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+*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 11509 ***
+
+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 the
+wilderness, Jesus entered on the work of his public ministry. We find
+him, at once, preaching to the people, healing the sick, and doing
+many wonderful works. The commencement of his ministry is thus
+described by St. Matt. iv: 23-25. "And Jesus went about all Galilee,
+teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the
+kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness, and all manner of
+disease among the people. And his fame went throughout all Syria; and
+they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers
+diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils,
+and those which were lunatic, and those that had the palsy; and he
+healed them. And there followed him great multitudes of people from
+Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judea, and
+from beyond Jordan." What a blessed beginning of the most blessed of
+all 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 on
+his work.
+
+And one of the first things he did, after thus beginning his
+ministry, was to gather his disciples round him. The first two that
+we find named among his disciples are John and Andrew. They had been
+disciples of John the Baptist. Their master pointed them to Jesus,
+and said--"Behold the Lamb of God." When they heard this they
+followed Jesus, and became his disciples. When Andrew met with his
+brother Simon Peter, he said to him "we have found the Messias--the
+Christ. And he brought him to Jesus." After this we are told that
+"Jesus findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me." He was an
+acquaintance of Andrew and Peter, and lived in the same town with
+them. He obeyed the call at once and became one of the disciples of
+Jesus.
+
+Philip had a friend named Nathanael. The next time he met him, he
+said, "we have found him of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets
+did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." But Nazareth was a
+despised place, and had a bad reputation. Nathanael had a very poor
+opinion of the place, and he asked--"Can there any good thing come
+out of Nazareth?" Philip saith unto him--"Come and see."
+
+And this is what we should say to persons when we wish them to become
+Christians. There is so much that is lovely and excellent in Jesus
+that if people will only "come and see," if they will only prove for
+themselves what a glorious Saviour he is, they will find it
+impossible to help loving and serving him. Nathanael came to Jesus.
+And when he heard the wonderful words that Jesus spoke to him he was
+converted at once, and expressed his wonder by saying--"Rabbi, thou
+art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel." We can read all
+about 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 one
+who bears the name of Bartholomew in the different lists of the
+apostles.
+
+After this we read of Jesus calling Matthew the publican, who was a
+tax-gatherer. This is what is meant by his "sitting at the receipt of
+custom." "Follow me," were the words spoken to him. He obeyed at
+once; left all and followed Jesus. St. Luke and St. Mark mention this
+same 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 to
+have two names. Sometimes they were called by one of these names and
+sometimes by the other.
+
+Here we have the account of six persons, who became disciples of
+Jesus; and of the different ways in which they were led to follow
+him. No doubt many others were led to become his disciples from
+simply hearing him preach; and from listening to the gracious words
+that he spoke.
+
+And very soon after he had gathered together a large company of
+disciples, he made choice of twelve, out of this number, who were to
+be 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 be
+prepared to take his place, and carry on his work when he should
+return to heaven.
+
+It was necessary for these men to be chosen. When Washington was
+appointed to conduct our armies during the Revolution, he chose a
+number of generals to help him. And it is natural for us to think of
+Washington and his generals. But just as natural it is to think
+of--Jesus and his apostles.
+
+And this is the subject we have now to consider--_The Apostles
+Chosen_.
+
+And in considering this subject there are four things of which to
+speak.
+
+_The first, is the condition and character of the men whom Jesus
+chose 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 the
+points 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 and
+character 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, and
+good, and strong, that we wonder why he did not choose them. But he
+did not. He chose _men_ to be his apostles. And what kind of men did
+he choose? If we had been asked this question beforehand, we should
+have supposed that he would certainly have chosen the wisest and the
+most learned men, the richest and greatest men that could be found in
+the 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 been
+heard of before. Fishermen, and tax-gatherers, and men occupying very
+humble positions in life, were those whom Jesus chose to be his
+apostles.
+
+And one reason, no doubt, why Jesus made choice of men of this
+character to be his apostles was that when their work was done, no
+one should be able to say that it was the learning, or wisdom, or
+riches, or power of men by whom that work was accomplished. The
+apostle Paul teaches us that this is the way in which God generally
+acts; and that he does it for the very reason just spoken of. He
+says, "God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound
+the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to
+confound the mighty; and base things of the world, and things which
+are despised hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring
+to nought the things that are; that no flesh should glory in his
+presence." I. Cor. i: 27-29. The meaning of this passage is that God
+loves to work by little things. This was the reason why Jesus chose
+poor, unlearned fishermen to be his apostles. And we see God working
+in the same way continually.
+
+Look at yonder sun. God made it, and hung it up there in the sky that
+it might give light to our world. But the light which this sun gives
+comes to us in tiny little bits, smaller than the point of the finest
+needle that ever was made. They are so small that hundreds of them
+can rush right into our eyes, as they are doing all the time, and not
+hurt 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 so
+powerful that they can break in pieces the strongest ships that men
+have ever built. And yet, when God wishes to keep that mighty ocean
+in 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 great
+work with them. And we find God working in this way continually. Let
+us look at one or two illustrations.
+
+"What a Plant Did." A little plant was given to a sick girl. In
+trying to take care of it, the family made changes in their way of
+living, which added greatly to their comfort and happiness. First,
+they cleaned the window, that more light might come in to the leaves
+of the plant. Then, when not too cold, they opened the window, that
+fresh 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 room
+look so untidy that they washed the floor, and cleaned the walls, and
+arranged the furniture more neatly. This led the father of the family
+to mend a broken chair or two, which kept him at home several
+evenings. After this, he took to staying at home with his family in
+the evenings, instead of spending his time at the tavern; and the
+money thus saved went to buy comforts for them all. And then, as
+their home grew more pleasant, the whole family loved it better than
+ever before, and they grew healthier and happier with their flowers.
+What a little thing that plant was, and yet it was God's apostle to
+that family! It did a great work for them in blessing them and making
+them happy. And _that_ was work that an angel would have been glad to
+do.
+
+"Brought In by a Smile." A London minister said to a friend one day;
+"Seven persons were received into my church last Sunday, and they
+were 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 on
+my way to church, I saw, held in the arms of its nurse, a beautiful
+infant; and as it fixed its bright black eyes on me, I smiled, and
+the dear child returned the smile. The next Sabbath the babe was
+again before the window. Again I smiled, and the smile was returned,
+as before. The third Sabbath, as I passed by the window, I threw the
+little one a kiss. Instantly its hand was extended and a kiss thrown
+back to me. And so it came to pass that I learned to watch for the
+baby on my way to church; and as the weeks went by, I noticed that
+the nurse and the baby were not alone. Other members of the family
+pressed to the window to see the gentleman who always had a smile for
+the 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 and
+mother had said to those children: 'Get ready for church, for we
+think 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 their
+parents, and after I had passed, the door opened, and the children
+stepped upon the pavement, and kept near me, till I entered my
+church, when they followed me, and seats were given them.
+
+"When they returned home, they sought their parents and eagerly
+exclaimed: 'He is a minister, and we have found his church, and he
+preached a beautiful sermon this morning. You must go and hear him
+next Sunday.'
+
+"It was not difficult to persuade the parents to go, and guided by
+their children they found their way to the church. They, too, were
+pleased, and other members of the family were induced to come to the
+house 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 all
+brought in by a smile.'"
+
+What a little thing a smile is! And yet, here we see how God made use
+of so small a thing as this, to make seven persons Christians, and to
+save their souls forever! Of the God who can work in this way, it
+may well be said that he loves to work by little things. It is the
+way in which he is working continually.
+
+How eagerly, then, we may try to learn and to practise what has been
+very 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 the
+men whom Jesus chose to be his apostles. The first thing about this
+subject 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 of
+St. Matthew. In this chapter Jesus told the apostles all about the
+work they were to do for him, and how they were to do it. In the
+seventh and eighth verses of this chapter we have distinctly stated
+just what they were to do. "As ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of
+heaven 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 to
+them, not among the Gentiles, but only among the Jews; or as he calls
+them--"the lost sheep of the house of Israel," v. 5,6. But, after his
+resurrection, and just before he went up to heaven, he enlarged their
+commission. His parting command to them then was--"_Go ye into all
+the world, and preach the gospel to every creature_." St. Mark xvi:
+15.
+
+When Jesus, their Master, went to heaven they were to take up and
+carry on the great work that he had begun. Those twelve men were to
+begin the work of changing the religion of the world. They were to
+overturn the idols that had been worshiped for ages. They were to
+shut up the temples in which those idols had been worshiped. They
+were to "turn men from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan
+unto God." Acts xxvi: 18. They were to go up and down the world,
+everywhere, telling the wondrous story of Jesus and his love. And in
+doing this work they were to be the means of saving the souls of all
+who believed their message, and in the end of winning the world back
+to Jesus, till, according to God's promise, he has "the heathen for
+his inheritance, and the utmost parts of the earth for his
+possession." Ps. ii: 8.
+
+This was the grandest and most important work that men were ever
+called 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 not
+finished yet. And, if we learn to love and serve Jesus, we may help
+to carry it on. We may be apostles, too, though in a lower sense than
+that in which the first twelve were apostles. An apostle means--one
+_sent_. But Jesus _sends_ into the vineyard to work for him all who
+become his loving children. And, in this sense it is true that all
+who love and serve Jesus are his apostles. He says to each of
+us--"Go, work to-day, in my vineyard." St. Matt, xxi: 28. And in
+another 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 to
+bring them to him, then we are helping to carry on the same great
+work that Jesus gave his apostles to do. Let us look at some examples
+of persons who have been apostles for God and helped to do the work
+of apostles.
+
+"Aunt Lucy." I heard the other day of a good old woman in the State
+of Michigan, known as Aunt Lucy. She is eighty-four years old, and
+lives all alone, supporting herself principally by carpet-weaving.
+All that she can save from her earnings, after paying for her
+necessary expenses, she spends in buying Bibles, which she
+distributes among the children and the poor of the neighborhood.
+Thirteen large family Bibles, and fifty small ones, have thus been
+given away--good, well-bound Bibles.
+
+A neighbor, who has watched this good work very closely, says that
+two-thirds of the persons to whom Aunt Lucy has given Bibles have
+afterwards become Christians. In doing this work Aunt Lucy was an
+apostle.
+
+"The Charcoal Carrier." One Sunday afternoon, in summer, a little
+girl named Mary, going home from a Sunday-school in the country, sat
+down to rest under the shade of a tree by the roadside. While sitting
+there she opened her Bible to read. As she sat reading, a man, well
+known in that neighborhood as Jacob, the charcoal carrier, came by
+with 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 was
+not a Christian man, and was accustomed to work with his donkey as
+hard on Sunday as on week-days.
+
+When he came by where Mary was sitting, he stopped a moment, and
+said, 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:--"Remember
+the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do
+all 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 must
+think over what you have said."
+
+And he _did_ think over it. And the result of his thinking was, that
+instead of going with his donkey to the woods on the next Sunday, he
+went with his two little girls to the Sunday-school. And the end of
+it all was that Jacob, the charcoal carrier, became a Christian, and
+God's blessing rested on him and his family.
+
+Little Mary was doing an apostle's work when she read and explained
+the Bible to Jacob and was the means of bringing him to Jesus.
+
+"The Use of Fragments." In the Cathedral at Lincoln, England, there
+is a window of stained glass which was made by an apprentice out of
+little pieces of glass that had been thrown aside by his master as
+useless. It is said to be the most beautiful window in the Cathedral.
+And if, like this apprentice, we carefully gather up, and improve the
+little bits of time, of knowledge, and of opportunities that we have,
+we may do work for God more beautiful than that Cathedral window. We
+may do work like that which the apostles were sent to do. Here are
+some sweet lines, written by I know not whom, about that beautiful
+window, 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_--THE
+HELP--_they received_.
+
+In one place, we are told that Jesus "gave them power against unclean
+spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness, and
+all manner of disease." St. Matt. x: 1. In another place we are told,
+that for their comfort and encouragement in the great work they had
+to do, Jesus said to them, "Lo, I am with you always, even unto the
+end of the world." St. Matt. xxviii: 20. And if they only had Jesus
+with them, no matter what the work was they had to do, they would be
+sure of having all the help they might need. The apostle Paul
+understood this very well, for he said, "I can do all things through
+Christ, which strengtheneth me." Phil. iv: 13.
+
+And then, as if his own presence with them were not enough, Jesus
+promised that his apostles should have the help of the Holy Spirit in
+carrying on their work. Just before leaving them to go to heaven, he
+said to the disciples--"Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy
+Ghost is come upon you." Acts i: 8. And what this power was we see in
+the case of the apostle Peter; for the first sermon he preached
+after the Holy Ghost came upon him, on the day of Pentecost, was the
+means of converting three thousand souls. Acts ii: 41.
+
+And the same God who gave the apostles all the help they needed, has
+promised to do the same for you, and me, and for all who try to work
+for him. There are many promises of this kind in the Bible to which I
+might refer. But I will only mention one. This is so sweet and
+precious that it deserves to be written in letters of gold. There is
+no passage in the Bible that has given me so much comfort and
+encouragement 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 I
+am thy God; I will strengthen thee; yea--I WILL HELP THEE." This
+promise was not given for prophets and apostles only, but for all
+God's people to the end of time. You and I, if we are trying to serve
+God, may take it as ours. God meant it for us. And when we get this
+promised help from God, we can do any work he has for us to do, and
+be happy in doing it.
+
+"For Thine is the Power." "I can't do it--it's quite impossible. I've
+tried five times, and can't get it right"--and Ben Hartley pushed his
+book and slate away in despair. Ben was a good scholar. He was at
+the head of his class, and was very anxious to stay there. But the
+sums he had now to do were very hard. He could not do them, and was
+afraid of losing his place in the class. Most of the boys had some
+one 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 school
+much 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 a
+fellow do his sums."
+
+"O, yes; there is. There is help for every trouble in life in the
+Lord's prayer, if we only know how to use it. I was trying a long
+time before I found out what the last part of this prayer really
+means. 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 ask
+him to keep us from evil; and to forgive us our sins; and then we
+say: '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 helps
+me, Ben, when I have something hard to do. I say, 'For _thine_ is the
+power--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 he
+remembered when he had to stay home from school because he had no
+clothes fit to go in, how he prayed to God about it, and the
+minister's wife brought him a suit the very next day. "But a boy's
+sums, mother! it seems like such a little thing to ask God about."
+
+"Those sums are not a little thing to you, Ben. Your success at
+school depends on your knowing how to do them. _That_, is as much to
+you, as many a greater thing to some one else. Now I care a great
+deal about that, because I love you. And I know your Father in heaven
+loves 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 and
+slate and went up to his little room. Kneeling down by the bed he
+repeated the Lord's prayer. When he came to--"thine is the kingdom,"
+he stopped a moment, and then said, with all his heart--"'And thine
+is the power,' heavenly Father. I want power to know how to do these
+sums. There's no one else to help me. Lord, please give me power, for
+Jesus' sake, Amen."
+
+Ben waited a moment, and then, still on his knees, he took his slate
+and tried again. Do you ask me if he succeeded? Remember what Saint
+James says, "If any man lack wisdom let him ask of God, who giveth to
+all 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 away
+before one of his promises shall fail. Ben had prayed to God to help
+him, and God answered his prayer. He tried once more to work out
+those sums. After thinking over them a little while, he saw the
+mistake he had made in neglecting one of the rules for working the
+sums. He corrected this mistake, and then he found they all worked
+out beautifully. The next day he was head of the class; for he was
+the only boy who could say that he had done the sum himself, without
+getting any one at home to help him.
+
+"And yet I was helped, mother," said Ben, "for I am sure my Father in
+heaven helped me." But that was not what the teacher meant. After
+this, Ben never forgot the last part of the Lord's prayer. When he
+needed help he knew where the power was that could help him.
+
+Here was where the apostles got the help they needed in doing the
+hard work they had to do. And how much help we might get in doing our
+work if we only make a right use of this "power which belongeth unto
+God;" and which he is always ready to use in helping us.
+
+The help they received, is the third thing to remember when we think
+about the apostles and their work.
+
+_The last thing to bear in mind when we think of Jesus choosing his
+twelve apostles, is_--THE LESSON--_it teaches us_.
+
+There are many lessons we might learn from this subject; but there is
+one so much more important than all the rest that we may very well
+let them go, and think only of this one. When St. Luke tells us about
+Jesus choosing the twelve apostles, he mentions one very important
+thing, of which St. Matthew, in his account of it says nothing at
+all. And it is this thing from which we draw our lesson. In the
+twelfth verse of the sixth chapter of his gospel, St. Luke
+says--"And it came to pass in those days, that he (Jesus) went out
+into 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 call
+his disciples to him, and out of them to choose the twelve, who were
+to be his apostles. And the lesson we learn from this part of the
+subject 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 yet
+it is easy enough to see at least two reasons why he did this. One
+was because _he loved to pray_. We know how pleasant it is for us to
+meet, and talk with a person whom we love very much. But prayer
+is--talking with God--telling him what we want, and asking his help.
+But Jesus loved his Father in heaven, with a love deeper and stronger
+than we can understand. This must have made it the most delightful of
+all things for him to be engaged in prayer, or in talking with his
+Father in heaven. And, if we really love Jesus, prayer will not be a
+hard 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 spent
+the whole night in prayer, before choosing his twelve apostles.
+
+But there was another reason why Jesus spent so much time in prayer
+before performing this important work, and that was to _set us an
+example_. It was to teach us the very lesson of which we are now
+speaking--the lesson of prayer. Remember how much power and wisdom
+Jesus had in himself; and what mighty things he was able to do. And
+yet, if _He_ felt that it was right to pray before engaging in any
+important 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 our
+lives to connect prayer with everything we do. This will make us
+happy in our own souls, and useful to those about us.
+
+How full the Bible is of the wonders that have been wrought by
+prayer! Just think for a moment of some of them.
+
+Abraham prays, and Lot is delivered from the fiery flood that
+overwhelmed Sodom and Gomorrah. Gen. xix: 29. Jacob prays, and he
+wrestles with the angel, and obtains the blessing; his brother
+Esau's mind is wonderfully turned away from the wrath he had
+cherished for twenty years. Moses prays and Amalek is discomfited.
+Joshua prays and Achan is discovered. Hannah prays and Samuel is
+born. David prays and Ahithophel hangs himself. Elijah prays and a
+famine of three years comes upon Israel. He prays again, and the rain
+descends, and the famine ends. Elisha prays, and Jordan is divided.
+He prays again, and the dead child's soul is brought back from the
+invisible world. Isaiah and Hezekiah pray, and a hundred and
+eighty-five thousand Assyrian soldiers are slain in one night by the
+unseen sword of the angel. These are Bible illustrations of the help
+God gives to his people in answer to prayer. And the Bible rule for
+prayer, as given by our Saviour, is, "that men ought _always_ to
+pray," Luke xviii: 1. St. Paul's way of stating it is--"Praying
+always, with all prayer," Ephes. vi: 18. In another place he
+says--"Pray without ceasing," I. Thess. v: 17. And even the heathen
+teach the same rule about prayer. Among the rules of Nineveh, an
+inscription 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 this
+morning?" asked a little girl.
+
+"My child, we have had no breakfast, and have no dinner to eat when
+we come back," said her grandma.
+
+"But the Lord Jesus can give it to us if we ask him," said the little
+girl. "Let's ask him." So they kneeled down, and asked that God, "who
+feedeth the young ravens when they cry," to remember them, and help
+them.
+
+Then they went to church. They found it very much crowded. An old
+gentleman took the little girl upon his knee. He was pleased with her
+quiet behaviour. On parting with her at the close of the service, he
+slipped a half crown into her hand. "See, Grandma," she said, as soon
+as 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 same
+school; one of them, named Mary, always said her lessons well, the
+other, named Jane, always failed. One day Jane said, "Mary, how does
+it happen that you always say your lessons so well?" Mary said she
+prayed over her lessons, and _that_ was the secret of her success.
+
+Jane concluded to try praying. But the next day she failed worse than
+ever. In tears, she reproached Mary for deceiving her. "But, did you
+study hard, as well as pray over your lesson?" asked Mary.
+
+"No; I thought if I only prayed, that was all I had to do," replied
+Jane. "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 lessons
+well," was Mary's wise answer. The next day Jane studied, as well as
+prayed, and she had her lesson perfectly.
+
+The greatest work we can ever do, is to bring a soul to Jesus, or to
+convert a sinner from the error of his way. Here is an illustration
+of 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 a
+stage-coach," said a Christian gentleman, "when the driver by my side
+began to swear in a dreadful manner. I lifted up my heart for God's
+blessing on what I said; and presently, in a quiet way, I asked him
+this question: 'Driver, do you ever pray?' He seemed displeased at
+first; but after awhile he replied, 'I sometimes go to church on
+Sunday; and then I suppose I pray, don't I?' 'I am afraid you never
+pray at all; for no man can swear as you do, and yet be in the habit
+of praying to God.'
+
+"As we rode along he seemed thoughtful. 'Coachman, I wish you would
+pray now,' I said. '"Why, what a time to pray, Sir, when a man is
+driving a coach!"' 'Yet, my friend, God will hear you,' '"What shall
+I 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 said
+them over a second, and a third time. The end of the journey was
+reached, 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 was
+answered. I saw myself a lost, and ruined sinner; but now, I humbly
+hope, that through the blood which cleanseth from all sin, and by the
+power of the Holy Spirit, I am a converted man.'"
+
+And so, when we think of the twelve apostles, appointed by Jesus to
+preach his gospel, these are the four things for us to remember in
+connection with them, viz.:--_the men_ whom he chose; _the work_ they
+had 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 it
+as for God, and then we shall be his apostles--his sent ones. Let me
+put the application of this subject in the form of some earnest,
+practical lines that I lately met with. The lines only speak of
+boys, 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 days
+of his public ministry. He was _sent_ to teach and to preach. The
+speaker in the book of Job was thinking of this Great Teacher when he
+asked--"_Who teacheth like him_?" Job xxxvi: 22. And it was he who
+was in the Psalmist's mind when he spoke of the "good, and upright
+Lord" who would teach sinners, if they were meek, how to walk in his
+ways. Ps. xxv: 8-9. And he is the Redeemer, of whom the prophet
+Isaiah 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 how
+true was what Nicodemus said of him, that "he was a _teacher sent
+from God_." John iii: 2. Thus what was said of Jesus, before he came
+into our world, would naturally lead us to expect to find him
+occupied in teaching. And so he _was_ occupied, all through the days
+of his public ministry. St. Matthew tells us that--"Jesus went about
+all Galilee, _teaching_ in their synagogues." Ch. iv: 23. Further on
+in his gospel he tells us again that "Jesus went about all the
+cities, and villages, teaching in their synagogues." Ch. ix: 35. When
+on his trial before Pilate, his enemies brought it as a charge
+against him that he had been--"_teaching_ throughout all Jewry." Luke
+xxiii: 5. We read in one place that--"the elders of the people came
+unto him _as he was teaching_." Matt. xxi: 23. Jesus himself gave
+this 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 look
+at the life of Christ from this point of view--as a Teacher. There
+never was such a Teacher. We do not wonder at the effect of his
+teaching of which we read in St. John vii: 46, when the chief priests
+sent some of their officers to take him prisoner, and bring him unto
+them; the officers went, and joined the crowd that was listening to
+his preaching. His words had such a strange effect on them that they
+could not think of touching him. So they went back to their masters
+without doing what they had been sent to do. "And when the chief
+priests and Pharisees said unto them--Why have ye not brought him?
+The officers answered, _Never man spake like this man_." Jesus was
+indeed--_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 things
+about his teaching which made him different from any other teacher
+the 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 great
+sermon to his disciples, called "The Sermon on the Mount." This is
+the most wonderful sermon that ever was preached. Jesus began it by
+telling about some of the great blessings he had brought down from
+heaven for poor sinful creatures such as we are. The sermon begins in
+the fifth chapter of St. Matthew, and the first twelve verses of the
+chapter are occupied in speaking of these blessings. As soon as he
+opened his mouth and began to speak a stream of blessings flowed out.
+
+It was a beautiful thought, on this subject, which a boy in
+Sunday-school once had. The teacher had been talking to his class
+about the beginning of this sermon on the mount. He had spoken of the
+sweetness of the words of Jesus, when "He opened his mouth and
+taught" his disciples. "How pleasant it must have been, my dear
+boys," said he, "to have seen the blessed Saviour, and to have heard
+him speak!"
+
+A serious-minded little fellow in the class said, "Teacher, don't you
+think that when Jesus opened his mouth, and began to speak to his
+disciples, it must have been like taking the stopper out of a scent
+bottle?" I cannot tell whether this boy had ever read the words of
+Solomon or not; but he had just the same idea that was in his mind
+when he said of this "Great Teacher," "thy name is _as ointment
+poured forth_." Cant, i: 3. We perceive the fragrance of this
+ointment as soon as Jesus opens his mouth and begins to speak. If we
+had been listening to Jesus when he began this sermon, saying:--"
+Blessed are the poor in spirit; blessed are the meek; blessed are the
+pure in heart; blessed are the peace-makers"--and so on till he had
+spoken of _nine_ different kinds of blessing, we might have thought
+that he had nothing but blessings of which to tell. It would have
+seemed as if his mind, and heart, and lips, and hands were all so
+filled with blessings that he could do nothing else till he had told
+about these. And the blessings spoken of here are not all the
+blessings that Jesus brought. They are only specimens of them. The
+blessings he has obtained for us are innumerable. David says of them,
+"If I would declare and speak of them they are more than can be
+numbered." 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 that
+mourn, for they shall be comforted." Jesus came to bring comfort to
+the mourners. Hundreds of years before Christ came the prophet Isaiah
+had 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 was
+to 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. My
+salvation was finished on the cross. My soul is saved. Heaven is
+mine. 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's
+well, he compared the blessing of his grace to the water of that
+well. Pointing to the well at his side, he said: "Whosoever drinketh
+of this water will thirst again. But whosoever drinketh of the water
+that I shall give him, shall never thirst; but the water that I shall
+give him, shall be _in him, a well of water, springing up unto
+everlasting life_." John iv: 13, 14. This is one of the most
+beautiful illustrations of the blessing Jesus gives that ever was
+used. It is a great blessing to have a well of clear, cold water in
+our garden, or near our door. But, only think of having a well of
+water _in our hearts_. Then, wherever we go, we carry that well with
+us. We never have to go away from it. No one can separate between us
+and the water of this well. Other wells dry up and fail. But this is
+a well that never dries up, and never fails. This well is deep, and
+its water is all the time "springing up unto everlasting life." How
+happy they are in whose breasts Jesus opens this well of water!
+
+Coleridge, the English poet, in writing to a young friend, just
+before his death, said:
+
+"Health is a great blessing; wealth, gained by honest industry, is a
+great blessing; it is a great blessing to have kind, faithful, loving
+friends and relatives, _but, the greatest, and best of all blessings
+is to be a Christian_."
+
+One of the most able and learned lawyers that England ever had was
+John Selden. He was so famous for his learning and knowledge that he
+is always spoken of as "the learned Selden." On his deathbed he
+said--"I have taken much pains to know everything that was worth
+knowing among men; but with all my reading and all my knowledge,
+nothing now remains with me to comfort me at the close of life but
+these precious words of St. Paul: 'This a faithful saying, and worthy
+of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save
+sinners;' to this I cling. In this I rest. This gives me peace, and
+comfort, and enables me to die happy."
+
+William Wilberforce was another of the great and good men who have
+been 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 my
+Saviour. Read the Bible. Let no other book take its place. Through
+all my trials and perplexities, it has been my comfort. And now it
+comforts 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 this
+well in our breasts, may well be called, "the Great Teacher," because
+of the great blessings--of which he tells.
+
+_In the second place Jesus may be called "the Great Teacher" because
+of the_--GREAT SIMPLICITY--_of his teachings_.
+
+I do not mean to say that we can understand every thing that Jesus
+taught. This is not so. He had some things to speak about that are
+not simple. He said to his disciples, "_I have yet many things to say
+unto you, but ye cannot bear them now_." John xvi: 12. This means
+that there are some things about God, and heaven, of which he wished
+to tell them, but they were too hard for them to understand, although
+they were full-grown men. And so he did not tell them of these
+things. But even among the things that Jesus did tell about, there
+are some which the wisest and most learned men in the world have
+never been able to understand or explain. Some one has compared the
+Bible to a river, in which there are some places deep enough for an
+elephant or a giant to swim in; and other places where the water is
+shallow enough for a child to wade in. And it is just so with the
+teachings of Jesus. Some of the most important lessons he taught are
+so plain and simple that very young people can understand them.
+
+We have a good illustration of this in that sweet invitation which
+Jesus gave when he said,--"_Come unto me, all ye that labor and are
+heavy laden, and I will give you rest._" Matt. xi: 28. Very young
+people know what it is to feel tired and weary from walking, or
+working too much, or from carrying a heavy burden. And, when they are
+too tired to do anything else, they know what it is to go to their
+dear 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 we
+are tired, or troubled, that our souls may find rest in him. We come
+to Jesus, when we pray to him; when we tell him all about our
+troubles; when we ask him to help us; and when we trust in his
+promises.
+
+  "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 his
+doctrines to children just weaned. Chap. xxviii: 9. This shows us
+that 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 those
+loving words:--"_Suffer the little children to come unto me, and
+forbid 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 such
+interest in children as Jesus did. And none of them ever taught with
+such great simplicity. What multitudes of young people have been led
+to love and serve Jesus by thinking of the sweet words he spoke about
+children!
+
+"The Child's Gospel." A little girl sat still in church listening to
+the minister. She could not understand what he was saying till he
+quoted these words of Jesus about the children. But she understood
+them. She felt that they were words spoken for her. They made her
+feel very happy. And when she went home she threw her arms around her
+mother'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 years
+old. 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 when
+he was on earth?"
+
+In a moment the sweet words she had learned in the school were on her
+lips--"Suffer the little children to come unto me, &c."
+
+"Well, Carrie, for whom did Jesus speak these words?" At once she
+clapped 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 away
+since "Jesus was here among men," these same simple words have been
+drawing 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, and
+this was another thing that helped to make him the Great Teacher_.
+
+It was this great tenderness that led him, when he came to be our
+Teacher and Saviour to take our nature upon him and so become like
+us. 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 disciples
+saw him on the Mount of Transfiguration. But then we should have been
+afraid of him. He would not have known how we feel, and could not
+have felt for us. But instead of this, his tenderness led him to take
+our nature upon him, that he might be able to put himself in our
+place, and so to understand just how we feel, and what we need to
+help and comfort us. This is what the apostle means in Heb. ii: 14,
+when he says--"Forasmuch as the children were partakers of flesh and
+blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same." He did this
+on purpose that he might know, by his own experience, how we are
+tried and tempted; and so be able to sympathize with us and help us
+in all our trials.
+
+Here is a little story, very simple, and homely; but yet, one that
+illustrates very well the point of which we are speaking. It is a
+story about:
+
+"A Lost Horse Found." A valuable horse was lost, belonging to a
+farmer in New England. A number of his neighbors turned out to try
+and find the horse. They searched all through the woods and fields
+of the surrounding country, but in vain. None of them could find the
+horse. At last a poor, weak-minded fellow, who was known in that
+neighborhood as "simple Sam," started to hunt the horse. After awhile
+he came back, bringing the stray horse with him. The owner of the
+horse 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 do
+it?"
+
+"Wal, you see," said Sam, "I just 'quired whar the horse was seen
+last; 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 I
+went, and found him." Now, when Sam, in the simplicity of his feeble
+mind, 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 his
+owner again. And so, to pass from a very little thing to a very great
+one, when Jesus came down from heaven to seek and to save sinners
+that were lost, this is just the way in which he acted. He put
+himself in our place as sinners. As the apostle Paul says: "he who
+knew no sin, was made sin for us," that he might save us from the
+dreadful consequences of our sins.
+
+And we see the tenderness of Jesus, not only in taking our nature
+upon him and becoming man, but in what he did when he lived in this
+world as a man. "_He went about doing good_." It was his great
+tenderness that led him to do this. Suppose that you and I could have
+walked 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 seen
+him meeting with blind men and opening their eyes that they might
+see. We should have seen him meeting with deaf men, and unstopping
+their ears that they might hear. We should have seen him meeting sick
+people who were taken with divers diseases and torments and healing
+them. We should have seen him raising the dead; and casting out
+devils; and speaking words of comfort and encouragement to those who
+were sad and sorrowful. If we could have looked into his blessed
+face, we should have seen tenderness there, beaming from his eyes and
+speaking from every line of his countenance. If we could have
+listened to his teaching we should have found tenderness running
+through all that he said. Just take one of his many parables as a
+sample of his way of teaching--the parable of the lost sheep--and see
+how full of tenderness it is. The sweet lines of the hymn, about the
+shepherd seeking his lost sheep, that most of us love to sing, bring
+out 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," demonstrates
+his great tenderness for his sheep.
+
+But perhaps there was no act in all the life of our blessed Redeemer
+that showed his tenderness more than taking the little children in
+his arms, and putting his hands upon them, and blessing them.
+
+To think of the Son of God, who made this world, and all worlds, and
+whom all the angels of heaven worship, showing so much interest in
+the little ones; this proves how full of tenderness his heart was.
+
+"I Like Your Jesus." An English lady who had spent six months in
+Syria, 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 little
+ones, as we learned from a dear Moslem child, who, when she repeated
+the text, 'Suffer the little children,' said, 'I like your Jesus,
+because he loved little children. Our Mohammed did not love little
+children.'"
+
+And if we all try to imitate the tenderness of Jesus, then, though we
+may have no money to give, and no great thing to do, yet by being
+tender, and gentle, and loving, as Jesus was, we shall be able to do
+good wherever we are.
+
+"Doing Good by Sympathy." A Christian mother used to ask her children
+every night if they had done any good during the day. One night in
+answer to this question, her little daughter said: "At school this
+morning I found little Annie G----, who had been absent for some
+time, crying very hard. I asked her what was the matter? Then she
+cried more, so that I could not help putting my head on her neck, and
+crying with her. Her sobs grew less, and presently she told of her
+little 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. Then
+she 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, and
+crying, too, as hard as she did. After awhile she kissed me, and told
+me 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 Great
+Teacher. Nothing in the world could have done that poor sorrowing
+child so much good as to have some one cry with her. Sometimes tears
+of tenderness are worth more than diamonds. And this is why the Bible
+tells us to "weep with them that weep." Rom. xii: 15. Jesus did this
+in the tenderness of his loving heart. And this was one of the things
+that made him the Great Teacher.
+
+_But then there was_--GREAT KNOWLEDGE--_in Jesus; and this was
+another thing that made him great as a teacher_.
+
+If we wish to be good teachers, we must study, and try to understand
+the things we expect to teach. If a young man wishes to be a
+minister, he must go through college; and then spend three years in
+the Divinity School, so that he may understand the great truths of
+the Bible, which he is to teach the people who hear him. But Jesus
+never went to college, or to a divinity school. And yet he had
+greater knowledge about all the things of which he spoke than any
+other 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 us
+that "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 ever
+lived, and give it to one person, it would be as nothing compared to
+the knowledge which Jesus, "the Great Teacher" had. He knew all about
+heaven; for that had always been his home before he came into our
+world. He knew all about God; for, he was "in the bosom of the
+Father," John i: 18; and, as he tells us himself, had shared his
+glory with him, "before the world was." John xvii: 5. He knew all
+about the world we live in, for he made it. John i: 10. He knew all
+about 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, for
+he made them all. He saw all they did; he heard all they said; he
+knew all they thought, or felt. Wise and learned men have been
+studying, and finding out things for hundreds of years, about
+geography 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 have
+told about them, if he had seen fit to do so. But he only told us
+what it is best for us to know, in order that we might be saved; and
+kept back all the rest. The things that Jesus did teach us when he
+was here on earth were wonderful; but it is hardly less wonderful to
+think 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 are
+not surprised that some of those who heard him "wondered at the
+gracious words" he spake; or that others asked the question: "Whence
+hath this man this knowledge, having never learned?"
+
+Some one has written these sweet lines about Christ as--_The Great
+Teacher_:
+
+    "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 other
+teachers is seen, not only in the greater knowledge he has of the
+things that he teaches, but in this also, that he knows how to make
+us understand the lessons he teaches. Here is an incident that
+illustrates how well Jesus can do this. We may call it:
+
+"The Well Instructed Boy." A minister of the gospel was travelling
+through 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 no
+covering on his head, and no shoes or stockings on his feet; but he
+looked bright and happy. He had a New Testament in his hand. "Can you
+read, 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 clear
+distinct voice, began:
+
+"There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the
+Jews; 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 these
+miracles 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, placing
+his hand on his bosom, he said, "It is _something here_;" and then,
+raising his eyes to heaven, added, "_and something up yonder_." This
+poor boy had been taking lessons from "the Great Teacher," and he had
+taught him some of the most important things that we can ever learn.
+Jesus may well be called "the Great Teacher," because of his great
+knowledge.
+
+_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, yet
+they 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 the
+same kind that occurred while he was on earth. One day he was going
+about teaching in the streets of Jerusalem. As he went on, he passed
+by the office of a man who was gathering taxes for the Roman
+government. The persons who did this were called _publicans_. This
+man, sitting in his office, was named Matthew. He was busily engaged
+in receiving the taxes of the people. It was a very profitable
+business. The men engaged in it generally made a great deal of money.
+Jesus stopped before the window or door of this office. He beckoned
+to Matthew, and simply spoke these two words:--"_Follow me_."
+
+Now, if any other teacher had spoken these words to Matthew, and had
+tried to make him quit his business and engage in something else, he
+would have said: "No; I can't leave my office. This is all the means
+I have of getting a living. The business pays well, and I am not
+willing 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, and
+followed him." Matt. ix: 9; Luke v: 28. He became one of the twelve
+apostles and wrote the gospel which bears his name. But it was the
+great power which Jesus has over the hearts of men that made Matthew
+willing to do, at once, what he was told to do.
+
+And the power which Jesus exercised over Matthew, in this case, he
+still has, and still uses. And when he is pleased to use this power
+the very worst people feel it, and are made good by it. And Jesus,
+"the Great Teacher," uses this power sometimes in connection with
+very simple things. Here is an illustration. We may call it:
+
+"Saved by a Rose." Some time ago, a Christian gentleman was in the
+habit 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 little
+yard connected with each cell. He got permission from the officers of
+the prison to do so. He had a bracket fastened to the wall, in each
+yard, 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 most
+hardened man that had ever been in that prison. His temper was so
+violent and obstinate that no one could manage him. The keeper of the
+prison was afraid of him, and never liked to go near him. He was such
+a disagreeable-looking man that the name given to him in the prison
+was "Ugly Greg." A little rose bush was put on the bracket in Ugly
+Greg's yard, and the effect produced by it is told in these simple
+lines, 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 this
+hardened sinner. No; but it led him to think of the lessons of his
+childhood, when he had been taught about Jesus, "the Rose of
+Sharon". It led him to think about his sins. It led him to repent of
+them; 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 of
+him as--"a man saved by a rose;" yet it was the power of Jesus, "the
+Great Teacher," exercised through that rose, which led to this
+blessed change and saved Greg's soul from death.
+
+And thus we have spoken of five things which help to make up the
+greatness of Jesus as a Teacher. These are--The Great Blessings--The
+Great Simplicity--The Great Tenderness--The Great Knowledge--and the
+Great Power connected with his teachings. Let us seek the grace that
+will enable us to learn of him, and then we shall find rest for our
+souls!
+
+
+
+
+
+
+CHRIST TEACHING BY PARABLES
+
+
+
+
+
+We have spoken of our Saviour as "The Great Teacher," and tried to
+point out some of the things in his teaching which helped to make him
+great. And now, it may be well to speak a little of the illustrations
+which he made use of as a Teacher. These are called--_parables_. Our
+Saviour's parables were illustrations. This is what is meant by the
+Greek word from which we get the word parable. It means something
+_set down by the side of another_. When we teach a lesson we are
+setting something before the minds of our scholars. But suppose it is
+a hard lesson and they do not understand it. Then we use an
+illustration. This is something set down beside the lesson to make it
+plain. Then this, whatever it be, is a parable.
+
+At the beginning of his ministry, our Saviour did not make much use
+of parables. But, after he had been preaching for some time, he made
+a change in his way of teaching, in this respect. He began to use
+parables very freely. His disciples were surprised at this. On one
+occasion, after he had used the parable of the Sower, they came to
+their Master and asked him why he always spake to the people now in
+parables? 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 that
+he used parables for two reasons: one was to help those who really
+wished to learn from him to understand what he was teaching. The
+other was that those who were not willing to be taught might listen
+to him without understanding what he was saying. These people had
+heard him when he was teaching without parables. But, instead of
+thanking him for coming to teach them, and of being willing to do
+what he wanted them to do, they found fault with his teaching, and
+would not mind what he said.
+
+Now, there is a great difference between the way in which we are to
+learn what the Bible teaches us about God and heaven; and the way in
+which we learn other things. If we want to learn what the Bible
+teaches us we must be careful that we are having right feelings in
+our hearts; but if we want to learn other things it does not matter
+so much what our feelings are. For instance, suppose you have a
+lesson to learn in geography; no matter how you are feeling, whether
+you are proud, or humble; whether you are cross, or gentle; yet if
+you only study hard enough, and long enough, you can learn that
+lesson. But, if you want to learn one of the lessons that Jesus
+teaches, no matter how hard, or how long you study it, yet while you
+are giving way to proud, or angry feelings in your heart, you can
+never learn that lesson. And the reason is that we cannot learn these
+lessons 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 in
+our hearts. In learning geography, and other such lessons, we do not
+need the _special_ help of God. We can learn them ourselves, if we
+only try. But we cannot learn the lessons that Jesus teaches in this
+way. This is what the Psalmist means when he says:--"The _meek_ will
+he teach his way." Ps. xxv: 9. And this was what our Saviour meant
+when 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 tell
+us.
+
+Some one has well said that truth, taught by a parable, is like the
+kernel 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 the
+shell, and get it: but those who are not willing to crack the shell
+will 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 parables
+freely. We are told that--"without a parable spake he not unto the
+people." St. Mark xiii: 34. He used parables among his disciples for
+two reasons: these were to help them to _understand_, and to remember
+what he taught them.
+
+We have a great many of the parables of Jesus in the gospels. A full
+list of them will contain not less than _fifty_. It would be easy
+enough to make a sermon on each of these parables. But that would
+make a larger work than this whole LIFE OF CHRIST, on which we are
+now engaged. It is impossible therefore to speak of all the parables.
+We can only make selections, or take some specimens of them. We may
+speak of five different lessons as illustrated by some of the
+parables of Christ. These are--_The value of religion: Christ's love
+of sinners: The duty of forgiveness: The duty of kindness: and the
+effect of good example_.
+
+_Well then, we may begin by considering what Jesus taught us of_--THE
+VALUE 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, "The
+kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which
+when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and
+selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field." The words "kingdom
+of heaven" are used by our Saviour in different senses. Sometimes, as
+here, they mean the grace of God, or true religion. And what Jesus
+teaches us by this parable is that true religion is more valuable
+than anything else in the world.
+
+The next parable, in the forty-fifth and forty-sixth verses of the
+same chapter, is about The Pearl of Great Price. This teaches the
+same lesson. It reads thus:--"The kingdom of heaven is like unto a
+merchantman seeking goodly pearls: who, when he had found one pearl
+of 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 the
+treasure hid in the field in the former parable. And the truth he
+teaches in both these parables is that religion is more important to
+us than anything else in the world. Let us look at some incidents
+that 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 the
+words he used to a person who was visiting him: "Once every thing
+went wrong at our house; father was wrong, mother was wrong, sister
+was wrong, and I was wrong; but now, since I have learned to know and
+love Jesus it is all right. I know why everything went wrong
+before:--it was because I was wrong myself." And this is true. The
+first thing that religion does for us is to make us _be_ right
+ourselves, and then to _do_ right to others.
+
+"Be." A young lady had been trying to do something very good, but had
+not succeeded. Her mother said, "Marian, my child, God gives us many
+things to _do_, but we must not forget that he gives us some things
+to _be_; and we must learn to _be_ what God would have us be, before
+we can _do_ what God would have us do."
+
+"O dear mother, please tell me about _being_, and then I shall know
+better 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 better
+day 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 your
+notice 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 of
+Jesus will help us to make these all our own. How great then must the
+value of religion be! Surely it is worth while for each of us to try
+and secure it!
+
+I think I never saw a better view of the value of religion than is
+seen in the following statement of what it does for us. I know not by
+whom it was written, but it is put in the form of that sacred sign to
+which 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. In
+her fourteenth year she was taken with a severe illness, from which
+the doctor said she could not recover. When she became too weak to
+leave the sofa, she would send for one and another of the neighbors
+to come in to see her, and then she would speak to them of Jesus and
+his great salvation. One day a poor old woman who was not a
+Christian, 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: she
+will 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 shall
+soon be with Jesus in heaven, and live forever with him."
+
+"Oh, how can you know that, my dear? We must not be _too_ sure you
+know," said the poor woman.
+
+"Oh," said Annie, pointing to a card hanging on the wall, near her
+bed, on which was printed in large letters the hymn headed--"I leave
+it all with Jesus." "That's what I do! That's what I do." These are
+the words of the hymn which gave that dear child so much comfort on
+her 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 which
+Jesus taught us in his parables, namely--_the value of religion_.
+
+_Another thing we are taught in these parables is_--CHRIST'S LOVE FOR
+SINNERS.
+
+The parable of the lost sheep teaches us this truth: but as we had
+occasion to speak of this in our last chapter, when illustrating the
+tenderness 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 are
+told 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 lost
+piece till she found it. This woman represents Jesus. The lost piece
+of money represents our souls lost by sin. The efforts of the woman
+to 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 _seek
+and to save that which was lost_." And it was the love of Jesus for
+poor sinners which led him to do all this for us. And everything
+connected with the history of Jesus when he was on earth shows the
+greatness of his love. Think of Bethlehem and its manger; there we
+see the love of Jesus. Think of Gethsemane with its bloody sweat;
+there we see the love of Jesus. Think of Calvary with its cross of
+shame and agony; for _there_ we see the love of Jesus.
+
+And the parable of the prodigal son teaches us the same lesson. We
+read of this in the same chapter, St. Luke xv: 11-32. This son had
+been disobedient and ungrateful. He had taken the money his father
+gave him and had gone away and spent it in living very wickedly. And
+when the money was all spent and he was likely to starve, he went
+back to his father, hungry and ragged, and asked to be taken in. And
+instead of scolding and punishing him as he deserved, as soon as his
+father saw him, he ran, and fell on his neck and kissed him; and took
+off his rags, and dressed him in good clothes, and made a great feast
+for him. How beautifully this parable illustrates the love of Christ
+for sinners!
+
+And when we learn to know and feel the love of Christ for us, it does
+two 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 been
+living without trying to serve or please God, and is led to see how
+wrong it is to live in that way, and then feels an earnest desire to
+turn around, and live differently, and really does so:--that is
+conversion. The teaching or preaching of the gospel is the chief
+means that God employs to convert men. And the thing about the gospel
+in which this converting power lies is--_the love of Christ_. Here
+is an illustration of what this means.
+
+"He Loved Me." An English minister of the gospel was traveling in
+Switzerland one summer. As he passed from place to place, he preached
+by means of an interpreter in various churches. One Sunday night he
+preached from the words, "_He loved me, and gave himself for me_."
+Gal. ii: 20. Then he went on his way without knowing what effect had
+followed from his preaching.
+
+One Saturday evening, several weeks after, the minister of this
+church was sitting in his study. There came a faint knock at his
+door. He opened it, when, to his great surprise he saw there a young
+man, who was known as the wickedest young man in that neighborhood,
+and the leader of others in all sorts of wickedness. He invited him
+in, gave him a seat, and asked him what he wished. Judge of his
+surprise when the young man said he wished to inquire if he might
+come to the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, which was to be
+celebrated in his church the next day!
+
+"But are you not aware, my young friend," said the minister, "that
+only those who love Christ, and are trying to serve him, have any
+right to come to that holy ordinance?"
+
+"I know it, sir," said the young man, "and I am thankful to feel
+that I am among that number."
+
+"But," asked the astonished pastor, "are you not known in this
+village as the ringleader in all evil doings?"
+
+"Alas! it is too true that it has been so," he replied, "but thank
+God all is changed now."
+
+"I am happy indeed to hear it; but pray tell me what led to this
+great change."
+
+"I was in your church, sir," said he, "some weeks ago, when that
+English minister preached from the words, 'Who loved me and gave
+himself for me,' That was the first time I ever understood about the
+love of Christ. It led to my repentance and conversion; and now I
+wish 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 that
+illustrates this point very well. We may call it:
+
+"Maggie's Secret." "Maggie Blake, how can you study so hard, and be
+so provokingly good?" This question was asked by Jennie Lee, who was
+one of the largest and wildest girls in the school. Maggie hesitated
+a moment, whether to tell her secret or not. But, presently she
+lifted up her eyes, looked her companion bravely in the face, and
+said--"It's for Jesus' sake, Jennie."
+
+"But do you think he cares?" asked Jennie in a soft, subdued
+voice,--"do you think he cares how we act?"
+
+"I _know_ he does," said Maggie. "And it makes it so pleasant you
+see, even to study and get hard lessons, when I know he is looking at
+me, and is pleased to have me working my best for him. He always
+helps me to get my lessons; and then helps me to say them right. You
+know I used to be so frightened I could not say them, even when I had
+learned them well."
+
+"Yes," said Jennie, remembering very well how Maggie had changed in
+that respect.
+
+"That was before I thought of learning them for Jesus. After that he
+helped me all along. It makes me like school; and even disagreeable
+things are pleasant when I think of doing them for him."
+
+Jennie had often watched Maggie, and wondered what made her have such
+a bright, cheerful, happy look. Now she knew the secret of it. It was
+doing everything "for Jesus' sake."
+
+She felt she would gladly give everything she had to be as happy as
+Maggie. She asked Maggie to pray for her, and she began to pray for
+herself. Then Jesus helped her, and she soon had Maggie's secret for
+her own. The girls in school wondered at the change which had come
+over Jennie. But when they heard that she had been confirmed, and had
+joined the church, they understood it all. They knew she "had been
+with Jesus;" and that it was learning to know and feel his wonderful
+love which had made Jennie so good, and so happy.
+
+And so, we see that Jesus was doing a blessed thing for us when he
+taught the parables which show his love for sinners.
+
+_A third thing taught us by some of the parables of Jesus is_--THE
+DUTY OF KINDNESS.
+
+One day, while Jesus was on earth, a young man came to him with the
+great question, what he should do to obtain eternal life. Jesus
+referred him to the Ten Commandments; and reducing them to two, he
+told the young man that these commandments required him to love God
+with all his heart, and his neighbor as himself; and then said if he
+would 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. I
+suppose that Jesus intended to give this young man some lessons about
+the commandments of God which would lead him to see that he never
+could keep them himself; and that he would need some one to keep them
+for him, and that _this_ was the only way in which he, or any one
+else could be saved. It may have been that the young man did not want
+to hear any thing more on that subject, and so he gave the
+conversation a different turn by asking--"who is my neighbor?" when
+Jesus said he must love his neighbor as himself. And then, in answer
+to this question Jesus told the parable of the "Good Samaritan." We
+have this parable in St. Luke x: 30-37.
+
+Here we are told of a certain man who was going down from Jerusalem
+to Jericho, and fell among thieves. They robbed him; and wounded him;
+and left him half dead. While he was lying there helpless and
+suffering, a priest and a Levite came, and looked on him, and passed
+by on the other side, without giving him any help. Then we are told
+that a certain Samaritan came by, and when he saw the poor wounded
+man lying there, although he was a Jew, and the Jews and the
+Samaritans hated each other very much, yet he pitied him, and went up
+to him, and bound up his wounds, and set him on his own beast, and
+carried him to an inn, and told them to take care of him, and said
+that he would pay all his expenses. Then Jesus asked the question,
+"Which now, of these three thinkest thou was neighbor to him that
+fell among thieves? And he said, he that showed mercy on him. Then
+said 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 the
+duty that Jesus teaches.
+
+Let us look at one or two illustrations of the way in which we should
+do this.
+
+"The Honey Shield." It is said that wasps and bees will not sting a
+person whose skin is covered with honey. And so those who are exposed
+to the sting of these venomous little creatures smear their hands and
+faces over with honey, and this, we are told, proves the best shield
+they can have to keep them from getting stung. And the honey here
+very well represents the kindness which Jesus teaches us to practise.
+If kindness, gentleness, and forbearance are found running through
+all our words and actions, we shall have the best shield to protect
+us from the spiteful stings of wicked people.
+
+"Androcles and the Lion." Most of those who read these pages may have
+heard this story, but it illustrates the point before us so well that
+I do not hesitate to use it here.
+
+Androcles was a Roman slave. To escape the cruel treatment of his
+master he ran away. A lonely cave in the midst of the forest was his
+home for a while. Returning to his cave one day he met a lion near
+the mouth of the cave. He was bellowing as if in pain; and on getting
+nearer to him, he found that he was suffering from a thorn which had
+run into one of his paws. It was greatly swollen and inflamed, and
+was causing him much pain. Androcles went up to the suffering beast.
+He drew out the rankling thorn and thus relieved him of his pain. His
+nature, savage as it was, felt the power of the kindness thus shown
+to him. He became attached to the lonely slave, and shared his prey
+with him while they remained together.
+
+But, after a while the retreat of Androcles was discovered. He was
+taken and carried back to his master. The lion also was made a
+prisoner soon after. Androcles was kept in prison for some time; and
+finally, according to the custom of the Romans, he was condemned to be
+devoured by wild beasts. The lion to be let loose on Androcles had
+been kept a long time without food and was very hungry. When the door
+of his den was opened he rushed out with a tremendous roar. The
+Colosseum was crowded with spectators. They expected to see the poor
+slave torn to pieces in a moment. But, to the surprise of everyone,
+the great monster, hungry as he was, instead of devouring the
+condemed man, crouched at his feet, and began to fondle him, as a pet
+dog would do. He recognized in the poor prisoner his friend of the
+forest and showed that he had not forgotten his kindness. The
+kindness of Androcles had been like the honey shield to him. It saved
+his life, first from the savage beast in the forest; and then from
+the savage men in the city. Let us all put on this shield, and wear
+it wherever we go. The lesson of kindness which Jesus teaches in
+this parable, has been very well put by some one in these sweet
+lines:
+
+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 the
+parables.
+
+_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 he
+ought to forgive a brother that offended him; and whether it would be
+enough to forgive him _seven_ times. The answer of Jesus was, "I say
+not 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 thousand
+talents. If these were talents of silver they would amount to more
+than fifteen millions of dollars. If they were talents of gold, they
+would amount to three hundred millions. This would show that his debt
+was so great that he never could pay it. Then his master freely
+forgave 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; but
+put him in prison. When his master heard this he was very angry, and
+put him in prison, where he should be punished until he had paid all
+his great debt. And Jesus finished the parable by saying--"_so
+likewise, shall my heavenly Father do unto you, if ye, from your
+hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses_." And here
+we are taught the great duty of forgiveness. And this same duty is
+taught us in the Lord's Prayer, where he says--"Forgive us our
+trespasses, as we also forgive those who trespass against us." If we
+use this prayer without forgiving those who injure us, then, in so
+using it, we are really asking God _not_ to forgive us. And Jesus
+_practised_ what he _preached_. As he hung bleeding and agonizing on
+the cross, while his enemies were cruelly mocking his misery, he
+looked up to heaven, and uttered that wonderful prayer--"_Father
+forgive them; for they know not what they do_." Here we have the best
+illustration of forgiveness that the world has ever seen.
+
+"Example of Forgiveness." In a school in Ireland, one boy struck
+another. The offending boy was brought up to be punished, when the
+injured boy begged for his pardon. The teacher asked--"Why do you
+wish to keep him from being flogged?" The ready reply was--"Because I
+have read in the New Testament that our Lord Jesus Christ said that
+we must forgive our enemies; and therefore I forgive him, and beg
+that he may not be punished for my sake."
+
+"Good for Evil." At the foot of a street in New York, stood an
+Italian organ grinder, with his organ. A number of boys had gathered
+round him, but they were more anxious to have some fun than to hear
+music. 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 so
+much force that the poor man's hat was knocked into the gutter. A
+gentleman standing by expected to see him get very angry, and swear
+at the boy. But, very different from this was the result that
+followed. The musician stopped; stepped forward and picked up his
+hat. 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 real
+Christian forgiveness.
+
+"The Power of the Gospel." Years ago some carpenters moved to the
+Island of New Zealand, and set up a shop for carrying on their
+business. They were engaged to build a chapel at one of the Mission
+Stations. One of these carpenters, a pleasant, kind-hearted man,
+engaged a native Christian to dig his garden for him. When the work
+was done the man went to the shop for his pay. Another of the
+carpenters there, who was a very ill-tempered man, told the native to
+get out of the shop. "Don't be angry," was the gentle reply; "I have
+only come to have a little talk with your partner, and to get my
+wages from him." "But I _am_ angry." And then taking hold of the New
+Zealander by the shoulder, he abused and kicked him in the most cruel
+manner.
+
+The native made no resistance till the carpenter ceased. Then he
+jumped up, seized him by the throat, and snatching a small axe from
+the 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 to
+kill you; and my arm is quite willing, but my heart is not. I have
+heard the missionaries preach the gospel of forgiveness. You owe your
+life to the preaching of the gospel. If my heart was as dark now as
+it was before the gospel was preached here, I should strike off your
+head in an instant!"
+
+Then he released the carpenter without injuring him and accepted from
+him a blanket as an apology for the insult. How faithfully this man
+was practising the duty of forgiveness which Jesus taught!
+
+_The only other thing of which we shall now speak, as taught by our
+Saviour 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 truth
+it teaches is very important. We first find this parable in the
+sermon 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 a
+candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let
+your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works,
+and glorify your Father which is in heaven." Matt, v: 15. This
+parable is so important that we find it repeated in three other
+places. 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 good
+example by doing what we know to be right, and then, like a candle
+shining in a dark place, we shall be useful wherever we go. Let us
+look at one or two incidents that illustrate this.
+
+"A Boy's Influence." Two families lived in one house. In each of
+these families there was a little boy about the same age. These boys
+slept together. One of them had a good pious mother. She had trained
+him to kneel down every night, before getting into bed, and say his
+prayer in an audible voice, and to repeat a text of scripture which
+she had taught him. Now the first time he slept with the other little
+boy, who never said any prayers, he was tempted to jump into bed, as
+his companion did, without kneeling down to pray. But he was a brave
+and noble boy. He said to himself--"I am not afraid to do what my
+mother taught me. I am not ashamed for anybody to know that I pray to
+God. I'll do as I have been taught to do." He did so. He let his
+light shine. And see what followed from its shining!
+
+The little boy who had never been taught to pray learned his
+companion's prayer, and the verse he repeated, by hearing them, and
+he never forgot them. He grew up to be an earnest Christian man. When
+he 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 that
+it was his little prayer, so faithfully said every night when they
+were boys, which led him to become a Christian. He repeated the
+prayer and the verse, word for word, and with his dying lips thanked
+his friend for letting his light shine as he did, for _that_ had
+saved his soul.
+
+Here is another illustration of a Christian letting his light shine
+and the good that was done by it. We may call it:
+
+"The Shilling Bible, and what Came of It." Some years ago a
+Christian gentleman went on a visit for three days to the house of a
+rich lady who lived at the west end of London. After tea, on the
+first evening of his arrival, he called one of the servants, and
+telling her that in the hurry of leaving home he had forgotten to
+bring a Bible with him, he requested her to ask the lady of the house
+to be kind enough to lend him one.
+
+Now that house was beautifully furnished. There were splendid
+pictures on the walls, and elegantly bound volumes in the library and
+on 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 the
+servant a shilling and told her to go to the book store round the
+corner and buy a Bible. The Bible was bought and given to the
+gentleman. He used it during his visit, and then went home, little
+knowing how much good that shilling Bible was to do.
+
+When he was gone the lady at whose house he had been staying said to
+herself:
+
+"How strange it is that an intelligent gentleman like my friend could
+not bear to go for three days without reading the Bible, while I
+never read it at all, and don't know what it teaches. I am curious
+to know what there is in this book to make it so attractive. I mean
+to begin and read it through." She began to read it at first out of
+simple curiosity. But, as she went on reading she became deeply
+interested in it. It showed her what a sinner she was in living
+without God in the world. It led her to pray earnestly for the pardon
+of her sins; and the end of it was that she became a Christian. Then
+she desired that her children should know and love the Saviour too.
+She prayed for them. She talked with them, and taught them the
+precious truths contained in that blessed book. And the result was
+that, one by one, they were all led to Jesus and became Christians.
+And so _that whole family were saved by means of that shilling
+Bible_.
+
+When that gentleman asked for the use of a Bible in the house where
+he was visiting, he was setting a good example. He was putting his
+candle on a candlestick and letting it shine. And the result that
+followed gives us a good illustration of the meaning of our Saviour's
+words when he said:--"Let your light so shine before men, that they
+may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven."
+
+And so, when we remember the parables that Jesus taught, among other
+things illustrated by them, we can think of these,--_the value of
+religion;--Christ's love for sinners;--the duty of kindness;--the
+duty of forgiveness;--the influence of a good example_.
+
+I know not how to finish this subject better than in the words of the
+hymn:
+
+  "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 on
+earth by the parables which he used. But we teach by our lives, as
+well as by our lips. It has passed into a proverb, and we all admit
+the truth of it, that "Actions speak louder than words." If our words
+and our actions contradict each other, people will believe our
+actions sooner than our words. But when both agree together, then the
+effect is very great. This was true with our blessed Lord. There was
+an entire agreement between what he said, and what he did. His words
+and his actions, the teaching of his lips, and the teaching of his
+life--were in perfect harmony. He practised what he preached.
+
+But then, in addition to the every day common actions of the life of
+Christ, there were actions in it that were very uncommon. He was
+daily performing miracles, and doing many mighty and wonderful
+works. And the prophets before him, and apostles after him, performed
+miracles too; yet there were two things in which the miracles of
+Christ differed from those performed by others. One was as to the
+_number_ of them. He did a greater number of wonderful things than
+anyone else ever did. Indeed if we take the miracles that were done
+by Moses, by Elijah and Elisha, in the Old Testament, and those that
+were done by the apostles in the New Testament and put them all
+together we shall find that they would not equal, in number, the
+miracles of Christ. There are between thirty and forty of the mighty
+works wrought by our Saviour mentioned in the gospels. And these, as
+St. John says, are only a small portion of them. Ch. xxi: 25.
+
+The other thing in which the miracles of Christ are different from
+those performed by other persons, is _the way in which they were
+done_. The prophets and apostles did their mighty works in the name
+of God, or of Christ. Thus when Peter and John healed the lame man at
+the gate of the temple they said:--"_In the name of Jesus Christ of
+Nazareth_, rise up and walk." Acts iii: 6. But Jesus had all the
+power in himself by which those wonderful things were done. He could
+say to the leper,--"_I will_; be thou clean." He could say to the
+sick man:--"Take up thy bed and walk." When speaking of his death and
+resurrection, he could very well say that it was his own power which
+would control it all. His life was in his own hands. It was true, as
+he said, "No man taketh it from me; but I lay it down of myself. I
+have 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 all
+the 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 what
+Nicodemus meant when he said to Jesus:--"We know that thou art a
+teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou
+doest, except God be with him." John iii: 2. And Jesus himself
+referred 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 the
+Baptist, when his disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Are thou he that
+should come, or look we for another?" Jesus answered and said unto
+them, "Go, and show John again those things which ye do hear and see;
+the blind receive their sight; and the lame walk; the lepers are
+cleansed; and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up; and the poor
+have the gospel preached unto them." Matt, xi: 2-6. These were the
+very things which the prophets had foretold that Christ would do when
+he came. Is. xxix: 18. xxxv: 4-6. xlii: 7.
+
+It is clear from these passages that all the miracles performed by
+our Lord were intended to teach this lesson, that he was the great
+Saviour of whom the prophets had spoken. But then, in addition to
+this, these wonderful works of Jesus were made use of by him to show
+that he has power to do everything for his people that they may need
+to have him do.
+
+It is impossible for us to speak of all the miracles of Christ. We
+can only make selections from them, as we did with the parables in
+the last chapter. In looking at these we may see Jesus teaching us
+that he has power to do _four_ things for his people.
+
+_In the first place some of the miracles of Christ teach us that he
+has great power to_--HELP.
+
+We see this in the account given us of the miraculous draught of
+fishes. Luke v: 1-11.
+
+Peter was a fisherman before he became a disciple of Jesus. And James
+and John, the sons of Zebedee, were partners with him in the same
+business. On one occasion they had been busy all night throwing out
+and hauling in their nets, but without catching a single fish. Early
+the next morning, Jesus was walking along the shore of the lake, near
+where their boats were. He knew how tired and discouraged they were,
+and how much they needed help; and he wished to show them what
+wonderful power he had to help in time of need. So he told them to
+cast their net on the other side of the ship. They did so; and
+immediately their nets were full; and they had more fish than they
+could well manage. Here we are taught that even in the depths of the
+sea 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 the
+power to bring it to them.
+
+And then, by his miracle of walking on the sea Jesus taught the same
+lesson. 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 people
+and feeding them by miracle, Jesus told his disciples to go on board
+a vessel and cross over to the other side of the lake. Then he sent
+the multitude away, and went up into the mountain to pray to his
+Father in heaven whom he loved so much. It proved to be a stormy
+night. The wind was dead ahead; and the sea was very rough. The
+disciples were having a hard time of it. Tired of rowing, and making
+little progress, there was no prospect of their getting to land
+before morning. But, dark as the night was, Jesus saw them. It is
+true as David says, that--"_The darkness and the light are both alike
+to thee._" Ps. cxxxix: 12. He saw they needed help and he resolved to
+give 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 on
+the land. He steps from the sandy shore to the surface of the
+storm-tossed sea. He walks safely over its troubled waters. The
+disciples see him. Supposing it to be a spirit, they are alarmed, and
+cry out in their fear. But presently the cheering voice of their
+Master comes to them, saying: "_It is I. Be not afraid_." He steps on
+board. The wind ceases, and immediately, without another stroke of
+the oars, the mighty power of Jesus brings them "in safety to the
+haven where they would be." Other miracles might be referred to as
+teaching the same lesson. But these are sufficient. And Jesus has the
+same power to help now that he had then.
+
+Here are some illustrations of the strange way in which he sometimes
+helps his people in their times of need.
+
+"The Dead Raven." A poor weaver in Edinburgh lost his situation one
+winter, on account of business being so dull. He begged earnestly of
+his 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 and
+told his wife the sad news she was greatly distressed. He tried to
+comfort her with the assurance--"The Lord will help." But as he could
+get 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 last
+morsel of bread was eaten one morning at breakfast. "What shall we do
+for 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 off
+the sill. Just then a rude boy, who was passing, threw a dead raven
+in through the window. It fell at the feet of the pious weaver. As
+he threw the bird in, the boy cried out in mockery, "There, old
+saint, is something for you to eat." The weaver took up the dead
+raven, saying as he did so:--"Poor creature! you must have died of
+hunger!"
+
+But when he felt its crop to see whether it was empty, he noticed
+something hard in it. And wishing to know what had caused its death,
+he took a knife and cut open its throat. How great was his
+astonishment on doing this, to find a small diamond bracelet fall
+into his hand! His wife gazed at it in amazement. "Didn't I tell
+you," he asked, in grateful gladness, "that the Lord will help?"
+
+He went to the nearest jeweler's, and telling how he had found the
+precious jewels, borrowed some money on them. On making inquiry about
+it, it turned out that the bracelet belonged to the wife of the good
+weaver's late employer. It had suddenly disappeared from her chamber.
+One of the servants had been charged with stealing it, and had been
+dismissed. On hearing how the bracelet had disappeared, and how
+strangely it had fallen into the hands of his late worthy workman,
+the gentleman was very much touched; and not only rewarded him
+liberally for returning it--but took him back into his employ, and
+said 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 who
+trust in him!
+
+"The Sailor Boy's Belief." One night there was a terrible storm at
+sea. All at once a ship, which was tossing on the waves, keeled over
+on 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," said
+the boy, "they are praying at this very moment in the Bethel ship at
+Glasgow for all sailors in danger: and I feel sure that God will hear
+their prayers: Now see, sir, if he don't!"
+
+These words were hardly out of the boy's mouth, before a great wave
+struck the ship, and set her right up again. And then a shout of
+praise, louder than the howling of the storm, went up to God from the
+deck of that saved ship.
+
+And so, in the miracles that he performed, one thing that Jesus
+taught was his power to help.
+
+_In the next place, among the miracles of Christ, we find some that
+were performed in order to teach us his power to_--COMFORT.
+
+One day, a great multitude of people waited on Jesus from morning
+till evening, to listen to his preaching. They were so anxious to
+hear that even when hungry they would not go away to get food. As the
+evening came on, the disciples asked their master to send the people
+away to get something to eat. But Jesus told them to give the people
+food. They said they had only five loaves and two fishes. Jesus told
+them to make the people sit down on the grass. And when they were
+seated he took the loaves and blessed, and brake them, and gave them
+to the disciples, and they gave them to the people. And great as that
+multitude was the supply did not fail. This was wonderful! Those
+loaves were very small. They were not bigger than a good-sized roll.
+The whole of the five loaves and two fishes would not have been
+enough to make a meal for a dozen men. And yet they were made
+sufficient to feed more than five thousand hungry people. How strange
+this was! The mighty power of Jesus did it. We are not told just
+_where_, in the interesting scene, this wonder-working power was put
+forth. It may have been that as Jesus brake the loaves and gave the
+pieces 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 have
+increased and multiplied while the disciples were engaged in
+distributing them. It is most likely that the miracle took place in
+immediate connection with Jesus himself. The power that did it was
+his: and in his hands, we may suppose that the wonderful work was
+done. As fast as he broke the loaves they increased, till all the
+people were fed. This was indeed not _one_ miracle, but a multitude
+of miracles, all performed at once. The hungry multitude ate till all
+were satisfied: and yet the fragments left filled twelve baskets.
+Five thousand men were fed, and then there was twelve times as much
+food left as there was before they began to eat. All this was done to
+satisfy that hungry crowd, and to teach them, and us, what power this
+glorious Saviour has to comfort those who are in need or trouble.
+
+And when he healed the daughter of the Syrophoenician woman, as we
+read in St. Matt, xii: 21-28; when he healed the lunatic child, as we
+read in St. Matt, xvii: 14-21; and when he raised Lazarus from the
+dead, 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 comfort
+those in trouble.
+
+And we see him using his power still to comfort persons who are in
+distress. Here are some illustrations of the way in which he does
+this:
+
+"Shining in Every Window." A Christian lady, who spent much time in
+visiting among the poor, went one day to see a poor young girl, who
+was kept at home by a broken limb. Her room was on the north side of
+the house. It did not look pleasant without or cheerful within. "Poor
+girl!" she said to herself, "what a dreary time she must have!" On
+entering her room she said:
+
+"I am sorry, my friend, that your room is not on the other side of
+the house, where the sun could shine upon you. You never can have any
+sunshine here."
+
+"Oh, you are mistaken," she said: "the sunshine pours in at every
+window, and through every crack."
+
+The lady looked surprised.
+
+"I mean Jesus, 'the Sun of righteousness,' shines in here, and makes
+everything bright to me."
+
+Here we see Jesus showing his power to comfort.
+
+"Ice in Summer." Some years ago a Christian merchant, in one of our
+eastern cities, failed in business, and lost everything he had. After
+talking over their affairs with his wife, who was a good Christian
+woman, they concluded to move out to the west and begin life again
+there. He bought some land on the wide rolling prairie, built a log
+cabin, and began to cultivate his farm. In the midst of the second
+summer, hard work and exposure to the sun brought on an attack of
+sickness, and a raging fever set in. They were twelve miles away from
+the nearest town. One of the neighbors went there and came back with
+a doctor. He examined the case very carefully, and left some medicine
+with them, and told them what to do. He said it was a very dangerous
+attack. If they could only get some ice to apply to the burning brow
+of 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 her
+family and friends round the bedside of her sick husband, and kneeled
+down with them in prayer. She told God what the doctor had said, and
+prayed 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 each
+other that the poor distressed woman must be losing her mind. "The
+idea of getting ice here," they said, "when everybody knows there
+isn't a bit of ice in all the country! It would be contrary to all
+the laws of nature to have ice in summer."
+
+The wife of the sick man heard their remarks, but they did not shake
+her faith in God, and in the power of prayer. Silently, but
+earnestly, 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 was
+heard to mutter. Nearer and louder it was heard. The lightning began
+to flash. Presently the storm burst in its fury. It came first in
+rain, and then in hail. The hail-stones came in lumps of ice as big
+as eggs. They lay thick in the furrows of the field. The thankful
+wife 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 he
+was restored to life and health.
+
+This grateful woman never troubled herself with any questions about
+whether it was a miracle or not. She only knew that she had prayed
+for ice in summer, and that the ice had come. And her faith was
+stronger than ever that the gracious Saviour, who did so many
+miracles when he was on earth, has just the same power now to comfort
+his people when they are in trouble.
+
+_In the third place, we see Jesus performing miracles to teach us
+what power he has to_--ENCOURAGE--_his people_.
+
+We have an account in St. Luke xiii: 10-17, of the miracle he
+performed on the woman who had "a spirit of infirmity." This means
+that she was a cripple. Her body was bound down, so that she had no
+power to straighten herself or to stand upright. She had been in this
+condition we are told for _eighteen_ years. How hard to bear--and how
+discouraging this trial must have been to her! No doctor could give
+her any relief, and she had made up her mind, no doubt, that there
+was no relief for her till death came. But when Jesus saw her, he
+pitied her. A miracle of healing was performed upon her. He laid his
+loving hand upon her bent and crippled body, and in a moment her
+disease was removed. She stood straight up, and glorified God. What
+encouragement that must have given to her!
+
+One day, when Jesus was at Capernaum, the tax-gatherers came to Peter
+to get the tribute, or tax-money, that was due to the Roman
+government, for himself and his master. But, it happened so that
+neither of them had money enough with which to pay that tax. Peter
+went 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 say
+anything on the subject, told him what to do. He directed him to take
+his fishing-line and go to the lake, and cast in his line, and catch
+the first fish that should bite; and said that in its mouth he would
+find a piece of money with which he might pay the tribute that was
+due for them both.
+
+Peter went. He threw in his line. He soon caught a fish. He looked
+into the fish's mouth and lo! there was a piece of money called a
+stater. It was worth about sixty cents of our money, and was just
+enough to pay the tribute for two persons. How wonderful this was! If
+Jesus made this piece of money in the mouth of the fish, at the time
+when Peter caught it, how wonderful his _power_ must be! And if,
+without making it then, he knew that _that_ one fish, the only one in
+the sea, probably, that had such a piece of money in its mouth, would
+be 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 he
+lived. And when he thought of the illustration it afforded of the
+wonderful power and the wonderful knowledge of the master whom he was
+serving, what encouragement that would give him in his work!
+
+And Jesus is constantly doing things to encourage those who are
+trying to serve him.
+
+Let us look at some of the ways in which this is done. Our first
+illustration is from the life of Washington Allston, the great
+American painter. We may call it:
+
+"Praying for Bread." Many years ago Mr. Allston was considered one of
+the greatest artists in this country. At the time to which our story
+refers, he was living in London. Then he was so poor that he and his
+wife had not a morsel of bread to eat; nor a penny left with which to
+buy any. In great discouragement he went into his studio, locked the
+door, and throwing himself on his knees, he told the Lord his
+trouble, and prayed earnestly for relief.
+
+While he was still upon his knees, a knock was heard at the door. He
+arose 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 Royal
+Academy?"
+
+"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 the
+corner, 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 always
+asked 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 introduced
+himself as the Marquis of Stafford; and from that day he became one
+of 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 that
+followed him all his days!
+
+"The Hushed Tempest." A minister of the gospel in Canada gives this
+account of a lesson of encouragement to trust God in trouble, which
+he once received.
+
+"It was in the year 1853, about the middle of the winter that we had
+a succession of snowstorms, followed by high winds, and severe cold.
+I was getting ready to haul my supply of wood for the rest of the
+winter. I had engaged a man to go out the day before and cut the wood
+and have it ready to haul. I borrowed a sled and two horses from a
+neighbor and started early in the morning to haul the wood. Just as I
+reached the place, it began to snow hard. The wind blew such a gale
+that it was impossible to go on with the work. What was I to do? If
+it kept on snowing, I knew the roads would be impassable by the next
+day. Besides, that was the only day on which I could get the help of
+the man or the team. Unless I secured the wood that day it would not
+be 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 is
+a day of trouble to me. Lord help me. The elements are subject to thy
+will: Thou holdest the winds in thy hands. If thou wilt speak the
+word, there will be a great calm. O Lord, for the sake of my helpless
+little ones, let this snow lie still, and give me the opportunity of
+doing 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 I
+began to pray, before there was a visible change. The wind became
+more moderate; the sky was calm; in less than half an hour all was
+still; and a more pleasant time for wood-hauling than we had that day
+I never saw, nor desire to see. While I live, I never shall forget
+the lesson of encouragement to trust in God that was taught me on
+that day." And this was one of the lessons Jesus taught us by his
+miracles.
+
+_In the fourth place, among the miracles of Jesus we see some that
+were 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 weak
+to protect ourselves.
+
+One day, Jesus went into the house of the apostle Peter, and found
+the family in great distress, because the mother of Peter's wife was
+very ill and in danger of dying. We judge from the history that she
+was the head of the family. Her death would have been a great loss to
+them all, and yet it seemed as if no human power could protect them
+from that loss. But Jesus performed a miracle to save them from this
+threatened danger. He went into the room where she lay. He put his
+healing hands upon her, and at once she was well. Immediately she
+rose up from that sick bed, and took her place in the family and
+waited on Jesus.
+
+On another occasion he was crossing the sea of Galilee with his
+disciples. 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 he
+was lying there a sudden storm burst upon the sea. The wind howled in
+its fury. The angry waves rose in their might and dashed against the
+vessel in hissing foam. The ship was full of water, and in danger of
+sinking. The terrified disciples came to their sleeping Master with
+the earnest cry:--"Lord save us: we perish." He heard their cry. He
+rose at once. Quietly he took his stand by the side of the
+storm-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 lesson
+he taught them by that miracle of his power to protect in danger.
+
+And then many of the miracles of our Saviour were performed for the
+purpose of showing what power he had to protect his people from
+Satan, and the evil spirits that serve him. It pleased God to allow
+these evil spirits to have more power over men during the time when
+Jesus was on earth than they had before, or than they have now. We
+often read in the gospels of men who were "possessed of devils." This
+means that the evil spirits entered into the bodies of these men, and
+used them as their own; just as you, or I, might go into an empty
+house, and use it as if it belonged to us. But Jesus performed a
+number 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 from
+their 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, seeking
+whom he may devour." I. Peter v: 8. But he is a chained lion: and
+Jesus holds the chain. If we are trying to love and serve Jesus, we
+need not be afraid of this roaring lion. He cannot touch us till our
+Saviour gives him permission; and he will not let him hurt us. We see
+this illustrated in Job's case. Satan wanted very much to injure Job
+in some way. But he could not do it. And the reason of it was, as he
+said himself, that God had "put an hedge about him, and about his
+house, and about all that he had on every side." Job i: 10. This
+hedge, or fence, means the power which Jesus exercises to protect his
+people from the harm that Satan desires to do to them. In this way he
+protected Job. And in this way he protects all who love and serve
+him.
+
+Let us take an illustration or two to show how he is doing this
+continually.
+
+"Providential Deliverance." One of the best men, and one of the most
+useful ministers in London, during the last century, was the Rev.
+John Newton. Before entering the ministry he held an office under
+the government. One of the duties of this office was for him to visit
+and inspect the vessels of the navy as they lay at anchor in the
+river Thames. One day he was going out to visit a man-of-war that lay
+there. He was a very punctual man. When he had an engagement he was
+always ready at the very moment. But when he reached the dock on this
+occasion the boat which was to take him off to the man-of-war was not
+there. He was obliged to wait five, ten, fifteen minutes before the
+boat came. This displeased him very much. But the hand of God was in
+this delay. For, just as the boat was leaving the dock, a spark fell
+into the powder magazine on board the man-of-war. An explosion took
+place. The huge vessel was blown to pieces, and all the men on board
+of her were killed. That delay of a quarter of an hour saved Mr.
+Newton's life. In this way that gracious Saviour whom he served
+protected him from the danger to which he was exposed.
+
+"Willie's Heroism." One summer afternoon a teacher told her geography
+class that they might close their books and rest a little, while she
+told them a story. The story was about William Tell, the famous hero
+of Switzerland. She told the scholars how a wicked governor placed an
+apple on the head of Tell's little boy and then compelled the father
+to take his bow and arrow and shoot the apple from the head of his
+son. He was very unwilling to do it, for he was afraid the arrow
+might miss and kill his child. But the brave boy stood firm, and
+cried 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 from
+the 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 the
+teacher for protection. But a little boy named Willie Hawthorne, kept
+his 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 my
+Heavenly Father's hand, and why should I be afraid?"
+
+How well Willie had learned the lesson which Jesus taught his
+disciples when he performed so many miracles to show what power he
+has to protect his people from danger!
+
+Here is just one other story to illustrate this truth. We may call
+it:
+
+"The Widow's Tree," Some years ago a violent storm, with wind and
+thunder, 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 was
+spread all over the land.
+
+In the centre of the region over which this hurricane swept stood a
+small cabin. It was occupied by an aged Christian widow, with her
+only son. The terrible wind struck a large tree in front of her
+humble dwelling, twisting and dashing it about. If the tree should
+fall it would crush her home, and probably kill herself and son. The
+storm 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 asked
+God 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 was
+over, the widow's tree was spared, and strange as it may seem, was
+the only one left amidst that scene of desolation. There it stood,
+as if on purpose to show what power our loving Saviour has to protect
+from danger those who trust in him!
+
+_But, in the last place, we see that Jesus performed some of his
+miracles for the purpose of teaching us that he has power
+to_--PARDON.
+
+A man was brought him, one day, who was sick of the palsy. His limbs
+were helpless. He was not able to come to Jesus himself, so his
+friends carried him on a bed. At this time Jesus was preaching in the
+yard, or court, connected with some rich man's house. In those
+eastern countries the houses were not built as ours are, with a yard
+back of them. There is a square yard in the centre, and the house is
+built round the four sides of this square. This open space is
+generally used as a garden. It has a fountain playing in it, and a
+covering of cloth or mats spread over it to keep off the sun. It was
+in one of these open courts that Jesus was preaching on this
+occasion. A great crowd had gathered round him, so that the friends
+of the palsied man could not get near him with the bed on which the
+sufferer lay. Then they concluded to carry him up to the top of the
+house, and lower him down inside. This would not be easy to do with
+us. But the eastern houses are not so high as ours. And then they
+have flat roofs, and a flight of steps leading from the ground, on
+the outside, to the top of the house. This made it very easy to get
+up. When they were on the roof they removed the covering from the
+inner court, and let down the bed, with the sick man on it, directly
+in 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 were
+surprised at this. The Pharisees said among themselves "This man
+blasphemeth." Jesus knew their thoughts and told them it was as easy
+for him to heal the souls of men, as it was to heal their bodies. And
+then, to show them that he had power on earth to forgive sins, he
+said to the sick man--"Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine
+house. And he arose, and went to his house," Matt, ix: 1-8. Certainly
+the object Jesus had in view, in performing this miracle, was to
+prove 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. It
+affected the body as sin affects the soul. And then, leprosy was a
+disease which none but God could cure; just as sin is an offence
+which none but God our Saviour can pardon. And so Jesus performed the
+miracle of healing the palsied man and the lepers in order to teach
+his disciples the great lesson that he "had power on earth to forgive
+sins."
+
+And he has the same power still. Here are some illustrations of the
+way 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. The
+priests had sent him to their most famous temples, all over the
+country, but he could get no pardon, and find no peace. He had fasted
+till he was about worn to a skeleton, and had done many painful
+things--but pardon and peace he could not find. At last he was told
+to put pebbles in his shoes and travel to a distant temple, and make
+an offering there; and he would find peace. He went. He made the
+offering; but still he found no relief from the burden of his sins.
+
+Sad, and sorrowful, he was returning home with the pebbles still in
+his shoes. Wearied with his journey, he halted one day in the shade
+of a grove, by the wayside, where a company of people was gathered
+round a stranger who was addressing them. It was a Christian
+missionary preaching the gospel. The heathen listened with great
+interest. The missionary was preaching from the words:--"The blood of
+Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin." He showed what power Jesus had
+to forgive sins and how able and willing he is to save all who come
+unto him. The heart of the poor heathen was drawn to this loving and
+glorious Saviour. He took off his shoes and threw away the pebbles,
+saying "This is the Saviour I have long sought in vain. Thank God! I
+have found salvation!"
+
+Here is one more illustration of the way in which Jesus pardons our
+sins, and of the effect which that pardon has on those who receive
+it. We may call it:
+
+"Pardon and Peace." An officer who held a high position under the
+government of his country, and was a favorite with the king, was once
+brought before the judge and charged with a great crime. He took his
+place at the bar with the greatest coolness, and looked at the judge
+and jury and the great crowd of spectators as calmly as if he were
+at home, surrounded by his own family.
+
+The trial began. The witnesses were called up, and gave clear
+evidence that he was guilty. Still he remained as calm and unmoved as
+ever. There was not the least sign of fear visible on his
+countenance; on the contrary, his face wore a pleasant smile.
+
+At last the jury came in, and while the crowd in the court-room held
+their breath, declared that the prisoner was guilty. In an instant
+every eye was turned upon the prisoner to see what effect this
+sentence would have upon him. But just then, he put his hand in his
+bosom, drew out a paper, and laid it on the table. It was a pardon, a
+full, free pardon of all his offences, given him by the king, and
+sealed with the royal signet. This was the secret of his peace. This
+was what gave him such calmness and confidence in his dreadful
+position 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: though
+they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool," Is. i: 16. "Let
+them 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 had
+received. Faith in these promises brings pardon, and the pardon
+brings peace. And so, by what he is doing now, as well as by the
+miracles he performed when on earth, we are taught the precious
+truth, that--"The Son of man hath power to forgive sins."
+
+Then when we think of the wonderful miracles that Jesus did, let us
+always 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 we
+shall find that what Jesus taught by his miracles will be very
+profitable 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 which
+he taught, it would make a long list. As we have done before we can
+only take one or two specimens of these general lessons which Jesus
+taught.
+
+We have one of these in the title to our present chapter, which
+is--_Christ Teaching Liberality_. This was a very important lesson
+for Jesus to teach. One of the sad effects of sin upon our nature is
+to make it selfish, and covetous. We are tempted to love money more
+than we ought to do. We are not so willing to part with it as we
+should be. And we never can be good and true Christians unless we
+overcome the selfishness of our sinful hearts, and not only learn to
+give, but to give liberally. The Bible teaches us that God not only
+expects his people to give, but, as St. Paul says, in one place, to
+give "_cheerfully_." II. Cor. ix: 7.
+
+And this is the lesson Jesus taught when he said to his
+disciples,--"Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure,
+pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give
+into your bosoms." St. Luke vi: 38.
+
+And when we come to consider these words of Jesus, there are three
+things to engage our attention. _The first of these is the_--LESSON
+OF LIBERALITY--_here set before us_.
+
+_The second is_--THE PROOF--_that this lesson is taught all through
+the Bible_.
+
+_And the third is_--THE ILLUSTRATIONS--_of this lesson_.
+
+And then, when put into its shortest form, our present subject may be
+thus expressed--_the lesson of liberality; its proofs; and its
+illustrations_.
+
+And the lesson which Jesus here taught is all wrapped up in this
+little word--"_Give_." Here we learn what the will of Jesus is on
+this subject. This is not simply the expression of his opinion. It is
+not merely his advice; no, but it is his _command_. He is speaking
+here 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 to
+consider ourselves as his disciples if we are neglecting this or any
+other of his plain commands.
+
+And this command about giving is not intended for any _one_ class of
+persons among the followers of Christ, but for _all_ of them. It is
+not a command designed for kings, or princes, or rich men only, but
+for 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 us
+to 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 thousand
+dollars he expects us to give one hundred out of the thousand. If we
+have a hundred he expects us to give ten. If we have ten dollars we
+must give one of them to God. If we have only one dollar we must give
+ten cents of it to Him. If we have but ten cents we must give one of
+them. 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, but
+simply--give. This means that we are to learn the lesson and form the
+habit of giving. His command is--give. And in giving us this command
+he is only asking us to imitate his own example. _He is giving all
+the time_. The apostle Paul tells us that Jesus is "exalted to the
+right hand of the Father to--give." He never tires of giving. "He
+giveth to all life, breath, and all things." And if we have not the
+Spirit of Christ in this respect, "we are none of his."
+
+This, then, is the lesson of liberality that Jesus taught when he
+said--"give." And that _giving is God's rule for getting_ is what we
+are taught by our Saviour, when he said--"_Give, and it shall be
+given unto you_."
+
+And now, having seen what this lesson of liberality is, which Jesus
+taught, _let us look at some of the Scripture proofs of it_. The same
+lesson is taught in other places in the Bible. Let us see what is
+said 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 poor
+here, means being kind to them, and giving them such things as they
+need. And the blessing promised to those who do this means that God
+will 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's
+rule for getting."
+
+We have another proof that "giving is God's rule for getting," in
+Prov. iii: 9, 10. Here Solomon says--"Honor the Lord with thy
+substance, and with the first-fruits of all thine increase: So shall
+thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with
+new wine."
+
+When the Jewish farmers gathered in their harvests they were required
+to make an offering to God, of what had been gathered, before they
+used any part of it for themselves; and the offerings thus made were
+called "the first-fruits." God considered himself honored by his
+people when they did this, because they were keeping his commandments
+and 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 to
+the cause of God from all the money, or property we have, and from
+all the gain, or increase that we make to the same. This is the Bible
+rule--the will or command of God for all his people. And then, in
+the other part of this passage we have the promise of God to all who
+do this. "So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses
+shall burst out with new wine."
+
+This means that they shall be rich and prosperous. And so we see that
+this passage from the book of Proverbs, teaches the same lesson of
+liberality that our Saviour taught when he said--"_Give and it shall
+be given unto you_." It proves that "giving is God's rule for
+getting."
+
+And Solomon teaches the same, again, when he says, "The liberal soul
+shall be made fat; and he that watereth shall be watered also
+himself." Prov. xi: 25.
+
+A "liberal soul" means a person who is in the habit of giving; and to
+be "made fat" means to be prospered and happy. If you undertake to
+water a garden, you are _giving_ to the thirsty plants that which
+they need to make them grow and thrive; and when it is promised that
+the person who does this shall "be watered also himself," the meaning
+is that he shall have given to him all that is most important to
+supply his wants, and make him happy. And this, we see, is only
+teaching what our Saviour taught when he said, "Give, and it shall be
+given unto you." It furnishes us with another proof that "giving is
+God's rule for getting."
+
+In the nineteenth chapter of Proverbs and seventeenth verse we have a
+very clear proof of the lesson we are now considering. Here we find
+it 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 on
+the poor, as here spoken of, means giving them such things as they
+need. Whatever we use in this way God looks upon as so much money
+lent unto him; and we have his solemn promise that when we lend
+anything to him, in this way, "He will pay us again." And when he
+pays again what has been lent to him, it is always with interest. He
+pays 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 prove
+that the lesson of liberality which our Saviour taught is the same
+lesson which the Bible teaches everywhere. In Eccles. xi: 1, God
+says, "_Cast thy bread upon the waters; for thou shalt find it after
+many days_."
+
+If we should see a man standing on the end of a wharf and throwing
+bread upon the waters, we should think that he was a foolish man,
+who was wasting his bread, or only feeding the fishes with it. But
+suppose that you and I were travelling through Egypt--the land of the
+celebrated pyramids and other great wonders. The famous river Nile is
+there. During our visit the inundation of that river takes place. It
+overflows its banks, and spreads its water over all the level plains
+that border on the river. This takes place every year. And when the
+fields are all overflowed with water, the farmers go out in boats,
+and scatter their grain over the surface of the water. The grain
+sinks to the bottom. The sediment in the water settles down on the
+grain, and covers it with mud. By and by the waters flow back into
+the river. The fields become dry. The grain springs up and grows. The
+mud that covered it is like rich manure, and makes it grow very
+plentifully, and yield a rich harvest. And here we see the meaning of
+this passage. God makes use of this Egyptian custom to teach us the
+lesson of liberality that we are now considering. He tells us that
+the money which we give to the poor, or use to do good with, is like
+the grain which the Egyptian farmer casts upon the water, and which
+will surely yield a rich harvest by and by.
+
+This teaches us the lesson of liberality. And when we think of all
+these passages, we see very clearly that the Bible teaches the same
+lesson which Jesus taught when he said to his disciples, "Give, and
+it shall be given unto you." And what we learn, both from the
+teaching 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 of
+liberality, or for this rule about giving and getting, _let us go on
+to speak of some of the illustrations of this rule_. These are very
+numerous.
+
+And we may draw our illustrations from three sources, viz.:--_from
+the Bible; from nature; and from everyday life_.
+
+There are two illustrations of which we may speak from the Bible. We
+find one of these in the history of the prophet Elijah. You remember
+that there was a great famine in the land of Israel during the
+lifetime of this prophet. For more than three years there was not a
+drop of rain all through the land. The fields, the vineyards, and
+gardens dried up, and withered, and yielded no fruit. During the
+first part of the time when this famine was prevailing, God sent
+Elijah 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 of
+the brook.
+
+But after awhile the brook dried up. Then God told him to go to the
+city of Zarephath, or Sarepta, on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea,
+and that he had commanded a widow woman there to sustain him. He did
+not tell him the name of the woman; nor the street she lived in; nor
+the number of her house. Elijah went. When he came near the place he
+met a woman, picking up some sticks of wood. I suppose God told him
+that this was the woman he was to stay with. Elijah spoke to her, and
+asked her if she would please give him a drink of water. When she was
+going to get it, he called to her again, and said he was hungry, and
+asked her to bring him a piece of bread. Then she told him that there
+was not a morsel of bread in her house. All she had in the world was
+a handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse, and that
+she was gathering a few sticks, that she might go and bake the last
+cake for herself and her son, that they might eat it and die. And
+Elijah said, "Fear not; go, and do as thou hast said; but make me
+thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make
+for 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 oil
+fail, 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 to
+take the last morsel of bread she had, and that she needed for
+herself and for her hungry boy, and give it to a stranger. Yet she
+did it; because she believed God. I seem to see her turning the meal
+barrel up, to get the meal all out. Then she pours out the oil from
+the cruse, and drains out the last drop. She mixes the meal and the
+olive oil together, as is the custom in that country still, and makes
+a cake which can soon be baked. She takes it to the man of God, who
+eats it thankfully, and is refreshed. Then she returns to the empty
+barrel and cruse, and finds as much in them as she had lately taken
+out. She prepares some bread for herself and her son, and they eat it
+thankfully 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. We
+are not told how long it was after Elijah went to the widow's house
+before the days of the famine were over. But suppose we make a
+calculation about it. The famine lasted for three years. Now let us
+suppose, that the first half of this time was spent by the prophet at
+the brook Cherith. Then his stay at the widow's house must have been
+at least eighteen months. And, if this miracle of increasing the meal
+and the oil was repeated only once a day, there would be for the
+first twelve months, or for the year, three hundred and sixty-five
+miracles; and for the six months, or the half year, one hundred and
+eighty-two more; and adding these together we have the surprising
+number of _five hundred and forty-seven_ miracles, that were
+performed to reward this good widow for the kindness she showed to
+the prophet Elijah, when she gave him a piece of bread, and a drink
+of water! What an illustration we have here of the truth we are
+considering, that _giving is God's rule for getting_.
+
+But the best illustration of this subject to be found in the Bible is
+given in our Saviour's own experience. He not only _preached_ the
+lesson of liberality, but _practised_ it. He is himself the greatest
+giver ever heard of. In becoming our Redeemer he showed himself the
+Prince of givers. He gave--not silver and gold; not all the wealth of
+the world, or of ten thousand worlds like ours; but "He gave
+_Himself_ for us." He can say indeed, to each of us, in the language
+of 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 hath
+highly 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 every
+tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God
+the Father," Phil, ii: 9-11. Because of what he gave "for us men, and
+for our salvation," he will be loved and praised and honored in
+heaven, on the earth, and through all the universe, above all other
+beings, for ever and ever. What a glorious illustration we have here
+of the truth of this statement, that "giving is God's rule for
+getting." These are some of the illustrations of this lesson of
+liberality that we find in the Bible.
+
+_And now, let us look at some illustrations of this subject, that we
+have in nature_.
+
+Solomon suggests one of these when he says, "_There is that
+scattereth, and yet increaseth_." Prov. xi: 26. He is evidently
+speaking here of a farmer sowing his fields with grain.
+
+Now suppose that we had never seen a man sowing; and that we knew
+nothing at all about the growth of grain, or how wonderfully the seed
+sown in the spring is increased and multiplied when the harvest is
+reaped. Then, the first time we saw a farmer sowing his fields, we
+should have been ready to say, "What a foolish man that is! He is
+taking that precious grain by the handful, and deliberately throwing
+it 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 could
+have come back to visit that farmer when he was gathering in his
+harvest, how surprised we should have been! Then we should have
+learned that for every handful of grain that the farmer had
+scattered, or, as we thought, thrown away, in the spring, when he was
+sowing, he had gained forty or fifty handfuls when he reaped in his
+harvest. Then we should have understood what Solomon meant when he
+said, "There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth." And we should
+have here a good illustration of our Saviour's lesson of liberality,
+when he said, "Give, and it shall be given unto you;" and of the
+Bible truth we are now studying, that "giving is God's rule for
+getting."
+
+Yonder is the great ocean; it is one of the grandest of nature's
+works. And the ocean gives us a good illustration of the lesson of
+liberality which our Saviour taught. The waters of the ocean are
+spread out for thousands of miles. As the sun shines on the surface
+of the ocean, it makes the water warm, and turns it into vapor, like
+the steam that comes from the boiling kettle. This vapor rises into
+the air, and helps to form the clouds that are floating there. These
+clouds sail over the land, and pour out the water that is in them, in
+refreshing and fertilizing showers of rain. This rain makes the rills
+start from the sides of the mountains. The rills run down into the
+rivers, and the rivers flow back into the sea again. In this way the
+ocean is a great giver. It has been giving away its water for
+hundreds 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 it
+had power to control its own motions. And suppose that the ocean
+should say:--"Well, I think I have been giving away water long
+enough. I am going to turn over a new leaf. The sun may shine as much
+as it pleases. I won't let another drop of water go out from my
+surface. I am tired of giving, and I mean to stop doing it, any
+longer." Let us pause for a moment here, and see what the effect of
+this would be upon the ocean itself.
+
+We know that all the water in the ocean is salt water. But when the
+sun takes water from the ocean, in the form of vapor, it is always
+taken out as fresh water. It leaves the salt behind it. Then the
+water on the surface of the ocean, from which this vapor has been
+taken, has more salt in it than the water underneath it. This makes
+it heavier than the other water. The consequence of this, is that
+this heavier water, on the top of the ocean, sinks to the bottom; and
+at 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. The
+water from the top is sinking to the bottom, and the water from the
+bottom is rising to the top. And this is one of the means which God
+employs to keep the waters of the ocean always pure and wholesome.
+But if the ocean should stop giving away its water, as it has always
+been doing, then this constant change of its waters would cease. The
+ocean would be left still and stagnant. It would become a great mass
+of corruption; and the breezes from the ocean, that now carry health
+and life to those who breathe them, would carry only disease and
+death. And the thousands of people who now love the ocean and seek
+its shores every summer, to get strong and well by breathing the air
+that 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 its
+shores as they could. And so we see how the ocean stands before us as
+a grand illustration of the lesson of liberality which our Saviour
+taught when he said, "Give, and it shall be given unto you." The
+ocean gives away its water continually, and, in return for this, God
+gives it freshness and purity, and makes it a blessing to the world.
+And so the ocean illustrates the truth of the lesson we are now
+studying, that "giving is God's rule for getting."
+
+And yonder is the great sun, shining up in the sky. We do not know as
+much about the sun as we do about the ocean, because it is so far
+away from us. The ocean is very near us. We can walk along its
+shores, and plunge into its waters, and sail over its surface. We
+can study out all about the laws that govern it, and what the effect
+of those laws is upon it. But it is very different with the sun. It
+is about ninety millions of miles away from us. This is too far off
+for us to know much about it. And yet, we know enough about the sun
+to get from it a good illustration of God's rule about giving and
+getting. The sun, like the ocean, is a great giver. It is giving away
+light all the time. It was made for this purpose; and for this
+purpose it is preserved. If the sun should stop giving, and should
+try to keep all its light and heat for itself, the effect would be
+its ruin. By ceasing to give it would be burnt up and destroyed. And
+so, when we see the sower sowing his seed, or the reaper gathering in
+his harvest; when we look upon the ocean, and see the clouds formed
+from its waters, as they go sailing through the sky; or when we see
+the sun rising in the morning, going forth again to his appointed
+work of giving light to a dark world; let us remember that these are
+nature's illustrations of the lesson of liberality which Jesus taught
+when he said, "Give, and it shall be given unto you." They all help
+to 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 subject
+from everyday life_.
+
+If we are only watchful we shall meet with illustrations of this kind
+continually. 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 a
+sleigh during a very severe winter. It was snowing fast as they drove
+along. One of the travellers was a liberal, generous-hearted man, who
+believed in giving; and was always ready to share whatever he had
+with others. His companion was a selfish ungenerous man. He did _not_
+believe in giving; and liked to keep whatever he had for himself. As
+they drove along, they saw something covered up in the snow that
+looked like the figure of a man. "Look there," said the generous man
+to 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 for
+me. I intend to stay where I am;" and he wrapped his furs closely
+round him.
+
+The other traveller threw aside his furs and jumped out of the
+sleigh. He found it was a poor man, who had sunk down in the snow a
+short 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 for
+a good while. At last the man began to get warm again and was saved
+from death. Then the generous-hearted traveller helped him into the
+sleigh, and shared his wrappings with him. The exertion he had made
+in doing this kind act put him all in a glow of warmth. He made the
+rest of the journey in comfort. But when they stopped at the end of
+their journey, the selfish man, who was not willing to do anything
+for the help of another, had his fingers, and toes, and nose, and
+ears frozen. This illustrates the lesson of liberality; and shows
+that "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 in
+Virginia, during the late war, a Union officer fell wounded in front
+of the Confederate breastwork, which had been attacked. His wounds
+brought on a raging fever, and he lay on the ground crying piteously
+for water. A kind-hearted Confederate soldier heard the touching cry,
+and leaping over the fortifications, with his canteen in his hand, he
+crawled up to the poor fellow and gave him a drink of water. O, what
+a comfort this was to the wounded man! His heart was filled with
+gratitude towards this generous and noble soldier. He pulled out his
+gold watch from his pocket, and cheerfully offered it to his
+benefactor; but he refused to take it. Then he asked the soldier's
+name and residence. He said his name was James Moore, and that he
+lived in Burke County, North Carolina. Then they parted. This noble
+soldier afterwards lost a limb in one of the Virginia battles, and
+returned to his home as a cripple.
+
+The officer recovered from his wounds; but he never forgot the
+kindness of that Confederate soldier. And when the war was over, and
+he was engaged in his business again, he wrote to James Moore,
+telling him that he intended to send him the sum of ten thousand
+dollars in four quarterly installments of twenty-five hundred
+dollars each; and that he wished him to receive the same in token of
+the heartfelt gratitude with which his generous kindness on the
+battle-field was remembered. Certainly these were two noble men. It
+is hard to tell which was the more noble of the two. But when the
+crippled soldier thought of the drink of water which he gave to the
+wounded officer, and of the ten thousand dollars which he received
+for 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 must
+have felt sure of the lesson we are now considering, that "Giving is
+God's rule for getting."
+
+"The Secret of Success." Some time ago a Christian gentleman was
+visiting a large paper mill that belonged to a friend of his, who was
+a very rich man. The owner of the mill took him all through it, and
+showed him the machinery, and told him how the paper was made. When
+they were through the visitor said to his friend, "I have one
+question to ask you; and if you will answer it, I shall feel very
+much 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 your
+success in business?"
+
+"I don't know that there is any great secret about it," said his
+friend, "but I will tell you all I know. I got a situation, and began
+to work for my own living when I was only sixteen years old. My
+wages, at first, were to be forty dollars a year, with my board and
+lodging. My clothing and all my other expenses were to come out of
+the 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 be
+faithfully laid aside to be given to the poor, or to some religious
+work. This promise I kept religiously, and after laying aside
+one-tenth to give away, at the end of the year, besides meeting my
+expenses, I had more than a tenth left for myself. I then made a vow
+that 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 faithfully
+kept from that day to this. If there be any secret to my
+success--_this is it_. Whatever I receive during the year, I feel
+sure that I am richer on nine-tenths of it, with God's blessing, than
+I should be on the whole of it, without that blessing. I believe that
+God has blessed me, and made my business prosper. And I am sure that
+anyone who will make the trial of this secret of success, will find
+it work as it has done in my case."
+
+This man was certainly proving the truth of our Saviour's words, when
+he said--"Give, and it shall be given unto you." And his experience
+shows most satisfactorily that "giving is God's rule for getting."
+
+"The Steamboat Captain and the Soldier." During the late war there
+was a steamboat, one day, in front of a flourishing town on the Ohio
+River. 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 some
+miles down the river with an excursion party, who had chartered the
+boat for the occasion. While waiting for the party to come on board,
+a poor wounded soldier came up to the captain. He said he was
+suffering from severe sickness, as well as from his wounds. He had
+been 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, before
+he died; and he wished to know if the captain would give him a
+passage down the river on his boat. On hearing where his home was,
+the captain said that the party who had chartered his boat were
+going near that place; and he told the poor soldier that he would
+gladly 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, they
+were not willing to let him go; and asked the captain to put him
+ashore. The captain told the soldier's sad story, and pleaded his
+cause very earnestly. He said he would place him on the lower deck
+and put a screen round his bed, so that they could not see him. But
+the young people refused. They said as they had hired the boat, it
+belonged to them for the day, and they were not willing to have such
+a miserable-looking object on board their boat; and that if the
+captain did not put him off, they would hire another boat, and he
+would lose the twenty dollars they had agreed to give him for the
+day's excursion.
+
+The good captain made one more appeal to them. He asked them to put
+themselves in the poor soldier's place, and then to think how they
+would like to be treated. But still they refused to let the soldier
+go. Then the noble-hearted captain said: "Well, ladies and gentlemen,
+whether you hire my boat or not, I intend to take this soldier home
+to-day."
+
+The party did hire another boat. The captain lost his twenty
+dollars. But, when he returned the poor dying soldier to the arms of
+his loving mother, he felt that the tears of gratitude with which she
+thanked him were worth more than the money he had lost. The gentle
+mother dressed the wounds of her poor suffering boy; and nursed and
+cared for him, as none but a mother knows how to do. But she could
+not save his life. He died after a few days; and the last words he
+spoke, as his loving parents stood weeping at his bedside
+were--"Don't forget the good captain." And he was not forgotten. For
+after the soldier's funeral was over, his father went up the river to
+the town where the captain lived. He found him out. He thanked him
+again for his kindness in bringing home his dying boy; and made him a
+present that was worth four or five times the twenty dollars he had
+lost for the hire of his boat.
+
+But this was not the end of it. For not long after this, the captain
+and his wife were taken suddenly ill with a fatal disease that was
+prevailing in that region of the country. They both died; leaving two
+little orphan children, with no one to take care of them. The
+soldier's father heard of it; and he went at once and asked that he
+might be permitted to take the two helpless little ones and adopt
+them as his own children. He took them home; and was a father and a
+friend to them as long as he lived.
+
+How beautifully our Saviour's words--"Give, and it shall be given
+unto 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. We
+may call it:
+
+"The Miser and the Hungry Children." In a village in England were two
+little motherless girls who lived in a small cottage. Sally, the
+elder, was about eight years old and her sister Mary was six. They
+were very poor. Their father was a laboring man, and he found great
+difficulty in supporting himself and his children.
+
+Once, in the midst of winter, these two little girls were left alone
+all day, as their father had gone out to work. They had their
+breakfast in the morning with their father, before he left. But they
+had no dinner, nor anything to eat during the rest of the day. About
+the middle of the afternoon, Mary said to her sister: "Sally, I'm
+very hungry. Is there anything in the closet that we can get to eat?"
+
+"No," said Sally; "I've looked all through the closet; but there
+isn't a crust of bread, or a cold potato; nor anything to eat. I wish
+there was something; for I'm hungry too."
+
+"O, dear! what shall we do?" cried Mary; "I'm too hungry to wait till
+father comes home!"
+
+"Mary," said her sister, "suppose we ask our Father in heaven to give
+us 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 three
+times, and then wait, and see if God will send us some."
+
+Mary agreed to this. They both kneeled down, and Sally began: "Our
+Father, 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 our
+daily bread; give us this day our daily bread; give us this day our
+daily bread." Then they waited quietly, to see if anything would
+come.
+
+And now, while this was going on inside of that little cottage, let
+me tell you what was taking place outside.
+
+Not far from this cottage lived an old man who was a miser. He had a
+good deal of money, but he never gave any of it to others; and never
+would 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 a
+loaf of bread. He got the loaf, and, as it was a stormy afternoon, he
+put it under his coat before starting to walk home. Now, it happened,
+that just as he was passing the cottage in which the little girls
+were, a strong blast of wind blew the rain in his face, and he
+stepped into the porch of the cottage and crouched down in the
+corner, to shelter himself from the wind and rain. In this position
+his ear was brought quite close to the keyhole of the door. He heard
+what the little girls had said about being hungry. He heard their
+proposal to pray to the Father in heaven to give them bread. He heard
+the thrice repeated prayer--"give us this day our daily bread." And
+then came the silence, when the little ones waited, and watched for
+the bread. This had a strange effect on the miser. His hard, selfish
+heart, which had never felt a generous feeling for anyone, warmed up,
+and grew suddenly soft in tenderness towards these helpless, hungry
+little ones. Tears moistened his eyes. He put his thumb on the latch
+of the door. The latch was gently lifted and the door opened. He took
+the loaf from under his coat and threw it into the room. The little
+girls, still waiting and watching on their knees, saw the loaf go
+bouncing over the floor. They jumped up on their feet, and clapped
+their hands for joy.
+
+"O, Sally," said little Mary, "how good God is to answer our prayer
+so 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 that
+God sent it."
+
+And how about the miser? For the first time in his life he had given
+to the poor. Did the promise fail which says, "Give, and it shall be
+given unto you?" No; God's promises _never_ fail. He went to the
+bakery and bought another loaf for himself, and then he went home
+with different feelings from what he had ever had before. The warm,
+soft feeling that came into his hard heart when he gave the loaf to
+those children did not pass away. It grew upon him. He had found so
+much pleasure in doing that one kind act that he went on and did
+more. And God blessed him in doing it. He began to pray to that God
+who had answered the prayer of those little girls for bread in such a
+strange way. He read the Bible. He went to church. He became a
+Christian; and some time after, he died a happy Christian death. But
+before he died, as he was the owner of the cottage in which the
+little girls lived, he gave it to their father. What a beautiful
+illustration we have here of our Saviour's words--"Give, and it shall
+be given unto you!" This miser gave _a loaf of bread_ to these hungry
+children and God gave him _the grace that made him a Christian_! And
+as we think of this we may well say that "giving _is_ God's rule for
+getting."
+
+And thus we have considered the lesson of liberality which our
+Saviour taught; the proofs of that lesson found in the Bible; and the
+illustrations of it from the Bible, from nature, and from everyday
+life. The three things to be remembered from this subject are _the
+lesson_--_the proofs_--_the illustrations_.
+
+I will quote here, in finishing, three verses which teach the same
+lesson that our Saviour taught when he spoke the words from which I
+have tried to draw the lesson of liberality. The title at the head of
+them is taken from Solomon's words in one of the passages from the
+book 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 how
+everything connected with it teaches the lesson of humility. This is
+pointed out in the beautiful collect in The Book of Common Prayer for
+the first Sunday in Advent. Here we are taught to say:--"Almighty
+God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put upon
+us the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which
+thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in--great _humility_."
+
+If Jesus had come into our world as an angel, it would have been an
+act of humility. If he had come as a great and mighty king, it would
+have been an act of humility. But when he was born in a stable, and
+cradled in a manger; when he could say of himself, "the foxes have
+holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man hath
+not where to lay his head;" when there never was an acre, or a foot
+of ground that he called his own, although he made the world and all
+things in it; when he sailed in a borrowed boat, and was buried in a
+borrowed tomb; how well it might be said that he was teaching
+humility 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 on
+this subject.
+
+We have an account of this lesson in St. John xiii: 4-15. It is
+taught us in these words:--"He riseth from supper, and laid aside his
+garments; and took a towel and girdled himself. After that he poureth
+water into a bason, and began to wash his disciples' feet, and to
+wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded." Then occurs the
+incident about the objection which Peter made to letting Jesus wash
+his feet, and the way in which that objection was overcome. And then
+the story goes on thus:--"So after he had washed their feet, and had
+taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, 'Know
+ye what I have done unto you? Ye call me Master, and Lord; and ye say
+well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your
+feet; ye ought also to wash one another's feet. For I have given you
+an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.'"
+
+This was a very surprising scene. How astonished the angels must have
+been when they looked upon it! They had known Jesus in heaven, before
+he took upon him our nature, and came into this fallen world. They
+had seen him in "the glory which he had with the Father, before the
+world 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 feet
+of poor sinful men whom he came from heaven to save, how surprising
+it must have seemed to them! And when Jesus told his disciples that
+his object in doing this was to set them an example, that they should
+do as he had done to them, he did not mean that they should literally
+make a practice of washing each other's feet; but that they should
+show the same humility to others that he had shown to them, by being
+willing to do anything, however humble it might be, in order to
+promote their comfort and happiness. It is not the act itself, here
+spoken of, that Jesus teaches us to do; but the spirit of humility in
+which the act was performed that he teaches us to cultivate. We might
+go through the form of washing the feet of other persons, and yet
+feel proud and haughty all the time we were doing it. Then we should
+not be following the example of Jesus at all. When Jesus washed his
+disciples' feet, what he wished to teach them, and us, and all his
+people, is how earnestly he desires us to learn this lesson of
+humility. And when we think of the wondrous scene which took place on
+that occasion, the one thought it should impress on our minds, above
+all others is--_the importance of humility_.
+
+And if any one asks what is meant by humility? No better answer can
+be 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 to
+think, but to think soberly." Pride is "thinking of ourselves more
+highly than we ought to think." Humility is--_not_ "thinking of
+ourselves more highly than we ought to think." And humility is the
+lesson we are now to study. This is the lesson that Jesus wishes all
+who love him to learn. It is easy to speak of _five_ reasons why we
+should 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 his
+disciples, and to us, to learn the lesson of humility. And this is
+not the only place in which Jesus taught this lesson. He gave some of
+his 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 get
+the best seats for themselves at a feast, he took the opportunity of
+giving his disciples a lesson about humility. He told them, when they
+were bidden to a wedding feast, not to take the highest seats;
+because some more honorable person might be bidden, and when the
+master of the feast came in he might say to them 'let this man have
+that seat, and you go and take a lower seat'; then they would feel
+mortified, 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, go
+up higher: then shalt thou have worship"--or honor--"in the presence
+of them that sit at meat with thee." Here we have Jesus repeating
+his command to all his people to learn and practise the lesson of
+humility.
+
+And then we have another of our Saviour's parables in which he taught
+this same lesson of humility, and that is the parable of the Pharisee
+and the Publican. We find it in St. Luke xviii: 10-15. The parable
+reads thus: "Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a
+Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed
+thus with himself, 'God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men
+are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I
+fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.'" Here
+we have a picture of a proud man. He pretended to pray, but asked for
+nothing, because he did not feel his need of anything. And so his
+pretended prayer brought him no blessing.
+
+And then in the rest of the parable we have our Saviour's description
+of a man who was learning the lesson of humility, and of the blessing
+which it brought to him.
+
+Here is a story told by one of our missionaries of the way in which
+this parable brought a heathen man to Christ.
+
+"That's Me." A poor Hottentot in Southern Africa lived with a Dutch
+farmer, who was a good Christian man, and kept up family prayer in
+his home. One day, at their family worship he read this parable. He
+began, "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 the
+salvation of his soul, looked earnestly at the reader, and whispered
+to himself, "Now I'll learn how to pray." The farmer read on, "God, I
+thank Thee that I am not as other men are." "No, I am not," whispered
+the Hottentot, "but I'm worse." Again the farmer read, "I fast twice
+in 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 distressed
+savage.
+
+The good man read on till he came to the publican, "standing afar
+off." "That's where I am," said the Hottentot. "Would not lift up so
+much as his eyes unto heaven," read the farmer. "That's me," cried
+his hearer. "But smote upon his breast saying, God be merciful to me
+a 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 of
+the parable,--"God be merciful to me a sinner!" And he went on
+offering 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 which
+Jesus taught, and how much good it did to him.
+
+And it is Jesus who is speaking to us and commanding us to learn this
+lesson 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 therefore
+in 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 to
+us to learn the lesson of humility. And this command is urged thus
+earnestly upon us because it is so important.
+
+When St. Augustine, one of the celebrated fathers of the early
+Church, was asked--What is the first important thing in the Christian
+religion? 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 been
+so earnest in teaching this lesson; or that he should have urged so
+strongly on his disciples to learn it.
+
+The _command_ of Christ is the first reason why we should learn the
+lesson of humility.
+
+_But the second reason why we should learn this lesson is, because of
+the_--EXAMPLE--_of Christ_.
+
+There are many persons "who say and do not." There are some ministers
+who preach very well, but they do not _practise_ what they preach.
+Such persons may well be compared to finger-boards. They point out
+the way to others, but they do not walk in it themselves. But this
+was not the case with our blessed Saviour. He practised everything
+that he preached. And when he gave us his command to learn this
+lesson of humility, he gave us, at the same time, his example to show
+us _how_ to do it.
+
+He was illustrating this command by his example when he washed his
+disciples' feet. And this was only one out of many things in which he
+set us this example. When he chose to be born of poor parents, he was
+giving an example of humility. When he lived at Nazareth till he was
+thirty years of age, working with his reputed father as a carpenter,
+and during the latter part of the time, as is supposed, laboring for
+the support of his mother, he was giving an example of humility. When
+he said, "The Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to
+minister," Matt. xx: 28; and again--"I am among you as he that
+serveth," Luke xxii: 27, he was giving an example of humility. When
+he borrowed an ass to make his triumphal entrance into Jerusalem;
+though he could say in truth, "every beast of the forest is mine, and
+the cattle upon a thousand hills;"--(Ps. 1: 10), he was setting an
+example of humility. When he hid himself away from the people because
+he saw that they wanted to take him by force and make him king, he
+was giving a lesson of humility. When he allowed himself to be taken
+prisoner, though he knew that if he had asked his Father in heaven,
+he would, at once, have sent "more than twelve legions of angels" to
+deliver him, he was giving an example of humility. When he kept
+silence, at the bar of the high-priest, of Herod, of Pontius Pilate,
+like "a lamb dumb before her shearers," while his enemies were
+charging him falsely with all kinds of wickedness; when he allowed
+the Roman soldiers to scourge him with rods, till his back was all
+bleeding; to put a crown of thorns upon his head; to array him in a
+purple robe in mockery of his being a king; to smite him with the
+palms of their hands, and spit upon him; and then to nail him to the
+cross, and put him to the most shameful of all deaths--as if he were
+a wicked man, who did not deserve to live--he was giving the most
+wonderful example of humility that ever was heard of. Jesus, the Lord
+of glory hanging on the shameful cross!--O, this was an example of
+humility 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 an
+example of humility, it should make us ashamed of being proud; and
+anxious, above all things, to learn this lesson which he did so much
+to teach us.
+
+"Imitating Christ's Humility." I think I never heard of a more
+beautiful instance of persons learning to imitate the humility of
+Christ, than is told of some Moravian Missionaries. These good men
+had heard the story of the unhappy slaves in the West Indies. Those
+poor creatures were wearing out their lives in hard bondage. They had
+very little comfort in this life, and no knowledge of that gracious
+Saviour who alone can secure, for sinful creatures, such as we are, a
+better portion in the life to come. These missionaries offered to go
+out to the West Indies, and teach those slaves about Jesus, and the
+great salvation that is to be found in him. But they were told that
+the owners of the slaves would not let them go to school or to
+church. They would not allow them to take time enough from their work
+to learn anything about the salvation of their souls. There was only
+one way in which those poor slaves could be taught anything about
+Jesus 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 need
+be, under the lash, so that they could get right beside them and then
+tell them about the way of salvation that is in Christ Jesus. This
+was a hard thing to undertake. But those good missionaries said they
+were 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 on
+the plantations as slaves. And working thus, by the side of the
+slaves, they got close to their hearts. The slaves heard them. Their
+hearts were touched because these teachers of the gospel had humbled
+themselves to their condition. While they were teaching the commands
+of Christ, they were illustrating and following his example. How
+beautiful this was! How grand! How glorious!
+
+And yet Christ's own example was still more glorious. He laid aside
+the glory of his Godhead, and came down from heaven to earth, that he
+might get by our side. He laid himself beside us that we might feel
+the throbbings of his bosom and the embrace of his loving arms; and
+he draws us close to himself, while he whispers in our ears the sweet
+words, "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son,
+that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have
+everlasting life."
+
+And so, when we think of the example of Christ, we should strive to
+learn the lesson of humility which he taught.
+
+_A third reason why we should learn this lesson of humility is
+because 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 that
+inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy
+place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to
+revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the
+contrite ones." Here, the same loving Saviour who gave us the command
+to learn the lesson of humility promises to give comfort to all who
+learn this lesson. And the way in which he secures this comfort to
+them is by coming and dwelling in their hearts. And who can tell
+what a comfort it is for a poor pardoned sinner to have Jesus--the
+Lord of heaven and earth--dwelling in his heart? It is his presence
+in heaven which makes those who dwell there feel so happy. This is
+what David taught, when he looked up to him, and said--"In thy
+presence is fulness of joy." Ps. 16: 11. And when that presence is
+felt, here on earth, it gives comfort and joy, as certainly as it
+does in heaven. It was the presence of Jesus which enabled Paul and
+Silas to sing at midnight, for very joyfulness, in the prison at
+Philippi, though their feet were fastened in the stocks, and their
+backs were torn and bleeding from the cruel scourging which they had
+suffered. And it was this presence of Christ in the hearts of his
+people that good John Newton was speaking of, in one of his sweet
+hymns, 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 will
+dwell with. He says himself, "If any man love me, he will keep my
+words; and My Father will love him; and we will come unto him, and
+make our abode with him." St. John xiv: 23. And among the words of
+Christ which we must keep, if we wish him to dwell in our hearts, are
+those in which he commands the lesson of humility. It is only the
+humble with whom he will dwell. For "every one that is proud in heart
+is an abomination unto the Lord." Prov. xvi: 5.
+
+The reason why so many people are unhappy in this world is that they
+do not learn the lesson of humility.
+
+"Learn to Stoop." The story is told of some celebrated man--I think
+it was Dr. Franklin--who had a friend visiting him on one occasion.
+When the gentleman was about to leave, the doctor accompanied him to
+the front door. In going through the entry there was a low beam
+across it, which made it necessary to stoop, in order to avoid being
+struck by it. As they approached it the doctor stooped himself, and
+called 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 through
+life." This illustrates the comfort which comes from learning the
+lesson of humility. It is those who are unwilling to stoop; or to be
+anything, 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 a
+fine oak tree, with its wide-spreading branches, and at its foot
+there grew a sweet and modest violet. The oak one day looked down in
+scorn upon the violet, and said: "You, poor little thing, will soon
+be dead and withered; for you have no strength, no size, and are of
+no good to anyone. But I am large and strong; I shall still live for
+ages, and then I shall be made into a large ship to sail on the
+ocean, 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 am
+thankful. I hope to die fragrantly, as I have lived fragrantly, but
+we are both only what God made us, and both where God placed us."
+
+Not long after the oak was struck by lightning and shivered to
+splinters. Its end was to be burned. But the violet was gently
+gathered by the hand of a Christian lady, who carefully pressed it,
+and kept it for years, in the leaves of her Bible to refresh herself
+with its fragrance. Here we see illustrated the difference between
+pride and humility.
+
+"The Secret of Comfort." Some years ago there was a boy who had been
+lame from his birth. He was a bright intelligent boy, but he was not
+a Christian. As he grew up, with no other prospect before him but
+that of being a cripple all his days, he was very unhappy. As he sat
+by his window, propped up in his chair, and saw the boys playing in
+the street, he would say to himself: "Why has God made me thus? Why
+have I not limbs to run and jump with like other boys?"
+
+These thoughts filled him with distress, and caused him to shed many
+bitter tears.
+
+One day a Christian friend, who was visiting him, gave him a book and
+requested him to read it. He did so; and it led to his becoming a
+Christian. 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. After
+this, as he looked out, and saw the young people happy at their
+sports; or, as he gazed on the green earth and the beautiful sky, and
+knew that he must remain a helpless cripple as long as he lived, he
+yet could say, with the utmost cheerfulness:--"It's all right. My
+Father in heaven has done it. I love him. He loves me. I know he is
+making all things work together for my good." He had learned the
+lesson we are now considering, and we see what comfort it gave him.
+And the thought of the comfort which this lesson gives, should be a
+good reason with us all for learning it.
+
+_A fourth reason why we should learn the lesson of humility is
+because of the_--USEFULNESS--_connected with it_.
+
+Jesus tells us, by his apostle, that "God resisteth the proud, but
+giveth grace to the humble." St. James iv: 6. If we have the grace of
+God we can be useful in many ways, but, without that grace we cannot
+be 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 my
+grace; or without the help of my grace. And it was of this grace that
+St. Paul was speaking when he said--"I can do all things through
+Christ who strengtheneth me." Phil, iv: 13.
+
+And we could not possibly have a stronger reason for trying to learn
+the lesson of humility than this, that our receiving the grace of
+God, and consequently our usefulness, depends upon it. God will not
+give us his grace to enable us to be truly good and to make ourselves
+useful, unless we learn this lesson. And unless we have the grace of
+God, we cannot be useful. Like barren fig-trees we shall be useless
+cumberers of the ground.
+
+Now let us look at one or two illustrations which show us how pride
+hinders the usefulness of men, while humility helps it.
+
+"The Fisherman's Mistake." An English gentleman was spending his
+summer holidays in Scotland. He concluded to try his hand at fishing
+for trout in one of the neighboring streams. He bought one of the
+handsomest fishing rods he could find, with line and reel, and
+artificial flies, and everything necessary to make a perfect outfit
+for a fisherman. He went to the trout stream, and toiled all day, but
+never caught a single fish.
+
+Towards the close of the day he saw a ragged little farmer boy, with
+a bean pole for a rod, and the simplest possible sort of a line, who
+was nipping the fish out of the water about as fast as he could throw
+his line in. He watched the boy in amazement for awhile, and then
+asked him how it was that one, with so fine a rod and line, could
+catch 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 as
+ye dinna keep yersel' oot o' sicht."
+
+The gentleman was proud of his handsome rod and line, and was showing
+it off all the time. His pride hindered his usefulness as a
+fisherman. The farmer's boy had nothing to show off; so he kept
+himself out of sight, and thus his humility helped his usefulness in
+fishing.
+
+"The Thames' Tunnel Teaching Humility." Most strangers who visit the
+great city of London go to see the famous tunnel under the river
+Thames. This is a large, substantial road that has been built, in the
+form of an arch, directly under the bed of the river. It is one of
+the most wonderful works that human skill ever succeeded in making.
+The man who planned and built it was made one of the nobility of
+England. His name was Sir Isambard Brunel. He was so humble that he
+was willing to learn a lesson from a tiny little ship worm. These
+worms bore small round holes through the solid timbers of our ships.
+
+One day Mr. Brunel visited a ship-yard. An old ship was on the
+dry-dock getting repaired. A quantity of worm-eaten timber had been
+taken 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 a
+proud man, he might have thrown the timber aside, and said--"Get away
+you poor little worm. I am a great master builder. You can't teach me
+anything." And if he had done so that famous tunnel under the Thames
+would probably never have been built. But Mr. Brunel had learned the
+lesson of humility. He was willing to learn from anything that God
+had made, however insignificant it might be. So he sat down and
+watched the worm at its work. He studied carefully the form of the
+hole it was boring. The thought occurred to him how strong a tunnel
+would be, that was made in the shape of this hole! And when he was
+asked whether it would be possible to build a tunnel under the
+Thames, he said he thought it could be done. He undertook to build
+it. He succeeded in the work. But, in accomplishing the great
+undertaking that little ship-worm was his teacher.
+
+And now, if any of my young friends who may read this book should
+ever visit London, and go to see the great tunnel, as they gaze in
+wonder at it, let them remember Sir I. Brunel, and that little
+ship-worm; and then, let them say to themselves: "This mighty tunnel
+is an illustration of the truth that humility helps to make us
+useful."
+
+"George Washington and His Humility." Here is a story connected with
+the great and good Washington--"the Father of his country," which
+illustrates very well this part of our subject.
+
+During the war of the American Revolution, the commander of a little
+squad of soldiers was superintending their operations as they were
+trying to raise a heavy piece of timber to the top of some military
+works which they were engaged in repairing. It was hard work to get
+the timber up, and so the commander, who was a proud man and thought
+himself of great importance, kept calling out to them from time to
+time, "Push away, boys! There she goes! Heave ho!"
+
+While this was going on, an officer on horseback, but not in military
+dress, rode by. He asked the commander why he did not take hold, and
+give the men a little help. He looked at the stranger in great
+astonishment, 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 your
+pardon Mr. Corporal."
+
+After this he got off his horse, and throwing aside his coat, he took
+hold and helped the men at their work till they got the timber into
+its place. By this time the perspiration stood in drops upon his
+forehead. He took out his handkerchief and wiped his brow. Then
+turning to the commander he said:
+
+"Mr. Corporal, when you have another such job on hand, and have not
+men enough to do it, send for your Commander-in-chief, and I will
+come and help you again."
+
+It was General Washington who did and said this. The Corporal was
+thunderstruck! The great Washington, though honored above all men on
+the continent, was humble enough to put his hand and shoulder to the
+timber, that he might help the humblest of his soldiers, who were
+struggling for the defence of their country, to bear the burdens
+appointed to them.
+
+This is an excellent illustration of the truth we are now
+considering. And certainly we should all try to learn the lesson of
+humility which Jesus taught, when we see how it helps to make us
+useful.
+
+_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 her
+wonderful 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" with
+which God fills them mean the blessings He bestows on the humble. Our
+Saviour taught the same truth when he said, "he that humbleth himself
+shall be exalted." Luke xiv: 11. Being exalted here means being
+honored and blessed. These passages teach very clearly the truth of
+which we are now speaking. They show us that we must learn the lesson
+of humility if we hope to have God's blessing rest upon us. And it is
+not more true that two and two make four, than it is that God's
+blessing _does_ attend and follow those who learn the lesson of
+humility.
+
+How many illustrations of this truth we find in the Bible! Moses had
+learned the lesson of humility before God sent him on his great
+mission, which has given him a name and a place among the most
+famous men of the world.
+
+Gideon had learned the lesson of humility before God made choice of
+him to be the deliverer of his people Israel from the hands of their
+enemies; and then, for years to be their honored ruler. John the
+Baptist was so humble that he said of himself that he was not worthy
+to stoop down and unloose the latchet of our Saviour's shoe; and yet
+Jesus said of him that he was one of the greatest men that ever had
+been born.
+
+The apostle Paul was so humble that he considered himself "less than
+the least of all saints," and "the chief of sinners;" and yet God
+honored and blessed him till he became the most famous and useful of
+all the apostles.
+
+If we turn from the Bible, and look out into the world around us, we
+may compare proud people to the tops of the mountains; these are bare
+and barren, and of little use to the world. We may compare humble
+people to the plains and valleys. These are fertile and beautiful,
+and are the greatest blessing to the world, in the abundance of
+grain, and fruit, and other good things which they yield.
+
+And then, if we take notice of what is occurring in the scenes of
+daily life, we shall meet with incidents continually which furnish
+us with illustrations of the part of our subject now before us, that
+God crowns the humble with his blessing. Let us look at one or two of
+these illustrations.
+
+"The Little Loaf." In a certain part of Germany, some years ago, a
+famine was prevailing, and many of the people were suffering from
+hunger. A kind-hearted rich man sent for twenty of the poorest
+children in the village where he lived, to come to his house. As they
+stood on the porch of his house, he came out to them bringing a large
+basket in his hand. He set it down before him and said: "Children, in
+this basket there is bread for you all. Take a loaf, each of you, and
+come back every day at this hour, till it shall please God to send us
+better times."
+
+Then he left the children to themselves and went into the house, but
+watched them through the window. The hungry children seized the
+basket, quarreled and struggled for the bread, because each of them
+wished to get the best and largest loaf. Then they went away without
+ever 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 took
+the last loaf left in the basket, the smallest of the lot. She looked
+up to the window where the gentleman stood; smiled at him; threw him
+a kiss, and made a low curtsey in token of her gratitude, and then
+went quickly home.
+
+The next day the other children were just as ill-behaved as they had
+been before, and the timid humble Gretchen received a loaf this time
+not 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, a
+number of new silver pieces of money, fell rattling and shining out
+of it.
+
+Her mother was frightened, and said, "Take the money back at once to
+the good gentleman; for it must certainly have dropped into the dough
+by accident. Be quick Gretchen! be quick!"
+
+But when the little girl came to the good man and gave him her
+mother's message, he kindly said, "No, no, my child, it was no
+mistake. I had the silver pieces put into the smallest loaf as a
+reward for you. Continue to be as humble, peaceable, self-denying,
+and grateful as you have now shown yourself to be. A little girl who
+is humble enough to take the smallest loaf rather than quarrel for
+the larger ones, will be sure to receive greater blessings from God
+than if she had silver pieces of money baked in every loaf of bread
+she 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 into
+the office of one of the largest dry-goods houses in New York and
+asked for a situation. He was told to call again another day.
+
+Going down Broadway that same afternoon, when opposite the Astor
+House, he saw an old apple woman, in trying to cross the street,
+struck by an omnibus, knocked down, and her basket of apples sent
+scattering into the gutter.
+
+The young man stepped out of the crowd, helped the old woman to her
+feet, put her apples into her basket, and went on his way, without
+thinking of it.
+
+Now a proud man would never have thought of doing such a thing as
+that. But this young man had learned the lesson of humility, and did
+not hesitate a moment to do this kind act.
+
+When he called again to see about the situation, he was asked what
+wages 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 he
+was passing at the time, and saw it; and that it was this
+circumstance 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 learn
+the 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 suitable
+prayer to offer when we think of the lesson of humility we have now
+been 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 in
+kings, and princes, in rich, and wise, and great men, it would not
+have been surprising; because he was a king and a prince, himself; he
+was richer than the richest, and wiser than the wisest, and greater
+than the greatest. But he did not do this. He took no particular
+notice of them; but he showed the greatest possible interest in
+children. When mothers brought their little ones to him, the
+disciples wanted to keep them away. They thought, no doubt, that he
+was too busy to take any notice of them. But they were mistaken. He
+was very busy indeed. He had many lessons to teach. He had sermons to
+preach; and sick people to heal; and blind eyes to open; and deaf
+ears to unstop; and lame men to make whole; and dead men to raise to
+life again. He had all his Father's will to make known to men; and
+all his Father's commandments to keep. He had to suffer, and to die
+for the sins of the world; that he might "open the kingdom of heaven
+to all believers." He was the busiest man that ever lived. Nobody
+ever had so much to do as he had. And yet, he was not too busy to
+attend to the little children. He had time to give to them. So he
+rebuked 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 by
+one, "he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them and
+blessed them." And when he had done this, as though that were not
+enough, he spoke those precious, glorious, golden words:--"_Suffer
+the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such
+is the kingdom of heaven_," "verily I say unto you, whosoever shall
+not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter
+therein."
+
+These things are told us by three of the evangelists. St. Matthew
+mentions them in chapter xix: 13-15. St. Mark x: 13-16, and St. Luke
+xviii: 15-17.
+
+On another occasion, when he was in the temple, the children sang
+hosannas to him as the son of David. The chief priests and scribes
+were greatly displeased, when they heard it, and "said unto him,
+hearest thou what these say? and Jesus said unto them, yea: have ye
+never read, out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou hast
+perfected praise?" Matt, xxi: 15, 16. Here he quoted from the Old
+Testament (Ps. viii: 2) to prove to them from their own scriptures,
+that God loves little children, and delights to have them engage in
+his service, and sing his praises.
+
+And there was one other occasion on which Jesus spoke about the
+children, and showed his interest in them. This was after his
+resurrection. We read about it in St. John xxi: 15-18. He met his
+disciples, one day, on the shore of the sea of Galilee. Peter, who
+had shamefully denied his Master on the night in which he was
+betrayed was present with them. Jesus said to him, as if to remind
+him 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 beautifully
+Jesus showed his great love for the little ones of his flock!
+
+From these different passages, we see clearly how dear little
+children are to the heart of our blessed Saviour! He is the only
+great Teacher who ever showed such an interest in children. And the
+religion of Jesus is the only religion which teaches its followers to
+love and care for the little ones. The worshipers of the idol Moloch,
+mentioned in the Bible, used to offer their children as
+burnt-sacrifices to their cruel god. Mahometans look upon their women
+and children as inferior beings. The Hindoos neglect their infants,
+and leave them exposed on the banks of the Ganges, or throw them into
+the river to be devoured by the hungry crocodiles. In the city of
+Pekin many infants are thrown out into the streets every night.
+Sometimes they are killed by the fall. Sometimes they are only half
+killed, and linger, moaning in their agony, till the morning. Then
+the police go around, and pick them up, and throw them all together
+into a hole and bury them.
+
+In Africa, the children are sometimes buried alive; and sometimes
+left 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 used
+to be killed. Sometimes they would strangle their babies. Sometimes
+they would leave them, where oxen and cattle would tread on them, and
+trample them to death; while, at other times, they would break all
+their joints, beginning with their fingers and toes, and then go on
+to their wrists, and elbows, and shoulders. How dreadful it is to
+think of such practices! And when we turn from these scenes of
+heart-rending cruelty and think of the gracious Saviour,--the "gentle
+Jesus, meek and mild," stretching forth his arms in loving
+tenderness, and uttering the sweet words,--"Suffer the little
+children to come unto me, and forbid them not; for of such is the
+kingdom of God,"--what a wonderful contrast it makes!
+
+And when we think of all that Jesus did and said to show his interest
+in children, we may well ask ourselves such questions as these,--Why
+was it so? What did he do it for? And when we come to look carefully
+into this part of the life of Christ, we can see four great things in
+it; and these are the reasons why Jesus did and said so much about
+children.
+
+_In the first place we see_--GREAT LOVE--_in the interest Christ
+manifested towards the young_.
+
+It was the same love which brought him down from heaven, and made him
+willing to become a little child himself; the same love which made
+him willing to live in poverty--and suffer the dreadful death upon
+the cross that led him to show such interest in the little ones. But
+if he had not told us himself how he feels on this subject, we could
+not have been sure of it. Children might well have said, when they
+heard about the love of Christ, "Yes, we have no doubt that Jesus
+does love grown up people, men and women in general. We believe this
+because the Bible tells us so; but how do we know that he loves us
+children?" If he had not told us so himself, we could not have been
+sure of it. But we know it now. And when we hear, or read of the love
+of Christ, we may be sure that it takes the children in.
+
+During a famine in Germany, a family became so poor that they were in
+danger of starving. The father proposed that one of the children
+should be sold, and food provided for those that remained. At last
+the mother consented; but then the question arose which one of the
+four should be selected. The eldest, their first-born, could not be
+spared; the second looked like the mother, the third was like his
+father, and they could not give either of them up; and then the
+youngest--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 children
+knew of this, they might very well feel sure that their parents loved
+them. But Jesus did more than this for us, he was willing to die upon
+the cross, and he did so die, that "not one of his little ones should
+perish."
+
+"Being Loved Back Again." Little Alice Lee sat in her rocking chair.
+She was clasping a beautiful wax doll to her bosom, and singing sweet
+lullabies to it. But every little while she looked wistfully at her
+mother. She was busy writing, and had told Alice to keep as quiet as
+possible till she got through.
+
+It seemed a long time to Alice; but after awhile her mother laid down
+her pen, and pushed aside her papers, and said:--"Now I am through
+for 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 loving
+bosom.
+
+"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 in
+her arms. "I am very glad that my little girl loves me;" replied her
+mother, "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 after
+awhile."
+
+"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 grew
+very bright, as they gazed earnestly into her mother's face. "It's
+because 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 when
+we were too little to love him back. The Bible says--"We love him
+because _he first_ loved us." He loved us before we knew him, or had
+ever heard of him. He loved us before we were born. Before the world
+was made Jesus thought of you and me, and loved us. This is what he
+means when he says:--"I _have loved thee with an everlasting love."_
+Jer. xxxi: 3. This means a love that never had a beginning, and that
+will never have an end. This is very wonderful. And when we think of
+it, 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, by
+which he showed his interest in little children, the first thing that
+we 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 to
+Jesus when young, _because then they are easily controlled_.
+
+Suppose we plant an acorn in a corner of our garden. After awhile a
+green shoot springs out from it. We go to look at it when it is about
+a foot high. We find it getting crooked; but with the gentlest touch
+of thumb and finger, we can straighten it out. We wish it to lean in
+a particular direction. We give it a slight touch, and it leans just
+that way. Afterwards we conclude to have it lean in the opposite
+direction. Another slight touch, and it takes that direction. It is
+true, as the poet says, "Just as the twig is bent, the tree's
+inclined." 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 an
+ugly twist in its trunk. We try to straighten it out; but in vain. No
+power on earth can do that now. You can cut it down; or saw it up; or
+break it into splinters; but you cannot straighten it.
+
+Suppose, that you and I should go to one of the highest summits of
+the Rocky Mountains. In a certain place there, we should find two
+little fountains springing up near each other. With the end of a
+finger we might trace the course in which either of those little
+springs should flow. We could lead one down the eastern side of the
+mountains, and the other down the western side. It would be very easy
+to control them then. But suppose now we travel down the side of the
+mountain till we reach the plain, at its base. Now see, yonder is a
+great river, rolling on its mighty flood of waters. That is what the
+little spring has grown to. It is too late to control it now. The
+time for controlling it was up yonder near the spring.
+
+It is easy to control the spring; it is very hard to control the
+river. Jesus wished to control the spring when he directed us to
+bring the children to him. And in this he showed his wisdom.
+
+It is wise to take an interest in children, and bring them early to
+Jesus--_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 by
+Themistocles, the celebrated Grecian governor and general. He had a
+little boy, of whom his mother was very fond and over whom the child
+had very great influence. His father pointed to him, one day, and
+said to a friend, "Look at that child; he has more power than all
+Greece. For the city of Athens rules Greece; I rule Athens; that
+child's mother rules me, and he rules his mother."
+
+I feel sure our Saviour must have felt very much as some one has
+done, 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 wise
+in Jesus to desire to have them brought early to him that they might
+learn to use that influence in the best possible way.
+
+And then it was wise in Jesus to desire this, again, _because
+bringing children to him prevents great trouble, and secures great
+blessing_.
+
+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 upper
+counties of New York, there was a little girl named Margaret. She
+was not brought to Christ, but was turned out on the world to do as
+she pleased. She grew up to be perhaps the wickedest woman in that
+part of the country. She had a large family of children, who became
+about as wicked as herself; her descendants have been a plague and a
+curse to that county ever since. The records of that county show that
+two hundred of her descendants have been criminals. In a single
+generation of her descendants there were twenty children. Three of
+these died in infancy. Of the remaining seventeen, who lived to grow
+up, nine were sent to the state prison for great crimes; while all
+the others were found, from time to time, in the jails, the
+penitentiaries, or the almshouses. Nearly all the descendants of this
+woman were idiots, or drunkards, or paupers, or bad people, of the
+very worst character. That one neglected child thus cost the county
+in which she lived hundreds of thousands of dollars, besides the
+untold evil that followed from the bad examples of her descendants.
+How different the result would have been if this poor child had been
+brought to Jesus and made a Christian when she was young!
+
+"The Result of Early Choice." Here is a short story of two boys, of
+the choice they made when young, and the different results that
+followed from that choice.
+
+A minister of the gospel was preaching on one occasion to the
+convicts in the state prison of Connecticut. As he rose in the desk
+and looked around on the congregation, he saw a man there whose face
+seemed familiar to him. When the service was over he went to this
+man's cell, to have some conversation with him.
+
+"I remember you very well, sir," said the prisoner. "We were boys in
+the same neighborhood; we went to the same school; sat beside each
+other on the same bench, and then my prospects were as bright as
+yours. But, at the age of fourteen, you made choice of the service of
+God, and became a Christian. I refused to come to Christ, but made
+choice of the world and sin. And now, you are a happy and honored
+minister of the gospel, while I am a wretched outcast. I have served
+ten years in this penitentiary and am to be a prisoner here for
+life."
+
+Jesus knew what blessings would follow to those who were early
+brought to him, and we see that there was great wisdom in the words
+that he spake when he said--"Suffer the little children to come unto
+me."
+
+_In the next place there was_--GREAT ENCOURAGEMENT--_in what Jesus
+did and said about children_.
+
+If a company of boys or girls should try to get into the presence of
+a monarch, some great king, or emperor, they would find it a pretty
+hard thing to do. At the door of the palace they would meet with
+soldiers or servants, the guards of the queen or king. They would say
+to the children--"what do you want here?" And if the children should
+say, "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. She
+has no time to attend to little folks like you." And the children
+would have to go away without getting to see the queen.
+
+But, Jesus is a greater king than any who ever sat upon an earthly
+throne. He has more to do than all the kings and queens in the world
+put together. And yet he never gave orders to the angels, or to any
+of his servants to keep the children away from him. On his great
+throne in yonder heavens he says still, what he said when he was on
+earth--"Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them
+not." And he says this on purpose to encourage the children to come
+to him. And the thought that Jesus loves them and feels an interest
+in them has encouraged multitudes of little ones to seek him and
+serve him. Here are some illustrations of this:
+
+"Learning to Love Jesus." "A little girl came to me one day," said a
+minister of the gospel, and said, "'Please sir, may I speak to you a
+minute?' I saw that she was in some trouble; so I took her kindly by
+the hand, and said, 'Certainly, my child. What do you wish to say?'
+
+"'Please, sir,' said she, as her lip quivered and tears filled her
+eyes, '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 spoke
+sadly, as if it was something she never could do.
+
+"'Well,' I said, 'St. John, who loved our Lord almost more than any
+one 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 loves
+me_," I think that to-morrow you will be able to say--"I love
+Jesus."'
+
+"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, as
+well as to say it. She thought about his life, about his death on the
+cross, and about his sweet words to the little ones, and she began to
+feel it too.
+
+"The next evening she came to see me again; and, putting both her
+hands 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 the
+interest he feels in children.
+
+"Doesn't He Love to Save?" A mother had just tucked her little boy in
+bed, and had received his good-night kisses. She lingered awhile, at
+his bedside, to speak to him about Jesus, and to see if he was
+feeling right toward him. He was a good, obedient boy, but that day
+he had done something that grieved his mother. He had expressed his
+sorrow for it, and asked his mother's forgiveness. As she stooped
+down for the last kiss, he said--"Is it all settled, mother?"
+
+"Yes, my child," she said, "it's all settled with me; but have you
+settled it all with Jesus?" "Yes, mother: I've asked him to forgive
+me: and I believe him when he says he will; for _doesn't he love to
+help and save children_?" "He does, my child, he does," said his
+mother, as she gazed on his happy little face, lighted up with the
+joy of that gospel, so often hidden from the wise and prudent, but
+revealed to babes.
+
+Here we see how this little fellow was encouraged to seek Jesus from
+the assurance that he feels an interest in children, and loves to
+help and bless them.
+
+"Love Leads to Love." A little boy named Charley stood at the window
+with his mother one morning, watching the robins as they enjoyed
+their 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 reason
+that the birdies love your father?"
+
+This question seemed to set Charley to thinking. He did not answer at
+first, but presently he said, "Why mother all the creatures seem to
+love 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 is
+saying. Even the old cow follows him around the meadow, and the other
+day I saw her licking his hand, just as a dog would. I think it must
+be because father loves them. You know he will often get up and give
+pussy something to eat; and he pulls carrots for the cow, and pats
+her; and somehow I think his voice never sounds so sweet as when he
+is talking to these dumb creatures."
+
+"I think his voice is very pleasant when he is talking to his little
+boy," said his mother.
+
+Charley smiled, and said, "That's so, mother. Father loves me, and I
+love him dearly. But he loves the birdies too I am sure. He whistles
+to them every morning when they are eating their cherries, and they
+don't seem a bit afraid of him, although he is near enough to catch
+them. Mother I wish everything loved me as they do father."
+
+"Do as father does, Charley, and they will. Love all things and be
+kind to them. Don't kick the dog, or speak roughly to him. Don't pull
+pussy's tail, nor chase the hens, nor try to frighten the cow. Never
+throw stones at the birds. Never hurt nor tease anything. Speak
+gently and lovingly to them and they will love you, and everybody
+that knows you will love you too."
+
+Now Charley's father, in acting as he did, was trying to make all the
+dumb creatures about him know that he was their friend; that he loved
+them, and had nothing but kindness in his heart towards them. In
+this 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 and
+said so much to show his interest in children. He wants them all to
+understand that he is their friend; that he loves them, and wants
+them to come to him and love and serve him. And so every child who
+hears 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 the
+children there is great encouragement.
+
+_And then there are_--GREAT LESSONS--_too, in this part of the life
+of Christ_.
+
+There are two lessons taught us here. One is about _the work we are
+to do for Jesus here on earth_. When Jesus said to Peter, "Lovest
+thou me? Feed my lambs," he meant to teach him, and you, and me, and
+all his people everywhere, the best way in which we can show our love
+to him. The lambs of Christ here spoken of mean little children,
+wherever they are found. And to feed these lambs is to teach them
+about Jesus. When we are trying to bring the young to Jesus and
+teaching them to love and serve him, then we are doing the work that
+is most pleasing to him:--the work that he most loves to have his
+people do. It was thinking about this that first led me to begin the
+work of preaching regularly to the young. And this is the lesson that
+Jesus would have all his people learn when he says to each of
+them:--"Lovest thou me? Feed my lambs."
+
+"The Angel in the Stone." Many years ago there was a celebrated
+artist who lived in Italy, whose name was Michael Angelo. He was a
+great painter, and a great sculptor, or a worker in marble. He loved
+to see beautiful figures chiseled out of marble, and he had great
+power and skill in chiseling out such figures. One day, as he was
+walking with some friends through the city of Florence, he saw a
+block of marble lying neglected in a yard, half covered with dust and
+rubbish. He stopped to examine that block of marble. That day
+happened to be a great holiday in Florence and the artist had his
+best suit of clothes on; but not caring for this he threw off his
+coat, 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 of
+stone?"
+
+"O, there's an angel in this stone," said he, "and I must get it
+out."
+
+He bought that block; had it removed to his studio, and then went to
+work with his mallet and his chisel, and never rested till out of
+that 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 that
+will last forever. And when we bring our children to Jesus, and by
+his help teach them to love and serve him, we are doing for them just
+what Michael Angelo was doing for his block of marble--we are getting
+the angels out of the stones. And this is what Jesus loves to have us
+do.
+
+"How to Get the Angels Out." A Christian mother, whose children had
+all been early taught to love and serve Jesus, was asked the secret
+of her success in bringing up her children. This was her
+answer:--"While my children were infants on my lap, as I washed them
+day by day, I raised my heart to God that he would wash them in that
+blood 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's
+righteousness; as I provided them food I prayed that God would feed
+their souls with the bread of heaven, and give them to drink of the
+water of life. When I prepared them for the house of God I pleaded
+that their bodies might be made fit temples for the Holy Ghost to
+dwell in. When they left me daily for the week-day school, I followed
+their youthful footsteps with the prayer that their path through life
+might be like that of the just, which shineth more and more unto the
+perfect day. And night after night, as I committed them to rest, the
+silent breathing of my soul has been, that their heavenly Father
+would 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 to
+bring the angel out from every block of living marble that God has
+given them.
+
+"The Best Time for Doing This." A faithful minister of Christ had a
+dear only daughter. She had been a thoughtful praying child. When
+only twelve years old she had joined her father's church. She now lay
+on her dying bed. "As I sat by her bedside," says her father, "among
+the things she said which I shall never forget were these:--'Father
+you know I joined the church when I was young--very young. Some of
+our friends thought that I was too young. But, oh! how I wish I could
+tell everybody what a comfort it is to me now to think of it.' Then
+reaching out her hand--the fingers were already cold--and grasping
+mine, she said with great earnestness:--'Father, you are at work for
+the young. Do all you can for them while they are young. It's the
+best time--the best time. Oh! I see it now as I never did before. It
+is the best time--while they are young--the younger the better. Do
+all you can for them while they are very young.' And then she fell
+asleep in Jesus."
+
+This is the lesson about the work we are to do for him on earth, that
+Jesus taught in what he said concerning the children.
+
+But when we think of those sweet words of Jesus--"Of such is the
+kingdom of heaven," we are _taught a lesson about the company we
+shall meet there_. We learn from what our blessed Lord says on this
+subject that he saves all the little ones who die before they are
+accountable for their actions. And we know that of all the persons
+born into our world more than half of them die before they reach this
+age. And this makes it very certain that more than half the company
+of heaven will be made up of little children. This is a very sweet
+thought to those who have lost little ones; and to those who love
+them.
+
+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 remain
+children. The Rev. Mr. Bickersteth, of England, in speaking of a
+father meeting his little ones in heaven, who died years before he
+did, represents him as meeting them there, just of the same age and
+size as they were when they died. And then he expresses his own
+thought 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 when
+he himself has not spoken on such a point as this, it is impossible
+for us to say certainly which way it will be. But when we get to
+heaven and find just how it is, we shall all agree that God's way is
+the best way.
+
+And then Jesus shows us plainly _what our character must be if we
+hope 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, he
+shall not enter therein." Mark x: 15. Jesus refers here to some of
+the 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 our
+character, if we hope to enter heaven. Such a child is willing to be
+taught:--believes all that his parent or teacher tells him; and does
+everything that he is told to do; and such must our character be if
+we hope to enter heaven.
+
+And so when we come to study out this part of our Saviour's life, and
+think 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 should
+be in the heart of everyone, young or old, on thinking of this great
+subject, 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 blessed
+Lord. It forms a great contrast to the other events mentioned in his
+history. He "came to visit us in great humility." When we read how he
+was born in a stable, and cradled in a manger; how he had "not where
+to lay his head;" when we read of the lowliness, and poverty, and
+suffering that marked his course, day by day, we come naturally to
+think of him as "the man of sorrows and acquainted with grief." And
+though, 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, and
+controlled the stormy winds and waves with his simple word, he seems
+wonderful in his power and majesty; yet there is nothing, in all his
+earthly life, that leads us to think so highly of him, as this scene
+of the Transfiguration, of which we are now to speak.
+
+The account of this event is given us by three of the evangelists. We
+find 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 how
+he was to go up to Jerusalem, to suffer many things, to be put to
+death, 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 became
+his disciples would be required to exercise. This was very different
+from what they were expecting and must have been very discouraging to
+them. They did not yet understand that their Master had come into the
+world to suffer and to die. Instead of this, their minds were filled
+with the idea that the object of his coming was to establish an
+earthly kingdom and to reign in glory. And, for themselves, they were
+expecting that they would share his glory and reign as princes with
+him. And so they must have been greatly troubled by his words. To
+encourage and comfort them, therefore, he told them that, before they
+died, 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, the
+favored John and James and Peter, and went up with them "into a
+mountain, apart by themselves, and was transfigured before them." We
+are not told what mountain it was that was thus honored. Mount Tabor,
+near Nazareth, on the borders of the Plain of Esdraelon, has long
+been regarded as the favored spot. But, in our day, many persons
+think that it was not on the top of Tabor, but on one of the summits
+of Mount Hermon, where this wonderful event took place. One of the
+principal objections to supposing that Tabor was the place is, that
+in those days there was a large fortress on the top of this mountain,
+and this, they think, would interfere with the privacy that would be
+desired on such an occasion. But, for myself, I still incline to
+think that Tabor was the mountain chosen. I went to the top of this
+mountain, when in Palestine. And though there is a large convent
+there now, yet the summit of Tabor covers a wide space of ground. And
+outside of the walls of the convent, and even out of sight of its
+walls, I saw a number of retired, shady places that would be
+particularly suitable for such a scene as this.
+
+But, it is impossible to decide positively which was the Mount of
+Transfiguration. And it is not a matter of much consequence. Those
+who think it was Hermon are at liberty to think so; and those who
+think it was Tabor, have a right to their opinion, for none can prove
+that they are mistaken in thinking so.
+
+And when we come to consider this great event in the life of our
+Saviour, there are _two_ things to speak of in connection with it;
+these are the _wonders_ we see in it; and the _lessons_ we may learn
+from it. Or, to express it more briefly--The Transfiguration--its
+wonders, and its lessons.
+
+There are three wonders to be spoken of, and three lessons to be
+learned from this subject.
+
+_The first wonder is_--THE WONDERFUL CHANGE--that took place in the
+appearance of our Lord on this occasion.
+
+Jesus went up the mountain with his disciples. It was probably at the
+close of one of his busy days that he did this. It would seem from
+St. Luke's account,--chap. ix: 32--that Peter and his companions were
+weary with the day's work, and soon fell asleep. But, while they were
+sleeping, Jesus was praying. And it was while he was engaged in
+prayer that the Transfiguration took place. St. Luke tells us it
+was--"_as he prayed_."
+
+Let us notice now, what the different evangelists tell us about this
+change. St. Matthew says--"He was transfigured before them: and his
+face 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 no
+fuller"--one who cleans, or whitens cloth--"on earth can white them."
+St. Luke says--"As he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was
+altered, and his raiment was white and glistening."
+
+These are the different accounts we have of this surprising scene. If
+the disciples had been awake when this marvellous change began to
+take place, we cannot for a moment suppose that they would have gone
+to sleep while the heavens must have seemed to be opening above them
+and this blaze of glory was shining around them. They were, no doubt,
+asleep when the transfiguration began. And, as we know that the
+taking of an ordinary light into the room where persons are asleep
+will often awaken them, it is not surprising that the disciples
+should have been aroused from their slumber by the flood of light and
+glory that was beaming round their Master then. How surprised they
+must have been when they opened their eyes on that scene! They would
+never forget it as long as they lived. It was more than half a
+century after this when St. John wrote his gospel; and it was, no
+doubt, to this scene that he referred when he said, in speaking of
+Jesus;--"_we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of
+the Father_" St. John i: 14. And, not long before his death, St.
+Peter thus refers to it:--"We were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For
+he received from God the Father, honor and glory, when there came
+such a voice from the excellent glory, saying, This is my beloved Son
+in whom I am well pleased." II. Pet. i: 16, 17.
+
+One object for which this wonderful transfiguration of our Lord took
+place was, no doubt, to give to the disciples then, and to the
+followers of Jesus in all coming time, an idea of what his glory now
+is in heaven, and of what it will be when he shall come again in his
+kingdom. He had told his disciples about his sufferings and death,
+and the shame and dishonor connected with them; and here, as if to
+counterbalance that, he wished to give them a glimpse of the glory
+that is to shine around him forever.
+
+How wonderful it must have seemed to the astonished disciples! When
+they had last looked on their Master, before going to sleep, they had
+seen him as "the man of sorrows," in his plain everyday dress, such
+as they themselves wore: but, when they looked on him again, as they
+awoke from their sleep, they saw his face shining as the sun, and his
+raiment dazzling in its snowy whiteness.
+
+To what may we compare this wonderful change? Suppose you have before
+you the bulbous root of the lily plant. You look at it carefully, but
+there is nothing attractive about it. How rough and unsightly it
+appears! You close your eyes upon it for a brief space. You open them
+again. But what a change has taken place! That plain-homely looking
+bulb has disappeared, and in its place there stands before you the
+lily plant. It has reached its mature growth. Its flower is fully
+developed and blooming in all its matchless beauty! What a marvellous
+change that would be! And yet it would be but a feeble illustration
+of the more wonderful change that took place in our Saviour at his
+transfiguration.
+
+Here is another illustration. Suppose we are looking at the western
+sky, towards the close of day. Great masses of dark clouds are
+covering all that part of the heavens. They are but common clouds.
+There is nothing attractive or interesting about them. We do not care
+to 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 has
+thrown his glorious beams upon them. How changed they now appear! All
+that was commonplace and unattractive about them is gone. How they
+glow and sparkle! Gold, and purple, and all the colors of the rainbow
+are blending, how beautifully there! Are these the same dull clouds
+that we looked upon a few moments before? Yes; but they have been
+transfigured. A wonderful change has come over them. And here we have
+an illustration of our Lord's transfiguration. The first wonder about
+this incident in his life is the wonderful change which took place in
+his appearance then.
+
+_The second wonder about the transfiguration is_--THE WONDERFUL
+COMPANY--_that appeared with our Saviour then_.
+
+At the close of his temptation in the wilderness, Jesus had some
+wonderful 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 had
+more company of the same kind; for we read that--"_there appeared
+unto 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 time
+of his Transfiguration. No: but we read that, "there appeared unto
+him Moses, and Elias," or Elijah. And if we ask why did not the
+angels come to him now, as they did on other occasions? Why did these
+distinguished persons, of the Old Testament history, come from heaven
+to visit him in place of the angels? It is easy enough to answer
+these questions. This transfiguration of Christ took place, as he
+himself tells us, in order to give his disciples a view of the glory
+that will attend him when he shall come in his kingdom. When he shall
+appear, on that occasion, all his people will come with him. Those
+who shall have died before he comes will be raised from the dead and
+come with him, in their glorious resurrection bodies. And those who
+shall be living when he comes will, as St. Paul tells us,--"_be
+changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye_"--I. Cor. xv: 52,
+53--and have beautiful, glorified bodies, like the bodies of those
+who have been raised from the dead. And both these classes of
+Christ's people were represented by the distinguished persons who
+formed the company that appeared with Jesus at the Transfiguration.
+Moses had been in heaven nearly fifteen hundred years when this scene
+took place. He had died, as other men do, and had been buried. It is
+supposed by many wise and good men that his body had been raised from
+the dead, that he might appear in it on this occasion. And thus Moses
+represented all the dead in Christ, who will be raised to life again
+at 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. Paul
+tells us that bodies of flesh and blood, like ours, cannot enter
+heaven. I. Cor. xv: 50. They must be changed, and made fit for that
+blessed place. And so, we know, that as Elijah went up to heaven, in
+his chariot of fire, the same wonderful change must have passed over
+his body which we have seen will take place with those of Christ's
+people who shall be living on the earth when he comes again.
+
+Jesus was transfigured that we might know how he himself will appear
+when he comes in his kingdom. And Moses and Elias "appeared with him
+in glory," to show us how the people of Christ will appear when they
+enter with him into his kingdom. And this was a good reason why these
+very persons, and not the angels, should have formed the company that
+came to visit our Saviour on the Mount of Transfiguration. It was
+wonderful company indeed that waited on Jesus then. But, it was a
+wonderful occasion. None like it had ever occurred before; none like
+it has ever occurred since; and none like it will ever occur again
+till Jesus shall come in the glory of his heavenly kingdom. The
+second wonder of the Transfiguration was the wonderful company.
+
+_The third wonder connected with this great event was_--THE WONDERFUL
+CONVERSATION--_that took place between Jesus and his visitors_.
+
+All the three evangelists, who tell of the Transfiguration, speak of
+this conversation. St. Matthew and St. Mark merely state the fact
+that Moses and Elias "were talking with Jesus;" but they do not tell
+us the subject of the conversation, or what it was about which they
+talked. But St. Luke supplies what they leave out. He says, "_they
+spake of his decease, which he should accomplish at Jerusalem_" This
+means that they talked about the death upon the cross which he was to
+suffer. And when we remember that these great and good men had just
+come down from heaven, where God, the loving Father of Jesus dwells,
+and where all the holy angels are; and that this was the only time
+when they were to be present with Jesus, and have an opportunity of
+talking with him, during all his life on earth, we may wonder why
+they did not choose some more pleasant subject of conversation. And
+yet they did not make a mistake. God the Father had sent them from
+heaven to meet his beloved Son on this occasion. And, no doubt, he
+had told them what subject they were to talk about, and what they
+were to say to Jesus, on that subject. And then they knew very well
+how Jesus felt about this matter. And painful as the death upon the
+cross would be, they knew it was the nearest of all things to the
+heart of Jesus. It was the will of his Father that he should die on
+the cross, and it was the delight of his heart--the very joy of his
+soul to do his Father's will. And here we learn the unspeakable
+importance of the death of Christ. The apostle Paul was showing his
+sense of its importance when he said, "God forbid that I should
+glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus." Gal. vi: 14. He puts the
+word "_cross_" of Christ, for the death of Christ, but it means the
+same thing.
+
+Some one has compared the cross of Christ to a key of gold, that
+opens the gate of heaven to us, if we believe in Jesus; but if we
+refuse 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 the
+cross and desired to know its power. When he was sick and near his
+end, he told his servants to make him a large wooden cross, and lay
+it down in his chamber. When this was done, he said--"Take me now and
+lay me on the cross, and let me die there." As he lay there dying he
+looked 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 thus
+he died. It was not that wooden cross that saved him; but the death
+of Christ, on the cross to which he was nailed--the death of which
+Moses and Elias talked with him, that saved this heathen man. They
+knew what a blessing his death would be to the world, and _this_ was
+why they talked about this death. Here is one of Bonar's beautiful
+hymns which speaks sweetly of the blessedness and comfort to be found
+in 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 flow
+out 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 to
+Jesus, amidst the glory of his Transfiguration, the subject, above
+all others, about which they desired to talk with him--was his death
+upon the cross,--"his decease, which he should accomplish at
+Jerusalem."
+
+These are the three great wonders of the Transfiguration--the
+wonderful change--the wonderful company--and the wonderful
+conversation.
+
+And this brings us to the second part of our subject, which is--_the
+three 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 us
+what we may hope to be hereafter, if we are the servants of Christ.
+We are told how Jesus appeared on this occasion. His glory is
+described. The brightness and glory that shone around him exceeded
+that of the noonday sun. But there is no particular description given
+Moses and Elias. We are not told how they looked. It is only said of
+them that--"they appeared in _glory_." St Luke ix: 31. I suppose the
+meaning of this is that they shared in the glory which Jesus himself
+had when he was transfigured. Their raiment was as white as his; and
+the same brightness and beauty beamed forth from their faces which
+made his so glorious. They shared their Master's glory. And, if we
+are loving, and serving Jesus, this is what we may hope to share
+with him hereafter. This is what we are taught to pray for in the
+beautiful Collect for the sixth Sunday after the Epiphany. These are
+the words of that prayer: "O God, whose blessed Son was manifested
+that he might make us the sons of God, and heirs of eternal life;
+Grant us, we beseech thee, that having this hope, we may purify
+ourselves, even as he is pure; that when he shall appear again, with
+power and great glory, _we may be made like unto him in his eternal
+and glorious kingdom;_ where, with thee, O Father, and thee, O Holy
+Ghost, he liveth and reigneth, ever One God, world without end.
+Amen."
+
+And it is right to offer such a prayer as this, because the Bible
+teaches us to hope for this great glory. How well a hope like this
+may be called "_a hope that maketh not ashamed_," Rom. v: 5; "_a good
+hope through grace_," II. Thess. ii: 16; "that _blessed hope_," Tit.
+ii: 13; "_a lively hope_," I. Peter i: 3. And how well it may be
+spoken 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 the
+storms of life are bursting upon it! Moses and Elias appeared with
+Jesus at his Transfiguration, and shared his glory on purpose to
+teach us this lesson of hope, and to show us what we shall be
+hereafter. We shall be as glorious as Jesus was on the Mount of
+Transfiguration! This seems something too great and too good to be
+true. But no matter how great, or how good it is--_it is true_. Jesus
+taught this lesson of hope when he said--speaking of the time when he
+shall come in his kingdom, "_Then shall the righteous shine forth as
+the sun in the kingdom of their Father_," St. Matt, xiii: 43. He
+taught 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, I
+have given them_," St. John xvii: 21. And the apostle John taught us
+the same lesson, when he said,--"We know that when he shall appear
+_we shall be like him_," I. John iii: 2. These sweet passages make
+this lesson of hope very sure. And this is just the way in which we
+are made sure about other things we have not seen.
+
+"How we Know There is a Heaven." A Sunday-school teacher was talking
+to one of her scholars about heaven and the glory we shall have when
+we reach that blessed place. He was a bright boy, about nine or ten
+years old, named Charlie. After listening to her for awhile, he said:
+"But you have never been there, Miss D., and how do you know there
+really is any such place?"
+
+"Charlie," said the teacher, "you have never been to London; how do
+you know there is such a city?"
+
+"O, I know that very well," said Charlie, "because my father is
+there; 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 he
+has sent me a letter, telling me about the glory of heaven, and about
+the way to get there. The Bible is God's letter."
+
+"Yes, I see," said Charlie, after thinking awhile, "there must be a
+heaven, if you have got such a nice long letter from there."
+
+The lesson of hope is the first lesson taught us by the
+Transfiguration.
+
+_The next lesson taught us here is_--THE LESSON
+
+OF INSTRUCTION.
+
+The great event of the Transfiguration took place in our Saviour's
+life for _this_ reason, among others, that we might learn from it
+_how we are to think of Christ_. While the disciples were gazing on
+the glory of that scene, and on the distinguished visitors who were
+there, there came a cloud and overshadowed them. This cloud, we may
+suppose, was like a curtain round Moses and Elias, hiding them from
+the view of the disciples. And, as Jesus in his glory was left alone
+for them to gaze upon, there came a voice from the overshadowing
+cloud, saying--"_This is my beloved Son; in whom I am well
+pleased_." This was the voice of God, the Father. It spoke out on
+this occasion to teach the disciples then, and you and me now, and
+all God's people in every age, what to think about Christ. God, the
+Father, tells us here what he thinks about him; and we must learn to
+think of him in the same way. His will, his command is that "_all men
+should 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 this
+occasion to add to the honor of Christ. And then they disappeared, as
+if to show that they were nothing in comparison with him. He is the
+greatest and the best of all beings. He must be first. Prophets and
+priests, and kings, and angels even, are as nothing to him. We must
+love him--and honor him above all others. The words of the hymn we so
+often 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 Emperor
+Theodosius the Great which illustrates very well how we should honor
+Christ. There were at that time two great parties in the church. One
+of these believed and taught the divinity of Christ--or that he is
+equal to God the Father. The other party, called Arians, believed and
+taught that Christ was not divine; and that he was not to be honored
+and worshiped as God. The Emperor Theodosius favored this latter
+party. When his son, Arcadius, was about sixteen years old, his
+father determined to make him a sharer of his throne, and passed a
+law that his son should receive the same respect and honor that were
+due to himself. And, in connection with this event, an incident
+occurred which led the emperor to see how wrong the view was which he
+held respecting the character of Christ, and to give it up. When
+Arcadius was proclaimed the partner of his father in the empire, the
+officers of the government, and other prominent persons, called on
+the emperor in his palace, to congratulate him on the occasion, and
+to pay their respects to his son.
+
+Among those who thus came, was a celebrated bishop of the church. He
+was very decided in the views he held about the real divinity of
+Christ, and very much opposed to all who denied this divinity.
+
+Coming into the presence of the emperor, the bishop paid his respects
+to him, in the most polite and proper manner. Then he was about to
+retire from the palace, without taking any special notice of the
+emperor's son. This made the father angry. He said to the bishop, "Do
+you take no notice of my son? Have you not heard that I have made him
+a partner with myself in the government of the empire?"
+
+The good old bishop made no reply to this, but going to Arcadius, he
+laid his hand on his head, saying, as he did so--"The Lord bless
+thee, my son!" and was again turning to retire.
+
+Even this did not satisfy the emperor, who asked, in a tone of
+surprise and displeasure, "Is _this_ all the respect you pay to a
+prince whom I have made equal in dignity with myself?"
+
+With great warmth the bishop answered--"Does your majesty resent so
+highly my apparent neglect of your son, because I do not treat him
+with equal honor to yourself? What, then, must the _Eternal God_--the
+King of heaven--think of you, who refuse to render to his only
+begotten Son, the honor and the worship that he claims for him?"
+
+This had such an effect upon the emperor that he changed his views on
+this subject, and ever afterwards took part with those who
+acknowledged the divinity of Christ, and honored the Son, even as
+they honored the Father.
+
+And so we see that the second lesson taught by the Transfiguration
+was the _lesson of instruction_. We must learn to think of Christ as
+the Father in heaven thinks of him.
+
+_And then there is_--A LESSON OF DUTY--_that comes to us from this
+Transfiguration scene_.
+
+We are taught this lesson by the last two words that were spoken, by
+the voice which the apostles heard from the cloud that overshadowed
+them. These are the words:--"_Hear Him."_ "This is my beloved Son, in
+whom I am well pleased: _Hear Him_." This is God's command to every
+one of us. To hear Jesus, means to listen attentively to what he has
+to say, and to do it. And what does Jesus say to us? He says many
+things. But the most important thing he has to say to the young, is
+what we find in St. Matt, vi: 33: "_Seek ye_ FIRST _the kingdom of
+God_." This means that we must give our hearts to Jesus, and serve
+him while we are young. We must do this _first_,--before we do
+anything else. We cannot hear or obey Jesus in anything, till we hear
+and obey him in this. And there are three good reasons why we should
+do this.
+
+We should "hear him" because there is _safety_ in it. We are exposed
+to dangers every day, and nothing will so help to keep us safe in the
+midst of these dangers as hearing Jesus, and doing what he tells us
+to 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 were
+greatly frightened. They screamed, and left their places, and began
+to rush to the windows and stairs. The stairway leading to the door
+was soon choked up; and although the fire never reached the
+school-house, many of the children had their limbs broken and were
+bruised and wounded in other ways.
+
+But there was one little girl who remained quietly in her seat
+during all this excitement. When the alarm was over, and the wounded
+children had been taken home, and order was restored in the school,
+the teacher asked this little girl why she sat still in her seat, and
+did not rush towards the door, as the other girls had done.
+
+"My father is a fireman," she said, "and he has always told me that
+if ever there was a cry of fire when I was in school, I must remain
+quiet in my seat, for that was the safest way. I was dreadfully
+frightened; but I knew that what father had told me was best; and so
+I sat still, while the others were running to the door." This little
+girl _heard_ her father. She minded him. She did what he told her to
+do, and she found safety in doing so. And if we "_hear him_" of whom
+the voice from the Mount of Transfiguration speaks to us--we shall
+find safety from many a danger.
+
+We ought to learn this lesson of duty, and "hear him," because there
+is _success_ in it.
+
+In old times, when the racers were running in the public games, if a
+man wished to be successful in the race, it was necessary for him to
+fix his eye on the prize, at the end of the race-course, and keep it
+fixed there till he reached the end. No one could have any success in
+racing who did not do this.
+
+Here is an incident about some boys at play that illustrates the
+point 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 of
+the new fallen snow. It was too dry for snowballing, and was not deep
+enough for coasting; so they thought they would improve the occasion
+by playing at making tracks in the snow.
+
+There was a large meadow near by, with a grand old oak tree standing
+in the centre of it. The boys gathered round the tree, and stood, on
+opposite sides, each one with his back against the tree. At a given
+signal they were to start, and walk to the fence opposite to each of
+them; and then return to the tree, and see which had made the
+straightest track.
+
+The signal was given. They started. They reached the fence, and
+returned to the tree. "Now, boys, who has made the straightest
+track?" said one of the boys, named James Allison.
+
+"Henry Armstrong's is the only one that is straight at all," said
+Thomas Sanders.
+
+"I don't see how we all contrived to go so crooked, when the meadow
+is so smooth, and there is nothing to turn us out of the way," said
+one 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 tree
+on the other side of the fence towards which I was to walk, and never
+looked away from it till I reached the fence."
+
+The other boys were walking without any particular aim in view. No
+wonder that their walk was crooked. After the apostle Paul became a
+Christian, he made one of the straightest tracks through this world
+to heaven that ever was made. And he made it in just the same way in
+which Harry Armstrong made his straight track through that meadow. We
+have seen what Harry said of his track through the snow; now see what
+St. Paul says of the way in which he made his straight track through
+this world to heaven. _This_ is what he says:
+
+"One thing I do; forgetting those things which are behind, and
+reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the
+mark, 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 the
+ancient games, when he fixed his eye on the prize and pressed right
+forward till he reached it. And it was just what Harry Armstrong did
+in his play. He fixed his eye on the big pine tree and never turned
+to the right hand or to the left till he reached it. The apostle Paul
+fixed his eye on Jesus, and made a straight track through the world
+till he reached the glorious heaven where Jesus dwells. And, in doing
+this, the great apostle was only practising the lesson of duty taught
+by the voice that speaks from the Transfiguration scene. "_Hear
+him_," 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 as
+safety and success.
+
+David says, when speaking of God's commands, "In keeping of them
+there is _great reward,"_ Ps. xix: 11. This is true of all God's
+commands; and it is especially true of the command we are now
+considering--"Hear him."
+
+Samuel obeyed this command, and it made him a blessing and an honor
+to the nation of Israel. David obeyed it, and it made him one of the
+greatest and most successful kings. Daniel obeyed it, and it covered
+him with honor, and made him a blessing to his own nation, and to the
+church of Christ in every age.
+
+"The Reward of Obedience." Here is an Eastern story which illustrates
+this point of our subject. The story says there was once an enchanted
+hill. On the top of this hill a great treasure was hidden. This
+treasure was put there to be the reward of any one who should reach
+the top of the hill without looking behind him. The command and the
+promise given to every young person who set out to climb that hill,
+were--do not look behind you, and that treasure shall be yours. But
+there was a threat added to the command and promise. The threat was,
+if you look behind, you will be turned into a stone. Many young
+persons started, to try and gain the prize. But the way to the top of
+the hill led them through beautiful groves, which covered the side of
+the hill. In these groves were birds singing sweetly, and sounds of
+music were heard, and melodious voices inviting those who passed by
+to stop and rest awhile. One after another of those who set out for
+the prize at the top of the hill would stop, and look round to see
+where the voices came from; and immediately they were turned into
+stones. "Hence," says the story, "in a little while the hillside was
+covered with stones, into which those had been turned who neglected
+the command given them when they started."
+
+Of course there never was such a hill as this. But the story gives us
+a good illustration. Our life may well be compared to such a hill.
+The treasure, on the top of it, represents the reward that awaits us
+in heaven, if we serve God faithfully. The songs, and the voices,
+from the groves, on the hillside, represent the temptations that
+surround us in our daily paths. The lesson of duty that comes to us
+from the Transfiguration scene--"Hear him"--is the only thing that
+can preserve us from these temptations. If we hear Jesus when he says
+to us--"follow me;" if we give him our hearts and walk in his way, he
+will carry us through all temptations; he will bring us safely to the
+top of the hill; and the reward laid up there will be ours. Let us
+learn this lesson of duty, because there is safety in it; there is
+success in it; there is profit in it.
+
+And so we have spoken of two things in connection with the
+Transfiguration; these are the wonders that attended it, and the
+lessons taught by it. The wonders are three--the wonderful
+change--the wonderful company--and the wonderful conversation; and
+the lessons are three--the lesson of hope--the lesson of
+instruction--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 The
+Last Supper. Between these two events in our Saviour's life, how many
+interesting incidents took place! How many important sayings that
+fell from his gracious lips during this period are written for our
+instruction by the four evangelists! There is, for instance, the
+beautiful lesson about what it is on which the value of our gifts
+depend. He taught this lesson when he saw the rich casting their
+gifts into the treasury. Among them came "a certain poor widow,
+casting in two mites. And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that
+this poor widow hath cast in more than they all;--for she of her
+penury hath cast in all the living she had," Luke xxi: 1-4. But, from
+among all these, we have only room for one chapter. A dozen, or
+twenty chapters would be needed on this part of the life of Christ.
+Where there are so many that might be taken, it has been very
+difficult to decide which is the best. In deciding this matter, I do
+not think we could do better than join the company of the three
+favored disciples, Peter, John, and James, and go, in thought with
+them, as they followed their Master from his last visit to the temple
+in Jerusalem, up to the top of the Mount of Olives. There Jesus took
+his seat, and his disciples sat around him, anxious to ask him some
+questions about what he had said to them in the temple. We read in
+St. Mark xiii: 1-2, that as he was going out of the temple the
+disciples called his attention to the beauty of that sacred building
+and the great size and splendor of some of the stones that were in
+it. Then Jesus pointed to that great building, and told them that the
+time was coming when it would be destroyed, and "there should not be
+left one stone upon another that should not be thrown down." This
+filled the minds of the disciples with surprise and wonder. They
+supposed that their temple would last as long as the world stood.
+They thought that it was the end of the world of which Jesus was
+speaking; and they were very anxious that he should tell them
+something more about it. And so, as soon as they were seated around
+him, on the Mount of Olives, they said, "Tell us, when shall these
+things be? and what shall be the sign, when all these things shall be
+fulfilled?" St. Mark xii: 4.
+
+And now, we may imagine ourselves sitting with Jesus and his
+disciples on the Mount of Olives. As we look down we see the city of
+Jerusalem spread out beneath our feet. We see its walls, and its
+palaces. And there, just before us, outshining everything in its
+beauty, is that sacred temple, that was "forty and six years in
+building." Its white marble walls, its golden spires, and pinnacles,
+are sparkling in the beams of the sun, as they shine upon them. No
+wonder 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 the
+twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth chapters of St. Matthew. In the first
+of these chapters, Jesus gave them a sign, by which those who learn
+to understand what he here says, might know when his second coming is
+to take place. These are some of the lessons from Olivet. I should
+like, very much, to stop and talk about them. But this cannot be
+now. We pass over to the twenty-fifth chapter of St. Matthew. In this
+chapter we have three of our Saviour's parables. These are very
+solemn and instructive. They all refer to the judgment that must take
+place when Jesus shall come into our world again. The second of these
+parables is the one we are now to consider. It is called--"The
+Parable of the Talents." We find it in St. Matt, xxv: 14-30. And _the
+lessons from Olivet_, which we are now to try and learn, are all
+drawn from the words of our Saviour, contained in the verses just
+mentioned.
+
+This, then, is our present subject--_The Lessons from Olivet_. And
+there _four_ lessons, in this part of our Saviour's discourse, of
+which we are now to speak. _The first is--the lesson about the
+Master. The second--the lesson about the servants. The third is--the
+lesson about the talents; and the fourth, the lesson about the
+rewards_.
+
+_The lesson about_--THE MASTER--_is the first thing of which we are
+to speak_.
+
+In the 14th verse of this 25th chapter of St. Matthew, Jesus speaks
+of himself as--"a man travelling into a far country,"--and of his
+people as--"his own servants." In the 19th verse he speaks of himself
+as "the lord of those servants, coming back, after a long time, to
+reckon 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 a
+kingdom, and to return." This language was borrowed from a custom
+that prevailed in those days. The headquarters of the government of
+the world then was in the city of Rome. The kings and rulers of
+different countries received their appointments to the offices they
+held from the Roman Emperor. Archelaus, the son of Herod, succeeded
+his father as king of Judea. But, it was necessary for him to go to
+Rome and get permission from the emperor to hold and exercise that
+office. He had done this, not very long before our Saviour applied to
+himself the words we are now considering. This was a fact well known.
+And this is the illustration which Jesus here uses in reference to
+himself. He is the Head--the Prince--the Lord--the Master of all
+things 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 to
+heaven, as Archelaus went to Rome, "to receive for himself a kingdom
+and to return." He said he would be absent "a long time," verse 19.
+And this is true. He has been absent more than eighteen hundred
+years. He said he would "return," or come again. And so he will. It
+is just as certain that he will come again as it is that he went
+away. And he will come, not in figure, or in spirit, but in person,
+as he went. Remember what the angels said about this to his
+disciples, at the time of his departure. "Ye men of Galilee, why
+stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken from
+you into heaven, shall _so come, in like manner_ as ye have seen him
+go 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 our
+Lord and Master. No master ever had such a right to be Lord and Ruler
+as he has. God the Father has appointed him to be "Head over all
+things 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 our
+Master because he _preserves_ us. We cannot keep ourselves for a
+single 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 with
+the price of his own precious blood. He made our hands to work for
+him; and our feet to walk in his ways. He made our hearts to love
+him;--our minds to think about him; our eyes to see the beauty of his
+wondrous works, our ears to listen to his gracious words, and our
+lips and tongues to be employed in speaking and singing his praises.
+
+We cannot be our own masters. "I am my own master!"--said a young
+man, proudly, to a friend who was trying to persuade him from doing a
+wrong thing; "I am my own master!"
+
+"That's impossible," said his friend. "You can not be master of
+yourself, unless you are master of everything within, and everything
+around you. Look within. There is your conscience to keep clear, and
+your heart to make pure, your temper to govern, your will to control,
+and your judgment to instruct. And then look without. There are
+storms, and seasons; accidents, and dangers; a world full of evil men
+and evil spirits. What can you do with these? And yet, if you don't
+master 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 sure
+I should fail, if I did. Saul, the first king of Israel, wanted to be
+his own master, and failed. So did Herod. So did Judas. No man can be
+his own master. 'One is your Master, even Christ,' says the apostle.
+I work under his direction. He is my regulator, and when he is Master
+all goes right. Think of these words,--'_He is your Master even
+Christ_.' If we put ourselves under his leadership we shall surely
+win at last."
+
+And as we cannot be our own master, if we refuse to take Christ as
+our Ruler, there is nothing left for us but to have Satan as our
+master. These are the only two masters we can have. We must make our
+choice between them. If Jesus is not our Master, Satan must be. If
+Jesus is our Master here, he will share his glory with us hereafter.
+If we serve Satan here, we must share his punishment hereafter. This
+is one of the solemn lessons that Jesus taught on Olivet. He is
+speaking of the day of judgment. He represents himself as on the
+judgment-seat. Two great companies are before him. On his right hand
+are those who took him for their Master. To them he says--"Come, ye
+blessed 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 awful
+words he speaks to them are:--"Depart from, ye cursed, into
+everlasting 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 of
+means Jesus, our blessed Master. And now the question is--who are
+meant by "his own servants?" He has three kinds of servants. The
+first kind is made up of those who serve him _ignorantly_. This takes
+in all those things that have no knowledge or understanding. There,
+for instance are the sun,--the moon,--the stars,--the mountains,--the
+hills,--the plains,--the valleys,--the rivers,--the seas,--the wind
+that blows,--the rains that descend,--and the dews that distil; these
+all serve God, without knowing it. He made them to serve him, and
+they do it; but they do it ignorantly. "His kingdom _ruleth over
+all_," and it makes all these things his servants. They do exactly
+what 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 wicked
+men, and the wicked spirits who are to be found anywhere. They do not
+wish to serve God, and yet, in spite of themselves, they are obliged
+to do it. We see this illustrated, when we think of the way in which
+the crucifixion of our blessed Saviour was brought about. Satan
+stirred up the Jews to take Jesus and put him to death. God allowed
+them to do it. They did it of their own choice--as freely, and as
+voluntarily, as they ever did anything in their lives. They did it
+because they hated him, and wished to get him out of their way. So
+they nailed him to the cross in their malice and their rage. This was
+the very thing God had determined should be done, that he might save
+and bless the world. He allowed Satan, and the Jews, to do just what
+their wicked hearts prompted them to do; and then he overruled it for
+good. And, in this way, as David says, he "makes the wrath of man to
+praise him, and the remainder of it he restrains." And thus we see
+how 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 speaks
+of them, in this parable as "_his own_ servants." When they find out
+what he has done for them, the thought of it fills their hearts with
+love; and then they desire to serve him, and do all he tells them to
+do, in order to show their love to him. And this is what Jesus means
+when he says--"Take my yoke upon you; for my yoke is easy, and my
+burden is light," When we really love a person, anything that we can
+do for that person is easy and pleasant to us. And so it is the great
+love for Jesus, that his people have, which makes his yoke easy, and
+his burden light to them.
+
+"How to Become a Willing Servant to Jesus." A little boy came to his
+grandmother one day, and asked her how he could become a Christian.
+She answered very simply, "Ask Jesus to give you a new heart, _and
+believe he does it when you ask him_."
+
+"Is that all?" said the little fellow joyfully; "oh! that is easy
+enough." So he went to his room, and kneeling beside his bed, asked
+Jesus to give him a new heart. He believed that the dear Saviour,
+who loves little children, did hear and answer his prayer. And he
+left his room with a happy heart, for he felt sure that he was now
+one of Christ's own loving children, and willing servants. And this
+is the way in which we must take the yoke of Jesus upon us, and
+become his willing servants. And then in everything that we do we can
+be serving him. As St. Paul says--"whether we eat or drink, or
+whatsoever we do, we can do all to the glory of God."
+
+A good man once said "that if God should send two angels down from
+heaven, and should tell one of them to sit on a throne and rule a
+kingdom, and the other to sweep the streets of a city, the latter
+would feel that he was serving God as acceptably in handling his
+broom as his brother angel was in holding his sceptre. And this is
+true. 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 finest
+wheat." "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 useful
+when I turn out the finest flour than when I turn out the coarsest
+meal. My honor is, not in doing fine work, but in doing any thing
+that is given me to do in the best way that I can." That is true. And
+this is just the way in which Jesus wishes us to serve him when he
+says to "_his own_ servants," "Occupy till I come." This means serve
+me, in everything, as you would do if you saw me standing by your
+side.
+
+"How to Serve God." Willie's mother let him go with his little sister
+into the street to play. She told them not to go off the street on
+which their house stood. Willie was a little fellow, and lisped very
+much in talking; but he was brave, and he was obedient. Presently his
+sister asked him to go into another street; but he refused. "Mamma
+thaid no," was Willie's answer. "The thaid we muthn't do off thith
+threet," said Willie in his lisping way. "Only just a little way
+round 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 thuch
+a mean thing; and I won't!" And Willie straightened himself, and
+stood up like a man. That was brave and beautiful in Willie. And that
+is 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 his
+baby brother in a child's carriage. "My little man," said the
+gentleman, "what are you doing to serve God?" The little fellow
+stopped a moment, and then, looking up into the gentleman's face, he
+said:--"Why, you see, Sir, I'm trying to make baby happy, so that he
+won't worry mamma who is sick." That was a noble answer. In trying to
+amuse his baby brother, and to relieve his poor sick mother, that
+little boy was serving God as truly and as acceptably as the angel
+Gabriel does when he wings his way, on a mission of mercy, to some
+far off world.
+
+And this is the lesson about the servants that comes to us from
+Olivet.
+
+_The lesson about_--THE TALENTS--_is the third lesson that comes to
+us from Olivet_.
+
+This parable tells us that before the Master went away, he "called
+his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. Unto one he gave
+five talents, to another two, to another one; to every man according
+to his several ability." verses 14, 15, In St. Luke's account of the
+parable, what the master gave to his servants is spoken of as
+_pounds_, and each servant is said to have received one pound. These
+talents or pounds both mean the same thing. They denote something
+with which we can do good, and make ourselves useful. And it is
+plain, from both these parables, that the Master gave at least _one_
+talent, or one pound, to each of his servants. None of them were left
+without some portion of their Master's goods. And the lesson from
+Olivet 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 expects
+us to use for him. And the most important thing for us is to find out
+what our talents are, and how we can best use them, so as to be ready
+to give a good account of them when our Master comes to reckon with
+us.
+
+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 over
+them. He was laid away, in one of the beds of a hospital, to die. On
+the next cot to him was another little fellow, of the same class, who
+had been picked up, sick with the fever which comes from hunger and
+want. The latter boy crept close up to his poor suffering companion
+and 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 that
+Jesus would take us up to heaven when we die, if we axed him; and
+we'd never have any more hunger or pain."
+
+"But I couldn't ax such a great gentleman as he is to do anything for
+me. 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 could
+I 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 might
+come round to this hospital this very night? You'd know him if you
+was to see him."
+
+"But I can't keep my eyes open. My legs feels awful bad. Doctor says
+I'll die."
+
+"Bobby, hold up yer hand, and he'll know what you want, when he
+passes by." They got the hand up; but it dropped. They tried it
+again, and it slowly fell back. Three times they got up the little
+hand, only to let it fall. Bursting into tears he said, "I give it
+up."
+
+"Bobby," said his tender-hearted companion, "lend me yer hand. Put
+your elbow on my piller: I can do without it." So the hand was
+propped up. And when they came in the morning, the boy lay dead; but
+his hand was still held up for Jesus. And don't you think that he
+heard and answered the silent but eloquent appeal which it made to
+him 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 a
+single talent; but, he made good use of it when he employed it to
+lead that wounded, suffering, dying boy to Jesus.
+
+"Good Friends." "I wish I had some good friends, to help me on in
+life!" cried lazy Dennis, with a yawn.
+
+"Good friends," said his master, "why you've got ten; how many do you
+want?"
+
+"I'm sure I've not half so many; and those I have are too poor to
+help 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 in
+life. Try what those true friends can do, before you go grumbling and
+fretting because you have none to help you."
+
+Now, suppose that we put the word talents, for the word friends, in
+this little story. Then, we may each of us hold our two hands before
+us, and say "here are ten talents, which God has given me to use for
+him. 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 do
+something that made me glad for a week. Indeed it fills my heart with
+tenderness and good feeling whenever I think about it. But let me
+tell you what it was.
+
+"As I was walking along a crowded street I saw an old blind man
+walking on without any one to lead him. He went very slowly, feeling
+his way with his cane.
+
+"'He's walking straight to the highest part of the curb-stone,' said
+I to myself. 'And it's very high too. I wonder if some one won't help
+him 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's
+arm, said:--'Allow me, my friend, to lead you across the street.' By
+this time there were three or four others watching the boy. He not
+only helped the old man over one crossing, but led him over another
+to 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 old
+man. But just see how much farther than that the use of his one
+talent went. The three boys with whom he was playing, and who had
+watched his kind act, were happier and better for it, and felt that
+they must be more careful to do little kindnesses to those about
+them.
+
+"The three or four persons who stopped to watch the boy turned away
+with a tender smile upon their faces, ready to follow the good
+example of that noble boy. I am sure that I felt more gentle and
+loving 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 else
+happy, without feeling better and happier ourselves. To _be_ good and
+to _do_ good, is the way to be happy. This is our mission here in
+this world. Whatever talents our Master has given us, he intends that
+we should use them in this way."
+
+"Tiny's Work for God." Two little girls, Leila and Tiny, were
+sitting, one summer day, under the tree which grew beside their home.
+
+Both children had been quiet for a little while, when suddenly Tiny
+raised her blue eyes and said, "I _am_ so happy, Leila. I do love the
+flowers, and the birdies, and you, and everybody so much." Then she
+added, 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," said
+Leila.
+
+"Yes, but I do want to _do_ something for him--something that would
+give me trouble. Can't you think of anything?"
+
+Leila thought a little, and said, "Perhaps you could print a text
+for the flowers mother sends every week to the sick people in the
+hospital. They are so glad to have the flowers, and then the text
+might help them think about our Father in heaven."
+
+"Oh! thank you, sister, that will be so nice! I will write--'Suffer
+the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not.'"
+
+But Tiny was only a little over four years old, and it was hard for
+her to hold a pen, but she managed to print two letters every day
+till the text was finished. Then she went alone to her room, and
+laying the text on a chair, she kneeled down beside it, and
+said--"Heavenly Father, I have done this for you: please take it from
+Tiny, for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen." And God heard the prayer, for
+he always listens when children truly pray.
+
+So Tiny's text was sent up to London, and a lady put a very pretty
+flower into the card and took it to the hospital. She stopped beside
+a bed where a little boy was lying. His face was almost as white as
+the 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 I
+mind. 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 'ave
+any 'opes for me, and I'm mighty afeard to die."
+
+"If you had a friend who loved you, and you were well, would you be
+afraid 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 all
+your life long. He wants you to trust him, and to go and live with
+him. He will love you always, and you will always be happy."
+
+Then the lady read Tiny's text, "_Suffer the little children to come
+unto me, and forbid them not._" She told him how Jesus had died, and
+then 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 still
+saying "Come," and his hand is still held out to bless.
+
+So Willie turned to the Good Shepherd, and was no longer afraid. A
+few days afterwards he whispered--"Lord Jesus, I am coming;" and he
+died with Tiny's text in his hand.
+
+That little girl used the talent that was given her, and it helped
+to 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 lesson
+about,--the talents.
+
+_The fourth, and last lesson from Olivet is the lesson about_--THE
+REWARDS.
+
+The parable tells us that when the Master came back, and reckoned
+with his servants, he said to each of those who had made a right use
+of his talents:--"Well done, good and faithful servant, thou hast
+been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many
+things; 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 made
+ruler over ten cities; and he who had gained five pounds was made
+ruler over five cities. This shows us that God will reward his
+people, hereafter, according to the degree of faithfulness with which
+each one shall have used the talents given to him. And this is the
+lesson which the apostle Paul teaches us when he says that, "Every
+man 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 life
+when Jesus comes to reckon with them. But those crowns will not be
+all 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 these
+crowns. Some will be simply crowns of gold, or of glory, without any
+gems or jewels to ornament them. Some will have two or three small
+jewels shining in them. But, others again will be full of the most
+beautiful jewels, all glittering and sparkling with glory. And this
+will all depend upon the way in which those who wear these crowns
+used their talents while they were on earth, and the amount of work
+they did for Jesus. There is an incident mentioned in Roman history
+about a soldier, which illustrates this part of our subject very
+well.
+
+"The Faithful Soldier and His Rewards." This man had served forty
+years in the cause of his country--of these, ten years had been spent
+as a private soldier, and thirty as an officer. He had been present
+in one hundred and twenty battles, and had been severely wounded
+forty-five times. He had received fourteen civic crowns, for having
+saved the lives of so many Roman citizens; three mural crowns, for
+having been the first to mount the breach when attacking a fortress;
+and eight golden crowns, for having, on so many occasions, rescued
+the standard of a Roman legion from the hands of the enemy. He had in
+his house eighty-three gold chains, sixty bracelets, eighteen golden
+spears, and twenty-three horse trappings,--the rewards for his many
+faithful services as a soldier. And when his friends looked at all
+those honors and treasures which he had received, from time to time,
+how well they might have said as they pointed to those numerous
+prizes--that he had "received _his own reward_, according to _his own
+labor_," and faithfulness! And so it will be with the soldiers of the
+cross, who are faithful in using the talents given them by their
+heavenly Master.
+
+"A Great Harvest from a Little Seed," Some years ago there was a
+celebrated artist in Paris whose name was Ary Scheffer. On one
+occasion he wished to introduce a beggar into a certain picture he
+was painting. Baron Rothschild, the famous banker, and one of the
+richest men in the world, was a particular friend of this artist. He
+happened to come into his studio at the very time he was trying to
+get a beggar to be the model of one which he desired to put into his
+painting.
+
+"Wait till to-morrow," said Mr. Rothschild, "and I will dress myself
+up as a beggar, and make you an excellent model."
+
+"Very well," said the artist, who was pleased with the strangeness of
+the proposal. The next day the rich banker appeared, dressed up as a
+beggar, and a very sorry looking beggar he was. While the artist was
+engaged in painting him, another friend of his came into the studio.
+He was a kind-hearted, generous man. As he looked on the model
+beggar, he was touched by his wretched appearance, and as he passed
+him, he slipped a louis d'or--a French gold coin, worth about five
+dollars of our money--into his hand. The pretended beggar took the
+coin, and put it in his pocket.
+
+Ten years after this, the gentleman who gave this piece of money
+received an order on the bank of the Rothschilds for ten thousand
+francs. This was enclosed in a letter which read as follows:
+
+"Sir: You one day gave a louis d'or to Baron Rothschild, in the
+studio 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, together
+with the interest it has gained. A good action is always followed by
+a good reward.
+
+"JAMES DE ROTHSCHILD."
+
+In those few years that one gold coin, of twenty francs, had
+increased to ten thousand francs. And this illustrates the way in
+which Jesus the heavenly Master rewards those who use their talents
+for him. See how he teaches this lesson, when he says--"Whosoever
+shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold
+water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall
+in _no wise lose his reward_." St. Matt, x: 42. And in another place
+we are told that the reward shall be "an hundred fold," and shall run
+on into "everlasting life." St. Matt, xix: 29. How sweetly some one
+has 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. And
+taking these lessons together, let us remember that they are--the
+lesson _about the Master_: the lesson _about the servants_: the
+lesson _about the talents_: and the lesson _about the rewards_.
+
+The Collect for the thirteenth Sunday after Trinity is a very
+suitable prayer to offer after meditating on the lessons from Olivet:
+
+"Almighty and merciful God, of whose only gift it cometh that thy
+faithful people do unto thee true and laudable service: Grant, we
+beseech thee, that we may so faithfully serve thee in this life, that
+we fail not finally to attain thy heavenly promises; which exceed all
+that 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 week
+has 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 first
+and true meaning of the word, and of the Latin word from which it
+comes, is--suffering. And this is the sense in which we find the word
+used in Acts i: 3. There, St. Luke, who wrote the Acts, is speaking
+of Christ's appearing to the apostles, after his resurrection, and he
+uses 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 the
+interesting things that Jesus did was to keep the Jewish Passover for
+the last time with his disciples. This Passover feast had been kept
+by the Jews every year for nearly fifteen hundred years. It was the
+most solemn religious service they had. It was first observed by
+them in the night on which their nation was delivered from the
+bondage of Egypt and began their march towards the promised land of
+Canaan. We read about the establishment of this solemn service in
+Exodus, twelfth chapter. The first Passover took place on the
+fourteenth day of the month Nisan. This had been the seventh month of
+the year with the Jews. But God directed them to take it for their
+first month ever afterwards. They were to begin their year with that
+month. Every family was to choose out a lamb for themselves, on the
+tenth day of the month. They were to keep it to the fourteenth day of
+the 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 and
+upper lintels of every door. They were to roast the lamb and eat it,
+with solemn religious services. And, while they were doing this, the
+angel of the Lord was to pass over all the land of Egypt, and, with
+his unseen sword, to smite and kill the first-born, or eldest child,
+in every family, from Pharaoh on his throne to the poorest beggar in
+the land. But the blood, sprinkled on the door-posts of the houses in
+which the Israelites dwelt, was to save them from the stroke of the
+angel 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. He
+gave one stroke with his dreadful sword--and there was a death in
+every Egyptian family. But in the blood-sprinkled dwellings of the
+Israelites, 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 not
+surprising that the children of Israel, through all their
+generations, should have kept that Passover feast with great
+interest--an interest that never died out, from age to age. Nor do we
+wonder that our blessed Saviour looked forward longingly to the
+occasion when, for the last time, he was to celebrate this Passover
+with his disciples. As they began the feast he said to them, "With
+desire 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 this
+strong desire. Without attempting to tell what all those reasons
+were, we can readily think of some things which would lead him, very
+naturally, to have this feeling. It was the last time he was to eat
+this 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 suffer
+and die; to rise from the dead, and then go home to his Father in
+heaven.
+
+This Passover had been one of the services established and kept for
+the purpose of pointing the attention of men to himself as the Lamb
+of God who was to take away the sins of the world. And now, the time
+had come when all that had thus been pointed out concerning him, for
+so many hundred years, was about to be fulfilled. He, the one true
+Lamb 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 church
+would take its place. And then the blessings of true religion,
+instead of being confined to one single nation, would be freely
+offered to all nations; and Jews and Gentiles alike, would be at
+liberty 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 eat
+this last Passover with his disciples. In each of the four gospels we
+have an account of what took place when the time came for keeping
+this Passover. What is said concerning it we find in the following
+places: St. Matt xxi: 17-30, St. Mark xiv: 12-26, St. Luke xxii:
+7-39. St. John begins with the thirteenth chapter, and ends his
+account at the close of the seventeenth chapter. He is the only one
+of the four evangelists who gives a full and particular account of
+the wonderful sayings of our Lord in connection with this last
+passover, and of the great prayer that he offered for all his
+people.
+
+Here is a brief outline of these different accounts. When the time
+came to keep the Passover, Jesus sent two of his disciples from
+Bethany, where he was then staying, to Jerusalem. He told them, that,
+when they entered the city, they would meet a man bearing a pitcher
+of water. They were to ask him to show them the guest-chamber, where
+he and his disciples might eat the Passover together. There were
+always great crowds of strangers in Jerusalem at the time of this
+festival; and many furnished chambers were kept ready to be hired to
+those who wished them, for celebrating the Passover. This man, of
+whom our Saviour spoke, was probably a friend of his, and according
+to our Lord's word, he showed the disciples such a room as they
+needed. Then they made the necessary preparations; and, when the
+evening came, Jesus and his disciples met there to keep this solemn
+feast.
+
+Many of the pictures that we see of this last Supper, represent the
+company as seated round a table, very much in the way in which we are
+accustomed to sit ourselves. But this is not correct. The people in
+those Eastern countries were not accustomed to sit as we do. On this
+occasion the roasted lamb, with the bread and wine to be used at the
+feast, was placed on a table, and the guests reclined on couches
+round the table, each man leaning on his left arm, and helping
+himself to what he needed with his right hand.
+
+Various incidents took place in connection with this last Supper. The
+disciples had a contest among themselves about which of them should
+be greatest. This led Jesus, in the course of the evening, to give
+them the lesson of humility, by washing his disciples' feet, of which
+we have already spoken. Then he told them how sorrowfully he was
+feeling. He said they would all forsake him, and one of them would
+betray him that very night. This made them feel very sad. Each of
+them suspected himself--and asked sorrowfully--"Lord, is it I?" They
+did not suspect each other; and none of them seems to have suspected
+Judas Iscariot at all. Then Peter whispered to John, who was leaning
+on the bosom of Jesus, to ask who it was that was to do this? In
+answer to John's question, Jesus said it was the one to whom he
+should give a piece of bread when he had dipped it in the dish. Then
+he dipped the sop and gave it to Judas.
+
+After this, we are told that Satan entered into him, and he went out
+and made preparation for doing the most dreadful thing that ever was
+done from the beginning of the world--and that was the betrayal of
+his 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 one
+of the two great sacraments to be observed in his church to the end
+of the world--the sacrament of the Lord's Supper--or the holy
+Communion.
+
+This is St. Luke's account of the way in which it was done, chapter
+xxii: 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 for
+you." St. Matthew adds, and--"for many."
+
+Such is the account we have of the first establishment of the Lord's
+Supper. It was to take the place of the Jewish Passover, and to be
+observed by the followers of Christ all over the earth, until the
+time when he shall come again into our world.
+
+And this solemn sacrament--this holy communion--this Supper of our
+Lord, ought to be observed, or kept, by all who love him, for three
+reasons: these are its connection with _the word of his command--the
+memory of his sufferings--and the hope of his glory_.
+
+Jesus connected this sacrament with _the word of his command_ when he
+said--"_This do_ in remembrance of me." St. Luke xxii: 19. This is
+the _command_ of Christ. It is a plain, positive command. Jesus did
+not give this command to the apostles only, or to his ministers, or
+to any particular class of his followers, but to all of them. It was
+given first to his apostles, but it was not intended to be confined
+to 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, or
+ye rich men, or ye great men; but simply, "This do." And the meaning
+of what he here says, is--"This do," all ye who profess to be my
+followers, all over the world, and through all ages. And the words
+that he spake on another occasion come in very well here: "If ye love
+me, keep my commandments." And _this_ is one of the commandments that
+he 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 his
+people 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 the
+use of it, or not; Jesus says--"This do." It is enough for each
+follower of Jesus to say, "here is my Lord's command; I _must_ obey
+it."
+
+In an army, if the general issues an order, it is expected that every
+soldier will obey it. And no matter how important, or useful, in
+itself considered, any work may be, that is done by one of those
+soldiers, yet, if it be done while he is neglecting the general's
+order, instead of gaining for that soldier the praise of the general,
+or of securing a reward from him, it will only excite his
+displeasure:--he will order that soldier to be punished.
+
+But the church of Christ is compared in the Bible to an army. He is
+the Captain or Leader of this army. And one of the most important
+orders he has issued for his soldiers is--"This do in remembrance of
+me." If we profess to be the soldiers of Christ, and are enlisted in
+his army, and yet are neglecting this order, he never can be pleased
+with anything we may do while this order is neglected. We seem to see
+him pointing to this neglected order, and saying to each of us, as he
+said to Saul, the first king of Israel, by the prophet Samuel:
+--"Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice: and to hearken, than the
+fat of rams." I. Sam. xv: 22.
+
+No age is fixed in the New Testament at which young people may be
+allowed to come to the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. But, as soon
+as they have learned to know and love Christ and are really trying to
+serve him, they ought to be allowed to come. And yet ministers and
+parents sometimes keep them back, and tell them they must wait, and
+be tried a little longer, before they receive the help and comfort of
+this ordinance of Christ, even when their conduct shows they are
+sincerely trying to love and serve the blessed Saviour.
+
+If a farmer should send his servant out into the field, when winter
+was approaching, telling him to put the sheep into the fold, that
+they might be protected from the wolves, and from the cold, it would
+be thought a strange thing if he should allow him to bring the sheep
+into the shelter of the fold, and leave the little lambs outside.
+This is a good illustration to show the importance of taking care of
+the lambs. But it fails at one point. The shelter of the fold is
+absolutely necessary for the protection of the farmer's lambs. They
+could not live without it. If left outside of the fold they would
+certainly perish. But there is not the same necessity for admitting
+young 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 holy
+ordinance. They are already under the care and protection of the good
+Shepherd. He can guard them, and keep them, and cause them to grow in
+grace, even though, for awhile, they do not have the help and comfort
+of this sacrament. And, if they are kept back through the fault or
+mistake of others, he will do so. This sacrament, like that of
+baptism, is, as the catechism says, "_generally_ necessary to
+salvation." This means that it is important "where it may be had."
+But, if circumstances beyond our control should prevent us from
+partaking of it, we may be saved without it. Still, I think that
+young people who give satisfactory evidence that they know and love
+the Saviour, and are trying to serve him, ought to be allowed to come
+forward to this holy sacrament.
+
+Some people when urged to come to the Lord's Supper excuse
+themselves, by saying that--"they are not prepared to come."
+
+But this will not release any one from the command of Christ--"This
+do."
+
+What the preparation is that we need in order that we may come, in a
+proper way, to this holy sacrament, is clearly pointed out in the
+exhortation that occurs in the communion service of our church. Here
+the minister says--"Ye who do truly and earnestly repent of your
+sins, and are in love and charity with your neighbors, and intend to
+lead a new life, following the commandments of God, and walking from
+henceforth in his holy ways: draw near with faith, and take this holy
+sacrament to your comfort." And there is no excuse for persons not
+being in the state these words describe: for this is just what God's
+word, and our own duty and interest require of us. If we have not
+yet done what these words require, we ought to do it at once; and
+then there will be nothing in the way of our obeying the command of
+Christ, when he says--"This do, in remembrance of me," By all the
+authority which belongs to him our Saviour _commands_ us to keep this
+holy feast. And the first reason why we ought to "do this," is
+because of its connection with the word of his command.
+
+_The second reason why we ought to "do this"--is because of its
+connection with the memory of his sufferings_.
+
+We are taught this by the word _remembrance_, which our Saviour here
+uses. He says, "This do in remembrance of me." This means in
+remembrance of my sufferings for you. And _this_ is the most
+important word used by him when he established this sacrament. It is
+the governing word in the whole service. It is the word by which we
+must be guided in trying to understand what our Lord meant to teach
+us by all he did and said on this occasion.
+
+You know how it is when we are trying to understand the music to
+which a particular tune has been set. There is always one special
+note in a tune, which is called the _key-note_. The leader of a
+choir, when they are going to sing, will strike one of the keys of
+the organ, or the melodeon they are using, so as to give to each
+member of the choir the proper key-note of the piece of music they
+are to sing. It is very important for them to have this key-note,
+because they cannot have a proper understanding of what they are to
+do without it. This holy sacrament of the Lord's Supper is like a
+solemn song. And the key-note of the music to which the song is set
+is this word--_remembrance_. It teaches us that the sacrament of the
+Lord's Supper is a _memorial_ service. And, in going through the
+music to which the song of this service has been set, every note that
+we use must be a memorial note. And the language used by our blessed
+Lord when he established this Supper, or sacrament, must be explained
+in 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 in
+remembrance of me," he meant that we should understand him as
+saying--"This is the _memorial_ of my body." And when he gave them
+the cup, and said--"This is my blood of the New Testament," he meant
+that we should understand him as saying--"This is the _memorial_ of
+my blood." And we are sure that this was the meaning, for two
+reasons.
+
+One reason for believing this is that _this was the way in which
+similar words had been used in the Jewish Passover, which Jesus and
+his disciples were then keeping_.
+
+In the Passover service, when the head of the family distributed the
+bread, he always said--"This is the bread of affliction." When he
+distributed the flesh of the lamb, roasted for the occasion, he used
+to say--"This is the body of the Passover."
+
+But every one knows, and every one admits, that the Jewish Passover
+was a _memorial_ service. It was kept in memory of the wonderful
+deliverance of their forefathers from the bitter bondage of Egypt.
+And the words used at that service were memorial words. And so, when
+Jesus, a little while before, had given to his disciples the Passover
+bread, saying--"This is the bread of affliction:" he did not mean to
+say that _that_ was the very same bread which their forefathers had
+eaten, in the time of their affliction in Egypt. What he meant to say
+was--this is the bread which you are to eat in _memory_ of your
+forefathers' trial and deliverance. And when he gave to each of them
+a piece of the sacrificial lamb, saying, "This is the body of the
+Passover;" he did not mean that in any mysterious, or supernatural
+sense, _that_ was the very lamb of which their forefathers had eaten
+on the solemn night of the Passover; he only meant that it was the
+body of which they were to eat in memory of the Passover. The
+Passover was a memorial service; and the words used at the Passover
+were memorial words.
+
+And so, when Jesus went on, from the last Passover of the Jewish
+church, to the first sacramental feast of the Christian church, and
+began by saying, "This do in _remembrance_ of me," what else could
+the apostles possibly have thought, but that he intended this new
+service of the Christian church to be a memorial service, just as the
+old festival of the Jewish church had been? When he gave them the
+broken bread, and said, "This is my body;" they could only have
+understood him as meaning this is the memorial of my body. And when
+he gave them the cup into which he had just poured the wine, and
+said: "This is my blood;" they could only understand him as meaning
+this is the memorial of my blood. And so, the sense in which he had
+just before used the words employed in the Jewish festival must have
+led the disciples to understand them in the same way when he used
+similar words in the Christian sacrament. This is a good, strong
+reason for thinking of this sacramental feast as a memorial service.
+
+There is indeed, one point of difference between the Jewish Passover
+and the Christian sacrament, when we think of them as memorial
+services. The Jews kept their solemn festival in memory of a _dead_
+lamb--the Passover lamb that was put to death for them, but never
+came to life again. We keep our Christian sacrament in memory of the
+Lamb of God, who died for us indeed, but who rose from the dead, and
+is alive forevermore. As we keep this solemn festival, we may lift up
+our 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 thought
+makes a world-wide difference between them. The bread and meat which
+the pious Jew ate, when he kept the Passover, and the wine which he
+drank on that occasion, would strengthen his body, but there was
+nothing connected with those material substances that would do any
+special good to his soul. It is different, however, with our
+Christian festival of the Lord's Supper. And this difference is
+clearly brought out in what we find in the catechism of our church on
+this subject. In speaking of this holy sacrament, the question is
+asked--"What are the benefits whereof we are partakers thereby?" And
+the answer to this question is--"The strengthening and refreshing of
+our souls, by the body and blood of Christ, as our bodies are by the
+bread and wine."
+
+Here we see that while the Lord's Supper is a memorial service
+indeed, it is at the same time something more than that.
+
+_And then, the actual bodily presence of Christ with them must have
+compelled the apostles to understand the words he used on that
+occasion, in this memorial sense_.
+
+They could not possibly have considered him as meaning that the bread
+and wine which he gave them at that solemn service did, in any
+mysterious 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 the
+same time. The sense in which Jesus first used these words--"my body"
+and "my blood," was clearly the memorial sense. He meant his
+disciples to understand him as saying "Take this bread in remembrance
+of my body, which is to be crucified for you;" and "Take this wine in
+remembrance of my blood which is to be shed for you."
+
+This was what he taught the apostles when he first used these words
+among them; and this was all he taught them; and we have no right to
+use these words in any other sense till our blessed Lord himself
+shall give us authority to do so.
+
+Let us never forget the word--_remembrance_, as used by our Saviour
+here. It is the root out of which the whole tree of this solemn
+service grows. Let us hold on to this root word, and it will save us
+from the errors into which many have fallen in reference to this
+subject.
+
+And, surely, there is nothing so precious for us to store away in our
+memories as the thought of Christ in the amazing sufferings he once
+bore for us, in the great work he is now doing for us, and in the
+saving truth he embodies in his own glorious character. The story is
+told of Alexander the Great, that when he conquered King Darius he
+found among his treasures a very valuable box or cabinet. It was made
+of gold and silver, and inlaid with precious jewels. After thinking
+for awhile what to do with it, he finally concluded to use it as his
+choicest treasury, or cabinet, in which to keep the books of the poet
+Homer, which he was very fond of reading. Now, if we use our memory
+aright, it will be to us a treasury far more valuable than that
+jeweled box of the great conqueror. And the thought of Christ, not in
+his sufferings only, but in his work, and in his character, is the
+most precious thing to lay up in our memory. And if we keep this
+remembrance continually before us it will be the greatest help we can
+have in trying to love and serve him better.
+
+Here is an illustration of what I mean, in a touching story. We may
+call it:
+
+"Love Stronger than Death." Some years ago there was a great fire in
+one of our Western cities that stood in the midst of a prairie. A
+mother escaped from her burning dwelling. Her husband was away from
+home. She took her infant in her arms, and wrapped a heavy shawl
+round herself and the baby. Her little girl clung to the dress of
+her mother, and they went out into the prairie, to get away from the
+flames of the burning buildings. It was a wild and stormy winter's
+night and intensely cold. She tried to run; but burdened as she was
+that was impossible. Presently she found that the tall dry grass of
+the prairie had caught fire. It was spreading on every side. A great
+circle of flame was gathering round her.
+
+A little way off she saw a clump of trees on a piece of rising
+ground. Towards that spot she directed her steps, and strained every
+nerve 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 her
+from opposite directions. Escape was impossible. Death--a terrible
+death by fire, seemed to be the only thing before her. She might wrap
+herself in that great shawl, and perhaps live through it. But, there
+were the children. Of course a mother could not hesitate a moment
+what to do under such circumstances. Wrapping the baby round and
+round in the folds of the shawl, she laid it carefully down, at the
+foot of one of the trees. Then, taking off her outer clothing, she
+covered the other child with it. She laid her down beside the baby,
+and then stretched herself across them. In a few moments the helpless
+little ones were sound asleep. The long hours of the night passed.
+The raging flames licked up the withered foliage about that clump of
+trees, and then left their blackened trunks to the keenness of the
+wind and frost.
+
+The next day the heart-broken husband and father returned to find his
+home burnt, and his family gone--he knew not whither. He set out to
+search for his lost treasures. He found them by that clump of trees.
+There lay his wife--her hair and eyebrows, her face and neck scorched
+and blackened by the fire--but her body frozen stiff. Whether she
+perished by the flames or the frost no one ever knew. But, on lifting
+her burnt form they found, warm and cozy beneath, her two sleeping
+children. The elder child as they roused her, opened her eyes
+exclaiming, "Mamma, is it morning?" Yes: it was morning with that
+faithful mother, in the bright world to which she had gone!
+
+Now, suppose that those children, as they grew up, should have had
+preserved among their treasures a piece of the burnt dress, or a lock
+of the scorched hair, of their devoted mother. As they looked at it,
+every day, it would be in _remembrance_ of her. How touchingly it
+would tell of her great love for them, in being willing to lay down
+her life to save theirs! And how that thought would thrill their
+hearts and make them anxious to do all they could to show their
+respect and love for such a mother!
+
+And so the broken bread and the poured out wine of this solemn
+sacrament should melt our hearts in the remembrance of the wonderful
+love of Christ to us, and should lead us to show our love to him by
+keeping his commandments.
+
+And as we keep this solemn memorial service, how well we may say, in
+the 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 his
+glory_--as well as with the word of his command and the memory of his
+sufferings.
+
+He made this connection very clear when he said at the institution of
+this solemn service--"I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of
+the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's
+kingdom." St. Matt, xxvi: 29. And the apostle Paul pointed out the
+same connection when he said, "As often as ye eat this bread, and
+drink 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 meeting
+between the sufferings of Christ and the glory that is to
+follow--between his cross, with all its shame and anguish, and his
+kingdom, with all its honor and blessedness.
+
+We have sometimes heard or read of magicians who have pretended to
+have wonderful mirrors into which persons might look and see all that
+was before them in this life. If there were such a mirror, it would
+be a strange thing indeed to look into it and find out what was going
+to happen to-morrow, or next month, or next year, or twenty years
+hence. But, there never was any such mirror. As the apostle says,
+"We know not what shall be on the morrow." No mortal man can tell
+what 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 look
+into it and see, clearly represented there, what will happen to us in
+the future, not of _this_ life indeed, but of the life to come. It
+leads our minds on to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And a voice
+from heaven declares--"Blessed are they who are called to the
+marriage supper of the Lamb." Rev. xix: 9. That marriage supper
+represents the highest joys of heaven. It gathers into itself all the
+glory and happiness that await us in the heavenly kingdom. And this
+sacramental service is the type or shadow of all the bliss connected
+with that great event in the future. If we are true and faithful
+partakers of this solemn sacrament--this memorial feast, we shall
+certainly be among the number of those whose unspeakable privilege it
+will be to sit down at the marriage supper of the Lamb, in heaven.
+There we shall be in the personal presence of Jesus, our glorified
+Lord. Our eyes "shall see the King in his beauty." And we shall see
+all his people too in the perfection of glory that will mark them
+there. And in happy intercourse with that blessed company we shall
+find all "the exceeding great and precious promises" of God's word
+fulfilled in our own personal experience.
+
+And then there is nothing that can sustain and comfort us under the
+many trials of this mortal life like the hope of sharing this joy
+with our blessed Lord, when he shall come in the glory of his
+heavenly kingdom.
+
+"The Hope of Glory." A Christian gentleman was in the habit of
+visiting, from time to time, a poor afflicted widow woman who lived
+in his neighborhood. She had once been very well off, and was the
+wife of a well-known and apparently successful merchant. But finally
+he failed in business and died soon after, leaving her alone in the
+world, and without anything to live on but what she could earn by her
+own labor.
+
+After awhile her health failed, and then she was entirely dependent
+for her support on the kindness of her Christian friends. But she was
+always cheerful and happy. "On going in to see her one day," says
+this gentleman, "I found, on talking with her, that she was feeling
+very comfortable in her mind.
+
+"'Tell me, my friend,' I asked, 'have you always felt as bright and
+cheerful as you seem to feel now?'
+
+"'O, no,' she replied, 'very far from it. When my husband died, and
+I was left alone in the world, I used to feel very sad and
+rebellious. Many a time I was so sorrowful and despairing as to be
+tempted 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. I
+became a member of the church. But, for a while, I did not find much
+comfort in my religion. And the reason of it was that I did not have
+very clear views of Christ as my Saviour, and of the wonderful things
+he has promised to do for his people in the future.
+
+"'But, on one communion occasion, my minister preached on the
+words--"_Christ in you the hope of glory_." That was a blessed
+communion to me. I saw then, as I had never seen before, how that
+sacred and solemn service was intended by him to be to all his
+people, at one and the same time, the means of preserving in their
+minds the remembrance of the sufferings he has borne for them in the
+past, and also of keeping alive in their hearts the hope of sharing
+in the glory which he has prepared for them in the future. And I have
+never had any trouble in my mind since then. My communion seasons
+were always bright and blessed seasons to me as long as I was able
+to go to church. And though I can no longer go up to the sanctuary
+and 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, I
+can, and do partake in a spiritual manner of that which those signs
+represent. I feel and know what it is to have "Christ in me the hope
+of glory." And this "satisfies my longing, as nothing else can do." I
+find peace and comfort in simply "looking unto Jesus." I have had
+much outward trouble and affliction since then. I live alone. There
+is no one here to help me. Sometimes I have nothing to eat, and but
+little to keep me warm. You see me _sitting_ here now. Thus I have to
+spend my nights. My complaint is the dropsy, and this prevents me
+from lying down. _But I would not exchange my place as a forgiven
+sinner, with "Christ in me the hope of glory," for all the wealth and
+the honor that Queen Victoria could bestow upon me!_'"
+
+What a blessed Saviour Jesus is, who can thus spread the sunshine of
+his peace and hope through the hearts and homes of the poorest and
+most afflicted in the land!
+
+And thus, we have spoken of three good reasons, why all who love our
+Lord Jesus Christ should keep this solemn sacrament which he has
+ordained; we should do it because we see in it--_the word of his
+command--the memorial of his sufferings--and the hope of his glory_.
+
+And when we partake of this solemn ordinance ourselves, or see others
+partaking of it, how well we may say in the beautiful lines of
+Havergal, 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 and
+Sidon. 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 of
+David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered
+her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send
+her away; for she crieth after us. But he answered and said, I am not
+sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she
+and 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_ to
+dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which
+fall from their masters' table. Then Jesus answered and said unto
+her, O woman, great _is_ thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou
+wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.--_St.
+Matt. xv: 21-28_.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_The picture illustrates the scenery and gardens in the neighborhood
+of Beyrout, which lies on the coast at the foot of Lebanon and within
+the Syro-Phoenician border._
+
+
+
+
+
+SIMON PETER'S FAITH IN CHRIST
+
+
+
+
+When Jesus came into the coasts of Cæsarea Philippi, he asked his
+disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they
+said, Some _say that thou art_ John the Baptist: some, Elias; and
+others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But
+whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art
+the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said
+unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath
+not revealed _it_ unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I
+say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will
+build 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: and
+whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and
+whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Then
+charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was
+Jesus the Christ.--_St. Matt, xvi: 13-20_.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_The site of Cæsarea Philippi is one of the loveliest spots in
+Northern Palestine. On ground carpeted with an infinite variety of
+wild flowers, the traveller rests in the grateful shade of oak and
+mulberry, olive and fig tree. The sound of many waters is heard on
+all sides as they hasten from the adjacent slopes of Herman to join
+the head waters of Jordan, bursting in strength from a cavern at the
+foot of a mighty cliff. Hither, with his handful of followers, came
+Jesus, weary and in deep depression of spirit, a fugitive from his
+own people, who had finally rejected him; and here, in reply to
+searching and anxious enquiry, "Whom say ye that I am?" he received
+from Simon Peter the memorable confession, "Thou art the Christ, the
+Son 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 was
+transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his
+raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them
+Moses and Elias talking with him. Then answered Peter, and said unto
+Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make
+here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for
+Elias. While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them:
+and behold a voice out of the cloud which said, This is my beloved
+Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. And when the disciples
+heard _it_, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. And Jesus
+came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. And when
+they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus
+only.--_St. Matt, xvii: 1--8_.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_From the days of St. Jerome, when pilgrims first began the attempt
+to identify sites hallowed by sacred events, Mount Tabor has, until
+recent years, been regarded as the Mount of the Transfiguration. But
+closer examination of the text and comparison of dates, and the fact
+that Tabor itself was at that time the site of a fortified town
+containing a Roman garrison, combine in this instance to discredit
+tradition. One of the spurs of Herman must therefore be the
+alternative and more probable scene of the Transfiguration; the
+seclusion of this district of mountain, valley, and woodland
+providing opportunity for contemplation, and preparation for the end
+which was now imminent, "the decease which Jesus was to accomplish at
+Jerusalem"_.
+
+
+
+
+
+JESUS HEALETH A LUNATIC
+
+
+
+
+And it came to pass, that on the next day, when they were come down
+from the hill, much people met him. And, behold, a man of the company
+cried out, saying, Master, I beseech thee, look upon my son: for he
+is mine only child. And, lo, a spirit taketh him, and he suddenly
+crieth out; and it teareth him that he foameth again, and bruising
+him hardly departeth from him. And I besought thy disciples to cast
+him out; and they could not. And Jesus answering said, O faithless
+and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, and suffer
+you? Bring thy son hither. And as he was yet a coming, the devil
+threw 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_.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_The picture gives an average representation of the outskirts of a
+village in Northern Palestine, with its sordid, untidy, mud-built
+houses, 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, and
+taught. And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters,
+having never learned? Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is
+not mine, but his that sent me. And the scribes and Pharisees brought
+unto him a woman ...; and when they had set her in the midst. They
+say unto him, ... Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be
+stoned: but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him, that they
+might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with _his_
+finger wrote on the ground, _as though he heard them not_. So when
+they 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 which
+heard _it_, being convicted by _their own_ conscience, went out one
+by one, beginning at the eldest, _even_ unto the last: and Jesus was
+left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had
+lifted 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 condemn
+thee: go, and sin no more.--_St. John vii: 14-16; viii: 3-11._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_The scene is represented as taking place in one of the great
+cloisters or porticoes which surrounded the Temple courts, and which
+like the Forum of Rome, and "Paul's Wall" in Elizabethan, London,
+served the purpose of a public promenade and place of meeting. These
+porticoes were of magnificent construction and proportions, the Stoa
+Basilica alone, upon the south side, with its quadruple colonnade of
+one hundred and sixty-two pillars, covering a great area. The Eastern
+Cloister, known as "Solomon's Porch," was probably so-called as
+having been erected upon the site of a similar construction in the
+first Temple_.
+
+
+
+
+
+ONE OF TEN LEPERS CURED IS GRATEFUL
+
+
+
+
+And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through
+the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered into a certain
+village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar
+off. And they lifted up _their_ voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have
+mercy on us. And when he saw _them_, he said unto them, Go shew
+yourselves 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 to
+God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy
+faith hath made thee whole.--_St. Luke xvii: II--19._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_The town of Cana in Galilee, with its background of low hills, as
+seen from the Nazareth Road, supplies a landscape setting for this
+picture. The ingratitude of the nine lepers no doubt added to our
+Lord's sorrow just now at the growing influence of the opposition of
+his enemies_.
+
+
+
+
+
+JESUS, MARTHA, MARY, AND LAZARUS
+
+
+
+
+Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain
+village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her
+house. 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 sister
+hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And
+Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful
+and troubled about many things. But one thing is needful: and Mary
+hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from
+her.--_St. Luke x: 38-42._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_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 of
+his ministry, Jesus could call a home, was probably that of people in
+easy circumstances, and as such is here represented. In the vineyards
+of Palestine the vine is cultivated bushlike on the ground; but in
+gardens, the plant is occasionally trained erect, as in Europe and
+America, or, as in the present instance, for the purposes of shade,
+upon a pergola. In the middle of the village of Bethany are the ruins
+of an important house. Here some years ago a French explorer
+discovered on the base the remains of an ancient chapel This seems to
+point with probability to a valid tradition of the site of the house
+of 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 Jesus
+saw _it_, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the
+little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is
+the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not
+receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter
+therein. And he took them up in his arms, put _his_ hands upon them,
+and blessed them.--_St. Mark x: 13-16._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_In the Hebrew Bible--the Talmud--it is stated that, according to
+pious custom, parents brought their little children to the synagogue
+that they might receive the benefit of the prayers and blessings of
+the elders. Rabbis also, of recognized sanctity, were frequently
+appealed to in a like manner; and his fame as a prophet and
+benefactor having preceded him into Peraea, infants were now brought
+to Jesus, that he might lay his hands upon them in supplication and
+blessing. The architectural setting of the picture is adapted from
+that of a small square near the Damascus Gate of Jerusalem. This
+kindly and gentle act of our Lord has been of incalculable
+consequence to the life of children in the development of Christian
+civilization._
+
+
+
+
+
+THE RESURRECTION OF LAZARUS, FOUR DAYS DEAD
+
+
+
+
+Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for
+your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe;
+nevertheless let us go unto him. Jesus therefore again groaning in
+himself 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 that
+was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath
+been _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 was
+laid. And Jesus lifted up _his_ eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee
+that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but
+because of the people which stand by I said _it_, that they may
+believe that thou hast sent me. And when he thus had spoken, he cried
+with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came
+forth.--_St. John xi: 14., 15,38-44._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_The painting illustrates a form of rock-cut tomb which, though not
+so common as others in the neighborhood of Jerusalem, is nevertheless
+selected as being in accordance with the description of what took
+place in the present instance. It is obviously the type of tomb which
+is referred to on a subsequent occasion, and explains the meaning of
+"the stone rolled away from the sepulchre" The entrance of the tomb
+is at the bottom of a flight of steps, and is covered by a
+disc-shaped stone, like a mill-stone, which can be rolled back into a
+slot cut in the rock for its reception. (The kneeling man in the
+background has apparently just performed this duty?) The entrance is
+closed by rolling the stone forward, dropping a small block behind it
+to prevent its recession, and finally by covering the
+before-mentioned slot with a slab, which, being cemented down, the
+tomb is "sealed."_
+
+
+
+
+
+CONVERSION OF ZACCHAEUS, A PUBLICAN
+
+
+
+
+And _Jesus_ entered and passed through Jericho. And, behold, _there
+was_ 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 not
+for 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 pass
+that _way_. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw
+him, and said unto him, Zacchæus, make haste, and come down; for to
+day I must abide at thy house. And he made haste, and came down, and
+received 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. And
+Zacchæus stood, and said unto the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my
+goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man
+by false accusation, I restore _him_ fourfold. And Jesus said unto
+him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also
+is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save
+that which was lost.--_St. Luke xix: 1-10_.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_The sycomore tree referred to in the text is a species of fig
+bearing small, coarse fruit, which is used as food only in cases of
+necessity. Although occasionally of great size, the tree is easily
+climbed, as the trunk is short, and the branches are numerous and
+wide spreading. Jericho, rebuilt by Herod, was a somewhat fashionable
+town. To signalize the despised tax-gatherer in such a way was to
+teach a permanent lesson of absolute unworldliness_.
+
+
+
+
+
+JESUS RESTORETH SIGHT TO BARTIMAEUS
+
+
+
+
+And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his
+disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of
+Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging. And when he heard that it
+was 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 should
+hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, _Thou_ son of
+David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to
+be called. And they called the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good
+comfort, rise; he calleth thee. And he, casting away his garment,
+rose, and came to Jesus. And Jesus answered and said unto him, What
+wilt 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 thy
+way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his
+sight, and followed Jesus in the way.--_St. Mark x: 4.6--52._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_The site of Jericho is still an oasis in the surrounding desert, but
+neither its fertility nor its dimensions bear comparison with those
+which it attained in former days; and hardly a tree remains of the
+celebrated groves of balsam, spice, and fruit-bearing trees, and the
+palms which earned for Jericho the title of "The City of the Palm
+Trees," and which made its neighboring plain the garden of
+Palestine--the "divine district" as Joseph us calls it. This
+fertility was owing entirely to skilful irrigation, traces of no less
+than twelve aqueducts having been discovered. No class of sufferers
+more frequently claimed and obtained from Jesus the exercise of his
+compassion and healing power than that represented by blind
+Bartimaus. The malady of blindness is grievously common in Palestine,
+the proportion of those thus afflicted being one in every hundred of
+the population, whereas in Europe the proportion is only one in a
+thousand_.
+
+
+
+
+
+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 unto
+them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall
+find 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 Lord
+hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. All this was
+done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet. And
+the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them. And brought the
+ass, 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 the
+way. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried,
+saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed _is_ he that cometh in
+the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. And when he was come
+into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the
+multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of
+Galilee.--_St. Matt, xxi: 1-4., 6-11_.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_Had Jesus omitted to command to bring its mother along with the
+colt, upon which he elected to ride, his disciples would probably
+have brought her as a matter of course. It is the custom of the
+country; and as journeys are accomplished at a walking pace, mares
+and she-asses are frequently accompanied by their foals. It may be
+noted that in this picture one of the gates of Hebron does duty for
+that through which Jesus makes his triumphal entry into Jerusalem;
+the former being suggestive of far greater antiquity than any which
+are 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 the
+scribes and the chief of the people sought to destroy him. And could
+not find what they might do: for all the people were very attentive
+to hear him. And it came to pass, _that_ on one of those days, as he
+taught the people in the temple, and preached the gospel, the chief
+priests and the scribes came upon _him_ with the elders. And spake
+unto him, saying, Tell us, by what authority doest thou these things?
