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diff --git a/old/69085-0.txt b/old/69085-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 41eec65..0000000 --- a/old/69085-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,8946 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Women in white raiment, by John Lemley - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world 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. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Women in white raiment - -Author: John Lemley - -Release Date: October 1, 2022 [eBook #69085] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Juliet Sutherland, David E. Brown, and the Online - Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WOMEN IN WHITE RAIMENT *** - - - - - - WOMEN IN WHITE RAIMENT, - - BY - - JOHN LEMLEY, - - EDITOR OF - - THE ZION’S WATCHMAN, - - AND AUTHOR OF - - “THE CHRIST LIFTED UP,” “LAND OF SACRED STORY,” - “WONDERS OF GRACE,” “PERSONAL - RECOLLECTIONS,” ETC. - - “They shall walk with me in white; for they shall be worthy, ... and - shall be clothed in white raiment.”--REV. iii: 4, 5. - - THE FIRST EDITION. - - ALBANY, NEW YORK, - 1899. - - - - - Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1898, by - JOHN LEMLEY, - in the office of the Librarian at Washington. - - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. - - - CHARLES VAN BENTHUYSEN & SONS, - Printers, Electrotypers and Binders, - ALBANY, N. Y. - - - - -CONTENTS. - - - INTRODUCTORY. - - WOMEN OWE THEIR ELEVATION TO THE BIBLE--THE CONDITION OF - WOMEN IN HEATHEN LANDS CONTRASTED WITH THE CONDITION OF - WOMEN IN BIBLE LANDS--GOD’S THOUGHT OF WOMAN IN THE - CREATION--HER RIGHTS UNDER THE HEBREW ECONOMY--CHRIST’S - TENDERNESS TOWARDS WOMANHOOD--BLESSING OTHERS. 7-19 - - CHAPTER I. - - The Paradise Home in Eden. - - MAN’S FIRST HOME A GARDEN--EVE THE ISHA--THE SCENE OF THE - TEMPTATION--HIDING FROM GOD--REFUSING TO CONFESS, JUDGMENT - IS PRONOUNCED--THE SAD RESULTS OF SIN--EVE BELIEVED - THE PROMISE. 21-35 - - CHAPTER II. - - Womanhood in the Patriarchal Age. - - SARAH THE BEAUTIFUL PRINCESS--HER FAITH TESTED--THE MISTAKE - OF HER LIFE--HER LOVELY CHARACTER--REBEKAH--AN ORIENTAL - WOOING--ELIEZER’S PRAYER--THE BRIDE’S ANSWER--MEETING - ISAAC--A MOTHER’S LOVE FOR HER SON--JACOB’S - FLIGHT--REBEKAH, THE BEAUTIFUL SHEPHERDESS--SEVEN YEARS’ - SERVICE FOR HER--LABAN’S DECEPTION--LEAH, THE - TENDER-EYED--HUMAN FAVORITES--DIVINELY HONORED--RACHEL’S - TOMB THE FIRST MONUMENT TO HUMAN LOVE. 36-70 - - CHAPTER III. - - Womanhood During the Egyptian Bondage and in - the Desert of Sinai. - - JOCHEBED--HER REMARKABLE COURAGE--THONORIS--HER - COMPASSION--HEROIC LABORS SEEMINGLY UNREWARDED--ZIPPORAH, THE - MIDIANITE SHEPHERDESS--GLORIFYING DAILY LABOR--AT A WAYSIDE - INN--MIRIAM--HER SONG OF TRIUMPH AT THE RED SEA--HER - AFFLICTION AT HAZEROTH--AN EVENTFUL LIFE. 71-89 - - CHAPTER IV. - - Womanhood During the Conquest and the Theocracy, - or Rule of the Judges. - - RAHAB--GREAT GRACE FOR GREAT SINNERS--THE FALL OF JERICHO--THE - COVENANT REMEMBERED--DEBORAH--HER REMARKABLE - COURAGE--SISERA’S IRON CHARIOTS BROKEN--THE DAUGHTER OF - JEPHTHAH--HER LOVING DEVOTION AND SACRIFICE--THE STORY - OF NAOMI--ORPAH’S KISS--THE LOVING RUTH--GLEANING - AMONG THE REAPERS--HER RICH REWARD--HANNAH--HER - CONSECRATION--YEARLY VISITS TO SHILOH--STITCHING BEAUTIFUL - THOUGHTS INTO SAMUEL’S COAT--HER BEAUTIFUL LIFE. 90-117 - - CHAPTER V. - - Womanhood During the Reign of the Kings. - - ABIGAIL--CHURLISH NABAL--CHIVALROUS APPRECIATION--DAVID’S - MESSENGERS--SAUL’S DAUGHTERS--HIS TREACHERY--MICHAL’S - STRATAGEM--RIZPAH--HER HEROIC ENDURANCE AND LOVING - FIDELITY--THE QUEEN OF SHEBA--HER VISIT TO JERUSALEM--THE - GLORY AND WISDOM OF SOLOMON--THE HALF NOT TOLD--THE - QUEEN’S ROYAL GIFTS. 118-137 - - CHAPTER VI. - - Womanhood in the Time of the Prophets and During - the Captivity. - - THE WICKED JEZEBEL--THE WIDOW OF SAREPTA--THE TISHBITE AT - THE CITY GATE--HIS STRANGE REQUEST--THE WIDOW’S UNFALTERING - OBEDIENCE--AN APPEAL TO ELISHA--A POT OF OIL--THE - WIDOW’S WONDERFUL FAITH--THE RICH WOMAN OF SHUNEM--HER - MODEST LIFE--BARLEY HARVEST--A RIDE TO CARMEL IN - THE GLARE OF THE SUN--ESTHER--HER BEAUTIFUL TRAITS OF - CHARACTER--CROWNED AS QUEEN--PLEADING FOR THE LIFE OF - HER PEOPLE--FOUND FAVOR WITH THE KING. 138-161 - - CHAPTER VII. - - Womanhood in the Time of the Saviour’s Nativity. - - AN ANGEL BY THE ALTAR OF INCENSE--HIS MESSAGE--AN ISRAELITISH - HOME--IN THE SPIRIT OF ELIJAH--THE DESERT TEACHER--THE - ANNUNCIATION--THE VISIT OF MARY TO ELIZABETH--MARY’S - MAGNIFICAT--JOURNEY TO BETHLEHEM--THE NATIVITY--HOME - LIFE IN NAZARETH--AFTER SCENES IN MARY’S LIFE--HER - RESIDENCE AND DEATH AT EPHESUS--THE PROPHETESS - ANNA--HER WAITING FOR REDEMPTION IN JERUSALEM--THE - LESSON OF HER PURE AND BEAUTIFUL LIFE. 162-189 - - CHAPTER VIII. - - Womanhood During our Lord’s Galilean Ministry. - - CHRIST AND WOMANHOOD--NOONTIDE AT JACOB’S WELL--THE LORD’S - WONDERFUL TACT--FIELDS WHITE TO THE HARVEST--AN UNINVITED - GUEST AT SIMON’S FEAST--COLD HOSPITALITY--A CONCISE - PARABLE--FORGIVING SIN--A STREET SCENE--HUMBLE - CONFESSION--MOST GRACIOUS WORDS--COAST OF TYRE AND - SIDON--SYRO-PHŒNICIAN WOMAN--STRANGELY TESTED--HER - HUMILITY--WENT AWAY BLESSED. 190-222 - - CHAPTER IX. - - Womanhood During Our Lord’s Judean Ministry. - - THE SISTERS OF BETHANY--THEIR CHARACTERISTICS--NOT GOOD, BUT - BEST GIFTS--THE EXTRAVAGANCE OF LOVE--SALOME’S STRANGE - REQUEST--HER FIDELITY--JOANNA--THE POOR WIDOW’S GIFT--HOW - ESTIMATED--THE SAVIOUR’S WORDS OF PEACE. 223-244 - - CHAPTER X. - - Womanhood During the Apostolic Ministry. - - TABITHA--GLORIFIED HER NEEDLE--THE RESULTS OF LITTLE - ACTS--LYDIA--HER HUMILITY--PHILIP’S FOUR DAUGHTERS-- - PHŒBE--PRISCILLA--EUNICE--LOIS--EUDIA--SYNTYCHE--HULDA-- - THE HEBREW MAID--TAMAR--MOTHERS OF GREAT MEN--THE AUTHOR - OF THE BIBLE WOMAN’S BEST FRIEND. 245-266 - - - - -ILLUSTRATIONS. - - - PAGE. - - THE ACCEPTED OFFERING 31 - - JACOB’S STRUGGLE AT THE JABBOK 67 - - THE ISRAELITES IN BONDAGE 73 - - MOSES RESCUED FROM THE NILE 75 - - MIRIAM’S SONG OF TRIUMPH 84 - - THE FALL OF JERICHO 95 - - RUTH, THE FAITHFUL FRIEND 108 - - THE BEAUTIFUL ABIGAIL MEETING DAVID 121 - - SOLOMON’S MERCHANT SHIPS 130 - - THE QUEEN OF SHEBA 133 - - HADASSAH IN THE PERSIAN COURT 153 - - ESTHER PLEADING FOR HER PEOPLE 157 - - THE ANGEL’S MESSAGE 164 - - THE MINISTRY AT EPHESUS 181 - - ANNA, THE PROPHETESS 185 - - CHRIST AND WOMANHOOD 193 - - THE NOONTIDE HOUR AT JACOB’S WELL 198 - - THE UNINVITED GUEST 208 - - SEEKING THE LIVING AMONG THE DEAD 237 - - THE CITY BY THE ANGHISTA 253 - - CORINTH, THE GATE OF THE PELOPONNESUS 260 - - - - -INTRODUCTORY. - - -It has long been in our mind to write this book, in which we seek -to set forth the beautiful lives of representative women of the -Bible. There has been much written about prophets, kings and priests, -about our Lord and His Apostles, about scenes, of different types of -character, customs and manners of Oriental life, but so far as we know, -nothing has been written about the womanhood of the Bible. We believe -a study of these lovely Princesses of God will be both profitable and -instructive. - -That we may have a suitable background for our pen pictures of these -Daughters in Israel, and also, by way of contrast, show what the Bible -has done for womanhood, let us briefly take a glance into countries -where the Bible has been a sealed book, for the position of women among -the Hebrews has always afforded a pleasing contrast with that of their -heathen sisters. The position of Jewish women is just what we would -expect among a people who were indebted for their laws to the Creator. - -It has always been Satan’s shrewdest trick to degrade motherhood, and -to cause her to be treated with contempt, knowing that she it is who -stands at the fountain head of the race, and her hand always shapes -the life and forms the civilization, hence the universal oppression of -womanhood in all heathen lands. - -The effect of religion (for all nations worship something) upon the -people affords overwhelming evidence of its origin. In all heathen -lands the people are exceedingly religious. In India alone they worship -360,000,000 gods, but they know nothing about morality. Their religion -offers no light in life and no hope in death. The condition of women -in India is indescribable. If a man speaks of his wife he never says -“wife,” but “family”; and if away, he never speaks of going home, but -he is going to his house. There is no home life, as we look upon it, in -all that heathen land. Women are considered by the Hindus as a thing -that exists solely for their use. She is given away like a lifeless -thing to the man who is to be her husband, but who does not consider -her his equal. He is commanded by his religion to “enjoy her without -attachment,” and never to love her or put his confidence in her. Some -women are set apart religiously for the use of the men of all classes -and castes. They are consecrated and “married” to the idols in the -temples, and are brought up from their girlhood to live as prostitutes. -Hindoo sacred law reaches its climax of cruelty and degradation in the -rules it lays down for the control of a woman after her husband has -died. She may be young and beautiful, she may belong to a wealthy and -powerful family; it matters not; custom is as relentless as death in -its weight of woe to crush her completely down. - -One of the Hindoo sacred books says: “It is unlawful for any man to -take a jewelless woman,” whose eyes are like the weeping cavi-flower; -being deprived of her beloved husband, she is like a body deprived of -the spirit. She may have only been a betrothed infant or a child of a -few years. It makes no difference. The Shasters teach that if a widow -burns herself alive on the funeral pile of her husband, even though -he had killed a Brahmin, that most heinous of deeds, she expiates the -crime. For long centuries widows have been a literal burnt offering for -the redemption of husbands. - -Another law is laid down after the following fashion: “On the death of -their attached husbands, women must eat but once a day, must eschew -betel and a spread mattress, must sleep on the ground, and continue -to practice rigid mortification. Women who have put off glittering -jewels of gold must discharge with alacrity the duties of devotion, and -neglecting their persons, must feed on herbs and roots, so as barely to -sustain life within the body. Let not a widow ever pronounce the name -of another man.” - -There are, in India, twenty-three millions of widows, of these fourteen -thousand are baby widows under four years of age, and sixty thousand -girl widows between five and nine years of age. Nearly one-fourth of -the whole number of widows are young. Besides, there are many millions -of deserted wives, whose condition is as bad, and in some cases worse, -than that of the widows. The lives of many millions of these poor women -are made so miserable that they prefer death to life, and thousands -commit suicide yearly. - -And all these helpless women have never heard the message of salvation -from God’s Holy Word. - -It so happens in these days of missionary work among the heathen that -now and then the light of the Gospel finds its way into these benighted -hearts. Such was the case of a Brahmin widow, who had lived in the home -of her uncle, but, for a fancied offence, was beaten and turned into -the street naked. She was a woman of commanding manner and appearance, -such as few suffering widows possess. She was tall, elegant of bearing, -and attractive. Her story, in short, is this: “I was married when only -five years of age. I soon became a widow, and then my father and mother -took care of me, though I was kept secure in their home. My father and -mother died, and since I was fifteen years of age I have been with -their relatives, who let me work in the fields and earn an honorable -living. Then my mother’s own brother came along, and persuaded me to -come to his house. I hoped for kindness, but I have been their slave -from that day.” - -When asked whether she had been led astray, she replied, “I might -have been, and sat with jewels on my neck and arms, with a frontlet -on my brow, and gems would have bedecked my ears had I yielded to the -machinations of my uncle and the desires of his friends to betray me -into a life of glittering slavery! Because I would not, I am in rags, -and now turned homeless into the streets.” - -Such is the suffering of women in India. And the saddest of all is, the -only heaven they look for after this world, is a place where they can -be their husband’s servants. Sad and terrible is their state! - -The condition of womanhood in China is but little better. In fact she -is unwelcome at her birth. If she is suffered to live, she is subjected -to inhuman foot-binding. The feet are supposed to merit the poetical -name of “golden lilies.” But how sad it is to discover that such a -result is produced by indescribable torture, and that the part of the -foot that is not seen is nothing but a mass of distorted or broken -bones! - -This binding process commences when the girl is about six years old. -There is a Chinese proverb that says, “For every pair of bound feet has -been shed a _kong_ full of tears.” And yet, the most important part of -a Chinese girl’s dress is her tiny shoe of colored silk or satin, most -tastefully embroidered, with bright painted heels just peeping beneath -the neat pantalets. Missionary ladies tell us how they themselves have -seen three strong women holding a little girl by force to compel her to -submit to this awful torture. It is not an uncommon thing for a mother -to get up in the night and beat a poor child of seven or eight for -keeping her awake by her stifled sobs from the terrible pain produced -by the bandages. Through the weary summer days, instead of romping and -enjoying the fresh air and sports with brothers, the poor little girl -will lie, restless with fever, upon her little couch, and when the cold -nights of winter come, she is afraid to wrap her limbs in any covering, -else they grow warm and the suffering becomes more intense. - -At last the much desired smallness is obtained, the feet are deformed -for life and she is greatly admired by all her friends. If she is not -betrothed until she is ten or more years of age, one of the first -questions is, “What is the length of her feet?” Three inches is the -correct length of the fashionable shoe, but some are only two. - -But this has respect only to those girl-babies who are suffered to -live. The horrors of heathenism permits the new-born girl baby to -be disposed of. There is outside the city walls of Fuchan, China, a -structure of stone without doors, but with two window-like openings. -This well-known and frequently visited building is the baby tower--not -a day nursery for the care of the infants of the poor, not an orphanage -where the little waifs are clothed and fed and educated, but a place -where girl-babies can be thrown and left to die. In larger cities, -such as Pekin, carts pass through the streets at an early hour of the -day and gather up the babies abandoned to the streets by their inhuman -parents. - -Women in the common walks of life are the slaves of their husbands. -The wife rises early in the morning, does the housework for the day, -and