LECTURE XII.

THE PARABLE OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.

Subject. ST. LUKE VIII.

The Kingdom of Heaven, how it unveiled itself to the women who ministered to Jesus, especially to Mary Magdalene-The acts and words of Christ different portions of the same revelation-All Christ's teaching supernatural, none of it unnatural-How He leads His disciples to observe the facts of nature-How the mysteries which most concern their own spirits are discovered through these facts-The power of seeds-The power of words-How either become unproductive-Whether the unproductiveness is fatal, and cannot be arrested-The candle under the bushel-Take heed how ye hear '-The mother and brethren, and those who do Christ's word-The Voice on the Lake-The Voice to the DemoniacThe Voice to the woman with the issue of blood and to the daughter of Jairus-The various parables of life.

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LECTURE XIII.

THE GLORY AND HUMILIATION OF THE KING.

Subject. ST. LUKE IX. 1–48.

The Transfiguration a critical event in the Revelation of the Divine Kingdom—The mission of the Apostles a previous step in that revelation-The message of a Kingdom excites the questioning of Herod-The retirement of the ApostlesThe multit.des fed in the Desert-The old Prophets and the Christ of God-The prophecy of rejection and CrucifixionThe great paradox of Christian Theology and Christian morality-How experience supports it-The transitoriness of the Vision on the Mount-The permanence of its effectsThe epileptic boy-The Apostles unable to understand the union of humiliation and glory-The little child .

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LECTURE XIV.

THE ETERNAL LIFE OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.

Subject. ST. LUKE IX. 49–62, and x. 1-38.

St. John-Two illustrations of his temper-How he was educated to understand the law of love-' Let the dead bury their dead'-The mission of the Seventy-The woes to the Galilean cities-The joy of the disciples-The joy of Christ -What the blessing was which Kings and prophets had looked for The question of the lawyer-The love of the neighbour-The Eternal Life in that

LECTURE XV.

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THE SPIRIT OF THE KING AND OF THE JEWISH RULERS.

Subject. ST. LUKE X. 38-42, and XI.

Mary and Martha-The contrasts in the language of JesusThe Lord's Prayer-The Petitions not new-What was new in it ?-The importunity which Christ encouraged, of what kind was it-God and Beelzebub-The battle with the strong man armed-The deserted house and the evil spirits that take possession of it-The woman's notion of blessedness-The larger blessing of Christ-The people of Nineveh and the Queen of Sheba judging the age-The light that may become darkness-The denunciation of the Pharisees-Was it a merciful or an unmerciful one ?-The woe upon the lawyersThe effect of three warnings-How they harmonise with the previous passages of the chapter-What lessons they have for us

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LECTURE XVI.

THE FIRE WHICH IS TO BAPTIZE THE NATION AND THE KING.

Subject. ST. LUKE XII. 1-51.

The open war between our Lord and the Pharisees-The leaven of the Pharisees-That leaven was infecting the disciples and the whole nation-The cure for Hypocrisy-The ground of courage-Confessing in Christ-The blasphemy against the Son of Man and against the Holy Ghost-The Spirit of

Truth the deliverer from fear-Christ's treatment of the
habit of Covetousness-Difference between possessions and
life-The grandeur of life-' Sell that ye have and give alms'
-The precept and its abuse illustrated by the history of
the Church-The coming of the Son of Man, was that an
announcement to the disciples or to all ?—The few stripes
and the many stripes-The baptism with fire-How Christ

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LECTURE XVII.

THE CITY OF THE GREAT KING.

Subject. ST. LUKE XII. 51-59, and XIII.

Christ bringing not peace upon earth, but division-The agony of that thought to Himself--The signs of the weather and the signs of the times-The adversary and the Judge-The cruelty of Pilate to the Galileans-The warning that is drawn from it to the nation at large-The Husbandman and the fig. tree-One of the signs that the fig-tree was perishing-Jess healing the crippled woman on the Sabbath day—The new tree that was to spring out of the mustard-seed-The secret leaven- Are there few that shall be saved?'-Chr's answer -The exclusion from the Kingdom-The opening of the Kingdom-Jesus warned against the plots of Herod-A prophet cannot die out of Jerusalem-The woe and the promise to Jerusalem . 204

LECTURE XVIII.

THE FEAST OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.

Subject. ST. LUKE XIV.

New acts of healing on the Sabbath day-Wherein they differ from those recorded before-Taking the lowest room at feasts-Why our Lord's words are said to be a parableTransition to the words,' When thou makest a feast, call the poor'-Abuse of those words-The invitations to the Divine feast-Why they were rejected-The messengers sent into the streets and lanes-Then to the highways and hedgesHow selfishness has perverted this kingly feast in later

days-The true and false compulsion-How a man is to hate
his father and mother-How the clause, his own life or soul,
has been forgotten-The failure of the builders-The defeat
in the battle-What is the cause of each ?-The salt losing
its savour

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LECTURE XIX.

THE JOY OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.

Subject. ST. LUKE XV.

The subject of the last chapter continued in this-The contrast between the mind of God and the mind of His ministers on earth-The parable of the Shepherd-The nature of his joy-The parable of the woman finding her piece of money -The character of her joy-- The joy of the angels like hers-The parable of the father with the two sons-Are these two sons the Jews and Gentiles ?-That interpretation does not exclude a personal application of the story-The acts, sufferings, repentance, of the younger son-The joy of the father-The discontent of the elder brother-What is meant by Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine?' -The mel lies in those words

233

LECTURE XX.

THE KING DISMISSING HIS STEWARD.

Subject. ST. LUKE XVI.

The parables of the prodigal son and the unjust steward connected by St. Luke-Importance of remembering that the Jewish nation was a steward-Spiritual and outward treasures connected by the parable--The conduct of the steward exactly the conduct of the nation-His desire to make friends a good desire-How our Lord teaches His disciples to imitate the steward-Connection of the passage respecting the Law and the Prophets and divorce with this parable and the one that follows it-Why that is called a parable-Who is the rich man-What is his clothing and his sumptuous fare

Who is the beggar-To what is the beggar raised ?—Into what state does the rich man fall?-The blessing of that state to him-This parable, like the others, true as a story and in its individual application .

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LECTURE XXI.

HOW THE KINGDOM OF GOD COMES.

Subject. ST. LUKE XVII.

Connection of this chapter with the preceding one- -ScandalsHow to avert scandals-The disciples' prayer for faith-The grain of mustard-seed-The power which can move mountains-Not given that men may feast themselves-The ten lepers-All equally healed of the disease-Wherein the Samaritan was more blessed than the Jews-Lessons on the way in which the Kingdom of God would manifest itself— The day of the Son of Man-The warning from Noah and Lot-The definiteness of our Lord's words-They must point to an approaching crisis

263

LECTURE XXII.

WHO CAN ENTER THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN?

Subject. ST. LUKE XVIII.

The terror of the events which our Lord had said to be approaching-Encouragement not to faint-The woman and her adversary-Connection of this parable with the nextThe publican wants an avenger, the Pharisee none-The children brought to Christ-Why repelled-The vanity of conscious faith-Christ's rebuke of it-The young rulerWhat can he give to get eternal life?-Life and goodness; Life and the common Commandments-The test of what he will give-The barrier of riches-All things possible with God-The pride of self-sacrifice-Its real reward - The mockery and rejection of the King-The disciples perplexed -The Son of David discovered to the blind beggar

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