A A.D. 29. refracts more red or heat-making rays; and as dry air is not perfectly transparent, they are again reflected in the horizon. f Tit. iii. 10. coppery or yellow sunset generally foretells rain; but, as an indig Rengel. cation of wet weather approaching, nothing is more certain thanh Pulpit Germs. a halo round the moon, which is produced by the precipitated water; and the larger the circle, the nearer the clouds, and consequently the more ready to fall." i i Sir H. Davy. 5-7. other side, i.e. to the E. side." bread, they had one return from loaf in the ship: did they think Christ's miracles would meet Magdala their forgetfulness, as well as the need of the multitude? Jesus a Mk. viii. 13. said, the last event suggesting His words. leaven, doctrine, b Mk. viii. 14. influence. bread, they marked the coincidence betw. leaven, and their lack of bread, but saw not the spiritual significance of His words. c Mat. xiii. 33; 1 Cor. v. 6-8; 1 Th. v. 21; 1 Jo. iv. 1; Ac. xxiii. 8. never SO suc cessful as when she baits her hook with truth. fatally mislead us as those that are notwholly wrong; as no watches so effectually deceive the wearer as those that are No opinions so Caution against false doctrines.--I. Of Sadducees-materialism, "Falsehood is no soul, no hereafter; II. Of Pharisees-human righteousness a sufficient ground of hope; III. With each false doctrine was held some truth-hence the danger; IV. Respectability of sects and moral uprightness of some individuals holding false doctrine, increase the danger. Beware!-Formality and indifference.-I. Show what the caution refers to: 1, a formal, hypocritical religion; 2, an indifference about all religion. II. Assign some reasons for it: 1, bec. of our proneness to these evils; 2, the fatal tendency of these evils; 3, their ultimate effect. III. The means by which the caution may be made effectual for our preservation: 1, be deeply impressed with the principles of the Gospel; 2, let your companions be carefully selected; 3, realise the thoughts of the future judgment.d 6 True and false doctrine." In the Bible, the word doctrine' means simply teaching, instruction. It was a moral direction, a simple maxim, or a familiar practical truth. It certainly was not that thing which theologians have made doctrine to be-a mere philosophical abstraction. The doctrines which the schools teach are no more like those of the Bible than the carved beams of Solomon's temple were like God's cedar-trees on Mount Lebanon. But men cut and hew till they have shaped their own fancies out of God's timber, and then they get upon them like judgment-day thrones, and call all the world to answer at their feet for heresies against their idols." sometimes right."-Colton. d Rev. C. Simeon, M.A. In all science error precedes the truth, and it is better it should go first than last." -Horace Walpole. e Beecher. and Sad 52. 8-10. little faith," they were not only dull of comprehen- leaven of sion; but, through lack of faith, supposed the master-like Pharisees themselves-was anxious ab. bodily need. remember, present ducees difficulties and afflictions oft cause past deliverances and mercies to be forgotten. five.. seven, wh. proves the assumption of a Mk. viii. 17; vi. some mod. German interpreters that the mir. of xv. 36 ff. is identical with that of xiv. 14 ff., to be erroneous. baskets, the dif. betw. the b. used on ea. occasion, is clearly marked by our Lord's words here (kopivovç and onvρidαç); see on xv. 37. Memory an aid to faith.-Remember, I. The miracles of Christ; II. The promises of God; III. Your covenant relations; IV. The grace you have already experienced, etc. etc. Memory an aid to faith.-When the pious Bishop Beveridge was on his death-bed, he did not know any of his friends or connections. A minister, with whom he had been well acquainted, visited him; and when conducted into his room he said, "Bishop "As those birds that soar highest in the firmament are not so quickly snared as others; have an eye of faith upon Christ, whose so those men that minds mount above the skies, are not so soon snared by the world, the "Our faith is the A.D. 29. Beveridge, do you know me?" "Who are you?" said the flesh, and the bishop. Being told who the minister was, he said that he did devil as others." not know him. Another friend came, who had been equally -Cawdray. well known, and accosted him in a similar manner, "Do you know me, Bishop Beveridge?" "Who are you?" said he. centre of the tar-Being told it was one of his intimate friends, he said he did not get at which God know him. His wife then came to his bed-side, and asked him doth shoot when if he knew her. "Who are you?" said he. Being told she was He tries us; and, his wife, he said he did not know her. "Well," said one of if any other grace shall escape un- them, "Bishop Beveridge, do you know the Lord Jesus Christ?" tried, certainly "Jesus Christ!" said he, reviving, as if the name had produced upon him the influence of a charm, "Oh! yes, I have known Him these forty years: precious Saviour, He is my only hope!" faith shall not."Spurgeon. "Error is a thing 11, 12. not.. bread, fr. the dignity of His nature, and His that does not constant habit of teaching by parables, they might have been sure always discover something more than mere bread was meant by leaven. Then.. view: it is often they, without further explanation they at once perceive the fair as well as meaning. Better to help men think out the truth for themselves, deceitful; and than do all the thinking for them. itself to the first therefore that understanding Literal criticism, and mere verbal critics.