"made as though he would have gone further." He desired to see if they were weary of His conversation. But it was not so. "They constrained Him, saying, abide with us for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And He went in to tarry with them."

Cases like this are not uncommon in Scripture. Our Lord sees it good for us to prove our love, by withholding mercies till we ask for them. He does not always force His gifts upon us, unsought and unsolicited. He loves to draw out our desires, and to compel us to exercise our spiritual affections, by waiting for our prayers. He dealt so with Jacob at Peniel. "Let me go," He said, "for the day breaketh." And then came the noble declaration from Jacob's lips, "I will not let thee go except thou bless me." (Gen. xxxii. 26.) The story of the Canaanitish mother, the story of the healing of two blind men at Jericho, the story of the nobleman at Capernaum, the parables of the unjust judge and friend at midnight, are all meant to teach the same lesson. All show that our Lord loves to be entreated, and likes importunity.

Let us act on this principle in all our prayers, if we know anything of praying. Let us ask much, and ask often, and lose nothing for want of asking. Let us not be like the Jewish King who smote three times on the ground, and then stayed his hand. (2 Kings xiii. 18.) Let us rather remember the words of David's Psalm, "Open thy mouth wide and I will fill it." (Psal. lxxxi. 10.) It is the man who puts a holy constraint on Christ in prayer, who enjoys much of Christ's manifested pre

sence.

NOTES. LUKE XXIV. 13–35.

13.-[Two of them.] We are not told who these two disciples were, except that one of them was named Cleopas. Several conjectures have been made about the other one. Epiphanius supposes he was Nathanael. Origen calls him Simeon. Ambrose calls him Amaon. Theophylact suggests that it was Luke himself. All this is guesswork. We know nothing certain about it, excepting this, that it could not have been one of the apostles. We are distinctly told that when these two disciples returned to Jerusalem "they found the eleven gathered together."-This point ought to be carefully noticed.

Lightfoot says, "It seems to me beyond question, that one of the disciples going to Emmaus was Peter, who hearing from the women that the Lord had risen, and sent him a message, and spoken of going to Galilee, took Cleopas and made off towards Galilee."-This opinion seems very improbable.

[Went that same day.] Henry says on this expression, “I suspect that they were going homeward to Galilee, with an intention not to inquire more about this Jesus; that they were meditating a retreat, and went away from their company without asking or taking leave."-This is, no doubt, an ingenious conjecture. But I see nothing to warrant it.

16.-[Should not know him.] Let it be noted here, that St. Mark mentions that He "appeared in another form." (Mark xvi. 12.) This circumstance would account for their not recognizing Him. At the same time it is clear that in some miraculous way the eyes of the disciples were holden or restrained from seeing aright. (See 2 Kings vi. 17-20.)

17.-[He said.] Bengel remarks here, that "it is the part of wisdom to pass with ease into profitable conversation."

[What manner...communications...ye have.] The literal rendering of the Greek words here would be, "What sayings or words are these which ye cast against one another, or bandy about?"

The parallel between Joseph and our Lord Jesus Christ ought to be noticed at this part of our Lord's history. The conduct of Joseph in not discovering himself to his brethren, and in trying them by delay, was a type of our Lord's dealings with His two disciples before manifesting Himself to them. The whole history of Joseph is probably much more typical than we suppose. 18.-[Art thou only a stranger, &c.] The Greek words so rendered are somewhat peculiar. Alford translates them, "Dost thou lodge alone at Jerusalem?"-Major renders them, "Art thou that one individual who sojournest at Jerusalem, and hast not known," &c.,-meaning, "There surely cannot be another, whether stranger or resident, who has not heard of these events."

The whole verse is an important evidence of the publicity and notoriety of our Lord Jesus Christ's crucifixion.

19.-[What things?] Our Lord, both here and at a latter part of His history draws out from the disciples their opinions, feelings, and wishes. By asking a question He elicits a declaration of the exact state of their minds about Himself.

[A prophet, &c.] The exceeding dimness of the disciples' apprehension of our Lord's divinity and atonement, is strikingly brought out in this description.

[Before God and the people.] This must mean By the testimony both of God and the Jewish nation."-We read elsewhere that God bare him witness by signs and wonders." (Acts ii. 22.) The people also "bare record." (John xii. 17.)

21.-[He which should have redeemed Israel.] The exact kind of redemption expected by the disciples we are left to conjecture. But it is clear that like most Jews, they looked much more for a temporal Redeemer than a spiritual one. They looked for a redemption like that of their forefathers out of Egypt. Hence their excessive perplexity and amazement, when He who they thought would prove the Redeemer was crucified.

[To-day is the third day.] There certainly seems a reference in the mind of Cleopas to something which was to happen on the "third day," according to promise. He speaks like one who had an indistinct recollection of our Lord's sayings about rising again upon the third day, but had never understood their meaning.

Lightfoot remarks on this verse, what notice the Rabbins take of the third day, and conjectures that the Jewish idea about the third day may be traced in the saying of Cleopas, as well as a reference to our Lord's predictions. He points out the frequency with which the third day is referred to in the Old Testament. (Gen. xxii. 4; Hosea vi. 2; Gen. xlii. 18; Jos. ii. 16; Exod. xix. 16; Jonah i. 17; Ezra viii. 15; Esther v. 1.)

