{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_67268/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_67268","id":"gutenberg_67268","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/67268","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Children & Young Adult Reading","Category: Religion/Spirituality","Jesus Christ -- Art","Jesus Christ -- Biography -- Juvenile literature"],"text":"[Illustration: Jesus Arraigned Before Pilate\n\nThen led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment: and it was\nearly; and they themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they\nshould be defiled; but that they might eat the passover. Pilate then went\nout unto them, and said, What accusation bring ye against this man?\u2014And\nthey began to accuse him, saying, We found this _fellow_ perverting the\nnation, and forbidding to give tribute to C\u00e6sar, saying that he himself\nis Christ a King.\u2014_St. John xviii: 28, 29; St. Luke xxiii: 2._\n\n_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_\n\n_Priding themselves upon their strict administration of justice, the\nRomans not infrequently erected their tribunals in the open air, by the\ncity gate, in the market-place or theatre, or even at the roadside, in\norder that all might have the opportunity of seeing and hearing. The\ndesign of Herod\u2019s magnificent palace, now the official residence of\nPilate, evidently made permanent provision for this method of official\nprocedure, the \u201cGabbatha\u201d\u2014a platform\u2014being a tesselated pavement in front\nof the Judgment Hall, to which access was obtained by a flight of steps.\nIn the centre of this pavement was a slightly-raised platform, upon which\nwas placed the curule chair of the procurator, with seats to right and\nleft for the assessors; other officers of the court occupying benches on\nthe lower level._\n\n61]\n\n\n\n\n                                   THE\n                          LIFE OF JESUS CHRIST\n                              FOR THE YOUNG\n\n                                 BY THE\n                        REV. RICHARD NEWTON, D.D.\n\n                                   AND\n                         HIS LIFE DEPICTED IN A\n                       GALLERY OF EIGHTY PAINTINGS\n\n                                   BY\n                              WILLIAM HOLE\n                        _ROYAL SCOTTISH ACADEMY_\n\n                                 VOL. IV\n\n                              PHILADELPHIA\n                    GEORGE BARRIE\u2019S SONS, PUBLISHERS\n                           ALL RIGHTS RESERVED\n\n                   COPYRIGHTED, 1876-1880, BY G. & B.\n               RENEWED, 1904-1907, BY GEORGE BARRIE & SONS\n               COPYRIGHTED, 1913, BY GEORGE BARRIE & SONS\n\n\n\n\nCONTENTS\n\nVOLUME IV\n\n\n    CHAPTER                                                  PAGE\n\n         THE GALLERY OF THE LIFE OF JESUS CHRIST              vii\n\n       I JESUS IN GETHSEMANE                                    1\n\n      II THE BETRAYAL AND DESERTION                            29\n\n     III THE TRIAL                                             59\n\n      IV THE CRUCIFIXION                                       89\n\n       V THE BURIAL                                           121\n\n      VI THE RESURRECTION                                     151\n\n     VII THE ASCENSION                                        179\n\n    VIII THE DAY OF PENTECOST                                 211\n\n      IX THE APOSTLE PETER                                    239\n\n       X ST. JOHN AND ST. PAUL                                271\n\n         ANALYTICAL INDEX                                     301\n\n         INDEX OF POEMS                                       319\n\n\n\n\nTHE GALLERY OF THE LIFE OF JESUS CHRIST\n\nVOLUME IV\n\n\n    NUMBER                                                   PAGE\n\n    61. JESUS ARRAIGNED BEFORE PILATE                     _Fronts._\n\n    62. JESUS PRIVATELY EXAMINED BY PILATE                     14\n\n    63. HEROD EXPECTETH TO BE AMUSED                           28\n\n    64. JESUS IS SCOURGED                                      42\n\n    65. JESUS, ARRAYED IN MOCK STATE, IS CROWNED AND BEATEN    56\n\n    66. PILATE WASHETH HIS HANDS                               70\n\n    67. \u201cDAUGHTERS OF JERUSALEM, WEEP NOT FOR ME\u201d              84\n\n    68. JESUS ATTACHED TO THE CROSS                            98\n\n    69. JESUS COMMENDETH HIS MOTHER TO JOHN                   112\n\n    70. JESUS YIELDETH UP THE GHOST                           126\n\n    71. THE BODY OF JESUS LAID IN THE TOMB                    140\n\n    72. \u201cHE IS NOT HERE, BUT IS RISEN\u201d                        154\n\n    73. PETER AND JOHN IN THE SEPULCHRE                       168\n\n    74. JESUS REVEALETH HIMSELF TO MARY MAGDALENE             182\n\n    75. ON THE ROAD TO EMMAUS                                 196\n\n    76. JESUS APPEARETH TO AND PARDONS SIMON PETER            210\n\n    77. THE INCREDULITY AND CONFESSION OF THOMAS              224\n\n    78. JESUS SHOWETH HIMSELF AT THE SEA OF TIBERIUS          254\n\n    79. JESUS, HIS WORK ACCOMPLISHED, ASCENDS INTO HEAVEN     268\n\n    80. THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST                            282\n\n\n\n\nJESUS IN GETHSEMANE\n\n\nIn sailing across the ocean, if we attempt to measure the depth of the\nwater in different places, we shall find that it varies very much. There\nare hardly two places in which it is exactly the same. In some places it\nis easy enough to find the bottom. In others, it is necessary to lengthen\nthe line greatly before it can be reached. And then there are other\nplaces where the water is so deep that the longest line ordinarily used\ncannot reach to the bottom. We know that there _is_ a bottom, but it is\nvery hard to get down to it.\n\nAnd, in studying the history of our Saviour\u2019s life, we may compare\nourselves to persons sailing over the ocean. The things that he did, and\nthe words that he spoke, are like the water over which we are sailing.\nAnd when we try to understand the meaning of what Jesus said and did,\nwe are like the sailor out at sea who is trying to fathom the water over\nwhich he is sailing, and to find out how deep it is. And in doing this\nwe shall find the same difference that he finds. Some of the things that\nJesus did and said are so plain and simple that a child can understand\nthem. These are like those parts of the ocean where a very little line\nwill reach the bottom. Other things that Jesus did and said require hard\nstudy, if we wish to understand them. But then, there are other parts of\nthe sayings and doings of Jesus which the best and wisest men, with all\ntheir learning and study, cannot fully understand or explain. These are\nlike those places in the sea where we cannot reach the bottom with our\nlongest lines.\n\nWe find our illustration of this in the garden of Gethsemane. Some of the\nthings that were done and said there we can easily understand. But other\nthings are told us, of what Jesus did and said there which are very hard\nto explain.\n\nIn speaking about this part of our Saviour\u2019s life, there are two things\nfor us to notice. These are what we are _told_ about Gethsemane, and what\nwe are _taught_ by the things that took place there. Or, a shorter way\nof stating it will be to say that our subject now is\u2014_the facts\u2014and the\nlessons of Gethsemane_.\n\nLet us look now at the facts that are told us about Gethsemane. It is\na fact that there was such a place as Gethsemane, near Jerusalem, when\nJesus was on earth, and that there is such a place there now. It is a\nfact that Gethsemane was a garden or orchard of olive trees then, and\nso it is still. Everyone who goes to Jerusalem is sure to visit this\nspot, because it is so sacred to all Christian hearts on account of its\nconnection with our Saviour\u2019s sufferings. The side of the Mount of Olives\non which Gethsemane stands is dotted over with olive trees. A portion\nof the hill has been enclosed with stone walls. This is supposed to be\nthe spot where our Lord\u2019s agony took place. Inside of these walls are\neight large olive trees. They are gnarled and crooked, and very old. Some\nsuppose they are the very trees which stood there when Jesus visited the\nspot, on the night in which he was betrayed. But this is not likely. For\nwe know that when Titus, the Roman general, was besieging Jerusalem, he\ncut down all the trees that could be found near the city. But the trees\nnow there have probably sprung from the roots of those that were growing\nin Gethsemane on this very night.\n\nIt is a fact that after keeping the last Passover, and observing, for the\nfirst time the Lord\u2019s Supper with his disciples, Jesus left Jerusalem\nnear midnight with the little band of his followers. He went down the\nside of the hill on which the city stood and crossed the brook Kedron\non the way to Gethsemane. It is a fact that on going into the garden he\nleft eight of his disciples at the entrance. It is a fact that he took\nwith him the chosen, favored three, Peter, James, and John, and went\nfurther into the garden. It is a fact that then he \u201cbegan to be sorrowful\nand very heavy. Then saith he\u2014my soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto\ndeath.\u201d It is a fact that he withdrew from the three disciples, and,\nalone with God, he bowed himself to the earth, and prayed, saying, \u201cO,\nmy Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me.\u201d It is a fact\nthat after offering this earnest prayer he returned to his disciples and\nfound them asleep, and said to Peter, \u201cWhat! could ye not watch with\nme one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation.\u201d It is\na fact that he went away again, \u201cand being in an agony he prayed more\nearnestly, and his sweat was, as it were, great drops of blood falling\ndown to the ground.\u201d It is a fact that in the depths of his agony, \u201cthere\nappeared unto him an angel from heaven strengthening him.\u201d We are not\ntold what the angel said to him. No doubt he brought to him some tender,\nloving words from his Father in heaven, to comfort and encourage him.\nIt is a fact that he returned to his disciples again and found them\nsleeping, for their eyes were heavy. It is a fact that he went away\nagain, and prayed, saying, \u201cO, my Father, if this cup may not pass from\nme except I drink it, thy will be done.\u201d It is a fact that he returned\nthe third time to his disciples, and said\u2014\u201cSleep on now, and take your\nrest: behold the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the\nhands of sinners. Rise, let us be going: behold he is at hand that doth\nbetray me.\u201d And it is a fact that, immediately after he had spoken these\nwords, the wretched Judas appeared with his band to take him. These are\nthe facts told us by the evangelists respecting Jesus and his agony in\nGethsemane. They are very wonderful facts, and the scene which they set\nbefore us in our Saviour\u2019s life is one of the most solemn and awful that\never was witnessed.\n\nAnd now, let us go on to speak of _the lessons_ taught us by these facts.\nThese lessons are _four_.\n\n_The first lesson we learn from Gethsemane is a lesson\u2014ABOUT PRAYER._\n\nAs soon as this great trouble came upon our blessed Lord in Gethsemane,\nwe see him, at once separating himself from his disciples, and seeking\nthe comfort and support of his Father\u2019s presence in prayer. And this was\nwhat he was in the habit of doing. We remember how he spent the night in\nprayer before engaging in the important work of choosing his disciples.\nAnd now, as soon as the burden of this great sorrow comes crushing down\nupon him, the first thing he does is to seek relief in prayer.\n\nThe apostle Paul is speaking of this, when he says, \u201che offered _up\nprayers and supplications, with strong crying and tears, unto him that\nwas able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared_.\u201d Heb.\nv: 7. This refers particularly to what took place here in Gethsemane.\nThe earnestness which marked our Saviour\u2019s prayers on this occasion is\nespecially mentioned. He mingled tears with his prayers. It appears from\nwhat the apostle here says, that there was something connected with his\napproaching death upon the cross that Jesus particularly feared. We are\nnot told what it was. And it is not worth while for us to try and find\nit out, for we cannot do it. But the prayer of Jesus, was not in vain.\n\u201cHe was heard, in that he feared.\u201d No doubt this refers to what took\nplace when the angel came to strengthen him. His prayer was not answered\nliterally. He was not actually saved from death; but he was saved from\nwhat he feared in connection with death. Our Lord\u2019s experience, in this\nrespect, was like that of St. Paul when he prayed to be delivered from\nthe thorn in the flesh. The thorn was not taken away, but grace was\ngiven him to bear it, and that was better than having it taken away. The\npromise is\u2014\u201cCast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee.\u201d\nPs. lv: 22. And so, from the gloomy shades of Gethsemane, with our\nSaviour\u2019s agony and bloody sweat, there comes to us a precious lesson\nabout prayer. We see Jesus praying under the sorrows that overwhelmed him\nthere: his prayer was heard, and he was helped.\n\nAnd thus, by the example of our blessed Lord, we are taught, when we have\nany heavy burden to bear, or any hard duty to do, to carry it to the Lord\nin prayer.\n\nLet us look at some examples from every day life of the benefit that\nfollows from prayer.\n\n\u201cWashington\u2019s Prayer.\u201d General Washington was one of the best and\ngreatest men that this country, or any other, ever had. He was a man of\npiety and prayer.\n\nWhile he was a young man, he was appointed by Governor Dinwiddie, of\nVirginia, to the command of a body of troops, and sent on some duty in\nthe western part of that state. A part of these troops was composed\nof friendly Indians. There was no chaplain in that little army, and\nso Washington used to act as chaplain himself. He was in the habit of\nstanding up, in the presence of his men, with his head uncovered, and\nreverently asking the God of heaven to protect and bless them in the work\nthey were sent to do. And no doubt, the great secret of Washington\u2019s\nsuccess in life, was his habit of prayer. He occupied many positions of\nhonor and dignity during his useful life. But, never did he occupy any\nposition in which he appeared so manly, so honorable, and so truly noble,\nas when he stood forth, a young man, in the presence of his little army,\nand tried to lift up their thoughts to God above, as the one \u201cfrom whom\nall blessings flow.\u201d\n\n\u201cPraying Better Than Stealing.\u201d A poor family lived near a wood wharf.\nThe father of this family got on very well while he kept sober; but when\nhe went to the tavern to spend his evenings and his earnings, as he did\nsometimes, then his poor family had to suffer. One winter, during a cold\nspell of weather, he was taken sick from a drunken frolic. Their wood was\nnearly gone.\n\nAfter dark one night, he called his oldest boy John to his bedside, and\nwhispered to him to go to the wood wharf and bring an armful of wood.\n\n\u201cI can\u2019t do that,\u201d said John.\n\n\u201cCan\u2019t do it\u2014why not?\u201d\n\n\u201cBecause that would be stealing, and since I have been going to\nSabbath-school, I\u2019ve learned that God\u2019s commandment is, \u2018Thou shalt not\nsteal.\u2019\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, and didn\u2019t you learn that another of God\u2019s commandments\nis\u2014\u2018Children, obey your parents?\u2019\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, father,\u201d answered the boy.\n\n\u201cWell, then, mind and do what I tell you.\u201d\n\nJohnny was perplexed. He knew there must be some way of answering his\nfather, but he did not know exactly how to do it. The right thing would\nhave been for him to say that, when our parents tell us to do what is\nplainly contrary to the command of God, we must obey God rather than men.\nBut Johnny had not learned this yet. So he said:\n\n\u201cFather, please excuse me from stealing. I\u2019ll ask God to send us some\nwood. Praying\u2019s better than stealing. I\u2019m pretty sure God will send it.\nAnd if it don\u2019t come before I come home from school at noon to-morrow, I\nwill go and work for some, or beg some. I can work, and I can beg, but I\ncan\u2019t steal.\u201d\n\nThen Johnny crept up into the loft where he slept, and prayed to God\nabout this matter. He said the Lord\u2019s prayer, which his teacher had\ntaught him. And after saying\u2014\u201cgive us this day our daily bread;\u201d he\nadded\u2014\u201cand please Lord send us some wood too, and let father see that\npraying is better than stealing\u2014for Jesus\u2019 sake. Amen.\u201d\n\nAnd at noon next day when he came home from school, as he turned round\nthe corner, and came in sight of their home, what do you think was the\nfirst thing he saw? Why, a load of wood before their door! Yes, there it\nwas. His mother told him the overseers of the poor had sent it. He did\nnot know them. He believed it was God who sent it. And he was right.\n\nThe first lesson from Gethsemane is about prayer.\n\n_The second lesson from this hallowed spot is\u2014ABOUT SIN._\n\nHere, in Gethsemane, we see Jesus engaged in paying the price of our\nredemption: this means, what he had to suffer for us before our sins\ncould be pardoned. The pains and sorrows through which Jesus passed,\nin the agony of the garden, and the death on the cross: the sighs he\nheaved\u2014the groans he uttered\u2014the tears he shed\u2014the fears, the griefs, the\nunknown sufferings that he bore\u2014all these were part of the price he had\nto pay, that we might be saved from our sins.\n\nWhen we read of all that Jesus endured in Gethsemane: when we hear him\nsay\u2014\u201cmy soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death:\u201d when we see him\nfall to the earth, in such an agony that \u201chis sweat was, as it were,\ngreat drops of blood falling down to the ground:\u201d we may well ask the\nquestion\u2014what was it which caused him all this fearful suffering? And\nthere is only one way of answering this question; and this is by saying\n_that he was bearing the punishment of our sins_. There was nothing else\nthat could have made him feel so sad and sorrowful. But _this_ explains\nit all. Then, as the prophet says\u2014\u201cHe was wounded for our transgressions,\nhe was bruised for our iniquities;\u2014and the Lord had laid on him the\niniquity of us all.\u201d Is. liii: 5, 6. Our sins had provoked the wrath\nof God against us, and Jesus was bearing that wrath for us. In all the\nworld, there is nothing that shows so clearly what a fearful thing sin\nis, as the awful sufferings of Jesus when he was paying the price of our\nsins, or making atonement for us. And it is by knowing what took place\nin Gethsemane, and on Calvary, and _only_ in this way, that we can learn\nwhat a terrible evil sin is, and how we are to be saved from it.\n\nSome years ago, there was a good Christian lady in England who had taken\ninto her family a deaf and dumb boy. She was anxious to teach him the\nlesson of Gethsemane and Calvary; that Christ had suffered and died for\nour sins. Signs and pictures were the only means by which she could\nteach him. So she drew a picture of a great crowd of people, old and\nyoung, standing near a deep, wide pit, out of which smoke and flames were\nissuing, and into which they were in danger of being driven. Then she\ndrew the figure of one who came down from heaven, representing Jesus, the\nSon of God. She explained to the boy that when this person came, he asked\nGod not to throw those people into the pit, because he was willing to\nsuffer and to die for them, that the pit might be shut up and the people\nsaved.\n\nThe deaf and dumb boy wondered much: and then made signs that the person\nwho offered to die was only one, while the guilty ones who deserved to\ndie were many. He did not understand how God could be willing to take\none, in the place of so many. The lady saw the difficulty that was in\nthe boy\u2019s mind. Then she took a gold ring off from her finger, and put\nit down by the side of a great heap of withered leaves, from some faded\nflowers, and then asked the boy, by signs, which was the more valuable,\nthe one gold ring, or the many withered leaves? The boy took in the\nidea at once. He clapped his hands with delight, and then by signs\nexclaimed\u2014\u201cThe one\u2014the golden one.\u201d And then to show that he knew what\nthis meant, and that the life of Jesus was worth more than the world of\nsinners for which he died, he ran and got his letters, and spelled the\nwords\u2014\u201cGood! The golden one good!\u201d The deaf and dumb boy had learned two\ngreat lessons that day. For one thing he had learned this lesson about\nsin which we are trying to learn from Gethsemane. He saw what a dreadful\nthing sin is, when it was necessary for Jesus to die before it could be\npardoned. And then, at the same time, he learned a lesson about Jesus. He\nsaw what a golden, glorious character he is: that he is perfect man, and\nperfect God. This made his blood _so_ precious that the shedding of that\nblood was a price sufficient to pay for the sins of the whole world.\n\n[Illustration: Jesus Privately Examined by Pilate\n\nThen Pilate entered into the judgment hall again, and called Jesus,\nand said unto him, Art thou the King of the Jews? Jesus answered him,\nSayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee of me?\nPilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests have\ndelivered thee unto me: what hast thou done? Jesus answered, My kingdom\nis not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my\nservants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is\nmy kingdom not from hence. Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a\nking then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was\nI born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear\nwitness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.\nPilate saith unto him, What is truth?\u2014_St. John xviii: 33-38._\n\n_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_\n\n_If Herod\u2019s palace was built according to the customary Roman method, the\nprivate examination of Jesus would naturally be conducted either in the\nlibrary, or in Pilate\u2019s business room\u2014apartments which usually occupied\npositions on opposite sides of a short passage leading from the further\nextremity of the spacious atrium to the inner halls and chambers of the\npalace. There were six examinations of our Lord: (1) before Annas for\nfact; (2) before Caiaphas for determinations; (3) before the Sanhedrim\nfor official confirmation; (4) before Pilate for preliminary enquiry; (5)\nbefore Herod Antipas as Tetrarch of Galilee; (6) before Pilate for final\nacquittal or condemnation._\n\n62]\n\nAnd now, let us see, for a moment, how much good is done by telling to\npoor sinners this story of Gethsemane and Calvary, and of the sufferings\nof Jesus there. Here is an illustration of the power of this story, for\nwhich we are indebted to one of the Moravian Missionaries in Greenland.\n\nKazainak was a robber chief, who lived among \u201cGreenland\u2019s icy mountains.\u201d\nHe came, one day to a hut, where the missionary was engaged in\ntranslating into the language of that country the gospel of St. John.\nHe saw the missionary writing and asked him what he was doing. Pointing\nto the letters he had just written, he said those marks were words, and\nthat the book from which they were written could speak. Kazainak said he\nwould like to hear what the book had to say. The missionary took up the\nbook, and read from it the story of Christ\u2019s crucifixion. When he stopped\nreading the chief asked:\n\n\u201cWhat had this man done, that he was put to death? had he robbed any one?\nor murdered any one? had he done wrong to any one? Why did he die?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo,\u201d said the missionary. \u201cHe had robbed no one; he had murdered no one;\nhe had done no wrong to any one.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen, why did he die?\u201d\n\n\u201cListen,\u201d said the missionary. \u201cJesus had done no wrong; but Kazainak has\ndone wrong. Jesus had robbed no one; but Kazainak has robbed many. Jesus\nhad murdered no one; but Kazainak has murdered his brother; Kazainak has\nmurdered his child. Jesus suffered that Kazainak might not suffer; Jesus\ndied that Kazainak might not die.\u201d\n\n\u201cTell me that again,\u201d said the astonished chief. It was told him again,\nand the end of it was that the hard-hearted, blood-stained murderer\nbecame a gentle, loving Christian. He never knew what sin was till he\nheard of Christ\u2019s sufferings for it.\n\nThe second lesson we learn from Gethsemane is\u2014the lesson about sin.\n\n_The third lesson from Gethsemane is the lesson ABOUT SUBMISSION._\n\nJesus taught us in the Lord\u2019s prayer to say, \u201cThy will be done on earth,\nas it is in heaven.\u201d And this is one of the most important lessons\nwe ever have to learn. It is very easy to say these words\u2014\u201cThy will\nbe done;\u201d but it is not so easy to feel them, and to be and do just\nwhat they teach. The will of God is always right, and good, and holy.\nEverything opposed to his will is sinful. St. Paul tells us that\u2014\u201csin\nis the transgression of the law.\u201d To _transgress_ a law, means to walk\nover it, or to break it. But the law of God is only his will made known.\nAnd so, everything that we think, or feel, or say, or do, contrary to\nthe will of God\u2014is sin. And when we remember this it should make us very\nanxious to learn the lesson of submission to the will of God. If we could\nall learn to do the will of God as the angels do, it would make our earth\nlike heaven. And this is one reason why Jesus was so earnest in teaching\nus this lesson. He not only _preached_ submission to the will of God, but\n_practised_ it. When he entered Gethsemane, he compared the dreadful\nsufferings before him to a cup, filled with something very bitter, which\nhe was asked to drink. Now, no person, however good or holy he may be,\nlikes to endure dreadful sufferings. It is natural for us to shrink\nback from suffering, and to try to get away from it. And this was just\nthe way that Jesus felt. He did not love suffering any more than you or\nI do. And so, when he prayed the first time in Gethsemane, with those\nterrible sufferings immediately before him, his prayer was\u2014\u201cFather, if it\nbe possible, let this cup pass from me.\u201d But the cup did not pass away.\nIt was held before him still. He saw it was his Father\u2019s will for him\nto drink it. So, when he prayed the second time, his words were\u2014\u201cO, my\nFather, if this cup may not pass from me, except I drink it: _thy will be\ndone_!\u201d This was the most beautiful example of submission to the will of\nGod the world has ever seen.\n\nWhen Adam was in the garden of Eden he refused to submit to the will of\nGod. He said, by his conduct, \u201cNot _thy_ will, but _mine_ be done:\u201d and\nthat brought the curse upon the earth, and filled it with sorrow and\ndeath. When Jesus was in the garden of Gethsemane, he submitted to the\nwill of God. He said, \u201cNot _my_ will, but _thine_, be done.\u201d This took\naway the curse which Adam brought upon the earth, and left a blessing in\nthe place of it\u2014even life, and peace, and salvation.\n\nWe ought to learn submission to the will of God, because he knows what is\nbest for us.\n\n\u201cThe Curse of the Granted Prayer.\u201d A widowed mother had an only child\u2014a\ndarling boy. Her heart was wrapped up in him. At one time he was taken\nvery ill. The doctor thought he would die. She prayed earnestly that his\nlife might be spared. But she did not pray in submission to the will of\nGod. She said she did not want to live unless her child was spared to\nher. He was spared. But, he grew up to be a selfish, disobedient boy. One\nday, in a fit of passion, he struck his mother. That almost broke her\nheart. He became worse and worse; and, at last, in a drunken quarrel, he\nkilled one of his companions. He was taken to prison; was tried\u2014condemned\nto be hanged\u2014and ended his life on the gallows. That quite broke his\nmother\u2019s heart.\n\nNow God, in his goodness, was going to save that mother from all this\nbitter sorrow. And would have done so if she had only learned to say\u2014\u201cThy\nwill be done.\u201d She would not say that. The consequence was that she\nbrought on herself all that heart-breaking sorrow.\n\nAnd then we ought to learn submission to the will of God\u2014_because,\nwhatever he takes away from us\u2014he leaves us so many blessings still_!\n\nHere is a good illustration of this part of our subject. Some years\nago, in a town in New England, there was a minister of the gospel who\nwas greatly interested in his work. But he was attacked with bleeding\nof the lungs and was obliged to stop preaching and resign the charge of\nhis church. About the same time his only child was laid in the grave;\nhis wife, for a time, lost the use of her eyes; his home was broken up,\nand his prospects were very dark. They had been obliged to sell their\nfurniture and take boarding at a tavern in the town where they lived.\nBut, under all these trials, he was resigned and cheerful. He felt the\nsupporting power of that precious gospel which he had so loved to preach.\nHis wife had not felt as contented and cheerful under their trials as he\nwas.\n\nOne day, as he came in from a walk, she said to him: \u201cHusband dear, I\nhave been thinking of our situation here, and have made up my mind to try\nand be patient and submissive to the will of God.\u201d\n\n\u201cAh,\u201d said he, \u201cthat\u2019s a good resolution. I\u2019m very glad to hear it. Now,\nlet us see what we have to submit to. I will make a list of our trials.\nWell, in the first place, we have a comfortable home; we\u2019ll submit to\nthat. Secondly, we have many of the blessings of life left to us; we\u2019ll\nsubmit to that. Thirdly, we are spared to each other; we\u2019ll submit to\nthat. Fourthly, we have a multitude of kind friends; we\u2019ll submit to\nthat. Fifthly, we have a loving God, and Saviour, who has promised to\ntake care of us, and \u2018make all things work together for our good;\u2019 we\u2019ll\nsubmit to that.\u201d\n\nThis was a view of their case which his wife had not taken. And so by\nthe time her husband had got through with his fifthly, her heart was\nfilled with gratitude, her eyes with tears, and she exclaimed: \u201cStop,\nstop; please stop, my dear husband; and I\u2019ll never say another word about\nsubmission.\u201d\n\nThe lesson of submission is the third lesson that we are taught in\nGethsemane.\n\n_The last lesson for us to learn from this solemn scene in our Saviour\u2019s\nlife is a lesson\u2014ABOUT TENDERNESS._\n\nJesus taught us this when he came back, again and again, from his lonely\nstruggles with the sufferings he was passing through, and found his\ndisciples asleep. It seemed very selfish and unfeeling in them to show\nno more sympathy with their Master in the time of his greatest need. He\nhad told them how full of sorrow he was, and had asked them to watch with\nhim. Now, we should have supposed that, under such circumstances, they\nwould have found it impossible to sleep. They ought to have been weeping\nwith him in his sorrow, and uniting in prayer to God to help and comfort\nhim. But, instead of this, while he was bearing all the agony and bloody\nsweat which was caused him by their sins, _they were fast asleep_! If\nJesus had rebuked them sharply for their want of feeling, it would not\nhave been surprising. But, he did nothing of the kind. He only asked,\nin his own quiet, gentle way\u2014\u201ccould ye not watch with me one hour?\u201d And\nthen he kindly excused them for their fault, saying\u2014\u201cThe spirit indeed is\nwilling, but the flesh is weak!\u201d How tender and loving this was! Here we\nhave the lesson of tenderness that comes to us from Gethsemane. We see\nhere, beautifully illustrated, the gentle, loving spirit of our blessed\nSaviour. And the exhortation of the apostle, is\u2014\u201cLet _this mind be in\nyou, which was also in Christ Jesus_.\u201d Phil. ii: 5.\n\nSomeone has well said, that \u201cthe rule for us to walk by, if we are true\nChristians, is, when any one injures us, _to forget one half of it, and\nforgive the rest_.\u201d This is the very spirit of our Master. This was the\nway in which he acted towards his erring disciples in Gethsemane. And, if\nall who bear the name of Christ were only trying to follow his example,\nin this respect, who can tell how much good would be done?\n\nHere are some beautiful illustrations of this lesson of tenderness and\nforbearance which Jesus taught us in Gethsemane.\n\n\u201cThe Influence of This Spirit in a Christian Woman.\u201d A parish visitor had\na district to attend to which contained some of the worst families in\ntown. There was a sick child in one of those families. The visitor called\non her every day. The grandfather of this child was a wicked, hardened\nman, who hated religion and everything connected with it. He had a big\ndog that was about as savage as he was himself. Every day, when he saw\nthis Christian woman coming to visit the sick child, he would let loose\nthe dog on her. The dog flew at her, and caught hold of her dress. But\nshe was a brave woman, and stood her ground nobly. A few kind words\nspoken to the dog took away all his fierceness. She continued her visits,\nday after day, bringing to the poor child such nice things as she needed.\nAt first the dog was set upon her every day; but as she went on in her\nkind and gentle way, the old man began to feel ashamed of himself; and\nbefore a week was over, when he saw this faithful Christian woman coming\nto the suffering little one, instead of letting loose the dog upon her,\nhe would take his pipe out of his mouth with one hand and lift the cap\nfrom his head with the other, and make a polite bow to her, saying, \u201cGood\nmorning, ma\u2019am: werry glad to see you.\u201d\n\nAnd so the spirit of Christ, as practised by that good woman, won the\nway for the gospel into that home of sin and misery, and it brought a\nblessing with it, as it always does.\n\n\u201cThe Spirit of Christ in a Little Girl.\u201d \u201cSitting in school one day,\u201d\nsays a teacher, \u201cI overheard a conversation between a little girl and her\nbrother. He was complaining of various wrongs that had been done to him\nby another little boy belonging to the school. His face grew red with\nanger, and he became very much excited in telling of all that this boy\nhad done to him. He was going on to say how he intended to pay him back,\nwhen his sister interrupted him by saying, \u2018Brother, please don\u2019t talk\nany more in that way. Remember that _Charley has no mother_.\u2019\n\n\u201cHer brother\u2019s lips were closed at once. This gentle rebuke from his\nsister went straight to his heart. He walked quietly away, saying to\nhimself\u2014\u2018I never thought of that.\u2019 He remembered his own sweet home and\nthe teaching of his loving mother; and the question came up to him\u2014\u2018What\nshould I be if I had no mother?\u2019 He thought how lonely Charley must feel,\nand how hard it must be for him to do right _without a mother_. This took\naway all his anger. And he made up his mind to be kind and forbearing to\npoor Charley, and to try to do him all the good he could. This little\ngirl was following the example of Christ, and we see what a good effect\nit had upon her brother.\u201d\n\n\u201cA Boy with the Spirit of Christ.\u201d Two boys\u2014Bob Jones and Ben\nChristie\u2014were left alone in a country school-house between the morning\nand afternoon sessions. Contrary to the master\u2019s express orders Bob Jones\nset off some fireworks. When afternoon school began, the master called\nup the two boys, to find out who had done the mischief.\n\n\u201cBob, did you set off those fireworks?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, sir,\u201d said Bob.\n\n\u201cDid you do it, Ben?\u201d was the next question.\n\nBut Ben refused to answer; and so the master flogged him severely for his\nobstinacy.\n\nAt the afternoon recess the boys were alone together. \u201cBen, why didn\u2019t\nyou deny it?\u201d asked his companion.\n\n\u201cBecause there were only us two there, and one of us must have lied,\u201d\nsaid Ben.\n\n\u201cThen why didn\u2019t you say I did it?\u201d\n\n\u201cBecause you had said you didn\u2019t, and I would rather take the flogging\nthan fasten the lie on you.\u201d\n\nBob\u2019s heart melted under this. Ben\u2019s noble spirit quite overcame him. He\nfelt that he never could allow his companion to lie under the charge of\nthe wrong that he had done.\n\nAs soon as the school began again, Bob marched up to the master\u2019s desk,\nand said:\n\n\u201cPlease, sir, I can\u2019t bear to be a liar. Ben Christie didn\u2019t set off\nthese fire-crackers. I did it, and he took the flogging rather than\ncharge me with the lie.\u201d And then Bob burst into tears.\n\nThe master looked at him in surprise. He thought of the unjust punishment\nBen had received, his conscience smote him, and his eyes filled with\ntears. Taking hold of Bob\u2019s hand, they walked to Ben Christie\u2019s seat;\nthen the master said aloud:\n\n\u201cBen, Ben, my lad, Bob and I have done you wrong; we both ask your\npardon!\u201d\n\nThe school was hushed and still as the grave. You might almost have heard\nBen\u2019s big-boy tears dropping on his book. But, in a moment, dashing\nthe tears away, he cried out\u2014\u201cThree cheers for the master.\u201d They gave\nthree cheers. And then Bob Jones added\u2014\u201cAnd now three cheers for Ben\nChristie\u201d\u2014and they made the school-house ring again with three rousing\ncheers for Ben.\n\nBen Christie was acting in the spirit of Christ in what he did that day.\nAnd in doing so he did good to his companion, Bob Jones. He did good to\nthe master, and to every scholar in the school.\n\nAnd there is no way in which we can do so much real good to all about us\nas by trying to catch the spirit and follow the example of our blessed\nSaviour.\n\nAnd so, when we think of Jesus in Gethsemane, let us never forget _the\nfacts and the lessons_ connected with that sacred place. The facts are\ntoo many to be repeated. The lessons are four. There is the lesson about\nprayer; the lesson about sin; the lesson about submission; and the lesson\nabout tenderness.\n\nAnd, as we leave this solemn subject, we may each of us say, in the words\nof the hymn:\n\n  \u201cCan I Gethsemane forget?\n      Or there thy conflict see,\n  Thine agony and bloody sweat,\n      And not remember thee?\n\n  \u201cRemember thee, and all thy pains,\n      And all thy love to me;\n  Yes, while a breath, a pulse remains,\n      Will I remember thee.\n\n  \u201cAnd when these failing lips grow dumb,\n      And mind, and memory flee,\n  When thou shalt in thy kingdom come,\n      Jesus, remember me.\u201d\n\n[Illustration: Herod Expecteth to be Amused\n\nThen said Pilate to the chief priests and _to_ the people, I find no\nfault in this man. And they were the more fierce, saying, He stirreth\nup the people, teaching throughout all Jewry, beginning from Galilee\nto this place. When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked whether the man\nwere a Galil\u00e6an. And as soon as he knew that he belonged unto Herod\u2019s\njurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who himself also was at Jerusalem\nat that time. And when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding glad: for he\nwas desirous to see him of a long _season_, because he had heard many\nthings of him; and he hoped to have seen some miracle done by him. Then\nhe questioned with him in many words; but he answered him nothing. And\nthe chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused him. And Herod\nwith his men of war set him at nought, and mocked _him_, and arrayed him\nin a gorgeous robe, and sent him again to Pilate.\u2014_St. Luke xxiii: 4-11._\n\n_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_\n\n_While in residence in Jerusalem, Herod Antipas occupied the ancient\npalace of the Hasmon\u00e6an kings, situated on the western hill, not far\nfrom that built by Herod the Great. A weak, cruel sensualist, Antipas,\nlike other princelings of his family, affected the dress and manners and\nthe refined luxury of the Greeks. Blas\u00e9 and wearied doubtless with the\nmonotonous pleasures of the dissolute court, he welcomed the excitement\npromised by the appearance of Jesus at his judgment-seat, anticipating\nthat the prisoner would thankfully purchase his life at the cost of\namusing him and his courtiers by some display of the magical power with\nthe possession of which rumor had credited him. Herod was devoted to\nhunting and had special hunting grounds near the Lake of Gennesaret, so a\nfavorite hound is appropriately introduced._\n\n63]\n\n\n\n\nTHE BETRAYAL AND DESERTION\n\n\nOne of the darkest chapters in the history of our Saviour\u2019s life is this\nnow before us. Here we see him betrayed into the hands of his enemies by\none of his disciples and deserted by all the rest.\n\nIn studying this subject, we may look at the history of the betrayal and\ndesertion, and then consider some of the lessons that it teaches.\n\nThe man who committed this awful crime was _Judas Iscariot_. He was one\nof the twelve whom Jesus chose, in the early part of his ministry, to be\nwith him, all the time, to see all the mighty works that he did, and to\nhear all that he said in private as well as in public. He is called Judas\n_Iscariot_, to distinguish him from another of the disciples of the same\nname, viz., Judas, the brother of James. Different explanations have been\ngiven of the meaning of this name Iscariot. The most likely is, that it\nwas used to denote the place of his birth. If this be so, then it was\nwritten at first, Judas-Ish-Kerioth\u2014which means a man of Kerioth. And\nthen this would show us that he belonged to a town in the southern part\nof Judah, called Kerioth.\n\nWe know nothing about Judas before we hear him spoken of as one of the\ntwelve apostles. In the different lists of the names of the apostles, he\nis always mentioned last, because of the dreadful sin which he finally\ncommitted. When his name is mentioned he is generally spoken of as \u201cthe\ntraitor\u201d\u2014or as the man \u201cwhich also betrayed him.\u201d Jesus knew, of course,\nfrom the beginning, what kind of a man Judas was, and what he would do\nin the end. But, we have no reason to suppose that Judas himself had any\nidea of committing this horrible crime when he first became an apostle;\nor that the other apostles ever had the least suspicion of him. There\ncan be no doubt that he took part with the other apostles when Jesus\nsent them before his face to \u201cpreach the gospel of the kingdom,\u201d and to\nperform \u201cmany mighty works.\u201d Yes, Judas, who afterwards betrayed his\nMaster, preached the gospel and performed miracles in the name of Jesus.\nHis fellow-disciples, so far from suspecting any harm of him, made him\nthe treasurer of their little company, and let him \u201chave the bag\u201d and\nmanage their money affairs. And _this_, may have been the very thing that\nruined him.\n\nThe first time that we see anything wrong in Judas is at the supper given\nto our Lord at Bethany. We read about this in St. John 12: 1-9. On this\noccasion, Mary, the sister of Lazarus, brought a very precious box of\nointment, and anointed the feet of Jesus with it. Judas thought this\nointment was wasted, and asked why it had not been sold for three hundred\npence, and given to the poor. This would be about forty-five or fifty\ndollars of our money. It is added\u2014\u201cThis he said, not because he cared for\nthe poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bore what was\nput therein.\u201d None of his disciples suspected Judas of being a thief at\nthis time. These words were added, long after the death of Judas, when\nhis true character was well known.\n\nBut, when Jesus rebuked Judas for finding fault with Mary, and praised\nher highly for what she had done, he was greatly offended. And then, it\nseems, he first made up his mind to do that terrible deed which has left\nso deep and dreadful a stain upon his memory. For we read\u2014St. Matt.\nxxvi: 14-16\u2014\u201cThen one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto\nthe chief priests and said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will\ndeliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of\nsilver. And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.\u201d The\npaltry sum for which Judas agreed to betray his Master was about fifteen\ndollars of our money\u2014the price of a common slave.\n\nVery soon after this Jesus met his disciples in that upper chamber of\nJerusalem, to eat the Passover together for the last time. And Judas came\nwith them. How could the wretched man venture into the presence of Jesus,\nwhen he had already agreed to betray him?\n\nBut Jesus knew all about it. How startled Judas must have been when he\nheard Jesus say before them all\u2014\u201cOne of you shall betray me.\u201d It is\nprobable that Jesus said this to drive Judas out from his presence, for\nit must have been very painful to him to have him there. And, after Jesus\nhad given the sop to Judas, to show by this that he knew who the traitor\nwas, we read that\u2014\u201cSatan entered into him. Then Jesus said unto him, That\nthou doest do quickly.\u201d Then he \u201cwent immediately out;\u201d and hastened to\nthe chief priests to make arrangements for delivering Jesus unto them.\n\nIt is clear, I think, from this that Judas was not present while Jesus\nwas instituting the Lord\u2019s Supper. It must have been a wonderful relief\nto Jesus when Judas left their little company. And we are not surprised\nto find it written\u2014\u201cWhen he was gone out Jesus said, Now is the Son of\nman glorified, and God is glorified in him,\u201d St. John xiii: 31. Then\nfollowed the Lord\u2019s Supper; and the glorious things spoken of in the\n14th, 15th, and 16th chapters of St. John, and the great prayer in the\n17th chapter. After this came the agony in the garden of Gethsemane.\n\nJust as this was over, Judas appeared with the band of soldiers and\nservants of the chief priests \u201cwith lanterns, and torches, and weapons.\u201d\nJesus went forth to meet them, and asked whom they were seeking. They\nanswered, \u201cJesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am he. As soon\nas he had said unto them I am he, they went backward and fell to the\nground.\u201d Then Judas came to Jesus according to the signal he had given\nthem, and said, Hail, Master, and kissed him. But Jesus said unto him,\nJudas, betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss? Then Peter drew his\nsword to defend his Master, and struck a servant of the high-priest, and\ncut off his right ear. Jesus touched the ear, and healed it; and told\nPeter to put up his sword. Then they came to Jesus and bound him, and led\nhim away to the high-priest; and it is added: \u201c_Then all the disciples\nforsook him and fled._\u201d He was betrayed by one of his own disciples and\nforsaken by all the rest.\n\nNothing is said about Judas during the time of the trial of Jesus. Some\nsuppose that he expected our Lord would deliver himself out of the\nhands of his enemies. We have no authority for thinking so. But, when\nhe found, at last, that Jesus was condemned and was really to be put to\ndeath, his conscience smote him for what he had done. He brought back the\nthirty pieces of silver\u2014the beggarly price he had received for betraying\nhis Master\u2014and threw them down at the feet of the chief priests,\nsaying\u2014\u201cI have sinned, in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And\nthey said\u2014What is that to us? See thou to that. And he went and hanged\nhimself.\u201d\n\nThis was the end of the wretched man, so far as this world is concerned.\nAnd such is the history of the betrayal and desertion of Jesus.\n\nWe might refer to many lessons taught us by this sad history, but we\nshall speak of only four. Two of these relate to Jesus, and two of them\nto Judas.\n\n_One of the lessons about Jesus, taught us here, refers to\u2014THE LONELINESS\nOF HIS SUFFERINGS._\n\nWe all know how natural it is, when we are in trouble, to desire to have\none near who loves us. The very first thing a child does when worried\nabout anything is to run to its mother and throw itself into her loving\narms. It would almost break the child\u2019s heart if it could not have its\nmother\u2019s presence and gentle sympathy at such a time.\n\nAnd it is the same when we grow older. We naturally seek the company\nof our dearest friends in times of trouble. And it adds greatly to our\nsuffering if we cannot have those we love near us when we are in sorrow.\nBut, in the history of our Saviour\u2019s betrayal and desertion, we see\nhow it was with him. In the midst of his great trouble, when the wrath\nof God, occasioned by our sins, was pressing heavily upon him, he was\nbetrayed into the hands of his enemies by one of the little band of his\nown chosen followers. How much this must have added to his sorrow! And\nif the rest of his apostles had only stood by him faithfully, as they\nhad promised to do, during that night of sorrow, it would have been\nsome comfort to him. But they did not. As soon as they saw the traitor\nJudas deliver him into the hands of his enemies, we read these sad, and\nmelancholy words, \u201c_Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled!_\u201d How\nhard this must have been for Jesus to bear! The cup of his sorrows was\nfull before; _this_ must have made it overflow. He knew it was coming.\nFor, not long before, he had told them that \u201cthe hour was coming, when\nthey would be scattered, and _leave him alone_.\u201d This shows how deeply he\nfelt, and feared this loneliness. Seven hundred years before he came into\nour world, the prophet Isaiah represented him as saying\u2014\u201cI have trodden\nthe wine-press _alone_,\u201d chap. lxiii: 3. And this was what he was doing\nnow. In the midst of the multitudes he came to save he was left\u2014alone.\nThere was not an earthly friend to stand by him\u2014to speak a kind word to\nhim\u2014or to show him any sympathy in this time of his greatest sorrow. The\nonly comfort left to him was the thought that his Father in heaven had\nnot forgotten him.\n\nWhen he spoke of his disciples leaving him alone, he said, \u201c_And yet, I\nam not alone, because the Father is with me._\u201d St. John xvi: 32.\n\nJesus never forgets how lonely he felt at this time; and he loves to come\nnear and comfort us when we are left alone. We should always remember at\nsuch times how well able he is to help and comfort us.\n\nHere are some simple illustrations of the blessing which those find who\nlook to Jesus in their loneliness.\n\nAn aged Christian was carried to a consumptives\u2019 hospital to die. He had\nno relation or friend to be near him except the nurse and the doctor. Yet\nhe always seemed bright and happy. The doctor, in talking with him one\nday, asked him how it was that he could be so resigned and cheerful? His\nreply was\u2014\u201cWhen I am able to think, I think of Jesus; and when I am not\nable to think of him, _I know he is thinking of me_.\u201d\n\nAnd this was just the way King David felt when he said, \u201cI am poor and\nneedy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me.\u201d\n\n\u201cNot Alone.\u201d Little Bessie was sitting on the piazza. The nurse came in\nand found her there. \u201cAh! Bessie dear, all alone in the dark,\u201d said the\nnurse, \u201cand yet not afraid?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, indeed,\u201d said little Bessie, \u201cfor I am not all alone. God is here.\nI look up and see the stars, and God seems to be looking down at me with\nhis bright eyes.\u201d\n\n\u201cTo be sure,\u201d said the nurse, \u201cbut God is up in the sky, and that is a\ngreat way off.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo,\u201d said Bessie; \u201cGod is here too; sometimes He seems to be clasping me\nin his arms, and then I feel so happy.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe Help of Feeling Jesus Near.