THE LIFE OF JESUS CHRIST FOR THE YOUNG

BY

THE REV. RICHARD NEWTON, D. D. 

_ROYAL SCOTTISH ACADEMY_

VOL. III

THE GALLERY OF THE LIFE OF JESUS CHRIST

VOLUME III

CONTENTS:

I THE APOSTLES CHOSEN

II THE GREAT TEACHER

III CHRIST TEACHING BY PARABLES

IV CHRIST TEACHING BY MIRACLES

V CHRIST TEACHING LIBERALITY

VI CHRIST TEACHING HUMILITY

VII CHRIST AND THE LITTLE CHILDREN

VIII THE TRANSFIGURATION

IX THE LESSONS FROM OLIVET

X THE LORD'S SUPPER

ILLUSTRATIONS:

MAP OF PALESTINE, IN COLORS

41. THE WOMAN OF CANAAN

42. SIMON PETER'S FAITH IN CHRIST

43. THE TRANSFIGURATION OF CHRIST

44. JESUS HEALETH A LUNATIC

45. LET HE WHO IS WITHOUT SIN AMONG YOU

46. ONE OF TEN LEPERS CURED IS GRATEFUL

47. JESUS, MARTHA, MARY, AND LAZARUS

48. JESUS BLESSETH LITTLE CHILDREN

49. THE RESURRECTION OF LAZARUS, FOUR DAYS DEAD

50. CONVERSION OF ZACCHAEUS, A PUBLICAN

51. JESUS RESTORETH SIGHT TO BARTIMAEUS

52. CHRIST'S TRIUMPHAL ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM

53. CHRIST AVOUCHETH HIS AUTHORITY

54. AT NIGHT, JESUS ABODE ON THE MOUNT OF OLIVES

55. JESUS WASHETH HIS DISCIPLES' FEET

56. THE BETRAYAL FORETOLD AT THE SUPPER

57. IN THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE

58. THE ARREST OF JESUS

59. JESUS EXAMINED BY CAIAPHAS

60. JESUS IS THRICE DENIED BY PETER

THE APOSTLES CHOSEN

As soon as he returned victorious from the temptation in thewilderness, Jesus entered on the work of his public ministry. We findhim, at once, preaching to the people, healing the sick, and doingmany wonderful works. The commencement of his ministry is thusdescribed by St. Matt. Iv: 23-25. "And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of thekingdom, and healing all manner of sickness, and all manner ofdisease among the people. And his fame went throughout all Syria; andthey brought unto him all sick people that were taken with diversdiseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatic, and those that had the palsy; and hehealed them. And there followed him great multitudes of people fromGalilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judea, andfrom beyond Jordan. " What a blessed beginning of the most blessed ofall ministries this was! He came to bless our world. He did bless it, as no one else could have done. And here, we see, how he entered onhis work. 

And one of the first things he did, after thus beginning hisministry, was to gather his disciples round him. The first two thatwe find named among his disciples are John and Andrew. They had beendisciples of John the Baptist. Their master pointed them to Jesus, and said--"Behold the Lamb of God. " When they heard this theyfollowed Jesus, and became his disciples. When Andrew met with hisbrother Simon Peter, he said to him "we have found the Messias--theChrist. And he brought him to Jesus. " After this we are told that"Jesus findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me. " He was anacquaintance of Andrew and Peter, and lived in the same town withthem. He obeyed the call at once and became one of the disciples ofJesus. 

Philip had a friend named Nathanael. The next time he met him, hesaid, "we have found him of whom Moses in the law, and the prophetsdid write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. " But Nazareth was adespised place, and had a bad reputation. Nathanael had a very pooropinion of the place, and he asked--"Can there any good thing comeout of Nazareth?" Philip saith unto him--"Come and see. "

And this is what we should say to persons when we wish them to becomeChristians. There is so much that is lovely and excellent in Jesusthat if people will only "come and see, " if they will only prove forthemselves what a glorious Saviour he is, they will find itimpossible to help loving and serving him. Nathanael came to Jesus. And when he heard the wonderful words that Jesus spoke to him he wasconverted at once, and expressed his wonder by saying--"Rabbi, thouart the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel. " We can read allabout this in John i: 43-51. Nathanael became a disciple of Jesus, and one of the twelve apostles, and is supposed to be the same onewho bears the name of Bartholomew in the different lists of theapostles. 

After this we read of Jesus calling Matthew the publican, who was atax-gatherer. This is what is meant by his "sitting at the receipt ofcustom. " "Follow me, " were the words spoken to him. He obeyed atonce; left all and followed Jesus. St. Luke and St. Mark mention thissame call, but they give the name of Levi to the person thus called. This is not strange, for it was common among the Jews for persons tohave two names. Sometimes they were called by one of these names andsometimes by the other. 

Here we have the account of six persons, who became disciples ofJesus; and of the different ways in which they were led to followhim. No doubt many others were led to become his disciples fromsimply hearing him preach; and from listening to the gracious wordsthat he spoke. 

And very soon after he had gathered together a large company ofdisciples, he made choice of twelve, out of this number, who were tobe his apostles. He wished these men to be with him all the time. They were to hear his teaching, and see his miracles, and so beprepared to take his place, and carry on his work when he shouldreturn to heaven. 

It was necessary for these men to be chosen. When Washington wasappointed to conduct our armies during the Revolution, he chose anumber of generals to help him. And it is natural for us to think ofWashington and his generals. But just as natural it is to thinkof--Jesus and his apostles. 

And this is the subject we have now to consider--_The ApostlesChosen_. 

And in considering this subject there are four things of which tospeak. 

_The first, is the condition and character of the men whom Jesuschose as his apostles. 

The second, is the work these men were called to do. 

The third, is the help that was given them in doing this work; and

The fourth, is the lesson taught us by this subject. _ Or, to make thepoints of the subject as short as possible, we may state them thus:

_The men. The work. The help. The lesson. 

We begin then with speaking of_--THE MEN--_or the condition andcharacter of those whom Jesus chose to be his apostles or helpers_. 

Now we might have thought that Jesus would have chosen his apostles, or helpers, from among the angels of heaven. They are so wise, andgood, and strong, that we wonder why he did not choose them. But hedid not. He chose _men_ to be his apostles. And what kind of men didhe choose? If we had been asked this question beforehand, we shouldhave supposed that he would certainly have chosen the wisest and themost learned men, the richest and greatest men that could be found inthe world. But it was not so. Instead of this he chose poor men, unlearned men, men that were not famous at all; and who had not beenheard of before. Fishermen, and tax-gatherers, and men occupying veryhumble positions in life, were those whom Jesus chose to be hisapostles. 

And one reason, no doubt, why Jesus made choice of men of thischaracter to be his apostles was that when their work was done, noone should be able to say that it was the learning, or wisdom, orriches, or power of men by whom that work was accomplished. Theapostle Paul teaches us that this is the way in which God generallyacts; and that he does it for the very reason just spoken of. Hesays, "God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confoundthe wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world toconfound the mighty; and base things of the world, and things whichare despised hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bringto nought the things that are; that no flesh should glory in hispresence. " I. Cor. I: 27-29. The meaning of this passage is that Godloves to work by little things. This was the reason why Jesus chosepoor, unlearned fishermen to be his apostles. And we see God workingin the same way continually. 

Look at yonder sun. God made it, and hung it up there in the sky thatit might give light to our world. But the light which this sun givescomes to us in tiny little bits, smaller than the point of the finestneedle that ever was made. They are so small that hundreds of themcan rush right into our eyes, as they are doing all the time, and nothurt them the least. Here we see how God makes use of little things, and does a great work with them. 

And then look at yonder ocean. The waves of that ocean are sopowerful that they can break in pieces the strongest ships that menhave ever built. And yet, when God wishes to keep that mighty oceanin its place, he makes use of little grains of sand for this purpose. Here again we see how God employs little things, and does a greatwork with them. And we find God working in this way continually. Letus look at one or two illustrations. 

"What a Plant Did. " A little plant was given to a sick girl. Intrying to take care of it, the family made changes in their way ofliving, which added greatly to their comfort and happiness. First, they cleaned the window, that more light might come in to the leavesof the plant. Then, when not too cold, they opened the window, thatfresh air might help the plant to grow; and this did the family good, as well as the plant. Next the clean window made the rest of the roomlook so untidy that they washed the floor, and cleaned the walls, andarranged the furniture more neatly. This led the father of the familyto mend a broken chair or two, which kept him at home severalevenings. After this, he took to staying at home with his family inthe evenings, instead of spending his time at the tavern; and themoney thus saved went to buy comforts for them all. And then, astheir home grew more pleasant, the whole family loved it better thanever before, and they grew healthier and happier with their flowers. What a little thing that plant was, and yet it was God's apostle tothat family! It did a great work for them in blessing them and makingthem happy. And _that_ was work that an angel would have been glad todo. 

"Brought In by a Smile. " A London minister said to a friend one day;"Seven persons were received into my church last Sunday, and theywere all brought in by a smile. "

"Brought in by a smile! Pray what do you mean?"

"Let me explain. Several months ago, as I passed a certain house onmy way to church, I saw, held in the arms of its nurse, a beautifulinfant; and as it fixed its bright black eyes on me, I smiled, andthe dear child returned the smile. The next Sabbath the babe wasagain before the window. Again I smiled, and the smile was returned, as before. The third Sabbath, as I passed by the window, I threw thelittle one a kiss. Instantly its hand was extended and a kiss thrownback to me. And so it came to pass that I learned to watch for thebaby on my way to church; and as the weeks went by, I noticed thatthe nurse and the baby were not alone. Other members of the familypressed to the window to see the gentleman who always had a smile forthe dear baby--the household pet. 

"One Sunday morning, as I passed, two children, a boy and a girl, stood at the window beside the baby. That morning the father andmother had said to those children: 'Get ready for church, for wethink that the gentleman who always smiles to the baby is a minister. When he passes you may follow him, and see where he preaches. '

"The children were quite willing to follow the suggestion of theirparents, and after I had passed, the door opened, and the childrenstepped upon the pavement, and kept near me, till I entered mychurch, when they followed me, and seats were given them. 

"When they returned home, they sought their parents and eagerlyexclaimed: 'He is a minister, and we have found his church, and hepreached a beautiful sermon this morning. You must go and hear himnext Sunday. '

"It was not difficult to persuade the parents to go, and guided bytheir children they found their way to the church. They, too, werepleased, and other members of the family were induced to come to thehouse of God. God blessed what they heard to the good of their souls, and seven members of this family have been led to become Christians, and join the church, and, I repeat what I said before: 'they were allbrought in by a smile. '"

What a little thing a smile is! And yet, here we see how God made useof so small a thing as this, to make seven persons Christians, and tosave their souls forever! Of the God who can work in this way, itmay well be said that he loves to work by little things. It is theway in which he is working continually. 

How eagerly, then, we may try to learn and to practise what has beenvery sweetly expressed in

THE MITE SONG. 

 "Only a drop in the bucket, But every drop will tell, The bucket would soon be empty, Without the drops in the well. 

 "Only a poor little penny, It was all I had to give; But as pennies make the dollars, It may help some cause to live. 

 "A few little bits of ribbon, And some toys--they were not new, But they made the sick child happy, And that made me happy, too. 

 "Only some out-grown garments; They were all I had to spare; But they'll help to clothe the needy, And the poor are everywhere. 

 "A word now and then of comfort, That cost me nothing to say; But the poor old man died happy, And it helped him on the way. 

 "God loveth the cheerful giver, Though the gifts be poor and small; But what must he think of his children Who never give at all?"

God loves to work by little means. We see this when we think of themen whom Jesus chose to be his apostles. The first thing about thissubject is--_the men_. 

_The second thing to speak of, in connection with this subject, is_--THE WORK--_they had to do_. 

What this work was we find fully stated in the fourteenth chapter ofSt. Matthew. In this chapter Jesus told the apostles all about thework they were to do for him, and how they were to do it. In theseventh and eighth verses of this chapter we have distinctly statedjust what they were to do. "As ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom ofheaven is at hand; Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils. "

On this occasion Jesus sent his apostles to do the work committed tothem, not among the Gentiles, but only among the Jews; or as he callsthem--"the lost sheep of the house of Israel, " v. 5, 6. But, after hisresurrection, and just before he went up to heaven, he enlarged theircommission. His parting command to them then was--"_Go ye into allthe world, and preach the gospel to every creature_. " St. Mark xvi:15. 

When Jesus, their Master, went to heaven they were to take up andcarry on the great work that he had begun. Those twelve men were tobegin the work of changing the religion of the world. They were tooverturn the idols that had been worshiped for ages. They were toshut up the temples in which those idols had been worshiped. Theywere to "turn men from darkness to light, and from the power of Satanunto God. " Acts xxvi: 18. They were to go up and down the world, everywhere, telling the wondrous story of Jesus and his love. And indoing this work they were to be the means of saving the souls of allwho believed their message, and in the end of winning the world backto Jesus, till, according to God's promise, he has "the heathen forhis inheritance, and the utmost parts of the earth for hispossession. " Ps. Ii: 8. 

This was the grandest and most important work that men were evercalled upon to do. The apostles spent their lives in doing this work;and then they left it for others to carry on. The work is notfinished yet. And, if we learn to love and serve Jesus, we may helpto carry it on. We may be apostles, too, though in a lower sense thanthat in which the first twelve were apostles. An apostle means--one_sent_. But Jesus _sends_ into the vineyard to work for him all whobecome his loving children. And, in this sense it is true that allwho love and serve Jesus are his apostles. He says to each ofus--"Go, work to-day, in my vineyard. " St. Matt, xxi: 28. And inanother place he says--"Let him that heareth, say, Come. " Rev. Xxii:17. 

And when we are trying to tell people of Jesus and his love, and tobring them to him, then we are helping to carry on the same greatwork that Jesus gave his apostles to do. Let us look at some examplesof persons who have been apostles for God and helped to do the workof apostles. 

"Aunt Lucy. " I heard the other day of a good old woman in the Stateof Michigan, known as Aunt Lucy. She is eighty-four years old, andlives all alone, supporting herself principally by carpet-weaving. All that she can save from her earnings, after paying for hernecessary expenses, she spends in buying Bibles, which shedistributes among the children and the poor of the neighborhood. Thirteen large family Bibles, and fifty small ones, have thus beengiven away--good, well-bound Bibles. 

A neighbor, who has watched this good work very closely, says thattwo-thirds of the persons to whom Aunt Lucy has given Bibles haveafterwards become Christians. In doing this work Aunt Lucy was anapostle. 

"The Charcoal Carrier. " One Sunday afternoon, in summer, a littlegirl named Mary, going home from a Sunday-school in the country, satdown to rest under the shade of a tree by the roadside. While sittingthere she opened her Bible to read. As she sat reading, a man, wellknown in that neighborhood as Jacob, the charcoal carrier, came bywith his donkey. Jacob used to work in the woods, making charcoal, which he carried away in sacks on his donkey's back, and sold. He wasnot a Christian man, and was accustomed to work with his donkey ashard on Sunday as on week-days. 

When he came by where Mary was sitting, he stopped a moment, andsaid, in a good-natured way:

"What book is that you are reading, my little maid?"

"It is God's book--the Bible, " said Mary. 

"Let me hear you read a little in it, if you please, " said he, stopping his donkey. 

Mary began at the place where the book was open, and read:--"Rememberthe Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and doall thy work. "

"There, that's enough, " said Jacob, "and now tell me what it means. "

"It means, " said Mary, "that you mustn't carry charcoal, on Sunday, nor let your donkey carry it. "

"Does it?" said Jacob, musing a little. "I tell you what then, I mustthink over what you have said. "

And he _did_ think over it. And the result of his thinking was, thatinstead of going with his donkey to the woods on the next Sunday, hewent with his two little girls to the Sunday-school. And the end ofit all was that Jacob, the charcoal carrier, became a Christian, andGod's blessing rested on him and his family. 

Little Mary was doing an apostle's work when she read and explainedthe Bible to Jacob and was the means of bringing him to Jesus. 

"The Use of Fragments. " In the Cathedral at Lincoln, England, thereis a window of stained glass which was made by an apprentice out oflittle pieces of glass that had been thrown aside by his master asuseless. It is said to be the most beautiful window in the Cathedral. And if, like this apprentice, we carefully gather up, and improve thelittle bits of time, of knowledge, and of opportunities that we have, we may do work for God more beautiful than that Cathedral window. Wemay do work like that which the apostles were sent to do. Here aresome sweet lines, written by I know not whom, about that beautifulwindow, made out of the little pieces of glass:

 "Great things are made of fragments small, Small things are germs of great; And, of earth's stately temples, all To fragments owe their weight. 

 "This window, peer of all the rest, Of fragments small is wrought; Of fragments that the artist deemed Unworthy of his thought. 

 "And thus may we, of little things, Kind words and gentle deeds, Add wealth or beauty to our lives, Which greater acts exceeds. 

 "Each victory o'er a sinful thought, Each action, true and pure, Is, 'mid our life's engraving, wrought In tints that shall endure. "

The second thing about the apostles is, _the work_--they did. 

_The third thing, for us to notice about the apostles, is_--THEHELP--_they received_. 

In one place, we are told that Jesus "gave them power against uncleanspirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness, andall manner of disease. " St. Matt. X: 1. In another place we are told, that for their comfort and encouragement in the great work they hadto do, Jesus said to them, "Lo, I am with you always, even unto theend of the world. " St. Matt. Xxviii: 20. And if they only had Jesuswith them, no matter what the work was they had to do, they would besure of having all the help they might need. The apostle Paulunderstood this very well, for he said, "I can do all things throughChrist, which strengtheneth me. " Phil. Iv: 13. 

And then, as if his own presence with them were not enough, Jesuspromised that his apostles should have the help of the Holy Spirit incarrying on their work. Just before leaving them to go to heaven, hesaid to the disciples--"Ye shall receive power, after that the HolyGhost is come upon you. " Acts i: 8. And what this power was we see inthe case of the apostle Peter; for the first sermon he preachedafter the Holy Ghost came upon him, on the day of Pentecost, was themeans of converting three thousand souls. Acts ii: 41. 

And the same God who gave the apostles all the help they needed, haspromised to do the same for you, and me, and for all who try to workfor him. There are many promises of this kind in the Bible to which Imight refer. But I will only mention one. This is so sweet andprecious that it deserves to be written in letters of gold. There isno passage in the Bible that has given me so much comfort andencouragement in trying to work for God as this I refer here to Is. Xli: 10. "Fear thou not; for I am with thee; be not dismayed; for Iam thy God; I will strengthen thee; yea--I WILL HELP THEE. " Thispromise was not given for prophets and apostles only, but for allGod's people to the end of time. You and I, if we are trying to serveGod, may take it as ours. God meant it for us. And when we get thispromised help from God, we can do any work he has for us to do, andbe happy in doing it. 

"For Thine is the Power. " "I can't do it--it's quite impossible. I'vetried five times, and can't get it right"--and Ben Hartley pushed hisbook and slate away in despair. Ben was a good scholar. He was atthe head of his class, and was very anxious to stay there. But thesums he had now to do were very hard. He could not do them, and wasafraid of losing his place in the class. Most of the boys had someone at home to help them; but Ben had no one. His father was dead, and his mother, though a good Christian woman, had not been to schoolmuch when a girl, and she could not help Ben. 

Mrs. Hartley felt sorry for her son's perplexity, and quietly said, "Then, Ben, you don't believe in the Lord's prayer?"

"The Lord's prayer, mother! Why, there's nothing there to help afellow do his sums. "

"O, yes; there is. There is help for every trouble in life in theLord's prayer, if we only know how to use it. I was trying a longtime before I found out what the last part of this prayer reallymeans. I'm no minister, or scholar, Ben, but I'll try and show you. You know that in this prayer we ask God for our daily bread; we askhim to keep us from evil; and to forgive us our sins; and then wesay: 'for _thine_ is the _kingdom_, and _the power_, and the glory. 'It's God's power that we rely on--not our own; and it often helpsme, Ben, when I have something hard to do. I say, 'For _thine_ is thepower--this is my duty, heavenly Father; but I can't do it myself;give me thy power to help me, ' and he does it, Ben, he does it. "

Ben sat silent. It seemed almost too familiar a prayer. And yet heremembered when he had to stay home from school because he had noclothes fit to go in, how he prayed to God about it, and theminister's wife brought him a suit the very next day. "But a boy'ssums, mother! it seems like such a little thing to ask God about. "

"Those sums are not a little thing to you, Ben. Your success atschool depends on your knowing how to do them. _That_, is as much toyou, as many a greater thing to some one else. Now I care a greatdeal about that, because I love you. And I know your Father in heavenloves you more than I do. I would gladly help you, if I could; but he_can_ help you. His 'is the power;' ask him to help you. "

After doing an errand for his mother, Ben picked up his book andslate and went up to his little room. Kneeling down by the bed herepeated the Lord's prayer. When he came to--"thine is the kingdom, "he stopped a moment, and then said, with all his heart--"'And thineis the power, ' heavenly Father. I want power to know how to do thesesums. There's no one else to help me. Lord, please give me power, forJesus' sake, Amen. "

Ben waited a moment, and then, still on his knees, he took his slateand tried again. Do you ask me if he succeeded? Remember what SaintJames says, "If any man lack wisdom let him ask of God, who giveth toall men liberally, and upbraideth not: _and it shall be given him_. "Jas. I: 5. That is God's promise, and heaven and earth must pass awaybefore one of his promises shall fail. Ben had prayed to God to helphim, and God answered his prayer. He tried once more to work outthose sums. After thinking over them a little while, he saw themistake he had made in neglecting one of the rules for working thesums. He corrected this mistake, and then he found they all workedout beautifully. The next day he was head of the class; for he wasthe only boy who could say that he had done the sum himself, withoutgetting any one at home to help him. 

"And yet I was helped, mother, " said Ben, "for I am sure my Father inheaven helped me. " But that was not what the teacher meant. Afterthis, Ben never forgot the last part of the Lord's prayer. When heneeded help he knew where the power was that could help him. 

Here was where the apostles got the help they needed in doing thehard work they had to do. And how much help we might get in doing ourwork if we only make a right use of this "power which belongeth untoGod;" and which he is always ready to use in helping us. 

The help they received, is the third thing to remember when we thinkabout the apostles and their work. 

_The last thing to bear in mind when we think of Jesus choosing histwelve apostles, is_--THE LESSON--_it teaches us_. 

There are many lessons we might learn from this subject; but there isone so much more important than all the rest that we may very welllet them go, and think only of this one. When St. Luke tells us aboutJesus choosing the twelve apostles, he mentions one very importantthing, of which St. Matthew, in his account of it says nothing atall. And it is this thing from which we draw our lesson. In thetwelfth verse of the sixth chapter of his gospel, St. Lukesays--"And it came to pass in those days, that he (Jesus) went outinto a mountain to pray, and _continued all night in prayer to God_. "And after this, the first thing he did, in the morning, was to callhis disciples to him, and out of them to choose the twelve, who wereto be his apostles. And the lesson we learn from this part of thesubject is:

"The Lesson of Prayer. " Jesus spent the whole night in prayer to God, before he chose his apostles. How strange this seems to us! And yetit is easy enough to see at least two reasons why he did this. Onewas because _he loved to pray_. We know how pleasant it is for us tomeet, and talk with a person whom we love very much. But prayeris--talking with God--telling him what we want, and asking his help. But Jesus loved his Father in heaven, with a love deeper and strongerthan we can understand. This must have made it the most delightful ofall things for him to be engaged in prayer, or in talking with hisFather in heaven. And, if we really love Jesus, prayer will not be ahard duty to us, but a sweet privilege. We shall love to pray, because, in prayer we are talking to that blessed Saviour, "whom, not having seen, we love. " And this was one reason why Jesus spentthe whole night in prayer, before choosing his twelve apostles. 

But there was another reason why Jesus spent so much time in prayerbefore performing this important work, and that was to _set us anexample_. It was to teach us the very lesson of which we are nowspeaking--the lesson of prayer. Remember how much power and wisdomJesus had in himself; and what mighty things he was able to do. Andyet, if _He_ felt that it was right to pray before engaging in anyimportant work, how much more necessary it is for us to do so!

Let us learn this lesson well. Let it be the rule and habit of ourlives to connect prayer with everything we do. This will make ushappy in our own souls, and useful to those about us. 

How full the Bible is of the wonders that have been wrought byprayer! Just think for a moment of some of them. 

Abraham prays, and Lot is delivered from the fiery flood thatoverwhelmed Sodom and Gomorrah. Gen. Xix: 29. Jacob prays, and hewrestles with the angel, and obtains the blessing; his brotherEsau's mind is wonderfully turned away from the wrath he hadcherished for twenty years. Moses prays and Amalek is discomfited. Joshua prays and Achan is discovered. Hannah prays and Samuel isborn. David prays and Ahithophel hangs himself. Elijah prays and afamine of three years comes upon Israel. He prays again, and the raindescends, and the famine ends. Elisha prays, and Jordan is divided. He prays again, and the dead child's soul is brought back from theinvisible world. Isaiah and Hezekiah pray, and a hundred andeighty-five thousand Assyrian soldiers are slain in one night by theunseen sword of the angel. These are Bible illustrations of the helpGod gives to his people in answer to prayer. And the Bible rule forprayer, as given by our Saviour, is, "that men ought _always_ topray, " Luke xviii: 1. St. Paul's way of stating it is--"Prayingalways, with all prayer, " Ephes. Vi: 18. In another place hesays--"Pray without ceasing, " I. Thess. V: 17. And even the heathenteach the same rule about prayer. Among the rules of Nineveh, aninscription on a tablet has been found, which, on being translated, proved to contain directions about prayer. It may be entitled:

"An Assyrian Call to Prayer. " These are the words of the call:

 "Pray thou! pray thou! Before the couch, pray! Before the throne, pray! Before the canopy, pray! Before the building of the lofty head, pray! Before the rising of the dawn, pray! Before the fire, pray! By the tablets and papyri, pray! By the side of the river, pray! By the side of a ship, or riding in a ship, or leaving the ship, pray! At the rising of the sun, or the setting of the sun, pray! On coming out of the city, on entering the city, pray! On coming out of the great gate, on entering the great gate, pray! On coming out of the house, pray! on entering the house, pray! In the place of judgment, pray! In the temple, pray!"

This is like the Bible rule of--"praying always. "

"Praying for a Dinner. " "Grandma, aren't we going to church thismorning?" asked a little girl. 

"My child, we have had no breakfast, and have no dinner to eat whenwe come back, " said her grandma. 

"But the Lord Jesus can give it to us if we ask him, " said the littlegirl. "Let's ask him. " So they kneeled down, and asked that God, "whofeedeth the young ravens when they cry, " to remember them, and helpthem. 

Then they went to church. They found it very much crowded. An oldgentleman took the little girl upon his knee. He was pleased with herquiet behaviour. On parting with her at the close of the service, heslipped a half crown into her hand. "See, Grandma, " she said, as soonas they were out of church, "Jesus has sent us our dinner. "

But when we ask God to help us, we must always try to help ourselves. 

"Working as well as Praying. " Two little girls went to the sameschool; one of them, named Mary, always said her lessons well, theother, named Jane, always failed. One day Jane said, "Mary, how doesit happen that you always say your lessons so well?" Mary said sheprayed over her lessons, and _that_ was the secret of her success. 

Jane concluded to try praying. But the next day she failed worse thanever. In tears, she reproached Mary for deceiving her. "But, did youstudy hard, as well as pray over your lesson?" asked Mary. 

"No; I thought if I only prayed, that was all I had to do, " repliedJane. "Not at all. God only helps those who try to help themselves. You must study hard as well as pray, if you wish to get your lessonswell, " was Mary's wise answer. The next day Jane studied, as well asprayed, and she had her lesson perfectly. 

The greatest work we can ever do, is to bring a soul to Jesus, or toconvert a sinner from the error of his way. Here is an illustrationof the way in which this may be done by prayer and effort combined:

"The Coachman and His Prayer. " "I was riding once, on the top of astage-coach, " said a Christian gentleman, "when the driver by my sidebegan to swear in a dreadful manner. I lifted up my heart for God'sblessing on what I said; and presently, in a quiet way, I asked himthis question: 'Driver, do you ever pray?' He seemed displeased atfirst; but after awhile he replied, 'I sometimes go to church onSunday; and then I suppose I pray, don't I?' 'I am afraid you neverpray at all; for no man can swear as you do, and yet be in the habitof praying to God. '

"As we rode along he seemed thoughtful. 'Coachman, I wish you wouldpray now, ' I said. '"Why, what a time to pray, Sir, when a man isdriving a coach!"' 'Yet, my friend, God will hear you, ' '"What shallI pray?"' he asked, in a low voice. 'Pray these words: '"O Lord, grant me thy Holy Spirit, for Christ's sake. Amen. "' He hesitated, but in a moment he repeated them; and then, at my request, he saidthem over a second, and a third time. The end of the journey wasreached, and I left him. 

"Some months passed away, and we met once more. 'Ah, Sir, ' said he, with a smile, 'the prayer you taught me on that coach-box wasanswered. I saw myself a lost, and ruined sinner; but now, I humblyhope, that through the blood which cleanseth from all sin, and by thepower of the Holy Spirit, I am a converted man. '"

And so, when we think of the twelve apostles, appointed by Jesus topreach his gospel, these are the four things for us to remember inconnection with them, viz. :--_the men_ whom he chose; _the work_ theyhad to do; _the help_ given them in doing that work; and _the lesson_we are taught by this subject--the lesson of prayer. 

Whatever we have to do, let us do it with all our hearts, and do itas for God, and then we shall be his apostles--his sent ones. Let meput the application of this subject in the form of some earnest, practical lines that I lately met with. The lines only speak ofboys, but they apply just as well to girls. They are headed:

DRIVE THE NAIL. 

 "Drive the nail aright, boys, Hit it on the head, Strike with all your might, boys, While the iron's red. 

 "Lessons you've to learn, boys, Study with a will; They who reach the top, boys, First must climb the hill. 

 "Standing at the foot, boys, Gazing at the sky, How can you get up, boys, If you never try?

 "Though you stumble oft, boys, Never be downcast; Try and try again, boys, You'll succeed at last. 

 "Ever persevere, boys, Tho' your task be hard; Toil and happy cheer, boys, Bring their own reward. 

 "Never give it up, boys, Always say you'll try; Joy will fill your cup, boys, Flowing by and by. "

THE GREAT TEACHER

Teaching was the great business of the life of Christ during the daysof his public ministry. He was _sent_ to teach and to preach. Thespeaker in the book of Job was thinking of this Great Teacher when heasked--"_Who teacheth like him_?" Job xxxvi: 22. And it was he whowas in the Psalmist's mind when he spoke of the "good, and uprightLord" who would teach sinners, if they were meek, how to walk in hisways. Ps. Xxv: 8-9. And he is the Redeemer, of whom the prophetIsaiah was telling when he said--He would "_teach us to profit_, and_would lead us by the way that we should go_. " And thus we know howtrue was what Nicodemus said of him, that "he was a _teacher sentfrom God_. " John iii: 2. Thus what was said of Jesus, before he cameinto our world, would naturally lead us to expect to find himoccupied in teaching. And so he _was_ occupied, all through the daysof his public ministry. St. Matthew tells us that--"Jesus went aboutall Galilee, _teaching_ in their synagogues. " Ch. Iv: 23. Further onin his gospel he tells us again that "Jesus went about all thecities, and villages, teaching in their synagogues. " Ch. Ix: 35. Whenon his trial before Pilate, his enemies brought it as a chargeagainst him that he had been--"_teaching_ throughout all Jewry. " Lukexxiii: 5. We read in one place that--"the elders of the people cameunto him _as he was teaching_. " Matt. Xxi: 23. Jesus himself gavethis account of his life work to his enemies--"I sat _daily_ with you_teaching_ in the temple. " Matt. Xxvi: 55. And so we come now to lookat the life of Christ from this point of view--as a Teacher. Therenever was such a Teacher. We do not wonder at the effect of histeaching of which we read in St. John vii: 46, when the chief priestssent some of their officers to take him prisoner, and bring him untothem; the officers went, and joined the crowd that was listening tohis preaching. His words had such a strange effect on them that theycould not think of touching him. So they went back to their masterswithout doing what they had been sent to do. "And when the chiefpriests and Pharisees said unto them--Why have ye not brought him?The officers answered, _Never man spake like this man_. " Jesus wasindeed--_The Great Teacher_. In this light we are now to look at him. And as we do this we shall find that there were _five_ great thingsabout his teaching which made him different from any other teacherthe world has ever known. 

_In the first place Jesus may well be called the Great Teacher, because of the_--GREAT BLESSINGS--_of which he came to tell_. 

We find some of these spoken of at the opening of his first greatsermon to his disciples, called "The Sermon on the Mount. " This isthe most wonderful sermon that ever was preached. Jesus began it bytelling about some of the great blessings he had brought down fromheaven for poor sinful creatures such as we are. The sermon begins inthe fifth chapter of St. Matthew, and the first twelve verses of thechapter are occupied in speaking of these blessings. As soon as heopened his mouth and began to speak a stream of blessings flowed out. 

It was a beautiful thought, on this subject, which a boy inSunday-school once had. The teacher had been talking to his classabout the beginning of this sermon on the mount. He had spoken of thesweetness of the words of Jesus, when "He opened his mouth andtaught" his disciples. "How pleasant it must have been, my dearboys, " said he, "to have seen the blessed Saviour, and to have heardhim speak!"

A serious-minded little fellow in the class said, "Teacher, don't youthink that when Jesus opened his mouth, and began to speak to hisdisciples, it must have been like taking the stopper out of a scentbottle?" I cannot tell whether this boy had ever read the words ofSolomon or not; but he had just the same idea that was in his mindwhen he said of this "Great Teacher, " "thy name is _as ointmentpoured forth_. " Cant, i: 3. We perceive the fragrance of thisointment as soon as Jesus opens his mouth and begins to speak. If wehad been listening to Jesus when he began this sermon, saying:--"Blessed are the poor in spirit; blessed are the meek; blessed are thepure in heart; blessed are the peace-makers"--and so on till he hadspoken of _nine_ different kinds of blessing, we might have thoughtthat he had nothing but blessings of which to tell. It would haveseemed as if his mind, and heart, and lips, and hands were all sofilled with blessings that he could do nothing else till he had toldabout these. And the blessings spoken of here are not all theblessings that Jesus brought. They are only specimens of them. Theblessings he has obtained for us are innumerable. David says of them, "If I would declare and speak of them they are more than can benumbered. " Ps. Xl: 5. And these blessings are not only very numerous, but very _great_. Look at one or two of these blessings that Jesus, the Great Teacher, brings to us. He says, "Blessed are they thatmourn, for they shall be comforted. " Jesus came to bring comfort tothe mourners. Hundreds of years before Christ came the prophet Isaiahhad said of him that he would come to "_comfort all that mourn_. " Is. Lxi: 2. And to show how complete this blessing would be which he wasto bring, Jesus said himself--"_As one whom his mother comforteth_--_so will I comfort you_. " Is. Lxvi: 13. A young girl was dying. A friend who came in to see her said:

"I trust you have a good hope. "

"No, " she answered, distinctly; "I am not hoping--I am certain. Mysalvation was finished on the cross. My soul is saved. Heaven ismine. I am going to Jesus. "

What a great blessing it is to have comfort like that!

When Jesus was speaking to the woman of Samaria, as he sat by Jacob'swell, he compared the blessing of his grace to the water of thatwell. Pointing to the well at his side, he said: "Whosoever drinkethof this water will thirst again. But whosoever drinketh of the waterthat I shall give him, shall never thirst; but the water that I shallgive him, shall be _in him, a well of water, springing up untoeverlasting life_. " John iv: 13, 14. This is one of the mostbeautiful illustrations of the blessing Jesus gives that ever wasused. It is a great blessing to have a well of clear, cold water inour garden, or near our door. But, only think of having a well ofwater _in our hearts_. Then, wherever we go, we carry that well withus. We never have to go away from it. No one can separate between usand the water of this well. Other wells dry up and fail. But this isa well that never dries up, and never fails. This well is deep, andits water is all the time "springing up unto everlasting life. " Howhappy they are in whose breasts Jesus opens this well of water!

Coleridge, the English poet, in writing to a young friend, justbefore his death, said:

"Health is a great blessing; wealth, gained by honest industry, is agreat blessing; it is a great blessing to have kind, faithful, lovingfriends and relatives, _but, the greatest, and best of all blessingsis to be a Christian_. "

One of the most able and learned lawyers that England ever had wasJohn Selden. He was so famous for his learning and knowledge that heis always spoken of as "the learned Selden. " On his deathbed hesaid--"I have taken much pains to know everything that was worthknowing among men; but with all my reading and all my knowledge, nothing now remains with me to comfort me at the close of life butthese precious words of St. Paul: 'This a faithful saying, and worthyof all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to savesinners;' to this I cling. In this I rest. This gives me peace, andcomfort, and enables me to die happy. "

William Wilberforce was another of the great and good men who havebeen a blessing and an honor to England. When he was on his deathbed, he said to a dear friend:

"Come, let us talk of heaven. Do not weep for me. I am very happy. But I never knew what happiness was till I found Christ as mySaviour. Read the Bible. Let no other book take its place. Throughall my trials and perplexities, it has been my comfort. And now itcomforts me, and makes me happy. "

Here we see "this well of water springing up unto everlasting life. "And Jesus, who came to tell us of this water, and to open up thiswell in our breasts, may well be called, "the Great Teacher, " becauseof the great blessings--of which he tells. 

