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REFLECTIONS.

1. The portion of sacred history which we have been reading affords us a striking example of the piety and benevolence of our divine master. We behold him sit down, faint with thirst, fatigue and want of food; but when refreshments are brought to him, he refuses to partake of them, and has no inclination to eat. His concern for the success of his ministry is so strong that it overcomes every other feeling, and makes him insensible to the pain of the most powerful calls of nature, to hunger and thirst. What fervent piety, what tender benevolence must there be in the heart which could be thus affected! How far inferior have the followers of Jesus been in this respect to their master! This single incident which the evangelist has related does more to exalt our ideas of the character of Jesus, than a whole volume of encomiums: for they might only have displayed the eloquence of the writer, without having any foundation in fact. This shows us the genuine temper of the divine messenger, in colours which cannot be mistaken. Let us labour and pray to acquire something of the same disposition.

2. The observation of Christ respecting his disciples is applicable to ourselves: other men have laboured, and we have entered into their labours. Much are we indebted too to the instructions, the labours and sufferings of our forefathers, for that degree of knowledge and religious liberty which we now enjoy: we are reaping the harvest of the seed which they sowed, and sowed in tears. Had it not been for what they have done, we should now be worshipping a piece of bread, with the superstitious members of the church of Rome, or wandering in desert woods, with the savage natives of India or America. Let us bless God, the Father of mercies, who has brought us into life at a period of so much improvement, when the world is so

It

well prepared for our reception by the progress which has been made in the arts of life, especially by the diffusion of religious knowledge. While we unfeignedly rejoice in these blessings, and are thankful to God for the benefits which we derive from the services of past generations, let us also remember that we are called to perform similar services for our successors. is but little that we are required to do, in proportion to what has been done for us; others have borne the heat and burden of the day, and we are called into the vineyard near the last hour. Let us not decline to pay that small debt of labour and suffering which the master of the vineyard has imposed upon us, in return for the benefit which we have derived from the labours and sufferings of others.

3. The view which is here given us of the employment of the teachers of religion, may furnish them with a high idea of the importance of their office, and with the most powerful encouragements faithfully to discharge its duties. They are gathering fruit unto life eternal; the object of their labours is not to secure the continuance of a temporary existence, like the present, for a few years, but one that will never end; not to others only, but to themselves also: for this is the wages of the labourer, and this the reward of the disciple. With the prospect before them of doing so much good, if they succeed, and so much evil, if the designs of Providence are defeated by their negligence, how anxious should they feel for success; how chearfully and indefatigably should their work be performed! May the importance of that work, the example of their master, and the hope of rejoicing with him in the fruits of their labours, be continually before their eyes, and animate their languid endeavours!

43.

John iv. 43, to the end.

Now after two days, rather, "those two days," that is, the two days

just mentioned, he departed thence, and went into Galilee.

44. For Jesus himself testified that a prophet hath no honour in his own country:

These words do not seem at all to correspond with the preceding verse: for they contain a reason for not visiting Galilee, rather than for going thither. Some persons have therefore conjectured, with a considerable degree of probability, that some words, either by accident or design, have been omitted in the text, and that after the last words of the preceding verse, as it now stands, "he departed thence and went into Galilee," there was once added, "but not to Nazareth:" for the next verse will come in very naturally: "for Jesus himself testified," or declared, "that a prophet hath no honour in his own country." What seems to confirm this conjecture is that these words, when they occur in the other evangelists, are applied to Nazareth only, and not to the country of Galilee in general, where Jesus spent the greatest part of his time, had the greatest number of disciples, and where, as it appears from the next verse, he was now well received. That a prophet is without honour in his own country, was probably a proverbial saying among the Jews, founded upon what had frequently been observed to be the temper of men's minds in regard to prophets born and educated among them, which Christ repeats, as verified in respect to himself. The cause of this unwillingness in countrymen and neighbours to admit. the pretensions of a prophet, is to be sought for in the spirit of envy, which makes men averse to acknowledge as their superiors, those whom they have been used to consider as their equals or inferiors.

45. Then when he was come into Galilee the Galileans received him, hav

* Matt. xiii. 57. Mark vi. 4. Luke iv. 24.

ing seen all the things that he did at Jerusalem at the feast for they also went unto the feast.

46. So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine.

He hoped that the miracle which he had performed there had excited attention to his doctrine, and prepared the inhabitants for his reception,

And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum.

The here called a nobleman was not what we person usually mean by that appellation; for the Jews had no hereditary nobles; but an officer in the court of Herod, who is called king, although he was only tetrarch. Some have conjectured that he was Chuza, Herod's steward, whose wife is mentioned by Luke, viii. 2, as one of the women who followed Christ, and ministered to him of their substance. But the reason assigned for that act of gratitude was the cure of some personal complaint; whereas the favour here bestowed was the cure of a child.

47. When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judæa into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought him that he would come down, and heal his son; for he was at the point of death.

By desiring Jesus to come down to Capernaum, which was at a considerable distance from Cana, while he knew his son to be at the point of death, this nobleman seems to have thought the presence of Jesus necessary to the cure. In this respect his faith seems to have been, at first at least, inferior to that of the centurion of the same place, who said to Jesus, Luke vii. 7, "Speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed;" and who therefore considered him as acting

by the power of the omnipresent Deity. The words of Jesus, in reply to the nobleman's request, may be considered as a gentle reproof to him for the want of faith.

48.

Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.

Except ye see me perform the miracle, will ye not believe my abilities for that purpose? Flainly implying that there was something very unreasonable in such a temper; since he who was a divine messenger, and acted by the power of God, was able to work at a distance as well as near. The anxiety which the nobleman felt for the recovery of his son, whom he had left in such dangerous circumstances, makes him impatient at this delay.

49. The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down e'er my child die.

50. Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth, "is well," And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his

way.

The reproof conveyed in the question of Christ seems to have had its proper effect, by enlarging his apprehensions of the divine power; for he now believes that his son will be cured by the command of Christ, without his personal presence.

51. And as he was now going down his servants met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth.

52. Then enquired he of them the hour, "the exact time," when he began

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