prepares the morning meal for her husband, who always eats it by -himself while she serves. Having finished her own meal, after her -husband has eaten his, she cleans up the dishes, and then hastens to -the fields to toil all day under a burning sun. The husband, meanwhile, -spends the day in sleeping, or gambling, or when opportunity occurs, -in thieving or marauding. Sometimes, frequently indeed, the women are -carried off by other tribes while out in the fields, and are only -released at a price, varying with the excellencies of the woman in -question. And yet, if any one were to offer to relieve these women of -their work, their offer would be rejected, for this life of toil is -what they have been brought up to and trained in, and they know of -nothing better. They especially like to be in the fields by themselves, -for then they are alone, and are free from the hated presence of man -(curiously enough they are said to hate their men), and surely no one -would grudge them their liberty. - -In dark Africa, where lives one-sixth of the heathen population of the -globe, human sacrifice is something awful. And the saddest of all is, -the victims are mostly from the ranks of women. Of the languages and -dialects, five hundred have never been reduced to writing. What scenes -of horrors are locked up in oblivion among these wild tribes of that -dark land. Almost daily, the numerous wives of the rulers, as they -die, are buried alive in their graves, being compelled to hold the -dead bodies of their husbands on their laps, until they themselves -are relieved by death. The witch doctors annually slay thousands of -innocent women. Among the Masai, a woman has a market value equal to -five glass beads, while a cow is worth ten of the same. - -Woman’s life in the harem of the Mohammedan is but little better. The -code of morals is a very loose one, and the degradation of women beyond -our pen to describe. The women of the harems are divided into three -classes: The Rhadines, or legitimate wives. The Ikbals, or favorites, -out of whose ranks the Rhadines are chosen, and Ghienzdes or “women -who are pleasing to the eye of their lord,” and who have the chance -to advance to the rank of Ikbals. If the wife of a Turkoman asks his -permission to go, and he says, “go,” without adding, “come back,” they -are divorced. If he becomes dissatisfied with the most trifling acts of -his wife, and tears the veil from her face, that constitutes a divorce. -In the streets, if a husband meets one of his numerous wives, he never -recognizes her, or ever introduces her to a male friend. A Mohammedan -never inquires after the female portion of the household of his friend. -The system is full of cruelty and despotism. In Mohammedan countries -women suffer from the low opinion held of them by men. The prophet -said: “I stood at the gates of hell, and lo! most of its inhabitants -were women!” And yet, strange to say, while the religion of Islam -denies that woman has a soul, it teaches a sensual paradise. - -In fact, in all nations where the Bible is unknown, woman is the slave -of man’s lust. She is a drudge or a toy, whose reign is as short-lived -as her personal charms. She may not be trusted out of sight of her -guardians, though the masculine members of the family are anything but -choice in their associations. Indeed, in some countries a woman can -not visit even her own mother without being carried in a palanquin or -guarded by slaves. - -One of the strangest, saddest sights we ever saw was at Mersina, -in the Levant. Passing a field one day there were six native women -(noble in form and of beautiful olive complexion) hoeing what looked -to be cucumbers, while a step or two in their rear stood a negro, a -full-blooded Nubian, with a long stick, like an ox-goad, in his hand, -evidently their master. - -In Ceylon, when it was proposed by a missionary to teach women to read, -one native said to another, “What do you think that man is talking -about? He wants to teach the women to read! He’ll be wanting to teach -the cows next!” - -Such is the disrespect in which women are held by heathen people. Five -words describe the biography of women in all lands where the Bible is -not known: Unwelcomed at birth; untaught in childhood; uncherished in -widowhood; unprotected in old age; unlamented when dead. - -Such, in brief, is the treatment of womanhood in lands where the Bible -is a sealed book, and truly, in comparison with their heathen sisters, -women living under the blessed teachings of Christianity are “clothed -in white raiment.” - -But, perhaps, we ought not to think it so very strange that men who -dishonor God, and who want Him blotted out of their thoughts, should -abuse God’s best gift to man. This much we know, that God created man -in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female -created He _them_. And God blessed _them_, and God said unto them, -“Have dominion over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.” -When the Pharisees, in their malignity, framed the question, “Is it -lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?”--a problem -beset with many difficulties, our Lord very promptly asked a counter -question, “What did Moses command you?” Instead of entering into their -vexed question, He appeals at once to the law and the testimony, and -requires them to recite the provision made by Moses for such cases; -not as settling the difficulties, but as presenting the true _status -quaestionis_, which was not what the Scribes taught or the Pharisees -practiced, but what Moses meant and God permitted. They said, “Moses -suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away.” Quickly -Jesus replied, “For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this -precept.” The substance of our Saviour’s answer was, Moses gave you -no positive command in the case; he would not make a law directly -opposite to the law of God; but Moses saw the wantonness and wickedness -of your hearts, that you would turn away your wives without any just -and warrantable cause; and to restrain your extravagancies of cruelty -to your wives, or disorderly turning of them off upon any occasion, -he made a law that none should put away his wife but upon a legal -cognizance of the cause and giving her a bill of divorce. “From the -beginning,” that is, in the very act of creation, God embodied the idea -of equality. Capricious divorce is a violation of natural law. - -What a beautiful picture Solomon gives us of womanhood. “Her price,” he -says, “is far above rubies. The heart of her husband doth safely trust -in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him good -and not evil all the days of her life. She seeketh wool, and flax, and -worketh willingly with her hands.” After the grace of God in the soul, -a good wife, one planned on the Divine model, is the Lord’s best gift. -To the husband who has such a woman to stand at the head of his home, -nothing can measure her value. His heart rests safely in her integrity. -He has no need to add to his wealth by spoils, for she will do him good -and not evil all the days of his life. She is industrious. She not only -works into comfort the wool and flax that are at hand; she seeks to -add to her store from the outside world. She does not ask to be kept -in idleness. She worketh willingly with her hands. Not content to be a -consumer, she becomes a producer. Not satisfied with home production, -she brings suitable comforts and luxuries from afar into her home. She -is careful in the use of her time. She is not feebly self-indulgent. -She riseth while it is yet night to look after her domestic affairs. -She is a business woman, knowing the laws that underlie the rise and -fall of real estate. She considereth a field, and buyeth it. Then with -her hands she planteth a vineyard. - -She does not produce inferior goods, neither is she cheated in a -bargain. She perceiveth that her merchandise is good. She loves to -share her husband’s business burdens, that he may share her society; -and they twain are one in service and one in recreation. Like our -Lord, she delights not to be ministered unto, but to minister. She is -benevolent. Being a recognized producer, she has the luxury of giving -of her own means to the poor. She provides well for her household, -keeping her dependents in comfort, and even in luxury. As the Revised -Version puts it, “She maketh herself carpets of tapestry.” Her own -clothing is of the best. - -The husband of such a wife has the gentle manners that belong with such -a home, and he can but succeed in life. He is known and honored among -the best in the land. As her business grows, her products become finer -and more expensive; and as she puts them upon the market, her profits -increase. This woman is clothed with strength and honor. She has no -anxiety about the future. She knows that though her beauty may fade, -and her social charms become a thing of the past, her strength and -honor will become richer and more glorious as the years go by. “In her -tongue is the law of kindness.” She is too busy with her own affairs to -look after those of her neighbors. In heathen countries it is a great -disgrace for a woman’s voice to be heard in the presence of men. Where -women are held back from the real interests that concern them and for -which they have so often proved themselves fully qualified, what else -could take up their active minds but the pettiness of gossip? - -Such are the beautiful tributes paid to women by Solomon, the wisest -of men. Nor are the prophets behind in acknowledging the worth and -quality of women. Eight hundred years before the Christian era, the -prophet Joel wrote, “And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith -God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and -your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, -and your old men shall dream dreams: and on my servants and on my -handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall -prophesy.” In the Christian dispensation, the daughters as well as the -sons were to be filled with the Spirit of God, and the Spirit would use -their lips in the declaration of His truth as certainly as the lips of -men, and Paul defined prophecy to be speaking “unto men to edification, -and exhortation, and comfort.” It has been one of the devices of the -evil one to padlock the lips of that half of the race who are most -loyal to God and who have the most helpful knowledge of human nature. - -Aside from all these high social and spiritual relations of the Hebrew -women, they had a legal status. The rights of the Jewish wife were -carefully guarded. Her husband was not allowed to go to war for a -year after they were married; and though the eastern institution of -polygamy was not utterly prohibited, yet it was so restricted that it -must not in any way invade the rights and privileges of the wife. If a -husband became jealous of his wife’s fidelity, the legal presumptions -were all in her favor. The husband was not allowed to inflict summary -punishment; but she was subjected to an ordeal which could by no -possibility work injury to her, unless through the guilt of her own -conscience or the interposition of divine Providence. - -As a mother, the Jewish woman must be honored by her children. As a -daughter, she had rights and an inheritance. If the wife or daughter -uttered rash and foolish vows, the husband or father had a right -to disannul them, provided he did it from the day it came to his -knowledge. Even the Gentile woman taken captive by a young Israelite -warrior must have been surprised to receive treatment so strangely -different from that received by captives in her own country, or even -among modern nations who profess to be civilized. Her captor could -not offer her an insult; she must be taken, not to a prison, but to -his home, where she must neither be abused nor outraged, but treated -with patient consideration; and she could not be taken, even as a -wife, until a full month had elapsed, during which he might secure her -affections or reconsider his determination. And if after her marriage -she was discontented and made herself disagreeable, she could never -again be held as a servant, but must be allowed to go free. Widows, who -in heathen lands have been degraded and sometimes murdered or burned, -were to be treated with the utmost tenderness. They shared in the -tithes, and were admitted to the public festivities. They had a right -to glean in the fields and gather up the forgotten sheaves, to gather -which the owner was not allowed to go back. Injustice against widows -was treated with fearful punishment. “Thou shalt not take the widow’s -raiment to pledge” (Deut. xxiv, 17), was a benevolent law which can not -be paralleled in any modern code. The command to lend to an Israelite -in his poverty was imperative, but no pledge of raiment could be -exacted from a widow. - -Thus in a variety of ways was the Lord pleased to manifest his kindness -and compassion for the fatherless and the widow, and in consequence -womanhood was honored and honorable in the Jewish nation, beyond -anything known in the heathen world. From the vile and degrading orgies -of heathenism the women of Israel were exempt. They feared the Lord, -and at his hand received blessings and mercies without number. - -Thus it is seen that Hebrew women had rare privileges. They tower like -desert palms above the women in pagan lands. In her home she is honored -and respected. In India a woman eats her first and last meal with her -husband on her wedding day. In the Hebrew home her children are like -“olive plants” round her table. In China they may kill their little -daughters by the thousands. She has legal rights in her Hebrew home. In -all Mohammedan lands a man has the same power over the life of his wife -that he has over the life of his horse. - -What makes this difference? We answer, It is God’s thought of -womanhood, for there was nothing in the Hebrew men to bring about such -thoughtful consideration. There were periods in the history of the -Hebrew nation when they departed from God, and sank into the vices of -the heathens around them. It was during these periods that womanhood -was degraded to that of their pagan sisters. There were times when the -Hebrews had taken on heathen manners to such an extent as to regard -it a disgrace for a rabbi to recognize his wife if he met her on the -street. It was commonly said that he was a fool who attempted the -religious instruction of a woman, and the words of the law had better -be burned than given to a woman. - -So it was not Hebrew manhood that saved the daughters of Israel from -the suicidal injustice practiced among the heathens, but the sure Word -of God. Under its wise provisions and recognized equality they became -prophetesses, leaders of armies, and judges. And they taught a pure -morality, trained their children according to principles of justice and -righteousness, and lived in expectation and hope of the coming of the -Messiah in whom all the nations of the earth were to be blessed. - -And above all, Christ was the true Friend of womanhood. No teacher -in any age of the world or in any land ever taught woman as He did, -when He came that glorious morning to Jacob’s well, or in the house -of Simon the Pharisee, when the sin-stained woman of the street, who -had unobserved entered the banquet hall, and taken up her position at -the feet of Jesus, and there poured out the great sorrow of her heart -in a paroxysm of humble and grateful love, and bathed His feet with -her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head, anointing them -also with ointment, when He personally addressed her and said, “Thy -sins are forgiven.” How beautiful is all this, and how grandly these -women showed their gratitude and appreciation by following Him and -ministering unto “Him of their substance.” They were last at the cross -and first at the tomb, and first to publish the Saviour’s resurrection. - -From that day to this, women owe their spiritual elevation and their -opportunities of usefulness to the recognition Christ gave them in -His ministry. In all places untouched by Christian light they are not -sure that they have souls. Where the light shines clearly they have -equal rights with the men by whose side they are privileged to labor -for God’s glory. This being so, how ought they to love God, and in -every way possible, spread the light of Christianity through all the -earth. We would say to every woman who loves her Lord, the field is -wide enough, and opportunities present themselves in every passing -hour, therefore, if you have a message which will help and bless some -struggling soul heavenward, tell it. - -With these brief, introductory words, we come to our subject proper. -And should you, dear woman, whom we seek to glorify in the following -pages, be blessed and comforted in the unfolding of God’s love towards -womanhood, and your own faith take a firmer hold upon the Father’s -thought of you, do not, after reading this book, put it away in your -book-case, but place it in the hands of some tempted, discouraged, -struggling soul, and thereby let others become sharers of the same -helpful words, and, possibly, in so doing, you may not only save -precious souls, but add many stars to your own crown of life. - - As ever, respectfully, - - THE AUTHOR. - - ALBANY, N. Y. - - - - -WOMEN IN WHITE RAIMENT. