itting in darkness that all men may walk in the light, and be
children of the light.

THE EARLY WELCOME AND THE FIRST MINISTERS OF THE KING

'From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the
kingdom of heaven is at hand. 18. And Jesus, walking by the sea of
Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his
brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. 19. And
He saith unto them, Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.
20. And they straightway left their nets, and followed Him. 21. And
going on from thence, He saw other two brethren, James the son of
Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father,
mending their nets: and He called them. 22. And they immediately
left the ship and their father, and followed Him. 23. And Jesus
went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching
the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and
all manner of disease among the people. 24. And His fame went
throughout all Syria: and they brought unto Him all sick people
that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which
were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and
those that had the palsy; and He healed them. 25. And there
followed Him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from
Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond
Jordan.'--MATT. iv. 17-25.

In these verses we have a summary of our Lord's early Galilean
ministry. The events are so presented and combined as to give an
impression as of a triumphal progress of the newly anointed monarch. He
sweeps through the northern regions, everywhere exercising the twofold
office of teaching and healing, and everywhere followed by eager crowds.
This joyous burst of the new power, like some strong fountain leaping
into the sunshine, and this rush of popular enthusiasm, are meant to
heighten the impression of the subsequent hostility of the people. The
King welcomed at first is crucified at last. It was 'roses, roses, all
the way' in these early days, but they withered soon. There are three
points in these verses: the King acting as His own herald; the King
calling His first servants; and the King wielding His power and welcomed
by His subjects.

I. In verse 17 we have a striking picture of the King as His own herald.
The word rendered 'pre