contemplated a pre-eminence amongst his followers, as a post of worldly honour, and of enviable preferment.
Now, amongst ourselves, also, there are many who are under a similar delusion. They think of nothing in religion, but its joys and honours. As for " entering into it by a strait gate," and finding it " a narrow way," they seem never for a moment to have contemplated it in such a forbidding aspect. Like the stony-ground hearers, they have received the word with de- light, and appear at once to experience all its fructifying powers. In a moment, as it were, they seem to have attained a high measure of grace, and to have made a considerable proficiency in the divine life : but their want of " root in them- selves " will soon be made manifest, and their profession speedily be found to have been nothing but an empty boast.]
The second manifests a great degree of unwilling- ness—
[It is here particularly to be noticed, that this second character had received from Christ an express command, " Follow me." This, therefore, should have been obeyed in the way that Matthew had obeyed it at the receipt of custom, and the sons of Zebedee amidst their father's nets. But he pleads for delay, as feeling that he had an occupation which, at the present at least, was of superior importance. Whether his father was really dead, or only aged and in dying circum- stances, is, amongst commentators, a matter of doubt. I confess I incline rather to the latter opinion ; because the cir- cumstance of his being engaged in attending the ministry of our Lord at that time, in a country where the funeral followed so closely on a man's decease, gives just reason to think that his father, though aged or sick, was yet alive : and in this view, the apparent harshness of our Lord's answer vanishes at once. There were persons in plenty to perform the last offices for his father; and, however commendable the exercise of filial atten- tion was, the immediate call of God was of sufficient authority to supersede it; and " to love father or mother more than Christ," was to shew that he was " unworthy of the kingdom of God."
But of this description, also, are many amongst ourselves. They may, possibly, really feel the obligations due to parents: but, in making filial duty a plea for delaying to obey the Gos- pel, they betray a total ignorance of what they owe to God. It is said of Levi, that, when commanded to go through the camp and slay the worshippers of the golden calf, he executed the commission without any partiality or reserve : " he said to his father and to his mother, I have not seen him ; neither did he acknowledge his brethren, nor know his own children b.M
b Exod. xxxii. 26 — 28. Deut. xxxiii. 9.