The Pulpit Commentary — Mark — Volume 1 — Section 201

the case of Agrippa, when he ea.id to St. Paul, "Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian;" still the almost Christian, as the old divines used quaintly yet truly to sBy, is only almost saved. Men may not only wait on the ordinances of religion with s11,tisfaction, listen to the gospel with pleasure, and receive the preached Word with gratification 11,nd gfadness, but also reform much in life and conduct, just as it is written of Herod, that he" feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him he did many things, and heard him gladly;" and yet the end ma.y be no better than that of that wicked and unhappy monarch. 5. The testing-time. A time of temptation or trial cometh-" tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the Word." Here we have the genus and the sp~cies very clearly set before us ; the trial in general and its specific kinds. The trial is of a hostile kind (..-.. pCUTµ.oo), and the two sorts of it are distinctly stated, namely, persona.I affliction within, and per- secution without, The affliction or painful pressure is such as comes upon us in connec- tion with our own individual circumstances, and may affect us in soul, body, or estate. 'l'he persecution is tha.t which assails us from without. But why is this? Why does this persecution arise? "Because of the Word." The world hates God's \Vord, because the holy doctrines of that Word are opposed to and condemn the unholy principles of the world, and because the pure precepts of that Word are contrary to and rebuke the unrighteous practices of the world. The carnal mind bates the Word, for that Word exposes and reprobates its sinful and shocking enmity to God. The flesh bates the Word, because that Word denounces "those fleshly lusts that war against the soul," and commands men to" crucify the flesh with its affections and lusts.n The sinner hates the ·word, for the principles of that Word are the means which the Spirit employs to reprove him, as well as " convince him of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment." Every unrenewed heart a.nd every unregenerate soul hates the Word, because the Law of God, which it contains, is holy and just and good-exceeding "spiritual," and its "commandments are exceeding broad." Satan hates the \Vord, because it is "the sword of the Spirit" by which he is vanquished, by which souls are rescued from his grasp, and the destroyer deprived of his prey. Hell hates the Word, for where that Word is unknown, or unread, or unpractised, hell enlarges itself beyond measure. Hence it is that tribulation and persecution arise because of the Word. 6. Their /ailwre in the day of trial. "Immediately they are offended "-scandalized; that is to say, a stumbling-block is laid in their way, and they fall over it. After a season of special privileges and gracious influences, a time of trial may be expected to come, in order to prove the sincerity of professors and the genuineness of their religion. After such a period a testing-time may be looked for, and then it is seen who in reality ha.ve the root of the matter in them. Persecution is like the heat of the sun's rays, and this indeed is the figure which our Lord himself employs in this parable. If the plant be well rooted, the heat of the sun exercises a genial influence on it, promoting its growth and bringing it to maturity. Once the Word of God has struck deep root and become firmly rooted in our hearts, the clouds of adversity may roll over us, the tempest of persecution rage around us, and the storms of temptation beat at our feet; yet the firmness of our attitude shall defy the storm, and the fixity of our root shall be strengthened instead of shaken. The tree rooted in the rock may be uptorn, the grey rock of centuries may itself be upheaved by the earthquake; the oaks of Bashan may be uprooted, and the cedars of Lebanon may be rent and riven by the lightning of heaven; the mountains may shake with the swelling of the waters, and the solid earth itself be removed from its deep foundations; yet, with the seed of truth fast rooted in the heart, and the heart itself grounded in love, the believer stands unmoved, un terrified, and unhurt. He stands like the spectator on the high summit of a lofty mountain that seems to pierce the clouds; he hears the hoarse and dreadful roarings of the storm far below him; he sees the broad and vivid flashes of the lightning glare beneath him; end listens to the ." live thunder as it leaps far along from peak to peak among the rattling crags." The eminence he occupies elevates him above the storm; the firm~ ness of his position secures him against its fury ; the storms of an angry world rna.y rage, but he is rooted. How different it is with plants where there is no deepness or depth of earth, where there is lack of moisture, and where the root is deficient or defective I 'l'he sun's heat scorches them, and they wither. 'l'hus it ever is: the Word of God is either" the savour of life unto life," or" of death unto death;" Christ crucified is  198 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MARK. [oH, 1v, 1-41.