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should be the daily prayer and endeavour of all who love life. When the apostles said, "increase our faith," they did well.

Have we any faith at all? This, after all, is the first question which the subject should raise in our hearts. Saving faith is not mere repetition of the creed, and saying, "I believe in God the Father, and in God the Son, and in God the Holy Ghost." Thousands are weekly using these words, who know nothing of real believing. The words of St. Paul are very solemn, "All men have not faith." (2 Thess. iii. 2.) True faith is not natural It comes down from heaven. It is the gift

to man. of God.

If we have any faith let us pray for more of it. It is a bad sign of a man's spiritual state when he is satisfied to live on old stock, and does not hunger and thirst after growth in grace. Let a prayer for more faith form part of our daily devotions. Let us covet earnestly the best gifts. We are not to despise "the day of small things" in a brother's soul, but we are not to be content with it in our own.

Let us notice, for another thing, in these verses, what a heavy blow our Lord gives to self-righteousness. He says to his apostles, "When ye shall have done all these things which are commanded you, say we are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do."

We are all naturally proud and self-righteous. We think far more highly of ourselves, our deserts, and our character, than we have any right to do. It is a subtle disease, which manifests itself in a hundred different ways. Most men can see it in other people. Few will

allow its presence in themselves. Seldom will a man be found, however wicked, who does not secretly flatter himself that there is somebody else worse than he is. Seldom will a saint be found who is not at seasons tempted to be satisfied and pleased with himself. There is such a thing as a pride which wears the cloak of humility. There is not a heart upon earth which does not contain a piece of the Pharisee's character.

To give up self-righteousness is absolutely needful to salvation. He that desires to be saved must confess that there is no good thing in him, and that he has no merit, no goodness, no worthiness of his own. He must be willing to renounce his own righteousness, and to trust in the righteousness of another, even Christ the Lord. Once pardoned and forgiven, we must travel the daily journey of life under a deep conviction that we are “unprofitable servants." At our best we only do our duty, and have nothing to boast of. And even when we do our duty, it is not by our own power and might that we do it, but by the strength which is given to us from God. Claim upon God we have none. thing from God we have none. anything from God we have none. have received. All that we are we owe to God's sovereign, distinguishing grace.

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What is the true cause of self-righteousness? How is it that such a poor, weak, erring creature as man can ever dream of deserving anything at God's hands? It all arises from ignorance. The eyes of our understandings are naturally blinded. We see neither ourselves, nor our lives, nor God, nor the law of God, as we ought.

Once let the light of grace shine into a man's heart, and the reign of self-righteousness is over. The roots of pride may remain, and often put forth bitter shoots. But the power of pride is broken when the Spirit comes into the heart, and shows the man himself, and God. The true Christian will never trust in his own goodness. He will say with St. Paul, "I am the chief of sinners." "God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Tim. i. 15; Gal. vi. 14.)

NOTES. LUKE XVII. 5–10.

5.-[The Apostles said.] Both Stier and Alford remark, that this is the only instance we have of the "apostles," as a body, saying anything to our Lord, or making any request. Yet I venture to doubt the correctness of the remark. I think it a high probability that in Matt. xvii. 19, and Acts i. 6, those who spoke to our Lord together were the " apostles."

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[Increase our faith.] The literal rendering of the Greek word here would be, add to us faith,"-that is "give us more faith." The reason why this request was made, I have given in the exposition. It follows a discourse extending from the beginning of the fifteenth chapter, and containing no less than five most important parables, beside other things. No wonder that the disciples said, "Increase our faith."

6.-[As a grain of mustard seed.] This is a proverbial expression for something very small and insignificant in size.

[Say...sycamine tree... plucked up.] This is a proverbial expression, apparently common among the Jews, for doing great works, and overcoming apparently insuperable difficulties. St. Paul's expression is like it, "though I have all faith, so that I could remove nountains." (1 Cor. xiii. 2.) Major remarks, "When the Jews intended to extol any of their doctors, they said of him, that he plucked up mountains by the roots." Whether the tree mentioned is a mulberry tree, or a sycamine, commentators are not agreed.

[Which of you, &c.] Our Lord's object in this and the three following verses appears to be, to check any idea of merit or worthiness in the disciple's minds. However great their faith might be, and however mighty their works, they were not to suppose they would have any claim on God, or any right to His favour.

7.-[Feeding cattle.] The Greek word so rendered does not necessarily mean feeding cattle. It might as well have been sheep. The Greek word for " shepherd" is the substantive from which it is taken.

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[By and by.] The Greek word so rendered is translated in seventy-five other places in the New Testament, "immediately," straightway," "forthwith," and in only one place "by and by." (Luke xxi. 9.) It admits of doubt whether the expression "by and by" did not mean something more immediate, at the time of our own Bible translation, than it does now. It certainly seems so in the expression, “The end is not by and bye." (Luke xxi. 9.)

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It is questionable whether the verse altogether is rightly stopped in our version, or whether the word "by and by" or 'immediately," should not be connected with the expression 'go and sit down," &c. It would then be, "which of you will say unto him, when he is come from the fields, immediately go and sit down to meat." This construction seems more natural and in keeping with the next verse. The expressions "immediately," or "by and by," and afterward," are evidently

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meant to be in contrast to the other. 8.-Gird thyself.] The garments of people in Eastern countries are generally loose and flowing. Before doing anything requiring bodily exertion, the first thing necessary was to "gird up the loins," or tie the garments tightly round the waist, after gathering them up.

9.- trow.] The Greek word so rendered is generally translated, "think," or "suppose," in a sentence like that before us.

The

word which our translators have used here they have not used anywhere else in the Bible.

10.-[Say, we are unprofitable servants, &c.] The doctrine laid down by our Lord in this verse is plain and evident to any impartial reader. He overthrows entirely all idea of creature-merit. When we have done all that Christ commands, we have done no more than our duty. Yet even what we do is only from grace given to us, and not from natural strength. And even then in what we do there are countless imperfections. To talk therefore of merit or claim to God's favour, in the face of such a verse as this, is absurd and preposterous.

In the fourteenth article of the Church of England this verse is very properly used as an argument against the Romish doctrine of works of supererogation.

The Greek word translated “unprofitable," is only used in one other place,—in the parable of the talents. (Matt. xxv. 30.)_Major renders it, "Servants who have conferred no benefit." It may be doubted whether it does not mean even more, "worthless, valueless."

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The words of Hooker are worth reading on the doctrine of this "We acknowledge a dutiful necessity of doing well: but the meritorious dignity of doing well we utterly renounce. see how far we are from the perfect righteousness of the law. The little fruit which we have in holiness, it is, God knoweth, corrupt and unsound. We put no confidence in it at all. We challenge nothing in the world for it. We dare not call God to reckoning, as if we had Him in our debt book. Our continual suit to Him is, and must be, to bear with our infirmities, and pardon our offences." (Discourse on Justification, s. 7.)

The contrast between what we must say of ourselves, "we are unprofitable," and what Christ will be graciously pleased to say at the last day, (Matt. xxv. 21, and xxv. 34-40.) is very striking.

LUKE XVII. 11-19.

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:

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

15 And one of them, when he saw

that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,

16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.

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.

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

LET us mark, firstly, in this passage, how earnestly men can cry for help when they feel their need of it. We read that "as our Lord entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers." It is difficult to conceive any condition more thoroughly miserable than that of men afflicted with leprosy. They were cast out from society. They were cut off from all communion with their fellows. The men described in the passage before us appear to have been truly sensible of their wretchedness. They "stood afar off;"-but they did not stand idly doing nothing. "They lifted up their voices

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