\u201d There was a poor man in a hospital. He\nwas just about to undergo a painful and dangerous operation. They laid\nhim out ready, and the doctors were about to begin, when he asked them to\nwait a moment. \u201cWhat shall we wait for?\u201d was the inquiry of one of the\ndoctors.\n\n\u201cOh, wait a moment,\u201d said he, \u201ctill I ask the Lord Jesus Christ to stand\nby my side. I know it will be dreadful hard to bear; but it will be such\na comfort to think that Jesus is near me.\u201d\n\nOne thing we are taught by the betrayal and desertion of Christ, is the\nloneliness of his sufferings.\n\n_Another thing, taught us by this part of our Saviour\u2019s history is\u2014HIS\nWILLINGNESS TO SUFFER._\n\nWe often make up our minds to suffer certain things, because we have no\npower to help it. But it was not so with Jesus. He had power enough to\nhave saved himself from suffering, if he had chosen to do so. Sometime\nbefore this, when he was speaking to his disciples about his death, or,\nas he called it, laying down his life, he said\u2014\u201cNo man taketh it from\nme, but I lay it down of myself. _I have power to lay it down, and I\nhave power to take it again._\u201d John x: 18. And he showed plainly what\nhis power was at the very time of his betrayal. When his enemies came to\ntake him, he \u201cwent forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye? They answered\nhim, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am he.\u201d John xviii: 4.\nBut he put such wonderful power into these simple words\u2014\u201c_I am he_\u201d\u2014that,\nthe moment they heard them, the whole multitude, soldiers, servants, and\nall, fell to the ground before him. It was nothing but the power of Jesus\nwhich produced this strange effect. It seems as if Jesus did this, on\npurpose to show that the mighty power by which he had healed the sick,\nand raised the dead, and cast out devils, and walked on the water, and\ncontrolled the stormy winds and waves, was in him still. He was not taken\nby his enemies because he had no power to help himself. The same power\nwhich made his enemies fall to the ground with a word could have held\nthem there while he walked away; or could have scattered them, as the\nchaff is scattered by the whirlwind; or could have made the earth open\nand swallow them up. But he did not choose to exercise it in any of these\nways. He was _willing_ to suffer for us; and so he allowed himself to be\ntaken.\n\nAs the Jews were seizing him Peter drew his sword, and smote one of the\nservants of the high-priest, and cut off his right ear. Jesus touched\nthe ear, and healed it, in a moment, thus showing again what power he\nhad. Then he told Peter to put up his sword, and said\u2014\u201cThinkest thou\nthat I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more\nthan twelve legions of angels?\u201d St. Matt. xxvi: 53. A full Roman legion\ncontained six thousand men. Jesus had power enough in his own arm to\nkeep himself from being taken, if he had chosen to use it. And more than\nseventy thousand angels would have flown with lightning speed to his\ndeliverance, if he had but lifted his finger; or said\u2014\u201ccome.\u201d There was\nso much power in himself, and so much power in heaven, at his command,\nthat all the soldiers Rome ever had could not have taken him, unless he\nhad been willing to be taken. But he _was_ willing. And when they came to\ncrucify him, all the nails ever made could not have fastened him to the\ncross, unless he had been willing to be fastened there. But his wonderful\nlove for you and for me and for a world of lost sinners, made him willing\nto be fastened there, to suffer and to die, that our sins might be\npardoned and that we might enter heaven.\n\nAnd it is the thought of this amazing love of Christ, making him willing\nto suffer for us, which gives to the story of the cross the marvellous\npower it has to melt the hardest hearts and win the worst of men to his\nservice. There is a power in love to do what nothing else can do,\u2014to make\nmen good and holy. And this is what we are taught when told that\u2014\u201cChrist\nsuffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to\nGod.\u201d I. Peter iii: 18. And when we find people acting in this way\ntowards each other in everyday life it has just the same effect. Here is\nan illustration of what I mean. We may call it:\n\n\u201cThe Power of Love; or, The Just for the Unjust.\u201d In a town near Paris,\nis a school for teaching poor homeless boys who are found wandering\nabout the streets of that city and are growing up in idleness and crime.\n\nWhen one of the boys breaks the rules of the school and deserves\npunishment, the rest of the school are called together, like a jury, to\ndecide what shall be done with the offender. One of the punishments is\nconfinement for several days in a dungeon, called \u201cthe black-hole.\u201d The\nprisoner is put on a short allowance of food, and, of course, forfeits\nall the liberties of the other boys.\n\nAfter the boys have, in this way, passed sentence on one of their\ncompanions and the master approves of it, this question is put to the\nrest of the school:\u2014\u201cWill any of you become this boy\u2019s substitute?\n_i. e._, take his place, and bear his punishment, and let him go free?\u201d\nAnd it generally happens that some little friend of the criminal comes\nforward and offers to bear the punishment instead of him. Then the only\npunishment the real offender has to bear is to carry the bread and water\nto his friend as long as he is confined in the dungeon. In this way, it\ngenerally happens that the most stubborn and hard-hearted boys are melted\ndown, by seeing their companions willingly suffering for them what they\nknow they deserved to suffer themselves.\n\n[Illustration: Jesus is Scourged\n\nAnd Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests and the rulers\nand the people, said unto them, Ye have brought this man unto me, as one\nthat perverteth the people: and, behold, I, having examined _him_ before\nyou, have found no fault in this man touching those things whereof ye\naccuse him. No, nor yet Herod: for I sent you to him; and, lo, nothing\nworthy of death is done unto him. I will therefore chastise him, and\nrelease _him_. (For of necessity he must release one unto them at the\nfeast.) And they cried out all at once, saying, Away with this _man_, and\nrelease unto us Barabbas. (Who for a certain sedition made in the city,\nand for murder, was cast into prison.)\u2014Then Pilate therefore took Jesus,\nand scourged _him_.\u2014_St. Luke xxiii: 13-19; St. John xix: 1._\n\n_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_\n\n_In endeavoring to apprehend, however imperfectly, the sufferings\nendured by Jesus during this terrible day, there may be a tendency to\nunder-estimate the significance of one detail which is only incidentally\nmentioned by the evangelists, namely, the punishment of scourging. But\nthis was nevertheless so barbarously cruel, that the mind recoils in\nhorror from the effort to realize the awful agony which it entailed.\nBound in a crouching attitude to the pillar of torment, the quivering\nflesh lacerated by the fragments of bone and metal intertwisted with\nthe thongs, few of its victims, save such as were in perfect physical\nhealth, were able to survive the infliction of the scourge, but perished\neither then and there, or shortly afterwards, from nervous shock or from\nmortification of the wounds. Yet it was a punishment so common, such an\neveryday occurrence, that the scourging of one more malefactor\u2014Jesus by\nname\u2014the justice or injustice of whose sentence they neither knew nor\ncared to know, would be regarded with utter indifference by the brutal\nsoldiery charged with its infliction._\n\n64]\n\nNot long ago, a boy about nine or ten years old, named Pierre, was\nreceived into this school. He was a boy whose temper and conduct were\nso bad that he had been dismissed from several schools. He behaved\npretty well at first; but soon his bad temper broke out, and one day he\nquarrelled with a boy about his own age, named Louis, and stabbed him in\nthe breast with a knife.\n\nLouis was carried bleeding to his bed. His wound was painful, but not\ndangerous. The boys were assembled, to consult about what was to be done\nwith Pierre. Louis was a great favorite with the boys, and they all\nagreed at once that Pierre should be turned out of the school and never\nallowed to come back.\n\nThis was a very natural sentence under the circumstances, but the master\nthought it was not a wise one. He said that if Pierre was turned out\nof school, he would grow worse and worse, and probably end his life on\nthe gallows. He asked them to think again. They then agreed upon a long\nimprisonment, without saying how long it was to be. They were asked as\nusual, if any one was willing to go to prison instead of Pierre. But no\none offered and he was marched off to prison.\n\nAfter some days, when the boys were all together, the master asked again\nif any one was willing to take Pierre\u2019s place. A feeble voice was heard,\nsaying\u2014\u201cI will.\u201d To the surprise of every one this proved to be Louis\u2014the\nwounded boy, who was just getting over the effect of his wound.\n\nLouis went to the dungeon and took the place of the boy who had tried to\nkill him; while Pierre was set at liberty. For many days he went to the\nprison carrying the bread and water to Louis, but with a feeling of pride\nand anger in his heart.\n\nBut at last he could bear it no longer. The sight of his kind-hearted,\ngenerous friend, still pale and feeble from the effects of his wound,\npining in prison\u2014living on bread and water\u2014and willingly suffering all\nthis _for him_\u2014who had tried to murder him\u2014this was more than he could\nbear. His fierce temper and stubborn pride broke down under it. The\ngenerous love of Louis had fairly conquered him. He went to the master,\nfell down at his feet, and with bitter tears confessed his fault, begged\nto be forgiven, and promised to be a good boy.\n\nHe kept his promise, and became one of the best boys in the school.\n\nAnd so it is the love of Christ in being willing to suffer for us that\nwins the hearts and lives of men to him, and gives to the story of the\ncross all its power.\n\nThe willingness of Christ to suffer is the second thing taught us by the\nhistory of the betrayal and desertion.\n\nThese are the two things taught us about Jesus by this history: his\nloneliness in suffering, and his willingness to suffer.\n\nBut, there are two things taught us about Judas, also, by this history.\n\nOne of these is\u2014THE POWER OF SIN.\n\nThe sin of Judas was covetousness, or \u201cthe love of money.\u201d The apostle\nPaul tells us that this\u2014\u201cis the root of all evil.\u201d I. Tim. vi: 10. The\nlittle company of the apostles made Judas their treasurer. He carried\nthe purse for them. He received the money that was contributed for their\nexpenses, and paid out what was needed from day to day. We may suppose\nthat, soon after his appointment to this office, he found himself tempted\nto take some of this money for his own use. Perhaps he only took a penny\nor two, at first, but then he soon went on to take more. Now, if he had\nwatched and striven against this temptation, at the very first, and had\nprayed for strength to resist it, what a different man he might have\nbeen! There is an old proverb which says\u2014\u201c_Resist the beginnings._\u201d Our\nonly safety is in doing this. Judas neglected to resist the beginning of\nhis temptation and the end of it was his ruin. We never can tell what may\ncome out of one sin that is not resisted.\n\nIf you want to sink a ship at sea, it is not necessary to make half a\ndozen big holes in her side; one little hole, which you might stop with\nyour finger, if left alone, will be enough to sink that ship. Judas gave\nhimself up to the power of one sin, and _that_ led him on to betray his\nMaster.\n\nLet us look at some illustrations of the power of one sin.\n\n\u201cClara\u2019s Obstinacy.\u201d Little Clara Cole was saying her prayers one evening\nbefore going to bed. Part of her evening prayer was the simple hymn\u2014\u201cAnd\nnow I lay me down to sleep.\u201d When she came to the last line she stopped\nshort and would not say it. \u201cGo on, my dear, and finish it,\u201d said her\nmother. \u201cI can\u2019t,\u201d she said, although she knew it perfectly well, and had\nsaid it hundreds of times before. \u201cOh, yes! go right on, my child.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo; I can\u2019t.\u201d \u201cMy dear child, what makes you talk so? Say the last line\ndirectly.\u201d\n\nBut, in spite of her mother\u2019s positive commands and loving entreaties,\nClara was obstinate, and would not do it. \u201cVery well,\u201d said Mrs. Cole at\nlast: \u201cyou can get into bed; but you will not get up till you have said\nthat line.\u201d\n\nNext morning Mrs. Cole went into Clara\u2019s room as soon as she heard her\nstir. \u201cNow, Clara,\u201d she said pleasantly, \u201csay the line, and jump up.\u201d\n\n\u201cI can\u2019t say it,\u201d said Clara, obstinately, and she actually lay in bed\nall that day, and part of the next rather than give up. The second day\nwas her birthday and a number of little girls had been invited, in the\nevening, to her birthday party. That little, strong, cruel will of hers\nheld out till three o\u2019clock; then she said, \u201cI pray the Lord my soul to\ntake,\u201d and bursting into tears asked her mother\u2019s forgiveness.\n\nHow much power there was in that one sin! No one can tell what trouble it\nmight have caused that poor child if she had not been taught to conquer\nit. But after that it never gave her much trouble.\n\n\u201cOne Drop of Evil.\u201d \u201cI don\u2019t see why you won\u2019t let me play with Willie\nHunt,\u201d said Walter Kirk, with a frown and a pout. \u201cI know he doesn\u2019t\nalways mind his mother. He smokes segars, and once in a while he swears\njust a little; but I\u2019ve been brought up better than that; he won\u2019t hurt\nme. I might do him some good.\u201d\n\n\u201cWalter,\u201d said his mother, \u201ctake this glass of pure water, and put just\none drop of ink into it.\u201d\n\nWalter did so, and then in a moment exclaimed, \u201cOh! mother, who would\nhave thought that one drop would blacken a whole glass so!\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, it has changed the color of the whole. And now just put one drop of\nclear water in it, and see if you can undo what has been done.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy, mother, one drop, or a dozen, or fifty won\u2019t do that.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s so, my son; and that is the reason why I don\u2019t want you to play\nwith Willie Hunt. For one drop of his evil ways, like the drop of ink in\nthe glass, may do you harm that never can be undone.\u201d\n\nHere we see the power of a single sin.\n\n\u201cOne Worm Did It.\u201d One day a gentleman in England, went out with a friend\nwho was visiting him, to take a walk in the park. As they were walking\nalong, he drew his friend\u2019s attention to a large sycamore tree, withered\nand dead.\n\n\u201cThat fine tree,\u201d said he, \u201cwas killed by a single worm.\u201d\n\nIn answer to his friend\u2019s inquiries, he said:\n\n\u201cAbout two years ago, that tree was as healthy as any in the park.\nOne day I was walking out with a friend, as we are walking now, when\nI noticed a wood-worm about three inches long forcing its way under\nthe bark of the tree. My friend, who knew a great deal about trees,\nsaid\u2014\u2018Let that worm alone, and it will kill this tree.\u2019 I did not think\nit possible, and said\u2014\u2018well, we\u2019ll let the black worm try, and see what\nit can do.\u2019\u201d\n\nThe worm tunnelled its way under the bark. The next summer the leaves of\nthe tree dropped off, very early. This year the tree has not put out a\nsingle green leaf. It is a dead tree. That one worm killed it.\n\nHere we see the power of one sin. The third lesson taught us by the\nhistory of the betrayal and desertion, is\u2014the power of sin.\n\n_The fourth lesson taught us by this history is\u2014THE GROWTH OF SIN._\n\nSolomon says, \u201cThe beginning of strife\u201d\u2014and the same is true of all\nsin\u2014\u201cis as when one letteth out water.\u201d Prov. xvii: 14. There is a bank\nof earth that keeps the water of a mill-dam in its place. You notice one\nparticular spot where the bank seems weak. The water is beginning to make\nits way through. At first, it only just trickles down, drop by drop. By\nand by, the drops come faster. Now, they run into each other, and make\na little rill. Every moment the breach grows wider and deeper, till, at\nlast, there is a roaring torrent rushing through that nothing can stop.\n\nEvery sin is like a seed. If it be planted in the heart and allowed to\nspring up, no one can tell what it will grow into. Suppose, that you\nand I knew nothing about the growth of trees. We are sitting under the\nwide-spreading branches of a vast oak tree. A friend picks up a tiny,\nlittle acorn, and holding it up before us, says\u2014\u201cThis giant tree, under\nwhose shade we are sitting, has all grown out of a little acorn, like\nthis.\u201d It would seem impossible to us. We could hardly be made to believe\nit. But we need no argument to prove this. We know it is so.\n\nBut the growth of sin in the hearts and lives of men is quite as\nsurprising as the growth of trees in the forest. We see this in the case\nof Judas. Suppose that we could have seen him when he first let his love\nof money lead him to do wrong. Perhaps he only stole a penny or two, at\nfirst. That was not much. And then, suppose we had not seen Judas again\ntill the night in which he had made up his mind to commit that greatest\nand most awful of all sins\u2014the sin of betraying his Master! what a\nwonderful change we should have seen in him! The growth of a river from\na rill\u2014of a giant oak from a tiny acorn\u2014would not be half so surprising\nas the monstrous growth in wickedness that we should have seen in Judas.\nWhen we saw him committing his first sin, he was like a little child.\nWhen we saw him committing his last awful sin\u2014the child had sprung up\ninto a huge, horrible giant. Jesus said he had become a devil. St. John\nvi: 70. How fearful it is to think of such growth in wickedness! And yet,\nif we allow the seed of sin to be sown in our hearts, and to spring up\nthere, we cannot tell but what its growth may be as fearful in us as it\nwas in Judas.\n\nLet us look at some illustrations of the growth of sin.\n\n\u201cThe Growth of Lying.\u201d Some time ago a little boy told his first\nfalsehood. It was like a solitary little thistle seed, sown in the\nmellow soil of his heart. No eye but that of God saw him as he planted\nit. But, it sprung up\u2014O, how quickly! and, in a little time, another\nseed dropped from it into the ground, and then another, and another,\neach in its turn bearing more and more of those troublesome thistles.\nAnd now, his heart is like a field of which the weeds have taken entire\npossession. It is as difficult for him to speak the truth as it is for\nthe gardener to clear his land of the ugly thistles that have once gained\na rooting in the soil.\n\n\u201cThe Snake and the Spider.\u201d A black snake, about a foot long, lay sunning\nitself on a garden-bed one summer\u2019s day. A spider had hung out his web\non the branches of a bush, above where the snake lay. He saw the huge\nmonster lying there, for huge indeed he was compared to the little\nspider, and he concluded to take him prisoner. But, you ask, is not the\nsnake a thousand times stronger than the spider? Certainly he is. Then\nhow can he take him prisoner? Well, let us see how he did it. The spider\nspun out a fine, slender thread. He slipped down, and touched the snake\nwith it. It stuck. He took another, and touched him with that, and that\nstuck too. He went on industriously. The snake lay quiet. Another,\nand another thread, was fastened to him, till there were hundreds and\nthousands of them. And, by and by, those feeble threads, not one of which\nwas strong enough to hold the smallest fly, when greatly multiplied, were\nstrong enough to make the snake a prisoner. The spider webbed him round\nand round, till, at last, when the snake tried to move, he found it was\nimpossible. The web had grown strong out of its weakness. By putting one\nstrand here, and another there, and drawing, first on one, and then on\nanother, the spider had the snake bound fast, from head to tail, to be a\nsupply of food for himself and family for a long while.\n\nAnd so, if we give way even to little sins, they may make us their\nprisoner as the spider did the snake, and before we are aware of it, we\nmay be bound hand and foot and unable to help ourselves.\n\n\u201cSin Like a Whirlpool.\u201d The Columbia river, in Oregon, has a great bend\nin it at one place where it passes through a mountain range. When the\nwater in the river is high there is a dangerous whirlpool in this part\nof the river. An officer connected with the United States Exploring\nExpedition was going down this river, some years ago, in a boat which\nwas manned by ten Canadians. When they reached this bend in the river,\nthey thought the water was so low that the whirlpool would not be\ndangerous. So they concluded to go down the river in the boat, as this\nwould save them the labor of carrying the boat with its baggage across\nthe portage to the place where they would take the river again below the\nrapids. But, the officer was put on shore, to walk across the portage.\nHe had to climb up some high rocks. From the top of these rocks he had a\nfull view of the river beneath and of the boat in her passage. At first,\nshe seemed to skim over the waters like a bird. But, soon he saw they\nwere in trouble. The struggles of the oarsmen and the shouts of the man\nat the helm showed that there was danger from the whirlpool, when they\nthought there would be none. He saw the men bend on their oars with all\ntheir might. But, in spite of all, the boat lost its straightforward\ncourse, and was drawn into the whirl. It swept round and round, with\nincreasing force and swiftness. No effort they could make had the least\ncontrol of it. A few more turns, each more rapid than the rest, and at\nlast, the centre was reached; and the boat, with all her crew, was drawn\ninto the dreadful whirlpool, and disappeared. Only one of the ten bodies\nwas found afterwards, in the river below; and that was all torn and\nmangled by the rocks, against which it had been dashed.\n\nJust such a whirlpool is sin. Judas was drawn into it when he first\ngave way to his covetousness and began to steal money from the purse\nwith which he was entrusted. Like the men in the boat, he soon lost all\ncontrol of himself and was carried round and round, till at last he was\n\u201cdrowned in destruction and perdition.\u201d\n\nAnd thus we have considered the history of the betrayal and the lessons\nthat it teaches. Two of these lessons refer to Jesus. They show us the\n_loneliness_ of his sufferings, and his _willingness_ to suffer. Two of\nthem refer to Judas. They show us the _power_, and the _growth_ of sin.\n\nThere is a beautiful Collect in the Prayer Book which is very suitable to\nuse in connection with such a subject as this. It is the Collect for the\nFourth Sunday after Epiphany, and teaches us to pray thus:\n\n\u201cO God, who knowest us to be set in the midst of so many and great\ndangers, that by reason of the frailty of our nature, we cannot always\nstand upright; grant to us such strength and protection as may support\nus in all dangers, and carry us through all temptations, through Jesus\nChrist, our Lord. Amen.\u201d\n\nThe blessings asked for in this prayer are just what we need amidst the\ndangers and temptations that surround us in this evil world. If we only\nobtain for ourselves \u201cthe strength and protection\u201d here prayed for, and\nwhich God has promised to give to those who truly seek it, we need not\nbe afraid either of the power or the growth of sin. This strength will\nbe a safeguard to us against the power of sin, and this protection will\ncheck the growth of sin in our hearts. It will indeed, \u201csupport us in all\ndangers, and carry us through all temptations.\u201d If Judas had used such a\nprayer as this, and had earnestly sought \u201cthe strength and protection\u201d\nhere spoken of, he would never have been known as \u201cthe traitor,\u201d and the\nend of his earthly life would never have been wound up with this shameful\nsentence\u2014\u201che went and hanged himself.\u201d But, as wrecks along the shore\nshow us where the danger lies, so, when we see the wrecks we should try\nto avoid the rocks on which they struck and go on our way in safety.\n\nI know not how to finish this subject better than for each of us to say,\nin the words of the hymn:\n\n  \u201cMy soul, be on thy guard;\n    Ten thousand foes arise;\n  And hosts of sins are pressing hard\n    To draw thee from the skies.\n\n  \u201cO watch, and fight, and pray;\n    The battle ne\u2019er give o\u2019er;\n  Renew it boldly every day,\n    And help divine implore.\u201d\n\n[Illustration: Jesus, Arrayed in Mock State, is Crowned and Beaten\n\nThen the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and\ngathered unto him the whole band _of soldiers_. And they stripped him,\nand put on him a scarlet robe. And when they had platted a crown of\nthorns, they put _it_ upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and\nthey bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the\nJews! And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the\nhead.\u2014_St. Matt. xxvii: 27-30._\n\n_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_\n\n_Had it been possible to add a pang to the suffering already endured,\nthis must surely have been effected by the foul jests and ribald mockery\nwhich Jesus was now called upon to endure at the hands of the ruffians\nof the barrack-room. The lust of cruelty, delight in inflicting and\nwitnessing torture, marks the lowest depth of human depravity; and to\nsorrow of heart beyond what we can comprehend, to physical suffering as\ngreat as any which mortal man can endure and live, was now added the\nhumiliation of being the object of sport and derision to the dregs of\nmankind. For these men were not even Romans, save in name; the ranks\nof the imperial armies called upon for foreign service being mainly\nrecruited from the scum of the population of tributary provinces._\n\n65]\n\n\n\n\nTHE TRIAL\n\n\nWe come now to another of the dark and sad chapters in the history of our\nSaviour\u2019s life. We have seen how he was betrayed by one of his disciples,\nand forsaken by all the rest. Then his enemies seized him, and led him\naway to those who had sent them\u2014the priests and rulers of the Jewish\nchurch. We speak of what then took place at the _trial_ of our Saviour.\nBut it was only the form or mockery of a trial. It was not conducted at\nall in the way in which regular trials were required to be conducted\namong the Jews. The simple truth is that the enemies of Jesus had made\nup their minds to put him to death, and they merely pretended to have a\ntrial because they were afraid to do it without.\n\nAnd in studying this part of the life of our Saviour, we may look, very\nbriefly, at the history of his trial; and then at some of the lessons\nthat it teaches us.\n\nWhen the band of soldiers and servants had seized Jesus, and made him\nprisoner, they led him away to the house of Caiaphas the high-priest. He\nhad gathered together the chief-priests and other members of the Jewish\nhigh council, called the Sanhedrim. This was the highest court among the\nJews. It was composed of seventy, or seventy-two of the oldest, the most\nlearned, and honorable men of the nation. The high-priest was generally\nthe president of this council. Their usual place of meeting was in one\nof the courts of the temple. But, on special occasions, they met in the\nhouse of the high-priest, as they did now. Jesus was brought before this\ncouncil. Here they tried to bring some charge against him of teaching\nfalse doctrines, or of doing something contrary to the laws of their\nchurch. But though they had hired many false witnesses against him, the\nwitnesses did not agree in their testimony, and they found it impossible\nto prove anything wrong against him.\n\nThen the high-priest made a solemn appeal to him, and asked him to say\nwhether he was the Son of God. \u201cJesus saith unto them\u2014I am. Hereafter\nshall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God.\u201d Then\nthey said he was guilty of blasphemy, and deserved to be put to death.\nSt. Matt. xxvi: 59-66; St. Mark xiv: 55-64; John xviii: 19-24.\n\nAfter this, the servants of the priests blindfolded Jesus, and began\nto mock him, to smite him, to spit on him, and to say all manner of\ninsulting and blasphemous things to him. St. Matt. xxvi: 67, 68; St. Mark\nxiv: 65; St. Luke xxii: 62-65.\n\nThen the priests and other members of the council seem to have gone home,\nleaving Jesus to the mockery and insults of the servants. As soon as\nit was morning the priests and scribes met again. They asked him once\nmore if he were the Christ, the Son of God. Again he declared that he\nwas. Then they arose and led him to Pilate, the Roman governor, to get\nhis consent for them to put him to death. This was necessary because\nJerusalem was then under the power of the Romans, and no one but the\ngovernor, whom they appointed, had the power of putting a prisoner to\ndeath according to law.\n\nBut, when the priests brought Christ before Pilate, they changed their\nplan. They did not accuse him of blasphemy now, because they knew very\nwell that Pilate would not care at all about that. So they pretended\nthat he had been trying to stir up the people in opposition to the Roman\ngovernment. This was a very serious charge, and one for which, if it\ncould be proved, the punishment would be death.\n\nBut, they could not prove their charge. As soon as Pilate looked on\nJesus, he seemed to be satisfied that he was an innocent man. Then he\ntook him aside and had a long conversation with him, alone by himself.\nThe result of this was that Pilate was perfectly satisfied of the\ninnocence of Jesus, and was resolved to release him.\n\nBut, on returning to the judgment hall and telling the Jews what he\nwished to do, he found that they would not listen to this for a moment.\nThus he was in trouble, and knew not what to do. Just then something was\nsaid about Galilee. This was in the northern part of Palestine, and out\nof the dominion of Pilate. Herod was the governor of Galilee. He happened\nto be in Jerusalem at that time. Pilate resolved to send his prisoner\nto him, and hoped in this way, to get rid of any further trouble in\nconnection with him.\n\nSo Jesus was sent to Herod\u2014the Herod under whose dominion John was\nbeheaded. He asked him many questions; but Jesus declined to answer one\nof them. Then Herod, with his men of war, mocked him and sent him back to\nPilate, only saying that he found no fault in him. St. Matt. xxvii: 1, 2,\n11-14; Mark xv: 1-5; Luke xxiii: 1-12; John xviii: 28-38.\n\nAfter this Pilate made several attempts to release Jesus; but the Jews\nwere so fierce in their opposition that he was afraid to do it.\n\nThen he thought he saw his way out of the difficulty by the help of a\ncustom that had prevailed in connection with the feast of the Passover,\nwhich was then about to be kept. He had been in the habit of allowing\nthe Jews to ask for the release of some prisoner who deserved to be put\nto death, and of setting him at liberty, when they requested it, while\nthey were keeping the feast. There was a prisoner then in Jerusalem named\nBarabbas. He had been guilty of murder and other dreadful crimes. Pilate\nthought that when he should bring Jesus and Barabbas before the people,\nside by side, and offer to release to them whoever they should choose,\nthey would be sure to ask for the gentle, loving Jesus, in preference to\na wretched, blood-stained murderer. And no doubt they would, if they had\nbeen left to their own choice. But they were not so left. The priests\nand scribes had made up their minds that Jesus should be put to death. So\nthey went about among the people, when this offer was made, and persuaded\nthem to cry out\u2014\u201cNot this man, but Barabbas.\u201d\n\nThus Pilate was disappointed again.\n\nWhile this was going on, his wife sent a message to him saying she had\nhad a dream about this prisoner Jesus, which troubled her greatly. She\nsaid he was a just and good man, and begged her husband not to have\nanything to do with putting him to death. This made Pilate feel still\nmore resolved than ever to let him ago.\n\nThen he told the Jews that Jesus had done no wrong, and he would\ntherefore chastise him and let him go. This made the Jews very furious.\nThey told Pilate that if he let this man go, it would show that he was\nnot a true friend of the emperor, C\u00e6sar. They gave him to understand that\nthey would complain of him to the emperor, and in this way he would be\nlikely to lose his office. This alarmed him so that he could stand out no\nlonger. He let the Jews have their way, and delivered Jesus up to them,\nto be crucified.\n\nThen the soldiers took Jesus and stripped him of his own clothes, and put\na purple robe upon him; and platted a crown of thorns and put it on his\nhead, and bowed the knee before him in shameful mockery, and cried\u2014\u201cHail!\nking of the Jews!\u201d Then they smote him with the palms of their hands,\nand with the reed, and showed their utmost contempt by spitting on him.\nThen Pilate had him brought forth before the Jews, wearing the crown of\nthorns, and the purple robe, and pointing to him in scorn, said\u2014\u201cBehold\nthe man! Behold your king!\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd he delivered him to be crucified.\u201d St. Matt. xxvii: 11-30; St. Mark\nxv: 1-20; St. Luke xxiii: 1-25; St. John xviii: 13-24, 28-40; xix: 1-16.\n\nSuch is the history of our Saviour\u2019s trial.\n\nAnd now, we may go on to speak of _five_ lessons taught us by this\nhistory.\n\n_The first lesson is about\u2014THE WEAK RULER._\n\nWe refer, of course, here to Pontius Pilate. We know very little about\nhim beyond what we learn from the gospels. He belonged to a highly\nhonorable Roman family. He had been the governor of Judea for several\nyears. He was not a very cruel or oppressive ruler, although he sometimes\ndid hasty and unjust things. Our Saviour referred to one of these when\nhe spoke of\u2014\u201cthe Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their\nsacrifices.\u201d We know none of the particulars of this event. But, from\nreading the history of our Lord\u2019s trial we can see, very well, what sort\nof a man Pilate was. He was a weak man. I do not mean weak in body, but\nweak in character. He could see what was right, and was willing to do it,\nif it could be done without injury to himself.\n\nWhen Jesus was brought before him as a prisoner, he soon saw that he was\nan innocent man, and that it would be wrong to put him to death. But,\nat the same time, he saw that unless he did put him to death, he would\ngive great offence to the Jews. And if he offended them, he was afraid\nthey would complain of him to the emperor, and he would lose his office.\nAnd so his fear led him to condemn an innocent man to death, although he\nknew it was wrong to do so. He tried to get rid of the guilt connected\nwith this act by washing his hands before the Jews, and saying \u201cI am\ninnocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.\u201d But this was\nvery foolish. Why, all the waters in the ocean could not wash away the\nstain of the Saviour\u2019s blood from the hands of Pilate. He knew that the\nright thing for him to do was to let Jesus go: but he was afraid to do\nit. This shows what a weak man he was.\n\nAnd the wrong that he did on this occasion did not save him from the\ndangers that he dreaded. The Jews did accuse him to the emperor for some\nother things. He lost his office in disgrace. And of what happened to\nhim after losing his office, different accounts are given. One of the\nstories about him is that he retired into Switzerland and spent the rest\nof his days on a mountain, near the city of Lucerne. This mountain is\nnamed Pilatus after him. The story says that he lived a very unhappy life\nthere, and that he finally drowned himself in a lake on the top of that\nmountain. But the things for us to remember about Pilate are that he was\na weak man; that he committed a dreadful sin when he condemned Jesus to\ndeath; and that the punishment of his sin which followed him in this life\nwas the loss of his office, and the deep disgrace which it has fastened\non his name. Wherever the two great creeds of the church are repeated,\nall over the earth, we hear it publicly proclaimed that Jesus\u2014\u201csuffered\nunder Pontius Pilate.\u201d\n\nWe see plainly illustrated in Pilate\u2019s case the punishment that followed\nfrom his weakness in not doing what he knew to be right. If we have the\ncourage to refuse to do what is wrong, we shall always be rewarded for it.\n\n\u201cBrave Charlie.\u201d Two little boys were walking along a village street one\nday, when they stopped before the garden connected with a gentleman\u2019s\nhouse and gazed with admiration on the many beautiful flowers that were\ngrowing there. Presently the smaller of the two boys exclaimed, \u201cOh, how\nI wish I had one or two of those beautiful roses, to take home to my sick\nsister. Every day she says she wishes she could see some flowers again.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen, why don\u2019t you take some of them, you little goose,\u201d said the other\nboy. \u201cHere, I am taller than you, and I can reach over the fence. I\u2019ll\nget some for both of us.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, no, Tim,\u201d said the little boy, seizing his arm; \u201cI wouldn\u2019t steal\neven a flower, if I never had one in the world; but I\u2019ll go in and ask\nthe lady for a rose for Ellen.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, you\u2019ll only get sent away for your pains,\u201d said the older boy;\n\u201cfor my part I shall help myself.\u201d\n\nBut, just as Tim was reaching over the fence and had seized a branch of\nbeautiful roses, the gardener spied him, and dropping a basket that was\nin his hand, he rushed after the boy and caught him. He gave him a sound\nflogging and told him that if he ever found him doing that again, he\nwould have him put in jail as a thief.\n\nIn the meantime little Charlie had gone up the steps and rung the\ndoor-bell. The door was opened immediately by a kind-looking lady.\n\n\u201cPlease, ma\u2019am will you give me a rose or two for my sick sister?\u201d asked\nCharlie.\n\n\u201cYes, indeed, my little man,\u201d said the lady. \u201cI have been sitting at the\nwindow and I heard your conversation with the boy who wished you to steal\nsome of my roses; and I\u2019m very glad to see that you would not steal \u2018even\na flower.\u2019 Now come with me, and I will cut you a beautiful bunch of\nroses.\u201d Then she asked him about his mother and sister, and told him to\ncome and get some flowers whenever his sister wanted them.\n\nAfter this she went to see his sick sister and mother and helped them\nin many ways. She kept up her interest in Charlie, and when he had done\ngoing to school, she got him a nice situation and remained his friend for\nlife.\n\nAnd when we think of Pontius Pilate, the weak ruler, let us remember that\nif we do wrong, we must always suffer for it; and that if we do right\nGod will surely reward and bless us.\n\n  \u201cDare to do right! dare to be true!\n  You have a work that no other can do;\n  Do it so bravely, so kindly, so well,\n  Angels will hasten the story to tell.\n\n  \u201cDare to do right! dare to be true!\n  The failings of others can never save you;\n  Stand by your conscience, your honor, your faith;\n  Stand like a hero, and battle till death.\n\n  \u201cDare to do right! dare to be true!\n  God, who created you, cares for you too\u2014\n  Treasures the tears which his striving ones shed,\n  Counts, and protects every hair of your head.\u201d\n\n[Illustration: Pilate Washeth His Hands\n\nPilate therefore went forth again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring\nhim forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him. Then\ncame Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe.\nAnd _Pilate_ saith unto them, Behold the man! When the chief priests\ntherefore and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify _him_,\ncrucify _him_. Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him, and crucify _him_:\nfor I find no fault in him.\u2014And the governor said, Why, what evil hath\nhe done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified. When\nPilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but _that_ rather a tumult\nwas made, he took water, and washed _his_ hands before the multitude,\nsaying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye _to it_.\nThen answered all the people, and said, His blood _be_ on us, and on our\nchildren. Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged\nJesus, he delivered _him_ to be crucified.\u2014_St. John xix: 4-6; St. Matt.\nxxvii: 23-26._\n\n_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_\n\n_Once more the scene is \u201cGabbatha\u201d\u2014the place where Pilate sat; and\nJesus, his lacerated shoulders covered with a cast-off soldier\u2019s cloak\nof scarlet, and wearing a crown of thorns, is exposed to the gaze of\nthe rabble of Jerusalem, who now surged and thronged in the courtyard\nof the palace. Pilate vainly hoped that the sight of the sufferings the\nprisoner had already endured might satisfy the fury of his enemies; but\nthe relentless hatred of the priests was voiced through the insensate\nyells of the ignorant and bloodthirsty mob, and their final argument was\ncunningly directed to the point of least resistance. Pilate\u2019s sense of\njustice yielded to that of self-interest. \u201cHe released unto them one who\n(Barabbas), for sedition and murder, was cast into prison, whom they had\ndesired; but he delivered Jesus to their will.\u201d_\n\n66]\n\n_The second lesson that we may learn from the history of Christ\u2019s trial\nis a lesson about\u2014THE WICKED PRIESTS._\n\nIf our Saviour had been persecuted and put to death by infidels or by men\nwho did not profess to be religious, it would not have been surprising.\nBut, when we find that it was the priests\u2014men occupying the highest\nplaces in the church, and whose business it was to study the Scriptures,\nand teach them to the people\u2014when _these_ were the men most forward in\nhaving Jesus put to death\u2014it seems very strange. And yet, it was just\nso. When Jesus began his ministry, the priests were the first to oppose\nhim. As he went on with the work of his ministry, they were always the\nmost ready to persecute him, and give him trouble. And at the last, it\nwas the priests who resolved he should be put to death and who took the\nlead in bringing about that awful result. It was the priests who hired\nJudas to betray him. It was the priests who brought false charges against\nhim. And, when Pilate was willing to let him go, it was the priests who\nstirred up the people to insist on his being put to death. Jesus had come\nat the time and in the way that the prophets had said he should come; and\nyet the priests would not receive him. He had been loving, and gentle,\nand kind; and yet they hated him. He had spent his life in going about\ndoing good; and yet the priests made up their minds that he must be put\nto death.\n\nAnd the question that comes up here is\u2014how was it possible that these\nmen\u2014these priests\u2014should be so wicked? This is a very serious and\nimportant question. And the answer to it is this: that being ministers,\nor priests, or being engaged in the outward duties of religion will do us\nno good and make us no better than other people, unless we are careful to\nhave our hearts made right in the sight of God; unless we are willing\nto believe what he tells us, and to think, and feel, and speak, and act,\nas he wishes us to do. The best things, when spoiled, always become the\nworst things. Women have many things that help to make them better than\nmen. But a bad woman is always worse than a bad man. Satan was once an\narchangel. But he sinned. He fell. He is now an angel ruined, and this\nmakes him the worst, the wickedest person to be found in all the universe.\n\nThere is one passage of Scripture which explains to us how it was\npossible for those priests to become so wicked. This passage is found in\nII. Thess. ii: 11, 12. Here the apostle Paul tells us that if we are not\nwilling to let God be our teacher, and if we do not love the teachings\nthat he gives us, God will let Satan come and deceive us, and lead us to\nbelieve what is not the truth. This will make us very wicked; and the\nend of it will be that our souls will be lost. This explains to us how\nit was that those Jewish priests became so wicked. They were not willing\nto let God be their Teacher. They would not receive the things that\nGod had taught about Jesus in the Old Testament. Then Satan came and\ndeceived them. He made them believe what was not true about Jesus. And\nit was _this_ which led to their becoming such wicked men. They were the\nwickedest men in the world at the time they lived.\n\nAnd this should make us very careful not to think too much of ourselves\nor of our own opinions. It should make us willing to believe all that\nGod tells us about Jesus, or about ourselves, in the Bible, whether we\nunderstand it or not. This is the only way in which we can become wise,\nand good, and happy; and be kept from following the example of these\nwicked priests.\n\nThere is only room for one illustration here:\n\n\u201cThe Two Brothers.\u201d Some years ago there lived in the State of Rhode\nIsland two boys who were brothers, twin-brothers. They grew up together.\nThey both had the same home, the same education, and everything about\nthem the same. They were very much alike in size and appearance. They\nwere both bright, intelligent, sensible, good-natured boys. This\ncontinued till they were about sixteen years of age. Then one of them\nread an infidel book\u2014called Paine\u2019s Age of Reason. He made up his mind to\nfollow the teachings of that book. The other brother had read the Bible\nand resolved to take _that_ as his guide and teacher through life. And\nfrom this time, the two brothers, who had been so much alike before, soon\nbegan to be very different from each other. One of them turned around\nand walked in a wrong way, the other went on in the right way. One of\nthem fell into habits of intemperance, and so was led on to all kinds of\nwickedness. The other learned the lessons which the Bible teaches, and\npractised them in his daily life. One of them became an idle, worthless\nvagabond, while the other became a useful, prosperous, and happy citizen.\nOne of them sank down to the low level of a wretched gambler, while the\nother rose to occupy a seat in the Legislature of the State in which he\nlived.\n\nAnd the end of these two men was that one of them committed murder. He\nwas put in prison; was tried, found guilty, condemned to be hanged, and\ndied upon the gallows. The other lived a long and useful and happy life,\nand died at last loved and honored by all who knew him.\n\nThis is the lesson about the wicked priests.\n\n_The next lesson from this history of the trial is about\u2014THE PATIENCE OF\nCHRIST._\n\nThere are many things told us of the life of Christ which are wonderful,\nbut the most wonderful of all is his patience. There are other examples\nof patience in the Bible, but none that can be compared with the example\nof Jesus. The apostle James tells us of \u201cthe patience of Job.\u201d Ch. v:\n11. He was indeed very patient. In one day he lost all his property and\nhis children. The messengers that brought him the sad tidings of his\nlosses followed each other, like the waves of the sea. It must have been\nvery hard for him to bear. And if we had been told that he was very much\nexcited and had said some very violent and bitter words on hearing of all\nthat had happened to him, we should not have been at all surprised. But\nhe did nothing of the kind. After hearing of all his terrible losses, he\nsimply bowed himself to the earth, and said\u2014\u201cThe Lord gave, and the Lord\nhath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.\u201d Job i: 21. Here is a\nnoble example of patience.\n\nJoseph was very patient. When he first saw his brethren, as they came\ndown to Egypt to buy corn, he remembered all the bitter wrongs they had\ndone to him. He was now the governor of all the land of Egypt. They were\ncompletely in his power. How easily he could have taken revenge upon them\nby throwing them all into prison or putting them to death! But there\nwas no such feeling in his heart. He was forgiving and patient. He only\nthought of doing them good and showing them kindness.\n\nBut, all other examples of patience dwindle into nothing when compared\nto the example of Christ. What a beautiful picture of his patience the\nprophet Isaiah gives when he thus speaks of him: \u201cHe was oppressed and\nhe was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; he is brought as a lamb\nto the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he\nopened not his mouth.\u201d Is. liii: 7. He let his enemies say all manner\nof evil things against him falsely; he let them mock him,\u2014and smite him\non the face,\u2014and spit upon him. Yes, he whom the angels of heaven had\nbeen accustomed to honor and worship, as they bowed in reverence before\nhim, allowed himself to be so shamefully treated by sinful worms of the\ndust, by the very men he had come down from heaven to save; and yet, he\nnever spoke one cross or angry word to them! How wonderful this was! How\namazed the angels must have been when they saw it! Oh! what an example\nof patience we have in Jesus! And if we call ourselves the friends and\nfollowers of Christ, let us try to have the same mind in us that was\nin him, by imitating the example of his patience. There is no way in\nwhich we can do so much good to others, and make them think well of the\nreligion of Christ, as by trying to practise the same patience which he\npractised.\n\n\u201cHow to Learn Patience.\u201d A good many years ago there was a celebrated\nphysician in Germany, named Boerhave. He was famous for his learning\nand also for his piety. He had learned well this lesson of patience.\nOne day he had been greatly provoked, but without getting angry in the\nleast. A friend who had witnessed it, asked him if he knew what it was to\nbe angry. \u201cO, yes,\u201d said he, \u201cmy temper was naturally very violent and\npassionate.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen, pray tell me,\u201d said his friend, \u201chow you ever learned to be so\npatient.\u201d Now mark what that great and good man said in answer to this\ninquiry.\n\n\u201cI learned to be patient,\u201d was his reply, \u201cby doing two things; one was\nby thinking of Christ; the other was by asking him to help me.\u201d\n\nWe may all learn patience in this way.\n\n\u201cA Soldier\u2019s Example of Patience.\u201d Some years ago an English missionary\nin India baptized a soldier. This man had been a famous prize-fighter in\nEngland. He was a powerful, lion-looking, lion-hearted man. With a single\nblow he could level the strongest man to the ground. The men in his\nregiment were all afraid of him. He had not been in the habit of going\nto church, but, as he afterwards told the missionary, \u201che sauntered into\nthe chapel one evening, hardly knowing where he was going.\u201d What he heard\nthat night led him to repentance and he became a Christian. The change\nwhich took place in his temper and conduct was very surprising. The\nlion was changed into a lamb. A month or so after this, when they were\ndining in the mess-room one day, some of his comrades, who had always\nbeen afraid of him, began to ridicule him on account of his religion.\nOne of them said, \u201cI\u2019ll find out whether he is a real Christian or not;\u201d\nand taking a bowl of hot soup, he threw it into his breast. The whole\ncompany were alarmed at this. They looked on in speechless silence,\nexpecting to see the roused lion leap up, and spring in fury on his foe.