+or who is he that gave thee this authority? And he answered and said
+unto them, I will also ask you one thing; and answer me: The baptism
+of John, was it from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with
+themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why
+then believed ye him not? But and if we say, Of men; all the people
+will stone us: for they be persuaded that John was a prophet. And
+they answered, that they could not tell whence _it was_. And Jesus
+said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these
+things.--_St. Luke xix: 47, 48; xx: 1-8._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_The occasion on which Jesus encountered for the last time the
+opposition of his priestly enemies to his teaching, and when, in the
+presence of the assembled multitudes, he exposed and denounced their
+hypocrisy, is supposed to take place in one of the great outer courts
+of the Temple, the buildings of which, although begun forty-six years
+previously, were at this time still unfinished, and were indeed never
+fully 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 he
+went out, and abode in the mount that is called _the mount_ of
+Olives.--_St. Luke xxi: 37._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_As we ascend towards sunset the slopes of Olivet, and pause to gaze
+on the scenes beneath, the panorama of the city presented to view is
+in its leading features essentially similar to that upon which the
+eyes of Jesus rested, when "at night he went out, and abode in the
+mount that is called the Mount of Olives" Yonder stands a temple
+within that sacred enclosure which, for well-nigh three thousand
+years, save for the period during which, "the abomination of
+desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet stood in the Holy place,"
+has been dedicated to the worship of Jehovah. The citadel of
+Jerusalem breaks the skyline where stood the tower of Hippicus, and
+to the left, against the setting sun, the cypresses in a monastery
+garden mark the spot once covered by the gardens of the palace of
+Herod. Siloam stands as of old on the hither side, overlooking the
+valleys of Hinnom and Kidron; while to-day, as in former times, the
+olive yards beneath and the trees around, might well give the name
+which 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 hour
+was 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 the
+end. And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart
+of Judas Iscariot, Simon's _son_, to betray him. Jesus knowing that
+the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come
+from God, and went to God. He riseth from supper, and laid aside his
+garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth
+water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to
+wipe _them_ with the towel wherewith he was girded. Then cometh he to
+Simon 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; but
+thou shalt know hereafter. Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never
+wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no
+part with me. Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but
+also _my_ hands and _my_ head. Jesus saith to him, He that is washed
+needeth not save to wash _his_ feet, but is clean every whit: and ye
+are clean, but not all.--_St. John xiii: 1-10._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_A dwelling house, claiming to be one of the most ancient in
+Jerusalem, supplied materials for the study of the "large upper
+room," represented in this and some other of the paintings. The
+general features of the chamber, with its arched ceiling and
+flattened dome, its_ leewans _(raised platform) and the
+entrance-passage of colored stones, where guests leave their
+foot-gear before stepping upon the mat-covered floor of the room,
+may, for the reasons adduced elsewhere, be accepted as typical of
+similar 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 shall
+betray me. Then the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom
+he spake. Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples,
+whom Jesus loved. Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, that he
+should 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, to
+whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped _it_. And when he had
+dipped 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 what
+intent he spake this unto him. For some _of them_ thought, because
+Judas had the bag, that Jesus had said unto him, Buy _those things_
+that we have need of against the feast; or, that he should give
+something to the poor. He then having received the sop went
+immediately out: and it was night.--_St. John xiii: 21-30._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_Comment has already been made upon the custom prevailing at this
+time of reclining at meat. We are aware, from other sources of
+information, that in partaking of the Passover, the attitude of
+standing had, as a point of ritual, long been abandoned in favor of
+the recumbent posture, and this is directly evidenced by the words of
+the text (v: 23 and 25), which are only compatible with the
+supposition that on the present occasion the guest-chamber was
+furnished with couches which ran around the three sides of the table
+in the usual manner. Authorities differ as to which was regarded as
+the "highest seat" some maintaining that this was the outermost place
+on the right-hand couch; others, again, preferring the arrangement
+followed in the painting, where Jesus occupies the centre_.
+
+
+
+
+
+IN THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE
+
+
+
+
+Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith
+unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And he
+took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be
+sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is
+exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with
+me. 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 unto
+the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What,
+could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter
+not into temptation: the spirit indeed _is_ willing, but the flesh
+_is_ weak. He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O
+my 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 their
+eyes were heavy. And he left them, and went away again, and prayed
+the third time, saying the same words. Then cometh he to his
+disciples, 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 the
+hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that
+doth betray me.--_St. Matt, xxvi: 36-46._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_As the word Gethsemane means the "oil press" the "Garden" was in all
+probability an olive yard, whose actual site, though it cannot be
+determined with certainty, must have been in the immediate vicinity
+at least of the spot which age-long tradition indicates as the scene
+of the Agony. The great age of the trees in this enclosure has been
+urged in favor of the tradition, but it is fatal to their claim as
+witnesses, that Titus is known to have cut down, for military
+purposes, all the trees in the neighborhood of the besieged city.
+This site is now owned by the Russians who have turned it into a neat
+and trim garden, and built a bright new white church on the upper
+level with five large gilded bulbous domes_.
+
+
+
+
+
+THE ARREST OF JESUS
+
+
+
+
+
+Judas then, having received a band _of men_ and officers from the
+chief priests and Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches
+and weapons. Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come
+upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye? They answered
+him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am _he_. And Judas
+also, which betrayed him, stood with them. As soon then as he had
+said unto them, I am _he_, they went backward, and fell to the
+ground.--Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying,
+Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast. And
+forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him.
+And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came
+they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him. And, behold, one of them
+which 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: for
+all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest
+thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give
+me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the
+scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be? In that same hour said
+Jesus to the multitudes, Are ye come out as against a thief with
+swords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in
+the temple, and ye laid no hold on me. But all this was done, that
+the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the
+disciples forsook him, and fled.--_St. John xviii: 3-6; St. Matt,
+xxvi: 48-56._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_Cunningly conceived indeed was that signal of the kiss; for in the
+very act of betrayal, Judas thus covered his own treachery; and, had
+the plot failed, it would even have appeared as if, when "all the
+disciples forsook him and fled" Judas alone had courage, in the hour
+of danger, to stand by and openly to acknowledge Jesus as his
+Master_.
+
+
+
+
+
+JESUS EXAMINED BY CAIAPHAS
+
+
+
+
+And they that had laid hold on Jesus led _him_ away to Caiaphas the
+high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled. But
+Peter followed him afar off unto the high priest's palace, and went
+in, 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 witnesses
+came, _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 said
+unto him, Answerest thou nothing? what _is it which_ these witness
+against thee? But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered
+and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us
+whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus saith unto him,
+Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see
+the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the
+clouds of heaven. Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He
+hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses?
+behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy. What think ye? They answered
+and said, He is guilty of death.--_St. Matt, xxvi: 57--66._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_The outward ceremonial of the hastily convoked and Irregular
+tribunal before which Jesus underwent the mockery of a trial was
+similar to that of the ancient Sanhedrim. The members sat on a
+semi-circular divan, the president in the centre, and a scribe at
+each extremity, who recorded the evidence and the decisions of the
+court. It may be noted, that while laws had been carefully formulated
+for the conduct of such trials, almost every one of them was
+flagrantly violated on the present occasion in order to ensure a
+pre-arranged condemnation. For example, these rules provided that
+witnesses should be summoned, and that an advocate should plead on
+behalf of the accused; and they forbade that criminal trials should
+be conducted at night, that condemnation should be pronounced on the
+day of trial or on a holy day; and, if the crime were capital, that
+execution 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 gone
+out into the porch, another _maid_ saw him, and said unto them that
+were there, This _fellow_ was also with Jesus of Nazareth. And again
+he denied with an oath, I do not know the man. And after a while came
+unto _him_ they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also
+art _one_ of them; for thy speech betrayeth thee. Then began he to
+curse and to swear, _saying_, I know not the man. And immediately the
+cock crew. And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter
+remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the
+cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept
+bitterly.--_St. Matt, xxvi: 69-74.; St. Luke xxii: 61, 62_.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_In the East, the houses of the great and official residences usually
+consist of a group of separate yet connected buildings, surrounding a
+quadrangular paved court planted with trees and flowering shrubs, and
+furnished in the centre with an open cistern or fountain. Such was
+probably the construction of the palace of the High Priest
+(Caiaphas), and, apparently, this open court, across which Jesus
+would be conducted to or from the hall of trial, was the place where
+bitterness was added to his sorrow in hearing himself denied by his
+friend--and that man who had been the first to profess belief in his
+Messiahship, and who, but a few brief hours before, had stoutly sworn
+to stand by him, even unto death_.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Life of Jesus Christ for the Young
+by Richard Newton
+
+*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 11509 ***
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+Project Gutenberg's The Life of Jesus Christ for the Young, by Richard Newton
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Life of Jesus Christ for the Young
+
+Author: Richard Newton
+
+Release Date: March 8, 2004 [EBook #11509]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LIFE OF JESUS CHRIST ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Tonya Allen, Charles Aldarondo and the
+Distributed Proofreaders
+
+
+
+
+
+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 the
+wilderness, Jesus entered on the work of his public ministry. We find
+him, at once, preaching to the people, healing the sick, and doing
+many wonderful works. The commencement of his ministry is thus
+described by St. Matt. iv: 23-25. "And Jesus went about all Galilee,
+teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the
+kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness, and all manner of
+disease among the people. And his fame went throughout all Syria; and
+they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers
+diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils,
+and those which were lunatic, and those that had the palsy; and he
+healed them. And there followed him great multitudes of people from
+Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judea, and
+from beyond Jordan." What a blessed beginning of the most blessed of
+all 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 on
+his work.
+
+And one of the first things he did, after thus beginning his
+ministry, was to gather his disciples round him. The first two that
+we find named among his disciples are John and Andrew. They had been
+disciples of John the Baptist. Their master pointed them to Jesus,
+and said--"Behold the Lamb of God." When they heard this they
+followed Jesus, and became his disciples. When Andrew met with his
+brother Simon Peter, he said to him "we have found the Messias--the
+Christ. And he brought him to Jesus." After this we are told that
+"Jesus findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me." He was an
+acquaintance of Andrew and Peter, and lived in the same town with
+them. He obeyed the call at once and became one of the disciples of
+Jesus.
+
+Philip had a friend named Nathanael. The next time he met him, he
+said, "we have found him of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets
+did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." But Nazareth was a
+despised place, and had a bad reputation. Nathanael had a very poor
+opinion of the place, and he asked--"Can there any good thing come
+out of Nazareth?" Philip saith unto him--"Come and see."
+
+And this is what we should say to persons when we wish them to become
+Christians. There is so much that is lovely and excellent in Jesus
+that if people will only "come and see," if they will only prove for
+themselves what a glorious Saviour he is, they will find it
+impossible to help loving and serving him. Nathanael came to Jesus.
+And when he heard the wonderful words that Jesus spoke to him he was
+converted at once, and expressed his wonder by saying--"Rabbi, thou
+art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel." We can read all
+about 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 one
+who bears the name of Bartholomew in the different lists of the
+apostles.
+
+After this we read of Jesus calling Matthew the publican, who was a
+tax-gatherer. This is what is meant by his "sitting at the receipt of
+custom." "Follow me," were the words spoken to him. He obeyed at
+once; left all and followed Jesus. St. Luke and St. Mark mention this
+same 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 to
+have two names. Sometimes they were called by one of these names and
+sometimes by the other.
+
+Here we have the account of six persons, who became disciples of
+Jesus; and of the different ways in which they were led to follow
+him. No doubt many others were led to become his disciples from
+simply hearing him preach; and from listening to the gracious words
+that he spoke.
+
+And very soon after he had gathered together a large company of
+disciples, he made choice of twelve, out of this number, who were to
+be 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 be
+prepared to take his place, and carry on his work when he should
+return to heaven.
+
+It was necessary for these men to be chosen. When Washington was
+appointed to conduct our armies during the Revolution, he chose a
+number of generals to help him. And it is natural for us to think of
+Washington and his generals. But just as natural it is to think
+of--Jesus and his apostles.
+
+And this is the subject we have now to consider--_The Apostles
+Chosen_.
+
+And in considering this subject there are four things of which to
+speak.
+
+_The first, is the condition and character of the men whom Jesus
+chose 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 the
+points 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 and
+character 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, and
+good, and strong, that we wonder why he did not choose them. But he
+did not. He chose _men_ to be his apostles. And what kind of men did
+he choose? If we had been asked this question beforehand, we should
+have supposed that he would certainly have chosen the wisest and the
+most learned men, the richest and greatest men that could be found in
+the 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 been
+heard of before. Fishermen, and tax-gatherers, and men occupying very
+humble positions in life, were those whom Jesus chose to be his
+apostles.
+
+And one reason, no doubt, why Jesus made choice of men of this
+character to be his apostles was that when their work was done, no
+one should be able to say that it was the learning, or wisdom, or
+riches, or power of men by whom that work was accomplished. The
+apostle Paul teaches us that this is the way in which God generally
+acts; and that he does it for the very reason just spoken of. He
+says, "God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound
+the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to
+confound the mighty; and base things of the world, and things which
+are despised hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring
+to nought the things that are; that no flesh should glory in his
+presence." I. Cor. i: 27-29. The meaning of this passage is that God
+loves to work by little things. This was the reason why Jesus chose
+poor, unlearned fishermen to be his apostles. And we see God working
+in the same way continually.
+
+Look at yonder sun. God made it, and hung it up there in the sky that
+it might give light to our world. But the light which this sun gives
+comes to us in tiny little bits, smaller than the point of the finest
+needle that ever was made. They are so small that hundreds of them
+can rush right into our eyes, as they are doing all the time, and not
+hurt 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 so
+powerful that they can break in pieces the strongest ships that men
+have ever built. And yet, when God wishes to keep that mighty ocean
+in 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 great
+work with them. And we find God working in this way continually. Let
+us look at one or two illustrations.
+
+"What a Plant Did." A little plant was given to a sick girl. In
+trying to take care of it, the family made changes in their way of
+living, which added greatly to their comfort and happiness. First,
+they cleaned the window, that more light might come in to the leaves
+of the plant. Then, when not too cold, they opened the window, that
+fresh 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 room
+look so untidy that they washed the floor, and cleaned the walls, and
+arranged the furniture more neatly. This led the father of the family
+to mend a broken chair or two, which kept him at home several
+evenings. After this, he took to staying at home with his family in
+the evenings, instead of spending his time at the tavern; and the
+money thus saved went to buy comforts for them all. And then, as
+their home grew more pleasant, the whole family loved it better than
+ever before, and they grew healthier and happier with their flowers.
+What a little thing that plant was, and yet it was God's apostle to
+that family! It did a great work for them in blessing them and making
+them happy. And _that_ was work that an angel would have been glad to
+do.
+
+"Brought In by a Smile." A London minister said to a friend one day;
+"Seven persons were received into my church last Sunday, and they
+were 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 on
+my way to church, I saw, held in the arms of its nurse, a beautiful
+infant; and as it fixed its bright black eyes on me, I smiled, and
+the dear child returned the smile. The next Sabbath the babe was
+again before the window. Again I smiled, and the smile was returned,
+as before. The third Sabbath, as I passed by the window, I threw the
+little one a kiss. Instantly its hand was extended and a kiss thrown
+back to me. And so it came to pass that I learned to watch for the
+baby on my way to church; and as the weeks went by, I noticed that
+the nurse and the baby were not alone. Other members of the family
+pressed to the window to see the gentleman who always had a smile for
+the 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 and
+mother had said to those children: 'Get ready for church, for we
+think 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 their
+parents, and after I had passed, the door opened, and the children
+stepped upon the pavement, and kept near me, till I entered my
+church, when they followed me, and seats were given them.
+
+"When they returned home, they sought their parents and eagerly
+exclaimed: 'He is a minister, and we have found his church, and he
+preached a beautiful sermon this morning. You must go and hear him
+next Sunday.'
+
+"It was not difficult to persuade the parents to go, and guided by
+their children they found their way to the church. They, too, were
+pleased, and other members of the family were induced to come to the
+house 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 all
+brought in by a smile.'"
+
+What a little thing a smile is! And yet, here we see how God made use
+of so small a thing as this, to make seven persons Christians, and to
+save their souls forever! Of the God who can work in this way, it
+may well be said that he loves to work by little things. It is the
+way in which he is working continually.
+
+How eagerly, then, we may try to learn and to practise what has been
+very 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 the
+men whom Jesus chose to be his apostles. The first thing about this
+subject 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 of
+St. Matthew. In this chapter Jesus told the apostles all about the
+work they were to do for him, and how they were to do it. In the
+seventh and eighth verses of this chapter we have distinctly stated
+just what they were to do. "As ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of
+heaven 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 to
+them, not among the Gentiles, but only among the Jews; or as he calls
+them--"the lost sheep of the house of Israel," v. 5,6. But, after his
+resurrection, and just before he went up to heaven, he enlarged their
+commission. His parting command to them then was--"_Go ye into all
+the world, and preach the gospel to every creature_." St. Mark xvi:
+15.
+
+When Jesus, their Master, went to heaven they were to take up and
+carry on the great work that he had begun. Those twelve men were to
+begin the work of changing the religion of the world. They were to
+overturn the idols that had been worshiped for ages. They were to
+shut up the temples in which those idols had been worshiped. They
+were to "turn men from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan
+unto God." Acts xxvi: 18. They were to go up and down the world,
+everywhere, telling the wondrous story of Jesus and his love. And in
+doing this work they were to be the means of saving the souls of all
+who believed their message, and in the end of winning the world back
+to Jesus, till, according to God's promise, he has "the heathen for
+his inheritance, and the utmost parts of the earth for his
+possession." Ps. ii: 8.
+
+This was the grandest and most important work that men were ever
+called 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 not
+finished yet. And, if we learn to love and serve Jesus, we may help
+to carry it on. We may be apostles, too, though in a lower sense than
+that in which the first twelve were apostles. An apostle means--one
+_sent_. But Jesus _sends_ into the vineyard to work for him all who
+become his loving children. And, in this sense it is true that all
+who love and serve Jesus are his apostles. He says to each of
+us--"Go, work to-day, in my vineyard." St. Matt, xxi: 28. And in
+another 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 to
+bring them to him, then we are helping to carry on the same great
+work that Jesus gave his apostles to do. Let us look at some examples
+of persons who have been apostles for God and helped to do the work
+of apostles.
+
+"Aunt Lucy." I heard the other day of a good old woman in the State
+of Michigan, known as Aunt Lucy. She is eighty-four years old, and
+lives all alone, supporting herself principally by carpet-weaving.
+All that she can save from her earnings, after paying for her
+necessary expenses, she spends in buying Bibles, which she
+distributes among the children and the poor of the neighborhood.
+Thirteen large family Bibles, and fifty small ones, have thus been
+given away--good, well-bound Bibles.
+
+A neighbor, who has watched this good work very closely, says that
+two-thirds of the persons to whom Aunt Lucy has given Bibles have
+afterwards become Christians. In doing this work Aunt Lucy was an
+apostle.
+
+"The Charcoal Carrier." One Sunday afternoon, in summer, a little
+girl named Mary, going home from a Sunday-school in the country, sat
+down to rest under the shade of a tree by the roadside. While sitting
+there she opened her Bible to read. As she sat reading, a man, well
+known in that neighborhood as Jacob, the charcoal carrier, came by
+with 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 was
+not a Christian man, and was accustomed to work with his donkey as
+hard on Sunday as on week-days.
+
+When he came by where Mary was sitting, he stopped a moment, and
+said, 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:--"Remember
+the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do
+all 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 must
+think over what you have said."
+
+And he _did_ think over it. And the result of his thinking was, that
+instead of going with his donkey to the woods on the next Sunday, he
+went with his two little girls to the Sunday-school. And the end of
+it all was that Jacob, the charcoal carrier, became a Christian, and
+God's blessing rested on him and his family.
+
+Little Mary was doing an apostle's work when she read and explained
+the Bible to Jacob and was the means of bringing him to Jesus.
+
+"The Use of Fragments." In the Cathedral at Lincoln, England, there
+is a window of stained glass which was made by an apprentice out of
+little pieces of glass that had been thrown aside by his master as
+useless. It is said to be the most beautiful window in the Cathedral.
+And if, like this apprentice, we carefully gather up, and improve the
+little bits of time, of knowledge, and of opportunities that we have,
+we may do work for God more beautiful than that Cathedral window. We
+may do work like that which the apostles were sent to do. Here are
+some sweet lines, written by I know not whom, about that beautiful
+window, 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_--THE
+HELP--_they received_.
+
+In one place, we are told that Jesus "gave them power against unclean
+spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness, and
+all manner of disease." St. Matt. x: 1. In another place we are told,
+that for their comfort and encouragement in the great work they had
+to do, Jesus said to them, "Lo, I am with you always, even unto the
+end of the world." St. Matt. xxviii: 20. And if they only had Jesus
+with them, no matter what the work was they had to do, they would be
+sure of having all the help they might need. The apostle Paul
+understood this very well, for he said, "I can do all things through
+Christ, which strengtheneth me." Phil. iv: 13.
+
+And then, as if his own presence with them were not enough, Jesus
+promised that his apostles should have the help of the Holy Spirit in
+carrying on their work. Just before leaving them to go to heaven, he
+said to the disciples--"Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy
+Ghost is come upon you." Acts i: 8. And what this power was we see in
+the case of the apostle Peter; for the first sermon he preached
+after the Holy Ghost came upon him, on the day of Pentecost, was the
+means of converting three thousand souls. Acts ii: 41.
+
+And the same God who gave the apostles all the help they needed, has
+promised to do the same for you, and me, and for all who try to work
+for him. There are many promises of this kind in the Bible to which I
+might refer. But I will only mention one. This is so sweet and
+precious that it deserves to be written in letters of gold. There is
+no passage in the Bible that has given me so much comfort and
+encouragement 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 I
+am thy God; I will strengthen thee; yea--I WILL HELP THEE." This
+promise was not given for prophets and apostles only, but for all
+God's people to the end of time. You and I, if we are trying to serve
+God, may take it as ours. God meant it for us. And when we get this
+promised help from God, we can do any work he has for us to do, and
+be happy in doing it.
+
+"For Thine is the Power." "I can't do it--it's quite impossible. I've
+tried five times, and can't get it right"--and Ben Hartley pushed his
+book and slate away in despair. Ben was a good scholar. He was at
+the head of his class, and was very anxious to stay there. But the
+sums he had now to do were very hard. He could not do them, and was
+afraid of losing his place in the class. Most of the boys had some
+one 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 school
+much 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 a
+fellow do his sums."
+
+"O, yes; there is. There is help for every trouble in life in the
+Lord's prayer, if we only know how to use it. I was trying a long
+time before I found out what the last part of this prayer really
+means. 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 ask
+him to keep us from evil; and to forgive us our sins; and then we
+say: '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 helps
+me, Ben, when I have something hard to do. I say, 'For _thine_ is the
+power--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 he
+remembered when he had to stay home from school because he had no
+clothes fit to go in, how he prayed to God about it, and the
+minister's wife brought him a suit the very next day. "But a boy's
+sums, mother! it seems like such a little thing to ask God about."
+
+"Those sums are not a little thing to you, Ben. Your success at
+school depends on your knowing how to do them. _That_, is as much to
+you, as many a greater thing to some one else. Now I care a great
+deal about that, because I love you. And I know your Father in heaven
+loves 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 and
+slate and went up to his little room. Kneeling down by the bed he
+repeated the Lord's prayer. When he came to--"thine is the kingdom,"
+he stopped a moment, and then said, with all his heart--"'And thine
+is the power,' heavenly Father. I want power to know how to do these
+sums. There's no one else to help me. Lord, please give me power, for
+Jesus' sake, Amen."
+
+Ben waited a moment, and then, still on his knees, he took his slate
+and tried again. Do you ask me if he succeeded? Remember what Saint
+James says, "If any man lack wisdom let him ask of God, who giveth to
+all 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 away
+before one of his promises shall fail. Ben had prayed to God to help
+him, and God answered his prayer. He tried once more to work out
+those sums. After thinking over them a little while, he saw the
+mistake he had made in neglecting one of the rules for working the
+sums. He corrected this mistake, and then he found they all worked
+out beautifully. The next day he was head of the class; for he was
+the only boy who could say that he had done the sum himself, without
+getting any one at home to help him.
+
+"And yet I was helped, mother," said Ben, "for I am sure my Father in
+heaven helped me." But that was not what the teacher meant. After
+this, Ben never forgot the last part of the Lord's prayer. When he
+needed help he knew where the power was that could help him.
+
+Here was where the apostles got the help they needed in doing the
+hard work they had to do. And how much help we might get in doing our
+work if we only make a right use of this "power which belongeth unto
+God;" and which he is always ready to use in helping us.
+
+The help they received, is the third thing to remember when we think
+about the apostles and their work.
+
+_The last thing to bear in mind when we think of Jesus choosing his
+twelve apostles, is_--THE LESSON--_it teaches us_.
+
+There are many lessons we might learn from this subject; but there is
+one so much more important than all the rest that we may very well
+let them go, and think only of this one. When St. Luke tells us about
+Jesus choosing the twelve apostles, he mentions one very important
+thing, of which St. Matthew, in his account of it says nothing at
+all. And it is this thing from which we draw our lesson. In the
+twelfth verse of the sixth chapter of his gospel, St. Luke
+says--"And it came to pass in those days, that he (Jesus) went out
+into 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 call
+his disciples to him, and out of them to choose the twelve, who were
+to be his apostles. And the lesson we learn from this part of the
+subject 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 yet
+it is easy enough to see at least two reasons why he did this. One
+was because _he loved to pray_. We know how pleasant it is for us to
+meet, and talk with a person whom we love very much. But prayer
+is--talking with God--telling him what we want, and asking his help.
+But Jesus loved his Father in heaven, with a love deeper and stronger
+than we can understand. This must have made it the most delightful of
+all things for him to be engaged in prayer, or in talking with his
+Father in heaven. And, if we really love Jesus, prayer will not be a
+hard 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 spent
+the whole night in prayer, before choosing his twelve apostles.
+
+But there was another reason why Jesus spent so much time in prayer
+before performing this important work, and that was to _set us an
+example_. It was to teach us the very lesson of which we are now
+speaking--the lesson of prayer. Remember how much power and wisdom
+Jesus had in himself; and what mighty things he was able to do. And
+yet, if _He_ felt that it was right to pray before engaging in any
+important 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 our
+lives to connect prayer with everything we do. This will make us
+happy in our own souls, and useful to those about us.
+
+How full the Bible is of the wonders that have been wrought by
+prayer! Just think for a moment of some of them.
+
+Abraham prays, and Lot is delivered from the fiery flood that
+overwhelmed Sodom and Gomorrah. Gen. xix: 29. Jacob prays, and he
+wrestles with the angel, and obtains the blessing; his brother
+Esau's mind is wonderfully turned away from the wrath he had
+cherished for twenty years. Moses prays and Amalek is discomfited.
+Joshua prays and Achan is discovered. Hannah prays and Samuel is
+born. David prays and Ahithophel hangs himself. Elijah prays and a
+famine of three years comes upon Israel. He prays again, and the rain
+descends, and the famine ends. Elisha prays, and Jordan is divided.
+He prays again, and the dead child's soul is brought back from the
+invisible world. Isaiah and Hezekiah pray, and a hundred and
+eighty-five thousand Assyrian soldiers are slain in one night by the
+unseen sword of the angel. These are Bible illustrations of the help
+God gives to his people in answer to prayer. And the Bible rule for
+prayer, as given by our Saviour, is, "that men ought _always_ to
+pray," Luke xviii: 1. St. Paul's way of stating it is--"Praying
+always, with all prayer," Ephes. vi: 18. In another place he
+says--"Pray without ceasing," I. Thess. v: 17. And even the heathen
+teach the same rule about prayer. Among the rules of Nineveh, an
+inscription 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 this
+morning?" asked a little girl.
+
+"My child, we have had no breakfast, and have no dinner to eat when
+we come back," said her grandma.
+
+"But the Lord Jesus can give it to us if we ask him," said the little
+girl. "Let's ask him." So they kneeled down, and asked that God, "who
+feedeth the young ravens when they cry," to remember them, and help
+them.
+
+Then they went to church. They found it very much crowded. An old
+gentleman took the little girl upon his knee. He was pleased with her
+quiet behaviour. On parting with her at the close of the service, he
+slipped a half crown into her hand. "See, Grandma," she said, as soon
+as 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 same
+school; one of them, named Mary, always said her lessons well, the
+other, named Jane, always failed. One day Jane said, "Mary, how does
+it happen that you always say your lessons so well?" Mary said she
+prayed over her lessons, and _that_ was the secret of her success.
+
+Jane concluded to try praying. But the next day she failed worse than
+ever. In tears, she reproached Mary for deceiving her. "But, did you
+study hard, as well as pray over your lesson?" asked Mary.
+
+"No; I thought if I only prayed, that was all I had to do," replied
+Jane. "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 lessons
+well," was Mary's wise answer. The next day Jane studied, as well as
+prayed, and she had her lesson perfectly.
+
+The greatest work we can ever do, is to bring a soul to Jesus, or to
+convert a sinner from the error of his way. Here is an illustration
+of 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 a
+stage-coach," said a Christian gentleman, "when the driver by my side
+began to swear in a dreadful manner. I lifted up my heart for God's
+blessing on what I said; and presently, in a quiet way, I asked him
+this question: 'Driver, do you ever pray?' He seemed displeased at
+first; but after awhile he replied, 'I sometimes go to church on
+Sunday; and then I suppose I pray, don't I?' 'I am afraid you never
+pray at all; for no man can swear as you do, and yet be in the habit
+of praying to God.'
+
+"As we rode along he seemed thoughtful. 'Coachman, I wish you would
+pray now,' I said. '"Why, what a time to pray, Sir, when a man is
+driving a coach!"' 'Yet, my friend, God will hear you,' '"What shall
+I 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 said
+them over a second, and a third time. The end of the journey was
+reached, 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 was
+answered. I saw myself a lost, and ruined sinner; but now, I humbly
+hope, that through the blood which cleanseth from all sin, and by the
+power of the Holy Spirit, I am a converted man.'"
+
+And so, when we think of the twelve apostles, appointed by Jesus to
+preach his gospel, these are the four things for us to remember in
+connection with them, viz.:--_the men_ whom he chose; _the work_ they
+had 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 it
+as for God, and then we shall be his apostles--his sent ones. Let me
+put the application of this subject in the form of some earnest,
+practical lines that I lately met with. The lines only speak of
+boys, 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 days
+of his public ministry. He was _sent_ to teach and to preach. The
+speaker in the book of Job was thinking of this Great Teacher when he
+asked--"_Who teacheth like him_?" Job xxxvi: 22. And it was he who
+was in the Psalmist's mind when he spoke of the "good, and upright
+Lord" who would teach sinners, if they were meek, how to walk in his
+ways. Ps. xxv: 8-9. And he is the Redeemer, of whom the prophet
+Isaiah 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 how
+true was what Nicodemus said of him, that "he was a _teacher sent
+from God_." John iii: 2. Thus what was said of Jesus, before he came
+into our world, would naturally lead us to expect to find him
+occupied in teaching. And so he _was_ occupied, all through the days
+of his public ministry. St. Matthew tells us that--"Jesus went about
+all Galilee, _teaching_ in their synagogues." Ch. iv: 23. Further on
+in his gospel he tells us again that "Jesus went about all the
+cities, and villages, teaching in their synagogues." Ch. ix: 35. When
+on his trial before Pilate, his enemies brought it as a charge
+against him that he had been--"_teaching_ throughout all Jewry." Luke
+xxiii: 5. We read in one place that--"the elders of the people came
+unto him _as he was teaching_." Matt. xxi: 23. Jesus himself gave
+this 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 look
+at the life of Christ from this point of view--as a Teacher. There
+never was such a Teacher. We do not wonder at the effect of his
+teaching of which we read in St. John vii: 46, when the chief priests
+sent some of their officers to take him prisoner, and bring him unto
+them; the officers went, and joined the crowd that was listening to
+his preaching. His words had such a strange effect on them that they
+could not think of touching him. So they went back to their masters
+without doing what they had been sent to do. "And when the chief
+priests and Pharisees said unto them--Why have ye not brought him?
+The officers answered, _Never man spake like this man_." Jesus was
+indeed--_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 things
+about his teaching which made him different from any other teacher
+the 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 great
+sermon to his disciples, called "The Sermon on the Mount." This is
+the most wonderful sermon that ever was preached. Jesus began it by
+telling about some of the great blessings he had brought down from
+heaven for poor sinful creatures such as we are. The sermon begins in
+the fifth chapter of St. Matthew, and the first twelve verses of the
+chapter are occupied in speaking of these blessings. As soon as he
+opened his mouth and began to speak a stream of blessings flowed out.
+
+It was a beautiful thought, on this subject, which a boy in
+Sunday-school once had. The teacher had been talking to his class
+about the beginning of this sermon on the mount. He had spoken of the
+sweetness of the words of Jesus, when "He opened his mouth and
+taught" his disciples. "How pleasant it must have been, my dear
+boys," said he, "to have seen the blessed Saviour, and to have heard
+him speak!"
+
+A serious-minded little fellow in the class said, "Teacher, don't you
+think that when Jesus opened his mouth, and began to speak to his
+disciples, it must have been like taking the stopper out of a scent
+bottle?" I cannot tell whether this boy had ever read the words of
+Solomon or not; but he had just the same idea that was in his mind
+when he said of this "Great Teacher," "thy name is _as ointment
+poured forth_." Cant, i: 3. We perceive the fragrance of this
+ointment as soon as Jesus opens his mouth and begins to speak. If we
+had been listening to Jesus when he began this sermon, saying:--"
+Blessed are the poor in spirit; blessed are the meek; blessed are the
+pure in heart; blessed are the peace-makers"--and so on till he had
+spoken of _nine_ different kinds of blessing, we might have thought
+that he had nothing but blessings of which to tell. It would have
+seemed as if his mind, and heart, and lips, and hands were all so
+filled with blessings that he could do nothing else till he had told
+about these. And the blessings spoken of here are not all the
+blessings that Jesus brought. They are only specimens of them. The
+blessings he has obtained for us are innumerable. David says of them,
+"If I would declare and speak of them they are more than can be
+numbered." 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 that
+mourn, for they shall be comforted." Jesus came to bring comfort to
+the mourners. Hundreds of years before Christ came the prophet Isaiah
+had 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 was
+to 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. My
+salvation was finished on the cross. My soul is saved. Heaven is
+mine. 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's
+well, he compared the blessing of his grace to the water of that
+well. Pointing to the well at his side, he said: "Whosoever drinketh
+of this water will thirst again. But whosoever drinketh of the water
+that I shall give him, shall never thirst; but the water that I shall
+give him, shall be _in him, a well of water, springing up unto
+everlasting life_." John iv: 13, 14. This is one of the most
+beautiful illustrations of the blessing Jesus gives that ever was
+used. It is a great blessing to have a well of clear, cold water in
+our garden, or near our door. But, only think of having a well of
+water _in our hearts_. Then, wherever we go, we carry that well with
+us. We never have to go away from it. No one can separate between us
+and the water of this well. Other wells dry up and fail. But this is
+a well that never dries up, and never fails. This well is deep, and
+its water is all the time "springing up unto everlasting life." How
+happy they are in whose breasts Jesus opens this well of water!
+
+Coleridge, the English poet, in writing to a young friend, just
+before his death, said:
+
+"Health is a great blessing; wealth, gained by honest industry, is a
+great blessing; it is a great blessing to have kind, faithful, loving
+friends and relatives, _but, the greatest, and best of all blessings
+is to be a Christian_."
+
+One of the most able and learned lawyers that England ever had was
+John Selden. He was so famous for his learning and knowledge that he
+is always spoken of as "the learned Selden." On his deathbed he
+said--"I have taken much pains to know everything that was worth
+knowing among men; but with all my reading and all my knowledge,
+nothing now remains with me to comfort me at the close of life but
+these precious words of St. Paul: 'This a faithful saying, and worthy
+of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save
+sinners;' to this I cling. In this I rest. This gives me peace, and
+comfort, and enables me to die happy."
+
+William Wilberforce was another of the great and good men who have
+been 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 my
+Saviour. Read the Bible. Let no other book take its place. Through
+all my trials and perplexities, it has been my comfort. And now it
+comforts 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 this
+well in our breasts, may well be called, "the Great Teacher," because
+of the great blessings--of which he tells.
+
+_In the second place Jesus may be called "the Great Teacher" because
+of the_--GREAT SIMPLICITY--_of his teachings_.
+
+I do not mean to say that we can understand every thing that Jesus
+taught. This is not so. He had some things to speak about that are
+not simple. He said to his disciples, "_I have yet many things to say
+unto you, but ye cannot bear them now_." John xvi: 12. This means
+that there are some things about God, and heaven, of which he wished
+to tell them, but they were too hard for them to understand, although
+they were full-grown men. And so he did not tell them of these
+things. But even among the things that Jesus did tell about, there
+are some which the wisest and most learned men in the world have
+never been able to understand or explain. Some one has compared the
+Bible to a river, in which there are some places deep enough for an
+elephant or a giant to swim in; and other places where the water is
+shallow enough for a child to wade in. And it is just so with the
+teachings of Jesus. Some of the most important lessons he taught are
+so plain and simple that very young people can understand them.
+
+We have a good illustration of this in that sweet invitation which
+Jesus gave when he said,--"_Come unto me, all ye that labor and are
+heavy laden, and I will give you rest._" Matt. xi: 28. Very young
+people know what it is to feel tired and weary from walking, or
+working too much, or from carrying a heavy burden. And, when they are
+too tired to do anything else, they know what it is to go to their
+dear 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 we
+are tired, or troubled, that our souls may find rest in him. We come
+to Jesus, when we pray to him; when we tell him all about our
+troubles; when we ask him to help us; and when we trust in his
+promises.
+
+  "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 his
+doctrines to children just weaned. Chap. xxviii: 9. This shows us
+that 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 those
+loving words:--"_Suffer the little children to come unto me, and
+forbid 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 such
+interest in children as Jesus did. And none of them ever taught with
+such great simplicity. What multitudes of young people have been led
+to love and serve Jesus by thinking of the sweet words he spoke about
+children!
+
+"The Child's Gospel." A little girl sat still in church listening to
+the minister. She could not understand what he was saying till he
+quoted these words of Jesus about the children. But she understood
+them. She felt that they were words spoken for her. They made her
+feel very happy. And when she went home she threw her arms around her
+mother'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 years
+old. 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 when
+he was on earth?"
+
+In a moment the sweet words she had learned in the school were on her
+lips--"Suffer the little children to come unto me, &c."
+
+"Well, Carrie, for whom did Jesus speak these words?" At once she
+clapped 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 away
+since "Jesus was here among men," these same simple words have been
+drawing 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, and
+this was another thing that helped to make him the Great Teacher_.
+
+It was this great tenderness that led him, when he came to be our
+Teacher and Saviour to take our nature upon him and so become like
+us. 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 disciples
+saw him on the Mount of Transfiguration. But then we should have been
+afraid of him. He would not have known how we feel, and could not
+have felt for us. But instead of this, his tenderness led him to take
+our nature upon him, that he might be able to put himself in our
+place, and so to understand just how we feel, and what we need to
+help and comfort us. This is what the apostle means in Heb. ii: 14,
+when he says--"Forasmuch as the children were partakers of flesh and
+blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same." He did this
+on purpose that he might know, by his own experience, how we are
+tried and tempted; and so be able to sympathize with us and help us
+in all our trials.
+
+Here is a little story, very simple, and homely; but yet, one that
+illustrates very well the point of which we are speaking. It is a
+story about:
+
+"A Lost Horse Found." A valuable horse was lost, belonging to a
+farmer in New England. A number of his neighbors turned out to try
+and find the horse. They searched all through the woods and fields
+of the surrounding country, but in vain. None of them could find the
+horse. At last a poor, weak-minded fellow, who was known in that
+neighborhood as "simple Sam," started to hunt the horse. After awhile
+he came back, bringing the stray horse with him. The owner of the
+horse 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 do
+it?"
+
+"Wal, you see," said Sam, "I just 'quired whar the horse was seen
+last; 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 I
+went, and found him." Now, when Sam, in the simplicity of his feeble
+mind, 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 his
+owner again. And so, to pass from a very little thing to a very great
+one, when Jesus came down from heaven to seek and to save sinners
+that were lost, this is just the way in which he acted. He put
+himself in our place as sinners. As the apostle Paul says: "he who
+knew no sin, was made sin for us," that he might save us from the
+dreadful consequences of our sins.
+
+And we see the tenderness of Jesus, not only in taking our nature
+upon him and becoming man, but in what he did when he lived in this
+world as a man. "_He went about doing good_." It was his great
+tenderness that led him to do this. Suppose that you and I could have
+walked 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 seen
+him meeting with blind men and opening their eyes that they might
+see. We should have seen him meeting with deaf men, and unstopping
+their ears that they might hear. We should have seen him meeting sick
+people who were taken with divers diseases and torments and healing
+them. We should have seen him raising the dead; and casting out
+devils; and speaking words of comfort and encouragement to those who
+were sad and sorrowful. If we could have looked into his blessed
+face, we should have seen tenderness there, beaming from his eyes and
+speaking from every line of his countenance. If we could have
+listened to his teaching we should have found tenderness running
+through all that he said. Just take one of his many parables as a
+sample of his way of teaching--the parable of the lost sheep--and see
+how full of tenderness it is. The sweet lines of the hymn, about the
+shepherd seeking his lost sheep, that most of us love to sing, bring
+out 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," demonstrates
+his great tenderness for his sheep.
+
+But perhaps there was no act in all the life of our blessed Redeemer
+that showed his tenderness more than taking the little children in
+his arms, and putting his hands upon them, and blessing them.
+
+To think of the Son of God, who made this world, and all worlds, and
+whom all the angels of heaven worship, showing so much interest in
+the little ones; this proves how full of tenderness his heart was.
+
+"I Like Your Jesus." An English lady who had spent six months in
+Syria, 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 little
+ones, as we learned from a dear Moslem child, who, when she repeated
+the text, 'Suffer the little children,' said, 'I like your Jesus,
+because he loved little children. Our Mohammed did not love little
+children.'"
+
+And if we all try to imitate the tenderness of Jesus, then, though we
+may have no money to give, and no great thing to do, yet by being
+tender, and gentle, and loving, as Jesus was, we shall be able to do
+good wherever we are.
+
+"Doing Good by Sympathy." A Christian mother used to ask her children
+every night if they had done any good during the day. One night in
+answer to this question, her little daughter said: "At school this
+morning I found little Annie G----, who had been absent for some
+time, crying very hard. I asked her what was the matter? Then she
+cried more, so that I could not help putting my head on her neck, and
+crying with her. Her sobs grew less, and presently she told of her
+little 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. Then
+she 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, and
+crying, too, as hard as she did. After awhile she kissed me, and told
+me 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 Great
+Teacher. Nothing in the world could have done that poor sorrowing
+child so much good as to have some one cry with her. Sometimes tears
+of tenderness are worth more than diamonds. And this is why the Bible
+tells us to "weep with them that weep." Rom. xii: 15. Jesus did this
+in the tenderness of his loving heart. And this was one of the things
+that made him the Great Teacher.
+
+_But then there was_--GREAT KNOWLEDGE--_in Jesus; and this was
+another thing that made him great as a teacher_.
+
+If we wish to be good teachers, we must study, and try to understand
+the things we expect to teach. If a young man wishes to be a
+minister, he must go through college; and then spend three years in
+the Divinity School, so that he may understand the great truths of
+the Bible, which he is to teach the people who hear him. But Jesus
+never went to college, or to a divinity school. And yet he had
+greater knowledge about all the things of which he spoke than any
+other 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 us
+that "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 ever
+lived, and give it to one person, it would be as nothing compared to
+the knowledge which Jesus, "the Great Teacher" had. He knew all about
+heaven; for that had always been his home before he came into our
+world. He knew all about God; for, he was "in the bosom of the
+Father," John i: 18; and, as he tells us himself, had shared his
+glory with him, "before the world was." John xvii: 5. He knew all
+about the world we live in, for he made it. John i: 10. He knew all
+about 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, for
+he made them all. He saw all they did; he heard all they said; he
+knew all they thought, or felt. Wise and learned men have been
+studying, and finding out things for hundreds of years, about
+geography 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 have
+told about them, if he had seen fit to do so. But he only told us
+what it is best for us to know, in order that we might be saved; and
+kept back all the rest. The things that Jesus did teach us when he
+was here on earth were wonderful; but it is hardly less wonderful to
+think 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 are
+not surprised that some of those who heard him "wondered at the
+gracious words" he spake; or that others asked the question: "Whence
+hath this man this knowledge, having never learned?"
+
+Some one has written these sweet lines about Christ as--_The Great
+Teacher_:
+
+    "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 other
+teachers is seen, not only in the greater knowledge he has of the
+things that he teaches, but in this also, that he knows how to make
+us understand the lessons he teaches. Here is an incident that
+illustrates how well Jesus can do this. We may call it:
+
+"The Well Instructed Boy." A minister of the gospel was travelling
+through 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 no
+covering on his head, and no shoes or stockings on his feet; but he
+looked bright and happy. He had a New Testament in his hand. "Can you
+read, 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 clear
+distinct voice, began:
+
+"There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the
+Jews; 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 these
+miracles 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, placing
+his hand on his bosom, he said, "It is _something here_;" and then,
+raising his eyes to heaven, added, "_and something up yonder_." This
+poor boy had been taking lessons from "the Great Teacher," and he had
+taught him some of the most important things that we can ever learn.
+Jesus may well be called "the Great Teacher," because of his great
+knowledge.
+
+_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, yet
+they 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 the
+same kind that occurred while he was on earth. One day he was going
+about teaching in the streets of Jerusalem. As he went on, he passed
+by the office of a man who was gathering taxes for the Roman
+government. The persons who did this were called _publicans_. This
+man, sitting in his office, was named Matthew. He was busily engaged
+in receiving the taxes of the people. It was a very profitable
+business. The men engaged in it generally made a great deal of money.
+Jesus stopped before the window or door of this office. He beckoned
+to Matthew, and simply spoke these two words:--"_Follow me_."
+
+Now, if any other teacher had spoken these words to Matthew, and had
+tried to make him quit his business and engage in something else, he
+would have said: "No; I can't leave my office. This is all the means
+I have of getting a living. The business pays well, and I am not
+willing 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, and
+followed him." Matt. ix: 9; Luke v: 28. He became one of the twelve
+apostles and wrote the gospel which bears his name. But it was the
+great power which Jesus has over the hearts of men that made Matthew
+willing to do, at once, what he was told to do.
+
+And the power which Jesus exercised over Matthew, in this case, he
+still has, and still uses. And when he is pleased to use this power
+the very worst people feel it, and are made good by it. And Jesus,
+"the Great Teacher," uses this power sometimes in connection with
+very simple things. Here is an illustration. We may call it:
+
+"Saved by a Rose." Some time ago, a Christian gentleman was in the
+habit 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 little
+yard connected with each cell. He got permission from the officers of
+the prison to do so. He had a bracket fastened to the wall, in each
+yard, 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 most
+hardened man that had ever been in that prison. His temper was so
+violent and obstinate that no one could manage him. The keeper of the
+prison was afraid of him, and never liked to go near him. He was such
+a disagreeable-looking man that the name given to him in the prison
+was "Ugly Greg." A little rose bush was put on the bracket in Ugly
+Greg's yard, and the effect produced by it is told in these simple
+lines, 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 this
+hardened sinner. No; but it led him to think of the lessons of his
+childhood, when he had been taught about Jesus, "the Rose of
+Sharon". It led him to think about his sins. It led him to repent of
+them; 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 of
+him as--"a man saved by a rose;" yet it was the power of Jesus, "the
+Great Teacher," exercised through that rose, which led to this
+blessed change and saved Greg's soul from death.
+
+And thus we have spoken of five things which help to make up the
+greatness of Jesus as a Teacher. These are--The Great Blessings--The
+Great Simplicity--The Great Tenderness--The Great Knowledge--and the
+Great Power connected with his teachings. Let us seek the grace that
+will enable us to learn of him, and then we shall find rest for our
+souls!
+
+
+
+
+
+
+CHRIST TEACHING BY PARABLES
+
+
+
+
+
+We have spoken of our Saviour as "The Great Teacher," and tried to
+point out some of the things in his teaching which helped to make him
+great. And now, it may be well to speak a little of the illustrations
+which he made use of as a Teacher. These are called--_parables_. Our
+Saviour's parables were illustrations. This is what is meant by the
+Greek word from which we get the word parable. It means something
+_set down by the side of another_. When we teach a lesson we are
+setting something before the minds of our scholars. But suppose it is
+a hard lesson and they do not understand it. Then we use an
+illustration. This is something set down beside the lesson to make it
+plain. Then this, whatever it be, is a parable.
+
+At the beginning of his ministry, our Saviour did not make much use
+of parables. But, after he had been preaching for some time, he made
+a change in his way of teaching, in this respect. He began to use
+parables very freely. His disciples were surprised at this. On one
+occasion, after he had used the parable of the Sower, they came to
+their Master and asked him why he always spake to the people now in
+parables? 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 that
+he used parables for two reasons: one was to help those who really
+wished to learn from him to understand what he was teaching. The
+other was that those who were not willing to be taught might listen
+to him without understanding what he was saying. These people had
+heard him when he was teaching without parables. But, instead of
+thanking him for coming to teach them, and of being willing to do
+what he wanted them to do, they found fault with his teaching, and
+would not mind what he said.
+
+Now, there is a great difference between the way in which we are to
+learn what the Bible teaches us about God and heaven; and the way in
+which we learn other things. If we want to learn what the Bible
+teaches us we must be careful that we are having right feelings in
+our hearts; but if we want to learn other things it does not matter
+so much what our feelings are. For instance, suppose you have a
+lesson to learn in geography; no matter how you are feeling, whether
+you are proud, or humble; whether you are cross, or gentle; yet if
+you only study hard enough, and long enough, you can learn that
+lesson. But, if you want to learn one of the lessons that Jesus
+teaches, no matter how hard, or how long you study it, yet while you
+are giving way to proud, or angry feelings in your heart, you can
+never learn that lesson. And the reason is that we cannot learn these
+lessons 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 in
+our hearts. In learning geography, and other such lessons, we do not
+need the _special_ help of God. We can learn them ourselves, if we
+only try. But we cannot learn the lessons that Jesus teaches in this
+way. This is what the Psalmist means when he says:--"The _meek_ will
+he teach his way." Ps. xxv: 9. And this was what our Saviour meant
+when 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 tell
+us.
+
+Some one has well said that truth, taught by a parable, is like the
+kernel 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 the
+shell, and get it: but those who are not willing to crack the shell
+will 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 parables
+freely. We are told that--"without a parable spake he not unto the
+people." St. Mark xiii: 34. He used parables among his disciples for
+two reasons: these were to help them to _understand_, and to remember
+what he taught them.
+
+We have a great many of the parables of Jesus in the gospels. A full
+list of them will contain not less than _fifty_. It would be easy
+enough to make a sermon on each of these parables. But that would
+make a larger work than this whole LIFE OF CHRIST, on which we are
+now engaged. It is impossible therefore to speak of all the parables.
+We can only make selections, or take some specimens of them. We may
+speak of five different lessons as illustrated by some of the
+parables of Christ. These are--_The value of religion: Christ's love
+of sinners: The duty of forgiveness: The duty of kindness: and the
+effect of good example_.
+
+_Well then, we may begin by considering what Jesus taught us of_--THE
+VALUE 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, "The
+kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which
+when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and
+selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field." The words "kingdom
+of heaven" are used by our Saviour in different senses. Sometimes, as
+here, they mean the grace of God, or true religion. And what Jesus
+teaches us by this parable is that true religion is more valuable
+than anything else in the world.
+
+The next parable, in the forty-fifth and forty-sixth verses of the
+same chapter, is about The Pearl of Great Price. This teaches the
+same lesson. It reads thus:--"The kingdom of heaven is like unto a
+merchantman seeking goodly pearls: who, when he had found one pearl
+of 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 the
+treasure hid in the field in the former parable. And the truth he
+teaches in both these parables is that religion is more important to
+us than anything else in the world. Let us look at some incidents
+that 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 the
+words he used to a person who was visiting him: "Once every thing
+went wrong at our house; father was wrong, mother was wrong, sister
+was wrong, and I was wrong; but now, since I have learned to know and
+love Jesus it is all right. I know why everything went wrong
+before:--it was because I was wrong myself." And this is true. The
+first thing that religion does for us is to make us _be_ right
+ourselves, and then to _do_ right to others.
+
+"Be." A young lady had been trying to do something very good, but had
+not succeeded. Her mother said, "Marian, my child, God gives us many
+things to _do_, but we must not forget that he gives us some things
+to _be_; and we must learn to _be_ what God would have us be, before
+we can _do_ what God would have us do."
+
+"O dear mother, please tell me about _being_, and then I shall know
+better 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 better
+day 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 your
+notice 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 of
+Jesus will help us to make these all our own. How great then must the
+value of religion be! Surely it is worth while for each of us to try
+and secure it!
+
+I think I never saw a better view of the value of religion than is
+seen in the following statement of what it does for us. I know not by
+whom it was written, but it is put in the form of that sacred sign to
+which 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. In
+her fourteenth year she was taken with a severe illness, from which
+the doctor said she could not recover. When she became too weak to
+leave the sofa, she would send for one and another of the neighbors
+to come in to see her, and then she would speak to them of Jesus and
+his great salvation. One day a poor old woman who was not a
+Christian, 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: she
+will 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 shall
+soon be with Jesus in heaven, and live forever with him."
+
+"Oh, how can you know that, my dear? We must not be _too_ sure you
+know," said the poor woman.
+
+"Oh," said Annie, pointing to a card hanging on the wall, near her
+bed, on which was printed in large letters the hymn headed--"I leave
+it all with Jesus." "That's what I do! That's what I do." These are
+the words of the hymn which gave that dear child so much comfort on
+her 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 which
+Jesus taught us in his parables, namely--_the value of religion_.
+
+_Another thing we are taught in these parables is_--CHRIST'S LOVE FOR
+SINNERS.
+
+The parable of the lost sheep teaches us this truth: but as we had
+occasion to speak of this in our last chapter, when illustrating the
+tenderness 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 are
+told 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 lost
+piece till she found it. This woman represents Jesus. The lost piece
+of money represents our souls lost by sin. The efforts of the woman
+to 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 _seek
+and to save that which was lost_." And it was the love of Jesus for
+poor sinners which led him to do all this for us. And everything
+connected with the history of Jesus when he was on earth shows the
+greatness of his love. Think of Bethlehem and its manger; there we
+see the love of Jesus. Think of Gethsemane with its bloody sweat;
+there we see the love of Jesus. Think of Calvary with its cross of
+shame and agony; for _there_ we see the love of Jesus.
+
+And the parable of the prodigal son teaches us the same lesson. We
+read of this in the same chapter, St. Luke xv: 11-32. This son had
+been disobedient and ungrateful. He had taken the money his father
+gave him and had gone away and spent it in living very wickedly. And
+when the money was all spent and he was likely to starve, he went
+back to his father, hungry and ragged, and asked to be taken in. And
+instead of scolding and punishing him as he deserved, as soon as his
+father saw him, he ran, and fell on his neck and kissed him; and took
+off his rags, and dressed him in good clothes, and made a great feast
+for him. How beautifully this parable illustrates the love of Christ
+for sinners!
+
+And when we learn to know and feel the love of Christ for us, it does
+two 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 been
+living without trying to serve or please God, and is led to see how
+wrong it is to live in that way, and then feels an earnest desire to
+turn around, and live differently, and really does so:--that is
+conversion. The teaching or preaching of the gospel is the chief
+means that God employs to convert men. And the thing about the gospel
+in which this converting power lies is--_the love of Christ_. Here
+is an illustration of what this means.
+
+"He Loved Me." An English minister of the gospel was traveling in
+Switzerland one summer. As he passed from place to place, he preached
+by means of an interpreter in various churches. One Sunday night he
+preached from the words, "_He loved me, and gave himself for me_."
+Gal. ii: 20. Then he went on his way without knowing what effect had
+followed from his preaching.
+
+One Saturday evening, several weeks after, the minister of this
+church was sitting in his study. There came a faint knock at his
+door. He opened it, when, to his great surprise he saw there a young
+man, who was known as the wickedest young man in that neighborhood,
+and the leader of others in all sorts of wickedness. He invited him
+in, gave him a seat, and asked him what he wished. Judge of his
+surprise when the young man said he wished to inquire if he might
+come to the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, which was to be
+celebrated in his church the next day!
+
+"But are you not aware, my young friend," said the minister, "that
+only those who love Christ, and are trying to serve him, have any
+right to come to that holy ordinance?"
+
+"I know it, sir," said the young man, "and I am thankful to feel
+that I am among that number."
+
+"But," asked the astonished pastor, "are you not known in this
+village as the ringleader in all evil doings?"
+
+"Alas! it is too true that it has been so," he replied, "but thank
+God all is changed now."
+
+"I am happy indeed to hear it; but pray tell me what led to this
+great change."
+
+"I was in your church, sir," said he, "some weeks ago, when that
+English minister preached from the words, 'Who loved me and gave
+himself for me,' That was the first time I ever understood about the
+love of Christ. It led to my repentance and conversion; and now I
+wish 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 that
+illustrates this point very well. We may call it:
+
+"Maggie's Secret." "Maggie Blake, how can you study so hard, and be
+so provokingly good?" This question was asked by Jennie Lee, who was
+one of the largest and wildest girls in the school. Maggie hesitated
+a moment, whether to tell her secret or not. But, presently she
+lifted up her eyes, looked her companion bravely in the face, and
+said--"It's for Jesus' sake, Jennie."
+
+"But do you think he cares?" asked Jennie in a soft, subdued
+voice,--"do you think he cares how we act?"
+
+"I _know_ he does," said Maggie. "And it makes it so pleasant you
+see, even to study and get hard lessons, when I know he is looking at
+me, and is pleased to have me working my best for him. He always
+helps me to get my lessons; and then helps me to say them right. You
+know I used to be so frightened I could not say them, even when I had
+learned them well."
+
+"Yes," said Jennie, remembering very well how Maggie had changed in
+that respect.
+
+"That was before I thought of learning them for Jesus. After that he
+helped me all along. It makes me like school; and even disagreeable
+things are pleasant when I think of doing them for him."
+
+Jennie had often watched Maggie, and wondered what made her have such
+a bright, cheerful, happy look. Now she knew the secret of it. It was
+doing everything "for Jesus' sake."
+
+She felt she would gladly give everything she had to be as happy as
+Maggie. She asked Maggie to pray for her, and she began to pray for
+herself. Then Jesus helped her, and she soon had Maggie's secret for
+her own. The girls in school wondered at the change which had come
+over Jennie. But when they heard that she had been confirmed, and had
+joined the church, they understood it all. They knew she "had been
+with Jesus;" and that it was learning to know and feel his wonderful
+love which had made Jennie so good, and so happy.
+
+And so, we see that Jesus was doing a blessed thing for us when he
+taught the parables which show his love for sinners.
+
+_A third thing taught us by some of the parables of Jesus is_--THE
+DUTY OF KINDNESS.
+
+One day, while Jesus was on earth, a young man came to him with the
+great question, what he should do to obtain eternal life. Jesus
+referred him to the Ten Commandments; and reducing them to two, he
+told the young man that these commandments required him to love God
+with all his heart, and his neighbor as himself; and then said if he
+would 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. I
+suppose that Jesus intended to give this young man some lessons about
+the commandments of God which would lead him to see that he never
+could keep them himself; and that he would need some one to keep them
+for him, and that _this_ was the only way in which he, or any one
+else could be saved. It may have been that the young man did not want
+to hear any thing more on that subject, and so he gave the
+conversation a different turn by asking--"who is my neighbor?" when
+Jesus said he must love his neighbor as himself. And then, in answer
+to this question Jesus told the parable of the "Good Samaritan." We
+have this parable in St. Luke x: 30-37.
+
+Here we are told of a certain man who was going down from Jerusalem
+to Jericho, and fell among thieves. They robbed him; and wounded him;
+and left him half dead. While he was lying there helpless and
+suffering, a priest and a Levite came, and looked on him, and passed
+by on the other side, without giving him any help. Then we are told
+that a certain Samaritan came by, and when he saw the poor wounded
+man lying there, although he was a Jew, and the Jews and the
+Samaritans hated each other very much, yet he pitied him, and went up
+to him, and bound up his wounds, and set him on his own beast, and
+carried him to an inn, and told them to take care of him, and said
+that he would pay all his expenses. Then Jesus asked the question,
+"Which now, of these three thinkest thou was neighbor to him that
+fell among thieves? And he said, he that showed mercy on him. Then
+said 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 the
+duty that Jesus teaches.
+
+Let us look at one or two illustrations of the way in which we should
+do this.
+
+"The Honey Shield." It is said that wasps and bees will not sting a
+person whose skin is covered with honey. And so those who are exposed
+to the sting of these venomous little creatures smear their hands and
+faces over with honey, and this, we are told, proves the best shield
+they can have to keep them from getting stung. And the honey here
+very well represents the kindness which Jesus teaches us to practise.
+If kindness, gentleness, and forbearance are found running through
+all our words and actions, we shall have the best shield to protect
+us from the spiteful stings of wicked people.
+
+"Androcles and the Lion." Most of those who read these pages may have
+heard this story, but it illustrates the point before us so well that
+I do not hesitate to use it here.
+
+Androcles was a Roman slave. To escape the cruel treatment of his
+master he ran away. A lonely cave in the midst of the forest was his
+home for a while. Returning to his cave one day he met a lion near
+the mouth of the cave. He was bellowing as if in pain; and on getting
+nearer to him, he found that he was suffering from a thorn which had
+run into one of his paws. It was greatly swollen and inflamed, and
+was causing him much pain. Androcles went up to the suffering beast.
+He drew out the rankling thorn and thus relieved him of his pain. His
+nature, savage as it was, felt the power of the kindness thus shown
+to him. He became attached to the lonely slave, and shared his prey
+with him while they remained together.
+
+But, after a while the retreat of Androcles was discovered. He was
+taken and carried back to his master. The lion also was made a
+prisoner soon after. Androcles was kept in prison for some time; and
+finally, according to the custom of the Romans, he was condemned to be
+devoured by wild beasts. The lion to be let loose on Androcles had
+been kept a long time without food and was very hungry. When the door
+of his den was opened he rushed out with a tremendous roar. The
+Colosseum was crowded with spectators. They expected to see the poor
+slave torn to pieces in a moment. But, to the surprise of everyone,
+the great monster, hungry as he was, instead of devouring the
+condemed man, crouched at his feet, and began to fondle him, as a pet
+dog would do. He recognized in the poor prisoner his friend of the
+forest and showed that he had not forgotten his kindness. The
+kindness of Androcles had been like the honey shield to him. It saved
+his life, first from the savage beast in the forest; and then from
+the savage men in the city. Let us all put on this shield, and wear
+it wherever we go. The lesson of kindness which Jesus teaches in
+this parable, has been very well put by some one in these sweet
+lines:
+
+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 the
+parables.
+
+_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 he
+ought to forgive a brother that offended him; and whether it would be
+enough to forgive him _seven_ times. The answer of Jesus was, "I say
+not 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 thousand
+talents. If these were talents of silver they would amount to more
+than fifteen millions of dollars. If they were talents of gold, they
+would amount to three hundred millions. This would show that his debt
+was so great that he never could pay it. Then his master freely
+forgave 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; but
+put him in prison. When his master heard this he was very angry, and
+put him in prison, where he should be punished until he had paid all
+his great debt. And Jesus finished the parable by saying--"_so
+likewise, shall my heavenly Father do unto you, if ye, from your
+hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses_." And here
+we are taught the great duty of forgiveness. And this same duty is
+taught us in the Lord's Prayer, where he says--"Forgive us our
+trespasses, as we also forgive those who trespass against us." If we
+use this prayer without forgiving those who injure us, then, in so
+using it, we are really asking God _not_ to forgive us. And Jesus
+_practised_ what he _preached_. As he hung bleeding and agonizing on
+the cross, while his enemies were cruelly mocking his misery, he
+looked up to heaven, and uttered that wonderful prayer--"_Father
+forgive them; for they know not what they do_." Here we have the best
+illustration of forgiveness that the world has ever seen.
+
+"Example of Forgiveness." In a school in Ireland, one boy struck
+another. The offending boy was brought up to be punished, when the
+injured boy begged for his pardon. The teacher asked--"Why do you
+wish to keep him from being flogged?" The ready reply was--"Because I
+have read in the New Testament that our Lord Jesus Christ said that
+we must forgive our enemies; and therefore I forgive him, and beg
+that he may not be punished for my sake."
+
+"Good for Evil." At the foot of a street in New York, stood an
+Italian organ grinder, with his organ. A number of boys had gathered
+round him, but they were more anxious to have some fun than to hear
+music. 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 so
+much force that the poor man's hat was knocked into the gutter. A
+gentleman standing by expected to see him get very angry, and swear
+at the boy. But, very different from this was the result that
+followed. The musician stopped; stepped forward and picked up his
+hat. 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 real
+Christian forgiveness.
+
+"The Power of the Gospel." Years ago some carpenters moved to the
+Island of New Zealand, and set up a shop for carrying on their
+business. They were engaged to build a chapel at one of the Mission
+Stations. One of these carpenters, a pleasant, kind-hearted man,
+engaged a native Christian to dig his garden for him. When the work
+was done the man went to the shop for his pay. Another of the
+carpenters there, who was a very ill-tempered man, told the native to
+get out of the shop. "Don't be angry," was the gentle reply; "I have
+only come to have a little talk with your partner, and to get my
+wages from him." "But I _am_ angry." And then taking hold of the New
+Zealander by the shoulder, he abused and kicked him in the most cruel
+manner.
+
+The native made no resistance till the carpenter ceased. Then he
+jumped up, seized him by the throat, and snatching a small axe from
+the 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 to
+kill you; and my arm is quite willing, but my heart is not. I have
+heard the missionaries preach the gospel of forgiveness. You owe your
+life to the preaching of the gospel. If my heart was as dark now as
+it was before the gospel was preached here, I should strike off your
+head in an instant!"
+
+Then he released the carpenter without injuring him and accepted from
+him a blanket as an apology for the insult. How faithfully this man
+was practising the duty of forgiveness which Jesus taught!
+
+_The only other thing of which we shall now speak, as taught by our
+Saviour 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 truth
+it teaches is very important. We first find this parable in the
+sermon 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 a
+candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let
+your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works,
+and glorify your Father which is in heaven." Matt, v: 15. This
+parable is so important that we find it repeated in three other
+places. 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 good
+example by doing what we know to be right, and then, like a candle
+shining in a dark place, we shall be useful wherever we go. Let us
+look at one or two incidents that illustrate this.
+
+"A Boy's Influence." Two families lived in one house. In each of
+these families there was a little boy about the same age. These boys
+slept together. One of them had a good pious mother. She had trained
+him to kneel down every night, before getting into bed, and say his
+prayer in an audible voice, and to repeat a text of scripture which
+she had taught him. Now the first time he slept with the other little
+boy, who never said any prayers, he was tempted to jump into bed, as
+his companion did, without kneeling down to pray. But he was a brave
+and noble boy. He said to himself--"I am not afraid to do what my
+mother taught me. I am not ashamed for anybody to know that I pray to
+God. I'll do as I have been taught to do." He did so. He let his
+light shine. And see what followed from its shining!
+
+The little boy who had never been taught to pray learned his
+companion's prayer, and the verse he repeated, by hearing them, and
+he never forgot them. He grew up to be an earnest Christian man. When
+he 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 that
+it was his little prayer, so faithfully said every night when they
+were boys, which led him to become a Christian. He repeated the
+prayer and the verse, word for word, and with his dying lips thanked
+his friend for letting his light shine as he did, for _that_ had
+saved his soul.
+
+Here is another illustration of a Christian letting his light shine
+and the good that was done by it. We may call it:
+
+"The Shilling Bible, and what Came of It." Some years ago a
+Christian gentleman went on a visit for three days to the house of a
+rich lady who lived at the west end of London. After tea, on the
+first evening of his arrival, he called one of the servants, and
+telling her that in the hurry of leaving home he had forgotten to
+bring a Bible with him, he requested her to ask the lady of the house
+to be kind enough to lend him one.
+
+Now that house was beautifully furnished. There were splendid
+pictures on the walls, and elegantly bound volumes in the library and
+on 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 the
+servant a shilling and told her to go to the book store round the
+corner and buy a Bible. The Bible was bought and given to the
+gentleman. He used it during his visit, and then went home, little
+knowing how much good that shilling Bible was to do.
+
+When he was gone the lady at whose house he had been staying said to
+herself:
+
+"How strange it is that an intelligent gentleman like my friend could
+not bear to go for three days without reading the Bible, while I
+never read it at all, and don't know what it teaches. I am curious
+to know what there is in this book to make it so attractive. I mean
+to begin and read it through." She began to read it at first out of
+simple curiosity. But, as she went on reading she became deeply
+interested in it. It showed her what a sinner she was in living
+without God in the world. It led her to pray earnestly for the pardon
+of her sins; and the end of it was that she became a Christian. Then
+she desired that her children should know and love the Saviour too.
+She prayed for them. She talked with them, and taught them the
+precious truths contained in that blessed book. And the result was
+that, one by one, they were all led to Jesus and became Christians.
+And so _that whole family were saved by means of that shilling
+Bible_.
+
+When that gentleman asked for the use of a Bible in the house where
+he was visiting, he was setting a good example. He was putting his
+candle on a candlestick and letting it shine. And the result that
+followed gives us a good illustration of the meaning of our Saviour's
+words when he said:--"Let your light so shine before men, that they
+may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven."
+
+And so, when we remember the parables that Jesus taught, among other
+things illustrated by them, we can think of these,--_the value of
+religion;--Christ's love for sinners;--the duty of kindness;--the
+duty of forgiveness;--the influence of a good example_.
+
+I know not how to finish this subject better than in the words of the
+hymn:
+
+  "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 on
+earth by the parables which he used. But we teach by our lives, as
+well as by our lips. It has passed into a proverb, and we all admit
+the truth of it, that "Actions speak louder than words." If our words
+and our actions contradict each other, people will believe our
+actions sooner than our words. But when both agree together, then the
+effect is very great. This was true with our blessed Lord. There was
+an entire agreement between what he said, and what he did. His words
+and his actions, the teaching of his lips, and the teaching of his
+life--were in perfect harmony. He practised what he preached.
+
+But then, in addition to the every day common actions of the life of
+Christ, there were actions in it that were very uncommon. He was
+daily performing miracles, and doing many mighty and wonderful
+works. And the prophets before him, and apostles after him, performed
+miracles too; yet there were two things in which the miracles of
+Christ differed from those performed by others. One was as to the
+_number_ of them. He did a greater number of wonderful things than
+anyone else ever did. Indeed if we take the miracles that were done
+by Moses, by Elijah and Elisha, in the Old Testament, and those that
+were done by the apostles in the New Testament and put them all
+together we shall find that they would not equal, in number, the
+miracles of Christ. There are between thirty and forty of the mighty
+works wrought by our Saviour mentioned in the gospels. And these, as
+St. John says, are only a small portion of them. Ch. xxi: 25.
+
+The other thing in which the miracles of Christ are different from
+those performed by other persons, is _the way in which they were
+done_. The prophets and apostles did their mighty works in the name
+of God, or of Christ. Thus when Peter and John healed the lame man at
+the gate of the temple they said:--"_In the name of Jesus Christ of
+Nazareth_, rise up and walk." Acts iii: 6. But Jesus had all the
+power in himself by which those wonderful things were done. He could
+say to the leper,--"_I will_; be thou clean." He could say to the
+sick man:--"Take up thy bed and walk." When speaking of his death and
+resurrection, he could very well say that it was his own power which
+would control it all. His life was in his own hands. It was true, as
+he said, "No man taketh it from me; but I lay it down of myself. I
+have 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 all
+the 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 what
+Nicodemus meant when he said to Jesus:--"We know that thou art a
+teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou
+doest, except God be with him." John iii: 2. And Jesus himself
+referred 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 the
+Baptist, when his disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Are thou he that
+should come, or look we for another?" Jesus answered and said unto
+them, "Go, and show John again those things which ye do hear and see;
+the blind receive their sight; and the lame walk; the lepers are
+cleansed; and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up; and the poor
+have the gospel preached unto them." Matt, xi: 2-6. These were the
+very things which the prophets had foretold that Christ would do when
+he came. Is. xxix: 18. xxxv: 4-6. xlii: 7.
+
+It is clear from these passages that all the miracles performed by
+our Lord were intended to teach this lesson, that he was the great
+Saviour of whom the prophets had spoken. But then, in addition to
+this, these wonderful works of Jesus were made use of by him to show
+that he has power to do everything for his people that they may need
+to have him do.
+
+It is impossible for us to speak of all the miracles of Christ. We
+can only make selections from them, as we did with the parables in
+the last chapter. In looking at these we may see Jesus teaching us
+that he has power to do _four_ things for his people.
+
+_In the first place some of the miracles of Christ teach us that he
+has great power to_--HELP.
+
+We see this in the account given us of the miraculous draught of
+fishes. Luke v: 1-11.
+
+Peter was a fisherman before he became a disciple of Jesus. And James
+and John, the sons of Zebedee, were partners with him in the same
+business. On one occasion they had been busy all night throwing out
+and hauling in their nets, but without catching a single fish. Early
+the next morning, Jesus was walking along the shore of the lake, near
+where their boats were. He knew how tired and discouraged they were,
+and how much they needed help; and he wished to show them what
+wonderful power he had to help in time of need. So he told them to
+cast their net on the other side of the ship. They did so; and
+immediately their nets were full; and they had more fish than they
+could well manage. Here we are taught that even in the depths of the
+sea 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 the
+power to bring it to them.
+
+And then, by his miracle of walking on the sea Jesus taught the same
+lesson. 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 people
+and feeding them by miracle, Jesus told his disciples to go on board
+a vessel and cross over to the other side of the lake. Then he sent
+the multitude away, and went up into the mountain to pray to his
+Father in heaven whom he loved so much. It proved to be a stormy
+night. The wind was dead ahead; and the sea was very rough. The
+disciples were having a hard time of it. Tired of rowing, and making
+little progress, there was no prospect of their getting to land
+before morning. But, dark as the night was, Jesus saw them. It is
+true as David says, that--"_The darkness and the light are both alike
+to thee._" Ps. cxxxix: 12. He saw they needed help and he resolved to
+give 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 on
+the land. He steps from the sandy shore to the surface of the
+storm-tossed sea. He walks safely over its troubled waters. The
+disciples see him. Supposing it to be a spirit, they are alarmed, and
+cry out in their fear. But presently the cheering voice of their
+Master comes to them, saying: "_It is I. Be not afraid_." He steps on
+board. The wind ceases, and immediately, without another stroke of
+the oars, the mighty power of Jesus brings them "in safety to the
+haven where they would be." Other miracles might be referred to as
+teaching the same lesson. But these are sufficient. And Jesus has the
+same power to help now that he had then.
+
+Here are some illustrations of the strange way in which he sometimes
+helps his people in their times of need.
+
+"The Dead Raven." A poor weaver in Edinburgh lost his situation one
+winter, on account of business being so dull. He begged earnestly of
+his 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 and
+told his wife the sad news she was greatly distressed. He tried to
+comfort her with the assurance--"The Lord will help." But as he could
+get 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 last
+morsel of bread was eaten one morning at breakfast. "What shall we do
+for 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 off
+the sill. Just then a rude boy, who was passing, threw a dead raven
+in through the window. It fell at the feet of the pious weaver. As
+he threw the bird in, the boy cried out in mockery, "There, old
+saint, is something for you to eat." The weaver took up the dead
+raven, saying as he did so:--"Poor creature! you must have died of
+hunger!"
+
+But when he felt its crop to see whether it was empty, he noticed
+something hard in it. And wishing to know what had caused its death,
+he took a knife and cut open its throat. How great was his
+astonishment on doing this, to find a small diamond bracelet fall
+into his hand! His wife gazed at it in amazement. "Didn't I tell
+you," he asked, in grateful gladness, "that the Lord will help?"
+
+He went to the nearest jeweler's, and telling how he had found the
+precious jewels, borrowed some money on them. On making inquiry about
+it, it turned out that the bracelet belonged to the wife of the good
+weaver's late employer. It had suddenly disappeared from her chamber.
+One of the servants had been charged with stealing it, and had been
+dismissed. On hearing how the bracelet had disappeared, and how
+strangely it had fallen into the hands of his late worthy workman,
+the gentleman was very much touched; and not only rewarded him
+liberally for returning it--but took him back into his employ, and
+said 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 who
+trust in him!
+
+"The Sailor Boy's Belief." One night there was a terrible storm at
+sea. All at once a ship, which was tossing on the waves, keeled over
+on 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," said
+the boy, "they are praying at this very moment in the Bethel ship at
+Glasgow for all sailors in danger: and I feel sure that God will hear
+their prayers: Now see, sir, if he don't!"
+
+These words were hardly out of the boy's mouth, before a great wave
+struck the ship, and set her right up again. And then a shout of
+praise, louder than the howling of the storm, went up to God from the
+deck of that saved ship.
+
+And so, in the miracles that he performed, one thing that Jesus
+taught was his power to help.
+
+_In the next place, among the miracles of Christ, we find some that
+were performed in order to teach us his power to_--COMFORT.
+
+One day, a great multitude of people waited on Jesus from morning
+till evening, to listen to his preaching. They were so anxious to
+hear that even when hungry they would not go away to get food. As the
+evening came on, the disciples asked their master to send the people
+away to get something to eat. But Jesus told them to give the people
+food. They said they had only five loaves and two fishes. Jesus told
+them to make the people sit down on the grass. And when they were
+seated he took the loaves and blessed, and brake them, and gave them
+to the disciples, and they gave them to the people. And great as that
+multitude was the supply did not fail. This was wonderful! Those
+loaves were very small. They were not bigger than a good-sized roll.
+The whole of the five loaves and two fishes would not have been
+enough to make a meal for a dozen men. And yet they were made
+sufficient to feed more than five thousand hungry people. How strange
+this was! The mighty power of Jesus did it. We are not told just
+_where_, in the interesting scene, this wonder-working power was put
+forth. It may have been that as Jesus brake the loaves and gave the
+pieces 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 have
+increased and multiplied while the disciples were engaged in
+distributing them. It is most likely that the miracle took place in
+immediate connection with Jesus himself. The power that did it was
+his: and in his hands, we may suppose that the wonderful work was
+done. As fast as he broke the loaves they increased, till all the
+people were fed. This was indeed not _one_ miracle, but a multitude
+of miracles, all performed at once. The hungry multitude ate till all
+were satisfied: and yet the fragments left filled twelve baskets.
+Five thousand men were fed, and then there was twelve times as much
+food left as there was before they began to eat. All this was done to
+satisfy that hungry crowd, and to teach them, and us, what power this
+glorious Saviour has to comfort those who are in need or trouble.
+
+And when he healed the daughter of the Syrophoenician woman, as we
+read in St. Matt, xii: 21-28; when he healed the lunatic child, as we
+read in St. Matt, xvii: 14-21; and when he raised Lazarus from the
+dead, 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 comfort
+those in trouble.
+
+And we see him using his power still to comfort persons who are in
+distress. Here are some illustrations of the way in which he does
+this:
+
+"Shining in Every Window." A Christian lady, who spent much time in
+visiting among the poor, went one day to see a poor young girl, who
+was kept at home by a broken limb. Her room was on the north side of
+the house. It did not look pleasant without or cheerful within. "Poor
+girl!" she said to herself, "what a dreary time she must have!" On
+entering her room she said:
+
+"I am sorry, my friend, that your room is not on the other side of
+the house, where the sun could shine upon you. You never can have any
+sunshine here."
+
+"Oh, you are mistaken," she said: "the sunshine pours in at every
+window, and through every crack."
+
+The lady looked surprised.
+
+"I mean Jesus, 'the Sun of righteousness,' shines in here, and makes
+everything bright to me."
+
+Here we see Jesus showing his power to comfort.
+
+"Ice in Summer." Some years ago a Christian merchant, in one of our
+eastern cities, failed in business, and lost everything he had. After
+talking over their affairs with his wife, who was a good Christian
+woman, they concluded to move out to the west and begin life again
+there. He bought some land on the wide rolling prairie, built a log
+cabin, and began to cultivate his farm. In the midst of the second
+summer, hard work and exposure to the sun brought on an attack of
+sickness, and a raging fever set in. They were twelve miles away from
+the nearest town. One of the neighbors went there and came back with
+a doctor. He examined the case very carefully, and left some medicine
+with them, and told them what to do. He said it was a very dangerous
+attack. If they could only get some ice to apply to the burning brow
+of 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 her
+family and friends round the bedside of her sick husband, and kneeled
+down with them in prayer. She told God what the doctor had said, and
+prayed 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 each
+other that the poor distressed woman must be losing her mind. "The
+idea of getting ice here," they said, "when everybody knows there
+isn't a bit of ice in all the country! It would be contrary to all
+the laws of nature to have ice in summer."
+
+The wife of the sick man heard their remarks, but they did not shake
+her faith in God, and in the power of prayer. Silently, but
+earnestly, 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 was
+heard to mutter. Nearer and louder it was heard. The lightning began
+to flash. Presently the storm burst in its fury. It came first in
+rain, and then in hail. The hail-stones came in lumps of ice as big
+as eggs. They lay thick in the furrows of the field. The thankful
+wife 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 he
+was restored to life and health.
+
+This grateful woman never troubled herself with any questions about
+whether it was a miracle or not. She only knew that she had prayed
+for ice in summer, and that the ice had come. And her faith was
+stronger than ever that the gracious Saviour, who did so many
+miracles when he was on earth, has just the same power now to comfort
+his people when they are in trouble.
+
+_In the third place, we see Jesus performing miracles to teach us
+what power he has to_--ENCOURAGE--_his people_.
+
+We have an account in St. Luke xiii: 10-17, of the miracle he
+performed on the woman who had "a spirit of infirmity." This means
+that she was a cripple. Her body was bound down, so that she had no
+power to straighten herself or to stand upright. She had been in this
+condition we are told for _eighteen_ years. How hard to bear--and how
+discouraging this trial must have been to her! No doctor could give
+her any relief, and she had made up her mind, no doubt, that there
+was no relief for her till death came. But when Jesus saw her, he
+pitied her. A miracle of healing was performed upon her. He laid his
+loving hand upon her bent and crippled body, and in a moment her
+disease was removed. She stood straight up, and glorified God. What
+encouragement that must have given to her!
+
+One day, when Jesus was at Capernaum, the tax-gatherers came to Peter
+to get the tribute, or tax-money, that was due to the Roman
+government, for himself and his master. But, it happened so that
+neither of them had money enough with which to pay that tax. Peter
+went 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 say
+anything on the subject, told him what to do. He directed him to take
+his fishing-line and go to the lake, and cast in his line, and catch
+the first fish that should bite; and said that in its mouth he would
+find a piece of money with which he might pay the tribute that was
+due for them both.
+
+Peter went. He threw in his line. He soon caught a fish. He looked
+into the fish's mouth and lo! there was a piece of money called a
+stater. It was worth about sixty cents of our money, and was just
+enough to pay the tribute for two persons. How wonderful this was! If
+Jesus made this piece of money in the mouth of the fish, at the time
+when Peter caught it, how wonderful his _power_ must be! And if,
+without making it then, he knew that _that_ one fish, the only one in
+the sea, probably, that had such a piece of money in its mouth, would
+be 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 he
+lived. And when he thought of the illustration it afforded of the
+wonderful power and the wonderful knowledge of the master whom he was
+serving, what encouragement that would give him in his work!
+
+And Jesus is constantly doing things to encourage those who are
+trying to serve him.
+
+Let us look at some of the ways in which this is done. Our first
+illustration is from the life of Washington Allston, the great
+American painter. We may call it:
+
+"Praying for Bread." Many years ago Mr. Allston was considered one of
+the greatest artists in this country. At the time to which our story
+refers, he was living in London. Then he was so poor that he and his
+wife had not a morsel of bread to eat; nor a penny left with which to
+buy any. In great discouragement he went into his studio, locked the
+door, and throwing himself on his knees, he told the Lord his
+trouble, and prayed earnestly for relief.
+
+While he was still upon his knees, a knock was heard at the door. He
+arose 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 Royal
+Academy?"
+
+"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 the
+corner, 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 always
+asked 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 introduced
+himself as the Marquis of Stafford; and from that day he became one
+of 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 that
+followed him all his days!
+
+"The Hushed Tempest." A minister of the gospel in Canada gives this
+account of a lesson of encouragement to trust God in trouble, which
+he once received.
+
+"It was in the year 1853, about the middle of the winter that we had
+a succession of snowstorms, followed by high winds, and severe cold.
+I was getting ready to haul my supply of wood for the rest of the
+winter. I had engaged a man to go out the day before and cut the wood
+and have it ready to haul. I borrowed a sled and two horses from a
+neighbor and started early in the morning to haul the wood. Just as I
+reached the place, it began to snow hard. The wind blew such a gale
+that it was impossible to go on with the work. What was I to do? If
+it kept on snowing, I knew the roads would be impassable by the next
+day. Besides, that was the only day on which I could get the help of
+the man or the team. Unless I secured the wood that day it would not
+be 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 is
+a day of trouble to me. Lord help me. The elements are subject to thy
+will: Thou holdest the winds in thy hands. If thou wilt speak the
+word, there will be a great calm. O Lord, for the sake of my helpless
+little ones, let this snow lie still, and give me the opportunity of
+doing 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 I
+began to pray, before there was a visible change. The wind became
+more moderate; the sky was calm; in less than half an hour all was
+still; and a more pleasant time for wood-hauling than we had that day
+I never saw, nor desire to see. While I live, I never shall forget
+the lesson of encouragement to trust in God that was taught me on
+that day." And this was one of the lessons Jesus taught us by his
+miracles.
+
+_In the fourth place, among the miracles of Jesus we see some that
+were 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 weak
+to protect ourselves.
+
+One day, Jesus went into the house of the apostle Peter, and found
+the family in great distress, because the mother of Peter's wife was
+very ill and in danger of dying. We judge from the history that she
+was the head of the family. Her death would have been a great loss to
+them all, and yet it seemed as if no human power could protect them
+from that loss. But Jesus performed a miracle to save them from this
+threatened danger. He went into the room where she lay. He put his
+healing hands upon her, and at once she was well. Immediately she
+rose up from that sick bed, and took her place in the family and
+waited on Jesus.
+
+On another occasion he was crossing the sea of Galilee with his
+disciples. 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 he
+was lying there a sudden storm burst upon the sea. The wind howled in
+its fury. The angry waves rose in their might and dashed against the
+vessel in hissing foam. The ship was full of water, and in danger of
+sinking. The terrified disciples came to their sleeping Master with
+the earnest cry:--"Lord save us: we perish." He heard their cry. He
+rose at once. Quietly he took his stand by the side of the
+storm-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 lesson
+he taught them by that miracle of his power to protect in danger.
+
+And then many of the miracles of our Saviour were performed for the
+purpose of showing what power he had to protect his people from
+Satan, and the evil spirits that serve him. It pleased God to allow
+these evil spirits to have more power over men during the time when
+Jesus was on earth than they had before, or than they have now. We
+often read in the gospels of men who were "possessed of devils." This
+means that the evil spirits entered into the bodies of these men, and
+used them as their own; just as you, or I, might go into an empty
+house, and use it as if it belonged to us. But Jesus performed a
+number 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 from
+their 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, seeking
+whom he may devour." I. Peter v: 8. But he is a chained lion: and
+Jesus holds the chain. If we are trying to love and serve Jesus, we
+need not be afraid of this roaring lion. He cannot touch us till our
+Saviour gives him permission; and he will not let him hurt us. We see
+this illustrated in Job's case. Satan wanted very much to injure Job
+in some way. But he could not do it. And the reason of it was, as he
+said himself, that God had "put an hedge about him, and about his
+house, and about all that he had on every side." Job i: 10. This
+hedge, or fence, means the power which Jesus exercises to protect his
+people from the harm that Satan desires to do to them. In this way he
+protected Job. And in this way he protects all who love and serve
+him.
+
+Let us take an illustration or two to show how he is doing this
+continually.
+
+"Providential Deliverance." One of the best men, and one of the most
+useful ministers in London, during the last century, was the Rev.
+John Newton. Before entering the ministry he held an office under
+the government. One of the duties of this office was for him to visit
+and inspect the vessels of the navy as they lay at anchor in the
+river Thames. One day he was going out to visit a man-of-war that lay
+there. He was a very punctual man. When he had an engagement he was
+always ready at the very moment. But when he reached the dock on this
+occasion the boat which was to take him off to the man-of-war was not
+there. He was obliged to wait five, ten, fifteen minutes before the
+boat came. This displeased him very much. But the hand of God was in
+this delay. For, just as the boat was leaving the dock, a spark fell
+into the powder magazine on board the man-of-war. An explosion took
+place. The huge vessel was blown to pieces, and all the men on board
+of her were killed. That delay of a quarter of an hour saved Mr.
+Newton's life. In this way that gracious Saviour whom he served
+protected him from the danger to which he was exposed.
+
+"Willie's Heroism." One summer afternoon a teacher told her geography
+class that they might close their books and rest a little, while she
+told them a story. The story was about William Tell, the famous hero
+of Switzerland. She told the scholars how a wicked governor placed an
+apple on the head of Tell's little boy and then compelled the father
+to take his bow and arrow and shoot the apple from the head of his
+son. He was very unwilling to do it, for he was afraid the arrow
+might miss and kill his child. But the brave boy stood firm, and
+cried 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 from
+the 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 the
+teacher for protection. But a little boy named Willie Hawthorne, kept
+his 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 my
+Heavenly Father's hand, and why should I be afraid?"
+
+How well Willie had learned the lesson which Jesus taught his
+disciples when he performed so many miracles to show what power he
+has to protect his people from danger!
+
+Here is just one other story to illustrate this truth. We may call
+it:
+
+"The Widow's Tree," Some years ago a violent storm, with wind and
+thunder, 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 was
+spread all over the land.
+
+In the centre of the region over which this hurricane swept stood a
+small cabin. It was occupied by an aged Christian widow, with her
+only son. The terrible wind struck a large tree in front of her
+humble dwelling, twisting and dashing it about. If the tree should
+fall it would crush her home, and probably kill herself and son. The
+storm 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 asked
+God 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 was
+over, the widow's tree was spared, and strange as it may seem, was
+the only one left amidst that scene of desolation. There it stood,
+as if on purpose to show what power our loving Saviour has to protect
+from danger those who trust in him!
+
+_But, in the last place, we see that Jesus performed some of his
+miracles for the purpose of teaching us that he has power
+to_--PARDON.
+
+A man was brought him, one day, who was sick of the palsy. His limbs
+were helpless. He was not able to come to Jesus himself, so his
+friends carried him on a bed. At this time Jesus was preaching in the
+yard, or court, connected with some rich man's house. In those
+eastern countries the houses were not built as ours are, with a yard
+back of them. There is a square yard in the centre, and the house is
+built round the four sides of this square. This open space is
+generally used as a garden. It has a fountain playing in it, and a
+covering of cloth or mats spread over it to keep off the sun. It was
+in one of these open courts that Jesus was preaching on this
+occasion. A great crowd had gathered round him, so that the friends
+of the palsied man could not get near him with the bed on which the
+sufferer lay. Then they concluded to carry him up to the top of the
+house, and lower him down inside. This would not be easy to do with
+us. But the eastern houses are not so high as ours. And then they
+have flat roofs, and a flight of steps leading from the ground, on
+the outside, to the top of the house. This made it very easy to get
+up. When they were on the roof they removed the covering from the
+inner court, and let down the bed, with the sick man on it, directly
+in 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 were
+surprised at this. The Pharisees said among themselves "This man
+blasphemeth." Jesus knew their thoughts and told them it was as easy
+for him to heal the souls of men, as it was to heal their bodies. And
+then, to show them that he had power on earth to forgive sins, he
+said to the sick man--"Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine
+house. And he arose, and went to his house," Matt, ix: 1-8. Certainly
+the object Jesus had in view, in performing this miracle, was to
+prove 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. It
+affected the body as sin affects the soul. And then, leprosy was a
+disease which none but God could cure; just as sin is an offence
+which none but God our Saviour can pardon. And so Jesus performed the
+miracle of healing the palsied man and the lepers in order to teach
+his disciples the great lesson that he "had power on earth to forgive
+sins."
+
+And he has the same power still. Here are some illustrations of the
+way 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. The
+priests had sent him to their most famous temples, all over the
+country, but he could get no pardon, and find no peace. He had fasted
+till he was about worn to a skeleton, and had done many painful
+things--but pardon and peace he could not find. At last he was told
+to put pebbles in his shoes and travel to a distant temple, and make
+an offering there; and he would find peace. He went. He made the
+offering; but still he found no relief from the burden of his sins.
+
+Sad, and sorrowful, he was returning home with the pebbles still in
+his shoes. Wearied with his journey, he halted one day in the shade
+of a grove, by the wayside, where a company of people was gathered
+round a stranger who was addressing them. It was a Christian
+missionary preaching the gospel. The heathen listened with great
+interest. The missionary was preaching from the words:--"The blood of
+Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin." He showed what power Jesus had
+to forgive sins and how able and willing he is to save all who come
+unto him. The heart of the poor heathen was drawn to this loving and
+glorious Saviour. He took off his shoes and threw away the pebbles,
+saying "This is the Saviour I have long sought in vain. Thank God! I
+have found salvation!"
+
+Here is one more illustration of the way in which Jesus pardons our
+sins, and of the effect which that pardon has on those who receive
+it. We may call it:
+
+"Pardon and Peace." An officer who held a high position under the
+government of his country, and was a favorite with the king, was once
+brought before the judge and charged with a great crime. He took his
+place at the bar with the greatest coolness, and looked at the judge
+and jury and the great crowd of spectators as calmly as if he were
+at home, surrounded by his own family.
+
+The trial began. The witnesses were called up, and gave clear
+evidence that he was guilty. Still he remained as calm and unmoved as
+ever. There was not the least sign of fear visible on his
+countenance; on the contrary, his face wore a pleasant smile.
+
+At last the jury came in, and while the crowd in the court-room held
+their breath, declared that the prisoner was guilty. In an instant
+every eye was turned upon the prisoner to see what effect this
+sentence would have upon him. But just then, he put his hand in his
+bosom, drew out a paper, and laid it on the table. It was a pardon, a
+full, free pardon of all his offences, given him by the king, and
+sealed with the royal signet. This was the secret of his peace. This
+was what gave him such calmness and confidence in his dreadful
+position 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: though
+they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool," Is. i: 16. "Let
+them 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 had
+received. Faith in these promises brings pardon, and the pardon
+brings peace. And so, by what he is doing now, as well as by the
+miracles he performed when on earth, we are taught the precious
+truth, that--"The Son of man hath power to forgive sins."
+
+Then when we think of the wonderful miracles that Jesus did, let us
+always 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 we
+shall find that what Jesus taught by his miracles will be very
+profitable 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 which
+he taught, it would make a long list. As we have done before we can
+only take one or two specimens of these general lessons which Jesus
+taught.
+
+We have one of these in the title to our present chapter, which
+is--_Christ Teaching Liberality_. This was a very important lesson
+for Jesus to teach. One of the sad effects of sin upon our nature is
+to make it selfish, and covetous. We are tempted to love money more
+than we ought to do. We are not so willing to part with it as we
+should be. And we never can be good and true Christians unless we
+overcome the selfishness of our sinful hearts, and not only learn to
+give, but to give liberally. The Bible teaches us that God not only
+expects his people to give, but, as St. Paul says, in one place, to
+give "_cheerfully_." II. Cor. ix: 7.
+
+And this is the lesson Jesus taught when he said to his
+disciples,--"Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure,
+pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give
+into your bosoms." St. Luke vi: 38.
+
+And when we come to consider these words of Jesus, there are three
+things to engage our attention. _The first of these is the_--LESSON
+OF LIBERALITY--_here set before us_.
+
+_The second is_--THE PROOF--_that this lesson is taught all through
+the Bible_.
+
+_And the third is_--THE ILLUSTRATIONS--_of this lesson_.
+
+And then, when put into its shortest form, our present subject may be
+thus expressed--_the lesson of liberality; its proofs; and its
+illustrations_.
+
+And the lesson which Jesus here taught is all wrapped up in this
+little word--"_Give_." Here we learn what the will of Jesus is on
+this subject. This is not simply the expression of his opinion. It is
+not merely his advice; no, but it is his _command_. He is speaking
+here 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 to
+consider ourselves as his disciples if we are neglecting this or any
+other of his plain commands.
+
+And this command about giving is not intended for any _one_ class of
+persons among the followers of Christ, but for _all_ of them. It is
+not a command designed for kings, or princes, or rich men only, but
+for 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 us
+to 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 thousand
+dollars he expects us to give one hundred out of the thousand. If we
+have a hundred he expects us to give ten. If we have ten dollars we
+must give one of them to God. If we have only one dollar we must give
+ten cents of it to Him. If we have but ten cents we must give one of
+them. 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, but
+simply--give. This means that we are to learn the lesson and form the
+habit of giving. His command is--give. And in giving us this command
+he is only asking us to imitate his own example. _He is giving all
+the time_. The apostle Paul tells us that Jesus is "exalted to the
+right hand of the Father to--give." He never tires of giving. "He
+giveth to all life, breath, and all things." And if we have not the
+Spirit of Christ in this respect, "we are none of his."
+
+This, then, is the lesson of liberality that Jesus taught when he
+said--"give." And that _giving is God's rule for getting_ is what we
+are taught by our Saviour, when he said--"_Give, and it shall be
+given unto you_."
+
+And now, having seen what this lesson of liberality is, which Jesus
+taught, _let us look at some of the Scripture proofs of it_. The same
+lesson is taught in other places in the Bible. Let us see what is
+said 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 poor
+here, means being kind to them, and giving them such things as they
+need. And the blessing promised to those who do this means that God
+will 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's
+rule for getting."
+
+We have another proof that "giving is God's rule for getting," in
+Prov. iii: 9, 10. Here Solomon says--"Honor the Lord with thy
+substance, and with the first-fruits of all thine increase: So shall
+thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with
+new wine."
+
+When the Jewish farmers gathered in their harvests they were required
+to make an offering to God, of what had been gathered, before they
+used any part of it for themselves; and the offerings thus made were
+called "the first-fruits." God considered himself honored by his
+people when they did this, because they were keeping his commandments
+and 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 to
+the cause of God from all the money, or property we have, and from
+all the gain, or increase that we make to the same. This is the Bible
+rule--the will or command of God for all his people. And then, in
+the other part of this passage we have the promise of God to all who
+do this. "So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses
+shall burst out with new wine."
+
+This means that they shall be rich and prosperous. And so we see that
+this passage from the book of Proverbs, teaches the same lesson of
+liberality that our Saviour taught when he said--"_Give and it shall
+be given unto you_." It proves that "giving is God's rule for
+getting."
+
+And Solomon teaches the same, again, when he says, "The liberal soul
+shall be made fat; and he that watereth shall be watered also
+himself." Prov. xi: 25.
+
+A "liberal soul" means a person who is in the habit of giving; and to
+be "made fat" means to be prospered and happy. If you undertake to
+water a garden, you are _giving_ to the thirsty plants that which
+they need to make them grow and thrive; and when it is promised that
+the person who does this shall "be watered also himself," the meaning
+is that he shall have given to him all that is most important to
+supply his wants, and make him happy. And this, we see, is only
+teaching what our Saviour taught when he said, "Give, and it shall be
+given unto you." It furnishes us with another proof that "giving is
+God's rule for getting."
+
+In the nineteenth chapter of Proverbs and seventeenth verse we have a
+very clear proof of the lesson we are now considering. Here we find
+it 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 on
+the poor, as here spoken of, means giving them such things as they
+need. Whatever we use in this way God looks upon as so much money
+lent unto him; and we have his solemn promise that when we lend
+anything to him, in this way, "He will pay us again." And when he
+pays again what has been lent to him, it is always with interest. He
+pays 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 prove
+that the lesson of liberality which our Saviour taught is the same
+lesson which the Bible teaches everywhere. In Eccles. xi: 1, God
+says, "_Cast thy bread upon the waters; for thou shalt find it after
+many days_."
+
+If we should see a man standing on the end of a wharf and throwing
+bread upon the waters, we should think that he was a foolish man,
+who was wasting his bread, or only feeding the fishes with it. But
+suppose that you and I were travelling through Egypt--the land of the
+celebrated pyramids and other great wonders. The famous river Nile is
+there. During our visit the inundation of that river takes place. It
+overflows its banks, and spreads its water over all the level plains
+that border on the river. This takes place every year. And when the
+fields are all overflowed with water, the farmers go out in boats,
+and scatter their grain over the surface of the water. The grain
+sinks to the bottom. The sediment in the water settles down on the
+grain, and covers it with mud. By and by the waters flow back into
+the river. The fields become dry. The grain springs up and grows. The
+mud that covered it is like rich manure, and makes it grow very
+plentifully, and yield a rich harvest. And here we see the meaning of
+this passage. God makes use of this Egyptian custom to teach us the
+lesson of liberality that we are now considering. He tells us that
+the money which we give to the poor, or use to do good with, is like
+the grain which the Egyptian farmer casts upon the water, and which
+will surely yield a rich harvest by and by.
+
+This teaches us the lesson of liberality. And when we think of all
+these passages, we see very clearly that the Bible teaches the same
+lesson which Jesus taught when he said to his disciples, "Give, and
+it shall be given unto you." And what we learn, both from the
+teaching 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 of
+liberality, or for this rule about giving and getting, _let us go on
+to speak of some of the illustrations of this rule_. These are very
+numerous.
+
+And we may draw our illustrations from three sources, viz.:--_from
+the Bible; from nature; and from everyday life_.
+
+There are two illustrations of which we may speak from the Bible. We
+find one of these in the history of the prophet Elijah. You remember
+that there was a great famine in the land of Israel during the
+lifetime of this prophet. For more than three years there was not a
+drop of rain all through the land. The fields, the vineyards, and
+gardens dried up, and withered, and yielded no fruit. During the
+first part of the time when this famine was prevailing, God sent
+Elijah 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 of
+the brook.
+
+But after awhile the brook dried up. Then God told him to go to the
+city of Zarephath, or Sarepta, on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea,
+and that he had commanded a widow woman there to sustain him. He did
+not tell him the name of the woman; nor the street she lived in; nor
+the number of her house. Elijah went. When he came near the place he
+met a woman, picking up some sticks of wood. I suppose God told him
+that this was the woman he was to stay with. Elijah spoke to her, and
+asked her if she would please give him a drink of water. When she was
+going to get it, he called to her again, and said he was hungry, and
+asked her to bring him a piece of bread. Then she told him that there
+was not a morsel of bread in her house. All she had in the world was
+a handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse, and that
+she was gathering a few sticks, that she might go and bake the last
+cake for herself and her son, that they might eat it and die. And
+Elijah said, "Fear not; go, and do as thou hast said; but make me
+thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make
+for 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 oil
+fail, 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 to
+take the last morsel of bread she had, and that she needed for
+herself and for her hungry boy, and give it to a stranger. Yet she
+did it; because she believed God. I seem to see her turning the meal
+barrel up, to get the meal all out. Then she pours out the oil from
+the cruse, and drains out the last drop. She mixes the meal and the
+olive oil together, as is the custom in that country still, and makes
+a cake which can soon be baked. She takes it to the man of God, who
+eats it thankfully, and is refreshed. Then she returns to the empty
+barrel and cruse, and finds as much in them as she had lately taken
+out. She prepares some bread for herself and her son, and they eat it
+thankfully 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. We
+are not told how long it was after Elijah went to the widow's house
+before the days of the famine were over. But suppose we make a
+calculation about it. The famine lasted for three years. Now let us
+suppose, that the first half of this time was spent by the prophet at
+the brook Cherith. Then his stay at the widow's house must have been
+at least eighteen months. And, if this miracle of increasing the meal
+and the oil was repeated only once a day, there would be for the
+first twelve months, or for the year, three hundred and sixty-five
+miracles; and for the six months, or the half year, one hundred and
+eighty-two more; and adding these together we have the surprising
+number of _five hundred and forty-seven_ miracles, that were
+performed to reward this good widow for the kindness she showed to
+the prophet Elijah, when she gave him a piece of bread, and a drink
+of water! What an illustration we have here of the truth we are
+considering, that _giving is God's rule for getting_.
+
+But the best illustration of this subject to be found in the Bible is
+given in our Saviour's own experience. He not only _preached_ the
+lesson of liberality, but _practised_ it. He is himself the greatest
+giver ever heard of. In becoming our Redeemer he showed himself the
+Prince of givers. He gave--not silver and gold; not all the wealth of
+the world, or of ten thousand worlds like ours; but "He gave
+_Himself_ for us." He can say indeed, to each of us, in the language
+of 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 hath
+highly 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 every
+tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God
+the Father," Phil, ii: 9-11. Because of what he gave "for us men, and
+for our salvation," he will be loved and praised and honored in
+heaven, on the earth, and through all the universe, above all other
+beings, for ever and ever. What a glorious illustration we have here
+of the truth of this statement, that "giving is God's rule for
+getting." These are some of the illustrations of this lesson of
+liberality that we find in the Bible.
+
+_And now, let us look at some illustrations of this subject, that we
+have in nature_.
+
+Solomon suggests one of these when he says, "_There is that
+scattereth, and yet increaseth_." Prov. xi: 26. He is evidently
+speaking here of a farmer sowing his fields with grain.
+
+Now suppose that we had never seen a man sowing; and that we knew
+nothing at all about the growth of grain, or how wonderfully the seed
+sown in the spring is increased and multiplied when the harvest is
+reaped. Then, the first time we saw a farmer sowing his fields, we
+should have been ready to say, "What a foolish man that is! He is
+taking that precious grain by the handful, and deliberately throwing
+it 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 could
+have come back to visit that farmer when he was gathering in his
+harvest, how surprised we should have been! Then we should have
+learned that for every handful of grain that the farmer had
+scattered, or, as we thought, thrown away, in the spring, when he was
+sowing, he had gained forty or fifty handfuls when he reaped in his
+harvest. Then we should have understood what Solomon meant when he
+said, "There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth." And we should
+have here a good illustration of our Saviour's lesson of liberality,
+when he said, "Give, and it shall be given unto you;" and of the
+Bible truth we are now studying, that "giving is God's rule for
+getting."
+
+Yonder is the great ocean; it is one of the grandest of nature's
+works. And the ocean gives us a good illustration of the lesson of
+liberality which our Saviour taught. The waters of the ocean are
+spread out for thousands of miles. As the sun shines on the surface
+of the ocean, it makes the water warm, and turns it into vapor, like
+the steam that comes from the boiling kettle. This vapor rises into
+the air, and helps to form the clouds that are floating there. These
+clouds sail over the land, and pour out the water that is in them, in
+refreshing and fertilizing showers of rain. This rain makes the rills
+start from the sides of the mountains. The rills run down into the
+rivers, and the rivers flow back into the sea again. In this way the
+ocean is a great giver. It has been giving away its water for
+hundreds 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 it
+had power to control its own motions. And suppose that the ocean
+should say:--"Well, I think I have been giving away water long
+enough. I am going to turn over a new leaf. The sun may shine as much
+as it pleases. I won't let another drop of water go out from my
+surface. I am tired of giving, and I mean to stop doing it, any
+longer." Let us pause for a moment here, and see what the effect of
+this would be upon the ocean itself.
+
+We know that all the water in the ocean is salt water. But when the
+sun takes water from the ocean, in the form of vapor, it is always
+taken out as fresh water. It leaves the salt behind it. Then the
+water on the surface of the ocean, from which this vapor has been
+taken, has more salt in it than the water underneath it. This makes
+it heavier than the other water. The consequence of this, is that
+this heavier water, on the top of the ocean, sinks to the bottom; and
+at 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. The
+water from the top is sinking to the bottom, and the water from the
+bottom is rising to the top. And this is one of the means which God
+employs to keep the waters of the ocean always pure and wholesome.
+But if the ocean should stop giving away its water, as it has always
+been doing, then this constant change of its waters would cease. The
+ocean would be left still and stagnant. It would become a great mass
+of corruption; and the breezes from the ocean, that now carry health
+and life to those who breathe them, would carry only disease and
+death. And the thousands of people who now love the ocean and seek
+its shores every summer, to get strong and well by breathing the air
+that 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 its
+shores as they could. And so we see how the ocean stands before us as
+a grand illustration of the lesson of liberality which our Saviour
+taught when he said, "Give, and it shall be given unto you." The
+ocean gives away its water continually, and, in return for this, God
+gives it freshness and purity, and makes it a blessing to the world.
+And so the ocean illustrates the truth of the lesson we are now
+studying, that "giving is God's rule for getting."
+
+And yonder is the great sun, shining up in the sky. We do not know as
+much about the sun as we do about the ocean, because it is so far
+away from us. The ocean is very near us. We can walk along its
+shores, and plunge into its waters, and sail over its surface. We
+can study out all about the laws that govern it, and what the effect
+of those laws is upon it. But it is very different with the sun. It
+is about ninety millions of miles away from us. This is too far off
+for us to know much about it. And yet, we know enough about the sun
+to get from it a good illustration of God's rule about giving and
+getting. The sun, like the ocean, is a great giver. It is giving away
+light all the time. It was made for this purpose; and for this
+purpose it is preserved. If the sun should stop giving, and should
+try to keep all its light and heat for itself, the effect would be
+its ruin. By ceasing to give it would be burnt up and destroyed. And
+so, when we see the sower sowing his seed, or the reaper gathering in
+his harvest; when we look upon the ocean, and see the clouds formed
+from its waters, as they go sailing through the sky; or when we see
+the sun rising in the morning, going forth again to his appointed
+work of giving light to a dark world; let us remember that these are
+nature's illustrations of the lesson of liberality which Jesus taught
+when he said, "Give, and it shall be given unto you." They all help
+to 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 subject
+from everyday life_.
+
+If we are only watchful we shall meet with illustrations of this kind
+continually. 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 a
+sleigh during a very severe winter. It was snowing fast as they drove
+along. One of the travellers was a liberal, generous-hearted man, who
+believed in giving; and was always ready to share whatever he had
+with others. His companion was a selfish ungenerous man. He did _not_
+believe in giving; and liked to keep whatever he had for himself. As
+they drove along, they saw something covered up in the snow that
+looked like the figure of a man. "Look there," said the generous man
+to 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 for
+me. I intend to stay where I am;" and he wrapped his furs closely
+round him.
+
+The other traveller threw aside his furs and jumped out of the
+sleigh. He found it was a poor man, who had sunk down in the snow a
+short 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 for
+a good while. At last the man began to get warm again and was saved
+from death. Then the generous-hearted traveller helped him into the
+sleigh, and shared his wrappings with him. The exertion he had made
+in doing this kind act put him all in a glow of warmth. He made the
+rest of the journey in comfort. But when they stopped at the end of
+their journey, the selfish man, who was not willing to do anything
+for the help of another, had his fingers, and toes, and nose, and
+ears frozen. This illustrates the lesson of liberality; and shows
+that "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 in
+Virginia, during the late war, a Union officer fell wounded in front
+of the Confederate breastwork, which had been attacked. His wounds
+brought on a raging fever, and he lay on the ground crying piteously
+for water. A kind-hearted Confederate soldier heard the touching cry,
+and leaping over the fortifications, with his canteen in his hand, he
+crawled up to the poor fellow and gave him a drink of water. O, what
+a comfort this was to the wounded man! His heart was filled with
+gratitude towards this generous and noble soldier. He pulled out his
+gold watch from his pocket, and cheerfully offered it to his
+benefactor; but he refused to take it. Then he asked the soldier's
+name and residence. He said his name was James Moore, and that he
+lived in Burke County, North Carolina. Then they parted. This noble
+soldier afterwards lost a limb in one of the Virginia battles, and
+returned to his home as a cripple.
+
+The officer recovered from his wounds; but he never forgot the
+kindness of that Confederate soldier. And when the war was over, and
+he was engaged in his business again, he wrote to James Moore,
+telling him that he intended to send him the sum of ten thousand
+dollars in four quarterly installments of twenty-five hundred
+dollars each; and that he wished him to receive the same in token of
+the heartfelt gratitude with which his generous kindness on the
+battle-field was remembered. Certainly these were two noble men. It
+is hard to tell which was the more noble of the two. But when the
+crippled soldier thought of the drink of water which he gave to the
+wounded officer, and of the ten thousand dollars which he received
+for 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 must
+have felt sure of the lesson we are now considering, that "Giving is
+God's rule for getting."
+
+"The Secret of Success." Some time ago a Christian gentleman was
+visiting a large paper mill that belonged to a friend of his, who was
+a very rich man. The owner of the mill took him all through it, and
+showed him the machinery, and told him how the paper was made. When
+they were through the visitor said to his friend, "I have one
+question to ask you; and if you will answer it, I shall feel very
+much 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 your
+success in business?"
+
+"I don't know that there is any great secret about it," said his
+friend, "but I will tell you all I know. I got a situation, and began
+to work for my own living when I was only sixteen years old. My
+wages, at first, were to be forty dollars a year, with my board and
+lodging. My clothing and all my other expenses were to come out of
+the 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 be
+faithfully laid aside to be given to the poor, or to some religious
+work. This promise I kept religiously, and after laying aside
+one-tenth to give away, at the end of the year, besides meeting my
+expenses, I had more than a tenth left for myself. I then made a vow
+that 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 faithfully
+kept from that day to this. If there be any secret to my
+success--_this is it_. Whatever I receive during the year, I feel
+sure that I am richer on nine-tenths of it, with God's blessing, than
+I should be on the whole of it, without that blessing. I believe that
+God has blessed me, and made my business prosper. And I am sure that
+anyone who will make the trial of this secret of success, will find
+it work as it has done in my case."
+
+This man was certainly proving the truth of our Saviour's words, when
+he said--"Give, and it shall be given unto you." And his experience
+shows most satisfactorily that "giving is God's rule for getting."
+
+"The Steamboat Captain and the Soldier." During the late war there
+was a steamboat, one day, in front of a flourishing town on the Ohio
+River. 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 some
+miles down the river with an excursion party, who had chartered the
+boat for the occasion. While waiting for the party to come on board,
+a poor wounded soldier came up to the captain. He said he was
+suffering from severe sickness, as well as from his wounds. He had
+been 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, before
+he died; and he wished to know if the captain would give him a
+passage down the river on his boat. On hearing where his home was,
+the captain said that the party who had chartered his boat were
+going near that place; and he told the poor soldier that he would
+gladly 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, they
+were not willing to let him go; and asked the captain to put him
+ashore. The captain told the soldier's sad story, and pleaded his
+cause very earnestly. He said he would place him on the lower deck
+and put a screen round his bed, so that they could not see him. But
+the young people refused. They said as they had hired the boat, it
+belonged to them for the day, and they were not willing to have such
+a miserable-looking object on board their boat; and that if the
+captain did not put him off, they would hire another boat, and he
+would lose the twenty dollars they had agreed to give him for the
+day's excursion.
+
+The good captain made one more appeal to them. He asked them to put
+themselves in the poor soldier's place, and then to think how they
+would like to be treated. But still they refused to let the soldier
+go. Then the noble-hearted captain said: "Well, ladies and gentlemen,
+whether you hire my boat or not, I intend to take this soldier home
+to-day."
+
+The party did hire another boat. The captain lost his twenty
+dollars. But, when he returned the poor dying soldier to the arms of
+his loving mother, he felt that the tears of gratitude with which she
+thanked him were worth more than the money he had lost. The gentle
+mother dressed the wounds of her poor suffering boy; and nursed and
+cared for him, as none but a mother knows how to do. But she could
+not save his life. He died after a few days; and the last words he
+spoke, as his loving parents stood weeping at his bedside
+were--"Don't forget the good captain." And he was not forgotten. For
+after the soldier's funeral was over, his father went up the river to
+the town where the captain lived. He found him out. He thanked him
+again for his kindness in bringing home his dying boy; and made him a
+present that was worth four or five times the twenty dollars he had
+lost for the hire of his boat.
+
+But this was not the end of it. For not long after this, the captain
+and his wife were taken suddenly ill with a fatal disease that was
+prevailing in that region of the country. They both died; leaving two
+little orphan children, with no one to take care of them. The
+soldier's father heard of it; and he went at once and asked that he
+might be permitted to take the two helpless little ones and adopt
+them as his own children. He took them home; and was a father and a
+friend to them as long as he lived.
+
+How beautifully our Saviour's words--"Give, and it shall be given
+unto 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. We
+may call it:
+
+"The Miser and the Hungry Children." In a village in England were two
+little motherless girls who lived in a small cottage. Sally, the
+elder, was about eight years old and her sister Mary was six. They
+were very poor. Their father was a laboring man, and he found great
+difficulty in supporting himself and his children.
+
+Once, in the midst of winter, these two little girls were left alone
+all day, as their father had gone out to work. They had their
+breakfast in the morning with their father, before he left. But they
+had no dinner, nor anything to eat during the rest of the day. About
+the middle of the afternoon, Mary said to her sister: "Sally, I'm
+very hungry. Is there anything in the closet that we can get to eat?"
+
+"No," said Sally; "I've looked all through the closet; but there
+isn't a crust of bread, or a cold potato; nor anything to eat. I wish
+there was something; for I'm hungry too."
+
+"O, dear! what shall we do?" cried Mary; "I'm too hungry to wait till
+father comes home!"
+
+"Mary," said her sister, "suppose we ask our Father in heaven to give
+us 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 three
+times, and then wait, and see if God will send us some."
+
+Mary agreed to this. They both kneeled down, and Sally began: "Our
+Father, 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 our
+daily bread; give us this day our daily bread; give us this day our
+daily bread." Then they waited quietly, to see if anything would
+come.
+
+And now, while this was going on inside of that little cottage, let
+me tell you what was taking place outside.
+
+Not far from this cottage lived an old man who was a miser. He had a
+good deal of money, but he never gave any of it to others; and never
+would 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 a
+loaf of bread. He got the loaf, and, as it was a stormy afternoon, he
+put it under his coat before starting to walk home. Now, it happened,
+that just as he was passing the cottage in which the little girls
+were, a strong blast of wind blew the rain in his face, and he
+stepped into the porch of the cottage and crouched down in the
+corner, to shelter himself from the wind and rain. In this position
+his ear was brought quite close to the keyhole of the door. He heard
+what the little girls had said about being hungry. He heard their
+proposal to pray to the Father in heaven to give them bread. He heard
+the thrice repeated prayer--"give us this day our daily bread." And
+then came the silence, when the little ones waited, and watched for
+the bread. This had a strange effect on the miser. His hard, selfish
+heart, which had never felt a generous feeling for anyone, warmed up,
+and grew suddenly soft in tenderness towards these helpless, hungry
+little ones. Tears moistened his eyes. He put his thumb on the latch
+of the door. The latch was gently lifted and the door opened. He took
+the loaf from under his coat and threw it into the room. The little
+girls, still waiting and watching on their knees, saw the loaf go
+bouncing over the floor. They jumped up on their feet, and clapped
+their hands for joy.
+
+"O, Sally," said little Mary, "how good God is to answer our prayer
+so 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 that
+God sent it."
+
+And how about the miser? For the first time in his life he had given
+to the poor. Did the promise fail which says, "Give, and it shall be
+given unto you?" No; God's promises _never_ fail. He went to the
+bakery and bought another loaf for himself, and then he went home
+with different feelings from what he had ever had before. The warm,
+soft feeling that came into his hard heart when he gave the loaf to
+those children did not pass away. It grew upon him. He had found so
+much pleasure in doing that one kind act that he went on and did
+more. And God blessed him in doing it. He began to pray to that God
+who had answered the prayer of those little girls for bread in such a
+strange way. He read the Bible. He went to church. He became a
+Christian; and some time after, he died a happy Christian death. But
+before he died, as he was the owner of the cottage in which the
+little girls lived, he gave it to their father. What a beautiful
+illustration we have here of our Saviour's words--"Give, and it shall
+be given unto you!" This miser gave _a loaf of bread_ to these hungry
+children and God gave him _the grace that made him a Christian_! And
+as we think of this we may well say that "giving _is_ God's rule for
+getting."
+
+And thus we have considered the lesson of liberality which our
+Saviour taught; the proofs of that lesson found in the Bible; and the
+illustrations of it from the Bible, from nature, and from everyday
+life. The three things to be remembered from this subject are _the
+lesson_--_the proofs_--_the illustrations_.
+
+I will quote here, in finishing, three verses which teach the same
+lesson that our Saviour taught when he spoke the words from which I
+have tried to draw the lesson of liberality. The title at the head of
+them is taken from Solomon's words in one of the passages from the
+book 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 how
+everything connected with it teaches the lesson of humility. This is
+pointed out in the beautiful collect in The Book of Common Prayer for
+the first Sunday in Advent. Here we are taught to say:--"Almighty
+God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put upon
+us the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which
+thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in--great _humility_."
+
+If Jesus had come into our world as an angel, it would have been an
+act of humility. If he had come as a great and mighty king, it would
+have been an act of humility. But when he was born in a stable, and
+cradled in a manger; when he could say of himself, "the foxes have
+holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man hath
+not where to lay his head;" when there never was an acre, or a foot
+of ground that he called his own, although he made the world and all
+things in it; when he sailed in a borrowed boat, and was buried in a
+borrowed tomb; how well it might be said that he was teaching
+humility 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 on
+this subject.
+
+We have an account of this lesson in St. John xiii: 4-15. It is
+taught us in these words:--"He riseth from supper, and laid aside his
+garments; and took a towel and girdled himself. After that he poureth
+water into a bason, and began to wash his disciples' feet, and to
+wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded." Then occurs the
+incident about the objection which Peter made to letting Jesus wash
+his feet, and the way in which that objection was overcome. And then
+the story goes on thus:--"So after he had washed their feet, and had
+taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, 'Know
+ye what I have done unto you? Ye call me Master, and Lord; and ye say
+well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your
+feet; ye ought also to wash one another's feet. For I have given you
+an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.'"
+
+This was a very surprising scene. How astonished the angels must have
+been when they looked upon it! They had known Jesus in heaven, before
+he took upon him our nature, and came into this fallen world. They
+had seen him in "the glory which he had with the Father, before the
+world 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 feet
+of poor sinful men whom he came from heaven to save, how surprising
+it must have seemed to them! And when Jesus told his disciples that
+his object in doing this was to set them an example, that they should
+do as he had done to them, he did not mean that they should literally
+make a practice of washing each other's feet; but that they should
+show the same humility to others that he had shown to them, by being
+willing to do anything, however humble it might be, in order to
+promote their comfort and happiness. It is not the act itself, here
+spoken of, that Jesus teaches us to do; but the spirit of humility in
+which the act was performed that he teaches us to cultivate. We might
+go through the form of washing the feet of other persons, and yet
+feel proud and haughty all the time we were doing it. Then we should
+not be following the example of Jesus at all. When Jesus washed his
+disciples' feet, what he wished to teach them, and us, and all his
+people, is how earnestly he desires us to learn this lesson of
+humility. And when we think of the wondrous scene which took place on
+that occasion, the one thought it should impress on our minds, above
+all others is--_the importance of humility_.
+
+And if any one asks what is meant by humility? No better answer can
+be 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 to
+think, but to think soberly." Pride is "thinking of ourselves more
+highly than we ought to think." Humility is--_not_ "thinking of
+ourselves more highly than we ought to think." And humility is the
+lesson we are now to study. This is the lesson that Jesus wishes all
+who love him to learn. It is easy to speak of _five_ reasons why we
+should 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 his
+disciples, and to us, to learn the lesson of humility. And this is
+not the only place in which Jesus taught this lesson. He gave some of
+his 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 get
+the best seats for themselves at a feast, he took the opportunity of
+giving his disciples a lesson about humility. He told them, when they
+were bidden to a wedding feast, not to take the highest seats;
+because some more honorable person might be bidden, and when the
+master of the feast came in he might say to them 'let this man have
+that seat, and you go and take a lower seat'; then they would feel
+mortified, 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, go
+up higher: then shalt thou have worship"--or honor--"in the presence
+of them that sit at meat with thee." Here we have Jesus repeating
+his command to all his people to learn and practise the lesson of
+humility.
+
+And then we have another of our Saviour's parables in which he taught
+this same lesson of humility, and that is the parable of the Pharisee
+and the Publican. We find it in St. Luke xviii: 10-15. The parable
+reads thus: "Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a
+Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed
+thus with himself, 'God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men
+are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I
+fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.'" Here
+we have a picture of a proud man. He pretended to pray, but asked for
+nothing, because he did not feel his need of anything. And so his
+pretended prayer brought him no blessing.
+
+And then in the rest of the parable we have our Saviour's description
+of a man who was learning the lesson of humility, and of the blessing
+which it brought to him.
+
+Here is a story told by one of our missionaries of the way in which
+this parable brought a heathen man to Christ.
+
+"That's Me." A poor Hottentot in Southern Africa lived with a Dutch
+farmer, who was a good Christian man, and kept up family prayer in
+his home. One day, at their family worship he read this parable. He
+began, "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 the
+salvation of his soul, looked earnestly at the reader, and whispered
+to himself, "Now I'll learn how to pray." The farmer read on, "God, I
+thank Thee that I am not as other men are." "No, I am not," whispered
+the Hottentot, "but I'm worse." Again the farmer read, "I fast twice
+in 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 distressed
+savage.
+
+The good man read on till he came to the publican, "standing afar
+off." "That's where I am," said the Hottentot. "Would not lift up so
+much as his eyes unto heaven," read the farmer. "That's me," cried
+his hearer. "But smote upon his breast saying, God be merciful to me
+a 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 of
+the parable,--"God be merciful to me a sinner!" And he went on
+offering 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 which
+Jesus taught, and how much good it did to him.
+
+And it is Jesus who is speaking to us and commanding us to learn this
+lesson 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 therefore
+in 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 to
+us to learn the lesson of humility. And this command is urged thus
+earnestly upon us because it is so important.
+
+When St. Augustine, one of the celebrated fathers of the early
+Church, was asked--What is the first important thing in the Christian
+religion? 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 been
+so earnest in teaching this lesson; or that he should have urged so
+strongly on his disciples to learn it.
+
+The _command_ of Christ is the first reason why we should learn the
+lesson of humility.
+
+_But the second reason why we should learn this lesson is, because of
+the_--EXAMPLE--_of Christ_.
+
+There are many persons "who say and do not." There are some ministers
+who preach very well, but they do not _practise_ what they preach.
+Such persons may well be compared to finger-boards. They point out
+the way to others, but they do not walk in it themselves. But this
+was not the case with our blessed Saviour. He practised everything
+that he preached. And when he gave us his command to learn this
+lesson of humility, he gave us, at the same time, his example to show
+us _how_ to do it.
+
+He was illustrating this command by his example when he washed his
+disciples' feet. And this was only one out of many things in which he
+set us this example. When he chose to be born of poor parents, he was
+giving an example of humility. When he lived at Nazareth till he was
+thirty years of age, working with his reputed father as a carpenter,
+and during the latter part of the time, as is supposed, laboring for
+the support of his mother, he was giving an example of humility. When
+he said, "The Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to
+minister," Matt. xx: 28; and again--"I am among you as he that
+serveth," Luke xxii: 27, he was giving an example of humility. When
+he borrowed an ass to make his triumphal entrance into Jerusalem;
+though he could say in truth, "every beast of the forest is mine, and
+the cattle upon a thousand hills;"--(Ps. 1: 10), he was setting an
+example of humility. When he hid himself away from the people because
+he saw that they wanted to take him by force and make him king, he
+was giving a lesson of humility. When he allowed himself to be taken
+prisoner, though he knew that if he had asked his Father in heaven,
+he would, at once, have sent "more than twelve legions of angels" to
+deliver him, he was giving an example of humility. When he kept
+silence, at the bar of the high-priest, of Herod, of Pontius Pilate,
+like "a lamb dumb before her shearers," while his enemies were
+charging him falsely with all kinds of wickedness; when he allowed
+the Roman soldiers to scourge him with rods, till his back was all
+bleeding; to put a crown of thorns upon his head; to array him in a
+purple robe in mockery of his being a king; to smite him with the
+palms of their hands, and spit upon him; and then to nail him to the
+cross, and put him to the most shameful of all deaths--as if he were
+a wicked man, who did not deserve to live--he was giving the most
+wonderful example of humility that ever was heard of. Jesus, the Lord
+of glory hanging on the shameful cross!--O, this was an example of
+humility 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 an
+example of humility, it should make us ashamed of being proud; and
+anxious, above all things, to learn this lesson which he did so much
+to teach us.
+
+"Imitating Christ's Humility." I think I never heard of a more
+beautiful instance of persons learning to imitate the humility of
+Christ, than is told of some Moravian Missionaries. These good men
+had heard the story of the unhappy slaves in the West Indies. Those
+poor creatures were wearing out their lives in hard bondage. They had
+very little comfort in this life, and no knowledge of that gracious
+Saviour who alone can secure, for sinful creatures, such as we are, a
+better portion in the life to come. These missionaries offered to go
+out to the West Indies, and teach those slaves about Jesus, and the
+great salvation that is to be found in him. But they were told that
+the owners of the slaves would not let them go to school or to
+church. They would not allow them to take time enough from their work
+to learn anything about the salvation of their souls. There was only
+one way in which those poor slaves could be taught anything about
+Jesus 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 need
+be, under the lash, so that they could get right beside them and then
+tell them about the way of salvation that is in Christ Jesus. This
+was a hard thing to undertake. But those good missionaries said they
+were 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 on
+the plantations as slaves. And working thus, by the side of the
+slaves, they got close to their hearts. The slaves heard them. Their
+hearts were touched because these teachers of the gospel had humbled
+themselves to their condition. While they were teaching the commands
+of Christ, they were illustrating and following his example. How
+beautiful this was! How grand! How glorious!
+
+And yet Christ's own example was still more glorious. He laid aside
+the glory of his Godhead, and came down from heaven to earth, that he
+might get by our side. He laid himself beside us that we might feel
+the throbbings of his bosom and the embrace of his loving arms; and
+he draws us close to himself, while he whispers in our ears the sweet
+words, "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son,
+that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have
+everlasting life."
+
+And so, when we think of the example of Christ, we should strive to
+learn the lesson of humility which he taught.
+
+_A third reason why we should learn this lesson of humility is
+because 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 that
+inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy
+place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to
+revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the
+contrite ones." Here, the same loving Saviour who gave us the command
+to learn the lesson of humility promises to give comfort to all who
+learn this lesson. And the way in which he secures this comfort to
+them is by coming and dwelling in their hearts. And who can tell
+what a comfort it is for a poor pardoned sinner to have Jesus--the
+Lord of heaven and earth--dwelling in his heart? It is his presence
+in heaven which makes those who dwell there feel so happy. This is
+what David taught, when he looked up to him, and said--"In thy
+presence is fulness of joy." Ps. 16: 11. And when that presence is
+felt, here on earth, it gives comfort and joy, as certainly as it
+does in heaven. It was the presence of Jesus which enabled Paul and
+Silas to sing at midnight, for very joyfulness, in the prison at
+Philippi, though their feet were fastened in the stocks, and their
+backs were torn and bleeding from the cruel scourging which they had
+suffered. And it was this presence of Christ in the hearts of his
+people that good John Newton was speaking of, in one of his sweet
+hymns, 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 will
+dwell with. He says himself, "If any man love me, he will keep my
+words; and My Father will love him; and we will come unto him, and
+make our abode with him." St. John xiv: 23. And among the words of
+Christ which we must keep, if we wish him to dwell in our hearts, are
+those in which he commands the lesson of humility. It is only the
+humble with whom he will dwell. For "every one that is proud in heart
+is an abomination unto the Lord." Prov. xvi: 5.
+
+The reason why so many people are unhappy in this world is that they
+do not learn the lesson of humility.
+
+"Learn to Stoop." The story is told of some celebrated man--I think
+it was Dr. Franklin--who had a friend visiting him on one occasion.
+When the gentleman was about to leave, the doctor accompanied him to
+the front door. In going through the entry there was a low beam
+across it, which made it necessary to stoop, in order to avoid being
+struck by it. As they approached it the doctor stooped himself, and
+called 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 through
+life." This illustrates the comfort which comes from learning the
+lesson of humility. It is those who are unwilling to stoop; or to be
+anything, 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 a
+fine oak tree, with its wide-spreading branches, and at its foot
+there grew a sweet and modest violet. The oak one day looked down in
+scorn upon the violet, and said: "You, poor little thing, will soon
+be dead and withered; for you have no strength, no size, and are of
+no good to anyone. But I am large and strong; I shall still live for
+ages, and then I shall be made into a large ship to sail on the
+ocean, 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 am
+thankful. I hope to die fragrantly, as I have lived fragrantly, but
+we are both only what God made us, and both where God placed us."
+
+Not long after the oak was struck by lightning and shivered to
+splinters. Its end was to be burned. But the violet was gently
+gathered by the hand of a Christian lady, who carefully pressed it,
+and kept it for years, in the leaves of her Bible to refresh herself
+with its fragrance. Here we see illustrated the difference between
+pride and humility.
+
+"The Secret of Comfort." Some years ago there was a boy who had been
+lame from his birth. He was a bright intelligent boy, but he was not
+a Christian. As he grew up, with no other prospect before him but
+that of being a cripple all his days, he was very unhappy. As he sat
+by his window, propped up in his chair, and saw the boys playing in
+the street, he would say to himself: "Why has God made me thus? Why
+have I not limbs to run and jump with like other boys?"
+
+These thoughts filled him with distress, and caused him to shed many
+bitter tears.
+
+One day a Christian friend, who was visiting him, gave him a book and
+requested him to read it. He did so; and it led to his becoming a
+Christian. 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. After
+this, as he looked out, and saw the young people happy at their
+sports; or, as he gazed on the green earth and the beautiful sky, and
+knew that he must remain a helpless cripple as long as he lived, he
+yet could say, with the utmost cheerfulness:--"It's all right. My
+Father in heaven has done it. I love him. He loves me. I know he is
+making all things work together for my good." He had learned the
+lesson we are now considering, and we see what comfort it gave him.
+And the thought of the comfort which this lesson gives, should be a
+good reason with us all for learning it.
+
+_A fourth reason why we should learn the lesson of humility is
+because of the_--USEFULNESS--_connected with it_.
+
+Jesus tells us, by his apostle, that "God resisteth the proud, but
+giveth grace to the humble." St. James iv: 6. If we have the grace of
+God we can be useful in many ways, but, without that grace we cannot
+be 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 my
+grace; or without the help of my grace. And it was of this grace that
+St. Paul was speaking when he said--"I can do all things through
+Christ who strengtheneth me." Phil, iv: 13.
+
+And we could not possibly have a stronger reason for trying to learn
+the lesson of humility than this, that our receiving the grace of
+God, and consequently our usefulness, depends upon it. God will not
+give us his grace to enable us to be truly good and to make ourselves
+useful, unless we learn this lesson. And unless we have the grace of
+God, we cannot be useful. Like barren fig-trees we shall be useless
+cumberers of the ground.
+
+Now let us look at one or two illustrations which show us how pride
+hinders the usefulness of men, while humility helps it.
+
+"The Fisherman's Mistake." An English gentleman was spending his
+summer holidays in Scotland. He concluded to try his hand at fishing
+for trout in one of the neighboring streams. He bought one of the
+handsomest fishing rods he could find, with line and reel, and
+artificial flies, and everything necessary to make a perfect outfit
+for a fisherman. He went to the trout stream, and toiled all day, but
+never caught a single fish.
+
+Towards the close of the day he saw a ragged little farmer boy, with
+a bean pole for a rod, and the simplest possible sort of a line, who
+was nipping the fish out of the water about as fast as he could throw
+his line in. He watched the boy in amazement for awhile, and then
+asked him how it was that one, with so fine a rod and line, could
+catch 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 as
+ye dinna keep yersel' oot o' sicht."
+
+The gentleman was proud of his handsome rod and line, and was showing
+it off all the time. His pride hindered his usefulness as a
+fisherman. The farmer's boy had nothing to show off; so he kept
+himself out of sight, and thus his humility helped his usefulness in
+fishing.
+
+"The Thames' Tunnel Teaching Humility." Most strangers who visit the
+great city of London go to see the famous tunnel under the river
+Thames. This is a large, substantial road that has been built, in the
+form of an arch, directly under the bed of the river. It is one of
+the most wonderful works that human skill ever succeeded in making.
+The man who planned and built it was made one of the nobility of
+England. His name was Sir Isambard Brunel. He was so humble that he
+was willing to learn a lesson from a tiny little ship worm. These
+worms bore small round holes through the solid timbers of our ships.
+
+One day Mr. Brunel visited a ship-yard. An old ship was on the
+dry-dock getting repaired. A quantity of worm-eaten timber had been
+taken 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 a
+proud man, he might have thrown the timber aside, and said--"Get away
+you poor little worm. I am a great master builder. You can't teach me
+anything." And if he had done so that famous tunnel under the Thames
+would probably never have been built. But Mr. Brunel had learned the
+lesson of humility. He was willing to learn from anything that God
+had made, however insignificant it might be. So he sat down and
+watched the worm at its work. He studied carefully the form of the
+hole it was boring. The thought occurred to him how strong a tunnel
+would be, that was made in the shape of this hole! And when he was
+asked whether it would be possible to build a tunnel under the
+Thames, he said he thought it could be done. He undertook to build
+it. He succeeded in the work. But, in accomplishing the great
+undertaking that little ship-worm was his teacher.
+
+And now, if any of my young friends who may read this book should
+ever visit London, and go to see the great tunnel, as they gaze in
+wonder at it, let them remember Sir I. Brunel, and that little
+ship-worm; and then, let them say to themselves: "This mighty tunnel
+is an illustration of the truth that humility helps to make us
+useful."
+
+"George Washington and His Humility." Here is a story connected with
+the great and good Washington--"the Father of his country," which
+illustrates very well this part of our subject.
+
+During the war of the American Revolution, the commander of a little
+squad of soldiers was superintending their operations as they were
+trying to raise a heavy piece of timber to the top of some military
+works which they were engaged in repairing. It was hard work to get
+the timber up, and so the commander, who was a proud man and thought
+himself of great importance, kept calling out to them from time to
+time, "Push away, boys! There she goes! Heave ho!"
+
+While this was going on, an officer on horseback, but not in military
+dress, rode by. He asked the commander why he did not take hold, and
+give the men a little help. He looked at the stranger in great
+astonishment, 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 your
+pardon Mr. Corporal."
+
+After this he got off his horse, and throwing aside his coat, he took
+hold and helped the men at their work till they got the timber into
+its place. By this time the perspiration stood in drops upon his
+forehead. He took out his handkerchief and wiped his brow. Then
+turning to the commander he said:
+
+"Mr. Corporal, when you have another such job on hand, and have not
+men enough to do it, send for your Commander-in-chief, and I will
+come and help you again."
+
+It was General Washington who did and said this. The Corporal was
+thunderstruck! The great Washington, though honored above all men on
+the continent, was humble enough to put his hand and shoulder to the
+timber, that he might help the humblest of his soldiers, who were
+struggling for the defence of their country, to bear the burdens
+appointed to them.
+
+This is an excellent illustration of the truth we are now
+considering. And certainly we should all try to learn the lesson of
+humility which Jesus taught, when we see how it helps to make us
+useful.
+
+_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 her
+wonderful 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" with
+which God fills them mean the blessings He bestows on the humble. Our
+Saviour taught the same truth when he said, "he that humbleth himself
+shall be exalted." Luke xiv: 11. Being exalted here means being
+honored and blessed. These passages teach very clearly the truth of
+which we are now speaking. They show us that we must learn the lesson
+of humility if we hope to have God's blessing rest upon us. And it is
+not more true that two and two make four, than it is that God's
+blessing _does_ attend and follow those who learn the lesson of
+humility.
+
+How many illustrations of this truth we find in the Bible! Moses had
+learned the lesson of humility before God sent him on his great
+mission, which has given him a name and a place among the most
+famous men of the world.
+
+Gideon had learned the lesson of humility before God made choice of
+him to be the deliverer of his people Israel from the hands of their
+enemies; and then, for years to be their honored ruler. John the
+Baptist was so humble that he said of himself that he was not worthy
+to stoop down and unloose the latchet of our Saviour's shoe; and yet
+Jesus said of him that he was one of the greatest men that ever had
+been born.
+
+The apostle Paul was so humble that he considered himself "less than
+the least of all saints," and "the chief of sinners;" and yet God
+honored and blessed him till he became the most famous and useful of
+all the apostles.
+
+If we turn from the Bible, and look out into the world around us, we
+may compare proud people to the tops of the mountains; these are bare
+and barren, and of little use to the world. We may compare humble
+people to the plains and valleys. These are fertile and beautiful,
+and are the greatest blessing to the world, in the abundance of
+grain, and fruit, and other good things which they yield.
+
+And then, if we take notice of what is occurring in the scenes of
+daily life, we shall meet with incidents continually which furnish
+us with illustrations of the part of our subject now before us, that
+God crowns the humble with his blessing. Let us look at one or two of
+these illustrations.
+
+"The Little Loaf." In a certain part of Germany, some years ago, a
+famine was prevailing, and many of the people were suffering from
+hunger. A kind-hearted rich man sent for twenty of the poorest
+children in the village where he lived, to come to his house. As they
+stood on the porch of his house, he came out to them bringing a large
+basket in his hand. He set it down before him and said: "Children, in
+this basket there is bread for you all. Take a loaf, each of you, and
+come back every day at this hour, till it shall please God to send us
+better times."
+
+Then he left the children to themselves and went into the house, but
+watched them through the window. The hungry children seized the
+basket, quarreled and struggled for the bread, because each of them
+wished to get the best and largest loaf. Then they went away without
+ever 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 took
+the last loaf left in the basket, the smallest of the lot. She looked
+up to the window where the gentleman stood; smiled at him; threw him
+a kiss, and made a low curtsey in token of her gratitude, and then
+went quickly home.
+
+The next day the other children were just as ill-behaved as they had
+been before, and the timid humble Gretchen received a loaf this time
+not 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, a
+number of new silver pieces of money, fell rattling and shining out
+of it.
+
+Her mother was frightened, and said, "Take the money back at once to
+the good gentleman; for it must certainly have dropped into the dough
+by accident. Be quick Gretchen! be quick!"
+
+But when the little girl came to the good man and gave him her
+mother's message, he kindly said, "No, no, my child, it was no
+mistake. I had the silver pieces put into the smallest loaf as a
+reward for you. Continue to be as humble, peaceable, self-denying,
+and grateful as you have now shown yourself to be. A little girl who
+is humble enough to take the smallest loaf rather than quarrel for
+the larger ones, will be sure to receive greater blessings from God
+than if she had silver pieces of money baked in every loaf of bread
+she 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 into
+the office of one of the largest dry-goods houses in New York and
+asked for a situation. He was told to call again another day.
+
+Going down Broadway that same afternoon, when opposite the Astor
+House, he saw an old apple woman, in trying to cross the street,
+struck by an omnibus, knocked down, and her basket of apples sent
+scattering into the gutter.
+
+The young man stepped out of the crowd, helped the old woman to her
+feet, put her apples into her basket, and went on his way, without
+thinking of it.
+
+Now a proud man would never have thought of doing such a thing as
+that. But this young man had learned the lesson of humility, and did
+not hesitate a moment to do this kind act.
+
+When he called again to see about the situation, he was asked what
+wages 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 he
+was passing at the time, and saw it; and that it was this
+circumstance 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 learn
+the 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 suitable
+prayer to offer when we think of the lesson of humility we have now
+been 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 in
+kings, and princes, in rich, and wise, and great men, it would not
+have been surprising; because he was a king and a prince, himself; he
+was richer than the richest, and wiser than the wisest, and greater
+than the greatest. But he did not do this. He took no particular
+notice of them; but he showed the greatest possible interest in
+children. When mothers brought their little ones to him, the
+disciples wanted to keep them away. They thought, no doubt, that he
+was too busy to take any notice of them. But they were mistaken. He
+was very busy indeed. He had many lessons to teach. He had sermons to
+preach; and sick people to heal; and blind eyes to open; and deaf
+ears to unstop; and lame men to make whole; and dead men to raise to
+life again. He had all his Father's will to make known to men; and
+all his Father's commandments to keep. He had to suffer, and to die
+for the sins of the world; that he might "open the kingdom of heaven
+to all believers." He was the busiest man that ever lived. Nobody
+ever had so much to do as he had. And yet, he was not too busy to
+attend to the little children. He had time to give to them. So he
+rebuked 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 by
+one, "he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them and
+blessed them." And when he had done this, as though that were not
+enough, he spoke those precious, glorious, golden words:--"_Suffer
+the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such
+is the kingdom of heaven_," "verily I say unto you, whosoever shall
+not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter
+therein."
+
+These things are told us by three of the evangelists. St. Matthew
+mentions them in chapter xix: 13-15. St. Mark x: 13-16, and St. Luke
+xviii: 15-17.
+
+On another occasion, when he was in the temple, the children sang
+hosannas to him as the son of David. The chief priests and scribes
+were greatly displeased, when they heard it, and "said unto him,
+hearest thou what these say? and Jesus said unto them, yea: have ye
+never read, out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou hast
+perfected praise?" Matt, xxi: 15, 16. Here he quoted from the Old
+Testament (Ps. viii: 2) to prove to them from their own scriptures,
+that God loves little children, and delights to have them engage in
+his service, and sing his praises.
+
+And there was one other occasion on which Jesus spoke about the
+children, and showed his interest in them. This was after his
+resurrection. We read about it in St. John xxi: 15-18. He met his
+disciples, one day, on the shore of the sea of Galilee. Peter, who
+had shamefully denied his Master on the night in which he was
+betrayed was present with them. Jesus said to him, as if to remind
+him 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 beautifully
+Jesus showed his great love for the little ones of his flock!
+
+From these different passages, we see clearly how dear little
+children are to the heart of our blessed Saviour! He is the only
+great Teacher who ever showed such an interest in children. And the
+religion of Jesus is the only religion which teaches its followers to
+love and care for the little ones. The worshipers of the idol Moloch,
+mentioned in the Bible, used to offer their children as
+burnt-sacrifices to their cruel god. Mahometans look upon their women
+and children as inferior beings. The Hindoos neglect their infants,
+and leave them exposed on the banks of the Ganges, or throw them into
+the river to be devoured by the hungry crocodiles. In the city of
+Pekin many infants are thrown out into the streets every night.
+Sometimes they are killed by the fall. Sometimes they are only half
+killed, and linger, moaning in their agony, till the morning. Then
+the police go around, and pick them up, and throw them all together
+into a hole and bury them.
+
+In Africa, the children are sometimes buried alive; and sometimes
+left 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 used
+to be killed. Sometimes they would strangle their babies. Sometimes
+they would leave them, where oxen and cattle would tread on them, and
+trample them to death; while, at other times, they would break all
+their joints, beginning with their fingers and toes, and then go on
+to their wrists, and elbows, and shoulders. How dreadful it is to
+think of such practices! And when we turn from these scenes of
+heart-rending cruelty and think of the gracious Saviour,--the "gentle
+Jesus, meek and mild," stretching forth his arms in loving
+tenderness, and uttering the sweet words,--"Suffer the little
+children to come unto me, and forbid them not; for of such is the
+kingdom of God,"--what a wonderful contrast it makes!
+
+And when we think of all that Jesus did and said to show his interest
+in children, we may well ask ourselves such questions as these,--Why
+was it so? What did he do it for? And when we come to look carefully
+into this part of the life of Christ, we can see four great things in
+it; and these are the reasons why Jesus did and said so much about
+children.
+
+_In the first place we see_--GREAT LOVE--_in the interest Christ
+manifested towards the young_.
+
+It was the same love which brought him down from heaven, and made him
+willing to become a little child himself; the same love which made
+him willing to live in poverty--and suffer the dreadful death upon
+the cross that led him to show such interest in the little ones. But
+if he had not told us himself how he feels on this subject, we could
+not have been sure of it. Children might well have said, when they
+heard about the love of Christ, "Yes, we have no doubt that Jesus
+does love grown up people, men and women in general. We believe this
+because the Bible tells us so; but how do we know that he loves us
+children?" If he had not told us so himself, we could not have been
+sure of it. But we know it now. And when we hear, or read of the love
+of Christ, we may be sure that it takes the children in.
+
+During a famine in Germany, a family became so poor that they were in
+danger of starving. The father proposed that one of the children
+should be sold, and food provided for those that remained. At last
+the mother consented; but then the question arose which one of the
+four should be selected. The eldest, their first-born, could not be
+spared; the second looked like the mother, the third was like his
+father, and they could not give either of them up; and then the
+youngest--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 children
+knew of this, they might very well feel sure that their parents loved
+them. But Jesus did more than this for us, he was willing to die upon
+the cross, and he did so die, that "not one of his little ones should
+perish."
+
+"Being Loved Back Again." Little Alice Lee sat in her rocking chair.
+She was clasping a beautiful wax doll to her bosom, and singing sweet
+lullabies to it. But every little while she looked wistfully at her
+mother. She was busy writing, and had told Alice to keep as quiet as
+possible till she got through.
+
+It seemed a long time to Alice; but after awhile her mother laid down
+her pen, and pushed aside her papers, and said:--"Now I am through
+for 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 loving
+bosom.
+
+"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 in
+her arms. "I am very glad that my little girl loves me;" replied her
+mother, "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 after
+awhile."
+
+"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 grew
+very bright, as they gazed earnestly into her mother's face. "It's
+because 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 when
+we were too little to love him back. The Bible says--"We love him
+because _he first_ loved us." He loved us before we knew him, or had
+ever heard of him. He loved us before we were born. Before the world
+was made Jesus thought of you and me, and loved us. This is what he
+means when he says:--"I _have loved thee with an everlasting love."_
+Jer. xxxi: 3. This means a love that never had a beginning, and that
+will never have an end. This is very wonderful. And when we think of
+it, 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, by
+which he showed his interest in little children, the first thing that
+we 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 to
+Jesus when young, _because then they are easily controlled_.
+
+Suppose we plant an acorn in a corner of our garden. After awhile a
+green shoot springs out from it. We go to look at it when it is about
+a foot high. We find it getting crooked; but with the gentlest touch
+of thumb and finger, we can straighten it out. We wish it to lean in
+a particular direction. We give it a slight touch, and it leans just
+that way. Afterwards we conclude to have it lean in the opposite
+direction. Another slight touch, and it takes that direction. It is
+true, as the poet says, "Just as the twig is bent, the tree's
+inclined." 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 an
+ugly twist in its trunk. We try to straighten it out; but in vain. No
+power on earth can do that now. You can cut it down; or saw it up; or
+break it into splinters; but you cannot straighten it.
+
+Suppose, that you and I should go to one of the highest summits of
+the Rocky Mountains. In a certain place there, we should find two
+little fountains springing up near each other. With the end of a
+finger we might trace the course in which either of those little
+springs should flow. We could lead one down the eastern side of the
+mountains, and the other down the western side. It would be very easy
+to control them then. But suppose now we travel down the side of the
+mountain till we reach the plain, at its base. Now see, yonder is a
+great river, rolling on its mighty flood of waters. That is what the
+little spring has grown to. It is too late to control it now. The
+time for controlling it was up yonder near the spring.
+
+It is easy to control the spring; it is very hard to control the
+river. Jesus wished to control the spring when he directed us to
+bring the children to him. And in this he showed his wisdom.
+
+It is wise to take an interest in children, and bring them early to
+Jesus--_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 by
+Themistocles, the celebrated Grecian governor and general. He had a
+little boy, of whom his mother was very fond and over whom the child
+had very great influence. His father pointed to him, one day, and
+said to a friend, "Look at that child; he has more power than all
+Greece. For the city of Athens rules Greece; I rule Athens; that
+child's mother rules me, and he rules his mother."
+
+I feel sure our Saviour must have felt very much as some one has
+done, 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 wise
+in Jesus to desire to have them brought early to him that they might
+learn to use that influence in the best possible way.
+
+And then it was wise in Jesus to desire this, again, _because
+bringing children to him prevents great trouble, and secures great
+blessing_.
+
+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 upper
+counties of New York, there was a little girl named Margaret. She
+was not brought to Christ, but was turned out on the world to do as
+she pleased. She grew up to be perhaps the wickedest woman in that
+part of the country. She had a large family of children, who became
+about as wicked as herself; her descendants have been a plague and a
+curse to that county ever since. The records of that county show that
+two hundred of her descendants have been criminals. In a single
+generation of her descendants there were twenty children. Three of
+these died in infancy. Of the remaining seventeen, who lived to grow
+up, nine were sent to the state prison for great crimes; while all
+the others were found, from time to time, in the jails, the
+penitentiaries, or the almshouses. Nearly all the descendants of this
+woman were idiots, or drunkards, or paupers, or bad people, of the
+very worst character. That one neglected child thus cost the county
+in which she lived hundreds of thousands of dollars, besides the
+untold evil that followed from the bad examples of her descendants.
+How different the result would have been if this poor child had been
+brought to Jesus and made a Christian when she was young!
+
+"The Result of Early Choice." Here is a short story of two boys, of
+the choice they made when young, and the different results that
+followed from that choice.
+
+A minister of the gospel was preaching on one occasion to the
+convicts in the state prison of Connecticut. As he rose in the desk
+and looked around on the congregation, he saw a man there whose face
+seemed familiar to him. When the service was over he went to this
+man's cell, to have some conversation with him.
+
+"I remember you very well, sir," said the prisoner. "We were boys in
+the same neighborhood; we went to the same school; sat beside each
+other on the same bench, and then my prospects were as bright as
+yours. But, at the age of fourteen, you made choice of the service of
+God, and became a Christian. I refused to come to Christ, but made
+choice of the world and sin. And now, you are a happy and honored
+minister of the gospel, while I am a wretched outcast. I have served
+ten years in this penitentiary and am to be a prisoner here for
+life."
+
+Jesus knew what blessings would follow to those who were early
+brought to him, and we see that there was great wisdom in the words
+that he spake when he said--"Suffer the little children to come unto
+me."
+
+_In the next place there was_--GREAT ENCOURAGEMENT--_in what Jesus
+did and said about children_.
+
+If a company of boys or girls should try to get into the presence of
+a monarch, some great king, or emperor, they would find it a pretty
+hard thing to do. At the door of the palace they would meet with
+soldiers or servants, the guards of the queen or king. They would say
+to the children--"what do you want here?" And if the children should
+say, "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. She
+has no time to attend to little folks like you." And the children
+would have to go away without getting to see the queen.
+
+But, Jesus is a greater king than any who ever sat upon an earthly
+throne. He has more to do than all the kings and queens in the world
+put together. And yet he never gave orders to the angels, or to any
+of his servants to keep the children away from him. On his great
+throne in yonder heavens he says still, what he said when he was on
+earth--"Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them
+not." And he says this on purpose to encourage the children to come
+to him. And the thought that Jesus loves them and feels an interest
+in them has encouraged multitudes of little ones to seek him and
+serve him. Here are some illustrations of this:
+
+"Learning to Love Jesus." "A little girl came to me one day," said a
+minister of the gospel, and said, "'Please sir, may I speak to you a
+minute?' I saw that she was in some trouble; so I took her kindly by
+the hand, and said, 'Certainly, my child. What do you wish to say?'
+
+"'Please, sir,' said she, as her lip quivered and tears filled her
+eyes, '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 spoke
+sadly, as if it was something she never could do.
+
+"'Well,' I said, 'St. John, who loved our Lord almost more than any
+one 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 loves
+me_," I think that to-morrow you will be able to say--"I love
+Jesus."'
+
+"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, as
+well as to say it. She thought about his life, about his death on the
+cross, and about his sweet words to the little ones, and she began to
+feel it too.
+
+"The next evening she came to see me again; and, putting both her
+hands 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 the
+interest he feels in children.
+
+"Doesn't He Love to Save?" A mother had just tucked her little boy in
+bed, and had received his good-night kisses. She lingered awhile, at
+his bedside, to speak to him about Jesus, and to see if he was
+feeling right toward him. He was a good, obedient boy, but that day
+he had done something that grieved his mother. He had expressed his
+sorrow for it, and asked his mother's forgiveness. As she stooped
+down for the last kiss, he said--"Is it all settled, mother?"
+
+"Yes, my child," she said, "it's all settled with me; but have you
+settled it all with Jesus?" "Yes, mother: I've asked him to forgive
+me: and I believe him when he says he will; for _doesn't he love to
+help and save children_?" "He does, my child, he does," said his
+mother, as she gazed on his happy little face, lighted up with the
+joy of that gospel, so often hidden from the wise and prudent, but
+revealed to babes.
+
+Here we see how this little fellow was encouraged to seek Jesus from
+the assurance that he feels an interest in children, and loves to
+help and bless them.
+
+"Love Leads to Love." A little boy named Charley stood at the window
+with his mother one morning, watching the robins as they enjoyed
+their 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 reason
+that the birdies love your father?"
+
+This question seemed to set Charley to thinking. He did not answer at
+first, but presently he said, "Why mother all the creatures seem to
+love 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 is
+saying. Even the old cow follows him around the meadow, and the other
+day I saw her licking his hand, just as a dog would. I think it must
+be because father loves them. You know he will often get up and give
+pussy something to eat; and he pulls carrots for the cow, and pats
+her; and somehow I think his voice never sounds so sweet as when he
+is talking to these dumb creatures."
+
+"I think his voice is very pleasant when he is talking to his little
+boy," said his mother.
+
+Charley smiled, and said, "That's so, mother. Father loves me, and I
+love him dearly. But he loves the birdies too I am sure. He whistles
+to them every morning when they are eating their cherries, and they
+don't seem a bit afraid of him, although he is near enough to catch
+them. Mother I wish everything loved me as they do father."
+
+"Do as father does, Charley, and they will. Love all things and be
+kind to them. Don't kick the dog, or speak roughly to him. Don't pull
+pussy's tail, nor chase the hens, nor try to frighten the cow. Never
+throw stones at the birds. Never hurt nor tease anything. Speak
+gently and lovingly to them and they will love you, and everybody
+that knows you will love you too."
+
+Now Charley's father, in acting as he did, was trying to make all the
+dumb creatures about him know that he was their friend; that he loved
+them, and had nothing but kindness in his heart towards them. In
+this 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 and
+said so much to show his interest in children. He wants them all to
+understand that he is their friend; that he loves them, and wants
+them to come to him and love and serve him. And so every child who
+hears 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 the
+children there is great encouragement.
+
+_And then there are_--GREAT LESSONS--_too, in this part of the life
+of Christ_.
+
+There are two lessons taught us here. One is about _the work we are
+to do for Jesus here on earth_. When Jesus said to Peter, "Lovest
+thou me? Feed my lambs," he meant to teach him, and you, and me, and
+all his people everywhere, the best way in which we can show our love
+to him. The lambs of Christ here spoken of mean little children,
+wherever they are found. And to feed these lambs is to teach them
+about Jesus. When we are trying to bring the young to Jesus and
+teaching them to love and serve him, then we are doing the work that
+is most pleasing to him:--the work that he most loves to have his
+people do. It was thinking about this that first led me to begin the
+work of preaching regularly to the young. And this is the lesson that
+Jesus would have all his people learn when he says to each of
+them:--"Lovest thou me? Feed my lambs."
+
+"The Angel in the Stone." Many years ago there was a celebrated
+artist who lived in Italy, whose name was Michael Angelo. He was a
+great painter, and a great sculptor, or a worker in marble. He loved
+to see beautiful figures chiseled out of marble, and he had great
+power and skill in chiseling out such figures. One day, as he was
+walking with some friends through the city of Florence, he saw a
+block of marble lying neglected in a yard, half covered with dust and
+rubbish. He stopped to examine that block of marble. That day
+happened to be a great holiday in Florence and the artist had his
+best suit of clothes on; but not caring for this he threw off his
+coat, 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 of
+stone?"
+
+"O, there's an angel in this stone," said he, "and I must get it
+out."
+
+He bought that block; had it removed to his studio, and then went to
+work with his mallet and his chisel, and never rested till out of
+that 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 that
+will last forever. And when we bring our children to Jesus, and by
+his help teach them to love and serve him, we are doing for them just
+what Michael Angelo was doing for his block of marble--we are getting
+the angels out of the stones. And this is what Jesus loves to have us
+do.
+
+"How to Get the Angels Out." A Christian mother, whose children had
+all been early taught to love and serve Jesus, was asked the secret
+of her success in bringing up her children. This was her
+answer:--"While my children were infants on my lap, as I washed them
+day by day, I raised my heart to God that he would wash them in that
+blood 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's
+righteousness; as I provided them food I prayed that God would feed
+their souls with the bread of heaven, and give them to drink of the
+water of life. When I prepared them for the house of God I pleaded
+that their bodies might be made fit temples for the Holy Ghost to
+dwell in. When they left me daily for the week-day school, I followed
+their youthful footsteps with the prayer that their path through life
+might be like that of the just, which shineth more and more unto the
+perfect day. And night after night, as I committed them to rest, the
+silent breathing of my soul has been, that their heavenly Father
+would 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 to
+bring the angel out from every block of living marble that God has
+given them.
+
+"The Best Time for Doing This." A faithful minister of Christ had a
+dear only daughter. She had been a thoughtful praying child. When
+only twelve years old she had joined her father's church. She now lay
+on her dying bed. "As I sat by her bedside," says her father, "among
+the things she said which I shall never forget were these:--'Father
+you know I joined the church when I was young--very young. Some of
+our friends thought that I was too young. But, oh! how I wish I could
+tell everybody what a comfort it is to me now to think of it.' Then
+reaching out her hand--the fingers were already cold--and grasping
+mine, she said with great earnestness:--'Father, you are at work for
+the young. Do all you can for them while they are young. It's the
+best time--the best time. Oh! I see it now as I never did before. It
+is the best time--while they are young--the younger the better. Do
+all you can for them while they are very young.' And then she fell
+asleep in Jesus."
+
+This is the lesson about the work we are to do for him on earth, that
+Jesus taught in what he said concerning the children.
+
+But when we think of those sweet words of Jesus--"Of such is the
+kingdom of heaven," we are _taught a lesson about the company we
+shall meet there_. We learn from what our blessed Lord says on this
+subject that he saves all the little ones who die before they are
+accountable for their actions. And we know that of all the persons
+born into our world more than half of them die before they reach this
+age. And this makes it very certain that more than half the company
+of heaven will be made up of little children. This is a very sweet
+thought to those who have lost little ones; and to those who love
+them.
+
+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 remain
+children. The Rev. Mr. Bickersteth, of England, in speaking of a
+father meeting his little ones in heaven, who died years before he
+did, represents him as meeting them there, just of the same age and
+size as they were when they died. And then he expresses his own
+thought 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 when
+he himself has not spoken on such a point as this, it is impossible
+for us to say certainly which way it will be. But when we get to
+heaven and find just how it is, we shall all agree that God's way is
+the best way.
+
+And then Jesus shows us plainly _what our character must be if we
+hope 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, he
+shall not enter therein." Mark x: 15. Jesus refers here to some of
+the 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 our
+character, if we hope to enter heaven. Such a child is willing to be
+taught:--believes all that his parent or teacher tells him; and does
+everything that he is told to do; and such must our character be if
+we hope to enter heaven.
+
+And so when we come to study out this part of our Saviour's life, and
+think 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 should
+be in the heart of everyone, young or old, on thinking of this great
+subject, 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 blessed
+Lord. It forms a great contrast to the other events mentioned in his
+history. He "came to visit us in great humility." When we read how he
+was born in a stable, and cradled in a manger; how he had "not where
+to lay his head;" when we read of the lowliness, and poverty, and
+suffering that marked his course, day by day, we come naturally to
+think of him as "the man of sorrows and acquainted with grief." And
+though, 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, and
+controlled the stormy winds and waves with his simple word, he seems
+wonderful in his power and majesty; yet there is nothing, in all his
+earthly life, that leads us to think so highly of him, as this scene
+of the Transfiguration, of which we are now to speak.
+
+The account of this event is given us by three of the evangelists. We
+find 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 how
+he was to go up to Jerusalem, to suffer many things, to be put to
+death, 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 became
+his disciples would be required to exercise. This was very different
+from what they were expecting and must have been very discouraging to
+them. They did not yet understand that their Master had come into the
+world to suffer and to die. Instead of this, their minds were filled
+with the idea that the object of his coming was to establish an
+earthly kingdom and to reign in glory. And, for themselves, they were
+expecting that they would share his glory and reign as princes with
+him. And so they must have been greatly troubled by his words. To
+encourage and comfort them, therefore, he told them that, before they
+died, 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, the
+favored John and James and Peter, and went up with them "into a
+mountain, apart by themselves, and was transfigured before them." We
+are not told what mountain it was that was thus honored. Mount Tabor,
+near Nazareth, on the borders of the Plain of Esdraelon, has long
+been regarded as the favored spot. But, in our day, many persons
+think that it was not on the top of Tabor, but on one of the summits
+of Mount Hermon, where this wonderful event took place. One of the
+principal objections to supposing that Tabor was the place is, that
+in those days there was a large fortress on the top of this mountain,
+and this, they think, would interfere with the privacy that would be
+desired on such an occasion. But, for myself, I still incline to
+think that Tabor was the mountain chosen. I went to the top of this
+mountain, when in Palestine. And though there is a large convent
+there now, yet the summit of Tabor covers a wide space of ground. And
+outside of the walls of the convent, and even out of sight of its
+walls, I saw a number of retired, shady places that would be
+particularly suitable for such a scene as this.
+
+But, it is impossible to decide positively which was the Mount of
+Transfiguration. And it is not a matter of much consequence. Those
+who think it was Hermon are at liberty to think so; and those who
+think it was Tabor, have a right to their opinion, for none can prove
+that they are mistaken in thinking so.
+
+And when we come to consider this great event in the life of our
+Saviour, there are _two_ things to speak of in connection with it;
+these are the _wonders_ we see in it; and the _lessons_ we may learn
+from it. Or, to express it more briefly--The Transfiguration--its
+wonders, and its lessons.
+
+There are three wonders to be spoken of, and three lessons to be
+learned from this subject.
+
+_The first wonder is_--THE WONDERFUL CHANGE--that took place in the
+appearance of our Lord on this occasion.
+
+Jesus went up the mountain with his disciples. It was probably at the
+close of one of his busy days that he did this. It would seem from
+St. Luke's account,--chap. ix: 32--that Peter and his companions were
+weary with the day's work, and soon fell asleep. But, while they were
+sleeping, Jesus was praying. And it was while he was engaged in
+prayer that the Transfiguration took place. St. Luke tells us it
+was--"_as he prayed_."
+
+Let us notice now, what the different evangelists tell us about this
+change. St. Matthew says--"He was transfigured before them: and his
+face 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 no
+fuller"--one who cleans, or whitens cloth--"on earth can white them."
+St. Luke says--"As he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was
+altered, and his raiment was white and glistening."
+
+These are the different accounts we have of this surprising scene. If
+the disciples had been awake when this marvellous change began to
+take place, we cannot for a moment suppose that they would have gone
+to sleep while the heavens must have seemed to be opening above them
+and this blaze of glory was shining around them. They were, no doubt,
+asleep when the transfiguration began. And, as we know that the
+taking of an ordinary light into the room where persons are asleep
+will often awaken them, it is not surprising that the disciples
+should have been aroused from their slumber by the flood of light and
+glory that was beaming round their Master then. How surprised they
+must have been when they opened their eyes on that scene! They would
+never forget it as long as they lived. It was more than half a
+century after this when St. John wrote his gospel; and it was, no
+doubt, to this scene that he referred when he said, in speaking of
+Jesus;--"_we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of
+the Father_" St. John i: 14. And, not long before his death, St.
+Peter thus refers to it:--"We were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For
+he received from God the Father, honor and glory, when there came
+such a voice from the excellent glory, saying, This is my beloved Son
+in whom I am well pleased." II. Pet. i: 16, 17.
+
+One object for which this wonderful transfiguration of our Lord took
+place was, no doubt, to give to the disciples then, and to the
+followers of Jesus in all coming time, an idea of what his glory now
+is in heaven, and of what it will be when he shall come again in his
+kingdom. He had told his disciples about his sufferings and death,
+and the shame and dishonor connected with them; and here, as if to
+counterbalance that, he wished to give them a glimpse of the glory
+that is to shine around him forever.
+
+How wonderful it must have seemed to the astonished disciples! When
+they had last looked on their Master, before going to sleep, they had
+seen him as "the man of sorrows," in his plain everyday dress, such
+as they themselves wore: but, when they looked on him again, as they
+awoke from their sleep, they saw his face shining as the sun, and his
+raiment dazzling in its snowy whiteness.
+
+To what may we compare this wonderful change? Suppose you have before
+you the bulbous root of the lily plant. You look at it carefully, but
+there is nothing attractive about it. How rough and unsightly it
+appears! You close your eyes upon it for a brief space. You open them
+again. But what a change has taken place! That plain-homely looking
+bulb has disappeared, and in its place there stands before you the
+lily plant. It has reached its mature growth. Its flower is fully
+developed and blooming in all its matchless beauty! What a marvellous
+change that would be! And yet it would be but a feeble illustration
+of the more wonderful change that took place in our Saviour at his
+transfiguration.
+
+Here is another illustration. Suppose we are looking at the western
+sky, towards the close of day. Great masses of dark clouds are
+covering all that part of the heavens. They are but common clouds.
+There is nothing attractive or interesting about them. We do not care
+to 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 has
+thrown his glorious beams upon them. How changed they now appear! All
+that was commonplace and unattractive about them is gone. How they
+glow and sparkle! Gold, and purple, and all the colors of the rainbow
+are blending, how beautifully there! Are these the same dull clouds
+that we looked upon a few moments before? Yes; but they have been
+transfigured. A wonderful change has come over them. And here we have
+an illustration of our Lord's transfiguration. The first wonder about
+this incident in his life is the wonderful change which took place in
+his appearance then.
+
+_The second wonder about the transfiguration is_--THE WONDERFUL
+COMPANY--_that appeared with our Saviour then_.
+
+At the close of his temptation in the wilderness, Jesus had some
+wonderful 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 had
+more company of the same kind; for we read that--"_there appeared
+unto 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 time
+of his Transfiguration. No: but we read that, "there appeared unto
+him Moses, and Elias," or Elijah. And if we ask why did not the
+angels come to him now, as they did on other occasions? Why did these
+distinguished persons, of the Old Testament history, come from heaven
+to visit him in place of the angels? It is easy enough to answer
+these questions. This transfiguration of Christ took place, as he
+himself tells us, in order to give his disciples a view of the glory
+that will attend him when he shall come in his kingdom. When he shall
+appear, on that occasion, all his people will come with him. Those
+who shall have died before he comes will be raised from the dead and
+come with him, in their glorious resurrection bodies. And those who
+shall be living when he comes will, as St. Paul tells us,--"_be
+changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye_"--I. Cor. xv: 52,
+53--and have beautiful, glorified bodies, like the bodies of those
+who have been raised from the dead. And both these classes of
+Christ's people were represented by the distinguished persons who
+formed the company that appeared with Jesus at the Transfiguration.
+Moses had been in heaven nearly fifteen hundred years when this scene
+took place. He had died, as other men do, and had been buried. It is
+supposed by many wise and good men that his body had been raised from
+the dead, that he might appear in it on this occasion. And thus Moses
+represented all the dead in Christ, who will be raised to life again
+at 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. Paul
+tells us that bodies of flesh and blood, like ours, cannot enter
+heaven. I. Cor. xv: 50. They must be changed, and made fit for that
+blessed place. And so, we know, that as Elijah went up to heaven, in
+his chariot of fire, the same wonderful change must have passed over
+his body which we have seen will take place with those of Christ's
+people who shall be living on the earth when he comes again.
+
+Jesus was transfigured that we might know how he himself will appear
+when he comes in his kingdom. And Moses and Elias "appeared with him
+in glory," to show us how the people of Christ will appear when they
+enter with him into his kingdom. And this was a good reason why these
+very persons, and not the angels, should have formed the company that
+came to visit our Saviour on the Mount of Transfiguration. It was
+wonderful company indeed that waited on Jesus then. But, it was a
+wonderful occasion. None like it had ever occurred before; none like
+it has ever occurred since; and none like it will ever occur again
+till Jesus shall come in the glory of his heavenly kingdom. The
+second wonder of the Transfiguration was the wonderful company.
+
+_The third wonder connected with this great event was_--THE WONDERFUL
+CONVERSATION--_that took place between Jesus and his visitors_.
+
+All the three evangelists, who tell of the Transfiguration, speak of
+this conversation. St. Matthew and St. Mark merely state the fact
+that Moses and Elias "were talking with Jesus;" but they do not tell
+us the subject of the conversation, or what it was about which they
+talked. But St. Luke supplies what they leave out. He says, "_they
+spake of his decease, which he should accomplish at Jerusalem_" This
+means that they talked about the death upon the cross which he was to
+suffer. And when we remember that these great and good men had just
+come down from heaven, where God, the loving Father of Jesus dwells,
+and where all the holy angels are; and that this was the only time
+when they were to be present with Jesus, and have an opportunity of
+talking with him, during all his life on earth, we may wonder why
+they did not choose some more pleasant subject of conversation. And
+yet they did not make a mistake. God the Father had sent them from
+heaven to meet his beloved Son on this occasion. And, no doubt, he
+had told them what subject they were to talk about, and what they
+were to say to Jesus, on that subject. And then they knew very well
+how Jesus felt about this matter. And painful as the death upon the
+cross would be, they knew it was the nearest of all things to the
+heart of Jesus. It was the will of his Father that he should die on
+the cross, and it was the delight of his heart--the very joy of his
+soul to do his Father's will. And here we learn the unspeakable
+importance of the death of Christ. The apostle Paul was showing his
+sense of its importance when he said, "God forbid that I should
+glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus." Gal. vi: 14. He puts the
+word "_cross_" of Christ, for the death of Christ, but it means the
+same thing.
+
+Some one has compared the cross of Christ to a key of gold, that
+opens the gate of heaven to us, if we believe in Jesus; but if we
+refuse 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 the
+cross and desired to know its power. When he was sick and near his
+end, he told his servants to make him a large wooden cross, and lay
+it down in his chamber. When this was done, he said--"Take me now and
+lay me on the cross, and let me die there." As he lay there dying he
+looked 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 thus
+he died. It was not that wooden cross that saved him; but the death
+of Christ, on the cross to which he was nailed--the death of which
+Moses and Elias talked with him, that saved this heathen man. They
+knew what a blessing his death would be to the world, and _this_ was
+why they talked about this death. Here is one of Bonar's beautiful
+hymns which speaks sweetly of the blessedness and comfort to be found
+in 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 flow
+out 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 to
+Jesus, amidst the glory of his Transfiguration, the subject, above
+all others, about which they desired to talk with him--was his death
+upon the cross,--"his decease, which he should accomplish at
+Jerusalem."
+
+These are the three great wonders of the Transfiguration--the
+wonderful change--the wonderful company--and the wonderful
+conversation.
+
+And this brings us to the second part of our subject, which is--_the
+three 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 us
+what we may hope to be hereafter, if we are the servants of Christ.
+We are told how Jesus appeared on this occasion. His glory is
+described. The brightness and glory that shone around him exceeded
+that of the noonday sun. But there is no particular description given
+Moses and Elias. We are not told how they looked. It is only said of
+them that--"they appeared in _glory_." St Luke ix: 31. I suppose the
+meaning of this is that they shared in the glory which Jesus himself
+had when he was transfigured. Their raiment was as white as his; and
+the same brightness and beauty beamed forth from their faces which
+made his so glorious. They shared their Master's glory. And, if we
+are loving, and serving Jesus, this is what we may hope to share
+with him hereafter. This is what we are taught to pray for in the
+beautiful Collect for the sixth Sunday after the Epiphany. These are
+the words of that prayer: "O God, whose blessed Son was manifested
+that he might make us the sons of God, and heirs of eternal life;
+Grant us, we beseech thee, that having this hope, we may purify
+ourselves, even as he is pure; that when he shall appear again, with
+power and great glory, _we may be made like unto him in his eternal
+and glorious kingdom;_ where, with thee, O Father, and thee, O Holy
+Ghost, he liveth and reigneth, ever One God, world without end.
+Amen."
+
+And it is right to offer such a prayer as this, because the Bible
+teaches us to hope for this great glory. How well a hope like this
+may be called "_a hope that maketh not ashamed_," Rom. v: 5; "_a good
+hope through grace_," II. Thess. ii: 16; "that _blessed hope_," Tit.
+ii: 13; "_a lively hope_," I. Peter i: 3. And how well it may be
+spoken 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 the
+storms of life are bursting upon it! Moses and Elias appeared with
+Jesus at his Transfiguration, and shared his glory on purpose to
+teach us this lesson of hope, and to show us what we shall be
+hereafter. We shall be as glorious as Jesus was on the Mount of
+Transfiguration! This seems something too great and too good to be
+true. But no matter how great, or how good it is--_it is true_. Jesus
+taught this lesson of hope when he said--speaking of the time when he
+shall come in his kingdom, "_Then shall the righteous shine forth as
+the sun in the kingdom of their Father_," St. Matt, xiii: 43. He
+taught 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, I
+have given them_," St. John xvii: 21. And the apostle John taught us
+the same lesson, when he said,--"We know that when he shall appear
+_we shall be like him_," I. John iii: 2. These sweet passages make
+this lesson of hope very sure. And this is just the way in which we
+are made sure about other things we have not seen.
+
+"How we Know There is a Heaven." A Sunday-school teacher was talking
+to one of her scholars about heaven and the glory we shall have when
+we reach that blessed place. He was a bright boy, about nine or ten
+years old, named Charlie. After listening to her for awhile, he said:
+"But you have never been there, Miss D., and how do you know there
+really is any such place?"
+
+"Charlie," said the teacher, "you have never been to London; how do
+you know there is such a city?"
+
+"O, I know that very well," said Charlie, "because my father is
+there; 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 he
+has sent me a letter, telling me about the glory of heaven, and about
+the way to get there. The Bible is God's letter."
+
+"Yes, I see," said Charlie, after thinking awhile, "there must be a
+heaven, if you have got such a nice long letter from there."
+
+The lesson of hope is the first lesson taught us by the
+Transfiguration.
+
+_The next lesson taught us here is_--THE LESSON
+
+OF INSTRUCTION.
+
+The great event of the Transfiguration took place in our Saviour's
+life for _this_ reason, among others, that we might learn from it
+_how we are to think of Christ_. While the disciples were gazing on
+the glory of that scene, and on the distinguished visitors who were
+there, there came a cloud and overshadowed them. This cloud, we may
+suppose, was like a curtain round Moses and Elias, hiding them from
+the view of the disciples. And, as Jesus in his glory was left alone
+for them to gaze upon, there came a voice from the overshadowing
+cloud, saying--"_This is my beloved Son; in whom I am well
+pleased_." This was the voice of God, the Father. It spoke out on
+this occasion to teach the disciples then, and you and me now, and
+all God's people in every age, what to think about Christ. God, the
+Father, tells us here what he thinks about him; and we must learn to
+think of him in the same way. His will, his command is that "_all men
+should 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 this
+occasion to add to the honor of Christ. And then they disappeared, as
+if to show that they were nothing in comparison with him. He is the
+greatest and the best of all beings. He must be first. Prophets and
+priests, and kings, and angels even, are as nothing to him. We must
+love him--and honor him above all others. The words of the hymn we so
+often 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 Emperor
+Theodosius the Great which illustrates very well how we should honor
+Christ. There were at that time two great parties in the church. One
+of these believed and taught the divinity of Christ--or that he is
+equal to God the Father. The other party, called Arians, believed and
+taught that Christ was not divine; and that he was not to be honored
+and worshiped as God. The Emperor Theodosius favored this latter
+party. When his son, Arcadius, was about sixteen years old, his
+father determined to make him a sharer of his throne, and passed a
+law that his son should receive the same respect and honor that were
+due to himself. And, in connection with this event, an incident
+occurred which led the emperor to see how wrong the view was which he
+held respecting the character of Christ, and to give it up. When
+Arcadius was proclaimed the partner of his father in the empire, the
+officers of the government, and other prominent persons, called on
+the emperor in his palace, to congratulate him on the occasion, and
+to pay their respects to his son.
+
+Among those who thus came, was a celebrated bishop of the church. He
+was very decided in the views he held about the real divinity of
+Christ, and very much opposed to all who denied this divinity.
+
+Coming into the presence of the emperor, the bishop paid his respects
+to him, in the most polite and proper manner. Then he was about to
+retire from the palace, without taking any special notice of the
+emperor's son. This made the father angry. He said to the bishop, "Do
+you take no notice of my son? Have you not heard that I have made him
+a partner with myself in the government of the empire?"
+
+The good old bishop made no reply to this, but going to Arcadius, he
+laid his hand on his head, saying, as he did so--"The Lord bless
+thee, my son!" and was again turning to retire.
+
+Even this did not satisfy the emperor, who asked, in a tone of
+surprise and displeasure, "Is _this_ all the respect you pay to a
+prince whom I have made equal in dignity with myself?"
+
+With great warmth the bishop answered--"Does your majesty resent so
+highly my apparent neglect of your son, because I do not treat him
+with equal honor to yourself? What, then, must the _Eternal God_--the
+King of heaven--think of you, who refuse to render to his only
+begotten Son, the honor and the worship that he claims for him?"
+
+This had such an effect upon the emperor that he changed his views on
+this subject, and ever afterwards took part with those who
+acknowledged the divinity of Christ, and honored the Son, even as
+they honored the Father.
+
+And so we see that the second lesson taught by the Transfiguration
+was the _lesson of instruction_. We must learn to think of Christ as
+the Father in heaven thinks of him.
+
+_And then there is_--A LESSON OF DUTY--_that comes to us from this
+Transfiguration scene_.
+
+We are taught this lesson by the last two words that were spoken, by
+the voice which the apostles heard from the cloud that overshadowed
+them. These are the words:--"_Hear Him."_ "This is my beloved Son, in
+whom I am well pleased: _Hear Him_." This is God's command to every
+one of us. To hear Jesus, means to listen attentively to what he has
+to say, and to do it. And what does Jesus say to us? He says many
+things. But the most important thing he has to say to the young, is
+what we find in St. Matt, vi: 33: "_Seek ye_ FIRST _the kingdom of
+God_." This means that we must give our hearts to Jesus, and serve
+him while we are young. We must do this _first_,--before we do
+anything else. We cannot hear or obey Jesus in anything, till we hear
+and obey him in this. And there are three good reasons why we should
+do this.
+
+We should "hear him" because there is _safety_ in it. We are exposed
+to dangers every day, and nothing will so help to keep us safe in the
+midst of these dangers as hearing Jesus, and doing what he tells us
+to 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 were
+greatly frightened. They screamed, and left their places, and began
+to rush to the windows and stairs. The stairway leading to the door
+was soon choked up; and although the fire never reached the
+school-house, many of the children had their limbs broken and were
+bruised and wounded in other ways.
+
+But there was one little girl who remained quietly in her seat
+during all this excitement. When the alarm was over, and the wounded
+children had been taken home, and order was restored in the school,
+the teacher asked this little girl why she sat still in her seat, and
+did not rush towards the door, as the other girls had done.
+
+"My father is a fireman," she said, "and he has always told me that
+if ever there was a cry of fire when I was in school, I must remain
+quiet in my seat, for that was the safest way. I was dreadfully
+frightened; but I knew that what father had told me was best; and so
+I sat still, while the others were running to the door." This little
+girl _heard_ her father. She minded him. She did what he told her to
+do, and she found safety in doing so. And if we "_hear him_" of whom
+the voice from the Mount of Transfiguration speaks to us--we shall
+find safety from many a danger.
+
+We ought to learn this lesson of duty, and "hear him," because there
+is _success_ in it.
+
+In old times, when the racers were running in the public games, if a
+man wished to be successful in the race, it was necessary for him to
+fix his eye on the prize, at the end of the race-course, and keep it
+fixed there till he reached the end. No one could have any success in
+racing who did not do this.
+
+Here is an incident about some boys at play that illustrates the
+point 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 of
+the new fallen snow. It was too dry for snowballing, and was not deep
+enough for coasting; so they thought they would improve the occasion
+by playing at making tracks in the snow.
+
+There was a large meadow near by, with a grand old oak tree standing
+in the centre of it. The boys gathered round the tree, and stood, on
+opposite sides, each one with his back against the tree. At a given
+signal they were to start, and walk to the fence opposite to each of
+them; and then return to the tree, and see which had made the
+straightest track.
+
+The signal was given. They started. They reached the fence, and
+returned to the tree. "Now, boys, who has made the straightest
+track?" said one of the boys, named James Allison.
+
+"Henry Armstrong's is the only one that is straight at all," said
+Thomas Sanders.
+
+"I don't see how we all contrived to go so crooked, when the meadow
+is so smooth, and there is nothing to turn us out of the way," said
+one 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 tree
+on the other side of the fence towards which I was to walk, and never
+looked away from it till I reached the fence."
+
+The other boys were walking without any particular aim in view. No
+wonder that their walk was crooked. After the apostle Paul became a
+Christian, he made one of the straightest tracks through this world
+to heaven that ever was made. And he made it in just the same way in
+which Harry Armstrong made his straight track through that meadow. We
+have seen what Harry said of his track through the snow; now see what
+St. Paul says of the way in which he made his straight track through
+this world to heaven. _This_ is what he says:
+
+"One thing I do; forgetting those things which are behind, and
+reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the
+mark, 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 the
+ancient games, when he fixed his eye on the prize and pressed right
+forward till he reached it. And it was just what Harry Armstrong did
+in his play. He fixed his eye on the big pine tree and never turned
+to the right hand or to the left till he reached it. The apostle Paul
+fixed his eye on Jesus, and made a straight track through the world
+till he reached the glorious heaven where Jesus dwells. And, in doing
+this, the great apostle was only practising the lesson of duty taught
+by the voice that speaks from the Transfiguration scene. "_Hear
+him_," 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 as
+safety and success.
+
+David says, when speaking of God's commands, "In keeping of them
+there is _great reward,"_ Ps. xix: 11. This is true of all God's
+commands; and it is especially true of the command we are now
+considering--"Hear him."
+
+Samuel obeyed this command, and it made him a blessing and an honor
+to the nation of Israel. David obeyed it, and it made him one of the
+greatest and most successful kings. Daniel obeyed it, and it covered
+him with honor, and made him a blessing to his own nation, and to the
+church of Christ in every age.
+
+"The Reward of Obedience." Here is an Eastern story which illustrates
+this point of our subject. The story says there was once an enchanted
+hill. On the top of this hill a great treasure was hidden. This
+treasure was put there to be the reward of any one who should reach
+the top of the hill without looking behind him. The command and the
+promise given to every young person who set out to climb that hill,
+were--do not look behind you, and that treasure shall be yours. But
+there was a threat added to the command and promise. The threat was,
+if you look behind, you will be turned into a stone. Many young
+persons started, to try and gain the prize. But the way to the top of
+the hill led them through beautiful groves, which covered the side of
+the hill. In these groves were birds singing sweetly, and sounds of
+music were heard, and melodious voices inviting those who passed by
+to stop and rest awhile. One after another of those who set out for
+the prize at the top of the hill would stop, and look round to see
+where the voices came from; and immediately they were turned into
+stones. "Hence," says the story, "in a little while the hillside was
+covered with stones, into which those had been turned who neglected
+the command given them when they started."
+
+Of course there never was such a hill as this. But the story gives us
+a good illustration. Our life may well be compared to such a hill.
+The treasure, on the top of it, represents the reward that awaits us
+in heaven, if we serve God faithfully. The songs, and the voices,
+from the groves, on the hillside, represent the temptations that
+surround us in our daily paths. The lesson of duty that comes to us
+from the Transfiguration scene--"Hear him"--is the only thing that
+can preserve us from these temptations. If we hear Jesus when he says
+to us--"follow me;" if we give him our hearts and walk in his way, he
+will carry us through all temptations; he will bring us safely to the
+top of the hill; and the reward laid up there will be ours. Let us
+learn this lesson of duty, because there is safety in it; there is
+success in it; there is profit in it.
+
+And so we have spoken of two things in connection with the
+Transfiguration; these are the wonders that attended it, and the
+lessons taught by it. The wonders are three--the wonderful
+change--the wonderful company--and the wonderful conversation; and
+the lessons are three--the lesson of hope--the lesson of
+instruction--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 The
+Last Supper. Between these two events in our Saviour's life, how many
+interesting incidents took place! How many important sayings that
+fell from his gracious lips during this period are written for our
+instruction by the four evangelists! There is, for instance, the
+beautiful lesson about what it is on which the value of our gifts
+depend. He taught this lesson when he saw the rich casting their
+gifts into the treasury. Among them came "a certain poor widow,
+casting in two mites. And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that
+this poor widow hath cast in more than they all;--for she of her
+penury hath cast in all the living she had," Luke xxi: 1-4. But, from
+among all these, we have only room for one chapter. A dozen, or
+twenty chapters would be needed on this part of the life of Christ.
+Where there are so many that might be taken, it has been very
+difficult to decide which is the best. In deciding this matter, I do
+not think we could do better than join the company of the three
+favored disciples, Peter, John, and James, and go, in thought with
+them, as they followed their Master from his last visit to the temple
+in Jerusalem, up to the top of the Mount of Olives. There Jesus took
+his seat, and his disciples sat around him, anxious to ask him some
+questions about what he had said to them in the temple. We read in
+St. Mark xiii: 1-2, that as he was going out of the temple the
+disciples called his attention to the beauty of that sacred building
+and the great size and splendor of some of the stones that were in
+it. Then Jesus pointed to that great building, and told them that the
+time was coming when it would be destroyed, and "there should not be
+left one stone upon another that should not be thrown down." This
+filled the minds of the disciples with surprise and wonder. They
+supposed that their temple would last as long as the world stood.
+They thought that it was the end of the world of which Jesus was
+speaking; and they were very anxious that he should tell them
+something more about it. And so, as soon as they were seated around
+him, on the Mount of Olives, they said, "Tell us, when shall these
+things be? and what shall be the sign, when all these things shall be
+fulfilled?" St. Mark xii: 4.
+
+And now, we may imagine ourselves sitting with Jesus and his
+disciples on the Mount of Olives. As we look down we see the city of
+Jerusalem spread out beneath our feet. We see its walls, and its
+palaces. And there, just before us, outshining everything in its
+beauty, is that sacred temple, that was "forty and six years in
+building." Its white marble walls, its golden spires, and pinnacles,
+are sparkling in the beams of the sun, as they shine upon them. No
+wonder 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 the
+twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth chapters of St. Matthew. In the first
+of these chapters, Jesus gave them a sign, by which those who learn
+to understand what he here says, might know when his second coming is
+to take place. These are some of the lessons from Olivet. I should
+like, very much, to stop and talk about them. But this cannot be
+now. We pass over to the twenty-fifth chapter of St. Matthew. In this
+chapter we have three of our Saviour's parables. These are very
+solemn and instructive. They all refer to the judgment that must take
+place when Jesus shall come into our world again. The second of these
+parables is the one we are now to consider. It is called--"The
+Parable of the Talents." We find it in St. Matt, xxv: 14-30. And _the
+lessons from Olivet_, which we are now to try and learn, are all
+drawn from the words of our Saviour, contained in the verses just
+mentioned.
+
+This, then, is our present subject--_The Lessons from Olivet_. And
+there _four_ lessons, in this part of our Saviour's discourse, of
+which we are now to speak. _The first is--the lesson about the
+Master. The second--the lesson about the servants. The third is--the
+lesson about the talents; and the fourth, the lesson about the
+rewards_.
+
+_The lesson about_--THE MASTER--_is the first thing of which we are
+to speak_.
+
+In the 14th verse of this 25th chapter of St. Matthew, Jesus speaks
+of himself as--"a man travelling into a far country,"--and of his
+people as--"his own servants." In the 19th verse he speaks of himself
+as "the lord of those servants, coming back, after a long time, to
+reckon 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 a
+kingdom, and to return." This language was borrowed from a custom
+that prevailed in those days. The headquarters of the government of
+the world then was in the city of Rome. The kings and rulers of
+different countries received their appointments to the offices they
+held from the Roman Emperor. Archelaus, the son of Herod, succeeded
+his father as king of Judea. But, it was necessary for him to go to
+Rome and get permission from the emperor to hold and exercise that
+office. He had done this, not very long before our Saviour applied to
+himself the words we are now considering. This was a fact well known.
+And this is the illustration which Jesus here uses in reference to
+himself. He is the Head--the Prince--the Lord--the Master of all
+things 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 to
+heaven, as Archelaus went to Rome, "to receive for himself a kingdom
+and to return." He said he would be absent "a long time," verse 19.
+And this is true. He has been absent more than eighteen hundred
+years. He said he would "return," or come again. And so he will. It
+is just as certain that he will come again as it is that he went
+away. And he will come, not in figure, or in spirit, but in person,
+as he went. Remember what the angels said about this to his
+disciples, at the time of his departure. "Ye men of Galilee, why
+stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken from
+you into heaven, shall _so come, in like manner_ as ye have seen him
+go 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 our
+Lord and Master. No master ever had such a right to be Lord and Ruler
+as he has. God the Father has appointed him to be "Head over all
+things 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 our
+Master because he _preserves_ us. We cannot keep ourselves for a
+single 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 with
+the price of his own precious blood. He made our hands to work for
+him; and our feet to walk in his ways. He made our hearts to love
+him;--our minds to think about him; our eyes to see the beauty of his
+wondrous works, our ears to listen to his gracious words, and our
+lips and tongues to be employed in speaking and singing his praises.
+
+We cannot be our own masters. "I am my own master!"--said a young
+man, proudly, to a friend who was trying to persuade him from doing a
+wrong thing; "I am my own master!"
+
+"That's impossible," said his friend. "You can not be master of
+yourself, unless you are master of everything within, and everything
+around you. Look within. There is your conscience to keep clear, and
+your heart to make pure, your temper to govern, your will to control,
+and your judgment to instruct. And then look without. There are
+storms, and seasons; accidents, and dangers; a world full of evil men
+and evil spirits. What can you do with these? And yet, if you don't
+master 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 sure
+I should fail, if I did. Saul, the first king of Israel, wanted to be
+his own master, and failed. So did Herod. So did Judas. No man can be
+his own master. 'One is your Master, even Christ,' says the apostle.
+I work under his direction. He is my regulator, and when he is Master
+all goes right. Think of these words,--'_He is your Master even
+Christ_.' If we put ourselves under his leadership we shall surely
+win at last."
+
+And as we cannot be our own master, if we refuse to take Christ as
+our Ruler, there is nothing left for us but to have Satan as our
+master. These are the only two masters we can have. We must make our
+choice between them. If Jesus is not our Master, Satan must be. If
+Jesus is our Master here, he will share his glory with us hereafter.
+If we serve Satan here, we must share his punishment hereafter. This
+is one of the solemn lessons that Jesus taught on Olivet. He is
+speaking of the day of judgment. He represents himself as on the
+judgment-seat. Two great companies are before him. On his right hand
+are those who took him for their Master. To them he says--"Come, ye
+blessed 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 awful
+words he speaks to them are:--"Depart from, ye cursed, into
+everlasting 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 of
+means Jesus, our blessed Master. And now the question is--who are
+meant by "his own servants?" He has three kinds of servants. The
+first kind is made up of those who serve him _ignorantly_. This takes
+in all those things that have no knowledge or understanding. There,
+for instance are the sun,--the moon,--the stars,--the mountains,--the
+hills,--the plains,--the valleys,--the rivers,--the seas,--the wind
+that blows,--the rains that descend,--and the dews that distil; these
+all serve God, without knowing it. He made them to serve him, and
+they do it; but they do it ignorantly. "His kingdom _ruleth over
+all_," and it makes all these things his servants. They do exactly
+what 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 wicked
+men, and the wicked spirits who are to be found anywhere. They do not
+wish to serve God, and yet, in spite of themselves, they are obliged
+to do it. We see this illustrated, when we think of the way in which
+the crucifixion of our blessed Saviour was brought about. Satan
+stirred up the Jews to take Jesus and put him to death. God allowed
+them to do it. They did it of their own choice--as freely, and as
+voluntarily, as they ever did anything in their lives. They did it
+because they hated him, and wished to get him out of their way. So
+they nailed him to the cross in their malice and their rage. This was
+the very thing God had determined should be done, that he might save
+and bless the world. He allowed Satan, and the Jews, to do just what
+their wicked hearts prompted them to do; and then he overruled it for
+good. And, in this way, as David says, he "makes the wrath of man to
+praise him, and the remainder of it he restrains." And thus we see
+how 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 speaks
+of them, in this parable as "_his own_ servants." When they find out
+what he has done for them, the thought of it fills their hearts with
+love; and then they desire to serve him, and do all he tells them to
+do, in order to show their love to him. And this is what Jesus means
+when he says--"Take my yoke upon you; for my yoke is easy, and my
+burden is light," When we really love a person, anything that we can
+do for that person is easy and pleasant to us. And so it is the great
+love for Jesus, that his people have, which makes his yoke easy, and
+his burden light to them.
+
+"How to Become a Willing Servant to Jesus." A little boy came to his
+grandmother one day, and asked her how he could become a Christian.
+She answered very simply, "Ask Jesus to give you a new heart, _and
+believe he does it when you ask him_."
+
+"Is that all?" said the little fellow joyfully; "oh! that is easy
+enough." So he went to his room, and kneeling beside his bed, asked
+Jesus to give him a new heart. He believed that the dear Saviour,
+who loves little children, did hear and answer his prayer. And he
+left his room with a happy heart, for he felt sure that he was now
+one of Christ's own loving children, and willing servants. And this
+is the way in which we must take the yoke of Jesus upon us, and
+become his willing servants. And then in everything that we do we can
+be serving him. As St. Paul says--"whether we eat or drink, or
+whatsoever we do, we can do all to the glory of God."
+
+A good man once said "that if God should send two angels down from
+heaven, and should tell one of them to sit on a throne and rule a
+kingdom, and the other to sweep the streets of a city, the latter
+would feel that he was serving God as acceptably in handling his
+broom as his brother angel was in holding his sceptre. And this is
+true. 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 finest
+wheat." "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 useful
+when I turn out the finest flour than when I turn out the coarsest
+meal. My honor is, not in doing fine work, but in doing any thing
+that is given me to do in the best way that I can." That is true. And
+this is just the way in which Jesus wishes us to serve him when he
+says to "_his own_ servants," "Occupy till I come." This means serve
+me, in everything, as you would do if you saw me standing by your
+side.
+
+"How to Serve God." Willie's mother let him go with his little sister
+into the street to play. She told them not to go off the street on
+which their house stood. Willie was a little fellow, and lisped very
+much in talking; but he was brave, and he was obedient. Presently his
+sister asked him to go into another street; but he refused. "Mamma
+thaid no," was Willie's answer. "The thaid we muthn't do off thith
+threet," said Willie in his lisping way. "Only just a little way
+round 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 thuch
+a mean thing; and I won't!" And Willie straightened himself, and
+stood up like a man. That was brave and beautiful in Willie. And that
+is 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 his
+baby brother in a child's carriage. "My little man," said the
+gentleman, "what are you doing to serve God?" The little fellow
+stopped a moment, and then, looking up into the gentleman's face, he
+said:--"Why, you see, Sir, I'm trying to make baby happy, so that he
+won't worry mamma who is sick." That was a noble answer. In trying to
+amuse his baby brother, and to relieve his poor sick mother, that
+little boy was serving God as truly and as acceptably as the angel
+Gabriel does when he wings his way, on a mission of mercy, to some
+far off world.
+
+And this is the lesson about the servants that comes to us from
+Olivet.
+
+_The lesson about_--THE TALENTS--_is the third lesson that comes to
+us from Olivet_.
+
+This parable tells us that before the Master went away, he "called
+his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. Unto one he gave
+five talents, to another two, to another one; to every man according
+to his several ability." verses 14, 15, In St. Luke's account of the
+parable, what the master gave to his servants is spoken of as
+_pounds_, and each servant is said to have received one pound. These
+talents or pounds both mean the same thing. They denote something
+with which we can do good, and make ourselves useful. And it is
+plain, from both these parables, that the Master gave at least _one_
+talent, or one pound, to each of his servants. None of them were left
+without some portion of their Master's goods. And the lesson from
+Olivet 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 expects
+us to use for him. And the most important thing for us is to find out
+what our talents are, and how we can best use them, so as to be ready
+to give a good account of them when our Master comes to reckon with
+us.
+
+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 over
+them. He was laid away, in one of the beds of a hospital, to die. On
+the next cot to him was another little fellow, of the same class, who
+had been picked up, sick with the fever which comes from hunger and
+want. The latter boy crept close up to his poor suffering companion
+and 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 that
+Jesus would take us up to heaven when we die, if we axed him; and
+we'd never have any more hunger or pain."
+
+"But I couldn't ax such a great gentleman as he is to do anything for
+me. 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 could
+I 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 might
+come round to this hospital this very night? You'd know him if you
+was to see him."
+
+"But I can't keep my eyes open. My legs feels awful bad. Doctor says
+I'll die."
+
+"Bobby, hold up yer hand, and he'll know what you want, when he
+passes by." They got the hand up; but it dropped. They tried it
+again, and it slowly fell back. Three times they got up the little
+hand, only to let it fall. Bursting into tears he said, "I give it
+up."
+
+"Bobby," said his tender-hearted companion, "lend me yer hand. Put
+your elbow on my piller: I can do without it." So the hand was
+propped up. And when they came in the morning, the boy lay dead; but
+his hand was still held up for Jesus. And don't you think that he
+heard and answered the silent but eloquent appeal which it made to
+him 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 a
+single talent; but, he made good use of it when he employed it to
+lead that wounded, suffering, dying boy to Jesus.
+
+"Good Friends." "I wish I had some good friends, to help me on in
+life!" cried lazy Dennis, with a yawn.
+
+"Good friends," said his master, "why you've got ten; how many do you
+want?"
+
+"I'm sure I've not half so many; and those I have are too poor to
+help 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 in
+life. Try what those true friends can do, before you go grumbling and
+fretting because you have none to help you."
+
+Now, suppose that we put the word talents, for the word friends, in
+this little story. Then, we may each of us hold our two hands before
+us, and say "here are ten talents, which God has given me to use for
+him. 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 do
+something that made me glad for a week. Indeed it fills my heart with
+tenderness and good feeling whenever I think about it. But let me
+tell you what it was.
+
+"As I was walking along a crowded street I saw an old blind man
+walking on without any one to lead him. He went very slowly, feeling
+his way with his cane.
+
+"'He's walking straight to the highest part of the curb-stone,' said
+I to myself. 'And it's very high too. I wonder if some one won't help
+him 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's
+arm, said:--'Allow me, my friend, to lead you across the street.' By
+this time there were three or four others watching the boy. He not
+only helped the old man over one crossing, but led him over another
+to 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 old
+man. But just see how much farther than that the use of his one
+talent went. The three boys with whom he was playing, and who had
+watched his kind act, were happier and better for it, and felt that
+they must be more careful to do little kindnesses to those about
+them.
+
+"The three or four persons who stopped to watch the boy turned away
+with a tender smile upon their faces, ready to follow the good
+example of that noble boy. I am sure that I felt more gentle and
+loving 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 else
+happy, without feeling better and happier ourselves. To _be_ good and
+to _do_ good, is the way to be happy. This is our mission here in
+this world. Whatever talents our Master has given us, he intends that
+we should use them in this way."
+
+"Tiny's Work for God." Two little girls, Leila and Tiny, were
+sitting, one summer day, under the tree which grew beside their home.
+
+Both children had been quiet for a little while, when suddenly Tiny
+raised her blue eyes and said, "I _am_ so happy, Leila. I do love the
+flowers, and the birdies, and you, and everybody so much." Then she
+added, 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," said
+Leila.
+
+"Yes, but I do want to _do_ something for him--something that would
+give me trouble. Can't you think of anything?"
+
+Leila thought a little, and said, "Perhaps you could print a text
+for the flowers mother sends every week to the sick people in the
+hospital. They are so glad to have the flowers, and then the text
+might help them think about our Father in heaven."
+
+"Oh! thank you, sister, that will be so nice! I will write--'Suffer
+the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not.'"
+
+But Tiny was only a little over four years old, and it was hard for
+her to hold a pen, but she managed to print two letters every day
+till the text was finished. Then she went alone to her room, and
+laying the text on a chair, she kneeled down beside it, and
+said--"Heavenly Father, I have done this for you: please take it from
+Tiny, for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen." And God heard the prayer, for
+he always listens when children truly pray.
+
+So Tiny's text was sent up to London, and a lady put a very pretty
+flower into the card and took it to the hospital. She stopped beside
+a bed where a little boy was lying. His face was almost as white as
+the 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 I
+mind. 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 'ave
+any 'opes for me, and I'm mighty afeard to die."
+
+"If you had a friend who loved you, and you were well, would you be
+afraid 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 all
+your life long. He wants you to trust him, and to go and live with
+him. He will love you always, and you will always be happy."
+
+Then the lady read Tiny's text, "_Suffer the little children to come
+unto me, and forbid them not._" She told him how Jesus had died, and
+then 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 still
+saying "Come," and his hand is still held out to bless.
+
+So Willie turned to the Good Shepherd, and was no longer afraid. A
+few days afterwards he whispered--"Lord Jesus, I am coming;" and he
+died with Tiny's text in his hand.
+
+That little girl used the talent that was given her, and it helped
+to 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 lesson
+about,--the talents.
+
+_The fourth, and last lesson from Olivet is the lesson about_--THE
+REWARDS.
+
+The parable tells us that when the Master came back, and reckoned
+with his servants, he said to each of those who had made a right use
+of his talents:--"Well done, good and faithful servant, thou hast
+been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many
+things; 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 made
+ruler over ten cities; and he who had gained five pounds was made
+ruler over five cities. This shows us that God will reward his
+people, hereafter, according to the degree of faithfulness with which
+each one shall have used the talents given to him. And this is the
+lesson which the apostle Paul teaches us when he says that, "Every
+man 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 life
+when Jesus comes to reckon with them. But those crowns will not be
+all 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 these
+crowns. Some will be simply crowns of gold, or of glory, without any
+gems or jewels to ornament them. Some will have two or three small
+jewels shining in them. But, others again will be full of the most
+beautiful jewels, all glittering and sparkling with glory. And this
+will all depend upon the way in which those who wear these crowns
+used their talents while they were on earth, and the amount of work
+they did for Jesus. There is an incident mentioned in Roman history
+about a soldier, which illustrates this part of our subject very
+well.
+
+"The Faithful Soldier and His Rewards." This man had served forty
+years in the cause of his country--of these, ten years had been spent
+as a private soldier, and thirty as an officer. He had been present
+in one hundred and twenty battles, and had been severely wounded
+forty-five times. He had received fourteen civic crowns, for having
+saved the lives of so many Roman citizens; three mural crowns, for
+having been the first to mount the breach when attacking a fortress;
+and eight golden crowns, for having, on so many occasions, rescued
+the standard of a Roman legion from the hands of the enemy. He had in
+his house eighty-three gold chains, sixty bracelets, eighteen golden
+spears, and twenty-three horse trappings,--the rewards for his many
+faithful services as a soldier. And when his friends looked at all
+those honors and treasures which he had received, from time to time,
+how well they might have said as they pointed to those numerous
+prizes--that he had "received _his own reward_, according to _his own
+labor_," and faithfulness! And so it will be with the soldiers of the
+cross, who are faithful in using the talents given them by their
+heavenly Master.
+
+"A Great Harvest from a Little Seed," Some years ago there was a
+celebrated artist in Paris whose name was Ary Scheffer. On one
+occasion he wished to introduce a beggar into a certain picture he
+was painting. Baron Rothschild, the famous banker, and one of the
+richest men in the world, was a particular friend of this artist. He
+happened to come into his studio at the very time he was trying to
+get a beggar to be the model of one which he desired to put into his
+painting.
+
+"Wait till to-morrow," said Mr. Rothschild, "and I will dress myself
+up as a beggar, and make you an excellent model."
+
+"Very well," said the artist, who was pleased with the strangeness of
+the proposal. The next day the rich banker appeared, dressed up as a
+beggar, and a very sorry looking beggar he was. While the artist was
+engaged in painting him, another friend of his came into the studio.
+He was a kind-hearted, generous man. As he looked on the model
+beggar, he was touched by his wretched appearance, and as he passed
+him, he slipped a louis d'or--a French gold coin, worth about five
+dollars of our money--into his hand. The pretended beggar took the
+coin, and put it in his pocket.
+
+Ten years after this, the gentleman who gave this piece of money
+received an order on the bank of the Rothschilds for ten thousand
+francs. This was enclosed in a letter which read as follows:
+
+"Sir: You one day gave a louis d'or to Baron Rothschild, in the
+studio 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, together
+with the interest it has gained. A good action is always followed by
+a good reward.
+
+"JAMES DE ROTHSCHILD."
+
+In those few years that one gold coin, of twenty francs, had
+increased to ten thousand francs. And this illustrates the way in
+which Jesus the heavenly Master rewards those who use their talents
+for him. See how he teaches this lesson, when he says--"Whosoever
+shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold
+water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall
+in _no wise lose his reward_." St. Matt, x: 42. And in another place
+we are told that the reward shall be "an hundred fold," and shall run
+on into "everlasting life." St. Matt, xix: 29. How sweetly some one
+has 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. And
+taking these lessons together, let us remember that they are--the
+lesson _about the Master_: the lesson _about the servants_: the
+lesson _about the talents_: and the lesson _about the rewards_.
+
+The Collect for the thirteenth Sunday after Trinity is a very
+suitable prayer to offer after meditating on the lessons from Olivet:
+
+"Almighty and merciful God, of whose only gift it cometh that thy
+faithful people do unto thee true and laudable service: Grant, we
+beseech thee, that we may so faithfully serve thee in this life, that
+we fail not finally to attain thy heavenly promises; which exceed all
+that 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 week
+has 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 first
+and true meaning of the word, and of the Latin word from which it
+comes, is--suffering. And this is the sense in which we find the word
+used in Acts i: 3. There, St. Luke, who wrote the Acts, is speaking
+of Christ's appearing to the apostles, after his resurrection, and he
+uses 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 the
+interesting things that Jesus did was to keep the Jewish Passover for
+the last time with his disciples. This Passover feast had been kept
+by the Jews every year for nearly fifteen hundred years. It was the
+most solemn religious service they had. It was first observed by
+them in the night on which their nation was delivered from the
+bondage of Egypt and began their march towards the promised land of
+Canaan. We read about the establishment of this solemn service in
+Exodus, twelfth chapter. The first Passover took place on the
+fourteenth day of the month Nisan. This had been the seventh month of
+the year with the Jews. But God directed them to take it for their
+first month ever afterwards. They were to begin their year with that
+month. Every family was to choose out a lamb for themselves, on the
+tenth day of the month. They were to keep it to the fourteenth day of
+the 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 and
+upper lintels of every door. They were to roast the lamb and eat it,
+with solemn religious services. And, while they were doing this, the
+angel of the Lord was to pass over all the land of Egypt, and, with
+his unseen sword, to smite and kill the first-born, or eldest child,
+in every family, from Pharaoh on his throne to the poorest beggar in
+the land. But the blood, sprinkled on the door-posts of the houses in
+which the Israelites dwelt, was to save them from the stroke of the
+angel 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. He
+gave one stroke with his dreadful sword--and there was a death in
+every Egyptian family. But in the blood-sprinkled dwellings of the
+Israelites, 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 not
+surprising that the children of Israel, through all their
+generations, should have kept that Passover feast with great
+interest--an interest that never died out, from age to age. Nor do we
+wonder that our blessed Saviour looked forward longingly to the
+occasion when, for the last time, he was to celebrate this Passover
+with his disciples. As they began the feast he said to them, "With
+desire 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 this
+strong desire. Without attempting to tell what all those reasons
+were, we can readily think of some things which would lead him, very
+naturally, to have this feeling. It was the last time he was to eat
+this 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 suffer
+and die; to rise from the dead, and then go home to his Father in
+heaven.
+
+This Passover had been one of the services established and kept for
+the purpose of pointing the attention of men to himself as the Lamb
+of God who was to take away the sins of the world. And now, the time
+had come when all that had thus been pointed out concerning him, for
+so many hundred years, was about to be fulfilled. He, the one true
+Lamb 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 church
+would take its place. And then the blessings of true religion,
+instead of being confined to one single nation, would be freely
+offered to all nations; and Jews and Gentiles alike, would be at
+liberty 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 eat
+this last Passover with his disciples. In each of the four gospels we
+have an account of what took place when the time came for keeping
+this Passover. What is said concerning it we find in the following
+places: St. Matt xxi: 17-30, St. Mark xiv: 12-26, St. Luke xxii:
+7-39. St. John begins with the thirteenth chapter, and ends his
+account at the close of the seventeenth chapter. He is the only one
+of the four evangelists who gives a full and particular account of
+the wonderful sayings of our Lord in connection with this last
+passover, and of the great prayer that he offered for all his
+people.
+
+Here is a brief outline of these different accounts. When the time
+came to keep the Passover, Jesus sent two of his disciples from
+Bethany, where he was then staying, to Jerusalem. He told them, that,
+when they entered the city, they would meet a man bearing a pitcher
+of water. They were to ask him to show them the guest-chamber, where
+he and his disciples might eat the Passover together. There were
+always great crowds of strangers in Jerusalem at the time of this
+festival; and many furnished chambers were kept ready to be hired to
+those who wished them, for celebrating the Passover. This man, of
+whom our Saviour spoke, was probably a friend of his, and according
+to our Lord's word, he showed the disciples such a room as they
+needed. Then they made the necessary preparations; and, when the
+evening came, Jesus and his disciples met there to keep this solemn
+feast.
+
+Many of the pictures that we see of this last Supper, represent the
+company as seated round a table, very much in the way in which we are
+accustomed to sit ourselves. But this is not correct. The people in
+those Eastern countries were not accustomed to sit as we do. On this
+occasion the roasted lamb, with the bread and wine to be used at the
+feast, was placed on a table, and the guests reclined on couches
+round the table, each man leaning on his left arm, and helping
+himself to what he needed with his right hand.
+
+Various incidents took place in connection with this last Supper. The
+disciples had a contest among themselves about which of them should
+be greatest. This led Jesus, in the course of the evening, to give
+them the lesson of humility, by washing his disciples' feet, of which
+we have already spoken. Then he told them how sorrowfully he was
+feeling. He said they would all forsake him, and one of them would
+betray him that very night. This made them feel very sad. Each of
+them suspected himself--and asked sorrowfully--"Lord, is it I?" They
+did not suspect each other; and none of them seems to have suspected
+Judas Iscariot at all. Then Peter whispered to John, who was leaning
+on the bosom of Jesus, to ask who it was that was to do this? In
+answer to John's question, Jesus said it was the one to whom he
+should give a piece of bread when he had dipped it in the dish. Then
+he dipped the sop and gave it to Judas.
+
+After this, we are told that Satan entered into him, and he went out
+and made preparation for doing the most dreadful thing that ever was
+done from the beginning of the world--and that was the betrayal of
+his 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 one
+of the two great sacraments to be observed in his church to the end
+of the world--the sacrament of the Lord's Supper--or the holy
+Communion.
+
+This is St. Luke's account of the way in which it was done, chapter
+xxii: 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 for
+you." St. Matthew adds, and--"for many."
+
+Such is the account we have of the first establishment of the Lord's
+Supper. It was to take the place of the Jewish Passover, and to be
+observed by the followers of Christ all over the earth, until the
+time when he shall come again into our world.
+
+And this solemn sacrament--this holy communion--this Supper of our
+Lord, ought to be observed, or kept, by all who love him, for three
+reasons: these are its connection with _the word of his command--the
+memory of his sufferings--and the hope of his glory_.
+
+Jesus connected this sacrament with _the word of his command_ when he
+said--"_This do_ in remembrance of me." St. Luke xxii: 19. This is
+the _command_ of Christ. It is a plain, positive command. Jesus did
+not give this command to the apostles only, or to his ministers, or
+to any particular class of his followers, but to all of them. It was
+given first to his apostles, but it was not intended to be confined
+to 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, or
+ye rich men, or ye great men; but simply, "This do." And the meaning
+of what he here says, is--"This do," all ye who profess to be my
+followers, all over the world, and through all ages. And the words
+that he spake on another occasion come in very well here: "If ye love
+me, keep my commandments." And _this_ is one of the commandments that
+he 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 his
+people 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 the
+use of it, or not; Jesus says--"This do." It is enough for each
+follower of Jesus to say, "here is my Lord's command; I _must_ obey
+it."
+
+In an army, if the general issues an order, it is expected that every
+soldier will obey it. And no matter how important, or useful, in
+itself considered, any work may be, that is done by one of those
+soldiers, yet, if it be done while he is neglecting the general's
+order, instead of gaining for that soldier the praise of the general,
+or of securing a reward from him, it will only excite his
+displeasure:--he will order that soldier to be punished.
+
+But the church of Christ is compared in the Bible to an army. He is
+the Captain or Leader of this army. And one of the most important
+orders he has issued for his soldiers is--"This do in remembrance of
+me." If we profess to be the soldiers of Christ, and are enlisted in
+his army, and yet are neglecting this order, he never can be pleased
+with anything we may do while this order is neglected. We seem to see
+him pointing to this neglected order, and saying to each of us, as he
+said to Saul, the first king of Israel, by the prophet Samuel:
+--"Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice: and to hearken, than the
+fat of rams." I. Sam. xv: 22.
+
+No age is fixed in the New Testament at which young people may be
+allowed to come to the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. But, as soon
+as they have learned to know and love Christ and are really trying to
+serve him, they ought to be allowed to come. And yet ministers and
+parents sometimes keep them back, and tell them they must wait, and
+be tried a little longer, before they receive the help and comfort of
+this ordinance of Christ, even when their conduct shows they are
+sincerely trying to love and serve the blessed Saviour.
+
+If a farmer should send his servant out into the field, when winter
+was approaching, telling him to put the sheep into the fold, that
+they might be protected from the wolves, and from the cold, it would
+be thought a strange thing if he should allow him to bring the sheep
+into the shelter of the fold, and leave the little lambs outside.
+This is a good illustration to show the importance of taking care of
+the lambs. But it fails at one point. The shelter of the fold is
+absolutely necessary for the protection of the farmer's lambs. They
+could not live without it. If left outside of the fold they would
+certainly perish. But there is not the same necessity for admitting
+young 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 holy
+ordinance. They are already under the care and protection of the good
+Shepherd. He can guard them, and keep them, and cause them to grow in
+grace, even though, for awhile, they do not have the help and comfort
+of this sacrament. And, if they are kept back through the fault or
+mistake of others, he will do so. This sacrament, like that of
+baptism, is, as the catechism says, "_generally_ necessary to
+salvation." This means that it is important "where it may be had."
+But, if circumstances beyond our control should prevent us from
+partaking of it, we may be saved without it. Still, I think that
+young people who give satisfactory evidence that they know and love
+the Saviour, and are trying to serve him, ought to be allowed to come
+forward to this holy sacrament.
+
+Some people when urged to come to the Lord's Supper excuse
+themselves, by saying that--"they are not prepared to come."
+
+But this will not release any one from the command of Christ--"This
+do."
+
+What the preparation is that we need in order that we may come, in a
+proper way, to this holy sacrament, is clearly pointed out in the
+exhortation that occurs in the communion service of our church. Here
+the minister says--"Ye who do truly and earnestly repent of your
+sins, and are in love and charity with your neighbors, and intend to
+lead a new life, following the commandments of God, and walking from
+henceforth in his holy ways: draw near with faith, and take this holy
+sacrament to your comfort." And there is no excuse for persons not
+being in the state these words describe: for this is just what God's
+word, and our own duty and interest require of us. If we have not
+yet done what these words require, we ought to do it at once; and
+then there will be nothing in the way of our obeying the command of
+Christ, when he says--"This do, in remembrance of me," By all the
+authority which belongs to him our Saviour _commands_ us to keep this
+holy feast. And the first reason why we ought to "do this," is
+because of its connection with the word of his command.
+
+_The second reason why we ought to "do this"--is because of its
+connection with the memory of his sufferings_.
+
+We are taught this by the word _remembrance_, which our Saviour here
+uses. He says, "This do in remembrance of me." This means in
+remembrance of my sufferings for you. And _this_ is the most
+important word used by him when he established this sacrament. It is
+the governing word in the whole service. It is the word by which we
+must be guided in trying to understand what our Lord meant to teach
+us by all he did and said on this occasion.
+
+You know how it is when we are trying to understand the music to
+which a particular tune has been set. There is always one special
+note in a tune, which is called the _key-note_. The leader of a
+choir, when they are going to sing, will strike one of the keys of
+the organ, or the melodeon they are using, so as to give to each
+member of the choir the proper key-note of the piece of music they
+are to sing. It is very important for them to have this key-note,
+because they cannot have a proper understanding of what they are to
+do without it. This holy sacrament of the Lord's Supper is like a
+solemn song. And the key-note of the music to which the song is set
+is this word--_remembrance_. It teaches us that the sacrament of the
+Lord's Supper is a _memorial_ service. And, in going through the
+music to which the song of this service has been set, every note that
+we use must be a memorial note. And the language used by our blessed
+Lord when he established this Supper, or sacrament, must be explained
+in 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 in
+remembrance of me," he meant that we should understand him as
+saying--"This is the _memorial_ of my body." And when he gave them
+the cup, and said--"This is my blood of the New Testament," he meant
+that we should understand him as saying--"This is the _memorial_ of
+my blood." And we are sure that this was the meaning, for two
+reasons.
+
+One reason for believing this is that _this was the way in which
+similar words had been used in the Jewish Passover, which Jesus and
+his disciples were then keeping_.
+
+In the Passover service, when the head of the family distributed the
+bread, he always said--"This is the bread of affliction." When he
+distributed the flesh of the lamb, roasted for the occasion, he used
+to say--"This is the body of the Passover."
+
+But every one knows, and every one admits, that the Jewish Passover
+was a _memorial_ service. It was kept in memory of the wonderful
+deliverance of their forefathers from the bitter bondage of Egypt.
+And the words used at that service were memorial words. And so, when
+Jesus, a little while before, had given to his disciples the Passover
+bread, saying--"This is the bread of affliction:" he did not mean to
+say that _that_ was the very same bread which their forefathers had
+eaten, in the time of their affliction in Egypt. What he meant to say
+was--this is the bread which you are to eat in _memory_ of your
+forefathers' trial and deliverance. And when he gave to each of them
+a piece of the sacrificial lamb, saying, "This is the body of the
+Passover;" he did not mean that in any mysterious, or supernatural
+sense, _that_ was the very lamb of which their forefathers had eaten
+on the solemn night of the Passover; he only meant that it was the
+body of which they were to eat in memory of the Passover. The
+Passover was a memorial service; and the words used at the Passover
+were memorial words.
+
+And so, when Jesus went on, from the last Passover of the Jewish
+church, to the first sacramental feast of the Christian church, and
+began by saying, "This do in _remembrance_ of me," what else could
+the apostles possibly have thought, but that he intended this new
+service of the Christian church to be a memorial service, just as the
+old festival of the Jewish church had been? When he gave them the
+broken bread, and said, "This is my body;" they could only have
+understood him as meaning this is the memorial of my body. And when
+he gave them the cup into which he had just poured the wine, and
+said: "This is my blood;" they could only understand him as meaning
+this is the memorial of my blood. And so, the sense in which he had
+just before used the words employed in the Jewish festival must have
+led the disciples to understand them in the same way when he used
+similar words in the Christian sacrament. This is a good, strong
+reason for thinking of this sacramental feast as a memorial service.
+
+There is indeed, one point of difference between the Jewish Passover
+and the Christian sacrament, when we think of them as memorial
+services. The Jews kept their solemn festival in memory of a _dead_
+lamb--the Passover lamb that was put to death for them, but never
+came to life again. We keep our Christian sacrament in memory of the
+Lamb of God, who died for us indeed, but who rose from the dead, and
+is alive forevermore. As we keep this solemn festival, we may lift up
+our 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 thought
+makes a world-wide difference between them. The bread and meat which
+the pious Jew ate, when he kept the Passover, and the wine which he
+drank on that occasion, would strengthen his body, but there was
+nothing connected with those material substances that would do any
+special good to his soul. It is different, however, with our
+Christian festival of the Lord's Supper. And this difference is
+clearly brought out in what we find in the catechism of our church on
+this subject. In speaking of this holy sacrament, the question is
+asked--"What are the benefits whereof we are partakers thereby?" And
+the answer to this question is--"The strengthening and refreshing of
+our souls, by the body and blood of Christ, as our bodies are by the
+bread and wine."
+
+Here we see that while the Lord's Supper is a memorial service
+indeed, it is at the same time something more than that.
+
+_And then, the actual bodily presence of Christ with them must have
+compelled the apostles to understand the words he used on that
+occasion, in this memorial sense_.
+
+They could not possibly have considered him as meaning that the bread
+and wine which he gave them at that solemn service did, in any
+mysterious 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 the
+same time. The sense in which Jesus first used these words--"my body"
+and "my blood," was clearly the memorial sense. He meant his
+disciples to understand him as saying "Take this bread in remembrance
+of my body, which is to be crucified for you;" and "Take this wine in
+remembrance of my blood which is to be shed for you."
+
+This was what he taught the apostles when he first used these words
+among them; and this was all he taught them; and we have no right to
+use these words in any other sense till our blessed Lord himself
+shall give us authority to do so.
+
+Let us never forget the word--_remembrance_, as used by our Saviour
+here. It is the root out of which the whole tree of this solemn
+service grows. Let us hold on to this root word, and it will save us
+from the errors into which many have fallen in reference to this
+subject.
+
+And, surely, there is nothing so precious for us to store away in our
+memories as the thought of Christ in the amazing sufferings he once
+bore for us, in the great work he is now doing for us, and in the
+saving truth he embodies in his own glorious character. The story is
+told of Alexander the Great, that when he conquered King Darius he
+found among his treasures a very valuable box or cabinet. It was made
+of gold and silver, and inlaid with precious jewels. After thinking
+for awhile what to do with it, he finally concluded to use it as his
+choicest treasury, or cabinet, in which to keep the books of the poet
+Homer, which he was very fond of reading. Now, if we use our memory
+aright, it will be to us a treasury far more valuable than that
+jeweled box of the great conqueror. And the thought of Christ, not in
+his sufferings only, but in his work, and in his character, is the
+most precious thing to lay up in our memory. And if we keep this
+remembrance continually before us it will be the greatest help we can
+have in trying to love and serve him better.
+
+Here is an illustration of what I mean, in a touching story. We may
+call it:
+
+"Love Stronger than Death." Some years ago there was a great fire in
+one of our Western cities that stood in the midst of a prairie. A
+mother escaped from her burning dwelling. Her husband was away from
+home. She took her infant in her arms, and wrapped a heavy shawl
+round herself and the baby. Her little girl clung to the dress of
+her mother, and they went out into the prairie, to get away from the
+flames of the burning buildings. It was a wild and stormy winter's
+night and intensely cold. She tried to run; but burdened as she was
+that was impossible. Presently she found that the tall dry grass of
+the prairie had caught fire. It was spreading on every side. A great
+circle of flame was gathering round her.
+
+A little way off she saw a clump of trees on a piece of rising
+ground. Towards that spot she directed her steps, and strained every
+nerve 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 her
+from opposite directions. Escape was impossible. Death--a terrible
+death by fire, seemed to be the only thing before her. She might wrap
+herself in that great shawl, and perhaps live through it. But, there
+were the children. Of course a mother could not hesitate a moment
+what to do under such circumstances. Wrapping the baby round and
+round in the folds of the shawl, she laid it carefully down, at the
+foot of one of the trees. Then, taking off her outer clothing, she
+covered the other child with it. She laid her down beside the baby,
+and then stretched herself across them. In a few moments the helpless
+little ones were sound asleep. The long hours of the night passed.
+The raging flames licked up the withered foliage about that clump of
+trees, and then left their blackened trunks to the keenness of the
+wind and frost.
+
+The next day the heart-broken husband and father returned to find his
+home burnt, and his family gone--he knew not whither. He set out to
+search for his lost treasures. He found them by that clump of trees.
+There lay his wife--her hair and eyebrows, her face and neck scorched
+and blackened by the fire--but her body frozen stiff. Whether she
+perished by the flames or the frost no one ever knew. But, on lifting
+her burnt form they found, warm and cozy beneath, her two sleeping
+children. The elder child as they roused her, opened her eyes
+exclaiming, "Mamma, is it morning?" Yes: it was morning with that
+faithful mother, in the bright world to which she had gone!
+
+Now, suppose that those children, as they grew up, should have had
+preserved among their treasures a piece of the burnt dress, or a lock
+of the scorched hair, of their devoted mother. As they looked at it,
+every day, it would be in _remembrance_ of her. How touchingly it
+would tell of her great love for them, in being willing to lay down
+her life to save theirs! And how that thought would thrill their
+hearts and make them anxious to do all they could to show their
+respect and love for such a mother!
+
+And so the broken bread and the poured out wine of this solemn
+sacrament should melt our hearts in the remembrance of the wonderful
+love of Christ to us, and should lead us to show our love to him by
+keeping his commandments.
+
+And as we keep this solemn memorial service, how well we may say, in
+the 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 his
+glory_--as well as with the word of his command and the memory of his
+sufferings.
+
+He made this connection very clear when he said at the institution of
+this solemn service--"I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of
+the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's
+kingdom." St. Matt, xxvi: 29. And the apostle Paul pointed out the
+same connection when he said, "As often as ye eat this bread, and
+drink 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 meeting
+between the sufferings of Christ and the glory that is to
+follow--between his cross, with all its shame and anguish, and his
+kingdom, with all its honor and blessedness.
+
+We have sometimes heard or read of magicians who have pretended to
+have wonderful mirrors into which persons might look and see all that
+was before them in this life. If there were such a mirror, it would
+be a strange thing indeed to look into it and find out what was going
+to happen to-morrow, or next month, or next year, or twenty years
+hence. But, there never was any such mirror. As the apostle says,
+"We know not what shall be on the morrow." No mortal man can tell
+what 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 look
+into it and see, clearly represented there, what will happen to us in
+the future, not of _this_ life indeed, but of the life to come. It
+leads our minds on to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And a voice
+from heaven declares--"Blessed are they who are called to the
+marriage supper of the Lamb." Rev. xix: 9. That marriage supper
+represents the highest joys of heaven. It gathers into itself all the
+glory and happiness that await us in the heavenly kingdom. And this
+sacramental service is the type or shadow of all the bliss connected
+with that great event in the future. If we are true and faithful
+partakers of this solemn sacrament--this memorial feast, we shall
+certainly be among the number of those whose unspeakable privilege it
+will be to sit down at the marriage supper of the Lamb, in heaven.
+There we shall be in the personal presence of Jesus, our glorified
+Lord. Our eyes "shall see the King in his beauty." And we shall see
+all his people too in the perfection of glory that will mark them
+there. And in happy intercourse with that blessed company we shall
+find all "the exceeding great and precious promises" of God's word
+fulfilled in our own personal experience.
+
+And then there is nothing that can sustain and comfort us under the
+many trials of this mortal life like the hope of sharing this joy
+with our blessed Lord, when he shall come in the glory of his
+heavenly kingdom.
+
+"The Hope of Glory." A Christian gentleman was in the habit of
+visiting, from time to time, a poor afflicted widow woman who lived
+in his neighborhood. She had once been very well off, and was the
+wife of a well-known and apparently successful merchant. But finally
+he failed in business and died soon after, leaving her alone in the
+world, and without anything to live on but what she could earn by her
+own labor.
+
+After awhile her health failed, and then she was entirely dependent
+for her support on the kindness of her Christian friends. But she was
+always cheerful and happy. "On going in to see her one day," says
+this gentleman, "I found, on talking with her, that she was feeling
+very comfortable in her mind.
+
+"'Tell me, my friend,' I asked, 'have you always felt as bright and
+cheerful as you seem to feel now?'
+
+"'O, no,' she replied, 'very far from it. When my husband died, and
+I was left alone in the world, I used to feel very sad and
+rebellious. Many a time I was so sorrowful and despairing as to be
+tempted 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. I
+became a member of the church. But, for a while, I did not find much
+comfort in my religion. And the reason of it was that I did not have
+very clear views of Christ as my Saviour, and of the wonderful things
+he has promised to do for his people in the future.
+
+"'But, on one communion occasion, my minister preached on the
+words--"_Christ in you the hope of glory_." That was a blessed
+communion to me. I saw then, as I had never seen before, how that
+sacred and solemn service was intended by him to be to all his
+people, at one and the same time, the means of preserving in their
+minds the remembrance of the sufferings he has borne for them in the
+past, and also of keeping alive in their hearts the hope of sharing
+in the glory which he has prepared for them in the future. And I have
+never had any trouble in my mind since then. My communion seasons
+were always bright and blessed seasons to me as long as I was able
+to go to church. And though I can no longer go up to the sanctuary
+and 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, I
+can, and do partake in a spiritual manner of that which those signs
+represent. I feel and know what it is to have "Christ in me the hope
+of glory." And this "satisfies my longing, as nothing else can do." I
+find peace and comfort in simply "looking unto Jesus." I have had
+much outward trouble and affliction since then. I live alone. There
+is no one here to help me. Sometimes I have nothing to eat, and but
+little to keep me warm. You see me _sitting_ here now. Thus I have to
+spend my nights. My complaint is the dropsy, and this prevents me
+from lying down. _But I would not exchange my place as a forgiven
+sinner, with "Christ in me the hope of glory," for all the wealth and
+the honor that Queen Victoria could bestow upon me!_'"
+
+What a blessed Saviour Jesus is, who can thus spread the sunshine of
+his peace and hope through the hearts and homes of the poorest and
+most afflicted in the land!
+
+And thus, we have spoken of three good reasons, why all who love our
+Lord Jesus Christ should keep this solemn sacrament which he has
+ordained; we should do it because we see in it--_the word of his
+command--the memorial of his sufferings--and the hope of his glory_.
+
+And when we partake of this solemn ordinance ourselves, or see others
+partaking of it, how well we may say in the beautiful lines of
+Havergal, 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 and
+Sidon. 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 of
+David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered
+her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send
+her away; for she crieth after us. But he answered and said, I am not
+sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she
+and 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_ to
+dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which
+fall from their masters' table. Then Jesus answered and said unto
+her, O woman, great _is_ thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou
+wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.--_St.
+Matt. xv: 21-28_.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_The picture illustrates the scenery and gardens in the neighborhood
+of Beyrout, which lies on the coast at the foot of Lebanon and within
+the Syro-Phoenician border._
+
+
+
+
+
+SIMON PETER'S FAITH IN CHRIST
+
+
+
+
+When Jesus came into the coasts of Cæsarea Philippi, he asked his
+disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they
+said, Some _say that thou art_ John the Baptist: some, Elias; and
+others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But
+whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art
+the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said
+unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath
+not revealed _it_ unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I
+say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will
+build 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: and
+whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and
+whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Then
+charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was
+Jesus the Christ.--_St. Matt, xvi: 13-20_.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_The site of Cæsarea Philippi is one of the loveliest spots in
+Northern Palestine. On ground carpeted with an infinite variety of
+wild flowers, the traveller rests in the grateful shade of oak and
+mulberry, olive and fig tree. The sound of many waters is heard on
+all sides as they hasten from the adjacent slopes of Herman to join
+the head waters of Jordan, bursting in strength from a cavern at the
+foot of a mighty cliff. Hither, with his handful of followers, came
+Jesus, weary and in deep depression of spirit, a fugitive from his
+own people, who had finally rejected him; and here, in reply to
+searching and anxious enquiry, "Whom say ye that I am?" he received
+from Simon Peter the memorable confession, "Thou art the Christ, the
+Son 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 was
+transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his
+raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them
+Moses and Elias talking with him. Then answered Peter, and said unto
+Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make
+here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for
+Elias. While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them:
+and behold a voice out of the cloud which said, This is my beloved
+Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. And when the disciples
+heard _it_, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. And Jesus
+came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. And when
+they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus
+only.--_St. Matt, xvii: 1--8_.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_From the days of St. Jerome, when pilgrims first began the attempt
+to identify sites hallowed by sacred events, Mount Tabor has, until
+recent years, been regarded as the Mount of the Transfiguration. But
+closer examination of the text and comparison of dates, and the fact
+that Tabor itself was at that time the site of a fortified town
+containing a Roman garrison, combine in this instance to discredit
+tradition. One of the spurs of Herman must therefore be the
+alternative and more probable scene of the Transfiguration; the
+seclusion of this district of mountain, valley, and woodland
+providing opportunity for contemplation, and preparation for the end
+which was now imminent, "the decease which Jesus was to accomplish at
+Jerusalem"_.