_In the second place Jesus may be called "the Great Teacher" becauseof the_--GREAT SIMPLICITY--_of his teachings_. 

I do not mean to say that we can understand every thing that Jesustaught. This is not so. He had some things to speak about that arenot simple. He said to his disciples, "_I have yet many things to sayunto you, but ye cannot bear them now_. " John xvi: 12. This meansthat there are some things about God, and heaven, of which he wishedto tell them, but they were too hard for them to understand, althoughthey were full-grown men. And so he did not tell them of thesethings. But even among the things that Jesus did tell about, thereare some which the wisest and most learned men in the world havenever been able to understand or explain. Some one has compared theBible to a river, in which there are some places deep enough for anelephant or a giant to swim in; and other places where the water isshallow enough for a child to wade in. And it is just so with theteachings of Jesus. Some of the most important lessons he taught areso plain and simple that very young people can understand them. 

We have a good illustration of this in that sweet invitation whichJesus gave when he said, --"_Come unto me, all ye that labor and areheavy laden, and I will give you rest. _" Matt. Xi: 28. Very youngpeople know what it is to feel tired and weary from walking, orworking too much, or from carrying a heavy burden. And, when they aretoo tired to do anything else, they know what it is to go to theirdear mother and throw themselves into her arms, and find rest there. And, in just the same way, Jesus invites us to come to him when weare tired, or troubled, that our souls may find rest in him. We cometo Jesus, when we pray to him; when we tell him all about ourtroubles; when we ask him to help us; and when we trust in hispromises. 

 "Was there ever gentlest shepherd Half so gentle, half so sweet, As the Saviour, who would have us Come and gather round his feet?

 "There's a wideness in God's mercy, Like the wideness of the sea; There's a kindness in his justice Which is more than liberty. 

 "There is no place where earth's sorrows Are more felt than up in heaven; There is no place where earth's failings Have such kindly judgments given. 

 "There is plentiful redemption In the blood that has been shed; There is joy for all the members In the sorrows of the head. 

 "If our love were but more simple, We should take him at his word; And our lives would all be sunshine, In the sweetness of our Lord. "

The prophet Isaiah foretold that when Jesus came, he would teach hisdoctrines to children just weaned. Chap. Xxviii: 9. This shows usthat his teaching was to be marked by great plainness and simplicity. And this was just the way in which he did teach when he uttered thoseloving words:--"_Suffer the little children to come unto me, andforbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of God. _" Mark x: 14. None of the other famous teachers known to the world ever took suchinterest in children as Jesus did. And none of them ever taught withsuch great simplicity. What multitudes of young people have been ledto love and serve Jesus by thinking of the sweet words he spoke aboutchildren!

"The Child's Gospel. " A little girl sat still in church listening tothe minister. She could not understand what he was saying till hequoted these words of Jesus about the children. But she understoodthem. She felt that they were words spoken for her. They made herfeel very happy. And when she went home she threw her arms around hermother's neck, who had been kept at home by sickness, and said, "O, mother, I have heard the _child's gospel_ to-day. "

"It's For Me. " Little Carrie was a heathen child, about ten yearsold. After she had been going to the Mission School for some time, her teacher noticed, one day, that she looked sad. 

"Carrie, my dear, " she said, "why do you look so sad to-day?"

"Because I am thinking. "

"And what are you thinking about?"

"O, teacher, I don't know whether Jesus loves me, or not. "

"Carrie, what did Jesus say about little children coming to him whenhe was on earth?"

In a moment the sweet words she had learned in the school were on herlips--"Suffer the little children to come unto me, &c. "

"Well, Carrie, for whom did Jesus speak these words?" At once sheclapped her hands and exclaimed: "It's not for you, teacher, is it?for you are not a child. No: it's for me! it's for me!"

And so this dear child was drawn to Jesus by the power of his love. And thus, through all the hundreds of years that have passed awaysince "Jesus was here among men, " these same simple words have beendrawing the little ones to him. 

And so, because of the great simplicity which marked his teaching, Jesus must truly be called--the Great Teacher. 

_But in the third place there was_--GREAT TENDERNESS--_in Jesus, andthis was another thing that helped to make him the Great Teacher_. 

It was this great tenderness that led him, when he came to be ourTeacher and Saviour to take our nature upon him and so become likeus. He might have come into our world in the form of a mighty angel, with his face shining like the sun, as he appeared when the disciplessaw him on the Mount of Transfiguration. But then we should have beenafraid of him. He would not have known how we feel, and could nothave felt for us. But instead of this, his tenderness led him to takeour nature upon him, that he might be able to put himself in ourplace, and so to understand just how we feel, and what we need tohelp and comfort us. This is what the apostle means in Heb. Ii: 14, when he says--"Forasmuch as the children were partakers of flesh andblood, he also himself likewise took part of the same. " He did thison purpose that he might know, by his own experience, how we aretried and tempted; and so be able to sympathize with us and help usin all our trials. 

Here is a little story, very simple, and homely; but yet, one thatillustrates very well the point of which we are speaking. It is astory about:

"A Lost Horse Found. " A valuable horse was lost, belonging to afarmer in New England. A number of his neighbors turned out to tryand find the horse. They searched all through the woods and fieldsof the surrounding country, but in vain. None of them could find thehorse. At last a poor, weak-minded fellow, who was known in thatneighborhood as "simple Sam, " started to hunt the horse. After awhilehe came back, bringing the stray horse with him. The owner of thehorse was delighted to see him. He stroked and patted him, and then, turning to the simple-minded man who had found him, he said:

"Well, Sam, how came you to find the horse, when no one else could doit?"

"Wal, you see, " said Sam, "I just 'quired whar the horse was seenlast; and then I went thar, and sat on a rock; and just axed mysel', if I was a horse, whar would I go, and what would I do? And then Iwent, and found him. " Now, when Sam, in the simplicity of his feeblemind, tried to put himself, as far as he could, in the horse's place, this helped him to find the lost horse, and bring him back to hisowner again. And so, to pass from a very little thing to a very greatone, when Jesus came down from heaven to seek and to save sinnersthat were lost, this is just the way in which he acted. He puthimself in our place as sinners. As the apostle Paul says: "he whoknew no sin, was made sin for us, " that he might save us from thedreadful consequences of our sins. 

And we see the tenderness of Jesus, not only in taking our natureupon him and becoming man, but in what he did when he lived in thisworld as a man. "_He went about doing good_. " It was his greattenderness that led him to do this. Suppose that you and I could havewalked about with Jesus when he was on earth as the apostles did. Just think for a moment what we should have seen. We should have seenhim meeting with blind men and opening their eyes that they mightsee. We should have seen him meeting with deaf men, and unstoppingtheir ears that they might hear. We should have seen him meeting sickpeople who were taken with divers diseases and torments and healingthem. We should have seen him raising the dead; and casting outdevils; and speaking words of comfort and encouragement to those whowere sad and sorrowful. If we could have looked into his blessedface, we should have seen tenderness there, beaming from his eyes andspeaking from every line of his countenance. If we could havelistened to his teaching we should have found tenderness runningthrough all that he said. Just take one of his many parables as asample of his way of teaching--the parable of the lost sheep--and seehow full of tenderness it is. The sweet lines of the hymn, about theshepherd seeking his lost sheep, that most of us love to sing, bringout the tenderness of Jesus here very touchingly. 

 "There were ninety and nine that safely lay In the shelter of the fold, But one was out on the hills away, Far off from the gates of gold-- Away on the mountains, wild and bare, Away from the tender shepherd's care. 

 "'Lord, Thou hast here Thy ninety and nine; Are they not enough for Thee?' But the Shepherd made answer: 'One of mine Has wandered away from me; And, although the road be rough and steep, I go to the desert to find my sheep. '

 "But none of the ransomed ever knew How deep were the waters crossed; Nor how dark was the night that the Lord passed through, Ere he found his sheep that was lost. Out in the desert he heard its cry-- Sick and helpless, and ready to die. 

 "'Lord, whence are those blood-drops all the way That mark out the mountain's track?' They were shed for one who had gone astray, Ere the shepherd could bring him back. 'Lord, why are Thy hands so rent and torn?' They are pierced, to-night, by many a thorn. 

 "But all through the mountains, thunder-riven, And up from the rocky steep, There rose a cry to the gates of heaven, 'Rejoice! I have found my sheep!' And the angels echoed around the throne, 'Rejoice, for the Lord brings back his own. '"

And all that we know of Jesus as "the good Shepherd, " demonstrateshis great tenderness for his sheep. 

But perhaps there was no act in all the life of our blessed Redeemerthat showed his tenderness more than taking the little children inhis arms, and putting his hands upon them, and blessing them. 

To think of the Son of God, who made this world, and all worlds, andwhom all the angels of heaven worship, showing so much interest inthe little ones; this proves how full of tenderness his heart was. 

"I Like Your Jesus. " An English lady who had spent six months inSyria, writes: "Going through the places where the Mohammedans live, you continually hear the girls singing our beautiful hymns in Arabic. The attractive power of Christ's love is felt even by the littleones, as we learned from a dear Moslem child, who, when she repeatedthe text, 'Suffer the little children, ' said, 'I like your Jesus, because he loved little children. Our Mohammed did not love littlechildren. '"

And if we all try to imitate the tenderness of Jesus, then, though wemay have no money to give, and no great thing to do, yet by beingtender, and gentle, and loving, as Jesus was, we shall be able to dogood wherever we are. 

"Doing Good by Sympathy. " A Christian mother used to ask her childrenevery night if they had done any good during the day. One night inanswer to this question, her little daughter said: "At school thismorning I found little Annie G----, who had been absent for sometime, crying very hard. I asked her what was the matter? Then shecried more, so that I could not help putting my head on her neck, andcrying with her. Her sobs grew less, and presently she told of herlittle baby brother, whom she loved so much; how sick he had been;and how much pain he had suffered, till he died and was buried. Thenshe hid her face in her book, and cried, as if her heart would break. I could not help putting my face on the other page of the book, andcrying, too, as hard as she did. After awhile she kissed me, and toldme I had done her good. But, mother, I don't know how I did her good;_for I only cried with her!_"

Now this little girl was showing the tenderness of Jesus, the GreatTeacher. Nothing in the world could have done that poor sorrowingchild so much good as to have some one cry with her. Sometimes tearsof tenderness are worth more than diamonds. And this is why the Bibletells us to "weep with them that weep. " Rom. Xii: 15. Jesus did thisin the tenderness of his loving heart. And this was one of the thingsthat made him the Great Teacher. 

_But then there was_--GREAT KNOWLEDGE--_in Jesus; and this wasanother thing that made him great as a teacher_. 

If we wish to be good teachers, we must study, and try to understandthe things we expect to teach. If a young man wishes to be aminister, he must go through college; and then spend three years inthe Divinity School, so that he may understand the great truths ofthe Bible, which he is to teach the people who hear him. But Jesusnever went to college, or to a divinity school. And yet he hadgreater knowledge about all the things of which he spoke than anyother teacher ever had. We are told in the book of Job that "He is_perfect_ in knowledge. " Job xxxvi: 5. And the apostle Paul tells usthat "in him are hid _all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge_. "Col. Ii: 3. This is more than can be said of any man, or any angel. If we could take all the knowledge of all the best teachers who everlived, and give it to one person, it would be as nothing compared tothe knowledge which Jesus, "the Great Teacher" had. He knew all aboutheaven; for that had always been his home before he came into ourworld. He knew all about God; for, he was "in the bosom of theFather, " John i: 18; and, as he tells us himself, had shared hisglory with him, "before the world was. " John xvii: 5. He knew allabout the world we live in, for he made it. John i: 10. He knew allabout all other worlds, for he made them, too. John i: 3; Heb. I: 2. He knew all about his disciples and every body else in the world, forhe made them all. He saw all they did; he heard all they said; heknew all they thought, or felt. Wise and learned men have beenstudying, and finding out things for hundreds of years, aboutgeography and natural history--and astronomy;--about light, and heat, and electricity--and steam--and the telegraph, and many other things. Jesus knew all about these things when he was on earth. He could havetold about them, if he had seen fit to do so. But he only told uswhat it is best for us to know, in order that we might be saved; andkept back all the rest. The things that Jesus did teach us when hewas here on earth were wonderful; but it is hardly less wonderful tothink of the things that he might have taught us, and yet did not. When we think of the great knowledge of Jesus, as a Teacher, we arenot surprised that some of those who heard him "wondered at thegracious words" he spake; or that others asked the question: "Whencehath this man this knowledge, having never learned?"

Some one has written these sweet lines about Christ as--_The GreatTeacher_:

 "From everything our Saviour saw, Lessons of wisdom he could draw; The clouds, the colors in the sky; The gentle breeze that whispers by; The fields all white with waving corn; The lilies that the vale adorn; The reed that trembles in the wind; The tree, where none its fruit could find; The sliding sand, the flinty rock, That bears unmoved the tempest's shock; The thorns that on the earth abound; The tender grass that clothes the ground; The little birds that fly in air; The sheep that need the shepherd's care; The pearls that deep in ocean lie; The gold that charms the miser's eye; The fruitful and the thorny ground; The piece of silver lost and found; The reaper, with his sheaves returning; The gathered tares prepared for burning; The wandering sheep brought back with joy; The father's welcome for his boy; The wedding-feast, prepared in state; The foolish virgins' cry, 'too late!'-- All from his lips some truth proclaim, Or learn to tell their Maker's name. "

But the difference between Jesus, the Great Teacher, and all otherteachers is seen, not only in the greater knowledge he has of thethings that he teaches, but in this also, that he knows how to makeus understand the lessons he teaches. Here is an incident thatillustrates how well Jesus can do this. We may call it:

"The Well Instructed Boy. " A minister of the gospel was travellingthrough the wildest part of Ireland. There he met a shepherd's boy, not more than ten or twelve years old. He was poorly clad, with nocovering on his head, and no shoes or stockings on his feet; but helooked bright and happy. He had a New Testament in his hand. "Can youread, my boy?" asked the minister. 

"To be sure I can. "

"And do you understand what you read?"

"A little. "

"Please turn to the third chapter of St. John, and read us a little, "said the minister. The boy found the place directly, and in a cleardistinct voice, began:

"There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of theJews; the same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi. "

"What does Rabbi mean?"

"It means a master. "

"Right; go on. "

"We know thou art a teacher come from God; for no man can do thesemiracles that thou doest, except God be with him. "

"What is a _miracle_?"

"It is a _great wonder_. 'Jesus answered and said unto him, verily, verily, I say unto thee. '"

"What does _verily_ mean?"

"It means 'indeed. ' 'Except a man be born again. '"

"What does that mean?"

"It means a great change, a change of heart. "

"Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. "

"And what is that kingdom?"

He paused a moment, and with a very serious, thoughtful look, placinghis hand on his bosom, he said, "It is _something here_;" and then, raising his eyes to heaven, added, "_and something up yonder_. " Thispoor boy had been taking lessons from "the Great Teacher, " and he hadtaught him some of the most important things that we can ever learn. Jesus may well be called "the Great Teacher, " because of his greatknowledge. 

_But there is one other thing that Jesus has, which helps to make him"the Great Teacher, " and that is_--GREAT POWER. 

Other teachers can tell us what we ought to learn, and to do, yetthey have no power to help us learn, or do what they teach. But Jesus_has_ this power. Let us take a single illustration from many of thesame kind that occurred while he was on earth. One day he was goingabout teaching in the streets of Jerusalem. As he went on, he passedby the office of a man who was gathering taxes for the Romangovernment. The persons who did this were called _publicans_. Thisman, sitting in his office, was named Matthew. He was busily engagedin receiving the taxes of the people. It was a very profitablebusiness. The men engaged in it generally made a great deal of money. Jesus stopped before the window or door of this office. He beckonedto Matthew, and simply spoke these two words:--"_Follow me_. "

Now, if any other teacher had spoken these words to Matthew, and hadtried to make him quit his business and engage in something else, hewould have said: "No; I can't leave my office. This is all the meansI have of getting a living. The business pays well, and I am notwilling to give it up. " But when Jesus spoke to him, he did, at once, what he was told to do. We read that "He left all, rose up, andfollowed him. " Matt. Ix: 9; Luke v: 28. He became one of the twelveapostles and wrote the gospel which bears his name. But it was thegreat power which Jesus has over the hearts of men that made Matthewwilling to do, at once, what he was told to do. 

And the power which Jesus exercised over Matthew, in this case, hestill has, and still uses. And when he is pleased to use this powerthe very worst people feel it, and are made good by it. And Jesus, "the Great Teacher, " uses this power sometimes in connection withvery simple things. Here is an illustration. We may call it:

"Saved by a Rose. " Some time ago, a Christian gentleman was in thehabit of visiting one of our prisons. It occurred to him, one day, that it would be a good thing to have a flowering plant in the littleyard connected with each cell. He got permission from the officers ofthe prison to do so. He had a bracket fastened to the wall, in eachyard, and a flower pot, with a plant in it, placed on each bracket. One of these prisoners was worse than all the rest. He was the mosthardened man that had ever been in that prison. His temper was soviolent and obstinate that no one could manage him. The keeper of theprison was afraid of him, and never liked to go near him. He was sucha disagreeable-looking man that the name given to him in the prisonwas "Ugly Greg. " A little rose bush was put on the bracket in UglyGreg's yard, and the effect produced by it is told in these simplelines, which some one has written about it:

 "Ugly Greg was the prisoner's name, Ugly in face, and in nature the same; Stubborn, sullen, and beetle-browed, The hardest case in a hardened crowd. The sin-set lines in his face were bent Neither by kindness nor punishment; He hadn't a friend in the prison there, And he grew more ugly and didn't care. 

 "But some one--blessings on his name! Had caused to be placed in that house of shame, To relieve the blank of the white-washed wall, Flower-pot brackets, with plants on them all. Though it seemed but a useless thing to do, Ugly Greg's cell had a flower-pot, too, And as he came back at the work-day's close, He paused, astonished, before a rose. 

 "'He will smash it in pieces, ' the keeper said, But the lines on his face grew soft instead. Next morning he watered his plant with care, And went to his work with a cheerful air; And, day by day, as the rose-bush grew, Ugly Greg began changing, too. 

 "The soft, green leaves unfolded their tips, And the foul word died on the prisoner's lips; He talked to the plant, when all alone, As he would to a friend, in a gentle tone; And, day by day, and week by week, As the rose grew taller, so Greg grew meek. 

 "But, at last they took him away to lie On a hospital bed, for they knew he must die, They placed the rose in the sunny light, Where Greg might watch it, from morn till night, And the green buds grew, from day to day, As the sick man faded fast away. 

 "The lines which sin and pain had traced, Seemed by the shadowing plant effaced, Till, came at last, the joyful hour, When they knew that the bud must burst its flower. Greg slept, but still one hand caressed The plant; the other his pale cheek pressed. The perfumed crimson shed a glow On the old man's hair, as white as snow; The nurse came softly--'Look, Greg!' she said, Ay, the rose had bloomed, but the man was dead. "

And the meaning of all this is, not that the rose itself saved thishardened sinner. No; but it led him to think of the lessons of hischildhood, when he had been taught about Jesus, "the Rose ofSharon". It led him to think about his sins. It led him to repent ofthem; to pray to Jesus; to exercise faith in him; and in _this way_he became a changed man, and was saved. And so, though we speak ofhim as--"a man saved by a rose;" yet it was the power of Jesus, "theGreat Teacher, " exercised through that rose, which led to thisblessed change and saved Greg's soul from death. 

And thus we have spoken of five things which help to make up thegreatness of Jesus as a Teacher. These are--The Great Blessings--TheGreat Simplicity--The Great Tenderness--The Great Knowledge--and theGreat Power connected with his teachings. Let us seek the grace thatwill enable us to learn of him, and then we shall find rest for oursouls!

CHRIST TEACHING BY PARABLES

We have spoken of our Saviour as "The Great Teacher, " and tried topoint out some of the things in his teaching which helped to make himgreat. And now, it may be well to speak a little of the illustrationswhich he made use of as a Teacher. These are called--_parables_. OurSaviour's parables were illustrations. This is what is meant by theGreek word from which we get the word parable. It means something_set down by the side of another_. When we teach a lesson we aresetting something before the minds of our scholars. But suppose it isa hard lesson and they do not understand it. Then we use anillustration. This is something set down beside the lesson to make itplain. Then this, whatever it be, is a parable. 

At the beginning of his ministry, our Saviour did not make much useof parables. But, after he had been preaching for some time, he madea change in his way of teaching, in this respect. He began to useparables very freely. His disciples were surprised at this. On oneoccasion, after he had used the parable of the Sower, they came totheir Master and asked him why he always spake to the people now inparables? We have our Saviour's answer to this question in St. Matt, xiii: 11-18. And it is a remarkable answer. The meaning of it is thathe used parables for two reasons: one was to help those who reallywished to learn from him to understand what he was teaching. Theother was that those who were not willing to be taught might listento him without understanding what he was saying. These people hadheard him when he was teaching without parables. But, instead ofthanking him for coming to teach them, and of being willing to dowhat he wanted them to do, they found fault with his teaching, andwould not mind what he said. 

Now, there is a great difference between the way in which we are tolearn what the Bible teaches us about God and heaven; and the way inwhich we learn other things. If we want to learn what the Bibleteaches us we must be careful that we are having right feelings inour hearts; but if we want to learn other things it does not matterso much what our feelings are. For instance, suppose you have alesson to learn in geography; no matter how you are feeling, whetheryou are proud, or humble; whether you are cross, or gentle; yet ifyou only study hard enough, and long enough, you can learn thatlesson. But, if you want to learn one of the lessons that Jesusteaches, no matter how hard, or how long you study it, yet while youare giving way to proud, or angry feelings in your heart, you cannever learn that lesson. And the reason is that we cannot learn theselessons unless we have the special help of Jesus, by the Holy Spirit. But this help can never be had while we give way to wrong feelings inour hearts. In learning geography, and other such lessons, we do notneed the _special_ help of God. We can learn them ourselves, if weonly try. But we cannot learn the lessons that Jesus teaches in thisway. This is what the Psalmist means when he says:--"The _meek_ willhe teach his way. " Ps. Xxv: 9. And this was what our Saviour meantwhen he said: "If any man will do his will, _he shall know_. " St. John vii: 17. We must be willing to be taught;--and willing to obey;if we wish to understand what Jesus, "The Great Teacher, " has to tellus. 

Some one has well said that truth, taught by a parable, is like thekernel hid away in a nut. The parable, like the shell of the nut, covers up the kernel. Those who really want the kernel will crack theshell, and get it: but those who are not willing to crack the shellwill never get the kernel. The shell of the nut keeps the kernel safe_for_ one of these persons, and safe _from_ the others. 

But, after the time of which we have spoken, Jesus used parablesfreely. We are told that--"without a parable spake he not unto thepeople. " St. Mark xiii: 34. He used parables among his disciples fortwo reasons: these were to help them to _understand_, and to rememberwhat he taught them. 

We have a great many of the parables of Jesus in the gospels. A fulllist of them will contain not less than _fifty_. It would be easyenough to make a sermon on each of these parables. But that wouldmake a larger work than this whole LIFE OF CHRIST, on which we arenow engaged. It is impossible therefore to speak of all the parables. We can only make selections, or take some specimens of them. We mayspeak of five different lessons as illustrated by some of theparables of Christ. These are--_The value of religion: Christ's loveof sinners: The duty of forgiveness: The duty of kindness: and theeffect of good example_. 

_Well then, we may begin by considering what Jesus taught us of_--THEVALUE OF RELIGION--_in his parables. _

The parable of The Treasure Hid in the Field teaches us this truth. We find this parable in St. Matt. Xiii: 44. Here Jesus says, "Thekingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the whichwhen a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth andselleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. " The words "kingdomof heaven" are used by our Saviour in different senses. Sometimes, ashere, they mean the grace of God, or true religion. And what Jesusteaches us by this parable is that true religion is more valuablethan anything else in the world. 

The next parable, in the forty-fifth and forty-sixth verses of thesame chapter, is about The Pearl of Great Price. This teaches thesame lesson. It reads thus:--"The kingdom of heaven is like unto amerchantman seeking goodly pearls: who, when he had found one pearlof great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it. " By this"pearl of great price" Jesus meant true religion, as he did by thetreasure hid in the field in the former parable. And the truth heteaches in both these parables is that religion is more important tous than anything else in the world. Let us look at some incidentsthat may help to illustrate for us the value of religion. 

"Jesus Makes Everything Right. " A poor lame boy became a Christian, and in telling what effect this change had upon him, these are thewords he used to a person who was visiting him: "Once every thingwent wrong at our house; father was wrong, mother was wrong, sisterwas wrong, and I was wrong; but now, since I have learned to know andlove Jesus it is all right. I know why everything went wrongbefore:--it was because I was wrong myself. " And this is true. Thefirst thing that religion does for us is to make us _be_ rightourselves, and then to _do_ right to others. 

"Be. " A young lady had been trying to do something very good, but hadnot succeeded. Her mother said, "Marian, my child, God gives us manythings to _do_, but we must not forget that he gives us some thingsto _be_; and we must learn to _be_ what God would have us be, beforewe can _do_ what God would have us do. "

"O dear mother, please tell me about _being_, and then I shall knowbetter about doing. "

"Well, listen my child, while I remind you of some of the Bible be's:God says:

"_Be_--ye kindly affectioned one to another. "

"_Be_--ye also patient. "

"_Be_--ye thankful. "

"_Be_--ye children in malice. "

"_Be_--ye therefore perfect. "

"_Be_--courteous. "

"_Be_--not wise in your own conceits. "

"_Be_--not overcome of evil. "

"Thank you, dear mother, " said Marian. "I hope I shall have a betterday to-morrow; for I see now that _doing_ grows out of _being_. "

This is a point worth dwelling on, and so I will introduce to yournotice here:

A SWARM OF BEES WORTH HIVING. 

 "Be patient, Be prayerful, Be humble, Be mild, Be wise as a Solon, Be meek as a child. 

 "Be studious, Be thoughtful, Be loving, Be kind, Be sure you make matter subservient to mind. 

 "Be cautious, Be prudent, Be trustful, Be true, Be courteous to all men, Be friendly with few. 

 "Be temperate in argument, pleasure and wine, Be careful of conduct, of money, of time. 

 "Be cheerful, Be grateful, Be hopeful, Be firm, Be peaceful, benevolent, willing to learn;

 "Be courageous, Be gentle Be liberal, Be just, Be aspiring, Be humble, because you are dust. 

 "Be penitent, circumspect, sound in the faith, Be active, devoted; Be faithful to death. 

 "Be honest, Be holy, transparent and pure; Be dependent, Be Christ-like and you'll be secure. "

Here is a swarm of between forty and fifty bees. The religion ofJesus will help us to make these all our own. How great then must thevalue of religion be! Surely it is worth while for each of us to tryand secure it!

I think I never saw a better view of the value of religion than isseen in the following statement of what it does for us. I know not bywhom it was written, but it is put in the form of that sacred sign towhich we owe all the blessings of salvation--the sign of

THE CROSS. 

 "Blest they who seek While in their youth, With spirit meek, The way of truth. To them the sacred scriptures now display Christ as the only true and living way; His precious blood on Calvary was given To make them heirs of endless bliss in Heaven. And e'en on earth the child of God can trace The glorious blessings of the Saviour's grace. For them He bore His Father's frown; For them He wore The thorny Crown; Nailed to the Cross, Endured its pain, That his life's loss Might be their gain. Then haste to choose That better part, Nor dare refuse The Lord thy heart, Lest he declare, -- 'I know you not, ' And deep despair Should be your lot. Now look to Jesus, who on Calvary died, And trust on him who there was crucified. "

"Leaving it All with Jesus. " Annie W . .. Was a young Christian. Inher fourteenth year she was taken with a severe illness, from whichthe doctor said she could not recover. When she became too weak toleave the sofa, she would send for one and another of the neighborsto come in to see her, and then she would speak to them of Jesus andhis great salvation. One day a poor old woman who was not aChristian, came in to see her. 

"You are very ill, my dear, " she said to Annie. 

"Yes, " she replied, "but I shall soon be well. "

The poor woman shook her head as she looked at Annie's mother, saying, "Poor dear creature; she cannot possibly get well. No: shewill never get over it. " Then turning to Annie, she said:

"Don't you know, my dear, that you are going to die?"

"I know I am going to live, " she said with a sweet smile. "I shallsoon be with Jesus in heaven, and live forever with him. "

"Oh, how can you know that, my dear? We must not be _too_ sure youknow, " said the poor woman. 

"Oh, " said Annie, pointing to a card hanging on the wall, near herbed, on which was printed in large letters the hymn headed--"I leaveit all with Jesus. " "That's what I do! That's what I do. " These arethe words of the hymn which gave that dear child so much comfort onher dying bed:

 "I leave it all with Jesus, Then wherefore should I fear? I leave it all with Jesus, And he is ever near. 

 "I leave it all with Jesus, Trust him for what must be; I leave it all with Jesus, Who ever thinks of me. 

 "I bring it all to Jesus, In calm, believing prayer; I bring it all to Jesus, And I love to LEAVE it there!

 "Each tear, each sigh, each trouble, Each disappointment, --all I love to GIVE to Jesus, Who loves to TAKE them all. "

And here we have a beautiful illustration of one of the things whichJesus taught us in his parables, namely--_the value of religion_. 

_Another thing we are taught in these parables is_--CHRIST'S LOVE FORSINNERS. 

The parable of the lost sheep teaches us this truth: but as we hadoccasion to speak of this in our last chapter, when illustrating thetenderness of Christ, as the Great Teacher, we may let that pass now. But the parable of the lost piece of money teaches the same lesson. We have this parable in St. Luke xv: 8th and 9th verses. Here we aretold of a woman who had ten pieces of silver, and lost one of them. Then she laid the others aside, and searched diligently for the lostpiece till she found it. This woman represents Jesus. The lost pieceof money represents our souls lost by sin. The efforts of the womanto find the lost piece represent what Jesus did, when he left heaven, and took our nature upon him, and came as "the Son of man to _seekand to save that which was lost_. " And it was the love of Jesus forpoor sinners which led him to do all this for us. And everythingconnected with the history of Jesus when he was on earth shows thegreatness of his love. Think of Bethlehem and its manger; there wesee the love of Jesus. Think of Gethsemane with its bloody sweat;there we see the love of Jesus. Think of Calvary with its cross ofshame and agony; for _there_ we see the love of Jesus. 

And the parable of the prodigal son teaches us the same lesson. Weread of this in the same chapter, St. Luke xv: 11-32. This son hadbeen disobedient and ungrateful. He had taken the money his fathergave him and had gone away and spent it in living very wickedly. Andwhen the money was all spent and he was likely to starve, he wentback to his father, hungry and ragged, and asked to be taken in. Andinstead of scolding and punishing him as he deserved, as soon as hisfather saw him, he ran, and fell on his neck and kissed him; and tookoff his rags, and dressed him in good clothes, and made a great feastfor him. How beautifully this parable illustrates the love of Christfor sinners!

And when we learn to know and feel the love of Christ for us, it doestwo blessed things for us. 

One is, _it makes us good_. We hear a great deal about _conversion_. This word conversion simply means--_turning_. When a person has beenliving without trying to serve or please God, and is led to see howwrong it is to live in that way, and then feels an earnest desire toturn around, and live differently, and really does so:--that isconversion. The teaching or preaching of the gospel is the chiefmeans that God employs to convert men. And the thing about the gospelin which this converting power lies is--_the love of Christ_. Hereis an illustration of what this means. 

"He Loved Me. " An English minister of the gospel was traveling inSwitzerland one summer. As he passed from place to place, he preachedby means of an interpreter in various churches. One Sunday night hepreached from the words, "_He loved me, and gave himself for me_. "Gal. Ii: 20. Then he went on his way without knowing what effect hadfollowed from his preaching. 

One Saturday evening, several weeks after, the minister of thischurch was sitting in his study. There came a faint knock at hisdoor. He opened it, when, to his great surprise he saw there a youngman, who was known as the wickedest young man in that neighborhood, and the leader of others in all sorts of wickedness. He invited himin, gave him a seat, and asked him what he wished. Judge of hissurprise when the young man said he wished to inquire if he mightcome to the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, which was to becelebrated in his church the next day!

"But are you not aware, my young friend, " said the minister, "thatonly those who love Christ, and are trying to serve him, have anyright to come to that holy ordinance?"

"I know it, sir, " said the young man, "and I am thankful to feelthat I am among that number. "

"But, " asked the astonished pastor, "are you not known in thisvillage as the ringleader in all evil doings?"

"Alas! it is too true that it has been so, " he replied, "but thankGod all is changed now. "

"I am happy indeed to hear it; but pray tell me what led to thisgreat change. "

"I was in your church, sir, " said he, "some weeks ago, when thatEnglish minister preached from the words, 'Who loved me and gavehimself for me, ' That was the first time I ever understood about thelove of Christ. It led to my repentance and conversion; and now Iwish to show my love to Jesus by trying to serve and please him. "

Here we see how the love of Christ makes us good. 

But it _makes us happy_, as well as good. Here is a little story thatillustrates this point very well. We may call it:

"Maggie's Secret. " "Maggie Blake, how can you study so hard, and beso provokingly good?" This question was asked by Jennie Lee, who wasone of the largest and wildest girls in the school. Maggie hesitateda moment, whether to tell her secret or not. But, presently shelifted up her eyes, looked her companion bravely in the face, andsaid--"It's for Jesus' sake, Jennie. "

"But do you think he cares?" asked Jennie in a soft, subduedvoice, --"do you think he cares how we act?"

"I _know_ he does, " said Maggie. "And it makes it so pleasant yousee, even to study and get hard lessons, when I know he is looking atme, and is pleased to have me working my best for him. He alwayshelps me to get my lessons; and then helps me to say them right. Youknow I used to be so frightened I could not say them, even when I hadlearned them well. "

"Yes, " said Jennie, remembering very well how Maggie had changed inthat respect. 

"That was before I thought of learning them for Jesus. After that hehelped me all along. It makes me like school; and even disagreeablethings are pleasant when I think of doing them for him. "

Jennie had often watched Maggie, and wondered what made her have sucha bright, cheerful, happy look. Now she knew the secret of it. It wasdoing everything "for Jesus' sake. "

She felt she would gladly give everything she had to be as happy asMaggie. She asked Maggie to pray for her, and she began to pray forherself. Then Jesus helped her, and she soon had Maggie's secret forher own. The girls in school wondered at the change which had comeover Jennie. But when they heard that she had been confirmed, and hadjoined the church, they understood it all. They knew she "had beenwith Jesus;" and that it was learning to know and feel his wonderfullove which had made Jennie so good, and so happy. 

And so, we see that Jesus was doing a blessed thing for us when hetaught the parables which show his love for sinners. 

_A third thing taught us by some of the parables of Jesus is_--THEDUTY OF KINDNESS. 

One day, while Jesus was on earth, a young man came to him with thegreat question, what he should do to obtain eternal life. Jesusreferred him to the Ten Commandments; and reducing them to two, hetold the young man that these commandments required him to love Godwith all his heart, and his neighbor as himself; and then said if hewould do this he would be saved. 

This is perfectly true. Any one would be saved who would do this. But no one ever has done this except our blessed Lord Himself. He"magnified the law and made it honorable" by keeping it perfectly. Isuppose that Jesus intended to give this young man some lessons aboutthe commandments of God which would lead him to see that he nevercould keep them himself; and that he would need some one to keep themfor him, and that _this_ was the only way in which he, or any oneelse could be saved. It may have been that the young man did not wantto hear any thing more on that subject, and so he gave theconversation a different turn by asking--"who is my neighbor?" whenJesus said he must love his neighbor as himself. And then, in answerto this question Jesus told the parable of the "Good Samaritan. " Wehave this parable in St. Luke x: 30-37. 

Here we are told of a certain man who was going down from Jerusalemto Jericho, and fell among thieves. They robbed him; and wounded him;and left him half dead. While he was lying there helpless andsuffering, a priest and a Levite came, and looked on him, and passedby on the other side, without giving him any help. Then we are toldthat a certain Samaritan came by, and when he saw the poor woundedman lying there, although he was a Jew, and the Jews and theSamaritans hated each other very much, yet he pitied him, and went upto him, and bound up his wounds, and set him on his own beast, andcarried him to an inn, and told them to take care of him, and saidthat he would pay all his expenses. Then Jesus asked the question, "Which now, of these three thinkest thou was neighbor to him thatfell among thieves? And he said, he that showed mercy on him. Thensaid Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise. "

Thus Jesus taught the duty of kindness. This kindness we must show, not to our friends only, but to our enemies. _Kindness to all_ is theduty that Jesus teaches. 

Let us look at one or two illustrations of the way in which we shoulddo this. 

"The Honey Shield. " It is said that wasps and bees will not sting aperson whose skin is covered with honey. And so those who are exposedto the sting of these venomous little creatures smear their hands andfaces over with honey, and this, we are told, proves the best shieldthey can have to keep them from getting stung. And the honey herevery well represents the kindness which Jesus teaches us to practise. If kindness, gentleness, and forbearance are found running throughall our words and actions, we shall have the best shield to protectus from the spiteful stings of wicked people. 

