victory, the help of his word, the power of his Spirit, and the virtue of his blood.

XXV. St. Mark, in single verses, gives us several striking instances, in which the Lord, highly displeased with men's wickedness or unbelief, is not to be turned aside thereby, from performing some work of mercy. Thus, on coming down from the mount, when the father applied to him, on behalf of his son, possessed with a dumb spirit, saying, "I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out, and they could not," Jesus answereth him and saith, "O faithless generation! How long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you?"—and we might expect him to add, Take him away. But no; he adds, "Bring him unto me." (ix. 19.) Truly the Lord's thoughts are not as our thoughts!-So with the man having a withered hand, in the synagogue, on the Sabbath day. They watched him, whether he would heal him on the Sabbath day, that they might accuse him. "And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man "-Depart? Begone? No." He saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand and he stretched it out and his hand was restored whole as the other!" Does not this speak volumes, as to what should be the Christian's conduct under provocations? (iii. 1-5.)—So, too, when our Lord came into his own country, where they were astonished and offended at him. And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went "-to some other land? No. "He went round about the villages, teaching." And not only so. The discouragement does but extend his operations: " And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two." (vi. 6,7.) Thus with every obstacle, with every apparent failure, our courage should rise, and our efforts should be extended.

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XXVI. Human perverseness may shew itself, as well in proclaiming the name of Jesus, as in not proclaiming it. When called upon to declare the joyful sound, we are backward to do so: Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father." But when forbidden, men are forward. "See thou say nothing to any man.....But he went out, and began to publish it much.'

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Thus, when the children of Israel were brought to the borders of the promised land, in order to enter in, they murmured, feared, and said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt. But afterwards, when the Lord had pronounced the sentence, that they should not enter, they said, "Lo, we be here, and will go up.'

XXVII. The Lord calls different nations, bodies of mankind, and individuals, under different circumstances, and with different

degrees of favour and distinction. First of all, he hath "called the earth, from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof." Here we are reminded of his general call and invitation to all mankind, to repent and believe.-But out of the rest of mankind, he called the family of Abraham. Here we have his selection of a particular nation from the mass, even the Jewish people. Again, out of this people, when the Lord came into the world, he called a certain number, according to his own good pleasure. "He goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he would, and they came unto him." (Mark iii. 13.) Here we have election, "whom he would ;" and effectual grace accompanying election, "they came unto him." -Out of the persons thus called and drawn to him, again, we have a further choice; as it were an election within an election: for it is added, in the next verse, "And he ordained twelve." Here we have the more particular selection and ordination of some among his people, for the work of the ministry.—But out of these twelve, again, he made a further choice: even of three, Peter, James, and John, who were particularly honoured in being present, at the manifestation of his Divine power in raising the daughter of Jairus; at the manifestation of his suffering humanity in Gethsemane; and at the manifestation of the same humanity glorified, on the holy mount. Here we see the case of those ministers, who, in preparation for extraordinary services which God hath before ordained to be performed by them, are favoured with extraordinary views of the Lord's sufferings, glorification, and Divine Majesty.-And, lastly, out of these three was one especially distinguished, even that disciple "whom Jesus loved," and who " leaned on his breast at supper." Who so fitly appointed as he, the beloved Apostle, to record that gracious, that saving, that eternal, that soul-reviving truth, pronounced by Christ himself, "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you"? Who so fit to utter those gracious words, "Herein is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another."

XXVIII. With all the advantages of the Jews, under the Mosaic dispensation, St. Paul mentions it as the chief, or leading one, "that unto them were committed the oracles of God." This will appear even from the place, where the tables of the law were kept. The land of Israel was a chosen spot, selected from the rest of the world, and distinguished by especial promises and purposes, that stand good to this day. In this land, Jerusalem was the holy city, a place especially chosen out of all the tribes, for the Lord to set his name there. In this city,

the temple was the most sacred spot. Within the temple, the holy of holies was so peculiarly sacred, priest durst not enter it, save once a year. holies stood its precious deposit, the ark, mercy-seat, and shaded by angels' wings. kernel within a kernel, were the tables of the Law.

that even the high Within the holy of surmounted by the Within the ark, a

XXIX. A commentator has made an observation to the following effect. The whole law of God, with all its numerous precepts and prohibitions, is included, in substance, in the ten commandments: these ten are comprehended in two, love to God, and love to our neighbour and these two, again, are summed up in one, by that single clause, " love is the fulfilling of the law."

XXX. There is an observable connection between the end of the eighth chapter of Ezekiel, and the beginning of the ninth. At the end of the eighth chapter, the Lord says to the prophet, concerning the transgression of Judah, "though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them." Then it is added, at the beginning of the next chapter, "He cried also in mine ears with a loud voice, saying, Cause them that have charge over the city to draw near, even every man with his destroying weapon in his hand." Thus the Lord's cry to the avenger supersedes the cry of the transgressors for mercy.--We have the same correspondence in the New Testament, but the order inverted. The murderers of Stephen "cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord." He was hurried out of the city and stoned. But when now at the point of death, he also, having kneeled down, “cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge." Thus, while, under the Old Testament, the shout of deserved vengeace drowns the cry of supplication, intercession raises its voice under the New, to be heard above rage and fury.