+
+
+
+
+
+JESUS HEALETH A LUNATIC
+
+
+
+
+And it came to pass, that on the next day, when they were come down
+from the hill, much people met him. And, behold, a man of the company
+cried out, saying, Master, I beseech thee, look upon my son: for he
+is mine only child. And, lo, a spirit taketh him, and he suddenly
+crieth out; and it teareth him that he foameth again, and bruising
+him hardly departeth from him. And I besought thy disciples to cast
+him out; and they could not. And Jesus answering said, O faithless
+and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, and suffer
+you? Bring thy son hither. And as he was yet a coming, the devil
+threw 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_.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_The picture gives an average representation of the outskirts of a
+village in Northern Palestine, with its sordid, untidy, mud-built
+houses, 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, and
+taught. And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters,
+having never learned? Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is
+not mine, but his that sent me. And the scribes and Pharisees brought
+unto him a woman ...; and when they had set her in the midst. They
+say unto him, ... Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be
+stoned: but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him, that they
+might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with _his_
+finger wrote on the ground, _as though he heard them not_. So when
+they 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 which
+heard _it_, being convicted by _their own_ conscience, went out one
+by one, beginning at the eldest, _even_ unto the last: and Jesus was
+left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had
+lifted 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 condemn
+thee: go, and sin no more.--_St. John vii: 14-16; viii: 3-11._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_The scene is represented as taking place in one of the great
+cloisters or porticoes which surrounded the Temple courts, and which
+like the Forum of Rome, and "Paul's Wall" in Elizabethan, London,
+served the purpose of a public promenade and place of meeting. These
+porticoes were of magnificent construction and proportions, the Stoa
+Basilica alone, upon the south side, with its quadruple colonnade of
+one hundred and sixty-two pillars, covering a great area. The Eastern
+Cloister, known as "Solomon's Porch," was probably so-called as
+having been erected upon the site of a similar construction in the
+first Temple_.
+
+
+
+
+
+ONE OF TEN LEPERS CURED IS GRATEFUL
+
+
+
+
+And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through
+the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered into a certain
+village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar
+off. And they lifted up _their_ voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have
+mercy on us. And when he saw _them_, he said unto them, Go shew
+yourselves 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 to
+God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy
+faith hath made thee whole.--_St. Luke xvii: II--19._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_The town of Cana in Galilee, with its background of low hills, as
+seen from the Nazareth Road, supplies a landscape setting for this
+picture. The ingratitude of the nine lepers no doubt added to our
+Lord's sorrow just now at the growing influence of the opposition of
+his enemies_.
+
+
+
+
+
+JESUS, MARTHA, MARY, AND LAZARUS
+
+
+
+
+Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain
+village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her
+house. 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 sister
+hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And
+Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful
+and troubled about many things. But one thing is needful: and Mary
+hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from
+her.--_St. Luke x: 38-42._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_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 of
+his ministry, Jesus could call a home, was probably that of people in
+easy circumstances, and as such is here represented. In the vineyards
+of Palestine the vine is cultivated bushlike on the ground; but in
+gardens, the plant is occasionally trained erect, as in Europe and
+America, or, as in the present instance, for the purposes of shade,
+upon a pergola. In the middle of the village of Bethany are the ruins
+of an important house. Here some years ago a French explorer
+discovered on the base the remains of an ancient chapel This seems to
+point with probability to a valid tradition of the site of the house
+of 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 Jesus
+saw _it_, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the
+little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is
+the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not
+receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter
+therein. And he took them up in his arms, put _his_ hands upon them,
+and blessed them.--_St. Mark x: 13-16._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_In the Hebrew Bible--the Talmud--it is stated that, according to
+pious custom, parents brought their little children to the synagogue
+that they might receive the benefit of the prayers and blessings of
+the elders. Rabbis also, of recognized sanctity, were frequently
+appealed to in a like manner; and his fame as a prophet and
+benefactor having preceded him into Peraea, infants were now brought
+to Jesus, that he might lay his hands upon them in supplication and
+blessing. The architectural setting of the picture is adapted from
+that of a small square near the Damascus Gate of Jerusalem. This
+kindly and gentle act of our Lord has been of incalculable
+consequence to the life of children in the development of Christian
+civilization._
+
+
+
+
+
+THE RESURRECTION OF LAZARUS, FOUR DAYS DEAD
+
+
+
+
+Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for
+your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe;
+nevertheless let us go unto him. Jesus therefore again groaning in
+himself 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 that
+was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath
+been _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 was
+laid. And Jesus lifted up _his_ eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee
+that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but
+because of the people which stand by I said _it_, that they may
+believe that thou hast sent me. And when he thus had spoken, he cried
+with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came
+forth.--_St. John xi: 14., 15,38-44._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_The painting illustrates a form of rock-cut tomb which, though not
+so common as others in the neighborhood of Jerusalem, is nevertheless
+selected as being in accordance with the description of what took
+place in the present instance. It is obviously the type of tomb which
+is referred to on a subsequent occasion, and explains the meaning of
+"the stone rolled away from the sepulchre" The entrance of the tomb
+is at the bottom of a flight of steps, and is covered by a
+disc-shaped stone, like a mill-stone, which can be rolled back into a
+slot cut in the rock for its reception. (The kneeling man in the
+background has apparently just performed this duty?) The entrance is
+closed by rolling the stone forward, dropping a small block behind it
+to prevent its recession, and finally by covering the
+before-mentioned slot with a slab, which, being cemented down, the
+tomb is "sealed."_
+
+
+
+
+
+CONVERSION OF ZACCHAEUS, A PUBLICAN
+
+
+
+
+And _Jesus_ entered and passed through Jericho. And, behold, _there
+was_ 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 not
+for 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 pass
+that _way_. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw
+him, and said unto him, Zacchæus, make haste, and come down; for to
+day I must abide at thy house. And he made haste, and came down, and
+received 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. And
+Zacchæus stood, and said unto the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my
+goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man
+by false accusation, I restore _him_ fourfold. And Jesus said unto
+him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also
+is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save
+that which was lost.--_St. Luke xix: 1-10_.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_The sycomore tree referred to in the text is a species of fig
+bearing small, coarse fruit, which is used as food only in cases of
+necessity. Although occasionally of great size, the tree is easily
+climbed, as the trunk is short, and the branches are numerous and
+wide spreading. Jericho, rebuilt by Herod, was a somewhat fashionable
+town. To signalize the despised tax-gatherer in such a way was to
+teach a permanent lesson of absolute unworldliness_.
+
+
+
+
+
+JESUS RESTORETH SIGHT TO BARTIMAEUS
+
+
+
+
+And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his
+disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of
+Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging. And when he heard that it
+was 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 should
+hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, _Thou_ son of
+David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to
+be called. And they called the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good
+comfort, rise; he calleth thee. And he, casting away his garment,
+rose, and came to Jesus. And Jesus answered and said unto him, What
+wilt 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 thy
+way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his
+sight, and followed Jesus in the way.--_St. Mark x: 4.6--52._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_The site of Jericho is still an oasis in the surrounding desert, but
+neither its fertility nor its dimensions bear comparison with those
+which it attained in former days; and hardly a tree remains of the
+celebrated groves of balsam, spice, and fruit-bearing trees, and the
+palms which earned for Jericho the title of "The City of the Palm
+Trees," and which made its neighboring plain the garden of
+Palestine--the "divine district" as Joseph us calls it. This
+fertility was owing entirely to skilful irrigation, traces of no less
+than twelve aqueducts having been discovered. No class of sufferers
+more frequently claimed and obtained from Jesus the exercise of his
+compassion and healing power than that represented by blind
+Bartimaus. The malady of blindness is grievously common in Palestine,
+the proportion of those thus afflicted being one in every hundred of
+the population, whereas in Europe the proportion is only one in a
+thousand_.
+
+
+
+
+
+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 unto
+them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall
+find 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 Lord
+hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. All this was
+done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet. And
+the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them. And brought the
+ass, 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 the
+way. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried,
+saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed _is_ he that cometh in
+the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. And when he was come
+into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the
+multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of
+Galilee.--_St. Matt, xxi: 1-4., 6-11_.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_Had Jesus omitted to command to bring its mother along with the
+colt, upon which he elected to ride, his disciples would probably
+have brought her as a matter of course. It is the custom of the
+country; and as journeys are accomplished at a walking pace, mares
+and she-asses are frequently accompanied by their foals. It may be
+noted that in this picture one of the gates of Hebron does duty for
+that through which Jesus makes his triumphal entry into Jerusalem;
+the former being suggestive of far greater antiquity than any which
+are 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 the
+scribes and the chief of the people sought to destroy him. And could
+not find what they might do: for all the people were very attentive
+to hear him. And it came to pass, _that_ on one of those days, as he
+taught the people in the temple, and preached the gospel, the chief
+priests and the scribes came upon _him_ with the elders. And spake
+unto him, saying, Tell us, by what authority doest thou these things?
+or who is he that gave thee this authority? And he answered and said
+unto them, I will also ask you one thing; and answer me: The baptism
+of John, was it from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with
+themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why
+then believed ye him not? But and if we say, Of men; all the people
+will stone us: for they be persuaded that John was a prophet. And
+they answered, that they could not tell whence _it was_. And Jesus
+said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these
+things.--_St. Luke xix: 47, 48; xx: 1-8._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_The occasion on which Jesus encountered for the last time the
+opposition of his priestly enemies to his teaching, and when, in the
+presence of the assembled multitudes, he exposed and denounced their
+hypocrisy, is supposed to take place in one of the great outer courts
+of the Temple, the buildings of which, although begun forty-six years
+previously, were at this time still unfinished, and were indeed never
+fully 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 he
+went out, and abode in the mount that is called _the mount_ of
+Olives.--_St. Luke xxi: 37._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_As we ascend towards sunset the slopes of Olivet, and pause to gaze
+on the scenes beneath, the panorama of the city presented to view is
+in its leading features essentially similar to that upon which the
+eyes of Jesus rested, when "at night he went out, and abode in the
+mount that is called the Mount of Olives" Yonder stands a temple
+within that sacred enclosure which, for well-nigh three thousand
+years, save for the period during which, "the abomination of
+desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet stood in the Holy place,"
+has been dedicated to the worship of Jehovah. The citadel of
+Jerusalem breaks the skyline where stood the tower of Hippicus, and
+to the left, against the setting sun, the cypresses in a monastery
+garden mark the spot once covered by the gardens of the palace of
+Herod. Siloam stands as of old on the hither side, overlooking the
+valleys of Hinnom and Kidron; while to-day, as in former times, the
+olive yards beneath and the trees around, might well give the name
+which 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 hour
+was 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 the
+end. And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart
+of Judas Iscariot, Simon's _son_, to betray him. Jesus knowing that
+the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come
+from God, and went to God. He riseth from supper, and laid aside his
+garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth
+water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to
+wipe _them_ with the towel wherewith he was girded. Then cometh he to
+Simon 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; but
+thou shalt know hereafter. Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never
+wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no
+part with me. Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but
+also _my_ hands and _my_ head. Jesus saith to him, He that is washed
+needeth not save to wash _his_ feet, but is clean every whit: and ye
+are clean, but not all.--_St. John xiii: 1-10._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_A dwelling house, claiming to be one of the most ancient in
+Jerusalem, supplied materials for the study of the "large upper
+room," represented in this and some other of the paintings. The
+general features of the chamber, with its arched ceiling and
+flattened dome, its_ leewans _(raised platform) and the
+entrance-passage of colored stones, where guests leave their
+foot-gear before stepping upon the mat-covered floor of the room,
+may, for the reasons adduced elsewhere, be accepted as typical of
+similar 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 shall
+betray me. Then the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom
+he spake. Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples,
+whom Jesus loved. Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, that he
+should 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, to
+whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped _it_. And when he had
+dipped 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 what
+intent he spake this unto him. For some _of them_ thought, because
+Judas had the bag, that Jesus had said unto him, Buy _those things_
+that we have need of against the feast; or, that he should give
+something to the poor. He then having received the sop went
+immediately out: and it was night.--_St. John xiii: 21-30._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_Comment has already been made upon the custom prevailing at this
+time of reclining at meat. We are aware, from other sources of
+information, that in partaking of the Passover, the attitude of
+standing had, as a point of ritual, long been abandoned in favor of
+the recumbent posture, and this is directly evidenced by the words of
+the text (v: 23 and 25), which are only compatible with the
+supposition that on the present occasion the guest-chamber was
+furnished with couches which ran around the three sides of the table
+in the usual manner. Authorities differ as to which was regarded as
+the "highest seat" some maintaining that this was the outermost place
+on the right-hand couch; others, again, preferring the arrangement
+followed in the painting, where Jesus occupies the centre_.
+
+
+
+
+
+IN THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE
+
+
+
+
+Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith
+unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And he
+took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be
+sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is
+exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with
+me. 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 unto
+the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What,
+could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter
+not into temptation: the spirit indeed _is_ willing, but the flesh
+_is_ weak. He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O
+my 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 their
+eyes were heavy. And he left them, and went away again, and prayed
+the third time, saying the same words. Then cometh he to his
+disciples, 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 the
+hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that
+doth betray me.--_St. Matt, xxvi: 36-46._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_As the word Gethsemane means the "oil press" the "Garden" was in all
+probability an olive yard, whose actual site, though it cannot be
+determined with certainty, must have been in the immediate vicinity
+at least of the spot which age-long tradition indicates as the scene
+of the Agony. The great age of the trees in this enclosure has been
+urged in favor of the tradition, but it is fatal to their claim as
+witnesses, that Titus is known to have cut down, for military
+purposes, all the trees in the neighborhood of the besieged city.
+This site is now owned by the Russians who have turned it into a neat
+and trim garden, and built a bright new white church on the upper
+level with five large gilded bulbous domes_.
+
+
+
+
+
+THE ARREST OF JESUS
+
+
+
+
+
+Judas then, having received a band _of men_ and officers from the
+chief priests and Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches
+and weapons. Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come
+upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye? They answered
+him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am _he_. And Judas
+also, which betrayed him, stood with them. As soon then as he had
+said unto them, I am _he_, they went backward, and fell to the
+ground.--Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying,
+Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast. And
+forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him.
+And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came
+they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him. And, behold, one of them
+which 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: for
+all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest
+thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give
+me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the
+scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be? In that same hour said
+Jesus to the multitudes, Are ye come out as against a thief with
+swords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in
+the temple, and ye laid no hold on me. But all this was done, that
+the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the
+disciples forsook him, and fled.--_St. John xviii: 3-6; St. Matt,
+xxvi: 48-56._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_Cunningly conceived indeed was that signal of the kiss; for in the
+very act of betrayal, Judas thus covered his own treachery; and, had
+the plot failed, it would even have appeared as if, when "all the
+disciples forsook him and fled" Judas alone had courage, in the hour
+of danger, to stand by and openly to acknowledge Jesus as his
+Master_.
+
+
+
+
+
+JESUS EXAMINED BY CAIAPHAS
+
+
+
+
+And they that had laid hold on Jesus led _him_ away to Caiaphas the
+high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled. But
+Peter followed him afar off unto the high priest's palace, and went
+in, 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 witnesses
+came, _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 said
+unto him, Answerest thou nothing? what _is it which_ these witness
+against thee? But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered
+and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us
+whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus saith unto him,
+Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see
+the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the
+clouds of heaven. Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He
+hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses?
+behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy. What think ye? They answered
+and said, He is guilty of death.--_St. Matt, xxvi: 57--66._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_The outward ceremonial of the hastily convoked and Irregular
+tribunal before which Jesus underwent the mockery of a trial was
+similar to that of the ancient Sanhedrim. The members sat on a
+semi-circular divan, the president in the centre, and a scribe at
+each extremity, who recorded the evidence and the decisions of the
+court. It may be noted, that while laws had been carefully formulated
+for the conduct of such trials, almost every one of them was
+flagrantly violated on the present occasion in order to ensure a
+pre-arranged condemnation. For example, these rules provided that
+witnesses should be summoned, and that an advocate should plead on
+behalf of the accused; and they forbade that criminal trials should
+be conducted at night, that condemnation should be pronounced on the
+day of trial or on a holy day; and, if the crime were capital, that
+execution 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 gone
+out into the porch, another _maid_ saw him, and said unto them that
+were there, This _fellow_ was also with Jesus of Nazareth. And again
+he denied with an oath, I do not know the man. And after a while came
+unto _him_ they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also
+art _one_ of them; for thy speech betrayeth thee. Then began he to
+curse and to swear, _saying_, I know not the man. And immediately the
+cock crew. And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter
+remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the
+cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept
+bitterly.--_St. Matt, xxvi: 69-74.; St. Luke xxii: 61, 62_.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_In the East, the houses of the great and official residences usually
+consist of a group of separate yet connected buildings, surrounding a
+quadrangular paved court planted with trees and flowering shrubs, and
+furnished in the centre with an open cistern or fountain. Such was
+probably the construction of the palace of the High Priest
+(Caiaphas), and, apparently, this open court, across which Jesus
+would be conducted to or from the hall of trial, was the place where
+bitterness was added to his sorrow in hearing himself denied by his
+friend--and that man who had been the first to profess belief in his
+Messiahship, and who, but a few brief hours before, had stoutly sworn
+to stand by him, even unto death_.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Life of Jesus Christ for the Young
+by Richard Newton
+
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+<pre>
+
+Project Gutenberg's The Life of Jesus Christ for the Young, by Richard Newton
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Life of Jesus Christ for the Young
+
+Author: Richard Newton
+
+Release Date: March 8, 2004 [EBook #11509]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LIFE OF JESUS CHRIST ***
+
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+Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Tonya Allen, Charles Aldarondo and the
+Distributed Proofreaders
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+
+
+<h1>THE LIFE OF JESUS CHRIST FOR THE YOUNG BY
+
+<br>THE REV. RICHARD NEWTON, D.D.
+<br><br><br><br><br><br><i>ROYAL SCOTTISH ACADEMY</i>
+<br>VOL. III</h1>
+
+<center><a name="MAP_OF_PALESTINE"></a><a href="1.jpg"><img src="1.jpg" border="0" align="middle" alt="" width="80%"></a></center>
+
+
+
+<br><br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<a name="THE_GALLERY_OF_THE_LIFE_OF_JESUS_CHRIST"></a><h2>THE GALLERY OF THE LIFE OF JESUS CHRIST
+
+<br>VOLUME III
+
+<br><br>CONTENTS:</h2>
+
+<p><a href="#THE_APOSTLES_CHOSEN">I THE APOSTLES CHOSEN</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#THE_GREAT_TEACHER">II THE GREAT TEACHER</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#CHRIST_TEACHING_BY_PARABLES">III CHRIST TEACHING BY PARABLES</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#CHRIST_TEACHING_BY_MIRACLES">IV CHRIST TEACHING BY MIRACLES</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#CHRIST_TEACHING_LIBERALITY">V CHRIST TEACHING LIBERALITY</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#CHRIST_TEACHING_HUMILITY">VI CHRIST TEACHING HUMILITY</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#CHRIST_AND_THE_LITTLE_CHILDREN">VII CHRIST AND THE LITTLE CHILDREN</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#THE_TRANSFIGURATION">VIII THE TRANSFIGURATION</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#THE_LESSONS_FROM_OLIVET">IX THE LESSONS FROM OLIVET</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#THE_LORD'S_SUPPER">X THE LORD'S SUPPER</a></p>
+
+<h2>ILLUSTRATIONS:</h2>
+
+<p><a href="#MAP_OF_PALESTINE">MAP OF PALESTINE, IN COLORS</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#THE_WOMAN_OF_CANAAN">41. THE WOMAN OF CANAAN</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#SIMON_PETER'S_FAITH_IN_CHRIST">42. SIMON PETER'S FAITH IN CHRIST</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#THE_TRANSFIGURATION_OF_CHRIST">43. THE TRANSFIGURATION OF CHRIST</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#JESUS_HEALETH_A_LUNATIC">44. JESUS HEALETH A LUNATIC</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#LET_HE_WHO_IS_WITHOUT_SIN_AMONG_YOU">45. LET HE WHO IS WITHOUT SIN AMONG YOU</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#ONE_OF_TEN_LEPERS_CURED_IS_GRATEFUL">46. ONE OF TEN LEPERS CURED IS GRATEFUL</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#JESUS,_MARTHA,_MARY,_AND_LAZARUS">47. JESUS, MARTHA, MARY, AND LAZARUS</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#JESUS_BLESSETH_LITTLE_CHILDREN">48. JESUS BLESSETH LITTLE CHILDREN</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#THE_RESURRECTION_OF_LAZARUS,_FOUR_DAYS_DEAD">49. THE RESURRECTION OF LAZARUS, FOUR DAYS DEAD</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#CONVERSION_OF_ZACCHAEUS,_A_PUBLICAN">50. CONVERSION OF ZACCHAEUS, A PUBLICAN</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#JESUS_RESTORETH_SIGHT_TO_BARTIMAEUS">51. JESUS RESTORETH SIGHT TO BARTIMAEUS</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#CHRIST'S_TRIUMPHAL_ENTRY_INTO_JERUSALEM">52. CHRIST'S TRIUMPHAL ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#CHRIST_AVOUCHETH_HIS_AUTHORITY">53. CHRIST AVOUCHETH HIS AUTHORITY</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#AT_NIGHT,_JESUS_ABODE_ON_THE_MOUNT_OF_OLIVES">54. AT NIGHT, JESUS ABODE ON THE MOUNT OF OLIVES</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#JESUS_WASHETH_HIS_DISCIPLES'_FEET">55. JESUS WASHETH HIS DISCIPLES' FEET</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#THE_BETRAYAL_FORETOLD_AT_THE_SUPPER">56. THE BETRAYAL FORETOLD AT THE SUPPER</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#IN_THE_GARDEN_OF_GETHSEMANE">57. IN THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#THE_ARREST_OF_JESUS">58. THE ARREST OF JESUS</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#JESUS_EXAMINED_BY_CAIAPHAS">59. JESUS EXAMINED BY CAIAPHAS</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#JESUS_IS_THRICE_DENIED_BY_PETER">60. JESUS IS THRICE DENIED BY PETER</a></p>
+
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="THE_APOSTLES_CHOSEN"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<h3>THE APOSTLES CHOSEN</h3>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>As soon as he returned victorious from the temptation in the
+wilderness, Jesus entered on the work of his public ministry. We find
+him, at once, preaching to the people, healing the sick, and doing
+many wonderful works. The commencement of his ministry is thus
+described by St. Matt. iv: 23-25. &quot;And Jesus went about all Galilee,
+teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the
+kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness, and all manner of
+disease among the people. And his fame went throughout all Syria; and
+they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers
+diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils,
+and those which were lunatic, and those that had the palsy; and he
+healed them. And there followed him great multitudes of people from
+Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judea, and
+from beyond Jordan.&quot; What a blessed beginning of the most blessed of
+all 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 on
+his work.</p>
+
+<p>And one of the first things he did, after thus beginning his
+ministry, was to gather his disciples round him. The first two that
+we find named among his disciples are John and Andrew. They had been
+disciples of John the Baptist. Their master pointed them to Jesus,
+and said&mdash;&quot;Behold the Lamb of God.&quot; When they heard this they
+followed Jesus, and became his disciples. When Andrew met with his
+brother Simon Peter, he said to him &quot;we have found the Messias&mdash;the
+Christ. And he brought him to Jesus.&quot; After this we are told that
+&quot;Jesus findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me.&quot; He was an
+acquaintance of Andrew and Peter, and lived in the same town with
+them. He obeyed the call at once and became one of the disciples of
+Jesus.</p>
+
+<p>Philip had a friend named Nathanael. The next time he met him, he
+said, &quot;we have found him of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets
+did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.&quot; But Nazareth was a
+despised place, and had a bad reputation. Nathanael had a very poor
+opinion of the place, and he asked&mdash;&quot;Can there any good thing come
+out of Nazareth?&quot; Philip saith unto him&mdash;&quot;Come and see.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And this is what we should say to persons when we wish them to become
+Christians. There is so much that is lovely and excellent in Jesus
+that if people will only &quot;come and see,&quot; if they will only prove for
+themselves what a glorious Saviour he is, they will find it
+impossible to help loving and serving him. Nathanael came to Jesus.
+And when he heard the wonderful words that Jesus spoke to him he was
+converted at once, and expressed his wonder by saying&mdash;&quot;Rabbi, thou
+art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.&quot; We can read all
+about 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 one
+who bears the name of Bartholomew in the different lists of the
+apostles.</p>
+
+<p>After this we read of Jesus calling Matthew the publican, who was a
+tax-gatherer. This is what is meant by his &quot;sitting at the receipt of
+custom.&quot; &quot;Follow me,&quot; were the words spoken to him. He obeyed at
+once; left all and followed Jesus. St. Luke and St. Mark mention this
+same 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 to
+have two names. Sometimes they were called by one of these names and
+sometimes by the other.</p>
+
+<p>Here we have the account of six persons, who became disciples of
+Jesus; and of the different ways in which they were led to follow
+him. No doubt many others were led to become his disciples from
+simply hearing him preach; and from listening to the gracious words
+that he spoke.</p>
+
+<p>And very soon after he had gathered together a large company of
+disciples, he made choice of twelve, out of this number, who were to
+be 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 be
+prepared to take his place, and carry on his work when he should
+return to heaven.</p>
+
+<p>It was necessary for these men to be chosen. When Washington was
+appointed to conduct our armies during the Revolution, he chose a
+number of generals to help him. And it is natural for us to think of
+Washington and his generals. But just as natural it is to think
+of&mdash;Jesus and his apostles.</p>
+
+<p>And this is the subject we have now to consider&mdash;<i>The Apostles
+Chosen</i>.</p>
+
+<p>And in considering this subject there are four things of which to
+speak.</p>
+
+<p><i>The first, is the condition and character of the men whom Jesus
+chose as his apostles.</i></p>
+
+<p><i>The second, is the work these men were called to do.</i></p>
+
+<p><i>The third, is the help that was given them in doing this work; and</i></p>
+
+<p><i>The fourth, is the lesson taught us by this subject.</i> Or, to make the
+points of the subject as short as possible, we may state them thus:</p>
+
+<p><i>The men. The work. The help. The lesson.</i></p>
+
+<p>We begin then with speaking of&mdash;THE MEN&mdash;<i>or the condition and
+character of those whom Jesus chose to be his apostles or helpers</i>.</p>
+
+<p>Now we might have thought that Jesus would have chosen his apostles,
+or helpers, from among the angels of heaven. They are so wise, and
+good, and strong, that we wonder why he did not choose them. But he
+did not. He chose <i>men</i> to be his apostles. And what kind of men did
+he choose? If we had been asked this question beforehand, we should
+have supposed that he would certainly have chosen the wisest and the
+most learned men, the richest and greatest men that could be found in
+the 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 been
+heard of before. Fishermen, and tax-gatherers, and men occupying very
+humble positions in life, were those whom Jesus chose to be his
+apostles.</p>
+
+<p>And one reason, no doubt, why Jesus made choice of men of this
+character to be his apostles was that when their work was done, no
+one should be able to say that it was the learning, or wisdom, or
+riches, or power of men by whom that work was accomplished. The
+apostle Paul teaches us that this is the way in which God generally
+acts; and that he does it for the very reason just spoken of. He
+says, &quot;God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound
+the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to
+confound the mighty; and base things of the world, and things which
+are despised hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring
+to nought the things that are; that no flesh should glory in his
+presence.&quot; I. Cor. i: 27-29. The meaning of this passage is that God
+loves to work by little things. This was the reason why Jesus chose
+poor, unlearned fishermen to be his apostles. And we see God working
+in the same way continually.</p>
+
+<p>Look at yonder sun. God made it, and hung it up there in the sky that
+it might give light to our world. But the light which this sun gives
+comes to us in tiny little bits, smaller than the point of the finest
+needle that ever was made. They are so small that hundreds of them
+can rush right into our eyes, as they are doing all the time, and not
+hurt them the least. Here we see how God makes use of little things,
+and does a great work with them.</p>
+
+<p>And then look at yonder ocean. The waves of that ocean are so
+powerful that they can break in pieces the strongest ships that men
+have ever built. And yet, when God wishes to keep that mighty ocean
+in 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 great
+work with them. And we find God working in this way continually. Let
+us look at one or two illustrations.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What a Plant Did.&quot; A little plant was given to a sick girl. In
+trying to take care of it, the family made changes in their way of
+living, which added greatly to their comfort and happiness. First,
+they cleaned the window, that more light might come in to the leaves
+of the plant. Then, when not too cold, they opened the window, that
+fresh 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 room
+look so untidy that they washed the floor, and cleaned the walls, and
+arranged the furniture more neatly. This led the father of the family
+to mend a broken chair or two, which kept him at home several
+evenings. After this, he took to staying at home with his family in
+the evenings, instead of spending his time at the tavern; and the
+money thus saved went to buy comforts for them all. And then, as
+their home grew more pleasant, the whole family loved it better than
+ever before, and they grew healthier and happier with their flowers.
+What a little thing that plant was, and yet it was God's apostle to
+that family! It did a great work for them in blessing them and making
+them happy. And <i>that</i> was work that an angel would have been glad to
+do.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Brought In by a Smile.&quot; A London minister said to a friend one day;
+&quot;Seven persons were received into my church last Sunday, and they
+were all brought in by a smile.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Brought in by a smile! Pray what do you mean?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Let me explain. Several months ago, as I passed a certain house on
+my way to church, I saw, held in the arms of its nurse, a beautiful
+infant; and as it fixed its bright black eyes on me, I smiled, and
+the dear child returned the smile. The next Sabbath the babe was
+again before the window. Again I smiled, and the smile was returned,
+as before. The third Sabbath, as I passed by the window, I threw the
+little one a kiss. Instantly its hand was extended and a kiss thrown
+back to me. And so it came to pass that I learned to watch for the
+baby on my way to church; and as the weeks went by, I noticed that
+the nurse and the baby were not alone. Other members of the family
+pressed to the window to see the gentleman who always had a smile for
+the dear baby&mdash;the household pet.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;One Sunday morning, as I passed, two children, a boy and a girl,
+stood at the window beside the baby. That morning the father and
+mother had said to those children: 'Get ready for church, for we
+think that the gentleman who always smiles to the baby is a minister.
+When he passes you may follow him, and see where he preaches.'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The children were quite willing to follow the suggestion of their
+parents, and after I had passed, the door opened, and the children
+stepped upon the pavement, and kept near me, till I entered my
+church, when they followed me, and seats were given them.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;When they returned home, they sought their parents and eagerly
+exclaimed: 'He is a minister, and we have found his church, and he
+preached a beautiful sermon this morning. You must go and hear him
+next Sunday.'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It was not difficult to persuade the parents to go, and guided by
+their children they found their way to the church. They, too, were
+pleased, and other members of the family were induced to come to the
+house 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 all
+brought in by a smile.'&quot;</p>
+
+<p>What a little thing a smile is! And yet, here we see how God made use
+of so small a thing as this, to make seven persons Christians, and to
+save their souls forever! Of the God who can work in this way, it
+may well be said that he loves to work by little things. It is the
+way in which he is working continually.</p>
+
+<p>How eagerly, then, we may try to learn and to practise what has been
+very sweetly expressed in</p>
+
+<p>THE MITE SONG.</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;Only a drop in the bucket,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">But every drop will tell,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">The bucket would soon be empty,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Without the drops in the well.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;Only a poor little penny,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">It was all I had to give;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">But as pennies make the dollars,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">It may help some cause to live.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;A few little bits of ribbon,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And some toys&mdash;they were not new,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">But they made the sick child happy,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And that made me happy, too.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;Only some out-grown garments;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">They were all I had to spare;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">But they'll help to clothe the needy,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And the poor are everywhere.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;A word now and then of comfort,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">That cost me nothing to say;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">But the poor old man died happy,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And it helped him on the way.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;God loveth the cheerful giver,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Though the gifts be poor and small;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">But what must he think of his children</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Who never give at all?&quot;</span><br>
+
+<p>God loves to work by little means. We see this when we think of the
+men whom Jesus chose to be his apostles. The first thing about this
+subject is&mdash;<i>the men</i>.</p>
+
+<p><i>The second thing to speak of, in connection with this subject,
+is</i>&mdash;THE WORK&mdash;<i>they had to do</i>.</p>
+
+<p>What this work was we find fully stated in the fourteenth chapter of
+St. Matthew. In this chapter Jesus told the apostles all about the
+work they were to do for him, and how they were to do it. In the
+seventh and eighth verses of this chapter we have distinctly stated
+just what they were to do. &quot;As ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of
+heaven is at hand; Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead,
+cast out devils.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>On this occasion Jesus sent his apostles to do the work committed to
+them, not among the Gentiles, but only among the Jews; or as he calls
+them&mdash;&quot;the lost sheep of the house of Israel,&quot; v. 5,6. But, after his
+resurrection, and just before he went up to heaven, he enlarged their
+commission. His parting command to them then was&mdash;&quot;<i>Go ye into all
+the world, and preach the gospel to every creature</i>.&quot; St. Mark xvi:
+15.</p>
+
+<p>When Jesus, their Master, went to heaven they were to take up and
+carry on the great work that he had begun. Those twelve men were to
+begin the work of changing the religion of the world. They were to
+overturn the idols that had been worshiped for ages. They were to
+shut up the temples in which those idols had been worshiped. They
+were to &quot;turn men from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan
+unto God.&quot; Acts xxvi: 18. They were to go up and down the world,
+everywhere, telling the wondrous story of Jesus and his love. And in
+doing this work they were to be the means of saving the souls of all
+who believed their message, and in the end of winning the world back
+to Jesus, till, according to God's promise, he has &quot;the heathen for
+his inheritance, and the utmost parts of the earth for his
+possession.&quot; Ps. ii: 8.</p>
+
+<p>This was the grandest and most important work that men were ever
+called 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 not
+finished yet. And, if we learn to love and serve Jesus, we may help
+to carry it on. We may be apostles, too, though in a lower sense than
+that in which the first twelve were apostles. An apostle means&mdash;one
+<i>sent</i>. But Jesus <i>sends</i> into the vineyard to work for him all who
+become his loving children. And, in this sense it is true that all
+who love and serve Jesus are his apostles. He says to each of
+us&mdash;&quot;Go, work to-day, in my vineyard.&quot; St. Matt, xxi: 28. And in
+another place he says&mdash;&quot;Let him that heareth, say, Come.&quot; Rev. xxii:
+17.</p>
+
+<p>And when we are trying to tell people of Jesus and his love, and to
+bring them to him, then we are helping to carry on the same great
+work that Jesus gave his apostles to do. Let us look at some examples
+of persons who have been apostles for God and helped to do the work
+of apostles.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Aunt Lucy.&quot; I heard the other day of a good old woman in the State
+of Michigan, known as Aunt Lucy. She is eighty-four years old, and
+lives all alone, supporting herself principally by carpet-weaving.
+All that she can save from her earnings, after paying for her
+necessary expenses, she spends in buying Bibles, which she
+distributes among the children and the poor of the neighborhood.
+Thirteen large family Bibles, and fifty small ones, have thus been
+given away&mdash;good, well-bound Bibles.</p>
+
+<p>A neighbor, who has watched this good work very closely, says that
+two-thirds of the persons to whom Aunt Lucy has given Bibles have
+afterwards become Christians. In doing this work Aunt Lucy was an
+apostle.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Charcoal Carrier.&quot; One Sunday afternoon, in summer, a little
+girl named Mary, going home from a Sunday-school in the country, sat
+down to rest under the shade of a tree by the roadside. While sitting
+there she opened her Bible to read. As she sat reading, a man, well
+known in that neighborhood as Jacob, the charcoal carrier, came by
+with 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 was
+not a Christian man, and was accustomed to work with his donkey as
+hard on Sunday as on week-days.</p>
+
+<p>When he came by where Mary was sitting, he stopped a moment, and
+said, in a good-natured way:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What book is that you are reading, my little maid?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It is God's book&mdash;the Bible,&quot; said Mary.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Let me hear you read a little in it, if you please,&quot; said he,
+stopping his donkey.</p>
+
+<p>Mary began at the place where the book was open, and read:&mdash;&quot;Remember
+the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do
+all thy work.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;There, that's enough,&quot; said Jacob, &quot;and now tell me what it means.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It means,&quot; said Mary, &quot;that you mustn't carry charcoal, on Sunday,
+nor let your donkey carry it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Does it?&quot; said Jacob, musing a little. &quot;I tell you what then, I must
+think over what you have said.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And he <i>did</i> think over it. And the result of his thinking was, that
+instead of going with his donkey to the woods on the next Sunday, he
+went with his two little girls to the Sunday-school. And the end of
+it all was that Jacob, the charcoal carrier, became a Christian, and
+God's blessing rested on him and his family.</p>
+
+<p>Little Mary was doing an apostle's work when she read and explained
+the Bible to Jacob and was the means of bringing him to Jesus.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Use of Fragments.&quot; In the Cathedral at Lincoln, England, there
+is a window of stained glass which was made by an apprentice out of
+little pieces of glass that had been thrown aside by his master as
+useless. It is said to be the most beautiful window in the Cathedral.
+And if, like this apprentice, we carefully gather up, and improve the
+little bits of time, of knowledge, and of opportunities that we have,
+we may do work for God more beautiful than that Cathedral window. We
+may do work like that which the apostles were sent to do. Here are
+some sweet lines, written by I know not whom, about that beautiful
+window, made out of the little pieces of glass:</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;Great things are made of fragments small,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Small things are germs of great;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">And, of earth's stately temples, all</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">To fragments owe their weight.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;This window, peer of all the rest,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Of fragments small is wrought;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Of fragments that the artist deemed</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Unworthy of his thought.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;And thus may we, of little things,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Kind words and gentle deeds,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Add wealth or beauty to our lives,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Which greater acts exceeds.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;Each victory o'er a sinful thought,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Each action, true and pure,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Is, 'mid our life's engraving, wrought</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">In tints that shall endure.&quot;</span><br>
+
+<p>The second thing about the apostles is, <i>the work</i>&mdash;they did.</p>
+
+<p><i>The third thing, for us to notice about the apostles, is</i>&mdash;THE
+HELP&mdash;<i>they received</i>.</p>
+
+<p>In one place, we are told that Jesus &quot;gave them power against unclean
+spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness, and
+all manner of disease.&quot; St. Matt. x: 1. In another place we are told,
+that for their comfort and encouragement in the great work they had
+to do, Jesus said to them, &quot;Lo, I am with you always, even unto the
+end of the world.&quot; St. Matt. xxviii: 20. And if they only had Jesus
+with them, no matter what the work was they had to do, they would be
+sure of having all the help they might need. The apostle Paul
+understood this very well, for he said, &quot;I can do all things through
+Christ, which strengtheneth me.&quot; Phil. iv: 13.</p>
+
+<p>And then, as if his own presence with them were not enough, Jesus
+promised that his apostles should have the help of the Holy Spirit in
+carrying on their work. Just before leaving them to go to heaven, he
+said to the disciples&mdash;&quot;Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy
+Ghost is come upon you.&quot; Acts i: 8. And what this power was we see in
+the case of the apostle Peter; for the first sermon he preached
+after the Holy Ghost came upon him, on the day of Pentecost, was the
+means of converting three thousand souls. Acts ii: 41.</p>
+
+<p>And the same God who gave the apostles all the help they needed, has
+promised to do the same for you, and me, and for all who try to work
+for him. There are many promises of this kind in the Bible to which I
+might refer. But I will only mention one. This is so sweet and
+precious that it deserves to be written in letters of gold. There is
+no passage in the Bible that has given me so much comfort and
+encouragement in trying to work for God as this I refer here to Is.
+xli: 10. &quot;Fear thou not; for I am with thee; be not dismayed; for I
+am thy God; I will strengthen thee; yea&mdash;I WILL HELP THEE.&quot; This
+promise was not given for prophets and apostles only, but for all
+God's people to the end of time. You and I, if we are trying to serve
+God, may take it as ours. God meant it for us. And when we get this
+promised help from God, we can do any work he has for us to do, and
+be happy in doing it.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;For Thine is the Power.&quot; &quot;I can't do it&mdash;it's quite impossible. I've
+tried five times, and can't get it right&quot;&mdash;and Ben Hartley pushed his
+book and slate away in despair. Ben was a good scholar. He was at
+the head of his class, and was very anxious to stay there. But the
+sums he had now to do were very hard. He could not do them, and was
+afraid of losing his place in the class. Most of the boys had some
+one 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 school
+much when a girl, and she could not help Ben.</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Hartley felt sorry for her son's perplexity, and quietly said,
+&quot;Then, Ben, you don't believe in the Lord's prayer?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Lord's prayer, mother! Why, there's nothing there to help a
+fellow do his sums.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, yes; there is. There is help for every trouble in life in the
+Lord's prayer, if we only know how to use it. I was trying a long
+time before I found out what the last part of this prayer really
+means. 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 ask
+him to keep us from evil; and to forgive us our sins; and then we
+say: 'for <i>thine</i> is the <i>kingdom</i>, and <i>the power</i>, and the glory.'
+It's God's power that we rely on&mdash;not our own; and it often helps
+me, Ben, when I have something hard to do. I say, 'For <i>thine</i> is the
+power&mdash;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.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Ben sat silent. It seemed almost too familiar a prayer. And yet he
+remembered when he had to stay home from school because he had no
+clothes fit to go in, how he prayed to God about it, and the
+minister's wife brought him a suit the very next day. &quot;But a boy's
+sums, mother! it seems like such a little thing to ask God about.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Those sums are not a little thing to you, Ben. Your success at
+school depends on your knowing how to do them. <i>That</i>, is as much to
+you, as many a greater thing to some one else. Now I care a great
+deal about that, because I love you. And I know your Father in heaven
+loves you more than I do. I would gladly help you, if I could; but he
+<i>can</i> help you. His 'is the power;' ask him to help you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>After doing an errand for his mother, Ben picked up his book and
+slate and went up to his little room. Kneeling down by the bed he
+repeated the Lord's prayer. When he came to&mdash;&quot;thine is the kingdom,&quot;
+he stopped a moment, and then said, with all his heart&mdash;&quot;'And thine
+is the power,' heavenly Father. I want power to know how to do these
+sums. There's no one else to help me. Lord, please give me power, for
+Jesus' sake, Amen.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Ben waited a moment, and then, still on his knees, he took his slate
+and tried again. Do you ask me if he succeeded? Remember what Saint
+James says, &quot;If any man lack wisdom let him ask of God, who giveth to
+all men liberally, and upbraideth not: <i>and it shall be given him</i>.&quot;
+Jas. i: 5. That is God's promise, and heaven and earth must pass away
+before one of his promises shall fail. Ben had prayed to God to help
+him, and God answered his prayer. He tried once more to work out
+those sums. After thinking over them a little while, he saw the
+mistake he had made in neglecting one of the rules for working the
+sums. He corrected this mistake, and then he found they all worked
+out beautifully. The next day he was head of the class; for he was
+the only boy who could say that he had done the sum himself, without
+getting any one at home to help him.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And yet I was helped, mother,&quot; said Ben, &quot;for I am sure my Father in
+heaven helped me.&quot; But that was not what the teacher meant. After
+this, Ben never forgot the last part of the Lord's prayer. When he
+needed help he knew where the power was that could help him.</p>
+
+<p>Here was where the apostles got the help they needed in doing the
+hard work they had to do. And how much help we might get in doing our
+work if we only make a right use of this &quot;power which belongeth unto
+God;&quot; and which he is always ready to use in helping us.</p>
+
+<p>The help they received, is the third thing to remember when we think
+about the apostles and their work.</p>
+
+<p><i>The last thing to bear in mind when we think of Jesus choosing his
+twelve apostles, is</i>&mdash;THE LESSON&mdash;<i>it teaches us</i>.</p>
+
+<p>There are many lessons we might learn from this subject; but there is
+one so much more important than all the rest that we may very well
+let them go, and think only of this one. When St. Luke tells us about
+Jesus choosing the twelve apostles, he mentions one very important
+thing, of which St. Matthew, in his account of it says nothing at
+all. And it is this thing from which we draw our lesson. In the
+twelfth verse of the sixth chapter of his gospel, St. Luke
+says&mdash;&quot;And it came to pass in those days, that he (Jesus) went out
+into a mountain to pray, and <i>continued all night in prayer to God</i>.&quot;
+And after this, the first thing he did, in the morning, was to call
+his disciples to him, and out of them to choose the twelve, who were
+to be his apostles. And the lesson we learn from this part of the
+subject is:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Lesson of Prayer.&quot; Jesus spent the whole night in prayer to God,
+before he chose his apostles. How strange this seems to us! And yet
+it is easy enough to see at least two reasons why he did this. One
+was because <i>he loved to pray</i>. We know how pleasant it is for us to
+meet, and talk with a person whom we love very much. But prayer
+is&mdash;talking with God&mdash;telling him what we want, and asking his help.
+But Jesus loved his Father in heaven, with a love deeper and stronger
+than we can understand. This must have made it the most delightful of
+all things for him to be engaged in prayer, or in talking with his
+Father in heaven. And, if we really love Jesus, prayer will not be a
+hard duty to us, but a sweet privilege. We shall love to pray,
+because, in prayer we are talking to that blessed Saviour, &quot;whom,
+not having seen, we love.&quot; And this was one reason why Jesus spent
+the whole night in prayer, before choosing his twelve apostles.</p>
+
+<p>But there was another reason why Jesus spent so much time in prayer
+before performing this important work, and that was to <i>set us an
+example</i>. It was to teach us the very lesson of which we are now
+speaking&mdash;the lesson of prayer. Remember how much power and wisdom
+Jesus had in himself; and what mighty things he was able to do. And
+yet, if <i>He</i> felt that it was right to pray before engaging in any
+important work, how much more necessary it is for us to do so!</p>
+
+<p>Let us learn this lesson well. Let it be the rule and habit of our
+lives to connect prayer with everything we do. This will make us
+happy in our own souls, and useful to those about us.</p>
+
+<p>How full the Bible is of the wonders that have been wrought by
+prayer! Just think for a moment of some of them.</p>
+
+<p>Abraham prays, and Lot is delivered from the fiery flood that
+overwhelmed Sodom and Gomorrah. Gen. xix: 29. Jacob prays, and he
+wrestles with the angel, and obtains the blessing; his brother
+Esau's mind is wonderfully turned away from the wrath he had
+cherished for twenty years. Moses prays and Amalek is discomfited.
+Joshua prays and Achan is discovered. Hannah prays and Samuel is
+born. David prays and Ahithophel hangs himself. Elijah prays and a
+famine of three years comes upon Israel. He prays again, and the rain
+descends, and the famine ends. Elisha prays, and Jordan is divided.
+He prays again, and the dead child's soul is brought back from the
+invisible world. Isaiah and Hezekiah pray, and a hundred and
+eighty-five thousand Assyrian soldiers are slain in one night by the
+unseen sword of the angel. These are Bible illustrations of the help
+God gives to his people in answer to prayer. And the Bible rule for
+prayer, as given by our Saviour, is, &quot;that men ought <i>always</i> to
+pray,&quot; Luke xviii: 1. St. Paul's way of stating it is&mdash;&quot;Praying
+always, with all prayer,&quot; Ephes. vi: 18. In another place he
+says&mdash;&quot;Pray without ceasing,&quot; I. Thess. v: 17. And even the heathen
+teach the same rule about prayer. Among the rules of Nineveh, an
+inscription on a tablet has been found, which, on being translated,
+proved to contain directions about prayer. It may be entitled:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;An Assyrian Call to Prayer.&quot; These are the words of the call:</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;Pray thou! pray thou!</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Before the couch, pray!</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Before the throne, pray!</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Before the canopy, pray!</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Before the building of the lofty head, pray!</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Before the rising of the dawn, pray!</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Before the fire, pray!</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">By the tablets and papyri, pray!</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">By the side of the river, pray!</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">By the side of a ship, or riding in a ship, or leaving the ship, pray!</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">At the rising of the sun, or the setting of the sun, pray!</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">On coming out of the city, on entering the city, pray!</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">On coming out of the great gate, on entering the great gate, pray!</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">On coming out of the house, pray! on entering the house, pray!</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">In the place of judgment, pray!</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">In the temple, pray!&quot;</span><br>
+
+<p>This is like the Bible rule of&mdash;&quot;praying always.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Praying for a Dinner.&quot; &quot;Grandma, aren't we going to church this
+morning?&quot; asked a little girl.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;My child, we have had no breakfast, and have no dinner to eat when
+we come back,&quot; said her grandma.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But the Lord Jesus can give it to us if we ask him,&quot; said the little
+girl. &quot;Let's ask him.&quot; So they kneeled down, and asked that God, &quot;who
+feedeth the young ravens when they cry,&quot; to remember them, and help
+them.</p>
+
+<p>Then they went to church. They found it very much crowded. An old
+gentleman took the little girl upon his knee. He was pleased with her
+quiet behaviour. On parting with her at the close of the service, he
+slipped a half crown into her hand. &quot;See, Grandma,&quot; she said, as soon
+as they were out of church, &quot;Jesus has sent us our dinner.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>But when we ask God to help us, we must always try to help ourselves.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Working as well as Praying.&quot; Two little girls went to the same
+school; one of them, named Mary, always said her lessons well, the
+other, named Jane, always failed. One day Jane said, &quot;Mary, how does
+it happen that you always say your lessons so well?&quot; Mary said she
+prayed over her lessons, and <i>that</i> was the secret of her success.</p>
+
+<p>Jane concluded to try praying. But the next day she failed worse than
+ever. In tears, she reproached Mary for deceiving her. &quot;But, did you
+study hard, as well as pray over your lesson?&quot; asked Mary.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No; I thought if I only prayed, that was all I had to do,&quot; replied
+Jane. &quot;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 lessons
+well,&quot; was Mary's wise answer. The next day Jane studied, as well as
+prayed, and she had her lesson perfectly.</p>
+
+<p>The greatest work we can ever do, is to bring a soul to Jesus, or to
+convert a sinner from the error of his way. Here is an illustration
+of the way in which this may be done by prayer and effort combined:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Coachman and His Prayer.&quot; &quot;I was riding once, on the top of a
+stage-coach,&quot; said a Christian gentleman, &quot;when the driver by my side
+began to swear in a dreadful manner. I lifted up my heart for God's
+blessing on what I said; and presently, in a quiet way, I asked him
+this question: 'Driver, do you ever pray?' He seemed displeased at
+first; but after awhile he replied, 'I sometimes go to church on
+Sunday; and then I suppose I pray, don't I?' 'I am afraid you never
+pray at all; for no man can swear as you do, and yet be in the habit
+of praying to God.'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;As we rode along he seemed thoughtful. 'Coachman, I wish you would
+pray now,' I said. '&quot;Why, what a time to pray, Sir, when a man is
+driving a coach!&quot;' 'Yet, my friend, God will hear you,' '&quot;What shall
+I pray?&quot;' he asked, in a low voice. 'Pray these words: '&quot;O Lord,
+grant me thy Holy Spirit, for Christ's sake. Amen.&quot;' He hesitated,
+but in a moment he repeated them; and then, at my request, he said
+them over a second, and a third time. The end of the journey was
+reached, and I left him.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;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 was
+answered. I saw myself a lost, and ruined sinner; but now, I humbly
+hope, that through the blood which cleanseth from all sin, and by the
+power of the Holy Spirit, I am a converted man.'&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And so, when we think of the twelve apostles, appointed by Jesus to
+preach his gospel, these are the four things for us to remember in
+connection with them, viz.:&mdash;<i>the men</i> whom he chose; <i>the work</i> they
+had to do; <i>the help</i> given them in doing that work; and <i>the lesson</i>
+we are taught by this subject&mdash;the lesson of prayer.</p>
+
+<p>Whatever we have to do, let us do it with all our hearts, and do it
+as for God, and then we shall be his apostles&mdash;his sent ones. Let me
+put the application of this subject in the form of some earnest,
+practical lines that I lately met with. The lines only speak of
+boys, but they apply just as well to girls. They are headed:</p>
+
+<p>DRIVE THE NAIL.</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;Drive the nail aright, boys,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Hit it on the head,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Strike with all your might, boys,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">While the iron's red.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;Lessons you've to learn, boys,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Study with a will;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">They who reach the top, boys,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">First must climb the hill.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;Standing at the foot, boys,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Gazing at the sky,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">How can you get up, boys,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">If you never try?</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;Though you stumble oft, boys,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Never be downcast;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Try and try again, boys,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">You'll succeed at last.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;Ever persevere, boys,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Tho' your task be hard;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Toil and happy cheer, boys,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Bring their own reward.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;Never give it up, boys,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Always say you'll try;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Joy will fill your cup, boys,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Flowing by and by.&quot;</span><br>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="THE_GREAT_TEACHER"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<h2>THE GREAT TEACHER</h2>
+
+
+
+<br><br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>Teaching was the great business of the life of Christ during the days
+of his public ministry. He was <i>sent</i> to teach and to preach. The
+speaker in the book of Job was thinking of this Great Teacher when he
+asked&mdash;&quot;<i>Who teacheth like him</i>?&quot; Job xxxvi: 22. And it was he who
+was in the Psalmist's mind when he spoke of the &quot;good, and upright
+Lord&quot; who would teach sinners, if they were meek, how to walk in his
+ways. Ps. xxv: 8-9. And he is the Redeemer, of whom the prophet
+Isaiah was telling when he said&mdash;He would &quot;<i>teach us to profit</i>, and
+<i>would lead us by the way that we should go</i>.&quot; And thus we know how
+true was what Nicodemus said of him, that &quot;he was a <i>teacher sent
+from God</i>.&quot; John iii: 2. Thus what was said of Jesus, before he came
+into our world, would naturally lead us to expect to find him
+occupied in teaching. And so he <i>was</i> occupied, all through the days
+of his public ministry. St. Matthew tells us that&mdash;&quot;Jesus went about
+all Galilee, <i>teaching</i> in their synagogues.&quot; Ch. iv: 23. Further on
+in his gospel he tells us again that &quot;Jesus went about all the
+cities, and villages, teaching in their synagogues.&quot; Ch. ix: 35. When
+on his trial before Pilate, his enemies brought it as a charge
+against him that he had been&mdash;&quot;<i>teaching</i> throughout all Jewry.&quot; Luke
+xxiii: 5. We read in one place that&mdash;&quot;the elders of the people came
+unto him <i>as he was teaching</i>.&quot; Matt. xxi: 23. Jesus himself gave
+this account of his life work to his enemies&mdash;&quot;I sat <i>daily</i> with you
+<i>teaching</i> in the temple.&quot; Matt. xxvi: 55. And so we come now to look
+at the life of Christ from this point of view&mdash;as a Teacher. There
+never was such a Teacher. We do not wonder at the effect of his
+teaching of which we read in St. John vii: 46, when the chief priests
+sent some of their officers to take him prisoner, and bring him unto
+them; the officers went, and joined the crowd that was listening to
+his preaching. His words had such a strange effect on them that they
+could not think of touching him. So they went back to their masters
+without doing what they had been sent to do. &quot;And when the chief
+priests and Pharisees said unto them&mdash;Why have ye not brought him?
+The officers answered, <i>Never man spake like this man</i>.&quot; Jesus was
+indeed&mdash;<i>The Great Teacher</i>. In this light we are now to look at him.
+And as we do this we shall find that there were <i>five</i> great things
+about his teaching which made him different from any other teacher
+the world has ever known.</p>
+
+<p><i>In the first place Jesus may well be called the Great Teacher,
+because of the</i>&mdash;GREAT BLESSINGS&mdash;<i>of which he came to tell</i>.</p>
+
+<p>We find some of these spoken of at the opening of his first great
+sermon to his disciples, called &quot;The Sermon on the Mount.&quot; This is
+the most wonderful sermon that ever was preached. Jesus began it by
+telling about some of the great blessings he had brought down from
+heaven for poor sinful creatures such as we are. The sermon begins in
+the fifth chapter of St. Matthew, and the first twelve verses of the
+chapter are occupied in speaking of these blessings. As soon as he
+opened his mouth and began to speak a stream of blessings flowed out.</p>
+
+<p>It was a beautiful thought, on this subject, which a boy in
+Sunday-school once had. The teacher had been talking to his class
+about the beginning of this sermon on the mount. He had spoken of the
+sweetness of the words of Jesus, when &quot;He opened his mouth and
+taught&quot; his disciples. &quot;How pleasant it must have been, my dear
+boys,&quot; said he, &quot;to have seen the blessed Saviour, and to have heard
+him speak!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>A serious-minded little fellow in the class said, &quot;Teacher, don't you
+think that when Jesus opened his mouth, and began to speak to his
+disciples, it must have been like taking the stopper out of a scent
+bottle?&quot; I cannot tell whether this boy had ever read the words of
+Solomon or not; but he had just the same idea that was in his mind
+when he said of this &quot;Great Teacher,&quot; &quot;thy name is <i>as ointment
+poured forth</i>.&quot; Cant, i: 3. We perceive the fragrance of this
+ointment as soon as Jesus opens his mouth and begins to speak. If we
+had been listening to Jesus when he began this sermon, saying:&mdash;&quot;
+Blessed are the poor in spirit; blessed are the meek; blessed are the
+pure in heart; blessed are the peace-makers&quot;&mdash;and so on till he had
+spoken of <i>nine</i> different kinds of blessing, we might have thought
+that he had nothing but blessings of which to tell. It would have
+seemed as if his mind, and heart, and lips, and hands were all so
+filled with blessings that he could do nothing else till he had told
+about these. And the blessings spoken of here are not all the
+blessings that Jesus brought. They are only specimens of them. The
+blessings he has obtained for us are innumerable. David says of them,
+&quot;If I would declare and speak of them they are more than can be
+numbered.&quot; Ps. xl: 5. And these blessings are not only very numerous,
+but very <i>great</i>. Look at one or two of these blessings that Jesus,
+the Great Teacher, brings to us. He says, &quot;Blessed are they that
+mourn, for they shall be comforted.&quot; Jesus came to bring comfort to
+the mourners. Hundreds of years before Christ came the prophet Isaiah
+had said of him that he would come to &quot;<i>comfort all that mourn</i>.&quot; Is.
+lxi: 2. And to show how complete this blessing would be which he was
+to bring, Jesus said himself&mdash;&quot;<i>As one whom his mother
+comforteth</i>&mdash;<i>so will I comfort you</i>.&quot; Is. lxvi: 13. A young girl was
+dying. A friend who came in to see her said:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I trust you have a good hope.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; she answered, distinctly; &quot;I am not hoping&mdash;I am certain. My
+salvation was finished on the cross. My soul is saved. Heaven is
+mine. I am going to Jesus.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>What a great blessing it is to have comfort like that!</p>
+
+<p>When Jesus was speaking to the woman of Samaria, as he sat by Jacob's
+well, he compared the blessing of his grace to the water of that
+well. Pointing to the well at his side, he said: &quot;Whosoever drinketh
+of this water will thirst again. But whosoever drinketh of the water
+that I shall give him, shall never thirst; but the water that I shall
+give him, shall be <i>in him, a well of water, springing up unto
+everlasting life</i>.&quot; John iv: 13, 14. This is one of the most
+beautiful illustrations of the blessing Jesus gives that ever was
+used. It is a great blessing to have a well of clear, cold water in
+our garden, or near our door. But, only think of having a well of
+water <i>in our hearts</i>. Then, wherever we go, we carry that well with
+us. We never have to go away from it. No one can separate between us
+and the water of this well. Other wells dry up and fail. But this is
+a well that never dries up, and never fails. This well is deep, and
+its water is all the time &quot;springing up unto everlasting life.&quot; How
+happy they are in whose breasts Jesus opens this well of water!</p>
+
+<p>Coleridge, the English poet, in writing to a young friend, just
+before his death, said:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Health is a great blessing; wealth, gained by honest industry, is a
+great blessing; it is a great blessing to have kind, faithful, loving
+friends and relatives, <i>but, the greatest, and best of all blessings
+is to be a Christian</i>.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>One of the most able and learned lawyers that England ever had was
+John Selden. He was so famous for his learning and knowledge that he
+is always spoken of as &quot;the learned Selden.&quot; On his deathbed he
+said&mdash;&quot;I have taken much pains to know everything that was worth
+knowing among men; but with all my reading and all my knowledge,
+nothing now remains with me to comfort me at the close of life but
+these precious words of St. Paul: 'This a faithful saying, and worthy
+of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save
+sinners;' to this I cling. In this I rest. This gives me peace, and
+comfort, and enables me to die happy.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>William Wilberforce was another of the great and good men who have
+been a blessing and an honor to England. When he was on his deathbed,
+he said to a dear friend:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;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 my
+Saviour. Read the Bible. Let no other book take its place. Through
+all my trials and perplexities, it has been my comfort. And now it
+comforts me, and makes me happy.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Here we see &quot;this well of water springing up unto everlasting life.&quot;
+And Jesus, who came to tell us of this water, and to open up this
+well in our breasts, may well be called, &quot;the Great Teacher,&quot; because
+of the great blessings&mdash;of which he tells.</p>
+
+<p><i>In the second place Jesus may be called &quot;the Great Teacher&quot; because
+of the</i>&mdash;GREAT SIMPLICITY&mdash;<i>of his teachings</i>.</p>
+
+<p>I do not mean to say that we can understand every thing that Jesus
+taught. This is not so. He had some things to speak about that are
+not simple. He said to his disciples, &quot;<i>I have yet many things to say
+unto you, but ye cannot bear them now</i>.&quot; John xvi: 12. This means
+that there are some things about God, and heaven, of which he wished
+to tell them, but they were too hard for them to understand, although
+they were full-grown men. And so he did not tell them of these
+things. But even among the things that Jesus did tell about, there
+are some which the wisest and most learned men in the world have
+never been able to understand or explain. Some one has compared the
+Bible to a river, in which there are some places deep enough for an
+elephant or a giant to swim in; and other places where the water is
+shallow enough for a child to wade in. And it is just so with the
+teachings of Jesus. Some of the most important lessons he taught are
+so plain and simple that very young people can understand them.</p>
+
+<p>We have a good illustration of this in that sweet invitation which
+Jesus gave when he said,&mdash;&quot;<i>Come unto me, all ye that labor and are
+heavy laden, and I will give you rest.</i>&quot; Matt. xi: 28. Very young
+people know what it is to feel tired and weary from walking, or
+working too much, or from carrying a heavy burden. And, when they are
+too tired to do anything else, they know what it is to go to their
+dear 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 we
+are tired, or troubled, that our souls may find rest in him. We come
+to Jesus, when we pray to him; when we tell him all about our
+troubles; when we ask him to help us; and when we trust in his
+promises.</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;Was there ever gentlest shepherd</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Half so gentle, half so sweet,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">As the Saviour, who would have us</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Come and gather round his feet?</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;There's a wideness in God's mercy,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Like the wideness of the sea;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">There's a kindness in his justice</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Which is more than liberty.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;There is no place where earth's sorrows</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Are more felt than up in heaven;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">There is no place where earth's failings</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Have such kindly judgments given.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;There is plentiful redemption</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">In the blood that has been shed;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">There is joy for all the members</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">In the sorrows of the head.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;If our love were but more simple,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">We should take him at his word;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">And our lives would all be sunshine,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">In the sweetness of our Lord.&quot;</span><br>
+
+<p>The prophet Isaiah foretold that when Jesus came, he would teach his
+doctrines to children just weaned. Chap. xxviii: 9. This shows us
+that 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 those
+loving words:&mdash;&quot;<i>Suffer the little children to come unto me, and
+forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of God.</i>&quot; Mark x: 14.
+None of the other famous teachers known to the world ever took such
+interest in children as Jesus did. And none of them ever taught with
+such great simplicity. What multitudes of young people have been led
+to love and serve Jesus by thinking of the sweet words he spoke about
+children!</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Child's Gospel.&quot; A little girl sat still in church listening to
+the minister. She could not understand what he was saying till he
+quoted these words of Jesus about the children. But she understood
+them. She felt that they were words spoken for her. They made her
+feel very happy. And when she went home she threw her arms around her
+mother's neck, who had been kept at home by sickness, and said, &quot;O,
+mother, I have heard the <i>child's gospel</i> to-day.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It's For Me.&quot; Little Carrie was a heathen child, about ten years
+old. After she had been going to the Mission School for some time,
+her teacher noticed, one day, that she looked sad.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Carrie, my dear,&quot; she said, &quot;why do you look so sad to-day?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Because I am thinking.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And what are you thinking about?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, teacher, I don't know whether Jesus loves me, or not.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Carrie, what did Jesus say about little children coming to him when
+he was on earth?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>In a moment the sweet words she had learned in the school were on her
+lips&mdash;&quot;Suffer the little children to come unto me, &amp;c.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, Carrie, for whom did Jesus speak these words?&quot; At once she
+clapped her hands and exclaimed: &quot;It's not for you, teacher, is it?
+for you are not a child. No: it's for me! it's for me!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>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 away
+since &quot;Jesus was here among men,&quot; these same simple words have been
+drawing the little ones to him.</p>
+
+<p>And so, because of the great simplicity which marked his teaching,
+Jesus must truly be called&mdash;the Great Teacher.</p>
+
+<p><i>But in the third place there was</i>&mdash;GREAT TENDERNESS&mdash;<i>in Jesus, and
+this was another thing that helped to make him the Great Teacher</i>.</p>
+
+<p>It was this great tenderness that led him, when he came to be our
+Teacher and Saviour to take our nature upon him and so become like
+us. 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 disciples
+saw him on the Mount of Transfiguration. But then we should have been
+afraid of him. He would not have known how we feel, and could not
+have felt for us. But instead of this, his tenderness led him to take
+our nature upon him, that he might be able to put himself in our
+place, and so to understand just how we feel, and what we need to
+help and comfort us. This is what the apostle means in Heb. ii: 14,
+when he says&mdash;&quot;Forasmuch as the children were partakers of flesh and
+blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same.&quot; He did this
+on purpose that he might know, by his own experience, how we are
+tried and tempted; and so be able to sympathize with us and help us
+in all our trials.</p>
+
+<p>Here is a little story, very simple, and homely; but yet, one that
+illustrates very well the point of which we are speaking. It is a
+story about:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;A Lost Horse Found.&quot; A valuable horse was lost, belonging to a
+farmer in New England. A number of his neighbors turned out to try
+and find the horse. They searched all through the woods and fields
+of the surrounding country, but in vain. None of them could find the
+horse. At last a poor, weak-minded fellow, who was known in that
+neighborhood as &quot;simple Sam,&quot; started to hunt the horse. After awhile
+he came back, bringing the stray horse with him. The owner of the
+horse was delighted to see him. He stroked and patted him, and then,
+turning to the simple-minded man who had found him, he said:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, Sam, how came you to find the horse, when no one else could do
+it?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Wal, you see,&quot; said Sam, &quot;I just 'quired whar the horse was seen
+last; 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 I
+went, and found him.&quot; Now, when Sam, in the simplicity of his feeble
+mind, 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 his
+owner again. And so, to pass from a very little thing to a very great
+one, when Jesus came down from heaven to seek and to save sinners
+that were lost, this is just the way in which he acted. He put
+himself in our place as sinners. As the apostle Paul says: &quot;he who
+knew no sin, was made sin for us,&quot; that he might save us from the
+dreadful consequences of our sins.</p>
+
+<p>And we see the tenderness of Jesus, not only in taking our nature
+upon him and becoming man, but in what he did when he lived in this
+world as a man. &quot;<i>He went about doing good</i>.&quot; It was his great
+tenderness that led him to do this. Suppose that you and I could have
+walked 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 seen
+him meeting with blind men and opening their eyes that they might
+see. We should have seen him meeting with deaf men, and unstopping
+their ears that they might hear. We should have seen him meeting sick
+people who were taken with divers diseases and torments and healing
+them. We should have seen him raising the dead; and casting out
+devils; and speaking words of comfort and encouragement to those who
+were sad and sorrowful. If we could have looked into his blessed
+face, we should have seen tenderness there, beaming from his eyes and
+speaking from every line of his countenance. If we could have
+listened to his teaching we should have found tenderness running
+through all that he said. Just take one of his many parables as a
+sample of his way of teaching&mdash;the parable of the lost sheep&mdash;and see
+how full of tenderness it is. The sweet lines of the hymn, about the
+shepherd seeking his lost sheep, that most of us love to sing, bring
+out the tenderness of Jesus here very touchingly.</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;There were ninety and nine that safely lay</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">In the shelter of the fold,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">But one was out on the hills away,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Far off from the gates of gold&mdash;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Away on the mountains, wild and bare,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Away from the tender shepherd's care.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;'Lord, Thou hast here Thy ninety and nine;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Are they not enough for Thee?'</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">But the Shepherd made answer: 'One of mine</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Has wandered away from me;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">And, although the road be rough and steep,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">I go to the desert to find my sheep.'</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;But none of the ransomed ever knew</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">How deep were the waters crossed;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Nor how dark was the night that the Lord passed through,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Ere he found his sheep that was lost.</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Out in the desert he heard its cry&mdash;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Sick and helpless, and ready to die.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;'Lord, whence are those blood-drops all the way</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">That mark out the mountain's track?'</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">They were shed for one who had gone astray,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Ere the shepherd could bring him back.</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">'Lord, why are Thy hands so rent and torn?'</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">They are pierced, to-night, by many a thorn.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;But all through the mountains, thunder-riven,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And up from the rocky steep,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">There rose a cry to the gates of heaven,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">'Rejoice! I have found my sheep!'</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">And the angels echoed around the throne,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">'Rejoice, for the Lord brings back his own.'&quot;</span><br>
+
+<p>And all that we know of Jesus as &quot;the good Shepherd,&quot; demonstrates
+his great tenderness for his sheep.</p>
+
+<p>But perhaps there was no act in all the life of our blessed Redeemer
+that showed his tenderness more than taking the little children in
+his arms, and putting his hands upon them, and blessing them.</p>
+
+<p>To think of the Son of God, who made this world, and all worlds, and
+whom all the angels of heaven worship, showing so much interest in
+the little ones; this proves how full of tenderness his heart was.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I Like Your Jesus.&quot; An English lady who had spent six months in
+Syria, writes: &quot;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 little
+ones, as we learned from a dear Moslem child, who, when she repeated
+the text, 'Suffer the little children,' said, 'I like your Jesus,
+because he loved little children. Our Mohammed did not love little
+children.'&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And if we all try to imitate the tenderness of Jesus, then, though we
+may have no money to give, and no great thing to do, yet by being
+tender, and gentle, and loving, as Jesus was, we shall be able to do
+good wherever we are.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Doing Good by Sympathy.&quot; A Christian mother used to ask her children
+every night if they had done any good during the day. One night in
+answer to this question, her little daughter said: &quot;At school this
+morning I found little Annie G----, who had been absent for some
+time, crying very hard. I asked her what was the matter? Then she
+cried more, so that I could not help putting my head on her neck, and
+crying with her. Her sobs grew less, and presently she told of her
+little 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. Then
+she 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, and
+crying, too, as hard as she did. After awhile she kissed me, and told
+me I had done her good. But, mother, I don't know how I did her good;
+<i>for I only cried with her!</i>&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Now this little girl was showing the tenderness of Jesus, the Great
+Teacher. Nothing in the world could have done that poor sorrowing
+child so much good as to have some one cry with her. Sometimes tears
+of tenderness are worth more than diamonds. And this is why the Bible
+tells us to &quot;weep with them that weep.&quot; Rom. xii: 15. Jesus did this
+in the tenderness of his loving heart. And this was one of the things
+that made him the Great Teacher.</p>
+
+<p><i>But then there was</i>&mdash;GREAT KNOWLEDGE&mdash;<i>in Jesus; and this was
+another thing that made him great as a teacher</i>.</p>
+
+<p>If we wish to be good teachers, we must study, and try to understand
+the things we expect to teach. If a young man wishes to be a
+minister, he must go through college; and then spend three years in
+the Divinity School, so that he may understand the great truths of
+the Bible, which he is to teach the people who hear him. But Jesus
+never went to college, or to a divinity school. And yet he had
+greater knowledge about all the things of which he spoke than any
+other teacher ever had. We are told in the book of Job that &quot;He is
+<i>perfect</i> in knowledge.&quot; Job xxxvi: 5. And the apostle Paul tells us
+that &quot;in him are hid <i>all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge</i>.&quot;
+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 ever
+lived, and give it to one person, it would be as nothing compared to
+the knowledge which Jesus, &quot;the Great Teacher&quot; had. He knew all about
+heaven; for that had always been his home before he came into our
+world. He knew all about God; for, he was &quot;in the bosom of the
+Father,&quot; John i: 18; and, as he tells us himself, had shared his
+glory with him, &quot;before the world was.&quot; John xvii: 5. He knew all
+about the world we live in, for he made it. John i: 10. He knew all
+about 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, for
+he made them all. He saw all they did; he heard all they said; he
+knew all they thought, or felt. Wise and learned men have been
+studying, and finding out things for hundreds of years, about
+geography and natural history&mdash;and astronomy;&mdash;about light, and heat,
+and electricity&mdash;and steam&mdash;and the telegraph, and many other things.
+Jesus knew all about these things when he was on earth. He could have
+told about them, if he had seen fit to do so. But he only told us
+what it is best for us to know, in order that we might be saved; and
+kept back all the rest. The things that Jesus did teach us when he
+was here on earth were wonderful; but it is hardly less wonderful to
+think 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 are
+not surprised that some of those who heard him &quot;wondered at the
+gracious words&quot; he spake; or that others asked the question: &quot;Whence
+hath this man this knowledge, having never learned?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Some one has written these sweet lines about Christ as&mdash;<i>The Great
+Teacher</i>:</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;From everything our Saviour saw,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Lessons of wisdom he could draw;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The clouds, the colors in the sky;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The gentle breeze that whispers by;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The fields all white with waving corn;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The lilies that the vale adorn;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The reed that trembles in the wind;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The tree, where none its fruit could find;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The sliding sand, the flinty rock,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">That bears unmoved the tempest's shock;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The thorns that on the earth abound;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The tender grass that clothes the ground;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The little birds that fly in air;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The sheep that need the shepherd's care;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The pearls that deep in ocean lie;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The gold that charms the miser's eye;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The fruitful and the thorny ground;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The piece of silver lost and found;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The reaper, with his sheaves returning;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The gathered tares prepared for burning;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The wandering sheep brought back with joy;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The father's welcome for his boy;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The wedding-feast, prepared in state;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The foolish virgins' cry, 'too late!'&mdash;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">All from his lips some truth proclaim,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Or learn to tell their Maker's name.&quot;</span><br>
+
+<p>But the difference between Jesus, the Great Teacher, and all other
+teachers is seen, not only in the greater knowledge he has of the
+things that he teaches, but in this also, that he knows how to make
+us understand the lessons he teaches. Here is an incident that
+illustrates how well Jesus can do this. We may call it:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Well Instructed Boy.&quot; A minister of the gospel was travelling
+through 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 no
+covering on his head, and no shoes or stockings on his feet; but he
+looked bright and happy. He had a New Testament in his hand. &quot;Can you
+read, my boy?&quot; asked the minister.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;To be sure I can.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And do you understand what you read?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;A little.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Please turn to the third chapter of St. John, and read us a little,&quot;
+said the minister. The boy found the place directly, and in a clear
+distinct voice, began:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the
+Jews; the same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What does Rabbi mean?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It means a master.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Right; go on.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We know thou art a teacher come from God; for no man can do these
+miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What is a <i>miracle</i>?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It is a <i>great wonder</i>. 'Jesus answered and said unto him, verily,
+verily, I say unto thee.'&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What does <i>verily</i> mean?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It means 'indeed.' 'Except a man be born again.'&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What does that mean?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It means a great change, a change of heart.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And what is that kingdom?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>He paused a moment, and with a very serious, thoughtful look, placing
+his hand on his bosom, he said, &quot;It is <i>something here</i>;&quot; and then,
+raising his eyes to heaven, added, &quot;<i>and something up yonder</i>.&quot; This
+poor boy had been taking lessons from &quot;the Great Teacher,&quot; and he had
+taught him some of the most important things that we can ever learn.
+Jesus may well be called &quot;the Great Teacher,&quot; because of his great
+knowledge.</p>
+
+<p><i>But there is one other thing that Jesus has, which helps to make him
+&quot;the Great Teacher,&quot; and that is</i>&mdash;GREAT POWER.</p>
+
+<p>Other teachers can tell us what we ought to learn, and to do, yet
+they have no power to help us learn, or do what they teach. But Jesus
+<i>has</i> this power. Let us take a single illustration from many of the
+same kind that occurred while he was on earth. One day he was going
+about teaching in the streets of Jerusalem. As he went on, he passed
+by the office of a man who was gathering taxes for the Roman
+government. The persons who did this were called <i>publicans</i>. This
+man, sitting in his office, was named Matthew. He was busily engaged
+in receiving the taxes of the people. It was a very profitable
+business. The men engaged in it generally made a great deal of money.
+Jesus stopped before the window or door of this office. He beckoned
+to Matthew, and simply spoke these two words:&mdash;&quot;<i>Follow me</i>.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Now, if any other teacher had spoken these words to Matthew, and had
+tried to make him quit his business and engage in something else, he
+would have said: &quot;No; I can't leave my office. This is all the means
+I have of getting a living. The business pays well, and I am not
+willing to give it up.&quot; But when Jesus spoke to him, he did, at once,
+what he was told to do. We read that &quot;He left all, rose up, and
+followed him.&quot; Matt. ix: 9; Luke v: 28. He became one of the twelve
+apostles and wrote the gospel which bears his name. But it was the
+great power which Jesus has over the hearts of men that made Matthew
+willing to do, at once, what he was told to do.</p>
+
+<p>And the power which Jesus exercised over Matthew, in this case, he
+still has, and still uses. And when he is pleased to use this power
+the very worst people feel it, and are made good by it. And Jesus,
+&quot;the Great Teacher,&quot; uses this power sometimes in connection with
+very simple things. Here is an illustration. We may call it:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Saved by a Rose.&quot; Some time ago, a Christian gentleman was in the
+habit 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 little
+yard connected with each cell. He got permission from the officers of
+the prison to do so. He had a bracket fastened to the wall, in each
+yard, 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 most
+hardened man that had ever been in that prison. His temper was so
+violent and obstinate that no one could manage him. The keeper of the
+prison was afraid of him, and never liked to go near him. He was such
+a disagreeable-looking man that the name given to him in the prison
+was &quot;Ugly Greg.&quot; A little rose bush was put on the bracket in Ugly
+Greg's yard, and the effect produced by it is told in these simple
+lines, which some one has written about it:</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;Ugly Greg was the prisoner's name,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Ugly in face, and in nature the same;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Stubborn, sullen, and beetle-browed,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The hardest case in a hardened crowd.</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The sin-set lines in his face were bent</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Neither by kindness nor punishment;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">He hadn't a friend in the prison there,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And he grew more ugly and didn't care.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;But some one&mdash;blessings on his name!</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Had caused to be placed in that house of shame,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">To relieve the blank of the white-washed wall,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Flower-pot brackets, with plants on them all.</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Though it seemed but a useless thing to do,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Ugly Greg's cell had a flower-pot, too,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And as he came back at the work-day's close,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">He paused, astonished, before a rose.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;'He will smash it in pieces,' the keeper said,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">But the lines on his face grew soft instead.</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Next morning he watered his plant with care,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And went to his work with a cheerful air;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And, day by day, as the rose-bush grew,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Ugly Greg began changing, too.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;The soft, green leaves unfolded their tips,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And the foul word died on the prisoner's lips;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">He talked to the plant, when all alone,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">As he would to a friend, in a gentle tone;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And, day by day, and week by week,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">As the rose grew taller, so Greg grew meek.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;But, at last they took him away to lie</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">On a hospital bed, for they knew he must die,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">They placed the rose in the sunny light,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Where Greg might watch it, from morn till night,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And the green buds grew, from day to day,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">As the sick man faded fast away.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;The lines which sin and pain had traced,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Seemed by the shadowing plant effaced,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Till, came at last, the joyful hour,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">When they knew that the bud must burst its flower.</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Greg slept, but still one hand caressed</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The plant; the other his pale cheek pressed.</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The perfumed crimson shed a glow</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">On the old man's hair, as white as snow;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The nurse came softly&mdash;'Look, Greg!' she said,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Ay, the rose had bloomed, but the man was dead.&quot;</span><br>
+
+<p>And the meaning of all this is, not that the rose itself saved this
+hardened sinner. No; but it led him to think of the lessons of his
+childhood, when he had been taught about Jesus, &quot;the Rose of
+Sharon&quot;. It led him to think about his sins. It led him to repent of
+them; to pray to Jesus; to exercise faith in him; and in <i>this way</i>
+he became a changed man, and was saved. And so, though we speak of
+him as&mdash;&quot;a man saved by a rose;&quot; yet it was the power of Jesus, &quot;the
+Great Teacher,&quot; exercised through that rose, which led to this
+blessed change and saved Greg's soul from death.</p>
+
+<p>And thus we have spoken of five things which help to make up the
+greatness of Jesus as a Teacher. These are&mdash;The Great Blessings&mdash;The
+Great Simplicity&mdash;The Great Tenderness&mdash;The Great Knowledge&mdash;and the
+Great Power connected with his teachings. Let us seek the grace that
+will enable us to learn of him, and then we shall find rest for our
+souls!</p>
+
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="CHRIST_TEACHING_BY_PARABLES"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<h2>CHRIST TEACHING BY PARABLES</h2>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>We have spoken of our Saviour as &quot;The Great Teacher,&quot; and tried to
+point out some of the things in his teaching which helped to make him
+great. And now, it may be well to speak a little of the illustrations
+which he made use of as a Teacher. These are called&mdash;<i>parables</i>. Our
+Saviour's parables were illustrations. This is what is meant by the
+Greek word from which we get the word parable. It means something
+<i>set down by the side of another</i>. When we teach a lesson we are
+setting something before the minds of our scholars. But suppose it is
+a hard lesson and they do not understand it. Then we use an
+illustration. This is something set down beside the lesson to make it
+plain. Then this, whatever it be, is a parable.</p>
+
+<p>At the beginning of his ministry, our Saviour did not make much use
+of parables. But, after he had been preaching for some time, he made
+a change in his way of teaching, in this respect. He began to use
+parables very freely. His disciples were surprised at this. On one
+occasion, after he had used the parable of the Sower, they came to
+their Master and asked him why he always spake to the people now in
+parables? 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 that
+he used parables for two reasons: one was to help those who really
+wished to learn from him to understand what he was teaching. The
+other was that those who were not willing to be taught might listen
+to him without understanding what he was saying. These people had
+heard him when he was teaching without parables. But, instead of
+thanking him for coming to teach them, and of being willing to do
+what he wanted them to do, they found fault with his teaching, and
+would not mind what he said.</p>
+
+<p>Now, there is a great difference between the way in which we are to
+learn what the Bible teaches us about God and heaven; and the way in
+which we learn other things. If we want to learn what the Bible
+teaches us we must be careful that we are having right feelings in
+our hearts; but if we want to learn other things it does not matter
+so much what our feelings are. For instance, suppose you have a
+lesson to learn in geography; no matter how you are feeling, whether
+you are proud, or humble; whether you are cross, or gentle; yet if
+you only study hard enough, and long enough, you can learn that
+lesson. But, if you want to learn one of the lessons that Jesus
+teaches, no matter how hard, or how long you study it, yet while you
+are giving way to proud, or angry feelings in your heart, you can
+never learn that lesson. And the reason is that we cannot learn these
+lessons 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 in
+our hearts. In learning geography, and other such lessons, we do not
+need the <i>special</i> help of God. We can learn them ourselves, if we
+only try. But we cannot learn the lessons that Jesus teaches in this
+way. This is what the Psalmist means when he says:&mdash;&quot;The <i>meek</i> will
+he teach his way.&quot; Ps. xxv: 9. And this was what our Saviour meant
+when he said: &quot;If any man will do his will, <i>he shall know</i>.&quot; St.
+John vii: 17. We must be willing to be taught;&mdash;and willing to obey;
+if we wish to understand what Jesus, &quot;The Great Teacher,&quot; has to tell
+us.</p>
+
+<p>Some one has well said that truth, taught by a parable, is like the
+kernel 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 the
+shell, and get it: but those who are not willing to crack the shell
+will never get the kernel. The shell of the nut keeps the kernel safe
+<i>for</i> one of these persons, and safe <i>from</i> the others.</p>
+
+<p>But, after the time of which we have spoken, Jesus used parables
+freely. We are told that&mdash;&quot;without a parable spake he not unto the
+people.&quot; St. Mark xiii: 34. He used parables among his disciples for
+two reasons: these were to help them to <i>understand</i>, and to remember
+what he taught them.</p>
+
+<p>We have a great many of the parables of Jesus in the gospels. A full
+list of them will contain not less than <i>fifty</i>. It would be easy
+enough to make a sermon on each of these parables. But that would
+make a larger work than this whole LIFE OF CHRIST, on which we are
+now engaged. It is impossible therefore to speak of all the parables.
+We can only make selections, or take some specimens of them. We may
+speak of five different lessons as illustrated by some of the
+parables of Christ. These are&mdash;<i>The value of religion: Christ's love
+of sinners: The duty of forgiveness: The duty of kindness: and the
+effect of good example</i>.</p>
+
+<p><i>Well then, we may begin by considering what Jesus taught us of</i>&mdash;THE
+VALUE OF RELIGION&mdash;<i>in his parables.</i></p>
+
+<p>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, &quot;The
+kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which
+when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and
+selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.&quot; The words &quot;kingdom
+of heaven&quot; are used by our Saviour in different senses. Sometimes, as
+here, they mean the grace of God, or true religion. And what Jesus
+teaches us by this parable is that true religion is more valuable
+than anything else in the world.</p>
+
+<p>The next parable, in the forty-fifth and forty-sixth verses of the
+same chapter, is about The Pearl of Great Price. This teaches the
+same lesson. It reads thus:&mdash;&quot;The kingdom of heaven is like unto a
+merchantman seeking goodly pearls: who, when he had found one pearl
+of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.&quot; By this
+&quot;pearl of great price&quot; Jesus meant true religion, as he did by the
+treasure hid in the field in the former parable. And the truth he
+teaches in both these parables is that religion is more important to
+us than anything else in the world. Let us look at some incidents
+that may help to illustrate for us the value of religion.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Jesus Makes Everything Right.&quot; A poor lame boy became a Christian,
+and in telling what effect this change had upon him, these are the
+words he used to a person who was visiting him: &quot;Once every thing
+went wrong at our house; father was wrong, mother was wrong, sister
+was wrong, and I was wrong; but now, since I have learned to know and
+love Jesus it is all right. I know why everything went wrong
+before:&mdash;it was because I was wrong myself.&quot; And this is true. The
+first thing that religion does for us is to make us <i>be</i> right
+ourselves, and then to <i>do</i> right to others.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Be.&quot; A young lady had been trying to do something very good, but had
+not succeeded. Her mother said, &quot;Marian, my child, God gives us many
+things to <i>do</i>, but we must not forget that he gives us some things
+to <i>be</i>; and we must learn to <i>be</i> what God would have us be, before
+we can <i>do</i> what God would have us do.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O dear mother, please tell me about <i>being</i>, and then I shall know
+better about doing.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, listen my child, while I remind you of some of the Bible be's:
+God says:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<i>Be</i>&mdash;ye kindly affectioned one to another.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<i>Be</i>&mdash;ye also patient.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<i>Be</i>&mdash;ye thankful.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<i>Be</i>&mdash;ye children in malice.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<i>Be</i>&mdash;ye therefore perfect.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<i>Be</i>&mdash;courteous.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<i>Be</i>&mdash;not wise in your own conceits.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<i>Be</i>&mdash;not overcome of evil.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Thank you, dear mother,&quot; said Marian. &quot;I hope I shall have a better
+day to-morrow; for I see now that <i>doing</i> grows out of <i>being</i>.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>This is a point worth dwelling on, and so I will introduce to your
+notice here:</p>
+
+<p>A SWARM OF BEES WORTH HIVING.</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;Be patient, Be prayerful, Be humble, Be mild,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Be wise as a Solon, Be meek as a child.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;Be studious, Be thoughtful, Be loving, Be kind,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Be sure you make matter subservient to mind.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;Be cautious, Be prudent, Be trustful, Be true,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Be courteous to all men, Be friendly with few.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;Be temperate in argument, pleasure and wine,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Be careful of conduct, of money, of time.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;Be cheerful, Be grateful, Be hopeful, Be firm,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Be peaceful, benevolent, willing to learn;</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;Be courageous, Be gentle Be liberal, Be just,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Be aspiring, Be humble, because you are dust.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;Be penitent, circumspect, sound in the faith,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Be active, devoted; Be faithful to death.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;Be honest, Be holy, transparent and pure;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Be dependent, Be Christ-like and you'll be secure.&quot;</span><br>
+
+<p>Here is a swarm of between forty and fifty bees. The religion of
+Jesus will help us to make these all our own. How great then must the
+value of religion be! Surely it is worth while for each of us to try
+and secure it!</p>
+
+<p>I think I never saw a better view of the value of religion than is
+seen in the following statement of what it does for us. I know not by
+whom it was written, but it is put in the form of that sacred sign to
+which we owe all the blessings of salvation&mdash;the sign of</p>
+
+<p>THE CROSS.</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;Blest they who seek</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">While in their youth,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">With spirit meek,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The way of truth.</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">To them the sacred scriptures now display</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Christ as the only true and living way;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">His precious blood on Calvary was given</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">To make them heirs of endless bliss in Heaven.</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And e'en on earth the child of God can trace</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The glorious blessings of the Saviour's grace.</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">For them He bore</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">His Father's frown;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">For them He wore</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The thorny Crown;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Nailed to the Cross,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Endured its pain,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">That his life's loss</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Might be their gain.</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Then haste to choose</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">That better part,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Nor dare refuse</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The Lord thy heart,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Lest he declare,&mdash;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">'I know you not,'</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And deep despair</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Should be your lot.</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Now look to Jesus, who on Calvary died,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And trust on him who there was crucified.&quot;</span><br>
+
+<p>&quot;Leaving it All with Jesus.&quot; Annie W ... was a young Christian. In
+her fourteenth year she was taken with a severe illness, from which
+the doctor said she could not recover. When she became too weak to
+leave the sofa, she would send for one and another of the neighbors
+to come in to see her, and then she would speak to them of Jesus and
+his great salvation. One day a poor old woman who was not a
+Christian, came in to see her.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You are very ill, my dear,&quot; she said to Annie.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; she replied, &quot;but I shall soon be well.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The poor woman shook her head as she looked at Annie's mother,
+saying, &quot;Poor dear creature; she cannot possibly get well. No: she
+will never get over it.&quot; Then turning to Annie, she said:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Don't you know, my dear, that you are going to die?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I know I am going to live,&quot; she said with a sweet smile. &quot;I shall
+soon be with Jesus in heaven, and live forever with him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, how can you know that, my dear? We must not be <i>too</i> sure you
+know,&quot; said the poor woman.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh,&quot; said Annie, pointing to a card hanging on the wall, near her
+bed, on which was printed in large letters the hymn headed&mdash;&quot;I leave
+it all with Jesus.&quot; &quot;That's what I do! That's what I do.&quot; These are
+the words of the hymn which gave that dear child so much comfort on
+her dying bed:</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;I leave it all with Jesus,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Then wherefore should I fear?</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">I leave it all with Jesus,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And he is ever near.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;I leave it all with Jesus,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Trust him for what must be;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">I leave it all with Jesus,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Who ever thinks of me.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;I bring it all to Jesus,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">In calm, believing prayer;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">I bring it all to Jesus,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And I love to LEAVE it there!</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;Each tear, each sigh, each trouble,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Each disappointment,&mdash;all</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">I love to GIVE to Jesus,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Who loves to TAKE them all.&quot;</span><br>
+
+<p>And here we have a beautiful illustration of one of the things which
+Jesus taught us in his parables, namely&mdash;<i>the value of religion</i>.</p>
+
+<p><i>Another thing we are taught in these parables is</i>&mdash;CHRIST'S LOVE FOR
+SINNERS.</p>
+
+<p>The parable of the lost sheep teaches us this truth: but as we had
+occasion to speak of this in our last chapter, when illustrating the
+tenderness 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 are
+told 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 lost
+piece till she found it. This woman represents Jesus. The lost piece
+of money represents our souls lost by sin. The efforts of the woman
+to find the lost piece represent what Jesus did, when he left heaven,
+and took our nature upon him, and came as &quot;the Son of man to <i>seek
+and to save that which was lost</i>.&quot; And it was the love of Jesus for
+poor sinners which led him to do all this for us. And everything
+connected with the history of Jesus when he was on earth shows the
+greatness of his love. Think of Bethlehem and its manger; there we
+see the love of Jesus. Think of Gethsemane with its bloody sweat;
+there we see the love of Jesus. Think of Calvary with its cross of
+shame and agony; for <i>there</i> we see the love of Jesus.</p>
+
+<p>And the parable of the prodigal son teaches us the same lesson. We
+read of this in the same chapter, St. Luke xv: 11-32. This son had
+been disobedient and ungrateful. He had taken the money his father
+gave him and had gone away and spent it in living very wickedly. And
+when the money was all spent and he was likely to starve, he went
+back to his father, hungry and ragged, and asked to be taken in. And
+instead of scolding and punishing him as he deserved, as soon as his
+father saw him, he ran, and fell on his neck and kissed him; and took
+off his rags, and dressed him in good clothes, and made a great feast
+for him. How beautifully this parable illustrates the love of Christ
+for sinners!</p>
+
+<p>And when we learn to know and feel the love of Christ for us, it does
+two blessed things for us.</p>
+
+<p>One is, <i>it makes us good</i>. We hear a great deal about <i>conversion</i>.
+This word conversion simply means&mdash;<i>turning</i>. When a person has been
+living without trying to serve or please God, and is led to see how
+wrong it is to live in that way, and then feels an earnest desire to
+turn around, and live differently, and really does so:&mdash;that is
+conversion. The teaching or preaching of the gospel is the chief
+means that God employs to convert men. And the thing about the gospel
+in which this converting power lies is&mdash;<i>the love of Christ</i>. Here
+is an illustration of what this means.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;He Loved Me.&quot; An English minister of the gospel was traveling in
+Switzerland one summer. As he passed from place to place, he preached
+by means of an interpreter in various churches. One Sunday night he
+preached from the words, &quot;<i>He loved me, and gave himself for me</i>.&quot;
+Gal. ii: 20. Then he went on his way without knowing what effect had
+followed from his preaching.</p>
+
+<p>One Saturday evening, several weeks after, the minister of this
+church was sitting in his study. There came a faint knock at his
+door. He opened it, when, to his great surprise he saw there a young
+man, who was known as the wickedest young man in that neighborhood,
+and the leader of others in all sorts of wickedness. He invited him
+in, gave him a seat, and asked him what he wished. Judge of his
+surprise when the young man said he wished to inquire if he might
+come to the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, which was to be
+celebrated in his church the next day!</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But are you not aware, my young friend,&quot; said the minister, &quot;that
+only those who love Christ, and are trying to serve him, have any
+right to come to that holy ordinance?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I know it, sir,&quot; said the young man, &quot;and I am thankful to feel
+that I am among that number.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But,&quot; asked the astonished pastor, &quot;are you not known in this
+village as the ringleader in all evil doings?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Alas! it is too true that it has been so,&quot; he replied, &quot;but thank
+God all is changed now.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I am happy indeed to hear it; but pray tell me what led to this
+great change.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I was in your church, sir,&quot; said he, &quot;some weeks ago, when that
+English minister preached from the words, 'Who loved me and gave
+himself for me,' That was the first time I ever understood about the
+love of Christ. It led to my repentance and conversion; and now I
+wish to show my love to Jesus by trying to serve and please him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Here we see how the love of Christ makes us good.</p>
+
+<p>But it <i>makes us happy</i>, as well as good. Here is a little story that
+illustrates this point very well. We may call it:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Maggie's Secret.&quot; &quot;Maggie Blake, how can you study so hard, and be
+so provokingly good?&quot; This question was asked by Jennie Lee, who was
+one of the largest and wildest girls in the school. Maggie hesitated
+a moment, whether to tell her secret or not. But, presently she
+lifted up her eyes, looked her companion bravely in the face, and
+said&mdash;&quot;It's for Jesus' sake, Jennie.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But do you think he cares?&quot; asked Jennie in a soft, subdued
+voice,&mdash;&quot;do you think he cares how we act?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I <i>know</i> he does,&quot; said Maggie. &quot;And it makes it so pleasant you
+see, even to study and get hard lessons, when I know he is looking at
+me, and is pleased to have me working my best for him. He always
+helps me to get my lessons; and then helps me to say them right. You
+know I used to be so frightened I could not say them, even when I had
+learned them well.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said Jennie, remembering very well how Maggie had changed in
+that respect.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That was before I thought of learning them for Jesus. After that he
+helped me all along. It makes me like school; and even disagreeable
+things are pleasant when I think of doing them for him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Jennie had often watched Maggie, and wondered what made her have such
+a bright, cheerful, happy look. Now she knew the secret of it. It was
+doing everything &quot;for Jesus' sake.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>She felt she would gladly give everything she had to be as happy as
+Maggie. She asked Maggie to pray for her, and she began to pray for
+herself. Then Jesus helped her, and she soon had Maggie's secret for
+her own. The girls in school wondered at the change which had come
+over Jennie. But when they heard that she had been confirmed, and had
+joined the church, they understood it all. They knew she &quot;had been
+with Jesus;&quot; and that it was learning to know and feel his wonderful
+love which had made Jennie so good, and so happy.</p>
+
+<p>And so, we see that Jesus was doing a blessed thing for us when he
+taught the parables which show his love for sinners.</p>
+
+<p><i>A third thing taught us by some of the parables of Jesus is</i>&mdash;THE
+DUTY OF KINDNESS.</p>
+
+<p>One day, while Jesus was on earth, a young man came to him with the
+great question, what he should do to obtain eternal life. Jesus
+referred him to the Ten Commandments; and reducing them to two, he
+told the young man that these commandments required him to love God
+with all his heart, and his neighbor as himself; and then said if he
+would do this he would be saved.</p>
+
+<p>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
+&quot;magnified the law and made it honorable&quot; by keeping it perfectly. I
+suppose that Jesus intended to give this young man some lessons about
+the commandments of God which would lead him to see that he never
+could keep them himself; and that he would need some one to keep them
+for him, and that <i>this</i> was the only way in which he, or any one
+else could be saved. It may have been that the young man did not want
+to hear any thing more on that subject, and so he gave the
+conversation a different turn by asking&mdash;&quot;who is my neighbor?&quot; when
+Jesus said he must love his neighbor as himself. And then, in answer
+to this question Jesus told the parable of the &quot;Good Samaritan.&quot; We
+have this parable in St. Luke x: 30-37.</p>
+
+<p>Here we are told of a certain man who was going down from Jerusalem
+to Jericho, and fell among thieves. They robbed him; and wounded him;
+and left him half dead. While he was lying there helpless and
+suffering, a priest and a Levite came, and looked on him, and passed
+by on the other side, without giving him any help. Then we are told
+that a certain Samaritan came by, and when he saw the poor wounded
+man lying there, although he was a Jew, and the Jews and the
+Samaritans hated each other very much, yet he pitied him, and went up
+to him, and bound up his wounds, and set him on his own beast, and
+carried him to an inn, and told them to take care of him, and said
+that he would pay all his expenses. Then Jesus asked the question,
+&quot;Which now, of these three thinkest thou was neighbor to him that
+fell among thieves? And he said, he that showed mercy on him. Then
+said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Thus Jesus taught the duty of kindness. This kindness we must show,
+not to our friends only, but to our enemies. <i>Kindness to all</i> is the
+duty that Jesus teaches.</p>
+
+<p>Let us look at one or two illustrations of the way in which we should
+do this.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Honey Shield.&quot; It is said that wasps and bees will not sting a
+person whose skin is covered with honey. And so those who are exposed
+to the sting of these venomous little creatures smear their hands and
+faces over with honey, and this, we are told, proves the best shield
+they can have to keep them from getting stung. And the honey here
+very well represents the kindness which Jesus teaches us to practise.
+If kindness, gentleness, and forbearance are found running through
+all our words and actions, we shall have the best shield to protect
+us from the spiteful stings of wicked people.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Androcles and the Lion.&quot; Most of those who read these pages may have
+heard this story, but it illustrates the point before us so well that
+I do not hesitate to use it here.</p>
+
+<p>Androcles was a Roman slave. To escape the cruel treatment of his
+master he ran away. A lonely cave in the midst of the forest was his
+home for a while. Returning to his cave one day he met a lion near
+the mouth of the cave. He was bellowing as if in pain; and on getting
+nearer to him, he found that he was suffering from a thorn which had
+run into one of his paws. It was greatly swollen and inflamed, and
+was causing him much pain. Androcles went up to the suffering beast.
+He drew out the rankling thorn and thus relieved him of his pain. His
+nature, savage as it was, felt the power of the kindness thus shown
+to him. He became attached to the lonely slave, and shared his prey
+with him while they remained together.</p>
+
+<p>But, after a while the retreat of Androcles was discovered. He was
+taken and carried back to his master. The lion also was made a
+prisoner soon after. Androcles was kept in prison for some time; and
+finally, according to the custom of the Romans, he was condemned to be
+devoured by wild beasts. The lion to be let loose on Androcles had
+been kept a long time without food and was very hungry. When the door
+of his den was opened he rushed out with a tremendous roar. The
+Colosseum was crowded with spectators. They expected to see the poor
+slave torn to pieces in a moment. But, to the surprise of everyone,
+the great monster, hungry as he was, instead of devouring the
+condemed man, crouched at his feet, and began to fondle him, as a pet
+dog would do. He recognized in the poor prisoner his friend of the
+forest and showed that he had not forgotten his kindness. The
+kindness of Androcles had been like the honey shield to him. It saved
+his life, first from the savage beast in the forest; and then from
+the savage men in the city. Let us all put on this shield, and wear
+it wherever we go. The lesson of kindness which Jesus teaches in
+this parable, has been very well put by some one in these sweet
+lines:</p>
+
+<p>THE LESSON OF KINDNESS.</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;Think kindly of the erring!</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Thou knowest not the power</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">With which the dark temptation came</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">In some unguarded hour;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Thou knowest not how earnestly</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">They struggled, or how well,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Until the hour of weakness came,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And sadly then they fell.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;Speak kindly to the erring!</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Thou yet may'st lead him back</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">With holy words, and tones of love,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">From misery's thorny track:</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Forget not <i>thou</i> hast often sinned</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And sinful yet must be:&mdash;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Deal kindly with the erring one</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">As God hath dealt with thee!&quot;</span><br>
+
+<p>The duty of kindness was the third lesson Jesus taught in the
+parables.</p>
+
+<p><i>A fourth lesson taught us in some of the parables of Jesus is</i>----
+THE DUTY OF FORGIVENESS.</p>
+
+<p>The apostle Peter came to Jesus one day, and asked him how often he
+ought to forgive a brother that offended him; and whether it would be
+enough to forgive him <i>seven</i> times. The answer of Jesus was, &quot;I say
+not unto thee, until seven times, but until seventy times seven.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>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 thousand
+talents. If these were talents of silver they would amount to more
+than fifteen millions of dollars. If they were talents of gold, they
+would amount to three hundred millions. This would show that his debt
+was so great that he never could pay it. Then his master freely
+forgave 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; but
+put him in prison. When his master heard this he was very angry, and
+put him in prison, where he should be punished until he had paid all
+his great debt. And Jesus finished the parable by saying&mdash;&quot;<i>so
+likewise, shall my heavenly Father do unto you, if ye, from your
+hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses</i>.&quot; And here
+we are taught the great duty of forgiveness. And this same duty is
+taught us in the Lord's Prayer, where he says&mdash;&quot;Forgive us our
+trespasses, as we also forgive those who trespass against us.&quot; If we
+use this prayer without forgiving those who injure us, then, in so
+using it, we are really asking God <i>not</i> to forgive us. And Jesus
+<i>practised</i> what he <i>preached</i>. As he hung bleeding and agonizing on
+the cross, while his enemies were cruelly mocking his misery, he
+looked up to heaven, and uttered that wonderful prayer&mdash;&quot;<i>Father
+forgive them; for they know not what they do</i>.&quot; Here we have the best
+illustration of forgiveness that the world has ever seen.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Example of Forgiveness.&quot; In a school in Ireland, one boy struck
+another. The offending boy was brought up to be punished, when the
+injured boy begged for his pardon. The teacher asked&mdash;&quot;Why do you
+wish to keep him from being flogged?&quot; The ready reply was&mdash;&quot;Because I
+have read in the New Testament that our Lord Jesus Christ said that
+we must forgive our enemies; and therefore I forgive him, and beg
+that he may not be punished for my sake.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Good for Evil.&quot; At the foot of a street in New York, stood an
+Italian organ grinder, with his organ. A number of boys had gathered
+round him, but they were more anxious to have some fun than to hear
+music. One of them said to his companions:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;See! I'll hit his hat!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And sure enough he did. Making up a snow ball, he threw it with so
+much force that the poor man's hat was knocked into the gutter. A
+gentleman standing by expected to see him get very angry, and swear
+at the boy. But, very different from this was the result that
+followed. The musician stopped; stepped forward and picked up his
+hat. Then he turned to the rude boy, and gracefully bowing, said:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And now, I'll play you a tune to make you merry!&quot; There was real
+Christian forgiveness.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Power of the Gospel.&quot; Years ago some carpenters moved to the
+Island of New Zealand, and set up a shop for carrying on their
+business. They were engaged to build a chapel at one of the Mission
+Stations. One of these carpenters, a pleasant, kind-hearted man,
+engaged a native Christian to dig his garden for him. When the work
+was done the man went to the shop for his pay. Another of the
+carpenters there, who was a very ill-tempered man, told the native to
+get out of the shop. &quot;Don't be angry,&quot; was the gentle reply; &quot;I have
+only come to have a little talk with your partner, and to get my
+wages from him.&quot; &quot;But I <i>am</i> angry.&quot; And then taking hold of the New
+Zealander by the shoulder, he abused and kicked him in the most cruel
+manner.</p>
+
+<p>The native made no resistance till the carpenter ceased. Then he
+jumped up, seized him by the throat, and snatching a small axe from
+the bench, flourished it threateningly over his head. &quot;Now, you see,&quot;
+said he, &quot;your life is in my hand. You see my arm is strong enough to
+kill you; and my arm is quite willing, but my heart is not. I have
+heard the missionaries preach the gospel of forgiveness. You owe your
+life to the preaching of the gospel. If my heart was as dark now as
+it was before the gospel was preached here, I should strike off your
+head in an instant!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Then he released the carpenter without injuring him and accepted from
+him a blanket as an apology for the insult. How faithfully this man
+was practising the duty of forgiveness which Jesus taught!</p>
+
+<p><i>The only other thing of which we shall now speak, as taught by our
+Saviour in the parables, is</i>&mdash;THE INFLUENCE OF GOOD EXAMPLE.</p>
+
+<p>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 truth
+it teaches is very important. We first find this parable in the
+sermon on the mount. These are the words in which it is given:
+&quot;Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a
+candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let
+your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works,
+and glorify your Father which is in heaven.&quot; Matt, v: 15. This
+parable is so important that we find it repeated in three other
+places. Mark iv: 21, Luke viii: 16, and xi: 33.</p>
+
+<p>We find the same idea taught by one of England's greatest writers.
+Looking at a candle shining through a window, he says:</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;How far yon little candle throws its beam!</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">So shines a good deed in a naughty world.&quot;</span><br>
+
+<p>And the lesson we are here taught is that we should always set a good
+example by doing what we know to be right, and then, like a candle
+shining in a dark place, we shall be useful wherever we go. Let us
+look at one or two incidents that illustrate this.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;A Boy's Influence.&quot; Two families lived in one house. In each of
+these families there was a little boy about the same age. These boys
+slept together. One of them had a good pious mother. She had trained
+him to kneel down every night, before getting into bed, and say his
+prayer in an audible voice, and to repeat a text of scripture which
+she had taught him. Now the first time he slept with the other little
+boy, who never said any prayers, he was tempted to jump into bed, as
+his companion did, without kneeling down to pray. But he was a brave
+and noble boy. He said to himself&mdash;&quot;I am not afraid to do what my
+mother taught me. I am not ashamed for anybody to know that I pray to
+God. I'll do as I have been taught to do.&quot; He did so. He let his
+light shine. And see what followed from its shining!</p>
+
+<p>The little boy who had never been taught to pray learned his
+companion's prayer, and the verse he repeated, by hearing them, and
+he never forgot them. He grew up to be an earnest Christian man. When
+he 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 that
+it was his little prayer, so faithfully said every night when they
+were boys, which led him to become a Christian. He repeated the
+prayer and the verse, word for word, and with his dying lips thanked
+his friend for letting his light shine as he did, for <i>that</i> had
+saved his soul.</p>
+
+<p>Here is another illustration of a Christian letting his light shine
+and the good that was done by it. We may call it:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Shilling Bible, and what Came of It.&quot; Some years ago a
+Christian gentleman went on a visit for three days to the house of a
+rich lady who lived at the west end of London. After tea, on the
+first evening of his arrival, he called one of the servants, and
+telling her that in the hurry of leaving home he had forgotten to
+bring a Bible with him, he requested her to ask the lady of the house
+to be kind enough to lend him one.</p>
+
+<p>Now that house was beautifully furnished. There were splendid
+pictures on the walls, and elegantly bound volumes in the library and
+on 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 the
+servant a shilling and told her to go to the book store round the
+corner and buy a Bible. The Bible was bought and given to the
+gentleman. He used it during his visit, and then went home, little
+knowing how much good that shilling Bible was to do.</p>
+
+<p>When he was gone the lady at whose house he had been staying said to
+herself:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How strange it is that an intelligent gentleman like my friend could
+not bear to go for three days without reading the Bible, while I
+never read it at all, and don't know what it teaches. I am curious
+to know what there is in this book to make it so attractive. I mean
+to begin and read it through.&quot; She began to read it at first out of
+simple curiosity. But, as she went on reading she became deeply
+interested in it. It showed her what a sinner she was in living
+without God in the world. It led her to pray earnestly for the pardon
+of her sins; and the end of it was that she became a Christian. Then
+she desired that her children should know and love the Saviour too.
+She prayed for them. She talked with them, and taught them the
+precious truths contained in that blessed book. And the result was
+that, one by one, they were all led to Jesus and became Christians.
+And so <i>that whole family were saved by means of that shilling
+Bible</i>.</p>
+
+<p>When that gentleman asked for the use of a Bible in the house where
+he was visiting, he was setting a good example. He was putting his
+candle on a candlestick and letting it shine. And the result that
+followed gives us a good illustration of the meaning of our Saviour's
+words when he said:&mdash;&quot;Let your light so shine before men, that they
+may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And so, when we remember the parables that Jesus taught, among other
+things illustrated by them, we can think of these,&mdash;<i>the value of
+religion;&mdash;Christ's love for sinners;&mdash;the duty of kindness;&mdash;the
+duty of forgiveness;&mdash;the influence of a good example</i>.</p>
+
+<p>I know not how to finish this subject better than in the words of the
+hymn:</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;Father of mercies! in thy word,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">What endless glory shines!</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Forever be thy name adored</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">For these celestial lines.</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">O, may these heavenly pages be</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">My ever dear delight;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">And still new beauties may I see,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And still increasing light.&quot;</span><br>
+
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="CHRIST_TEACHING_BY_MIRACLES"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<h2>CHRIST TEACHING BY MIRACLES</h2>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>We have seen how many valuable lessons our Saviour taught while on
+earth by the parables which he used. But we teach by our lives, as
+well as by our lips. It has passed into a proverb, and we all admit
+the truth of it, that &quot;Actions speak louder than words.&quot; If our words
+and our actions contradict each other, people will believe our
+actions sooner than our words. But when both agree together, then the
+effect is very great. This was true with our blessed Lord. There was
+an entire agreement between what he said, and what he did. His words
+and his actions, the teaching of his lips, and the teaching of his
+life&mdash;were in perfect harmony. He practised what he preached.</p>
+
+<p>But then, in addition to the every day common actions of the life of
+Christ, there were actions in it that were very uncommon. He was
+daily performing miracles, and doing many mighty and wonderful
+works. And the prophets before him, and apostles after him, performed
+miracles too; yet there were two things in which the miracles of
+Christ differed from those performed by others. One was as to the
+<i>number</i> of them. He did a greater number of wonderful things than
+anyone else ever did. Indeed if we take the miracles that were done
+by Moses, by Elijah and Elisha, in the Old Testament, and those that
+were done by the apostles in the New Testament and put them all
+together we shall find that they would not equal, in number, the
+miracles of Christ. There are between thirty and forty of the mighty
+works wrought by our Saviour mentioned in the gospels. And these, as
+St. John says, are only a small portion of them. Ch. xxi: 25.</p>
+
+<p>The other thing in which the miracles of Christ are different from
+those performed by other persons, is <i>the way in which they were
+done</i>. The prophets and apostles did their mighty works in the name
+of God, or of Christ. Thus when Peter and John healed the lame man at
+the gate of the temple they said:&mdash;&quot;<i>In the name of Jesus Christ of
+Nazareth</i>, rise up and walk.&quot; Acts iii: 6. But Jesus had all the
+power in himself by which those wonderful things were done. He could
+say to the leper,&mdash;&quot;<i>I will</i>; be thou clean.&quot; He could say to the
+sick man:&mdash;&quot;Take up thy bed and walk.&quot; When speaking of his death and
+resurrection, he could very well say that it was his own power which
+would control it all. His life was in his own hands. It was true, as
+he said, &quot;No man taketh it from me; but I lay it down of myself. I
+have power to lay it down and I have power to take it again.&quot; John x:
+18. And it was the same with all his other mighty works. He had all
+the power in himself that was needed to do them.</p>
+
+<p>And these miracles of Christ were the proofs that he was the Messiah,
+the great Saviour, of whom the prophets had spoken. This was what
+Nicodemus meant when he said to Jesus:&mdash;&quot;We know that thou art a
+teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou
+doest, except God be with him.&quot; John iii: 2. And Jesus himself
+referred to his miracles as the proof that God had sent him. John v:
+36; x: 25.</p>
+
+<p>And this was what he meant by the message which he sent to John the
+Baptist, when his disciples came to Jesus, saying, &quot;Are thou he that
+should come, or look we for another?&quot; Jesus answered and said unto
+them, &quot;Go, and show John again those things which ye do hear and see;
+the blind receive their sight; and the lame walk; the lepers are
+cleansed; and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up; and the poor
+have the gospel preached unto them.&quot; Matt, xi: 2-6. These were the
+very things which the prophets had foretold that Christ would do when
+he came. Is. xxix: 18. xxxv: 4-6. xlii: 7.</p>
+
+<p>It is clear from these passages that all the miracles performed by
+our Lord were intended to teach this lesson, that he was the great
+Saviour of whom the prophets had spoken. But then, in addition to
+this, these wonderful works of Jesus were made use of by him to show
+that he has power to do everything for his people that they may need
+to have him do.</p>
+
+<p>It is impossible for us to speak of all the miracles of Christ. We
+can only make selections from them, as we did with the parables in
+the last chapter. In looking at these we may see Jesus teaching us
+that he has power to do <i>four</i> things for his people.</p>
+
+<p><i>In the first place some of the miracles of Christ teach us that he
+has great power to</i>&mdash;HELP.</p>
+
+<p>We see this in the account given us of the miraculous draught of
+fishes. Luke v: 1-11.</p>
+
+<p>Peter was a fisherman before he became a disciple of Jesus. And James
+and John, the sons of Zebedee, were partners with him in the same
+business. On one occasion they had been busy all night throwing out
+and hauling in their nets, but without catching a single fish. Early
+the next morning, Jesus was walking along the shore of the lake, near
+where their boats were. He knew how tired and discouraged they were,
+and how much they needed help; and he wished to show them what
+wonderful power he had to help in time of need. So he told them to
+cast their net on the other side of the ship. They did so; and
+immediately their nets were full; and they had more fish than they
+could well manage. Here we are taught that even in the depths of the
+sea 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 the
+power to bring it to them.</p>
+
+<p>And then, by his miracle of walking on the sea Jesus taught the same
+lesson. We have an account of this miracle in three places. Matt,
+xix: 22-33. Mark vi: 45-52. John vi: 14-21.</p>
+
+<p>At the close of a busy day, in which he had been teaching the people
+and feeding them by miracle, Jesus told his disciples to go on board
+a vessel and cross over to the other side of the lake. Then he sent
+the multitude away, and went up into the mountain to pray to his
+Father in heaven whom he loved so much. It proved to be a stormy
+night. The wind was dead ahead; and the sea was very rough. The
+disciples were having a hard time of it. Tired of rowing, and making
+little progress, there was no prospect of their getting to land
+before morning. But, dark as the night was, Jesus saw them. It is
+true as David says, that&mdash;&quot;<i>The darkness and the light are both alike
+to thee.</i>&quot; Ps. cxxxix: 12. He saw they needed help and he resolved to
+give 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 on
+the land. He steps from the sandy shore to the surface of the
+storm-tossed sea. He walks safely over its troubled waters. The
+disciples see him. Supposing it to be a spirit, they are alarmed, and
+cry out in their fear. But presently the cheering voice of their
+Master comes to them, saying: &quot;<i>It is I. Be not afraid</i>.&quot; He steps on
+board. The wind ceases, and immediately, without another stroke of
+the oars, the mighty power of Jesus brings them &quot;in safety to the
+haven where they would be.&quot; Other miracles might be referred to as
+teaching the same lesson. But these are sufficient. And Jesus has the
+same power to help now that he had then.</p>
+
+<p>Here are some illustrations of the strange way in which he sometimes
+helps his people in their times of need.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Dead Raven.&quot; A poor weaver in Edinburgh lost his situation one
+winter, on account of business being so dull. He begged earnestly of
+his employer to let him have work; but he said it was impossible.
+Well said he, &quot;I'm sure the Lord will help.&quot; When he came home and
+told his wife the sad news she was greatly distressed. He tried to
+comfort her with the assurance&mdash;&quot;The Lord will help.&quot; But as he could
+get 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 last
+morsel of bread was eaten one morning at breakfast. &quot;What shall we do
+for dinner?&quot; asked his wife.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Lord will help&quot;&mdash;was still his reply. And see how the help came.
+Soon after breakfast, his wife opened the front window, to dust off
+the sill. Just then a rude boy, who was passing, threw a dead raven
+in through the window. It fell at the feet of the pious weaver. As
+he threw the bird in, the boy cried out in mockery, &quot;There, old
+saint, is something for you to eat.&quot; The weaver took up the dead
+raven, saying as he did so:&mdash;&quot;Poor creature! you must have died of
+hunger!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>But when he felt its crop to see whether it was empty, he noticed
+something hard in it. And wishing to know what had caused its death,
+he took a knife and cut open its throat. How great was his
+astonishment on doing this, to find a small diamond bracelet fall
+into his hand! His wife gazed at it in amazement. &quot;Didn't I tell
+you,&quot; he asked, in grateful gladness, &quot;that the Lord will help?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>He went to the nearest jeweler's, and telling how he had found the
+precious jewels, borrowed some money on them. On making inquiry about
+it, it turned out that the bracelet belonged to the wife of the good
+weaver's late employer. It had suddenly disappeared from her chamber.
+One of the servants had been charged with stealing it, and had been
+dismissed. On hearing how the bracelet had disappeared, and how
+strangely it had fallen into the hands of his late worthy workman,
+the gentleman was very much touched; and not only rewarded him
+liberally for returning it&mdash;but took him back into his employ, and
+said he should never want work again so long as he had any to give.</p>
+
+<p>How willing, and how able our glorious Saviour is to help those who
+trust in him!</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Sailor Boy's Belief.&quot; One night there was a terrible storm at
+sea. All at once a ship, which was tossing on the waves, keeled over
+on her beam ends. &quot;She'll never right again!&quot; exclaimed the captain.
+&quot;We shall all be lost!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Not at all, sir!&quot; cried a pious sailor boy who was near the captain.
+&quot;What's to hinder it?&quot; asked the captain. &quot;Why you see, sir,&quot; said
+the boy, &quot;they are praying at this very moment in the Bethel ship at
+Glasgow for all sailors in danger: and I feel sure that God will hear
+their prayers: Now see, sir, if he don't!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>These words were hardly out of the boy's mouth, before a great wave
+struck the ship, and set her right up again. And then a shout of
+praise, louder than the howling of the storm, went up to God from the
+deck of that saved ship.</p>
+
+<p>And so, in the miracles that he performed, one thing that Jesus
+taught was his power to help.</p>
+
+<p><i>In the next place, among the miracles of Christ, we find some that
+were performed in order to teach us his power to</i>&mdash;COMFORT.</p>
+
+<p>One day, a great multitude of people waited on Jesus from morning
+till evening, to listen to his preaching. They were so anxious to
+hear that even when hungry they would not go away to get food. As the
+evening came on, the disciples asked their master to send the people
+away to get something to eat. But Jesus told them to give the people
+food. They said they had only five loaves and two fishes. Jesus told
+them to make the people sit down on the grass. And when they were
+seated he took the loaves and blessed, and brake them, and gave them
+to the disciples, and they gave them to the people. And great as that
+multitude was the supply did not fail. This was wonderful! Those
+loaves were very small. They were not bigger than a good-sized roll.
+The whole of the five loaves and two fishes would not have been
+enough to make a meal for a dozen men. And yet they were made
+sufficient to feed more than five thousand hungry people. How strange
+this was! The mighty power of Jesus did it. We are not told just
+<i>where</i>, in the interesting scene, this wonder-working power was put
+forth. It may have been that as Jesus brake the loaves and gave the
+pieces 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 have
+increased and multiplied while the disciples were engaged in
+distributing them. It is most likely that the miracle took place in
+immediate connection with Jesus himself. The power that did it was
+his: and in his hands, we may suppose that the wonderful work was
+done. As fast as he broke the loaves they increased, till all the
+people were fed. This was indeed not <i>one</i> miracle, but a multitude
+of miracles, all performed at once. The hungry multitude ate till all
+were satisfied: and yet the fragments left filled twelve baskets.
+Five thousand men were fed, and then there was twelve times as much
+food left as there was before they began to eat. All this was done to
+satisfy that hungry crowd, and to teach them, and us, what power this
+glorious Saviour has to comfort those who are in need or trouble.</p>
+
+<p>And when he healed the daughter of the Syrophoenician woman, as we
+read in St. Matt, xii: 21-28; when he healed the lunatic child, as we
+read in St. Matt, xvii: 14-21; and when he raised Lazarus from the
+dead, 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 comfort
+those in trouble.</p>
+
+<p>And we see him using his power still to comfort persons who are in
+distress. Here are some illustrations of the way in which he does
+this:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Shining in Every Window.&quot; A Christian lady, who spent much time in
+visiting among the poor, went one day to see a poor young girl, who
+was kept at home by a broken limb. Her room was on the north side of
+the house. It did not look pleasant without or cheerful within. &quot;Poor
+girl!&quot; she said to herself, &quot;what a dreary time she must have!&quot; On
+entering her room she said:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I am sorry, my friend, that your room is not on the other side of
+the house, where the sun could shine upon you. You never can have any
+sunshine here.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, you are mistaken,&quot; she said: &quot;the sunshine pours in at every
+window, and through every crack.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The lady looked surprised.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I mean Jesus, 'the Sun of righteousness,' shines in here, and makes
+everything bright to me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Here we see Jesus showing his power to comfort.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Ice in Summer.&quot; Some years ago a Christian merchant, in one of our
+eastern cities, failed in business, and lost everything he had. After
+talking over their affairs with his wife, who was a good Christian
+woman, they concluded to move out to the west and begin life again
+there. He bought some land on the wide rolling prairie, built a log
+cabin, and began to cultivate his farm. In the midst of the second
+summer, hard work and exposure to the sun brought on an attack of
+sickness, and a raging fever set in. They were twelve miles away from
+the nearest town. One of the neighbors went there and came back with
+a doctor. He examined the case very carefully, and left some medicine
+with them, and told them what to do. He said it was a very dangerous
+attack. If they could only get some ice to apply to the burning brow
+of the sick man, he thought he might get over it; but, without that,
+there was very little prospect of his recovery.</p>
+
+<p>As soon as the doctor was gone, the sorrowful wife gathered her
+family and friends round the bedside of her sick husband, and kneeled
+down with them in prayer. She told God what the doctor had said, and
+prayed very earnestly that he who has the power to do everything,
+would send them some ice.</p>
+
+<p>When the prayer was over, some of the neighbors whispered to each
+other that the poor distressed woman must be losing her mind. &quot;The
+idea of getting ice here,&quot; they said, &quot;when everybody knows there
+isn't a bit of ice in all the country! It would be contrary to all
+the laws of nature to have ice in summer.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The wife of the sick man heard their remarks, but they did not shake
+her faith in God, and in the power of prayer. Silently, but
+earnestly, her heart breathed forth the cry for ice.</p>
+
+<p>As the day wore on, heavy clouds began to gather in the western sky.
+They rolled in darkness over the heavens. The distant thunder was
+heard to mutter. Nearer and louder it was heard. The lightning began
+to flash. Presently the storm burst in its fury. It came first in
+rain, and then in hail. The hail-stones came in lumps of ice as big
+as eggs. They lay thick in the furrows of the field. The thankful
+wife 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 he
+was restored to life and health.</p>
+
+<p>This grateful woman never troubled herself with any questions about
+whether it was a miracle or not. She only knew that she had prayed
+for ice in summer, and that the ice had come. And her faith was
+stronger than ever that the gracious Saviour, who did so many
+miracles when he was on earth, has just the same power now to comfort
+his people when they are in trouble.</p>
+
+<p><i>In the third place, we see Jesus performing miracles to teach us
+what power he has to</i>&mdash;ENCOURAGE&mdash;<i>his people</i>.</p>
+
+<p>We have an account in St. Luke xiii: 10-17, of the miracle he
+performed on the woman who had &quot;a spirit of infirmity.&quot; This means
+that she was a cripple. Her body was bound down, so that she had no
+power to straighten herself or to stand upright. She had been in this
+condition we are told for <i>eighteen</i> years. How hard to bear&mdash;and how
+discouraging this trial must have been to her! No doctor could give
+her any relief, and she had made up her mind, no doubt, that there
+was no relief for her till death came. But when Jesus saw her, he
+pitied her. A miracle of healing was performed upon her. He laid his
+loving hand upon her bent and crippled body, and in a moment her
+disease was removed. She stood straight up, and glorified God. What
+encouragement that must have given to her!</p>
+
+<p>One day, when Jesus was at Capernaum, the tax-gatherers came to Peter
+to get the tribute, or tax-money, that was due to the Roman
+government, for himself and his master. But, it happened so that
+neither of them had money enough with which to pay that tax. Peter
+went 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 say
+anything on the subject, told him what to do. He directed him to take
+his fishing-line and go to the lake, and cast in his line, and catch
+the first fish that should bite; and said that in its mouth he would
+find a piece of money with which he might pay the tribute that was
+due for them both.</p>
+
+<p>Peter went. He threw in his line. He soon caught a fish. He looked
+into the fish's mouth and lo! there was a piece of money called a
+stater. It was worth about sixty cents of our money, and was just
+enough to pay the tribute for two persons. How wonderful this was! If
+Jesus made this piece of money in the mouth of the fish, at the time
+when Peter caught it, how wonderful his <i>power</i> must be! And if,
+without making it then, he knew that <i>that</i> one fish, the only one in
+the sea, probably, that had such a piece of money in its mouth, would
+be the first to bite at Peter's line, then how wonderful his
+<i>knowledge</i> must be!</p>
+
+<p>Peter would not be likely to forget that day's fishing as long as he
+lived. And when he thought of the illustration it afforded of the
+wonderful power and the wonderful knowledge of the master whom he was
+serving, what encouragement that would give him in his work!</p>
+
+<p>And Jesus is constantly doing things to encourage those who are
+trying to serve him.</p>
+
+<p>Let us look at some of the ways in which this is done. Our first
+illustration is from the life of Washington Allston, the great
+American painter. We may call it:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Praying for Bread.&quot; Many years ago Mr. Allston was considered one of
+the greatest artists in this country. At the time to which our story
+refers, he was living in London. Then he was so poor that he and his
+wife had not a morsel of bread to eat; nor a penny left with which to
+buy any. In great discouragement he went into his studio, locked the
+door, and throwing himself on his knees, he told the Lord his
+trouble, and prayed earnestly for relief.</p>
+
+<p>While he was still upon his knees, a knock was heard at the door. He
+arose and opened the door. A stranger stood there.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I wish to see Mr. Allston,&quot; said he.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I am Mr. Allston,&quot; replied Mr. A.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Pray tell me, sir, who has purchased your fine painting of the
+'Angel Uriel,' which won the prize at the exhibition of the Royal
+Academy?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That painting has not been sold,&quot; said Mr. A.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Where is it to be found?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;In this very room,&quot; said the artist, bringing a painting from the
+corner, and wiping off the dust.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What is the price of it?&quot; asked the gentleman.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I have done fixing a price on it,&quot; said Mr. A., &quot;for I have always
+asked more than people were willing to give.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Will four hundred pounds be enough for it?&quot; was the next question.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That is more than I ever asked.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Then the painting is mine,&quot; said the stranger, who introduced
+himself as the Marquis of Stafford; and from that day he became one
+of Mr. Allston's warmest friends.</p>
+
+<p>What a lesson of encouragement the great painter learned that day,
+when he asked for bread, and while he was asking, received help that
+followed him all his days!</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Hushed Tempest.&quot; A minister of the gospel in Canada gives this
+account of a lesson of encouragement to trust God in trouble, which
+he once received.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It was in the year 1853, about the middle of the winter that we had
+a succession of snowstorms, followed by high winds, and severe cold.
+I was getting ready to haul my supply of wood for the rest of the
+winter. I had engaged a man to go out the day before and cut the wood
+and have it ready to haul. I borrowed a sled and two horses from a
+neighbor and started early in the morning to haul the wood. Just as I
+reached the place, it began to snow hard. The wind blew such a gale
+that it was impossible to go on with the work. What was I to do? If
+it kept on snowing, I knew the roads would be impassable by the next
+day. Besides, that was the only day on which I could get the help of
+the man or the team. Unless I secured the wood that day it would not
+be 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.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I kneeled down amid the drifting snow, and said, 'O, my God, this is
+a day of trouble to me. Lord help me. The elements are subject to thy
+will: Thou holdest the winds in thy hands. If thou wilt speak the
+word, there will be a great calm. O Lord, for the sake of my helpless
+little ones, let this snow lie still, and give me the opportunity of
+doing what I came to do, and what it is so necessary to do to-day,
+for Jesus' sake. Amen!'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I do not think it was more than fifteen minutes from the time I
+began to pray, before there was a visible change. The wind became
+more moderate; the sky was calm; in less than half an hour all was
+still; and a more pleasant time for wood-hauling than we had that day
+I never saw, nor desire to see. While I live, I never shall forget
+the lesson of encouragement to trust in God that was taught me on
+that day.&quot; And this was one of the lessons Jesus taught us by his
+miracles.</p>
+
+<p><i>In the fourth place, among the miracles of Jesus we see some that
+were intended to teach us his power to</i>&mdash;PROTECT&mdash;<i>his people</i>.</p>
+
+<p>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 weak
+to protect ourselves.</p>
+
+<p>One day, Jesus went into the house of the apostle Peter, and found
+the family in great distress, because the mother of Peter's wife was
+very ill and in danger of dying. We judge from the history that she
+was the head of the family. Her death would have been a great loss to
+them all, and yet it seemed as if no human power could protect them
+from that loss. But Jesus performed a miracle to save them from this
+threatened danger. He went into the room where she lay. He put his
+healing hands upon her, and at once she was well. Immediately she
+rose up from that sick bed, and took her place in the family and
+waited on Jesus.</p>
+
+<p>On another occasion he was crossing the sea of Galilee with his
+disciples. 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 he
+was lying there a sudden storm burst upon the sea. The wind howled in
+its fury. The angry waves rose in their might and dashed against the
+vessel in hissing foam. The ship was full of water, and in danger of
+sinking. The terrified disciples came to their sleeping Master with
+the earnest cry:&mdash;&quot;Lord save us: we perish.&quot; He heard their cry. He
+rose at once. Quietly he took his stand by the side of the
+storm-tossed vessel. He rebuked the winds, and said unto the sea:&mdash;&quot;
+Peace: be still.&quot; They recognized their Master's voice and obeyed.
+&quot;The wind ceased, and immediately there was a great calm.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>As long as those disciples lived they never would forget the lesson
+he taught them by that miracle of his power to protect in danger.</p>
+
+<p>And then many of the miracles of our Saviour were performed for the
+purpose of showing what power he had to protect his people from
+Satan, and the evil spirits that serve him. It pleased God to allow
+these evil spirits to have more power over men during the time when
+Jesus was on earth than they had before, or than they have now. We
+often read in the gospels of men who were &quot;possessed of devils.&quot; This
+means that the evil spirits entered into the bodies of these men, and
+used them as their own; just as you, or I, might go into an empty
+house, and use it as if it belonged to us. But Jesus performed a
+number 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 from
+their 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.</p>
+
+<p>The Bible speaks of Satan &quot;going about, like a roaring lion, seeking
+whom he may devour.&quot; I. Peter v: 8. But he is a chained lion: and
+Jesus holds the chain. If we are trying to love and serve Jesus, we
+need not be afraid of this roaring lion. He cannot touch us till our
+Saviour gives him permission; and he will not let him hurt us. We see
+this illustrated in Job's case. Satan wanted very much to injure Job
+in some way. But he could not do it. And the reason of it was, as he
+said himself, that God had &quot;put an hedge about him, and about his
+house, and about all that he had on every side.&quot; Job i: 10. This
+hedge, or fence, means the power which Jesus exercises to protect his
+people from the harm that Satan desires to do to them. In this way he
+protected Job. And in this way he protects all who love and serve
+him.</p>
+
+<p>Let us take an illustration or two to show how he is doing this
+continually.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Providential Deliverance.&quot; One of the best men, and one of the most
+useful ministers in London, during the last century, was the Rev.
+John Newton. Before entering the ministry he held an office under
+the government. One of the duties of this office was for him to visit
+and inspect the vessels of the navy as they lay at anchor in the
+river Thames. One day he was going out to visit a man-of-war that lay
+there. He was a very punctual man. When he had an engagement he was
+always ready at the very moment. But when he reached the dock on this
+occasion the boat which was to take him off to the man-of-war was not
+there. He was obliged to wait five, ten, fifteen minutes before the
+boat came. This displeased him very much. But the hand of God was in
+this delay. For, just as the boat was leaving the dock, a spark fell
+into the powder magazine on board the man-of-war. An explosion took
+place. The huge vessel was blown to pieces, and all the men on board
+of her were killed. That delay of a quarter of an hour saved Mr.
+Newton's life. In this way that gracious Saviour whom he served
+protected him from the danger to which he was exposed.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Willie's Heroism.&quot; One summer afternoon a teacher told her geography
+class that they might close their books and rest a little, while she
+told them a story. The story was about William Tell, the famous hero
+of Switzerland. She told the scholars how a wicked governor placed an
+apple on the head of Tell's little boy and then compelled the father
+to take his bow and arrow and shoot the apple from the head of his
+son. He was very unwilling to do it, for he was afraid the arrow
+might miss and kill his child. But the brave boy stood firm, and
+cried out&mdash;&quot;Shoot, father! I am not afraid.&quot; He took a steady aim;
+fired, and knocked the apple off without hurting his son.</p>
+
+<p>Just as the teacher was telling this story a sudden storm burst from
+the 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 the
+teacher for protection. But a little boy named Willie Hawthorne, kept
+his seat and went on quietly studying his lesson.</p>
+
+<p>When the storm was over the teacher said:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Willie why were you not afraid like the other children?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Because,&quot; said he, &quot;I knew the lightning was only an arrow in my
+Heavenly Father's hand, and why should I be afraid?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>How well Willie had learned the lesson which Jesus taught his
+disciples when he performed so many miracles to show what power he
+has to protect his people from danger!</p>
+
+<p>Here is just one other story to illustrate this truth. We may call
+it:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Widow's Tree,&quot; Some years ago a violent storm, with wind and
+thunder, 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 was
+spread all over the land.</p>
+
+<p>In the centre of the region over which this hurricane swept stood a
+small cabin. It was occupied by an aged Christian widow, with her
+only son. The terrible wind struck a large tree in front of her
+humble dwelling, twisting and dashing it about. If the tree should
+fall it would crush her home, and probably kill herself and son. The
+storm 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 asked
+God 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 was
+over, the widow's tree was spared, and strange as it may seem, was
+the only one left amidst that scene of desolation. There it stood,
+as if on purpose to show what power our loving Saviour has to protect
+from danger those who trust in him!</p>
+
+<p><i>But, in the last place, we see that Jesus performed some of his
+miracles for the purpose of teaching us that he has power
+to</i>&mdash;PARDON.</p>
+
+<p>A man was brought him, one day, who was sick of the palsy. His limbs
+were helpless. He was not able to come to Jesus himself, so his
+friends carried him on a bed. At this time Jesus was preaching in the
+yard, or court, connected with some rich man's house. In those
+eastern countries the houses were not built as ours are, with a yard
+back of them. There is a square yard in the centre, and the house is
+built round the four sides of this square. This open space is
+generally used as a garden. It has a fountain playing in it, and a
+covering of cloth or mats spread over it to keep off the sun. It was
+in one of these open courts that Jesus was preaching on this
+occasion. A great crowd had gathered round him, so that the friends
+of the palsied man could not get near him with the bed on which the
+sufferer lay. Then they concluded to carry him up to the top of the
+house, and lower him down inside. This would not be easy to do with
+us. But the eastern houses are not so high as ours. And then they
+have flat roofs, and a flight of steps leading from the ground, on
+the outside, to the top of the house. This made it very easy to get
+up. When they were on the roof they removed the covering from the
+inner court, and let down the bed, with the sick man on it, directly
+in front of our Saviour. When he saw him he pitied him, and said,
+&quot;Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.&quot; The people were
+surprised at this. The Pharisees said among themselves &quot;This man
+blasphemeth.&quot; Jesus knew their thoughts and told them it was as easy
+for him to heal the souls of men, as it was to heal their bodies. And
+then, to show them that he had power on earth to forgive sins, he
+said to the sick man&mdash;&quot;Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine
+house. And he arose, and went to his house,&quot; Matt, ix: 1-8. Certainly
+the object Jesus had in view, in performing this miracle, was to
+prove that he had power to forgive sins; or to pardon.</p>
+
+<p>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. It
+affected the body as sin affects the soul. And then, leprosy was a
+disease which none but God could cure; just as sin is an offence
+which none but God our Saviour can pardon. And so Jesus performed the
+miracle of healing the palsied man and the lepers in order to teach
+his disciples the great lesson that he &quot;had power on earth to forgive
+sins.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And he has the same power still. Here are some illustrations of the
+way in which he exercises this power now.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No Pardon but From Jesus,&quot; There was a heathen man in India once,
+who felt that he was a sinner, and longed to obtain pardon. The
+priests had sent him to their most famous temples, all over the
+country, but he could get no pardon, and find no peace. He had fasted
+till he was about worn to a skeleton, and had done many painful
+things&mdash;but pardon and peace he could not find. At last he was told
+to put pebbles in his shoes and travel to a distant temple, and make
+an offering there; and he would find peace. He went. He made the
+offering; but still he found no relief from the burden of his sins.</p>
+
+<p>Sad, and sorrowful, he was returning home with the pebbles still in
+his shoes. Wearied with his journey, he halted one day in the shade
+of a grove, by the wayside, where a company of people was gathered
+round a stranger who was addressing them. It was a Christian
+missionary preaching the gospel. The heathen listened with great
+interest. The missionary was preaching from the words:&mdash;&quot;The blood of
+Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin.&quot; He showed what power Jesus had
+to forgive sins and how able and willing he is to save all who come
+unto him. The heart of the poor heathen was drawn to this loving and
+glorious Saviour. He took off his shoes and threw away the pebbles,
+saying &quot;This is the Saviour I have long sought in vain. Thank God! I
+have found salvation!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Here is one more illustration of the way in which Jesus pardons our
+sins, and of the effect which that pardon has on those who receive
+it. We may call it:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Pardon and Peace.&quot; An officer who held a high position under the
+government of his country, and was a favorite with the king, was once
+brought before the judge and charged with a great crime. He took his
+place at the bar with the greatest coolness, and looked at the judge
+and jury and the great crowd of spectators as calmly as if he were
+at home, surrounded by his own family.</p>
+
+<p>The trial began. The witnesses were called up, and gave clear
+evidence that he was guilty. Still he remained as calm and unmoved as
+ever. There was not the least sign of fear visible on his
+countenance; on the contrary, his face wore a pleasant smile.</p>
+
+<p>At last the jury came in, and while the crowd in the court-room held
+their breath, declared that the prisoner was guilty. In an instant
+every eye was turned upon the prisoner to see what effect this
+sentence would have upon him. But just then, he put his hand in his
+bosom, drew out a paper, and laid it on the table. It was a pardon, a
+full, free pardon of all his offences, given him by the king, and
+sealed with the royal signet. This was the secret of his peace. This
+was what gave him such calmness and confidence in his dreadful
+position as a condemned prisoner.</p>
+
+<p>And so Jesus gives his people pardon in such promises as these:
+&quot;Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow: though
+they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool,&quot; Is. i: 16. &quot;Let
+them return unto the Lord, for he will <i>abundantly pardon</i>.&quot; Is. lv:
+7. &quot;All that believe are justified from <i>all</i> things.&quot; Acts xiii:
+39. These promises are like the king's pardon which the officer had
+received. Faith in these promises brings pardon, and the pardon
+brings peace. And so, by what he is doing now, as well as by the
+miracles he performed when on earth, we are taught the precious
+truth, that&mdash;&quot;The Son of man hath power to forgive sins.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Then when we think of the wonderful miracles that Jesus did, let us
+always remember the illustrations they afford of the power he had to
+<i>help</i>&mdash;<i>to comfort</i>&mdash;<i>to encourage</i>&mdash;<i>to protect</i>&mdash;<i>and to pardon</i>.</p>
+
+<p>Let us seek to secure all these blessings to ourselves, and then we
+shall find that what Jesus taught by his miracles will be very
+profitable teaching to us!</p>
+
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="CHRIST_TEACHING_LIBERALITY"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<h2>CHRIST TEACHING LIBERALITY</h2>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>If we should attempt to mention all the parables which Jesus spoke,
+and the miracles which he performed, and the many other lessons which
+he taught, it would make a long list. As we have done before we can
+only take one or two specimens of these general lessons which Jesus
+taught.</p>
+
+<p>We have one of these in the title to our present chapter, which
+is&mdash;<i>Christ Teaching Liberality</i>. This was a very important lesson
+for Jesus to teach. One of the sad effects of sin upon our nature is
+to make it selfish, and covetous. We are tempted to love money more
+than we ought to do. We are not so willing to part with it as we
+should be. And we never can be good and true Christians unless we
+overcome the selfishness of our sinful hearts, and not only learn to
+give, but to give liberally. The Bible teaches us that God not only
+expects his people to give, but, as St. Paul says, in one place, to
+give &quot;<i>cheerfully</i>.&quot; II. Cor. ix: 7.</p>
+
+<p>And this is the lesson Jesus taught when he said to his
+disciples,&mdash;&quot;Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure,
+pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give
+into your bosoms.&quot; St. Luke vi: 38.</p>
+
+<p>And when we come to consider these words of Jesus, there are three
+things to engage our attention. <i>The first of these is the</i>&mdash;LESSON
+OF LIBERALITY&mdash;<i>here set before us</i>.</p>
+
+<p><i>The second is</i>&mdash;THE PROOF&mdash;<i>that this lesson is taught all through
+the Bible</i>.</p>
+
+<p><i>And the third is</i>&mdash;THE ILLUSTRATIONS&mdash;<i>of this lesson</i>.</p>
+
+<p>And then, when put into its shortest form, our present subject may be
+thus expressed&mdash;<i>the lesson of liberality; its proofs; and its
+illustrations</i>.</p>
+
+<p>And the lesson which Jesus here taught is all wrapped up in this
+little word&mdash;&quot;<i>Give</i>.&quot; Here we learn what the will of Jesus is on
+this subject. This is not simply the expression of his opinion. It is
+not merely his advice; no, but it is his <i>command</i>. He is speaking
+here as our Master&mdash;our King&mdash;our God. He <i>commands</i> us to&mdash;give.
+And when we remember how he said to his disciples, &quot;If ye love me,
+<i>keep my commandments</i>,&quot; we see plainly, that we have no right to
+consider ourselves as his disciples if we are neglecting this or any
+other of his plain commands.</p>
+
+<p>And this command about giving is not intended for any <i>one</i> class of
+persons among the followers of Christ, but for <i>all</i> of them. It is
+not a command designed for kings, or princes, or rich men only, but
+for the poor as well. It is not a command for grown persons alone,
+but for children also. As soon as we begin to <i>get</i>, God expects us
+to begin to <i>give</i>.</p>
+
+<p>Jesus says nothing here about <i>how much</i> he expects us to give. But,
+from other places in the Bible, we learn that he expects us to give
+<i>at least one-tenth</i> of all that we have. If we have a thousand
+dollars he expects us to give one hundred out of the thousand. If we
+have a hundred he expects us to give ten. If we have ten dollars we
+must give one of them to God. If we have only one dollar we must give
+ten cents of it to Him. If we have but ten cents we must give one of
+them. If we have no money to give, God expects us to give kind words,
+and kind actions, our sympathy and love.</p>
+
+<p>Jesus does not tell us here <i>how often</i> we are to give, but
+simply&mdash;give. This means that we are to learn the lesson and form the
+habit of giving. His command is&mdash;give. And in giving us this command
+he is only asking us to imitate his own example. <i>He is giving all
+the time</i>. The apostle Paul tells us that Jesus is &quot;exalted to the
+right hand of the Father to&mdash;give.&quot; He never tires of giving. &quot;He
+giveth to all life, breath, and all things.&quot; And if we have not the
+Spirit of Christ in this respect, &quot;we are none of his.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>This, then, is the lesson of liberality that Jesus taught when he
+said&mdash;&quot;give.&quot; And that <i>giving is God's rule for getting</i> is what we
+are taught by our Saviour, when he said&mdash;&quot;<i>Give, and it shall be
+given unto you</i>.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And now, having seen what this lesson of liberality is, which Jesus
+taught, <i>let us look at some of the Scripture proofs of it</i>. The same
+lesson is taught in other places in the Bible. Let us see what is
+said about it in some of these places.</p>
+
+<p>In Ps. xli: 1 David says&mdash;&quot;Blessed is he that considereth the poor:
+the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble.&quot; Considering the poor
+here, means being kind to them, and giving them such things as they
+need. And the blessing promised to those who do this means that God
+will reward them by giving to them good things in great abundance.
+And, if this is so, then we have proof here that &quot;giving is God's
+rule for getting.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>We have another proof that &quot;giving is God's rule for getting,&quot; in
+Prov. iii: 9, 10. Here Solomon says&mdash;&quot;Honor the Lord with thy
+substance, and with the first-fruits of all thine increase: So shall
+thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with
+new wine.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>When the Jewish farmers gathered in their harvests they were required
+to make an offering to God, of what had been gathered, before they
+used any part of it for themselves; and the offerings thus made were
+called &quot;the first-fruits.&quot; God considered himself honored by his
+people when they did this, because they were keeping his commandments
+and 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 to
+the cause of God from all the money, or property we have, and from
+all the gain, or increase that we make to the same. This is the Bible
+rule&mdash;the will or command of God for all his people. And then, in
+the other part of this passage we have the promise of God to all who
+do this. &quot;So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses
+shall burst out with new wine.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>This means that they shall be rich and prosperous. And so we see that
+this passage from the book of Proverbs, teaches the same lesson of
+liberality that our Saviour taught when he said&mdash;&quot;<i>Give and it shall
+be given unto you</i>.&quot; It proves that &quot;giving is God's rule for
+getting.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And Solomon teaches the same, again, when he says, &quot;The liberal soul
+shall be made fat; and he that watereth shall be watered also
+himself.&quot; Prov. xi: 25.</p>
+
+<p>A &quot;liberal soul&quot; means a person who is in the habit of giving; and to
+be &quot;made fat&quot; means to be prospered and happy. If you undertake to
+water a garden, you are <i>giving</i> to the thirsty plants that which
+they need to make them grow and thrive; and when it is promised that
+the person who does this shall &quot;be watered also himself,&quot; the meaning
+is that he shall have given to him all that is most important to
+supply his wants, and make him happy. And this, we see, is only
+teaching what our Saviour taught when he said, &quot;Give, and it shall be
+given unto you.&quot; It furnishes us with another proof that &quot;giving is
+God's rule for getting.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>In the nineteenth chapter of Proverbs and seventeenth verse we have a
+very clear proof of the lesson we are now considering. Here we find
+it said: &quot;<i>He that hath pity upon the poor, lendeth unto the Lord;
+and that which he hath given will he pay him again</i>.&quot; Having pity on
+the poor, as here spoken of, means giving them such things as they
+need. Whatever we use in this way God looks upon as so much money
+lent unto him; and we have his solemn promise that when we lend
+anything to him, in this way, &quot;He will pay us again.&quot; And when he
+pays again what has been lent to him, it is always with interest. He
+pays back four, or five, or ten times as much as was lent: to him.
+This proves that &quot;giving is God's rule for getting.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>One other passage is all that need be referred to in order to prove
+that the lesson of liberality which our Saviour taught is the same
+lesson which the Bible teaches everywhere. In Eccles. xi: 1, God
+says, &quot;<i>Cast thy bread upon the waters; for thou shalt find it after
+many days</i>.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>If we should see a man standing on the end of a wharf and throwing
+bread upon the waters, we should think that he was a foolish man,
+who was wasting his bread, or only feeding the fishes with it. But
+suppose that you and I were travelling through Egypt&mdash;the land of the
+celebrated pyramids and other great wonders. The famous river Nile is
+there. During our visit the inundation of that river takes place. It
+overflows its banks, and spreads its water over all the level plains
+that border on the river. This takes place every year. And when the
+fields are all overflowed with water, the farmers go out in boats,
+and scatter their grain over the surface of the water. The grain
+sinks to the bottom. The sediment in the water settles down on the
+grain, and covers it with mud. By and by the waters flow back into
+the river. The fields become dry. The grain springs up and grows. The
+mud that covered it is like rich manure, and makes it grow very
+plentifully, and yield a rich harvest. And here we see the meaning of
+this passage. God makes use of this Egyptian custom to teach us the
+lesson of liberality that we are now considering. He tells us that
+the money which we give to the poor, or use to do good with, is like
+the grain which the Egyptian farmer casts upon the water, and which
+will surely yield a rich harvest by and by.</p>
+
+<p>This teaches us the lesson of liberality. And when we think of all
+these passages, we see very clearly that the Bible teaches the same
+lesson which Jesus taught when he said to his disciples, &quot;Give, and
+it shall be given unto you.&quot; And what we learn, both from the
+teaching of Christ, and from the different passages referred to,
+is&mdash;that &quot;giving is God's rule for getting.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And now, having seen some of the Bible, proofs for this lesson of
+liberality, or for this rule about giving and getting, <i>let us go on
+to speak of some of the illustrations of this rule</i>. These are very
+numerous.</p>
+
+<p>And we may draw our illustrations from three sources, viz.:&mdash;<i>from
+the Bible; from nature; and from everyday life</i>.</p>
+
+<p>There are two illustrations of which we may speak from the Bible. We
+find one of these in the history of the prophet Elijah. You remember
+that there was a great famine in the land of Israel during the
+lifetime of this prophet. For more than three years there was not a
+drop of rain all through the land. The fields, the vineyards, and
+gardens dried up, and withered, and yielded no fruit. During the
+first part of the time when this famine was prevailing, God sent
+Elijah to &quot;the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan,&quot; I. Kings xvii:
+7-17. There the ravens brought him food, and he drank of the water of
+the brook.</p>
+
+<p>But after awhile the brook dried up. Then God told him to go to the
+city of Zarephath, or Sarepta, on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea,
+and that he had commanded a widow woman there to sustain him. He did
+not tell him the name of the woman; nor the street she lived in; nor
+the number of her house. Elijah went. When he came near the place he
+met a woman, picking up some sticks of wood. I suppose God told him
+that this was the woman he was to stay with. Elijah spoke to her, and
+asked her if she would please give him a drink of water. When she was
+going to get it, he called to her again, and said he was hungry, and
+asked her to bring him a piece of bread. Then she told him that there
+was not a morsel of bread in her house. All she had in the world was
+a handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse, and that
+she was gathering a few sticks, that she might go and bake the last
+cake for herself and her son, that they might eat it and die. And
+Elijah said, &quot;Fear not; go, and do as thou hast said; but make me
+thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make
+for 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 oil
+fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>This was a hard thing to ask a mother to do. It was asking her to
+take the last morsel of bread she had, and that she needed for
+herself and for her hungry boy, and give it to a stranger. Yet she
+did it; because she believed God. I seem to see her turning the meal
+barrel up, to get the meal all out. Then she pours out the oil from
+the cruse, and drains out the last drop. She mixes the meal and the
+olive oil together, as is the custom in that country still, and makes
+a cake which can soon be baked. She takes it to the man of God, who
+eats it thankfully, and is refreshed. Then she returns to the empty
+barrel and cruse, and finds as much in them as she had lately taken
+out. She prepares some bread for herself and her son, and they eat it
+thankfully 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. We
+are not told how long it was after Elijah went to the widow's house
+before the days of the famine were over. But suppose we make a
+calculation about it. The famine lasted for three years. Now let us
+suppose, that the first half of this time was spent by the prophet at
+the brook Cherith. Then his stay at the widow's house must have been
+at least eighteen months. And, if this miracle of increasing the meal
+and the oil was repeated only once a day, there would be for the
+first twelve months, or for the year, three hundred and sixty-five
+miracles; and for the six months, or the half year, one hundred and
+eighty-two more; and adding these together we have the surprising
+number of <i>five hundred and forty-seven</i> miracles, that were
+performed to reward this good widow for the kindness she showed to
+the prophet Elijah, when she gave him a piece of bread, and a drink
+of water! What an illustration we have here of the truth we are
+considering, that <i>giving is God's rule for getting</i>.</p>
+
+<p>But the best illustration of this subject to be found in the Bible is
+given in our Saviour's own experience. He not only <i>preached</i> the
+lesson of liberality, but <i>practised</i> it. He is himself the greatest
+giver ever heard of. In becoming our Redeemer he showed himself the
+Prince of givers. He gave&mdash;not silver and gold; not all the wealth of
+the world, or of ten thousand worlds like ours; but &quot;He gave
+<i>Himself</i> for us.&quot; He can say indeed, to each of us, in the language
+of the hymn:</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;I gave my life for thee,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">My precious blood I shed,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">That thou might'st ransomed be,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And quickened from the dead.&quot;</span><br>
+
+<p>And what is the result of this glorious giving to Jesus himself? St.
+Paul answers this question when he says, &quot;Wherefore God also hath
+highly 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 every
+tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God
+the Father,&quot; Phil, ii: 9-11. Because of what he gave &quot;for us men, and
+for our salvation,&quot; he will be loved and praised and honored in
+heaven, on the earth, and through all the universe, above all other
+beings, for ever and ever. What a glorious illustration we have here
+of the truth of this statement, that &quot;giving is God's rule for
+getting.&quot; These are some of the illustrations of this lesson of
+liberality that we find in the Bible.</p>
+
+<p><i>And now, let us look at some illustrations of this subject, that we
+have in nature</i>.</p>
+
+<p>Solomon suggests one of these when he says, &quot;<i>There is that
+scattereth, and yet increaseth</i>.&quot; Prov. xi: 26. He is evidently
+speaking here of a farmer sowing his fields with grain.</p>
+
+<p>Now suppose that we had never seen a man sowing; and that we knew
+nothing at all about the growth of grain, or how wonderfully the seed
+sown in the spring is increased and multiplied when the harvest is
+reaped. Then, the first time we saw a farmer sowing his fields, we
+should have been ready to say, &quot;What a foolish man that is! He is
+taking that precious grain by the handful, and deliberately throwing
+it away.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Of course, we should have expected that the grain thus thrown away,
+or scattered over the ground, would all be lost. But, if we could
+have come back to visit that farmer when he was gathering in his
+harvest, how surprised we should have been! Then we should have
+learned that for every handful of grain that the farmer had
+scattered, or, as we thought, thrown away, in the spring, when he was
+sowing, he had gained forty or fifty handfuls when he reaped in his
+harvest. Then we should have understood what Solomon meant when he
+said, &quot;There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth.&quot; And we should
+have here a good illustration of our Saviour's lesson of liberality,
+when he said, &quot;Give, and it shall be given unto you;&quot; and of the
+Bible truth we are now studying, that &quot;giving is God's rule for
+getting.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Yonder is the great ocean; it is one of the grandest of nature's
+works. And the ocean gives us a good illustration of the lesson of
+liberality which our Saviour taught. The waters of the ocean are
+spread out for thousands of miles. As the sun shines on the surface
+of the ocean, it makes the water warm, and turns it into vapor, like
+the steam that comes from the boiling kettle. This vapor rises into
+the air, and helps to form the clouds that are floating there. These
+clouds sail over the land, and pour out the water that is in them, in
+refreshing and fertilizing showers of rain. This rain makes the rills
+start from the sides of the mountains. The rills run down into the
+rivers, and the rivers flow back into the sea again. In this way the
+ocean is a great giver. It has been giving away its water for
+hundreds and thousands of years, ever since the day when God made it.</p>
+
+<p>Now, let us suppose that the ocean could think, or speak; and that it
+had power to control its own motions. And suppose that the ocean
+should say:&mdash;&quot;Well, I think I have been giving away water long
+enough. I am going to turn over a new leaf. The sun may shine as much
+as it pleases. I won't let another drop of water go out from my
+surface. I am tired of giving, and I mean to stop doing it, any
+longer.&quot; Let us pause for a moment here, and see what the effect of
+this would be upon the ocean itself.</p>
+
+<p>We know that all the water in the ocean is salt water. But when the
+sun takes water from the ocean, in the form of vapor, it is always
+taken out as fresh water. It leaves the salt behind it. Then the
+water on the surface of the ocean, from which this vapor has been
+taken, has more salt in it than the water underneath it. This makes
+it heavier than the other water. The consequence of this, is that
+this heavier water, on the top of the ocean, sinks to the bottom; and
+at 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. The
+water from the top is sinking to the bottom, and the water from the
+bottom is rising to the top. And this is one of the means which God
+employs to keep the waters of the ocean always pure and wholesome.
+But if the ocean should stop giving away its water, as it has always
+been doing, then this constant change of its waters would cease. The
+ocean would be left still and stagnant. It would become a great mass
+of corruption; and the breezes from the ocean, that now carry health
+and life to those who breathe them, would carry only disease and
+death. And the thousands of people who now love the ocean and seek
+its shores every summer, to get strong and well by breathing the air
+that 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 its
+shores as they could. And so we see how the ocean stands before us as
+a grand illustration of the lesson of liberality which our Saviour
+taught when he said, &quot;Give, and it shall be given unto you.&quot; The
+ocean gives away its water continually, and, in return for this, God
+gives it freshness and purity, and makes it a blessing to the world.
+And so the ocean illustrates the truth of the lesson we are now
+studying, that &quot;giving is God's rule for getting.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And yonder is the great sun, shining up in the sky. We do not know as
+much about the sun as we do about the ocean, because it is so far
+away from us. The ocean is very near us. We can walk along its
+shores, and plunge into its waters, and sail over its surface. We
+can study out all about the laws that govern it, and what the effect
+of those laws is upon it. But it is very different with the sun. It
+is about ninety millions of miles away from us. This is too far off
+for us to know much about it. And yet, we know enough about the sun
+to get from it a good illustration of God's rule about giving and
+getting. The sun, like the ocean, is a great giver. It is giving away
+light all the time. It was made for this purpose; and for this
+purpose it is preserved. If the sun should stop giving, and should
+try to keep all its light and heat for itself, the effect would be
+its ruin. By ceasing to give it would be burnt up and destroyed. And
+so, when we see the sower sowing his seed, or the reaper gathering in
+his harvest; when we look upon the ocean, and see the clouds formed
+from its waters, as they go sailing through the sky; or when we see
+the sun rising in the morning, going forth again to his appointed
+work of giving light to a dark world; let us remember that these are
+nature's illustrations of the lesson of liberality which Jesus taught
+when he said, &quot;Give, and it shall be given unto you.&quot; They all help
+to show how true it is, that &quot;giving is God's rule of getting.&quot;</p>
+
+<p><i>And now we may go on to look for our illustrations of this subject
+from everyday life</i>.</p>
+
+<p>If we are only watchful we shall meet with illustrations of this kind
+continually. It would not be difficult to fill a volume with them.
+Here are a few out of many that might be given.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Travellers in the Snow.&quot; Two travellers were on a journey in a
+sleigh during a very severe winter. It was snowing fast as they drove
+along. One of the travellers was a liberal, generous-hearted man, who
+believed in giving; and was always ready to share whatever he had
+with others. His companion was a selfish ungenerous man. He did <i>not</i>
+believe in giving; and liked to keep whatever he had for himself. As
+they drove along, they saw something covered up in the snow that
+looked like the figure of a man. &quot;Look there,&quot; said the generous man
+to his friend, &quot;that must be some poor fellow overcome by the cold.
+Let's stop and see what we can do for him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You can get out, if you like,&quot; was his reply, &quot;but it's too cold for
+me. I intend to stay where I am;&quot; and he wrapped his furs closely
+round him.</p>
+
+<p>The other traveller threw aside his furs and jumped out of the
+sleigh. He found it was a poor man, who had sunk down in the snow a
+short 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 for
+a good while. At last the man began to get warm again and was saved
+from death. Then the generous-hearted traveller helped him into the
+sleigh, and shared his wrappings with him. The exertion he had made
+in doing this kind act put him all in a glow of warmth. He made the
+rest of the journey in comfort. But when they stopped at the end of
+their journey, the selfish man, who was not willing to do anything
+for the help of another, had his fingers, and toes, and nose, and
+ears frozen. This illustrates the lesson of liberality; and shows
+that &quot;giving is God's rule for getting.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Here we see the truth of the lines which someone has written:</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;Numb and weary on the mountain</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Wouldst thou sleep amidst the snow?</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Chafe the frozen form beside thee,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And together both shall glow.</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Art thou stricken in life's battle?</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Many wounded round thee moan;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Lavish on their wounds thy balsams,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And that balm shall heal thine own.&quot;</span><br>
+
+<p>&quot;The Officer and the Soldier.&quot; In one of the terrible battles in
+Virginia, during the late war, a Union officer fell wounded in front
+of the Confederate breastwork, which had been attacked. His wounds
+brought on a raging fever, and he lay on the ground crying piteously
+for water. A kind-hearted Confederate soldier heard the touching cry,
+and leaping over the fortifications, with his canteen in his hand, he
+crawled up to the poor fellow and gave him a drink of water. O, what
+a comfort this was to the wounded man! His heart was filled with
+gratitude towards this generous and noble soldier. He pulled out his
+gold watch from his pocket, and cheerfully offered it to his
+benefactor; but he refused to take it. Then he asked the soldier's
+name and residence. He said his name was James Moore, and that he
+lived in Burke County, North Carolina. Then they parted. This noble
+soldier afterwards lost a limb in one of the Virginia battles, and
+returned to his home as a cripple.</p>
+
+<p>The officer recovered from his wounds; but he never forgot the
+kindness of that Confederate soldier. And when the war was over, and
+he was engaged in his business again, he wrote to James Moore,
+telling him that he intended to send him the sum of ten thousand
+dollars in four quarterly installments of twenty-five hundred
+dollars each; and that he wished him to receive the same in token of
+the heartfelt gratitude with which his generous kindness on the
+battle-field was remembered. Certainly these were two noble men. It
+is hard to tell which was the more noble of the two. But when the
+crippled soldier thought of the drink of water which he gave to the
+wounded officer, and of the ten thousand dollars which he received
+for the same, he must have felt how true our Saviour's words were,
+when he said: &quot;Give, and it shall be given unto you.&quot; And he must
+have felt sure of the lesson we are now considering, that &quot;Giving is
+God's rule for getting.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Secret of Success.&quot; Some time ago a Christian gentleman was
+visiting a large paper mill that belonged to a friend of his, who was
+a very rich man. The owner of the mill took him all through it, and
+showed him the machinery, and told him how the paper was made. When
+they were through the visitor said to his friend, &quot;I have one
+question to ask you; and if you will answer it, I shall feel very
+much 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 <i>this</i>: will you please tell me the <i>secret</i> of your
+success in business?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't know that there is any great secret about it,&quot; said his
+friend, &quot;but I will tell you all I know. I got a situation, and began
+to work for my own living when I was only sixteen years old. My
+wages, at first, were to be forty dollars a year, with my board and
+lodging. My clothing and all my other expenses were to come out of
+the forty dollars. I then made a solemn promise to the Lord that
+<i>one-tenth</i> of my wages, or four dollars out of the forty, should be
+faithfully laid aside to be given to the poor, or to some religious
+work. This promise I kept religiously, and after laying aside
+one-tenth to give away, at the end of the year, besides meeting my
+expenses, I had more than a tenth left for myself. I then made a vow
+that whatever it might please God to give me, I would never give
+<i>less</i> than one-tenth of my income to him. This vow I have faithfully
+kept from that day to this. If there be any secret to my
+success&mdash;<i>this is it</i>. Whatever I receive during the year, I feel
+sure that I am richer on nine-tenths of it, with God's blessing, than
+I should be on the whole of it, without that blessing. I believe that
+God has blessed me, and made my business prosper. And I am sure that
+anyone who will make the trial of this secret of success, will find
+it work as it has done in my case.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>This man was certainly proving the truth of our Saviour's words, when
+he said&mdash;&quot;Give, and it shall be given unto you.&quot; And his experience
+shows most satisfactorily that &quot;giving is God's rule for getting.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Steamboat Captain and the Soldier.&quot; During the late war there
+was a steamboat, one day, in front of a flourishing town on the Ohio
+River. 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 some
+miles down the river with an excursion party, who had chartered the
+boat for the occasion. While waiting for the party to come on board,
+a poor wounded soldier came up to the captain. He said he was
+suffering from severe sickness, as well as from his wounds. He had
+been 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, before
+he died; and he wished to know if the captain would give him a
+passage down the river on his boat. On hearing where his home was,
+the captain said that the party who had chartered his boat were
+going near that place; and he told the poor soldier that he would
+gladly take him to his home.</p>
+
+<p>But, when the excursion party came on board, and saw the soldier,
+with his soiled and worn clothes, and his ugly-looking wounds, they
+were not willing to let him go; and asked the captain to put him
+ashore. The captain told the soldier's sad story, and pleaded his
+cause very earnestly. He said he would place him on the lower deck
+and put a screen round his bed, so that they could not see him. But
+the young people refused. They said as they had hired the boat, it
+belonged to them for the day, and they were not willing to have such
+a miserable-looking object on board their boat; and that if the
+captain did not put him off, they would hire another boat, and he
+would lose the twenty dollars they had agreed to give him for the
+day's excursion.</p>
+
+<p>The good captain made one more appeal to them. He asked them to put
+themselves in the poor soldier's place, and then to think how they
+would like to be treated. But still they refused to let the soldier
+go. Then the noble-hearted captain said: &quot;Well, ladies and gentlemen,
+whether you hire my boat or not, I intend to take this soldier home
+to-day.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The party did hire another boat. The captain lost his twenty
+dollars. But, when he returned the poor dying soldier to the arms of
+his loving mother, he felt that the tears of gratitude with which she
+thanked him were worth more than the money he had lost. The gentle
+mother dressed the wounds of her poor suffering boy; and nursed and
+cared for him, as none but a mother knows how to do. But she could
+not save his life. He died after a few days; and the last words he
+spoke, as his loving parents stood weeping at his bedside
+were&mdash;&quot;Don't forget the good captain.&quot; And he was not forgotten. For
+after the soldier's funeral was over, his father went up the river to
+the town where the captain lived. He found him out. He thanked him
+again for his kindness in bringing home his dying boy; and made him a
+present that was worth four or five times the twenty dollars he had
+lost for the hire of his boat.</p>
+
+<p>But this was not the end of it. For not long after this, the captain
+and his wife were taken suddenly ill with a fatal disease that was
+prevailing in that region of the country. They both died; leaving two
+little orphan children, with no one to take care of them. The
+soldier's father heard of it; and he went at once and asked that he
+might be permitted to take the two helpless little ones and adopt
+them as his own children. He took them home; and was a father and a
+friend to them as long as he lived.</p>
+
+<p>How beautifully our Saviour's words&mdash;&quot;Give, and it shall be given
+unto you,&quot; are illustrated in this story! How clearly we see here,
+that &quot;Giving is God's rule for getting!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>I have just one other illustration before closing this subject. We
+may call it:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Miser and the Hungry Children.&quot; In a village in England were two
+little motherless girls who lived in a small cottage. Sally, the
+elder, was about eight years old and her sister Mary was six. They
+were very poor. Their father was a laboring man, and he found great
+difficulty in supporting himself and his children.</p>
+
+<p>Once, in the midst of winter, these two little girls were left alone
+all day, as their father had gone out to work. They had their
+breakfast in the morning with their father, before he left. But they
+had no dinner, nor anything to eat during the rest of the day. About
+the middle of the afternoon, Mary said to her sister: &quot;Sally, I'm
+very hungry. Is there anything in the closet that we can get to eat?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said Sally; &quot;I've looked all through the closet; but there
+isn't a crust of bread, or a cold potato; nor anything to eat. I wish
+there was something; for I'm hungry too.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, dear! what shall we do?&quot; cried Mary; &quot;I'm too hungry to wait till
+father comes home!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Mary,&quot; said her sister, &quot;suppose we ask our Father in heaven to give
+us 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 three
+times, and then wait, and see if God will send us some.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Mary agreed to this. They both kneeled down, and Sally began: &quot;Our
+Father, 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 our
+daily bread; give us this day our daily bread; give us this day our
+daily bread.&quot; Then they waited quietly, to see if anything would
+come.</p>
+
+<p>And now, while this was going on inside of that little cottage, let
+me tell you what was taking place outside.</p>
+
+<p>Not far from this cottage lived an old man who was a miser. He had a
+good deal of money, but he never gave any of it to others; and never
+would 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 a
+loaf of bread. He got the loaf, and, as it was a stormy afternoon, he
+put it under his coat before starting to walk home. Now, it happened,
+that just as he was passing the cottage in which the little girls
+were, a strong blast of wind blew the rain in his face, and he
+stepped into the porch of the cottage and crouched down in the
+corner, to shelter himself from the wind and rain. In this position
+his ear was brought quite close to the keyhole of the door. He heard
+what the little girls had said about being hungry. He heard their
+proposal to pray to the Father in heaven to give them bread. He heard
+the thrice repeated prayer&mdash;&quot;give us this day our daily bread.&quot; And
+then came the silence, when the little ones waited, and watched for
+the bread. This had a strange effect on the miser. His hard, selfish
+heart, which had never felt a generous feeling for anyone, warmed up,
+and grew suddenly soft in tenderness towards these helpless, hungry
+little ones. Tears moistened his eyes. He put his thumb on the latch
+of the door. The latch was gently lifted and the door opened. He took
+the loaf from under his coat and threw it into the room. The little
+girls, still waiting and watching on their knees, saw the loaf go
+bouncing over the floor. They jumped up on their feet, and clapped
+their hands for joy.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, Sally,&quot; said little Mary, &quot;how good God is to answer our prayer
+so soon! Did He send an angel from heaven to bring us this bread?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't know who brought it,&quot; answered Sally, &quot;but I am sure that
+God sent it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And how about the miser? For the first time in his life he had given
+to the poor. Did the promise fail which says, &quot;Give, and it shall be
+given unto you?&quot; No; God's promises <i>never</i> fail. He went to the
+bakery and bought another loaf for himself, and then he went home
+with different feelings from what he had ever had before. The warm,
+soft feeling that came into his hard heart when he gave the loaf to
+those children did not pass away. It grew upon him. He had found so
+much pleasure in doing that one kind act that he went on and did
+more. And God blessed him in doing it. He began to pray to that God
+who had answered the prayer of those little girls for bread in such a
+strange way. He read the Bible. He went to church. He became a
+Christian; and some time after, he died a happy Christian death. But
+before he died, as he was the owner of the cottage in which the
+little girls lived, he gave it to their father. What a beautiful
+illustration we have here of our Saviour's words&mdash;&quot;Give, and it shall
+be given unto you!&quot; This miser gave <i>a loaf of bread</i> to these hungry
+children and God gave him <i>the grace that made him a Christian</i>! And
+as we think of this we may well say that &quot;giving <i>is</i> God's rule for
+getting.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And thus we have considered the lesson of liberality which our
+Saviour taught; the proofs of that lesson found in the Bible; and the
+illustrations of it from the Bible, from nature, and from everyday
+life. The three things to be remembered from this subject are <i>the
+lesson</i>&mdash;<i>the proofs</i>&mdash;<i>the illustrations</i>.</p>
+
+<p>I will quote here, in finishing, three verses which teach the same
+lesson that our Saviour taught when he spoke the words from which I
+have tried to draw the lesson of liberality. The title at the head of
+them is taken from Solomon's words in one of the passages from the
+book of Proverbs, which we have already used.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;THERE IS THAT SCATTERETH AND YET INCREASETH.&quot;</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;Is thy cruse of comfort wasting?</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Rise, and share it with another;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">And through all the years of famine,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">It shall serve thee and thy brother.</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">God himself will fill thy storehouse,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Or thy handful still renew:</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Scanty fare for <i>one</i> will often</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Make a royal feast for <i>two</i>.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;For the heart grows rich in giving;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">All its wealth is living grain:</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Seeds which mildew in the garner,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Scattered, fill with gold the plain.</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Is thy burden hard and heavy?</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Do thy steps drag wearily?</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Help to bear thy brother's burden,&mdash;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">God will bear both it and thee.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;Is thy heart a well left empty?</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">None but God its void can fill;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Nothing but a ceaseless fountain</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Can this ceaseless longing still.</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Is the heart a living power?</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Self-entwined its strength sinks low;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">It can only live in loving,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And by serving love will grow.&quot;</span><br>
+
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="CHRIST_TEACHING_HUMILITY"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<h2>CHRIST TEACHING HUMILITY</h2>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>During the earthly life of our blessed Saviour, we see how
+everything connected with it teaches the lesson of humility. This is
+pointed out in the beautiful collect in The Book of Common Prayer for
+the first Sunday in Advent. Here we are taught to say:&mdash;&quot;Almighty
+God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put upon
+us the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which
+thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in&mdash;great <i>humility</i>.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>If Jesus had come into our world as an angel, it would have been an
+act of humility. If he had come as a great and mighty king, it would
+have been an act of humility. But when he was born in a stable, and
+cradled in a manger; when he could say of himself, &quot;the foxes have
+holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man hath
+not where to lay his head;&quot; when there never was an acre, or a foot
+of ground that he called his own, although he made the world and all
+things in it; when he sailed in a borrowed boat, and was buried in a
+borrowed tomb; how well it might be said that he was teaching
+humility all the days of his life on earth! Yet he did not think that
+<i>this</i> was enough. And so he gave his disciples a special lesson on
+this subject.</p>
+
+<p>We have an account of this lesson in St. John xiii: 4-15. It is
+taught us in these words:&mdash;&quot;He riseth from supper, and laid aside his
+garments; and took a towel and girdled himself. After that he poureth
+water into a bason, and began to wash his disciples' feet, and to
+wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.&quot; Then occurs the
+incident about the objection which Peter made to letting Jesus wash
+his feet, and the way in which that objection was overcome. And then
+the story goes on thus:&mdash;&quot;So after he had washed their feet, and had
+taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, 'Know
+ye what I have done unto you? Ye call me Master, and Lord; and ye say
+well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your
+feet; ye ought also to wash one another's feet. For I have given you
+an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.'&quot;</p>
+
+<p>This was a very surprising scene. How astonished the angels must have
+been when they looked upon it! They had known Jesus in heaven, before
+he took upon him our nature, and came into this fallen world. They
+had seen him in &quot;the glory which he had with the Father, before the
+world was.&quot; They had worshipped him in the midst of all that glory.
+And then, when they saw him, girded with a towel and washing the feet
+of poor sinful men whom he came from heaven to save, how surprising
+it must have seemed to them! And when Jesus told his disciples that
+his object in doing this was to set them an example, that they should
+do as he had done to them, he did not mean that they should literally
+make a practice of washing each other's feet; but that they should
+show the same humility to others that he had shown to them, by being
+willing to do anything, however humble it might be, in order to
+promote their comfort and happiness. It is not the act itself, here
+spoken of, that Jesus teaches us to do; but the spirit of humility in
+which the act was performed that he teaches us to cultivate. We might
+go through the form of washing the feet of other persons, and yet
+feel proud and haughty all the time we were doing it. Then we should
+not be following the example of Jesus at all. When Jesus washed his
+disciples' feet, what he wished to teach them, and us, and all his
+people, is how earnestly he desires us to learn this lesson of
+humility. And when we think of the wondrous scene which took place on
+that occasion, the one thought it should impress on our minds, above
+all others is&mdash;<i>the importance of humility</i>.</p>
+
+<p>And if any one asks what is meant by humility? No better answer can
+be given to this question than we find in Romans xii: 3, where St.
+Paul tells us &quot;not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought to
+think, but to think soberly.&quot; Pride is &quot;thinking of ourselves more
+highly than we ought to think.&quot; Humility is&mdash;<i>not</i> &quot;thinking of
+ourselves more highly than we ought to think.&quot; And humility is the
+lesson we are now to study. This is the lesson that Jesus wishes all
+who love him to learn. It is easy to speak of <i>five</i> reasons why we
+should learn this lesson.</p>
+
+<p><i>And the first reason for learning it is&mdash;the</i> COMMAND&mdash;<i>of Jesus</i>.</p>
+
+<p>When he had finished washing his disciples' feet, he told them that
+&quot;they should do as he had done to them.&quot; This was his command to his
+disciples, and to us, to learn the lesson of humility. And this is
+not the only place in which Jesus taught this lesson. He gave some of
+his beautiful parables to teach humility. We find one of these in St.
+Luke xiv: 7-12.</p>
+
+<p>On one occasion when he saw the people all pressing forward to get
+the best seats for themselves at a feast, he took the opportunity of
+giving his disciples a lesson about humility. He told them, when they
+were bidden to a wedding feast, not to take the highest seats;
+because some more honorable person might be bidden, and when the
+master of the feast came in he might say to them 'let this man have
+that seat, and you go and take a lower seat'; then they would feel
+mortified, and ashamed. And then he gave his disciples this command:
+&quot;When thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room,&quot; or seat;
+&quot;that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go
+up higher: then shalt thou have worship&quot;&mdash;or honor&mdash;&quot;in the presence
+of them that sit at meat with thee.&quot; Here we have Jesus repeating
+his command to all his people to learn and practise the lesson of
+humility.</p>
+
+<p>And then we have another of our Saviour's parables in which he taught
+this same lesson of humility, and that is the parable of the Pharisee
+and the Publican. We find it in St. Luke xviii: 10-15. The parable
+reads thus: &quot;Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a
+Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed
+thus with himself, 'God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men
+are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I
+fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.'&quot; Here
+we have a picture of a proud man. He pretended to pray, but asked for
+nothing, because he did not feel his need of anything. And so his
+pretended prayer brought him no blessing.</p>
+
+<p>And then in the rest of the parable we have our Saviour's description
+of a man who was learning the lesson of humility, and of the blessing
+which it brought to him.</p>
+
+<p>Here is a story told by one of our missionaries of the way in which
+this parable brought a heathen man to Christ.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That's Me.&quot; A poor Hottentot in Southern Africa lived with a Dutch
+farmer, who was a good Christian man, and kept up family prayer in
+his home. One day, at their family worship he read this parable. He
+began, &quot;Two men went up into the temple to pray.&quot; The poor savage,
+who had been led to feel himself a sinner, and was anxious for the
+salvation of his soul, looked earnestly at the reader, and whispered
+to himself, &quot;Now I'll learn how to pray.&quot; The farmer read on, &quot;God, I
+thank Thee that I am not as other men are.&quot; &quot;No, I am not,&quot; whispered
+the Hottentot, &quot;but I'm worse.&quot; Again the farmer read, &quot;I fast twice
+in the week; I give tithes of all that I possess.&quot; &quot;I don't do that.
+I don't pray in that way. What shall I do?&quot; said the distressed
+savage.</p>
+
+<p>The good man read on till he came to the publican, &quot;standing afar
+off.&quot; &quot;That's where I am,&quot; said the Hottentot. &quot;Would not lift up so
+much as his eyes unto heaven,&quot; read the farmer. &quot;That's me,&quot; cried
+his hearer. &quot;But smote upon his breast saying, God be merciful to me
+a sinner.&quot; &quot;That's me; that's my prayer,&quot; cried the poor creature,
+and smiting on his dark breast, he prayed for himself in the words of
+the parable,&mdash;&quot;God be merciful to me a sinner!&quot; And he went on
+offering this prayer till the loving Saviour heard and answered him,
+and he went down to his house a saved and happy man.</p>
+
+<p>Thus we see how this poor man learned the lesson of humility which
+Jesus taught, and how much good it did to him.</p>
+
+<p>And it is Jesus who is speaking to us and commanding us to learn this
+lesson of humility, when we read, in other passages of Scripture,
+such words as these:&mdash;&quot;Put on therefore&mdash;humbleness of mind,
+meekness, long-suffering.&quot; Col. iii: 12. &quot;Humble yourself therefore
+in the sight of God.&quot; James iv: 10. &quot;Be clothed with humility.&quot; I.
+Pet. v: 5. In all these places we have Jesus repeating his command to
+us to learn the lesson of humility. And this command is urged thus
+earnestly upon us because it is so important.</p>
+
+<p>When St. Augustine, one of the celebrated fathers of the early
+Church, was asked&mdash;What is the first important thing in the Christian
+religion? his reply was&mdash;&quot;Humility.&quot; &quot;What is the second?&quot;
+&quot;Humility.&quot; &quot;And what is the third?&quot;&mdash;the reply still
+was&mdash;&quot;Humility.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And if this be true, we need not wonder that Jesus should have been
+so earnest in teaching this lesson; or that he should have urged so
+strongly on his disciples to learn it.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>command</i> of Christ is the first reason why we should learn the
+lesson of humility.</p>
+
+<p><i>But the second reason why we should learn this lesson is, because of
+the</i>&mdash;EXAMPLE&mdash;<i>of Christ</i>.</p>
+
+<p>There are many persons &quot;who say and do not.&quot; There are some ministers
+who preach very well, but they do not <i>practise</i> what they preach.
+Such persons may well be compared to finger-boards. They point out
+the way to others, but they do not walk in it themselves. But this
+was not the case with our blessed Saviour. He practised everything
+that he preached. And when he gave us his command to learn this
+lesson of humility, he gave us, at the same time, his example to show
+us <i>how</i> to do it.</p>
+
+<p>He was illustrating this command by his example when he washed his
+disciples' feet. And this was only one out of many things in which he
+set us this example. When he chose to be born of poor parents, he was
+giving an example of humility. When he lived at Nazareth till he was
+thirty years of age, working with his reputed father as a carpenter,
+and during the latter part of the time, as is supposed, laboring for
+the support of his mother, he was giving an example of humility. When
+he said, &quot;The Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to
+minister,&quot; Matt. xx: 28; and again&mdash;&quot;I am among you as he that
+serveth,&quot; Luke xxii: 27, he was giving an example of humility. When
+he borrowed an ass to make his triumphal entrance into Jerusalem;
+though he could say in truth, &quot;every beast of the forest is mine, and
+the cattle upon a thousand hills;&quot;&mdash;(Ps. 1: 10), he was setting an
+example of humility. When he hid himself away from the people because
+he saw that they wanted to take him by force and make him king, he
+was giving a lesson of humility. When he allowed himself to be taken
+prisoner, though he knew that if he had asked his Father in heaven,
+he would, at once, have sent &quot;more than twelve legions of angels&quot; to
+deliver him, he was giving an example of humility. When he kept
+silence, at the bar of the high-priest, of Herod, of Pontius Pilate,
+like &quot;a lamb dumb before her shearers,&quot; while his enemies were
+charging him falsely with all kinds of wickedness; when he allowed
+the Roman soldiers to scourge him with rods, till his back was all
+bleeding; to put a crown of thorns upon his head; to array him in a
+purple robe in mockery of his being a king; to smite him with the
+palms of their hands, and spit upon him; and then to nail him to the
+cross, and put him to the most shameful of all deaths&mdash;as if he were
+a wicked man, who did not deserve to live&mdash;he was giving the most
+wonderful example of humility that ever was heard of. Jesus, the Lord
+of glory hanging on the shameful cross!&mdash;O, this was an example of
+humility that must have filled the angels of heaven with surprise,
+and wonder!</p>
+
+<p>And when we think of all that Jesus did and suffered, to set us an
+example of humility, it should make us ashamed of being proud; and
+anxious, above all things, to learn this lesson which he did so much
+to teach us.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Imitating Christ's Humility.&quot; I think I never heard of a more
+beautiful instance of persons learning to imitate the humility of
+Christ, than is told of some Moravian Missionaries. These good men
+had heard the story of the unhappy slaves in the West Indies. Those
+poor creatures were wearing out their lives in hard bondage. They had
+very little comfort in this life, and no knowledge of that gracious
+Saviour who alone can secure, for sinful creatures, such as we are, a
+better portion in the life to come. These missionaries offered to go
+out to the West Indies, and teach those slaves about Jesus, and the
+great salvation that is to be found in him. But they were told that
+the owners of the slaves would not let them go to school or to
+church. They would not allow them to take time enough from their work
+to learn anything about the salvation of their souls. There was only
+one way in which those poor slaves could be taught anything about
+Jesus 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 need
+be, under the lash, so that they could get right beside them and then
+tell them about the way of salvation that is in Christ Jesus. This
+was a hard thing to undertake. But those good missionaries said they
+were willing to do it. And they not only <i>said</i> it, but <i>did</i> it.
+They left their homes, and went to the West Indies. They worked on
+the plantations as slaves. And working thus, by the side of the
+slaves, they got close to their hearts. The slaves heard them. Their
+hearts were touched because these teachers of the gospel had humbled
+themselves to their condition. While they were teaching the commands
+of Christ, they were illustrating and following his example. How
+beautiful this was! How grand! How glorious!</p>
+
+<p>And yet Christ's own example was still more glorious. He laid aside
+the glory of his Godhead, and came down from heaven to earth, that he
+might get by our side. He laid himself beside us that we might feel
+the throbbings of his bosom and the embrace of his loving arms; and
+he draws us close to himself, while he whispers in our ears the sweet
+words, &quot;God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son,
+that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have
+everlasting life.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And so, when we think of the example of Christ, we should strive to
+learn the lesson of humility which he taught.</p>
+
+<p><i>A third reason why we should learn this lesson of humility is
+because of the</i>&mdash;COMFORT&mdash;<i>that is found in it</i>.</p>
+
+<p>Just think for a moment what God says on this subject, in Is. lvii:
+15. These are his words:&mdash;&quot;Thus saith the high and mighty One that
+inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy
+place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to
+revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the
+contrite ones.&quot; Here, the same loving Saviour who gave us the command
+to learn the lesson of humility promises to give comfort to all who
+learn this lesson. And the way in which he secures this comfort to
+them is by coming and dwelling in their hearts. And who can tell
+what a comfort it is for a poor pardoned sinner to have Jesus&mdash;the
+Lord of heaven and earth&mdash;dwelling in his heart? It is his presence
+in heaven which makes those who dwell there feel so happy. This is
+what David taught, when he looked up to him, and said&mdash;&quot;In thy
+presence is fulness of joy.&quot; Ps. 16: 11. And when that presence is
+felt, here on earth, it gives comfort and joy, as certainly as it
+does in heaven. It was the presence of Jesus which enabled Paul and
+Silas to sing at midnight, for very joyfulness, in the prison at
+Philippi, though their feet were fastened in the stocks, and their
+backs were torn and bleeding from the cruel scourging which they had
+suffered. And it was this presence of Christ in the hearts of his
+people that good John Newton was speaking of, in one of his sweet
+hymns, when he said:</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;While blest with a sense of his love</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">A palace a toy would appear;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">And prisons would palaces prove,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">If Jesus would dwell with me there.&quot;</span><br>
+
+<p>But it is only those who learn the lesson of humility that Jesus will
+dwell with. He says himself, &quot;If any man love me, he will keep my
+words; and My Father will love him; and we will come unto him, and
+make our abode with him.&quot; St. John xiv: 23. And among the words of
+Christ which we must keep, if we wish him to dwell in our hearts, are
+those in which he commands the lesson of humility. It is only the
+humble with whom he will dwell. For &quot;every one that is proud in heart
+is an abomination unto the Lord.&quot; Prov. xvi: 5.</p>
+
+<p>The reason why so many people are unhappy in this world is that they
+do not learn the lesson of humility.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Learn to Stoop.&quot; The story is told of some celebrated man&mdash;I think
+it was Dr. Franklin&mdash;who had a friend visiting him on one occasion.
+When the gentleman was about to leave, the doctor accompanied him to
+the front door. In going through the entry there was a low beam
+across it, which made it necessary to stoop, in order to avoid being
+struck by it. As they approached it the doctor stooped himself, and
+called 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&mdash;&quot;Learn to stoop, my friend;
+and it will save you from many a hard knock, as you go on through
+life.&quot; This illustrates the comfort which comes from learning the
+lesson of humility. It is those who are unwilling to stoop; or to be
+anything, or nothing, as God wants them to be, who have no comfort.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Fable of the Oak and the Violet.&quot; In a large garden there grew a
+fine oak tree, with its wide-spreading branches, and at its foot
+there grew a sweet and modest violet. The oak one day looked down in
+scorn upon the violet, and said: &quot;You, poor little thing, will soon
+be dead and withered; for you have no strength, no size, and are of
+no good to anyone. But I am large and strong; I shall still live for
+ages, and then I shall be made into a large ship to sail on the
+ocean, or into coffins to hold the dust of princes.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; answered the violet, in its humility, &quot;God has given <i>you</i>
+strength, and <i>me</i> sweetness. I offer him back my fragrance, and am
+thankful. I hope to die fragrantly, as I have lived fragrantly, but
+we are both only what God made us, and both where God placed us.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Not long after the oak was struck by lightning and shivered to
+splinters. Its end was to be burned. But the violet was gently
+gathered by the hand of a Christian lady, who carefully pressed it,
+and kept it for years, in the leaves of her Bible to refresh herself
+with its fragrance. Here we see illustrated the difference between
+pride and humility.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Secret of Comfort.&quot; Some years ago there was a boy who had been
+lame from his birth. He was a bright intelligent boy, but he was not
+a Christian. As he grew up, with no other prospect before him but
+that of being a cripple all his days, he was very unhappy. As he sat
+by his window, propped up in his chair, and saw the boys playing in
+the street, he would say to himself: &quot;Why has God made me thus? Why
+have I not limbs to run and jump with like other boys?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>These thoughts filled him with distress, and caused him to shed many
+bitter tears.</p>
+
+<p>One day a Christian friend, who was visiting him, gave him a book and
+requested him to read it. He did so; and it led to his becoming a
+Christian. 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. After
+this, as he looked out, and saw the young people happy at their
+sports; or, as he gazed on the green earth and the beautiful sky, and
+knew that he must remain a helpless cripple as long as he lived, he
+yet could say, with the utmost cheerfulness:&mdash;&quot;It's all right. My
+Father in heaven has done it. I love him. He loves me. I know he is
+making all things work together for my good.&quot; He had learned the
+lesson we are now considering, and we see what comfort it gave him.
+And the thought of the comfort which this lesson gives, should be a
+good reason with us all for learning it.</p>
+
+<p><i>A fourth reason why we should learn the lesson of humility is
+because of the</i>&mdash;USEFULNESS&mdash;<i>connected with it</i>.</p>
+
+<p>Jesus tells us, by his apostle, that &quot;God resisteth the proud, but
+giveth grace to the humble.&quot; St. James iv: 6. If we have the grace of
+God we can be useful in many ways, but, without that grace we cannot
+be useful at all. And this is what our Saviour taught his disciples,
+when he said to them&mdash;&quot;without me ye can do nothing.&quot; St. John xv: 5.
+By the words &quot;without <i>me</i>&quot; he meant without my help, or without my
+grace; or without the help of my grace. And it was of this grace that
+St. Paul was speaking when he said&mdash;&quot;I can do all things through
+Christ who strengtheneth me.&quot; Phil, iv: 13.</p>
+
+<p>And we could not possibly have a stronger reason for trying to learn
+the lesson of humility than this, that our receiving the grace of
+God, and consequently our usefulness, depends upon it. God will not
+give us his grace to enable us to be truly good and to make ourselves
+useful, unless we learn this lesson. And unless we have the grace of
+God, we cannot be useful. Like barren fig-trees we shall be useless
+cumberers of the ground.</p>
+
+<p>Now let us look at one or two illustrations which show us how pride
+hinders the usefulness of men, while humility helps it.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Fisherman's Mistake.&quot; An English gentleman was spending his
+summer holidays in Scotland. He concluded to try his hand at fishing
+for trout in one of the neighboring streams. He bought one of the
+handsomest fishing rods he could find, with line and reel, and
+artificial flies, and everything necessary to make a perfect outfit
+for a fisherman. He went to the trout stream, and toiled all day, but
+never caught a single fish.</p>
+
+<p>Towards the close of the day he saw a ragged little farmer boy, with
+a bean pole for a rod, and the simplest possible sort of a line, who
+was nipping the fish out of the water about as fast as he could throw
+his line in. He watched the boy in amazement for awhile, and then
+asked him how it was that one, with so fine a rod and line, could
+catch no fish, while he with his poor outfit was catching so many.
+The boy's prompt reply was:&mdash;&quot;Ye'll no catch ony fish Sir, as lang as
+ye dinna keep yersel' oot o' sicht.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The gentleman was proud of his handsome rod and line, and was showing
+it off all the time. His pride hindered his usefulness as a
+fisherman. The farmer's boy had nothing to show off; so he kept
+himself out of sight, and thus his humility helped his usefulness in
+fishing.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Thames' Tunnel Teaching Humility.&quot; Most strangers who visit the
+great city of London go to see the famous tunnel under the river
+Thames. This is a large, substantial road that has been built, in the
+form of an arch, directly under the bed of the river. It is one of
+the most wonderful works that human skill ever succeeded in making.
+The man who planned and built it was made one of the nobility of
+England. His name was Sir Isambard Brunel. He was so humble that he
+was willing to learn a lesson from a tiny little ship worm. These
+worms bore small round holes through the solid timbers of our ships.</p>
+
+<p>One day Mr. Brunel visited a ship-yard. An old ship was on the
+dry-dock getting repaired. A quantity of worm-eaten timber had been
+taken 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 a
+proud man, he might have thrown the timber aside, and said&mdash;&quot;Get away
+you poor little worm. I am a great master builder. You can't teach me
+anything.&quot; And if he had done so that famous tunnel under the Thames
+would probably never have been built. But Mr. Brunel had learned the
+lesson of humility. He was willing to learn from anything that God
+had made, however insignificant it might be. So he sat down and
+watched the worm at its work. He studied carefully the form of the
+hole it was boring. The thought occurred to him how strong a tunnel
+would be, that was made in the shape of this hole! And when he was
+asked whether it would be possible to build a tunnel under the
+Thames, he said he thought it could be done. He undertook to build
+it. He succeeded in the work. But, in accomplishing the great
+undertaking that little ship-worm was his teacher.</p>
+
+<p>And now, if any of my young friends who may read this book should
+ever visit London, and go to see the great tunnel, as they gaze in
+wonder at it, let them remember Sir I. Brunel, and that little
+ship-worm; and then, let them say to themselves: &quot;This mighty tunnel
+is an illustration of the truth that humility helps to make us
+useful.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;George Washington and His Humility.&quot; Here is a story connected with
+the great and good Washington&mdash;&quot;the Father of his country,&quot; which
+illustrates very well this part of our subject.</p>
+
+<p>During the war of the American Revolution, the commander of a little
+squad of soldiers was superintending their operations as they were
+trying to raise a heavy piece of timber to the top of some military
+works which they were engaged in repairing. It was hard work to get
+the timber up, and so the commander, who was a proud man and thought
+himself of great importance, kept calling out to them from time to
+time, &quot;Push away, boys! There she goes! Heave ho!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>While this was going on, an officer on horseback, but not in military
+dress, rode by. He asked the commander why he did not take hold, and
+give the men a little help. He looked at the stranger in great
+astonishment, and then, with all the pride of an emperor, said:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Sir, I'd have you know that I am a corporal!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You are&mdash;are you?&quot; replied the officer, &quot;I was not aware of that,&quot;
+and then taking off his hat, and making a low bow, said, &quot;I ask your
+pardon Mr. Corporal.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>After this he got off his horse, and throwing aside his coat, he took
+hold and helped the men at their work till they got the timber into
+its place. By this time the perspiration stood in drops upon his
+forehead. He took out his handkerchief and wiped his brow. Then
+turning to the commander he said:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Mr. Corporal, when you have another such job on hand, and have not
+men enough to do it, send for your Commander-in-chief, and I will
+come and help you again.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>It was General Washington who did and said this. The Corporal was
+thunderstruck! The great Washington, though honored above all men on
+the continent, was humble enough to put his hand and shoulder to the
+timber, that he might help the humblest of his soldiers, who were
+struggling for the defence of their country, to bear the burdens
+appointed to them.</p>
+
+<p>This is an excellent illustration of the truth we are now
+considering. And certainly we should all try to learn the lesson of
+humility which Jesus taught, when we see how it helps to make us
+useful.</p>
+
+<p><i>And then there is one other reason why we should learn this lesson,
+and that is because of the</i>&mdash;BLESSING&mdash;<i>that attends it</i>.</p>
+
+<p>Mary, the Mother of Jesus, in her noble song about the birth of her
+wonderful Son, said that God &quot;filleth the hungry with good things,
+and sendeth the rich empty away.&quot; By the &quot;<i>hungry&quot;</i> she meant the
+<i>humble</i> and by the &quot;<i>rich&quot;</i> the <i>proud</i>. And the &quot;good things&quot; with
+which God fills them mean the blessings He bestows on the humble. Our
+Saviour taught the same truth when he said, &quot;he that humbleth himself
+shall be exalted.&quot; Luke xiv: 11. Being exalted here means being
+honored and blessed. These passages teach very clearly the truth of
+which we are now speaking. They show us that we must learn the lesson
+of humility if we hope to have God's blessing rest upon us. And it is
+not more true that two and two make four, than it is that God's
+blessing <i>does</i> attend and follow those who learn the lesson of
+humility.</p>
+
+<p>How many illustrations of this truth we find in the Bible! Moses had
+learned the lesson of humility before God sent him on his great
+mission, which has given him a name and a place among the most
+famous men of the world.</p>
+
+<p>Gideon had learned the lesson of humility before God made choice of
+him to be the deliverer of his people Israel from the hands of their
+enemies; and then, for years to be their honored ruler. John the
+Baptist was so humble that he said of himself that he was not worthy
+to stoop down and unloose the latchet of our Saviour's shoe; and yet
+Jesus said of him that he was one of the greatest men that ever had
+been born.</p>
+
+<p>The apostle Paul was so humble that he considered himself &quot;less than
+the least of all saints,&quot; and &quot;the chief of sinners;&quot; and yet God
+honored and blessed him till he became the most famous and useful of
+all the apostles.</p>
+
+<p>If we turn from the Bible, and look out into the world around us, we
+may compare proud people to the tops of the mountains; these are bare
+and barren, and of little use to the world. We may compare humble
+people to the plains and valleys. These are fertile and beautiful,
+and are the greatest blessing to the world, in the abundance of
+grain, and fruit, and other good things which they yield.</p>
+
+<p>And then, if we take notice of what is occurring in the scenes of
+daily life, we shall meet with incidents continually which furnish
+us with illustrations of the part of our subject now before us, that
+God crowns the humble with his blessing. Let us look at one or two of
+these illustrations.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Little Loaf.&quot; In a certain part of Germany, some years ago, a
+famine was prevailing, and many of the people were suffering from
+hunger. A kind-hearted rich man sent for twenty of the poorest
+children in the village where he lived, to come to his house. As they
+stood on the porch of his house, he came out to them bringing a large
+basket in his hand. He set it down before him and said: &quot;Children, in
+this basket there is bread for you all. Take a loaf, each of you, and
+come back every day at this hour, till it shall please God to send us
+better times.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Then he left the children to themselves and went into the house, but
+watched them through the window. The hungry children seized the
+basket, quarreled and struggled for the bread, because each of them
+wished to get the best and largest loaf. Then they went away without
+ever thanking the good gentleman for his kindness.</p>
+
+<p>But one little girl, named Gretchen, poorly but neatly dressed,
+remained, humbly standing by, till the rest were gone. Then she took
+the last loaf left in the basket, the smallest of the lot. She looked
+up to the window where the gentleman stood; smiled at him; threw him
+a kiss, and made a low curtsey in token of her gratitude, and then
+went quickly home.</p>
+
+<p>The next day the other children were just as ill-behaved as they had
+been before, and the timid humble Gretchen received a loaf this time
+not 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, a
+number of new silver pieces of money, fell rattling and shining out
+of it.</p>
+
+<p>Her mother was frightened, and said, &quot;Take the money back at once to
+the good gentleman; for it must certainly have dropped into the dough
+by accident. Be quick Gretchen! be quick!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>But when the little girl came to the good man and gave him her
+mother's message, he kindly said, &quot;No, no, my child, it was no
+mistake. I had the silver pieces put into the smallest loaf as a
+reward for you. Continue to be as humble, peaceable, self-denying,
+and grateful as you have now shown yourself to be. A little girl who
+is humble enough to take the smallest loaf rather than quarrel for
+the larger ones, will be sure to receive greater blessings from God
+than if she had silver pieces of money baked in every loaf of bread
+she ate. Go home now, and greet your good mother very kindly for me.&quot;
+Here we see how God's blessing attends the humble.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Humility Proving a Blessing.&quot; Some time ago a young man went into
+the office of one of the largest dry-goods houses in New York and
+asked for a situation. He was told to call again another day.</p>
+
+<p>Going down Broadway that same afternoon, when opposite the Astor
+House, he saw an old apple woman, in trying to cross the street,
+struck by an omnibus, knocked down, and her basket of apples sent
+scattering into the gutter.</p>
+
+<p>The young man stepped out of the crowd, helped the old woman to her
+feet, put her apples into her basket, and went on his way, without
+thinking of it.</p>
+
+<p>Now a proud man would never have thought of doing such a thing as
+that. But this young man had learned the lesson of humility, and did
+not hesitate a moment to do this kind act.</p>
+
+<p>When he called again to see about the situation, he was asked what
+wages he expected.</p>
+
+<p>He stated what he thought would be right. His proposal was accepted.
+The situation was given him, and he went to work.</p>
+
+<p>About a year afterwards, his employer took him aside one day,
+reminded him of the incident about the old apple woman; told him he
+was passing at the time, and saw it; and that it was this
+circumstance which induced him to offer the vacant situation to him,
+in preference to a hundred others who were applying for it.</p>
+
+<p>Here we see what a blessing this young man's humility proved to him!</p>
+
+<p>And thus we see that there are five good reasons why we should learn
+the lesson of humility. These are the <i>command</i> of Christ; the
+<i>example</i> of Christ; the <i>comfort</i> that humility gives; the
+<i>usefulness</i> to which it leads; and the <i>blessing</i> that attends it.</p>
+
+<p>The first verse of the hymn we often sing contains a very suitable
+prayer to offer when we think of the lesson of humility we have now
+been considering:</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;Lord forever at thy side</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Let my place and portion be;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Strip me of the robe of pride</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Clothe me with humility.&quot;</span><br>
+
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="CHRIST_AND_THE_LITTLE_CHILDREN"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<h2>CHRIST AND THE LITTLE CHILDREN</h2>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>If, when Jesus was here on earth, he had shown a great interest in
+kings, and princes, in rich, and wise, and great men, it would not
+have been surprising; because he was a king and a prince, himself; he
+was richer than the richest, and wiser than the wisest, and greater
+than the greatest. But he did not do this. He took no particular
+notice of them; but he showed the greatest possible interest in
+children. When mothers brought their little ones to him, the
+disciples wanted to keep them away. They thought, no doubt, that he
+was too busy to take any notice of them. But they were mistaken. He
+was very busy indeed. He had many lessons to teach. He had sermons to
+preach; and sick people to heal; and blind eyes to open; and deaf
+ears to unstop; and lame men to make whole; and dead men to raise to
+life again. He had all his Father's will to make known to men; and
+all his Father's commandments to keep. He had to suffer, and to die
+for the sins of the world; that he might &quot;open the kingdom of heaven
+to all believers.&quot; He was the busiest man that ever lived. Nobody
+ever had so much to do as he had. And yet, he was not too busy to
+attend to the little children. He had time to give to them. So he
+rebuked 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 by
+one, &quot;he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them and
+blessed them.&quot; And when he had done this, as though that were not
+enough, he spoke those precious, glorious, golden words:&mdash;&quot;<i>Suffer
+the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such
+is the kingdom of heaven</i>,&quot; &quot;verily I say unto you, whosoever shall
+not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter
+therein.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>These things are told us by three of the evangelists. St. Matthew
+mentions them in chapter xix: 13-15. St. Mark x: 13-16, and St. Luke
+xviii: 15-17.</p>
+
+<p>On another occasion, when he was in the temple, the children sang
+hosannas to him as the son of David. The chief priests and scribes
+were greatly displeased, when they heard it, and &quot;said unto him,
+hearest thou what these say? and Jesus said unto them, yea: have ye
+never read, out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou hast
+perfected praise?&quot; Matt, xxi: 15, 16. Here he quoted from the Old
+Testament (Ps. viii: 2) to prove to them from their own scriptures,
+that God loves little children, and delights to have them engage in
+his service, and sing his praises.</p>
+
+<p>And there was one other occasion on which Jesus spoke about the
+children, and showed his interest in them. This was after his
+resurrection. We read about it in St. John xxi: 15-18. He met his
+disciples, one day, on the shore of the sea of Galilee. Peter, who
+had shamefully denied his Master on the night in which he was
+betrayed was present with them. Jesus said to him, as if to remind
+him of his great sin, &quot;Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?&quot; &quot;Yea,
+Lord, thou knowest that I love thee,&quot; said the penitent disciple.
+&quot;Feed my lambs,&quot; was his Master's reply. Here again, how beautifully
+Jesus showed his great love for the little ones of his flock!</p>
+
+<p>From these different passages, we see clearly how dear little
+children are to the heart of our blessed Saviour! He is the only
+great Teacher who ever showed such an interest in children. And the
+religion of Jesus is the only religion which teaches its followers to
+love and care for the little ones. The worshipers of the idol Moloch,
+mentioned in the Bible, used to offer their children as
+burnt-sacrifices to their cruel god. Mahometans look upon their women
+and children as inferior beings. The Hindoos neglect their infants,
+and leave them exposed on the banks of the Ganges, or throw them into
+the river to be devoured by the hungry crocodiles. In the city of
+Pekin many infants are thrown out into the streets every night.
+Sometimes they are killed by the fall. Sometimes they are only half
+killed, and linger, moaning in their agony, till the morning. Then
+the police go around, and pick them up, and throw them all together
+into a hole and bury them.</p>
+
+<p>In Africa, the children are sometimes buried alive; and sometimes
+left 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 used
+to be killed. Sometimes they would strangle their babies. Sometimes
+they would leave them, where oxen and cattle would tread on them, and
+trample them to death; while, at other times, they would break all
+their joints, beginning with their fingers and toes, and then go on
+to their wrists, and elbows, and shoulders. How dreadful it is to
+think of such practices! And when we turn from these scenes of
+heart-rending cruelty and think of the gracious Saviour,&mdash;the &quot;gentle
+Jesus, meek and mild,&quot; stretching forth his arms in loving
+tenderness, and uttering the sweet words,&mdash;&quot;Suffer the little
+children to come unto me, and forbid them not; for of such is the
+kingdom of God,&quot;&mdash;what a wonderful contrast it makes!</p>
+
+<p>And when we think of all that Jesus did and said to show his interest
+in children, we may well ask ourselves such questions as these,&mdash;Why
+was it so? What did he do it for? And when we come to look carefully
+into this part of the life of Christ, we can see four great things in
+it; and these are the reasons why Jesus did and said so much about
+children.</p>
+
+<p><i>In the first place we see</i>&mdash;GREAT LOVE&mdash;<i>in the interest Christ
+manifested towards the young</i>.</p>
+
+<p>It was the same love which brought him down from heaven, and made him
+willing to become a little child himself; the same love which made
+him willing to live in poverty&mdash;and suffer the dreadful death upon
+the cross that led him to show such interest in the little ones. But
+if he had not told us himself how he feels on this subject, we could
+not have been sure of it. Children might well have said, when they
+heard about the love of Christ, &quot;Yes, we have no doubt that Jesus
+does love grown up people, men and women in general. We believe this
+because the Bible tells us so; but how do we know that he loves us
+children?&quot; If he had not told us so himself, we could not have been
+sure of it. But we know it now. And when we hear, or read of the love
+of Christ, we may be sure that it takes the children in.</p>
+
+<p>During a famine in Germany, a family became so poor that they were in
+danger of starving. The father proposed that one of the children
+should be sold, and food provided for those that remained. At last
+the mother consented; but then the question arose which one of the
+four should be selected. The eldest, their first-born, could not be
+spared; the second looked like the mother, the third was like his
+father, and they could not give either of them up; and then the
+youngest&mdash;why, he was their pet, their darling, how could they give
+<i>him</i> up? So they concluded that they would all perish together,
+rather than part with one of their little ones. When those children
+knew of this, they might very well feel sure that their parents loved
+them. But Jesus did more than this for us, he was willing to die upon
+the cross, and he did so die, that &quot;not one of his little ones should
+perish.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Being Loved Back Again.&quot; Little Alice Lee sat in her rocking chair.
+She was clasping a beautiful wax doll to her bosom, and singing sweet
+lullabies to it. But every little while she looked wistfully at her
+mother. She was busy writing, and had told Alice to keep as quiet as
+possible till she got through.</p>
+
+<p>It seemed a long time to Alice; but after awhile her mother laid down
+her pen, and pushed aside her papers, and said:&mdash;&quot;Now I am through
+for to-day, Alice, and you can make as much noise as you please.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>In a moment Alice laid down her doll, and running to her mother,
+threw her arms round her neck, and nestled sweetly in her loving
+bosom.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'm so glad,&quot; said Alice, &quot;I wanted to love you so much, mamma.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Did you, darling?&quot; and the mother clasped the little one tenderly in
+her arms. &quot;I am very glad that my little girl loves me;&quot; replied her
+mother, &quot;but I thought you were not very lonely while I was writing;
+you and dollie seemed to be having a good time together.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, we had, mamma; but I always get tired of loving dollie after
+awhile.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Do you, dear? Tell me why?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, because she never loves me back again.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And is <i>that</i> why you love me?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That is <i>one why</i>, mamma; but not the first one, or the best one.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And what is the first, and best?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, mamma, can't you guess?&quot; and the little girl's blue eyes grew
+very bright, as they gazed earnestly into her mother's face. &quot;It's
+because you loved me when I was too little to love you back; <i>that's</i>
+why I love you so.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And what a reason this is why we should love Jesus! He loved us when
+we were too little to love him back. The Bible says&mdash;&quot;We love him
+because <i>he first</i> loved us.&quot; He loved us before we knew him, or had
+ever heard of him. He loved us before we were born. Before the world
+was made Jesus thought of you and me, and loved us. This is what he
+means when he says:&mdash;&quot;I <i>have loved thee with an everlasting love.&quot;</i>
+Jer. xxxi: 3. This means a love that never had a beginning, and that
+will never have an end. This is very wonderful. And when we think of
+it, we may well sing out our thankfulness in the words of the hymn:</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;I am glad that our Father in heaven</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Tells of his love in the Book he has given;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Wonderful things in the Bible I see;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">This is the sweetest, that Jesus loves me.</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">I am so glad that Jesus loves me,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Jesus loves&mdash;<i>even me</i>&quot;</span><br>
+
+<p>And when we think of all the kind words and actions of Jesus, by
+which he showed his interest in little children, the first thing that
+we see in them is&mdash;great love.</p>
+
+<p><i>Now, let us take another look at this part of our Saviour's life,
+and the second thing that we see in it is</i>&mdash;GREAT WISDOM.</p>
+
+<p>It is wise to take care of the children and try to bring them to
+Jesus when young, <i>because then they are easily controlled</i>.</p>
+
+<p>Suppose we plant an acorn in a corner of our garden. After awhile a
+green shoot springs out from it. We go to look at it when it is about
+a foot high. We find it getting crooked; but with the gentlest touch
+of thumb and finger, we can straighten it out. We wish it to lean in
+a particular direction. We give it a slight touch, and it leans just
+that way. Afterwards we conclude to have it lean in the opposite
+direction. Another slight touch, and it takes that direction. It is
+true, as the poet says, &quot;Just as the twig is bent, the tree's
+inclined.&quot; 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 an
+ugly twist in its trunk. We try to straighten it out; but in vain. No
+power on earth can do that now. You can cut it down; or saw it up; or
+break it into splinters; but you cannot straighten it.</p>
+
+<p>Suppose, that you and I should go to one of the highest summits of
+the Rocky Mountains. In a certain place there, we should find two
+little fountains springing up near each other. With the end of a
+finger we might trace the course in which either of those little
+springs should flow. We could lead one down the eastern side of the
+mountains, and the other down the western side. It would be very easy
+to control them then. But suppose now we travel down the side of the
+mountain till we reach the plain, at its base. Now see, yonder is a
+great river, rolling on its mighty flood of waters. That is what the
+little spring has grown to. It is too late to control it now. The
+time for controlling it was up yonder near the spring.</p>
+
+<p>It is easy to control the spring; it is very hard to control the
+river. Jesus wished to control the spring when he directed us to
+bring the children to him. And in this he showed his wisdom.</p>
+
+<p>It is wise to take an interest in children, and bring them early to
+Jesus&mdash;<i>because they have great influence in the world</i>.</p>
+
+<p>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 by
+Themistocles, the celebrated Grecian governor and general. He had a
+little boy, of whom his mother was very fond and over whom the child
+had very great influence. His father pointed to him, one day, and
+said to a friend, &quot;Look at that child; he has more power than all
+Greece. For the city of Athens rules Greece; I rule Athens; that
+child's mother rules me, and he rules his mother.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>I feel sure our Saviour must have felt very much as some one has
+done, who writes in this way about</p>
+
+<p>THE GOOD THAT CHILDREN DO.</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;A dreary place would be this earth</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Were there no little people in it;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">The song of life would lose its mirth</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Were there no children to begin it;</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;No little forms, like buds to grow,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And make the admiring heart surrender;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">No little hands, on breast and brow,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">To keep the thrilling love-chords tender.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;No babe within our arms to leap,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">No little feet towards slumber tending;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">No little knee in prayer to bend,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Our loving lips the sweet words lending.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;Life's song indeed would lose its charm,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Were there no babies to begin it;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">A doleful place this world would be,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Were there no little people in it.&quot;</span><br>
+
+<p>And if children have so great an influence in the world it was wise
+in Jesus to desire to have them brought early to him that they might
+learn to use that influence in the best possible way.</p>
+
+<p>And then it was wise in Jesus to desire this, again, <i>because
+bringing children to him prevents great trouble, and secures great
+blessing</i>.</p>
+
+<p>We are all familiar with Dr. Watts' sweet hymn, which says:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'Twill save us from a thousand snares
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">To mind religion young.&quot;</span><br>
+
+<p>Here is a striking illustration of this truth in the history of:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;One Neglected Child.&quot; A good many years ago, in one of the upper
+counties of New York, there was a little girl named Margaret. She
+was not brought to Christ, but was turned out on the world to do as
+she pleased. She grew up to be perhaps the wickedest woman in that
+part of the country. She had a large family of children, who became
+about as wicked as herself; her descendants have been a plague and a
+curse to that county ever since. The records of that county show that
+two hundred of her descendants have been criminals. In a single
+generation of her descendants there were twenty children. Three of
+these died in infancy. Of the remaining seventeen, who lived to grow
+up, nine were sent to the state prison for great crimes; while all
+the others were found, from time to time, in the jails, the
+penitentiaries, or the almshouses. Nearly all the descendants of this
+woman were idiots, or drunkards, or paupers, or bad people, of the
+very worst character. That one neglected child thus cost the county
+in which she lived hundreds of thousands of dollars, besides the
+untold evil that followed from the bad examples of her descendants.
+How different the result would have been if this poor child had been
+brought to Jesus and made a Christian when she was young!</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Result of Early Choice.&quot; Here is a short story of two boys, of
+the choice they made when young, and the different results that
+followed from that choice.</p>
+
+<p>A minister of the gospel was preaching on one occasion to the
+convicts in the state prison of Connecticut. As he rose in the desk
+and looked around on the congregation, he saw a man there whose face
+seemed familiar to him. When the service was over he went to this
+man's cell, to have some conversation with him.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I remember you very well, sir,&quot; said the prisoner. &quot;We were boys in
+the same neighborhood; we went to the same school; sat beside each
+other on the same bench, and then my prospects were as bright as
+yours. But, at the age of fourteen, you made choice of the service of
+God, and became a Christian. I refused to come to Christ, but made
+choice of the world and sin. And now, you are a happy and honored
+minister of the gospel, while I am a wretched outcast. I have served
+ten years in this penitentiary and am to be a prisoner here for
+life.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Jesus knew what blessings would follow to those who were early
+brought to him, and we see that there was great wisdom in the words
+that he spake when he said&mdash;&quot;Suffer the little children to come unto
+me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p><i>In the next place there was</i>&mdash;GREAT ENCOURAGEMENT&mdash;<i>in what Jesus
+did and said about children</i>.</p>
+
+<p>If a company of boys or girls should try to get into the presence of
+a monarch, some great king, or emperor, they would find it a pretty
+hard thing to do. At the door of the palace they would meet with
+soldiers or servants, the guards of the queen or king. They would say
+to the children&mdash;&quot;what do you want here?&quot; And if the children should
+say, &quot;Please sir, we wish to go into the palace and see the queen,&quot;
+the answer would be: &quot;Go away; go away. The queen is too busy. She
+has no time to attend to little folks like you.&quot; And the children
+would have to go away without getting to see the queen.</p>
+
+<p>But, Jesus is a greater king than any who ever sat upon an earthly
+throne. He has more to do than all the kings and queens in the world
+put together. And yet he never gave orders to the angels, or to any
+of his servants to keep the children away from him. On his great
+throne in yonder heavens he says still, what he said when he was on
+earth&mdash;&quot;Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them
+not.&quot; And he says this on purpose to encourage the children to come
+to him. And the thought that Jesus loves them and feels an interest
+in them has encouraged multitudes of little ones to seek him and
+serve him. Here are some illustrations of this:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Learning to Love Jesus.&quot; &quot;A little girl came to me one day,&quot; said a
+minister of the gospel, and said, &quot;'Please sir, may I speak to you a
+minute?' I saw that she was in some trouble; so I took her kindly by
+the hand, and said, 'Certainly, my child. What do you wish to say?'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'Please, sir,' said she, as her lip quivered and tears filled her
+eyes, 'it's a dreadful thing; but I don't love Jesus.'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'And are you not going to love him?' I asked.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'I don't know; but please sir, I want you to tell me how.' She spoke
+sadly, as if it was something she never could do.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'Well,' I said, 'St. John, who loved our Lord almost more than any
+one else ever did, says that &quot;we love him because he first loved us.&quot;
+Now if you go home to-night, saying in your heart, &quot;<i>Jesus loves
+me</i>,&quot; I think that to-morrow you will be able to say&mdash;&quot;I love
+Jesus.&quot;'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;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, as
+well as to say it. She thought about his life, about his death on the
+cross, and about his sweet words to the little ones, and she began to
+feel it too.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The next evening she came to see me again; and, putting both her
+hands in mine, with a bright happy face, she said:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'Oh! please sir, I love Jesus now; for I know he does love me so!'&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Here was a little one encouraged to come to Jesus by thinking of the
+interest he feels in children.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Doesn't He Love to Save?&quot; A mother had just tucked her little boy in
+bed, and had received his good-night kisses. She lingered awhile, at
+his bedside, to speak to him about Jesus, and to see if he was
+feeling right toward him. He was a good, obedient boy, but that day
+he had done something that grieved his mother. He had expressed his
+sorrow for it, and asked his mother's forgiveness. As she stooped
+down for the last kiss, he said&mdash;&quot;Is it all settled, mother?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, my child,&quot; she said, &quot;it's all settled with me; but have you
+settled it all with Jesus?&quot; &quot;Yes, mother: I've asked him to forgive
+me: and I believe him when he says he will; for <i>doesn't he love to
+help and save children</i>?&quot; &quot;He does, my child, he does,&quot; said his
+mother, as she gazed on his happy little face, lighted up with the
+joy of that gospel, so often hidden from the wise and prudent, but
+revealed to babes.</p>
+
+<p>Here we see how this little fellow was encouraged to seek Jesus from
+the assurance that he feels an interest in children, and loves to
+help and bless them.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Love Leads to Love.&quot; A little boy named Charley stood at the window
+with his mother one morning, watching the robins as they enjoyed
+their morning meal of cherries from the tree near their house.
+&quot;Mother,&quot; said Charley, &quot;How the birdies all love father.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;They do,&quot; said his mother, &quot;but what do you suppose is the reason
+that the birdies love your father?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>This question seemed to set Charley to thinking. He did not answer at
+first, but presently he said, &quot;Why mother all the creatures seem to
+love 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 is
+saying. Even the old cow follows him around the meadow, and the other
+day I saw her licking his hand, just as a dog would. I think it must
+be because father loves them. You know he will often get up and give
+pussy something to eat; and he pulls carrots for the cow, and pats
+her; and somehow I think his voice never sounds so sweet as when he
+is talking to these dumb creatures.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I think his voice is very pleasant when he is talking to his little
+boy,&quot; said his mother.</p>
+
+<p>Charley smiled, and said, &quot;That's so, mother. Father loves me, and I
+love him dearly. But he loves the birdies too I am sure. He whistles
+to them every morning when they are eating their cherries, and they
+don't seem a bit afraid of him, although he is near enough to catch
+them. Mother I wish everything loved me as they do father.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Do as father does, Charley, and they will. Love all things and be
+kind to them. Don't kick the dog, or speak roughly to him. Don't pull
+pussy's tail, nor chase the hens, nor try to frighten the cow. Never
+throw stones at the birds. Never hurt nor tease anything. Speak
+gently and lovingly to them and they will love you, and everybody
+that knows you will love you too.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Now Charley's father, in acting as he did, was trying to make all the
+dumb creatures about him know that he was their friend; that he loved
+them, and had nothing but kindness in his heart towards them. In
+this way he encouraged them to come to him, and not be afraid of him.</p>
+
+<p>And this is just the way in which Jesus was acting when he did and
+said so much to show his interest in children. He wants them all to
+understand that he is their friend; that he loves them, and wants
+them to come to him and love and serve him. And so every child who
+hears or reads about Jesus may feel encouraged to say:</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;Once in his arms the Saviour took</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Young children just like me,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">And blessed them with his voice and look</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">As kind as kind could be.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;And though to heaven the Lord hath gone,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And seems so far away,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">He hath a smile for every one</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">That doth his voice obey.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;I'd rather be the least of them</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">That he will bless and own,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Than wear a royal diadem,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And sit upon a throne.&quot;</span><br>
+
+<p>And so we may well say that in what Jesus did and said about the
+children there is great encouragement.</p>
+
+<p><i>And then there are</i>&mdash;GREAT LESSONS&mdash;<i>too, in this part of the life
+of Christ</i>.</p>
+
+<p>There are two lessons taught us here. One is about <i>the work we are
+to do for Jesus here on earth</i>. When Jesus said to Peter, &quot;Lovest
+thou me? Feed my lambs,&quot; he meant to teach him, and you, and me, and
+all his people everywhere, the best way in which we can show our love
+to him. The lambs of Christ here spoken of mean little children,
+wherever they are found. And to feed these lambs is to teach them
+about Jesus. When we are trying to bring the young to Jesus and
+teaching them to love and serve him, then we are doing the work that
+is most pleasing to him:&mdash;the work that he most loves to have his
+people do. It was thinking about this that first led me to begin the
+work of preaching regularly to the young. And this is the lesson that
+Jesus would have all his people learn when he says to each of
+them:&mdash;&quot;Lovest thou me? Feed my lambs.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Angel in the Stone.&quot; Many years ago there was a celebrated
+artist who lived in Italy, whose name was Michael Angelo. He was a
+great painter, and a great sculptor, or a worker in marble. He loved
+to see beautiful figures chiseled out of marble, and he had great
+power and skill in chiseling out such figures. One day, as he was
+walking with some friends through the city of Florence, he saw a
+block of marble lying neglected in a yard, half covered with dust and
+rubbish. He stopped to examine that block of marble. That day
+happened to be a great holiday in Florence and the artist had his
+best suit of clothes on; but not caring for this he threw off his
+coat, and went to work to clear away the rubbish from that marble.
+His friends were surprised. They said to him:&mdash;&quot;Come on, let's go;
+what's the use of wasting your time on that good-for-nothing lump of
+stone?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, there's an angel in this stone,&quot; said he, &quot;and I must get it
+out.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>He bought that block; had it removed to his studio, and then went to
+work with his mallet and his chisel, and never rested till out of
+that rough, unshapen mass of stone he made a beautiful marble angel.</p>
+
+<p>Now, every child born into our world is like such a block of marble.
+The only difference is that children are living stones&mdash;marble that
+will last forever. And when we bring our children to Jesus, and by
+his help teach them to love and serve him, we are doing for them just
+what Michael Angelo was doing for his block of marble&mdash;we are getting
+the angels out of the stones. And this is what Jesus loves to have us
+do.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How to Get the Angels Out.&quot; A Christian mother, whose children had
+all been early taught to love and serve Jesus, was asked the secret
+of her success in bringing up her children. This was her
+answer:&mdash;&quot;While my children were infants on my lap, as I washed them
+day by day, I raised my heart to God that he would wash them in that
+blood 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's
+righteousness; as I provided them food I prayed that God would feed
+their souls with the bread of heaven, and give them to drink of the
+water of life. When I prepared them for the house of God I pleaded
+that their bodies might be made fit temples for the Holy Ghost to
+dwell in. When they left me daily for the week-day school, I followed
+their youthful footsteps with the prayer that their path through life
+might be like that of the just, which shineth more and more unto the
+perfect day. And night after night, as I committed them to rest, the
+silent breathing of my soul has been, that their heavenly Father
+would take them under his tender care and fold them in his loving,
+everlasting arms.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Let Christian mothers follow this example and they will not fail to
+bring the angel out from every block of living marble that God has
+given them.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Best Time for Doing This.&quot; A faithful minister of Christ had a
+dear only daughter. She had been a thoughtful praying child. When
+only twelve years old she had joined her father's church. She now lay
+on her dying bed. &quot;As I sat by her bedside,&quot; says her father, &quot;among
+the things she said which I shall never forget were these:&mdash;'Father
+you know I joined the church when I was young&mdash;very young. Some of
+our friends thought that I was too young. But, oh! how I wish I could
+tell everybody what a comfort it is to me now to think of it.' Then
+reaching out her hand&mdash;the fingers were already cold&mdash;and grasping
+mine, she said with great earnestness:&mdash;'Father, you are at work for
+the young. Do all you can for them while they are young. It's the
+best time&mdash;the best time. Oh! I see it now as I never did before. It
+is the best time&mdash;while they are young&mdash;the younger the better. Do
+all you can for them while they are very young.' And then she fell
+asleep in Jesus.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>This is the lesson about the work we are to do for him on earth, that
+Jesus taught in what he said concerning the children.</p>
+
+<p>But when we think of those sweet words of Jesus&mdash;&quot;Of such is the
+kingdom of heaven,&quot; we are <i>taught a lesson about the company we
+shall meet there</i>. We learn from what our blessed Lord says on this
+subject that he saves all the little ones who die before they are
+accountable for their actions. And we know that of all the persons
+born into our world more than half of them die before they reach this
+age. And this makes it very certain that more than half the company
+of heaven will be made up of little children. This is a very sweet
+thought to those who have lost little ones; and to those who love
+them.</p>
+
+<p>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 remain
+children. The Rev. Mr. Bickersteth, of England, in speaking of a
+father meeting his little ones in heaven, who died years before he
+did, represents him as meeting them there, just of the same age and
+size as they were when they died. And then he expresses his own
+thought on this subject in a single line:</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;A babe in glory, is a babe forever.&quot;</span><br>
+
+<p>But God has not said anything on this subject in the Bible. And when
+he himself has not spoken on such a point as this, it is impossible
+for us to say certainly which way it will be. But when we get to
+heaven and find just how it is, we shall all agree that God's way is
+the best way.</p>
+
+<p>And then Jesus shows us plainly <i>what our character must be if we
+hope to go to heaven and join the happy company there</i>.</p>
+
+<p>These are the words he spake on this subject; &quot;Verily I say unto you,
+whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he
+shall not enter therein.&quot; Mark x: 15. Jesus refers here to some of
+the 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 our
+character, if we hope to enter heaven. Such a child is willing to be
+taught:&mdash;believes all that his parent or teacher tells him; and does
+everything that he is told to do; and such must our character be if
+we hope to enter heaven.</p>
+
+<p>And so when we come to study out this part of our Saviour's life, and
+think 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.</p>
+
+<p>I know not how to express in a better way the feelings which should
+be in the heart of everyone, young or old, on thinking of this great
+subject, than in the words of one who has thus sweetly written:</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;Lamb of God! I look to Thee,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Thou shalt my example be;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Thou art gentle, meek and mild;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Thou wast once a little child.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;Fain I would be as Thou art,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Give me thy obedient heart:</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Thou art pitiful, and kind;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Let me have thy loving mind.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;Let me above all fulfill</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">God my heavenly Father's will;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Never his good Spirit grieve,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Only to his glory live.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;Loving Jesus, gentle Lamb!</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">In thy gracious hands I am;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Make me, Saviour, what Thou art;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Live thyself within my heart.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;I shall then show forth thy praise;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Serve thee all my happy days;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Then the world shall always see</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Christ, the Holy Child in me.&quot;</span><br>
+
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="THE_TRANSFIGURATION"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<h2>THE TRANSFIGURATION</h2>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>This was one of the most surprising scenes in the life of our blessed
+Lord. It forms a great contrast to the other events mentioned in his
+history. He &quot;came to visit us in great humility.&quot; When we read how he
+was born in a stable, and cradled in a manger; how he had &quot;not where
+to lay his head;&quot; when we read of the lowliness, and poverty, and
+suffering that marked his course, day by day, we come naturally to
+think of him as &quot;the man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.&quot; And
+though, 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, and
+controlled the stormy winds and waves with his simple word, he seems
+wonderful in his power and majesty; yet there is nothing, in all his
+earthly life, that leads us to think so highly of him, as this scene
+of the Transfiguration, of which we are now to speak.</p>
+
+<p>The account of this event is given us by three of the evangelists. We
+find it described by St. Matt, xvii: 1-13. St. Mark ix: 2-13. St.
+Luke ix: 28-29.</p>
+
+<p>A short time before this took place, Jesus had told his disciples how
+he was to go up to Jerusalem, to suffer many things, to be put to
+death, 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 became
+his disciples would be required to exercise. This was very different
+from what they were expecting and must have been very discouraging to
+them. They did not yet understand that their Master had come into the
+world to suffer and to die. Instead of this, their minds were filled
+with the idea that the object of his coming was to establish an
+earthly kingdom and to reign in glory. And, for themselves, they were
+expecting that they would share his glory and reign as princes with
+him. And so they must have been greatly troubled by his words. To
+encourage and comfort them, therefore, he told them that, before they
+died, some of them should &quot;see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And then, some days after this, he took three of his disciples, the
+favored John and James and Peter, and went up with them &quot;into a
+mountain, apart by themselves, and was transfigured before them.&quot; We
+are not told what mountain it was that was thus honored. Mount Tabor,
+near Nazareth, on the borders of the Plain of Esdraelon, has long
+been regarded as the favored spot. But, in our day, many persons
+think that it was not on the top of Tabor, but on one of the summits
+of Mount Hermon, where this wonderful event took place. One of the
+principal objections to supposing that Tabor was the place is, that
+in those days there was a large fortress on the top of this mountain,
+and this, they think, would interfere with the privacy that would be
+desired on such an occasion. But, for myself, I still incline to
+think that Tabor was the mountain chosen. I went to the top of this
+mountain, when in Palestine. And though there is a large convent
+there now, yet the summit of Tabor covers a wide space of ground. And
+outside of the walls of the convent, and even out of sight of its
+walls, I saw a number of retired, shady places that would be
+particularly suitable for such a scene as this.</p>
+
+<p>But, it is impossible to decide positively which was the Mount of
+Transfiguration. And it is not a matter of much consequence. Those
+who think it was Hermon are at liberty to think so; and those who
+think it was Tabor, have a right to their opinion, for none can prove
+that they are mistaken in thinking so.</p>
+
+<p>And when we come to consider this great event in the life of our
+Saviour, there are <i>two</i> things to speak of in connection with it;
+these are the <i>wonders</i> we see in it; and the <i>lessons</i> we may learn
+from it. Or, to express it more briefly&mdash;The Transfiguration&mdash;its
+wonders, and its lessons.</p>
+
+<p>There are three wonders to be spoken of, and three lessons to be
+learned from this subject.</p>
+
+<p><i>The first wonder is</i>&mdash;THE WONDERFUL CHANGE&mdash;that took place in the
+appearance of our Lord on this occasion.</p>
+
+<p>Jesus went up the mountain with his disciples. It was probably at the
+close of one of his busy days that he did this. It would seem from
+St. Luke's account,&mdash;chap. ix: 32&mdash;that Peter and his companions were
+weary with the day's work, and soon fell asleep. But, while they were
+sleeping, Jesus was praying. And it was while he was engaged in
+prayer that the Transfiguration took place. St. Luke tells us it
+was&mdash;&quot;<i>as he prayed</i>.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Let us notice now, what the different evangelists tell us about this
+change. St. Matthew says&mdash;&quot;He was transfigured before them: and his
+face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.&quot;
+St. Mark says, &quot;His raiment became exceeding white as snow, so as no
+fuller&quot;&mdash;one who cleans, or whitens cloth&mdash;&quot;on earth can white them.&quot;
+St. Luke says&mdash;&quot;As he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was
+altered, and his raiment was white and glistening.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>These are the different accounts we have of this surprising scene. If
+the disciples had been awake when this marvellous change began to
+take place, we cannot for a moment suppose that they would have gone
+to sleep while the heavens must have seemed to be opening above them
+and this blaze of glory was shining around them. They were, no doubt,
+asleep when the transfiguration began. And, as we know that the
+taking of an ordinary light into the room where persons are asleep
+will often awaken them, it is not surprising that the disciples
+should have been aroused from their slumber by the flood of light and
+glory that was beaming round their Master then. How surprised they
+must have been when they opened their eyes on that scene! They would
+never forget it as long as they lived. It was more than half a
+century after this when St. John wrote his gospel; and it was, no
+doubt, to this scene that he referred when he said, in speaking of
+Jesus;&mdash;&quot;<i>we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of
+the Father</i>&quot; St. John i: 14. And, not long before his death, St.
+Peter thus refers to it:&mdash;&quot;We were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For
+he received from God the Father, honor and glory, when there came
+such a voice from the excellent glory, saying, This is my beloved Son
+in whom I am well pleased.&quot; II. Pet. i: 16, 17.</p>
+
+<p>One object for which this wonderful transfiguration of our Lord took
+place was, no doubt, to give to the disciples then, and to the
+followers of Jesus in all coming time, an idea of what his glory now
+is in heaven, and of what it will be when he shall come again in his
+kingdom. He had told his disciples about his sufferings and death,
+and the shame and dishonor connected with them; and here, as if to
+counterbalance that, he wished to give them a glimpse of the glory
+that is to shine around him forever.</p>
+
+<p>How wonderful it must have seemed to the astonished disciples! When
+they had last looked on their Master, before going to sleep, they had
+seen him as &quot;the man of sorrows,&quot; in his plain everyday dress, such
+as they themselves wore: but, when they looked on him again, as they
+awoke from their sleep, they saw his face shining as the sun, and his
+raiment dazzling in its snowy whiteness.</p>
+
+<p>To what may we compare this wonderful change? Suppose you have before
+you the bulbous root of the lily plant. You look at it carefully, but
+there is nothing attractive about it. How rough and unsightly it
+appears! You close your eyes upon it for a brief space. You open them
+again. But what a change has taken place! That plain-homely looking
+bulb has disappeared, and in its place there stands before you the
+lily plant. It has reached its mature growth. Its flower is fully
+developed and blooming in all its matchless beauty! What a marvellous
+change that would be! And yet it would be but a feeble illustration
+of the more wonderful change that took place in our Saviour at his
+transfiguration.</p>
+
+<p>Here is another illustration. Suppose we are looking at the western
+sky, towards the close of day. Great masses of dark clouds are
+covering all that part of the heavens. They are but common clouds.
