dilfL'rence between the fundamental doctrines taught in this Go~pel and those laid down in the first, the second, and the fourth. We believe 11imply that in St. Luke-and the Epistles of St. Paul repeat the teaohing -the universality of Christ's promises are more distinctly marked; the invitations to the careless, to the wanderer, to the forsaken of man-" les reprouves" of this world-are more marked, more definite, more urgent. The doctrines of the four Gospels a.re the same, only in St. Luke this special feature of the Blessed One's teaching is more accentuated. See how St. Luke alone, in his short resume of the Baptist's preaching, dwells upon that peculiar feature of Isaiah upon which that great fore- runner evidently laid v-eat stress, " All flesh shall see the salvation of God." Luke ignores all privilege of race, or caste, or training, by tracing back the anoestry of the Redeemer to Adam. Abraham is ignored here. In several cases faith alone wins forgiveness. The story of the good Samaritan reads a sharp, stern lesson, and suggests a grave warning to the self-styled orthodox of every age, from the first century to the nine- teenth. The reasons why Jesus loved the "seeming lost" of the world are strangely but bea.ntifully shown in the parables of the lost coin, the lost sheep, and the lost son. The parable of the marriage supper accentu- ates the same teaching. The ingratitude of the nine Jewish lepers, painted in the strongest colours, sharply contrasts with the gratitude of the despised alien Samaritan; and the Lord's blessing in the latter case anticipates a possible tremendous reversal of human judgment.s at the last great day. In these and snch-like teachings in the Third Gospel, although there is a danger of their being pressed by expositors too far, many grave and anxious thoughts, however, are suggested, and warn us against hasty and imperfect estimates of others, on whom, perhaps, in our short-sighted judgment we look down. 'I'his Gospel certainly dwells with peculiar emphasis on the infinite love and compassion of Jesus, which induced him, in his endless pity, to seek, yes, and to save, souls among all sorts and conditions of men. It is especially the Gospel of hope and love, of pity and of faith. Very beautifully are these thoughts exemplified by the sayings of Jesus on the cross, reported by St. Luke. It is the Gospel of hope. The Divine Victim prayed for his murderers. There was hope still, even for them. Of whom shall we, then, despair? It is the Gospel of love. He so loved the men doing him to death that he could, in his great agony, pray for them. It is the Gospel of pity. He was so sorry for the poor ignorant but repentant thief dying by his side that he could promise him paradise. It is the Gospel of / aith. With his last breath he could commend his departing spirit to Lis Father and ours. " This is the Gospel from which shines most brightly the light of redemption, forgiveness, restoration, for all the human race; the two earlier Gusr,el"' are illmuinated by the same light, for it is the light of the Spirit of Chri..,;t; l.,ul if difforences are to be noticecl at all, this is one of the moat 'rTIE GORPF,L ACCOP.DING TO ST. rxrrn. xv
distinotly marked. . . . Many of the Lord's parables and words reported only by St. Luke lead the mind of hie rea.rlere to understand the infinite love a.ncl pity of Jesus which led him to seek and save in every region and olase. Before this love all questions of class break down. The door of redemption is opened wide; the Pharisee fails of forgi veneee, and the penitent publican secures it. The priest and Levite pass on the other side, but the good Samaritan tends the wounded man. Simon the Pharisee, the host of Jesne, learns a new lesson from our Lord when the 11iuful woman is allowed to draw near and to wash the feet of Jesus. All this points to a breaking-down of all legal privileges and distinctions of clae~, and to the admission of all sinners a.like to the mercy of the Lord upon their repentance. God hath put dotDn the mighty from their aeat, and hath nalted them of low degree" ( Archbishop Thomson). Some critics, too, have found fault with what they term Luke's heresy in regard to his bold assertion of the rights of the poor against the rich, alleging that, in St. Luke's presentment of the teaching of Jesus Christ, only the poor as wch appear to be saved, the rich, on the other hand, seem condemned as tN,ch. There was, we know, a tendency in the early days of Christianity to exaggerate the so-called blessings of poverty, and to depreciate the so- called curse of wealth or comparative wealth. We see it in the mistaken attempt in the primitive Church of Jerusalem, where, a.t all events, the greater number of members parted with their possessions and attempted to live a life of Christian communism. The disastrous result is told in the New Testament story, where the deep poverty of the Church of Jerusalem, the consequence of their mistaken interpretation of their Master's words, is frequently and pointedly alluded to. Later a. distinct sect a.rose, the Ebionites, when this teaching concerning the evil of riches was pressed home in a.n exaggerated form. But it is a. strange mistake to see in St. Luke's Gospel any encourage- ment to this curious misunderstanding of the Lord's words and parables. Our Master saw and pointed out that there was a. special compensation for poverty. Less tempted, less wedded to this life, the faithful poor man stood often fairer for the kingdom of God than his seemingly more fortu- nate, wealthier brother. But we see very clearly from St. Luke's teaching that it is never poverty which saves, or wealth which condemns. It was the Samaritan's righteous use of his substance which won the Lord's smile of approval.
IV. THE AUTHOR OF THE THIRD GOSPEL.
The earliest traditions of the Churoh, and the writings which we possess of her teaohers-of mon who lived in the oentury following the death of St. John-the" remains," too, of the great heretical teachers who taught for the most part in the first half of the second century, a.11 bear witness xvi INTilODUOTION TO