A.D. 28. the net cast into the sea Ma. iv. 19; Lu. v. 10; Ps. lxv. 7; Re. xvii. 15. the Divine Word 47-50. net, gospel ministrations. cast, prayerfully, on right side of ship. sea, of humanity. every kind, nation, and even of the false with the true. good.. bad, examination of all, approbation of good, rejection of bad. (For note on 49, 50, see 40, 41.) The net cast into the sea.-I. The sea-the whole world; II. The net-the entire church; III. The draught of fishes-the "In the net of whole kingdom of heaven. Separation of clean fr. unclean.souls are drawn I. Not done precipitately-only when the net is full; II. Nor from depths of tumultuously-they sit down; III. But carefully—the good into error and sin vessels; IV. Decisively-bad cast away; V. Universally. unto faith and blessedness." -Starcke. 66 66 Successful preaching.-"Don't you know, young man," said an aged minister, in giving advice to a younger brother," that from every town, and every village, and every little hamlet in England, "Bad fishes, or there is a road to London?" "Yes," was the reply. So," hypocrites, will be found even in continued the venerable man, "from every text in Scripture there the holiest as-is a road to the metropolis of Scripture; that is, Christ. And semblage...The your business is, when you get a text, to say, 'Now what is the net is still in the road to Christ?' and then preach a sermon running along the road towards the great metropolis, Christ." sea."-Hedinger. things new and old 1 Co. xii. 7; Ac. xviii. 24, 25; 2 Co. iii. 6; Tit. i. 9; 1 Ti. iv. 13-16. with the K. of lach. trained in the 51, 52. Have ye, while I have spoken. understood, seen their moral import and spiritual significance. scribe, teacher or preacher. treasure, precious things of doctrine, etc.; stored in mind and memory. new, of fact, illustration and application. old, of truth, doctrine. Effects of com. religious instruction.-I. Presents old without "Everything con. new; II. New without old; III. Fails to show the proper relationheaven is at the ship betw. them. same time old Understanding hearers.-An old Oriental story relates, that one and new."-Ger-day Moolla Museerodeen, in a mosque ascended the desk, and thus addressed his audience. "O, children of the Faithful, do "Approved ye know what I am going to say?" They answered, "No!" teachers are only "Well, then," replied he, "it is of no use for me to waste my school of Christ time on so stupid a set of people!" And saying this, he came and of the Holy down and dismissed them. Next day he again mounted the desk Ghost."-Majus. and asked, "O, true Mussulmans, do ye know what I am going to "The living trea- say?" "We do," said they. Then," replied he, "there is no sury contains old, need for me to tell you." And again he let them go. The third time his audience thought they should catch him, and on his putting the usual question, they answered, "Some of us do, and some of us do not." 'Well, then," replied he, "let those who know, tell those who do not." and is ever sending forth new treasures." Lange. questions concerning Jesus a Mk. iv. 35. Mk. vi. 1; Jo. iv. 43; Lu. iv. 23, 24. c Mk. vi. 3. 66 53-56. departed thence, to other side of lake.« country, Nazareth. works, miracles. carpenter's son, or the carpenter. mother.. Mary, fr. no mention of Joseph, it is prob. that he was now dead. brethren.. sisters, kinsmen generally. man.. things, why should he differ fr. the rest? Prejudices against Christianity.-I. Evidence, want of proper "Jesus is in truth faith; (1) In the power of God; (2) In humanity; (3) In miracles the son of the of hist.; (4) In the deeper recesses of our own inner life. II. that Carpenter Yet must confess that the wisdom and works of Christ are who made hea- mysterious and inexplicable. carpenter; but of ven and earth... The Carpenter's Son." There appeared in these days a man of ungrounded prejudices are great virtue, named Jesus Christ, who is yet among us; of the often obstacles in Gentiles accepted for a prophet of truth: bat His disciples call too A.D. 28. ward appear Him the Son of God. He raiseth the dead, and cureth all manner of disease. A man of stature somewhat tall and comely, with a the way of faith." very reverend countenance, such as the beholder must both love-Caustein. and fear. His hair the colour of a chestnut full ripe, plain to the Carnal men ears, whence, downward, it is more orient, curling and waving look at the outabout his shoulders. In the midst of His forehead, is a seam or ance, and this partition of His hair, after the manner of the Nazarites; forehead state of mind plain and very delicate; His face without spot or wrinkle, beauti- repels them fr. ful, with a lovely red; His nose and mouth so forked as nothing the Son of God, app. in form of can be represented; His beard thick, in colour like His hair, not a servant."