+There is nothing attractive or interesting about them. We do not care
+to 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 has
+thrown his glorious beams upon them. How changed they now appear! All
+that was commonplace and unattractive about them is gone. How they
+glow and sparkle! Gold, and purple, and all the colors of the rainbow
+are blending, how beautifully there! Are these the same dull clouds
+that we looked upon a few moments before? Yes; but they have been
+transfigured. A wonderful change has come over them. And here we have
+an illustration of our Lord's transfiguration. The first wonder about
+this incident in his life is the wonderful change which took place in
+his appearance then.</p>
+
+<p><i>The second wonder about the transfiguration is</i>&mdash;THE WONDERFUL
+COMPANY&mdash;<i>that appeared with our Saviour then</i>.</p>
+
+<p>At the close of his temptation in the wilderness, Jesus had some
+wonderful company too, but it was different from what he had now.
+<i>Then</i>, we are told that &quot;<i>angels came, and ministered unto him</i>.&quot;
+And in the garden of Gethsemane, when he was sinking to the earth,
+overcome by the terrible agony through which he was passing, he had
+more company of the same kind; for we read that&mdash;&quot;<i>there appeared
+unto him an angel from heaven strengthening him.&quot;</i> St. Luke xxii: 43.
+But it was not the company of angels that waited on him at the time
+of his Transfiguration. No: but we read that, &quot;there appeared unto
+him Moses, and Elias,&quot; or Elijah. And if we ask why did not the
+angels come to him now, as they did on other occasions? Why did these
+distinguished persons, of the Old Testament history, come from heaven
+to visit him in place of the angels? It is easy enough to answer
+these questions. This transfiguration of Christ took place, as he
+himself tells us, in order to give his disciples a view of the glory
+that will attend him when he shall come in his kingdom. When he shall
+appear, on that occasion, all his people will come with him. Those
+who shall have died before he comes will be raised from the dead and
+come with him, in their glorious resurrection bodies. And those who
+shall be living when he comes will, as St. Paul tells us,&mdash;&quot;<i>be
+changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye</i>&quot;&mdash;I. Cor. xv: 52,
+53&mdash;and have beautiful, glorified bodies, like the bodies of those
+who have been raised from the dead. And both these classes of
+Christ's people were represented by the distinguished persons who
+formed the company that appeared with Jesus at the Transfiguration.
+Moses had been in heaven nearly fifteen hundred years when this scene
+took place. He had died, as other men do, and had been buried. It is
+supposed by many wise and good men that his body had been raised from
+the dead, that he might appear in it on this occasion. And thus Moses
+represented all the dead in Christ, who will be raised to life again
+at 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. Paul
+tells us that bodies of flesh and blood, like ours, cannot enter
+heaven. I. Cor. xv: 50. They must be changed, and made fit for that
+blessed place. And so, we know, that as Elijah went up to heaven, in
+his chariot of fire, the same wonderful change must have passed over
+his body which we have seen will take place with those of Christ's
+people who shall be living on the earth when he comes again.</p>
+
+<p>Jesus was transfigured that we might know how he himself will appear
+when he comes in his kingdom. And Moses and Elias &quot;appeared with him
+in glory,&quot; to show us how the people of Christ will appear when they
+enter with him into his kingdom. And this was a good reason why these
+very persons, and not the angels, should have formed the company that
+came to visit our Saviour on the Mount of Transfiguration. It was
+wonderful company indeed that waited on Jesus then. But, it was a
+wonderful occasion. None like it had ever occurred before; none like
+it has ever occurred since; and none like it will ever occur again
+till Jesus shall come in the glory of his heavenly kingdom. The
+second wonder of the Transfiguration was the wonderful company.</p>
+
+<p><i>The third wonder connected with this great event was</i>&mdash;THE WONDERFUL
+CONVERSATION&mdash;<i>that took place between Jesus and his visitors</i>.</p>
+
+<p>All the three evangelists, who tell of the Transfiguration, speak of
+this conversation. St. Matthew and St. Mark merely state the fact
+that Moses and Elias &quot;were talking with Jesus;&quot; but they do not tell
+us the subject of the conversation, or what it was about which they
+talked. But St. Luke supplies what they leave out. He says, &quot;<i>they
+spake of his decease, which he should accomplish at Jerusalem</i>&quot; This
+means that they talked about the death upon the cross which he was to
+suffer. And when we remember that these great and good men had just
+come down from heaven, where God, the loving Father of Jesus dwells,
+and where all the holy angels are; and that this was the only time
+when they were to be present with Jesus, and have an opportunity of
+talking with him, during all his life on earth, we may wonder why
+they did not choose some more pleasant subject of conversation. And
+yet they did not make a mistake. God the Father had sent them from
+heaven to meet his beloved Son on this occasion. And, no doubt, he
+had told them what subject they were to talk about, and what they
+were to say to Jesus, on that subject. And then they knew very well
+how Jesus felt about this matter. And painful as the death upon the
+cross would be, they knew it was the nearest of all things to the
+heart of Jesus. It was the will of his Father that he should die on
+the cross, and it was the delight of his heart&mdash;the very joy of his
+soul to do his Father's will. And here we learn the unspeakable
+importance of the death of Christ. The apostle Paul was showing his
+sense of its importance when he said, &quot;God forbid that I should
+glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus.&quot; Gal. vi: 14. He puts the
+word &quot;<i>cross</i>&quot; of Christ, for the death of Christ, but it means the
+same thing.</p>
+
+<p>Some one has compared the cross of Christ to a key of gold, that
+opens the gate of heaven to us, if we believe in Jesus; but if we
+refuse to hear and obey the words of Jesus, it becomes a key of iron,
+and opens the gate of destruction before us.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Power of the Cross.&quot; A heathen ruler had heard the story of the
+cross and desired to know its power. When he was sick and near his
+end, he told his servants to make him a large wooden cross, and lay
+it down in his chamber. When this was done, he said&mdash;&quot;Take me now and
+lay me on the cross, and let me die there.&quot; As he lay there dying he
+looked in faith to the blood of Christ, that was shed upon the cross,
+and said&mdash;<i>&quot;It lifts me up: it lifts me. Jesus saves me!</i>&quot; and thus
+he died. It was not that wooden cross that saved him; but the death
+of Christ, on the cross to which he was nailed&mdash;the death of which
+Moses and Elias talked with him, that saved this heathen man. They
+knew what a blessing his death would be to the world, and <i>this</i> was
+why they talked about this death. Here is one of Bonar's beautiful
+hymns which speaks sweetly of the blessedness and comfort to be found
+in the cross of Christ.</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;Oppressed with noonday's scorching heat,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">To this dear cross I flee;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">And in its shelter take my seat;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">No <i>shade</i> like this to me!</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;Beneath this cross clear waters burst;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">A fountain sparkling free;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">And here I quench my desert thirst,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">No <i>spring</i> like this to me.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;A stranger here, I pitch my tent</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Beneath this spreading tree;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Here shall my pilgrim life be spent,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">No <i>home</i> like this to me!</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;For burdened ones a resting place</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Beside this cross I see;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Here, I cast off my weariness;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">No <i>rest</i> like this for me!&quot;</span><br>
+
+<p>Moses and Elias understood how the blessing of the world was to flow
+out 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 to
+Jesus, amidst the glory of his Transfiguration, the subject, above
+all others, about which they desired to talk with him&mdash;was his death
+upon the cross,&mdash;&quot;his decease, which he should accomplish at
+Jerusalem.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>These are the three great wonders of the Transfiguration&mdash;the
+wonderful change&mdash;the wonderful company&mdash;and the wonderful
+conversation.</p>
+
+<p>And this brings us to the second part of our subject, which is&mdash;<i>the
+three lessons</i> taught by the Transfiguration.</p>
+
+<p><i>The first of these is</i>&mdash;THE LESSON OF HOPE.</p>
+
+<p>One thing for which the Transfiguration took place was to show us
+what we may hope to be hereafter, if we are the servants of Christ.
+We are told how Jesus appeared on this occasion. His glory is
+described. The brightness and glory that shone around him exceeded
+that of the noonday sun. But there is no particular description given
+Moses and Elias. We are not told how they looked. It is only said of
+them that&mdash;&quot;they appeared in <i>glory</i>.&quot; St Luke ix: 31. I suppose the
+meaning of this is that they shared in the glory which Jesus himself
+had when he was transfigured. Their raiment was as white as his; and
+the same brightness and beauty beamed forth from their faces which
+made his so glorious. They shared their Master's glory. And, if we
+are loving, and serving Jesus, this is what we may hope to share
+with him hereafter. This is what we are taught to pray for in the
+beautiful Collect for the sixth Sunday after the Epiphany. These are
+the words of that prayer: &quot;O God, whose blessed Son was manifested
+that he might make us the sons of God, and heirs of eternal life;
+Grant us, we beseech thee, that having this hope, we may purify
+ourselves, even as he is pure; that when he shall appear again, with
+power and great glory, <i>we may be made like unto him in his eternal
+and glorious kingdom;</i> where, with thee, O Father, and thee, O Holy
+Ghost, he liveth and reigneth, ever One God, world without end.
+Amen.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And it is right to offer such a prayer as this, because the Bible
+teaches us to hope for this great glory. How well a hope like this
+may be called &quot;<i>a hope that maketh not ashamed</i>,&quot; Rom. v: 5; &quot;<i>a good
+hope through grace</i>,&quot; II. Thess. ii: 16; &quot;that <i>blessed hope</i>,&quot; Tit.
+ii: 13; &quot;<i>a lively hope</i>,&quot; I. Peter i: 3. And how well it may be
+spoken of as &quot;<i>a helmet</i>&quot;&mdash;to cover the head in the day of battle;
+and as &quot;an anchor&quot; to keep the soul calm and steadfast when the
+storms of life are bursting upon it! Moses and Elias appeared with
+Jesus at his Transfiguration, and shared his glory on purpose to
+teach us this lesson of hope, and to show us what we shall be
+hereafter. We shall be as glorious as Jesus was on the Mount of
+Transfiguration! This seems something too great and too good to be
+true. But no matter how great, or how good it is&mdash;<i>it is true</i>. Jesus
+taught this lesson of hope when he said&mdash;speaking of the time when he
+shall come in his kingdom, &quot;<i>Then shall the righteous shine forth as
+the sun in the kingdom of their Father</i>,&quot; St. Matt, xiii: 43. He
+taught us the same lesson, in his prayer to his Father, when he said,
+speaking of all his people, &quot;<i>And the glory which thou gavest me, I
+have given them</i>,&quot; St. John xvii: 21. And the apostle John taught us
+the same lesson, when he said,&mdash;&quot;We know that when he shall appear
+<i>we shall be like him</i>,&quot; I. John iii: 2. These sweet passages make
+this lesson of hope very sure. And this is just the way in which we
+are made sure about other things we have not seen.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How we Know There is a Heaven.&quot; A Sunday-school teacher was talking
+to one of her scholars about heaven and the glory we shall have when
+we reach that blessed place. He was a bright boy, about nine or ten
+years old, named Charlie. After listening to her for awhile, he said:
+&quot;But you have never been there, Miss D., and how do you know there
+really is any such place?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Charlie,&quot; said the teacher, &quot;you have never been to London; how do
+you know there is such a city?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, I know that very well,&quot; said Charlie, &quot;because my father is
+there; and he has sent me a letter, telling me all about it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And God, my Father, is in the heavenly city,&quot; said Miss D., &quot;and he
+has sent me a letter, telling me about the glory of heaven, and about
+the way to get there. The Bible is God's letter.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, I see,&quot; said Charlie, after thinking awhile, &quot;there must be a
+heaven, if you have got such a nice long letter from there.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The lesson of hope is the first lesson taught us by the
+Transfiguration.</p>
+
+<p><i>The next lesson taught us here is</i>&mdash;THE LESSON</p>
+
+<p>OF INSTRUCTION.</p>
+
+<p>The great event of the Transfiguration took place in our Saviour's
+life for <i>this</i> reason, among others, that we might learn from it
+<i>how we are to think of Christ</i>. While the disciples were gazing on
+the glory of that scene, and on the distinguished visitors who were
+there, there came a cloud and overshadowed them. This cloud, we may
+suppose, was like a curtain round Moses and Elias, hiding them from
+the view of the disciples. And, as Jesus in his glory was left alone
+for them to gaze upon, there came a voice from the overshadowing
+cloud, saying&mdash;&quot;<i>This is my beloved Son; in whom I am well
+pleased</i>.&quot; This was the voice of God, the Father. It spoke out on
+this occasion to teach the disciples then, and you and me now, and
+all God's people in every age, what to think about Christ. God, the
+Father, tells us here what he thinks about him; and we must learn to
+think of him in the same way. His will, his command is that &quot;<i>all men
+should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father</i>,&quot; St. John v: 3.
+Moses and Elias were great men in their day. They appeared on this
+occasion to add to the honor of Christ. And then they disappeared, as
+if to show that they were nothing in comparison with him. He is the
+greatest and the best of all beings. He must be first. Prophets and
+priests, and kings, and angels even, are as nothing to him. We must
+love him&mdash;and honor him above all others. The words of the hymn we so
+often sing, show us how God would have us think and feel towards him:</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;All hail the power of Jesus' name</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Let angels prostrate fall;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Bring forth the royal diadem,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And crown him Lord of all.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;Let every kindred, every tribe,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">On this terrestrial ball,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">To him all majesty ascribe,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And crown him Lord of all.&quot;</span><br>
+
+<p>&quot;How Christ Should be Honored.&quot; There is a story told of the Emperor
+Theodosius the Great which illustrates very well how we should honor
+Christ. There were at that time two great parties in the church. One
+of these believed and taught the divinity of Christ&mdash;or that he is
+equal to God the Father. The other party, called Arians, believed and
+taught that Christ was not divine; and that he was not to be honored
+and worshiped as God. The Emperor Theodosius favored this latter
+party. When his son, Arcadius, was about sixteen years old, his
+father determined to make him a sharer of his throne, and passed a
+law that his son should receive the same respect and honor that were
+due to himself. And, in connection with this event, an incident
+occurred which led the emperor to see how wrong the view was which he
+held respecting the character of Christ, and to give it up. When
+Arcadius was proclaimed the partner of his father in the empire, the
+officers of the government, and other prominent persons, called on
+the emperor in his palace, to congratulate him on the occasion, and
+to pay their respects to his son.</p>
+
+<p>Among those who thus came, was a celebrated bishop of the church. He
+was very decided in the views he held about the real divinity of
+Christ, and very much opposed to all who denied this divinity.</p>
+
+<p>Coming into the presence of the emperor, the bishop paid his respects
+to him, in the most polite and proper manner. Then he was about to
+retire from the palace, without taking any special notice of the
+emperor's son. This made the father angry. He said to the bishop, &quot;Do
+you take no notice of my son? Have you not heard that I have made him
+a partner with myself in the government of the empire?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The good old bishop made no reply to this, but going to Arcadius, he
+laid his hand on his head, saying, as he did so&mdash;&quot;The Lord bless
+thee, my son!&quot; and was again turning to retire.</p>
+
+<p>Even this did not satisfy the emperor, who asked, in a tone of
+surprise and displeasure, &quot;Is <i>this</i> all the respect you pay to a
+prince whom I have made equal in dignity with myself?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>With great warmth the bishop answered&mdash;&quot;Does your majesty resent so
+highly my apparent neglect of your son, because I do not treat him
+with equal honor to yourself? What, then, must the <i>Eternal God</i>&mdash;the
+King of heaven&mdash;think of you, who refuse to render to his only
+begotten Son, the honor and the worship that he claims for him?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>This had such an effect upon the emperor that he changed his views on
+this subject, and ever afterwards took part with those who
+acknowledged the divinity of Christ, and honored the Son, even as
+they honored the Father.</p>
+
+<p>And so we see that the second lesson taught by the Transfiguration
+was the <i>lesson of instruction</i>. We must learn to think of Christ as
+the Father in heaven thinks of him.</p>
+
+<p><i>And then there is</i>&mdash;A LESSON OF DUTY&mdash;<i>that comes to us from this
+Transfiguration scene</i>.</p>
+
+<p>We are taught this lesson by the last two words that were spoken, by
+the voice which the apostles heard from the cloud that overshadowed
+them. These are the words:&mdash;&quot;<i>Hear Him.&quot;</i> &quot;This is my beloved Son, in
+whom I am well pleased: <i>Hear Him</i>.&quot; This is God's command to every
+one of us. To hear Jesus, means to listen attentively to what he has
+to say, and to do it. And what does Jesus say to us? He says many
+things. But the most important thing he has to say to the young, is
+what we find in St. Matt, vi: 33: &quot;<i>Seek ye</i> FIRST <i>the kingdom of
+God</i>.&quot; This means that we must give our hearts to Jesus, and serve
+him while we are young. We must do this <i>first</i>,&mdash;before we do
+anything else. We cannot hear or obey Jesus in anything, till we hear
+and obey him in this. And there are three good reasons why we should
+do this.</p>
+
+<p>We should &quot;hear him&quot; because there is <i>safety</i> in it. We are exposed
+to dangers every day, and nothing will so help to keep us safe in the
+midst of these dangers as hearing Jesus, and doing what he tells us
+to do. Here is an illustration of what I mean.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Life in the Midst of Danger.&quot; There was an alarm of fire one day,
+near one of our large public schools. The children in the school were
+greatly frightened. They screamed, and left their places, and began
+to rush to the windows and stairs. The stairway leading to the door
+was soon choked up; and although the fire never reached the
+school-house, many of the children had their limbs broken and were
+bruised and wounded in other ways.</p>
+
+<p>But there was one little girl who remained quietly in her seat
+during all this excitement. When the alarm was over, and the wounded
+children had been taken home, and order was restored in the school,
+the teacher asked this little girl why she sat still in her seat, and
+did not rush towards the door, as the other girls had done.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;My father is a fireman,&quot; she said, &quot;and he has always told me that
+if ever there was a cry of fire when I was in school, I must remain
+quiet in my seat, for that was the safest way. I was dreadfully
+frightened; but I knew that what father had told me was best; and so
+I sat still, while the others were running to the door.&quot; This little
+girl <i>heard</i> her father. She minded him. She did what he told her to
+do, and she found safety in doing so. And if we &quot;<i>hear him</i>&quot; of whom
+the voice from the Mount of Transfiguration speaks to us&mdash;we shall
+find safety from many a danger.</p>
+
+<p>We ought to learn this lesson of duty, and &quot;hear him,&quot; because there
+is <i>success</i> in it.</p>
+
+<p>In old times, when the racers were running in the public games, if a
+man wished to be successful in the race, it was necessary for him to
+fix his eye on the prize, at the end of the race-course, and keep it
+fixed there till he reached the end. No one could have any success in
+racing who did not do this.</p>
+
+<p>Here is an incident about some boys at play that illustrates the
+point now before us.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How to Walk Straight.&quot; A light snow had fallen in a certain village,
+and some of the village boys met to make the best use they could of
+the new fallen snow. It was too dry for snowballing, and was not deep
+enough for coasting; so they thought they would improve the occasion
+by playing at making tracks in the snow.</p>
+
+<p>There was a large meadow near by, with a grand old oak tree standing
+in the centre of it. The boys gathered round the tree, and stood, on
+opposite sides, each one with his back against the tree. At a given
+signal they were to start, and walk to the fence opposite to each of
+them; and then return to the tree, and see which had made the
+straightest track.</p>
+
+<p>The signal was given. They started. They reached the fence, and
+returned to the tree. &quot;Now, boys, who has made the straightest
+track?&quot; said one of the boys, named James Allison.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Henry Armstrong's is the only one that is straight at all,&quot; said
+Thomas Sanders.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't see how we all contrived to go so crooked, when the meadow
+is so smooth, and there is nothing to turn us out of the way,&quot; said
+one of the boys.</p>
+
+<p>And then, looking to their successful companion, they said&mdash;&quot;Tell us,
+Harry, how you managed to make so straight a track?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Now mark what Harry said:&mdash;&quot;I fixed my eye on yonder tall pine tree
+on the other side of the fence towards which I was to walk, and never
+looked away from it till I reached the fence.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The other boys were walking without any particular aim in view. No
+wonder that their walk was crooked. After the apostle Paul became a
+Christian, he made one of the straightest tracks through this world
+to heaven that ever was made. And he made it in just the same way in
+which Harry Armstrong made his straight track through that meadow. We
+have seen what Harry said of his track through the snow; now see what
+St. Paul says of the way in which he made his straight track through
+this world to heaven. <i>This</i> is what he says:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;One thing I do; forgetting those things which are behind, and
+reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the
+mark, for the prize of the high calling of God, in Christ Jesus,&quot;
+Phil, iii 13,14. This was just what the racer used to do in the
+ancient games, when he fixed his eye on the prize and pressed right
+forward till he reached it. And it was just what Harry Armstrong did
+in his play. He fixed his eye on the big pine tree and never turned
+to the right hand or to the left till he reached it. The apostle Paul
+fixed his eye on Jesus, and made a straight track through the world
+till he reached the glorious heaven where Jesus dwells. And, in doing
+this, the great apostle was only practising the lesson of duty taught
+by the voice that speaks from the Transfiguration scene. &quot;<i>Hear
+him</i>,&quot; 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.</p>
+
+<p>And then there is&mdash;<i>profit</i>&mdash;in learning this lesson, as well as
+safety and success.</p>
+
+<p>David says, when speaking of God's commands, &quot;In keeping of them
+there is <i>great reward,&quot;</i> Ps. xix: 11. This is true of all God's
+commands; and it is especially true of the command we are now
+considering&mdash;&quot;Hear him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Samuel obeyed this command, and it made him a blessing and an honor
+to the nation of Israel. David obeyed it, and it made him one of the
+greatest and most successful kings. Daniel obeyed it, and it covered
+him with honor, and made him a blessing to his own nation, and to the
+church of Christ in every age.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Reward of Obedience.&quot; Here is an Eastern story which illustrates
+this point of our subject. The story says there was once an enchanted
+hill. On the top of this hill a great treasure was hidden. This
+treasure was put there to be the reward of any one who should reach
+the top of the hill without looking behind him. The command and the
+promise given to every young person who set out to climb that hill,
+were&mdash;do not look behind you, and that treasure shall be yours. But
+there was a threat added to the command and promise. The threat was,
+if you look behind, you will be turned into a stone. Many young
+persons started, to try and gain the prize. But the way to the top of
+the hill led them through beautiful groves, which covered the side of
+the hill. In these groves were birds singing sweetly, and sounds of
+music were heard, and melodious voices inviting those who passed by
+to stop and rest awhile. One after another of those who set out for
+the prize at the top of the hill would stop, and look round to see
+where the voices came from; and immediately they were turned into
+stones. &quot;Hence,&quot; says the story, &quot;in a little while the hillside was
+covered with stones, into which those had been turned who neglected
+the command given them when they started.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Of course there never was such a hill as this. But the story gives us
+a good illustration. Our life may well be compared to such a hill.
+The treasure, on the top of it, represents the reward that awaits us
+in heaven, if we serve God faithfully. The songs, and the voices,
+from the groves, on the hillside, represent the temptations that
+surround us in our daily paths. The lesson of duty that comes to us
+from the Transfiguration scene&mdash;&quot;Hear him&quot;&mdash;is the only thing that
+can preserve us from these temptations. If we hear Jesus when he says
+to us&mdash;&quot;follow me;&quot; if we give him our hearts and walk in his way, he
+will carry us through all temptations; he will bring us safely to the
+top of the hill; and the reward laid up there will be ours. Let us
+learn this lesson of duty, because there is safety in it; there is
+success in it; there is profit in it.</p>
+
+<p>And so we have spoken of two things in connection with the
+Transfiguration; these are the wonders that attended it, and the
+lessons taught by it. The wonders are three&mdash;the wonderful
+change&mdash;the wonderful company&mdash;and the wonderful conversation; and
+the lessons are three&mdash;the lesson of hope&mdash;the lesson of
+instruction&mdash;and the lesson of duty.</p>
+
+<p>In leaving this subject, let us lift up our hearts to Jesus, and say,
+in the beautiful language of the Te Deum:</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;Thou art the King of Glory, O Christ!</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Thou art the everlasting Son of the Father.</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">When Thou hadst overcome the sharpness of death</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Thou didst open the kingdom of heaven to all believers.</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Thou sittest at the right hand of God,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">In the glory of the Father.</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">We believe that thou shalt come to be our Judge.</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">We therefore pray thee, help thy servants</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Whom thou hast redeemed with thy precious blood.</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Make them to be numbered with thy saints,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">In glory everlasting. Amen.&quot;</span><br>
+
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="THE_LESSONS_FROM_OLIVET"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<h2>THE LESSONS FROM OLIVET</h2>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>Our last chapter was on the Transfiguration. The next will be on The
+Last Supper. Between these two events in our Saviour's life, how many
+interesting incidents took place! How many important sayings that
+fell from his gracious lips during this period are written for our
+instruction by the four evangelists! There is, for instance, the
+beautiful lesson about what it is on which the value of our gifts
+depend. He taught this lesson when he saw the rich casting their
+gifts into the treasury. Among them came &quot;a certain poor widow,
+casting in two mites. And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that
+this poor widow hath cast in more than they all;&mdash;for she of her
+penury hath cast in all the living she had,&quot; Luke xxi: 1-4. But, from
+among all these, we have only room for one chapter. A dozen, or
+twenty chapters would be needed on this part of the life of Christ.
+Where there are so many that might be taken, it has been very
+difficult to decide which is the best. In deciding this matter, I do
+not think we could do better than join the company of the three
+favored disciples, Peter, John, and James, and go, in thought with
+them, as they followed their Master from his last visit to the temple
+in Jerusalem, up to the top of the Mount of Olives. There Jesus took
+his seat, and his disciples sat around him, anxious to ask him some
+questions about what he had said to them in the temple. We read in
+St. Mark xiii: 1-2, that as he was going out of the temple the
+disciples called his attention to the beauty of that sacred building
+and the great size and splendor of some of the stones that were in
+it. Then Jesus pointed to that great building, and told them that the
+time was coming when it would be destroyed, and &quot;there should not be
+left one stone upon another that should not be thrown down.&quot; This
+filled the minds of the disciples with surprise and wonder. They
+supposed that their temple would last as long as the world stood.
+They thought that it was the end of the world of which Jesus was
+speaking; and they were very anxious that he should tell them
+something more about it. And so, as soon as they were seated around
+him, on the Mount of Olives, they said, &quot;Tell us, when shall these
+things be? and what shall be the sign, when all these things shall be
+fulfilled?&quot; St. Mark xii: 4.</p>
+
+<p>And now, we may imagine ourselves sitting with Jesus and his
+disciples on the Mount of Olives. As we look down we see the city of
+Jerusalem spread out beneath our feet. We see its walls, and its
+palaces. And there, just before us, outshining everything in its
+beauty, is that sacred temple, that was &quot;forty and six years in
+building.&quot; Its white marble walls, its golden spires, and pinnacles,
+are sparkling in the beams of the sun, as they shine upon them. No
+wonder the Jews were so proud of it! It was a glorious building.</p>
+
+<p>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 the
+twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth chapters of St. Matthew. In the first
+of these chapters, Jesus gave them a sign, by which those who learn
+to understand what he here says, might know when his second coming is
+to take place. These are some of the lessons from Olivet. I should
+like, very much, to stop and talk about them. But this cannot be
+now. We pass over to the twenty-fifth chapter of St. Matthew. In this
+chapter we have three of our Saviour's parables. These are very
+solemn and instructive. They all refer to the judgment that must take
+place when Jesus shall come into our world again. The second of these
+parables is the one we are now to consider. It is called&mdash;&quot;The
+Parable of the Talents.&quot; We find it in St. Matt, xxv: 14-30. And <i>the
+lessons from Olivet</i>, which we are now to try and learn, are all
+drawn from the words of our Saviour, contained in the verses just
+mentioned.</p>
+
+<p>This, then, is our present subject&mdash;<i>The Lessons from Olivet</i>. And
+there <i>four</i> lessons, in this part of our Saviour's discourse, of
+which we are now to speak. <i>The first is&mdash;the lesson about the
+Master. The second&mdash;the lesson about the servants. The third is&mdash;the
+lesson about the talents; and the fourth, the lesson about the
+rewards</i>.</p>
+
+<p><i>The lesson about</i>&mdash;THE MASTER&mdash;<i>is the first thing of which we are
+to speak</i>.</p>
+
+<p>In the 14th verse of this 25th chapter of St. Matthew, Jesus speaks
+of himself as&mdash;&quot;a man travelling into a far country,&quot;&mdash;and of his
+people as&mdash;&quot;his own servants.&quot; In the 19th verse he speaks of himself
+as &quot;the lord of those servants, coming back, after a long time, to
+reckon with them.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>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
+&quot;a <i>nobleman</i> who went into a far country to receive for himself a
+kingdom, and to return.&quot; This language was borrowed from a custom
+that prevailed in those days. The headquarters of the government of
+the world then was in the city of Rome. The kings and rulers of
+different countries received their appointments to the offices they
+held from the Roman Emperor. Archelaus, the son of Herod, succeeded
+his father as king of Judea. But, it was necessary for him to go to
+Rome and get permission from the emperor to hold and exercise that
+office. He had done this, not very long before our Saviour applied to
+himself the words we are now considering. This was a fact well known.
+And this is the illustration which Jesus here uses in reference to
+himself. He is the Head&mdash;the Prince&mdash;the Lord&mdash;the Master of all
+things in his church. He spoke of himself to his disciples as their
+&quot;Lord and Master,&quot; St. John xiii: 14. He tells us that he has gone to
+heaven, as Archelaus went to Rome, &quot;to receive for himself a kingdom
+and to return.&quot; He said he would be absent &quot;a long time,&quot; verse 19.
+And this is true. He has been absent more than eighteen hundred
+years. He said he would &quot;return,&quot; or come again. And so he will. It
+is just as certain that he will come again as it is that he went
+away. And he will come, not in figure, or in spirit, but in person,
+as he went. Remember what the angels said about this to his
+disciples, at the time of his departure. &quot;Ye men of Galilee, why
+stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken from
+you into heaven, shall <i>so come, in like manner</i> as ye have seen him
+go into heaven,&quot; Acts i: 11. He said he would return, and so he will.</p>
+
+<p>But, in the meantime, he would have us remember that he is still our
+Lord and Master. No master ever had such a right to be Lord and Ruler
+as he has. God the Father has appointed him to be &quot;Head over all
+things to his church,&quot; Ephes. i: 22. He is our Master, because he
+<i>made</i> us. This is what no other ever did for his servants. He is our
+Master because he <i>preserves</i> us. We cannot keep ourselves for a
+single moment, but he keeps us all the time,&mdash;by night, and by day.
+And he is our Master because, when we had sold ourselves into sin,
+and were appointed unto death, <i>he redeemed us</i>. He bought us with
+the price of his own precious blood. He made our hands to work for
+him; and our feet to walk in his ways. He made our hearts to love
+him;&mdash;our minds to think about him; our eyes to see the beauty of his
+wondrous works, our ears to listen to his gracious words, and our
+lips and tongues to be employed in speaking and singing his praises.</p>
+
+<p>We cannot be our own masters. &quot;I am my own master!&quot;&mdash;said a young
+man, proudly, to a friend who was trying to persuade him from doing a
+wrong thing; &quot;I am my own master!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That's impossible,&quot; said his friend. &quot;You can not be master of
+yourself, unless you are master of everything within, and everything
+around you. Look within. There is your conscience to keep clear, and
+your heart to make pure, your temper to govern, your will to control,
+and your judgment to instruct. And then look without. There are
+storms, and seasons; accidents, and dangers; a world full of evil men
+and evil spirits. What can you do with these? And yet, if you don't
+master them, they'll master you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That's so,&quot; said the young man.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now, I don't undertake any such thing,&quot; said his friend. &quot;I am sure
+I should fail, if I did. Saul, the first king of Israel, wanted to be
+his own master, and failed. So did Herod. So did Judas. No man can be
+his own master. 'One is your Master, even Christ,' says the apostle.
+I work under his direction. He is my regulator, and when he is Master
+all goes right. Think of these words,&mdash;'<i>He is your Master even
+Christ</i>.' If we put ourselves under his leadership we shall surely
+win at last.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And as we cannot be our own master, if we refuse to take Christ as
+our Ruler, there is nothing left for us but to have Satan as our
+master. These are the only two masters we can have. We must make our
+choice between them. If Jesus is not our Master, Satan must be. If
+Jesus is our Master here, he will share his glory with us hereafter.
+If we serve Satan here, we must share his punishment hereafter. This
+is one of the solemn lessons that Jesus taught on Olivet. He is
+speaking of the day of judgment. He represents himself as on the
+judgment-seat. Two great companies are before him. On his right hand
+are those who took him for their Master. To them he says&mdash;&quot;Come, ye
+blessed children of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you,
+from the foundation of the world,&quot; St. Matt, xxv: 34.</p>
+
+<p>On his left are those who took Satan for their master. The awful
+words he speaks to them are:&mdash;&quot;Depart from, ye cursed, into
+everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.&quot; St. Matt.
+xxv: 41.</p>
+
+<p>This is our first lesson from Olivet&mdash;the lesson about the Master.</p>
+
+<p><i>The second lesson from Olivet is the lesson about</i>&mdash;THE SERVANTS.</p>
+
+<p>We are told that before this nobleman went away to the far country,
+he called to him &quot;his own servants.&quot; The nobleman here spoken of
+means Jesus, our blessed Master. And now the question is&mdash;who are
+meant by &quot;his own servants?&quot; He has three kinds of servants. The
+first kind is made up of those who serve him <i>ignorantly</i>. This takes
+in all those things that have no knowledge or understanding. There,
+for instance are the sun,&mdash;the moon,&mdash;the stars,&mdash;the mountains,&mdash;the
+hills,&mdash;the plains,&mdash;the valleys,&mdash;the rivers,&mdash;the seas,&mdash;the wind
+that blows,&mdash;the rains that descend,&mdash;and the dews that distil; these
+all serve God, without knowing it. He made them to serve him, and
+they do it; but they do it ignorantly. &quot;His kingdom <i>ruleth over
+all</i>,&quot; and it makes all these things his servants. They do exactly
+what they were made for, but they do it ignorantly.</p>
+
+<p>And there is another class of our Lord's creatures who serve him
+<i>unwillingly</i>. This is a very large class. It takes in all the wicked
+men, and the wicked spirits who are to be found anywhere. They do not
+wish to serve God, and yet, in spite of themselves, they are obliged
+to do it. We see this illustrated, when we think of the way in which
+the crucifixion of our blessed Saviour was brought about. Satan
+stirred up the Jews to take Jesus and put him to death. God allowed
+them to do it. They did it of their own choice&mdash;as freely, and as
+voluntarily, as they ever did anything in their lives. They did it
+because they hated him, and wished to get him out of their way. So
+they nailed him to the cross in their malice and their rage. This was
+the very thing God had determined should be done, that he might save
+and bless the world. He allowed Satan, and the Jews, to do just what
+their wicked hearts prompted them to do; and then he overruled it for
+good. And, in this way, as David says, he &quot;makes the wrath of man to
+praise him, and the remainder of it he restrains.&quot; And thus we see
+how evil men, and evil spirits, are God's servants <i>unwillingly</i>.</p>
+
+<p>But then, there is another class of persons who serve God
+<i>willingly</i>. This takes in all those who know and love him. He speaks
+of them, in this parable as &quot;<i>his own</i> servants.&quot; When they find out
+what he has done for them, the thought of it fills their hearts with
+love; and then they desire to serve him, and do all he tells them to
+do, in order to show their love to him. And this is what Jesus means
+when he says&mdash;&quot;Take my yoke upon you; for my yoke is easy, and my
+burden is light,&quot; When we really love a person, anything that we can
+do for that person is easy and pleasant to us. And so it is the great
+love for Jesus, that his people have, which makes his yoke easy, and
+his burden light to them.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How to Become a Willing Servant to Jesus.&quot; A little boy came to his
+grandmother one day, and asked her how he could become a Christian.
+She answered very simply, &quot;Ask Jesus to give you a new heart, <i>and
+believe he does it when you ask him</i>.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Is that all?&quot; said the little fellow joyfully; &quot;oh! that is easy
+enough.&quot; So he went to his room, and kneeling beside his bed, asked
+Jesus to give him a new heart. He believed that the dear Saviour,
+who loves little children, did hear and answer his prayer. And he
+left his room with a happy heart, for he felt sure that he was now
+one of Christ's own loving children, and willing servants. And this
+is the way in which we must take the yoke of Jesus upon us, and
+become his willing servants. And then in everything that we do we can
+be serving him. As St. Paul says&mdash;&quot;whether we eat or drink, or
+whatsoever we do, we can do all to the glory of God.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>A good man once said &quot;that if God should send two angels down from
+heaven, and should tell one of them to sit on a throne and rule a
+kingdom, and the other to sweep the streets of a city, the latter
+would feel that he was serving God as acceptably in handling his
+broom as his brother angel was in holding his sceptre. And this is
+true. We see the same illustrated in the fable of:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Stream and the Mill.&quot; &quot;I notice,&quot; said the stream to the mill,
+&quot;that you grind beans as well and as cheerfully as you do the finest
+wheat.&quot; &quot;Certainly,&quot; said the mill; &quot;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 useful
+when I turn out the finest flour than when I turn out the coarsest
+meal. My honor is, not in doing fine work, but in doing any thing
+that is given me to do in the best way that I can.&quot; That is true. And
+this is just the way in which Jesus wishes us to serve him when he
+says to &quot;<i>his own</i> servants,&quot; &quot;Occupy till I come.&quot; This means serve
+me, in everything, as you would do if you saw me standing by your
+side.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How to Serve God.&quot; Willie's mother let him go with his little sister
+into the street to play. She told them not to go off the street on
+which their house stood. Willie was a little fellow, and lisped very
+much in talking; but he was brave, and he was obedient. Presently his
+sister asked him to go into another street; but he refused. &quot;Mamma
+thaid no,&quot; was Willie's answer. &quot;The thaid we muthn't do off thith
+threet,&quot; said Willie in his lisping way. &quot;Only just a little way
+round the corner,&quot; said his teasing sister. &quot;Mamma'll never know it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But I thall know it my own thelf; and I don't want to know any thuch
+a mean thing; and I won't!&quot; And Willie straightened himself, and
+stood up like a man. That was brave and beautiful in Willie. And that
+is the way in which we should try to serve our heavenly Master.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How a Boy May Serve God.&quot; A gentleman met a little boy wheeling his
+baby brother in a child's carriage. &quot;My little man,&quot; said the
+gentleman, &quot;what are you doing to serve God?&quot; The little fellow
+stopped a moment, and then, looking up into the gentleman's face, he
+said:&mdash;&quot;Why, you see, Sir, I'm trying to make baby happy, so that he
+won't worry mamma who is sick.&quot; That was a noble answer. In trying to
+amuse his baby brother, and to relieve his poor sick mother, that
+little boy was serving God as truly and as acceptably as the angel
+Gabriel does when he wings his way, on a mission of mercy, to some
+far off world.</p>
+
+<p>And this is the lesson about the servants that comes to us from
+Olivet.</p>
+
+<p><i>The lesson about</i>&mdash;THE TALENTS&mdash;<i>is the third lesson that comes to
+us from Olivet</i>.</p>
+
+<p>This parable tells us that before the Master went away, he &quot;called
+his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. Unto one he gave
+five talents, to another two, to another one; to every man according
+to his several ability.&quot; verses 14, 15, In St. Luke's account of the
+parable, what the master gave to his servants is spoken of as
+<i>pounds</i>, and each servant is said to have received one pound. These
+talents or pounds both mean the same thing. They denote something
+with which we can do good, and make ourselves useful. And it is
+plain, from both these parables, that the Master gave at least <i>one</i>
+talent, or one pound, to each of his servants. None of them were left
+without some portion of their Master's goods. And the lesson from
+Olivet 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 expects
+us to use for him. And the most important thing for us is to find out
+what our talents are, and how we can best use them, so as to be ready
+to give a good account of them when our Master comes to reckon with
+us.</p>
+
+<p>A TALENT FOR EACH.</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;God entrusts to all</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Talents few or many;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">None so young and small</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">That they have not any.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;Little drops of rain</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Bring the springing flowers;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">And I may attain</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Much by little powers.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;Every little mite,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Every little measure,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Helps to spread the light,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Helps to swell the treasure.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;God will surely ask,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Ere I enter heaven,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Have I done the task</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Which to me was given?&quot;</span><br>
+
+<p>&quot;One Talent Improved.&quot; One day, amidst the crowded streets of London,
+a poor little newsboy had both his legs broken by a dray passing over
+them. He was laid away, in one of the beds of a hospital, to die. On
+the next cot to him was another little fellow, of the same class, who
+had been picked up, sick with the fever which comes from hunger and
+want. The latter boy crept close up to his poor suffering companion
+and said:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Bobby, did you ever hear about Jesus?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, I never heard of him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Bobby, I went to the mission-school once; and they told us that
+Jesus would take us up to heaven when we die, if we axed him; and
+we'd never have any more hunger or pain.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But I couldn't ax such a great gentleman as he is to do anything for
+me. He wouldn't stop to speak to a poor boy like me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But hell do all that for you Bobby, if you ax him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But how can I ax him, if I don't know where he lives? and how could
+I get: there when both my legs is broke?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;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 might
+come round to this hospital this very night? You'd know him if you
+was to see him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But I can't keep my eyes open. My legs feels awful bad. Doctor says
+I'll die.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Bobby, hold up yer hand, and he'll know what you want, when he
+passes by.&quot; They got the hand up; but it dropped. They tried it
+again, and it slowly fell back. Three times they got up the little
+hand, only to let it fall. Bursting into tears he said, &quot;I give it
+up.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Bobby,&quot; said his tender-hearted companion, &quot;lend me yer hand. Put
+your elbow on my piller: I can do without it.&quot; So the hand was
+propped up. And when they came in the morning, the boy lay dead; but
+his hand was still held up for Jesus. And don't you think that he
+heard and answered the silent but eloquent appeal which it made to
+him for his pardon and grace, and salvation, to that poor dying boy?
+I do, I do.</p>
+
+<p>Bobby's friend had been once to the mission-school. He had but a
+single talent; but, he made good use of it when he employed it to
+lead that wounded, suffering, dying boy to Jesus.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Good Friends.&quot; &quot;I wish I had some good friends, to help me on in
+life!&quot; cried lazy Dennis, with a yawn.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Good friends,&quot; said his master, &quot;why you've got ten; how many do you
+want?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'm sure I've not half so many; and those I have are too poor to
+help me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Count your fingers, my boy,&quot; said the master.</p>
+
+<p>Dennis looked down on his big, strong hands. &quot;Count thumbs and all,&quot;
+added the master.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I have; there are ten,&quot; said the lad.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Then never say you have not ten good friends, able to help you on in
+life. Try what those true friends can do, before you go grumbling and
+fretting because you have none to help you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Now, suppose that we put the word talents, for the word friends, in
+this little story. Then, we may each of us hold our two hands before
+us, and say &quot;here are ten talents, which God has given me to use for
+him. Let me try and do all the good I can with these ten talents.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>THE BEST THAT I CAN.</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;'I cannot do much,' said a little star,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">'To make the dark world bright;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">My silvery beams can not struggle far</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Through the folding gloom of night;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">But I'm only a part of God's great plan,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">And I'll cheerfully do the best I can.'</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;A child went merrily forth to play,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">But a thought, like a silver thread,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Kept winding in and out, all day,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Through the happy golden head.</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Mother said,&mdash;'Darling, do all you can;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">For you are a part of God's great plan.'</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;So he helped a younger child along,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">When the road was rough to the feet,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">And she sung from her heart a little song</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">That we all thought passing sweet;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">And her father, a weary, toil-worn man,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Said, 'I, too, will do the best I can.'&quot;</span><br>
+
+<p>&quot;A Noble Boy.&quot; &quot;Not long ago,&quot; said a Christian lady, &quot;I saw a boy do
+something that made me glad for a week. Indeed it fills my heart with
+tenderness and good feeling whenever I think about it. But let me
+tell you what it was.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;As I was walking along a crowded street I saw an old blind man
+walking on without any one to lead him. He went very slowly, feeling
+his way with his cane.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'He's walking straight to the highest part of the curb-stone,' said
+I to myself. 'And it's very high too. I wonder if some one won't help
+him and start him in the right direction.'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;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's
+arm, said:&mdash;'Allow me, my friend, to lead you across the street.' By
+this time there were three or four others watching the boy. He not
+only helped the old man over one crossing, but led him over another
+to the lower side of the street. Then he ran back to his play.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now this boy thought he had only done an act of kindness to that old
+man. But just see how much farther than that the use of his one
+talent went. The three boys with whom he was playing, and who had
+watched his kind act, were happier and better for it, and felt that
+they must be more careful to do little kindnesses to those about
+them.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The three or four persons who stopped to watch the boy turned away
+with a tender smile upon their faces, ready to follow the good
+example of that noble boy. I am sure that I felt more gentle and
+loving towards every one, from what I saw that boy do.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;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 else
+happy, without feeling better and happier ourselves. To <i>be</i> good and
+to <i>do</i> good, is the way to be happy. This is our mission here in
+this world. Whatever talents our Master has given us, he intends that
+we should use them in this way.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Tiny's Work for God.&quot; Two little girls, Leila and Tiny, were
+sitting, one summer day, under the tree which grew beside their home.</p>
+
+<p>Both children had been quiet for a little while, when suddenly Tiny
+raised her blue eyes and said, &quot;I <i>am</i> so happy, Leila. I do love the
+flowers, and the birdies, and you, and everybody so much.&quot; Then she
+added, in a whisper, &quot;And I love God, who made us all so happy.
+Sister, I wish I could do something for him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Mother says if we love him, that is what he likes best of all,&quot; said
+Leila.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, but I do want to <i>do</i> something for him&mdash;something that would
+give me trouble. Can't you think of anything?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Leila thought a little, and said, &quot;Perhaps you could print a text
+for the flowers mother sends every week to the sick people in the
+hospital. They are so glad to have the flowers, and then the text
+might help them think about our Father in heaven.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh! thank you, sister, that will be so nice! I will write&mdash;'Suffer
+the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not.'&quot;</p>
+
+<p>But Tiny was only a little over four years old, and it was hard for
+her to hold a pen, but she managed to print two letters every day
+till the text was finished. Then she went alone to her room, and
+laying the text on a chair, she kneeled down beside it, and
+said&mdash;&quot;Heavenly Father, I have done this for you: please take it from
+Tiny, for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen.&quot; And God heard the prayer, for
+he always listens when children truly pray.</p>
+
+<p>So Tiny's text was sent up to London, and a lady put a very pretty
+flower into the card and took it to the hospital. She stopped beside
+a bed where a little boy was lying. His face was almost as white as
+the pillow on which he lay, and his dark eyes were filled with tears.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Is the pain very bad to-day, Willie?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, miss; its dreadful-like. But it's not so much the pain as I
+mind. 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 'ave
+any 'opes for me, and I'm mighty afeard to die.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If you had a friend who loved you, and you were well, would you be
+afraid to go and stay with him, Willie?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why no, I'd like to go, in course.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I have brought you a message from a Friend, who has loved you all
+your life long. He wants you to trust him, and to go and live with
+him. He will love you always, and you will always be happy.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Then the lady read Tiny's text, &quot;<i>Suffer the little children to come
+unto me, and forbid them not.</i>&quot; She told him how Jesus had died, and
+then had risen again, and had gone to heaven, to prepare a place for
+<i>him</i>, and for many other children. She told him how Jesus is still
+saying &quot;Come,&quot; and his hand is still held out to bless.</p>
+
+<p>So Willie turned to the Good Shepherd, and was no longer afraid. A
+few days afterwards he whispered&mdash;&quot;Lord Jesus, I am coming;&quot; and he
+died with Tiny's text in his hand.</p>
+
+<p>That little girl used the talent that was given her, and it helped
+to bring a soul to Jesus.</p>
+
+<p>EVERY TALENT USEFUL.</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;Though little I bring,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Said the tiny spring,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">As it burst from the mighty hill,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">'Tis pleasant to know,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Wherever I flow,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The pastures are greener still.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;And the drops of rain</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">As they fall on the plain,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">When parched by the summer heat,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Refresh the sweet flowers</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Which droop in the bowers,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And hang down their heads at our feet.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;May we strive to fulfill</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">All His righteous will,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Who formed the whole earth by His word!</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Creator Divine!</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">We would ever be Thine,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And serve Thee&mdash;our God, and our Lord!&quot;</span><br>
+
+<p>Let us never forget this third lesson from Olivet, the lesson
+about,&mdash;the talents.</p>
+
+<p><i>The fourth, and last lesson from Olivet is the lesson about</i>&mdash;THE
+REWARDS.</p>
+
+<p>The parable tells us that when the Master came back, and reckoned
+with his servants, he said to each of those who had made a right use
+of his talents:&mdash;&quot;Well done, good and faithful servant, thou hast
+been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many
+things; enter thou into the joy of thy lord.&quot; In the parable in St.
+Luke we are told that the servant who had gained ten pounds was made
+ruler over ten cities; and he who had gained five pounds was made
+ruler over five cities. This shows us that God will reward his
+people, hereafter, according to the degree of faithfulness with which
+each one shall have used the talents given to him. And this is the
+lesson which the apostle Paul teaches us when he says that, &quot;Every
+man shall receive <i>his own reward</i> according to <i>his own labor.&quot;</i> I.
+Cor. iii: 8.</p>
+
+<p>All the willing, loving servants of God will receive a crown of life
+when Jesus comes to reckon with them. But those crowns will not be
+all alike. They are spoken of as &quot;crowns of gold:&quot; Rev. iv: 4; as
+&quot;crowns of glory:&quot; I. Peter v: 4, and as &quot;crowns of life:&quot; Rev. iii:
+11. But still there will be very great differences between these
+crowns. Some will be simply crowns of gold, or of glory, without any
+gems or jewels to ornament them. Some will have two or three small
+jewels shining in them. But, others again will be full of the most
+beautiful jewels, all glittering and sparkling with glory. And this
+will all depend upon the way in which those who wear these crowns
+used their talents while they were on earth, and the amount of work
+they did for Jesus. There is an incident mentioned in Roman history
+about a soldier, which illustrates this part of our subject very
+well.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Faithful Soldier and His Rewards.&quot; This man had served forty
+years in the cause of his country&mdash;of these, ten years had been spent
+as a private soldier, and thirty as an officer. He had been present
+in one hundred and twenty battles, and had been severely wounded
+forty-five times. He had received fourteen civic crowns, for having
+saved the lives of so many Roman citizens; three mural crowns, for
+having been the first to mount the breach when attacking a fortress;
+and eight golden crowns, for having, on so many occasions, rescued
+the standard of a Roman legion from the hands of the enemy. He had in
+his house eighty-three gold chains, sixty bracelets, eighteen golden
+spears, and twenty-three horse trappings,&mdash;the rewards for his many
+faithful services as a soldier. And when his friends looked at all
+those honors and treasures which he had received, from time to time,
+how well they might have said as they pointed to those numerous
+prizes&mdash;that he had &quot;received <i>his own reward</i>, according to <i>his own
+labor</i>,&quot; and faithfulness! And so it will be with the soldiers of the
+cross, who are faithful in using the talents given them by their
+heavenly Master.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;A Great Harvest from a Little Seed,&quot; Some years ago there was a
+celebrated artist in Paris whose name was Ary Scheffer. On one
+occasion he wished to introduce a beggar into a certain picture he
+was painting. Baron Rothschild, the famous banker, and one of the
+richest men in the world, was a particular friend of this artist. He
+happened to come into his studio at the very time he was trying to
+get a beggar to be the model of one which he desired to put into his
+painting.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Wait till to-morrow,&quot; said Mr. Rothschild, &quot;and I will dress myself
+up as a beggar, and make you an excellent model.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Very well,&quot; said the artist, who was pleased with the strangeness of
+the proposal. The next day the rich banker appeared, dressed up as a
+beggar, and a very sorry looking beggar he was. While the artist was
+engaged in painting him, another friend of his came into the studio.
+He was a kind-hearted, generous man. As he looked on the model
+beggar, he was touched by his wretched appearance, and as he passed
+him, he slipped a louis d'or&mdash;a French gold coin, worth about five
+dollars of our money&mdash;into his hand. The pretended beggar took the
+coin, and put it in his pocket.</p>
+
+<p>Ten years after this, the gentleman who gave this piece of money
+received an order on the bank of the Rothschilds for ten thousand
+francs. This was enclosed in a letter which read as follows:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Sir: You one day gave a louis d'or to Baron Rothschild, in the
+studio 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, together
+with the interest it has gained. A good action is always followed by
+a good reward.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;JAMES DE ROTHSCHILD.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>In those few years that one gold coin, of twenty francs, had
+increased to ten thousand francs. And this illustrates the way in
+which Jesus the heavenly Master rewards those who use their talents
+for him. See how he teaches this lesson, when he says&mdash;&quot;Whosoever
+shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold
+water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall
+in <i>no wise lose his reward</i>.&quot; St. Matt, x: 42. And in another place
+we are told that the reward shall be &quot;an hundred fold,&quot; and shall run
+on into &quot;everlasting life.&quot; St. Matt, xix: 29. How sweetly some one
+has thus written about</p>
+
+<p>THE REWARD OF HEAVEN.</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;Light after darkness, gain after loss,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Strength after weariness, crown after cross;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Sweet after bitter, song after sigh,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Home after wandering, praise after cry;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Sheaves after sowing, sun after rain,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Light after mystery, peace after pain;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Joy after sorrow, calm after blast,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Rest after weariness, sweet rest at last;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Near after distant, gleam after gloom,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Love after loneliness, life after tomb.</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">After long agony, rapture of bliss,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Christ is the pathway leading to this!&quot;</span><br>
+
+<p>The last lesson from Olivet is the lesson about the rewards. And
+taking these lessons together, let us remember that they are&mdash;the
+lesson <i>about the Master</i>: the lesson <i>about the servants</i>: the
+lesson <i>about the talents</i>: and the lesson <i>about the rewards</i>.</p>
+
+<p>The Collect for the thirteenth Sunday after Trinity is a very
+suitable prayer to offer after meditating on the lessons from Olivet:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Almighty and merciful God, of whose only gift it cometh that thy
+faithful people do unto thee true and laudable service: Grant, we
+beseech thee, that we may so faithfully serve thee in this life, that
+we fail not finally to attain thy heavenly promises; which exceed all
+that we can desire; through the merits of Jesus Christ our Lord.
+AMEN!"</p>
+
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="THE_LORD'S_SUPPER"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<h2>THE LORD'S SUPPER</h2>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>We are approaching now the end of our Saviour's life. The last week
+has come, and we are in the midst of it. This is called Passion week.
+We commonly use this word <i>passion</i> to denote anger. But the first
+and true meaning of the word, and of the Latin word from which it
+comes, is&mdash;suffering. And this is the sense in which we find the word
+used in Acts i: 3. There, St. Luke, who wrote the Acts, is speaking
+of Christ's appearing to the apostles, after his resurrection, and he
+uses this language: &quot;To whom he showed himself alive, after his
+<i>passion</i>;&quot; or after his suffering and death.</p>
+
+<p>In the midst of this last week&mdash;this passion week&mdash;one of the
+interesting things that Jesus did was to keep the Jewish Passover for
+the last time with his disciples. This Passover feast had been kept
+by the Jews every year for nearly fifteen hundred years. It was the
+most solemn religious service they had. It was first observed by
+them in the night on which their nation was delivered from the
+bondage of Egypt and began their march towards the promised land of
+Canaan. We read about the establishment of this solemn service in
+Exodus, twelfth chapter. The first Passover took place on the
+fourteenth day of the month Nisan. This had been the seventh month of
+the year with the Jews. But God directed them to take it for their
+first month ever afterwards. They were to begin their year with that
+month. Every family was to choose out a lamb for themselves, on the
+tenth day of the month. They were to keep it to the fourteenth day of
+the 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 and
+upper lintels of every door. They were to roast the lamb and eat it,
+with solemn religious services. And, while they were doing this, the
+angel of the Lord was to pass over all the land of Egypt, and, with
+his unseen sword, to smite and kill the first-born, or eldest child,
+in every family, from Pharaoh on his throne to the poorest beggar in
+the land. But the blood, sprinkled on the door-posts of the houses in
+which the Israelites dwelt, was to save them from the stroke of the
+angel 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. He
+gave one stroke with his dreadful sword&mdash;and there was a death in
+every Egyptian family. But in the blood-sprinkled dwellings of the
+Israelites, 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 not
+surprising that the children of Israel, through all their
+generations, should have kept that Passover feast with great
+interest&mdash;an interest that never died out, from age to age. Nor do we
+wonder that our blessed Saviour looked forward longingly to the
+occasion when, for the last time, he was to celebrate this Passover
+with his disciples. As they began the feast he said to them, &quot;With
+desire I have desired&quot; that is, I have earnestly, or heartily desired
+&quot;to eat this passover with you before I suffer,&quot; St. Luke xxii: 15.
+It is easy to think of many reasons why Jesus should have felt this
+strong desire. Without attempting to tell what all those reasons
+were, we can readily think of some things which would lead him, very
+naturally, to have this feeling. It was the last time he was to eat
+this 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 suffer
+and die; to rise from the dead, and then go home to his Father in
+heaven.</p>
+
+<p>This Passover had been one of the services established and kept for
+the purpose of pointing the attention of men to himself as the Lamb
+of God who was to take away the sins of the world. And now, the time
+had come when all that had thus been pointed out concerning him, for
+so many hundred years, was about to be fulfilled. He, the one true
+Lamb 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 church
+would take its place. And then the blessings of true religion,
+instead of being confined to one single nation, would be freely
+offered to all nations; and Jews and Gentiles alike, would be at
+liberty to come to Christ, and to receive from him pardon, and grace,
+and salvation, and every blessing.</p>
+
+<p>There was enough in thoughts like these to make Jesus long to eat
+this last Passover with his disciples. In each of the four gospels we
+have an account of what took place when the time came for keeping
+this Passover. What is said concerning it we find in the following
+places: St. Matt xxi: 17-30, St. Mark xiv: 12-26, St. Luke xxii:
+7-39. St. John begins with the thirteenth chapter, and ends his
+account at the close of the seventeenth chapter. He is the only one
+of the four evangelists who gives a full and particular account of
+the wonderful sayings of our Lord in connection with this last
+passover, and of the great prayer that he offered for all his
+people.</p>
+
+<p>Here is a brief outline of these different accounts. When the time
+came to keep the Passover, Jesus sent two of his disciples from
+Bethany, where he was then staying, to Jerusalem. He told them, that,
+when they entered the city, they would meet a man bearing a pitcher
+of water. They were to ask him to show them the guest-chamber, where
+he and his disciples might eat the Passover together. There were
+always great crowds of strangers in Jerusalem at the time of this
+festival; and many furnished chambers were kept ready to be hired to
+those who wished them, for celebrating the Passover. This man, of
+whom our Saviour spoke, was probably a friend of his, and according
+to our Lord's word, he showed the disciples such a room as they
+needed. Then they made the necessary preparations; and, when the
+evening came, Jesus and his disciples met there to keep this solemn
+feast.</p>
+
+<p>Many of the pictures that we see of this last Supper, represent the
+company as seated round a table, very much in the way in which we are
+accustomed to sit ourselves. But this is not correct. The people in
+those Eastern countries were not accustomed to sit as we do. On this
+occasion the roasted lamb, with the bread and wine to be used at the
+feast, was placed on a table, and the guests reclined on couches
+round the table, each man leaning on his left arm, and helping
+himself to what he needed with his right hand.</p>
+
+<p>Various incidents took place in connection with this last Supper. The
+disciples had a contest among themselves about which of them should
+be greatest. This led Jesus, in the course of the evening, to give
+them the lesson of humility, by washing his disciples' feet, of which
+we have already spoken. Then he told them how sorrowfully he was
+feeling. He said they would all forsake him, and one of them would
+betray him that very night. This made them feel very sad. Each of
+them suspected himself&mdash;and asked sorrowfully&mdash;&quot;Lord, is it I?&quot; They
+did not suspect each other; and none of them seems to have suspected
+Judas Iscariot at all. Then Peter whispered to John, who was leaning
+on the bosom of Jesus, to ask who it was that was to do this? In
+answer to John's question, Jesus said it was the one to whom he
+should give a piece of bread when he had dipped it in the dish. Then
+he dipped the sop and gave it to Judas.</p>
+
+<p>After this, we are told that Satan entered into him, and he went out
+and made preparation for doing the most dreadful thing that ever was
+done from the beginning of the world&mdash;and that was the betrayal of
+his 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 one
+of the two great sacraments to be observed in his church to the end
+of the world&mdash;the sacrament of the Lord's Supper&mdash;or the holy
+Communion.</p>
+
+<p>This is St. Luke's account of the way in which it was done, chapter
+xxii: 19, 20&mdash;&quot;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 for
+you.&quot; St. Matthew adds, and&mdash;&quot;for many.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Such is the account we have of the first establishment of the Lord's
+Supper. It was to take the place of the Jewish Passover, and to be
+observed by the followers of Christ all over the earth, until the
+time when he shall come again into our world.</p>
+
+<p>And this solemn sacrament&mdash;this holy communion&mdash;this Supper of our
+Lord, ought to be observed, or kept, by all who love him, for three
+reasons: these are its connection with <i>the word of his command&mdash;the
+memory of his sufferings&mdash;and the hope of his glory</i>.</p>
+
+<p>Jesus connected this sacrament with <i>the word of his command</i> when he
+said&mdash;&quot;<i>This do</i> in remembrance of me.&quot; St. Luke xxii: 19. This is
+the <i>command</i> of Christ. It is a plain, positive command. Jesus did
+not give this command to the apostles only, or to his ministers, or
+to any particular class of his followers, but to all of them. It was
+given first to his apostles, but it was not intended to be confined
+to them. Jesus does not say&mdash;&quot;This do,&quot; ye who are my apostles; or,
+ye who are my ministers. He does not say&mdash;&quot;This do,&quot; ye old men, or
+ye rich men, or ye great men; but simply, &quot;This do.&quot; And the meaning
+of what he here says, is&mdash;&quot;This do,&quot; all ye who profess to be my
+followers, all over the world, and through all ages. And the words
+that he spake on another occasion come in very well here: &quot;If ye love
+me, keep my commandments.&quot; And <i>this</i> is one of the commandments that
+he 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 his
+people he says&mdash;&quot;This do.&quot; No matter whether we wish to do it or not;
+here are our master's words&mdash;&quot;This do.&quot; No matter whether we see the
+use of it, or not; Jesus says&mdash;&quot;This do.&quot; It is enough for each
+follower of Jesus to say, &quot;here is my Lord's command; I <i>must</i> obey
+it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>In an army, if the general issues an order, it is expected that every
+soldier will obey it. And no matter how important, or useful, in
+itself considered, any work may be, that is done by one of those
+soldiers, yet, if it be done while he is neglecting the general's
+order, instead of gaining for that soldier the praise of the general,
+or of securing a reward from him, it will only excite his
+displeasure:&mdash;he will order that soldier to be punished.</p>
+
+<p>But the church of Christ is compared in the Bible to an army. He is
+the Captain or Leader of this army. And one of the most important
+orders he has issued for his soldiers is&mdash;&quot;This do in remembrance of
+me.&quot; If we profess to be the soldiers of Christ, and are enlisted in
+his army, and yet are neglecting this order, he never can be pleased
+with anything we may do while this order is neglected. We seem to see
+him pointing to this neglected order, and saying to each of us, as he
+said to Saul, the first king of Israel, by the prophet
+Samuel:&mdash;&quot;Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice: and to hearken,
+than the fat of rams.&quot; I. Sam. xv: 22.</p>
+
+<p>No age is fixed in the New Testament at which young people may be
+allowed to come to the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. But, as soon
+as they have learned to know and love Christ and are really trying to
+serve him, they ought to be allowed to come. And yet ministers and
+parents sometimes keep them back, and tell them they must wait, and
+be tried a little longer, before they receive the help and comfort of
+this ordinance of Christ, even when their conduct shows they are
+sincerely trying to love and serve the blessed Saviour.</p>
+
+<p>If a farmer should send his servant out into the field, when winter
+was approaching, telling him to put the sheep into the fold, that
+they might be protected from the wolves, and from the cold, it would
+be thought a strange thing if he should allow him to bring the sheep
+into the shelter of the fold, and leave the little lambs outside.
+This is a good illustration to show the importance of taking care of
+the lambs. But it fails at one point. The shelter of the fold is
+absolutely necessary for the protection of the farmer's lambs. They
+could not live without it. If left outside of the fold they would
+certainly perish. But there is not the same necessity for admitting
+young 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 holy
+ordinance. They are already under the care and protection of the good
+Shepherd. He can guard them, and keep them, and cause them to grow in
+grace, even though, for awhile, they do not have the help and comfort
+of this sacrament. And, if they are kept back through the fault or
+mistake of others, he will do so. This sacrament, like that of
+baptism, is, as the catechism says, &quot;<i>generally</i> necessary to
+salvation.&quot; This means that it is important &quot;where it may be had.&quot;
+But, if circumstances beyond our control should prevent us from
+partaking of it, we may be saved without it. Still, I think that
+young people who give satisfactory evidence that they know and love
+the Saviour, and are trying to serve him, ought to be allowed to come
+forward to this holy sacrament.</p>
+
+<p>Some people when urged to come to the Lord's Supper excuse
+themselves, by saying that&mdash;&quot;they are not prepared to come.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>But this will not release any one from the command of Christ&mdash;&quot;This
+do.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>What the preparation is that we need in order that we may come, in a
+proper way, to this holy sacrament, is clearly pointed out in the
+exhortation that occurs in the communion service of our church. Here
+the minister says&mdash;&quot;Ye who do truly and earnestly repent of your
+sins, and are in love and charity with your neighbors, and intend to
+lead a new life, following the commandments of God, and walking from
+henceforth in his holy ways: draw near with faith, and take this holy
+sacrament to your comfort.&quot; And there is no excuse for persons not
+being in the state these words describe: for this is just what God's
+word, and our own duty and interest require of us. If we have not
+yet done what these words require, we ought to do it at once; and
+then there will be nothing in the way of our obeying the command of
+Christ, when he says&mdash;&quot;This do, in remembrance of me,&quot; By all the
+authority which belongs to him our Saviour <i>commands</i> us to keep this
+holy feast. And the first reason why we ought to &quot;do this,&quot; is
+because of its connection with the word of his command.</p>
+
+<p><i>The second reason why we ought to &quot;do this&quot;&mdash;is because of its
+connection with the memory of his sufferings</i>.</p>
+
+<p>We are taught this by the word <i>remembrance</i>, which our Saviour here
+uses. He says, &quot;This do in remembrance of me.&quot; This means in
+remembrance of my sufferings for you. And <i>this</i> is the most
+important word used by him when he established this sacrament. It is
+the governing word in the whole service. It is the word by which we
+must be guided in trying to understand what our Lord meant to teach
+us by all he did and said on this occasion.</p>
+
+<p>You know how it is when we are trying to understand the music to
+which a particular tune has been set. There is always one special
+note in a tune, which is called the <i>key-note</i>. The leader of a
+choir, when they are going to sing, will strike one of the keys of
+the organ, or the melodeon they are using, so as to give to each
+member of the choir the proper key-note of the piece of music they
+are to sing. It is very important for them to have this key-note,
+because they cannot have a proper understanding of what they are to
+do without it. This holy sacrament of the Lord's Supper is like a
+solemn song. And the key-note of the music to which the song is set
+is this word&mdash;<i>remembrance</i>. It teaches us that the sacrament of the
+Lord's Supper is a <i>memorial</i> service. And, in going through the
+music to which the song of this service has been set, every note that
+we use must be a memorial note. And the language used by our blessed
+Lord when he established this Supper, or sacrament, must be explained
+in this way. When he broke the bread and gave it to his disciples,
+saying&mdash;&quot;This is my body, which is given for you: this do in
+remembrance of me,&quot; he meant that we should understand him as
+saying&mdash;&quot;This is the <i>memorial</i> of my body.&quot; And when he gave them
+the cup, and said&mdash;&quot;This is my blood of the New Testament,&quot; he meant
+that we should understand him as saying&mdash;&quot;This is the <i>memorial</i> of
+my blood.&quot; And we are sure that this was the meaning, for two
+reasons.</p>
+
+<p>One reason for believing this is that <i>this was the way in which
+similar words had been used in the Jewish Passover, which Jesus and
+his disciples were then keeping</i>.</p>
+
+<p>In the Passover service, when the head of the family distributed the
+bread, he always said&mdash;&quot;This is the bread of affliction.&quot; When he
+distributed the flesh of the lamb, roasted for the occasion, he used
+to say&mdash;&quot;This is the body of the Passover.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>But every one knows, and every one admits, that the Jewish Passover
+was a <i>memorial</i> service. It was kept in memory of the wonderful
+deliverance of their forefathers from the bitter bondage of Egypt.
+And the words used at that service were memorial words. And so, when
+Jesus, a little while before, had given to his disciples the Passover
+bread, saying&mdash;&quot;This is the bread of affliction:&quot; he did not mean to
+say that <i>that</i> was the very same bread which their forefathers had
+eaten, in the time of their affliction in Egypt. What he meant to say
+was&mdash;this is the bread which you are to eat in <i>memory</i> of your
+forefathers' trial and deliverance. And when he gave to each of them
+a piece of the sacrificial lamb, saying, &quot;This is the body of the
+Passover;&quot; he did not mean that in any mysterious, or supernatural
+sense, <i>that</i> was the very lamb of which their forefathers had eaten
+on the solemn night of the Passover; he only meant that it was the
+body of which they were to eat in memory of the Passover. The
+Passover was a memorial service; and the words used at the Passover
+were memorial words.</p>
+
+<p>And so, when Jesus went on, from the last Passover of the Jewish
+church, to the first sacramental feast of the Christian church, and
+began by saying, &quot;This do in <i>remembrance</i> of me,&quot; what else could
+the apostles possibly have thought, but that he intended this new
+service of the Christian church to be a memorial service, just as the
+old festival of the Jewish church had been? When he gave them the
+broken bread, and said, &quot;This is my body;&quot; they could only have
+understood him as meaning this is the memorial of my body. And when
+he gave them the cup into which he had just poured the wine, and
+said: &quot;This is my blood;&quot; they could only understand him as meaning
+this is the memorial of my blood. And so, the sense in which he had
+just before used the words employed in the Jewish festival must have
+led the disciples to understand them in the same way when he used
+similar words in the Christian sacrament. This is a good, strong
+reason for thinking of this sacramental feast as a memorial service.</p>
+
+<p>There is indeed, one point of difference between the Jewish Passover
+and the Christian sacrament, when we think of them as memorial
+services. The Jews kept their solemn festival in memory of a <i>dead</i>
+lamb&mdash;the Passover lamb that was put to death for them, but never
+came to life again. We keep our Christian sacrament in memory of the
+Lamb of God, who died for us indeed, but who rose from the dead, and
+is alive forevermore. As we keep this solemn festival, we may lift up
+our adoring hearts to him and say for ourselves personally,</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;O, the Lamb! the loving Lamb!</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The Lamb of Calvary!</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">The Lamb that was slain, but liveth again,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And intercedes for me!&quot;</span><br>
+
+<p>And though they are both memorial services, yet this one thought
+makes a world-wide difference between them. The bread and meat which
+the pious Jew ate, when he kept the Passover, and the wine which he
+drank on that occasion, would strengthen his body, but there was
+nothing connected with those material substances that would do any
+special good to his soul. It is different, however, with our
+Christian festival of the Lord's Supper. And this difference is
+clearly brought out in what we find in the catechism of our church on
+this subject. In speaking of this holy sacrament, the question is
+asked&mdash;&quot;What are the benefits whereof we are partakers thereby?&quot; And
+the answer to this question is&mdash;&quot;The strengthening and refreshing of
+our souls, by the body and blood of Christ, as our bodies are by the
+bread and wine.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Here we see that while the Lord's Supper is a memorial service
+indeed, it is at the same time something more than that.</p>
+
+<p><i>And then, the actual bodily presence of Christ with them must have
+compelled the apostles to understand the words he used on that
+occasion, in this memorial sense</i>.</p>
+
+<p>They could not possibly have considered him as meaning that the bread
+and wine which he gave them at that solemn service did, in any
+mysterious 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 the
+same time. The sense in which Jesus first used these words&mdash;&quot;my body&quot;
+and &quot;my blood,&quot; was clearly the memorial sense. He meant his
+disciples to understand him as saying &quot;Take this bread in remembrance
+of my body, which is to be crucified for you;&quot; and &quot;Take this wine in
+remembrance of my blood which is to be shed for you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>This was what he taught the apostles when he first used these words
+among them; and this was all he taught them; and we have no right to
+use these words in any other sense till our blessed Lord himself
+shall give us authority to do so.</p>
+
+<p>Let us never forget the word&mdash;<i>remembrance</i>, as used by our Saviour
+here. It is the root out of which the whole tree of this solemn
+service grows. Let us hold on to this root word, and it will save us
+from the errors into which many have fallen in reference to this
+subject.</p>
+
+<p>And, surely, there is nothing so precious for us to store away in our
+memories as the thought of Christ in the amazing sufferings he once
+bore for us, in the great work he is now doing for us, and in the
+saving truth he embodies in his own glorious character. The story is
+told of Alexander the Great, that when he conquered King Darius he
+found among his treasures a very valuable box or cabinet. It was made
+of gold and silver, and inlaid with precious jewels. After thinking
+for awhile what to do with it, he finally concluded to use it as his
+choicest treasury, or cabinet, in which to keep the books of the poet
+Homer, which he was very fond of reading. Now, if we use our memory
+aright, it will be to us a treasury far more valuable than that
+jeweled box of the great conqueror. And the thought of Christ, not in
+his sufferings only, but in his work, and in his character, is the
+most precious thing to lay up in our memory. And if we keep this
+remembrance continually before us it will be the greatest help we can
+have in trying to love and serve him better.</p>
+
+<p>Here is an illustration of what I mean, in a touching story. We may
+call it:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Love Stronger than Death.&quot; Some years ago there was a great fire in
+one of our Western cities that stood in the midst of a prairie. A
+mother escaped from her burning dwelling. Her husband was away from
+home. She took her infant in her arms, and wrapped a heavy shawl
+round herself and the baby. Her little girl clung to the dress of
+her mother, and they went out into the prairie, to get away from the
+flames of the burning buildings. It was a wild and stormy winter's
+night and intensely cold. She tried to run; but burdened as she was
+that was impossible. Presently she found that the tall dry grass of
+the prairie had caught fire. It was spreading on every side. A great
+circle of flame was gathering round her.</p>
+
+<p>A little way off she saw a clump of trees on a piece of rising
+ground. Towards that spot she directed her steps, and strained every
+nerve to reach it. At last she succeeded in doing so.</p>
+
+<p>For a moment the poor mother and her child were comparatively safe.
+But, on looking around, she saw that the flames were approaching her
+from opposite directions. Escape was impossible. Death&mdash;a terrible
+death by fire, seemed to be the only thing before her. She might wrap
+herself in that great shawl, and perhaps live through it. But, there
+were the children. Of course a mother could not hesitate a moment
+what to do under such circumstances. Wrapping the baby round and
+round in the folds of the shawl, she laid it carefully down, at the
+foot of one of the trees. Then, taking off her outer clothing, she
+covered the other child with it. She laid her down beside the baby,
+and then stretched herself across them. In a few moments the helpless
+little ones were sound asleep. The long hours of the night passed.
+The raging flames licked up the withered foliage about that clump of
+trees, and then left their blackened trunks to the keenness of the
+wind and frost.</p>
+
+<p>The next day the heart-broken husband and father returned to find his
+home burnt, and his family gone&mdash;he knew not whither. He set out to
+search for his lost treasures. He found them by that clump of trees.
+There lay his wife&mdash;her hair and eyebrows, her face and neck scorched
+and blackened by the fire&mdash;but her body frozen stiff. Whether she
+perished by the flames or the frost no one ever knew. But, on lifting
+her burnt form they found, warm and cozy beneath, her two sleeping
+children. The elder child as they roused her, opened her eyes
+exclaiming, &quot;Mamma, is it morning?&quot; Yes: it was morning with that
+faithful mother, in the bright world to which she had gone!</p>
+
+<p>Now, suppose that those children, as they grew up, should have had
+preserved among their treasures a piece of the burnt dress, or a lock
+of the scorched hair, of their devoted mother. As they looked at it,
+every day, it would be in <i>remembrance</i> of her. How touchingly it
+would tell of her great love for them, in being willing to lay down
+her life to save theirs! And how that thought would thrill their
+hearts and make them anxious to do all they could to show their
+respect and love for such a mother!</p>
+
+<p>And so the broken bread and the poured out wine of this solemn
+sacrament should melt our hearts in the remembrance of the wonderful
+love of Christ to us, and should lead us to show our love to him by
+keeping his commandments.</p>
+
+<p>And as we keep this solemn memorial service, how well we may say, in
+the words of the hymn:</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;According to thy gracious word,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">In meek humility,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">This will we do, our dying Lord,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">We will remember thee.</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Thy body, broken for our sake,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Our bread from heaven shall be:</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Thy sacramental cup we take,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And thus remember thee.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;Can we Gethsemane forget?</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Or there thy conflict see,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Thine agony and bloody sweat,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And not remember thee?</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">When to the cross we turn our eyes,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And rest on Calvary,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">O Lamb of God, our sacrifice,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">We must remember thee.&quot;</span><br>
+
+<p><i>But Jesus has connected this blessed sacrament with the hope of his
+glory</i>&mdash;as well as with the word of his command and the memory of his
+sufferings.</p>
+
+<p>He made this connection very clear when he said at the institution of
+this solemn service&mdash;&quot;I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of
+the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's
+kingdom.&quot; St. Matt, xxvi: 29. And the apostle Paul pointed out the
+same connection when he said, &quot;As often as ye eat this bread, and
+drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death, <i>till he come</i>.&quot; I. Cor.
+xi: 26. This sacrament of the Lord's Supper is the point of meeting
+between the sufferings of Christ and the glory that is to
+follow&mdash;between his cross, with all its shame and anguish, and his
+kingdom, with all its honor and blessedness.</p>
+
+<p>We have sometimes heard or read of magicians who have pretended to
+have wonderful mirrors into which persons might look and see all that
+was before them in this life. If there were such a mirror, it would
+be a strange thing indeed to look into it and find out what was going
+to happen to-morrow, or next month, or next year, or twenty years
+hence. But, there never was any such mirror. As the apostle says,
+&quot;We know not what shall be on the morrow.&quot; No mortal man can tell
+what will happen to him as he takes the very next step in life.</p>
+
+<p>Yet, this solemn sacrament is like such a magical mirror. We can look
+into it and see, clearly represented there, what will happen to us in
+the future, not of <i>this</i> life indeed, but of the life to come. It
+leads our minds on to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And a voice
+from heaven declares&mdash;&quot;Blessed are they who are called to the
+marriage supper of the Lamb.&quot; Rev. xix: 9. That marriage supper
+represents the highest joys of heaven. It gathers into itself all the
+glory and happiness that await us in the heavenly kingdom. And this
+sacramental service is the type or shadow of all the bliss connected
+with that great event in the future. If we are true and faithful
+partakers of this solemn sacrament&mdash;this memorial feast, we shall
+certainly be among the number of those whose unspeakable privilege it
+will be to sit down at the marriage supper of the Lamb, in heaven.
+There we shall be in the personal presence of Jesus, our glorified
+Lord. Our eyes &quot;shall see the King in his beauty.&quot; And we shall see
+all his people too in the perfection of glory that will mark them
+there. And in happy intercourse with that blessed company we shall
+find all &quot;the exceeding great and precious promises&quot; of God's word
+fulfilled in our own personal experience.</p>
+
+<p>And then there is nothing that can sustain and comfort us under the
+many trials of this mortal life like the hope of sharing this joy
+with our blessed Lord, when he shall come in the glory of his
+heavenly kingdom.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Hope of Glory.&quot; A Christian gentleman was in the habit of
+visiting, from time to time, a poor afflicted widow woman who lived
+in his neighborhood. She had once been very well off, and was the
+wife of a well-known and apparently successful merchant. But finally
+he failed in business and died soon after, leaving her alone in the
+world, and without anything to live on but what she could earn by her
+own labor.</p>
+
+<p>After awhile her health failed, and then she was entirely dependent
+for her support on the kindness of her Christian friends. But she was
+always cheerful and happy. &quot;On going in to see her one day,&quot; says
+this gentleman, &quot;I found, on talking with her, that she was feeling
+very comfortable in her mind.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'Tell me, my friend,' I asked, 'have you always felt as bright and
+cheerful as you seem to feel now?'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'O, no,' she replied, 'very far from it. When my husband died, and
+I was left alone in the world, I used to feel very sad and
+rebellious. Many a time I was so sorrowful and despairing as to be
+tempted 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. I
+became a member of the church. But, for a while, I did not find much
+comfort in my religion. And the reason of it was that I did not have
+very clear views of Christ as my Saviour, and of the wonderful things
+he has promised to do for his people in the future.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'But, on one communion occasion, my minister preached on the
+words&mdash;&quot;<i>Christ in you the hope of glory</i>.&quot; That was a blessed
+communion to me. I saw then, as I had never seen before, how that
+sacred and solemn service was intended by him to be to all his
+people, at one and the same time, the means of preserving in their
+minds the remembrance of the sufferings he has borne for them in the
+past, and also of keeping alive in their hearts the hope of sharing
+in the glory which he has prepared for them in the future. And I have
+never had any trouble in my mind since then. My communion seasons
+were always bright and blessed seasons to me as long as I was able
+to go to church. And though I can no longer go up to the sanctuary
+and partake of the bread and wine, &quot;the outward and visible signs&quot;
+made use of in the heavenly feast; yet, blessed be God's holy name, I
+can, and do partake in a spiritual manner of that which those signs
+represent. I feel and know what it is to have &quot;Christ in me the hope
+of glory.&quot; And this &quot;satisfies my longing, as nothing else can do.&quot; I
+find peace and comfort in simply &quot;looking unto Jesus.&quot; I have had
+much outward trouble and affliction since then. I live alone. There
+is no one here to help me. Sometimes I have nothing to eat, and but
+little to keep me warm. You see me <i>sitting</i> here now. Thus I have to
+spend my nights. My complaint is the dropsy, and this prevents me
+from lying down. <i>But I would not exchange my place as a forgiven
+sinner, with &quot;Christ in me the hope of glory,&quot; for all the wealth and
+the honor that Queen Victoria could bestow upon me!</i>'&quot;</p>
+
+<p>What a blessed Saviour Jesus is, who can thus spread the sunshine of
+his peace and hope through the hearts and homes of the poorest and
+most afflicted in the land!</p>
+
+<p>And thus, we have spoken of three good reasons, why all who love our
+Lord Jesus Christ should keep this solemn sacrament which he has
+ordained; we should do it because we see in it&mdash;<i>the word of his
+command&mdash;the memorial of his sufferings&mdash;and the hope of his glory</i>.</p>
+
+<p>And when we partake of this solemn ordinance ourselves, or see others
+partaking of it, how well we may say in the beautiful lines of
+Havergal, the English poetess:</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;Thou art coming! At thy table</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">We are witnesses for this,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">While remembering hearts thou meetest,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">In communion closest, sweetest,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Earnest of our coming bliss.</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Showing not thy death alone,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And thy love exceeding great,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">But thy coming, and thy throne,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">All for which we long and wait.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;O the joy to see thee reigning,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Thee, our own beloved Lord;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Every tongue thy name confessing,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Worship, honor, glory, blessing,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Brought to thee with glad accord,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Thee our master and our Friend,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Vindicated and enthroned;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Unto earth's remotest end,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Glorified, adored, and owned.&quot;</span><br>
+
+<p>&quot;<i>THIS DO IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME</i>.&quot;</p>
+
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<a name="ILLUSTRATIONS:"></a><h2>ILLUSTRATIONS:</h2>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="THE_WOMAN_OF_CANAAN"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br>
+<center><a href="2.jpg"><img src="2.jpg" border="0" align="middle" alt="" width="80%"></a></center>
+<h2><b>THE WOMAN OF CANAAN</b></h2>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and
+Sidon. And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts,
+and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, <i>thou</i> son of
+David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered
+her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send
+her away; for she crieth after us. But he answered and said, I am not
+sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she
+and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and said,
+It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast <i>it</i> to
+dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which
+fall from their masters' table. Then Jesus answered and said unto
+her, O woman, great <i>is</i> thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou
+wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.&mdash;<i>St.
+Matt. xv: 21-28</i>.</p>
+
+<br><hr style="width: 45%;"><br>
+
+<p><i>NOTE BY THE ARTIST</i></p>
+
+<p><i>The picture illustrates the scenery and gardens in the neighborhood
+of Beyrout, which lies on the coast at the foot of Lebanon and within
+the Syro-Phoenician border.</i></p>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="SIMON_PETER'S_FAITH_IN_CHRIST"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br>
+<center><a href="3.jpg"><img src="3.jpg" border="0" align="middle" alt="" width="80%"></a></center>
+<h2><b>SIMON PETER'S FAITH IN CHRIST</b></h2>
+
+
+
+<br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>When Jesus came into the coasts of C&aelig;sarea Philippi, he asked his
+disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they
+said, Some <i>say that thou art</i> John the Baptist: some, Elias; and
+others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But
+whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art
+the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said
+unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath
+not revealed <i>it</i> unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I
+say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will
+build 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: and
+whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and
+whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Then
+charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was
+Jesus the Christ.&mdash;<i>St. Matt, xvi: 13-20</i>.</p>
+
+<br><hr style="width: 45%;"><br>
+
+<p><i>NOTE BY THE ARTIST</i></p>
+
+<p><i>The site of C&aelig;sarea Philippi is one of the loveliest spots in
+Northern Palestine. On ground carpeted with an infinite variety of
+wild flowers, the traveller rests in the grateful shade of oak and
+mulberry, olive and fig tree. The sound of many waters is heard on
+all sides as they hasten from the adjacent slopes of Herman to join
+the head waters of Jordan, bursting in strength from a cavern at the
+foot of a mighty cliff. Hither, with his handful of followers, came
+Jesus, weary and in deep depression of spirit, a fugitive from his
+own people, who had finally rejected him; and here, in reply to
+searching and anxious enquiry, &quot;Whom say ye that I am?&quot; he received
+from Simon Peter the memorable confession, &quot;Thou art the Christ, the
+Son of the living God</i>.&quot;</p>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="THE_TRANSFIGURATION_OF_CHRIST"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br>
+<center><a href="4.jpg"><img src="4.jpg" border="0" align="middle" alt="" width="80%"></a></center>
+<h2><b>THE TRANSFIGURATION OF CHRIST</b></h2>
+
+
+
+<br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother,
+and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart. And was
+transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his
+raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them
+Moses and Elias talking with him. Then answered Peter, and said unto
+Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make
+here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for
+Elias. While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them:
+and behold a voice out of the cloud which said, This is my beloved
+Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. And when the disciples
+heard <i>it</i>, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. And Jesus
+came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. And when
+they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus
+only.&mdash;<i>St. Matt, xvii: 1&mdash;8</i>.</p>
+
+<br><hr style="width: 45%;"><br>
+
+<p><i>NOTE BY THE ARTIST</i></p>
+
+<p><i>From the days of St. Jerome, when pilgrims first began the attempt
+to identify sites hallowed by sacred events, Mount Tabor has, until
+recent years, been regarded as the Mount of the Transfiguration. But
+closer examination of the text and comparison of dates, and the fact
+that Tabor itself was at that time the site of a fortified town
+containing a Roman garrison, combine in this instance to discredit
+tradition. One of the spurs of Herman must therefore be the
+alternative and more probable scene of the Transfiguration; the
+seclusion of this district of mountain, valley, and woodland
+providing opportunity for contemplation, and preparation for the end
+which was now imminent, &quot;the decease which Jesus was to accomplish at
+Jerusalem"</i>.</p>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="JESUS_HEALETH_A_LUNATIC"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br>
+<center><a href="5.jpg"><img src="5.jpg" border="0" align="middle" alt="" width="80%"></a></center>
+<h2><b>JESUS HEALETH A LUNATIC</b></h2>
+
+
+
+<br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>And it came to pass, that on the next day, when they were come down
+from the hill, much people met him. And, behold, a man of the company
+cried out, saying, Master, I beseech thee, look upon my son: for he
+is mine only child. And, lo, a spirit taketh him, and he suddenly
+crieth out; and it teareth him that he foameth again, and bruising
+him hardly departeth from him. And I besought thy disciples to cast
+him out; and they could not. And Jesus answering said, O faithless
+and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, and suffer
+you? Bring thy son hither. And as he was yet a coming, the devil
+threw him down, and tare <i>him</i>. And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit,
+and healed the child, and delivered him again to his father.&mdash;<i>St.
+Luke ix: 37-42</i>.</p>
+
+<br><hr style="width: 45%;"><br>
+
+<p><i>NOTE BY THE ARTIST</i></p>
+
+<p><i>The picture gives an average representation of the outskirts of a
+village in Northern Palestine, with its sordid, untidy, mud-built
+houses, on the roofs of which are seen the reed booths or</i> Succ&ocirc;th,
+<i>occupied by the inhabitants during the oppressive heats of summer.
+The snow-capped ridge of Hermon is indicated in the distance</i>.</p>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="LET_HE_WHO_IS_WITHOUT_SIN_AMONG_YOU"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br>
+<center><a href="6.jpg"><img src="6.jpg" border="0" align="middle" alt="" width="80%"></a></center>
+<h2><b>LET HE WHO IS WITHOUT SIN AMONG YOU</b></h2>
+
+
+
+<br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>Now about the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and
+taught. And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters,
+having never learned? Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is
+not mine, but his that sent me. And the scribes and Pharisees brought
+unto him a woman ...; and when they had set her in the midst. They
+say unto him, ... Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be
+stoned: but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him, that they
+might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with <i>his</i>
+finger wrote on the ground, <i>as though he heard them not</i>. So when
+they 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 which
+heard <i>it</i>, being convicted by <i>their own</i> conscience, went out one
+by one, beginning at the eldest, <i>even</i> unto the last: and Jesus was
+left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had
+lifted 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 condemn
+thee: go, and sin no more.&mdash;<i>St. John vii: 14-16; viii: 3-11.</i></p>
+
+<br><hr style="width: 45%;"><br>
+
+<p><i>NOTE BY THE ARTIST</i></p>
+
+<p><i>The scene is represented as taking place in one of the great
+cloisters or porticoes which surrounded the Temple courts, and which
+like the Forum of Rome, and &quot;Paul's Wall&quot; in Elizabethan, London,
+served the purpose of a public promenade and place of meeting. These
+porticoes were of magnificent construction and proportions, the Stoa
+Basilica alone, upon the south side, with its quadruple colonnade of
+one hundred and sixty-two pillars, covering a great area. The Eastern
+Cloister, known as &quot;Solomon's Porch,&quot; was probably so-called as
+having been erected upon the site of a similar construction in the
+first Temple</i>.</p>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="ONE_OF_TEN_LEPERS_CURED_IS_GRATEFUL"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br>
+<center><a href="7.jpg"><img src="7.jpg" border="0" align="middle" alt="" width="80%"></a></center>
+<h2><b>ONE OF TEN LEPERS CURED IS GRATEFUL</b></h2>
+
+
+
+<br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through
+the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered into a certain
+village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar
+off. And they lifted up <i>their</i> voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have
+mercy on us. And when he saw <i>them</i>, he said unto them, Go shew
+yourselves 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
+<i>his</i> face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.
+And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where
+<i>are</i> the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to
+God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy
+faith hath made thee whole.&mdash;<i>St. Luke xvii: II&mdash;19.</i></p>
+
+<br><hr style="width: 45%;"><br>
+
+<p><i>NOTE BY THE ARTIST</i></p>
+
+<p><i>The town of Cana in Galilee, with its background of low hills, as
+seen from the Nazareth Road, supplies a landscape setting for this
+picture. The ingratitude of the nine lepers no doubt added to our
+Lord's sorrow just now at the growing influence of the opposition of
+his enemies</i>.</p>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="JESUS,_MARTHA,_MARY,_AND_LAZARUS"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br>
+<center><a href="8.jpg"><img src="8.jpg" border="0" align="middle" alt="" width="80%"></a></center>
+<h2><b>JESUS, MARTHA, MARY, AND LAZARUS</b></h2>
+
+
+
+<br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain
+village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her
+house. 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 sister
+hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And
+Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful
+and troubled about many things. But one thing is needful: and Mary
+hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from
+her.&mdash;<i>St. Luke x: 38-42.</i></p>
+
+<br><hr style="width: 45%;"><br>
+
+<p><i>NOTE BY THE ARTIST</i></p>
+
+<p><i>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 of
+his ministry, Jesus could call a home, was probably that of people in
+easy circumstances, and as such is here represented. In the vineyards
+of Palestine the vine is cultivated bushlike on the ground; but in
+gardens, the plant is occasionally trained erect, as in Europe and
+America, or, as in the present instance, for the purposes of shade,
+upon a pergola. In the middle of the village of Bethany are the ruins
+of an important house. Here some years ago a French explorer
+discovered on the base the remains of an ancient chapel This seems to
+point with probability to a valid tradition of the site of the house
+of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus</i>.</p>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="JESUS_BLESSETH_LITTLE_CHILDREN"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br>
+<center><a href="9.jpg"><img src="9.jpg" border="0" align="middle" alt="" width="80%"></a></center>
+<h2><b>JESUS BLESSETH LITTLE CHILDREN</b></h2>
+
+
+
+<br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them:
+and <i>his</i> disciples rebuked those that brought <i>them</i>. But when Jesus
+saw <i>it</i>, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the
+little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is
+the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not
+receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter
+therein. And he took them up in his arms, put <i>his</i> hands upon them,
+and blessed them.&mdash;<i>St. Mark x: 13-16.</i></p>
+
+<br><hr style="width: 45%;"><br>
+
+<p><i>NOTE BY THE ARTIST</i></p>
+
+<p><i>In the Hebrew Bible&mdash;the Talmud&mdash;it is stated that, according to
+pious custom, parents brought their little children to the synagogue
+that they might receive the benefit of the prayers and blessings of
+the elders. Rabbis also, of recognized sanctity, were frequently
+appealed to in a like manner; and his fame as a prophet and
+benefactor having preceded him into Peraea, infants were now brought
+to Jesus, that he might lay his hands upon them in supplication and
+blessing. The architectural setting of the picture is adapted from
+that of a small square near the Damascus Gate of Jerusalem. This
+kindly and gentle act of our Lord has been of incalculable
+consequence to the life of children in the development of Christian
+civilization.</i></p>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="THE_RESURRECTION_OF_LAZARUS,_FOUR_DAYS_DEAD"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br>
+<center><a href="10.jpg"><img src="10.jpg" border="0" align="middle" alt="" width="80%"></a></center>
+<h2><b>THE RESURRECTION OF LAZARUS, FOUR DAYS DEAD</b></h2>
+
+
+
+<br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for
+your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe;
+nevertheless let us go unto him. Jesus therefore again groaning in
+himself 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 that
+was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath
+been <i>dead</i> 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 <i>from the place</i> where the dead was
+laid. And Jesus lifted up <i>his</i> eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee
+that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but
+because of the people which stand by I said <i>it</i>, that they may
+believe that thou hast sent me. And when he thus had spoken, he cried
+with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came
+forth.&mdash;<i>St. John xi: 14., 15,38-44.</i></p>
+
+<br><hr style="width: 45%;"><br>
+
+<p><i>NOTE BY THE ARTIST</i></p>
+
+<p><i>The painting illustrates a form of rock-cut tomb which, though not
+so common as others in the neighborhood of Jerusalem, is nevertheless
+selected as being in accordance with the description of what took
+place in the present instance. It is obviously the type of tomb which
+is referred to on a subsequent occasion, and explains the meaning of
+&quot;the stone rolled away from the sepulchre&quot; The entrance of the tomb
+is at the bottom of a flight of steps, and is covered by a
+disc-shaped stone, like a mill-stone, which can be rolled back into a
+slot cut in the rock for its reception. (The kneeling man in the
+background has apparently just performed this duty?) The entrance is
+closed by rolling the stone forward, dropping a small block behind it
+to prevent its recession, and finally by covering the
+before-mentioned slot with a slab, which, being cemented down, the
+tomb is &quot;sealed.&quot;</i></p>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="CONVERSION_OF_ZACCHAEUS,_A_PUBLICAN"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br>
+<center><a href="11.jpg"><img src="11.jpg" border="0" align="middle" alt="" width="80%"></a></center>
+<h2><b>CONVERSION OF ZACCHAEUS, A PUBLICAN</b></h2>
+
+
+
+<br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>And <i>Jesus</i> entered and passed through Jericho. And, behold, <i>there
+was</i> a man named Zacch&aelig;us, which was the chief among the publicans,
+and he was rich. And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not
+for 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 pass
+that <i>way</i>. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw
+him, and said unto him, Zacch&aelig;us, make haste, and come down; for to
+day I must abide at thy house. And he made haste, and came down, and
+received him joyfully. And when they saw <i>it</i>, they all murmured,
+saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. And
+Zacch&aelig;us stood, and said unto the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my
+goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man
+by false accusation, I restore <i>him</i> fourfold. And Jesus said unto
+him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also
+is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save
+that which was lost.&mdash;<i>St. Luke xix: 1-10</i>.</p>
+
+<br><hr style="width: 45%;"><br>
+
+<p><i>NOTE BY THE ARTIST</i></p>
+
+<p><i>The sycomore tree referred to in the text is a species of fig
+bearing small, coarse fruit, which is used as food only in cases of
+necessity. Although occasionally of great size, the tree is easily
+climbed, as the trunk is short, and the branches are numerous and
+wide spreading. Jericho, rebuilt by Herod, was a somewhat fashionable
+town. To signalize the despised tax-gatherer in such a way was to
+teach a permanent lesson of absolute unworldliness</i>.</p>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="JESUS_RESTORETH_SIGHT_TO_BARTIMAEUS"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br>
+<center><a href="12.jpg"><img src="12.jpg" border="0" align="middle" alt="" width="80%"></a></center>
+<h2><b>JESUS RESTORETH SIGHT TO BARTIMAEUS</b></h2>
+
+
+
+<br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his
+disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of
+Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging. And when he heard that it
+was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, <i>thou</i>
+son of David, have mercy on me. And many charged him that he should
+hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, <i>Thou</i> son of
+David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to
+be called. And they called the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good
+comfort, rise; he calleth thee. And he, casting away his garment,
+rose, and came to Jesus. And Jesus answered and said unto him, What
+wilt 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 thy
+way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his
+sight, and followed Jesus in the way.&mdash;<i>St. Mark x: 4.6&mdash;52.</i></p>
+
+<br><hr style="width: 45%;"><br>
+
+<p><i>NOTE BY THE ARTIST</i></p>
+
+<p><i>The site of Jericho is still an oasis in the surrounding desert, but
+neither its fertility nor its dimensions bear comparison with those
+which it attained in former days; and hardly a tree remains of the
+celebrated groves of balsam, spice, and fruit-bearing trees, and the
+palms which earned for Jericho the title of &quot;The City of the Palm
+Trees,&quot; and which made its neighboring plain the garden of
+Palestine&mdash;the &quot;divine district&quot; as Joseph us calls it. This
+fertility was owing entirely to skilful irrigation, traces of no less
+than twelve aqueducts having been discovered. No class of sufferers
+more frequently claimed and obtained from Jesus the exercise of his
+compassion and healing power than that represented by blind
+Bartimaus. The malady of blindness is grievously common in Palestine,
+the proportion of those thus afflicted being one in every hundred of
+the population, whereas in Europe the proportion is only one in a
+thousand</i>.</p>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="CHRIST'S_TRIUMPHAL_ENTRY_INTO_JERUSALEM"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br>
+<center><a href="13.jpg"><img src="13.jpg" border="0" align="middle" alt="" width="80%"></a></center>
+<h2><b>CHRIST'S TRIUMPHAL ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM</b></h2>
+
+
+
+<br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage,
+unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples. Saying unto
+them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall
+find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose <i>them</i>, and bring <i>them</i>
+unto me. And if any <i>man</i> say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord
+hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. All this was
+done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet. And
+the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them. And brought the
+ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set <i>him</i>
+thereon. And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way;
+others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed <i>them</i> in the
+way. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried,
+saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed <i>is</i> he that cometh in
+the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. And when he was come
+into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the
+multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of
+Galilee.&mdash;<i>St. Matt, xxi: 1-4., 6-11</i>.</p>
+
+<br><hr style="width: 45%;"><br>
+
+<p><i>NOTE BY THE ARTIST</i></p>
+
+<p><i>Had Jesus omitted to command to bring its mother along with the
+colt, upon which he elected to ride, his disciples would probably
+have brought her as a matter of course. It is the custom of the
+country; and as journeys are accomplished at a walking pace, mares
+and she-asses are frequently accompanied by their foals. It may be
+noted that in this picture one of the gates of Hebron does duty for
+that through which Jesus makes his triumphal entry into Jerusalem;
+the former being suggestive of far greater antiquity than any which
+are to be found at the present day in Jerusalem itself</i>.</p>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="CHRIST_AVOUCHETH_HIS_AUTHORITY"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br>
+<center><a href="14.jpg"><img src="14.jpg" border="0" align="middle" alt="" width="80%"></a></center>
+<h2><b>CHRIST AVOUCHETH HIS AUTHORITY</b></h2>
+
+
+
+<br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>And he taught daily in the temple. But the chief priests and the
+scribes and the chief of the people sought to destroy him. And could
+not find what they might do: for all the people were very attentive
+to hear him. And it came to pass, <i>that</i> on one of those days, as he
+taught the people in the temple, and preached the gospel, the chief
+priests and the scribes came upon <i>him</i> with the elders. And spake
+unto him, saying, Tell us, by what authority doest thou these things?
+or who is he that gave thee this authority? And he answered and said
+unto them, I will also ask you one thing; and answer me: The baptism
+of John, was it from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with
+themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why
+then believed ye him not? But and if we say, Of men; all the people
+will stone us: for they be persuaded that John was a prophet. And
+they answered, that they could not tell whence <i>it was</i>. And Jesus
+said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these
+things.&mdash;<i>St. Luke xix: 47, 48; xx: 1-8.</i></p>
+
+<br><hr style="width: 45%;"><br>
+
+<p><i>NOTE BY THE ARTIST</i></p>
+
+<p><i>The occasion on which Jesus encountered for the last time the
+opposition of his priestly enemies to his teaching, and when, in the
+presence of the assembled multitudes, he exposed and denounced their
+hypocrisy, is supposed to take place in one of the great outer courts
+of the Temple, the buildings of which, although begun forty-six years
+previously, were at this time still unfinished, and were indeed never
+fully completed in accordance with their original design</i>.</p>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="AT_NIGHT,_JESUS_ABODE_ON_THE_MOUNT_OF_OLIVES"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br>
+<center><a href="15.jpg"><img src="15.jpg" border="0" align="middle" alt="" width="80%"></a></center>
+<h2><b>AT NIGHT, JESUS ABODE ON THE MOUNT OF OLIVES</b></h2>
+
+
+
+<br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>And in the day time he was teaching in the temple; and at night he
+went out, and abode in the mount that is called <i>the mount</i> of
+Olives.&mdash;<i>St. Luke xxi: 37.</i></p>
+
+<br><hr style="width: 45%;"><br>
+
+<p><i>NOTE BY THE ARTIST</i></p>
+
+<p><i>As we ascend towards sunset the slopes of Olivet, and pause to gaze
+on the scenes beneath, the panorama of the city presented to view is
+in its leading features essentially similar to that upon which the
+eyes of Jesus rested, when &quot;at night he went out, and abode in the
+mount that is called the Mount of Olives&quot; Yonder stands a temple
+within that sacred enclosure which, for well-nigh three thousand
+years, save for the period during which, &quot;the abomination of
+desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet stood in the Holy place,&quot;
+has been dedicated to the worship of Jehovah. The citadel of
+Jerusalem breaks the skyline where stood the tower of Hippicus, and
+to the left, against the setting sun, the cypresses in a monastery
+garden mark the spot once covered by the gardens of the palace of
+Herod. Siloam stands as of old on the hither side, overlooking the
+valleys of Hinnom and Kidron; while to-day, as in former times, the
+olive yards beneath and the trees around, might well give the name
+which it bears to the hill on which we stand.</i></p>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="JESUS_WASHETH_HIS_DISCIPLES'_FEET"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br>
+<center><a href="16.jpg"><img src="16.jpg" border="0" align="middle" alt="" width="80%"></a></center>
+<h2><b>JESUS WASHETH HIS DISCIPLES' FEET</b></h2>
+
+
+
+<br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour
+was 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 the
+end. And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart
+of Judas Iscariot, Simon's <i>son</i>, to betray him. Jesus knowing that
+the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come
+from God, and went to God. He riseth from supper, and laid aside his
+garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth
+water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to
+wipe <i>them</i> with the towel wherewith he was girded. Then cometh he to
+Simon 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; but
+thou shalt know hereafter. Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never
+wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no
+part with me. Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but
+also <i>my</i> hands and <i>my</i> head. Jesus saith to him, He that is washed
+needeth not save to wash <i>his</i> feet, but is clean every whit: and ye
+are clean, but not all.&mdash;<i>St. John xiii: 1-10.</i></p>
+
+<br><hr style="width: 45%;"><br>
+
+<p><i>NOTE BY THE ARTIST</i></p>
+
+<p><i>A dwelling house, claiming to be one of the most ancient in
+Jerusalem, supplied materials for the study of the &quot;large upper
+room,&quot; represented in this and some other of the paintings. The
+general features of the chamber, with its arched ceiling and
+flattened dome, its</i> leewans <i>(raised platform) and the
+entrance-passage of colored stones, where guests leave their
+foot-gear before stepping upon the mat-covered floor of the room,
+may, for the reasons adduced elsewhere, be accepted as typical of
+similar apartments of the period under consideration.</i></p>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="THE_BETRAYAL_FORETOLD_AT_THE_SUPPER"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br>
+<center><a href="17.jpg"><img src="17.jpg" border="0" align="middle" alt="" width="80%"></a></center>
+<h2><b>THE BETRAYAL FORETOLD AT THE SUPPER</b></h2>
+
+
+
+<br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified,
+and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall
+betray me. Then the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom
+he spake. Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples,
+whom Jesus loved. Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, that he
+should 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, to
+whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped <i>it</i>. And when he had
+dipped the sop, he gave <i>it</i> to Judas Iscariot, <i>the son</i> 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 what
+intent he spake this unto him. For some <i>of them</i> thought, because
+Judas had the bag, that Jesus had said unto him, Buy <i>those things</i>
+that we have need of against the feast; or, that he should give
+something to the poor. He then having received the sop went
+immediately out: and it was night.&mdash;<i>St. John xiii: 21-30.</i></p>
+
+<br><hr style="width: 45%;"><br>
+
+<p><i>NOTE BY THE ARTIST</i></p>
+
+<p><i>Comment has already been made upon the custom prevailing at this
+time of reclining at meat. We are aware, from other sources of
+information, that in partaking of the Passover, the attitude of
+standing had, as a point of ritual, long been abandoned in favor of
+the recumbent posture, and this is directly evidenced by the words of
+the text (v: 23 and 25), which are only compatible with the
+supposition that on the present occasion the guest-chamber was
+furnished with couches which ran around the three sides of the table
+in the usual manner. Authorities differ as to which was regarded as
+the &quot;highest seat&quot; some maintaining that this was the outermost place
+on the right-hand couch; others, again, preferring the arrangement
+followed in the painting, where Jesus occupies the centre</i>.</p>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="IN_THE_GARDEN_OF_GETHSEMANE"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br>
+<center><a href="18.jpg"><img src="18.jpg" border="0" align="middle" alt="" width="80%"></a></center>
+<h2><b>IN THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE</b></h2>
+
+
+
+<br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith
+unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And he
+took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be
+sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is
+exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with
+me. 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 <i>wilt</i>. And he cometh unto
+the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What,
+could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter
+not into temptation: the spirit indeed <i>is</i> willing, but the flesh
+<i>is</i> weak. He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O
+my 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 their
+eyes were heavy. And he left them, and went away again, and prayed
+the third time, saying the same words. Then cometh he to his
+disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take <i>your</i> rest:
+behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the
+hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that
+doth betray me.&mdash;<i>St. Matt, xxvi: 36-46.</i></p>
+
+<br><hr style="width: 45%;"><br>
+
+<p><i>NOTE BY THE ARTIST</i></p>
+
+<p><i>As the word Gethsemane means the &quot;oil press&quot; the &quot;Garden&quot; was in all
+probability an olive yard, whose actual site, though it cannot be
+determined with certainty, must have been in the immediate vicinity
+at least of the spot which age-long tradition indicates as the scene
+of the Agony. The great age of the trees in this enclosure has been
+urged in favor of the tradition, but it is fatal to their claim as
+witnesses, that Titus is known to have cut down, for military
+purposes, all the trees in the neighborhood of the besieged city.
+This site is now owned by the Russians who have turned it into a neat
+and trim garden, and built a bright new white church on the upper
+level with five large gilded bulbous domes</i>.</p>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="THE_ARREST_OF_JESUS"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br>
+<center><a href="19.jpg"><img src="19.jpg" border="0" align="middle" alt="" width="80%"></a></center>
+<h2><b>THE ARREST OF JESUS</b></h2>
+
+
+
+
+<br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>Judas then, having received a band <i>of men</i> and officers from the
+chief priests and Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches
+and weapons. Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come
+upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye? They answered
+him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am <i>he</i>. And Judas
+also, which betrayed him, stood with them. As soon then as he had
+said unto them, I am <i>he</i>, they went backward, and fell to the
+ground.&mdash;Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying,
+Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast. And
+forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him.
+And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came
+they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him. And, behold, one of them
+which were with Jesus stretched out <i>his</i> 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: for
+all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest
+thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give
+me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the
+scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be? In that same hour said
+Jesus to the multitudes, Are ye come out as against a thief with
+swords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in
+the temple, and ye laid no hold on me. But all this was done, that
+the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the
+disciples forsook him, and fled.&mdash;<i>St. John xviii: 3-6; St. Matt,
+xxvi: 48-56.</i></p>
+
+<br><hr style="width: 45%;"><br>
+
+<p><i>NOTE BY THE ARTIST</i></p>
+
+<p><i>Cunningly conceived indeed was that signal of the kiss; for in the
+very act of betrayal, Judas thus covered his own treachery; and, had
+the plot failed, it would even have appeared as if, when &quot;all the
+disciples forsook him and fled&quot; Judas alone had courage, in the hour
+of danger, to stand by and openly to acknowledge Jesus as his
+Master</i>.</p>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="JESUS_EXAMINED_BY_CAIAPHAS"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br>
+<center><a href="20.jpg"><img src="20.jpg" border="0" align="middle" alt="" width="80%"></a></center>
+<h2><b>JESUS EXAMINED BY CAIAPHAS</b></h2>
+
+
+
+<br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>And they that had laid hold on Jesus led <i>him</i> away to Caiaphas the
+high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled. But
+Peter followed him afar off unto the high priest's palace, and went
+in, 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 witnesses
+came, <i>yet</i> found they none. At the last came two false witnesses,
+And said, This <i>fellow</i> said, I am able to destroy the temple of God,
+and to build it in three days. And the high priest arose, and said
+unto him, Answerest thou nothing? what <i>is it which</i> these witness
+against thee? But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered
+and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us
+whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus saith unto him,
+Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see
+the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the
+clouds of heaven. Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He
+hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses?
+behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy. What think ye? They answered
+and said, He is guilty of death.&mdash;<i>St. Matt, xxvi: 57&mdash;66.</i></p>
+
+<br><hr style="width: 45%;"><br>
+
+<p><i>NOTE BY THE ARTIST</i></p>
+
+<p><i>The outward ceremonial of the hastily convoked and Irregular
+tribunal before which Jesus underwent the mockery of a trial was
+similar to that of the ancient Sanhedrim. The members sat on a
+semi-circular divan, the president in the centre, and a scribe at
+each extremity, who recorded the evidence and the decisions of the
+court. It may be noted, that while laws had been carefully formulated
+for the conduct of such trials, almost every one of them was
+flagrantly violated on the present occasion in order to ensure a
+pre-arranged condemnation. For example, these rules provided that
+witnesses should be summoned, and that an advocate should plead on
+behalf of the accused; and they forbade that criminal trials should
+be conducted at night, that condemnation should be pronounced on the
+day of trial or on a holy day; and, if the crime were capital, that
+execution should follow on the day of sentence</i>.</p>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="JESUS_IS_THRICE_DENIED_BY_PETER"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br>
+<center><a href="21.jpg"><img src="21.jpg" border="0" align="middle" alt="" width="80%"></a></center>
+<h2><b>JESUS IS THRICE DENIED BY PETER</b></h2>
+
+
+
+<br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>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
+<i>them</i> all, saying, I know not what thou sayest. And when he was gone
+out into the porch, another <i>maid</i> saw him, and said unto them that
+were there, This <i>fellow</i> was also with Jesus of Nazareth. And again
+he denied with an oath, I do not know the man. And after a while came
+unto <i>him</i> they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also
+art <i>one</i> of them; for thy speech betrayeth thee. Then began he to
+curse and to swear, <i>saying</i>, I know not the man. And immediately the
+cock crew. And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter
+remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the
+cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept
+bitterly.&mdash;<i>St. Matt, xxvi: 69-74.; St. Luke xxii: 61, 62</i>.</p>
+
+<br><hr style="width: 45%;"><br>
+
+<p><i>NOTE BY THE ARTIST</i></p>
+
+<p><i>In the East, the houses of the great and official residences usually
+consist of a group of separate yet connected buildings, surrounding a
+quadrangular paved court planted with trees and flowering shrubs, and
+furnished in the centre with an open cistern or fountain. Such was
+probably the construction of the palace of the High Priest
+(Caiaphas), and, apparently, this open court, across which Jesus
+would be conducted to or from the hall of trial, was the place where
+bitterness was added to his sorrow in hearing himself denied by his
+friend&mdash;and that man who had been the first to profess belief in his
+Messiahship, and who, but a few brief hours before, had stoutly sworn
+to stand by him, even unto death</i>.</p>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Life of Jesus Christ for the Young
+by Richard Newton
+
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+Project Gutenberg's The Life of Jesus Christ for the Young, by Richard Newton
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Life of Jesus Christ for the Young
+
+Author: Richard Newton
+
+Release Date: March 8, 2004 [EBook #11509]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LIFE OF JESUS CHRIST ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Tonya Allen, Charles Aldarondo and the
+Distributed Proofreaders
+
+
+
+
+
+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 the
+wilderness, Jesus entered on the work of his public ministry. We find
+him, at once, preaching to the people, healing the sick, and doing
+many wonderful works. The commencement of his ministry is thus
+described by St. Matt. iv: 23-25. "And Jesus went about all Galilee,
+teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the
+kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness, and all manner of
+disease among the people. And his fame went throughout all Syria; and
+they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers
+diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils,
+and those which were lunatic, and those that had the palsy; and he
+healed them. And there followed him great multitudes of people from
+Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judea, and
+from beyond Jordan." What a blessed beginning of the most blessed of
+all 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 on
+his work.
+
+And one of the first things he did, after thus beginning his
+ministry, was to gather his disciples round him. The first two that
+we find named among his disciples are John and Andrew. They had been
+disciples of John the Baptist. Their master pointed them to Jesus,
+and said--"Behold the Lamb of God." When they heard this they
+followed Jesus, and became his disciples. When Andrew met with his
+brother Simon Peter, he said to him "we have found the Messias--the
+Christ. And he brought him to Jesus." After this we are told that
+"Jesus findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me." He was an
+acquaintance of Andrew and Peter, and lived in the same town with
+them. He obeyed the call at once and became one of the disciples of
+Jesus.
+
+Philip had a friend named Nathanael. The next time he met him, he
+said, "we have found him of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets
+did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." But Nazareth was a
+despised place, and had a bad reputation. Nathanael had a very poor
+opinion of the place, and he asked--"Can there any good thing come
+out of Nazareth?" Philip saith unto him--"Come and see."
+
+And this is what we should say to persons when we wish them to become
+Christians. There is so much that is lovely and excellent in Jesus
+that if people will only "come and see," if they will only prove for
+themselves what a glorious Saviour he is, they will find it
+impossible to help loving and serving him. Nathanael came to Jesus.
+And when he heard the wonderful words that Jesus spoke to him he was
+converted at once, and expressed his wonder by saying--"Rabbi, thou
+art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel." We can read all
+about 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 one
+who bears the name of Bartholomew in the different lists of the
+apostles.
+
+After this we read of Jesus calling Matthew the publican, who was a
+tax-gatherer. This is what is meant by his "sitting at the receipt of
+custom." "Follow me," were the words spoken to him. He obeyed at
+once; left all and followed Jesus. St. Luke and St. Mark mention this
+same 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 to
+have two names. Sometimes they were called by one of these names and
+sometimes by the other.
+
+Here we have the account of six persons, who became disciples of
+Jesus; and of the different ways in which they were led to follow
+him. No doubt many others were led to become his disciples from
+simply hearing him preach; and from listening to the gracious words
+that he spoke.
+
+And very soon after he had gathered together a large company of
+disciples, he made choice of twelve, out of this number, who were to
+be 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 be
+prepared to take his place, and carry on his work when he should
+return to heaven.
+
+It was necessary for these men to be chosen. When Washington was
+appointed to conduct our armies during the Revolution, he chose a
+number of generals to help him. And it is natural for us to think of
+Washington and his generals. But just as natural it is to think
+of--Jesus and his apostles.
+
+And this is the subject we have now to consider--_The Apostles
+Chosen_.
+
+And in considering this subject there are four things of which to
+speak.
+
+_The first, is the condition and character of the men whom Jesus
+chose 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 the
+points 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 and
+character 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, and
+good, and strong, that we wonder why he did not choose them. But he
+did not. He chose _men_ to be his apostles. And what kind of men did
+he choose? If we had been asked this question beforehand, we should
+have supposed that he would certainly have chosen the wisest and the
+most learned men, the richest and greatest men that could be found in
+the 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 been
+heard of before. Fishermen, and tax-gatherers, and men occupying very
+humble positions in life, were those whom Jesus chose to be his
+apostles.
+
+And one reason, no doubt, why Jesus made choice of men of this
+character to be his apostles was that when their work was done, no
+one should be able to say that it was the learning, or wisdom, or
+riches, or power of men by whom that work was accomplished. The
+apostle Paul teaches us that this is the way in which God generally
+acts; and that he does it for the very reason just spoken of. He
+says, "God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound
+the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to
+confound the mighty; and base things of the world, and things which
+are despised hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring
+to nought the things that are; that no flesh should glory in his
+presence." I. Cor. i: 27-29. The meaning of this passage is that God
+loves to work by little things. This was the reason why Jesus chose
+poor, unlearned fishermen to be his apostles. And we see God working
+in the same way continually.
+
+Look at yonder sun. God made it, and hung it up there in the sky that
+it might give light to our world. But the light which this sun gives
+comes to us in tiny little bits, smaller than the point of the finest
+needle that ever was made. They are so small that hundreds of them
+can rush right into our eyes, as they are doing all the time, and not
+hurt 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 so
+powerful that they can break in pieces the strongest ships that men
+have ever built. And yet, when God wishes to keep that mighty ocean
+in 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 great
+work with them. And we find God working in this way continually. Let
+us look at one or two illustrations.
+
+"What a Plant Did." A little plant was given to a sick girl. In
+trying to take care of it, the family made changes in their way of
+living, which added greatly to their comfort and happiness. First,
+they cleaned the window, that more light might come in to the leaves
+of the plant. Then, when not too cold, they opened the window, that
+fresh 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 room
+look so untidy that they washed the floor, and cleaned the walls, and
+arranged the furniture more neatly. This led the father of the family
+to mend a broken chair or two, which kept him at home several
+evenings. After this, he took to staying at home with his family in
+the evenings, instead of spending his time at the tavern; and the
+money thus saved went to buy comforts for them all. And then, as
+their home grew more pleasant, the whole family loved it better than
+ever before, and they grew healthier and happier with their flowers.
+What a little thing that plant was, and yet it was God's apostle to
+that family! It did a great work for them in blessing them and making
+them happy. And _that_ was work that an angel would have been glad to
+do.
+
+"Brought In by a Smile." A London minister said to a friend one day;
+"Seven persons were received into my church last Sunday, and they
+were 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 on
+my way to church, I saw, held in the arms of its nurse, a beautiful
+infant; and as it fixed its bright black eyes on me, I smiled, and
+the dear child returned the smile. The next Sabbath the babe was
+again before the window. Again I smiled, and the smile was returned,
+as before. The third Sabbath, as I passed by the window, I threw the
+little one a kiss. Instantly its hand was extended and a kiss thrown
+back to me. And so it came to pass that I learned to watch for the
+baby on my way to church; and as the weeks went by, I noticed that
+the nurse and the baby were not alone. Other members of the family
+pressed to the window to see the gentleman who always had a smile for
+the 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 and
+mother had said to those children: 'Get ready for church, for we
+think 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 their
+parents, and after I had passed, the door opened, and the children
+stepped upon the pavement, and kept near me, till I entered my
+church, when they followed me, and seats were given them.
+
+"When they returned home, they sought their parents and eagerly
+exclaimed: 'He is a minister, and we have found his church, and he
+preached a beautiful sermon this morning. You must go and hear him
+next Sunday.'
+
+"It was not difficult to persuade the parents to go, and guided by
+their children they found their way to the church. They, too, were
+pleased, and other members of the family were induced to come to the
+house 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 all
+brought in by a smile.'"
+
+What a little thing a smile is! And yet, here we see how God made use
+of so small a thing as this, to make seven persons Christians, and to
+save their souls forever! Of the God who can work in this way, it
+may well be said that he loves to work by little things. It is the
+way in which he is working continually.
+
+How eagerly, then, we may try to learn and to practise what has been
+very 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 the
+men whom Jesus chose to be his apostles. The first thing about this
+subject 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 of
+St. Matthew. In this chapter Jesus told the apostles all about the
+work they were to do for him, and how they were to do it. In the
+seventh and eighth verses of this chapter we have distinctly stated
+just what they were to do. "As ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of
+heaven 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 to
+them, not among the Gentiles, but only among the Jews; or as he calls
+them--"the lost sheep of the house of Israel," v. 5,6. But, after his
+resurrection, and just before he went up to heaven, he enlarged their
+commission. His parting command to them then was--"_Go ye into all
+the world, and preach the gospel to every creature_." St. Mark xvi:
+15.
+
+When Jesus, their Master, went to heaven they were to take up and
+carry on the great work that he had begun. Those twelve men were to
+begin the work of changing the religion of the world. They were to
+overturn the idols that had been worshiped for ages. They were to
+shut up the temples in which those idols had been worshiped. They
+were to "turn men from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan
+unto God." Acts xxvi: 18. They were to go up and down the world,
+everywhere, telling the wondrous story of Jesus and his love. And in
+doing this work they were to be the means of saving the souls of all
+who believed their message, and in the end of winning the world back
+to Jesus, till, according to God's promise, he has "the heathen for
+his inheritance, and the utmost parts of the earth for his
+possession." Ps. ii: 8.
+
+This was the grandest and most important work that men were ever
+called 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 not
+finished yet. And, if we learn to love and serve Jesus, we may help
+to carry it on. We may be apostles, too, though in a lower sense than
+that in which the first twelve were apostles. An apostle means--one
+_sent_. But Jesus _sends_ into the vineyard to work for him all who
+become his loving children. And, in this sense it is true that all
+who love and serve Jesus are his apostles. He says to each of
+us--"Go, work to-day, in my vineyard." St. Matt, xxi: 28. And in
+another 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 to
+bring them to him, then we are helping to carry on the same great
+work that Jesus gave his apostles to do. Let us look at some examples
+of persons who have been apostles for God and helped to do the work
+of apostles.
+
+"Aunt Lucy." I heard the other day of a good old woman in the State
+of Michigan, known as Aunt Lucy. She is eighty-four years old, and
+lives all alone, supporting herself principally by carpet-weaving.
+All that she can save from her earnings, after paying for her
+necessary expenses, she spends in buying Bibles, which she
+distributes among the children and the poor of the neighborhood.
+Thirteen large family Bibles, and fifty small ones, have thus been
+given away--good, well-bound Bibles.
+
+A neighbor, who has watched this good work very closely, says that
+two-thirds of the persons to whom Aunt Lucy has given Bibles have
+afterwards become Christians. In doing this work Aunt Lucy was an
+apostle.
+
+"The Charcoal Carrier." One Sunday afternoon, in summer, a little
+girl named Mary, going home from a Sunday-school in the country, sat
+down to rest under the shade of a tree by the roadside. While sitting
+there she opened her Bible to read. As she sat reading, a man, well
+known in that neighborhood as Jacob, the charcoal carrier, came by
+with 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 was
+not a Christian man, and was accustomed to work with his donkey as
+hard on Sunday as on week-days.
+
+When he came by where Mary was sitting, he stopped a moment, and
+said, 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:--"Remember
+the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do
+all 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 must
+think over what you have said."
+
+And he _did_ think over it. And the result of his thinking was, that
+instead of going with his donkey to the woods on the next Sunday, he
+went with his two little girls to the Sunday-school. And the end of
+it all was that Jacob, the charcoal carrier, became a Christian, and
+God's blessing rested on him and his family.
+
+Little Mary was doing an apostle's work when she read and explained
+the Bible to Jacob and was the means of bringing him to Jesus.
+
+"The Use of Fragments." In the Cathedral at Lincoln, England, there
+is a window of stained glass which was made by an apprentice out of
+little pieces of glass that had been thrown aside by his master as
+useless. It is said to be the most beautiful window in the Cathedral.
+And if, like this apprentice, we carefully gather up, and improve the
+little bits of time, of knowledge, and of opportunities that we have,
+we may do work for God more beautiful than that Cathedral window. We
+may do work like that which the apostles were sent to do. Here are
+some sweet lines, written by I know not whom, about that beautiful
+window, 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_--THE
+HELP--_they received_.
+
+In one place, we are told that Jesus "gave them power against unclean
+spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness, and
+all manner of disease." St. Matt. x: 1. In another place we are told,
+that for their comfort and encouragement in the great work they had
+to do, Jesus said to them, "Lo, I am with you always, even unto the
+end of the world." St. Matt. xxviii: 20. And if they only had Jesus
+with them, no matter what the work was they had to do, they would be
+sure of having all the help they might need. The apostle Paul
+understood this very well, for he said, "I can do all things through
+Christ, which strengtheneth me." Phil. iv: 13.
+
+And then, as if his own presence with them were not enough, Jesus
+promised that his apostles should have the help of the Holy Spirit in
+carrying on their work. Just before leaving them to go to heaven, he
+said to the disciples--"Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy
+Ghost is come upon you." Acts i: 8. And what this power was we see in
+the case of the apostle Peter; for the first sermon he preached
+after the Holy Ghost came upon him, on the day of Pentecost, was the
+means of converting three thousand souls. Acts ii: 41.
+
+And the same God who gave the apostles all the help they needed, has
+promised to do the same for you, and me, and for all who try to work
+for him. There are many promises of this kind in the Bible to which I
+might refer. But I will only mention one. This is so sweet and
+precious that it deserves to be written in letters of gold. There is
+no passage in the Bible that has given me so much comfort and
+encouragement 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 I
+am thy God; I will strengthen thee; yea--I WILL HELP THEE." This
+promise was not given for prophets and apostles only, but for all
+God's people to the end of time. You and I, if we are trying to serve
+God, may take it as ours. God meant it for us. And when we get this
+promised help from God, we can do any work he has for us to do, and
+be happy in doing it.
+
+"For Thine is the Power." "I can't do it--it's quite impossible. I've
+tried five times, and can't get it right"--and Ben Hartley pushed his
+book and slate away in despair. Ben was a good scholar. He was at
+the head of his class, and was very anxious to stay there. But the
+sums he had now to do were very hard. He could not do them, and was
+afraid of losing his place in the class. Most of the boys had some
+one 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 school
+much 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 a
+fellow do his sums."
+
+"O, yes; there is. There is help for every trouble in life in the
+Lord's prayer, if we only know how to use it. I was trying a long
+time before I found out what the last part of this prayer really
+means. 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 ask
+him to keep us from evil; and to forgive us our sins; and then we
+say: '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 helps
+me, Ben, when I have something hard to do. I say, 'For _thine_ is the
+power--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 he
+remembered when he had to stay home from school because he had no
+clothes fit to go in, how he prayed to God about it, and the
+minister's wife brought him a suit the very next day. "But a boy's
+sums, mother! it seems like such a little thing to ask God about."
+
+"Those sums are not a little thing to you, Ben. Your success at
+school depends on your knowing how to do them. _That_, is as much to
+you, as many a greater thing to some one else. Now I care a great
+deal about that, because I love you. And I know your Father in heaven
+loves 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 and
+slate and went up to his little room. Kneeling down by the bed he
+repeated the Lord's prayer. When he came to--"thine is the kingdom,"
+he stopped a moment, and then said, with all his heart--"'And thine
+is the power,' heavenly Father. I want power to know how to do these
+sums. There's no one else to help me. Lord, please give me power, for
+Jesus' sake, Amen."
+
+Ben waited a moment, and then, still on his knees, he took his slate
+and tried again. Do you ask me if he succeeded? Remember what Saint
+James says, "If any man lack wisdom let him ask of God, who giveth to
+all 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 away
+before one of his promises shall fail. Ben had prayed to God to help
+him, and God answered his prayer. He tried once more to work out
+those sums. After thinking over them a little while, he saw the
+mistake he had made in neglecting one of the rules for working the
+sums. He corrected this mistake, and then he found they all worked
+out beautifully. The next day he was head of the class; for he was
+the only boy who could say that he had done the sum himself, without
+getting any one at home to help him.
+
+"And yet I was helped, mother," said Ben, "for I am sure my Father in
+heaven helped me." But that was not what the teacher meant. After
+this, Ben never forgot the last part of the Lord's prayer. When he
+needed help he knew where the power was that could help him.
+
+Here was where the apostles got the help they needed in doing the
+hard work they had to do. And how much help we might get in doing our
+work if we only make a right use of this "power which belongeth unto
+God;" and which he is always ready to use in helping us.
+
+The help they received, is the third thing to remember when we think
+about the apostles and their work.
+
+_The last thing to bear in mind when we think of Jesus choosing his
+twelve apostles, is_--THE LESSON--_it teaches us_.
+
+There are many lessons we might learn from this subject; but there is
+one so much more important than all the rest that we may very well
+let them go, and think only of this one. When St. Luke tells us about
+Jesus choosing the twelve apostles, he mentions one very important
+thing, of which St. Matthew, in his account of it says nothing at
+all. And it is this thing from which we draw our lesson. In the
+twelfth verse of the sixth chapter of his gospel, St. Luke
+says--"And it came to pass in those days, that he (Jesus) went out
+into 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 call
+his disciples to him, and out of them to choose the twelve, who were
+to be his apostles. And the lesson we learn from this part of the
+subject 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 yet
+it is easy enough to see at least two reasons why he did this. One
+was because _he loved to pray_. We know how pleasant it is for us to
+meet, and talk with a person whom we love very much. But prayer
+is--talking with God--telling him what we want, and asking his help.
+But Jesus loved his Father in heaven, with a love deeper and stronger
+than we can understand. This must have made it the most delightful of
+all things for him to be engaged in prayer, or in talking with his
+Father in heaven. And, if we really love Jesus, prayer will not be a
+hard 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 spent
+the whole night in prayer, before choosing his twelve apostles.
+
+But there was another reason why Jesus spent so much time in prayer
+before performing this important work, and that was to _set us an
+example_. It was to teach us the very lesson of which we are now
+speaking--the lesson of prayer. Remember how much power and wisdom
+Jesus had in himself; and what mighty things he was able to do. And
+yet, if _He_ felt that it was right to pray before engaging in any
+important 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 our
+lives to connect prayer with everything we do. This will make us
+happy in our own souls, and useful to those about us.
+
+How full the Bible is of the wonders that have been wrought by
+prayer! Just think for a moment of some of them.
+
+Abraham prays, and Lot is delivered from the fiery flood that
+overwhelmed Sodom and Gomorrah. Gen. xix: 29. Jacob prays, and he
+wrestles with the angel, and obtains the blessing; his brother
+Esau's mind is wonderfully turned away from the wrath he had
+cherished for twenty years. Moses prays and Amalek is discomfited.
+Joshua prays and Achan is discovered. Hannah prays and Samuel is
+born. David prays and Ahithophel hangs himself. Elijah prays and a
+famine of three years comes upon Israel. He prays again, and the rain
+descends, and the famine ends. Elisha prays, and Jordan is divided.
+He prays again, and the dead child's soul is brought back from the
+invisible world. Isaiah and Hezekiah pray, and a hundred and
+eighty-five thousand Assyrian soldiers are slain in one night by the
+unseen sword of the angel. These are Bible illustrations of the help
+God gives to his people in answer to prayer. And the Bible rule for
+prayer, as given by our Saviour, is, "that men ought _always_ to
+pray," Luke xviii: 1. St. Paul's way of stating it is--"Praying
+always, with all prayer," Ephes. vi: 18. In another place he
+says--"Pray without ceasing," I. Thess. v: 17. And even the heathen
+teach the same rule about prayer. Among the rules of Nineveh, an
+inscription 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 this
+morning?" asked a little girl.
+
+"My child, we have had no breakfast, and have no dinner to eat when
+we come back," said her grandma.
+
+"But the Lord Jesus can give it to us if we ask him," said the little
+girl. "Let's ask him." So they kneeled down, and asked that God, "who
+feedeth the young ravens when they cry," to remember them, and help
+them.
+
+Then they went to church. They found it very much crowded. An old
+gentleman took the little girl upon his knee. He was pleased with her
+quiet behaviour. On parting with her at the close of the service, he
+slipped a half crown into her hand. "See, Grandma," she said, as soon
+as 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 same
+school; one of them, named Mary, always said her lessons well, the
+other, named Jane, always failed. One day Jane said, "Mary, how does
+it happen that you always say your lessons so well?" Mary said she
+prayed over her lessons, and _that_ was the secret of her success.
+
+Jane concluded to try praying. But the next day she failed worse than
+ever. In tears, she reproached Mary for deceiving her. "But, did you
+study hard, as well as pray over your lesson?" asked Mary.
+
+"No; I thought if I only prayed, that was all I had to do," replied
+Jane. "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 lessons
+well," was Mary's wise answer. The next day Jane studied, as well as
+prayed, and she had her lesson perfectly.
+
+The greatest work we can ever do, is to bring a soul to Jesus, or to
+convert a sinner from the error of his way. Here is an illustration
+of 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 a
+stage-coach," said a Christian gentleman, "when the driver by my side
+began to swear in a dreadful manner. I lifted up my heart for God's
+blessing on what I said; and presently, in a quiet way, I asked him
+this question: 'Driver, do you ever pray?' He seemed displeased at
+first; but after awhile he replied, 'I sometimes go to church on
+Sunday; and then I suppose I pray, don't I?' 'I am afraid you never
+pray at all; for no man can swear as you do, and yet be in the habit
+of praying to God.'
+
+"As we rode along he seemed thoughtful. 'Coachman, I wish you would
+pray now,' I said. '"Why, what a time to pray, Sir, when a man is
+driving a coach!"' 'Yet, my friend, God will hear you,' '"What shall
+I 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 said
+them over a second, and a third time. The end of the journey was
+reached, 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 was
+answered. I saw myself a lost, and ruined sinner; but now, I humbly
+hope, that through the blood which cleanseth from all sin, and by the
+power of the Holy Spirit, I am a converted man.'"
+
+And so, when we think of the twelve apostles, appointed by Jesus to
+preach his gospel, these are the four things for us to remember in
+connection with them, viz.:--_the men_ whom he chose; _the work_ they
+had 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 it
+as for God, and then we shall be his apostles--his sent ones. Let me
+put the application of this subject in the form of some earnest,
+practical lines that I lately met with. The lines only speak of
+boys, 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 days
+of his public ministry. He was _sent_ to teach and to preach. The
+speaker in the book of Job was thinking of this Great Teacher when he
+asked--"_Who teacheth like him_?" Job xxxvi: 22. And it was he who
+was in the Psalmist's mind when he spoke of the "good, and upright
+Lord" who would teach sinners, if they were meek, how to walk in his
+ways. Ps. xxv: 8-9. And he is the Redeemer, of whom the prophet
+Isaiah 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 how
+true was what Nicodemus said of him, that "he was a _teacher sent
+from God_." John iii: 2. Thus what was said of Jesus, before he came
+into our world, would naturally lead us to expect to find him
+occupied in teaching. And so he _was_ occupied, all through the days
+of his public ministry. St. Matthew tells us that--"Jesus went about
+all Galilee, _teaching_ in their synagogues." Ch. iv: 23. Further on
+in his gospel he tells us again that "Jesus went about all the
+cities, and villages, teaching in their synagogues." Ch. ix: 35. When
+on his trial before Pilate, his enemies brought it as a charge
+against him that he had been--"_teaching_ throughout all Jewry." Luke
+xxiii: 5. We read in one place that--"the elders of the people came
+unto him _as he was teaching_." Matt. xxi: 23. Jesus himself gave
+this 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 look
+at the life of Christ from this point of view--as a Teacher. There
+never was such a Teacher. We do not wonder at the effect of his
+teaching of which we read in St. John vii: 46, when the chief priests
+sent some of their officers to take him prisoner, and bring him unto
+them; the officers went, and joined the crowd that was listening to
+his preaching. His words had such a strange effect on them that they
+could not think of touching him. So they went back to their masters
+without doing what they had been sent to do. "And when the chief
+priests and Pharisees said unto them--Why have ye not brought him?
+The officers answered, _Never man spake like this man_." Jesus was
+indeed--_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 things
+about his teaching which made him different from any other teacher
+the 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 great
+sermon to his disciples, called "The Sermon on the Mount." This is
+the most wonderful sermon that ever was preached. Jesus began it by
+telling about some of the great blessings he had brought down from
+heaven for poor sinful creatures such as we are. The sermon begins in
+the fifth chapter of St. Matthew, and the first twelve verses of the
+chapter are occupied in speaking of these blessings. As soon as he
+opened his mouth and began to speak a stream of blessings flowed out.
+
+It was a beautiful thought, on this subject, which a boy in
+Sunday-school once had. The teacher had been talking to his class
+about the beginning of this sermon on the mount. He had spoken of the
+sweetness of the words of Jesus, when "He opened his mouth and
+taught" his disciples. "How pleasant it must have been, my dear
+boys," said he, "to have seen the blessed Saviour, and to have heard
+him speak!"
+
+A serious-minded little fellow in the class said, "Teacher, don't you
+think that when Jesus opened his mouth, and began to speak to his
+disciples, it must have been like taking the stopper out of a scent
+bottle?" I cannot tell whether this boy had ever read the words of
+Solomon or not; but he had just the same idea that was in his mind
+when he said of this "Great Teacher," "thy name is _as ointment
+poured forth_." Cant, i: 3. We perceive the fragrance of this
+ointment as soon as Jesus opens his mouth and begins to speak. If we
+had been listening to Jesus when he began this sermon, saying:--"
+Blessed are the poor in spirit; blessed are the meek; blessed are the
+pure in heart; blessed are the peace-makers"--and so on till he had
+spoken of _nine_ different kinds of blessing, we might have thought
+that he had nothing but blessings of which to tell. It would have
+seemed as if his mind, and heart, and lips, and hands were all so
+filled with blessings that he could do nothing else till he had told
+about these. And the blessings spoken of here are not all the
+blessings that Jesus brought. They are only specimens of them. The
+blessings he has obtained for us are innumerable. David says of them,
+"If I would declare and speak of them they are more than can be
+numbered." 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 that
+mourn, for they shall be comforted." Jesus came to bring comfort to
+the mourners. Hundreds of years before Christ came the prophet Isaiah
+had 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 was
+to 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. My
+salvation was finished on the cross. My soul is saved. Heaven is
+mine. 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's
+well, he compared the blessing of his grace to the water of that
+well. Pointing to the well at his side, he said: "Whosoever drinketh
+of this water will thirst again. But whosoever drinketh of the water
+that I shall give him, shall never thirst; but the water that I shall
+give him, shall be _in him, a well of water, springing up unto
+everlasting life_." John iv: 13, 14. This is one of the most
+beautiful illustrations of the blessing Jesus gives that ever was
+used. It is a great blessing to have a well of clear, cold water in
+our garden, or near our door. But, only think of having a well of
+water _in our hearts_. Then, wherever we go, we carry that well with
+us. We never have to go away from it. No one can separate between us
+and the water of this well. Other wells dry up and fail. But this is
+a well that never dries up, and never fails. This well is deep, and
+its water is all the time "springing up unto everlasting life." How
+happy they are in whose breasts Jesus opens this well of water!
+
+Coleridge, the English poet, in writing to a young friend, just
+before his death, said:
+
+"Health is a great blessing; wealth, gained by honest industry, is a
+great blessing; it is a great blessing to have kind, faithful, loving
+friends and relatives, _but, the greatest, and best of all blessings
+is to be a Christian_."
+
+One of the most able and learned lawyers that England ever had was
+John Selden. He was so famous for his learning and knowledge that he
+is always spoken of as "the learned Selden." On his deathbed he
+said--"I have taken much pains to know everything that was worth
+knowing among men; but with all my reading and all my knowledge,
+nothing now remains with me to comfort me at the close of life but
+these precious words of St. Paul: 'This a faithful saying, and worthy
+of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save
+sinners;' to this I cling. In this I rest. This gives me peace, and
+comfort, and enables me to die happy."
+
+William Wilberforce was another of the great and good men who have
+been 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 my
+Saviour. Read the Bible. Let no other book take its place. Through
+all my trials and perplexities, it has been my comfort. And now it
+comforts 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 this
+well in our breasts, may well be called, "the Great Teacher," because
+of the great blessings--of which he tells.
+
+_In the second place Jesus may be called "the Great Teacher" because
+of the_--GREAT SIMPLICITY--_of his teachings_.
+
+I do not mean to say that we can understand every thing that Jesus
+taught. This is not so. He had some things to speak about that are
+not simple. He said to his disciples, "_I have yet many things to say
+unto you, but ye cannot bear them now_." John xvi: 12. This means
+that there are some things about God, and heaven, of which he wished
+to tell them, but they were too hard for them to understand, although
+they were full-grown men. And so he did not tell them of these
+things. But even among the things that Jesus did tell about, there
+are some which the wisest and most learned men in the world have
+never been able to understand or explain. Some one has compared the
+Bible to a river, in which there are some places deep enough for an
+elephant or a giant to swim in; and other places where the water is
+shallow enough for a child to wade in. And it is just so with the
+teachings of Jesus. Some of the most important lessons he taught are
+so plain and simple that very young people can understand them.
+
+We have a good illustration of this in that sweet invitation which
+Jesus gave when he said,--"_Come unto me, all ye that labor and are
+heavy laden, and I will give you rest._" Matt. xi: 28. Very young
+people know what it is to feel tired and weary from walking, or
+working too much, or from carrying a heavy burden. And, when they are
+too tired to do anything else, they know what it is to go to their
+dear 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 we
+are tired, or troubled, that our souls may find rest in him. We come
+to Jesus, when we pray to him; when we tell him all about our
+troubles; when we ask him to help us; and when we trust in his
+promises.
+
+  "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 his
+doctrines to children just weaned. Chap. xxviii: 9. This shows us
+that 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 those
+loving words:--"_Suffer the little children to come unto me, and
+forbid 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 such
+interest in children as Jesus did. And none of them ever taught with
+such great simplicity. What multitudes of young people have been led
+to love and serve Jesus by thinking of the sweet words he spoke about
+children!
+
+"The Child's Gospel." A little girl sat still in church listening to
+the minister. She could not understand what he was saying till he
+quoted these words of Jesus about the children. But she understood
+them. She felt that they were words spoken for her. They made her
+feel very happy. And when she went home she threw her arms around her
+mother'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 years
+old. 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 when
+he was on earth?"
+
+In a moment the sweet words she had learned in the school were on her
+lips--"Suffer the little children to come unto me, &c."
+
+"Well, Carrie, for whom did Jesus speak these words?" At once she
+clapped 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 away
+since "Jesus was here among men," these same simple words have been
+drawing 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, and
+this was another thing that helped to make him the Great Teacher_.
+
+It was this great tenderness that led him, when he came to be our
+Teacher and Saviour to take our nature upon him and so become like
+us. 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 disciples
+saw him on the Mount of Transfiguration. But then we should have been
+afraid of him. He would not have known how we feel, and could not
+have felt for us. But instead of this, his tenderness led him to take
+our nature upon him, that he might be able to put himself in our
+place, and so to understand just how we feel, and what we need to
+help and comfort us. This is what the apostle means in Heb. ii: 14,
+when he says--"Forasmuch as the children were partakers of flesh and
+blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same." He did this
+on purpose that he might know, by his own experience, how we are
+tried and tempted; and so be able to sympathize with us and help us
+in all our trials.
+
+Here is a little story, very simple, and homely; but yet, one that
+illustrates very well the point of which we are speaking. It is a
+story about:
+
+"A Lost Horse Found." A valuable horse was lost, belonging to a
+farmer in New England. A number of his neighbors turned out to try
+and find the horse. They searched all through the woods and fields
+of the surrounding country, but in vain. None of them could find the
+horse. At last a poor, weak-minded fellow, who was known in that
+neighborhood as "simple Sam," started to hunt the horse. After awhile
+he came back, bringing the stray horse with him. The owner of the
+horse 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 do
+it?"
+
+"Wal, you see," said Sam, "I just 'quired whar the horse was seen
+last; 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 I
+went, and found him." Now, when Sam, in the simplicity of his feeble
+mind, 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 his
+owner again. And so, to pass from a very little thing to a very great
+one, when Jesus came down from heaven to seek and to save sinners
+that were lost, this is just the way in which he acted. He put
+himself in our place as sinners. As the apostle Paul says: "he who
+knew no sin, was made sin for us," that he might save us from the
+dreadful consequences of our sins.
+
+And we see the tenderness of Jesus, not only in taking our nature
+upon him and becoming man, but in what he did when he lived in this
+world as a man. "_He went about doing good_." It was his great
+tenderness that led him to do this. Suppose that you and I could have
+walked 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 seen
+him meeting with blind men and opening their eyes that they might
+see. We should have seen him meeting with deaf men, and unstopping
+their ears that they might hear. We should have seen him meeting sick
+people who were taken with divers diseases and torments and healing
+them. We should have seen him raising the dead; and casting out
+devils; and speaking words of comfort and encouragement to those who
+were sad and sorrowful. If we could have looked into his blessed
+face, we should have seen tenderness there, beaming from his eyes and
+speaking from every line of his countenance. If we could have
+listened to his teaching we should have found tenderness running
+through all that he said. Just take one of his many parables as a
+sample of his way of teaching--the parable of the lost sheep--and see
+how full of tenderness it is. The sweet lines of the hymn, about the
+shepherd seeking his lost sheep, that most of us love to sing, bring
+out 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," demonstrates
+his great tenderness for his sheep.
+
+But perhaps there was no act in all the life of our blessed Redeemer
+that showed his tenderness more than taking the little children in
+his arms, and putting his hands upon them, and blessing them.
+
+To think of the Son of God, who made this world, and all worlds, and
+whom all the angels of heaven worship, showing so much interest in
+the little ones; this proves how full of tenderness his heart was.
+
+"I Like Your Jesus." An English lady who had spent six months in
+Syria, 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 little
+ones, as we learned from a dear Moslem child, who, when she repeated
+the text, 'Suffer the little children,' said, 'I like your Jesus,
+because he loved little children. Our Mohammed did not love little
+children.'"
+
+And if we all try to imitate the tenderness of Jesus, then, though we
+may have no money to give, and no great thing to do, yet by being
+tender, and gentle, and loving, as Jesus was, we shall be able to do
+good wherever we are.
+
+"Doing Good by Sympathy." A Christian mother used to ask her children
+every night if they had done any good during the day. One night in
+answer to this question, her little daughter said: "At school this
+morning I found little Annie G----, who had been absent for some
+time, crying very hard. I asked her what was the matter? Then she
+cried more, so that I could not help putting my head on her neck, and
+crying with her. Her sobs grew less, and presently she told of her
+little 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. Then
+she 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, and
+crying, too, as hard as she did. After awhile she kissed me, and told
+me 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 Great
+Teacher. Nothing in the world could have done that poor sorrowing
+child so much good as to have some one cry with her. Sometimes tears
+of tenderness are worth more than diamonds. And this is why the Bible
+tells us to "weep with them that weep." Rom. xii: 15. Jesus did this
+in the tenderness of his loving heart. And this was one of the things
+that made him the Great Teacher.
+
+_But then there was_--GREAT KNOWLEDGE--_in Jesus; and this was
+another thing that made him great as a teacher_.
+
+If we wish to be good teachers, we must study, and try to understand
+the things we expect to teach. If a young man wishes to be a
+minister, he must go through college; and then spend three years in
+the Divinity School, so that he may understand the great truths of
+the Bible, which he is to teach the people who hear him. But Jesus
+never went to college, or to a divinity school. And yet he had
+greater knowledge about all the things of which he spoke than any
+other 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 us
+that "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 ever
+lived, and give it to one person, it would be as nothing compared to
+the knowledge which Jesus, "the Great Teacher" had. He knew all about
+heaven; for that had always been his home before he came into our
+world. He knew all about God; for, he was "in the bosom of the
+Father," John i: 18; and, as he tells us himself, had shared his
+glory with him, "before the world was." John xvii: 5. He knew all
+about the world we live in, for he made it. John i: 10. He knew all
+about 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, for
+he made them all. He saw all they did; he heard all they said; he
+knew all they thought, or felt. Wise and learned men have been
+studying, and finding out things for hundreds of years, about
+geography 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 have
+told about them, if he had seen fit to do so. But he only told us
+what it is best for us to know, in order that we might be saved; and
+kept back all the rest. The things that Jesus did teach us when he
+was here on earth were wonderful; but it is hardly less wonderful to
+think 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 are
+not surprised that some of those who heard him "wondered at the
+gracious words" he spake; or that others asked the question: "Whence
+hath this man this knowledge, having never learned?"
+
+Some one has written these sweet lines about Christ as--_The Great
+Teacher_:
+
+    "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 other
+teachers is seen, not only in the greater knowledge he has of the
+things that he teaches, but in this also, that he knows how to make
+us understand the lessons he teaches. Here is an incident that
+illustrates how well Jesus can do this. We may call it:
+
+"The Well Instructed Boy." A minister of the gospel was travelling
+through 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 no
+covering on his head, and no shoes or stockings on his feet; but he
+looked bright and happy. He had a New Testament in his hand. "Can you
+read, 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 clear
+distinct voice, began:
+
+"There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the
+Jews; 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 these
+miracles 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, placing
+his hand on his bosom, he said, "It is _something here_;" and then,
+raising his eyes to heaven, added, "_and something up yonder_." This
+poor boy had been taking lessons from "the Great Teacher," and he had
+taught him some of the most important things that we can ever learn.
+Jesus may well be called "the Great Teacher," because of his great
+knowledge.
+
+_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, yet
+they 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 the
+same kind that occurred while he was on earth. One day he was going
+about teaching in the streets of Jerusalem. As he went on, he passed
+by the office of a man who was gathering taxes for the Roman
+government. The persons who did this were called _publicans_. This
+man, sitting in his office, was named Matthew. He was busily engaged
+in receiving the taxes of the people. It was a very profitable
+business. The men engaged in it generally made a great deal of money.
+Jesus stopped before the window or door of this office. He beckoned
+to Matthew, and simply spoke these two words:--"_Follow me_."
+
+Now, if any other teacher had spoken these words to Matthew, and had
+tried to make him quit his business and engage in something else, he
+would have said: "No; I can't leave my office. This is all the means
+I have of getting a living. The business pays well, and I am not
+willing 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, and
+followed him." Matt. ix: 9; Luke v: 28. He became one of the twelve
+apostles and wrote the gospel which bears his name. But it was the
+great power which Jesus has over the hearts of men that made Matthew
+willing to do, at once, what he was told to do.
+
+And the power which Jesus exercised over Matthew, in this case, he
+still has, and still uses. And when he is pleased to use this power
+the very worst people feel it, and are made good by it. And Jesus,
+"the Great Teacher," uses this power sometimes in connection with
+very simple things. Here is an illustration. We may call it:
+
+"Saved by a Rose." Some time ago, a Christian gentleman was in the
+habit 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 little
+yard connected with each cell. He got permission from the officers of
+the prison to do so. He had a bracket fastened to the wall, in each
+yard, 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 most
+hardened man that had ever been in that prison. His temper was so
+violent and obstinate that no one could manage him. The keeper of the
+prison was afraid of him, and never liked to go near him. He was such
+a disagreeable-looking man that the name given to him in the prison
+was "Ugly Greg." A little rose bush was put on the bracket in Ugly
+Greg's yard, and the effect produced by it is told in these simple
+lines, 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 this
+hardened sinner. No; but it led him to think of the lessons of his
+childhood, when he had been taught about Jesus, "the Rose of
+Sharon". It led him to think about his sins. It led him to repent of
+them; 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 of
+him as--"a man saved by a rose;" yet it was the power of Jesus, "the
+Great Teacher," exercised through that rose, which led to this
+blessed change and saved Greg's soul from death.
+
+And thus we have spoken of five things which help to make up the
+greatness of Jesus as a Teacher. These are--The Great Blessings--The
+Great Simplicity--The Great Tenderness--The Great Knowledge--and the
+Great Power connected with his teachings. Let us seek the grace that
+will enable us to learn of him, and then we shall find rest for our
+souls!
+
+
+
+
+
+
+CHRIST TEACHING BY PARABLES
+
+
+
+
+
+We have spoken of our Saviour as "The Great Teacher," and tried to
+point out some of the things in his teaching which helped to make him
+great. And now, it may be well to speak a little of the illustrations
+which he made use of as a Teacher. These are called--_parables_. Our
+Saviour's parables were illustrations. This is what is meant by the
+Greek word from which we get the word parable. It means something
+_set down by the side of another_. When we teach a lesson we are
+setting something before the minds of our scholars. But suppose it is
+a hard lesson and they do not understand it. Then we use an
+illustration. This is something set down beside the lesson to make it
+plain. Then this, whatever it be, is a parable.
+
+At the beginning of his ministry, our Saviour did not make much use
+of parables. But, after he had been preaching for some time, he made
+a change in his way of teaching, in this respect. He began to use
+parables very freely. His disciples were surprised at this. On one
+occasion, after he had used the parable of the Sower, they came to
+their Master and asked him why he always spake to the people now in
+parables? 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 that
+he used parables for two reasons: one was to help those who really
+wished to learn from him to understand what he was teaching. The
+other was that those who were not willing to be taught might listen
+to him without understanding what he was saying. These people had
+heard him when he was teaching without parables. But, instead of
+thanking him for coming to teach them, and of being willing to do
+what he wanted them to do, they found fault with his teaching, and
+would not mind what he said.
+
+Now, there is a great difference between the way in which we are to
+learn what the Bible teaches us about God and heaven; and the way in
+which we learn other things. If we want to learn what the Bible
+teaches us we must be careful that we are having right feelings in
+our hearts; but if we want to learn other things it does not matter
+so much what our feelings are. For instance, suppose you have a
+lesson to learn in geography; no matter how you are feeling, whether
+you are proud, or humble; whether you are cross, or gentle; yet if
+you only study hard enough, and long enough, you can learn that
+lesson. But, if you want to learn one of the lessons that Jesus
+teaches, no matter how hard, or how long you study it, yet while you
+are giving way to proud, or angry feelings in your heart, you can
+never learn that lesson. And the reason is that we cannot learn these
+lessons 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 in
+our hearts. In learning geography, and other such lessons, we do not
+need the _special_ help of God. We can learn them ourselves, if we
+only try. But we cannot learn the lessons that Jesus teaches in this
+way. This is what the Psalmist means when he says:--"The _meek_ will
+he teach his way." Ps. xxv: 9. And this was what our Saviour meant
+when 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 tell
+us.
+
+Some one has well said that truth, taught by a parable, is like the
+kernel 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 the
+shell, and get it: but those who are not willing to crack the shell
+will 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 parables
+freely. We are told that--"without a parable spake he not unto the
+people." St. Mark xiii: 34. He used parables among his disciples for
+two reasons: these were to help them to _understand_, and to remember
+what he taught them.
+
+We have a great many of the parables of Jesus in the gospels. A full
+list of them will contain not less than _fifty_. It would be easy
+enough to make a sermon on each of these parables. But that would
+make a larger work than this whole LIFE OF CHRIST, on which we are
+now engaged. It is impossible therefore to speak of all the parables.
+We can only make selections, or take some specimens of them. We may
+speak of five different lessons as illustrated by some of the
+parables of Christ. These are--_The value of religion: Christ's love
+of sinners: The duty of forgiveness: The duty of kindness: and the
+effect of good example_.
+
+_Well then, we may begin by considering what Jesus taught us of_--THE
+VALUE 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, "The
+kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which
+when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and
+selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field." The words "kingdom
+of heaven" are used by our Saviour in different senses. Sometimes, as
+here, they mean the grace of God, or true religion. And what Jesus
+teaches us by this parable is that true religion is more valuable
+than anything else in the world.
+
+The next parable, in the forty-fifth and forty-sixth verses of the
+same chapter, is about The Pearl of Great Price. This teaches the
+same lesson. It reads thus:--"The kingdom of heaven is like unto a
+merchantman seeking goodly pearls: who, when he had found one pearl
+of 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 the
+treasure hid in the field in the former parable. And the truth he
+teaches in both these parables is that religion is more important to
+us than anything else in the world. Let us look at some incidents
+that 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 the
+words he used to a person who was visiting him: "Once every thing
+went wrong at our house; father was wrong, mother was wrong, sister
+was wrong, and I was wrong; but now, since I have learned to know and
+love Jesus it is all right. I know why everything went wrong
+before:--it was because I was wrong myself." And this is true. The
+first thing that religion does for us is to make us _be_ right
+ourselves, and then to _do_ right to others.
+
+"Be." A young lady had been trying to do something very good, but had
+not succeeded. Her mother said, "Marian, my child, God gives us many
+things to _do_, but we must not forget that he gives us some things
+to _be_; and we must learn to _be_ what God would have us be, before
+we can _do_ what God would have us do."
+
+"O dear mother, please tell me about _being_, and then I shall know
+better 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 better
+day 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 your
+notice 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 of
+Jesus will help us to make these all our own. How great then must the
+value of religion be! Surely it is worth while for each of us to try
+and secure it!
+
+I think I never saw a better view of the value of religion than is
+seen in the following statement of what it does for us. I know not by
+whom it was written, but it is put in the form of that sacred sign to
+which 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. In
+her fourteenth year she was taken with a severe illness, from which
+the doctor said she could not recover. When she became too weak to
+leave the sofa, she would send for one and another of the neighbors
+to come in to see her, and then she would speak to them of Jesus and
+his great salvation. One day a poor old woman who was not a
+Christian, 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: she
+will 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 shall
+soon be with Jesus in heaven, and live forever with him."
+
+"Oh, how can you know that, my dear? We must not be _too_ sure you
+know," said the poor woman.
+
+"Oh," said Annie, pointing to a card hanging on the wall, near her
+bed, on which was printed in large letters the hymn headed--"I leave
+it all with Jesus." "That's what I do! That's what I do." These are
+the words of the hymn which gave that dear child so much comfort on
+her 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 which
+Jesus taught us in his parables, namely--_the value of religion_.
+
+_Another thing we are taught in these parables is_--CHRIST'S LOVE FOR
+SINNERS.
+
+The parable of the lost sheep teaches us this truth: but as we had
+occasion to speak of this in our last chapter, when illustrating the
+tenderness 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 are
+told 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 lost
+piece till she found it. This woman represents Jesus. The lost piece
+of money represents our souls lost by sin. The efforts of the woman
+to 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 _seek
+and to save that which was lost_." And it was the love of Jesus for
+poor sinners which led him to do all this for us. And everything
+connected with the history of Jesus when he was on earth shows the
+greatness of his love. Think of Bethlehem and its manger; there we
+see the love of Jesus. Think of Gethsemane with its bloody sweat;
+there we see the love of Jesus. Think of Calvary with its cross of
+shame and agony; for _there_ we see the love of Jesus.
+
+And the parable of the prodigal son teaches us the same lesson. We
+read of this in the same chapter, St. Luke xv: 11-32. This son had
+been disobedient and ungrateful. He had taken the money his father
+gave him and had gone away and spent it in living very wickedly. And
+when the money was all spent and he was likely to starve, he went
+back to his father, hungry and ragged, and asked to be taken in. And
+instead of scolding and punishing him as he deserved, as soon as his
+father saw him, he ran, and fell on his neck and kissed him; and took
+off his rags, and dressed him in good clothes, and made a great feast
+for him. How beautifully this parable illustrates the love of Christ
+for sinners!
+
+And when we learn to know and feel the love of Christ for us, it does
+two 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 been
+living without trying to serve or please God, and is led to see how
+wrong it is to live in that way, and then feels an earnest desire to
+turn around, and live differently, and really does so:--that is
+conversion. The teaching or preaching of the gospel is the chief
+means that God employs to convert men. And the thing about the gospel
+in which this converting power lies is--_the love of Christ_. Here
+is an illustration of what this means.
+
+"He Loved Me." An English minister of the gospel was traveling in
+Switzerland one summer. As he passed from place to place, he preached
+by means of an interpreter in various churches. One Sunday night he
+preached from the words, "_He loved me, and gave himself for me_."
+Gal. ii: 20. Then he went on his way without knowing what effect had
+followed from his preaching.
+
+One Saturday evening, several weeks after, the minister of this
+church was sitting in his study. There came a faint knock at his
+door. He opened it, when, to his great surprise he saw there a young
+man, who was known as the wickedest young man in that neighborhood,
+and the leader of others in all sorts of wickedness. He invited him
+in, gave him a seat, and asked him what he wished. Judge of his
+surprise when the young man said he wished to inquire if he might
+come to the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, which was to be
+celebrated in his church the next day!
+
+"But are you not aware, my young friend," said the minister, "that
+only those who love Christ, and are trying to serve him, have any
+right to come to that holy ordinance?"
+
+"I know it, sir," said the young man, "and I am thankful to feel
+that I am among that number."
+
+"But," asked the astonished pastor, "are you not known in this
+village as the ringleader in all evil doings?"
+
+"Alas! it is too true that it has been so," he replied, "but thank
+God all is changed now."
+
+"I am happy indeed to hear it; but pray tell me what led to this
+great change."
+
+"I was in your church, sir," said he, "some weeks ago, when that
+English minister preached from the words, 'Who loved me and gave
+himself for me,' That was the first time I ever understood about the
+love of Christ. It led to my repentance and conversion; and now I
+wish 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 that
+illustrates this point very well. We may call it:
+
+"Maggie's Secret." "Maggie Blake, how can you study so hard, and be
+so provokingly good?" This question was asked by Jennie Lee, who was
+one of the largest and wildest girls in the school. Maggie hesitated
+a moment, whether to tell her secret or not. But, presently she
+lifted up her eyes, looked her companion bravely in the face, and
+said--"It's for Jesus' sake, Jennie."
+
+"But do you think he cares?" asked Jennie in a soft, subdued
+voice,--"do you think he cares how we act?"
+
+"I _know_ he does," said Maggie. "And it makes it so pleasant you
+see, even to study and get hard lessons, when I know he is looking at
+me, and is pleased to have me working my best for him. He always
+helps me to get my lessons; and then helps me to say them right. You
+know I used to be so frightened I could not say them, even when I had
+learned them well."
+
+"Yes," said Jennie, remembering very well how Maggie had changed in
+that respect.
+
+"That was before I thought of learning them for Jesus. After that he
+helped me all along. It makes me like school; and even disagreeable
+things are pleasant when I think of doing them for him."
+
+Jennie had often watched Maggie, and wondered what made her have such
+a bright, cheerful, happy look. Now she knew the secret of it. It was
+doing everything "for Jesus' sake."
+
+She felt she would gladly give everything she had to be as happy as
+Maggie. She asked Maggie to pray for her, and she began to pray for
+herself. Then Jesus helped her, and she soon had Maggie's secret for
+her own. The girls in school wondered at the change which had come
+over Jennie. But when they heard that she had been confirmed, and had
+joined the church, they understood it all. They knew she "had been
+with Jesus;" and that it was learning to know and feel his wonderful
+love which had made Jennie so good, and so happy.
+
+And so, we see that Jesus was doing a blessed thing for us when he
+taught the parables which show his love for sinners.
+
+_A third thing taught us by some of the parables of Jesus is_--THE
+DUTY OF KINDNESS.
+
+One day, while Jesus was on earth, a young man came to him with the
+great question, what he should do to obtain eternal life. Jesus
+referred him to the Ten Commandments; and reducing them to two, he
+told the young man that these commandments required him to love God
+with all his heart, and his neighbor as himself; and then said if he
+would 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. I
+suppose that Jesus intended to give this young man some lessons about
+the commandments of God which would lead him to see that he never
+could keep them himself; and that he would need some one to keep them
+for him, and that _this_ was the only way in which he, or any one
+else could be saved. It may have been that the young man did not want
+to hear any thing more on that subject, and so he gave the
+conversation a different turn by asking--"who is my neighbor?" when
+Jesus said he must love his neighbor as himself. And then, in answer
+to this question Jesus told the parable of the "Good Samaritan." We
+have this parable in St. Luke x: 30-37.
+
+Here we are told of a certain man who was going down from Jerusalem
+to Jericho, and fell among thieves. They robbed him; and wounded him;
+and left him half dead. While he was lying there helpless and
+suffering, a priest and a Levite came, and looked on him, and passed
+by on the other side, without giving him any help. Then we are told
+that a certain Samaritan came by, and when he saw the poor wounded
+man lying there, although he was a Jew, and the Jews and the
+Samaritans hated each other very much, yet he pitied him, and went up
+to him, and bound up his wounds, and set him on his own beast, and
+carried him to an inn, and told them to take care of him, and said
+that he would pay all his expenses. Then Jesus asked the question,
+"Which now, of these three thinkest thou was neighbor to him that
+fell among thieves? And he said, he that showed mercy on him. Then
+said 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 the
+duty that Jesus teaches.
+
+Let us look at one or two illustrations of the way in which we should
+do this.
+
+"The Honey Shield." It is said that wasps and bees will not sting a
+person whose skin is covered with honey. And so those who are exposed
+to the sting of these venomous little creatures smear their hands and
+faces over with honey, and this, we are told, proves the best shield
+they can have to keep them from getting stung. And the honey here
+very well represents the kindness which Jesus teaches us to practise.
+If kindness, gentleness, and forbearance are found running through
+all our words and actions, we shall have the best shield to protect
+us from the spiteful stings of wicked people.
+
+"Androcles and the Lion." Most of those who read these pages may have
+heard this story, but it illustrates the point before us so well that
+I do not hesitate to use it here.
+
+Androcles was a Roman slave. To escape the cruel treatment of his
+master he ran away. A lonely cave in the midst of the forest was his
+home for a while. Returning to his cave one day he met a lion near
+the mouth of the cave. He was bellowing as if in pain; and on getting
+nearer to him, he found that he was suffering from a thorn which had
+run into one of his paws. It was greatly swollen and inflamed, and
+was causing him much pain. Androcles went up to the suffering beast.
+He drew out the rankling thorn and thus relieved him of his pain. His
+nature, savage as it was, felt the power of the kindness thus shown
+to him. He became attached to the lonely slave, and shared his prey
+with him while they remained together.
+
+But, after a while the retreat of Androcles was discovered. He was
+taken and carried back to his master. The lion also was made a
+prisoner soon after. Androcles was kept in prison for some time; and
+finally, according to the custom of the Romans, he was condemned to be
+devoured by wild beasts. The lion to be let loose on Androcles had
+been kept a long time without food and was very hungry. When the door
+of his den was opened he rushed out with a tremendous roar. The
+Colosseum was crowded with spectators. They expected to see the poor
+slave torn to pieces in a moment. But, to the surprise of everyone,
+the great monster, hungry as he was, instead of devouring the
+condemed man, crouched at his feet, and began to fondle him, as a pet
+dog would do. He recognized in the poor prisoner his friend of the
+forest and showed that he had not forgotten his kindness. The
+kindness of Androcles had been like the honey shield to him. It saved
+his life, first from the savage beast in the forest; and then from
+the savage men in the city. Let us all put on this shield, and wear
+it wherever we go. The lesson of kindness which Jesus teaches in
+this parable, has been very well put by some one in these sweet
+lines:
+
+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 the
+parables.
+
+_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 he
+ought to forgive a brother that offended him; and whether it would be
+enough to forgive him _seven_ times. The answer of Jesus was, "I say
+not 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 thousand
+talents. If these were talents of silver they would amount to more
+than fifteen millions of dollars. If they were talents of gold, they
+would amount to three hundred millions. This would show that his debt
+was so great that he never could pay it. Then his master freely
+forgave 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; but
+put him in prison. When his master heard this he was very angry, and
+put him in prison, where he should be punished until he had paid all
+his great debt. And Jesus finished the parable by saying--"_so
+likewise, shall my heavenly Father do unto you, if ye, from your
+hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses_." And here
+we are taught the great duty of forgiveness. And this same duty is
+taught us in the Lord's Prayer, where he says--"Forgive us our
+trespasses, as we also forgive those who trespass against us." If we
+use this prayer without forgiving those who injure us, then, in so
+using it, we are really asking God _not_ to forgive us. And Jesus
+_practised_ what he _preached_. As he hung bleeding and agonizing on
+the cross, while his enemies were cruelly mocking his misery, he
+looked up to heaven, and uttered that wonderful prayer--"_Father
+forgive them; for they know not what they do_." Here we have the best
+illustration of forgiveness that the world has ever seen.
+
+"Example of Forgiveness." In a school in Ireland, one boy struck
+another. The offending boy was brought up to be punished, when the
+injured boy begged for his pardon. The teacher asked--"Why do you
+wish to keep him from being flogged?" The ready reply was--"Because I
+have read in the New Testament that our Lord Jesus Christ said that
+we must forgive our enemies; and therefore I forgive him, and beg
+that he may not be punished for my sake."
+
+"Good for Evil." At the foot of a street in New York, stood an
+Italian organ grinder, with his organ. A number of boys had gathered
+round him, but they were more anxious to have some fun than to hear
+music. 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 so
+much force that the poor man's hat was knocked into the gutter. A
+gentleman standing by expected to see him get very angry, and swear
+at the boy. But, very different from this was the result that
+followed. The musician stopped; stepped forward and picked up his
+hat. 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 real
+Christian forgiveness.
+
+"The Power of the Gospel." Years ago some carpenters moved to the
+Island of New Zealand, and set up a shop for carrying on their
+business. They were engaged to build a chapel at one of the Mission
+Stations. One of these carpenters, a pleasant, kind-hearted man,
+engaged a native Christian to dig his garden for him. When the work
+was done the man went to the shop for his pay. Another of the
+carpenters there, who was a very ill-tempered man, told the native to
+get out of the shop. "Don't be angry," was the gentle reply; "I have
+only come to have a little talk with your partner, and to get my
+wages from him." "But I _am_ angry." And then taking hold of the New
+Zealander by the shoulder, he abused and kicked him in the most cruel
+manner.
+
+The native made no resistance till the carpenter ceased. Then he
+jumped up, seized him by the throat, and snatching a small axe from
+the 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 to
+kill you; and my arm is quite willing, but my heart is not. I have
+heard the missionaries preach the gospel of forgiveness. You owe your
+life to the preaching of the gospel. If my heart was as dark now as
+it was before the gospel was preached here, I should strike off your
+head in an instant!"
+
+Then he released the carpenter without injuring him and accepted from
+him a blanket as an apology for the insult. How faithfully this man
+was practising the duty of forgiveness which Jesus taught!
+
+_The only other thing of which we shall now speak, as taught by our
+Saviour 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 truth
+it teaches is very important. We first find this parable in the
+sermon 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 a
+candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let
+your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works,
+and glorify your Father which is in heaven." Matt, v: 15. This
+parable is so important that we find it repeated in three other
+places. 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 good
+example by doing what we know to be right, and then, like a candle
+shining in a dark place, we shall be useful wherever we go. Let us
+look at one or two incidents that illustrate this.
+
+"A Boy's Influence." Two families lived in one house. In each of
+these families there was a little boy about the same age. These boys
+slept together. One of them had a good pious mother. She had trained
+him to kneel down every night, before getting into bed, and say his
+prayer in an audible voice, and to repeat a text of scripture which
+she had taught him. Now the first time he slept with the other little
+boy, who never said any prayers, he was tempted to jump into bed, as
+his companion did, without kneeling down to pray. But he was a brave
+and noble boy. He said to himself--"I am not afraid to do what my
+mother taught me. I am not ashamed for anybody to know that I pray to
+God. I'll do as I have been taught to do." He did so. He let his
+light shine. And see what followed from its shining!
+
+The little boy who had never been taught to pray learned his
+companion's prayer, and the verse he repeated, by hearing them, and
+he never forgot them. He grew up to be an earnest Christian man. When
+he 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 that
+it was his little prayer, so faithfully said every night when they
+were boys, which led him to become a Christian. He repeated the
+prayer and the verse, word for word, and with his dying lips thanked
+his friend for letting his light shine as he did, for _that_ had
+saved his soul.
+
+Here is another illustration of a Christian letting his light shine
+and the good that was done by it. We may call it:
+
+"The Shilling Bible, and what Came of It." Some years ago a
+Christian gentleman went on a visit for three days to the house of a
+rich lady who lived at the west end of London. After tea, on the
+first evening of his arrival, he called one of the servants, and
+telling her that in the hurry of leaving home he had forgotten to
+bring a Bible with him, he requested her to ask the lady of the house
+to be kind enough to lend him one.
+
+Now that house was beautifully furnished. There were splendid
+pictures on the walls, and elegantly bound volumes in the library and
+on 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 the
+servant a shilling and told her to go to the book store round the
+corner and buy a Bible. The Bible was bought and given to the
+gentleman. He used it during his visit, and then went home, little
+knowing how much good that shilling Bible was to do.
+
+When he was gone the lady at whose house he had been staying said to
+herself:
+
+"How strange it is that an intelligent gentleman like my friend could
+not bear to go for three days without reading the Bible, while I
+never read it at all, and don't know what it teaches. I am curious
+to know what there is in this book to make it so attractive. I mean
+to begin and read it through." She began to read it at first out of
+simple curiosity. But, as she went on reading she became deeply
+interested in it. It showed her what a sinner she was in living
+without God in the world. It led her to pray earnestly for the pardon
+of her sins; and the end of it was that she became a Christian. Then
+she desired that her children should know and love the Saviour too.
+She prayed for them. She talked with them, and taught them the
+precious truths contained in that blessed book. And the result was
+that, one by one, they were all led to Jesus and became Christians.
+And so _that whole family were saved by means of that shilling
+Bible_.
+
+When that gentleman asked for the use of a Bible in the house where
+he was visiting, he was setting a good example. He was putting his
+candle on a candlestick and letting it shine. And the result that
+followed gives us a good illustration of the meaning of our Saviour's
+words when he said:--"Let your light so shine before men, that they
+may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven."
+
+And so, when we remember the parables that Jesus taught, among other
+things illustrated by them, we can think of these,--_the value of
+religion;--Christ's love for sinners;--the duty of kindness;--the
+duty of forgiveness;--the influence of a good example_.
+
+I know not how to finish this subject better than in the words of the
+hymn:
+
+  "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 on
+earth by the parables which he used. But we teach by our lives, as
+well as by our lips. It has passed into a proverb, and we all admit
+the truth of it, that "Actions speak louder than words." If our words
+and our actions contradict each other, people will believe our
+actions sooner than our words. But when both agree together, then the
+effect is very great. This was true with our blessed Lord. There was
+an entire agreement between what he said, and what he did. His words
+and his actions, the teaching of his lips, and the teaching of his
+life--were in perfect harmony. He practised what he preached.
+
+But then, in addition to the every day common actions of the life of
+Christ, there were actions in it that were very uncommon. He was
+daily performing miracles, and doing many mighty and wonderful
+works. And the prophets before him, and apostles after him, performed
+miracles too; yet there were two things in which the miracles of
+Christ differed from those performed by others. One was as to the
+_number_ of them. He did a greater number of wonderful things than
+anyone else ever did. Indeed if we take the miracles that were done
+by Moses, by Elijah and Elisha, in the Old Testament, and those that
+were done by the apostles in the New Testament and put them all
+together we shall find that they would not equal, in number, the
+miracles of Christ. There are between thirty and forty of the mighty
+works wrought by our Saviour mentioned in the gospels. And these, as
+St. John says, are only a small portion of them. Ch. xxi: 25.
+
+The other thing in which the miracles of Christ are different from
+those performed by other persons, is _the way in which they were
+done_. The prophets and apostles did their mighty works in the name
+of God, or of Christ. Thus when Peter and John healed the lame man at
+the gate of the temple they said:--"_In the name of Jesus Christ of
+Nazareth_, rise up and walk." Acts iii: 6. But Jesus had all the
+power in himself by which those wonderful things were done. He could
+say to the leper,--"_I will_; be thou clean." He could say to the
+sick man:--"Take up thy bed and walk." When speaking of his death and
+resurrection, he could very well say that it was his own power which
+would control it all. His life was in his own hands. It was true, as
+he said, "No man taketh it from me; but I lay it down of myself. I
+have 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 all
+the 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 what
+Nicodemus meant when he said to Jesus:--"We know that thou art a
+teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou
+doest, except God be with him." John iii: 2. And Jesus himself
+referred 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 the
+Baptist, when his disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Are thou he that
+should come, or look we for another?" Jesus answered and said unto
+them, "Go, and show John again those things which ye do hear and see;
+the blind receive their sight; and the lame walk; the lepers are
+cleansed; and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up; and the poor
+have the gospel preached unto them." Matt, xi: 2-6. These were the
+very things which the prophets had foretold that Christ would do when
+he came. Is. xxix: 18. xxxv: 4-6. xlii: 7.
+
+It is clear from these passages that all the miracles performed by
+our Lord were intended to teach this lesson, that he was the great
+Saviour of whom the prophets had spoken. But then, in addition to
+this, these wonderful works of Jesus were made use of by him to show
+that he has power to do everything for his people that they may need
+to have him do.
+
+It is impossible for us to speak of all the miracles of Christ. We
+can only make selections from them, as we did with the parables in
+the last chapter. In looking at these we may see Jesus teaching us
+that he has power to do _four_ things for his people.
+
+_In the first place some of the miracles of Christ teach us that he
+has great power to_--HELP.
+
+We see this in the account given us of the miraculous draught of
+fishes. Luke v: 1-11.
+
+Peter was a fisherman before he became a disciple of Jesus. And James
+and John, the sons of Zebedee, were partners with him in the same
+business. On one occasion they had been busy all night throwing out
+and hauling in their nets, but without catching a single fish. Early
+the next morning, Jesus was walking along the shore of the lake, near
+where their boats were. He knew how tired and discouraged they were,
+and how much they needed help; and he wished to show them what
+wonderful power he had to help in time of need. So he told them to
+cast their net on the other side of the ship. They did so; and
+immediately their nets were full; and they had more fish than they
+could well manage. Here we are taught that even in the depths of the
+sea 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 the
+power to bring it to them.
+
+And then, by his miracle of walking on the sea Jesus taught the same
+lesson. 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 people
+and feeding them by miracle, Jesus told his disciples to go on board
+a vessel and cross over to the other side of the lake. Then he sent
+the multitude away, and went up into the mountain to pray to his
+Father in heaven whom he loved so much. It proved to be a stormy
+night. The wind was dead ahead; and the sea was very rough. The
+disciples were having a hard time of it. Tired of rowing, and making
+little progress, there was no prospect of their getting to land
+before morning. But, dark as the night was, Jesus saw them. It is
+true as David says, that--"_The darkness and the light are both alike
+to thee._" Ps. cxxxix: 12. He saw they needed help and he resolved to
+give 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 on
+the land. He steps from the sandy shore to the surface of the
+storm-tossed sea. He walks safely over its troubled waters. The
+disciples see him. Supposing it to be a spirit, they are alarmed, and
+cry out in their fear. But presently the cheering voice of their
+Master comes to them, saying: "_It is I. Be not afraid_." He steps on
+board. The wind ceases, and immediately, without another stroke of
+the oars, the mighty power of Jesus brings them "in safety to the
+haven where they would be." Other miracles might be referred to as
+teaching the same lesson. But these are sufficient. And Jesus has the
+same power to help now that he had then.
+
+Here are some illustrations of the strange way in which he sometimes
+helps his people in their times of need.
+
+"The Dead Raven." A poor weaver in Edinburgh lost his situation one
+winter, on account of business being so dull. He begged earnestly of
+his 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 and
+told his wife the sad news she was greatly distressed. He tried to
+comfort her with the assurance--"The Lord will help." But as he could
+get 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 last
+morsel of bread was eaten one morning at breakfast. "What shall we do
+for 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 off
+the sill. Just then a rude boy, who was passing, threw a dead raven
+in through the window. It fell at the feet of the pious weaver. As
+he threw the bird in, the boy cried out in mockery, "There, old
+saint, is something for you to eat." The weaver took up the dead
+raven, saying as he did so:--"Poor creature! you must have died of
+hunger!"
+
+But when he felt its crop to see whether it was empty, he noticed
+something hard in it. And wishing to know what had caused its death,
+he took a knife and cut open its throat. How great was his
+astonishment on doing this, to find a small diamond bracelet fall
+into his hand! His wife gazed at it in amazement. "Didn't I tell
+you," he asked, in grateful gladness, "that the Lord will help?"
+
+He went to the nearest jeweler's, and telling how he had found the
+precious jewels, borrowed some money on them. On making inquiry about
+it, it turned out that the bracelet belonged to the wife of the good
+weaver's late employer. It had suddenly disappeared from her chamber.
+One of the servants had been charged with stealing it, and had been
+dismissed. On hearing how the bracelet had disappeared, and how
+strangely it had fallen into the hands of his late worthy workman,
+the gentleman was very much touched; and not only rewarded him
+liberally for returning it--but took him back into his employ, and
+said 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 who
+trust in him!
+
+"The Sailor Boy's Belief." One night there was a terrible storm at
+sea. All at once a ship, which was tossing on the waves, keeled over
+on 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," said
+the boy, "they are praying at this very moment in the Bethel ship at
+Glasgow for all sailors in danger: and I feel sure that God will hear
+their prayers: Now see, sir, if he don't!"
+
+These words were hardly out of the boy's mouth, before a great wave
+struck the ship, and set her right up again. And then a shout of
+praise, louder than the howling of the storm, went up to God from the
+deck of that saved ship.
+
+And so, in the miracles that he performed, one thing that Jesus
+taught was his power to help.
+
+_In the next place, among the miracles of Christ, we find some that
+were performed in order to teach us his power to_--COMFORT.
+
+One day, a great multitude of people waited on Jesus from morning
+till evening, to listen to his preaching. They were so anxious to
+hear that even when hungry they would not go away to get food. As the
+evening came on, the disciples asked their master to send the people
+away to get something to eat. But Jesus told them to give the people
+food. They said they had only five loaves and two fishes. Jesus told
+them to make the people sit down on the grass. And when they were
+seated he took the loaves and blessed, and brake them, and gave them
+to the disciples, and they gave them to the people. And great as that
+multitude was the supply did not fail. This was wonderful! Those
+loaves were very small. They were not bigger than a good-sized roll.
+The whole of the five loaves and two fishes would not have been
+enough to make a meal for a dozen men. And yet they were made
+sufficient to feed more than five thousand hungry people. How strange
+this was! The mighty power of Jesus did it. We are not told just
+_where_, in the interesting scene, this wonder-working power was put
+forth. It may have been that as Jesus brake the loaves and gave the
+pieces 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 have
+increased and multiplied while the disciples were engaged in
+distributing them. It is most likely that the miracle took place in
+immediate connection with Jesus himself. The power that did it was
+his: and in his hands, we may suppose that the wonderful work was
+done. As fast as he broke the loaves they increased, till all the
+people were fed. This was indeed not _one_ miracle, but a multitude
+of miracles, all performed at once. The hungry multitude ate till all
+were satisfied: and yet the fragments left filled twelve baskets.
+Five thousand men were fed, and then there was twelve times as much
+food left as there was before they began to eat. All this was done to
+satisfy that hungry crowd, and to teach them, and us, what power this
+glorious Saviour has to comfort those who are in need or trouble.
+
+And when he healed the daughter of the Syrophoenician woman, as we
+read in St. Matt, xii: 21-28; when he healed the lunatic child, as we
+read in St. Matt, xvii: 14-21; and when he raised Lazarus from the
+dead, 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 comfort
+those in trouble.
+
+And we see him using his power still to comfort persons who are in
+distress. Here are some illustrations of the way in which he does
+this:
+
+"Shining in Every Window." A Christian lady, who spent much time in
+visiting among the poor, went one day to see a poor young girl, who
+was kept at home by a broken limb. Her room was on the north side of
+the house. It did not look pleasant without or cheerful within. "Poor
+girl!" she said to herself, "what a dreary time she must have!" On
+entering her room she said:
+
+"I am sorry, my friend, that your room is not on the other side of
+the house, where the sun could shine upon you. You never can have any
+sunshine here."
+
+"Oh, you are mistaken," she said: "the sunshine pours in at every
+window, and through every crack."
+
+The lady looked surprised.
+
+"I mean Jesus, 'the Sun of righteousness,' shines in here, and makes
+everything bright to me."
+
+Here we see Jesus showing his power to comfort.
+
+"Ice in Summer." Some years ago a Christian merchant, in one of our
+eastern cities, failed in business, and lost everything he had. After
+talking over their affairs with his wife, who was a good Christian
+woman, they concluded to move out to the west and begin life again
+there. He bought some land on the wide rolling prairie, built a log
+cabin, and began to cultivate his farm. In the midst of the second
+summer, hard work and exposure to the sun brought on an attack of
+sickness, and a raging fever set in. They were twelve miles away from
+the nearest town. One of the neighbors went there and came back with
+a doctor. He examined the case very carefully, and left some medicine
+with them, and told them what to do. He said it was a very dangerous
+attack. If they could only get some ice to apply to the burning brow
+of 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 her
+family and friends round the bedside of her sick husband, and kneeled
+down with them in prayer. She told God what the doctor had said, and
+prayed 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 each
+other that the poor distressed woman must be losing her mind. "The
+idea of getting ice here," they said, "when everybody knows there
+isn't a bit of ice in all the country! It would be contrary to all
+the laws of nature to have ice in summer."
+
+The wife of the sick man heard their remarks, but they did not shake
+her faith in God, and in the power of prayer. Silently, but
+earnestly, 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 was
+heard to mutter. Nearer and louder it was heard. The lightning began
+to flash. Presently the storm burst in its fury. It came first in
+rain, and then in hail. The hail-stones came in lumps of ice as big
+as eggs. They lay thick in the furrows of the field. The thankful
+wife 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 he
+was restored to life and health.
+
+This grateful woman never troubled herself with any questions about
+whether it was a miracle or not. She only knew that she had prayed
+for ice in summer, and that the ice had come. And her faith was
+stronger than ever that the gracious Saviour, who did so many
+miracles when he was on earth, has just the same power now to comfort
+his people when they are in trouble.
+
+_In the third place, we see Jesus performing miracles to teach us
+what power he has to_--ENCOURAGE--_his people_.
+
+We have an account in St. Luke xiii: 10-17, of the miracle he
+performed on the woman who had "a spirit of infirmity." This means
+that she was a cripple. Her body was bound down, so that she had no
+power to straighten herself or to stand upright. She had been in this
+condition we are told for _eighteen_ years. How hard to bear--and how
+discouraging this trial must have been to her! No doctor could give
+her any relief, and she had made up her mind, no doubt, that there
+was no relief for her till death came. But when Jesus saw her, he
+pitied her. A miracle of healing was performed upon her. He laid his
+loving hand upon her bent and crippled body, and in a moment her
+disease was removed. She stood straight up, and glorified God. What
+encouragement that must have given to her!
+
+One day, when Jesus was at Capernaum, the tax-gatherers came to Peter
+to get the tribute, or tax-money, that was due to the Roman
+government, for himself and his master. But, it happened so that
+neither of them had money enough with which to pay that tax. Peter
+went 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 say
+anything on the subject, told him what to do. He directed him to take
+his fishing-line and go to the lake, and cast in his line, and catch
+the first fish that should bite; and said that in its mouth he would
+find a piece of money with which he might pay the tribute that was
+due for them both.
+
+Peter went. He threw in his line. He soon caught a fish. He looked
+into the fish's mouth and lo! there was a piece of money called a
+stater. It was worth about sixty cents of our money, and was just
+enough to pay the tribute for two persons. How wonderful this was! If
+Jesus made this piece of money in the mouth of the fish, at the time
+when Peter caught it, how wonderful his _power_ must be! And if,
+without making it then, he knew that _that_ one fish, the only one in
+the sea, probably, that had such a piece of money in its mouth, would
+be 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 he
+lived. And when he thought of the illustration it afforded of the
+wonderful power and the wonderful knowledge of the master whom he was
+serving, what encouragement that would give him in his work!
+
+And Jesus is constantly doing things to encourage those who are
+trying to serve him.
+
+Let us look at some of the ways in which this is done. Our first
+illustration is from the life of Washington Allston, the great
+American painter. We may call it:
+
+"Praying for Bread." Many years ago Mr. Allston was considered one of
+the greatest artists in this country. At the time to which our story
+refers, he was living in London. Then he was so poor that he and his
+wife had not a morsel of bread to eat; nor a penny left with which to
+buy any. In great discouragement he went into his studio, locked the
+door, and throwing himself on his knees, he told the Lord his
+trouble, and prayed earnestly for relief.
+
+While he was still upon his knees, a knock was heard at the door. He
+arose 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 Royal
+Academy?"
+
+"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 the
+corner, 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 always
+asked 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 introduced
+himself as the Marquis of Stafford; and from that day he became one
+of 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 that
+followed him all his days!
+
+"The Hushed Tempest." A minister of the gospel in Canada gives this
+account of a lesson of encouragement to trust God in trouble, which
+he once received.
+
+"It was in the year 1853, about the middle of the winter that we had
+a succession of snowstorms, followed by high winds, and severe cold.
+I was getting ready to haul my supply of wood for the rest of the
+winter. I had engaged a man to go out the day before and cut the wood
+and have it ready to haul. I borrowed a sled and two horses from a
+neighbor and started early in the morning to haul the wood. Just as I
+reached the place, it began to snow hard. The wind blew such a gale
+that it was impossible to go on with the work. What was I to do? If
+it kept on snowing, I knew the roads would be impassable by the next
+day. Besides, that was the only day on which I could get the help of
+the man or the team. Unless I secured the wood that day it would not
+be 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 is
+a day of trouble to me. Lord help me. The elements are subject to thy
+will: Thou holdest the winds in thy hands. If thou wilt speak the
+word, there will be a great calm. O Lord, for the sake of my helpless
+little ones, let this snow lie still, and give me the opportunity of
+doing 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 I
+began to pray, before there was a visible change. The wind became
+more moderate; the sky was calm; in less than half an hour all was
+still; and a more pleasant time for wood-hauling than we had that day
+I never saw, nor desire to see. While I live, I never shall forget
+the lesson of encouragement to trust in God that was taught me on
+that day." And this was one of the lessons Jesus taught us by his
+miracles.
+
+_In the fourth place, among the miracles of Jesus we see some that
+were 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 weak
+to protect ourselves.
+
+One day, Jesus went into the house of the apostle Peter, and found
+the family in great distress, because the mother of Peter's wife was
+very ill and in danger of dying. We judge from the history that she
+was the head of the family. Her death would have been a great loss to
+them all, and yet it seemed as if no human power could protect them
+from that loss. But Jesus performed a miracle to save them from this
+threatened danger. He went into the room where she lay. He put his
+healing hands upon her, and at once she was well. Immediately she
+rose up from that sick bed, and took her place in the family and
+waited on Jesus.
+
+On another occasion he was crossing the sea of Galilee with his
+disciples. 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 he
+was lying there a sudden storm burst upon the sea. The wind howled in
+its fury. The angry waves rose in their might and dashed against the
+vessel in hissing foam. The ship was full of water, and in danger of
+sinking. The terrified disciples came to their sleeping Master with
+the earnest cry:--"Lord save us: we perish." He heard their cry. He
+rose at once. Quietly he took his stand by the side of the
+storm-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 lesson
+he taught them by that miracle of his power to protect in danger.
+
+And then many of the miracles of our Saviour were performed for the
+purpose of showing what power he had to protect his people from
+Satan, and the evil spirits that serve him. It pleased God to allow
+these evil spirits to have more power over men during the time when
+Jesus was on earth than they had before, or than they have now. We
+often read in the gospels of men who were "possessed of devils." This
+means that the evil spirits entered into the bodies of these men, and
+used them as their own; just as you, or I, might go into an empty
+house, and use it as if it belonged to us. But Jesus performed a
+number 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 from
+their 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, seeking
+whom he may devour." I. Peter v: 8. But he is a chained lion: and
+Jesus holds the chain. If we are trying to love and serve Jesus, we
+need not be afraid of this roaring lion. He cannot touch us till our
+Saviour gives him permission; and he will not let him hurt us. We see
+this illustrated in Job's case. Satan wanted very much to injure Job
+in some way. But he could not do it. And the reason of it was, as he
+said himself, that God had "put an hedge about him, and about his
+house, and about all that he had on every side." Job i: 10. This
+hedge, or fence, means the power which Jesus exercises to protect his
+people from the harm that Satan desires to do to them. In this way he
+protected Job. And in this way he protects all who love and serve
+him.
+
+Let us take an illustration or two to show how he is doing this
+continually.
+
+"Providential Deliverance." One of the best men, and one of the most
+useful ministers in London, during the last century, was the Rev.
+John Newton. Before entering the ministry he held an office under
+the government. One of the duties of this office was for him to visit
+and inspect the vessels of the navy as they lay at anchor in the
+river Thames. One day he was going out to visit a man-of-war that lay
+there. He was a very punctual man. When he had an engagement he was
+always ready at the very moment. But when he reached the dock on this
+occasion the boat which was to take him off to the man-of-war was not
+there. He was obliged to wait five, ten, fifteen minutes before the
+boat came. This displeased him very much. But the hand of God was in
+this delay. For, just as the boat was leaving the dock, a spark fell
+into the powder magazine on board the man-of-war. An explosion took
+place. The huge vessel was blown to pieces, and all the men on board
+of her were killed. That delay of a quarter of an hour saved Mr.
+Newton's life. In this way that gracious Saviour whom he served
+protected him from the danger to which he was exposed.
+
+"Willie's Heroism." One summer afternoon a teacher told her geography
+class that they might close their books and rest a little, while she
+told them a story. The story was about William Tell, the famous hero
+of Switzerland. She told the scholars how a wicked governor placed an
+apple on the head of Tell's little boy and then compelled the father
+to take his bow and arrow and shoot the apple from the head of his
+son. He was very unwilling to do it, for he was afraid the arrow
+might miss and kill his child. But the brave boy stood firm, and
+cried 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 from
+the 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 the
+teacher for protection. But a little boy named Willie Hawthorne, kept
+his 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 my
+Heavenly Father's hand, and why should I be afraid?"
+
+How well Willie had learned the lesson which Jesus taught his
+disciples when he performed so many miracles to show what power he
+has to protect his people from danger!
+
+Here is just one other story to illustrate this truth. We may call
+it:
+
+"The Widow's Tree," Some years ago a violent storm, with wind and
+thunder, 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 was
+spread all over the land.
+
+In the centre of the region over which this hurricane swept stood a
+small cabin. It was occupied by an aged Christian widow, with her
+only son. The terrible wind struck a large tree in front of her
+humble dwelling, twisting and dashing it about. If the tree should
+fall it would crush her home, and probably kill herself and son. The
+storm 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 asked
+God 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 was
+over, the widow's tree was spared, and strange as it may seem, was
+the only one left amidst that scene of desolation. There it stood,
+as if on purpose to show what power our loving Saviour has to protect
+from danger those who trust in him!
+
+_But, in the last place, we see that Jesus performed some of his
+miracles for the purpose of teaching us that he has power
+to_--PARDON.
+
+A man was brought him, one day, who was sick of the palsy. His limbs
+were helpless. He was not able to come to Jesus himself, so his
+friends carried him on a bed. At this time Jesus was preaching in the
+yard, or court, connected with some rich man's house. In those
+eastern countries the houses were not built as ours are, with a yard
+back of them. There is a square yard in the centre, and the house is
+built round the four sides of this square. This open space is
+generally used as a garden. It has a fountain playing in it, and a
+covering of cloth or mats spread over it to keep off the sun. It was
+in one of these open courts that Jesus was preaching on this
+occasion. A great crowd had gathered round him, so that the friends
+of the palsied man could not get near him with the bed on which the
+sufferer lay. Then they concluded to carry him up to the top of the
+house, and lower him down inside. This would not be easy to do with
+us. But the eastern houses are not so high as ours. And then they
+have flat roofs, and a flight of steps leading from the ground, on
+the outside, to the top of the house. This made it very easy to get
+up. When they were on the roof they removed the covering from the
+inner court, and let down the bed, with the sick man on it, directly
+in 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 were
+surprised at this. The Pharisees said among themselves "This man
+blasphemeth." Jesus knew their thoughts and told them it was as easy
+for him to heal the souls of men, as it was to heal their bodies. And
+then, to show them that he had power on earth to forgive sins, he
+said to the sick man--"Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine
+house. And he arose, and went to his house," Matt, ix: 1-8. Certainly
+the object Jesus had in view, in performing this miracle, was to
+prove 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. It
+affected the body as sin affects the soul. And then, leprosy was a
+disease which none but God could cure; just as sin is an offence
+which none but God our Saviour can pardon. And so Jesus performed the
+miracle of healing the palsied man and the lepers in order to teach
+his disciples the great lesson that he "had power on earth to forgive
+sins."
+
+And he has the same power still. Here are some illustrations of the
+way 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. The
+priests had sent him to their most famous temples, all over the
+country, but he could get no pardon, and find no peace. He had fasted
+till he was about worn to a skeleton, and had done many painful
+things--but pardon and peace he could not find. At last he was told
+to put pebbles in his shoes and travel to a distant temple, and make
+an offering there; and he would find peace. He went. He made the
+offering; but still he found no relief from the burden of his sins.
+
+Sad, and sorrowful, he was returning home with the pebbles still in
+his shoes. Wearied with his journey, he halted one day in the shade
+of a grove, by the wayside, where a company of people was gathered
+round a stranger who was addressing them. It was a Christian
+missionary preaching the gospel. The heathen listened with great
+interest. The missionary was preaching from the words:--"The blood of
+Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin." He showed what power Jesus had
+to forgive sins and how able and willing he is to save all who come
+unto him. The heart of the poor heathen was drawn to this loving and
+glorious Saviour. He took off his shoes and threw away the pebbles,
+saying "This is the Saviour I have long sought in vain. Thank God! I
+have found salvation!"
+
+Here is one more illustration of the way in which Jesus pardons our
+sins, and of the effect which that pardon has on those who receive
+it. We may call it:
+
+"Pardon and Peace." An officer who held a high position under the
+government of his country, and was a favorite with the king, was once
+brought before the judge and charged with a great crime. He took his
+place at the bar with the greatest coolness, and looked at the judge
+and jury and the great crowd of spectators as calmly as if he were
+at home, surrounded by his own family.
+
+The trial began. The witnesses were called up, and gave clear
+evidence that he was guilty. Still he remained as calm and unmoved as
+ever. There was not the least sign of fear visible on his
+countenance; on the contrary, his face wore a pleasant smile.
+
+At last the jury came in, and while the crowd in the court-room held
+their breath, declared that the prisoner was guilty. In an instant
+every eye was turned upon the prisoner to see what effect this
+sentence would have upon him. But just then, he put his hand in his
+bosom, drew out a paper, and laid it on the table. It was a pardon, a
+full, free pardon of all his offences, given him by the king, and
+sealed with the royal signet. This was the secret of his peace. This
+was what gave him such calmness and confidence in his dreadful
+position 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: though
+they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool," Is. i: 16. "Let
+them 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 had
+received. Faith in these promises brings pardon, and the pardon
+brings peace. And so, by what he is doing now, as well as by the
+miracles he performed when on earth, we are taught the precious
+truth, that--"The Son of man hath power to forgive sins."
+
+Then when we think of the wonderful miracles that Jesus did, let us
+always 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 we
+shall find that what Jesus taught by his miracles will be very
+profitable 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 which
+he taught, it would make a long list. As we have done before we can
+only take one or two specimens of these general lessons which Jesus
+taught.
+
+We have one of these in the title to our present chapter, which
+is--_Christ Teaching Liberality_. This was a very important lesson
+for Jesus to teach. One of the sad effects of sin upon our nature is
+to make it selfish, and covetous. We are tempted to love money more
+than we ought to do. We are not so willing to part with it as we
+should be. And we never can be good and true Christians unless we
+overcome the selfishness of our sinful hearts, and not only learn to
+give, but to give liberally. The Bible teaches us that God not only
+expects his people to give, but, as St. Paul says, in one place, to
+give "_cheerfully_." II. Cor. ix: 7.
+
+And this is the lesson Jesus taught when he said to his
+disciples,--"Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure,
+pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give
+into your bosoms." St. Luke vi: 38.
+
+And when we come to consider these words of Jesus, there are three
+things to engage our attention. _The first of these is the_--LESSON
+OF LIBERALITY--_here set before us_.
+
+_The second is_--THE PROOF--_that this lesson is taught all through
+the Bible_.
+
+_And the third is_--THE ILLUSTRATIONS--_of this lesson_.
+
+And then, when put into its shortest form, our present subject may be
+thus expressed--_the lesson of liberality; its proofs; and its
+illustrations_.
+
+And the lesson which Jesus here taught is all wrapped up in this
+little word--"_Give_." Here we learn what the will of Jesus is on
+this subject. This is not simply the expression of his opinion. It is
+not merely his advice; no, but it is his _command_. He is speaking
+here 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 to
+consider ourselves as his disciples if we are neglecting this or any
+other of his plain commands.
+
+And this command about giving is not intended for any _one_ class of
+persons among the followers of Christ, but for _all_ of them. It is
+not a command designed for kings, or princes, or rich men only, but
+for 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 us
+to 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 thousand
+dollars he expects us to give one hundred out of the thousand. If we
+have a hundred he expects us to give ten. If we have ten dollars we
+must give one of them to God. If we have only one dollar we must give
+ten cents of it to Him. If we have but ten cents we must give one of
+them. 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, but
+simply--give. This means that we are to learn the lesson and form the
+habit of giving. His command is--give. And in giving us this command
+he is only asking us to imitate his own example. _He is giving all
+the time_. The apostle Paul tells us that Jesus is "exalted to the
+right hand of the Father to--give." He never tires of giving. "He
+giveth to all life, breath, and all things." And if we have not the
+Spirit of Christ in this respect, "we are none of his."
+
+This, then, is the lesson of liberality that Jesus taught when he
+said--"give." And that _giving is God's rule for getting_ is what we
+are taught by our Saviour, when he said--"_Give, and it shall be
+given unto you_."
+
+And now, having seen what this lesson of liberality is, which Jesus
+taught, _let us look at some of the Scripture proofs of it_. The same
+lesson is taught in other places in the Bible. Let us see what is
+said 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 poor
+here, means being kind to them, and giving them such things as they
+need. And the blessing promised to those who do this means that God
+will 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's
+rule for getting."
+
+We have another proof that "giving is God's rule for getting," in
+Prov. iii: 9, 10. Here Solomon says--"Honor the Lord with thy
+substance, and with the first-fruits of all thine increase: So shall
+thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with
+new wine."
+
+When the Jewish farmers gathered in their harvests they were required
+to make an offering to God, of what had been gathered, before they
+used any part of it for themselves; and the offerings thus made were
+called "the first-fruits." God considered himself honored by his
+people when they did this, because they were keeping his commandments
+and 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 to
+the cause of God from all the money, or property we have, and from
+all the gain, or increase that we make to the same. This is the Bible
+rule--the will or command of God for all his people. And then, in
+the other part of this passage we have the promise of God to all who
+do this. "So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses
+shall burst out with new wine."
+
+This means that they shall be rich and prosperous. And so we see that
+this passage from the book of Proverbs, teaches the same lesson of
+liberality that our Saviour taught when he said--"_Give and it shall
+be given unto you_." It proves that "giving is God's rule for
+getting."
+
+And Solomon teaches the same, again, when he says, "The liberal soul
+shall be made fat; and he that watereth shall be watered also
+himself." Prov. xi: 25.
+
+A "liberal soul" means a person who is in the habit of giving; and to
+be "made fat" means to be prospered and happy. If you undertake to
+water a garden, you are _giving_ to the thirsty plants that which
+they need to make them grow and thrive; and when it is promised that
+the person who does this shall "be watered also himself," the meaning
+is that he shall have given to him all that is most important to
+supply his wants, and make him happy. And this, we see, is only
+teaching what our Saviour taught when he said, "Give, and it shall be
+given unto you." It furnishes us with another proof that "giving is
+God's rule for getting."
+
+In the nineteenth chapter of Proverbs and seventeenth verse we have a
+very clear proof of the lesson we are now considering. Here we find
+it 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 on
+the poor, as here spoken of, means giving them such things as they
+need. Whatever we use in this way God looks upon as so much money
+lent unto him; and we have his solemn promise that when we lend
+anything to him, in this way, "He will pay us again." And when he
+pays again what has been lent to him, it is always with interest. He
+pays 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 prove
+that the lesson of liberality which our Saviour taught is the same
+lesson which the Bible teaches everywhere. In Eccles. xi: 1, God
+says, "_Cast thy bread upon the waters; for thou shalt find it after
+many days_."
+
+If we should see a man standing on the end of a wharf and throwing
+bread upon the waters, we should think that he was a foolish man,
+who was wasting his bread, or only feeding the fishes with it. But
+suppose that you and I were travelling through Egypt--the land of the
+celebrated pyramids and other great wonders. The famous river Nile is
+there. During our visit the inundation of that river takes place. It
+overflows its banks, and spreads its water over all the level plains
+that border on the river. This takes place every year. And when the
+fields are all overflowed with water, the farmers go out in boats,
+and scatter their grain over the surface of the water. The grain
+sinks to the bottom. The sediment in the water settles down on the
+grain, and covers it with mud. By and by the waters flow back into
+the river. The fields become dry. The grain springs up and grows. The
+mud that covered it is like rich manure, and makes it grow very
+plentifully, and yield a rich harvest. And here we see the meaning of
+this passage. God makes use of this Egyptian custom to teach us the
+lesson of liberality that we are now considering. He tells us that
+the money which we give to the poor, or use to do good with, is like
+the grain which the Egyptian farmer casts upon the water, and which
+will surely yield a rich harvest by and by.
+
+This teaches us the lesson of liberality. And when we think of all
+these passages, we see very clearly that the Bible teaches the same
+lesson which Jesus taught when he said to his disciples, "Give, and
+it shall be given unto you." And what we learn, both from the
+teaching 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 of
+liberality, or for this rule about giving and getting, _let us go on
+to speak of some of the illustrations of this rule_. These are very
+numerous.
+
+And we may draw our illustrations from three sources, viz.:--_from
+the Bible; from nature; and from everyday life_.
+
+There are two illustrations of which we may speak from the Bible. We
+find one of these in the history of the prophet Elijah. You remember
+that there was a great famine in the land of Israel during the
+lifetime of this prophet. For more than three years there was not a
+drop of rain all through the land. The fields, the vineyards, and
+gardens dried up, and withered, and yielded no fruit. During the
+first part of the time when this famine was prevailing, God sent
+Elijah 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 of
+the brook.
+
+But after awhile the brook dried up. Then God told him to go to the
+city of Zarephath, or Sarepta, on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea,
+and that he had commanded a widow woman there to sustain him. He did
+not tell him the name of the woman; nor the street she lived in; nor
+the number of her house. Elijah went. When he came near the place he
+met a woman, picking up some sticks of wood. I suppose God told him
+that this was the woman he was to stay with. Elijah spoke to her, and
+asked her if she would please give him a drink of water. When she was
+going to get it, he called to her again, and said he was hungry, and
+asked her to bring him a piece of bread. Then she told him that there
+was not a morsel of bread in her house. All she had in the world was
+a handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse, and that
+she was gathering a few sticks, that she might go and bake the last
+cake for herself and her son, that they might eat it and die. And
+Elijah said, "Fear not; go, and do as thou hast said; but make me
+thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make
+for 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 oil
+fail, 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 to
+take the last morsel of bread she had, and that she needed for
+herself and for her hungry boy, and give it to a stranger. Yet she
+did it; because she believed God. I seem to see her turning the meal
+barrel up, to get the meal all out. Then she pours out the oil from
+the cruse, and drains out the last drop. She mixes the meal and the
+olive oil together, as is the custom in that country still, and makes
+a cake which can soon be baked. She takes it to the man of God, who
+eats it thankfully, and is refreshed. Then she returns to the empty
+barrel and cruse, and finds as much in them as she had lately taken
+out. She prepares some bread for herself and her son, and they eat it
+thankfully 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. We
+are not told how long it was after Elijah went to the widow's house
+before the days of the famine were over. But suppose we make a
+calculation about it. The famine lasted for three years. Now let us
+suppose, that the first half of this time was spent by the prophet at
+the brook Cherith. Then his stay at the widow's house must have been
+at least eighteen months. And, if this miracle of increasing the meal
+and the oil was repeated only once a day, there would be for the
+first twelve months, or for the year, three hundred and sixty-five
+miracles; and for the six months, or the half year, one hundred and
+eighty-two more; and adding these together we have the surprising
+number of _five hundred and forty-seven_ miracles, that were
+performed to reward this good widow for the kindness she showed to
+the prophet Elijah, when she gave him a piece of bread, and a drink
+of water! What an illustration we have here of the truth we are
+considering, that _giving is God's rule for getting_.
+
+But the best illustration of this subject to be found in the Bible is
+given in our Saviour's own experience. He not only _preached_ the
+lesson of liberality, but _practised_ it. He is himself the greatest
+giver ever heard of. In becoming our Redeemer he showed himself the
+Prince of givers. He gave--not silver and gold; not all the wealth of
+the world, or of ten thousand worlds like ours; but "He gave
+_Himself_ for us." He can say indeed, to each of us, in the language
+of 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 hath
+highly 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 every
+tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God
+the Father," Phil, ii: 9-11. Because of what he gave "for us men, and
+for our salvation," he will be loved and praised and honored in
+heaven, on the earth, and through all the universe, above all other
+beings, for ever and ever. What a glorious illustration we have here
+of the truth of this statement, that "giving is God's rule for
+getting." These are some of the illustrations of this lesson of
+liberality that we find in the Bible.
+
+_And now, let us look at some illustrations of this subject, that we
+have in nature_.
+
+Solomon suggests one of these when he says, "_There is that
+scattereth, and yet increaseth_." Prov. xi: 26. He is evidently
+speaking here of a farmer sowing his fields with grain.
+
+Now suppose that we had never seen a man sowing; and that we knew
+nothing at all about the growth of grain, or how wonderfully the seed
+sown in the spring is increased and multiplied when the harvest is
+reaped. Then, the first time we saw a farmer sowing his fields, we
+should have been ready to say, "What a foolish man that is! He is
+taking that precious grain by the handful, and deliberately throwing
+it 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 could
+have come back to visit that farmer when he was gathering in his
+harvest, how surprised we should have been! Then we should have
+learned that for every handful of grain that the farmer had
+scattered, or, as we thought, thrown away, in the spring, when he was
+sowing, he had gained forty or fifty handfuls when he reaped in his
+harvest. Then we should have understood what Solomon meant when he
+said, "There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth." And we should
+have here a good illustration of our Saviour's lesson of liberality,
+when he said, "Give, and it shall be given unto you;" and of the
+Bible truth we are now studying, that "giving is God's rule for
+getting."
+
+Yonder is the great ocean; it is one of the grandest of nature's
+works. And the ocean gives us a good illustration of the lesson of
+liberality which our Saviour taught. The waters of the ocean are
+spread out for thousands of miles. As the sun shines on the surface
+of the ocean, it makes the water warm, and turns it into vapor, like
+the steam that comes from the boiling kettle. This vapor rises into
+the air, and helps to form the clouds that are floating there. These
+clouds sail over the land, and pour out the water that is in them, in
+refreshing and fertilizing showers of rain. This rain makes the rills
+start from the sides of the mountains. The rills run down into the
+rivers, and the rivers flow back into the sea again. In this way the
+ocean is a great giver. It has been giving away its water for
+hundreds 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 it
+had power to control its own motions. And suppose that the ocean
+should say:--"Well, I think I have been giving away water long
+enough. I am going to turn over a new leaf. The sun may shine as much
+as it pleases. I won't let another drop of water go out from my
+surface. I am tired of giving, and I mean to stop doing it, any
+longer." Let us pause for a moment here, and see what the effect of
+this would be upon the ocean itself.
+
+We know that all the water in the ocean is salt water. But when the
+sun takes water from the ocean, in the form of vapor, it is always
+taken out as fresh water. It leaves the salt behind it. Then the
+water on the surface of the ocean, from which this vapor has been
+taken, has more salt in it than the water underneath it. This makes
+it heavier than the other water. The consequence of this, is that
+this heavier water, on the top of the ocean, sinks to the bottom; and
+at 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. The
+water from the top is sinking to the bottom, and the water from the
+bottom is rising to the top. And this is one of the means which God
+employs to keep the waters of the ocean always pure and wholesome.
+But if the ocean should stop giving away its water, as it has always
+been doing, then this constant change of its waters would cease. The
+ocean would be left still and stagnant. It would become a great mass
+of corruption; and the breezes from the ocean, that now carry health
+and life to those who breathe them, would carry only disease and
+death. And the thousands of people who now love the ocean and seek
+its shores every summer, to get strong and well by breathing the air
+that 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 its
+shores as they could. And so we see how the ocean stands before us as
+a grand illustration of the lesson of liberality which our Saviour
+taught when he said, "Give, and it shall be given unto you." The
+ocean gives away its water continually, and, in return for this, God
+gives it freshness and purity, and makes it a blessing to the world.
+And so the ocean illustrates the truth of the lesson we are now
+studying, that "giving is God's rule for getting."
+
+And yonder is the great sun, shining up in the sky. We do not know as
+much about the sun as we do about the ocean, because it is so far
+away from us. The ocean is very near us. We can walk along its
+shores, and plunge into its waters, and sail over its surface. We
+can study out all about the laws that govern it, and what the effect
+of those laws is upon it. But it is very different with the sun. It
+is about ninety millions of miles away from us. This is too far off
+for us to know much about it. And yet, we know enough about the sun
+to get from it a good illustration of God's rule about giving and
+getting. The sun, like the ocean, is a great giver. It is giving away
+light all the time. It was made for this purpose; and for this
+purpose it is preserved. If the sun should stop giving, and should
+try to keep all its light and heat for itself, the effect would be
+its ruin. By ceasing to give it would be burnt up and destroyed. And
+so, when we see the sower sowing his seed, or the reaper gathering in
+his harvest; when we look upon the ocean, and see the clouds formed
+from its waters, as they go sailing through the sky; or when we see
+the sun rising in the morning, going forth again to his appointed
+work of giving light to a dark world; let us remember that these are
+nature's illustrations of the lesson of liberality which Jesus taught
+when he said, "Give, and it shall be given unto you." They all help
+to 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 subject
+from everyday life_.
+
+If we are only watchful we shall meet with illustrations of this kind
+continually. 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 a
+sleigh during a very severe winter. It was snowing fast as they drove
+along. One of the travellers was a liberal, generous-hearted man, who
+believed in giving; and was always ready to share whatever he had
+with others. His companion was a selfish ungenerous man. He did _not_
+believe in giving; and liked to keep whatever he had for himself. As
+they drove along, they saw something covered up in the snow that
+looked like the figure of a man. "Look there," said the generous man
+to 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 for
+me. I intend to stay where I am;" and he wrapped his furs closely
+round him.
+
+The other traveller threw aside his furs and jumped out of the
+sleigh. He found it was a poor man, who had sunk down in the snow a
+short 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 for
+a good while. At last the man began to get warm again and was saved
+from death. Then the generous-hearted traveller helped him into the
+sleigh, and shared his wrappings with him. The exertion he had made
+in doing this kind act put him all in a glow of warmth. He made the
+rest of the journey in comfort. But when they stopped at the end of
+their journey, the selfish man, who was not willing to do anything
+for the help of another, had his fingers, and toes, and nose, and
+ears frozen. This illustrates the lesson of liberality; and shows
+that "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 in
+Virginia, during the late war, a Union officer fell wounded in front
+of the Confederate breastwork, which had been attacked. His wounds
+brought on a raging fever, and he lay on the ground crying piteously
+for water. A kind-hearted Confederate soldier heard the touching cry,
+and leaping over the fortifications, with his canteen in his hand, he
+crawled up to the poor fellow and gave him a drink of water. O, what
+a comfort this was to the wounded man! His heart was filled with
+gratitude towards this generous and noble soldier. He pulled out his
+gold watch from his pocket, and cheerfully offered it to his
+benefactor; but he refused to take it. Then he asked the soldier's
+name and residence. He said his name was James Moore, and that he
+lived in Burke County, North Carolina. Then they parted. This noble
+soldier afterwards lost a limb in one of the Virginia battles, and
+returned to his home as a cripple.
+
+The officer recovered from his wounds; but he never forgot the
+kindness of that Confederate soldier. And when the war was over, and
+he was engaged in his business again, he wrote to James Moore,
+telling him that he intended to send him the sum of ten thousand
+dollars in four quarterly installments of twenty-five hundred
+dollars each; and that he wished him to receive the same in token of
+the heartfelt gratitude with which his generous kindness on the
+battle-field was remembered. Certainly these were two noble men. It
+is hard to tell which was the more noble of the two. But when the
+crippled soldier thought of the drink of water which he gave to the
+wounded officer, and of the ten thousand dollars which he received
+for 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 must
+have felt sure of the lesson we are now considering, that "Giving is
+God's rule for getting."
+
+"The Secret of Success." Some time ago a Christian gentleman was
+visiting a large paper mill that belonged to a friend of his, who was
+a very rich man. The owner of the mill took him all through it, and
+showed him the machinery, and told him how the paper was made. When
+they were through the visitor said to his friend, "I have one
+question to ask you; and if you will answer it, I shall feel very
+much 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 your
+success in business?"
+
+"I don't know that there is any great secret about it," said his
+friend, "but I will tell you all I know. I got a situation, and began
+to work for my own living when I was only sixteen years old. My
+wages, at first, were to be forty dollars a year, with my board and
+lodging. My clothing and all my other expenses were to come out of
+the 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 be
+faithfully laid aside to be given to the poor, or to some religious
+work. This promise I kept religiously, and after laying aside
+one-tenth to give away, at the end of the year, besides meeting my
+expenses, I had more than a tenth left for myself. I then made a vow
+that 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 faithfully
+kept from that day to this. If there be any secret to my
+success--_this is it_. Whatever I receive during the year, I feel
+sure that I am richer on nine-tenths of it, with God's blessing, than
+I should be on the whole of it, without that blessing. I believe that
+God has blessed me, and made my business prosper. And I am sure that
+anyone who will make the trial of this secret of success, will find
+it work as it has done in my case."
+
+This man was certainly proving the truth of our Saviour's words, when
+he said--"Give, and it shall be given unto you." And his experience
+shows most satisfactorily that "giving is God's rule for getting."
+
+"The Steamboat Captain and the Soldier." During the late war there
+was a steamboat, one day, in front of a flourishing town on the Ohio
+River. 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 some
+miles down the river with an excursion party, who had chartered the
+boat for the occasion. While waiting for the party to come on board,
+a poor wounded soldier came up to the captain. He said he was
+suffering from severe sickness, as well as from his wounds. He had
+been 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, before
+he died; and he wished to know if the captain would give him a
+passage down the river on his boat. On hearing where his home was,
+the captain said that the party who had chartered his boat were
+going near that place; and he told the poor soldier that he would
+gladly 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, they
+were not willing to let him go; and asked the captain to put him
+ashore. The captain told the soldier's sad story, and pleaded his
+cause very earnestly. He said he would place him on the lower deck
+and put a screen round his bed, so that they could not see him. But
+the young people refused. They said as they had hired the boat, it
+belonged to them for the day, and they were not willing to have such
+a miserable-looking object on board their boat; and that if the
+captain did not put him off, they would hire another boat, and he
+would lose the twenty dollars they had agreed to give him for the
+day's excursion.
+
+The good captain made one more appeal to them. He asked them to put
+themselves in the poor soldier's place, and then to think how they
+would like to be treated. But still they refused to let the soldier
+go. Then the noble-hearted captain said: "Well, ladies and gentlemen,
+whether you hire my boat or not, I intend to take this soldier home
+to-day."
+
+The party did hire another boat. The captain lost his twenty
+dollars. But, when he returned the poor dying soldier to the arms of
+his loving mother, he felt that the tears of gratitude with which she
+thanked him were worth more than the money he had lost. The gentle
+mother dressed the wounds of her poor suffering boy; and nursed and
+cared for him, as none but a mother knows how to do. But she could
+not save his life. He died after a few days; and the last words he
+spoke, as his loving parents stood weeping at his bedside
+were--"Don't forget the good captain." And he was not forgotten. For
+after the soldier's funeral was over, his father went up the river to
+the town where the captain lived. He found him out. He thanked him
+again for his kindness in bringing home his dying boy; and made him a
+present that was worth four or five times the twenty dollars he had
+lost for the hire of his boat.
+
+But this was not the end of it. For not long after this, the captain
+and his wife were taken suddenly ill with a fatal disease that was
+prevailing in that region of the country. They both died; leaving two
+little orphan children, with no one to take care of them. The
+soldier's father heard of it; and he went at once and asked that he
+might be permitted to take the two helpless little ones and adopt
+them as his own children. He took them home; and was a father and a
+friend to them as long as he lived.
+
+How beautifully our Saviour's words--"Give, and it shall be given
+unto 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. We
+may call it:
+
+"The Miser and the Hungry Children." In a village in England were two
+little motherless girls who lived in a small cottage. Sally, the
+elder, was about eight years old and her sister Mary was six. They
+were very poor. Their father was a laboring man, and he found great
+difficulty in supporting himself and his children.
+
+Once, in the midst of winter, these two little girls were left alone
+all day, as their father had gone out to work. They had their
+breakfast in the morning with their father, before he left. But they
+had no dinner, nor anything to eat during the rest of the day. About
+the middle of the afternoon, Mary said to her sister: "Sally, I'm
+very hungry. Is there anything in the closet that we can get to eat?"
+
+"No," said Sally; "I've looked all through the closet; but there
+isn't a crust of bread, or a cold potato; nor anything to eat. I wish
+there was something; for I'm hungry too."
+
+"O, dear! what shall we do?" cried Mary; "I'm too hungry to wait till
+father comes home!"
+
+"Mary," said her sister, "suppose we ask our Father in heaven to give
+us 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 three
+times, and then wait, and see if God will send us some."
+
+Mary agreed to this. They both kneeled down, and Sally began: "Our
+Father, 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 our
+daily bread; give us this day our daily bread; give us this day our
+daily bread." Then they waited quietly, to see if anything would
+come.
+
+And now, while this was going on inside of that little cottage, let
+me tell you what was taking place outside.
+
+Not far from this cottage lived an old man who was a miser. He had a
+good deal of money, but he never gave any of it to others; and never
+would 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 a
+loaf of bread. He got the loaf, and, as it was a stormy afternoon, he
+put it under his coat before starting to walk home. Now, it happened,
+that just as he was passing the cottage in which the little girls
+were, a strong blast of wind blew the rain in his face, and he
+stepped into the porch of the cottage and crouched down in the
+corner, to shelter himself from the wind and rain. In this position
+his ear was brought quite close to the keyhole of the door. He heard
+what the little girls had said about being hungry. He heard their
+proposal to pray to the Father in heaven to give them bread. He heard
+the thrice repeated prayer--"give us this day our daily bread." And
+then came the silence, when the little ones waited, and watched for
+the bread. This had a strange effect on the miser. His hard, selfish
+heart, which had never felt a generous feeling for anyone, warmed up,
+and grew suddenly soft in tenderness towards these helpless, hungry
+little ones. Tears moistened his eyes. He put his thumb on the latch
+of the door. The latch was gently lifted and the door opened. He took
+the loaf from under his coat and threw it into the room. The little
+girls, still waiting and watching on their knees, saw the loaf go
+bouncing over the floor. They jumped up on their feet, and clapped
+their hands for joy.
+
+"O, Sally," said little Mary, "how good God is to answer our prayer
+so 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 that
+God sent it."
+
+And how about the miser? For the first time in his life he had given
+to the poor. Did the promise fail which says, "Give, and it shall be
+given unto you?" No; God's promises _never_ fail. He went to the
+bakery and bought another loaf for himself, and then he went home
+with different feelings from what he had ever had before. The warm,
+soft feeling that came into his hard heart when he gave the loaf to
+those children did not pass away. It grew upon him. He had found so
+much pleasure in doing that one kind act that he went on and did
+more. And God blessed him in doing it. He began to pray to that God
+who had answered the prayer of those little girls for bread in such a
+strange way. He read the Bible. He went to church. He became a
+Christian; and some time after, he died a happy Christian death. But
+before he died, as he was the owner of the cottage in which the
+little girls lived, he gave it to their father. What a beautiful
+illustration we have here of our Saviour's words--"Give, and it shall
+be given unto you!" This miser gave _a loaf of bread_ to these hungry
+children and God gave him _the grace that made him a Christian_! And
+as we think of this we may well say that "giving _is_ God's rule for
+getting."
+
+And thus we have considered the lesson of liberality which our
+Saviour taught; the proofs of that lesson found in the Bible; and the
+illustrations of it from the Bible, from nature, and from everyday
+life. The three things to be remembered from this subject are _the
+lesson_--_the proofs_--_the illustrations_.
+
+I will quote here, in finishing, three verses which teach the same
+lesson that our Saviour taught when he spoke the words from which I
+have tried to draw the lesson of liberality. The title at the head of
+them is taken from Solomon's words in one of the passages from the
+book 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 how
+everything connected with it teaches the lesson of humility. This is
+pointed out in the beautiful collect in The Book of Common Prayer for
+the first Sunday in Advent. Here we are taught to say:--"Almighty
+God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put upon
+us the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which
+thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in--great _humility_."
+
+If Jesus had come into our world as an angel, it would have been an
+act of humility. If he had come as a great and mighty king, it would
+have been an act of humility. But when he was born in a stable, and
+cradled in a manger; when he could say of himself, "the foxes have
+holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man hath
+not where to lay his head;" when there never was an acre, or a foot
+of ground that he called his own, although he made the world and all
+things in it; when he sailed in a borrowed boat, and was buried in a
+borrowed tomb; how well it might be said that he was teaching
+humility 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 on
+this subject.
+
+We have an account of this lesson in St. John xiii: 4-15. It is
+taught us in these words:--"He riseth from supper, and laid aside his
+garments; and took a towel and girdled himself. After that he poureth
+water into a bason, and began to wash his disciples' feet, and to
+wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded." Then occurs the
+incident about the objection which Peter made to letting Jesus wash
+his feet, and the way in which that objection was overcome. And then
+the story goes on thus:--"So after he had washed their feet, and had
+taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, 'Know
+ye what I have done unto you? Ye call me Master, and Lord; and ye say
+well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your
+feet; ye ought also to wash one another's feet. For I have given you
+an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.'"
+
+This was a very surprising scene. How astonished the angels must have
+been when they looked upon it! They had known Jesus in heaven, before
+he took upon him our nature, and came into this fallen world. They
+had seen him in "the glory which he had with the Father, before the
+world 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 feet
+of poor sinful men whom he came from heaven to save, how surprising
+it must have seemed to them! And when Jesus told his disciples that
+his object in doing this was to set them an example, that they should
+do as he had done to them, he did not mean that they should literally
+make a practice of washing each other's feet; but that they should
+show the same humility to others that he had shown to them, by being
+willing to do anything, however humble it might be, in order to
+promote their comfort and happiness. It is not the act itself, here
+spoken of, that Jesus teaches us to do; but the spirit of humility in
+which the act was performed that he teaches us to cultivate. We might
+go through the form of washing the feet of other persons, and yet
+feel proud and haughty all the time we were doing it. Then we should
+not be following the example of Jesus at all. When Jesus washed his
+disciples' feet, what he wished to teach them, and us, and all his
+people, is how earnestly he desires us to learn this lesson of
+humility. And when we think of the wondrous scene which took place on
+that occasion, the one thought it should impress on our minds, above
+all others is--_the importance of humility_.
+
+And if any one asks what is meant by humility? No better answer can
+be 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 to
+think, but to think soberly." Pride is "thinking of ourselves more
+highly than we ought to think." Humility is--_not_ "thinking of
+ourselves more highly than we ought to think." And humility is the
+lesson we are now to study. This is the lesson that Jesus wishes all
+who love him to learn. It is easy to speak of _five_ reasons why we
+should 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 his
+disciples, and to us, to learn the lesson of humility. And this is
+not the only place in which Jesus taught this lesson. He gave some of
+his 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 get
+the best seats for themselves at a feast, he took the opportunity of
+giving his disciples a lesson about humility. He told them, when they
+were bidden to a wedding feast, not to take the highest seats;
+because some more honorable person might be bidden, and when the
+master of the feast came in he might say to them 'let this man have
+that seat, and you go and take a lower seat'; then they would feel
+mortified, 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, go
+up higher: then shalt thou have worship"--or honor--"in the presence
+of them that sit at meat with thee." Here we have Jesus repeating
+his command to all his people to learn and practise the lesson of
+humility.
+
+And then we have another of our Saviour's parables in which he taught
+this same lesson of humility, and that is the parable of the Pharisee
+and the Publican. We find it in St. Luke xviii: 10-15. The parable
+reads thus: "Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a
+Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed
+thus with himself, 'God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men
+are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I
+fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.'" Here
+we have a picture of a proud man. He pretended to pray, but asked for
+nothing, because he did not feel his need of anything. And so his
+pretended prayer brought him no blessing.
+
+And then in the rest of the parable we have our Saviour's description
+of a man who was learning the lesson of humility, and of the blessing
+which it brought to him.
+
+Here is a story told by one of our missionaries of the way in which
+this parable brought a heathen man to Christ.
+
+"That's Me." A poor Hottentot in Southern Africa lived with a Dutch
+farmer, who was a good Christian man, and kept up family prayer in
+his home. One day, at their family worship he read this parable. He
+began, "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 the
+salvation of his soul, looked earnestly at the reader, and whispered
+to himself, "Now I'll learn how to pray." The farmer read on, "God, I
+thank Thee that I am not as other men are." "No, I am not," whispered
+the Hottentot, "but I'm worse." Again the farmer read, "I fast twice
+in 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 distressed
+savage.
+
+The good man read on till he came to the publican, "standing afar
+off." "That's where I am," said the Hottentot. "Would not lift up so
+much as his eyes unto heaven," read the farmer. "That's me," cried
+his hearer. "But smote upon his breast saying, God be merciful to me
+a 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 of
+the parable,--"God be merciful to me a sinner!" And he went on
+offering 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 which
+Jesus taught, and how much good it did to him.
+
+And it is Jesus who is speaking to us and commanding us to learn this
+lesson 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 therefore
+in 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 to
+us to learn the lesson of humility. And this command is urged thus
+earnestly upon us because it is so important.
+
+When St. Augustine, one of the celebrated fathers of the early
+Church, was asked--What is the first important thing in the Christian
+religion? 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 been
+so earnest in teaching this lesson; or that he should have urged so
+strongly on his disciples to learn it.
+
+The _command_ of Christ is the first reason why we should learn the
+lesson of humility.
+
+_But the second reason why we should learn this lesson is, because of
+the_--EXAMPLE--_of Christ_.
+
+There are many persons "who say and do not." There are some ministers
+who preach very well, but they do not _practise_ what they preach.
+Such persons may well be compared to finger-boards. They point out
+the way to others, but they do not walk in it themselves. But this
+was not the case with our blessed Saviour. He practised everything
+that he preached. And when he gave us his command to learn this
+lesson of humility, he gave us, at the same time, his example to show
+us _how_ to do it.
+
+He was illustrating this command by his example when he washed his
+disciples' feet. And this was only one out of many things in which he
+set us this example. When he chose to be born of poor parents, he was
+giving an example of humility. When he lived at Nazareth till he was
+thirty years of age, working with his reputed father as a carpenter,
+and during the latter part of the time, as is supposed, laboring for
+the support of his mother, he was giving an example of humility. When
+he said, "The Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to
+minister," Matt. xx: 28; and again--"I am among you as he that
+serveth," Luke xxii: 27, he was giving an example of humility. When
+he borrowed an ass to make his triumphal entrance into Jerusalem;
+though he could say in truth, "every beast of the forest is mine, and
+the cattle upon a thousand hills;"--(Ps. 1: 10), he was setting an
+example of humility. When he hid himself away from the people because
+he saw that they wanted to take him by force and make him king, he
+was giving a lesson of humility. When he allowed himself to be taken
+prisoner, though he knew that if he had asked his Father in heaven,
+he would, at once, have sent "more than twelve legions of angels" to
+deliver him, he was giving an example of humility. When he kept
+silence, at the bar of the high-priest, of Herod, of Pontius Pilate,
+like "a lamb dumb before her shearers," while his enemies were
+charging him falsely with all kinds of wickedness; when he allowed
+the Roman soldiers to scourge him with rods, till his back was all
+bleeding; to put a crown of thorns upon his head; to array him in a
+purple robe in mockery of his being a king; to smite him with the
+palms of their hands, and spit upon him; and then to nail him to the
+cross, and put him to the most shameful of all deaths--as if he were
+a wicked man, who did not deserve to live--he was giving the most
+wonderful example of humility that ever was heard of. Jesus, the Lord
+of glory hanging on the shameful cross!--O, this was an example of
+humility 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 an
+example of humility, it should make us ashamed of being proud; and
+anxious, above all things, to learn this lesson which he did so much
+to teach us.
+
+"Imitating Christ's Humility." I think I never heard of a more
+beautiful instance of persons learning to imitate the humility of
+Christ, than is told of some Moravian Missionaries. These good men
+had heard the story of the unhappy slaves in the West Indies. Those
+poor creatures were wearing out their lives in hard bondage. They had
+very little comfort in this life, and no knowledge of that gracious
+Saviour who alone can secure, for sinful creatures, such as we are, a
+better portion in the life to come. These missionaries offered to go
+out to the West Indies, and teach those slaves about Jesus, and the
+great salvation that is to be found in him. But they were told that
+the owners of the slaves would not let them go to school or to
+church. They would not allow them to take time enough from their work
+to learn anything about the salvation of their souls. There was only
+one way in which those poor slaves could be taught anything about
+Jesus 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 need
+be, under the lash, so that they could get right beside them and then
+tell them about the way of salvation that is in Christ Jesus. This
+was a hard thing to undertake. But those good missionaries said they
+were 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 on
+the plantations as slaves. And working thus, by the side of the
+slaves, they got close to their hearts. The slaves heard them. Their
+hearts were touched because these teachers of the gospel had humbled
+themselves to their condition. While they were teaching the commands
+of Christ, they were illustrating and following his example. How
+beautiful this was! How grand! How glorious!
+
+And yet Christ's own example was still more glorious. He laid aside
+the glory of his Godhead, and came down from heaven to earth, that he
+might get by our side. He laid himself beside us that we might feel
+the throbbings of his bosom and the embrace of his loving arms; and
+he draws us close to himself, while he whispers in our ears the sweet
+words, "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son,
+that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have
+everlasting life."
+
+And so, when we think of the example of Christ, we should strive to
+learn the lesson of humility which he taught.
+
+_A third reason why we should learn this lesson of humility is
+because 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 that
+inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy
+place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to
+revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the
+contrite ones." Here, the same loving Saviour who gave us the command
+to learn the lesson of humility promises to give comfort to all who
+learn this lesson. And the way in which he secures this comfort to
+them is by coming and dwelling in their hearts. And who can tell
+what a comfort it is for a poor pardoned sinner to have Jesus--the
+Lord of heaven and earth--dwelling in his heart? It is his presence
+in heaven which makes those who dwell there feel so happy. This is
+what David taught, when he looked up to him, and said--"In thy
+presence is fulness of joy." Ps. 16: 11. And when that presence is
+felt, here on earth, it gives comfort and joy, as certainly as it
+does in heaven. It was the presence of Jesus which enabled Paul and
+Silas to sing at midnight, for very joyfulness, in the prison at
+Philippi, though their feet were fastened in the stocks, and their
+backs were torn and bleeding from the cruel scourging which they had
+suffered. And it was this presence of Christ in the hearts of his
+people that good John Newton was speaking of, in one of his sweet
+hymns, 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 will
+dwell with. He says himself, "If any man love me, he will keep my
+words; and My Father will love him; and we will come unto him, and
+make our abode with him." St. John xiv: 23. And among the words of
+Christ which we must keep, if we wish him to dwell in our hearts, are
+those in which he commands the lesson of humility. It is only the
+humble with whom he will dwell. For "every one that is proud in heart
+is an abomination unto the Lord." Prov. xvi: 5.
