roof,1 into the midst of the assembly, before Jesus. In the first place, the Lord announced to the paralytic the forgiveness of his sins! He then declared to the Pharisees, who were disposed to regard the announcement as blasphemy, that He would confirm the power of the Son of man on earth to forgive sins, and forthwith, addressing Himself to the paralytic, said, 'I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go unto thine house.' It was a wonderful transformation of the scene, when the man immediately took on his shoulders the bed on which he had, the moment before, been lying so helpless, and when, in the place of the dumb entreaty, which had appeared in his pitiable appearance, there were heard the loud praises of God, with which he departed to his own house. All the spectators were beside themselves. With the feeling of happy astonishment, there alternated here also emotions of holy fear, which appalled every heart, and gave occasion to the cry, 'Unheard-of things have we seen to-day!' These are the two fundamental forms of the saving power of Christ: He delivers man from the corrupt substance of his sickness—from his leprosy; and He quickens his numb and impotent members with new life.

That the main object, however, which He has in view is the deliverance of sinners from their sins, becomes at once manifest. Already, in the case of the first miracle, He attaches the help rendered to the exercise of faith. In the second miracle He makes the absolution of the heart precede the healing of the body. And now He gives it speedily to be known, that His aim above all is directed to sinners needing salvation.

There followed, namely, the call of Matthew from the receipt of custom, to a place in the circle of disciples. Levi left all and followed Him. He first made Him, however, a great feast in his own house; and His fellow-guests consisted of a great company of publicans and others—of a like description. This occasioned a murmuring among the Pharisees and their scribes, who reproached His disciples, because they ate and drank with publicans and sinuers. To this Jesus replied with the proverb, They that are whole need not a physician, but they that are sick; and with the declaration, that He came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

1 Some documents have the addition-ἀποστεγάσαντες τοὺς κεράμους: vid. Lachmann.

On this, they gave utterance to a second ground of offence. This had still less in its favour, even an apparent foundation in the law. And therefore He also, no doubt, assumed the milder tone of surprise, which they had exhibited to Himself. The disciples of John,' it was said, 'fast often, and hold exercises for prayer; as likewise the Pharisees. Why then do thine eat and drink?' 'Can ye,' was the answer of Jesus, according to Luke, 'make the companions of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? Those days shall indeed come,' said He further; 'and when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, then shall they fast in those days.' In conclusion, He spoke to them this parable: 'No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old; and if he does so, the new also maketh a rent, and the piece of the new fitteth not to the old. And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: if he do it nevertheless, the new wine bursts the bottles, and is spilled, and the bottles perish. But new wine must be put into new bottles, and both are preserved.' Jesus added, according to Luke, a kindly word, which should serve to excuse the honest amongst those narrow-minded persons: 'No man also, who is accustomed to drink old wine, straightway desireth new; for he saith, The old is better.' (And even if it should be more acrid, it still seems to him, or he persuades himself, and seeks to persuade others, that the old is milder.)1 Whilst, however, He asserted the gospel of Christian intercourse with publicans and sinners, and of Christian festivity against the Pharisees, not less did He maintain the rights of evangelical Sabbath celebration in works of necessity and of love.

First, He asserted the claims due to works of necessity.

On the second Sabbath after the first, the following occurrence took place. He went through the corn-fields, with His disciples; and these plucked the ears of corn, and ate them, rubbing them in their hands. For this, as an act of Sabbath desecration, they were reproved by certain Pharisees. Jesus, in reply, appealed to the example of David: Have ye not read what David did, when himself was an hungered, and those who were with him; how he went into the house of God, and did

1 Thus understood, the expression would be ironical; in which case, however, the remark is difficult to answer-That the old wine is really better, and was, and still is, universally held to be so' (Wetst.). Vid. De Wette, P. 41.

take and eat the shew-bread, and gave also to his companions, although it was lawful for the priests alone to partake of it?' To this He added the declaration, that the Son of man is Lord— a sovereign Ruler-even over the Sabbath.

