Prayer.

O God, we bless thee, that thou hast so ordered it that thy Gospel of Peace is brought into all our dwellings. Give us grace, we pray thee, to welcome it, and to hold it as the dearest treasure we possess. The kingdom of God is come nigh unto every one of us; let us not rest till we have entered therein; and while we strive to carry on thy work on earth, give us, we beseech thee, the joy of knowing that our names are written in heaven, through the merits of thy dear Son, our Lord. Amen.

XXXVII.

LUKE X. 21-24.

Verse 21. "In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight."

Jesus rejoiced with a holy inward joy, over the advance of his kingdom which was gaining ground among the humble in heart,* to Satan's confusion as daily more souls were rescued from his power, by being converted to the truth. Christ returned thanks to God his Father, that He bore witness to the truth that it was not by human wisdom and prudence "these things," the things belonging to that kingdom, could be learnt.

Verse 22. "All things (He said) are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him."

* Matt. v. 3-12.

In his own most holy joy, Jesus sympathized deeply with his disciples, who were of those who, gladly receiving the truths of God's kingdom, were brought into the full knowledge of what had till now, been dimly guessed at.

Verses 23, 24. "And he turned him unto his disciples, and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see: For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them, and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them."

One of the wise in this world's knowledge, and prudent in his own understanding, was resolved immediately to put to the test our Saviour's power of teaching.

Verse 25. "And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"

him, that

We must not suppose by the word "tempting" this lawyer was laying a snare for Jesus, as the Pharisees had before done,t by means of which he might be entrapped into some answer for which He might be accused. The question, "What shall I do to inherit eternal life," seems to have been put only with the desire of hearing what more or better knowledge Jesus could give him than he had himself already.‡ It is but too plain that this great question was not put from the depth of feeling, it well might raise in every heart; but do we not often

* It will be well for us to understand, that the word so often used in Scripture, and expressed in English by "tempt," in its proper signification, means nothing more, than to make a trial of, and whether tempting be good or evil, depends entirely upon the motive from which it is done. When God is said "to tempt" man, it is to show him what evil is in him that he knows not of, that humbled and ashamed, he may repent and turn away from it; or else to bring out and strengthen the hidden good, even as Abraham's faith was brought out and strengthened by the command to sacrifice Isaac.

† John viii. 6.

See Trench on the Parables, page 309.

hear the most serious subjects spoken of in a spirit as little in earnest as this lawyer's. It is an especial mercy when such speakers are met as he was by the Lord Jesus.

Verse 26. "And he said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?"

If the lawyer rightly understood that law, which it was his profession to teach, he would himself be able to answer the question, for the way to inherit eternal life was therein written. And he did understand it so far as at once to choose out that very commandment which was in the mind of Christ, as containing in itself the whole law. Readily he made answer, and

Verse 27. "Said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.”

His lips had spoken the words of truth, let them sink down from his mouth into his heart, and then they will no more be mere knowledge, but a cause of life.

Verse 28. "And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.”

The conscience of the man began to be uneasy. He had a certain degree of light, enough to tell him that love to God showed itself in love to man; but he had not this real love within him. This was immediately proved by the question he put. It is written :

Verse 29. "But, he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?"

A question which shewed that he knew not the nature of love at all,-neither of love to God or love to man ;-had he comprehended it, he would have known that it had not any bounds. That as we are always receiving, so we must be always paying, and still be owing.

The reply of Jesus is wonderful in its depths of wisdom,

beautiful in its kindness, making the heart and understanding of the man, his own teachers.

He told him a story. The lawyer had asked, "Who is my neighbour that I am bound to love as myself?" And the question showed that he knew nothing of what the reality of love is, for love asks not who, or why. Jesus answered him by taking him at once into the realities of life, and making him behold in the act of loving, what love is. This story is called the parable of the good Samaritan.

Jesus took it from things and places well known, and therefore, the more likely to strike those who heard it. It is thought that He was again in the country round about Jerusalem; at all events, He spoke to those who well-knew the wild mountain passes that led from it to some of the other cities of Judea. Of these, the way from Jerusalem to Jericho was the wildest and most desolate, lying across heights covered with broken rocks and divided by deep, narrow ravines, through which no water flows. This journey was, at all times, a difficult one, but the dangers of the way were terribly increased by the robbers who, hiding among the cliffs, often rushed out upon the defenceless travellers! For long, one part of it was called the red, or bloody way, from the many murders that had been committed upon it. There was a terrible force then in the beginning of this parable, when our Lord said,

Verse 30. "A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead."

It is scarcely possible to picture to ourselves a more horrible case of need, than that of this poor wounded man, lying beneath

* Voyage en Orient, by Lamartine, vol. I. 309-311.; a passage well worth reading.

+ St. Jerome.

the burning sun upon the naked rocks,—not one blade of grass ! not even a streak of moss! nothing but a hot dust, as if the very earth and stones had passed through a furnace; not a drop of moisture, but the man's own blood! Could there be a need more terrible? Unless we know that barren, dreadful pass, which leads from Jerusalem to Jericho, as travellers know it, we cannot guess how greatly he must have suffered, as he lay dying on the rocks; but there came by one who knew it well, a priest, passing from one city to the other, as he must often do—for Jericho was a station of the priests—was he now returning from Jerusalem, after having executed his office before God, in the Temple? we know not. All we can tell is,

Verse 31. "And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side."

No doubt he was hot and weary; why should he stop? the robbers might be upon him if he did, who could tell!

Verse 32. "And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, (for he was more curious, though not more kind,) and passed by on the other side."

Now these men, the one being a priest and the other a Levite, were especially bound to perform all acts of charity and kindness, but they were too hard of heart to love any but themselves.

Verse 33. "But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him.”

Yet he had, if he chose, a better excuse for passing on without stopping to trouble himself with the wounded man, for his home lay at a distance. He was on a journey, why should he lose time for a stranger? Jerusalem and Jericho both were near; there must be many passers by whose concern it was more than his. Why should he take upon himself a charge