T HE K I N G ’S B U S I N E S S fru its of th e Spirit can not he im itated nor counterfeited. They are th e spon taneous and inevitable resu lts of His Divine life received by faith and re produced in action. To love and pray for one’s enemies, to be kind to the cruel, gracious to the ungracious, help ful to the h atefu l and to serve w ithout though t of recognition or hope of re-, ward,—-this is to have fellowship w ith Jesus and be counted among the chil dren of th e Highest. v. 12. Lepers stood a fa r off. This strange, creeping, loathsome, fa ta ! dis ease appears to have been selected as th e one form of bodily affliction to stand, in th e legal MANY SOURCES im purity attached COMMENTS FROM to it and in th e K eith L. Brooks penalties visited on th a t impirity, as a type of th e inward, pervading, co rrup t ing, destroying m alady of sin. Cut off from th e congregation of th e people, th e leper had to live ap art.—Hanna. The disease itself th e Jews called “ th e finger of God.” To heal it was one of th e most decisive evidences of Messiah- ship. On such maladies our Lord de lighted to exercise His power and love, r—Angus. v. 14. When Jesu s saw them . Jesus âlways listened in stan tly to th e appeal of th e leper, whose disease was th e type of th a t worse moral leprosy which He specially came to cleanse:— F a rra r. Go, show yourselves. According to th e law (Lev.. 14:2-32). Jesus did not, as on a form er occasion, touch th e lepers (v. 13). His purpose seems to have been to te s t- th e ir love to Him as Healer. F a ith they had ; love leading to g rati tud e was only found in one.— Crit. Com. As they w ent th ey w ere cleansed. The healing was delayed to te st th e ir faith. The Jews probably went to Jerusalem because of the necessary sacrifices, the S am aritan to Mount Gerizim, unless we are to suppose th a t he became a Jewish proselyte.— Dummelow. Every step they took away from th e presence of Jesus was a proof th a t they tru ste d Him. Could th e re be a b etter illu stration of faith from one point of view th a n th e conduct of these ten men? They took Jesus a t His word and soon realized the blessedness of so doing. This is faith. -—Laidlaw. We, too, have sometimes to
71 go on th e assumption th a t Jesus has gran ted our desires even while we are not conscious th a t it is so. We have sometimes, as it were, to set out for the temple while we still feel th e lep rosy. As we obey we are cured.— Mac- laren. v. 15. One of them tu rn ed back. He well knew th is duty was a branch of th e law of ceremonies, which he m eant not to neglect, b u t his h ea rt told him. th ere was a moral duty of professing thankfulness to his benefactor which called for his first attendance.—Hall. Christ loves a cheerful comer as well as a cheerful giver.—Arnot. W ith a loud voice glorified God. He had been loud in prayer (v. 13). So-now he will be loud in praise.. H is im purity had kept him a t a distance. Now th a t he is cleansed, he falls a t the Saviour’s feet. —Hastings. I t was th e exultation of faith. He felt th ere was a God in the world and th a t God .was good. What g rea ter joy can be im parted to th e h eart of man th a n th a t which th is tru th , thoroughly embraced, im parts? As this g ratefu l sp irit is th e source of joy, so, in a sense, it is th e source of religion in txie soul.— McKnight. There are th ree resu lts of g ratitu d e: It stim ulates pow erfully to active well doing. It makes worship (especially public worship) real and sincere. Thankfulness here on th e earth is th e best possible preparation for the sp irit and life of heaven.— Liddon. v. 16. H e was a S am aritan. The one Sam aritan would not have been allowed to associate w ith th e nine Jews had not leprosy obliterated religious distinc tions.— Camb. Bible. I t may be th a t th e nine Jews would not go back ju st because th e S am aritan did. Misery had broken down enm ity, bu t when th e pres sure of m isery is . emoved, tn e Jews tak e one road and th e Sam aritan an other.— Cox. It is wonderful how men and women of th e most divergent classes and tem peram ent herd togeth er when they get down in sin.—Torrey. v. 17. W ere n o t te n cleansed? To ung ratefu l trea tm e n t th e Saviour was no stranger. N either can we hope to be. The sting of ing ratitud e may be felt by all. Christ was more sensitive to ing ratitud e th an we. His feelings were keener. But how do we comport ourselves under ing ratitude? Christ was not made sour or self-contained. There was no recoil to the opposite extreme of indifference and "hate. Delicate sensi bility on th e one hand, base ing ratitude on th e other, yet th e stream s of good will and blessing k ep t flowing w ith un-
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