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but mistrust of ourselves. Let us make it our aim to

"Do noble things,

Not dream them all day long.".

Let us aspire indeed to be early ready for every good work, in season and out of season, but let us not take credit for meaning to do it; let us not talk much about what we intend to do; remembering that if high professions and ardent aspirations are not carried forward to their appropriate ends, there is great danger lest they should die out and leave us useless, even for common work. The volunteer who excuses himself when his aid is needed, is more disgraceful than the poor conscript who eludes a hated and enforced service.

"And when even was come," says St. Mark, most probably the evening of Monday, after a long day's teaching in the temple-" He went out of the city. And in the morning as they passed by, they saw the fig-tree dried up from the roots. And Peter calling to remembrance, saith unto Him, 'Master, behold the fig-tree which thou cursest is withered away.' And Jesus answering saith unto them, 'Have faith in God.' This which surprises you so much is nothing more than you will be able to do yourselves should it ever be necessary for your work. "For verily I say unto you, that whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea'"-an expression used to denote something apparently impossible-the removal of

* Kingsley.

some naturally insuperable obstacle-" and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass;"-which he could not do unless persuaded they were according to the will of God-" he shall have whatsoever he saith."

In a primary sense this promise could apply only to the Apostles, and those who like them were doing a special work under the guidance of a special inspiration, but in a secondary sense it may apply even to us. Whenever we feel fully convinced that a thing ought to be done, and can confidently look up to God to do it for us, we may expect to see difficulties melt away before us, and that which once seemed impossible become natural and easy.

SECTION XLVI.

CHRIST IN THE TEMPLE-THE TWO SONS.

MARK XI. 27-33; MATTH. xxi. 23-32; LUKE xx. 1—8.

"A

:

ND they come again to Jerusalem and as He was walking in the temple, there came to Him the Chief Priests, and the Scribes, and the Elders, and say unto Him, By what authority doest Thou these things? and who gave Thee this authority to do these things?" "

On the morning on which occurred the incident of the fig-tree, our Lord returned to the temple to resume there His teachings. Making the most of that short space of time now remaining to Ilim, He

seems to have been there early, before the general concourse of people had assembled.*

The Pharisees were, as we have seen, much alarmed and annoyed by the popular demonstration in honour of Christ which had occurred on the preceding day, and they were still more exasperated by His assumption of Messianic functions in the purgation of the temple. As soon, therefore, as He made His appearance amongst them the next morning, they came round Him, haughtily demanding what right He had to interfere in these matters. "And Jesus answered and said unto them, 'I will also ask of you one question, and answer Me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, was it from heaven or of men? Answer Me.'"

This is not to be considered as a mere evasion of the question. The authority of John's mission really involved the authority of our Lord. John had spoken of Him as One who "coming after him, was mightier than he; whose fan was in His hand, and who should thoroughly purge His floor; gathering His wheat into the garner, and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire." Of this great sifting of human characters and actions ascribed to Jesus,

* It is probable that it was on one of these mornings that there occurred the incident of the Woman taken in Adultery. It is thought by the best critics to be out of its true place where it stands in St. John's Gospel. As, however, there is so much uncertainty connected with the subject, and as the narrative, though beautiful and characteristic, is not well suited for family reading, it is omitted here altogether. See Alford for a statement of the critical difficulties of the passage.

whom a little after the Baptist had expressly pointed out as the person meant, the cleansing of the externals of worship was but a small instalment. If, therefore, these cavillers acknowledged John as a Divinely commissioned teacher, they had no choice but to acknowledge the claims of Him whom he had so explicitly accredited. They felt this difficulty. "And they reasoned with themselves, saying, 'If we shall say, From heaven; He will say, Why then did ye not believe him?”—and especially in this chief point of his teaching, his testimony to Christ -"But if we shall say, Of men"-which would remove one difficulty-" they feared the people : for all men counted John that he was a prophet indeed," and were so hearty in his defence that, according to St. Luke,* they were ready to stone any one who should venture to question his claims. "And they answered and said unto Jesus, 'We cannot tell."" A dreadful instance of insincerity, and of making truth depend upon what would best suit the present purpose ! To people who could

thus trifle with conscience it was of little use to adduce accumulated evidence, they were equally prepared to explain away whatever might be brought before them. "And Jesus answering saith unto them, Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things."" If you have not made up your minds respecting the mission of John, you are not in a state to judge of the mission of Christ.

The Lord then goes on to set yet more plainly before

* Ver. 6.

these men the guilt of their neglect of John the Baptist. "But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, 'Son, go work to-day in my vineyard.' He answered and said, 'I will not; but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, 'I go, sir:' and went not. Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto Him, "The first.'" So much as this they could not help acknowledging. "Jesus saith unto them, 'Verily I say unto you, that the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.'" They do the will of God now, though they once disobeyed it; but you only say you will do it, and stir not a step towards its performance. "For John came unto you in the way of righteousness" -unmistakeably a righteous, holy man, upholding the strictest rules of conduct-" and ye believed him not; but the publicans and the harlots"-who had once openly disregarded the call of God, yet repented of this disobedience at the preaching of John, and went to work in the vineyard-" and ye, when ye had seen it”—had seen the evident signs of God's presence with him-" repented not afterward, that ye might believe him."

This parable, in its application to us, teaches two things. First, the futility of mere saying, mere assenting to the truths of religion, without acting upon it. There are those who, when they have acknowledged that any thing is a duty, and have declared that they mean to do it, really seem to think that it is as good as done, They put it away in their

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