 calmness1 matter-of-factness1 if ,i may so call it1 are a strong guarantee that they are the utterance of an eyewitness1 who verily saw what he tells so simply4 ,there is something sublime in the contrast between the magnificence and almost inconceivable grandeur of the thing communicated1 and the quiet words1 so few1 so sober1 so wanting in all detail1 in which it is told4 ,that stupendous fact of ,christ sitting at the right hand of ,god is the one that should fill the present for us all1 even as the ,cross should fill the past1 and the coming for ,judgment should fill the future4 ,so for us the one central thought about the present1 in its loftiest relations1 should be the throned ,christ at ,god's right hand4 ,it is to that thought of the session of ,jesus by the side of the ,majesty of the ,heavens that ,i wish to turn now1 to try to bring out the profound teaching that is in it1 and the practical lessons which it suggests4 ,i desire to emphasise very briefly four points1 and to see1 in ,christ's sitting at the right hand1 the revelation of these things3--,the exalted ,man1 the resting ,saviour1 the interceding ,priest1 and the ever-active ,helper4 ,i4 ,first1 then1 in that solemn and wondrous fact of ,christ's sitting at the right hand of ,god1 we have the exalted ,man4 ,we are taught to believe1 according to ,his own words1 that in ,his ascension ,christ was but returning whence ,he came1 and entering into the 'glory which ,he had with the ,father before the world was4' ,and that impression of a return to ,his native and proper abode is strongly conveyed to us by the narrative of ,his ascension4 ,contrast it1 for instance1 with the narrative of ,elijah's rapture1 or with the brief reference to ,enoch's translation4 ,the one was taken by ,god up into a region and a state which he had not formerly traversed2 the other was borne by a fiery chariot to the heavens2 but ,christ slowly sailed upwards1 as it were1 by ,his own inherent power1 returning to ,his abode1 and ascending up where ,he was before4 ,but whilst this is one side of the profound fact1 there is another side4 ,what was new in ,christ's return to ,his ,father's bosom8 ,this1 that ,he took ,his ,manhood with ,him4 ,it was 'the ,everlasting ,son of the ,father1' the ,eternal ,word1 which from the beginning 'was with ,god and was ,god1' that came down from heaven to earth1 to declare the ,father2 but it was the ,incarnate ,word1 the ,man ,christ ,jesus1 that went back again4 ,this most blessed and wonderful truth is taught with emphasis in ,his own words before the ,council1 ',ye shall see the ,son of ,man sitting on the right hand of power4' ,christ1 then1 to-day1 bears a human body1 not1 indeed1 the 'body of ,his humiliation1' but the body of ,his glory1 which is none the less a true corporeal frame1 and necessarily requires a locality4 ,his ascension1 whithersoever ,he may have gone1 was the true carrying of a real humanity1 complete in all its parts1 ,body1 ,soul1 and ,spirit1 up to the very throne of ,god4 ,where that locality is it is bootless to speculate4 ,scripture says that ,he ascended up 'far above all heavens'2 or1 as the ,epistle to the ,hebrews has it1 in the proper translation1 the ,high ,priest 'is passed through the heavens1' as if all this visible material creation was rent asunder in order that ,he might soar yet higher beyond its limits wherein reign mutation and decay4 ,but wheresoever that place may be1 there is a place in which now1 with a human body as well as a human spirit1 ,jesus is sitting 'at the right hand of ,god4' ,let us thankfully think how1 in the profound language of ,scripture1 'the ,forerunner is for us entered'2 how1 in some mysterious manner1 of which we can but dimly conceive1 that entrance of ,jesus in ,his complete humanity into the highest heavens is the preparation of a place for us4 ,it seems as if1 without ,his presence there1 there were no entrance for human nature within that state1 and no power in a human foot to tread upon the crystal pavements of the celestial ,city1 but where ,he is1 there the path is permeable1 and the place native1 to all who love and trust ,him4 ,we may stand1 therefore1 with these disciples1 and looking upwards as the cloud receives ,him out of our sight1 our faith follows ,him1 still our ,brother1 still clothed with humanity1 still wearing a bodily frame2 and we say1 as we lose ,him from our vision1 ',what is man'8 ,capable of being lifted to the most intimate participation in the glories of divinity1 and though he be poor and weak and sinful here1 yet capable of union and assimilation with the ,majesty that is on high4 ,for what ,christ's ,body is1 the bodies of them that love and serve ,him shall surely be1 and ,he1 the ,forerunner1 is entered there for us2 that we too1 in our turn1 may pass into the light1 and walk in the full blaze of the divine glory2 as of old the children in the furnace were1 unconsumed1 because companioned by ',one like unto the ,son of ,man4' ,the exalted ,christ1 sitting at the right