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had committed to him." And his Lord, too, knowing his sincerity, had pity upon his weakness. Immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? Wherefore didst thou doubt my willingness, or my power, "to deliver the godly out of temptation?" Peter afterwards, when strengthened by a fuller measure of the Holy Spirit, was able to exercise a faith which did not fail, and pursued a steady, even, and resolute course of zealous labours in his Master's cause. The very trials which he had met with, and which showed him at the same time his own weakness, and the strength which he might depend upon, and which "is made perfect in weakness, contributed to form in him that character, which, in the book of the Acts of the Apostles, we so justly admire. No doubt this is one reason why the believer in Christ is often permitted to remain in trying circumstances, that he may learn to rely upon the grace which is sufficient for him." Sometimes the providence of God hath thought fit so to order it, that to his best servants there appears no glimpse of comfort: they are as the disciples on their voyage: the night dark and long; the wind contrary, the waves tempestuous. Yet, in all these difficulties and extremities, their gracious God intends nothing but his greater glory and theirs: the triumph of their faith, the crown of their victory. Faith is confirmed, when it is exercised; and circumstances are allowed which call it into exercise, that it may be confirmed.

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2 Cor. xii. 2. The whole context, from verse 1 to 10, strongly illustrates this passage in Peter's history.

32. And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.

33. Then they that were in the ship, came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth, thou art the Son of God. 34. And when they were gone over, they came into the land of Gennesaret.

35. And when the men of that place had knowledge of him, they sent out into all that country round about, and brought unto him all that were diseased:

36. And besought him, that they might only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole.

It pleased our Lord to manifest his divine nature, in this compassionate exercise of benevolence. He showed his almighty power by works of mercy and pity. We ought to reflect with gratitude, that "his glory has abated nothing of his mercy. He is still the sure and bountiful physician, who heals all our diseases, and takes away all our infirmities." The people of Gennesaret were easily induced to beseech his aid in favour of their sick friends. The pressure of bodily disease is felt, and men rush hastily to any hope of cure. But his power was used to heal the body, only to prove that he is the true Physician of the soul. And if we would have recourse to him in our spiritual maladies, it would be as impossible that we should be without help, as that he should be without power and mercy. He has left us his sacred assurance, that "them that come unto him, he will in no wise cast out." 5

John vi. 37.

LECTURE LXIX.

CORRUPTION OF THE HEART.

MATT. XV. 1-20.

1. Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying,

2. Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. 3. But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?

4. For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.1

5. But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me;

6. And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.

The Pharisees and scribes accused the Lord, as if encouraging his disciples to transgress the tradition of the elders. He answers them by showing, that the tradition of the elders was among the sins which he came to condemn, and the errors which he desired to cure. These traditions had, in truth, made the commandment of God of none effect.

He shows this

by one notable example. The law, which required children to honour father and mother, of course re

Die utterly.

quired that they should provide for them, if able, as the lowest evidence of honouring them. To elude this duty, the Pharisees allowed that portion of income which should be so employed, to be devoted as a gift, a gift intended for the treasury of the temple in which the Pharisees were interested. And the payment of this gift (called by St. Mark corban) exempted a man from the necessity of assisting his parents. 2

7. Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophecy of you, saying, 8. This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. 3

9. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

10. And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand:

11. Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man ; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man. 12. Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?

13. But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.

14. Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.

15. Then answered Peter, and said upon him, Declare unto us this parable.

2 Mark vii. 11. It is said to have been a custom of Jewish usurers, when they met with a tardy debtor, to transfer the debt to the poor's box. Then the debtor was obliged to pay, or to appear cruel to the poor, and impious towards God. This illustrates the practice alluded to in the text.-Quoted from original by Bloomfield, Recensio Critica, in loco.

3
3 Is. xxix. 13.

It is so much easier, and costs so much less selfdenial, to observe certain ceremonies, and even to submit to certain privations, than to control the heart and mortify sinful desires, that there is always a tendency in man to treat such observances as piety. The Mahometan, who knows not what it is to govern and subdue his passions, will be scrupulously exact in prostrations, in ablutions, and in formal repetitions of prayer. And the apostles themselves had been so accustomed to attach importance to these outward things, that they could not conceive them to be no necessary part of real religion: they could not understand that the observance of them did not recommend a man to God, or the neglect of them defile him. Peter answered in the name of the rest, and said, Declare unto us this parable.

16. And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding?

17. Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught.

18. But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart: and they defile the man.

19. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: 20. These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.

That the disciples did not yet understand this plain truth, shows the misfortune of being nurtured and bred up in error. They confounded the outward cleansing of the body with the inward purity of the heart. They thought that the one could promote

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