+
+The reason why so many people are unhappy in this world is that they
+do not learn the lesson of humility.
+
+"Learn to Stoop." The story is told of some celebrated man--I think
+it was Dr. Franklin--who had a friend visiting him on one occasion.
+When the gentleman was about to leave, the doctor accompanied him to
+the front door. In going through the entry there was a low beam
+across it, which made it necessary to stoop, in order to avoid being
+struck by it. As they approached it the doctor stooped himself, and
+called 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 through
+life." This illustrates the comfort which comes from learning the
+lesson of humility. It is those who are unwilling to stoop; or to be
+anything, 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 a
+fine oak tree, with its wide-spreading branches, and at its foot
+there grew a sweet and modest violet. The oak one day looked down in
+scorn upon the violet, and said: "You, poor little thing, will soon
+be dead and withered; for you have no strength, no size, and are of
+no good to anyone. But I am large and strong; I shall still live for
+ages, and then I shall be made into a large ship to sail on the
+ocean, 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 am
+thankful. I hope to die fragrantly, as I have lived fragrantly, but
+we are both only what God made us, and both where God placed us."
+
+Not long after the oak was struck by lightning and shivered to
+splinters. Its end was to be burned. But the violet was gently
+gathered by the hand of a Christian lady, who carefully pressed it,
+and kept it for years, in the leaves of her Bible to refresh herself
+with its fragrance. Here we see illustrated the difference between
+pride and humility.
+
+"The Secret of Comfort." Some years ago there was a boy who had been
+lame from his birth. He was a bright intelligent boy, but he was not
+a Christian. As he grew up, with no other prospect before him but
+that of being a cripple all his days, he was very unhappy. As he sat
+by his window, propped up in his chair, and saw the boys playing in
+the street, he would say to himself: "Why has God made me thus? Why
+have I not limbs to run and jump with like other boys?"
+
+These thoughts filled him with distress, and caused him to shed many
+bitter tears.
+
+One day a Christian friend, who was visiting him, gave him a book and
+requested him to read it. He did so; and it led to his becoming a
+Christian. 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. After
+this, as he looked out, and saw the young people happy at their
+sports; or, as he gazed on the green earth and the beautiful sky, and
+knew that he must remain a helpless cripple as long as he lived, he
+yet could say, with the utmost cheerfulness:--"It's all right. My
+Father in heaven has done it. I love him. He loves me. I know he is
+making all things work together for my good." He had learned the
+lesson we are now considering, and we see what comfort it gave him.
+And the thought of the comfort which this lesson gives, should be a
+good reason with us all for learning it.
+
+_A fourth reason why we should learn the lesson of humility is
+because of the_--USEFULNESS--_connected with it_.
+
+Jesus tells us, by his apostle, that "God resisteth the proud, but
+giveth grace to the humble." St. James iv: 6. If we have the grace of
+God we can be useful in many ways, but, without that grace we cannot
+be 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 my
+grace; or without the help of my grace. And it was of this grace that
+St. Paul was speaking when he said--"I can do all things through
+Christ who strengtheneth me." Phil, iv: 13.
+
+And we could not possibly have a stronger reason for trying to learn
+the lesson of humility than this, that our receiving the grace of
+God, and consequently our usefulness, depends upon it. God will not
+give us his grace to enable us to be truly good and to make ourselves
+useful, unless we learn this lesson. And unless we have the grace of
+God, we cannot be useful. Like barren fig-trees we shall be useless
+cumberers of the ground.
+
+Now let us look at one or two illustrations which show us how pride
+hinders the usefulness of men, while humility helps it.
+
+"The Fisherman's Mistake." An English gentleman was spending his
+summer holidays in Scotland. He concluded to try his hand at fishing
+for trout in one of the neighboring streams. He bought one of the
+handsomest fishing rods he could find, with line and reel, and
+artificial flies, and everything necessary to make a perfect outfit
+for a fisherman. He went to the trout stream, and toiled all day, but
+never caught a single fish.
+
+Towards the close of the day he saw a ragged little farmer boy, with
+a bean pole for a rod, and the simplest possible sort of a line, who
+was nipping the fish out of the water about as fast as he could throw
+his line in. He watched the boy in amazement for awhile, and then
+asked him how it was that one, with so fine a rod and line, could
+catch 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 as
+ye dinna keep yersel' oot o' sicht."
+
+The gentleman was proud of his handsome rod and line, and was showing
+it off all the time. His pride hindered his usefulness as a
+fisherman. The farmer's boy had nothing to show off; so he kept
+himself out of sight, and thus his humility helped his usefulness in
+fishing.
+
+"The Thames' Tunnel Teaching Humility." Most strangers who visit the
+great city of London go to see the famous tunnel under the river
+Thames. This is a large, substantial road that has been built, in the
+form of an arch, directly under the bed of the river. It is one of
+the most wonderful works that human skill ever succeeded in making.
+The man who planned and built it was made one of the nobility of
+England. His name was Sir Isambard Brunel. He was so humble that he
+was willing to learn a lesson from a tiny little ship worm. These
+worms bore small round holes through the solid timbers of our ships.
+
+One day Mr. Brunel visited a ship-yard. An old ship was on the
+dry-dock getting repaired. A quantity of worm-eaten timber had been
+taken 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 a
+proud man, he might have thrown the timber aside, and said--"Get away
+you poor little worm. I am a great master builder. You can't teach me
+anything." And if he had done so that famous tunnel under the Thames
+would probably never have been built. But Mr. Brunel had learned the
+lesson of humility. He was willing to learn from anything that God
+had made, however insignificant it might be. So he sat down and
+watched the worm at its work. He studied carefully the form of the
+hole it was boring. The thought occurred to him how strong a tunnel
+would be, that was made in the shape of this hole! And when he was
+asked whether it would be possible to build a tunnel under the
+Thames, he said he thought it could be done. He undertook to build
+it. He succeeded in the work. But, in accomplishing the great
+undertaking that little ship-worm was his teacher.
+
+And now, if any of my young friends who may read this book should
+ever visit London, and go to see the great tunnel, as they gaze in
+wonder at it, let them remember Sir I. Brunel, and that little
+ship-worm; and then, let them say to themselves: "This mighty tunnel
+is an illustration of the truth that humility helps to make us
+useful."
+
+"George Washington and His Humility." Here is a story connected with
+the great and good Washington--"the Father of his country," which
+illustrates very well this part of our subject.
+
+During the war of the American Revolution, the commander of a little
+squad of soldiers was superintending their operations as they were
+trying to raise a heavy piece of timber to the top of some military
+works which they were engaged in repairing. It was hard work to get
+the timber up, and so the commander, who was a proud man and thought
+himself of great importance, kept calling out to them from time to
+time, "Push away, boys! There she goes! Heave ho!"
+
+While this was going on, an officer on horseback, but not in military
+dress, rode by. He asked the commander why he did not take hold, and
+give the men a little help. He looked at the stranger in great
+astonishment, 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 your
+pardon Mr. Corporal."
+
+After this he got off his horse, and throwing aside his coat, he took
+hold and helped the men at their work till they got the timber into
+its place. By this time the perspiration stood in drops upon his
+forehead. He took out his handkerchief and wiped his brow. Then
+turning to the commander he said:
+
+"Mr. Corporal, when you have another such job on hand, and have not
+men enough to do it, send for your Commander-in-chief, and I will
+come and help you again."
+
+It was General Washington who did and said this. The Corporal was
+thunderstruck! The great Washington, though honored above all men on
+the continent, was humble enough to put his hand and shoulder to the
+timber, that he might help the humblest of his soldiers, who were
+struggling for the defence of their country, to bear the burdens
+appointed to them.
+
+This is an excellent illustration of the truth we are now
+considering. And certainly we should all try to learn the lesson of
+humility which Jesus taught, when we see how it helps to make us
+useful.
+
+_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 her
+wonderful 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" with
+which God fills them mean the blessings He bestows on the humble. Our
+Saviour taught the same truth when he said, "he that humbleth himself
+shall be exalted." Luke xiv: 11. Being exalted here means being
+honored and blessed. These passages teach very clearly the truth of
+which we are now speaking. They show us that we must learn the lesson
+of humility if we hope to have God's blessing rest upon us. And it is
+not more true that two and two make four, than it is that God's
+blessing _does_ attend and follow those who learn the lesson of
+humility.
+
+How many illustrations of this truth we find in the Bible! Moses had
+learned the lesson of humility before God sent him on his great
+mission, which has given him a name and a place among the most
+famous men of the world.
+
+Gideon had learned the lesson of humility before God made choice of
+him to be the deliverer of his people Israel from the hands of their
+enemies; and then, for years to be their honored ruler. John the
+Baptist was so humble that he said of himself that he was not worthy
+to stoop down and unloose the latchet of our Saviour's shoe; and yet
+Jesus said of him that he was one of the greatest men that ever had
+been born.
+
+The apostle Paul was so humble that he considered himself "less than
+the least of all saints," and "the chief of sinners;" and yet God
+honored and blessed him till he became the most famous and useful of
+all the apostles.
+
+If we turn from the Bible, and look out into the world around us, we
+may compare proud people to the tops of the mountains; these are bare
+and barren, and of little use to the world. We may compare humble
+people to the plains and valleys. These are fertile and beautiful,
+and are the greatest blessing to the world, in the abundance of
+grain, and fruit, and other good things which they yield.
+
+And then, if we take notice of what is occurring in the scenes of
+daily life, we shall meet with incidents continually which furnish
+us with illustrations of the part of our subject now before us, that
+God crowns the humble with his blessing. Let us look at one or two of
+these illustrations.
+
+"The Little Loaf." In a certain part of Germany, some years ago, a
+famine was prevailing, and many of the people were suffering from
+hunger. A kind-hearted rich man sent for twenty of the poorest
+children in the village where he lived, to come to his house. As they
+stood on the porch of his house, he came out to them bringing a large
+basket in his hand. He set it down before him and said: "Children, in
+this basket there is bread for you all. Take a loaf, each of you, and
+come back every day at this hour, till it shall please God to send us
+better times."
+
+Then he left the children to themselves and went into the house, but
+watched them through the window. The hungry children seized the
+basket, quarreled and struggled for the bread, because each of them
+wished to get the best and largest loaf. Then they went away without
+ever 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 took
+the last loaf left in the basket, the smallest of the lot. She looked
+up to the window where the gentleman stood; smiled at him; threw him
+a kiss, and made a low curtsey in token of her gratitude, and then
+went quickly home.
+
+The next day the other children were just as ill-behaved as they had
+been before, and the timid humble Gretchen received a loaf this time
+not 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, a
+number of new silver pieces of money, fell rattling and shining out
+of it.
+
+Her mother was frightened, and said, "Take the money back at once to
+the good gentleman; for it must certainly have dropped into the dough
+by accident. Be quick Gretchen! be quick!"
+
+But when the little girl came to the good man and gave him her
+mother's message, he kindly said, "No, no, my child, it was no
+mistake. I had the silver pieces put into the smallest loaf as a
+reward for you. Continue to be as humble, peaceable, self-denying,
+and grateful as you have now shown yourself to be. A little girl who
+is humble enough to take the smallest loaf rather than quarrel for
+the larger ones, will be sure to receive greater blessings from God
+than if she had silver pieces of money baked in every loaf of bread
+she 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 into
+the office of one of the largest dry-goods houses in New York and
+asked for a situation. He was told to call again another day.
+
+Going down Broadway that same afternoon, when opposite the Astor
+House, he saw an old apple woman, in trying to cross the street,
+struck by an omnibus, knocked down, and her basket of apples sent
+scattering into the gutter.
+
+The young man stepped out of the crowd, helped the old woman to her
+feet, put her apples into her basket, and went on his way, without
+thinking of it.
+
+Now a proud man would never have thought of doing such a thing as
+that. But this young man had learned the lesson of humility, and did
+not hesitate a moment to do this kind act.
+
+When he called again to see about the situation, he was asked what
+wages 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 he
+was passing at the time, and saw it; and that it was this
+circumstance 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 learn
+the 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 suitable
+prayer to offer when we think of the lesson of humility we have now
+been 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 in
+kings, and princes, in rich, and wise, and great men, it would not
+have been surprising; because he was a king and a prince, himself; he
+was richer than the richest, and wiser than the wisest, and greater
+than the greatest. But he did not do this. He took no particular
+notice of them; but he showed the greatest possible interest in
+children. When mothers brought their little ones to him, the
+disciples wanted to keep them away. They thought, no doubt, that he
+was too busy to take any notice of them. But they were mistaken. He
+was very busy indeed. He had many lessons to teach. He had sermons to
+preach; and sick people to heal; and blind eyes to open; and deaf
+ears to unstop; and lame men to make whole; and dead men to raise to
+life again. He had all his Father's will to make known to men; and
+all his Father's commandments to keep. He had to suffer, and to die
+for the sins of the world; that he might "open the kingdom of heaven
+to all believers." He was the busiest man that ever lived. Nobody
+ever had so much to do as he had. And yet, he was not too busy to
+attend to the little children. He had time to give to them. So he
+rebuked 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 by
+one, "he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them and
+blessed them." And when he had done this, as though that were not
+enough, he spoke those precious, glorious, golden words:--"_Suffer
+the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such
+is the kingdom of heaven_," "verily I say unto you, whosoever shall
+not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter
+therein."
+
+These things are told us by three of the evangelists. St. Matthew
+mentions them in chapter xix: 13-15. St. Mark x: 13-16, and St. Luke
+xviii: 15-17.
+
+On another occasion, when he was in the temple, the children sang
+hosannas to him as the son of David. The chief priests and scribes
+were greatly displeased, when they heard it, and "said unto him,
+hearest thou what these say? and Jesus said unto them, yea: have ye
+never read, out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou hast
+perfected praise?" Matt, xxi: 15, 16. Here he quoted from the Old
+Testament (Ps. viii: 2) to prove to them from their own scriptures,
+that God loves little children, and delights to have them engage in
+his service, and sing his praises.
+
+And there was one other occasion on which Jesus spoke about the
+children, and showed his interest in them. This was after his
+resurrection. We read about it in St. John xxi: 15-18. He met his
+disciples, one day, on the shore of the sea of Galilee. Peter, who
+had shamefully denied his Master on the night in which he was
+betrayed was present with them. Jesus said to him, as if to remind
+him 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 beautifully
+Jesus showed his great love for the little ones of his flock!
+
+From these different passages, we see clearly how dear little
+children are to the heart of our blessed Saviour! He is the only
+great Teacher who ever showed such an interest in children. And the
+religion of Jesus is the only religion which teaches its followers to
+love and care for the little ones. The worshipers of the idol Moloch,
+mentioned in the Bible, used to offer their children as
+burnt-sacrifices to their cruel god. Mahometans look upon their women
+and children as inferior beings. The Hindoos neglect their infants,
+and leave them exposed on the banks of the Ganges, or throw them into
+the river to be devoured by the hungry crocodiles. In the city of
+Pekin many infants are thrown out into the streets every night.
+Sometimes they are killed by the fall. Sometimes they are only half
+killed, and linger, moaning in their agony, till the morning. Then
+the police go around, and pick them up, and throw them all together
+into a hole and bury them.
+
+In Africa, the children are sometimes buried alive; and sometimes
+left 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 used
+to be killed. Sometimes they would strangle their babies. Sometimes
+they would leave them, where oxen and cattle would tread on them, and
+trample them to death; while, at other times, they would break all
+their joints, beginning with their fingers and toes, and then go on
+to their wrists, and elbows, and shoulders. How dreadful it is to
+think of such practices! And when we turn from these scenes of
+heart-rending cruelty and think of the gracious Saviour,--the "gentle
+Jesus, meek and mild," stretching forth his arms in loving
+tenderness, and uttering the sweet words,--"Suffer the little
+children to come unto me, and forbid them not; for of such is the
+kingdom of God,"--what a wonderful contrast it makes!
+
+And when we think of all that Jesus did and said to show his interest
+in children, we may well ask ourselves such questions as these,--Why
+was it so? What did he do it for? And when we come to look carefully
+into this part of the life of Christ, we can see four great things in
+it; and these are the reasons why Jesus did and said so much about
+children.
+
+_In the first place we see_--GREAT LOVE--_in the interest Christ
+manifested towards the young_.
+
+It was the same love which brought him down from heaven, and made him
+willing to become a little child himself; the same love which made
+him willing to live in poverty--and suffer the dreadful death upon
+the cross that led him to show such interest in the little ones. But
+if he had not told us himself how he feels on this subject, we could
+not have been sure of it. Children might well have said, when they
+heard about the love of Christ, "Yes, we have no doubt that Jesus
+does love grown up people, men and women in general. We believe this
+because the Bible tells us so; but how do we know that he loves us
+children?" If he had not told us so himself, we could not have been
+sure of it. But we know it now. And when we hear, or read of the love
+of Christ, we may be sure that it takes the children in.
+
+During a famine in Germany, a family became so poor that they were in
+danger of starving. The father proposed that one of the children
+should be sold, and food provided for those that remained. At last
+the mother consented; but then the question arose which one of the
+four should be selected. The eldest, their first-born, could not be
+spared; the second looked like the mother, the third was like his
+father, and they could not give either of them up; and then the
+youngest--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 children
+knew of this, they might very well feel sure that their parents loved
+them. But Jesus did more than this for us, he was willing to die upon
+the cross, and he did so die, that "not one of his little ones should
+perish."
+
+"Being Loved Back Again." Little Alice Lee sat in her rocking chair.
+She was clasping a beautiful wax doll to her bosom, and singing sweet
+lullabies to it. But every little while she looked wistfully at her
+mother. She was busy writing, and had told Alice to keep as quiet as
+possible till she got through.
+
+It seemed a long time to Alice; but after awhile her mother laid down
+her pen, and pushed aside her papers, and said:--"Now I am through
+for 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 loving
+bosom.
+
+"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 in
+her arms. "I am very glad that my little girl loves me;" replied her
+mother, "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 after
+awhile."
+
+"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 grew
+very bright, as they gazed earnestly into her mother's face. "It's
+because 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 when
+we were too little to love him back. The Bible says--"We love him
+because _he first_ loved us." He loved us before we knew him, or had
+ever heard of him. He loved us before we were born. Before the world
+was made Jesus thought of you and me, and loved us. This is what he
+means when he says:--"I _have loved thee with an everlasting love."_
+Jer. xxxi: 3. This means a love that never had a beginning, and that
+will never have an end. This is very wonderful. And when we think of
+it, 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, by
+which he showed his interest in little children, the first thing that
+we 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 to
+Jesus when young, _because then they are easily controlled_.
+
+Suppose we plant an acorn in a corner of our garden. After awhile a
+green shoot springs out from it. We go to look at it when it is about
+a foot high. We find it getting crooked; but with the gentlest touch
+of thumb and finger, we can straighten it out. We wish it to lean in
+a particular direction. We give it a slight touch, and it leans just
+that way. Afterwards we conclude to have it lean in the opposite
+direction. Another slight touch, and it takes that direction. It is
+true, as the poet says, "Just as the twig is bent, the tree's
+inclined." 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 an
+ugly twist in its trunk. We try to straighten it out; but in vain. No
+power on earth can do that now. You can cut it down; or saw it up; or
+break it into splinters; but you cannot straighten it.
+
+Suppose, that you and I should go to one of the highest summits of
+the Rocky Mountains. In a certain place there, we should find two
+little fountains springing up near each other. With the end of a
+finger we might trace the course in which either of those little
+springs should flow. We could lead one down the eastern side of the
+mountains, and the other down the western side. It would be very easy
+to control them then. But suppose now we travel down the side of the
+mountain till we reach the plain, at its base. Now see, yonder is a
+great river, rolling on its mighty flood of waters. That is what the
+little spring has grown to. It is too late to control it now. The
+time for controlling it was up yonder near the spring.
+
+It is easy to control the spring; it is very hard to control the
+river. Jesus wished to control the spring when he directed us to
+bring the children to him. And in this he showed his wisdom.
+
+It is wise to take an interest in children, and bring them early to
+Jesus--_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 by
+Themistocles, the celebrated Grecian governor and general. He had a
+little boy, of whom his mother was very fond and over whom the child
+had very great influence. His father pointed to him, one day, and
+said to a friend, "Look at that child; he has more power than all
+Greece. For the city of Athens rules Greece; I rule Athens; that
+child's mother rules me, and he rules his mother."
+
+I feel sure our Saviour must have felt very much as some one has
+done, 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 wise
+in Jesus to desire to have them brought early to him that they might
+learn to use that influence in the best possible way.
+
+And then it was wise in Jesus to desire this, again, _because
+bringing children to him prevents great trouble, and secures great
+blessing_.
+
+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 upper
+counties of New York, there was a little girl named Margaret. She
+was not brought to Christ, but was turned out on the world to do as
+she pleased. She grew up to be perhaps the wickedest woman in that
+part of the country. She had a large family of children, who became
+about as wicked as herself; her descendants have been a plague and a
+curse to that county ever since. The records of that county show that
+two hundred of her descendants have been criminals. In a single
+generation of her descendants there were twenty children. Three of
+these died in infancy. Of the remaining seventeen, who lived to grow
+up, nine were sent to the state prison for great crimes; while all
+the others were found, from time to time, in the jails, the
+penitentiaries, or the almshouses. Nearly all the descendants of this
+woman were idiots, or drunkards, or paupers, or bad people, of the
+very worst character. That one neglected child thus cost the county
+in which she lived hundreds of thousands of dollars, besides the
+untold evil that followed from the bad examples of her descendants.
+How different the result would have been if this poor child had been
+brought to Jesus and made a Christian when she was young!
+
+"The Result of Early Choice." Here is a short story of two boys, of
+the choice they made when young, and the different results that
+followed from that choice.
+
+A minister of the gospel was preaching on one occasion to the
+convicts in the state prison of Connecticut. As he rose in the desk
+and looked around on the congregation, he saw a man there whose face
+seemed familiar to him. When the service was over he went to this
+man's cell, to have some conversation with him.
+
+"I remember you very well, sir," said the prisoner. "We were boys in
+the same neighborhood; we went to the same school; sat beside each
+other on the same bench, and then my prospects were as bright as
+yours. But, at the age of fourteen, you made choice of the service of
+God, and became a Christian. I refused to come to Christ, but made
+choice of the world and sin. And now, you are a happy and honored
+minister of the gospel, while I am a wretched outcast. I have served
+ten years in this penitentiary and am to be a prisoner here for
+life."
+
+Jesus knew what blessings would follow to those who were early
+brought to him, and we see that there was great wisdom in the words
+that he spake when he said--"Suffer the little children to come unto
+me."
+
+_In the next place there was_--GREAT ENCOURAGEMENT--_in what Jesus
+did and said about children_.
+
+If a company of boys or girls should try to get into the presence of
+a monarch, some great king, or emperor, they would find it a pretty
+hard thing to do. At the door of the palace they would meet with
+soldiers or servants, the guards of the queen or king. They would say
+to the children--"what do you want here?" And if the children should
+say, "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. She
+has no time to attend to little folks like you." And the children
+would have to go away without getting to see the queen.
+
+But, Jesus is a greater king than any who ever sat upon an earthly
+throne. He has more to do than all the kings and queens in the world
+put together. And yet he never gave orders to the angels, or to any
+of his servants to keep the children away from him. On his great
+throne in yonder heavens he says still, what he said when he was on
+earth--"Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them
+not." And he says this on purpose to encourage the children to come
+to him. And the thought that Jesus loves them and feels an interest
+in them has encouraged multitudes of little ones to seek him and
+serve him. Here are some illustrations of this:
+
+"Learning to Love Jesus." "A little girl came to me one day," said a
+minister of the gospel, and said, "'Please sir, may I speak to you a
+minute?' I saw that she was in some trouble; so I took her kindly by
+the hand, and said, 'Certainly, my child. What do you wish to say?'
+
+"'Please, sir,' said she, as her lip quivered and tears filled her
+eyes, '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 spoke
+sadly, as if it was something she never could do.
+
+"'Well,' I said, 'St. John, who loved our Lord almost more than any
+one 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 loves
+me_," I think that to-morrow you will be able to say--"I love
+Jesus."'
+
+"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, as
+well as to say it. She thought about his life, about his death on the
+cross, and about his sweet words to the little ones, and she began to
+feel it too.
+
+"The next evening she came to see me again; and, putting both her
+hands 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 the
+interest he feels in children.
+
+"Doesn't He Love to Save?" A mother had just tucked her little boy in
+bed, and had received his good-night kisses. She lingered awhile, at
+his bedside, to speak to him about Jesus, and to see if he was
+feeling right toward him. He was a good, obedient boy, but that day
+he had done something that grieved his mother. He had expressed his
+sorrow for it, and asked his mother's forgiveness. As she stooped
+down for the last kiss, he said--"Is it all settled, mother?"
+
+"Yes, my child," she said, "it's all settled with me; but have you
+settled it all with Jesus?" "Yes, mother: I've asked him to forgive
+me: and I believe him when he says he will; for _doesn't he love to
+help and save children_?" "He does, my child, he does," said his
+mother, as she gazed on his happy little face, lighted up with the
+joy of that gospel, so often hidden from the wise and prudent, but
+revealed to babes.
+
+Here we see how this little fellow was encouraged to seek Jesus from
+the assurance that he feels an interest in children, and loves to
+help and bless them.
+
+"Love Leads to Love." A little boy named Charley stood at the window
+with his mother one morning, watching the robins as they enjoyed
+their 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 reason
+that the birdies love your father?"
+
+This question seemed to set Charley to thinking. He did not answer at
+first, but presently he said, "Why mother all the creatures seem to
+love 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 is
+saying. Even the old cow follows him around the meadow, and the other
+day I saw her licking his hand, just as a dog would. I think it must
+be because father loves them. You know he will often get up and give
+pussy something to eat; and he pulls carrots for the cow, and pats
+her; and somehow I think his voice never sounds so sweet as when he
+is talking to these dumb creatures."
+
+"I think his voice is very pleasant when he is talking to his little
+boy," said his mother.
+
+Charley smiled, and said, "That's so, mother. Father loves me, and I
+love him dearly. But he loves the birdies too I am sure. He whistles
+to them every morning when they are eating their cherries, and they
+don't seem a bit afraid of him, although he is near enough to catch
+them. Mother I wish everything loved me as they do father."
+
+"Do as father does, Charley, and they will. Love all things and be
+kind to them. Don't kick the dog, or speak roughly to him. Don't pull
+pussy's tail, nor chase the hens, nor try to frighten the cow. Never
+throw stones at the birds. Never hurt nor tease anything. Speak
+gently and lovingly to them and they will love you, and everybody
+that knows you will love you too."
+
+Now Charley's father, in acting as he did, was trying to make all the
+dumb creatures about him know that he was their friend; that he loved
+them, and had nothing but kindness in his heart towards them. In
+this 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 and
+said so much to show his interest in children. He wants them all to
+understand that he is their friend; that he loves them, and wants
+them to come to him and love and serve him. And so every child who
+hears 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 the
+children there is great encouragement.
+
+_And then there are_--GREAT LESSONS--_too, in this part of the life
+of Christ_.
+
+There are two lessons taught us here. One is about _the work we are
+to do for Jesus here on earth_. When Jesus said to Peter, "Lovest
+thou me? Feed my lambs," he meant to teach him, and you, and me, and
+all his people everywhere, the best way in which we can show our love
+to him. The lambs of Christ here spoken of mean little children,
+wherever they are found. And to feed these lambs is to teach them
+about Jesus. When we are trying to bring the young to Jesus and
+teaching them to love and serve him, then we are doing the work that
+is most pleasing to him:--the work that he most loves to have his
+people do. It was thinking about this that first led me to begin the
+work of preaching regularly to the young. And this is the lesson that
+Jesus would have all his people learn when he says to each of
+them:--"Lovest thou me? Feed my lambs."
+
+"The Angel in the Stone." Many years ago there was a celebrated
+artist who lived in Italy, whose name was Michael Angelo. He was a
+great painter, and a great sculptor, or a worker in marble. He loved
+to see beautiful figures chiseled out of marble, and he had great
+power and skill in chiseling out such figures. One day, as he was
+walking with some friends through the city of Florence, he saw a
+block of marble lying neglected in a yard, half covered with dust and
+rubbish. He stopped to examine that block of marble. That day
+happened to be a great holiday in Florence and the artist had his
+best suit of clothes on; but not caring for this he threw off his
+coat, 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 of
+stone?"
+
+"O, there's an angel in this stone," said he, "and I must get it
+out."
+
+He bought that block; had it removed to his studio, and then went to
+work with his mallet and his chisel, and never rested till out of
+that 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 that
+will last forever. And when we bring our children to Jesus, and by
+his help teach them to love and serve him, we are doing for them just
+what Michael Angelo was doing for his block of marble--we are getting
+the angels out of the stones. And this is what Jesus loves to have us
+do.
+
+"How to Get the Angels Out." A Christian mother, whose children had
+all been early taught to love and serve Jesus, was asked the secret
+of her success in bringing up her children. This was her
+answer:--"While my children were infants on my lap, as I washed them
+day by day, I raised my heart to God that he would wash them in that
+blood 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's
+righteousness; as I provided them food I prayed that God would feed
+their souls with the bread of heaven, and give them to drink of the
+water of life. When I prepared them for the house of God I pleaded
+that their bodies might be made fit temples for the Holy Ghost to
+dwell in. When they left me daily for the week-day school, I followed
+their youthful footsteps with the prayer that their path through life
+might be like that of the just, which shineth more and more unto the
+perfect day. And night after night, as I committed them to rest, the
+silent breathing of my soul has been, that their heavenly Father
+would 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 to
+bring the angel out from every block of living marble that God has
+given them.
+
+"The Best Time for Doing This." A faithful minister of Christ had a
+dear only daughter. She had been a thoughtful praying child. When
+only twelve years old she had joined her father's church. She now lay
+on her dying bed. "As I sat by her bedside," says her father, "among
+the things she said which I shall never forget were these:--'Father
+you know I joined the church when I was young--very young. Some of
+our friends thought that I was too young. But, oh! how I wish I could
+tell everybody what a comfort it is to me now to think of it.' Then
+reaching out her hand--the fingers were already cold--and grasping
+mine, she said with great earnestness:--'Father, you are at work for
+the young. Do all you can for them while they are young. It's the
+best time--the best time. Oh! I see it now as I never did before. It
+is the best time--while they are young--the younger the better. Do
+all you can for them while they are very young.' And then she fell
+asleep in Jesus."
+
+This is the lesson about the work we are to do for him on earth, that
+Jesus taught in what he said concerning the children.
+
+But when we think of those sweet words of Jesus--"Of such is the
+kingdom of heaven," we are _taught a lesson about the company we
+shall meet there_. We learn from what our blessed Lord says on this
+subject that he saves all the little ones who die before they are
+accountable for their actions. And we know that of all the persons
+born into our world more than half of them die before they reach this
+age. And this makes it very certain that more than half the company
+of heaven will be made up of little children. This is a very sweet
+thought to those who have lost little ones; and to those who love
+them.
+
+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 remain
+children. The Rev. Mr. Bickersteth, of England, in speaking of a
+father meeting his little ones in heaven, who died years before he
+did, represents him as meeting them there, just of the same age and
+size as they were when they died. And then he expresses his own
+thought 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 when
+he himself has not spoken on such a point as this, it is impossible
+for us to say certainly which way it will be. But when we get to
+heaven and find just how it is, we shall all agree that God's way is
+the best way.
+
+And then Jesus shows us plainly _what our character must be if we
+hope 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, he
+shall not enter therein." Mark x: 15. Jesus refers here to some of
+the 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 our
+character, if we hope to enter heaven. Such a child is willing to be
+taught:--believes all that his parent or teacher tells him; and does
+everything that he is told to do; and such must our character be if
+we hope to enter heaven.
+
+And so when we come to study out this part of our Saviour's life, and
+think 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 should
+be in the heart of everyone, young or old, on thinking of this great
+subject, 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 blessed
+Lord. It forms a great contrast to the other events mentioned in his
+history. He "came to visit us in great humility." When we read how he
+was born in a stable, and cradled in a manger; how he had "not where
+to lay his head;" when we read of the lowliness, and poverty, and
+suffering that marked his course, day by day, we come naturally to
+think of him as "the man of sorrows and acquainted with grief." And
+though, 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, and
+controlled the stormy winds and waves with his simple word, he seems
+wonderful in his power and majesty; yet there is nothing, in all his
+earthly life, that leads us to think so highly of him, as this scene
+of the Transfiguration, of which we are now to speak.
+
+The account of this event is given us by three of the evangelists. We
+find 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 how
+he was to go up to Jerusalem, to suffer many things, to be put to
+death, 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 became
+his disciples would be required to exercise. This was very different
+from what they were expecting and must have been very discouraging to
+them. They did not yet understand that their Master had come into the
+world to suffer and to die. Instead of this, their minds were filled
+with the idea that the object of his coming was to establish an
+earthly kingdom and to reign in glory. And, for themselves, they were
+expecting that they would share his glory and reign as princes with
+him. And so they must have been greatly troubled by his words. To
+encourage and comfort them, therefore, he told them that, before they
+died, 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, the
+favored John and James and Peter, and went up with them "into a
+mountain, apart by themselves, and was transfigured before them." We
+are not told what mountain it was that was thus honored. Mount Tabor,
+near Nazareth, on the borders of the Plain of Esdraelon, has long
+been regarded as the favored spot. But, in our day, many persons
+think that it was not on the top of Tabor, but on one of the summits
+of Mount Hermon, where this wonderful event took place. One of the
+principal objections to supposing that Tabor was the place is, that
+in those days there was a large fortress on the top of this mountain,
+and this, they think, would interfere with the privacy that would be
+desired on such an occasion. But, for myself, I still incline to
+think that Tabor was the mountain chosen. I went to the top of this
+mountain, when in Palestine. And though there is a large convent
+there now, yet the summit of Tabor covers a wide space of ground. And
+outside of the walls of the convent, and even out of sight of its
+walls, I saw a number of retired, shady places that would be
+particularly suitable for such a scene as this.
+
+But, it is impossible to decide positively which was the Mount of
+Transfiguration. And it is not a matter of much consequence. Those
+who think it was Hermon are at liberty to think so; and those who
+think it was Tabor, have a right to their opinion, for none can prove
+that they are mistaken in thinking so.
+
+And when we come to consider this great event in the life of our
+Saviour, there are _two_ things to speak of in connection with it;
+these are the _wonders_ we see in it; and the _lessons_ we may learn
+from it. Or, to express it more briefly--The Transfiguration--its
+wonders, and its lessons.
+
+There are three wonders to be spoken of, and three lessons to be
+learned from this subject.
+
+_The first wonder is_--THE WONDERFUL CHANGE--that took place in the
+appearance of our Lord on this occasion.
+
+Jesus went up the mountain with his disciples. It was probably at the
+close of one of his busy days that he did this. It would seem from
+St. Luke's account,--chap. ix: 32--that Peter and his companions were
+weary with the day's work, and soon fell asleep. But, while they were
+sleeping, Jesus was praying. And it was while he was engaged in
+prayer that the Transfiguration took place. St. Luke tells us it
+was--"_as he prayed_."
+
+Let us notice now, what the different evangelists tell us about this
+change. St. Matthew says--"He was transfigured before them: and his
+face 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 no
+fuller"--one who cleans, or whitens cloth--"on earth can white them."
+St. Luke says--"As he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was
+altered, and his raiment was white and glistening."
+
+These are the different accounts we have of this surprising scene. If
+the disciples had been awake when this marvellous change began to
+take place, we cannot for a moment suppose that they would have gone
+to sleep while the heavens must have seemed to be opening above them
+and this blaze of glory was shining around them. They were, no doubt,
+asleep when the transfiguration began. And, as we know that the
+taking of an ordinary light into the room where persons are asleep
+will often awaken them, it is not surprising that the disciples
+should have been aroused from their slumber by the flood of light and
+glory that was beaming round their Master then. How surprised they
+must have been when they opened their eyes on that scene! They would
+never forget it as long as they lived. It was more than half a
+century after this when St. John wrote his gospel; and it was, no
+doubt, to this scene that he referred when he said, in speaking of
+Jesus;--"_we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of
+the Father_" St. John i: 14. And, not long before his death, St.
+Peter thus refers to it:--"We were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For
+he received from God the Father, honor and glory, when there came
+such a voice from the excellent glory, saying, This is my beloved Son
+in whom I am well pleased." II. Pet. i: 16, 17.
+
+One object for which this wonderful transfiguration of our Lord took
+place was, no doubt, to give to the disciples then, and to the
+followers of Jesus in all coming time, an idea of what his glory now
+is in heaven, and of what it will be when he shall come again in his
+kingdom. He had told his disciples about his sufferings and death,
+and the shame and dishonor connected with them; and here, as if to
+counterbalance that, he wished to give them a glimpse of the glory
+that is to shine around him forever.
+
+How wonderful it must have seemed to the astonished disciples! When
+they had last looked on their Master, before going to sleep, they had
+seen him as "the man of sorrows," in his plain everyday dress, such
+as they themselves wore: but, when they looked on him again, as they
+awoke from their sleep, they saw his face shining as the sun, and his
+raiment dazzling in its snowy whiteness.
+
+To what may we compare this wonderful change? Suppose you have before
+you the bulbous root of the lily plant. You look at it carefully, but
+there is nothing attractive about it. How rough and unsightly it
+appears! You close your eyes upon it for a brief space. You open them
+again. But what a change has taken place! That plain-homely looking
+bulb has disappeared, and in its place there stands before you the
+lily plant. It has reached its mature growth. Its flower is fully
+developed and blooming in all its matchless beauty! What a marvellous
+change that would be! And yet it would be but a feeble illustration
+of the more wonderful change that took place in our Saviour at his
+transfiguration.
+
+Here is another illustration. Suppose we are looking at the western
+sky, towards the close of day. Great masses of dark clouds are
+covering all that part of the heavens. They are but common clouds.
+There is nothing attractive or interesting about them. We do not care
+to 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 has
+thrown his glorious beams upon them. How changed they now appear! All
+that was commonplace and unattractive about them is gone. How they
+glow and sparkle! Gold, and purple, and all the colors of the rainbow
+are blending, how beautifully there! Are these the same dull clouds
+that we looked upon a few moments before? Yes; but they have been
+transfigured. A wonderful change has come over them. And here we have
+an illustration of our Lord's transfiguration. The first wonder about
+this incident in his life is the wonderful change which took place in
+his appearance then.
+
+_The second wonder about the transfiguration is_--THE WONDERFUL
+COMPANY--_that appeared with our Saviour then_.
+
+At the close of his temptation in the wilderness, Jesus had some
+wonderful 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 had
+more company of the same kind; for we read that--"_there appeared
+unto 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 time
+of his Transfiguration. No: but we read that, "there appeared unto
+him Moses, and Elias," or Elijah. And if we ask why did not the
+angels come to him now, as they did on other occasions? Why did these
+distinguished persons, of the Old Testament history, come from heaven
+to visit him in place of the angels? It is easy enough to answer
+these questions. This transfiguration of Christ took place, as he
+himself tells us, in order to give his disciples a view of the glory
+that will attend him when he shall come in his kingdom. When he shall
+appear, on that occasion, all his people will come with him. Those
+who shall have died before he comes will be raised from the dead and
+come with him, in their glorious resurrection bodies. And those who
+shall be living when he comes will, as St. Paul tells us,--"_be
+changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye_"--I. Cor. xv: 52,
+53--and have beautiful, glorified bodies, like the bodies of those
+who have been raised from the dead. And both these classes of
+Christ's people were represented by the distinguished persons who
+formed the company that appeared with Jesus at the Transfiguration.
+Moses had been in heaven nearly fifteen hundred years when this scene
+took place. He had died, as other men do, and had been buried. It is
+supposed by many wise and good men that his body had been raised from
+the dead, that he might appear in it on this occasion. And thus Moses
+represented all the dead in Christ, who will be raised to life again
+at 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. Paul
+tells us that bodies of flesh and blood, like ours, cannot enter
+heaven. I. Cor. xv: 50. They must be changed, and made fit for that
+blessed place. And so, we know, that as Elijah went up to heaven, in
+his chariot of fire, the same wonderful change must have passed over
+his body which we have seen will take place with those of Christ's
+people who shall be living on the earth when he comes again.
+
+Jesus was transfigured that we might know how he himself will appear
+when he comes in his kingdom. And Moses and Elias "appeared with him
+in glory," to show us how the people of Christ will appear when they
+enter with him into his kingdom. And this was a good reason why these
+very persons, and not the angels, should have formed the company that
+came to visit our Saviour on the Mount of Transfiguration. It was
+wonderful company indeed that waited on Jesus then. But, it was a
+wonderful occasion. None like it had ever occurred before; none like
+it has ever occurred since; and none like it will ever occur again
+till Jesus shall come in the glory of his heavenly kingdom. The
+second wonder of the Transfiguration was the wonderful company.
+
+_The third wonder connected with this great event was_--THE WONDERFUL
+CONVERSATION--_that took place between Jesus and his visitors_.
+
+All the three evangelists, who tell of the Transfiguration, speak of
+this conversation. St. Matthew and St. Mark merely state the fact
+that Moses and Elias "were talking with Jesus;" but they do not tell
+us the subject of the conversation, or what it was about which they
+talked. But St. Luke supplies what they leave out. He says, "_they
+spake of his decease, which he should accomplish at Jerusalem_" This
+means that they talked about the death upon the cross which he was to
+suffer. And when we remember that these great and good men had just
+come down from heaven, where God, the loving Father of Jesus dwells,
+and where all the holy angels are; and that this was the only time
+when they were to be present with Jesus, and have an opportunity of
+talking with him, during all his life on earth, we may wonder why
+they did not choose some more pleasant subject of conversation. And
+yet they did not make a mistake. God the Father had sent them from
+heaven to meet his beloved Son on this occasion. And, no doubt, he
+had told them what subject they were to talk about, and what they
+were to say to Jesus, on that subject. And then they knew very well
+how Jesus felt about this matter. And painful as the death upon the
+cross would be, they knew it was the nearest of all things to the
+heart of Jesus. It was the will of his Father that he should die on
+the cross, and it was the delight of his heart--the very joy of his
+soul to do his Father's will. And here we learn the unspeakable
+importance of the death of Christ. The apostle Paul was showing his
+sense of its importance when he said, "God forbid that I should
+glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus." Gal. vi: 14. He puts the
+word "_cross_" of Christ, for the death of Christ, but it means the
+same thing.
+
+Some one has compared the cross of Christ to a key of gold, that
+opens the gate of heaven to us, if we believe in Jesus; but if we
+refuse 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 the
+cross and desired to know its power. When he was sick and near his
+end, he told his servants to make him a large wooden cross, and lay
+it down in his chamber. When this was done, he said--"Take me now and
+lay me on the cross, and let me die there." As he lay there dying he
+looked 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 thus
+he died. It was not that wooden cross that saved him; but the death
+of Christ, on the cross to which he was nailed--the death of which
+Moses and Elias talked with him, that saved this heathen man. They
+knew what a blessing his death would be to the world, and _this_ was
+why they talked about this death. Here is one of Bonar's beautiful
+hymns which speaks sweetly of the blessedness and comfort to be found
+in 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 flow
+out 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 to
+Jesus, amidst the glory of his Transfiguration, the subject, above
+all others, about which they desired to talk with him--was his death
+upon the cross,--"his decease, which he should accomplish at
+Jerusalem."
+
+These are the three great wonders of the Transfiguration--the
+wonderful change--the wonderful company--and the wonderful
+conversation.
+
+And this brings us to the second part of our subject, which is--_the
+three 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 us
+what we may hope to be hereafter, if we are the servants of Christ.
+We are told how Jesus appeared on this occasion. His glory is
+described. The brightness and glory that shone around him exceeded
+that of the noonday sun. But there is no particular description given
+Moses and Elias. We are not told how they looked. It is only said of
+them that--"they appeared in _glory_." St Luke ix: 31. I suppose the
+meaning of this is that they shared in the glory which Jesus himself
+had when he was transfigured. Their raiment was as white as his; and
+the same brightness and beauty beamed forth from their faces which
+made his so glorious. They shared their Master's glory. And, if we
+are loving, and serving Jesus, this is what we may hope to share
+with him hereafter. This is what we are taught to pray for in the
+beautiful Collect for the sixth Sunday after the Epiphany. These are
+the words of that prayer: "O God, whose blessed Son was manifested
+that he might make us the sons of God, and heirs of eternal life;
+Grant us, we beseech thee, that having this hope, we may purify
+ourselves, even as he is pure; that when he shall appear again, with
+power and great glory, _we may be made like unto him in his eternal
+and glorious kingdom;_ where, with thee, O Father, and thee, O Holy
+Ghost, he liveth and reigneth, ever One God, world without end.
+Amen."
+
+And it is right to offer such a prayer as this, because the Bible
+teaches us to hope for this great glory. How well a hope like this
+may be called "_a hope that maketh not ashamed_," Rom. v: 5; "_a good
+hope through grace_," II. Thess. ii: 16; "that _blessed hope_," Tit.
+ii: 13; "_a lively hope_," I. Peter i: 3. And how well it may be
+spoken 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 the
+storms of life are bursting upon it! Moses and Elias appeared with
+Jesus at his Transfiguration, and shared his glory on purpose to
+teach us this lesson of hope, and to show us what we shall be
+hereafter. We shall be as glorious as Jesus was on the Mount of
+Transfiguration! This seems something too great and too good to be
+true. But no matter how great, or how good it is--_it is true_. Jesus
+taught this lesson of hope when he said--speaking of the time when he
+shall come in his kingdom, "_Then shall the righteous shine forth as
+the sun in the kingdom of their Father_," St. Matt, xiii: 43. He
+taught 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, I
+have given them_," St. John xvii: 21. And the apostle John taught us
+the same lesson, when he said,--"We know that when he shall appear
+_we shall be like him_," I. John iii: 2. These sweet passages make
+this lesson of hope very sure. And this is just the way in which we
+are made sure about other things we have not seen.
+
+"How we Know There is a Heaven." A Sunday-school teacher was talking
+to one of her scholars about heaven and the glory we shall have when
+we reach that blessed place. He was a bright boy, about nine or ten
+years old, named Charlie. After listening to her for awhile, he said:
+"But you have never been there, Miss D., and how do you know there
+really is any such place?"
+
+"Charlie," said the teacher, "you have never been to London; how do
+you know there is such a city?"
+
+"O, I know that very well," said Charlie, "because my father is
+there; 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 he
+has sent me a letter, telling me about the glory of heaven, and about
+the way to get there. The Bible is God's letter."
+
+"Yes, I see," said Charlie, after thinking awhile, "there must be a
+heaven, if you have got such a nice long letter from there."
+
+The lesson of hope is the first lesson taught us by the
+Transfiguration.
+
+_The next lesson taught us here is_--THE LESSON
+
+OF INSTRUCTION.
+
+The great event of the Transfiguration took place in our Saviour's
+life for _this_ reason, among others, that we might learn from it
+_how we are to think of Christ_. While the disciples were gazing on
+the glory of that scene, and on the distinguished visitors who were
+there, there came a cloud and overshadowed them. This cloud, we may
+suppose, was like a curtain round Moses and Elias, hiding them from
+the view of the disciples. And, as Jesus in his glory was left alone
+for them to gaze upon, there came a voice from the overshadowing
+cloud, saying--"_This is my beloved Son; in whom I am well
+pleased_." This was the voice of God, the Father. It spoke out on
+this occasion to teach the disciples then, and you and me now, and
+all God's people in every age, what to think about Christ. God, the
+Father, tells us here what he thinks about him; and we must learn to
+think of him in the same way. His will, his command is that "_all men
+should 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 this
+occasion to add to the honor of Christ. And then they disappeared, as
+if to show that they were nothing in comparison with him. He is the
+greatest and the best of all beings. He must be first. Prophets and
+priests, and kings, and angels even, are as nothing to him. We must
+love him--and honor him above all others. The words of the hymn we so
+often 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 Emperor
+Theodosius the Great which illustrates very well how we should honor
+Christ. There were at that time two great parties in the church. One
+of these believed and taught the divinity of Christ--or that he is
+equal to God the Father. The other party, called Arians, believed and
+taught that Christ was not divine; and that he was not to be honored
+and worshiped as God. The Emperor Theodosius favored this latter
+party. When his son, Arcadius, was about sixteen years old, his
+father determined to make him a sharer of his throne, and passed a
+law that his son should receive the same respect and honor that were
+due to himself. And, in connection with this event, an incident
+occurred which led the emperor to see how wrong the view was which he
+held respecting the character of Christ, and to give it up. When
+Arcadius was proclaimed the partner of his father in the empire, the
+officers of the government, and other prominent persons, called on
+the emperor in his palace, to congratulate him on the occasion, and
+to pay their respects to his son.
+
+Among those who thus came, was a celebrated bishop of the church. He
+was very decided in the views he held about the real divinity of
+Christ, and very much opposed to all who denied this divinity.
+
+Coming into the presence of the emperor, the bishop paid his respects
+to him, in the most polite and proper manner. Then he was about to
+retire from the palace, without taking any special notice of the
+emperor's son. This made the father angry. He said to the bishop, "Do
+you take no notice of my son? Have you not heard that I have made him
+a partner with myself in the government of the empire?"
+
+The good old bishop made no reply to this, but going to Arcadius, he
+laid his hand on his head, saying, as he did so--"The Lord bless
+thee, my son!" and was again turning to retire.
+
+Even this did not satisfy the emperor, who asked, in a tone of
+surprise and displeasure, "Is _this_ all the respect you pay to a
+prince whom I have made equal in dignity with myself?"
+
+With great warmth the bishop answered--"Does your majesty resent so
+highly my apparent neglect of your son, because I do not treat him
+with equal honor to yourself? What, then, must the _Eternal God_--the
+King of heaven--think of you, who refuse to render to his only
+begotten Son, the honor and the worship that he claims for him?"
+
+This had such an effect upon the emperor that he changed his views on
+this subject, and ever afterwards took part with those who
+acknowledged the divinity of Christ, and honored the Son, even as
+they honored the Father.
+
+And so we see that the second lesson taught by the Transfiguration
+was the _lesson of instruction_. We must learn to think of Christ as
+the Father in heaven thinks of him.
+
+_And then there is_--A LESSON OF DUTY--_that comes to us from this
+Transfiguration scene_.
+
+We are taught this lesson by the last two words that were spoken, by
+the voice which the apostles heard from the cloud that overshadowed
+them. These are the words:--"_Hear Him."_ "This is my beloved Son, in
+whom I am well pleased: _Hear Him_." This is God's command to every
+one of us. To hear Jesus, means to listen attentively to what he has
+to say, and to do it. And what does Jesus say to us? He says many
+things. But the most important thing he has to say to the young, is
+what we find in St. Matt, vi: 33: "_Seek ye_ FIRST _the kingdom of
+God_." This means that we must give our hearts to Jesus, and serve
+him while we are young. We must do this _first_,--before we do
+anything else. We cannot hear or obey Jesus in anything, till we hear
+and obey him in this. And there are three good reasons why we should
+do this.
+
+We should "hear him" because there is _safety_ in it. We are exposed
+to dangers every day, and nothing will so help to keep us safe in the
+midst of these dangers as hearing Jesus, and doing what he tells us
+to 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 were
+greatly frightened. They screamed, and left their places, and began
+to rush to the windows and stairs. The stairway leading to the door
+was soon choked up; and although the fire never reached the
+school-house, many of the children had their limbs broken and were
+bruised and wounded in other ways.
+
+But there was one little girl who remained quietly in her seat
+during all this excitement. When the alarm was over, and the wounded
+children had been taken home, and order was restored in the school,
+the teacher asked this little girl why she sat still in her seat, and
+did not rush towards the door, as the other girls had done.
+
+"My father is a fireman," she said, "and he has always told me that
+if ever there was a cry of fire when I was in school, I must remain
+quiet in my seat, for that was the safest way. I was dreadfully
+frightened; but I knew that what father had told me was best; and so
+I sat still, while the others were running to the door." This little
+girl _heard_ her father. She minded him. She did what he told her to
+do, and she found safety in doing so. And if we "_hear him_" of whom
+the voice from the Mount of Transfiguration speaks to us--we shall
+find safety from many a danger.
+
+We ought to learn this lesson of duty, and "hear him," because there
+is _success_ in it.
+
+In old times, when the racers were running in the public games, if a
+man wished to be successful in the race, it was necessary for him to
+fix his eye on the prize, at the end of the race-course, and keep it
+fixed there till he reached the end. No one could have any success in
+racing who did not do this.
+
+Here is an incident about some boys at play that illustrates the
+point 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 of
+the new fallen snow. It was too dry for snowballing, and was not deep
+enough for coasting; so they thought they would improve the occasion
+by playing at making tracks in the snow.
+
+There was a large meadow near by, with a grand old oak tree standing
+in the centre of it. The boys gathered round the tree, and stood, on
+opposite sides, each one with his back against the tree. At a given
+signal they were to start, and walk to the fence opposite to each of
+them; and then return to the tree, and see which had made the
+straightest track.
+
+The signal was given. They started. They reached the fence, and
+returned to the tree. "Now, boys, who has made the straightest
+track?" said one of the boys, named James Allison.
+
+"Henry Armstrong's is the only one that is straight at all," said
+Thomas Sanders.
+
+"I don't see how we all contrived to go so crooked, when the meadow
+is so smooth, and there is nothing to turn us out of the way," said
+one 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 tree
+on the other side of the fence towards which I was to walk, and never
+looked away from it till I reached the fence."
+
+The other boys were walking without any particular aim in view. No
+wonder that their walk was crooked. After the apostle Paul became a
+Christian, he made one of the straightest tracks through this world
+to heaven that ever was made. And he made it in just the same way in
+which Harry Armstrong made his straight track through that meadow. We
+have seen what Harry said of his track through the snow; now see what
+St. Paul says of the way in which he made his straight track through
+this world to heaven. _This_ is what he says:
+
+"One thing I do; forgetting those things which are behind, and
+reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the
+mark, 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 the
+ancient games, when he fixed his eye on the prize and pressed right
+forward till he reached it. And it was just what Harry Armstrong did
+in his play. He fixed his eye on the big pine tree and never turned
+to the right hand or to the left till he reached it. The apostle Paul
+fixed his eye on Jesus, and made a straight track through the world
+till he reached the glorious heaven where Jesus dwells. And, in doing
+this, the great apostle was only practising the lesson of duty taught
+by the voice that speaks from the Transfiguration scene. "_Hear
+him_," 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 as
+safety and success.
+
+David says, when speaking of God's commands, "In keeping of them
+there is _great reward,"_ Ps. xix: 11. This is true of all God's
+commands; and it is especially true of the command we are now
+considering--"Hear him."
+
+Samuel obeyed this command, and it made him a blessing and an honor
+to the nation of Israel. David obeyed it, and it made him one of the
+greatest and most successful kings. Daniel obeyed it, and it covered
+him with honor, and made him a blessing to his own nation, and to the
+church of Christ in every age.
+
+"The Reward of Obedience." Here is an Eastern story which illustrates
+this point of our subject. The story says there was once an enchanted
+hill. On the top of this hill a great treasure was hidden. This
+treasure was put there to be the reward of any one who should reach
+the top of the hill without looking behind him. The command and the
+promise given to every young person who set out to climb that hill,
+were--do not look behind you, and that treasure shall be yours. But
+there was a threat added to the command and promise. The threat was,
+if you look behind, you will be turned into a stone. Many young
+persons started, to try and gain the prize. But the way to the top of
+the hill led them through beautiful groves, which covered the side of
+the hill. In these groves were birds singing sweetly, and sounds of
+music were heard, and melodious voices inviting those who passed by
+to stop and rest awhile. One after another of those who set out for
+the prize at the top of the hill would stop, and look round to see
+where the voices came from; and immediately they were turned into
+stones. "Hence," says the story, "in a little while the hillside was
+covered with stones, into which those had been turned who neglected
+the command given them when they started."
+
+Of course there never was such a hill as this. But the story gives us
+a good illustration. Our life may well be compared to such a hill.
+The treasure, on the top of it, represents the reward that awaits us
+in heaven, if we serve God faithfully. The songs, and the voices,
+from the groves, on the hillside, represent the temptations that
+surround us in our daily paths. The lesson of duty that comes to us
+from the Transfiguration scene--"Hear him"--is the only thing that
+can preserve us from these temptations. If we hear Jesus when he says
+to us--"follow me;" if we give him our hearts and walk in his way, he
+will carry us through all temptations; he will bring us safely to the
+top of the hill; and the reward laid up there will be ours. Let us
+learn this lesson of duty, because there is safety in it; there is
+success in it; there is profit in it.
+
+And so we have spoken of two things in connection with the
+Transfiguration; these are the wonders that attended it, and the
+lessons taught by it. The wonders are three--the wonderful
+change--the wonderful company--and the wonderful conversation; and
+the lessons are three--the lesson of hope--the lesson of
+instruction--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 The
+Last Supper. Between these two events in our Saviour's life, how many
+interesting incidents took place! How many important sayings that
+fell from his gracious lips during this period are written for our
+instruction by the four evangelists! There is, for instance, the
+beautiful lesson about what it is on which the value of our gifts
+depend. He taught this lesson when he saw the rich casting their
+gifts into the treasury. Among them came "a certain poor widow,
+casting in two mites. And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that
+this poor widow hath cast in more than they all;--for she of her
+penury hath cast in all the living she had," Luke xxi: 1-4. But, from
+among all these, we have only room for one chapter. A dozen, or
+twenty chapters would be needed on this part of the life of Christ.
+Where there are so many that might be taken, it has been very
+difficult to decide which is the best. In deciding this matter, I do
+not think we could do better than join the company of the three
+favored disciples, Peter, John, and James, and go, in thought with
+them, as they followed their Master from his last visit to the temple
+in Jerusalem, up to the top of the Mount of Olives. There Jesus took
+his seat, and his disciples sat around him, anxious to ask him some
+questions about what he had said to them in the temple. We read in
+St. Mark xiii: 1-2, that as he was going out of the temple the
+disciples called his attention to the beauty of that sacred building
+and the great size and splendor of some of the stones that were in
+it. Then Jesus pointed to that great building, and told them that the
+time was coming when it would be destroyed, and "there should not be
+left one stone upon another that should not be thrown down." This
+filled the minds of the disciples with surprise and wonder. They
+supposed that their temple would last as long as the world stood.
+They thought that it was the end of the world of which Jesus was
+speaking; and they were very anxious that he should tell them
+something more about it. And so, as soon as they were seated around
+him, on the Mount of Olives, they said, "Tell us, when shall these
+things be? and what shall be the sign, when all these things shall be
+fulfilled?" St. Mark xii: 4.
+
+And now, we may imagine ourselves sitting with Jesus and his
+disciples on the Mount of Olives. As we look down we see the city of
+Jerusalem spread out beneath our feet. We see its walls, and its
+palaces. And there, just before us, outshining everything in its
+beauty, is that sacred temple, that was "forty and six years in
+building." Its white marble walls, its golden spires, and pinnacles,
+are sparkling in the beams of the sun, as they shine upon them. No
+wonder 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 the
+twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth chapters of St. Matthew. In the first
+of these chapters, Jesus gave them a sign, by which those who learn
+to understand what he here says, might know when his second coming is
+to take place. These are some of the lessons from Olivet. I should
+like, very much, to stop and talk about them. But this cannot be
+now. We pass over to the twenty-fifth chapter of St. Matthew. In this
+chapter we have three of our Saviour's parables. These are very
+solemn and instructive. They all refer to the judgment that must take
+place when Jesus shall come into our world again. The second of these
+parables is the one we are now to consider. It is called--"The
+Parable of the Talents." We find it in St. Matt, xxv: 14-30. And _the
+lessons from Olivet_, which we are now to try and learn, are all
+drawn from the words of our Saviour, contained in the verses just
+mentioned.
+
+This, then, is our present subject--_The Lessons from Olivet_. And
+there _four_ lessons, in this part of our Saviour's discourse, of
+which we are now to speak. _The first is--the lesson about the
+Master. The second--the lesson about the servants. The third is--the
+lesson about the talents; and the fourth, the lesson about the
+rewards_.
+
+_The lesson about_--THE MASTER--_is the first thing of which we are
+to speak_.
+
+In the 14th verse of this 25th chapter of St. Matthew, Jesus speaks
+of himself as--"a man travelling into a far country,"--and of his
+people as--"his own servants." In the 19th verse he speaks of himself
+as "the lord of those servants, coming back, after a long time, to
+reckon 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 a
+kingdom, and to return." This language was borrowed from a custom
+that prevailed in those days. The headquarters of the government of
+the world then was in the city of Rome. The kings and rulers of
+different countries received their appointments to the offices they
+held from the Roman Emperor. Archelaus, the son of Herod, succeeded
+his father as king of Judea. But, it was necessary for him to go to
+Rome and get permission from the emperor to hold and exercise that
+office. He had done this, not very long before our Saviour applied to
+himself the words we are now considering. This was a fact well known.
+And this is the illustration which Jesus here uses in reference to
+himself. He is the Head--the Prince--the Lord--the Master of all
+things 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 to
+heaven, as Archelaus went to Rome, "to receive for himself a kingdom
+and to return." He said he would be absent "a long time," verse 19.
+And this is true. He has been absent more than eighteen hundred
+years. He said he would "return," or come again. And so he will. It
+is just as certain that he will come again as it is that he went
+away. And he will come, not in figure, or in spirit, but in person,
+as he went. Remember what the angels said about this to his
+disciples, at the time of his departure. "Ye men of Galilee, why
+stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken from
+you into heaven, shall _so come, in like manner_ as ye have seen him
+go 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 our
+Lord and Master. No master ever had such a right to be Lord and Ruler
+as he has. God the Father has appointed him to be "Head over all
+things 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 our
+Master because he _preserves_ us. We cannot keep ourselves for a
+single 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 with
+the price of his own precious blood. He made our hands to work for
+him; and our feet to walk in his ways. He made our hearts to love
+him;--our minds to think about him; our eyes to see the beauty of his
+wondrous works, our ears to listen to his gracious words, and our
+lips and tongues to be employed in speaking and singing his praises.
+
+We cannot be our own masters. "I am my own master!"--said a young
+man, proudly, to a friend who was trying to persuade him from doing a
+wrong thing; "I am my own master!"
+
+"That's impossible," said his friend. "You can not be master of
+yourself, unless you are master of everything within, and everything
+around you. Look within. There is your conscience to keep clear, and
+your heart to make pure, your temper to govern, your will to control,
+and your judgment to instruct. And then look without. There are
+storms, and seasons; accidents, and dangers; a world full of evil men
+and evil spirits. What can you do with these? And yet, if you don't
+master 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 sure
+I should fail, if I did. Saul, the first king of Israel, wanted to be
+his own master, and failed. So did Herod. So did Judas. No man can be
+his own master. 'One is your Master, even Christ,' says the apostle.
+I work under his direction. He is my regulator, and when he is Master
+all goes right. Think of these words,--'_He is your Master even
+Christ_.' If we put ourselves under his leadership we shall surely
+win at last."
+
+And as we cannot be our own master, if we refuse to take Christ as
+our Ruler, there is nothing left for us but to have Satan as our
+master. These are the only two masters we can have. We must make our
+choice between them. If Jesus is not our Master, Satan must be. If
+Jesus is our Master here, he will share his glory with us hereafter.
+If we serve Satan here, we must share his punishment hereafter. This
+is one of the solemn lessons that Jesus taught on Olivet. He is
+speaking of the day of judgment. He represents himself as on the
+judgment-seat. Two great companies are before him. On his right hand
+are those who took him for their Master. To them he says--"Come, ye
+blessed 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 awful
+words he speaks to them are:--"Depart from, ye cursed, into
+everlasting 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 of
+means Jesus, our blessed Master. And now the question is--who are
+meant by "his own servants?" He has three kinds of servants. The
+first kind is made up of those who serve him _ignorantly_. This takes
+in all those things that have no knowledge or understanding. There,
+for instance are the sun,--the moon,--the stars,--the mountains,--the
+hills,--the plains,--the valleys,--the rivers,--the seas,--the wind
+that blows,--the rains that descend,--and the dews that distil; these
+all serve God, without knowing it. He made them to serve him, and
+they do it; but they do it ignorantly. "His kingdom _ruleth over
+all_," and it makes all these things his servants. They do exactly
+what 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 wicked
+men, and the wicked spirits who are to be found anywhere. They do not
+wish to serve God, and yet, in spite of themselves, they are obliged
+to do it. We see this illustrated, when we think of the way in which
+the crucifixion of our blessed Saviour was brought about. Satan
+stirred up the Jews to take Jesus and put him to death. God allowed
+them to do it. They did it of their own choice--as freely, and as
+voluntarily, as they ever did anything in their lives. They did it
+because they hated him, and wished to get him out of their way. So
+they nailed him to the cross in their malice and their rage. This was
+the very thing God had determined should be done, that he might save
+and bless the world. He allowed Satan, and the Jews, to do just what
+their wicked hearts prompted them to do; and then he overruled it for
+good. And, in this way, as David says, he "makes the wrath of man to
+praise him, and the remainder of it he restrains." And thus we see
+how 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 speaks
+of them, in this parable as "_his own_ servants." When they find out
+what he has done for them, the thought of it fills their hearts with
+love; and then they desire to serve him, and do all he tells them to
+do, in order to show their love to him. And this is what Jesus means
+when he says--"Take my yoke upon you; for my yoke is easy, and my
+burden is light," When we really love a person, anything that we can
+do for that person is easy and pleasant to us. And so it is the great
+love for Jesus, that his people have, which makes his yoke easy, and
+his burden light to them.
+
+"How to Become a Willing Servant to Jesus." A little boy came to his
+grandmother one day, and asked her how he could become a Christian.
+She answered very simply, "Ask Jesus to give you a new heart, _and
+believe he does it when you ask him_."
+
+"Is that all?" said the little fellow joyfully; "oh! that is easy
+enough." So he went to his room, and kneeling beside his bed, asked
+Jesus to give him a new heart. He believed that the dear Saviour,
+who loves little children, did hear and answer his prayer. And he
+left his room with a happy heart, for he felt sure that he was now
+one of Christ's own loving children, and willing servants. And this
+is the way in which we must take the yoke of Jesus upon us, and
+become his willing servants. And then in everything that we do we can
+be serving him. As St. Paul says--"whether we eat or drink, or
+whatsoever we do, we can do all to the glory of God."
+
+A good man once said "that if God should send two angels down from
+heaven, and should tell one of them to sit on a throne and rule a
+kingdom, and the other to sweep the streets of a city, the latter
+would feel that he was serving God as acceptably in handling his
+broom as his brother angel was in holding his sceptre. And this is
+true. 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 finest
+wheat." "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 useful
+when I turn out the finest flour than when I turn out the coarsest
+meal. My honor is, not in doing fine work, but in doing any thing
+that is given me to do in the best way that I can." That is true. And
+this is just the way in which Jesus wishes us to serve him when he
+says to "_his own_ servants," "Occupy till I come." This means serve
+me, in everything, as you would do if you saw me standing by your
+side.
+
+"How to Serve God." Willie's mother let him go with his little sister
+into the street to play. She told them not to go off the street on
+which their house stood. Willie was a little fellow, and lisped very
+much in talking; but he was brave, and he was obedient. Presently his
+sister asked him to go into another street; but he refused. "Mamma
+thaid no," was Willie's answer. "The thaid we muthn't do off thith
+threet," said Willie in his lisping way. "Only just a little way
+round 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 thuch
+a mean thing; and I won't!" And Willie straightened himself, and
+stood up like a man. That was brave and beautiful in Willie. And that
+is 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 his
+baby brother in a child's carriage. "My little man," said the
+gentleman, "what are you doing to serve God?" The little fellow
+stopped a moment, and then, looking up into the gentleman's face, he
+said:--"Why, you see, Sir, I'm trying to make baby happy, so that he
+won't worry mamma who is sick." That was a noble answer. In trying to
+amuse his baby brother, and to relieve his poor sick mother, that
+little boy was serving God as truly and as acceptably as the angel
+Gabriel does when he wings his way, on a mission of mercy, to some
+far off world.
+
+And this is the lesson about the servants that comes to us from
+Olivet.
+
+_The lesson about_--THE TALENTS--_is the third lesson that comes to
+us from Olivet_.
+
+This parable tells us that before the Master went away, he "called
+his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. Unto one he gave
+five talents, to another two, to another one; to every man according
+to his several ability." verses 14, 15, In St. Luke's account of the
+parable, what the master gave to his servants is spoken of as
+_pounds_, and each servant is said to have received one pound. These
+talents or pounds both mean the same thing. They denote something
+with which we can do good, and make ourselves useful. And it is
+plain, from both these parables, that the Master gave at least _one_
+talent, or one pound, to each of his servants. None of them were left
+without some portion of their Master's goods. And the lesson from
+Olivet 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 expects
+us to use for him. And the most important thing for us is to find out
+what our talents are, and how we can best use them, so as to be ready
+to give a good account of them when our Master comes to reckon with
+us.
+
+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 over
+them. He was laid away, in one of the beds of a hospital, to die. On
+the next cot to him was another little fellow, of the same class, who
+had been picked up, sick with the fever which comes from hunger and
+want. The latter boy crept close up to his poor suffering companion
+and 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 that
+Jesus would take us up to heaven when we die, if we axed him; and
+we'd never have any more hunger or pain."
+
+"But I couldn't ax such a great gentleman as he is to do anything for
+me. 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 could
+I 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 might
+come round to this hospital this very night? You'd know him if you
+was to see him."
+
+"But I can't keep my eyes open. My legs feels awful bad. Doctor says
+I'll die."
+
+"Bobby, hold up yer hand, and he'll know what you want, when he
+passes by." They got the hand up; but it dropped. They tried it
+again, and it slowly fell back. Three times they got up the little
+hand, only to let it fall. Bursting into tears he said, "I give it
+up."
+
+"Bobby," said his tender-hearted companion, "lend me yer hand. Put
+your elbow on my piller: I can do without it." So the hand was
+propped up. And when they came in the morning, the boy lay dead; but
+his hand was still held up for Jesus. And don't you think that he
+heard and answered the silent but eloquent appeal which it made to
+him 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 a
+single talent; but, he made good use of it when he employed it to
+lead that wounded, suffering, dying boy to Jesus.
+
+"Good Friends." "I wish I had some good friends, to help me on in
+life!" cried lazy Dennis, with a yawn.
+
+"Good friends," said his master, "why you've got ten; how many do you
+want?"
+
+"I'm sure I've not half so many; and those I have are too poor to
+help 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 in
+life. Try what those true friends can do, before you go grumbling and
+fretting because you have none to help you."
+
+Now, suppose that we put the word talents, for the word friends, in
+this little story. Then, we may each of us hold our two hands before
+us, and say "here are ten talents, which God has given me to use for
+him. 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 do
+something that made me glad for a week. Indeed it fills my heart with
+tenderness and good feeling whenever I think about it. But let me
+tell you what it was.
+
+"As I was walking along a crowded street I saw an old blind man
+walking on without any one to lead him. He went very slowly, feeling
+his way with his cane.
+
+"'He's walking straight to the highest part of the curb-stone,' said
+I to myself. 'And it's very high too. I wonder if some one won't help
+him 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's
+arm, said:--'Allow me, my friend, to lead you across the street.' By
+this time there were three or four others watching the boy. He not
+only helped the old man over one crossing, but led him over another
+to 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 old
+man. But just see how much farther than that the use of his one
+talent went. The three boys with whom he was playing, and who had
+watched his kind act, were happier and better for it, and felt that
+they must be more careful to do little kindnesses to those about
+them.
+
+"The three or four persons who stopped to watch the boy turned away
+with a tender smile upon their faces, ready to follow the good
+example of that noble boy. I am sure that I felt more gentle and
+loving 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 else
+happy, without feeling better and happier ourselves. To _be_ good and
+to _do_ good, is the way to be happy. This is our mission here in
+this world. Whatever talents our Master has given us, he intends that
+we should use them in this way."
+
+"Tiny's Work for God." Two little girls, Leila and Tiny, were
+sitting, one summer day, under the tree which grew beside their home.
+
+Both children had been quiet for a little while, when suddenly Tiny
+raised her blue eyes and said, "I _am_ so happy, Leila. I do love the
+flowers, and the birdies, and you, and everybody so much." Then she
+added, 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," said
+Leila.
+
+"Yes, but I do want to _do_ something for him--something that would
+give me trouble. Can't you think of anything?"
+
+Leila thought a little, and said, "Perhaps you could print a text
+for the flowers mother sends every week to the sick people in the
+hospital. They are so glad to have the flowers, and then the text
+might help them think about our Father in heaven."
+
+"Oh! thank you, sister, that will be so nice! I will write--'Suffer
+the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not.'"
+
+But Tiny was only a little over four years old, and it was hard for
+her to hold a pen, but she managed to print two letters every day
+till the text was finished. Then she went alone to her room, and
+laying the text on a chair, she kneeled down beside it, and
+said--"Heavenly Father, I have done this for you: please take it from
+Tiny, for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen." And God heard the prayer, for
+he always listens when children truly pray.
+
+So Tiny's text was sent up to London, and a lady put a very pretty
+flower into the card and took it to the hospital. She stopped beside
+a bed where a little boy was lying. His face was almost as white as
+the 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 I
+mind. 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 'ave
+any 'opes for me, and I'm mighty afeard to die."
+
+"If you had a friend who loved you, and you were well, would you be
+afraid 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 all
+your life long. He wants you to trust him, and to go and live with
+him. He will love you always, and you will always be happy."
+
+Then the lady read Tiny's text, "_Suffer the little children to come
+unto me, and forbid them not._" She told him how Jesus had died, and
+then 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 still
+saying "Come," and his hand is still held out to bless.
+
+So Willie turned to the Good Shepherd, and was no longer afraid. A
+few days afterwards he whispered--"Lord Jesus, I am coming;" and he
+died with Tiny's text in his hand.
+
+That little girl used the talent that was given her, and it helped
+to 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 lesson
+about,--the talents.
+
+_The fourth, and last lesson from Olivet is the lesson about_--THE
+REWARDS.
+
+The parable tells us that when the Master came back, and reckoned
+with his servants, he said to each of those who had made a right use
+of his talents:--"Well done, good and faithful servant, thou hast
+been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many
+things; 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 made
+ruler over ten cities; and he who had gained five pounds was made
+ruler over five cities. This shows us that God will reward his
+people, hereafter, according to the degree of faithfulness with which
+each one shall have used the talents given to him. And this is the
+lesson which the apostle Paul teaches us when he says that, "Every
+man 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 life
+when Jesus comes to reckon with them. But those crowns will not be
+all 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 these
+crowns. Some will be simply crowns of gold, or of glory, without any
+gems or jewels to ornament them. Some will have two or three small
+jewels shining in them. But, others again will be full of the most
+beautiful jewels, all glittering and sparkling with glory. And this
+will all depend upon the way in which those who wear these crowns
+used their talents while they were on earth, and the amount of work
+they did for Jesus. There is an incident mentioned in Roman history
+about a soldier, which illustrates this part of our subject very
+well.
+
+"The Faithful Soldier and His Rewards." This man had served forty
+years in the cause of his country--of these, ten years had been spent
+as a private soldier, and thirty as an officer. He had been present
+in one hundred and twenty battles, and had been severely wounded
+forty-five times. He had received fourteen civic crowns, for having
+saved the lives of so many Roman citizens; three mural crowns, for
+having been the first to mount the breach when attacking a fortress;
+and eight golden crowns, for having, on so many occasions, rescued
+the standard of a Roman legion from the hands of the enemy. He had in
+his house eighty-three gold chains, sixty bracelets, eighteen golden
+spears, and twenty-three horse trappings,--the rewards for his many
+faithful services as a soldier. And when his friends looked at all
+those honors and treasures which he had received, from time to time,
+how well they might have said as they pointed to those numerous
+prizes--that he had "received _his own reward_, according to _his own
+labor_," and faithfulness! And so it will be with the soldiers of the
+cross, who are faithful in using the talents given them by their
+heavenly Master.
+
+"A Great Harvest from a Little Seed," Some years ago there was a
+celebrated artist in Paris whose name was Ary Scheffer. On one
+occasion he wished to introduce a beggar into a certain picture he
+was painting. Baron Rothschild, the famous banker, and one of the
+richest men in the world, was a particular friend of this artist. He
+happened to come into his studio at the very time he was trying to
+get a beggar to be the model of one which he desired to put into his
+painting.
+
+"Wait till to-morrow," said Mr. Rothschild, "and I will dress myself
+up as a beggar, and make you an excellent model."
+
+"Very well," said the artist, who was pleased with the strangeness of
+the proposal. The next day the rich banker appeared, dressed up as a
+beggar, and a very sorry looking beggar he was. While the artist was
+engaged in painting him, another friend of his came into the studio.
+He was a kind-hearted, generous man. As he looked on the model
+beggar, he was touched by his wretched appearance, and as he passed
+him, he slipped a louis d'or--a French gold coin, worth about five
+dollars of our money--into his hand. The pretended beggar took the
+coin, and put it in his pocket.
+
+Ten years after this, the gentleman who gave this piece of money
+received an order on the bank of the Rothschilds for ten thousand
+francs. This was enclosed in a letter which read as follows:
+
+"Sir: You one day gave a louis d'or to Baron Rothschild, in the
+studio 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, together
+with the interest it has gained. A good action is always followed by
+a good reward.
+
+"JAMES DE ROTHSCHILD."
+
+In those few years that one gold coin, of twenty francs, had
+increased to ten thousand francs. And this illustrates the way in
+which Jesus the heavenly Master rewards those who use their talents
+for him. See how he teaches this lesson, when he says--"Whosoever
+shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold
+water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall
+in _no wise lose his reward_." St. Matt, x: 42. And in another place
+we are told that the reward shall be "an hundred fold," and shall run
+on into "everlasting life." St. Matt, xix: 29. How sweetly some one
+has 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. And
+taking these lessons together, let us remember that they are--the
+lesson _about the Master_: the lesson _about the servants_: the
+lesson _about the talents_: and the lesson _about the rewards_.
+
+The Collect for the thirteenth Sunday after Trinity is a very
+suitable prayer to offer after meditating on the lessons from Olivet:
+
+"Almighty and merciful God, of whose only gift it cometh that thy
+faithful people do unto thee true and laudable service: Grant, we
+beseech thee, that we may so faithfully serve thee in this life, that
+we fail not finally to attain thy heavenly promises; which exceed all
+that 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 week
+has 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 first
+and true meaning of the word, and of the Latin word from which it
+comes, is--suffering. And this is the sense in which we find the word
+used in Acts i: 3. There, St. Luke, who wrote the Acts, is speaking
+of Christ's appearing to the apostles, after his resurrection, and he
+uses 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 the
+interesting things that Jesus did was to keep the Jewish Passover for
+the last time with his disciples. This Passover feast had been kept
+by the Jews every year for nearly fifteen hundred years. It was the
+most solemn religious service they had. It was first observed by
+them in the night on which their nation was delivered from the
+bondage of Egypt and began their march towards the promised land of
+Canaan. We read about the establishment of this solemn service in
+Exodus, twelfth chapter. The first Passover took place on the
+fourteenth day of the month Nisan. This had been the seventh month of
+the year with the Jews. But God directed them to take it for their
+first month ever afterwards. They were to begin their year with that
+month. Every family was to choose out a lamb for themselves, on the
+tenth day of the month. They were to keep it to the fourteenth day of
+the 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 and
+upper lintels of every door. They were to roast the lamb and eat it,
+with solemn religious services. And, while they were doing this, the
+angel of the Lord was to pass over all the land of Egypt, and, with
+his unseen sword, to smite and kill the first-born, or eldest child,
+in every family, from Pharaoh on his throne to the poorest beggar in
+the land. But the blood, sprinkled on the door-posts of the houses in
+which the Israelites dwelt, was to save them from the stroke of the
+angel 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. He
+gave one stroke with his dreadful sword--and there was a death in
+every Egyptian family. But in the blood-sprinkled dwellings of the
+Israelites, 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 not
+surprising that the children of Israel, through all their
+generations, should have kept that Passover feast with great
+interest--an interest that never died out, from age to age. Nor do we
+wonder that our blessed Saviour looked forward longingly to the
+occasion when, for the last time, he was to celebrate this Passover
+with his disciples. As they began the feast he said to them, "With
+desire 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 this
+strong desire. Without attempting to tell what all those reasons
+were, we can readily think of some things which would lead him, very
+naturally, to have this feeling. It was the last time he was to eat
+this 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 suffer
+and die; to rise from the dead, and then go home to his Father in
+heaven.
+
+This Passover had been one of the services established and kept for
+the purpose of pointing the attention of men to himself as the Lamb
+of God who was to take away the sins of the world. And now, the time
+had come when all that had thus been pointed out concerning him, for
+so many hundred years, was about to be fulfilled. He, the one true
+Lamb 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 church
+would take its place. And then the blessings of true religion,
+instead of being confined to one single nation, would be freely
+offered to all nations; and Jews and Gentiles alike, would be at
+liberty 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 eat
+this last Passover with his disciples. In each of the four gospels we
+have an account of what took place when the time came for keeping
+this Passover. What is said concerning it we find in the following
+places: St. Matt xxi: 17-30, St. Mark xiv: 12-26, St. Luke xxii:
+7-39. St. John begins with the thirteenth chapter, and ends his
+account at the close of the seventeenth chapter. He is the only one
+of the four evangelists who gives a full and particular account of
+the wonderful sayings of our Lord in connection with this last
+passover, and of the great prayer that he offered for all his
+people.
+
+Here is a brief outline of these different accounts. When the time
+came to keep the Passover, Jesus sent two of his disciples from
+Bethany, where he was then staying, to Jerusalem. He told them, that,
+when they entered the city, they would meet a man bearing a pitcher
+of water. They were to ask him to show them the guest-chamber, where
+he and his disciples might eat the Passover together. There were
+always great crowds of strangers in Jerusalem at the time of this
+festival; and many furnished chambers were kept ready to be hired to
+those who wished them, for celebrating the Passover. This man, of
+whom our Saviour spoke, was probably a friend of his, and according
+to our Lord's word, he showed the disciples such a room as they
+needed. Then they made the necessary preparations; and, when the
+evening came, Jesus and his disciples met there to keep this solemn
+feast.
+
+Many of the pictures that we see of this last Supper, represent the
+company as seated round a table, very much in the way in which we are
+accustomed to sit ourselves. But this is not correct. The people in
+those Eastern countries were not accustomed to sit as we do. On this
+occasion the roasted lamb, with the bread and wine to be used at the
+feast, was placed on a table, and the guests reclined on couches
+round the table, each man leaning on his left arm, and helping
+himself to what he needed with his right hand.
+
+Various incidents took place in connection with this last Supper. The
+disciples had a contest among themselves about which of them should
+be greatest. This led Jesus, in the course of the evening, to give
+them the lesson of humility, by washing his disciples' feet, of which
+we have already spoken. Then he told them how sorrowfully he was
+feeling. He said they would all forsake him, and one of them would
+betray him that very night. This made them feel very sad. Each of
+them suspected himself--and asked sorrowfully--"Lord, is it I?" They
+did not suspect each other; and none of them seems to have suspected
+Judas Iscariot at all. Then Peter whispered to John, who was leaning
+on the bosom of Jesus, to ask who it was that was to do this? In
+answer to John's question, Jesus said it was the one to whom he
+should give a piece of bread when he had dipped it in the dish. Then
+he dipped the sop and gave it to Judas.
+
+After this, we are told that Satan entered into him, and he went out
+and made preparation for doing the most dreadful thing that ever was
+done from the beginning of the world--and that was the betrayal of
+his 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 one
+of the two great sacraments to be observed in his church to the end
+of the world--the sacrament of the Lord's Supper--or the holy
+Communion.
+
+This is St. Luke's account of the way in which it was done, chapter
+xxii: 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 for
+you." St. Matthew adds, and--"for many."
+
+Such is the account we have of the first establishment of the Lord's
+Supper. It was to take the place of the Jewish Passover, and to be
+observed by the followers of Christ all over the earth, until the
+time when he shall come again into our world.
+
+And this solemn sacrament--this holy communion--this Supper of our
+Lord, ought to be observed, or kept, by all who love him, for three
+reasons: these are its connection with _the word of his command--the
+memory of his sufferings--and the hope of his glory_.
+
+Jesus connected this sacrament with _the word of his command_ when he
+said--"_This do_ in remembrance of me." St. Luke xxii: 19. This is
+the _command_ of Christ. It is a plain, positive command. Jesus did
+not give this command to the apostles only, or to his ministers, or
+to any particular class of his followers, but to all of them. It was
+given first to his apostles, but it was not intended to be confined
+to 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, or
+ye rich men, or ye great men; but simply, "This do." And the meaning
+of what he here says, is--"This do," all ye who profess to be my
+followers, all over the world, and through all ages. And the words
+that he spake on another occasion come in very well here: "If ye love
+me, keep my commandments." And _this_ is one of the commandments that
+he 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 his
+people 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 the
+use of it, or not; Jesus says--"This do." It is enough for each
+follower of Jesus to say, "here is my Lord's command; I _must_ obey
+it."
+
+In an army, if the general issues an order, it is expected that every
+soldier will obey it. And no matter how important, or useful, in
+itself considered, any work may be, that is done by one of those
+soldiers, yet, if it be done while he is neglecting the general's
+order, instead of gaining for that soldier the praise of the general,
+or of securing a reward from him, it will only excite his
+displeasure:--he will order that soldier to be punished.
+
+But the church of Christ is compared in the Bible to an army. He is
+the Captain or Leader of this army. And one of the most important
+orders he has issued for his soldiers is--"This do in remembrance of
+me." If we profess to be the soldiers of Christ, and are enlisted in
+his army, and yet are neglecting this order, he never can be pleased
+with anything we may do while this order is neglected. We seem to see
+him pointing to this neglected order, and saying to each of us, as he
+said to Saul, the first king of Israel, by the prophet Samuel:
+--"Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice: and to hearken, than the
+fat of rams." I. Sam. xv: 22.
+
+No age is fixed in the New Testament at which young people may be
+allowed to come to the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. But, as soon
+as they have learned to know and love Christ and are really trying to
+serve him, they ought to be allowed to come. And yet ministers and
+parents sometimes keep them back, and tell them they must wait, and
+be tried a little longer, before they receive the help and comfort of
+this ordinance of Christ, even when their conduct shows they are
+sincerely trying to love and serve the blessed Saviour.
+
+If a farmer should send his servant out into the field, when winter
+was approaching, telling him to put the sheep into the fold, that
+they might be protected from the wolves, and from the cold, it would
+be thought a strange thing if he should allow him to bring the sheep
+into the shelter of the fold, and leave the little lambs outside.
+This is a good illustration to show the importance of taking care of
+the lambs. But it fails at one point. The shelter of the fold is
+absolutely necessary for the protection of the farmer's lambs. They
+could not live without it. If left outside of the fold they would
+certainly perish. But there is not the same necessity for admitting
+young 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 holy
+ordinance. They are already under the care and protection of the good
+Shepherd. He can guard them, and keep them, and cause them to grow in
+grace, even though, for awhile, they do not have the help and comfort
+of this sacrament. And, if they are kept back through the fault or
+mistake of others, he will do so. This sacrament, like that of
+baptism, is, as the catechism says, "_generally_ necessary to
+salvation." This means that it is important "where it may be had."
+But, if circumstances beyond our control should prevent us from
+partaking of it, we may be saved without it. Still, I think that
+young people who give satisfactory evidence that they know and love
+the Saviour, and are trying to serve him, ought to be allowed to come
+forward to this holy sacrament.
+
+Some people when urged to come to the Lord's Supper excuse
+themselves, by saying that--"they are not prepared to come."
+
+But this will not release any one from the command of Christ--"This
+do."
+
+What the preparation is that we need in order that we may come, in a
+proper way, to this holy sacrament, is clearly pointed out in the
+exhortation that occurs in the communion service of our church. Here
+the minister says--"Ye who do truly and earnestly repent of your
+sins, and are in love and charity with your neighbors, and intend to
+lead a new life, following the commandments of God, and walking from
+henceforth in his holy ways: draw near with faith, and take this holy
+sacrament to your comfort." And there is no excuse for persons not
+being in the state these words describe: for this is just what God's
+word, and our own duty and interest require of us. If we have not
+yet done what these words require, we ought to do it at once; and
+then there will be nothing in the way of our obeying the command of
+Christ, when he says--"This do, in remembrance of me," By all the
+authority which belongs to him our Saviour _commands_ us to keep this
+holy feast. And the first reason why we ought to "do this," is
+because of its connection with the word of his command.
+
+_The second reason why we ought to "do this"--is because of its
+connection with the memory of his sufferings_.
+
+We are taught this by the word _remembrance_, which our Saviour here
+uses. He says, "This do in remembrance of me." This means in
+remembrance of my sufferings for you. And _this_ is the most
+important word used by him when he established this sacrament. It is
+the governing word in the whole service. It is the word by which we
+must be guided in trying to understand what our Lord meant to teach
+us by all he did and said on this occasion.
+
+You know how it is when we are trying to understand the music to
+which a particular tune has been set. There is always one special
+note in a tune, which is called the _key-note_. The leader of a
+choir, when they are going to sing, will strike one of the keys of
+the organ, or the melodeon they are using, so as to give to each
+member of the choir the proper key-note of the piece of music they
+are to sing. It is very important for them to have this key-note,
+because they cannot have a proper understanding of what they are to
+do without it. This holy sacrament of the Lord's Supper is like a
+solemn song. And the key-note of the music to which the song is set
+is this word--_remembrance_. It teaches us that the sacrament of the
+Lord's Supper is a _memorial_ service. And, in going through the
+music to which the song of this service has been set, every note that
+we use must be a memorial note. And the language used by our blessed
+Lord when he established this Supper, or sacrament, must be explained
+in 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 in
+remembrance of me," he meant that we should understand him as
+saying--"This is the _memorial_ of my body." And when he gave them
+the cup, and said--"This is my blood of the New Testament," he meant
+that we should understand him as saying--"This is the _memorial_ of
+my blood." And we are sure that this was the meaning, for two
+reasons.
+
+One reason for believing this is that _this was the way in which
+similar words had been used in the Jewish Passover, which Jesus and
+his disciples were then keeping_.
+
+In the Passover service, when the head of the family distributed the
+bread, he always said--"This is the bread of affliction." When he
+distributed the flesh of the lamb, roasted for the occasion, he used
+to say--"This is the body of the Passover."
+
+But every one knows, and every one admits, that the Jewish Passover
+was a _memorial_ service. It was kept in memory of the wonderful
+deliverance of their forefathers from the bitter bondage of Egypt.
+And the words used at that service were memorial words. And so, when
+Jesus, a little while before, had given to his disciples the Passover
+bread, saying--"This is the bread of affliction:" he did not mean to
+say that _that_ was the very same bread which their forefathers had
+eaten, in the time of their affliction in Egypt. What he meant to say
+was--this is the bread which you are to eat in _memory_ of your
+forefathers' trial and deliverance. And when he gave to each of them
+a piece of the sacrificial lamb, saying, "This is the body of the
+Passover;" he did not mean that in any mysterious, or supernatural
+sense, _that_ was the very lamb of which their forefathers had eaten
+on the solemn night of the Passover; he only meant that it was the
+body of which they were to eat in memory of the Passover. The
+Passover was a memorial service; and the words used at the Passover
+were memorial words.
+
+And so, when Jesus went on, from the last Passover of the Jewish
+church, to the first sacramental feast of the Christian church, and
+began by saying, "This do in _remembrance_ of me," what else could
+the apostles possibly have thought, but that he intended this new
+service of the Christian church to be a memorial service, just as the
+old festival of the Jewish church had been? When he gave them the
+broken bread, and said, "This is my body;" they could only have
+understood him as meaning this is the memorial of my body. And when
+he gave them the cup into which he had just poured the wine, and
+said: "This is my blood;" they could only understand him as meaning
+this is the memorial of my blood. And so, the sense in which he had
+just before used the words employed in the Jewish festival must have
+led the disciples to understand them in the same way when he used
+similar words in the Christian sacrament. This is a good, strong
+reason for thinking of this sacramental feast as a memorial service.
+
+There is indeed, one point of difference between the Jewish Passover
+and the Christian sacrament, when we think of them as memorial
+services. The Jews kept their solemn festival in memory of a _dead_
+lamb--the Passover lamb that was put to death for them, but never
+came to life again. We keep our Christian sacrament in memory of the
+Lamb of God, who died for us indeed, but who rose from the dead, and
+is alive forevermore. As we keep this solemn festival, we may lift up
+our 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 thought
+makes a world-wide difference between them. The bread and meat which
+the pious Jew ate, when he kept the Passover, and the wine which he
+drank on that occasion, would strengthen his body, but there was
+nothing connected with those material substances that would do any
+special good to his soul. It is different, however, with our
+Christian festival of the Lord's Supper. And this difference is
+clearly brought out in what we find in the catechism of our church on
+this subject. In speaking of this holy sacrament, the question is
+asked--"What are the benefits whereof we are partakers thereby?" And
+the answer to this question is--"The strengthening and refreshing of
+our souls, by the body and blood of Christ, as our bodies are by the
+bread and wine."
+
+Here we see that while the Lord's Supper is a memorial service
+indeed, it is at the same time something more than that.
+
+_And then, the actual bodily presence of Christ with them must have
+compelled the apostles to understand the words he used on that
+occasion, in this memorial sense_.
+
+They could not possibly have considered him as meaning that the bread
+and wine which he gave them at that solemn service did, in any
+mysterious 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 the
+same time. The sense in which Jesus first used these words--"my body"
+and "my blood," was clearly the memorial sense. He meant his
+disciples to understand him as saying "Take this bread in remembrance
+of my body, which is to be crucified for you;" and "Take this wine in
+remembrance of my blood which is to be shed for you."
+
+This was what he taught the apostles when he first used these words
+among them; and this was all he taught them; and we have no right to
+use these words in any other sense till our blessed Lord himself
+shall give us authority to do so.
+
+Let us never forget the word--_remembrance_, as used by our Saviour
+here. It is the root out of which the whole tree of this solemn
+service grows. Let us hold on to this root word, and it will save us
+from the errors into which many have fallen in reference to this
+subject.
+
+And, surely, there is nothing so precious for us to store away in our
+memories as the thought of Christ in the amazing sufferings he once
+bore for us, in the great work he is now doing for us, and in the
+saving truth he embodies in his own glorious character. The story is
+told of Alexander the Great, that when he conquered King Darius he
+found among his treasures a very valuable box or cabinet. It was made
+of gold and silver, and inlaid with precious jewels. After thinking
+for awhile what to do with it, he finally concluded to use it as his
+choicest treasury, or cabinet, in which to keep the books of the poet
+Homer, which he was very fond of reading. Now, if we use our memory
+aright, it will be to us a treasury far more valuable than that
+jeweled box of the great conqueror. And the thought of Christ, not in
+his sufferings only, but in his work, and in his character, is the
+most precious thing to lay up in our memory. And if we keep this
+remembrance continually before us it will be the greatest help we can
+have in trying to love and serve him better.
+
+Here is an illustration of what I mean, in a touching story. We may
+call it:
+
+"Love Stronger than Death." Some years ago there was a great fire in
+one of our Western cities that stood in the midst of a prairie. A
+mother escaped from her burning dwelling. Her husband was away from
+home. She took her infant in her arms, and wrapped a heavy shawl
+round herself and the baby. Her little girl clung to the dress of
+her mother, and they went out into the prairie, to get away from the
+flames of the burning buildings. It was a wild and stormy winter's
+night and intensely cold. She tried to run; but burdened as she was
+that was impossible. Presently she found that the tall dry grass of
+the prairie had caught fire. It was spreading on every side. A great
+circle of flame was gathering round her.
+
+A little way off she saw a clump of trees on a piece of rising
+ground. Towards that spot she directed her steps, and strained every
+nerve 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 her
+from opposite directions. Escape was impossible. Death--a terrible
+death by fire, seemed to be the only thing before her. She might wrap
+herself in that great shawl, and perhaps live through it. But, there
+were the children. Of course a mother could not hesitate a moment
+what to do under such circumstances. Wrapping the baby round and
+round in the folds of the shawl, she laid it carefully down, at the
+foot of one of the trees. Then, taking off her outer clothing, she
+covered the other child with it. She laid her down beside the baby,
+and then stretched herself across them. In a few moments the helpless
+little ones were sound asleep. The long hours of the night passed.
+The raging flames licked up the withered foliage about that clump of
+trees, and then left their blackened trunks to the keenness of the
+wind and frost.
+
+The next day the heart-broken husband and father returned to find his
+home burnt, and his family gone--he knew not whither. He set out to
+search for his lost treasures. He found them by that clump of trees.
+There lay his wife--her hair and eyebrows, her face and neck scorched
+and blackened by the fire--but her body frozen stiff. Whether she
+perished by the flames or the frost no one ever knew. But, on lifting
+her burnt form they found, warm and cozy beneath, her two sleeping
+children. The elder child as they roused her, opened her eyes
+exclaiming, "Mamma, is it morning?" Yes: it was morning with that
+faithful mother, in the bright world to which she had gone!
+
+Now, suppose that those children, as they grew up, should have had
+preserved among their treasures a piece of the burnt dress, or a lock
+of the scorched hair, of their devoted mother. As they looked at it,
+every day, it would be in _remembrance_ of her. How touchingly it
+would tell of her great love for them, in being willing to lay down
+her life to save theirs! And how that thought would thrill their
+hearts and make them anxious to do all they could to show their
+respect and love for such a mother!
+
+And so the broken bread and the poured out wine of this solemn
+sacrament should melt our hearts in the remembrance of the wonderful
+love of Christ to us, and should lead us to show our love to him by
+keeping his commandments.
+
+And as we keep this solemn memorial service, how well we may say, in
+the 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 his
+glory_--as well as with the word of his command and the memory of his
+sufferings.
+
+He made this connection very clear when he said at the institution of
+this solemn service--"I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of
+the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's
+kingdom." St. Matt, xxvi: 29. And the apostle Paul pointed out the
+same connection when he said, "As often as ye eat this bread, and
+drink 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 meeting
+between the sufferings of Christ and the glory that is to
+follow--between his cross, with all its shame and anguish, and his
+kingdom, with all its honor and blessedness.
+
+We have sometimes heard or read of magicians who have pretended to
+have wonderful mirrors into which persons might look and see all that
+was before them in this life. If there were such a mirror, it would
+be a strange thing indeed to look into it and find out what was going
+to happen to-morrow, or next month, or next year, or twenty years
+hence. But, there never was any such mirror. As the apostle says,
+"We know not what shall be on the morrow." No mortal man can tell
+what 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 look
+into it and see, clearly represented there, what will happen to us in
+the future, not of _this_ life indeed, but of the life to come. It
+leads our minds on to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And a voice
+from heaven declares--"Blessed are they who are called to the
+marriage supper of the Lamb." Rev. xix: 9. That marriage supper
+represents the highest joys of heaven. It gathers into itself all the
+glory and happiness that await us in the heavenly kingdom. And this
+sacramental service is the type or shadow of all the bliss connected
+with that great event in the future. If we are true and faithful
+partakers of this solemn sacrament--this memorial feast, we shall
+certainly be among the number of those whose unspeakable privilege it
+will be to sit down at the marriage supper of the Lamb, in heaven.
+There we shall be in the personal presence of Jesus, our glorified
+Lord. Our eyes "shall see the King in his beauty." And we shall see
+all his people too in the perfection of glory that will mark them
+there. And in happy intercourse with that blessed company we shall
+find all "the exceeding great and precious promises" of God's word
+fulfilled in our own personal experience.
+
+And then there is nothing that can sustain and comfort us under the
+many trials of this mortal life like the hope of sharing this joy
+with our blessed Lord, when he shall come in the glory of his
+heavenly kingdom.
+
+"The Hope of Glory." A Christian gentleman was in the habit of
+visiting, from time to time, a poor afflicted widow woman who lived
+in his neighborhood. She had once been very well off, and was the
+wife of a well-known and apparently successful merchant. But finally
+he failed in business and died soon after, leaving her alone in the
+world, and without anything to live on but what she could earn by her
+own labor.
+
+After awhile her health failed, and then she was entirely dependent
+for her support on the kindness of her Christian friends. But she was
+always cheerful and happy. "On going in to see her one day," says
+this gentleman, "I found, on talking with her, that she was feeling
+very comfortable in her mind.
+
+"'Tell me, my friend,' I asked, 'have you always felt as bright and
+cheerful as you seem to feel now?'
+
+"'O, no,' she replied, 'very far from it. When my husband died, and
+I was left alone in the world, I used to feel very sad and
+rebellious. Many a time I was so sorrowful and despairing as to be
+tempted 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. I
+became a member of the church. But, for a while, I did not find much
+comfort in my religion. And the reason of it was that I did not have
+very clear views of Christ as my Saviour, and of the wonderful things
+he has promised to do for his people in the future.
+
+"'But, on one communion occasion, my minister preached on the
+words--"_Christ in you the hope of glory_." That was a blessed
+communion to me. I saw then, as I had never seen before, how that
+sacred and solemn service was intended by him to be to all his
+people, at one and the same time, the means of preserving in their
+minds the remembrance of the sufferings he has borne for them in the
+past, and also of keeping alive in their hearts the hope of sharing
+in the glory which he has prepared for them in the future. And I have
+never had any trouble in my mind since then. My communion seasons
+were always bright and blessed seasons to me as long as I was able
+to go to church. And though I can no longer go up to the sanctuary
+and 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, I
+can, and do partake in a spiritual manner of that which those signs
+represent. I feel and know what it is to have "Christ in me the hope
+of glory." And this "satisfies my longing, as nothing else can do." I
+find peace and comfort in simply "looking unto Jesus." I have had
+much outward trouble and affliction since then. I live alone. There
+is no one here to help me. Sometimes I have nothing to eat, and but
+little to keep me warm. You see me _sitting_ here now. Thus I have to
+spend my nights. My complaint is the dropsy, and this prevents me
+from lying down. _But I would not exchange my place as a forgiven
+sinner, with "Christ in me the hope of glory," for all the wealth and
+the honor that Queen Victoria could bestow upon me!_'"
+
+What a blessed Saviour Jesus is, who can thus spread the sunshine of
+his peace and hope through the hearts and homes of the poorest and
+most afflicted in the land!
+
+And thus, we have spoken of three good reasons, why all who love our
+Lord Jesus Christ should keep this solemn sacrament which he has
+ordained; we should do it because we see in it--_the word of his
+command--the memorial of his sufferings--and the hope of his glory_.
+
+And when we partake of this solemn ordinance ourselves, or see others
+partaking of it, how well we may say in the beautiful lines of
+Havergal, 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 and
+Sidon. 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 of
+David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered
+her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send
+her away; for she crieth after us. But he answered and said, I am not
+sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she
+and 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_ to
+dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which
+fall from their masters' table. Then Jesus answered and said unto
+her, O woman, great _is_ thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou
+wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.--_St.
+Matt. xv: 21-28_.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_The picture illustrates the scenery and gardens in the neighborhood
+of Beyrout, which lies on the coast at the foot of Lebanon and within
+the Syro-Phoenician border._
+
+
+
+
+
+SIMON PETER'S FAITH IN CHRIST
+
+
+
+
+When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his
+disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they
+said, Some _say that thou art_ John the Baptist: some, Elias; and
+others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But
+whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art
+the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said
+unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath
+not revealed _it_ unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I
+say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will
+build 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: and
+whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and
+whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Then
+charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was
+Jesus the Christ.--_St. Matt, xvi: 13-20_.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_The site of Caesarea Philippi is one of the loveliest spots in
+Northern Palestine. On ground carpeted with an infinite variety of
+wild flowers, the traveller rests in the grateful shade of oak and
+mulberry, olive and fig tree. The sound of many waters is heard on
+all sides as they hasten from the adjacent slopes of Herman to join
+the head waters of Jordan, bursting in strength from a cavern at the
+foot of a mighty cliff. Hither, with his handful of followers, came
+Jesus, weary and in deep depression of spirit, a fugitive from his
+own people, who had finally rejected him; and here, in reply to
+searching and anxious enquiry, "Whom say ye that I am?" he received
+from Simon Peter the memorable confession, "Thou art the Christ, the
+Son 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 was
+transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his
+raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them
+Moses and Elias talking with him. Then answered Peter, and said unto
+Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make
+here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for
+Elias. While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them:
+and behold a voice out of the cloud which said, This is my beloved
+Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. And when the disciples
+heard _it_, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. And Jesus
+came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. And when
+they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus
+only.--_St. Matt, xvii: 1--8_.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_From the days of St. Jerome, when pilgrims first began the attempt
+to identify sites hallowed by sacred events, Mount Tabor has, until
+recent years, been regarded as the Mount of the Transfiguration. But
+closer examination of the text and comparison of dates, and the fact
+that Tabor itself was at that time the site of a fortified town
+containing a Roman garrison, combine in this instance to discredit
+tradition. One of the spurs of Herman must therefore be the
+alternative and more probable scene of the Transfiguration; the
+seclusion of this district of mountain, valley, and woodland
+providing opportunity for contemplation, and preparation for the end
+which was now imminent, "the decease which Jesus was to accomplish at
+Jerusalem"_.
+
+
+
+
+
+JESUS HEALETH A LUNATIC
+
+
+
+
+And it came to pass, that on the next day, when they were come down
+from the hill, much people met him. And, behold, a man of the company
+cried out, saying, Master, I beseech thee, look upon my son: for he
+is mine only child. And, lo, a spirit taketh him, and he suddenly
+crieth out; and it teareth him that he foameth again, and bruising
+him hardly departeth from him. And I besought thy disciples to cast
+him out; and they could not. And Jesus answering said, O faithless
+and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, and suffer
+you? Bring thy son hither. And as he was yet a coming, the devil
+threw 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_.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_The picture gives an average representation of the outskirts of a
+village in Northern Palestine, with its sordid, untidy, mud-built
+houses, on the roofs of which are seen the reed booths or_ Succoth,
+_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, and
+taught. And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters,
+having never learned? Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is
+not mine, but his that sent me. And the scribes and Pharisees brought
+unto him a woman ...; and when they had set her in the midst. They
+say unto him, ... Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be
+stoned: but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him, that they
+might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with _his_
+finger wrote on the ground, _as though he heard them not_. So when
+they 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 which
+heard _it_, being convicted by _their own_ conscience, went out one
+by one, beginning at the eldest, _even_ unto the last: and Jesus was
+left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had
+lifted 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 condemn
+thee: go, and sin no more.--_St. John vii: 14-16; viii: 3-11._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_The scene is represented as taking place in one of the great
+cloisters or porticoes which surrounded the Temple courts, and which
+like the Forum of Rome, and "Paul's Wall" in Elizabethan, London,
+served the purpose of a public promenade and place of meeting. These
+porticoes were of magnificent construction and proportions, the Stoa
+Basilica alone, upon the south side, with its quadruple colonnade of
+one hundred and sixty-two pillars, covering a great area. The Eastern
+Cloister, known as "Solomon's Porch," was probably so-called as
+having been erected upon the site of a similar construction in the
+first Temple_.
+
+
+
+
+
+ONE OF TEN LEPERS CURED IS GRATEFUL
+
+
+
+
+And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through
+the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered into a certain
+village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar
+off. And they lifted up _their_ voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have
+mercy on us. And when he saw _them_, he said unto them, Go shew
+yourselves 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 to
+God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy
+faith hath made thee whole.--_St. Luke xvii: II--19._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_The town of Cana in Galilee, with its background of low hills, as
+seen from the Nazareth Road, supplies a landscape setting for this
+picture. The ingratitude of the nine lepers no doubt added to our
+Lord's sorrow just now at the growing influence of the opposition of
+his enemies_.
+
+
+
+
+
+JESUS, MARTHA, MARY, AND LAZARUS
+
+
+
+
+Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain
+village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her
+house. 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 sister
+hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And
+Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful
+and troubled about many things. But one thing is needful: and Mary
+hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from
+her.--_St. Luke x: 38-42._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_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 of
+his ministry, Jesus could call a home, was probably that of people in
+easy circumstances, and as such is here represented. In the vineyards
+of Palestine the vine is cultivated bushlike on the ground; but in
+gardens, the plant is occasionally trained erect, as in Europe and
+America, or, as in the present instance, for the purposes of shade,
+upon a pergola. In the middle of the village of Bethany are the ruins
+of an important house. Here some years ago a French explorer
+discovered on the base the remains of an ancient chapel This seems to
+point with probability to a valid tradition of the site of the house
+of 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 Jesus
+saw _it_, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the
+little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is
+the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not
+receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter
+therein. And he took them up in his arms, put _his_ hands upon them,
+and blessed them.--_St. Mark x: 13-16._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_In the Hebrew Bible--the Talmud--it is stated that, according to
+pious custom, parents brought their little children to the synagogue
+that they might receive the benefit of the prayers and blessings of
+the elders. Rabbis also, of recognized sanctity, were frequently
+appealed to in a like manner; and his fame as a prophet and
+benefactor having preceded him into Peraea, infants were now brought
+to Jesus, that he might lay his hands upon them in supplication and
+blessing. The architectural setting of the picture is adapted from
+that of a small square near the Damascus Gate of Jerusalem. This
+kindly and gentle act of our Lord has been of incalculable
+consequence to the life of children in the development of Christian
+civilization._
+
+
+
+
+
+THE RESURRECTION OF LAZARUS, FOUR DAYS DEAD
+
+
+
+
+Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for
+your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe;
+nevertheless let us go unto him. Jesus therefore again groaning in
+himself 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 that
+was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath
+been _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 was
+laid. And Jesus lifted up _his_ eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee
+that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but
+because of the people which stand by I said _it_, that they may
+believe that thou hast sent me. And when he thus had spoken, he cried
+with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came
+forth.--_St. John xi: 14., 15,38-44._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_The painting illustrates a form of rock-cut tomb which, though not
+so common as others in the neighborhood of Jerusalem, is nevertheless
+selected as being in accordance with the description of what took
+place in the present instance. It is obviously the type of tomb which
+is referred to on a subsequent occasion, and explains the meaning of
+"the stone rolled away from the sepulchre" The entrance of the tomb
+is at the bottom of a flight of steps, and is covered by a
+disc-shaped stone, like a mill-stone, which can be rolled back into a
+slot cut in the rock for its reception. (The kneeling man in the
+background has apparently just performed this duty?) The entrance is
+closed by rolling the stone forward, dropping a small block behind it
+to prevent its recession, and finally by covering the
+before-mentioned slot with a slab, which, being cemented down, the
+tomb is "sealed."_
+
+
+
+
+
+CONVERSION OF ZACCHAEUS, A PUBLICAN
+
+
+
+
+And _Jesus_ entered and passed through Jericho. And, behold, _there
+was_ a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans,
+and he was rich. And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not
+for 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 pass
+that _way_. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw
+him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to
+day I must abide at thy house. And he made haste, and came down, and
+received 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. And
+Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my
+goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man
+by false accusation, I restore _him_ fourfold. And Jesus said unto
+him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also
+is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save
+that which was lost.--_St. Luke xix: 1-10_.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_The sycomore tree referred to in the text is a species of fig
+bearing small, coarse fruit, which is used as food only in cases of
+necessity. Although occasionally of great size, the tree is easily
+climbed, as the trunk is short, and the branches are numerous and
+wide spreading. Jericho, rebuilt by Herod, was a somewhat fashionable
+town. To signalize the despised tax-gatherer in such a way was to
+teach a permanent lesson of absolute unworldliness_.
+
+
+
+
+
+JESUS RESTORETH SIGHT TO BARTIMAEUS
+
+
+
+
+And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his
+disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of
+Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging. And when he heard that it
+was 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 should
+hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, _Thou_ son of
+David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to
+be called. And they called the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good
+comfort, rise; he calleth thee. And he, casting away his garment,
+rose, and came to Jesus. And Jesus answered and said unto him, What
+wilt 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 thy
+way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his
+sight, and followed Jesus in the way.--_St. Mark x: 4.6--52._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_The site of Jericho is still an oasis in the surrounding desert, but
+neither its fertility nor its dimensions bear comparison with those
+which it attained in former days; and hardly a tree remains of the
+celebrated groves of balsam, spice, and fruit-bearing trees, and the
+palms which earned for Jericho the title of "The City of the Palm
+Trees," and which made its neighboring plain the garden of
+Palestine--the "divine district" as Joseph us calls it. This
+fertility was owing entirely to skilful irrigation, traces of no less
+than twelve aqueducts having been discovered. No class of sufferers
+more frequently claimed and obtained from Jesus the exercise of his
+compassion and healing power than that represented by blind
+Bartimaus. The malady of blindness is grievously common in Palestine,
+the proportion of those thus afflicted being one in every hundred of
+the population, whereas in Europe the proportion is only one in a
+thousand_.
+
+
+
+
+
+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 unto
+them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall
+find 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 Lord
+hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. All this was
+done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet. And
+the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them. And brought the
+ass, 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 the
+way. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried,
+saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed _is_ he that cometh in
+the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. And when he was come
+into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the
+multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of
+Galilee.--_St. Matt, xxi: 1-4., 6-11_.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_Had Jesus omitted to command to bring its mother along with the
+colt, upon which he elected to ride, his disciples would probably
+have brought her as a matter of course. It is the custom of the
+country; and as journeys are accomplished at a walking pace, mares
+and she-asses are frequently accompanied by their foals. It may be
+noted that in this picture one of the gates of Hebron does duty for
+that through which Jesus makes his triumphal entry into Jerusalem;
+the former being suggestive of far greater antiquity than any which
+are 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 the
+scribes and the chief of the people sought to destroy him. And could
+not find what they might do: for all the people were very attentive
+to hear him. And it came to pass, _that_ on one of those days, as he
+taught the people in the temple, and preached the gospel, the chief
+priests and the scribes came upon _him_ with the elders. And spake
+unto him, saying, Tell us, by what authority doest thou these things?
+or who is he that gave thee this authority? And he answered and said
+unto them, I will also ask you one thing; and answer me: The baptism
+of John, was it from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with
+themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why
+then believed ye him not? But and if we say, Of men; all the people
+will stone us: for they be persuaded that John was a prophet. And
+they answered, that they could not tell whence _it was_. And Jesus
+said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these
+things.--_St. Luke xix: 47, 48; xx: 1-8._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_The occasion on which Jesus encountered for the last time the
+opposition of his priestly enemies to his teaching, and when, in the
+presence of the assembled multitudes, he exposed and denounced their
+hypocrisy, is supposed to take place in one of the great outer courts
+of the Temple, the buildings of which, although begun forty-six years
+previously, were at this time still unfinished, and were indeed never
+fully 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 he
+went out, and abode in the mount that is called _the mount_ of
+Olives.--_St. Luke xxi: 37._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_As we ascend towards sunset the slopes of Olivet, and pause to gaze
+on the scenes beneath, the panorama of the city presented to view is
+in its leading features essentially similar to that upon which the
+eyes of Jesus rested, when "at night he went out, and abode in the
+mount that is called the Mount of Olives" Yonder stands a temple
+within that sacred enclosure which, for well-nigh three thousand
+years, save for the period during which, "the abomination of
+desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet stood in the Holy place,"
+has been dedicated to the worship of Jehovah. The citadel of
+Jerusalem breaks the skyline where stood the tower of Hippicus, and
+to the left, against the setting sun, the cypresses in a monastery
+garden mark the spot once covered by the gardens of the palace of
+Herod. Siloam stands as of old on the hither side, overlooking the
+valleys of Hinnom and Kidron; while to-day, as in former times, the
+olive yards beneath and the trees around, might well give the name
+which 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 hour
+was 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 the
+end. And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart
+of Judas Iscariot, Simon's _son_, to betray him. Jesus knowing that
+the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come
+from God, and went to God. He riseth from supper, and laid aside his
+garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth
+water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to
+wipe _them_ with the towel wherewith he was girded. Then cometh he to
+Simon 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; but
+thou shalt know hereafter. Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never
+wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no
+part with me. Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but
+also _my_ hands and _my_ head. Jesus saith to him, He that is washed
+needeth not save to wash _his_ feet, but is clean every whit: and ye
+are clean, but not all.--_St. John xiii: 1-10._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_A dwelling house, claiming to be one of the most ancient in
+Jerusalem, supplied materials for the study of the "large upper
+room," represented in this and some other of the paintings. The
+general features of the chamber, with its arched ceiling and
+flattened dome, its_ leewans _(raised platform) and the
+entrance-passage of colored stones, where guests leave their
+foot-gear before stepping upon the mat-covered floor of the room,
+may, for the reasons adduced elsewhere, be accepted as typical of
+similar 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 shall
+betray me. Then the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom
+he spake. Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples,
+whom Jesus loved. Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, that he
+should 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, to
+whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped _it_. And when he had
+dipped 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 what
+intent he spake this unto him. For some _of them_ thought, because
+Judas had the bag, that Jesus had said unto him, Buy _those things_
+that we have need of against the feast; or, that he should give
+something to the poor. He then having received the sop went
+immediately out: and it was night.--_St. John xiii: 21-30._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_Comment has already been made upon the custom prevailing at this
+time of reclining at meat. We are aware, from other sources of
+information, that in partaking of the Passover, the attitude of
+standing had, as a point of ritual, long been abandoned in favor of
+the recumbent posture, and this is directly evidenced by the words of
+the text (v: 23 and 25), which are only compatible with the
+supposition that on the present occasion the guest-chamber was
+furnished with couches which ran around the three sides of the table
+in the usual manner. Authorities differ as to which was regarded as
+the "highest seat" some maintaining that this was the outermost place
+on the right-hand couch; others, again, preferring the arrangement
+followed in the painting, where Jesus occupies the centre_.
+
+
+
+
+
+IN THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE
+
+
+
+
+Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith
+unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And he
+took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be
+sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is
+exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with
+me. 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 unto
+the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What,
+could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter
+not into temptation: the spirit indeed _is_ willing, but the flesh
+_is_ weak. He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O
+my 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 their
+eyes were heavy. And he left them, and went away again, and prayed
+the third time, saying the same words. Then cometh he to his
+disciples, 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 the
+hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that
+doth betray me.--_St. Matt, xxvi: 36-46._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_As the word Gethsemane means the "oil press" the "Garden" was in all
+probability an olive yard, whose actual site, though it cannot be
+determined with certainty, must have been in the immediate vicinity
+at least of the spot which age-long tradition indicates as the scene
+of the Agony. The great age of the trees in this enclosure has been
+urged in favor of the tradition, but it is fatal to their claim as
+witnesses, that Titus is known to have cut down, for military
+purposes, all the trees in the neighborhood of the besieged city.
+This site is now owned by the Russians who have turned it into a neat
+and trim garden, and built a bright new white church on the upper
+level with five large gilded bulbous domes_.
+
+
+
+
+
+THE ARREST OF JESUS
+
+
+
+
+
+Judas then, having received a band _of men_ and officers from the
+chief priests and Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches
+and weapons. Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come
+upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye? They answered
+him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am _he_. And Judas
+also, which betrayed him, stood with them. As soon then as he had
+said unto them, I am _he_, they went backward, and fell to the
+ground.--Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying,
+Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast. And
+forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him.
+And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came
+they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him. And, behold, one of them
+which 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: for
+all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest
+thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give
+me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the
+scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be? In that same hour said
+Jesus to the multitudes, Are ye come out as against a thief with
+swords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in
+the temple, and ye laid no hold on me. But all this was done, that
+the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the
+disciples forsook him, and fled.--_St. John xviii: 3-6; St. Matt,
+xxvi: 48-56._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_Cunningly conceived indeed was that signal of the kiss; for in the
+very act of betrayal, Judas thus covered his own treachery; and, had
+the plot failed, it would even have appeared as if, when "all the
+disciples forsook him and fled" Judas alone had courage, in the hour
+of danger, to stand by and openly to acknowledge Jesus as his
+Master_.
+
+
+
+
+
+JESUS EXAMINED BY CAIAPHAS
+
+
+
+
+And they that had laid hold on Jesus led _him_ away to Caiaphas the
+high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled. But
+Peter followed him afar off unto the high priest's palace, and went
+in, 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 witnesses
+came, _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 said
+unto him, Answerest thou nothing? what _is it which_ these witness
+against thee? But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered
+and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us
+whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus saith unto him,
+Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see
+the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the
+clouds of heaven. Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He
+hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses?
+behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy. What think ye? They answered
+and said, He is guilty of death.--_St. Matt, xxvi: 57--66._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_The outward ceremonial of the hastily convoked and Irregular
+tribunal before which Jesus underwent the mockery of a trial was
+similar to that of the ancient Sanhedrim. The members sat on a
+semi-circular divan, the president in the centre, and a scribe at
+each extremity, who recorded the evidence and the decisions of the
+court. It may be noted, that while laws had been carefully formulated
+for the conduct of such trials, almost every one of them was
+flagrantly violated on the present occasion in order to ensure a
+pre-arranged condemnation. For example, these rules provided that
+witnesses should be summoned, and that an advocate should plead on
+behalf of the accused; and they forbade that criminal trials should
+be conducted at night, that condemnation should be pronounced on the
+day of trial or on a holy day; and, if the crime were capital, that
+execution 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 gone
+out into the porch, another _maid_ saw him, and said unto them that
+were there, This _fellow_ was also with Jesus of Nazareth. And again
+he denied with an oath, I do not know the man. And after a while came
+unto _him_ they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also
+art _one_ of them; for thy speech betrayeth thee. Then began he to
+curse and to swear, _saying_, I know not the man. And immediately the
+cock crew. And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter
+remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the
+cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept
+bitterly.--_St. Matt, xxvi: 69-74.; St. Luke xxii: 61, 62_.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_In the East, the houses of the great and official residences usually
+consist of a group of separate yet connected buildings, surrounding a
+quadrangular paved court planted with trees and flowering shrubs, and
+furnished in the centre with an open cistern or fountain. Such was
+probably the construction of the palace of the High Priest
+(Caiaphas), and, apparently, this open court, across which Jesus
+would be conducted to or from the hall of trial, was the place where
+bitterness was added to his sorrow in hearing himself denied by his
+friend--and that man who had been the first to profess belief in his
+Messiahship, and who, but a few brief hours before, had stoutly sworn
+to stand by him, even unto death_.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Life of Jesus Christ for the Young
+by Richard Newton
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+Project Gutenberg's The Life of Jesus Christ for the Young, by Richard Newton
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Life of Jesus Christ for the Young
+
+Author: Richard Newton
+
+Release Date: March 8, 2004 [EBook #11509]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LIFE OF JESUS CHRIST ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Tonya Allen, Charles Aldarondo and the
+Distributed Proofreaders
+
+
+
+
+
+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 the
+wilderness, Jesus entered on the work of his public ministry. We find
+him, at once, preaching to the people, healing the sick, and doing
+many wonderful works. The commencement of his ministry is thus
+described by St. Matt. iv: 23-25. "And Jesus went about all Galilee,
+teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the
+kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness, and all manner of
+disease among the people. And his fame went throughout all Syria; and
+they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers
+diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils,
+and those which were lunatic, and those that had the palsy; and he
+healed them. And there followed him great multitudes of people from
+Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judea, and
+from beyond Jordan." What a blessed beginning of the most blessed of
+all 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 on
+his work.
+
+And one of the first things he did, after thus beginning his
+ministry, was to gather his disciples round him. The first two that
+we find named among his disciples are John and Andrew. They had been
+disciples of John the Baptist. Their master pointed them to Jesus,
+and said--"Behold the Lamb of God." When they heard this they
+followed Jesus, and became his disciples. When Andrew met with his
+brother Simon Peter, he said to him "we have found the Messias--the
+Christ. And he brought him to Jesus." After this we are told that
+"Jesus findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me." He was an
+acquaintance of Andrew and Peter, and lived in the same town with
+them. He obeyed the call at once and became one of the disciples of
+Jesus.
+
+Philip had a friend named Nathanael. The next time he met him, he
+said, "we have found him of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets
+did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." But Nazareth was a
+despised place, and had a bad reputation. Nathanael had a very poor
+opinion of the place, and he asked--"Can there any good thing come
+out of Nazareth?" Philip saith unto him--"Come and see."
+
+And this is what we should say to persons when we wish them to become
+Christians. There is so much that is lovely and excellent in Jesus
+that if people will only "come and see," if they will only prove for
+themselves what a glorious Saviour he is, they will find it
+impossible to help loving and serving him. Nathanael came to Jesus.
+And when he heard the wonderful words that Jesus spoke to him he was
+converted at once, and expressed his wonder by saying--"Rabbi, thou
+art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel." We can read all
+about 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 one
+who bears the name of Bartholomew in the different lists of the
+apostles.
+
+After this we read of Jesus calling Matthew the publican, who was a
+tax-gatherer. This is what is meant by his "sitting at the receipt of
+custom." "Follow me," were the words spoken to him. He obeyed at
+once; left all and followed Jesus. St. Luke and St. Mark mention this
+same 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 to
+have two names. Sometimes they were called by one of these names and
+sometimes by the other.
+
+Here we have the account of six persons, who became disciples of
+Jesus; and of the different ways in which they were led to follow
+him. No doubt many others were led to become his disciples from
+simply hearing him preach; and from listening to the gracious words
+that he spoke.
+
+And very soon after he had gathered together a large company of
+disciples, he made choice of twelve, out of this number, who were to
+be 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 be
+prepared to take his place, and carry on his work when he should
+return to heaven.
+
+It was necessary for these men to be chosen. When Washington was
+appointed to conduct our armies during the Revolution, he chose a
+number of generals to help him. And it is natural for us to think of
+Washington and his generals. But just as natural it is to think
+of--Jesus and his apostles.
+
+And this is the subject we have now to consider--_The Apostles
+Chosen_.
+
+And in considering this subject there are four things of which to
+speak.
+
+_The first, is the condition and character of the men whom Jesus
+chose 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 the
+points 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 and
+character 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, and
+good, and strong, that we wonder why he did not choose them. But he
+did not. He chose _men_ to be his apostles. And what kind of men did
+he choose? If we had been asked this question beforehand, we should
+have supposed that he would certainly have chosen the wisest and the
+most learned men, the richest and greatest men that could be found in
+the 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 been
+heard of before. Fishermen, and tax-gatherers, and men occupying very
+humble positions in life, were those whom Jesus chose to be his
+apostles.
+
+And one reason, no doubt, why Jesus made choice of men of this
+character to be his apostles was that when their work was done, no
+one should be able to say that it was the learning, or wisdom, or
+riches, or power of men by whom that work was accomplished. The
+apostle Paul teaches us that this is the way in which God generally
+acts; and that he does it for the very reason just spoken of. He
+says, "God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound
+the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to
+confound the mighty; and base things of the world, and things which
+are despised hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring
+to nought the things that are; that no flesh should glory in his
+presence." I. Cor. i: 27-29. The meaning of this passage is that God
+loves to work by little things. This was the reason why Jesus chose
+poor, unlearned fishermen to be his apostles. And we see God working
+in the same way continually.
+
+Look at yonder sun. God made it, and hung it up there in the sky that
+it might give light to our world. But the light which this sun gives
+comes to us in tiny little bits, smaller than the point of the finest
+needle that ever was made. They are so small that hundreds of them
+can rush right into our eyes, as they are doing all the time, and not
+hurt 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 so
+powerful that they can break in pieces the strongest ships that men
+have ever built. And yet, when God wishes to keep that mighty ocean
+in 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 great
+work with them. And we find God working in this way continually. Let
+us look at one or two illustrations.
+
+"What a Plant Did." A little plant was given to a sick girl. In
+trying to take care of it, the family made changes in their way of
+living, which added greatly to their comfort and happiness. First,
+they cleaned the window, that more light might come in to the leaves
+of the plant. Then, when not too cold, they opened the window, that
+fresh 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 room
+look so untidy that they washed the floor, and cleaned the walls, and
+arranged the furniture more neatly. This led the father of the family
+to mend a broken chair or two, which kept him at home several
+evenings. After this, he took to staying at home with his family in
+the evenings, instead of spending his time at the tavern; and the
+money thus saved went to buy comforts for them all. And then, as
+their home grew more pleasant, the whole family loved it better than
+ever before, and they grew healthier and happier with their flowers.
+What a little thing that plant was, and yet it was God's apostle to
+that family! It did a great work for them in blessing them and making
+them happy. And _that_ was work that an angel would have been glad to
+do.
+
+"Brought In by a Smile." A London minister said to a friend one day;
+"Seven persons were received into my church last Sunday, and they
+were 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 on
+my way to church, I saw, held in the arms of its nurse, a beautiful
+infant; and as it fixed its bright black eyes on me, I smiled, and
+the dear child returned the smile. The next Sabbath the babe was
+again before the window. Again I smiled, and the smile was returned,
+as before. The third Sabbath, as I passed by the window, I threw the
+little one a kiss. Instantly its hand was extended and a kiss thrown
+back to me. And so it came to pass that I learned to watch for the
+baby on my way to church; and as the weeks went by, I noticed that
+the nurse and the baby were not alone. Other members of the family
+pressed to the window to see the gentleman who always had a smile for
+the 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 and
+mother had said to those children: 'Get ready for church, for we
+think 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 their
+parents, and after I had passed, the door opened, and the children
+stepped upon the pavement, and kept near me, till I entered my
+church, when they followed me, and seats were given them.
+
+"When they returned home, they sought their parents and eagerly
+exclaimed: 'He is a minister, and we have found his church, and he
+preached a beautiful sermon this morning. You must go and hear him
+next Sunday.'
+
+"It was not difficult to persuade the parents to go, and guided by
+their children they found their way to the church. They, too, were
+pleased, and other members of the family were induced to come to the
+house 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 all
+brought in by a smile.'"
+
+What a little thing a smile is! And yet, here we see how God made use
+of so small a thing as this, to make seven persons Christians, and to
+save their souls forever! Of the God who can work in this way, it
+may well be said that he loves to work by little things. It is the
+way in which he is working continually.
+
+How eagerly, then, we may try to learn and to practise what has been
+very 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 the
+men whom Jesus chose to be his apostles. The first thing about this
+subject 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 of
+St. Matthew. In this chapter Jesus told the apostles all about the
+work they were to do for him, and how they were to do it. In the
+seventh and eighth verses of this chapter we have distinctly stated
+just what they were to do. "As ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of
+heaven 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 to
+them, not among the Gentiles, but only among the Jews; or as he calls
+them--"the lost sheep of the house of Israel," v. 5,6. But, after his
+resurrection, and just before he went up to heaven, he enlarged their
+commission. His parting command to them then was--"_Go ye into all
+the world, and preach the gospel to every creature_." St. Mark xvi:
+15.
+
+When Jesus, their Master, went to heaven they were to take up and
+carry on the great work that he had begun. Those twelve men were to
+begin the work of changing the religion of the world. They were to
+overturn the idols that had been worshiped for ages. They were to
+shut up the temples in which those idols had been worshiped. They
+were to "turn men from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan
+unto God." Acts xxvi: 18. They were to go up and down the world,
+everywhere, telling the wondrous story of Jesus and his love. And in
+doing this work they were to be the means of saving the souls of all
+who believed their message, and in the end of winning the world back
+to Jesus, till, according to God's promise, he has "the heathen for
+his inheritance, and the utmost parts of the earth for his
+possession." Ps. ii: 8.
+
+This was the grandest and most important work that men were ever
+called 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 not
+finished yet. And, if we learn to love and serve Jesus, we may help
+to carry it on. We may be apostles, too, though in a lower sense than
+that in which the first twelve were apostles. An apostle means--one
+_sent_. But Jesus _sends_ into the vineyard to work for him all who
+become his loving children. And, in this sense it is true that all
+who love and serve Jesus are his apostles. He says to each of
+us--"Go, work to-day, in my vineyard." St. Matt, xxi: 28. And in
+another 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 to
+bring them to him, then we are helping to carry on the same great
+work that Jesus gave his apostles to do. Let us look at some examples
+of persons who have been apostles for God and helped to do the work
+of apostles.
+
+"Aunt Lucy." I heard the other day of a good old woman in the State
+of Michigan, known as Aunt Lucy. She is eighty-four years old, and
+lives all alone, supporting herself principally by carpet-weaving.
+All that she can save from her earnings, after paying for her
+necessary expenses, she spends in buying Bibles, which she
+distributes among the children and the poor of the neighborhood.
+Thirteen large family Bibles, and fifty small ones, have thus been
+given away--good, well-bound Bibles.
+
+A neighbor, who has watched this good work very closely, says that
+two-thirds of the persons to whom Aunt Lucy has given Bibles have
+afterwards become Christians. In doing this work Aunt Lucy was an
+apostle.
+
+"The Charcoal Carrier." One Sunday afternoon, in summer, a little
+girl named Mary, going home from a Sunday-school in the country, sat
+down to rest under the shade of a tree by the roadside. While sitting
+there she opened her Bible to read. As she sat reading, a man, well
+known in that neighborhood as Jacob, the charcoal carrier, came by
+with 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 was
+not a Christian man, and was accustomed to work with his donkey as
+hard on Sunday as on week-days.
+
+When he came by where Mary was sitting, he stopped a moment, and
+said, 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:--"Remember
+the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do
+all 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 must
+think over what you have said."
+
+And he _did_ think over it. And the result of his thinking was, that
+instead of going with his donkey to the woods on the next Sunday, he
+went with his two little girls to the Sunday-school. And the end of
+it all was that Jacob, the charcoal carrier, became a Christian, and
+God's blessing rested on him and his family.
+
+Little Mary was doing an apostle's work when she read and explained
+the Bible to Jacob and was the means of bringing him to Jesus.
+
+"The Use of Fragments." In the Cathedral at Lincoln, England, there
+is a window of stained glass which was made by an apprentice out of
+little pieces of glass that had been thrown aside by his master as
+useless. It is said to be the most beautiful window in the Cathedral.
+And if, like this apprentice, we carefully gather up, and improve the
+little bits of time, of knowledge, and of opportunities that we have,
+we may do work for God more beautiful than that Cathedral window. We
+may do work like that which the apostles were sent to do. Here are
+some sweet lines, written by I know not whom, about that beautiful
+window, 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_--THE
+HELP--_they received_.
+
+In one place, we are told that Jesus "gave them power against unclean
+spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness, and
+all manner of disease." St. Matt. x: 1. In another place we are told,
+that for their comfort and encouragement in the great work they had
+to do, Jesus said to them, "Lo, I am with you always, even unto the
+end of the world." St. Matt. xxviii: 20. And if they only had Jesus
+with them, no matter what the work was they had to do, they would be
+sure of having all the help they might need. The apostle Paul
+understood this very well, for he said, "I can do all things through
+Christ, which strengtheneth me." Phil. iv: 13.
+
+And then, as if his own presence with them were not enough, Jesus
+promised that his apostles should have the help of the Holy Spirit in
+carrying on their work. Just before leaving them to go to heaven, he
+said to the disciples--"Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy
+Ghost is come upon you." Acts i: 8. And what this power was we see in
+the case of the apostle Peter; for the first sermon he preached
+after the Holy Ghost came upon him, on the day of Pentecost, was the
+means of converting three thousand souls. Acts ii: 41.
+
+And the same God who gave the apostles all the help they needed, has
+promised to do the same for you, and me, and for all who try to work
+for him. There are many promises of this kind in the Bible to which I
+might refer. But I will only mention one. This is so sweet and
+precious that it deserves to be written in letters of gold. There is
+no passage in the Bible that has given me so much comfort and
+encouragement 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 I
+am thy God; I will strengthen thee; yea--I WILL HELP THEE." This
+promise was not given for prophets and apostles only, but for all
+God's people to the end of time. You and I, if we are trying to serve
+God, may take it as ours. God meant it for us. And when we get this
+promised help from God, we can do any work he has for us to do, and
+be happy in doing it.
+
+"For Thine is the Power." "I can't do it--it's quite impossible. I've
+tried five times, and can't get it right"--and Ben Hartley pushed his
+book and slate away in despair. Ben was a good scholar. He was at
+the head of his class, and was very anxious to stay there. But the
+sums he had now to do were very hard. He could not do them, and was
+afraid of losing his place in the class. Most of the boys had some
+one 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 school
+much 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 a
+fellow do his sums."
+
+"O, yes; there is. There is help for every trouble in life in the
+Lord's prayer, if we only know how to use it. I was trying a long
+time before I found out what the last part of this prayer really
+means. 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 ask
+him to keep us from evil; and to forgive us our sins; and then we
+say: '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 helps
+me, Ben, when I have something hard to do. I say, 'For _thine_ is the
+power--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 he
+remembered when he had to stay home from school because he had no
+clothes fit to go in, how he prayed to God about it, and the
+minister's wife brought him a suit the very next day. "But a boy's
+sums, mother! it seems like such a little thing to ask God about."
+
+"Those sums are not a little thing to you, Ben. Your success at
+school depends on your knowing how to do them. _That_, is as much to
+you, as many a greater thing to some one else. Now I care a great
+deal about that, because I love you. And I know your Father in heaven
+loves 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 and
+slate and went up to his little room. Kneeling down by the bed he
+repeated the Lord's prayer. When he came to--"thine is the kingdom,"
+he stopped a moment, and then said, with all his heart--"'And thine
+is the power,' heavenly Father. I want power to know how to do these
+sums. There's no one else to help me. Lord, please give me power, for
+Jesus' sake, Amen."
+
+Ben waited a moment, and then, still on his knees, he took his slate
+and tried again. Do you ask me if he succeeded? Remember what Saint
+James says, "If any man lack wisdom let him ask of God, who giveth to
+all 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 away
+before one of his promises shall fail. Ben had prayed to God to help
+him, and God answered his prayer. He tried once more to work out
+those sums. After thinking over them a little while, he saw the
+mistake he had made in neglecting one of the rules for working the
+sums. He corrected this mistake, and then he found they all worked
+out beautifully. The next day he was head of the class; for he was
+the only boy who could say that he had done the sum himself, without
+getting any one at home to help him.
+
+"And yet I was helped, mother," said Ben, "for I am sure my Father in
+heaven helped me." But that was not what the teacher meant. After
+this, Ben never forgot the last part of the Lord's prayer. When he
+needed help he knew where the power was that could help him.
+
+Here was where the apostles got the help they needed in doing the
+hard work they had to do. And how much help we might get in doing our
+work if we only make a right use of this "power which belongeth unto
+God;" and which he is always ready to use in helping us.
+
+The help they received, is the third thing to remember when we think
+about the apostles and their work.
+
+_The last thing to bear in mind when we think of Jesus choosing his
+twelve apostles, is_--THE LESSON--_it teaches us_.
+
+There are many lessons we might learn from this subject; but there is
+one so much more important than all the rest that we may very well
+let them go, and think only of this one. When St. Luke tells us about
+Jesus choosing the twelve apostles, he mentions one very important
+thing, of which St. Matthew, in his account of it says nothing at
+all. And it is this thing from which we draw our lesson. In the
+twelfth verse of the sixth chapter of his gospel, St. Luke
+says--"And it came to pass in those days, that he (Jesus) went out
+into 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 call
+his disciples to him, and out of them to choose the twelve, who were
+to be his apostles. And the lesson we learn from this part of the
+subject 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 yet
+it is easy enough to see at least two reasons why he did this. One
+was because _he loved to pray_. We know how pleasant it is for us to
+meet, and talk with a person whom we love very much. But prayer
+is--talking with God--telling him what we want, and asking his help.
+But Jesus loved his Father in heaven, with a love deeper and stronger
+than we can understand. This must have made it the most delightful of
+all things for him to be engaged in prayer, or in talking with his
+Father in heaven. And, if we really love Jesus, prayer will not be a
+hard 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 spent
+the whole night in prayer, before choosing his twelve apostles.
+
+But there was another reason why Jesus spent so much time in prayer
+before performing this important work, and that was to _set us an
+example_. It was to teach us the very lesson of which we are now
+speaking--the lesson of prayer. Remember how much power and wisdom
+Jesus had in himself; and what mighty things he was able to do. And
+yet, if _He_ felt that it was right to pray before engaging in any
+important 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 our
+lives to connect prayer with everything we do. This will make us
+happy in our own souls, and useful to those about us.
+
+How full the Bible is of the wonders that have been wrought by
+prayer! Just think for a moment of some of them.
+
+Abraham prays, and Lot is delivered from the fiery flood that
+overwhelmed Sodom and Gomorrah. Gen. xix: 29. Jacob prays, and he
+wrestles with the angel, and obtains the blessing; his brother
+Esau's mind is wonderfully turned away from the wrath he had
+cherished for twenty years. Moses prays and Amalek is discomfited.
+Joshua prays and Achan is discovered. Hannah prays and Samuel is
+born. David prays and Ahithophel hangs himself. Elijah prays and a
+famine of three years comes upon Israel. He prays again, and the rain
+descends, and the famine ends. Elisha prays, and Jordan is divided.
+He prays again, and the dead child's soul is brought back from the
+invisible world. Isaiah and Hezekiah pray, and a hundred and
+eighty-five thousand Assyrian soldiers are slain in one night by the
+unseen sword of the angel. These are Bible illustrations of the help
+God gives to his people in answer to prayer. And the Bible rule for
+prayer, as given by our Saviour, is, "that men ought _always_ to
+pray," Luke xviii: 1. St. Paul's way of stating it is--"Praying
+always, with all prayer," Ephes. vi: 18. In another place he
+says--"Pray without ceasing," I. Thess. v: 17. And even the heathen
+teach the same rule about prayer. Among the rules of Nineveh, an
+inscription 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 this
+morning?" asked a little girl.
+
+"My child, we have had no breakfast, and have no dinner to eat when
+we come back," said her grandma.
+
+"But the Lord Jesus can give it to us if we ask him," said the little
+girl. "Let's ask him." So they kneeled down, and asked that God, "who
+feedeth the young ravens when they cry," to remember them, and help
+them.
+
+Then they went to church. They found it very much crowded. An old
+gentleman took the little girl upon his knee. He was pleased with her
+quiet behaviour. On parting with her at the close of the service, he
+slipped a half crown into her hand. "See, Grandma," she said, as soon
+as 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 same
+school; one of them, named Mary, always said her lessons well, the
+other, named Jane, always failed. One day Jane said, "Mary, how does
+it happen that you always say your lessons so well?" Mary said she
+prayed over her lessons, and _that_ was the secret of her success.
+
+Jane concluded to try praying. But the next day she failed worse than
+ever. In tears, she reproached Mary for deceiving her. "But, did you
+study hard, as well as pray over your lesson?" asked Mary.
+
+"No; I thought if I only prayed, that was all I had to do," replied
+Jane. "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 lessons
+well," was Mary's wise answer. The next day Jane studied, as well as
+prayed, and she had her lesson perfectly.
+
+The greatest work we can ever do, is to bring a soul to Jesus, or to
+convert a sinner from the error of his way. Here is an illustration
+of 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 a
+stage-coach," said a Christian gentleman, "when the driver by my side
+began to swear in a dreadful manner. I lifted up my heart for God's
+blessing on what I said; and presently, in a quiet way, I asked him
+this question: 'Driver, do you ever pray?' He seemed displeased at
+first; but after awhile he replied, 'I sometimes go to church on
+Sunday; and then I suppose I pray, don't I?' 'I am afraid you never
+pray at all; for no man can swear as you do, and yet be in the habit
+of praying to God.'
+
+"As we rode along he seemed thoughtful. 'Coachman, I wish you would
+pray now,' I said. '"Why, what a time to pray, Sir, when a man is
+driving a coach!"' 'Yet, my friend, God will hear you,' '"What shall
+I 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 said
+them over a second, and a third time. The end of the journey was
+reached, 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 was
+answered. I saw myself a lost, and ruined sinner; but now, I humbly
+hope, that through the blood which cleanseth from all sin, and by the
+power of the Holy Spirit, I am a converted man.'"
+
+And so, when we think of the twelve apostles, appointed by Jesus to
+preach his gospel, these are the four things for us to remember in
+connection with them, viz.:--_the men_ whom he chose; _the work_ they
+had 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 it
+as for God, and then we shall be his apostles--his sent ones. Let me
+put the application of this subject in the form of some earnest,
+practical lines that I lately met with. The lines only speak of
+boys, 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 days
+of his public ministry. He was _sent_ to teach and to preach. The
+speaker in the book of Job was thinking of this Great Teacher when he
+asked--"_Who teacheth like him_?" Job xxxvi: 22. And it was he who
+was in the Psalmist's mind when he spoke of the "good, and upright
+Lord" who would teach sinners, if they were meek, how to walk in his
+ways. Ps. xxv: 8-9. And he is the Redeemer, of whom the prophet
+Isaiah 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 how
+true was what Nicodemus said of him, that "he was a _teacher sent
+from God_." John iii: 2. Thus what was said of Jesus, before he came
+into our world, would naturally lead us to expect to find him
+occupied in teaching. And so he _was_ occupied, all through the days
+of his public ministry. St. Matthew tells us that--"Jesus went about
+all Galilee, _teaching_ in their synagogues." Ch. iv: 23. Further on
+in his gospel he tells us again that "Jesus went about all the
+cities, and villages, teaching in their synagogues." Ch. ix: 35. When
+on his trial before Pilate, his enemies brought it as a charge
+against him that he had been--"_teaching_ throughout all Jewry." Luke
+xxiii: 5. We read in one place that--"the elders of the people came
+unto him _as he was teaching_." Matt. xxi: 23. Jesus himself gave
+this 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 look
+at the life of Christ from this point of view--as a Teacher. There
+never was such a Teacher. We do not wonder at the effect of his
+teaching of which we read in St. John vii: 46, when the chief priests
+sent some of their officers to take him prisoner, and bring him unto
+them; the officers went, and joined the crowd that was listening to
+his preaching. His words had such a strange effect on them that they
+could not think of touching him. So they went back to their masters
+without doing what they had been sent to do. "And when the chief
+priests and Pharisees said unto them--Why have ye not brought him?
+The officers answered, _Never man spake like this man_." Jesus was
+indeed--_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 things
+about his teaching which made him different from any other teacher
+the 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 great
+sermon to his disciples, called "The Sermon on the Mount." This is
+the most wonderful sermon that ever was preached. Jesus began it by
+telling about some of the great blessings he had brought down from
+heaven for poor sinful creatures such as we are. The sermon begins in
+the fifth chapter of St. Matthew, and the first twelve verses of the
+chapter are occupied in speaking of these blessings. As soon as he
+opened his mouth and began to speak a stream of blessings flowed out.
+
+It was a beautiful thought, on this subject, which a boy in
+Sunday-school once had. The teacher had been talking to his class
+about the beginning of this sermon on the mount. He had spoken of the
+sweetness of the words of Jesus, when "He opened his mouth and
+taught" his disciples. "How pleasant it must have been, my dear
+boys," said he, "to have seen the blessed Saviour, and to have heard
+him speak!"
+
+A serious-minded little fellow in the class said, "Teacher, don't you
+think that when Jesus opened his mouth, and began to speak to his
+disciples, it must have been like taking the stopper out of a scent
+bottle?" I cannot tell whether this boy had ever read the words of
+Solomon or not; but he had just the same idea that was in his mind
+when he said of this "Great Teacher," "thy name is _as ointment
+poured forth_." Cant, i: 3. We perceive the fragrance of this
+ointment as soon as Jesus opens his mouth and begins to speak. If we
+had been listening to Jesus when he began this sermon, saying:--"
+Blessed are the poor in spirit; blessed are the meek; blessed are the
+pure in heart; blessed are the peace-makers"--and so on till he had
+spoken of _nine_ different kinds of blessing, we might have thought
+that he had nothing but blessings of which to tell. It would have
+seemed as if his mind, and heart, and lips, and hands were all so
+filled with blessings that he could do nothing else till he had told
+about these. And the blessings spoken of here are not all the
+blessings that Jesus brought. They are only specimens of them. The
+blessings he has obtained for us are innumerable. David says of them,
+"If I would declare and speak of them they are more than can be
+numbered." 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 that
+mourn, for they shall be comforted." Jesus came to bring comfort to
+the mourners. Hundreds of years before Christ came the prophet Isaiah
+had 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 was
+to 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. My
+salvation was finished on the cross. My soul is saved. Heaven is
+mine. 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's
+well, he compared the blessing of his grace to the water of that
+well. Pointing to the well at his side, he said: "Whosoever drinketh
+of this water will thirst again. But whosoever drinketh of the water
+that I shall give him, shall never thirst; but the water that I shall
+give him, shall be _in him, a well of water, springing up unto
+everlasting life_." John iv: 13, 14. This is one of the most
+beautiful illustrations of the blessing Jesus gives that ever was
+used. It is a great blessing to have a well of clear, cold water in
+our garden, or near our door. But, only think of having a well of
+water _in our hearts_. Then, wherever we go, we carry that well with
+us. We never have to go away from it. No one can separate between us
+and the water of this well. Other wells dry up and fail. But this is
+a well that never dries up, and never fails. This well is deep, and
+its water is all the time "springing up unto everlasting life." How
+happy they are in whose breasts Jesus opens this well of water!
+
+Coleridge, the English poet, in writing to a young friend, just
+before his death, said:
+
+"Health is a great blessing; wealth, gained by honest industry, is a
+great blessing; it is a great blessing to have kind, faithful, loving
+friends and relatives, _but, the greatest, and best of all blessings
+is to be a Christian_."
+
+One of the most able and learned lawyers that England ever had was
+John Selden. He was so famous for his learning and knowledge that he
+is always spoken of as "the learned Selden." On his deathbed he
+said--"I have taken much pains to know everything that was worth
+knowing among men; but with all my reading and all my knowledge,
+nothing now remains with me to comfort me at the close of life but
+these precious words of St. Paul: 'This a faithful saying, and worthy
+of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save
+sinners;' to this I cling. In this I rest. This gives me peace, and
+comfort, and enables me to die happy."
+
+William Wilberforce was another of the great and good men who have
+been 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 my
+Saviour. Read the Bible. Let no other book take its place. Through
+all my trials and perplexities, it has been my comfort. And now it
+comforts 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 this
+well in our breasts, may well be called, "the Great Teacher," because
+of the great blessings--of which he tells.
+
+_In the second place Jesus may be called "the Great Teacher" because
+of the_--GREAT SIMPLICITY--_of his teachings_.
+
+I do not mean to say that we can understand every thing that Jesus
+taught. This is not so. He had some things to speak about that are
+not simple. He said to his disciples, "_I have yet many things to say
+unto you, but ye cannot bear them now_." John xvi: 12. This means
+that there are some things about God, and heaven, of which he wished
+to tell them, but they were too hard for them to understand, although
+they were full-grown men. And so he did not tell them of these
+things. But even among the things that Jesus did tell about, there
+are some which the wisest and most learned men in the world have
+never been able to understand or explain. Some one has compared the
+Bible to a river, in which there are some places deep enough for an
+elephant or a giant to swim in; and other places where the water is
+shallow enough for a child to wade in. And it is just so with the
+teachings of Jesus. Some of the most important lessons he taught are
+so plain and simple that very young people can understand them.
+
+We have a good illustration of this in that sweet invitation which
+Jesus gave when he said,--"_Come unto me, all ye that labor and are
+heavy laden, and I will give you rest._" Matt. xi: 28. Very young
+people know what it is to feel tired and weary from walking, or
+working too much, or from carrying a heavy burden. And, when they are
+too tired to do anything else, they know what it is to go to their
+dear 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 we
+are tired, or troubled, that our souls may find rest in him. We come
+to Jesus, when we pray to him; when we tell him all about our
+troubles; when we ask him to help us; and when we trust in his
+promises.
+
+  "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 his
+doctrines to children just weaned. Chap. xxviii: 9. This shows us
+that 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 those
+loving words:--"_Suffer the little children to come unto me, and
+forbid 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 such
+interest in children as Jesus did. And none of them ever taught with
+such great simplicity. What multitudes of young people have been led
+to love and serve Jesus by thinking of the sweet words he spoke about
+children!
+
+"The Child's Gospel." A little girl sat still in church listening to
+the minister. She could not understand what he was saying till he
+quoted these words of Jesus about the children. But she understood
+them. She felt that they were words spoken for her. They made her
+feel very happy. And when she went home she threw her arms around her
+mother'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 years
+old. 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 when
+he was on earth?"
+
+In a moment the sweet words she had learned in the school were on her
+lips--"Suffer the little children to come unto me, &c."
+
+"Well, Carrie, for whom did Jesus speak these words?" At once she
+clapped 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 away
+since "Jesus was here among men," these same simple words have been
+drawing 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, and
+this was another thing that helped to make him the Great Teacher_.
+
+It was this great tenderness that led him, when he came to be our
+Teacher and Saviour to take our nature upon him and so become like
+us. 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 disciples
+saw him on the Mount of Transfiguration. But then we should have been
+afraid of him. He would not have known how we feel, and could not
+have felt for us. But instead of this, his tenderness led him to take
+our nature upon him, that he might be able to put himself in our
+place, and so to understand just how we feel, and what we need to
+help and comfort us. This is what the apostle means in Heb. ii: 14,
+when he says--"Forasmuch as the children were partakers of flesh and
+blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same." He did this
+on purpose that he might know, by his own experience, how we are
+tried and tempted; and so be able to sympathize with us and help us
+in all our trials.
+
+Here is a little story, very simple, and homely; but yet, one that
+illustrates very well the point of which we are speaking. It is a
+story about:
+
+"A Lost Horse Found." A valuable horse was lost, belonging to a
+farmer in New England. A number of his neighbors turned out to try
+and find the horse. They searched all through the woods and fields
+of the surrounding country, but in vain. None of them could find the
+horse. At last a poor, weak-minded fellow, who was known in that
+neighborhood as "simple Sam," started to hunt the horse. After awhile
+he came back, bringing the stray horse with him. The owner of the
+horse 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 do
+it?"
+
+"Wal, you see," said Sam, "I just 'quired whar the horse was seen
+last; 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 I
+went, and found him." Now, when Sam, in the simplicity of his feeble
+mind, 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 his
+owner again. And so, to pass from a very little thing to a very great
+one, when Jesus came down from heaven to seek and to save sinners
+that were lost, this is just the way in which he acted. He put
+himself in our place as sinners. As the apostle Paul says: "he who
+knew no sin, was made sin for us," that he might save us from the
+dreadful consequences of our sins.
+
+And we see the tenderness of Jesus, not only in taking our nature
+upon him and becoming man, but in what he did when he lived in this
+world as a man. "_He went about doing good_." It was his great
+tenderness that led him to do this. Suppose that you and I could have
+walked 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 seen
+him meeting with blind men and opening their eyes that they might
+see. We should have seen him meeting with deaf men, and unstopping
+their ears that they might hear. We should have seen him meeting sick
+people who were taken with divers diseases and torments and healing
+them. We should have seen him raising the dead; and casting out
+devils; and speaking words of comfort and encouragement to those who
+were sad and sorrowful. If we could have looked into his blessed
+face, we should have seen tenderness there, beaming from his eyes and
+speaking from every line of his countenance. If we could have
+listened to his teaching we should have found tenderness running
+through all that he said. Just take one of his many parables as a
+sample of his way of teaching--the parable of the lost sheep--and see
+how full of tenderness it is. The sweet lines of the hymn, about the
+shepherd seeking his lost sheep, that most of us love to sing, bring
+out 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," demonstrates
+his great tenderness for his sheep.
+
+But perhaps there was no act in all the life of our blessed Redeemer
+that showed his tenderness more than taking the little children in
+his arms, and putting his hands upon them, and blessing them.
+
+To think of the Son of God, who made this world, and all worlds, and
+whom all the angels of heaven worship, showing so much interest in
+the little ones; this proves how full of tenderness his heart was.
+
+"I Like Your Jesus." An English lady who had spent six months in
+Syria, 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 little
+ones, as we learned from a dear Moslem child, who, when she repeated
+the text, 'Suffer the little children,' said, 'I like your Jesus,
+because he loved little children. Our Mohammed did not love little
+children.'"
+
+And if we all try to imitate the tenderness of Jesus, then, though we
+may have no money to give, and no great thing to do, yet by being
+tender, and gentle, and loving, as Jesus was, we shall be able to do
+good wherever we are.
+
+"Doing Good by Sympathy." A Christian mother used to ask her children
+every night if they had done any good during the day. One night in
+answer to this question, her little daughter said: "At school this
+morning I found little Annie G----, who had been absent for some
+time, crying very hard. I asked her what was the matter? Then she
+cried more, so that I could not help putting my head on her neck, and
+crying with her. Her sobs grew less, and presently she told of her
+little 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. Then
+she 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, and
+crying, too, as hard as she did. After awhile she kissed me, and told
+me 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 Great
+Teacher. Nothing in the world could have done that poor sorrowing
+child so much good as to have some one cry with her. Sometimes tears
+of tenderness are worth more than diamonds. And this is why the Bible
+tells us to "weep with them that weep." Rom. xii: 15. Jesus did this
+in the tenderness of his loving heart. And this was one of the things
+that made him the Great Teacher.
+
+_But then there was_--GREAT KNOWLEDGE--_in Jesus; and this was
+another thing that made him great as a teacher_.
+
+If we wish to be good teachers, we must study, and try to understand
+the things we expect to teach. If a young man wishes to be a
+minister, he must go through college; and then spend three years in
+the Divinity School, so that he may understand the great truths of
+the Bible, which he is to teach the people who hear him. But Jesus
+never went to college, or to a divinity school. And yet he had
+greater knowledge about all the things of which he spoke than any
+other 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 us
+that "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 ever
+lived, and give it to one person, it would be as nothing compared to
+the knowledge which Jesus, "the Great Teacher" had. He knew all about
+heaven; for that had always been his home before he came into our
+world. He knew all about God; for, he was "in the bosom of the
+Father," John i: 18; and, as he tells us himself, had shared his
+glory with him, "before the world was." John xvii: 5. He knew all
+about the world we live in, for he made it. John i: 10. He knew all
+about 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, for
+he made them all. He saw all they did; he heard all they said; he
+knew all they thought, or felt. Wise and learned men have been
+studying, and finding out things for hundreds of years, about
+geography 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 have
+told about them, if he had seen fit to do so. But he only told us
+what it is best for us to know, in order that we might be saved; and
+kept back all the rest. The things that Jesus did teach us when he
+was here on earth were wonderful; but it is hardly less wonderful to
+think 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 are
+not surprised that some of those who heard him "wondered at the
+gracious words" he spake; or that others asked the question: "Whence
+hath this man this knowledge, having never learned?"
+
+Some one has written these sweet lines about Christ as--_The Great
+Teacher_:
+
+    "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 other
+teachers is seen, not only in the greater knowledge he has of the
+things that he teaches, but in this also, that he knows how to make
+us understand the lessons he teaches. Here is an incident that
+illustrates how well Jesus can do this. We may call it:
+
+"The Well Instructed Boy." A minister of the gospel was travelling
+through 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 no
+covering on his head, and no shoes or stockings on his feet; but he
+looked bright and happy. He had a New Testament in his hand. "Can you
+read, 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 clear
+distinct voice, began:
+
+"There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the
+Jews; 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 these
+miracles 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, placing
+his hand on his bosom, he said, "It is _something here_;" and then,
+raising his eyes to heaven, added, "_and something up yonder_." This
+poor boy had been taking lessons from "the Great Teacher," and he had
+taught him some of the most important things that we can ever learn.
+Jesus may well be called "the Great Teacher," because of his great
+knowledge.
+
+_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, yet
+they 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 the
+same kind that occurred while he was on earth. One day he was going
+about teaching in the streets of Jerusalem. As he went on, he passed
+by the office of a man who was gathering taxes for the Roman
+government. The persons who did this were called _publicans_. This
+man, sitting in his office, was named Matthew. He was busily engaged
+in receiving the taxes of the people. It was a very profitable
+business. The men engaged in it generally made a great deal of money.
+Jesus stopped before the window or door of this office. He beckoned
+to Matthew, and simply spoke these two words:--"_Follow me_."
+
+Now, if any other teacher had spoken these words to Matthew, and had
+tried to make him quit his business and engage in something else, he
+would have said: "No; I can't leave my office. This is all the means
+I have of getting a living. The business pays well, and I am not
+willing 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, and
+followed him." Matt. ix: 9; Luke v: 28. He became one of the twelve
+apostles and wrote the gospel which bears his name. But it was the
+great power which Jesus has over the hearts of men that made Matthew
+willing to do, at once, what he was told to do.
+
+And the power which Jesus exercised over Matthew, in this case, he
+still has, and still uses. And when he is pleased to use this power
+the very worst people feel it, and are made good by it. And Jesus,
+"the Great Teacher," uses this power sometimes in connection with
+very simple things. Here is an illustration. We may call it:
+
+"Saved by a Rose." Some time ago, a Christian gentleman was in the
+habit 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 little
+yard connected with each cell. He got permission from the officers of
+the prison to do so. He had a bracket fastened to the wall, in each
+yard, 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 most
+hardened man that had ever been in that prison. His temper was so
+violent and obstinate that no one could manage him. The keeper of the
+prison was afraid of him, and never liked to go near him. He was such
+a disagreeable-looking man that the name given to him in the prison
+was "Ugly Greg." A little rose bush was put on the bracket in Ugly
+Greg's yard, and the effect produced by it is told in these simple
+lines, 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 this
+hardened sinner. No; but it led him to think of the lessons of his
+childhood, when he had been taught about Jesus, "the Rose of
+Sharon". It led him to think about his sins. It led him to repent of
+them; 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 of
+him as--"a man saved by a rose;" yet it was the power of Jesus, "the
+Great Teacher," exercised through that rose, which led to this
+blessed change and saved Greg's soul from death.
+
+And thus we have spoken of five things which help to make up the
+greatness of Jesus as a Teacher. These are--The Great Blessings--The
+Great Simplicity--The Great Tenderness--The Great Knowledge--and the
+Great Power connected with his teachings. Let us seek the grace that
+will enable us to learn of him, and then we shall find rest for our
+souls!
+
+
+
+
+
+
+CHRIST TEACHING BY PARABLES
+
+
+
+
+
+We have spoken of our Saviour as "The Great Teacher," and tried to
+point out some of the things in his teaching which helped to make him
+great. And now, it may be well to speak a little of the illustrations
+which he made use of as a Teacher. These are called--_parables_. Our
+Saviour's parables were illustrations. This is what is meant by the
+Greek word from which we get the word parable. It means something
+_set down by the side of another_. When we teach a lesson we are
+setting something before the minds of our scholars. But suppose it is
+a hard lesson and they do not understand it. Then we use an
+illustration. This is something set down beside the lesson to make it
+plain. Then this, whatever it be, is a parable.
+
+At the beginning of his ministry, our Saviour did not make much use
+of parables. But, after he had been preaching for some time, he made
+a change in his way of teaching, in this respect. He began to use
+parables very freely. His disciples were surprised at this. On one
+occasion, after he had used the parable of the Sower, they came to
+their Master and asked him why he always spake to the people now in
+parables? 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 that
+he used parables for two reasons: one was to help those who really
+wished to learn from him to understand what he was teaching. The
+other was that those who were not willing to be taught might listen
+to him without understanding what he was saying. These people had
+heard him when he was teaching without parables. But, instead of
+thanking him for coming to teach them, and of being willing to do
+what he wanted them to do, they found fault with his teaching, and
+would not mind what he said.
+
+Now, there is a great difference between the way in which we are to
+learn what the Bible teaches us about God and heaven; and the way in
+which we learn other things. If we want to learn what the Bible
+teaches us we must be careful that we are having right feelings in
+our hearts; but if we want to learn other things it does not matter
+so much what our feelings are. For instance, suppose you have a
+lesson to learn in geography; no matter how you are feeling, whether
+you are proud, or humble; whether you are cross, or gentle; yet if
+you only study hard enough, and long enough, you can learn that
+lesson. But, if you want to learn one of the lessons that Jesus
+teaches, no matter how hard, or how long you study it, yet while you
+are giving way to proud, or angry feelings in your heart, you can
+never learn that lesson. And the reason is that we cannot learn these
+lessons 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 in
+our hearts. In learning geography, and other such lessons, we do not
+need the _special_ help of God. We can learn them ourselves, if we
+only try. But we cannot learn the lessons that Jesus teaches in this
+way. This is what the Psalmist means when he says:--"The _meek_ will
+he teach his way." Ps. xxv: 9. And this was what our Saviour meant
+when 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 tell
+us.
+
+Some one has well said that truth, taught by a parable, is like the
+kernel 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 the
+shell, and get it: but those who are not willing to crack the shell
+will 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 parables
+freely. We are told that--"without a parable spake he not unto the
+people." St. Mark xiii: 34. He used parables among his disciples for
+two reasons: these were to help them to _understand_, and to remember
+what he taught them.
+
+We have a great many of the parables of Jesus in the gospels. A full
+list of them will contain not less than _fifty_. It would be easy
+enough to make a sermon on each of these parables. But that would
+make a larger work than this whole LIFE OF CHRIST, on which we are
+now engaged. It is impossible therefore to speak of all the parables.
+We can only make selections, or take some specimens of them. We may
+speak of five different lessons as illustrated by some of the
+parables of Christ. These are--_The value of religion: Christ's love
+of sinners: The duty of forgiveness: The duty of kindness: and the
+effect of good example_.
+
+_Well then, we may begin by considering what Jesus taught us of_--THE
+VALUE 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, "The
+kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which
+when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and
+selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field." The words "kingdom
+of heaven" are used by our Saviour in different senses. Sometimes, as
+here, they mean the grace of God, or true religion. And what Jesus
+teaches us by this parable is that true religion is more valuable
+than anything else in the world.
+
+The next parable, in the forty-fifth and forty-sixth verses of the
+same chapter, is about The Pearl of Great Price. This teaches the
+same lesson. It reads thus:--"The kingdom of heaven is like unto a
+merchantman seeking goodly pearls: who, when he had found one pearl
+of 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 the
+treasure hid in the field in the former parable. And the truth he
+teaches in both these parables is that religion is more important to
+us than anything else in the world. Let us look at some incidents
+that 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 the
+words he used to a person who was visiting him: "Once every thing
+went wrong at our house; father was wrong, mother was wrong, sister
+was wrong, and I was wrong; but now, since I have learned to know and
+love Jesus it is all right. I know why everything went wrong
+before:--it was because I was wrong myself." And this is true. The
+first thing that religion does for us is to make us _be_ right
+ourselves, and then to _do_ right to others.
+
+"Be." A young lady had been trying to do something very good, but had
+not succeeded. Her mother said, "Marian, my child, God gives us many
+things to _do_, but we must not forget that he gives us some things
+to _be_; and we must learn to _be_ what God would have us be, before
+we can _do_ what God would have us do."
+
+"O dear mother, please tell me about _being_, and then I shall know
+better 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 better
+day 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 your
+notice 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 of
+Jesus will help us to make these all our own. How great then must the
+value of religion be! Surely it is worth while for each of us to try
+and secure it!
+
+I think I never saw a better view of the value of religion than is
+seen in the following statement of what it does for us. I know not by
+whom it was written, but it is put in the form of that sacred sign to
+which 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. In
+her fourteenth year she was taken with a severe illness, from which
+the doctor said she could not recover. When she became too weak to
+leave the sofa, she would send for one and another of the neighbors
+to come in to see her, and then she would speak to them of Jesus and
+his great salvation. One day a poor old woman who was not a
+Christian, 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: she
+will 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 shall
+soon be with Jesus in heaven, and live forever with him."
+
+"Oh, how can you know that, my dear? We must not be _too_ sure you
+know," said the poor woman.
+
+"Oh," said Annie, pointing to a card hanging on the wall, near her
+bed, on which was printed in large letters the hymn headed--"I leave
+it all with Jesus." "That's what I do! That's what I do." These are
+the words of the hymn which gave that dear child so much comfort on
+her 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 which
+Jesus taught us in his parables, namely--_the value of religion_.
+
+_Another thing we are taught in these parables is_--CHRIST'S LOVE FOR
+SINNERS.
+
+The parable of the lost sheep teaches us this truth: but as we had
+occasion to speak of this in our last chapter, when illustrating the
+tenderness 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 are
+told 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 lost
+piece till she found it. This woman represents Jesus. The lost piece
+of money represents our souls lost by sin. The efforts of the woman
+to 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 _seek
+and to save that which was lost_." And it was the love of Jesus for
+poor sinners which led him to do all this for us. And everything
+connected with the history of Jesus when he was on earth shows the
+greatness of his love. Think of Bethlehem and its manger; there we
+see the love of Jesus. Think of Gethsemane with its bloody sweat;
+there we see the love of Jesus. Think of Calvary with its cross of
+shame and agony; for _there_ we see the love of Jesus.
+
+And the parable of the prodigal son teaches us the same lesson. We
+read of this in the same chapter, St. Luke xv: 11-32. This son had
+been disobedient and ungrateful. He had taken the money his father
+gave him and had gone away and spent it in living very wickedly. And
+when the money was all spent and he was likely to starve, he went
+back to his father, hungry and ragged, and asked to be taken in. And
+instead of scolding and punishing him as he deserved, as soon as his
+father saw him, he ran, and fell on his neck and kissed him; and took
+off his rags, and dressed him in good clothes, and made a great feast
+for him. How beautifully this parable illustrates the love of Christ
+for sinners!
+
+And when we learn to know and feel the love of Christ for us, it does
+two 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 been
+living without trying to serve or please God, and is led to see how
+wrong it is to live in that way, and then feels an earnest desire to
+turn around, and live differently, and really does so:--that is
+conversion. The teaching or preaching of the gospel is the chief
+means that God employs to convert men. And the thing about the gospel
+in which this converting power lies is--_the love of Christ_. Here
+is an illustration of what this means.
+
+"He Loved Me." An English minister of the gospel was traveling in
+Switzerland one summer. As he passed from place to place, he preached
+by means of an interpreter in various churches. One Sunday night he
+preached from the words, "_He loved me, and gave himself for me_."
+Gal. ii: 20. Then he went on his way without knowing what effect had
+followed from his preaching.
+
+One Saturday evening, several weeks after, the minister of this
+church was sitting in his study. There came a faint knock at his
+door. He opened it, when, to his great surprise he saw there a young
+man, who was known as the wickedest young man in that neighborhood,
+and the leader of others in all sorts of wickedness. He invited him
+in, gave him a seat, and asked him what he wished. Judge of his
+surprise when the young man said he wished to inquire if he might
+come to the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, which was to be
+celebrated in his church the next day!
+
+"But are you not aware, my young friend," said the minister, "that
+only those who love Christ, and are trying to serve him, have any
+right to come to that holy ordinance?"
+
+"I know it, sir," said the young man, "and I am thankful to feel
+that I am among that number."
+
+"But," asked the astonished pastor, "are you not known in this
+village as the ringleader in all evil doings?"
+
+"Alas! it is too true that it has been so," he replied, "but thank
+God all is changed now."
+
+"I am happy indeed to hear it; but pray tell me what led to this
+great change."
+
+"I was in your church, sir," said he, "some weeks ago, when that
+English minister preached from the words, 'Who loved me and gave
+himself for me,' That was the first time I ever understood about the
+love of Christ. It led to my repentance and conversion; and now I
+wish 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 that
+illustrates this point very well. We may call it:
+
+"Maggie's Secret." "Maggie Blake, how can you study so hard, and be
+so provokingly good?" This question was asked by Jennie Lee, who was
+one of the largest and wildest girls in the school. Maggie hesitated
+a moment, whether to tell her secret or not. But, presently she
+lifted up her eyes, looked her companion bravely in the face, and
+said--"It's for Jesus' sake, Jennie."
+
+"But do you think he cares?" asked Jennie in a soft, subdued
+voice,--"do you think he cares how we act?"
+
+"I _know_ he does," said Maggie. "And it makes it so pleasant you
+see, even to study and get hard lessons, when I know he is looking at
+me, and is pleased to have me working my best for him. He always
+helps me to get my lessons; and then helps me to say them right. You
+know I used to be so frightened I could not say them, even when I had
+learned them well."
+
+"Yes," said Jennie, remembering very well how Maggie had changed in
+that respect.
+
+"That was before I thought of learning them for Jesus. After that he
+helped me all along. It makes me like school; and even disagreeable
+things are pleasant when I think of doing them for him."
+
+Jennie had often watched Maggie, and wondered what made her have such
+a bright, cheerful, happy look. Now she knew the secret of it. It was
+doing everything "for Jesus' sake."
+
+She felt she would gladly give everything she had to be as happy as
+Maggie. She asked Maggie to pray for her, and she began to pray for
+herself. Then Jesus helped her, and she soon had Maggie's secret for
+her own. The girls in school wondered at the change which had come
+over Jennie. But when they heard that she had been confirmed, and had
+joined the church, they understood it all. They knew she "had been
+with Jesus;" and that it was learning to know and feel his wonderful
+love which had made Jennie so good, and so happy.
+
+And so, we see that Jesus was doing a blessed thing for us when he
+taught the parables which show his love for sinners.
+
+_A third thing taught us by some of the parables of Jesus is_--THE
+DUTY OF KINDNESS.
+
+One day, while Jesus was on earth, a young man came to him with the
+great question, what he should do to obtain eternal life. Jesus
+referred him to the Ten Commandments; and reducing them to two, he
+told the young man that these commandments required him to love God
+with all his heart, and his neighbor as himself; and then said if he
+would 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. I
+suppose that Jesus intended to give this young man some lessons about
+the commandments of God which would lead him to see that he never
+could keep them himself; and that he would need some one to keep them
+for him, and that _this_ was the only way in which he, or any one
+else could be saved. It may have been that the young man did not want
+to hear any thing more on that subject, and so he gave the
+conversation a different turn by asking--"who is my neighbor?" when
+Jesus said he must love his neighbor as himself. And then, in answer
+to this question Jesus told the parable of the "Good Samaritan." We
+have this parable in St. Luke x: 30-37.
+
+Here we are told of a certain man who was going down from Jerusalem
+to Jericho, and fell among thieves. They robbed him; and wounded him;
+and left him half dead. While he was lying there helpless and
+suffering, a priest and a Levite came, and looked on him, and passed
+by on the other side, without giving him any help. Then we are told
+that a certain Samaritan came by, and when he saw the poor wounded
+man lying there, although he was a Jew, and the Jews and the
+Samaritans hated each other very much, yet he pitied him, and went up
+to him, and bound up his wounds, and set him on his own beast, and
+carried him to an inn, and told them to take care of him, and said
+that he would pay all his expenses. Then Jesus asked the question,
+"Which now, of these three thinkest thou was neighbor to him that
+fell among thieves? And he said, he that showed mercy on him. Then
+said 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 the
+duty that Jesus teaches.
+
+Let us look at one or two illustrations of the way in which we should
+do this.
+
+"The Honey Shield." It is said that wasps and bees will not sting a
+person whose skin is covered with honey. And so those who are exposed
+to the sting of these venomous little creatures smear their hands and
+faces over with honey, and this, we are told, proves the best shield
+they can have to keep them from getting stung. And the honey here
+very well represents the kindness which Jesus teaches us to practise.
+If kindness, gentleness, and forbearance are found running through
+all our words and actions, we shall have the best shield to protect
+us from the spiteful stings of wicked people.
+
+"Androcles and the Lion." Most of those who read these pages may have
+heard this story, but it illustrates the point before us so well that
+I do not hesitate to use it here.
+
+Androcles was a Roman slave. To escape the cruel treatment of his
+master he ran away. A lonely cave in the midst of the forest was his
+home for a while. Returning to his cave one day he met a lion near
+the mouth of the cave. He was bellowing as if in pain; and on getting
+nearer to him, he found that he was suffering from a thorn which had
+run into one of his paws. It was greatly swollen and inflamed, and
+was causing him much pain. Androcles went up to the suffering beast.
+He drew out the rankling thorn and thus relieved him of his pain. His
+nature, savage as it was, felt the power of the kindness thus shown
+to him. He became attached to the lonely slave, and shared his prey
+with him while they remained together.
+
+But, after a while the retreat of Androcles was discovered. He was
+taken and carried back to his master. The lion also was made a
+prisoner soon after. Androcles was kept in prison for some time; and
+finally, according to the custom of the Romans, he was condemned to be
+devoured by wild beasts. The lion to be let loose on Androcles had
+been kept a long time without food and was very hungry. When the door
+of his den was opened he rushed out with a tremendous roar. The
+Colosseum was crowded with spectators. They expected to see the poor
+slave torn to pieces in a moment. But, to the surprise of everyone,
+the great monster, hungry as he was, instead of devouring the
+condemed man, crouched at his feet, and began to fondle him, as a pet
+dog would do. He recognized in the poor prisoner his friend of the
+forest and showed that he had not forgotten his kindness. The
+kindness of Androcles had been like the honey shield to him. It saved
+his life, first from the savage beast in the forest; and then from
+the savage men in the city. Let us all put on this shield, and wear
+it wherever we go. The lesson of kindness which Jesus teaches in
+this parable, has been very well put by some one in these sweet
+lines:
+
+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 the
+parables.
+
+_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 he
+ought to forgive a brother that offended him; and whether it would be
+enough to forgive him _seven_ times. The answer of Jesus was, "I say
+not 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 thousand
+talents. If these were talents of silver they would amount to more
+than fifteen millions of dollars. If they were talents of gold, they
+would amount to three hundred millions. This would show that his debt
+was so great that he never could pay it. Then his master freely
+forgave 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; but
+put him in prison. When his master heard this he was very angry, and
+put him in prison, where he should be punished until he had paid all
+his great debt. And Jesus finished the parable by saying--"_so
+likewise, shall my heavenly Father do unto you, if ye, from your
+hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses_." And here
+we are taught the great duty of forgiveness. And this same duty is
+taught us in the Lord's Prayer, where he says--"Forgive us our
+trespasses, as we also forgive those who trespass against us." If we
+use this prayer without forgiving those who injure us, then, in so
+using it, we are really asking God _not_ to forgive us. And Jesus
+_practised_ what he _preached_. As he hung bleeding and agonizing on
+the cross, while his enemies were cruelly mocking his misery, he
+looked up to heaven, and uttered that wonderful prayer--"_Father
+forgive them; for they know not what they do_." Here we have the best
+illustration of forgiveness that the world has ever seen.
+
+"Example of Forgiveness." In a school in Ireland, one boy struck
+another. The offending boy was brought up to be punished, when the
+injured boy begged for his pardon. The teacher asked--"Why do you
+wish to keep him from being flogged?" The ready reply was--"Because I
+have read in the New Testament that our Lord Jesus Christ said that
+we must forgive our enemies; and therefore I forgive him, and beg
+that he may not be punished for my sake."
+
+"Good for Evil." At the foot of a street in New York, stood an
+Italian organ grinder, with his organ. A number of boys had gathered
+round him, but they were more anxious to have some fun than to hear
+music. 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 so
+much force that the poor man's hat was knocked into the gutter. A
+gentleman standing by expected to see him get very angry, and swear
+at the boy. But, very different from this was the result that
+followed. The musician stopped; stepped forward and picked up his
+hat. 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 real
+Christian forgiveness.
+
+"The Power of the Gospel." Years ago some carpenters moved to the
+Island of New Zealand, and set up a shop for carrying on their
+business. They were engaged to build a chapel at one of the Mission
+Stations. One of these carpenters, a pleasant, kind-hearted man,
+engaged a native Christian to dig his garden for him. When the work
+was done the man went to the shop for his pay. Another of the
+carpenters there, who was a very ill-tempered man, told the native to
+get out of the shop. "Don't be angry," was the gentle reply; "I have
+only come to have a little talk with your partner, and to get my
+wages from him." "But I _am_ angry." And then taking hold of the New
+Zealander by the shoulder, he abused and kicked him in the most cruel
+manner.
+
+The native made no resistance till the carpenter ceased. Then he
+jumped up, seized him by the throat, and snatching a small axe from
+the 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 to
+kill you; and my arm is quite willing, but my heart is not. I have
+heard the missionaries preach the gospel of forgiveness. You owe your
+life to the preaching of the gospel. If my heart was as dark now as
+it was before the gospel was preached here, I should strike off your
+head in an instant!"
+
+Then he released the carpenter without injuring him and accepted from
+him a blanket as an apology for the insult. How faithfully this man
+was practising the duty of forgiveness which Jesus taught!
+
+_The only other thing of which we shall now speak, as taught by our
+Saviour 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 truth
+it teaches is very important. We first find this parable in the
+sermon 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 a
+candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let
+your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works,
+and glorify your Father which is in heaven." Matt, v: 15. This
+parable is so important that we find it repeated in three other
+places. 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 good
+example by doing what we know to be right, and then, like a candle
+shining in a dark place, we shall be useful wherever we go. Let us
+look at one or two incidents that illustrate this.
+
+"A Boy's Influence." Two families lived in one house. In each of
+these families there was a little boy about the same age. These boys
+slept together. One of them had a good pious mother. She had trained
+him to kneel down every night, before getting into bed, and say his
+prayer in an audible voice, and to repeat a text of scripture which
+she had taught him. Now the first time he slept with the other little
+boy, who never said any prayers, he was tempted to jump into bed, as
+his companion did, without kneeling down to pray. But he was a brave
+and noble boy. He said to himself--"I am not afraid to do what my
+mother taught me. I am not ashamed for anybody to know that I pray to
+God. I'll do as I have been taught to do." He did so. He let his
+light shine. And see what followed from its shining!
+
+The little boy who had never been taught to pray learned his
+companion's prayer, and the verse he repeated, by hearing them, and
+he never forgot them. He grew up to be an earnest Christian man. When
+he 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 that
+it was his little prayer, so faithfully said every night when they
+were boys, which led him to become a Christian. He repeated the
+prayer and the verse, word for word, and with his dying lips thanked
+his friend for letting his light shine as he did, for _that_ had
+saved his soul.
+
+Here is another illustration of a Christian letting his light shine
+and the good that was done by it. We may call it:
+
+"The Shilling Bible, and what Came of It." Some years ago a
+Christian gentleman went on a visit for three days to the house of a
+rich lady who lived at the west end of London. After tea, on the
+first evening of his arrival, he called one of the servants, and
+telling her that in the hurry of leaving home he had forgotten to
+bring a Bible with him, he requested her to ask the lady of the house
+to be kind enough to lend him one.
+
+Now that house was beautifully furnished. There were splendid
+pictures on the walls, and elegantly bound volumes in the library and
+on 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 the
+servant a shilling and told her to go to the book store round the
+corner and buy a Bible. The Bible was bought and given to the
+gentleman. He used it during his visit, and then went home, little
+knowing how much good that shilling Bible was to do.
+
+When he was gone the lady at whose house he had been staying said to
+herself:
+
+"How strange it is that an intelligent gentleman like my friend could
+not bear to go for three days without reading the Bible, while I
+never read it at all, and don't know what it teaches. I am curious
+to know what there is in this book to make it so attractive. I mean
+to begin and read it through." She began to read it at first out of
+simple curiosity. But, as she went on reading she became deeply
+interested in it. It showed her what a sinner she was in living
+without God in the world. It led her to pray earnestly for the pardon
+of her sins; and the end of it was that she became a Christian. Then
+she desired that her children should know and love the Saviour too.
+She prayed for them. She talked with them, and taught them the
+precious truths contained in that blessed book. And the result was
+that, one by one, they were all led to Jesus and became Christians.
+And so _that whole family were saved by means of that shilling
+Bible_.
+
+When that gentleman asked for the use of a Bible in the house where
+he was visiting, he was setting a good example. He was putting his
+candle on a candlestick and letting it shine. And the result that
+followed gives us a good illustration of the meaning of our Saviour's
+words when he said:--"Let your light so shine before men, that they
+may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven."
+
+And so, when we remember the parables that Jesus taught, among other
+things illustrated by them, we can think of these,--_the value of
+religion;--Christ's love for sinners;--the duty of kindness;--the
+duty of forgiveness;--the influence of a good example_.
+
+I know not how to finish this subject better than in the words of the
+hymn:
+
+  "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 on
+earth by the parables which he used. But we teach by our lives, as
+well as by our lips. It has passed into a proverb, and we all admit
+the truth of it, that "Actions speak louder than words." If our words
+and our actions contradict each other, people will believe our
+actions sooner than our words. But when both agree together, then the
+effect is very great. This was true with our blessed Lord. There was
+an entire agreement between what he said, and what he did. His words
+and his actions, the teaching of his lips, and the teaching of his
+life--were in perfect harmony. He practised what he preached.
+
+But then, in addition to the every day common actions of the life of
+Christ, there were actions in it that were very uncommon. He was
+daily performing miracles, and doing many mighty and wonderful
+works. And the prophets before him, and apostles after him, performed
+miracles too; yet there were two things in which the miracles of
+Christ differed from those performed by others. One was as to the
+_number_ of them. He did a greater number of wonderful things than
+anyone else ever did. Indeed if we take the miracles that were done
+by Moses, by Elijah and Elisha, in the Old Testament, and those that
+were done by the apostles in the New Testament and put them all
+together we shall find that they would not equal, in number, the
+miracles of Christ. There are between thirty and forty of the mighty
+works wrought by our Saviour mentioned in the gospels. And these, as
+St. John says, are only a small portion of them. Ch. xxi: 25.
+
+The other thing in which the miracles of Christ are different from
+those performed by other persons, is _the way in which they were
+done_. The prophets and apostles did their mighty works in the name
+of God, or of Christ. Thus when Peter and John healed the lame man at
+the gate of the temple they said:--"_In the name of Jesus Christ of
+Nazareth_, rise up and walk." Acts iii: 6. But Jesus had all the
+power in himself by which those wonderful things were done. He could
+say to the leper,--"_I will_; be thou clean." He could say to the
+sick man:--"Take up thy bed and walk." When speaking of his death and
+resurrection, he could very well say that it was his own power which
+would control it all. His life was in his own hands. It was true, as
+he said, "No man taketh it from me; but I lay it down of myself. I
+have 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 all
+the 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 what
+Nicodemus meant when he said to Jesus:--"We know that thou art a
+teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou
+doest, except God be with him." John iii: 2. And Jesus himself
+referred 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 the
+Baptist, when his disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Are thou he that
+should come, or look we for another?" Jesus answered and said unto
+them, "Go, and show John again those things which ye do hear and see;
+the blind receive their sight; and the lame walk; the lepers are
+cleansed; and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up; and the poor
+have the gospel preached unto them." Matt, xi: 2-6. These were the
+very things which the prophets had foretold that Christ would do when
+he came. Is. xxix: 18. xxxv: 4-6. xlii: 7.
+
+It is clear from these passages that all the miracles performed by
+our Lord were intended to teach this lesson, that he was the great
+Saviour of whom the prophets had spoken. But then, in addition to
+this, these wonderful works of Jesus were made use of by him to show
+that he has power to do everything for his people that they may need
+to have him do.
+
+It is impossible for us to speak of all the miracles of Christ. We
+can only make selections from them, as we did with the parables in
+the last chapter. In looking at these we may see Jesus teaching us
+that he has power to do _four_ things for his people.
+
+_In the first place some of the miracles of Christ teach us that he
+has great power to_--HELP.
+
+We see this in the account given us of the miraculous draught of
+fishes. Luke v: 1-11.
+
+Peter was a fisherman before he became a disciple of Jesus. And James
+and John, the sons of Zebedee, were partners with him in the same
+business. On one occasion they had been busy all night throwing out
+and hauling in their nets, but without catching a single fish. Early
+the next morning, Jesus was walking along the shore of the lake, near
+where their boats were. He knew how tired and discouraged they were,
+and how much they needed help; and he wished to show them what
+wonderful power he had to help in time of need. So he told them to
+cast their net on the other side of the ship. They did so; and
+immediately their nets were full; and they had more fish than they
+could well manage. Here we are taught that even in the depths of the
+sea 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 the
+power to bring it to them.
+
+And then, by his miracle of walking on the sea Jesus taught the same
+lesson. 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 people
+and feeding them by miracle, Jesus told his disciples to go on board
+a vessel and cross over to the other side of the lake. Then he sent
+the multitude away, and went up into the mountain to pray to his
+Father in heaven whom he loved so much. It proved to be a stormy
+night. The wind was dead ahead; and the sea was very rough. The
+disciples were having a hard time of it. Tired of rowing, and making
+little progress, there was no prospect of their getting to land
+before morning. But, dark as the night was, Jesus saw them. It is
+true as David says, that--"_The darkness and the light are both alike
+to thee._" Ps. cxxxix: 12. He saw they needed help and he resolved to
+give 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 on
+the land. He steps from the sandy shore to the surface of the
+storm-tossed sea. He walks safely over its troubled waters. The
+disciples see him. Supposing it to be a spirit, they are alarmed, and
+cry out in their fear. But presently the cheering voice of their
+Master comes to them, saying: "_It is I. Be not afraid_." He steps on
+board. The wind ceases, and immediately, without another stroke of
+the oars, the mighty power of Jesus brings them "in safety to the
+haven where they would be." Other miracles might be referred to as
+teaching the same lesson. But these are sufficient. And Jesus has the
+same power to help now that he had then.
+
+Here are some illustrations of the strange way in which he sometimes
+helps his people in their times of need.
+
+"The Dead Raven." A poor weaver in Edinburgh lost his situation one
+winter, on account of business being so dull. He begged earnestly of
+his 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 and
+told his wife the sad news she was greatly distressed. He tried to
+comfort her with the assurance--"The Lord will help." But as he could
+get 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 last
+morsel of bread was eaten one morning at breakfast. "What shall we do
+for 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 off
+the sill. Just then a rude boy, who was passing, threw a dead raven
+in through the window. It fell at the feet of the pious weaver. As
+he threw the bird in, the boy cried out in mockery, "There, old
+saint, is something for you to eat." The weaver took up the dead
+raven, saying as he did so:--"Poor creature! you must have died of
+hunger!"
+
+But when he felt its crop to see whether it was empty, he noticed
+something hard in it. And wishing to know what had caused its death,
+he took a knife and cut open its throat. How great was his
+astonishment on doing this, to find a small diamond bracelet fall
+into his hand! His wife gazed at it in amazement. "Didn't I tell
+you," he asked, in grateful gladness, "that the Lord will help?"
+
+He went to the nearest jeweler's, and telling how he had found the
+precious jewels, borrowed some money on them. On making inquiry about
+it, it turned out that the bracelet belonged to the wife of the good
+weaver's late employer. It had suddenly disappeared from her chamber.
+One of the servants had been charged with stealing it, and had been
+dismissed. On hearing how the bracelet had disappeared, and how
+strangely it had fallen into the hands of his late worthy workman,
+the gentleman was very much touched; and not only rewarded him
+liberally for returning it--but took him back into his employ, and
+said 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 who
+trust in him!
+
+"The Sailor Boy's Belief." One night there was a terrible storm at
+sea. All at once a ship, which was tossing on the waves, keeled over
+on 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," said
+the boy, "they are praying at this very moment in the Bethel ship at
+Glasgow for all sailors in danger: and I feel sure that God will hear
+their prayers: Now see, sir, if he don't!"
+
+These words were hardly out of the boy's mouth, before a great wave
+struck the ship, and set her right up again. And then a shout of
+praise, louder than the howling of the storm, went up to God from the
+deck of that saved ship.
+
+And so, in the miracles that he performed, one thing that Jesus
+taught was his power to help.
+
+_In the next place, among the miracles of Christ, we find some that
+were performed in order to teach us his power to_--COMFORT.
+
+One day, a great multitude of people waited on Jesus from morning
+till evening, to listen to his preaching. They were so anxious to
+hear that even when hungry they would not go away to get food. As the
+evening came on, the disciples asked their master to send the people
+away to get something to eat. But Jesus told them to give the people
+food. They said they had only five loaves and two fishes. Jesus told
+them to make the people sit down on the grass. And when they were
+seated he took the loaves and blessed, and brake them, and gave them
+to the disciples, and they gave them to the people. And great as that
+multitude was the supply did not fail. This was wonderful! Those
+loaves were very small. They were not bigger than a good-sized roll.
+The whole of the five loaves and two fishes would not have been
+enough to make a meal for a dozen men. And yet they were made
+sufficient to feed more than five thousand hungry people. How strange
+this was! The mighty power of Jesus did it. We are not told just
+_where_, in the interesting scene, this wonder-working power was put
+forth. It may have been that as Jesus brake the loaves and gave the
+pieces 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 have
+increased and multiplied while the disciples were engaged in
+distributing them. It is most likely that the miracle took place in
+immediate connection with Jesus himself. The power that did it was
+his: and in his hands, we may suppose that the wonderful work was
+done. As fast as he broke the loaves they increased, till all the
+people were fed. This was indeed not _one_ miracle, but a multitude
+of miracles, all performed at once. The hungry multitude ate till all
+were satisfied: and yet the fragments left filled twelve baskets.
+Five thousand men were fed, and then there was twelve times as much
+food left as there was before they began to eat. All this was done to
+satisfy that hungry crowd, and to teach them, and us, what power this
+glorious Saviour has to comfort those who are in need or trouble.
+
+And when he healed the daughter of the Syrophoenician woman, as we
+read in St. Matt, xii: 21-28; when he healed the lunatic child, as we
+read in St. Matt, xvii: 14-21; and when he raised Lazarus from the
+dead, 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 comfort
+those in trouble.
+
+And we see him using his power still to comfort persons who are in
+distress. Here are some illustrations of the way in which he does
+this:
+
+"Shining in Every Window." A Christian lady, who spent much time in
+visiting among the poor, went one day to see a poor young girl, who
+was kept at home by a broken limb. Her room was on the north side of
+the house. It did not look pleasant without or cheerful within. "Poor
+girl!" she said to herself, "what a dreary time she must have!" On
+entering her room she said:
+
+"I am sorry, my friend, that your room is not on the other side of
+the house, where the sun could shine upon you. You never can have any
+sunshine here."
+
+"Oh, you are mistaken," she said: "the sunshine pours in at every
+window, and through every crack."
+
+The lady looked surprised.
+
+"I mean Jesus, 'the Sun of righteousness,' shines in here, and makes
+everything bright to me."
+
+Here we see Jesus showing his power to comfort.
+
+"Ice in Summer." Some years ago a Christian merchant, in one of our
+eastern cities, failed in business, and lost everything he had. After
+talking over their affairs with his wife, who was a good Christian
+woman, they concluded to move out to the west and begin life again
+there. He bought some land on the wide rolling prairie, built a log
+cabin, and began to cultivate his farm. In the midst of the second
+summer, hard work and exposure to the sun brought on an attack of
+sickness, and a raging fever set in. They were twelve miles away from
+the nearest town. One of the neighbors went there and came back with
+a doctor. He examined the case very carefully, and left some medicine
+with them, and told them what to do. He said it was a very dangerous
+attack. If they could only get some ice to apply to the burning brow
+of 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 her
+family and friends round the bedside of her sick husband, and kneeled
+down with them in prayer. She told God what the doctor had said, and
+prayed 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 each
+other that the poor distressed woman must be losing her mind. "The
+idea of getting ice here," they said, "when everybody knows there
+isn't a bit of ice in all the country! It would be contrary to all
+the laws of nature to have ice in summer."
+
+The wife of the sick man heard their remarks, but they did not shake
+her faith in God, and in the power of prayer. Silently, but
+earnestly, 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 was
+heard to mutter. Nearer and louder it was heard. The lightning began
+to flash. Presently the storm burst in its fury. It came first in
+rain, and then in hail. The hail-stones came in lumps of ice as big
+as eggs. They lay thick in the furrows of the field. The thankful
+wife 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 he
+was restored to life and health.
+
+This grateful woman never troubled herself with any questions about
+whether it was a miracle or not. She only knew that she had prayed
+for ice in summer, and that the ice had come. And her faith was
+stronger than ever that the gracious Saviour, who did so many
+miracles when he was on earth, has just the same power now to comfort
+his people when they are in trouble.
+
+_In the third place, we see Jesus performing miracles to teach us
+what power he has to_--ENCOURAGE--_his people_.
+
+We have an account in St. Luke xiii: 10-17, of the miracle he
+performed on the woman who had "a spirit of infirmity." This means
+that she was a cripple. Her body was bound down, so that she had no
+power to straighten herself or to stand upright. She had been in this
+condition we are told for _eighteen_ years. How hard to bear--and how
+discouraging this trial must have been to her! No doctor could give
+her any relief, and she had made up her mind, no doubt, that there
+was no relief for her till death came. But when Jesus saw her, he
+pitied her. A miracle of healing was performed upon her. He laid his
+loving hand upon her bent and crippled body, and in a moment her
+disease was removed. She stood straight up, and glorified God. What
+encouragement that must have given to her!
+
+One day, when Jesus was at Capernaum, the tax-gatherers came to Peter
+to get the tribute, or tax-money, that was due to the Roman
+government, for himself and his master. But, it happened so that
+neither of them had money enough with which to pay that tax. Peter
+went 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 say
+anything on the subject, told him what to do. He directed him to take
+his fishing-line and go to the lake, and cast in his line, and catch
+the first fish that should bite; and said that in its mouth he would
+find a piece of money with which he might pay the tribute that was
+due for them both.
+
+Peter went. He threw in his line. He soon caught a fish. He looked
+into the fish's mouth and lo! there was a piece of money called a
+stater. It was worth about sixty cents of our money, and was just
+enough to pay the tribute for two persons. How wonderful this was! If
+Jesus made this piece of money in the mouth of the fish, at the time
+when Peter caught it, how wonderful his _power_ must be! And if,
+without making it then, he knew that _that_ one fish, the only one in
+the sea, probably, that had such a piece of money in its mouth, would
+be 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 he
+lived. And when he thought of the illustration it afforded of the
+wonderful power and the wonderful knowledge of the master whom he was
+serving, what encouragement that would give him in his work!
+
+And Jesus is constantly doing things to encourage those who are
+trying to serve him.
+
+Let us look at some of the ways in which this is done. Our first
+illustration is from the life of Washington Allston, the great
+American painter. We may call it:
+
+"Praying for Bread." Many years ago Mr. Allston was considered one of
+the greatest artists in this country. At the time to which our story
+refers, he was living in London. Then he was so poor that he and his
+wife had not a morsel of bread to eat; nor a penny left with which to
+buy any. In great discouragement he went into his studio, locked the
+door, and throwing himself on his knees, he told the Lord his
+trouble, and prayed earnestly for relief.
+
+While he was still upon his knees, a knock was heard at the door. He
+arose 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 Royal
+Academy?"
+
+"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 the
+corner, 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 always
+asked 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 introduced
+himself as the Marquis of Stafford; and from that day he became one
+of 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 that
+followed him all his days!
+
+"The Hushed Tempest." A minister of the gospel in Canada gives this
+account of a lesson of encouragement to trust God in trouble, which
+he once received.
+
+"It was in the year 1853, about the middle of the winter that we had
+a succession of snowstorms, followed by high winds, and severe cold.
+I was getting ready to haul my supply of wood for the rest of the
+winter. I had engaged a man to go out the day before and cut the wood
+and have it ready to haul. I borrowed a sled and two horses from a
+neighbor and started early in the morning to haul the wood. Just as I
+reached the place, it began to snow hard. The wind blew such a gale
+that it was impossible to go on with the work. What was I to do? If
+it kept on snowing, I knew the roads would be impassable by the next
+day. Besides, that was the only day on which I could get the help of
+the man or the team. Unless I secured the wood that day it would not
+be 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 is
+a day of trouble to me. Lord help me. The elements are subject to thy
+will: Thou holdest the winds in thy hands. If thou wilt speak the
+word, there will be a great calm. O Lord, for the sake of my helpless
+little ones, let this snow lie still, and give me the opportunity of
+doing 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 I
+began to pray, before there was a visible change. The wind became
+more moderate; the sky was calm; in less than half an hour all was
+still; and a more pleasant time for wood-hauling than we had that day
+I never saw, nor desire to see. While I live, I never shall forget
+the lesson of encouragement to trust in God that was taught me on
+that day." And this was one of the lessons Jesus taught us by his
+miracles.
+
+_In the fourth place, among the miracles of Jesus we see some that
+were 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 weak
+to protect ourselves.
+
+One day, Jesus went into the house of the apostle Peter, and found
+the family in great distress, because the mother of Peter's wife was
+very ill and in danger of dying. We judge from the history that she
+was the head of the family. Her death would have been a great loss to
+them all, and yet it seemed as if no human power could protect them
+from that loss. But Jesus performed a miracle to save them from this
+threatened danger. He went into the room where she lay. He put his
+healing hands upon her, and at once she was well. Immediately she
+rose up from that sick bed, and took her place in the family and
+waited on Jesus.
+
+On another occasion he was crossing the sea of Galilee with his
+disciples. 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 he
+was lying there a sudden storm burst upon the sea. The wind howled in
+its fury. The angry waves rose in their might and dashed against the
+vessel in hissing foam. The ship was full of water, and in danger of
+sinking. The terrified disciples came to their sleeping Master with
+the earnest cry:--"Lord save us: we perish." He heard their cry. He
+rose at once. Quietly he took his stand by the side of the
+storm-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 lesson
+he taught them by that miracle of his power to protect in danger.
+
+And then many of the miracles of our Saviour were performed for the
+purpose of showing what power he had to protect his people from
+Satan, and the evil spirits that serve him. It pleased God to allow
+these evil spirits to have more power over men during the time when
+Jesus was on earth than they had before, or than they have now. We
+often read in the gospels of men who were "possessed of devils." This
+means that the evil spirits entered into the bodies of these men, and
+used them as their own; just as you, or I, might go into an empty
+house, and use it as if it belonged to us. But Jesus performed a
+number 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 from
+their 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, seeking
+whom he may devour." I. Peter v: 8. But he is a chained lion: and
+Jesus holds the chain. If we are trying to love and serve Jesus, we
+need not be afraid of this roaring lion. He cannot touch us till our
+Saviour gives him permission; and he will not let him hurt us. We see
+this illustrated in Job's case. Satan wanted very much to injure Job
+in some way. But he could not do it. And the reason of it was, as he
+said himself, that God had "put an hedge about him, and about his
+house, and about all that he had on every side." Job i: 10. This
+hedge, or fence, means the power which Jesus exercises to protect his
+people from the harm that Satan desires to do to them. In this way he
+protected Job. And in this way he protects all who love and serve
+him.
+
+Let us take an illustration or two to show how he is doing this
+continually.
+
+"Providential Deliverance." One of the best men, and one of the most
+useful ministers in London, during the last century, was the Rev.
+John Newton. Before entering the ministry he held an office under
+the government. One of the duties of this office was for him to visit
+and inspect the vessels of the navy as they lay at anchor in the
+river Thames. One day he was going out to visit a man-of-war that lay
+there. He was a very punctual man. When he had an engagement he was
+always ready at the very moment. But when he reached the dock on this
+occasion the boat which was to take him off to the man-of-war was not
+there. He was obliged to wait five, ten, fifteen minutes before the
+boat came. This displeased him very much. But the hand of God was in
+this delay. For, just as the boat was leaving the dock, a spark fell
+into the powder magazine on board the man-of-war. An explosion took
+place. The huge vessel was blown to pieces, and all the men on board
+of her were killed. That delay of a quarter of an hour saved Mr.
+Newton's life. In this way that gracious Saviour whom he served
+protected him from the danger to which he was exposed.
+
+"Willie's Heroism." One summer afternoon a teacher told her geography
+class that they might close their books and rest a little, while she
+told them a story. The story was about William Tell, the famous hero
+of Switzerland. She told the scholars how a wicked governor placed an
+apple on the head of Tell's little boy and then compelled the father
+to take his bow and arrow and shoot the apple from the head of his
+son. He was very unwilling to do it, for he was afraid the arrow
+might miss and kill his child. But the brave boy stood firm, and
+cried 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 from
+the 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 the
+teacher for protection. But a little boy named Willie Hawthorne, kept
+his 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 my
+Heavenly Father's hand, and why should I be afraid?"
+
+How well Willie had learned the lesson which Jesus taught his
+disciples when he performed so many miracles to show what power he
+has to protect his people from danger!
+
+Here is just one other story to illustrate this truth. We may call
+it:
+
+"The Widow's Tree," Some years ago a violent storm, with wind and
+thunder, 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 was
+spread all over the land.
+
+In the centre of the region over which this hurricane swept stood a
+small cabin. It was occupied by an aged Christian widow, with her
+only son. The terrible wind struck a large tree in front of her
+humble dwelling, twisting and dashing it about. If the tree should
+fall it would crush her home, and probably kill herself and son. The
+storm 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 asked
+God 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 was
+over, the widow's tree was spared, and strange as it may seem, was
+the only one left amidst that scene of desolation. There it stood,
+as if on purpose to show what power our loving Saviour has to protect
+from danger those who trust in him!
+
+_But, in the last place, we see that Jesus performed some of his
+miracles for the purpose of teaching us that he has power
+to_--PARDON.
+
+A man was brought him, one day, who was sick of the palsy. His limbs
+were helpless. He was not able to come to Jesus himself, so his
+friends carried him on a bed. At this time Jesus was preaching in the
+yard, or court, connected with some rich man's house. In those
+eastern countries the houses were not built as ours are, with a yard
+back of them. There is a square yard in the centre, and the house is
+built round the four sides of this square. This open space is
+generally used as a garden. It has a fountain playing in it, and a
+covering of cloth or mats spread over it to keep off the sun. It was
+in one of these open courts that Jesus was preaching on this
+occasion. A great crowd had gathered round him, so that the friends
+of the palsied man could not get near him with the bed on which the
+sufferer lay. Then they concluded to carry him up to the top of the
+house, and lower him down inside. This would not be easy to do with
+us. But the eastern houses are not so high as ours. And then they
+have flat roofs, and a flight of steps leading from the ground, on
+the outside, to the top of the house. This made it very easy to get
+up. When they were on the roof they removed the covering from the
+inner court, and let down the bed, with the sick man on it, directly
+in 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 were
+surprised at this. The Pharisees said among themselves "This man
+blasphemeth." Jesus knew their thoughts and told them it was as easy
+for him to heal the souls of men, as it was to heal their bodies. And
+then, to show them that he had power on earth to forgive sins, he
+said to the sick man--"Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine
+house. And he arose, and went to his house," Matt, ix: 1-8. Certainly
+the object Jesus had in view, in performing this miracle, was to
+prove 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. It
+affected the body as sin affects the soul. And then, leprosy was a
+disease which none but God could cure; just as sin is an offence
+which none but God our Saviour can pardon. And so Jesus performed the
+miracle of healing the palsied man and the lepers in order to teach
+his disciples the great lesson that he "had power on earth to forgive
+sins."
+
+And he has the same power still. Here are some illustrations of the
+way 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. The
+priests had sent him to their most famous temples, all over the
+country, but he could get no pardon, and find no peace. He had fasted
+till he was about worn to a skeleton, and had done many painful
+things--but pardon and peace he could not find. At last he was told
+to put pebbles in his shoes and travel to a distant temple, and make
+an offering there; and he would find peace. He went. He made the
+offering; but still he found no relief from the burden of his sins.
+
+Sad, and sorrowful, he was returning home with the pebbles still in
+his shoes. Wearied with his journey, he halted one day in the shade
+of a grove, by the wayside, where a company of people was gathered
+round a stranger who was addressing them. It was a Christian
+missionary preaching the gospel. The heathen listened with great
+interest. The missionary was preaching from the words:--"The blood of
+Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin." He showed what power Jesus had
+to forgive sins and how able and willing he is to save all who come
+unto him. The heart of the poor heathen was drawn to this loving and
+glorious Saviour. He took off his shoes and threw away the pebbles,
+saying "This is the Saviour I have long sought in vain. Thank God! I
+have found salvation!"
+
+Here is one more illustration of the way in which Jesus pardons our
+sins, and of the effect which that pardon has on those who receive
+it. We may call it:
+
+"Pardon and Peace." An officer who held a high position under the
+government of his country, and was a favorite with the king, was once
+brought before the judge and charged with a great crime. He took his
+place at the bar with the greatest coolness, and looked at the judge
+and jury and the great crowd of spectators as calmly as if he were
+at home, surrounded by his own family.
+
+The trial began. The witnesses were called up, and gave clear
+evidence that he was guilty. Still he remained as calm and unmoved as
+ever. There was not the least sign of fear visible on his
+countenance; on the contrary, his face wore a pleasant smile.
+
+At last the jury came in, and while the crowd in the court-room held
+their breath, declared that the prisoner was guilty. In an instant
+every eye was turned upon the prisoner to see what effect this
+sentence would have upon him. But just then, he put his hand in his
+bosom, drew out a paper, and laid it on the table. It was a pardon, a
+full, free pardon of all his offences, given him by the king, and
+sealed with the royal signet. This was the secret of his peace. This
+was what gave him such calmness and confidence in his dreadful
+position 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: though
+they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool," Is. i: 16. "Let
+them 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 had
+received. Faith in these promises brings pardon, and the pardon
+brings peace. And so, by what he is doing now, as well as by the
+miracles he performed when on earth, we are taught the precious
+truth, that--"The Son of man hath power to forgive sins."
+
+Then when we think of the wonderful miracles that Jesus did, let us
+always 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 we
+shall find that what Jesus taught by his miracles will be very
+profitable 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 which
+he taught, it would make a long list. As we have done before we can
+only take one or two specimens of these general lessons which Jesus
+taught.
+
+We have one of these in the title to our present chapter, which
+is--_Christ Teaching Liberality_. This was a very important lesson
+for Jesus to teach. One of the sad effects of sin upon our nature is
+to make it selfish, and covetous. We are tempted to love money more
+than we ought to do. We are not so willing to part with it as we
+should be. And we never can be good and true Christians unless we
+overcome the selfishness of our sinful hearts, and not only learn to
+give, but to give liberally. The Bible teaches us that God not only
+expects his people to give, but, as St. Paul says, in one place, to
+give "_cheerfully_." II. Cor. ix: 7.
+
+And this is the lesson Jesus taught when he said to his
+disciples,--"Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure,
+pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give
+into your bosoms." St. Luke vi: 38.
+
+And when we come to consider these words of Jesus, there are three
+things to engage our attention. _The first of these is the_--LESSON
+OF LIBERALITY--_here set before us_.
+
+_The second is_--THE PROOF--_that this lesson is taught all through
+the Bible_.
+
+_And the third is_--THE ILLUSTRATIONS--_of this lesson_.
+
+And then, when put into its shortest form, our present subject may be
+thus expressed--_the lesson of liberality; its proofs; and its
+illustrations_.
+
+And the lesson which Jesus here taught is all wrapped up in this
+little word--"_Give_." Here we learn what the will of Jesus is on
+this subject. This is not simply the expression of his opinion. It is
+not merely his advice; no, but it is his _command_. He is speaking
+here 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 to
+consider ourselves as his disciples if we are neglecting this or any
+other of his plain commands.
+
+And this command about giving is not intended for any _one_ class of
+persons among the followers of Christ, but for _all_ of them. It is
+not a command designed for kings, or princes, or rich men only, but
+for 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 us
+to 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 thousand
+dollars he expects us to give one hundred out of the thousand. If we
+have a hundred he expects us to give ten. If we have ten dollars we
+must give one of them to God. If we have only one dollar we must give
+ten cents of it to Him. If we have but ten cents we must give one of
+them. 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, but
+simply--give. This means that we are to learn the lesson and form the
+habit of giving. His command is--give. And in giving us this command
+he is only asking us to imitate his own example. _He is giving all
+the time_. The apostle Paul tells us that Jesus is "exalted to the
+right hand of the Father to--give." He never tires of giving. "He
+giveth to all life, breath, and all things." And if we have not the
+Spirit of Christ in this respect, "we are none of his."
+
+This, then, is the lesson of liberality that Jesus taught when he
+said--"give." And that _giving is God's rule for getting_ is what we
+are taught by our Saviour, when he said--"_Give, and it shall be
+given unto you_."
+
+And now, having seen what this lesson of liberality is, which Jesus
+taught, _let us look at some of the Scripture proofs of it_. The same
+lesson is taught in other places in the Bible. Let us see what is
+said 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 poor
+here, means being kind to them, and giving them such things as they
+need. And the blessing promised to those who do this means that God
+will 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's
+rule for getting."
+
+We have another proof that "giving is God's rule for getting," in
+Prov. iii: 9, 10. Here Solomon says--"Honor the Lord with thy
+substance, and with the first-fruits of all thine increase: So shall
+thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with
+new wine."
+
+When the Jewish farmers gathered in their harvests they were required
+to make an offering to God, of what had been gathered, before they
+used any part of it for themselves; and the offerings thus made were
+called "the first-fruits." God considered himself honored by his
+people when they did this, because they were keeping his commandments
+and 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 to
+the cause of God from all the money, or property we have, and from
+all the gain, or increase that we make to the same. This is the Bible
+rule--the will or command of God for all his people. And then, in
+the other part of this passage we have the promise of God to all who
+do this. "So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses
+shall burst out with new wine."
+
+This means that they shall be rich and prosperous. And so we see that
+this passage from the book of Proverbs, teaches the same lesson of
+liberality that our Saviour taught when he said--"_Give and it shall
+be given unto you_." It proves that "giving is God's rule for
+getting."
+
+And Solomon teaches the same, again, when he says, "The liberal soul
+shall be made fat; and he that watereth shall be watered also
+himself." Prov. xi: 25.
+
+A "liberal soul" means a person who is in the habit of giving; and to
+be "made fat" means to be prospered and happy. If you undertake to
+water a garden, you are _giving_ to the thirsty plants that which
+they need to make them grow and thrive; and when it is promised that
+the person who does this shall "be watered also himself," the meaning
+is that he shall have given to him all that is most important to
+supply his wants, and make him happy. And this, we see, is only
+teaching what our Saviour taught when he said, "Give, and it shall be
+given unto you." It furnishes us with another proof that "giving is
+God's rule for getting."
+
+In the nineteenth chapter of Proverbs and seventeenth verse we have a
+very clear proof of the lesson we are now considering. Here we find
+it 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 on
+the poor, as here spoken of, means giving them such things as they
+need. Whatever we use in this way God looks upon as so much money
+lent unto him; and we have his solemn promise that when we lend
+anything to him, in this way, "He will pay us again." And when he
+pays again what has been lent to him, it is always with interest. He
+pays 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 prove
+that the lesson of liberality which our Saviour taught is the same
+lesson which the Bible teaches everywhere. In Eccles. xi: 1, God
+says, "_Cast thy bread upon the waters; for thou shalt find it after
+many days_."
+
+If we should see a man standing on the end of a wharf and throwing
+bread upon the waters, we should think that he was a foolish man,
+who was wasting his bread, or only feeding the fishes with it. But
+suppose that you and I were travelling through Egypt--the land of the
+celebrated pyramids and other great wonders. The famous river Nile is
+there. During our visit the inundation of that river takes place. It
+overflows its banks, and spreads its water over all the level plains
+that border on the river. This takes place every year. And when the
+fields are all overflowed with water, the farmers go out in boats,
+and scatter their grain over the surface of the water. The grain
+sinks to the bottom. The sediment in the water settles down on the
+grain, and covers it with mud. By and by the waters flow back into
+the river. The fields become dry. The grain springs up and grows. The
+mud that covered it is like rich manure, and makes it grow very
+plentifully, and yield a rich harvest. And here we see the meaning of
+this passage. God makes use of this Egyptian custom to teach us the
+lesson of liberality that we are now considering. He tells us that
+the money which we give to the poor, or use to do good with, is like
+the grain which the Egyptian farmer casts upon the water, and which
+will surely yield a rich harvest by and by.
+
+This teaches us the lesson of liberality. And when we think of all
+these passages, we see very clearly that the Bible teaches the same
+lesson which Jesus taught when he said to his disciples, "Give, and
+it shall be given unto you." And what we learn, both from the
+teaching 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 of
+liberality, or for this rule about giving and getting, _let us go on
+to speak of some of the illustrations of this rule_. These are very
+numerous.
+
+And we may draw our illustrations from three sources, viz.:--_from
+the Bible; from nature; and from everyday life_.
+
+There are two illustrations of which we may speak from the Bible. We
+find one of these in the history of the prophet Elijah. You remember
+that there was a great famine in the land of Israel during the
+lifetime of this prophet. For more than three years there was not a
+drop of rain all through the land. The fields, the vineyards, and
+gardens dried up, and withered, and yielded no fruit. During the
+first part of the time when this famine was prevailing, God sent
+Elijah 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 of
+the brook.
+
+But after awhile the brook dried up. Then God told him to go to the
+city of Zarephath, or Sarepta, on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea,
+and that he had commanded a widow woman there to sustain him. He did
+not tell him the name of the woman; nor the street she lived in; nor
+the number of her house. Elijah went. When he came near the place he
+met a woman, picking up some sticks of wood. I suppose God told him
+that this was the woman he was to stay with. Elijah spoke to her, and
+asked her if she would please give him a drink of water. When she was
+going to get it, he called to her again, and said he was hungry, and
+asked her to bring him a piece of bread. Then she told him that there
+was not a morsel of bread in her house. All she had in the world was
+a handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse, and that
+she was gathering a few sticks, that she might go and bake the last
+cake for herself and her son, that they might eat it and die. And
+Elijah said, "Fear not; go, and do as thou hast said; but make me
+thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make
+for 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 oil
+fail, 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 to
+take the last morsel of bread she had, and that she needed for
+herself and for her hungry boy, and give it to a stranger. Yet she
+did it; because she believed God. I seem to see her turning the meal
+barrel up, to get the meal all out. Then she pours out the oil from
+the cruse, and drains out the last drop. She mixes the meal and the
+olive oil together, as is the custom in that country still, and makes
+a cake which can soon be baked. She takes it to the man of God, who
+eats it thankfully, and is refreshed. Then she returns to the empty
+barrel and cruse, and finds as much in them as she had lately taken
+out. She prepares some bread for herself and her son, and they eat it
+thankfully 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. We
+are not told how long it was after Elijah went to the widow's house
+before the days of the famine were over. But suppose we make a
+calculation about it. The famine lasted for three years. Now let us
+suppose, that the first half of this time was spent by the prophet at
+the brook Cherith. Then his stay at the widow's house must have been
+at least eighteen months. And, if this miracle of increasing the meal
+and the oil was repeated only once a day, there would be for the
+first twelve months, or for the year, three hundred and sixty-five
+miracles; and for the six months, or the half year, one hundred and
+eighty-two more; and adding these together we have the surprising
+number of _five hundred and forty-seven_ miracles, that were
+performed to reward this good widow for the kindness she showed to
+the prophet Elijah, when she gave him a piece of bread, and a drink
+of water! What an illustration we have here of the truth we are
+considering, that _giving is God's rule for getting_.
+
+But the best illustration of this subject to be found in the Bible is
+given in our Saviour's own experience. He not only _preached_ the
+lesson of liberality, but _practised_ it. He is himself the greatest
+giver ever heard of. In becoming our Redeemer he showed himself the
+Prince of givers. He gave--not silver and gold; not all the wealth of
+the world, or of ten thousand worlds like ours; but "He gave
+_Himself_ for us." He can say indeed, to each of us, in the language
+of 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 hath
+highly 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 every
+tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God
+the Father," Phil, ii: 9-11. Because of what he gave "for us men, and
+for our salvation," he will be loved and praised and honored in
+heaven, on the earth, and through all the universe, above all other
+beings, for ever and ever. What a glorious illustration we have here
+of the truth of this statement, that "giving is God's rule for
+getting." These are some of the illustrations of this lesson of
+liberality that we find in the Bible.
+
+_And now, let us look at some illustrations of this subject, that we
+have in nature_.
+
+Solomon suggests one of these when he says, "_There is that
+scattereth, and yet increaseth_." Prov. xi: 26. He is evidently
+speaking here of a farmer sowing his fields with grain.
+
+Now suppose that we had never seen a man sowing; and that we knew
+nothing at all about the growth of grain, or how wonderfully the seed
+sown in the spring is increased and multiplied when the harvest is
+reaped. Then, the first time we saw a farmer sowing his fields, we
+should have been ready to say, "What a foolish man that is! He is
+taking that precious grain by the handful, and deliberately throwing
+it 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 could
+have come back to visit that farmer when he was gathering in his
+harvest, how surprised we should have been! Then we should have
+learned that for every handful of grain that the farmer had
+scattered, or, as we thought, thrown away, in the spring, when he was
+sowing, he had gained forty or fifty handfuls when he reaped in his
+harvest. Then we should have understood what Solomon meant when he
+said, "There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth." And we should
+have here a good illustration of our Saviour's lesson of liberality,
+when he said, "Give, and it shall be given unto you;" and of the
+Bible truth we are now studying, that "giving is God's rule for
+getting."
+
+Yonder is the great ocean; it is one of the grandest of nature's
+works. And the ocean gives us a good illustration of the lesson of
+liberality which our Saviour taught. The waters of the ocean are
+spread out for thousands of miles. As the sun shines on the surface
+of the ocean, it makes the water warm, and turns it into vapor, like
+the steam that comes from the boiling kettle. This vapor rises into
+the air, and helps to form the clouds that are floating there. These
+clouds sail over the land, and pour out the water that is in them, in
+refreshing and fertilizing showers of rain. This rain makes the rills
+start from the sides of the mountains. The rills run down into the
+rivers, and the rivers flow back into the sea again. In this way the
+ocean is a great giver. It has been giving away its water for
+hundreds 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 it
+had power to control its own motions. And suppose that the ocean
+should say:--"Well, I think I have been giving away water long
+enough. I am going to turn over a new leaf. The sun may shine as much
+as it pleases. I won't let another drop of water go out from my
+surface. I am tired of giving, and I mean to stop doing it, any
+longer." Let us pause for a moment here, and see what the effect of
+this would be upon the ocean itself.
+
+We know that all the water in the ocean is salt water. But when the
+sun takes water from the ocean, in the form of vapor, it is always
+taken out as fresh water. It leaves the salt behind it. Then the
+water on the surface of the ocean, from which this vapor has been
+taken, has more salt in it than the water underneath it. This makes
+it heavier than the other water. The consequence of this, is that
+this heavier water, on the top of the ocean, sinks to the bottom; and
+at 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. The
+water from the top is sinking to the bottom, and the water from the
+bottom is rising to the top. And this is one of the means which God
+employs to keep the waters of the ocean always pure and wholesome.
+But if the ocean should stop giving away its water, as it has always
+been doing, then this constant change of its waters would cease. The
+ocean would be left still and stagnant. It would become a great mass
+of corruption; and the breezes from the ocean, that now carry health
+and life to those who breathe them, would carry only disease and
+death. And the thousands of people who now love the ocean and seek
+its shores every summer, to get strong and well by breathing the air
+that 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 its
+shores as they could. And so we see how the ocean stands before us as
+a grand illustration of the lesson of liberality which our Saviour
+taught when he said, "Give, and it shall be given unto you." The
+ocean gives away its water continually, and, in return for this, God
+gives it freshness and purity, and makes it a blessing to the world.
+And so the ocean illustrates the truth of the lesson we are now
+studying, that "giving is God's rule for getting."
+
+And yonder is the great sun, shining up in the sky. We do not know as
+much about the sun as we do about the ocean, because it is so far
+away from us. The ocean is very near us. We can walk along its
+shores, and plunge into its waters, and sail over its surface. We
+can study out all about the laws that govern it, and what the effect
+of those laws is upon it. But it is very different with the sun. It
+is about ninety millions of miles away from us. This is too far off
+for us to know much about it. And yet, we know enough about the sun
+to get from it a good illustration of God's rule about giving and
+getting. The sun, like the ocean, is a great giver. It is giving away
+light all the time. It was made for this purpose; and for this
+purpose it is preserved. If the sun should stop giving, and should
+try to keep all its light and heat for itself, the effect would be
+its ruin. By ceasing to give it would be burnt up and destroyed. And
+so, when we see the sower sowing his seed, or the reaper gathering in
+his harvest; when we look upon the ocean, and see the clouds formed
+from its waters, as they go sailing through the sky; or when we see
+the sun rising in the morning, going forth again to his appointed
+work of giving light to a dark world; let us remember that these are
+nature's illustrations of the lesson of liberality which Jesus taught
+when he said, "Give, and it shall be given unto you." They all help
+to 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 subject
+from everyday life_.
+
+If we are only watchful we shall meet with illustrations of this kind
+continually. 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 a
+sleigh during a very severe winter. It was snowing fast as they drove
+along. One of the travellers was a liberal, generous-hearted man, who
+believed in giving; and was always ready to share whatever he had
+with others. His companion was a selfish ungenerous man. He did _not_
+believe in giving; and liked to keep whatever he had for himself. As
+they drove along, they saw something covered up in the snow that
+looked like the figure of a man. "Look there," said the generous man
+to 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 for
+me. I intend to stay where I am;" and he wrapped his furs closely
+round him.
+
+The other traveller threw aside his furs and jumped out of the
+sleigh. He found it was a poor man, who had sunk down in the snow a
+short 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 for
+a good while. At last the man began to get warm again and was saved
+from death. Then the generous-hearted traveller helped him into the
+sleigh, and shared his wrappings with him. The exertion he had made
+in doing this kind act put him all in a glow of warmth. He made the
+rest of the journey in comfort. But when they stopped at the end of
+their journey, the selfish man, who was not willing to do anything
+for the help of another, had his fingers, and toes, and nose, and
+ears frozen. This illustrates the lesson of liberality; and shows
+that "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 in
+Virginia, during the late war, a Union officer fell wounded in front
+of the Confederate breastwork, which had been attacked. His wounds
+brought on a raging fever, and he lay on the ground crying piteously
+for water. A kind-hearted Confederate soldier heard the touching cry,
+and leaping over the fortifications, with his canteen in his hand, he
+crawled up to the poor fellow and gave him a drink of water. O, what
+a comfort this was to the wounded man! His heart was filled with
+gratitude towards this generous and noble soldier. He pulled out his
+gold watch from his pocket, and cheerfully offered it to his
+benefactor; but he refused to take it. Then he asked the soldier's
+name and residence. He said his name was James Moore, and that he
+lived in Burke County, North Carolina. Then they parted. This noble
+soldier afterwards lost a limb in one of the Virginia battles, and
+returned to his home as a cripple.
+
+The officer recovered from his wounds; but he never forgot the
+kindness of that Confederate soldier. And when the war was over, and
+he was engaged in his business again, he wrote to James Moore,
+telling him that he intended to send him the sum of ten thousand
+dollars in four quarterly installments of twenty-five hundred
+dollars each; and that he wished him to receive the same in token of
+the heartfelt gratitude with which his generous kindness on the
+battle-field was remembered. Certainly these were two noble men. It
+is hard to tell which was the more noble of the two. But when the
+crippled soldier thought of the drink of water which he gave to the
+wounded officer, and of the ten thousand dollars which he received
+for 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 must
+have felt sure of the lesson we are now considering, that "Giving is
+God's rule for getting."
+
+"The Secret of Success." Some time ago a Christian gentleman was
+visiting a large paper mill that belonged to a friend of his, who was
+a very rich man. The owner of the mill took him all through it, and
+showed him the machinery, and told him how the paper was made. When
+they were through the visitor said to his friend, "I have one
+question to ask you; and if you will answer it, I shall feel very
+much 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 your
+success in business?"
+
+"I don't know that there is any great secret about it," said his
+friend, "but I will tell you all I know. I got a situation, and began
+to work for my own living when I was only sixteen years old. My
+wages, at first, were to be forty dollars a year, with my board and
+lodging. My clothing and all my other expenses were to come out of
+the 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 be
+faithfully laid aside to be given to the poor, or to some religious
+work. This promise I kept religiously, and after laying aside
+one-tenth to give away, at the end of the year, besides meeting my
+expenses, I had more than a tenth left for myself. I then made a vow
+that 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 faithfully
+kept from that day to this. If there be any secret to my
+success--_this is it_. Whatever I receive during the year, I feel
+sure that I am richer on nine-tenths of it, with God's blessing, than
+I should be on the whole of it, without that blessing. I believe that
+God has blessed me, and made my business prosper. And I am sure that
+anyone who will make the trial of this secret of success, will find
+it work as it has done in my case."
+
+This man was certainly proving the truth of our Saviour's words, when
+he said--"Give, and it shall be given unto you." And his experience
+shows most satisfactorily that "giving is God's rule for getting."
+
+"The Steamboat Captain and the Soldier." During the late war there
+was a steamboat, one day, in front of a flourishing town on the Ohio
+River. 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 some
+miles down the river with an excursion party, who had chartered the
+boat for the occasion. While waiting for the party to come on board,
+a poor wounded soldier came up to the captain. He said he was
+suffering from severe sickness, as well as from his wounds. He had
+been 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, before
+he died; and he wished to know if the captain would give him a
+passage down the river on his boat. On hearing where his home was,
+the captain said that the party who had chartered his boat were
+going near that place; and he told the poor soldier that he would
+gladly 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, they
+were not willing to let him go; and asked the captain to put him
+ashore. The captain told the soldier's sad story, and pleaded his
+cause very earnestly. He said he would place him on the lower deck
+and put a screen round his bed, so that they could not see him. But
+the young people refused. They said as they had hired the boat, it
+belonged to them for the day, and they were not willing to have such
+a miserable-looking object on board their boat; and that if the
+captain did not put him off, they would hire another boat, and he
+would lose the twenty dollars they had agreed to give him for the
+day's excursion.
+
+The good captain made one more appeal to them. He asked them to put
+themselves in the poor soldier's place, and then to think how they
+would like to be treated. But still they refused to let the soldier
+go. Then the noble-hearted captain said: "Well, ladies and gentlemen,
+whether you hire my boat or not, I intend to take this soldier home
+to-day."
+
+The party did hire another boat. The captain lost his twenty
+dollars. But, when he returned the poor dying soldier to the arms of
+his loving mother, he felt that the tears of gratitude with which she
+thanked him were worth more than the money he had lost. The gentle
+mother dressed the wounds of her poor suffering boy; and nursed and
+cared for him, as none but a mother knows how to do. But she could
+not save his life. He died after a few days; and the last words he
+spoke, as his loving parents stood weeping at his bedside
+were--"Don't forget the good captain." And he was not forgotten. For
+after the soldier's funeral was over, his father went up the river to
+the town where the captain lived. He found him out. He thanked him
+again for his kindness in bringing home his dying boy; and made him a
+present that was worth four or five times the twenty dollars he had
+lost for the hire of his boat.
+
+But this was not the end of it. For not long after this, the captain
+and his wife were taken suddenly ill with a fatal disease that was
+prevailing in that region of the country. They both died; leaving two
+little orphan children, with no one to take care of them. The
+soldier's father heard of it; and he went at once and asked that he
+might be permitted to take the two helpless little ones and adopt
+them as his own children. He took them home; and was a father and a
+friend to them as long as he lived.
+
+How beautifully our Saviour's words--"Give, and it shall be given
+unto 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. We
+may call it:
+
+"The Miser and the Hungry Children." In a village in England were two
+little motherless girls who lived in a small cottage. Sally, the
+elder, was about eight years old and her sister Mary was six. They
+were very poor. Their father was a laboring man, and he found great
+difficulty in supporting himself and his children.
+
+Once, in the midst of winter, these two little girls were left alone
+all day, as their father had gone out to work. They had their
+breakfast in the morning with their father, before he left. But they
+had no dinner, nor anything to eat during the rest of the day. About
+the middle of the afternoon, Mary said to her sister: "Sally, I'm
+very hungry. Is there anything in the closet that we can get to eat?"
+
+"No," said Sally; "I've looked all through the closet; but there
+isn't a crust of bread, or a cold potato; nor anything to eat. I wish
+there was something; for I'm hungry too."
+
+"O, dear! what shall we do?" cried Mary; "I'm too hungry to wait till
+father comes home!"
+
+"Mary," said her sister, "suppose we ask our Father in heaven to give
+us 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 three
+times, and then wait, and see if God will send us some."
+
+Mary agreed to this. They both kneeled down, and Sally began: "Our
+Father, 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 our
+daily bread; give us this day our daily bread; give us this day our
+daily bread." Then they waited quietly, to see if anything would
+come.
+
+And now, while this was going on inside of that little cottage, let
+me tell you what was taking place outside.
+
+Not far from this cottage lived an old man who was a miser. He had a
+good deal of money, but he never gave any of it to others; and never
+would 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 a
+loaf of bread. He got the loaf, and, as it was a stormy afternoon, he
+put it under his coat before starting to walk home. Now, it happened,
+that just as he was passing the cottage in which the little girls
+were, a strong blast of wind blew the rain in his face, and he
+stepped into the porch of the cottage and crouched down in the
+corner, to shelter himself from the wind and rain. In this position
+his ear was brought quite close to the keyhole of the door. He heard
+what the little girls had said about being hungry. He heard their
+proposal to pray to the Father in heaven to give them bread. He heard
+the thrice repeated prayer--"give us this day our daily bread." And
+then came the silence, when the little ones waited, and watched for
+the bread. This had a strange effect on the miser. His hard, selfish
+heart, which had never felt a generous feeling for anyone, warmed up,
+and grew suddenly soft in tenderness towards these helpless, hungry
+little ones. Tears moistened his eyes. He put his thumb on the latch
+of the door. The latch was gently lifted and the door opened. He took
+the loaf from under his coat and threw it into the room. The little
+girls, still waiting and watching on their knees, saw the loaf go
+bouncing over the floor. They jumped up on their feet, and clapped
+their hands for joy.
+
+"O, Sally," said little Mary, "how good God is to answer our prayer
+so 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 that
+God sent it."
+
+And how about the miser? For the first time in his life he had given
+to the poor. Did the promise fail which says, "Give, and it shall be
+given unto you?" No; God's promises _never_ fail. He went to the
+bakery and bought another loaf for himself, and then he went home
+with different feelings from what he had ever had before. The warm,
+soft feeling that came into his hard heart when he gave the loaf to
+those children did not pass away. It grew upon him. He had found so
+much pleasure in doing that one kind act that he went on and did
+more. And God blessed him in doing it. He began to pray to that God
+who had answered the prayer of those little girls for bread in such a
+strange way. He read the Bible. He went to church. He became a
+Christian; and some time after, he died a happy Christian death. But
+before he died, as he was the owner of the cottage in which the
+little girls lived, he gave it to their father. What a beautiful
+illustration we have here of our Saviour's words--"Give, and it shall
+be given unto you!" This miser gave _a loaf of bread_ to these hungry
+children and God gave him _the grace that made him a Christian_! And
+as we think of this we may well say that "giving _is_ God's rule for
+getting."
+
+And thus we have considered the lesson of liberality which our
+Saviour taught; the proofs of that lesson found in the Bible; and the
+illustrations of it from the Bible, from nature, and from everyday
+life. The three things to be remembered from this subject are _the
+lesson_--_the proofs_--_the illustrations_.
+
+I will quote here, in finishing, three verses which teach the same
+lesson that our Saviour taught when he spoke the words from which I
+have tried to draw the lesson of liberality. The title at the head of
+them is taken from Solomon's words in one of the passages from the
+book 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 how
+everything connected with it teaches the lesson of humility. This is
+pointed out in the beautiful collect in The Book of Common Prayer for
+the first Sunday in Advent. Here we are taught to say:--"Almighty
+God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put upon
+us the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which
+thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in--great _humility_."
+
+If Jesus had come into our world as an angel, it would have been an
+act of humility. If he had come as a great and mighty king, it would
+have been an act of humility. But when he was born in a stable, and
+cradled in a manger; when he could say of himself, "the foxes have
+holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man hath
+not where to lay his head;" when there never was an acre, or a foot
+of ground that he called his own, although he made the world and all
+things in it; when he sailed in a borrowed boat, and was buried in a
+borrowed tomb; how well it might be said that he was teaching
+humility 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 on
+this subject.
+
+We have an account of this lesson in St. John xiii: 4-15. It is
+taught us in these words:--"He riseth from supper, and laid aside his
+garments; and took a towel and girdled himself. After that he poureth
+water into a bason, and began to wash his disciples' feet, and to
+wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded." Then occurs the
+incident about the objection which Peter made to letting Jesus wash
+his feet, and the way in which that objection was overcome. And then
+the story goes on thus:--"So after he had washed their feet, and had
+taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, 'Know
+ye what I have done unto you? Ye call me Master, and Lord; and ye say
+well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your
+feet; ye ought also to wash one another's feet. For I have given you
+an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.'"
+
+This was a very surprising scene. How astonished the angels must have
+been when they looked upon it! They had known Jesus in heaven, before
+he took upon him our nature, and came into this fallen world. They
+had seen him in "the glory which he had with the Father, before the
+world 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 feet
+of poor sinful men whom he came from heaven to save, how surprising
+it must have seemed to them! And when Jesus told his disciples that
+his object in doing this was to set them an example, that they should
+do as he had done to them, he did not mean that they should literally
+make a practice of washing each other's feet; but that they should
+show the same humility to others that he had shown to them, by being
+willing to do anything, however humble it might be, in order to
+promote their comfort and happiness. It is not the act itself, here
+spoken of, that Jesus teaches us to do; but the spirit of humility in
+which the act was performed that he teaches us to cultivate. We might
+go through the form of washing the feet of other persons, and yet
+feel proud and haughty all the time we were doing it. Then we should
+not be following the example of Jesus at all. When Jesus washed his
+disciples' feet, what he wished to teach them, and us, and all his
+people, is how earnestly he desires us to learn this lesson of
+humility. And when we think of the wondrous scene which took place on
+that occasion, the one thought it should impress on our minds, above
+all others is--_the importance of humility_.