"Androcles and the Lion. " Most of those who read these pages may haveheard this story, but it illustrates the point before us so well thatI do not hesitate to use it here. 

Androcles was a Roman slave. To escape the cruel treatment of hismaster he ran away. A lonely cave in the midst of the forest was hishome for a while. Returning to his cave one day he met a lion nearthe mouth of the cave. He was bellowing as if in pain; and on gettingnearer to him, he found that he was suffering from a thorn which hadrun into one of his paws. It was greatly swollen and inflamed, andwas causing him much pain. Androcles went up to the suffering beast. He drew out the rankling thorn and thus relieved him of his pain. Hisnature, savage as it was, felt the power of the kindness thus shownto him. He became attached to the lonely slave, and shared his preywith him while they remained together. 

But, after a while the retreat of Androcles was discovered. He wastaken and carried back to his master. The lion also was made aprisoner soon after. Androcles was kept in prison for some time; andfinally, according to the custom of the Romans, he was condemned to bedevoured by wild beasts. The lion to be let loose on Androcles hadbeen kept a long time without food and was very hungry. When the doorof his den was opened he rushed out with a tremendous roar. TheColosseum was crowded with spectators. They expected to see the poorslave torn to pieces in a moment. But, to the surprise of everyone, the great monster, hungry as he was, instead of devouring thecondemed man, crouched at his feet, and began to fondle him, as a petdog would do. He recognized in the poor prisoner his friend of theforest and showed that he had not forgotten his kindness. Thekindness of Androcles had been like the honey shield to him. It savedhis life, first from the savage beast in the forest; and then fromthe savage men in the city. Let us all put on this shield, and wearit wherever we go. The lesson of kindness which Jesus teaches inthis parable, has been very well put by some one in these sweetlines:

THE LESSON OF KINDNESS. 

 "Think kindly of the erring! Thou knowest not the power With which the dark temptation came In some unguarded hour; Thou knowest not how earnestly They struggled, or how well, Until the hour of weakness came, And sadly then they fell. 

 "Speak kindly to the erring! Thou yet may'st lead him back With holy words, and tones of love, From misery's thorny track: Forget not _thou_ hast often sinned And sinful yet must be:-- Deal kindly with the erring one As God hath dealt with thee!"

The duty of kindness was the third lesson Jesus taught in theparables. 

_A fourth lesson taught us in some of the parables of Jesus is_----THE DUTY OF FORGIVENESS. 

The apostle Peter came to Jesus one day, and asked him how often heought to forgive a brother that offended him; and whether it would beenough to forgive him _seven_ times. The answer of Jesus was, "I saynot unto thee, until seven times, but until seventy times seven. "

St. Matt. 18: 22. Then Jesus spoke the parable of the two debtors. St. Matt. 18: 23-35. One of these owed his master ten thousandtalents. If these were talents of silver they would amount to morethan fifteen millions of dollars. If they were talents of gold, theywould amount to three hundred millions. This would show that his debtwas so great that he never could pay it. Then his master freelyforgave him. But not long after, he found one of his fellow-servants, who owed him a hundred pence, or about fifteen dollars of our money. The man asked him to forgive him the debt. He would not do it; butput him in prison. When his master heard this he was very angry, andput him in prison, where he should be punished until he had paid allhis great debt. And Jesus finished the parable by saying--"_solikewise, shall my heavenly Father do unto you, if ye, from yourhearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses_. " And herewe are taught the great duty of forgiveness. And this same duty istaught us in the Lord's Prayer, where he says--"Forgive us ourtrespasses, as we also forgive those who trespass against us. " If weuse this prayer without forgiving those who injure us, then, in sousing it, we are really asking God _not_ to forgive us. And Jesus_practised_ what he _preached_. As he hung bleeding and agonizing onthe cross, while his enemies were cruelly mocking his misery, helooked up to heaven, and uttered that wonderful prayer--"_Fatherforgive them; for they know not what they do_. " Here we have the bestillustration of forgiveness that the world has ever seen. 

"Example of Forgiveness. " In a school in Ireland, one boy struckanother. The offending boy was brought up to be punished, when theinjured boy begged for his pardon. The teacher asked--"Why do youwish to keep him from being flogged?" The ready reply was--"Because Ihave read in the New Testament that our Lord Jesus Christ said thatwe must forgive our enemies; and therefore I forgive him, and begthat he may not be punished for my sake. "

"Good for Evil. " At the foot of a street in New York, stood anItalian organ grinder, with his organ. A number of boys had gatheredround him, but they were more anxious to have some fun than to hearmusic. One of them said to his companions:

"See! I'll hit his hat!"

And sure enough he did. Making up a snow ball, he threw it with somuch force that the poor man's hat was knocked into the gutter. Agentleman standing by expected to see him get very angry, and swearat the boy. But, very different from this was the result thatfollowed. The musician stopped; stepped forward and picked up hishat. Then he turned to the rude boy, and gracefully bowing, said:

"And now, I'll play you a tune to make you merry!" There was realChristian forgiveness. 

"The Power of the Gospel. " Years ago some carpenters moved to theIsland of New Zealand, and set up a shop for carrying on theirbusiness. They were engaged to build a chapel at one of the MissionStations. One of these carpenters, a pleasant, kind-hearted man, engaged a native Christian to dig his garden for him. When the workwas done the man went to the shop for his pay. Another of thecarpenters there, who was a very ill-tempered man, told the native toget out of the shop. "Don't be angry, " was the gentle reply; "I haveonly come to have a little talk with your partner, and to get mywages from him. " "But I _am_ angry. " And then taking hold of the NewZealander by the shoulder, he abused and kicked him in the most cruelmanner. 

The native made no resistance till the carpenter ceased. Then hejumped up, seized him by the throat, and snatching a small axe fromthe bench, flourished it threateningly over his head. "Now, you see, "said he, "your life is in my hand. You see my arm is strong enough tokill you; and my arm is quite willing, but my heart is not. I haveheard the missionaries preach the gospel of forgiveness. You owe yourlife to the preaching of the gospel. If my heart was as dark now asit was before the gospel was preached here, I should strike off yourhead in an instant!"

Then he released the carpenter without injuring him and accepted fromhim a blanket as an apology for the insult. How faithfully this manwas practising the duty of forgiveness which Jesus taught!

_The only other thing of which we shall now speak, as taught by ourSaviour in the parables, is_--THE INFLUENCE OF GOOD EXAMPLE. 

The parable which teaches this lesson is that of the lighted candle. It is one of the shortest of our Lord's parables, and yet the truthit teaches is very important. We first find this parable in thesermon on the mount. These are the words in which it is given:"Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on acandlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Letyour light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. " Matt, v: 15. Thisparable is so important that we find it repeated in three otherplaces. Mark iv: 21, Luke viii: 16, and xi: 33. 

We find the same idea taught by one of England's greatest writers. Looking at a candle shining through a window, he says:

 "How far yon little candle throws its beam! So shines a good deed in a naughty world. "

And the lesson we are here taught is that we should always set a goodexample by doing what we know to be right, and then, like a candleshining in a dark place, we shall be useful wherever we go. Let uslook at one or two incidents that illustrate this. 

"A Boy's Influence. " Two families lived in one house. In each ofthese families there was a little boy about the same age. These boysslept together. One of them had a good pious mother. She had trainedhim to kneel down every night, before getting into bed, and say hisprayer in an audible voice, and to repeat a text of scripture whichshe had taught him. Now the first time he slept with the other littleboy, who never said any prayers, he was tempted to jump into bed, ashis companion did, without kneeling down to pray. But he was a braveand noble boy. He said to himself--"I am not afraid to do what mymother taught me. I am not ashamed for anybody to know that I pray toGod. I'll do as I have been taught to do. " He did so. He let hislight shine. And see what followed from its shining!

The little boy who had never been taught to pray learned hiscompanion's prayer, and the verse he repeated, by hearing them, andhe never forgot them. He grew up to be an earnest Christian man. Whenhe lay on his deathbed, quite an aged man, he sent for the friend, whose prayer he had learned, to come and see him, and told him thatit was his little prayer, so faithfully said every night when theywere boys, which led him to become a Christian. He repeated theprayer and the verse, word for word, and with his dying lips thankedhis friend for letting his light shine as he did, for _that_ hadsaved his soul. 

Here is another illustration of a Christian letting his light shineand the good that was done by it. We may call it:

"The Shilling Bible, and what Came of It. " Some years ago aChristian gentleman went on a visit for three days to the house of arich lady who lived at the west end of London. After tea, on thefirst evening of his arrival, he called one of the servants, andtelling her that in the hurry of leaving home he had forgotten tobring a Bible with him, he requested her to ask the lady of the houseto be kind enough to lend him one. 

Now that house was beautifully furnished. There were splendidpictures on the walls, and elegantly bound volumes in the library andon the tables in the parlor; but there was not a Bible in the house. The lady felt ashamed to own that she had no Bible. So she gave theservant a shilling and told her to go to the book store round thecorner and buy a Bible. The Bible was bought and given to thegentleman. He used it during his visit, and then went home, littleknowing how much good that shilling Bible was to do. 

When he was gone the lady at whose house he had been staying said toherself:

"How strange it is that an intelligent gentleman like my friend couldnot bear to go for three days without reading the Bible, while Inever read it at all, and don't know what it teaches. I am curiousto know what there is in this book to make it so attractive. I meanto begin and read it through. " She began to read it at first out ofsimple curiosity. But, as she went on reading she became deeplyinterested in it. It showed her what a sinner she was in livingwithout God in the world. It led her to pray earnestly for the pardonof her sins; and the end of it was that she became a Christian. Thenshe desired that her children should know and love the Saviour too. She prayed for them. She talked with them, and taught them theprecious truths contained in that blessed book. And the result wasthat, one by one, they were all led to Jesus and became Christians. And so _that whole family were saved by means of that shillingBible_. 

When that gentleman asked for the use of a Bible in the house wherehe was visiting, he was setting a good example. He was putting hiscandle on a candlestick and letting it shine. And the result thatfollowed gives us a good illustration of the meaning of our Saviour'swords when he said:--"Let your light so shine before men, that theymay see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven. "

And so, when we remember the parables that Jesus taught, among otherthings illustrated by them, we can think of these, --_the value ofreligion;--Christ's love for sinners;--the duty of kindness;--theduty of forgiveness;--the influence of a good example_. 

I know not how to finish this subject better than in the words of thehymn:

 "Father of mercies! in thy word, What endless glory shines! Forever be thy name adored For these celestial lines. O, may these heavenly pages be My ever dear delight; And still new beauties may I see, And still increasing light. "

CHRIST TEACHING BY MIRACLES

We have seen how many valuable lessons our Saviour taught while onearth by the parables which he used. But we teach by our lives, aswell as by our lips. It has passed into a proverb, and we all admitthe truth of it, that "Actions speak louder than words. " If our wordsand our actions contradict each other, people will believe ouractions sooner than our words. But when both agree together, then theeffect is very great. This was true with our blessed Lord. There wasan entire agreement between what he said, and what he did. His wordsand his actions, the teaching of his lips, and the teaching of hislife--were in perfect harmony. He practised what he preached. 

But then, in addition to the every day common actions of the life ofChrist, there were actions in it that were very uncommon. He wasdaily performing miracles, and doing many mighty and wonderfulworks. And the prophets before him, and apostles after him, performedmiracles too; yet there were two things in which the miracles ofChrist differed from those performed by others. One was as to the_number_ of them. He did a greater number of wonderful things thananyone else ever did. Indeed if we take the miracles that were doneby Moses, by Elijah and Elisha, in the Old Testament, and those thatwere done by the apostles in the New Testament and put them alltogether we shall find that they would not equal, in number, themiracles of Christ. There are between thirty and forty of the mightyworks wrought by our Saviour mentioned in the gospels. And these, asSt. John says, are only a small portion of them. Ch. Xxi: 25. 

The other thing in which the miracles of Christ are different fromthose performed by other persons, is _the way in which they weredone_. The prophets and apostles did their mighty works in the nameof God, or of Christ. Thus when Peter and John healed the lame man atthe gate of the temple they said:--"_In the name of Jesus Christ ofNazareth_, rise up and walk. " Acts iii: 6. But Jesus had all thepower in himself by which those wonderful things were done. He couldsay to the leper, --"_I will_; be thou clean. " He could say to thesick man:--"Take up thy bed and walk. " When speaking of his death andresurrection, he could very well say that it was his own power whichwould control it all. His life was in his own hands. It was true, ashe said, "No man taketh it from me; but I lay it down of myself. Ihave power to lay it down and I have power to take it again. " John x:18. And it was the same with all his other mighty works. He had allthe power in himself that was needed to do them. 

And these miracles of Christ were the proofs that he was the Messiah, the great Saviour, of whom the prophets had spoken. This was whatNicodemus meant when he said to Jesus:--"We know that thou art ateacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thoudoest, except God be with him. " John iii: 2. And Jesus himselfreferred to his miracles as the proof that God had sent him. John v:36; x: 25. 

And this was what he meant by the message which he sent to John theBaptist, when his disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Are thou he thatshould come, or look we for another?" Jesus answered and said untothem, "Go, and show John again those things which ye do hear and see;the blind receive their sight; and the lame walk; the lepers arecleansed; and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up; and the poorhave the gospel preached unto them. " Matt, xi: 2-6. These were thevery things which the prophets had foretold that Christ would do whenhe came. Is. Xxix: 18. Xxxv: 4-6. Xlii: 7. 

It is clear from these passages that all the miracles performed byour Lord were intended to teach this lesson, that he was the greatSaviour of whom the prophets had spoken. But then, in addition tothis, these wonderful works of Jesus were made use of by him to showthat he has power to do everything for his people that they may needto have him do. 

It is impossible for us to speak of all the miracles of Christ. Wecan only make selections from them, as we did with the parables inthe last chapter. In looking at these we may see Jesus teaching usthat he has power to do _four_ things for his people. 

_In the first place some of the miracles of Christ teach us that hehas great power to_--HELP. 

We see this in the account given us of the miraculous draught offishes. Luke v: 1-11. 

Peter was a fisherman before he became a disciple of Jesus. And Jamesand John, the sons of Zebedee, were partners with him in the samebusiness. On one occasion they had been busy all night throwing outand hauling in their nets, but without catching a single fish. Earlythe next morning, Jesus was walking along the shore of the lake, nearwhere their boats were. He knew how tired and discouraged they were, and how much they needed help; and he wished to show them whatwonderful power he had to help in time of need. So he told them tocast their net on the other side of the ship. They did so; andimmediately their nets were full; and they had more fish than theycould well manage. Here we are taught that even in the depths of thesea nothing can be hid from the all-seeing eye of our divine Saviour. He knows where everything is that his people can need; and he has thepower to bring it to them. 

And then, by his miracle of walking on the sea Jesus taught the samelesson. We have an account of this miracle in three places. Matt, xix: 22-33. Mark vi: 45-52. John vi: 14-21. 

At the close of a busy day, in which he had been teaching the peopleand feeding them by miracle, Jesus told his disciples to go on boarda vessel and cross over to the other side of the lake. Then he sentthe multitude away, and went up into the mountain to pray to hisFather in heaven whom he loved so much. It proved to be a stormynight. The wind was dead ahead; and the sea was very rough. Thedisciples were having a hard time of it. Tired of rowing, and makinglittle progress, there was no prospect of their getting to landbefore morning. But, dark as the night was, Jesus saw them. It istrue as David says, that--"_The darkness and the light are both aliketo thee. _" Ps. Cxxxix: 12. He saw they needed help and he resolved togive it to them. But there was no boat at hand for him to go in. True: but he needed none. He could walk on the water as well as onthe land. He steps from the sandy shore to the surface of thestorm-tossed sea. He walks safely over its troubled waters. Thedisciples see him. Supposing it to be a spirit, they are alarmed, andcry out in their fear. But presently the cheering voice of theirMaster comes to them, saying: "_It is I. Be not afraid_. " He steps onboard. The wind ceases, and immediately, without another stroke ofthe oars, the mighty power of Jesus brings them "in safety to thehaven where they would be. " Other miracles might be referred to asteaching the same lesson. But these are sufficient. And Jesus has thesame power to help now that he had then. 

Here are some illustrations of the strange way in which he sometimeshelps his people in their times of need. 

"The Dead Raven. " A poor weaver in Edinburgh lost his situation onewinter, on account of business being so dull. He begged earnestly ofhis employer to let him have work; but he said it was impossible. Well said he, "I'm sure the Lord will help. " When he came home andtold his wife the sad news she was greatly distressed. He tried tocomfort her with the assurance--"The Lord will help. " But as he couldget no work, their money was soon gone; and the day came at last, when there was neither food nor fuel left in the house. The lastmorsel of bread was eaten one morning at breakfast. "What shall we dofor dinner?" asked his wife. 

"The Lord will help"--was still his reply. And see how the help came. Soon after breakfast, his wife opened the front window, to dust offthe sill. Just then a rude boy, who was passing, threw a dead ravenin through the window. It fell at the feet of the pious weaver. Ashe threw the bird in, the boy cried out in mockery, "There, oldsaint, is something for you to eat. " The weaver took up the deadraven, saying as he did so:--"Poor creature! you must have died ofhunger!"

But when he felt its crop to see whether it was empty, he noticedsomething hard in it. And wishing to know what had caused its death, he took a knife and cut open its throat. How great was hisastonishment on doing this, to find a small diamond bracelet fallinto his hand! His wife gazed at it in amazement. "Didn't I tellyou, " he asked, in grateful gladness, "that the Lord will help?"

He went to the nearest jeweler's, and telling how he had found theprecious jewels, borrowed some money on them. On making inquiry aboutit, it turned out that the bracelet belonged to the wife of the goodweaver's late employer. It had suddenly disappeared from her chamber. One of the servants had been charged with stealing it, and had beendismissed. On hearing how the bracelet had disappeared, and howstrangely it had fallen into the hands of his late worthy workman, the gentleman was very much touched; and not only rewarded himliberally for returning it--but took him back into his employ, andsaid he should never want work again so long as he had any to give. 

How willing, and how able our glorious Saviour is to help those whotrust in him!

"The Sailor Boy's Belief. " One night there was a terrible storm atsea. All at once a ship, which was tossing on the waves, keeled overon her beam ends. "She'll never right again!" exclaimed the captain. "We shall all be lost!"

"Not at all, sir!" cried a pious sailor boy who was near the captain. "What's to hinder it?" asked the captain. "Why you see, sir, " saidthe boy, "they are praying at this very moment in the Bethel ship atGlasgow for all sailors in danger: and I feel sure that God will heartheir prayers: Now see, sir, if he don't!"

These words were hardly out of the boy's mouth, before a great wavestruck the ship, and set her right up again. And then a shout ofpraise, louder than the howling of the storm, went up to God from thedeck of that saved ship. 

And so, in the miracles that he performed, one thing that Jesustaught was his power to help. 

_In the next place, among the miracles of Christ, we find some thatwere performed in order to teach us his power to_--COMFORT. 

One day, a great multitude of people waited on Jesus from morningtill evening, to listen to his preaching. They were so anxious tohear that even when hungry they would not go away to get food. As theevening came on, the disciples asked their master to send the peopleaway to get something to eat. But Jesus told them to give the peoplefood. They said they had only five loaves and two fishes. Jesus toldthem to make the people sit down on the grass. And when they wereseated he took the loaves and blessed, and brake them, and gave themto the disciples, and they gave them to the people. And great as thatmultitude was the supply did not fail. This was wonderful! Thoseloaves were very small. They were not bigger than a good-sized roll. The whole of the five loaves and two fishes would not have beenenough to make a meal for a dozen men. And yet they were madesufficient to feed more than five thousand hungry people. How strangethis was! The mighty power of Jesus did it. We are not told just_where_, in the interesting scene, this wonder-working power was putforth. It may have been that as Jesus brake the loaves and gave thepieces to the disciples, the part left in his hands grew out at once, to the same size that it was before. Or the broken pieces may haveincreased and multiplied while the disciples were engaged indistributing them. It is most likely that the miracle took place inimmediate connection with Jesus himself. The power that did it washis: and in his hands, we may suppose that the wonderful work wasdone. As fast as he broke the loaves they increased, till all thepeople were fed. This was indeed not _one_ miracle, but a multitudeof miracles, all performed at once. The hungry multitude ate till allwere satisfied: and yet the fragments left filled twelve baskets. Five thousand men were fed, and then there was twelve times as muchfood left as there was before they began to eat. All this was done tosatisfy that hungry crowd, and to teach them, and us, what power thisglorious Saviour has to comfort those who are in need or trouble. 

And when he healed the daughter of the Syrophoenician woman, as weread in St. Matt, xii: 21-28; when he healed the lunatic child, as weread in St. Matt, xvii: 14-21; and when he raised Lazarus from thedead, after he had lain four days in the grave, as we read in St. John xi: 1-54, he was working miracles to show his power to comfortthose in trouble. 

And we see him using his power still to comfort persons who are indistress. Here are some illustrations of the way in which he doesthis:

"Shining in Every Window. " A Christian lady, who spent much time invisiting among the poor, went one day to see a poor young girl, whowas kept at home by a broken limb. Her room was on the north side ofthe house. It did not look pleasant without or cheerful within. "Poorgirl!" she said to herself, "what a dreary time she must have!" Onentering her room she said:

"I am sorry, my friend, that your room is not on the other side ofthe house, where the sun could shine upon you. You never can have anysunshine here. "

"Oh, you are mistaken, " she said: "the sunshine pours in at everywindow, and through every crack. "

The lady looked surprised. 

"I mean Jesus, 'the Sun of righteousness, ' shines in here, and makeseverything bright to me. "

Here we see Jesus showing his power to comfort. 

"Ice in Summer. " Some years ago a Christian merchant, in one of oureastern cities, failed in business, and lost everything he had. Aftertalking over their affairs with his wife, who was a good Christianwoman, they concluded to move out to the west and begin life againthere. He bought some land on the wide rolling prairie, built a logcabin, and began to cultivate his farm. In the midst of the secondsummer, hard work and exposure to the sun brought on an attack ofsickness, and a raging fever set in. They were twelve miles away fromthe nearest town. One of the neighbors went there and came back witha doctor. He examined the case very carefully, and left some medicinewith them, and told them what to do. He said it was a very dangerousattack. If they could only get some ice to apply to the burning browof the sick man, he thought he might get over it; but, without that, there was very little prospect of his recovery. 

As soon as the doctor was gone, the sorrowful wife gathered herfamily and friends round the bedside of her sick husband, and kneeleddown with them in prayer. She told God what the doctor had said, andprayed very earnestly that he who has the power to do everything, would send them some ice. 

When the prayer was over, some of the neighbors whispered to eachother that the poor distressed woman must be losing her mind. "Theidea of getting ice here, " they said, "when everybody knows thereisn't a bit of ice in all the country! It would be contrary to allthe laws of nature to have ice in summer. "

The wife of the sick man heard their remarks, but they did not shakeher faith in God, and in the power of prayer. Silently, butearnestly, her heart breathed forth the cry for ice. 

As the day wore on, heavy clouds began to gather in the western sky. They rolled in darkness over the heavens. The distant thunder washeard to mutter. Nearer and louder it was heard. The lightning beganto flash. Presently the storm burst in its fury. It came first inrain, and then in hail. The hail-stones came in lumps of ice as bigas eggs. They lay thick in the furrows of the field. The thankfulwife went out, and soon came in rejoicing with a bucket full of ice. It was applied in bags to her husband's head. The fever broke, and hewas restored to life and health. 

This grateful woman never troubled herself with any questions aboutwhether it was a miracle or not. She only knew that she had prayedfor ice in summer, and that the ice had come. And her faith wasstronger than ever that the gracious Saviour, who did so manymiracles when he was on earth, has just the same power now to comforthis people when they are in trouble. 

_In the third place, we see Jesus performing miracles to teach uswhat power he has to_--ENCOURAGE--_his people_. 

We have an account in St. Luke xiii: 10-17, of the miracle heperformed on the woman who had "a spirit of infirmity. " This meansthat she was a cripple. Her body was bound down, so that she had nopower to straighten herself or to stand upright. She had been in thiscondition we are told for _eighteen_ years. How hard to bear--and howdiscouraging this trial must have been to her! No doctor could giveher any relief, and she had made up her mind, no doubt, that therewas no relief for her till death came. But when Jesus saw her, hepitied her. A miracle of healing was performed upon her. He laid hisloving hand upon her bent and crippled body, and in a moment herdisease was removed. She stood straight up, and glorified God. Whatencouragement that must have given to her!

One day, when Jesus was at Capernaum, the tax-gatherers came to Peterto get the tribute, or tax-money, that was due to the Romangovernment, for himself and his master. But, it happened so thatneither of them had money enough with which to pay that tax. Peterwent into the presence of Jesus to speak to him about this matter. But Jesus knowing what was in his mind, before Peter had time to sayanything on the subject, told him what to do. He directed him to takehis fishing-line and go to the lake, and cast in his line, and catchthe first fish that should bite; and said that in its mouth he wouldfind a piece of money with which he might pay the tribute that wasdue for them both. 

Peter went. He threw in his line. He soon caught a fish. He lookedinto the fish's mouth and lo! there was a piece of money called astater. It was worth about sixty cents of our money, and was justenough to pay the tribute for two persons. How wonderful this was! IfJesus made this piece of money in the mouth of the fish, at the timewhen Peter caught it, how wonderful his _power_ must be! And if, without making it then, he knew that _that_ one fish, the only one inthe sea, probably, that had such a piece of money in its mouth, wouldbe the first to bite at Peter's line, then how wonderful his_knowledge_ must be!

Peter would not be likely to forget that day's fishing as long as helived. And when he thought of the illustration it afforded of thewonderful power and the wonderful knowledge of the master whom he wasserving, what encouragement that would give him in his work!

And Jesus is constantly doing things to encourage those who aretrying to serve him. 

Let us look at some of the ways in which this is done. Our firstillustration is from the life of Washington Allston, the greatAmerican painter. We may call it:

"Praying for Bread. " Many years ago Mr. Allston was considered one ofthe greatest artists in this country. At the time to which our storyrefers, he was living in London. Then he was so poor that he and hiswife had not a morsel of bread to eat; nor a penny left with which tobuy any. In great discouragement he went into his studio, locked thedoor, and throwing himself on his knees, he told the Lord histrouble, and prayed earnestly for relief. 

While he was still upon his knees, a knock was heard at the door. Hearose and opened the door. A stranger stood there. 

"I wish to see Mr. Allston, " said he. 

"I am Mr. Allston, " replied Mr. A. 

"Pray tell me, sir, who has purchased your fine painting of the'Angel Uriel, ' which won the prize at the exhibition of the RoyalAcademy?"

"That painting has not been sold, " said Mr. A. 

"Where is it to be found?"

"In this very room, " said the artist, bringing a painting from thecorner, and wiping off the dust. 

"What is the price of it?" asked the gentleman. 

"I have done fixing a price on it, " said Mr. A. , "for I have alwaysasked more than people were willing to give. "

"Will four hundred pounds be enough for it?" was the next question. 

"That is more than I ever asked. "

"Then the painting is mine, " said the stranger, who introducedhimself as the Marquis of Stafford; and from that day he became oneof Mr. Allston's warmest friends. 

What a lesson of encouragement the great painter learned that day, when he asked for bread, and while he was asking, received help thatfollowed him all his days!

"The Hushed Tempest. " A minister of the gospel in Canada gives thisaccount of a lesson of encouragement to trust God in trouble, whichhe once received. 

"It was in the year 1853, about the middle of the winter that we hada succession of snowstorms, followed by high winds, and severe cold. I was getting ready to haul my supply of wood for the rest of thewinter. I had engaged a man to go out the day before and cut the woodand have it ready to haul. I borrowed a sled and two horses from aneighbor and started early in the morning to haul the wood. Just as Ireached the place, it began to snow hard. The wind blew such a galethat it was impossible to go on with the work. What was I to do? Ifit kept on snowing, I knew the roads would be impassable by the nextday. Besides, that was the only day on which I could get the help ofthe man or the team. Unless I secured the wood that day it would notbe in my power to get the fuel we needed for the rest of the winter. I thought of that sweet promise, 'Call on me, in the day of trouble, and I will deliver thee, ' Ps. I: 15. 

"I kneeled down amid the drifting snow, and said, 'O, my God, this isa day of trouble to me. Lord help me. The elements are subject to thywill: Thou holdest the winds in thy hands. If thou wilt speak theword, there will be a great calm. O Lord, for the sake of my helplesslittle ones, let this snow lie still, and give me the opportunity ofdoing what I came to do, and what it is so necessary to do to-day, for Jesus' sake. Amen!'

"I do not think it was more than fifteen minutes from the time Ibegan to pray, before there was a visible change. The wind becamemore moderate; the sky was calm; in less than half an hour all wasstill; and a more pleasant time for wood-hauling than we had that dayI never saw, nor desire to see. While I live, I never shall forgetthe lesson of encouragement to trust in God that was taught me onthat day. " And this was one of the lessons Jesus taught us by hismiracles. 

_In the fourth place, among the miracles of Jesus we see some thatwere intended to teach us his power to_--PROTECT--_his people_. 

And there is no lesson that we more need to be taught than this;because we are exposed to many dangers, from which we are too weakto protect ourselves. 

One day, Jesus went into the house of the apostle Peter, and foundthe family in great distress, because the mother of Peter's wife wasvery ill and in danger of dying. We judge from the history that shewas the head of the family. Her death would have been a great loss tothem all, and yet it seemed as if no human power could protect themfrom that loss. But Jesus performed a miracle to save them from thisthreatened danger. He went into the room where she lay. He put hishealing hands upon her, and at once she was well. Immediately sherose up from that sick bed, and took her place in the family andwaited on Jesus. 

On another occasion he was crossing the sea of Galilee with hisdisciples. Weary with the work of love in which he had been engaged, he laid down in the hinder part of the ship and fell asleep. While hewas lying there a sudden storm burst upon the sea. The wind howled inits fury. The angry waves rose in their might and dashed against thevessel in hissing foam. The ship was full of water, and in danger ofsinking. The terrified disciples came to their sleeping Master withthe earnest cry:--"Lord save us: we perish. " He heard their cry. Herose at once. Quietly he took his stand by the side of thestorm-tossed vessel. He rebuked the winds, and said unto the sea:--"Peace: be still. " They recognized their Master's voice and obeyed. "The wind ceased, and immediately there was a great calm. "

As long as those disciples lived they never would forget the lessonhe taught them by that miracle of his power to protect in danger. 

And then many of the miracles of our Saviour were performed for thepurpose of showing what power he had to protect his people fromSatan, and the evil spirits that serve him. It pleased God to allowthese evil spirits to have more power over men during the time whenJesus was on earth than they had before, or than they have now. Weoften read in the gospels of men who were "possessed of devils. " Thismeans that the evil spirits entered into the bodies of these men, andused them as their own; just as you, or I, might go into an emptyhouse, and use it as if it belonged to us. But Jesus performed anumber of miracles to show that he was able to control those spirits;to cast them out of the bodies of men and to protect his people fromtheir power. We have an account of one of these miracles in St. Matt, viii: 28, 34; of another in St. Mark v: 1-20; and of another in St. Luke viii: 26-39. 

The Bible speaks of Satan "going about, like a roaring lion, seekingwhom he may devour. " I. Peter v: 8. But he is a chained lion: andJesus holds the chain. If we are trying to love and serve Jesus, weneed not be afraid of this roaring lion. He cannot touch us till ourSaviour gives him permission; and he will not let him hurt us. We seethis illustrated in Job's case. Satan wanted very much to injure Jobin some way. But he could not do it. And the reason of it was, as hesaid himself, that God had "put an hedge about him, and about hishouse, and about all that he had on every side. " Job i: 10. Thishedge, or fence, means the power which Jesus exercises to protect hispeople from the harm that Satan desires to do to them. In this way heprotected Job. And in this way he protects all who love and servehim. 

Let us take an illustration or two to show how he is doing thiscontinually. 

"Providential Deliverance. " One of the best men, and one of the mostuseful ministers in London, during the last century, was the Rev. John Newton. Before entering the ministry he held an office underthe government. One of the duties of this office was for him to visitand inspect the vessels of the navy as they lay at anchor in theriver Thames. One day he was going out to visit a man-of-war that laythere. He was a very punctual man. When he had an engagement he wasalways ready at the very moment. But when he reached the dock on thisoccasion the boat which was to take him off to the man-of-war was notthere. He was obliged to wait five, ten, fifteen minutes before theboat came. This displeased him very much. But the hand of God was inthis delay. For, just as the boat was leaving the dock, a spark fellinto the powder magazine on board the man-of-war. An explosion tookplace. The huge vessel was blown to pieces, and all the men on boardof her were killed. That delay of a quarter of an hour saved Mr. Newton's life. In this way that gracious Saviour whom he servedprotected him from the danger to which he was exposed. 

"Willie's Heroism. " One summer afternoon a teacher told her geographyclass that they might close their books and rest a little, while shetold them a story. The story was about William Tell, the famous heroof Switzerland. She told the scholars how a wicked governor placed anapple on the head of Tell's little boy and then compelled the fatherto take his bow and arrow and shoot the apple from the head of hisson. He was very unwilling to do it, for he was afraid the arrowmight miss and kill his child. But the brave boy stood firm, andcried out--"Shoot, father! I am not afraid. " He took a steady aim;fired, and knocked the apple off without hurting his son. 

Just as the teacher was telling this story a sudden storm burst fromthe sky. There was a flash of lightning, and a loud crash of thunder. Some of the children screamed, and began to cry and ran to theteacher for protection. But a little boy named Willie Hawthorne, kepthis seat and went on quietly studying his lesson. 

When the storm was over the teacher said:

"Willie why were you not afraid like the other children?"

"Because, " said he, "I knew the lightning was only an arrow in myHeavenly Father's hand, and why should I be afraid?"

How well Willie had learned the lesson which Jesus taught hisdisciples when he performed so many miracles to show what power hehas to protect his people from danger!

Here is just one other story to illustrate this truth. We may callit:

"The Widow's Tree, " Some years ago a violent storm, with wind andthunder, swept through the valley of Yellow Creek, in Indiana County, Georgia. For more than a mile in width trees were uprooted, houses, barns, and fences were thrown down, and ruin and desolation wasspread all over the land. 

In the centre of the region over which this hurricane swept stood asmall cabin. It was occupied by an aged Christian widow, with heronly son. The terrible wind struck a large tree in front of herhumble dwelling, twisting and dashing it about. If the tree shouldfall it would crush her home, and probably kill herself and son. Thestorm howled and raged, and the big trees were falling on every hand. In the midst of all the danger the widow knelt in prayer, and askedGod to spare that tree, and protect her home, and save her own life, and that of her son. Her prayer was heard. And when the storm wasover, the widow's tree was spared, and strange as it may seem, wasthe only one left amidst that scene of desolation. There it stood, as if on purpose to show what power our loving Saviour has to protectfrom danger those who trust in him!

_But, in the last place, we see that Jesus performed some of hismiracles for the purpose of teaching us that he has powerto_--PARDON. 

A man was brought him, one day, who was sick of the palsy. His limbswere helpless. He was not able to come to Jesus himself, so hisfriends carried him on a bed. At this time Jesus was preaching in theyard, or court, connected with some rich man's house. In thoseeastern countries the houses were not built as ours are, with a yardback of them. There is a square yard in the centre, and the house isbuilt round the four sides of this square. This open space isgenerally used as a garden. It has a fountain playing in it, and acovering of cloth or mats spread over it to keep off the sun. It wasin one of these open courts that Jesus was preaching on thisoccasion. A great crowd had gathered round him, so that the friendsof the palsied man could not get near him with the bed on which thesufferer lay. Then they concluded to carry him up to the top of thehouse, and lower him down inside. This would not be easy to do withus. But the eastern houses are not so high as ours. And then theyhave flat roofs, and a flight of steps leading from the ground, onthe outside, to the top of the house. This made it very easy to getup. When they were on the roof they removed the covering from theinner court, and let down the bed, with the sick man on it, directlyin front of our Saviour. When he saw him he pitied him, and said, "Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee. " The people weresurprised at this. The Pharisees said among themselves "This manblasphemeth. " Jesus knew their thoughts and told them it was as easyfor him to heal the souls of men, as it was to heal their bodies. Andthen, to show them that he had power on earth to forgive sins, hesaid to the sick man--"Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thinehouse. And he arose, and went to his house, " Matt, ix: 1-8. Certainlythe object Jesus had in view, in performing this miracle, was toprove that he had power to forgive sins; or to pardon. 

And when he healed the leper it was to teach us the same great truth. This disease was not only like all other diseases, the result of sin;but, unlike most other diseases, it was a type, or figure of sin. Itaffected the body as sin affects the soul. And then, leprosy was adisease which none but God could cure; just as sin is an offencewhich none but God our Saviour can pardon. And so Jesus performed themiracle of healing the palsied man and the lepers in order to teachhis disciples the great lesson that he "had power on earth to forgivesins. "

And he has the same power still. Here are some illustrations of theway in which he exercises this power now. 

"No Pardon but From Jesus, " There was a heathen man in India once, who felt that he was a sinner, and longed to obtain pardon. Thepriests had sent him to their most famous temples, all over thecountry, but he could get no pardon, and find no peace. He had fastedtill he was about worn to a skeleton, and had done many painfulthings--but pardon and peace he could not find. At last he was toldto put pebbles in his shoes and travel to a distant temple, and makean offering there; and he would find peace. He went. He made theoffering; but still he found no relief from the burden of his sins. 