XXXI. The followers of the Lord too often shew far less encouragement to such as come to him, than the Lord himself. The disciples beseech him, saying, "Send the multitude away." So, too, when the woman of Canaan prayed for mercy on her daughter: "Send her away; for she crieth after us." So, too, when little children were brought to him: "His disciples rebuked those that brought them." So, too, when the blind man cried, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me: "Many charged him that he should hold his peace. But, to shew us how all such obstructions should be dealt with, "he cried so much the more, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me." No matter who opposes or discourages us, as long as the Lord himself is willing to receive us.

XXXII. "When we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him." And when this is the case, when we can see nothing to desire or prize in the Lord Jesus, it is probable that we shall have other desires and preferences, of a low, worldly, or unworthy kind. "He released unto them him that for sedition and murder was cast into prison, whom they had desired" (or asked). It was fitting that they who cried out against Jesus, "Away with him, away with him, crucify him," seeing no beauty in him that they should desire him, should desire a murderer to be granted to them. Yet here the Jews were only the representatives of mankind in general. The world stands equally guilty, in seeing nothing to admire in Jesus, and in seeing so much to admire in worthless, ill-regulated, and sometimes even depraved and savage characters. Herein may you discern the depravity of your heart. Tell me, Have you never experienced feelings of interest and admiration, in reading the accounts of wild, daring, wicked characters, in history or in romance? And did you ever experience any feeling of love or interest whatever, in contemplating the character of Jesus, in whom God the Father seeth all beauty and excellency? Then is it not possible that you also, if present, would have rejected Christ, and desired Barabbas? Vilest of the vile are they, however popular and admired, who dress up worthless characters in attractive colours, in works of fiction; and, out of the corrupt and misdirected preferences of their own bosoms divining what will be welcome to others, tinsel out the reprobate hero or idol of their fancies, from the stores of their tainted imaginations and seared hearts! Oh, it is the tinsel of hell!

Not long after, in the Here faith in the same for their own support.

XXXIII. When the four thousand were to be fed, the disciples had seven loaves (Mark viii. 5). Here faith in the Lord was to be exercised, in giving to others. ship, they had but one loaf (ver. 14). Lord was to be exercised, in trusting It may be said, that the Lord's having performed a miracle on the former occasion, was no proof that he would do so on the latter: and, in the language of modern theology, which decries faith, the supposing that he would do so would be called presumption. But the severe reproofs of our Lord, when his followers spoke of their having no bread, shew that this was an exercise of faith which, so far from being improper, was what he looked for and required at their hands. Let us beware how we curtail, restrict, and circumscribe, in our doctrine, the province and actings of faith for the general tenor of the Bible, more particularly of our Lord's teaching, is, that we have not faith enough, that we have very little faith, that we ought to have more faith; but the

tenor of too many modern instructors is, that we must not carry faith too far, that what we call faith may be a delusive notion, &c. Be assured that we may trust, and ought to trust, in many cases where trusting would now be called, not presumption merely, but madness and folly.

XXXIV. In our Lord's feeding the multitude by a miracle, we discern a method, and an attention to order, in many particulars. For instance, when the five thousand were fed, it is mentioned that they sat down in ranks, by hundreds and by fifties: that is, probably, an hundred one way, and fifty the other, which would exactly make the five thousand. When therefore our Lord said, "Make them sit down by fifties in a company," it seems to have been with a view to this arrangement. An hundred such fifties would make the number.-On the same occasion, also, there were five loaves, which was a loaf to a thousand; and the disciples gathered twelve baskets full, or a basket to each apostle; to teach them and us, that we lose nothing by giving up our substance, according to the Lord's direction, for the relief of the distressed. Afterwards, when four thousand were fed with seven loaves, they took up seven baskets full, or a basket for a loaf, gaining in proportion to what they

gave.

XXXV. Though Jesus and his mother often appear in the New Testament together, there is generally something to mark a dignity in him, which was not in her. "They saw the young Child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped HIM," not them. Surely, if Mary was ever a fit object of worship, she would have been worshipped then. But the adoration of the wise men was not more discriminative than the enmity of Herod. "Take the young Child and his mother, and flee into Egypt :....for Herod will seek the YOUNG CHILD, to destroy him;” not, The young Child and his mother, to destroy them. And again : "Arise, and take the young Child, and his mother ....for they are dead which sought the YOUNG CHILD's life."

Scoffers display the same discrimination, when our Lord is upon the cross between two thieves. ،، Then were there two thieves crucified with him; one on the right hand, and another on the left. And they that passed by reviled HIM." HE, the Lord Jesus, was their mark. They revile Him; but the malefactors, one on each side of him, escape. Thus persecuting powers will yet assail Jesus through his members, while public delinquents are overlooked.

XXXVI. In Jesus submitting, as we have already seen, to be placed by Satan on the top of the mountain, and on the pinnacle of the temple, yet triumphing over every temptation, we learn