+
+And if any one asks what is meant by humility? No better answer can
+be 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 to
+think, but to think soberly." Pride is "thinking of ourselves more
+highly than we ought to think." Humility is--_not_ "thinking of
+ourselves more highly than we ought to think." And humility is the
+lesson we are now to study. This is the lesson that Jesus wishes all
+who love him to learn. It is easy to speak of _five_ reasons why we
+should 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 his
+disciples, and to us, to learn the lesson of humility. And this is
+not the only place in which Jesus taught this lesson. He gave some of
+his 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 get
+the best seats for themselves at a feast, he took the opportunity of
+giving his disciples a lesson about humility. He told them, when they
+were bidden to a wedding feast, not to take the highest seats;
+because some more honorable person might be bidden, and when the
+master of the feast came in he might say to them 'let this man have
+that seat, and you go and take a lower seat'; then they would feel
+mortified, 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, go
+up higher: then shalt thou have worship"--or honor--"in the presence
+of them that sit at meat with thee." Here we have Jesus repeating
+his command to all his people to learn and practise the lesson of
+humility.
+
+And then we have another of our Saviour's parables in which he taught
+this same lesson of humility, and that is the parable of the Pharisee
+and the Publican. We find it in St. Luke xviii: 10-15. The parable
+reads thus: "Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a
+Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed
+thus with himself, 'God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men
+are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I
+fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.'" Here
+we have a picture of a proud man. He pretended to pray, but asked for
+nothing, because he did not feel his need of anything. And so his
+pretended prayer brought him no blessing.
+
+And then in the rest of the parable we have our Saviour's description
+of a man who was learning the lesson of humility, and of the blessing
+which it brought to him.
+
+Here is a story told by one of our missionaries of the way in which
+this parable brought a heathen man to Christ.
+
+"That's Me." A poor Hottentot in Southern Africa lived with a Dutch
+farmer, who was a good Christian man, and kept up family prayer in
+his home. One day, at their family worship he read this parable. He
+began, "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 the
+salvation of his soul, looked earnestly at the reader, and whispered
+to himself, "Now I'll learn how to pray." The farmer read on, "God, I
+thank Thee that I am not as other men are." "No, I am not," whispered
+the Hottentot, "but I'm worse." Again the farmer read, "I fast twice
+in 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 distressed
+savage.
+
+The good man read on till he came to the publican, "standing afar
+off." "That's where I am," said the Hottentot. "Would not lift up so
+much as his eyes unto heaven," read the farmer. "That's me," cried
+his hearer. "But smote upon his breast saying, God be merciful to me
+a 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 of
+the parable,--"God be merciful to me a sinner!" And he went on
+offering 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 which
+Jesus taught, and how much good it did to him.
+
+And it is Jesus who is speaking to us and commanding us to learn this
+lesson 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 therefore
+in 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 to
+us to learn the lesson of humility. And this command is urged thus
+earnestly upon us because it is so important.
+
+When St. Augustine, one of the celebrated fathers of the early
+Church, was asked--What is the first important thing in the Christian
+religion? 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 been
+so earnest in teaching this lesson; or that he should have urged so
+strongly on his disciples to learn it.
+
+The _command_ of Christ is the first reason why we should learn the
+lesson of humility.
+
+_But the second reason why we should learn this lesson is, because of
+the_--EXAMPLE--_of Christ_.
+
+There are many persons "who say and do not." There are some ministers
+who preach very well, but they do not _practise_ what they preach.
+Such persons may well be compared to finger-boards. They point out
+the way to others, but they do not walk in it themselves. But this
+was not the case with our blessed Saviour. He practised everything
+that he preached. And when he gave us his command to learn this
+lesson of humility, he gave us, at the same time, his example to show
+us _how_ to do it.
+
+He was illustrating this command by his example when he washed his
+disciples' feet. And this was only one out of many things in which he
+set us this example. When he chose to be born of poor parents, he was
+giving an example of humility. When he lived at Nazareth till he was
+thirty years of age, working with his reputed father as a carpenter,
+and during the latter part of the time, as is supposed, laboring for
+the support of his mother, he was giving an example of humility. When
+he said, "The Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to
+minister," Matt. xx: 28; and again--"I am among you as he that
+serveth," Luke xxii: 27, he was giving an example of humility. When
+he borrowed an ass to make his triumphal entrance into Jerusalem;
+though he could say in truth, "every beast of the forest is mine, and
+the cattle upon a thousand hills;"--(Ps. 1: 10), he was setting an
+example of humility. When he hid himself away from the people because
+he saw that they wanted to take him by force and make him king, he
+was giving a lesson of humility. When he allowed himself to be taken
+prisoner, though he knew that if he had asked his Father in heaven,
+he would, at once, have sent "more than twelve legions of angels" to
+deliver him, he was giving an example of humility. When he kept
+silence, at the bar of the high-priest, of Herod, of Pontius Pilate,
+like "a lamb dumb before her shearers," while his enemies were
+charging him falsely with all kinds of wickedness; when he allowed
+the Roman soldiers to scourge him with rods, till his back was all
+bleeding; to put a crown of thorns upon his head; to array him in a
+purple robe in mockery of his being a king; to smite him with the
+palms of their hands, and spit upon him; and then to nail him to the
+cross, and put him to the most shameful of all deaths--as if he were
+a wicked man, who did not deserve to live--he was giving the most
+wonderful example of humility that ever was heard of. Jesus, the Lord
+of glory hanging on the shameful cross!--O, this was an example of
+humility 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 an
+example of humility, it should make us ashamed of being proud; and
+anxious, above all things, to learn this lesson which he did so much
+to teach us.
+
+"Imitating Christ's Humility." I think I never heard of a more
+beautiful instance of persons learning to imitate the humility of
+Christ, than is told of some Moravian Missionaries. These good men
+had heard the story of the unhappy slaves in the West Indies. Those
+poor creatures were wearing out their lives in hard bondage. They had
+very little comfort in this life, and no knowledge of that gracious
+Saviour who alone can secure, for sinful creatures, such as we are, a
+better portion in the life to come. These missionaries offered to go
+out to the West Indies, and teach those slaves about Jesus, and the
+great salvation that is to be found in him. But they were told that
+the owners of the slaves would not let them go to school or to
+church. They would not allow them to take time enough from their work
+to learn anything about the salvation of their souls. There was only
+one way in which those poor slaves could be taught anything about
+Jesus 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 need
+be, under the lash, so that they could get right beside them and then
+tell them about the way of salvation that is in Christ Jesus. This
+was a hard thing to undertake. But those good missionaries said they
+were 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 on
+the plantations as slaves. And working thus, by the side of the
+slaves, they got close to their hearts. The slaves heard them. Their
+hearts were touched because these teachers of the gospel had humbled
+themselves to their condition. While they were teaching the commands
+of Christ, they were illustrating and following his example. How
+beautiful this was! How grand! How glorious!
+
+And yet Christ's own example was still more glorious. He laid aside
+the glory of his Godhead, and came down from heaven to earth, that he
+might get by our side. He laid himself beside us that we might feel
+the throbbings of his bosom and the embrace of his loving arms; and
+he draws us close to himself, while he whispers in our ears the sweet
+words, "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son,
+that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have
+everlasting life."
+
+And so, when we think of the example of Christ, we should strive to
+learn the lesson of humility which he taught.
+
+_A third reason why we should learn this lesson of humility is
+because 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 that
+inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy
+place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to
+revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the
+contrite ones." Here, the same loving Saviour who gave us the command
+to learn the lesson of humility promises to give comfort to all who
+learn this lesson. And the way in which he secures this comfort to
+them is by coming and dwelling in their hearts. And who can tell
+what a comfort it is for a poor pardoned sinner to have Jesus--the
+Lord of heaven and earth--dwelling in his heart? It is his presence
+in heaven which makes those who dwell there feel so happy. This is
+what David taught, when he looked up to him, and said--"In thy
+presence is fulness of joy." Ps. 16: 11. And when that presence is
+felt, here on earth, it gives comfort and joy, as certainly as it
+does in heaven. It was the presence of Jesus which enabled Paul and
+Silas to sing at midnight, for very joyfulness, in the prison at
+Philippi, though their feet were fastened in the stocks, and their
+backs were torn and bleeding from the cruel scourging which they had
+suffered. And it was this presence of Christ in the hearts of his
+people that good John Newton was speaking of, in one of his sweet
+hymns, 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 will
+dwell with. He says himself, "If any man love me, he will keep my
+words; and My Father will love him; and we will come unto him, and
+make our abode with him." St. John xiv: 23. And among the words of
+Christ which we must keep, if we wish him to dwell in our hearts, are
+those in which he commands the lesson of humility. It is only the
+humble with whom he will dwell. For "every one that is proud in heart
+is an abomination unto the Lord." Prov. xvi: 5.
+
+The reason why so many people are unhappy in this world is that they
+do not learn the lesson of humility.
+
+"Learn to Stoop." The story is told of some celebrated man--I think
+it was Dr. Franklin--who had a friend visiting him on one occasion.
+When the gentleman was about to leave, the doctor accompanied him to
+the front door. In going through the entry there was a low beam
+across it, which made it necessary to stoop, in order to avoid being
+struck by it. As they approached it the doctor stooped himself, and
+called 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 through
+life." This illustrates the comfort which comes from learning the
+lesson of humility. It is those who are unwilling to stoop; or to be
+anything, 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 a
+fine oak tree, with its wide-spreading branches, and at its foot
+there grew a sweet and modest violet. The oak one day looked down in
+scorn upon the violet, and said: "You, poor little thing, will soon
+be dead and withered; for you have no strength, no size, and are of
+no good to anyone. But I am large and strong; I shall still live for
+ages, and then I shall be made into a large ship to sail on the
+ocean, 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 am
+thankful. I hope to die fragrantly, as I have lived fragrantly, but
+we are both only what God made us, and both where God placed us."
+
+Not long after the oak was struck by lightning and shivered to
+splinters. Its end was to be burned. But the violet was gently
+gathered by the hand of a Christian lady, who carefully pressed it,
+and kept it for years, in the leaves of her Bible to refresh herself
+with its fragrance. Here we see illustrated the difference between
+pride and humility.
+
+"The Secret of Comfort." Some years ago there was a boy who had been
+lame from his birth. He was a bright intelligent boy, but he was not
+a Christian. As he grew up, with no other prospect before him but
+that of being a cripple all his days, he was very unhappy. As he sat
+by his window, propped up in his chair, and saw the boys playing in
+the street, he would say to himself: "Why has God made me thus? Why
+have I not limbs to run and jump with like other boys?"
+
+These thoughts filled him with distress, and caused him to shed many
+bitter tears.
+
+One day a Christian friend, who was visiting him, gave him a book and
+requested him to read it. He did so; and it led to his becoming a
+Christian. 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. After
+this, as he looked out, and saw the young people happy at their
+sports; or, as he gazed on the green earth and the beautiful sky, and
+knew that he must remain a helpless cripple as long as he lived, he
+yet could say, with the utmost cheerfulness:--"It's all right. My
+Father in heaven has done it. I love him. He loves me. I know he is
+making all things work together for my good." He had learned the
+lesson we are now considering, and we see what comfort it gave him.
+And the thought of the comfort which this lesson gives, should be a
+good reason with us all for learning it.
+
+_A fourth reason why we should learn the lesson of humility is
+because of the_--USEFULNESS--_connected with it_.
+
+Jesus tells us, by his apostle, that "God resisteth the proud, but
+giveth grace to the humble." St. James iv: 6. If we have the grace of
+God we can be useful in many ways, but, without that grace we cannot
+be 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 my
+grace; or without the help of my grace. And it was of this grace that
+St. Paul was speaking when he said--"I can do all things through
+Christ who strengtheneth me." Phil, iv: 13.
+
+And we could not possibly have a stronger reason for trying to learn
+the lesson of humility than this, that our receiving the grace of
+God, and consequently our usefulness, depends upon it. God will not
+give us his grace to enable us to be truly good and to make ourselves
+useful, unless we learn this lesson. And unless we have the grace of
+God, we cannot be useful. Like barren fig-trees we shall be useless
+cumberers of the ground.
+
+Now let us look at one or two illustrations which show us how pride
+hinders the usefulness of men, while humility helps it.
+
+"The Fisherman's Mistake." An English gentleman was spending his
+summer holidays in Scotland. He concluded to try his hand at fishing
+for trout in one of the neighboring streams. He bought one of the
+handsomest fishing rods he could find, with line and reel, and
+artificial flies, and everything necessary to make a perfect outfit
+for a fisherman. He went to the trout stream, and toiled all day, but
+never caught a single fish.
+
+Towards the close of the day he saw a ragged little farmer boy, with
+a bean pole for a rod, and the simplest possible sort of a line, who
+was nipping the fish out of the water about as fast as he could throw
+his line in. He watched the boy in amazement for awhile, and then
+asked him how it was that one, with so fine a rod and line, could
+catch 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 as
+ye dinna keep yersel' oot o' sicht."
+
+The gentleman was proud of his handsome rod and line, and was showing
+it off all the time. His pride hindered his usefulness as a
+fisherman. The farmer's boy had nothing to show off; so he kept
+himself out of sight, and thus his humility helped his usefulness in
+fishing.
+
+"The Thames' Tunnel Teaching Humility." Most strangers who visit the
+great city of London go to see the famous tunnel under the river
+Thames. This is a large, substantial road that has been built, in the
+form of an arch, directly under the bed of the river. It is one of
+the most wonderful works that human skill ever succeeded in making.
+The man who planned and built it was made one of the nobility of
+England. His name was Sir Isambard Brunel. He was so humble that he
+was willing to learn a lesson from a tiny little ship worm. These
+worms bore small round holes through the solid timbers of our ships.
+
+One day Mr. Brunel visited a ship-yard. An old ship was on the
+dry-dock getting repaired. A quantity of worm-eaten timber had been
+taken 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 a
+proud man, he might have thrown the timber aside, and said--"Get away
+you poor little worm. I am a great master builder. You can't teach me
+anything." And if he had done so that famous tunnel under the Thames
+would probably never have been built. But Mr. Brunel had learned the
+lesson of humility. He was willing to learn from anything that God
+had made, however insignificant it might be. So he sat down and
+watched the worm at its work. He studied carefully the form of the
+hole it was boring. The thought occurred to him how strong a tunnel
+would be, that was made in the shape of this hole! And when he was
+asked whether it would be possible to build a tunnel under the
+Thames, he said he thought it could be done. He undertook to build
+it. He succeeded in the work. But, in accomplishing the great
+undertaking that little ship-worm was his teacher.
+
+And now, if any of my young friends who may read this book should
+ever visit London, and go to see the great tunnel, as they gaze in
+wonder at it, let them remember Sir I. Brunel, and that little
+ship-worm; and then, let them say to themselves: "This mighty tunnel
+is an illustration of the truth that humility helps to make us
+useful."
+
+"George Washington and His Humility." Here is a story connected with
+the great and good Washington--"the Father of his country," which
+illustrates very well this part of our subject.
+
+During the war of the American Revolution, the commander of a little
+squad of soldiers was superintending their operations as they were
+trying to raise a heavy piece of timber to the top of some military
+works which they were engaged in repairing. It was hard work to get
+the timber up, and so the commander, who was a proud man and thought
+himself of great importance, kept calling out to them from time to
+time, "Push away, boys! There she goes! Heave ho!"
+
+While this was going on, an officer on horseback, but not in military
+dress, rode by. He asked the commander why he did not take hold, and
+give the men a little help. He looked at the stranger in great
+astonishment, 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 your
+pardon Mr. Corporal."
+
+After this he got off his horse, and throwing aside his coat, he took
+hold and helped the men at their work till they got the timber into
+its place. By this time the perspiration stood in drops upon his
+forehead. He took out his handkerchief and wiped his brow. Then
+turning to the commander he said:
+
+"Mr. Corporal, when you have another such job on hand, and have not
+men enough to do it, send for your Commander-in-chief, and I will
+come and help you again."
+
+It was General Washington who did and said this. The Corporal was
+thunderstruck! The great Washington, though honored above all men on
+the continent, was humble enough to put his hand and shoulder to the
+timber, that he might help the humblest of his soldiers, who were
+struggling for the defence of their country, to bear the burdens
+appointed to them.
+
+This is an excellent illustration of the truth we are now
+considering. And certainly we should all try to learn the lesson of
+humility which Jesus taught, when we see how it helps to make us
+useful.
+
+_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 her
+wonderful 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" with
+which God fills them mean the blessings He bestows on the humble. Our
+Saviour taught the same truth when he said, "he that humbleth himself
+shall be exalted." Luke xiv: 11. Being exalted here means being
+honored and blessed. These passages teach very clearly the truth of
+which we are now speaking. They show us that we must learn the lesson
+of humility if we hope to have God's blessing rest upon us. And it is
+not more true that two and two make four, than it is that God's
+blessing _does_ attend and follow those who learn the lesson of
+humility.
+
+How many illustrations of this truth we find in the Bible! Moses had
+learned the lesson of humility before God sent him on his great
+mission, which has given him a name and a place among the most
+famous men of the world.
+
+Gideon had learned the lesson of humility before God made choice of
+him to be the deliverer of his people Israel from the hands of their
+enemies; and then, for years to be their honored ruler. John the
+Baptist was so humble that he said of himself that he was not worthy
+to stoop down and unloose the latchet of our Saviour's shoe; and yet
+Jesus said of him that he was one of the greatest men that ever had
+been born.
+
+The apostle Paul was so humble that he considered himself "less than
+the least of all saints," and "the chief of sinners;" and yet God
+honored and blessed him till he became the most famous and useful of
+all the apostles.
+
+If we turn from the Bible, and look out into the world around us, we
+may compare proud people to the tops of the mountains; these are bare
+and barren, and of little use to the world. We may compare humble
+people to the plains and valleys. These are fertile and beautiful,
+and are the greatest blessing to the world, in the abundance of
+grain, and fruit, and other good things which they yield.
+
+And then, if we take notice of what is occurring in the scenes of
+daily life, we shall meet with incidents continually which furnish
+us with illustrations of the part of our subject now before us, that
+God crowns the humble with his blessing. Let us look at one or two of
+these illustrations.
+
+"The Little Loaf." In a certain part of Germany, some years ago, a
+famine was prevailing, and many of the people were suffering from
+hunger. A kind-hearted rich man sent for twenty of the poorest
+children in the village where he lived, to come to his house. As they
+stood on the porch of his house, he came out to them bringing a large
+basket in his hand. He set it down before him and said: "Children, in
+this basket there is bread for you all. Take a loaf, each of you, and
+come back every day at this hour, till it shall please God to send us
+better times."
+
+Then he left the children to themselves and went into the house, but
+watched them through the window. The hungry children seized the
+basket, quarreled and struggled for the bread, because each of them
+wished to get the best and largest loaf. Then they went away without
+ever 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 took
+the last loaf left in the basket, the smallest of the lot. She looked
+up to the window where the gentleman stood; smiled at him; threw him
+a kiss, and made a low curtsey in token of her gratitude, and then
+went quickly home.
+
+The next day the other children were just as ill-behaved as they had
+been before, and the timid humble Gretchen received a loaf this time
+not 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, a
+number of new silver pieces of money, fell rattling and shining out
+of it.
+
+Her mother was frightened, and said, "Take the money back at once to
+the good gentleman; for it must certainly have dropped into the dough
+by accident. Be quick Gretchen! be quick!"
+
+But when the little girl came to the good man and gave him her
+mother's message, he kindly said, "No, no, my child, it was no
+mistake. I had the silver pieces put into the smallest loaf as a
+reward for you. Continue to be as humble, peaceable, self-denying,
+and grateful as you have now shown yourself to be. A little girl who
+is humble enough to take the smallest loaf rather than quarrel for
+the larger ones, will be sure to receive greater blessings from God
+than if she had silver pieces of money baked in every loaf of bread
+she 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 into
+the office of one of the largest dry-goods houses in New York and
+asked for a situation. He was told to call again another day.
+
+Going down Broadway that same afternoon, when opposite the Astor
+House, he saw an old apple woman, in trying to cross the street,
+struck by an omnibus, knocked down, and her basket of apples sent
+scattering into the gutter.
+
+The young man stepped out of the crowd, helped the old woman to her
+feet, put her apples into her basket, and went on his way, without
+thinking of it.
+
+Now a proud man would never have thought of doing such a thing as
+that. But this young man had learned the lesson of humility, and did
+not hesitate a moment to do this kind act.
+
+When he called again to see about the situation, he was asked what
+wages 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 he
+was passing at the time, and saw it; and that it was this
+circumstance 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 learn
+the 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 suitable
+prayer to offer when we think of the lesson of humility we have now
+been 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 in
+kings, and princes, in rich, and wise, and great men, it would not
+have been surprising; because he was a king and a prince, himself; he
+was richer than the richest, and wiser than the wisest, and greater
+than the greatest. But he did not do this. He took no particular
+notice of them; but he showed the greatest possible interest in
+children. When mothers brought their little ones to him, the
+disciples wanted to keep them away. They thought, no doubt, that he
+was too busy to take any notice of them. But they were mistaken. He
+was very busy indeed. He had many lessons to teach. He had sermons to
+preach; and sick people to heal; and blind eyes to open; and deaf
+ears to unstop; and lame men to make whole; and dead men to raise to
+life again. He had all his Father's will to make known to men; and
+all his Father's commandments to keep. He had to suffer, and to die
+for the sins of the world; that he might "open the kingdom of heaven
+to all believers." He was the busiest man that ever lived. Nobody
+ever had so much to do as he had. And yet, he was not too busy to
+attend to the little children. He had time to give to them. So he
+rebuked 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 by
+one, "he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them and
+blessed them." And when he had done this, as though that were not
+enough, he spoke those precious, glorious, golden words:--"_Suffer
+the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such
+is the kingdom of heaven_," "verily I say unto you, whosoever shall
+not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter
+therein."
+
+These things are told us by three of the evangelists. St. Matthew
+mentions them in chapter xix: 13-15. St. Mark x: 13-16, and St. Luke
+xviii: 15-17.
+
+On another occasion, when he was in the temple, the children sang
+hosannas to him as the son of David. The chief priests and scribes
+were greatly displeased, when they heard it, and "said unto him,
+hearest thou what these say? and Jesus said unto them, yea: have ye
+never read, out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou hast
+perfected praise?" Matt, xxi: 15, 16. Here he quoted from the Old
+Testament (Ps. viii: 2) to prove to them from their own scriptures,
+that God loves little children, and delights to have them engage in
+his service, and sing his praises.
+
+And there was one other occasion on which Jesus spoke about the
+children, and showed his interest in them. This was after his
+resurrection. We read about it in St. John xxi: 15-18. He met his
+disciples, one day, on the shore of the sea of Galilee. Peter, who
+had shamefully denied his Master on the night in which he was
+betrayed was present with them. Jesus said to him, as if to remind
+him 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 beautifully
+Jesus showed his great love for the little ones of his flock!
+
+From these different passages, we see clearly how dear little
+children are to the heart of our blessed Saviour! He is the only
+great Teacher who ever showed such an interest in children. And the
+religion of Jesus is the only religion which teaches its followers to
+love and care for the little ones. The worshipers of the idol Moloch,
+mentioned in the Bible, used to offer their children as
+burnt-sacrifices to their cruel god. Mahometans look upon their women
+and children as inferior beings. The Hindoos neglect their infants,
+and leave them exposed on the banks of the Ganges, or throw them into
+the river to be devoured by the hungry crocodiles. In the city of
+Pekin many infants are thrown out into the streets every night.
+Sometimes they are killed by the fall. Sometimes they are only half
+killed, and linger, moaning in their agony, till the morning. Then
+the police go around, and pick them up, and throw them all together
+into a hole and bury them.
+
+In Africa, the children are sometimes buried alive; and sometimes
+left 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 used
+to be killed. Sometimes they would strangle their babies. Sometimes
+they would leave them, where oxen and cattle would tread on them, and
+trample them to death; while, at other times, they would break all
+their joints, beginning with their fingers and toes, and then go on
+to their wrists, and elbows, and shoulders. How dreadful it is to
+think of such practices! And when we turn from these scenes of
+heart-rending cruelty and think of the gracious Saviour,--the "gentle
+Jesus, meek and mild," stretching forth his arms in loving
+tenderness, and uttering the sweet words,--"Suffer the little
+children to come unto me, and forbid them not; for of such is the
+kingdom of God,"--what a wonderful contrast it makes!
+
+And when we think of all that Jesus did and said to show his interest
+in children, we may well ask ourselves such questions as these,--Why
+was it so? What did he do it for? And when we come to look carefully
+into this part of the life of Christ, we can see four great things in
+it; and these are the reasons why Jesus did and said so much about
+children.
+
+_In the first place we see_--GREAT LOVE--_in the interest Christ
+manifested towards the young_.
+
+It was the same love which brought him down from heaven, and made him
+willing to become a little child himself; the same love which made
+him willing to live in poverty--and suffer the dreadful death upon
+the cross that led him to show such interest in the little ones. But
+if he had not told us himself how he feels on this subject, we could
+not have been sure of it. Children might well have said, when they
+heard about the love of Christ, "Yes, we have no doubt that Jesus
+does love grown up people, men and women in general. We believe this
+because the Bible tells us so; but how do we know that he loves us
+children?" If he had not told us so himself, we could not have been
+sure of it. But we know it now. And when we hear, or read of the love
+of Christ, we may be sure that it takes the children in.
+
+During a famine in Germany, a family became so poor that they were in
+danger of starving. The father proposed that one of the children
+should be sold, and food provided for those that remained. At last
+the mother consented; but then the question arose which one of the
+four should be selected. The eldest, their first-born, could not be
+spared; the second looked like the mother, the third was like his
+father, and they could not give either of them up; and then the
+youngest--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 children
+knew of this, they might very well feel sure that their parents loved
+them. But Jesus did more than this for us, he was willing to die upon
+the cross, and he did so die, that "not one of his little ones should
+perish."
+
+"Being Loved Back Again." Little Alice Lee sat in her rocking chair.
+She was clasping a beautiful wax doll to her bosom, and singing sweet
+lullabies to it. But every little while she looked wistfully at her
+mother. She was busy writing, and had told Alice to keep as quiet as
+possible till she got through.
+
+It seemed a long time to Alice; but after awhile her mother laid down
+her pen, and pushed aside her papers, and said:--"Now I am through
+for 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 loving
+bosom.
+
+"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 in
+her arms. "I am very glad that my little girl loves me;" replied her
+mother, "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 after
+awhile."
+
+"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 grew
+very bright, as they gazed earnestly into her mother's face. "It's
+because 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 when
+we were too little to love him back. The Bible says--"We love him
+because _he first_ loved us." He loved us before we knew him, or had
+ever heard of him. He loved us before we were born. Before the world
+was made Jesus thought of you and me, and loved us. This is what he
+means when he says:--"I _have loved thee with an everlasting love."_
+Jer. xxxi: 3. This means a love that never had a beginning, and that
+will never have an end. This is very wonderful. And when we think of
+it, 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, by
+which he showed his interest in little children, the first thing that
+we 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 to
+Jesus when young, _because then they are easily controlled_.
+
+Suppose we plant an acorn in a corner of our garden. After awhile a
+green shoot springs out from it. We go to look at it when it is about
+a foot high. We find it getting crooked; but with the gentlest touch
+of thumb and finger, we can straighten it out. We wish it to lean in
+a particular direction. We give it a slight touch, and it leans just
+that way. Afterwards we conclude to have it lean in the opposite
+direction. Another slight touch, and it takes that direction. It is
+true, as the poet says, "Just as the twig is bent, the tree's
+inclined." 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 an
+ugly twist in its trunk. We try to straighten it out; but in vain. No
+power on earth can do that now. You can cut it down; or saw it up; or
+break it into splinters; but you cannot straighten it.
+
+Suppose, that you and I should go to one of the highest summits of
+the Rocky Mountains. In a certain place there, we should find two
+little fountains springing up near each other. With the end of a
+finger we might trace the course in which either of those little
+springs should flow. We could lead one down the eastern side of the
+mountains, and the other down the western side. It would be very easy
+to control them then. But suppose now we travel down the side of the
+mountain till we reach the plain, at its base. Now see, yonder is a
+great river, rolling on its mighty flood of waters. That is what the
+little spring has grown to. It is too late to control it now. The
+time for controlling it was up yonder near the spring.
+
+It is easy to control the spring; it is very hard to control the
+river. Jesus wished to control the spring when he directed us to
+bring the children to him. And in this he showed his wisdom.
+
+It is wise to take an interest in children, and bring them early to
+Jesus--_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 by
+Themistocles, the celebrated Grecian governor and general. He had a
+little boy, of whom his mother was very fond and over whom the child
+had very great influence. His father pointed to him, one day, and
+said to a friend, "Look at that child; he has more power than all
+Greece. For the city of Athens rules Greece; I rule Athens; that
+child's mother rules me, and he rules his mother."
+
+I feel sure our Saviour must have felt very much as some one has
+done, 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 wise
+in Jesus to desire to have them brought early to him that they might
+learn to use that influence in the best possible way.
+
+And then it was wise in Jesus to desire this, again, _because
+bringing children to him prevents great trouble, and secures great
+blessing_.
+
+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 upper
+counties of New York, there was a little girl named Margaret. She
+was not brought to Christ, but was turned out on the world to do as
+she pleased. She grew up to be perhaps the wickedest woman in that
+part of the country. She had a large family of children, who became
+about as wicked as herself; her descendants have been a plague and a
+curse to that county ever since. The records of that county show that
+two hundred of her descendants have been criminals. In a single
+generation of her descendants there were twenty children. Three of
+these died in infancy. Of the remaining seventeen, who lived to grow
+up, nine were sent to the state prison for great crimes; while all
+the others were found, from time to time, in the jails, the
+penitentiaries, or the almshouses. Nearly all the descendants of this
+woman were idiots, or drunkards, or paupers, or bad people, of the
+very worst character. That one neglected child thus cost the county
+in which she lived hundreds of thousands of dollars, besides the
+untold evil that followed from the bad examples of her descendants.
+How different the result would have been if this poor child had been
+brought to Jesus and made a Christian when she was young!
+
+"The Result of Early Choice." Here is a short story of two boys, of
+the choice they made when young, and the different results that
+followed from that choice.
+
+A minister of the gospel was preaching on one occasion to the
+convicts in the state prison of Connecticut. As he rose in the desk
+and looked around on the congregation, he saw a man there whose face
+seemed familiar to him. When the service was over he went to this
+man's cell, to have some conversation with him.
+
+"I remember you very well, sir," said the prisoner. "We were boys in
+the same neighborhood; we went to the same school; sat beside each
+other on the same bench, and then my prospects were as bright as
+yours. But, at the age of fourteen, you made choice of the service of
+God, and became a Christian. I refused to come to Christ, but made
+choice of the world and sin. And now, you are a happy and honored
+minister of the gospel, while I am a wretched outcast. I have served
+ten years in this penitentiary and am to be a prisoner here for
+life."
+
+Jesus knew what blessings would follow to those who were early
+brought to him, and we see that there was great wisdom in the words
+that he spake when he said--"Suffer the little children to come unto
+me."
+
+_In the next place there was_--GREAT ENCOURAGEMENT--_in what Jesus
+did and said about children_.
+
+If a company of boys or girls should try to get into the presence of
+a monarch, some great king, or emperor, they would find it a pretty
+hard thing to do. At the door of the palace they would meet with
+soldiers or servants, the guards of the queen or king. They would say
+to the children--"what do you want here?" And if the children should
+say, "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. She
+has no time to attend to little folks like you." And the children
+would have to go away without getting to see the queen.
+
+But, Jesus is a greater king than any who ever sat upon an earthly
+throne. He has more to do than all the kings and queens in the world
+put together. And yet he never gave orders to the angels, or to any
+of his servants to keep the children away from him. On his great
+throne in yonder heavens he says still, what he said when he was on
+earth--"Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them
+not." And he says this on purpose to encourage the children to come
+to him. And the thought that Jesus loves them and feels an interest
+in them has encouraged multitudes of little ones to seek him and
+serve him. Here are some illustrations of this:
+
+"Learning to Love Jesus." "A little girl came to me one day," said a
+minister of the gospel, and said, "'Please sir, may I speak to you a
+minute?' I saw that she was in some trouble; so I took her kindly by
+the hand, and said, 'Certainly, my child. What do you wish to say?'
+
+"'Please, sir,' said she, as her lip quivered and tears filled her
+eyes, '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 spoke
+sadly, as if it was something she never could do.
+
+"'Well,' I said, 'St. John, who loved our Lord almost more than any
+one 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 loves
+me_," I think that to-morrow you will be able to say--"I love
+Jesus."'
+
+"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, as
+well as to say it. She thought about his life, about his death on the
+cross, and about his sweet words to the little ones, and she began to
+feel it too.
+
+"The next evening she came to see me again; and, putting both her
+hands 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 the
+interest he feels in children.
+
+"Doesn't He Love to Save?" A mother had just tucked her little boy in
+bed, and had received his good-night kisses. She lingered awhile, at
+his bedside, to speak to him about Jesus, and to see if he was
+feeling right toward him. He was a good, obedient boy, but that day
+he had done something that grieved his mother. He had expressed his
+sorrow for it, and asked his mother's forgiveness. As she stooped
+down for the last kiss, he said--"Is it all settled, mother?"
+
+"Yes, my child," she said, "it's all settled with me; but have you
+settled it all with Jesus?" "Yes, mother: I've asked him to forgive
+me: and I believe him when he says he will; for _doesn't he love to
+help and save children_?" "He does, my child, he does," said his
+mother, as she gazed on his happy little face, lighted up with the
+joy of that gospel, so often hidden from the wise and prudent, but
+revealed to babes.
+
+Here we see how this little fellow was encouraged to seek Jesus from
+the assurance that he feels an interest in children, and loves to
+help and bless them.
+
+"Love Leads to Love." A little boy named Charley stood at the window
+with his mother one morning, watching the robins as they enjoyed
+their 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 reason
+that the birdies love your father?"
+
+This question seemed to set Charley to thinking. He did not answer at
+first, but presently he said, "Why mother all the creatures seem to
+love 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 is
+saying. Even the old cow follows him around the meadow, and the other
+day I saw her licking his hand, just as a dog would. I think it must
+be because father loves them. You know he will often get up and give
+pussy something to eat; and he pulls carrots for the cow, and pats
+her; and somehow I think his voice never sounds so sweet as when he
+is talking to these dumb creatures."
+
+"I think his voice is very pleasant when he is talking to his little
+boy," said his mother.
+
+Charley smiled, and said, "That's so, mother. Father loves me, and I
+love him dearly. But he loves the birdies too I am sure. He whistles
+to them every morning when they are eating their cherries, and they
+don't seem a bit afraid of him, although he is near enough to catch
+them. Mother I wish everything loved me as they do father."
+
+"Do as father does, Charley, and they will. Love all things and be
+kind to them. Don't kick the dog, or speak roughly to him. Don't pull
+pussy's tail, nor chase the hens, nor try to frighten the cow. Never
+throw stones at the birds. Never hurt nor tease anything. Speak
+gently and lovingly to them and they will love you, and everybody
+that knows you will love you too."
+
+Now Charley's father, in acting as he did, was trying to make all the
+dumb creatures about him know that he was their friend; that he loved
+them, and had nothing but kindness in his heart towards them. In
+this 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 and
+said so much to show his interest in children. He wants them all to
+understand that he is their friend; that he loves them, and wants
+them to come to him and love and serve him. And so every child who
+hears 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 the
+children there is great encouragement.
+
+_And then there are_--GREAT LESSONS--_too, in this part of the life
+of Christ_.
+
+There are two lessons taught us here. One is about _the work we are
+to do for Jesus here on earth_. When Jesus said to Peter, "Lovest
+thou me? Feed my lambs," he meant to teach him, and you, and me, and
+all his people everywhere, the best way in which we can show our love
+to him. The lambs of Christ here spoken of mean little children,
+wherever they are found. And to feed these lambs is to teach them
+about Jesus. When we are trying to bring the young to Jesus and
+teaching them to love and serve him, then we are doing the work that
+is most pleasing to him:--the work that he most loves to have his
+people do. It was thinking about this that first led me to begin the
+work of preaching regularly to the young. And this is the lesson that
+Jesus would have all his people learn when he says to each of
+them:--"Lovest thou me? Feed my lambs."
+
+"The Angel in the Stone." Many years ago there was a celebrated
+artist who lived in Italy, whose name was Michael Angelo. He was a
+great painter, and a great sculptor, or a worker in marble. He loved
+to see beautiful figures chiseled out of marble, and he had great
+power and skill in chiseling out such figures. One day, as he was
+walking with some friends through the city of Florence, he saw a
+block of marble lying neglected in a yard, half covered with dust and
+rubbish. He stopped to examine that block of marble. That day
+happened to be a great holiday in Florence and the artist had his
+best suit of clothes on; but not caring for this he threw off his
+coat, 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 of
+stone?"
+
+"O, there's an angel in this stone," said he, "and I must get it
+out."
+
+He bought that block; had it removed to his studio, and then went to
+work with his mallet and his chisel, and never rested till out of
+that 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 that
+will last forever. And when we bring our children to Jesus, and by
+his help teach them to love and serve him, we are doing for them just
+what Michael Angelo was doing for his block of marble--we are getting
+the angels out of the stones. And this is what Jesus loves to have us
+do.
+
+"How to Get the Angels Out." A Christian mother, whose children had
+all been early taught to love and serve Jesus, was asked the secret
+of her success in bringing up her children. This was her
+answer:--"While my children were infants on my lap, as I washed them
+day by day, I raised my heart to God that he would wash them in that
+blood 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's
+righteousness; as I provided them food I prayed that God would feed
+their souls with the bread of heaven, and give them to drink of the
+water of life. When I prepared them for the house of God I pleaded
+that their bodies might be made fit temples for the Holy Ghost to
+dwell in. When they left me daily for the week-day school, I followed
+their youthful footsteps with the prayer that their path through life
+might be like that of the just, which shineth more and more unto the
+perfect day. And night after night, as I committed them to rest, the
+silent breathing of my soul has been, that their heavenly Father
+would 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 to
+bring the angel out from every block of living marble that God has
+given them.
+
+"The Best Time for Doing This." A faithful minister of Christ had a
+dear only daughter. She had been a thoughtful praying child. When
+only twelve years old she had joined her father's church. She now lay
+on her dying bed. "As I sat by her bedside," says her father, "among
+the things she said which I shall never forget were these:--'Father
+you know I joined the church when I was young--very young. Some of
+our friends thought that I was too young. But, oh! how I wish I could
+tell everybody what a comfort it is to me now to think of it.' Then
+reaching out her hand--the fingers were already cold--and grasping
+mine, she said with great earnestness:--'Father, you are at work for
+the young. Do all you can for them while they are young. It's the
+best time--the best time. Oh! I see it now as I never did before. It
+is the best time--while they are young--the younger the better. Do
+all you can for them while they are very young.' And then she fell
+asleep in Jesus."
+
+This is the lesson about the work we are to do for him on earth, that
+Jesus taught in what he said concerning the children.
+
+But when we think of those sweet words of Jesus--"Of such is the
+kingdom of heaven," we are _taught a lesson about the company we
+shall meet there_. We learn from what our blessed Lord says on this
+subject that he saves all the little ones who die before they are
+accountable for their actions. And we know that of all the persons
+born into our world more than half of them die before they reach this
+age. And this makes it very certain that more than half the company
+of heaven will be made up of little children. This is a very sweet
+thought to those who have lost little ones; and to those who love
+them.
+
+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 remain
+children. The Rev. Mr. Bickersteth, of England, in speaking of a
+father meeting his little ones in heaven, who died years before he
+did, represents him as meeting them there, just of the same age and
+size as they were when they died. And then he expresses his own
+thought 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 when
+he himself has not spoken on such a point as this, it is impossible
+for us to say certainly which way it will be. But when we get to
+heaven and find just how it is, we shall all agree that God's way is
+the best way.
+
+And then Jesus shows us plainly _what our character must be if we
+hope 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, he
+shall not enter therein." Mark x: 15. Jesus refers here to some of
+the 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 our
+character, if we hope to enter heaven. Such a child is willing to be
+taught:--believes all that his parent or teacher tells him; and does
+everything that he is told to do; and such must our character be if
+we hope to enter heaven.
+
+And so when we come to study out this part of our Saviour's life, and
+think 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 should
+be in the heart of everyone, young or old, on thinking of this great
+subject, 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 blessed
+Lord. It forms a great contrast to the other events mentioned in his
+history. He "came to visit us in great humility." When we read how he
+was born in a stable, and cradled in a manger; how he had "not where
+to lay his head;" when we read of the lowliness, and poverty, and
+suffering that marked his course, day by day, we come naturally to
+think of him as "the man of sorrows and acquainted with grief." And
+though, 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, and
+controlled the stormy winds and waves with his simple word, he seems
+wonderful in his power and majesty; yet there is nothing, in all his
+earthly life, that leads us to think so highly of him, as this scene
+of the Transfiguration, of which we are now to speak.
+
+The account of this event is given us by three of the evangelists. We
+find 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 how
+he was to go up to Jerusalem, to suffer many things, to be put to
+death, 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 became
+his disciples would be required to exercise. This was very different
+from what they were expecting and must have been very discouraging to
+them. They did not yet understand that their Master had come into the
+world to suffer and to die. Instead of this, their minds were filled
+with the idea that the object of his coming was to establish an
+earthly kingdom and to reign in glory. And, for themselves, they were
+expecting that they would share his glory and reign as princes with
+him. And so they must have been greatly troubled by his words. To
+encourage and comfort them, therefore, he told them that, before they
+died, 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, the
+favored John and James and Peter, and went up with them "into a
+mountain, apart by themselves, and was transfigured before them." We
+are not told what mountain it was that was thus honored. Mount Tabor,
+near Nazareth, on the borders of the Plain of Esdraelon, has long
+been regarded as the favored spot. But, in our day, many persons
+think that it was not on the top of Tabor, but on one of the summits
+of Mount Hermon, where this wonderful event took place. One of the
+principal objections to supposing that Tabor was the place is, that
+in those days there was a large fortress on the top of this mountain,
+and this, they think, would interfere with the privacy that would be
+desired on such an occasion. But, for myself, I still incline to
+think that Tabor was the mountain chosen. I went to the top of this
+mountain, when in Palestine. And though there is a large convent
+there now, yet the summit of Tabor covers a wide space of ground. And
+outside of the walls of the convent, and even out of sight of its
+walls, I saw a number of retired, shady places that would be
+particularly suitable for such a scene as this.
+
+But, it is impossible to decide positively which was the Mount of
+Transfiguration. And it is not a matter of much consequence. Those
+who think it was Hermon are at liberty to think so; and those who
+think it was Tabor, have a right to their opinion, for none can prove
+that they are mistaken in thinking so.
+
+And when we come to consider this great event in the life of our
+Saviour, there are _two_ things to speak of in connection with it;
+these are the _wonders_ we see in it; and the _lessons_ we may learn
+from it. Or, to express it more briefly--The Transfiguration--its
+wonders, and its lessons.
+
+There are three wonders to be spoken of, and three lessons to be
+learned from this subject.
+
+_The first wonder is_--THE WONDERFUL CHANGE--that took place in the
+appearance of our Lord on this occasion.
+
+Jesus went up the mountain with his disciples. It was probably at the
+close of one of his busy days that he did this. It would seem from
+St. Luke's account,--chap. ix: 32--that Peter and his companions were
+weary with the day's work, and soon fell asleep. But, while they were
+sleeping, Jesus was praying. And it was while he was engaged in
+prayer that the Transfiguration took place. St. Luke tells us it
+was--"_as he prayed_."
+
+Let us notice now, what the different evangelists tell us about this
+change. St. Matthew says--"He was transfigured before them: and his
+face 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 no
+fuller"--one who cleans, or whitens cloth--"on earth can white them."
+St. Luke says--"As he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was
+altered, and his raiment was white and glistening."
+
+These are the different accounts we have of this surprising scene. If
+the disciples had been awake when this marvellous change began to
+take place, we cannot for a moment suppose that they would have gone
+to sleep while the heavens must have seemed to be opening above them
+and this blaze of glory was shining around them. They were, no doubt,
+asleep when the transfiguration began. And, as we know that the
+taking of an ordinary light into the room where persons are asleep
+will often awaken them, it is not surprising that the disciples
+should have been aroused from their slumber by the flood of light and
+glory that was beaming round their Master then. How surprised they
+must have been when they opened their eyes on that scene! They would
+never forget it as long as they lived. It was more than half a
+century after this when St. John wrote his gospel; and it was, no
+doubt, to this scene that he referred when he said, in speaking of
+Jesus;--"_we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of
+the Father_" St. John i: 14. And, not long before his death, St.
+Peter thus refers to it:--"We were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For
+he received from God the Father, honor and glory, when there came
+such a voice from the excellent glory, saying, This is my beloved Son
+in whom I am well pleased." II. Pet. i: 16, 17.
+
+One object for which this wonderful transfiguration of our Lord took
+place was, no doubt, to give to the disciples then, and to the
+followers of Jesus in all coming time, an idea of what his glory now
+is in heaven, and of what it will be when he shall come again in his
+kingdom. He had told his disciples about his sufferings and death,
+and the shame and dishonor connected with them; and here, as if to
+counterbalance that, he wished to give them a glimpse of the glory
+that is to shine around him forever.
+
+How wonderful it must have seemed to the astonished disciples! When
+they had last looked on their Master, before going to sleep, they had
+seen him as "the man of sorrows," in his plain everyday dress, such
+as they themselves wore: but, when they looked on him again, as they
+awoke from their sleep, they saw his face shining as the sun, and his
+raiment dazzling in its snowy whiteness.
+
+To what may we compare this wonderful change? Suppose you have before
+you the bulbous root of the lily plant. You look at it carefully, but
+there is nothing attractive about it. How rough and unsightly it
+appears! You close your eyes upon it for a brief space. You open them
+again. But what a change has taken place! That plain-homely looking
+bulb has disappeared, and in its place there stands before you the
+lily plant. It has reached its mature growth. Its flower is fully
+developed and blooming in all its matchless beauty! What a marvellous
+change that would be! And yet it would be but a feeble illustration
+of the more wonderful change that took place in our Saviour at his
+transfiguration.
+
+Here is another illustration. Suppose we are looking at the western
+sky, towards the close of day. Great masses of dark clouds are
+covering all that part of the heavens. They are but common clouds.
+There is nothing attractive or interesting about them. We do not care
+to 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 has
+thrown his glorious beams upon them. How changed they now appear! All
+that was commonplace and unattractive about them is gone. How they
+glow and sparkle! Gold, and purple, and all the colors of the rainbow
+are blending, how beautifully there! Are these the same dull clouds
+that we looked upon a few moments before? Yes; but they have been
+transfigured. A wonderful change has come over them. And here we have
+an illustration of our Lord's transfiguration. The first wonder about
+this incident in his life is the wonderful change which took place in
+his appearance then.
+
+_The second wonder about the transfiguration is_--THE WONDERFUL
+COMPANY--_that appeared with our Saviour then_.
+
+At the close of his temptation in the wilderness, Jesus had some
+wonderful 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 had
+more company of the same kind; for we read that--"_there appeared
+unto 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 time
+of his Transfiguration. No: but we read that, "there appeared unto
+him Moses, and Elias," or Elijah. And if we ask why did not the
+angels come to him now, as they did on other occasions? Why did these
+distinguished persons, of the Old Testament history, come from heaven
+to visit him in place of the angels? It is easy enough to answer
+these questions. This transfiguration of Christ took place, as he
+himself tells us, in order to give his disciples a view of the glory
+that will attend him when he shall come in his kingdom. When he shall
+appear, on that occasion, all his people will come with him. Those
+who shall have died before he comes will be raised from the dead and
+come with him, in their glorious resurrection bodies. And those who
+shall be living when he comes will, as St. Paul tells us,--"_be
+changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye_"--I. Cor. xv: 52,
+53--and have beautiful, glorified bodies, like the bodies of those
+who have been raised from the dead. And both these classes of
+Christ's people were represented by the distinguished persons who
+formed the company that appeared with Jesus at the Transfiguration.
+Moses had been in heaven nearly fifteen hundred years when this scene
+took place. He had died, as other men do, and had been buried. It is
+supposed by many wise and good men that his body had been raised from
+the dead, that he might appear in it on this occasion. And thus Moses
+represented all the dead in Christ, who will be raised to life again
+at 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. Paul
+tells us that bodies of flesh and blood, like ours, cannot enter
+heaven. I. Cor. xv: 50. They must be changed, and made fit for that
+blessed place. And so, we know, that as Elijah went up to heaven, in
+his chariot of fire, the same wonderful change must have passed over
+his body which we have seen will take place with those of Christ's
+people who shall be living on the earth when he comes again.
+
+Jesus was transfigured that we might know how he himself will appear
+when he comes in his kingdom. And Moses and Elias "appeared with him
+in glory," to show us how the people of Christ will appear when they
+enter with him into his kingdom. And this was a good reason why these
+very persons, and not the angels, should have formed the company that
+came to visit our Saviour on the Mount of Transfiguration. It was
+wonderful company indeed that waited on Jesus then. But, it was a
+wonderful occasion. None like it had ever occurred before; none like
+it has ever occurred since; and none like it will ever occur again
+till Jesus shall come in the glory of his heavenly kingdom. The
+second wonder of the Transfiguration was the wonderful company.
+
+_The third wonder connected with this great event was_--THE WONDERFUL
+CONVERSATION--_that took place between Jesus and his visitors_.
+
+All the three evangelists, who tell of the Transfiguration, speak of
+this conversation. St. Matthew and St. Mark merely state the fact
+that Moses and Elias "were talking with Jesus;" but they do not tell
+us the subject of the conversation, or what it was about which they
+talked. But St. Luke supplies what they leave out. He says, "_they
+spake of his decease, which he should accomplish at Jerusalem_" This
+means that they talked about the death upon the cross which he was to
+suffer. And when we remember that these great and good men had just
+come down from heaven, where God, the loving Father of Jesus dwells,
+and where all the holy angels are; and that this was the only time
+when they were to be present with Jesus, and have an opportunity of
+talking with him, during all his life on earth, we may wonder why
+they did not choose some more pleasant subject of conversation. And
+yet they did not make a mistake. God the Father had sent them from
+heaven to meet his beloved Son on this occasion. And, no doubt, he
+had told them what subject they were to talk about, and what they
+were to say to Jesus, on that subject. And then they knew very well
+how Jesus felt about this matter. And painful as the death upon the
+cross would be, they knew it was the nearest of all things to the
+heart of Jesus. It was the will of his Father that he should die on
+the cross, and it was the delight of his heart--the very joy of his
+soul to do his Father's will. And here we learn the unspeakable
+importance of the death of Christ. The apostle Paul was showing his
+sense of its importance when he said, "God forbid that I should
+glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus." Gal. vi: 14. He puts the
+word "_cross_" of Christ, for the death of Christ, but it means the
+same thing.
+
+Some one has compared the cross of Christ to a key of gold, that
+opens the gate of heaven to us, if we believe in Jesus; but if we
+refuse 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 the
+cross and desired to know its power. When he was sick and near his
+end, he told his servants to make him a large wooden cross, and lay
+it down in his chamber. When this was done, he said--"Take me now and
+lay me on the cross, and let me die there." As he lay there dying he
+looked 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 thus
+he died. It was not that wooden cross that saved him; but the death
+of Christ, on the cross to which he was nailed--the death of which
+Moses and Elias talked with him, that saved this heathen man. They
+knew what a blessing his death would be to the world, and _this_ was
+why they talked about this death. Here is one of Bonar's beautiful
+hymns which speaks sweetly of the blessedness and comfort to be found
+in 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 flow
+out 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 to
+Jesus, amidst the glory of his Transfiguration, the subject, above
+all others, about which they desired to talk with him--was his death
+upon the cross,--"his decease, which he should accomplish at
+Jerusalem."
+
+These are the three great wonders of the Transfiguration--the
+wonderful change--the wonderful company--and the wonderful
+conversation.
+
+And this brings us to the second part of our subject, which is--_the
+three 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 us
+what we may hope to be hereafter, if we are the servants of Christ.
+We are told how Jesus appeared on this occasion. His glory is
+described. The brightness and glory that shone around him exceeded
+that of the noonday sun. But there is no particular description given
+Moses and Elias. We are not told how they looked. It is only said of
+them that--"they appeared in _glory_." St Luke ix: 31. I suppose the
+meaning of this is that they shared in the glory which Jesus himself
+had when he was transfigured. Their raiment was as white as his; and
+the same brightness and beauty beamed forth from their faces which
+made his so glorious. They shared their Master's glory. And, if we
+are loving, and serving Jesus, this is what we may hope to share
+with him hereafter. This is what we are taught to pray for in the
+beautiful Collect for the sixth Sunday after the Epiphany. These are
+the words of that prayer: "O God, whose blessed Son was manifested
+that he might make us the sons of God, and heirs of eternal life;
+Grant us, we beseech thee, that having this hope, we may purify
+ourselves, even as he is pure; that when he shall appear again, with
+power and great glory, _we may be made like unto him in his eternal
+and glorious kingdom;_ where, with thee, O Father, and thee, O Holy
+Ghost, he liveth and reigneth, ever One God, world without end.
+Amen."
+
+And it is right to offer such a prayer as this, because the Bible
+teaches us to hope for this great glory. How well a hope like this
+may be called "_a hope that maketh not ashamed_," Rom. v: 5; "_a good
+hope through grace_," II. Thess. ii: 16; "that _blessed hope_," Tit.
+ii: 13; "_a lively hope_," I. Peter i: 3. And how well it may be
+spoken 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 the
+storms of life are bursting upon it! Moses and Elias appeared with
+Jesus at his Transfiguration, and shared his glory on purpose to
+teach us this lesson of hope, and to show us what we shall be
+hereafter. We shall be as glorious as Jesus was on the Mount of
+Transfiguration! This seems something too great and too good to be
+true. But no matter how great, or how good it is--_it is true_. Jesus
+taught this lesson of hope when he said--speaking of the time when he
+shall come in his kingdom, "_Then shall the righteous shine forth as
+the sun in the kingdom of their Father_," St. Matt, xiii: 43. He
+taught 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, I
+have given them_," St. John xvii: 21. And the apostle John taught us
+the same lesson, when he said,--"We know that when he shall appear
+_we shall be like him_," I. John iii: 2. These sweet passages make
+this lesson of hope very sure. And this is just the way in which we
+are made sure about other things we have not seen.
+
+"How we Know There is a Heaven." A Sunday-school teacher was talking
+to one of her scholars about heaven and the glory we shall have when
+we reach that blessed place. He was a bright boy, about nine or ten
+years old, named Charlie. After listening to her for awhile, he said:
+"But you have never been there, Miss D., and how do you know there
+really is any such place?"
+
+"Charlie," said the teacher, "you have never been to London; how do
+you know there is such a city?"
+
+"O, I know that very well," said Charlie, "because my father is
+there; 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 he
+has sent me a letter, telling me about the glory of heaven, and about
+the way to get there. The Bible is God's letter."
+
+"Yes, I see," said Charlie, after thinking awhile, "there must be a
+heaven, if you have got such a nice long letter from there."
+
+The lesson of hope is the first lesson taught us by the
+Transfiguration.
+
+_The next lesson taught us here is_--THE LESSON
+
+OF INSTRUCTION.
+
+The great event of the Transfiguration took place in our Saviour's
+life for _this_ reason, among others, that we might learn from it
+_how we are to think of Christ_. While the disciples were gazing on
+the glory of that scene, and on the distinguished visitors who were
+there, there came a cloud and overshadowed them. This cloud, we may
+suppose, was like a curtain round Moses and Elias, hiding them from
+the view of the disciples. And, as Jesus in his glory was left alone
+for them to gaze upon, there came a voice from the overshadowing
+cloud, saying--"_This is my beloved Son; in whom I am well
+pleased_." This was the voice of God, the Father. It spoke out on
+this occasion to teach the disciples then, and you and me now, and
+all God's people in every age, what to think about Christ. God, the
+Father, tells us here what he thinks about him; and we must learn to
+think of him in the same way. His will, his command is that "_all men
+should 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 this
+occasion to add to the honor of Christ. And then they disappeared, as
+if to show that they were nothing in comparison with him. He is the
+greatest and the best of all beings. He must be first. Prophets and
+priests, and kings, and angels even, are as nothing to him. We must
+love him--and honor him above all others. The words of the hymn we so
+often 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 Emperor
+Theodosius the Great which illustrates very well how we should honor
+Christ. There were at that time two great parties in the church. One
+of these believed and taught the divinity of Christ--or that he is
+equal to God the Father. The other party, called Arians, believed and
+taught that Christ was not divine; and that he was not to be honored
+and worshiped as God. The Emperor Theodosius favored this latter
+party. When his son, Arcadius, was about sixteen years old, his
+father determined to make him a sharer of his throne, and passed a
+law that his son should receive the same respect and honor that were
+due to himself. And, in connection with this event, an incident
+occurred which led the emperor to see how wrong the view was which he
+held respecting the character of Christ, and to give it up. When
+Arcadius was proclaimed the partner of his father in the empire, the
+officers of the government, and other prominent persons, called on
+the emperor in his palace, to congratulate him on the occasion, and
+to pay their respects to his son.
+
+Among those who thus came, was a celebrated bishop of the church. He
+was very decided in the views he held about the real divinity of
+Christ, and very much opposed to all who denied this divinity.
+
+Coming into the presence of the emperor, the bishop paid his respects
+to him, in the most polite and proper manner. Then he was about to
+retire from the palace, without taking any special notice of the
+emperor's son. This made the father angry. He said to the bishop, "Do
+you take no notice of my son? Have you not heard that I have made him
+a partner with myself in the government of the empire?"
+
+The good old bishop made no reply to this, but going to Arcadius, he
+laid his hand on his head, saying, as he did so--"The Lord bless
+thee, my son!" and was again turning to retire.
+
+Even this did not satisfy the emperor, who asked, in a tone of
+surprise and displeasure, "Is _this_ all the respect you pay to a
+prince whom I have made equal in dignity with myself?"
+
+With great warmth the bishop answered--"Does your majesty resent so
+highly my apparent neglect of your son, because I do not treat him
+with equal honor to yourself? What, then, must the _Eternal God_--the
+King of heaven--think of you, who refuse to render to his only
+begotten Son, the honor and the worship that he claims for him?"
+
+This had such an effect upon the emperor that he changed his views on
+this subject, and ever afterwards took part with those who
+acknowledged the divinity of Christ, and honored the Son, even as
+they honored the Father.
+
+And so we see that the second lesson taught by the Transfiguration
+was the _lesson of instruction_. We must learn to think of Christ as
+the Father in heaven thinks of him.
+
+_And then there is_--A LESSON OF DUTY--_that comes to us from this
+Transfiguration scene_.
+
+We are taught this lesson by the last two words that were spoken, by
+the voice which the apostles heard from the cloud that overshadowed
+them. These are the words:--"_Hear Him."_ "This is my beloved Son, in
+whom I am well pleased: _Hear Him_." This is God's command to every
+one of us. To hear Jesus, means to listen attentively to what he has
+to say, and to do it. And what does Jesus say to us? He says many
+things. But the most important thing he has to say to the young, is
+what we find in St. Matt, vi: 33: "_Seek ye_ FIRST _the kingdom of
+God_." This means that we must give our hearts to Jesus, and serve
+him while we are young. We must do this _first_,--before we do
+anything else. We cannot hear or obey Jesus in anything, till we hear
+and obey him in this. And there are three good reasons why we should
+do this.
+
+We should "hear him" because there is _safety_ in it. We are exposed
+to dangers every day, and nothing will so help to keep us safe in the
+midst of these dangers as hearing Jesus, and doing what he tells us
+to 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 were
+greatly frightened. They screamed, and left their places, and began
+to rush to the windows and stairs. The stairway leading to the door
+was soon choked up; and although the fire never reached the
+school-house, many of the children had their limbs broken and were
+bruised and wounded in other ways.
+
+But there was one little girl who remained quietly in her seat
+during all this excitement. When the alarm was over, and the wounded
+children had been taken home, and order was restored in the school,
+the teacher asked this little girl why she sat still in her seat, and
+did not rush towards the door, as the other girls had done.
+
+"My father is a fireman," she said, "and he has always told me that
+if ever there was a cry of fire when I was in school, I must remain
+quiet in my seat, for that was the safest way. I was dreadfully
+frightened; but I knew that what father had told me was best; and so
+I sat still, while the others were running to the door." This little
+girl _heard_ her father. She minded him. She did what he told her to
+do, and she found safety in doing so. And if we "_hear him_" of whom
+the voice from the Mount of Transfiguration speaks to us--we shall
+find safety from many a danger.
+
+We ought to learn this lesson of duty, and "hear him," because there
+is _success_ in it.
+
+In old times, when the racers were running in the public games, if a
+man wished to be successful in the race, it was necessary for him to
+fix his eye on the prize, at the end of the race-course, and keep it
+fixed there till he reached the end. No one could have any success in
+racing who did not do this.
+
+Here is an incident about some boys at play that illustrates the
+point 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 of
+the new fallen snow. It was too dry for snowballing, and was not deep
+enough for coasting; so they thought they would improve the occasion
+by playing at making tracks in the snow.
+
+There was a large meadow near by, with a grand old oak tree standing
+in the centre of it. The boys gathered round the tree, and stood, on
+opposite sides, each one with his back against the tree. At a given
+signal they were to start, and walk to the fence opposite to each of
+them; and then return to the tree, and see which had made the
+straightest track.
+
+The signal was given. They started. They reached the fence, and
+returned to the tree. "Now, boys, who has made the straightest
+track?" said one of the boys, named James Allison.
+
+"Henry Armstrong's is the only one that is straight at all," said
+Thomas Sanders.
+
+"I don't see how we all contrived to go so crooked, when the meadow
+is so smooth, and there is nothing to turn us out of the way," said
+one 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 tree
+on the other side of the fence towards which I was to walk, and never
+looked away from it till I reached the fence."
+
+The other boys were walking without any particular aim in view. No
+wonder that their walk was crooked. After the apostle Paul became a
+Christian, he made one of the straightest tracks through this world
+to heaven that ever was made. And he made it in just the same way in
+which Harry Armstrong made his straight track through that meadow. We
+have seen what Harry said of his track through the snow; now see what
+St. Paul says of the way in which he made his straight track through
+this world to heaven. _This_ is what he says:
+
+"One thing I do; forgetting those things which are behind, and
+reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the
+mark, 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 the
+ancient games, when he fixed his eye on the prize and pressed right
+forward till he reached it. And it was just what Harry Armstrong did
+in his play. He fixed his eye on the big pine tree and never turned
+to the right hand or to the left till he reached it. The apostle Paul
+fixed his eye on Jesus, and made a straight track through the world
+till he reached the glorious heaven where Jesus dwells. And, in doing
+this, the great apostle was only practising the lesson of duty taught
+by the voice that speaks from the Transfiguration scene. "_Hear
+him_," 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 as
+safety and success.
+
+David says, when speaking of God's commands, "In keeping of them
+there is _great reward,"_ Ps. xix: 11. This is true of all God's
+commands; and it is especially true of the command we are now
+considering--"Hear him."
+
+Samuel obeyed this command, and it made him a blessing and an honor
+to the nation of Israel. David obeyed it, and it made him one of the
+greatest and most successful kings. Daniel obeyed it, and it covered
+him with honor, and made him a blessing to his own nation, and to the
+church of Christ in every age.
+
+"The Reward of Obedience." Here is an Eastern story which illustrates
+this point of our subject. The story says there was once an enchanted
+hill. On the top of this hill a great treasure was hidden. This
+treasure was put there to be the reward of any one who should reach
+the top of the hill without looking behind him. The command and the
+promise given to every young person who set out to climb that hill,
+were--do not look behind you, and that treasure shall be yours. But
+there was a threat added to the command and promise. The threat was,
+if you look behind, you will be turned into a stone. Many young
+persons started, to try and gain the prize. But the way to the top of
+the hill led them through beautiful groves, which covered the side of
+the hill. In these groves were birds singing sweetly, and sounds of
+music were heard, and melodious voices inviting those who passed by
+to stop and rest awhile. One after another of those who set out for
+the prize at the top of the hill would stop, and look round to see
+where the voices came from; and immediately they were turned into
+stones. "Hence," says the story, "in a little while the hillside was
+covered with stones, into which those had been turned who neglected
+the command given them when they started."
+
+Of course there never was such a hill as this. But the story gives us
+a good illustration. Our life may well be compared to such a hill.
+The treasure, on the top of it, represents the reward that awaits us
+in heaven, if we serve God faithfully. The songs, and the voices,
+from the groves, on the hillside, represent the temptations that
+surround us in our daily paths. The lesson of duty that comes to us
+from the Transfiguration scene--"Hear him"--is the only thing that
+can preserve us from these temptations. If we hear Jesus when he says
+to us--"follow me;" if we give him our hearts and walk in his way, he
+will carry us through all temptations; he will bring us safely to the
+top of the hill; and the reward laid up there will be ours. Let us
+learn this lesson of duty, because there is safety in it; there is
+success in it; there is profit in it.
+
+And so we have spoken of two things in connection with the
+Transfiguration; these are the wonders that attended it, and the
+lessons taught by it. The wonders are three--the wonderful
+change--the wonderful company--and the wonderful conversation; and
+the lessons are three--the lesson of hope--the lesson of
+instruction--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 The
+Last Supper. Between these two events in our Saviour's life, how many
+interesting incidents took place! How many important sayings that
+fell from his gracious lips during this period are written for our
+instruction by the four evangelists! There is, for instance, the
+beautiful lesson about what it is on which the value of our gifts
+depend. He taught this lesson when he saw the rich casting their
+gifts into the treasury. Among them came "a certain poor widow,
+casting in two mites. And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that
+this poor widow hath cast in more than they all;--for she of her
+penury hath cast in all the living she had," Luke xxi: 1-4. But, from
+among all these, we have only room for one chapter. A dozen, or
+twenty chapters would be needed on this part of the life of Christ.
+Where there are so many that might be taken, it has been very
+difficult to decide which is the best. In deciding this matter, I do
+not think we could do better than join the company of the three
+favored disciples, Peter, John, and James, and go, in thought with
+them, as they followed their Master from his last visit to the temple
+in Jerusalem, up to the top of the Mount of Olives. There Jesus took
+his seat, and his disciples sat around him, anxious to ask him some
+questions about what he had said to them in the temple. We read in
+St. Mark xiii: 1-2, that as he was going out of the temple the
+disciples called his attention to the beauty of that sacred building
+and the great size and splendor of some of the stones that were in
+it. Then Jesus pointed to that great building, and told them that the
+time was coming when it would be destroyed, and "there should not be
+left one stone upon another that should not be thrown down." This
+filled the minds of the disciples with surprise and wonder. They
+supposed that their temple would last as long as the world stood.
+They thought that it was the end of the world of which Jesus was
+speaking; and they were very anxious that he should tell them
+something more about it. And so, as soon as they were seated around
+him, on the Mount of Olives, they said, "Tell us, when shall these
+things be? and what shall be the sign, when all these things shall be
+fulfilled?" St. Mark xii: 4.
+
+And now, we may imagine ourselves sitting with Jesus and his
+disciples on the Mount of Olives. As we look down we see the city of
+Jerusalem spread out beneath our feet. We see its walls, and its
+palaces. And there, just before us, outshining everything in its
+beauty, is that sacred temple, that was "forty and six years in
+building." Its white marble walls, its golden spires, and pinnacles,
+are sparkling in the beams of the sun, as they shine upon them. No
+wonder 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 the
+twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth chapters of St. Matthew. In the first
+of these chapters, Jesus gave them a sign, by which those who learn
+to understand what he here says, might know when his second coming is
+to take place. These are some of the lessons from Olivet. I should
+like, very much, to stop and talk about them. But this cannot be
+now. We pass over to the twenty-fifth chapter of St. Matthew. In this
+chapter we have three of our Saviour's parables. These are very
+solemn and instructive. They all refer to the judgment that must take
+place when Jesus shall come into our world again. The second of these
+parables is the one we are now to consider. It is called--"The
+Parable of the Talents." We find it in St. Matt, xxv: 14-30. And _the
+lessons from Olivet_, which we are now to try and learn, are all
+drawn from the words of our Saviour, contained in the verses just
+mentioned.
+
+This, then, is our present subject--_The Lessons from Olivet_. And
+there _four_ lessons, in this part of our Saviour's discourse, of
+which we are now to speak. _The first is--the lesson about the
+Master. The second--the lesson about the servants. The third is--the
+lesson about the talents; and the fourth, the lesson about the
+rewards_.
+
+_The lesson about_--THE MASTER--_is the first thing of which we are
+to speak_.
+
+In the 14th verse of this 25th chapter of St. Matthew, Jesus speaks
+of himself as--"a man travelling into a far country,"--and of his
+people as--"his own servants." In the 19th verse he speaks of himself
+as "the lord of those servants, coming back, after a long time, to
+reckon 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 a
+kingdom, and to return." This language was borrowed from a custom
+that prevailed in those days. The headquarters of the government of
+the world then was in the city of Rome. The kings and rulers of
+different countries received their appointments to the offices they
+held from the Roman Emperor. Archelaus, the son of Herod, succeeded
+his father as king of Judea. But, it was necessary for him to go to
+Rome and get permission from the emperor to hold and exercise that
+office. He had done this, not very long before our Saviour applied to
+himself the words we are now considering. This was a fact well known.
+And this is the illustration which Jesus here uses in reference to
+himself. He is the Head--the Prince--the Lord--the Master of all
+things 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 to
+heaven, as Archelaus went to Rome, "to receive for himself a kingdom
+and to return." He said he would be absent "a long time," verse 19.
+And this is true. He has been absent more than eighteen hundred
+years. He said he would "return," or come again. And so he will. It
+is just as certain that he will come again as it is that he went
+away. And he will come, not in figure, or in spirit, but in person,
+as he went. Remember what the angels said about this to his
+disciples, at the time of his departure. "Ye men of Galilee, why
+stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken from
+you into heaven, shall _so come, in like manner_ as ye have seen him
+go 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 our
+Lord and Master. No master ever had such a right to be Lord and Ruler
+as he has. God the Father has appointed him to be "Head over all
+things 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 our
+Master because he _preserves_ us. We cannot keep ourselves for a
+single 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 with
+the price of his own precious blood. He made our hands to work for
+him; and our feet to walk in his ways. He made our hearts to love
+him;--our minds to think about him; our eyes to see the beauty of his
+wondrous works, our ears to listen to his gracious words, and our
+lips and tongues to be employed in speaking and singing his praises.
+
+We cannot be our own masters. "I am my own master!"--said a young
+man, proudly, to a friend who was trying to persuade him from doing a
+wrong thing; "I am my own master!"
+
+"That's impossible," said his friend. "You can not be master of
+yourself, unless you are master of everything within, and everything
+around you. Look within. There is your conscience to keep clear, and
+your heart to make pure, your temper to govern, your will to control,
+and your judgment to instruct. And then look without. There are
+storms, and seasons; accidents, and dangers; a world full of evil men
+and evil spirits. What can you do with these? And yet, if you don't
+master 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 sure
+I should fail, if I did. Saul, the first king of Israel, wanted to be
+his own master, and failed. So did Herod. So did Judas. No man can be
+his own master. 'One is your Master, even Christ,' says the apostle.
+I work under his direction. He is my regulator, and when he is Master
+all goes right. Think of these words,--'_He is your Master even
+Christ_.' If we put ourselves under his leadership we shall surely
+win at last."
+
+And as we cannot be our own master, if we refuse to take Christ as
+our Ruler, there is nothing left for us but to have Satan as our
+master. These are the only two masters we can have. We must make our
+choice between them. If Jesus is not our Master, Satan must be. If
+Jesus is our Master here, he will share his glory with us hereafter.
+If we serve Satan here, we must share his punishment hereafter. This
+is one of the solemn lessons that Jesus taught on Olivet. He is
+speaking of the day of judgment. He represents himself as on the
+judgment-seat. Two great companies are before him. On his right hand
+are those who took him for their Master. To them he says--"Come, ye
+blessed 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 awful
+words he speaks to them are:--"Depart from, ye cursed, into
+everlasting 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 of
+means Jesus, our blessed Master. And now the question is--who are
+meant by "his own servants?" He has three kinds of servants. The
+first kind is made up of those who serve him _ignorantly_. This takes
+in all those things that have no knowledge or understanding. There,
+for instance are the sun,--the moon,--the stars,--the mountains,--the
+hills,--the plains,--the valleys,--the rivers,--the seas,--the wind
+that blows,--the rains that descend,--and the dews that distil; these
+all serve God, without knowing it. He made them to serve him, and
+they do it; but they do it ignorantly. "His kingdom _ruleth over
+all_," and it makes all these things his servants. They do exactly
+what 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 wicked
+men, and the wicked spirits who are to be found anywhere. They do not
+wish to serve God, and yet, in spite of themselves, they are obliged
+to do it. We see this illustrated, when we think of the way in which
+the crucifixion of our blessed Saviour was brought about. Satan
+stirred up the Jews to take Jesus and put him to death. God allowed
+them to do it. They did it of their own choice--as freely, and as
+voluntarily, as they ever did anything in their lives. They did it
+because they hated him, and wished to get him out of their way. So
+they nailed him to the cross in their malice and their rage. This was
+the very thing God had determined should be done, that he might save
+and bless the world. He allowed Satan, and the Jews, to do just what
+their wicked hearts prompted them to do; and then he overruled it for
+good. And, in this way, as David says, he "makes the wrath of man to
+praise him, and the remainder of it he restrains." And thus we see
+how 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 speaks
+of them, in this parable as "_his own_ servants." When they find out
+what he has done for them, the thought of it fills their hearts with
+love; and then they desire to serve him, and do all he tells them to
+do, in order to show their love to him. And this is what Jesus means
+when he says--"Take my yoke upon you; for my yoke is easy, and my
+burden is light," When we really love a person, anything that we can
+do for that person is easy and pleasant to us. And so it is the great
+love for Jesus, that his people have, which makes his yoke easy, and
+his burden light to them.
+
+"How to Become a Willing Servant to Jesus." A little boy came to his
+grandmother one day, and asked her how he could become a Christian.
+She answered very simply, "Ask Jesus to give you a new heart, _and
+believe he does it when you ask him_."
+
+"Is that all?" said the little fellow joyfully; "oh! that is easy
+enough." So he went to his room, and kneeling beside his bed, asked
+Jesus to give him a new heart. He believed that the dear Saviour,
+who loves little children, did hear and answer his prayer. And he
+left his room with a happy heart, for he felt sure that he was now
+one of Christ's own loving children, and willing servants. And this
+is the way in which we must take the yoke of Jesus upon us, and
+become his willing servants. And then in everything that we do we can
+be serving him. As St. Paul says--"whether we eat or drink, or
+whatsoever we do, we can do all to the glory of God."
+
+A good man once said "that if God should send two angels down from
+heaven, and should tell one of them to sit on a throne and rule a
+kingdom, and the other to sweep the streets of a city, the latter
+would feel that he was serving God as acceptably in handling his
+broom as his brother angel was in holding his sceptre. And this is
+true. 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 finest
+wheat." "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 useful
+when I turn out the finest flour than when I turn out the coarsest
+meal. My honor is, not in doing fine work, but in doing any thing
+that is given me to do in the best way that I can." That is true. And
+this is just the way in which Jesus wishes us to serve him when he
+says to "_his own_ servants," "Occupy till I come." This means serve
+me, in everything, as you would do if you saw me standing by your
+side.
+
+"How to Serve God." Willie's mother let him go with his little sister
+into the street to play. She told them not to go off the street on
+which their house stood. Willie was a little fellow, and lisped very
+much in talking; but he was brave, and he was obedient. Presently his
+sister asked him to go into another street; but he refused. "Mamma
+thaid no," was Willie's answer. "The thaid we muthn't do off thith
+threet," said Willie in his lisping way. "Only just a little way
+round 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 thuch
+a mean thing; and I won't!" And Willie straightened himself, and
+stood up like a man. That was brave and beautiful in Willie. And that
+is 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 his
+baby brother in a child's carriage. "My little man," said the
+gentleman, "what are you doing to serve God?" The little fellow
+stopped a moment, and then, looking up into the gentleman's face, he
+said:--"Why, you see, Sir, I'm trying to make baby happy, so that he
+won't worry mamma who is sick." That was a noble answer. In trying to
+amuse his baby brother, and to relieve his poor sick mother, that
+little boy was serving God as truly and as acceptably as the angel
+Gabriel does when he wings his way, on a mission of mercy, to some
+far off world.
+
+And this is the lesson about the servants that comes to us from
+Olivet.
+
+_The lesson about_--THE TALENTS--_is the third lesson that comes to
+us from Olivet_.
+
+This parable tells us that before the Master went away, he "called
+his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. Unto one he gave
+five talents, to another two, to another one; to every man according
+to his several ability." verses 14, 15, In St. Luke's account of the
+parable, what the master gave to his servants is spoken of as
+_pounds_, and each servant is said to have received one pound. These
+talents or pounds both mean the same thing. They denote something
+with which we can do good, and make ourselves useful. And it is
+plain, from both these parables, that the Master gave at least _one_
+talent, or one pound, to each of his servants. None of them were left
+without some portion of their Master's goods. And the lesson from
+Olivet 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 expects
+us to use for him. And the most important thing for us is to find out
+what our talents are, and how we can best use them, so as to be ready
+to give a good account of them when our Master comes to reckon with
+us.
+
+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 over
+them. He was laid away, in one of the beds of a hospital, to die. On
+the next cot to him was another little fellow, of the same class, who
+had been picked up, sick with the fever which comes from hunger and
+want. The latter boy crept close up to his poor suffering companion
+and 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 that
+Jesus would take us up to heaven when we die, if we axed him; and
+we'd never have any more hunger or pain."
+
+"But I couldn't ax such a great gentleman as he is to do anything for
+me. 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 could
+I 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 might
+come round to this hospital this very night? You'd know him if you
+was to see him."
+
+"But I can't keep my eyes open. My legs feels awful bad. Doctor says
+I'll die."
+
+"Bobby, hold up yer hand, and he'll know what you want, when he
+passes by." They got the hand up; but it dropped. They tried it
+again, and it slowly fell back. Three times they got up the little
+hand, only to let it fall. Bursting into tears he said, "I give it
+up."
+
+"Bobby," said his tender-hearted companion, "lend me yer hand. Put
+your elbow on my piller: I can do without it." So the hand was
+propped up. And when they came in the morning, the boy lay dead; but
+his hand was still held up for Jesus. And don't you think that he
+heard and answered the silent but eloquent appeal which it made to
+him 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 a
+single talent; but, he made good use of it when he employed it to
+lead that wounded, suffering, dying boy to Jesus.
+
+"Good Friends." "I wish I had some good friends, to help me on in
+life!" cried lazy Dennis, with a yawn.
+
+"Good friends," said his master, "why you've got ten; how many do you
+want?"
+
+"I'm sure I've not half so many; and those I have are too poor to
+help 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 in
+life. Try what those true friends can do, before you go grumbling and
+fretting because you have none to help you."
+
+Now, suppose that we put the word talents, for the word friends, in
+this little story. Then, we may each of us hold our two hands before
+us, and say "here are ten talents, which God has given me to use for
+him. 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 do
+something that made me glad for a week. Indeed it fills my heart with
+tenderness and good feeling whenever I think about it. But let me
+tell you what it was.
+
+"As I was walking along a crowded street I saw an old blind man
+walking on without any one to lead him. He went very slowly, feeling
+his way with his cane.
+
+"'He's walking straight to the highest part of the curb-stone,' said
+I to myself. 'And it's very high too. I wonder if some one won't help
+him 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's
+arm, said:--'Allow me, my friend, to lead you across the street.' By
+this time there were three or four others watching the boy. He not
+only helped the old man over one crossing, but led him over another
+to 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 old
+man. But just see how much farther than that the use of his one
+talent went. The three boys with whom he was playing, and who had
+watched his kind act, were happier and better for it, and felt that
+they must be more careful to do little kindnesses to those about
+them.
+
+"The three or four persons who stopped to watch the boy turned away
+with a tender smile upon their faces, ready to follow the good
+example of that noble boy. I am sure that I felt more gentle and
+loving 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 else
+happy, without feeling better and happier ourselves. To _be_ good and
+to _do_ good, is the way to be happy. This is our mission here in
+this world. Whatever talents our Master has given us, he intends that
+we should use them in this way."
+
+"Tiny's Work for God." Two little girls, Leila and Tiny, were
+sitting, one summer day, under the tree which grew beside their home.
+
+Both children had been quiet for a little while, when suddenly Tiny
+raised her blue eyes and said, "I _am_ so happy, Leila. I do love the
+flowers, and the birdies, and you, and everybody so much." Then she
+added, 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," said
+Leila.
+
+"Yes, but I do want to _do_ something for him--something that would
+give me trouble. Can't you think of anything?"
+
+Leila thought a little, and said, "Perhaps you could print a text
+for the flowers mother sends every week to the sick people in the
+hospital. They are so glad to have the flowers, and then the text
+might help them think about our Father in heaven."
+
+"Oh! thank you, sister, that will be so nice! I will write--'Suffer
+the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not.'"
+
+But Tiny was only a little over four years old, and it was hard for
+her to hold a pen, but she managed to print two letters every day
+till the text was finished. Then she went alone to her room, and
+laying the text on a chair, she kneeled down beside it, and
+said--"Heavenly Father, I have done this for you: please take it from
+Tiny, for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen." And God heard the prayer, for
+he always listens when children truly pray.
+
+So Tiny's text was sent up to London, and a lady put a very pretty
+flower into the card and took it to the hospital. She stopped beside
+a bed where a little boy was lying. His face was almost as white as
+the 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 I
+mind. 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 'ave
+any 'opes for me, and I'm mighty afeard to die."
+
+"If you had a friend who loved you, and you were well, would you be
+afraid 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 all
+your life long. He wants you to trust him, and to go and live with
+him. He will love you always, and you will always be happy."
+
+Then the lady read Tiny's text, "_Suffer the little children to come
+unto me, and forbid them not._" She told him how Jesus had died, and
+then 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 still
+saying "Come," and his hand is still held out to bless.
+
+So Willie turned to the Good Shepherd, and was no longer afraid. A
+few days afterwards he whispered--"Lord Jesus, I am coming;" and he
+died with Tiny's text in his hand.
+
+That little girl used the talent that was given her, and it helped
+to 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 lesson
+about,--the talents.
+
+_The fourth, and last lesson from Olivet is the lesson about_--THE
+REWARDS.
+
+The parable tells us that when the Master came back, and reckoned
+with his servants, he said to each of those who had made a right use
+of his talents:--"Well done, good and faithful servant, thou hast
+been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many
+things; 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 made
+ruler over ten cities; and he who had gained five pounds was made
+ruler over five cities. This shows us that God will reward his
+people, hereafter, according to the degree of faithfulness with which
+each one shall have used the talents given to him. And this is the
+lesson which the apostle Paul teaches us when he says that, "Every
+man 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 life
+when Jesus comes to reckon with them. But those crowns will not be
+all 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 these
+crowns. Some will be simply crowns of gold, or of glory, without any
+gems or jewels to ornament them. Some will have two or three small
+jewels shining in them. But, others again will be full of the most
+beautiful jewels, all glittering and sparkling with glory. And this
+will all depend upon the way in which those who wear these crowns
+used their talents while they were on earth, and the amount of work
+they did for Jesus. There is an incident mentioned in Roman history
+about a soldier, which illustrates this part of our subject very
+well.
+
+"The Faithful Soldier and His Rewards." This man had served forty
+years in the cause of his country--of these, ten years had been spent
+as a private soldier, and thirty as an officer. He had been present
+in one hundred and twenty battles, and had been severely wounded
+forty-five times. He had received fourteen civic crowns, for having
+saved the lives of so many Roman citizens; three mural crowns, for
+having been the first to mount the breach when attacking a fortress;
+and eight golden crowns, for having, on so many occasions, rescued
+the standard of a Roman legion from the hands of the enemy. He had in
+his house eighty-three gold chains, sixty bracelets, eighteen golden
+spears, and twenty-three horse trappings,--the rewards for his many
+faithful services as a soldier. And when his friends looked at all
+those honors and treasures which he had received, from time to time,
+how well they might have said as they pointed to those numerous
+prizes--that he had "received _his own reward_, according to _his own
+labor_," and faithfulness! And so it will be with the soldiers of the
+cross, who are faithful in using the talents given them by their
+heavenly Master.
+
+"A Great Harvest from a Little Seed," Some years ago there was a
+celebrated artist in Paris whose name was Ary Scheffer. On one
+occasion he wished to introduce a beggar into a certain picture he
+was painting. Baron Rothschild, the famous banker, and one of the
+richest men in the world, was a particular friend of this artist. He
+happened to come into his studio at the very time he was trying to
+get a beggar to be the model of one which he desired to put into his
+painting.
+
+"Wait till to-morrow," said Mr. Rothschild, "and I will dress myself
+up as a beggar, and make you an excellent model."
+
+"Very well," said the artist, who was pleased with the strangeness of
+the proposal. The next day the rich banker appeared, dressed up as a
+beggar, and a very sorry looking beggar he was. While the artist was
+engaged in painting him, another friend of his came into the studio.
+He was a kind-hearted, generous man. As he looked on the model
+beggar, he was touched by his wretched appearance, and as he passed
+him, he slipped a louis d'or--a French gold coin, worth about five
+dollars of our money--into his hand. The pretended beggar took the
+coin, and put it in his pocket.
+
+Ten years after this, the gentleman who gave this piece of money
+received an order on the bank of the Rothschilds for ten thousand
+francs. This was enclosed in a letter which read as follows:
+
+"Sir: You one day gave a louis d'or to Baron Rothschild, in the
+studio 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, together
+with the interest it has gained. A good action is always followed by
+a good reward.
+
+"JAMES DE ROTHSCHILD."
+
+In those few years that one gold coin, of twenty francs, had
+increased to ten thousand francs. And this illustrates the way in
+which Jesus the heavenly Master rewards those who use their talents
+for him. See how he teaches this lesson, when he says--"Whosoever
+shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold
+water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall
+in _no wise lose his reward_." St. Matt, x: 42. And in another place
+we are told that the reward shall be "an hundred fold," and shall run
+on into "everlasting life." St. Matt, xix: 29. How sweetly some one
+has 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. And
+taking these lessons together, let us remember that they are--the
+lesson _about the Master_: the lesson _about the servants_: the
+lesson _about the talents_: and the lesson _about the rewards_.
+
+The Collect for the thirteenth Sunday after Trinity is a very
+suitable prayer to offer after meditating on the lessons from Olivet:
+
+"Almighty and merciful God, of whose only gift it cometh that thy
+faithful people do unto thee true and laudable service: Grant, we
+beseech thee, that we may so faithfully serve thee in this life, that
+we fail not finally to attain thy heavenly promises; which exceed all
+that 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 week
+has 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 first
+and true meaning of the word, and of the Latin word from which it
+comes, is--suffering. And this is the sense in which we find the word
+used in Acts i: 3. There, St. Luke, who wrote the Acts, is speaking
+of Christ's appearing to the apostles, after his resurrection, and he
+uses 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 the
+interesting things that Jesus did was to keep the Jewish Passover for
+the last time with his disciples. This Passover feast had been kept
+by the Jews every year for nearly fifteen hundred years. It was the
+most solemn religious service they had. It was first observed by
+them in the night on which their nation was delivered from the
+bondage of Egypt and began their march towards the promised land of
+Canaan. We read about the establishment of this solemn service in
+Exodus, twelfth chapter. The first Passover took place on the
+fourteenth day of the month Nisan. This had been the seventh month of
+the year with the Jews. But God directed them to take it for their
+first month ever afterwards. They were to begin their year with that
+month. Every family was to choose out a lamb for themselves, on the
+tenth day of the month. They were to keep it to the fourteenth day of
+the 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 and
+upper lintels of every door. They were to roast the lamb and eat it,
+with solemn religious services. And, while they were doing this, the
+angel of the Lord was to pass over all the land of Egypt, and, with
+his unseen sword, to smite and kill the first-born, or eldest child,
+in every family, from Pharaoh on his throne to the poorest beggar in
+the land. But the blood, sprinkled on the door-posts of the houses in
+which the Israelites dwelt, was to save them from the stroke of the
+angel 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. He
+gave one stroke with his dreadful sword--and there was a death in
+every Egyptian family. But in the blood-sprinkled dwellings of the
+Israelites, 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 not
+surprising that the children of Israel, through all their
+generations, should have kept that Passover feast with great
+interest--an interest that never died out, from age to age. Nor do we
+wonder that our blessed Saviour looked forward longingly to the
+occasion when, for the last time, he was to celebrate this Passover
+with his disciples. As they began the feast he said to them, "With
+desire 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 this
+strong desire. Without attempting to tell what all those reasons
+were, we can readily think of some things which would lead him, very
+naturally, to have this feeling. It was the last time he was to eat
+this 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 suffer
+and die; to rise from the dead, and then go home to his Father in
+heaven.
+
+This Passover had been one of the services established and kept for
+the purpose of pointing the attention of men to himself as the Lamb
+of God who was to take away the sins of the world. And now, the time
+had come when all that had thus been pointed out concerning him, for
+so many hundred years, was about to be fulfilled. He, the one true
+Lamb 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 church
+would take its place. And then the blessings of true religion,
+instead of being confined to one single nation, would be freely
+offered to all nations; and Jews and Gentiles alike, would be at
+liberty 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 eat
+this last Passover with his disciples. In each of the four gospels we
+have an account of what took place when the time came for keeping
+this Passover. What is said concerning it we find in the following
+places: St. Matt xxi: 17-30, St. Mark xiv: 12-26, St. Luke xxii:
+7-39. St. John begins with the thirteenth chapter, and ends his
+account at the close of the seventeenth chapter. He is the only one
+of the four evangelists who gives a full and particular account of
+the wonderful sayings of our Lord in connection with this last
+passover, and of the great prayer that he offered for all his
+people.
+
+Here is a brief outline of these different accounts. When the time
+came to keep the Passover, Jesus sent two of his disciples from
+Bethany, where he was then staying, to Jerusalem. He told them, that,
+when they entered the city, they would meet a man bearing a pitcher
+of water. They were to ask him to show them the guest-chamber, where
+he and his disciples might eat the Passover together. There were
+always great crowds of strangers in Jerusalem at the time of this
+festival; and many furnished chambers were kept ready to be hired to
+those who wished them, for celebrating the Passover. This man, of
+whom our Saviour spoke, was probably a friend of his, and according
+to our Lord's word, he showed the disciples such a room as they
+needed. Then they made the necessary preparations; and, when the
+evening came, Jesus and his disciples met there to keep this solemn
+feast.
+
+Many of the pictures that we see of this last Supper, represent the
+company as seated round a table, very much in the way in which we are
+accustomed to sit ourselves. But this is not correct. The people in
+those Eastern countries were not accustomed to sit as we do. On this
+occasion the roasted lamb, with the bread and wine to be used at the
+feast, was placed on a table, and the guests reclined on couches
+round the table, each man leaning on his left arm, and helping
+himself to what he needed with his right hand.
+
+Various incidents took place in connection with this last Supper. The
+disciples had a contest among themselves about which of them should
+be greatest. This led Jesus, in the course of the evening, to give
+them the lesson of humility, by washing his disciples' feet, of which
+we have already spoken. Then he told them how sorrowfully he was
+feeling. He said they would all forsake him, and one of them would
+betray him that very night. This made them feel very sad. Each of
+them suspected himself--and asked sorrowfully--"Lord, is it I?" They
+did not suspect each other; and none of them seems to have suspected
+Judas Iscariot at all. Then Peter whispered to John, who was leaning
+on the bosom of Jesus, to ask who it was that was to do this? In
+answer to John's question, Jesus said it was the one to whom he
+should give a piece of bread when he had dipped it in the dish. Then
+he dipped the sop and gave it to Judas.
+
+After this, we are told that Satan entered into him, and he went out
+and made preparation for doing the most dreadful thing that ever was
+done from the beginning of the world--and that was the betrayal of
+his 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 one
+of the two great sacraments to be observed in his church to the end
+of the world--the sacrament of the Lord's Supper--or the holy
+Communion.
+
+This is St. Luke's account of the way in which it was done, chapter
+xxii: 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 for
+you." St. Matthew adds, and--"for many."
+
+Such is the account we have of the first establishment of the Lord's
+Supper. It was to take the place of the Jewish Passover, and to be
+observed by the followers of Christ all over the earth, until the
+time when he shall come again into our world.
+
+And this solemn sacrament--this holy communion--this Supper of our
+Lord, ought to be observed, or kept, by all who love him, for three
+reasons: these are its connection with _the word of his command--the
+memory of his sufferings--and the hope of his glory_.
+
+Jesus connected this sacrament with _the word of his command_ when he
+said--"_This do_ in remembrance of me." St. Luke xxii: 19. This is
+the _command_ of Christ. It is a plain, positive command. Jesus did
+not give this command to the apostles only, or to his ministers, or
+to any particular class of his followers, but to all of them. It was
+given first to his apostles, but it was not intended to be confined
+to 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, or
+ye rich men, or ye great men; but simply, "This do." And the meaning
+of what he here says, is--"This do," all ye who profess to be my
+followers, all over the world, and through all ages. And the words
+that he spake on another occasion come in very well here: "If ye love
+me, keep my commandments." And _this_ is one of the commandments that
+he 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 his
+people 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 the
+use of it, or not; Jesus says--"This do." It is enough for each
+follower of Jesus to say, "here is my Lord's command; I _must_ obey
+it."
+
+In an army, if the general issues an order, it is expected that every
+soldier will obey it. And no matter how important, or useful, in
+itself considered, any work may be, that is done by one of those
+soldiers, yet, if it be done while he is neglecting the general's
+order, instead of gaining for that soldier the praise of the general,
+or of securing a reward from him, it will only excite his
+displeasure:--he will order that soldier to be punished.
+
+But the church of Christ is compared in the Bible to an army. He is
+the Captain or Leader of this army. And one of the most important
+orders he has issued for his soldiers is--"This do in remembrance of
+me." If we profess to be the soldiers of Christ, and are enlisted in
+his army, and yet are neglecting this order, he never can be pleased
+with anything we may do while this order is neglected. We seem to see
+him pointing to this neglected order, and saying to each of us, as he
+said to Saul, the first king of Israel, by the prophet Samuel:
+--"Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice: and to hearken, than the
+fat of rams." I. Sam. xv: 22.
+
+No age is fixed in the New Testament at which young people may be
+allowed to come to the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. But, as soon
+as they have learned to know and love Christ and are really trying to
+serve him, they ought to be allowed to come. And yet ministers and
+parents sometimes keep them back, and tell them they must wait, and
+be tried a little longer, before they receive the help and comfort of
+this ordinance of Christ, even when their conduct shows they are
+sincerely trying to love and serve the blessed Saviour.
+
+If a farmer should send his servant out into the field, when winter
+was approaching, telling him to put the sheep into the fold, that
+they might be protected from the wolves, and from the cold, it would
+be thought a strange thing if he should allow him to bring the sheep
+into the shelter of the fold, and leave the little lambs outside.
+This is a good illustration to show the importance of taking care of
+the lambs. But it fails at one point. The shelter of the fold is
+absolutely necessary for the protection of the farmer's lambs. They
+could not live without it. If left outside of the fold they would
+certainly perish. But there is not the same necessity for admitting
+young 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 holy
+ordinance. They are already under the care and protection of the good
+Shepherd. He can guard them, and keep them, and cause them to grow in
+grace, even though, for awhile, they do not have the help and comfort
+of this sacrament. And, if they are kept back through the fault or
+mistake of others, he will do so. This sacrament, like that of
+baptism, is, as the catechism says, "_generally_ necessary to
+salvation." This means that it is important "where it may be had."
+But, if circumstances beyond our control should prevent us from
+partaking of it, we may be saved without it. Still, I think that
+young people who give satisfactory evidence that they know and love
+the Saviour, and are trying to serve him, ought to be allowed to come
+forward to this holy sacrament.
+
+Some people when urged to come to the Lord's Supper excuse
+themselves, by saying that--"they are not prepared to come."
+
+But this will not release any one from the command of Christ--"This
+do."
+
+What the preparation is that we need in order that we may come, in a
+proper way, to this holy sacrament, is clearly pointed out in the
+exhortation that occurs in the communion service of our church. Here
+the minister says--"Ye who do truly and earnestly repent of your
+sins, and are in love and charity with your neighbors, and intend to
+lead a new life, following the commandments of God, and walking from
+henceforth in his holy ways: draw near with faith, and take this holy
+sacrament to your comfort." And there is no excuse for persons not
+being in the state these words describe: for this is just what God's
+word, and our own duty and interest require of us. If we have not
+yet done what these words require, we ought to do it at once; and
+then there will be nothing in the way of our obeying the command of
+Christ, when he says--"This do, in remembrance of me," By all the
+authority which belongs to him our Saviour _commands_ us to keep this
+holy feast. And the first reason why we ought to "do this," is
+because of its connection with the word of his command.
+
+_The second reason why we ought to "do this"--is because of its
+connection with the memory of his sufferings_.
+
+We are taught this by the word _remembrance_, which our Saviour here
+uses. He says, "This do in remembrance of me." This means in
+remembrance of my sufferings for you. And _this_ is the most
+important word used by him when he established this sacrament. It is
+the governing word in the whole service. It is the word by which we
+must be guided in trying to understand what our Lord meant to teach
+us by all he did and said on this occasion.
+
+You know how it is when we are trying to understand the music to
+which a particular tune has been set. There is always one special
+note in a tune, which is called the _key-note_. The leader of a
+choir, when they are going to sing, will strike one of the keys of
+the organ, or the melodeon they are using, so as to give to each
+member of the choir the proper key-note of the piece of music they
+are to sing. It is very important for them to have this key-note,
+because they cannot have a proper understanding of what they are to
+do without it. This holy sacrament of the Lord's Supper is like a
+solemn song. And the key-note of the music to which the song is set
+is this word--_remembrance_. It teaches us that the sacrament of the
+Lord's Supper is a _memorial_ service. And, in going through the
+music to which the song of this service has been set, every note that
+we use must be a memorial note. And the language used by our blessed
+Lord when he established this Supper, or sacrament, must be explained
+in 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 in
+remembrance of me," he meant that we should understand him as
+saying--"This is the _memorial_ of my body." And when he gave them
+the cup, and said--"This is my blood of the New Testament," he meant
+that we should understand him as saying--"This is the _memorial_ of
+my blood." And we are sure that this was the meaning, for two
+reasons.
+
+One reason for believing this is that _this was the way in which
+similar words had been used in the Jewish Passover, which Jesus and
+his disciples were then keeping_.
+
+In the Passover service, when the head of the family distributed the
+bread, he always said--"This is the bread of affliction." When he
+distributed the flesh of the lamb, roasted for the occasion, he used
+to say--"This is the body of the Passover."
+
+But every one knows, and every one admits, that the Jewish Passover
+was a _memorial_ service. It was kept in memory of the wonderful
+deliverance of their forefathers from the bitter bondage of Egypt.
+And the words used at that service were memorial words. And so, when
+Jesus, a little while before, had given to his disciples the Passover
+bread, saying--"This is the bread of affliction:" he did not mean to
+say that _that_ was the very same bread which their forefathers had
+eaten, in the time of their affliction in Egypt. What he meant to say
+was--this is the bread which you are to eat in _memory_ of your
+forefathers' trial and deliverance. And when he gave to each of them
+a piece of the sacrificial lamb, saying, "This is the body of the
+Passover;" he did not mean that in any mysterious, or supernatural
+sense, _that_ was the very lamb of which their forefathers had eaten
+on the solemn night of the Passover; he only meant that it was the
+body of which they were to eat in memory of the Passover. The
+Passover was a memorial service; and the words used at the Passover
+were memorial words.
+
+And so, when Jesus went on, from the last Passover of the Jewish
+church, to the first sacramental feast of the Christian church, and
+began by saying, "This do in _remembrance_ of me," what else could
+the apostles possibly have thought, but that he intended this new
+service of the Christian church to be a memorial service, just as the
+old festival of the Jewish church had been? When he gave them the
+broken bread, and said, "This is my body;" they could only have
+understood him as meaning this is the memorial of my body. And when
+he gave them the cup into which he had just poured the wine, and
+said: "This is my blood;" they could only understand him as meaning
+this is the memorial of my blood. And so, the sense in which he had
+just before used the words employed in the Jewish festival must have
+led the disciples to understand them in the same way when he used
+similar words in the Christian sacrament. This is a good, strong
+reason for thinking of this sacramental feast as a memorial service.
+
+There is indeed, one point of difference between the Jewish Passover
+and the Christian sacrament, when we think of them as memorial
+services. The Jews kept their solemn festival in memory of a _dead_
+lamb--the Passover lamb that was put to death for them, but never
+came to life again. We keep our Christian sacrament in memory of the
+Lamb of God, who died for us indeed, but who rose from the dead, and
+is alive forevermore. As we keep this solemn festival, we may lift up
+our 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 thought
+makes a world-wide difference between them. The bread and meat which
+the pious Jew ate, when he kept the Passover, and the wine which he
+drank on that occasion, would strengthen his body, but there was
+nothing connected with those material substances that would do any
+special good to his soul. It is different, however, with our
+Christian festival of the Lord's Supper. And this difference is
+clearly brought out in what we find in the catechism of our church on
+this subject. In speaking of this holy sacrament, the question is
+asked--"What are the benefits whereof we are partakers thereby?" And
+the answer to this question is--"The strengthening and refreshing of
+our souls, by the body and blood of Christ, as our bodies are by the
+bread and wine."
+
+Here we see that while the Lord's Supper is a memorial service
+indeed, it is at the same time something more than that.
+
+_And then, the actual bodily presence of Christ with them must have
+compelled the apostles to understand the words he used on that
+occasion, in this memorial sense_.
+
+They could not possibly have considered him as meaning that the bread
+and wine which he gave them at that solemn service did, in any
+mysterious 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 the
+same time. The sense in which Jesus first used these words--"my body"
+and "my blood," was clearly the memorial sense. He meant his
+disciples to understand him as saying "Take this bread in remembrance
+of my body, which is to be crucified for you;" and "Take this wine in
+remembrance of my blood which is to be shed for you."
+
+This was what he taught the apostles when he first used these words
+among them; and this was all he taught them; and we have no right to
+use these words in any other sense till our blessed Lord himself
+shall give us authority to do so.
+
+Let us never forget the word--_remembrance_, as used by our Saviour
+here. It is the root out of which the whole tree of this solemn
+service grows. Let us hold on to this root word, and it will save us
+from the errors into which many have fallen in reference to this
+subject.
+
+And, surely, there is nothing so precious for us to store away in our
+memories as the thought of Christ in the amazing sufferings he once
+bore for us, in the great work he is now doing for us, and in the
+saving truth he embodies in his own glorious character. The story is
+told of Alexander the Great, that when he conquered King Darius he
+found among his treasures a very valuable box or cabinet. It was made
+of gold and silver, and inlaid with precious jewels. After thinking
+for awhile what to do with it, he finally concluded to use it as his
+choicest treasury, or cabinet, in which to keep the books of the poet
+Homer, which he was very fond of reading. Now, if we use our memory
+aright, it will be to us a treasury far more valuable than that
+jeweled box of the great conqueror. And the thought of Christ, not in
+his sufferings only, but in his work, and in his character, is the
+most precious thing to lay up in our memory. And if we keep this
+remembrance continually before us it will be the greatest help we can
+have in trying to love and serve him better.
+
+Here is an illustration of what I mean, in a touching story. We may
+call it:
+
+"Love Stronger than Death." Some years ago there was a great fire in
+one of our Western cities that stood in the midst of a prairie. A
+mother escaped from her burning dwelling. Her husband was away from
+home. She took her infant in her arms, and wrapped a heavy shawl
+round herself and the baby. Her little girl clung to the dress of
+her mother, and they went out into the prairie, to get away from the
+flames of the burning buildings. It was a wild and stormy winter's
+night and intensely cold. She tried to run; but burdened as she was
+that was impossible. Presently she found that the tall dry grass of
+the prairie had caught fire. It was spreading on every side. A great
+circle of flame was gathering round her.
+
+A little way off she saw a clump of trees on a piece of rising
+ground. Towards that spot she directed her steps, and strained every
+nerve 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 her
+from opposite directions. Escape was impossible. Death--a terrible
+death by fire, seemed to be the only thing before her. She might wrap
+herself in that great shawl, and perhaps live through it. But, there
+were the children. Of course a mother could not hesitate a moment
+what to do under such circumstances. Wrapping the baby round and
+round in the folds of the shawl, she laid it carefully down, at the
+foot of one of the trees. Then, taking off her outer clothing, she
+covered the other child with it. She laid her down beside the baby,
+and then stretched herself across them. In a few moments the helpless
+little ones were sound asleep. The long hours of the night passed.
+The raging flames licked up the withered foliage about that clump of
+trees, and then left their blackened trunks to the keenness of the
+wind and frost.
+
+The next day the heart-broken husband and father returned to find his
+home burnt, and his family gone--he knew not whither. He set out to
+search for his lost treasures. He found them by that clump of trees.
+There lay his wife--her hair and eyebrows, her face and neck scorched
+and blackened by the fire--but her body frozen stiff. Whether she
+perished by the flames or the frost no one ever knew. But, on lifting
+her burnt form they found, warm and cozy beneath, her two sleeping
+children. The elder child as they roused her, opened her eyes
+exclaiming, "Mamma, is it morning?" Yes: it was morning with that
+faithful mother, in the bright world to which she had gone!
+
+Now, suppose that those children, as they grew up, should have had
+preserved among their treasures a piece of the burnt dress, or a lock
+of the scorched hair, of their devoted mother. As they looked at it,
+every day, it would be in _remembrance_ of her. How touchingly it
+would tell of her great love for them, in being willing to lay down
+her life to save theirs! And how that thought would thrill their
+hearts and make them anxious to do all they could to show their
+respect and love for such a mother!
+
+And so the broken bread and the poured out wine of this solemn
+sacrament should melt our hearts in the remembrance of the wonderful
+love of Christ to us, and should lead us to show our love to him by
+keeping his commandments.
+
+And as we keep this solemn memorial service, how well we may say, in
+the 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 his
+glory_--as well as with the word of his command and the memory of his
+sufferings.
+
+He made this connection very clear when he said at the institution of
+this solemn service--"I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of
+the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's
+kingdom." St. Matt, xxvi: 29. And the apostle Paul pointed out the
+same connection when he said, "As often as ye eat this bread, and
+drink 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 meeting
+between the sufferings of Christ and the glory that is to
+follow--between his cross, with all its shame and anguish, and his
+kingdom, with all its honor and blessedness.
+
+We have sometimes heard or read of magicians who have pretended to
+have wonderful mirrors into which persons might look and see all that
+was before them in this life. If there were such a mirror, it would
+be a strange thing indeed to look into it and find out what was going
+to happen to-morrow, or next month, or next year, or twenty years
+hence. But, there never was any such mirror. As the apostle says,
+"We know not what shall be on the morrow." No mortal man can tell
+what 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 look
+into it and see, clearly represented there, what will happen to us in
+the future, not of _this_ life indeed, but of the life to come. It
+leads our minds on to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And a voice
+from heaven declares--"Blessed are they who are called to the
+marriage supper of the Lamb." Rev. xix: 9. That marriage supper
+represents the highest joys of heaven. It gathers into itself all the
+glory and happiness that await us in the heavenly kingdom. And this
+sacramental service is the type or shadow of all the bliss connected
+with that great event in the future. If we are true and faithful
+partakers of this solemn sacrament--this memorial feast, we shall
+certainly be among the number of those whose unspeakable privilege it
+will be to sit down at the marriage supper of the Lamb, in heaven.
+There we shall be in the personal presence of Jesus, our glorified
+Lord. Our eyes "shall see the King in his beauty." And we shall see
+all his people too in the perfection of glory that will mark them
+there. And in happy intercourse with that blessed company we shall
+find all "the exceeding great and precious promises" of God's word
+fulfilled in our own personal experience.
+
+And then there is nothing that can sustain and comfort us under the
+many trials of this mortal life like the hope of sharing this joy
+with our blessed Lord, when he shall come in the glory of his
+heavenly kingdom.
+
+"The Hope of Glory." A Christian gentleman was in the habit of
+visiting, from time to time, a poor afflicted widow woman who lived
+in his neighborhood. She had once been very well off, and was the
+wife of a well-known and apparently successful merchant. But finally
+he failed in business and died soon after, leaving her alone in the
+world, and without anything to live on but what she could earn by her
+own labor.
+
+After awhile her health failed, and then she was entirely dependent
+for her support on the kindness of her Christian friends. But she was
+always cheerful and happy. "On going in to see her one day," says
+this gentleman, "I found, on talking with her, that she was feeling
+very comfortable in her mind.
+
+"'Tell me, my friend,' I asked, 'have you always felt as bright and
+cheerful as you seem to feel now?'
+
+"'O, no,' she replied, 'very far from it. When my husband died, and
+I was left alone in the world, I used to feel very sad and
+rebellious. Many a time I was so sorrowful and despairing as to be
+tempted 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. I
+became a member of the church. But, for a while, I did not find much
+comfort in my religion. And the reason of it was that I did not have
+very clear views of Christ as my Saviour, and of the wonderful things
+he has promised to do for his people in the future.
+
+"'But, on one communion occasion, my minister preached on the
+words--"_Christ in you the hope of glory_." That was a blessed
+communion to me. I saw then, as I had never seen before, how that
+sacred and solemn service was intended by him to be to all his
+people, at one and the same time, the means of preserving in their
+minds the remembrance of the sufferings he has borne for them in the
+past, and also of keeping alive in their hearts the hope of sharing
+in the glory which he has prepared for them in the future. And I have
+never had any trouble in my mind since then. My communion seasons
+were always bright and blessed seasons to me as long as I was able
+to go to church. And though I can no longer go up to the sanctuary
+and 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, I
+can, and do partake in a spiritual manner of that which those signs
+represent. I feel and know what it is to have "Christ in me the hope
+of glory." And this "satisfies my longing, as nothing else can do." I
+find peace and comfort in simply "looking unto Jesus." I have had
+much outward trouble and affliction since then. I live alone. There
+is no one here to help me. Sometimes I have nothing to eat, and but
+little to keep me warm. You see me _sitting_ here now. Thus I have to
+spend my nights. My complaint is the dropsy, and this prevents me
+from lying down. _But I would not exchange my place as a forgiven
+sinner, with "Christ in me the hope of glory," for all the wealth and
+the honor that Queen Victoria could bestow upon me!_'"
+
+What a blessed Saviour Jesus is, who can thus spread the sunshine of
+his peace and hope through the hearts and homes of the poorest and
+most afflicted in the land!
+
+And thus, we have spoken of three good reasons, why all who love our
+Lord Jesus Christ should keep this solemn sacrament which he has
+ordained; we should do it because we see in it--_the word of his
+command--the memorial of his sufferings--and the hope of his glory_.
+
+And when we partake of this solemn ordinance ourselves, or see others
+partaking of it, how well we may say in the beautiful lines of
+Havergal, 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 and
+Sidon. 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 of
+David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered
+her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send
+her away; for she crieth after us. But he answered and said, I am not
+sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she
+and 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_ to
+dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which
+fall from their masters' table. Then Jesus answered and said unto
+her, O woman, great _is_ thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou
+wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.--_St.
+Matt. xv: 21-28_.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_The picture illustrates the scenery and gardens in the neighborhood
+of Beyrout, which lies on the coast at the foot of Lebanon and within
+the Syro-Phoenician border._
+
+
+
+
+
+SIMON PETER'S FAITH IN CHRIST
+
+
+
+
+When Jesus came into the coasts of Cæsarea Philippi, he asked his
+disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they
+said, Some _say that thou art_ John the Baptist: some, Elias; and
+others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But
+whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art
+the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said
+unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath
+not revealed _it_ unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I
+say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will
+build 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: and
+whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and
+whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Then
+charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was
+Jesus the Christ.--_St. Matt, xvi: 13-20_.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_The site of Cæsarea Philippi is one of the loveliest spots in
+Northern Palestine. On ground carpeted with an infinite variety of
+wild flowers, the traveller rests in the grateful shade of oak and
+mulberry, olive and fig tree. The sound of many waters is heard on
+all sides as they hasten from the adjacent slopes of Herman to join
+the head waters of Jordan, bursting in strength from a cavern at the
+foot of a mighty cliff. Hither, with his handful of followers, came
+Jesus, weary and in deep depression of spirit, a fugitive from his
+own people, who had finally rejected him; and here, in reply to
+searching and anxious enquiry, "Whom say ye that I am?" he received
+from Simon Peter the memorable confession, "Thou art the Christ, the
+Son 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 was
+transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his
+raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them
+Moses and Elias talking with him. Then answered Peter, and said unto
+Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make
+here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for
+Elias. While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them:
+and behold a voice out of the cloud which said, This is my beloved
+Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. And when the disciples
+heard _it_, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. And Jesus
+came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. And when
+they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus
+only.--_St. Matt, xvii: 1--8_.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_From the days of St. Jerome, when pilgrims first began the attempt
+to identify sites hallowed by sacred events, Mount Tabor has, until
+recent years, been regarded as the Mount of the Transfiguration. But
+closer examination of the text and comparison of dates, and the fact
+that Tabor itself was at that time the site of a fortified town
+containing a Roman garrison, combine in this instance to discredit
+tradition. One of the spurs of Herman must therefore be the
+alternative and more probable scene of the Transfiguration; the
+seclusion of this district of mountain, valley, and woodland
+providing opportunity for contemplation, and preparation for the end
+which was now imminent, "the decease which Jesus was to accomplish at
+Jerusalem"_.
+
+
+
+
+
+JESUS HEALETH A LUNATIC
+
+
+
+
+And it came to pass, that on the next day, when they were come down
+from the hill, much people met him. And, behold, a man of the company
+cried out, saying, Master, I beseech thee, look upon my son: for he
+is mine only child. And, lo, a spirit taketh him, and he suddenly
+crieth out; and it teareth him that he foameth again, and bruising
+him hardly departeth from him. And I besought thy disciples to cast
+him out; and they could not. And Jesus answering said, O faithless
+and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, and suffer
+you? Bring thy son hither. And as he was yet a coming, the devil
+threw 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_.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_The picture gives an average representation of the outskirts of a
+village in Northern Palestine, with its sordid, untidy, mud-built
+houses, 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, and
+taught. And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters,
+having never learned? Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is
+not mine, but his that sent me. And the scribes and Pharisees brought
+unto him a woman ...; and when they had set her in the midst. They
+say unto him, ... Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be
+stoned: but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him, that they
+might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with _his_
+finger wrote on the ground, _as though he heard them not_. So when
+they 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 which
+heard _it_, being convicted by _their own_ conscience, went out one
+by one, beginning at the eldest, _even_ unto the last: and Jesus was
+left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had
+lifted 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 condemn
+thee: go, and sin no more.--_St. John vii: 14-16; viii: 3-11._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_The scene is represented as taking place in one of the great
+cloisters or porticoes which surrounded the Temple courts, and which
+like the Forum of Rome, and "Paul's Wall" in Elizabethan, London,
+served the purpose of a public promenade and place of meeting. These
+porticoes were of magnificent construction and proportions, the Stoa
+Basilica alone, upon the south side, with its quadruple colonnade of
+one hundred and sixty-two pillars, covering a great area. The Eastern
+Cloister, known as "Solomon's Porch," was probably so-called as
+having been erected upon the site of a similar construction in the
+first Temple_.
+
+
+
+
+
+ONE OF TEN LEPERS CURED IS GRATEFUL
+
+
+
+
+And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through
+the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered into a certain
+village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar
+off. And they lifted up _their_ voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have
+mercy on us. And when he saw _them_, he said unto them, Go shew
+yourselves 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 to
+God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy
+faith hath made thee whole.--_St. Luke xvii: II--19._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_The town of Cana in Galilee, with its background of low hills, as
+seen from the Nazareth Road, supplies a landscape setting for this
+picture. The ingratitude of the nine lepers no doubt added to our
+Lord's sorrow just now at the growing influence of the opposition of
+his enemies_.
+
+
+
+
+
+JESUS, MARTHA, MARY, AND LAZARUS
+
+
+
+
+Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain
+village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her
+house. 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 sister
+hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And
+Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful
+and troubled about many things. But one thing is needful: and Mary
+hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from
+her.--_St. Luke x: 38-42._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_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 of
+his ministry, Jesus could call a home, was probably that of people in
+easy circumstances, and as such is here represented. In the vineyards
+of Palestine the vine is cultivated bushlike on the ground; but in
+gardens, the plant is occasionally trained erect, as in Europe and
+America, or, as in the present instance, for the purposes of shade,
+upon a pergola. In the middle of the village of Bethany are the ruins
+of an important house. Here some years ago a French explorer
+discovered on the base the remains of an ancient chapel This seems to
+point with probability to a valid tradition of the site of the house
+of 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 Jesus
+saw _it_, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the
+little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is
+the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not
+receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter
+therein. And he took them up in his arms, put _his_ hands upon them,
+and blessed them.--_St. Mark x: 13-16._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_In the Hebrew Bible--the Talmud--it is stated that, according to
+pious custom, parents brought their little children to the synagogue
+that they might receive the benefit of the prayers and blessings of
+the elders. Rabbis also, of recognized sanctity, were frequently
+appealed to in a like manner; and his fame as a prophet and
+benefactor having preceded him into Peraea, infants were now brought
+to Jesus, that he might lay his hands upon them in supplication and
+blessing. The architectural setting of the picture is adapted from
+that of a small square near the Damascus Gate of Jerusalem. This
+kindly and gentle act of our Lord has been of incalculable
+consequence to the life of children in the development of Christian
+civilization._
+
+
+
+
+
+THE RESURRECTION OF LAZARUS, FOUR DAYS DEAD
+
+
+
+
+Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for
+your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe;
+nevertheless let us go unto him. Jesus therefore again groaning in
+himself 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 that
+was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath
+been _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 was
+laid. And Jesus lifted up _his_ eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee
+that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but
+because of the people which stand by I said _it_, that they may
+believe that thou hast sent me. And when he thus had spoken, he cried
+with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came
+forth.--_St. John xi: 14., 15,38-44._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_The painting illustrates a form of rock-cut tomb which, though not
+so common as others in the neighborhood of Jerusalem, is nevertheless
+selected as being in accordance with the description of what took
+place in the present instance. It is obviously the type of tomb which
+is referred to on a subsequent occasion, and explains the meaning of
+"the stone rolled away from the sepulchre" The entrance of the tomb
+is at the bottom of a flight of steps, and is covered by a
+disc-shaped stone, like a mill-stone, which can be rolled back into a
+slot cut in the rock for its reception. (The kneeling man in the
+background has apparently just performed this duty?) The entrance is
+closed by rolling the stone forward, dropping a small block behind it
+to prevent its recession, and finally by covering the
+before-mentioned slot with a slab, which, being cemented down, the
+tomb is "sealed."_
+
+
+
+
+
+CONVERSION OF ZACCHAEUS, A PUBLICAN
+
+
+
+
+And _Jesus_ entered and passed through Jericho. And, behold, _there
+was_ 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 not
+for 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 pass
+that _way_. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw
+him, and said unto him, Zacchæus, make haste, and come down; for to
+day I must abide at thy house. And he made haste, and came down, and
+received 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. And
+Zacchæus stood, and said unto the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my
+goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man
+by false accusation, I restore _him_ fourfold. And Jesus said unto
+him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also
+is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save
+that which was lost.--_St. Luke xix: 1-10_.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_The sycomore tree referred to in the text is a species of fig
+bearing small, coarse fruit, which is used as food only in cases of
+necessity. Although occasionally of great size, the tree is easily
+climbed, as the trunk is short, and the branches are numerous and
+wide spreading. Jericho, rebuilt by Herod, was a somewhat fashionable
+town. To signalize the despised tax-gatherer in such a way was to
+teach a permanent lesson of absolute unworldliness_.
+
+
+
+
+
+JESUS RESTORETH SIGHT TO BARTIMAEUS
+
+
+
+
+And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his
+disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of
+Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging. And when he heard that it
+was 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 should
+hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, _Thou_ son of
+David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to
+be called. And they called the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good
+comfort, rise; he calleth thee. And he, casting away his garment,
+rose, and came to Jesus. And Jesus answered and said unto him, What
+wilt 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 thy
+way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his
+sight, and followed Jesus in the way.--_St. Mark x: 4.6--52._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_The site of Jericho is still an oasis in the surrounding desert, but
+neither its fertility nor its dimensions bear comparison with those
+which it attained in former days; and hardly a tree remains of the
+celebrated groves of balsam, spice, and fruit-bearing trees, and the
+palms which earned for Jericho the title of "The City of the Palm
+Trees," and which made its neighboring plain the garden of
+Palestine--the "divine district" as Joseph us calls it. This
+fertility was owing entirely to skilful irrigation, traces of no less
+than twelve aqueducts having been discovered. No class of sufferers
+more frequently claimed and obtained from Jesus the exercise of his
+compassion and healing power than that represented by blind
+Bartimaus. The malady of blindness is grievously common in Palestine,
+the proportion of those thus afflicted being one in every hundred of
+the population, whereas in Europe the proportion is only one in a
+thousand_.
+
+
+
+
+
+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 unto
+them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall
+find 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 Lord
+hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. All this was
+done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet. And
+the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them. And brought the
+ass, 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 the
+way. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried,
+saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed _is_ he that cometh in
+the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. And when he was come
+into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the
+multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of
+Galilee.--_St. Matt, xxi: 1-4., 6-11_.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_Had Jesus omitted to command to bring its mother along with the
+colt, upon which he elected to ride, his disciples would probably
+have brought her as a matter of course. It is the custom of the
+country; and as journeys are accomplished at a walking pace, mares
+and she-asses are frequently accompanied by their foals. It may be
+noted that in this picture one of the gates of Hebron does duty for
+that through which Jesus makes his triumphal entry into Jerusalem;
+the former being suggestive of far greater antiquity than any which
+are 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 the
+scribes and the chief of the people sought to destroy him. And could
+not find what they might do: for all the people were very attentive
+to hear him. And it came to pass, _that_ on one of those days, as he
+taught the people in the temple, and preached the gospel, the chief
+priests and the scribes came upon _him_ with the elders. And spake
+unto him, saying, Tell us, by what authority doest thou these things?
+or who is he that gave thee this authority? And he answered and said
+unto them, I will also ask you one thing; and answer me: The baptism
+of John, was it from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with
+themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why
+then believed ye him not? But and if we say, Of men; all the people
+will stone us: for they be persuaded that John was a prophet. And
+they answered, that they could not tell whence _it was_. And Jesus
+said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these
+things.--_St. Luke xix: 47, 48; xx: 1-8._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_The occasion on which Jesus encountered for the last time the
+opposition of his priestly enemies to his teaching, and when, in the
+presence of the assembled multitudes, he exposed and denounced their
+hypocrisy, is supposed to take place in one of the great outer courts
+of the Temple, the buildings of which, although begun forty-six years
+previously, were at this time still unfinished, and were indeed never
+fully 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 he
+went out, and abode in the mount that is called _the mount_ of
+Olives.--_St. Luke xxi: 37._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_As we ascend towards sunset the slopes of Olivet, and pause to gaze
+on the scenes beneath, the panorama of the city presented to view is
+in its leading features essentially similar to that upon which the
+eyes of Jesus rested, when "at night he went out, and abode in the
+mount that is called the Mount of Olives" Yonder stands a temple
+within that sacred enclosure which, for well-nigh three thousand
+years, save for the period during which, "the abomination of
+desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet stood in the Holy place,"
+has been dedicated to the worship of Jehovah. The citadel of
+Jerusalem breaks the skyline where stood the tower of Hippicus, and
+to the left, against the setting sun, the cypresses in a monastery
+garden mark the spot once covered by the gardens of the palace of
+Herod. Siloam stands as of old on the hither side, overlooking the
+valleys of Hinnom and Kidron; while to-day, as in former times, the
+olive yards beneath and the trees around, might well give the name
+which 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 hour
+was 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 the
+end. And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart
+of Judas Iscariot, Simon's _son_, to betray him. Jesus knowing that
+the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come
+from God, and went to God. He riseth from supper, and laid aside his
+garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth
+water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to
+wipe _them_ with the towel wherewith he was girded. Then cometh he to
+Simon 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; but
+thou shalt know hereafter. Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never
+wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no
+part with me. Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but
+also _my_ hands and _my_ head. Jesus saith to him, He that is washed
+needeth not save to wash _his_ feet, but is clean every whit: and ye
+are clean, but not all.--_St. John xiii: 1-10._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_A dwelling house, claiming to be one of the most ancient in
+Jerusalem, supplied materials for the study of the "large upper
+room," represented in this and some other of the paintings. The
+general features of the chamber, with its arched ceiling and
+flattened dome, its_ leewans _(raised platform) and the
+entrance-passage of colored stones, where guests leave their
+foot-gear before stepping upon the mat-covered floor of the room,
+may, for the reasons adduced elsewhere, be accepted as typical of
+similar 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 shall
+betray me. Then the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom
+he spake. Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples,
+whom Jesus loved. Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, that he
+should 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, to
+whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped _it_. And when he had
+dipped 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 what
+intent he spake this unto him. For some _of them_ thought, because
+Judas had the bag, that Jesus had said unto him, Buy _those things_
+that we have need of against the feast; or, that he should give
+something to the poor. He then having received the sop went
+immediately out: and it was night.--_St. John xiii: 21-30._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_Comment has already been made upon the custom prevailing at this
+time of reclining at meat. We are aware, from other sources of
+information, that in partaking of the Passover, the attitude of
+standing had, as a point of ritual, long been abandoned in favor of
+the recumbent posture, and this is directly evidenced by the words of
+the text (v: 23 and 25), which are only compatible with the
+supposition that on the present occasion the guest-chamber was
+furnished with couches which ran around the three sides of the table
+in the usual manner. Authorities differ as to which was regarded as
+the "highest seat" some maintaining that this was the outermost place
+on the right-hand couch; others, again, preferring the arrangement
+followed in the painting, where Jesus occupies the centre_.
+
+
+
+
+
+IN THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE
+
+
+
+
+Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith
+unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And he
+took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be
+sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is
+exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with
+me. 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 unto
+the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What,
+could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter
+not into temptation: the spirit indeed _is_ willing, but the flesh
+_is_ weak. He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O
+my 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 their
+eyes were heavy. And he left them, and went away again, and prayed
+the third time, saying the same words. Then cometh he to his
+disciples, 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 the
+hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that
+doth betray me.--_St. Matt, xxvi: 36-46._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_As the word Gethsemane means the "oil press" the "Garden" was in all
+probability an olive yard, whose actual site, though it cannot be
+determined with certainty, must have been in the immediate vicinity
+at least of the spot which age-long tradition indicates as the scene
+of the Agony. The great age of the trees in this enclosure has been
+urged in favor of the tradition, but it is fatal to their claim as
+witnesses, that Titus is known to have cut down, for military
+purposes, all the trees in the neighborhood of the besieged city.
+This site is now owned by the Russians who have turned it into a neat
+and trim garden, and built a bright new white church on the upper
+level with five large gilded bulbous domes_.
+
+
+
+
+
+THE ARREST OF JESUS
+
+
+
+
+
+Judas then, having received a band _of men_ and officers from the
+chief priests and Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches
+and weapons. Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come
+upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye? They answered
+him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am _he_. And Judas
+also, which betrayed him, stood with them. As soon then as he had
+said unto them, I am _he_, they went backward, and fell to the
+ground.--Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying,
+Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast. And
+forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him.
+And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came
+they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him. And, behold, one of them
+which 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: for
+all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest
+thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give
+me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the
+scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be? In that same hour said
+Jesus to the multitudes, Are ye come out as against a thief with
+swords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in
+the temple, and ye laid no hold on me. But all this was done, that
+the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the
+disciples forsook him, and fled.--_St. John xviii: 3-6; St. Matt,
+xxvi: 48-56._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_Cunningly conceived indeed was that signal of the kiss; for in the
+very act of betrayal, Judas thus covered his own treachery; and, had
+the plot failed, it would even have appeared as if, when "all the
+disciples forsook him and fled" Judas alone had courage, in the hour
+of danger, to stand by and openly to acknowledge Jesus as his
+Master_.
+
+
+
+
+
+JESUS EXAMINED BY CAIAPHAS
+
+
+
+
+And they that had laid hold on Jesus led _him_ away to Caiaphas the
+high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled. But
+Peter followed him afar off unto the high priest's palace, and went
+in, 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 witnesses
+came, _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 said
+unto him, Answerest thou nothing? what _is it which_ these witness
+against thee? But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered
+and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us
+whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus saith unto him,
+Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see
+the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the
+clouds of heaven. Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He
+hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses?
+behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy. What think ye? They answered
+and said, He is guilty of death.--_St. Matt, xxvi: 57--66._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_The outward ceremonial of the hastily convoked and Irregular
+tribunal before which Jesus underwent the mockery of a trial was
+similar to that of the ancient Sanhedrim. The members sat on a
+semi-circular divan, the president in the centre, and a scribe at
+each extremity, who recorded the evidence and the decisions of the
+court. It may be noted, that while laws had been carefully formulated
+for the conduct of such trials, almost every one of them was
+flagrantly violated on the present occasion in order to ensure a
+pre-arranged condemnation. For example, these rules provided that
+witnesses should be summoned, and that an advocate should plead on
+behalf of the accused; and they forbade that criminal trials should
+be conducted at night, that condemnation should be pronounced on the
+day of trial or on a holy day; and, if the crime were capital, that
+execution 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 gone
+out into the porch, another _maid_ saw him, and said unto them that
+were there, This _fellow_ was also with Jesus of Nazareth. And again
+he denied with an oath, I do not know the man. And after a while came
+unto _him_ they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also
+art _one_ of them; for thy speech betrayeth thee. Then began he to
+curse and to swear, _saying_, I know not the man. And immediately the
+cock crew. And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter
+remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the
+cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept
+bitterly.--_St. Matt, xxvi: 69-74.; St. Luke xxii: 61, 62_.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_In the East, the houses of the great and official residences usually
+consist of a group of separate yet connected buildings, surrounding a
+quadrangular paved court planted with trees and flowering shrubs, and
+furnished in the centre with an open cistern or fountain. Such was
+probably the construction of the palace of the High Priest
+(Caiaphas), and, apparently, this open court, across which Jesus
+would be conducted to or from the hall of trial, was the place where
+bitterness was added to his sorrow in hearing himself denied by his
+friend--and that man who had been the first to profess belief in his
+Messiahship, and who, but a few brief hours before, had stoutly sworn
+to stand by him, even unto death_.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Life of Jesus Christ for the Young
+by Richard Newton
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+Project Gutenberg's The Life of Jesus Christ for the Young, by Richard Newton
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Life of Jesus Christ for the Young
+
+Author: Richard Newton
+
+Release Date: March 8, 2004 [EBook #11509]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LIFE OF JESUS CHRIST ***
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+
+
+<h1>THE LIFE OF JESUS CHRIST FOR THE YOUNG BY
+
+<br>THE REV. RICHARD NEWTON, D.D.
+<br><br><br><br><br><br><i>ROYAL SCOTTISH ACADEMY</i>
+<br>VOL. III</h1>
+
+<center><a name="MAP_OF_PALESTINE"></a><a href="1.jpg"><img src="1.jpg" border="0" align="middle" alt="" width="80%"></a></center>
+
+
+
+<br><br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<a name="THE_GALLERY_OF_THE_LIFE_OF_JESUS_CHRIST"></a><h2>THE GALLERY OF THE LIFE OF JESUS CHRIST
+
+<br>VOLUME III
+
+<br><br>CONTENTS:</h2>
+
+<p><a href="#THE_APOSTLES_CHOSEN">I THE APOSTLES CHOSEN</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#THE_GREAT_TEACHER">II THE GREAT TEACHER</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#CHRIST_TEACHING_BY_PARABLES">III CHRIST TEACHING BY PARABLES</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#CHRIST_TEACHING_BY_MIRACLES">IV CHRIST TEACHING BY MIRACLES</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#CHRIST_TEACHING_LIBERALITY">V CHRIST TEACHING LIBERALITY</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#CHRIST_TEACHING_HUMILITY">VI CHRIST TEACHING HUMILITY</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#CHRIST_AND_THE_LITTLE_CHILDREN">VII CHRIST AND THE LITTLE CHILDREN</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#THE_TRANSFIGURATION">VIII THE TRANSFIGURATION</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#THE_LESSONS_FROM_OLIVET">IX THE LESSONS FROM OLIVET</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#THE_LORD'S_SUPPER">X THE LORD'S SUPPER</a></p>
+
+<h2>ILLUSTRATIONS:</h2>
+
+<p><a href="#MAP_OF_PALESTINE">MAP OF PALESTINE, IN COLORS</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#THE_WOMAN_OF_CANAAN">41. THE WOMAN OF CANAAN</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#SIMON_PETER'S_FAITH_IN_CHRIST">42. SIMON PETER'S FAITH IN CHRIST</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#THE_TRANSFIGURATION_OF_CHRIST">43. THE TRANSFIGURATION OF CHRIST</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#JESUS_HEALETH_A_LUNATIC">44. JESUS HEALETH A LUNATIC</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#LET_HE_WHO_IS_WITHOUT_SIN_AMONG_YOU">45. LET HE WHO IS WITHOUT SIN AMONG YOU</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#ONE_OF_TEN_LEPERS_CURED_IS_GRATEFUL">46. ONE OF TEN LEPERS CURED IS GRATEFUL</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#JESUS,_MARTHA,_MARY,_AND_LAZARUS">47. JESUS, MARTHA, MARY, AND LAZARUS</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#JESUS_BLESSETH_LITTLE_CHILDREN">48. JESUS BLESSETH LITTLE CHILDREN</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#THE_RESURRECTION_OF_LAZARUS,_FOUR_DAYS_DEAD">49. THE RESURRECTION OF LAZARUS, FOUR DAYS DEAD</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#CONVERSION_OF_ZACCHAEUS,_A_PUBLICAN">50. CONVERSION OF ZACCHAEUS, A PUBLICAN</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#JESUS_RESTORETH_SIGHT_TO_BARTIMAEUS">51. JESUS RESTORETH SIGHT TO BARTIMAEUS</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#CHRIST'S_TRIUMPHAL_ENTRY_INTO_JERUSALEM">52. CHRIST'S TRIUMPHAL ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#CHRIST_AVOUCHETH_HIS_AUTHORITY">53. CHRIST AVOUCHETH HIS AUTHORITY</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#AT_NIGHT,_JESUS_ABODE_ON_THE_MOUNT_OF_OLIVES">54. AT NIGHT, JESUS ABODE ON THE MOUNT OF OLIVES</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#JESUS_WASHETH_HIS_DISCIPLES'_FEET">55. JESUS WASHETH HIS DISCIPLES' FEET</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#THE_BETRAYAL_FORETOLD_AT_THE_SUPPER">56. THE BETRAYAL FORETOLD AT THE SUPPER</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#IN_THE_GARDEN_OF_GETHSEMANE">57. IN THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#THE_ARREST_OF_JESUS">58. THE ARREST OF JESUS</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#JESUS_EXAMINED_BY_CAIAPHAS">59. JESUS EXAMINED BY CAIAPHAS</a></p>
+
+<p><a href="#JESUS_IS_THRICE_DENIED_BY_PETER">60. JESUS IS THRICE DENIED BY PETER</a></p>
+
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="THE_APOSTLES_CHOSEN"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<h3>THE APOSTLES CHOSEN</h3>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>As soon as he returned victorious from the temptation in the
+wilderness, Jesus entered on the work of his public ministry. We find
+him, at once, preaching to the people, healing the sick, and doing
+many wonderful works. The commencement of his ministry is thus
+described by St. Matt. iv: 23-25. &quot;And Jesus went about all Galilee,
+teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the
+kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness, and all manner of
+disease among the people. And his fame went throughout all Syria; and
+they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers
+diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils,
+and those which were lunatic, and those that had the palsy; and he
+healed them. And there followed him great multitudes of people from
+Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judea, and
+from beyond Jordan.&quot; What a blessed beginning of the most blessed of
+all 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 on
+his work.</p>
+
+<p>And one of the first things he did, after thus beginning his
+ministry, was to gather his disciples round him. The first two that
+we find named among his disciples are John and Andrew. They had been
+disciples of John the Baptist. Their master pointed them to Jesus,
+and said&mdash;&quot;Behold the Lamb of God.&quot; When they heard this they
+followed Jesus, and became his disciples. When Andrew met with his
+brother Simon Peter, he said to him &quot;we have found the Messias&mdash;the
+Christ. And he brought him to Jesus.&quot; After this we are told that
+&quot;Jesus findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me.&quot; He was an
+acquaintance of Andrew and Peter, and lived in the same town with
+them. He obeyed the call at once and became one of the disciples of
+Jesus.</p>
+
+<p>Philip had a friend named Nathanael. The next time he met him, he
+said, &quot;we have found him of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets
+did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.&quot; But Nazareth was a
+despised place, and had a bad reputation. Nathanael had a very poor
+opinion of the place, and he asked&mdash;&quot;Can there any good thing come
+out of Nazareth?&quot; Philip saith unto him&mdash;&quot;Come and see.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And this is what we should say to persons when we wish them to become
+Christians. There is so much that is lovely and excellent in Jesus
+that if people will only &quot;come and see,&quot; if they will only prove for
+themselves what a glorious Saviour he is, they will find it
+impossible to help loving and serving him. Nathanael came to Jesus.
+And when he heard the wonderful words that Jesus spoke to him he was
+converted at once, and expressed his wonder by saying&mdash;&quot;Rabbi, thou
+art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.&quot; We can read all
+about 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 one
+who bears the name of Bartholomew in the different lists of the
+apostles.</p>
+
+<p>After this we read of Jesus calling Matthew the publican, who was a
+tax-gatherer. This is what is meant by his &quot;sitting at the receipt of
+custom.&quot; &quot;Follow me,&quot; were the words spoken to him. He obeyed at
+once; left all and followed Jesus. St. Luke and St. Mark mention this
+same 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 to
+have two names. Sometimes they were called by one of these names and
+sometimes by the other.</p>
+
+<p>Here we have the account of six persons, who became disciples of
+Jesus; and of the different ways in which they were led to follow
+him. No doubt many others were led to become his disciples from
+simply hearing him preach; and from listening to the gracious words
+that he spoke.</p>
+
+<p>And very soon after he had gathered together a large company of
+disciples, he made choice of twelve, out of this number, who were to
+be 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 be
+prepared to take his place, and carry on his work when he should
+return to heaven.</p>
+
+<p>It was necessary for these men to be chosen. When Washington was
+appointed to conduct our armies during the Revolution, he chose a
+number of generals to help him. And it is natural for us to think of
+Washington and his generals. But just as natural it is to think
+of&mdash;Jesus and his apostles.</p>
+
+<p>And this is the subject we have now to consider&mdash;<i>The Apostles
+Chosen</i>.</p>
+
+<p>And in considering this subject there are four things of which to
+speak.</p>
+
+<p><i>The first, is the condition and character of the men whom Jesus
+chose as his apostles.</i></p>
+
+<p><i>The second, is the work these men were called to do.</i></p>
+
+<p><i>The third, is the help that was given them in doing this work; and</i></p>
+
+<p><i>The fourth, is the lesson taught us by this subject.</i> Or, to make the
+points of the subject as short as possible, we may state them thus:</p>
+
+<p><i>The men. The work. The help. The lesson.</i></p>
+
+<p>We begin then with speaking of&mdash;THE MEN&mdash;<i>or the condition and
+character of those whom Jesus chose to be his apostles or helpers</i>.</p>
+
+<p>Now we might have thought that Jesus would have chosen his apostles,
+or helpers, from among the angels of heaven. They are so wise, and
+good, and strong, that we wonder why he did not choose them. But he
+did not. He chose <i>men</i> to be his apostles. And what kind of men did
+he choose? If we had been asked this question beforehand, we should
+have supposed that he would certainly have chosen the wisest and the
+most learned men, the richest and greatest men that could be found in
+the 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 been
+heard of before. Fishermen, and tax-gatherers, and men occupying very
+humble positions in life, were those whom Jesus chose to be his
+apostles.</p>
+
+<p>And one reason, no doubt, why Jesus made choice of men of this
+character to be his apostles was that when their work was done, no
+one should be able to say that it was the learning, or wisdom, or
+riches, or power of men by whom that work was accomplished. The
+apostle Paul teaches us that this is the way in which God generally
+acts; and that he does it for the very reason just spoken of. He
+says, &quot;God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound
+the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to
+confound the mighty; and base things of the world, and things which
+are despised hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring
+to nought the things that are; that no flesh should glory in his
+presence.&quot; I. Cor. i: 27-29. The meaning of this passage is that God
+loves to work by little things. This was the reason why Jesus chose
+poor, unlearned fishermen to be his apostles. And we see God working
+in the same way continually.</p>
+
+<p>Look at yonder sun. God made it, and hung it up there in the sky that
+it might give light to our world. But the light which this sun gives
+comes to us in tiny little bits, smaller than the point of the finest
+needle that ever was made. They are so small that hundreds of them
+can rush right into our eyes, as they are doing all the time, and not
+hurt them the least. Here we see how God makes use of little things,
+and does a great work with them.</p>
+
+<p>And then look at yonder ocean. The waves of that ocean are so
+powerful that they can break in pieces the strongest ships that men
+have ever built. And yet, when God wishes to keep that mighty ocean
+in 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 great
+work with them. And we find God working in this way continually. Let
+us look at one or two illustrations.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What a Plant Did.&quot; A little plant was given to a sick girl. In
+trying to take care of it, the family made changes in their way of
+living, which added greatly to their comfort and happiness. First,
+they cleaned the window, that more light might come in to the leaves
+of the plant. Then, when not too cold, they opened the window, that
+fresh 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 room
+look so untidy that they washed the floor, and cleaned the walls, and
+arranged the furniture more neatly. This led the father of the family
+to mend a broken chair or two, which kept him at home several
+evenings. After this, he took to staying at home with his family in
+the evenings, instead of spending his time at the tavern; and the
+money thus saved went to buy comforts for them all. And then, as
+their home grew more pleasant, the whole family loved it better than
+ever before, and they grew healthier and happier with their flowers.
+What a little thing that plant was, and yet it was God's apostle to
+that family! It did a great work for them in blessing them and making
+them happy. And <i>that</i> was work that an angel would have been glad to
+do.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Brought In by a Smile.&quot; A London minister said to a friend one day;
+&quot;Seven persons were received into my church last Sunday, and they
+were all brought in by a smile.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Brought in by a smile! Pray what do you mean?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Let me explain. Several months ago, as I passed a certain house on
+my way to church, I saw, held in the arms of its nurse, a beautiful
+infant; and as it fixed its bright black eyes on me, I smiled, and
+the dear child returned the smile. The next Sabbath the babe was
+again before the window. Again I smiled, and the smile was returned,
+as before. The third Sabbath, as I passed by the window, I threw the
+little one a kiss. Instantly its hand was extended and a kiss thrown
+back to me. And so it came to pass that I learned to watch for the
+baby on my way to church; and as the weeks went by, I noticed that
+the nurse and the baby were not alone. Other members of the family
+pressed to the window to see the gentleman who always had a smile for
+the dear baby&mdash;the household pet.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;One Sunday morning, as I passed, two children, a boy and a girl,
+stood at the window beside the baby. That morning the father and
+mother had said to those children: 'Get ready for church, for we
+think that the gentleman who always smiles to the baby is a minister.
+When he passes you may follow him, and see where he preaches.'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The children were quite willing to follow the suggestion of their
+parents, and after I had passed, the door opened, and the children
+stepped upon the pavement, and kept near me, till I entered my
+church, when they followed me, and seats were given them.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;When they returned home, they sought their parents and eagerly
+exclaimed: 'He is a minister, and we have found his church, and he
+preached a beautiful sermon this morning. You must go and hear him
+next Sunday.'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It was not difficult to persuade the parents to go, and guided by
+their children they found their way to the church. They, too, were
+pleased, and other members of the family were induced to come to the
+house 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 all
+brought in by a smile.'&quot;</p>
+
+<p>What a little thing a smile is! And yet, here we see how God made use
+of so small a thing as this, to make seven persons Christians, and to
+save their souls forever! Of the God who can work in this way, it
+may well be said that he loves to work by little things. It is the
+way in which he is working continually.</p>
+
+<p>How eagerly, then, we may try to learn and to practise what has been
+very sweetly expressed in</p>
+
+<p>THE MITE SONG.</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;Only a drop in the bucket,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">But every drop will tell,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">The bucket would soon be empty,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Without the drops in the well.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;Only a poor little penny,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">It was all I had to give;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">But as pennies make the dollars,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">It may help some cause to live.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;A few little bits of ribbon,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And some toys&mdash;they were not new,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">But they made the sick child happy,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And that made me happy, too.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;Only some out-grown garments;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">They were all I had to spare;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">But they'll help to clothe the needy,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And the poor are everywhere.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;A word now and then of comfort,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">That cost me nothing to say;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">But the poor old man died happy,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And it helped him on the way.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;God loveth the cheerful giver,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Though the gifts be poor and small;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">But what must he think of his children</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Who never give at all?&quot;</span><br>
+
+<p>God loves to work by little means. We see this when we think of the
+men whom Jesus chose to be his apostles. The first thing about this
+subject is&mdash;<i>the men</i>.</p>
+
+<p><i>The second thing to speak of, in connection with this subject,
+is</i>&mdash;THE WORK&mdash;<i>they had to do</i>.</p>
+
+<p>What this work was we find fully stated in the fourteenth chapter of
+St. Matthew. In this chapter Jesus told the apostles all about the
+work they were to do for him, and how they were to do it. In the
+seventh and eighth verses of this chapter we have distinctly stated
+just what they were to do. &quot;As ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of
+heaven is at hand; Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead,
+cast out devils.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>On this occasion Jesus sent his apostles to do the work committed to
+them, not among the Gentiles, but only among the Jews; or as he calls
+them&mdash;&quot;the lost sheep of the house of Israel,&quot; v. 5,6. But, after his
+resurrection, and just before he went up to heaven, he enlarged their
+commission. His parting command to them then was&mdash;&quot;<i>Go ye into all
+the world, and preach the gospel to every creature</i>.&quot; St. Mark xvi:
+15.</p>
+
+<p>When Jesus, their Master, went to heaven they were to take up and
+carry on the great work that he had begun. Those twelve men were to
+begin the work of changing the religion of the world. They were to
+overturn the idols that had been worshiped for ages. They were to
+shut up the temples in which those idols had been worshiped. They
+were to &quot;turn men from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan
+unto God.&quot; Acts xxvi: 18. They were to go up and down the world,
+everywhere, telling the wondrous story of Jesus and his love. And in
+doing this work they were to be the means of saving the souls of all
+who believed their message, and in the end of winning the world back
+to Jesus, till, according to God's promise, he has &quot;the heathen for
+his inheritance, and the utmost parts of the earth for his
+possession.&quot; Ps. ii: 8.</p>
+
+<p>This was the grandest and most important work that men were ever
+called 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 not
+finished yet. And, if we learn to love and serve Jesus, we may help
+to carry it on. We may be apostles, too, though in a lower sense than
+that in which the first twelve were apostles. An apostle means&mdash;one
+<i>sent</i>. But Jesus <i>sends</i> into the vineyard to work for him all who
+become his loving children. And, in this sense it is true that all
+who love and serve Jesus are his apostles. He says to each of
+us&mdash;&quot;Go, work to-day, in my vineyard.&quot; St. Matt, xxi: 28. And in
+another place he says&mdash;&quot;Let him that heareth, say, Come.&quot; Rev. xxii:
+17.</p>
+
+<p>And when we are trying to tell people of Jesus and his love, and to
+bring them to him, then we are helping to carry on the same great
+work that Jesus gave his apostles to do. Let us look at some examples
+of persons who have been apostles for God and helped to do the work
+of apostles.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Aunt Lucy.&quot; I heard the other day of a good old woman in the State
+of Michigan, known as Aunt Lucy. She is eighty-four years old, and
+lives all alone, supporting herself principally by carpet-weaving.
+All that she can save from her earnings, after paying for her
+necessary expenses, she spends in buying Bibles, which she
+distributes among the children and the poor of the neighborhood.
+Thirteen large family Bibles, and fifty small ones, have thus been
+given away&mdash;good, well-bound Bibles.</p>
+
+<p>A neighbor, who has watched this good work very closely, says that
+two-thirds of the persons to whom Aunt Lucy has given Bibles have
+afterwards become Christians. In doing this work Aunt Lucy was an
+apostle.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Charcoal Carrier.&quot; One Sunday afternoon, in summer, a little
+girl named Mary, going home from a Sunday-school in the country, sat
+down to rest under the shade of a tree by the roadside. While sitting
+there she opened her Bible to read. As she sat reading, a man, well
+known in that neighborhood as Jacob, the charcoal carrier, came by
+with 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 was
+not a Christian man, and was accustomed to work with his donkey as
+hard on Sunday as on week-days.</p>
+
+<p>When he came by where Mary was sitting, he stopped a moment, and
+said, in a good-natured way:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What book is that you are reading, my little maid?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It is God's book&mdash;the Bible,&quot; said Mary.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Let me hear you read a little in it, if you please,&quot; said he,
+stopping his donkey.</p>
+
+<p>Mary began at the place where the book was open, and read:&mdash;&quot;Remember
+the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do
+all thy work.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;There, that's enough,&quot; said Jacob, &quot;and now tell me what it means.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It means,&quot; said Mary, &quot;that you mustn't carry charcoal, on Sunday,
+nor let your donkey carry it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Does it?&quot; said Jacob, musing a little. &quot;I tell you what then, I must
+think over what you have said.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And he <i>did</i> think over it. And the result of his thinking was, that
+instead of going with his donkey to the woods on the next Sunday, he
+went with his two little girls to the Sunday-school. And the end of
+it all was that Jacob, the charcoal carrier, became a Christian, and
+God's blessing rested on him and his family.</p>
+
+<p>Little Mary was doing an apostle's work when she read and explained
+the Bible to Jacob and was the means of bringing him to Jesus.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Use of Fragments.&quot; In the Cathedral at Lincoln, England, there
+is a window of stained glass which was made by an apprentice out of
+little pieces of glass that had been thrown aside by his master as
+useless. It is said to be the most beautiful window in the Cathedral.
+And if, like this apprentice, we carefully gather up, and improve the
+little bits of time, of knowledge, and of opportunities that we have,
+we may do work for God more beautiful than that Cathedral window. We
+may do work like that which the apostles were sent to do. Here are
+some sweet lines, written by I know not whom, about that beautiful
+window, made out of the little pieces of glass:</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;Great things are made of fragments small,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Small things are germs of great;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">And, of earth's stately temples, all</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">To fragments owe their weight.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;This window, peer of all the rest,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Of fragments small is wrought;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Of fragments that the artist deemed</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Unworthy of his thought.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;And thus may we, of little things,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Kind words and gentle deeds,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Add wealth or beauty to our lives,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Which greater acts exceeds.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;Each victory o'er a sinful thought,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Each action, true and pure,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Is, 'mid our life's engraving, wrought</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">In tints that shall endure.&quot;</span><br>
+
+<p>The second thing about the apostles is, <i>the work</i>&mdash;they did.</p>
+
+<p><i>The third thing, for us to notice about the apostles, is</i>&mdash;THE
+HELP&mdash;<i>they received</i>.</p>
+
+<p>In one place, we are told that Jesus &quot;gave them power against unclean
+spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness, and
+all manner of disease.&quot; St. Matt. x: 1. In another place we are told,
+that for their comfort and encouragement in the great work they had
+to do, Jesus said to them, &quot;Lo, I am with you always, even unto the
+end of the world.&quot; St. Matt. xxviii: 20. And if they only had Jesus
+with them, no matter what the work was they had to do, they would be
+sure of having all the help they might need. The apostle Paul
+understood this very well, for he said, &quot;I can do all things through
+Christ, which strengtheneth me.&quot; Phil. iv: 13.</p>
+
+<p>And then, as if his own presence with them were not enough, Jesus
+promised that his apostles should have the help of the Holy Spirit in
+carrying on their work. Just before leaving them to go to heaven, he
+said to the disciples&mdash;&quot;Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy
+Ghost is come upon you.&quot; Acts i: 8. And what this power was we see in
+the case of the apostle Peter; for the first sermon he preached
+after the Holy Ghost came upon him, on the day of Pentecost, was the
+means of converting three thousand souls. Acts ii: 41.</p>
+
+<p>And the same God who gave the apostles all the help they needed, has
+promised to do the same for you, and me, and for all who try to work
+for him. There are many promises of this kind in the Bible to which I
+might refer. But I will only mention one. This is so sweet and
+precious that it deserves to be written in letters of gold. There is
+no passage in the Bible that has given me so much comfort and
+encouragement in trying to work for God as this I refer here to Is.
+xli: 10. &quot;Fear thou not; for I am with thee; be not dismayed; for I
+am thy God; I will strengthen thee; yea&mdash;I WILL HELP THEE.&quot; This
+promise was not given for prophets and apostles only, but for all
+God's people to the end of time. You and I, if we are trying to serve
+God, may take it as ours. God meant it for us. And when we get this
+promised help from God, we can do any work he has for us to do, and
+be happy in doing it.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;For Thine is the Power.&quot; &quot;I can't do it&mdash;it's quite impossible. I've
+tried five times, and can't get it right&quot;&mdash;and Ben Hartley pushed his
+book and slate away in despair. Ben was a good scholar. He was at
+the head of his class, and was very anxious to stay there. But the
+sums he had now to do were very hard. He could not do them, and was
+afraid of losing his place in the class. Most of the boys had some
+one 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 school
+much when a girl, and she could not help Ben.</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Hartley felt sorry for her son's perplexity, and quietly said,
+&quot;Then, Ben, you don't believe in the Lord's prayer?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Lord's prayer, mother! Why, there's nothing there to help a
+fellow do his sums.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, yes; there is. There is help for every trouble in life in the
+Lord's prayer, if we only know how to use it. I was trying a long
+time before I found out what the last part of this prayer really
+means. 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 ask
+him to keep us from evil; and to forgive us our sins; and then we
+say: 'for <i>thine</i> is the <i>kingdom</i>, and <i>the power</i>, and the glory.'
+It's God's power that we rely on&mdash;not our own; and it often helps
+me, Ben, when I have something hard to do. I say, 'For <i>thine</i> is the
+power&mdash;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.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Ben sat silent. It seemed almost too familiar a prayer. And yet he
+remembered when he had to stay home from school because he had no
+clothes fit to go in, how he prayed to God about it, and the
+minister's wife brought him a suit the very next day. &quot;But a boy's
+sums, mother! it seems like such a little thing to ask God about.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Those sums are not a little thing to you, Ben. Your success at
+school depends on your knowing how to do them. <i>That</i>, is as much to
+you, as many a greater thing to some one else. Now I care a great
+deal about that, because I love you. And I know your Father in heaven
+loves you more than I do. I would gladly help you, if I could; but he
+<i>can</i> help you. His 'is the power;' ask him to help you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>After doing an errand for his mother, Ben picked up his book and
+slate and went up to his little room. Kneeling down by the bed he
+repeated the Lord's prayer. When he came to&mdash;&quot;thine is the kingdom,&quot;
+he stopped a moment, and then said, with all his heart&mdash;&quot;'And thine
+is the power,' heavenly Father. I want power to know how to do these
+sums. There's no one else to help me. Lord, please give me power, for
+Jesus' sake, Amen.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Ben waited a moment, and then, still on his knees, he took his slate
+and tried again. Do you ask me if he succeeded? Remember what Saint
+James says, &quot;If any man lack wisdom let him ask of God, who giveth to
+all men liberally, and upbraideth not: <i>and it shall be given him</i>.&quot;
+Jas. i: 5. That is God's promise, and heaven and earth must pass away
+before one of his promises shall fail. Ben had prayed to God to help
+him, and God answered his prayer. He tried once more to work out
+those sums. After thinking over them a little while, he saw the
+mistake he had made in neglecting one of the rules for working the
+sums. He corrected this mistake, and then he found they all worked
+out beautifully. The next day he was head of the class; for he was
+the only boy who could say that he had done the sum himself, without
+getting any one at home to help him.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And yet I was helped, mother,&quot; said Ben, &quot;for I am sure my Father in
+heaven helped me.&quot; But that was not what the teacher meant. After
+this, Ben never forgot the last part of the Lord's prayer. When he
+needed help he knew where the power was that could help him.</p>
+
+<p>Here was where the apostles got the help they needed in doing the
+hard work they had to do. And how much help we might get in doing our
+work if we only make a right use of this &quot;power which belongeth unto
+God;&quot; and which he is always ready to use in helping us.</p>
+
+<p>The help they received, is the third thing to remember when we think
+about the apostles and their work.</p>
+
+<p><i>The last thing to bear in mind when we think of Jesus choosing his
+twelve apostles, is</i>&mdash;THE LESSON&mdash;<i>it teaches us</i>.</p>
+
+<p>There are many lessons we might learn from this subject; but there is
+one so much more important than all the rest that we may very well
+let them go, and think only of this one. When St. Luke tells us about
+Jesus choosing the twelve apostles, he mentions one very important
+thing, of which St. Matthew, in his account of it says nothing at
+all. And it is this thing from which we draw our lesson. In the
+twelfth verse of the sixth chapter of his gospel, St. Luke
+says&mdash;&quot;And it came to pass in those days, that he (Jesus) went out
+into a mountain to pray, and <i>continued all night in prayer to God</i>.&quot;
+And after this, the first thing he did, in the morning, was to call
+his disciples to him, and out of them to choose the twelve, who were
+to be his apostles. And the lesson we learn from this part of the
+subject is:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Lesson of Prayer.&quot; Jesus spent the whole night in prayer to God,
+before he chose his apostles. How strange this seems to us! And yet
+it is easy enough to see at least two reasons why he did this. One
+was because <i>he loved to pray</i>. We know how pleasant it is for us to
+meet, and talk with a person whom we love very much. But prayer
+is&mdash;talking with God&mdash;telling him what we want, and asking his help.
+But Jesus loved his Father in heaven, with a love deeper and stronger
+than we can understand. This must have made it the most delightful of
+all things for him to be engaged in prayer, or in talking with his
+Father in heaven. And, if we really love Jesus, prayer will not be a
+hard duty to us, but a sweet privilege. We shall love to pray,
+because, in prayer we are talking to that blessed Saviour, &quot;whom,
+not having seen, we love.&quot; And this was one reason why Jesus spent
+the whole night in prayer, before choosing his twelve apostles.</p>
+
+<p>But there was another reason why Jesus spent so much time in prayer
+before performing this important work, and that was to <i>set us an
+example</i>. It was to teach us the very lesson of which we are now
+speaking&mdash;the lesson of prayer. Remember how much power and wisdom
+Jesus had in himself; and what mighty things he was able to do. And
+yet, if <i>He</i> felt that it was right to pray before engaging in any
+important work, how much more necessary it is for us to do so!</p>
+
+<p>Let us learn this lesson well. Let it be the rule and habit of our
+lives to connect prayer with everything we do. This will make us
+happy in our own souls, and useful to those about us.</p>
+
+<p>How full the Bible is of the wonders that have been wrought by
+prayer! Just think for a moment of some of them.</p>
+
+<p>Abraham prays, and Lot is delivered from the fiery flood that
+overwhelmed Sodom and Gomorrah. Gen. xix: 29. Jacob prays, and he
+wrestles with the angel, and obtains the blessing; his brother
+Esau's mind is wonderfully turned away from the wrath he had
+cherished for twenty years. Moses prays and Amalek is discomfited.
+Joshua prays and Achan is discovered. Hannah prays and Samuel is
+born. David prays and Ahithophel hangs himself. Elijah prays and a
+famine of three years comes upon Israel. He prays again, and the rain
+descends, and the famine ends. Elisha prays, and Jordan is divided.
+He prays again, and the dead child's soul is brought back from the
+invisible world. Isaiah and Hezekiah pray, and a hundred and
+eighty-five thousand Assyrian soldiers are slain in one night by the
+unseen sword of the angel. These are Bible illustrations of the help
+God gives to his people in answer to prayer. And the Bible rule for
+prayer, as given by our Saviour, is, &quot;that men ought <i>always</i> to
+pray,&quot; Luke xviii: 1. St. Paul's way of stating it is&mdash;&quot;Praying
+always, with all prayer,&quot; Ephes. vi: 18. In another place he
+says&mdash;&quot;Pray without ceasing,&quot; I. Thess. v: 17. And even the heathen
+teach the same rule about prayer. Among the rules of Nineveh, an
+inscription on a tablet has been found, which, on being translated,
+proved to contain directions about prayer. It may be entitled:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;An Assyrian Call to Prayer.&quot; These are the words of the call:</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;Pray thou! pray thou!</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Before the couch, pray!</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Before the throne, pray!</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Before the canopy, pray!</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Before the building of the lofty head, pray!</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Before the rising of the dawn, pray!</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Before the fire, pray!</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">By the tablets and papyri, pray!</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">By the side of the river, pray!</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">By the side of a ship, or riding in a ship, or leaving the ship, pray!</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">At the rising of the sun, or the setting of the sun, pray!</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">On coming out of the city, on entering the city, pray!</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">On coming out of the great gate, on entering the great gate, pray!</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">On coming out of the house, pray! on entering the house, pray!</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">In the place of judgment, pray!</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">In the temple, pray!&quot;</span><br>
+
+<p>This is like the Bible rule of&mdash;&quot;praying always.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Praying for a Dinner.&quot; &quot;Grandma, aren't we going to church this
+morning?&quot; asked a little girl.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;My child, we have had no breakfast, and have no dinner to eat when
+we come back,&quot; said her grandma.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But the Lord Jesus can give it to us if we ask him,&quot; said the little
+girl. &quot;Let's ask him.&quot; So they kneeled down, and asked that God, &quot;who
+feedeth the young ravens when they cry,&quot; to remember them, and help
+them.</p>
+
+<p>Then they went to church. They found it very much crowded. An old
+gentleman took the little girl upon his knee. He was pleased with her
+quiet behaviour. On parting with her at the close of the service, he
+slipped a half crown into her hand. &quot;See, Grandma,&quot; she said, as soon
+as they were out of church, &quot;Jesus has sent us our dinner.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>But when we ask God to help us, we must always try to help ourselves.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Working as well as Praying.&quot; Two little girls went to the same
+school; one of them, named Mary, always said her lessons well, the
+other, named Jane, always failed. One day Jane said, &quot;Mary, how does
+it happen that you always say your lessons so well?&quot; Mary said she
+prayed over her lessons, and <i>that</i> was the secret of her success.</p>
+
+<p>Jane concluded to try praying. But the next day she failed worse than
+ever. In tears, she reproached Mary for deceiving her. &quot;But, did you
+study hard, as well as pray over your lesson?&quot; asked Mary.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No; I thought if I only prayed, that was all I had to do,&quot; replied
+Jane. &quot;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 lessons
+well,&quot; was Mary's wise answer. The next day Jane studied, as well as
+prayed, and she had her lesson perfectly.</p>
+
+<p>The greatest work we can ever do, is to bring a soul to Jesus, or to
+convert a sinner from the error of his way. Here is an illustration
+of the way in which this may be done by prayer and effort combined:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Coachman and His Prayer.&quot; &quot;I was riding once, on the top of a
+stage-coach,&quot; said a Christian gentleman, &quot;when the driver by my side
+began to swear in a dreadful manner. I lifted up my heart for God's
+blessing on what I said; and presently, in a quiet way, I asked him
+this question: 'Driver, do you ever pray?' He seemed displeased at
+first; but after awhile he replied, 'I sometimes go to church on
+Sunday; and then I suppose I pray, don't I?' 'I am afraid you never
+pray at all; for no man can swear as you do, and yet be in the habit
+of praying to God.'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;As we rode along he seemed thoughtful. 'Coachman, I wish you would
+pray now,' I said. '&quot;Why, what a time to pray, Sir, when a man is
+driving a coach!&quot;' 'Yet, my friend, God will hear you,' '&quot;What shall
+I pray?&quot;' he asked, in a low voice. 'Pray these words: '&quot;O Lord,
+grant me thy Holy Spirit, for Christ's sake. Amen.&quot;' He hesitated,
+but in a moment he repeated them; and then, at my request, he said
+them over a second, and a third time. The end of the journey was
+reached, and I left him.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;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 was
+answered. I saw myself a lost, and ruined sinner; but now, I humbly
+hope, that through the blood which cleanseth from all sin, and by the
+power of the Holy Spirit, I am a converted man.'&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And so, when we think of the twelve apostles, appointed by Jesus to
+preach his gospel, these are the four things for us to remember in
+connection with them, viz.:&mdash;<i>the men</i> whom he chose; <i>the work</i> they
+had to do; <i>the help</i> given them in doing that work; and <i>the lesson</i>
+we are taught by this subject&mdash;the lesson of prayer.</p>
+
+<p>Whatever we have to do, let us do it with all our hearts, and do it
+as for God, and then we shall be his apostles&mdash;his sent ones. Let me
+put the application of this subject in the form of some earnest,
+practical lines that I lately met with. The lines only speak of
+boys, but they apply just as well to girls. They are headed:</p>
+
+<p>DRIVE THE NAIL.</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;Drive the nail aright, boys,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Hit it on the head,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Strike with all your might, boys,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">While the iron's red.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;Lessons you've to learn, boys,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Study with a will;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">They who reach the top, boys,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">First must climb the hill.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;Standing at the foot, boys,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Gazing at the sky,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">How can you get up, boys,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">If you never try?</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;Though you stumble oft, boys,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Never be downcast;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Try and try again, boys,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">You'll succeed at last.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;Ever persevere, boys,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Tho' your task be hard;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Toil and happy cheer, boys,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Bring their own reward.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;Never give it up, boys,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Always say you'll try;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Joy will fill your cup, boys,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Flowing by and by.&quot;</span><br>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="THE_GREAT_TEACHER"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<h2>THE GREAT TEACHER</h2>
+
+
+
+<br><br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>Teaching was the great business of the life of Christ during the days
+of his public ministry. He was <i>sent</i> to teach and to preach. The
+speaker in the book of Job was thinking of this Great Teacher when he
+asked&mdash;&quot;<i>Who teacheth like him</i>?&quot; Job xxxvi: 22. And it was he who
+was in the Psalmist's mind when he spoke of the &quot;good, and upright
+Lord&quot; who would teach sinners, if they were meek, how to walk in his
+ways. Ps. xxv: 8-9. And he is the Redeemer, of whom the prophet
+Isaiah was telling when he said&mdash;He would &quot;<i>teach us to profit</i>, and
+<i>would lead us by the way that we should go</i>.&quot; And thus we know how
+true was what Nicodemus said of him, that &quot;he was a <i>teacher sent
+from God</i>.&quot; John iii: 2. Thus what was said of Jesus, before he came
+into our world, would naturally lead us to expect to find him
+occupied in teaching. And so he <i>was</i> occupied, all through the days
+of his public ministry. St. Matthew tells us that&mdash;&quot;Jesus went about
+all Galilee, <i>teaching</i> in their synagogues.&quot; Ch. iv: 23. Further on
+in his gospel he tells us again that &quot;Jesus went about all the
+cities, and villages, teaching in their synagogues.&quot; Ch. ix: 35. When
+on his trial before Pilate, his enemies brought it as a charge
+against him that he had been&mdash;&quot;<i>teaching</i> throughout all Jewry.&quot; Luke
+xxiii: 5. We read in one place that&mdash;&quot;the elders of the people came
+unto him <i>as he was teaching</i>.&quot; Matt. xxi: 23. Jesus himself gave
+this account of his life work to his enemies&mdash;&quot;I sat <i>daily</i> with you
+<i>teaching</i> in the temple.&quot; Matt. xxvi: 55. And so we come now to look
+at the life of Christ from this point of view&mdash;as a Teacher. There
+never was such a Teacher. We do not wonder at the effect of his
+teaching of which we read in St. John vii: 46, when the chief priests
+sent some of their officers to take him prisoner, and bring him unto
+them; the officers went, and joined the crowd that was listening to
+his preaching. His words had such a strange effect on them that they
+could not think of touching him. So they went back to their masters
+without doing what they had been sent to do. &quot;And when the chief
+priests and Pharisees said unto them&mdash;Why have ye not brought him?
+The officers answered, <i>Never man spake like this man</i>.&quot; Jesus was
+indeed&mdash;<i>The Great Teacher</i>. In this light we are now to look at him.
+And as we do this we shall find that there were <i>five</i> great things
+about his teaching which made him different from any other teacher
+the world has ever known.</p>
+
+<p><i>In the first place Jesus may well be called the Great Teacher,
+because of the</i>&mdash;GREAT BLESSINGS&mdash;<i>of which he came to tell</i>.</p>
+
+<p>We find some of these spoken of at the opening of his first great
+sermon to his disciples, called &quot;The Sermon on the Mount.&quot; This is
+the most wonderful sermon that ever was preached. Jesus began it by
+telling about some of the great blessings he had brought down from
+heaven for poor sinful creatures such as we are. The sermon begins in
+the fifth chapter of St. Matthew, and the first twelve verses of the
+chapter are occupied in speaking of these blessings. As soon as he
+opened his mouth and began to speak a stream of blessings flowed out.</p>
+
+<p>It was a beautiful thought, on this subject, which a boy in
+Sunday-school once had. The teacher had been talking to his class
+about the beginning of this sermon on the mount. He had spoken of the
+sweetness of the words of Jesus, when &quot;He opened his mouth and
+taught&quot; his disciples. &quot;How pleasant it must have been, my dear
+boys,&quot; said he, &quot;to have seen the blessed Saviour, and to have heard
+him speak!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>A serious-minded little fellow in the class said, &quot;Teacher, don't you
+think that when Jesus opened his mouth, and began to speak to his
+disciples, it must have been like taking the stopper out of a scent
+bottle?&quot; I cannot tell whether this boy had ever read the words of
+Solomon or not; but he had just the same idea that was in his mind
+when he said of this &quot;Great Teacher,&quot; &quot;thy name is <i>as ointment
+poured forth</i>.&quot; Cant, i: 3. We perceive the fragrance of this
+ointment as soon as Jesus opens his mouth and begins to speak. If we
+had been listening to Jesus when he began this sermon, saying:&mdash;&quot;
+Blessed are the poor in spirit; blessed are the meek; blessed are the
+pure in heart; blessed are the peace-makers&quot;&mdash;and so on till he had
+spoken of <i>nine</i> different kinds of blessing, we might have thought
+that he had nothing but blessings of which to tell. It would have
+seemed as if his mind, and heart, and lips, and hands were all so
+filled with blessings that he could do nothing else till he had told
+about these. And the blessings spoken of here are not all the
+blessings that Jesus brought. They are only specimens of them. The
+blessings he has obtained for us are innumerable. David says of them,
+&quot;If I would declare and speak of them they are more than can be
+numbered.&quot; Ps. xl: 5. And these blessings are not only very numerous,
+but very <i>great</i>. Look at one or two of these blessings that Jesus,
+the Great Teacher, brings to us. He says, &quot;Blessed are they that
+mourn, for they shall be comforted.&quot; Jesus came to bring comfort to
+the mourners. Hundreds of years before Christ came the prophet Isaiah
+had said of him that he would come to &quot;<i>comfort all that mourn</i>.&quot; Is.
+lxi: 2. And to show how complete this blessing would be which he was
+to bring, Jesus said himself&mdash;&quot;<i>As one whom his mother
+comforteth</i>&mdash;<i>so will I comfort you</i>.&quot; Is. lxvi: 13. A young girl was
+dying. A friend who came in to see her said:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I trust you have a good hope.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; she answered, distinctly; &quot;I am not hoping&mdash;I am certain. My
+salvation was finished on the cross. My soul is saved. Heaven is
+mine. I am going to Jesus.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>What a great blessing it is to have comfort like that!</p>
+
+<p>When Jesus was speaking to the woman of Samaria, as he sat by Jacob's
+well, he compared the blessing of his grace to the water of that
+well. Pointing to the well at his side, he said: &quot;Whosoever drinketh
+of this water will thirst again. But whosoever drinketh of the water
+that I shall give him, shall never thirst; but the water that I shall
+give him, shall be <i>in him, a well of water, springing up unto
+everlasting life</i>.&quot; John iv: 13, 14. This is one of the most
+beautiful illustrations of the blessing Jesus gives that ever was
+used. It is a great blessing to have a well of clear, cold water in
+our garden, or near our door. But, only think of having a well of
+water <i>in our hearts</i>. Then, wherever we go, we carry that well with
+us. We never have to go away from it. No one can separate between us
+and the water of this well. Other wells dry up and fail. But this is
+a well that never dries up, and never fails. This well is deep, and
+its water is all the time &quot;springing up unto everlasting life.&quot; How
+happy they are in whose breasts Jesus opens this well of water!</p>
+
+<p>Coleridge, the English poet, in writing to a young friend, just
+before his death, said:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Health is a great blessing; wealth, gained by honest industry, is a
+great blessing; it is a great blessing to have kind, faithful, loving
+friends and relatives, <i>but, the greatest, and best of all blessings
+is to be a Christian</i>.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>One of the most able and learned lawyers that England ever had was
+John Selden. He was so famous for his learning and knowledge that he
+is always spoken of as &quot;the learned Selden.&quot; On his deathbed he
+said&mdash;&quot;I have taken much pains to know everything that was worth
+knowing among men; but with all my reading and all my knowledge,
+nothing now remains with me to comfort me at the close of life but
+these precious words of St. Paul: 'This a faithful saying, and worthy
+of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save
+sinners;' to this I cling. In this I rest. This gives me peace, and
+comfort, and enables me to die happy.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>William Wilberforce was another of the great and good men who have
+been a blessing and an honor to England. When he was on his deathbed,
+he said to a dear friend:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;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 my
+Saviour. Read the Bible. Let no other book take its place. Through
+all my trials and perplexities, it has been my comfort. And now it
+comforts me, and makes me happy.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Here we see &quot;this well of water springing up unto everlasting life.&quot;
+And Jesus, who came to tell us of this water, and to open up this
+well in our breasts, may well be called, &quot;the Great Teacher,&quot; because
+of the great blessings&mdash;of which he tells.</p>
+
+<p><i>In the second place Jesus may be called &quot;the Great Teacher&quot; because
+of the</i>&mdash;GREAT SIMPLICITY&mdash;<i>of his teachings</i>.</p>
+
+<p>I do not mean to say that we can understand every thing that Jesus
+taught. This is not so. He had some things to speak about that are
+not simple. He said to his disciples, &quot;<i>I have yet many things to say
+unto you, but ye cannot bear them now</i>.&quot; John xvi: 12. This means
+that there are some things about God, and heaven, of which he wished
+to tell them, but they were too hard for them to understand, although
+they were full-grown men. And so he did not tell them of these
+things. But even among the things that Jesus did tell about, there
+are some which the wisest and most learned men in the world have
+never been able to understand or explain. Some one has compared the
+Bible to a river, in which there are some places deep enough for an
+elephant or a giant to swim in; and other places where the water is
+shallow enough for a child to wade in. And it is just so with the
+teachings of Jesus. Some of the most important lessons he taught are
+so plain and simple that very young people can understand them.</p>
+
+<p>We have a good illustration of this in that sweet invitation which
+Jesus gave when he said,&mdash;&quot;<i>Come unto me, all ye that labor and are
+heavy laden, and I will give you rest.</i>&quot; Matt. xi: 28. Very young
+people know what it is to feel tired and weary from walking, or
+working too much, or from carrying a heavy burden. And, when they are
+too tired to do anything else, they know what it is to go to their
+dear 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 we
+are tired, or troubled, that our souls may find rest in him. We come
+to Jesus, when we pray to him; when we tell him all about our
+troubles; when we ask him to help us; and when we trust in his
+promises.</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;Was there ever gentlest shepherd</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Half so gentle, half so sweet,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">As the Saviour, who would have us</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Come and gather round his feet?</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;There's a wideness in God's mercy,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Like the wideness of the sea;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">There's a kindness in his justice</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Which is more than liberty.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;There is no place where earth's sorrows</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Are more felt than up in heaven;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">There is no place where earth's failings</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Have such kindly judgments given.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;There is plentiful redemption</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">In the blood that has been shed;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">There is joy for all the members</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">In the sorrows of the head.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;If our love were but more simple,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">We should take him at his word;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">And our lives would all be sunshine,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">In the sweetness of our Lord.&quot;</span><br>
+
+<p>The prophet Isaiah foretold that when Jesus came, he would teach his
+doctrines to children just weaned. Chap. xxviii: 9. This shows us
+that 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 those
+loving words:&mdash;&quot;<i>Suffer the little children to come unto me, and
+forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of God.</i>&quot; Mark x: 14.
+None of the other famous teachers known to the world ever took such
+interest in children as Jesus did. And none of them ever taught with
+such great simplicity. What multitudes of young people have been led
+to love and serve Jesus by thinking of the sweet words he spoke about
+children!</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Child's Gospel.&quot; A little girl sat still in church listening to
+the minister. She could not understand what he was saying till he
+quoted these words of Jesus about the children. But she understood
+them. She felt that they were words spoken for her. They made her
+feel very happy. And when she went home she threw her arms around her
+mother's neck, who had been kept at home by sickness, and said, &quot;O,
+mother, I have heard the <i>child's gospel</i> to-day.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It's For Me.&quot; Little Carrie was a heathen child, about ten years
+old. After she had been going to the Mission School for some time,
+her teacher noticed, one day, that she looked sad.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Carrie, my dear,&quot; she said, &quot;why do you look so sad to-day?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Because I am thinking.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And what are you thinking about?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, teacher, I don't know whether Jesus loves me, or not.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Carrie, what did Jesus say about little children coming to him when
+he was on earth?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>In a moment the sweet words she had learned in the school were on her
+lips&mdash;&quot;Suffer the little children to come unto me, &amp;c.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, Carrie, for whom did Jesus speak these words?&quot; At once she
+clapped her hands and exclaimed: &quot;It's not for you, teacher, is it?
+for you are not a child. No: it's for me! it's for me!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>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 away
+since &quot;Jesus was here among men,&quot; these same simple words have been
+drawing the little ones to him.</p>
+
+<p>And so, because of the great simplicity which marked his teaching,
+Jesus must truly be called&mdash;the Great Teacher.</p>
+
+<p><i>But in the third place there was</i>&mdash;GREAT TENDERNESS&mdash;<i>in Jesus, and
+this was another thing that helped to make him the Great Teacher</i>.</p>
+
+<p>It was this great tenderness that led him, when he came to be our
+Teacher and Saviour to take our nature upon him and so become like
+us. 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 disciples
+saw him on the Mount of Transfiguration. But then we should have been
+afraid of him. He would not have known how we feel, and could not
+have felt for us. But instead of this, his tenderness led him to take
+our nature upon him, that he might be able to put himself in our
+place, and so to understand just how we feel, and what we need to
+help and comfort us. This is what the apostle means in Heb. ii: 14,
+when he says&mdash;&quot;Forasmuch as the children were partakers of flesh and
+blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same.&quot; He did this
+on purpose that he might know, by his own experience, how we are
+tried and tempted; and so be able to sympathize with us and help us
+in all our trials.</p>
+
+<p>Here is a little story, very simple, and homely; but yet, one that
+illustrates very well the point of which we are speaking. It is a
+story about:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;A Lost Horse Found.&quot; A valuable horse was lost, belonging to a
+farmer in New England. A number of his neighbors turned out to try
+and find the horse. They searched all through the woods and fields
+of the surrounding country, but in vain. None of them could find the
+horse. At last a poor, weak-minded fellow, who was known in that
+neighborhood as &quot;simple Sam,&quot; started to hunt the horse. After awhile
+he came back, bringing the stray horse with him. The owner of the
+horse was delighted to see him. He stroked and patted him, and then,
+turning to the simple-minded man who had found him, he said:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, Sam, how came you to find the horse, when no one else could do
+it?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Wal, you see,&quot; said Sam, &quot;I just 'quired whar the horse was seen
+last; 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 I
+went, and found him.&quot; Now, when Sam, in the simplicity of his feeble
+mind, 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 his
+owner again. And so, to pass from a very little thing to a very great
+one, when Jesus came down from heaven to seek and to save sinners
+that were lost, this is just the way in which he acted. He put
+himself in our place as sinners. As the apostle Paul says: &quot;he who
+knew no sin, was made sin for us,&quot; that he might save us from the
+dreadful consequences of our sins.</p>
+
+<p>And we see the tenderness of Jesus, not only in taking our nature
+upon him and becoming man, but in what he did when he lived in this
+world as a man. &quot;<i>He went about doing good</i>.&quot; It was his great
+tenderness that led him to do this. Suppose that you and I could have
+walked 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 seen
+him meeting with blind men and opening their eyes that they might
+see. We should have seen him meeting with deaf men, and unstopping
+their ears that they might hear. We should have seen him meeting sick
+people who were taken with divers diseases and torments and healing
+them. We should have seen him raising the dead; and casting out
+devils; and speaking words of comfort and encouragement to those who
+were sad and sorrowful. If we could have looked into his blessed
+face, we should have seen tenderness there, beaming from his eyes and
+speaking from every line of his countenance. If we could have
+listened to his teaching we should have found tenderness running
+through all that he said. Just take one of his many parables as a
+sample of his way of teaching&mdash;the parable of the lost sheep&mdash;and see
+how full of tenderness it is. The sweet lines of the hymn, about the
+shepherd seeking his lost sheep, that most of us love to sing, bring
+out the tenderness of Jesus here very touchingly.</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;There were ninety and nine that safely lay</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">In the shelter of the fold,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">But one was out on the hills away,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Far off from the gates of gold&mdash;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Away on the mountains, wild and bare,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Away from the tender shepherd's care.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;'Lord, Thou hast here Thy ninety and nine;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Are they not enough for Thee?'</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">But the Shepherd made answer: 'One of mine</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Has wandered away from me;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">And, although the road be rough and steep,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">I go to the desert to find my sheep.'</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;But none of the ransomed ever knew</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">How deep were the waters crossed;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Nor how dark was the night that the Lord passed through,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Ere he found his sheep that was lost.</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Out in the desert he heard its cry&mdash;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Sick and helpless, and ready to die.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;'Lord, whence are those blood-drops all the way</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">That mark out the mountain's track?'</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">They were shed for one who had gone astray,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Ere the shepherd could bring him back.</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">'Lord, why are Thy hands so rent and torn?'</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">They are pierced, to-night, by many a thorn.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;But all through the mountains, thunder-riven,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And up from the rocky steep,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">There rose a cry to the gates of heaven,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">'Rejoice! I have found my sheep!'</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">And the angels echoed around the throne,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">'Rejoice, for the Lord brings back his own.'&quot;</span><br>
+
+<p>And all that we know of Jesus as &quot;the good Shepherd,&quot; demonstrates
+his great tenderness for his sheep.</p>
+
+<p>But perhaps there was no act in all the life of our blessed Redeemer
+that showed his tenderness more than taking the little children in
+his arms, and putting his hands upon them, and blessing them.</p>
+
+<p>To think of the Son of God, who made this world, and all worlds, and
+whom all the angels of heaven worship, showing so much interest in
+the little ones; this proves how full of tenderness his heart was.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I Like Your Jesus.&quot; An English lady who had spent six months in
+Syria, writes: &quot;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 little
+ones, as we learned from a dear Moslem child, who, when she repeated
+the text, 'Suffer the little children,' said, 'I like your Jesus,
+because he loved little children. Our Mohammed did not love little
+children.'&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And if we all try to imitate the tenderness of Jesus, then, though we
+may have no money to give, and no great thing to do, yet by being
+tender, and gentle, and loving, as Jesus was, we shall be able to do
+good wherever we are.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Doing Good by Sympathy.&quot; A Christian mother used to ask her children
+every night if they had done any good during the day. One night in
+answer to this question, her little daughter said: &quot;At school this
+morning I found little Annie G----, who had been absent for some
+time, crying very hard. I asked her what was the matter? Then she
+cried more, so that I could not help putting my head on her neck, and
+crying with her. Her sobs grew less, and presently she told of her
+little 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. Then
+she 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, and
+crying, too, as hard as she did. After awhile she kissed me, and told
+me I had done her good. But, mother, I don't know how I did her good;
+<i>for I only cried with her!</i>&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Now this little girl was showing the tenderness of Jesus, the Great
+Teacher. Nothing in the world could have done that poor sorrowing
+child so much good as to have some one cry with her. Sometimes tears
+of tenderness are worth more than diamonds. And this is why the Bible
+tells us to &quot;weep with them that weep.&quot; Rom. xii: 15. Jesus did this
+in the tenderness of his loving heart. And this was one of the things
+that made him the Great Teacher.</p>
+
+<p><i>But then there was</i>&mdash;GREAT KNOWLEDGE&mdash;<i>in Jesus; and this was
+another thing that made him great as a teacher</i>.</p>
+
+<p>If we wish to be good teachers, we must study, and try to understand
+the things we expect to teach. If a young man wishes to be a
+minister, he must go through college; and then spend three years in
+the Divinity School, so that he may understand the great truths of
+the Bible, which he is to teach the people who hear him. But Jesus
+never went to college, or to a divinity school. And yet he had
+greater knowledge about all the things of which he spoke than any
+other teacher ever had. We are told in the book of Job that &quot;He is
+<i>perfect</i> in knowledge.&quot; Job xxxvi: 5. And the apostle Paul tells us
+that &quot;in him are hid <i>all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge</i>.&quot;
+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 ever
+lived, and give it to one person, it would be as nothing compared to
+the knowledge which Jesus, &quot;the Great Teacher&quot; had. He knew all about
+heaven; for that had always been his home before he came into our
+world. He knew all about God; for, he was &quot;in the bosom of the
+Father,&quot; John i: 18; and, as he tells us himself, had shared his
+glory with him, &quot;before the world was.&quot; John xvii: 5. He knew all
+about the world we live in, for he made it. John i: 10. He knew all
+about 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, for
+he made them all. He saw all they did; he heard all they said; he
+knew all they thought, or felt. Wise and learned men have been
+studying, and finding out things for hundreds of years, about
+geography and natural history&mdash;and astronomy;&mdash;about light, and heat,
+and electricity&mdash;and steam&mdash;and the telegraph, and many other things.
+Jesus knew all about these things when he was on earth. He could have
+told about them, if he had seen fit to do so. But he only told us
+what it is best for us to know, in order that we might be saved; and
+kept back all the rest. The things that Jesus did teach us when he
+was here on earth were wonderful; but it is hardly less wonderful to
+think 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 are
+not surprised that some of those who heard him &quot;wondered at the
+gracious words&quot; he spake; or that others asked the question: &quot;Whence
+hath this man this knowledge, having never learned?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Some one has written these sweet lines about Christ as&mdash;<i>The Great
+Teacher</i>:</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;From everything our Saviour saw,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Lessons of wisdom he could draw;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The clouds, the colors in the sky;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The gentle breeze that whispers by;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The fields all white with waving corn;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The lilies that the vale adorn;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The reed that trembles in the wind;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The tree, where none its fruit could find;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The sliding sand, the flinty rock,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">That bears unmoved the tempest's shock;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The thorns that on the earth abound;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The tender grass that clothes the ground;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The little birds that fly in air;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The sheep that need the shepherd's care;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The pearls that deep in ocean lie;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The gold that charms the miser's eye;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The fruitful and the thorny ground;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The piece of silver lost and found;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The reaper, with his sheaves returning;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The gathered tares prepared for burning;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The wandering sheep brought back with joy;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The father's welcome for his boy;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The wedding-feast, prepared in state;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The foolish virgins' cry, 'too late!'&mdash;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">All from his lips some truth proclaim,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Or learn to tell their Maker's name.&quot;</span><br>
+
+<p>But the difference between Jesus, the Great Teacher, and all other
+teachers is seen, not only in the greater knowledge he has of the
+things that he teaches, but in this also, that he knows how to make
+us understand the lessons he teaches. Here is an incident that
+illustrates how well Jesus can do this. We may call it:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Well Instructed Boy.&quot; A minister of the gospel was travelling
+through 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 no
+covering on his head, and no shoes or stockings on his feet; but he
+looked bright and happy. He had a New Testament in his hand. &quot;Can you
+read, my boy?&quot; asked the minister.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;To be sure I can.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And do you understand what you read?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;A little.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Please turn to the third chapter of St. John, and read us a little,&quot;
+said the minister. The boy found the place directly, and in a clear
+distinct voice, began:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the
+Jews; the same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What does Rabbi mean?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It means a master.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Right; go on.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We know thou art a teacher come from God; for no man can do these
+miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What is a <i>miracle</i>?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It is a <i>great wonder</i>. 'Jesus answered and said unto him, verily,
+verily, I say unto thee.'&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What does <i>verily</i> mean?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It means 'indeed.' 'Except a man be born again.'&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What does that mean?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It means a great change, a change of heart.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And what is that kingdom?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>He paused a moment, and with a very serious, thoughtful look, placing
+his hand on his bosom, he said, &quot;It is <i>something here</i>;&quot; and then,
+raising his eyes to heaven, added, &quot;<i>and something up yonder</i>.&quot; This
+poor boy had been taking lessons from &quot;the Great Teacher,&quot; and he had
+taught him some of the most important things that we can ever learn.
+Jesus may well be called &quot;the Great Teacher,&quot; because of his great
+knowledge.</p>
+
+<p><i>But there is one other thing that Jesus has, which helps to make him
+&quot;the Great Teacher,&quot; and that is</i>&mdash;GREAT POWER.</p>
+
+<p>Other teachers can tell us what we ought to learn, and to do, yet
+they have no power to help us learn, or do what they teach. But Jesus
+<i>has</i> this power. Let us take a single illustration from many of the
+same kind that occurred while he was on earth. One day he was going
+about teaching in the streets of Jerusalem. As he went on, he passed
+by the office of a man who was gathering taxes for the Roman
+government. The persons who did this were called <i>publicans</i>. This
+man, sitting in his office, was named Matthew. He was busily engaged
+in receiving the taxes of the people. It was a very profitable
+business. The men engaged in it generally made a great deal of money.
+Jesus stopped before the window or door of this office. He beckoned
+to Matthew, and simply spoke these two words:&mdash;&quot;<i>Follow me</i>.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Now, if any other teacher had spoken these words to Matthew, and had
+tried to make him quit his business and engage in something else, he
+would have said: &quot;No; I can't leave my office. This is all the means
+I have of getting a living. The business pays well, and I am not
+willing to give it up.&quot; But when Jesus spoke to him, he did, at once,
+what he was told to do. We read that &quot;He left all, rose up, and
+followed him.&quot; Matt. ix: 9; Luke v: 28. He became one of the twelve
+apostles and wrote the gospel which bears his name. But it was the
+great power which Jesus has over the hearts of men that made Matthew
+willing to do, at once, what he was told to do.</p>
+
+<p>And the power which Jesus exercised over Matthew, in this case, he
+still has, and still uses. And when he is pleased to use this power
+the very worst people feel it, and are made good by it. And Jesus,
+&quot;the Great Teacher,&quot; uses this power sometimes in connection with
+very simple things. Here is an illustration. We may call it:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Saved by a Rose.&quot; Some time ago, a Christian gentleman was in the
+habit 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 little
+yard connected with each cell. He got permission from the officers of
+the prison to do so. He had a bracket fastened to the wall, in each
+yard, 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 most
+hardened man that had ever been in that prison. His temper was so
+violent and obstinate that no one could manage him. The keeper of the
+prison was afraid of him, and never liked to go near him. He was such
+a disagreeable-looking man that the name given to him in the prison
+was &quot;Ugly Greg.&quot; A little rose bush was put on the bracket in Ugly
+Greg's yard, and the effect produced by it is told in these simple
+lines, which some one has written about it:</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;Ugly Greg was the prisoner's name,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Ugly in face, and in nature the same;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Stubborn, sullen, and beetle-browed,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The hardest case in a hardened crowd.</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The sin-set lines in his face were bent</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Neither by kindness nor punishment;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">He hadn't a friend in the prison there,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And he grew more ugly and didn't care.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;But some one&mdash;blessings on his name!</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Had caused to be placed in that house of shame,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">To relieve the blank of the white-washed wall,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Flower-pot brackets, with plants on them all.</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Though it seemed but a useless thing to do,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Ugly Greg's cell had a flower-pot, too,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And as he came back at the work-day's close,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">He paused, astonished, before a rose.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;'He will smash it in pieces,' the keeper said,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">But the lines on his face grew soft instead.</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Next morning he watered his plant with care,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And went to his work with a cheerful air;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And, day by day, as the rose-bush grew,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Ugly Greg began changing, too.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;The soft, green leaves unfolded their tips,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And the foul word died on the prisoner's lips;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">He talked to the plant, when all alone,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">As he would to a friend, in a gentle tone;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And, day by day, and week by week,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">As the rose grew taller, so Greg grew meek.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;But, at last they took him away to lie</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">On a hospital bed, for they knew he must die,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">They placed the rose in the sunny light,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Where Greg might watch it, from morn till night,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And the green buds grew, from day to day,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">As the sick man faded fast away.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;The lines which sin and pain had traced,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Seemed by the shadowing plant effaced,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Till, came at last, the joyful hour,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">When they knew that the bud must burst its flower.</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Greg slept, but still one hand caressed</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The plant; the other his pale cheek pressed.</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The perfumed crimson shed a glow</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">On the old man's hair, as white as snow;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The nurse came softly&mdash;'Look, Greg!' she said,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Ay, the rose had bloomed, but the man was dead.&quot;</span><br>
+
+<p>And the meaning of all this is, not that the rose itself saved this
+hardened sinner. No; but it led him to think of the lessons of his
+childhood, when he had been taught about Jesus, &quot;the Rose of
+Sharon&quot;. It led him to think about his sins. It led him to repent of
+them; to pray to Jesus; to exercise faith in him; and in <i>this way</i>
+he became a changed man, and was saved. And so, though we speak of
+him as&mdash;&quot;a man saved by a rose;&quot; yet it was the power of Jesus, &quot;the
+Great Teacher,&quot; exercised through that rose, which led to this
+blessed change and saved Greg's soul from death.</p>
+
+<p>And thus we have spoken of five things which help to make up the
+greatness of Jesus as a Teacher. These are&mdash;The Great Blessings&mdash;The
+Great Simplicity&mdash;The Great Tenderness&mdash;The Great Knowledge&mdash;and the
+Great Power connected with his teachings. Let us seek the grace that
+will enable us to learn of him, and then we shall find rest for our
+souls!</p>
+
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="CHRIST_TEACHING_BY_PARABLES"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<h2>CHRIST TEACHING BY PARABLES</h2>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>We have spoken of our Saviour as &quot;The Great Teacher,&quot; and tried to
+point out some of the things in his teaching which helped to make him
+great. And now, it may be well to speak a little of the illustrations
+which he made use of as a Teacher. These are called&mdash;<i>parables</i>. Our
+Saviour's parables were illustrations. This is what is meant by the
+Greek word from which we get the word parable. It means something
+<i>set down by the side of another</i>. When we teach a lesson we are
+setting something before the minds of our scholars. But suppose it is
+a hard lesson and they do not understand it. Then we use an
+illustration. This is something set down beside the lesson to make it
+plain. Then this, whatever it be, is a parable.</p>
+
+<p>At the beginning of his ministry, our Saviour did not make much use
+of parables. But, after he had been preaching for some time, he made
+a change in his way of teaching, in this respect. He began to use
+parables very freely. His disciples were surprised at this. On one
+occasion, after he had used the parable of the Sower, they came to
+their Master and asked him why he always spake to the people now in
+parables? 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 that
+he used parables for two reasons: one was to help those who really
+wished to learn from him to understand what he was teaching. The
+other was that those who were not willing to be taught might listen
+to him without understanding what he was saying. These people had
+heard him when he was teaching without parables. But, instead of
+thanking him for coming to teach them, and of being willing to do
+what he wanted them to do, they found fault with his teaching, and
+would not mind what he said.</p>
+
+<p>Now, there is a great difference between the way in which we are to
+learn what the Bible teaches us about God and heaven; and the way in
+which we learn other things. If we want to learn what the Bible
+teaches us we must be careful that we are having right feelings in
+our hearts; but if we want to learn other things it does not matter
+so much what our feelings are. For instance, suppose you have a
+lesson to learn in geography; no matter how you are feeling, whether
+you are proud, or humble; whether you are cross, or gentle; yet if
+you only study hard enough, and long enough, you can learn that
+lesson. But, if you want to learn one of the lessons that Jesus
+teaches, no matter how hard, or how long you study it, yet while you
+are giving way to proud, or angry feelings in your heart, you can
+never learn that lesson. And the reason is that we cannot learn these
+lessons 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 in
+our hearts. In learning geography, and other such lessons, we do not
+need the <i>special</i> help of God. We can learn them ourselves, if we
+only try. But we cannot learn the lessons that Jesus teaches in this
+way. This is what the Psalmist means when he says:&mdash;&quot;The <i>meek</i> will
+he teach his way.&quot; Ps. xxv: 9. And this was what our Saviour meant
+when he said: &quot;If any man will do his will, <i>he shall know</i>.&quot; St.
+John vii: 17. We must be willing to be taught;&mdash;and willing to obey;
+if we wish to understand what Jesus, &quot;The Great Teacher,&quot; has to tell
+us.</p>
+
+<p>Some one has well said that truth, taught by a parable, is like the
+kernel 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 the
+shell, and get it: but those who are not willing to crack the shell
+will never get the kernel. The shell of the nut keeps the kernel safe
+<i>for</i> one of these persons, and safe <i>from</i> the others.</p>
+
+<p>But, after the time of which we have spoken, Jesus used parables
+freely. We are told that&mdash;&quot;without a parable spake he not unto the
+people.&quot; St. Mark xiii: 34. He used parables among his disciples for
+two reasons: these were to help them to <i>understand</i>, and to remember
+what he taught them.</p>
+
+<p>We have a great many of the parables of Jesus in the gospels. A full
+list of them will contain not less than <i>fifty</i>. It would be easy
+enough to make a sermon on each of these parables. But that would
+make a larger work than this whole LIFE OF CHRIST, on which we are
+now engaged. It is impossible therefore to speak of all the parables.
+We can only make selections, or take some specimens of them. We may
+speak of five different lessons as illustrated by some of the
+parables of Christ. These are&mdash;<i>The value of religion: Christ's love
+of sinners: The duty of forgiveness: The duty of kindness: and the
+effect of good example</i>.</p>
+
+<p><i>Well then, we may begin by considering what Jesus taught us of</i>&mdash;THE
+VALUE OF RELIGION&mdash;<i>in his parables.</i></p>
+
+<p>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, &quot;The
+kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which
+when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and
+selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.&quot; The words &quot;kingdom
+of heaven&quot; are used by our Saviour in different senses. Sometimes, as
+here, they mean the grace of God, or true religion. And what Jesus
+teaches us by this parable is that true religion is more valuable
+than anything else in the world.</p>
+
+<p>The next parable, in the forty-fifth and forty-sixth verses of the
+same chapter, is about The Pearl of Great Price. This teaches the
+same lesson. It reads thus:&mdash;&quot;The kingdom of heaven is like unto a
+merchantman seeking goodly pearls: who, when he had found one pearl
+of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.&quot; By this
+&quot;pearl of great price&quot; Jesus meant true religion, as he did by the
+treasure hid in the field in the former parable. And the truth he
+teaches in both these parables is that religion is more important to
+us than anything else in the world. Let us look at some incidents
+that may help to illustrate for us the value of religion.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Jesus Makes Everything Right.&quot; A poor lame boy became a Christian,
+and in telling what effect this change had upon him, these are the
+words he used to a person who was visiting him: &quot;Once every thing
+went wrong at our house; father was wrong, mother was wrong, sister
+was wrong, and I was wrong; but now, since I have learned to know and
+love Jesus it is all right. I know why everything went wrong
+before:&mdash;it was because I was wrong myself.&quot; And this is true. The
+first thing that religion does for us is to make us <i>be</i> right
+ourselves, and then to <i>do</i> right to others.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Be.&quot; A young lady had been trying to do something very good, but had
+not succeeded. Her mother said, &quot;Marian, my child, God gives us many
+things to <i>do</i>, but we must not forget that he gives us some things
+to <i>be</i>; and we must learn to <i>be</i> what God would have us be, before
+we can <i>do</i> what God would have us do.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O dear mother, please tell me about <i>being</i>, and then I shall know
+better about doing.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, listen my child, while I remind you of some of the Bible be's:
+God says:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<i>Be</i>&mdash;ye kindly affectioned one to another.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<i>Be</i>&mdash;ye also patient.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<i>Be</i>&mdash;ye thankful.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<i>Be</i>&mdash;ye children in malice.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<i>Be</i>&mdash;ye therefore perfect.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<i>Be</i>&mdash;courteous.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<i>Be</i>&mdash;not wise in your own conceits.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<i>Be</i>&mdash;not overcome of evil.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Thank you, dear mother,&quot; said Marian. &quot;I hope I shall have a better
+day to-morrow; for I see now that <i>doing</i> grows out of <i>being</i>.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>This is a point worth dwelling on, and so I will introduce to your
+notice here:</p>
+
+<p>A SWARM OF BEES WORTH HIVING.</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;Be patient, Be prayerful, Be humble, Be mild,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Be wise as a Solon, Be meek as a child.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;Be studious, Be thoughtful, Be loving, Be kind,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Be sure you make matter subservient to mind.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;Be cautious, Be prudent, Be trustful, Be true,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Be courteous to all men, Be friendly with few.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;Be temperate in argument, pleasure and wine,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Be careful of conduct, of money, of time.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;Be cheerful, Be grateful, Be hopeful, Be firm,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Be peaceful, benevolent, willing to learn;</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;Be courageous, Be gentle Be liberal, Be just,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Be aspiring, Be humble, because you are dust.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;Be penitent, circumspect, sound in the faith,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Be active, devoted; Be faithful to death.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;Be honest, Be holy, transparent and pure;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Be dependent, Be Christ-like and you'll be secure.&quot;</span><br>
+
+<p>Here is a swarm of between forty and fifty bees. The religion of
+Jesus will help us to make these all our own. How great then must the
+value of religion be! Surely it is worth while for each of us to try
+and secure it!</p>
+
+<p>I think I never saw a better view of the value of religion than is
+seen in the following statement of what it does for us. I know not by
+whom it was written, but it is put in the form of that sacred sign to
+which we owe all the blessings of salvation&mdash;the sign of</p>
+
+<p>THE CROSS.</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;Blest they who seek</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">While in their youth,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">With spirit meek,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The way of truth.</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">To them the sacred scriptures now display</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Christ as the only true and living way;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">His precious blood on Calvary was given</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">To make them heirs of endless bliss in Heaven.</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And e'en on earth the child of God can trace</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The glorious blessings of the Saviour's grace.</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">For them He bore</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">His Father's frown;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">For them He wore</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The thorny Crown;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Nailed to the Cross,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Endured its pain,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">That his life's loss</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Might be their gain.</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Then haste to choose</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">That better part,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Nor dare refuse</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The Lord thy heart,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Lest he declare,&mdash;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">'I know you not,'</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And deep despair</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Should be your lot.</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Now look to Jesus, who on Calvary died,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And trust on him who there was crucified.&quot;</span><br>
+
+<p>&quot;Leaving it All with Jesus.&quot; Annie W ... was a young Christian. In
+her fourteenth year she was taken with a severe illness, from which
+the doctor said she could not recover. When she became too weak to
+leave the sofa, she would send for one and another of the neighbors
+to come in to see her, and then she would speak to them of Jesus and
+his great salvation. One day a poor old woman who was not a
+Christian, came in to see her.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You are very ill, my dear,&quot; she said to Annie.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; she replied, &quot;but I shall soon be well.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The poor woman shook her head as she looked at Annie's mother,
+saying, &quot;Poor dear creature; she cannot possibly get well. No: she
+will never get over it.&quot; Then turning to Annie, she said:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Don't you know, my dear, that you are going to die?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I know I am going to live,&quot; she said with a sweet smile. &quot;I shall
+soon be with Jesus in heaven, and live forever with him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, how can you know that, my dear? We must not be <i>too</i> sure you
+know,&quot; said the poor woman.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh,&quot; said Annie, pointing to a card hanging on the wall, near her
+bed, on which was printed in large letters the hymn headed&mdash;&quot;I leave
+it all with Jesus.&quot; &quot;That's what I do! That's what I do.&quot; These are
+the words of the hymn which gave that dear child so much comfort on
+her dying bed:</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;I leave it all with Jesus,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Then wherefore should I fear?</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">I leave it all with Jesus,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And he is ever near.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;I leave it all with Jesus,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Trust him for what must be;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">I leave it all with Jesus,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Who ever thinks of me.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;I bring it all to Jesus,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">In calm, believing prayer;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">I bring it all to Jesus,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And I love to LEAVE it there!</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;Each tear, each sigh, each trouble,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Each disappointment,&mdash;all</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">I love to GIVE to Jesus,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Who loves to TAKE them all.&quot;</span><br>
+
+<p>And here we have a beautiful illustration of one of the things which
+Jesus taught us in his parables, namely&mdash;<i>the value of religion</i>.</p>
+
+<p><i>Another thing we are taught in these parables is</i>&mdash;CHRIST'S LOVE FOR
+SINNERS.</p>
+
+<p>The parable of the lost sheep teaches us this truth: but as we had
+occasion to speak of this in our last chapter, when illustrating the
+tenderness 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 are
+told 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 lost
+piece till she found it. This woman represents Jesus. The lost piece
+of money represents our souls lost by sin. The efforts of the woman
+to find the lost piece represent what Jesus did, when he left heaven,
+and took our nature upon him, and came as &quot;the Son of man to <i>seek
+and to save that which was lost</i>.&quot; And it was the love of Jesus for
+poor sinners which led him to do all this for us. And everything
+connected with the history of Jesus when he was on earth shows the
+greatness of his love. Think of Bethlehem and its manger; there we
+see the love of Jesus. Think of Gethsemane with its bloody sweat;
+there we see the love of Jesus. Think of Calvary with its cross of
+shame and agony; for <i>there</i> we see the love of Jesus.</p>
+
+<p>And the parable of the prodigal son teaches us the same lesson. We
+read of this in the same chapter, St. Luke xv: 11-32. This son had
+been disobedient and ungrateful. He had taken the money his father
+gave him and had gone away and spent it in living very wickedly. And
+when the money was all spent and he was likely to starve, he went
+back to his father, hungry and ragged, and asked to be taken in. And
+instead of scolding and punishing him as he deserved, as soon as his
+father saw him, he ran, and fell on his neck and kissed him; and took
+off his rags, and dressed him in good clothes, and made a great feast
+for him. How beautifully this parable illustrates the love of Christ
+for sinners!</p>
+
+<p>And when we learn to know and feel the love of Christ for us, it does
+two blessed things for us.</p>
+
+<p>One is, <i>it makes us good</i>. We hear a great deal about <i>conversion</i>.
+This word conversion simply means&mdash;<i>turning</i>. When a person has been
+living without trying to serve or please God, and is led to see how
+wrong it is to live in that way, and then feels an earnest desire to
+turn around, and live differently, and really does so:&mdash;that is
+conversion. The teaching or preaching of the gospel is the chief
+means that God employs to convert men. And the thing about the gospel
+in which this converting power lies is&mdash;<i>the love of Christ</i>. Here
+is an illustration of what this means.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;He Loved Me.&quot; An English minister of the gospel was traveling in
+Switzerland one summer. As he passed from place to place, he preached
+by means of an interpreter in various churches. One Sunday night he
+preached from the words, &quot;<i>He loved me, and gave himself for me</i>.&quot;
+Gal. ii: 20. Then he went on his way without knowing what effect had
+followed from his preaching.</p>
+
+<p>One Saturday evening, several weeks after, the minister of this
+church was sitting in his study. There came a faint knock at his
+door. He opened it, when, to his great surprise he saw there a young
+man, who was known as the wickedest young man in that neighborhood,
+and the leader of others in all sorts of wickedness. He invited him
+in, gave him a seat, and asked him what he wished. Judge of his
+surprise when the young man said he wished to inquire if he might
+come to the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, which was to be
+celebrated in his church the next day!</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But are you not aware, my young friend,&quot; said the minister, &quot;that
+only those who love Christ, and are trying to serve him, have any
+right to come to that holy ordinance?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I know it, sir,&quot; said the young man, &quot;and I am thankful to feel
+that I am among that number.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But,&quot; asked the astonished pastor, &quot;are you not known in this
+village as the ringleader in all evil doings?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Alas! it is too true that it has been so,&quot; he replied, &quot;but thank
+God all is changed now.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I am happy indeed to hear it; but pray tell me what led to this
+great change.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I was in your church, sir,&quot; said he, &quot;some weeks ago, when that
+English minister preached from the words, 'Who loved me and gave
+himself for me,' That was the first time I ever understood about the
+love of Christ. It led to my repentance and conversion; and now I
+wish to show my love to Jesus by trying to serve and please him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Here we see how the love of Christ makes us good.</p>
+
+<p>But it <i>makes us happy</i>, as well as good. Here is a little story that
+illustrates this point very well. We may call it:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Maggie's Secret.&quot; &quot;Maggie Blake, how can you study so hard, and be
+so provokingly good?&quot; This question was asked by Jennie Lee, who was
+one of the largest and wildest girls in the school. Maggie hesitated
+a moment, whether to tell her secret or not. But, presently she
+lifted up her eyes, looked her companion bravely in the face, and
+said&mdash;&quot;It's for Jesus' sake, Jennie.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But do you think he cares?&quot; asked Jennie in a soft, subdued
+voice,&mdash;&quot;do you think he cares how we act?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I <i>know</i> he does,&quot; said Maggie. &quot;And it makes it so pleasant you
+see, even to study and get hard lessons, when I know he is looking at
+me, and is pleased to have me working my best for him. He always
+helps me to get my lessons; and then helps me to say them right. You
+know I used to be so frightened I could not say them, even when I had
+learned them well.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said Jennie, remembering very well how Maggie had changed in
+that respect.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That was before I thought of learning them for Jesus. After that he
+helped me all along. It makes me like school; and even disagreeable
+things are pleasant when I think of doing them for him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Jennie had often watched Maggie, and wondered what made her have such
+a bright, cheerful, happy look. Now she knew the secret of it. It was
+doing everything &quot;for Jesus' sake.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>She felt she would gladly give everything she had to be as happy as
+Maggie. She asked Maggie to pray for her, and she began to pray for
+herself. Then Jesus helped her, and she soon had Maggie's secret for
+her own. The girls in school wondered at the change which had come
+over Jennie. But when they heard that she had been confirmed, and had
+joined the church, they understood it all. They knew she &quot;had been
+with Jesus;&quot; and that it was learning to know and feel his wonderful
+love which had made Jennie so good, and so happy.</p>
+
+<p>And so, we see that Jesus was doing a blessed thing for us when he
+taught the parables which show his love for sinners.</p>
+
+<p><i>A third thing taught us by some of the parables of Jesus is</i>&mdash;THE
+DUTY OF KINDNESS.</p>
+
+<p>One day, while Jesus was on earth, a young man came to him with the
+great question, what he should do to obtain eternal life. Jesus
+referred him to the Ten Commandments; and reducing them to two, he
+told the young man that these commandments required him to love God
+with all his heart, and his neighbor as himself; and then said if he
+would do this he would be saved.</p>
+
+<p>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
+&quot;magnified the law and made it honorable&quot; by keeping it perfectly. I
+suppose that Jesus intended to give this young man some lessons about
+the commandments of God which would lead him to see that he never
+could keep them himself; and that he would need some one to keep them
+for him, and that <i>this</i> was the only way in which he, or any one
+else could be saved. It may have been that the young man did not want
+to hear any thing more on that subject, and so he gave the
+conversation a different turn by asking&mdash;&quot;who is my neighbor?&quot; when
+Jesus said he must love his neighbor as himself. And then, in answer
+to this question Jesus told the parable of the &quot;Good Samaritan.&quot; We
+have this parable in St. Luke x: 30-37.</p>
+
+<p>Here we are told of a certain man who was going down from Jerusalem
+to Jericho, and fell among thieves. They robbed him; and wounded him;
+and left him half dead. While he was lying there helpless and
+suffering, a priest and a Levite came, and looked on him, and passed
+by on the other side, without giving him any help. Then we are told
+that a certain Samaritan came by, and when he saw the poor wounded
+man lying there, although he was a Jew, and the Jews and the
+Samaritans hated each other very much, yet he pitied him, and went up
+to him, and bound up his wounds, and set him on his own beast, and
+carried him to an inn, and told them to take care of him, and said
+that he would pay all his expenses. Then Jesus asked the question,
+&quot;Which now, of these three thinkest thou was neighbor to him that
+fell among thieves? And he said, he that showed mercy on him. Then
+said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Thus Jesus taught the duty of kindness. This kindness we must show,
+not to our friends only, but to our enemies. <i>Kindness to all</i> is the
+duty that Jesus teaches.</p>
+
+<p>Let us look at one or two illustrations of the way in which we should
+do this.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Honey Shield.&quot; It is said that wasps and bees will not sting a
+person whose skin is covered with honey. And so those who are exposed
+to the sting of these venomous little creatures smear their hands and
+faces over with honey, and this, we are told, proves the best shield
+they can have to keep them from getting stung. And the honey here
+very well represents the kindness which Jesus teaches us to practise.
+If kindness, gentleness, and forbearance are found running through
+all our words and actions, we shall have the best shield to protect
+us from the spiteful stings of wicked people.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Androcles and the Lion.&quot; Most of those who read these pages may have
+heard this story, but it illustrates the point before us so well that
+I do not hesitate to use it here.</p>
+
+<p>Androcles was a Roman slave. To escape the cruel treatment of his
+master he ran away. A lonely cave in the midst of the forest was his
+home for a while. Returning to his cave one day he met a lion near
+the mouth of the cave. He was bellowing as if in pain; and on getting
+nearer to him, he found that he was suffering from a thorn which had
+run into one of his paws. It was greatly swollen and inflamed, and
+was causing him much pain. Androcles went up to the suffering beast.
+He drew out the rankling thorn and thus relieved him of his pain. His
+nature, savage as it was, felt the power of the kindness thus shown
+to him. He became attached to the lonely slave, and shared his prey
+with him while they remained together.</p>
+
+<p>But, after a while the retreat of Androcles was discovered. He was
+taken and carried back to his master. The lion also was made a
+prisoner soon after. Androcles was kept in prison for some time; and
+finally, according to the custom of the Romans, he was condemned to be
+devoured by wild beasts. The lion to be let loose on Androcles had
+been kept a long time without food and was very hungry. When the door
+of his den was opened he rushed out with a tremendous roar. The
+Colosseum was crowded with spectators. They expected to see the poor
+slave torn to pieces in a moment. But, to the surprise of everyone,
+the great monster, hungry as he was, instead of devouring the
+condemed man, crouched at his feet, and began to fondle him, as a pet
+dog would do. He recognized in the poor prisoner his friend of the
+forest and showed that he had not forgotten his kindness. The
+kindness of Androcles had been like the honey shield to him. It saved
+his life, first from the savage beast in the forest; and then from
+the savage men in the city. Let us all put on this shield, and wear
+it wherever we go. The lesson of kindness which Jesus teaches in
+this parable, has been very well put by some one in these sweet
+lines:</p>
+
+<p>THE LESSON OF KINDNESS.</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;Think kindly of the erring!</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Thou knowest not the power</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">With which the dark temptation came</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">In some unguarded hour;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Thou knowest not how earnestly</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">They struggled, or how well,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Until the hour of weakness came,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And sadly then they fell.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;Speak kindly to the erring!</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Thou yet may'st lead him back</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">With holy words, and tones of love,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">From misery's thorny track:</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Forget not <i>thou</i> hast often sinned</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And sinful yet must be:&mdash;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Deal kindly with the erring one</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">As God hath dealt with thee!&quot;</span><br>
+
+<p>The duty of kindness was the third lesson Jesus taught in the
+parables.</p>
+
+<p><i>A fourth lesson taught us in some of the parables of Jesus is</i>----
+THE DUTY OF FORGIVENESS.</p>
+
+<p>The apostle Peter came to Jesus one day, and asked him how often he
+ought to forgive a brother that offended him; and whether it would be
+enough to forgive him <i>seven</i> times. The answer of Jesus was, &quot;I say
+not unto thee, until seven times, but until seventy times seven.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>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 thousand
+talents. If these were talents of silver they would amount to more
+than fifteen millions of dollars. If they were talents of gold, they
+would amount to three hundred millions. This would show that his debt
+was so great that he never could pay it. Then his master freely
+forgave 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; but
+put him in prison. When his master heard this he was very angry, and
+put him in prison, where he should be punished until he had paid all
+his great debt. And Jesus finished the parable by saying&mdash;&quot;<i>so
+likewise, shall my heavenly Father do unto you, if ye, from your
+hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses</i>.&quot; And here
+we are taught the great duty of forgiveness. And this same duty is
+taught us in the Lord's Prayer, where he says&mdash;&quot;Forgive us our
+trespasses, as we also forgive those who trespass against us.&quot; If we
+use this prayer without forgiving those who injure us, then, in so
+using it, we are really asking God <i>not</i> to forgive us. And Jesus
+<i>practised</i> what he <i>preached</i>. As he hung bleeding and agonizing on
+the cross, while his enemies were cruelly mocking his misery, he
+looked up to heaven, and uttered that wonderful prayer&mdash;&quot;<i>Father
+forgive them; for they know not what they do</i>.&quot; Here we have the best
+illustration of forgiveness that the world has ever seen.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Example of Forgiveness.&quot; In a school in Ireland, one boy struck
+another. The offending boy was brought up to be punished, when the
+injured boy begged for his pardon. The teacher asked&mdash;&quot;Why do you
+wish to keep him from being flogged?&quot; The ready reply was&mdash;&quot;Because I
+have read in the New Testament that our Lord Jesus Christ said that
+we must forgive our enemies; and therefore I forgive him, and beg
+that he may not be punished for my sake.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Good for Evil.&quot; At the foot of a street in New York, stood an
+Italian organ grinder, with his organ. A number of boys had gathered
+round him, but they were more anxious to have some fun than to hear
+music. One of them said to his companions:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;See! I'll hit his hat!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And sure enough he did. Making up a snow ball, he threw it with so
+much force that the poor man's hat was knocked into the gutter. A
+gentleman standing by expected to see him get very angry, and swear
+at the boy. But, very different from this was the result that
+followed. The musician stopped; stepped forward and picked up his
+hat. Then he turned to the rude boy, and gracefully bowing, said:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And now, I'll play you a tune to make you merry!&quot; There was real
+Christian forgiveness.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Power of the Gospel.&quot; Years ago some carpenters moved to the
+Island of New Zealand, and set up a shop for carrying on their
+business. They were engaged to build a chapel at one of the Mission
+Stations. One of these carpenters, a pleasant, kind-hearted man,
+engaged a native Christian to dig his garden for him. When the work
+was done the man went to the shop for his pay. Another of the
+carpenters there, who was a very ill-tempered man, told the native to
+get out of the shop. &quot;Don't be angry,&quot; was the gentle reply; &quot;I have
+only come to have a little talk with your partner, and to get my
+wages from him.&quot; &quot;But I <i>am</i> angry.&quot; And then taking hold of the New
+Zealander by the shoulder, he abused and kicked him in the most cruel
+manner.</p>
+
+<p>The native made no resistance till the carpenter ceased. Then he
+jumped up, seized him by the throat, and snatching a small axe from
+the bench, flourished it threateningly over his head. &quot;Now, you see,&quot;
+said he, &quot;your life is in my hand. You see my arm is strong enough to
+kill you; and my arm is quite willing, but my heart is not. I have
+heard the missionaries preach the gospel of forgiveness. You owe your
+life to the preaching of the gospel. If my heart was as dark now as
+it was before the gospel was preached here, I should strike off your
+head in an instant!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Then he released the carpenter without injuring him and accepted from
+him a blanket as an apology for the insult. How faithfully this man
+was practising the duty of forgiveness which Jesus taught!</p>
+
+<p><i>The only other thing of which we shall now speak, as taught by our
+Saviour in the parables, is</i>&mdash;THE INFLUENCE OF GOOD EXAMPLE.</p>
+
+<p>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 truth
+it teaches is very important. We first find this parable in the
+sermon on the mount. These are the words in which it is given:
+&quot;Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a
+candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let
+your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works,
+and glorify your Father which is in heaven.&quot; Matt, v: 15. This
+parable is so important that we find it repeated in three other
+places. Mark iv: 21, Luke viii: 16, and xi: 33.</p>
+
+<p>We find the same idea taught by one of England's greatest writers.
+Looking at a candle shining through a window, he says:</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;How far yon little candle throws its beam!</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">So shines a good deed in a naughty world.&quot;</span><br>
+
+<p>And the lesson we are here taught is that we should always set a good
+example by doing what we know to be right, and then, like a candle
+shining in a dark place, we shall be useful wherever we go. Let us
+look at one or two incidents that illustrate this.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;A Boy's Influence.&quot; Two families lived in one house. In each of
+these families there was a little boy about the same age. These boys
+slept together. One of them had a good pious mother. She had trained
+him to kneel down every night, before getting into bed, and say his
+prayer in an audible voice, and to repeat a text of scripture which
+she had taught him. Now the first time he slept with the other little
+boy, who never said any prayers, he was tempted to jump into bed, as
+his companion did, without kneeling down to pray. But he was a brave
+and noble boy. He said to himself&mdash;&quot;I am not afraid to do what my
+mother taught me. I am not ashamed for anybody to know that I pray to
+God. I'll do as I have been taught to do.&quot; He did so. He let his
+light shine. And see what followed from its shining!</p>
+
+<p>The little boy who had never been taught to pray learned his
+companion's prayer, and the verse he repeated, by hearing them, and
+he never forgot them. He grew up to be an earnest Christian man. When
+he 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 that
+it was his little prayer, so faithfully said every night when they
+were boys, which led him to become a Christian. He repeated the
+prayer and the verse, word for word, and with his dying lips thanked
+his friend for letting his light shine as he did, for <i>that</i> had
+saved his soul.</p>
+
+<p>Here is another illustration of a Christian letting his light shine
+and the good that was done by it. We may call it:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Shilling Bible, and what Came of It.&quot; Some years ago a
+Christian gentleman went on a visit for three days to the house of a
+rich lady who lived at the west end of London. After tea, on the
+first evening of his arrival, he called one of the servants, and
+telling her that in the hurry of leaving home he had forgotten to
+bring a Bible with him, he requested her to ask the lady of the house
+to be kind enough to lend him one.</p>
+
+<p>Now that house was beautifully furnished. There were splendid
+pictures on the walls, and elegantly bound volumes in the library and
+on 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 the
+servant a shilling and told her to go to the book store round the
+corner and buy a Bible. The Bible was bought and given to the
+gentleman. He used it during his visit, and then went home, little
+knowing how much good that shilling Bible was to do.</p>
+
+<p>When he was gone the lady at whose house he had been staying said to
+herself:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How strange it is that an intelligent gentleman like my friend could
+not bear to go for three days without reading the Bible, while I
+never read it at all, and don't know what it teaches. I am curious
+to know what there is in this book to make it so attractive. I mean
+to begin and read it through.&quot; She began to read it at first out of
+simple curiosity. But, as she went on reading she became deeply
+interested in it. It showed her what a sinner she was in living
+without God in the world. It led her to pray earnestly for the pardon
+of her sins; and the end of it was that she became a Christian. Then
+she desired that her children should know and love the Saviour too.
+She prayed for them. She talked with them, and taught them the
+precious truths contained in that blessed book. And the result was
+that, one by one, they were all led to Jesus and became Christians.
+And so <i>that whole family were saved by means of that shilling
+Bible</i>.</p>
+
+<p>When that gentleman asked for the use of a Bible in the house where
+he was visiting, he was setting a good example. He was putting his
+candle on a candlestick and letting it shine. And the result that
+followed gives us a good illustration of the meaning of our Saviour's
+words when he said:&mdash;&quot;Let your light so shine before men, that they
+may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And so, when we remember the parables that Jesus taught, among other
+things illustrated by them, we can think of these,&mdash;<i>the value of
+religion;&mdash;Christ's love for sinners;&mdash;the duty of kindness;&mdash;the
+duty of forgiveness;&mdash;the influence of a good example</i>.</p>
+
+<p>I know not how to finish this subject better than in the words of the
+hymn:</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;Father of mercies! in thy word,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">What endless glory shines!</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Forever be thy name adored</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">For these celestial lines.</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">O, may these heavenly pages be</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">My ever dear delight;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">And still new beauties may I see,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And still increasing light.&quot;</span><br>
+
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="CHRIST_TEACHING_BY_MIRACLES"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<h2>CHRIST TEACHING BY MIRACLES</h2>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>We have seen how many valuable lessons our Saviour taught while on
+earth by the parables which he used. But we teach by our lives, as
+well as by our lips. It has passed into a proverb, and we all admit
+the truth of it, that &quot;Actions speak louder than words.&quot; If our words
+and our actions contradict each other, people will believe our
+actions sooner than our words. But when both agree together, then the
+effect is very great. This was true with our blessed Lord. There was
+an entire agreement between what he said, and what he did. His words
+and his actions, the teaching of his lips, and the teaching of his
+life&mdash;were in perfect harmony. He practised what he preached.</p>
+
+<p>But then, in addition to the every day common actions of the life of
+Christ, there were actions in it that were very uncommon. He was
+daily performing miracles, and doing many mighty and wonderful
+works. And the prophets before him, and apostles after him, performed
+miracles too; yet there were two things in which the miracles of
+Christ differed from those performed by others. One was as to the
+<i>number</i> of them. He did a greater number of wonderful things than
+anyone else ever did. Indeed if we take the miracles that were done
+by Moses, by Elijah and Elisha, in the Old Testament, and those that
+were done by the apostles in the New Testament and put them all
+together we shall find that they would not equal, in number, the
+miracles of Christ. There are between thirty and forty of the mighty
+works wrought by our Saviour mentioned in the gospels. And these, as
+St. John says, are only a small portion of them. Ch. xxi: 25.</p>
+
+<p>The other thing in which the miracles of Christ are different from
+those performed by other persons, is <i>the way in which they were
+done</i>. The prophets and apostles did their mighty works in the name
+of God, or of Christ. Thus when Peter and John healed the lame man at
+the gate of the temple they said:&mdash;&quot;<i>In the name of Jesus Christ of
+Nazareth</i>, rise up and walk.&quot; Acts iii: 6. But Jesus had all the
+power in himself by which those wonderful things were done. He could
+say to the leper,&mdash;&quot;<i>I will</i>; be thou clean.&quot; He could say to the
+sick man:&mdash;&quot;Take up thy bed and walk.&quot; When speaking of his death and
+resurrection, he could very well say that it was his own power which
+would control it all. His life was in his own hands. It was true, as
+he said, &quot;No man taketh it from me; but I lay it down of myself. I
+have power to lay it down and I have power to take it again.&quot; John x:
+18. And it was the same with all his other mighty works. He had all
+the power in himself that was needed to do them.</p>
+
+<p>And these miracles of Christ were the proofs that he was the Messiah,
+the great Saviour, of whom the prophets had spoken. This was what
+Nicodemus meant when he said to Jesus:&mdash;&quot;We know that thou art a
+teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou
+doest, except God be with him.&quot; John iii: 2. And Jesus himself
+referred to his miracles as the proof that God had sent him. John v:
+36; x: 25.</p>
+
+<p>And this was what he meant by the message which he sent to John the
+Baptist, when his disciples came to Jesus, saying, &quot;Are thou he that
+should come, or look we for another?&quot; Jesus answered and said unto
+them, &quot;Go, and show John again those things which ye do hear and see;
+the blind receive their sight; and the lame walk; the lepers are
+cleansed; and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up; and the poor
+have the gospel preached unto them.&quot; Matt, xi: 2-6. These were the
+very things which the prophets had foretold that Christ would do when
+he came. Is. xxix: 18. xxxv: 4-6. xlii: 7.</p>
+
+<p>It is clear from these passages that all the miracles performed by
+our Lord were intended to teach this lesson, that he was the great
+Saviour of whom the prophets had spoken. But then, in addition to
+this, these wonderful works of Jesus were made use of by him to show
+that he has power to do everything for his people that they may need
+to have him do.</p>
+
+<p>It is impossible for us to speak of all the miracles of Christ. We
+can only make selections from them, as we did with the parables in
+the last chapter. In looking at these we may see Jesus teaching us
+that he has power to do <i>four</i> things for his people.</p>
+
+<p><i>In the first place some of the miracles of Christ teach us that he
+has great power to</i>&mdash;HELP.</p>
+
+<p>We see this in the account given us of the miraculous draught of
+fishes. Luke v: 1-11.</p>
+
+<p>Peter was a fisherman before he became a disciple of Jesus. And James
+and John, the sons of Zebedee, were partners with him in the same
+business. On one occasion they had been busy all night throwing out
+and hauling in their nets, but without catching a single fish. Early
+the next morning, Jesus was walking along the shore of the lake, near
+where their boats were. He knew how tired and discouraged they were,
+and how much they needed help; and he wished to show them what
+wonderful power he had to help in time of need. So he told them to
+cast their net on the other side of the ship. They did so; and
+immediately their nets were full; and they had more fish than they
+could well manage. Here we are taught that even in the depths of the
+sea 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 the
+power to bring it to them.</p>
+
+<p>And then, by his miracle of walking on the sea Jesus taught the same
+lesson. We have an account of this miracle in three places. Matt,
+xix: 22-33. Mark vi: 45-52. John vi: 14-21.</p>
+
+<p>At the close of a busy day, in which he had been teaching the people
+and feeding them by miracle, Jesus told his disciples to go on board
+a vessel and cross over to the other side of the lake. Then he sent
+the multitude away, and went up into the mountain to pray to his
+Father in heaven whom he loved so much. It proved to be a stormy
+night. The wind was dead ahead; and the sea was very rough. The
+disciples were having a hard time of it. Tired of rowing, and making
+little progress, there was no prospect of their getting to land
+before morning. But, dark as the night was, Jesus saw them. It is
+true as David says, that&mdash;&quot;<i>The darkness and the light are both alike
+to thee.</i>&quot; Ps. cxxxix: 12. He saw they needed help and he resolved to
+give 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 on
+the land. He steps from the sandy shore to the surface of the
+storm-tossed sea. He walks safely over its troubled waters. The
+disciples see him. Supposing it to be a spirit, they are alarmed, and
+cry out in their fear. But presently the cheering voice of their
+Master comes to them, saying: &quot;<i>It is I. Be not afraid</i>.&quot; He steps on
+board. The wind ceases, and immediately, without another stroke of
+the oars, the mighty power of Jesus brings them &quot;in safety to the
+haven where they would be.&quot; Other miracles might be referred to as
+teaching the same lesson. But these are sufficient. And Jesus has the
+same power to help now that he had then.</p>
+
+<p>Here are some illustrations of the strange way in which he sometimes
+helps his people in their times of need.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Dead Raven.&quot; A poor weaver in Edinburgh lost his situation one
+winter, on account of business being so dull. He begged earnestly of
+his employer to let him have work; but he said it was impossible.
+Well said he, &quot;I'm sure the Lord will help.&quot; When he came home and
+told his wife the sad news she was greatly distressed. He tried to
+comfort her with the assurance&mdash;&quot;The Lord will help.&quot; But as he could
+get 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 last
+morsel of bread was eaten one morning at breakfast. &quot;What shall we do
+for dinner?&quot; asked his wife.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Lord will help&quot;&mdash;was still his reply. And see how the help came.
+Soon after breakfast, his wife opened the front window, to dust off
+the sill. Just then a rude boy, who was passing, threw a dead raven
+in through the window. It fell at the feet of the pious weaver. As
+he threw the bird in, the boy cried out in mockery, &quot;There, old
+saint, is something for you to eat.&quot; The weaver took up the dead
+raven, saying as he did so:&mdash;&quot;Poor creature! you must have died of
+hunger!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>But when he felt its crop to see whether it was empty, he noticed
+something hard in it. And wishing to know what had caused its death,
+he took a knife and cut open its throat. How great was his
+astonishment on doing this, to find a small diamond bracelet fall
+into his hand! His wife gazed at it in amazement. &quot;Didn't I tell
+you,&quot; he asked, in grateful gladness, &quot;that the Lord will help?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>He went to the nearest jeweler's, and telling how he had found the
+precious jewels, borrowed some money on them. On making inquiry about
+it, it turned out that the bracelet belonged to the wife of the good
+weaver's late employer. It had suddenly disappeared from her chamber.
+One of the servants had been charged with stealing it, and had been
+dismissed. On hearing how the bracelet had disappeared, and how
+strangely it had fallen into the hands of his late worthy workman,
+the gentleman was very much touched; and not only rewarded him
+liberally for returning it&mdash;but took him back into his employ, and
+said he should never want work again so long as he had any to give.</p>
+
+<p>How willing, and how able our glorious Saviour is to help those who
+trust in him!</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Sailor Boy's Belief.&quot; One night there was a terrible storm at
+sea. All at once a ship, which was tossing on the waves, keeled over
+on her beam ends. &quot;She'll never right again!&quot; exclaimed the captain.
+&quot;We shall all be lost!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Not at all, sir!&quot; cried a pious sailor boy who was near the captain.
+&quot;What's to hinder it?&quot; asked the captain. &quot;Why you see, sir,&quot; said
+the boy, &quot;they are praying at this very moment in the Bethel ship at
+Glasgow for all sailors in danger: and I feel sure that God will hear
+their prayers: Now see, sir, if he don't!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>These words were hardly out of the boy's mouth, before a great wave
+struck the ship, and set her right up again. And then a shout of
+praise, louder than the howling of the storm, went up to God from the
+deck of that saved ship.</p>
+
+<p>And so, in the miracles that he performed, one thing that Jesus
+taught was his power to help.</p>
+
+<p><i>In the next place, among the miracles of Christ, we find some that
+were performed in order to teach us his power to</i>&mdash;COMFORT.</p>
+
+<p>One day, a great multitude of people waited on Jesus from morning
+till evening, to listen to his preaching. They were so anxious to
+hear that even when hungry they would not go away to get food. As the
+evening came on, the disciples asked their master to send the people
+away to get something to eat. But Jesus told them to give the people
+food. They said they had only five loaves and two fishes. Jesus told
+them to make the people sit down on the grass. And when they were
+seated he took the loaves and blessed, and brake them, and gave them
+to the disciples, and they gave them to the people. And great as that
+multitude was the supply did not fail. This was wonderful! Those
+loaves were very small. They were not bigger than a good-sized roll.
+The whole of the five loaves and two fishes would not have been
+enough to make a meal for a dozen men. And yet they were made
+sufficient to feed more than five thousand hungry people. How strange
+this was! The mighty power of Jesus did it. We are not told just
+<i>where</i>, in the interesting scene, this wonder-working power was put
+forth. It may have been that as Jesus brake the loaves and gave the
+pieces 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 have
+increased and multiplied while the disciples were engaged in
+distributing them. It is most likely that the miracle took place in
+immediate connection with Jesus himself. The power that did it was
+his: and in his hands, we may suppose that the wonderful work was
+done. As fast as he broke the loaves they increased, till all the
+people were fed. This was indeed not <i>one</i> miracle, but a multitude
+of miracles, all performed at once. The hungry multitude ate till all
+were satisfied: and yet the fragments left filled twelve baskets.
