The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 2 — Section 297

more clear th_an. ever to his mind that nothing but his death and departure from this earth could diSS1pate the hopes of an earthly kingdom cherished by even the best of his follow81'11. On the other hand, it gave him a most melancholy exhibition of the kind of me':! whom he must leave behind him to found bis Church. Yet in our Lord's reply there 11 n~ trace of anger, of contempt, or even of disappointment, but only of tender- n~ss. It 1s ~he langua~e. of a father to his child, who ~~g_s to be allowed to go with him on a penlous exped1t1on. No man can by any poss1b1hty make this life easy to himself and yet find himself next to Christ in all that constitutes the glory of hill ch&raeter and work. Nothing daunted, the two brothers promptly declare that what Jesus can endure they also can endure. They were prepared for any risks such as they considered were inevitable in a popular rising; they bad made up their minds to follow their Master to the end. Our Lord's answer might seem to imply that it is possible for men to share his experience here, and yet not be with him eternally. Manifestly this is an impossible meaning. What our Lord meant was merely to direct the thoughts of his disciples to the fact that be was not an arbitrary Prince who might rule as he pleased, advancing his own favourites to high posts, and bestowing large rewards on those he loved, but was rather the Administrator of an in.flexibly righteous and impartial government, in which all things were regulated according to fixed law, He has in his gift all that is worth working for; but all he has be must give to those who in the judgrnent of the Supreme (that is really) are worthy of them. No doubt he was exceptionally attached to James and John; all that friend can ask of friend he was delighted to give; but he could not reverse moral law and upset moral order in their favour. We argue as these men did: " Christ loves us; all will be welL He wishes to honour us; we shall be hunoured." We refuse to consider that in God's government high position simply means high character, and nearness to Christ is but another name for likeneBB to Christ. A father may desire nothing more earnestly than that his two sons take their places in life at his right hand and at- his left; but he knows perfectly well that this ca.n only be if his &ans fall in with certain conditions. So Christ cannot promote you irrespective of what you are. Our neglect of this law appears in our prayers. Character has an organic integrity and a consecutive growth as a tree has. But we 'IBk God to give us fruit without either branch, blossom, or time. We wish ability to accomplish certain objects before we have the fundamental graces out of which that ability can alone spring. When we are suddenly put to shame through our lack of Christian temper, courage, or charity, we as suddenly ask Christ for the grace we need, apparently supposing that we have just to give the order and put on (be ready-made habit. In such a case we might hear our Lord's voice saying to us," Ye know not what ye ask. These things I can give only to those who are prepared for them, and for whom they are prepared." Can you endure all that is required for the formation of these habits? You ask for humility: do you consider that in doing BO you pray for humiliation, for failure, mortified vanity, disappointed hopes, the reproach of men, and the feeling that you are worthy of darker accusations than any that men can bring against you? You ask to be useful in the world: but can you drink ot Christ's cup? can you take your stand by his side, abandoning your own pleasure and profit for the sake of the ungrateful? And yet he does not daunt you with impractic- able requirements, he would not discourage you from high aims, but would have you count the cost, BO that, understanding something of the difficulties before you, your resolve to succeed may become more determined and eager, your prayer more real and U{gent. In our prayers we are sometimes too _general: Through in~ifference or want or-thought, we pray in general terms for bless1Dgs which are recogruze~ by all as t~e proper subjects of prayer. The fault of the ~ons of Ze~edee lay ID an _oppos1~ direction• and yet with all this definiteness of namrng the precise posts they aspired to ID the new kingdom, they had not been at pains to fath_om the real purP?rt of their requ~st. We also have sometimes the appearance of defimte knowledge Without the reality. But our Lord takes occasion further to tell his disciples (vers. 25-28) that _greatn~ss in his kincrdum consists not in getting service, but in doing service; not ID havrng servants, but in being servants. In the kingdom of Christ th~ throne was r~lly the crou; it was that deepest humiliation and most devoted eer~1ce of men wh1c~ gave Christ his true power over us all. The greatness he won for himself, and to which he lnviies us, is power to do without the thingi we naturally crave ; to forego worldly oa. xx.1-34,] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. 301