Sad, and sorrowful, he was returning home with the pebbles still inhis shoes. Wearied with his journey, he halted one day in the shadeof a grove, by the wayside, where a company of people was gatheredround a stranger who was addressing them. It was a Christianmissionary preaching the gospel. The heathen listened with greatinterest. The missionary was preaching from the words:--"The blood ofJesus Christ cleanseth from all sin. " He showed what power Jesus hadto forgive sins and how able and willing he is to save all who comeunto him. The heart of the poor heathen was drawn to this loving andglorious Saviour. He took off his shoes and threw away the pebbles, saying "This is the Saviour I have long sought in vain. Thank God! Ihave found salvation!"

Here is one more illustration of the way in which Jesus pardons oursins, and of the effect which that pardon has on those who receiveit. We may call it:

"Pardon and Peace. " An officer who held a high position under thegovernment of his country, and was a favorite with the king, was oncebrought before the judge and charged with a great crime. He took hisplace at the bar with the greatest coolness, and looked at the judgeand jury and the great crowd of spectators as calmly as if he wereat home, surrounded by his own family. 

The trial began. The witnesses were called up, and gave clearevidence that he was guilty. Still he remained as calm and unmoved asever. There was not the least sign of fear visible on hiscountenance; on the contrary, his face wore a pleasant smile. 

At last the jury came in, and while the crowd in the court-room heldtheir breath, declared that the prisoner was guilty. In an instantevery eye was turned upon the prisoner to see what effect thissentence would have upon him. But just then, he put his hand in hisbosom, drew out a paper, and laid it on the table. It was a pardon, afull, free pardon of all his offences, given him by the king, andsealed with the royal signet. This was the secret of his peace. Thiswas what gave him such calmness and confidence in his dreadfulposition as a condemned prisoner. 

And so Jesus gives his people pardon in such promises as these:"Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow: thoughthey be red like crimson, they shall be as wool, " Is. I: 16. "Letthem return unto the Lord, for he will _abundantly pardon_. " Is. Lv:7. "All that believe are justified from _all_ things. " Acts xiii:39. These promises are like the king's pardon which the officer hadreceived. Faith in these promises brings pardon, and the pardonbrings peace. And so, by what he is doing now, as well as by themiracles he performed when on earth, we are taught the precioustruth, that--"The Son of man hath power to forgive sins. "

Then when we think of the wonderful miracles that Jesus did, let usalways remember the illustrations they afford of the power he had to_help_--_to comfort_--_to encourage_--_to protect_--_and to pardon_. 

Let us seek to secure all these blessings to ourselves, and then weshall find that what Jesus taught by his miracles will be veryprofitable teaching to us!

CHRIST TEACHING LIBERALITY

If we should attempt to mention all the parables which Jesus spoke, and the miracles which he performed, and the many other lessons whichhe taught, it would make a long list. As we have done before we canonly take one or two specimens of these general lessons which Jesustaught. 

We have one of these in the title to our present chapter, whichis--_Christ Teaching Liberality_. This was a very important lessonfor Jesus to teach. One of the sad effects of sin upon our nature isto make it selfish, and covetous. We are tempted to love money morethan we ought to do. We are not so willing to part with it as weshould be. And we never can be good and true Christians unless weovercome the selfishness of our sinful hearts, and not only learn togive, but to give liberally. The Bible teaches us that God not onlyexpects his people to give, but, as St. Paul says, in one place, togive "_cheerfully_. " II. Cor. Ix: 7. 

And this is the lesson Jesus taught when he said to hisdisciples, --"Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men giveinto your bosoms. " St. Luke vi: 38. 

And when we come to consider these words of Jesus, there are threethings to engage our attention. _The first of these is the_--LESSONOF LIBERALITY--_here set before us_. 

_The second is_--THE PROOF--_that this lesson is taught all throughthe Bible_. 

_And the third is_--THE ILLUSTRATIONS--_of this lesson_. 

And then, when put into its shortest form, our present subject may bethus expressed--_the lesson of liberality; its proofs; and itsillustrations_. 

And the lesson which Jesus here taught is all wrapped up in thislittle word--"_Give_. " Here we learn what the will of Jesus is onthis subject. This is not simply the expression of his opinion. It isnot merely his advice; no, but it is his _command_. He is speakinghere as our Master--our King--our God. He _commands_ us to--give. And when we remember how he said to his disciples, "If ye love me, _keep my commandments_, " we see plainly, that we have no right toconsider ourselves as his disciples if we are neglecting this or anyother of his plain commands. 

And this command about giving is not intended for any _one_ class ofpersons among the followers of Christ, but for _all_ of them. It isnot a command designed for kings, or princes, or rich men only, butfor the poor as well. It is not a command for grown persons alone, but for children also. As soon as we begin to _get_, God expects usto begin to _give_. 

Jesus says nothing here about _how much_ he expects us to give. But, from other places in the Bible, we learn that he expects us to give_at least one-tenth_ of all that we have. If we have a thousanddollars he expects us to give one hundred out of the thousand. If wehave a hundred he expects us to give ten. If we have ten dollars wemust give one of them to God. If we have only one dollar we must giveten cents of it to Him. If we have but ten cents we must give one ofthem. If we have no money to give, God expects us to give kind words, and kind actions, our sympathy and love. 

Jesus does not tell us here _how often_ we are to give, butsimply--give. This means that we are to learn the lesson and form thehabit of giving. His command is--give. And in giving us this commandhe is only asking us to imitate his own example. _He is giving allthe time_. The apostle Paul tells us that Jesus is "exalted to theright hand of the Father to--give. " He never tires of giving. "Hegiveth to all life, breath, and all things. " And if we have not theSpirit of Christ in this respect, "we are none of his. "

This, then, is the lesson of liberality that Jesus taught when hesaid--"give. " And that _giving is God's rule for getting_ is what weare taught by our Saviour, when he said--"_Give, and it shall begiven unto you_. "

And now, having seen what this lesson of liberality is, which Jesustaught, _let us look at some of the Scripture proofs of it_. The samelesson is taught in other places in the Bible. Let us see what issaid about it in some of these places. 

In Ps. Xli: 1 David says--"Blessed is he that considereth the poor:the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. " Considering the poorhere, means being kind to them, and giving them such things as theyneed. And the blessing promised to those who do this means that Godwill reward them by giving to them good things in great abundance. And, if this is so, then we have proof here that "giving is God'srule for getting. "

We have another proof that "giving is God's rule for getting, " inProv. Iii: 9, 10. Here Solomon says--"Honor the Lord with thysubstance, and with the first-fruits of all thine increase: So shallthy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out withnew wine. "

When the Jewish farmers gathered in their harvests they were requiredto make an offering to God, of what had been gathered, before theyused any part of it for themselves; and the offerings thus made werecalled "the first-fruits. " God considered himself honored by hispeople when they did this, because they were keeping his commandmentsand doing what he wished them to do. And the meaning of this command, when we apply it to ourselves, is that we should give something tothe cause of God from all the money, or property we have, and fromall the gain, or increase that we make to the same. This is the Biblerule--the will or command of God for all his people. And then, inthe other part of this passage we have the promise of God to all whodo this. "So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy pressesshall burst out with new wine. "

This means that they shall be rich and prosperous. And so we see thatthis passage from the book of Proverbs, teaches the same lesson ofliberality that our Saviour taught when he said--"_Give and it shallbe given unto you_. " It proves that "giving is God's rule forgetting. "

And Solomon teaches the same, again, when he says, "The liberal soulshall be made fat; and he that watereth shall be watered alsohimself. " Prov. Xi: 25. 

A "liberal soul" means a person who is in the habit of giving; and tobe "made fat" means to be prospered and happy. If you undertake towater a garden, you are _giving_ to the thirsty plants that whichthey need to make them grow and thrive; and when it is promised thatthe person who does this shall "be watered also himself, " the meaningis that he shall have given to him all that is most important tosupply his wants, and make him happy. And this, we see, is onlyteaching what our Saviour taught when he said, "Give, and it shall begiven unto you. " It furnishes us with another proof that "giving isGod's rule for getting. "

In the nineteenth chapter of Proverbs and seventeenth verse we have avery clear proof of the lesson we are now considering. Here we findit said: "_He that hath pity upon the poor, lendeth unto the Lord;and that which he hath given will he pay him again_. " Having pity onthe poor, as here spoken of, means giving them such things as theyneed. Whatever we use in this way God looks upon as so much moneylent unto him; and we have his solemn promise that when we lendanything to him, in this way, "He will pay us again. " And when hepays again what has been lent to him, it is always with interest. Hepays back four, or five, or ten times as much as was lent: to him. This proves that "giving is God's rule for getting. "

One other passage is all that need be referred to in order to provethat the lesson of liberality which our Saviour taught is the samelesson which the Bible teaches everywhere. In Eccles. Xi: 1, Godsays, "_Cast thy bread upon the waters; for thou shalt find it aftermany days_. "

If we should see a man standing on the end of a wharf and throwingbread upon the waters, we should think that he was a foolish man, who was wasting his bread, or only feeding the fishes with it. Butsuppose that you and I were travelling through Egypt--the land of thecelebrated pyramids and other great wonders. The famous river Nile isthere. During our visit the inundation of that river takes place. Itoverflows its banks, and spreads its water over all the level plainsthat border on the river. This takes place every year. And when thefields are all overflowed with water, the farmers go out in boats, and scatter their grain over the surface of the water. The grainsinks to the bottom. The sediment in the water settles down on thegrain, and covers it with mud. By and by the waters flow back intothe river. The fields become dry. The grain springs up and grows. Themud that covered it is like rich manure, and makes it grow veryplentifully, and yield a rich harvest. And here we see the meaning ofthis passage. God makes use of this Egyptian custom to teach us thelesson of liberality that we are now considering. He tells us thatthe money which we give to the poor, or use to do good with, is likethe grain which the Egyptian farmer casts upon the water, and whichwill surely yield a rich harvest by and by. 

This teaches us the lesson of liberality. And when we think of allthese passages, we see very clearly that the Bible teaches the samelesson which Jesus taught when he said to his disciples, "Give, andit shall be given unto you. " And what we learn, both from theteaching of Christ, and from the different passages referred to, is--that "giving is God's rule for getting. "

And now, having seen some of the Bible, proofs for this lesson ofliberality, or for this rule about giving and getting, _let us go onto speak of some of the illustrations of this rule_. These are verynumerous. 

And we may draw our illustrations from three sources, viz. :--_fromthe Bible; from nature; and from everyday life_. 

There are two illustrations of which we may speak from the Bible. Wefind one of these in the history of the prophet Elijah. You rememberthat there was a great famine in the land of Israel during thelifetime of this prophet. For more than three years there was not adrop of rain all through the land. The fields, the vineyards, andgardens dried up, and withered, and yielded no fruit. During thefirst part of the time when this famine was prevailing, God sentElijah to "the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan, " I. Kings xvii:7-17. There the ravens brought him food, and he drank of the water ofthe brook. 

But after awhile the brook dried up. Then God told him to go to thecity of Zarephath, or Sarepta, on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, and that he had commanded a widow woman there to sustain him. He didnot tell him the name of the woman; nor the street she lived in; northe number of her house. Elijah went. When he came near the place hemet a woman, picking up some sticks of wood. I suppose God told himthat this was the woman he was to stay with. Elijah spoke to her, andasked her if she would please give him a drink of water. When she wasgoing to get it, he called to her again, and said he was hungry, andasked her to bring him a piece of bread. Then she told him that therewas not a morsel of bread in her house. All she had in the world wasa handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse, and thatshe was gathering a few sticks, that she might go and bake the lastcake for herself and her son, that they might eat it and die. AndElijah said, "Fear not; go, and do as thou hast said; but make methereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after makefor thee, and for thy son. For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oilfail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth. "

This was a hard thing to ask a mother to do. It was asking her totake the last morsel of bread she had, and that she needed forherself and for her hungry boy, and give it to a stranger. Yet shedid it; because she believed God. I seem to see her turning the mealbarrel up, to get the meal all out. Then she pours out the oil fromthe cruse, and drains out the last drop. She mixes the meal and theolive oil together, as is the custom in that country still, and makesa cake which can soon be baked. She takes it to the man of God, whoeats it thankfully, and is refreshed. Then she returns to the emptybarrel and cruse, and finds as much in them as she had lately takenout. She prepares some bread for herself and her son, and they eat itthankfully as bread sent from heaven. The next day it is the same, and the day after, and so on through all the days of the famine. Weare not told how long it was after Elijah went to the widow's housebefore the days of the famine were over. But suppose we make acalculation about it. The famine lasted for three years. Now let ussuppose, that the first half of this time was spent by the prophet atthe brook Cherith. Then his stay at the widow's house must have beenat least eighteen months. And, if this miracle of increasing the mealand the oil was repeated only once a day, there would be for thefirst twelve months, or for the year, three hundred and sixty-fivemiracles; and for the six months, or the half year, one hundred andeighty-two more; and adding these together we have the surprisingnumber of _five hundred and forty-seven_ miracles, that wereperformed to reward this good widow for the kindness she showed tothe prophet Elijah, when she gave him a piece of bread, and a drinkof water! What an illustration we have here of the truth we areconsidering, that _giving is God's rule for getting_. 

But the best illustration of this subject to be found in the Bible isgiven in our Saviour's own experience. He not only _preached_ thelesson of liberality, but _practised_ it. He is himself the greatestgiver ever heard of. In becoming our Redeemer he showed himself thePrince of givers. He gave--not silver and gold; not all the wealth ofthe world, or of ten thousand worlds like ours; but "He gave_Himself_ for us. " He can say indeed, to each of us, in the languageof the hymn:

 "I gave my life for thee, My precious blood I shed, That thou might'st ransomed be, And quickened from the dead. "

And what is the result of this glorious giving to Jesus himself? St. Paul answers this question when he says, "Wherefore God also hathhighly exalted him; and given him a name which is above every name;that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that everytongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of Godthe Father, " Phil, ii: 9-11. Because of what he gave "for us men, andfor our salvation, " he will be loved and praised and honored inheaven, on the earth, and through all the universe, above all otherbeings, for ever and ever. What a glorious illustration we have hereof the truth of this statement, that "giving is God's rule forgetting. " These are some of the illustrations of this lesson ofliberality that we find in the Bible. 

_And now, let us look at some illustrations of this subject, that wehave in nature_. 

Solomon suggests one of these when he says, "_There is thatscattereth, and yet increaseth_. " Prov. Xi: 26. He is evidentlyspeaking here of a farmer sowing his fields with grain. 

Now suppose that we had never seen a man sowing; and that we knewnothing at all about the growth of grain, or how wonderfully the seedsown in the spring is increased and multiplied when the harvest isreaped. Then, the first time we saw a farmer sowing his fields, weshould have been ready to say, "What a foolish man that is! He istaking that precious grain by the handful, and deliberately throwingit away. "

Of course, we should have expected that the grain thus thrown away, or scattered over the ground, would all be lost. But, if we couldhave come back to visit that farmer when he was gathering in hisharvest, how surprised we should have been! Then we should havelearned that for every handful of grain that the farmer hadscattered, or, as we thought, thrown away, in the spring, when he wassowing, he had gained forty or fifty handfuls when he reaped in hisharvest. Then we should have understood what Solomon meant when hesaid, "There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth. " And we shouldhave here a good illustration of our Saviour's lesson of liberality, when he said, "Give, and it shall be given unto you;" and of theBible truth we are now studying, that "giving is God's rule forgetting. "

Yonder is the great ocean; it is one of the grandest of nature'sworks. And the ocean gives us a good illustration of the lesson ofliberality which our Saviour taught. The waters of the ocean arespread out for thousands of miles. As the sun shines on the surfaceof the ocean, it makes the water warm, and turns it into vapor, likethe steam that comes from the boiling kettle. This vapor rises intothe air, and helps to form the clouds that are floating there. Theseclouds sail over the land, and pour out the water that is in them, inrefreshing and fertilizing showers of rain. This rain makes the rillsstart from the sides of the mountains. The rills run down into therivers, and the rivers flow back into the sea again. In this way theocean is a great giver. It has been giving away its water forhundreds and thousands of years, ever since the day when God made it. 

Now, let us suppose that the ocean could think, or speak; and that ithad power to control its own motions. And suppose that the oceanshould say:--"Well, I think I have been giving away water longenough. I am going to turn over a new leaf. The sun may shine as muchas it pleases. I won't let another drop of water go out from mysurface. I am tired of giving, and I mean to stop doing it, anylonger. " Let us pause for a moment here, and see what the effect ofthis would be upon the ocean itself. 

We know that all the water in the ocean is salt water. But when thesun takes water from the ocean, in the form of vapor, it is alwaystaken out as fresh water. It leaves the salt behind it. Then thewater on the surface of the ocean, from which this vapor has beentaken, has more salt in it than the water underneath it. This makesit heavier than the other water. The consequence of this, is thatthis heavier water, on the top of the ocean, sinks to the bottom; andat the same time the lighter water at the bottom rises to the top. And so a constant change is taking place all over the ocean. Thewater from the top is sinking to the bottom, and the water from thebottom is rising to the top. And this is one of the means which Godemploys to keep the waters of the ocean always pure and wholesome. But if the ocean should stop giving away its water, as it has alwaysbeen doing, then this constant change of its waters would cease. Theocean would be left still and stagnant. It would become a great massof corruption; and the breezes from the ocean, that now carry healthand life to those who breathe them, would carry only disease anddeath. And the thousands of people who now love the ocean and seekits shores every summer, to get strong and well by breathing the airthat sweeps over its surface, and by bathing in its foaming surf, would all be afraid of the ocean; and would keep as far away from itsshores as they could. And so we see how the ocean stands before us asa grand illustration of the lesson of liberality which our Saviourtaught when he said, "Give, and it shall be given unto you. " Theocean gives away its water continually, and, in return for this, Godgives it freshness and purity, and makes it a blessing to the world. And so the ocean illustrates the truth of the lesson we are nowstudying, that "giving is God's rule for getting. "

And yonder is the great sun, shining up in the sky. We do not know asmuch about the sun as we do about the ocean, because it is so faraway from us. The ocean is very near us. We can walk along itsshores, and plunge into its waters, and sail over its surface. Wecan study out all about the laws that govern it, and what the effectof those laws is upon it. But it is very different with the sun. Itis about ninety millions of miles away from us. This is too far offfor us to know much about it. And yet, we know enough about the sunto get from it a good illustration of God's rule about giving andgetting. The sun, like the ocean, is a great giver. It is giving awaylight all the time. It was made for this purpose; and for thispurpose it is preserved. If the sun should stop giving, and shouldtry to keep all its light and heat for itself, the effect would beits ruin. By ceasing to give it would be burnt up and destroyed. Andso, when we see the sower sowing his seed, or the reaper gathering inhis harvest; when we look upon the ocean, and see the clouds formedfrom its waters, as they go sailing through the sky; or when we seethe sun rising in the morning, going forth again to his appointedwork of giving light to a dark world; let us remember that these arenature's illustrations of the lesson of liberality which Jesus taughtwhen he said, "Give, and it shall be given unto you. " They all helpto show how true it is, that "giving is God's rule of getting. "

_And now we may go on to look for our illustrations of this subjectfrom everyday life_. 

If we are only watchful we shall meet with illustrations of this kindcontinually. It would not be difficult to fill a volume with them. Here are a few out of many that might be given. 

"The Travellers in the Snow. " Two travellers were on a journey in asleigh during a very severe winter. It was snowing fast as they drovealong. One of the travellers was a liberal, generous-hearted man, whobelieved in giving; and was always ready to share whatever he hadwith others. His companion was a selfish ungenerous man. He did _not_believe in giving; and liked to keep whatever he had for himself. Asthey drove along, they saw something covered up in the snow thatlooked like the figure of a man. "Look there, " said the generous manto his friend, "that must be some poor fellow overcome by the cold. Let's stop and see what we can do for him. "

"You can get out, if you like, " was his reply, "but it's too cold forme. I intend to stay where I am;" and he wrapped his furs closelyround him. 

The other traveller threw aside his furs and jumped out of thesleigh. He found it was a poor man, who had sunk down in the snow ashort time before, overcome by the cold. He shook the snow from him, and began to rub his hands and face and feet. He kept on rubbing fora good while. At last the man began to get warm again and was savedfrom death. Then the generous-hearted traveller helped him into thesleigh, and shared his wrappings with him. The exertion he had madein doing this kind act put him all in a glow of warmth. He made therest of the journey in comfort. But when they stopped at the end oftheir journey, the selfish man, who was not willing to do anythingfor the help of another, had his fingers, and toes, and nose, andears frozen. This illustrates the lesson of liberality; and showsthat "giving is God's rule for getting. "

Here we see the truth of the lines which someone has written:

 "Numb and weary on the mountain Wouldst thou sleep amidst the snow? Chafe the frozen form beside thee, And together both shall glow. Art thou stricken in life's battle? Many wounded round thee moan; Lavish on their wounds thy balsams, And that balm shall heal thine own. "

"The Officer and the Soldier. " In one of the terrible battles inVirginia, during the late war, a Union officer fell wounded in frontof the Confederate breastwork, which had been attacked. His woundsbrought on a raging fever, and he lay on the ground crying piteouslyfor water. A kind-hearted Confederate soldier heard the touching cry, and leaping over the fortifications, with his canteen in his hand, hecrawled up to the poor fellow and gave him a drink of water. O, whata comfort this was to the wounded man! His heart was filled withgratitude towards this generous and noble soldier. He pulled out hisgold watch from his pocket, and cheerfully offered it to hisbenefactor; but he refused to take it. Then he asked the soldier'sname and residence. He said his name was James Moore, and that helived in Burke County, North Carolina. Then they parted. This noblesoldier afterwards lost a limb in one of the Virginia battles, andreturned to his home as a cripple. 

The officer recovered from his wounds; but he never forgot thekindness of that Confederate soldier. And when the war was over, andhe was engaged in his business again, he wrote to James Moore, telling him that he intended to send him the sum of ten thousanddollars in four quarterly installments of twenty-five hundreddollars each; and that he wished him to receive the same in token ofthe heartfelt gratitude with which his generous kindness on thebattle-field was remembered. Certainly these were two noble men. Itis hard to tell which was the more noble of the two. But when thecrippled soldier thought of the drink of water which he gave to thewounded officer, and of the ten thousand dollars which he receivedfor the same, he must have felt how true our Saviour's words were, when he said: "Give, and it shall be given unto you. " And he musthave felt sure of the lesson we are now considering, that "Giving isGod's rule for getting. "

"The Secret of Success. " Some time ago a Christian gentleman wasvisiting a large paper mill that belonged to a friend of his, who wasa very rich man. The owner of the mill took him all through it, andshowed him the machinery, and told him how the paper was made. Whenthey were through the visitor said to his friend, "I have onequestion to ask you; and if you will answer it, I shall feel verymuch obliged to you. I am told that you started in life very poor, and now you are one of the richest men in this part of the country. My question is _this_: will you please tell me the _secret_ of yoursuccess in business?"

"I don't know that there is any great secret about it, " said hisfriend, "but I will tell you all I know. I got a situation, and beganto work for my own living when I was only sixteen years old. Mywages, at first, were to be forty dollars a year, with my board andlodging. My clothing and all my other expenses were to come out ofthe forty dollars. I then made a solemn promise to the Lord that_one-tenth_ of my wages, or four dollars out of the forty, should befaithfully laid aside to be given to the poor, or to some religiouswork. This promise I kept religiously, and after laying asideone-tenth to give away, at the end of the year, besides meeting myexpenses, I had more than a tenth left for myself. I then made a vowthat whatever it might please God to give me, I would never give_less_ than one-tenth of my income to him. This vow I have faithfullykept from that day to this. If there be any secret to mysuccess--_this is it_. Whatever I receive during the year, I feelsure that I am richer on nine-tenths of it, with God's blessing, thanI should be on the whole of it, without that blessing. I believe thatGod has blessed me, and made my business prosper. And I am sure thatanyone who will make the trial of this secret of success, will findit work as it has done in my case. "

This man was certainly proving the truth of our Saviour's words, whenhe said--"Give, and it shall be given unto you. " And his experienceshows most satisfactorily that "giving is God's rule for getting. "

"The Steamboat Captain and the Soldier. " During the late war therewas a steamboat, one day, in front of a flourishing town on the OhioRiver. The captain, who had charge of her was the owner of the boat. The steam was up; and the captain was about to start on a trip somemiles down the river with an excursion party, who had chartered theboat for the occasion. While waiting for the party to come on board, a poor wounded soldier came up to the captain. He said he wassuffering from severe sickness, as well as from his wounds. He hadbeen in the hospital. The doctor had told him he could not live long;and he was very anxious to get home, and see his mother again, beforehe died; and he wished to know if the captain would give him apassage down the river on his boat. On hearing where his home was, the captain said that the party who had chartered his boat weregoing near that place; and he told the poor soldier that he wouldgladly take him to his home. 

But, when the excursion party came on board, and saw the soldier, with his soiled and worn clothes, and his ugly-looking wounds, theywere not willing to let him go; and asked the captain to put himashore. The captain told the soldier's sad story, and pleaded hiscause very earnestly. He said he would place him on the lower deckand put a screen round his bed, so that they could not see him. Butthe young people refused. They said as they had hired the boat, itbelonged to them for the day, and they were not willing to have sucha miserable-looking object on board their boat; and that if thecaptain did not put him off, they would hire another boat, and hewould lose the twenty dollars they had agreed to give him for theday's excursion. 

The good captain made one more appeal to them. He asked them to putthemselves in the poor soldier's place, and then to think how theywould like to be treated. But still they refused to let the soldiergo. Then the noble-hearted captain said: "Well, ladies and gentlemen, whether you hire my boat or not, I intend to take this soldier hometo-day. "

The party did hire another boat. The captain lost his twentydollars. But, when he returned the poor dying soldier to the arms ofhis loving mother, he felt that the tears of gratitude with which shethanked him were worth more than the money he had lost. The gentlemother dressed the wounds of her poor suffering boy; and nursed andcared for him, as none but a mother knows how to do. But she couldnot save his life. He died after a few days; and the last words hespoke, as his loving parents stood weeping at his bedsidewere--"Don't forget the good captain. " And he was not forgotten. Forafter the soldier's funeral was over, his father went up the river tothe town where the captain lived. He found him out. He thanked himagain for his kindness in bringing home his dying boy; and made him apresent that was worth four or five times the twenty dollars he hadlost for the hire of his boat. 

But this was not the end of it. For not long after this, the captainand his wife were taken suddenly ill with a fatal disease that wasprevailing in that region of the country. They both died; leaving twolittle orphan children, with no one to take care of them. Thesoldier's father heard of it; and he went at once and asked that hemight be permitted to take the two helpless little ones and adoptthem as his own children. He took them home; and was a father and afriend to them as long as he lived. 

How beautifully our Saviour's words--"Give, and it shall be givenunto you, " are illustrated in this story! How clearly we see here, that "Giving is God's rule for getting!"

I have just one other illustration before closing this subject. Wemay call it:

"The Miser and the Hungry Children. " In a village in England were twolittle motherless girls who lived in a small cottage. Sally, theelder, was about eight years old and her sister Mary was six. Theywere very poor. Their father was a laboring man, and he found greatdifficulty in supporting himself and his children. 

Once, in the midst of winter, these two little girls were left aloneall day, as their father had gone out to work. They had theirbreakfast in the morning with their father, before he left. But theyhad no dinner, nor anything to eat during the rest of the day. Aboutthe middle of the afternoon, Mary said to her sister: "Sally, I'mvery hungry. Is there anything in the closet that we can get to eat?"

"No, " said Sally; "I've looked all through the closet; but thereisn't a crust of bread, or a cold potato; nor anything to eat. I wishthere was something; for I'm hungry too. "

"O, dear! what shall we do?" cried Mary; "I'm too hungry to wait tillfather comes home!"

"Mary, " said her sister, "suppose we ask our Father in heaven to giveus something to eat? Let us kneel down, and say the Lord's Prayer. When we come to that part about 'daily bread' we'll say it over threetimes, and then wait, and see if God will send us some. "

Mary agreed to this. They both kneeled down, and Sally began: "OurFather, who art in heaven; hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come;thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven: give us this day ourdaily bread; give us this day our daily bread; give us this day ourdaily bread. " Then they waited quietly, to see if anything wouldcome. 

And now, while this was going on inside of that little cottage, letme tell you what was taking place outside. 

Not far from this cottage lived an old man who was a miser. He had agood deal of money, but he never gave any of it to others; and neverwould spend a penny for himself, if he could possibly help it. But, on that afternoon, he had left home to go to the baker's and buy aloaf of bread. He got the loaf, and, as it was a stormy afternoon, heput it under his coat before starting to walk home. Now, it happened, that just as he was passing the cottage in which the little girlswere, a strong blast of wind blew the rain in his face, and hestepped into the porch of the cottage and crouched down in thecorner, to shelter himself from the wind and rain. In this positionhis ear was brought quite close to the keyhole of the door. He heardwhat the little girls had said about being hungry. He heard theirproposal to pray to the Father in heaven to give them bread. He heardthe thrice repeated prayer--"give us this day our daily bread. " Andthen came the silence, when the little ones waited, and watched forthe bread. This had a strange effect on the miser. His hard, selfishheart, which had never felt a generous feeling for anyone, warmed up, and grew suddenly soft in tenderness towards these helpless, hungrylittle ones. Tears moistened his eyes. He put his thumb on the latchof the door. The latch was gently lifted and the door opened. He tookthe loaf from under his coat and threw it into the room. The littlegirls, still waiting and watching on their knees, saw the loaf gobouncing over the floor. They jumped up on their feet, and clappedtheir hands for joy. 

"O, Sally, " said little Mary, "how good God is to answer our prayerso soon! Did He send an angel from heaven to bring us this bread?"

"I don't know who brought it, " answered Sally, "but I am sure thatGod sent it. "

And how about the miser? For the first time in his life he had givento the poor. Did the promise fail which says, "Give, and it shall begiven unto you?" No; God's promises _never_ fail. He went to thebakery and bought another loaf for himself, and then he went homewith different feelings from what he had ever had before. The warm, soft feeling that came into his hard heart when he gave the loaf tothose children did not pass away. It grew upon him. He had found somuch pleasure in doing that one kind act that he went on and didmore. And God blessed him in doing it. He began to pray to that Godwho had answered the prayer of those little girls for bread in such astrange way. He read the Bible. He went to church. He became aChristian; and some time after, he died a happy Christian death. Butbefore he died, as he was the owner of the cottage in which thelittle girls lived, he gave it to their father. What a beautifulillustration we have here of our Saviour's words--"Give, and it shallbe given unto you!" This miser gave _a loaf of bread_ to these hungrychildren and God gave him _the grace that made him a Christian_! Andas we think of this we may well say that "giving _is_ God's rule forgetting. "

And thus we have considered the lesson of liberality which ourSaviour taught; the proofs of that lesson found in the Bible; and theillustrations of it from the Bible, from nature, and from everydaylife. The three things to be remembered from this subject are _thelesson_--_the proofs_--_the illustrations_. 

I will quote here, in finishing, three verses which teach the samelesson that our Saviour taught when he spoke the words from which Ihave tried to draw the lesson of liberality. The title at the head ofthem is taken from Solomon's words in one of the passages from thebook of Proverbs, which we have already used. 

"THERE IS THAT SCATTERETH AND YET INCREASETH. "

 "Is thy cruse of comfort wasting? Rise, and share it with another; And through all the years of famine, It shall serve thee and thy brother. God himself will fill thy storehouse, Or thy handful still renew: Scanty fare for _one_ will often Make a royal feast for _two_. 

 "For the heart grows rich in giving; All its wealth is living grain: Seeds which mildew in the garner, Scattered, fill with gold the plain. Is thy burden hard and heavy? Do thy steps drag wearily? Help to bear thy brother's burden, -- God will bear both it and thee. 

 "Is thy heart a well left empty? None but God its void can fill; Nothing but a ceaseless fountain Can this ceaseless longing still. Is the heart a living power? Self-entwined its strength sinks low; It can only live in loving, And by serving love will grow. "

CHRIST TEACHING HUMILITY

During the earthly life of our blessed Saviour, we see howeverything connected with it teaches the lesson of humility. This ispointed out in the beautiful collect in The Book of Common Prayer forthe first Sunday in Advent. Here we are taught to say:--"AlmightyGod, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put uponus the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in whichthy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in--great _humility_. "

If Jesus had come into our world as an angel, it would have been anact of humility. If he had come as a great and mighty king, it wouldhave been an act of humility. But when he was born in a stable, andcradled in a manger; when he could say of himself, "the foxes haveholes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man hathnot where to lay his head;" when there never was an acre, or a footof ground that he called his own, although he made the world and allthings in it; when he sailed in a borrowed boat, and was buried in aborrowed tomb; how well it might be said that he was teachinghumility all the days of his life on earth! Yet he did not think that_this_ was enough. And so he gave his disciples a special lesson onthis subject. 

We have an account of this lesson in St. John xiii: 4-15. It istaught us in these words:--"He riseth from supper, and laid aside hisgarments; and took a towel and girdled himself. After that he pourethwater into a bason, and began to wash his disciples' feet, and towipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded. " Then occurs theincident about the objection which Peter made to letting Jesus washhis feet, and the way in which that objection was overcome. And thenthe story goes on thus:--"So after he had washed their feet, and hadtaken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, 'Knowye what I have done unto you? Ye call me Master, and Lord; and ye saywell; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed yourfeet; ye ought also to wash one another's feet. For I have given youan example, that ye should do as I have done to you. '"

This was a very surprising scene. How astonished the angels must havebeen when they looked upon it! They had known Jesus in heaven, beforehe took upon him our nature, and came into this fallen world. Theyhad seen him in "the glory which he had with the Father, before theworld was. " They had worshipped him in the midst of all that glory. And then, when they saw him, girded with a towel and washing the feetof poor sinful men whom he came from heaven to save, how surprisingit must have seemed to them! And when Jesus told his disciples thathis object in doing this was to set them an example, that they shoulddo as he had done to them, he did not mean that they should literallymake a practice of washing each other's feet; but that they shouldshow the same humility to others that he had shown to them, by beingwilling to do anything, however humble it might be, in order topromote their comfort and happiness. It is not the act itself, herespoken of, that Jesus teaches us to do; but the spirit of humility inwhich the act was performed that he teaches us to cultivate. We mightgo through the form of washing the feet of other persons, and yetfeel proud and haughty all the time we were doing it. Then we shouldnot be following the example of Jesus at all. When Jesus washed hisdisciples' feet, what he wished to teach them, and us, and all hispeople, is how earnestly he desires us to learn this lesson ofhumility. And when we think of the wondrous scene which took place onthat occasion, the one thought it should impress on our minds, aboveall others is--_the importance of humility_. 

And if any one asks what is meant by humility? No better answer canbe given to this question than we find in Romans xii: 3, where St. Paul tells us "not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought tothink, but to think soberly. " Pride is "thinking of ourselves morehighly than we ought to think. " Humility is--_not_ "thinking ofourselves more highly than we ought to think. " And humility is thelesson we are now to study. This is the lesson that Jesus wishes allwho love him to learn. It is easy to speak of _five_ reasons why weshould learn this lesson. 

_And the first reason for learning it is--the_ COMMAND--_of Jesus_. 

When he had finished washing his disciples' feet, he told them that"they should do as he had done to them. " This was his command to hisdisciples, and to us, to learn the lesson of humility. And this isnot the only place in which Jesus taught this lesson. He gave some ofhis beautiful parables to teach humility. We find one of these in St. Luke xiv: 7-12. 

On one occasion when he saw the people all pressing forward to getthe best seats for themselves at a feast, he took the opportunity ofgiving his disciples a lesson about humility. He told them, when theywere bidden to a wedding feast, not to take the highest seats;because some more honorable person might be bidden, and when themaster of the feast came in he might say to them 'let this man havethat seat, and you go and take a lower seat'; then they would feelmortified, and ashamed. And then he gave his disciples this command:"When thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room, " or seat;"that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, goup higher: then shalt thou have worship"--or honor--"in the presenceof them that sit at meat with thee. " Here we have Jesus repeatinghis command to all his people to learn and practise the lesson ofhumility. 

And then we have another of our Saviour's parables in which he taughtthis same lesson of humility, and that is the parable of the Phariseeand the Publican. We find it in St. Luke xviii: 10-15. The parablereads thus: "Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one aPharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayedthus with himself, 'God, I thank thee, that I am not as other menare, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. Ifast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. '" Herewe have a picture of a proud man. He pretended to pray, but asked fornothing, because he did not feel his need of anything. And so hispretended prayer brought him no blessing. 

And then in the rest of the parable we have our Saviour's descriptionof a man who was learning the lesson of humility, and of the blessingwhich it brought to him. 

Here is a story told by one of our missionaries of the way in whichthis parable brought a heathen man to Christ. 

"That's Me. " A poor Hottentot in Southern Africa lived with a Dutchfarmer, who was a good Christian man, and kept up family prayer inhis home. One day, at their family worship he read this parable. Hebegan, "Two men went up into the temple to pray. " The poor savage, who had been led to feel himself a sinner, and was anxious for thesalvation of his soul, looked earnestly at the reader, and whisperedto himself, "Now I'll learn how to pray. " The farmer read on, "God, Ithank Thee that I am not as other men are. " "No, I am not, " whisperedthe Hottentot, "but I'm worse. " Again the farmer read, "I fast twicein the week; I give tithes of all that I possess. " "I don't do that. I don't pray in that way. What shall I do?" said the distressedsavage. 