\nBut he quietly opened his waistcoat, and wiped his scalded breast. Then\nturning calmly round he said, \u201cThis is what I must expect. If I become\na Christian, I must suffer persecution. But my Saviour was patient, and\nI want to be like him.\u201d His comrades were filled with astonishment. But\nthey were satisfied he was a true Christian and he had no more trouble\nfrom them. The patience of Christ is the third lesson for us to learn\nfrom his trial.\n\n_The fourth lesson taught us by this subject is\u2014THE HUMILIATION OF\nCHRIST._\n\nIf we desired to put the whole history of the life of our blessed Saviour\ninto a single sentence, I do not think we could find a better one than\nthat which the apostle Paul uses when he says of him that\u2014\u201c_He humbled\nhimself._\u201d Phil. ii: 8. Before he came into our world he was \u201cin the\nform of God, and thought it not robbery to be equal with God.\u201d This\nmeans that he was God. Now if he had chosen to become an angel, holy,\nand pure, and good, he would have had to humble himself very much, even\nfor that. But, instead of becoming an angel, he became a man. And, in\nbecoming a man, he took our nature upon him in its fallen state. He was\nmade like us in all points, except sin. How he humbled himself here!\nAnd, in coming into our world, if he had chosen to come as one of the\nrichest men in it,\u2014as a great king or emperor\u2014that would have been an\nact of great humiliation. But he came as a poor man. He was one of the\npoorest men that ever lived on the earth. He had made the world, and was\nthe owner of all its treasures, and yet he could say of himself with\ntruth\u2014\u201cThe foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but\nthe Son of man hath not where to lay his head.\u201d What humiliation there\nwas here! We see his humiliation in the poverty and suffering that he\nendured. His whole life was an act of humiliation. But how greatly this\nhumiliation was increased during the time of his trial! Think how his\nback was torn by the cruel scourges! What humiliation was there! Think\nhow he was mocked, and insulted! Think how the soldiers put an old purple\nrobe upon him: how they platted a crown of thorns, and put it upon his\nhead; how they put a reed in his hand in mockery for a sceptre: how they\nbowed the knee before him in scorn, and cried\u2014\u201cHail! king of the Jews!\u201d\nHow wonderful this was O, never let us forget the humiliation of Christ!\nAnd when we think of all this\u2014how can we, as Christians, ever feel proud?\nOur great duty is, as the apostle says, to be \u201cclothed with humility.\u201d\nNo wonder that Augustine, one of the old fathers of the early church,\nwhen asked\u2014\u201cWhat is the first thing for a Christian to learn?\u201d should\nhave said\u2014\u201chumility.\u201d \u201cWhat is the second?\u201d\u2014\u201chumility.\u201d \u201cAnd what is the\nthird?\u201d should still have said\u2014\u201chumility.\u201d\n\n\u201cExamples of Humility.\u201d A converted South Sea Islander was helping to\ntranslate the New Testament into his native language. On coming to the\npassage, \u201cBehold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us,\nthat we should be called the sons of God;\u201d I. John iii: 1, he hastened\nto Mr. Williams, the missionary and said, \u201cNo, no, this is too much, too\nmuch! let us say\u2014\u2018Now are we allowed to kiss God\u2019s feet.\u2019\u201d That man was\nclothed with humility.\n\nA pious nobleman in England was in the habit of attending a prayer\nmeeting in the country village where he lived, and where a few of the\npoor people of the neighborhood were accustomed to assemble on a week-day\nevening. When he first came in they were surprised to see him, and they\nall rose up at once to offer him the best seat in the room. This troubled\nhim greatly. He gently said to them, \u201cPlease take your seats my friends,\nand have the kindness not to do this again. When I go to the \u2018House of\nLords,\u2019 I go as one of the lords of the realm. But when I come to this\ncottage prayer meeting, _I come simply as a disciple of Jesus among my\nfellow disciples_, and must be allowed to take any seat that may be\nempty.\u201d That nobleman was clothed with humility.\n\n\u201cThe Humble King.\u201d A French monarch was found one day by some of his\nattendants engaged in instructing out of the Bible a boy belonging to his\ncook.\n\nThey said it was beneath his dignity as the King of France to be engaged\nin teaching the child of his cook. His answer was a noble one. \u201cMy\nfriends,\u201d said he, \u201cthis boy has _a soul that is as precious as mine,\nand it was bought with the same precious blood_. If it was not beneath\nthe dignity of my Saviour, the King of heaven, to die for him, it is not\nbeneath my dignity as king of France to tell him what has been done for\nhis salvation.\u201d\n\nThat king was clothed with humility. The humiliation of Christ is the\nfourth lesson taught us by this trial.\n\n_The last lesson we learn from the history of the trial is about\u2014THE\nGLORY OF CHRIST._\n\nPerhaps some may think it strange to speak of the glory of Christ in\nconnection with this part of his history. Here we see him betrayed, and\ndeserted by his own disciples. He is delivered into the hands of his\nenemies. They pretend to try him. But it is only the form of a trial\nthrough which he is made to pass. He is charged with great crimes. These\ncannot be proved against him. But still he is condemned to the most\ndisgraceful of all deaths. He is handed to the soldiers to do what they\nplease with him. And is it right to speak of the _glory_ of Christ in\nconnection with such scenes as these? Yes. For this was just what Jesus\ndid himself. It was, as he was about to enter on all this humiliation\nand suffering, when Judas went out from his presence to betray him,\nthat Jesus said:\u2014\u201c_Now_ is the Son of man glorified.\u201d Thus he himself\nconnected the thought of his glory with these very scenes. And surely he\nwas not mistaken. He knew what he was saying.\n\nNow just think what it is in which true glory consists. It is not in\nwearing fine clothes. It is not in occupying high positions. It is not\nin having people say fine and flattering things about us. No; but it is\nin thinking, and feeling, and saying, and doing, and suffering that\nwhich is right and according to the will of God. And _this_ is just the\nposition that Jesus was occupying during his trial. He was fulfilling the\nwill of God in things that were the hardest of all for him to do and to\nsuffer. And _that_ was what made him glorious.\n\nIf we were asked to point to that part of our Saviour\u2019s life in which he\nappears to us in the greatest glory, there would probably be considerable\ndifference of opinion among us. Some of us, no doubt, would point to\nhis transfiguration; some to the times when he walked upon the water,\nor controlled the winds and the waves with his word; and others would\npoint to the times when he healed the sick, or raised the dead, and cast\nout devils. But it was not so. No; but it was when he was betrayed and\nforsaken\u2014when he was condemned to death, and mocked, and insulted by his\nenemies that Jesus appeared most glorious: for it was then that he was\nshowing, in the strongest possible light, his desire to do his Father\u2019s\nwill and the greatness of his love for the people he came to save. It is\nnot clothing, but character that makes us great or glorious. And the more\nwe try to be like Jesus, in doing the will of God as he did it, in this\npart of his life, the greater will be the glory belonging to us.\n\n[Illustration: \u201cDaughters of Jerusalem, Weep Not for Me\u201d\n\nAnd when they had mocked him, they took off the purple from him, and\nput his own clothes on him, and led him out to crucify him.\u2014And there\nfollowed him a great company of people, and of women, which also\nbewailed and lamented him. But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters\nof Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your\nchildren. For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say,\n... to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us. For if they\ndo these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?\u2014_St. Mark\nxv: 20; St. Luke xxiii: 27-31._\n\n_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_\n\n_Needless to say, the route followed by the actual \u201cVia Dolorosa\u201d is lost\nbeyond recovery, its very direction being entirely dependent upon that\nof Calvary, the site of which has for long been a matter of controversy.\nIn any case the veritable Path of Sorrow lies concealed beneath a mass\nof d\u00e9bris, the ruins of the ancient city upon which modern Jerusalem is\nbuilt. The street in the painting does not form part of the traditional\nroute; it is the \u201cStreet of the Shoemakers,\u201d a coincidence which recalls\nthe medi\u00e6val legend of \u201cThe Wandering Jew,\u201d who, it may be remembered,\nwas a follower of this craft._\n\n67]\n\n\u201cThe True Hero.\u201d A number of boys were playing after school one day. The\nplayground was on the bank of a river. One of the biggest boys was named\nTom Price. He was the strongest boy in the school. He loved to get up\nquarrels among the boys to show how easily he could whip any of them. But\nthere was one boy in the school who never would fight. His name was Joe\nWilson. He was not so big or so strong as Tom Price. But it was not this\nwhich made him unwilling to fight. He was trying to be a Christian. He\nknew it was wrong to fight, and so he always refused to do it.\n\nOne day Tom Price agreed with some of the other boys to try and force a\nfight on Joe Wilson. So while they were playing after school, Tom knocked\nJoe\u2019s cap off his head, and it fell into the river.\n\n\u201cTom threw your cap over on purpose, Joe,\u201d said one of the boys; \u201cfight\nhim for it.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, give it to him, Wilson,\u201d said the other boys, \u201cwe\u2019ll see that you\nhave fair play.\u201d\n\nPrice squared off and stood in a fighting position. \u201cI won\u2019t fight,\u201d\nsaid Wilson. \u201cI\u2019m sorry you threw the cap over, Price; for it was all\nbut new, and I don\u2019t see any fun in such mischief. But, I\u2019m not going to\nfight about it.\u201d\n\n\u201cCome on, if you dare,\u201d said Price, shaking his fist at him. All the boys\ngathered round and urged Wilson to \u201cgo on, and give it to him.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, I don\u2019t think it right to fight,\u201d said Wilson, \u201cand I won\u2019t do it.\u201d\n\n\u201cCoward! coward! he\u2019s afraid,\u201d cried the boys. \u201cI am not a coward,\u201d said\nWilson; \u201cI dare do anything that\u2019s right. But this is not right, and I\nwon\u2019t do it.\u201d\n\n\u201cGo home, coward! go home, coward!\u201d shouted the boys after him, as he\nturned to go home.\n\nHe had not gone far before there was a sound of a heavy splash. \u201cHe\u2019s in!\nHe\u2019ll drown!\u2014he can\u2019t swim! Price is drowning,\u201d cried the boys as they\nstood on the edge of the bank.\n\nJoe Wilson heard these shouts and ran to the bank of the river. He saw\nPrice struggling in the stream. The other boys were running about and\nshouting, but they were afraid to go in. In a moment Joe Wilson threw off\nhis jacket, stepped back a few paces\u2014ran\u2014and jumped into the river. He\nswam out to Price\u2014caught him by the hair of his head, and managed, though\nwith great difficulty and at the risk of his own life, to bring him\nsafely to the shore. Wilson walked quietly home, not only to change his\nwet clothes, but also to avoid the praise of those who but a moment ago\nwere calling him a coward.\n\nAn old gentleman was standing there who had witnessed this whole scene.\nAs soon as Wilson was gone, he called the boys to him and said: \u201cBoys!\nlearn a lesson from what has just taken place. Don\u2019t mistake a hero for a\ncoward next time. The boy who is afraid to do what he knows to be wrong\nin God\u2019s sight, is the true hero. He is not afraid of anything else; not\nafraid of man\u2014of danger\u2014or of death.\u201d\n\nThe point of greatest glory in Joe Wilson\u2019s conduct that day was not when\nhe bravely plunged into the river. No; but it was when he nobly stood his\nground among his companions, and said \u201cI think it wrong to fight; and I\nwon\u2019t do it.\u201d\n\nAnd so, even amidst the sorrowful scenes of our Saviour\u2019s trials, we see\nhis glory shining out in the way in which he did and suffered what was\naccording to the will of God.\n\nAnd from this study of the trial of our Saviour, let us carry away with\nus the five lessons of which we have spoken.\n\nThese are the lesson about the weak ruler:\u2014the wicked priests:\u2014the\npatience\u2014the humiliation\u2014and the glory of Christ.\n\n\n\n\nTHE CRUCIFIXION\n\n\nWe read in St. Matthew\u2019s gospel these three simple, but solemn words:\n\u201c_They crucified him._\u201d Chap. xxvii: 35. Here we have set before us the\ngreatest event in the history of our Saviour while he was on earth. They\ntell us of the most important event that ever took place in our own\nworld, or in any other world. We have no reason to suppose that Jesus\never took upon himself the nature of any other race of creatures, as he\ndid take our nature. We have no reason to suppose that he ever died, in\nany other world, as he died in ours. How wonderful this makes the thought\nof his crucifixion! And how diligently we should study it, and try to\nunderstand what it was intended to teach! This is what we come now to\ndo. And in doing this, the two great things for us chiefly to consider,\nare\u2014_The history of the Crucifixion; and its Lessons_.\n\nAnd in looking at this history the first thing for us to notice is\u2014_the\nplace of the crucifixion_.\n\nIn speaking of this place, St. Matt. xxvii: 33, says it was\u2014\u201ca place\ncalled Golgotha, that is to say a place of a skull.\u201d St. Luke xxiii:\n33, says it was a place \u201ccalled Calvary.\u201d Golgotha is a Hebrew word,\nand Calvary is a Latin word; but they both mean the same thing, namely\na skull, or the place of a skull. Some have thought that this name was\ngiven to it because it was the spot where public execution took place\nand criminals were buried. But there is no proof of this. It is often\nspoken of as \u201cthe _hill_ of Calvary\u201d: but it is never so called in the\nNew Testament. It is supposed to have received its name from the fact\nof its being a smooth and rounded piece of ground, resembling somewhat\nthe shape of a skull, and looking like what we call the brow of a hill.\nExactly where this place was we cannot tell. In the Church of the Holy\nSepulchre at Jerusalem they show a hole in a rock, which they pretend to\nsay was the very hole in which the cross of Jesus was placed. But it is\nimpossible to prove this. And the thought which shows how unlikely this\nis to be the Calvary where Jesus died is this, that Jesus died _outside_\nthe walls of Jerusalem, but this is _inside_ the walls, and we know that\nthe city at that time was much larger than the present city. The apostle\nPaul tells us that \u201cJesus suffered _without the gate_.\u201d Heb. xiii: 13. We\nare sure then that Calvary, or Golgotha, the place of the crucifixion,\nwas outside the walls of Jerusalem, but nigh unto the city. This is all\nthat we can find about it with any certainty.\n\nThe _time of the crucifixion_ is the next thing to consider. It was\non Friday of the last week of his earthly life. What is called \u201cGood\nFriday,\u201d in the week before Easter, known as Passion Week, is kept by a\nlarge part of the Christian Church in memory of this event.\n\nAs to the hour of the day when the crucifixion took place, there is some\ndifference in the statements made by the different evangelists. St.\nMatthew says nothing about the hour when Jesus was crucified. He only\nsays that during the time of the crucifixion, \u201cfrom the sixth hour there\nwas darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.\u201d St. Matt. xxvii:\n45. This means from twelve o\u2019clock at noon, till three o\u2019clock in the\nafternoon. St. Luke and St. John both say that it was\u2014\u201c_about_ the sixth\nhour,\u201d when this great event took place. But it is clear from their way\nof speaking of it, that they did not wish to be understood as stating the\ntime very exactly. St. Mark says\u2014ch. xv: 25, \u201cAnd it was the third hour,\nand they crucified him.\u201d There seems to be a disagreement between these\nstatements. But it is easy enough to reconcile the difference. There are\ntwo ways of doing this. One is by supposing that when St. Mark says: \u201cIt\nwas the third hour, and they crucified him,\u201d he was speaking of the time\nwhen they began to make preparations for the crucifixion, while St. Luke\nand St. John refer to the time when the preparations were all finished,\nand the crucifixion had actually taken place.\n\nBut there is another way of reconciling this apparent difference. The\nJews were accustomed to divide their day into four parts, corresponding\nwith the four watches into which the night was divided. Beginning at six\no\u2019clock in the morning, which was the time when their day commenced,\nthey sometimes called the first three hours, from six to nine o\u2019clock,\nthe first hour. The next three hours, from nine to twelve o\u2019clock, they\ncalled the second hour; and then, according to this way of reckoning, the\nthree hours following, from twelve to three o\u2019clock, would be the third\nhour. And if _this_ was the way in which St. Mark was speaking, then his\n_third_ hour would agree exactly with the sixth hour mentioned by St.\nLuke and St. John. And so, when we think of the time of the crucifixion,\nwe may remember that Jesus hung upon the cross, in dreadful agonies, from\n\u201cabout\u201d twelve o\u2019clock at noon-day until three in the afternoon. O, how\nlong and painful those hours must have seemed to him!\n\nThe next thing to notice is\u2014_the manner of the crucifixion_. Suppose\nthat you and I had been standing on Calvary at the time of our Saviour\u2019s\ndeath: what should we have seen? Why, lying there on the ground, we\nshould have seen the great wooden cross, on which Jesus was to suffer. It\nis made of two pieces. There is one long, upright piece of timber, and a\nshorter one fastened across this upright beam, at the upper end. There\nis Jesus standing by\u2014bound, and bleeding, and crowned with thorns. The\nsoldiers take him and lay his body on the cross, with his back towards\nit. They stretch out his arms to their full length, along the upper beam\nof the cross. They take heavy hammers and drive great rough nails through\nthe palms of his hands, and through the tender part of his feet. How\nterrible the suffering caused by every blow of those hammers! And see,\nwhen this is done, the soldiers raise up the cross, and place the lower\nend of it in a hole they had prepared for it. It comes down with a jar.\nWhat terrible tortures that jar sends through every part of the suffering\nSaviour\u2019s frame! About the middle of the cross is a projecting piece of\nwood, to form a sort of seat, so as to prevent the whole weight of the\nbody from hanging from the nails, and tearing the flesh of the hands and\nfeet. And there the Son of God is left to suffer tortures that cannot be\nexpressed, till death shall come and bring relief.\n\n_The witnesses of the crucifixion_ is the next thing of which to speak.\n\nNear the cross was his mother and the good women who were her companions.\nJohn is the only one of the apostles found near the cross at the time\nwhen their Lord was crucified. The soldiers and the priests were there.\nThe walls of Jerusalem were, no doubt, lined with people looking\nanxiously on; and crowds of strangers were standing by, beholding this\nsad event; for Jerusalem was always full of persons from a distance at\nthat season who came to keep the feast of the Passover. And then, if our\neyes had been opened, as the eyes of Elisha\u2019s servant were, (II. Kings\nvi: 17), so that we could have seen as spirits do, we should have beheld\nmultitudes of angels among the spectators of the crucifixion. We should\nhave seen them hovering over the cross and gazing with wonder on the\nsight that met their view there\u2014the Son of God\u2014hanging on the cross in\nagonies and blood!\n\n_The wonders attending the crucifixion_ is another thing to notice. There\nwas the darkness over all the land from the sixth to the ninth hour, or\nfrom twelve to three o\u2019clock. This was not a natural darkness caused by\nan eclipse of the sun, for the Jewish Passover was held at the time of\nthe full moon, and it is impossible to have an eclipse then. No; it was a\nmiraculous darkness. The sun hid his face, as if he was ashamed to look\non and see\n\n  \u201cWhen God, the Mighty Maker died,\n    For man, the creature\u2019s sin.\u201d\n\nAnd then there was an earthquake. The great globe itself seemed to\ntremble at the thought of the dreadful deed that was taking place on its\nsurface. The solid rocks were rent in pieces. The graves were opened, and\nmany of the dead buried in them rose, and came back to life. And then, at\nthe same time, the vail of the temple\u2014that thick, strong vail\u2014which hung\nbetween the holy place and the most holy place, without any one touching\nit, was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. This was done by\nmiracle. If you and I had been there, with our eyes opened, as I said a\nlittle while ago, we should probably have seen two mighty angels, taking\nhold of that vail and rending it. These were the wonders that attended\nthe crucifixion.\n\nAnd then there are _the words spoken by Jesus on the cross_, to notice.\nSeven times the blessed Lord opened his mouth and spoke as he hung amidst\nthe torturing agonies of the cross. The first time he spoke there, was to\npray for his murderers. St. Luke xxiii: 34. Then he spoke to his disciple\nJohn, who was standing near the cross, and asked him to take care of his\nmother. St. John xix: 25-27. Then he answered the prayer of the dying\nthief, and told him he should be with him in paradise that day. St. Luke\nxxiii: 39-43. Then he said\u2014\u201cI thirst.\u201d St. John xix: 28. Then came the\nawful cry which he uttered when his Father in heaven forsook him and left\nhim alone. St. Matt. xxvii: 46. Then he said\u2014\u201cIt is finished!\u201d St. John\nxix: 30. Then he \u201ccried with a loud voice,\u201d and said\u2014\u201cFather, into thy\nhands I commend my spirit.\u201d St. Luke xxiii: 46. And then he meekly bowed\nhis head and died.\n\nSuch is the history of the crucifixion\u2014the most solemn, the most awful,\nthe most important event that ever took place since the world was made.\n\n[Illustration: Jesus Attached to the Cross\n\nAnd there were also two other, malefactors, led with him to be put to\ndeath. And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary,\nthere they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand,\nand the other on the left. Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for\nthey know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.\nAnd the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided\n_him_, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ,\nthe chosen of God. And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and\noffering him vinegar. And saying, If thou be the king of the Jews, save\nthyself. And a superscription also was written over him in letters of\nGreek, and Latin, and Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.\u2014_St. Luke\nxxiii: 32-38._\n\n_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_\n\n_In spite of all that has been spoken and written on the subject, the\nsite of the place called \u201cGolgotha\u201d remains, as has been said, and must\nalways remain, undecided. But to those who can maintain an open mind,\nunbiased by sentimental associations, the weight of evidence bears\nheavily against the traditional Calvary (which shares with many other\n\u201csacred sites\u201d the shelter of the church of the Holy Sepulchre) and in\nfavor of a little knoll overhanging the grotto of Jeremiah, about an\narrow-flight beyond the Damascus Gate of Jerusalem._\n\n68]\n\nA great many very valuable lessons are taught us by the history of the\ncrucifixion. We can speak of only five.\n\nThe first lesson taught us by the crucifixion is\u2014_the lesson of\nforgiveness_.\n\nIt was probably while the Roman soldiers were driving the rough nails\nthrough his tender hands and feet, or just after the cross was set up in\nits place, that Jesus taught us this lesson. He looked on his murderers\nwith a pitying eye. If he had asked God to punish them, as they deserved\nfor their cruelty, or if he had spoken to them ever so severely, it\nwould not have been surprising. But though they were causing him so much\nsuffering, when he had done them no harm, still there was not one angry\nfeeling in his heart towards them, and not one unkind word fell from his\nlips. Instead of this, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and offered the\nprayer\u2014\u201c_Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do._\u201d Here we\nhave the most perfect pattern of forgiveness the world has ever known. If\nwe wish to be true followers of Jesus, we must try to be like him in this\nrespect. We must learn well this lesson of forgiveness.\n\n\u201cExamples of Forgiveness.\u201d Dr. Duff, the late excellent missionary to\nIndia, once read our Saviour\u2019s sermon on the mount to some Hindoo young\nmen whom he was teaching. As he read on he came to the passage in which\nJesus says, \u201cI say unto you love your enemies, bless them that persecute\nyou, and pray for them that despitefully use you, and persecute you.\u201d\nOne of the young men was so impressed by our Saviour\u2019s words that he\nexclaimed, with great earnestness, \u201cO how beautiful! how divine! this\nis the truth!\u201d And for days and weeks afterwards he would exclaim, from\ntime to time, \u201c_Love your enemies!_ who ever heard such teaching? How\nbeautiful this is! This is heavenly teaching!\u201d\n\n\u201cA Forgiving Boy.\u201d \u201cMamma,\u201d said little Charley, \u201cnow I\u2019ve got a new\nsled, what shall I do with my old one?\u201d Presently he added, \u201cMamma,\nthere\u2019s a chance to do something real good.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat is it, Charley?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy, you see, mamma, if there\u2019s any boy I hate, it\u2019s Tim Tyson. He\u2019s\nalways plaguing and teasing me and all the other little boys. It never\ndoes any good to get cross, for that is just what he likes: but then Tim\nlikes sledding very much and he has no sled. I\u2019ve a notion to give the\nold sled to him. It will show him that I forgive him. It might make him\nthink, and do him good. Mightn\u2019t it?\u201d \u201cYes, it might,\u201d said the mother.\n\nSo Tim got Charley\u2019s sled. The kind, forgiving spirit of the little boy\nhe had teased so much touched him greatly. It made him think. It did him\ngood. After that Tim never teased Charley again, or any of the other\nlittle boys.\n\n\u201cHow a Bishop Taught Forgiveness.\u201d There was once a good bishop who lived\nat Alexandria in Egypt. One day a nobleman came to see him. He told the\nbishop about a person who had done him a great wrong. He got very angry\nabout it. \u201cI never will forgive him,\u201d said he, \u201cas long as I live.\u201d\n\nJust then the bell tinkled for prayers in the bishop\u2019s private chapel.\nHe rose to go into the chapel and asked the nobleman to follow him. The\nbishop kneeled at the railing of the little chancel. He asked his friend\nto repeat the Lord\u2019s prayer after him, sentence by sentence. This was\ndone till they came to the sentence \u201cForgive us our trespasses, as we\nforgive those who trespass against us.\u201d When the bishop had offered this\nprayer he waited for the nobleman to say it after him, but he was silent.\nHe said it again but there was no answer. Then the bishop was silent and\ngave his friend time to think. Presently the nobleman rose to his feet\nand said:\n\n\u201cI dare not offer that prayer, while I feel as I now do. It would\nbe asking God never to forgive me. I must forgive if I expect to be\nforgiven.\u201d\n\nThen he left the chapel, sought out the person who had injured him, and\ntold him that he freely forgave him. After this he went back and finished\nhis prayer with the good bishop.\n\nThe lesson of forgiveness, is one lesson taught us by the crucifixion of\nour Saviour.\n\nThe second lesson we are here taught is\u2014_the lesson of duty to our\nparents_.\n\nWhen we think of Jesus hanging on the cross and bearing all the dreadful\npains of crucifixion, it seems to us that he must have been so fully\noccupied with his own terrible sufferings as to have had no thought or\nfeeling for any one but himself. But it was not so. He did not forget\nhis duty to his mother even then. He saw her standing by his cross\nweeping. Joseph, her husband, was no doubt dead. She would have no\none now to take care of her. John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was\nstanding near his mother. Jesus looked at his mother, and told her to\nconsider John as her own son. Then he looked at John, and turning his\neye to the weeping Mary, he told John to treat her as his own mother.\nAnd from that time John took the mother of Jesus to his own home and\ntook care of her, as if she had been his own mother. How thoughtful and\ntender this was in Jesus! How much it was like the loving Saviour! And\nhow touchingly we may learn from this crucifixion scene the lesson of our\nduty to our parents, and especially to our mothers! No child can ever\nfully repay a faithful, loving mother for all that she has done. Let us\ntry to follow the example which Jesus set us from the cross about our\nduty to our parents.\n\nLet us look at some examples of those who have learned and practised this\nlesson.\n\n\u201cThe Polish Prince.\u201d Here is a story of a Polish prince who had a very\ngood father. This young man was in the habit of carrying the picture of\nhis father in his bosom. And when he was tempted to do anything that was\nwrong, he would take out this picture and look at it, saying, \u201cLet me do\nnothing that would grieve my good father.\u201d\n\n\u201cAshamed to Tell Mother.\u201d Some boys were playing one day after school.\nAmong them was a little fellow whom his companions were trying to tempt\nto do something wrong. \u201cI can\u2019t do it,\u201d said he, \u201cbecause I should be\nashamed to tell mother of it.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, but you needn\u2019t tell her; and she won\u2019t know anything about it.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut I should know all about it myself, and I\u2019d feel mighty mean if I\nwouldn\u2019t tell mother!\u201d\n\nThe boys laughed at him and said: \u201cThe idea of a boy running and telling\nhis mother every little thing! What a pity you weren\u2019t a girl!\u201d\n\n\u201cYou may laugh about it as much as you please,\u201d said the noble little\nfellow, \u201cbut I\u2019ve made up my mind never, as long as I live, to do\nanything I would be ashamed to tell my mother.\u201d That boy was a hero. He\nwas doing just what Jesus would have done in his place. Many a boy would\nhave been saved from ruin if he had only acted in this way.\n\n\u201cHonoring His Mother.\u201d \u201cIs there a vacant place in this bank, which I\ncould fill?\u201d asked a boy with a glowing face, as he stood, with cap in\nhand, before the president of the bank.\n\n\u201cThere is none,\u201d was the reply. \u201cWere you told that we wanted a boy? Who\nrecommended you?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo one recommended me, sir,\u201d calmly said the boy. \u201cI only thought I\nwould see.\u201d\n\nThere was an honesty and manliness about the lad which pleased the\npresident and led him to continue the conversation.\n\n\u201cYou must have friends who could help you in getting a situation; have\nyou told them?\u201d\n\nWith a saddened feeling, the boy said: \u201cMy mother told me it would be\nuseless to try without friends,\u201d then apologizing for the interruption,\nhe turned to go away; but the gentleman detained him, saying: \u201cWhy don\u2019t\nyou stay at school a year or two longer, my young friend, and then try to\nget a situation?\u201d\n\n\u201cI have no time for school,\u201d was his reply. \u201cI study at home, and keep up\nwith the other boys as well as I can.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen you have had a place already,\u201d said the officer, \u201cwhy did you leave\nit?\u201d\n\n\u201cI have not left it, sir,\u201d quietly answered the boy.\n\n\u201cBut you wish to leave it. What is the matter?\u201d\n\nThe boy was confounded for a moment\u2014but presently said\u2014\u201cI want to do more\nfor mother, sir.\u201d\n\nThese brave words of the boy touched the gentleman\u2019s heart. And grasping\nthe hand of the little fellow he said:\u2014\u201cMy boy, what is your name? and\nwhere do you live? You shall have the first vacancy, for a boy, that\noccurs in the bank. And in the meantime if you need a friend, come to me.\nBut now tell me frankly, why do you wish to do more for your mother? Have\nyou no father?\u201d\n\nThe boy\u2019s eyes filled with tears. He had to make an effort before he\ncould speak. But recovering himself directly he said:\n\n\u201cMy father is dead: my brothers and sisters are dead. My mother and I are\nleft alone to help each other. But she is not strong, and I wish to do\nall I can for her. It will please her, sir, that you have been so kind\nto me, and I am very much obliged to you.\u201d And then leaving his name and\nresidence with the gentleman, he made a bow and retired.\n\nIt was not long before the president of that bank called to see this\nboy and his mother. He cheered their hearts by telling them that he\nhad a situation for the boy, who found a warm friend in him as long as\nhe lived. God\u2019s blessing followed that boy, and he rose to occupy an\nimportant position in the bank. And God\u2019s blessing will always follow\nthose who learn and practise the lesson Jesus taught us on the cross\u2014of\nhonoring our parents.\n\nThe third lesson we may learn from the crucifixion is about\u2014_the power\nand willingness of Jesus to save_.\n\nThis lesson is taught us by what took place between Jesus and the dying\nthief, as they each hung upon the cross. Jesus was crucified between two\nthieves. One of them cast reproaches upon Jesus, as he hung by his side.\nThe other rebuked his fellow thief; and then, turning his eyes towards\nJesus, said\u2014\u201cLord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.\u201d Jesus\nat once heard and accepted his prayer, and told the thief that he should\nbe with him in paradise that day. This was one of the most wonderful\nthings that took place in connection with the crucifixion of our Saviour.\nThere were many wonders in it. It was wonderful that this dying thief\nshould have understood so clearly as he did the true character of Jesus.\nIt was wonderful that he should have had faith to trust the salvation\nof his soul to one who was dying what seemed to be a criminal\u2019s death.\nIt was wonderful that he should have repented truly of his sins, and\nhave prayed earnestly, as he did, while hanging on the cross. It was\nwonderful that Jesus was able and willing to pardon him, to change his\nheart, and make him fit for heaven at the last hour of his life. And\nit was wonderful that Jesus was so ready to help and save another at\nthe very time when he was suffering so much himself. The apostle Paul\ntells us that \u201che is able to save unto the _uttermost_, those who come\nunto God through him.\u201d Heb. vii: 25. There could not be a more striking\nillustration of the power and willingness of Jesus to save sinners than\nwe have here in the case of the dying thief.\n\nBut illustrations of the same kind, though not so striking as this, do\noften occur.\n\n\u201cThe Cleansing Fountain.\u201d There was once a man who had been a very\ngreat sinner. He had long been in the habit of committing all sorts\nof wickedness. But at last he grew weary of his evil ways, and wanted\nto become a Christian. But he thought his sins were too great to be\nforgiven. A Christian man talked and prayed with him. To encourage him he\nrepeated the first verse of the hymn, which says:\n\n  \u201cThere is a fountain filled with blood\n      Drawn from Immanuel\u2019s veins;\n  And sinners plunged beneath that flood\n      Lose all their guilty stains.\u201d\n\nBut the poor man shook his head, and said, \u201cThere\u2019s nothing in that for\nme. My sins are too great to be washed away.\u201d Then his friend repeated\nthe second verse:\n\n  \u201cThe dying thief rejoiced to see\n      That fountain in his day;\n  And there may I, though vile as he\n      Wash all my sins away.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat means _me_,\u201d said the penitent sinner. He was encouraged to pray to\nJesus, and he found that he was able and willing to save him.\n\n\u201cMuckle Bess\u2014A Hopeless Case.\u201d This was the name of a woman who lived in\nScotland many years ago. Her history illustrates very well the point now\nbefore us, and shows the power and willingness of Christ to save. She was\nthe daughter of a good, pious farmer. But she was led into evil company.\nShe left her father\u2019s house, and became a most wicked and abandoned\nwoman. She was a terror to every one, even to the wicked people among\nwhom she had gone to live. At last she left them and spent her time in\nwandering among the highlands, living like a wild beast, stealing what\nshe could get to eat, or to wear, and sleeping in barns or stables, in\nsheepfolds, or in the dens and caves of the mountains. She used to roam\nover the country begging, or stealing, cursing and swearing, and doing\nall sorts of wicked things. Everybody was afraid of her. No one thought\nof speaking to her, or even of praying for her; and every one looked upon\nher case as hopeless.\n\nAt one time, when Muckle Bess had passed middle life, there was a great\nreligious interest among the churches in that part of the country.\n\nOn one Sabbath day they were holding services in the open air. A great\ncrowd of people had gathered round the minister. To the surprise of every\none, who should appear, at the outside of the crowd, but poor Bess.\nRagged, and wild-looking, she seemed just like the witch of Endor. The\nwomen trembled at the sight of her, and the men thought she had only come\nfor mischief. But she sat quietly down on the grass and listened to the\npreaching. It led her to think of her wicked life, and filled her heart\nwith anguish. Presently she rose to her feet, stretched out her brawny\narms, and cried in tones of agony that melted the hearts of all who heard\nher, \u201cOh, thou God o\u2019 my fathers; oh, thou God o\u2019 bonnie Scotland, that\nhas been steeped in blood for thy name\u2019s sake; look on me a wretched\nsinner, who has scorned thee, and robbed thee, and defied thee! Hast thou\nna\u2019 promised cleansin\u2019 to them whose sins are scarlet and crimson? And\nwhose sins are o\u2019 deeper dye than mine? God, be merciful to me a sinner!\u201d\nAnd then she sank sobbing to the earth.\n\nThe stillness of death was over that congregation. The minister paused\ntill poor Bess\u2019s sobs were no longer heard. Then he went on with the\nsermon. He spoke of the love of Christ in being willing to suffer and die\nfor us. He told of his power and readiness to pardon and save all who\ntruly turn to him, and referred to the case of the dying thief to prove\nthe truth of what he said. This touched the heart of poor Bess, and led\nher to feel that there might be hope, even for her. Then she rose to her\nfeet again, and cried, \u201cHear me, ye people o\u2019 God! Hear me, ye angels\nabove! Hear me, ye powers o\u2019 evil, while I vow afore ye all, that I will\ne\u2019en tak\u2019 him at his word, and leave it there!\u201d\n\nFrom that time Muckle Bess became a changed woman. She went back to her\nfather\u2019s house to live. But she occupied her time in going from house to\nhouse, to tell the story of Jesus and his love. And the rest of her life\nshe spent in speaking kind words and doing kind acts to all about her.\nShe was never tired of telling, with tears of heartfelt gratitude, what\nJesus had done for her soul.\n\nHow beautifully this story illustrates the power and willingness of Jesus\nto save!\n\nThe fourth lesson we learn from the crucifixion of Christ is about\u2014_the\ndepth of his sufferings_.\n\nThe sufferings of his body were very great. When the Roman soldiers beat\nhim on the back with their rods, his flesh was torn, and made to quiver\nwith pain. Then his brow was torn by the sharp points of the crown of\nthorns that were pressed upon his head. His hands and feet were torn by\nthe rough, cruel nails that were driven through them. And when the cross\nwas set upright in the earth, and his body was hanging by those nails,\nwho can tell the agony that must have been wringing every nerve in it?\nThink of him as hanging thus for three or four dreadful hours! how long\nthe moments must have seemed that made up those hours! And if he tried\nto change his position in the slightest degree, every movement must have\nincreased the torture he was feeling a hundred fold.\n\nBut this was not all: this was not half the suffering that Jesus endured.\nIf he had been feeling peaceful and comfortable in his mind while all\nthis was going on, he would not have cared much for these bodily pains.\nBut he had no such feeling. His mind or soul was enduring sufferings much\nworse than those which the scourges, and the crown of thorns, and the\ncrucifixion, caused to his body. He said to his disciples as he entered\nGethsemane\u2014\u201cMy soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death.\u201d This was\nthe sorrow he felt from thinking that his Father in heaven was angry with\nhim, and was looking at him as if he were a sinner. He had taken our sins\nupon himself, and God was treating him as if he had really been a sinner.\nHe was bearing the wrath of God that we had deserved for our sins. The\napostle Paul tells us that\u2014\u201cHe was made a curse for us.\u201d Gal. iii: 13.\nWe cannot understand what Jesus had to feel when this curse came down\nupon him. But it was this which wrung from him that bitter cry when the\ndarkness came around him, as he hung upon the cross,\u2014\u201cMy God! My God! why\nhast thou forsaken me?\u201d\n\nThis made the sufferings that Jesus bore for us greater than we can tell,\nand greater than we can understand.\n\nThis part of our subject we must leave without attempting any\nillustration. There never was any sorrow or suffering like that which\nhe bore for us. I know of nothing that could be used as an illustration\nhere. This thought of the sufferings of Christ is like one of those\nplaces in the ocean which is so deep that we cannot get a line long\nenough to reach the bottom.\n\n_And then the last lesson for us to learn from the crucifixion of Christ\nis about\u2014THE WONDERS OF HIS LOVE._\n\nThe apostle Paul tells us that the love of Christ\u2014\u201c_passeth knowledge_.\u201d\nEphes. iii: 19. He says the riches of this love are \u201c_unsearchable_.\u201d\nThe love of Christ is like a mountain, so high that we cannot climb to\nthe top of it. It is like a valley, so deep that we cannot get down to\nthe bottom of it. It is like a plain, so broad that we cannot get to the\nbeginning of it, on the one hand, or to the end of it on the other. And\nwhen we are looking at Jesus as he hangs upon the cross, we are in the\nbest position we ever can occupy for trying to understand the wonders of\nhis love. It was the love of Jesus which made him willing to come down\nfrom heaven and \u201chumble himself unto death, even the death of the cross.\u201d\nIt was the love of Jesus which made him willing to be nailed to the\ncross, and to hang there in agony and blood, till as the Te Deum says,\nhe had \u201covercome the sharpness of death, and had opened the kingdom of\nheaven to all believers.\u201d And as we stand before the cross of Christ, and\nthink of the depth of his sufferings, and the wonders of his love, we may\nwell ask in the language of the hymn:\n\n  \u201cO Lamb of God! was ever _pain_,\n      Was ever _love_ like Thine?\u201d\n\nAnd it is this wonderful love of Jesus, in dying for us, which gives to\nthe story of the cross the strange power it has over the hearts of men.\n\n[Illustration: Jesus Commendeth His Mother to John\n\nAnd one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If\nthou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him,\nsaying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?\nAnd we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but\nthis man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember\nme when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily\nI say unto thee, To-day shalt thou be with me in paradise.\u2014Now there\nstood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother\u2019s sister, Mary\nthe _wife_ of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw his\nmother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his\nmother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold\nthy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own\n_home_.\u2014_St. Luke xxiii: 39-43; St. John xix: 25-27._\n\n_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_\n\n_Oft-repeated words are apt, for this very reason, to lose the force of\ntheir significance; and the Cross of Calvary has furnished so frequent a\ntheme for Christian literature and Christian art, that it is by an effort\nonly, which we do well to exert, that the anguish of that lingering\ndeath can even dimly be appreciated. The harrowing details have often\nbeen recounted, and it is sufficient here to state in brief, that it\ncomprised, in one awful agony, well-nigh every pang which the human body\ncan be called upon to suffer; withholding for long the boon of death\nitself, and even the pitiful mercy of isolation. For that \u201clifting up,\u201d\nby which artists have striven to indicate the loneliness of Jesus, is not\nin accordance with the facts of the case. No timber in Palestine is of\nsufficient size to furnish crosses such as are generally represented, and\nwe are forced instead to picture the patient sufferer during those many\nfatal hours, as raised but slightly above the level of the ground, and\nliterally face to face with his tormentors._\n\n69]\n\n\u201cThe Influence of the Love of Christ.\u201d We are so accustomed to hear of\nthe blessed Saviour, and his amazing love, that it often gets to be a\nfamiliar story to us, and so it does not have its proper influence on\nour hearts. But it is different with the missionaries of the gospel. When\nthey tell the heathen about Jesus, and his love, it is new to them, and\nsometimes it has a strange effect upon them. Here is an instance of this:\n\nThe Rev. Mr. Nott, an English missionary in the South Sea Islands, was\nreading the third chapter of the gospel of St. John to a number of the\nnatives. Presently he came to that wonderful statement in the 16th\nverse, \u201cGod so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that\nwhosoever believeth on him should not perish but have everlasting life.\u201d\nWhen he heard this, one of the natives said, \u201cWhat words were those you\nread? Let me hear those words again.\u201d The missionary read the verse\nagain, slowly and deliberately. On hearing them again, the native rose\nand said, \u201cIs that so? Can it be true that God loved the world, when the\nworld did not love him?\u201d \u201cIt _is_ true,\u201d said the missionary. \u201cAnd this\nis the message we bring you. If you believe in Jesus, and his love, it\nwill save your soul, and make you happy forever.\u201d This wonderful love of\nJesus won that heathen\u2019s heart, and he became a Christian.\n\nThis illustrates what the apostle Paul means when he says, \u201cthe love of\nChrist constraineth us.\u201d To constrain, means to draw. The power which\nthe gospel has to draw men\u2019s hearts to God is in the love of Christ.\n\n\u201cThe Power of Love.\u201d A teacher was giving a lesson to a class of\nchildren, on metals and minerals. They were told that gold could be\nmelted, and that all metals could be melted. Then the teacher asked: \u201cCan\nstones be melted?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes,\u201d said a little boy; \u201cstones are melted in volcanoes.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat is true; and now, can you tell me what can melt a heart as hard as\nstone?\u201d\n\nAfter thinking for a few minutes, the little boy said: \u201cI think it is God\nonly who can melt a hard heart.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou are right, my child; and now can you tell me how does God melt hard\nhearts?\u201d\n\n\u201cIt is by his love.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou are right again, my child; it is the love of God that melts stony\nhearts. And it is by giving his Son to die for us that God shows his\nlove.\u201d\n\nHere is a very striking story to show the power of the love of Christ in\nmelting a hard heart. We may call it:\n\n\u201cHope for the Lost.\u201d Charles Anderson was the son of a sailor. His\nfather was drowned at sea. Charles was left an orphan, in a seaport\ntown in England. Having no one to take care of him, he got in with bad\nboys, and grew up an idle, careless, swearing, drunken young man. In a\ndrunken spree one night, he and his companions broke into a house and\nrobbed it. He was taken to prison, tried, and sentenced to seven years\u2019\ntransportation to New South Wales. After his arrival there, thinking that\nhe was unjustly punished, he became sulky, obstinate, and rebellious.\nHe cared for no rules. He minded no orders, but did just as he pleased.\nFor his bad conduct he was flogged again and again. But punishment did\nhim no good. He grew worse and worse. He became so thoroughly bad and\nunmanageable that at last he was sentenced to receive three hundred\nlashes on his back, and to be chained for two years to a barren rock that\nstood by itself in the middle of the harbor of Sydney. The wretched man\nwas fastened by his waist to this rock, with a chain twenty-six feet long.\n\nHe had irons on his legs and had hardly a rag to cover him. His only\nbed was a hollow place scooped out in the rock. He had no other shelter\nthan a wooden lid, with holes bored in it. This was locked over him at\nnight and removed in the morning. If he had been a wild beast, instead\nof a man, he could hardly have been treated worse. His food was pushed\nto him once a day, in a box, with a long pole. Sometimes people going\nby in boats, would throw him pieces of bread or biscuit. But no one was\nallowed to go near him or speak to him. Thus he spent two long years, a\nprisoner on that lonely rock. Of course, he grew no better, but worse,\nunder such treatment. When his time was out, and he was released from the\nrock, he behaved so badly that very soon he was taken up again, and sent\na prisoner to Norfolk Island, to work in chains for the rest of his life.\n\nNow, what good could possibly be expected from such a man? None at\nall, if the same hard treatment had been continued towards him. But it\nwas not continued. No, at Norfolk Island, he came under the care of a\ngood Christian gentleman. This was Capt. Maconochie, an officer of the\nEnglish army. He had great faith in the power of kindness and love. He\nfound this man Anderson one of the very worst men he had ever met with;\nbut he resolved to try the power of the gospel upon him. He treated him\nkindly, as one man ought to treat another. He got him to attend a night\nschool which he had opened, and there had him taught to read. Then\nhe persuaded him to join a Bible class which he taught. He showed an\ninterest in him and sympathy for him. He often took him apart by himself\nand talked kindly to him. He told him of the wonderful love of Jesus, as\nshown in the story of the cross. This touched and melted the hard and\nstony heart of that desperate man. He wept like a child, at the thought\nof his life of sin. He prayed earnestly for pardon, and found it. Charles\nAnderson\u2014the fierce, unmanageable man\u2014the man who had been chained,\nlike a wild beast to that lonely rock, became a Christian. And he was\na thoroughly changed man in every respect. The change from midnight to\nmid-day, from mid-winter to mid-summer, is not greater than the change\nthat appeared in him. From being an ill-tempered, gloomy, disobedient,\nidle man who was a plague to all about him, he became gentle, and kind,\ncheerful, obedient, and trustworthy; a man who gained the respect and the\nlove of all who knew him. Capt. Maconochie got him released from being a\nprisoner, on account of his good behaviour. Then he took him into his own\nservice, and a more useful and excellent servant he never had in all his\nlife. Here we see the power of the love of Christ. And so when we think\nof the history of the crucifixion, let us remember these six things,\u2014the\nplace\u2014the time\u2014the manner\u2014the witnesses\u2014the wonders\u2014and the words\u2014which\nmake up that history. And when we think of the lessons it teaches\u2014let us\nremember the lesson of forgiveness\u2014the lesson of duty to our parents\u2014the\nlesson about the power and willingness of Christ to save\u2014about the depths\nof his sufferings\u2014and the wonders of his love.