17. — [This rumour of Him wentfortht So.] Poole remarks, " The people here saw His divine power manifestly exerted ; for the keys of the clouds, the worab, and the grave, are those keys which their teachers had taught them were kept in God's hand alone."
LUKE yn. 18-23.
18 And the disciples of John shewed him of all these things.
19 And John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them to Jesijs, sajring, Art thou he that should come ? or look we for another ?
20 When the men were come unto him, they said, Jdhn Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou he that should come ? or look we for another ?
21 And in the same hour he cured
many of their infirmities and plagues and of evil spirits ; and unto many that were blind he gave sight.
22 Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard ; how that the blind see, Ihe lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor tho Gospel is preached.
23 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be oJBTended in me.
Teee message which John the Baptist sent to our Lord, in these verses, is peculiarly instructing, when we consider the circumstances under which it was sent. John the Baptist was now a prisoner in the hands of Herod. "He heard in the prison the works of Christ." (Matt. xi. 2.) His life was drawing to a close. His opportunities of active usefulness were ended. A long imprisonment, or a violent death, were the only prospects hefore him. Yet even in these dark days, we see this holy man maintain- ing his old ground, as a witness to Christ. He is the same man that h6 was when he cried, "Behold the Lamb of God." To testify of Christ, was his continual work as a preacher at liberty. To send men to Christ, was one of his last works as a prisoner in chains.
We should mark, in these verses, the wise fore-thought which John exhibited about his disciples, be/ore he left the world. He sent some of them to Jesus, with a message
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