24. [Certain of them, &c.]
having gone to the grave.
accompanied him.
25.-[Fools.] The Greek word so rendered is not the same word
which is so translated in the sermon on the mount. (Matt. v. 22.)
Here it only means "wanting in thought, understanding, and
consideration," and does not imply any contempt.

St. Luke has only told us of Peter
From St. John we learn that John

[Slow of heart to believe all...prophets...spoken.] This expression should be carefully noted. The disciples believed many things which the prophets had spoken. But they did not believe all. They believed the predictions of Messiah's glory, but not of Messiah's sufferings. Christians in modern times too often err in like manner, though in a totally different direction. They believe all that the prophets say about Christ's sufferings, but

not all that they say about Christ coming the second time in glory.

26.-[Ought not.] This means,

66

was it not fitting, meet, and needful; did it not behove," in order to the fulfilment of prophecies and types, that Christ should suffer? It is the same Greek word translated “behoved,” at the 46th verse.

[Suffered...enter...glory.] Here our Lord briefly states the whole truth concerning the expected Messiah. He was one who was to suffer first and afterwards to reign,-to be cut off first and afterwards have a kingdom,-to be led as a lamb to the slaughter first, and afterwards to divide the spoil as a conqueror. 27.-[Beginning at Moses, &c.] Many a commentator has remarked on this verse, that it would have been a blessing to the Church if it had possessed the exposition which our Lord here gave. For wise reasons it has been withheld from us. Several have attempted to supply conjecturally the general substance of this exposition, and specially Gerhard, Bullinger, and Stella. But it is probable that we have, at best, very inadequate ideas of the fulness of our Lord's exposition. Judging from the use He made of Scripture during His ministry, He saw probably many "things concerning Himself" which modern commentators utterly fail to discover.

Alford remarks, "Observe the testimony which this verse gives to the divine authority, and Christian interpretation of the Old Testament Scriptures. The denial of reference to Christ's death and glory in the Old Testament, is a denial of Christ's own teaching."

28.-[He made as though...gone further.] Many very unprofitable remarks have been made on this expression. Some have gone so far as to assert that it justifies dissimulation and a certain degree of untruthfulness on some occasions. Such assertions are too monstrous and absurd to deserve serious refutation.

Alford remarks, "It is not implied that our Lord said anything to indicate that He would go further, but simply that He was passing on." He quotes also a passage from Jeremy Taylor's Sermon on Christian Simplicity, explanatory of this expression: —“ Our blessed Saviour pretended that He would pass forth from Emmaus; but if He intended not to do it, He did no injury to the two disciples, for whose good He intended to make this offer. Neither did He prevaricate the strictness of simplicity and sincerity, because they were persons with whom He had made no contracts, to whom He had passed no obligations. In the nature of the thing it is proper and natural by an offer to give an occasion to another to do good actions; and in case it succeeds not then to do what was intended not And so the offer was conditional."

I have quoted this passage from a desire to meet the possible objections of scrupulous consciences. To my own mind it seems surprising that any one can stumble at the expression before us, or can find ground for supposing that our Lord meant to deceive. Our Lord used the readiest and most natural means to draw out the feelings of His disciples, by walking on as if He intended to go further. But it seems to me as unreasonable to see in this an intention to deceive, as it would be to see dishonesty in His first question, “What manner of communications are these that ye have?" He knew all things, and had no real occasion to ask. But He asked in order to draw out the minds of His disciples. 29.-[They constrained him.] Let it be noted that we have several instances of expressions like this in Scripture used upon similar occasions. Abraham said, "Pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant." (Gen. xxxii. 26.) Gideon said, "Depart not hence, I pray thee, until I come unto thee." (Judges vi. 18.) Manoah and his wife said, "I pray thee, let us detain thee." (Judges xiii. 15.) All show that God loves to be entreated of His people, and that those who would have much must ask much, and even use a holy violence.

The action men

30.-[He took bread...blessed...brake...gave, &c.]
tioned here has occasioned much difference of opinion.

1. Some think that no particular sense is to be attached to the expression, and that it means that Jesus was recognized at the time when He brake bread.

2. Some think that there was something peculiar in our Lord's manner and demeanour at breaking of bread, which was well known to the disciples. Lyranus and Stella even go so far as to say that He broke bread in a miraculous manner, like one cutting with a knife. According to Schottgen, Jewish teachers used to be known and recognized by their disciples by their peculiar gestures.

3. Some think that the whole passage refers to the Lord's Supper. This opinion is stoutly defended by Maldonatus and Cornelius à Lapide, the Romish commentators, and maintained even by Wordsworth among modern English Protestants.-The two Romish writers go so far as to maintain that the passage shows the propriety of the bread only and not the cup being given to the laity in the Lord's Supper. It is only fair to say that not all Romish writers maintain this opinion respecting the Lord's Supper being meant. Jansenius and Stella deny it entirely. Barradius and Bellarmine allow that it is just as probable that the Lord's Supper is not meant, as that it is meant !

I have little doubt that the expression refers to some wellknown and peculiar gesture of our Lord in the act of breaking bread, with which all His disciples were familiar. I think it even