\n\nWe cannot better close this subject than with the words of the hymn we\noften sing:\n\n  \u201cWhen I survey the wondrous cross,\n    On which the Prince of glory died,\n  My richest gain I count but loss,\n    And pour contempt on all my pride.\n\n  \u201cForbid it, Lord, that I should boast,\n    Save in the cross of Christ my God,\n  All the vain things that charm me most,\n    I sacrifice them to his blood.\n\n  \u201cSee from his head, his hands, his feet,\n    Sorrow and love flow mingled down!\n  Did e\u2019er such love and sorrow meet,\n    Or thorns compose so rich a crown?\n\n  \u201cWere the whole realm of nature mine,\n    _That_ were a tribute far too small;\n  Love so amazing, so divine,\n    Demands my life\u2014my soul\u2014my all.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nTHE BURIAL\n\n\nIn the last chapter, we left our blessed Lord hanging dead upon the\ncross. Deep darkness was spread over the land, as if to hide from view\nthe awful wickedness which men were committing.\n\nWe have now to consider what became of the dead Saviour after this. When\ndeath enters our homes and lays his icy hand on some one whom we love,\nwe know that the next thing to follow is the funeral. We have to make\npreparation, as Abraham said on the death of Sarah, his wife, to \u201cbury\nour dead out of our sight.\u201d Gen. xxiii: 4. And so, after the crucifixion,\nor death of our Saviour, the next thing for us to consider is\u2014his burial.\nWe have an account of this burial in each of the four gospels. We can\nread all that is said about it in the following places:\u2014St. Matt. xxvii:\n56-66; St. Mark xv: 42-47; St. Luke xxiii: 50-56, and St. John xix:\n38-42.\n\nThe history of the burial of Christ, given in these different places,\nbriefly stated, is, that as soon as he was dead, and while he was yet\nhanging on the cross, two men came forward and took charge of his burial.\nOne of these is called \u201cJoseph of Arimathea.\u201d We know nothing about him\nbefore this. His name was never mentioned before, and after this it is\nnever mentioned again in the Scriptures. What we are told about him\nis, that he was a rich man\u2014an honorable counsellor, or a member of the\nJewish Sanhedrim: he was a just and good man\u2014a disciple of Jesus\u2014but\nhad kept his thoughts and feelings on this subject to himself, because\nhe was afraid of the Jews. And with him came Nicodemus\u2014of whom we read\nin the third chapter of St. John\u2014who came to Jesus by night to have a\ntalk with him on the subject of religion. He was also a member of the\nJewish Sanhedrim, and \u201ca ruler of the Jews.\u201d Joseph went boldly in before\nPilate, and asked permission from him to take the body of Jesus down\nfrom the cross and have it buried. This was in the afternoon of the same\nday on which the crucifixion had taken place. Pilate was surprised to\nthink that Jesus could have died so soon. Death by crucifixion, although\nvery painful, was still a lingering death. It is said that cases have\nbeen known of persons who have hung upon the cross for two or three days\nbefore death put an end to their sufferings. We do not wonder, therefore,\nthat Pilate should have felt surprised, when he heard that Jesus, who was\ncrucified about twelve o\u2019clock, should have been dead about three o\u2019clock\nthe same afternoon. He sent for the centurion, who had charge of the\ncrucifixion, and asked if it was true that Jesus was already dead. The\ncenturion had carefully examined the body, and told Pilate that he was\nreally dead.\n\nThen Pilate gave Joseph and Nicodemus permission to take down the body\nand bury it. Immediately they went back to Calvary and took the body\nof Jesus down from the cross. They could hardly do it by themselves,\nand they had, no doubt, engaged some other persons to help them. We are\nnot told how the body was taken down. In the art gallery, at Antwerp\nin Belgium, there is a famous painting of this scene, by Rubens the\ncelebrated Flemish artist. It is called\u2014\u201cThe Descent from the Cross.\u201d\nHere, Joseph and Nicodemus are represented as having set up ladders\nagainst the cross. They have climbed up the ladder, and have drawn out\nthe nails, and then we see them carefully handing down the dead body of\nour blessed Lord. This would be one way of taking the body down.\n\nAnother way would be to lift the cross up from the place in the earth,\nwhere it was fastened, and lay it carefully down on the ground, with the\nbody of Jesus still nailed to it. It would be much easier to get the\nnails out, with the cross in this position, than while it was standing\nupright. But we are not told how it was done, and so we are at liberty\nto think of either of these ways as the one that was adopted. And now,\nthe mangled body of the dead Saviour is removed from the cross. Then, it\nis reverently wrapped in the linen which Joseph had brought with him for\nthis purpose. Nicodemus had brought a hundred pounds weight of spices,\nmyrrh and aloes. These were probably in the form of powder. It was the\ncustom of the Jews to use these spices in the burial of the dead, because\nthey have the power of preventing decay from taking place immediately.\n\nIn a warm country like Palestine, decay begins very soon after death. And\nin a body that had been torn and mangled, as was the case with the body\nof Jesus, it would take place still sooner. And so the use of the spices\nwas necessary.\n\nNo doubt the wounds made by the nails in the hands and feet of our\nSaviour, and the gash of the spear in his blessed side, were gently\nfilled with those powdered spices. And then the spices were put freely\nin between the folds of the linen that were wrapped about his dead cold\nlimbs. The Jews did not use coffins. Their dead were only wrapped in\ngrave-clothes, as was the case with Lazarus, and here with our Lord.\n\nAnd now the preparations are made. The body is ready for the burial.\nAnd the grave is ready for the body. Near to Calvary, where Jesus was\ncrucified, there was a garden. And in that garden was a new tomb, in\nwhich no dead body had ever lain. This tomb was dug out from the solid\nrock. The rocks around Jerusalem are filled with such tombs. They are\nnot generally dug down below the surface of the ground, as we make our\ngraves, but into the side of the rock, and on a level with the ground.\nThis tomb belonged to Joseph of Arimathea. It had, no doubt, been made\nfor himself and family. How little he thought when he had that new tomb\nmade, that Jesus, the Son of God, and the Redeemer of the world, would\nbe the first one to occupy it! What an honor and privilege Joseph had in\nbeing permitted to furnish the tomb in which the dead body of the Lord\nof life was to rest till the morning of the resurrection!\n\nAnd now, the funeral procession is formed. Joseph and Nicodemus, and\ntheir helpers, take reverently hold of the body of Jesus, and bear it\nquietly and solemnly away to the open tomb in yonder garden. No doubt\nthe good women, who lingered round the cross, joined in the procession,\nand followed the body of their Lord to the place where it was to lie.\nThey reach the tomb. On the rocky floor of that tomb, the lifeless body\nof Jesus is gently laid. They linger in silence around it. They gaze at\nit with loving wonder and amazement. Then they go out. A great stone is\nrolled against the mouth of the tomb. And now, all that loving hearts\ncan suggest, or willing hands can do for the buried one has been done.\nThey pause awhile to meditate on that silent tomb, and then slowly retire\nto their homes, to prepare for the Jewish Sabbath, which began at six\no\u2019clock on Friday evening.\n\n[Illustration: Jesus Yieldeth Up the Ghost\n\nAnd it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the\nearth until the ninth hour. And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the\ntemple was rent in the midst. And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice,\nhe said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said\nthus, he gave up the ghost. Now when the centurion saw what was done, he\nglorified God, saying, Certainly this was a righteous man. And all the\npeople that came together to that sight, beholding the things which were\ndone, smote their breasts, and returned.\u2014_St. Luke xxiii: 44-48._\n\n_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_\n\n_Of the various points of evidence which may be adduced in favor of the\nidentity of the spot referred to in picture No. 68 with the Golgotha of\nthe Gospels one only need here be dwelt upon. \u201cThe place of the skull\u201d is\nthe interpretation of the Hebrew word as given in the Authorized Version,\nbut according to the Revised Version \u201cthe place called the \u2018Skull\u2019\u201d is\nthe more accurate translation, and the singular suitability of this name\nto the hillock in question is obvious to anyone looking at it from the\nMount of Olives; the caves and apertures in the face of the cliff beneath\nits rounded summit bearing a strange resemblance to the eye-sockets and\nnostrils of a human skull. The significance also of the words, \u201cThey that\npassed by railed on him,\u201d is at once apparent; as the knoll is in full\nview of passers-by to east and north, standing as it does at the junction\nof the high roads from Jericho and Damascus._\n\n70]\n\nBut there is one other thing to notice in connection with this burial.\nThe priests had heard Jesus speak of rising from the dead on the third\nday. They went to Pilate and told him of this. They said they were\nafraid that his disciples might come by night and steal away his body,\nand then declare that he had risen from the dead. They asked him,\ntherefore, to allow them to seal the stone over the mouth of the grave\nwith his seal, and to have a guard of Roman soldiers appointed to keep\nwatch over the tomb till the third day was passed. Pilate gave them leave\nto do this. And we read, \u201cso they went and made the sepulchre sure,\nsealing the stone, and setting a watch.\u201d St. Matt. xxvii: 66.\n\nSuch is the history of the burial of our Saviour. And as we stand in\nthought before the silent tomb in which the body of Jesus is lying, we\nmay well say, in the words of one of our hymns for Easter even:\n\n  \u201cAll is o\u2019er, the pain, the sorrow,\n    Human taunts, and Satan\u2019s spite;\n  Death shall be despoiled to-morrow\n    Of the prey he grasps to-night,\n  Yet once more, his own to save,\n  Christ must sleep within the grave.\n\n  \u201cFierce and deadly was the anguish\n    On the bitter cross he bore;\n  How did soul and body languish,\n    Till the toil of death was o\u2019er!\n  But that toil, so fierce and dread,\n  Bruised and crushed the serpent\u2019s head.\n\n  \u201cClose and still the tomb that holds him,\n    While in brief repose he lies;\n  Deep the slumber that enfolds him,\n    Veiled awhile from mortal eyes;\n  Slumber such as needs must be\n  After hard won victory.\n\n  \u201cNear this tomb, with voice of sadness,\n    Chant the anthem sweet and low;\n  Loftier strains of praise and gladness\n    From to-morrow\u2019s harps shall flow;\n  Death and hell at length are slain,\n  Christ hath triumphed, Christ doth reign.\u201d\n\nThis is the history of the burial of Christ. And now we may speak of four\nlessons taught us by this history.\n\nThe first lesson taught us is about\u2014THE CERTAINTY OF HIS DEATH.\n\nSometimes the enemies of our religion have ventured to say that Jesus did\nnot really die, but that he only fainted, or swooned, or appeared to die.\nBut it is of the highest importance for us to know that Jesus did really\ndie. When we are saying or singing that grand old anthem\u2014the TE DEUM,\nwe look up to Jesus and say, \u201cWhen thou had\u2019st _overcome the sharpness\nof death_, thou did\u2019st open the kingdom of heaven to all believers.\u201d By\nChrist\u2019s overcoming the sharpness of death is meant his resurrection from\nthe dead. But, if his resurrection was a real resurrection, then the\ndeath from which he rose, must have been a real death. We cannot come\nout of a state, or place, if we have never been in it. It is impossible\nthat you, or I, for example, should go out of this church, unless we were\nfirst in it. And when we know that none of us could enter heaven, unless\nJesus had really died for us, we see how important it is for us to be\nsure of the certainty of his death.\n\nNow there was one thing connected with the burial of Christ which proves\nthat he was really dead, and that was the drawing out of the nails from\nhis hands and feet. When a great, rough nail or spike has been driven\ninto a piece of solid wood, we know how hard it is to draw it out. There\nwere two such spikes driven through the palms of the hands of Jesus, and\ntwo through his feet. In trying to draw these out, I suppose they must\nhave made use of a large pair of pincers, or of a hammer with a claw\non one side of it. As they came to those nails, one by one, they would\nhave to get the nippers of the pincers or the claw of the hammer under\nthe head of the nail. Then they would have to press down hard on the\nbruised and torn part of the hands and feet of our Saviour. Now this\nmust have been so very painful that if he had only fainted on the cross\nthis dreadful operation, as they went through with it four times, would\ncertainly have brought him out from his fainting fit. But it did not. It\nhad not the slightest effect upon him. There was no more feeling in his\nhands or feet than there was in the wood of the cross to which he was\nnailed. And this proves that he was really dead.\n\nBut then there was another thing that took place at the crucifixion of\nJesus which also proves the certainty of his death. We read in St. John\nxix: 34\u2014\u201cBut one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and\nforthwith came there out blood and water.\u201d If Jesus had not been dead\nbefore this took place, that cruel spear, thrust into his heart, would\ncertainly have killed him. If Jesus had been alive when the soldier did\nthis, not blood and water, but only blood, would have flowed out from the\nwound which the spear made. And learned physicians who have examined this\nmatter tell us that two things are clearly proved by this flowing out of\nblood and water from the wound which the soldier\u2019s spear had made in our\nSaviour\u2019s side. One of these is, that he was already dead. The soldier\u2019s\nspear did not kill him, but it proved that he was dead before the wound\nwas made.\n\nAnd then the other thing which it proved was that Jesus had died of a\nbroken heart. In Dr. Hanna\u2019s \u201cLife of Christ,\u201d Vol. III. pp. 369-379, may\nbe found letters from several eminent Scottish physicians, showing that\nnothing but a broken heart could account for the flowing out of \u201cblood\nand water\u201d from the wound in our Saviour\u2019s side. It was not being nailed\nto the cross that killed our blessed Lord. Neither was it the wound made\nby the spear. No, but it was the great sorrow he had felt in being made\nto bear our sins, that had really broken his heart.\n\nThe sixty-ninth Psalm is one of the passages in the Old Testament that\nrefers to Christ. It is he who is speaking there. And in the twentieth\nverse of that Psalm, we find him saying of himself, \u201c_Reproach hath\nbroken my heart._\u201d And so when we think of \u201cthe blood and water\u201d that\nflowed out from his wounded side, and of the drawing out of those nails\nfrom his hands and feet, we may feel perfectly sure about the certainty\nof the death of Christ.\n\n_The next lesson that we learn from the burial of Christ is about\u2014THE\nFULFILLMENT OF HIS WORD._\n\nThe prophet Isaiah had spoken about the death and burial of our Saviour\nseven hundred years before he was born into our world. In the ninth verse\nof the fifty-third chapter of his prophecy, where he is speaking of Jesus\nhe says, \u201cAnd he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in\nhis death.\u201d This means that it was arranged, or intended, that he should\nbe buried with the wicked, and yet it would so happen that he would be\nwith the rich in his death. We can easily see how it was to be expected\nthat Jesus would be buried with the wicked, because he died with them. He\nwas crucified between two thieves. These thieves were buried \u201cwith the\nwicked,\u201d or in the place where common criminals were generally buried.\nAnd as Jesus had died with them, so it was to be expected that he would\nhave been buried with them. And this is what would have happened if God\nhad not ordered it otherwise. The disciples of Jesus had all forsaken\nhim. And even if they had not done so, none of them were rich. Pilate\nwould not have given them leave to take charge of the body of their dead\nMaster. And if they had had it, they could not have procured a rich man\u2019s\ngrave in which to bury it. It seemed impossible, therefore, that what\nIsaiah had spoken should come to pass. But that was the word of God.\nIt was written in the scripture that Jesus was to be \u201cwith the rich in\nhis death.\u201d And \u201cthe scriptures cannot be broken.\u201d God\u2019s word must be\nfulfilled. And so, just when Jesus was dying, Joseph of Arimathea, who\nhad been a secret disciple of Jesus, made his appearance. He was a rich\nman. He had a sepulchre near at hand. He asked Pilate to let him have the\nbody of Jesus, for the purpose of burying it. Pilate gave it to him. He\nburied it in his new tomb. And so the words of Isaiah were fulfilled to\nthe very letter; although it seemed impossible before that such should\nhave been the case. Jesus died with the wicked, and yet was buried with\nthe rich. And here we see how wonderfully God\u2019s word was fulfilled.\n\nAnd we meet with instances, continually, to show that God is still\nfulfilling his word in ways that are equally wonderful.\n\n\u201cTry It.\u201d A Christian woman, rich in faith, but poor in this world\u2019s\ngoods, was greatly perplexed about the meaning of the words, \u201cGive, and\nit shall be given unto you.\u201d She said to herself: \u201cthe best way to find\nout the meaning of such a promise, is to try it. I\u2019ll try it.\u201d\n\nIt was Saturday night. After buying what her children would need for\nSunday, she had just two dollars left. Putting this money in her pocket,\nshe went out. She had not gone far when a friend met her, who was in\ngreat distress, and asked the loan of two dollars. She gave the money to\nher friend, and resolved she would wait and see how God would fulfill his\nword.\n\nMonday morning came. She had nothing with which to buy food for her\nfamily. While wondering what she should do, there came a knock at the\ndoor. On opening it a lady came in with a bundle in her hand. \u201cCan you do\nsome work for me?\u201d she asked. \u201cCertainly.\u201d \u201cWhat will you charge?\u201d The\nprice was named. The lady put two dollars in her hand, saying, \u201cThis is\nmore than you ask, but you may as well have it.\u201d\n\nThe good woman shouted for joy. She had tried God\u2019s promise, and had\nfound out how wonderfully he fulfills his word.\n\n\u201cThe Bullfinch.\u201d Andrew Austin lived in Scotland. He was a tailor by\ntrade, a good, honest, Christian man, but very poor. At the time to\nwhich this story refers, he was in great trouble. Sickness in his family\nhad used up all his money. The rent of his cottage was due, and he had\nnothing to pay it with. \u201cWhat shall I do?\u201d he said to himself, in great\ndistress. He took down his Bible, and opened it at the book of Psalms.\nHis eye rested on the fourth verse of the seventy-second Psalm\u2014\u201c_For he\nshall deliver the needy when he crieth._\u201d He kneeled down and told God\nof his trouble, and asked him to fulfill that promise in his present\ndistress. As he rose from his knees his heart was comforted, and he felt\nsure that God would fulfill his word and send, in some way, the help that\nwas needed.\n\nHe resolved to go and see his landlord, and ask him to allow him a week\u2019s\ntime in which to pay the rent.\n\nJust as he opened the door to go out, a little bird flew past him,\nperched upon the mantle-shelf, and hopped about, chirping merrily. Andrew\nclosed the door, and watched the movements of the little fellow with\ngreat interest. He saw that it was a bullfinch, a piping bullfinch. This\nis a bird something like a sparrow, with a round head and short thick\nbill. Bullfinches are great singers. They can learn tunes, and carry them\nall through nicely. While Andrew was watching the bird, it hopped on to\nthe Bible which he had just been reading, and lifting up its little head\nbegan to sing the tune of \u201cOld Hundred.\u201d Of course the bird only had the\nmusic without the words. But Andrew joined him, and put in the words:\n\n  \u201cPraise God, from whom all blessings flow;\n  Praise him, all creatures here below;\n  Praise him above, ye heavenly host;\n  Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.\u201d\n\nWhen he got through singing this verse, the old man felt perfectly happy.\nLeaving the little stranger in his room, he went to see the landlord;\nand as he walked along he was repeating to himself the words of the\ntwenty-third Psalm\u2014\u201cThe Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.\u201d\n\nHe found the landlord very pleasant. He readily gave him the additional\ntime he wanted to make up his rent. As he was going home feeling very\nbright and cheerful, he was singing to a simple tune these words which\njust suited his circumstances:\n\n  \u201cThe birds, without barn or storehouse, are fed;\n  From them let us learn to trust for our bread;\n  His saints, what is fitting, shall ne\u2019er be denied,\n  So long as \u2019tis written, \u2018The Lord will provide.\u2019\u201d\n\nAs he went on, he was spoken to by a servant in livery, whom he\nrecognized at once as the footman of Lady Armistead, a rich and pious\nold lady, who lived at Basford Hall, about three miles from the village\nwhere he resided.\n\n\u201cYou seem to be in good spirits, Andrew,\u201d said the servant, who was an\nold acquaintance. \u201cYou sing so well, one would think you had swallowed\nLady Armistead\u2019s bullfinch. It\u2019s been missing these two days. I\u2019m going\nhome now, for it\u2019s no use seeking any more. Her ladyship takes on\ndreadfully about the bird, for it was a great favorite, and a regular\ntip-topper at singing.\u201d\n\nThen Andrew asked him to go home with him, and said he should find his\nbird again. As they walked along towards the cottage, Andrew told his\nfriend the story of his troubles; how he had prayed; what God had said to\nhim out of his Book; and how the bullfinch came and cheered his heart;\nhow he had been to the landlord\u2019s, and had got another week to turn round\nin; \u201cand look you here John Morris, my rent\u2019ll be ready when it\u2019s wanted,\nas sure as my name\u2019s Andrew; for that bird was sent from my heavenly\nfather, and brought me His message on its wings, \u2018for his mercy endureth\nfor ever.\u2019\u201d\n\nSo John got the bullfinch and took it home to his mistress. When she\nheard about it, Lady Armistead sent for the tailor. His simple story\nmoved her to tears. She thought more of her bullfinch than ever, since\nGod had made him a messenger of mercy to one of his suffering children.\nShe gave the tailor money enough to pay his rent, and told him that he\nshould have work from Basford Hall as long as he lived. \u201cGod bless your\nladyship,\u201d said Andrew, with a grateful heart. Just then the bullfinch\nstruck up its favorite tune, and Andrew joined in the song.\n\n  \u201cPraise God from whom all blessings flow.\u201d\n\nLady Armistead smiled with sympathy, and Andrew added\u2014\u201cYes, yes: Praise\nthe Lord, for his mercy endureth forever.\u201d\n\nNow, however long old Andrew might have lived after that, I think he\nwould never read over that verse in the seventy-second Psalm\u2014\u201cHe shall\ndeliver the needy when he crieth,\u201d without remembering the lesson we\nare here taught by the burial of Christ\u2014and that is, how wonderfully he\nfulfills his word.\n\n_The next lesson we learn from the burial of Christ is about\u2014THE WORKING\nOF HIS PROVIDENCE._\n\nSuppose we are looking at a great clock. Its wheels are moving slowly on.\nWe listen, and hear it going\u2014tick-tick-tick. The hands on the dial plate\nare getting near to twelve o\u2019clock; and the very moment the minute hand\ncomes over the figure 12, the hammer in the clock starts up, and begins\nto pound on the bell, and the clock strikes twelve. The maker of that\nclock arranged every part of its machinery in such a way that it would be\nsure to keep time and strike the hours as they came.\n\nAnd the providence of God is just like such a clock. He is the maker of\nit. And he not only made the wheels of its machinery in the beginning,\nbut he manages them all the time. He has his hand on every part of it.\n\u201cGod so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son\u201d to die for\nus. He was willing to have him crucified with wicked men. But he wished\nto have him buried with rich men. And seven hundred years before Jesus\nwas born into our world he had said that it should be so. And when the\ntime for Christ\u2019s burial came, the clock of his providence struck, just\nas he said it should do. Joseph of Arimathea was one of the wheels in\nthis clock; and when the right time came, there he was\u2014ready to bury the\ndead Saviour in his own new tomb. And thus, in the wonderful working\nof God\u2019s providence, it came to pass that Jesus was\u2014\u201cwith the rich in\nhis death.\u201d And as we think of ourselves, as standing by the tomb in\nwhich Jesus was buried, and seeing how strangely the prophecy about his\nburial was fulfilled, we cannot help wondering at the working of God\u2019s\nprovidence. It is true indeed, as the hymn says\u2014that\n\n  \u201cGod moves in a mysterious way,\n    His wonders to perform:\n  He plants his footsteps in the sea,\n    And rides upon the storm.\u201d\n\nAnd it is just the same now as it was then. Here are some examples of the\nworking of this providence.\n\n\u201cThe Raven of Winslade Quarry.\u201d Winslade is a small town in England,\nfamous for its stone quarries. Some years ago an incident occurred there\nwhich strikingly illustrates this part of our subject. The men were at\nwork in the lower part of the quarry. Directly above was a great mass of\noverhanging rocks. Dinner time came; but just as they were getting ready\nfor it, a raven flew down, picked up the little parcel which contained\none of the miners\u2019 dinner and flew away with it. The man of course did\nnot want to lose his dinner, so he ran after the bird, thinking that she\nwould soon have to stop, and lay down her heavy burden, and then he\nwould get his dinner again.\n\nHis companions wished to see the fun and they joined in the chase.\nThe bird was stronger than they thought and led them a long way off\nbefore she alighted. But, at last she flew down the side of a steep and\ndangerous precipice and laid her bundle on a projecting rock. She seemed\nto feel that she was safe there, and so she was, for no one was willing\nto risk his life by attempting to go down that perilous place. Then the\nmen gave up the chase, and went back to the quarry. On reaching the\nspot they found to their surprise that a great mass of rock had fallen\ndown just where they would have been eating their dinner. It would have\ncrushed them to death if the raven had not come and taken them away in\ntime to save them. Thus God made use of that bird to save the lives of\nthose men. Here we see the wonderful working of God\u2019s providence.\n\n[Illustration: The Body of Jesus Laid in the Tomb\n\nAnd, behold, _there was_ a man named Joseph, a counsellor; _and he was_ a\ngood man, and a just. (The same had not consented to the counsel and deed\nof them;) _he was_ of Arimathea, a city of the Jews: who also himself\nwaited for the kingdom of God. This _man_ went unto Pilate, and begged\nthe body of Jesus. And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid\nit in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was\nlaid. And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on. And the\nwomen also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld\nthe sepulchre, and how his body was laid. And they returned, and prepared\nspices and ointments.\u2014_St. Luke xxiii: 50-56._\n\n_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_\n\n_In a garden beneath this cliff, where Joseph\u2019s new tomb was, there is\na tomb bearing marked characteristics. The workmanship shows it to be\nJewish and of the Herodian period, yet when first discovered there were\ntraces of a cross painted upon the wall. Although there is room in the\nsepulchre for four bodies, one only of these has been completed, one only\noccupied. In digging near the foundations of a neighboring monastery, a\nChristian grave was found bearing the remarkable words, \u201cLaid near his\nLord.\u201d We may never know the real meaning of these facts, but they are\nat least significant, and especially so in view of the cogent arguments\nwhich can be urged against the acceptance of the traditional site of the\nHoly Sepulchre._\n\n71]\n\n\u201cDelivered by a Dog.\u201d A minister of the gospel, who had a country parish\nin New England, tells this story:\n\n\u201cA farmer belonging to my parish, and who was quite well off, died\nsuddenly. Shortly after his death his widow, who was a good Christian\nwoman, concluded to give up the farm and take a small house in the\nneighboring village. The farm was sold and then an auction was held to\nsell the things on the farm and in the house, except the furniture that\nwould be needed for the little house in the village.\n\n\u201cI went to see her,\u201d said the minister on the day of the sale. \u201cI told\nher I thought she had done wisely in concluding to give up the farm, for\nit was half a mile away from any other house, and she would be lonely and\nunprotected there.\n\n\u201c\u2018Oh! no,\u2019 she said, \u2018not unprotected; far from it! You forget that I am\nnow under the special charge of that God \u201cwho careth for the widow and\nthe fatherless,\u201d and who, I am sure, will protect us.\u2019\n\n\u201cAnd now, let me tell you how God did protect them. There was a good deal\nof money in the house that night from the sale which had taken place. The\nonly persons in the house were the mother with her three young children\nand their maid servant.\n\n\u201cSome time after going to bed she heard a strange and unusual noise at\nthe back of the house. Then she was startled by the barking of a dog,\napparently in the room under her chamber. This alarmed her still more as\nthey had no dog of their own.\n\n\u201cShe arose and dressed herself hastily. She awoke her maid and they went\ndown stairs. They first looked into the room where they heard the dog.\nThere they saw a huge black dog, scratching and barking furiously at the\ndoor leading into the kitchen. She told her servant to open the door\nwhere the dog was scratching. The girl was brave, and opened the door\nwithout a fear. In a moment the dog rushed out, and through the open door\nthe widow saw two men at the kitchen window, which was also open. The men\ninstantly turned to run, and the dog leaped through the window and ran\nafter them. There was a fierce fight between them, but the men finally\ngot away, though followed far off by the faithful dog.\n\n\u201cMrs. M., and her maid fastened the window and doors, and concluded to\nsit up for the rest of the night, for, of course it would be impossible\nto sleep after what had taken place. They had hardly taken their seats\nbefore they heard their noble protector scratching at the outer door for\nadmittance. They gladly let him in, and when he came up to them, wagging\nhis great bushy tail, they patted and praised him for his goodness and\ncourage. Then he stretched his huge form beside the warm stove, closed\nhis eyes and went to sleep. The next morning they gave him a breakfast\nthat any dog might have been glad to get. As soon as he had finished his\nbreakfast, he went to the door, and stood impatiently whining till the\ndoor was opened, when off he ran in a great hurry, and they never saw him\nagain.\n\n\u201cThey had never seen the dog before, and knew not to whom it belonged.\nBut the grateful widow felt sure that her Father in heaven had sent him\nfor their protection that night. And her faith was stronger than ever at\nthe mysterious working of his providence.\u201d\n\n  \u201cSay not, my soul, From whence\n    Can God relieve my care?\n  Remember that omnipotence\n    Hath servants everywhere.\u201d\n\n_The last lesson taught us by the burial of Christ is\u2014A LESSON OF\nCOMFORT._\n\nIf Christ had not suffered, and died, and been buried for us, we should\nhave no comfort when we come to die. The thought of having to lie down in\nthe grave would have been terrible to us. But Jesus died and laid in the\ngrave for us, on purpose that we might not be afraid to die.\n\nIt is true as the hymn says, that:\n\n  \u201cThe graves of all his saints he blest\n    When in the grave he lay.\u201d\n\nDavid had learned this lesson, by faith in the promised Saviour, long\nbefore he came to earth, and it was this that enabled him to say, \u201cYea,\nthough I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no\nevil, for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.\u201d Ps.\n23:4.\n\nAnd the apostle Paul had learned the same lesson, when he exclaimed so\njoyfully, \u201cO death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?\nThanks be to God who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus\nChrist.\u201d I. Cor. xv: 55, 57.\n\nGood Dr. Muhlenberg put this lesson very sweetly into a single verse of\nhis beautiful hymn, when he said:\n\n  \u201cI would not live alway; no; welcome the tomb,\n  Since Jesus hath lain there I dread not its gloom.\n  There sweet be my rest, till he bid me arise,\n  To hail him in triumph descending the skies.\u201d\n\nThe sweet Scottish poet Bonar had learned this lesson well, and was\nfeeling the comfort which the thought of Christ\u2019s burial gives when he\ncould think of dying and lying in the grave, and speak about it in these\nwords:\n\n  \u201cI go to life and not to death;\n    From darkness to life\u2019s native sky;\n  I go from sickness and from pain\n    To health and immortality.\n\n  \u201cLet our farewell, then, be tearless,\n    Since I bid farewell to tears;\n  Write this day of my departure\n    Festive in your coming years.\n\n  \u201cI go from poverty to wealth,\n    From rags to raiment angel-fair,\n  From the pale leanness of this flesh\n    To beauty such as saints shall wear.\n\n  \u201cI go from chains to liberty,\n    These fetters will be broken soon;\n  Forth over Eden\u2019s fragrant fields\n    I\u2019ll walk beneath a glorious noon.\n\n  \u201cFor toil there comes the crowned rest;\n    Instead of burdens, eagles\u2019 wings;\n  And I, even I, this life-long thirst\n    Shall quench at everlasting springs.\u201d\n\nWe see the true effect of Christ\u2019s burial in the feeling of comfort which\nthose who believe in him experience when they come to die. Here are some\nexamples of what I mean.\n\nWhen Dr. Watts was on his death-bed, he said, \u201cI bless God that I can lie\ndown at night without the slightest fear whether I wake in this world or\nanother.\u201d\n\nAnother good minister, when asked how he felt at the approach of death,\nsaid,\u2014\u201cI am just going into eternity; but I bless God, I am neither\nashamed to live, nor afraid to die.\u201d\n\nDuring the reign of Henry VIII, of England, many good men were cruelly\nput to death for the sake of their religion. Among these was Dr. Fisher,\nBishop of Rochester. When he came in sight of the scaffold on which he\nwas to die, he took out of his pocket a Greek Testament, and looking\nup to heaven, said, \u201cNow, O Lord, direct me to some passage which may\ncomfort me in this trying hour.\u201d Then he opened the book, and his eye\nrested on this passage, \u201cThis is life eternal, to know thee, the only\ntrue God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.\u201d He closed the book and\nsaid, \u201cPraised be God! this is all I need. This is enough for life, or\nfor death; for time, or for eternity.\u201d\n\nWhen the Rev. James Harvey came to his last sickness, his physician came\nin one day and told him he had but very little time to live.\n\n\u201cThen let me spend my last moments,\u201d said he, \u201cin praising my blessed\nSaviour. Though my heart and my flesh fail, yet God is the strength of\nmy heart, and my portion forever. St. Paul says: \u2018All things are yours,\nwhether life or death; things present, or things to come; all are yours,\nand ye are Christ\u2019s, and Christ is God\u2019s.\u2019 Here is the treasure of a\nChristian, and a noble treasure it is. Death is ours. Jesus has made it\nour friend, by his death and burial. Praise God for this truth. And now\nwelcome death! How well thou mayest be welcomed among the treasures of\nthe Christian. \u2018For me to live is Christ, but to die is gain.\u2019\u201d\n\nThe Rev. William Janeway was another excellent and faithful minister of\nChrist. In his closing sickness, these were among the last words that\nhe spoke: \u201cI bless God I can die in peace. I know what that means, \u2018The\npeace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts.\u2019\nIt is keeping mine now. My joy is greater than I can express. Bless the\nLord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Now I\ncan die. It is nothing. I long to die. I desire to depart and be with\nChrist.\u201d And so he died.\n\nThese good men had studied well the subject of Christ\u2019s burial, and had\nlearned the lesson of comfort it was intended to teach us. And when we\nthink of the burial of Christ, let us remember the lessons of which we\nhave now spoken in connection with it. These are the lessons about the\n_certainty of his death_:\u2014_the fulfillment of his word;\u2014the working of\nhis providence;\u2014and the comfort we derive from his burial_.\n\nThe collect for Easter-even, is a very appropriate one with which to\nclose this subject:\u2014\u201cGrant, O Lord, that as we are baptized into the\ndeath of thy blessed Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ, so by continual\nmortifying our corrupt affections, we may be buried with him; and\nthat through the grave and gate of death, we may pass to our joyful\nresurrection, for his merits, who died, and was buried, and rose again\nfor us, thy Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nTHE RESURRECTION\n\n\nThe rising of our blessed Lord from the dead was one of the most\nimportant events in the history of his life on earth.\n\nLet us take an illustration of its importance. Suppose that we were\nliving in England, and that we were well acquainted with Victoria\u2014the\ngood and gracious queen of that great kingdom. And suppose that it should\nplease the queen to make us a present of one of the fine old castles of\nEngland, with all the lands and property belonging to it. In giving us\nthis castle, or, as the lawyers say, in \u201c_conveying_ it to us,\u201d the queen\nwould order a title deed to be made out. This deed would be necessary;\nbecause if any one else should claim that the castle belonged to him, we\ncould then open the deed and show that the queen had really given it to\nus. A title deed, like this of which we are now speaking, is generally\nwritten on a sheet of parchment. In this deed would be found the name of\nthe castle, with a full description of it, and all the property belonging\nto it. It would be stated here how many acres of land were connected with\nit; and then it would be written down that the queen had given it to us,\nand that it was to belong to us, and to our children, or heirs forever.\nBut after all this had been written out, the deed would be good for\nnothing unless something more were done to it. It would be necessary for\nthe queen to sign her own name to the deed\u2014Victoria Regina\u2014and then put\nthe royal seal upon it. The property described in it could never become\nours, unless the queen\u2019s signature and seal were added to it.\n\nWhen Jesus came down from heaven to earth, his great object was to\nsecure for his people a home in heaven,\u2014a mansion in the skies. When he\nhung upon the cross, we may well say that he was writing out the title\ndeed to those mansions, in his own blood. But, after this deed had thus\nbeen written, it was necessary for his Father in heaven to show that he\napproved of what had been done. When Jesus died and was buried, we may\nsay that he took with him the title deed to our heavenly home, to get\nhis Father to sign it and seal it. And when the resurrection of Jesus\ntook place it showed that this was done. Then God the Father did, as it\nwere, say\u2014\u201cI approve of what my beloved son has done. I sign and seal the\ntitle deed which he has written out to secure a home in heaven for all\nwho love and serve him.\u201d\n\nThis shows us how very important the resurrection of Jesus was. And\nbecause it is so important, we may well feel a great interest in studying\nthe subject of Christ\u2019s resurrection. And in doing this there are\ntwo things for us carefully to consider. These are\u2014_The proof of the\nresurrection of Christ; and the lessons we are taught by it._\n\nLet us begin by considering\u2014_the proof of the resurrection of Christ_.\nWe have great cause for thankfulness that the proof given us on this\nsubject is so clear and strong. There is no fact of history supported\nby stronger proof than is the fact of Christ\u2019s resurrection. We believe\nthat there was such a person as Napoleon Bonaparte; that he was emperor\nof France; and that he died a prisoner on the island of St. Helena. We\nbelieve that there was such a person as George Washington; that he was\nthe leader of our armies during the revolutionary war; and that, after\nthe war, he was the first president of the United States. We believe that\nthere was such a person as Julius C\u00e6sar; that he was a successful general\nof the Roman armies; and that he met his death in the Senate chamber\nfrom the daggers of the Roman senators. No one doubts these facts. They\nare matters of history. And yet the proof we have of the resurrection of\nChrist is clearer and stronger than the proof we have for what we believe\nrespecting Julius C\u00e6sar, or George Washington, or Napoleon Bonaparte.\nNothing that we read of in history is more sure than this, that Jesus did\nrise from the dead.\n\nMany years ago, there was an infidel club in England. It was composed of\nlearned and distinguished men. At the meetings of the club, its members\nwere in the habit of ridiculing the Bible and of trying to show it was\nnot worthy of being believed. On one occasion a member of this club was\nappointed to examine the subject of the resurrection of Christ and to\nwrite an essay for the purpose of showing that there was no satisfactory\nproof that he ever rose from the dead.\n\nHe examined carefully what is said on this subject in the New Testament.\nAnd the end of it was, that he became fully convinced of the fact\nthat Christ did rise from the dead. And, instead of writing an article\nfor that infidel club to show that what Christians believe about the\nresurrection of Christ is not true, he wrote one of the best books that\never has been written, to prove, beyond all doubt, that the resurrection\nof Christ is true. He became an earnest Christian. And that which led to\nthis great change was the convincing proof he found in the New Testament\nof the truth of the resurrection of Christ. He saw it was true that Jesus\ndid rise from the dead. And when he became satisfied that this was true,\nhe was obliged to admit that all the other teachings of the New Testament\nrespecting Christ must be true also. The resurrection of Christ is the\nfoundation stone on which the religion of the Bible is built up. If that\nfalls, this must fall. But if that stands firm and sure, then this must\nstand firm and sure also.\n\n[Illustration: \u201cHe is not Here, but is Risen\u201d\n\nAnd they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the\nsabbath day according to the commandment.\u2014Now upon the first _day_ of the\nweek, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing\nthe spices which they had prepared, and certain _others_ with them. And\nthey found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. And they entered in,\nand found not the body of the Lord Jesus. And it came to pass, as they\nwere much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining\ngarments. And as they were afraid, and bowed down _their_ faces to the\nearth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? He\nis not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was\nyet in Galilee, Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands\nof sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. And they\nremembered his words. And returned from the sepulchre, and told all these\nthings unto the eleven, and to all the rest.\u2014_St. Luke xxiii: 56; xxiv:\n1-9._\n\n_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_\n\n_This and the following picture present the chief features of the\nrock-hewn tomb referred to in Note facing picture No. 71. It is about\nfifteen feet long by eleven feet wide, and eight feet in height, and it\nis divided transversely by a flattened arch supporting the roof. The\nsingle completed grave is formed by the erection on the floor-level of a\nlimestone slab in notches cut in the rock for its support, thus forming,\nwith the walls, a sort of built sarcophagus, or coffin. An additional\nhollow, cut in the rock for the reception of the head, explains the\nmeaning of \u201cthe napkin that was about his head\u201d being \u201cin a place by\nitself.\u201d Sepulchres of this type are comparatively rare, and, providing\nas it does a minimum of accommodation for the labor expended on its\nconstruction, this new tomb must obviously have belonged to a man of\nwealth._\n\n72]\n\nAnd in examining the proof of the resurrection of Christ the most\nimportant thing to notice is\u2014_the number and character of the witnesses_.\n\nThe first person who saw our blessed Lord, after he rose from the dead,\nwas Mary Magdalene. We read about this in St. Mark xi: 9. St. John xx:\n11-18. After this he appeared to certain other women, who were returning\nfrom the sepulchre. St. Matt. xxviii: 9, 10. Then he appeared to Simon\nPeter, alone. St. Luke xxiv: 34, I. Cor. xv: 5. His next appearance was\nto two of his disciples, as they were walking together from Jerusalem to\na village called Emmaus. He had a long talk with them and stopped and\nate bread with them. St. Luke xxiv: 13-32. The fifth appearance of the\nrisen Saviour was to ten of his disciples, Thomas being the only one of\nthem who was not there. This was at Jerusalem, on the evening of the\nfirst glad Easter day. St. John xx: 19-32. After this we hear nothing of\nhim for a week. But on the evening of \u201cthe first Sunday after Easter,\u201d\nhe made his sixth appearance. On this occasion the eleven disciples were\nall together. Thomas was with them now. They were sitting in a room,\nwith the door closed, and no doubt fastened, for fear of the Jews. Only\none subject could occupy their thoughts\u2014and that was the resurrection\nof their wonderful Master. Suddenly Jesus himself stood in the midst\nof them, and said, \u201cPeace be unto you.\u201d In spite of all that he had\nheard from the other disciples, Thomas declared he could not believe it\npossible that Jesus had risen from the dead. When his brethren told him\nthat it was true, he said, \u201cExcept I shall see in his hands the print of\nthe nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my\nhand into his side, I will not believe.\u201d But on this occasion the loving\nand gracious Saviour met his doubting disciple in the very way in which\nhe had desired to be met. For we read: \u201cThen saith he to Thomas, reach\nhither thy finger, and behold my hands: and reach hither thy hand, and\nthrust it into my side; and be not faithless, but believing.\u201d St. John\nxx: 26-29.\n\nThe seventh appearance of the risen Saviour, was on the shore of the sea\nof Galilee. A number of the apostles were together on this occasion. It\nwas one of the most touching and impressive of all his interviews with\nthem. The deeply interesting account of what took place at this time is\ngiven in full in the twenty-first chapter of St. John\u2019s gospel; but we\ncannot enlarge on the subject now.\n\nThe eighth time that Jesus was seen after his resurrection was by the\neleven disciples again. We read in St. Matt. xxviii: 16\u2014\u201cThen the\neleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus\nhad appointed them.\u201d This refers to St. Matt. xxvi: 32, when as they\nwere partaking together of the Lord\u2019s Supper for the first time, after\nreferring to his death he said, \u201cBut after I am risen again, I will go\nbefore you into Galilee.\u201d We are not told where this meeting was held, or\nwhat took place on that occasion.\n\nThe ninth appearance of the risen Lord, is that of which St. Paul speaks\nin I. Cor. xv: 7, where he tells us that \u201che appeared to above four\nhundred brethren at once.\u201d The place here referred to is not mentioned,\nand so cannot be known. It was probably in Galilee. Jesus had spent\nmost of his public life in that part of the country. He had made most\nof his disciples there. It was proper, therefore, that those disciples,\nwho would, of course, hear of his death, should have some public proof\ngiven them of the fact of his resurrection. No doubt the eleven disciples\nwent to Galilee after Jesus rose. They would spread the news that he had\nrisen, and that he was about to show himself to his friends on a certain\nmountain. Nothing more would be necessary anywhere to draw together a\ngreat concourse of people than a report that one who was dead had come to\nlife again, and was about to show himself; and in this case where they\ngreatly loved him, and where, no doubt, many believed he would rise, they\nwould naturally come together in great numbers to see him once more.\n\nThe tenth appearance of Christ after his resurrection was to the apostle\nJames. This is told us by St. Paul, who says I. Cor. xv: 7. \u201cAfter that\nhe was seen of James.\u201d This is not mentioned in any of the gospels. But\nas Jesus was on earth for forty days after his resurrection, it is most\nlikely that he appeared often to his disciples, and that only enough of\nthe more prominent appearances were mentioned, to prove the fact that he\nhad risen.\n\nThe eleventh occasion on which Jesus was seen after his resurrection was\non the Mount of Olives, just before his ascension into heaven. On this\noccasion all the eleven apostles were present, and no doubt great numbers\nof his other disciples.\n\nAnd then there was one other occasion on which Jesus appeared, making\ntwelve in all. This was after his ascension into heaven. To this the\napostle Paul refers, when he says, \u201cAnd last of all he was seen of me\nalso.\u201d I. Cor. xv: 8. This was when he had that wonderful vision near\nDamascus. Then the great apostle to the Gentiles, saw the same Lord\nJesus, in the same body which had been seen by others. Unless it were so,\nthis would be no proof that Jesus was risen from the dead. It was not a\n_fancy_ therefore that he had seen him. It was not _revealed_ to him,\nthat Jesus was risen. \u201cLast of all he was _seen_ of me.