The Pulpit Commentary — Luke — Volume 1 — Section 85

~ists' ~tory that. _he waR a m,m, n-,t l~deed without some eon8e of juatloe and pity, not lll<'Apable of hemg _moved a~ the sigh~ of ~ublim_e. patieuce and innocence, but yet fccpt1cnl, supi,rst1t1ous,_ entrrely wantmg m political principle, ready to eacri.ll.ce n~hteousness to ~a,·e _his ~wn position_. . Of Herod Antipaa we know from Scripture 1 hat be was cunmng, hcenhoue, superst1Lious. Dut of John, the Hebrew prophet, we know t.~at he WR.s utterly fearl88s and disregardful of_ his own interests when duty c:111,•d !um to speak freely (ver. 19); that he was a faithful preacher of Divine truth ( "m;, 7-14); that he was perfectly loyal to that One who was so much greater th&n l1•rnself (ver. lG); that he wa.s capable of a most noble marna.nimity (John iii. 29). lk was a godly, upright, heroic soul. ., l ll. THEY HA VE LEFT VERY DIFFERENT MEMORIES BEHIND THEM. Of one of these Hnmans (Tiberius) we read that he "deserved the scorn and abhorrence of mankind. n Pc•rhaps this language, only a very little weakened, might be used of two others of thcrn. Dut concerning John, after our Lord's own euloginm (eh. vii. 28), we feel that we can be iD. little danger of thinking of him too highly and of honouring him ton much. !Y. TUEY REl'IEMBLED ONE ANOTHER ONLY IN THAT THEY DOTH RAN GREAT RIBB:8 oF EARTHLY ILL. Devot<>dness in the person of John exposed itself to severe penal- ties, to the condemnation of man, to imprisonment and death. But worldliness in the pe!'l'on of these Roman dignitaiies ran groat risks also; it had to encounter human fickleness and human wrath. Tiberius is believed to have become insane. Pilate committed suicide. Herod died in exile. Worldly policy mlly succeed for a time, may stand in high places, may drink of very sweet cup.<1, but it runs great risks, and very often it has to endure great calamities. Alas for it, that, when these come, it ie wholly destitute of the more precious consolations I V. AT DEATH THEY CONFRONTED A VERY DIFFERENT FUTURE. Well might the least ;::uilty of them shrink from that judgment-seat at which all men must stand I how must the worst of them be covered with shame in that awful Presence I and how serious must be the penalty that will be attached to such fl.agitious abuse of position a:1d opportunity I On the other hand, how high is the power, how bright and broacl the sphere, how blessed the hope, into which the faithful forerunner has entered I He has " passed into that country where it matters little whether a man has been clothed iu finest linen or in coarsest camel's hair, that still country where the struggle-storm of life is over, and such as John find their rest at last in the home of God, which is reserved for the true and brave."--(). \ers. 3--6.-John before Je&1U; repentance before salvation. We may view this subject- I. HrsTORICALLY. Jesus, as his name indicated, came to be a Saviour; b11t he came to bring a very different salvation from that which was expected of him. His contem- poraries were not aware that they them8tlves were in any need of salvation. They suppoRed it was their political condition which needed to undergo a change. They were full of a fatal self-sufficiency so far as their own character was concerned ; they esteemed themselves the prime favonrites of Heaven, and thought that, when the great Deliverer appeared, it would be entirely on their behalf, in order that they might be restored to their rightfnl place and assume the government they believed themselves so worthy to conduct. If they were to receive, with any cordiality of welcome, a Saviour who came to save them, to deliver them from guilt, it was necessary that a voice should be heard speaking in plainest tones breaking through the bard crust of complacency aud delusion, working conviction of guilt within the soul; it behoved that he should come "preaching the baptism of repentauce for the remisBion of ~ins." . Thus dirl Juhn "prepare the way" for Jes~tl.ie apostle of repentance for the Saviour uf n,ankind. II. EXPERIMENTALLY. That which was the historical order is also the order in our heart's experience. We repent of sin before we know the Saviour so ae to possess his full salvation. It is indeed true that the words of Jesus Christ, the view of his holy life the cnnBideration of his c.lying lov&-that this is a power working, and working '"i;brily, for rei,entaucc on the soul; yet must there be repentance, as an existii,g cu;dition of min.d, for a true and full appreciation of the great 11ervice Jesus Chris, en. Ill. 1-38.) Tirn GOSPEL A(JCORDrm TO ST. LCKK 77