344 ST. MARK’S REST

harmonious and gentle fulness, in places where St. Luke is formal, St. John mysterious, and St. Mark brief,-this Gospel, according to St. Matthew, I should think, if we had to choose one out of all the books in the Bible for a prison or desert friend, would be the one we should keep.

And we do not enough think how much that leaving the receipt of custom meant, as a sign of the man’s nature, who was to leave us such a notable piece of literature.

174. Yet observe, Carpaccio does not mean to express the fact, or anything like the fact, of the literal calling of Matthew. What the actual character of the publicans of Jerusalem was at that time, in its general aspect, its admitted degradation, and yet power of believing, with the harlot,¹ what the masters and the mothers in Israel could not believe, it is not his purpose to teach you. This call from receipt of custom, he takes for the symbol of the universal call to leave all that we have, and are doing. “Whosoever forsaketh not all that he hath, cannot be my disciple.”² For the other calls were easily obeyed in comparison of this. To leave one’s often empty nets and nightly toil on sea, and become fishers of men,³ probably you might find pescatori enough on the Riva there, within a hundred paces of you, who would take the chance at once, if any gentle person offered it them. James and Jude-Christ’s cousins-no thanks to them for following Him; their own home conceivably no richer than His. Thomas and Philip, I suppose, somewhat thoughtful persons on spiritual matters, questioning of them long since; going out to hear St. John preach, and to see whom he had seen. But this man, busy in the place of business-engaged in the interests of foreign governments-thinking no more of an Israelite Messiah than Mr. Goschen,⁴ but only of Egyptian finance, and the like-suddenly the Messiah, passing by, says “Follow me!” and he rises up, gives Him his hand.

¹ [John viii. 2-11.]

² [Luke xiv. 33.]

³ [Matthew iv. 19.]

⁴ [In 1876 Mr. Goschen undertook, on behalf of the Foreign Bondholders, a mission to Cairo to reorganise the public debt of Egypt.]

[Version 0.04: March 2008]