\u201d With his bodily\neyes, St. Paul actually saw, in a bodily form, that same Jesus who had\ndied upon the cross; who had been buried in that rocky sepulchre; who had\nrisen from the dead and had ascended into heaven. Such were the witnesses\nof the resurrection, as to their number.\n\nAnd now look at the _character_ of these witnesses. They were _sensible_\nmen. They knew what they were doing. They could not be mistaken about the\nfact of Christ\u2019s resurrection. They had seen him put to death upon the\ncross. They had seen him buried. On the third day after his burial they\nhad found his tomb empty. His body was gone. Then they saw him alive.\nThey could not be mistaken about his person. They knew him too well for\nthis. They had seen the print of the nails in his hands. This made the\nproof of his resurrection perfect.\n\nAnd then they were _honest_ men. They had no motive for preaching the\nresurrection of Christ but the sincere belief that it was true. If they\ncould have made money or gained honor by preaching the resurrection, that\nwould have been a reason for their doing so even if it had not been true.\nBut the very opposite of this was the case. Preaching the resurrection\nbrought on them the loss of all they had in the world. It caused them\nto be persecuted, imprisoned, and put to death. And yet they went on\npreaching that Christ had risen. And they would have been guilty of the\ngreatest folly if they had done this without being thoroughly convinced\nthat it was true. But they were perfectly satisfied of the truth of what\nthey preached, and _this_ was the reason why they went on preaching it.\n\nAnd then, if Christ had not risen from the dead, it would have been the\neasiest thing in the world for the enemies of his cause to have denied\nit. That would have ended the matter. _But they never did this._ And the\nonly reason why they did not do so, was that they knew it was true that\nChrist had risen. They could not deny the fact. And when we put these\nthings all together, we see how perfectly convincing is the proof of the\nresurrection of Christ.\n\nAnd now let us look at some of the lessons taught us by our Lord\u2019s\nresurrection.\n\n_The first lesson we may learn from this great fact is about\u2014THE POWER OF\nCHRIST._\n\nWe know of nothing that is harder to do than to bring the dead back to\nlife. Men can do many things, but this is one thing which they cannot\ndo. All the men in the world and all the angels in heaven could never,\nby their own strength, restore life to the dead. When the blood stops\nflowing through the veins, and the heart stands still, there is nothing\nbut the power of God that can make the heart begin to beat, and the\nblood begin to flow again. But Jesus had the power to do this. He raised\nLazarus to life after he had lain in the grave four days. And he did\nthe same to the widow\u2019s son, and to the daughter of Jairus. And what he\ndid for others in this matter, he did for himself also. And he did it\nby his own power. On one occasion, when speaking to his disciples about\nhis death, or, as he called it, laying down his life, he said, \u201cI lay\nit down of myself; _I have power to lay it down, and I have power to\ntake it again_.\u201d And he did this on the morning of the resurrection. He\nexercised his own power to give new life to his dead body. Here we have\na grand lesson about the power of Christ. And it is very comforting to\nknow how great the power of Jesus is, because we so often need to have\nhim exercise that power to help us when we are in trouble. And he is\nexercising his power in this way continually.\n\nLet us look at some of the ways in which he does this.\n\n\u201cThe Power of Christ to Save.\u201d A young man, the son of a pious mother,\nwas wandering away from the paths in which he had been trained to walk.\nHe had given up going to church, and in the summer time generally spent\nhis Sundays in sailing on the river in a boat with his gay companions.\nOne Sunday the boat upset. He could not swim and he went down in the deep\nwater. As he rose to the surface for the last time, he was seized and\nhis cold and apparently lifeless body was brought to the shore. He was\ncarried home. Everything possible was done for his recovery, but for a\nlong time it seemed uncertain whether he would come back to life. There\nwas a feeble flutter about the wrist, just enough to keep hope alive.\n\nHis mother knelt by his bedside, and prayed in her agony that he might be\nspared at least till he could seek and find pardon. As she thus prayed,\nthe cold hand held in hers gave a feeble pressure. The eyelids quivered\na little, but did not open. After a while he looked at his mother, and\nsaid, in a low whisper, \u201cMother I am saved.\u201d Supposing that he meant\nsaved from drowning, she replied, \u201cYes, dear, thank God you are saved.\u201d\nAnd then in broken sentences, with long intervals between them, he gave\nthis remarkable experience:\n\n\u201cMother, I heard you praying: if I had died you would have thought me\nlost: but I am saved. When I let go my hold upon the boat, the thought\nflashed across my mind\u2014I am lost. I am going into eternity with all\nmy sins unpardoned. I lifted up my heart to heaven, and said, \u2018God\nbe merciful to me a sinner. Lord save me!\u2019 I seemed to hear a voice\ndistinctly saying, \u2018I will save thee, trust me.\u2019 I am sure it was the\nvoice of Jesus. All my fear was gone. But after that I knew nothing until\nI heard you praying for me. You would have mourned for me as lost; but\nmother I am saved.\u201d\n\nAnd the result proved that he was right. As soon as he recovered his\nhealth and strength, he gave up all his wicked ways, and lived the life\nof an earnest and devoted Christian. How wonderful is the power of Jesus\nto save!\n\n\u201cThe Power of Jesus to Provide.\u201d A Christian widow was dying. She was\nvery poor, and had four young children to leave helpless and alone in the\nworld. As she took leave of her little ones, Nettie, the oldest girl,\nabout fourteen years of age, said amidst heart-breaking sobs and tears,\n\u201cO, mother dear, what shall we do when you are gone?\u201d\n\n\u201cNettie, darling,\u201d said the mother, \u201cGod\u2019s hand will help you. It is an\nomnipotent hand. Never let go of it.\u201d\n\nThe mother died and was buried. Towards evening of the next day, little\nDick, the youngest of the children, came to Nettie and said, \u201cNettie,\nDick\u2019s awful hungry. Isn\u2019t there a bit of crust anywhere?\u201d \u201cPoor Dick,\u201d\nsaid Nettie, \u201cwhat shall we do?\u201d And then, remembering what her dying\nmother had said about the Omnipotent hand, she dropped on her knees, and\nsaid, \u201cO God, our God, and our mother\u2019s God, look on these hungry little\nones, left in my care, and send them some food for Christ\u2019s sake. Amen.\u201d\n\nA rich merchant of the town was going home that evening. He was a\nwidower, but had no children. Without knowing why, he took a different\nway home from the one ordinarily taken. As he walked slowly along he\nhappened to be just under the open window when Nettie made that prayer\nfor bread. The tone of deep sadness in it touched his heart. He stopped.\nHe knocked at the door. Nettie opened it, and asked him in. He found out\nthe sad condition of those helpless orphans. He gave them money to get\nwhat they needed. He continued to visit them, and finally became so much\ninterested in them that he took them to live with him in his own home.\nNettie felt the blessedness of holding on to the Omnipotent hand. Here we\nsee the power of Jesus to provide.\n\nOne other illustration shows us\u2014\u201cThe Power of Jesus to Protect.\u201d\n\nA young Christian woman, whose family were very well off, was confined to\nher sick bed for many years. She seldom had any one in the room with her\nat night. On one occasion she lay awake about midnight. The family were\nall asleep and the house was very still, when the door of her chamber\nopened and a man walked softly in. He came towards her bed and then\nstopped a moment. Her little night lamp was shining on them both, from\nthe stand by her bedside. She did not scream, or cry. The robber looked\nat this lovely girl, as she gazed on him with perfect calmness. Lifting\nher finger, and pointing solemnly towards heaven, she said, \u201cDo you know\nthat God sees you?\u201d The man waited a moment, but made no reply. Then he\nturned and walked quietly away. He had opened no other doors than the\nstreet door and the door of her chamber. The omnipotent hand was there,\ntoo. What a blessed thing it is to hold on to that hand! Here we see the\npower of Jesus to protect. The power he had to raise himself from the\ndead, he has still, to use for the help and comfort of his people.\n\n_The second lesson to be learned from the resurrection is a lesson\nabout\u2014THE TENDERNESS OF CHRIST._\n\nWe learn this lesson from two little incidents connected with the\nresurrection.\n\nYou remember that on the night of our Saviour\u2019s trial, though all the\ndisciples forsook him, yet Peter was the only one of them who denied\nhim. In the very presence of Jesus, he declared with oaths and curses,\nthat he did not know him. How painful this must have been to the blessed\nSaviour! It might have been expected that when he met Peter again, for\nthe first time after this, he would have had some sharp rebuke to give\nhim. But it was not so. Instead of this, we find that when the angels at\nthe empty tomb met the women who had come early to anoint the body of\nJesus, they told them that he had risen from the dead, and then charged\nthem to go and tell the good news to \u201chis disciples, _and Peter_.\u201d He\nwas the only one of all the disciples who was mentioned by name in this\nmessage of the angels. \u201cTell his disciples, _and Peter_!\u201d How strange\nthis was! The angels did not do it of their own accord. No doubt Jesus\nhad told them to say this. And why did he do so? What led him to do\nit? It was the tenderness of his loving heart. He knew how badly Peter\nhad been feeling about his shameful denial of him. He knew what bitter\ntears he had been shedding over his sin. And he wished to let him know\nthat, notwithstanding what he had done, his injured Master had no unkind\nfeeling in his heart towards him. And so he told the angels to say to the\nwomen that they should\u2014\u201cgo tell his disciples, _and Peter_,\u201d that their\nLord was risen. Here we see the tenderness of Jesus.\n\n[Illustration: Peter and John in the Sepulchre\n\nPeter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the\nsepulchre. So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun\nPeter, and came first to the sepulchre. And he stooping down _and looking\nin_, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in. Then cometh Simon\nPeter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen\nclothes lie. And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the\nlinen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. Then went in\nalso that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw\nand believed. For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise\nagain from the dead. Then the disciples went away again unto their own\nhome.\u2014_St. John xx: 3-10._\n\n_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_\n\n_The peculiar construction of the tomb furnishes an interesting\ncommentary upon the text, of which this picture is an illustration. John\nis described as coming first to the sepulchre \u201cand he stooping down and\nlooking in saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in.\u201d Why? Because\nfrom his position at the entrance, he could perceive in the uncertain\nlight the outline of the grave-clothes, and he hastily concluded from\ntheir undisturbed appearance that the body of his Master was still there.\nPeter, with characteristic impulsiveness, entered in, and announced the\nstartling discovery that the body of Jesus was indeed removed. \u201cThen\nwent in also that other disciple,\u201d and further examination revealed the\nwell-nigh incredible fact that the grave-clothes and the head-napkin had\nsimply fallen together in a manner only compatible with the supposition\nthat they had not been unwound, but that in some mysterious way the body\nof the Lord Jesus had actually risen through the cerements of the tomb,\nleaving not a fold disturbed. As yet the two disciples had not grasped\nthe meaning of their Master\u2019s words that he should rise again, nor of the\nprophetic utterance of David; but now, they \u201csaw and believed.\u201d_\n\n73]\n\nAnd then there was another incident connected with the resurrection of\nJesus which shows his tenderness still more touchingly. He arranged\nmatters so that Peter might have a private interview with him, early in\nthe day on which he rose from the dead. St. Luke tells us, Ch. xxiv: 34,\nthat Jesus \u201cappeared unto Simon.\u201d And St. Paul says that\u2014\u201che was seen of\nCephas.\u201d I. Cor. xv: 5. This was a meeting that Peter had with the Master\nwhom he had denied, _all by himself_. We are not told what took place at\nthis meeting. Peter never said a word about it; and it was too sacred for\nany one else to intrude upon. But we can very well imagine what was said\nand done. We can imagine how the poor penitent disciple would sob, as if\nhis heart were breaking, when he saw his injured Master. We can fancy\nwe see him throwing himself at the feet of Jesus and bathing them with\nbitter, burning tears, as he begged to be forgiven. And then we can think\nof the kind and gentle words that Jesus would speak to him. How tenderly\nhe would assure him of his free forgiveness! How he would tell him that\nhe loved him still! and how willing he was to put him back in his old\nplace as a disciple, and let him go and preach salvation for lost sinners\nthrough his death and resurrection! How kind it was in Jesus thus to give\nPeter an opportunity of making up with him, when they were all alone by\nthemselves!\n\nLet us never forget the tenderness of Jesus, as shown by these two\nincidents. And let us try, like him, to be loving and gentle and kind to\nall. See how much good may be done by those who imitate the example of\nChrist in this respect.\n\n\u201cThe Power of Kindness.\u201d An English merchant had taken passage on board a\nTurkish vessel, on the Mediterranean Sea. During the voyage his attention\nwas called to an interesting man on the vessel, who was a slave belonging\nto the captain. He had frequent conversations with him and found him to\nbe a kind-hearted, active, and intelligent person. In the course of their\nconversations together, he learned that the man had been born free, but\nhad been taken captive in war, and was now a slave for life.\n\nThe merchant felt a great sympathy for the poor captive and had a desire\nto get him released. He inquired what it would cost to purchase his\nfreedom. The sum named was more than the whole profit of his voyage.\nStill he could not give up the thought. He offered the captain a\nprice for his slave. The offer was accepted. The slave overheard this\nconversation. He supposed the merchant was going to purchase him, that\nhe might keep him as his own slave. This made him very angry. He sprang\nforward and said, with great excitement, \u201cYou call yourself a lover of\nfreedom, an enemy to slavery, wherever found, and yet you are purchasing\nme!\u201d\n\nThe merchant turned and looked kindly on him, as he calmly said, \u201c_My\nfriend, I have bought you to set you at liberty. Now you are a free man._\u201d\n\nIn a moment the storm of passion was stilled. The slave burst into tears;\nand falling at the feet of his deliverer, he exclaimed, \u201c_You have taken\nmy heart captive! I am your servant forever!_\u201d\n\nFew of us may have the opportunity of showing kindness as this merchant\ndid. But every boy and girl in the land may follow the example of the\nnoble lad whose kindness to the aged is told in these simple lines:\n\n  SOMEBODY\u2019S MOTHER.\n\n  \u201cThe woman was old, and ragged and gray,\n  And bent with the chill of the winter\u2019s day;\n  The street was wet with recent snow,\n  And the woman\u2019s feet were aged and slow.\n  She stood at the crossing, and waited long,\n  Alone, uncared for, amid the throng\n  Of human beings who passed her by,\n  None heeded the glance of her anxious eye.\n\n  \u201cDown the street, with laughter and shout,\n  Glad in the freedom of \u2018school let out,\u2019\n  Came the boys, like a flock of sheep,\n  Hailing the snow piled white and deep.\n  Past the woman so old and gray,\n  Hastened the children on their way,\n  Nor offered a helping hand to her\n  So meek, so timid, afraid to stir\n\n  \u201cLest the carriage-wheels, or the horses\u2019 feet\n  Should crowd her down in the slippery street.\n  At last came one of the merry troop,\n  The gayest laddie of the group;\n  He paused beside her and whispered low\n  \u2018I\u2019ll help you across if you wish to go.\u2019\n  Her aged hand on his strong young arm\n  She placed, and so, without hurt, or harm,\n\n  \u201cHe guided the trembling feet along,\n  Glad that his own were firm and strong.\n  Then back again to his friends he went,\n  His young heart happy and well content.\n  \u2018She\u2019s somebody\u2019s mother, you know,\n  Altho\u2019 she is aged, and poor, and slow;\n  And I hope some fellow will lend a hand\n  To help my mother, you understand,\n\n  \u201c\u2018If ever she\u2019s poor, and old, and gray,\n  When her own dear boy is far away.\u2019\n  And \u2018somebody\u2019s mother\u2019 bowed low her head\n  In her home that night, and the prayer she said\n  Was, \u2018God be kind to that noble boy,\n  Who is somebody\u2019s son, and pride, and joy!\u2019\u201d\n\nLet us never forget the lesson of tenderness which Jesus taught on the\nmorning of his resurrection.\n\n_The only other lesson, in connection with the resurrection of Christ, of\nwhich we would now speak is about\u2014THE WAY OF SHOWING OUR LOVE TO HIM._\n\nThis lesson was taught on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Some of the\ndisciples of Jesus had gone back to their old trade of fishing. On one\noccasion they had been out all night, but had caught nothing. The next\nmorning, Jesus stood on the shore of the lake, but they did not know\nhim. He asked them if they had anything to eat. They said no. He told\nthem to cast the net on the right side of the ship, and they would find\nplenty of fish. They did so, and their nets were filled at once. Then\nJohn, the loving disciple, was the first to find out who it was. He said\nto Peter, \u201cIt is the Lord.\u201d As soon as Peter heard this, he fastened his\nfishing coat about him, plunged into the sea, and swam to the shore. The\nother disciples rowed to land in their boat. As soon as they landed, they\nfound a fire of coals, with fish and bread all ready for eating. Jesus\ninvited them to come and dine with him. They did so, and when the dinner\nwas over, he had a long conversation with them. As they were talking\ntogether, he said to Peter, \u201cSimon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?\u201d He\nsaith unto him, \u201cYea, Lord; Thou knowest that I love thee.\u201d He saith unto\nhim, \u201cFeed my lambs.\u201d This question was repeated by Jesus the second and\nthe third time. Peter gave the same answer each time. The reply of Jesus\nwas\u2014\u201cFeed my sheep.\u201d The lambs of Christ\u2019s flock mean the children, or\nyoung members of his church. The sheep of Christ mean the older members\nof his church. By feeding his lambs and his sheep, Jesus meant teaching\nhis people, both young an old, about himself, and what he has done for\ntheir salvation. And by what Jesus said on this occasion, he meant to\nteach Peter, and you and me, and all his people, that if we really love\nhim, the way in which he wishes us to show that love, is by being kind to\nothers\u2014by teaching them about him, and by trying to get them to love and\nserve him, too.\n\nThis is a good lesson for ministers to learn; for parents, for teachers,\nand for all who love Jesus. When we have found what a faithful friend,\nwhat a loving Saviour, what a kind and tender comforter we have in him,\nthen he wishes us to do all we can to help others to know him, and love\nhim, and serve him. This is what we should all be trying to do.\n\nLet us look at some of the ways in which we may do this.\n\n\u201cThe Unexpected Friend.\u201d The Rev. Mr. Moffatt,\u2014the missionary to Southern\nAfrica, tells an interesting story which illustrates very strikingly\nthis part of our subject. \u201cIn one of my early journeys in this land,\u201d he\nsays, \u201cI came, with my companions, to a heathen village on the banks of a\nriver. We had travelled far, and were hungry and thirsty and very weary.\nThe people of the village would not let us come near them. We asked for\nwater and they would not give us any. We offered to buy milk, but they\nrefused to sell us any. We had no prospect but that of spending the night\nwithout anything to eat, or to drink. But at the close of the day a woman\ncame to us from the village. She bore on her head a bundle of wood, and\nhad a vessel of milk in her hand. Without saying a word, she handed us\nthe milk. She laid down the wood and returned to the village. Presently\nshe came again with a cooking vessel on her head, with a leg of mutton\nin one hand and a vessel of water in the other. Silently she kindled\nthe fire and put on the meat. Again and again we asked her who she was\nand why she was doing all this for us strangers. At last she said that\nyears before there had been a missionary in her neighborhood. He had gone\naway a long while ago; but from him she had learned to know the Saviour.\n\u2018I love him,\u2019 she said, \u2018whose servants you are, and I wish to show my\nlove to him by doing what I can to help you.\u2019 \u2018I asked her,\u2019 said Mr.\nMoffatt, \u2018how she, alone in that dark land, without a minister, without a\nchurch, and without any Christian friends, had kept up the light of God\nin her heart?\u2019 She drew from her bosom a soiled and worn copy of the New\nTestament, which the missionary had given her. \u2018This,\u2019 she said, \u2018is the\nfountain from which I drink; this is the oil that makes my lamp burn.\u2019\u201d\n\n\u201cHow a Boy Showed his Love for Christ.\u201d Some time ago a dreadful accident\ntook place on the river Thames, in England. A steamer, called the\n_Princess Alice_, when crowded with passengers, on an excursion, was\nrun into by another vessel and sunk. Fearful screams filled the air as\nthe great crowd of people were plunged into the water. Among those who\nwere drawn to the spot was a good Christian boy, about sixteen years of\nage, who worked in the neighborhood. Being a good swimmer, he at once\nplunged into the water, took hold of the first struggler he met with, and\nbore him away in safety to the shore. He did the same the second time,\nand then the third. As he was nearing the shore the third time he saw a\nsmall bundle floating on the water, which he thought must be a baby. He\ncaught it with his teeth, and thus was the means of saving four lives on\nthat terrible occasion. By the time he had done this, his strength was\nexhausted, and he was unable to venture again among the drowning ones.\nBut he carried the baby home to his mother\u2019s humble dwelling, and placing\nthe little orphan in her arms, he said, \u201cHere, mother, _suppose you nurse\nthis baby for our blessed Saviour; and I will work for its support as\nlong as I live_.\u201d\n\nA noble boy that was! and a beautiful illustration he gave of the way in\nwhich we should show our love to Jesus, by feeding and taking care of his\nlambs, and doing good to his people.\n\nI never saw the lesson now before us better expressed than in the\nfollowing simple lines:\n\n  SHINING FOR JESUS.\n\n  \u201cAre you _shining_ for Jesus children? You have given your hearts to Him;\n  But is the light strong within them, or is it but pale and dim?\n  Can _everybody_ see it\u2014that Jesus is all for you?\n  That your love to Him is burning with radiance warm and true?\n  Is the seal upon your forehead, so that it must be known\n  That you are \u2018all for Jesus,\u2019 that your hearts are all His own?\n\n  \u201cAre you shining for Jesus, children, so that the holy light\n  May enter the hearts of others, and make them glad and bright?\n  Have you spoken a word for Jesus, and told to some around\u2014\n  Who do not care about Him,\u2014what a Saviour you have found?\n  Have you lifted the lamp for others, that has guided your own glad feet?\n  Have you echoed the loving message, that seemed to you so sweet?\n\n  \u201cAre you shining for Jesus, children, shining just everywhere?\n  Not only in easy places, not only just here or there?\n  Shining in happy gatherings, where all are loved and known?\n  Shining where all are strangers,\u2014shining when quite alone?\n  Shining at home, and making true sunshine all around?\n  Shining at school, and faithful\u2014perhaps among faithless\u2014found?\n\n  \u201cOh! rise, and \u2018watching daily,\u2019 ask Him your lamps to trim,\n  With the fresh oil which He giveth, that they may not burn dim.\n  Yes, rise and shine for Jesus! Be brave, and bright and true,\n  To the true and loving Saviour, who gave Himself for you.\n  Oh! shine for Jesus, children! and henceforth be your way\n  Bright with the light that shineth unto the perfect day!\u201d\n\n\n\n\nTHE ASCENSION\n\n\nWe come now to the last event in the history of our Saviour\u2019s life on\nearth. His work is done. His teachings are finished. His sufferings are\nended. Nothing remains for him to do but to return to heaven, from whence\nhe came, and take his seat at the right hand of God. And this is the\nsubject we are now to consider\u2014_The Ascension of Christ_.\n\nAnd in considering it, the first thing for us to notice is\u2014_the time of\nthe Ascension_.\n\nAnd in all the New Testament there is only one place in which anything\nis said about the time of the ascension. Indeed it is surprising that\nso little is said about it altogether. Two of the gospels, that of St.\nMatthew and St. John, have not a word to say on the subject. And the\nother two do not say much. All that St. Mark says about it is in a single\nverse. We read thus in Chap. xvi: 19:\u2014\u201cSo, then, after that the Lord had\nspoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right\nhand of God.\u201d There are two verses in St. Luke in which the ascension is\nspoken of. In Ch. xxiv: 50, 51, we find the ascension thus described:\n\u201cAnd he led them out as far as to Bethany; and he lifted up his hands and\nblessed them. And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted\nfrom them, and carried up into heaven.\u201d\n\nThe most particular account of the ascension that we have in the New\nTestament is given in the \u201cActs of the Apostles.\u201d In the first chapter of\nthis book we are told that the ascension took place \u201cforty days after the\nresurrection.\u201d We are told of the \u201cmany infallible proofs\u201d that he had\nrisen, and how he spoke to them \u201cof the things pertaining to the kingdom\nof heaven.\u201d And he \u201ccommanded them not to depart from Jerusalem,\u201d until\nthey should \u201cbe baptized with the Holy Ghost,\u201d which was to take place\n\u201cnot many days\u201d after his ascension. \u201cYe shall receive power,\u201d said he,\n\u201cafter that the Holy Ghost is come upon you.\u201d Then he told them how \u201cthey\nshould be witnesses for him, both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and unto\nthe uttermost parts of the earth.\u201d \u201cAnd when he had spoken these things,\nwhile they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their\nsight.\u201d\n\nAnd then we read about the two angels who appeared to the disciples and\ntold them that \u201cthis same Jesus, which was taken up from you into heaven,\nshall so come, in like manner, as ye have seen him go into heaven.\u201d\n\nIn the third verse of this chapter we have the only information which\nthe whole Bible gives us about the _time_ of the ascension. Here we\nlearn that this great event took place on the _fortieth_ day after his\nresurrection. We are not told why the ascension was delayed so long after\nJesus had risen from the dead. But, no doubt, there were good reasons for\nit. And it may be that we shall know all about these reasons hereafter,\nthough we do not know them now.\n\nIf we begin and count the forty days from Easter Sunday, the fortieth\nday will always come on the Thursday in the fifth week after Easter.\nAnd this day is always kept in the Church of England, in the Protestant\nEpiscopal Church in this country, and in some other churches in memory of\nthe important event we are now considering. It is called Ascension Day,\nor Holy Thursday; and the portions of Scripture read on that day all have\nreference to the ascension of our blessed Lord. And this is all that need\nbe said about the _time_ of the ascension.\n\nThe _place_ where the ascension occurred is the next thing to notice.\n\nFrom what we read in the gospel of St. Luke, we might suppose it was from\nBethany that Jesus made his ascension. Here it says, \u201cHe led them out as\nfar as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands and blessed them. And it\ncame to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried\nup into heaven.\u201d St. Luke xxiv: 50, 51. But in the first chapter of the\nActs of the Apostles, after describing his ascension, we read that the\ndisciples \u201creturned unto Jerusalem from the Mount called Olivet.\u201d Acts i:\n12. But there is no contradiction here; for Bethany, the home of Lazarus\nand his sisters, was on the Mount of Olives. It was situated just below\nthe top of the Mount, on the other side from Jerusalem. And so we know\nthat it was either from the village of Bethany, or from some spot between\nthat and the summit of the Mount, that Jesus made his ascension. When he\nwas here on earth he often went to the Mount of Olives. It was from this\nmountain that \u201cJesus beheld the city and wept over it,\u201d when he used that\nbeautiful illustration, \u201chow often would I have gathered thy children\ntogether, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye\nwould not!\u201d It was on this mountain that he sat with his disciples when\nhe gave that wonderful prophecy about the destruction of Jerusalem, and\nhis coming again into our world, of which we read in the twenty-fourth\nchapter of St. Matthew.\n\nThe Mount of Olives was the last spot of this earth on which the feet of\nthe blessed Saviour stood before he went up to heaven. And when he comes\nagain into our world he will return to the place from which he ascended.\nThis we are told by the prophet Zechariah. For it is when he is speaking\nof the return of Jesus from heaven that he says\u2014\u201cAnd his feet shall\nstand at that day on the Mount of Olives.\u201d Ch. xiv: 4. This thought very\nnaturally makes Olivet an interesting place to visit.\n\n[Illustration: Jesus Revealeth Himself to Mary Magdalene\n\nMary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped\ndown, and _looked_ into the sepulchre. And seeth two angels in white\nsitting, ... where the body of Jesus had lain. And they say unto her,\nWoman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken\naway my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him. And when she had\nthus said she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not\nthat it was Jesus. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom\nseekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him,\nSir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and\nI will take him away. Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself,\nand saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. Jesus saith unto\nher, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my\nbrethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father;\nand to my God, and your God. Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples\nthat she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto\nher.\u2014_St. John xx: 11-18._\n\n_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_\n\n_It would appear that Mary Magdalene was one of the little company of\nfaithful women who came very early in the morning to the sepulchre, but\nthat she had hastened back to the city before the angelic revelation\nto her companions. Once more bending her steps in sorrow to the empty\ngrave, to Mary, loving greatly because greatly forgiven, was vouchsafed\nthe privilege of first beholding her risen Lord and Master\u2014the same,\nyet wondrously changed, so that now, as on subsequent occasions when\nJesus appeared to his disciples and \u201ctheir eyes were holden that they\nshould not know him,\u201d it was not by outward form and aspect, but by\nwords of love and tenderness such as he alone could utter, that his\nidentity was revealed. Although the external aspect of the sepulchre\nbears little resemblance to that which it presented in former times, the\nrock-cut grooves which still remain, render it abundantly evident that\nthe entrance with its rolling stone, and the method by which the latter\nwas \u201csealed,\u201d were such as have been already described in my Note to the\npicture \u201cThe Resurrection of Lazarus.\u201d_\n\n74]\n\nI remember, when at Jerusalem, a very pleasant visit we made to this\nsacred Mount. It was at the close of a Sunday afternoon. The sun went\ndown as we stood there. And there was something very sweet and solemn in\nthe thought that Jesus, our glorious Lord, had once stood on that Mount,\nnear where we then were. It was from there that his disciples saw him\ngo into heaven. And when he comes back from heaven, his feet will stand\nagain upon the Mount of Olives. And so, when we think of our Saviour\ngoing back to heaven, we may always remember that some spot on or near\nthe top of the Mount of Olives was the place of the ascension.\n\n_The Manner of the Ascension_\u2014is the third thing of which to speak.\n\nIt was a _visible_ ascension. There are only two other persons spoken of\nin the Bible as having gone up from earth to heaven in a bodily form.\nOne of them was \u201cEnoch, the seventh from Adam.\u201d His ascension was not\nvisible. No one saw him go. It took place in secret. We are told in one\nplace that \u201che was not, for God took him.\u201d In another place it is said,\n\u201che was translated.\u201d This is all we know about the translation of Enoch.\n\nThe other case mentioned in the Bible is that of the prophet Elijah. His\nascension was visible, indeed, but it was only seen by one person, and\nthat was the prophet Elisha. But it was different with the ascension of\nChrist. This did not take place in secret, but in public. It was not\nonly visible, but was witnessed by a crowd of people. All the eleven\ndisciples were there to see it. And there can be no doubt that a great\nmany others, besides the apostles, were there too. And they all saw\nhim, as he rose from the midst of them, and went up to heaven. It was a\n_visible_ ascension.\n\nIt was a _calm and tranquil_ ascension. It was not done in a hurry.\nSolomon tells us, when speaking of God\u2019s doings, that his \u201cjudgments are\nnot executed speedily.\u201d This means they are not done in haste. God never\nworks in a hurry. After he gave to Adam the first promise, of a future\ndeliverer from the effects of sin, he waited more than four thousand\nyears before he sent him into the world. And, after Christ had risen from\nthe dead, he was not in haste to leave the world, and go back to heaven.\nWe might have expected that he would just have shown himself once or\ntwice to his disciples, so as to make them sure of his resurrection, and\nwould have left immediately for heaven. But it was not so. Instead of\nthis he remained here for forty days. He did not spend all this time in\nthe company of his disciples. He only showed himself to them from time\nto time, and talked with them \u201cof things pertaining to the kingdom of\nGod.\u201d And when at last these days were over, and the time came for him\nto go, still there was no haste about it. He did not go up with a rush,\nas a rocket goes up. That would not have been like him. But, as he stood\non the Mount of Olives talking to his disciples, who were standing round\nhim, he began to rise slowly and silently towards heaven. And as he\nbegan, so he went on. Slowly and silently he continued to rise. Upwards\nhe went, higher\u2014and higher,\u2014till at last a cloud received him out of\ntheir sight. That cloud became, as it were, the chariot in which he was\ncarried up in triumph to heaven. It was a _calm_ and _tranquil_ ascension.\n\nIt was a _blessed_ ascension. You know how it is at the close of a\nservice in church. The minister lifts up his hands to bless the people,\nor as we say, to pronounce the benediction. And this was what Jesus\nwas doing at the very moment of his ascension. He knew that the time\nhad come for him to go. He knew that he was about to be separated from\nhis disciples, and that they would see him no more in this world. So\nhe lifted up his hands to bless them; and, while he was in the act of\nspeaking those words of blessing, the ascension took place. As his hands\nwere stretched out to bless his disciples, he rose calmly in the midst of\nthem and went back to heaven, from whence he came.\n\nIt was said of him before he came into our world, that\u2014\u201cmen should be\nblessed in him:\u201d Ps. lxxii: 17. He was the promised seed of Abraham,\nin whom it was declared that \u201call the nations of the earth should be\nblessed.\u201d Gen. xxii: 18. The blessing of the world was wrapped up in\nJesus. When he came into the world, he came to bless it. And when he\nbegan his public ministry in the Sermon on the Mount, the first thing of\nwhich he had to speak was the blessings he came to bring. We read, \u201cAnd\nwhen he was set, his disciples came to him, and he opened his mouth and\ntaught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit, &c. Blessed are they\nthat mourn, &c. Blessed are the meek, &c. Blessed are the merciful, &c.\nBlessed are the pure in heart, &c.\u201d He began his work in blessing; he\ncontinued it in blessing; and he ended it in blessing. But the work of\nblessing in which he had been engaged here did not cease when he ascended\ninto heaven. He has been carrying on the work of blessing men ever since\nhe ascended. He went to heaven to procure for his people the best of all\npossible blessings. He told his disciples that it was necessary for him\nto leave them and go to heaven; because if he did not go the Holy Ghost\nwould not come to them; but that when he went to heaven he would send the\nSpirit to be their helper and comforter. It is the Holy Spirit who helps\nus to understand the Scriptures and who teaches us how to love and serve\nGod. And whatever helps us to do this is the best thing\u2014the greatest\nblessing for us. And when we know that Jesus went to heaven to obtain for\nus the help of God\u2019s grace and Spirit, we may well say that the ascension\nof Christ was a blessed ascension.\n\nThe only other thing we have to say about the ascension of Christ is that\nit was a _wonderful_ ascension. There were two wonderful things connected\nwith it. It was wonderful to think _where_ he went. He did not go simply\nto join the company of the angels, who have always lived in heaven, and\nof the good people who went there when they died. No; but he went where\nno one else had ever gone before, and where no one else could go. When he\narrived in heaven, he rose above all the company that was there, and took\nhis seat at the right hand of the throne of God. This was wonderful,\nindeed. When Jesus was on earth, he was so poor that he \u201chad not where\nto lay his head.\u201d He was despised and persecuted; \u201ca man of sorrows and\nacquainted with grief.\u201d He was put to death as a criminal, by being\ncrucified between two thieves. But when he ascended into heaven it was\nto take his place \u201cfar above all principalities and powers.\u201d And so his\nascension was wonderful when we think\u2014_where_ he went.\n\nAnd it was wonderful, too, when we think _how_ he went there. If he had\nleft his human body behind him, and had ascended to heaven simply in his\ndivine nature, as God, it would not have been so wonderful. But he did\nnot do this. He took his human body with him. The body that was nailed to\nthe cross and laid in the grave, he took with him to heaven. He ascended,\nindeed, as the Son of God. But that was not all. No, for he ascended as\nthe Son of man, too. It was Jesus Christ who ascended into heaven. But\nit was our human nature, as well as the divine nature which helped to\nmake up the person of Jesus Christ. And so when he ascended into heaven,\nand sat down at the right hand of the throne of God, he took our human\nnature with him. He took a body like yours and mine, up to that high and\nglorious place. And he is sitting there now, on the throne of God, as our\nbrother. _This_ is the most surprising thing connected with the great\nevent we are now considering. This shows us how wonderful the ascension\nof Christ was.\n\nAnd so, in studying this subject, these are the things about it that\nwe have noticed, viz.: the _time_ of the ascension\u2014forty days after\nthe resurrection; the _place_ of the ascension\u2014the Mount of Olives;\nthe _manner_ of the ascension\u2014_visible\u2014calm and tranquil\u2014blessed\u2014and\nwonderful_.\n\nThere are several lessons that may be learned from the ascension of our\nSaviour, but we can only speak of one. This is _the lesson of obedience\nto the command of Christ_.\n\nJust before he went up to heaven, Jesus said to his disciples\u2014\u201cGo ye into\nall the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.\u201d St. Mark xvi:\n15. This is the last command he gave to his people. He kept it till now\nbecause he wished it to be especially remembered. When we lose a father,\nor mother, or a friend whom we love very much, we listen attentively to\nthe words spoken by that friend as we gather round the dying bed. We may\nforget some things spoken by him in the days of his health and strength,\nbut those last words that were spoken just before he died, we always\nremember. They seem very sacred to us, and we pay particular attention\nto them. And no doubt this was the reason why Jesus kept this command\nabout the missionary work he wishes his people to engage in, till now.\nHe had finished his work for them. He had died for them. He had done\nall that was necessary for them to be saved, and to be happy with him\nforever in heaven. He knew how much they ought to love him for all this.\nAnd he knew that those who really did love him would wish to show their\nlove by doing what he had told them to do. And so he kept this\u2014the most\nimportant of all his commands\u2014to the last. He wished it to be connected\nwith the thought of his leaving the world and going back to heaven. And\nas they gathered round him, to see him and hear him for the last time\non earth, he spoke these words:\u2014\u201cGo, ye, into all the world, and preach\nthe gospel to every creature.\u201d He did not speak them for the apostles or\nthe early Christians only. No; but he spoke them for you, and for me,\nand for all his people, till the end of time. He intended his church to\nbe a missionary church. He intended that all the members of that church\nshould feel an interest in the missionary work, and that they should do\nall they can to help it on. This command is very broad. It takes in \u201call\nthe world,\u201d and \u201cevery creature.\u201d We have no right to make the field for\nthis work narrower than Jesus made it. And, until the gospel has been\npreached in \u201call the world,\u201d and until \u201cevery creature\u201d has heard it,\nthis command of Christ is binding upon all his loving people. If we do\nnot have the missionary spirit which these words require us to have,\nthat is, if we are not trying all we can to bring \u201cevery creature,\u201d in\n\u201call the world,\u201d to be the friend and servant of Jesus and to be saved\nby him, then, it is clear, either that we are not loving Jesus as we\nought to love him; or else, we are not showing our love for him in the\nway in which he wishes us to show it. He says, \u201cIf ye love me, keep my\ncommandments.\u201d And this is his last and most solemn command for us to\nremember, and keep.\n\nWhen he says\u2014\u201cGo ye into all the world and preach,\u201d he does not mean that\nall his people must leave their homes and go out as ordained ministers.\nWhat he means is that whether we go out as missionaries, or not, we\nmust have the missionary spirit, and must do all we can to help the\nmissionaries in their work. We must try to get those around us to know,\nand love, and serve Jesus. And the important question for us all to\nconsider here is\u2014how can we do this? In answering this question, let me\npoint out _four_ ways in which this may be done.\n\nWe can be missionaries, and help to preach the gospel, _by our example_.\n\nA little boy named Ernest had begun to love the Lord Jesus Christ and to\nbe a Christian. One day he said to his aunt, \u201cNow I want to grow up a big\nman, and then I will be a minister and preach to lots of people about\nJesus.\u201d\n\nHis aunt told him that he need not wait till he was a man before he began\nto preach. \u201cTry now, every day, to learn your lessons well,\u201d said his\naunt; \u201cto be kind, and gentle to all, and try by God\u2019s help to overcome\nyour bad temper, and so, by your example you may be preaching Jesus every\nday.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe Children\u2019s Service.\u201d A little girl went to a Children\u2019s service one\nSunday afternoon. On going home she told her mother about it. \u201cWhat led\nyou to go, Mary?\u201d asked the mother.\n\n\u201cI went, mamma,\u201d she said, \u201cbecause I was invited to come by a kind boy\nthat I met in the street yesterday. I saw him stop and stroke a donkey\nthat was frightened by a cruel boy. Then he kindly picked up my ball that\nwas rolling away and returned it to me. As he did this he handed me a\npaper about the children\u2019s service, and invited me to come. I knew he was\na good boy because he was so kind and had such a happy face. He said he\nwas sure I would like the services; and I did like them. And I mean to go\nevery time.\u201d\n\n\u201cA Young Hero.\u201d Thirty years ago a boy had given his heart to the\nSaviour. He had been confirmed and joined the church. The next day he\nwent to school. Some of the wild boys of the school heard that he had\njoined the church, and they made up their minds to have some fun with him\nabout it. At recess time they formed a ring about him, and cried out:\n\n\u201cOh! here is the good boy, Charley! He is going to be a Christian!\u201d\n\nAnd what did Charley do? Did he feel ashamed and try to steal away? Did\nhe get angry, and hit, or kick, or speak cross to them? No. But he calmly\nlooked the rude boys in the face, and said, in a manly way: \u201cYes, boys,\nI am trying to be a Christian. And isn\u2019t that right?\u201d\n\nThe boys\u2019 consciences told them he was right. They felt ashamed. The ring\nwas broken up at once, and Charley had no more trouble.\n\nHe was preaching by his example.\n\n\u201cA Beautiful Illustration.\u201d Mary Duncan was a little girl, only four\nyears old, who was trying to be a Christian. This incident shows us that\neven at that early age she was beginning to preach, and do good by her\nexample.\n\nOne day she was playing with her little brother. In a fit of anger he\nstruck her in the face. But instead of screaming out, or striking him\nback, she quietly turned to him the other cheek; and said, \u201cThere Corie,\nnow strike that!\u201d The uplifted hand was dropped. The tears came into her\nbrother\u2019s eyes. He kissed her, and said\u2014\u201cForgive me, sister, and I\u2019ll\nnever strike you again.\u201d\n\nWhen Mary was asked what led her to do so, her reply was that she had\nheard her papa read out of the Bible, at prayers that morning, what Jesus\nhad said about it.\n\nAnd so if we try to be like Jesus, we may be helping to keep his last\ncommand, and to preach the gospel\u2014by our example.\n\nAnother way in which we may do this is\u2014_by our efforts_. This means by\nwhat we say and do to show that we love him, and to try to bring others\nto do so too. We find many illustrations of the way in which this may be\ndone.\n\n\u201cPreaching in the Hayfield.\u201d A good, earnest minister of the gospel was\nriding one day past a hayfield. A sudden shower was coming up. He saw a\nfarmer, who never went to church, sending off in haste for a horse to\ndraw his hay in before the rain came. The minister stopped and offered\nhis horse to do the work. It was declined; but the minister insisted, and\npulling off his coat, unhitched his horse and went to work helping the\nfarmer to load the hay. They got in several loads, and when the last load\nwas in the barn, and the rain came pouring down, the farmer drew out his\npocket book, and said:\n\n\u201cHow much do I owe you, sir, for your help?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, nothing,\u201d said he, \u201cnothing at all.\u201d\n\nBut the farmer insisted on paying him for his work.\n\n\u201cWell, my friend,\u201d said the minister, \u201cdid you ever hear an Irishman\npreach?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo,\u201d said the farmer.\n\n\u201cWell, you come next Sunday, and hear me preach, and we\u2019ll call it even.\u201d\n\n[Illustration: On the Road to Emmaus\n\nAnd, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus,\nwhich was from Jerusalem _about_ threescore furlongs. And it came to\npass, that, while they communed _together_ and reasoned, Jesus himself\ndrew near, and went with them. But their eyes were holden that they\nshould not know him. And he said unto them, What manner of communications\n_are_ these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad? And\nthe one of them, whose name was Cleophas, answering said unto him, Art\nthou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which\nare come to pass there in these days? And he said unto them, What things?\nAnd they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth.... And how the\nchief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and\nhave crucified him.... To-day is the third day since these things were\ndone. Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished,\nwhich were early at the sepulchre. And when they found not his body, they\ncame, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said\nthat he was alive. And certain of them which were with us went to the\nsepulchre, and found _it_ even so as the women had said: but him they saw\nnot. Then he said unto them, O fools.... And beginning at Moses and all\nthe prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things\nconcerning himself.\u2014_St. Luke xxiv: 13, 15-25, 27._\n\n_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_\n\n_Efforts to identify Emmaus with any existing village within the\nprescribed radius of \u201cthreescore furlongs\u201d from Jerusalem have proved\nunsuccessful, and its actual locality is still a matter of controversy,\nin spite of the assistance which might have been anticipated from the\nname itself, the word Emmaus signifying \u201cwarm springs.\u201d Consensus of\nopinion, however, is in favor of some situation in the hill-country to\nthe northwest of the city, possibly El-Kub\u00eabeh._\n\n75]\n\nThe farmer agreed to do it, and for the first time in many years was\npresent in the house of prayer. He found out that the man who could load\nthe hay could preach the gospel too. He believed it. He obeyed it. That\nhour\u2019s work, helping him to save his hay from the rain, was the means of\nleading him to Jesus, and of saving his soul.\n\n\u201cThe Lost Diamond.\u201d An elegantly dressed lady, as she stepped one day\nfrom her carriage, in the city of Washington, missed her valuable diamond\nring. It had slipped from her finger in some way, as she left the\ncarriage, and had fallen into the gutter, where it was speedily buried in\nthe filth that flowed toward the sewer. She looked with dismay on that\nmuddy stream, and offered a policeman five dollars to put his hand into\nthe gutter and find the ring. He hesitated awhile, but finally agreed,\nand reached down into the filth and spent some time in groping about the\ngutter. But he failed to find the lost jewel. At length he gave up the\nsearch and told the lady that it had probably been washed along, and gone\ndown the sewer. She paid him the five dollars, and he went away. But\nthe lady stood there still, looking sadly down at the place where her\nlost gem had disappeared. She could not bear to give it up. She lingered\nand hesitated; and finally, taking off her glove, and pushing back her\nsilks and ruffles and laces, she bared her arm for the work, put her fair\nhand down into the reeking filth, and after searching patiently in every\ndirection, she found the precious jewel, and carried it away in triumph.