rewarded like these dutiful servants; if we reject them,

we cast ourselves away.

They "believed on "believed on Him"

III. The faith of the disciples. Him." They had in some sense before, and, indeed, in a high degree. They had confessed Him the Messiah, the Son of GOD, the King of Israel. (S. John i. 41, 49.) But the nature of the Messiahship they did not rightly understand until the day of Pentecost. Still their belief now was higher than before. His wisdom had before converted them; now His power assured them. They saw He could command nature at His pleasure; that submission to His FATHER'S will alone had restrained Him from miracle before; that He wrought not for display (for all did not know what was done, v. 9), but for benevolence, and at the desire of one, who, though so near and dear, was of humblest station. Well might they

believe!

The Apostles at this time had the miracle of Cana only we know wonders of our LORD's hand which few have numbered-and we know that, if all were recorded, they would be innumerable. (S. John xx. 30, 31; xxi. 25.) They were written that we might believe, and live; let us believe that we may live. Let our LORD's miracles confirm and exalt our faith; and let this particular one guide us to the law of His general dispensation. Let us learn that-

1. The purest pleasures draw all their worth from His presence. In particular, marriage can have no blessing without Him. "O SAVIOUR . . . there is no holy marriage where Thou art not, however invisible, yet truly present by Thy Spirit, by Thy gracious bene

diction." (Bp. Hall's Contemplations on the New Testament, ii. 5.) No form of marriage is appointed in Holy Scripture-and the State may sanction marriages which involve indeed all the obligations to duty; but which, if destitute of prayer and the benediction of His Church, want all the grace needful to perform it, and all the blessing needful to make them happy; and therefore can only prove so, through a mercy for which there is no warrant of promise.

2. We should have and join no pleasures, no connections, to which He cannot be invited.

3. While the purest pleasures of earth, like the wine at Cana, fail, He can turn the simplest occurrences, the lowliest duties, into sweet and uncloying delights. (Isa. lv. 1.)

4. When we have made trial of His comforts, we find that they are "the good wine," and wonder how we could have been so intoxicated with earthly pleasures.

5. The world sets forth its best pleasures first, and when men have well drunk of them, then the worse; but CHRIST keeps the good wine till the last; it will not lose its flavour on the fevered lip of death; but will be best still; and if we store it till then, when we shall need it most, we may hope to enjoy it ever, at the marriage supper of the Lamb. (S. Matt. xxvi. 29; Rev. xix. 9.)

IX.

Third Sunday after Epiphany.

Subject. The Godhead and manhood of CHRIST manifested in the cleansing of a leper.

Text. S. Matt. viii. 2, 3. 66 'Behold, there came a leper and worshipped Him, saying, LORD, if Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean. And Jesus put forth His hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed."

Parallel Texts. S. Mark i. 40, seqq.; S. Luke v. 12, seqq. (See S. Luke xvii. 12.)

Illustrative Scriptures. Lev. xiii. xiv.; Numb. v. 1—4; xii.; Deut. xxiv. 8, 9.

Principal Words. λεπρὸς—καθαρίσαι, καθαρίσθητι, ἐκαθαρίσθη.

HAVING manifested His Godhead to His “parents,” and to His kindred, our LORD now manifests it to a stranger, though a Jew. The subject is rich in matter of reflection. Let us examine then,—

1. The conduct of the leper. His faith was—

1. Strong. Measure its strength by the promptiOur LORD did not send him, like

tude of the cure.

the ten, to the priest first, leaving faith to operate the

cure on the way.

No such trial was needed.

leper's faith, in this regard, was perfect.

The

2. Lofty and enlightened. He worshipped Him.

No doubt роσkvvéw is used for homage inferior to Divine worship. (S. Mark has yoνUTETŵv.—S. Luke, the stronger expression, πεσὼν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον.) But could it have been so here? Look at the words accompanying the action: look at the power which they ascribe to CHRIST, even according to our own natural views! What impiety it would be to say of any mere man that it depended on His will whether we should be healed of the very smallest disease! No prophet, no Apostle, had power like this. The Apostles cleansed lepers, but it was CHRIST that gave the power. (S. Matt. x. 8.) But regard the transaction according to Jewish views. The Jews, and Orientals generally, referred leprosy to the immediate hand of GOD. (2 Kings v. 7.) The consideration of it belonged, not to the physician, but the priest, who alone was instructed to declare its beginning and cessation. GOD alone, by His immediate power, was deemed the healer of leprosy. What then must we regard this leper's confession? "He said not, If Thou ask it of GOD,' or, 'If Thou pray,' but, If Thou WILT.' Nor did he say, 'LORD, cleanse me;' but he refers the whole matter to Him, and makes Him LORD of his cure, and testifies that the whole authority is His.” (S. Chrysostom, Hom. xxv. in Matthæum.) How did the leper attain these views? From the Holy Scriptures, (Isa. vii. 14; ix. 6; Mic. v. 2,) and from the miracles which he had seen or heard. The Centurion in this day's Gospel was equally aware of our LORD'S Godhead.

3. Imperfect, as regards his estimate of our LORD'S will. Here he doubts. But JESUS had never cast

out one suppliant-and the Scriptures which testified the omnipotence of MESSIAH testified also His compassion. (Isa. xl. 11.)

II. The conduct of our LORD.

1. He accepted and confirmed the leper's testimony. "But what if the leper was mistaken in his opinion? It was then a duty to refute, to reprove him, to set him right. Did JESUS thus? by no means, but quite the contrary: He even confirms and corroborates the word. With this view, He does not even say, 'Be thou clean,' but, 'I WILL, be thou clean :' that the opinion may not rest on the belief of the applicant, but on His own decision. Not thus the Apostles; when the whole people were astonished, they said, 'Why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?' (See Acts iii. 12.) But the LORD, though He often spake many things beneath His glory, yet here, to settle the opinion of those who regarded His authority with wonder, says, 'I WILL, be thou clean.'” (S. Chrysostom, in continuation as above.)

2. He evidenced the power which He claimed.

"He

did not say, and not do; but the effect followed immediately. Had He spoken blasphemy, the effect would have been cut off; but, as it was, nature yielded to the command, and with befitting speed, and swifter than the Evangelist has described. For the word immediately is much slower than the rapidity with which the work was effected." "But why did He add the touch, when He could cleanse with will and word? That He might show He was not subject to the law, but above it; and that to the pure