The Lord then exhibited Sabbath celebration in works of love, which, as such, are for the most part also works of necessity.

The occurrence took place on another Sabbath-day, in the following manner :-Jesus entered into a synagogue and taught. There was present on that occasion a man with a withered hand. The scribes and Pharisees watched Him, whether He would heal on the Sabbath-day, that they might find an accusation against Him. But He knew their thoughts, and commanded the man to rise up and stand forth in the midst. When he had done so, Jesus said to them, I will ask you one thing; Is it lawful on the Sabbath-days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it?' And looking around on them all, He said to the man, Stretch forth thy hand.' The miraculous cure should, apparently, have then first followed. But it had already taken place-taken place in the most sudden and spirit-like manner, so as to give His enemies the least possible ground to object. Besides, their silence, when the question had been put, deprived them of all right to accuse Him. On that very account they were the more enraged, even to madness, and consulted together what they might do to Jesus.

The preservation and prolongation of life in the first instance, the restoration of health and the removal of that which deforms life in the second-these constitute the Sabbath celebration of Christ.

There has thus unrolled itself before our eyes a life-picture of the Gospel in facts. It begins as a divine help presented to faith; then bases its supernatural blessings on the forgiveness of sins; turns with decisive purpose to penitent publicans and sinners; connects the ministration of grace with the festive occasions of life, and turns them into a free, joyful manifestation of new life and love, in spite of the suspicions, the censures, the mad rage, and even the murderous thoughts engendered by the fanaticism of religious tradition.

It accords with the Christian Hellenic character of Luke, to make the Gospel in facts precede the Gospel in doctrines. The

sacred school follows sacred experience. For the reception of His teachings, however, the Lord formed for Himself a narrower circle of disciples, by the calling of the Twelve. These He also, indeed, named apostles; but in the first instance He chose them as disciples, that they might learn of Him. In those days He went up into a mountain to pray; and continued all night in prayer to God. When the day broke, He called together His disciples-the wider circle of disciples-and of them He chose twelve. In this manner He called Simon (whom He also named Peter), and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew, Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alpheus, and Simon called Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, who was also the traitor.

They must thus first accompany Him as disciples before they went out from Him as apostles. Attended by them, He descended from the mountain, and stood on a level place.1 So likewise the multitude of His disciples, and a great concourse of people out of all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the sea-coast of Tyre and Sidon, who had come to hear Him, and to be healed of their diseases. The work of Christ began with healing those who were vexed with unclean spirits, so that in this manner the company of His hearers might be cleansed. The virtue, however, which went forth from Him wrought so powerfully, that the whole multitude pressed around Him, in order through contact with Him to receive vital power; and He healed them all. A quickening breath of life passed over the whole assembly.

After the necessary cures had been accomplished, the Lord lifted up His eyes on His disciples, and spoke the following words, which we have to distinguish as the sermon preached to the assembled multitude on the side of the mountain, from that preached in the circle of His intimate associates on the mountain top:

Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are ye that hunger now : for ye shall be filled. Blessed

are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh. Blessed are ye when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap

1 This mention of a level place just leads to the supposition of a position somewhere on the declivity of the mountain.

for joy; for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets. But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation. Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep. Woe unto you when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.

'But I say unto you-all-who hear (in contrast to the division of His audience into those two classes), Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,1 bless them that curse you, and pray for them-in secret-who-in secret-persecute you with calumnies.2

'Unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek, offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloak, forbid not to take thy coat also. Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away what is thine, ask it not again. And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.

'If ye love them-alone-who love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest for He is kind to the unthankful and to the evil.

'Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure with which ye mete it shall be measured to you again.'

This sermon of the Lord has two parts: the first part declares the right behaviour which is due to God; the second,

1 The two middle sentences follow each other more naturally in Luke than in Matthew.

2

2 Tāv iπnpeaÇóvtwv iμäs. A beautiful contrast, in connection with the previous clause.