hand of ,god1 is the ,pattern of what is possible for humanity1 and the prophecy and pledge of what will be actual for all that love ,him and bear the image of ,him upon earth1 that they may be conformed to the image of ,his glory1 and be with ,him where ,he is4 ,what firmness1 what reality1 what solidity this thought of the exalted bodily ,christ gives to the else dim and vague conceptions of a ,heaven beyond the stars and beyond our present experience6 ,i believe that no doctrine of a future life has strength and substance enough to survive the agonies of our hearts when we part from our dear ones1 the fears of our spirits when we look into the unknown1 inane future for ourselves2 except only this which says ,heaven is ,christ and ,christ is ,heaven1 and points to ,him and says1 ',where ,he is1 there and that also shall ,his servants be4' ,,ii4 ,now1 secondly1 look at ,christ's sitting at the right hand of ,god as presenting to our view the ,resting ,saviour4 ,that session expresses the idea of absolute repose after sore conflict4 ,it is the same thought which is expressed in those solemn ,egyptian colossal statues of deified conquerors1 elevated to mysterious union with their gods1 and yet men still1 sitting before their temples in perfect stillness1 with their mighty hands lying quiet on their restful limbs2 with calm faces out of which toil and passion and change seem to have melted1 gazing out with open eyes as over a silent1 prostrate world4 ,so1 with the ,cross behind1 with all the agony and weariness of the arena1 the dust and the blood of the struggle1 left beneath1 ,he 'sitteth at the right hand of ,god the ,father ,almighty4' ,the rest of the ,christ after ,his ,cross is parallel with and carries the same meaning as the rest of ,god after the ,creation4 ,why do we read ',he rested on the seventh day from all ,his works'8 ,did the ,creative ,arm grow weary8 ,was there toil for the divine nature in the making of a universe8 ,doth ,he not speak and it is done8 ,is not the calm1 effortless forth-putting of ,his will the cause and the means of ,creation8 ,does any shadow of weariness steal over that life which lives and is not exhausted8 ,does the bush consume in burning8 ,surely not4 ,he rested from ,his works1 not because ,he needed to recuperate strength after action by repose1 but because the works were perfect1 and in sign and token that ,his ideal was accomplished1 and that no more was needed to be done4 ,and1 in like manner1 the ,christ rests after ,his ,cross1 not because ,he needed repose even after that terrible effort1 or was panting after ,his race1 and so had to sit there to recover1 but in token that ,his work was finished and perfected1 that all which ,he had come to do was done2 and in token1 likewise1 that the ,father1 too1 beheld and accepted the finished work4 ,therefore1 the session of ,christ at the right hand of ,god is the proclamation from ,heaven of what ,he cried with ,his last dying breath upon the ,cross3 ',it is finished6' ,it is the declaration that the world has had all done for it that ,heaven can do for it4 ,it is the declaration that all which is needed for the regeneration of humanity has been lodged in the very heart of the race1 and that henceforward all that is required is the evolving and the development of the consequences of that perfect work which ,christ offered upon the ,cross4 ,so the writer of the ,epistle to the ,hebrews contrasts the priests who stood 'daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices' which 'can never take away sin1' with 'this ,man who1 after ,he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever1 sat down at the right hand of ,god'2 testifying thereby that ,his ,cross is the complete1 sufficient1 perpetual atonement and satisfaction for the sins of the whole world4 ,so we have to look back to that past as interpreted by this present1 to that ,cross as commented upon by this ,throne1 and to see in it the perfect work which any human soul may grasp1 and which all human souls need1 for their acceptance and forgiveness4 ,the ,son of ,man set at the right hand of ,god is ,christ's declaration1 ',i have finished the work which ,thou gavest ,me to do1' and is also ,god's declaration1 ',this is ,my beloved ,son1 in whom ,i am well pleased4' ,,iii4 ,once more1 we see here1 in this great fact of ,christ sitting at the right hand of ,god1 the interceding ,priest4 ,so the ,scripture declares4 ,the ,epistle to the ,hebrews over and over again reiterates that thought that we have a ,priest who has 'passed into the heavens1' there to 'appear in the presence of ,god for us4' ,and the ,apostle ,paul1 in that great linked climax in the eighth chapter of the ,epistle to the ,romans1 has it1 ',christ that died1 yea rather1 that is risen again1 who is even at the right hand of ,god1 who also maketh intercession for us4' ,there are deep mysteries connected with that thought of the intercession of ,christ4 ,it does not mean that the divine heart needs to be won to love and pity4 ,it does