_PARTY SPIRIT_ ‘But he answered and said, Every plant, which My heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.’ Matthew 15:13 We need this lesson just as the disciples needed it, that they might not be startled by the fading away of much which had seemed to them fair and vigorous. I. THE... [ Continue Reading ]
_UNCONSCIOUS BLINDNESS_ ‘Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.’ Matthew 15:14 The pathos of the perverted conscience, of the misdirected sincerity, of disastrous loyalty! Here, in a vivid picture, we see and feel the m... [ Continue Reading ]
_EVIL THOUGHTS_ ‘For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts.’ Matthew 15:19 The depravity of man is a fact attested by history and experience. The source of the depravity is spiritual; the evil is enthroned in the thoughts. I. EVIL THOUGHTS. (_a_) _ Vain thoughts_. Not of a directly noxious qu... [ Continue Reading ]
_THE WOMAN OF CANAAN_ ‘Behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto Him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil,’ etc. Matthew 15:22 This poor woman was by birth a heathen, a Phœnician; and the Phœnician religion... [ Continue Reading ]
_DIVINE SILENCES_ ‘But He answered her not a word.’ Matthew 15:23 Christ had His moods of sternness. These words of Our Lord suggest a thoughtful consideration of what we may call the Divine silences. History, the Bible, and our own experience, each is full of them. Most of us know them to our co... [ Continue Reading ]
_‘GREAT FAITH’_ ‘O woman, great is thy faith.’ Matthew 15:28 There are many beautiful and striking features in the character and conduct of this Syrophœnician woman. Her motherly care; her energy; her perseverance; her indomitable determination; her humility; her talent; her eloquence; her pleadi... [ Continue Reading ]