names of the parties more immediately concerned in it. Let us then proceed, without further comment on the infliction, to notice

II. THE REPARATION of the injury.

The spirit which was manifested by our Lord on this occasion was admirable, in whatever sense we understand the words which he is represented by the Evangelist as having uttered: "And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far." It is probable that in using this language our Lord addressed himself to his enemies; and that he did so for the purpose of pacifying them, lest under the impulse of a violent irritation they should take summary vengeance on Peter for the injury which he had inflicted on one of their own party. As though he had said, 'Permit this injury or assault offered by one of my Apostles without any leave or warrant from myself, and which I will presently repair to the full satisfaction of him who has sustained it.'1 Some, indeed, have supposed that our Lord spoke these words to his disciples, and that his object was to prevent them from endeavouring to make any further opposition to his assailants. Others again have thought that he directed his address to those who were preparing to carry him off as a prisoner, requesting that they would leave him so far at liberty as to stretch out his hand for the purpose of healing the man whose ear was cut off; after which he would readily submit to their will, and

without demur consent to their leading him away. It is neither necessary nor expedient that we should institute an inquiry with a view to the determination of this point, which, however it may be settled, is of no practical importance; since in any case the language uttered by our Lord indicates the gracious and forbearing disposition which he evinced, and is on that account especially to be borne in mind by those who would be his true disciples.

This short address, we find, was immediately followed by a signal act of power and benignity extended to the object of Peter's inconsiderate violence. "Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far and he touched his ear and healed him." Here we may

remark that in this instance, as in many others which have already engaged, or may ere long, if God permit, engage our attention,-the cure was effected by the mere touch of our Lord; that it was instantaneously completed; and that it was performed in the sight of his adversaries as well as of his friends. But it is more especially worthy of our notice, that this cure was wrought upon one who was in the very ranks of our Lord's adversaries, and at the very time when they were laying violent hands upon him. Here then we may discern power and forbearance and mercy mingled together in a most remarkable manner. The power of our Lord was manifested by the cure itself so signally wrought: his forbearance was evinced by his abstaining from that merited vengeance on his assailants which he could doubtless have inflicted upon them with all the facility with which he restored the

ear of Malchus: and his mercy was shewn in the fact of his having exerted his healing power for the relief of one who was associated with those who sought his life. While then, beloved, we contemplate this eminent example of meekness and compassion, let us regard it as intended for our imitation. Be it our unfeigned prayer, that the same mind may be in us which was also in Christ Jesus, and that our conduct and deportment may be more and more assimilated to his!

It is remarkable that, though all the Evangelists record the injury inflicted on the servant of the high priest, St. Luke alone informs us of the reparation which he received. We are not on this account to place the less reliance on his testimony; knowing, as we do, that it is no uncommon thing for facts to be stated by some of the Evangelists which are omitted by others. This very circumstance has indeed been justly considered as furnishing an argument in support of the veracity of them all; inasmuch as it affords a strong presumption that they did not act in concert with each other in the composition of their respective narratives, as it is most probable they would have done, had it been their object to propagate and gain credit to a false report.

Some further particulars are stated by St. Matthew and St. John, from whose narratives we find that the conduct of Peter was more directly censured by our Lord. The account given us by St. Matthew is as follows:-" Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the

sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?" Here we find that the over-zealous disciple was restrained from offering further violence; that he was admonished of the special danger to which those expose themselves who are eager to engage in warfare, which may be as destructive to the aggressors as to those whom they assail; that an intimation was given him that he knew not, or had forgotten, the power and influence of his Master, who, had it been expedient, could readily have procured the aid of an immense multitude of the heavenly host, sent down from his Father in answer to his prayer; but that such a method of proceeding would have been incompatible with the fulfilment of the Scriptures, which had foretold the sufferings of Christ from the hands of his enemies. Thus the conduct of Peter was shewn to have been in various respects open to merited reprehension, which our blessed Lord graciously as well as seasonably conveyed.

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The account given by St. John is this: "Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?" Here, in connection with the restriction already noticed, we have our Saviour's reproof of that precipitance which would have interfered with the allotments of infinite wisdom, and set aside that appointment of his heavenly Father to which he himself had assented, and in which it was his firm

resolve fully to acquiesce even to the end. If indeed, my brethren, that resolve had been shaken, if he had shrunk from the mighty conflict in which he was about to be engaged, our hope of salvation through him had been cut off, and we must have perished in our sins. But, blessed be his name! this was not the case. Having loved his own, he loved them to the end; therefore it was that he persevered in his stupendous undertaking, not desisting from the work on which he had voluntarily entered, till at length he could say, "It is finished."

After our Lord had thus seasonably addressed himself to Peter, and had also spoken the words recorded by St. Luke, "Suffer ye thus far,"-then, it should seem, it was, that he manifested his compassion to Malchus in so remarkable a manner, by touching his ear and healing him.

Having sufficiently directed our attention to the infliction and to the reparation of the injury which is here recorded, let us proceed to notice

III. THE INSTRUCTION which the subject suggests. 1. In the first place then we learn, that zeal which is not tempered with prudence is justly reprehensible even in a good cause. Peter's desire to defend his Master was good and laudable; but the mode in which he proceeded to act, drew upon him the merited reproof of our Lord, inasmuch as it was by no means calculated to afford protection to his person, to advance the interests of his religion, or to glorify God. All this Peter might have understood on the slightest