to an incident
recorded with little variety of expression, and with no essential
difference, by the first three Evangelists. St. Matthew's is the most
full account, and is this,--"While he yet talked to the people, behold
his mother and his brethren stood without desiring to speak with him.
Then one said unto him, {280} Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand
without, desiring to speak with thee. But he answered and said unto him
that told him, Who is my mother, and who are my brethren? And he
stretched forth his hand toward his disciples and said, Behold my mother
and my brethren. For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is
in heaven, the same is my brother and sister and mother." [Matt. xii.
46.] Or, as St. Luke expresses it,--"And he answered and said unto them,
My mother and my brethren are these, who hear the word of God and do
it." [Luke viii. 21.]

Humanly speaking, could a more favourable opportunity have presented
itself to our blessed Lord of referring to his beloved mother, in such a
manner as to exalt her above her fellow daughters of Eve,--in such a
manner too, as that Christians in after days, when the Saviour's bodily
presence should have been taken away from them, and the extraordinary
communications of the Spirit of truth should have been withdrawn, might
have remembered that He had spoken these things, and have been
countenanced by his words in doing her homage? But so far is this from
the plain and natural tendency of the words of her blessed Son, that,
had He of acknowledged purpose (and He has condescended to announce to
us, in another place (John xiii. 19, &c.), the purpose of his words)
wished to guard his disciples, whilst the world should last, against
being seduced by any reverence and love which they might feel towards
Himself into a belief that they ought to exalt his mother above all
other created beings, and pay her holy worship, we know not what words
He could have adopted more fitted for that purpose. There was nothing in
the communication which seemed to call for {281} such a remark. A plain
message announces to Him as a matter of fact one of the most common
occurrences of daily life. And yet He fixes upon the circumstance as the
groundwork not only of declaring the close union which it was his good
pleasure should exist between obedient and true believers and Himself,
but of cautioning all against any superstitious feelings towards those
who were nearly allied to Him by the