up to eat and to drink: and Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees," that is, assumed a posture of humble and earnest prayer," and said to his servant, Go up now, look towards the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again, seven times. And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not. And it came to pass in the meantime, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain." The prophet probably knew, by inspiration before, that rain would be sent, and we are told that he asked for it in the way of believing and persevering prayer; but the cloud rising out of the Mediterranean Sea, of which there is a fine prospect from the top of Mount Carmel, was the visible token of its approach. The other indication of the weather, to which Christ refers, is the blowing of the south wind. This wind brought heat, not merely because it was from the warmer quarter of the heavens, but also and still more because, in coming to Judea, it had to blow over the hot deserts *of Arabia, which lay to the south and east of Judea.* It is well known that the winds which blow off the deserts of Asia and Africa are oppressively hot. In that very similar passage in the 16th chapter of Matthew, our Lord referred to signs somewhat different, which, no doubt, also generally held good, "When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather, for the sky is red: and in the morning, It will be foul weather to-day, for the sky is red and lowering."+ These signs of the weather the unbelieving Jews were sagacious enough to mark, and, no doubt, also accustomed to act upon; and this led our Lord, when he reflected on their obtuseness in reference to religion, to say, as in the 56th verse, "Ye hypocrites! ye can discern the face of the sky, and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time? There could be no hypocrisy in observing the visible signs of the weather; but their hypocrisy consisted * Job xxxvii. 17: "Thy garments are warm when he quieteth the earth by the south wind." Coeruleus pluviam denunciat, igneus Euros: Virg. Georg. i. 453, in this, that while they were sagacious in that, and in other earthly things, they asked more signs from Christ, under pretence of being influenced by a sincere desire to come to the knowledge of the truth.* In the passage partly quoted from Matthew, it is expressly said that Jesus referred to their sagacity in discerning the face of the sky, in consequence of their tempting him, by desiring him to show them a sign from heaven. Hence, in what he said as stated here by Luke, we are led to conclude that there was a reference to the same unreasonable spirit. "How is it," considering all this sagacity in other respects, "that ye do not discern this time?" or, as in Matthew, "Can ye not discern the signs of the times?" That is, Why do ye not understand the signs which, at this very time, clearly prove me to be the Messiah? and why are ye not therefore led to acknowledge me as such? And how numerous, and how clear, were these signs! Let us note the chief of them. There was, in general, the fulfilment of Old Testament predictions; for, the testimony of Jesus was the spirit of prophecy. More particularly, there were the signs of his birth, in his being born of a virgin, in the city of Bethlehem, of the tribe of Judah, and family of David;-there were the signs of the Holy Ghost descending on him, and the voice from heaven testifying to him at his baptism;-there were all the miracles which he and his apostles were performing;-Daniel's seventy weeks were expiring the sceptre was departing from Judah-there was a general expectation of Messiah's appearance-and yet the result was a general rejection of him. These signs were already actually seen, and he had fixed on others which were exhibited soon after, namely, his own sufferings, death, and resurrection. To this last he especially pointed, when he said that there should no sign be given to that wicked generation, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. It was altogether inconceivable that an impostor should lay the foundation of his system on his own sufferings, death, resurrection, and subsequent doings. But, with the signs his hearers already had *Raphelius and Schmidius are of opinion that the word ongira should be here rendered, not hypocrites, but diviners or foretellers:"Harioli, communis enim, quæ huic voci subjicitur notio, nihil ad hunc locum. Trogirns est occultus judex, occultarum et abstrusarum rerum judex, conjector, ut, izoxgirai bvsigwv, conjectores somniorum." There is an example of this use of the word in Lucian in Somnio sub finem. The verb irongivola is used by Homer, and often by Herodotus, to signify uttering oracles. the benefit of when he addressed them, nothing but inexcusable prejudice and wilful blindness could have prevented them from perceiving and acknowledging that the fulness of time-the time of Messiah-was come, and that Jesus of Nazareth was he. They might also, in connexion with this, have discerned the signs of the times as to their nation, which was evidently fast approaching to its ruin, because of its impiety, which was drawing down on it the vengeance of heaven. Verse 57: "Yea, and why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right?"* The conclusion to be drawn from all these signs relating to Christ and his gospel was so direct and plain, that these people might have been expected to draw it for themselves, without his doing it for them. They ought to have concluded in favour of Christ's claims, to have rested in him for salvation, and to have yielded him the cheerful homage of their hearts and lives. This would have been what was right. But their conduct was just the reverse of this: they judged wrong, and rejected him. The subject of these four verses suggests the following practical observations. 