brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question."

Some indeed have censured Paul for having had recourse to such an expedient. Those persons should remember that Paul stated nothing but the truth. It was true that he was a Pharisee, held all the theological tenets of that sect, and had been brought up from a child in that school. It was also true that the grand doctrine of the body's resurrection, was one of the leading themes of his discourses everywhere. (Acts xiii. 34, xvii. 31, 32; xxvi. 23-25; 1 Cor. xv.) And was, moreover, true that the proclamation of this doctrine was the cause of much of his persecution. All, therefore, that he did was with a master-stroke of policy to declare a truth which would put him in sympathy with the Pharisees, who formed perhaps the most influential part of that judicial assembly, before which he now stood as a criminal.

Secondly: The effect of the policy which that Apostle now employed. It answered the end he sought. It divided the Sanhedrim and got the Pharisees on his side :

"And when he had so said, there arose a great dissension between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the multitude was divided. For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit; but the Pharisees confess both. And there arose a great cry: and the scribes that were of the Pharisees' part arose, and strove, saying, We find no evil in this man, but if a spirit or an angel hath spoken to him, let us not fight against God. And when there arose a great dissension, the chief captain, fearing lest Paul should have been pulled in pieces of them, commanded the soldiers to go down, and to take him by force from among them, and to bring him into the castle."

Three results come out of the policy of the Apostle on this occasion. (1) A manifestation of the irritating power of a sectionising dogma. The resurrection of the dead, which was a grand truth to the Apostle, was a mere dogma both to the Sadducees and Pharisees, accepted by one and rejected by the other. But it was just that dogma that divided them into

VOL. XX.

T

258

HOMILETIC GLANCE AT THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES.

two sects, that marshalled them into opposing forces. As a rule, whatever idea divides one religious sect from another, is the idea to raise in order to awaken sectarian bitterness and battle. Immersion, Episcopacy, Presbyterianism, Independency, these things which make sects,-raise them into discussion, and you will awaken irritation in the parties they divide. Paul knew human nature, and he raised the question that divided the Sanhedrim, and thus diverted attention from himself by awakening a conflict between themselves.

Another result is, (2) A demonstration of the Apostle's innocence. So little impressed was the Sanhedrim with the idea of the Apostle's criminality, that they forgot all about it in the disputation amongst themselves, and, more than this, the Pharisees actually said, "We find no evil in this man," and gave the advice which Gamaliel gave the same council some years before. "But if a spirit or an angel hath spoken to him, let us not fight against God." Another result that comes up from the policy employed by the Apostle is, (3) His deliverance from Jewish persecution. "And when there arose a great dissension, the chief captain, fearing lest Paul should have been pulled in pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down, and to take him by force from among them, and bring him into the castle."

In conclusion, do not get a wrong impression of Paul's policy. Though we have already seen him on various occasions displaying great prudence, for example, taking part in a Nazarite's vow in order to disarm the unreasoning hostility of his countrymen; then putting forward all the considerations which truth would authorise, in order to conciliate the mind of his Jewish audiences; then availing himself of his Roman citizenship in order to avoid the infliction of a cruel and unjust torture; and then, as in the case before us, taking advantage of the doctrine that divided his judges in order to avoid their verdict of condemnation: albeit in all those strokes of policy there is not the slightest approach to the disingenuous, the evasive, the shifting. In all there is an unbending honesty and an invincible courage.

of James.

(No. VI.)

SUBJECT: Divine Legislation for Man in a World of Evil. "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. Wherefore, lay apart all filthiness, and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the ingrafted word, which is able to save your souls."—Jas. i. 19—21.

SINCE

INCE (as we have seen) God is so far from being the author of evil, that He is working evermore for its destruction in man, "by the word of truth"-the Gospel-the practical inference of James is, "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be," &c. Here is Divine legislation for sinful man in a sinful world. Unlike the laws of men,

this commandment is so exceeding broad as to comprehend all the susceptibilities and faculties of human nature.