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -The Paradise Home in Eden. - - MAN’S FIRST HOME A GARDEN--EVE THE ISHA--THE SCENE OF THE - TEMPTATION--HIDING FROM GOD--REFUSING TO CONFESS, JUDGMENT IS - PRONOUNCED--THE SAD RESULTS OF SIN--EVE BELIEVED THE PROMISE. - - -Perhaps there never lived a woman who has been “talked about” so much -as this first woman in White Raiment, for who has not said, If Eve had -not been beguiled into a violation of the one commandment by partaking -of the fruit of the forbidden tree, we would all be as happy and -sinless as was she and her husband before that act of disobedience. But -we shall miss the great lesson Eve’s experience intended to convey if -we fail to recognize that God put humanity on probation, and the fact -of the first temptation is the symbol of every temptation; the fact of -the first fall is the symbol of every transgression; the great mistake -that lay in the first sin is the symbol of every effect of sin. - -After the Lord God had formed man, we read that He “planted a garden -eastward in Eden; and there He put the man.” What pen could describe -the garden of the Lord’s planting? There were splashing fountains. -There were woodbine, and honeysuckles, and morning-glories climbing -over the wall, and daisies, and buttercups, and strawberries in the -grass. There were paths with mountain mosses, bordered with pearls -and diamonds. Here and there cooling streams sparkled in the sunlight -or made sweet music as they fell over ledges and rippled away under -the overstretching shadows of palm trees or fig orchards, and their -threads of silver finally lost amid the fruitage of orange groves. -Trees and shrubs of infinite variety added their beauty to the -many picturesque scenes everywhere spread out. In the midst of the -overhanging foliage were all the bright birds of heaven, and they -stirred the air with infinite chirp and carol. Never since have such -skies looked down through such leaves into such waters. Never has -river wave had such curve and sheen and bank as adorned the Pison, the -Havilah, the Gihon and the Hiddekel, even the pebbles being bdellium -and onyx stone. What fruits, with no curculio to sting the rind! What -flowers, with no slug to gnaw the root! What atmosphere, with no frost -to chill and with no heat to consume! Bright colors tangled in the -grass. Perfume filled the air. Music thrilled the sky. Great scenes of -gladness and love and joy spread out in every direction. - -We know not how long, perhaps ever since this man had been created in -the “image” of his God, he had wandered through this Eden home, had -watched the brilliant pageantry of wings and scales and clouds, and may -have noticed that the robins fly the air in twos, and that the fish -swim the waters in twos, and that the lions walk the fields in twos, -and as he saw the merry, abounding life of his subject creatures, every -one perfectly fitted to its environment, and each mated with another of -the same instincts and methods of living, he felt the isolation of his -own self-involved being, and, possibly, a shadow of loneliness may have -crept into his face, and God saw it. And so He said, “It is not good -that the man should be alone.” So “He caused a deep sleep to fall upon -Adam,” as if by allegory to teach all ages that the greatest of earthly -blessings is sound sleep. - -When he awoke, a most beautiful being, the crowning glory of creation, -stood beside him, looking at him with heaven in her eyes, her exquisite -form draped with perfect feminine grace and strength. As Adam looked -into the face of this immaculate daughter of God, this Woman in White -Raiment, he said, “This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my -flesh. She shall be called Woman” (Hebrew Isha), because God had -clothed in separate flesh the gentler and more conscientious part of -Adam’s nature, that it might share the work and bliss of Paradise. - -How long that first married pair lived in Paradise we are not informed. -The story of their disastrous disobedience is given in as few words as -possible. Eve may have sauntered out one beautiful morning and as she -looked up at the fruit of the various trees of the garden must have -recognized “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,” and doubtless -she had heard Adam say that this was the forbidden tree, and possibly -may have cautioned her, “For,” said he, the Lord had said, “in the day -that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” As she looked up at -the tree and saw the beautiful fruit hanging on the branches, she may -have admired its bright, fresh color without any thought of evil in -her heart. It is the characteristic of woman to admire the beautiful. -Indeed her finer feelings can better appreciate than man, the blendings -of color and shadings that combine to give expression to the beautiful. - -But it was Satan’s moment. We do not know how long he had been in -hiding among the recesses of the garden waiting for just such an -opportunity. Quickly he entered a serpent, which, it is declared, “was -more subtle than any beast of the field,” and came up to Eve as she -admired the tree and its fruit, and in most questioning surprise said, -“Yea hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” The -query is very cautiously made, expressing great surprise: Yea, truly, -can it be possible? The query, with its questioning surprise, had in it -now a yes, and now a no, according to the connection. This is the first -striking feature in the beginning of the temptation. The temptation -of Christ, in the wilderness, was very similar to this. Satan twice -challenged our Lord on the point of his divine Sonship: “If thou be -the Son of God.” As if he had said, “You claim to be the Son of God, I -doubt it, and challenge the claim. If you are, prove it by doing what -I suggest.” This was also a blow at the confession of God Himself, -“This is My beloved Son.” So here, Satan, in the most cautious manner, -would excite doubt in the mind of Eve. Then the expression also aims to -awaken mistrust at the goodness and wisdom of God, and so weaken the -force of the temptation. As if he had said, “What, not eat of every -tree of the garden? I doubt it. Such a prohibition seems unreasonable.” - -Here Eve would assure the tempter that she was not mistaken in regard -to the prohibition. “We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the -garden. But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the -garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, _neither shall ye -touch it, lest ye die_.” Notice the Italic words are added by Eve to -the command of God concerning the tree. No doubt, as she stood there -admiring the tree, the monitor of her heart kept saying, “Don’t touch -it, don’t touch it,” and, in her guileless simplicity, she adds the -words to the prohibition. And yet by this very addition does her first -wavering disguise itself under the form of an overdoing obedience. The -first failure is her not observing the point of the temptation, and -allowing herself to be drawn into an argument with the tempter; the -second, that she makes the prohibition stronger than it really is, -and thus lets it appear that to her, too, the prohibition seems too -strict; the third that she weakens the prohibition by reducing it to -the lesser caution. God had said, “Thou shalt surely die.” She reduces -it to “_lest ye die_,” thus making the motive of obedience to be -predominantly the fear of death. - -Her tempter, who could quote Scripture to our Lord in his second -temptation, after he had failed in the first, was quick to take up -the woman’s rendering of the prohibition, and makes answer, “Ye shall -not surely die!” What an advance over the first suggestion, “Yea, -hath God said.” No doubt he had noted her wavering, and, instead -of turning promptly away from the author of her wavering, saw her -disposed to inform him of what God had said concerning this “tree of -the knowledge of good and evil,” and he promptly steps out from the -area of cautious craft into that of a reckless denial of the truth of -God’s prohibition, and a malicious suspicion of its object. Eve had -not repeated the words of the prohibition, and of the penalty, in its -double or intensive form, but Satan repeats it, in blasphemous mockery, -as though he had heard it in some other way, and stoutly denies the -truth of the threatening, that is, the doubt becomes unbelief. - -The way, however, is not prepared for the unbelief without first -arousing a feeling of distrust in respect to God’s love, His -righteousness, and even His power. So the tempter denies all evil -consequences as arising from the forbidden enjoyment, whilst, on the -contrary, he promises the best and most glorious results from the -same. “Instead of your eyes closing in death,” he said, “they shall -be opened.” The tempter would have the woman believe that, in eating -of the fruit, she would become wonderfully enlightened, and, at the -same time, raised to a divine glory--“shall be as gods, knowing good -and evil.” And so, in like manner, is every sin a false and senseless -belief in the salutary effects of sin. - -We tremble for Eve at this point of her interview with her tempter. It -is an awful moment, a moment in which her own happiness and that of her -husband’s and all the generations of earth are in the balances. - -“And when the woman saw.” She was now looking at the tree and its fruit -from a far different standpoint from that in the morning. She beheld -it now with a look made false by the distorted application of God’s -prohibition by her tempter. In fact, she had become enchanted by the -distorted construction put upon God’s plain commandment. The satanic -promises seemed to have driven the threatening of that prohibition out -of her thought. Now she beholds the tree with other eyes. Three times, -it is said, how charming the tree appeared to her. - -But where has Adam been all this time? Doubtless he was busy with -his duties, for God had set him “to dress and to keep” the garden in -which he had been placed. He may have seen Eve passing down one of the -beautiful paths of the garden in her morning walk, beguiled by the -splash of the fountains, the song of the birds, and the beauty of the -flowers at her feet. He may have observed her stay longer than usual, -and so turned aside from his duties to see what had become of her, and -following down the path over which he had last seen her disappear among -the trees and shrubbery of the garden, soon came to the place where -“the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” stood, and then, from -the lips of his own pure, sweet wife, learned what had taken place. -Possibly she was holding the very fruit of which she had said, “neither -shall ye touch it,” in her hands, admiring its beauty and wondering how -it tasted. And, while examining the fruit, she told her husband what -had passed between her and her tempter, and as she finished her story -she said, “I do not think there can be any harm in my just breaking the -rind of it, to see how it looks inside.” Prompted by womanly curiosity, -she broke open the fruit, and, before she was really conscious, she -“did eat!” “Why, how nice!” she exclaimed, at the same time handing the -other half to her husband. As a good gardener, he would naturally share -the curiosity of his wife to taste this fruit, “and he did eat!” - -The next statement we have, “And the eyes of them both were opened.” -But how were they opened? Each of them had two good eyes before eating -the fruit; in fact, Eve had been admiring the fruit as it hung among -the branches of the tree, and as she had turned it over in her hands. -Before they tasted they saw with their natural eyes. Now they see with -a higher knowledge of sense--there is added a con-sense--a conscience -or self-consciousness. In the relation between the antecedent here -and what followed there evidently lies a terrible irony. The promise -of the tempter becomes half fulfilled, though, indeed, in a sadly -different sense from what they had supposed. They had attained, in -consequence, to a moral insight. Self-consciousness was awakened with -their knowledge of right and wrong, good and evil. It belongs to the -very beginning of moral cognition and development. - -How strange it all is. Eden full of trees, fruits of every kind, -luscious and satisfying, but, excited by false and wicked statements in -respect to the prohibition of the fruit of one tree, she straightway -desires to taste for herself, and that curiosity blasted her and -blasted all nations. And thousands in every generation, inspired by -unhealthful inquisitiveness, have tried to look through the keyhole of -God’s mysteries--mysteries that were barred and bolted from all human -inspection--and they have wrenched their whole moral nature out of -joint by trying to pluck fruit from branches beyond their reach. - -We may also learn that fruits which are sweet to the taste may -afterward produce great agony. Forbidden fruit for Eve was so pleasant -she invited her husband also to take of it; but her banishment from -paradise and years of sorrow and wretchedness and woe paid for that -luxury. - -Sometimes people plead for just one indulgence in sin. There can be no -harm to go to this or that forbidden