XI. THE PARABLES OF THE KINGDOM 173 MATT. XIII. I. The Principle of Parabolic Instruction 175 II. The Group of Seven 181
XII. THE CRISIS IN GALILEE 186 MATT. XIV.-XVI. 12. I. The Banquet of Herod and the Feast of Christ 187 II. Calm on the Mountain and Trouble on the Sea 194 III. Israel after the Flesh, and Israel after the Spirit 202 IV. The Culmination of the Crisis 213
XIII. THE NEW DEPARTURE 219 (Founding of the Church.) MATT. XVI. 13-XVII. 21. I. The Christ 221 II. The Cross 227 III. The Glory 233 IV. The Descent 242
XIV. LAST WORDS AT CAPERNAUM 250 MATT. XVII. 22-XVIII. 35. The Temple Tribute 250 The Little Ones 252 Trespasses 258
XV. LAST DAYS IN PERÆA 267 MATT. XIX. 1-XX. 16. Marriage and Divorce 268 The Children 270 The Rich Young Man 273 Danger of Riches 276 Rewards 279
XVI. TO JERUSALEM 286 MATT. XX. 17-XXI. 17. I. The Going Up 286 II. The Royal Entry 295
XVII. CONFLICT IN THE TEMPLE 305 MATT. XXI. 18-XXIII. I. The Challenge 307 The Two Sons 310 The Husbandmen 311 The Marriage Feast 315 II. The Ordeal of Questions 322 III. The House left Desolate 329
XVIII. THE PROPHECY ON THE MOUNT 339 MATT. XXIV., XXV. I. The Coming of the Son of Man 340 II. Parables and Pictures of Judgment 349 1. The Servant set over the Household 349 2 and 3. The Virgins; The Talents 352 4. The Final Separation 366
XIX. THE GREAT ATONEMENT DAY 376 MATT. XXVI.-XXVII. 56. I. The Evening 386 II. The Night 396 III. The Morning 412 IV. From the Third to the Ninth Hour 420
XX. THE THIRD DAY 429 MATT. XXVII. 57-XXVIII. 15. The Evening of the First Day 430 The Second Day 432 The Morning of the Third Day 433
XXI. THE GOSPEL FOR ALL THE NATIONS THROUGH "ALL THE DAYS" 439 MATT. XXVIII. 16-20.
The New Testament opens appropriately with the four Gospels; for, though in their present form they are all later in date than some of the Epistles, their substance was the basis of all apostolic preaching and writing. As the Pentateuch to the Old Testament, so is the fourfold Evangel to the New.
That there should be a manifold presentation of the great facts which lie at the foundation of our faith and hope, was both to be expected and desired. The Gospel of Jesus Christ, as proclaimed by the first preachers of it, while in substance always the same, would be varied in form, and in number and variety of details, according to the individuality of the speaker, the kind of audience before him, and the special object he might have in view at the time. Before any form of presentation had been crystallized, there would therefore be an indefinite number of Gospels, each "according to" the individual preacher of "Christ and Him crucified." It is, therefore, a marvellous proof of the guidance and control of the Divine Spirit that out of these numerous oral Gospels there should emerge four, each perfect in itself, and together affording, as with the all-round completeness of sculpture, a life-like representation of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is manifestly of great advantage to have these several portraits of our Lord, permitting us to see Him from different points of view, and with varying arrangements of light and shade; all the more that, while three of them set forth in abundant variety of detail that which is more external,--the face, the features, the form, all the expression of that wondrous Life,--the fourth, appropriately called on this account "the Gospel of the heart of Jesus," unveils more especially the hidden riches of His inner Life. But, besides this, a manifold Gospel was needed, in order to meet the wants of man in the many-sidedness of his development. As the heavenly "city lieth four square," with gates on the east, and the west, and the north, and the south, to admit strangers coming from all points of the compass; so must there be in the presentation of the Gospel an open door for all mankind. How this great purpose is attained by the fourfold Gospel with which the New Testament opens can be readily shewn; and even a brief statement of it may serve a useful purpose as introductory to our study of that which is known as the First Gospel.