Let us see that our

Does our knowledge knowledge of Christ Does our knowledge of

with the words upon our lips. knowledge bears fruit in our lives. of sin make us hate it? Does our make us trust and love Him? God's will make us strive to do it? Does our knowledge of the fruits of the Spirit make us labour to show them in our daily behaviour? Knowledge of this kind is really profitable. Any other religious knowledge will only add to our condemnation at the last day.

We should notice, secondly, in this passage, the almighty power of our Lord Jesus Christ. We see sicknesses and devils alike yielding to His command. He rebukes unclean spirits, and they come forth from the unhappy people whom they had possessed. He rebukes a fever, and lays his hands on sick people, and at once their diseases depart, and the sick are healed.

We cannot fail to observe many like cases in the four Gospels. They occur so frequently that we are apt to read them with a thoughtless eye, and forget the mighty lesson which each one is meant to convey. They are all intended to fasten in our minds the great truth that Christ is the appointed Healer of every evil which sin has brought into the world. Christ is the true antidote and remedy for all the soul-ruining mischief which Satan has wrought on mankind. Christ is the universal physician to whom all the children of Adam must repair, if they would be made whole. In Him is life, and health, and liberty. This is the grand doctrine which every miracle of mercy in the Gospel is ordained and appointed to teach. Each is a plain witness to that mighty fact, which lies at the very foundation of the Gospel. The

ability of Christ to supply to the uttermost every want of human nature, is the very corner-stone of Christianity. Christ, in one word, is "all." (Coloss. iii. 11.) Let the study of every miracle help to engrave this truth deeply on our hearts.

We should notice, thirdly, in these verses, our Lord's practice of occasional retirement from public notice into some solitary place. We read, that after healing many that were sick and casting out many devils, "he departed and went into a desert place." His object in so doing is shown by comparison with other places in the Gospels. He went aside from His work for a season, to hold communion with His Father in heaven, and to pray. Holy and sinless as His human nature was, it was a nature kept sinless in the regular use of means of grace, and not in the neglect of them.

There is an example here which all who desire to grow in grace and walk closely with God would do well to follow. We must make time for private meditation, and for being alone with God. It must not content us to pray daily and read the Scriptures,-to hear the Gospel regularly and to receive the Lord's Supper. All this is well. But something more is needed. We should set apart special seasons for solitary self-examination and meditation on the things of God. How often in a year this practice should be attempted each Christian must judge for himself. But that the practice is most desirable seems clear both from Scripture and experience. We live in hurrying bustling times. The excitement of daily business and constant engagements keeps many men in a perpetual whirl, and entails great peril on souls. The

neglect of this habit of withdrawing occasionally from worldly business is the probable cause of many an inconsistency or backsliding which brings scandal on the cause of Christ. The more work we have to do the more we ought to imitate our Master. If He, in the midst of His abundant labours, found time to retire from the world occasionally, how much more may we? If the Master found the practice necessary, it must surely be a thousand times more necessary for His disciples.

We ought to notice, lastly, in these verses, the declaration of our Lord as to one of the objects of His coming into the world. We read that He said, "I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore was I sent."

An expression like this ought to silence for ever the foolish remarks that are sometimes made against preaching. The mere fact that the eternal Son of God undertook the office of a preacher, should satisfy us that preaching is one of the most valuable means of grace. To speak of preaching, as some do, as a thing of less importance than reading public prayers or administering the sacraments, is, to say the least, to exhibit ignorance of Scripture. It is a striking circumstance in our Lord's history, that although He was almost incessantly preaching, we never read of His baptizing any person. The witness of John is distinct on this point: "Jesus baptized not." (John iv. 2.)

Let us beware of despising preaching. In every age of the Church, it has been Gods's principal instrument for the awakening of sinners and the edifying of saints. The days when there has been little or no preaching have been days when there has been little or no good

done in the Church. Let us hear sermons in a prayerful and reverent frame of mind, and remember that they are the principal engines which Christ Himself employed, when He was upon earth. Not least, let us pray daily for a continual supply of faithful preachers of God's word. According to the state of the pulpit will always be the state of a congregation and of a Church.

NOTES. LUKE IV. 33-44.

33.-[An unclean devil.] This expression is one which occurs frequently in the Gospels. It is probably intended to teach the awful truth that works of uncleanness, in breach of the seventh commandment, are works which Satan especially labours to promote. It may also teach us that those who were given over to satanic possession, were often people who had been specially addicted to sins of uncleanness and impurity.

34.-[What have we to do with thee?] The words so translated are the same expression that we find used by our Lord to His mother at the marriage of Cana in Galilee. (John ii. 4.) It seems impossible to avoid the conclusion that they imply something of rebuke.

35.-[Hold thy peace.] The literal meaning of the word so translated is, "Be muzzled." (1 Cor. ix. 9; 1 Tim v. 18.) It is the same expression that our Lord addresses to the stormy sea, (Mark iv. 39,) where it is rendered "Be still."

[Thrown him into the midst.] This is one of those expressions in the Gospels, which show clearly that satanic possession was a distinct thing from lunacy, epilepsy, or any other common form of mental or physical disease

46

36.-[All amazed.] The word would be translated more literally, amazement was upon all." The expression is one peculiar to St. Luke, (Luke v. 9; Acts iii .10,) and specially describes that state of mind which is produced in people by the sight of something supernatural or divine.

[What a word is this.] Scholefield says that this would be better translated, "What is this word?"

37.-[The fame.] The word so rendered is translated in the only other place where it is used, "the sound." "A sound from heaven," Acts ii. 2, and the "sound of a tempest," Heb. xii. 19. 38.-[Simon's wife's mother.] Let it be carefully noted here that the Apostle Simon Peter was a married man. The Romish doctrine of the celibacy of the clergy finds no countenance in the Bible.

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39.-[Stood over.] The word so rendered is more commonly translated, "coming in," "coming upon," and "standing by." Luke ii. 9, 38, and Acts xxii. 20, and xxiii 11. The present is the only place where it is translated, "standing over.'

39.-[Immediately she arose and ministered.] The completeness of our Lord's cures is shown in this expression. It is notorious that fevers leave people too weak for any exertion, even when they begin to recover and are out of danger.

LUKE V. 1-11.

1 And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret,

2 And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their

nets.

3 And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship.

4 Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.

5 And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.

6 And when they had this done,

they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.

7 And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink.

8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, Lord.

9 For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken :

10 And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.

11 And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.

WE have, in these verses, the history of what is commonly called the miraculous draught of fishes. It is a remarkable miracle on two accounts.-For one thing, it shows us our Lord's complete dominion over the animal creation. The fish of the sea are as much obedient to His will, as the frogs, and flies, and lice, and locusts, in the plagues of Egypt. All are His servants, and all obey His commands.-For another thing, there is a singular similarity between this miracle,