place just once. Doubtless that -one Edenic transgression did not seem to be much, but it struck a blow -which to this day makes the earth stagger. To find out the consequences -of that one sin you would have to compel the world to throw open all -its prison doors and display the crime, throw open all its hospitals -and display the disease, throw open all the insane asylums and show -the wretchedness, open all the sepulchres and show the dead, open -all the doors of the lost world and show the damned. That one Edenic -transgression stretched chords of misery across the heart of the world -and struck them with dolorous wailing, and it has seated the plagues -upon the air and the shipwrecks upon the tempest, and fastened, like -a leech, famine to the heart of the sick and dying nations. Beautiful -at the start, horrible at the last. Oh, how many have experienced it! -Beware of entertaining temptations to first sins! Turn away and flee -for thy life to the sure and only Refuge--Christ Jesus. - -In the cool of the day, as the evening hours drew on, Adam and Eve -“heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden.” They were -used to hearing that voice walking in the garden in the cool of the -day. Eden had become a dear spot to the heart of their Father, and -doubtless He often came down to converse with them. So now He seeks -companionship with the majestic human masterpieces of His creation. And -why should he not? - -But, passing strange! instead of running to Him out of their Eden -home, as doubtless they had been wont to do, “Adam and his wife hid -themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the -garden.” This act, no doubt, was prompted by self-consciousness and the -shame and guilt which it brought. So we clearly see that sin separates -from God. They had pronounced judgment upon their transgression by -their very conduct. Instead of meeting God as they had been doing, a -feeling of distrust and servile fear entered their hearts, and a sense -of the loss of their spiritual purity, together with the false notion -that they can hide themselves from God. And so it has come to pass -that ever since the first transgression men have been hiding from God, -running away from his presence. - -“And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art -thou?” The Lord is the first to break the silence; the first to seek -erring humanity. Not for His own sake does God direct this inquiry, -for He knew where Adam was, but that Adam might take courage and open -his mouth in confession--it was an invitation to tell the whole sad -story. But, instead, he multiplies the difficulties by his answer, -“I was afraid, because I was naked.” That is to say, Adam, instead -of confessing the sin, sought to hide behind its consequences, and -his disobedience behind his feeling of shame. His answer to the -interrogation is far from the real cause of the change that had -come over his conduct, which was sin, and made his consciousness of -nakedness to be the reason. To still make Adam see the true reason for -his hiding, God farther asked, “Hast thou eaten of the tree whereof I -commanded thee that thou shouldst not eat?” Observe this question is -so framed as to contain in it the eating and the tree from which he -ate, and could have been answered with, “Yes!” How easy God made it for -Adam to confess. But, alas! How far from it. He answered, “The woman -whom thou gavest unto me, she gave me of the tree and I did eat.” How -deep the root of sin had taken hold upon Adam’s heart. What does he say -in this answer? Why this, he acknowledged the guilt, but indirectly -charges God as the author of the calamity. Eve is referred to as “the -woman” who is the author of his sin, and, since she was given to him -by the hand of the Lord, therefore it is the Lord’s fault, for if He -had not given her to Adam, he would not have partaken of the forbidden -tree! How passing strange is all this. And yet that is just what men -are doing after six thousand years of experience with sin. Instead of -breaking away from it, they say, God put it before them, and they could -not resist the temptation to sin. The loss of love that comes out in -this interposing of the wife is, moreover, particularly observable in -this, that he grudges to call her Eve (Isha--married) or my wife. - -Failing to return unto God by way of confession, the Lord next deals -with Adam in judgment. “Cursed is the ground for thy sake ... thorns -also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee.” The very soil he had -been sent to cultivate, and to carry forward in a normal unfolding, -to imperishable life and spiritual glory, is now cursed for his sake, -and therewith changed to that of hostility to him. Referring to the -curse upon mankind, in consequence of the fall, Hugh MacMillan has -called attention to the remarkable fact that weeds, the curse of the -cultivator, accompany civilization. “There is one peculiarity about -weeds which is very remarkable,” says this writer, “namely, that they -only appear on ground which either by cultivation or for some other -purpose, has been disturbed by man. They are never found truly wild, in -woods or hills, or uncultivated wastes far away from human dwellings. -They never grow on virgin soil, where human beings have never been. No -weeds exist in those parts of the earth that are uninhabited, or where -man is only a passing visitant.” And what is true of mother earth is in -a sense true of the human heart. The youthful mind no sooner awakes to -thought and reason, than it gives evidence of abundance of weeds. In -surprise the mother asks where the little one has learned disobedience -and questions how so young a mind can assert such strong opposition to -wholesome discipline. - -And now, lest a worse calamity should fall on Adam and his wife, by -stretching forth their hands “and take also of the tree of life, and -eat, and live forever,” God “drove out the man” from Eden, and placed -“cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the -way of the tree of life.” The act of driving Adam and Eve out of Eden -has always been looked upon as a harsh measure. If, however, we stop -to reflect what awful consequences would have followed the rash act of -eating of the tree of life, we shall see that it was an act of mercy. -For, after placing himself under the law of sin, what endless sorrow -would have come upon the race, if men could not be removed by death. -Think of such human monsters as history has time and again produced. -Men and women degraded by thousands of years in sin would indeed be -dangerous characters. So God cut off this possibility by guarding the -tree of life. - -But there came a great change over all life. Beasts that before were -harmless and full of play put forth claw and sting and tooth and tusk. -Birds whet their beak for prey, clouds troop in the sky, sharp thorns -shoot up through the soft grass, blastings are on the leaves. All the -chords of that great harmony are snapped. Upon the brightest home this -world ever saw our first parents turned their back and led forth on a -path of sorrow the broken-hearted myriads of a ruined race. - -[Illustration: THE ACCEPTED OFFERING.] - -When Eve looked into the face of her first-born, she remembered the -words of the Lord, in His judgment upon Satan, “I will put enmity -between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shalt -bruise thy head and thou shalt bruise his heel,” and, misunderstanding -the meaning of the promise, she called him Cain, meaning, “I have -gotten a man from the Lord,” mistaking him for the Redeemer. But -how bitter must have been her disappointment as she saw the child -grow up, saw his characteristics manifest themselves in acts of -hatefulness and revenge. However, but little is said of Cain and his -younger brother Abel, until they bring their offerings to the Lord. -We read that Abel was a “keeper of sheep,” and Cain was a “tiller of -the ground.” While it is not stated, we must believe these brothers -knew what was, and what was not, an acceptable offering to the Lord, -that Cain could easily have exchanged his fruits of the soil for a -lamb of Abel’s flock. Evidently Cain was lacking in that fine moral -insight which would lead him to have respect as to the nature of the -sacrifice necessary to atone for sin. There must be the shed blood of -the victim, for, “without shedding of blood,” there is no remission. -Either Cain did not regard himself a sinner, or, if he did, he thought -one sacrifice as good as another, and so he brings “of the fruit of -the ground an offering unto the Lord.” God could not accept this act -of disobedience. Because his offering was rejected, and seeing Abel’s -offering accepted, Cain rose up and slew his brother. He failed to shed -the blood of a lamb for his sin, but was quick to shed the blood of his -brother, and thereby add to his sin. But what a crushing blow was this -to the hopes of the mother heart who had supposed that her first-born -was the promised “seed.” How she must have broken down under her -sorrow, as she saw the blood dripping from Cain’s fingers, and that, -too, the blood of his own brother. And sadder still as she looked upon -the face of death for the first time. However she might have understood -the lying words of her tempter, “Ye shall not surely die,” she now sees -in the lifeless body of her second child, the awful reality of death. -And when the first grave was made, how she must have daily wept over -the precious mound, not only over this her first experience in bitter -bereavement, but also over the circumstances under which it was brought -about, and as she plants the flowers on the tomb, she fancies she hears -the blood of the innocent victim continually crying unto heaven to be -avenged. Oh, the bitter, bitter fruits of disobedience, who can know to -what misery they bring us? - -And then also observe Cain’s conduct in this awful crime. God’s -arraignment of this fratricide was analogous to that of Adam and -Eve. But Cain evades every acknowledgment of it. He not only tells -a barefaced falsehood, but in a most impudent manner asks, “Am I my -brother’s keeper?” What a fearful advance on the timid explanations of -Adam’s transgression as he spoke to the Lord out of his hiding place. -How men should tremble at the very thought of sin. - -But the sorrowing Eve took heart once more in the birth of Seth, “for,” -said she, “God hath appointed another seed instead of Abel.” So hope -in the heart, like the perpetual altar fires in the sacrifices of the -temple, seemed to sing a sweet song of comfort, and every child born -seemed to outweigh the bitter disappointments in the realization of the -promised Redeemer. - -With this hope in the heart of Eve, and this beautiful language upon -her lips, the Scripture account closes. How long she lived after the -birth of Seth we are not informed, but of this we are assured, she -believed God in His promise of the Messiah. That she misunderstood when -that promise was to be realized, is quite evident, but there is every -reason to believe she died in the faith of its ultimate realization, -for she judged God to be righteous in the promise. - -What is the lesson the loss of Paradise has for us? Plainly this: The -perverted use of things good in themselves. Eve saw that the tree was -pleasant to the eyes. From that day to this there have been women -who would throw their health, their home happiness, their chance of -training their children for God, their life, their honor, their hope -of heaven, into a cauldron out of which might be brought something -pleasant to the eyes. Eyes are good, useful and necessary, but we need -to make a covenant with them not to see more than is good for our souls. - -After she saw, she “desired.” This would seem to imply that the real -source of all sin is in the spirit of our own desires. The last of the -Ten Commandments strikes down to the very tap-root of all evil, “Thou -shalt not covet.” All sin commences with the kindling of desire. The -apostle James gives us the pedigree, “Every man is tempted when he is -turned away of his own lust and enticed; then, when lust and desire -hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin, and sin, when it is finished, -bringeth forth death.” The secret of victory, therefore, is not to -allow the mind and heart to dwell for a moment upon any forbidden -thing. The whole modern life is terribly fitted to stimulate unholy -desire. The little child is taught from infancy to covet the vain and -glittering attractions of the world--dress, equipage, pleasure, praise, -fashion, display and a thousand worldly allurements. The city bill -boards are covered with nude harlots. There are no less than 200,000 -houses for these social outcasts in our fair land. These open gateways -to immorality, where the virtue of the nation is ground out, are not -only guarded by police force, but young girls by the 100,000 a year -are stolen from country homes by the paid agents, and sold into these -open dens of vice and crime, where these poor girls die in a short -time, the average length of this life of sin being only five years. And -still the people have not a word to say for the suppression of these -crime-breeding dens of vice, but legalize and protect them by law to -the ruin of our homes. These are the things that are eating out the -spiritual life of the nation, and for that reason many do not want to -retain the thought of God in their hearts. Hence the responsibilities -of life are pressing upon us. As you have seen the child trundling its -little hoop by touching it on both sides alternately to keep it from -either extreme, so God teaches us both with warning and with promise, -as our spiritual condition requires. Sometimes it is warning we need, -and He shouts in our ear the solemn admonition, as a mother would cry -to her babe in wild alarm if in danger of falling over the precipice. -But, again, when we are in danger of being too much depressed, He -speaks to us with notes of encouragement and promise, and tells us -there is no real danger of our failing utterly, and that He will never -suffer us to be tempted above what we are able. And so we hear Him -saying on one hand, “Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest -he fall;” but immediately after adding on the other side, “God is -faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able, -but will, with the temptation, make a way of escape that ye may be -able to bear it.” - - “Fear not! When temptations try thee - Trust the Saviour’s loving care; - No temptation will come nigh thee - More than thou has strength to bear. - - “Fail not! In the hour of testing, - Christ is pledged to bring thee through - In His arms securely resting - There thou shalt thy strength renew.” - -We are also impressed with the influence woman has for good or evil. -What we need as a nation is consecrated womanhood. When at last we come -to calculate the forces that decide the destiny of nations, it will -be found that the mightiest and grandest influence came from home, -where the wife cheered up despondency and fatigue and sorrow by her -own sympathy, and the mother trained her child for heaven, starting -the little feet on the path to the celestial city, and the sisters, -by their gentleness, refined the manners of the brother, and the -daughters were diligent in their kindness to the aged, throwing wreaths -of blessing on the road that led father and mother down the steep of -years. God bless our homes. And may the home on earth be the vestibule -of our home in heaven. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -Womanhood in the Patriarchal Age. - - SARAH THE BEAUTIFUL PRINCESS--HER FAITH TESTED--THE MISTAKE OF HER - LIFE--HER LOVELY CHARACTER--REBEKAH--AN ORIENTAL WOOING--ELIEZER’S - PRAYER--THE BRIDE’S ANSWER--MEETING ISAAC--A MOTHER’S LOVE FOR HER - SON--JACOB’S FLIGHT--REBEKAH, THE BEAUTIFUL SHEPHERDESS--SEVEN - YEARS’ SERVICE FOR HER--LABAN’S DECEPTION--LEAH, THE - TENDER-EYED--HUMAN FAVORITES--DIVINELY HONORED--RACHEL’S TOMB THE - FIRST MONUMENT TO HUMAN LOVE. - - -From the prominence given to Eve in connection with the temptation and -the overwhelming disasters which followed the loss of the Eden home in -Paradise, we are surprised the Sacred historian passes over a period -of about two thousand years without giving us any record of women. The -names of good men are mentioned. Enoch walked before God for over three -hundred years, and the walk was such a perfect one, and it pleased God -so well, that He translated Enoch. Noah also “found grace in the eyes -of the Lord,” and he was “a just man and perfect in his generations,” -and “walked with God,” doubtless as Enoch had done. No doubt there were -others who lived clean, pure lives. Of this number was Lamech, the -father of Noah, for he was comforted in the birth of his son, saying, -he “shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because -of the ground which the Lord hath cursed.” Surely such men must have -had good mothers to train them, and good wives for companions. But -nothing is said about these women that walked in White Raiment in that -dark and sinful age, when “all flesh had corrupted his way upon the -earth,” until Sarah, the fair wife of Abraham, is reached. - -We find this beautiful princess willing to leave her home and her -people in the land of Ur of the Chaldees and journey for more than a -thousand miles to the land of Canaan. However, this journey was not -a continuous one, for a long stop was made at Haran, in Mesopotamia, -perhaps half way between Ur and Palestine. - -Of her birth and parentage we have no certain account in Scripture. -In Gen. xx, 12, Abraham speaks of her as “his sister, the daughter of -the same father, but not the daughter of the same mother.” The Hebrew -tradition is that Sarai is the same as Iscah, the daughter of Haran. -This tradition is not improbable in itself, and certainly supplies the -account of the descent of the mother of the chosen race. - -The change of her name from Sarai to Sarah was made on the -establishment of the covenant of circumcision between Abraham and God, -and signifies “princess,” for she was to be the royal ancestress of -“all families of the earth.” - -The beautiful fidelity of this noble woman is shown in her willingness -to accompany her husband in all the wanderings of his life. Her home -in Mesopotamia was gladly and willingly exchanged for a tent, and that -tent was often taken down and set up during the nomadic life which -formed the basis of the patriarchal age. God intended to set forth in -Abraham not only the thought that here man has no continuing city, but -also the life of faith. And this faith of Abraham is distinguished from -the faith of the pious ancestors in this, that he obtained and held the -promises of salvation, not only for himself, but for his family; and -from the Mosaic system, by the fact that it expressly held the promised -blessing in the seed of Abraham, as a blessing for all people. But this -faith had not only to be developed, but also tested. It is beautiful to -read that Abraham believed God, but his faith when he went down into -Egypt was far from that when he went “into the land of Moriah” to offer -up Isaac. Nothing is plainer in the Bible than that a man’s faith is -not a matter of indifference. He can not be disobedient to God’s calls, -and yet go to heaven when he dies. This is not an arbitrary decision. -There is and must be an adequate ground for it. The rejection of God’s -dealings with us is as clear a proof of moral depravity, as inability -to see the light of the sun at noon is a proof of blindness. - -Now let us look at a few of these testings or trials of faith that came -into the life of this woman in White Raiment, this princess in Israel. -She was asked to give up her native land. How dear the fatherland is -to the heart, only those who have passed through the experience can -realize. This was not all. She was asked to give up her kindred. To -move away from all the associations of childhood and youth, requires a -brave heart. But she was also asked to give up her home, and what is -dearer to a woman’s heart than her home? We have no doubt Sarah’s home -by the beautiful streams that flow down from the high table-lands of -Armenia into the rich valleys of Mesopotamia, was a lovely one, and to -exchange it for tent-life was a brave sacrifice. Her love to God must -have been deep and constant. - -After a long, weary journey through the desert sands, the land -of promise is finally reached, only to find it afflicted with a -famine. How often Sarah must have longed for one look out over the -fig orchards, the olive yards and waving grain fields ripening in -the summer’s sun of her native Mesopotamia, as she looked out over -the barren hills, burned-up fields, and dried-up water courses of -Palestine. Night after night, Abraham’s tent is pitched, only to be -taken down in the morning, in quest of pasturage for their herds and -flocks, until the wilderness in the southern extremity of Canaan is -reached. How all this must have tested their faith. Had they not -mistaken the call of God? Is it possible that this parched land is the -land of promise? How disappointments and failures test our faith, and -the heart of poor Sarah must have been sorely tried. - -But there was yet another test, and a humiliating one at that, and -it seems to look as if their united faith was wavering. She was a -beautiful woman, and they were now upon the very borders of Egypt, -and there was no other alternative but to perish with famine or -to go down into the land of the Pharaohs. Both Abraham and Sarah -seemed to realize the hazard they were running, for, possibly, the -bloom and beauty of Sarah’s face might cost Abraham’s life. So they -agreed between them that Sarah should say that she was his sister, -lest he should be killed. The declaration was not false. She was his -half-sister, but it was not the whole truth, and it would seem, from -their present conduct, that their faith, tested by the famine, was now -wavering, for, why not appeal their cause to God, instead of taking it -into their own hands? The reason for resorting to this deception was, -if she was regarded as his wife, an Egyptian could only obtain her, -when he had first murdered her husband. But if she was his sister, -then there was a hope that she might be won from her brother by loving -attentions and costly gifts, or, if her beauty came to the notice of -Pharaoh she would be taken to his harem by arbitrary methods. They had -not reasoned in vain. The princes of the land saw her, “and commended -her before Pharaoh,” and “Sarah was taken into Pharaoh’s house.” - -It is hard for us to understand what a trial of her faith this harem -life must have been to the pure-minded Sarah. How often her mind must -have gone out over the stretches of desert wastes to her own land -abounding with streams and fertility. And to be conscious that the -charms of her person were the centre of attraction in the court of -Egypt. - -But all this time God’s eye was a witness to all that was passing. When -we get to the end of self, He always comes to our rescue--our extremity -is His opportunity. In her resided the religious disposition in the -highest measure, and just at a time when the nations appeared about -to sink into heathenism, hence her faith must be saved to the race, -so “the Lord plagued Pharaoh with great plagues,” that is to say, God -administered “blow on blow,” and these were of such a nature as to -guard Sarah from injury. At length the ruler of the land, whose heart -does not seem to be hardened like the later kings, concludes that his -punishment is for the sake of Sarah, and restores her to Abraham. - -After Abraham had separated from Lot, the Lord again appeared unto him, -at which time Abraham complained for the want of an heir. So the Lord -leads Abraham out of his tent, under the heavens as seen by night, and -in that land of blue skies, the night heavens are beautiful indeed. God -had promised at first one natural heir, but now the countless stars -which he sees, should both represent the innumerable seed which should -spring from this one heir, and at the same time be a warrant for his -faith. - -At this point the human element again seeks to aid in bringing about -the realization of the divine promise. The childless state of Abraham’s -house was its great sorrow, and the more so, since it was in perpetual -opposition to the calling, destination, and faith of Abraham, and was a -constant trial of his faith. Sarah herself, doubtless, came gradually -more and more, on account of her barrenness, to appear as a hindrance -to the fulfillment of the divine promise, and as Abraham had already -fixed his eye upon his head servant, Eliezer of Damascus, so now Sarah -fixes her eye upon her head maid, Hagar the Egyptian. It must be this -maid not only had mental gifts which qualified her for the prominent -place she occupied in the household, but also inward participation -in the faith of her mistress. So Hagar is substituted, for, in the -substitution, Sarah hopes to carry forward the divine purpose of the -family. In this she certainly practiced an act of heroic self-denial, -but still, in her womanly excitement, anticipated her destiny as Eve -had done, and carried even Abraham away with her alluring hope. Though -she greatly erred in this effort to assist God in bringing in the -realization of the promise, and thereby revealed a lack of faith in -the divine appointments, yet we have here a beautiful exhibition of -her heroic self-denial even in her error. Perhaps, viewed from the -human standpoint, we should here bring into our narrative also, the -fact, that they had been already ten years in Canaan, and Sarah was now -seventy-five years of age, waiting in vain for the heir, through whom -the great blessing was to come to all the families of the earth. - -However, in all this, Sarah, the noble generous hearted, had not -counted upon the conduct Hagar would assume in her new relation. As -an Egyptian, Hagar seemed to have regarded herself as second wife, -instead of recognizing her subordination to her mistress. This -subordination seems to have been assumed by Abraham, and hence the -apparent indifference probably was the source of Sarah’s sense of -injury, when she exclaimed, “My wrong be upon thee.” She felt that -Abraham ought to have redressed her wrong--ought to have seen and -rebuked the insolence of the maid. Beyond a doubt, looking at the -pride and insolence of Hagar, from Sarah’s standpoint, it was very -trying. The Hebrews regarded barrenness as a great evil and a divine -punishment, while fruitfulness was held as a great good and a divine -blessing. The unfruitful Hannah received the like treatment with Sarah, -from the second wife of Elkanah. It is still thus, to-day, in eastern -lands. With almost the tenderness of Elkanah to the sorrowing Hannah, -Abraham says, “Behold the maid is in thy hand.” He regards Hagar still -as the servant, and the one who fulfills the part of Sarah. But now the -overbent bow flies back with violence. This is the back stroke of her -own eager, overstrained course. Sarah now turns and deals harshly with -Hagar. How precisely, we are not told. Doubtless, through the harsh -thrusting her back into the mere position and service of a slave. But -Hagar, it appears, would not submit to such treatment. She, perhaps, -believed that she had grown above such a position, and fled from the -presence of Sarah. - -What need was there for Sarah to learn the lesson of the patience of -faith. God had promised her great honors and blessings. There was in -her nature much that needed toning up by the grace of patience, and -God would take his own best time in developing her life. Her haste to -anticipate the blessing promised, not only delayed its realization, but -brought sorrow to her own heart, and untold trouble to her posterity, -for Ishmael’s hand has been “against every man, and every man’s hand -against him.” The Ishmaelites, it is said, “dwelt from Havilah unto -Shur,” and it is certain that they stretched in very early times across -the desert to the Persian Gulf, peopled the north and west of the -Arabian peninsula, and eventually formed the chief element of the Arab -nation, which has proved to be a living fountain of humanity whose -streams for thousands of years have poured themselves far and wide. Its -tribes are found in all the borders of Asia, in the East Indies, in all -Northern Africa, along the whole Indian Ocean down to Molucca, they are -spread along the coast to Mozambique, and their caravans cross India -to China. These wandering hordes of the desert have always and still -lead a robber life. They justify themselves in it, upon the ground of -the hard treatment of Ishmael, their father, who, driven out of his -paternal inheritance, received the desert for his possession, with the -permission to take whatever he could find. Mohammed is in the line -of Ishmael, and the followers of Islam, in their pride and delusion, -claim that the rights of primogeniture belong to Ishmael instead of -Isaac, and assert their right to lands and goods, so far as it pleases -them. Vengeance for blood rules in them, and the innocent have often -fallen victims to their horrible massacres. So that the disaster which -overtook the race in this premature anticipation of divine Providence -is second only to the disaster that overtook Eve in the temptation -and the loss of Paradise. Could Sarah have foreseen all the sad -consequences of her unseemly haste to pluck the unripened promise God -meant to give her, she certainly would have cultivated the patience of -faith. - -But the years passed on--fifteen of them nearly--since the child -Ishmael had been in the home of the patriarch, and the visit of the -angels under the Oaks in the plain of Mamre. During this time God -had once more renewed his promise to Abraham, and also the rite of -circumcision had been established, and, doubtless, the symbolical -purification of Abraham and his house, opened the way for the friendly -appearance of Jehovah in the persons of the angels, or men, as the -patriarch at first thought them to be, as he looked up, while seated -in his tent door through the heat of the noontide hours. - -When he saw the angels, “he ran to meet them,” and, it seems, instantly -recognized among the three the one whom he addressed as the Lord, and -who afterwards was clearly distinguished from the two accompanying -angels. “If now,” Abraham asks, “I have found favor in Thy sight, pass -not away.” This cordial invitation, while it has in it the marked -hospitality of Orientals, to the inner consciousness of Abraham it