1. The knowledge of nature, and sagacity in the affairs of this life, have no necessary connexion with saving wisdom, or a correct judgment in spiritual things. It is very true that there is no incompatibility between piety and great natural talent, literature, and science, nay, that many of the most distinguished philosophers and scholars, have been eminent for piety. At the same time, there are many who can make observations accurately, and draw inferences logically, in the studies of nature, the affairs of common life, and even the more difficult and abstruse sciences, who yet cannot bring as much mind to bear on spiritual things as is necessary to comprehend the rudiments, the first principles, of the doctrine of Christ-who continue ignorant of the plainest religious truths, and who reason most inconclusively and erroneously on almost every peculiarly evangelical topic. This is owing to the darkness which the fall has brought over their minds as to heavenly things. They are alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their minds. Pride, prejudice, * Tertullian (de Coronâ) argues from this verse in favour of the exercise of reason and the right of private judgment, in religious matters: "An non putas omni fideli licere, concipere et constituere dumtaxat quod Deo congruat, quod disciplinæ conducat, quod saluti proficiat, dicente Domino, Cur autem non et a vobis-ipsis quod justum judicatis ?" passion, and the love of sin, blind their souls. "The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.". "The preaching of the cross is to them that perish, foolishness." "Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?" "Ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh are called." 2. We observe, from these verses, that those persons are inexcusable who are knowing and prudent in other things, but ignorant and improvident as to the concerns of their souls. What possible excuse can such persons offer? They cannot plead want of capacity; for, they are known to be clever, and they have generally no mean opinion of their own abilities. They cannot plead the small importance of spiritual things; for, their utmost exertions cannot approximate to a calculation of the value of an immortal soul. They cannot plead want of means of information; for, the light shines around them, and they are shutting their eyes against it. Oh, it is a melancholy sight to see a man, in any rank of life, managing his temporal affairs with great shrewdness and success, but neglecting the one thing needful, and allowing all his soul's affairs to go to ruin. And it is a still more melancholy sight to see a man of genius and of cultivated powers, who can trace the history and philosophy of nature and of mind, and who can, let us not say guess at the wea ther, but, make solar and lunar observations, and calculate a tide table, or an eclipse; but who is yet practically ignorant of the God of nature and of grace, grovelling in low and sensual propensities on the earth, and shutting out, in the vanity of his soul, the light of the Sun of righteousness. 66 If our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost, in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them who believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." Let it be noted, by all who have any pretensions to common sagacity, that reason requires, and that God enjoins them to bring their minds to bear on spiritual things, and to judge what is right with regard to them. "I speak as unto wise men," saith the apostle, "judge ye what I say."- "O that they were wise, that they understood this," saith the Lord, "that they would consider their latter end." Surely, we shall be all quite inexcusable if we do not give our minds, And we with serious application, to this first of concerns. shall be inexcusable if we continue ignorant of them when the assistance of the Holy Spirit is promised to guide us to the saving knowledge of them, if we, in a sense of our insufficiency, apply for it. He hides these things from the wise and prudent in their own conceit, and reveals them unto babes. "The meek will he guide in judgment, and the meek will he teach his way." 3. We are here called on to discern the signs of Messiah's time, and to judge rightly with regard to them, by receiving him for ourselves. Those signs which so many of the Jews rejected, may be still correctly judged of by us, at this remote place and period: and we have the additional signs of the further fulfilment of prophecy, and of the glorious success of the gospel, since those days. On indications, then, of its truth so numerous and strong, let us rest with unhesitating confidence. Why should we be like those unbelieving Jews, who, in the midst of signs, were always asking for more signs? and why should we be like the modern infidels, who are always complaining of a lack of evidence, in the midst of evidence that, for variety and strength, is quite unequalled in any other department of history? In such a case as this, every reasonable man must perceive that that species of demonstration which is called mathematical, is inconsistent with the nature of things. But there is a moral demonstration which is universally felt to be quite sufficient to convince the judgment, and to determine the conduct in other cases; and this exists here in a degree nowhere else to be found. The most sceptical come to decided conclusions, and take important steps, in other cases, on evidence which will not bear a comparison with the evidence of Christianity. Where is the mathematical proof that Alexander reigned in Macedon, or that Titus took Jerusalem? and yet, what man of any information doubts either of the one or of the other? and yet again, the proof for the Gospel facts and doctrines is far stronger. Where is the mathematical proof that there will, next year, be cold and heat, day and night, summer and winter, seed-time and harvest? and yet what sober-minded man entertains any doubt of it? As for the husbandman, he calculates on it, and forms his plans, and goes through his labour, in cheerful expectation accordingly. Let us, therefore, in like manner, rest our souls with firm faith on the Gospel declaration respecting Messiah's past and finished work; let us form all our plans on the |