much from, seemed e. great presumption: power in "What wilt thou that I shall do hence these rebukes. onto thee?" and to give him, o.s it were, Vers. 40, 41.-And J'esus stood, and com- carte blanche. And he said, Lord, that I manded him to be brought unto him. St. may receive my Bight. There is a curious Murk here adds, " And they call the blind variation in the terms of this request in that man, sllying unto him, Be of good com- ancient Syriac Version known as" the Cure- fort, rise; he calleth thee." These kindly tonian,'' in the ~unt of St. Matthew, sympathizing words of the disciples to the "That oar eyes Dllght be opened, and we beggar, doing their loving Master's behest, shall see thee." were one of Pater's own memories of the Ver. 42.-And J'eeus S11id unto him, Receive scene under the walls of Jericho. And thy eight. "Magnifique aumone du Christ" when he was come near, he asked him, say- (Pressense). Thy faith hath saved thee. ing, What wilt thou that I shall do unto The American Longfellow has united the thee 1 Many besides the governor Pilo.te, cry for mercy of the blind, the kindly sym- who a few de.ye later put the query to him, pathizing words of the disciples (reported "Art thou a King, then?" during this period by St. Mark), and the gift of Jesus Christ, must have often asked silently the same in his exquiaite poem of' Blind Bartimreus.' question. We shall soon see the whole multitude carried awe.y with enthusiasm, "Those mighty voices three- giving him a roye.l welcome as he entered 'I71<Toii, h,<1J<TOV I'• I the city. Here, with a majesty truly royal, 06.p<T«, t,ye,pe· g>wvii .,., I as Godet well remarks, Jesus seems to open • H 'll'lUTLf uov uEat11KE ,se 1" up to the beggar the treasures of Divine
HOMILETICS. Vers. 1-8.-The importunate widow. The importance which Christ attaches to prayer is evidenced by the frequency with which he recurs to it in his teaching, and the variety of his illustration of its duty and blessedness. The sermon on the mount enforces it as one of the cardinal virtues of the perfect disciple. In the eleventh chapter of this Gospel both the manner after which we are to pray, and the assurance on which faith should rest, are presented. Again, towards the close of the ministry we are introduced to two parables bearing on it, each with the lesson which the Master woul<l teach clearly defined. The former of these two has this as its object (ver. 1), "that men ought always," i.e. unremittingly, "to pray, and not to faint;" i.e. not to be scared by hindrances, or induced to desist by the sickness which comes through hope deferred. The structure of the parable is very simple. There is e. judge who neither fears God nor regards man. A poor widow, who has been wronged, claims his inter- position. He pays no regard to her suit. But she importunes him; day by day she presents herself, until, though he has no regard to the justice of her case, he listens to her pleading in order that he may be relieved of her solicitations. If man, unjust and selfish, thus yields to unceasing prayer, how much more, argues Jesus, will he, who is the Absolutely Just e.nd the Infinitely Loving, yield to the cry, day and night, of his own people I Notice three features in the delineation. I. Goo IN CONTRAST WITH THE HUMAN AVENGER. The latter consults his own ease. He acts in mere selfishness. The Eternal Righteousness is ever consistent with itself. "To this man will l look, oven to him that is humble and contrite in spirit." II. Goo's PEOPLE IN CON1'RAST WITH THE wrnow. They resemble her in one thing -in the sense of need, of helplessness. But the widow stands in no special relation to the judge. God's people are his own elect. They a.re part of the blood-bought, ransomed family. "As many a.9 are led by the Spirit of God, they a.re the sons of God;" and "the secret of the Lord is with them that fear him." Each of them is in the most intimate relation to the Eternal. "I am poor and needy, yet the Lord thinketh on me." III. THE LONG-BUFFERING OF Goo IN OONTRAST WITH THE LONG·SITT'FERING OF MAN. The long-suffering of man is in consequence of the indisposition to act; if in the end it is dispelled, if the action after e. lengthened interval follows, it is only that repose may be purchased by the effort, and that the mind may be free to carry out its unloving projects. God bears long with hi~ elect, not because ho i~ uuwilling to bless, but that he may draw them closer to himself, that he may prepare them for fuller measures of 116 'l'HE GOSPEL ACCORDING '1'0 S'l'. LUKE. [on. xvm. 1-43
blessing, that he may chasten their wills into completer union with his will, and so ultimately bestow the higher gifts of his Fatherhood. When they cry, there is much that needs to be corrected; they desire only what they regard as the best or what will relieve them from some pressure. '!'here is still a distance between their will and his ; be delays the answer that they may be brought in true self-emptiness to his heart, and that, their faith being purified, they may be enriched out of his exceeding abun- dance. So the Lord bore long with Job; in him patience had its perfect work; he learned to "abhor himself, and repent in dust and ashes;" he was "attuned also to finer issues" by the charity which led him to pray for his friends. And the Lord turned his captivity when his prayer was thus disciplined and enlarged, and he received "twice as much as he had before." So, too, the woman of Canaan cried and "the Lord answered her not a word" (Matt. xv.). Then came she "and worshipped him." She bowed her ·whole soul before him, and she received the reward of the " great faith." "Therefore," says the Lord, "fai'.nt not." "Pray without ceasing." '!'he heavens above are not brass. There is a flexibility in the ordering of the universe which admits of the answer, direct and real, to prayer. "More things are wrought by prayer than the world dreams of." "0 thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come." 'l'he Lord anticipates a decadence in the belief as to the efficacy of prayer, for be adds a" nevertheless" (ver. 8). Is this loss of faith true of the Church and of Christians in this day?