-The letter alone that will sell its killeth,-the letter often hides the spiritual sense, the letter assent to first ap- properly interpreted discloses and widens the spiritual meaningpearances is in nevertheless, the spiritual analogy may be pushed to an extreme danger of the snare, and to mis- of fancifulness. in a enough in the take an impos- Conceited criticism.-Michael Angelo was requested by the ture for an oracle. Gonfaloniere Soderini, at Florence, to undertake to form a statue An error may look speciously out of a misshapen block on which Simon da Fiesole had before principle, been unsuccessfully employed in endeavouring to represent a giant which will be in marble. He accepted the commission, and succeeded in protray ugliness ducing the beautiful figure known under the name of the David, consequences. It and which now stands in front of the Palazzo Vecchio. The statue may be honey in being finished, the Gonfaloniere came to inspect his purchase, and, wormwood in the among other criticisms which he made, objected to the nose; and delicious added, that he wished some reduction should take place in its to the first appre-size. Angelo mounted the scaffold, and, giving a few harmless hensions, but blows on the stone, let fall a handful of marble dust which he had upon after in- scraped up from the floor below, and then, descending from his quiry and experi- station, turned to the Gonfaloniere with a look expectant of his ment."-Dr. South. approbation. "Ay," exclaimed the sagacious critic, "this is the mouth, and belly; found destructive Cæsarea Mk. viii. 27. a Jos. xi. 17. "The situation is excellent now you have given it life indeed." 13, 14. Cæsarea Philippi, prob. the orig. Baalgad; aft. Panium-the sanctuary of Pan. Beautified by Herod the Gt. Further adorned by Philip (tetrarch of Iturea) and C. P. aft. the Emperor and himself. Aft. called Neronias by Agrippa II. Now called Banias, in wh. the old name (Panium) survives. The N. limit of our Lord's journeyings. whom.. say, of course He knew, but desired to mark the dif. and comment upon wrong and elements of gran- right views of Himself. some.. some, all were agreed that He deur and beauty was no common man, and that He was unapproached by the living recess at the S. generation. unique, combining in an un usual degree the It nestles in its base of the Human views of Christ I. May be high, yet below the truth. mighty Hermon, II. However high, cannot be too high. III. May be superstitions, as Herod's and others. IV. May be rationalistic, as that of mod. sceptics, who see in Christ only a mere man. wh. towers in majesty to an elevation of 7,000 or 8,000 ft.above." A dispute settled. Two gentlemen were discussing the divinity a A.D. 29. Robinson. Bib Res. iii. 404, 405. human and divine views of Christ b Lu. ix. 18. c Mat. xiv. 2. α "Ever fervent, the mouth of the of Christ, when one of them affirmed that, if it were so, it should have been more explicitly stated in the Bible. The other said, "How would you express it to make it indubitable?" He replied, "I would say that Jesus Christ is the true God." The other answered, "You are happy in the choice of your words; and they are the very words of inspiration. St. John, speaking of Christ, says, This is the true God and eternal life.'"-Cheever. 15-17. say ye, who have seen and heard Me in public and private. Peter, unhesitatingly replies, not "we say," but "Thou art." Son.. God," an unambiguous confession of faith in the apostles."-ChryDivinity of our Lord. blessed, now and for ever blessed is he sostom. who believes this, and whose life answers to his faith. but.. Mat. xiv. 33; Father, if this were not true, Jesus would, at once, have xxvi. 63, 64; Mk. emphatically repudiated it; on the contrary, He not only accepts viii. 29; Lu. ix. it in all the wide import of its meaning, but declared it to be a truth of direct heavenly origin, and special revelation. What would be our estimate of a mere man who appropriated such a title without any qualification whatever? с Jo. vi. 69; Mat. 20. c Ro. x. 9. 18; Mat. xi. 25, Human and Divine views of Christ.-I. Human; 1. Conflicting, 26. various; 2. Perplexing-all held that He was "some great one;"A Unitarian was 3. Inferior-but opinions of "men "-fallible, etc. II. Divine; once present at 1. Held by true disciples; 2. They hold it as a revelation fr. God; and was invited 3. They are blessed who hold it. a revival service, to go forward to should test it by prayer. He went to the altar, and poured out his Christ! if Thou test prayer, “O, be a God, reveal Whom say ye that I am?