\n\nNow there are lost souls all about us, souls for whom Christ died, ten\nthousand times more precious than that lady\u2019s gem. They are lost in the\nmire of filth and sin. But they may be found and brought to Christ, by\nsuch earnest, persevering efforts as she made for that lost jewel. And if\nwe put forth such loving, personal efforts for them, they may be saved.\nAnd those who make such efforts are obeying the Saviour\u2019s command to\npreach the gospel to every creature.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s All I Can Do.\u201d Bessie King was a bright child about fourteen\nyears old. She was a serious, thoughtful girl, who wanted to make\nherself useful. One summer afternoon she went into her father\u2019s garden\nand gathered a bunch of flowers. While doing so, she wondered if she\ncould not make some one happy by the gift of these flowers. All at once\nshe thought of her young friend, Nellie Vance. Nellie was sick with\nconsumption. She had been confined to her room for months, and was not\nexpected to live very long. Her mother was a poor widow, and unable to do\nmuch for her sick child. But Nellie was trying to be a Christian, and the\nthought of the loving Saviour made her cheerful and happy.\n\nBessie was very fond of Nellie and loved to visit her whenever she could.\nSo she gathered some of the loveliest flowers in the garden and hastened\nwith them to her friend Nellie\u2019s humble home. As she entered her chamber,\nshe said\u2014\u201cNellie, dear, I\u2019ve come to bring you a bit of my summer,\u201d and\nshe laid the flowers down by Nellie, who was lying on a couch near the\nwindow. Nellie\u2019s delight at seeing the flowers was an abundant reward\nto Bessie for bringing them. It was touching to see the sick child as\nshe lay there, with the bright flowers around her. She handled them so\ntenderly, one by one, almost forgetting, in the pleasure they gave her,\nthe weary, aching pain, she was always feeling.\n\n\u201cI am so glad you came this afternoon, Bessie dear,\u201d said Nellie, when\nthe flowers were arranged. \u201cI have something so happy to tell you.\u201d\nBessie looked at her with surprise, wondering what happiness poor\nsuffering Nellie could have left to her.\n\n\u201cI have been thinking for a long time,\u201d said Nellie, \u201chow little I have\ndone for the Lord Jesus. I have been shut out from people so long, that\nI\u2019m afraid no one knows I love him; and I can\u2019t bear to go away from\nearth without a word _out loud_ for him. So Bessie, I am going to be\nconfirmed. That will be standing up for Jesus, and it\u2019s all I can do.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut, Nellie dear, how can _you_ be confirmed? You hav\u2019n\u2019t been out of\nyour room for months, and church is more than two miles away.\u201d\n\n\u201cI can do it for Jesus,\u201d she said firmly. \u201cMr. Gray has promised to take\nme in his carriage, and to carry me up in the church.\u201d\n\nBessie could say no more. Her heart was full, and she threw her arms\nround Nellie\u2019s neck and wept.\n\n\u201cI want you to come with me, Bessie dear,\u201d said Nellie. But Bessie could\nnot speak. So Nellie went on, and said: \u201cYou have your whole life to live\nfor him, so you ought to begin right off. But mine is so nearly ended,\nthat I must come now, or I never can come. It\u2019s all I can do. But Bessie\nI want you to come with me.\u201d\n\nAnd they did both come. Bessie held back at first, afraid of herself, but\nNellie talked so sweetly to her that she had to yield. \u201cWhen Jesus called\nthe little child to him, Bessie,\u201d said her friend, \u201cdon\u2019t you think he\nwould have felt hurt if he had held back, and refused to come to him?\nSuppose he had said he wasn\u2019t good enough, or old enough! Jesus wanted\nhim, just as he was. He had plenty of grown up people. He wanted a little\nchild then, and he wants us now.\u201d\n\nIt was a touching sight when the sick child was carried up the aisle, to\njoin her young companions at the chancel; and when the bishop laid his\nhands on her head, and his voice trembled there was not a dry eye in the\nchurch.\n\nNot long after, Nellie was carried again into the church. Yet this time\nit was not Nellie herself, but only the poor worn body that had suffered\nso long, and was now at rest. Her sufferings were now over, and her work\nwas done. Her spirit was with her Saviour she had loved, to be forever\nhappy in his presence.\n\nNellie was faithfully carrying out the last command of Jesus, when she\ntried so lovingly to get her friend Bessie to stand with her and confess\nhim before men. By our efforts to bring those around us to Jesus, we may\nhelp to carry out that last command of his.\n\nWe can do this also\u2014_by our gifts_. There is no better use to make of our\nmoney than to give it to help in sending the gospel of Jesus to those who\ndo not know him. And the smallest sums are often very useful when given\nfor this purpose. Here is a story of a poor little orphan girl who had\nearned six cents by running errands, and of the great good that was done\nby her gift. Her name was Dixey, and we may call the story:\n\n\u201cDixey\u2019s Six Cents.\u201d One day, a pale-faced little girl walked hurriedly\ninto a book store in Boston, and said to the man at the counter: \u201cPlease\nsir, I want a book that\u2019s got, \u2018Suffer little children to come unto me,\u2019\nin it; and how much is it sir? and I\u2019m in a great hurry.\u201d\n\nThe bookseller wiped his spectacles, and looking down at the poor child,\nhe took her thin little hand in his, and said: \u201cWhat do you want the book\nfor my child? and why are you in such a hurry?\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, sir, you see, I went to Sunday-school, last Sunday, when Mrs.\nWest, the woman who takes care of me, was away; and the teacher read\nabout a Good Shepherd, who loves little children, and who said these\nwords. And the teacher told us about a beautiful place where he takes\ncare of his children and makes them all happy, and I want to go there.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m so tired of being where there\u2019s nobody to care for a girl like me,\nonly Mrs. West who says I\u2019d better be dead than alive.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut why are you in such a hurry, my child?\u201d\n\n\u201cMy cough\u2019s getting so bad now, sir, and I want to know about him before\nI die; it would be so strange to see him and not know him. Besides, if\nMrs. West knew I was here she\u2019d take away the six cents I\u2019ve saved from\nrunning errands, to buy the book with, so I\u2019m in a hurry to get served.\u201d\n\nThe bookseller wiped his spectacles again, and taking a book from the\nshelf, he said, \u201cI\u2019ll find the words you want, my child; listen while I\nread them.\u201d Then he turned to St. Luke xviii: 16, and read to her the\nsweet words of the loving Saviour. After reading them he told her about\nthe Good Shepherd; how he came down from heaven to seek and save the lost\nsheep; how he suffered and died for us that we might live; and about the\nbright and beautiful home in heaven, which he has prepared for all who\nlove and serve him.\n\n\u201cOh, how sweet that is!\u201d said the earnest and almost breathless little\nlistener. \u201cHe says\u2014\u2018Come.\u2019 I\u2019ll go to him. How long do you think it\u2019ll be\nsir, before I see him?\u201d\n\n\u201cNot long, I think,\u201d said the bookseller, turning away his head to hide\nthe tears that were running down his cheeks. \u201cNow you can keep the six\ncents and come here every day, and I will read to you some more out of\nthis Book.\u201d\n\nThe little girl thanked him and hurried away. The next day, and the next,\nand many days passed away, but the poor child never came to hear about\nJesus again. Some time after this a rough-looking woman came into the\nbookstore, and said in a loud voice, \u201cDixey\u2019s dead! She died rambling\nabout some Good Shepherd, and she said you were to have these six cents\nfor the mission-box at school. I don\u2019t like to keep dead people\u2019s money,\nso here it is,\u201d and throwing the six cents down on the counter, she\nhurried out of the store.\n\nThe six cents were put into the missionary box on the next Sunday, and\nwhen the story of Dixey was told it touched so many hearts and led so\nmany to follow her example with their pennies that by the end of the\nyear \u201cDixey\u2019s cents,\u201d as they were called, had brought in money enough\nto send out a missionary to China, to help in finding out the lost sheep\nand bringing them to Jesus. And if little Dixey, in her feebleness and\npoverty, could help to carry out our Saviour\u2019s last command, then we may\nall do so.\n\nBut there are other things than money that may be given to the work of\nsaving lost souls. We see this illustrated in the following story. It may\nbe called:\n\n\u201cThe Rescue.\u201d \u201cO my child, my child!\u201d cried an almost heart-broken\nmother, as she met a party of gentlemen, among the hills of Scotland.\n\n\u201cWhat\u2019s the matter?\u201d they asked.\n\n\u201cA few hours ago I left the house and my baby-boy in charge of his\nsister. Being a fine day, he was lying in the cradle, outside the\ncottage-door, prattling away in the sunshine. After awhile, baby fell\nasleep, and my little girl being hungry, went in-doors to get some food.\nWhile she was lingering there, I returned, but only in time to see an\neagle bearing away my child in his talons. O sirs! pity me, help me,\nrecover my darling child.\u201d\n\nThe mother\u2019s loving eye had watched the flight of the eagle; and with\nthese gentlemen she went to the edge of the cliff, and looking over the\nprecipice they could see, far down its steep sides, the nest of the\neagles, to which the child had been carried. The distress of the mother\ntouched the heart of one of the gentleman who was a Scotch nobleman. He\nresolved, by God\u2019s help, to try and snatch the child from the terrible\ndeath that awaited it.\n\nRopes were procured, and at his own request, the nobleman was lowered\ndown over the rugged cliff. The two eagles fluttered round, as if daring\nthe intruder to approach their nest; but a brave heart was beating\nbeneath that Scotch plaid. Fearlessly the heroic Scotchman approached the\nnest. He took the child from among the young eagles. He bound it to his\nbosom, and gave the signal to be pulled up. Gently, but steadily, he was\nraised in safety to the top of the cliff; and with a glad heart he gave\nback the recovered child to the arms of its grateful and rejoicing mother.\n\nThis story illustrates what Jesus has done for us; but, at the same time\nit shows what we should do for those whose souls have been carried away\nby Satan the great enemy, and who are in danger of perishing forever. If\nwe feel for them, as this good nobleman felt for that lost child, it will\nlead us to give, not our money only, but our sympathy, and everything in\nour power, to bring them to Jesus, that they may be saved through him\nforever. And so we see how by our gifts, we may help to carry out the\ngreat command which Jesus left for his people, just before his ascension\ninto heaven.\n\nAnd then, there is one other way in which we may help to do this, and\nthat is by\u2014_our prayers_.\n\nThere is a wonderful power in prayer. It is a power which all may use,\nand which will reach all around the world. We see this strikingly\nillustrated in the case of the Syro-Ph\u0153nician woman mentioned in St.\nMatt. xv: 20-28. Her prayers caused the casting out of the devil from\nher daughter. When Jesus was on earth he said to his disciples\u2014\u201cAll\nthings whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.\u201d\nSt. Matt. xxi: 22. This is God\u2019s promise to you and to me and to all\nhis people. And so when we pray for ministers and missionaries; when we\npray for the conversion of the heathen, and for others who do not love\nand serve God, we are helping on the good work which Jesus left for his\npeople to do when he said\u2014\u201cGo ye into all the world and preach the\ngospel to every creature.\u201d It would be easy enough to fill a volume with\nincidents which illustrate the power of prayer. But we have only room for\na single illustration.\n\n\u201cSaved by Prayer.\u201d Some years ago, a boy left his home in Indiana for\nChicago. He was not there long before he fell into bad company, and\nwas led astray. A friend of his father\u2019s, who lived in the same town,\nhappening to visit Chicago, saw that boy on the street one night drunk.\n\nOn returning home, he thought at first that he would not say anything to\nthe father about what he had seen; but afterwards he felt that it was his\nduty to tell him. So meeting him one day in the crowded street of their\nlittle town, he took him aside and told him what he had seen in Chicago.\nIt was a terrible blow to him.\n\nOn returning home that night, before going to bed, he told his wife what\nhe had heard. They were both so much distressed that they could not\nsleep. They spent the greater part of the night in earnest prayer for\ntheir poor boy. Before morning the mother said, \u201cI don\u2019t know how it is,\nbut God has given me faith to believe that our son will be saved and not\nbe allowed to fill a drunkard\u2019s grave.\u201d\n\nNot long after this, that boy left Chicago. He could not tell why, but\nan unseen power seemed to lead him to his mother\u2019s home. On entering the\nhouse the first thing he said was: \u201cMother I have come home to ask you\nto pray for me.\u201d She prayed with him, and for him, and he soon became\na sincere and earnest Christian. Here we see the power of prayer. Let\nus all use this power, and we shall be helping on the preaching of the\ngospel in all the world, and to every creature.\n\nAnd so, when we think of the ascension of Christ, let us always remember\nthe great work that Jesus commanded his people to do; and let us try\nto help on that work in the four ways of which we have spoken,\u2014by our\n_examples_\u2014by our _efforts_\u2014by our _gifts_\u2014and by our _prayers_.\n\nThe Collect for Ascension Day is a very suitable one with which to close\nthis subject:\n\n\u201cGrant, we beseech thee, Almighty God, that like as we do believe thy\nonly-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to have ascended into the\nheavens; so we may also in heart and mind thither ascend, and with him\ncontinually dwell, who liveth and reigneth, with thee and the Holy Ghost,\nOne God, world without end. Amen.\u201d\n\n[Illustration: Jesus Appeareth to and Pardons Simon Peter\n\nAnd they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went, and he made as\nthough he would have gone further. But they constrained him, saying,\nAbide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And\nhe went in to tarry with them. And it came to pass, as he sat at meat\nwith them, he took bread, and blessed _it_, and brake, and gave to them.\nAnd their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of\ntheir sight. And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within\nus, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the\nscriptures? And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem,\nand found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them,\nSaying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon.\u2014_St. Luke\nxxiv: 28-34._\n\n_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_\n\n_Beyond the simple statement that \u201che was seen of Cephas,\u201d nothing is\nrecorded regarding the appearance of Jesus to his sinning and repentant\ndisciple, although, if we accept the sequence of events in the order in\nwhich they are narrated, it may safely be supposed that this took place\nafter night-fall. But where nothing is known, conjecture is justifiable,\nand we may think of Peter as shrinking from the society of his comrades,\nunable to rest, and wandering, he knows not whither, in the silent,\nmoon-lit streets. Chance leads him to the door of the house of Caiaphas,\nand there, on the scene of his lost opportunity, he realizes the presence\nof his risen Lord, and receives the gracious assurance of forgiveness._\n\n76]\n\n\n\n\nTHE DAY OF PENTECOST\n\n\nJesus has finished his work on earth and gone back to heaven. We have\nnow, in bringing this history to a close, to consider how the work was\ncarried on, after he was gone.\n\nAfter the ascension of Christ there was a pause. For some days everything\nstood still in connection with the great cause for which Jesus had lived\nand died. This pause continued until the day of Pentecost. Then the Holy\nGhost was sent down from heaven. He took up the work where Jesus had left\nit, and has been engaged in carrying it on from that day to this. Nothing\ncould be done till he came. No sermons were preached. No lessons were\ntaught. No souls were converted till the Holy Ghost came. This shows us\nhow important his presence and help are in all the work which the church\nof Christ has to do for the glory of God and for the salvation of men.\nTake an illustration.\n\nHere is a locomotive, standing on a railway, with a train of cars\nattached to it. The engine is new and beautiful. Every wheel and crank\nand pin is in its proper place. It is complete; it is perfect. The boiler\nis full of water. The tender, attached to the locomotive, is full of\nfuel. The passengers are all waiting; but yet the engine stands still.\nNothing moves. What is the matter? Simply this: there is no steam in\nthe boiler. And what is wanting to make the steam? Why a fire in the\nfurnace. Can nothing take the place of this? Nothing in the world. This\nis absolutely necessary. Everything depends on this. But now see, the\nfire is kindled. There is steam in the boiler. The wheels begin to move,\nand away goes the train.\n\nWhen Jesus went to heaven, the church he left on earth might well be\ncompared to such an engine. He had built it well. Its machinery was all\ncomplete; but it stood still. The power was wanting to put it in motion.\nThe Holy Spirit alone could give this power. When he came the fire was\nkindled: the steam was generated; and the train was started, which was to\nrun around the world, and carry countless numbers of ransomed souls to\nheaven.\n\nAnd in speaking about the coming of the Spirit, there are three things\nfor us to notice. These are\u2014_the time of the Spirit\u2019s coming: the manner\nof the Spirit\u2019s coming; and the purpose of the Spirit\u2019s coming_.\n\n_The time of the Spirit\u2019s coming_ is pointed out in the name of the\nday when he came. It was on the day of Pentecost. This word means the\n_fiftieth_: whether it be a day, or a number, or anything else to which\nit may be applied. The Jews used this word as the name of one of the\nthree great feasts which they were commanded to keep every year. This one\nwas called \u201cthe feast of Pentecost,\u201d because it was kept on the fiftieth\nday after the feast of the Passover. It was sometimes called also\u2014\u201cthe\nfeast of Weeks.\u201d This name was given to it, because the forty-nine days,\nwhich came in between these two feasts, just made up seven weeks.\n\nIt pleased God to connect with this day of Pentecost the most important\nevent that has ever taken place in the history of the church or of the\nworld since the ascension of Jesus into heaven\u2014and that was\u2014the coming of\nthe Holy Ghost.\n\nAnd this great event has always been remembered with interest by the\nChristian church. In the early days of the church, the day kept in\nmemory of the coming of the Holy Ghost was set apart as one of the\nsolemn seasons for baptizing persons who wished to be received into the\nchurch. The candidates for baptism on these occasions were clothed in\nwhite garments, to denote the purity which should mark those who received\nbaptism properly, by truly repenting of their sins, and having their\nsouls washed in the blood of Christ. And for this reason, the Sunday on\nwhich the day of Pentecost was thus celebrated, was called Whit-Sunday,\nor Whit-Suntide.\n\nIn the Episcopal Church in this country, in the Church of England, and in\nsome other branches of the Church of Christ, this Whit-Suntide festival\nis still kept with great interest. The scriptures read on this day refer\nto the coming of the Spirit and to the importance of his work; and the\nsermons preached at this season generally have reference to the same\nsubject. And when we remember how the success of the great work in which\nthe Church of Christ is engaged depends upon the help which the Holy\nSpirit gives, we see how important it is that we should be constantly\nreminded of the necessity of having his presence and power with us in\nall our efforts to do good to the souls of men. And so, when we think of\nthe time of the Spirit\u2019s coming, we may bear in mind that it was on the\nday of Pentecost, or on the fiftieth day after the death of Christ.\n\nAnd now, we may go on to speak of\u2014_the MANNER of the Spirit\u2019s coming_.\n\nIt was an _expected_ coming. Jesus had told his disciples about the\ncoming of the Spirit and had given them a promise that he should come.\nHe said to them on one occasion: \u201cIt is expedient for you that I go\naway; for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come to you; but if I\ndepart, I will send him unto you.\u201d St. John xvi: 7.\n\nAnd then, just before his ascension into heaven, he repeated this\npromise, commanding them \u201cnot to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for\nthe promise of the Father:\u201d again he said, \u201cye shall be baptized with the\nHoly Ghost not many days hence;\u201d and again, \u201cye shall receive power after\nthat the Holy Ghost is come upon you.\u201d Acts i: 4, 5, 8.\n\nAnd, according to these promises, we find that the apostles were waiting\nfor the coming of the Holy Spirit and expecting it when the day of\nPentecost arrived. They had not been told how long they were to wait. All\nthat had been said about the time of his coming was that it would be \u201cnot\nmany days hence.\u201d After Jesus left them and went to heaven, they seem to\nhave met together every day, engaging in prayer and praise. No doubt they\nread the scriptures on these occasions, and talked together about their\nascended Lord and the fulfilment of the promise he had left them. Day\nafter day, they had met for this purpose, waiting for the Holy Spirit.\nBut one day passed by after another and the Spirit did not come. Still\nthey felt sure that he would come. They were waiting for his coming: and\nwhen at last he came, we may well say of it, that it was an _expected_\ncoming.\n\nIt was a _sudden_ coming. We know how often it happens that something we\nhave been expecting for a long time comes suddenly at last. And it was\nso with the disciples on this occasion. They had met once more for their\ndaily worship. As they came together, on the day of Pentecost, there was\nno more sign of the coming of the Spirit on that day than there had been\non any of the previous days; but he came at last. We are not told whether\nit was at the beginning, or the middle, or the close of their meeting,\nthat he came. The Holy Spirit did not send a messenger before him, to\ntell of his coming, as kings and great men in the East were in the habit\nof doing. No trumpet was sounded. No signal was given. But, all at once,\nthe promise of the Father was fulfilled; the expectation of the disciples\nwas met\u2014the Holy Ghost came down from heaven. But it was a _sudden_\ncoming. Acts i: 2.\n\nIn the next place it was\u2014a startling coming. The _sound_ connected with\nit made it such for one thing. We read that \u201cthere came a _sound_ as of\na rushing, mighty wind.\u201d We are not told that there _was_ a wind on this\noccasion; but only that the sound which attended the coming of the Spirit\nwas _like_ that of a mighty wind. The Spirit might have come to the\ndisciples on this occasion as \u201cthe still, small voice\u201d of God came to the\nprophet Elijah, on Mount Horeb. But it was not so. On the contrary, he\nchose that his coming should be attended with a loud noise. We read that\n\u201cit,\u201d that is the sound, \u201cfilled all the house where they were sitting.\u201d\nWe are not told what this sounding noise was for. It may have been to\narouse the attention of the disciples and make them fully awake to the\nimportant event that was then taking place. And, no doubt, another reason\nwhy this rushing sound attended the Spirit\u2019s coming was to indicate to\nthem what great power would attend the Spirit in the work he was to carry\non in the church and in the world. The wind, when it goes rushing on, in\nthe form of a tempest, is one of the most powerful agents that we know\nof. It can lash the ocean into foam and fury. It can dash to pieces the\nnoblest works of men, whether on the land, or on the sea. It can tear\nup the giant oak by its roots and lay it prostrate on the ground. And\nthe sound of that \u201crushing, mighty wind\u201d with which the Spirit came was\nintended, it may be, to make the disciples feel how great was the power\nhe was able to give them in the important work they had to do. \u201cThe\nsound, as of a rushing, mighty wind,\u201d seemed to tell of this.\n\nBut again, we are always startled by that which is _unusual_. And there\nwere several things about this coming of the Holy Spirit which were\nunusual, and so calculated to startle the waiting disciples. There\nwas, for instance, the _direction_ of this sound. It came \u201c_down from\nheaven_.\u201d The winds, with whose sound we are familiar, never act in this\ndirection. From whatever point of the compass they come, they always\nblow around, or over the earth. A wind blowing \u201c_down from heaven_,\u201d\ndirectly towards the earth, as was the case with that sound which the\ndisciples heard, was something unusual, and so calculated to startle them.\n\nAnother unusual thing about this sound was, that it was a sound _like_\nthat of a wind, but yet without any wind at all. They heard that sound.\nIt reminded them of the wind. But there was no motion there, such as the\nwind produces when it blows. Nothing stirred in that upper chamber. A\nfeather would not have been moved. So far as motion was concerned\u2014all was\ncalm, and still there. And yet there was that mighty sound. How startling\nthis must have been!\n\nAnd then, what accompanied this sound was startling, as well as the sound\nitself. There were those \u201ccloven tongues, like as of fire.\u201d Little long\npieces of flame were seen in the air of that chamber. There were about\na hundred and twenty persons present there. And a hundred and twenty of\nthese fiery tongues were seen. How strange it must have been to look on\nsuch a number of these marvellous appearances, and to see one of them\ncome down and rest on the head of each person present! But, the Holy\nSpirit was come; and these things must have made it a startling coming.\n\nAnd then it was\u2014an _abiding_ coming. When the Holy Spirit came down\nupon the Church of Christ, on the day of Pentecost, he did not come to\nremain for a little while, and then go back to heaven. No! but he came to\n_stay_. When Jesus spoke to the disciples about the coming of the Holy\nGhost, he used these words: \u201cAnd I will pray the Father, and he shall\ngive you another Comforter, that he may _abide with you forever_.\u201d St.\nJohn xiv: 16.\n\nIt was not for the help and comfort of the apostles and early Christians\nonly that the Holy Spirit came. No; but it was for the help and comfort\nof all the people of Christ, down to the end of the world. The coming of\nthe Spirit, which took place on the day of Pentecost was intended to be\nan abiding coming. He has never left the church from that day. But he may\nbe present, without putting forth his power and making his presence felt.\nWhat we need to pray for is not that the Holy Spirit may _come_ into our\nchurches; for he is there; but that he may make his power and presence\nfelt. What we want above all things, in our hearts, in our homes, in our\nSunday Schools, and in our churches, is to feel the power and presence of\nthat Spirit, who came on the day of Pentecost, and whose coming was to be\nan abiding coming.\n\nAnd so, when we would show the manner of the Spirit\u2019s coming to the early\nchurch, we may say that it was an _expected_ coming\u2014a _sudden_ coming\u2014a\n_startling_ coming\u2014and an _abiding_ coming.\n\nAnd now, the only other thing to notice, is\u2014_The\u2014PURPOSE\u2014of the Spirit\u2019s\ncoming._\n\nAnd if we wish to understand clearly the meaning of this part of the\nsubject, there are these two things for us to consider; viz., _what the\nHoly Spirit is; and what the Holy Spirit does_.\n\nAnd in order to understand satisfactorily what the Holy Spirit is\u2014we\nmust find out what the scriptures call him; and how the scriptures speak\nof him. Here are some of the titles given to the Holy Spirit in the\nscriptures, or the names by which he is called.\n\nThe great names, Jehovah, Lord, and God are all given to the Spirit.\nHe is called\u2014the Most High\u2014the Holy Spirit\u2014the Holy Ghost\u2014the Free\nSpirit\u2014the Good Spirit\u2014the Spirit of Life\u2014the Spirit of Truth\u2014the Spirit\nof Grace\u2014the Spirit of Adoption\u2014the Spirit of Wisdom\u2014the Spirit of\nCounsel\u2014the Spirit of Might\u2014the Spirit of Knowledge\u2014the Spirit of the\nfear of the Lord\u2014the Spirit of Promise\u2014the Eternal Spirit\u2014the Power of\nthe Highest\u2014the Comforter\u2014the Guide\u2014the Teacher.\n\nAnd the giving of such names as these to the Holy Spirit proves two\nthings about him, one is that he is a real person; and the other is that\nhe is God. He is a divine person, equal to God the Father and to God the\nSon.\n\nAnd this is proved, not only by the names given to him, but also by _the\nway in which the scriptures speak of him_. Let us look at one or two\nillustrations of the way in which they do this. When the prophet Isaiah\nis speaking of Christ, the Messiah, he represents him, as saying of\nhimself\u2014\u201cAnd now, the Lord God and his Spirit hath sent me.\u201d Is. xlviii:\n16. Here we see the three persons of the Holy Trinity\u2014God the Father\u2014God\nthe Son\u2014and God the Holy Spirit are spoken of as all working together.\nGod the Son is sent, and God the Father and God the Spirit are the ones\nwho send him.\n\nWe see them uniting together again, in the same way, on the occasion of\nour Saviour\u2019s baptism. Thus we read, \u201cAnd Jesus, when he was baptized,\nwent up straightway out of the water, and lo, the heavens were opened\nunto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and\nlighting upon him; And lo, a voice from heaven saying, This is my beloved\nSon, in whom I am well pleased.\u201d St. Matt. iii: 16, 17. Here we see\nthe three Persons of the blessed Trinity acting together. God the Son\nhas taken our nature upon him, and is baptized, as a man, in the river\nJordan. God the Spirit comes down from heaven in the form of a dove, and\nrests upon him; while God the Father speaks from heaven, in a voice that\nwas heard by those who were attending that baptism. This proves to us\nthat there are three Persons, in the One God whom we worship; and that\nthe Holy Spirit, who came down upon the church on the day of Pentecost,\nis the third Person in this Trinity. He is a divine Person, equal to the\nFather and the Son. It is impossible to explain, satisfactorily, what\ntook place at the baptism of our Saviour in any other way. And in this\nway, we get a clear view of the first thing, important for us to know, in\norder to understand the meaning of the Spirit\u2019s coming. We see now _what\nthe Holy Spirit is_. He is a divine Person\u2014united with the Father and\nthe Son in the great work of our salvation, and equal to them both.\n\nAnd then there is another thing that we must understand clearly, if we\nwould know the purpose of the Spirit\u2019s coming on the day of Pentecost\u2014and\nthat is\u2014_what the Spirit does_. This refers to the work which the Holy\nSpirit has to do in the Church of Christ. It takes in both what he had to\ndo in the church when he first came and also what he has to do now. The\nwork which the Spirit has to do for the souls of men is the same now that\nit was then. There were, indeed, works of wonder, great miracles, to be\nperformed in the early church which are not done now.\n\nBut, apart from this, there is no difference. The work of the Holy Spirit\nhas always been the same. How important his work was to the church at\nfirst, we see in the fact that nothing was done till the Spirit came.\nAfter Jesus had ascended to heaven there was, as we have already said, a\nlong pause before anything else was done. This pause lasted for ten days.\nJesus had left a great work for his disciples to carry on in the world;\nbut during those days nobody moved a step or lifted a finger towards\ndoing that work. Everything stood still. And the reason for this long\npause was that nothing could be properly done in carrying on this work\ntill the Spirit came. The disciples had been distinctly told to wait for\nhis coming. They waited till the day of Pentecost. Then, this Spirit\ncame. Then the work began\u2014the work of saving souls from death. The work\nhas never ceased. It has been going on to the present day; and it will\ncontinue to go on till Jesus comes again.\n\n[Illustration: The Incredulity and Confession of Thomas\n\nAnd after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with\nthem: _then_ came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst,\nand said, Peace _be_ unto you. Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy\nfinger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust _it_\ninto my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered\nand said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas,\nbecause thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed _are_ they that\nhave not seen, and _yet_ have believed.\u2014_St. John xx: 26-29._\n\n_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_\n\n_Five times during that memorable Easter Day did Jesus manifest himself\nto his followers, and it was not until the eighth day at even, that the\nsixth appearance is recorded as having taken place; this time for the\nspecial purpose of confirming the belief of one of the eleven who still\ndoubted. Ten manifestations in all are specifically mentioned, but it\nwould appear (Acts i:3) that Jesus also revealed himself to his chosen\napostles on many other occasions, speaking of the things pertaining to\nthe building up of that church, of which he was himself at once the\nFoundation and the Corner-stone._\n\n77]\n\nNow there are four things that must be done for every soul that is to be\nsaved through Jesus Christ. And none but the Holy Spirit can do these\nthings.\n\n_The first thing that the Holy Spirit has to do for every soul is\nto\u2014CONVERT\u2014it._\n\nHe began this work at once when he came. He set the apostles to preaching\nJesus Christ, and the result of the first day\u2019s preaching was\u2014that _three\nthousand souls_ were converted.\n\nThe conversion of the soul refers to the great change which takes place\nwhen a person becomes a Christian. The word conversion is only one of\nseveral words applied to this subject in the Scriptures. Sometimes it is\ncalled being quickened, or made alive; and at other times it is called\nbeing \u201cborn again.\u201d This was the way in which our Saviour spoke of the\ngreat change we are now considering, in his interesting conversation with\nNicodemus. And he spoke of the Holy Spirit as the One who is to work out\nthis change in every case when he said\u2014\u201c_Except a man be born of water\nand of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God._\u201d St. John\niii: 5. To be \u201cborn of the Spirit,\u201d is the same as to be converted, or to\nhave the heart changed, and to be made a new creature in Christ Jesus.\nGood people differ much in their opinions about what our Saviour means\nby \u201cwater\u201d here. Some think it means the truth of God\u2019s word, which is\nspoken of as the means employed in the conversion of souls; while others\nthink that the word \u201cwater\u201d here refers to baptism; but we cannot stop to\nargue the point now.\n\nSome souls are converted, or born again, before they are old enough to\nunderstand the truth that God has taught us in his holy word. We have two\ncases of this kind mentioned in the Bible. One is the prophet Jeremiah,\nchap. i: 5, and the other John the Baptist, St. Luke i: 15. When it says\nof one of these that he was \u201csanctified;\u201d and of the other that he was\n\u201cfilled with the Holy Ghost\u201d from the time he was born, it means that the\ngreat change, of which we are now speaking, was made in them both, by the\nHoly Spirit, at that early time. And so it may be now with children, even\nwhile they are very young, especially if they have Christian parents to\npray for them. But, if they are not converted, or born again, till they\ngrow up to be boys and girls, or men and women, then the word or truth\nof God is that which the Holy Spirit makes use of in causing them to be\nconverted, or born again. Here is an illustration of one, out of many\nways, in which the Spirit does this:\n\n\u201cHow a Christmas Card Saved a Soul.\u201d There was a merchant in one of our\nlarge cities who had failed in business. He had lost everything that he\nhad. He was not a Christian, and did not know where to go for comfort.\nHis troubles and disappointments made him gloomy and sad. He saw no way\nin which he could get out of his troubles; and after thinking over them\na long time, he finally made up his mind to go to the river and drown\nhimself. He was not married, and had no family of his own; but there were\na number of children in the house where he lived.\n\nThis happened on a Christmas day. The children had just come home from\ntheir Sunday-school festival. In passing through the entry, one of them\ndropped a beautifully illuminated card, with a text of scripture on it.\nAs the poor man was going out on his sad errand, his eye rested on this\ncard, lying on the entry floor. He stooped down and picked it up, and\nread on it these sweet words\u2014\u201cCasting all your care on him, for he careth\nfor you.\u201d I. Peter v: 7. Reading these words had a strange effect upon\nhim. Instead of going out to drown himself, he went back to his room,\ngot his Bible, found the passage there, and meditated on it. He thought\nof the great sin he had just been going to commit in taking away his own\nlife. Then he thought of all his other sins. This filled him with great\ndistress. The burden of his sins soon grew to be heavier than the burden\nof his losses and cares. He kneeled to pray. With many tears and cries he\nasked for the pardon of his sins and for grace to make him a Christian.\nHis prayer was heard. His sins were pardoned. His burdens were lifted\noff. He became a Christian. He was converted by God\u2019s blessing on that\ntext of scripture. And it might truly be said of him that he was \u201cborn of\nwater and of the Spirit.\u201d\n\nOne part of the work which the Holy Spirit has to do for men is to\nconvert them. And this is a fair illustration of one of the ways in which\nhe does it.\n\n_But another part of the Spirit\u2019s work is to\u2014TEACH\u2014men, as well as to\nconvert them._\n\nWhen Jesus was speaking to the disciples of the Spirit whom he promised\nto send, he said, \u201cHe shall _teach you all things_.\u201d St. John xiv: 26.\nBut, when our Lord spoke of the Spirit teaching us \u201c_all_ things,\u201d he did\nnot mean those things which we can find out ourselves by diligence in\nstudy. We do not need the help of the Holy Spirit to teach us spelling,\nor reading, or history, or geography. He meant \u201call things\u201d about himself\nand the work he has done for our salvation. Sin has closed the eyes of\nour souls. It has made us blind to spiritual things. One part of the\nSpirit\u2019s work is to open our eyes so that we may see. David was seeking\nthe Spirit\u2019s help in this matter when he offered the prayer, \u201cOpen thou\nmine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.\u201d We may be\nvery learned in the things that are taught in our schools and colleges.\nWe may know a great deal about different languages; about botany, and\nchemistry, and mathematics, and astronomy, and other studies of that\nkind. But all this will not help us to understand the things taught in\nthe Bible about Christ, and the way to heaven. The knowledge of other\nthings is sometimes a _hindrance_, rather than a help, in trying to\nunderstand the Bible. In learning what is here taught, none but the\nSpirit of God can help us.\n\nSuppose we take a blind man into a large gallery, filled with fine\npaintings and beautiful statuary. It is a clear day. The sun is shining\nthrough the windows, and there is plenty of light there. But that is no\nhelp to our blind friend. We point to one after another of the beautiful\npaintings before us, and describe them to him. But still he cannot see\none of them. And then, suppose that we had the power to open the blind\nman\u2019s eyes, so that he could see them all for himself; what a wonderful\nchange that would make to him! And this is what the Holy Spirit does for\nus. The Bible is like a great gallery. It is full of beautiful pictures,\nsuch as none but God can make. But our eyes are blinded, and we cannot\nsee them. The Spirit\u2019s work is to open these blind eyes so that we may\nsee.\n\nAnd the great end of all the Spirit\u2019s teaching is to help us to see\nJesus, as our Saviour, and the one in whom we must trust for everything\nnecessary to our salvation. Here is an illustration of what I mean. We\nmay call it:\n\n\u201cJesus Only.\u201d A lady had been trying for some time to be a Christian, but\nshe could find no comfort. The minister of the church which she attended\ncalled to see her. Finding that though she went regularly to church, and\nread her Bible at home, and prayed every day, she yet found no peace; he\nsaid to her, \u201cMy friend, do you expect to be saved because you are doing\nthese things?\u201d\n\n\u201cCertainly I do,\u201d was the answer.\n\n\u201cWell this is your mistake. You are putting these in the place of Jesus.\nThere is no peace, or comfort, or salvation anywhere but in Jesus only.\nNow let me give you one verse to think about, and act upon. Jesus\nsaid\u2014\u2018Come unto me\u2014_and I will give you rest_.\u2019 Have you gone to Jesus\nonly for rest and peace and salvation?\u201d\n\nShe looked amazed. She thought awhile of what had been said to her, and\nthen burst into tears. New light shone in upon her. It was like opening\nthe eyes that had been blind. She saw that it was Jesus, and _Jesus\nonly_, that she needed. She came to him; that is she trusted or believed\nin him, and here she found rest and peace and salvation.\n\nWhen Jesus was speaking to his disciples about the coming of the Holy\nSpirit, he said\u2014\u201che shall _testify to me_.\u201d This was what the Spirit did\nin the case just mentioned. And this is what he is doing all the time.\nThe end of all his teaching is to show us that \u201cJesus only\u201d can give rest\nand peace and salvation to poor lost sinners.\n\n_Another part of the Spirit\u2019s work is to\u2014SANCTIFY\u2014or make holy\u2014all the\npeople of Christ._\n\nHe is called\u2014the _Holy_ Spirit\u2014not only because he is holy himself, but\nbecause his work is to make his people holy. And this is what we all need\nto make us fit for heaven. The great law of that blessed world, the law\nthat is written, as it were, over the gate of heaven, is this\u2014\u201c_without\nholiness no man shall see the Lord_.\u201d And Jesus pointed out the way\nin which this holiness or sanctification is to be secured when he was\npraying for his disciples, and said, \u201cSanctify them through thy truth.\u201d\nThe truth here spoken of, means \u201cthe truth as it is in Jesus\u201d; or the\nthings that the Bible tells us about him. This truth is the instrument,\nor means, which the Spirit employs in making us holy. The best\ndefinition of holiness is to say that it means being made _like Jesus_.\nHe is the example, or model, we have set before us, which we must try to\nimitate. We must ask ourselves what would Jesus think, or feel, or say,\nor do, if he were in our position? and then we must try to think, and\nfeel, and speak, and act as much like him as possible. And so you see how\nimportant it is for us to know \u201cthe truth,\u201d or what the Bible teaches us\nabout him, because it is only in this way that we can ever hope to become\nlike him, or to be made holy.\n\nThere was a famous artist in Italy many years ago, whose name was Michael\nAngelo. He was a great painter and a great sculptor. And when he was\noccupied on any work he always took the greatest pains to finish it as\nfinely as possible. He was once engaged in making the statue of an angel\nout of a block of white marble. At last it was nearly done; but still, he\nlingered over it, trying to improve it in every possible way. He was a\nfirm believer in the old proverb, that \u201cwhatever is worth doing, is worth\ndoing well.\u201d A person who had been in his studio and had seen him at work\nupon this statue came back, several days after, and found him busy with\nit still. \u201cWhy,\u201d said he, \u201cI don\u2019t see that you have done anything since\nI was here before.\u201d\n\n\u201cO, yes, I have,\u201d said the great artist. \u201cIt was too full here, and I\nhave reduced it somewhat. I have brought that muscle out better. I have\nrounded off this arm. I have improved the lip here; and the chin there,\nand I have put more expression into the face.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, but these are mere trifles,\u201d said the visitor.\n\n\u201cThey help to make my work perfect; and _perfection is no trifle_,\u201d was\nthe great man\u2019s wise reply.\n\nAnd this shows us exactly what the Spirit\u2019s work is in making us holy.\nIt is trying to make us more and more like the model of perfection we\nhave set before us in Jesus. But there is one point of difference between\nMichael Angelo\u2019s work on his marble statue and the Spirit\u2019s work upon\nus. That block of marble was a dead stone. It could do nothing at all to\nhelp the sculptor in his work upon it. But we are living stones, in the\nhands of the heavenly Artist. We can and must take hold, and help in the\ngreat work which the Holy Spirit is carrying on, in trying to make us\nmore holy, or more like Jesus. And as we yield ourselves to the blessed\ninfluences of the Spirit, we should be lifting up our hearts to Jesus in\nthe prayer:\n\n  \u201cMake us, by transforming grace,\n    Dear Saviour, _daily more like thee_!\u201d\n\n_And then there is one other thing the Holy Spirit has to do in carrying\non his great work, and that is to\u2014HELP AND COMFORT\u2014us._\n\nThe work we have to do, as the followers of Christ, is what we never can\ndo of ourselves. We need the help of the Holy Spirit here all the time.\nIt is only he who can, in the language of one of our beautiful Collects,\nhelp us to \u201c_think_ those things that are good, and then enable us to\n_perform_ the same.\u201d But he can, as another of the Collects says, both\n\u201cput into our hearts good desires, and give us grace to bring the same to\ngood effect.\u201d The Spirit is given for this purpose. And if we seek and\nsecure his help, we shall not only be able to do all that God requires,\nbut we shall find comfort in doing it. The work of the Spirit is to give\nhelp and comfort to those who are trying to serve the blessed Saviour.\nAnd it is because he does this that he is so often called the Comforter.\nHow many illustrations we find of the way in which the Spirit does this\npart of his work! But we have only room for one.\n\n\u201cBlind Robert.\u201d Robert\u2019s mother was a poor widow. She had a large family\nof children. Robert was the youngest. His mother took in washing. His\nbrothers and sisters all helped to support the family by working in one\nway or other. But poor blind Robert could not work. The only way in which\nhe could help his mother was by carrying home the clothes for her when\nthe washing and ironing were over. And it was a touching sight to see\nhim with a large basket on his arm, full of clothes, and groping his way\nslowly and carefully along. But Robert had been taught by the Spirit to\nknow and love the Saviour; and what help and comfort he found in him\nappears in the following conversation, between him and a gentleman who\nmet him on the road one day.\n\nAfter talking with him for a while about his mother and family, the\ngentleman asked him if it did not make him unhappy to think of being\nblind. For a moment, he looked sad; then he smiled, and said: \u201cSometimes\nI think it hard to have to creep about so. I should so like to look at\nthe bright sun that warms me; and the sweet birds that sing for me; and\nthe beautiful flowers that feel so soft as I touch them. But God made\nme blind, and I know that it is best for me. I am glad that he did not\nmake me deaf and dumb, too. I am glad that he gave me such a good mother.\nBut, above all, I am so glad that he has taught me to know and love the\nblessed Saviour; for I find it such a help and comfort to think about\nhim.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd how does the Saviour help you?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, sir, I pray to him; and then I seem to hear him say, \u2018I forgive you\nRobert; I love you, poor, blind boy! I will take away your evil heart and\ngive you a new one!\u2019 And then I feel so happy; it seems to me as if I\ncould almost hear the angels singing up in heaven.\u201d\n\n\u201cI am glad to hear this, Robert. And do you ever expect to see the\nangels?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, yes, sir! When I die, my spirit will not be blind. _It is only my\nclay house that has no windows._ I can see with my mind now; and that,\nmother tells me, is the way they see in heaven. I heard mother reading in\nthe Bible the other day, where it tells about heaven, and it said there\nis \u2018no night there.\u2019 But _here_, it is night to blind people all the\ntime. Oh! sir, when I feel bad because I can\u2019t see, I think of Jesus and\nheaven, and that helps and comforts me.\u201d\n\nThis is a beautiful illustration of this part of the work of the Holy\nSpirit. It shows us how the Spirit helps and comforts us. It is by\ntestifying of Jesus, or by teaching us to know what a precious Saviour he\nis and what glorious things he does for those who love him.\n\nAnd now we have considered the three things about the coming of the\nHoly Spirit, mentioned at the beginning of this chapter. We have spoken\nof the _time_ of his coming\u2014on the day of Pentecost; the _manner_\nof his coming\u2014_expected_\u2014_sudden_\u2014_startling_\u2014and _abiding_; and we\nhave spoken of the _purpose_ of his coming; this led us to show _what\nthe Spirit is_\u2014he is a divine Person\u2014one of the three Persons in the\nblessed Trinity; and _what the Spirit does_. His work is to _convert_\u2014to\n_teach_\u2014to _sanctify_, or make holy,\u2014and _help and comfort_ all the\npeople of Christ.\n\nJesus left the great work to be done for his church, and by his church,\nin good hands, when he left it with the Holy Spirit.\n\nLet us pray God to give us a larger measure of the Holy Spirit\u2019s presence\nand power in our hearts, and then we shall be holy and useful and happy!\n\n\n\n\nTHE APOSTLE PETER\n\n\nIn our last chapter, we saw how the Spirit of God came down from heaven\nto carry on the work which Jesus left for his people to do after his\nascension. And now, before leaving this subject, it is necessary to show\nwhat the Holy Spirit did to build up the Church on the foundation which\nJesus had laid for it; and to make known to a world of lost sinners, the\ngreat salvation which he had prepared for them. The best way of doing\nthis, would be to give a sketch of the lives and labors of the twelve\napostles whom our Lord had chosen, and left behind him, to carry on the\nimportant work begun by him. But this would take more room than we can\nspare. There are only two numbers now remaining to finish this work. All\nthat can be done, therefore, is to make choice of three of the principal\napostles, and take their histories as fair specimens of the way in which\nthe work of building up the Church was carried on by them and their\ncompanions after Jesus, their great Master, had ascended into heaven.