The good man read on till he came to the publican, "standing afaroff. " "That's where I am, " said the Hottentot. "Would not lift up somuch as his eyes unto heaven, " read the farmer. "That's me, " criedhis hearer. "But smote upon his breast saying, God be merciful to mea sinner. " "That's me; that's my prayer, " cried the poor creature, and smiting on his dark breast, he prayed for himself in the words ofthe parable, --"God be merciful to me a sinner!" And he went onoffering this prayer till the loving Saviour heard and answered him, and he went down to his house a saved and happy man. 

Thus we see how this poor man learned the lesson of humility whichJesus taught, and how much good it did to him. 

And it is Jesus who is speaking to us and commanding us to learn thislesson of humility, when we read, in other passages of Scripture, such words as these:--"Put on therefore--humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering. " Col. Iii: 12. "Humble yourself thereforein the sight of God. " James iv: 10. "Be clothed with humility. " I. Pet. V: 5. In all these places we have Jesus repeating his command tous to learn the lesson of humility. And this command is urged thusearnestly upon us because it is so important. 

When St. Augustine, one of the celebrated fathers of the earlyChurch, was asked--What is the first important thing in the Christianreligion? his reply was--"Humility. " "What is the second?""Humility. " "And what is the third?"--the reply still was--"Humility. "

And if this be true, we need not wonder that Jesus should have beenso earnest in teaching this lesson; or that he should have urged sostrongly on his disciples to learn it. 

The _command_ of Christ is the first reason why we should learn thelesson of humility. 

_But the second reason why we should learn this lesson is, because ofthe_--EXAMPLE--_of Christ_. 

There are many persons "who say and do not. " There are some ministerswho preach very well, but they do not _practise_ what they preach. Such persons may well be compared to finger-boards. They point outthe way to others, but they do not walk in it themselves. But thiswas not the case with our blessed Saviour. He practised everythingthat he preached. And when he gave us his command to learn thislesson of humility, he gave us, at the same time, his example to showus _how_ to do it. 

He was illustrating this command by his example when he washed hisdisciples' feet. And this was only one out of many things in which heset us this example. When he chose to be born of poor parents, he wasgiving an example of humility. When he lived at Nazareth till he wasthirty years of age, working with his reputed father as a carpenter, and during the latter part of the time, as is supposed, laboring forthe support of his mother, he was giving an example of humility. Whenhe said, "The Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but tominister, " Matt. Xx: 28; and again--"I am among you as he thatserveth, " Luke xxii: 27, he was giving an example of humility. Whenhe borrowed an ass to make his triumphal entrance into Jerusalem;though he could say in truth, "every beast of the forest is mine, andthe cattle upon a thousand hills;"--(Ps. 1: 10), he was setting anexample of humility. When he hid himself away from the people becausehe saw that they wanted to take him by force and make him king, hewas giving a lesson of humility. When he allowed himself to be takenprisoner, though he knew that if he had asked his Father in heaven, he would, at once, have sent "more than twelve legions of angels" todeliver him, he was giving an example of humility. When he keptsilence, at the bar of the high-priest, of Herod, of Pontius Pilate, like "a lamb dumb before her shearers, " while his enemies werecharging him falsely with all kinds of wickedness; when he allowedthe Roman soldiers to scourge him with rods, till his back was allbleeding; to put a crown of thorns upon his head; to array him in apurple robe in mockery of his being a king; to smite him with thepalms of their hands, and spit upon him; and then to nail him to thecross, and put him to the most shameful of all deaths--as if he werea wicked man, who did not deserve to live--he was giving the mostwonderful example of humility that ever was heard of. Jesus, the Lordof glory hanging on the shameful cross!--O, this was an example ofhumility that must have filled the angels of heaven with surprise, and wonder!

And when we think of all that Jesus did and suffered, to set us anexample of humility, it should make us ashamed of being proud; andanxious, above all things, to learn this lesson which he did so muchto teach us. 

"Imitating Christ's Humility. " I think I never heard of a morebeautiful instance of persons learning to imitate the humility ofChrist, than is told of some Moravian Missionaries. These good menhad heard the story of the unhappy slaves in the West Indies. Thosepoor creatures were wearing out their lives in hard bondage. They hadvery little comfort in this life, and no knowledge of that graciousSaviour who alone can secure, for sinful creatures, such as we are, abetter portion in the life to come. These missionaries offered to goout to the West Indies, and teach those slaves about Jesus, and thegreat salvation that is to be found in him. But they were told thatthe owners of the slaves would not let them go to school or tochurch. They would not allow them to take time enough from their workto learn anything about the salvation of their souls. There was onlyone way in which those poor slaves could be taught anything aboutJesus and his love, and that was, for those who wished to teach them, to go and be slaves on the plantations, to work, and toil, if needbe, under the lash, so that they could get right beside them and thentell them about the way of salvation that is in Christ Jesus. Thiswas a hard thing to undertake. But those good missionaries said theywere willing to do it. And they not only _said_ it, but _did_ it. They left their homes, and went to the West Indies. They worked onthe plantations as slaves. And working thus, by the side of theslaves, they got close to their hearts. The slaves heard them. Theirhearts were touched because these teachers of the gospel had humbledthemselves to their condition. While they were teaching the commandsof Christ, they were illustrating and following his example. Howbeautiful this was! How grand! How glorious!

And yet Christ's own example was still more glorious. He laid asidethe glory of his Godhead, and came down from heaven to earth, that hemight get by our side. He laid himself beside us that we might feelthe throbbings of his bosom and the embrace of his loving arms; andhe draws us close to himself, while he whispers in our ears the sweetwords, "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but haveeverlasting life. "

And so, when we think of the example of Christ, we should strive tolearn the lesson of humility which he taught. 

_A third reason why we should learn this lesson of humility isbecause of the_--COMFORT--_that is found in it_. 

Just think for a moment what God says on this subject, in Is. Lvii:15. These are his words:--"Thus saith the high and mighty One thatinhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holyplace, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, torevive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of thecontrite ones. " Here, the same loving Saviour who gave us the commandto learn the lesson of humility promises to give comfort to all wholearn this lesson. And the way in which he secures this comfort tothem is by coming and dwelling in their hearts. And who can tellwhat a comfort it is for a poor pardoned sinner to have Jesus--theLord of heaven and earth--dwelling in his heart? It is his presencein heaven which makes those who dwell there feel so happy. This iswhat David taught, when he looked up to him, and said--"In thypresence is fulness of joy. " Ps. 16: 11. And when that presence isfelt, here on earth, it gives comfort and joy, as certainly as itdoes in heaven. It was the presence of Jesus which enabled Paul andSilas to sing at midnight, for very joyfulness, in the prison atPhilippi, though their feet were fastened in the stocks, and theirbacks were torn and bleeding from the cruel scourging which they hadsuffered. And it was this presence of Christ in the hearts of hispeople that good John Newton was speaking of, in one of his sweethymns, when he said:

 "While blest with a sense of his love A palace a toy would appear; And prisons would palaces prove, If Jesus would dwell with me there. "

But it is only those who learn the lesson of humility that Jesus willdwell with. He says himself, "If any man love me, he will keep mywords; and My Father will love him; and we will come unto him, andmake our abode with him. " St. John xiv: 23. And among the words ofChrist which we must keep, if we wish him to dwell in our hearts, arethose in which he commands the lesson of humility. It is only thehumble with whom he will dwell. For "every one that is proud in heartis an abomination unto the Lord. " Prov. Xvi: 5. 

The reason why so many people are unhappy in this world is that theydo not learn the lesson of humility. 

"Learn to Stoop. " The story is told of some celebrated man--I thinkit was Dr. Franklin--who had a friend visiting him on one occasion. When the gentleman was about to leave, the doctor accompanied him tothe front door. In going through the entry there was a low beamacross it, which made it necessary to stoop, in order to avoid beingstruck by it. As they approached it the doctor stooped himself, andcalled out to his friend to do the same. He did not heed the caution, and received a severe thump on his head as the result of his neglect. In bidding him good-bye, the doctor said--"Learn to stoop, my friend;and it will save you from many a hard knock, as you go on throughlife. " This illustrates the comfort which comes from learning thelesson of humility. It is those who are unwilling to stoop; or to beanything, or nothing, as God wants them to be, who have no comfort. 

"The Fable of the Oak and the Violet. " In a large garden there grew afine oak tree, with its wide-spreading branches, and at its footthere grew a sweet and modest violet. The oak one day looked down inscorn upon the violet, and said: "You, poor little thing, will soonbe dead and withered; for you have no strength, no size, and are ofno good to anyone. But I am large and strong; I shall still live forages, and then I shall be made into a large ship to sail on theocean, or into coffins to hold the dust of princes. "

"Yes, " answered the violet, in its humility, "God has given _you_strength, and _me_ sweetness. I offer him back my fragrance, and amthankful. I hope to die fragrantly, as I have lived fragrantly, butwe are both only what God made us, and both where God placed us. "

Not long after the oak was struck by lightning and shivered tosplinters. Its end was to be burned. But the violet was gentlygathered by the hand of a Christian lady, who carefully pressed it, and kept it for years, in the leaves of her Bible to refresh herselfwith its fragrance. Here we see illustrated the difference betweenpride and humility. 

"The Secret of Comfort. " Some years ago there was a boy who had beenlame from his birth. He was a bright intelligent boy, but he was nota Christian. As he grew up, with no other prospect before him butthat of being a cripple all his days, he was very unhappy. As he satby his window, propped up in his chair, and saw the boys playing inthe street, he would say to himself: "Why has God made me thus? Whyhave I not limbs to run and jump with like other boys?"

These thoughts filled him with distress, and caused him to shed manybitter tears. 

One day a Christian friend, who was visiting him, gave him a book andrequested him to read it. He did so; and it led to his becoming aChristian. His heart was renewed; the burden of his sin was removed;and the love of God was shed abroad in his heart by the Holy Ghost. He learned the lesson of humble submission to the will of God. Afterthis, as he looked out, and saw the young people happy at theirsports; or, as he gazed on the green earth and the beautiful sky, andknew that he must remain a helpless cripple as long as he lived, heyet could say, with the utmost cheerfulness:--"It's all right. MyFather in heaven has done it. I love him. He loves me. I know he ismaking all things work together for my good. " He had learned thelesson we are now considering, and we see what comfort it gave him. And the thought of the comfort which this lesson gives, should be agood reason with us all for learning it. 

_A fourth reason why we should learn the lesson of humility isbecause of the_--USEFULNESS--_connected with it_. 

Jesus tells us, by his apostle, that "God resisteth the proud, butgiveth grace to the humble. " St. James iv: 6. If we have the grace ofGod we can be useful in many ways, but, without that grace we cannotbe useful at all. And this is what our Saviour taught his disciples, when he said to them--"without me ye can do nothing. " St. John xv: 5. By the words "without _me_" he meant without my help, or without mygrace; or without the help of my grace. And it was of this grace thatSt. Paul was speaking when he said--"I can do all things throughChrist who strengtheneth me. " Phil, iv: 13. 

And we could not possibly have a stronger reason for trying to learnthe lesson of humility than this, that our receiving the grace ofGod, and consequently our usefulness, depends upon it. God will notgive us his grace to enable us to be truly good and to make ourselvesuseful, unless we learn this lesson. And unless we have the grace ofGod, we cannot be useful. Like barren fig-trees we shall be uselesscumberers of the ground. 

Now let us look at one or two illustrations which show us how pridehinders the usefulness of men, while humility helps it. 

"The Fisherman's Mistake. " An English gentleman was spending hissummer holidays in Scotland. He concluded to try his hand at fishingfor trout in one of the neighboring streams. He bought one of thehandsomest fishing rods he could find, with line and reel, andartificial flies, and everything necessary to make a perfect outfitfor a fisherman. He went to the trout stream, and toiled all day, butnever caught a single fish. 

Towards the close of the day he saw a ragged little farmer boy, witha bean pole for a rod, and the simplest possible sort of a line, whowas nipping the fish out of the water about as fast as he could throwhis line in. He watched the boy in amazement for awhile, and thenasked him how it was that one, with so fine a rod and line, couldcatch no fish, while he with his poor outfit was catching so many. The boy's prompt reply was:--"Ye'll no catch ony fish Sir, as lang asye dinna keep yersel' oot o' sicht. "

The gentleman was proud of his handsome rod and line, and was showingit off all the time. His pride hindered his usefulness as afisherman. The farmer's boy had nothing to show off; so he kepthimself out of sight, and thus his humility helped his usefulness infishing. 

"The Thames' Tunnel Teaching Humility. " Most strangers who visit thegreat city of London go to see the famous tunnel under the riverThames. This is a large, substantial road that has been built, in theform of an arch, directly under the bed of the river. It is one ofthe most wonderful works that human skill ever succeeded in making. The man who planned and built it was made one of the nobility ofEngland. His name was Sir Isambard Brunel. He was so humble that hewas willing to learn a lesson from a tiny little ship worm. Theseworms bore small round holes through the solid timbers of our ships. 

One day Mr. Brunel visited a ship-yard. An old ship was on thedry-dock getting repaired. A quantity of worm-eaten timber had beentaken out from her sides. He picked up one of these pieces of timber, and saw a worm at work, boring its way through. If he had been aproud man, he might have thrown the timber aside, and said--"Get awayyou poor little worm. I am a great master builder. You can't teach meanything. " And if he had done so that famous tunnel under the Thameswould probably never have been built. But Mr. Brunel had learned thelesson of humility. He was willing to learn from anything that Godhad made, however insignificant it might be. So he sat down andwatched the worm at its work. He studied carefully the form of thehole it was boring. The thought occurred to him how strong a tunnelwould be, that was made in the shape of this hole! And when he wasasked whether it would be possible to build a tunnel under theThames, he said he thought it could be done. He undertook to buildit. He succeeded in the work. But, in accomplishing the greatundertaking that little ship-worm was his teacher. 

And now, if any of my young friends who may read this book shouldever visit London, and go to see the great tunnel, as they gaze inwonder at it, let them remember Sir I. Brunel, and that littleship-worm; and then, let them say to themselves: "This mighty tunnelis an illustration of the truth that humility helps to make ususeful. "

"George Washington and His Humility. " Here is a story connected withthe great and good Washington--"the Father of his country, " whichillustrates very well this part of our subject. 

During the war of the American Revolution, the commander of a littlesquad of soldiers was superintending their operations as they weretrying to raise a heavy piece of timber to the top of some militaryworks which they were engaged in repairing. It was hard work to getthe timber up, and so the commander, who was a proud man and thoughthimself of great importance, kept calling out to them from time totime, "Push away, boys! There she goes! Heave ho!"

While this was going on, an officer on horseback, but not in militarydress, rode by. He asked the commander why he did not take hold, andgive the men a little help. He looked at the stranger in greatastonishment, and then, with all the pride of an emperor, said:

"Sir, I'd have you know that I am a corporal!"

"You are--are you?" replied the officer, "I was not aware of that, "and then taking off his hat, and making a low bow, said, "I ask yourpardon Mr. Corporal. "

After this he got off his horse, and throwing aside his coat, he tookhold and helped the men at their work till they got the timber intoits place. By this time the perspiration stood in drops upon hisforehead. He took out his handkerchief and wiped his brow. Thenturning to the commander he said:

"Mr. Corporal, when you have another such job on hand, and have notmen enough to do it, send for your Commander-in-chief, and I willcome and help you again. "

It was General Washington who did and said this. The Corporal wasthunderstruck! The great Washington, though honored above all men onthe continent, was humble enough to put his hand and shoulder to thetimber, that he might help the humblest of his soldiers, who werestruggling for the defence of their country, to bear the burdensappointed to them. 

This is an excellent illustration of the truth we are nowconsidering. And certainly we should all try to learn the lesson ofhumility which Jesus taught, when we see how it helps to make ususeful. 

_And then there is one other reason why we should learn this lesson, and that is because of the_--BLESSING--_that attends it_. 

Mary, the Mother of Jesus, in her noble song about the birth of herwonderful Son, said that God "filleth the hungry with good things, and sendeth the rich empty away. " By the "_hungry"_ she meant the_humble_ and by the "_rich"_ the _proud_. And the "good things" withwhich God fills them mean the blessings He bestows on the humble. OurSaviour taught the same truth when he said, "he that humbleth himselfshall be exalted. " Luke xiv: 11. Being exalted here means beinghonored and blessed. These passages teach very clearly the truth ofwhich we are now speaking. They show us that we must learn the lessonof humility if we hope to have God's blessing rest upon us. And it isnot more true that two and two make four, than it is that God'sblessing _does_ attend and follow those who learn the lesson ofhumility. 

How many illustrations of this truth we find in the Bible! Moses hadlearned the lesson of humility before God sent him on his greatmission, which has given him a name and a place among the mostfamous men of the world. 

Gideon had learned the lesson of humility before God made choice ofhim to be the deliverer of his people Israel from the hands of theirenemies; and then, for years to be their honored ruler. John theBaptist was so humble that he said of himself that he was not worthyto stoop down and unloose the latchet of our Saviour's shoe; and yetJesus said of him that he was one of the greatest men that ever hadbeen born. 

The apostle Paul was so humble that he considered himself "less thanthe least of all saints, " and "the chief of sinners;" and yet Godhonored and blessed him till he became the most famous and useful ofall the apostles. 

If we turn from the Bible, and look out into the world around us, wemay compare proud people to the tops of the mountains; these are bareand barren, and of little use to the world. We may compare humblepeople to the plains and valleys. These are fertile and beautiful, and are the greatest blessing to the world, in the abundance ofgrain, and fruit, and other good things which they yield. 

And then, if we take notice of what is occurring in the scenes ofdaily life, we shall meet with incidents continually which furnishus with illustrations of the part of our subject now before us, thatGod crowns the humble with his blessing. Let us look at one or two ofthese illustrations. 

"The Little Loaf. " In a certain part of Germany, some years ago, afamine was prevailing, and many of the people were suffering fromhunger. A kind-hearted rich man sent for twenty of the poorestchildren in the village where he lived, to come to his house. As theystood on the porch of his house, he came out to them bringing a largebasket in his hand. He set it down before him and said: "Children, inthis basket there is bread for you all. Take a loaf, each of you, andcome back every day at this hour, till it shall please God to send usbetter times. "

Then he left the children to themselves and went into the house, butwatched them through the window. The hungry children seized thebasket, quarreled and struggled for the bread, because each of themwished to get the best and largest loaf. Then they went away withoutever thanking the good gentleman for his kindness. 

But one little girl, named Gretchen, poorly but neatly dressed, remained, humbly standing by, till the rest were gone. Then she tookthe last loaf left in the basket, the smallest of the lot. She lookedup to the window where the gentleman stood; smiled at him; threw hima kiss, and made a low curtsey in token of her gratitude, and thenwent quickly home. 

The next day the other children were just as ill-behaved as they hadbeen before, and the timid humble Gretchen received a loaf this timenot more than half the size of the one she had on the previous day. But when she came home, and her poor sick mother cut the loaf open, anumber of new silver pieces of money, fell rattling and shining outof it. 

Her mother was frightened, and said, "Take the money back at once tothe good gentleman; for it must certainly have dropped into the doughby accident. Be quick Gretchen! be quick!"

But when the little girl came to the good man and gave him hermother's message, he kindly said, "No, no, my child, it was nomistake. I had the silver pieces put into the smallest loaf as areward for you. Continue to be as humble, peaceable, self-denying, and grateful as you have now shown yourself to be. A little girl whois humble enough to take the smallest loaf rather than quarrel forthe larger ones, will be sure to receive greater blessings from Godthan if she had silver pieces of money baked in every loaf of breadshe ate. Go home now, and greet your good mother very kindly for me. "Here we see how God's blessing attends the humble. 

"Humility Proving a Blessing. " Some time ago a young man went intothe office of one of the largest dry-goods houses in New York andasked for a situation. He was told to call again another day. 

Going down Broadway that same afternoon, when opposite the AstorHouse, he saw an old apple woman, in trying to cross the street, struck by an omnibus, knocked down, and her basket of apples sentscattering into the gutter. 

The young man stepped out of the crowd, helped the old woman to herfeet, put her apples into her basket, and went on his way, withoutthinking of it. 

Now a proud man would never have thought of doing such a thing asthat. But this young man had learned the lesson of humility, and didnot hesitate a moment to do this kind act. 

When he called again to see about the situation, he was asked whatwages he expected. 

He stated what he thought would be right. His proposal was accepted. The situation was given him, and he went to work. 

About a year afterwards, his employer took him aside one day, reminded him of the incident about the old apple woman; told him hewas passing at the time, and saw it; and that it was thiscircumstance which induced him to offer the vacant situation to him, in preference to a hundred others who were applying for it. 

Here we see what a blessing this young man's humility proved to him!

And thus we see that there are five good reasons why we should learnthe lesson of humility. These are the _command_ of Christ; the_example_ of Christ; the _comfort_ that humility gives; the_usefulness_ to which it leads; and the _blessing_ that attends it. 

The first verse of the hymn we often sing contains a very suitableprayer to offer when we think of the lesson of humility we have nowbeen considering:

 "Lord forever at thy side Let my place and portion be; Strip me of the robe of pride Clothe me with humility. "

CHRIST AND THE LITTLE CHILDREN

If, when Jesus was here on earth, he had shown a great interest inkings, and princes, in rich, and wise, and great men, it would nothave been surprising; because he was a king and a prince, himself; hewas richer than the richest, and wiser than the wisest, and greaterthan the greatest. But he did not do this. He took no particularnotice of them; but he showed the greatest possible interest inchildren. When mothers brought their little ones to him, thedisciples wanted to keep them away. They thought, no doubt, that hewas too busy to take any notice of them. But they were mistaken. Hewas very busy indeed. He had many lessons to teach. He had sermons topreach; and sick people to heal; and blind eyes to open; and deafears to unstop; and lame men to make whole; and dead men to raise tolife again. He had all his Father's will to make known to men; andall his Father's commandments to keep. He had to suffer, and to diefor the sins of the world; that he might "open the kingdom of heavento all believers. " He was the busiest man that ever lived. Nobodyever had so much to do as he had. And yet, he was not too busy toattend to the little children. He had time to give to them. So herebuked his disciples for trying to keep the children away from him. He told the mothers to bring them near. They did so. And then, one byone, "he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them andblessed them. " And when he had done this, as though that were notenough, he spoke those precious, glorious, golden words:--"_Sufferthe little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of suchis the kingdom of heaven_, " "verily I say unto you, whosoever shallnot receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not entertherein. "

These things are told us by three of the evangelists. St. Matthewmentions them in chapter xix: 13-15. St. Mark x: 13-16, and St. Lukexviii: 15-17. 

On another occasion, when he was in the temple, the children sanghosannas to him as the son of David. The chief priests and scribeswere greatly displeased, when they heard it, and "said unto him, hearest thou what these say? and Jesus said unto them, yea: have yenever read, out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou hastperfected praise?" Matt, xxi: 15, 16. Here he quoted from the OldTestament (Ps. Viii: 2) to prove to them from their own scriptures, that God loves little children, and delights to have them engage inhis service, and sing his praises. 

And there was one other occasion on which Jesus spoke about thechildren, and showed his interest in them. This was after hisresurrection. We read about it in St. John xxi: 15-18. He met hisdisciples, one day, on the shore of the sea of Galilee. Peter, whohad shamefully denied his Master on the night in which he wasbetrayed was present with them. Jesus said to him, as if to remindhim of his great sin, "Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?" "Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee, " said the penitent disciple. "Feed my lambs, " was his Master's reply. Here again, how beautifullyJesus showed his great love for the little ones of his flock!

From these different passages, we see clearly how dear littlechildren are to the heart of our blessed Saviour! He is the onlygreat Teacher who ever showed such an interest in children. And thereligion of Jesus is the only religion which teaches its followers tolove and care for the little ones. The worshipers of the idol Moloch, mentioned in the Bible, used to offer their children asburnt-sacrifices to their cruel god. Mahometans look upon their womenand children as inferior beings. The Hindoos neglect their infants, and leave them exposed on the banks of the Ganges, or throw them intothe river to be devoured by the hungry crocodiles. In the city ofPekin many infants are thrown out into the streets every night. Sometimes they are killed by the fall. Sometimes they are only halfkilled, and linger, moaning in their agony, till the morning. Thenthe police go around, and pick them up, and throw them all togetherinto a hole and bury them. 

In Africa, the children are sometimes buried alive; and sometimesleft out in the fields or forests for the wild beasts to devour them. In the South Sea Islands three-fourths of all the children born usedto be killed. Sometimes they would strangle their babies. Sometimesthey would leave them, where oxen and cattle would tread on them, andtrample them to death; while, at other times, they would break alltheir joints, beginning with their fingers and toes, and then go onto their wrists, and elbows, and shoulders. How dreadful it is tothink of such practices! And when we turn from these scenes ofheart-rending cruelty and think of the gracious Saviour, --the "gentleJesus, meek and mild, " stretching forth his arms in lovingtenderness, and uttering the sweet words, --"Suffer the littlechildren to come unto me, and forbid them not; for of such is thekingdom of God, "--what a wonderful contrast it makes!

And when we think of all that Jesus did and said to show his interestin children, we may well ask ourselves such questions as these, --Whywas it so? What did he do it for? And when we come to look carefullyinto this part of the life of Christ, we can see four great things init; and these are the reasons why Jesus did and said so much aboutchildren. 

_In the first place we see_--GREAT LOVE--_in the interest Christmanifested towards the young_. 

It was the same love which brought him down from heaven, and made himwilling to become a little child himself; the same love which madehim willing to live in poverty--and suffer the dreadful death uponthe cross that led him to show such interest in the little ones. Butif he had not told us himself how he feels on this subject, we couldnot have been sure of it. Children might well have said, when theyheard about the love of Christ, "Yes, we have no doubt that Jesusdoes love grown up people, men and women in general. We believe thisbecause the Bible tells us so; but how do we know that he loves uschildren?" If he had not told us so himself, we could not have beensure of it. But we know it now. And when we hear, or read of the loveof Christ, we may be sure that it takes the children in. 

During a famine in Germany, a family became so poor that they were indanger of starving. The father proposed that one of the childrenshould be sold, and food provided for those that remained. At lastthe mother consented; but then the question arose which one of thefour should be selected. The eldest, their first-born, could not bespared; the second looked like the mother, the third was like hisfather, and they could not give either of them up; and then theyoungest--why, he was their pet, their darling, how could they give_him_ up? So they concluded that they would all perish together, rather than part with one of their little ones. When those childrenknew of this, they might very well feel sure that their parents lovedthem. But Jesus did more than this for us, he was willing to die uponthe cross, and he did so die, that "not one of his little ones shouldperish. "

"Being Loved Back Again. " Little Alice Lee sat in her rocking chair. She was clasping a beautiful wax doll to her bosom, and singing sweetlullabies to it. But every little while she looked wistfully at hermother. She was busy writing, and had told Alice to keep as quiet aspossible till she got through. 

It seemed a long time to Alice; but after awhile her mother laid downher pen, and pushed aside her papers, and said:--"Now I am throughfor to-day, Alice, and you can make as much noise as you please. "

In a moment Alice laid down her doll, and running to her mother, threw her arms round her neck, and nestled sweetly in her lovingbosom. 

"I'm so glad, " said Alice, "I wanted to love you so much, mamma. "

"Did you, darling?" and the mother clasped the little one tenderly inher arms. "I am very glad that my little girl loves me;" replied hermother, "but I thought you were not very lonely while I was writing;you and dollie seemed to be having a good time together. "

"Yes, we had, mamma; but I always get tired of loving dollie afterawhile. "

"Do you, dear? Tell me why?"

"O, because she never loves me back again. "

"And is _that_ why you love me?"

"That is _one why_, mamma; but not the first one, or the best one. "

"And what is the first, and best?"

"Why, mamma, can't you guess?" and the little girl's blue eyes grewvery bright, as they gazed earnestly into her mother's face. "It'sbecause you loved me when I was too little to love you back; _that's_why I love you so. "

And what a reason this is why we should love Jesus! He loved us whenwe were too little to love him back. The Bible says--"We love himbecause _he first_ loved us. " He loved us before we knew him, or hadever heard of him. He loved us before we were born. Before the worldwas made Jesus thought of you and me, and loved us. This is what hemeans when he says:--"I _have loved thee with an everlasting love. "_Jer. Xxxi: 3. This means a love that never had a beginning, and thatwill never have an end. This is very wonderful. And when we think ofit, we may well sing out our thankfulness in the words of the hymn:

 "I am glad that our Father in heaven Tells of his love in the Book he has given; Wonderful things in the Bible I see; This is the sweetest, that Jesus loves me. I am so glad that Jesus loves me, Jesus loves--_even me_"

And when we think of all the kind words and actions of Jesus, bywhich he showed his interest in little children, the first thing thatwe see in them is--great love. 

_Now, let us take another look at this part of our Saviour's life, and the second thing that we see in it is_--GREAT WISDOM. 

It is wise to take care of the children and try to bring them toJesus when young, _because then they are easily controlled_. 

Suppose we plant an acorn in a corner of our garden. After awhile agreen shoot springs out from it. We go to look at it when it is abouta foot high. We find it getting crooked; but with the gentlest touchof thumb and finger, we can straighten it out. We wish it to lean ina particular direction. We give it a slight touch, and it leans justthat way. Afterwards we conclude to have it lean in the oppositedirection. Another slight touch, and it takes that direction. It istrue, as the poet says, "Just as the twig is bent, the tree'sinclined. " But, suppose we let it grow for twenty or thirty years, and then come back to it. It is now a great oak tree. There is anugly twist in its trunk. We try to straighten it out; but in vain. Nopower on earth can do that now. You can cut it down; or saw it up; orbreak it into splinters; but you cannot straighten it. 

Suppose, that you and I should go to one of the highest summits ofthe Rocky Mountains. In a certain place there, we should find twolittle fountains springing up near each other. With the end of afinger we might trace the course in which either of those littlesprings should flow. We could lead one down the eastern side of themountains, and the other down the western side. It would be very easyto control them then. But suppose now we travel down the side of themountain till we reach the plain, at its base. Now see, yonder is agreat river, rolling on its mighty flood of waters. That is what thelittle spring has grown to. It is too late to control it now. Thetime for controlling it was up yonder near the spring. 

It is easy to control the spring; it is very hard to control theriver. Jesus wished to control the spring when he directed us tobring the children to him. And in this he showed his wisdom. 

It is wise to take an interest in children, and bring them early toJesus--_because they have great influence in the world_. 

Who can tell the influence that children are exerting in the world?We have an illustration of this in the words that were once spoken byThemistocles, the celebrated Grecian governor and general. He had alittle boy, of whom his mother was very fond and over whom the childhad very great influence. His father pointed to him, one day, andsaid to a friend, "Look at that child; he has more power than allGreece. For the city of Athens rules Greece; I rule Athens; thatchild's mother rules me, and he rules his mother. "

I feel sure our Saviour must have felt very much as some one hasdone, who writes in this way about

THE GOOD THAT CHILDREN DO. 

 "A dreary place would be this earth Were there no little people in it; The song of life would lose its mirth Were there no children to begin it;

 "No little forms, like buds to grow, And make the admiring heart surrender; No little hands, on breast and brow, To keep the thrilling love-chords tender. 

 "No babe within our arms to leap, No little feet towards slumber tending; No little knee in prayer to bend, Our loving lips the sweet words lending. 

 "Life's song indeed would lose its charm, Were there no babies to begin it; A doleful place this world would be, Were there no little people in it. "

And if children have so great an influence in the world it was wisein Jesus to desire to have them brought early to him that they mightlearn to use that influence in the best possible way. 

And then it was wise in Jesus to desire this, again, _becausebringing children to him prevents great trouble, and secures greatblessing_. 

We are all familiar with Dr. Watts' sweet hymn, which says:

"'Twill save us from a thousand snares To mind religion young. "

Here is a striking illustration of this truth in the history of:

"One Neglected Child. " A good many years ago, in one of the uppercounties of New York, there was a little girl named Margaret. Shewas not brought to Christ, but was turned out on the world to do asshe pleased. She grew up to be perhaps the wickedest woman in thatpart of the country. She had a large family of children, who becameabout as wicked as herself; her descendants have been a plague and acurse to that county ever since. The records of that county show thattwo hundred of her descendants have been criminals. In a singlegeneration of her descendants there were twenty children. Three ofthese died in infancy. Of the remaining seventeen, who lived to growup, nine were sent to the state prison for great crimes; while allthe others were found, from time to time, in the jails, thepenitentiaries, or the almshouses. Nearly all the descendants of thiswoman were idiots, or drunkards, or paupers, or bad people, of thevery worst character. That one neglected child thus cost the countyin which she lived hundreds of thousands of dollars, besides theuntold evil that followed from the bad examples of her descendants. How different the result would have been if this poor child had beenbrought to Jesus and made a Christian when she was young!

"The Result of Early Choice. " Here is a short story of two boys, ofthe choice they made when young, and the different results thatfollowed from that choice. 

A minister of the gospel was preaching on one occasion to theconvicts in the state prison of Connecticut. As he rose in the deskand looked around on the congregation, he saw a man there whose faceseemed familiar to him. When the service was over he went to thisman's cell, to have some conversation with him. 

"I remember you very well, sir, " said the prisoner. "We were boys inthe same neighborhood; we went to the same school; sat beside eachother on the same bench, and then my prospects were as bright asyours. But, at the age of fourteen, you made choice of the service ofGod, and became a Christian. I refused to come to Christ, but madechoice of the world and sin. And now, you are a happy and honoredminister of the gospel, while I am a wretched outcast. I have servedten years in this penitentiary and am to be a prisoner here forlife. "

Jesus knew what blessings would follow to those who were earlybrought to him, and we see that there was great wisdom in the wordsthat he spake when he said--"Suffer the little children to come untome. "

_In the next place there was_--GREAT ENCOURAGEMENT--_in what Jesusdid and said about children_. 

If a company of boys or girls should try to get into the presence ofa monarch, some great king, or emperor, they would find it a prettyhard thing to do. At the door of the palace they would meet withsoldiers or servants, the guards of the queen or king. They would sayto the children--"what do you want here?" And if the children shouldsay, "Please sir, we wish to go into the palace and see the queen, "the answer would be: "Go away; go away. The queen is too busy. Shehas no time to attend to little folks like you. " And the childrenwould have to go away without getting to see the queen. 

But, Jesus is a greater king than any who ever sat upon an earthlythrone. He has more to do than all the kings and queens in the worldput together. And yet he never gave orders to the angels, or to anyof his servants to keep the children away from him. On his greatthrone in yonder heavens he says still, what he said when he was onearth--"Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid themnot. " And he says this on purpose to encourage the children to cometo him. And the thought that Jesus loves them and feels an interestin them has encouraged multitudes of little ones to seek him andserve him. Here are some illustrations of this:

"Learning to Love Jesus. " "A little girl came to me one day, " said aminister of the gospel, and said, "'Please sir, may I speak to you aminute?' I saw that she was in some trouble; so I took her kindly bythe hand, and said, 'Certainly, my child. What do you wish to say?'

"'Please, sir, ' said she, as her lip quivered and tears filled hereyes, 'it's a dreadful thing; but I don't love Jesus. '

"'And are you not going to love him?' I asked. 

"'I don't know; but please sir, I want you to tell me how. ' She spokesadly, as if it was something she never could do. 

"'Well, ' I said, 'St. John, who loved our Lord almost more than anyone else ever did, says that "we love him because he first loved us. "Now if you go home to-night, saying in your heart, "_Jesus lovesme_, " I think that to-morrow you will be able to say--"I loveJesus. "'

"She looked up through her tears, and repeated the words very softly, 'Jesus loves me. ' She began to think about it on her way home, aswell as to say it. She thought about his life, about his death on thecross, and about his sweet words to the little ones, and she began tofeel it too. 

"The next evening she came to see me again; and, putting both herhands in mine, with a bright happy face, she said:

"'Oh! please sir, I love Jesus now; for I know he does love me so!'"

Here was a little one encouraged to come to Jesus by thinking of theinterest he feels in children. 

"Doesn't He Love to Save?" A mother had just tucked her little boy inbed, and had received his good-night kisses. She lingered awhile, athis bedside, to speak to him about Jesus, and to see if he wasfeeling right toward him. He was a good, obedient boy, but that dayhe had done something that grieved his mother. He had expressed hissorrow for it, and asked his mother's forgiveness. As she stoopeddown for the last kiss, he said--"Is it all settled, mother?"

"Yes, my child, " she said, "it's all settled with me; but have yousettled it all with Jesus?" "Yes, mother: I've asked him to forgiveme: and I believe him when he says he will; for _doesn't he love tohelp and save children_?" "He does, my child, he does, " said hismother, as she gazed on his happy little face, lighted up with thejoy of that gospel, so often hidden from the wise and prudent, butrevealed to babes. 

Here we see how this little fellow was encouraged to seek Jesus fromthe assurance that he feels an interest in children, and loves tohelp and bless them. 

"Love Leads to Love. " A little boy named Charley stood at the windowwith his mother one morning, watching the robins as they enjoyedtheir morning meal of cherries from the tree near their house. "Mother, " said Charley, "How the birdies all love father. "

"They do, " said his mother, "but what do you suppose is the reasonthat the birdies love your father?"

