II. Deduce from it some practical observations- —
My first observation refers to our blessed Lord who wrought the miracle —
[Did our Lord in defiance of the rage of the surrounding Pharisees discharge his office boldly, yet, when he saw their murderous designs, withdraw himself? Then it may be ob- served, that, though we are never to decline any duty through the fear of man, yet are we at liberty to avoid the storms which we cannot allay.
Nothing is more clear than the duty of dismissing from our hearts altogether the fear of man. " Fear not man who can only kill the body ; but fear him who can destroy both body
and soul in hellf Indeed so obvious is this duty, that
it commends itself even to the most prejudiced and embittered
mindg Not life itself is to be of any value in our eyes
in comparison of a faithful adherence to this principle : we must be ready to lay down our lives for Christ's sake, if ever we would be approved of him in the day of judgment11
But this does not forbid our prudently withdrawing from scenes of danger, provided we can do it without making any compromise of our fidelity to God. The seventy whom our Lord sent out to preach his Gospel, were told, that, " if they were persecuted in one city, they should flee to another1." And St. Paul, when the Jews of Damascus watched the gates night and day in order to destroy him, was let down by the wall in a basket, in order that he might escape their murderous ragek. On many occasions our Lord himself withdrew from those who sought his life. And when Paul would have gone into the theatre at Ephesus, the Disciples kept him from his purpose, because they knew that he would instantly be put to death by his blood-thirsty enemies1. The truth is, that life is a talent to be improved for God, and is not to be carelessly thrown away. We must be willing to sacrifice it, if called to do so in the providence of God. Neither a fiery furnace, nor a den of lions must so intimidate us, as to cause any violation of our integrity. But if, consistently with fidelity to God, we may preserve life, our duty is rather to preserve it for God, than to throw it away by a needless exposure of it to dangers which we cannot withstand.]
My next observation relates to him in whom the
miracle was wrought —
[Did the man with the withered hand, in compliance with the Lord's command, stretch out his hand, and in that act
f Luke xii. 4, 5. Isai. li. 7, 8, 12, 13. s Acts iv. 19. and v. 29.
h Matt. x. 38, 39. f Matt. x. 23.
k Acts ix. 23—25. ' Acts xix. 30, 31.