+Five thousand men were fed, and then there was twelve times as much
+food left as there was before they began to eat. All this was done to
+satisfy that hungry crowd, and to teach them, and us, what power this
+glorious Saviour has to comfort those who are in need or trouble.</p>
+
+<p>And when he healed the daughter of the Syrophoenician woman, as we
+read in St. Matt, xii: 21-28; when he healed the lunatic child, as we
+read in St. Matt, xvii: 14-21; and when he raised Lazarus from the
+dead, 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 comfort
+those in trouble.</p>
+
+<p>And we see him using his power still to comfort persons who are in
+distress. Here are some illustrations of the way in which he does
+this:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Shining in Every Window.&quot; A Christian lady, who spent much time in
+visiting among the poor, went one day to see a poor young girl, who
+was kept at home by a broken limb. Her room was on the north side of
+the house. It did not look pleasant without or cheerful within. &quot;Poor
+girl!&quot; she said to herself, &quot;what a dreary time she must have!&quot; On
+entering her room she said:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I am sorry, my friend, that your room is not on the other side of
+the house, where the sun could shine upon you. You never can have any
+sunshine here.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, you are mistaken,&quot; she said: &quot;the sunshine pours in at every
+window, and through every crack.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The lady looked surprised.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I mean Jesus, 'the Sun of righteousness,' shines in here, and makes
+everything bright to me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Here we see Jesus showing his power to comfort.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Ice in Summer.&quot; Some years ago a Christian merchant, in one of our
+eastern cities, failed in business, and lost everything he had. After
+talking over their affairs with his wife, who was a good Christian
+woman, they concluded to move out to the west and begin life again
+there. He bought some land on the wide rolling prairie, built a log
+cabin, and began to cultivate his farm. In the midst of the second
+summer, hard work and exposure to the sun brought on an attack of
+sickness, and a raging fever set in. They were twelve miles away from
+the nearest town. One of the neighbors went there and came back with
+a doctor. He examined the case very carefully, and left some medicine
+with them, and told them what to do. He said it was a very dangerous
+attack. If they could only get some ice to apply to the burning brow
+of the sick man, he thought he might get over it; but, without that,
+there was very little prospect of his recovery.</p>
+
+<p>As soon as the doctor was gone, the sorrowful wife gathered her
+family and friends round the bedside of her sick husband, and kneeled
+down with them in prayer. She told God what the doctor had said, and
+prayed very earnestly that he who has the power to do everything,
+would send them some ice.</p>
+
+<p>When the prayer was over, some of the neighbors whispered to each
+other that the poor distressed woman must be losing her mind. &quot;The
+idea of getting ice here,&quot; they said, &quot;when everybody knows there
+isn't a bit of ice in all the country! It would be contrary to all
+the laws of nature to have ice in summer.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The wife of the sick man heard their remarks, but they did not shake
+her faith in God, and in the power of prayer. Silently, but
+earnestly, her heart breathed forth the cry for ice.</p>
+
+<p>As the day wore on, heavy clouds began to gather in the western sky.
+They rolled in darkness over the heavens. The distant thunder was
+heard to mutter. Nearer and louder it was heard. The lightning began
+to flash. Presently the storm burst in its fury. It came first in
+rain, and then in hail. The hail-stones came in lumps of ice as big
+as eggs. They lay thick in the furrows of the field. The thankful
+wife 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 he
+was restored to life and health.</p>
+
+<p>This grateful woman never troubled herself with any questions about
+whether it was a miracle or not. She only knew that she had prayed
+for ice in summer, and that the ice had come. And her faith was
+stronger than ever that the gracious Saviour, who did so many
+miracles when he was on earth, has just the same power now to comfort
+his people when they are in trouble.</p>
+
+<p><i>In the third place, we see Jesus performing miracles to teach us
+what power he has to</i>&mdash;ENCOURAGE&mdash;<i>his people</i>.</p>
+
+<p>We have an account in St. Luke xiii: 10-17, of the miracle he
+performed on the woman who had &quot;a spirit of infirmity.&quot; This means
+that she was a cripple. Her body was bound down, so that she had no
+power to straighten herself or to stand upright. She had been in this
+condition we are told for <i>eighteen</i> years. How hard to bear&mdash;and how
+discouraging this trial must have been to her! No doctor could give
+her any relief, and she had made up her mind, no doubt, that there
+was no relief for her till death came. But when Jesus saw her, he
+pitied her. A miracle of healing was performed upon her. He laid his
+loving hand upon her bent and crippled body, and in a moment her
+disease was removed. She stood straight up, and glorified God. What
+encouragement that must have given to her!</p>
+
+<p>One day, when Jesus was at Capernaum, the tax-gatherers came to Peter
+to get the tribute, or tax-money, that was due to the Roman
+government, for himself and his master. But, it happened so that
+neither of them had money enough with which to pay that tax. Peter
+went 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 say
+anything on the subject, told him what to do. He directed him to take
+his fishing-line and go to the lake, and cast in his line, and catch
+the first fish that should bite; and said that in its mouth he would
+find a piece of money with which he might pay the tribute that was
+due for them both.</p>
+
+<p>Peter went. He threw in his line. He soon caught a fish. He looked
+into the fish's mouth and lo! there was a piece of money called a
+stater. It was worth about sixty cents of our money, and was just
+enough to pay the tribute for two persons. How wonderful this was! If
+Jesus made this piece of money in the mouth of the fish, at the time
+when Peter caught it, how wonderful his <i>power</i> must be! And if,
+without making it then, he knew that <i>that</i> one fish, the only one in
+the sea, probably, that had such a piece of money in its mouth, would
+be the first to bite at Peter's line, then how wonderful his
+<i>knowledge</i> must be!</p>
+
+<p>Peter would not be likely to forget that day's fishing as long as he
+lived. And when he thought of the illustration it afforded of the
+wonderful power and the wonderful knowledge of the master whom he was
+serving, what encouragement that would give him in his work!</p>
+
+<p>And Jesus is constantly doing things to encourage those who are
+trying to serve him.</p>
+
+<p>Let us look at some of the ways in which this is done. Our first
+illustration is from the life of Washington Allston, the great
+American painter. We may call it:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Praying for Bread.&quot; Many years ago Mr. Allston was considered one of
+the greatest artists in this country. At the time to which our story
+refers, he was living in London. Then he was so poor that he and his
+wife had not a morsel of bread to eat; nor a penny left with which to
+buy any. In great discouragement he went into his studio, locked the
+door, and throwing himself on his knees, he told the Lord his
+trouble, and prayed earnestly for relief.</p>
+
+<p>While he was still upon his knees, a knock was heard at the door. He
+arose and opened the door. A stranger stood there.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I wish to see Mr. Allston,&quot; said he.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I am Mr. Allston,&quot; replied Mr. A.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Pray tell me, sir, who has purchased your fine painting of the
+'Angel Uriel,' which won the prize at the exhibition of the Royal
+Academy?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That painting has not been sold,&quot; said Mr. A.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Where is it to be found?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;In this very room,&quot; said the artist, bringing a painting from the
+corner, and wiping off the dust.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What is the price of it?&quot; asked the gentleman.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I have done fixing a price on it,&quot; said Mr. A., &quot;for I have always
+asked more than people were willing to give.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Will four hundred pounds be enough for it?&quot; was the next question.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That is more than I ever asked.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Then the painting is mine,&quot; said the stranger, who introduced
+himself as the Marquis of Stafford; and from that day he became one
+of Mr. Allston's warmest friends.</p>
+
+<p>What a lesson of encouragement the great painter learned that day,
+when he asked for bread, and while he was asking, received help that
+followed him all his days!</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Hushed Tempest.&quot; A minister of the gospel in Canada gives this
+account of a lesson of encouragement to trust God in trouble, which
+he once received.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It was in the year 1853, about the middle of the winter that we had
+a succession of snowstorms, followed by high winds, and severe cold.
+I was getting ready to haul my supply of wood for the rest of the
+winter. I had engaged a man to go out the day before and cut the wood
+and have it ready to haul. I borrowed a sled and two horses from a
+neighbor and started early in the morning to haul the wood. Just as I
+reached the place, it began to snow hard. The wind blew such a gale
+that it was impossible to go on with the work. What was I to do? If
+it kept on snowing, I knew the roads would be impassable by the next
+day. Besides, that was the only day on which I could get the help of
+the man or the team. Unless I secured the wood that day it would not
+be 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.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I kneeled down amid the drifting snow, and said, 'O, my God, this is
+a day of trouble to me. Lord help me. The elements are subject to thy
+will: Thou holdest the winds in thy hands. If thou wilt speak the
+word, there will be a great calm. O Lord, for the sake of my helpless
+little ones, let this snow lie still, and give me the opportunity of
+doing what I came to do, and what it is so necessary to do to-day,
+for Jesus' sake. Amen!'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I do not think it was more than fifteen minutes from the time I
+began to pray, before there was a visible change. The wind became
+more moderate; the sky was calm; in less than half an hour all was
+still; and a more pleasant time for wood-hauling than we had that day
+I never saw, nor desire to see. While I live, I never shall forget
+the lesson of encouragement to trust in God that was taught me on
+that day.&quot; And this was one of the lessons Jesus taught us by his
+miracles.</p>
+
+<p><i>In the fourth place, among the miracles of Jesus we see some that
+were intended to teach us his power to</i>&mdash;PROTECT&mdash;<i>his people</i>.</p>
+
+<p>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 weak
+to protect ourselves.</p>
+
+<p>One day, Jesus went into the house of the apostle Peter, and found
+the family in great distress, because the mother of Peter's wife was
+very ill and in danger of dying. We judge from the history that she
+was the head of the family. Her death would have been a great loss to
+them all, and yet it seemed as if no human power could protect them
+from that loss. But Jesus performed a miracle to save them from this
+threatened danger. He went into the room where she lay. He put his
+healing hands upon her, and at once she was well. Immediately she
+rose up from that sick bed, and took her place in the family and
+waited on Jesus.</p>
+
+<p>On another occasion he was crossing the sea of Galilee with his
+disciples. 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 he
+was lying there a sudden storm burst upon the sea. The wind howled in
+its fury. The angry waves rose in their might and dashed against the
+vessel in hissing foam. The ship was full of water, and in danger of
+sinking. The terrified disciples came to their sleeping Master with
+the earnest cry:&mdash;&quot;Lord save us: we perish.&quot; He heard their cry. He
+rose at once. Quietly he took his stand by the side of the
+storm-tossed vessel. He rebuked the winds, and said unto the sea:&mdash;&quot;
+Peace: be still.&quot; They recognized their Master's voice and obeyed.
+&quot;The wind ceased, and immediately there was a great calm.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>As long as those disciples lived they never would forget the lesson
+he taught them by that miracle of his power to protect in danger.</p>
+
+<p>And then many of the miracles of our Saviour were performed for the
+purpose of showing what power he had to protect his people from
+Satan, and the evil spirits that serve him. It pleased God to allow
+these evil spirits to have more power over men during the time when
+Jesus was on earth than they had before, or than they have now. We
+often read in the gospels of men who were &quot;possessed of devils.&quot; This
+means that the evil spirits entered into the bodies of these men, and
+used them as their own; just as you, or I, might go into an empty
+house, and use it as if it belonged to us. But Jesus performed a
+number 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 from
+their 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.</p>
+
+<p>The Bible speaks of Satan &quot;going about, like a roaring lion, seeking
+whom he may devour.&quot; I. Peter v: 8. But he is a chained lion: and
+Jesus holds the chain. If we are trying to love and serve Jesus, we
+need not be afraid of this roaring lion. He cannot touch us till our
+Saviour gives him permission; and he will not let him hurt us. We see
+this illustrated in Job's case. Satan wanted very much to injure Job
+in some way. But he could not do it. And the reason of it was, as he
+said himself, that God had &quot;put an hedge about him, and about his
+house, and about all that he had on every side.&quot; Job i: 10. This
+hedge, or fence, means the power which Jesus exercises to protect his
+people from the harm that Satan desires to do to them. In this way he
+protected Job. And in this way he protects all who love and serve
+him.</p>
+
+<p>Let us take an illustration or two to show how he is doing this
+continually.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Providential Deliverance.&quot; One of the best men, and one of the most
+useful ministers in London, during the last century, was the Rev.
+John Newton. Before entering the ministry he held an office under
+the government. One of the duties of this office was for him to visit
+and inspect the vessels of the navy as they lay at anchor in the
+river Thames. One day he was going out to visit a man-of-war that lay
+there. He was a very punctual man. When he had an engagement he was
+always ready at the very moment. But when he reached the dock on this
+occasion the boat which was to take him off to the man-of-war was not
+there. He was obliged to wait five, ten, fifteen minutes before the
+boat came. This displeased him very much. But the hand of God was in
+this delay. For, just as the boat was leaving the dock, a spark fell
+into the powder magazine on board the man-of-war. An explosion took
+place. The huge vessel was blown to pieces, and all the men on board
+of her were killed. That delay of a quarter of an hour saved Mr.
+Newton's life. In this way that gracious Saviour whom he served
+protected him from the danger to which he was exposed.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Willie's Heroism.&quot; One summer afternoon a teacher told her geography
+class that they might close their books and rest a little, while she
+told them a story. The story was about William Tell, the famous hero
+of Switzerland. She told the scholars how a wicked governor placed an
+apple on the head of Tell's little boy and then compelled the father
+to take his bow and arrow and shoot the apple from the head of his
+son. He was very unwilling to do it, for he was afraid the arrow
+might miss and kill his child. But the brave boy stood firm, and
+cried out&mdash;&quot;Shoot, father! I am not afraid.&quot; He took a steady aim;
+fired, and knocked the apple off without hurting his son.</p>
+
+<p>Just as the teacher was telling this story a sudden storm burst from
+the 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 the
+teacher for protection. But a little boy named Willie Hawthorne, kept
+his seat and went on quietly studying his lesson.</p>
+
+<p>When the storm was over the teacher said:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Willie why were you not afraid like the other children?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Because,&quot; said he, &quot;I knew the lightning was only an arrow in my
+Heavenly Father's hand, and why should I be afraid?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>How well Willie had learned the lesson which Jesus taught his
+disciples when he performed so many miracles to show what power he
+has to protect his people from danger!</p>
+
+<p>Here is just one other story to illustrate this truth. We may call
+it:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Widow's Tree,&quot; Some years ago a violent storm, with wind and
+thunder, 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 was
+spread all over the land.</p>
+
+<p>In the centre of the region over which this hurricane swept stood a
+small cabin. It was occupied by an aged Christian widow, with her
+only son. The terrible wind struck a large tree in front of her
+humble dwelling, twisting and dashing it about. If the tree should
+fall it would crush her home, and probably kill herself and son. The
+storm 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 asked
+God 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 was
+over, the widow's tree was spared, and strange as it may seem, was
+the only one left amidst that scene of desolation. There it stood,
+as if on purpose to show what power our loving Saviour has to protect
+from danger those who trust in him!</p>
+
+<p><i>But, in the last place, we see that Jesus performed some of his
+miracles for the purpose of teaching us that he has power
+to</i>&mdash;PARDON.</p>
+
+<p>A man was brought him, one day, who was sick of the palsy. His limbs
+were helpless. He was not able to come to Jesus himself, so his
+friends carried him on a bed. At this time Jesus was preaching in the
+yard, or court, connected with some rich man's house. In those
+eastern countries the houses were not built as ours are, with a yard
+back of them. There is a square yard in the centre, and the house is
+built round the four sides of this square. This open space is
+generally used as a garden. It has a fountain playing in it, and a
+covering of cloth or mats spread over it to keep off the sun. It was
+in one of these open courts that Jesus was preaching on this
+occasion. A great crowd had gathered round him, so that the friends
+of the palsied man could not get near him with the bed on which the
+sufferer lay. Then they concluded to carry him up to the top of the
+house, and lower him down inside. This would not be easy to do with
+us. But the eastern houses are not so high as ours. And then they
+have flat roofs, and a flight of steps leading from the ground, on
+the outside, to the top of the house. This made it very easy to get
+up. When they were on the roof they removed the covering from the
+inner court, and let down the bed, with the sick man on it, directly
+in front of our Saviour. When he saw him he pitied him, and said,
+&quot;Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.&quot; The people were
+surprised at this. The Pharisees said among themselves &quot;This man
+blasphemeth.&quot; Jesus knew their thoughts and told them it was as easy
+for him to heal the souls of men, as it was to heal their bodies. And
+then, to show them that he had power on earth to forgive sins, he
+said to the sick man&mdash;&quot;Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine
+house. And he arose, and went to his house,&quot; Matt, ix: 1-8. Certainly
+the object Jesus had in view, in performing this miracle, was to
+prove that he had power to forgive sins; or to pardon.</p>
+
+<p>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. It
+affected the body as sin affects the soul. And then, leprosy was a
+disease which none but God could cure; just as sin is an offence
+which none but God our Saviour can pardon. And so Jesus performed the
+miracle of healing the palsied man and the lepers in order to teach
+his disciples the great lesson that he &quot;had power on earth to forgive
+sins.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And he has the same power still. Here are some illustrations of the
+way in which he exercises this power now.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No Pardon but From Jesus,&quot; There was a heathen man in India once,
+who felt that he was a sinner, and longed to obtain pardon. The
+priests had sent him to their most famous temples, all over the
+country, but he could get no pardon, and find no peace. He had fasted
+till he was about worn to a skeleton, and had done many painful
+things&mdash;but pardon and peace he could not find. At last he was told
+to put pebbles in his shoes and travel to a distant temple, and make
+an offering there; and he would find peace. He went. He made the
+offering; but still he found no relief from the burden of his sins.</p>
+
+<p>Sad, and sorrowful, he was returning home with the pebbles still in
+his shoes. Wearied with his journey, he halted one day in the shade
+of a grove, by the wayside, where a company of people was gathered
+round a stranger who was addressing them. It was a Christian
+missionary preaching the gospel. The heathen listened with great
+interest. The missionary was preaching from the words:&mdash;&quot;The blood of
+Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin.&quot; He showed what power Jesus had
+to forgive sins and how able and willing he is to save all who come
+unto him. The heart of the poor heathen was drawn to this loving and
+glorious Saviour. He took off his shoes and threw away the pebbles,
+saying &quot;This is the Saviour I have long sought in vain. Thank God! I
+have found salvation!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Here is one more illustration of the way in which Jesus pardons our
+sins, and of the effect which that pardon has on those who receive
+it. We may call it:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Pardon and Peace.&quot; An officer who held a high position under the
+government of his country, and was a favorite with the king, was once
+brought before the judge and charged with a great crime. He took his
+place at the bar with the greatest coolness, and looked at the judge
+and jury and the great crowd of spectators as calmly as if he were
+at home, surrounded by his own family.</p>
+
+<p>The trial began. The witnesses were called up, and gave clear
+evidence that he was guilty. Still he remained as calm and unmoved as
+ever. There was not the least sign of fear visible on his
+countenance; on the contrary, his face wore a pleasant smile.</p>
+
+<p>At last the jury came in, and while the crowd in the court-room held
+their breath, declared that the prisoner was guilty. In an instant
+every eye was turned upon the prisoner to see what effect this
+sentence would have upon him. But just then, he put his hand in his
+bosom, drew out a paper, and laid it on the table. It was a pardon, a
+full, free pardon of all his offences, given him by the king, and
+sealed with the royal signet. This was the secret of his peace. This
+was what gave him such calmness and confidence in his dreadful
+position as a condemned prisoner.</p>
+
+<p>And so Jesus gives his people pardon in such promises as these:
+&quot;Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow: though
+they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool,&quot; Is. i: 16. &quot;Let
+them return unto the Lord, for he will <i>abundantly pardon</i>.&quot; Is. lv:
+7. &quot;All that believe are justified from <i>all</i> things.&quot; Acts xiii:
+39. These promises are like the king's pardon which the officer had
+received. Faith in these promises brings pardon, and the pardon
+brings peace. And so, by what he is doing now, as well as by the
+miracles he performed when on earth, we are taught the precious
+truth, that&mdash;&quot;The Son of man hath power to forgive sins.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Then when we think of the wonderful miracles that Jesus did, let us
+always remember the illustrations they afford of the power he had to
+<i>help</i>&mdash;<i>to comfort</i>&mdash;<i>to encourage</i>&mdash;<i>to protect</i>&mdash;<i>and to pardon</i>.</p>
+
+<p>Let us seek to secure all these blessings to ourselves, and then we
+shall find that what Jesus taught by his miracles will be very
+profitable teaching to us!</p>
+
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="CHRIST_TEACHING_LIBERALITY"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<h2>CHRIST TEACHING LIBERALITY</h2>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>If we should attempt to mention all the parables which Jesus spoke,
+and the miracles which he performed, and the many other lessons which
+he taught, it would make a long list. As we have done before we can
+only take one or two specimens of these general lessons which Jesus
+taught.</p>
+
+<p>We have one of these in the title to our present chapter, which
+is&mdash;<i>Christ Teaching Liberality</i>. This was a very important lesson
+for Jesus to teach. One of the sad effects of sin upon our nature is
+to make it selfish, and covetous. We are tempted to love money more
+than we ought to do. We are not so willing to part with it as we
+should be. And we never can be good and true Christians unless we
+overcome the selfishness of our sinful hearts, and not only learn to
+give, but to give liberally. The Bible teaches us that God not only
+expects his people to give, but, as St. Paul says, in one place, to
+give &quot;<i>cheerfully</i>.&quot; II. Cor. ix: 7.</p>
+
+<p>And this is the lesson Jesus taught when he said to his
+disciples,&mdash;&quot;Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure,
+pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give
+into your bosoms.&quot; St. Luke vi: 38.</p>
+
+<p>And when we come to consider these words of Jesus, there are three
+things to engage our attention. <i>The first of these is the</i>&mdash;LESSON
+OF LIBERALITY&mdash;<i>here set before us</i>.</p>
+
+<p><i>The second is</i>&mdash;THE PROOF&mdash;<i>that this lesson is taught all through
+the Bible</i>.</p>
+
+<p><i>And the third is</i>&mdash;THE ILLUSTRATIONS&mdash;<i>of this lesson</i>.</p>
+
+<p>And then, when put into its shortest form, our present subject may be
+thus expressed&mdash;<i>the lesson of liberality; its proofs; and its
+illustrations</i>.</p>
+
+<p>And the lesson which Jesus here taught is all wrapped up in this
+little word&mdash;&quot;<i>Give</i>.&quot; Here we learn what the will of Jesus is on
+this subject. This is not simply the expression of his opinion. It is
+not merely his advice; no, but it is his <i>command</i>. He is speaking
+here as our Master&mdash;our King&mdash;our God. He <i>commands</i> us to&mdash;give.
+And when we remember how he said to his disciples, &quot;If ye love me,
+<i>keep my commandments</i>,&quot; we see plainly, that we have no right to
+consider ourselves as his disciples if we are neglecting this or any
+other of his plain commands.</p>
+
+<p>And this command about giving is not intended for any <i>one</i> class of
+persons among the followers of Christ, but for <i>all</i> of them. It is
+not a command designed for kings, or princes, or rich men only, but
+for the poor as well. It is not a command for grown persons alone,
+but for children also. As soon as we begin to <i>get</i>, God expects us
+to begin to <i>give</i>.</p>
+
+<p>Jesus says nothing here about <i>how much</i> he expects us to give. But,
+from other places in the Bible, we learn that he expects us to give
+<i>at least one-tenth</i> of all that we have. If we have a thousand
+dollars he expects us to give one hundred out of the thousand. If we
+have a hundred he expects us to give ten. If we have ten dollars we
+must give one of them to God. If we have only one dollar we must give
+ten cents of it to Him. If we have but ten cents we must give one of
+them. If we have no money to give, God expects us to give kind words,
+and kind actions, our sympathy and love.</p>
+
+<p>Jesus does not tell us here <i>how often</i> we are to give, but
+simply&mdash;give. This means that we are to learn the lesson and form the
+habit of giving. His command is&mdash;give. And in giving us this command
+he is only asking us to imitate his own example. <i>He is giving all
+the time</i>. The apostle Paul tells us that Jesus is &quot;exalted to the
+right hand of the Father to&mdash;give.&quot; He never tires of giving. &quot;He
+giveth to all life, breath, and all things.&quot; And if we have not the
+Spirit of Christ in this respect, &quot;we are none of his.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>This, then, is the lesson of liberality that Jesus taught when he
+said&mdash;&quot;give.&quot; And that <i>giving is God's rule for getting</i> is what we
+are taught by our Saviour, when he said&mdash;&quot;<i>Give, and it shall be
+given unto you</i>.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And now, having seen what this lesson of liberality is, which Jesus
+taught, <i>let us look at some of the Scripture proofs of it</i>. The same
+lesson is taught in other places in the Bible. Let us see what is
+said about it in some of these places.</p>
+
+<p>In Ps. xli: 1 David says&mdash;&quot;Blessed is he that considereth the poor:
+the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble.&quot; Considering the poor
+here, means being kind to them, and giving them such things as they
+need. And the blessing promised to those who do this means that God
+will reward them by giving to them good things in great abundance.
+And, if this is so, then we have proof here that &quot;giving is God's
+rule for getting.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>We have another proof that &quot;giving is God's rule for getting,&quot; in
+Prov. iii: 9, 10. Here Solomon says&mdash;&quot;Honor the Lord with thy
+substance, and with the first-fruits of all thine increase: So shall
+thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with
+new wine.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>When the Jewish farmers gathered in their harvests they were required
+to make an offering to God, of what had been gathered, before they
+used any part of it for themselves; and the offerings thus made were
+called &quot;the first-fruits.&quot; God considered himself honored by his
+people when they did this, because they were keeping his commandments
+and 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 to
+the cause of God from all the money, or property we have, and from
+all the gain, or increase that we make to the same. This is the Bible
+rule&mdash;the will or command of God for all his people. And then, in
+the other part of this passage we have the promise of God to all who
+do this. &quot;So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses
+shall burst out with new wine.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>This means that they shall be rich and prosperous. And so we see that
+this passage from the book of Proverbs, teaches the same lesson of
+liberality that our Saviour taught when he said&mdash;&quot;<i>Give and it shall
+be given unto you</i>.&quot; It proves that &quot;giving is God's rule for
+getting.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And Solomon teaches the same, again, when he says, &quot;The liberal soul
+shall be made fat; and he that watereth shall be watered also
+himself.&quot; Prov. xi: 25.</p>
+
+<p>A &quot;liberal soul&quot; means a person who is in the habit of giving; and to
+be &quot;made fat&quot; means to be prospered and happy. If you undertake to
+water a garden, you are <i>giving</i> to the thirsty plants that which
+they need to make them grow and thrive; and when it is promised that
+the person who does this shall &quot;be watered also himself,&quot; the meaning
+is that he shall have given to him all that is most important to
+supply his wants, and make him happy. And this, we see, is only
+teaching what our Saviour taught when he said, &quot;Give, and it shall be
+given unto you.&quot; It furnishes us with another proof that &quot;giving is
+God's rule for getting.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>In the nineteenth chapter of Proverbs and seventeenth verse we have a
+very clear proof of the lesson we are now considering. Here we find
+it said: &quot;<i>He that hath pity upon the poor, lendeth unto the Lord;
+and that which he hath given will he pay him again</i>.&quot; Having pity on
+the poor, as here spoken of, means giving them such things as they
+need. Whatever we use in this way God looks upon as so much money
+lent unto him; and we have his solemn promise that when we lend
+anything to him, in this way, &quot;He will pay us again.&quot; And when he
+pays again what has been lent to him, it is always with interest. He
+pays back four, or five, or ten times as much as was lent: to him.
+This proves that &quot;giving is God's rule for getting.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>One other passage is all that need be referred to in order to prove
+that the lesson of liberality which our Saviour taught is the same
+lesson which the Bible teaches everywhere. In Eccles. xi: 1, God
+says, &quot;<i>Cast thy bread upon the waters; for thou shalt find it after
+many days</i>.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>If we should see a man standing on the end of a wharf and throwing
+bread upon the waters, we should think that he was a foolish man,
+who was wasting his bread, or only feeding the fishes with it. But
+suppose that you and I were travelling through Egypt&mdash;the land of the
+celebrated pyramids and other great wonders. The famous river Nile is
+there. During our visit the inundation of that river takes place. It
+overflows its banks, and spreads its water over all the level plains
+that border on the river. This takes place every year. And when the
+fields are all overflowed with water, the farmers go out in boats,
+and scatter their grain over the surface of the water. The grain
+sinks to the bottom. The sediment in the water settles down on the
+grain, and covers it with mud. By and by the waters flow back into
+the river. The fields become dry. The grain springs up and grows. The
+mud that covered it is like rich manure, and makes it grow very
+plentifully, and yield a rich harvest. And here we see the meaning of
+this passage. God makes use of this Egyptian custom to teach us the
+lesson of liberality that we are now considering. He tells us that
+the money which we give to the poor, or use to do good with, is like
+the grain which the Egyptian farmer casts upon the water, and which
+will surely yield a rich harvest by and by.</p>
+
+<p>This teaches us the lesson of liberality. And when we think of all
+these passages, we see very clearly that the Bible teaches the same
+lesson which Jesus taught when he said to his disciples, &quot;Give, and
+it shall be given unto you.&quot; And what we learn, both from the
+teaching of Christ, and from the different passages referred to,
+is&mdash;that &quot;giving is God's rule for getting.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And now, having seen some of the Bible, proofs for this lesson of
+liberality, or for this rule about giving and getting, <i>let us go on
+to speak of some of the illustrations of this rule</i>. These are very
+numerous.</p>
+
+<p>And we may draw our illustrations from three sources, viz.:&mdash;<i>from
+the Bible; from nature; and from everyday life</i>.</p>
+
+<p>There are two illustrations of which we may speak from the Bible. We
+find one of these in the history of the prophet Elijah. You remember
+that there was a great famine in the land of Israel during the
+lifetime of this prophet. For more than three years there was not a
+drop of rain all through the land. The fields, the vineyards, and
+gardens dried up, and withered, and yielded no fruit. During the
+first part of the time when this famine was prevailing, God sent
+Elijah to &quot;the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan,&quot; I. Kings xvii:
+7-17. There the ravens brought him food, and he drank of the water of
+the brook.</p>
+
+<p>But after awhile the brook dried up. Then God told him to go to the
+city of Zarephath, or Sarepta, on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea,
+and that he had commanded a widow woman there to sustain him. He did
+not tell him the name of the woman; nor the street she lived in; nor
+the number of her house. Elijah went. When he came near the place he
+met a woman, picking up some sticks of wood. I suppose God told him
+that this was the woman he was to stay with. Elijah spoke to her, and
+asked her if she would please give him a drink of water. When she was
+going to get it, he called to her again, and said he was hungry, and
+asked her to bring him a piece of bread. Then she told him that there
+was not a morsel of bread in her house. All she had in the world was
+a handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse, and that
+she was gathering a few sticks, that she might go and bake the last
+cake for herself and her son, that they might eat it and die. And
+Elijah said, &quot;Fear not; go, and do as thou hast said; but make me
+thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make
+for 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 oil
+fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>This was a hard thing to ask a mother to do. It was asking her to
+take the last morsel of bread she had, and that she needed for
+herself and for her hungry boy, and give it to a stranger. Yet she
+did it; because she believed God. I seem to see her turning the meal
+barrel up, to get the meal all out. Then she pours out the oil from
+the cruse, and drains out the last drop. She mixes the meal and the
+olive oil together, as is the custom in that country still, and makes
+a cake which can soon be baked. She takes it to the man of God, who
+eats it thankfully, and is refreshed. Then she returns to the empty
+barrel and cruse, and finds as much in them as she had lately taken
+out. She prepares some bread for herself and her son, and they eat it
+thankfully 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. We
+are not told how long it was after Elijah went to the widow's house
+before the days of the famine were over. But suppose we make a
+calculation about it. The famine lasted for three years. Now let us
+suppose, that the first half of this time was spent by the prophet at
+the brook Cherith. Then his stay at the widow's house must have been
+at least eighteen months. And, if this miracle of increasing the meal
+and the oil was repeated only once a day, there would be for the
+first twelve months, or for the year, three hundred and sixty-five
+miracles; and for the six months, or the half year, one hundred and
+eighty-two more; and adding these together we have the surprising
+number of <i>five hundred and forty-seven</i> miracles, that were
+performed to reward this good widow for the kindness she showed to
+the prophet Elijah, when she gave him a piece of bread, and a drink
+of water! What an illustration we have here of the truth we are
+considering, that <i>giving is God's rule for getting</i>.</p>
+
+<p>But the best illustration of this subject to be found in the Bible is
+given in our Saviour's own experience. He not only <i>preached</i> the
+lesson of liberality, but <i>practised</i> it. He is himself the greatest
+giver ever heard of. In becoming our Redeemer he showed himself the
+Prince of givers. He gave&mdash;not silver and gold; not all the wealth of
+the world, or of ten thousand worlds like ours; but &quot;He gave
+<i>Himself</i> for us.&quot; He can say indeed, to each of us, in the language
+of the hymn:</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;I gave my life for thee,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">My precious blood I shed,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">That thou might'st ransomed be,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And quickened from the dead.&quot;</span><br>
+
+<p>And what is the result of this glorious giving to Jesus himself? St.
+Paul answers this question when he says, &quot;Wherefore God also hath
+highly 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 every
+tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God
+the Father,&quot; Phil, ii: 9-11. Because of what he gave &quot;for us men, and
+for our salvation,&quot; he will be loved and praised and honored in
+heaven, on the earth, and through all the universe, above all other
+beings, for ever and ever. What a glorious illustration we have here
+of the truth of this statement, that &quot;giving is God's rule for
+getting.&quot; These are some of the illustrations of this lesson of
+liberality that we find in the Bible.</p>
+
+<p><i>And now, let us look at some illustrations of this subject, that we
+have in nature</i>.</p>
+
+<p>Solomon suggests one of these when he says, &quot;<i>There is that
+scattereth, and yet increaseth</i>.&quot; Prov. xi: 26. He is evidently
+speaking here of a farmer sowing his fields with grain.</p>
+
+<p>Now suppose that we had never seen a man sowing; and that we knew
+nothing at all about the growth of grain, or how wonderfully the seed
+sown in the spring is increased and multiplied when the harvest is
+reaped. Then, the first time we saw a farmer sowing his fields, we
+should have been ready to say, &quot;What a foolish man that is! He is
+taking that precious grain by the handful, and deliberately throwing
+it away.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Of course, we should have expected that the grain thus thrown away,
+or scattered over the ground, would all be lost. But, if we could
+have come back to visit that farmer when he was gathering in his
+harvest, how surprised we should have been! Then we should have
+learned that for every handful of grain that the farmer had
+scattered, or, as we thought, thrown away, in the spring, when he was
+sowing, he had gained forty or fifty handfuls when he reaped in his
+harvest. Then we should have understood what Solomon meant when he
+said, &quot;There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth.&quot; And we should
+have here a good illustration of our Saviour's lesson of liberality,
+when he said, &quot;Give, and it shall be given unto you;&quot; and of the
+Bible truth we are now studying, that &quot;giving is God's rule for
+getting.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Yonder is the great ocean; it is one of the grandest of nature's
+works. And the ocean gives us a good illustration of the lesson of
+liberality which our Saviour taught. The waters of the ocean are
+spread out for thousands of miles. As the sun shines on the surface
+of the ocean, it makes the water warm, and turns it into vapor, like
+the steam that comes from the boiling kettle. This vapor rises into
+the air, and helps to form the clouds that are floating there. These
+clouds sail over the land, and pour out the water that is in them, in
+refreshing and fertilizing showers of rain. This rain makes the rills
+start from the sides of the mountains. The rills run down into the
+rivers, and the rivers flow back into the sea again. In this way the
+ocean is a great giver. It has been giving away its water for
+hundreds and thousands of years, ever since the day when God made it.</p>
+
+<p>Now, let us suppose that the ocean could think, or speak; and that it
+had power to control its own motions. And suppose that the ocean
+should say:&mdash;&quot;Well, I think I have been giving away water long
+enough. I am going to turn over a new leaf. The sun may shine as much
+as it pleases. I won't let another drop of water go out from my
+surface. I am tired of giving, and I mean to stop doing it, any
+longer.&quot; Let us pause for a moment here, and see what the effect of
+this would be upon the ocean itself.</p>
+
+<p>We know that all the water in the ocean is salt water. But when the
+sun takes water from the ocean, in the form of vapor, it is always
+taken out as fresh water. It leaves the salt behind it. Then the
+water on the surface of the ocean, from which this vapor has been
+taken, has more salt in it than the water underneath it. This makes
+it heavier than the other water. The consequence of this, is that
+this heavier water, on the top of the ocean, sinks to the bottom; and
+at 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. The
+water from the top is sinking to the bottom, and the water from the
+bottom is rising to the top. And this is one of the means which God
+employs to keep the waters of the ocean always pure and wholesome.
+But if the ocean should stop giving away its water, as it has always
+been doing, then this constant change of its waters would cease. The
+ocean would be left still and stagnant. It would become a great mass
+of corruption; and the breezes from the ocean, that now carry health
+and life to those who breathe them, would carry only disease and
+death. And the thousands of people who now love the ocean and seek
+its shores every summer, to get strong and well by breathing the air
+that 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 its
+shores as they could. And so we see how the ocean stands before us as
+a grand illustration of the lesson of liberality which our Saviour
+taught when he said, &quot;Give, and it shall be given unto you.&quot; The
+ocean gives away its water continually, and, in return for this, God
+gives it freshness and purity, and makes it a blessing to the world.
+And so the ocean illustrates the truth of the lesson we are now
+studying, that &quot;giving is God's rule for getting.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And yonder is the great sun, shining up in the sky. We do not know as
+much about the sun as we do about the ocean, because it is so far
+away from us. The ocean is very near us. We can walk along its
+shores, and plunge into its waters, and sail over its surface. We
+can study out all about the laws that govern it, and what the effect
+of those laws is upon it. But it is very different with the sun. It
+is about ninety millions of miles away from us. This is too far off
+for us to know much about it. And yet, we know enough about the sun
+to get from it a good illustration of God's rule about giving and
+getting. The sun, like the ocean, is a great giver. It is giving away
+light all the time. It was made for this purpose; and for this
+purpose it is preserved. If the sun should stop giving, and should
+try to keep all its light and heat for itself, the effect would be
+its ruin. By ceasing to give it would be burnt up and destroyed. And
+so, when we see the sower sowing his seed, or the reaper gathering in
+his harvest; when we look upon the ocean, and see the clouds formed
+from its waters, as they go sailing through the sky; or when we see
+the sun rising in the morning, going forth again to his appointed
+work of giving light to a dark world; let us remember that these are
+nature's illustrations of the lesson of liberality which Jesus taught
+when he said, &quot;Give, and it shall be given unto you.&quot; They all help
+to show how true it is, that &quot;giving is God's rule of getting.&quot;</p>
+
+<p><i>And now we may go on to look for our illustrations of this subject
+from everyday life</i>.</p>
+
+<p>If we are only watchful we shall meet with illustrations of this kind
+continually. It would not be difficult to fill a volume with them.
+Here are a few out of many that might be given.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Travellers in the Snow.&quot; Two travellers were on a journey in a
+sleigh during a very severe winter. It was snowing fast as they drove
+along. One of the travellers was a liberal, generous-hearted man, who
+believed in giving; and was always ready to share whatever he had
+with others. His companion was a selfish ungenerous man. He did <i>not</i>
+believe in giving; and liked to keep whatever he had for himself. As
+they drove along, they saw something covered up in the snow that
+looked like the figure of a man. &quot;Look there,&quot; said the generous man
+to his friend, &quot;that must be some poor fellow overcome by the cold.
+Let's stop and see what we can do for him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You can get out, if you like,&quot; was his reply, &quot;but it's too cold for
+me. I intend to stay where I am;&quot; and he wrapped his furs closely
+round him.</p>
+
+<p>The other traveller threw aside his furs and jumped out of the
+sleigh. He found it was a poor man, who had sunk down in the snow a
+short 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 for
+a good while. At last the man began to get warm again and was saved
+from death. Then the generous-hearted traveller helped him into the
+sleigh, and shared his wrappings with him. The exertion he had made
+in doing this kind act put him all in a glow of warmth. He made the
+rest of the journey in comfort. But when they stopped at the end of
+their journey, the selfish man, who was not willing to do anything
+for the help of another, had his fingers, and toes, and nose, and
+ears frozen. This illustrates the lesson of liberality; and shows
+that &quot;giving is God's rule for getting.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Here we see the truth of the lines which someone has written:</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;Numb and weary on the mountain</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Wouldst thou sleep amidst the snow?</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Chafe the frozen form beside thee,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And together both shall glow.</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Art thou stricken in life's battle?</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Many wounded round thee moan;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Lavish on their wounds thy balsams,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And that balm shall heal thine own.&quot;</span><br>
+
+<p>&quot;The Officer and the Soldier.&quot; In one of the terrible battles in
+Virginia, during the late war, a Union officer fell wounded in front
+of the Confederate breastwork, which had been attacked. His wounds
+brought on a raging fever, and he lay on the ground crying piteously
+for water. A kind-hearted Confederate soldier heard the touching cry,
+and leaping over the fortifications, with his canteen in his hand, he
+crawled up to the poor fellow and gave him a drink of water. O, what
+a comfort this was to the wounded man! His heart was filled with
+gratitude towards this generous and noble soldier. He pulled out his
+gold watch from his pocket, and cheerfully offered it to his
+benefactor; but he refused to take it. Then he asked the soldier's
+name and residence. He said his name was James Moore, and that he
+lived in Burke County, North Carolina. Then they parted. This noble
+soldier afterwards lost a limb in one of the Virginia battles, and
+returned to his home as a cripple.</p>
+
+<p>The officer recovered from his wounds; but he never forgot the
+kindness of that Confederate soldier. And when the war was over, and
+he was engaged in his business again, he wrote to James Moore,
+telling him that he intended to send him the sum of ten thousand
+dollars in four quarterly installments of twenty-five hundred
+dollars each; and that he wished him to receive the same in token of
+the heartfelt gratitude with which his generous kindness on the
+battle-field was remembered. Certainly these were two noble men. It
+is hard to tell which was the more noble of the two. But when the
+crippled soldier thought of the drink of water which he gave to the
+wounded officer, and of the ten thousand dollars which he received
+for the same, he must have felt how true our Saviour's words were,
+when he said: &quot;Give, and it shall be given unto you.&quot; And he must
+have felt sure of the lesson we are now considering, that &quot;Giving is
+God's rule for getting.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Secret of Success.&quot; Some time ago a Christian gentleman was
+visiting a large paper mill that belonged to a friend of his, who was
+a very rich man. The owner of the mill took him all through it, and
+showed him the machinery, and told him how the paper was made. When
+they were through the visitor said to his friend, &quot;I have one
+question to ask you; and if you will answer it, I shall feel very
+much 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 <i>this</i>: will you please tell me the <i>secret</i> of your
+success in business?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't know that there is any great secret about it,&quot; said his
+friend, &quot;but I will tell you all I know. I got a situation, and began
+to work for my own living when I was only sixteen years old. My
+wages, at first, were to be forty dollars a year, with my board and
+lodging. My clothing and all my other expenses were to come out of
+the forty dollars. I then made a solemn promise to the Lord that
+<i>one-tenth</i> of my wages, or four dollars out of the forty, should be
+faithfully laid aside to be given to the poor, or to some religious
+work. This promise I kept religiously, and after laying aside
+one-tenth to give away, at the end of the year, besides meeting my
+expenses, I had more than a tenth left for myself. I then made a vow
+that whatever it might please God to give me, I would never give
+<i>less</i> than one-tenth of my income to him. This vow I have faithfully
+kept from that day to this. If there be any secret to my
+success&mdash;<i>this is it</i>. Whatever I receive during the year, I feel
+sure that I am richer on nine-tenths of it, with God's blessing, than
+I should be on the whole of it, without that blessing. I believe that
+God has blessed me, and made my business prosper. And I am sure that
+anyone who will make the trial of this secret of success, will find
+it work as it has done in my case.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>This man was certainly proving the truth of our Saviour's words, when
+he said&mdash;&quot;Give, and it shall be given unto you.&quot; And his experience
+shows most satisfactorily that &quot;giving is God's rule for getting.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Steamboat Captain and the Soldier.&quot; During the late war there
+was a steamboat, one day, in front of a flourishing town on the Ohio
+River. 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 some
+miles down the river with an excursion party, who had chartered the
+boat for the occasion. While waiting for the party to come on board,
+a poor wounded soldier came up to the captain. He said he was
+suffering from severe sickness, as well as from his wounds. He had
+been 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, before
+he died; and he wished to know if the captain would give him a
+passage down the river on his boat. On hearing where his home was,
+the captain said that the party who had chartered his boat were
+going near that place; and he told the poor soldier that he would
+gladly take him to his home.</p>
+
+<p>But, when the excursion party came on board, and saw the soldier,
+with his soiled and worn clothes, and his ugly-looking wounds, they
+were not willing to let him go; and asked the captain to put him
+ashore. The captain told the soldier's sad story, and pleaded his
+cause very earnestly. He said he would place him on the lower deck
+and put a screen round his bed, so that they could not see him. But
+the young people refused. They said as they had hired the boat, it
+belonged to them for the day, and they were not willing to have such
+a miserable-looking object on board their boat; and that if the
+captain did not put him off, they would hire another boat, and he
+would lose the twenty dollars they had agreed to give him for the
+day's excursion.</p>
+
+<p>The good captain made one more appeal to them. He asked them to put
+themselves in the poor soldier's place, and then to think how they
+would like to be treated. But still they refused to let the soldier
+go. Then the noble-hearted captain said: &quot;Well, ladies and gentlemen,
+whether you hire my boat or not, I intend to take this soldier home
+to-day.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The party did hire another boat. The captain lost his twenty
+dollars. But, when he returned the poor dying soldier to the arms of
+his loving mother, he felt that the tears of gratitude with which she
+thanked him were worth more than the money he had lost. The gentle
+mother dressed the wounds of her poor suffering boy; and nursed and
+cared for him, as none but a mother knows how to do. But she could
+not save his life. He died after a few days; and the last words he
+spoke, as his loving parents stood weeping at his bedside
+were&mdash;&quot;Don't forget the good captain.&quot; And he was not forgotten. For
+after the soldier's funeral was over, his father went up the river to
+the town where the captain lived. He found him out. He thanked him
+again for his kindness in bringing home his dying boy; and made him a
+present that was worth four or five times the twenty dollars he had
+lost for the hire of his boat.</p>
+
+<p>But this was not the end of it. For not long after this, the captain
+and his wife were taken suddenly ill with a fatal disease that was
+prevailing in that region of the country. They both died; leaving two
+little orphan children, with no one to take care of them. The
+soldier's father heard of it; and he went at once and asked that he
+might be permitted to take the two helpless little ones and adopt
+them as his own children. He took them home; and was a father and a
+friend to them as long as he lived.</p>
+
+<p>How beautifully our Saviour's words&mdash;&quot;Give, and it shall be given
+unto you,&quot; are illustrated in this story! How clearly we see here,
+that &quot;Giving is God's rule for getting!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>I have just one other illustration before closing this subject. We
+may call it:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Miser and the Hungry Children.&quot; In a village in England were two
+little motherless girls who lived in a small cottage. Sally, the
+elder, was about eight years old and her sister Mary was six. They
+were very poor. Their father was a laboring man, and he found great
+difficulty in supporting himself and his children.</p>
+
+<p>Once, in the midst of winter, these two little girls were left alone
+all day, as their father had gone out to work. They had their
+breakfast in the morning with their father, before he left. But they
+had no dinner, nor anything to eat during the rest of the day. About
+the middle of the afternoon, Mary said to her sister: &quot;Sally, I'm
+very hungry. Is there anything in the closet that we can get to eat?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said Sally; &quot;I've looked all through the closet; but there
+isn't a crust of bread, or a cold potato; nor anything to eat. I wish
+there was something; for I'm hungry too.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, dear! what shall we do?&quot; cried Mary; &quot;I'm too hungry to wait till
+father comes home!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Mary,&quot; said her sister, &quot;suppose we ask our Father in heaven to give
+us 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 three
+times, and then wait, and see if God will send us some.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Mary agreed to this. They both kneeled down, and Sally began: &quot;Our
+Father, 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 our
+daily bread; give us this day our daily bread; give us this day our
+daily bread.&quot; Then they waited quietly, to see if anything would
+come.</p>
+
+<p>And now, while this was going on inside of that little cottage, let
+me tell you what was taking place outside.</p>
+
+<p>Not far from this cottage lived an old man who was a miser. He had a
+good deal of money, but he never gave any of it to others; and never
+would 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 a
+loaf of bread. He got the loaf, and, as it was a stormy afternoon, he
+put it under his coat before starting to walk home. Now, it happened,
+that just as he was passing the cottage in which the little girls
+were, a strong blast of wind blew the rain in his face, and he
+stepped into the porch of the cottage and crouched down in the
+corner, to shelter himself from the wind and rain. In this position
+his ear was brought quite close to the keyhole of the door. He heard
+what the little girls had said about being hungry. He heard their
+proposal to pray to the Father in heaven to give them bread. He heard
+the thrice repeated prayer&mdash;&quot;give us this day our daily bread.&quot; And
+then came the silence, when the little ones waited, and watched for
+the bread. This had a strange effect on the miser. His hard, selfish
+heart, which had never felt a generous feeling for anyone, warmed up,
+and grew suddenly soft in tenderness towards these helpless, hungry
+little ones. Tears moistened his eyes. He put his thumb on the latch
+of the door. The latch was gently lifted and the door opened. He took
+the loaf from under his coat and threw it into the room. The little
+girls, still waiting and watching on their knees, saw the loaf go
+bouncing over the floor. They jumped up on their feet, and clapped
+their hands for joy.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, Sally,&quot; said little Mary, &quot;how good God is to answer our prayer
+so soon! Did He send an angel from heaven to bring us this bread?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't know who brought it,&quot; answered Sally, &quot;but I am sure that
+God sent it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And how about the miser? For the first time in his life he had given
+to the poor. Did the promise fail which says, &quot;Give, and it shall be
+given unto you?&quot; No; God's promises <i>never</i> fail. He went to the
+bakery and bought another loaf for himself, and then he went home
+with different feelings from what he had ever had before. The warm,
+soft feeling that came into his hard heart when he gave the loaf to
+those children did not pass away. It grew upon him. He had found so
+much pleasure in doing that one kind act that he went on and did
+more. And God blessed him in doing it. He began to pray to that God
+who had answered the prayer of those little girls for bread in such a
+strange way. He read the Bible. He went to church. He became a
+Christian; and some time after, he died a happy Christian death. But
+before he died, as he was the owner of the cottage in which the
+little girls lived, he gave it to their father. What a beautiful
+illustration we have here of our Saviour's words&mdash;&quot;Give, and it shall
+be given unto you!&quot; This miser gave <i>a loaf of bread</i> to these hungry
+children and God gave him <i>the grace that made him a Christian</i>! And
+as we think of this we may well say that &quot;giving <i>is</i> God's rule for
+getting.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And thus we have considered the lesson of liberality which our
+Saviour taught; the proofs of that lesson found in the Bible; and the
+illustrations of it from the Bible, from nature, and from everyday
+life. The three things to be remembered from this subject are <i>the
+lesson</i>&mdash;<i>the proofs</i>&mdash;<i>the illustrations</i>.</p>
+
+<p>I will quote here, in finishing, three verses which teach the same
+lesson that our Saviour taught when he spoke the words from which I
+have tried to draw the lesson of liberality. The title at the head of
+them is taken from Solomon's words in one of the passages from the
+book of Proverbs, which we have already used.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;THERE IS THAT SCATTERETH AND YET INCREASETH.&quot;</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;Is thy cruse of comfort wasting?</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Rise, and share it with another;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">And through all the years of famine,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">It shall serve thee and thy brother.</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">God himself will fill thy storehouse,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Or thy handful still renew:</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Scanty fare for <i>one</i> will often</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Make a royal feast for <i>two</i>.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;For the heart grows rich in giving;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">All its wealth is living grain:</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Seeds which mildew in the garner,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Scattered, fill with gold the plain.</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Is thy burden hard and heavy?</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Do thy steps drag wearily?</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Help to bear thy brother's burden,&mdash;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">God will bear both it and thee.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;Is thy heart a well left empty?</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">None but God its void can fill;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Nothing but a ceaseless fountain</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Can this ceaseless longing still.</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Is the heart a living power?</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Self-entwined its strength sinks low;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">It can only live in loving,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And by serving love will grow.&quot;</span><br>
+
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="CHRIST_TEACHING_HUMILITY"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<h2>CHRIST TEACHING HUMILITY</h2>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>During the earthly life of our blessed Saviour, we see how
+everything connected with it teaches the lesson of humility. This is
+pointed out in the beautiful collect in The Book of Common Prayer for
+the first Sunday in Advent. Here we are taught to say:&mdash;&quot;Almighty
+God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put upon
+us the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which
+thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in&mdash;great <i>humility</i>.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>If Jesus had come into our world as an angel, it would have been an
+act of humility. If he had come as a great and mighty king, it would
+have been an act of humility. But when he was born in a stable, and
+cradled in a manger; when he could say of himself, &quot;the foxes have
+holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man hath
+not where to lay his head;&quot; when there never was an acre, or a foot
+of ground that he called his own, although he made the world and all
+things in it; when he sailed in a borrowed boat, and was buried in a
+borrowed tomb; how well it might be said that he was teaching
+humility all the days of his life on earth! Yet he did not think that
+<i>this</i> was enough. And so he gave his disciples a special lesson on
+this subject.</p>
+
+<p>We have an account of this lesson in St. John xiii: 4-15. It is
+taught us in these words:&mdash;&quot;He riseth from supper, and laid aside his
+garments; and took a towel and girdled himself. After that he poureth
+water into a bason, and began to wash his disciples' feet, and to
+wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.&quot; Then occurs the
+incident about the objection which Peter made to letting Jesus wash
+his feet, and the way in which that objection was overcome. And then
+the story goes on thus:&mdash;&quot;So after he had washed their feet, and had
+taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, 'Know
+ye what I have done unto you? Ye call me Master, and Lord; and ye say
+well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your
+feet; ye ought also to wash one another's feet. For I have given you
+an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.'&quot;</p>
+
+<p>This was a very surprising scene. How astonished the angels must have
+been when they looked upon it! They had known Jesus in heaven, before
+he took upon him our nature, and came into this fallen world. They
+had seen him in &quot;the glory which he had with the Father, before the
+world was.&quot; They had worshipped him in the midst of all that glory.
+And then, when they saw him, girded with a towel and washing the feet
+of poor sinful men whom he came from heaven to save, how surprising
+it must have seemed to them! And when Jesus told his disciples that
+his object in doing this was to set them an example, that they should
+do as he had done to them, he did not mean that they should literally
+make a practice of washing each other's feet; but that they should
+show the same humility to others that he had shown to them, by being
+willing to do anything, however humble it might be, in order to
+promote their comfort and happiness. It is not the act itself, here
+spoken of, that Jesus teaches us to do; but the spirit of humility in
+which the act was performed that he teaches us to cultivate. We might
+go through the form of washing the feet of other persons, and yet
+feel proud and haughty all the time we were doing it. Then we should
+not be following the example of Jesus at all. When Jesus washed his
+disciples' feet, what he wished to teach them, and us, and all his
+people, is how earnestly he desires us to learn this lesson of
+humility. And when we think of the wondrous scene which took place on
+that occasion, the one thought it should impress on our minds, above
+all others is&mdash;<i>the importance of humility</i>.</p>
+
+<p>And if any one asks what is meant by humility? No better answer can
+be given to this question than we find in Romans xii: 3, where St.
+Paul tells us &quot;not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought to
+think, but to think soberly.&quot; Pride is &quot;thinking of ourselves more
+highly than we ought to think.&quot; Humility is&mdash;<i>not</i> &quot;thinking of
+ourselves more highly than we ought to think.&quot; And humility is the
+lesson we are now to study. This is the lesson that Jesus wishes all
+who love him to learn. It is easy to speak of <i>five</i> reasons why we
+should learn this lesson.</p>
+
+<p><i>And the first reason for learning it is&mdash;the</i> COMMAND&mdash;<i>of Jesus</i>.</p>
+
+<p>When he had finished washing his disciples' feet, he told them that
+&quot;they should do as he had done to them.&quot; This was his command to his
+disciples, and to us, to learn the lesson of humility. And this is
+not the only place in which Jesus taught this lesson. He gave some of
+his beautiful parables to teach humility. We find one of these in St.
+Luke xiv: 7-12.</p>
+
+<p>On one occasion when he saw the people all pressing forward to get
+the best seats for themselves at a feast, he took the opportunity of
+giving his disciples a lesson about humility. He told them, when they
+were bidden to a wedding feast, not to take the highest seats;
+because some more honorable person might be bidden, and when the
+master of the feast came in he might say to them 'let this man have
+that seat, and you go and take a lower seat'; then they would feel
+mortified, and ashamed. And then he gave his disciples this command:
+&quot;When thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room,&quot; or seat;
+&quot;that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go
+up higher: then shalt thou have worship&quot;&mdash;or honor&mdash;&quot;in the presence
+of them that sit at meat with thee.&quot; Here we have Jesus repeating
+his command to all his people to learn and practise the lesson of
+humility.</p>
+
+<p>And then we have another of our Saviour's parables in which he taught
+this same lesson of humility, and that is the parable of the Pharisee
+and the Publican. We find it in St. Luke xviii: 10-15. The parable
+reads thus: &quot;Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a
+Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed
+thus with himself, 'God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men
+are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I
+fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.'&quot; Here
+we have a picture of a proud man. He pretended to pray, but asked for
+nothing, because he did not feel his need of anything. And so his
+pretended prayer brought him no blessing.</p>
+
+<p>And then in the rest of the parable we have our Saviour's description
+of a man who was learning the lesson of humility, and of the blessing
+which it brought to him.</p>
+
+<p>Here is a story told by one of our missionaries of the way in which
+this parable brought a heathen man to Christ.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That's Me.&quot; A poor Hottentot in Southern Africa lived with a Dutch
+farmer, who was a good Christian man, and kept up family prayer in
+his home. One day, at their family worship he read this parable. He
+began, &quot;Two men went up into the temple to pray.&quot; The poor savage,
+who had been led to feel himself a sinner, and was anxious for the
+salvation of his soul, looked earnestly at the reader, and whispered
+to himself, &quot;Now I'll learn how to pray.&quot; The farmer read on, &quot;God, I
+thank Thee that I am not as other men are.&quot; &quot;No, I am not,&quot; whispered
+the Hottentot, &quot;but I'm worse.&quot; Again the farmer read, &quot;I fast twice
+in the week; I give tithes of all that I possess.&quot; &quot;I don't do that.
+I don't pray in that way. What shall I do?&quot; said the distressed
+savage.</p>
+
+<p>The good man read on till he came to the publican, &quot;standing afar
+off.&quot; &quot;That's where I am,&quot; said the Hottentot. &quot;Would not lift up so
+much as his eyes unto heaven,&quot; read the farmer. &quot;That's me,&quot; cried
+his hearer. &quot;But smote upon his breast saying, God be merciful to me
+a sinner.&quot; &quot;That's me; that's my prayer,&quot; cried the poor creature,
+and smiting on his dark breast, he prayed for himself in the words of
+the parable,&mdash;&quot;God be merciful to me a sinner!&quot; And he went on
+offering this prayer till the loving Saviour heard and answered him,
+and he went down to his house a saved and happy man.</p>
+
+<p>Thus we see how this poor man learned the lesson of humility which
+Jesus taught, and how much good it did to him.</p>
+
+<p>And it is Jesus who is speaking to us and commanding us to learn this
+lesson of humility, when we read, in other passages of Scripture,
+such words as these:&mdash;&quot;Put on therefore&mdash;humbleness of mind,
+meekness, long-suffering.&quot; Col. iii: 12. &quot;Humble yourself therefore
+in the sight of God.&quot; James iv: 10. &quot;Be clothed with humility.&quot; I.
+Pet. v: 5. In all these places we have Jesus repeating his command to
+us to learn the lesson of humility. And this command is urged thus
+earnestly upon us because it is so important.</p>
+
+<p>When St. Augustine, one of the celebrated fathers of the early
+Church, was asked&mdash;What is the first important thing in the Christian
+religion? his reply was&mdash;&quot;Humility.&quot; &quot;What is the second?&quot;
+&quot;Humility.&quot; &quot;And what is the third?&quot;&mdash;the reply still
+was&mdash;&quot;Humility.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And if this be true, we need not wonder that Jesus should have been
+so earnest in teaching this lesson; or that he should have urged so
+strongly on his disciples to learn it.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>command</i> of Christ is the first reason why we should learn the
+lesson of humility.</p>
+
+<p><i>But the second reason why we should learn this lesson is, because of
+the</i>&mdash;EXAMPLE&mdash;<i>of Christ</i>.</p>
+
+<p>There are many persons &quot;who say and do not.&quot; There are some ministers
+who preach very well, but they do not <i>practise</i> what they preach.
+Such persons may well be compared to finger-boards. They point out
+the way to others, but they do not walk in it themselves. But this
+was not the case with our blessed Saviour. He practised everything
+that he preached. And when he gave us his command to learn this
+lesson of humility, he gave us, at the same time, his example to show
+us <i>how</i> to do it.</p>
+
+<p>He was illustrating this command by his example when he washed his
+disciples' feet. And this was only one out of many things in which he
+set us this example. When he chose to be born of poor parents, he was
+giving an example of humility. When he lived at Nazareth till he was
+thirty years of age, working with his reputed father as a carpenter,
+and during the latter part of the time, as is supposed, laboring for
+the support of his mother, he was giving an example of humility. When
+he said, &quot;The Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to
+minister,&quot; Matt. xx: 28; and again&mdash;&quot;I am among you as he that
+serveth,&quot; Luke xxii: 27, he was giving an example of humility. When
+he borrowed an ass to make his triumphal entrance into Jerusalem;
+though he could say in truth, &quot;every beast of the forest is mine, and
+the cattle upon a thousand hills;&quot;&mdash;(Ps. 1: 10), he was setting an
+example of humility. When he hid himself away from the people because
+he saw that they wanted to take him by force and make him king, he
+was giving a lesson of humility. When he allowed himself to be taken
+prisoner, though he knew that if he had asked his Father in heaven,
+he would, at once, have sent &quot;more than twelve legions of angels&quot; to
+deliver him, he was giving an example of humility. When he kept
+silence, at the bar of the high-priest, of Herod, of Pontius Pilate,
+like &quot;a lamb dumb before her shearers,&quot; while his enemies were
+charging him falsely with all kinds of wickedness; when he allowed
+the Roman soldiers to scourge him with rods, till his back was all
+bleeding; to put a crown of thorns upon his head; to array him in a
+purple robe in mockery of his being a king; to smite him with the
+palms of their hands, and spit upon him; and then to nail him to the
+cross, and put him to the most shameful of all deaths&mdash;as if he were
+a wicked man, who did not deserve to live&mdash;he was giving the most
+wonderful example of humility that ever was heard of. Jesus, the Lord
+of glory hanging on the shameful cross!&mdash;O, this was an example of
+humility that must have filled the angels of heaven with surprise,
+and wonder!</p>
+
+<p>And when we think of all that Jesus did and suffered, to set us an
+example of humility, it should make us ashamed of being proud; and
+anxious, above all things, to learn this lesson which he did so much
+to teach us.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Imitating Christ's Humility.&quot; I think I never heard of a more
+beautiful instance of persons learning to imitate the humility of
+Christ, than is told of some Moravian Missionaries. These good men
+had heard the story of the unhappy slaves in the West Indies. Those
+poor creatures were wearing out their lives in hard bondage. They had
+very little comfort in this life, and no knowledge of that gracious
+Saviour who alone can secure, for sinful creatures, such as we are, a
+better portion in the life to come. These missionaries offered to go
+out to the West Indies, and teach those slaves about Jesus, and the
+great salvation that is to be found in him. But they were told that
+the owners of the slaves would not let them go to school or to
+church. They would not allow them to take time enough from their work
+to learn anything about the salvation of their souls. There was only
+one way in which those poor slaves could be taught anything about
+Jesus 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 need
+be, under the lash, so that they could get right beside them and then
+tell them about the way of salvation that is in Christ Jesus. This
+was a hard thing to undertake. But those good missionaries said they
+were willing to do it. And they not only <i>said</i> it, but <i>did</i> it.
+They left their homes, and went to the West Indies. They worked on
+the plantations as slaves. And working thus, by the side of the
+slaves, they got close to their hearts. The slaves heard them. Their
+hearts were touched because these teachers of the gospel had humbled
+themselves to their condition. While they were teaching the commands
+of Christ, they were illustrating and following his example. How
+beautiful this was! How grand! How glorious!</p>
+
+<p>And yet Christ's own example was still more glorious. He laid aside
+the glory of his Godhead, and came down from heaven to earth, that he
+might get by our side. He laid himself beside us that we might feel
+the throbbings of his bosom and the embrace of his loving arms; and
+he draws us close to himself, while he whispers in our ears the sweet
+words, &quot;God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son,
+that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have
+everlasting life.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And so, when we think of the example of Christ, we should strive to
+learn the lesson of humility which he taught.</p>
+
+<p><i>A third reason why we should learn this lesson of humility is
+because of the</i>&mdash;COMFORT&mdash;<i>that is found in it</i>.</p>
+
+<p>Just think for a moment what God says on this subject, in Is. lvii:
+15. These are his words:&mdash;&quot;Thus saith the high and mighty One that
+inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy
+place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to
+revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the
+contrite ones.&quot; Here, the same loving Saviour who gave us the command
+to learn the lesson of humility promises to give comfort to all who
+learn this lesson. And the way in which he secures this comfort to
+them is by coming and dwelling in their hearts. And who can tell
+what a comfort it is for a poor pardoned sinner to have Jesus&mdash;the
+Lord of heaven and earth&mdash;dwelling in his heart? It is his presence
+in heaven which makes those who dwell there feel so happy. This is
+what David taught, when he looked up to him, and said&mdash;&quot;In thy
+presence is fulness of joy.&quot; Ps. 16: 11. And when that presence is
+felt, here on earth, it gives comfort and joy, as certainly as it
+does in heaven. It was the presence of Jesus which enabled Paul and
+Silas to sing at midnight, for very joyfulness, in the prison at
+Philippi, though their feet were fastened in the stocks, and their
+backs were torn and bleeding from the cruel scourging which they had
+suffered. And it was this presence of Christ in the hearts of his
+people that good John Newton was speaking of, in one of his sweet
+hymns, when he said:</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;While blest with a sense of his love</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">A palace a toy would appear;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">And prisons would palaces prove,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">If Jesus would dwell with me there.&quot;</span><br>
+
+<p>But it is only those who learn the lesson of humility that Jesus will
+dwell with. He says himself, &quot;If any man love me, he will keep my
+words; and My Father will love him; and we will come unto him, and
+make our abode with him.&quot; St. John xiv: 23. And among the words of
+Christ which we must keep, if we wish him to dwell in our hearts, are
+those in which he commands the lesson of humility. It is only the
+humble with whom he will dwell. For &quot;every one that is proud in heart
+is an abomination unto the Lord.&quot; Prov. xvi: 5.</p>
+
+<p>The reason why so many people are unhappy in this world is that they
+do not learn the lesson of humility.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Learn to Stoop.&quot; The story is told of some celebrated man&mdash;I think
+it was Dr. Franklin&mdash;who had a friend visiting him on one occasion.
+When the gentleman was about to leave, the doctor accompanied him to
+the front door. In going through the entry there was a low beam
+across it, which made it necessary to stoop, in order to avoid being
+struck by it. As they approached it the doctor stooped himself, and
+called 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&mdash;&quot;Learn to stoop, my friend;
+and it will save you from many a hard knock, as you go on through
+life.&quot; This illustrates the comfort which comes from learning the
+lesson of humility. It is those who are unwilling to stoop; or to be
+anything, or nothing, as God wants them to be, who have no comfort.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Fable of the Oak and the Violet.&quot; In a large garden there grew a
+fine oak tree, with its wide-spreading branches, and at its foot
+there grew a sweet and modest violet. The oak one day looked down in
+scorn upon the violet, and said: &quot;You, poor little thing, will soon
+be dead and withered; for you have no strength, no size, and are of
+no good to anyone. But I am large and strong; I shall still live for
+ages, and then I shall be made into a large ship to sail on the
+ocean, or into coffins to hold the dust of princes.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; answered the violet, in its humility, &quot;God has given <i>you</i>
+strength, and <i>me</i> sweetness. I offer him back my fragrance, and am
+thankful. I hope to die fragrantly, as I have lived fragrantly, but
+we are both only what God made us, and both where God placed us.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Not long after the oak was struck by lightning and shivered to
+splinters. Its end was to be burned. But the violet was gently
+gathered by the hand of a Christian lady, who carefully pressed it,
+and kept it for years, in the leaves of her Bible to refresh herself
+with its fragrance. Here we see illustrated the difference between
+pride and humility.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Secret of Comfort.&quot; Some years ago there was a boy who had been
+lame from his birth. He was a bright intelligent boy, but he was not
+a Christian. As he grew up, with no other prospect before him but
+that of being a cripple all his days, he was very unhappy. As he sat
+by his window, propped up in his chair, and saw the boys playing in
+the street, he would say to himself: &quot;Why has God made me thus? Why
+have I not limbs to run and jump with like other boys?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>These thoughts filled him with distress, and caused him to shed many
+bitter tears.</p>
+
+<p>One day a Christian friend, who was visiting him, gave him a book and
+requested him to read it. He did so; and it led to his becoming a
+Christian. 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. After
+this, as he looked out, and saw the young people happy at their
+sports; or, as he gazed on the green earth and the beautiful sky, and
+knew that he must remain a helpless cripple as long as he lived, he
+yet could say, with the utmost cheerfulness:&mdash;&quot;It's all right. My
+Father in heaven has done it. I love him. He loves me. I know he is
+making all things work together for my good.&quot; He had learned the
+lesson we are now considering, and we see what comfort it gave him.
+And the thought of the comfort which this lesson gives, should be a
+good reason with us all for learning it.</p>
+
+<p><i>A fourth reason why we should learn the lesson of humility is
+because of the</i>&mdash;USEFULNESS&mdash;<i>connected with it</i>.</p>
+
+<p>Jesus tells us, by his apostle, that &quot;God resisteth the proud, but
+giveth grace to the humble.&quot; St. James iv: 6. If we have the grace of
+God we can be useful in many ways, but, without that grace we cannot
+be useful at all. And this is what our Saviour taught his disciples,
+when he said to them&mdash;&quot;without me ye can do nothing.&quot; St. John xv: 5.
+By the words &quot;without <i>me</i>&quot; he meant without my help, or without my
+grace; or without the help of my grace. And it was of this grace that
+St. Paul was speaking when he said&mdash;&quot;I can do all things through
+Christ who strengtheneth me.&quot; Phil, iv: 13.</p>
+
+<p>And we could not possibly have a stronger reason for trying to learn
+the lesson of humility than this, that our receiving the grace of
+God, and consequently our usefulness, depends upon it. God will not
+give us his grace to enable us to be truly good and to make ourselves
+useful, unless we learn this lesson. And unless we have the grace of
+God, we cannot be useful. Like barren fig-trees we shall be useless
+cumberers of the ground.</p>
+
+<p>Now let us look at one or two illustrations which show us how pride
+hinders the usefulness of men, while humility helps it.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Fisherman's Mistake.&quot; An English gentleman was spending his
+summer holidays in Scotland. He concluded to try his hand at fishing
+for trout in one of the neighboring streams. He bought one of the
+handsomest fishing rods he could find, with line and reel, and
+artificial flies, and everything necessary to make a perfect outfit
+for a fisherman. He went to the trout stream, and toiled all day, but
+never caught a single fish.</p>
+
+<p>Towards the close of the day he saw a ragged little farmer boy, with
+a bean pole for a rod, and the simplest possible sort of a line, who
+was nipping the fish out of the water about as fast as he could throw
+his line in. He watched the boy in amazement for awhile, and then
+asked him how it was that one, with so fine a rod and line, could
+catch no fish, while he with his poor outfit was catching so many.
+The boy's prompt reply was:&mdash;&quot;Ye'll no catch ony fish Sir, as lang as
+ye dinna keep yersel' oot o' sicht.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The gentleman was proud of his handsome rod and line, and was showing
+it off all the time. His pride hindered his usefulness as a
+fisherman. The farmer's boy had nothing to show off; so he kept
+himself out of sight, and thus his humility helped his usefulness in
+fishing.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Thames' Tunnel Teaching Humility.&quot; Most strangers who visit the
+great city of London go to see the famous tunnel under the river
+Thames. This is a large, substantial road that has been built, in the
+form of an arch, directly under the bed of the river. It is one of
+the most wonderful works that human skill ever succeeded in making.
+The man who planned and built it was made one of the nobility of
+England. His name was Sir Isambard Brunel. He was so humble that he
+was willing to learn a lesson from a tiny little ship worm. These
+worms bore small round holes through the solid timbers of our ships.</p>
+
+<p>One day Mr. Brunel visited a ship-yard. An old ship was on the
+dry-dock getting repaired. A quantity of worm-eaten timber had been
+taken 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 a
+proud man, he might have thrown the timber aside, and said&mdash;&quot;Get away
+you poor little worm. I am a great master builder. You can't teach me
+anything.&quot; And if he had done so that famous tunnel under the Thames
+would probably never have been built. But Mr. Brunel had learned the
+lesson of humility. He was willing to learn from anything that God
+had made, however insignificant it might be. So he sat down and
+watched the worm at its work. He studied carefully the form of the
+hole it was boring. The thought occurred to him how strong a tunnel
+would be, that was made in the shape of this hole! And when he was
+asked whether it would be possible to build a tunnel under the
+Thames, he said he thought it could be done. He undertook to build
+it. He succeeded in the work. But, in accomplishing the great
+undertaking that little ship-worm was his teacher.</p>
+
+<p>And now, if any of my young friends who may read this book should
+ever visit London, and go to see the great tunnel, as they gaze in
+wonder at it, let them remember Sir I. Brunel, and that little
+ship-worm; and then, let them say to themselves: &quot;This mighty tunnel
+is an illustration of the truth that humility helps to make us
+useful.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;George Washington and His Humility.&quot; Here is a story connected with
+the great and good Washington&mdash;&quot;the Father of his country,&quot; which
+illustrates very well this part of our subject.</p>
+
+<p>During the war of the American Revolution, the commander of a little
+squad of soldiers was superintending their operations as they were
+trying to raise a heavy piece of timber to the top of some military
+works which they were engaged in repairing. It was hard work to get
+the timber up, and so the commander, who was a proud man and thought
+himself of great importance, kept calling out to them from time to
+time, &quot;Push away, boys! There she goes! Heave ho!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>While this was going on, an officer on horseback, but not in military
+dress, rode by. He asked the commander why he did not take hold, and
+give the men a little help. He looked at the stranger in great
+astonishment, and then, with all the pride of an emperor, said:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Sir, I'd have you know that I am a corporal!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You are&mdash;are you?&quot; replied the officer, &quot;I was not aware of that,&quot;
+and then taking off his hat, and making a low bow, said, &quot;I ask your
+pardon Mr. Corporal.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>After this he got off his horse, and throwing aside his coat, he took
+hold and helped the men at their work till they got the timber into
+its place. By this time the perspiration stood in drops upon his
+forehead. He took out his handkerchief and wiped his brow. Then
+turning to the commander he said:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Mr. Corporal, when you have another such job on hand, and have not
+men enough to do it, send for your Commander-in-chief, and I will
+come and help you again.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>It was General Washington who did and said this. The Corporal was
+thunderstruck! The great Washington, though honored above all men on
+the continent, was humble enough to put his hand and shoulder to the
+timber, that he might help the humblest of his soldiers, who were
+struggling for the defence of their country, to bear the burdens
+appointed to them.</p>
+
+<p>This is an excellent illustration of the truth we are now
+considering. And certainly we should all try to learn the lesson of
+humility which Jesus taught, when we see how it helps to make us
+useful.</p>
+
+<p><i>And then there is one other reason why we should learn this lesson,
+and that is because of the</i>&mdash;BLESSING&mdash;<i>that attends it</i>.</p>
+
+<p>Mary, the Mother of Jesus, in her noble song about the birth of her
+wonderful Son, said that God &quot;filleth the hungry with good things,
+and sendeth the rich empty away.&quot; By the &quot;<i>hungry&quot;</i> she meant the
+<i>humble</i> and by the &quot;<i>rich&quot;</i> the <i>proud</i>. And the &quot;good things&quot; with
+which God fills them mean the blessings He bestows on the humble. Our
+Saviour taught the same truth when he said, &quot;he that humbleth himself
+shall be exalted.&quot; Luke xiv: 11. Being exalted here means being
+honored and blessed. These passages teach very clearly the truth of
+which we are now speaking. They show us that we must learn the lesson
+of humility if we hope to have God's blessing rest upon us. And it is
+not more true that two and two make four, than it is that God's
+blessing <i>does</i> attend and follow those who learn the lesson of
+humility.</p>
+
+<p>How many illustrations of this truth we find in the Bible! Moses had
+learned the lesson of humility before God sent him on his great
+mission, which has given him a name and a place among the most
+famous men of the world.</p>
+
+<p>Gideon had learned the lesson of humility before God made choice of
+him to be the deliverer of his people Israel from the hands of their
+enemies; and then, for years to be their honored ruler. John the
+Baptist was so humble that he said of himself that he was not worthy
+to stoop down and unloose the latchet of our Saviour's shoe; and yet
+Jesus said of him that he was one of the greatest men that ever had
+been born.</p>
+
+<p>The apostle Paul was so humble that he considered himself &quot;less than
+the least of all saints,&quot; and &quot;the chief of sinners;&quot; and yet God
+honored and blessed him till he became the most famous and useful of
+all the apostles.</p>
+
+<p>If we turn from the Bible, and look out into the world around us, we
+may compare proud people to the tops of the mountains; these are bare
+and barren, and of little use to the world. We may compare humble
+people to the plains and valleys. These are fertile and beautiful,
+and are the greatest blessing to the world, in the abundance of
+grain, and fruit, and other good things which they yield.</p>
+
+<p>And then, if we take notice of what is occurring in the scenes of
+daily life, we shall meet with incidents continually which furnish
+us with illustrations of the part of our subject now before us, that
+God crowns the humble with his blessing. Let us look at one or two of
+these illustrations.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Little Loaf.&quot; In a certain part of Germany, some years ago, a
+famine was prevailing, and many of the people were suffering from
+hunger. A kind-hearted rich man sent for twenty of the poorest
+children in the village where he lived, to come to his house. As they
+stood on the porch of his house, he came out to them bringing a large
+basket in his hand. He set it down before him and said: &quot;Children, in
+this basket there is bread for you all. Take a loaf, each of you, and
+come back every day at this hour, till it shall please God to send us
+better times.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Then he left the children to themselves and went into the house, but
+watched them through the window. The hungry children seized the
+basket, quarreled and struggled for the bread, because each of them
+wished to get the best and largest loaf. Then they went away without
+ever thanking the good gentleman for his kindness.</p>
+
+<p>But one little girl, named Gretchen, poorly but neatly dressed,
+remained, humbly standing by, till the rest were gone. Then she took
+the last loaf left in the basket, the smallest of the lot. She looked
+up to the window where the gentleman stood; smiled at him; threw him
+a kiss, and made a low curtsey in token of her gratitude, and then
+went quickly home.</p>
+
+<p>The next day the other children were just as ill-behaved as they had
+been before, and the timid humble Gretchen received a loaf this time
+not 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, a
+number of new silver pieces of money, fell rattling and shining out
+of it.</p>
+
+<p>Her mother was frightened, and said, &quot;Take the money back at once to
+the good gentleman; for it must certainly have dropped into the dough
+by accident. Be quick Gretchen! be quick!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>But when the little girl came to the good man and gave him her
+mother's message, he kindly said, &quot;No, no, my child, it was no
+mistake. I had the silver pieces put into the smallest loaf as a
+reward for you. Continue to be as humble, peaceable, self-denying,
+and grateful as you have now shown yourself to be. A little girl who
+is humble enough to take the smallest loaf rather than quarrel for
+the larger ones, will be sure to receive greater blessings from God
+than if she had silver pieces of money baked in every loaf of bread
+she ate. Go home now, and greet your good mother very kindly for me.&quot;
+Here we see how God's blessing attends the humble.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Humility Proving a Blessing.&quot; Some time ago a young man went into
+the office of one of the largest dry-goods houses in New York and
+asked for a situation. He was told to call again another day.</p>
+
+<p>Going down Broadway that same afternoon, when opposite the Astor
+House, he saw an old apple woman, in trying to cross the street,
+struck by an omnibus, knocked down, and her basket of apples sent
+scattering into the gutter.</p>
+
+<p>The young man stepped out of the crowd, helped the old woman to her
+feet, put her apples into her basket, and went on his way, without
+thinking of it.</p>
+
+<p>Now a proud man would never have thought of doing such a thing as
+that. But this young man had learned the lesson of humility, and did
+not hesitate a moment to do this kind act.</p>
+
+<p>When he called again to see about the situation, he was asked what
+wages he expected.</p>
+
+<p>He stated what he thought would be right. His proposal was accepted.
+The situation was given him, and he went to work.</p>
+
+<p>About a year afterwards, his employer took him aside one day,
+reminded him of the incident about the old apple woman; told him he
+was passing at the time, and saw it; and that it was this
+circumstance which induced him to offer the vacant situation to him,
+in preference to a hundred others who were applying for it.</p>
+
+<p>Here we see what a blessing this young man's humility proved to him!</p>
+
+<p>And thus we see that there are five good reasons why we should learn
+the lesson of humility. These are the <i>command</i> of Christ; the
+<i>example</i> of Christ; the <i>comfort</i> that humility gives; the
+<i>usefulness</i> to which it leads; and the <i>blessing</i> that attends it.</p>
+
+<p>The first verse of the hymn we often sing contains a very suitable
+prayer to offer when we think of the lesson of humility we have now
+been considering:</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;Lord forever at thy side</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Let my place and portion be;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Strip me of the robe of pride</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Clothe me with humility.&quot;</span><br>
+
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="CHRIST_AND_THE_LITTLE_CHILDREN"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<h2>CHRIST AND THE LITTLE CHILDREN</h2>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>If, when Jesus was here on earth, he had shown a great interest in
+kings, and princes, in rich, and wise, and great men, it would not
+have been surprising; because he was a king and a prince, himself; he
+was richer than the richest, and wiser than the wisest, and greater
+than the greatest. But he did not do this. He took no particular
+notice of them; but he showed the greatest possible interest in
+children. When mothers brought their little ones to him, the
+disciples wanted to keep them away. They thought, no doubt, that he
+was too busy to take any notice of them. But they were mistaken. He
+was very busy indeed. He had many lessons to teach. He had sermons to
+preach; and sick people to heal; and blind eyes to open; and deaf
+ears to unstop; and lame men to make whole; and dead men to raise to
+life again. He had all his Father's will to make known to men; and
+all his Father's commandments to keep. He had to suffer, and to die
+for the sins of the world; that he might &quot;open the kingdom of heaven
+to all believers.&quot; He was the busiest man that ever lived. Nobody
+ever had so much to do as he had. And yet, he was not too busy to
+attend to the little children. He had time to give to them. So he
+rebuked 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 by
+one, &quot;he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them and
+blessed them.&quot; And when he had done this, as though that were not
+enough, he spoke those precious, glorious, golden words:&mdash;&quot;<i>Suffer
+the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such
+is the kingdom of heaven</i>,&quot; &quot;verily I say unto you, whosoever shall
+not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter
+therein.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>These things are told us by three of the evangelists. St. Matthew
+mentions them in chapter xix: 13-15. St. Mark x: 13-16, and St. Luke
+xviii: 15-17.</p>
+
+<p>On another occasion, when he was in the temple, the children sang
+hosannas to him as the son of David. The chief priests and scribes
+were greatly displeased, when they heard it, and &quot;said unto him,
+hearest thou what these say? and Jesus said unto them, yea: have ye
+never read, out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou hast
+perfected praise?&quot; Matt, xxi: 15, 16. Here he quoted from the Old
+Testament (Ps. viii: 2) to prove to them from their own scriptures,
+that God loves little children, and delights to have them engage in
+his service, and sing his praises.</p>
+
+<p>And there was one other occasion on which Jesus spoke about the
+children, and showed his interest in them. This was after his
+resurrection. We read about it in St. John xxi: 15-18. He met his
+disciples, one day, on the shore of the sea of Galilee. Peter, who
+had shamefully denied his Master on the night in which he was
+betrayed was present with them. Jesus said to him, as if to remind
+him of his great sin, &quot;Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?&quot; &quot;Yea,
+Lord, thou knowest that I love thee,&quot; said the penitent disciple.
+&quot;Feed my lambs,&quot; was his Master's reply. Here again, how beautifully
+Jesus showed his great love for the little ones of his flock!</p>
+
+<p>From these different passages, we see clearly how dear little
+children are to the heart of our blessed Saviour! He is the only
+great Teacher who ever showed such an interest in children. And the
+religion of Jesus is the only religion which teaches its followers to
+love and care for the little ones. The worshipers of the idol Moloch,
+mentioned in the Bible, used to offer their children as
+burnt-sacrifices to their cruel god. Mahometans look upon their women
+and children as inferior beings. The Hindoos neglect their infants,
+and leave them exposed on the banks of the Ganges, or throw them into
+the river to be devoured by the hungry crocodiles. In the city of
+Pekin many infants are thrown out into the streets every night.
+Sometimes they are killed by the fall. Sometimes they are only half
+killed, and linger, moaning in their agony, till the morning. Then
+the police go around, and pick them up, and throw them all together
+into a hole and bury them.</p>
+
+<p>In Africa, the children are sometimes buried alive; and sometimes
+left 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 used
+to be killed. Sometimes they would strangle their babies. Sometimes
+they would leave them, where oxen and cattle would tread on them, and
+trample them to death; while, at other times, they would break all
+their joints, beginning with their fingers and toes, and then go on
+to their wrists, and elbows, and shoulders. How dreadful it is to
+think of such practices! And when we turn from these scenes of
+heart-rending cruelty and think of the gracious Saviour,&mdash;the &quot;gentle
+Jesus, meek and mild,&quot; stretching forth his arms in loving
+tenderness, and uttering the sweet words,&mdash;&quot;Suffer the little
+children to come unto me, and forbid them not; for of such is the
+kingdom of God,&quot;&mdash;what a wonderful contrast it makes!</p>
+
+<p>And when we think of all that Jesus did and said to show his interest
+in children, we may well ask ourselves such questions as these,&mdash;Why
+was it so? What did he do it for? And when we come to look carefully
+into this part of the life of Christ, we can see four great things in
+it; and these are the reasons why Jesus did and said so much about
+children.</p>
+
+<p><i>In the first place we see</i>&mdash;GREAT LOVE&mdash;<i>in the interest Christ
+manifested towards the young</i>.</p>
+
+<p>It was the same love which brought him down from heaven, and made him
+willing to become a little child himself; the same love which made
+him willing to live in poverty&mdash;and suffer the dreadful death upon
+the cross that led him to show such interest in the little ones. But
+if he had not told us himself how he feels on this subject, we could
+not have been sure of it. Children might well have said, when they
+heard about the love of Christ, &quot;Yes, we have no doubt that Jesus
+does love grown up people, men and women in general. We believe this
+because the Bible tells us so; but how do we know that he loves us
+children?&quot; If he had not told us so himself, we could not have been
+sure of it. But we know it now. And when we hear, or read of the love
+of Christ, we may be sure that it takes the children in.</p>
+
+<p>During a famine in Germany, a family became so poor that they were in
+danger of starving. The father proposed that one of the children
+should be sold, and food provided for those that remained. At last
+the mother consented; but then the question arose which one of the
+four should be selected. The eldest, their first-born, could not be
+spared; the second looked like the mother, the third was like his
+father, and they could not give either of them up; and then the
+youngest&mdash;why, he was their pet, their darling, how could they give
+<i>him</i> up? So they concluded that they would all perish together,
+rather than part with one of their little ones. When those children
+knew of this, they might very well feel sure that their parents loved
+them. But Jesus did more than this for us, he was willing to die upon
+the cross, and he did so die, that &quot;not one of his little ones should
+perish.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Being Loved Back Again.&quot; Little Alice Lee sat in her rocking chair.
+She was clasping a beautiful wax doll to her bosom, and singing sweet
+lullabies to it. But every little while she looked wistfully at her
+mother. She was busy writing, and had told Alice to keep as quiet as
+possible till she got through.</p>
+
+<p>It seemed a long time to Alice; but after awhile her mother laid down
+her pen, and pushed aside her papers, and said:&mdash;&quot;Now I am through
+for to-day, Alice, and you can make as much noise as you please.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>In a moment Alice laid down her doll, and running to her mother,
+threw her arms round her neck, and nestled sweetly in her loving
+bosom.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'm so glad,&quot; said Alice, &quot;I wanted to love you so much, mamma.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Did you, darling?&quot; and the mother clasped the little one tenderly in
+her arms. &quot;I am very glad that my little girl loves me;&quot; replied her
+mother, &quot;but I thought you were not very lonely while I was writing;
+you and dollie seemed to be having a good time together.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, we had, mamma; but I always get tired of loving dollie after
+awhile.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Do you, dear? Tell me why?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, because she never loves me back again.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And is <i>that</i> why you love me?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That is <i>one why</i>, mamma; but not the first one, or the best one.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And what is the first, and best?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, mamma, can't you guess?&quot; and the little girl's blue eyes grew
+very bright, as they gazed earnestly into her mother's face. &quot;It's
+because you loved me when I was too little to love you back; <i>that's</i>
+why I love you so.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And what a reason this is why we should love Jesus! He loved us when
+we were too little to love him back. The Bible says&mdash;&quot;We love him
+because <i>he first</i> loved us.&quot; He loved us before we knew him, or had
+ever heard of him. He loved us before we were born. Before the world
+was made Jesus thought of you and me, and loved us. This is what he
+means when he says:&mdash;&quot;I <i>have loved thee with an everlasting love.&quot;</i>
+Jer. xxxi: 3. This means a love that never had a beginning, and that
+will never have an end. This is very wonderful. And when we think of
+it, we may well sing out our thankfulness in the words of the hymn:</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;I am glad that our Father in heaven</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Tells of his love in the Book he has given;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Wonderful things in the Bible I see;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">This is the sweetest, that Jesus loves me.</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">I am so glad that Jesus loves me,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Jesus loves&mdash;<i>even me</i>&quot;</span><br>
+
+<p>And when we think of all the kind words and actions of Jesus, by
+which he showed his interest in little children, the first thing that
+we see in them is&mdash;great love.</p>
+
+<p><i>Now, let us take another look at this part of our Saviour's life,
+and the second thing that we see in it is</i>&mdash;GREAT WISDOM.</p>
+
+<p>It is wise to take care of the children and try to bring them to
+Jesus when young, <i>because then they are easily controlled</i>.</p>
+
+<p>Suppose we plant an acorn in a corner of our garden. After awhile a
+green shoot springs out from it. We go to look at it when it is about
+a foot high. We find it getting crooked; but with the gentlest touch
+of thumb and finger, we can straighten it out. We wish it to lean in
+a particular direction. We give it a slight touch, and it leans just
+that way. Afterwards we conclude to have it lean in the opposite
+direction. Another slight touch, and it takes that direction. It is
+true, as the poet says, &quot;Just as the twig is bent, the tree's
+inclined.&quot; 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 an
+ugly twist in its trunk. We try to straighten it out; but in vain. No
+power on earth can do that now. You can cut it down; or saw it up; or
+break it into splinters; but you cannot straighten it.</p>
+
+<p>Suppose, that you and I should go to one of the highest summits of
+the Rocky Mountains. In a certain place there, we should find two
+little fountains springing up near each other. With the end of a
+finger we might trace the course in which either of those little
+springs should flow. We could lead one down the eastern side of the
+mountains, and the other down the western side. It would be very easy
+to control them then. But suppose now we travel down the side of the
+mountain till we reach the plain, at its base. Now see, yonder is a
+great river, rolling on its mighty flood of waters. That is what the
+little spring has grown to. It is too late to control it now. The
+time for controlling it was up yonder near the spring.</p>
+
+<p>It is easy to control the spring; it is very hard to control the
+river. Jesus wished to control the spring when he directed us to
+bring the children to him. And in this he showed his wisdom.</p>
+
+<p>It is wise to take an interest in children, and bring them early to
+Jesus&mdash;<i>because they have great influence in the world</i>.</p>
+
+<p>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 by
+Themistocles, the celebrated Grecian governor and general. He had a
+little boy, of whom his mother was very fond and over whom the child
+had very great influence. His father pointed to him, one day, and
+said to a friend, &quot;Look at that child; he has more power than all
+Greece. For the city of Athens rules Greece; I rule Athens; that
+child's mother rules me, and he rules his mother.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>I feel sure our Saviour must have felt very much as some one has
+done, who writes in this way about</p>
+
+<p>THE GOOD THAT CHILDREN DO.</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;A dreary place would be this earth</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Were there no little people in it;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">The song of life would lose its mirth</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Were there no children to begin it;</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;No little forms, like buds to grow,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And make the admiring heart surrender;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">No little hands, on breast and brow,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">To keep the thrilling love-chords tender.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;No babe within our arms to leap,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">No little feet towards slumber tending;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">No little knee in prayer to bend,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Our loving lips the sweet words lending.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;Life's song indeed would lose its charm,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Were there no babies to begin it;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">A doleful place this world would be,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Were there no little people in it.&quot;</span><br>
+
+<p>And if children have so great an influence in the world it was wise
+in Jesus to desire to have them brought early to him that they might
+learn to use that influence in the best possible way.</p>
+
+<p>And then it was wise in Jesus to desire this, again, <i>because
+bringing children to him prevents great trouble, and secures great
+blessing</i>.</p>
+
+<p>We are all familiar with Dr. Watts' sweet hymn, which says:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'Twill save us from a thousand snares
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">To mind religion young.&quot;</span><br>
+
+<p>Here is a striking illustration of this truth in the history of:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;One Neglected Child.&quot; A good many years ago, in one of the upper
+counties of New York, there was a little girl named Margaret. She
+was not brought to Christ, but was turned out on the world to do as
+she pleased. She grew up to be perhaps the wickedest woman in that
+part of the country. She had a large family of children, who became
+about as wicked as herself; her descendants have been a plague and a
+curse to that county ever since. The records of that county show that
+two hundred of her descendants have been criminals. In a single
+generation of her descendants there were twenty children. Three of
+these died in infancy. Of the remaining seventeen, who lived to grow
+up, nine were sent to the state prison for great crimes; while all
+the others were found, from time to time, in the jails, the
+penitentiaries, or the almshouses. Nearly all the descendants of this
+woman were idiots, or drunkards, or paupers, or bad people, of the
+very worst character. That one neglected child thus cost the county
+in which she lived hundreds of thousands of dollars, besides the
+untold evil that followed from the bad examples of her descendants.
+How different the result would have been if this poor child had been
+brought to Jesus and made a Christian when she was young!</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Result of Early Choice.&quot; Here is a short story of two boys, of
+the choice they made when young, and the different results that
+followed from that choice.</p>
+
+<p>A minister of the gospel was preaching on one occasion to the
+convicts in the state prison of Connecticut. As he rose in the desk
+and looked around on the congregation, he saw a man there whose face
+seemed familiar to him. When the service was over he went to this
+man's cell, to have some conversation with him.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I remember you very well, sir,&quot; said the prisoner. &quot;We were boys in
+the same neighborhood; we went to the same school; sat beside each
+other on the same bench, and then my prospects were as bright as
+yours. But, at the age of fourteen, you made choice of the service of
+God, and became a Christian. I refused to come to Christ, but made
+choice of the world and sin. And now, you are a happy and honored
+minister of the gospel, while I am a wretched outcast. I have served
+ten years in this penitentiary and am to be a prisoner here for
+life.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Jesus knew what blessings would follow to those who were early
+brought to him, and we see that there was great wisdom in the words
+that he spake when he said&mdash;&quot;Suffer the little children to come unto
+me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p><i>In the next place there was</i>&mdash;GREAT ENCOURAGEMENT&mdash;<i>in what Jesus
+did and said about children</i>.</p>
+
+<p>If a company of boys or girls should try to get into the presence of
+a monarch, some great king, or emperor, they would find it a pretty
+hard thing to do. At the door of the palace they would meet with
+soldiers or servants, the guards of the queen or king. They would say
+to the children&mdash;&quot;what do you want here?&quot; And if the children should
+say, &quot;Please sir, we wish to go into the palace and see the queen,&quot;
+the answer would be: &quot;Go away; go away. The queen is too busy. She
+has no time to attend to little folks like you.&quot; And the children
+would have to go away without getting to see the queen.</p>
+
+<p>But, Jesus is a greater king than any who ever sat upon an earthly
+throne. He has more to do than all the kings and queens in the world
+put together. And yet he never gave orders to the angels, or to any
+of his servants to keep the children away from him. On his great
+throne in yonder heavens he says still, what he said when he was on
+earth&mdash;&quot;Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them
+not.&quot; And he says this on purpose to encourage the children to come
+to him. And the thought that Jesus loves them and feels an interest
+in them has encouraged multitudes of little ones to seek him and
+serve him. Here are some illustrations of this:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Learning to Love Jesus.&quot; &quot;A little girl came to me one day,&quot; said a
+minister of the gospel, and said, &quot;'Please sir, may I speak to you a
+minute?' I saw that she was in some trouble; so I took her kindly by
+the hand, and said, 'Certainly, my child. What do you wish to say?'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'Please, sir,' said she, as her lip quivered and tears filled her
+eyes, 'it's a dreadful thing; but I don't love Jesus.'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'And are you not going to love him?' I asked.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'I don't know; but please sir, I want you to tell me how.' She spoke
+sadly, as if it was something she never could do.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'Well,' I said, 'St. John, who loved our Lord almost more than any
+one else ever did, says that &quot;we love him because he first loved us.&quot;
+Now if you go home to-night, saying in your heart, &quot;<i>Jesus loves
+me</i>,&quot; I think that to-morrow you will be able to say&mdash;&quot;I love
+Jesus.&quot;'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;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, as
+well as to say it. She thought about his life, about his death on the
+cross, and about his sweet words to the little ones, and she began to
+feel it too.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The next evening she came to see me again; and, putting both her
+hands in mine, with a bright happy face, she said:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'Oh! please sir, I love Jesus now; for I know he does love me so!'&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Here was a little one encouraged to come to Jesus by thinking of the
+interest he feels in children.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Doesn't He Love to Save?&quot; A mother had just tucked her little boy in
+bed, and had received his good-night kisses. She lingered awhile, at
+his bedside, to speak to him about Jesus, and to see if he was
+feeling right toward him. He was a good, obedient boy, but that day
+he had done something that grieved his mother. He had expressed his
+sorrow for it, and asked his mother's forgiveness. As she stooped
+down for the last kiss, he said&mdash;&quot;Is it all settled, mother?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, my child,&quot; she said, &quot;it's all settled with me; but have you
+settled it all with Jesus?&quot; &quot;Yes, mother: I've asked him to forgive
+me: and I believe him when he says he will; for <i>doesn't he love to
+help and save children</i>?&quot; &quot;He does, my child, he does,&quot; said his
+mother, as she gazed on his happy little face, lighted up with the
+joy of that gospel, so often hidden from the wise and prudent, but
+revealed to babes.</p>
+
+<p>Here we see how this little fellow was encouraged to seek Jesus from
+the assurance that he feels an interest in children, and loves to
+help and bless them.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Love Leads to Love.&quot; A little boy named Charley stood at the window
+with his mother one morning, watching the robins as they enjoyed
+their morning meal of cherries from the tree near their house.
+&quot;Mother,&quot; said Charley, &quot;How the birdies all love father.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;They do,&quot; said his mother, &quot;but what do you suppose is the reason
+that the birdies love your father?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>This question seemed to set Charley to thinking. He did not answer at
+first, but presently he said, &quot;Why mother all the creatures seem to
+love 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 is
+saying. Even the old cow follows him around the meadow, and the other
+day I saw her licking his hand, just as a dog would. I think it must
+be because father loves them. You know he will often get up and give
+pussy something to eat; and he pulls carrots for the cow, and pats
+her; and somehow I think his voice never sounds so sweet as when he
+is talking to these dumb creatures.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I think his voice is very pleasant when he is talking to his little
+boy,&quot; said his mother.</p>
+
+<p>Charley smiled, and said, &quot;That's so, mother. Father loves me, and I
+love him dearly. But he loves the birdies too I am sure. He whistles
+to them every morning when they are eating their cherries, and they
+don't seem a bit afraid of him, although he is near enough to catch
+them. Mother I wish everything loved me as they do father.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Do as father does, Charley, and they will. Love all things and be
+kind to them. Don't kick the dog, or speak roughly to him. Don't pull
+pussy's tail, nor chase the hens, nor try to frighten the cow. Never
+throw stones at the birds. Never hurt nor tease anything. Speak
+gently and lovingly to them and they will love you, and everybody
+that knows you will love you too.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Now Charley's father, in acting as he did, was trying to make all the
+dumb creatures about him know that he was their friend; that he loved
+them, and had nothing but kindness in his heart towards them. In
+this way he encouraged them to come to him, and not be afraid of him.</p>
+
+<p>And this is just the way in which Jesus was acting when he did and
+said so much to show his interest in children. He wants them all to
+understand that he is their friend; that he loves them, and wants
+them to come to him and love and serve him. And so every child who
+hears or reads about Jesus may feel encouraged to say:</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;Once in his arms the Saviour took</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Young children just like me,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">And blessed them with his voice and look</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">As kind as kind could be.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;And though to heaven the Lord hath gone,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And seems so far away,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">He hath a smile for every one</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">That doth his voice obey.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;I'd rather be the least of them</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">That he will bless and own,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Than wear a royal diadem,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And sit upon a throne.&quot;</span><br>
+
+<p>And so we may well say that in what Jesus did and said about the
+children there is great encouragement.</p>
+
+<p><i>And then there are</i>&mdash;GREAT LESSONS&mdash;<i>too, in this part of the life
+of Christ</i>.</p>
+
+<p>There are two lessons taught us here. One is about <i>the work we are
+to do for Jesus here on earth</i>. When Jesus said to Peter, &quot;Lovest
+thou me? Feed my lambs,&quot; he meant to teach him, and you, and me, and
+all his people everywhere, the best way in which we can show our love
+to him. The lambs of Christ here spoken of mean little children,
+wherever they are found. And to feed these lambs is to teach them
+about Jesus. When we are trying to bring the young to Jesus and
+teaching them to love and serve him, then we are doing the work that
+is most pleasing to him:&mdash;the work that he most loves to have his
+people do. It was thinking about this that first led me to begin the
+work of preaching regularly to the young. And this is the lesson that
+Jesus would have all his people learn when he says to each of
+them:&mdash;&quot;Lovest thou me? Feed my lambs.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Angel in the Stone.&quot; Many years ago there was a celebrated
+artist who lived in Italy, whose name was Michael Angelo. He was a
+great painter, and a great sculptor, or a worker in marble. He loved
+to see beautiful figures chiseled out of marble, and he had great
+power and skill in chiseling out such figures. One day, as he was
+walking with some friends through the city of Florence, he saw a
+block of marble lying neglected in a yard, half covered with dust and
+rubbish. He stopped to examine that block of marble. That day
+happened to be a great holiday in Florence and the artist had his
+best suit of clothes on; but not caring for this he threw off his
+coat, and went to work to clear away the rubbish from that marble.
+His friends were surprised. They said to him:&mdash;&quot;Come on, let's go;
+what's the use of wasting your time on that good-for-nothing lump of
+stone?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, there's an angel in this stone,&quot; said he, &quot;and I must get it
+out.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>He bought that block; had it removed to his studio, and then went to
+work with his mallet and his chisel, and never rested till out of
+that rough, unshapen mass of stone he made a beautiful marble angel.</p>
+
+<p>Now, every child born into our world is like such a block of marble.
+The only difference is that children are living stones&mdash;marble that
+will last forever. And when we bring our children to Jesus, and by
+his help teach them to love and serve him, we are doing for them just
+what Michael Angelo was doing for his block of marble&mdash;we are getting
+the angels out of the stones. And this is what Jesus loves to have us
+do.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How to Get the Angels Out.&quot; A Christian mother, whose children had
+all been early taught to love and serve Jesus, was asked the secret
+of her success in bringing up her children. This was her
+answer:&mdash;&quot;While my children were infants on my lap, as I washed them
+day by day, I raised my heart to God that he would wash them in that
+blood 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's
+righteousness; as I provided them food I prayed that God would feed
+their souls with the bread of heaven, and give them to drink of the
+water of life. When I prepared them for the house of God I pleaded
+that their bodies might be made fit temples for the Holy Ghost to
+dwell in. When they left me daily for the week-day school, I followed
+their youthful footsteps with the prayer that their path through life
+might be like that of the just, which shineth more and more unto the
+perfect day. And night after night, as I committed them to rest, the
+silent breathing of my soul has been, that their heavenly Father
+would take them under his tender care and fold them in his loving,
+everlasting arms.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Let Christian mothers follow this example and they will not fail to
+bring the angel out from every block of living marble that God has
+given them.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Best Time for Doing This.&quot; A faithful minister of Christ had a
+dear only daughter. She had been a thoughtful praying child. When
+only twelve years old she had joined her father's church. She now lay
+on her dying bed. &quot;As I sat by her bedside,&quot; says her father, &quot;among
+the things she said which I shall never forget were these:&mdash;'Father
+you know I joined the church when I was young&mdash;very young. Some of
+our friends thought that I was too young. But, oh! how I wish I could
+tell everybody what a comfort it is to me now to think of it.' Then
+reaching out her hand&mdash;the fingers were already cold&mdash;and grasping
+mine, she said with great earnestness:&mdash;'Father, you are at work for
+the young. Do all you can for them while they are young. It's the
+best time&mdash;the best time. Oh! I see it now as I never did before. It
+is the best time&mdash;while they are young&mdash;the younger the better. Do
+all you can for them while they are very young.' And then she fell
+asleep in Jesus.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>This is the lesson about the work we are to do for him on earth, that
+Jesus taught in what he said concerning the children.</p>
+
+<p>But when we think of those sweet words of Jesus&mdash;&quot;Of such is the
+kingdom of heaven,&quot; we are <i>taught a lesson about the company we
+shall meet there</i>. We learn from what our blessed Lord says on this
+subject that he saves all the little ones who die before they are
+accountable for their actions. And we know that of all the persons
+born into our world more than half of them die before they reach this
+age. And this makes it very certain that more than half the company
+of heaven will be made up of little children. This is a very sweet
+thought to those who have lost little ones; and to those who love
+them.</p>
+
+<p>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 remain
+children. The Rev. Mr. Bickersteth, of England, in speaking of a
+father meeting his little ones in heaven, who died years before he
+did, represents him as meeting them there, just of the same age and
+size as they were when they died. And then he expresses his own
+thought on this subject in a single line:</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;A babe in glory, is a babe forever.&quot;</span><br>
+
+<p>But God has not said anything on this subject in the Bible. And when
+he himself has not spoken on such a point as this, it is impossible
+for us to say certainly which way it will be. But when we get to
+heaven and find just how it is, we shall all agree that God's way is
+the best way.</p>
+
+<p>And then Jesus shows us plainly <i>what our character must be if we
+hope to go to heaven and join the happy company there</i>.</p>
+
+<p>These are the words he spake on this subject; &quot;Verily I say unto you,
+whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he
+shall not enter therein.&quot; Mark x: 15. Jesus refers here to some of
+the 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 our
+character, if we hope to enter heaven. Such a child is willing to be
+taught:&mdash;believes all that his parent or teacher tells him; and does
+everything that he is told to do; and such must our character be if
+we hope to enter heaven.</p>
+
+<p>And so when we come to study out this part of our Saviour's life, and
+think 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.</p>
+
+<p>I know not how to express in a better way the feelings which should
+be in the heart of everyone, young or old, on thinking of this great
+subject, than in the words of one who has thus sweetly written:</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;Lamb of God! I look to Thee,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Thou shalt my example be;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Thou art gentle, meek and mild;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Thou wast once a little child.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;Fain I would be as Thou art,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Give me thy obedient heart:</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Thou art pitiful, and kind;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Let me have thy loving mind.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;Let me above all fulfill</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">God my heavenly Father's will;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Never his good Spirit grieve,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Only to his glory live.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;Loving Jesus, gentle Lamb!</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">In thy gracious hands I am;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Make me, Saviour, what Thou art;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Live thyself within my heart.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;I shall then show forth thy praise;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Serve thee all my happy days;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Then the world shall always see</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Christ, the Holy Child in me.&quot;</span><br>
+
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="THE_TRANSFIGURATION"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<h2>THE TRANSFIGURATION</h2>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>This was one of the most surprising scenes in the life of our blessed
+Lord. It forms a great contrast to the other events mentioned in his
+history. He &quot;came to visit us in great humility.&quot; When we read how he
+was born in a stable, and cradled in a manger; how he had &quot;not where
+to lay his head;&quot; when we read of the lowliness, and poverty, and
+suffering that marked his course, day by day, we come naturally to
+think of him as &quot;the man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.&quot; And
+though, 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, and
+controlled the stormy winds and waves with his simple word, he seems
+wonderful in his power and majesty; yet there is nothing, in all his
+earthly life, that leads us to think so highly of him, as this scene
+of the Transfiguration, of which we are now to speak.</p>
+
+<p>The account of this event is given us by three of the evangelists. We
+find it described by St. Matt, xvii: 1-13. St. Mark ix: 2-13. St.
+Luke ix: 28-29.</p>
+
+<p>A short time before this took place, Jesus had told his disciples how
+he was to go up to Jerusalem, to suffer many things, to be put to
+death, 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 became
+his disciples would be required to exercise. This was very different
+from what they were expecting and must have been very discouraging to
+them. They did not yet understand that their Master had come into the
+world to suffer and to die. Instead of this, their minds were filled
+with the idea that the object of his coming was to establish an
+earthly kingdom and to reign in glory. And, for themselves, they were
+expecting that they would share his glory and reign as princes with
+him. And so they must have been greatly troubled by his words. To
+encourage and comfort them, therefore, he told them that, before they
+died, some of them should &quot;see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And then, some days after this, he took three of his disciples, the
+favored John and James and Peter, and went up with them &quot;into a
+mountain, apart by themselves, and was transfigured before them.&quot; We
+are not told what mountain it was that was thus honored. Mount Tabor,
+near Nazareth, on the borders of the Plain of Esdraelon, has long
+been regarded as the favored spot. But, in our day, many persons
+think that it was not on the top of Tabor, but on one of the summits
+of Mount Hermon, where this wonderful event took place. One of the
+principal objections to supposing that Tabor was the place is, that
+in those days there was a large fortress on the top of this mountain,
+and this, they think, would interfere with the privacy that would be
+desired on such an occasion. But, for myself, I still incline to
+think that Tabor was the mountain chosen. I went to the top of this
+mountain, when in Palestine. And though there is a large convent
+there now, yet the summit of Tabor covers a wide space of ground. And
+outside of the walls of the convent, and even out of sight of its
+walls, I saw a number of retired, shady places that would be
+particularly suitable for such a scene as this.</p>
+
+<p>But, it is impossible to decide positively which was the Mount of
+Transfiguration. And it is not a matter of much consequence. Those
+who think it was Hermon are at liberty to think so; and those who
+think it was Tabor, have a right to their opinion, for none can prove
+that they are mistaken in thinking so.</p>
+
+<p>And when we come to consider this great event in the life of our
+Saviour, there are <i>two</i> things to speak of in connection with it;
+these are the <i>wonders</i> we see in it; and the <i>lessons</i> we may learn
+from it. Or, to express it more briefly&mdash;The Transfiguration&mdash;its
+wonders, and its lessons.</p>
+
+<p>There are three wonders to be spoken of, and three lessons to be
+learned from this subject.</p>
+
+<p><i>The first wonder is</i>&mdash;THE WONDERFUL CHANGE&mdash;that took place in the
+appearance of our Lord on this occasion.</p>
+
+<p>Jesus went up the mountain with his disciples. It was probably at the
+close of one of his busy days that he did this. It would seem from
+St. Luke's account,&mdash;chap. ix: 32&mdash;that Peter and his companions were
+weary with the day's work, and soon fell asleep. But, while they were
+sleeping, Jesus was praying. And it was while he was engaged in
+prayer that the Transfiguration took place. St. Luke tells us it
+was&mdash;&quot;<i>as he prayed</i>.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Let us notice now, what the different evangelists tell us about this
+change. St. Matthew says&mdash;&quot;He was transfigured before them: and his
+face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.&quot;
+St. Mark says, &quot;His raiment became exceeding white as snow, so as no
+fuller&quot;&mdash;one who cleans, or whitens cloth&mdash;&quot;on earth can white them.&quot;
+St. Luke says&mdash;&quot;As he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was
+altered, and his raiment was white and glistening.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>These are the different accounts we have of this surprising scene. If
+the disciples had been awake when this marvellous change began to
+take place, we cannot for a moment suppose that they would have gone
+to sleep while the heavens must have seemed to be opening above them
+and this blaze of glory was shining around them. They were, no doubt,
+asleep when the transfiguration began. And, as we know that the
+taking of an ordinary light into the room where persons are asleep
+will often awaken them, it is not surprising that the disciples
+should have been aroused from their slumber by the flood of light and
+glory that was beaming round their Master then. How surprised they
+must have been when they opened their eyes on that scene! They would
+never forget it as long as they lived. It was more than half a
+century after this when St. John wrote his gospel; and it was, no
+doubt, to this scene that he referred when he said, in speaking of
+Jesus;&mdash;&quot;<i>we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of
+the Father</i>&quot; St. John i: 14. And, not long before his death, St.
+Peter thus refers to it:&mdash;&quot;We were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For
+he received from God the Father, honor and glory, when there came
+such a voice from the excellent glory, saying, This is my beloved Son
+in whom I am well pleased.&quot; II. Pet. i: 16, 17.</p>
+
+<p>One object for which this wonderful transfiguration of our Lord took
+place was, no doubt, to give to the disciples then, and to the
+followers of Jesus in all coming time, an idea of what his glory now
+is in heaven, and of what it will be when he shall come again in his
+kingdom. He had told his disciples about his sufferings and death,
+and the shame and dishonor connected with them; and here, as if to
+counterbalance that, he wished to give them a glimpse of the glory
+that is to shine around him forever.</p>
+
+<p>How wonderful it must have seemed to the astonished disciples! When
+they had last looked on their Master, before going to sleep, they had
+seen him as &quot;the man of sorrows,&quot; in his plain everyday dress, such
+as they themselves wore: but, when they looked on him again, as they
+awoke from their sleep, they saw his face shining as the sun, and his
+raiment dazzling in its snowy whiteness.</p>
+
+<p>To what may we compare this wonderful change? Suppose you have before
+you the bulbous root of the lily plant. You look at it carefully, but
+there is nothing attractive about it. How rough and unsightly it
+appears! You close your eyes upon it for a brief space. You open them
+again. But what a change has taken place! That plain-homely looking
+bulb has disappeared, and in its place there stands before you the
+lily plant. It has reached its mature growth. Its flower is fully
+developed and blooming in all its matchless beauty! What a marvellous
+change that would be! And yet it would be but a feeble illustration
+of the more wonderful change that took place in our Saviour at his
+transfiguration.</p>
+
+<p>Here is another illustration. Suppose we are looking at the western
+sky, towards the close of day. Great masses of dark clouds are
+covering all that part of the heavens. They are but common clouds.
+There is nothing attractive or interesting about them. We do not care
+to 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 has
+thrown his glorious beams upon them. How changed they now appear! All
+that was commonplace and unattractive about them is gone. How they
+glow and sparkle! Gold, and purple, and all the colors of the rainbow
+are blending, how beautifully there! Are these the same dull clouds
+that we looked upon a few moments before? Yes; but they have been
+transfigured. A wonderful change has come over them. And here we have
+an illustration of our Lord's transfiguration. The first wonder about
+this incident in his life is the wonderful change which took place in
+his appearance then.</p>
+
+<p><i>The second wonder about the transfiguration is</i>&mdash;THE WONDERFUL
+COMPANY&mdash;<i>that appeared with our Saviour then</i>.</p>
+
+<p>At the close of his temptation in the wilderness, Jesus had some
+wonderful company too, but it was different from what he had now.
+<i>Then</i>, we are told that &quot;<i>angels came, and ministered unto him</i>.&quot;
+And in the garden of Gethsemane, when he was sinking to the earth,
+overcome by the terrible agony through which he was passing, he had
+more company of the same kind; for we read that&mdash;&quot;<i>there appeared
+unto him an angel from heaven strengthening him.&quot;</i> St. Luke xxii: 43.
+But it was not the company of angels that waited on him at the time
+of his Transfiguration. No: but we read that, &quot;there appeared unto
+him Moses, and Elias,&quot; or Elijah. And if we ask why did not the
+angels come to him now, as they did on other occasions? Why did these
+distinguished persons, of the Old Testament history, come from heaven
+to visit him in place of the angels? It is easy enough to answer
+these questions. This transfiguration of Christ took place, as he
+himself tells us, in order to give his disciples a view of the glory
+that will attend him when he shall come in his kingdom. When he shall
+appear, on that occasion, all his people will come with him. Those
+who shall have died before he comes will be raised from the dead and
+come with him, in their glorious resurrection bodies. And those who
+shall be living when he comes will, as St. Paul tells us,&mdash;&quot;<i>be
+changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye</i>&quot;&mdash;I. Cor. xv: 52,
+53&mdash;and have beautiful, glorified bodies, like the bodies of those
+who have been raised from the dead. And both these classes of
+Christ's people were represented by the distinguished persons who
+formed the company that appeared with Jesus at the Transfiguration.
+Moses had been in heaven nearly fifteen hundred years when this scene
+took place. He had died, as other men do, and had been buried. It is
+supposed by many wise and good men that his body had been raised from
+the dead, that he might appear in it on this occasion. And thus Moses
+represented all the dead in Christ, who will be raised to life again
+at 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. Paul
+tells us that bodies of flesh and blood, like ours, cannot enter
+heaven. I. Cor. xv: 50. They must be changed, and made fit for that
+blessed place. And so, we know, that as Elijah went up to heaven, in
+his chariot of fire, the same wonderful change must have passed over
+his body which we have seen will take place with those of Christ's
+people who shall be living on the earth when he comes again.</p>
+
+<p>Jesus was transfigured that we might know how he himself will appear
+when he comes in his kingdom. And Moses and Elias &quot;appeared with him
+in glory,&quot; to show us how the people of Christ will appear when they
+enter with him into his kingdom. And this was a good reason why these
+very persons, and not the angels, should have formed the company that
+came to visit our Saviour on the Mount of Transfiguration. It was
+wonderful company indeed that waited on Jesus then. But, it was a
+wonderful occasion. None like it had ever occurred before; none like
+it has ever occurred since; and none like it will ever occur again
+till Jesus shall come in the glory of his heavenly kingdom. The
+second wonder of the Transfiguration was the wonderful company.</p>
+
+<p><i>The third wonder connected with this great event was</i>&mdash;THE WONDERFUL
+CONVERSATION&mdash;<i>that took place between Jesus and his visitors</i>.</p>
+
+<p>All the three evangelists, who tell of the Transfiguration, speak of
+this conversation. St. Matthew and St. Mark merely state the fact
+that Moses and Elias &quot;were talking with Jesus;&quot; but they do not tell
+us the subject of the conversation, or what it was about which they
+talked. But St. Luke supplies what they leave out. He says, &quot;<i>they
+spake of his decease, which he should accomplish at Jerusalem</i>&quot; This
+means that they talked about the death upon the cross which he was to
+suffer. And when we remember that these great and good men had just
+come down from heaven, where God, the loving Father of Jesus dwells,
+and where all the holy angels are; and that this was the only time
+when they were to be present with Jesus, and have an opportunity of
+talking with him, during all his life on earth, we may wonder why
+they did not choose some more pleasant subject of conversation. And
+yet they did not make a mistake. God the Father had sent them from
+heaven to meet his beloved Son on this occasion. And, no doubt, he
+had told them what subject they were to talk about, and what they
+were to say to Jesus, on that subject. And then they knew very well
+how Jesus felt about this matter. And painful as the death upon the
+cross would be, they knew it was the nearest of all things to the
+heart of Jesus. It was the will of his Father that he should die on
+the cross, and it was the delight of his heart&mdash;the very joy of his
+soul to do his Father's will. And here we learn the unspeakable
+importance of the death of Christ. The apostle Paul was showing his
+sense of its importance when he said, &quot;God forbid that I should
+glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus.&quot; Gal. vi: 14. He puts the
+word &quot;<i>cross</i>&quot; of Christ, for the death of Christ, but it means the
+same thing.</p>
+
+<p>Some one has compared the cross of Christ to a key of gold, that
+opens the gate of heaven to us, if we believe in Jesus; but if we
+refuse to hear and obey the words of Jesus, it becomes a key of iron,
+and opens the gate of destruction before us.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Power of the Cross.&quot; A heathen ruler had heard the story of the
+cross and desired to know its power. When he was sick and near his
+end, he told his servants to make him a large wooden cross, and lay
+it down in his chamber. When this was done, he said&mdash;&quot;Take me now and
+lay me on the cross, and let me die there.&quot; As he lay there dying he
+looked in faith to the blood of Christ, that was shed upon the cross,
+and said&mdash;<i>&quot;It lifts me up: it lifts me. Jesus saves me!</i>&quot; and thus
+he died. It was not that wooden cross that saved him; but the death
+of Christ, on the cross to which he was nailed&mdash;the death of which
+Moses and Elias talked with him, that saved this heathen man. They
+knew what a blessing his death would be to the world, and <i>this</i> was
+why they talked about this death. Here is one of Bonar's beautiful
+hymns which speaks sweetly of the blessedness and comfort to be found
+in the cross of Christ.</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;Oppressed with noonday's scorching heat,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">To this dear cross I flee;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">And in its shelter take my seat;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">No <i>shade</i> like this to me!</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;Beneath this cross clear waters burst;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">A fountain sparkling free;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">And here I quench my desert thirst,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">No <i>spring</i> like this to me.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;A stranger here, I pitch my tent</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Beneath this spreading tree;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Here shall my pilgrim life be spent,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">No <i>home</i> like this to me!</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;For burdened ones a resting place</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Beside this cross I see;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Here, I cast off my weariness;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">No <i>rest</i> like this for me!&quot;</span><br>
+
+<p>Moses and Elias understood how the blessing of the world was to flow
+out 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 to
+Jesus, amidst the glory of his Transfiguration, the subject, above
+all others, about which they desired to talk with him&mdash;was his death
+upon the cross,&mdash;&quot;his decease, which he should accomplish at
+Jerusalem.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>These are the three great wonders of the Transfiguration&mdash;the
+wonderful change&mdash;the wonderful company&mdash;and the wonderful
+conversation.</p>
+
+<p>And this brings us to the second part of our subject, which is&mdash;<i>the
+three lessons</i> taught by the Transfiguration.</p>
+
+<p><i>The first of these is</i>&mdash;THE LESSON OF HOPE.</p>
+
+<p>One thing for which the Transfiguration took place was to show us
+what we may hope to be hereafter, if we are the servants of Christ.
+We are told how Jesus appeared on this occasion. His glory is
+described. The brightness and glory that shone around him exceeded
+that of the noonday sun. But there is no particular description given
+Moses and Elias. We are not told how they looked. It is only said of
+them that&mdash;&quot;they appeared in <i>glory</i>.&quot; St Luke ix: 31. I suppose the
+meaning of this is that they shared in the glory which Jesus himself
+had when he was transfigured. Their raiment was as white as his; and
+the same brightness and beauty beamed forth from their faces which
+made his so glorious. They shared their Master's glory. And, if we
+are loving, and serving Jesus, this is what we may hope to share
+with him hereafter. This is what we are taught to pray for in the
+beautiful Collect for the sixth Sunday after the Epiphany. These are
+the words of that prayer: &quot;O God, whose blessed Son was manifested
+that he might make us the sons of God, and heirs of eternal life;
+Grant us, we beseech thee, that having this hope, we may purify
+ourselves, even as he is pure; that when he shall appear again, with
+power and great glory, <i>we may be made like unto him in his eternal
+and glorious kingdom;</i> where, with thee, O Father, and thee, O Holy
+Ghost, he liveth and reigneth, ever One God, world without end.
+Amen.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And it is right to offer such a prayer as this, because the Bible
+teaches us to hope for this great glory. How well a hope like this
+may be called &quot;<i>a hope that maketh not ashamed</i>,&quot; Rom. v: 5; &quot;<i>a good
+hope through grace</i>,&quot; II. Thess. ii: 16; &quot;that <i>blessed hope</i>,&quot; Tit.
+ii: 13; &quot;<i>a lively hope</i>,&quot; I. Peter i: 3. And how well it may be
+spoken of as &quot;<i>a helmet</i>&quot;&mdash;to cover the head in the day of battle;
+and as &quot;an anchor&quot; to keep the soul calm and steadfast when the
+storms of life are bursting upon it! Moses and Elias appeared with
+Jesus at his Transfiguration, and shared his glory on purpose to
+teach us this lesson of hope, and to show us what we shall be
+hereafter. We shall be as glorious as Jesus was on the Mount of
+Transfiguration! This seems something too great and too good to be
+true. But no matter how great, or how good it is&mdash;<i>it is true</i>. Jesus
+taught this lesson of hope when he said&mdash;speaking of the time when he
+shall come in his kingdom, &quot;<i>Then shall the righteous shine forth as
+the sun in the kingdom of their Father</i>,&quot; St. Matt, xiii: 43. He
+taught us the same lesson, in his prayer to his Father, when he said,
+speaking of all his people, &quot;<i>And the glory which thou gavest me, I
+have given them</i>,&quot; St. John xvii: 21. And the apostle John taught us
+the same lesson, when he said,&mdash;&quot;We know that when he shall appear
+<i>we shall be like him</i>,&quot; I. John iii: 2. These sweet passages make
+this lesson of hope very sure. And this is just the way in which we
+are made sure about other things we have not seen.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How we Know There is a Heaven.&quot; A Sunday-school teacher was talking
+to one of her scholars about heaven and the glory we shall have when
+we reach that blessed place. He was a bright boy, about nine or ten
+years old, named Charlie. After listening to her for awhile, he said:
+&quot;But you have never been there, Miss D., and how do you know there
+really is any such place?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Charlie,&quot; said the teacher, &quot;you have never been to London; how do
+you know there is such a city?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O, I know that very well,&quot; said Charlie, &quot;because my father is
+there; and he has sent me a letter, telling me all about it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And God, my Father, is in the heavenly city,&quot; said Miss D., &quot;and he
+has sent me a letter, telling me about the glory of heaven, and about
+the way to get there. The Bible is God's letter.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, I see,&quot; said Charlie, after thinking awhile, &quot;there must be a
+heaven, if you have got such a nice long letter from there.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The lesson of hope is the first lesson taught us by the
+Transfiguration.</p>
+
+<p><i>The next lesson taught us here is</i>&mdash;THE LESSON</p>
+
+<p>OF INSTRUCTION.</p>
+
+<p>The great event of the Transfiguration took place in our Saviour's
+life for <i>this</i> reason, among others, that we might learn from it
+<i>how we are to think of Christ</i>. While the disciples were gazing on
+the glory of that scene, and on the distinguished visitors who were
+there, there came a cloud and overshadowed them. This cloud, we may
+suppose, was like a curtain round Moses and Elias, hiding them from
+the view of the disciples. And, as Jesus in his glory was left alone
+for them to gaze upon, there came a voice from the overshadowing
+cloud, saying&mdash;&quot;<i>This is my beloved Son; in whom I am well
+pleased</i>.&quot; This was the voice of God, the Father. It spoke out on
+this occasion to teach the disciples then, and you and me now, and
+all God's people in every age, what to think about Christ. God, the
+Father, tells us here what he thinks about him; and we must learn to
+think of him in the same way. His will, his command is that &quot;<i>all men
+should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father</i>,&quot; St. John v: 3.
+Moses and Elias were great men in their day. They appeared on this
+occasion to add to the honor of Christ. And then they disappeared, as
+if to show that they were nothing in comparison with him. He is the
+greatest and the best of all beings. He must be first. Prophets and
+priests, and kings, and angels even, are as nothing to him. We must
+love him&mdash;and honor him above all others. The words of the hymn we so
+often sing, show us how God would have us think and feel towards him:</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;All hail the power of Jesus' name</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Let angels prostrate fall;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Bring forth the royal diadem,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And crown him Lord of all.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;Let every kindred, every tribe,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">On this terrestrial ball,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">To him all majesty ascribe,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And crown him Lord of all.&quot;</span><br>
+
+<p>&quot;How Christ Should be Honored.&quot; There is a story told of the Emperor
+Theodosius the Great which illustrates very well how we should honor
+Christ. There were at that time two great parties in the church. One
+of these believed and taught the divinity of Christ&mdash;or that he is
+equal to God the Father. The other party, called Arians, believed and
+taught that Christ was not divine; and that he was not to be honored
+and worshiped as God. The Emperor Theodosius favored this latter
+party. When his son, Arcadius, was about sixteen years old, his
+father determined to make him a sharer of his throne, and passed a
+law that his son should receive the same respect and honor that were
+due to himself. And, in connection with this event, an incident
+occurred which led the emperor to see how wrong the view was which he
+held respecting the character of Christ, and to give it up. When
+Arcadius was proclaimed the partner of his father in the empire, the
+officers of the government, and other prominent persons, called on
+the emperor in his palace, to congratulate him on the occasion, and
+to pay their respects to his son.</p>
+
+<p>Among those who thus came, was a celebrated bishop of the church. He
+was very decided in the views he held about the real divinity of
+Christ, and very much opposed to all who denied this divinity.</p>
+
+<p>Coming into the presence of the emperor, the bishop paid his respects
+to him, in the most polite and proper manner. Then he was about to
+retire from the palace, without taking any special notice of the
+emperor's son. This made the father angry. He said to the bishop, &quot;Do
+you take no notice of my son? Have you not heard that I have made him
+a partner with myself in the government of the empire?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The good old bishop made no reply to this, but going to Arcadius, he
+laid his hand on his head, saying, as he did so&mdash;&quot;The Lord bless
+thee, my son!&quot; and was again turning to retire.</p>
+
+<p>Even this did not satisfy the emperor, who asked, in a tone of
+surprise and displeasure, &quot;Is <i>this</i> all the respect you pay to a
+prince whom I have made equal in dignity with myself?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>With great warmth the bishop answered&mdash;&quot;Does your majesty resent so
+highly my apparent neglect of your son, because I do not treat him
+with equal honor to yourself? What, then, must the <i>Eternal God</i>&mdash;the
+King of heaven&mdash;think of you, who refuse to render to his only
+begotten Son, the honor and the worship that he claims for him?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>This had such an effect upon the emperor that he changed his views on
+this subject, and ever afterwards took part with those who
+acknowledged the divinity of Christ, and honored the Son, even as
+they honored the Father.</p>
+
+<p>And so we see that the second lesson taught by the Transfiguration
+was the <i>lesson of instruction</i>. We must learn to think of Christ as
+the Father in heaven thinks of him.</p>
+
+<p><i>And then there is</i>&mdash;A LESSON OF DUTY&mdash;<i>that comes to us from this
+Transfiguration scene</i>.</p>
+
+<p>We are taught this lesson by the last two words that were spoken, by
+the voice which the apostles heard from the cloud that overshadowed
+them. These are the words:&mdash;&quot;<i>Hear Him.&quot;</i> &quot;This is my beloved Son, in
+whom I am well pleased: <i>Hear Him</i>.&quot; This is God's command to every
+one of us. To hear Jesus, means to listen attentively to what he has
+to say, and to do it. And what does Jesus say to us? He says many
+things. But the most important thing he has to say to the young, is
+what we find in St. Matt, vi: 33: &quot;<i>Seek ye</i> FIRST <i>the kingdom of
+God</i>.&quot; This means that we must give our hearts to Jesus, and serve
+him while we are young. We must do this <i>first</i>,&mdash;before we do
+anything else. We cannot hear or obey Jesus in anything, till we hear
+and obey him in this. And there are three good reasons why we should
+do this.</p>
+
+<p>We should &quot;hear him&quot; because there is <i>safety</i> in it. We are exposed
+to dangers every day, and nothing will so help to keep us safe in the
+midst of these dangers as hearing Jesus, and doing what he tells us
+to do. Here is an illustration of what I mean.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Life in the Midst of Danger.&quot; There was an alarm of fire one day,
+near one of our large public schools. The children in the school were
+greatly frightened. They screamed, and left their places, and began
+to rush to the windows and stairs. The stairway leading to the door
+was soon choked up; and although the fire never reached the
+school-house, many of the children had their limbs broken and were
+bruised and wounded in other ways.</p>
+
+<p>But there was one little girl who remained quietly in her seat
+during all this excitement. When the alarm was over, and the wounded
+children had been taken home, and order was restored in the school,
+the teacher asked this little girl why she sat still in her seat, and
+did not rush towards the door, as the other girls had done.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;My father is a fireman,&quot; she said, &quot;and he has always told me that
+if ever there was a cry of fire when I was in school, I must remain
+quiet in my seat, for that was the safest way. I was dreadfully
+frightened; but I knew that what father had told me was best; and so
+I sat still, while the others were running to the door.&quot; This little
+girl <i>heard</i> her father. She minded him. She did what he told her to
+do, and she found safety in doing so. And if we &quot;<i>hear him</i>&quot; of whom
+the voice from the Mount of Transfiguration speaks to us&mdash;we shall
+find safety from many a danger.</p>
+
+<p>We ought to learn this lesson of duty, and &quot;hear him,&quot; because there
+is <i>success</i> in it.</p>
+
+<p>In old times, when the racers were running in the public games, if a
+man wished to be successful in the race, it was necessary for him to
+fix his eye on the prize, at the end of the race-course, and keep it
+fixed there till he reached the end. No one could have any success in
+racing who did not do this.</p>
+
+<p>Here is an incident about some boys at play that illustrates the
+point now before us.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How to Walk Straight.&quot; A light snow had fallen in a certain village,
+and some of the village boys met to make the best use they could of
+the new fallen snow. It was too dry for snowballing, and was not deep
+enough for coasting; so they thought they would improve the occasion
+by playing at making tracks in the snow.</p>
+
+<p>There was a large meadow near by, with a grand old oak tree standing
+in the centre of it. The boys gathered round the tree, and stood, on
+opposite sides, each one with his back against the tree. At a given
+signal they were to start, and walk to the fence opposite to each of
+them; and then return to the tree, and see which had made the
+straightest track.</p>
+
+<p>The signal was given. They started. They reached the fence, and
+returned to the tree. &quot;Now, boys, who has made the straightest
+track?&quot; said one of the boys, named James Allison.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Henry Armstrong's is the only one that is straight at all,&quot; said
+Thomas Sanders.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't see how we all contrived to go so crooked, when the meadow
+is so smooth, and there is nothing to turn us out of the way,&quot; said
+one of the boys.</p>
+
+<p>And then, looking to their successful companion, they said&mdash;&quot;Tell us,
+Harry, how you managed to make so straight a track?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Now mark what Harry said:&mdash;&quot;I fixed my eye on yonder tall pine tree
+on the other side of the fence towards which I was to walk, and never
+looked away from it till I reached the fence.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The other boys were walking without any particular aim in view. No
+wonder that their walk was crooked. After the apostle Paul became a
+Christian, he made one of the straightest tracks through this world
+to heaven that ever was made. And he made it in just the same way in
+which Harry Armstrong made his straight track through that meadow. We
+have seen what Harry said of his track through the snow; now see what
+St. Paul says of the way in which he made his straight track through
+this world to heaven. <i>This</i> is what he says:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;One thing I do; forgetting those things which are behind, and
+reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the
+mark, for the prize of the high calling of God, in Christ Jesus,&quot;
+Phil, iii 13,14. This was just what the racer used to do in the
+ancient games, when he fixed his eye on the prize and pressed right
+forward till he reached it. And it was just what Harry Armstrong did
+in his play. He fixed his eye on the big pine tree and never turned
+to the right hand or to the left till he reached it. The apostle Paul
+fixed his eye on Jesus, and made a straight track through the world
+till he reached the glorious heaven where Jesus dwells. And, in doing
+this, the great apostle was only practising the lesson of duty taught
+by the voice that speaks from the Transfiguration scene. &quot;<i>Hear
+him</i>,&quot; 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.</p>
+
+<p>And then there is&mdash;<i>profit</i>&mdash;in learning this lesson, as well as
+safety and success.</p>
+
+<p>David says, when speaking of God's commands, &quot;In keeping of them
+there is <i>great reward,&quot;</i> Ps. xix: 11. This is true of all God's
+commands; and it is especially true of the command we are now
+considering&mdash;&quot;Hear him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Samuel obeyed this command, and it made him a blessing and an honor
+to the nation of Israel. David obeyed it, and it made him one of the
+greatest and most successful kings. Daniel obeyed it, and it covered
+him with honor, and made him a blessing to his own nation, and to the
+church of Christ in every age.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Reward of Obedience.&quot; Here is an Eastern story which illustrates
+this point of our subject. The story says there was once an enchanted
+hill. On the top of this hill a great treasure was hidden. This
+treasure was put there to be the reward of any one who should reach
+the top of the hill without looking behind him. The command and the
+promise given to every young person who set out to climb that hill,
+were&mdash;do not look behind you, and that treasure shall be yours. But
+there was a threat added to the command and promise. The threat was,
+if you look behind, you will be turned into a stone. Many young
+persons started, to try and gain the prize. But the way to the top of
+the hill led them through beautiful groves, which covered the side of
+the hill. In these groves were birds singing sweetly, and sounds of
+music were heard, and melodious voices inviting those who passed by
+to stop and rest awhile. One after another of those who set out for
+the prize at the top of the hill would stop, and look round to see
+where the voices came from; and immediately they were turned into
+stones. &quot;Hence,&quot; says the story, &quot;in a little while the hillside was
+covered with stones, into which those had been turned who neglected
+the command given them when they started.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Of course there never was such a hill as this. But the story gives us
+a good illustration. Our life may well be compared to such a hill.
+The treasure, on the top of it, represents the reward that awaits us
+in heaven, if we serve God faithfully. The songs, and the voices,
+from the groves, on the hillside, represent the temptations that
+surround us in our daily paths. The lesson of duty that comes to us
+from the Transfiguration scene&mdash;&quot;Hear him&quot;&mdash;is the only thing that
+can preserve us from these temptations. If we hear Jesus when he says
+to us&mdash;&quot;follow me;&quot; if we give him our hearts and walk in his way, he
+will carry us through all temptations; he will bring us safely to the
+top of the hill; and the reward laid up there will be ours. Let us
+learn this lesson of duty, because there is safety in it; there is
+success in it; there is profit in it.</p>
+
+<p>And so we have spoken of two things in connection with the
+Transfiguration; these are the wonders that attended it, and the
+lessons taught by it. The wonders are three&mdash;the wonderful
+change&mdash;the wonderful company&mdash;and the wonderful conversation; and
+the lessons are three&mdash;the lesson of hope&mdash;the lesson of
+instruction&mdash;and the lesson of duty.</p>
+
+<p>In leaving this subject, let us lift up our hearts to Jesus, and say,
+in the beautiful language of the Te Deum:</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;Thou art the King of Glory, O Christ!</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Thou art the everlasting Son of the Father.</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">When Thou hadst overcome the sharpness of death</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Thou didst open the kingdom of heaven to all believers.</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Thou sittest at the right hand of God,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">In the glory of the Father.</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">We believe that thou shalt come to be our Judge.</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">We therefore pray thee, help thy servants</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Whom thou hast redeemed with thy precious blood.</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Make them to be numbered with thy saints,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">In glory everlasting. Amen.&quot;</span><br>
+
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="THE_LESSONS_FROM_OLIVET"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<h2>THE LESSONS FROM OLIVET</h2>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>Our last chapter was on the Transfiguration. The next will be on The
+Last Supper. Between these two events in our Saviour's life, how many
+interesting incidents took place! How many important sayings that
+fell from his gracious lips during this period are written for our
+instruction by the four evangelists! There is, for instance, the
+beautiful lesson about what it is on which the value of our gifts
+depend. He taught this lesson when he saw the rich casting their
+gifts into the treasury. Among them came &quot;a certain poor widow,
+casting in two mites. And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that
+this poor widow hath cast in more than they all;&mdash;for she of her
+penury hath cast in all the living she had,&quot; Luke xxi: 1-4. But, from
+among all these, we have only room for one chapter. A dozen, or
+twenty chapters would be needed on this part of the life of Christ.
+Where there are so many that might be taken, it has been very
+difficult to decide which is the best. In deciding this matter, I do
+not think we could do better than join the company of the three
+favored disciples, Peter, John, and James, and go, in thought with
+them, as they followed their Master from his last visit to the temple
+in Jerusalem, up to the top of the Mount of Olives. There Jesus took
+his seat, and his disciples sat around him, anxious to ask him some
+questions about what he had said to them in the temple. We read in
+St. Mark xiii: 1-2, that as he was going out of the temple the
+disciples called his attention to the beauty of that sacred building
+and the great size and splendor of some of the stones that were in
+it. Then Jesus pointed to that great building, and told them that the
+time was coming when it would be destroyed, and &quot;there should not be
+left one stone upon another that should not be thrown down.&quot; This
+filled the minds of the disciples with surprise and wonder. They
+supposed that their temple would last as long as the world stood.
+They thought that it was the end of the world of which Jesus was
+speaking; and they were very anxious that he should tell them
+something more about it. And so, as soon as they were seated around
+him, on the Mount of Olives, they said, &quot;Tell us, when shall these
+things be? and what shall be the sign, when all these things shall be
+fulfilled?&quot; St. Mark xii: 4.</p>
+
+<p>And now, we may imagine ourselves sitting with Jesus and his
+disciples on the Mount of Olives. As we look down we see the city of
+Jerusalem spread out beneath our feet. We see its walls, and its
+palaces. And there, just before us, outshining everything in its
+beauty, is that sacred temple, that was &quot;forty and six years in
+building.&quot; Its white marble walls, its golden spires, and pinnacles,
+are sparkling in the beams of the sun, as they shine upon them. No
+wonder the Jews were so proud of it! It was a glorious building.</p>
+
+<p>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 the
+twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth chapters of St. Matthew. In the first
+of these chapters, Jesus gave them a sign, by which those who learn
+to understand what he here says, might know when his second coming is
+to take place. These are some of the lessons from Olivet. I should
+like, very much, to stop and talk about them. But this cannot be
+now. We pass over to the twenty-fifth chapter of St. Matthew. In this
+chapter we have three of our Saviour's parables. These are very
+solemn and instructive. They all refer to the judgment that must take
+place when Jesus shall come into our world again. The second of these
+parables is the one we are now to consider. It is called&mdash;&quot;The
+Parable of the Talents.&quot; We find it in St. Matt, xxv: 14-30. And <i>the
+lessons from Olivet</i>, which we are now to try and learn, are all
+drawn from the words of our Saviour, contained in the verses just
+mentioned.</p>
+
+<p>This, then, is our present subject&mdash;<i>The Lessons from Olivet</i>. And
+there <i>four</i> lessons, in this part of our Saviour's discourse, of
+which we are now to speak. <i>The first is&mdash;the lesson about the
+Master. The second&mdash;the lesson about the servants. The third is&mdash;the
+lesson about the talents; and the fourth, the lesson about the
+rewards</i>.</p>
+
+<p><i>The lesson about</i>&mdash;THE MASTER&mdash;<i>is the first thing of which we are
+to speak</i>.</p>
+
+<p>In the 14th verse of this 25th chapter of St. Matthew, Jesus speaks
+of himself as&mdash;&quot;a man travelling into a far country,&quot;&mdash;and of his
+people as&mdash;&quot;his own servants.&quot; In the 19th verse he speaks of himself
+as &quot;the lord of those servants, coming back, after a long time, to
+reckon with them.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>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
+&quot;a <i>nobleman</i> who went into a far country to receive for himself a
+kingdom, and to return.&quot; This language was borrowed from a custom
+that prevailed in those days. The headquarters of the government of
+the world then was in the city of Rome. The kings and rulers of
+different countries received their appointments to the offices they
+held from the Roman Emperor. Archelaus, the son of Herod, succeeded
+his father as king of Judea. But, it was necessary for him to go to
+Rome and get permission from the emperor to hold and exercise that
+office. He had done this, not very long before our Saviour applied to
+himself the words we are now considering. This was a fact well known.
+And this is the illustration which Jesus here uses in reference to
+himself. He is the Head&mdash;the Prince&mdash;the Lord&mdash;the Master of all
+things in his church. He spoke of himself to his disciples as their
+&quot;Lord and Master,&quot; St. John xiii: 14. He tells us that he has gone to
+heaven, as Archelaus went to Rome, &quot;to receive for himself a kingdom
+and to return.&quot; He said he would be absent &quot;a long time,&quot; verse 19.
+And this is true. He has been absent more than eighteen hundred
+years. He said he would &quot;return,&quot; or come again. And so he will. It
+is just as certain that he will come again as it is that he went
+away. And he will come, not in figure, or in spirit, but in person,
+as he went. Remember what the angels said about this to his
+disciples, at the time of his departure. &quot;Ye men of Galilee, why
+stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken from
+you into heaven, shall <i>so come, in like manner</i> as ye have seen him
+go into heaven,&quot; Acts i: 11. He said he would return, and so he will.</p>
+
+<p>But, in the meantime, he would have us remember that he is still our
+Lord and Master. No master ever had such a right to be Lord and Ruler
+as he has. God the Father has appointed him to be &quot;Head over all
+things to his church,&quot; Ephes. i: 22. He is our Master, because he
+<i>made</i> us. This is what no other ever did for his servants. He is our
+Master because he <i>preserves</i> us. We cannot keep ourselves for a
+single moment, but he keeps us all the time,&mdash;by night, and by day.
+And he is our Master because, when we had sold ourselves into sin,
+and were appointed unto death, <i>he redeemed us</i>. He bought us with
+the price of his own precious blood. He made our hands to work for
+him; and our feet to walk in his ways. He made our hearts to love
+him;&mdash;our minds to think about him; our eyes to see the beauty of his
+wondrous works, our ears to listen to his gracious words, and our
+lips and tongues to be employed in speaking and singing his praises.</p>
+
+<p>We cannot be our own masters. &quot;I am my own master!&quot;&mdash;said a young
+man, proudly, to a friend who was trying to persuade him from doing a
+wrong thing; &quot;I am my own master!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That's impossible,&quot; said his friend. &quot;You can not be master of
+yourself, unless you are master of everything within, and everything
+around you. Look within. There is your conscience to keep clear, and
+your heart to make pure, your temper to govern, your will to control,
+and your judgment to instruct. And then look without. There are
+storms, and seasons; accidents, and dangers; a world full of evil men
+and evil spirits. What can you do with these? And yet, if you don't
+master them, they'll master you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That's so,&quot; said the young man.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now, I don't undertake any such thing,&quot; said his friend. &quot;I am sure
+I should fail, if I did. Saul, the first king of Israel, wanted to be
+his own master, and failed. So did Herod. So did Judas. No man can be
+his own master. 'One is your Master, even Christ,' says the apostle.
+I work under his direction. He is my regulator, and when he is Master
+all goes right. Think of these words,&mdash;'<i>He is your Master even
+Christ</i>.' If we put ourselves under his leadership we shall surely
+win at last.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>And as we cannot be our own master, if we refuse to take Christ as
+our Ruler, there is nothing left for us but to have Satan as our
+master. These are the only two masters we can have. We must make our
+choice between them. If Jesus is not our Master, Satan must be. If
+Jesus is our Master here, he will share his glory with us hereafter.
+If we serve Satan here, we must share his punishment hereafter. This
+is one of the solemn lessons that Jesus taught on Olivet. He is
+speaking of the day of judgment. He represents himself as on the
+judgment-seat. Two great companies are before him. On his right hand
+are those who took him for their Master. To them he says&mdash;&quot;Come, ye
+blessed children of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you,
+from the foundation of the world,&quot; St. Matt, xxv: 34.</p>
+
+<p>On his left are those who took Satan for their master. The awful
+words he speaks to them are:&mdash;&quot;Depart from, ye cursed, into
+everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.&quot; St. Matt.
+xxv: 41.</p>
+
+<p>This is our first lesson from Olivet&mdash;the lesson about the Master.</p>
+
+<p><i>The second lesson from Olivet is the lesson about</i>&mdash;THE SERVANTS.</p>
+
+<p>We are told that before this nobleman went away to the far country,
+he called to him &quot;his own servants.&quot; The nobleman here spoken of
+means Jesus, our blessed Master. And now the question is&mdash;who are
+meant by &quot;his own servants?&quot; He has three kinds of servants. The
+first kind is made up of those who serve him <i>ignorantly</i>. This takes
+in all those things that have no knowledge or understanding. There,
+for instance are the sun,&mdash;the moon,&mdash;the stars,&mdash;the mountains,&mdash;the
+hills,&mdash;the plains,&mdash;the valleys,&mdash;the rivers,&mdash;the seas,&mdash;the wind
+that blows,&mdash;the rains that descend,&mdash;and the dews that distil; these
+all serve God, without knowing it. He made them to serve him, and
+they do it; but they do it ignorantly. &quot;His kingdom <i>ruleth over
+all</i>,&quot; and it makes all these things his servants. They do exactly
+what they were made for, but they do it ignorantly.</p>
+
+<p>And there is another class of our Lord's creatures who serve him
+<i>unwillingly</i>. This is a very large class. It takes in all the wicked
+men, and the wicked spirits who are to be found anywhere. They do not
+wish to serve God, and yet, in spite of themselves, they are obliged
+to do it. We see this illustrated, when we think of the way in which
+the crucifixion of our blessed Saviour was brought about. Satan
+stirred up the Jews to take Jesus and put him to death. God allowed
+them to do it. They did it of their own choice&mdash;as freely, and as
+voluntarily, as they ever did anything in their lives. They did it
+because they hated him, and wished to get him out of their way. So
+they nailed him to the cross in their malice and their rage. This was
+the very thing God had determined should be done, that he might save
+and bless the world. He allowed Satan, and the Jews, to do just what
+their wicked hearts prompted them to do; and then he overruled it for
+good. And, in this way, as David says, he &quot;makes the wrath of man to
+praise him, and the remainder of it he restrains.&quot; And thus we see
+how evil men, and evil spirits, are God's servants <i>unwillingly</i>.</p>
+
+<p>But then, there is another class of persons who serve God
+<i>willingly</i>. This takes in all those who know and love him. He speaks
+of them, in this parable as &quot;<i>his own</i> servants.&quot; When they find out
+what he has done for them, the thought of it fills their hearts with
+love; and then they desire to serve him, and do all he tells them to
+do, in order to show their love to him. And this is what Jesus means
+when he says&mdash;&quot;Take my yoke upon you; for my yoke is easy, and my
+burden is light,&quot; When we really love a person, anything that we can
+do for that person is easy and pleasant to us. And so it is the great
+love for Jesus, that his people have, which makes his yoke easy, and
+his burden light to them.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How to Become a Willing Servant to Jesus.&quot; A little boy came to his
+grandmother one day, and asked her how he could become a Christian.
+She answered very simply, &quot;Ask Jesus to give you a new heart, <i>and
+believe he does it when you ask him</i>.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Is that all?&quot; said the little fellow joyfully; &quot;oh! that is easy
+enough.&quot; So he went to his room, and kneeling beside his bed, asked
+Jesus to give him a new heart. He believed that the dear Saviour,
+who loves little children, did hear and answer his prayer. And he
+left his room with a happy heart, for he felt sure that he was now
+one of Christ's own loving children, and willing servants. And this
+is the way in which we must take the yoke of Jesus upon us, and
+become his willing servants. And then in everything that we do we can
+be serving him. As St. Paul says&mdash;&quot;whether we eat or drink, or
+whatsoever we do, we can do all to the glory of God.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>A good man once said &quot;that if God should send two angels down from
+heaven, and should tell one of them to sit on a throne and rule a
+kingdom, and the other to sweep the streets of a city, the latter
+would feel that he was serving God as acceptably in handling his
+broom as his brother angel was in holding his sceptre. And this is
+true. We see the same illustrated in the fable of:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Stream and the Mill.&quot; &quot;I notice,&quot; said the stream to the mill,
+&quot;that you grind beans as well and as cheerfully as you do the finest
+wheat.&quot; &quot;Certainly,&quot; said the mill; &quot;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 useful
+when I turn out the finest flour than when I turn out the coarsest
+meal. My honor is, not in doing fine work, but in doing any thing
+that is given me to do in the best way that I can.&quot; That is true. And
+this is just the way in which Jesus wishes us to serve him when he
+says to &quot;<i>his own</i> servants,&quot; &quot;Occupy till I come.&quot; This means serve
+me, in everything, as you would do if you saw me standing by your
+side.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How to Serve God.&quot; Willie's mother let him go with his little sister
+into the street to play. She told them not to go off the street on
+which their house stood. Willie was a little fellow, and lisped very
+much in talking; but he was brave, and he was obedient. Presently his
+sister asked him to go into another street; but he refused. &quot;Mamma
+thaid no,&quot; was Willie's answer. &quot;The thaid we muthn't do off thith
+threet,&quot; said Willie in his lisping way. &quot;Only just a little way
+round the corner,&quot; said his teasing sister. &quot;Mamma'll never know it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But I thall know it my own thelf; and I don't want to know any thuch
+a mean thing; and I won't!&quot; And Willie straightened himself, and
+stood up like a man. That was brave and beautiful in Willie. And that
+is the way in which we should try to serve our heavenly Master.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How a Boy May Serve God.&quot; A gentleman met a little boy wheeling his
+baby brother in a child's carriage. &quot;My little man,&quot; said the
+gentleman, &quot;what are you doing to serve God?&quot; The little fellow
+stopped a moment, and then, looking up into the gentleman's face, he
+said:&mdash;&quot;Why, you see, Sir, I'm trying to make baby happy, so that he
+won't worry mamma who is sick.&quot; That was a noble answer. In trying to
+amuse his baby brother, and to relieve his poor sick mother, that
+little boy was serving God as truly and as acceptably as the angel
+Gabriel does when he wings his way, on a mission of mercy, to some
+far off world.</p>
+
+<p>And this is the lesson about the servants that comes to us from
+Olivet.</p>
+
+<p><i>The lesson about</i>&mdash;THE TALENTS&mdash;<i>is the third lesson that comes to
+us from Olivet</i>.</p>
+
+<p>This parable tells us that before the Master went away, he &quot;called
+his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. Unto one he gave
+five talents, to another two, to another one; to every man according
+to his several ability.&quot; verses 14, 15, In St. Luke's account of the
+parable, what the master gave to his servants is spoken of as
+<i>pounds</i>, and each servant is said to have received one pound. These
+talents or pounds both mean the same thing. They denote something
+with which we can do good, and make ourselves useful. And it is
+plain, from both these parables, that the Master gave at least <i>one</i>
+talent, or one pound, to each of his servants. None of them were left
+without some portion of their Master's goods. And the lesson from
+Olivet 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 expects
+us to use for him. And the most important thing for us is to find out
+what our talents are, and how we can best use them, so as to be ready
+to give a good account of them when our Master comes to reckon with
+us.</p>
+
+<p>A TALENT FOR EACH.</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;God entrusts to all</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Talents few or many;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">None so young and small</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">That they have not any.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;Little drops of rain</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Bring the springing flowers;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">And I may attain</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Much by little powers.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;Every little mite,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Every little measure,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Helps to spread the light,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Helps to swell the treasure.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;God will surely ask,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Ere I enter heaven,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Have I done the task</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Which to me was given?&quot;</span><br>
+
+<p>&quot;One Talent Improved.&quot; One day, amidst the crowded streets of London,
+a poor little newsboy had both his legs broken by a dray passing over
+them. He was laid away, in one of the beds of a hospital, to die. On
+the next cot to him was another little fellow, of the same class, who
+had been picked up, sick with the fever which comes from hunger and
+want. The latter boy crept close up to his poor suffering companion
+and said:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Bobby, did you ever hear about Jesus?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, I never heard of him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Bobby, I went to the mission-school once; and they told us that
+Jesus would take us up to heaven when we die, if we axed him; and
+we'd never have any more hunger or pain.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But I couldn't ax such a great gentleman as he is to do anything for
+me. He wouldn't stop to speak to a poor boy like me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But hell do all that for you Bobby, if you ax him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But how can I ax him, if I don't know where he lives? and how could
+I get: there when both my legs is broke?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;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 might
+come round to this hospital this very night? You'd know him if you
+was to see him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But I can't keep my eyes open. My legs feels awful bad. Doctor says
+I'll die.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Bobby, hold up yer hand, and he'll know what you want, when he
+passes by.&quot; They got the hand up; but it dropped. They tried it
+again, and it slowly fell back. Three times they got up the little
+hand, only to let it fall. Bursting into tears he said, &quot;I give it
+up.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Bobby,&quot; said his tender-hearted companion, &quot;lend me yer hand. Put
+your elbow on my piller: I can do without it.&quot; So the hand was
+propped up. And when they came in the morning, the boy lay dead; but
+his hand was still held up for Jesus. And don't you think that he
+heard and answered the silent but eloquent appeal which it made to
+him for his pardon and grace, and salvation, to that poor dying boy?
+I do, I do.</p>
+
+<p>Bobby's friend had been once to the mission-school. He had but a
+single talent; but, he made good use of it when he employed it to
+lead that wounded, suffering, dying boy to Jesus.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Good Friends.&quot; &quot;I wish I had some good friends, to help me on in
+life!&quot; cried lazy Dennis, with a yawn.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Good friends,&quot; said his master, &quot;why you've got ten; how many do you
+want?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'm sure I've not half so many; and those I have are too poor to
+help me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Count your fingers, my boy,&quot; said the master.</p>
+
+<p>Dennis looked down on his big, strong hands. &quot;Count thumbs and all,&quot;
+added the master.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I have; there are ten,&quot; said the lad.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Then never say you have not ten good friends, able to help you on in
+life. Try what those true friends can do, before you go grumbling and
+fretting because you have none to help you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Now, suppose that we put the word talents, for the word friends, in
+this little story. Then, we may each of us hold our two hands before
+us, and say &quot;here are ten talents, which God has given me to use for
+him. Let me try and do all the good I can with these ten talents.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>THE BEST THAT I CAN.</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;'I cannot do much,' said a little star,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">'To make the dark world bright;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">My silvery beams can not struggle far</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Through the folding gloom of night;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">But I'm only a part of God's great plan,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">And I'll cheerfully do the best I can.'</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;A child went merrily forth to play,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">But a thought, like a silver thread,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Kept winding in and out, all day,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Through the happy golden head.</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Mother said,&mdash;'Darling, do all you can;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">For you are a part of God's great plan.'</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;So he helped a younger child along,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">When the road was rough to the feet,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">And she sung from her heart a little song</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">That we all thought passing sweet;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">And her father, a weary, toil-worn man,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">Said, 'I, too, will do the best I can.'&quot;</span><br>
+
+<p>&quot;A Noble Boy.&quot; &quot;Not long ago,&quot; said a Christian lady, &quot;I saw a boy do
+something that made me glad for a week. Indeed it fills my heart with
+tenderness and good feeling whenever I think about it. But let me
+tell you what it was.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;As I was walking along a crowded street I saw an old blind man
+walking on without any one to lead him. He went very slowly, feeling
+his way with his cane.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'He's walking straight to the highest part of the curb-stone,' said
+I to myself. 'And it's very high too. I wonder if some one won't help
+him and start him in the right direction.'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;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's
+arm, said:&mdash;'Allow me, my friend, to lead you across the street.' By
+this time there were three or four others watching the boy. He not
+only helped the old man over one crossing, but led him over another
+to the lower side of the street. Then he ran back to his play.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now this boy thought he had only done an act of kindness to that old
+man. But just see how much farther than that the use of his one
+talent went. The three boys with whom he was playing, and who had
+watched his kind act, were happier and better for it, and felt that
+they must be more careful to do little kindnesses to those about
+them.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The three or four persons who stopped to watch the boy turned away
+with a tender smile upon their faces, ready to follow the good
+example of that noble boy. I am sure that I felt more gentle and
+loving towards every one, from what I saw that boy do.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;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 else
+happy, without feeling better and happier ourselves. To <i>be</i> good and
+to <i>do</i> good, is the way to be happy. This is our mission here in
+this world. Whatever talents our Master has given us, he intends that
+we should use them in this way.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Tiny's Work for God.&quot; Two little girls, Leila and Tiny, were
+sitting, one summer day, under the tree which grew beside their home.</p>
+
+<p>Both children had been quiet for a little while, when suddenly Tiny
+raised her blue eyes and said, &quot;I <i>am</i> so happy, Leila. I do love the
+flowers, and the birdies, and you, and everybody so much.&quot; Then she
+added, in a whisper, &quot;And I love God, who made us all so happy.
+Sister, I wish I could do something for him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Mother says if we love him, that is what he likes best of all,&quot; said
+Leila.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, but I do want to <i>do</i> something for him&mdash;something that would
+give me trouble. Can't you think of anything?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Leila thought a little, and said, &quot;Perhaps you could print a text
+for the flowers mother sends every week to the sick people in the
+hospital. They are so glad to have the flowers, and then the text
+might help them think about our Father in heaven.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh! thank you, sister, that will be so nice! I will write&mdash;'Suffer
+the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not.'&quot;</p>
+
+<p>But Tiny was only a little over four years old, and it was hard for
+her to hold a pen, but she managed to print two letters every day
+till the text was finished. Then she went alone to her room, and
+laying the text on a chair, she kneeled down beside it, and
+said&mdash;&quot;Heavenly Father, I have done this for you: please take it from
+Tiny, for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen.&quot; And God heard the prayer, for
+he always listens when children truly pray.</p>
+
+<p>So Tiny's text was sent up to London, and a lady put a very pretty
+flower into the card and took it to the hospital. She stopped beside
+a bed where a little boy was lying. His face was almost as white as
+the pillow on which he lay, and his dark eyes were filled with tears.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Is the pain very bad to-day, Willie?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, miss; its dreadful-like. But it's not so much the pain as I
+mind. 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 'ave
+any 'opes for me, and I'm mighty afeard to die.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If you had a friend who loved you, and you were well, would you be
+afraid to go and stay with him, Willie?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why no, I'd like to go, in course.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I have brought you a message from a Friend, who has loved you all
+your life long. He wants you to trust him, and to go and live with
+him. He will love you always, and you will always be happy.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Then the lady read Tiny's text, &quot;<i>Suffer the little children to come
+unto me, and forbid them not.</i>&quot; She told him how Jesus had died, and
+then had risen again, and had gone to heaven, to prepare a place for
+<i>him</i>, and for many other children. She told him how Jesus is still
+saying &quot;Come,&quot; and his hand is still held out to bless.</p>
+
+<p>So Willie turned to the Good Shepherd, and was no longer afraid. A
+few days afterwards he whispered&mdash;&quot;Lord Jesus, I am coming;&quot; and he
+died with Tiny's text in his hand.</p>
+
+<p>That little girl used the talent that was given her, and it helped
+to bring a soul to Jesus.</p>
+
+<p>EVERY TALENT USEFUL.</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;Though little I bring,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Said the tiny spring,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">As it burst from the mighty hill,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">'Tis pleasant to know,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Wherever I flow,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The pastures are greener still.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;And the drops of rain</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">As they fall on the plain,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">When parched by the summer heat,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Refresh the sweet flowers</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Which droop in the bowers,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And hang down their heads at our feet.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;May we strive to fulfill</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">All His righteous will,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Who formed the whole earth by His word!</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Creator Divine!</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">We would ever be Thine,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And serve Thee&mdash;our God, and our Lord!&quot;</span><br>
+
+<p>Let us never forget this third lesson from Olivet, the lesson
+about,&mdash;the talents.</p>
+
+<p><i>The fourth, and last lesson from Olivet is the lesson about</i>&mdash;THE
+REWARDS.</p>
+
+<p>The parable tells us that when the Master came back, and reckoned
+with his servants, he said to each of those who had made a right use
+of his talents:&mdash;&quot;Well done, good and faithful servant, thou hast
+been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many
+things; enter thou into the joy of thy lord.&quot; In the parable in St.
+Luke we are told that the servant who had gained ten pounds was made
+ruler over ten cities; and he who had gained five pounds was made
+ruler over five cities. This shows us that God will reward his
+people, hereafter, according to the degree of faithfulness with which
+each one shall have used the talents given to him. And this is the
+lesson which the apostle Paul teaches us when he says that, &quot;Every
+man shall receive <i>his own reward</i> according to <i>his own labor.&quot;</i> I.
+Cor. iii: 8.</p>
+
+<p>All the willing, loving servants of God will receive a crown of life
+when Jesus comes to reckon with them. But those crowns will not be
+all alike. They are spoken of as &quot;crowns of gold:&quot; Rev. iv: 4; as
+&quot;crowns of glory:&quot; I. Peter v: 4, and as &quot;crowns of life:&quot; Rev. iii:
+11. But still there will be very great differences between these
+crowns. Some will be simply crowns of gold, or of glory, without any
+gems or jewels to ornament them. Some will have two or three small
+jewels shining in them. But, others again will be full of the most
+beautiful jewels, all glittering and sparkling with glory. And this
+will all depend upon the way in which those who wear these crowns
+used their talents while they were on earth, and the amount of work
+they did for Jesus. There is an incident mentioned in Roman history
+about a soldier, which illustrates this part of our subject very
+well.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Faithful Soldier and His Rewards.&quot; This man had served forty
+years in the cause of his country&mdash;of these, ten years had been spent
+as a private soldier, and thirty as an officer. He had been present
+in one hundred and twenty battles, and had been severely wounded
+forty-five times. He had received fourteen civic crowns, for having
+saved the lives of so many Roman citizens; three mural crowns, for
+having been the first to mount the breach when attacking a fortress;
+and eight golden crowns, for having, on so many occasions, rescued
+the standard of a Roman legion from the hands of the enemy. He had in
+his house eighty-three gold chains, sixty bracelets, eighteen golden
+spears, and twenty-three horse trappings,&mdash;the rewards for his many
+faithful services as a soldier. And when his friends looked at all
+those honors and treasures which he had received, from time to time,
+how well they might have said as they pointed to those numerous
+prizes&mdash;that he had &quot;received <i>his own reward</i>, according to <i>his own
+labor</i>,&quot; and faithfulness! And so it will be with the soldiers of the
+cross, who are faithful in using the talents given them by their
+heavenly Master.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;A Great Harvest from a Little Seed,&quot; Some years ago there was a
+celebrated artist in Paris whose name was Ary Scheffer. On one
+occasion he wished to introduce a beggar into a certain picture he
+was painting. Baron Rothschild, the famous banker, and one of the
+richest men in the world, was a particular friend of this artist. He
+happened to come into his studio at the very time he was trying to
+get a beggar to be the model of one which he desired to put into his
+painting.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Wait till to-morrow,&quot; said Mr. Rothschild, &quot;and I will dress myself
+up as a beggar, and make you an excellent model.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Very well,&quot; said the artist, who was pleased with the strangeness of
+the proposal. The next day the rich banker appeared, dressed up as a
+beggar, and a very sorry looking beggar he was. While the artist was
+engaged in painting him, another friend of his came into the studio.
+He was a kind-hearted, generous man. As he looked on the model
+beggar, he was touched by his wretched appearance, and as he passed
+him, he slipped a louis d'or&mdash;a French gold coin, worth about five
+dollars of our money&mdash;into his hand. The pretended beggar took the
+coin, and put it in his pocket.</p>
+
+<p>Ten years after this, the gentleman who gave this piece of money
+received an order on the bank of the Rothschilds for ten thousand
+francs. This was enclosed in a letter which read as follows:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Sir: You one day gave a louis d'or to Baron Rothschild, in the
+studio 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, together
+with the interest it has gained. A good action is always followed by
+a good reward.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;JAMES DE ROTHSCHILD.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>In those few years that one gold coin, of twenty francs, had
+increased to ten thousand francs. And this illustrates the way in
+which Jesus the heavenly Master rewards those who use their talents
+for him. See how he teaches this lesson, when he says&mdash;&quot;Whosoever
+shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold
+water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall
+in <i>no wise lose his reward</i>.&quot; St. Matt, x: 42. And in another place
+we are told that the reward shall be &quot;an hundred fold,&quot; and shall run
+on into &quot;everlasting life.&quot; St. Matt, xix: 29. How sweetly some one
+has thus written about</p>
+
+<p>THE REWARD OF HEAVEN.</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;Light after darkness, gain after loss,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Strength after weariness, crown after cross;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Sweet after bitter, song after sigh,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Home after wandering, praise after cry;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Sheaves after sowing, sun after rain,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Light after mystery, peace after pain;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Joy after sorrow, calm after blast,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Rest after weariness, sweet rest at last;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Near after distant, gleam after gloom,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Love after loneliness, life after tomb.</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">After long agony, rapture of bliss,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Christ is the pathway leading to this!&quot;</span><br>
+
+<p>The last lesson from Olivet is the lesson about the rewards. And
+taking these lessons together, let us remember that they are&mdash;the
+lesson <i>about the Master</i>: the lesson <i>about the servants</i>: the
+lesson <i>about the talents</i>: and the lesson <i>about the rewards</i>.</p>
+
+<p>The Collect for the thirteenth Sunday after Trinity is a very
+suitable prayer to offer after meditating on the lessons from Olivet:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Almighty and merciful God, of whose only gift it cometh that thy
+faithful people do unto thee true and laudable service: Grant, we
+beseech thee, that we may so faithfully serve thee in this life, that
+we fail not finally to attain thy heavenly promises; which exceed all
+that we can desire; through the merits of Jesus Christ our Lord.
+AMEN!"</p>
+
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="THE_LORD'S_SUPPER"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<h2>THE LORD'S SUPPER</h2>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>We are approaching now the end of our Saviour's life. The last week
+has come, and we are in the midst of it. This is called Passion week.
+We commonly use this word <i>passion</i> to denote anger. But the first
+and true meaning of the word, and of the Latin word from which it
+comes, is&mdash;suffering. And this is the sense in which we find the word
+used in Acts i: 3. There, St. Luke, who wrote the Acts, is speaking
+of Christ's appearing to the apostles, after his resurrection, and he
+uses this language: &quot;To whom he showed himself alive, after his
+<i>passion</i>;&quot; or after his suffering and death.</p>
+
+<p>In the midst of this last week&mdash;this passion week&mdash;one of the
+interesting things that Jesus did was to keep the Jewish Passover for
+the last time with his disciples. This Passover feast had been kept
+by the Jews every year for nearly fifteen hundred years. It was the
+most solemn religious service they had. It was first observed by
+them in the night on which their nation was delivered from the
+bondage of Egypt and began their march towards the promised land of
+Canaan. We read about the establishment of this solemn service in
+Exodus, twelfth chapter. The first Passover took place on the
+fourteenth day of the month Nisan. This had been the seventh month of
+the year with the Jews. But God directed them to take it for their
+first month ever afterwards. They were to begin their year with that
+month. Every family was to choose out a lamb for themselves, on the
+tenth day of the month. They were to keep it to the fourteenth day of
+the 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 and
+upper lintels of every door. They were to roast the lamb and eat it,
+with solemn religious services. And, while they were doing this, the
+angel of the Lord was to pass over all the land of Egypt, and, with
+his unseen sword, to smite and kill the first-born, or eldest child,
+in every family, from Pharaoh on his throne to the poorest beggar in
+the land. But the blood, sprinkled on the door-posts of the houses in
+which the Israelites dwelt, was to save them from the stroke of the
+angel 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. He
+gave one stroke with his dreadful sword&mdash;and there was a death in
+every Egyptian family. But in the blood-sprinkled dwellings of the
+Israelites, 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 not
+surprising that the children of Israel, through all their
+generations, should have kept that Passover feast with great
+interest&mdash;an interest that never died out, from age to age. Nor do we
+wonder that our blessed Saviour looked forward longingly to the
+occasion when, for the last time, he was to celebrate this Passover
+with his disciples. As they began the feast he said to them, &quot;With
+desire I have desired&quot; that is, I have earnestly, or heartily desired
+&quot;to eat this passover with you before I suffer,&quot; St. Luke xxii: 15.
+It is easy to think of many reasons why Jesus should have felt this
+strong desire. Without attempting to tell what all those reasons
+were, we can readily think of some things which would lead him, very
+naturally, to have this feeling. It was the last time he was to eat
+this 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 suffer
+and die; to rise from the dead, and then go home to his Father in
+heaven.</p>
+
+<p>This Passover had been one of the services established and kept for
+the purpose of pointing the attention of men to himself as the Lamb
+of God who was to take away the sins of the world. And now, the time
+had come when all that had thus been pointed out concerning him, for
+so many hundred years, was about to be fulfilled. He, the one true
+Lamb 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 church
+would take its place. And then the blessings of true religion,
+instead of being confined to one single nation, would be freely
+offered to all nations; and Jews and Gentiles alike, would be at
+liberty to come to Christ, and to receive from him pardon, and grace,
+and salvation, and every blessing.</p>
+
+<p>There was enough in thoughts like these to make Jesus long to eat
+this last Passover with his disciples. In each of the four gospels we
+have an account of what took place when the time came for keeping
+this Passover. What is said concerning it we find in the following
+places: St. Matt xxi: 17-30, St. Mark xiv: 12-26, St. Luke xxii:
+7-39. St. John begins with the thirteenth chapter, and ends his
+account at the close of the seventeenth chapter. He is the only one
+of the four evangelists who gives a full and particular account of
+the wonderful sayings of our Lord in connection with this last
+passover, and of the great prayer that he offered for all his
+people.</p>
+
+<p>Here is a brief outline of these different accounts. When the time
+came to keep the Passover, Jesus sent two of his disciples from
+Bethany, where he was then staying, to Jerusalem. He told them, that,
+when they entered the city, they would meet a man bearing a pitcher
+of water. They were to ask him to show them the guest-chamber, where
+he and his disciples might eat the Passover together. There were
+always great crowds of strangers in Jerusalem at the time of this
+festival; and many furnished chambers were kept ready to be hired to
+those who wished them, for celebrating the Passover. This man, of
+whom our Saviour spoke, was probably a friend of his, and according
+to our Lord's word, he showed the disciples such a room as they
+needed. Then they made the necessary preparations; and, when the
+evening came, Jesus and his disciples met there to keep this solemn
+feast.</p>
+
+<p>Many of the pictures that we see of this last Supper, represent the
+company as seated round a table, very much in the way in which we are
+accustomed to sit ourselves. But this is not correct. The people in
+those Eastern countries were not accustomed to sit as we do. On this
+occasion the roasted lamb, with the bread and wine to be used at the
+feast, was placed on a table, and the guests reclined on couches
+round the table, each man leaning on his left arm, and helping
+himself to what he needed with his right hand.</p>
+
+<p>Various incidents took place in connection with this last Supper. The
+disciples had a contest among themselves about which of them should
+be greatest. This led Jesus, in the course of the evening, to give
+them the lesson of humility, by washing his disciples' feet, of which
+we have already spoken. Then he told them how sorrowfully he was
+feeling. He said they would all forsake him, and one of them would
+betray him that very night. This made them feel very sad. Each of
+them suspected himself&mdash;and asked sorrowfully&mdash;&quot;Lord, is it I?&quot; They
+did not suspect each other; and none of them seems to have suspected
+Judas Iscariot at all. Then Peter whispered to John, who was leaning
+on the bosom of Jesus, to ask who it was that was to do this? In
+answer to John's question, Jesus said it was the one to whom he
+should give a piece of bread when he had dipped it in the dish. Then
+he dipped the sop and gave it to Judas.</p>
+
+<p>After this, we are told that Satan entered into him, and he went out
+and made preparation for doing the most dreadful thing that ever was
+done from the beginning of the world&mdash;and that was the betrayal of
+his 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 one
+of the two great sacraments to be observed in his church to the end
+of the world&mdash;the sacrament of the Lord's Supper&mdash;or the holy
+Communion.</p>
+
+<p>This is St. Luke's account of the way in which it was done, chapter
+xxii: 19, 20&mdash;&quot;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 for
+you.&quot; St. Matthew adds, and&mdash;&quot;for many.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Such is the account we have of the first establishment of the Lord's
+Supper. It was to take the place of the Jewish Passover, and to be
+observed by the followers of Christ all over the earth, until the
+time when he shall come again into our world.</p>
+
+<p>And this solemn sacrament&mdash;this holy communion&mdash;this Supper of our
+Lord, ought to be observed, or kept, by all who love him, for three
+reasons: these are its connection with <i>the word of his command&mdash;the
+memory of his sufferings&mdash;and the hope of his glory</i>.</p>
+
+<p>Jesus connected this sacrament with <i>the word of his command</i> when he
+said&mdash;&quot;<i>This do</i> in remembrance of me.&quot; St. Luke xxii: 19. This is
+the <i>command</i> of Christ. It is a plain, positive command. Jesus did
+not give this command to the apostles only, or to his ministers, or
+to any particular class of his followers, but to all of them. It was
+given first to his apostles, but it was not intended to be confined
+to them. Jesus does not say&mdash;&quot;This do,&quot; ye who are my apostles; or,
+ye who are my ministers. He does not say&mdash;&quot;This do,&quot; ye old men, or
+ye rich men, or ye great men; but simply, &quot;This do.&quot; And the meaning
+of what he here says, is&mdash;&quot;This do,&quot; all ye who profess to be my
+followers, all over the world, and through all ages. And the words
+that he spake on another occasion come in very well here: &quot;If ye love
+me, keep my commandments.&quot; And <i>this</i> is one of the commandments that
+he 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 his
+people he says&mdash;&quot;This do.&quot; No matter whether we wish to do it or not;
+here are our master's words&mdash;&quot;This do.&quot; No matter whether we see the
+use of it, or not; Jesus says&mdash;&quot;This do.&quot; It is enough for each
+follower of Jesus to say, &quot;here is my Lord's command; I <i>must</i> obey
+it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>In an army, if the general issues an order, it is expected that every
+soldier will obey it. And no matter how important, or useful, in
+itself considered, any work may be, that is done by one of those
+soldiers, yet, if it be done while he is neglecting the general's
+order, instead of gaining for that soldier the praise of the general,
+or of securing a reward from him, it will only excite his
+displeasure:&mdash;he will order that soldier to be punished.</p>
+
+<p>But the church of Christ is compared in the Bible to an army. He is
+the Captain or Leader of this army. And one of the most important
+orders he has issued for his soldiers is&mdash;&quot;This do in remembrance of
+me.&quot; If we profess to be the soldiers of Christ, and are enlisted in
+his army, and yet are neglecting this order, he never can be pleased
+with anything we may do while this order is neglected. We seem to see
+him pointing to this neglected order, and saying to each of us, as he
+said to Saul, the first king of Israel, by the prophet
+Samuel:&mdash;&quot;Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice: and to hearken,
+than the fat of rams.&quot; I. Sam. xv: 22.</p>
+
+<p>No age is fixed in the New Testament at which young people may be
+allowed to come to the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. But, as soon
+as they have learned to know and love Christ and are really trying to
+serve him, they ought to be allowed to come. And yet ministers and
+parents sometimes keep them back, and tell them they must wait, and
+be tried a little longer, before they receive the help and comfort of
+this ordinance of Christ, even when their conduct shows they are
+sincerely trying to love and serve the blessed Saviour.</p>
+
+<p>If a farmer should send his servant out into the field, when winter
+was approaching, telling him to put the sheep into the fold, that
+they might be protected from the wolves, and from the cold, it would
+be thought a strange thing if he should allow him to bring the sheep
+into the shelter of the fold, and leave the little lambs outside.
+This is a good illustration to show the importance of taking care of
+the lambs. But it fails at one point. The shelter of the fold is
+absolutely necessary for the protection of the farmer's lambs. They
+could not live without it. If left outside of the fold they would
+certainly perish. But there is not the same necessity for admitting
+young 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 holy
+ordinance. They are already under the care and protection of the good
+Shepherd. He can guard them, and keep them, and cause them to grow in
+grace, even though, for awhile, they do not have the help and comfort
+of this sacrament. And, if they are kept back through the fault or
+mistake of others, he will do so. This sacrament, like that of
+baptism, is, as the catechism says, &quot;<i>generally</i> necessary to
+salvation.&quot; This means that it is important &quot;where it may be had.&quot;
+But, if circumstances beyond our control should prevent us from
+partaking of it, we may be saved without it. Still, I think that
+young people who give satisfactory evidence that they know and love
+the Saviour, and are trying to serve him, ought to be allowed to come
+forward to this holy sacrament.</p>
+
+<p>Some people when urged to come to the Lord's Supper excuse
+themselves, by saying that&mdash;&quot;they are not prepared to come.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>But this will not release any one from the command of Christ&mdash;&quot;This
+do.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>What the preparation is that we need in order that we may come, in a
+proper way, to this holy sacrament, is clearly pointed out in the
+exhortation that occurs in the communion service of our church. Here
+the minister says&mdash;&quot;Ye who do truly and earnestly repent of your
+sins, and are in love and charity with your neighbors, and intend to
+lead a new life, following the commandments of God, and walking from
+henceforth in his holy ways: draw near with faith, and take this holy
+sacrament to your comfort.&quot; And there is no excuse for persons not
+being in the state these words describe: for this is just what God's
+word, and our own duty and interest require of us. If we have not
+yet done what these words require, we ought to do it at once; and
+then there will be nothing in the way of our obeying the command of
+Christ, when he says&mdash;&quot;This do, in remembrance of me,&quot; By all the
+authority which belongs to him our Saviour <i>commands</i> us to keep this
+holy feast. And the first reason why we ought to &quot;do this,&quot; is
+because of its connection with the word of his command.</p>
+
+<p><i>The second reason why we ought to &quot;do this&quot;&mdash;is because of its
+connection with the memory of his sufferings</i>.</p>
+
+<p>We are taught this by the word <i>remembrance</i>, which our Saviour here
+uses. He says, &quot;This do in remembrance of me.&quot; This means in
+remembrance of my sufferings for you. And <i>this</i> is the most
+important word used by him when he established this sacrament. It is
+the governing word in the whole service. It is the word by which we
+must be guided in trying to understand what our Lord meant to teach
+us by all he did and said on this occasion.</p>
+
+<p>You know how it is when we are trying to understand the music to
+which a particular tune has been set. There is always one special
+note in a tune, which is called the <i>key-note</i>. The leader of a
+choir, when they are going to sing, will strike one of the keys of
+the organ, or the melodeon they are using, so as to give to each
+member of the choir the proper key-note of the piece of music they
+are to sing. It is very important for them to have this key-note,
+because they cannot have a proper understanding of what they are to
+do without it. This holy sacrament of the Lord's Supper is like a
+solemn song. And the key-note of the music to which the song is set
+is this word&mdash;<i>remembrance</i>. It teaches us that the sacrament of the
+Lord's Supper is a <i>memorial</i> service. And, in going through the
+music to which the song of this service has been set, every note that
+we use must be a memorial note. And the language used by our blessed
+Lord when he established this Supper, or sacrament, must be explained
+in this way. When he broke the bread and gave it to his disciples,
+saying&mdash;&quot;This is my body, which is given for you: this do in
+remembrance of me,&quot; he meant that we should understand him as
+saying&mdash;&quot;This is the <i>memorial</i> of my body.&quot; And when he gave them
+the cup, and said&mdash;&quot;This is my blood of the New Testament,&quot; he meant
+that we should understand him as saying&mdash;&quot;This is the <i>memorial</i> of
+my blood.&quot; And we are sure that this was the meaning, for two
+reasons.</p>
+
+<p>One reason for believing this is that <i>this was the way in which
+similar words had been used in the Jewish Passover, which Jesus and
+his disciples were then keeping</i>.</p>
+
+<p>In the Passover service, when the head of the family distributed the
+bread, he always said&mdash;&quot;This is the bread of affliction.&quot; When he
+distributed the flesh of the lamb, roasted for the occasion, he used
+to say&mdash;&quot;This is the body of the Passover.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>But every one knows, and every one admits, that the Jewish Passover
+was a <i>memorial</i> service. It was kept in memory of the wonderful
+deliverance of their forefathers from the bitter bondage of Egypt.
+And the words used at that service were memorial words. And so, when
+Jesus, a little while before, had given to his disciples the Passover
+bread, saying&mdash;&quot;This is the bread of affliction:&quot; he did not mean to
+say that <i>that</i> was the very same bread which their forefathers had
+eaten, in the time of their affliction in Egypt. What he meant to say
+was&mdash;this is the bread which you are to eat in <i>memory</i> of your
+forefathers' trial and deliverance. And when he gave to each of them
+a piece of the sacrificial lamb, saying, &quot;This is the body of the
+Passover;&quot; he did not mean that in any mysterious, or supernatural
+sense, <i>that</i> was the very lamb of which their forefathers had eaten
+on the solemn night of the Passover; he only meant that it was the
+body of which they were to eat in memory of the Passover. The
+Passover was a memorial service; and the words used at the Passover
+were memorial words.</p>
+
+<p>And so, when Jesus went on, from the last Passover of the Jewish
+church, to the first sacramental feast of the Christian church, and
+began by saying, &quot;This do in <i>remembrance</i> of me,&quot; what else could
+the apostles possibly have thought, but that he intended this new
+service of the Christian church to be a memorial service, just as the
+old festival of the Jewish church had been? When he gave them the
+broken bread, and said, &quot;This is my body;&quot; they could only have
+understood him as meaning this is the memorial of my body. And when
+he gave them the cup into which he had just poured the wine, and
+said: &quot;This is my blood;&quot; they could only understand him as meaning
+this is the memorial of my blood. And so, the sense in which he had
+just before used the words employed in the Jewish festival must have
+led the disciples to understand them in the same way when he used
+similar words in the Christian sacrament. This is a good, strong
+reason for thinking of this sacramental feast as a memorial service.</p>
+
+<p>There is indeed, one point of difference between the Jewish Passover
+and the Christian sacrament, when we think of them as memorial
+services. The Jews kept their solemn festival in memory of a <i>dead</i>
+lamb&mdash;the Passover lamb that was put to death for them, but never
+came to life again. We keep our Christian sacrament in memory of the
+Lamb of God, who died for us indeed, but who rose from the dead, and
+is alive forevermore. As we keep this solemn festival, we may lift up
+our adoring hearts to him and say for ourselves personally,</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">&quot;O, the Lamb! the loving Lamb!</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">The Lamb of Calvary!</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 0.5em;">The Lamb that was slain, but liveth again,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And intercedes for me!&quot;</span><br>
+
+<p>And though they are both memorial services, yet this one thought
+makes a world-wide difference between them. The bread and meat which
+the pious Jew ate, when he kept the Passover, and the wine which he
+drank on that occasion, would strengthen his body, but there was
+nothing connected with those material substances that would do any
+special good to his soul. It is different, however, with our
+Christian festival of the Lord's Supper. And this difference is
+clearly brought out in what we find in the catechism of our church on
+this subject. In speaking of this holy sacrament, the question is
+asked&mdash;&quot;What are the benefits whereof we are partakers thereby?&quot; And
+the answer to this question is&mdash;&quot;The strengthening and refreshing of
+our souls, by the body and blood of Christ, as our bodies are by the
+bread and wine.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Here we see that while the Lord's Supper is a memorial service
+indeed, it is at the same time something more than that.</p>
+
+<p><i>And then, the actual bodily presence of Christ with them must have
+compelled the apostles to understand the words he used on that
+occasion, in this memorial sense</i>.</p>
+
+<p>They could not possibly have considered him as meaning that the bread
+and wine which he gave them at that solemn service did, in any
+mysterious 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 the
+same time. The sense in which Jesus first used these words&mdash;&quot;my body&quot;
+and &quot;my blood,&quot; was clearly the memorial sense. He meant his
+disciples to understand him as saying &quot;Take this bread in remembrance
+of my body, which is to be crucified for you;&quot; and &quot;Take this wine in
+remembrance of my blood which is to be shed for you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>This was what he taught the apostles when he first used these words
+among them; and this was all he taught them; and we have no right to
+use these words in any other sense till our blessed Lord himself
+shall give us authority to do so.</p>
+
+<p>Let us never forget the word&mdash;<i>remembrance</i>, as used by our Saviour
+here. It is the root out of which the whole tree of this solemn
+service grows. Let us hold on to this root word, and it will save us
+from the errors into which many have fallen in reference to this
+subject.</p>
+
+<p>And, surely, there is nothing so precious for us to store away in our
+memories as the thought of Christ in the amazing sufferings he once
+bore for us, in the great work he is now doing for us, and in the
+saving truth he embodies in his own glorious character. The story is
+told of Alexander the Great, that when he conquered King Darius he
+found among his treasures a very valuable box or cabinet. It was made
+of gold and silver, and inlaid with precious jewels. After thinking
+for awhile what to do with it, he finally concluded to use it as his
+choicest treasury, or cabinet, in which to keep the books of the poet
+Homer, which he was very fond of reading. Now, if we use our memory
+aright, it will be to us a treasury far more valuable than that
+jeweled box of the great conqueror. And the thought of Christ, not in
+his sufferings only, but in his work, and in his character, is the
+most precious thing to lay up in our memory. And if we keep this
+remembrance continually before us it will be the greatest help we can
+have in trying to love and serve him better.</p>
+
+<p>Here is an illustration of what I mean, in a touching story. We may
+call it:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Love Stronger than Death.&quot; Some years ago there was a great fire in
+one of our Western cities that stood in the midst of a prairie. A
+mother escaped from her burning dwelling. Her husband was away from
+home. She took her infant in her arms, and wrapped a heavy shawl
+round herself and the baby. Her little girl clung to the dress of
+her mother, and they went out into the prairie, to get away from the
+flames of the burning buildings. It was a wild and stormy winter's
+night and intensely cold. She tried to run; but burdened as she was
+that was impossible. Presently she found that the tall dry grass of
+the prairie had caught fire. It was spreading on every side. A great
+circle of flame was gathering round her.</p>
+
+<p>A little way off she saw a clump of trees on a piece of rising
+ground. Towards that spot she directed her steps, and strained every
+nerve to reach it. At last she succeeded in doing so.</p>
+
+<p>For a moment the poor mother and her child were comparatively safe.
+But, on looking around, she saw that the flames were approaching her
+from opposite directions. Escape was impossible. Death&mdash;a terrible
+death by fire, seemed to be the only thing before her. She might wrap
+herself in that great shawl, and perhaps live through it. But, there
+were the children. Of course a mother could not hesitate a moment
+what to do under such circumstances. Wrapping the baby round and
+round in the folds of the shawl, she laid it carefully down, at the
+foot of one of the trees. Then, taking off her outer clothing, she
+covered the other child with it. She laid her down beside the baby,
+and then stretched herself across them. In a few moments the helpless
+little ones were sound asleep. The long hours of the night passed.
+The raging flames licked up the withered foliage about that clump of
+trees, and then left their blackened trunks to the keenness of the
+wind and frost.</p>
+
+<p>The next day the heart-broken husband and father returned to find his
+home burnt, and his family gone&mdash;he knew not whither. He set out to
+search for his lost treasures. He found them by that clump of trees.
+There lay his wife&mdash;her hair and eyebrows, her face and neck scorched
+and blackened by the fire&mdash;but her body frozen stiff. Whether she
+perished by the flames or the frost no one ever knew. But, on lifting
+her burnt form they found, warm and cozy beneath, her two sleeping
+children. The elder child as they roused her, opened her eyes
+exclaiming, &quot;Mamma, is it morning?&quot; Yes: it was morning with that
+faithful mother, in the bright world to which she had gone!</p>
+
+<p>Now, suppose that those children, as they grew up, should have had
+preserved among their treasures a piece of the burnt dress, or a lock
+of the scorched hair, of their devoted mother. As they looked at it,
+every day, it would be in <i>remembrance</i> of her. How touchingly it
+would tell of her great love for them, in being willing to lay down
+her life to save theirs! And how that thought would thrill their
+hearts and make them anxious to do all they could to show their
+respect and love for such a mother!</p>
+
+<p>And so the broken bread and the poured out wine of this solemn
+sacrament should melt our hearts in the remembrance of the wonderful
+love of Christ to us, and should lead us to show our love to him by
+keeping his commandments.</p>
+
+<p>And as we keep this solemn memorial service, how well we may say, in
+the words of the hymn:</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;According to thy gracious word,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">In meek humility,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">This will we do, our dying Lord,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">We will remember thee.</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Thy body, broken for our sake,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Our bread from heaven shall be:</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Thy sacramental cup we take,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And thus remember thee.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;Can we Gethsemane forget?</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Or there thy conflict see,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Thine agony and bloody sweat,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And not remember thee?</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">When to the cross we turn our eyes,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And rest on Calvary,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">O Lamb of God, our sacrifice,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">We must remember thee.&quot;</span><br>
+
+<p><i>But Jesus has connected this blessed sacrament with the hope of his
+glory</i>&mdash;as well as with the word of his command and the memory of his
+sufferings.</p>
+
+<p>He made this connection very clear when he said at the institution of
+this solemn service&mdash;&quot;I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of
+the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's
+kingdom.&quot; St. Matt, xxvi: 29. And the apostle Paul pointed out the
+same connection when he said, &quot;As often as ye eat this bread, and
+drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death, <i>till he come</i>.&quot; I. Cor.
+xi: 26. This sacrament of the Lord's Supper is the point of meeting
+between the sufferings of Christ and the glory that is to
+follow&mdash;between his cross, with all its shame and anguish, and his
+kingdom, with all its honor and blessedness.</p>
+
+<p>We have sometimes heard or read of magicians who have pretended to
+have wonderful mirrors into which persons might look and see all that
+was before them in this life. If there were such a mirror, it would
+be a strange thing indeed to look into it and find out what was going
+to happen to-morrow, or next month, or next year, or twenty years
+hence. But, there never was any such mirror. As the apostle says,
+&quot;We know not what shall be on the morrow.&quot; No mortal man can tell
+what will happen to him as he takes the very next step in life.</p>
+
+<p>Yet, this solemn sacrament is like such a magical mirror. We can look
+into it and see, clearly represented there, what will happen to us in
+the future, not of <i>this</i> life indeed, but of the life to come. It
+leads our minds on to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And a voice
+from heaven declares&mdash;&quot;Blessed are they who are called to the
+marriage supper of the Lamb.&quot; Rev. xix: 9. That marriage supper
+represents the highest joys of heaven. It gathers into itself all the
+glory and happiness that await us in the heavenly kingdom. And this
+sacramental service is the type or shadow of all the bliss connected
+with that great event in the future. If we are true and faithful
+partakers of this solemn sacrament&mdash;this memorial feast, we shall
+certainly be among the number of those whose unspeakable privilege it
+will be to sit down at the marriage supper of the Lamb, in heaven.
+There we shall be in the personal presence of Jesus, our glorified
+Lord. Our eyes &quot;shall see the King in his beauty.&quot; And we shall see
+all his people too in the perfection of glory that will mark them
+there. And in happy intercourse with that blessed company we shall
+find all &quot;the exceeding great and precious promises&quot; of God's word
+fulfilled in our own personal experience.</p>
+
+<p>And then there is nothing that can sustain and comfort us under the
+many trials of this mortal life like the hope of sharing this joy
+with our blessed Lord, when he shall come in the glory of his
+heavenly kingdom.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Hope of Glory.&quot; A Christian gentleman was in the habit of
+visiting, from time to time, a poor afflicted widow woman who lived
+in his neighborhood. She had once been very well off, and was the
+wife of a well-known and apparently successful merchant. But finally
+he failed in business and died soon after, leaving her alone in the
+world, and without anything to live on but what she could earn by her
+own labor.</p>
+
+<p>After awhile her health failed, and then she was entirely dependent
+for her support on the kindness of her Christian friends. But she was
+always cheerful and happy. &quot;On going in to see her one day,&quot; says
+this gentleman, &quot;I found, on talking with her, that she was feeling
+very comfortable in her mind.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'Tell me, my friend,' I asked, 'have you always felt as bright and
+cheerful as you seem to feel now?'</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'O, no,' she replied, 'very far from it. When my husband died, and
+I was left alone in the world, I used to feel very sad and
+rebellious. Many a time I was so sorrowful and despairing as to be
+tempted 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. I
+became a member of the church. But, for a while, I did not find much
+comfort in my religion. And the reason of it was that I did not have
+very clear views of Christ as my Saviour, and of the wonderful things
+he has promised to do for his people in the future.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'But, on one communion occasion, my minister preached on the
+words&mdash;&quot;<i>Christ in you the hope of glory</i>.&quot; That was a blessed
+communion to me. I saw then, as I had never seen before, how that
+sacred and solemn service was intended by him to be to all his
+people, at one and the same time, the means of preserving in their
+minds the remembrance of the sufferings he has borne for them in the
+past, and also of keeping alive in their hearts the hope of sharing
+in the glory which he has prepared for them in the future. And I have
+never had any trouble in my mind since then. My communion seasons
+were always bright and blessed seasons to me as long as I was able
+to go to church. And though I can no longer go up to the sanctuary
+and partake of the bread and wine, &quot;the outward and visible signs&quot;
+made use of in the heavenly feast; yet, blessed be God's holy name, I
+can, and do partake in a spiritual manner of that which those signs
+represent. I feel and know what it is to have &quot;Christ in me the hope
+of glory.&quot; And this &quot;satisfies my longing, as nothing else can do.&quot; I
+find peace and comfort in simply &quot;looking unto Jesus.&quot; I have had
+much outward trouble and affliction since then. I live alone. There
+is no one here to help me. Sometimes I have nothing to eat, and but
+little to keep me warm. You see me <i>sitting</i> here now. Thus I have to
+spend my nights. My complaint is the dropsy, and this prevents me
+from lying down. <i>But I would not exchange my place as a forgiven
+sinner, with &quot;Christ in me the hope of glory,&quot; for all the wealth and
+the honor that Queen Victoria could bestow upon me!</i>'&quot;</p>
+
+<p>What a blessed Saviour Jesus is, who can thus spread the sunshine of
+his peace and hope through the hearts and homes of the poorest and
+most afflicted in the land!</p>
+
+<p>And thus, we have spoken of three good reasons, why all who love our
+Lord Jesus Christ should keep this solemn sacrament which he has
+ordained; we should do it because we see in it&mdash;<i>the word of his
+command&mdash;the memorial of his sufferings&mdash;and the hope of his glory</i>.</p>
+
+<p>And when we partake of this solemn ordinance ourselves, or see others
+partaking of it, how well we may say in the beautiful lines of
+Havergal, the English poetess:</p>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;Thou art coming! At thy table</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">We are witnesses for this,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">While remembering hearts thou meetest,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">In communion closest, sweetest,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Earnest of our coming bliss.</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Showing not thy death alone,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">And thy love exceeding great,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">But thy coming, and thy throne,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">All for which we long and wait.</span><br>
+
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">&quot;O the joy to see thee reigning,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Thee, our own beloved Lord;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Every tongue thy name confessing,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Worship, honor, glory, blessing,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Brought to thee with glad accord,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Thee our master and our Friend,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Vindicated and enthroned;</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Unto earth's remotest end,</span><br>
+<span style="layout-flow: horizontal; margin-left: 1em;">Glorified, adored, and owned.&quot;</span><br>
+
+<p>&quot;<i>THIS DO IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME</i>.&quot;</p>
+
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<a name="ILLUSTRATIONS:"></a><h2>ILLUSTRATIONS:</h2>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="THE_WOMAN_OF_CANAAN"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br>
+<center><a href="2.jpg"><img src="2.jpg" border="0" align="middle" alt="" width="80%"></a></center>
+<h2><b>THE WOMAN OF CANAAN</b></h2>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and
+Sidon. And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts,
+and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, <i>thou</i> son of
+David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered
+her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send
+her away; for she crieth after us. But he answered and said, I am not
+sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she
+and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and said,
+It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast <i>it</i> to
+dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which
+fall from their masters' table. Then Jesus answered and said unto
+her, O woman, great <i>is</i> thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou
+wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.&mdash;<i>St.
+Matt. xv: 21-28</i>.</p>
+
+<br><hr style="width: 45%;"><br>
+
+<p><i>NOTE BY THE ARTIST</i></p>
+
+<p><i>The picture illustrates the scenery and gardens in the neighborhood
+of Beyrout, which lies on the coast at the foot of Lebanon and within
+the Syro-Phoenician border.</i></p>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="SIMON_PETER'S_FAITH_IN_CHRIST"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br>
+<center><a href="3.jpg"><img src="3.jpg" border="0" align="middle" alt="" width="80%"></a></center>
+<h2><b>SIMON PETER'S FAITH IN CHRIST</b></h2>
+
+
+
+<br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>When Jesus came into the coasts of C&aelig;sarea Philippi, he asked his
+disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they
+said, Some <i>say that thou art</i> John the Baptist: some, Elias; and
+others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But
+whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art
+the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said
+unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath
+not revealed <i>it</i> unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I
+say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will
+build 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: and
+whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and
+whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Then
+charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was
+Jesus the Christ.&mdash;<i>St. Matt, xvi: 13-20</i>.</p>
+
+<br><hr style="width: 45%;"><br>
+
+<p><i>NOTE BY THE ARTIST</i></p>
+
+<p><i>The site of C&aelig;sarea Philippi is one of the loveliest spots in
+Northern Palestine. On ground carpeted with an infinite variety of
+wild flowers, the traveller rests in the grateful shade of oak and
+mulberry, olive and fig tree. The sound of many waters is heard on
+all sides as they hasten from the adjacent slopes of Herman to join
+the head waters of Jordan, bursting in strength from a cavern at the
+foot of a mighty cliff. Hither, with his handful of followers, came
+Jesus, weary and in deep depression of spirit, a fugitive from his
+own people, who had finally rejected him; and here, in reply to
+searching and anxious enquiry, &quot;Whom say ye that I am?&quot; he received
+from Simon Peter the memorable confession, &quot;Thou art the Christ, the
+Son of the living God</i>.&quot;</p>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="THE_TRANSFIGURATION_OF_CHRIST"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br>
+<center><a href="4.jpg"><img src="4.jpg" border="0" align="middle" alt="" width="80%"></a></center>
+<h2><b>THE TRANSFIGURATION OF CHRIST</b></h2>
+
+
+
+<br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother,
+and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart. And was
+transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his
+raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them
+Moses and Elias talking with him. Then answered Peter, and said unto
+Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make
+here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for
+Elias. While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them:
+and behold a voice out of the cloud which said, This is my beloved
+Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. And when the disciples
+heard <i>it</i>, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. And Jesus
+came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. And when
+they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus
+only.&mdash;<i>St. Matt, xvii: 1&mdash;8</i>.</p>
+
+<br><hr style="width: 45%;"><br>
+
+<p><i>NOTE BY THE ARTIST</i></p>
+
+<p><i>From the days of St. Jerome, when pilgrims first began the attempt
+to identify sites hallowed by sacred events, Mount Tabor has, until
+recent years, been regarded as the Mount of the Transfiguration. But
+closer examination of the text and comparison of dates, and the fact
+that Tabor itself was at that time the site of a fortified town
+containing a Roman garrison, combine in this instance to discredit
+tradition. One of the spurs of Herman must therefore be the
+alternative and more probable scene of the Transfiguration; the
+seclusion of this district of mountain, valley, and woodland
+providing opportunity for contemplation, and preparation for the end
+which was now imminent, &quot;the decease which Jesus was to accomplish at
+Jerusalem"</i>.</p>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="JESUS_HEALETH_A_LUNATIC"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br>
+<center><a href="5.jpg"><img src="5.jpg" border="0" align="middle" alt="" width="80%"></a></center>
+<h2><b>JESUS HEALETH A LUNATIC</b></h2>
+
+
+
+<br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>And it came to pass, that on the next day, when they were come down
+from the hill, much people met him. And, behold, a man of the company
+cried out, saying, Master, I beseech thee, look upon my son: for he
+is mine only child. And, lo, a spirit taketh him, and he suddenly
+crieth out; and it teareth him that he foameth again, and bruising
+him hardly departeth from him. And I besought thy disciples to cast
+him out; and they could not. And Jesus answering said, O faithless
+and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, and suffer
+you? Bring thy son hither. And as he was yet a coming, the devil
+threw him down, and tare <i>him</i>. And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit,
+and healed the child, and delivered him again to his father.&mdash;<i>St.
+Luke ix: 37-42</i>.</p>
+
+<br><hr style="width: 45%;"><br>
+
+<p><i>NOTE BY THE ARTIST</i></p>
+
+<p><i>The picture gives an average representation of the outskirts of a
+village in Northern Palestine, with its sordid, untidy, mud-built
+houses, on the roofs of which are seen the reed booths or</i> Succ&ocirc;th,
+<i>occupied by the inhabitants during the oppressive heats of summer.
+The snow-capped ridge of Hermon is indicated in the distance</i>.</p>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="LET_HE_WHO_IS_WITHOUT_SIN_AMONG_YOU"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br>
+<center><a href="6.jpg"><img src="6.jpg" border="0" align="middle" alt="" width="80%"></a></center>
+<h2><b>LET HE WHO IS WITHOUT SIN AMONG YOU</b></h2>
+
+
+
+<br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>Now about the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and
+taught. And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters,
+having never learned? Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is
+not mine, but his that sent me. And the scribes and Pharisees brought
+unto him a woman ...; and when they had set her in the midst. They
+say unto him, ... Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be
+stoned: but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him, that they
+might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with <i>his</i>
+finger wrote on the ground, <i>as though he heard them not</i>. So when
+they 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 which
+heard <i>it</i>, being convicted by <i>their own</i> conscience, went out one
+by one, beginning at the eldest, <i>even</i> unto the last: and Jesus was
+left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had
+lifted 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 condemn
+thee: go, and sin no more.&mdash;<i>St. John vii: 14-16; viii: 3-11.</i></p>
+
+<br><hr style="width: 45%;"><br>
+
+<p><i>NOTE BY THE ARTIST</i></p>
+
+<p><i>The scene is represented as taking place in one of the great
+cloisters or porticoes which surrounded the Temple courts, and which
+like the Forum of Rome, and &quot;Paul's Wall&quot; in Elizabethan, London,
+served the purpose of a public promenade and place of meeting. These
+porticoes were of magnificent construction and proportions, the Stoa
+Basilica alone, upon the south side, with its quadruple colonnade of
+one hundred and sixty-two pillars, covering a great area. The Eastern
+Cloister, known as &quot;Solomon's Porch,&quot; was probably so-called as
+having been erected upon the site of a similar construction in the
+first Temple</i>.</p>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="ONE_OF_TEN_LEPERS_CURED_IS_GRATEFUL"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br>
+<center><a href="7.jpg"><img src="7.jpg" border="0" align="middle" alt="" width="80%"></a></center>
+<h2><b>ONE OF TEN LEPERS CURED IS GRATEFUL</b></h2>
+
+
+
+<br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through
+the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered into a certain
+village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar
+off. And they lifted up <i>their</i> voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have
+mercy on us. And when he saw <i>them</i>, he said unto them, Go shew
+yourselves 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
+<i>his</i> face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.
+And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where
+<i>are</i> the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to
+God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy
+faith hath made thee whole.&mdash;<i>St. Luke xvii: II&mdash;19.</i></p>
+
+<br><hr style="width: 45%;"><br>
+
+<p><i>NOTE BY THE ARTIST</i></p>
+
+<p><i>The town of Cana in Galilee, with its background of low hills, as
+seen from the Nazareth Road, supplies a landscape setting for this
+picture. The ingratitude of the nine lepers no doubt added to our
+Lord's sorrow just now at the growing influence of the opposition of
+his enemies</i>.</p>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="JESUS,_MARTHA,_MARY,_AND_LAZARUS"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br>
+<center><a href="8.jpg"><img src="8.jpg" border="0" align="middle" alt="" width="80%"></a></center>
+<h2><b>JESUS, MARTHA, MARY, AND LAZARUS</b></h2>
+
+
+
+<br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain
+village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her
+house. 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 sister
+hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And
+Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful
+and troubled about many things. But one thing is needful: and Mary
+hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from
+her.&mdash;<i>St. Luke x: 38-42.</i></p>
+
+<br><hr style="width: 45%;"><br>
+
+<p><i>NOTE BY THE ARTIST</i></p>
+
+<p><i>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 of
+his ministry, Jesus could call a home, was probably that of people in
+easy circumstances, and as such is here represented. In the vineyards
+of Palestine the vine is cultivated bushlike on the ground; but in
+gardens, the plant is occasionally trained erect, as in Europe and
+America, or, as in the present instance, for the purposes of shade,
+upon a pergola. In the middle of the village of Bethany are the ruins
+of an important house. Here some years ago a French explorer
+discovered on the base the remains of an ancient chapel This seems to
+point with probability to a valid tradition of the site of the house
+of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus</i>.</p>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="JESUS_BLESSETH_LITTLE_CHILDREN"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br>
+<center><a href="9.jpg"><img src="9.jpg" border="0" align="middle" alt="" width="80%"></a></center>
+<h2><b>JESUS BLESSETH LITTLE CHILDREN</b></h2>
+
+
+
+<br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them:
+and <i>his</i> disciples rebuked those that brought <i>them</i>. But when Jesus
+saw <i>it</i>, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the
+little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is
+the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not
+receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter
+therein. And he took them up in his arms, put <i>his</i> hands upon them,
+and blessed them.&mdash;<i>St. Mark x: 13-16.</i></p>
+
+<br><hr style="width: 45%;"><br>
+
+<p><i>NOTE BY THE ARTIST</i></p>
+
+<p><i>In the Hebrew Bible&mdash;the Talmud&mdash;it is stated that, according to
+pious custom, parents brought their little children to the synagogue
+that they might receive the benefit of the prayers and blessings of
+the elders. Rabbis also, of recognized sanctity, were frequently
+appealed to in a like manner; and his fame as a prophet and
+benefactor having preceded him into Peraea, infants were now brought
+to Jesus, that he might lay his hands upon them in supplication and
+blessing. The architectural setting of the picture is adapted from
+that of a small square near the Damascus Gate of Jerusalem. This
+kindly and gentle act of our Lord has been of incalculable
+consequence to the life of children in the development of Christian
+civilization.</i></p>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="THE_RESURRECTION_OF_LAZARUS,_FOUR_DAYS_DEAD"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br>
+<center><a href="10.jpg"><img src="10.jpg" border="0" align="middle" alt="" width="80%"></a></center>
+<h2><b>THE RESURRECTION OF LAZARUS, FOUR DAYS DEAD</b></h2>
+
+
+
+<br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for
+your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe;
+nevertheless let us go unto him. Jesus therefore again groaning in
+himself 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 that
+was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath
+been <i>dead</i> 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 <i>from the place</i> where the dead was
+laid. And Jesus lifted up <i>his</i> eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee
+that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but
+because of the people which stand by I said <i>it</i>, that they may
+believe that thou hast sent me. And when he thus had spoken, he cried
+with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came
+forth.&mdash;<i>St. John xi: 14., 15,38-44.</i></p>
+
+<br><hr style="width: 45%;"><br>
+
+<p><i>NOTE BY THE ARTIST</i></p>
+
+<p><i>The painting illustrates a form of rock-cut tomb which, though not
+so common as others in the neighborhood of Jerusalem, is nevertheless
+selected as being in accordance with the description of what took
+place in the present instance. It is obviously the type of tomb which
+is referred to on a subsequent occasion, and explains the meaning of
+&quot;the stone rolled away from the sepulchre&quot; The entrance of the tomb
+is at the bottom of a flight of steps, and is covered by a
+disc-shaped stone, like a mill-stone, which can be rolled back into a
+slot cut in the rock for its reception. (The kneeling man in the
+background has apparently just performed this duty?) The entrance is
+closed by rolling the stone forward, dropping a small block behind it
+to prevent its recession, and finally by covering the
+before-mentioned slot with a slab, which, being cemented down, the
+tomb is &quot;sealed.&quot;</i></p>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="CONVERSION_OF_ZACCHAEUS,_A_PUBLICAN"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br>
+<center><a href="11.jpg"><img src="11.jpg" border="0" align="middle" alt="" width="80%"></a></center>
+<h2><b>CONVERSION OF ZACCHAEUS, A PUBLICAN</b></h2>
+
+
+
+<br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>And <i>Jesus</i> entered and passed through Jericho. And, behold, <i>there
+was</i> a man named Zacch&aelig;us, which was the chief among the publicans,
+and he was rich. And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not
+for 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 pass
+that <i>way</i>. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw
+him, and said unto him, Zacch&aelig;us, make haste, and come down; for to
+day I must abide at thy house. And he made haste, and came down, and
+received him joyfully. And when they saw <i>it</i>, they all murmured,
+saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. And
+Zacch&aelig;us stood, and said unto the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my
+goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man
+by false accusation, I restore <i>him</i> fourfold. And Jesus said unto
+him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also
+is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save
+that which was lost.&mdash;<i>St. Luke xix: 1-10</i>.</p>
+
+<br><hr style="width: 45%;"><br>
+
+<p><i>NOTE BY THE ARTIST</i></p>
+
+<p><i>The sycomore tree referred to in the text is a species of fig
+bearing small, coarse fruit, which is used as food only in cases of
+necessity. Although occasionally of great size, the tree is easily
+climbed, as the trunk is short, and the branches are numerous and
+wide spreading. Jericho, rebuilt by Herod, was a somewhat fashionable
+town. To signalize the despised tax-gatherer in such a way was to
+teach a permanent lesson of absolute unworldliness</i>.</p>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="JESUS_RESTORETH_SIGHT_TO_BARTIMAEUS"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br>
+<center><a href="12.jpg"><img src="12.jpg" border="0" align="middle" alt="" width="80%"></a></center>
+<h2><b>JESUS RESTORETH SIGHT TO BARTIMAEUS</b></h2>
+
+
+
+<br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his
+disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of
+Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging. And when he heard that it
+was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, <i>thou</i>
+son of David, have mercy on me. And many charged him that he should
+hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, <i>Thou</i> son of
+David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to
+be called. And they called the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good
+comfort, rise; he calleth thee. And he, casting away his garment,
+rose, and came to Jesus. And Jesus answered and said unto him, What
+wilt 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 thy
+way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his
+sight, and followed Jesus in the way.&mdash;<i>St. Mark x: 4.6&mdash;52.</i></p>
+
+<br><hr style="width: 45%;"><br>
+
+<p><i>NOTE BY THE ARTIST</i></p>
+
+<p><i>The site of Jericho is still an oasis in the surrounding desert, but
+neither its fertility nor its dimensions bear comparison with those
+which it attained in former days; and hardly a tree remains of the
+celebrated groves of balsam, spice, and fruit-bearing trees, and the
+palms which earned for Jericho the title of &quot;The City of the Palm
+Trees,&quot; and which made its neighboring plain the garden of
+Palestine&mdash;the &quot;divine district&quot; as Joseph us calls it. This
+fertility was owing entirely to skilful irrigation, traces of no less
+than twelve aqueducts having been discovered. No class of sufferers
+more frequently claimed and obtained from Jesus the exercise of his
+compassion and healing power than that represented by blind
+Bartimaus. The malady of blindness is grievously common in Palestine,
+the proportion of those thus afflicted being one in every hundred of
+the population, whereas in Europe the proportion is only one in a
+thousand</i>.</p>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="CHRIST'S_TRIUMPHAL_ENTRY_INTO_JERUSALEM"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br>
+<center><a href="13.jpg"><img src="13.jpg" border="0" align="middle" alt="" width="80%"></a></center>
+<h2><b>CHRIST'S TRIUMPHAL ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM</b></h2>
+
+
+
+<br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage,
+unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples. Saying unto
+them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall
+find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose <i>them</i>, and bring <i>them</i>
+unto me. And if any <i>man</i> say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord
+hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. All this was
+done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet. And
+the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them. And brought the
+ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set <i>him</i>
+thereon. And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way;
+others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed <i>them</i> in the
+way. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried,
+saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed <i>is</i> he that cometh in
+the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. And when he was come
+into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the
+multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of
+Galilee.&mdash;<i>St. Matt, xxi: 1-4., 6-11</i>.</p>
+
+<br><hr style="width: 45%;"><br>
+
+<p><i>NOTE BY THE ARTIST</i></p>
+
+<p><i>Had Jesus omitted to command to bring its mother along with the
+colt, upon which he elected to ride, his disciples would probably
+have brought her as a matter of course. It is the custom of the
+country; and as journeys are accomplished at a walking pace, mares
+and she-asses are frequently accompanied by their foals. It may be
+noted that in this picture one of the gates of Hebron does duty for
+that through which Jesus makes his triumphal entry into Jerusalem;
+the former being suggestive of far greater antiquity than any which
+are to be found at the present day in Jerusalem itself</i>.</p>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="CHRIST_AVOUCHETH_HIS_AUTHORITY"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br>
+<center><a href="14.jpg"><img src="14.jpg" border="0" align="middle" alt="" width="80%"></a></center>
+<h2><b>CHRIST AVOUCHETH HIS AUTHORITY</b></h2>
+
+
+
+<br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>And he taught daily in the temple. But the chief priests and the
+scribes and the chief of the people sought to destroy him. And could
+not find what they might do: for all the people were very attentive
+to hear him. And it came to pass, <i>that</i> on one of those days, as he
+taught the people in the temple, and preached the gospel, the chief
+priests and the scribes came upon <i>him</i> with the elders. And spake
+unto him, saying, Tell us, by what authority doest thou these things?
+or who is he that gave thee this authority? And he answered and said
+unto them, I will also ask you one thing; and answer me: The baptism
+of John, was it from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with
+themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why
+then believed ye him not? But and if we say, Of men; all the people
+will stone us: for they be persuaded that John was a prophet. And
+they answered, that they could not tell whence <i>it was</i>. And Jesus
+said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these
+things.&mdash;<i>St. Luke xix: 47, 48; xx: 1-8.</i></p>
+
+<br><hr style="width: 45%;"><br>
+
+<p><i>NOTE BY THE ARTIST</i></p>
+
+<p><i>The occasion on which Jesus encountered for the last time the
+opposition of his priestly enemies to his teaching, and when, in the
+presence of the assembled multitudes, he exposed and denounced their
+hypocrisy, is supposed to take place in one of the great outer courts
+of the Temple, the buildings of which, although begun forty-six years
+previously, were at this time still unfinished, and were indeed never
+fully completed in accordance with their original design</i>.</p>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="AT_NIGHT,_JESUS_ABODE_ON_THE_MOUNT_OF_OLIVES"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br>
+<center><a href="15.jpg"><img src="15.jpg" border="0" align="middle" alt="" width="80%"></a></center>
+<h2><b>AT NIGHT, JESUS ABODE ON THE MOUNT OF OLIVES</b></h2>
+
+
+
+<br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>And in the day time he was teaching in the temple; and at night he
+went out, and abode in the mount that is called <i>the mount</i> of
+Olives.&mdash;<i>St. Luke xxi: 37.</i></p>
+
+<br><hr style="width: 45%;"><br>
+
+<p><i>NOTE BY THE ARTIST</i></p>
+
+<p><i>As we ascend towards sunset the slopes of Olivet, and pause to gaze
+on the scenes beneath, the panorama of the city presented to view is
+in its leading features essentially similar to that upon which the
+eyes of Jesus rested, when &quot;at night he went out, and abode in the
+mount that is called the Mount of Olives&quot; Yonder stands a temple
+within that sacred enclosure which, for well-nigh three thousand
+years, save for the period during which, &quot;the abomination of
+desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet stood in the Holy place,&quot;
+has been dedicated to the worship of Jehovah. The citadel of
+Jerusalem breaks the skyline where stood the tower of Hippicus, and
+to the left, against the setting sun, the cypresses in a monastery
+garden mark the spot once covered by the gardens of the palace of
+Herod. Siloam stands as of old on the hither side, overlooking the
+valleys of Hinnom and Kidron; while to-day, as in former times, the
+olive yards beneath and the trees around, might well give the name
+which it bears to the hill on which we stand.</i></p>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="JESUS_WASHETH_HIS_DISCIPLES'_FEET"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br>
+<center><a href="16.jpg"><img src="16.jpg" border="0" align="middle" alt="" width="80%"></a></center>
+<h2><b>JESUS WASHETH HIS DISCIPLES' FEET</b></h2>
+
+
+
+<br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour
+was 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 the
+end. And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart
+of Judas Iscariot, Simon's <i>son</i>, to betray him. Jesus knowing that
+the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come
+from God, and went to God. He riseth from supper, and laid aside his
+garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth
+water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to
+wipe <i>them</i> with the towel wherewith he was girded. Then cometh he to
+Simon 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; but
+thou shalt know hereafter. Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never
+wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no
+part with me. Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but
+also <i>my</i> hands and <i>my</i> head. Jesus saith to him, He that is washed
+needeth not save to wash <i>his</i> feet, but is clean every whit: and ye
+are clean, but not all.&mdash;<i>St. John xiii: 1-10.</i></p>
+
+<br><hr style="width: 45%;"><br>
+
+<p><i>NOTE BY THE ARTIST</i></p>
+
+<p><i>A dwelling house, claiming to be one of the most ancient in
+Jerusalem, supplied materials for the study of the &quot;large upper
+room,&quot; represented in this and some other of the paintings. The
+general features of the chamber, with its arched ceiling and
+flattened dome, its</i> leewans <i>(raised platform) and the
+entrance-passage of colored stones, where guests leave their
+foot-gear before stepping upon the mat-covered floor of the room,
+may, for the reasons adduced elsewhere, be accepted as typical of
+similar apartments of the period under consideration.</i></p>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="THE_BETRAYAL_FORETOLD_AT_THE_SUPPER"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br>
+<center><a href="17.jpg"><img src="17.jpg" border="0" align="middle" alt="" width="80%"></a></center>
+<h2><b>THE BETRAYAL FORETOLD AT THE SUPPER</b></h2>
+
+
+
+<br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified,
+and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall
+betray me. Then the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom
+he spake. Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples,
+whom Jesus loved. Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, that he
+should 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, to
+whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped <i>it</i>. And when he had
+dipped the sop, he gave <i>it</i> to Judas Iscariot, <i>the son</i> 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 what
+intent he spake this unto him. For some <i>of them</i> thought, because
+Judas had the bag, that Jesus had said unto him, Buy <i>those things</i>
+that we have need of against the feast; or, that he should give
+something to the poor. He then having received the sop went
+immediately out: and it was night.&mdash;<i>St. John xiii: 21-30.</i></p>
+
+<br><hr style="width: 45%;"><br>
+
+<p><i>NOTE BY THE ARTIST</i></p>
+
+<p><i>Comment has already been made upon the custom prevailing at this
+time of reclining at meat. We are aware, from other sources of
+information, that in partaking of the Passover, the attitude of
+standing had, as a point of ritual, long been abandoned in favor of
+the recumbent posture, and this is directly evidenced by the words of
+the text (v: 23 and 25), which are only compatible with the
+supposition that on the present occasion the guest-chamber was
+furnished with couches which ran around the three sides of the table
+in the usual manner. Authorities differ as to which was regarded as
+the &quot;highest seat&quot; some maintaining that this was the outermost place
+on the right-hand couch; others, again, preferring the arrangement
+followed in the painting, where Jesus occupies the centre</i>.</p>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="IN_THE_GARDEN_OF_GETHSEMANE"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br>
+<center><a href="18.jpg"><img src="18.jpg" border="0" align="middle" alt="" width="80%"></a></center>
+<h2><b>IN THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE</b></h2>
+
+
+
+<br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith
+unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And he
+took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be
+sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is
+exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with
+me. 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 <i>wilt</i>. And he cometh unto
+the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What,
+could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter
+not into temptation: the spirit indeed <i>is</i> willing, but the flesh
+<i>is</i> weak. He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O
+my 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 their
+eyes were heavy. And he left them, and went away again, and prayed
+the third time, saying the same words. Then cometh he to his
+disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take <i>your</i> rest:
+behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the
+hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that
+doth betray me.&mdash;<i>St. Matt, xxvi: 36-46.</i></p>
+
+<br><hr style="width: 45%;"><br>
+
+<p><i>NOTE BY THE ARTIST</i></p>
+
+<p><i>As the word Gethsemane means the &quot;oil press&quot; the &quot;Garden&quot; was in all
+probability an olive yard, whose actual site, though it cannot be
+determined with certainty, must have been in the immediate vicinity
+at least of the spot which age-long tradition indicates as the scene
+of the Agony. The great age of the trees in this enclosure has been
+urged in favor of the tradition, but it is fatal to their claim as
+witnesses, that Titus is known to have cut down, for military
+purposes, all the trees in the neighborhood of the besieged city.
+This site is now owned by the Russians who have turned it into a neat
+and trim garden, and built a bright new white church on the upper
+level with five large gilded bulbous domes</i>.</p>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="THE_ARREST_OF_JESUS"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br>
+<center><a href="19.jpg"><img src="19.jpg" border="0" align="middle" alt="" width="80%"></a></center>
+<h2><b>THE ARREST OF JESUS</b></h2>
+
+
+
+
+<br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>Judas then, having received a band <i>of men</i> and officers from the
+chief priests and Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches
+and weapons. Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come
+upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye? They answered
+him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am <i>he</i>. And Judas
+also, which betrayed him, stood with them. As soon then as he had
+said unto them, I am <i>he</i>, they went backward, and fell to the
+ground.&mdash;Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying,
+Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast. And
+forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him.
+And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came
+they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him. And, behold, one of them
+which were with Jesus stretched out <i>his</i> 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: for
+all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest
+thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give
+me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the
+scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be? In that same hour said
+Jesus to the multitudes, Are ye come out as against a thief with
+swords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in
+the temple, and ye laid no hold on me. But all this was done, that
+the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the
+disciples forsook him, and fled.&mdash;<i>St. John xviii: 3-6; St. Matt,
+xxvi: 48-56.</i></p>
+
+<br><hr style="width: 45%;"><br>
+
+<p><i>NOTE BY THE ARTIST</i></p>
+
+<p><i>Cunningly conceived indeed was that signal of the kiss; for in the
+very act of betrayal, Judas thus covered his own treachery; and, had
+the plot failed, it would even have appeared as if, when &quot;all the
+disciples forsook him and fled&quot; Judas alone had courage, in the hour
+of danger, to stand by and openly to acknowledge Jesus as his
+Master</i>.</p>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="JESUS_EXAMINED_BY_CAIAPHAS"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br>
+<center><a href="20.jpg"><img src="20.jpg" border="0" align="middle" alt="" width="80%"></a></center>
+<h2><b>JESUS EXAMINED BY CAIAPHAS</b></h2>
+
+
+
+<br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>And they that had laid hold on Jesus led <i>him</i> away to Caiaphas the
+high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled. But
+Peter followed him afar off unto the high priest's palace, and went
+in, 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 witnesses
+came, <i>yet</i> found they none. At the last came two false witnesses,
+And said, This <i>fellow</i> said, I am able to destroy the temple of God,
+and to build it in three days. And the high priest arose, and said
+unto him, Answerest thou nothing? what <i>is it which</i> these witness
+against thee? But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered
+and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us
+whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus saith unto him,
+Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see
+the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the
+clouds of heaven. Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He
+hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses?
+behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy. What think ye? They answered
+and said, He is guilty of death.&mdash;<i>St. Matt, xxvi: 57&mdash;66.</i></p>
+
+<br><hr style="width: 45%;"><br>
+
+<p><i>NOTE BY THE ARTIST</i></p>
+
+<p><i>The outward ceremonial of the hastily convoked and Irregular
+tribunal before which Jesus underwent the mockery of a trial was
+similar to that of the ancient Sanhedrim. The members sat on a
+semi-circular divan, the president in the centre, and a scribe at
+each extremity, who recorded the evidence and the decisions of the
+court. It may be noted, that while laws had been carefully formulated
+for the conduct of such trials, almost every one of them was
+flagrantly violated on the present occasion in order to ensure a
+pre-arranged condemnation. For example, these rules provided that
+witnesses should be summoned, and that an advocate should plead on
+behalf of the accused; and they forbade that criminal trials should
+be conducted at night, that condemnation should be pronounced on the
+day of trial or on a holy day; and, if the crime were capital, that
+execution should follow on the day of sentence</i>.</p>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><a name="JESUS_IS_THRICE_DENIED_BY_PETER"></a><hr style="width: 65%;"><br>
+<center><a href="21.jpg"><img src="21.jpg" border="0" align="middle" alt="" width="80%"></a></center>
+<h2><b>JESUS IS THRICE DENIED BY PETER</b></h2>
+
+
+
+<br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+<p>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
+<i>them</i> all, saying, I know not what thou sayest. And when he was gone
+out into the porch, another <i>maid</i> saw him, and said unto them that
+were there, This <i>fellow</i> was also with Jesus of Nazareth. And again
+he denied with an oath, I do not know the man. And after a while came
+unto <i>him</i> they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also
+art <i>one</i> of them; for thy speech betrayeth thee. Then began he to
+curse and to swear, <i>saying</i>, I know not the man. And immediately the
+cock crew. And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter
+remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the
+cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept
+bitterly.&mdash;<i>St. Matt, xxvi: 69-74.; St. Luke xxii: 61, 62</i>.</p>
+
+<br><hr style="width: 45%;"><br>
+
+<p><i>NOTE BY THE ARTIST</i></p>
+
+<p><i>In the East, the houses of the great and official residences usually
+consist of a group of separate yet connected buildings, surrounding a
+quadrangular paved court planted with trees and flowering shrubs, and
+furnished in the centre with an open cistern or fountain. Such was
+probably the construction of the palace of the High Priest
+(Caiaphas), and, apparently, this open court, across which Jesus
+would be conducted to or from the hall of trial, was the place where
+bitterness was added to his sorrow in hearing himself denied by his
+friend&mdash;and that man who had been the first to profess belief in his
+Messiahship, and who, but a few brief hours before, had stoutly sworn
+to stand by him, even unto death</i>.</p>
+
+
+
+
+<br><br><hr style="width: 65%;"><br><br>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
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+Project Gutenberg's The Life of Jesus Christ for the Young, by Richard Newton
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Life of Jesus Christ for the Young
+
+Author: Richard Newton
+
+Release Date: March 8, 2004 [EBook #11509]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LIFE OF JESUS CHRIST ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Tonya Allen, Charles Aldarondo and the
+Distributed Proofreaders
+
+
+
+
+
+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 the
+wilderness, Jesus entered on the work of his public ministry. We find
+him, at once, preaching to the people, healing the sick, and doing
+many wonderful works. The commencement of his ministry is thus
+described by St. Matt. iv: 23-25. "And Jesus went about all Galilee,
+teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the
+kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness, and all manner of
+disease among the people. And his fame went throughout all Syria; and
+they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers
+diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils,
+and those which were lunatic, and those that had the palsy; and he
+healed them. And there followed him great multitudes of people from
+Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judea, and
+from beyond Jordan." What a blessed beginning of the most blessed of
+all 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 on
+his work.
+
+And one of the first things he did, after thus beginning his
+ministry, was to gather his disciples round him. The first two that
+we find named among his disciples are John and Andrew. They had been
+disciples of John the Baptist. Their master pointed them to Jesus,
+and said--"Behold the Lamb of God." When they heard this they
+followed Jesus, and became his disciples. When Andrew met with his
+brother Simon Peter, he said to him "we have found the Messias--the
+Christ. And he brought him to Jesus." After this we are told that
+"Jesus findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me." He was an
+acquaintance of Andrew and Peter, and lived in the same town with
+them. He obeyed the call at once and became one of the disciples of
+Jesus.
+
+Philip had a friend named Nathanael. The next time he met him, he
+said, "we have found him of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets
+did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." But Nazareth was a
+despised place, and had a bad reputation. Nathanael had a very poor
+opinion of the place, and he asked--"Can there any good thing come
+out of Nazareth?" Philip saith unto him--"Come and see."
+
+And this is what we should say to persons when we wish them to become
+Christians. There is so much that is lovely and excellent in Jesus
+that if people will only "come and see," if they will only prove for
+themselves what a glorious Saviour he is, they will find it
+impossible to help loving and serving him. Nathanael came to Jesus.
+And when he heard the wonderful words that Jesus spoke to him he was
+converted at once, and expressed his wonder by saying--"Rabbi, thou
+art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel." We can read all
+about 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 one
+who bears the name of Bartholomew in the different lists of the
+apostles.
+
+After this we read of Jesus calling Matthew the publican, who was a
+tax-gatherer. This is what is meant by his "sitting at the receipt of
+custom." "Follow me," were the words spoken to him. He obeyed at
+once; left all and followed Jesus. St. Luke and St. Mark mention this
+same 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 to
+have two names. Sometimes they were called by one of these names and
+sometimes by the other.
+
+Here we have the account of six persons, who became disciples of
+Jesus; and of the different ways in which they were led to follow
+him. No doubt many others were led to become his disciples from
+simply hearing him preach; and from listening to the gracious words
+that he spoke.
+
+And very soon after he had gathered together a large company of
+disciples, he made choice of twelve, out of this number, who were to
+be 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 be
+prepared to take his place, and carry on his work when he should
+return to heaven.
+
+It was necessary for these men to be chosen. When Washington was
+appointed to conduct our armies during the Revolution, he chose a
+number of generals to help him. And it is natural for us to think of
+Washington and his generals. But just as natural it is to think
+of--Jesus and his apostles.
+
+And this is the subject we have now to consider--_The Apostles
+Chosen_.
+
+And in considering this subject there are four things of which to
+speak.
+
+_The first, is the condition and character of the men whom Jesus
+chose 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 the
+points 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 and
+character 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, and
+good, and strong, that we wonder why he did not choose them. But he
+did not. He chose _men_ to be his apostles. And what kind of men did
+he choose? If we had been asked this question beforehand, we should
+have supposed that he would certainly have chosen the wisest and the
+most learned men, the richest and greatest men that could be found in
+the 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 been
+heard of before. Fishermen, and tax-gatherers, and men occupying very
+humble positions in life, were those whom Jesus chose to be his
+apostles.
+
+And one reason, no doubt, why Jesus made choice of men of this
+character to be his apostles was that when their work was done, no
+one should be able to say that it was the learning, or wisdom, or
+riches, or power of men by whom that work was accomplished. The
+apostle Paul teaches us that this is the way in which God generally
+acts; and that he does it for the very reason just spoken of. He
+says, "God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound
+the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to
+confound the mighty; and base things of the world, and things which
+are despised hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring
+to nought the things that are; that no flesh should glory in his
+presence." I. Cor. i: 27-29. The meaning of this passage is that God
+loves to work by little things. This was the reason why Jesus chose
+poor, unlearned fishermen to be his apostles. And we see God working
+in the same way continually.
+
+Look at yonder sun. God made it, and hung it up there in the sky that
+it might give light to our world. But the light which this sun gives
+comes to us in tiny little bits, smaller than the point of the finest
+needle that ever was made. They are so small that hundreds of them
+can rush right into our eyes, as they are doing all the time, and not
+hurt 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 so
+powerful that they can break in pieces the strongest ships that men
+have ever built. And yet, when God wishes to keep that mighty ocean
+in 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 great
+work with them. And we find God working in this way continually. Let
+us look at one or two illustrations.
+
+"What a Plant Did." A little plant was given to a sick girl. In
+trying to take care of it, the family made changes in their way of
+living, which added greatly to their comfort and happiness. First,
+they cleaned the window, that more light might come in to the leaves
+of the plant. Then, when not too cold, they opened the window, that
+fresh 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 room
+look so untidy that they washed the floor, and cleaned the walls, and
+arranged the furniture more neatly. This led the father of the family
+to mend a broken chair or two, which kept him at home several
+evenings. After this, he took to staying at home with his family in
+the evenings, instead of spending his time at the tavern; and the
+money thus saved went to buy comforts for them all. And then, as
+their home grew more pleasant, the whole family loved it better than
+ever before, and they grew healthier and happier with their flowers.
+What a little thing that plant was, and yet it was God's apostle to
+that family! It did a great work for them in blessing them and making
+them happy. And _that_ was work that an angel would have been glad to
+do.
+
+"Brought In by a Smile." A London minister said to a friend one day;
+"Seven persons were received into my church last Sunday, and they
+were 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 on
+my way to church, I saw, held in the arms of its nurse, a beautiful
+infant; and as it fixed its bright black eyes on me, I smiled, and
+the dear child returned the smile. The next Sabbath the babe was
+again before the window. Again I smiled, and the smile was returned,
+as before. The third Sabbath, as I passed by the window, I threw the
+little one a kiss. Instantly its hand was extended and a kiss thrown
+back to me. And so it came to pass that I learned to watch for the
+baby on my way to church; and as the weeks went by, I noticed that
+the nurse and the baby were not alone. Other members of the family
+pressed to the window to see the gentleman who always had a smile for
+the 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 and
+mother had said to those children: 'Get ready for church, for we
+think 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 their
+parents, and after I had passed, the door opened, and the children
+stepped upon the pavement, and kept near me, till I entered my
+church, when they followed me, and seats were given them.
+
+"When they returned home, they sought their parents and eagerly
+exclaimed: 'He is a minister, and we have found his church, and he
+preached a beautiful sermon this morning. You must go and hear him
+next Sunday.'
+
+"It was not difficult to persuade the parents to go, and guided by
+their children they found their way to the church. They, too, were
+pleased, and other members of the family were induced to come to the
+house 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 all
+brought in by a smile.'"
+
+What a little thing a smile is! And yet, here we see how God made use
+of so small a thing as this, to make seven persons Christians, and to
+save their souls forever! Of the God who can work in this way, it
+may well be said that he loves to work by little things. It is the
+way in which he is working continually.
+
+How eagerly, then, we may try to learn and to practise what has been
+very 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 the
+men whom Jesus chose to be his apostles. The first thing about this
+subject 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 of
+St. Matthew. In this chapter Jesus told the apostles all about the
+work they were to do for him, and how they were to do it. In the
+seventh and eighth verses of this chapter we have distinctly stated
+just what they were to do. "As ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of
+heaven 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 to
+them, not among the Gentiles, but only among the Jews; or as he calls
+them--"the lost sheep of the house of Israel," v. 5,6. But, after his
+resurrection, and just before he went up to heaven, he enlarged their
+commission. His parting command to them then was--"_Go ye into all
+the world, and preach the gospel to every creature_." St. Mark xvi:
+15.