-Gerover long; His look innocent and mature; His eyes gray, quick, lach. and clear. In reproving, He is terrible; in admonishing, courteous and fair-spoken; pleasant in conversation, mixed with gravity. It cannot be remembered that any have seen Him laugh, but many have seen Him weep; in proportion of body d Letter of Publius most excellent; His hands and arms delectable to behold; in Lentulus to Roman Senate. speaking, very temperate, modest, and wise; a man of singular beauty, surpassing the children of men."d the 57, 58. offended," "familiarity breeds contempt." Ought a Mk. vi. 3; Ps they not rather to have been proud of their great countryman? xxii. 6; Is. liii. 3. without honour, save, a true prophet shall have honour some- Mk. vi. 5, 6; where. unbelief," "God cannot do anything unwise, wrong, or He. iii. 18, 19. at variance with His own declarations." The Prophet's honour.-The saying of Jesus: I. An extenuation; II. A reproof. Jesus rejected in His own city: this a prelude to His rejection by the people. Nazareth, so poor, yet casting out the Lord of glory. I. Nazareth in Galilee; II. Land of Judea so poor; III. The earth so poor.c Unbelief a hindrance.-An empty vessel capable of holding water, if tightly corked, none can enter it, though water is poured npon it in great abundance; nay, it may be thrown into the sea, and still remain empty. So it is with our hearts. Unbelief closes them so that the water of life cannot fill them, however abundantly it may be poured upon and around us. CHAPTER THE FOURTEENTH. 66 "Novelty causes the imagination to add much to objects of terror, while things really fearful lose their effect by familiarity." Plutarch. c Lange. pas hears of Jesus a Lu. xxiii. 6-12. 1, 2. Herod,a H.-Antipas, s. of H. the Great, who bequeathed Herod Antito him the gov. of Galilee with Peræa. Tetrarch=ruler of a fourth part. King," of v. 9, being a courtesy" title. servants, courtiers. baptist, H. was superstitious, and conscience b Jos. Antiq. xvii. stricken. therefore, to him it seemed that no ordinary man 8, 1, 4. could do such works as Jesus did. He had good evidence that the "Superstition works were wrought. Power and weakness of the sinner as ill. by Herod.-I. His power -1. Allowed to reach regal authority; 2. To murder a servant of God for doing what was right. II. His weakness; a slave 1. To his own lusts; 2. To public sentiment; 3. To his own conscience.c -Miseries of a guilty conscience.-I. Conscience is no respecter of persons; II. A guilty conscience possesses a retentive memory; III. Is exposed not only to real, but to imaginary woes; IV. Will torment a man in spite of all his intellectual theories, and all the articles of his religious creed." The voice of conscience.-"The voice of an evil conscience is not one evil in particular, but a multitude of evils. It is a bark H renders a man a fool, and sceptimad."-Fielding. cism makes him e Dr. Thomas. d Homilist. A.D. 28. e Luther. John the prisoned and ing hell-hound, a monster vomiting fire, a raging fury, a tormenting devil. It is the nature and quality of a guilty conscience to flee and be terrified, even when all is well, and when prosperity abounds, and to change such prosperity into danger and death.” 3-5. Herod, who had mar. a dau. of Aretas, K. of Arabia. prison, fortress of Macharus in Peræa." Herodias, granddau. to H. the Great, hence niece to H. Antipas and to her husb. Philip. lawful, his wife, his bro.'s wife," and her husb. being yet Mk. vi, 17; Lu. alive. death, as Herodias desired. multitude, H. was not very popular with his own subjects. iii. 19, 20. a Jos. Wars, ii. 4. e Mk. vi. 19, 20. -Rousseau. d Lange. e Gurnall. dancing a Mk. vi. 21. b Jos. Ant. xviii. 5, 4. c Lu. iii. 1. d Paxton, 1.450ff; ii. 432; Kitto, Daily Bib. Ill. viii. 324. e Kitto, Pict. Bib. in loc. f Lu. ix. 29. How Herod seeks to appease conscience-1. By superstition; 2. Theological pretensions; 3. Affectation of interest in spiritual achievements. Sketch of a demoralised court-1. Hypocritical religiosity; 2. Dissolute manners; 3. Poor statecraft; 4. Luxurious festivities; 5. Bloody donations and payments.d Moral cowardice.-"Oh, how uncomely a sight it is!—a bold sinner and a fearful saint; one resolved to be wicked, and a Christian wavering in his holy course; to see guilt put innocency to flight, and hell keep the field, impudently braving it with displayed banners of open profaneness, and saints to hide their colours for shame, and run from them for fear, who should rather wrap themselves in chains, and die upon the place, than thus betray the glorious name of God, by which they are called, to the scorn of the uncircumcised."e с her 6-9. when, H. being at Machærus, on his way to meet Aretas, with whom he was at war through his ill-treatment of his wife. kept, with much state." daughter, Salome,' aft. mar. to her gt. uncle Philip (Tetrarch of Ituræa), and aft. cousin Aristobulus. danced," dancing girls com. in E. promised. oath, not an uncom. thing with despots in E. before, hence there was a plot betw. the mother and daughter, until now only in part revealed to latter. charger, a large dish. sorry, for reason in v. 5. oath's sake, it were a less sin to break, than to keep it. them.. sat, who were witnesses of his promise. Sad portraiture of the world and its pomp.