This question seemed to set Charley to thinking. He did not answer atfirst, but presently he said, "Why mother all the creatures seem tolove father. My dog is almost as glad to see him as to see me. Pussy, you know, always comes to him, and seems to know exactly what he issaying. Even the old cow follows him around the meadow, and the otherday I saw her licking his hand, just as a dog would. I think it mustbe because father loves them. You know he will often get up and givepussy something to eat; and he pulls carrots for the cow, and patsher; and somehow I think his voice never sounds so sweet as when heis talking to these dumb creatures. "

"I think his voice is very pleasant when he is talking to his littleboy, " said his mother. 

Charley smiled, and said, "That's so, mother. Father loves me, and Ilove him dearly. But he loves the birdies too I am sure. He whistlesto them every morning when they are eating their cherries, and theydon't seem a bit afraid of him, although he is near enough to catchthem. Mother I wish everything loved me as they do father. "

"Do as father does, Charley, and they will. Love all things and bekind to them. Don't kick the dog, or speak roughly to him. Don't pullpussy's tail, nor chase the hens, nor try to frighten the cow. Neverthrow stones at the birds. Never hurt nor tease anything. Speakgently and lovingly to them and they will love you, and everybodythat knows you will love you too. "

Now Charley's father, in acting as he did, was trying to make all thedumb creatures about him know that he was their friend; that he lovedthem, and had nothing but kindness in his heart towards them. Inthis way he encouraged them to come to him, and not be afraid of him. 

And this is just the way in which Jesus was acting when he did andsaid so much to show his interest in children. He wants them all tounderstand that he is their friend; that he loves them, and wantsthem to come to him and love and serve him. And so every child whohears or reads about Jesus may feel encouraged to say:

 "Once in his arms the Saviour took Young children just like me, And blessed them with his voice and look As kind as kind could be. 

 "And though to heaven the Lord hath gone, And seems so far away, He hath a smile for every one That doth his voice obey. 

 "I'd rather be the least of them That he will bless and own, Than wear a royal diadem, And sit upon a throne. "

And so we may well say that in what Jesus did and said about thechildren there is great encouragement. 

_And then there are_--GREAT LESSONS--_too, in this part of the lifeof Christ_. 

There are two lessons taught us here. One is about _the work we areto do for Jesus here on earth_. When Jesus said to Peter, "Lovestthou me? Feed my lambs, " he meant to teach him, and you, and me, andall his people everywhere, the best way in which we can show our loveto him. The lambs of Christ here spoken of mean little children, wherever they are found. And to feed these lambs is to teach themabout Jesus. When we are trying to bring the young to Jesus andteaching them to love and serve him, then we are doing the work thatis most pleasing to him:--the work that he most loves to have hispeople do. It was thinking about this that first led me to begin thework of preaching regularly to the young. And this is the lesson thatJesus would have all his people learn when he says to each ofthem:--"Lovest thou me? Feed my lambs. "

"The Angel in the Stone. " Many years ago there was a celebratedartist who lived in Italy, whose name was Michael Angelo. He was agreat painter, and a great sculptor, or a worker in marble. He lovedto see beautiful figures chiseled out of marble, and he had greatpower and skill in chiseling out such figures. One day, as he waswalking with some friends through the city of Florence, he saw ablock of marble lying neglected in a yard, half covered with dust andrubbish. He stopped to examine that block of marble. That dayhappened to be a great holiday in Florence and the artist had hisbest suit of clothes on; but not caring for this he threw off hiscoat, and went to work to clear away the rubbish from that marble. His friends were surprised. They said to him:--"Come on, let's go;what's the use of wasting your time on that good-for-nothing lump ofstone?"

"O, there's an angel in this stone, " said he, "and I must get itout. "

He bought that block; had it removed to his studio, and then went towork with his mallet and his chisel, and never rested till out ofthat rough, unshapen mass of stone he made a beautiful marble angel. 

Now, every child born into our world is like such a block of marble. The only difference is that children are living stones--marble thatwill last forever. And when we bring our children to Jesus, and byhis help teach them to love and serve him, we are doing for them justwhat Michael Angelo was doing for his block of marble--we are gettingthe angels out of the stones. And this is what Jesus loves to have usdo. 

"How to Get the Angels Out. " A Christian mother, whose children hadall been early taught to love and serve Jesus, was asked the secretof her success in bringing up her children. This was heranswer:--"While my children were infants on my lap, as I washed themday by day, I raised my heart to God that he would wash them in thatblood which cleanseth from all sin; as I clothed them in the morning, I asked my heavenly Father to clothe them with the robe of Christ'srighteousness; as I provided them food I prayed that God would feedtheir souls with the bread of heaven, and give them to drink of thewater of life. When I prepared them for the house of God I pleadedthat their bodies might be made fit temples for the Holy Ghost todwell in. When they left me daily for the week-day school, I followedtheir youthful footsteps with the prayer that their path through lifemight be like that of the just, which shineth more and more unto theperfect day. And night after night, as I committed them to rest, thesilent breathing of my soul has been, that their heavenly Fatherwould take them under his tender care and fold them in his loving, everlasting arms. "

Let Christian mothers follow this example and they will not fail tobring the angel out from every block of living marble that God hasgiven them. 

"The Best Time for Doing This. " A faithful minister of Christ had adear only daughter. She had been a thoughtful praying child. Whenonly twelve years old she had joined her father's church. She now layon her dying bed. "As I sat by her bedside, " says her father, "amongthe things she said which I shall never forget were these:--'Fatheryou know I joined the church when I was young--very young. Some ofour friends thought that I was too young. But, oh! how I wish I couldtell everybody what a comfort it is to me now to think of it. ' Thenreaching out her hand--the fingers were already cold--and graspingmine, she said with great earnestness:--'Father, you are at work forthe young. Do all you can for them while they are young. It's thebest time--the best time. Oh! I see it now as I never did before. Itis the best time--while they are young--the younger the better. Doall you can for them while they are very young. ' And then she fellasleep in Jesus. "

This is the lesson about the work we are to do for him on earth, thatJesus taught in what he said concerning the children. 

But when we think of those sweet words of Jesus--"Of such is thekingdom of heaven, " we are _taught a lesson about the company weshall meet there_. We learn from what our blessed Lord says on thissubject that he saves all the little ones who die before they areaccountable for their actions. And we know that of all the personsborn into our world more than half of them die before they reach thisage. And this makes it very certain that more than half the companyof heaven will be made up of little children. This is a very sweetthought to those who have lost little ones; and to those who lovethem. 

And some people think that when young children die and go to heaven, they will not grow up to be men and women, but will always remainchildren. The Rev. Mr. Bickersteth, of England, in speaking of afather meeting his little ones in heaven, who died years before hedid, represents him as meeting them there, just of the same age andsize as they were when they died. And then he expresses his ownthought on this subject in a single line:

 "A babe in glory, is a babe forever. "

But God has not said anything on this subject in the Bible. And whenhe himself has not spoken on such a point as this, it is impossiblefor us to say certainly which way it will be. But when we get toheaven and find just how it is, we shall all agree that God's way isthe best way. 

And then Jesus shows us plainly _what our character must be if wehope to go to heaven and join the happy company there_. 

These are the words he spake on this subject; "Verily I say unto you, whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, heshall not enter therein. " Mark x: 15. Jesus refers here to some ofthe best things that we find marking the character of a good child. Such a child is gentle, and loving, and kind; and this must be ourcharacter, if we hope to enter heaven. Such a child is willing to betaught:--believes all that his parent or teacher tells him; and doeseverything that he is told to do; and such must our character be ifwe hope to enter heaven. 

And so when we come to study out this part of our Saviour's life, andthink of all that he did and said to show his interest in children, we see these four great things in it: viz. , great love; great wisdom;great encouragement; and great lessons. 

I know not how to express in a better way the feelings which shouldbe in the heart of everyone, young or old, on thinking of this greatsubject, than in the words of one who has thus sweetly written:

 "Lamb of God! I look to Thee, Thou shalt my example be; Thou art gentle, meek and mild; Thou wast once a little child. 

 "Fain I would be as Thou art, Give me thy obedient heart: Thou art pitiful, and kind; Let me have thy loving mind. 

 "Let me above all fulfill God my heavenly Father's will; Never his good Spirit grieve, Only to his glory live. 

 "Loving Jesus, gentle Lamb! In thy gracious hands I am; Make me, Saviour, what Thou art; Live thyself within my heart. 

 "I shall then show forth thy praise; Serve thee all my happy days; Then the world shall always see Christ, the Holy Child in me. "

THE TRANSFIGURATION

This was one of the most surprising scenes in the life of our blessedLord. It forms a great contrast to the other events mentioned in hishistory. He "came to visit us in great humility. " When we read how hewas born in a stable, and cradled in a manger; how he had "not whereto lay his head;" when we read of the lowliness, and poverty, andsuffering that marked his course, day by day, we come naturally tothink of him as "the man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. " Andthough, when we remember how he healed the sick, and cast out devils, and raised the dead to life again; how he walked upon the waters, andcontrolled the stormy winds and waves with his simple word, he seemswonderful in his power and majesty; yet there is nothing, in all hisearthly life, that leads us to think so highly of him, as this sceneof the Transfiguration, of which we are now to speak. 

The account of this event is given us by three of the evangelists. Wefind it described by St. Matt, xvii: 1-13. St. Mark ix: 2-13. St. Luke ix: 28-29. 

A short time before this took place, Jesus had told his disciples howhe was to go up to Jerusalem, to suffer many things, to be put todeath, be buried, and be raised again on the third day. St. Matt, xvi: 21. He also told them of the self-denial, which all who becamehis disciples would be required to exercise. This was very differentfrom what they were expecting and must have been very discouraging tothem. They did not yet understand that their Master had come into theworld to suffer and to die. Instead of this, their minds were filledwith the idea that the object of his coming was to establish anearthly kingdom and to reign in glory. And, for themselves, they wereexpecting that they would share his glory and reign as princes withhim. And so they must have been greatly troubled by his words. Toencourage and comfort them, therefore, he told them that, before theydied, some of them should "see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom. "

And then, some days after this, he took three of his disciples, thefavored John and James and Peter, and went up with them "into amountain, apart by themselves, and was transfigured before them. " Weare not told what mountain it was that was thus honored. Mount Tabor, near Nazareth, on the borders of the Plain of Esdraelon, has longbeen regarded as the favored spot. But, in our day, many personsthink that it was not on the top of Tabor, but on one of the summitsof Mount Hermon, where this wonderful event took place. One of theprincipal objections to supposing that Tabor was the place is, thatin those days there was a large fortress on the top of this mountain, and this, they think, would interfere with the privacy that would bedesired on such an occasion. But, for myself, I still incline tothink that Tabor was the mountain chosen. I went to the top of thismountain, when in Palestine. And though there is a large conventthere now, yet the summit of Tabor covers a wide space of ground. Andoutside of the walls of the convent, and even out of sight of itswalls, I saw a number of retired, shady places that would beparticularly suitable for such a scene as this. 

But, it is impossible to decide positively which was the Mount ofTransfiguration. And it is not a matter of much consequence. Thosewho think it was Hermon are at liberty to think so; and those whothink it was Tabor, have a right to their opinion, for none can provethat they are mistaken in thinking so. 

And when we come to consider this great event in the life of ourSaviour, there are _two_ things to speak of in connection with it;these are the _wonders_ we see in it; and the _lessons_ we may learnfrom it. Or, to express it more briefly--The Transfiguration--itswonders, and its lessons. 

There are three wonders to be spoken of, and three lessons to belearned from this subject. 

_The first wonder is_--THE WONDERFUL CHANGE--that took place in theappearance of our Lord on this occasion. 

Jesus went up the mountain with his disciples. It was probably at theclose of one of his busy days that he did this. It would seem fromSt. Luke's account, --chap. Ix: 32--that Peter and his companions wereweary with the day's work, and soon fell asleep. But, while they weresleeping, Jesus was praying. And it was while he was engaged inprayer that the Transfiguration took place. St. Luke tells us itwas--"_as he prayed_. "

Let us notice now, what the different evangelists tell us about thischange. St. Matthew says--"He was transfigured before them: and hisface did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. "St. Mark says, "His raiment became exceeding white as snow, so as nofuller"--one who cleans, or whitens cloth--"on earth can white them. "St. Luke says--"As he prayed, the fashion of his countenance wasaltered, and his raiment was white and glistening. "

These are the different accounts we have of this surprising scene. Ifthe disciples had been awake when this marvellous change began totake place, we cannot for a moment suppose that they would have goneto sleep while the heavens must have seemed to be opening above themand this blaze of glory was shining around them. They were, no doubt, asleep when the transfiguration began. And, as we know that thetaking of an ordinary light into the room where persons are asleepwill often awaken them, it is not surprising that the disciplesshould have been aroused from their slumber by the flood of light andglory that was beaming round their Master then. How surprised theymust have been when they opened their eyes on that scene! They wouldnever forget it as long as they lived. It was more than half acentury after this when St. John wrote his gospel; and it was, nodoubt, to this scene that he referred when he said, in speaking ofJesus;--"_we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten ofthe Father_" St. John i: 14. And, not long before his death, St. Peter thus refers to it:--"We were eyewitnesses of his majesty. Forhe received from God the Father, honor and glory, when there camesuch a voice from the excellent glory, saying, This is my beloved Sonin whom I am well pleased. " II. Pet. I: 16, 17. 

One object for which this wonderful transfiguration of our Lord tookplace was, no doubt, to give to the disciples then, and to thefollowers of Jesus in all coming time, an idea of what his glory nowis in heaven, and of what it will be when he shall come again in hiskingdom. He had told his disciples about his sufferings and death, and the shame and dishonor connected with them; and here, as if tocounterbalance that, he wished to give them a glimpse of the glorythat is to shine around him forever. 

How wonderful it must have seemed to the astonished disciples! Whenthey had last looked on their Master, before going to sleep, they hadseen him as "the man of sorrows, " in his plain everyday dress, suchas they themselves wore: but, when they looked on him again, as theyawoke from their sleep, they saw his face shining as the sun, and hisraiment dazzling in its snowy whiteness. 

To what may we compare this wonderful change? Suppose you have beforeyou the bulbous root of the lily plant. You look at it carefully, butthere is nothing attractive about it. How rough and unsightly itappears! You close your eyes upon it for a brief space. You open themagain. But what a change has taken place! That plain-homely lookingbulb has disappeared, and in its place there stands before you thelily plant. It has reached its mature growth. Its flower is fullydeveloped and blooming in all its matchless beauty! What a marvellouschange that would be! And yet it would be but a feeble illustrationof the more wonderful change that took place in our Saviour at histransfiguration. 

Here is another illustration. Suppose we are looking at the westernsky, towards the close of day. Great masses of dark clouds arecovering all that part of the heavens. They are but common clouds. There is nothing attractive or interesting about them. We do not careto take a second look at them. We turn from them for a little while, and then look at them again. In the meantime, the setting sun hasthrown his glorious beams upon them. How changed they now appear! Allthat was commonplace and unattractive about them is gone. How theyglow and sparkle! Gold, and purple, and all the colors of the rainboware blending, how beautifully there! Are these the same dull cloudsthat we looked upon a few moments before? Yes; but they have beentransfigured. A wonderful change has come over them. And here we havean illustration of our Lord's transfiguration. The first wonder aboutthis incident in his life is the wonderful change which took place inhis appearance then. 

_The second wonder about the transfiguration is_--THE WONDERFULCOMPANY--_that appeared with our Saviour then_. 

At the close of his temptation in the wilderness, Jesus had somewonderful company too, but it was different from what he had now. _Then_, we are told that "_angels came, and ministered unto him_. "And in the garden of Gethsemane, when he was sinking to the earth, overcome by the terrible agony through which he was passing, he hadmore company of the same kind; for we read that--"_there appearedunto him an angel from heaven strengthening him. "_ St. Luke xxii: 43. But it was not the company of angels that waited on him at the timeof his Transfiguration. No: but we read that, "there appeared untohim Moses, and Elias, " or Elijah. And if we ask why did not theangels come to him now, as they did on other occasions? Why did thesedistinguished persons, of the Old Testament history, come from heavento visit him in place of the angels? It is easy enough to answerthese questions. This transfiguration of Christ took place, as hehimself tells us, in order to give his disciples a view of the glorythat will attend him when he shall come in his kingdom. When he shallappear, on that occasion, all his people will come with him. Thosewho shall have died before he comes will be raised from the dead andcome with him, in their glorious resurrection bodies. And those whoshall be living when he comes will, as St. Paul tells us, --"_bechanged in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye_"--I. Cor. Xv: 52, 53--and have beautiful, glorified bodies, like the bodies of thosewho have been raised from the dead. And both these classes ofChrist's people were represented by the distinguished persons whoformed the company that appeared with Jesus at the Transfiguration. Moses had been in heaven nearly fifteen hundred years when this scenetook place. He had died, as other men do, and had been buried. It issupposed by many wise and good men that his body had been raised fromthe dead, that he might appear in it on this occasion. And thus Mosesrepresented all the dead in Christ, who will be raised to life againat his coming. Elijah had been in heaven for almost a thousand years. He had never died, and never lain in the grave. He was translated. This means that he was taken up to heaven without dying. But St. Paultells us that bodies of flesh and blood, like ours, cannot enterheaven. I. Cor. Xv: 50. They must be changed, and made fit for thatblessed place. And so, we know, that as Elijah went up to heaven, inhis chariot of fire, the same wonderful change must have passed overhis body which we have seen will take place with those of Christ'speople who shall be living on the earth when he comes again. 

Jesus was transfigured that we might know how he himself will appearwhen he comes in his kingdom. And Moses and Elias "appeared with himin glory, " to show us how the people of Christ will appear when theyenter with him into his kingdom. And this was a good reason why thesevery persons, and not the angels, should have formed the company thatcame to visit our Saviour on the Mount of Transfiguration. It waswonderful company indeed that waited on Jesus then. But, it was awonderful occasion. None like it had ever occurred before; none likeit has ever occurred since; and none like it will ever occur againtill Jesus shall come in the glory of his heavenly kingdom. Thesecond wonder of the Transfiguration was the wonderful company. 

_The third wonder connected with this great event was_--THE WONDERFULCONVERSATION--_that took place between Jesus and his visitors_. 

All the three evangelists, who tell of the Transfiguration, speak ofthis conversation. St. Matthew and St. Mark merely state the factthat Moses and Elias "were talking with Jesus;" but they do not tellus the subject of the conversation, or what it was about which theytalked. But St. Luke supplies what they leave out. He says, "_theyspake of his decease, which he should accomplish at Jerusalem_" Thismeans that they talked about the death upon the cross which he was tosuffer. And when we remember that these great and good men had justcome down from heaven, where God, the loving Father of Jesus dwells, and where all the holy angels are; and that this was the only timewhen they were to be present with Jesus, and have an opportunity oftalking with him, during all his life on earth, we may wonder whythey did not choose some more pleasant subject of conversation. Andyet they did not make a mistake. God the Father had sent them fromheaven to meet his beloved Son on this occasion. And, no doubt, hehad told them what subject they were to talk about, and what theywere to say to Jesus, on that subject. And then they knew very wellhow Jesus felt about this matter. And painful as the death upon thecross would be, they knew it was the nearest of all things to theheart of Jesus. It was the will of his Father that he should die onthe cross, and it was the delight of his heart--the very joy of hissoul to do his Father's will. And here we learn the unspeakableimportance of the death of Christ. The apostle Paul was showing hissense of its importance when he said, "God forbid that I shouldglory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus. " Gal. Vi: 14. He puts theword "_cross_" of Christ, for the death of Christ, but it means thesame thing. 

Some one has compared the cross of Christ to a key of gold, thatopens the gate of heaven to us, if we believe in Jesus; but if werefuse to hear and obey the words of Jesus, it becomes a key of iron, and opens the gate of destruction before us. 

"The Power of the Cross. " A heathen ruler had heard the story of thecross and desired to know its power. When he was sick and near hisend, he told his servants to make him a large wooden cross, and layit down in his chamber. When this was done, he said--"Take me now andlay me on the cross, and let me die there. " As he lay there dying helooked in faith to the blood of Christ, that was shed upon the cross, and said--_"It lifts me up: it lifts me. Jesus saves me!_" and thushe died. It was not that wooden cross that saved him; but the deathof Christ, on the cross to which he was nailed--the death of whichMoses and Elias talked with him, that saved this heathen man. Theyknew what a blessing his death would be to the world, and _this_ waswhy they talked about this death. Here is one of Bonar's beautifulhymns which speaks sweetly of the blessedness and comfort to be foundin the cross of Christ. 

 "Oppressed with noonday's scorching heat, To this dear cross I flee; And in its shelter take my seat; No _shade_ like this to me!

 "Beneath this cross clear waters burst; A fountain sparkling free; And here I quench my desert thirst, No _spring_ like this to me. 

 "A stranger here, I pitch my tent Beneath this spreading tree; Here shall my pilgrim life be spent, No _home_ like this to me!

 "For burdened ones a resting place Beside this cross I see; Here, I cast off my weariness; No _rest_ like this for me!"

Moses and Elias understood how the blessing of the world was to flowout from that death upon the cross which Jesus was to suffer; and so, we need not wonder that during the short visit which they made toJesus, amidst the glory of his Transfiguration, the subject, aboveall others, about which they desired to talk with him--was his deathupon the cross, --"his decease, which he should accomplish atJerusalem. "

These are the three great wonders of the Transfiguration--thewonderful change--the wonderful company--and the wonderfulconversation. 

And this brings us to the second part of our subject, which is--_thethree lessons_ taught by the Transfiguration. 

_The first of these is_--THE LESSON OF HOPE. 

One thing for which the Transfiguration took place was to show uswhat we may hope to be hereafter, if we are the servants of Christ. We are told how Jesus appeared on this occasion. His glory isdescribed. The brightness and glory that shone around him exceededthat of the noonday sun. But there is no particular description givenMoses and Elias. We are not told how they looked. It is only said ofthem that--"they appeared in _glory_. " St Luke ix: 31. I suppose themeaning of this is that they shared in the glory which Jesus himselfhad when he was transfigured. Their raiment was as white as his; andthe same brightness and beauty beamed forth from their faces whichmade his so glorious. They shared their Master's glory. And, if weare loving, and serving Jesus, this is what we may hope to sharewith him hereafter. This is what we are taught to pray for in thebeautiful Collect for the sixth Sunday after the Epiphany. These arethe words of that prayer: "O God, whose blessed Son was manifestedthat he might make us the sons of God, and heirs of eternal life;Grant us, we beseech thee, that having this hope, we may purifyourselves, even as he is pure; that when he shall appear again, withpower and great glory, _we may be made like unto him in his eternaland glorious kingdom;_ where, with thee, O Father, and thee, O HolyGhost, he liveth and reigneth, ever One God, world without end. Amen. "

And it is right to offer such a prayer as this, because the Bibleteaches us to hope for this great glory. How well a hope like thismay be called "_a hope that maketh not ashamed_, " Rom. V: 5; "_a goodhope through grace_, " II. Thess. Ii: 16; "that _blessed hope_, " Tit. Ii: 13; "_a lively hope_, " I. Peter i: 3. And how well it may bespoken of as "_a helmet_"--to cover the head in the day of battle;and as "an anchor" to keep the soul calm and steadfast when thestorms of life are bursting upon it! Moses and Elias appeared withJesus at his Transfiguration, and shared his glory on purpose toteach us this lesson of hope, and to show us what we shall behereafter. We shall be as glorious as Jesus was on the Mount ofTransfiguration! This seems something too great and too good to betrue. But no matter how great, or how good it is--_it is true_. Jesustaught this lesson of hope when he said--speaking of the time when heshall come in his kingdom, "_Then shall the righteous shine forth asthe sun in the kingdom of their Father_, " St. Matt, xiii: 43. Hetaught us the same lesson, in his prayer to his Father, when he said, speaking of all his people, "_And the glory which thou gavest me, Ihave given them_, " St. John xvii: 21. And the apostle John taught usthe same lesson, when he said, --"We know that when he shall appear_we shall be like him_, " I. John iii: 2. These sweet passages makethis lesson of hope very sure. And this is just the way in which weare made sure about other things we have not seen. 

"How we Know There is a Heaven. " A Sunday-school teacher was talkingto one of her scholars about heaven and the glory we shall have whenwe reach that blessed place. He was a bright boy, about nine or tenyears old, named Charlie. After listening to her for awhile, he said:"But you have never been there, Miss D. , and how do you know therereally is any such place?"

"Charlie, " said the teacher, "you have never been to London; how doyou know there is such a city?"

"O, I know that very well, " said Charlie, "because my father isthere; and he has sent me a letter, telling me all about it. "

"And God, my Father, is in the heavenly city, " said Miss D. , "and hehas sent me a letter, telling me about the glory of heaven, and aboutthe way to get there. The Bible is God's letter. "

"Yes, I see, " said Charlie, after thinking awhile, "there must be aheaven, if you have got such a nice long letter from there. "

The lesson of hope is the first lesson taught us by theTransfiguration. 

_The next lesson taught us here is_--THE LESSON

OF INSTRUCTION. 

The great event of the Transfiguration took place in our Saviour'slife for _this_ reason, among others, that we might learn from it_how we are to think of Christ_. While the disciples were gazing onthe glory of that scene, and on the distinguished visitors who werethere, there came a cloud and overshadowed them. This cloud, we maysuppose, was like a curtain round Moses and Elias, hiding them fromthe view of the disciples. And, as Jesus in his glory was left alonefor them to gaze upon, there came a voice from the overshadowingcloud, saying--"_This is my beloved Son; in whom I am wellpleased_. " This was the voice of God, the Father. It spoke out onthis occasion to teach the disciples then, and you and me now, andall God's people in every age, what to think about Christ. God, theFather, tells us here what he thinks about him; and we must learn tothink of him in the same way. His will, his command is that "_all menshould honor the Son, even as they honor the Father_, " St. John v: 3. Moses and Elias were great men in their day. They appeared on thisoccasion to add to the honor of Christ. And then they disappeared, asif to show that they were nothing in comparison with him. He is thegreatest and the best of all beings. He must be first. Prophets andpriests, and kings, and angels even, are as nothing to him. We mustlove him--and honor him above all others. The words of the hymn we sooften sing, show us how God would have us think and feel towards him:

 "All hail the power of Jesus' name Let angels prostrate fall; Bring forth the royal diadem, And crown him Lord of all. 

 "Let every kindred, every tribe, On this terrestrial ball, To him all majesty ascribe, And crown him Lord of all. "

"How Christ Should be Honored. " There is a story told of the EmperorTheodosius the Great which illustrates very well how we should honorChrist. There were at that time two great parties in the church. Oneof these believed and taught the divinity of Christ--or that he isequal to God the Father. The other party, called Arians, believed andtaught that Christ was not divine; and that he was not to be honoredand worshiped as God. The Emperor Theodosius favored this latterparty. When his son, Arcadius, was about sixteen years old, hisfather determined to make him a sharer of his throne, and passed alaw that his son should receive the same respect and honor that weredue to himself. And, in connection with this event, an incidentoccurred which led the emperor to see how wrong the view was which heheld respecting the character of Christ, and to give it up. WhenArcadius was proclaimed the partner of his father in the empire, theofficers of the government, and other prominent persons, called onthe emperor in his palace, to congratulate him on the occasion, andto pay their respects to his son. 

Among those who thus came, was a celebrated bishop of the church. Hewas very decided in the views he held about the real divinity ofChrist, and very much opposed to all who denied this divinity. 

Coming into the presence of the emperor, the bishop paid his respectsto him, in the most polite and proper manner. Then he was about toretire from the palace, without taking any special notice of theemperor's son. This made the father angry. He said to the bishop, "Doyou take no notice of my son? Have you not heard that I have made hima partner with myself in the government of the empire?"

The good old bishop made no reply to this, but going to Arcadius, helaid his hand on his head, saying, as he did so--"The Lord blessthee, my son!" and was again turning to retire. 

Even this did not satisfy the emperor, who asked, in a tone ofsurprise and displeasure, "Is _this_ all the respect you pay to aprince whom I have made equal in dignity with myself?"

With great warmth the bishop answered--"Does your majesty resent sohighly my apparent neglect of your son, because I do not treat himwith equal honor to yourself? What, then, must the _Eternal God_--theKing of heaven--think of you, who refuse to render to his onlybegotten Son, the honor and the worship that he claims for him?"

This had such an effect upon the emperor that he changed his views onthis subject, and ever afterwards took part with those whoacknowledged the divinity of Christ, and honored the Son, even asthey honored the Father. 

And so we see that the second lesson taught by the Transfigurationwas the _lesson of instruction_. We must learn to think of Christ asthe Father in heaven thinks of him. 

_And then there is_--A LESSON OF DUTY--_that comes to us from thisTransfiguration scene_. 

We are taught this lesson by the last two words that were spoken, bythe voice which the apostles heard from the cloud that overshadowedthem. These are the words:--"_Hear Him. "_ "This is my beloved Son, inwhom I am well pleased: _Hear Him_. " This is God's command to everyone of us. To hear Jesus, means to listen attentively to what he hasto say, and to do it. And what does Jesus say to us? He says manythings. But the most important thing he has to say to the young, iswhat we find in St. Matt, vi: 33: "_Seek ye_ FIRST _the kingdom ofGod_. " This means that we must give our hearts to Jesus, and servehim while we are young. We must do this _first_, --before we doanything else. We cannot hear or obey Jesus in anything, till we hearand obey him in this. And there are three good reasons why we shoulddo this. 

We should "hear him" because there is _safety_ in it. We are exposedto dangers every day, and nothing will so help to keep us safe in themidst of these dangers as hearing Jesus, and doing what he tells usto do. Here is an illustration of what I mean. 

"Life in the Midst of Danger. " There was an alarm of fire one day, near one of our large public schools. The children in the school weregreatly frightened. They screamed, and left their places, and beganto rush to the windows and stairs. The stairway leading to the doorwas soon choked up; and although the fire never reached theschool-house, many of the children had their limbs broken and werebruised and wounded in other ways. 

But there was one little girl who remained quietly in her seatduring all this excitement. When the alarm was over, and the woundedchildren had been taken home, and order was restored in the school, the teacher asked this little girl why she sat still in her seat, anddid not rush towards the door, as the other girls had done. 

"My father is a fireman, " she said, "and he has always told me thatif ever there was a cry of fire when I was in school, I must remainquiet in my seat, for that was the safest way. I was dreadfullyfrightened; but I knew that what father had told me was best; and soI sat still, while the others were running to the door. " This littlegirl _heard_ her father. She minded him. She did what he told her todo, and she found safety in doing so. And if we "_hear him_" of whomthe voice from the Mount of Transfiguration speaks to us--we shallfind safety from many a danger. 

We ought to learn this lesson of duty, and "hear him, " because thereis _success_ in it. 

In old times, when the racers were running in the public games, if aman wished to be successful in the race, it was necessary for him tofix his eye on the prize, at the end of the race-course, and keep itfixed there till he reached the end. No one could have any success inracing who did not do this. 

Here is an incident about some boys at play that illustrates thepoint now before us. 

"How to Walk Straight. " A light snow had fallen in a certain village, and some of the village boys met to make the best use they could ofthe new fallen snow. It was too dry for snowballing, and was not deepenough for coasting; so they thought they would improve the occasionby playing at making tracks in the snow. 

There was a large meadow near by, with a grand old oak tree standingin the centre of it. The boys gathered round the tree, and stood, onopposite sides, each one with his back against the tree. At a givensignal they were to start, and walk to the fence opposite to each ofthem; and then return to the tree, and see which had made thestraightest track. 

The signal was given. They started. They reached the fence, andreturned to the tree. "Now, boys, who has made the straightesttrack?" said one of the boys, named James Allison. 

"Henry Armstrong's is the only one that is straight at all, " saidThomas Sanders. 

"I don't see how we all contrived to go so crooked, when the meadowis so smooth, and there is nothing to turn us out of the way, " saidone of the boys. 

And then, looking to their successful companion, they said--"Tell us, Harry, how you managed to make so straight a track?"

Now mark what Harry said:--"I fixed my eye on yonder tall pine treeon the other side of the fence towards which I was to walk, and neverlooked away from it till I reached the fence. "

The other boys were walking without any particular aim in view. Nowonder that their walk was crooked. After the apostle Paul became aChristian, he made one of the straightest tracks through this worldto heaven that ever was made. And he made it in just the same way inwhich Harry Armstrong made his straight track through that meadow. Wehave seen what Harry said of his track through the snow; now see whatSt. Paul says of the way in which he made his straight track throughthis world to heaven. _This_ is what he says:

"One thing I do; forgetting those things which are behind, andreaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward themark, for the prize of the high calling of God, in Christ Jesus, "Phil, iii 13, 14. This was just what the racer used to do in theancient games, when he fixed his eye on the prize and pressed rightforward till he reached it. And it was just what Harry Armstrong didin his play. He fixed his eye on the big pine tree and never turnedto the right hand or to the left till he reached it. The apostle Paulfixed his eye on Jesus, and made a straight track through the worldtill he reached the glorious heaven where Jesus dwells. And, in doingthis, the great apostle was only practising the lesson of duty taughtby the voice that speaks from the Transfiguration scene. "_Hearhim_, " said that voice. And if you and I listen to it, and obey it, as St. Paul did, it will lead us to follow him as he followed Christ;and then we shall make a straight path through this world to heaven, as he did in his Christian course. There is success in doing this. 

And then there is--_profit_--in learning this lesson, as well assafety and success. 

David says, when speaking of God's commands, "In keeping of themthere is _great reward, "_ Ps. Xix: 11. This is true of all God'scommands; and it is especially true of the command we are nowconsidering--"Hear him. "

Samuel obeyed this command, and it made him a blessing and an honorto the nation of Israel. David obeyed it, and it made him one of thegreatest and most successful kings. Daniel obeyed it, and it coveredhim with honor, and made him a blessing to his own nation, and to thechurch of Christ in every age. 

"The Reward of Obedience. " Here is an Eastern story which illustratesthis point of our subject. The story says there was once an enchantedhill. On the top of this hill a great treasure was hidden. Thistreasure was put there to be the reward of any one who should reachthe top of the hill without looking behind him. The command and thepromise given to every young person who set out to climb that hill, were--do not look behind you, and that treasure shall be yours. Butthere was a threat added to the command and promise. The threat was, if you look behind, you will be turned into a stone. Many youngpersons started, to try and gain the prize. But the way to the top ofthe hill led them through beautiful groves, which covered the side ofthe hill. In these groves were birds singing sweetly, and sounds ofmusic were heard, and melodious voices inviting those who passed byto stop and rest awhile. One after another of those who set out forthe prize at the top of the hill would stop, and look round to seewhere the voices came from; and immediately they were turned intostones. "Hence, " says the story, "in a little while the hillside wascovered with stones, into which those had been turned who neglectedthe command given them when they started. "

Of course there never was such a hill as this. But the story gives usa good illustration. Our life may well be compared to such a hill. The treasure, on the top of it, represents the reward that awaits usin heaven, if we serve God faithfully. The songs, and the voices, from the groves, on the hillside, represent the temptations thatsurround us in our daily paths. The lesson of duty that comes to usfrom the Transfiguration scene--"Hear him"--is the only thing thatcan preserve us from these temptations. If we hear Jesus when he saysto us--"follow me;" if we give him our hearts and walk in his way, hewill carry us through all temptations; he will bring us safely to thetop of the hill; and the reward laid up there will be ours. Let uslearn this lesson of duty, because there is safety in it; there issuccess in it; there is profit in it. 

And so we have spoken of two things in connection with theTransfiguration; these are the wonders that attended it, and thelessons taught by it. The wonders are three--the wonderfulchange--the wonderful company--and the wonderful conversation; andthe lessons are three--the lesson of hope--the lesson ofinstruction--and the lesson of duty. 

In leaving this subject, let us lift up our hearts to Jesus, and say, in the beautiful language of the Te Deum:

 "Thou art the King of Glory, O Christ! Thou art the everlasting Son of the Father. When Thou hadst overcome the sharpness of death Thou didst open the kingdom of heaven to all believers. Thou sittest at the right hand of God, In the glory of the Father. We believe that thou shalt come to be our Judge. We therefore pray thee, help thy servants Whom thou hast redeemed with thy precious blood. Make them to be numbered with thy saints, In glory everlasting. Amen. "

THE LESSONS FROM OLIVET

Our last chapter was on the Transfiguration. The next will be on TheLast Supper. Between these two events in our Saviour's life, how manyinteresting incidents took place! How many important sayings thatfell from his gracious lips during this period are written for ourinstruction by the four evangelists! There is, for instance, thebeautiful lesson about what it is on which the value of our giftsdepend. He taught this lesson when he saw the rich casting theirgifts into the treasury. Among them came "a certain poor widow, casting in two mites. And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, thatthis poor widow hath cast in more than they all;--for she of herpenury hath cast in all the living she had, " Luke xxi: 1-4. But, fromamong all these, we have only room for one chapter. A dozen, ortwenty chapters would be needed on this part of the life of Christ. Where there are so many that might be taken, it has been verydifficult to decide which is the best. In deciding this matter, I donot think we could do better than join the company of the threefavored disciples, Peter, John, and James, and go, in thought withthem, as they followed their Master from his last visit to the templein Jerusalem, up to the top of the Mount of Olives. There Jesus tookhis seat, and his disciples sat around him, anxious to ask him somequestions about what he had said to them in the temple. We read inSt. Mark xiii: 1-2, that as he was going out of the temple thedisciples called his attention to the beauty of that sacred buildingand the great size and splendor of some of the stones that were init. Then Jesus pointed to that great building, and told them that thetime was coming when it would be destroyed, and "there should not beleft one stone upon another that should not be thrown down. " Thisfilled the minds of the disciples with surprise and wonder. Theysupposed that their temple would last as long as the world stood. They thought that it was the end of the world of which Jesus wasspeaking; and they were very anxious that he should tell themsomething more about it. And so, as soon as they were seated aroundhim, on the Mount of Olives, they said, "Tell us, when shall thesethings be? and what shall be the sign, when all these things shall befulfilled?" St. Mark xii: 4. 

