^ J. W. BuTgon, Lives of Twelve Good Men, i., xxv. ' C. Bickersteth, The Gosj^el of Incarnate Love, 10.
ST. JOHN I. 40-42 117
" Strengthen thy brethren " ; how thousands were converted in a day by his preaching ; and how, in the Epistles he has left, he has been made such an instrument for comforting and building up the people of God in all ages. We hear very little afterwards of Andrew ; no doubt he continued to work in the spirit of his first mission effort, and no doubt also he had his continued success ; yet he had not the ability and energy of Peter, and he retires into the shade. But we cannot forget that it is to Andrew we owe Simon Peter, and all that he did. Often afterwards, we may well believe, when Andrew saw Peter's character unfolding, when he beheld him opening the door of faith on the Day of Pentecost, and standing forth as one of the pillars of the Christian Church, he must have thanked Christ that He not only touched his own heart, but put it into his heart to bring his brother.
^ God often uses minnows to catch salmon. It may be the consolation that He gives to the ungifted, that they should be the means of bringing to Jesus the eminently useful. There is Ananias leading the blind Saul to the Saviour ; and little Eilney leading sturdy Hugh Latimer ; and John Bunyan drawn by the godly gossip of the old women at Bedford ; and John Wesley led by the simple Moravians. In our own time instances are plentiful enough. We think of Spurgeon going burdened to the Primitive Methodists, and hearing from some plain man who murdered the Queen's English the way of life everlasting. We think of Thomas Binney, led by the simple workman to the Methodist Class- meeting, and there having the good seed sown. Andrew did a good day's work when he brought Simon to Jesus. It is a sign of genius when you can turn to good account the gifts of other people. Let us be geniuses of that sort if we cannot be of any other. And the best way to turn any man's gifts to good account is to bring him to Jesus.
^ Consider the untold capacities for high saintliness which lie buried in the mass of men who, as yet, know nothing of grace and truth. Our cities — these great hives of agglomerated human beings — abound with men and women who are, in the eye of society — who are, it may be, in the eye of the law — among the worst and the vilest, but who have bright and clear under- standings; who have warm and generous hearts; who need but the illumination of truth, and the invigorating touch of grace, to become great in the true sense of that much misused word. " I have much people in this city," was the motto traced by Christ Himself over one of the most vicious towns of ancient heathendom.
ri8 PERSONAL SERVICE
Humanity is like a mine wherein flints and diamonds lie side by side in an indistinguishable disorder until the Ught of Divine knowledge is poured in upon the buried mass, and the hidden beauties of lives outwardly degraded are revealed. How often does it happen that the found are greater, far greater, than the finder; that Peter, in the event, takes precedence altogether of Andrew ; that those who enter last into the Kingdom of heaven are bidden, in the eternal presence-chamber, to stand among the first.1
^ Canou liiddon.
The First Sign.
"9
Literature.
Brockington (A. A.), The Seven Signs^ 21.
Broughton (L. G.), Table Talks of Jesus, 7.
Champness (T.), New Coins from Old Gold, 1.
Davies (J. LI.), Sermons on the Manifestation of the Son of God, 109.
Green (T. E.), in Sermons on the Gospels : Advent to Trinity, 109.
Greenhougli (J. G.), in The Miracles of JesuSy 17.
Grimley (H. N.), Tremadoc Sermons, 77.
Harris (J. E..), Union with God, 3.
Kingsley (C), All-Saints^ Day Sermons, 320.
Liddon (H. P.), Christmastide in St. PauVs, 368.
Maclaren (A.), Expositions : John i.-viii. 110, 114.
Macmillan (H.), The Marriage in Cana of Galilee, 215.
Miller (J.), Sermons Literary and Scientific, ii. 156.
Mills (B. R. v.), The Marks of the Church, 181.
Norton (J. N.), Short Sermons, 315.
Paget (F.), Studies in Christian Character, 209.
Pearce (J.), The Alabaster Box, 38.
Robertson (F. W.), Sermons, ii. 220, 235.
Terry (G. F.), The Old Theology in the New Age, 165.
Vaughan (J.), Sermons in Christ Church, Brighton, i. 90.
„ (R.), Stones from the Quarry, 160. Webster (F. S.), The Beauties of the Saviour, 71. Westcott (B. F.), Peterborough Sermons, 216. Whitworth (W. A.), The Sanctuary of God, 149. Christian World Pulpit, xxv. 17 (Barry) ; xxxv. 56 (Rowsell) ; liii. 93
(Jones) ; Ixiii. 106 (Salmond).
The First Sign.
This beginning of his signs did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested his glory ; and his disciples believed on him. — John ii. ii.
1. Having recorded the testimony borne to Jesus by the Baptist, and having cited instances in which the overmastering person- ality of Jesus ehcited from simple-hearted and godly men the acknowledgment of His majesty, St. John now proceeds to relate the homely incident which gave occasion to the first public act in which His greatness was exhibited.