:

even He Who of Himself laid down His life for them and still they are wanderers in the valley of death.

By this history our LORD JESUS CHRIST seems to say over again to us," Make to yourselves friends," true friends, friends who will not fail you, when ye fail yourselves, " of the mammon of unrighteousness:" use for GOD, what GOD has lent to you, so shall ye come to be with GOD.

LORD, we pray Thee, that Thy grace may always prevent and follow us and make us continually to be given to all good works, through JESUS CHRIST Our LORD.

CHAPTER XVII.

1 Then said He unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come !

By the word "offences" our LORD means temptations to fall away from Him, and from the truth and holiness in which He wills that His children should walk-woe indeed to those who tempt to sin, working for the great enemy of GOD and men.

2 It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.

"Little ones:" the Holy One may be speaking of children in age, or of grown up persons who are of humble simple heart and

children as to evil.

3 Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him;' and if he repent, forgive him.

4 And if he trespass against thee seven times in a

1 Prov. xxvii. 5; xxviii. 23.

day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.

5 And the Apostles said unto the LORD, Increase our faith.

That is, in addition to the many gifts Thou hast bestowed upon us, give us a deeper, fuller faith, for, conscious of their weakness, they trembled at the thought of the perfection_required of them. They asked of Him Who is "the Author and Finisher of our faith;" and by asking they showed that they had faith; thus faith ever leads to prayer, and by prayer is faith increased. "LORD, increase our faith."

6 And the LORD said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.

If ye had warm, fervid, glowing faith, for such is the nature of mustard seed: great is the power of true and living faith, great are the works which it does, great is the grace which it wins from GOD. Oh, that I may believe in Thee, my GOD, the Spotless, the Infinite, the Alpha and Omega, the Almighty, and put my whole trust and confidence in Thee alone, and never be afraid to go where Thou biddest me go, or to do what Thou biddest me to do, or to flee what Thou biddest me to flee, that so my faith in Thy sight may never be reproved, and that from faith here I may pass to sight and fruition hereafter and be with Thee, the ever-blessed Trinity.

Our LORD now proceeds to warn His disciples that though they may have all faith, so that they could remove mountains; and though they may be enabled by patient continuance in well doing to glorify GOD, yet still they could have no claim as of right on GOD's kingdom; eternal life is the gift of GOD, His free gracious unmerited gift.

7 But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat?

8 And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me,

till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink?

The word "servant" in these verses means slaves, that is, not one engaged to work for hire, but one bound to do everything without wages, because "bought with a price;" such are we Christians to GOD, for we are they whom "He hath purchased with His own Blood."

9 Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not.

"Thank," that is, "feel under any particular obligation."

10 So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.

We have done that which we were bound to do, and no more, for we are bound as GOD's servants to real obedience in all things: we cannot therefore have any claim of our own for a reward: and this we are to own, our blessed Redeemer says, when we have done all that is commanded us, how much more then must we say it, who have so often transgressed His commandments ? "Enter not into judgment with Thy servant, O LORD, for in Thy sight shall no man living be justified." Think thou this of thyself, and then will GOD not think it of thee.

11 And it came to pass, as He went to Jerusalem, that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.

12 And as He entered into a certain village, there met Him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:

Their common distress had made them associate together; they "stood afar off," because they were unclean; but though in one sense afar off," in another sense they were near, for "the LORD is nigh unto all that call upon Him" so it was with him who,

66

1 2 Kings vii. 3.

standing afar off would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven:" so too are we before Thee, O most holy One, afar off by reason of the multitude of our iniquities, yet brought nigh by the blood of CHRIST.

13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, JESUS, Master, have mercy on us.

14 And when He saw them, He said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests.

"Go, believing that ye have obtained that which ye have asked :1 go, as though ye were already cleansed, that the priests may see, and pronounce that ye have been cleansed :"

And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.

"As they went," while they were obeying-nay, we may well believe, as soon as ever they really set themselves to obey, GOD's blessing came.

15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified GOD,

He had lifted up his voice in prayer, "out of the deep:" now he lifts it up in praise, in both cases to GOD in CHRIST, as the Only Healer.

16 And fell down on his face, at His feet, giving 'Him thanks :2 and he was a Samaritan.

On his own face in self-abasement: at the feet of JESUS in thankful adoration, "and he was a Samaritan," one of those who might be called an imperfect believer, one of those whom the Jews despised: yet was he pitied by the "good Samaritan :" a warning surely to Catholic Christians to take heed to themselves lest hereafter they be put to shame by those who have not the means of grace which GOD has vouchsafed to them. O LORD JESUS CHRIST, as Thou hast brought me into Thy Church and given me many 2 Compare S. Luke v. 8.

1 S. Matt. xxi. 22.

blessings, which Thou hast not bestowed on others, give me, I beseech Thee, a wise and thankful heart, that all my doings I may do as Thy member, and show forth Thy praises, Who hast called me out of darkness into Thy marvellous light, to the full enjoyment of which light I beseech Thee to bring me, through the communion of Thy Church, for Thy mercy's sake.

17 And JESUS answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?

18 There are not found that returned to give glory to GOD, save this stranger.

How often are men importunate that they may receive God's blessing; unquiet until they do receive it; and, alas, unthankful when they have received it. "When He slew them, they sought Him and turned them early, and sought after GOD-but within a while they forgat His works and would not abide His counsel— they forgat GOD their SAVIOUR."

But this stranger," observe how truly in a Christian sense, though he probably knew it not, he was fulfilling the charge given to him, of showing himself to "the priest:" for is not the LORD JESUS Himself the "Great High Priest ?"

19 And He said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

Thy faith hath brought thee to Me, and I have healed thee, healed thee in body, even as I healed the other nine: healed thee in soul also, that infinitely greater blessing.

20 And when He was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of GoD should come,

By "kingdom of GOD," these men meant an earthly kingdom; they are asking, "When shall we see Thee delivering Thy country from the Romans, who now rule over it, and reigning in Jerusalem with great pomp and power, even as David reigned or Solomon ?" By His answer our Blessed SAVIOUR shews they had entirely mistaken the nature of His kingdom.

He answered them and said, The kingdom of GOD cometh not with observation :