And now, we may imagine ourselves sitting with Jesus and hisdisciples on the Mount of Olives. As we look down we see the city ofJerusalem spread out beneath our feet. We see its walls, and itspalaces. And there, just before us, outshining everything in itsbeauty, is that sacred temple, that was "forty and six years inbuilding. " Its white marble walls, its golden spires, and pinnacles, are sparkling in the beams of the sun, as they shine upon them. Nowonder the Jews were so proud of it! It was a glorious building. 

But now Jesus is beginning to speak. Let us listen to what he says. The lessons that he taught on the Mount of Olives run all through thetwenty-fourth and twenty-fifth chapters of St. Matthew. In the firstof these chapters, Jesus gave them a sign, by which those who learnto understand what he here says, might know when his second coming isto take place. These are some of the lessons from Olivet. I shouldlike, very much, to stop and talk about them. But this cannot benow. We pass over to the twenty-fifth chapter of St. Matthew. In thischapter we have three of our Saviour's parables. These are verysolemn and instructive. They all refer to the judgment that must takeplace when Jesus shall come into our world again. The second of theseparables is the one we are now to consider. It is called--"TheParable of the Talents. " We find it in St. Matt, xxv: 14-30. And _thelessons from Olivet_, which we are now to try and learn, are alldrawn from the words of our Saviour, contained in the verses justmentioned. 

This, then, is our present subject--_The Lessons from Olivet_. Andthere _four_ lessons, in this part of our Saviour's discourse, ofwhich we are now to speak. _The first is--the lesson about theMaster. The second--the lesson about the servants. The third is--thelesson about the talents; and the fourth, the lesson about therewards_. 

_The lesson about_--THE MASTER--_is the first thing of which we areto speak_. 

In the 14th verse of this 25th chapter of St. Matthew, Jesus speaksof himself as--"a man travelling into a far country, "--and of hispeople as--"his own servants. " In the 19th verse he speaks of himselfas "the lord of those servants, coming back, after a long time, toreckon with them. "

In St. Luke xix: 11-27 we have another of our Saviour's parables, very similar to the one now before us. There, he speaks of himself as"a _nobleman_ who went into a far country to receive for himself akingdom, and to return. " This language was borrowed from a customthat prevailed in those days. The headquarters of the government ofthe world then was in the city of Rome. The kings and rulers ofdifferent countries received their appointments to the offices theyheld from the Roman Emperor. Archelaus, the son of Herod, succeededhis father as king of Judea. But, it was necessary for him to go toRome and get permission from the emperor to hold and exercise thatoffice. He had done this, not very long before our Saviour applied tohimself the words we are now considering. This was a fact well known. And this is the illustration which Jesus here uses in reference tohimself. He is the Head--the Prince--the Lord--the Master of allthings in his church. He spoke of himself to his disciples as their"Lord and Master, " St. John xiii: 14. He tells us that he has gone toheaven, as Archelaus went to Rome, "to receive for himself a kingdomand to return. " He said he would be absent "a long time, " verse 19. And this is true. He has been absent more than eighteen hundredyears. He said he would "return, " or come again. And so he will. Itis just as certain that he will come again as it is that he wentaway. And he will come, not in figure, or in spirit, but in person, as he went. Remember what the angels said about this to hisdisciples, at the time of his departure. "Ye men of Galilee, whystand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken fromyou into heaven, shall _so come, in like manner_ as ye have seen himgo into heaven, " Acts i: 11. He said he would return, and so he will. 

But, in the meantime, he would have us remember that he is still ourLord and Master. No master ever had such a right to be Lord and Ruleras he has. God the Father has appointed him to be "Head over allthings to his church, " Ephes. I: 22. He is our Master, because he_made_ us. This is what no other ever did for his servants. He is ourMaster because he _preserves_ us. We cannot keep ourselves for asingle moment, but he keeps us all the time, --by night, and by day. And he is our Master because, when we had sold ourselves into sin, and were appointed unto death, _he redeemed us_. He bought us withthe price of his own precious blood. He made our hands to work forhim; and our feet to walk in his ways. He made our hearts to lovehim;--our minds to think about him; our eyes to see the beauty of hiswondrous works, our ears to listen to his gracious words, and ourlips and tongues to be employed in speaking and singing his praises. 

We cannot be our own masters. "I am my own master!"--said a youngman, proudly, to a friend who was trying to persuade him from doing awrong thing; "I am my own master!"

"That's impossible, " said his friend. "You can not be master ofyourself, unless you are master of everything within, and everythingaround you. Look within. There is your conscience to keep clear, andyour heart to make pure, your temper to govern, your will to control, and your judgment to instruct. And then look without. There arestorms, and seasons; accidents, and dangers; a world full of evil menand evil spirits. What can you do with these? And yet, if you don'tmaster them, they'll master you. "

"That's so, " said the young man. 

"Now, I don't undertake any such thing, " said his friend. "I am sureI should fail, if I did. Saul, the first king of Israel, wanted to behis own master, and failed. So did Herod. So did Judas. No man can behis own master. 'One is your Master, even Christ, ' says the apostle. I work under his direction. He is my regulator, and when he is Masterall goes right. Think of these words, --'_He is your Master evenChrist_. ' If we put ourselves under his leadership we shall surelywin at last. "

And as we cannot be our own master, if we refuse to take Christ asour Ruler, there is nothing left for us but to have Satan as ourmaster. These are the only two masters we can have. We must make ourchoice between them. If Jesus is not our Master, Satan must be. IfJesus is our Master here, he will share his glory with us hereafter. If we serve Satan here, we must share his punishment hereafter. Thisis one of the solemn lessons that Jesus taught on Olivet. He isspeaking of the day of judgment. He represents himself as on thejudgment-seat. Two great companies are before him. On his right handare those who took him for their Master. To them he says--"Come, yeblessed children of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you, from the foundation of the world, " St. Matt, xxv: 34. 

On his left are those who took Satan for their master. The awfulwords he speaks to them are:--"Depart from, ye cursed, intoeverlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. " St. Matt. Xxv: 41. 

This is our first lesson from Olivet--the lesson about the Master. 

_The second lesson from Olivet is the lesson about_--THE SERVANTS. 

We are told that before this nobleman went away to the far country, he called to him "his own servants. " The nobleman here spoken ofmeans Jesus, our blessed Master. And now the question is--who aremeant by "his own servants?" He has three kinds of servants. Thefirst kind is made up of those who serve him _ignorantly_. This takesin all those things that have no knowledge or understanding. There, for instance are the sun, --the moon, --the stars, --the mountains, --thehills, --the plains, --the valleys, --the rivers, --the seas, --the windthat blows, --the rains that descend, --and the dews that distil; theseall serve God, without knowing it. He made them to serve him, andthey do it; but they do it ignorantly. "His kingdom _ruleth overall_, " and it makes all these things his servants. They do exactlywhat they were made for, but they do it ignorantly. 

And there is another class of our Lord's creatures who serve him_unwillingly_. This is a very large class. It takes in all the wickedmen, and the wicked spirits who are to be found anywhere. They do notwish to serve God, and yet, in spite of themselves, they are obligedto do it. We see this illustrated, when we think of the way in whichthe crucifixion of our blessed Saviour was brought about. Satanstirred up the Jews to take Jesus and put him to death. God allowedthem to do it. They did it of their own choice--as freely, and asvoluntarily, as they ever did anything in their lives. They did itbecause they hated him, and wished to get him out of their way. Sothey nailed him to the cross in their malice and their rage. This wasthe very thing God had determined should be done, that he might saveand bless the world. He allowed Satan, and the Jews, to do just whattheir wicked hearts prompted them to do; and then he overruled it forgood. And, in this way, as David says, he "makes the wrath of man topraise him, and the remainder of it he restrains. " And thus we seehow evil men, and evil spirits, are God's servants _unwillingly_. 

But then, there is another class of persons who serve God_willingly_. This takes in all those who know and love him. He speaksof them, in this parable as "_his own_ servants. " When they find outwhat he has done for them, the thought of it fills their hearts withlove; and then they desire to serve him, and do all he tells them todo, in order to show their love to him. And this is what Jesus meanswhen he says--"Take my yoke upon you; for my yoke is easy, and myburden is light, " When we really love a person, anything that we cando for that person is easy and pleasant to us. And so it is the greatlove for Jesus, that his people have, which makes his yoke easy, andhis burden light to them. 

"How to Become a Willing Servant to Jesus. " A little boy came to hisgrandmother one day, and asked her how he could become a Christian. She answered very simply, "Ask Jesus to give you a new heart, _andbelieve he does it when you ask him_. "

"Is that all?" said the little fellow joyfully; "oh! that is easyenough. " So he went to his room, and kneeling beside his bed, askedJesus to give him a new heart. He believed that the dear Saviour, who loves little children, did hear and answer his prayer. And heleft his room with a happy heart, for he felt sure that he was nowone of Christ's own loving children, and willing servants. And thisis the way in which we must take the yoke of Jesus upon us, andbecome his willing servants. And then in everything that we do we canbe serving him. As St. Paul says--"whether we eat or drink, orwhatsoever we do, we can do all to the glory of God. "

A good man once said "that if God should send two angels down fromheaven, and should tell one of them to sit on a throne and rule akingdom, and the other to sweep the streets of a city, the latterwould feel that he was serving God as acceptably in handling hisbroom as his brother angel was in holding his sceptre. And this istrue. We see the same illustrated in the fable of:

"The Stream and the Mill. " "I notice, " said the stream to the mill, "that you grind beans as well and as cheerfully as you do the finestwheat. " "Certainly, " said the mill; "what am I here for but to grind?and so long as I work, what does it signify to me what the work is?My business is to serve my master, and I am not a whit more usefulwhen I turn out the finest flour than when I turn out the coarsestmeal. My honor is, not in doing fine work, but in doing any thingthat is given me to do in the best way that I can. " That is true. Andthis is just the way in which Jesus wishes us to serve him when hesays to "_his own_ servants, " "Occupy till I come. " This means serveme, in everything, as you would do if you saw me standing by yourside. 

"How to Serve God. " Willie's mother let him go with his little sisterinto the street to play. She told them not to go off the street onwhich their house stood. Willie was a little fellow, and lisped verymuch in talking; but he was brave, and he was obedient. Presently hissister asked him to go into another street; but he refused. "Mammathaid no, " was Willie's answer. "The thaid we muthn't do off thiththreet, " said Willie in his lisping way. "Only just a little wayround the corner, " said his teasing sister. "Mamma'll never know it. "

"But I thall know it my own thelf; and I don't want to know any thucha mean thing; and I won't!" And Willie straightened himself, andstood up like a man. That was brave and beautiful in Willie. And thatis the way in which we should try to serve our heavenly Master. 

"How a Boy May Serve God. " A gentleman met a little boy wheeling hisbaby brother in a child's carriage. "My little man, " said thegentleman, "what are you doing to serve God?" The little fellowstopped a moment, and then, looking up into the gentleman's face, hesaid:--"Why, you see, Sir, I'm trying to make baby happy, so that hewon't worry mamma who is sick. " That was a noble answer. In trying toamuse his baby brother, and to relieve his poor sick mother, thatlittle boy was serving God as truly and as acceptably as the angelGabriel does when he wings his way, on a mission of mercy, to somefar off world. 

And this is the lesson about the servants that comes to us fromOlivet. 

_The lesson about_--THE TALENTS--_is the third lesson that comes tous from Olivet_. 

This parable tells us that before the Master went away, he "calledhis own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. Unto one he gavefive talents, to another two, to another one; to every man accordingto his several ability. " verses 14, 15, In St. Luke's account of theparable, what the master gave to his servants is spoken of as_pounds_, and each servant is said to have received one pound. Thesetalents or pounds both mean the same thing. They denote somethingwith which we can do good, and make ourselves useful. And it isplain, from both these parables, that the Master gave at least _one_talent, or one pound, to each of his servants. None of them were leftwithout some portion of their Master's goods. And the lesson fromOlivet which comes to us here is that every one of us has a talent, or a pound, that our Master Jesus, has given us, and which he expectsus to use for him. And the most important thing for us is to find outwhat our talents are, and how we can best use them, so as to be readyto give a good account of them when our Master comes to reckon withus. 

A TALENT FOR EACH. 

 "God entrusts to all Talents few or many; None so young and small That they have not any. 

 "Little drops of rain Bring the springing flowers; And I may attain Much by little powers. 

 "Every little mite, Every little measure, Helps to spread the light, Helps to swell the treasure. 

 "God will surely ask, Ere I enter heaven, Have I done the task Which to me was given?"

"One Talent Improved. " One day, amidst the crowded streets of London, a poor little newsboy had both his legs broken by a dray passing overthem. He was laid away, in one of the beds of a hospital, to die. Onthe next cot to him was another little fellow, of the same class, whohad been picked up, sick with the fever which comes from hunger andwant. The latter boy crept close up to his poor suffering companionand said:

"Bobby, did you ever hear about Jesus?"

"No, I never heard of him. "

"Bobby, I went to the mission-school once; and they told us thatJesus would take us up to heaven when we die, if we axed him; andwe'd never have any more hunger or pain. "

"But I couldn't ax such a great gentleman as he is to do anything forme. He wouldn't stop to speak to a poor boy like me. "

"But hell do all that for you Bobby, if you ax him. "

"But how can I ax him, if I don't know where he lives? and how couldI get: there when both my legs is broke?"

"Bobby, they told us, at the mission-school, as how Jesus passes by. The teacher said he goes around. How do you know but what he mightcome round to this hospital this very night? You'd know him if youwas to see him. "

"But I can't keep my eyes open. My legs feels awful bad. Doctor saysI'll die. "

"Bobby, hold up yer hand, and he'll know what you want, when hepasses by. " They got the hand up; but it dropped. They tried itagain, and it slowly fell back. Three times they got up the littlehand, only to let it fall. Bursting into tears he said, "I give itup. "

"Bobby, " said his tender-hearted companion, "lend me yer hand. Putyour elbow on my piller: I can do without it. " So the hand waspropped up. And when they came in the morning, the boy lay dead; buthis hand was still held up for Jesus. And don't you think that heheard and answered the silent but eloquent appeal which it made tohim for his pardon and grace, and salvation, to that poor dying boy?I do, I do. 

Bobby's friend had been once to the mission-school. He had but asingle talent; but, he made good use of it when he employed it tolead that wounded, suffering, dying boy to Jesus. 

"Good Friends. " "I wish I had some good friends, to help me on inlife!" cried lazy Dennis, with a yawn. 

"Good friends, " said his master, "why you've got ten; how many do youwant?"

"I'm sure I've not half so many; and those I have are too poor tohelp me. "

"Count your fingers, my boy, " said the master. 

Dennis looked down on his big, strong hands. "Count thumbs and all, "added the master. 

"I have; there are ten, " said the lad. 

"Then never say you have not ten good friends, able to help you on inlife. Try what those true friends can do, before you go grumbling andfretting because you have none to help you. "

Now, suppose that we put the word talents, for the word friends, inthis little story. Then, we may each of us hold our two hands beforeus, and say "here are ten talents, which God has given me to use forhim. Let me try and do all the good I can with these ten talents. "

THE BEST THAT I CAN. 

 "'I cannot do much, ' said a little star, 'To make the dark world bright; My silvery beams can not struggle far Through the folding gloom of night; But I'm only a part of God's great plan, And I'll cheerfully do the best I can. '

 "A child went merrily forth to play, But a thought, like a silver thread, Kept winding in and out, all day, Through the happy golden head. Mother said, --'Darling, do all you can; For you are a part of God's great plan. '

 "So he helped a younger child along, When the road was rough to the feet, And she sung from her heart a little song That we all thought passing sweet; And her father, a weary, toil-worn man, Said, 'I, too, will do the best I can. '"

"A Noble Boy. " "Not long ago, " said a Christian lady, "I saw a boy dosomething that made me glad for a week. Indeed it fills my heart withtenderness and good feeling whenever I think about it. But let metell you what it was. 

"As I was walking along a crowded street I saw an old blind manwalking on without any one to lead him. He went very slowly, feelinghis way with his cane. 

"'He's walking straight to the highest part of the curb-stone, ' saidI to myself. 'And it's very high too. I wonder if some one won't helphim and start him in the right direction. '

"Just then, a boy, about fourteen years old, who was playing near by, ran up to the old man and gently putting his hand through the man'sarm, said:--'Allow me, my friend, to lead you across the street. ' Bythis time there were three or four others watching the boy. He notonly helped the old man over one crossing, but led him over anotherto the lower side of the street. Then he ran back to his play. 

"Now this boy thought he had only done an act of kindness to that oldman. But just see how much farther than that the use of his onetalent went. The three boys with whom he was playing, and who hadwatched his kind act, were happier and better for it, and felt thatthey must be more careful to do little kindnesses to those aboutthem. 

"The three or four persons who stopped to watch the boy turned awaywith a tender smile upon their faces, ready to follow the goodexample of that noble boy. I am sure that I felt more gentle andloving towards every one, from what I saw that boy do. 

"And then, another one that was made happy was the boy himself. For, it is impossible for us to do a kind act, or to make any one elsehappy, without feeling better and happier ourselves. To _be_ good andto _do_ good, is the way to be happy. This is our mission here inthis world. Whatever talents our Master has given us, he intends thatwe should use them in this way. "

"Tiny's Work for God. " Two little girls, Leila and Tiny, weresitting, one summer day, under the tree which grew beside their home. 

Both children had been quiet for a little while, when suddenly Tinyraised her blue eyes and said, "I _am_ so happy, Leila. I do love theflowers, and the birdies, and you, and everybody so much. " Then sheadded, in a whisper, "And I love God, who made us all so happy. Sister, I wish I could do something for him. "

"Mother says if we love him, that is what he likes best of all, " saidLeila. 

"Yes, but I do want to _do_ something for him--something that wouldgive me trouble. Can't you think of anything?"

Leila thought a little, and said, "Perhaps you could print a textfor the flowers mother sends every week to the sick people in thehospital. They are so glad to have the flowers, and then the textmight help them think about our Father in heaven. "

"Oh! thank you, sister, that will be so nice! I will write--'Sufferthe little children to come unto me, and forbid them not. '"

But Tiny was only a little over four years old, and it was hard forher to hold a pen, but she managed to print two letters every daytill the text was finished. Then she went alone to her room, andlaying the text on a chair, she kneeled down beside it, andsaid--"Heavenly Father, I have done this for you: please take it fromTiny, for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. " And God heard the prayer, forhe always listens when children truly pray. 

So Tiny's text was sent up to London, and a lady put a very prettyflower into the card and took it to the hospital. She stopped besidea bed where a little boy was lying. His face was almost as white asthe pillow on which he lay, and his dark eyes were filled with tears. 

"Is the pain very bad to-day, Willie?"

"Yes, miss; its dreadful-like. But it's not so much the pain as Imind. I'm used to that, yer know. Father beat me every day a'most, when he was drunk. But the doctor says I'm too ill for 'im to 'aveany 'opes for me, and I'm mighty afeard to die. "

"If you had a friend who loved you, and you were well, would you beafraid to go and stay with him, Willie?"

"Why no, I'd like to go, in course. "

"I have brought you a message from a Friend, who has loved you allyour life long. He wants you to trust him, and to go and live withhim. He will love you always, and you will always be happy. "

Then the lady read Tiny's text, "_Suffer the little children to comeunto me, and forbid them not. _" She told him how Jesus had died, andthen had risen again, and had gone to heaven, to prepare a place for_him_, and for many other children. She told him how Jesus is stillsaying "Come, " and his hand is still held out to bless. 

So Willie turned to the Good Shepherd, and was no longer afraid. Afew days afterwards he whispered--"Lord Jesus, I am coming;" and hedied with Tiny's text in his hand. 

That little girl used the talent that was given her, and it helpedto bring a soul to Jesus. 

EVERY TALENT USEFUL. 

 "Though little I bring, Said the tiny spring, As it burst from the mighty hill, 'Tis pleasant to know, Wherever I flow, The pastures are greener still. 

 "And the drops of rain As they fall on the plain, When parched by the summer heat, Refresh the sweet flowers Which droop in the bowers, And hang down their heads at our feet. 

 "May we strive to fulfill All His righteous will, Who formed the whole earth by His word! Creator Divine! We would ever be Thine, And serve Thee--our God, and our Lord!"

Let us never forget this third lesson from Olivet, the lessonabout, --the talents. 

_The fourth, and last lesson from Olivet is the lesson about_--THEREWARDS. 

The parable tells us that when the Master came back, and reckonedwith his servants, he said to each of those who had made a right useof his talents:--"Well done, good and faithful servant, thou hastbeen faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over manythings; enter thou into the joy of thy lord. " In the parable in St. Luke we are told that the servant who had gained ten pounds was maderuler over ten cities; and he who had gained five pounds was maderuler over five cities. This shows us that God will reward hispeople, hereafter, according to the degree of faithfulness with whicheach one shall have used the talents given to him. And this is thelesson which the apostle Paul teaches us when he says that, "Everyman shall receive _his own reward_ according to _his own labor. "_ I. Cor. Iii: 8. 

All the willing, loving servants of God will receive a crown of lifewhen Jesus comes to reckon with them. But those crowns will not beall alike. They are spoken of as "crowns of gold:" Rev. Iv: 4; as"crowns of glory:" I. Peter v: 4, and as "crowns of life:" Rev. Iii:11. But still there will be very great differences between thesecrowns. Some will be simply crowns of gold, or of glory, without anygems or jewels to ornament them. Some will have two or three smalljewels shining in them. But, others again will be full of the mostbeautiful jewels, all glittering and sparkling with glory. And thiswill all depend upon the way in which those who wear these crownsused their talents while they were on earth, and the amount of workthey did for Jesus. There is an incident mentioned in Roman historyabout a soldier, which illustrates this part of our subject verywell. 

"The Faithful Soldier and His Rewards. " This man had served fortyyears in the cause of his country--of these, ten years had been spentas a private soldier, and thirty as an officer. He had been presentin one hundred and twenty battles, and had been severely woundedforty-five times. He had received fourteen civic crowns, for havingsaved the lives of so many Roman citizens; three mural crowns, forhaving been the first to mount the breach when attacking a fortress;and eight golden crowns, for having, on so many occasions, rescuedthe standard of a Roman legion from the hands of the enemy. He had inhis house eighty-three gold chains, sixty bracelets, eighteen goldenspears, and twenty-three horse trappings, --the rewards for his manyfaithful services as a soldier. And when his friends looked at allthose honors and treasures which he had received, from time to time, how well they might have said as they pointed to those numerousprizes--that he had "received _his own reward_, according to _his ownlabor_, " and faithfulness! And so it will be with the soldiers of thecross, who are faithful in using the talents given them by theirheavenly Master. 

"A Great Harvest from a Little Seed, " Some years ago there was acelebrated artist in Paris whose name was Ary Scheffer. On oneoccasion he wished to introduce a beggar into a certain picture hewas painting. Baron Rothschild, the famous banker, and one of therichest men in the world, was a particular friend of this artist. Hehappened to come into his studio at the very time he was trying toget a beggar to be the model of one which he desired to put into hispainting. 

"Wait till to-morrow, " said Mr. Rothschild, "and I will dress myselfup as a beggar, and make you an excellent model. "

"Very well, " said the artist, who was pleased with the strangeness ofthe proposal. The next day the rich banker appeared, dressed up as abeggar, and a very sorry looking beggar he was. While the artist wasengaged in painting him, another friend of his came into the studio. He was a kind-hearted, generous man. As he looked on the modelbeggar, he was touched by his wretched appearance, and as he passedhim, he slipped a louis d'or--a French gold coin, worth about fivedollars of our money--into his hand. The pretended beggar took thecoin, and put it in his pocket. 

Ten years after this, the gentleman who gave this piece of moneyreceived an order on the bank of the Rothschilds for ten thousandfrancs. This was enclosed in a letter which read as follows:

"Sir: You one day gave a louis d'or to Baron Rothschild, in thestudio of Ary Scheffer. He has invested it, and made good use of it, and to-day he sends you the capital you entrusted to him, togetherwith the interest it has gained. A good action is always followed bya good reward. 

"JAMES DE ROTHSCHILD. "

In those few years that one gold coin, of twenty francs, hadincreased to ten thousand francs. And this illustrates the way inwhich Jesus the heavenly Master rewards those who use their talentsfor him. See how he teaches this lesson, when he says--"Whosoevershall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of coldwater only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shallin _no wise lose his reward_. " St. Matt, x: 42. And in another placewe are told that the reward shall be "an hundred fold, " and shall runon into "everlasting life. " St. Matt, xix: 29. How sweetly some onehas thus written about

THE REWARD OF HEAVEN. 

 "Light after darkness, gain after loss, Strength after weariness, crown after cross; Sweet after bitter, song after sigh, Home after wandering, praise after cry; Sheaves after sowing, sun after rain, Light after mystery, peace after pain; Joy after sorrow, calm after blast, Rest after weariness, sweet rest at last; Near after distant, gleam after gloom, Love after loneliness, life after tomb. After long agony, rapture of bliss, Christ is the pathway leading to this!"

The last lesson from Olivet is the lesson about the rewards. Andtaking these lessons together, let us remember that they are--thelesson _about the Master_: the lesson _about the servants_: thelesson _about the talents_: and the lesson _about the rewards_. 

The Collect for the thirteenth Sunday after Trinity is a verysuitable prayer to offer after meditating on the lessons from Olivet:

"Almighty and merciful God, of whose only gift it cometh that thyfaithful people do unto thee true and laudable service: Grant, webeseech thee, that we may so faithfully serve thee in this life, thatwe fail not finally to attain thy heavenly promises; which exceed allthat we can desire; through the merits of Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN!"

THE LORD'S SUPPER

We are approaching now the end of our Saviour's life. The last weekhas come, and we are in the midst of it. This is called Passion week. We commonly use this word _passion_ to denote anger. But the firstand true meaning of the word, and of the Latin word from which itcomes, is--suffering. And this is the sense in which we find the wordused in Acts i: 3. There, St. Luke, who wrote the Acts, is speakingof Christ's appearing to the apostles, after his resurrection, and heuses this language: "To whom he showed himself alive, after his_passion_;" or after his suffering and death. 

In the midst of this last week--this passion week--one of theinteresting things that Jesus did was to keep the Jewish Passover forthe last time with his disciples. This Passover feast had been keptby the Jews every year for nearly fifteen hundred years. It was themost solemn religious service they had. It was first observed bythem in the night on which their nation was delivered from thebondage of Egypt and began their march towards the promised land ofCanaan. We read about the establishment of this solemn service inExodus, twelfth chapter. The first Passover took place on thefourteenth day of the month Nisan. This had been the seventh month ofthe year with the Jews. But God directed them to take it for theirfirst month ever afterwards. They were to begin their year with thatmonth. Every family was to choose out a lamb for themselves, on thetenth day of the month. They were to keep it to the fourteenth day ofthe month. On the evening of that day, they were to kill the lamb. The blood of the lamb was to be sprinkled on the two side-posts andupper lintels of every door. They were to roast the lamb and eat it, with solemn religious services. And, while they were doing this, theangel of the Lord was to pass over all the land of Egypt, and, withhis unseen sword, to smite and kill the first-born, or eldest child, in every family, from Pharaoh on his throne to the poorest beggar inthe land. But the blood, sprinkled on the door-posts of the houses inwhich the Israelites dwelt, was to save them from the stroke of theangel of death as he passed over the land. And so it came to pass. The solemn hour of midnight arrived. The angel went on his way. Hegave one stroke with his dreadful sword--and there was a death inevery Egyptian family. But in the blood-sprinkled dwellings of theIsraelites, there was no one dead. What a wonderful night that was!Nothing like it was ever known in the history of our world. It is notsurprising that the children of Israel, through all theirgenerations, should have kept that Passover feast with greatinterest--an interest that never died out, from age to age. Nor do wewonder that our blessed Saviour looked forward longingly to theoccasion when, for the last time, he was to celebrate this Passoverwith his disciples. As they began the feast he said to them, "Withdesire I have desired" that is, I have earnestly, or heartily desired"to eat this passover with you before I suffer, " St. Luke xxii: 15. It is easy to think of many reasons why Jesus should have felt thisstrong desire. Without attempting to tell what all those reasonswere, we can readily think of some things which would lead him, verynaturally, to have this feeling. It was the last time he was to eatthis Passover with them on earth. This showed that his public work, for which he came into the world, was done. He had only now to sufferand die; to rise from the dead, and then go home to his Father inheaven. 

This Passover had been one of the services established and kept forthe purpose of pointing the attention of men to himself as the Lambof God who was to take away the sins of the world. And now, the timehad come when all that had thus been pointed out concerning him, forso many hundred years, was about to be fulfilled. He, the one trueLamb of God, had come. He was about to die for the sins of the world. Then the Jewish church would pass away, and the Christian churchwould take its place. And then the blessings of true religion, instead of being confined to one single nation, would be freelyoffered to all nations; and Jews and Gentiles alike, would be atliberty to come to Christ, and to receive from him pardon, and grace, and salvation, and every blessing. 

There was enough in thoughts like these to make Jesus long to eatthis last Passover with his disciples. In each of the four gospels wehave an account of what took place when the time came for keepingthis Passover. What is said concerning it we find in the followingplaces: St. Matt xxi: 17-30, St. Mark xiv: 12-26, St. Luke xxii:7-39. St. John begins with the thirteenth chapter, and ends hisaccount at the close of the seventeenth chapter. He is the only oneof the four evangelists who gives a full and particular account ofthe wonderful sayings of our Lord in connection with this lastpassover, and of the great prayer that he offered for all hispeople. 

Here is a brief outline of these different accounts. When the timecame to keep the Passover, Jesus sent two of his disciples fromBethany, where he was then staying, to Jerusalem. He told them, that, when they entered the city, they would meet a man bearing a pitcherof water. They were to ask him to show them the guest-chamber, wherehe and his disciples might eat the Passover together. There werealways great crowds of strangers in Jerusalem at the time of thisfestival; and many furnished chambers were kept ready to be hired tothose who wished them, for celebrating the Passover. This man, ofwhom our Saviour spoke, was probably a friend of his, and accordingto our Lord's word, he showed the disciples such a room as theyneeded. Then they made the necessary preparations; and, when theevening came, Jesus and his disciples met there to keep this solemnfeast. 

Many of the pictures that we see of this last Supper, represent thecompany as seated round a table, very much in the way in which we areaccustomed to sit ourselves. But this is not correct. The people inthose Eastern countries were not accustomed to sit as we do. On thisoccasion the roasted lamb, with the bread and wine to be used at thefeast, was placed on a table, and the guests reclined on couchesround the table, each man leaning on his left arm, and helpinghimself to what he needed with his right hand. 

Various incidents took place in connection with this last Supper. Thedisciples had a contest among themselves about which of them shouldbe greatest. This led Jesus, in the course of the evening, to givethem the lesson of humility, by washing his disciples' feet, of whichwe have already spoken. Then he told them how sorrowfully he wasfeeling. He said they would all forsake him, and one of them wouldbetray him that very night. This made them feel very sad. Each ofthem suspected himself--and asked sorrowfully--"Lord, is it I?" Theydid not suspect each other; and none of them seems to have suspectedJudas Iscariot at all. Then Peter whispered to John, who was leaningon the bosom of Jesus, to ask who it was that was to do this? Inanswer to John's question, Jesus said it was the one to whom heshould give a piece of bread when he had dipped it in the dish. Thenhe dipped the sop and gave it to Judas. 

After this, we are told that Satan entered into him, and he went outand made preparation for doing the most dreadful thing that ever wasdone from the beginning of the world--and that was the betrayal ofhis great, and good, and holy Master, into the hands of his enemies. When Judas was gone, and before the Passover feast was finished, making use of some of the materials before him, Jesus established oneof the two great sacraments to be observed in his church to the endof the world--the sacrament of the Lord's Supper--or the holyCommunion. 

This is St. Luke's account of the way in which it was done, chapterxxii: 19, 20--"And he took the bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you:this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the New Testament in my blood, which is shed foryou. " St. Matthew adds, and--"for many. "

Such is the account we have of the first establishment of the Lord'sSupper. It was to take the place of the Jewish Passover, and to beobserved by the followers of Christ all over the earth, until thetime when he shall come again into our world. 

And this solemn sacrament--this holy communion--this Supper of ourLord, ought to be observed, or kept, by all who love him, for threereasons: these are its connection with _the word of his command--thememory of his sufferings--and the hope of his glory_. 

Jesus connected this sacrament with _the word of his command_ when hesaid--"_This do_ in remembrance of me. " St. Luke xxii: 19. This isthe _command_ of Christ. It is a plain, positive command. Jesus didnot give this command to the apostles only, or to his ministers, orto any particular class of his followers, but to all of them. It wasgiven first to his apostles, but it was not intended to be confinedto them. Jesus does not say--"This do, " ye who are my apostles; or, ye who are my ministers. He does not say--"This do, " ye old men, orye rich men, or ye great men; but simply, "This do. " And the meaningof what he here says, is--"This do, " all ye who profess to be myfollowers, all over the world, and through all ages. And the wordsthat he spake on another occasion come in very well here: "If ye loveme, keep my commandments. " And _this_ is one of the commandments thathe expects all his people to keep. He points to his holy sacrament, which he has ordained in his church, and then to each one of hispeople he says--"This do. " No matter whether we wish to do it or not;here are our master's words--"This do. " No matter whether we see theuse of it, or not; Jesus says--"This do. " It is enough for eachfollower of Jesus to say, "here is my Lord's command; I _must_ obeyit. "

In an army, if the general issues an order, it is expected that everysoldier will obey it. And no matter how important, or useful, initself considered, any work may be, that is done by one of thosesoldiers, yet, if it be done while he is neglecting the general'sorder, instead of gaining for that soldier the praise of the general, or of securing a reward from him, it will only excite hisdispleasure:--he will order that soldier to be punished. 

But the church of Christ is compared in the Bible to an army. He isthe Captain or Leader of this army. And one of the most importantorders he has issued for his soldiers is--"This do in remembrance ofme. " If we profess to be the soldiers of Christ, and are enlisted inhis army, and yet are neglecting this order, he never can be pleasedwith anything we may do while this order is neglected. We seem to seehim pointing to this neglected order, and saying to each of us, as hesaid to Saul, the first king of Israel, by the prophet Samuel:--"Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice: and to hearken, than thefat of rams. " I. Sam. Xv: 22. 

No age is fixed in the New Testament at which young people may beallowed to come to the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. But, as soonas they have learned to know and love Christ and are really trying toserve him, they ought to be allowed to come. And yet ministers andparents sometimes keep them back, and tell them they must wait, andbe tried a little longer, before they receive the help and comfort ofthis ordinance of Christ, even when their conduct shows they aresincerely trying to love and serve the blessed Saviour. 

If a farmer should send his servant out into the field, when winterwas approaching, telling him to put the sheep into the fold, thatthey might be protected from the wolves, and from the cold, it wouldbe thought a strange thing if he should allow him to bring the sheepinto the shelter of the fold, and leave the little lambs outside. This is a good illustration to show the importance of taking care ofthe lambs. But it fails at one point. The shelter of the fold isabsolutely necessary for the protection of the farmer's lambs. Theycould not live without it. If left outside of the fold they wouldcertainly perish. But there is not the same necessity for admittingyoung people to the Lord's Supper. They are not left out in the cold, like the lambs in the field, even when not admitted to this holyordinance. They are already under the care and protection of the goodShepherd. He can guard them, and keep them, and cause them to grow ingrace, even though, for awhile, they do not have the help and comfortof this sacrament. And, if they are kept back through the fault ormistake of others, he will do so. This sacrament, like that ofbaptism, is, as the catechism says, "_generally_ necessary tosalvation. " This means that it is important "where it may be had. "But, if circumstances beyond our control should prevent us frompartaking of it, we may be saved without it. Still, I think thatyoung people who give satisfactory evidence that they know and lovethe Saviour, and are trying to serve him, ought to be allowed to comeforward to this holy sacrament. 

Some people when urged to come to the Lord's Supper excusethemselves, by saying that--"they are not prepared to come. "

But this will not release any one from the command of Christ--"Thisdo. "

What the preparation is that we need in order that we may come, in aproper way, to this holy sacrament, is clearly pointed out in theexhortation that occurs in the communion service of our church. Herethe minister says--"Ye who do truly and earnestly repent of yoursins, and are in love and charity with your neighbors, and intend tolead a new life, following the commandments of God, and walking fromhenceforth in his holy ways: draw near with faith, and take this holysacrament to your comfort. " And there is no excuse for persons notbeing in the state these words describe: for this is just what God'sword, and our own duty and interest require of us. If we have notyet done what these words require, we ought to do it at once; andthen there will be nothing in the way of our obeying the command ofChrist, when he says--"This do, in remembrance of me, " By all theauthority which belongs to him our Saviour _commands_ us to keep thisholy feast. And the first reason why we ought to "do this, " isbecause of its connection with the word of his command. 

