Ver. 29.-The Ohristian possession and Ohristian heritage. "Shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life." St. Peter (1 Epist. i. 4, 9) speaks of "receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls;" and of our lively hope of the "inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth not away." We may unduly fix our thoughts on that which we gain now by becoming Christians. But many fail of due appreciation of present blessings, because they are absorbed in .anticipation of the good things that are to come. Our Lord had to deal with disciples who were very easily led to think about what they should get by being disciples. In this passage he seeks to deliver them from material notions of getting, and to help them in forming worthy estimates of the spiritual blessings of discipleship. I. THE' BPIBITUAL THINGS A DISCIPLE NOW RAS. 'l'hings answering to "housrs and lands," and to "wife and children." Man here on earth he.a two supreme ~atis- factions-they are found in "things possessed," and in "objects of affection." Dis- cipleship to Christ provides no sort of guarantee for a hundredfold more in number of possessions or objects of affection. It does guarantee a hundredfold better in quality. There e.re answering soul-possessions ; there are answering soul-e.ffections. How firmly St. Paul declares of the Christian, "All things are yours, whether Paul, or Apollos, or -Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours, e.nd ye are Christ's, and Christ is God's" I Riches and objects of affection depend on the faculties wakened in us. Discipleship we.kens new e.nd nobler faculties; and these Chlist provides for. II. THE !IPIBITUAL THINGS A DISCIPLE EXPECTS. Lest there should be any mistake. -0ur Lord distinctly speaks of the _future as higher, nobler, sublimer life-" everlasting lifo." _ Wee.re in danger of materializing the heavenly, because we ce.n only get appre- b,ensions of it with the aid of sensible figures-" many mansions," "crowns," "harps," •~palms." But the apostles help to liberate e.nd raise our thoughts, for they speak oC' • "crown of righteousness," e. "crown of life," e. "crown of glory." "Godliness has the promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come," The Christian makes "the best of both worlds. "-R. T. Ver. 30.-Reversion of present estimates. "Many that are first shall be last." There is a story of e. poor man who, in distant ages, had stood aloof from the sacrifices to. 276 THE GOSPEL ACCOR.DING TO ST. MATTHEW. [cu. xx. 1-34-
Vamn&, the goddess of the waters, but had been eventually signalized by her 1111 her most devoted worshipper-his omission to join in a certain rite having only arisen from the intensity of his heartfelt adoration. So the last proved to be first. Thore may be a designed allusion to the rich ruler who, in his own estimate stood first, but soon was put last, when he came under the searchings of the Divine Teacher. And there is a more immediate referenoe to those disciples who bragged about how muoh they had given up, and usumed their <:laims to first places in the kingdom. Maybe that, a, last, "publicans and ha.riots would enter the kingdom in front of them." I. PRESENT BSTillATES ARE SPOILED BY SELF-OENTREDNESB. Men make themselves their standards; and then easily mako themselves better than their neighbours; and put their neighbours low down. Certain phases of religious doctrine encourage self- centredness, and make a man think that M is a special favourite of Heaven; and of all disagreeable people, favourites--court favourites and others-are the worst. A mm never estimates either himself or others aright until he makes God his standard. II. PRESENT ESTIMATES ARE SPOILED BY JEALOUSIES. Who of us is fully and honourably free from jealousy in forming our estimate of our fellows? How many are, we think, where we ought to be, if only we bad our rights? All jealousy-tinged estimates will have to be reversed. Our last may be put first. IIL PRESENT ESTDIATES ARB DEPENDENT ON APPEARANCES. Men a.re always taken with showy gifts. The fluent man is always overpraised. A cynical writer says, but with some truth in hie saying, "So, in current literature, we find ourselves in an inverted world, where the halt, and the maimed, and the blind are_ the magnates of our kingdom; where heroes are made of the sick, and pets of the· stupid, and merit of the weak man's nothingness." A wise man avoids fixing men in order and place, as first or last ; refuses to have a place for himself, and is content to wait for the Divine appraising.-R. T.