quietness, and make the due maintenance of the spiritual life ex~ingly difficult. We may sympathize with Christ. lL TEACHING, We now know that the afternoon service at the synagogue was conducted somewhat as a Bible-class, those present asking questions and giving answers. In such scones our Lord naturally took his place as Teacher. Scripture was the text-book. Note that our Lord sought to arouse the activity of men's minds. He wanted intelligent religion, Teachers find in him their Model. III. PBEACJIING. 'l'his term represents the morning service in the synagogues, when announcements and expositions were given, but no response from the people was looked for. Preaching may be said to include three things: (1) heralding; (2) expounding; (3) persuading. Christ had a message; he opened up the Scriptures (as at Nazareth. see Luke iv.); and he could persuade to the acceptance of the truth. But teaching and .preaching make heavy demands on spiritual strength. IV. HEALING, This is always to be regarded as auxiliary and illustrative work. Needful in those days, in order to call attention to the new Teacher, and awaken interest in him. It did for that day what newspapers and advertisements will do for great leaders and teachers nowadays.-R. T. Vers. 36-38.-The impressions produad by multituiles. "When he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion." Notice how his daily work of healing must have brought Christ sympathetically near to all the sorrows of men. Illustrate from the itinerating work of the Eastern hakim, or physician. It is usual to bring out all the sick of a district when the hakim arrives. Compare the crow~ in our market- places round the quack-medicine vendor. I. THE IMPRESSION JUDE ON CHBIBT BY THE BIGHT OF MULTlTUDES. Show the effects which great crowds produce on us. They greatly excite us; but when we regard them as religious men they greatly depress us, for they convince us that large masses of humanity are yet unreached by the redeeming and elevating influences of Christianity. Show the effects that great crowds produced on Christ. I. Sympathy with bodily needs. (As in the case of feeding the five thousand.) 2. Compassion for soul-suffering. (Regarded as "sheep having no shepherd.") 3. Our Lord seems to have been specially distressed, because they thought so much of body, and were rea,\y to sacrifice so much for it, and yet scarcely knew of the wants of their soul-of the "hunger of the soul." lL THE LESSONS FOB THE DIBOIPLEB WHICH OUR LOBD'B IMPBE88IONS SUGGESTED. I. That there was abundant room for spiritual work. 2. That the multitudes of men form the Lord's harvest-field, 3. That there is still no proper correspondence between the harvest and those who labour at its ingathering. The harvest is wide and great; tho labourers are but/ew, 4:. That they should think and pray about this divergence, and so very possibly come to hear the Divine call to go into the harvest-field.-R. T.
EXPOSITION. CHAPTER X. covenant nation corresponded t.o the sym- bolism of the number 12 (8, Deity, x 4, For introductory notes to thi.a chapter, see world = Ohnrcb). :e:e gave them power; ob. ix. 85. authority (Revised Vel'llion); i£ov,r{,u,: the Ver. 1.-Parallel passages: Muk vi. 7; greater inclnding the !P.BB. So Mark, but Luke ix. 1. The prayer (eh. ix. 38) is Luke expands to 86vaµ.av Kai itov,r{av. answered in the persons of those who were Against; over (Revised Version); simple taught to pray. Christ establishes bis new genitive (BO Mark). Vnolean 1pirit1 (ob. iv. agency. And when he bad oalled unto 21, note). Unclean. As belonging to the him. From the oirole of the bystanders. unholy, non-tbeocrotio kingdom, the realm His twelve di1oiple1. Who had already been of darkness. "Hence o.lso unclean animal■ ohosen to be apecially with him (of. eh. ix. (oh. viii. 31, sqq.; Rev. xviii. 2) and pluces 35, note; and eh. v. 1). Twelve. To be (eh. xii. 43, BIJq.) have a kind of natural beads of the tribes of the new Israel (Rev. relationship with such spirits" (Kilbel). To ui. 14; of. Jo.a. i. 1; eh. xix. 28). Ob- out them out. Their authority was to ex- serve that the office of the tribes of the tend to this (/1,<TTE l1<1Jd.>...,..u11 C16ord, of. Mark 404 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. [on. x. 1--42'