\n\nThe three selected for this purpose are the apostle Peter, the apostle\nJohn, and the apostle Paul. All will agree in regarding these as among\n\u201cthe very chief of the apostles.\u201d We begin then with\n\n\nTHE APOSTLE PETER.\n\nAnd in considering the life of this great and good man, the two points\nof view from which we may look at it are _the facts of his history_; and\n_the lessons which it teaches_.\n\nWe begin then, with considering the facts of St. Peter\u2019s history, as\nmentioned in the New Testament. We shall not attempt to give all the\nfacts woven into this history. It will be enough for our present purpose\nif the principal facts are stated. The first fact to notice about this\ngood man is that he was a native of the city of Bethsaida, on the\nnorthern coast of the Sea of Galilee, and that his father\u2019s name was\nJonas, or Jonah. The next thing known of him is that his occupation was\nthat of a fisherman. It is a fact that he was first brought to Jesus\nby his brother Andrew, who had been one of the disciples of John the\nBaptist. Jesus spoke kindly to him, and told him that his name should\nbe changed from Simon, as he was then called, to Cephas, which is the\nGreek word for a rock, or a stone. The Latin word, that means the same\nthing, is the word Petrus. And so Cephas, or Peter, is the name by which\nhe was afterwards called. St. John i: 41, 42; St. Matt. xvi: 18. It is a\nfact that he did not continue to follow Jesus, as one of his disciples,\nimmediately after this first interview with him, but went back, for a\nwhile, to his old employment as a fisherman.\n\nIt is a fact that some time after this he was called by Jesus to be one\nof his disciples. It happened in this way:\u2014One day, Jesus was standing on\nthe shore of the Sea of Galilee. A crowd of people were pressing around\nhim, to hear him preach. He wanted a convenient place from which to speak\nto them. Peter was near at hand, in his fishing-boat. Jesus stepped on\nboard the boat, and asked Peter to push it out a little way from the\nland. He did so; and Jesus made a pulpit of that boat, and preached to\nthe people, as they stood upon the shore of the lake. When the sermon was\nended, Jesus told Peter to push the boat out into deep water and let\ndown the net, and he would catch a fine lot of fish. Peter said they had\nbeen fishing all night and had caught nothing. Still, he did as Jesus\ntold him; and immediately they found more fish than their net would hold.\nThis showed Peter the wonderful knowledge and power of Jesus. He felt\nafraid of him, and fell down at his feet, saying, \u201cDepart from me, for I\nam a sinful man, O Lord!\u201d Jesus said unto him, \u201cFear not; from henceforth\nthou shalt catch men.\u201d St. Luke vi: 1-11. St. Matthew tells us that on\nthis occasion Jesus said to Peter and his brother Andrew, \u201cFollow me; and\nI will make you fishers of men.\u201d St. Matt. iv: 18, 19.\n\nIt is a fact that some time after this, Jesus chose out from the rest of\nhis disciples Peter and eleven others, to be his twelve apostles. They\nwere to be with him at all times, to hear his teachings, in private, as\nwell as in public; to witness his miracles; and be prepared, in this way,\nto take up and carry on his work when he should return to heaven. We have\nthe account of this in St. Matt. x: 2-4; St. Mark iii: 13-19; and St.\nLuke vi: 13-17.\n\nIt is a fact that in these different lists of the apostles, the name of\nPeter always stands first. We are not told why this was so. One thing\nis certain, however, it was not because he was set above the rest of the\napostles, or had any power or authority superior to what was given to the\nothers. It was, probably, only because he was quicker to speak and more\nready to act than his brethren were. Two occasions are mentioned in the\ngospels on which he did this. One of them was when some of the followers\nof Jesus were offended at his preaching. They went away and would not\nhear him any more. Then Jesus turned to his chosen twelve and said: \u201cWill\nye also go away?\u201d Peter, speaking for the rest, immediately replied:\n\u201cLord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life.\u201d St.\nJohn vi: 66-69.\n\nThe other occasion was when the disciples had returned from one of the\nmissionary tours on which they had been sent. Jesus asked them what men\nsaid about him. Different answers were given to this question; but none\nof them were correct. Then he asked them what they thought about him.\nPeter at once, answering for the rest, said: \u201cThou art the Christ, the\nSon of the living God.\u201d This was a noble confession. It showed that Peter\nhad very clear views of the character of Jesus and of the work he came\non earth to do. Jesus pronounced a blessing on him for this, and said:\n\u201cThou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates\nof hell shall not prevail against it.\u201d St. Matt. xvi: 18. There has been\ngreat difference of opinion among good Christian people about the meaning\nof these words of our Saviour. They cannot mean that Peter, in his person\nor in his office as an apostle, was to be the rock, or foundation, on\nwhich the Church of Christ was to be built. This is certain; because St.\nPaul tells us that there is only one foundation on which this Church\nis built, and that is Christ himself. I. Cor. iii: 11. There can be no\ndoubt, I think, that what Jesus meant here was that the noble confession\nwhich Peter made on this occasion was the truth on which his Church was\nto be built. And this we know is the case.\n\nIt is a fact that Peter, with James and John, was present to see and\nhear what Jesus said, and did, and suffered, on several occasions when\nthe other disciples were not present. One of these occasions was when he\nraised the daughter of Jairus from the dead. Another occasion was when\nJesus appeared in such wondrous glory on the Mount of Transfiguration.\nAnd, in striking contrast to this, when he sank to the earth, amidst the\ngloomy shades of Gethsemane, overwhelmed by the \u201cagony and bloody sweat,\u201d\nPeter was one of the three chosen witnesses of that awful scene.\n\nIt is a fact that when he saw his Master walking on the water, he asked\npermission to come and meet him, by walking over the surface of the sea.\nJesus gave him leave to come. He got out of the ship, and began that\nwatery walk. But, when he saw the rough waves rising and swelling against\nhim, his heart sank, his faith failed, and he was beginning to sink, when\nJesus stretched forth his hand and saved him.\n\nIt is a fact that, on one occasion, Jesus sent Peter to the seaside with\na fishing-line to catch a fish, in whose mouth he was to find the money\nrequired to pay the taxes due to the government for himself and his\nMaster.\n\nIt is a fact that the night before the crucifixion of our Lord, Peter\nsolemnly declared that he would never forsake his Master, though all the\nrest of his followers should do so; and, even though he should have to\ndie for clinging to him. It is a fact, nevertheless, that he did forsake\nhim that very night, and three times deny that he knew him; yea, even\nwith oaths and curses. It is a fact that, notwithstanding this, Peter\nwas freely forgiven, on the morning of the resurrection, and restored to\nthe place which he had forfeited, as one of the twelve apostles.\n\nIt is a fact that after the ascension of Jesus into heaven, Peter was the\nfirst to propose the election of another apostle to fill the place which\nhad been left vacant by the death of the traitor Judas.\n\nIt is a fact that when the Holy Ghost came down on the day of Pentecost,\nPeter was the first of all the apostles to preach the gospel; and that\nthree thousand souls were converted, as the result of one day\u2019s labor;\nand that, in all the work done in the earliest history of the new church,\nhe was the principal preacher.\n\nIt is a fact that the first miracle of which we read in the history of\nthe new church was performed by Peter. It was the miracle of healing the\nlame man, who was sitting at \u201cthe gate of the temple called Beautiful,\u201d\nwhen Peter and John were entering the temple, at the hour for evening\nprayer. Acts iii: 1-9.\n\nIt is a fact that when the apostles were forbidden by the Jewish rulers\nto preach in the name of Jesus, Peter was the first boldly to tell them\nto their faces, that they must \u201cobey God, rather than men\u201d; and that, in\nspite of all that might be said, or done, to hinder them, they would go\non, and preach \u201cJesus Christ, and him crucified.\u201d Acts iv: 13-23.\n\nIt is a fact that as the first miracle of mercy in the early church was\nperformed by this apostle, so was the first miracle of judgment. We read\nabout this in Acts v: 1-10. It was before him that Ananias and Sapphira\nwere struck dead for the sin of lying and cheating.\n\nIt is a fact that the miraculous power of Peter was so great and so\nwell-known that people laid their sick friends down in the streets along\nwhich he was walking, that his shadow might fall upon them, and heal\nthem. Acts v:15.\n\nIt is a fact that the first missionary journey undertaken, in the early\nchurch, was by this apostle.\n\nIt is a fact that in the course of this journey he healed a lame man,\nwho had been confined to his bed eight years, with palsy. He also raised\nto life a good Christian woman, named Tabitha, or Dorcas. She lived at\nJoppa, and had spent her time in making garments for the poor. She was\nthe founder of the first Dorcas society of which we have ever heard; and\nher name has been connected with these excellent charities since then,\nall over the world. Acts ix: 32-43.\n\nIt is a fact that when the time came for the opening of the kingdom\nof heaven to the Gentiles, it was the apostle Peter who had the honor\nof performing this important act. He was the first minister of Christ\nwho ever preached the gospel to a Gentile, and made to him the offer\nof eternal life. He did this when he preached to Cornelius, the Roman\ncenturion, and received him into the church by baptism. We read about\nthis great event in the tenth chapter of the Acts.\n\nIt is a fact that, after this, Peter was put in prison by Herod, who was\npersecuting the Christians. He had just put the apostle James to death\nand intended to do the same with Peter. But his friends united in earnest\nprayer to God for him; and God sent an angel, who struck off his chains,\nopened the prison door, and set him free. Acts xii: 1-20.\n\nAfter this we have no clear account of the ministry of St. Peter. We only\nknow that he spent the rest of his life in going about from place to\nplace, preaching the blessed gospel of the great Master whom he loved so\nwell.\n\nIt is a fact, however, that he wrote the two epistles which bear his name\nand which have been such a comfort and blessing to the church for more\nthan eighteen centuries. And then, the last fact in his history is that\nhe suffered martyrdom, by crucifixion, in the city of Rome. We have no\ndefinite information about the time when this event took place, or about\nthe particulars connected with it. It is generally believed that the\ndeath of St. Peter occurred about the same time as that of the apostle\nPaul; and, that they both took place during the persecution that arose\nunder the cruel and bloody emperor Nero. The tradition is that when St.\nPeter came to the place of execution, he requested to be crucified with\nhis head downwards, because he felt that he was not worthy to suffer in\nthe same way in which his great Master was put to death.\n\nHere we have woven together more than twenty facts that make up the\nhistory of the apostle Peter.\n\n_The next thing for us to do is to notice some of the more important\nlessons taught us by this history._\n\n_The first lesson we may learn from the history of this apostle is,\nabout\u2014THE DANGER OF SELF-CONFIDENCE._\n\nSolomon says, \u201cHe that trusteth in his own heart is a fool.\u201d Prov.\nxxviii: 26. By a man trusting in his own heart, he means, having too much\nself-confidence. And the folly of this sort of trust is seen in this,\nthat it keeps us from seeking the help of God; and without this help,\nwe are not able to resist temptation when it overtakes us; and then we\nare sure to fall. We see a striking illustration of this in the case of\nPeter. When Jesus told the disciples that they would all forsake him,\nPeter had such trust in his own heart\u2014such confidence in himself,\u2014that he\nsaid, \u201cThough all men forsake thee, yet will I never forsake thee.\u201d And,\nwhen Jesus told him that, on that very night, he would deny him thrice,\nPeter, confidently, declared: \u201cThough I should die with thee, yet will I\nnot deny thee.\u201d And, no doubt, he was perfectly honest in saying this. He\nmeant just what he said. The trouble with him was that he did not know\nhimself. He trusted too much in his own heart. His confidence in himself\nled him to neglect praying for the help and strength he would need when\nthe temptation to deny his Master came before him.\n\nAnd so, that very night, when Jesus was delivered into the hands of his\nenemies, and some of those about him said to Peter,\u2014\u201cThou art one of\nthis man\u2019s disciples,\u201d his courage failed him. He not only denied that he\nwas a follower of Jesus, but even declared, with oaths and curses, that\nhe did not know him. Here we see the folly of self-confidence, of which\nSolomon speaks.\n\nAnd how many illustrations of this self-confidence we meet with!\n\n\u201cThe Folly of a Soldier\u2019s Self-Confidence.\u201d When the English commander,\nGeneral Braddock, in the early history of this country, was leading his\nlittle army through Pennsylvania to attack the French fort DuQuesne,\nwhere Pittsburgh now stands, George Washington, then a colonel, was an\nofficer in the general\u2019s staff. The French had enlisted the Indians on\ntheir side. Washington understood the mode of fighting which the Indians\nadopted. He knew their custom was to hide themselves in trees and fire\nupon their enemies without being seen.\n\nAs the English army was pursuing its march, not far from the fort they\nwere to attack, they came to a dense forest through which they had to\nmake their way. Washington knew that it was in just such a woody region\nthat they might expect to find the Indians. He told General Braddock\nwhat he feared and suggested that he should command the army to halt, and\nsend forward some scouts to examine the woods and find out if there were\nany Indians there before marching through. But the general had so much\nconfidence in himself and in his own way of managing his army that he\nrefused to listen to Washington\u2019s advice.\n\nThe army entered the forest; but they had not gone far before they were\nfired upon from every side. The firing was kept up. The soldiers were\nfalling to the ground, killed, or wounded; but no enemy was in sight, and\nno one could see where the firing came from. General Braddock and his\nchief officers were killed. The army was defeated; and Washington, the\nprincipal officer left alive, gathered their shattered ranks together;\nled them out from the woods and marched them back to the place from\nwhich they had started. The failure of that military enterprise, stands\nout on the page of history as a striking illustration of the folly of\nself-confidence.\n\n\u201cThe Folly of a Sailor\u2019s Self-Confidence.\u201d The captain of a ship had\nbrought his vessel to the entrance of the channel that leads to the\nharbor of one of the principal seaport towns of Scotland. He had often\nsailed in and out of that harbor. He felt confident that he could take\nthe vessel in himself. When the pilot came and offered his services, he\nsaid: \u201cNo, I\u2019ll be my own pilot. I know every rock in the channel. I am\nsure I can take the ship safely in.\u201d\n\nHe started on his way. It was blowing a gale at the time. But he had not\ngot far before the ship was dashed against a hidden rock of which he\ndid not know. The vessel went to pieces, almost in sight of the harbor,\nand the captain and his crew were all lost. Here we see the folly of\nself-confidence.\n\nBut we often see this folly even when it does not lead to such fatal\nresults as followed in the illustrations already given. This is clearly\nshown in the following fable:\n\n\u201cThe Owl That Thought He Could Sing.\u201d \u201cWhat in the world can bring so\nmany people into the grove to hear the nightingales sing?\u201d said a young\nowl to his mother.\n\nThe old owl didn\u2019t know and didn\u2019t care\u2014she was busy watching a bat.\n\n\u201cI am sure I have as fine a voice as any nightingale and a good deal\nstronger.\u201d\n\n\u201cStronger, certainly, my son,\u201d said the owl, blinking her eyes, for the\nbat had escaped.\n\n\u201cI shall go into the grove to-night, and give them a song,\u201d said the\nself-confident young owl.\n\nThe old owl opened her round eyes very wide, but said nothing.\n\nSo, when night came, and the hour for the sweet singing of the birds drew\nnear, he flew heavily along and placed himself in a part of the grove\nwhere he could be seen and heard to the best advantage.\n\nBut the nightingales did not like the prospect either of his company or\nhis help in their concert; so those of them who were going to sing flew\naway to another grove, while those who were to be quiet for the night\nkept snugly at roost.\n\n\u201cWhere can the nightingales be?\u201d said one of the people who had come to\nhear them.\n\nThen the self-confident young owl set up a hoot so long and loud that it\nstartled the people.\n\n\u201cThat horrid creature has frightened them all away,\u201d said one. \u201cWhere\u2019s\nmy gun? I\u2019ll soon fix him.\u201d The owl took the hint and without waiting\ntill the gun appeared hastened back home.\n\n[Illustration: Jesus Showeth Himself at the Sea of Tiberius\n\nBut when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the\ndisciples knew not that it was Jesus. Then Jesus saith unto them,\nChildren, have ye any meat? They answered him, No. And he said and unto\nthem, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They\ncast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude\nof fishes. Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It\nis the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt\n_his_ fisher\u2019s coat _unto him_, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself\ninto the sea. As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of\ncoals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread. Jesus saith unto them,\nBring of the fish which ye have now caught.... And none of the disciples\ndurst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord. Jesus then\ncometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise. This is now\nthe third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples, after that he\nwas risen from the dead.\u2014_St. John xxi: 4-7, 9, 10, 12-14._\n\n_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_\n\n_Next in order of the recorded appearances is that by the Sea of\nTiberius, whither the disciples had returned to await the promised\nmeeting with their Master, the seven who were fishermen resuming\nmeanwhile their former occupation. Disheartened and weary with a\nfruitless night\u2019s toil, they were returning homeward at dawn, when they\nperceived in the dim light the figure of one who had seemingly come down\nto the shore to buy their fish; and supposing from his words that he had\nnoticed indications of a shoal, they readily followed his directions,\nlaying out the net in the manner still in use on the lake. The success of\nthe cast at once suggested its true cause, and Peter, standing naked in\nthe boat after swimming round with the net to \u201cring\u201d the fish, paused but\na moment to gird on his short, striped abba, and once more leapt into the\nsea, eager to verify the glad surmise that the stranger was none other\nthan the Master himself. The background of the picture is the shore of\nthe lake to the north of Magdala with the Wady Hamm\u00e2m and Kurn Hatt\u00een in\nthe distance._\n\n78]\n\n\u201cYour feathers are ruffled, my son,\u201d said the old owl. \u201cHave you been\nsinging?\u201d\n\nThen the foolish young owl told about his disgrace and his narrow escape\nfrom death.\n\n\u201cIt is just what I expected,\u201d said his mother, \u201cand I\u2019m glad you are safe\nback.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen why did you let me go?\u201d he asked.\n\n\u201cBecause I saw you wouldn\u2019t mind what I said, and that nothing but\nexperience would teach you the folly of thinking too much of yourself.\u201d\n\nThat young owl had reason to feel thankful that he had learned this\nlesson without any greater harm or loss to himself.\n\nThe first lesson from the history of this apostle is about the danger of\nself-confidence.\n\n_The second lesson from this history is about\u2014DELIVERANCE FROM\nTEMPTATION._\n\nWhen we rise in the morning we can never tell what will happen to us\nbefore evening. But Jesus knows all about things before they come to\npass. At the beginning of a day, or week, or month, or year, he has a\nclear view of all that can happen to the end of it. Early in the evening\nof the night on which he was betrayed, Jesus said to Peter: \u201cSimon,\nSimon, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat;\nbut I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not.\u201d St. Luke xxii:\n31, 32. Looking forward through that sad and solemn night Jesus saw\nthat Satan, the great enemy of souls, had laid a snare or prepared a\ntemptation for Peter which, he thought, would ruin his soul forever. He\nhad arranged things in such a way that Peter would be tempted to deny his\nMaster, and would be most likely to yield to the temptation; and this\nwas so great a sin that it would seem sure to prevent him from being one\nof the apostles, and cause him to lose his soul. And such would have\nbeen the result, no doubt, if Jesus had not seen this temptation coming,\nand had not prepared a way of escape in the very midst of it. He prayed\nfor Peter, \u201cthat his faith might not fail.\u201d _And it was this prayer of\nJesus that saved Peter._ For we read in the gospel that as soon as he\nhad committed his great sin he was sorry for it. \u201c_He went out and wept\nbitterly._\u201d And it was just here that the prayer of Jesus secured to\nPeter the grace that led him to true repentance; _and this was what saved\nhim_. It was in this way that he was brought out of his temptation. We\ndo not wonder, therefore, to find St. Peter using these comforting words\nin one of his epistles: \u201cThe Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out\nof temptation.\u201d II. Peter ii: 9. He knew very well about this. He could\nspeak from his own experience here. His history affords a beautiful\nillustration of this passage from his epistle. And as we are all exposed\nto temptation it will be a great help and comfort to us to remember that\nwhat Jesus did for Peter he can do for us.\n\n\u201cAn Illustration from History.\u201d In an old English history, called \u201cThe\nChronicles of Froissart,\u201d there is an account given of the escape of\nthe garrison from a besieged citadel, which illustrates very well this\npart of our subject. An enemy\u2019s army had encamped before this citadel,\nfor the purpose of taking it. They had completely surrounded it. It was\nimpossible for anyone to go in or out of the place. The day was fixed\nfor storming the fortifications and putting the garrison to death. The\nassault was made. The walls were mounted and the gates forced open; but\nno one was found within. What had become of them? On examining the place,\nit was found that through the solid rock, on which the fortress was\nbuilt, a secret passage-way had been made. It led down under the walls,\nfar away from the besieged citadel, out into the beautiful country beyond\nit. Thus the soldiers and inhabitants of that fortress found \u201ca way of\nescape\u201d from the power of their enemies.\n\n\u201cAn Illustration from Daily Life.\u201d A gentleman who lived in a small\ncountry town in England obtained a situation for his son, a promising\nyoung man, in one of the banks in the city of London. His father took\nhim up to London and introduced him to the president of the bank and the\nother officers. On taking leave of his son, the father said: \u201cHarry, my\nboy, you must be obedient, obliging, civil, and respectful; be attentive\nto your business and trustworthy. Above all things, never forget these\nfour words\u2014\u2018_Thou, God, seest me._\u2019\u201d Harry promised his father, solemnly,\nto do as he had said. And he did so for awhile. He gained the confidence\nof all about him, and rose, by degrees, till he held one of the most\nresponsible positions in the bank. Thousands of pounds passed through his\nhands every day. At last, temptation overtook him. The thought came into\nhis mind how easy it would be to make himself rich by quietly taking some\nof this gold and silver, without anyone knowing it. He was frightened\nwhen this idea first entered his mind, and tried to put it away. But\nstill it would come back to him, again and again, till he ceased to be\nalarmed at it. Finally, it seemed to take full possession of him. He made\nup his mind to do it.\n\nOne evening, when all the others had left the bank, he remained behind,\nunder pretence of finishing some business. He went to the vault and put\nin the keys. The heavy door flew open. But, just as he had reached out\nhis hands, and grasped the money, his father\u2019s words\u2014\u201cThou, God, seest\nme\u201d\u2014came into his mind. The money dropped from his hands, as if it had\nbeen red-hot iron. He fell on his knees and cried,\u2014\u201cO, God, save me from\nthis temptation!\u201d And God did save him. He put the money back, and closed\nthe vault. Then he went to the president, and, with bitter cries and\ntears, confessed his fault and offered to resign his situation.\n\nThe president was a wise and good man. He said he would keep the secret\nto himself; and not allow him to give up his situation in the bank. But\nhe told him to seek every day the help of that God who had delivered him\nfrom this great temptation.\n\nHe went back to his duties, feeling that he had no strength in himself,\nbut firmly relying on the grace of God to \u201cdeliver him from evil,\u201d and\nremembering the great truth\u2014\u201cThou, God, seest me.\u201d\n\nLet us always remember this lesson from the history of St. Peter, about\ndeliverance from temptation.\n\n_The third lesson we learn from this history is about\u2014OVERCOMING\nPREJUDICE._\n\nThe word prejudice is made up of two Latin words. One of these means, to\njudge, or to form an opinion, or to make up our minds on any subject;\nand the other means, beforehand. And a person who has a prejudice, is\none who has made up his mind about something before he understands it.\nWhen Nathanael first heard our Saviour spoken of as \u201cJesus of Nazareth,\u201d\nhe asked: \u201cCan any good thing come out of Nazareth?\u201d He had a prejudice\nagainst it. He had made up his mind that nothing good could come out of\nit, before he really knew the place. And so the Jews and the Samaritans\nhad a very great prejudice against each other. The Jews thought it\nimpossible that there should be any good Samaritans, and the Samaritans\nthought it impossible that there should be any good Jews. But they were\nboth mistaken. They had made up their minds on this subject before they\nunderstood it.\n\nBut perhaps there never was a stronger prejudice than that which the Jews\nhad toward the Gentiles. They thought it was impossible for them to be\nsaved; and they would never share any of their religious privileges with\nthem. And as the apostle Peter was a Jew, he had this strong prejudice\nagainst the Gentiles. And how strong this prejudice was, we see from the\ngreat trouble taken to overcome it. When God wished to have Peter go and\npreach the gospel to the Gentiles, his prejudice against them was so\nstrong, that three miracles had to be performed before that prejudice\ncould be overcome and he be willing to obey God\u2019s command in this matter.\nWe read about this in the tenth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles.\n\nPeter was at Joppa, at this time, staying at the house of Simon the\ntanner, by the seaside. Here he had a vision. In the vision, he saw a\ngreat sheet, fastened by the four corners, and let down from heaven. In\nthis sheet were all manner of four-footed beasts, and creeping things,\nand fowls of the air. As he gazed on them, he heard a voice saying,\n\u201cRise, Peter, slay and eat.\u201d But many of these creatures were such as\nthe Jews thought unclean. So Peter declined to do this, for he said that\n\u201cnothing common, or unclean, had ever entered his mouth.\u201d The same voice\ntold him not to call anything unclean that God had cleansed. This was\ndone three times; and all was taken up to heaven. Here was the first\nmiracle performed to overcome the prejudice of Peter.\n\nJust as this vision ended, three men came to the house of Simon,\ninquiring for Peter. They were sent by Cornelius, a Roman centurion, who\nlived at C\u00e6sarea, on the seacoast, more than a day\u2019s journey from Joppa.\nCornelius was trying to find out the way of salvation. He had prayed\nearnestly to God for direction. God had sent an angel to tell him to send\nto Joppa, and ask Simon Peter to come and preach the gospel to him, or to\ntell him how he was to be saved. This was the second miracle wrought on\npurpose to overcome the prejudice of Peter.\n\nAnd while these men were inquiring for Peter, the Spirit of God spoke to\nhim and told him to go with the men and do what they wanted him to do,\nbecause he had sent them. This was the third miracle that took place on\nthis occasion. And thus the strong prejudice of Peter was overcome. He\nwent with these men. He preached the gospel to a company of Gentiles. And\nwhen he saw the Holy Ghost come down on them, in a visible form, as it\nhad come down on the apostles, on the day of Pentecost, he baptized them,\nand received them into the church. And thus Peter had the honor of being\nthe first minister of Christ who preached the gospel to the Gentiles. He\nfirst opened the door of the Christian church to them. The prejudice of\nPeter, if it had not been overcome, would have prevented him from being\nuseful in this way.\n\nAnd if we wish to be useful, and do the work God has for us to do, we\nmust try to overcome our prejudices.\n\n\u201cA Lesson from a Pair of Shoes.\u201d There was a minister of the gospel once,\nwho had a member of his church who was a shoemaker. He thought no one\ncould be a Christian who did not think and feel just as he did. This\ninterfered with his usefulness. His minister had often talked with him on\nthe subject, but in vain. At last, he concluded to give him a lesson from\nhis own trade, which he would not be likely to forget, and which he hoped\nwould do him good. He did it in this way:\n\nHe sent for the shoemaker one day, and when he came in, he said, \u201cI wish\nyou to take my measure for a pair of shoes.\u201d\n\n\u201cI will do so with pleasure; please take off your boot.\u201d\n\nThe minister did so; and the shoemaker took his measure, put down the\nfigures in his notebook, and was going away, when the minister said to\nhim, \u201cI want a pair of boots also for my son.\u201d\n\n\u201cVery good, sir. Can I take the young man\u2019s measure?\u201d\n\n\u201cThat is not necessary,\u201d said the pastor, \u201cyou can make my boots and his\nfrom the same last.\u201d\n\n\u201cPlease, your reverence, that will never do,\u201d said the shoemaker, with a\nsmile of surprise.\n\n\u201cO yes, it will do very well. Make my shoes and my son\u2019s on the same\nlast.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat cannot be, your reverence. If a shoe is to fit it must be made on a\nlast that is just the size of the person\u2019s foot who is to wear it.\u201d\n\n\u201cIs that so?\u201d said the minister. \u201cYou say every pair of shoes must be\nmade on their own last or they will not fit. And yet you think that God\nmust make all Christians on _your_ last; and if they do not think and\nfeel just as you do you think they are not true Christians.\u201d\n\n\u201cI thank your reverence for this lesson,\u201d said the shoemaker. \u201cI will try\nand remember it, and pray God to help me to overcome my prejudices.\u201d\n\nThis is a good lesson for us all to learn.\n\n_The last lesson of which we may speak, as taught us by the history of\nthis apostle, is about\u2014THE BENEFIT OF TRIALS._\n\nWhen Jesus foresaw the great trial that was coming on Peter, during the\nnight of his betrayal, he could easily have saved him from it if he had\nthought it best and wisest to do so. Before leaving the upper chamber\nin Jerusalem where he kept the Passover for the last time with his\ndisciples, he could have sent Peter on some errand or could have given\nhim something to do that would have occupied him till the next day. Then\nhe would not have been exposed to the temptation of denying his Master.\nThis could easily have been done. But Jesus did not do this. And the\nreason was he knew very well that though the trial would be very painful\nto Peter, and would cause him to shed many bitter and sorrowful tears,\nyet it would be useful to him in the end, and would help to make him a\nbetter minister than he could have been without it. It would show him\nhis own weakness, and teach him how to sympathize with others in their\ntroubles and to be kind and tender in his dealings with them. And this\nis what Jesus meant when he said to Peter after telling him about this\ncoming trial: \u201cAnd when thou art converted, _strengthen thy brethren_.\u201d\n\nAnd no doubt Peter had this sorrowful event in his mind, and the benefit\nhe had derived from it, when, in one of his epistles, he compares the\ntrials through which God causes us to pass to the fire into which the\njeweler puts his gold when he desires to have it purified. I. Peter i:\n17. He was a more useful minister for having passed through this trial\nthan he ever could have been without it. The benefit of it followed him\nthrough all his life. And this was the reason why Jesus did not save him\n_from_ that trial, but saved him _in_ it.\n\nAnd in the same way God intends to do us good by all the trials through\nwhich he causes us to pass. It is not for _his_ pleasure, but for our\nprofit that these trials are allowed to come upon us; and the profit will\nsurely follow if, as Paul says, we are rightly \u201cexercised thereby.\u201d\n\nIt would be easy enough to give many illustrations of this important\nlesson, but there is room for only one. We may call it:\n\n\u201cThe Marble-Block; or, The Sculptor\u2019s Lesson.\u201d \u201cOne of my scholars,\u201d says\na Sunday-school teacher, \u201chad a little sister who was lame. Her name was\nAnnie. I often called to see her, and pitied her as I saw her sitting\nby the window watching the other children on the playground. In addition\nto her lameness she was sometimes so sick that she could not sit at the\nwindow. One bright spring day I bought for her some oranges and candies\nand a pretty picture-book, and hoped to comfort her with these. I gave\nher the oranges and candies, and read to her from the little book; but\nstill she seemed sad.\n\n\u201c\u2018Why are you so sad to-day, Annie, dear?\u2019 I said.\n\n\u201c\u2018Oh, ma\u2019am,\u2019 she replied, \u2018I don\u2019t see why God should afflict me, and\nyet let other children be so well and happy. But if I only knew that God\nwas not angry with me I shouldn\u2019t care so much.\u2019\n\n\u201cI asked her to take a little walk with me. In the course of our walk I\ntook her into the room of a sculptor whom I knew. Here were a number of\nbeautiful marble figures and some blocks of rough marble. The artist was\nat work on one of these, and Annie and I watched him with great interest.\nPresently I pointed to a great rough, dark block of marble that stood in\nthe middle of the room, and said: \u2018Do you like that, Annie?\u2019\n\n\u201c\u2018Oh, no,\u2019 she said, \u2018why did they bring such an ugly block here?\u2019\n\n\u201c\u2018That block,\u2019 said the artist, \u2018I shall begin to work upon to-morrow.\nCome in and see it again.\u2019\n\n\u201cThe next day Annie and I went in again. The artist spent most of that\nday in simply knocking off the rough places. Day after day we watched\nhim; and every day the block seemed to grow less ugly. The sharp chisel\ncut here, and there, and everywhere. As we watched him we often thought\nif the block was alive and could feel how much it would suffer from the\nblows of that chisel!\n\n\u201cAfter a while the artist sent us an invitation to come to his studio. I\ntook my little friend and went. As we entered, he said: \u2018I have something\nto show Annie.\u2019 Then he drew aside a thin, white veil, and behold! there\nstood before us, white as the driven snow, the beautiful image of an\nangel, that had been made out of that rough marble block. Annie shouted\nwith joy when she saw it.\n\n\u201c\u2018Now, Annie, dear,\u2019 I said, \u2018do you think the sculptor hated that rough\nblock of marble when he gave it so many hard knocks?\u2019\n\n\u201c\u2018Oh, no,\u2019 said she, \u2018he loved it; and every blow he gave showed his love\nfor it.\u2019\n\n[Illustration: Jesus, His Work Accomplished, Ascends Into Heaven\n\nAnd he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and\nblessed them. And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted\nfrom them, and carried up into heaven.\u2014And while they looked stedfastly\ntoward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white\napparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into\nheaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so\ncome in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.\u2014_St. Luke xxiv:\n50, 51; Acts i: 10, 11._\n\n_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_\n\n_\u201cAnd he led them out as far as to Bethany,\u201d passing through the streets\nof the city, thronged with busy crowds, who knew not that Jesus of\nNazareth passed by. Over the ridge of Olivet there is a path leading to\nBethany, and following this the traveller reaches a secluded spot on the\nfurther slope of the hill, and within sight of the home that Jesus had\nknown and loved; and he pauses in reverence, for these silent stones may\nhave witnessed the crowning scene of the world\u2019s Redemption\u2014Jesus, son\nof God and son of Man, received up to Heaven, a cloud of adoring angels\nconcealing from mortal gaze his entrance through the everlasting doors\ninto the presence of the Father._\n\n79]\n\n\u201c\u2018And so, my dear child,\u2019 said I, \u2018does God love us. And the trials which\nhe sends on us are the proofs of his love. As the sculptor was trying to\nmake this image of an angel out of the marble block, by every blow he\ngave it, so God, by all the afflictions of this life, is fitting us to be\nlike the angels in the heavenly kingdom.\u2019\n\n\u201c\u2018Now, I shall never feel sad on account of my lameness,\u2019 said Annie. \u2018To\nthink that this is a proof of God\u2019s love will always make me happy.\u2019\u201d\n\nLet us remember these four lessons when we think of the history of the\napostle Peter. The lesson about _self-confidence_\u2014about _deliverance\nfrom temptation_\u2014about _overcoming prejudice_\u2014and about _the benefit of\ntrials_.\n\nWe may close this subject with the Collect for All Saints\u2019 Day: \u201cO\nAlmighty God, who hast knit together thine elect in one communion and\nfellowship, in the mystical body of thy Son Christ, our Lord: grant us\ngrace so to follow thy blessed saints, in all virtuous and godly living,\nthat we may come to those unspeakable joys which thou hast prepared for\nthose who unfeignedly love thee; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nST. JOHN AND ST. PAUL\n\n\nIn the original plan of this work, it was intended to have a separate\nchapter for each of these two noble workers in the cause of Christ. But\nroom for this fails. All that can be done is to give a brief sketch of\neach in this closing chapter.\n\nWe have now to speak of the apostle John. Most of the pictures that have\nbeen made of this apostle, represent him as looking more like a woman\nthan a man. But we shall find that there was no authority for this when\nwe come to see what his real character was.\n\nHe is supposed to have been born in Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and\nPeter. This town was situated on the western shore of the sea of Galilee,\nor the lake of Tiberias, at the upper part of the lake. His father\u2019s name\nwas Zebedee, and his mother\u2019s, Salome. We know nothing more of Zebedee\nthan that he was a fisherman, the husband of Salome, and the father of\nJames and John. Salome, the mother of John, we often read of afterwards,\nas one of those good women who followed our Lord through the different\nscenes of his ministry, and were a great help and comfort to him. John is\nsupposed to have been younger than his brother James, who is generally\nmentioned first when they are spoken of together. They are referred to,\nas \u201cJames and John, the sons of Zebedee.\u201d John was probably the youngest\nof all the apostles. It is said, that he was younger than the Saviour\nhimself, having been born in the year four, Anno Domini, or when Jesus\nwas four years old.\n\nThe family of this apostle is supposed to have been better off in regard\nto property than any of the other apostles. This is evident from several\nthings mentioned about him and his family. One thing which shows this is\nthat when John and his brother James were called from their business as\nfishermen, to follow Christ, we are told that \u201cthey left their father\nZebedee in the ship with the _hired servants_.\u201d St. Mark i: 20. Andrew\nand Peter were too poor to have hired servants. They had to do all their\nown work. But Zebedee could afford to hire help for himself and sons.\nAnd then, at the time of our Saviour\u2019s trial, the servants who kept the\ndoor of the judgment hall, in which the trial took place, allowed John to\nenter the hall, because they knew he was acquainted with the high priest.\nSt. John xviii: 16. And then when Jesus left his mother in the charge\nof John, while hanging on the cross, we are told, that from that day,\n\u201che took her to his own home.\u201d St. John xix: 27. John had a home of his\nown at Jerusalem. From all this, it seems clear that the family of this\napostle were better off in worldly things than were the families of the\nother apostles.\n\nNow we may just glance at _what John\u2019s character was by nature_, or\nbefore he was a Christian; and _what it was by grace, or after he became\na Christian_.\n\nFrom what we read of this apostle in the gospel history, we see that\nthere were three things in John\u2019s natural character which show that he\nwas not the weak, womanly sort of man he is represented to have been in\nmost of the pictures that have been made of him.\n\nFor one thing, it is clear that John was naturally _an ambitious man_.\nThis is evident from the request to Jesus by John and his brother James,\nthrough their mother, that they might have the highest places in his\nkingdom. St. Matt. xx: 20-23. Their mother made the request. But she\nprobably consulted them about it first. And if they had not agreed in\nit, she would not be likely to have done it. This shows that they were\nall ambitious together. And so we are right in saying that John was\nambitious. He wanted the best place in Christ\u2019s kingdom for himself,\nwithout thinking whether others might not be better fitted for it. Our\nSaviour\u2019s reply shows that he was wrong in giving way to this ambitious\nfeeling. But then this shows that there was a good deal of strength in\nJohn\u2019s natural character. He was ambitious.\n\nAnd then he was _narrow-minded_, as well as ambitious in his natural\ncharacter.\n\nPersons of this character are accustomed to think that all those who\nthink, or feel, or act differently from what they do, must certainly be\nwrong. And this was the way John felt when he first became a disciple of\nChrist. He came to Jesus one day and said, \u201cMaster, we saw one casting\nout devils in thy name, and we forbade him, because he followeth not us.\u201d\nJesus rebuked him for giving way to his narrow-mindedness, or bigotry,\nor uncharitableness. It was wrong for him to think that no one could\nbe doing good, or be serving God acceptably, unless it was done in just\nthe same way in which he was doing it. This was a wrong feeling to have,\nbut it shows there was a good deal of decision and strength about John\u2019s\nnatural character.\n\nAnd then another thing about John before he became a Christian, was\nthat he was _an angry, or passionate man_. As Jesus was going up to\nJerusalem on one occasion, in the company of his disciples, they came to\na Samaritan village.\n\nWhen the Samaritans in the village found that he was going to Jerusalem,\nit stirred up all their prejudice against the Jews, and they refused to\nreceive him. They would not let him stop for rest or refreshment. This\nmade the disciples very angry, and John and his brother James showed\ntheir anger by saying, \u201cLord, wilt thou that we call down fire from\nheaven, to consume them, as Elias did?\u201d St. Luke ix: 51-57. But Jesus\nrebuked them, and showed them that this was not the right spirit for his\ndisciples to have.\n\nThese traits of John\u2019s natural character, although they are not to be\napproved or admired, yet show that he was a man of a good deal of force\nof character, and very different from what his pictures represent him to\nhave been. But when we turn from considering what he was by nature, or\nbefore he became a Christian, and think of what he was by grace, or after\nhe became a Christian, we see a wonderful change. The apostle Paul tells\nus, \u201cthat if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things have\npassed away, and all things have become new.\u201d And it was so with this\napostle. When he learned to know and love Christ, the old things about\nhis character passed away, and all things became new. After this we see\nno more of his ambition, of his narrow-mindedness, or of his passion.\n\nThe one thing that marked his character as a Christian was _love_. He\nseemed to get nearer to Jesus than any of the other disciples. And it is\nalways the case, that the nearer we get to Jesus and the more we learn\nto know him, the more we shall love him. John\u2019s love to Christ seemed\nto take entire possession of him. It filled his whole soul. And so we\nthink of him as the _apostle of love_. He is spoken of particularly as\n\u201cthe disciple whom Jesus loved.\u201d It was he who sat nearest to his Lord\nand leaned on his bosom at the last Passover. Peter was great for his\nreadiness in serving Christ; Paul was great for the learning and the\nlabor with which he served his Master; but John was great in the love for\nthat Master, which ran through all he did. And this great love made him\nuseful both _in his life_ and _in his writings_.\n\nIt made him useful in his life. There is nothing that will lead to such\nearnest and devoted labor as this principle of love. We know but little\nof the life of this loving apostle after the ascension of Christ. We\nhave no report of his missionary journeys, as we have in the case of the\napostles Peter and Paul. But we know he was so earnest in the cause of\nhis Master that he was sent a prisoner to the island of Patmos to stop\nhis labor, but in vain. He was willing to be an exile, a prisoner, and,\nas some say, a laborer in the mines, but he was not willing to give up\nworking for his Master. Tradition tells us that he had to take his choice\nbetween stopping his work for Jesus and being thrown into a cauldron of\nboiling oil. He could not cease from his work. He was thrown into the\nboiling oil; but came out uninjured and kept on with that work which his\nlove constrained him to do. He lived the longest of all the apostles, and\nwas the only one of them who died a natural death. And in the closing\ndays of his life, when too feeble to do anything else, we are told that\nhe used to be carried into the church at Ephesus, where his latest labors\nhad been performed, and, standing up in the midst of the congregation,\nwould stretch forth his trembling hands and say, \u201cLittle children, love\none another.\u201d What a beautiful close to the life of this loving apostle!\nTruly his love made him _useful in his life_.\n\nAnd then it _made him useful in his writings, too_. Think of the gospel\nof St. John. How different it is from all the others! John\u2019s love for\nJesus seemed to bring him nearer to his great heart of love than the\nrest of the brethren. We are not surprised, therefore, to see that\nlove speaking out more clearly and fully in his writings than it does\nanywhere else. It is only John who gives us that wondrous statement, that\nglorious, golden epitome of the gospel which is found in the sixteenth\nverse of his third chapter\u2014\u201cGod so loved the world that he gave his only\nbegotten Son; that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have\neverlasting life.\u201d And then think of the marvellous discourses of our\nSaviour found in the fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth chapters of\nthis gospel; and of that most sublime and wonderful prayer of Jesus, for\nall his people, found in the seventeenth chapter. O, no one can tell what\nan unspeakable loss the Church of Christ would have sustained if this\nloving apostle had not written his precious gospel!\n\nAnd then how useful he has been in his epistles, too, as well as in his\ngospel! Love is the golden thread that runs through them all. Look at the\nopening words of the third chapter of his first epistle. How the very\nheart of the loving disciple seems to be speaking out when he exclaims:\n\u201cBehold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we\nshould be called the sons of God!\u201d It is remarkable that the two shortest\nverses in the whole Bible, and yet two among those that most melt, and\nstir our hearts, were written by this apostle. One of these is in his\ngospel and contains only two words\u2014\u201c_Jesus wept._\u201d The other is in one\nof his epistles and contains only three words\u2014\u201c_God is love._\u201d If he had\nnever written anything else than these two verses, how well it might be\nsaid that he was useful in his writings!\n\nAnd then think of that marvellous book with which the Bible closes. We\ncall it \u201cThe Revelation of St. John the Divine.\u201d For, although it is\ntrue that there is much in this book that we cannot understand, yet its\nopening and closing chapters have been an unspeakable blessing to the\nChurch in all ages. When St. John closes the Bible with those last two\nchapters of the Revelations, it seems as if he had been permitted to\nleave the gates of heaven ajar on purpose that we might gaze through them\nin wondering awe. Those jewelled walls; those pearly gates; those golden\nstreets; that river of the water of life, clear as crystal; and all the\nsparkling imagery employed by this loving apostle in what he here tells\nus about heaven, how can we sufficiently thank God for permitting his\nservant John to write such glorious things for us? Truly we may say that\nhis love made him useful in his life and useful in his writings!\n\nI know not how better to close this brief sketch of the life of St. John\nthe Evangelist than by quoting here the words of that beautiful Collect\nwhich our Church uses on the day with which his memory is connected:\n\n\u201cMerciful Lord, we beseech thee to cast thy bright beams of light upon\nthy church, that it, being instructed by the doctrine of thy blessed\nApostle and Evangelist, St. John, may so walk in the light of thy truth,\nthat it may at length attain to everlasting life, through Jesus Christ\nour Lord. Amen.\u201d\n\n  \u201cPraise, for the loved disciple, exile on Patmos\u2019 shore;\n  Praise for the faithful record he to thy Godhead bore;\n  Praise for the mystic vision, through him to us revealed;\n  May we, in patience waiting, with thine elect be sealed.\u201d\n\n\nTHE APOSTLE PAUL.