not mean that in any mere outward and formal fashion ,christ pleads with ,god1 and softens and placates the ,infinite and ,eternal love of the ,father in the heavens4 ,it1 at least1 plainly means this1 that ,he1 our ,saviour and ,sacrifice1 is for ever in the presence of ,god2 presenting ,his own blood as an element in the divine dealing with us1 modifying the incidence of the divine law1 and securing through ,his own merits and intercession the outflow of blessings upon our heads and hearts4 ,it is not a complete statement of ,christ's work for us that ,he died for us4 ,he died that ,he might have somewhat to offer4 ,he lives that ,he may be our ,advocate as well as our propitiation with the ,father4 ,and just as the ,high ,priest once a year passed within the curtain1 and there in the solemn silence and solitude of the holy place sprinkled the blood that he bore thither1 not without trembling1 and but for a moment permitted to stay in the awful ,presence1 thus1 but in reality and for ever1 with the joyful gladness of a ,son in ,his 'own calm home1 ,his habitation from eternity1' ,christ abides in the ,holy ,place2 and1 at the right hand of the ,majesty of the ,heavens1 lifts up that prayer1 so strangely compact of authority and submission2 ',father1 ,i will that these whom ,thou hast given ,me be with ,me where ,i am4' ,the ,son of ,man at the right hand of ,god is our ,intercessor with the ,father4 ',seeing1 then1 that we have a great ,high ,priest that is passed through the heavens1 let us come boldly to the ,throne of ,grace4' ,,iv4 ,lastly1 this great fact sets before us the ever-active ,helper4 ,the 'right hand of ,god' is the ,omnipotent energy of ,god1 and howsoever certainly the language of ,scripture requires for its full interpretation that we should firmly hold that ,christ's glorified body dwells in a place1 we are not to omit the other thought that to sit at the right hand also means to wield the immortal energy of that divine nature1 over all the field of the ,creation1 and in every province of ,his dominion4 ,so that the ascended ,christ is the ubiquitous ,christ2 and ,he who is 'at the right hand of ,god' is wherever the power of ,god reaches throughout ,his whole ,universe4 ,remember1 too1 that it was once given to a man to look through the opened heavens 7through which ,christ had 'passed'7 and to 'see the ,son of ,man standing'--not sitting--'at the right hand of ,god4' ,why to the dying protomartyr was there granted that vision thus varied8 ,wherefore was the attitude changed but to express the swiftness1 the certainty of ,his help1 and the eager readiness of the ,lord1 who starts to ,his feet1 as it were1 to succour and to sustain ,his dying servant8 ,and so1 dear friends1 we may take that great joyful truth that both as receiving 'gifts for men' and bestowing gifts upon them1 and as working by ,his providence in the world1 and on the wider scale for the well-being of ,his children and of the ,church1 the ,christ who sits at the right hand of ,god wields1 ever with eager cheerfulness1 all the powers of omnipotence for our well-being1 if we love and trust ,him4 ,we may look quietly upon all perplexities and complications1 because the hands that were pierced for us hold the helm and the reins1 because the ,christ who is our ,brother is the ,king1 and sits supreme at the centre of the ,universe4 ,joseph's brethren1 that came up in their hunger and their rags to ,egypt1 and found their brother next the throne1 were startled with a great joy of surprise1 and fears were calmed1 and confidence sprang in their hearts4 ,shall not we be restful and confident when our ,brother1 the ,son of ,man1 sits ruling all things8 ',we see not yet all things put under' us1 'but we see ,jesus1' and that is enough4 ,so the ascended ,man1 the resting ,saviour and ,his completed work1 the interceding ,priest1 and the ever-active ,helper1 are all brought before us in this great and blessed thought1 ',christ sitteth at the right hand of ,god4' ,therefore1 dear friends1 set your affection on things above4 ,our hearts travel where our dear ones are4 ,oh how strange and sad it is that professing ,christians whose lives1 if they are ,christians at all1 have their roots and are hid with ,christ in ,god1 should turn so few1 so cold thoughts and loves thither6 ,surely 'where your treasure is there will your heart be also4' ,surely if ,christ is your ,treasure you will feel that with ,him is home1 and that this is a foreign land4 ',set your affection1' then1 'on things above1' while life lasts1 and when it is ebbing away1 perhaps to our eyes too ,heaven may be opened1 and the vision of the ,son of ,man standing to receive and to welcome us may be granted4 ,and when it has ebbed away1 ,his will be the first voice to welcome us1 and ,he will lift us to share in ,his glorious rest1 according to ,his own wondrous promise1 ',to him that overcometh will ,i grant to sit with ,me in ,my ,throne1 even as ,i also overcame1 and am set down with ,my ,father in ,his ,throne4'