_The second reason why we ought to "do this"--is because of itsconnection with the memory of his sufferings_. 

We are taught this by the word _remembrance_, which our Saviour hereuses. He says, "This do in remembrance of me. " This means inremembrance of my sufferings for you. And _this_ is the mostimportant word used by him when he established this sacrament. It isthe governing word in the whole service. It is the word by which wemust be guided in trying to understand what our Lord meant to teachus by all he did and said on this occasion. 

You know how it is when we are trying to understand the music towhich a particular tune has been set. There is always one specialnote in a tune, which is called the _key-note_. The leader of achoir, when they are going to sing, will strike one of the keys ofthe organ, or the melodeon they are using, so as to give to eachmember of the choir the proper key-note of the piece of music theyare to sing. It is very important for them to have this key-note, because they cannot have a proper understanding of what they are todo without it. This holy sacrament of the Lord's Supper is like asolemn song. And the key-note of the music to which the song is setis this word--_remembrance_. It teaches us that the sacrament of theLord's Supper is a _memorial_ service. And, in going through themusic to which the song of this service has been set, every note thatwe use must be a memorial note. And the language used by our blessedLord when he established this Supper, or sacrament, must be explainedin this way. When he broke the bread and gave it to his disciples, saying--"This is my body, which is given for you: this do inremembrance of me, " he meant that we should understand him assaying--"This is the _memorial_ of my body. " And when he gave themthe cup, and said--"This is my blood of the New Testament, " he meantthat we should understand him as saying--"This is the _memorial_ ofmy blood. " And we are sure that this was the meaning, for tworeasons. 

One reason for believing this is that _this was the way in whichsimilar words had been used in the Jewish Passover, which Jesus andhis disciples were then keeping_. 

In the Passover service, when the head of the family distributed thebread, he always said--"This is the bread of affliction. " When hedistributed the flesh of the lamb, roasted for the occasion, he usedto say--"This is the body of the Passover. "

But every one knows, and every one admits, that the Jewish Passoverwas a _memorial_ service. It was kept in memory of the wonderfuldeliverance of their forefathers from the bitter bondage of Egypt. And the words used at that service were memorial words. And so, whenJesus, a little while before, had given to his disciples the Passoverbread, saying--"This is the bread of affliction:" he did not mean tosay that _that_ was the very same bread which their forefathers hadeaten, in the time of their affliction in Egypt. What he meant to saywas--this is the bread which you are to eat in _memory_ of yourforefathers' trial and deliverance. And when he gave to each of thema piece of the sacrificial lamb, saying, "This is the body of thePassover;" he did not mean that in any mysterious, or supernaturalsense, _that_ was the very lamb of which their forefathers had eatenon the solemn night of the Passover; he only meant that it was thebody of which they were to eat in memory of the Passover. ThePassover was a memorial service; and the words used at the Passoverwere memorial words. 

And so, when Jesus went on, from the last Passover of the Jewishchurch, to the first sacramental feast of the Christian church, andbegan by saying, "This do in _remembrance_ of me, " what else couldthe apostles possibly have thought, but that he intended this newservice of the Christian church to be a memorial service, just as theold festival of the Jewish church had been? When he gave them thebroken bread, and said, "This is my body;" they could only haveunderstood him as meaning this is the memorial of my body. And whenhe gave them the cup into which he had just poured the wine, andsaid: "This is my blood;" they could only understand him as meaningthis is the memorial of my blood. And so, the sense in which he hadjust before used the words employed in the Jewish festival must haveled the disciples to understand them in the same way when he usedsimilar words in the Christian sacrament. This is a good, strongreason for thinking of this sacramental feast as a memorial service. 

There is indeed, one point of difference between the Jewish Passoverand the Christian sacrament, when we think of them as memorialservices. The Jews kept their solemn festival in memory of a _dead_lamb--the Passover lamb that was put to death for them, but nevercame to life again. We keep our Christian sacrament in memory of theLamb of God, who died for us indeed, but who rose from the dead, andis alive forevermore. As we keep this solemn festival, we may lift upour adoring hearts to him and say for ourselves personally, "O, the Lamb! the loving Lamb! The Lamb of Calvary! The Lamb that was slain, but liveth again, And intercedes for me!"

And though they are both memorial services, yet this one thoughtmakes a world-wide difference between them. The bread and meat whichthe pious Jew ate, when he kept the Passover, and the wine which hedrank on that occasion, would strengthen his body, but there wasnothing connected with those material substances that would do anyspecial good to his soul. It is different, however, with ourChristian festival of the Lord's Supper. And this difference isclearly brought out in what we find in the catechism of our church onthis subject. In speaking of this holy sacrament, the question isasked--"What are the benefits whereof we are partakers thereby?" Andthe answer to this question is--"The strengthening and refreshing ofour souls, by the body and blood of Christ, as our bodies are by thebread and wine. "

Here we see that while the Lord's Supper is a memorial serviceindeed, it is at the same time something more than that. 

_And then, the actual bodily presence of Christ with them must havecompelled the apostles to understand the words he used on thatoccasion, in this memorial sense_. 

They could not possibly have considered him as meaning that the breadand wine which he gave them at that solemn service did, in anymysterious and supernatural way, become his actual flesh and blood;because, these were already before them in the form of his own body. And they could not be in his body and in the bread and wine, at thesame time. The sense in which Jesus first used these words--"my body"and "my blood, " was clearly the memorial sense. He meant hisdisciples to understand him as saying "Take this bread in remembranceof my body, which is to be crucified for you;" and "Take this wine inremembrance of my blood which is to be shed for you. "

This was what he taught the apostles when he first used these wordsamong them; and this was all he taught them; and we have no right touse these words in any other sense till our blessed Lord himselfshall give us authority to do so. 

Let us never forget the word--_remembrance_, as used by our Saviourhere. It is the root out of which the whole tree of this solemnservice grows. Let us hold on to this root word, and it will save usfrom the errors into which many have fallen in reference to thissubject. 

And, surely, there is nothing so precious for us to store away in ourmemories as the thought of Christ in the amazing sufferings he oncebore for us, in the great work he is now doing for us, and in thesaving truth he embodies in his own glorious character. The story istold of Alexander the Great, that when he conquered King Darius hefound among his treasures a very valuable box or cabinet. It was madeof gold and silver, and inlaid with precious jewels. After thinkingfor awhile what to do with it, he finally concluded to use it as hischoicest treasury, or cabinet, in which to keep the books of the poetHomer, which he was very fond of reading. Now, if we use our memoryaright, it will be to us a treasury far more valuable than thatjeweled box of the great conqueror. And the thought of Christ, not inhis sufferings only, but in his work, and in his character, is themost precious thing to lay up in our memory. And if we keep thisremembrance continually before us it will be the greatest help we canhave in trying to love and serve him better. 

Here is an illustration of what I mean, in a touching story. We maycall it:

"Love Stronger than Death. " Some years ago there was a great fire inone of our Western cities that stood in the midst of a prairie. Amother escaped from her burning dwelling. Her husband was away fromhome. She took her infant in her arms, and wrapped a heavy shawlround herself and the baby. Her little girl clung to the dress ofher mother, and they went out into the prairie, to get away from theflames of the burning buildings. It was a wild and stormy winter'snight and intensely cold. She tried to run; but burdened as she wasthat was impossible. Presently she found that the tall dry grass ofthe prairie had caught fire. It was spreading on every side. A greatcircle of flame was gathering round her. 

A little way off she saw a clump of trees on a piece of risingground. Towards that spot she directed her steps, and strained everynerve to reach it. At last she succeeded in doing so. 

For a moment the poor mother and her child were comparatively safe. But, on looking around, she saw that the flames were approaching herfrom opposite directions. Escape was impossible. Death--a terribledeath by fire, seemed to be the only thing before her. She might wrapherself in that great shawl, and perhaps live through it. But, therewere the children. Of course a mother could not hesitate a momentwhat to do under such circumstances. Wrapping the baby round andround in the folds of the shawl, she laid it carefully down, at thefoot of one of the trees. Then, taking off her outer clothing, shecovered the other child with it. She laid her down beside the baby, and then stretched herself across them. In a few moments the helplesslittle ones were sound asleep. The long hours of the night passed. The raging flames licked up the withered foliage about that clump oftrees, and then left their blackened trunks to the keenness of thewind and frost. 

The next day the heart-broken husband and father returned to find hishome burnt, and his family gone--he knew not whither. He set out tosearch for his lost treasures. He found them by that clump of trees. There lay his wife--her hair and eyebrows, her face and neck scorchedand blackened by the fire--but her body frozen stiff. Whether sheperished by the flames or the frost no one ever knew. But, on liftingher burnt form they found, warm and cozy beneath, her two sleepingchildren. The elder child as they roused her, opened her eyesexclaiming, "Mamma, is it morning?" Yes: it was morning with thatfaithful mother, in the bright world to which she had gone!

Now, suppose that those children, as they grew up, should have hadpreserved among their treasures a piece of the burnt dress, or a lockof the scorched hair, of their devoted mother. As they looked at it, every day, it would be in _remembrance_ of her. How touchingly itwould tell of her great love for them, in being willing to lay downher life to save theirs! And how that thought would thrill theirhearts and make them anxious to do all they could to show theirrespect and love for such a mother!

And so the broken bread and the poured out wine of this solemnsacrament should melt our hearts in the remembrance of the wonderfullove of Christ to us, and should lead us to show our love to him bykeeping his commandments. 

And as we keep this solemn memorial service, how well we may say, inthe words of the hymn:

 "According to thy gracious word, In meek humility, This will we do, our dying Lord, We will remember thee. Thy body, broken for our sake, Our bread from heaven shall be: Thy sacramental cup we take, And thus remember thee. 

 "Can we Gethsemane forget? Or there thy conflict see, Thine agony and bloody sweat, And not remember thee? When to the cross we turn our eyes, And rest on Calvary, O Lamb of God, our sacrifice, We must remember thee. "

_But Jesus has connected this blessed sacrament with the hope of hisglory_--as well as with the word of his command and the memory of hissufferings. 

He made this connection very clear when he said at the institution ofthis solemn service--"I will not drink henceforth of this fruit ofthe vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father'skingdom. " St. Matt, xxvi: 29. And the apostle Paul pointed out thesame connection when he said, "As often as ye eat this bread, anddrink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death, _till he come_. " I. Cor. Xi: 26. This sacrament of the Lord's Supper is the point of meetingbetween the sufferings of Christ and the glory that is tofollow--between his cross, with all its shame and anguish, and hiskingdom, with all its honor and blessedness. 

We have sometimes heard or read of magicians who have pretended tohave wonderful mirrors into which persons might look and see all thatwas before them in this life. If there were such a mirror, it wouldbe a strange thing indeed to look into it and find out what was goingto happen to-morrow, or next month, or next year, or twenty yearshence. But, there never was any such mirror. As the apostle says, "We know not what shall be on the morrow. " No mortal man can tellwhat will happen to him as he takes the very next step in life. 

Yet, this solemn sacrament is like such a magical mirror. We can lookinto it and see, clearly represented there, what will happen to us inthe future, not of _this_ life indeed, but of the life to come. Itleads our minds on to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And a voicefrom heaven declares--"Blessed are they who are called to themarriage supper of the Lamb. " Rev. Xix: 9. That marriage supperrepresents the highest joys of heaven. It gathers into itself all theglory and happiness that await us in the heavenly kingdom. And thissacramental service is the type or shadow of all the bliss connectedwith that great event in the future. If we are true and faithfulpartakers of this solemn sacrament--this memorial feast, we shallcertainly be among the number of those whose unspeakable privilege itwill be to sit down at the marriage supper of the Lamb, in heaven. There we shall be in the personal presence of Jesus, our glorifiedLord. Our eyes "shall see the King in his beauty. " And we shall seeall his people too in the perfection of glory that will mark themthere. And in happy intercourse with that blessed company we shallfind all "the exceeding great and precious promises" of God's wordfulfilled in our own personal experience. 

And then there is nothing that can sustain and comfort us under themany trials of this mortal life like the hope of sharing this joywith our blessed Lord, when he shall come in the glory of hisheavenly kingdom. 

"The Hope of Glory. " A Christian gentleman was in the habit ofvisiting, from time to time, a poor afflicted widow woman who livedin his neighborhood. She had once been very well off, and was thewife of a well-known and apparently successful merchant. But finallyhe failed in business and died soon after, leaving her alone in theworld, and without anything to live on but what she could earn by herown labor. 

After awhile her health failed, and then she was entirely dependentfor her support on the kindness of her Christian friends. But she wasalways cheerful and happy. "On going in to see her one day, " saysthis gentleman, "I found, on talking with her, that she was feelingvery comfortable in her mind. 

"'Tell me, my friend, ' I asked, 'have you always felt as bright andcheerful as you seem to feel now?'

"'O, no, ' she replied, 'very far from it. When my husband died, andI was left alone in the world, I used to feel very sad andrebellious. Many a time I was so sorrowful and despairing as to betempted to take away my own life. But, in the good providence of God, I was led to read the Bible, and to pray for help from above. Ibecame a member of the church. But, for a while, I did not find muchcomfort in my religion. And the reason of it was that I did not havevery clear views of Christ as my Saviour, and of the wonderful thingshe has promised to do for his people in the future. 

"'But, on one communion occasion, my minister preached on thewords--"_Christ in you the hope of glory_. " That was a blessedcommunion to me. I saw then, as I had never seen before, how thatsacred and solemn service was intended by him to be to all hispeople, at one and the same time, the means of preserving in theirminds the remembrance of the sufferings he has borne for them in thepast, and also of keeping alive in their hearts the hope of sharingin the glory which he has prepared for them in the future. And I havenever had any trouble in my mind since then. My communion seasonswere always bright and blessed seasons to me as long as I was ableto go to church. And though I can no longer go up to the sanctuaryand partake of the bread and wine, "the outward and visible signs"made use of in the heavenly feast; yet, blessed be God's holy name, Ican, and do partake in a spiritual manner of that which those signsrepresent. I feel and know what it is to have "Christ in me the hopeof glory. " And this "satisfies my longing, as nothing else can do. " Ifind peace and comfort in simply "looking unto Jesus. " I have hadmuch outward trouble and affliction since then. I live alone. Thereis no one here to help me. Sometimes I have nothing to eat, and butlittle to keep me warm. You see me _sitting_ here now. Thus I have tospend my nights. My complaint is the dropsy, and this prevents mefrom lying down. _But I would not exchange my place as a forgivensinner, with "Christ in me the hope of glory, " for all the wealth andthe honor that Queen Victoria could bestow upon me!_'"

What a blessed Saviour Jesus is, who can thus spread the sunshine ofhis peace and hope through the hearts and homes of the poorest andmost afflicted in the land!

And thus, we have spoken of three good reasons, why all who love ourLord Jesus Christ should keep this solemn sacrament which he hasordained; we should do it because we see in it--_the word of hiscommand--the memorial of his sufferings--and the hope of his glory_. 

And when we partake of this solemn ordinance ourselves, or see otherspartaking of it, how well we may say in the beautiful lines ofHavergal, the English poetess:

 "Thou art coming! At thy table We are witnesses for this, While remembering hearts thou meetest, In communion closest, sweetest, Earnest of our coming bliss. Showing not thy death alone, And thy love exceeding great, But thy coming, and thy throne, All for which we long and wait. 

 "O the joy to see thee reigning, Thee, our own beloved Lord; Every tongue thy name confessing, Worship, honor, glory, blessing, Brought to thee with glad accord, Thee our master and our Friend, Vindicated and enthroned; Unto earth's remotest end, Glorified, adored, and owned. "

"_THIS DO IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME_. "

ILLUSTRATIONS:

THE WOMAN OF CANAAN

Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre andSidon. And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, _thou_ son ofDavid; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answeredher not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Sendher away; for she crieth after us. But he answered and said, I am notsent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came sheand worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast _it_ todogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs whichfall from their masters' table. Then Jesus answered and said untoher, O woman, great _is_ thy faith: be it unto thee even as thouwilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour. --_St. Matt. Xv: 21-28_. 

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_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_

_The picture illustrates the scenery and gardens in the neighborhoodof Beyrout, which lies on the coast at the foot of Lebanon and withinthe Syro-Phoenician border. _

SIMON PETER'S FAITH IN CHRIST

When Jesus came into the coasts of Cæsarea Philippi, he asked hisdisciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And theysaid, Some _say that thou art_ John the Baptist: some, Elias; andothers, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, Butwhom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou artthe Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and saidunto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hathnot revealed _it_ unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And Isay also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I willbuild my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: andwhatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: andwhatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Thencharged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he wasJesus the Christ. --_St. Matt, xvi: 13-20_. 

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_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_

_The site of Cæsarea Philippi is one of the loveliest spots inNorthern Palestine. On ground carpeted with an infinite variety ofwild flowers, the traveller rests in the grateful shade of oak andmulberry, olive and fig tree. The sound of many waters is heard onall sides as they hasten from the adjacent slopes of Herman to jointhe head waters of Jordan, bursting in strength from a cavern at thefoot of a mighty cliff. Hither, with his handful of followers, cameJesus, weary and in deep depression of spirit, a fugitive from hisown people, who had finally rejected him; and here, in reply tosearching and anxious enquiry, "Whom say ye that I am?" he receivedfrom Simon Peter the memorable confession, "Thou art the Christ, theSon of the living God_. "

THE TRANSFIGURATION OF CHRIST

And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart. And wastransfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and hisraiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto themMoses and Elias talking with him. Then answered Peter, and said untoJesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us makehere three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one forElias. While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them:and behold a voice out of the cloud which said, This is my belovedSon, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. And when the disciplesheard _it_, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. And Jesuscame and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. And whenthey had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesusonly. --_St. Matt, xvii: 1--8_. 

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_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_

_From the days of St. Jerome, when pilgrims first began the attemptto identify sites hallowed by sacred events, Mount Tabor has, untilrecent years, been regarded as the Mount of the Transfiguration. Butcloser examination of the text and comparison of dates, and the factthat Tabor itself was at that time the site of a fortified towncontaining a Roman garrison, combine in this instance to discredittradition. One of the spurs of Herman must therefore be thealternative and more probable scene of the Transfiguration; theseclusion of this district of mountain, valley, and woodlandproviding opportunity for contemplation, and preparation for the endwhich was now imminent, "the decease which Jesus was to accomplish atJerusalem"_. 

JESUS HEALETH A LUNATIC

And it came to pass, that on the next day, when they were come downfrom the hill, much people met him. And, behold, a man of the companycried out, saying, Master, I beseech thee, look upon my son: for heis mine only child. And, lo, a spirit taketh him, and he suddenlycrieth out; and it teareth him that he foameth again, and bruisinghim hardly departeth from him. And I besought thy disciples to casthim out; and they could not. And Jesus answering said, O faithlessand perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, and sufferyou? Bring thy son hither. And as he was yet a coming, the devilthrew him down, and tare _him_. And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the child, and delivered him again to his father. --_St. Luke ix: 37-42_. 

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_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_

_The picture gives an average representation of the outskirts of avillage in Northern Palestine, with its sordid, untidy, mud-builthouses, on the roofs of which are seen the reed booths or_ Succôth, _occupied by the inhabitants during the oppressive heats of summer. The snow-capped ridge of Hermon is indicated in the distance_. 

LET HE WHO IS WITHOUT SIN AMONG YOU

Now about the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, andtaught. And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned? Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine isnot mine, but his that sent me. And the scribes and Pharisees broughtunto him a woman . .. ; and when they had set her in the midst. Theysay unto him, . .. Moses in the law commanded us, that such should bestoned: but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him, that theymight have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with _his_finger wrote on the ground, _as though he heard them not_. So whenthey continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. And they whichheard _it_, being convicted by _their own_ conscience, went out oneby one, beginning at the eldest, _even_ unto the last: and Jesus wasleft alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus hadlifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemnthee: go, and sin no more. --_St. John vii: 14-16; viii: 3-11. _

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_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_

_The scene is represented as taking place in one of the greatcloisters or porticoes which surrounded the Temple courts, and whichlike the Forum of Rome, and "Paul's Wall" in Elizabethan, London, served the purpose of a public promenade and place of meeting. Theseporticoes were of magnificent construction and proportions, the StoaBasilica alone, upon the south side, with its quadruple colonnade ofone hundred and sixty-two pillars, covering a great area. The EasternCloister, known as "Solomon's Porch, " was probably so-called ashaving been erected upon the site of a similar construction in thefirst Temple_. 

ONE OF TEN LEPERS CURED IS GRATEFUL

And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed throughthe midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered into a certainvillage, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afaroff. And they lifted up _their_ voices, and said, Jesus, Master, havemercy on us. And when he saw _them_, he said unto them, Go shewyourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God. And fell down on_his_ face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where_are_ the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory toGod, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thyfaith hath made thee whole. --_St. Luke xvii: II--19. _

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_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_

_The town of Cana in Galilee, with its background of low hills, asseen from the Nazareth Road, supplies a landscape setting for thispicture. The ingratitude of the nine lepers no doubt added to ourLord's sorrow just now at the growing influence of the opposition ofhis enemies_. 

JESUS, MARTHA, MARY, AND LAZARUS

Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certainvillage: and a certain woman named Martha received him into herhouse. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus'feet, and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sisterhath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. AndJesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art carefuland troubled about many things. But one thing is needful: and Maryhath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away fromher. --_St. Luke x: 38-42. _

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_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_

_Bethany is situated on the southern slope of the Mount of Olives, about two miles from Jerusalem. The house of his friends, Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, the only place which, during the latter part ofhis ministry, Jesus could call a home, was probably that of people ineasy circumstances, and as such is here represented. In the vineyardsof Palestine the vine is cultivated bushlike on the ground; but ingardens, the plant is occasionally trained erect, as in Europe andAmerica, or, as in the present instance, for the purposes of shade, upon a pergola. In the middle of the village of Bethany are the ruinsof an important house. Here some years ago a French explorerdiscovered on the base the remains of an ancient chapel This seems topoint with probability to a valid tradition of the site of the houseof Martha, Mary, and Lazarus_. 

JESUS BLESSETH LITTLE CHILDREN

And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them:and _his_ disciples rebuked those that brought _them_. But when Jesussaw _it_, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer thelittle children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such isthe kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall notreceive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not entertherein. And he took them up in his arms, put _his_ hands upon them, and blessed them. --_St. Mark x: 13-16. _

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_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_

_In the Hebrew Bible--the Talmud--it is stated that, according topious custom, parents brought their little children to the synagoguethat they might receive the benefit of the prayers and blessings ofthe elders. Rabbis also, of recognized sanctity, were frequentlyappealed to in a like manner; and his fame as a prophet andbenefactor having preceded him into Peraea, infants were now broughtto Jesus, that he might lay his hands upon them in supplication andblessing. The architectural setting of the picture is adapted fromthat of a small square near the Damascus Gate of Jerusalem. Thiskindly and gentle act of our Lord has been of incalculableconsequence to the life of children in the development of Christiancivilization. _

THE RESURRECTION OF LAZARUS, FOUR DAYS DEAD

Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. And I am glad foryour sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe;nevertheless let us go unto him. Jesus therefore again groaning inhimself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it. Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him thatwas dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hathbeen _dead_ four days. Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?Then they took away the stone _from the place_ where the dead waslaid. And Jesus lifted up _his_ eyes, and said, Father, I thank theethat thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: butbecause of the people which stand by I said _it_, that they maybelieve that thou hast sent me. And when he thus had spoken, he criedwith a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead cameforth. --_St. John xi: 14. , 15, 38-44. _

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_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_

_The painting illustrates a form of rock-cut tomb which, though notso common as others in the neighborhood of Jerusalem, is neverthelessselected as being in accordance with the description of what tookplace in the present instance. It is obviously the type of tomb whichis referred to on a subsequent occasion, and explains the meaning of"the stone rolled away from the sepulchre" The entrance of the tombis at the bottom of a flight of steps, and is covered by adisc-shaped stone, like a mill-stone, which can be rolled back into aslot cut in the rock for its reception. (The kneeling man in thebackground has apparently just performed this duty?) The entrance isclosed by rolling the stone forward, dropping a small block behind itto prevent its recession, and finally by covering thebefore-mentioned slot with a slab, which, being cemented down, thetomb is "sealed. "_

CONVERSION OF ZACCHAEUS, A PUBLICAN

And _Jesus_ entered and passed through Jericho. And, behold, _therewas_ a man named Zacchæus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could notfor the press, because he was little of stature. And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to passthat _way_. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and sawhim, and said unto him, Zacchæus, make haste, and come down; for today I must abide at thy house. And he made haste, and came down, andreceived him joyfully. And when they saw _it_, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. AndZacchæus stood, and said unto the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of mygoods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any manby false accusation, I restore _him_ fourfold. And Jesus said untohim, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he alsois a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to savethat which was lost. --_St. Luke xix: 1-10_. 

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_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_

_The sycomore tree referred to in the text is a species of figbearing small, coarse fruit, which is used as food only in cases ofnecessity. Although occasionally of great size, the tree is easilyclimbed, as the trunk is short, and the branches are numerous andwide spreading. Jericho, rebuilt by Herod, was a somewhat fashionabletown. To signalize the despised tax-gatherer in such a way was toteach a permanent lesson of absolute unworldliness_. 

JESUS RESTORETH SIGHT TO BARTIMAEUS

And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with hisdisciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son ofTimaeus, sat by the highway side begging. And when he heard that itwas Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, _thou_son of David, have mercy on me. And many charged him that he shouldhold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, _Thou_ son ofDavid, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood still, and commanded him tobe called. And they called the blind man, saying unto him, Be of goodcomfort, rise; he calleth thee. And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Whatwilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Go thyway; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received hissight, and followed Jesus in the way. --_St. Mark x: 4. 6--52. _

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_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_

_The site of Jericho is still an oasis in the surrounding desert, butneither its fertility nor its dimensions bear comparison with thosewhich it attained in former days; and hardly a tree remains of thecelebrated groves of balsam, spice, and fruit-bearing trees, and thepalms which earned for Jericho the title of "The City of the PalmTrees, " and which made its neighboring plain the garden ofPalestine--the "divine district" as Joseph us calls it. Thisfertility was owing entirely to skilful irrigation, traces of no lessthan twelve aqueducts having been discovered. No class of sufferersmore frequently claimed and obtained from Jesus the exercise of hiscompassion and healing power than that represented by blindBartimaus. The malady of blindness is grievously common in Palestine, the proportion of those thus afflicted being one in every hundred ofthe population, whereas in Europe the proportion is only one in athousand_. 

CHRIST'S TRIUMPHAL ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM

And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples. Saying untothem, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shallfind an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose _them_, and bring _them_unto me. And if any _man_ say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lordhath need of them; and straightway he will send them. All this wasdone, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet. Andthe disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them. And brought theass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set _him_thereon. And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way;others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed _them_ in theway. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed _is_ he that cometh inthe name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. And when he was comeinto Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And themultitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth ofGalilee. --_St. Matt, xxi: 1-4. , 6-11_. 

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_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_

_Had Jesus omitted to command to bring its mother along with thecolt, upon which he elected to ride, his disciples would probablyhave brought her as a matter of course. It is the custom of thecountry; and as journeys are accomplished at a walking pace, maresand she-asses are frequently accompanied by their foals. It may benoted that in this picture one of the gates of Hebron does duty forthat through which Jesus makes his triumphal entry into Jerusalem;the former being suggestive of far greater antiquity than any whichare to be found at the present day in Jerusalem itself_. 

CHRIST AVOUCHETH HIS AUTHORITY

And he taught daily in the temple. But the chief priests and thescribes and the chief of the people sought to destroy him. And couldnot find what they might do: for all the people were very attentiveto hear him. And it came to pass, _that_ on one of those days, as hetaught the people in the temple, and preached the gospel, the chiefpriests and the scribes came upon _him_ with the elders. And spakeunto him, saying, Tell us, by what authority doest thou these things?or who is he that gave thee this authority? And he answered and saidunto them, I will also ask you one thing; and answer me: The baptismof John, was it from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned withthemselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Whythen believed ye him not? But and if we say, Of men; all the peoplewill stone us: for they be persuaded that John was a prophet. Andthey answered, that they could not tell whence _it was_. And Jesussaid unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do thesethings. --_St. Luke xix: 47, 48; xx: 1-8. _

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_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_

_The occasion on which Jesus encountered for the last time theopposition of his priestly enemies to his teaching, and when, in thepresence of the assembled multitudes, he exposed and denounced theirhypocrisy, is supposed to take place in one of the great outer courtsof the Temple, the buildings of which, although begun forty-six yearspreviously, were at this time still unfinished, and were indeed neverfully completed in accordance with their original design_. 

AT NIGHT, JESUS ABODE ON THE MOUNT OF OLIVES

And in the day time he was teaching in the temple; and at night hewent out, and abode in the mount that is called _the mount_ ofOlives. --_St. Luke xxi: 37. _

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_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_

_As we ascend towards sunset the slopes of Olivet, and pause to gazeon the scenes beneath, the panorama of the city presented to view isin its leading features essentially similar to that upon which theeyes of Jesus rested, when "at night he went out, and abode in themount that is called the Mount of Olives" Yonder stands a templewithin that sacred enclosure which, for well-nigh three thousandyears, save for the period during which, "the abomination ofdesolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet stood in the Holy place, "has been dedicated to the worship of Jehovah. The citadel ofJerusalem breaks the skyline where stood the tower of Hippicus, andto the left, against the setting sun, the cypresses in a monasterygarden mark the spot once covered by the gardens of the palace ofHerod. Siloam stands as of old on the hither side, overlooking thevalleys of Hinnom and Kidron; while to-day, as in former times, theolive yards beneath and the trees around, might well give the namewhich it bears to the hill on which we stand. _

JESUS WASHETH HIS DISCIPLES' FEET

Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hourwas come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto theend. And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heartof Judas Iscariot, Simon's _son_, to betray him. Jesus knowing thatthe Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was comefrom God, and went to God. He riseth from supper, and laid aside hisgarments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he pourethwater into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and towipe _them_ with the towel wherewith he was girded. Then cometh he toSimon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet?Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; butthou shalt know hereafter. Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt neverwash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast nopart with me. Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, butalso _my_ hands and _my_ head. Jesus saith to him, He that is washedneedeth not save to wash _his_ feet, but is clean every whit: and yeare clean, but not all. --_St. John xiii: 1-10. _

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_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_

_A dwelling house, claiming to be one of the most ancient inJerusalem, supplied materials for the study of the "large upperroom, " represented in this and some other of the paintings. Thegeneral features of the chamber, with its arched ceiling andflattened dome, its_ leewans _(raised platform) and theentrance-passage of colored stones, where guests leave theirfoot-gear before stepping upon the mat-covered floor of the room, may, for the reasons adduced elsewhere, be accepted as typical ofsimilar apartments of the period under consideration. _

THE BETRAYAL FORETOLD AT THE SUPPER

When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shallbetray me. Then the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whomhe spake. Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved. Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, that heshould ask who it should be of whom he spake. He then lying on Jesus'breast saith unto him, Lord, who is it? Jesus answered, He it is, towhom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped _it_. And when he haddipped the sop, he gave _it_ to Judas Iscariot, _the son_ of Simon. And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly. Now no man at the table knew for whatintent he spake this unto him. For some _of them_ thought, becauseJudas had the bag, that Jesus had said unto him, Buy _those things_that we have need of against the feast; or, that he should givesomething to the poor. He then having received the sop wentimmediately out: and it was night. --_St. John xiii: 21-30. _

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_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_

_Comment has already been made upon the custom prevailing at thistime of reclining at meat. We are aware, from other sources ofinformation, that in partaking of the Passover, the attitude ofstanding had, as a point of ritual, long been abandoned in favor ofthe recumbent posture, and this is directly evidenced by the words ofthe text (v: 23 and 25), which are only compatible with thesupposition that on the present occasion the guest-chamber wasfurnished with couches which ran around the three sides of the tablein the usual manner. Authorities differ as to which was regarded asthe "highest seat" some maintaining that this was the outermost placeon the right-hand couch; others, again, preferring the arrangementfollowed in the painting, where Jesus occupies the centre_. 

IN THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE

Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saithunto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And hetook with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to besorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul isexceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch withme. And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me:nevertheless not as I will, but as thou _wilt_. And he cometh untothe disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enternot into temptation: the spirit indeed _is_ willing, but the flesh_is_ weak. He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, Omy Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. And he came and found them asleep again: for theireyes were heavy. And he left them, and went away again, and prayedthe third time, saying the same words. Then cometh he to hisdisciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take _your_ rest:behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into thehands of sinners. Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand thatdoth betray me. --_St. Matt, xxvi: 36-46. _

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_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_

_As the word Gethsemane means the "oil press" the "Garden" was in allprobability an olive yard, whose actual site, though it cannot bedetermined with certainty, must have been in the immediate vicinityat least of the spot which age-long tradition indicates as the sceneof the Agony. The great age of the trees in this enclosure has beenurged in favor of the tradition, but it is fatal to their claim aswitnesses, that Titus is known to have cut down, for militarypurposes, all the trees in the neighborhood of the besieged city. This site is now owned by the Russians who have turned it into a neatand trim garden, and built a bright new white church on the upperlevel with five large gilded bulbous domes_. 

THE ARREST OF JESUS

Judas then, having received a band _of men_ and officers from thechief priests and Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torchesand weapons. Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should comeupon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye? They answeredhim, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am _he_. And Judasalso, which betrayed him, stood with them. As soon then as he hadsaid unto them, I am _he_, they went backward, and fell to theground. --Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast. Andforthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him. And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then camethey, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him. And, behold, one of themwhich were with Jesus stretched out _his_ hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest's, and smote off his ear. Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: forall they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkestthou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently giveme more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall thescriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be? In that same hour saidJesus to the multitudes, Are ye come out as against a thief withswords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching inthe temple, and ye laid no hold on me. But all this was done, thatthe scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all thedisciples forsook him, and fled. --_St. John xviii: 3-6; St. Matt, xxvi: 48-56. _

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_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_

_Cunningly conceived indeed was that signal of the kiss; for in thevery act of betrayal, Judas thus covered his own treachery; and, hadthe plot failed, it would even have appeared as if, when "all thedisciples forsook him and fled" Judas alone had courage, in the hourof danger, to stand by and openly to acknowledge Jesus as hisMaster_. 

JESUS EXAMINED BY CAIAPHAS

And they that had laid hold on Jesus led _him_ away to Caiaphas thehigh priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled. ButPeter followed him afar off unto the high priest's palace, and wentin, and sat with the servants, to see the end. Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death. But found none: yea, though many false witnessescame, _yet_ found they none. At the last came two false witnesses, And said, This _fellow_ said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days. And the high priest arose, and saidunto him, Answerest thou nothing? what _is it which_ these witnessagainst thee? But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answeredand said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell uswhether thou be the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye seethe Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in theclouds of heaven. Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, Hehath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses?behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy. What think ye? They answeredand said, He is guilty of death. --_St. Matt, xxvi: 57--66. _

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_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_

_The outward ceremonial of the hastily convoked and Irregulartribunal before which Jesus underwent the mockery of a trial wassimilar to that of the ancient Sanhedrim. The members sat on asemi-circular divan, the president in the centre, and a scribe ateach extremity, who recorded the evidence and the decisions of thecourt. It may be noted, that while laws had been carefully formulatedfor the conduct of such trials, almost every one of them wasflagrantly violated on the present occasion in order to ensure apre-arranged condemnation. For example, these rules provided thatwitnesses should be summoned, and that an advocate should plead onbehalf of the accused; and they forbade that criminal trials shouldbe conducted at night, that condemnation should be pronounced on theday of trial or on a holy day; and, if the crime were capital, thatexecution should follow on the day of sentence_. 

JESUS IS THRICE DENIED BY PETER

Now Peter sat without in the palace: and a damsel came unto him, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee. But he denied before_them_ all, saying, I know not what thou sayest. And when he was goneout into the porch, another _maid_ saw him, and said unto them thatwere there, This _fellow_ was also with Jesus of Nazareth. And againhe denied with an oath, I do not know the man. And after a while cameunto _him_ they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou alsoart _one_ of them; for thy speech betrayeth thee. Then began he tocurse and to swear, _saying_, I know not the man. And immediately thecock crew. And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peterremembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before thecock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and weptbitterly. --_St. Matt, xxvi: 69-74. ; St. Luke xxii: 61, 62_. 

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_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_

_In the East, the houses of the great and official residences usuallyconsist of a group of separate yet connected buildings, surrounding aquadrangular paved court planted with trees and flowering shrubs, andfurnished in the centre with an open cistern or fountain. Such wasprobably the construction of the palace of the High Priest(Caiaphas), and, apparently, this open court, across which Jesuswould be conducted to or from the hall of trial, was the place wherebitterness was added to his sorrow in hearing himself denied by hisfriend--and that man who had been the first to profess belief in hisMessiahship, and who, but a few brief hours before, had stoutly swornto stand by him, even unto death_.