LECTURES

INTRODUCTORY TO THE

STUDY OF THE GOSPELS.

BY

WILLIAM KELLY.

BIB

LONDON:

W. H. BROOM, PATERNOSTER ROW.

1867.

100. s. 491

100. 5. 277.

PREFACE.

THE volume before the reader pretends to be nothing more than a rapid sketch of the four inspired accounts of our blessed Lord, which the Holy Ghost has been pleased to give for our instruction and joy through the faith of Him who is there revealed to us. Eleven discourses delivered in London (between May 31st and June 20th, 1866) did not afford much space for details. Taken in shorthand, they were corrected by the lecturer, with additions and retrenchments. He now commits the book, spite of shortcoming abundant, to His blessing who loved the Church and gave Himself for it, who still nourishes and cherishes it with tender care. May He graciously pardon every thought, feeling, and word inconsistent with Himself! May He deign to own and use the thing spoken of Him that is right!

Guernsey, 18th December, 1866.

CONTENTS.

I.

MATTHEW i.-viii. Purpose to point out the great distinguishing

features, as well as the chief contents, of each gospel, 1. Manifest

design of God to give expression to the glory of the Son according

to a special point of view in each gospel, 2. The Lord Jesus, Son

of David, Son of Abraham-Messiah-God with us, 3. Royalty

and the depositary of promise, 4. The four notorious women in

the genealogy-Thamar, 5, Rachab, Ruth, her that had been the

wife of Uriah, 6. The two conditions absolutely requisite to the

recognition of Messiah, 7. God's purpose in the two distinct lines

of truth visible in Matthew and Luke, 8. Joseph's son, and yet

not the son of Joseph, 9. The peculiarity of this genealogy is its

confirmation, 10. Why did God drop, e. g., three links of the

genealogical chain? 11. Because they were associated with the

wicked Athaliah of the house of Ahab, 12. Jewish unbelief over-

looked the divine and eternal glory while looking for the Mes-

sianic, 13. How was Messiah received when He came to His land

and people? 14. Israel's unbelief put to shame by Gentile

enquiry, 15. Self-complacent Christendom in contrast with the

simple-hearted worship of the Magi, 16. Simeon does not bless

the Babe, 17. The Lord Jesus, even as a Babe, tastes the hate of

the world, 18. The announcement of John the Baptist, 19. No

ground for believing that he knew the form the kingdom would

assume, 20. Emmanuel as Messiah coming to John's baptism, 21.

Its object, 22. The temptation in the wilderness, 23. "Get thee

hence, Satan," 24. Why the consecutive order of events is some-

times abandoned, 25. The lesson taught in Matthew as to this, 26.

The last temptation occupies the second place in Luke, 27.
"Get

thee behind me," and "Get thee hence," 28. The error of the

harmonists in endeavouring to make one gospel out of four, 29.