dreadful, that it would have been a better thing for him to have been drowned like a dog, with a great stone round his neck, rather than have brought that punishment upon himself. (Mark ix. 42; vol. iii., page 261.) This certainty that snares will be laid, makes it the more necessary that Christians should be upon their guard, and take care how they walk, where there is so great a likelihood of stumbling.

To give an instance how the heart is often ensnared into unchristian anger, by the provoking conduct of another, and to point out the manner in which a disciple of Jesus should avoid the snare ; our Lord referred to the question formerly put to him by Peter, concerning the degree to which forgiveness ought to be carried, and repeated the instruction he then gave. (Lev. xix. 17, 18. Matt. xviii. 15-35, vol. iii. pages 288 & 297.) Whenever we are injured or offended by any person, we are, in the first place, to shew him his error, and to reprove him with faithful kindness. (Heb. iii. 13.) If upon this he confesses himself in the wrong, we are immediately to give him a free forgiveness. And if this should occur over and over again seven times in the same day, a Christian must forgive such an offender, even as many times as he acknowledges his fault; not allowing him to wear out our patience, but thus overcoming evil with good.

When the Apostles heard this, they asked him to enable them to be more believing than they felt they were probably feeling how difficult it was for them to practise such a degree of forgiveness. This shews that they had more fully learnt to look upon him in his divine character; since

none but God could have power to give the gift of faith. In answer to this, the Lord repeated the same strong statement that he had made, when they had before enquired of him, after the transfiguration, why they could not cast out the devil from the possessed child. (Matt. xvii. 19, 20.) He illustrated the power of faith, by comparing it (as before) to a grain of mustard-seed, and supposing it to be exercised in commanding a tree to be torn up by the roots and transplanted into the sea: whereas in the former case, it was the removing of a mountain into a valley that he supposed. To understand his present answer, the explanation given of the former one should be referred to; it will be found in the hundred and second portion, vol. iii., page 233.

Perhaps the apostles thought it a work of great merit to shew such forbearance as Jesus required of his disciples. If so, our Lord corrected this mistaken notion, adding to his description of faith another comparison. He put this case :-suppose one of them had happened to be a farmer, and, after going about the fields all day, had come home with a labourer who had been driving plough or attending to the stock, would he say to that labourer," sit down to your supper first?" Would he not say on the contrary, "go and bring my supper, and wait on me till I have done, and then you shall have your meal afterwards?" And when the servant had done as he was told, would the master consider himself under an obligation to the man for his services? 66 -"Surely not," said our Lord. Then he applied the comparison to the obedience required of us-when a Christian shall have done, to the very utmost

whatever God commands, he must remember that in so doing, he has conferred no favour-he has only fulfilled his proper duty.

Jesus was still journeying onward towards Jerusalem (see page 161); and had now come to the very end of lower Galilee, at that part where it touches upon Samaria. As he was going into a village there-abouts, it happened that ten unhappy men afflicted with the leprosy were walking towards him, keeping at a distance from their fellow men, according to the law. A particular account was given of this disease and of the law concerning it, in the forty-fourth portion; upon the first occasion on which Jesus healed a leper. (Matt. viii. 2-4. &c. &c. vol. ii., page 10.) This account should be read now in order to understand the present miracle.

When these ten lepers saw Jesus, they cried out to him, calling him by name as their master or Lord, and entreated him to have mercy upon them, and heal them. Jesus bid them go to the priests, and shew themselves; which was what persons cleansed from the leprosy were required to do by the law. (Lev. xiv. 2, 3, 11.) They were still suffering from the disease; but when he desired them to go to the priests, they all set out for that purpose at once. On their road they found that their leprosy left them; so that, by the time they came to the priests, they were in the proper state to be declared "cleansed."

One of these lepers, as soon as he found the miracle which had been done upon him, immediately expressed his thankfulness to God by speaking loudly of his praise; and instead of going on to the priests, he turned back again to find Jesus.

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When he came near him, he put his face on the ground in token of worship, and gave him thanks for the mercy that he had shewn him. This man was not a Jew, but one of the people of Samaria. Jesus asked whether all the ten lepers had not received the same benefit, and been healed? and if so, what had become of the other nine? Out of all that were cleansed, there was but one who had come back to give the glory where it was due and he was a foreigner, who had not been brought up as one of God's people. Jesus then shewed, the great distinction between that kind of faith which had induced the nine men to go to the priests at his word, (and so fitted them to receive the bodily healing) and that real faith coupled with love, (1 Cor. xiii. 2; see vol. iii., p. 229) through which is worked that greater miracle, the healing of the soul from the leprosy of sin. He bid this man go home; telling him that his faith (as distinguished from that of the other men) had brought upon him the trne healing. (Matt. ix. 2-8. Luke vii. 48-50.)

V. THE REPETITION.

Now read again the Scripture: See No. II.

VI. THE APPLICATION.

1. The duty of Christian watchfulness in our conduct lest we should give occasion for sin in others, is here very strongly pointed out. Doubtless every sinner is justly chargeable with his own offences against God; and he will be condemned for them, unless he avails himself of that atonement which Christ has made for them. But this only increases the fearful responsibility of those who, through sinful negligence or selfish disregard of another's weakness, become the occasion of

exciting sin in him; when the stumbling-block, over which he fell, could by any means have been taken out of the way, without denying Christ, or acting inconsistently with his word. A true Christian will be induced by love for his fellow-sinners to forego many things which he might otherwise enjoy, rather than put "an occasion to fall" in the way of another. (Rom. xiv. 13-23. 1 Cor. viii. 9-13.) In the case however referred to by our Lord the occasion of fall is caused by those who are enemies to Christ's cause. The "Woe" declared against such is very terrible: and at the same time the certainty that there will always be found ungodly persons, ready to draw into sin those who make a religious profession, should be a continued motive to great watchfulness that we may avoid the snares thus laid for us.

QUESTIONS.

In following any course of conduct do I take into consideration, whether it is likely to be the occasion of sin in others?

Am I willing to practise self-denial, in order to avoid this? Am I careful to distinguish between sacrificing Christian principle, and giving up my own gratification, for such an object? Am I watchful over my own conduct, lest I be drawn into sin by the snares of worldly company?

2. With respect to the duty of forgiveness, the following applications of former portions should be referred to. The seventh application of the 36th portion, vol. i. p. 310; the first and second application of the 108th portion, vol. iii. pages 286 and 287; and the application to the 109th, vol. iii. page 301.

3. With respect to the nature of the faith spoken of in this portion, the third application of the 102nd portion should be referred to, volume iii. page 239.