-A poor man, unable to read, who the altar, and obtained his livelihood by mending old shoes, was asked by an "But," said he, seek Christ. Arian minister, how he knew that Jesus Christ was the Son of "I do not believe God? "Sir," he replied, "I am sorry you have put such a in Him." It was question to me before my children, although I think I can give suggested that he you a satisfactory answer. You know, sir, when I first became concerned about my soul, and unhappy on account of my sins, I called upon you to ask for your advice, and you told me to get into company, and spend my time as merrily as I could, but not to go to hear the Methodists." I did so," answered the ungodly minister. "I followed your advice," continued the illiterate Thyself." cobbler, "for some time; but the more I trifled, the more my long, misery increased; and at last I was persuaded to hear one of those Methodist ministers who came into our neighbourhood, and new convictions, preached Jesus Christ as the Saviour. In the greatest agony of exclaiming, "He mind, I prayed to Him to save me, and to forgive my sins; and God!" now I feel that He has freely forgiven them!-and by this I know that He is the Son of God." He had not prayed ere he sprung up with is a God, He is a Aramaic for Gk. Fr. Peter, and also " stone." 18-20. Peter, name formerly announced, now formally the rock and conferred; and its suggestiveness is explained. rock, word Peter the keys = a stone. my church, "a glorious utterance of our Lord, a Jo. i. 42. Cephas, occurring in no other passage of the Gospel." gates.. hell, or Hades, the unseen world. prevail, it shall never perish. Peter, keys, emblem of authority. "As first in confessing Christ, Terpos, in Peter got this commission bef. the rest; and with these ' Pierre 'keys,' on the day of Pentecost, he first opened the door of faith' to the Jews, and then, in the person of Cornelius, he was honoured to do the same to the Gentiles.' bind.. loose, apostolic authority shall have the highest confirmation." tell.. man, a time to be silent, and a time to speak. They might be in too e great a hurry to proclaim so glorious a truth. The proclamation would have greater force when His work as Messiah was ac-xx. 6; 1 Cor. xv. complished. Ep. ii. 20-22; 1 Cor. x. 4; Re. xxi. 14. Jo. v. 24; x. 27, 28; xi. 25, 26; Re. 55. A.D. 29. f Mat. xviii. 18. g Dr. D. Brown. h Jo. xx. 22, 23; 2 Cor. v. 18-20. Mat. viii. 4; ix. 30. k W. W. Whythe. The safety of the Church.-I. Hell's instruments of opposition: 1. Superstition; 2. Persecution; 3. Wealth; 4. Philosophy; 5. Heresy; 6. Infidelity. II. The glorious promise to the Church: 1. Preservation; 2. Prevalence. * The keys." When I first entered upon the work of the ministry among you, I was exceedingly ignorant of the vast importance of church discipline. I thought that my great and almost only work was to pray and preach. I saw your souls to be so precious, and the time so short, that I devoted all my time, and care, and strength, to labour in word and doctrine. When cases of discipline were brought before me and the elders, I regarded them with something like abhorrence. It was a duty I a fence, its herbs shrank from, and I may truly say it nearly drove me from the and plants would work of the ministry among you altogether. But it pleased God, soon be rooted who teaches His servants in another way than man teaches, to Church where bless some of the cases of discipline to the manifest and undiscipline is deniable conversion of the souls of those under our care; and wanting.". "If there were never so fair a garden planted, and left without up; so it is in the Cawdray. I M'Cheyne. Jesus foretells His death Lu. xxiv. 6-8. a Ro. viii. 7; Ac. v. 3. "To love all man kind, from the greatest to the lowest (or mean from that hour a new light broke in upon my mind, and I saw that if preaching be an ordinance of Christ, so is church discipline. I now feel very deeply persuaded that both are of God; that two keys are committed to us by Christ-the one the key of doctrine, by means of which we unlock the treasures of the Bible -the other the key of discipline, by which we open or shut the way to the sealing ordinances of the faith. Both are Christ's gift, and neither is to be resigned without sin." 21-23. from.. time, they being prepared by their confession of faith. show.. suffer, hitherto it had been shown that Jesus is the Christ; henceforth it was shown that the Christ should suffer, etc. killed.. raised, etc., how should Jesus know this? took, led aside. rebuke, expostulated. Satan,a for, like S. Peter, would have Jesus more anxious ab. His personal safety, etc., than ab. His mission. things. . men, personal safety, bef. God's glory. est), a cheerful Mistaken views of good men.-Founded upon : I. Error of judgstate of being is ment; II. Lack of knowledge-why should the innocent Jesus suffer? III. Misguided affection-far fr. Thee, etc.-men often are biassed in their views of the sins, sufferings, and future of others by their affections. required; but in suffering is requi- a cross betwixt Men into ourselves, Men know little of the sufferings of Christ.