—1. Its religion and g Ecc. v. 2; Ju. its theology; 2. Pretended liberty, and its love; 3. Its works and its feasts; 4. Interest in the beautiful and its art; 5. Its oaths and its scrupulous honour. xi. 31-34. -Johnson. "Rash oaths, whether kept or The dance of death." Where wildness and disorder are visible broken, frequent- in the dance, there Satan, death, and all kinds of mischief, are ly produce guilt." likewise upon the floor. For this reason, I could wish that the "It's a hard dance of death were painted on the walls of all ball-rooms, in order to world, neigh- warn the dancers not, by the levity of their deportment, to provoke bours, if a man's the God of righteousness to visit them with a sudden judgment." oath must be his protest against dancing.-Religious objections to dancing "Unheedful vows have little weight with many who are coveting a worldly position; may heedfully be but possibly the opinion of a sensible man, who does not look at broken.". -Shak- the matter in its religious bearings, may carry greater influence. master."-Dryden. speare.. h Gotthold. The editor of the New York Evening Gazette, which has a higher literary spirit than any of the other New York dailies, says: "We have no objection to dancing. For young people it is a very delightful and sensible recreation. It is a better thing for children than the stupid games which range from loto' to blind man's buff.' 6 A.D. 28. make them go It is a beautiful and cheerful exercise, and in many ways a beneficial pastime. But for mixed companies of grown people, we abomiAs apothecaries nate it. Ladies may like it—some of them evidently do like it. cover their pills And yet, even they must at times pine for the higher enjoyment with some sweet of pleasant conversation, which is now so completely exiled from substance, to New York society. Gentlemen, who go to their home at evening down easier; so for rest and home quiet, are not always made happy by spending the devil, under half or two-thirds of the night in dancing. Sensible ladies, who the sport and enjoy good conversation, are not especially delighted with a night dances, maketh pleasure of of tiresome dancing. But he or she who keeps up with latter-day men to swallow society and customs, must join the ranks of the dancers or be lustful desires; blanks. Dancing is the order-and the nuisance-of the day. and if they proThere is too much of it. All sensible men and women are tired iniquity, yet this of it. We want conversation in its place. If this cannot be, is a mortal wound gentlemen will seek the clubs, and ladies will form themselves into to the soul, aclittle circles of their own, in which they can find the real enjoyment sight of God."they desire." ceed to no greater cursed in the Cawdray. Charger, a dish Fr. 10-12. sent, forthwith. beheaded, a sudden, violent, unjust, but not necessarily miserable death. prison, contrast the scene in the state apartments and in the dungeon. brought, by executioner. given.. daughter mother, what more charger: It. carghastly present fr. a dau. can be conceived. disciples, John's. ricare, to load; took.. body," wh. was perh. cast out unburied; or prob. through fear of the multitude, handed to John's friends with feigned tenderness and regrets. Burial of John by the disciples-I. A painful trial: 1. To their affections as social beings; 2. To their faith as religious beings. II. A morally useful trial. It sent them to Jesus. They went and told Jesus.-I. They went and told: 1. Human sorrow must speak; 2. Will speak to the tried friend; 3. Will make an effort to find him-they went. II. They told Jesus: 1. He waited to be told; 2. Was willing to be told; 3. Encouraged them to tell. Go and tell Jesus your doubts, fears, sins, sorrows. Historical parallels.-History tells of similar instances of barbarity. Mark Antony caused the heads of those whom he had proscribed to be brought to him while he was at table, and entertained himself by looking at them. Cicero's head being one of those thus brought, he ordered it to be placed on the very tribune whence Cicero had spoken against him. Agrippina, the mother of Nero, sent an officer to kill Lollia Paulina, her rival for the throne. When her head was brought, she examined it with her hands, till she discovered some mark by which the lady had been distinguished. 