The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 2 — Section 191

mation of Christ by God himself. The one utterance of God in New Testament times is this intimation, three times heard by Christ, that by laying down his life for sinners God was well pleased with him. Only by coming can you please him. Indifference to the voice would have been guilt in the apostles; it is equal guilt in you, ill. THE OONDUCT OF PETER WARNS US AGAIJ-.'ST TOO MUCH DREAD OF BUFFERING, 0B OF BE?-G CALLED TO EN'l'ER A CLOUD ; and against too much desire to rest in any one expenence or state. The darkest cloud your Lord calls you to enter will be irradiated by his presence. And if by any experience you have obtained stronger faith or a more lively sense of Christ's worth, be not anxious to build a tabernacle for sweet experiences, while there are countless works of charity, patience, energy, awaiting you. Believe that the whole line of earthly experiences can be lit up with God's present favour.-D. Vers. 14-21.-The lunatic l.ad. This incident is memorable chiefly 011 account of three truths it impresses on the mind. I. THE APPARENTLY UNLIMITED RANGE OUR Lonn GIVES TO FAITH, Promise, rebuke, and surprise a.re mingled in his reply. "If thou canst, all things are possible," etc. As if be said," You do not surely question my power; it is no question of power, it is a question of faith; have you faith to receive, to evoke the power?" As clearly as possible he says to this man, "The cure depends on yourself." We are continually tempted to ask -Why should it be so? Why could not God overcome our unbelief by producing within. us such manifest results of his health-giving power that we should find it impossible to doubt? The reason seems to be that our assuming our permanent relation to God is of more importance than any single blessing which results from it. Our trust in God and acceptance of him, as higher than all worldly power, are more than any otlier help we can receive from him, and therefore he first of all demands faith. And though ic seems as if faith would be easier after receiving what we need, yet there can be no doubt it is the anxiety and restless thoughtfulness produced by trouble and difficulty which chiefly compel men to strive to ascertain for themselves what is the truth about God in his helpfulness. The visible and tangible blessings he best.owed were so far from being all he had to give, that he allowed no one to go away with only these. IL THE POWER OUB LoBn ABCBDIES TO FAITH. Here, too, are difficulties, God will not, we feel sure, contradict him.self by reversing in our favour any law of nature. But it is of the very essence of prayer to ask for such things as we cannot get but by prayer. Prayer is the acknowledgment that we have to do, not with nature only, but with one who can govern and use nature freely, and to whom all things are possible. There is a way of speaking of natural law as if it were a thing sacred and not to be tampered with, whereas a great par~ of our time is iq,ent in averting the consequences of natural law, and nothing gives ampler scope to our free-will and reason and active powers than the guiding of nature to happier issues. The man who says he cannot suppose God will depart from those great lines of action he has laid down ought on the same ground humbly to submit to sickness and use no remedy against it ; for surely it is more presumptuous to fight against the natural law of disease than to pray God that if he sees fit he would fight against it for us. No doubt natural law is one expression, nay, the fundamental expression, of God's will ; and when day by day a man sees that the sun rises and sets with a regularity undisturbed by national disasters or personal necessities, he becomes convinced that it is God's will that sunrise and sunset be invariable. But though everything in nature may be as rigidly bound to its own cause as sunrise and sunset, it does not follow that everything is as necessary, as important, a.s unalterable. By the arrest of the natural course of disease in this boy no shock was given to the needful belief of men in the constancy of nature. While holding fast, on the one hand, to the truth that all things are possible, we cannot but consider, on the other hand, that some things are so extremely improbable that it is vain to ask God. to perform them. Scientific men assure us that there is a region into which we cannot see, but in which the most powerful of all causes resides. ·This is the region we claim for God, and out of which he can send forth influences in answer to those who appeal to him. There are other effects possible than those we contemplate, because there are other causes in operation than those we see. We may always be leaving out of view something that is known to the only wise God, our Saviour, Ill. TB:EBE ABB JUmlB OF SIN wmo.e: CALL FOB TBE'ATIIIENT OF A SPEOLA.LLY BEVBBJI OH, xvn. 1-27.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. Hl5