-"We may paint the outward appearance of His sufferings, but not the inward bitterness or invisible causes of them. Men can paint the cursed tree, but not the curse of the law that made it so. Christ and us; to can paint Christ bearing the cross to Calvary, but not Christ hear our Re-bearing the sins of many. We may describe the nails piercing deemer say, at His sacred flesh, but who can describe eternal justice piercing every sigh, and both flesh and spirit? We may describe the soldier's spear, but every blow, and every loss of a not the arrows of the Almighty; the cup of vinegar which He believer, Half but tasted, but not the cup of wrath which He drank out to the mine!"-Ruther-lowest dregs; the derision of the Jews, but not the desertion of the Almighty forsaking His Son, that He might never forsake us who were His enemies," b ford. b Maclaurin. discipleship and cross bearing 24, 25. will. . come, desires to be a true disciple. deny himself, not caring for personal safety, etc., as Peter had sugg. a Mat. x. 38; 2 take.. cross" his own C.-i.e., his own share of trial, work, selfTi. iii. 12; Lu. xiv. sacrifice, for the Master's sake, even to the death. will.. life, b A.D. 29. will save. Earnestly desires and strives to keep out of danger, hence keeps the cross out of sight. shall lose, will fall short of 26; 1 Th. iii. 3; life's great end here, and its true glory and happiness hereafter. 1 Cor. xi. 1; He. lose.. sake, abjuring worldly maxims for Christian principles xiii. 12, 13. for Christ's sake alone. find, shall find life; beatific, glorious, b Re. ii. 10; Mk. eternal. viii. 35; Jo. xii. Life lost for Christ's sake, a saved life.-I. Life includes the 25. joys, pleasures, honours, &c., of life. II. For Christ's sake these "Christ and His have sometimes to be sacrificed. III. When so lost, the higher cross are not life is gained-peace, hope, heaven. At one separable in this life, howbeit cross part at heaven's door; for there is no house-room for crosses in hea ven. One tear, one sigh, one sad there. They are Cross-bearing.-Theresa had received a present; a little ebony Christ and His cross, the ends of which were tipped with gold. She had it fastened to a blue ribbon, and wore it about her neck. time the cross-piece became loose, and she begged her father to repair the cross. "That I will do very willingly," said her father; "and by means of it will try to teach you a lesson how you may live in this world, and no affliction or duty prove a cross to you. heart, one loss, See, without this cross-piece the longer piece is not a cross; only one thought of when the cross-piece is added is a cross formed. So it is in every trouble, cannot trial which we call a cross. The longer piece represents God's and lodging will; our will, which always desires to cross God's will, is repre- but the marks of sented by the cross-piece. Each cross you are called upon to our Lord Jesus bear, take from it the cross-piece-your will-and it will no down in this wide inn and stormy longer prove a cross to you."-Hervey and the Ploughman.-In country on this the parish where Mr. Hervey preached, when he inclined to loose side death. Sorsentiments, there resided a ploughman, who usually attended the row and the saints are not ministry of Dr. Doddridge, and was well informed in the doctrines married togeof grace. Mr. Hervey being advised by his physician, for the ther; or, suppose benefit of his health, to follow the plough, in order to smell the it were so, heaven fresh earth, frequently accompanied this ploughman in his rural would make employment. Mr. Hervey, understanding the ploughman was erford. a serious person, said to him one morning, "What do you think "Outward attacks is the hardest thing in religion?" To which he replied, "I am and troubles a poor, illiterate man, and you, sir, are a minister. I beg leave rather fix than to return the question." Then," said Mr. Hervey, "I think the unsettle hardest thing is to deny sinful self;" and applauded, at some tempests length, this instance of self-denial. The ploughman replied, without only Mr. Hervey, you have forgotten the greatest act of the grace oak faster; whilst of self-denial, which is to deny ourselves of a proud confidence an inward canker in our own obedience for justification." In repeating this story will gradually rot to a friend, Mr. Hervey observed: "I then hated the righteous- and decay it."— ness of Christ: I looked at the man with astonishment and disdain, and thought him an old fool. I have since clearly seen who was the fool; not the wise old Christian, but the proud James Hervey." a divorce."-Ruth the Christian, as from serve to root the H. More. soul 26. man, the man himself-including affections, conscience, worth of the etc.-for time and eternity. profited, really advantaged, eternally benefited. gain, a thing impossible, assumed for sake of argument. whole world, all it can yield of wealth, honour, happiness, etc. lose.. soul," be himself lost, now and for ever. what..exchange, if, indeed, he had anything to give; or possessed everything. b Profit and loss.-I. The soul's worth: (1) nature; (2) capacities; (3) immortality; (4) purchase price. II. The soul's loss, is loss of-(1) holiness; (2) happiness; (3) heaven; (4) hope. III. Enforce the question: (1) gain uncertain,-loss inevitable; (2) gain a Lu. ix. 25; xii. Ps. xlix. 7, 8; 1 20. Pe. i. 18; Ga. ii. 20. |