2

strain;-for even in those early days men were beginning to think of the apostles, rather than of Him whom the apostles preached :-"What is Paul, or what is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed?" By whom ye were led to seek the adoption that is in Christ Jesus, as God gave to every man: i.e. as He in whom, and in whom alone, is the preparation of the heart, opened the hearts of any who heard, "that they should attend unto the things spoken."

66

He is the faithful steward, who thus keeps his Master prominent in the view of the people: who preaches not himself, but Christ Jesus." He bolds an honourable office, when, like the disciples in this history, he takes the bread from the Lord's hands and distributes it. Whilst we regard all such with honour, we must not forget Him from whom the bread proceeds; without whose Spirit the hungry will be hungry still, and the word preached will never profit them. "Come unto ME," he says, "all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." "I am the good shepherd; and know my sheep, and am known of mine." He has not so committed his flock to those who watch over them, as not to tend them with his own care, and defend them with his own power. "If any man sin, HE is their advocate with the Father." If any man sorrow, HIS Spirit must be the comforter: if any faint and be weary, HIS grace must recover them. "Look unto HIM and be saved, O all ye ends of the earth."

21 Cor. iii. 5.

8. So they did eat, and were filled and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets.

2. And they that had eaten were about four thousand: and he sent them away.

He sent them away. But, as we have seen, he did not send them away empty. Neither will he send any empty away, who show a like desire to learn what it is needful to know, and to hear what may lead them in the ways of righteousness. It may be, that to procure this knowledge and instruction, they must use some pains and labour, submit to some selfdenial, like those persons, many of whom came from far, and remained three days in the wilderness. All this earnestness is beheld by him who is able to reward it. "He will feed his flock like a shepherd," and "his grace shall supply all their need." The Lord remonstrates with his people, as he has too frequent reason to remonstrate: "Wherefore do ye spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labour for that which satisfieth not?" But he also adds the gracious promise, "Hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness."

" 1

1 Is. lv. 2, 3.

LECTURE XLV.

A SIGN REFUSED TO THE PHARISEES.

MARK viii. 10-12.

10. And straightway he entered into a ship with his disciples, and came into the parts of Dalmanutha.1

11. And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him.

12. And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation.

Here is a proof of that awful declaration, "My Spirit shall not always strive with man." Verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given to this generation.

It was an awful sentence. Jesus, full of compassion, sighed deeply in his spirit as he uttered it. There must have been strong and urgent cause for such a judgment.

These persons came seeking, or pretending to seek, a sign from heaven. If their demand had been granted them, it would have been a mark of divine favour. Their history had furnished them with examples, where such signs had been given. Gideon

St. Matthew writes, to the coasts of Magdala. Both these two were near together, on the east side of the sea of Galilee.

received a sign. When the angel of the Lord announced to him that he was chosen to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Midianites, "Gideon said unto him, If I have now found grace in thy sight, then show me a sign that thou talkest with me.' And the sign was granted. "There rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes" which Gideon had placed there. A sign was also granted to king Hezekiah, when it pleased God to recover him from his sickness, and to add to his life fifteen years. "Hezekiah said unto Isaiah, What shall be the sign that the Lord will heal me, and that I shall go up unto the house of the Lord the third day? And Isaiah said, This sign shalt thou have of the Lord, that the Lord will do this thing which he hath spoken: the shadow on the dial of Ahaz shall go backward ten degrees."

3

Both these were signs of mercy, shown of God to two of his faithful servants, Gideon and Hezekiah. But the sign which the Pharisees came seeking would be a sign of far greater mercy: a sign that God "had visited and redeemed his people, and raised up a horn of salvation for them" in the person of his servant David: a sign that "God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them." That this mercy should ever have been exercised towards mankind, is justly represented by the apostles as a blessing equally great and undeserved. "In this God commends his love towards us, in that whilst we were yet enemies, Christ died

"6

ד

for us." "Herein was love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." And it is part and continuation of the same mercy, to give a knowledge and conviction of this great truth: and if the sign of it were never shown, the proof never carried to the heart till it were deserved, it would never be understood or believed by any: "Christ would have died in vain," we should be "yet in our sins."

But although mercy must be granted to man before it is deserved, or it never will be granted at all : still there is a spirit in which it must be received, which is a different spirit from that of the Pharisees, when they came, tempting him, and asking of him a sign from heaven. Did they indeed desire such a sign? Would it have been a welcome sign, which proved to them, that they must have a more excellent "righteousness" than that of which they boasted, before they could "enter into the kingdom of God?" Were their hearts in a state to rejoice, that "God, remembering his mercy," had bethought himself of his people Israel, and had sent his Son to "bless them, in turning away every one from his iniquities?" Was the Messiah for whom they were looking, one whose name should be called Jesus, because he should save his people from their sins?"9

66

It was needful, certainly, that proofs should be openly and generally given, showing that Jesus was the long promised, long expected deliverer. It was a natural and reasonable question, "What sign

• Rom. v. 8.

• Acts iii. 26.

7 1 John iv. 10.

' Matt. i. 21.