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with this clearer insight into our Lord's meaning, required to be warned, that it was not simply a mark of favour, but a talent, for which they were responsible. Their candle was lighted; but woe to them, if they hid it under a bushel, and imparted not that light to others: it was given to them to know the mysteries or secrets of the kingdom of heaven; but it was done, that through them these secrets should be published to the world. They heard what kings and prophets had desired to hear; but the impression to be made on their minds by this was, that of responsibility for the employment of the trust.. They were to take heed how they heard. Nay, on their use of each privilege depended their enjoyment of fresh privileges; even as on our use of all our Christian privileges in this world depends our enjoyment of those which are prepared for us in a world to come. 'He that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken away even that which he hath.'

IMAGES REPRESENTING THE KINGDOM OF GOD.

Ver. 26-34.

And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; and should sleep and rise, night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come. And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it? It is like a grain of

mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth: but when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it. And with many such parables spake he the word unto them, as they were able to hear it. But without a parable spake he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples.

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By the kingdom of God, in this and in most passages of the New Testament, is meant the Church of Christ-the Gospel dispensation. It was called a kingdom, because God's former Church, the Jewish, which it has succeeded and superseded, was, literally, a kingdom. It was distinguished from it by the additional expressions of heaven,' and 'of God;' because our divine king governs not his Church, as he did the Jewish, by vicegerents, but is Himself our governor. His residence is in the hearts of the faithful, his laws in the inspired Word, which he has given us. It is so distinguished also, because, agreeably with this change, our covenanted rewards and punishments are not of this world, but hereafter. God hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righteousness, by that man whom he hath ordained.'*

Our Lord compares the rise and progress of this kingdom to the growth of corn and of mustard seed. The image of the corn growing gradually, and by a secret process, suggests the steady progress of Chris

*Acts xviii. 31.

tianity, by ways past finding out; the rapid rise and wonderful spread of the mustard plant suggests the contrast between the Gospel in its maturity, and its obscure and humble beginning.

JESUS CALMS THE SEA.

Ver. 35-41.

And the same day, when the even was come, he said unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?

One of the characteristics of Christ's miracles noticed in the early part of these readings was, that they sometimes implied a claim to those attributes, which, from long habit or especial revelation, the Jews ascribed to Jehovah alone. Of this kind was healing the leprosy; and of this kind, perhaps, was the miracle of calming the sea. In the Psalms, the control of the sea is made a frequent and striking image of the exercise of Omnipotence, and the Psalms were the poetry,

* See Psalm lxxvii. 19; xciii. 4.

the light reading, of the nation, that portion of Jewish literature, with which our Lord's uneducated followers were likely to be best acquainted. National ballads are familiar even to the rudest peasantry; and the psalter comprised the national melodies of the Israelites.

His apostles too, it should be further remarked, belonged to a worldly calling, which made this miracle particularly striking to them. They were fishermen. This very lake was the water on which they pursued their calling. Of all men, they were qualified to decide whether the calming of the storm was according to the course of nature, or miraculous; and of all men, they were most likely to be impressed by the miracle.

CHAPTER V.

JESUS CURES A DEMONIAC, AND PERMITS THE EVIL SPIRITS TO GO INTO A HERD OF SWINE.

Ver. 1-20.

And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones. But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him, and cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not. For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit. And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many. And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country. Now there was there, nigh unto the mountains, a great herd of swine feeding. And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea. And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done. And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and

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