had -a deeper meaning, the covenant relation between himself and Jehovah, -that is, he hopes this relation is still continued. His humble and -pressing invitation, his zealous preparations, his modest description -of the meal, his standing by to serve those who were eating, are -picturesque traits of the life of faith as it here reveals itself, in -an exemplary hospitality. This is the custom still in Eastern lands, -and is referred to by our Lord in that passage where He speaks of His -second coming, and shall find His people watching, for He will “make -them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them” (Luke -xii, 37), and seems to be one of the countless instances where, in the -web of the Holy Scriptures, the golden threads of the Old Testament -are interwoven with those of the New, and form, as it were, one whole. -And the fact that this beautiful custom of hospitality is still -observed among the Bedouins, as we can speak from personal knowledge, -is remarkable, and impresses us with the thought that the covenant -blessings, like some sweet, heavenly fruitage, refuses to be lost out -of the lives of that ancient people. - -The meal having been served in this beautiful Oriental manner, the -Lord asks, “Where is Sarah?” Abraham made answer, “Behold, in the -tent.” Then the Angel of the Lord, not only renews the promise, but -that it should be fully realized in the birth of Isaac within a year. -Sarah, behind the tent door, hears this unqualified assurance, but, -viewing it from nature’s standpoint, rendered doubly improbable from -her life-long barrenness, “laughed within herself.” We can not regard -this as a laugh of unbelief, or the scoff of doubt, as some do, but as -a laugh falling short in her conception of God. The thing which was -impossible according to the established laws of nature, her faith had -not yet grasped as being possible with God. But the Lord, nevertheless, -observed Sarah’s laugh, and this divine hearing on the part of the -Angel of the Lord, startled her, and had its part in the strengthening -of her faith. It prepared the way for the question, “Is anything -too hard for the Lord?” To her own mind one thing, namely, that she -should be a mother at ninety years of age, seemed too hard. And so -the question had to do with this very thought, and must be settled on -the side of her faith. And she grandly and heroically asserted her -belief that nothing, not even the seeming insurmountable obstacle which -nature interposed, was too great for God to overcome, and her faith was -strengthened, for we read, “through _faith_ Sarah received strength -to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, -because she _judged_ Him faithful who had promised” (Heb. xi, 11). The -trial of her patience of faith was a long struggle. It took twenty-five -years to bring her up to the point where her faith could grasp the -truth that nothing was too hard for the Lord to perform. But this -blessed woman at length stood in right relation to God, for, without -faith, be it observed, it is impossible to please God, or to receive -anything at His hands. - -In due time Isaac was born. It was the great event in Sarah’s life. As -the mother looked down into the face of the son of her bosom she breaks -forth in an exultant song of thankfulness, not unlike that of Mary, -the blessed virgin. The little song of Sarah, it has beautifully been -said, is the first cradle hymn. Our Lord reveals the profoundest source -of this joy, when, in addressing the Pharisees, who held Abraham to -be their father, said, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day.” -Sarah, in the birth of Isaac, is the ancestress of Christ. Spiritually -viewed, the birthday of Isaac becomes the door or entrance of the day -of Christ, and the day of Christ the background of the birthday of -Isaac. - -Another beautiful incident in connection with the childhood of Isaac -is, that Sarah, his mother, even at her advanced age and exalted -station in life, did not deem it a burden to nurse him. Calvin has -well said, “Whom God counts worthy of the honor of being a mother He -at the same time makes a nurse; and those who feel themselves burdened -through the nursing of their children, rend, as far as in them lies, -the sacred bond of nature, unless weakness, or some infirmities, form -their excuse.” - -But along with the growing child is the mocking Ishmael. He was -fourteen years of age at the birth of Isaac, and therefore in the first -years of Isaac, appears as a playful lad, and true to his nature, -doubtless developed a characteristic trait of jealousy which would not -escape the ever watchful eye of Sarah, as she observed his dancing and -leaping, and now and then making hateful faces at the mother’s darling, -mocking his childish fears and appeals to the mother for protection. -This seems to have been endured by Sarah until the great feast day, -held to celebrate the weaning of Isaac. Seeing special attention paid -to Isaac by all the invited guests, his jealousy suddenly developed -into envy, and this, in turn, found expression in mockery. Sarah -could endure these mockings no longer, for to her sensitive nature, -Ishmael’s mocking the child of promise was but the outward expression -of his unbelief in the faith of his parents, and therefore the word -and purpose of God. His conduct revealed his unbelief, and hence was -unworthy and incapable of sharing in the blessing, which then, as now, -was secured only by faith, and which had already cost her so much. -Hence she said to Abraham, “Cast out this bondwoman and her son.” The -treatment may seem harsh, but there could be no peace or happiness in -that household until the mocking Ishmael was out of it. This mother, -whose spiritual faith had been quickened in a marvelous manner, was -clear-sighted enough to see that the purposes of God in reference to -Isaac could only become actual through this separation. The fact that -the prompt, sharp determination that “the son of this bondwoman shall -not be heir” with Isaac, “was very grievous in Abraham’s sight,” shows -that his prejudice in favor of the rights of the natural first-born -needed correction. And God confirmed the judgment of Sarah. For the -exclusion of Ishmael was requisite not only to the prosperity of Isaac -and the line of the promise, but to the welfare of Ishmael himself. And -the man of faith, who should later offer up Isaac, must now be able to -offer up Ishmael also. - -After the sending away of Hagar and her son Ishmael, there is but one -incident recorded in the life of Abraham, namely the treaty or covenant -of peace with Abimelech, King of Gerar, though probably several years -passed away between the departure of Hagar and the last great test or -trial of Abraham in the offering up of Isaac on Mt. Moriah. - -The son of promise had grown to be a lad of sixteen or seventeen years -of age, when the voice of the Lord called unto Abraham, saying, “Take -now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into -the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon -one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.” It would seem that -this message came to Abraham while asleep--in a dream as we would -say--and therefore all the more trying as such a revelation, under such -circumstances might well be questioned. Upon waking out of his sleep he -might reasonably question the import of such a dream, especially since -Isaac was his only child, and the son of promise. But it appears that -Abraham did not stop to explain away this command, and we must believe -that he did not even inform Sarah of this heart-crushing revelation, -for neither she nor Isaac knew at the time the special object of the -journey. Promptly Abraham made the necessary preparations, and set -out on the three days’ journey. His obedience is absolute. There is -not even a question raised as to his correctly understanding the duty -required of him. To suppose that Abraham did not have the bleeding -heart of a father in this great trial, would be to destroy the force -of this testing of his faith. And the fact that he had three days’ time -in which he could change his purpose, made the conflict within him all -the harder. - -The lad and the mother could easily see from the wood, and the fire, -and the knife, that he went not merely to worship, but to sacrifice. -The testing was still more heart-breaking when, at the end of the -journey, at the foot of Moriah, while Abraham is in the act of laying -the wood upon the obedient Isaac, the heir of promise said, “My father, -behold the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt -offering?” How the bleeding heart of the father must have been touched -afresh as he looked upon Isaac as “the lamb,” yet, as if the hour for -the fuller revelation had not yet come, made answer, “My son, God will -provide Himself a lamb.” - -And so the two, the father and the son, slowly climb the rugged sides -of Moriah to its very summit, and Abraham built an altar, as he so -often had done before, for, wherever Abraham had a tent, God had an -altar, and in the building of this altar we may well believe the -loving, obedient Isaac assisted. Then the wood was laid upon it. All -was ready for “the lamb!” But God had not yet provided the victim. - -What passed between father and son the Sacred record has not revealed. -However, we must believe it was the Gethsemane struggle with Isaac, -and that in the end he said to Abraham, as Christ, under similar -circumstances, said to His heavenly Father, “Thy will be done.” And, -perhaps, this loving self-surrender of Isaac made it all the harder -for the father’s heart. But, somehow, we can not understand it, only -in the light of complete self-surrender to the will of God, he “bound -Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood,” and, nerving -himself for the last great act, he “stretched forth his hand, and took -the knife to slay his son.” - -But God, during this scene on Mount Moriah, was an interested -spectator. He saw that the obedience of faith--the complete -self-surrender of Abraham’s will--was perfect. “And the angel of the -Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, ‘Lay not thine hand upon -the lad, neither do thou anything unto him, for now I know that thou -fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, -from me.’” - -It is worthy of observation that, while the command to offer up Isaac -came in a dream, and therefore open to misgiving, the command to stay -his hand is spoken by the angel of Jehovah out of heaven. Abraham was -perfect in his faith, and how far it reached into the great love for -God and self-surrender to His will, we shall never know. Paul, speaking -of this wonderful victory over self, said that Abraham accounted that -God was able to raise up Isaac, “even from the dead; from whence also -he received him in a figure.” Though all his hope, humanly speaking, -perished out of his heart when he took up the sacrificial knife on -Moriah, yet his faith overleaped human limitations into the infinite -ability of God to raise up Isaac out of the ashes upon his altar. - -Such faith was possible for Abraham, for God asks no impossibilities -at the hands of men, and what was possible for this man of faith is -possible for any of us, if we are willing to pay the price. Let no one -think, however, that such fruits of righteousness drop into the lap of -the faithless. - -But through this severe testing, Sarah nowhere appears on the scene. It -may be, infinite love would spare the mother’s heart. It may be, also, -the last great trial of her faith took place in the tent, stretched -under the oaks, in the plain of Mamre. There is a Jewish tradition that -when Sarah fully learned the nature of the journey to Moriah, and the -scene which there took place, the shock of it killed her, and Abraham -found her dead on his return home. This may do as a tradition, but not -as the _finale_ of God’s dealing with His people. The potter, as he -fashions the vessel upon the wheel, does not seek to break it. So God -does not test us beyond our capacity to endure. Then, also, if Isaac -was born when Sarah was ninety years of age, and she died at the age -of one hundred and twenty-seven, and the scene on Moriah took place -when Isaac was a lad of sixteen or seventeen, she lived for twenty -years after that event, to be a comfort and a blessing in her home. - -At length this princess in Israel, tested and tried, and found true, -died at Hebron at the good age of one hundred and twenty-seven years, -and Abraham wept over her, and well he might, for she had shared his -trials and was a good and faithful wife, and she was a mother, even -more than a wife. - -Abraham purchased the cave of Machpelah of Ephron, the Hittite, and -tenderly laid the remains of this lovely woman to rest in one of the -chambers of the cave. It is the first burial mentioned in the Sacred -records. And the tomb remains unto this day, hallowed in the eyes of -Jews, Christians and Mohammedans alike, and was visited by the writer. - -The lesson which God would teach us in the life of this woman in White -Raiment is that testings are necessary to the development of faith, -and that these testings come to us in the most ordinary events of our -daily lives. All Christians surely know by experience that events which -seemed all darkness at first have ultimately brought them nearer to the -light. The much-dreaded cloud has proved to be only a veil under which -God hides His mighty power. His gracious query, “Is anything too hard -for the Lord?” has comforted us, and has turned what we thought to be -a curse into a blessing. O, can we not trust Him in the darkness as -well as in the light, knowing that He can bring calm out of storm, and -that he often chooses the darkness and the cloud as a special medium by -which to reveal himself? Could we climb to heaven by some other way, -and escape the shadows and the storms of life, how much should we miss -of the blessed manifestations of God’s revelations of His power. - -God speaks to listening ears and waiting hearts as truly to-day as He -did before the tent door under the oaks in the plain of Mamre. He may -speak to us through his providence, through the voice of a friend, -through a book or a sermon; but perhaps He does so most frequently in -the little details of everyday life, in which we can not fail to see -His dealings with us if our hearts are turned expectantly toward him. -Only let us be admonished by Sarah’s sad mistake. That she made it, -proves that she was human. But let us be afraid of sin. The door once -open, none of us can tell into what endless labyrinths of sorrow it -will lead us. God wants a tried people, not only for their own sake but -that they may be a blessing to others. - -And now we come to a most beautiful scene in Sacred History. While, as -a whole, the Bible gives the drama of human sin and divine redemption, -yet it pauses in its wonderful revelations to let us look into the -homes of the people who lived ages ago. It somehow touches human life -on all its sides. Other books which are held sacred by eastern nations, -give woman only contemptuous mention. This one recognizes the dignity -and beauty of her life and work. It tells in seven verses the story -of Enoch, who walked with God three hundred and sixty-five years and -who was holy enough to escape