The Pulpit Commentary — Mark — Volume 1 — Section 360

more bidden in the word "Christ;" and this demands a fuller insight. Some, like Nicodemus, acknowledge him to be "a 'l'eacher come from God." But in their view he is only one of many; with whom Homer, and Shakespeare, and Dante, and a thousand others rank as sent of God, and filled with the spirit of wisdom and under- standing and all knowledge, like a Bezaleel of old, to work in all manner of work for the building up of an outer temple of God. But he stands alone In Peter's judgment, and in that of all who are "blessed" like Peter, in that the truth is revealed to them not by " flesh and blood," but by the "Father which is in heaven." But even this falls short of the final term: "Thou art . . . the Son of the living God." " God of God, ••. very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father;" he "being the Effulgence of his glory, and the very Image of his substance." Yet let every discerning one acknowledge, "no one knoweth the Son save the Father.'' II. A second lesson is for every one who seeth the Son as he is revealed of the Father, TO OONFEBB Ell[ IN PBEBENOII: OF THll: WOBLD'B ERBOB, 811:LF-SEEKINO, CON• FO'BION, AND SIN. This each, who having seen Jesus has seen the Father in him, is called to do. And thus shall the kingdom of heaven be opened more and more. Thus shall the great Church be extended, whose inviolable security is pledged to e'lery one who, in the spirit of Peter, can hear and receive the assuring words, "The gates of Hades shall not prevail against it."-G. Ver. 31-ch. ix. 1.-Discipleship. Having elicited Peter's noble confession, Jesus puts the disciples to further proof by declaring that " the Son of man "-his owu lowly title, contrasting so strangely with Peter's word-must "suffer," "and be rejected," "and be killed," "and after three days rise again." And this was said in no enig- matical or hidden way, but "openly." Whereupon the weaker side of Peter's character obtruded itself: he" took him and began to rebuke him;" The Messianic hopes which had been expressed by the confession, and confirmed by the Lord's testimony to that confession, were contradicted, if not dashed to the ground, by the suggestion of a suffering and conquered Christ, "This shall never be unto thee." Now does Peter need correction. '!'he strong word of which shows how good and bad may mingle in our present imperfectness. The great proto-confessor denies his Lord by denying the true spirit to Christ, and by opposing his earthly to the heavenly method of conquest-" the things of men" to "the things of God." In the yet imperfect heart, though, indeed, taught of God, this would be a prevailing of the "gates of Hades." Therefore we must say, "Be it far from thee, Lord." In presence of the disciples, for their instructlon, as for Peter's correction, the Lord utters his displeasure in the strongest terms-terms quite sufficient to prevent any boasting on account of the previous honourable distinction. "Get thee beWnd me, Satan," So near the words spoken " to the evil one," 11 Get thee hence, Satan." One only word is needed to add to this by way of explication, "Thou art a stumbling-block to me ; " and another word by way of application, "For thou mindest not the things of God, but the things of men." Is it so, then, that " the things of men" stand in direct contradiction to "the things of God"? That which is purely "of men" do; and all that is not "of God" is of the adversary," Satan," and must be silenced, That silencing is effected by words which have ever since appeared as in letters of fire over the gate of entrance to discipleship. And " the multitude" is "called" together to hear them. " If any man would come after me, let him deuy himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." How simple, yet how comprehensive I how easy, and yet how difficult, is this tri-nnity of duty I In its simplest presentation it is : 1. A thorough, complete, continuous, self-denial. 2. .d. patient endurance. 3. A diligent obedience. "With men this is impossible, but not. with God; for all things are possible with God." I. It was not only during the early struggles of the Church of Christ, or merely in its conflict with the anti-Christian world, the.t the disciple mnst needs "deny himself.'' It is the groundwork of all discipleship, and finds its necessity in the natural revulsion from the duties, the restraints, and the discipline of the gospel. That it should be more needful to urge the necessity for a total self-abnegation in the midst of an unfriendly, antagonistic worldly power, is obvious. But a spirit of self-indulgence is wholly removed from the idea of the disciple of Jesus, The habitual refusal to hearken to the appeals of the sinful self when those appeal~ contradict the voice of conscience.  358 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING 'l'O ST. MARK. [cu. vm. l-3~.