The Pulpit Commentary — Luke — Volume 2 — Section 27

erect in~ gr<'n t buildings, eRcred e.nd prof1me, the she.me of injuring a cnuse which we in the nri<'d citiC's under their ewny. They itdopted only to fo1"81\ke. The Swiss com- would doubtless be often imitated, and no menttttor Godet very uaturn.lly uses here doubt mnny an unfinished edifice tostified a simile ta.ken from his own nationnlity: to the foolish emulation of some would-be "Would not a little nntion like the Swiss iwitator of the extravagant royal house. bring down ridicule on itself by declaring Now, such incompletC3 piles of mnsonry nnd war with France, if it were not determined brickwork simply excite a contC'mptuous to die nobly on the field of battle?" I-lo pity for the builder, who has so falsely cal- was thinking of the splendid patriotism of culated his resourcPs when he drew the plo.n his own brave ancestors who had determined nf the pnlace or ,·illri he wns never able to so to die, and who carried out their ge.llant finish. So in the spiritunl life, the would- purpose. I-lo was thinking of stricken flelda be professor finds such living harder than like llforgarteu and Sempe.ch, and of brt1ve he 6upposed, and so gives up trying after hearts like tho8e of Rudolph of Erle.eh, t1nd the nobler way of living altogether; and the Arnold of Winkelried, who loved their world, who watched his feeble efforts and country better the.n their lives. This was listened ";th an incredulous smile when he the spirit with which Christ's warriors must proclaimed his intentions, now ridicules undertake tile hard stern warfare agt1inst an him, nnd pours scorn upon what it considers evil and corrupt world, otherwise better let an unatta.nable i,leal Such an attempt his cause alone. The sombre shadow of the and failure injure the can6e of God. cross lay heavy and dark across all the Ycrs. 31, 32.-0r -what king, going to Redeemer's words spoken at this time. make war e.gs.iJJ.st another king, &itteth not Ver. 33.-So likewise, whosoever he be of down first, a.nd consu.lteth whether he be yon that forsaketh not all that he bath, he able with ten thousand to meet him that caunot be my disciple. "We must live in cometh against him with twenty thollll8.nd 1 this world as though the soul was u.lree.dy Or else, while the other is yet a great way iu heaven and the body mouldering in the o!f', he sendeth an a.mba.ssage, and deeireth gre.ve" (St. Francis de Sales). There was conditions of peace. It is not improbable much unreasoning, possibly not a little that this simile was deri,ed from the history sentimental enthusiasm, among the people of the time. The unba;•py connection of who crowded round Jesus in these last the tetrarch Herod with Herodias had months of his work. The stern, uncom- brought about the divorce of that sovereign's promising picture of what ought to be the first wife, who was daughter of A.retas, a lift! of his rea.l followers was painted espe- powerful Arabian prince. This involved cially with a view of getting rid of these Herod in an Arabiau war, the result of useless, purposeless enthusiasts. The way which was disastrous to the tetrarch. Jose- of the cross, which he was about to tret1d, phus points out that this ill-omened incident was no pathway for such light-hearted w11s the commencement of Herod Antipa.;;'s triflers. subsequent misfortunes. Our Lord not im- Vers. 34:, 35.-Salt is good: but if the probably used this simile, foreseeing what salt !::.ave loot his savour, wherewith shall it would be the ultimate end of this unhappy be seasoned l It is neither :flt for the land, war of Herod. The first of these two little nor yet for the dunghill ; but men cast it out. similes rather points to the building up of IIere "salt" i;tands for the spirit of self- the Chri&tian life in the heart and life. 'rhe eacrifice, self-renunciation. When in a man, second is an image of the warfare which or in a nation, or in a Church, that salt is every Christian man must wage against the savourless, then that spirit is <lend; there world, its passions, and its lusts. If we is no hope rcmaiuing for the man, for tha cannot brace ourselves up to the sacrifice people, or the Church. '.l.'he lesson was a necc:ssary for the completion of the building general one-it was meant to sink iuto each up of the life we know th~ Master _loves; listener's heart; but the Master's sad g11ze if we sl,rink from the cost mvolved 1D the was fixed, as he spoke the sombre truth, on warfare against sin and evil-a warfare which the people of Israel whom he loved, and on will only end with life-better for us not to the temple of Jerusalem where his glory- l,egiu the building or risk the war. It will presence used to dwell. ll'len Ollllt it out. l.,e a wretched alternative, but still it will Jesus could hear the armed tramp of the l,e 1est for us to make our submission at Romau legions of the year 70 as they cast once to the world and it.a prince; at least, out his people from their holy land. by J;O dolllg we shall avoiJ. the Bcandal and orr. xrv. 1-35.J THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. LUKE. 2!)