purpose and earnestness of spirit that is born of pure devotedness to a Divine Saviour, and that is sustained by intimacy of fellowship with him. (3) Strength in God- tho.t strength which comes from God's own indwelling in the soul and direct action upou it (lea. xl. 29-31). II. OuR LORD'S REGARD FOR HIS DISCIPLES 07' HUMBLER BANK. "Woe nnto him" through whom it results that the stumbling-block is in the way and the weak disciple falls I "It were better for him" that the worst disaster should befall him than that he should contract such guilt as that and be open to such condemnation. Nothing could more strongly mark the deep interest our Lord takes in his hnmbler disciples than the severity of this his indignation against those who wrnog them. The intensity of his wrath is the measure of the depth and tenderness of his love. .Among his followers are those who occupy high places-in ecclesiastical position, in social honour, in mental equipments, in constitutional strength. But there are also those who take the lower place; not the children only-the "little ones" in years and size-but the inex- perienced, the unsophisticated and unsuspecting, the mentally weak, the spiritually feeble; those who are much at the mercy of the stron~; those who, for some cause and in some one respect, are unendowed and unequipped with the ordinary means of defence. These "little ones" are often : 1. The object of disregard. Many pass them by as unworthy of consideration; they will not repay attention; they will not con- tribute anything considerable to the cause in hand. 2. The mark at which iniquity aims. For it is one that can be easily hit; it is a victim ready for the blow. 3. But it is for us to remember that they are always the object of our Lord's peculiar interest and affection. He cares for them the more that men care for them so little. He remembers them in" their low estate;" and as a mother lets her heart go most freely to her weakest child, sn does he bestow upon these members of his Church all the fulness and all tbe tenderness of his Divine love. He indicates to us here how he feels toward those that do them harm; and, conversely, it is safe for us to infer that he is peculiarly pleased with those who, entering into his own spirit, love and guard and guide these disciples of lowlier rank. III. CHRIST'S ESTIMATE OF BIN AND BUFFERING. "It were better," etc. We have sometimes to choose between sinning and suffering; e.g. the martyr in time of per- secution; the son or servant commanded to do that which to him would be sin because "not of faith." This word of our Lord reminds us that any physical suffering, any bodily evil, any temporal misfortune, of whatever magnitude it be, is much to be pre- ferred to any serious sin. Be sunk in the sea, be utterly extinguished, let the worse come to the worst, but do not descend to anything which is mean, which is unholy or impure, which would stain your own conscience or injure and perhaps slay a brother's or a sister's character, which would grieve the Father and Saviour of us all.-C.
Vers. 3, 4.-0-ur duty when wronged. The opening words of this passage, " Take heed to yourselves," point to our Lord's sense of the great difficulty we are likely to experience in learning the forthcoming truth, or to the great stress he lays upon its illustration in our lives-it might well be either or both of these. For it is a difficult lesson to learn well; and our Master does make much, as other passages show, of this particular grace. I. Ouu OPENNESS TO INJUIIY. 1. We come into the world with a strong sense of what is due to us. We all feel that there is due to us a certain measure of respect as human beings, as those made in the image of God; also that we can claim just and equitable treatment. Men may not withhold or remove from us that which we consider to belong to us. If they do we are aggrieved; we have a sense, more or less deep, of having been wronged-our sense of iujury rising and falling with the sensitiveness of our nature and the character of the offence. There is neither virtue nor vice, honour nor shame, in this. It is an instinct of our nature which we have in common with ou1 kind. 2. There are many possibilities of offence. In our present condition we touch one another at so many points that there is great likelihood of offence being given and taken. At home; in all the complications of our business life; in all our social rela- tions; in the Church of Christ and the worship of God; in the field of philanthropy;- in all these domains we "have to do" with one another; and it is improbable in a very high degree, it is almost irupo~sible, that we should always comport ourselvr~ ns our LUK1':,-II, B THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. LUKE. [oH. xvII. 1-37.