\n\nIt would require a large volume to consider fully and properly the\ncharacter and work of this apostle. We have only space to take a hasty\nglance at the subject. But even this, it is hoped, may prove useful to\nthose who read it.\n\nSt. Paul spoke of himself as \u201cthe least of all the apostles.\u201d I. Cor. xv:\n9. It was natural and proper enough for him to think lowly of himself.\nBut he stands alone in this opinion. Nobody agrees with him here. We all\nlove to think and speak of him as\u2014\u201cthe _great_ apostle of the Gentiles.\u201d\nWhen first converted, he began his ministry by preaching to his own\ncountrymen, the Jews. But finding their prejudices against \u201cJesus of\nNazareth,\u201d were so strong that they would not listen to him, he changed\nhis course and turned to the Gentiles. And well he may be called\u2014\u201cthe\ngreat apostle.\u201d He was great in every view we can take of him. Let us\nnotice now, as briefly as we can, some of the elements of greatness about\nthis apostle.\n\nIn the first place, he was _great in the natural talents_ that it\npleased God to give him. He had a stronger, clearer mind than any other\nof the apostles. He could take hold of the greatest subjects brought\nbefore him and handle them and master them with wonderful power. He\nhad great reasoning powers. He could argue and reason about anything\nin the grandest way. And then he had great powers as a speaker. He was\nmarvellously eloquent. See what an illustration we have of this in his\nfamous speech on the top of Mar\u2019s Hill, in the city of Athens, as we\nread it in Acts xvii: 16-32. We have another illustration of this in his\nspeech before Agrippa, in Acts, twenty-sixth chapter. I would gladly give\nanything I have in the world to have enjoyed the privilege of hearing\nPaul deliver that speech. When Agrippa interrupted him by saying, \u201cAlmost\nthou persuadest me to be a Christian;\u201d only think how touching it must\nhave been to see Paul lift up his chained hands towards heaven and say\nwith the tenderest feeling\u2014\u201cI would to God, that not only _thou_, but\nalso all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as\nI am; except these bonds!\u201d\n\n[Illustration: The Church of Jesus Christ\n\nFor where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in\nthe midst of them.\u2014Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have\ncommanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, _even_ unto the end of the\nworld. Amen.\u2014_St. Matt. xviii: 20; xxviii: 20._\n\n_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_\n\n_Yet this is not the close of the Great Story, and the painter\u2019s work\nis incomplete unless he endeavors to visualise the Truth, that, as the\nMaster has promised, his presence and his blessing are with his faithful\nworshipers even unto the end of the world. The picture represents no\nspecial people or period, and the Byzantine architecture most fitly\nsymbolizes One, Universal Church, of which Jesus Christ is the Founder\nand the Head._\n\n80]\n\nHe was great in _his early opportunities_. He was born at Tarsus, and\nhad a better education than any of the other apostles. His family were\nwell off. It is no argument against this to say that he was a tent-maker\nby trade. For it was customary among the Jews, even with the richest\nfamilies, to teach their sons some useful trade. Paul went through the\nbest schools that were to be had then. He had studied all about history,\nand philosophy, and poetry. And he was learned also in all matters\nconcerning the religion of the Jews. He tells us himself that he was\n\u201cbrought up at the feet of Gamaliel\u201d\u2014who was, at that time, the most\nfamous of all their teachers.\n\nHe was _great_ in his _prejudices_. He was a real Jew in this respect.\nThey all had very strong prejudices against people who differed from them\nin their religion. But Paul was stronger in his prejudices than even his\ncountrymen were. We see this in the first mention that is made of him\nin the New Testament. This was at the death of the first martyr, St.\nStephen. The wicked men who stoned him, we are told, \u201claid down their\nclothes at the feet of a young man whose name was Saul.\u201d And then we\nsee the strength of his prejudice in the fierceness of the persecution\nwhich he carried on against the followers of Jesus. He \u201cbreathed out\nthreatenings and slaughter\u201d against them. He was \u201cexceeding mad against\nthem.\u201d Not content with imprisoning and putting to death those who lived\nin Jerusalem, he \u201cpersecuted them even unto strange cities.\u201d Furnished\nwith letters from the chief priests, he went as far as Damascus, that he\nmight seize and bring bound to Jerusalem any of the followers of Jesus\nfound there. How unlikely it seemed that one who was so very strong in\nhis prejudices should ever, himself, become a follower and an apostle of\nJesus!\n\nBut he was _great in his conversion_. It was impossible for him to be\nconverted as other men were. It is hearing about Jesus which leads to\nthe conversion of men. But Paul would not listen to the preaching of the\ngospel. He would allow no one to speak to him about Jesus of Nazareth.\nHe believed that he was a wicked impostor, and he hated him most\nbitterly. And so it pleased God to work a miracle for his conversion.\nHe had gone on his journey, till he had nearly reached Damascus, when\na marvellous scene occurred. Suddenly the heavens seemed to open above\nhim. A light shone around him above the brightness of the sun. A strange\nvoice was heard speaking to him. It came from heaven. The words it spoke\nwere\u2014\u201cSaul, Saul, why persecutest thou me!\u201d He gave one look at the\nopening heavens and then fell overpowered to the earth. \u201cWho art thou,\nLord!\u201d was his astonished inquiry. And the answer, more astonishing\nstill, was\u2014\u201cI am _Jesus_ whom thou persecutest!\u201d What a revelation\nthat was to him! How overwhelming was his amazement! No wonder that he\nwas converted by that vision. It was indeed a great conversion. He was\nbaptized by Ananias at Damascus, and began at once to preach that gospel\nwhich he had gone there hoping to destroy. Such was the commencement of\nPaul\u2019s life as a Christian and his labors as an apostle. Everything about\nit was great.\n\nAnd then he was _great in his privileges_. He saw the risen and ascended\nLord amidst the glories of the heavenly world. What a privilege this\nwas! It was a privilege which none of the other apostles enjoyed except\nSt. John. We have an account of his vision of the glorious Saviour in\nthe first chapter of the Revelation, verses 10-20. And then afterwards,\nSt. Paul was taken up into the third heavens, or into Paradise, and\nsaw and heard things of which it is not lawful or possible to speak.\nHe had broader and fuller and clearer views of the great doctrines of\nour holy religion than any of the apostles. And this is one of the\ngreatest privileges we can have in this world. We see the proof of Paul\u2019s\nprivileges in this respect in all the blessed teachings he has given us\nin his epistles about Christ and his salvation.\n\nHe was _great in his labors_. When he found out the great mistake he had\nmade respecting Christ, and learned to know and love him as the one, only\nglorious Saviour of lost sinners, the love for Christ kindled in his soul\nby this discovery constrained him to give himself a living sacrifice to\nhim. And the burning zeal with which he began to work for his Saviour\nnever grew cold. The apostles were all earnest in their labors for Jesus;\nbut Paul was the most earnest and the most untiring of them all. In his\ncase, it was indeed true, that the last became first. No one city or\ncountry was large enough to be the field of his labors. He went from city\nto city, and from country to country, till he had gone all over the world\nas it was then known. And when he had gone all over the earth once,\npreaching the gospel, he was not satisfied. When one missionary journey\nwas ended, he began another; and then another, and so on to the end of\nhis days. Then he sealed his life\u2019s labors with his blood, and died a\nmartyr\u2019s death at Rome by order of the cruel emperor Nero. The tradition\nis that he was beheaded outside of the walls of that great city. And\non the spot which is said to be the place of his death, there stands a\nbeautiful church, called after him, and which is a monument to his memory.\n\nHow well it may be said of him that he was great in his labors. And yet\nthe Saviour, whom he served so faithfully, had done nothing for him which\nhe has not done for you and me. He bore the same cross, and shed the\nsame precious blood for us, that he did for Paul. Then, in our labors\nfor Jesus, let us try to follow Paul, as he followed Christ. If we try\nto catch Paul\u2019s spirit, whoever we are, or wherever we may be, we shall\nfind it easy and pleasant to work for our blessed Master. Here is an\nillustration of what I mean. We may call it:\n\n\u201cPaul\u2019s Spirit in a Child.\u201d A little girl had great dislike for sewing.\nShe had commenced making a bed-quilt, but was not likely to finish it\nsoon. One day she came home from Sabbath-school. They had been having\na missionary-meeting there, and she was full of zeal in the missionary\ncause. \u201cMamma,\u201d she asked, \u201ccan\u2019t I do some work to earn money for our\nmissionary box?\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, Lizzie, darling,\u201d said her mother, \u201cif you will finish one block\nfor the quilt, every other day, I will gladly pay you for it, and you can\ngive this as your own offering to the missionary cause.\u201d\n\nPoor Lizzie\u2019s face grew sad on hearing this; for she disliked this kind\nof work very much. It seemed as if her missionary spirit was likely to\ndie out at once. But, after thinking over it a little while, her face\nbrightened up and she said, \u201cWell, mamma, I\u2019ll piece blocks, or do\nanything else you wish me to do, for Jesus\u2019 sake. Amen.\u201d That quilt was\nsoon finished, and there is now an earnest, active little worker for\nmissions in that home. This was Paul\u2019s spirit in a child. And if we get\nthat spirit, it will make us all, like Paul, great in our labors for\nChrist.\n\nBut Paul was _great in his sufferings_, too, as well as in his labors.\n\nBefore he became a Christian he had the prospect of rising to a position\nof great honor and great profit in connection with the Jewish church.\nBut he gave this all up at the time of his conversion. He tells us that,\n\u201cwhat things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea,\ndoubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the\nknowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord.\u201d Phil. iii: 7, 8. There is something\nvery touching in the record which this great apostle has left us of his\nsufferings for Christ. He speaks of himself as having been\u2014\u201cIn labors\nmore abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in\ndeaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.\nThrice I was beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered\nshipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep. In journeyings\noften, in perils of water, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own\ncountrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils\nin the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren.\nIn weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst,\nin fastings often, in cold and nakedness.\u201d II. Cor. xi: 23-28. What a\nmarvellous record of sufferings we have here! There is perhaps nothing\nlike it to be found in the whole history of the Church of Christ. And\nyet the apostle never had a word of complaint to make. The spirit in\nwhich he bore his sufferings for Christ is beautifully illustrated in\nthe glimpse we have of him in the prison at Philippi. His back had been\ntorn with cruel scourges. His feet were made fast in the stocks. We might\nhave expected that he would spend that night in sighing and crying.\nBut, instead of this, we read that\u2014\u201cAt midnight, Paul and Silas,\u201d\u2014his\ncompanion in labor and suffering\u2014\u201cprayed, and sang praises to God.\u201d Acts\nxvi: 25. Surely this should make us ashamed of complaining on account\nof any trifling suffering we may have to bear in the cause of our great\nMaster. And Paul had no relief from these sufferings. He went on bearing\nthem cheerfully to the very close of his life. How was he able to do\nthis? There is only one answer to give to this question. It was his love\nfor Jesus that made him so willing to labor and to suffer for him. And if\nwe love Jesus, we should be willing to suffer for him, too.\n\nHere is a striking illustration of the way in which real love will make\none willing to suffer even for a friend or fellow-creature. We may call\nit:\n\n\u201cLove Triumphing Over Suffering.\u201d Some years ago a fine church was\nbuilt in one of the towns in Belgium. It was all finished at last,\nexcept the fastening of the weather-vane on the top of the steeple. The\nscaffolding was not high enough to reach it. There was no way in which\nthe work could be done, but for one workman to stand on the highest part\nof the scaffolding and let the other workman stand on his shoulders,\nwhile he put the vane on the steeple, and soldered it in its place. A\nbrave-hearted, broad-shouldered workman agreed to stand there for this\npurpose. He took his position, holding on to a piece of scaffolding. His\ncompanion climbed up and stood on his shoulders. The vane and vessel\nof melted lead were handed up to him. It was a perilous thing to do. A\ncrowd of spectators below watched the operation almost breathless with\nanxiety. The moments seem like hours, as the work goes on. At last it is\ndone. The men come down amidst the shouts of the multitude. But, when the\nbrave man who had borne his friend on his shoulders reached the bottom of\nthe ladder, he fell exhausted to the earth, and had to be carried home.\nThen it was found that the poor fellow\u2019s back was in a dreadful state.\nWhile the man was doing his work on the vane, some of the melted lead had\ndropped down on the friend who was supporting him. But he stood bravely\nstill. He would not move an inch, for that would have caused the death of\nhis companion. Here was love triumphing over suffering. And if that brave\nman was willing to bear all this for his earthly friend, what should we\nnot be willing to bear for Christ, \u201cthe friend who sticketh closer than a\nbrother?\u201d\n\nIn the next place the apostle Paul was _great in his influence_. Suppose\nwe could have a history written of all the persons who were converted by\nthe preaching of this apostle during his life; and then of all who were\nconverted by them, and so on, from one generation to another, down to\nour own times, what a wonderfully interesting history that would be! Or\nsuppose we could trace out, in the same way, all the good that has been\ndone by the writings of this apostle; the persons who have been brought\nto Jesus by reading the truths found in those writings, or who have\nbeen instructed, or guided, or comforted, encouraged, and helped by the\nsame\u2014how surprising it would be! Then we should see, indeed, how great\nthis influence has been!\n\nThere are twenty-one epistles in the New Testament. Of these the apostle\nPaul wrote fourteen. They form a large part of the New Testament. Now,\nsuppose we could take these epistles of St. Paul, chapter by chapter, and\nfollow every verse in each chapter as it has gone round the world from\nage to age, and find out every case where good has been done to any soul,\nwhat a history we should have! No one could write such a history now.\nBut I suppose we shall have such a history set before us when we get to\nheaven. Then, we shall understand better than we can do now how great the\napostle Paul was, in the influence for good which he exerted. But, though\nnone of us can be compared at all with this great man, yet, if we are\ntrying, like him, to love and serve the blessed Saviour, we may all, even\nto the youngest, be exerting influence for good that will last forever.\nHere is an illustration of what I mean. We may call it:\n\n\u201cA Child\u2019s Influence for Good.\u201d Bessie was a sweet little girl who was\ntrying to love the Saviour. The nursery in which she slept was on the\nfirst floor of the house adjoining the street. It was summer time when\nthe incident here referred to took place. Her mother was sitting near\nthe open window one evening, when Bessie knelt down by her side to say\nher evening prayer. She first repeated, after her mother, the words that\nshe taught her to use in prayer. After this she was in the habit of\noffering up little prayers of her own for anything she wished to ask from\nher Father in heaven. She did so on this occasion; and these were the\nlast words she had to offer: \u201cGod help everybody to love Jesus. Amen.\u201d\nWhile Bessie was saying her prayers that evening her mother heard the\nsteps of some one passing. He lingered a moment under the window and\nlistened to the words of the dear child. It happened that this was a\nneighbor of theirs, an infidel, whose name was Jones. The closing words\nof Bessie\u2019s prayer made a deep impression on his mind. After this he\nmanifested the greatest interest in her, though he always said that what\nshe prayed for never could take place; for he was certain that _he_, for\none, never could be a Christian.\n\nNot long after this Mr. Jones was taken sick. He had a long and severe\nspell of illness. As he was living in a boarding house, and had no family\nof his own, Bessie\u2019s mother used to send the dear child in every day to\ninquire how he was and to take him little things that he might need.\nHe would allow no one to speak to him on the subject of religion; but\nBessie\u2019s father and mother hoped that her gentle ways and simple loving\nwords might do him good.\n\nA week or two had passed away, and one night, as Bessie\u2019s mother was\nputting her to bed\u2014she said: \u201cMamma, Mr. Jones loves Jesus now.\u201d\n\nA few days after this they heard that their sick neighbor was near his\nend. Taking her little one by the hand the kind mother went in to see\nhim. They found that he was dying. As Bessie sat on her mother\u2019s lap, by\nthe side of his bed, the sick man died; but just before his spirit passed\naway, these were the last words heard from his lips: \u201cGod, help everybody\nto love Jesus\u2014_everybody_.\u201d\n\nAnd so dear Bessie\u2019s words were the means which God employed to save\na soul from death. And if a little child can exert such an influence\nas this, then we see how, by loving and serving Jesus, we may all make\nourselves useful. We may so live that every act and word may be a good\nseed sown that will yield fruit unto everlasting life.\n\n  \u201cNot ourselves, but the truths that in life we have spoken,\n    Not ourselves, but the seed that in life we have sown,\n  May pass on for ages\u2014all about us forgotten,\n    Save the truth we have spoken, the things we have done.\n\n  \u201cSo let our living be\u2014so be our dying;\n    So let our names lie, unblazoned, unknown;\n  Unpraised, and unmissed, we shall yet be remembered;\n    But only remembered by what we have done.\u201d\n\nThe apostle Paul was great in his influence.\n\nAnd then, as the only other point to speak of, he was _great in his\nreward_.\n\nThis is true of all God\u2019s people who serve him faithfully. David, when\nspeaking of God\u2019s words, or commandments, tells us that \u201cin keeping of\nthem there is _great reward_.\u201d Ps. xix: 11. When St. Paul had reached the\nclose of his life, he paused to look back upon the past, and then forward\nto the future; and as he did so, these are the words that he used: \u201cI am\nnow ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have\nfought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith;\nhenceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the\nLord, the righteous judge, will give me at that day; and not to me only,\nbut unto all them also that love his appearing.\u201d II. Tim. iv: 6-9. We\nlearn from this passage that there is a crown in heaven prepared for\nevery follower of Jesus. These crowns are procured or purchased by what\nJesus did and suffered for us. But they will be very different in the\nnumber and character of the jewels that are to sparkle in them. And how\nmany jewels, and what kind of jewels your crown, or my crown, will have\nmust depend upon how much we do for Jesus. I suppose the apostle Paul\nwill have the most beautiful crown that any of the servants of Jesus\nwill wear. He was greater in his labors, in his sufferings, and in his\ninfluence for good than others\u2014and his reward will be greater. He will\nhave more jewels in his crown than will be found in any other; and they\nwill sparkle with more brightness and beauty. But none will envy him. We\nshall all feel that he is worthy of it, and we shall rejoice to see him\nwear it.\n\nBut let us remember that every work we do for Jesus, and every sacrifice\nwe make for him, will put another jewel in our crown. Then let us try\nto serve him faithfully with all our hearts, and we may be sure that we\nshall receive a great reward. I close with just one little incident, to\nshow how we may add jewels to our crowns. We may call it:\n\n\u201cA Star in the Crown.\u201d A young lady was standing before a large mirror,\npreparing to go to a ball. She had just placed a light crown on her head,\nornamented with silver stars. While she stood there, looking at herself\nin the glass, her little sister, about five years old, climbed upon a\nchair, and putting out her tiny fingers, tried to touch the beautiful\ncrown. \u201cWhat are you doing, Nellie, darling? You mustn\u2019t touch my crown,\u201d\nsaid her sister.\n\n\u201cI was _looking_ at that and _thinking_ of something else,\u201d was the\nlittle one\u2019s reply.\n\n\u201cPray tell me, Nellie, what you were thinking about?\u201d\n\n\u201cI was remembering what my teacher said last Sunday. She told us that if\nwe brought sinners to Jesus by our influence, we should win stars for our\ncrown in heaven; and when I saw those stars in your crown, I wished I\ncould save some soul.\u201d\n\nThese simple words that Nellie spoke took a strong hold of her sister\u2019s\nfeelings. She went to the ball that night, but felt little interest in\nit. She had no heart for the music or the dancing, and was truly glad\nwhen all was over.\n\nOn reaching home she went to Nellie\u2019s room. There she lay, sleeping\nsweetly. She stooped and kissed her loving lips; and then, kneeling\ndown by the side of her bed, she asked God to forgive her for the giddy,\ncareless life she had been living. She gave herself to Jesus then and\nthere, and prayed for grace to live henceforth for him and for heaven.\n\nThen she kissed Nellie again and said, \u201cPrecious darling, you have won\none star for your crown!\u201d God help us all to win many stars for our\ncrowns!\n\nThus we have taken a hasty view of this great apostle. We have seen that\nhe was great in his natural talents; great in his opportunities; great in\nhis prejudices; great in his conversion; great in his privileges; great\nin his labors; great in his sufferings; great in his influence; and great\nin his reward.\n\nAnd now this work is done. I thank God, with all my heart, for permitting\nme to engage in it, and for helping me to get through with it. It humbles\nme in the dust to think how utterly unworthy it is of the glorious\nSaviour to whom it refers. But I know he is pleased to work by feeble\nmeans. He puts the treasure of the gospel in earthen vessels, on purpose\nthat \u201cthe excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.\u201d My\nearnest prayer is that he will graciously accept it as a tribute of\ngrateful love from one of the least and most unworthy of his followers;\nthat he will pardon all the mistakes and imperfections connected with it;\nand bless it, notwithstanding, and make it useful. And if it shall prove\nhelpful to Christian parents and teachers in training their children for\nJesus; and if the young who read these pages shall find anything here to\naid and encourage them in trying to know and love and serve the blessed\nSaviour, I shall feel that the time and labor spent upon this work have\nnot been in vain! AMEN!\n\n\n\n\nANALYTICAL INDEX OF FACTS, LESSONS, ILLUSTRATIVE ANECDOTES, AND BIBLE\nSTORIES\n\n\n    Acorn, The, iii 195\n\n    Adam and Eve, i 1, ii 113\n\n    A just God and Saviour, ii 118\n\n    All for the best, i 249\n\n    Androcles and the lion, iii 80\n\n    Angel in the stone, iii 207\n\n    Angelo, Michael, iv 233\n\n    Antidote, The, ii 293\n\n    Apostles Chosen, iii 1\n      The Men, iii 5\n      The Work, iii 12\n      The Help, iii 18\n      The Lesson, iii 23\n\n    Ark, Noah\u2019s, i 27\n      Size of, i 32\n      Occupants of, i 33\n      Jesus the true, i 34\n      Supplies of, i 35\n      Safety of, i 40\n      The blessings of, and how secured, i 45\n\n    Ascension, The, iv 179\n      Time of, iv 179\n      Place of, iv 182\n      Manner of, iv 184\n      Lesson from:\u2014Obedience to the Command of Christ, iv 190\n\n    Ashamed to tell mother, iv 102\n\n    Assyrian call to prayer, iii 27\n\n    Augustine, Saint, iii 164\n\n    Aunt Lucy, iii 14\n\n    Awakened at the bottom of the sea, ii 7\n\n\n    Baptism of Christ, ii 244\n      A very Strange, ii 245\n      A very Wonderful, ii 247\n      A very Instructive, ii 251\n      Instructive, Because it teaches us to think of Jesus as the Pleasing\n          Son, ii 251\n        Because it leads us to think of Jesus as the Gentle Dove, ii 257\n        Because it leads us to think of Jesus as the Atoning Lamb, ii 263\n\n    Baptized pocket-book, ii 198\n\n    \u201cBe\u201d, iii 66\n\n    Beetle an object of worship and interest, i 131\n\n    Being loved back again, iii 193\n\n    Believing saves, ii 133\n\n    Best time for doing this, iii 210\n\n    Bible, One for seven hundred men, i 155\n\n    Bickersteth, Rev. Mr., iii 211\n\n    Birth of Christ, ii 89\n      Time of, ii 90\n      Place of, ii 97\n      Bethlehem, ii 99\n      Circumstances of, ii 103\n        Strange Neglect, ii 103\n        Strange Attention, ii 103\n        Strange Poverty, ii 105\n        Strange Wealth, ii 106\n        Strange Humiliation, ii 107\n        Strange Glory, ii 107\n      Lessons taught by, ii 109\n\n    Blessed are they that mourn, ii 207\n\n    Blesses (Jesus) By giving riches to the poor, i 58\n      By giving comfort to the sorrowing, i 62\n      By giving liberty to the captives, i 70\n      By giving sight to the blind, i 73\n\n    Blessing of guidance, i 146\n\n    Blessing of the world, Christ the, i 53\n\n    Blessings owed to Jesus, i 80\n\n    Blind beggar of London, i 74\n\n    Blind boy and the Welsh woman, i 196\n\n    Blind man, ii 186\n\n    Blind Robert, iv 236\n\n    Blue sky inside, i 65\n\n    Boy, Christ the, ii 209\n      Poor, ii 217\n      Thoughtful, ii 219\n      Obedient, ii 227\n      Patient, ii 234\n\n    Boy\u2019s influence, A, iii 87\n\n    Boy with the spirit of Christ, iv 24\n\n    Brave Charlie, iv 68\n\n    British man-of-war, i 155\n\n    Brought in by a smile, iii 8\n\n    Bullfinch, The, iv 134\n\n    Burial, The, iv 121\n      Lessons taught by the certainty of Christ\u2019s death, iv 128\n        fulfilment of Christ\u2019s word, iv 131\n        working of his providence, iv 138\n      A lesson of comfort, iv 144\n\n\n    Captain\u2019s experience, The, ii 45\n\n    Charcoal carrier, The, iii 15\n\n    Children, Christ and the little, iii 187\n      His great love for, iii 191\n      His great wisdom, iii 195\n      His great encouragement, iii 201\n      Great lessons, iii 206\n\n    Children in Africa, iii 190\n\n    Children, Why they were thrown into the river Nile, i 113\n\n    Children\u2019s service, The, iv 193\n\n    Child, How the heart of a princess was made tender by the crying\n        of, i 118\n\n    Child\u2019s gospel, The, iii 43\n\n    Child\u2019s influence for good, iv 293\n\n    Child\u2019s preservation, A, ii 16\n\n    Chinaman and the minister, ii 7\n\n    Christ and the dying thief, ii 36\n\n    Christ in the Old Testament, The earliest shadow of, i 28\n\n    Christ, Naming of, ii 121\n      Importance of the name of, ii 123\n      Wonderful authority of the, ii 125\n\n    Christ, Wonderful comfort of the, ii 127\n      salvation in the, ii 131\n      glory of the, ii 138\n      stability in the, ii 142\n\n    Christ the blessing of the world, i 53\n\n    Christ, What he was sent into the world to do, i 112\n\n    Christian miner, The, i 51\n\n    Christ in the temple, ii 223\n\n    Clara\u2019s obstinacy, iv 46\n\n    Cleansing fountain, The, iv 106\n\n    Coachman and his prayer, iii 29\n\n    Coleridge, iii 38\n\n    Comforter, The meaning of a, i 12\n\n    Cottage on fire, ii 187\n\n    Collect, ii 240, ii 300\n\n    Congleton (Lord) and his servants, i 47\n\n    Covenant, Christ the messenger of the, ii 29\n\n    Cross, The, iii 69\n\n    Crucifixion, The, iv 89\n      Place of, iv 90\n      Time of, iv 91\n      Manner of, iv 93\n      Wonders of, iv 95\n      Words spoken by Jesus at time of, iv 96\n      Lesson of Forgiveness from, iv 97\n        on Duty to parents from, iv 100\n        from the power and willingness of Jesus to save, iv 105\n        from the depth of his sufferings, iv 109\n        from the wonders of his love, iv 112\n\n    Curse of the granted prayer, iv 18\n\n    Curtius, Marcus, ii 265\n\n\n    Danger of self-confidence, iv 249\n\n    David, Christ the king like, i 227\n      Because he was a chosen king, i 230\n      Because he was a prepared king, i 234\n      David as a shepherd and a soldier, i 236\n      Christ prepared by obedience and suffering, i 238\n      Because he was a victorious king, i 239\n      David and Goliath, i 240\n\n    Dead raven, iii 99\n\n    Deaf and dumb boy, iv 12\n\n    Death of the first-born, i 140\n\n    Debt paid, The, ii 267\n\n    Delay, The sad result of, i 46\n\n    Delivered by a dog, iv 141\n\n    Desertion, The betrayal and, iv 29\n      Things taught about Jesus:\u2014\n        The loneliness of his sufferings, iv 35\n        His willingness to suffer, iv 38\n\n    Dixey\u2019s six cents, iv 202\n\n    Doesn\u2019t he love to save?, iii 203\n\n    Doing good by sympathy, iii 50\n\n    Drive the nail, iii 31\n\n    Dying girl, The, iii 37\n\n\n    Ethiopian, The, ii 195\n\n    Every talent useful, iii 268\n\n    Example of forgiveness, iii 84, iv 98\n\n\n    Fable of the oak and the violet, iii 172\n\n    Faith and how it helped the miner to be saved, i 51\n\n    Faith, Lack of, causes a serious loss, i 47\n\n    Faithful soldier and his reward, iii 270\n\n    Farragut, Admiral, ii 73\n\n    Fiery serpents, i 156\n\n    Fisherman\u2019s mistake, The, iii 175\n\n    Fletcher\u2019s disappointment, i 148\n\n    Flood, The story of the, i 29\n\n    Folly of a sailor\u2019s self-confidence, iv 252\n\n    Folly of a soldier\u2019s self-confidence, iv 251\n\n    For Charlie\u2019s sake, i 107\n\n    Forgiveness, How a bishop taught, iv 99\n\n    Forgiving boy, iv 98\n\n    For thine is the power, iii 19\n\n    Fragments, The use of, iii 16\n\n    Frog a sacred animal, i 130\n\n    Frogs, The plague of, i 129\n\n\n    Gabriel, The angel, ii 35\n\n    Gethsemane, Jesus in, iv 1\n      The facts of, iv 3\n      Lesson of Prayer, iv 6\n        Sin, iv 11\n        Submission, iv 16\n        Tenderness, iv 20\n\n    Girard, Stephen, ii 80\n\n    Girl from the jungle, ii 174\n\n    Giving, God\u2019s way for getting, ii 201\n\n    God cares for the hungry, i 163\n\n    God leads us to do good, i 36\n\n    God loves bad children, ii 117\n\n    God loves me, ii 116\n\n    God\u2019s work is perfect, i 31\n\n    Golden rule and the new commandment, i 144\n\n    Good for evil, iii 84\n\n    Good friends, iii 262\n\n    Good Samaritan, iii 78\n\n    Good that children do, iii 197\n\n    Gospel can do for us, What the, i 59\n\n    Gospel in a kiss, The, ii 260\n\n    Grasshopper, The, ii 284\n\n    Great harvest from a little seed, iii 271\n\n    Greek word for day and night, i 278\n\n    Growth of lying, iv 51\n\n\n    Happy deaf mute, i 64\n\n    Havelock (Genl.) and his boy, ii 253\n\n    Heber\u2019s (Bishop) prayer, i 149\n\n    Hebrew children, i 117\n\n    Hebrew nurse, i 118\n\n    Help of feeling Jesus near, iv 38\n\n    Helper, Promise of the, i 6\n      A human, i 9\n      A suffering, i 14\n      A successful, i 20\n\n    He loved me, iii 74\n\n    Henry the Eighth, i 13\n\n    Herod the king of the Jews, i 119\n\n    Herod, Why he wanted to kill Jesus, i 119\n\n    Holy Spirit, His names, iv 221\n\n    Home duties, Importance of, ii 215\n\n    Honey shield, iii 79\n\n    Hope for the lost, iv 115\n\n    Hope of glory, iii 300\n\n    How a bishop taught, iv 99\n\n    How a boy may serve God, iii 258\n\n    How a boy showed his love for Christ, iv 176\n\n    How a Christmas card saved a soul, iv 227\n\n    How a wonderful hymn was written, ii 136\n\n    How Christ should be honored, iii 234\n\n    How God feels toward sin, ii 113\n\n    How God loves sinners, ii 115\n\n    How hard it is to make people understand, i 46\n\n    How little God thinks of earthly riches, ii 110\n\n    How little God thinks of places, ii 109\n\n    How to become a willing servant of Jesus, iii 255\n\n    How to get the angels out, iii 209\n\n    How to learn patience, iv 77\n\n    How to serve God, iii 257\n\n    How to walk straight, iii 239\n\n    How we know there is a heaven, iii 231\n\n    Humble (The) king, iv 82\n\n    Humility, Christ teaching, iii 157\n      By his command, iii 160\n      By his example, iii 165\n      The comfort we find in it, iii 169\n      The usefulness connected with it, iii 174\n      The blessing attending it, iii 180\n      Examples of, iv 81\n\n    Humility proving a blessing, iii 184\n\n    Hushed tempest, iii 111\n\n\n    Ice in summer, iii 105\n\n    I feel it pull, i 217\n\n    I have seen Jesus, ii 157\n\n    I like your Jesus, iii 49\n\n    Imitating Christ\u2019s humility, iii 167\n\n    Infidel club, iv 154\n\n    Infidel converted by a flower, i 242\n\n    Influence of the love of Christ, iv 113\n\n    Influence of the spiritual Christian woman, iv 22\n\n    Instead of me, ii 268\n\n    Irish minister, ii 121\n\n    I so happy, ii 130\n\n    It is certain that God loves you, ii 43\n\n    It\u2019s all I can do, iv 198\n\n    It\u2019s for me, iii 43\n\n\n    Jacob\u2019s dream, ii 54\n\n    Janeway, Rev. Wm, iv 148\n\n    Jesus a better helper than an angel, i 11\n\n    Jesus blesses men, i 70\n\n    Jesus care over us, i 43\n\n    Jesus makes everything right, iii 66\n\n    Jesus only, iv 231\n\n    Jesus on the Sea of Galilee, ii 49\n\n    Jesus the bread of life, i 163\n\n    Jesus the healer, i 159\n\n    Jesus washes feet of disciples, iii 158\n\n    Jesus, why he was sent into the world, i 93\n\n    Job, ii 290\n\n    John and the postage stamp, ii 286\n\n    John, the Apostle, Character by nature, iv 273\n      Character by grace, iv 276\n\n    John, the Forerunner, ii 59\n      the Baptist, ii 61\n        Facts and lessons of his life, ii 61\n        His coming foretold, ii 61\n        Gabriel sent to announce his coming, ii 62\n        His dwelling in the wilderness, ii 63\n        His preaching, ii 64\n        His baptism, ii 66\n        In prison, ii 67\n        Lessons taught by these, ii 69\n          Lesson of temperance, ii 71\n          Lesson of humility, ii 75\n          Lesson of obedience, ii 79\n          Lesson of courage, ii 82\n\n    John White\u2019s hymn, i 223\n\n    Johnny and the cow, ii 298\n\n    Jonah and Jesus contrasted and compared, i 257\n      Contrasted because Jonah was an unwilling preacher, i 259\n      Contrasted because Jonah was a successful preacher, i 264\n      Contrasted because Jonah was a selfish preacher, i 271\n      Compared because Jonah was ready to die for the sake of others, i 273\n      Compared because of the length of time Jonah was buried, i 275\n\n    Joseph and Jesus compared, i 83\n      Like Jesus because he was the sent one, i 85\n      Like Jesus because he was sent to show his father\u2019s love, i 89\n      Like Jesus because his mission brought him into trouble, being sold\n          by his brethren, i 94\n      Like Jesus because he received great honor, i 99\n      Like Jesus because he used his power for good, i 104\n      In Egypt, i 100\n      The story of, i 80\n\n    Judas, iv 29\n\n    Judas. Things taught about the power of sin, iv 44\n\n\n    Kazainak, the robber chief, iv 14\n\n    Keep away from the wheels, ii 18\n\n    King Ptolemy and his light-house, ii 145\n\n\n    Lamb of God I look to thee, iii 213\n\n    Lazarus, i 63\n\n    Learning to love Jesus, iii 202\n\n    Learn to stoop, iii 171\n\n    Leaving it all with Jesus, iii 70\n\n    Lesson from a pair of shoes, iv 263\n\n    Lesson of kindness, iii 82\n\n    Liberality, Christ teaching, iii 125\n      Lesson of, iii 126\n      (Illustrations of this lesson), Elijah, iii 133\n        The Saviour\u2019s gift of himself, iii 137\n        Sowing the grain, iii 138\n        The ocean, iii 139\n\n    Life in the midst of danger, iii 237\n\n    Light in the valley, ii 163\n\n    Lily, The, iii 221\n\n    Little blind boy, i 192\n\n    Little child, i 280\n\n    Little girl\u2019s patience, ii 237\n\n    Little loaf, iii 182\n\n    Little Mary, i 160\n\n    Little spring, The, iii 196\n\n    Little substitute, i 19\n\n    Lord\u2019s Supper, i 139\n\n    Lost diamond, iv 196\n\n    Lost horse found, iii 45\n\n    Love leads to love, iii 204\n      stronger than death, iii 294\n      The power of, iv 115\n      triumphing over suffering, iv 291\n\n\n    Maggie\u2019s secret, iii 75\n\n    Manna, i 162\n\n    Martyr\u2019s joy, ii 129\n\n    Matthew the publican, iii 56\n\n    Melchizedek, Christ like, Because he was to teach, i 203\n      Because he was to atone, i 208\n      Because he was to intercede, i 213\n      Because he was to bless, i 220\n      Mention of, i 199\n      Christ a priest like, i 199\n\n    Messenger, Christ the, ii 29\n      Christ a swift, ii 33\n      Christ a loving, ii 38\n      Christ an ever-present, ii 44\n      Christ an able, ii 47\n      Christ a faithful, ii 53\n\n    Minister in the robber\u2019s vault, i 281\n\n    Minister, Story of the poor rich, i 60\n\n    Miracles, Christ teaching by, iii 93\n      Teach us that he has power to help, iii 96\n      Teach us that he has power to comfort, iii 102\n      Teach us that he has power to encourage, iii 107\n      Teach us that he has power to protect, iii 112\n      Teach us that he has power to pardon, iii 119\n\n    Miser and the hungry children, iii 151\n\n    Mite song, The, iii 11\n\n    Montgomery\u2019s hymn, ii 144\n\n    Morrison, Dr., ii 77\n\n    Moses\u2014Christ the prophet like, i 111\n      In the danger attending his birth, i 113\n      In his preparation for his work, i 120\n      Preparation of privilege, i 120\n      Preparation of trial, i 122\n      On account of his miracles, i 124\n      Because he gave the people laws or commandments, i 143\n      Because of the blessings he obtained for his people, i 145\n        Blessing of shelter, i 152\n        Blessing of healing, i 156\n        Blessing of bread, i 161\n        Blessing of water, i 165\n      Commandments given to, i 143\n      His mother is hired to take care of him, i 118\n      How he got into trouble in Egypt, i 123\n\n    Moses\u2019 rod, i 124\n      turned to a serpent, i 126\n\n    Muckle Bess, iv 107\n\n\n    Nazareth, Description of, ii 214\n\n    \u201cNeither do I condemn thee\u201d, ii 260\n\n    New England minister, iv 19\n\n    Niagara, Falls of, ii 244\n\n    Nile, Why the Egyptians worshiped the, i 128\n\n    Nineveh, Description and history of, i 264\n\n    Noble boy, A, iii 263\n\n    None but Jesus, ii 129\n\n    No pardon but from Jesus, iii 121\n\n    Not all the blood of beasts, i 76\n\n    Not alone, iv 37\n\n\n    Obedience, Noah\u2019s safety the result of, i 46\n\n    Obedient, We must be, to be saved, i 46\n\n    Obey him, Why we are God\u2019s and why expected to, i 7\n\n    Obeying mother pleasantly, ii 255\n\n    Officer and the soldier, iii 144\n\n    Old man\u2019s struggles, ii 285\n\n    Old Patch, ii 84\n\n    Olivet, Lessons from, iii 245\n      Lesson about the master, iii 248\n      Lesson about the talents, iii 258\n      Lesson about the rewards, iii 268\n\n    One died for all, ii 22\n\n    One drop of evil, iv 47\n\n    One talent improved, iii 260\n\n    One neglected child, iii 198\n\n    One worm did it, iv 48\n\n    Orphan provided for, ii 11\n\n    Owl (The) that thought he could sing, iv 253\n\n    O yes, I will try, ii 234\n\n\n    Paper, Where we get our word, i 115\n\n    Parables, Christ teaching by, iii 61\n      Meaning of the word, iii 61\n      Lessons illustrated by the value of religion, iii 65\n        by Christ\u2019s love for sinners, iii 71\n        The duty of kindness, iii 77\n        The duty of forgiveness, iii 82\n        The influence of good example, iii 86\n\n    Pardon and peace, iii 122\n\n    Passover, Feast of the, i 127\n      Method of keeping the, i 136\n      Reasons why the Israelites were commanded to keep, i 137\n        Relating to the past, i 137\n        Relating to the future, i 137\n\n    Paul, the Apostle, i 23\n\n    Paul, St., iv 281\n      Great in natural talents, iv 282\n        His early opportunities, iv 183\n        His prejudice, iv 283\n        His conversion, iv 284\n        His privileges, iv 285\n        His labors, iv 286\n        His spirit in a child, iv 287\n        His influence, iv 292\n        His reward, iv 296\n        His sufferings, iv 288\n\n    Paul, St. John and St., iv 271\n\n    Pentecost, Day of, iv 211\n      Time of the Spirit\u2019s coming, iv 213\n      Manner of the Spirit\u2019s coming, iv 215\n      Purpose of the Spirit\u2019s coming, iv 221\n        To convert the soul, iv 225\n        To teach men, iv 229\n        To sanctify, iv 232\n        To help and comfort, iv 235\n\n    Perseverance rewarded, ii 191\n\n    Peter and the tax gatherer, iii 108\n\n    Peter, the Apostle, iii 82\n      His place among the apostles, iv 239\n      The facts of his history, iv 240\n      Lessons taught by his history, iv 249\n      Deliverance from temptation, iv 255\n      Overcoming prejudice, iv 260\n      The benefit of trials, iv 265\n      The message to, ii 41\n\n    Pharaoh\u2019s cruel law, i 113\n\n    Plague of the flies, i 130\n\n    Pilate, Story of, iv 67\n\n    Plague of the frogs, i 129\n\n    Plagues of the locusts and darkness, i 134\n      of the murrain, boils, and hail, i 133\n\n    Polish prince, iv 101\n\n    Poor Caleb and the gentleman, i 164\n      rich minister, i 60\n\n    Power of a kind word, The, ii 261\n      of kindness, iv 170\n      of love, iv 41\n      of the cross, iii 227\n      of the gospel, iii 85\n\n    Prayer, Answer to, i 38\n\n    Praying better than stealing, iv 9\n      for a dinner, iii 27\n      for bread, iii 109\n\n    Preaching in the hay field, iv 196\n\n    Presentation of Christ in the temple, ii 149\n      What Simeon saw in the infant Jesus, ii 153\n        Salvation, ii 153\n        Light, ii 159\n        Glory, ii 164\n      The effect this sight had on Simeon, ii 168\n      His readiness to depart, ii 168\n\n    Prisoner converted, i 247\n      of Glatz, ii 49\n\n    Promise, The first, i 1\n\n    Prophet, What is a, i 112\n\n    Protection through prayer, ii 15\n\n    Providential deliverance, iii 115\n\n    Prussian nobleman, i 169\n\n\n    Raven of Winslade Quarry, iv 140\n\n    Reformed drunkard\u2019s story, i 71\n\n    Rescue, The, iv 205\n\n    Results of early choice, iii 199\n\n    Resurrection, The, iv 151\n      Proof of, iv 153\n      Lessons from:\u2014\n        The power of Christ, iv 162\n        Power of Christ to save, iv 163\n        Power of Christ to provide, iv 165\n        Power of Christ to protect, iv 166\n        Tenderness of Christ, iv 167\n        The way of showing our love to him, iv 173\n\n    Revelations, Meaning of the Book of, i 84\n\n    Revenge overcome, i 253\n\n    Reward of obedience, iii 242\n\n    Rich for a moment, ii 111\n\n    River turned into blood, i 127\n\n    Robber taught, i 205\n\n    Rochester, The Bishop of, iv 147\n\n\n    Sacrifice for the first-born, ii 150\n\n    Sailor boy\u2019s belief, iii 101\n\n    Salvation, i 42\n\n    Saved by a rose, iii 57\n      by prayer, iv 208\n      from a lion, ii 154\n\n    Sampson, ii 71\n\n    Sculptor\u2019s (The) lesson, iv 266\n\n    Secret of comfort, iii 173\n      of success, iii 146\n      passage way, iv 257\n\n    Selden, John, iii 39\n\n    Shark of the Mediterranean, i 277\n\n    Sheba, Queen of, ii 154\n\n    Shelter, The need of, i 155\n\n    Shepherd, Christ the, ii 1\n      Because he seeks his sheep when lost, ii 4\n      Because he feeds and takes care of them, ii 9\n      Because he protects them, ii 14\n      Because he saves them, ii 19\n      The, of Berne, ii 9\n\n    Shining in every window, iii 104\n\n    Sick sailor, i 186\n\n    Simeon, ii 153\n\n    Singing all the time, ii 204\n\n    Sin, How Jesus helps men break the bonds of, i 70\n      in a life is like poison in a fountain, i 2\n      like a whirlpool, iv 53\n      Things taught about the growth of, iv 49\n\n    Smiting the rock, i 166\n\n    Snake and the spider, iv 52\n\n    Sodom and Gomorrah, ii 114\n\n    Soldier in the Crimea, i 168\n\n    Soldier\u2019s example of patience, iv 78\n\n    Solitary feast, i 66\n\n    Solomon, Christ the king like, i 246\n      Because he was a wise king, i 246\n      Because he was a peaceful king, i 251\n      Choice of, i 246\n\n    Somebody\u2019s mother, iv 171\n\n    Soul compared to a fort, i 7\n      saved by a tear, ii 156\n\n    Spirit of Christ in a little girl, iv 23\n\n    Star in the crown, iv 298\n\n    Steamboat captain and the soldier, iii 148\n\n    Story of the fort, i 7\n\n    Stream and the mill, iii 256\n\n    Substitute, The, i 212\n\n    Supper, the Lord\u2019s, iii 275\n      Account of, iii 275\n      Its connection with the word of command, iii 282\n      Its connection with the memory of his sufferings, iii 287\n      Its connection with the hope of his glory, iii 298\n\n    Swarm of bees worth hiving, iii 67\n\n    Swiss shepherd, ii 4\n\n    Sympathy with the poor, ii 219\n\n    Syro-Ph\u0153nician woman, ii 190\n\n\n    Tabernacle, Jewish, a figure of Christ, i 174\n      What it was, i 174\n\n    Tabernacle, Enclosure, i 178\n      The holy place, i 181\n      What it taught, i 183\n      That there would be a pardoning presence, i 184\n      That there would be a purifying presence, i 188\n      That there would be an enlightening presence, i 190\n      That there would be a comforting presence, i 194\n\n    Taboo, Heathen custom called, i 81\n\n    Talent (A) for each, iii 259\n\n    Tartar chief, ii 161\n\n    Teacher, The Great, iii 33\n      Because of the great Blessings, iii 35\n      Because of the great Simplicity, iii 40\n      Because of the great Tenderness, iii 44\n      Because of the great Knowledge, iii 51\n      Because of the great Power, iii 56\n\n    Telegram, The, ii 21\n\n    Temptation of Christ, The, ii 271\n      Meaning of, ii 273\n      Place of, ii 274\n      Led into, ii 274\n      The tempter, ii 275\n      Time of, ii 277\n      To turn stones into bread, ii 278\n      To throw himself from the pinnacle, ii 279\n      To worship Satan, ii 282\n      Teaches us that we must expect temptation, ii 283\n      Teaches us there is no sin in being tempted, ii 288\n      Teaches us how to resist temptation, ii 292\n      Teaches us the reward of victory over temptation, ii 296\n\n    Ten Commandments, i 143\n\n    Thames Tunnel, iii 176\n\n    That\u2019s me, iii 162\n\n    The best that I can, iii 263\n\n    Themistocles, iii 197\n\n    There is that scattereth and yet increaseth, iii 156\n\n    There were ninety and nine, iii 48\n\n    The shilling Bible, iii 89\n\n    Thou God seest me, ii 294, iv 259\n\n    Thou shalt bruise his heel, i 15\n\n    Thou who once on mother\u2019s knee, i 11\n\n    Three jewels, ii 166\n\n    Tiny\u2019s work for God, iii 265\n\n    Train delayed, i 218\n\n    Transfiguration, The, iii 215\n      Account of, iii 216\n      Mount of, iii 217\n      The wonderful change, iii 218\n      The wonderful company, iii 222\n      The wonderful conversation, iii 225\n      The lesson of hope, iii 229\n      The lesson of instruction, iii 232\n      The lesson of duty, iii 236\n\n    Travellers in the desert, i 153\n      in the snow, iii 143\n\n    Trial, The, iv 59\n      History of, iv 60\n      Lesson about the weak ruler, iv 65\n      Lesson about the wicked priests, iv 70\n      Lesson about the patience of Christ, iv 74\n      Lesson about the humiliation of Christ, iv 79\n      Lesson about the glory of Christ, iv 82\n\n    True hero, The, iv 85\n\n    Truthful and obedient, ii 230\n\n    Try it, iv 133\n\n    Two brothers, iv 73\n\n\n    Ugly Greg, iii 58\n\n    Unexpected (The) friend, iv 175\n\n\n    Visit of the Wise men, ii 179\n\n    Von Zeiten, General, ii 85\n\n\n    Wanderer restored by the father\u2019s message, i 90\n\n    Wanted a boy, ii 255\n\n    Washington, How he taught his men that all should work, iii 178\n      His humility, iii 178\n      Prayer of, iv 8\n\n    Wasp\u2019s sting, ii 170\n\n    Was there ever gentlest shepherd?, iii 42\n\n    Water for cleansing, i 167\n      for comfort, i 167\n\n    We cannot be our own masters, iii 251\n\n    Wellington, Duke of, i 21, ii 79\n\n    Well-instructed boy, iii 54\n\n    Wesley (Charles) and the bird, ii 136\n\n    Wesley\u2019s, Mrs., patience, ii 237\n\n    Western sky, The, iii 221\n\n    Wet sand, The, ii 265\n\n    What a plant did, iii 7\n\n    Why didn\u2019t I mind my mother?, ii 232\n\n    Widow and the candles, ii 37\n\n    Widow of Nain, i 63, ii 39\n\n    Wilberforce, iii 39\n\n    Willie\u2019s heroism, iii 116\n\n    Wise men, Visit of, ii 179\n      Earnest seekers of Jesus, ii 183\n      Persevering seekers, ii 188\n      Successful seekers, ii 193\n      Liberal seekers, ii 196\n      Happy seekers, ii 202\n\n    Woman of Samaria, iii 38\n\n    Working as well as praying, iii 28\n\n    Workingman\u2019s child, ii 56\n\n\n    Young hero, A, iv 194\n\n\n\n\nINDEX OF POEMS\n\n\n    According to thy gracious word, iii 297\n\n    A dreary place would be this earth, iii 197\n\n    All hail the power of Jesus\u2019 name, iii 234\n\n    All is o\u2019er, the pain, the sorrow, iv 127\n\n    A swarm of bees worth hiving, iii 67\n\n    Can I Gethsemane forget?, iv 27\n\n    Dare to do right! dare to be true!, iv 70\n\n    Drive the nail aright, boys, iii 31\n\n    Every talent useful, iii 268\n\n    Father of mercies! in thy word, iii 91\n\n    From everything our Saviour saw, iii 53\n\n    God entrusts to all, iii 259\n\n    Great things are made of fragments small, iii 17\n\n    He is a path, if any be misled, ii 131\n\n    How sweet is the gospel, ii 269\n\n    \u201cI cannot do much,\u201d said a little star, iii 263\n\n    I have found the _Pearl of greatest price_, ii 203\n\n    I go to life and not to death, iv 146\n\n    I leave it all with Jesus, iii 71\n\n    Is thy cruse of comfort wasting?, iii 156\n\n    Lamb of God, I look to thee, iii 213\n\n    Light after darkness, gain after loss, iii 273\n\n    Mite song, The, iii 11\n\n    My soul be on thy guard, iv 57\n\n    No foot of land do I possess, i 61\n\n    None but Jesus, ii 129\n\n    Not all the blood of beasts, i 76\n\n    Not ourselves, but the truths in life we have spoken, iv 296\n\n    Numb and weary on the mountains, iii 144\n\n    Once in his arms the Saviour took, iii 206\n\n    Only a drop in the bucket, iii 11\n\n    Oppressed with noon-day\u2019s scorching heat, iii 228\n\n    O yes, I will try for the whole of the day, ii 234\n\n    Praise God from whom all blessings flow, iv 136\n\n    See the kind shepherd Jesus, stands, ii 26\n\n    Shining for Jesus, iv 177\n\n    Somebody\u2019s mother, iv 171\n\n    The birds, without barn, or storehouse, iv 136\n\n    The reward of heaven, iii 273\n\n    There were ninety and nine, iii 48\n\n    Think kindly of the erring, iii 82\n\n    Thou art coming! at thy table, iii 303\n\n    Thou who once on mother\u2019s knee, i 11\n\n    Though little I bring, iii 268\n\n    Ugly Greg was the prisoner\u2019s name, iii 58\n\n    Was there ever, gentlest Shepherd, iii 42\n\n    When I survey the wondrous cross, iv 119","title":"The Life of Jesus Christ for the Young, Vol. 4: And His Life Depicted in a Gallery of Eighty Paintings","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":75046}