the eick ie porformed RB e. sign of the higher salvation which is included in the comin" of the kingdom, PhysicBI mire.oles eJre spiritual signs. The health of the soul is t~ follow that of the body, if the people will only trust the King. The delegated miracu- lous power is the sign e.nd announcement of coming spiritual power and salvation. VI. 'l'nE Pl!:NALTIES ATTAO.EIED TO THE REJECTION OF THESl!l AMBASSADORS. (Vere. 10-16.) 'l'he Lord directs them, e.s in the case of the twelve, to simply shake off the dust of their feet age.inst them, This was the sign of separation complete and final. But he indicates that in the judgment it eh.all be more tolerable for such cities as Sodom, Tyre, and Sidon, than for the cities which reject them. Now, the doom of Sodom e.nd of Tyre was terrible. In the one case God destroyed the cities of the plain by fire; in the other case by siege e.nd bombardment. But for Sodom and for Tyre- meauing1 of course, for their inhabitants-there yet remains e. judgment in the great day. Yet their sin, though heinous, was oot so great e.s that of rejecting Jesus and his ambassadors, Chorazin, Bethsaida, e.nd Capernaum will experience a deeper doom than even Tyre and Sodom, because they repented not. The solemn position of an ambas- sador of Christ cannot be over-estimated, To speak for Christ, in his Name, in some way worthy of him, is surely e. great commission. What an altitude in ministration should we reach before we can conscientiously adopt the attitude of the apostles! 1 VII. THE JOY OF THE SEVENTY AT TEEIR SUCCESS, (Ver. 17.) They delighted in the thought that the devils he.d become subject unto them~through the Name of Jesus, How natural it is to rejoice in the success the Lord grants! Bl!t as Jesus here shows, it is dangerous. While assuring them of triumph over Satan and all the power of the enemy, he also would have them to rejoice rather in this, that their names are written in heaven, The meaning of this seems to be that they should rejoice in what the Lord has done for them mther than what they have done for the Lord. Iu the one case, they are liable to be puffed up e.nd to think highly of themselves; in the other case, they llre kept in wholesome humility. Let the Lord's work and the Lord's part of the work, rather than ours, be the source of our spiritual joy. VIII. THE JOY OF JESUS ABOUT T.EIE ABBANGEMENTS OF HIS KINGDOJt. (Vers. 21- 24.) While Jesus advised them to rejoice in God's salvation of them, be hilllself pro- ceeds to rejoice in their successful work. His reason for this \VBS: 1. That it put to confusion the wise and prude-nt, through the revelation being made to babes. Those who are proud ~and self-confident miss the meaning of the gospel and the kingdom, while those who e.re babelike in their docility get an apprehension of both. 2. It is in virtue of his mediatorial commission. The Father has committed all things to Jesus, and be proceeds, as Son, to reveal the Father to whomsoever he will. Without such a revela- tion we should never know the Father. 3. Christ's joy is also because of the distin- guished privileges enjoyed by the disciples. Many prophets and kings desired to see such things as they saw, but the prophets e.nd kings had been passed by, and these weak ones selected, Hence it is the.t Jesus rejoices in such God-glorifying arrange- ments. The more humble we e.re in bee.rt, the fuller shall be the revelation which God will make to us through Jesus Christ.•-R. M. E.
Vere, 25-42.-The good Samaritan, and the good part. From the success of the seventy we now pass to the temptation of the Master. The tempter is a lawyer, one who, therefore, professed special acquaintance with the letter e.nd spirit of the Divine Law. He thinks be may :find accusation against Jesus by inquiring from him the way of life, His question implies the belief on the lawyer's part that he can win his own way to heaven. But Jesus, when he e.sks, "Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" puts it to himself to answer, eliciting from the lawyer the reply, "Thou swlt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart," etc. Jesus then drives home the arrow of conviction by saying, "Thou hast answered right: this do, ~nd thou shalt live." The lawyer, if he will only analyze his life fairly, must adilllt that he has failed to fulfil the Law. This suggests- I. THE EXPll:RIENOE OF CHRIST IN FULFILLING THE LAW. When our Lord said to the lawyer, "This do, and thou shalt live," he was giving forth his o_wn experience. He was himself loving God wiih all his heart, and all his soul, and all his strength, and 1 Cf. Bruco's • Trnining of tho Twelve,' pp. 113, IH. 1 Cf, :Dllll'tiueau's • lluurs uf 'l'hougi.Lt,' wl. i. p. IH. 298 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. LUKE. [en. x. 1-4.1