Ver. 2S.~The skep of Christ "As they sailed he fell asleep." Christ asleep I Christ asleep in the daytime I Christ asleep in the storm I Christ asleep with his disciples in danger and distress I What have we here? I. TIIE SoN OF IIIAN ASLEEP IN THE HOUB OF HIS OWN BODILY WEARINESS. A hard and Jong day's work bad the Master had ihat day. He !1ad thought. much, taught much, wrought much ; and each one of th09e had been labonous and exhausting to One who was what he was and felt as he felt. He was completely spent with his strenuou11 and sustained exertion. And as they sailed he fell a.sleep ; so fast asleep that, though the wtnd11 raged round him Hnd the spray fell upon him, he did not awake. The incide11t points to: 1. The devoted diligenre of hi.s life. Other things might have accounted for this simple fact of being overcome, but that was the true account of it. How laboriously he m'USt have worked to do all that he did in the few months at his command I we might well a.rgue ; how devotedly he did labour the memoirs of the evangelists assure us. 2. The generom imp'Ulse which he allowed himself in the conduct of his life. That life was not without plan, arrangement. But our Lord permitted himself to be guided by the conduct and attitude of others; he went back when repelled (ver. 37), he went on when invited (ver. 41). On this occasion he allowed the importunity of the people to hold him longer in teaching and healing than he would otherwise have remained; thus he left room in his life for the play of generous impulse. By all means let us be methodical, laying out our time intelligently and wisely; but let us le:i.ve room also for a.n unselfish responsiveness in the structure of our life, even as our Lord did. 3. The thorw,ghness of his humanity. Who but the Son of God could, of his own wiil a11,i in bis own name, command the mighty elements of nature? Who but 11 veritable Son of man could be overcome by weariness, and sleep in the midst of the mging of the storm? He was one of ourselves-walking wearied him, teaching tired him, healing ex.haUBted him; he expended him.self as he wrought day by day; his manhood was real a.nd true. !L THE MAl!TEB A.BLEEP IN THE HOUB OF THE DISCIPLES' Dill'GEB AND DISTRESS. Christ sleeping when the boat was sinking I It looked like negligence I " Carest thou not that we perish f" That negligence was only apparent; there was no real dangeJ. .AB it was ricrbt for him to sleep under such exhaustion, he could with perfect safety eommit hini:elf and his cause to the care of the l.llll!foeping Father. As it was, the greatness of the apparent peril brought about an illustration of Divine power which otherwise they would have mi~d. That was not the last time that the Master seemed D.el!ligent of his own. To his Church in its storm of terrible persecution, to his people ("u::' their individual livee) in the tempests of temptation or adversity through which they Lave passed, Christ may often, indeed has often, seemed to ~ heedless _and indifferent. Hut lie has always been at hand, always ready for action at the nght moment. We have but to make our earnest appeal to him, and if the right time ha• .,jome for thi, mar,ifestation of his power-though on this point we may be mistaken (IM!t JoLn ii 4; Acts i. 6, 7}--he will JIIO~t effectually reapontl; he will say to tl,e cm. VIIL L-56.) TlIE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. LUKE. 225
mighllest forces with which we are in conflict, "Peace, be atill I" and there will 'oo "a great calm."-O.