+
+When Jesus, their Master, went to heaven they were to take up and
+carry on the great work that he had begun. Those twelve men were to
+begin the work of changing the religion of the world. They were to
+overturn the idols that had been worshiped for ages. They were to
+shut up the temples in which those idols had been worshiped. They
+were to "turn men from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan
+unto God." Acts xxvi: 18. They were to go up and down the world,
+everywhere, telling the wondrous story of Jesus and his love. And in
+doing this work they were to be the means of saving the souls of all
+who believed their message, and in the end of winning the world back
+to Jesus, till, according to God's promise, he has "the heathen for
+his inheritance, and the utmost parts of the earth for his
+possession." Ps. ii: 8.
+
+This was the grandest and most important work that men were ever
+called 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 not
+finished yet. And, if we learn to love and serve Jesus, we may help
+to carry it on. We may be apostles, too, though in a lower sense than
+that in which the first twelve were apostles. An apostle means--one
+_sent_. But Jesus _sends_ into the vineyard to work for him all who
+become his loving children. And, in this sense it is true that all
+who love and serve Jesus are his apostles. He says to each of
+us--"Go, work to-day, in my vineyard." St. Matt, xxi: 28. And in
+another 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 to
+bring them to him, then we are helping to carry on the same great
+work that Jesus gave his apostles to do. Let us look at some examples
+of persons who have been apostles for God and helped to do the work
+of apostles.
+
+"Aunt Lucy." I heard the other day of a good old woman in the State
+of Michigan, known as Aunt Lucy. She is eighty-four years old, and
+lives all alone, supporting herself principally by carpet-weaving.
+All that she can save from her earnings, after paying for her
+necessary expenses, she spends in buying Bibles, which she
+distributes among the children and the poor of the neighborhood.
+Thirteen large family Bibles, and fifty small ones, have thus been
+given away--good, well-bound Bibles.
+
+A neighbor, who has watched this good work very closely, says that
+two-thirds of the persons to whom Aunt Lucy has given Bibles have
+afterwards become Christians. In doing this work Aunt Lucy was an
+apostle.
+
+"The Charcoal Carrier." One Sunday afternoon, in summer, a little
+girl named Mary, going home from a Sunday-school in the country, sat
+down to rest under the shade of a tree by the roadside. While sitting
+there she opened her Bible to read. As she sat reading, a man, well
+known in that neighborhood as Jacob, the charcoal carrier, came by
+with 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 was
+not a Christian man, and was accustomed to work with his donkey as
+hard on Sunday as on week-days.
+
+When he came by where Mary was sitting, he stopped a moment, and
+said, 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:--"Remember
+the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do
+all 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 must
+think over what you have said."
+
+And he _did_ think over it. And the result of his thinking was, that
+instead of going with his donkey to the woods on the next Sunday, he
+went with his two little girls to the Sunday-school. And the end of
+it all was that Jacob, the charcoal carrier, became a Christian, and
+God's blessing rested on him and his family.
+
+Little Mary was doing an apostle's work when she read and explained
+the Bible to Jacob and was the means of bringing him to Jesus.
+
+"The Use of Fragments." In the Cathedral at Lincoln, England, there
+is a window of stained glass which was made by an apprentice out of
+little pieces of glass that had been thrown aside by his master as
+useless. It is said to be the most beautiful window in the Cathedral.
+And if, like this apprentice, we carefully gather up, and improve the
+little bits of time, of knowledge, and of opportunities that we have,
+we may do work for God more beautiful than that Cathedral window. We
+may do work like that which the apostles were sent to do. Here are
+some sweet lines, written by I know not whom, about that beautiful
+window, 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_--THE
+HELP--_they received_.
+
+In one place, we are told that Jesus "gave them power against unclean
+spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness, and
+all manner of disease." St. Matt. x: 1. In another place we are told,
+that for their comfort and encouragement in the great work they had
+to do, Jesus said to them, "Lo, I am with you always, even unto the
+end of the world." St. Matt. xxviii: 20. And if they only had Jesus
+with them, no matter what the work was they had to do, they would be
+sure of having all the help they might need. The apostle Paul
+understood this very well, for he said, "I can do all things through
+Christ, which strengtheneth me." Phil. iv: 13.
+
+And then, as if his own presence with them were not enough, Jesus
+promised that his apostles should have the help of the Holy Spirit in
+carrying on their work. Just before leaving them to go to heaven, he
+said to the disciples--"Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy
+Ghost is come upon you." Acts i: 8. And what this power was we see in
+the case of the apostle Peter; for the first sermon he preached
+after the Holy Ghost came upon him, on the day of Pentecost, was the
+means of converting three thousand souls. Acts ii: 41.
+
+And the same God who gave the apostles all the help they needed, has
+promised to do the same for you, and me, and for all who try to work
+for him. There are many promises of this kind in the Bible to which I
+might refer. But I will only mention one. This is so sweet and
+precious that it deserves to be written in letters of gold. There is
+no passage in the Bible that has given me so much comfort and
+encouragement 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 I
+am thy God; I will strengthen thee; yea--I WILL HELP THEE." This
+promise was not given for prophets and apostles only, but for all
+God's people to the end of time. You and I, if we are trying to serve
+God, may take it as ours. God meant it for us. And when we get this
+promised help from God, we can do any work he has for us to do, and
+be happy in doing it.
+
+"For Thine is the Power." "I can't do it--it's quite impossible. I've
+tried five times, and can't get it right"--and Ben Hartley pushed his
+book and slate away in despair. Ben was a good scholar. He was at
+the head of his class, and was very anxious to stay there. But the
+sums he had now to do were very hard. He could not do them, and was
+afraid of losing his place in the class. Most of the boys had some
+one 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 school
+much 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 a
+fellow do his sums."
+
+"O, yes; there is. There is help for every trouble in life in the
+Lord's prayer, if we only know how to use it. I was trying a long
+time before I found out what the last part of this prayer really
+means. 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 ask
+him to keep us from evil; and to forgive us our sins; and then we
+say: '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 helps
+me, Ben, when I have something hard to do. I say, 'For _thine_ is the
+power--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 he
+remembered when he had to stay home from school because he had no
+clothes fit to go in, how he prayed to God about it, and the
+minister's wife brought him a suit the very next day. "But a boy's
+sums, mother! it seems like such a little thing to ask God about."
+
+"Those sums are not a little thing to you, Ben. Your success at
+school depends on your knowing how to do them. _That_, is as much to
+you, as many a greater thing to some one else. Now I care a great
+deal about that, because I love you. And I know your Father in heaven
+loves 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 and
+slate and went up to his little room. Kneeling down by the bed he
+repeated the Lord's prayer. When he came to--"thine is the kingdom,"
+he stopped a moment, and then said, with all his heart--"'And thine
+is the power,' heavenly Father. I want power to know how to do these
+sums. There's no one else to help me. Lord, please give me power, for
+Jesus' sake, Amen."
+
+Ben waited a moment, and then, still on his knees, he took his slate
+and tried again. Do you ask me if he succeeded? Remember what Saint
+James says, "If any man lack wisdom let him ask of God, who giveth to
+all 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 away
+before one of his promises shall fail. Ben had prayed to God to help
+him, and God answered his prayer. He tried once more to work out
+those sums. After thinking over them a little while, he saw the
+mistake he had made in neglecting one of the rules for working the
+sums. He corrected this mistake, and then he found they all worked
+out beautifully. The next day he was head of the class; for he was
+the only boy who could say that he had done the sum himself, without
+getting any one at home to help him.
+
+"And yet I was helped, mother," said Ben, "for I am sure my Father in
+heaven helped me." But that was not what the teacher meant. After
+this, Ben never forgot the last part of the Lord's prayer. When he
+needed help he knew where the power was that could help him.
+
+Here was where the apostles got the help they needed in doing the
+hard work they had to do. And how much help we might get in doing our
+work if we only make a right use of this "power which belongeth unto
+God;" and which he is always ready to use in helping us.
+
+The help they received, is the third thing to remember when we think
+about the apostles and their work.
+
+_The last thing to bear in mind when we think of Jesus choosing his
+twelve apostles, is_--THE LESSON--_it teaches us_.
+
+There are many lessons we might learn from this subject; but there is
+one so much more important than all the rest that we may very well
+let them go, and think only of this one. When St. Luke tells us about
+Jesus choosing the twelve apostles, he mentions one very important
+thing, of which St. Matthew, in his account of it says nothing at
+all. And it is this thing from which we draw our lesson. In the
+twelfth verse of the sixth chapter of his gospel, St. Luke
+says--"And it came to pass in those days, that he (Jesus) went out
+into 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 call
+his disciples to him, and out of them to choose the twelve, who were
+to be his apostles. And the lesson we learn from this part of the
+subject 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 yet
+it is easy enough to see at least two reasons why he did this. One
+was because _he loved to pray_. We know how pleasant it is for us to
+meet, and talk with a person whom we love very much. But prayer
+is--talking with God--telling him what we want, and asking his help.
+But Jesus loved his Father in heaven, with a love deeper and stronger
+than we can understand. This must have made it the most delightful of
+all things for him to be engaged in prayer, or in talking with his
+Father in heaven. And, if we really love Jesus, prayer will not be a
+hard 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 spent
+the whole night in prayer, before choosing his twelve apostles.
+
+But there was another reason why Jesus spent so much time in prayer
+before performing this important work, and that was to _set us an
+example_. It was to teach us the very lesson of which we are now
+speaking--the lesson of prayer. Remember how much power and wisdom
+Jesus had in himself; and what mighty things he was able to do. And
+yet, if _He_ felt that it was right to pray before engaging in any
+important 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 our
+lives to connect prayer with everything we do. This will make us
+happy in our own souls, and useful to those about us.
+
+How full the Bible is of the wonders that have been wrought by
+prayer! Just think for a moment of some of them.
+
+Abraham prays, and Lot is delivered from the fiery flood that
+overwhelmed Sodom and Gomorrah. Gen. xix: 29. Jacob prays, and he
+wrestles with the angel, and obtains the blessing; his brother
+Esau's mind is wonderfully turned away from the wrath he had
+cherished for twenty years. Moses prays and Amalek is discomfited.
+Joshua prays and Achan is discovered. Hannah prays and Samuel is
+born. David prays and Ahithophel hangs himself. Elijah prays and a
+famine of three years comes upon Israel. He prays again, and the rain
+descends, and the famine ends. Elisha prays, and Jordan is divided.
+He prays again, and the dead child's soul is brought back from the
+invisible world. Isaiah and Hezekiah pray, and a hundred and
+eighty-five thousand Assyrian soldiers are slain in one night by the
+unseen sword of the angel. These are Bible illustrations of the help
+God gives to his people in answer to prayer. And the Bible rule for
+prayer, as given by our Saviour, is, "that men ought _always_ to
+pray," Luke xviii: 1. St. Paul's way of stating it is--"Praying
+always, with all prayer," Ephes. vi: 18. In another place he
+says--"Pray without ceasing," I. Thess. v: 17. And even the heathen
+teach the same rule about prayer. Among the rules of Nineveh, an
+inscription 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 this
+morning?" asked a little girl.
+
+"My child, we have had no breakfast, and have no dinner to eat when
+we come back," said her grandma.
+
+"But the Lord Jesus can give it to us if we ask him," said the little
+girl. "Let's ask him." So they kneeled down, and asked that God, "who
+feedeth the young ravens when they cry," to remember them, and help
+them.
+
+Then they went to church. They found it very much crowded. An old
+gentleman took the little girl upon his knee. He was pleased with her
+quiet behaviour. On parting with her at the close of the service, he
+slipped a half crown into her hand. "See, Grandma," she said, as soon
+as 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 same
+school; one of them, named Mary, always said her lessons well, the
+other, named Jane, always failed. One day Jane said, "Mary, how does
+it happen that you always say your lessons so well?" Mary said she
+prayed over her lessons, and _that_ was the secret of her success.
+
+Jane concluded to try praying. But the next day she failed worse than
+ever. In tears, she reproached Mary for deceiving her. "But, did you
+study hard, as well as pray over your lesson?" asked Mary.
+
+"No; I thought if I only prayed, that was all I had to do," replied
+Jane. "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 lessons
+well," was Mary's wise answer. The next day Jane studied, as well as
+prayed, and she had her lesson perfectly.
+
+The greatest work we can ever do, is to bring a soul to Jesus, or to
+convert a sinner from the error of his way. Here is an illustration
+of 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 a
+stage-coach," said a Christian gentleman, "when the driver by my side
+began to swear in a dreadful manner. I lifted up my heart for God's
+blessing on what I said; and presently, in a quiet way, I asked him
+this question: 'Driver, do you ever pray?' He seemed displeased at
+first; but after awhile he replied, 'I sometimes go to church on
+Sunday; and then I suppose I pray, don't I?' 'I am afraid you never
+pray at all; for no man can swear as you do, and yet be in the habit
+of praying to God.'
+
+"As we rode along he seemed thoughtful. 'Coachman, I wish you would
+pray now,' I said. '"Why, what a time to pray, Sir, when a man is
+driving a coach!"' 'Yet, my friend, God will hear you,' '"What shall
+I 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 said
+them over a second, and a third time. The end of the journey was
+reached, 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 was
+answered. I saw myself a lost, and ruined sinner; but now, I humbly
+hope, that through the blood which cleanseth from all sin, and by the
+power of the Holy Spirit, I am a converted man.'"
+
+And so, when we think of the twelve apostles, appointed by Jesus to
+preach his gospel, these are the four things for us to remember in
+connection with them, viz.:--_the men_ whom he chose; _the work_ they
+had 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 it
+as for God, and then we shall be his apostles--his sent ones. Let me
+put the application of this subject in the form of some earnest,
+practical lines that I lately met with. The lines only speak of
+boys, 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 days
+of his public ministry. He was _sent_ to teach and to preach. The
+speaker in the book of Job was thinking of this Great Teacher when he
+asked--"_Who teacheth like him_?" Job xxxvi: 22. And it was he who
+was in the Psalmist's mind when he spoke of the "good, and upright
+Lord" who would teach sinners, if they were meek, how to walk in his
+ways. Ps. xxv: 8-9. And he is the Redeemer, of whom the prophet
+Isaiah 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 how
+true was what Nicodemus said of him, that "he was a _teacher sent
+from God_." John iii: 2. Thus what was said of Jesus, before he came
+into our world, would naturally lead us to expect to find him
+occupied in teaching. And so he _was_ occupied, all through the days
+of his public ministry. St. Matthew tells us that--"Jesus went about
+all Galilee, _teaching_ in their synagogues." Ch. iv: 23. Further on
+in his gospel he tells us again that "Jesus went about all the
+cities, and villages, teaching in their synagogues." Ch. ix: 35. When
+on his trial before Pilate, his enemies brought it as a charge
+against him that he had been--"_teaching_ throughout all Jewry." Luke
+xxiii: 5. We read in one place that--"the elders of the people came
+unto him _as he was teaching_." Matt. xxi: 23. Jesus himself gave
+this 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 look
+at the life of Christ from this point of view--as a Teacher. There
+never was such a Teacher. We do not wonder at the effect of his
+teaching of which we read in St. John vii: 46, when the chief priests
+sent some of their officers to take him prisoner, and bring him unto
+them; the officers went, and joined the crowd that was listening to
+his preaching. His words had such a strange effect on them that they
+could not think of touching him. So they went back to their masters
+without doing what they had been sent to do. "And when the chief
+priests and Pharisees said unto them--Why have ye not brought him?
+The officers answered, _Never man spake like this man_." Jesus was
+indeed--_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 things
+about his teaching which made him different from any other teacher
+the 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 great
+sermon to his disciples, called "The Sermon on the Mount." This is
+the most wonderful sermon that ever was preached. Jesus began it by
+telling about some of the great blessings he had brought down from
+heaven for poor sinful creatures such as we are. The sermon begins in
+the fifth chapter of St. Matthew, and the first twelve verses of the
+chapter are occupied in speaking of these blessings. As soon as he
+opened his mouth and began to speak a stream of blessings flowed out.
+
+It was a beautiful thought, on this subject, which a boy in
+Sunday-school once had. The teacher had been talking to his class
+about the beginning of this sermon on the mount. He had spoken of the
+sweetness of the words of Jesus, when "He opened his mouth and
+taught" his disciples. "How pleasant it must have been, my dear
+boys," said he, "to have seen the blessed Saviour, and to have heard
+him speak!"
+
+A serious-minded little fellow in the class said, "Teacher, don't you
+think that when Jesus opened his mouth, and began to speak to his
+disciples, it must have been like taking the stopper out of a scent
+bottle?" I cannot tell whether this boy had ever read the words of
+Solomon or not; but he had just the same idea that was in his mind
+when he said of this "Great Teacher," "thy name is _as ointment
+poured forth_." Cant, i: 3. We perceive the fragrance of this
+ointment as soon as Jesus opens his mouth and begins to speak. If we
+had been listening to Jesus when he began this sermon, saying:--"
+Blessed are the poor in spirit; blessed are the meek; blessed are the
+pure in heart; blessed are the peace-makers"--and so on till he had
+spoken of _nine_ different kinds of blessing, we might have thought
+that he had nothing but blessings of which to tell. It would have
+seemed as if his mind, and heart, and lips, and hands were all so
+filled with blessings that he could do nothing else till he had told
+about these. And the blessings spoken of here are not all the
+blessings that Jesus brought. They are only specimens of them. The
+blessings he has obtained for us are innumerable. David says of them,
+"If I would declare and speak of them they are more than can be
+numbered." 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 that
+mourn, for they shall be comforted." Jesus came to bring comfort to
+the mourners. Hundreds of years before Christ came the prophet Isaiah
+had 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 was
+to 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. My
+salvation was finished on the cross. My soul is saved. Heaven is
+mine. 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's
+well, he compared the blessing of his grace to the water of that
+well. Pointing to the well at his side, he said: "Whosoever drinketh
+of this water will thirst again. But whosoever drinketh of the water
+that I shall give him, shall never thirst; but the water that I shall
+give him, shall be _in him, a well of water, springing up unto
+everlasting life_." John iv: 13, 14. This is one of the most
+beautiful illustrations of the blessing Jesus gives that ever was
+used. It is a great blessing to have a well of clear, cold water in
+our garden, or near our door. But, only think of having a well of
+water _in our hearts_. Then, wherever we go, we carry that well with
+us. We never have to go away from it. No one can separate between us
+and the water of this well. Other wells dry up and fail. But this is
+a well that never dries up, and never fails. This well is deep, and
+its water is all the time "springing up unto everlasting life." How
+happy they are in whose breasts Jesus opens this well of water!
+
+Coleridge, the English poet, in writing to a young friend, just
+before his death, said:
+
+"Health is a great blessing; wealth, gained by honest industry, is a
+great blessing; it is a great blessing to have kind, faithful, loving
+friends and relatives, _but, the greatest, and best of all blessings
+is to be a Christian_."
+
+One of the most able and learned lawyers that England ever had was
+John Selden. He was so famous for his learning and knowledge that he
+is always spoken of as "the learned Selden." On his deathbed he
+said--"I have taken much pains to know everything that was worth
+knowing among men; but with all my reading and all my knowledge,
+nothing now remains with me to comfort me at the close of life but
+these precious words of St. Paul: 'This a faithful saying, and worthy
+of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save
+sinners;' to this I cling. In this I rest. This gives me peace, and
+comfort, and enables me to die happy."
+
+William Wilberforce was another of the great and good men who have
+been 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 my
+Saviour. Read the Bible. Let no other book take its place. Through
+all my trials and perplexities, it has been my comfort. And now it
+comforts 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 this
+well in our breasts, may well be called, "the Great Teacher," because
+of the great blessings--of which he tells.
+
+_In the second place Jesus may be called "the Great Teacher" because
+of the_--GREAT SIMPLICITY--_of his teachings_.
+
+I do not mean to say that we can understand every thing that Jesus
+taught. This is not so. He had some things to speak about that are
+not simple. He said to his disciples, "_I have yet many things to say
+unto you, but ye cannot bear them now_." John xvi: 12. This means
+that there are some things about God, and heaven, of which he wished
+to tell them, but they were too hard for them to understand, although
+they were full-grown men. And so he did not tell them of these
+things. But even among the things that Jesus did tell about, there
+are some which the wisest and most learned men in the world have
+never been able to understand or explain. Some one has compared the
+Bible to a river, in which there are some places deep enough for an
+elephant or a giant to swim in; and other places where the water is
+shallow enough for a child to wade in. And it is just so with the
+teachings of Jesus. Some of the most important lessons he taught are
+so plain and simple that very young people can understand them.
+
+We have a good illustration of this in that sweet invitation which
+Jesus gave when he said,--"_Come unto me, all ye that labor and are
+heavy laden, and I will give you rest._" Matt. xi: 28. Very young
+people know what it is to feel tired and weary from walking, or
+working too much, or from carrying a heavy burden. And, when they are
+too tired to do anything else, they know what it is to go to their
+dear 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 we
+are tired, or troubled, that our souls may find rest in him. We come
+to Jesus, when we pray to him; when we tell him all about our
+troubles; when we ask him to help us; and when we trust in his
+promises.
+
+  "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 his
+doctrines to children just weaned. Chap. xxviii: 9. This shows us
+that 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 those
+loving words:--"_Suffer the little children to come unto me, and
+forbid 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 such
+interest in children as Jesus did. And none of them ever taught with
+such great simplicity. What multitudes of young people have been led
+to love and serve Jesus by thinking of the sweet words he spoke about
+children!
+
+"The Child's Gospel." A little girl sat still in church listening to
+the minister. She could not understand what he was saying till he
+quoted these words of Jesus about the children. But she understood
+them. She felt that they were words spoken for her. They made her
+feel very happy. And when she went home she threw her arms around her
+mother'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 years
+old. 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 when
+he was on earth?"
+
+In a moment the sweet words she had learned in the school were on her
+lips--"Suffer the little children to come unto me, &c."
+
+"Well, Carrie, for whom did Jesus speak these words?" At once she
+clapped 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 away
+since "Jesus was here among men," these same simple words have been
+drawing 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, and
+this was another thing that helped to make him the Great Teacher_.
+
+It was this great tenderness that led him, when he came to be our
+Teacher and Saviour to take our nature upon him and so become like
+us. 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 disciples
+saw him on the Mount of Transfiguration. But then we should have been
+afraid of him. He would not have known how we feel, and could not
+have felt for us. But instead of this, his tenderness led him to take
+our nature upon him, that he might be able to put himself in our
+place, and so to understand just how we feel, and what we need to
+help and comfort us. This is what the apostle means in Heb. ii: 14,
+when he says--"Forasmuch as the children were partakers of flesh and
+blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same." He did this
+on purpose that he might know, by his own experience, how we are
+tried and tempted; and so be able to sympathize with us and help us
+in all our trials.
+
+Here is a little story, very simple, and homely; but yet, one that
+illustrates very well the point of which we are speaking. It is a
+story about:
+
+"A Lost Horse Found." A valuable horse was lost, belonging to a
+farmer in New England. A number of his neighbors turned out to try
+and find the horse. They searched all through the woods and fields
+of the surrounding country, but in vain. None of them could find the
+horse. At last a poor, weak-minded fellow, who was known in that
+neighborhood as "simple Sam," started to hunt the horse. After awhile
+he came back, bringing the stray horse with him. The owner of the
+horse 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 do
+it?"
+
+"Wal, you see," said Sam, "I just 'quired whar the horse was seen
+last; 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 I
+went, and found him." Now, when Sam, in the simplicity of his feeble
+mind, 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 his
+owner again. And so, to pass from a very little thing to a very great
+one, when Jesus came down from heaven to seek and to save sinners
+that were lost, this is just the way in which he acted. He put
+himself in our place as sinners. As the apostle Paul says: "he who
+knew no sin, was made sin for us," that he might save us from the
+dreadful consequences of our sins.
+
+And we see the tenderness of Jesus, not only in taking our nature
+upon him and becoming man, but in what he did when he lived in this
+world as a man. "_He went about doing good_." It was his great
+tenderness that led him to do this. Suppose that you and I could have
+walked 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 seen
+him meeting with blind men and opening their eyes that they might
+see. We should have seen him meeting with deaf men, and unstopping
+their ears that they might hear. We should have seen him meeting sick
+people who were taken with divers diseases and torments and healing
+them. We should have seen him raising the dead; and casting out
+devils; and speaking words of comfort and encouragement to those who
+were sad and sorrowful. If we could have looked into his blessed
+face, we should have seen tenderness there, beaming from his eyes and
+speaking from every line of his countenance. If we could have
+listened to his teaching we should have found tenderness running
+through all that he said. Just take one of his many parables as a
+sample of his way of teaching--the parable of the lost sheep--and see
+how full of tenderness it is. The sweet lines of the hymn, about the
+shepherd seeking his lost sheep, that most of us love to sing, bring
+out 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," demonstrates
+his great tenderness for his sheep.
+
+But perhaps there was no act in all the life of our blessed Redeemer
+that showed his tenderness more than taking the little children in
+his arms, and putting his hands upon them, and blessing them.
+
+To think of the Son of God, who made this world, and all worlds, and
+whom all the angels of heaven worship, showing so much interest in
+the little ones; this proves how full of tenderness his heart was.
+
+"I Like Your Jesus." An English lady who had spent six months in
+Syria, 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 little
+ones, as we learned from a dear Moslem child, who, when she repeated
+the text, 'Suffer the little children,' said, 'I like your Jesus,
+because he loved little children. Our Mohammed did not love little
+children.'"
+
+And if we all try to imitate the tenderness of Jesus, then, though we
+may have no money to give, and no great thing to do, yet by being
+tender, and gentle, and loving, as Jesus was, we shall be able to do
+good wherever we are.
+
+"Doing Good by Sympathy." A Christian mother used to ask her children
+every night if they had done any good during the day. One night in
+answer to this question, her little daughter said: "At school this
+morning I found little Annie G----, who had been absent for some
+time, crying very hard. I asked her what was the matter? Then she
+cried more, so that I could not help putting my head on her neck, and
+crying with her. Her sobs grew less, and presently she told of her
+little 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. Then
+she 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, and
+crying, too, as hard as she did. After awhile she kissed me, and told
+me 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 Great
+Teacher. Nothing in the world could have done that poor sorrowing
+child so much good as to have some one cry with her. Sometimes tears
+of tenderness are worth more than diamonds. And this is why the Bible
+tells us to "weep with them that weep." Rom. xii: 15. Jesus did this
+in the tenderness of his loving heart. And this was one of the things
+that made him the Great Teacher.
+
+_But then there was_--GREAT KNOWLEDGE--_in Jesus; and this was
+another thing that made him great as a teacher_.
+
+If we wish to be good teachers, we must study, and try to understand
+the things we expect to teach. If a young man wishes to be a
+minister, he must go through college; and then spend three years in
+the Divinity School, so that he may understand the great truths of
+the Bible, which he is to teach the people who hear him. But Jesus
+never went to college, or to a divinity school. And yet he had
+greater knowledge about all the things of which he spoke than any
+other 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 us
+that "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 ever
+lived, and give it to one person, it would be as nothing compared to
+the knowledge which Jesus, "the Great Teacher" had. He knew all about
+heaven; for that had always been his home before he came into our
+world. He knew all about God; for, he was "in the bosom of the
+Father," John i: 18; and, as he tells us himself, had shared his
+glory with him, "before the world was." John xvii: 5. He knew all
+about the world we live in, for he made it. John i: 10. He knew all
+about 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, for
+he made them all. He saw all they did; he heard all they said; he
+knew all they thought, or felt. Wise and learned men have been
+studying, and finding out things for hundreds of years, about
+geography 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 have
+told about them, if he had seen fit to do so. But he only told us
+what it is best for us to know, in order that we might be saved; and
+kept back all the rest. The things that Jesus did teach us when he
+was here on earth were wonderful; but it is hardly less wonderful to
+think 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 are
+not surprised that some of those who heard him "wondered at the
+gracious words" he spake; or that others asked the question: "Whence
+hath this man this knowledge, having never learned?"
+
+Some one has written these sweet lines about Christ as--_The Great
+Teacher_:
+
+    "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 other
+teachers is seen, not only in the greater knowledge he has of the
+things that he teaches, but in this also, that he knows how to make
+us understand the lessons he teaches. Here is an incident that
+illustrates how well Jesus can do this. We may call it:
+
+"The Well Instructed Boy." A minister of the gospel was travelling
+through 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 no
+covering on his head, and no shoes or stockings on his feet; but he
+looked bright and happy. He had a New Testament in his hand. "Can you
+read, 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 clear
+distinct voice, began:
+
+"There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the
+Jews; 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 these
+miracles 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, placing
+his hand on his bosom, he said, "It is _something here_;" and then,
+raising his eyes to heaven, added, "_and something up yonder_." This
+poor boy had been taking lessons from "the Great Teacher," and he had
+taught him some of the most important things that we can ever learn.
+Jesus may well be called "the Great Teacher," because of his great
+knowledge.
+
+_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, yet
+they 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 the
+same kind that occurred while he was on earth. One day he was going
+about teaching in the streets of Jerusalem. As he went on, he passed
+by the office of a man who was gathering taxes for the Roman
+government. The persons who did this were called _publicans_. This
+man, sitting in his office, was named Matthew. He was busily engaged
+in receiving the taxes of the people. It was a very profitable
+business. The men engaged in it generally made a great deal of money.
+Jesus stopped before the window or door of this office. He beckoned
+to Matthew, and simply spoke these two words:--"_Follow me_."
+
+Now, if any other teacher had spoken these words to Matthew, and had
+tried to make him quit his business and engage in something else, he
+would have said: "No; I can't leave my office. This is all the means
+I have of getting a living. The business pays well, and I am not
+willing 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, and
+followed him." Matt. ix: 9; Luke v: 28. He became one of the twelve
+apostles and wrote the gospel which bears his name. But it was the
+great power which Jesus has over the hearts of men that made Matthew
+willing to do, at once, what he was told to do.
+
+And the power which Jesus exercised over Matthew, in this case, he
+still has, and still uses. And when he is pleased to use this power
+the very worst people feel it, and are made good by it. And Jesus,
+"the Great Teacher," uses this power sometimes in connection with
+very simple things. Here is an illustration. We may call it:
+
+"Saved by a Rose." Some time ago, a Christian gentleman was in the
+habit 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 little
+yard connected with each cell. He got permission from the officers of
+the prison to do so. He had a bracket fastened to the wall, in each
+yard, 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 most
+hardened man that had ever been in that prison. His temper was so
+violent and obstinate that no one could manage him. The keeper of the
+prison was afraid of him, and never liked to go near him. He was such
+a disagreeable-looking man that the name given to him in the prison
+was "Ugly Greg." A little rose bush was put on the bracket in Ugly
+Greg's yard, and the effect produced by it is told in these simple
+lines, 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 this
+hardened sinner. No; but it led him to think of the lessons of his
+childhood, when he had been taught about Jesus, "the Rose of
+Sharon". It led him to think about his sins. It led him to repent of
+them; 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 of
+him as--"a man saved by a rose;" yet it was the power of Jesus, "the
+Great Teacher," exercised through that rose, which led to this
+blessed change and saved Greg's soul from death.
+
+And thus we have spoken of five things which help to make up the
+greatness of Jesus as a Teacher. These are--The Great Blessings--The
+Great Simplicity--The Great Tenderness--The Great Knowledge--and the
+Great Power connected with his teachings. Let us seek the grace that
+will enable us to learn of him, and then we shall find rest for our
+souls!
+
+
+
+
+
+
+CHRIST TEACHING BY PARABLES
+
+
+
+
+
+We have spoken of our Saviour as "The Great Teacher," and tried to
+point out some of the things in his teaching which helped to make him
+great. And now, it may be well to speak a little of the illustrations
+which he made use of as a Teacher. These are called--_parables_. Our
+Saviour's parables were illustrations. This is what is meant by the
+Greek word from which we get the word parable. It means something
+_set down by the side of another_. When we teach a lesson we are
+setting something before the minds of our scholars. But suppose it is
+a hard lesson and they do not understand it. Then we use an
+illustration. This is something set down beside the lesson to make it
+plain. Then this, whatever it be, is a parable.
+
+At the beginning of his ministry, our Saviour did not make much use
+of parables. But, after he had been preaching for some time, he made
+a change in his way of teaching, in this respect. He began to use
+parables very freely. His disciples were surprised at this. On one
+occasion, after he had used the parable of the Sower, they came to
+their Master and asked him why he always spake to the people now in
+parables? 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 that
+he used parables for two reasons: one was to help those who really
+wished to learn from him to understand what he was teaching. The
+other was that those who were not willing to be taught might listen
+to him without understanding what he was saying. These people had
+heard him when he was teaching without parables. But, instead of
+thanking him for coming to teach them, and of being willing to do
+what he wanted them to do, they found fault with his teaching, and
+would not mind what he said.
+
+Now, there is a great difference between the way in which we are to
+learn what the Bible teaches us about God and heaven; and the way in
+which we learn other things. If we want to learn what the Bible
+teaches us we must be careful that we are having right feelings in
+our hearts; but if we want to learn other things it does not matter
+so much what our feelings are. For instance, suppose you have a
+lesson to learn in geography; no matter how you are feeling, whether
+you are proud, or humble; whether you are cross, or gentle; yet if
+you only study hard enough, and long enough, you can learn that
+lesson. But, if you want to learn one of the lessons that Jesus
+teaches, no matter how hard, or how long you study it, yet while you
+are giving way to proud, or angry feelings in your heart, you can
+never learn that lesson. And the reason is that we cannot learn these
+lessons 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 in
+our hearts. In learning geography, and other such lessons, we do not
+need the _special_ help of God. We can learn them ourselves, if we
+only try. But we cannot learn the lessons that Jesus teaches in this
+way. This is what the Psalmist means when he says:--"The _meek_ will
+he teach his way." Ps. xxv: 9. And this was what our Saviour meant
+when 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 tell
+us.
+
+Some one has well said that truth, taught by a parable, is like the
+kernel 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 the
+shell, and get it: but those who are not willing to crack the shell
+will 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 parables
+freely. We are told that--"without a parable spake he not unto the
+people." St. Mark xiii: 34. He used parables among his disciples for
+two reasons: these were to help them to _understand_, and to remember
+what he taught them.
+
+We have a great many of the parables of Jesus in the gospels. A full
+list of them will contain not less than _fifty_. It would be easy
+enough to make a sermon on each of these parables. But that would
+make a larger work than this whole LIFE OF CHRIST, on which we are
+now engaged. It is impossible therefore to speak of all the parables.
+We can only make selections, or take some specimens of them. We may
+speak of five different lessons as illustrated by some of the
+parables of Christ. These are--_The value of religion: Christ's love
+of sinners: The duty of forgiveness: The duty of kindness: and the
+effect of good example_.
+
+_Well then, we may begin by considering what Jesus taught us of_--THE
+VALUE 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, "The
+kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which
+when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and
+selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field." The words "kingdom
+of heaven" are used by our Saviour in different senses. Sometimes, as
+here, they mean the grace of God, or true religion. And what Jesus
+teaches us by this parable is that true religion is more valuable
+than anything else in the world.
+
+The next parable, in the forty-fifth and forty-sixth verses of the
+same chapter, is about The Pearl of Great Price. This teaches the
+same lesson. It reads thus:--"The kingdom of heaven is like unto a
+merchantman seeking goodly pearls: who, when he had found one pearl
+of 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 the
+treasure hid in the field in the former parable. And the truth he
+teaches in both these parables is that religion is more important to
+us than anything else in the world. Let us look at some incidents
+that 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 the
+words he used to a person who was visiting him: "Once every thing
+went wrong at our house; father was wrong, mother was wrong, sister
+was wrong, and I was wrong; but now, since I have learned to know and
+love Jesus it is all right. I know why everything went wrong
+before:--it was because I was wrong myself." And this is true. The
+first thing that religion does for us is to make us _be_ right
+ourselves, and then to _do_ right to others.
+
+"Be." A young lady had been trying to do something very good, but had
+not succeeded. Her mother said, "Marian, my child, God gives us many
+things to _do_, but we must not forget that he gives us some things
+to _be_; and we must learn to _be_ what God would have us be, before
+we can _do_ what God would have us do."
+
+"O dear mother, please tell me about _being_, and then I shall know
+better 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 better
+day 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 your
+notice 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 of
+Jesus will help us to make these all our own. How great then must the
+value of religion be! Surely it is worth while for each of us to try
+and secure it!
+
+I think I never saw a better view of the value of religion than is
+seen in the following statement of what it does for us. I know not by
+whom it was written, but it is put in the form of that sacred sign to
+which 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. In
+her fourteenth year she was taken with a severe illness, from which
+the doctor said she could not recover. When she became too weak to
+leave the sofa, she would send for one and another of the neighbors
+to come in to see her, and then she would speak to them of Jesus and
+his great salvation. One day a poor old woman who was not a
+Christian, 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: she
+will 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 shall
+soon be with Jesus in heaven, and live forever with him."
+
+"Oh, how can you know that, my dear? We must not be _too_ sure you
+know," said the poor woman.
+
+"Oh," said Annie, pointing to a card hanging on the wall, near her
+bed, on which was printed in large letters the hymn headed--"I leave
+it all with Jesus." "That's what I do! That's what I do." These are
+the words of the hymn which gave that dear child so much comfort on
+her 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 which
+Jesus taught us in his parables, namely--_the value of religion_.
+
+_Another thing we are taught in these parables is_--CHRIST'S LOVE FOR
+SINNERS.
+
+The parable of the lost sheep teaches us this truth: but as we had
+occasion to speak of this in our last chapter, when illustrating the
+tenderness 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 are
+told 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 lost
+piece till she found it. This woman represents Jesus. The lost piece
+of money represents our souls lost by sin. The efforts of the woman
+to 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 _seek
+and to save that which was lost_." And it was the love of Jesus for
+poor sinners which led him to do all this for us. And everything
+connected with the history of Jesus when he was on earth shows the
+greatness of his love. Think of Bethlehem and its manger; there we
+see the love of Jesus. Think of Gethsemane with its bloody sweat;
+there we see the love of Jesus. Think of Calvary with its cross of
+shame and agony; for _there_ we see the love of Jesus.
+
+And the parable of the prodigal son teaches us the same lesson. We
+read of this in the same chapter, St. Luke xv: 11-32. This son had
+been disobedient and ungrateful. He had taken the money his father
+gave him and had gone away and spent it in living very wickedly. And
+when the money was all spent and he was likely to starve, he went
+back to his father, hungry and ragged, and asked to be taken in. And
+instead of scolding and punishing him as he deserved, as soon as his
+father saw him, he ran, and fell on his neck and kissed him; and took
+off his rags, and dressed him in good clothes, and made a great feast
+for him. How beautifully this parable illustrates the love of Christ
+for sinners!
+
+And when we learn to know and feel the love of Christ for us, it does
+two 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 been
+living without trying to serve or please God, and is led to see how
+wrong it is to live in that way, and then feels an earnest desire to
+turn around, and live differently, and really does so:--that is
+conversion. The teaching or preaching of the gospel is the chief
+means that God employs to convert men. And the thing about the gospel
+in which this converting power lies is--_the love of Christ_. Here
+is an illustration of what this means.
+
+"He Loved Me." An English minister of the gospel was traveling in
+Switzerland one summer. As he passed from place to place, he preached
+by means of an interpreter in various churches. One Sunday night he
+preached from the words, "_He loved me, and gave himself for me_."
+Gal. ii: 20. Then he went on his way without knowing what effect had
+followed from his preaching.
+
+One Saturday evening, several weeks after, the minister of this
+church was sitting in his study. There came a faint knock at his
+door. He opened it, when, to his great surprise he saw there a young
+man, who was known as the wickedest young man in that neighborhood,
+and the leader of others in all sorts of wickedness. He invited him
+in, gave him a seat, and asked him what he wished. Judge of his
+surprise when the young man said he wished to inquire if he might
+come to the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, which was to be
+celebrated in his church the next day!
+
+"But are you not aware, my young friend," said the minister, "that
+only those who love Christ, and are trying to serve him, have any
+right to come to that holy ordinance?"
+
+"I know it, sir," said the young man, "and I am thankful to feel
+that I am among that number."
+
+"But," asked the astonished pastor, "are you not known in this
+village as the ringleader in all evil doings?"
+
+"Alas! it is too true that it has been so," he replied, "but thank
+God all is changed now."
+
+"I am happy indeed to hear it; but pray tell me what led to this
+great change."
+
+"I was in your church, sir," said he, "some weeks ago, when that
+English minister preached from the words, 'Who loved me and gave
+himself for me,' That was the first time I ever understood about the
+love of Christ. It led to my repentance and conversion; and now I
+wish 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 that
+illustrates this point very well. We may call it:
+
+"Maggie's Secret." "Maggie Blake, how can you study so hard, and be
+so provokingly good?" This question was asked by Jennie Lee, who was
+one of the largest and wildest girls in the school. Maggie hesitated
+a moment, whether to tell her secret or not. But, presently she
+lifted up her eyes, looked her companion bravely in the face, and
+said--"It's for Jesus' sake, Jennie."
+
+"But do you think he cares?" asked Jennie in a soft, subdued
+voice,--"do you think he cares how we act?"
+
+"I _know_ he does," said Maggie. "And it makes it so pleasant you
+see, even to study and get hard lessons, when I know he is looking at
+me, and is pleased to have me working my best for him. He always
+helps me to get my lessons; and then helps me to say them right. You
+know I used to be so frightened I could not say them, even when I had
+learned them well."
+
+"Yes," said Jennie, remembering very well how Maggie had changed in
+that respect.
+
+"That was before I thought of learning them for Jesus. After that he
+helped me all along. It makes me like school; and even disagreeable
+things are pleasant when I think of doing them for him."
+
+Jennie had often watched Maggie, and wondered what made her have such
+a bright, cheerful, happy look. Now she knew the secret of it. It was
+doing everything "for Jesus' sake."
+
+She felt she would gladly give everything she had to be as happy as
+Maggie. She asked Maggie to pray for her, and she began to pray for
+herself. Then Jesus helped her, and she soon had Maggie's secret for
+her own. The girls in school wondered at the change which had come
+over Jennie. But when they heard that she had been confirmed, and had
+joined the church, they understood it all. They knew she "had been
+with Jesus;" and that it was learning to know and feel his wonderful
+love which had made Jennie so good, and so happy.
+
+And so, we see that Jesus was doing a blessed thing for us when he
+taught the parables which show his love for sinners.
+
+_A third thing taught us by some of the parables of Jesus is_--THE
+DUTY OF KINDNESS.
+
+One day, while Jesus was on earth, a young man came to him with the
+great question, what he should do to obtain eternal life. Jesus
+referred him to the Ten Commandments; and reducing them to two, he
+told the young man that these commandments required him to love God
+with all his heart, and his neighbor as himself; and then said if he
+would 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. I
+suppose that Jesus intended to give this young man some lessons about
+the commandments of God which would lead him to see that he never
+could keep them himself; and that he would need some one to keep them
+for him, and that _this_ was the only way in which he, or any one
+else could be saved. It may have been that the young man did not want
+to hear any thing more on that subject, and so he gave the
+conversation a different turn by asking--"who is my neighbor?" when
+Jesus said he must love his neighbor as himself. And then, in answer
+to this question Jesus told the parable of the "Good Samaritan." We
+have this parable in St. Luke x: 30-37.
+
+Here we are told of a certain man who was going down from Jerusalem
+to Jericho, and fell among thieves. They robbed him; and wounded him;
+and left him half dead. While he was lying there helpless and
+suffering, a priest and a Levite came, and looked on him, and passed
+by on the other side, without giving him any help. Then we are told
+that a certain Samaritan came by, and when he saw the poor wounded
+man lying there, although he was a Jew, and the Jews and the
+Samaritans hated each other very much, yet he pitied him, and went up
+to him, and bound up his wounds, and set him on his own beast, and
+carried him to an inn, and told them to take care of him, and said
+that he would pay all his expenses. Then Jesus asked the question,
+"Which now, of these three thinkest thou was neighbor to him that
+fell among thieves? And he said, he that showed mercy on him. Then
+said 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 the
+duty that Jesus teaches.
+
+Let us look at one or two illustrations of the way in which we should
+do this.
+
+"The Honey Shield." It is said that wasps and bees will not sting a
+person whose skin is covered with honey. And so those who are exposed
+to the sting of these venomous little creatures smear their hands and
+faces over with honey, and this, we are told, proves the best shield
+they can have to keep them from getting stung. And the honey here
+very well represents the kindness which Jesus teaches us to practise.
+If kindness, gentleness, and forbearance are found running through
+all our words and actions, we shall have the best shield to protect
+us from the spiteful stings of wicked people.
+
+"Androcles and the Lion." Most of those who read these pages may have
+heard this story, but it illustrates the point before us so well that
+I do not hesitate to use it here.
+
+Androcles was a Roman slave. To escape the cruel treatment of his
+master he ran away. A lonely cave in the midst of the forest was his
+home for a while. Returning to his cave one day he met a lion near
+the mouth of the cave. He was bellowing as if in pain; and on getting
+nearer to him, he found that he was suffering from a thorn which had
+run into one of his paws. It was greatly swollen and inflamed, and
+was causing him much pain. Androcles went up to the suffering beast.
+He drew out the rankling thorn and thus relieved him of his pain. His
+nature, savage as it was, felt the power of the kindness thus shown
+to him. He became attached to the lonely slave, and shared his prey
+with him while they remained together.
+
+But, after a while the retreat of Androcles was discovered. He was
+taken and carried back to his master. The lion also was made a
+prisoner soon after. Androcles was kept in prison for some time; and
+finally, according to the custom of the Romans, he was condemned to be
+devoured by wild beasts. The lion to be let loose on Androcles had
+been kept a long time without food and was very hungry. When the door
+of his den was opened he rushed out with a tremendous roar. The
+Colosseum was crowded with spectators. They expected to see the poor
+slave torn to pieces in a moment. But, to the surprise of everyone,
+the great monster, hungry as he was, instead of devouring the
+condemed man, crouched at his feet, and began to fondle him, as a pet
+dog would do. He recognized in the poor prisoner his friend of the
+forest and showed that he had not forgotten his kindness. The
+kindness of Androcles had been like the honey shield to him. It saved
+his life, first from the savage beast in the forest; and then from
+the savage men in the city. Let us all put on this shield, and wear
+it wherever we go. The lesson of kindness which Jesus teaches in
+this parable, has been very well put by some one in these sweet
+lines:
+
+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 the
+parables.
+
+_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 he
+ought to forgive a brother that offended him; and whether it would be
+enough to forgive him _seven_ times. The answer of Jesus was, "I say
+not 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 thousand
+talents. If these were talents of silver they would amount to more
+than fifteen millions of dollars. If they were talents of gold, they
+would amount to three hundred millions. This would show that his debt
+was so great that he never could pay it. Then his master freely
+forgave 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; but
+put him in prison. When his master heard this he was very angry, and
+put him in prison, where he should be punished until he had paid all
+his great debt. And Jesus finished the parable by saying--"_so
+likewise, shall my heavenly Father do unto you, if ye, from your
+hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses_." And here
+we are taught the great duty of forgiveness. And this same duty is
+taught us in the Lord's Prayer, where he says--"Forgive us our
+trespasses, as we also forgive those who trespass against us." If we
+use this prayer without forgiving those who injure us, then, in so
+using it, we are really asking God _not_ to forgive us. And Jesus
+_practised_ what he _preached_. As he hung bleeding and agonizing on
+the cross, while his enemies were cruelly mocking his misery, he
+looked up to heaven, and uttered that wonderful prayer--"_Father
+forgive them; for they know not what they do_." Here we have the best
+illustration of forgiveness that the world has ever seen.
+
+"Example of Forgiveness." In a school in Ireland, one boy struck
+another. The offending boy was brought up to be punished, when the
+injured boy begged for his pardon. The teacher asked--"Why do you
+wish to keep him from being flogged?" The ready reply was--"Because I
+have read in the New Testament that our Lord Jesus Christ said that
+we must forgive our enemies; and therefore I forgive him, and beg
+that he may not be punished for my sake."
+
+"Good for Evil." At the foot of a street in New York, stood an
+Italian organ grinder, with his organ. A number of boys had gathered
+round him, but they were more anxious to have some fun than to hear
+music. 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 so
+much force that the poor man's hat was knocked into the gutter. A
+gentleman standing by expected to see him get very angry, and swear
+at the boy. But, very different from this was the result that
+followed. The musician stopped; stepped forward and picked up his
+hat. 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 real
+Christian forgiveness.
+
+"The Power of the Gospel." Years ago some carpenters moved to the
+Island of New Zealand, and set up a shop for carrying on their
+business. They were engaged to build a chapel at one of the Mission
+Stations. One of these carpenters, a pleasant, kind-hearted man,
+engaged a native Christian to dig his garden for him. When the work
+was done the man went to the shop for his pay. Another of the
+carpenters there, who was a very ill-tempered man, told the native to
+get out of the shop. "Don't be angry," was the gentle reply; "I have
+only come to have a little talk with your partner, and to get my
+wages from him." "But I _am_ angry." And then taking hold of the New
+Zealander by the shoulder, he abused and kicked him in the most cruel
+manner.
+
+The native made no resistance till the carpenter ceased. Then he
+jumped up, seized him by the throat, and snatching a small axe from
+the 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 to
+kill you; and my arm is quite willing, but my heart is not. I have
+heard the missionaries preach the gospel of forgiveness. You owe your
+life to the preaching of the gospel. If my heart was as dark now as
+it was before the gospel was preached here, I should strike off your
+head in an instant!"
+
+Then he released the carpenter without injuring him and accepted from
+him a blanket as an apology for the insult. How faithfully this man
+was practising the duty of forgiveness which Jesus taught!
+
+_The only other thing of which we shall now speak, as taught by our
+Saviour 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 truth
+it teaches is very important. We first find this parable in the
+sermon 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 a
+candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let
+your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works,
+and glorify your Father which is in heaven." Matt, v: 15. This
+parable is so important that we find it repeated in three other
+places. 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 good
+example by doing what we know to be right, and then, like a candle
+shining in a dark place, we shall be useful wherever we go. Let us
+look at one or two incidents that illustrate this.
+
+"A Boy's Influence." Two families lived in one house. In each of
+these families there was a little boy about the same age. These boys
+slept together. One of them had a good pious mother. She had trained
+him to kneel down every night, before getting into bed, and say his
+prayer in an audible voice, and to repeat a text of scripture which
+she had taught him. Now the first time he slept with the other little
+boy, who never said any prayers, he was tempted to jump into bed, as
+his companion did, without kneeling down to pray. But he was a brave
+and noble boy. He said to himself--"I am not afraid to do what my
+mother taught me. I am not ashamed for anybody to know that I pray to
+God. I'll do as I have been taught to do." He did so. He let his
+light shine. And see what followed from its shining!
+
+The little boy who had never been taught to pray learned his
+companion's prayer, and the verse he repeated, by hearing them, and
+he never forgot them. He grew up to be an earnest Christian man. When
+he 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 that
+it was his little prayer, so faithfully said every night when they
+were boys, which led him to become a Christian. He repeated the
+prayer and the verse, word for word, and with his dying lips thanked
+his friend for letting his light shine as he did, for _that_ had
+saved his soul.
+
+Here is another illustration of a Christian letting his light shine
+and the good that was done by it. We may call it:
+
+"The Shilling Bible, and what Came of It." Some years ago a
+Christian gentleman went on a visit for three days to the house of a
+rich lady who lived at the west end of London. After tea, on the
+first evening of his arrival, he called one of the servants, and
+telling her that in the hurry of leaving home he had forgotten to
+bring a Bible with him, he requested her to ask the lady of the house
+to be kind enough to lend him one.
+
+Now that house was beautifully furnished. There were splendid
+pictures on the walls, and elegantly bound volumes in the library and
+on 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 the
+servant a shilling and told her to go to the book store round the
+corner and buy a Bible. The Bible was bought and given to the
+gentleman. He used it during his visit, and then went home, little
+knowing how much good that shilling Bible was to do.
+
+When he was gone the lady at whose house he had been staying said to
+herself:
+
+"How strange it is that an intelligent gentleman like my friend could
+not bear to go for three days without reading the Bible, while I
+never read it at all, and don't know what it teaches. I am curious
+to know what there is in this book to make it so attractive. I mean
+to begin and read it through." She began to read it at first out of
+simple curiosity. But, as she went on reading she became deeply
+interested in it. It showed her what a sinner she was in living
+without God in the world. It led her to pray earnestly for the pardon
+of her sins; and the end of it was that she became a Christian. Then
+she desired that her children should know and love the Saviour too.
+She prayed for them. She talked with them, and taught them the
+precious truths contained in that blessed book. And the result was
+that, one by one, they were all led to Jesus and became Christians.
+And so _that whole family were saved by means of that shilling
+Bible_.
+
+When that gentleman asked for the use of a Bible in the house where
+he was visiting, he was setting a good example. He was putting his
+candle on a candlestick and letting it shine. And the result that
+followed gives us a good illustration of the meaning of our Saviour's
+words when he said:--"Let your light so shine before men, that they
+may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven."
+
+And so, when we remember the parables that Jesus taught, among other
+things illustrated by them, we can think of these,--_the value of
+religion;--Christ's love for sinners;--the duty of kindness;--the
+duty of forgiveness;--the influence of a good example_.
+
+I know not how to finish this subject better than in the words of the
+hymn:
+
+  "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 on
+earth by the parables which he used. But we teach by our lives, as
+well as by our lips. It has passed into a proverb, and we all admit
+the truth of it, that "Actions speak louder than words." If our words
+and our actions contradict each other, people will believe our
+actions sooner than our words. But when both agree together, then the
+effect is very great. This was true with our blessed Lord. There was
+an entire agreement between what he said, and what he did. His words
+and his actions, the teaching of his lips, and the teaching of his
+life--were in perfect harmony. He practised what he preached.
+
+But then, in addition to the every day common actions of the life of
+Christ, there were actions in it that were very uncommon. He was
+daily performing miracles, and doing many mighty and wonderful
+works. And the prophets before him, and apostles after him, performed
+miracles too; yet there were two things in which the miracles of
+Christ differed from those performed by others. One was as to the
+_number_ of them. He did a greater number of wonderful things than
+anyone else ever did. Indeed if we take the miracles that were done
+by Moses, by Elijah and Elisha, in the Old Testament, and those that
+were done by the apostles in the New Testament and put them all
+together we shall find that they would not equal, in number, the
+miracles of Christ. There are between thirty and forty of the mighty
+works wrought by our Saviour mentioned in the gospels. And these, as
+St. John says, are only a small portion of them. Ch. xxi: 25.
+
+The other thing in which the miracles of Christ are different from
+those performed by other persons, is _the way in which they were
+done_. The prophets and apostles did their mighty works in the name
+of God, or of Christ. Thus when Peter and John healed the lame man at
+the gate of the temple they said:--"_In the name of Jesus Christ of
+Nazareth_, rise up and walk." Acts iii: 6. But Jesus had all the
+power in himself by which those wonderful things were done. He could
+say to the leper,--"_I will_; be thou clean." He could say to the
+sick man:--"Take up thy bed and walk." When speaking of his death and
+resurrection, he could very well say that it was his own power which
+would control it all. His life was in his own hands. It was true, as
+he said, "No man taketh it from me; but I lay it down of myself. I
+have 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 all
+the 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 what
+Nicodemus meant when he said to Jesus:--"We know that thou art a
+teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou
+doest, except God be with him." John iii: 2. And Jesus himself
+referred 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 the
+Baptist, when his disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Are thou he that
+should come, or look we for another?" Jesus answered and said unto
+them, "Go, and show John again those things which ye do hear and see;
+the blind receive their sight; and the lame walk; the lepers are
+cleansed; and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up; and the poor
+have the gospel preached unto them." Matt, xi: 2-6. These were the
+very things which the prophets had foretold that Christ would do when
+he came. Is. xxix: 18. xxxv: 4-6. xlii: 7.
+
+It is clear from these passages that all the miracles performed by
+our Lord were intended to teach this lesson, that he was the great
+Saviour of whom the prophets had spoken. But then, in addition to
+this, these wonderful works of Jesus were made use of by him to show
+that he has power to do everything for his people that they may need
+to have him do.
+
+It is impossible for us to speak of all the miracles of Christ. We
+can only make selections from them, as we did with the parables in
+the last chapter. In looking at these we may see Jesus teaching us
+that he has power to do _four_ things for his people.
+
+_In the first place some of the miracles of Christ teach us that he
+has great power to_--HELP.
+
+We see this in the account given us of the miraculous draught of
+fishes. Luke v: 1-11.
+
+Peter was a fisherman before he became a disciple of Jesus. And James
+and John, the sons of Zebedee, were partners with him in the same
+business. On one occasion they had been busy all night throwing out
+and hauling in their nets, but without catching a single fish. Early
+the next morning, Jesus was walking along the shore of the lake, near
+where their boats were. He knew how tired and discouraged they were,
+and how much they needed help; and he wished to show them what
+wonderful power he had to help in time of need. So he told them to
+cast their net on the other side of the ship. They did so; and
+immediately their nets were full; and they had more fish than they
+could well manage. Here we are taught that even in the depths of the
+sea 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 the
+power to bring it to them.
+
+And then, by his miracle of walking on the sea Jesus taught the same
+lesson. 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 people
+and feeding them by miracle, Jesus told his disciples to go on board
+a vessel and cross over to the other side of the lake. Then he sent
+the multitude away, and went up into the mountain to pray to his
+Father in heaven whom he loved so much. It proved to be a stormy
+night. The wind was dead ahead; and the sea was very rough. The
+disciples were having a hard time of it. Tired of rowing, and making
+little progress, there was no prospect of their getting to land
+before morning. But, dark as the night was, Jesus saw them. It is
+true as David says, that--"_The darkness and the light are both alike
+to thee._" Ps. cxxxix: 12. He saw they needed help and he resolved to
+give 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 on
+the land. He steps from the sandy shore to the surface of the
+storm-tossed sea. He walks safely over its troubled waters. The
+disciples see him. Supposing it to be a spirit, they are alarmed, and
+cry out in their fear. But presently the cheering voice of their
+Master comes to them, saying: "_It is I. Be not afraid_." He steps on
+board. The wind ceases, and immediately, without another stroke of
+the oars, the mighty power of Jesus brings them "in safety to the
+haven where they would be." Other miracles might be referred to as
+teaching the same lesson. But these are sufficient. And Jesus has the
+same power to help now that he had then.
+
+Here are some illustrations of the strange way in which he sometimes
+helps his people in their times of need.
+
+"The Dead Raven." A poor weaver in Edinburgh lost his situation one
+winter, on account of business being so dull. He begged earnestly of
+his 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 and
+told his wife the sad news she was greatly distressed. He tried to
+comfort her with the assurance--"The Lord will help." But as he could
+get 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 last
+morsel of bread was eaten one morning at breakfast. "What shall we do
+for 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 off
+the sill. Just then a rude boy, who was passing, threw a dead raven
+in through the window. It fell at the feet of the pious weaver. As
+he threw the bird in, the boy cried out in mockery, "There, old
+saint, is something for you to eat." The weaver took up the dead
+raven, saying as he did so:--"Poor creature! you must have died of
+hunger!"
+
+But when he felt its crop to see whether it was empty, he noticed
+something hard in it. And wishing to know what had caused its death,
+he took a knife and cut open its throat. How great was his
+astonishment on doing this, to find a small diamond bracelet fall
+into his hand! His wife gazed at it in amazement. "Didn't I tell
+you," he asked, in grateful gladness, "that the Lord will help?"
+
+He went to the nearest jeweler's, and telling how he had found the
+precious jewels, borrowed some money on them. On making inquiry about
+it, it turned out that the bracelet belonged to the wife of the good
+weaver's late employer. It had suddenly disappeared from her chamber.
+One of the servants had been charged with stealing it, and had been
+dismissed. On hearing how the bracelet had disappeared, and how
+strangely it had fallen into the hands of his late worthy workman,
+the gentleman was very much touched; and not only rewarded him
+liberally for returning it--but took him back into his employ, and
+said 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 who
+trust in him!
+
+"The Sailor Boy's Belief." One night there was a terrible storm at
+sea. All at once a ship, which was tossing on the waves, keeled over
+on 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," said
+the boy, "they are praying at this very moment in the Bethel ship at
+Glasgow for all sailors in danger: and I feel sure that God will hear
+their prayers: Now see, sir, if he don't!"
+
+These words were hardly out of the boy's mouth, before a great wave
+struck the ship, and set her right up again. And then a shout of
+praise, louder than the howling of the storm, went up to God from the
+deck of that saved ship.
+
+And so, in the miracles that he performed, one thing that Jesus
+taught was his power to help.
+
+_In the next place, among the miracles of Christ, we find some that
+were performed in order to teach us his power to_--COMFORT.
+
+One day, a great multitude of people waited on Jesus from morning
+till evening, to listen to his preaching. They were so anxious to
+hear that even when hungry they would not go away to get food. As the
+evening came on, the disciples asked their master to send the people
+away to get something to eat. But Jesus told them to give the people
+food. They said they had only five loaves and two fishes. Jesus told
+them to make the people sit down on the grass. And when they were
+seated he took the loaves and blessed, and brake them, and gave them
+to the disciples, and they gave them to the people. And great as that
+multitude was the supply did not fail. This was wonderful! Those
+loaves were very small. They were not bigger than a good-sized roll.
+The whole of the five loaves and two fishes would not have been
+enough to make a meal for a dozen men. And yet they were made
+sufficient to feed more than five thousand hungry people. How strange
+this was! The mighty power of Jesus did it. We are not told just
+_where_, in the interesting scene, this wonder-working power was put
+forth. It may have been that as Jesus brake the loaves and gave the
+pieces 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 have
+increased and multiplied while the disciples were engaged in
+distributing them. It is most likely that the miracle took place in
+immediate connection with Jesus himself. The power that did it was
+his: and in his hands, we may suppose that the wonderful work was
+done. As fast as he broke the loaves they increased, till all the
+people were fed. This was indeed not _one_ miracle, but a multitude
+of miracles, all performed at once. The hungry multitude ate till all
+were satisfied: and yet the fragments left filled twelve baskets.
+Five thousand men were fed, and then there was twelve times as much
+food left as there was before they began to eat. All this was done to
+satisfy that hungry crowd, and to teach them, and us, what power this
+glorious Saviour has to comfort those who are in need or trouble.
+
+And when he healed the daughter of the Syrophoenician woman, as we
+read in St. Matt, xii: 21-28; when he healed the lunatic child, as we
+read in St. Matt, xvii: 14-21; and when he raised Lazarus from the
+dead, 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 comfort
+those in trouble.
+
+And we see him using his power still to comfort persons who are in
+distress. Here are some illustrations of the way in which he does
+this:
+
+"Shining in Every Window." A Christian lady, who spent much time in
+visiting among the poor, went one day to see a poor young girl, who
+was kept at home by a broken limb. Her room was on the north side of
+the house. It did not look pleasant without or cheerful within. "Poor
+girl!" she said to herself, "what a dreary time she must have!" On
+entering her room she said:
+
+"I am sorry, my friend, that your room is not on the other side of
+the house, where the sun could shine upon you. You never can have any
+sunshine here."
+
+"Oh, you are mistaken," she said: "the sunshine pours in at every
+window, and through every crack."
+
+The lady looked surprised.
+
+"I mean Jesus, 'the Sun of righteousness,' shines in here, and makes
+everything bright to me."
+
+Here we see Jesus showing his power to comfort.
+
+"Ice in Summer." Some years ago a Christian merchant, in one of our
+eastern cities, failed in business, and lost everything he had. After
+talking over their affairs with his wife, who was a good Christian
+woman, they concluded to move out to the west and begin life again
+there. He bought some land on the wide rolling prairie, built a log
+cabin, and began to cultivate his farm. In the midst of the second
+summer, hard work and exposure to the sun brought on an attack of
+sickness, and a raging fever set in. They were twelve miles away from
+the nearest town. One of the neighbors went there and came back with
+a doctor. He examined the case very carefully, and left some medicine
+with them, and told them what to do. He said it was a very dangerous
+attack. If they could only get some ice to apply to the burning brow
+of 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 her
+family and friends round the bedside of her sick husband, and kneeled
+down with them in prayer. She told God what the doctor had said, and
+prayed 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 each
+other that the poor distressed woman must be losing her mind. "The
+idea of getting ice here," they said, "when everybody knows there
+isn't a bit of ice in all the country! It would be contrary to all
+the laws of nature to have ice in summer."
+
+The wife of the sick man heard their remarks, but they did not shake
+her faith in God, and in the power of prayer. Silently, but
+earnestly, 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 was
+heard to mutter. Nearer and louder it was heard. The lightning began
+to flash. Presently the storm burst in its fury. It came first in
+rain, and then in hail. The hail-stones came in lumps of ice as big
+as eggs. They lay thick in the furrows of the field. The thankful
+wife 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 he
+was restored to life and health.
+
+This grateful woman never troubled herself with any questions about
+whether it was a miracle or not. She only knew that she had prayed
+for ice in summer, and that the ice had come. And her faith was
+stronger than ever that the gracious Saviour, who did so many
+miracles when he was on earth, has just the same power now to comfort
+his people when they are in trouble.
+
+_In the third place, we see Jesus performing miracles to teach us
+what power he has to_--ENCOURAGE--_his people_.
+
+We have an account in St. Luke xiii: 10-17, of the miracle he
+performed on the woman who had "a spirit of infirmity." This means
+that she was a cripple. Her body was bound down, so that she had no
+power to straighten herself or to stand upright. She had been in this
+condition we are told for _eighteen_ years. How hard to bear--and how
+discouraging this trial must have been to her! No doctor could give
+her any relief, and she had made up her mind, no doubt, that there
+was no relief for her till death came. But when Jesus saw her, he
+pitied her. A miracle of healing was performed upon her. He laid his
+loving hand upon her bent and crippled body, and in a moment her
+disease was removed. She stood straight up, and glorified God. What
+encouragement that must have given to her!
+
+One day, when Jesus was at Capernaum, the tax-gatherers came to Peter
+to get the tribute, or tax-money, that was due to the Roman
+government, for himself and his master. But, it happened so that
+neither of them had money enough with which to pay that tax. Peter
+went 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 say
+anything on the subject, told him what to do. He directed him to take
+his fishing-line and go to the lake, and cast in his line, and catch
+the first fish that should bite; and said that in its mouth he would
+find a piece of money with which he might pay the tribute that was
+due for them both.
+
+Peter went. He threw in his line. He soon caught a fish. He looked
+into the fish's mouth and lo! there was a piece of money called a
+stater. It was worth about sixty cents of our money, and was just
+enough to pay the tribute for two persons. How wonderful this was! If
+Jesus made this piece of money in the mouth of the fish, at the time
+when Peter caught it, how wonderful his _power_ must be! And if,
+without making it then, he knew that _that_ one fish, the only one in
+the sea, probably, that had such a piece of money in its mouth, would
+be 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 he
+lived. And when he thought of the illustration it afforded of the
+wonderful power and the wonderful knowledge of the master whom he was
+serving, what encouragement that would give him in his work!
+
+And Jesus is constantly doing things to encourage those who are
+trying to serve him.
+
+Let us look at some of the ways in which this is done. Our first
+illustration is from the life of Washington Allston, the great
+American painter. We may call it:
+
+"Praying for Bread." Many years ago Mr. Allston was considered one of
+the greatest artists in this country. At the time to which our story
+refers, he was living in London. Then he was so poor that he and his
+wife had not a morsel of bread to eat; nor a penny left with which to
+buy any. In great discouragement he went into his studio, locked the
+door, and throwing himself on his knees, he told the Lord his
+trouble, and prayed earnestly for relief.
+
+While he was still upon his knees, a knock was heard at the door. He
+arose 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 Royal
+Academy?"
+
+"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 the
+corner, 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 always
+asked 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 introduced
+himself as the Marquis of Stafford; and from that day he became one
+of 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 that
+followed him all his days!
+
+"The Hushed Tempest." A minister of the gospel in Canada gives this
+account of a lesson of encouragement to trust God in trouble, which
+he once received.
+
+"It was in the year 1853, about the middle of the winter that we had
+a succession of snowstorms, followed by high winds, and severe cold.
+I was getting ready to haul my supply of wood for the rest of the
+winter. I had engaged a man to go out the day before and cut the wood
+and have it ready to haul. I borrowed a sled and two horses from a
+neighbor and started early in the morning to haul the wood. Just as I
+reached the place, it began to snow hard. The wind blew such a gale
+that it was impossible to go on with the work. What was I to do? If
+it kept on snowing, I knew the roads would be impassable by the next
+day. Besides, that was the only day on which I could get the help of
+the man or the team. Unless I secured the wood that day it would not
+be 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 is
+a day of trouble to me. Lord help me. The elements are subject to thy
+will: Thou holdest the winds in thy hands. If thou wilt speak the
+word, there will be a great calm. O Lord, for the sake of my helpless
+little ones, let this snow lie still, and give me the opportunity of
+doing 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 I
+began to pray, before there was a visible change. The wind became
+more moderate; the sky was calm; in less than half an hour all was
+still; and a more pleasant time for wood-hauling than we had that day
+I never saw, nor desire to see. While I live, I never shall forget
+the lesson of encouragement to trust in God that was taught me on
+that day." And this was one of the lessons Jesus taught us by his
+miracles.
+
+_In the fourth place, among the miracles of Jesus we see some that
+were 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 weak
+to protect ourselves.
+
+One day, Jesus went into the house of the apostle Peter, and found
+the family in great distress, because the mother of Peter's wife was
+very ill and in danger of dying. We judge from the history that she
+was the head of the family. Her death would have been a great loss to
+them all, and yet it seemed as if no human power could protect them
+from that loss. But Jesus performed a miracle to save them from this
+threatened danger. He went into the room where she lay. He put his
+healing hands upon her, and at once she was well. Immediately she
+rose up from that sick bed, and took her place in the family and
+waited on Jesus.
+
+On another occasion he was crossing the sea of Galilee with his
+disciples. 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 he
+was lying there a sudden storm burst upon the sea. The wind howled in
+its fury. The angry waves rose in their might and dashed against the
+vessel in hissing foam. The ship was full of water, and in danger of
+sinking. The terrified disciples came to their sleeping Master with
+the earnest cry:--"Lord save us: we perish." He heard their cry. He
+rose at once. Quietly he took his stand by the side of the
+storm-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 lesson
+he taught them by that miracle of his power to protect in danger.
+
+And then many of the miracles of our Saviour were performed for the
+purpose of showing what power he had to protect his people from
+Satan, and the evil spirits that serve him. It pleased God to allow
+these evil spirits to have more power over men during the time when
+Jesus was on earth than they had before, or than they have now. We
+often read in the gospels of men who were "possessed of devils." This
+means that the evil spirits entered into the bodies of these men, and
+used them as their own; just as you, or I, might go into an empty
+house, and use it as if it belonged to us. But Jesus performed a
+number 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 from
+their 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, seeking
+whom he may devour." I. Peter v: 8. But he is a chained lion: and
+Jesus holds the chain. If we are trying to love and serve Jesus, we
+need not be afraid of this roaring lion. He cannot touch us till our
+Saviour gives him permission; and he will not let him hurt us. We see
+this illustrated in Job's case. Satan wanted very much to injure Job
+in some way. But he could not do it. And the reason of it was, as he
+said himself, that God had "put an hedge about him, and about his
+house, and about all that he had on every side." Job i: 10. This
+hedge, or fence, means the power which Jesus exercises to protect his
+people from the harm that Satan desires to do to them. In this way he
+protected Job. And in this way he protects all who love and serve
+him.
+
+Let us take an illustration or two to show how he is doing this
+continually.
+
+"Providential Deliverance." One of the best men, and one of the most
+useful ministers in London, during the last century, was the Rev.
+John Newton. Before entering the ministry he held an office under
+the government. One of the duties of this office was for him to visit
+and inspect the vessels of the navy as they lay at anchor in the
+river Thames. One day he was going out to visit a man-of-war that lay
+there. He was a very punctual man. When he had an engagement he was
+always ready at the very moment. But when he reached the dock on this
+occasion the boat which was to take him off to the man-of-war was not
+there. He was obliged to wait five, ten, fifteen minutes before the
+boat came. This displeased him very much. But the hand of God was in
+this delay. For, just as the boat was leaving the dock, a spark fell
+into the powder magazine on board the man-of-war. An explosion took
+place. The huge vessel was blown to pieces, and all the men on board
+of her were killed. That delay of a quarter of an hour saved Mr.
+Newton's life. In this way that gracious Saviour whom he served
+protected him from the danger to which he was exposed.
+
+"Willie's Heroism." One summer afternoon a teacher told her geography
+class that they might close their books and rest a little, while she
+told them a story. The story was about William Tell, the famous hero
+of Switzerland. She told the scholars how a wicked governor placed an
+apple on the head of Tell's little boy and then compelled the father
+to take his bow and arrow and shoot the apple from the head of his
+son. He was very unwilling to do it, for he was afraid the arrow
+might miss and kill his child. But the brave boy stood firm, and
+cried 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 from
+the 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 the
+teacher for protection. But a little boy named Willie Hawthorne, kept
+his 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 my
+Heavenly Father's hand, and why should I be afraid?"
+
+How well Willie had learned the lesson which Jesus taught his
+disciples when he performed so many miracles to show what power he
+has to protect his people from danger!
+
+Here is just one other story to illustrate this truth. We may call
+it:
+
+"The Widow's Tree," Some years ago a violent storm, with wind and
+thunder, 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 was
+spread all over the land.
+
+In the centre of the region over which this hurricane swept stood a
+small cabin. It was occupied by an aged Christian widow, with her
+only son. The terrible wind struck a large tree in front of her
+humble dwelling, twisting and dashing it about. If the tree should
+fall it would crush her home, and probably kill herself and son. The
+storm 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 asked
+God 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 was
+over, the widow's tree was spared, and strange as it may seem, was
+the only one left amidst that scene of desolation. There it stood,
+as if on purpose to show what power our loving Saviour has to protect
+from danger those who trust in him!
+
+_But, in the last place, we see that Jesus performed some of his
+miracles for the purpose of teaching us that he has power
+to_--PARDON.
+
+A man was brought him, one day, who was sick of the palsy. His limbs
+were helpless. He was not able to come to Jesus himself, so his
+friends carried him on a bed. At this time Jesus was preaching in the
+yard, or court, connected with some rich man's house. In those
+eastern countries the houses were not built as ours are, with a yard
+back of them. There is a square yard in the centre, and the house is
+built round the four sides of this square. This open space is
+generally used as a garden. It has a fountain playing in it, and a
+covering of cloth or mats spread over it to keep off the sun. It was
+in one of these open courts that Jesus was preaching on this
+occasion. A great crowd had gathered round him, so that the friends
+of the palsied man could not get near him with the bed on which the
+sufferer lay. Then they concluded to carry him up to the top of the
+house, and lower him down inside. This would not be easy to do with
+us. But the eastern houses are not so high as ours. And then they
+have flat roofs, and a flight of steps leading from the ground, on
+the outside, to the top of the house. This made it very easy to get
+up. When they were on the roof they removed the covering from the
+inner court, and let down the bed, with the sick man on it, directly
+in 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 were
+surprised at this. The Pharisees said among themselves "This man
+blasphemeth." Jesus knew their thoughts and told them it was as easy
+for him to heal the souls of men, as it was to heal their bodies. And
+then, to show them that he had power on earth to forgive sins, he
+said to the sick man--"Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine
+house. And he arose, and went to his house," Matt, ix: 1-8. Certainly
+the object Jesus had in view, in performing this miracle, was to
+prove 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. It
+affected the body as sin affects the soul. And then, leprosy was a
+disease which none but God could cure; just as sin is an offence
+which none but God our Saviour can pardon. And so Jesus performed the
+miracle of healing the palsied man and the lepers in order to teach
+his disciples the great lesson that he "had power on earth to forgive
+sins."
+
+And he has the same power still. Here are some illustrations of the
+way 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. The
+priests had sent him to their most famous temples, all over the
+country, but he could get no pardon, and find no peace. He had fasted
+till he was about worn to a skeleton, and had done many painful
+things--but pardon and peace he could not find. At last he was told
+to put pebbles in his shoes and travel to a distant temple, and make
+an offering there; and he would find peace. He went. He made the
+offering; but still he found no relief from the burden of his sins.
+
+Sad, and sorrowful, he was returning home with the pebbles still in
+his shoes. Wearied with his journey, he halted one day in the shade
+of a grove, by the wayside, where a company of people was gathered
+round a stranger who was addressing them. It was a Christian
+missionary preaching the gospel. The heathen listened with great
+interest. The missionary was preaching from the words:--"The blood of
+Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin." He showed what power Jesus had
+to forgive sins and how able and willing he is to save all who come
+unto him. The heart of the poor heathen was drawn to this loving and
+glorious Saviour. He took off his shoes and threw away the pebbles,
+saying "This is the Saviour I have long sought in vain. Thank God! I
+have found salvation!"
+
+Here is one more illustration of the way in which Jesus pardons our
+sins, and of the effect which that pardon has on those who receive
+it. We may call it:
+
+"Pardon and Peace." An officer who held a high position under the
+government of his country, and was a favorite with the king, was once
+brought before the judge and charged with a great crime. He took his
+place at the bar with the greatest coolness, and looked at the judge
+and jury and the great crowd of spectators as calmly as if he were
+at home, surrounded by his own family.
+
+The trial began. The witnesses were called up, and gave clear
+evidence that he was guilty. Still he remained as calm and unmoved as
+ever. There was not the least sign of fear visible on his
+countenance; on the contrary, his face wore a pleasant smile.
+
+At last the jury came in, and while the crowd in the court-room held
+their breath, declared that the prisoner was guilty. In an instant
+every eye was turned upon the prisoner to see what effect this
+sentence would have upon him. But just then, he put his hand in his
+bosom, drew out a paper, and laid it on the table. It was a pardon, a
+full, free pardon of all his offences, given him by the king, and
+sealed with the royal signet. This was the secret of his peace. This
+was what gave him such calmness and confidence in his dreadful
+position 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: though
+they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool," Is. i: 16. "Let
+them 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 had
+received. Faith in these promises brings pardon, and the pardon
+brings peace. And so, by what he is doing now, as well as by the
+miracles he performed when on earth, we are taught the precious
+truth, that--"The Son of man hath power to forgive sins."
+
+Then when we think of the wonderful miracles that Jesus did, let us
+always 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 we
+shall find that what Jesus taught by his miracles will be very
+profitable 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 which
+he taught, it would make a long list. As we have done before we can
+only take one or two specimens of these general lessons which Jesus
+taught.
+
+We have one of these in the title to our present chapter, which
+is--_Christ Teaching Liberality_. This was a very important lesson
+for Jesus to teach. One of the sad effects of sin upon our nature is
+to make it selfish, and covetous. We are tempted to love money more
+than we ought to do. We are not so willing to part with it as we
+should be. And we never can be good and true Christians unless we
+overcome the selfishness of our sinful hearts, and not only learn to
+give, but to give liberally. The Bible teaches us that God not only
+expects his people to give, but, as St. Paul says, in one place, to
+give "_cheerfully_." II. Cor. ix: 7.
+
+And this is the lesson Jesus taught when he said to his
+disciples,--"Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure,
+pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give
+into your bosoms." St. Luke vi: 38.
+
+And when we come to consider these words of Jesus, there are three
+things to engage our attention. _The first of these is the_--LESSON
+OF LIBERALITY--_here set before us_.
+
+_The second is_--THE PROOF--_that this lesson is taught all through
+the Bible_.
+
+_And the third is_--THE ILLUSTRATIONS--_of this lesson_.
+
+And then, when put into its shortest form, our present subject may be
+thus expressed--_the lesson of liberality; its proofs; and its
+illustrations_.
+
+And the lesson which Jesus here taught is all wrapped up in this
+little word--"_Give_." Here we learn what the will of Jesus is on
+this subject. This is not simply the expression of his opinion. It is
+not merely his advice; no, but it is his _command_. He is speaking
+here 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 to
+consider ourselves as his disciples if we are neglecting this or any
+other of his plain commands.
+
+And this command about giving is not intended for any _one_ class of
+persons among the followers of Christ, but for _all_ of them. It is
+not a command designed for kings, or princes, or rich men only, but
+for 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 us
+to 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 thousand
+dollars he expects us to give one hundred out of the thousand. If we
+have a hundred he expects us to give ten. If we have ten dollars we
+must give one of them to God. If we have only one dollar we must give
+ten cents of it to Him. If we have but ten cents we must give one of
+them. 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, but
+simply--give. This means that we are to learn the lesson and form the
+habit of giving. His command is--give. And in giving us this command
+he is only asking us to imitate his own example. _He is giving all
+the time_. The apostle Paul tells us that Jesus is "exalted to the
+right hand of the Father to--give." He never tires of giving. "He
+giveth to all life, breath, and all things." And if we have not the
+Spirit of Christ in this respect, "we are none of his."
+
+This, then, is the lesson of liberality that Jesus taught when he
+said--"give." And that _giving is God's rule for getting_ is what we
+are taught by our Saviour, when he said--"_Give, and it shall be
+given unto you_."
+
+And now, having seen what this lesson of liberality is, which Jesus
+taught, _let us look at some of the Scripture proofs of it_. The same
+lesson is taught in other places in the Bible. Let us see what is
+said 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 poor
+here, means being kind to them, and giving them such things as they
+need. And the blessing promised to those who do this means that God
+will 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's
+rule for getting."
+
+We have another proof that "giving is God's rule for getting," in
+Prov. iii: 9, 10. Here Solomon says--"Honor the Lord with thy
+substance, and with the first-fruits of all thine increase: So shall
+thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with
+new wine."
+
+When the Jewish farmers gathered in their harvests they were required
+to make an offering to God, of what had been gathered, before they
+used any part of it for themselves; and the offerings thus made were
+called "the first-fruits." God considered himself honored by his
+people when they did this, because they were keeping his commandments
+and 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 to
+the cause of God from all the money, or property we have, and from
+all the gain, or increase that we make to the same. This is the Bible
+rule--the will or command of God for all his people. And then, in
+the other part of this passage we have the promise of God to all who
+do this. "So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses
+shall burst out with new wine."
+
+This means that they shall be rich and prosperous. And so we see that
+this passage from the book of Proverbs, teaches the same lesson of
+liberality that our Saviour taught when he said--"_Give and it shall
+be given unto you_." It proves that "giving is God's rule for
+getting."
+
+And Solomon teaches the same, again, when he says, "The liberal soul
+shall be made fat; and he that watereth shall be watered also
+himself." Prov. xi: 25.
+
+A "liberal soul" means a person who is in the habit of giving; and to
+be "made fat" means to be prospered and happy. If you undertake to
+water a garden, you are _giving_ to the thirsty plants that which
+they need to make them grow and thrive; and when it is promised that
+the person who does this shall "be watered also himself," the meaning
+is that he shall have given to him all that is most important to
+supply his wants, and make him happy. And this, we see, is only
+teaching what our Saviour taught when he said, "Give, and it shall be
+given unto you." It furnishes us with another proof that "giving is
+God's rule for getting."
+
+In the nineteenth chapter of Proverbs and seventeenth verse we have a
+very clear proof of the lesson we are now considering. Here we find
+it 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 on
+the poor, as here spoken of, means giving them such things as they
+need. Whatever we use in this way God looks upon as so much money
+lent unto him; and we have his solemn promise that when we lend
+anything to him, in this way, "He will pay us again." And when he
+pays again what has been lent to him, it is always with interest. He
+pays 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 prove
+that the lesson of liberality which our Saviour taught is the same
+lesson which the Bible teaches everywhere. In Eccles. xi: 1, God
+says, "_Cast thy bread upon the waters; for thou shalt find it after
+many days_."
+
+If we should see a man standing on the end of a wharf and throwing
+bread upon the waters, we should think that he was a foolish man,
+who was wasting his bread, or only feeding the fishes with it. But
+suppose that you and I were travelling through Egypt--the land of the
+celebrated pyramids and other great wonders. The famous river Nile is
+there. During our visit the inundation of that river takes place. It
+overflows its banks, and spreads its water over all the level plains
+that border on the river. This takes place every year. And when the
+fields are all overflowed with water, the farmers go out in boats,
+and scatter their grain over the surface of the water. The grain
+sinks to the bottom. The sediment in the water settles down on the
+grain, and covers it with mud. By and by the waters flow back into
+the river. The fields become dry. The grain springs up and grows. The
+mud that covered it is like rich manure, and makes it grow very
+plentifully, and yield a rich harvest. And here we see the meaning of
+this passage. God makes use of this Egyptian custom to teach us the
+lesson of liberality that we are now considering. He tells us that
+the money which we give to the poor, or use to do good with, is like
+the grain which the Egyptian farmer casts upon the water, and which
+will surely yield a rich harvest by and by.
+
+This teaches us the lesson of liberality. And when we think of all
+these passages, we see very clearly that the Bible teaches the same
+lesson which Jesus taught when he said to his disciples, "Give, and
+it shall be given unto you." And what we learn, both from the
+teaching 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 of
+liberality, or for this rule about giving and getting, _let us go on
+to speak of some of the illustrations of this rule_. These are very
+numerous.
+
+And we may draw our illustrations from three sources, viz.:--_from
+the Bible; from nature; and from everyday life_.
+
+There are two illustrations of which we may speak from the Bible. We
+find one of these in the history of the prophet Elijah. You remember
+that there was a great famine in the land of Israel during the
+lifetime of this prophet. For more than three years there was not a
+drop of rain all through the land. The fields, the vineyards, and
+gardens dried up, and withered, and yielded no fruit. During the
+first part of the time when this famine was prevailing, God sent
+Elijah 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 of
+the brook.
+
+But after awhile the brook dried up. Then God told him to go to the
+city of Zarephath, or Sarepta, on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea,
+and that he had commanded a widow woman there to sustain him. He did
+not tell him the name of the woman; nor the street she lived in; nor
+the number of her house. Elijah went. When he came near the place he
+met a woman, picking up some sticks of wood. I suppose God told him
+that this was the woman he was to stay with. Elijah spoke to her, and
+asked her if she would please give him a drink of water. When she was
+going to get it, he called to her again, and said he was hungry, and
+asked her to bring him a piece of bread. Then she told him that there
+was not a morsel of bread in her house. All she had in the world was
+a handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse, and that
+she was gathering a few sticks, that she might go and bake the last
+cake for herself and her son, that they might eat it and die. And
+Elijah said, "Fear not; go, and do as thou hast said; but make me
+thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make
+for 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 oil
+fail, 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 to
+take the last morsel of bread she had, and that she needed for
+herself and for her hungry boy, and give it to a stranger. Yet she
+did it; because she believed God. I seem to see her turning the meal
+barrel up, to get the meal all out. Then she pours out the oil from
+the cruse, and drains out the last drop. She mixes the meal and the
+olive oil together, as is the custom in that country still, and makes
+a cake which can soon be baked. She takes it to the man of God, who
+eats it thankfully, and is refreshed. Then she returns to the empty
+barrel and cruse, and finds as much in them as she had lately taken
+out. She prepares some bread for herself and her son, and they eat it
+thankfully 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. We
+are not told how long it was after Elijah went to the widow's house
+before the days of the famine were over. But suppose we make a
+calculation about it. The famine lasted for three years. Now let us
+suppose, that the first half of this time was spent by the prophet at
+the brook Cherith. Then his stay at the widow's house must have been
+at least eighteen months. And, if this miracle of increasing the meal
+and the oil was repeated only once a day, there would be for the
+first twelve months, or for the year, three hundred and sixty-five
+miracles; and for the six months, or the half year, one hundred and
+eighty-two more; and adding these together we have the surprising
+number of _five hundred and forty-seven_ miracles, that were
+performed to reward this good widow for the kindness she showed to
+the prophet Elijah, when she gave him a piece of bread, and a drink
+of water! What an illustration we have here of the truth we are
+considering, that _giving is God's rule for getting_.
+
+But the best illustration of this subject to be found in the Bible is
+given in our Saviour's own experience. He not only _preached_ the
+lesson of liberality, but _practised_ it. He is himself the greatest
+giver ever heard of. In becoming our Redeemer he showed himself the
+Prince of givers. He gave--not silver and gold; not all the wealth of
+the world, or of ten thousand worlds like ours; but "He gave
+_Himself_ for us." He can say indeed, to each of us, in the language
+of 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 hath
+highly 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 every
+tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God
+the Father," Phil, ii: 9-11. Because of what he gave "for us men, and
+for our salvation," he will be loved and praised and honored in
+heaven, on the earth, and through all the universe, above all other
+beings, for ever and ever. What a glorious illustration we have here
+of the truth of this statement, that "giving is God's rule for
+getting." These are some of the illustrations of this lesson of
+liberality that we find in the Bible.
+
+_And now, let us look at some illustrations of this subject, that we
+have in nature_.
+
+Solomon suggests one of these when he says, "_There is that
+scattereth, and yet increaseth_." Prov. xi: 26. He is evidently
+speaking here of a farmer sowing his fields with grain.
+
+Now suppose that we had never seen a man sowing; and that we knew
+nothing at all about the growth of grain, or how wonderfully the seed
+sown in the spring is increased and multiplied when the harvest is
+reaped. Then, the first time we saw a farmer sowing his fields, we
+should have been ready to say, "What a foolish man that is! He is
+taking that precious grain by the handful, and deliberately throwing
+it 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 could
+have come back to visit that farmer when he was gathering in his
+harvest, how surprised we should have been! Then we should have
+learned that for every handful of grain that the farmer had
+scattered, or, as we thought, thrown away, in the spring, when he was
+sowing, he had gained forty or fifty handfuls when he reaped in his
+harvest. Then we should have understood what Solomon meant when he
+said, "There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth." And we should
+have here a good illustration of our Saviour's lesson of liberality,
+when he said, "Give, and it shall be given unto you;" and of the
+Bible truth we are now studying, that "giving is God's rule for
+getting."
+
+Yonder is the great ocean; it is one of the grandest of nature's
+works. And the ocean gives us a good illustration of the lesson of
+liberality which our Saviour taught. The waters of the ocean are
+spread out for thousands of miles. As the sun shines on the surface
+of the ocean, it makes the water warm, and turns it into vapor, like
+the steam that comes from the boiling kettle. This vapor rises into
+the air, and helps to form the clouds that are floating there. These
+clouds sail over the land, and pour out the water that is in them, in
+refreshing and fertilizing showers of rain. This rain makes the rills
+start from the sides of the mountains. The rills run down into the
+rivers, and the rivers flow back into the sea again. In this way the
+ocean is a great giver. It has been giving away its water for
+hundreds 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 it
+had power to control its own motions. And suppose that the ocean
+should say:--"Well, I think I have been giving away water long
+enough. I am going to turn over a new leaf. The sun may shine as much
+as it pleases. I won't let another drop of water go out from my
+surface. I am tired of giving, and I mean to stop doing it, any
+longer." Let us pause for a moment here, and see what the effect of
+this would be upon the ocean itself.
+
+We know that all the water in the ocean is salt water. But when the
+sun takes water from the ocean, in the form of vapor, it is always
+taken out as fresh water. It leaves the salt behind it. Then the
+water on the surface of the ocean, from which this vapor has been
+taken, has more salt in it than the water underneath it. This makes
+it heavier than the other water. The consequence of this, is that
+this heavier water, on the top of the ocean, sinks to the bottom; and
+at 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. The
+water from the top is sinking to the bottom, and the water from the
+bottom is rising to the top. And this is one of the means which God
+employs to keep the waters of the ocean always pure and wholesome.
+But if the ocean should stop giving away its water, as it has always
+been doing, then this constant change of its waters would cease. The
+ocean would be left still and stagnant. It would become a great mass
+of corruption; and the breezes from the ocean, that now carry health
+and life to those who breathe them, would carry only disease and
+death. And the thousands of people who now love the ocean and seek
+its shores every summer, to get strong and well by breathing the air
+that 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 its
+shores as they could. And so we see how the ocean stands before us as
+a grand illustration of the lesson of liberality which our Saviour
+taught when he said, "Give, and it shall be given unto you." The
+ocean gives away its water continually, and, in return for this, God
+gives it freshness and purity, and makes it a blessing to the world.
+And so the ocean illustrates the truth of the lesson we are now
+studying, that "giving is God's rule for getting."
+
+And yonder is the great sun, shining up in the sky. We do not know as
+much about the sun as we do about the ocean, because it is so far
+away from us. The ocean is very near us. We can walk along its
+shores, and plunge into its waters, and sail over its surface. We
+can study out all about the laws that govern it, and what the effect
+of those laws is upon it. But it is very different with the sun. It
+is about ninety millions of miles away from us. This is too far off
+for us to know much about it. And yet, we know enough about the sun
+to get from it a good illustration of God's rule about giving and
+getting. The sun, like the ocean, is a great giver. It is giving away
+light all the time. It was made for this purpose; and for this
+purpose it is preserved. If the sun should stop giving, and should
+try to keep all its light and heat for itself, the effect would be
+its ruin. By ceasing to give it would be burnt up and destroyed. And
+so, when we see the sower sowing his seed, or the reaper gathering in
+his harvest; when we look upon the ocean, and see the clouds formed
+from its waters, as they go sailing through the sky; or when we see
+the sun rising in the morning, going forth again to his appointed
+work of giving light to a dark world; let us remember that these are
+nature's illustrations of the lesson of liberality which Jesus taught
+when he said, "Give, and it shall be given unto you." They all help
+to 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 subject
+from everyday life_.
+
+If we are only watchful we shall meet with illustrations of this kind
+continually. 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 a
+sleigh during a very severe winter. It was snowing fast as they drove
+along. One of the travellers was a liberal, generous-hearted man, who
+believed in giving; and was always ready to share whatever he had
+with others. His companion was a selfish ungenerous man. He did _not_
+believe in giving; and liked to keep whatever he had for himself. As
+they drove along, they saw something covered up in the snow that
+looked like the figure of a man. "Look there," said the generous man
+to 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 for
+me. I intend to stay where I am;" and he wrapped his furs closely
+round him.
+
+The other traveller threw aside his furs and jumped out of the
+sleigh. He found it was a poor man, who had sunk down in the snow a
+short 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 for
+a good while. At last the man began to get warm again and was saved
+from death. Then the generous-hearted traveller helped him into the
+sleigh, and shared his wrappings with him. The exertion he had made
+in doing this kind act put him all in a glow of warmth. He made the
+rest of the journey in comfort. But when they stopped at the end of
+their journey, the selfish man, who was not willing to do anything
+for the help of another, had his fingers, and toes, and nose, and
+ears frozen. This illustrates the lesson of liberality; and shows
+that "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 in
+Virginia, during the late war, a Union officer fell wounded in front
+of the Confederate breastwork, which had been attacked. His wounds
+brought on a raging fever, and he lay on the ground crying piteously
+for water. A kind-hearted Confederate soldier heard the touching cry,
+and leaping over the fortifications, with his canteen in his hand, he
+crawled up to the poor fellow and gave him a drink of water. O, what
+a comfort this was to the wounded man! His heart was filled with
+gratitude towards this generous and noble soldier. He pulled out his
+gold watch from his pocket, and cheerfully offered it to his
+benefactor; but he refused to take it. Then he asked the soldier's
+name and residence. He said his name was James Moore, and that he
+lived in Burke County, North Carolina. Then they parted. This noble
+soldier afterwards lost a limb in one of the Virginia battles, and
+returned to his home as a cripple.
+
+The officer recovered from his wounds; but he never forgot the
+kindness of that Confederate soldier. And when the war was over, and
+he was engaged in his business again, he wrote to James Moore,
+telling him that he intended to send him the sum of ten thousand
+dollars in four quarterly installments of twenty-five hundred
+dollars each; and that he wished him to receive the same in token of
+the heartfelt gratitude with which his generous kindness on the
+battle-field was remembered. Certainly these were two noble men. It
+is hard to tell which was the more noble of the two. But when the
+crippled soldier thought of the drink of water which he gave to the
+wounded officer, and of the ten thousand dollars which he received
+for 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 must
+have felt sure of the lesson we are now considering, that "Giving is
+God's rule for getting."
+
+"The Secret of Success." Some time ago a Christian gentleman was
+visiting a large paper mill that belonged to a friend of his, who was
+a very rich man. The owner of the mill took him all through it, and
+showed him the machinery, and told him how the paper was made. When
+they were through the visitor said to his friend, "I have one
+question to ask you; and if you will answer it, I shall feel very
+much 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 your
+success in business?"
+
+"I don't know that there is any great secret about it," said his
+friend, "but I will tell you all I know. I got a situation, and began
+to work for my own living when I was only sixteen years old. My
+wages, at first, were to be forty dollars a year, with my board and
+lodging. My clothing and all my other expenses were to come out of
+the 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 be
+faithfully laid aside to be given to the poor, or to some religious
+work. This promise I kept religiously, and after laying aside
+one-tenth to give away, at the end of the year, besides meeting my
+expenses, I had more than a tenth left for myself. I then made a vow
+that 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 faithfully
+kept from that day to this. If there be any secret to my
+success--_this is it_. Whatever I receive during the year, I feel
+sure that I am richer on nine-tenths of it, with God's blessing, than
+I should be on the whole of it, without that blessing. I believe that
+God has blessed me, and made my business prosper. And I am sure that
+anyone who will make the trial of this secret of success, will find
+it work as it has done in my case."
+
+This man was certainly proving the truth of our Saviour's words, when
+he said--"Give, and it shall be given unto you." And his experience
+shows most satisfactorily that "giving is God's rule for getting."
+
+"The Steamboat Captain and the Soldier." During the late war there
+was a steamboat, one day, in front of a flourishing town on the Ohio
+River. 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 some
+miles down the river with an excursion party, who had chartered the
+boat for the occasion. While waiting for the party to come on board,
+a poor wounded soldier came up to the captain. He said he was
+suffering from severe sickness, as well as from his wounds. He had
+been 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, before
+he died; and he wished to know if the captain would give him a
+passage down the river on his boat. On hearing where his home was,
+the captain said that the party who had chartered his boat were
+going near that place; and he told the poor soldier that he would
+gladly 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, they
+were not willing to let him go; and asked the captain to put him
+ashore. The captain told the soldier's sad story, and pleaded his
+cause very earnestly. He said he would place him on the lower deck
+and put a screen round his bed, so that they could not see him. But
+the young people refused. They said as they had hired the boat, it
+belonged to them for the day, and they were not willing to have such
+a miserable-looking object on board their boat; and that if the
+captain did not put him off, they would hire another boat, and he
+would lose the twenty dollars they had agreed to give him for the
+day's excursion.
+
+The good captain made one more appeal to them. He asked them to put
+themselves in the poor soldier's place, and then to think how they
+would like to be treated. But still they refused to let the soldier
+go. Then the noble-hearted captain said: "Well, ladies and gentlemen,
+whether you hire my boat or not, I intend to take this soldier home
+to-day."
+
+The party did hire another boat. The captain lost his twenty
+dollars. But, when he returned the poor dying soldier to the arms of
+his loving mother, he felt that the tears of gratitude with which she
+thanked him were worth more than the money he had lost. The gentle
+mother dressed the wounds of her poor suffering boy; and nursed and
+cared for him, as none but a mother knows how to do. But she could
+not save his life. He died after a few days; and the last words he
+spoke, as his loving parents stood weeping at his bedside
+were--"Don't forget the good captain." And he was not forgotten. For
+after the soldier's funeral was over, his father went up the river to
+the town where the captain lived. He found him out. He thanked him
+again for his kindness in bringing home his dying boy; and made him a
+present that was worth four or five times the twenty dollars he had
+lost for the hire of his boat.
+
+But this was not the end of it. For not long after this, the captain
+and his wife were taken suddenly ill with a fatal disease that was
+prevailing in that region of the country. They both died; leaving two
+little orphan children, with no one to take care of them. The
+soldier's father heard of it; and he went at once and asked that he
+might be permitted to take the two helpless little ones and adopt
+them as his own children. He took them home; and was a father and a
+friend to them as long as he lived.
+
+How beautifully our Saviour's words--"Give, and it shall be given
+unto 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. We
+may call it:
+
+"The Miser and the Hungry Children." In a village in England were two
+little motherless girls who lived in a small cottage. Sally, the
+elder, was about eight years old and her sister Mary was six. They
+were very poor. Their father was a laboring man, and he found great
+difficulty in supporting himself and his children.
+
+Once, in the midst of winter, these two little girls were left alone
+all day, as their father had gone out to work. They had their
+breakfast in the morning with their father, before he left. But they
+had no dinner, nor anything to eat during the rest of the day. About
+the middle of the afternoon, Mary said to her sister: "Sally, I'm
+very hungry. Is there anything in the closet that we can get to eat?"
+
+"No," said Sally; "I've looked all through the closet; but there
+isn't a crust of bread, or a cold potato; nor anything to eat. I wish
+there was something; for I'm hungry too."
+
+"O, dear! what shall we do?" cried Mary; "I'm too hungry to wait till
+father comes home!"
+
+"Mary," said her sister, "suppose we ask our Father in heaven to give
+us 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 three
+times, and then wait, and see if God will send us some."
+
+Mary agreed to this. They both kneeled down, and Sally began: "Our
+Father, 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 our
+daily bread; give us this day our daily bread; give us this day our
+daily bread." Then they waited quietly, to see if anything would
+come.
+
+And now, while this was going on inside of that little cottage, let
+me tell you what was taking place outside.
+
+Not far from this cottage lived an old man who was a miser. He had a
+good deal of money, but he never gave any of it to others; and never
+would 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 a
+loaf of bread. He got the loaf, and, as it was a stormy afternoon, he
+put it under his coat before starting to walk home. Now, it happened,
+that just as he was passing the cottage in which the little girls
+were, a strong blast of wind blew the rain in his face, and he
+stepped into the porch of the cottage and crouched down in the
+corner, to shelter himself from the wind and rain. In this position
+his ear was brought quite close to the keyhole of the door. He heard
+what the little girls had said about being hungry. He heard their
+proposal to pray to the Father in heaven to give them bread. He heard
+the thrice repeated prayer--"give us this day our daily bread." And
+then came the silence, when the little ones waited, and watched for
+the bread. This had a strange effect on the miser. His hard, selfish
+heart, which had never felt a generous feeling for anyone, warmed up,
+and grew suddenly soft in tenderness towards these helpless, hungry
+little ones. Tears moistened his eyes. He put his thumb on the latch
+of the door. The latch was gently lifted and the door opened. He took
+the loaf from under his coat and threw it into the room. The little
+girls, still waiting and watching on their knees, saw the loaf go
+bouncing over the floor. They jumped up on their feet, and clapped
+their hands for joy.
+
+"O, Sally," said little Mary, "how good God is to answer our prayer
+so 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 that
+God sent it."
+
+And how about the miser? For the first time in his life he had given
+to the poor. Did the promise fail which says, "Give, and it shall be
+given unto you?" No; God's promises _never_ fail. He went to the
+bakery and bought another loaf for himself, and then he went home
+with different feelings from what he had ever had before. The warm,
+soft feeling that came into his hard heart when he gave the loaf to
+those children did not pass away. It grew upon him. He had found so
+much pleasure in doing that one kind act that he went on and did
+more. And God blessed him in doing it. He began to pray to that God
+who had answered the prayer of those little girls for bread in such a
+strange way. He read the Bible. He went to church. He became a
+Christian; and some time after, he died a happy Christian death. But
+before he died, as he was the owner of the cottage in which the
+little girls lived, he gave it to their father. What a beautiful
+illustration we have here of our Saviour's words--"Give, and it shall
+be given unto you!" This miser gave _a loaf of bread_ to these hungry
+children and God gave him _the grace that made him a Christian_! And
+as we think of this we may well say that "giving _is_ God's rule for
+getting."
+
+And thus we have considered the lesson of liberality which our
+Saviour taught; the proofs of that lesson found in the Bible; and the
+illustrations of it from the Bible, from nature, and from everyday
+life. The three things to be remembered from this subject are _the
+lesson_--_the proofs_--_the illustrations_.
+
+I will quote here, in finishing, three verses which teach the same
+lesson that our Saviour taught when he spoke the words from which I
+have tried to draw the lesson of liberality. The title at the head of
+them is taken from Solomon's words in one of the passages from the
+book 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 how
+everything connected with it teaches the lesson of humility. This is
+pointed out in the beautiful collect in The Book of Common Prayer for
+the first Sunday in Advent. Here we are taught to say:--"Almighty
+God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put upon
+us the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which
+thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in--great _humility_."
+
+If Jesus had come into our world as an angel, it would have been an
+act of humility. If he had come as a great and mighty king, it would
+have been an act of humility. But when he was born in a stable, and
+cradled in a manger; when he could say of himself, "the foxes have
+holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man hath
+not where to lay his head;" when there never was an acre, or a foot
+of ground that he called his own, although he made the world and all
+things in it; when he sailed in a borrowed boat, and was buried in a
+borrowed tomb; how well it might be said that he was teaching
+humility 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 on
+this subject.
+
+We have an account of this lesson in St. John xiii: 4-15. It is
+taught us in these words:--"He riseth from supper, and laid aside his
+garments; and took a towel and girdled himself. After that he poureth
+water into a bason, and began to wash his disciples' feet, and to
+wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded." Then occurs the
+incident about the objection which Peter made to letting Jesus wash
+his feet, and the way in which that objection was overcome. And then
+the story goes on thus:--"So after he had washed their feet, and had
+taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, 'Know
+ye what I have done unto you? Ye call me Master, and Lord; and ye say
+well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your
+feet; ye ought also to wash one another's feet. For I have given you
+an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.'"
+
+This was a very surprising scene. How astonished the angels must have
+been when they looked upon it! They had known Jesus in heaven, before
+he took upon him our nature, and came into this fallen world. They
+had seen him in "the glory which he had with the Father, before the
+world 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 feet
+of poor sinful men whom he came from heaven to save, how surprising
+it must have seemed to them! And when Jesus told his disciples that
+his object in doing this was to set them an example, that they should
+do as he had done to them, he did not mean that they should literally
+make a practice of washing each other's feet; but that they should
+show the same humility to others that he had shown to them, by being
+willing to do anything, however humble it might be, in order to
+promote their comfort and happiness. It is not the act itself, here
+spoken of, that Jesus teaches us to do; but the spirit of humility in
+which the act was performed that he teaches us to cultivate. We might
+go through the form of washing the feet of other persons, and yet
+feel proud and haughty all the time we were doing it. Then we should
+not be following the example of Jesus at all. When Jesus washed his
+disciples' feet, what he wished to teach them, and us, and all his
+people, is how earnestly he desires us to learn this lesson of
+humility. And when we think of the wondrous scene which took place on
+that occasion, the one thought it should impress on our minds, above
+all others is--_the importance of humility_.
+
+And if any one asks what is meant by humility? No better answer can
+be 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 to
+think, but to think soberly." Pride is "thinking of ourselves more
+highly than we ought to think." Humility is--_not_ "thinking of
+ourselves more highly than we ought to think." And humility is the
+lesson we are now to study. This is the lesson that Jesus wishes all
+who love him to learn. It is easy to speak of _five_ reasons why we
+should 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 his
+disciples, and to us, to learn the lesson of humility. And this is
+not the only place in which Jesus taught this lesson. He gave some of
+his 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 get
+the best seats for themselves at a feast, he took the opportunity of
+giving his disciples a lesson about humility. He told them, when they
+were bidden to a wedding feast, not to take the highest seats;
+because some more honorable person might be bidden, and when the
+master of the feast came in he might say to them 'let this man have
+that seat, and you go and take a lower seat'; then they would feel
+mortified, 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, go
+up higher: then shalt thou have worship"--or honor--"in the presence
+of them that sit at meat with thee." Here we have Jesus repeating
+his command to all his people to learn and practise the lesson of
+humility.
+
+And then we have another of our Saviour's parables in which he taught
+this same lesson of humility, and that is the parable of the Pharisee
+and the Publican. We find it in St. Luke xviii: 10-15. The parable
+reads thus: "Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a
+Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed
+thus with himself, 'God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men
+are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I
+fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.'" Here
+we have a picture of a proud man. He pretended to pray, but asked for
+nothing, because he did not feel his need of anything. And so his
+pretended prayer brought him no blessing.
+
+And then in the rest of the parable we have our Saviour's description
+of a man who was learning the lesson of humility, and of the blessing
+which it brought to him.
+
+Here is a story told by one of our missionaries of the way in which
+this parable brought a heathen man to Christ.
+
+"That's Me." A poor Hottentot in Southern Africa lived with a Dutch
+farmer, who was a good Christian man, and kept up family prayer in
+his home. One day, at their family worship he read this parable. He
+began, "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 the
+salvation of his soul, looked earnestly at the reader, and whispered
+to himself, "Now I'll learn how to pray." The farmer read on, "God, I
+thank Thee that I am not as other men are." "No, I am not," whispered
+the Hottentot, "but I'm worse." Again the farmer read, "I fast twice
+in 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 distressed
+savage.
+
+The good man read on till he came to the publican, "standing afar
+off." "That's where I am," said the Hottentot. "Would not lift up so
+much as his eyes unto heaven," read the farmer. "That's me," cried
+his hearer. "But smote upon his breast saying, God be merciful to me
+a 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 of
+the parable,--"God be merciful to me a sinner!" And he went on
+offering 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 which
+Jesus taught, and how much good it did to him.
+
+And it is Jesus who is speaking to us and commanding us to learn this
+lesson 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 therefore
+in 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 to
+us to learn the lesson of humility. And this command is urged thus
+earnestly upon us because it is so important.
+
+When St. Augustine, one of the celebrated fathers of the early
+Church, was asked--What is the first important thing in the Christian
+religion? 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 been
+so earnest in teaching this lesson; or that he should have urged so
+strongly on his disciples to learn it.
+
+The _command_ of Christ is the first reason why we should learn the
+lesson of humility.
+
+_But the second reason why we should learn this lesson is, because of
+the_--EXAMPLE--_of Christ_.
+
+There are many persons "who say and do not." There are some ministers
+who preach very well, but they do not _practise_ what they preach.
+Such persons may well be compared to finger-boards. They point out
+the way to others, but they do not walk in it themselves. But this
+was not the case with our blessed Saviour. He practised everything
+that he preached. And when he gave us his command to learn this
+lesson of humility, he gave us, at the same time, his example to show
+us _how_ to do it.
+
+He was illustrating this command by his example when he washed his
+disciples' feet. And this was only one out of many things in which he
+set us this example. When he chose to be born of poor parents, he was
+giving an example of humility. When he lived at Nazareth till he was
+thirty years of age, working with his reputed father as a carpenter,
+and during the latter part of the time, as is supposed, laboring for
+the support of his mother, he was giving an example of humility. When
+he said, "The Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to
+minister," Matt. xx: 28; and again--"I am among you as he that
+serveth," Luke xxii: 27, he was giving an example of humility. When
+he borrowed an ass to make his triumphal entrance into Jerusalem;
+though he could say in truth, "every beast of the forest is mine, and
+the cattle upon a thousand hills;"--(Ps. 1: 10), he was setting an
+example of humility. When he hid himself away from the people because
+he saw that they wanted to take him by force and make him king, he
+was giving a lesson of humility. When he allowed himself to be taken
+prisoner, though he knew that if he had asked his Father in heaven,
+he would, at once, have sent "more than twelve legions of angels" to
+deliver him, he was giving an example of humility. When he kept
+silence, at the bar of the high-priest, of Herod, of Pontius Pilate,
+like "a lamb dumb before her shearers," while his enemies were
+charging him falsely with all kinds of wickedness; when he allowed
+the Roman soldiers to scourge him with rods, till his back was all
+bleeding; to put a crown of thorns upon his head; to array him in a
+purple robe in mockery of his being a king; to smite him with the
+palms of their hands, and spit upon him; and then to nail him to the
+cross, and put him to the most shameful of all deaths--as if he were
+a wicked man, who did not deserve to live--he was giving the most
+wonderful example of humility that ever was heard of. Jesus, the Lord
+of glory hanging on the shameful cross!--O, this was an example of
+humility 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 an
+example of humility, it should make us ashamed of being proud; and
+anxious, above all things, to learn this lesson which he did so much
+to teach us.
+
+"Imitating Christ's Humility." I think I never heard of a more
+beautiful instance of persons learning to imitate the humility of
+Christ, than is told of some Moravian Missionaries. These good men
+had heard the story of the unhappy slaves in the West Indies. Those
+poor creatures were wearing out their lives in hard bondage. They had
+very little comfort in this life, and no knowledge of that gracious
+Saviour who alone can secure, for sinful creatures, such as we are, a
+better portion in the life to come. These missionaries offered to go
+out to the West Indies, and teach those slaves about Jesus, and the
+great salvation that is to be found in him. But they were told that
+the owners of the slaves would not let them go to school or to
+church. They would not allow them to take time enough from their work
+to learn anything about the salvation of their souls. There was only
+one way in which those poor slaves could be taught anything about
+Jesus 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 need
+be, under the lash, so that they could get right beside them and then
+tell them about the way of salvation that is in Christ Jesus. This
+was a hard thing to undertake. But those good missionaries said they
+were 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 on
+the plantations as slaves. And working thus, by the side of the
+slaves, they got close to their hearts. The slaves heard them. Their
+hearts were touched because these teachers of the gospel had humbled
+themselves to their condition. While they were teaching the commands
+of Christ, they were illustrating and following his example. How
+beautiful this was! How grand! How glorious!
+
+And yet Christ's own example was still more glorious. He laid aside
+the glory of his Godhead, and came down from heaven to earth, that he
+might get by our side. He laid himself beside us that we might feel
+the throbbings of his bosom and the embrace of his loving arms; and
+he draws us close to himself, while he whispers in our ears the sweet
+words, "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son,
+that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have
+everlasting life."
+
+And so, when we think of the example of Christ, we should strive to
+learn the lesson of humility which he taught.
+
+_A third reason why we should learn this lesson of humility is
+because 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 that
+inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy
+place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to
+revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the
+contrite ones." Here, the same loving Saviour who gave us the command
+to learn the lesson of humility promises to give comfort to all who
+learn this lesson. And the way in which he secures this comfort to
+them is by coming and dwelling in their hearts. And who can tell
+what a comfort it is for a poor pardoned sinner to have Jesus--the
+Lord of heaven and earth--dwelling in his heart? It is his presence
+in heaven which makes those who dwell there feel so happy. This is
+what David taught, when he looked up to him, and said--"In thy
+presence is fulness of joy." Ps. 16: 11. And when that presence is
+felt, here on earth, it gives comfort and joy, as certainly as it
+does in heaven. It was the presence of Jesus which enabled Paul and
+Silas to sing at midnight, for very joyfulness, in the prison at
+Philippi, though their feet were fastened in the stocks, and their
+backs were torn and bleeding from the cruel scourging which they had
+suffered. And it was this presence of Christ in the hearts of his
+people that good John Newton was speaking of, in one of his sweet
+hymns, 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 will
+dwell with. He says himself, "If any man love me, he will keep my
+words; and My Father will love him; and we will come unto him, and
+make our abode with him." St. John xiv: 23. And among the words of
+Christ which we must keep, if we wish him to dwell in our hearts, are
+those in which he commands the lesson of humility. It is only the
+humble with whom he will dwell. For "every one that is proud in heart
+is an abomination unto the Lord." Prov. xvi: 5.
+
+The reason why so many people are unhappy in this world is that they
+do not learn the lesson of humility.
+
+"Learn to Stoop." The story is told of some celebrated man--I think
+it was Dr. Franklin--who had a friend visiting him on one occasion.
+When the gentleman was about to leave, the doctor accompanied him to
+the front door. In going through the entry there was a low beam
+across it, which made it necessary to stoop, in order to avoid being
+struck by it. As they approached it the doctor stooped himself, and
+called 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 through
+life." This illustrates the comfort which comes from learning the
+lesson of humility. It is those who are unwilling to stoop; or to be
+anything, 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 a
+fine oak tree, with its wide-spreading branches, and at its foot
+there grew a sweet and modest violet. The oak one day looked down in
+scorn upon the violet, and said: "You, poor little thing, will soon
+be dead and withered; for you have no strength, no size, and are of
+no good to anyone. But I am large and strong; I shall still live for
+ages, and then I shall be made into a large ship to sail on the
+ocean, 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 am
+thankful. I hope to die fragrantly, as I have lived fragrantly, but
+we are both only what God made us, and both where God placed us."
+
+Not long after the oak was struck by lightning and shivered to
+splinters. Its end was to be burned. But the violet was gently
+gathered by the hand of a Christian lady, who carefully pressed it,
+and kept it for years, in the leaves of her Bible to refresh herself
+with its fragrance. Here we see illustrated the difference between
+pride and humility.
+
+"The Secret of Comfort." Some years ago there was a boy who had been
+lame from his birth. He was a bright intelligent boy, but he was not
+a Christian. As he grew up, with no other prospect before him but
+that of being a cripple all his days, he was very unhappy. As he sat
+by his window, propped up in his chair, and saw the boys playing in
+the street, he would say to himself: "Why has God made me thus? Why
+have I not limbs to run and jump with like other boys?"
+
+These thoughts filled him with distress, and caused him to shed many
+bitter tears.
+
+One day a Christian friend, who was visiting him, gave him a book and
+requested him to read it. He did so; and it led to his becoming a
+Christian. 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. After
+this, as he looked out, and saw the young people happy at their
+sports; or, as he gazed on the green earth and the beautiful sky, and
+knew that he must remain a helpless cripple as long as he lived, he
+yet could say, with the utmost cheerfulness:--"It's all right. My
+Father in heaven has done it. I love him. He loves me. I know he is
+making all things work together for my good." He had learned the
+lesson we are now considering, and we see what comfort it gave him.
+And the thought of the comfort which this lesson gives, should be a
+good reason with us all for learning it.
+
+_A fourth reason why we should learn the lesson of humility is
+because of the_--USEFULNESS--_connected with it_.
+
+Jesus tells us, by his apostle, that "God resisteth the proud, but
+giveth grace to the humble." St. James iv: 6. If we have the grace of
+God we can be useful in many ways, but, without that grace we cannot
+be 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 my
+grace; or without the help of my grace. And it was of this grace that
+St. Paul was speaking when he said--"I can do all things through
+Christ who strengtheneth me." Phil, iv: 13.
+
+And we could not possibly have a stronger reason for trying to learn
+the lesson of humility than this, that our receiving the grace of
+God, and consequently our usefulness, depends upon it. God will not
+give us his grace to enable us to be truly good and to make ourselves
+useful, unless we learn this lesson. And unless we have the grace of
+God, we cannot be useful. Like barren fig-trees we shall be useless
+cumberers of the ground.
+
+Now let us look at one or two illustrations which show us how pride
+hinders the usefulness of men, while humility helps it.
+
+"The Fisherman's Mistake." An English gentleman was spending his
+summer holidays in Scotland. He concluded to try his hand at fishing
+for trout in one of the neighboring streams. He bought one of the
+handsomest fishing rods he could find, with line and reel, and
+artificial flies, and everything necessary to make a perfect outfit
+for a fisherman. He went to the trout stream, and toiled all day, but
+never caught a single fish.
+
+Towards the close of the day he saw a ragged little farmer boy, with
+a bean pole for a rod, and the simplest possible sort of a line, who
+was nipping the fish out of the water about as fast as he could throw
+his line in. He watched the boy in amazement for awhile, and then
+asked him how it was that one, with so fine a rod and line, could
+catch 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 as
+ye dinna keep yersel' oot o' sicht."
+
+The gentleman was proud of his handsome rod and line, and was showing
+it off all the time. His pride hindered his usefulness as a
+fisherman. The farmer's boy had nothing to show off; so he kept
+himself out of sight, and thus his humility helped his usefulness in
+fishing.
+
+"The Thames' Tunnel Teaching Humility." Most strangers who visit the
+great city of London go to see the famous tunnel under the river
+Thames. This is a large, substantial road that has been built, in the
+form of an arch, directly under the bed of the river. It is one of
+the most wonderful works that human skill ever succeeded in making.
+The man who planned and built it was made one of the nobility of
+England. His name was Sir Isambard Brunel. He was so humble that he
+was willing to learn a lesson from a tiny little ship worm. These
+worms bore small round holes through the solid timbers of our ships.
+
+One day Mr. Brunel visited a ship-yard. An old ship was on the
+dry-dock getting repaired. A quantity of worm-eaten timber had been
+taken 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 a
+proud man, he might have thrown the timber aside, and said--"Get away
+you poor little worm. I am a great master builder. You can't teach me
+anything." And if he had done so that famous tunnel under the Thames
+would probably never have been built. But Mr. Brunel had learned the
+lesson of humility. He was willing to learn from anything that God
+had made, however insignificant it might be. So he sat down and
+watched the worm at its work. He studied carefully the form of the
+hole it was boring. The thought occurred to him how strong a tunnel
+would be, that was made in the shape of this hole! And when he was
+asked whether it would be possible to build a tunnel under the
+Thames, he said he thought it could be done. He undertook to build
+it. He succeeded in the work. But, in accomplishing the great
+undertaking that little ship-worm was his teacher.
+
+And now, if any of my young friends who may read this book should
+ever visit London, and go to see the great tunnel, as they gaze in
+wonder at it, let them remember Sir I. Brunel, and that little
+ship-worm; and then, let them say to themselves: "This mighty tunnel
+is an illustration of the truth that humility helps to make us
+useful."
+
+"George Washington and His Humility." Here is a story connected with
+the great and good Washington--"the Father of his country," which
+illustrates very well this part of our subject.
+
+During the war of the American Revolution, the commander of a little
+squad of soldiers was superintending their operations as they were
+trying to raise a heavy piece of timber to the top of some military
+works which they were engaged in repairing. It was hard work to get
+the timber up, and so the commander, who was a proud man and thought
+himself of great importance, kept calling out to them from time to
+time, "Push away, boys! There she goes! Heave ho!"
+
+While this was going on, an officer on horseback, but not in military
+dress, rode by. He asked the commander why he did not take hold, and
+give the men a little help. He looked at the stranger in great
+astonishment, 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 your
+pardon Mr. Corporal."
+
+After this he got off his horse, and throwing aside his coat, he took
+hold and helped the men at their work till they got the timber into
+its place. By this time the perspiration stood in drops upon his
+forehead. He took out his handkerchief and wiped his brow. Then
+turning to the commander he said:
+
+"Mr. Corporal, when you have another such job on hand, and have not
+men enough to do it, send for your Commander-in-chief, and I will
+come and help you again."
+
+It was General Washington who did and said this. The Corporal was
+thunderstruck! The great Washington, though honored above all men on
+the continent, was humble enough to put his hand and shoulder to the
+timber, that he might help the humblest of his soldiers, who were
+struggling for the defence of their country, to bear the burdens
+appointed to them.
+
+This is an excellent illustration of the truth we are now
+considering. And certainly we should all try to learn the lesson of
+humility which Jesus taught, when we see how it helps to make us
+useful.
+
+_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 her
+wonderful 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" with
+which God fills them mean the blessings He bestows on the humble. Our
+Saviour taught the same truth when he said, "he that humbleth himself
+shall be exalted." Luke xiv: 11. Being exalted here means being
+honored and blessed. These passages teach very clearly the truth of
+which we are now speaking. They show us that we must learn the lesson
+of humility if we hope to have God's blessing rest upon us. And it is
+not more true that two and two make four, than it is that God's
+blessing _does_ attend and follow those who learn the lesson of
+humility.
+
+How many illustrations of this truth we find in the Bible! Moses had
+learned the lesson of humility before God sent him on his great
+mission, which has given him a name and a place among the most
+famous men of the world.
+
+Gideon had learned the lesson of humility before God made choice of
+him to be the deliverer of his people Israel from the hands of their
+enemies; and then, for years to be their honored ruler. John the
+Baptist was so humble that he said of himself that he was not worthy
+to stoop down and unloose the latchet of our Saviour's shoe; and yet
+Jesus said of him that he was one of the greatest men that ever had
+been born.
+
+The apostle Paul was so humble that he considered himself "less than
+the least of all saints," and "the chief of sinners;" and yet God
+honored and blessed him till he became the most famous and useful of
+all the apostles.
+
+If we turn from the Bible, and look out into the world around us, we
+may compare proud people to the tops of the mountains; these are bare
+and barren, and of little use to the world. We may compare humble
+people to the plains and valleys. These are fertile and beautiful,
+and are the greatest blessing to the world, in the abundance of
+grain, and fruit, and other good things which they yield.
+
+And then, if we take notice of what is occurring in the scenes of
+daily life, we shall meet with incidents continually which furnish
+us with illustrations of the part of our subject now before us, that
+God crowns the humble with his blessing. Let us look at one or two of
+these illustrations.
+
+"The Little Loaf." In a certain part of Germany, some years ago, a
+famine was prevailing, and many of the people were suffering from
+hunger. A kind-hearted rich man sent for twenty of the poorest
+children in the village where he lived, to come to his house. As they
+stood on the porch of his house, he came out to them bringing a large
+basket in his hand. He set it down before him and said: "Children, in
+this basket there is bread for you all. Take a loaf, each of you, and
+come back every day at this hour, till it shall please God to send us
+better times."
+
+Then he left the children to themselves and went into the house, but
+watched them through the window. The hungry children seized the
+basket, quarreled and struggled for the bread, because each of them
+wished to get the best and largest loaf. Then they went away without
+ever 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 took
+the last loaf left in the basket, the smallest of the lot. She looked
+up to the window where the gentleman stood; smiled at him; threw him
+a kiss, and made a low curtsey in token of her gratitude, and then
+went quickly home.
+
+The next day the other children were just as ill-behaved as they had
+been before, and the timid humble Gretchen received a loaf this time
+not 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, a
+number of new silver pieces of money, fell rattling and shining out
+of it.
+
+Her mother was frightened, and said, "Take the money back at once to
+the good gentleman; for it must certainly have dropped into the dough
+by accident. Be quick Gretchen! be quick!"
+
+But when the little girl came to the good man and gave him her
+mother's message, he kindly said, "No, no, my child, it was no
+mistake. I had the silver pieces put into the smallest loaf as a
+reward for you. Continue to be as humble, peaceable, self-denying,
+and grateful as you have now shown yourself to be. A little girl who
+is humble enough to take the smallest loaf rather than quarrel for
+the larger ones, will be sure to receive greater blessings from God
+than if she had silver pieces of money baked in every loaf of bread
+she 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 into
+the office of one of the largest dry-goods houses in New York and
+asked for a situation. He was told to call again another day.
+
+Going down Broadway that same afternoon, when opposite the Astor
+House, he saw an old apple woman, in trying to cross the street,
+struck by an omnibus, knocked down, and her basket of apples sent
+scattering into the gutter.
+
+The young man stepped out of the crowd, helped the old woman to her
+feet, put her apples into her basket, and went on his way, without
+thinking of it.
+
+Now a proud man would never have thought of doing such a thing as
+that. But this young man had learned the lesson of humility, and did
+not hesitate a moment to do this kind act.
+
+When he called again to see about the situation, he was asked what
+wages 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 he
+was passing at the time, and saw it; and that it was this
+circumstance 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 learn
+the 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 suitable
+prayer to offer when we think of the lesson of humility we have now
+been 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 in
+kings, and princes, in rich, and wise, and great men, it would not
+have been surprising; because he was a king and a prince, himself; he
+was richer than the richest, and wiser than the wisest, and greater
+than the greatest. But he did not do this. He took no particular
+notice of them; but he showed the greatest possible interest in
+children. When mothers brought their little ones to him, the
+disciples wanted to keep them away. They thought, no doubt, that he
+was too busy to take any notice of them. But they were mistaken. He
+was very busy indeed. He had many lessons to teach. He had sermons to
+preach; and sick people to heal; and blind eyes to open; and deaf
+ears to unstop; and lame men to make whole; and dead men to raise to
+life again. He had all his Father's will to make known to men; and
+all his Father's commandments to keep. He had to suffer, and to die
+for the sins of the world; that he might "open the kingdom of heaven
+to all believers." He was the busiest man that ever lived. Nobody
+ever had so much to do as he had. And yet, he was not too busy to
+attend to the little children. He had time to give to them. So he
+rebuked 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 by
+one, "he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them and
+blessed them." And when he had done this, as though that were not
+enough, he spoke those precious, glorious, golden words:--"_Suffer
+the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such
+is the kingdom of heaven_," "verily I say unto you, whosoever shall
+not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter
+therein."
+
+These things are told us by three of the evangelists. St. Matthew
+mentions them in chapter xix: 13-15. St. Mark x: 13-16, and St. Luke
+xviii: 15-17.
+
+On another occasion, when he was in the temple, the children sang
+hosannas to him as the son of David. The chief priests and scribes
+were greatly displeased, when they heard it, and "said unto him,
+hearest thou what these say? and Jesus said unto them, yea: have ye
+never read, out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou hast
+perfected praise?" Matt, xxi: 15, 16. Here he quoted from the Old
+Testament (Ps. viii: 2) to prove to them from their own scriptures,
+that God loves little children, and delights to have them engage in
+his service, and sing his praises.
+
+And there was one other occasion on which Jesus spoke about the
+children, and showed his interest in them. This was after his
+resurrection. We read about it in St. John xxi: 15-18. He met his
+disciples, one day, on the shore of the sea of Galilee. Peter, who
+had shamefully denied his Master on the night in which he was
+betrayed was present with them. Jesus said to him, as if to remind
+him 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 beautifully
+Jesus showed his great love for the little ones of his flock!
+
+From these different passages, we see clearly how dear little
+children are to the heart of our blessed Saviour! He is the only
+great Teacher who ever showed such an interest in children. And the
+religion of Jesus is the only religion which teaches its followers to
+love and care for the little ones. The worshipers of the idol Moloch,
+mentioned in the Bible, used to offer their children as
+burnt-sacrifices to their cruel god. Mahometans look upon their women
+and children as inferior beings. The Hindoos neglect their infants,
+and leave them exposed on the banks of the Ganges, or throw them into
+the river to be devoured by the hungry crocodiles. In the city of
+Pekin many infants are thrown out into the streets every night.
+Sometimes they are killed by the fall. Sometimes they are only half
+killed, and linger, moaning in their agony, till the morning. Then
+the police go around, and pick them up, and throw them all together
+into a hole and bury them.
+
+In Africa, the children are sometimes buried alive; and sometimes
+left 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 used
+to be killed. Sometimes they would strangle their babies. Sometimes
+they would leave them, where oxen and cattle would tread on them, and
+trample them to death; while, at other times, they would break all
+their joints, beginning with their fingers and toes, and then go on
+to their wrists, and elbows, and shoulders. How dreadful it is to
+think of such practices! And when we turn from these scenes of
+heart-rending cruelty and think of the gracious Saviour,--the "gentle
+Jesus, meek and mild," stretching forth his arms in loving
+tenderness, and uttering the sweet words,--"Suffer the little
+children to come unto me, and forbid them not; for of such is the
+kingdom of God,"--what a wonderful contrast it makes!
+
+And when we think of all that Jesus did and said to show his interest
+in children, we may well ask ourselves such questions as these,--Why
+was it so? What did he do it for? And when we come to look carefully
+into this part of the life of Christ, we can see four great things in
+it; and these are the reasons why Jesus did and said so much about
+children.
+
+_In the first place we see_--GREAT LOVE--_in the interest Christ
+manifested towards the young_.
+
+It was the same love which brought him down from heaven, and made him
+willing to become a little child himself; the same love which made
+him willing to live in poverty--and suffer the dreadful death upon
+the cross that led him to show such interest in the little ones. But
+if he had not told us himself how he feels on this subject, we could
+not have been sure of it. Children might well have said, when they
+heard about the love of Christ, "Yes, we have no doubt that Jesus
+does love grown up people, men and women in general. We believe this
+because the Bible tells us so; but how do we know that he loves us
+children?" If he had not told us so himself, we could not have been
+sure of it. But we know it now. And when we hear, or read of the love
+of Christ, we may be sure that it takes the children in.
+
+During a famine in Germany, a family became so poor that they were in
+danger of starving. The father proposed that one of the children
+should be sold, and food provided for those that remained. At last
+the mother consented; but then the question arose which one of the
+four should be selected. The eldest, their first-born, could not be
+spared; the second looked like the mother, the third was like his
+father, and they could not give either of them up; and then the
+youngest--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 children
+knew of this, they might very well feel sure that their parents loved
+them. But Jesus did more than this for us, he was willing to die upon
+the cross, and he did so die, that "not one of his little ones should
+perish."
+
+"Being Loved Back Again." Little Alice Lee sat in her rocking chair.
+She was clasping a beautiful wax doll to her bosom, and singing sweet
+lullabies to it. But every little while she looked wistfully at her
+mother. She was busy writing, and had told Alice to keep as quiet as
+possible till she got through.
+
+It seemed a long time to Alice; but after awhile her mother laid down
+her pen, and pushed aside her papers, and said:--"Now I am through
+for 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 loving
+bosom.
+
+"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 in
+her arms. "I am very glad that my little girl loves me;" replied her
+mother, "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 after
+awhile."
+
+"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 grew
+very bright, as they gazed earnestly into her mother's face. "It's
+because 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 when
+we were too little to love him back. The Bible says--"We love him
+because _he first_ loved us." He loved us before we knew him, or had
+ever heard of him. He loved us before we were born. Before the world
+was made Jesus thought of you and me, and loved us. This is what he
+means when he says:--"I _have loved thee with an everlasting love."_
+Jer. xxxi: 3. This means a love that never had a beginning, and that
+will never have an end. This is very wonderful. And when we think of
+it, 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, by
+which he showed his interest in little children, the first thing that
+we 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 to
+Jesus when young, _because then they are easily controlled_.
+
+Suppose we plant an acorn in a corner of our garden. After awhile a
+green shoot springs out from it. We go to look at it when it is about
+a foot high. We find it getting crooked; but with the gentlest touch
+of thumb and finger, we can straighten it out. We wish it to lean in
+a particular direction. We give it a slight touch, and it leans just
+that way. Afterwards we conclude to have it lean in the opposite
+direction. Another slight touch, and it takes that direction. It is
+true, as the poet says, "Just as the twig is bent, the tree's
+inclined." 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 an
+ugly twist in its trunk. We try to straighten it out; but in vain. No
+power on earth can do that now. You can cut it down; or saw it up; or
+break it into splinters; but you cannot straighten it.
+
+Suppose, that you and I should go to one of the highest summits of
+the Rocky Mountains. In a certain place there, we should find two
+little fountains springing up near each other. With the end of a
+finger we might trace the course in which either of those little
+springs should flow. We could lead one down the eastern side of the
+mountains, and the other down the western side. It would be very easy
+to control them then. But suppose now we travel down the side of the
+mountain till we reach the plain, at its base. Now see, yonder is a
+great river, rolling on its mighty flood of waters. That is what the
+little spring has grown to. It is too late to control it now. The
+time for controlling it was up yonder near the spring.
+
+It is easy to control the spring; it is very hard to control the
+river. Jesus wished to control the spring when he directed us to
+bring the children to him. And in this he showed his wisdom.
+
+It is wise to take an interest in children, and bring them early to
+Jesus--_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 by
+Themistocles, the celebrated Grecian governor and general. He had a
+little boy, of whom his mother was very fond and over whom the child
+had very great influence. His father pointed to him, one day, and
+said to a friend, "Look at that child; he has more power than all
+Greece. For the city of Athens rules Greece; I rule Athens; that
+child's mother rules me, and he rules his mother."
+
+I feel sure our Saviour must have felt very much as some one has
+done, 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 wise
+in Jesus to desire to have them brought early to him that they might
+learn to use that influence in the best possible way.
+
+And then it was wise in Jesus to desire this, again, _because
+bringing children to him prevents great trouble, and secures great
+blessing_.
+
+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 upper
+counties of New York, there was a little girl named Margaret. She
+was not brought to Christ, but was turned out on the world to do as
+she pleased. She grew up to be perhaps the wickedest woman in that
+part of the country. She had a large family of children, who became
+about as wicked as herself; her descendants have been a plague and a
+curse to that county ever since. The records of that county show that
+two hundred of her descendants have been criminals. In a single
+generation of her descendants there were twenty children. Three of
+these died in infancy. Of the remaining seventeen, who lived to grow
+up, nine were sent to the state prison for great crimes; while all
+the others were found, from time to time, in the jails, the
+penitentiaries, or the almshouses. Nearly all the descendants of this
+woman were idiots, or drunkards, or paupers, or bad people, of the
+very worst character. That one neglected child thus cost the county
+in which she lived hundreds of thousands of dollars, besides the
+untold evil that followed from the bad examples of her descendants.
+How different the result would have been if this poor child had been
+brought to Jesus and made a Christian when she was young!
+
+"The Result of Early Choice." Here is a short story of two boys, of
+the choice they made when young, and the different results that
+followed from that choice.
+
+A minister of the gospel was preaching on one occasion to the
+convicts in the state prison of Connecticut. As he rose in the desk
+and looked around on the congregation, he saw a man there whose face
+seemed familiar to him. When the service was over he went to this
+man's cell, to have some conversation with him.
+
+"I remember you very well, sir," said the prisoner. "We were boys in
+the same neighborhood; we went to the same school; sat beside each
+other on the same bench, and then my prospects were as bright as
+yours. But, at the age of fourteen, you made choice of the service of
+God, and became a Christian. I refused to come to Christ, but made
+choice of the world and sin. And now, you are a happy and honored
+minister of the gospel, while I am a wretched outcast. I have served
+ten years in this penitentiary and am to be a prisoner here for
+life."
+
+Jesus knew what blessings would follow to those who were early
+brought to him, and we see that there was great wisdom in the words
+that he spake when he said--"Suffer the little children to come unto
+me."
+
+_In the next place there was_--GREAT ENCOURAGEMENT--_in what Jesus
+did and said about children_.
+
+If a company of boys or girls should try to get into the presence of
+a monarch, some great king, or emperor, they would find it a pretty
+hard thing to do. At the door of the palace they would meet with
+soldiers or servants, the guards of the queen or king. They would say
+to the children--"what do you want here?" And if the children should
+say, "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. She
+has no time to attend to little folks like you." And the children
+would have to go away without getting to see the queen.
+
+But, Jesus is a greater king than any who ever sat upon an earthly
+throne. He has more to do than all the kings and queens in the world
+put together. And yet he never gave orders to the angels, or to any
+of his servants to keep the children away from him. On his great
+throne in yonder heavens he says still, what he said when he was on
+earth--"Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them
+not." And he says this on purpose to encourage the children to come
+to him. And the thought that Jesus loves them and feels an interest
+in them has encouraged multitudes of little ones to seek him and
+serve him. Here are some illustrations of this:
+
+"Learning to Love Jesus." "A little girl came to me one day," said a
+minister of the gospel, and said, "'Please sir, may I speak to you a
+minute?' I saw that she was in some trouble; so I took her kindly by
+the hand, and said, 'Certainly, my child. What do you wish to say?'
+
+"'Please, sir,' said she, as her lip quivered and tears filled her
+eyes, '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 spoke
+sadly, as if it was something she never could do.
+
+"'Well,' I said, 'St. John, who loved our Lord almost more than any
+one 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 loves
+me_," I think that to-morrow you will be able to say--"I love
+Jesus."'
+
+"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, as
+well as to say it. She thought about his life, about his death on the
+cross, and about his sweet words to the little ones, and she began to
+feel it too.
+
+"The next evening she came to see me again; and, putting both her
+hands 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 the
+interest he feels in children.
+
+"Doesn't He Love to Save?" A mother had just tucked her little boy in
+bed, and had received his good-night kisses. She lingered awhile, at
+his bedside, to speak to him about Jesus, and to see if he was
+feeling right toward him. He was a good, obedient boy, but that day
+he had done something that grieved his mother. He had expressed his
+sorrow for it, and asked his mother's forgiveness. As she stooped
+down for the last kiss, he said--"Is it all settled, mother?"
+
+"Yes, my child," she said, "it's all settled with me; but have you
+settled it all with Jesus?" "Yes, mother: I've asked him to forgive
+me: and I believe him when he says he will; for _doesn't he love to
+help and save children_?" "He does, my child, he does," said his
+mother, as she gazed on his happy little face, lighted up with the
+joy of that gospel, so often hidden from the wise and prudent, but
+revealed to babes.
+
+Here we see how this little fellow was encouraged to seek Jesus from
+the assurance that he feels an interest in children, and loves to
+help and bless them.
+
+"Love Leads to Love." A little boy named Charley stood at the window
+with his mother one morning, watching the robins as they enjoyed
+their 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 reason
+that the birdies love your father?"
+
+This question seemed to set Charley to thinking. He did not answer at
+first, but presently he said, "Why mother all the creatures seem to
+love 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 is
+saying. Even the old cow follows him around the meadow, and the other
+day I saw her licking his hand, just as a dog would. I think it must
+be because father loves them. You know he will often get up and give
+pussy something to eat; and he pulls carrots for the cow, and pats
+her; and somehow I think his voice never sounds so sweet as when he
+is talking to these dumb creatures."
+
+"I think his voice is very pleasant when he is talking to his little
+boy," said his mother.
+
+Charley smiled, and said, "That's so, mother. Father loves me, and I
+love him dearly. But he loves the birdies too I am sure. He whistles
+to them every morning when they are eating their cherries, and they
+don't seem a bit afraid of him, although he is near enough to catch
+them. Mother I wish everything loved me as they do father."
+
+"Do as father does, Charley, and they will. Love all things and be
+kind to them. Don't kick the dog, or speak roughly to him. Don't pull
+pussy's tail, nor chase the hens, nor try to frighten the cow. Never
+throw stones at the birds. Never hurt nor tease anything. Speak
+gently and lovingly to them and they will love you, and everybody
+that knows you will love you too."
+
+Now Charley's father, in acting as he did, was trying to make all the
+dumb creatures about him know that he was their friend; that he loved
+them, and had nothing but kindness in his heart towards them. In
+this 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 and
+said so much to show his interest in children. He wants them all to
+understand that he is their friend; that he loves them, and wants
+them to come to him and love and serve him. And so every child who
+hears 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 the
+children there is great encouragement.
+
+_And then there are_--GREAT LESSONS--_too, in this part of the life
+of Christ_.
+
+There are two lessons taught us here. One is about _the work we are
+to do for Jesus here on earth_. When Jesus said to Peter, "Lovest
+thou me? Feed my lambs," he meant to teach him, and you, and me, and
+all his people everywhere, the best way in which we can show our love
+to him. The lambs of Christ here spoken of mean little children,
+wherever they are found. And to feed these lambs is to teach them
+about Jesus. When we are trying to bring the young to Jesus and
+teaching them to love and serve him, then we are doing the work that
+is most pleasing to him:--the work that he most loves to have his
+people do. It was thinking about this that first led me to begin the
+work of preaching regularly to the young. And this is the lesson that
+Jesus would have all his people learn when he says to each of
+them:--"Lovest thou me? Feed my lambs."
+
+"The Angel in the Stone." Many years ago there was a celebrated
+artist who lived in Italy, whose name was Michael Angelo. He was a
+great painter, and a great sculptor, or a worker in marble. He loved
+to see beautiful figures chiseled out of marble, and he had great
+power and skill in chiseling out such figures. One day, as he was
+walking with some friends through the city of Florence, he saw a
+block of marble lying neglected in a yard, half covered with dust and
+rubbish. He stopped to examine that block of marble. That day
+happened to be a great holiday in Florence and the artist had his
+best suit of clothes on; but not caring for this he threw off his
+coat, 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 of
+stone?"
+
+"O, there's an angel in this stone," said he, "and I must get it
+out."
+
+He bought that block; had it removed to his studio, and then went to
+work with his mallet and his chisel, and never rested till out of
+that 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 that
+will last forever. And when we bring our children to Jesus, and by
+his help teach them to love and serve him, we are doing for them just
+what Michael Angelo was doing for his block of marble--we are getting
+the angels out of the stones. And this is what Jesus loves to have us
+do.
+
+"How to Get the Angels Out." A Christian mother, whose children had
+all been early taught to love and serve Jesus, was asked the secret
+of her success in bringing up her children. This was her
+answer:--"While my children were infants on my lap, as I washed them
+day by day, I raised my heart to God that he would wash them in that
+blood 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's
+righteousness; as I provided them food I prayed that God would feed
+their souls with the bread of heaven, and give them to drink of the
+water of life. When I prepared them for the house of God I pleaded
+that their bodies might be made fit temples for the Holy Ghost to
+dwell in. When they left me daily for the week-day school, I followed
+their youthful footsteps with the prayer that their path through life
+might be like that of the just, which shineth more and more unto the
+perfect day. And night after night, as I committed them to rest, the
+silent breathing of my soul has been, that their heavenly Father
+would 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 to
+bring the angel out from every block of living marble that God has
+given them.
+
+"The Best Time for Doing This." A faithful minister of Christ had a
+dear only daughter. She had been a thoughtful praying child. When
+only twelve years old she had joined her father's church. She now lay
+on her dying bed. "As I sat by her bedside," says her father, "among
+the things she said which I shall never forget were these:--'Father
+you know I joined the church when I was young--very young. Some of
+our friends thought that I was too young. But, oh! how I wish I could
+tell everybody what a comfort it is to me now to think of it.' Then
+reaching out her hand--the fingers were already cold--and grasping
+mine, she said with great earnestness:--'Father, you are at work for
+the young. Do all you can for them while they are young. It's the
+best time--the best time. Oh! I see it now as I never did before. It
+is the best time--while they are young--the younger the better. Do
+all you can for them while they are very young.' And then she fell
+asleep in Jesus."
+
+This is the lesson about the work we are to do for him on earth, that
+Jesus taught in what he said concerning the children.
+
+But when we think of those sweet words of Jesus--"Of such is the
+kingdom of heaven," we are _taught a lesson about the company we
+shall meet there_. We learn from what our blessed Lord says on this
+subject that he saves all the little ones who die before they are
+accountable for their actions. And we know that of all the persons
+born into our world more than half of them die before they reach this
+age. And this makes it very certain that more than half the company
+of heaven will be made up of little children. This is a very sweet
+thought to those who have lost little ones; and to those who love
+them.
+
+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 remain
+children. The Rev. Mr. Bickersteth, of England, in speaking of a
+father meeting his little ones in heaven, who died years before he
+did, represents him as meeting them there, just of the same age and
+size as they were when they died. And then he expresses his own
+thought 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 when
+he himself has not spoken on such a point as this, it is impossible
+for us to say certainly which way it will be. But when we get to
+heaven and find just how it is, we shall all agree that God's way is
+the best way.
+
+And then Jesus shows us plainly _what our character must be if we
+hope 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, he
+shall not enter therein." Mark x: 15. Jesus refers here to some of
+the 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 our
+character, if we hope to enter heaven. Such a child is willing to be
+taught:--believes all that his parent or teacher tells him; and does
+everything that he is told to do; and such must our character be if
+we hope to enter heaven.
+
+And so when we come to study out this part of our Saviour's life, and
+think 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 should
+be in the heart of everyone, young or old, on thinking of this great
+subject, 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 blessed
+Lord. It forms a great contrast to the other events mentioned in his
+history. He "came to visit us in great humility." When we read how he
+was born in a stable, and cradled in a manger; how he had "not where
+to lay his head;" when we read of the lowliness, and poverty, and
+suffering that marked his course, day by day, we come naturally to
+think of him as "the man of sorrows and acquainted with grief." And
+though, 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, and
+controlled the stormy winds and waves with his simple word, he seems
+wonderful in his power and majesty; yet there is nothing, in all his
+earthly life, that leads us to think so highly of him, as this scene
+of the Transfiguration, of which we are now to speak.
+
+The account of this event is given us by three of the evangelists. We
+find 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 how
+he was to go up to Jerusalem, to suffer many things, to be put to
+death, 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 became
+his disciples would be required to exercise. This was very different
+from what they were expecting and must have been very discouraging to
+them. They did not yet understand that their Master had come into the
+world to suffer and to die. Instead of this, their minds were filled
+with the idea that the object of his coming was to establish an
+earthly kingdom and to reign in glory. And, for themselves, they were
+expecting that they would share his glory and reign as princes with
+him. And so they must have been greatly troubled by his words. To
+encourage and comfort them, therefore, he told them that, before they
+died, 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, the
+favored John and James and Peter, and went up with them "into a
+mountain, apart by themselves, and was transfigured before them." We
+are not told what mountain it was that was thus honored. Mount Tabor,
+near Nazareth, on the borders of the Plain of Esdraelon, has long
+been regarded as the favored spot. But, in our day, many persons
+think that it was not on the top of Tabor, but on one of the summits
+of Mount Hermon, where this wonderful event took place. One of the
+principal objections to supposing that Tabor was the place is, that
+in those days there was a large fortress on the top of this mountain,
+and this, they think, would interfere with the privacy that would be
+desired on such an occasion. But, for myself, I still incline to
+think that Tabor was the mountain chosen. I went to the top of this
+mountain, when in Palestine. And though there is a large convent
+there now, yet the summit of Tabor covers a wide space of ground. And
+outside of the walls of the convent, and even out of sight of its
+walls, I saw a number of retired, shady places that would be
+particularly suitable for such a scene as this.
+
+But, it is impossible to decide positively which was the Mount of
+Transfiguration. And it is not a matter of much consequence. Those
+who think it was Hermon are at liberty to think so; and those who
+think it was Tabor, have a right to their opinion, for none can prove
+that they are mistaken in thinking so.
+
+And when we come to consider this great event in the life of our
+Saviour, there are _two_ things to speak of in connection with it;
+these are the _wonders_ we see in it; and the _lessons_ we may learn
+from it. Or, to express it more briefly--The Transfiguration--its
+wonders, and its lessons.
+
+There are three wonders to be spoken of, and three lessons to be
+learned from this subject.
+
+_The first wonder is_--THE WONDERFUL CHANGE--that took place in the
+appearance of our Lord on this occasion.
+
+Jesus went up the mountain with his disciples. It was probably at the
+close of one of his busy days that he did this. It would seem from
+St. Luke's account,--chap. ix: 32--that Peter and his companions were
+weary with the day's work, and soon fell asleep. But, while they were
+sleeping, Jesus was praying. And it was while he was engaged in
+prayer that the Transfiguration took place. St. Luke tells us it
+was--"_as he prayed_."
+
+Let us notice now, what the different evangelists tell us about this
+change. St. Matthew says--"He was transfigured before them: and his
+face 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 no
+fuller"--one who cleans, or whitens cloth--"on earth can white them."
+St. Luke says--"As he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was
+altered, and his raiment was white and glistening."
+
+These are the different accounts we have of this surprising scene. If
+the disciples had been awake when this marvellous change began to
+take place, we cannot for a moment suppose that they would have gone
+to sleep while the heavens must have seemed to be opening above them
+and this blaze of glory was shining around them. They were, no doubt,
+asleep when the transfiguration began. And, as we know that the
+taking of an ordinary light into the room where persons are asleep
+will often awaken them, it is not surprising that the disciples
+should have been aroused from their slumber by the flood of light and
+glory that was beaming round their Master then. How surprised they
+must have been when they opened their eyes on that scene! They would
+never forget it as long as they lived. It was more than half a
+century after this when St. John wrote his gospel; and it was, no
+doubt, to this scene that he referred when he said, in speaking of
+Jesus;--"_we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of
+the Father_" St. John i: 14. And, not long before his death, St.
+Peter thus refers to it:--"We were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For
+he received from God the Father, honor and glory, when there came
+such a voice from the excellent glory, saying, This is my beloved Son
+in whom I am well pleased." II. Pet. i: 16, 17.
+
+One object for which this wonderful transfiguration of our Lord took
+place was, no doubt, to give to the disciples then, and to the
+followers of Jesus in all coming time, an idea of what his glory now
+is in heaven, and of what it will be when he shall come again in his
+kingdom. He had told his disciples about his sufferings and death,
+and the shame and dishonor connected with them; and here, as if to
+counterbalance that, he wished to give them a glimpse of the glory
+that is to shine around him forever.
+
+How wonderful it must have seemed to the astonished disciples! When
+they had last looked on their Master, before going to sleep, they had
+seen him as "the man of sorrows," in his plain everyday dress, such
+as they themselves wore: but, when they looked on him again, as they
+awoke from their sleep, they saw his face shining as the sun, and his
+raiment dazzling in its snowy whiteness.
+
+To what may we compare this wonderful change? Suppose you have before
+you the bulbous root of the lily plant. You look at it carefully, but
+there is nothing attractive about it. How rough and unsightly it
+appears! You close your eyes upon it for a brief space. You open them
+again. But what a change has taken place! That plain-homely looking
+bulb has disappeared, and in its place there stands before you the
+lily plant. It has reached its mature growth. Its flower is fully
+developed and blooming in all its matchless beauty! What a marvellous
+change that would be! And yet it would be but a feeble illustration
+of the more wonderful change that took place in our Saviour at his
+transfiguration.
+
+Here is another illustration. Suppose we are looking at the western
+sky, towards the close of day. Great masses of dark clouds are
+covering all that part of the heavens. They are but common clouds.
+There is nothing attractive or interesting about them. We do not care
+to 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 has
+thrown his glorious beams upon them. How changed they now appear! All
+that was commonplace and unattractive about them is gone. How they
+glow and sparkle! Gold, and purple, and all the colors of the rainbow
+are blending, how beautifully there! Are these the same dull clouds
+that we looked upon a few moments before? Yes; but they have been
+transfigured. A wonderful change has come over them. And here we have
+an illustration of our Lord's transfiguration. The first wonder about
+this incident in his life is the wonderful change which took place in
+his appearance then.
+
+_The second wonder about the transfiguration is_--THE WONDERFUL
+COMPANY--_that appeared with our Saviour then_.
+
+At the close of his temptation in the wilderness, Jesus had some
+wonderful 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 had
+more company of the same kind; for we read that--"_there appeared
+unto 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 time
+of his Transfiguration. No: but we read that, "there appeared unto
+him Moses, and Elias," or Elijah. And if we ask why did not the
+angels come to him now, as they did on other occasions? Why did these
+distinguished persons, of the Old Testament history, come from heaven
+to visit him in place of the angels? It is easy enough to answer
+these questions. This transfiguration of Christ took place, as he
+himself tells us, in order to give his disciples a view of the glory
+that will attend him when he shall come in his kingdom. When he shall
+appear, on that occasion, all his people will come with him. Those
+who shall have died before he comes will be raised from the dead and
+come with him, in their glorious resurrection bodies. And those who
+shall be living when he comes will, as St. Paul tells us,--"_be
+changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye_"--I. Cor. xv: 52,
+53--and have beautiful, glorified bodies, like the bodies of those
+who have been raised from the dead. And both these classes of
+Christ's people were represented by the distinguished persons who
+formed the company that appeared with Jesus at the Transfiguration.
+Moses had been in heaven nearly fifteen hundred years when this scene
+took place. He had died, as other men do, and had been buried. It is
+supposed by many wise and good men that his body had been raised from
+the dead, that he might appear in it on this occasion. And thus Moses
+represented all the dead in Christ, who will be raised to life again
+at 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. Paul
+tells us that bodies of flesh and blood, like ours, cannot enter
+heaven. I. Cor. xv: 50. They must be changed, and made fit for that
+blessed place. And so, we know, that as Elijah went up to heaven, in
+his chariot of fire, the same wonderful change must have passed over
+his body which we have seen will take place with those of Christ's
+people who shall be living on the earth when he comes again.
+
+Jesus was transfigured that we might know how he himself will appear
+when he comes in his kingdom. And Moses and Elias "appeared with him
+in glory," to show us how the people of Christ will appear when they
+enter with him into his kingdom. And this was a good reason why these
+very persons, and not the angels, should have formed the company that
+came to visit our Saviour on the Mount of Transfiguration. It was
+wonderful company indeed that waited on Jesus then. But, it was a
+wonderful occasion. None like it had ever occurred before; none like
+it has ever occurred since; and none like it will ever occur again
+till Jesus shall come in the glory of his heavenly kingdom. The
+second wonder of the Transfiguration was the wonderful company.
+
+_The third wonder connected with this great event was_--THE WONDERFUL
+CONVERSATION--_that took place between Jesus and his visitors_.
+
+All the three evangelists, who tell of the Transfiguration, speak of
+this conversation. St. Matthew and St. Mark merely state the fact
+that Moses and Elias "were talking with Jesus;" but they do not tell
+us the subject of the conversation, or what it was about which they
+talked. But St. Luke supplies what they leave out. He says, "_they
+spake of his decease, which he should accomplish at Jerusalem_" This
+means that they talked about the death upon the cross which he was to
+suffer. And when we remember that these great and good men had just
+come down from heaven, where God, the loving Father of Jesus dwells,
+and where all the holy angels are; and that this was the only time
+when they were to be present with Jesus, and have an opportunity of
+talking with him, during all his life on earth, we may wonder why
+they did not choose some more pleasant subject of conversation. And
+yet they did not make a mistake. God the Father had sent them from
+heaven to meet his beloved Son on this occasion. And, no doubt, he
+had told them what subject they were to talk about, and what they
+were to say to Jesus, on that subject. And then they knew very well
+how Jesus felt about this matter. And painful as the death upon the
+cross would be, they knew it was the nearest of all things to the
+heart of Jesus. It was the will of his Father that he should die on
+the cross, and it was the delight of his heart--the very joy of his
+soul to do his Father's will. And here we learn the unspeakable
+importance of the death of Christ. The apostle Paul was showing his
+sense of its importance when he said, "God forbid that I should
+glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus." Gal. vi: 14. He puts the
+word "_cross_" of Christ, for the death of Christ, but it means the
+same thing.
+
+Some one has compared the cross of Christ to a key of gold, that
+opens the gate of heaven to us, if we believe in Jesus; but if we
+refuse 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 the
+cross and desired to know its power. When he was sick and near his
+end, he told his servants to make him a large wooden cross, and lay
+it down in his chamber. When this was done, he said--"Take me now and
+lay me on the cross, and let me die there." As he lay there dying he
+looked 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 thus
+he died. It was not that wooden cross that saved him; but the death
+of Christ, on the cross to which he was nailed--the death of which
+Moses and Elias talked with him, that saved this heathen man. They
+knew what a blessing his death would be to the world, and _this_ was
+why they talked about this death. Here is one of Bonar's beautiful
+hymns which speaks sweetly of the blessedness and comfort to be found
+in 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 flow
+out 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 to
+Jesus, amidst the glory of his Transfiguration, the subject, above
+all others, about which they desired to talk with him--was his death
+upon the cross,--"his decease, which he should accomplish at
+Jerusalem."
+
+These are the three great wonders of the Transfiguration--the
+wonderful change--the wonderful company--and the wonderful
+conversation.
+
+And this brings us to the second part of our subject, which is--_the
+three 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 us
+what we may hope to be hereafter, if we are the servants of Christ.
+We are told how Jesus appeared on this occasion. His glory is
+described. The brightness and glory that shone around him exceeded
+that of the noonday sun. But there is no particular description given
+Moses and Elias. We are not told how they looked. It is only said of
+them that--"they appeared in _glory_." St Luke ix: 31. I suppose the
+meaning of this is that they shared in the glory which Jesus himself
+had when he was transfigured. Their raiment was as white as his; and
+the same brightness and beauty beamed forth from their faces which
+made his so glorious. They shared their Master's glory. And, if we
+are loving, and serving Jesus, this is what we may hope to share
+with him hereafter. This is what we are taught to pray for in the
+beautiful Collect for the sixth Sunday after the Epiphany. These are
+the words of that prayer: "O God, whose blessed Son was manifested
+that he might make us the sons of God, and heirs of eternal life;
+Grant us, we beseech thee, that having this hope, we may purify
+ourselves, even as he is pure; that when he shall appear again, with
+power and great glory, _we may be made like unto him in his eternal
+and glorious kingdom;_ where, with thee, O Father, and thee, O Holy
+Ghost, he liveth and reigneth, ever One God, world without end.
+Amen."
+
+And it is right to offer such a prayer as this, because the Bible
+teaches us to hope for this great glory. How well a hope like this
+may be called "_a hope that maketh not ashamed_," Rom. v: 5; "_a good
+hope through grace_," II. Thess. ii: 16; "that _blessed hope_," Tit.
+ii: 13; "_a lively hope_," I. Peter i: 3. And how well it may be
+spoken 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 the
+storms of life are bursting upon it! Moses and Elias appeared with
+Jesus at his Transfiguration, and shared his glory on purpose to
+teach us this lesson of hope, and to show us what we shall be
+hereafter. We shall be as glorious as Jesus was on the Mount of
+Transfiguration! This seems something too great and too good to be
+true. But no matter how great, or how good it is--_it is true_. Jesus
+taught this lesson of hope when he said--speaking of the time when he
+shall come in his kingdom, "_Then shall the righteous shine forth as
+the sun in the kingdom of their Father_," St. Matt, xiii: 43. He
+taught 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, I
+have given them_," St. John xvii: 21. And the apostle John taught us
+the same lesson, when he said,--"We know that when he shall appear
+_we shall be like him_," I. John iii: 2. These sweet passages make
+this lesson of hope very sure. And this is just the way in which we
+are made sure about other things we have not seen.
+
+"How we Know There is a Heaven." A Sunday-school teacher was talking
+to one of her scholars about heaven and the glory we shall have when
+we reach that blessed place. He was a bright boy, about nine or ten
+years old, named Charlie. After listening to her for awhile, he said:
+"But you have never been there, Miss D., and how do you know there
+really is any such place?"
+
+"Charlie," said the teacher, "you have never been to London; how do
+you know there is such a city?"
+
+"O, I know that very well," said Charlie, "because my father is
+there; 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 he
+has sent me a letter, telling me about the glory of heaven, and about
+the way to get there. The Bible is God's letter."
+
+"Yes, I see," said Charlie, after thinking awhile, "there must be a
+heaven, if you have got such a nice long letter from there."
+
+The lesson of hope is the first lesson taught us by the
+Transfiguration.
+
+_The next lesson taught us here is_--THE LESSON
+
+OF INSTRUCTION.
+
+The great event of the Transfiguration took place in our Saviour's
+life for _this_ reason, among others, that we might learn from it
+_how we are to think of Christ_. While the disciples were gazing on
+the glory of that scene, and on the distinguished visitors who were
+there, there came a cloud and overshadowed them. This cloud, we may
+suppose, was like a curtain round Moses and Elias, hiding them from
+the view of the disciples. And, as Jesus in his glory was left alone
+for them to gaze upon, there came a voice from the overshadowing
+cloud, saying--"_This is my beloved Son; in whom I am well
+pleased_." This was the voice of God, the Father. It spoke out on
+this occasion to teach the disciples then, and you and me now, and
+all God's people in every age, what to think about Christ. God, the
+Father, tells us here what he thinks about him; and we must learn to
+think of him in the same way. His will, his command is that "_all men
+should 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 this
+occasion to add to the honor of Christ. And then they disappeared, as
+if to show that they were nothing in comparison with him. He is the
+greatest and the best of all beings. He must be first. Prophets and
+priests, and kings, and angels even, are as nothing to him. We must
+love him--and honor him above all others. The words of the hymn we so
+often 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 Emperor
+Theodosius the Great which illustrates very well how we should honor
+Christ. There were at that time two great parties in the church. One
+of these believed and taught the divinity of Christ--or that he is
+equal to God the Father. The other party, called Arians, believed and
+taught that Christ was not divine; and that he was not to be honored
+and worshiped as God. The Emperor Theodosius favored this latter
+party. When his son, Arcadius, was about sixteen years old, his
+father determined to make him a sharer of his throne, and passed a
+law that his son should receive the same respect and honor that were
+due to himself. And, in connection with this event, an incident
+occurred which led the emperor to see how wrong the view was which he
+held respecting the character of Christ, and to give it up. When
+Arcadius was proclaimed the partner of his father in the empire, the
+officers of the government, and other prominent persons, called on
+the emperor in his palace, to congratulate him on the occasion, and
+to pay their respects to his son.
+
+Among those who thus came, was a celebrated bishop of the church. He
+was very decided in the views he held about the real divinity of
+Christ, and very much opposed to all who denied this divinity.
+
+Coming into the presence of the emperor, the bishop paid his respects
+to him, in the most polite and proper manner. Then he was about to
+retire from the palace, without taking any special notice of the
+emperor's son. This made the father angry. He said to the bishop, "Do
+you take no notice of my son? Have you not heard that I have made him
+a partner with myself in the government of the empire?"
+
+The good old bishop made no reply to this, but going to Arcadius, he
+laid his hand on his head, saying, as he did so--"The Lord bless
+thee, my son!" and was again turning to retire.
+
+Even this did not satisfy the emperor, who asked, in a tone of
+surprise and displeasure, "Is _this_ all the respect you pay to a
+prince whom I have made equal in dignity with myself?"
+
+With great warmth the bishop answered--"Does your majesty resent so
+highly my apparent neglect of your son, because I do not treat him
+with equal honor to yourself? What, then, must the _Eternal God_--the
+King of heaven--think of you, who refuse to render to his only
+begotten Son, the honor and the worship that he claims for him?"
+
+This had such an effect upon the emperor that he changed his views on
+this subject, and ever afterwards took part with those who
+acknowledged the divinity of Christ, and honored the Son, even as
+they honored the Father.
+
+And so we see that the second lesson taught by the Transfiguration
+was the _lesson of instruction_. We must learn to think of Christ as
+the Father in heaven thinks of him.
+
+_And then there is_--A LESSON OF DUTY--_that comes to us from this
+Transfiguration scene_.
+
+We are taught this lesson by the last two words that were spoken, by
+the voice which the apostles heard from the cloud that overshadowed
+them. These are the words:--"_Hear Him."_ "This is my beloved Son, in
+whom I am well pleased: _Hear Him_." This is God's command to every
+one of us. To hear Jesus, means to listen attentively to what he has
+to say, and to do it. And what does Jesus say to us? He says many
+things. But the most important thing he has to say to the young, is
+what we find in St. Matt, vi: 33: "_Seek ye_ FIRST _the kingdom of
+God_." This means that we must give our hearts to Jesus, and serve
+him while we are young. We must do this _first_,--before we do
+anything else. We cannot hear or obey Jesus in anything, till we hear
+and obey him in this. And there are three good reasons why we should
+do this.
+
+We should "hear him" because there is _safety_ in it. We are exposed
+to dangers every day, and nothing will so help to keep us safe in the
+midst of these dangers as hearing Jesus, and doing what he tells us
+to 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 were
+greatly frightened. They screamed, and left their places, and began
+to rush to the windows and stairs. The stairway leading to the door
+was soon choked up; and although the fire never reached the
+school-house, many of the children had their limbs broken and were
+bruised and wounded in other ways.
+
+But there was one little girl who remained quietly in her seat
+during all this excitement. When the alarm was over, and the wounded
+children had been taken home, and order was restored in the school,
+the teacher asked this little girl why she sat still in her seat, and
+did not rush towards the door, as the other girls had done.
+
+"My father is a fireman," she said, "and he has always told me that
+if ever there was a cry of fire when I was in school, I must remain
+quiet in my seat, for that was the safest way. I was dreadfully
+frightened; but I knew that what father had told me was best; and so
+I sat still, while the others were running to the door." This little
+girl _heard_ her father. She minded him. She did what he told her to
+do, and she found safety in doing so. And if we "_hear him_" of whom
+the voice from the Mount of Transfiguration speaks to us--we shall
+find safety from many a danger.
+
+We ought to learn this lesson of duty, and "hear him," because there
+is _success_ in it.
+
+In old times, when the racers were running in the public games, if a
+man wished to be successful in the race, it was necessary for him to
+fix his eye on the prize, at the end of the race-course, and keep it
+fixed there till he reached the end. No one could have any success in
+racing who did not do this.
+
+Here is an incident about some boys at play that illustrates the
+point 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 of
+the new fallen snow. It was too dry for snowballing, and was not deep
+enough for coasting; so they thought they would improve the occasion
+by playing at making tracks in the snow.
+
+There was a large meadow near by, with a grand old oak tree standing
+in the centre of it. The boys gathered round the tree, and stood, on
+opposite sides, each one with his back against the tree. At a given
+signal they were to start, and walk to the fence opposite to each of
+them; and then return to the tree, and see which had made the
+straightest track.
+
+The signal was given. They started. They reached the fence, and
+returned to the tree. "Now, boys, who has made the straightest
+track?" said one of the boys, named James Allison.
+
+"Henry Armstrong's is the only one that is straight at all," said
+Thomas Sanders.
+
+"I don't see how we all contrived to go so crooked, when the meadow
+is so smooth, and there is nothing to turn us out of the way," said
+one 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 tree
+on the other side of the fence towards which I was to walk, and never
+looked away from it till I reached the fence."
+
+The other boys were walking without any particular aim in view. No
+wonder that their walk was crooked. After the apostle Paul became a
+Christian, he made one of the straightest tracks through this world
+to heaven that ever was made. And he made it in just the same way in
+which Harry Armstrong made his straight track through that meadow. We
+have seen what Harry said of his track through the snow; now see what
+St. Paul says of the way in which he made his straight track through
+this world to heaven. _This_ is what he says:
+
+"One thing I do; forgetting those things which are behind, and
+reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the
+mark, 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 the
+ancient games, when he fixed his eye on the prize and pressed right
+forward till he reached it. And it was just what Harry Armstrong did
+in his play. He fixed his eye on the big pine tree and never turned
+to the right hand or to the left till he reached it. The apostle Paul
+fixed his eye on Jesus, and made a straight track through the world
+till he reached the glorious heaven where Jesus dwells. And, in doing
+this, the great apostle was only practising the lesson of duty taught
+by the voice that speaks from the Transfiguration scene. "_Hear
+him_," 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 as
+safety and success.
+
+David says, when speaking of God's commands, "In keeping of them
+there is _great reward,"_ Ps. xix: 11. This is true of all God's
+commands; and it is especially true of the command we are now
+considering--"Hear him."
+
+Samuel obeyed this command, and it made him a blessing and an honor
+to the nation of Israel. David obeyed it, and it made him one of the
+greatest and most successful kings. Daniel obeyed it, and it covered
+him with honor, and made him a blessing to his own nation, and to the
+church of Christ in every age.
+
+"The Reward of Obedience." Here is an Eastern story which illustrates
+this point of our subject. The story says there was once an enchanted
+hill. On the top of this hill a great treasure was hidden. This
+treasure was put there to be the reward of any one who should reach
+the top of the hill without looking behind him. The command and the
+promise given to every young person who set out to climb that hill,
+were--do not look behind you, and that treasure shall be yours. But
+there was a threat added to the command and promise. The threat was,
+if you look behind, you will be turned into a stone. Many young
+persons started, to try and gain the prize. But the way to the top of
+the hill led them through beautiful groves, which covered the side of
+the hill. In these groves were birds singing sweetly, and sounds of
+music were heard, and melodious voices inviting those who passed by
+to stop and rest awhile. One after another of those who set out for
+the prize at the top of the hill would stop, and look round to see
+where the voices came from; and immediately they were turned into
+stones. "Hence," says the story, "in a little while the hillside was
+covered with stones, into which those had been turned who neglected
+the command given them when they started."
+
+Of course there never was such a hill as this. But the story gives us
+a good illustration. Our life may well be compared to such a hill.
+The treasure, on the top of it, represents the reward that awaits us
+in heaven, if we serve God faithfully. The songs, and the voices,
+from the groves, on the hillside, represent the temptations that
+surround us in our daily paths. The lesson of duty that comes to us
+from the Transfiguration scene--"Hear him"--is the only thing that
+can preserve us from these temptations. If we hear Jesus when he says
+to us--"follow me;" if we give him our hearts and walk in his way, he
+will carry us through all temptations; he will bring us safely to the
+top of the hill; and the reward laid up there will be ours. Let us
+learn this lesson of duty, because there is safety in it; there is
+success in it; there is profit in it.
+
+And so we have spoken of two things in connection with the
+Transfiguration; these are the wonders that attended it, and the
+lessons taught by it. The wonders are three--the wonderful
+change--the wonderful company--and the wonderful conversation; and
+the lessons are three--the lesson of hope--the lesson of
+instruction--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 The
+Last Supper. Between these two events in our Saviour's life, how many
+interesting incidents took place! How many important sayings that
+fell from his gracious lips during this period are written for our
+instruction by the four evangelists! There is, for instance, the
+beautiful lesson about what it is on which the value of our gifts
+depend. He taught this lesson when he saw the rich casting their
+gifts into the treasury. Among them came "a certain poor widow,
+casting in two mites. And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that
+this poor widow hath cast in more than they all;--for she of her
+penury hath cast in all the living she had," Luke xxi: 1-4. But, from
+among all these, we have only room for one chapter. A dozen, or
+twenty chapters would be needed on this part of the life of Christ.
+Where there are so many that might be taken, it has been very
+difficult to decide which is the best. In deciding this matter, I do
+not think we could do better than join the company of the three
+favored disciples, Peter, John, and James, and go, in thought with
+them, as they followed their Master from his last visit to the temple
+in Jerusalem, up to the top of the Mount of Olives. There Jesus took
+his seat, and his disciples sat around him, anxious to ask him some
+questions about what he had said to them in the temple. We read in
+St. Mark xiii: 1-2, that as he was going out of the temple the
+disciples called his attention to the beauty of that sacred building
+and the great size and splendor of some of the stones that were in
+it. Then Jesus pointed to that great building, and told them that the
+time was coming when it would be destroyed, and "there should not be
+left one stone upon another that should not be thrown down." This
+filled the minds of the disciples with surprise and wonder. They
+supposed that their temple would last as long as the world stood.
+They thought that it was the end of the world of which Jesus was
+speaking; and they were very anxious that he should tell them
+something more about it. And so, as soon as they were seated around
+him, on the Mount of Olives, they said, "Tell us, when shall these
+things be? and what shall be the sign, when all these things shall be
+fulfilled?" St. Mark xii: 4.
+
+And now, we may imagine ourselves sitting with Jesus and his
+disciples on the Mount of Olives. As we look down we see the city of
+Jerusalem spread out beneath our feet. We see its walls, and its
+palaces. And there, just before us, outshining everything in its
+beauty, is that sacred temple, that was "forty and six years in
+building." Its white marble walls, its golden spires, and pinnacles,
+are sparkling in the beams of the sun, as they shine upon them. No
+wonder 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 the
+twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth chapters of St. Matthew. In the first
+of these chapters, Jesus gave them a sign, by which those who learn
+to understand what he here says, might know when his second coming is
+to take place. These are some of the lessons from Olivet. I should
+like, very much, to stop and talk about them. But this cannot be
+now. We pass over to the twenty-fifth chapter of St. Matthew. In this
+chapter we have three of our Saviour's parables. These are very
+solemn and instructive. They all refer to the judgment that must take
+place when Jesus shall come into our world again. The second of these
+parables is the one we are now to consider. It is called--"The
+Parable of the Talents." We find it in St. Matt, xxv: 14-30. And _the
+lessons from Olivet_, which we are now to try and learn, are all
+drawn from the words of our Saviour, contained in the verses just
+mentioned.
+
+This, then, is our present subject--_The Lessons from Olivet_. And
+there _four_ lessons, in this part of our Saviour's discourse, of
+which we are now to speak. _The first is--the lesson about the
+Master. The second--the lesson about the servants. The third is--the
+lesson about the talents; and the fourth, the lesson about the
+rewards_.
+
+_The lesson about_--THE MASTER--_is the first thing of which we are
+to speak_.
+
+In the 14th verse of this 25th chapter of St. Matthew, Jesus speaks
+of himself as--"a man travelling into a far country,"--and of his
+people as--"his own servants." In the 19th verse he speaks of himself
+as "the lord of those servants, coming back, after a long time, to
+reckon 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 a
+kingdom, and to return." This language was borrowed from a custom
+that prevailed in those days. The headquarters of the government of
+the world then was in the city of Rome. The kings and rulers of
+different countries received their appointments to the offices they
+held from the Roman Emperor. Archelaus, the son of Herod, succeeded
+his father as king of Judea. But, it was necessary for him to go to
+Rome and get permission from the emperor to hold and exercise that
+office. He had done this, not very long before our Saviour applied to
+himself the words we are now considering. This was a fact well known.
+And this is the illustration which Jesus here uses in reference to
+himself. He is the Head--the Prince--the Lord--the Master of all
+things 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 to
+heaven, as Archelaus went to Rome, "to receive for himself a kingdom
+and to return." He said he would be absent "a long time," verse 19.
+And this is true. He has been absent more than eighteen hundred
+years. He said he would "return," or come again. And so he will. It
+is just as certain that he will come again as it is that he went
+away. And he will come, not in figure, or in spirit, but in person,
+as he went. Remember what the angels said about this to his
+disciples, at the time of his departure. "Ye men of Galilee, why
+stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken from
+you into heaven, shall _so come, in like manner_ as ye have seen him
+go 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 our
+Lord and Master. No master ever had such a right to be Lord and Ruler
+as he has. God the Father has appointed him to be "Head over all
+things 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 our
+Master because he _preserves_ us. We cannot keep ourselves for a
+single 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 with
+the price of his own precious blood. He made our hands to work for
+him; and our feet to walk in his ways. He made our hearts to love
+him;--our minds to think about him; our eyes to see the beauty of his
+wondrous works, our ears to listen to his gracious words, and our
+lips and tongues to be employed in speaking and singing his praises.
+
+We cannot be our own masters. "I am my own master!"--said a young
+man, proudly, to a friend who was trying to persuade him from doing a
+wrong thing; "I am my own master!"
+
+"That's impossible," said his friend. "You can not be master of
+yourself, unless you are master of everything within, and everything
+around you. Look within. There is your conscience to keep clear, and
+your heart to make pure, your temper to govern, your will to control,
+and your judgment to instruct. And then look without. There are
+storms, and seasons; accidents, and dangers; a world full of evil men
+and evil spirits. What can you do with these? And yet, if you don't
+master 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 sure
+I should fail, if I did. Saul, the first king of Israel, wanted to be
+his own master, and failed. So did Herod. So did Judas. No man can be
+his own master. 'One is your Master, even Christ,' says the apostle.
+I work under his direction. He is my regulator, and when he is Master
+all goes right. Think of these words,--'_He is your Master even
+Christ_.' If we put ourselves under his leadership we shall surely
+win at last."
+
+And as we cannot be our own master, if we refuse to take Christ as
+our Ruler, there is nothing left for us but to have Satan as our
+master. These are the only two masters we can have. We must make our
+choice between them. If Jesus is not our Master, Satan must be. If
+Jesus is our Master here, he will share his glory with us hereafter.
+If we serve Satan here, we must share his punishment hereafter. This
+is one of the solemn lessons that Jesus taught on Olivet. He is
+speaking of the day of judgment. He represents himself as on the
+judgment-seat. Two great companies are before him. On his right hand
+are those who took him for their Master. To them he says--"Come, ye
+blessed 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 awful
+words he speaks to them are:--"Depart from, ye cursed, into
+everlasting 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 of
+means Jesus, our blessed Master. And now the question is--who are
+meant by "his own servants?" He has three kinds of servants. The
+first kind is made up of those who serve him _ignorantly_. This takes
+in all those things that have no knowledge or understanding. There,
+for instance are the sun,--the moon,--the stars,--the mountains,--the
+hills,--the plains,--the valleys,--the rivers,--the seas,--the wind
+that blows,--the rains that descend,--and the dews that distil; these
+all serve God, without knowing it. He made them to serve him, and
+they do it; but they do it ignorantly. "His kingdom _ruleth over
+all_," and it makes all these things his servants. They do exactly
+what 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 wicked
+men, and the wicked spirits who are to be found anywhere. They do not
+wish to serve God, and yet, in spite of themselves, they are obliged
+to do it. We see this illustrated, when we think of the way in which
+the crucifixion of our blessed Saviour was brought about. Satan
+stirred up the Jews to take Jesus and put him to death. God allowed
+them to do it. They did it of their own choice--as freely, and as
+voluntarily, as they ever did anything in their lives. They did it
+because they hated him, and wished to get him out of their way. So
+they nailed him to the cross in their malice and their rage. This was
+the very thing God had determined should be done, that he might save
+and bless the world. He allowed Satan, and the Jews, to do just what
+their wicked hearts prompted them to do; and then he overruled it for
+good. And, in this way, as David says, he "makes the wrath of man to
+praise him, and the remainder of it he restrains." And thus we see
+how 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 speaks
+of them, in this parable as "_his own_ servants." When they find out
+what he has done for them, the thought of it fills their hearts with
+love; and then they desire to serve him, and do all he tells them to
+do, in order to show their love to him. And this is what Jesus means
+when he says--"Take my yoke upon you; for my yoke is easy, and my
+burden is light," When we really love a person, anything that we can
+do for that person is easy and pleasant to us. And so it is the great
+love for Jesus, that his people have, which makes his yoke easy, and
+his burden light to them.
+
+"How to Become a Willing Servant to Jesus." A little boy came to his
+grandmother one day, and asked her how he could become a Christian.
+She answered very simply, "Ask Jesus to give you a new heart, _and
+believe he does it when you ask him_."
+
+"Is that all?" said the little fellow joyfully; "oh! that is easy
+enough." So he went to his room, and kneeling beside his bed, asked
+Jesus to give him a new heart. He believed that the dear Saviour,
+who loves little children, did hear and answer his prayer. And he
+left his room with a happy heart, for he felt sure that he was now
+one of Christ's own loving children, and willing servants. And this
+is the way in which we must take the yoke of Jesus upon us, and
+become his willing servants. And then in everything that we do we can
+be serving him. As St. Paul says--"whether we eat or drink, or
+whatsoever we do, we can do all to the glory of God."
+
+A good man once said "that if God should send two angels down from
+heaven, and should tell one of them to sit on a throne and rule a
+kingdom, and the other to sweep the streets of a city, the latter
+would feel that he was serving God as acceptably in handling his
+broom as his brother angel was in holding his sceptre. And this is
+true. 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 finest
+wheat." "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 useful
+when I turn out the finest flour than when I turn out the coarsest
+meal. My honor is, not in doing fine work, but in doing any thing
+that is given me to do in the best way that I can." That is true. And
+this is just the way in which Jesus wishes us to serve him when he
+says to "_his own_ servants," "Occupy till I come." This means serve
+me, in everything, as you would do if you saw me standing by your
+side.
+
+"How to Serve God." Willie's mother let him go with his little sister
+into the street to play. She told them not to go off the street on
+which their house stood. Willie was a little fellow, and lisped very
+much in talking; but he was brave, and he was obedient. Presently his
+sister asked him to go into another street; but he refused. "Mamma
+thaid no," was Willie's answer. "The thaid we muthn't do off thith
+threet," said Willie in his lisping way. "Only just a little way
+round 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 thuch
+a mean thing; and I won't!" And Willie straightened himself, and
+stood up like a man. That was brave and beautiful in Willie. And that
+is 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 his
+baby brother in a child's carriage. "My little man," said the
+gentleman, "what are you doing to serve God?" The little fellow
+stopped a moment, and then, looking up into the gentleman's face, he
+said:--"Why, you see, Sir, I'm trying to make baby happy, so that he
+won't worry mamma who is sick." That was a noble answer. In trying to
+amuse his baby brother, and to relieve his poor sick mother, that
+little boy was serving God as truly and as acceptably as the angel
+Gabriel does when he wings his way, on a mission of mercy, to some
+far off world.
+
+And this is the lesson about the servants that comes to us from
+Olivet.
+
+_The lesson about_--THE TALENTS--_is the third lesson that comes to
+us from Olivet_.
+
+This parable tells us that before the Master went away, he "called
+his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. Unto one he gave
+five talents, to another two, to another one; to every man according
+to his several ability." verses 14, 15, In St. Luke's account of the
+parable, what the master gave to his servants is spoken of as
+_pounds_, and each servant is said to have received one pound. These
+talents or pounds both mean the same thing. They denote something
+with which we can do good, and make ourselves useful. And it is
+plain, from both these parables, that the Master gave at least _one_
+talent, or one pound, to each of his servants. None of them were left
+without some portion of their Master's goods. And the lesson from
+Olivet 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 expects
+us to use for him. And the most important thing for us is to find out
+what our talents are, and how we can best use them, so as to be ready
+to give a good account of them when our Master comes to reckon with
+us.
+
+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 over
+them. He was laid away, in one of the beds of a hospital, to die. On
+the next cot to him was another little fellow, of the same class, who
+had been picked up, sick with the fever which comes from hunger and
+want. The latter boy crept close up to his poor suffering companion
+and 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 that
+Jesus would take us up to heaven when we die, if we axed him; and
+we'd never have any more hunger or pain."
+
+"But I couldn't ax such a great gentleman as he is to do anything for
+me. 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 could
+I 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 might
+come round to this hospital this very night? You'd know him if you
+was to see him."
+
+"But I can't keep my eyes open. My legs feels awful bad. Doctor says
+I'll die."
+
+"Bobby, hold up yer hand, and he'll know what you want, when he
+passes by." They got the hand up; but it dropped. They tried it
+again, and it slowly fell back. Three times they got up the little
+hand, only to let it fall. Bursting into tears he said, "I give it
+up."
+
+"Bobby," said his tender-hearted companion, "lend me yer hand. Put
+your elbow on my piller: I can do without it." So the hand was
+propped up. And when they came in the morning, the boy lay dead; but
+his hand was still held up for Jesus. And don't you think that he
+heard and answered the silent but eloquent appeal which it made to
+him 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 a
+single talent; but, he made good use of it when he employed it to
+lead that wounded, suffering, dying boy to Jesus.
+
+"Good Friends." "I wish I had some good friends, to help me on in
+life!" cried lazy Dennis, with a yawn.
+
+"Good friends," said his master, "why you've got ten; how many do you
+want?"
+
+"I'm sure I've not half so many; and those I have are too poor to
+help 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 in
+life. Try what those true friends can do, before you go grumbling and
+fretting because you have none to help you."
+
+Now, suppose that we put the word talents, for the word friends, in
+this little story. Then, we may each of us hold our two hands before
+us, and say "here are ten talents, which God has given me to use for
+him. 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 do
+something that made me glad for a week. Indeed it fills my heart with
+tenderness and good feeling whenever I think about it. But let me
+tell you what it was.
+
+"As I was walking along a crowded street I saw an old blind man
+walking on without any one to lead him. He went very slowly, feeling
+his way with his cane.
+
+"'He's walking straight to the highest part of the curb-stone,' said
+I to myself. 'And it's very high too. I wonder if some one won't help
+him 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's
+arm, said:--'Allow me, my friend, to lead you across the street.' By
+this time there were three or four others watching the boy. He not
+only helped the old man over one crossing, but led him over another
+to 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 old
+man. But just see how much farther than that the use of his one
+talent went. The three boys with whom he was playing, and who had
+watched his kind act, were happier and better for it, and felt that
+they must be more careful to do little kindnesses to those about
+them.
+
+"The three or four persons who stopped to watch the boy turned away
+with a tender smile upon their faces, ready to follow the good
+example of that noble boy. I am sure that I felt more gentle and
+loving 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 else
+happy, without feeling better and happier ourselves. To _be_ good and
+to _do_ good, is the way to be happy. This is our mission here in
+this world. Whatever talents our Master has given us, he intends that
+we should use them in this way."
+
+"Tiny's Work for God." Two little girls, Leila and Tiny, were
+sitting, one summer day, under the tree which grew beside their home.
+
+Both children had been quiet for a little while, when suddenly Tiny
+raised her blue eyes and said, "I _am_ so happy, Leila. I do love the
+flowers, and the birdies, and you, and everybody so much." Then she
+added, 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," said
+Leila.
+
+"Yes, but I do want to _do_ something for him--something that would
+give me trouble. Can't you think of anything?"
+
+Leila thought a little, and said, "Perhaps you could print a text
+for the flowers mother sends every week to the sick people in the
+hospital. They are so glad to have the flowers, and then the text
+might help them think about our Father in heaven."
+
+"Oh! thank you, sister, that will be so nice! I will write--'Suffer
+the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not.'"
+
+But Tiny was only a little over four years old, and it was hard for
+her to hold a pen, but she managed to print two letters every day
+till the text was finished. Then she went alone to her room, and
+laying the text on a chair, she kneeled down beside it, and
+said--"Heavenly Father, I have done this for you: please take it from
+Tiny, for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen." And God heard the prayer, for
+he always listens when children truly pray.
+
+So Tiny's text was sent up to London, and a lady put a very pretty
+flower into the card and took it to the hospital. She stopped beside
+a bed where a little boy was lying. His face was almost as white as
+the 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 I
+mind. 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 'ave
+any 'opes for me, and I'm mighty afeard to die."
+
+"If you had a friend who loved you, and you were well, would you be
+afraid 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 all
+your life long. He wants you to trust him, and to go and live with
+him. He will love you always, and you will always be happy."
+
+Then the lady read Tiny's text, "_Suffer the little children to come
+unto me, and forbid them not._" She told him how Jesus had died, and
+then 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 still
+saying "Come," and his hand is still held out to bless.
+
+So Willie turned to the Good Shepherd, and was no longer afraid. A
+few days afterwards he whispered--"Lord Jesus, I am coming;" and he
+died with Tiny's text in his hand.
+
+That little girl used the talent that was given her, and it helped
+to 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 lesson
+about,--the talents.
+
+_The fourth, and last lesson from Olivet is the lesson about_--THE
+REWARDS.
+
+The parable tells us that when the Master came back, and reckoned
+with his servants, he said to each of those who had made a right use
+of his talents:--"Well done, good and faithful servant, thou hast
+been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many
+things; 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 made
+ruler over ten cities; and he who had gained five pounds was made
+ruler over five cities. This shows us that God will reward his
+people, hereafter, according to the degree of faithfulness with which
+each one shall have used the talents given to him. And this is the
+lesson which the apostle Paul teaches us when he says that, "Every
+man 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 life
+when Jesus comes to reckon with them. But those crowns will not be
+all 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 these
+crowns. Some will be simply crowns of gold, or of glory, without any
+gems or jewels to ornament them. Some will have two or three small
+jewels shining in them. But, others again will be full of the most
+beautiful jewels, all glittering and sparkling with glory. And this
+will all depend upon the way in which those who wear these crowns
+used their talents while they were on earth, and the amount of work
+they did for Jesus. There is an incident mentioned in Roman history
+about a soldier, which illustrates this part of our subject very
+well.
+
+"The Faithful Soldier and His Rewards." This man had served forty
+years in the cause of his country--of these, ten years had been spent
+as a private soldier, and thirty as an officer. He had been present
+in one hundred and twenty battles, and had been severely wounded
+forty-five times. He had received fourteen civic crowns, for having
+saved the lives of so many Roman citizens; three mural crowns, for
+having been the first to mount the breach when attacking a fortress;
+and eight golden crowns, for having, on so many occasions, rescued
+the standard of a Roman legion from the hands of the enemy. He had in
+his house eighty-three gold chains, sixty bracelets, eighteen golden
+spears, and twenty-three horse trappings,--the rewards for his many
+faithful services as a soldier. And when his friends looked at all
+those honors and treasures which he had received, from time to time,
+how well they might have said as they pointed to those numerous
+prizes--that he had "received _his own reward_, according to _his own
+labor_," and faithfulness! And so it will be with the soldiers of the
+cross, who are faithful in using the talents given them by their
+heavenly Master.
+
+"A Great Harvest from a Little Seed," Some years ago there was a
+celebrated artist in Paris whose name was Ary Scheffer. On one
+occasion he wished to introduce a beggar into a certain picture he
+was painting. Baron Rothschild, the famous banker, and one of the
+richest men in the world, was a particular friend of this artist. He
+happened to come into his studio at the very time he was trying to
+get a beggar to be the model of one which he desired to put into his
+painting.
+
+"Wait till to-morrow," said Mr. Rothschild, "and I will dress myself
+up as a beggar, and make you an excellent model."
+
+"Very well," said the artist, who was pleased with the strangeness of
+the proposal. The next day the rich banker appeared, dressed up as a
+beggar, and a very sorry looking beggar he was. While the artist was
+engaged in painting him, another friend of his came into the studio.
+He was a kind-hearted, generous man. As he looked on the model
+beggar, he was touched by his wretched appearance, and as he passed
+him, he slipped a louis d'or--a French gold coin, worth about five
+dollars of our money--into his hand. The pretended beggar took the
+coin, and put it in his pocket.
+
+Ten years after this, the gentleman who gave this piece of money
+received an order on the bank of the Rothschilds for ten thousand
+francs. This was enclosed in a letter which read as follows:
+
+"Sir: You one day gave a louis d'or to Baron Rothschild, in the
+studio 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, together
+with the interest it has gained. A good action is always followed by
+a good reward.
+
+"JAMES DE ROTHSCHILD."
+
+In those few years that one gold coin, of twenty francs, had
+increased to ten thousand francs. And this illustrates the way in
+which Jesus the heavenly Master rewards those who use their talents
+for him. See how he teaches this lesson, when he says--"Whosoever
+shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold
+water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall
+in _no wise lose his reward_." St. Matt, x: 42. And in another place
+we are told that the reward shall be "an hundred fold," and shall run
+on into "everlasting life." St. Matt, xix: 29. How sweetly some one
+has 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. And
+taking these lessons together, let us remember that they are--the
+lesson _about the Master_: the lesson _about the servants_: the
+lesson _about the talents_: and the lesson _about the rewards_.
+
+The Collect for the thirteenth Sunday after Trinity is a very
+suitable prayer to offer after meditating on the lessons from Olivet:
+
+"Almighty and merciful God, of whose only gift it cometh that thy
+faithful people do unto thee true and laudable service: Grant, we
+beseech thee, that we may so faithfully serve thee in this life, that
+we fail not finally to attain thy heavenly promises; which exceed all
+that 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 week
+has 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 first
+and true meaning of the word, and of the Latin word from which it
+comes, is--suffering. And this is the sense in which we find the word
+used in Acts i: 3. There, St. Luke, who wrote the Acts, is speaking
+of Christ's appearing to the apostles, after his resurrection, and he
+uses 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 the
+interesting things that Jesus did was to keep the Jewish Passover for
+the last time with his disciples. This Passover feast had been kept
+by the Jews every year for nearly fifteen hundred years. It was the
+most solemn religious service they had. It was first observed by
+them in the night on which their nation was delivered from the
+bondage of Egypt and began their march towards the promised land of
+Canaan. We read about the establishment of this solemn service in
+Exodus, twelfth chapter. The first Passover took place on the
+fourteenth day of the month Nisan. This had been the seventh month of
+the year with the Jews. But God directed them to take it for their
+first month ever afterwards. They were to begin their year with that
+month. Every family was to choose out a lamb for themselves, on the
+tenth day of the month. They were to keep it to the fourteenth day of
+the 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 and
+upper lintels of every door. They were to roast the lamb and eat it,
+with solemn religious services. And, while they were doing this, the
+angel of the Lord was to pass over all the land of Egypt, and, with
+his unseen sword, to smite and kill the first-born, or eldest child,
+in every family, from Pharaoh on his throne to the poorest beggar in
+the land. But the blood, sprinkled on the door-posts of the houses in
+which the Israelites dwelt, was to save them from the stroke of the
+angel 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. He
+gave one stroke with his dreadful sword--and there was a death in
+every Egyptian family. But in the blood-sprinkled dwellings of the
+Israelites, 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 not
+surprising that the children of Israel, through all their
+generations, should have kept that Passover feast with great
+interest--an interest that never died out, from age to age. Nor do we
+wonder that our blessed Saviour looked forward longingly to the
+occasion when, for the last time, he was to celebrate this Passover
+with his disciples. As they began the feast he said to them, "With
+desire 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 this
+strong desire. Without attempting to tell what all those reasons
+were, we can readily think of some things which would lead him, very
+naturally, to have this feeling. It was the last time he was to eat
+this 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 suffer
+and die; to rise from the dead, and then go home to his Father in
+heaven.
+
+This Passover had been one of the services established and kept for
+the purpose of pointing the attention of men to himself as the Lamb
+of God who was to take away the sins of the world. And now, the time
+had come when all that had thus been pointed out concerning him, for
+so many hundred years, was about to be fulfilled. He, the one true
+Lamb 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 church
+would take its place. And then the blessings of true religion,
+instead of being confined to one single nation, would be freely
+offered to all nations; and Jews and Gentiles alike, would be at
+liberty 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 eat
+this last Passover with his disciples. In each of the four gospels we
+have an account of what took place when the time came for keeping
+this Passover. What is said concerning it we find in the following
+places: St. Matt xxi: 17-30, St. Mark xiv: 12-26, St. Luke xxii:
+7-39. St. John begins with the thirteenth chapter, and ends his
+account at the close of the seventeenth chapter. He is the only one
+of the four evangelists who gives a full and particular account of
+the wonderful sayings of our Lord in connection with this last
+passover, and of the great prayer that he offered for all his
+people.
+
+Here is a brief outline of these different accounts. When the time
+came to keep the Passover, Jesus sent two of his disciples from
+Bethany, where he was then staying, to Jerusalem. He told them, that,
+when they entered the city, they would meet a man bearing a pitcher
+of water. They were to ask him to show them the guest-chamber, where
+he and his disciples might eat the Passover together. There were
+always great crowds of strangers in Jerusalem at the time of this
+festival; and many furnished chambers were kept ready to be hired to
+those who wished them, for celebrating the Passover. This man, of
+whom our Saviour spoke, was probably a friend of his, and according
+to our Lord's word, he showed the disciples such a room as they
+needed. Then they made the necessary preparations; and, when the
+evening came, Jesus and his disciples met there to keep this solemn
+feast.
+
+Many of the pictures that we see of this last Supper, represent the
+company as seated round a table, very much in the way in which we are
+accustomed to sit ourselves. But this is not correct. The people in
+those Eastern countries were not accustomed to sit as we do. On this
+occasion the roasted lamb, with the bread and wine to be used at the
+feast, was placed on a table, and the guests reclined on couches
+round the table, each man leaning on his left arm, and helping
+himself to what he needed with his right hand.
+
+Various incidents took place in connection with this last Supper. The
+disciples had a contest among themselves about which of them should
+be greatest. This led Jesus, in the course of the evening, to give
+them the lesson of humility, by washing his disciples' feet, of which
+we have already spoken. Then he told them how sorrowfully he was
+feeling. He said they would all forsake him, and one of them would
+betray him that very night. This made them feel very sad. Each of
+them suspected himself--and asked sorrowfully--"Lord, is it I?" They
+did not suspect each other; and none of them seems to have suspected
+Judas Iscariot at all. Then Peter whispered to John, who was leaning
+on the bosom of Jesus, to ask who it was that was to do this? In
+answer to John's question, Jesus said it was the one to whom he
+should give a piece of bread when he had dipped it in the dish. Then
+he dipped the sop and gave it to Judas.
+
+After this, we are told that Satan entered into him, and he went out
+and made preparation for doing the most dreadful thing that ever was
+done from the beginning of the world--and that was the betrayal of
+his 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 one
+of the two great sacraments to be observed in his church to the end
+of the world--the sacrament of the Lord's Supper--or the holy
+Communion.
+
+This is St. Luke's account of the way in which it was done, chapter
+xxii: 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 for
+you." St. Matthew adds, and--"for many."
+
+Such is the account we have of the first establishment of the Lord's
+Supper. It was to take the place of the Jewish Passover, and to be
+observed by the followers of Christ all over the earth, until the
+time when he shall come again into our world.
+
+And this solemn sacrament--this holy communion--this Supper of our
+Lord, ought to be observed, or kept, by all who love him, for three
+reasons: these are its connection with _the word of his command--the
+memory of his sufferings--and the hope of his glory_.
+
+Jesus connected this sacrament with _the word of his command_ when he
+said--"_This do_ in remembrance of me." St. Luke xxii: 19. This is
+the _command_ of Christ. It is a plain, positive command. Jesus did
+not give this command to the apostles only, or to his ministers, or
+to any particular class of his followers, but to all of them. It was
+given first to his apostles, but it was not intended to be confined
+to 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, or
+ye rich men, or ye great men; but simply, "This do." And the meaning
+of what he here says, is--"This do," all ye who profess to be my
+followers, all over the world, and through all ages. And the words
+that he spake on another occasion come in very well here: "If ye love
+me, keep my commandments." And _this_ is one of the commandments that
+he 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 his
+people 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 the
+use of it, or not; Jesus says--"This do." It is enough for each
+follower of Jesus to say, "here is my Lord's command; I _must_ obey
+it."
+
+In an army, if the general issues an order, it is expected that every
+soldier will obey it. And no matter how important, or useful, in
+itself considered, any work may be, that is done by one of those
+soldiers, yet, if it be done while he is neglecting the general's
+order, instead of gaining for that soldier the praise of the general,
+or of securing a reward from him, it will only excite his
+displeasure:--he will order that soldier to be punished.
+
+But the church of Christ is compared in the Bible to an army. He is
+the Captain or Leader of this army. And one of the most important
+orders he has issued for his soldiers is--"This do in remembrance of
+me." If we profess to be the soldiers of Christ, and are enlisted in
+his army, and yet are neglecting this order, he never can be pleased
+with anything we may do while this order is neglected. We seem to see
+him pointing to this neglected order, and saying to each of us, as he
+said to Saul, the first king of Israel, by the prophet Samuel:
+--"Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice: and to hearken, than the
+fat of rams." I. Sam. xv: 22.
+
+No age is fixed in the New Testament at which young people may be
+allowed to come to the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. But, as soon
+as they have learned to know and love Christ and are really trying to
+serve him, they ought to be allowed to come. And yet ministers and
+parents sometimes keep them back, and tell them they must wait, and
+be tried a little longer, before they receive the help and comfort of
+this ordinance of Christ, even when their conduct shows they are
+sincerely trying to love and serve the blessed Saviour.
+
+If a farmer should send his servant out into the field, when winter
+was approaching, telling him to put the sheep into the fold, that
+they might be protected from the wolves, and from the cold, it would
+be thought a strange thing if he should allow him to bring the sheep
+into the shelter of the fold, and leave the little lambs outside.
+This is a good illustration to show the importance of taking care of
+the lambs. But it fails at one point. The shelter of the fold is
+absolutely necessary for the protection of the farmer's lambs. They
+could not live without it. If left outside of the fold they would
+certainly perish. But there is not the same necessity for admitting
+young 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 holy
+ordinance. They are already under the care and protection of the good
+Shepherd. He can guard them, and keep them, and cause them to grow in
+grace, even though, for awhile, they do not have the help and comfort
+of this sacrament. And, if they are kept back through the fault or
+mistake of others, he will do so. This sacrament, like that of
+baptism, is, as the catechism says, "_generally_ necessary to
+salvation." This means that it is important "where it may be had."
+But, if circumstances beyond our control should prevent us from
+partaking of it, we may be saved without it. Still, I think that
+young people who give satisfactory evidence that they know and love
+the Saviour, and are trying to serve him, ought to be allowed to come
+forward to this holy sacrament.
+
+Some people when urged to come to the Lord's Supper excuse
+themselves, by saying that--"they are not prepared to come."
+
+But this will not release any one from the command of Christ--"This
+do."
+
+What the preparation is that we need in order that we may come, in a
+proper way, to this holy sacrament, is clearly pointed out in the
+exhortation that occurs in the communion service of our church. Here
+the minister says--"Ye who do truly and earnestly repent of your
+sins, and are in love and charity with your neighbors, and intend to
+lead a new life, following the commandments of God, and walking from
+henceforth in his holy ways: draw near with faith, and take this holy
+sacrament to your comfort." And there is no excuse for persons not
+being in the state these words describe: for this is just what God's
+word, and our own duty and interest require of us. If we have not
+yet done what these words require, we ought to do it at once; and
+then there will be nothing in the way of our obeying the command of
+Christ, when he says--"This do, in remembrance of me," By all the
+authority which belongs to him our Saviour _commands_ us to keep this
+holy feast. And the first reason why we ought to "do this," is
+because of its connection with the word of his command.
+
+_The second reason why we ought to "do this"--is because of its
+connection with the memory of his sufferings_.
+
+We are taught this by the word _remembrance_, which our Saviour here
+uses. He says, "This do in remembrance of me." This means in
+remembrance of my sufferings for you. And _this_ is the most
+important word used by him when he established this sacrament. It is
+the governing word in the whole service. It is the word by which we
+must be guided in trying to understand what our Lord meant to teach
+us by all he did and said on this occasion.
+
+You know how it is when we are trying to understand the music to
+which a particular tune has been set. There is always one special
+note in a tune, which is called the _key-note_. The leader of a
+choir, when they are going to sing, will strike one of the keys of
+the organ, or the melodeon they are using, so as to give to each
+member of the choir the proper key-note of the piece of music they
+are to sing. It is very important for them to have this key-note,
+because they cannot have a proper understanding of what they are to
+do without it. This holy sacrament of the Lord's Supper is like a
+solemn song. And the key-note of the music to which the song is set
+is this word--_remembrance_. It teaches us that the sacrament of the
+Lord's Supper is a _memorial_ service. And, in going through the
+music to which the song of this service has been set, every note that
+we use must be a memorial note. And the language used by our blessed
+Lord when he established this Supper, or sacrament, must be explained
+in 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 in
+remembrance of me," he meant that we should understand him as
+saying--"This is the _memorial_ of my body." And when he gave them
+the cup, and said--"This is my blood of the New Testament," he meant
+that we should understand him as saying--"This is the _memorial_ of
+my blood." And we are sure that this was the meaning, for two
+reasons.
+
+One reason for believing this is that _this was the way in which
+similar words had been used in the Jewish Passover, which Jesus and
+his disciples were then keeping_.
+
+In the Passover service, when the head of the family distributed the
+bread, he always said--"This is the bread of affliction." When he
+distributed the flesh of the lamb, roasted for the occasion, he used
+to say--"This is the body of the Passover."
+
+But every one knows, and every one admits, that the Jewish Passover
+was a _memorial_ service. It was kept in memory of the wonderful
+deliverance of their forefathers from the bitter bondage of Egypt.
+And the words used at that service were memorial words. And so, when
+Jesus, a little while before, had given to his disciples the Passover
+bread, saying--"This is the bread of affliction:" he did not mean to
+say that _that_ was the very same bread which their forefathers had
+eaten, in the time of their affliction in Egypt. What he meant to say
+was--this is the bread which you are to eat in _memory_ of your
+forefathers' trial and deliverance. And when he gave to each of them
+a piece of the sacrificial lamb, saying, "This is the body of the
+Passover;" he did not mean that in any mysterious, or supernatural
+sense, _that_ was the very lamb of which their forefathers had eaten
+on the solemn night of the Passover; he only meant that it was the
+body of which they were to eat in memory of the Passover. The
+Passover was a memorial service; and the words used at the Passover
+were memorial words.
+
+And so, when Jesus went on, from the last Passover of the Jewish
+church, to the first sacramental feast of the Christian church, and
+began by saying, "This do in _remembrance_ of me," what else could
+the apostles possibly have thought, but that he intended this new
+service of the Christian church to be a memorial service, just as the
+old festival of the Jewish church had been? When he gave them the
+broken bread, and said, "This is my body;" they could only have
+understood him as meaning this is the memorial of my body. And when
+he gave them the cup into which he had just poured the wine, and
+said: "This is my blood;" they could only understand him as meaning
+this is the memorial of my blood. And so, the sense in which he had
+just before used the words employed in the Jewish festival must have
+led the disciples to understand them in the same way when he used
+similar words in the Christian sacrament. This is a good, strong
+reason for thinking of this sacramental feast as a memorial service.
+
+There is indeed, one point of difference between the Jewish Passover
+and the Christian sacrament, when we think of them as memorial
+services. The Jews kept their solemn festival in memory of a _dead_
+lamb--the Passover lamb that was put to death for them, but never
+came to life again. We keep our Christian sacrament in memory of the
+Lamb of God, who died for us indeed, but who rose from the dead, and
+is alive forevermore. As we keep this solemn festival, we may lift up
+our 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 thought
+makes a world-wide difference between them. The bread and meat which
+the pious Jew ate, when he kept the Passover, and the wine which he
+drank on that occasion, would strengthen his body, but there was
+nothing connected with those material substances that would do any
+special good to his soul. It is different, however, with our
+Christian festival of the Lord's Supper. And this difference is
+clearly brought out in what we find in the catechism of our church on
+this subject. In speaking of this holy sacrament, the question is
+asked--"What are the benefits whereof we are partakers thereby?" And
+the answer to this question is--"The strengthening and refreshing of
+our souls, by the body and blood of Christ, as our bodies are by the
+bread and wine."
+
+Here we see that while the Lord's Supper is a memorial service
+indeed, it is at the same time something more than that.
+
+_And then, the actual bodily presence of Christ with them must have
+compelled the apostles to understand the words he used on that
+occasion, in this memorial sense_.
+
+They could not possibly have considered him as meaning that the bread
+and wine which he gave them at that solemn service did, in any
+mysterious 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 the
+same time. The sense in which Jesus first used these words--"my body"
+and "my blood," was clearly the memorial sense. He meant his
+disciples to understand him as saying "Take this bread in remembrance
+of my body, which is to be crucified for you;" and "Take this wine in
+remembrance of my blood which is to be shed for you."
+
+This was what he taught the apostles when he first used these words
+among them; and this was all he taught them; and we have no right to
+use these words in any other sense till our blessed Lord himself
+shall give us authority to do so.
+
+Let us never forget the word--_remembrance_, as used by our Saviour
+here. It is the root out of which the whole tree of this solemn
+service grows. Let us hold on to this root word, and it will save us
+from the errors into which many have fallen in reference to this
+subject.
+
+And, surely, there is nothing so precious for us to store away in our
+memories as the thought of Christ in the amazing sufferings he once
+bore for us, in the great work he is now doing for us, and in the
+saving truth he embodies in his own glorious character. The story is
+told of Alexander the Great, that when he conquered King Darius he
+found among his treasures a very valuable box or cabinet. It was made
+of gold and silver, and inlaid with precious jewels. After thinking
+for awhile what to do with it, he finally concluded to use it as his
+choicest treasury, or cabinet, in which to keep the books of the poet
+Homer, which he was very fond of reading. Now, if we use our memory
+aright, it will be to us a treasury far more valuable than that
+jeweled box of the great conqueror. And the thought of Christ, not in
+his sufferings only, but in his work, and in his character, is the
+most precious thing to lay up in our memory. And if we keep this
+remembrance continually before us it will be the greatest help we can
+have in trying to love and serve him better.
+
+Here is an illustration of what I mean, in a touching story. We may
+call it:
+
+"Love Stronger than Death." Some years ago there was a great fire in
+one of our Western cities that stood in the midst of a prairie. A
+mother escaped from her burning dwelling. Her husband was away from
+home. She took her infant in her arms, and wrapped a heavy shawl
+round herself and the baby. Her little girl clung to the dress of
+her mother, and they went out into the prairie, to get away from the
+flames of the burning buildings. It was a wild and stormy winter's
+night and intensely cold. She tried to run; but burdened as she was
+that was impossible. Presently she found that the tall dry grass of
+the prairie had caught fire. It was spreading on every side. A great
+circle of flame was gathering round her.
+
+A little way off she saw a clump of trees on a piece of rising
+ground. Towards that spot she directed her steps, and strained every
+nerve 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 her
+from opposite directions. Escape was impossible. Death--a terrible
+death by fire, seemed to be the only thing before her. She might wrap
+herself in that great shawl, and perhaps live through it. But, there
+were the children. Of course a mother could not hesitate a moment
+what to do under such circumstances. Wrapping the baby round and
+round in the folds of the shawl, she laid it carefully down, at the
+foot of one of the trees. Then, taking off her outer clothing, she
+covered the other child with it. She laid her down beside the baby,
+and then stretched herself across them. In a few moments the helpless
+little ones were sound asleep. The long hours of the night passed.
+The raging flames licked up the withered foliage about that clump of
+trees, and then left their blackened trunks to the keenness of the
+wind and frost.
+
+The next day the heart-broken husband and father returned to find his
+home burnt, and his family gone--he knew not whither. He set out to
+search for his lost treasures. He found them by that clump of trees.
+There lay his wife--her hair and eyebrows, her face and neck scorched
+and blackened by the fire--but her body frozen stiff. Whether she
+perished by the flames or the frost no one ever knew. But, on lifting
+her burnt form they found, warm and cozy beneath, her two sleeping
+children. The elder child as they roused her, opened her eyes
+exclaiming, "Mamma, is it morning?" Yes: it was morning with that
+faithful mother, in the bright world to which she had gone!
+
+Now, suppose that those children, as they grew up, should have had
+preserved among their treasures a piece of the burnt dress, or a lock
+of the scorched hair, of their devoted mother. As they looked at it,
+every day, it would be in _remembrance_ of her. How touchingly it
+would tell of her great love for them, in being willing to lay down
+her life to save theirs! And how that thought would thrill their
+hearts and make them anxious to do all they could to show their
+respect and love for such a mother!
+
+And so the broken bread and the poured out wine of this solemn
+sacrament should melt our hearts in the remembrance of the wonderful
+love of Christ to us, and should lead us to show our love to him by
+keeping his commandments.
+
+And as we keep this solemn memorial service, how well we may say, in
+the 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 his
+glory_--as well as with the word of his command and the memory of his
+sufferings.
+
+He made this connection very clear when he said at the institution of
+this solemn service--"I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of
+the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's
+kingdom." St. Matt, xxvi: 29. And the apostle Paul pointed out the
+same connection when he said, "As often as ye eat this bread, and
+drink 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 meeting
+between the sufferings of Christ and the glory that is to
+follow--between his cross, with all its shame and anguish, and his
+kingdom, with all its honor and blessedness.
+
+We have sometimes heard or read of magicians who have pretended to
+have wonderful mirrors into which persons might look and see all that
+was before them in this life. If there were such a mirror, it would
+be a strange thing indeed to look into it and find out what was going
+to happen to-morrow, or next month, or next year, or twenty years
+hence. But, there never was any such mirror. As the apostle says,
+"We know not what shall be on the morrow." No mortal man can tell
+what 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 look
+into it and see, clearly represented there, what will happen to us in
+the future, not of _this_ life indeed, but of the life to come. It
+leads our minds on to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And a voice
+from heaven declares--"Blessed are they who are called to the
+marriage supper of the Lamb." Rev. xix: 9. That marriage supper
+represents the highest joys of heaven. It gathers into itself all the
+glory and happiness that await us in the heavenly kingdom. And this
+sacramental service is the type or shadow of all the bliss connected
+with that great event in the future. If we are true and faithful
+partakers of this solemn sacrament--this memorial feast, we shall
+certainly be among the number of those whose unspeakable privilege it
+will be to sit down at the marriage supper of the Lamb, in heaven.
+There we shall be in the personal presence of Jesus, our glorified
+Lord. Our eyes "shall see the King in his beauty." And we shall see
+all his people too in the perfection of glory that will mark them
+there. And in happy intercourse with that blessed company we shall
+find all "the exceeding great and precious promises" of God's word
+fulfilled in our own personal experience.
+
+And then there is nothing that can sustain and comfort us under the
+many trials of this mortal life like the hope of sharing this joy
+with our blessed Lord, when he shall come in the glory of his
+heavenly kingdom.
+
+"The Hope of Glory." A Christian gentleman was in the habit of
+visiting, from time to time, a poor afflicted widow woman who lived
+in his neighborhood. She had once been very well off, and was the
+wife of a well-known and apparently successful merchant. But finally
+he failed in business and died soon after, leaving her alone in the
+world, and without anything to live on but what she could earn by her
+own labor.
+
+After awhile her health failed, and then she was entirely dependent
+for her support on the kindness of her Christian friends. But she was
+always cheerful and happy. "On going in to see her one day," says
+this gentleman, "I found, on talking with her, that she was feeling
+very comfortable in her mind.
+
+"'Tell me, my friend,' I asked, 'have you always felt as bright and
+cheerful as you seem to feel now?'
+
+"'O, no,' she replied, 'very far from it. When my husband died, and
+I was left alone in the world, I used to feel very sad and
+rebellious. Many a time I was so sorrowful and despairing as to be
+tempted 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. I
+became a member of the church. But, for a while, I did not find much
+comfort in my religion. And the reason of it was that I did not have
+very clear views of Christ as my Saviour, and of the wonderful things
+he has promised to do for his people in the future.
+
+"'But, on one communion occasion, my minister preached on the
+words--"_Christ in you the hope of glory_." That was a blessed
+communion to me. I saw then, as I had never seen before, how that
+sacred and solemn service was intended by him to be to all his
+people, at one and the same time, the means of preserving in their
+minds the remembrance of the sufferings he has borne for them in the
+past, and also of keeping alive in their hearts the hope of sharing
+in the glory which he has prepared for them in the future. And I have
+never had any trouble in my mind since then. My communion seasons
+were always bright and blessed seasons to me as long as I was able
+to go to church. And though I can no longer go up to the sanctuary
+and 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, I
+can, and do partake in a spiritual manner of that which those signs
+represent. I feel and know what it is to have "Christ in me the hope
+of glory." And this "satisfies my longing, as nothing else can do." I
+find peace and comfort in simply "looking unto Jesus." I have had
+much outward trouble and affliction since then. I live alone. There
+is no one here to help me. Sometimes I have nothing to eat, and but
+little to keep me warm. You see me _sitting_ here now. Thus I have to
+spend my nights. My complaint is the dropsy, and this prevents me
+from lying down. _But I would not exchange my place as a forgiven
+sinner, with "Christ in me the hope of glory," for all the wealth and
+the honor that Queen Victoria could bestow upon me!_'"
+
+What a blessed Saviour Jesus is, who can thus spread the sunshine of
+his peace and hope through the hearts and homes of the poorest and
+most afflicted in the land!
+
+And thus, we have spoken of three good reasons, why all who love our
+Lord Jesus Christ should keep this solemn sacrament which he has
+ordained; we should do it because we see in it--_the word of his
+command--the memorial of his sufferings--and the hope of his glory_.
+
+And when we partake of this solemn ordinance ourselves, or see others
+partaking of it, how well we may say in the beautiful lines of
+Havergal, 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 and
+Sidon. 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 of
+David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered
+her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send
+her away; for she crieth after us. But he answered and said, I am not
+sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she
+and 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_ to
+dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which
+fall from their masters' table. Then Jesus answered and said unto
+her, O woman, great _is_ thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou
+wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.--_St.
+Matt. xv: 21-28_.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_The picture illustrates the scenery and gardens in the neighborhood
+of Beyrout, which lies on the coast at the foot of Lebanon and within
+the Syro-Phoenician border._
+
+
+
+
+
+SIMON PETER'S FAITH IN CHRIST
+
+
+
+
+When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his
+disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they
+said, Some _say that thou art_ John the Baptist: some, Elias; and
+others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But
+whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art
+the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said
+unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath
+not revealed _it_ unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I
+say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will
+build 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: and
+whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and
+whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Then
+charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was
+Jesus the Christ.--_St. Matt, xvi: 13-20_.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_The site of Caesarea Philippi is one of the loveliest spots in
+Northern Palestine. On ground carpeted with an infinite variety of
+wild flowers, the traveller rests in the grateful shade of oak and
+mulberry, olive and fig tree. The sound of many waters is heard on
+all sides as they hasten from the adjacent slopes of Herman to join
+the head waters of Jordan, bursting in strength from a cavern at the
+foot of a mighty cliff. Hither, with his handful of followers, came
+Jesus, weary and in deep depression of spirit, a fugitive from his
+own people, who had finally rejected him; and here, in reply to
+searching and anxious enquiry, "Whom say ye that I am?" he received
+from Simon Peter the memorable confession, "Thou art the Christ, the
+Son 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 was
+transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his
+raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them
+Moses and Elias talking with him. Then answered Peter, and said unto
+Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make
+here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for
+Elias. While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them:
+and behold a voice out of the cloud which said, This is my beloved
+Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. And when the disciples
+heard _it_, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. And Jesus
+came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. And when
+they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus
+only.--_St. Matt, xvii: 1--8_.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_From the days of St. Jerome, when pilgrims first began the attempt
+to identify sites hallowed by sacred events, Mount Tabor has, until
+recent years, been regarded as the Mount of the Transfiguration. But
+closer examination of the text and comparison of dates, and the fact
+that Tabor itself was at that time the site of a fortified town
+containing a Roman garrison, combine in this instance to discredit
+tradition. One of the spurs of Herman must therefore be the
+alternative and more probable scene of the Transfiguration; the
+seclusion of this district of mountain, valley, and woodland
+providing opportunity for contemplation, and preparation for the end
+which was now imminent, "the decease which Jesus was to accomplish at
+Jerusalem"_.
+
+
+
+
+
+JESUS HEALETH A LUNATIC
+
+
+
+
+And it came to pass, that on the next day, when they were come down
+from the hill, much people met him. And, behold, a man of the company
+cried out, saying, Master, I beseech thee, look upon my son: for he
+is mine only child. And, lo, a spirit taketh him, and he suddenly
+crieth out; and it teareth him that he foameth again, and bruising
+him hardly departeth from him. And I besought thy disciples to cast
+him out; and they could not. And Jesus answering said, O faithless
+and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, and suffer
+you? Bring thy son hither. And as he was yet a coming, the devil
+threw 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_.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_The picture gives an average representation of the outskirts of a
+village in Northern Palestine, with its sordid, untidy, mud-built
+houses, on the roofs of which are seen the reed booths or_ Succoth,
+_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, and
+taught. And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters,
+having never learned? Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is
+not mine, but his that sent me. And the scribes and Pharisees brought
+unto him a woman ...; and when they had set her in the midst. They
+say unto him, ... Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be
+stoned: but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him, that they
+might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with _his_
+finger wrote on the ground, _as though he heard them not_. So when
+they 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 which
+heard _it_, being convicted by _their own_ conscience, went out one
+by one, beginning at the eldest, _even_ unto the last: and Jesus was
+left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had
+lifted 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 condemn
+thee: go, and sin no more.--_St. John vii: 14-16; viii: 3-11._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_The scene is represented as taking place in one of the great
+cloisters or porticoes which surrounded the Temple courts, and which
+like the Forum of Rome, and "Paul's Wall" in Elizabethan, London,
+served the purpose of a public promenade and place of meeting. These
+porticoes were of magnificent construction and proportions, the Stoa
+Basilica alone, upon the south side, with its quadruple colonnade of
+one hundred and sixty-two pillars, covering a great area. The Eastern
+Cloister, known as "Solomon's Porch," was probably so-called as
+having been erected upon the site of a similar construction in the
+first Temple_.
+
+
+
+
+
+ONE OF TEN LEPERS CURED IS GRATEFUL
+
+
+
+
+And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through
+the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered into a certain
+village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar
+off. And they lifted up _their_ voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have
+mercy on us. And when he saw _them_, he said unto them, Go shew
+yourselves 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 to
+God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy
+faith hath made thee whole.--_St. Luke xvii: II--19._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_The town of Cana in Galilee, with its background of low hills, as
+seen from the Nazareth Road, supplies a landscape setting for this
+picture. The ingratitude of the nine lepers no doubt added to our
+Lord's sorrow just now at the growing influence of the opposition of
+his enemies_.
+
+
+
+
+
+JESUS, MARTHA, MARY, AND LAZARUS
+
+
+
+
+Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain
+village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her
+house. 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 sister
+hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And
+Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful
+and troubled about many things. But one thing is needful: and Mary
+hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from
+her.--_St. Luke x: 38-42._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_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 of
+his ministry, Jesus could call a home, was probably that of people in
+easy circumstances, and as such is here represented. In the vineyards
+of Palestine the vine is cultivated bushlike on the ground; but in
+gardens, the plant is occasionally trained erect, as in Europe and
+America, or, as in the present instance, for the purposes of shade,
+upon a pergola. In the middle of the village of Bethany are the ruins
+of an important house. Here some years ago a French explorer
+discovered on the base the remains of an ancient chapel This seems to
+point with probability to a valid tradition of the site of the house
+of 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 Jesus
+saw _it_, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the
+little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is
+the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not
+receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter
+therein. And he took them up in his arms, put _his_ hands upon them,
+and blessed them.--_St. Mark x: 13-16._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_In the Hebrew Bible--the Talmud--it is stated that, according to
+pious custom, parents brought their little children to the synagogue
+that they might receive the benefit of the prayers and blessings of
+the elders. Rabbis also, of recognized sanctity, were frequently
+appealed to in a like manner; and his fame as a prophet and
+benefactor having preceded him into Peraea, infants were now brought
+to Jesus, that he might lay his hands upon them in supplication and
+blessing. The architectural setting of the picture is adapted from
+that of a small square near the Damascus Gate of Jerusalem. This
+kindly and gentle act of our Lord has been of incalculable
+consequence to the life of children in the development of Christian
+civilization._
+
+
+
+
+
+THE RESURRECTION OF LAZARUS, FOUR DAYS DEAD
+
+
+
+
+Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for
+your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe;
+nevertheless let us go unto him. Jesus therefore again groaning in
+himself 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 that
+was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath
+been _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 was
+laid. And Jesus lifted up _his_ eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee
+that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but
+because of the people which stand by I said _it_, that they may
+believe that thou hast sent me. And when he thus had spoken, he cried
+with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came
+forth.--_St. John xi: 14., 15,38-44._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_The painting illustrates a form of rock-cut tomb which, though not
+so common as others in the neighborhood of Jerusalem, is nevertheless
+selected as being in accordance with the description of what took
+place in the present instance. It is obviously the type of tomb which
+is referred to on a subsequent occasion, and explains the meaning of
+"the stone rolled away from the sepulchre" The entrance of the tomb
+is at the bottom of a flight of steps, and is covered by a
+disc-shaped stone, like a mill-stone, which can be rolled back into a
+slot cut in the rock for its reception. (The kneeling man in the
+background has apparently just performed this duty?) The entrance is
+closed by rolling the stone forward, dropping a small block behind it
+to prevent its recession, and finally by covering the
+before-mentioned slot with a slab, which, being cemented down, the
+tomb is "sealed."_
+
+
+
+
+
+CONVERSION OF ZACCHAEUS, A PUBLICAN
+
+
+
+
+And _Jesus_ entered and passed through Jericho. And, behold, _there
+was_ a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans,
+and he was rich. And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not
+for 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 pass
+that _way_. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw
+him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to
+day I must abide at thy house. And he made haste, and came down, and
+received 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. And
+Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my
+goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man
+by false accusation, I restore _him_ fourfold. And Jesus said unto
+him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also
+is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save
+that which was lost.--_St. Luke xix: 1-10_.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_The sycomore tree referred to in the text is a species of fig
+bearing small, coarse fruit, which is used as food only in cases of
+necessity. Although occasionally of great size, the tree is easily
+climbed, as the trunk is short, and the branches are numerous and
+wide spreading. Jericho, rebuilt by Herod, was a somewhat fashionable
+town. To signalize the despised tax-gatherer in such a way was to
+teach a permanent lesson of absolute unworldliness_.
+
+
+
+
+
+JESUS RESTORETH SIGHT TO BARTIMAEUS
+
+
+
+
+And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his
+disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of
+Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging. And when he heard that it
+was 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 should
+hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, _Thou_ son of
+David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to
+be called. And they called the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good
+comfort, rise; he calleth thee. And he, casting away his garment,
+rose, and came to Jesus. And Jesus answered and said unto him, What
+wilt 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 thy
+way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his
+sight, and followed Jesus in the way.--_St. Mark x: 4.6--52._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_The site of Jericho is still an oasis in the surrounding desert, but
+neither its fertility nor its dimensions bear comparison with those
+which it attained in former days; and hardly a tree remains of the
+celebrated groves of balsam, spice, and fruit-bearing trees, and the
+palms which earned for Jericho the title of "The City of the Palm
+Trees," and which made its neighboring plain the garden of
+Palestine--the "divine district" as Joseph us calls it. This
+fertility was owing entirely to skilful irrigation, traces of no less
+than twelve aqueducts having been discovered. No class of sufferers
+more frequently claimed and obtained from Jesus the exercise of his
+compassion and healing power than that represented by blind
+Bartimaus. The malady of blindness is grievously common in Palestine,
+the proportion of those thus afflicted being one in every hundred of
+the population, whereas in Europe the proportion is only one in a
+thousand_.
+
+
+
+
+
+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 unto
+them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall
+find 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 Lord
+hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. All this was
+done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet. And
+the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them. And brought the
+ass, 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 the
+way. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried,
+saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed _is_ he that cometh in
+the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. And when he was come
+into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the
+multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of
+Galilee.--_St. Matt, xxi: 1-4., 6-11_.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_Had Jesus omitted to command to bring its mother along with the
+colt, upon which he elected to ride, his disciples would probably
+have brought her as a matter of course. It is the custom of the
+country; and as journeys are accomplished at a walking pace, mares
+and she-asses are frequently accompanied by their foals. It may be
+noted that in this picture one of the gates of Hebron does duty for
+that through which Jesus makes his triumphal entry into Jerusalem;
+the former being suggestive of far greater antiquity than any which
+are 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 the
+scribes and the chief of the people sought to destroy him. And could
+not find what they might do: for all the people were very attentive
+to hear him. And it came to pass, _that_ on one of those days, as he
+taught the people in the temple, and preached the gospel, the chief
+priests and the scribes came upon _him_ with the elders. And spake
+unto him, saying, Tell us, by what authority doest thou these things?
+or who is he that gave thee this authority? And he answered and said
+unto them, I will also ask you one thing; and answer me: The baptism
+of John, was it from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with
+themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why
+then believed ye him not? But and if we say, Of men; all the people
+will stone us: for they be persuaded that John was a prophet. And
+they answered, that they could not tell whence _it was_. And Jesus
+said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these
+things.--_St. Luke xix: 47, 48; xx: 1-8._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_The occasion on which Jesus encountered for the last time the
+opposition of his priestly enemies to his teaching, and when, in the
+presence of the assembled multitudes, he exposed and denounced their
+hypocrisy, is supposed to take place in one of the great outer courts
+of the Temple, the buildings of which, although begun forty-six years
+previously, were at this time still unfinished, and were indeed never
+fully 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 he
+went out, and abode in the mount that is called _the mount_ of
+Olives.--_St. Luke xxi: 37._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_As we ascend towards sunset the slopes of Olivet, and pause to gaze
+on the scenes beneath, the panorama of the city presented to view is
+in its leading features essentially similar to that upon which the
+eyes of Jesus rested, when "at night he went out, and abode in the
+mount that is called the Mount of Olives" Yonder stands a temple
+within that sacred enclosure which, for well-nigh three thousand
+years, save for the period during which, "the abomination of
+desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet stood in the Holy place,"
+has been dedicated to the worship of Jehovah. The citadel of
+Jerusalem breaks the skyline where stood the tower of Hippicus, and
+to the left, against the setting sun, the cypresses in a monastery
+garden mark the spot once covered by the gardens of the palace of
+Herod. Siloam stands as of old on the hither side, overlooking the
+valleys of Hinnom and Kidron; while to-day, as in former times, the
+olive yards beneath and the trees around, might well give the name
+which 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 hour
+was 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 the
+end. And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart
+of Judas Iscariot, Simon's _son_, to betray him. Jesus knowing that
+the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come
+from God, and went to God. He riseth from supper, and laid aside his
+garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth
+water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to
+wipe _them_ with the towel wherewith he was girded. Then cometh he to
+Simon 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; but
+thou shalt know hereafter. Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never
+wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no
+part with me. Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but
+also _my_ hands and _my_ head. Jesus saith to him, He that is washed
+needeth not save to wash _his_ feet, but is clean every whit: and ye
+are clean, but not all.--_St. John xiii: 1-10._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_A dwelling house, claiming to be one of the most ancient in
+Jerusalem, supplied materials for the study of the "large upper
+room," represented in this and some other of the paintings. The
+general features of the chamber, with its arched ceiling and
+flattened dome, its_ leewans _(raised platform) and the
+entrance-passage of colored stones, where guests leave their
+foot-gear before stepping upon the mat-covered floor of the room,
+may, for the reasons adduced elsewhere, be accepted as typical of
+similar 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 shall
+betray me. Then the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom
+he spake. Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples,
+whom Jesus loved. Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, that he
+should 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, to
+whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped _it_. And when he had
+dipped 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 what
+intent he spake this unto him. For some _of them_ thought, because
+Judas had the bag, that Jesus had said unto him, Buy _those things_
+that we have need of against the feast; or, that he should give
+something to the poor. He then having received the sop went
+immediately out: and it was night.--_St. John xiii: 21-30._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_Comment has already been made upon the custom prevailing at this
+time of reclining at meat. We are aware, from other sources of
+information, that in partaking of the Passover, the attitude of
+standing had, as a point of ritual, long been abandoned in favor of
+the recumbent posture, and this is directly evidenced by the words of
+the text (v: 23 and 25), which are only compatible with the
+supposition that on the present occasion the guest-chamber was
+furnished with couches which ran around the three sides of the table
+in the usual manner. Authorities differ as to which was regarded as
+the "highest seat" some maintaining that this was the outermost place
+on the right-hand couch; others, again, preferring the arrangement
+followed in the painting, where Jesus occupies the centre_.
+
+
+
+
+
+IN THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE
+
+
+
+
+Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith
+unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And he
+took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be
+sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is
+exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with
+me. 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 unto
+the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What,
+could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter
+not into temptation: the spirit indeed _is_ willing, but the flesh
+_is_ weak. He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O
+my 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 their
+eyes were heavy. And he left them, and went away again, and prayed
+the third time, saying the same words. Then cometh he to his
+disciples, 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 the
+hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that
+doth betray me.--_St. Matt, xxvi: 36-46._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_As the word Gethsemane means the "oil press" the "Garden" was in all
+probability an olive yard, whose actual site, though it cannot be
+determined with certainty, must have been in the immediate vicinity
+at least of the spot which age-long tradition indicates as the scene
+of the Agony. The great age of the trees in this enclosure has been
+urged in favor of the tradition, but it is fatal to their claim as
+witnesses, that Titus is known to have cut down, for military
+purposes, all the trees in the neighborhood of the besieged city.
+This site is now owned by the Russians who have turned it into a neat
+and trim garden, and built a bright new white church on the upper
+level with five large gilded bulbous domes_.
+
+
+
+
+
+THE ARREST OF JESUS
+
+
+
+
+
+Judas then, having received a band _of men_ and officers from the
+chief priests and Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches
+and weapons. Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come
+upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye? They answered
+him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am _he_. And Judas
+also, which betrayed him, stood with them. As soon then as he had
+said unto them, I am _he_, they went backward, and fell to the
+ground.--Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying,
+Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast. And
+forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him.
+And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came
+they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him. And, behold, one of them
+which 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: for
+all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest
+thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give
+me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the
+scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be? In that same hour said
+Jesus to the multitudes, Are ye come out as against a thief with
+swords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in
+the temple, and ye laid no hold on me. But all this was done, that
+the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the
+disciples forsook him, and fled.--_St. John xviii: 3-6; St. Matt,
+xxvi: 48-56._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_Cunningly conceived indeed was that signal of the kiss; for in the
+very act of betrayal, Judas thus covered his own treachery; and, had
+the plot failed, it would even have appeared as if, when "all the
+disciples forsook him and fled" Judas alone had courage, in the hour
+of danger, to stand by and openly to acknowledge Jesus as his
+Master_.
+
+
+
+
+
+JESUS EXAMINED BY CAIAPHAS
+
+
+
+
+And they that had laid hold on Jesus led _him_ away to Caiaphas the
+high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled. But
+Peter followed him afar off unto the high priest's palace, and went
+in, 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 witnesses
+came, _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 said
+unto him, Answerest thou nothing? what _is it which_ these witness
+against thee? But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered
+and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us
+whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus saith unto him,
+Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see
+the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the
+clouds of heaven. Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He
+hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses?
+behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy. What think ye? They answered
+and said, He is guilty of death.--_St. Matt, xxvi: 57--66._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_The outward ceremonial of the hastily convoked and Irregular
+tribunal before which Jesus underwent the mockery of a trial was
+similar to that of the ancient Sanhedrim. The members sat on a
+semi-circular divan, the president in the centre, and a scribe at
+each extremity, who recorded the evidence and the decisions of the
+court. It may be noted, that while laws had been carefully formulated
+for the conduct of such trials, almost every one of them was
+flagrantly violated on the present occasion in order to ensure a
+pre-arranged condemnation. For example, these rules provided that
+witnesses should be summoned, and that an advocate should plead on
+behalf of the accused; and they forbade that criminal trials should
+be conducted at night, that condemnation should be pronounced on the
+day of trial or on a holy day; and, if the crime were capital, that
+execution 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 gone
+out into the porch, another _maid_ saw him, and said unto them that
+were there, This _fellow_ was also with Jesus of Nazareth. And again
+he denied with an oath, I do not know the man. And after a while came
+unto _him_ they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also
+art _one_ of them; for thy speech betrayeth thee. Then began he to
+curse and to swear, _saying_, I know not the man. And immediately the
+cock crew. And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter
+remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the
+cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept
+bitterly.--_St. Matt, xxvi: 69-74.; St. Luke xxii: 61, 62_.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
+
+_In the East, the houses of the great and official residences usually
+consist of a group of separate yet connected buildings, surrounding a
+quadrangular paved court planted with trees and flowering shrubs, and
+furnished in the centre with an open cistern or fountain. Such was
+probably the construction of the palace of the High Priest
+(Caiaphas), and, apparently, this open court, across which Jesus
+would be conducted to or from the hall of trial, was the place where
+bitterness was added to his sorrow in hearing himself denied by his
+friend--and that man who had been the first to profess belief in his
+Messiahship, and who, but a few brief hours before, had stoutly sworn
+to stand by him, even unto death_.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Life of Jesus Christ for the Young
+by Richard Newton
+
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