13, 14. departed, with the twelve." desert.. apart, nr. Bethsaida, on the E. side of Jordan (there was prob. another B. on W. side of Lake). heard, and saw them departing. compassion, seeing their number and state." d L. carrus, & waggon. a Ac. viii. 2. b Dr. Thomas. "A charger, or great platter, wherein meate is carryed."Baret, Alvearie. In this one charger he served up at the table all kind of birds that either could sing or say after a man."- Holland's Pliny, x. 51. a Mk. vi. 30, 31. but see Thomson, Different estimates of blood of prophets.-"1. Wicked and their blind instruments; 2. Vain people; 3. Faithless disciples; 4. Lord Himself.... Christ suffering in His martyrs. . . . How morala Mk. vi. 33. abhorrence drives the Lord across the wide sea, and far into the wilderness." A qualification for a physician.-A surgeon of the army said, help, as that "I never felt the need of being a Christian so much as at the battle of Chickamauga. A number of men were brought into a e "It were as impossible we should want Thou shouldest want power and A.D. 28. Hall. a tent where we were amputating limbs, and probing wounds. Examining the hurts of one poor fellow, I was obliged to tell him mercy."-Bishop he could live but a few minutes. He turned and looked to me : 'Surgeon, are you a Christian?' I had to confess I was not. Is there no Christian here?' No one responded. 'I want some Christian to pray with me before I die.' 'Are you a Christian?' I inquired. Oh, yes, sir! I am a Christian; but I should so love to have some one pray with me before I go away to be with Jesus! O surgeon! won't you pray?' The pleading of the dying man was more than I could resist. I knelt down beside him, and offered up a heartfelt prayer to God. I don't know much about such things, but that prayer has had a most marked influence on my life ever since. The soldier died in a few minutes after its close." f Lange. Compassion, suffering with another. L. compassio-com, with, and patior, passus, to suffer. feeding the five thousand a Jo. vi. 5-7. b Jo. vi. 8, 9. e Nu. xi. 23; 1 K. xvii. 10-16; 2 K. iv. 1-7, 42-44. "Infinite riches 15-18. evening, there were two evenings acc. to Jewish reckoning. 1. Fr. ab. three P.M., when the sun declined; 2. Fr. sunset. This one was the first, or afternoon. time.. past, for healing and teaching. buy.. victuals, Jesus had first suggested the dif." Jesus said, they having prob. considered the dif. but seeing no way of meeting it. give.. eat, this to excite of Christ even inquiry and attention. loaves.. fishes, wh. a lad had in when a fugitive charge. bring.. me, the act of bringing, etc., would cause the wicked- the greater attention. ness of Herod The Lord gives everything in His kingdom without-1. Healing; ter the heart of 2. Teaching; 3. Provision. Fellowship with Christ-Shown: Christ."-Lange. 1. By the apostles' inviting the people; 2. By the people gathering "God can nourish round Him." could not embit many children, "Grace bef. meat those who have Providential supply of food.-Bishop Bascom was preaching, quite as readily on one occasion, in a cabin which was at once church and dwellas those who have ing. In the very midst of his sermon, his host, who sat near the none."-Cranmer door, suddenly rose from his seat, snatched the gun from its enjoined by the wooden brackets upon which it lay against the joist, went hastily example of out, fired it off, and, returning, put the gun in its place, and Christ."-Heubner. quietly seated himself to hear the remainder of the sermon. After service was ended, Bascom inquired of the man the meaning of this strange conduct: "Sir," said he, "we are entirely out of is necessary for meat; and I was perplexed to know what we should give you for living. L. vic- dinner, and it was preventing me from enjoying the sermon, when tualis, relating to God sent a flock of wild turkeys this way. I happened to see living-vivo, vic-them, took my gun, and killed two at a shot. My mind felt easy, tum, to live. and I enjoyed the remainder of the sermon with perfect satisfaction." d Lange. Victuals, that wh. Mk. vi. 35; Lu. ix. 12; Jo. vi. 1. vi. 40. 19-21. commanded, the twelve charging the people. sit down, in companies," for easy distribution of food, and for a Lu. ix. 14; Mk. correct estimate of numbers. blessed, acc. to Jewish custom. b "Blessed be gave.. disciples.. multitude, no scrambling, decently and Thou, O Lord our in order, also to teach mutual dependence and help. filled, no God, the King of scanty meal; enough for each and all. took.. fragments, hast produced God's gifts economised. The miracle proved. beside, there this food fr. the must have been ab. ten thousand in all. the world, who 145. earth."- Jahn, § Gather up the fragments.-The Lord of glory husbands His "An unthankful gifts: 1. In nature-life fr. death; 2. In grace-Christ made not only poor; 3. In glory-everything converted into good. man seems to steal Grace before meat.-Some of the scholars in a Sunday-school God's gifts, but at Sheffield used to take their dinners with them to the school. |