The Pulpit Commentary — Luke — Volume 2 — Section 19

t111ve us. At bow many times and in how many ways does our Saviour ecok us I Bow often. does be endeavour to gather us under the shadow of hie Jovel IJI. HUMAN FREEDOM. "How often would I I " "Ye would not I" It ie quite vain for us to attempt to reconcile God's omnipotence with our freedom 1 his ri.,.bt nnd power over us with ou: power _to. act acc~rding to our o~ will. '1'he si{'bject is be~ond our comprebensrnn, and 1t 1s true wisdom to lenvo 1t alone as a.n inaccessiblA mountain peak which we cannot climb; there is danger, if not death, in the attempt. Hut the f.acts are before us, v/sible as the mo~ntain itself. God bas power over us, and exercises that power ben1gmmtly and patiently. But he does not interfere with our freedom; that, indeed, would be to unman us, to put us down from the level of children into that of irresponsible creaturedom, He leaves us free; and we nre free to oppose bis ~overeig1;1 will, to resist his Divi~e grace, to be deaf to his pleading voice, to shake off bis arrestrng hand. He "would' that we should be reclaimed 1 be raised be enlarged, be ennobled; and too often we "will not." A solemn, awful tbin" it i~ to s~are a human heritage, to live a human life, to incur human responsibility. "' I\. Hmu.s OBDURACY. Jerusalem "often" refused to be drawn to its Redeemer. Not only can we and do we resist the grace of God; we can continue to do so• and we do continue. We can spend our life in a lon" contest with redeemin"0 lov;. we can repel the overtures of mercy and go on rejecti~g our Father's offer of eternai life through all the years and periods of a long life of privilege. Men do this, and to them the words of ,Jesus are applicable in all their force; over them, also, his lament has to be uttered. 1. It is well for those to whom it may apply to awake and to return before he says to them, " Your house is left unto you desolate." 2. It is better, for it is safer for us all t.o heed his inviting voice and place ourselves under the wings of his blessed friendship long before such words as those of our text are anywise applicable to us.-C. Ver&. 1-21.-The graa and progress of Goa's kingdom. We saw at the close of last chapter how urgent a matter it is to get reconciled to God. Luke, in constructing his Gospel, introduces us next to a cognate thought-the necessity of repentance if judg- ment is to be escaped. Let us take up the orderly thoughts as they are laid before us in this pass:lge. J. JUDGMD."T EXECUTED UPON OTHERS IS A CALL TO REPENTANCE ADDRESSED TO US, (Vers. 1-5.) There was a disposition then, as there is still, to set down special judg- mcnt as the consequence of some special sin. Job's comforte~s simply expressed the fallacy to be found iu every heart. When Christ's attention was, therefore, directed to the Galilrean emeute, and to the bloody way in which Pilate had put it down, he directed his hearers to discern io it a providential warning and call to repentance. The accident at tbe tower of Siloam had the same significance. It was a call to sur- vivors t.o repent lest a judgment as severe should overtake them. The fate of tbe dead was no proof of special sin, but it was a clear call to repentance &ddressed to the survivors. 1 The warning was singularly appropriate. The cruelty of Pilnte and the overturnin"' of the tower of Siloam had their counterparts in the siege of Jerusalem forty years af~r, when the people had demonstrated their impenitence, Hence we should learn the practical lesson from every judgment of the imperative necessity of personal repentance. These terrible calamities are allowed to occur, not that -:ve may uncharitably criticize the conduct of the dead, but tliat we may carefully review the conduct of ourselves who survive, and repent before God.• IL BEFORE MEN BECOME FINALLY IMPENITENT AND INCORRIGIBLE THF:Y GET A LAST CHANCE OF AMENDMENT AND BEFOBM. (Vers. 6-9.) The siege of Jerusalem has been before the prophetic eye of Christ, and, to impress the necessity of personal amendment and reform upon the people, he tells the parable of the fig tree. It ie e. history of care without any return. Orientals dig about their fruit-trees, and manure the roots and encoura"e fruitfulness in every way,3 Fruitless trees they burn, after a three-y~re' probation~ Now, the Jews were ae a nation represented by this fig tree. 1 Cf. Geik:ie's 'Life and Words of Christ,' vol. L p. 279; also Wolfe's 'Remains,' 6th edit., pp. 318-329. • Cf. Gerok's 'Pilgerbrod,' s. 764; Gerok'11 ' .A.µs Ernster Zeit1' s. 667 i 11,pcl Saurin•~ ' Sermons,' tome i. p. ll75. • QC. V11,n Leunep, p. 136, en. xm. 1-35.] nm GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. LUKE. 21