Thus we have here

I. LEGISLATION FOR THE EAR. "Be swift to hear." The ear is one of the chief, if not the chief of the receptive organs of the soul. This organ receives both good and evil. Of course the apostle does not mean "be swift to hear" the bad. Alas! the human ear is fearfully keen, as was that of Eve long ago, to evil sounds. It has a greed for the unchaste, the slanderous, the erroneous. The duty here enjoined is a readiness to listen to the pure, the generous, the true-"the word of truth." Teachableness is the state of mind required. This includes (1.) Freedom from prejudice. Prejudice stops the ear, as in the case of Stephen's murderers. (2.) Eagerness to learn. The cry should be that of young Samuel, "Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth."

II. LEGISLATION FOR THE TONGUE. "Be slow to speak." Neander says there is such a thing as self-willed silence, but as self-willed loquacity was the fault of the Church at the

time, against that James now writes. Evidently he does not mean (1.) Unsocial taciturnity. What is sulky and cynical speechlessness, but a "dumb devil?" Nor does James mean (2.) A drawling utterance. This is the speech of a lazy soul, whose monotonous sounds are somnific. The slowness of speech the apostle enjoins is that of Cautiousness. We should be cautious (a) Because we are in danger of speaking the wrong thing. Angels and all sinless beings may speak involuntarily, because the unwise, the unkind, the untrue, is not in them. But our speech is the channel of streams from a fountain more or less polluted. (6) Because we are in danger of speaking at the wrong time. There are appropriate seasons even for the utterance of the true in this world. Jesus often manifested a Divine reserve. "There

is a time to speak."

III. LEGISLATION FOR THE TEMPER. "Slow to wrath." The word used here, ópy, indicates an abiding, settled habit of the mind, with the purpose of revenge. In this injunctio there is one thing implied, and another thing expressed. The thing implied is, That men in this world of evil are in danger of being provoked to wrath. There is a great deal here to irritate, to awaken indignation, and to throw the soul off its balance. Even meek Moses lost his temper, and Pau called the high priest "thou whited wall." The thing expressed is, That wrath in no case tends to excellence of character. "The righteousness of God," here means the righteousness of character God requires. Passion never

produces piety.

IV. LEGISLATION FOR THE LIFE. "Lay apart all filthiness," &c. Here is the summing up of all. It insists upon (1.) Renunciation of all evil. The expression here, "superfluity of naughtiness," must not, of course, be understood as meaning that there is a certain malice, κakía, that is not superfluous, and need not be laid apart; but rather that all evil is superfluous, and must be renounced. (2.) Appropria tion of good. "Receive with meekness," &c. (a) The thing

received, "ingrafted word," &c. There is here implied about the Gospel, Its essential vitality. A dead thing cannot be ingrafted. Its fitness to human nature. What the stock is to the graft, the human soul is to the Gospel. (B) The manner of receiving it. "With meekness.' Manton well says, "there must be incision before insertion, meekness before ingrafting. (y) The reason for receiving it. "Able to save your souls." The Gospel is able to save your souls. Its great theme is an Almighty Saviour.

(No. VII.)

SUBJECT: The Word of Words.

"But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: for he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed."-Jas. i. 22-25.

The apostle has shown in an earlier portion of this chapter that God is restoring men to holiness by "the word of truth”— -the Gospel, and then having enjoined upon those to whom he writes this epistle, rightfully to receive that Gospel, he proceeds in our text to show what is the effect of the "word" upon the two great classes of those who have to do with it. Thus there is noticed in this injunction,

I. "THE WORD" AS MERELY HEARD. He entreats men not to be "hearers only." They are to avoid this because of two consequences which result whenever the word is merely heard. (1.) It is only superficially known. The Divine commands must be translated into human conduct before they are rightly understood and appreciated. They are for the life, and the life alone can interpret them. "He that doeth the will knoweth the doctrine." (2.) It leaves men in self-ignorance. It is true of the whole Gospel, as it was of the life of Jesus, that by it "the thoughts of many hearts shall be revealed." With it we see both our likeness and unlikeness to God. But