death, while it gives sixty-six verses -to the wooing and wedding of Rebekah and Isaac. In the pictures which -the Sacred Record opens to us of the domestic life of the patriarchal -age, perhaps this is the most perfectly characteristic and beautiful -idyl of a marriage, and how it was brought about. In its sweetness and -sacred simplicity, it is a marvelous contrast to the wedding of our -modern fashionable life. And surely, since God’s Book gives so much -time and space to the domestic life of women, the daughters of modern -Christianity ought to regard themselves and their affairs of the utmost -importance. For the sake of Him who gave them such prominence and -recognition, they ought to love Him. - -Abraham, the friend of God, understood fully that it would never do -to have the heir of promise fall into the hands of a heathen wife. He -could not bear the thought of taking one of the corrupt Canaanites into -his family, with the chance of her leading Isaac into the abominable -worship of her gods. - -Parents often frustrate the grace of God and mar His plans irreparably -by being careless of the worldly associations and affinities of their -children. - -Sarah, the beautiful and beloved, had been tenderly laid away in the -cave of Machpelah, and Isaac is now forty years of age. Forty years, -however, in those good old times, is yet young, when the thread of -mortal life ran out to a hundred and seventy-five or eighty years. As -Abraham has nearly reached that far period, his sun of life is dipping -downwards toward the evening horizon. He has but one care remaining--to -settle his son Isaac in life before he is gathered to his fathers. - -The scene where Abraham discusses the subject with his head servant -sheds a peculiar light on the domestic and family relations of those -days. - -Calling Eliezer, his most trusty servant, he discloses to him his -purpose, and makes him take an oath that he will faithfully carry out -his wishes. But Abraham’s steward saw the difficulties of such a proxy -wooing, and expressed a fear that the young woman would object to so -hazardous a journey to share the home of a man whom she had never seen -and of whom she had possibly never before heard. So, to make matters -sure, he asks if it would not be better to take Isaac with him? To this -request the patriarch replied, “Beware thou that thou bring not my son -thither again.” Abraham saw that there was too much risk in allowing -Isaac to go back to the old home. He might have to be scourged out of -it as was Jacob, the next in the line, a few years later. He must do -right and trust God. So he told his steward, “The Lord, before whom I -walk, will send his angel before thee and prosper thy way, and thou -shalt take a wife for my son of my kindred and of my father’s house.” -Then, as he saw the ever-present contingency with which human free -agency may frustrate even Divine Providence, he added, “And if the -woman will not be willing to follow thee, then thou shalt be clear -from this thine oath; only bring not my son thither again.” - -The picture of the preparations made for this embassy denotes a -princely station and great wealth. “And the servant took ten camels of -the camels of his master, and departed; for all the goods of his master -were in his hand; and he arose and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city -of Nahor.” - -Now comes a quaint and beautiful picture of the manners of those -pastoral days. He made his camels to kneel down without the city by -a well of water, at the time of the evening when the women go out to -draw water. With the kneeling camels around the well, the aged Eliezer -uncovers his head in the evening twilight, and with closed eyes and -face raised towards heaven, he talks to God in this simple and yet -eloquent way, “O, Lord God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me -good speed this day, and show kindness unto my master Abraham. Behold! -I stand here by the well of water; and the daughters of the men of the -city come out to draw water: And let it come to pass that the damsel to -whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; -and she shall say, Drink and I will give thy camels drink also: let -that same be she that Thou hast appointed for Thy servant Isaac; and -thereby shall I know that Thou hast shewed kindness unto my master.” -It is to be observed that this aged servant talked to God with all the -simplicity and directness of a child with its mother. He told the Lord -where he stood, and it was in the most likely place about an Oriental -city at evening time, for all the damsels come out to the well at that -hour of the day to draw water. He did not doubt that there was a bride -for Isaac in the town; and he wanted to find the right one immediately. -The care of Abraham’s affairs pressed him, and he wanted to get through -the matter with as little waste of time and sentiment as possible. -That he might not make any mistake in his delicate mission, he tells -the Lord of a little test he thought of using. He needed a sign from -God to select the bride from among the women who should come to the -well. He used his own judgment as far as it went; but it stopped short -of a decision. He specified that the chosen one should be industrious, -hospitable, deft, courteous. She should be qualified to stand at the -head of a princely establishment. - -His prayer was speedily granted, for thus the story goes on, “And -it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold Rebekah -came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, -Abraham’s brother.” - -It is noticeable, how strong is the sensibility to womanly beauty in -this narrative. This young Rebekah is thus announced: “And the damsel -was very fair to look upon, and a virgin, and she went down to the -well, and filled her pitcher, and came up.” Drawn by the bright eyes, -and fair face, the old servant hastens to apply the test, doubtless -hoping that this lovely creature is the appointed one for his young -master. - -“And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me, I pray thee, drink -a little water of thy pitcher. And she said, Drink, my Lord; and she -hastened, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink.” - -She gave with a will, with a grace and readiness that outflowed the -request, and then it is added: “And when she had done giving him drink, -she said, I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done -drinking. And she hastened and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and -ran again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels.” -Let us fancy ten camels, all on their knees, in a row, at the trough, -with their long necks, and patient, care-worn faces, while the pretty -young damsel, with cheerful alacrity, is dashing down the water from -her pitcher, filling and emptying in quick succession, apparently -making nothing of the toil; the gray-haired old servant, looking on in -devout recognition of the answer to his prayer, for the story says: -“And the man, wondering at her, held his peace, to wit (know) whether -the Lord had made his journey prosperous or not.” - -There was wise penetration into life and the essentials of wedded -happiness in this prayer of the old servant. What he asked for his -young master was not beauty, or talent, but a ready and unfailing -outflow of sympathy and kindness. He asked not merely for a gentle -nature, a kind heart, but he asked for a heart so rich in kindness that -it should run even beyond what was asked, and be ready to anticipate -the request with new devices of helpfulness; the lively, lighthearted -kindness that could not be content with waiting on the thirsty old man, -but with cheerful alacrity took upon herself the care of all the ten -camels. This was a gift beyond that of beauty, yet when it came in the -person of a maiden exceedingly fair to look upon, no marvel that the -old man wondered joyously at his success. - -Instantly, as the camels had done drinking, he produced from his -treasury golden earrings and bracelets with which he adorned the -maiden. We can easily imagine the maidenly delight with which she ran -to exhibit the gifts of jewelry that thus unexpectedly descended upon -her. - -Nor does Eliezer fail to offer up a prayer of thanksgiving for divine -guidance. In this he set a worthy example to all who seek direction -from God. He said, “I, being in the way, the Lord led me.” A free -translation would be, “I used my own judgment as far as it would go, -which was a long distance from a safe conclusion, and the Lord led me -the rest of the way.” - -Bethuel, when he saw the gifts and heard the words of Rebekah, hastened -to the well and said to Eliezer, “Come in, thou blessed of the Lord; -wherefore standest thou without? for I have prepared the house, and -room for the camels. And the man came into the house: and he ungirded -the camels, and gave straw and provender for the camels, and water to -wash his feet, and the men’s feet that were with him. And there was set -meat before him to eat: but he said, I will not eat, till I have told -my errand. And he said, Speak on.” - -He then related the purport of his journey, of the prayer that he had -uttered at the well, and of its fulfillment in a generous-minded and -beautiful young maiden, and thus he ends his story: “And now, if ye -will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me: and if not, tell -me; that I may turn to the right hand or to the left.” - -Bethuel answered, “Behold, Rebekah is before thee; take her, and go, -and let her be thy master’s son’s wife, as the Lord hath spoken.” - -“And it came to pass, that when Abraham’s servant heard their words, he -worshipped the Lord, bowing himself to the earth.” - -And now comes a scene most captivating to female curiosity. “The -servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and -raiment, and gave them to Rebekah; he gave also to her brother and -to her mother precious things.” The scene of examining jewelry and -garments and rich stuffs in the family party would have made no mean -subject for a painter. No wonder such a suitor sending such gifts found -welcome entertainment. So the story goes on: “And they did eat and -drink, he and the men that were with him, and tarried all night; and -they rose up in the morning and he said, Send me away unto my master. -And her brother and her mother said, Let the damsel abide with us a few -days, at the least ten, and after that she shall go.” - -“And he said unto them, Hinder me not, seeing the Lord hath prospered -my way; send me away, that I may go to my master. And they said, We -will call the damsel and inquire at her mouth. And they called Rebekah, -and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will -go.” Her prompt reply to this important question was an index to her -character. The Divine approval of her ready obedience gave her a grand -prophetic Messianic promise that thousands of millions should be -gathered into His Kingdom from the conquest “of those which hate them.” -This extra Hebrew prophecy was a flash of God’s light on the fact that -our Lord should be the Saviour, not only of the Jews, but of the entire -world. - -Thus far this wooing seems to have been conceived and conducted in that -simple religious spirit recognized in the words of the old prayer, -“Grant that all our work may be begun, continued and ended in thee.” -The Father of nations has been a never-failing presence in every turn. - -“And Rebekah arose, and her damsels, and they rode upon the camels, and -followed the man; and the servant took Rebekah, and went his way.” - -It was a long way from the city of Nahor, in Mesopotamia to Hebron -in the southern borders of Palestine, and between the Euphrates and -the land of promise stretched leagues of hot desert sands, through -which the camels slowly and patiently toiled day after day with their -precious burden. But at length Damascus with its refreshing streams, -and Mt. Hermon with its dome lifted among the clouds, were passed, and, -towards evening of the last day, just as they reached the head of the -valley of Eschol, from the summit of which opens a magnificent view -through the whole length of the valley, “Rebekah lifted up her eyes, -and when she saw Isaac she lighted off the camel. For she had said unto -the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And -the servant had said, It is my master; therefore she took a veil and -covered herself.” - -Doubtless for days Isaac had walked the mile and a half from his -mother’s tent to where the valley of Eschol forms a junction with the -plain of Mamre, from whence he could look up the narrow valley and -view the approaching caravan at a considerable distance. The expectant -bridegroom, brought up with the strictest notions of filial submission, -waits to receive his wife dutifully from his father’s hand, and yet, we -fancy, day after day he goes out to meet her, and now the long-expected -caravan, with Eliezer, his father’s most trusted servant, at its head, -is approaching at eventide, and he quickens his step to meet his bride. - -From what we have already seen of Rebekah, she is lively, lighthearted, -kind, possessed of an alert readiness, prompt to see and do what is -to be done at the moment. No dreamer is she, but a wideawake young -woman who knows her own mind exactly, and has the fit word and fit -action ready for each short turn in life. She was quick, cheerful -and energetic in hospitality. She was prompt and unhesitating in her -resolve; and yet, at the moment of meeting, she knew the value and -propriety of the veil. She covered herself that she might not unsought -be won. - -“And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent.” Tent life in -the days of Abraham, in our estimation, must have been not only -desirable, but grand and glorious. Living, as they did, so closely in -contact with nature, as God made it, fresh, pure air, babbling brooks, -rippling streams, and blue skies, theirs was a happy life. They were -not confined in crowded cities, surrounded by dismal walls, but on the -hillsides, the open valleys and the unbounded plains. Their tent was -pitched in a clump of oaks, near a living stream, and overlooked the -plain of Mamre--a beautiful picture of freedom, ease and comfort. To -such a place he took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved -her; and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death. So ends this -most charming story of domestic life in the patriarchal age. For -beauty, simplicity and directness it has no equal. We also see, in -the closing words, one of those delicate and tender natures that find -repose first in the love of a mother, and when that stay is withdrawn, -lean upon a beloved wife. - -So ideally pure, and sweet, and tenderly religious has been the whole -inception and carrying on and termination of this wedding, that Isaac -and Rebekah have been remembered in the wedding ritual of Christian -churches as models of a holy marriage according to the divine will. - -Though for nineteen years Rebekah was childless, yet retained she her -husband’s love. This may have been a trial to Isaac, since the line of -the blessing was to pass through him. That he thought much about it is -evident, for, at length, he “entreated the Lord for his wife,” and his -intercession was based upon a divine foundation