can be saved? " The Lord saw the perplexity of his apostles; be felt for them in hia ,sacred heart. He looked at them; those holy eyes were fixed npon them with an earnest, loving, sympathizing loo~a look full of human tenderness and Divine com- passion, "With men this is imposilible," he said; "but with God all things are _possible." The disciples were right; they might well say, "Who then can be saved?" Man cannot save himself; he is too weak, too sinful. "With men this is impossible "-with all men alike, whether they are rich or poor, whatever may be their advantages or their temptations; they cannot save themselves; the thing is impossible. But (we may well thank God as we read the words, and fall down before him in adoring gratiludo) it is not impossible with God. And Christ is God; "he is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him." His incarnation, his blessed death upon the cross, has made that possible which was impossible. "With -God all things are possible;" he can bring a clean thing out of an unclean; he can cleanse us from all unrighteousness-from the degrading love of money, from the defiling lusts of the flesh, from the subtle temptations of pride and self-righteousness. Only we must trust in him, not in riches, or what seem to be riches, not in our own fancied merits, not in works of righteousness which we have done, but only in the cross. "God forbid that I should glory, eave in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. •by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world." III. 'l'HE REWARD OF THE TRUE DISCIPLE. 1. St. Peter's question. The apostles had done what the young ruler shrank from doing-they had forsaken all. Indeed, they had not so much to give up as he had ; but such as it was, it w&e their all ; they had left all, and had followed Christ. The Lord had promised treasure in heaven to hie followers. "What shall we have therefore?" Peter said. He was still too eager; there was too much self-assertion ; ho laid too much stress on the reward that was to -come. The highest desire of the soul is to serve Christ for himself. " Not for the sake of gaining anght, Not hoping a reward ; But as thyself hast loved me, 0 ever-loving Lord." Peter knew afterwards that the love of Christ is its own reward (1 Pet. i. 8). Yet he 0
was not wholly wrong; the Lord had promised treasure in heaven; and that blessed hope is an exceeding great help to fainting Christians; it is an anchor of the soul both sure and steadfast. Moses had respect unto the recompense of the reward. St. Paul looked forward to the crown of righteousness laid up in heaven for all who love the -appearing of the Lord. Christ himself, our great Example, when he looked hack on his perfect life, said," Now, 0 Father, glorify thou me." Peter, perhaps, regarded that heavenly blessedness too much in the light of a reward due to self-denial here ; our Lord seems to imply this in the parable of eh. xx., though he now repeats his promise aud acknowledges the self-sacrifice of his followers. 2. The LOTd'a answer. (1) The promise to the apostles. He bade them look forward to the great regeneration, the time of restitution of all things (Acts iii. 21). The regeneration of individual {}bristians (of which the Lord speaks in John ill. 3, 5; and St. Paul in Titus iii. 5) is the gradual beginning, the preparation for the regeneration of the world, when God will make all things new, when there shall be "new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." Then shall the Son of man, whose throne on earth was the cross, sit in that new creation upon the throne of his glory. And they who followed him nearest upon earth, who first bore the cross for his Name's sake, the twelve chosen apostles, they should sit, he said, upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. It may be that we shall not certainly understand the meaning of this promise (and other similar passages, such ae1 Luke xxii. 30; 1 Cor. vi, 2, 3) till it is fulfilled in the kingdom of heaven. But porhaps it is safest to adopt the ideal interpretation. Twelve is the ideal'numbor of the apostolic college. Judas went to his own place. By the twelve tribes of Israel we are probably to understand the Israel of God, the great Christian Church in all its branches. .As the judges ruled Israel in the days of tho theocracy, eo shall the twelve apostles rule the Israel of God in the regeneration. They shall be nearest to the King, on his right hand and his left, in the highest places •of honour, (2) The promise to all believers. The circle of promise is widened, 'fha 2G0 THE GOSPEL A.CCORDI:s'G TO ST, MA1'TIIE\V, [err. xrx.1-3C..
apostles had forsaken all for Christ's sake; but there were multitudes who would. af~er~e.rds me.ke. the like sacrifi~c; multitudes more who would be willing to make rt 1f 1t were reqmred of them. 'lo all such the Lord promises a hundredfold reward- " a l~undrcdfold," "manifold more!" St. Mark and St. Luke say-in this present time, ~nd in the world ~ co~e, eternal life. "Godliness bath the promise of the life that now 1s, and of that wh1oh 1s to come." That holy joy, that peace of God, which is grnnted unto those who have yielded up their wills to God's holy will, passetb all understand- ing, and altogether outweighs the temporal losses which they may end11re for Christ's- sake. Such men, like St. Paul, count all things loss for the excellency of the know- ledge of Christ Jesus their Lord. To such to live is Christ, and to die is gain. A, life of holiness and self-denial for Christ's sake is very blessed, for it bath the pr-esence of Christ. A holy death is by much far better ; for such a death is the gate of ever- lasting life. They who would live that life and die that death must watch and pray,, seeking earnestly the grace of perseverance; for many that are first shall be last, and the last shall be first. Judas was near to Christ when these words were said. " Let him that thinketh he sta.ndeth take heed, lest he fall." LESSONS. 1. We still ask the same question, " What shall I do, that I may have- eternal life?" And still the answer is the same, " Keep the commandments." 2. Let us not say, "All these bave I kept from my youth up." Let us imitate the, publican rather than the young ruler: "God be merciful to me a sinner." 3. "The love of money is the root of all evil; " "Love not the world; " "Thou she.It love the Lord thy God." 4. "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." It is_a difficult. work, beyond the strength of man ; but we can do all things through him that. strengtheneth us. 5. Let us have respect unto the recompense of the reward; he who by faith discerns the crown may well endure the cross. .