with the Disciples for doing in their necessity far less? The inference that our Lord would have them draw is that every rule has its exceptions, that their interpretation was too servile and too stringent, that we must look not at the letter only but at the spirit of the Law.' But "the Pharisees may have been disposed to reply, that the Temple sanctified that labour "2 to which He had referred. It was indeed one of their maxims, "No Sabbath in the Temple."3 Our Lord solemnly says to them, "In this place is one greater than the Temple." If the Temple justifies the conduct of the Priests, the Lord of the Temple justifies the conduct of His Disciples. Before He concludes, He explodes their false assumption that this was a breach of the Law. The Disciples after all are guiltless. Their conduct needs no defence. If these professors of the Law had really known the meaning of that passage which, in another connexion," He had before cited, they would not have condemned the innocent. God prefers mercy to sacrifice. A rigid observance of the Sabbath, at the expense of the health of both mind and body, is by no means acceptable to Him. Our Lord adds that, though appearing as a Man, He is yet Lord of all, Lord even of the Sabbath day; and therefore qualified to lay down rules concerning it, or to dispense, should He so see fit, with its observance. St. Mark adds, in his account, that our Lord subjoined a general reason on the subject, which not only set aside their minute and vexatious regulations, but laid down a principle by which such questions might be tried." The Sabbath was made for the benefit of man. Man was not made to be a slave of the Sabbath. It was meant to make man more meet for the service of God. Anything therefore that tended to this was lawful. Their scruples tended the other way. CLX. HE RESTORES A WITHERED HAND ON A 'St. Matthew xii. 9-13. And when he was departed thence, he went into their synagogue: and, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him. And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days. Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other. Our Lord who had confuted the Pharisees, concerning His alleged breach of the Sabbath, by Scripture and by reason, takes an early opportunity of further confuting their traditions 1 man in his place,' &c. were by a miracle. He had been teaching,' as his manner was," in the Synagogue. It happened that there was a man in the congregation whose right hand was withered.' It was shrivelled up by reason of a disease called atrophy. The Scribes and Pharisees first watched Him to see whether He would heal him on the Sabbath day, that they might find an accusation against Him.3 What a bad spirit does this betray! They seem unmoved by His known pity at the sight of suffering, by His proved readiness to relieve, by His wondrous power to heal. All they are hoping is that He will fall, as it were, into a trap. But He knew their thoughts, and anticipated the question which they presently asked by calling upon the man to rise up and stand forth in the midst. What He does, He does openly. Then they proceed to put the formal question, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath days?" To which He replies by another. He also shoulder, it was a burden; but if upon both shoulders, it was none."-Bing. ham, Antt. XX. ii. 3. The Puritans however, for whom the Church of England was too legal, and who professed to leave for conscience' sake, could yet impose on men's consciences such legal enactments as these: "Whosoever shall profane the Lord's Day by doing unnecessary work, by unnecessary feasting, or by sports and recreations, he or they who so transgress shall forfeit forty shillings, or be publicly whipped; but if it shall appear to be done presumptuously, such person or persons shall be put to death, or otherwise severely punished at the discretion of the Court. No one shall run on the Sabbath day, or walk in his garden, or elsewhere, except reverently to and from meeting. No one shall travel, cook victuals, make beds, sweep house, cut hair, or shave on the Sabbath day. No woman shall kiss her child on the Sabbath or Fasting day. The Sabbath shall begin at sunset on Saturday."- Hessey, pp. 285,' 466. This ought to dispel some of the romance which is associated with the Pilgrim Fathers. It proves that the ecclesiastical authorities of the period had some impracticable natures to deal with. It was not, as a modern poetess imagines, so much "freedom to worship God" they sought, as freedom to establish a spiritual tyranny over men. "These factious people, although impatient of any observances which the institutions of their country enjoined, were willing to have imposed upon themselves and others obligations far more burthensome. They would have taken Moses for their lawgiver, so ill did they understand the spirit of the Gospel; and they adopted the Rabbinical superstitions concerning the Sabbath."-Southey, Book of the Church. See Macaulay, Hist. i. 79-81, and Dr. Brewer's note in Fuller's Church History, vi. 94. See also Rogers on the Articles, Preface, 18, 19. (Parker Soc. ed.) 1 St. Luke vi. 6. will ask them a question which it may not be convenient for them to answer. Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath days, to save life or to kill?" And He puts a case which would come home to their own bosoms. Notwithstanding all their scruples, no man among them would allow his single sheep 3 to be lost. He would undertake any labour on that day rather than let it die. To neglect its preservation would be, he would justly consider, to destroy it. If then it be lawful even on the Sabbath to rescue a sheep, how much more to rescue a man? To this argument they can find no answer. "They held their peace. They had nothing to say. They were silenced. And-St. Mark graphically gives us His gesture-having first "looked round on them with anger, being grieved at the hardness of their hearts," having thus expressed His indignation at their want of feeling for a fellow creature,5 He proceeds in the presence of them all, with His air of authority, to heal this poor man, whose withered hand is instantly restored to be as serviceable as the other. CLXI. THE PHARISEES TAKE COUNSEL AGAINST CHRIST. St. Matthew xii. 14-21. Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him. But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all; and charged them that they should not make him known: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esains the prophet, saying, Behold my servant, whom I have 1 Compare St. Matt. xxi. 23, 24. 2 St. Mark iii. 4. 3 They were ready to break their Sabbath to save their property, though it were only a single sheep. So Bengel. It would seem however (compare St. Matt. xviii. 10-14) that a stress is laid on the "one." A single sufferer was as precious to Christ as to its owner a single sheep. Note too the appeal to their humanity in vv. 11, 12, to man for man. 4 See however Dr. Hessey, p. 291. Compare St. Luke xiii. 15, 16. chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory. And in his name shall the Gentiles trust. So hard-hearted and narrow-minded men repaid the wisdom and mercy of the Lord. He had healed a sufferer, He had relaxed a too rigid rule; He had given relief to the body of one, and to the consciences of many; but what was all this to those whose traditions had been shown to be untenable, and whose authority had been set aside? This therefore was the return they made. They went forth, full of rage,1 unmoved by the miracle of mercy they had just witnessed, and concerted with the Herodians, their political enemies, how they might destroy Him. The Herodians were the adherents of Herod, who was too much at the bidding of the Roman authorities to please the Pharisees. On most questions they were at variance; but they can unite, as the closest allies, in a common plot against the person of our Lord. He, by His Divine omniscience, having knowledge of their designs, protected his humanity by withdrawing Himself from their neighbourhood. He withdrew to the sea; and, notwithstanding the opposition of their leaders, great multitudes followed Him from all parts to which His fame had penetrated. Their instinct was too strong to be misled by such men as the Pharisees. No one, they felt, could do the miracles He did, unless God were with Him. So great were the crowds, that He directed His Disciples to have one of their fishing-boats at hand that He might, when needful, escape their importunity. Popularity was not what He desired. On those whom He healed He enjoined silence. His Kingdom was not of this world. He would not be proclaimed of men. So false was the charge of the Pharisees St. Luke vi. 11. 2 St. Mark iii. 6. The original words in this parallel place of St. Matthew import no more than in St. Mark. The E. V. here is rather 3 misleading. It is not "held a council," 3 St. Mark iii. 7. |