Prompt obedience proved the possession of faith; that is the arranged channel of Divine blessing. "Whatsoever he saitb unto you, do it," and you will find that you can do it. I. MAN'S OBEDIENCE IS THE SIGN OF BIB FAITH. Therein lies the virtue of it. The act reveo.le the spirit of the man. He who believes in Christ will, without question or hesitancy, do whatever Christ tells him to do. Illustrate from such cases as that of Abraham offering up his &Jn. We can see the obedience, but behind the obedience, o.nd inspiring the obedience, we mo.y see the faith. And this the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews brings out: "By faith Abraham offered up Isaac . . . accounting that God was able to ro.ise him up, even from the dead; from whence also be received him in a figure." Mere obedience bo.s no special virtue in it. It is no more than our duty. But when obedience becomes the expression of faith, then it becomes supremely interesting, it is a high moral o.nd spiritual power. St. James points out that "faith without works [obediences] is dead;" but it is equally true that "works [obediences] without faith are dead." This man stretched out his hand because he believed in Christ's power to heal. IL Gon's POWER IN RESPONSE TO A MAN'S FAITH, It should be clearly seen that (.,'hrist rewarded the faith. It is that honours God. We may even illustrate from the relations of our home-life. We love to be obeyed, and we do much for the children who are good. But we, in e. fo.r higher sense, love to be trusted, and we do our best, unfold our richest, for those who lean on us with loving confidence. It is the sweet mystery of the Fatherhood of. God that he loves to be trusted, and gives his best to those who trust. "Only believe; all things are possible to him that believeth.''-R. T. Ver. 14.-The pen1s offaithfulness. That he might be "in all points tempted like as we are," our Lord had the experience of rousing enmity even in doing faithfully the duty of the hour. It was bis life-work to heal and save. He was not going to allow himself to be hindered, in doing his great life-work, by the claims of merely rabbinical rules. But the penalty came, which comes to all men who are persistently faithful to their sense of right: " The Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him." It is important to note that the Pharisaic opposition to Christ was raised on the distinct ground that he would be true to himself-he would say just what was given him to say; he would do just what was given him to do ; he would not trim his words or his ways to please any parties. And this in no spirit of stubbornness; only in supreme loyalty to the supreme Authority which be acknow- ledged, e.nd those Pharisees professed to acknowledge. If any man means to be faith- ful to the best he knows, he he.d better take due account of the fact that he will be misunderstood, misrepresented, and socially persecuted. The man who means to got through life easily has no very positive opinions, and is quite ready to shift e.nd change his views if they do not quite please. But such men never yet led, ennobled, inspired, or roproved any generation. Men of positive convictions alone can lead to noble things; and they may be well content to bear the perils of faithfulness. I. THE FOES OF FAITHFUL JESUS. "These Pharisees passed for the best persons in the country, the conservators of respectability e.nd orthodoxy. They cannot be accused of having neglected Jesus. They turned their attention to him from the first. They followed him step by step. They discussed his doctrines e.nd his claims, and made up their minds. Their decision was adverse, and they followed it up with acts, never becoming remiss in their activity for an hour. This is, perhaps, the most solemn nnd appalling circumstance in the whole tragedy of the life of Christ, that the men who rejected, hunted down, and murdered him, were those reputed best in the nation, its teachers and examples, the zealous conservators of the Bible, and the traditions of the past." But this is always the supreme bitterness of the lot of faithful men; their worst foes are the good people whom they would die to serve, if they could, with supreme loyalty to God. II. THE SCHEMES OF THE FOES OF FAITHFUL JESUS. They began with trying arguments; but as they did not succeed at that, they attempted to silence Jesus; and even were led on to scheme his death, They represent the gradual embittering and blinding which always follow on cherished religious prejudice.-R. T. Ver. 19.-The power that may be in silent forcu. 'l'his passage from Isaiah is given 536 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. [011. xn. 1-50
to show that one most characterisi.ic feature of our Lord's ministry was anticipated in prophecy. He avoided publicity; he shrank from contentions; he would not thrust himself· into danger; he was absolutely content to do a quiet work, by personal influence, daily teachings, and kindly deeds of helpfulness, and of "heavenly, Divine charity." Silent forces are the mightiest. Silent light does more than bursting lightning; silent gravitation does more than rumbling earthquake. A thought, a truth, may work in men's minds as the frost works in the cliffs that guard " the inviolate sea; " and presently the results a.re found, as the cliffs fall on to the shores. But faith in the power of silent forces is not usual with men, more especially in the spheres of religion. We are always wanting something that can be reported in the newspapers, and bring round upon us the praise of men for our energy and activity. The quiet-souled, who are content to do good work, and to keep on doing it, leavina.it with God to appraise work, and reckon results, and reward workers, can always m~ke their appeal to Christ, who got away from crowds whenever he could, who shrank from public excitement, and laid on the altar of the Father's service simply good, patient, quiet work. This subject may be effectively illustrated in relation to the following things: 1. The silent force of sanctified personal character. 2. The silent force of unconscious influence. 3. The silent force of eve1'-ready and ever-cheerful helpfulness. 4. The silent force of cultured self-deniaL 5. The silent force of full convictions of truth. The man of strong faith never needs to use strong assertion. Quietness is hie strength. There is need for the no:sy forces; and God is properly called by the poet "'Lord of the strong things and the gentle." But our faith in the manifestly strong things needs no buttressing. Our fa;tb in the seemingly weak things needs much but- tressing. Jesus neither" strives nor cries," but be puts forces into the world which will work, as the leaven works, until they have secured the world's redemption.-R. T.