in Jehovah’s promise. -And, possibly, even Isaac had to be educated up to this point, namely, -that the seed of promise must be sought from God, so that it should be -regarded, not as the fruit of nature, but as the gift of divine grace. - -In due time Esau and Jacob were born, and they were twins, but with -natures and characteristics marked more for their contrasts than -similarity. Beyond the bare statement, “And the boys grew,” nothing is -said of their childhood and youth--the formative periods of their lives. - -When they had grown to manhood’s estate, we are informed that “Esau -was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, -dwelling in tents.” The free and easy life in the chase developed in -Esau a robust appearance, and for that reason, and also “because he -did eat of his venison,” Isaac loved Esau. Jacob is represented to -us as of a more delicate make-up and naturally appealed more to the -mother heart. “Rebekah loved Jacob.” From merely a parental standpoint, -both were wrong. Even though the characteristics of these boys were -wide apart, the parents should have been united in their love, and -impartially discharged their duties, and let God, in his own good -time, make His selection. But here, as in the lives of Abraham and -Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah delayed the blessing God designed they should -have, and brought sorrow into their own lives. It is evident that -the ardent Rebekah, by her animated, energetic declarations, formed -a very significant complement to Isaac, confiding more in the divine -declarations as to her boys than Isaac did, and therefore better able -to appreciate the deeper nature of Jacob. But when Isaac shows his -preference for Esau to be the heir, the courageous woman forgets her -vocation, and with artifice counsels Jacob to steal the blessing from -Isaac--a transgression for which she had to atone in not seeing her -favorite son after she sent him away, out of reach of his brother’s -anger. She had only Esau left, and he must have made her feel that it -was her partiality that had robbed him of what he prized most highly. -His heathen wives had been a “grief of mind” to her. She said, in her -diplomatic effort to get Jacob off to a place of safety, “I am weary of -my life because of the daughters of Heth. If Jacob take a wife from the -daughters of Heth, such as these which are the daughters of the land, -what good shall my life do me?” Probably Esau did not mend matters by -adding to his family the Ishmaeltish woman. - -Rebekah’s habit of managing affairs may be more common than we -think. It is the fault of energetic souls. She loved Jacob with the -passionate, tropical strength of her fervid heart. She would not trust -God to give him what she believed he ought to receive. It is very hard -for such as she to wait patiently for the Lord when His delays are -developing faith. - -However, viewed from a human standpoint, her faith in the divine -purposes was much more clear-sighted than that of Isaac. Consenting -to be laid on the altar as a sacrifice to God, Isaac had the stamp -of submission early and deeply impressed on his soul. Hence, in the -spiritual aspect of his character, he was the man of patience, of -acquiescence, of susceptibility, of obedience. Rebekah, on the other -hand, was energetic, intensely active, self-confident, a most excellent -manager, even tricky, but nevertheless capable and efficient. She had -the faults which usually go with such traits of character. Taking -things into her own hands, she even meddled with Providence. - -But was she not provoked to this act by Isaac himself? Isaac’s willful -act does not consist alone in his arbitrary determination to present -Esau with the blessing of the theocratic birthright, although Rebekah -received that divine sentence respecting her children before their -birth, and which, no doubt, she had mentioned to him, but the manner in -which he intends to bless Esau. He arranges to bless him in unbecoming -secrecy, without the knowledge of Rebekah and Jacob. The preparation -of the venison, in its main point of view, is an excuse to gain -time and place for the secret act. In this point of view, the act of -Rebekah appears in a different light. His well-calculated prudence was -skillfully caught in the net of Rebekah’s shrewdness. - -A want of divine confidence may be recognized through all his actions. -Rebekah, however, has so far the advantage of him that she in her -deception has the divine assurance that Jacob was the heir, while Isaac -has only his human reason without any inward spiritual certainty. -Rebekah’s error consists in thinking that she must direct divine -Providence by means of human deception. The divine promise would have -been fulfilled without her assistance. Of course, when compared with -Isaac’s fatal error, she was right. Though she deceived him greatly, -misled her favorite son, and alienated Esau from her, there was yet -something saving in her action according to her intentions. For to Esau -the most comprehensive blessing might have become only a curse. He was -not fitted for it. - -Viewed from Rebekah’s point of view, the lesson for us is, we are not -to do evil, that good may come. The sinful element in her act was the -wrong application of her assurance of faith, for which she suffered, -perhaps, many long years of melancholy solitude. - -Had this noble woman in White Raiment not erred she would not have been -human. As a whole, she has a beautiful character--beautiful in its -generous helpfulness, in its prudence, in its magnanimity, and in her -theocratic zeal of faith. - -Here Rebekah obviously disappears from the stage of life. It has -been conjectured that she died during Jacob’s sojourn in Padan-aram, -whither she had sent him to escape the tragic consequences of her hasty -conduct, for she is not mentioned when Jacob returned to his father, -nor do we hear of her burial till it is incidentally mentioned by Jacob -on his deathbed. She was buried in the cave of Machpelah, by the side -of Sarah. - -After Jacob had obtained the theocratic birthright he fled from his -father’s home in Beer-sheba to Padan-aram, or the city of Haran, in -Mesopotamia. Haran was situated about four hundred and fifty miles -north-east from Beer-sheba. If the young man walked thirty miles a day, -for he performed this long journey over the mountains and through the -desert on foot, it took him fifteen days. No doubt, as he drew near the -well, before the city, he was footsore, dust-covered, homesick, and -greatly depressed in mind, for the occasion of his sudden departure and -the anger of his brother Esau were still fresh in memory. - -But what a quaint, picturesque scene of Oriental life is presented to -our view. It is yet early evening. The shepherds, with their flocks, -are moving from various points over the plain to one common centre. -Three of the shepherds had already arrived, and Jacob salutes them, -and asks, “My brethren, whence be ye?” And they answered, “Of Haran.” -Then he inquired, “Know ye Laban?” They made reply, “We know him,” -then, pointing to a shepherdess slowly leading her flock over the plain -towards the well, said, “Behold Rachel, his daughter, cometh with the -sheep.” While he was yet talking with the shepherds, Rachel drew near -“with her father’s sheep.” Jacob saw his opportunity, for the great -stone over the mouth of the well had not been removed, and, though it -was the work of three men to remove the stone, he hastens to perform -this task for the beautiful shepherdess alone, and does for her what -his mother had done for Eliezer’s camels, watered her flock. Clearly, -it was love at first sight. Rachel must have deeply impressed him. And -what could have been her thoughts as she stood by her flock and saw -this youth pour bucketfull after bucketfull into the stone troughs for -her sheep? It was certainly an impressive introduction. - -The sheep watered, and before he made himself known, he stepped up -to the bewitching shepherdess, and kissed her. This story of Rachel, -the pretty shepherdess of the plains of Mesopotamia, who took with a -glance the heart of the loving, homesick Jacob, and held it to the end -of her days, has always had a peculiar interest, for there is that in -it which appeals to some of the deepest feelings of the human heart. -The beauty of Rachel, the deep love with which she was loved by Jacob -from their first meeting by the well of Haran, when he showed to her -the simple courtesies of the desert life, and kissed her and told -her he was Rebekah’s son; the long servitude with which he patiently -served for her, in which the seven years “seemed to him but a few days, -for the love he had to her;” their marriage at last, after the cruel -disappointment through the fraud which substituted the elder sister -in the place of the younger; and the death of Rachel “in the way to -Ephrath, which is Bethlehem,” when she had given birth to Benjamin, -and had become still more endeared to her husband; his deep grief and -ever-living regrets for her loss--these things make up a touching tale -of personal and domestic history which has kept alive the memory of -Rachel through all the long centuries down to the present time. Her -untimely death has been likened to a “bunch of violets pulled up by -the roots, with the soil clinging to them--their exquisite perfume -reminding one of the leafy nook in which they grew.” - -What a mystery is love! We can not define it. It can only be unlocked -by the key of experience. Love is not a product of the reason. It is -the free play of the spiritual sensibilities in the possession of its -object. And if human love is inexplicable, divine love is an ocean too -deep for the plummet of man, and by far too broad to be bounded by the -thought of the loftiest intelligence in the universe. - -Chaste human love is a beautiful thing, by which conjugal love is -afterwards more and more strengthened and confirmed. And, in this scene -at the well, we have emphasized the fact that virtuous maidens do not -need to attend large, exciting assemblies or popular resorts, to get -husbands. If they are true to themselves, they can safely trust God, -who is able to give them pious, honorable and upright husbands. - -As soon as Rachel learned that Jacob was her father’s nephew, and that -he was Rebekah’s son, “she ran and told her father.” When Laban heard -Rachel’s story, he hastened to meet Jacob, and brought him to his house. - -After a short stay as the guest of the family, it seemed best to Laban -that wages should be given to Jacob for his services, but instead of -wages he desires Rachel, and, instead of service for an indefinite -time, he promises a service of seven years. Jacob’s service, it is -thought by some writers, represents the price which was usually paid -for the wife. Doubtless, Rachel was worth to Jacob the years of service -he paid, but doubtless then, as now, prices varied according to age and -beauty, and in some Eastern countries the prices are higher than in -others. The custom still exists. A man without means serves from three -to seven years for his bride. To Jacob, these years of service seemed -but a few days. His love for Rachel made his long service a delight to -him. He was cheerful and joyful in hope. - -At the end of the years of service Laban made a great nuptial feast. -These Oriental weddings last seven days. Doubtless Laban arranged this -feast, the better to facilitate Jacob’s deception by the coming and -going of guests, and the general bustle and noise characteristic of -such occasions. The deception was also possible through the custom, -namely, the bride was led veiled to the bridegroom and the bridal -chamber. Laban probably believed, as to the base deception, that he -would be excused, because he had already in view the concession of the -second daughter, so Leah, the elder daughter, was substituted. The -motive for this is not stated. Perhaps Laban recognized a skillful and -useful shepherd in Jacob. He may also have acted from regard to his -own interest, especially since he knew that Jacob possessed a great -inheritance at home. - -The substitution of Leah for Rachel is the first retribution Jacob -experienced for the deceitful practices of his former days. He had, -through fraud and cunning, secured the place and blessing of Esau--he, -the younger, in place of the elder. Now, by the same deceit, the elder -is put upon him in the place of the younger. God has somehow so -arranged the affairs of men, that what a man sows, that shall he also -reap. Sin is often punished with sin. - -When Laban was asked for an explanation of his conduct, he replied that -it was not the custom in his country to give the younger into marriage -before the first-born, a bit of information he should have given Jacob -when he first made suit for Rachel. His excuse does not justify in the -least his deception, but there was, however, a sting for Jacob in his -reply, namely, in the emphasis of the right of the first-born. - -There was, therefore, nothing left for Jacob but to give another seven -years’ service for Rachel. So, at the end of the marriage week or -feast of Leah, the second wedding followed, and the years of service -were rendered afterwards. We do not know why Rachel was affectionately -loved, while Leah held but an indifferent place in Jacob’s heart. But -then there is no accounting for, or explaining, love. Leah, it is -said, was “tender-eyed,” that is to say, weak-eyed. This, however, -does not necessarily mean she was sore-eyed or blear-eyed, but simply -they were not full, clear, and sparkling, not in keeping with the -Oriental idea of beauty, though otherwise she might have been comely. -But to an Oriental, black eyes, clear, lustrous, full of life and fire, -especially, when in addition to all these, the eye is expressive, -are considered the principal part of female beauty. Rachel was the -fortunate possessor of all these charming qualities of Eastern beauty, -and so must have charmed, captivated, and held Jacob in spite of all -other obstacles. - -That Leah tried to win his affections is evident from what she says in -connection with the birth of Reuben, her first born. “Now therefore,” -she says, “my husband will love me.” No doubt, during the seven years -that Jacob was in the home of Laban, her love for him became deep -and strong, which had, no doubt, induced her to consent to Laban’s -deception. So, after the birth of the first son, she hoped to win, -through her child, Jacob’s love in the strictest sense. After the -birth of the second, she hoped to be put on a footing of equality -with Rachel, and to be delivered from her disregard. After the third -one, she hoped at least for a constant affection. At the birth of the -fourth, she looked entirely away from her surroundings to Jehovah by -calling him Judah--praised be Jehovah. - -If Rachel obtained Jacob’s affections because of her beauty and -loveliness, and he refused to bestow upon Leah that affectionate -consideration for which she was grieving her life away, it may be a -comfort to those who suffer as Leah did, to know that God does not look -for beauty from man’s standpoint, and that the sweet graces of mind and -heart go farther than personal charms, for He certainly conferred more -honor upon her than He did upon Rachel. He gave her more children than -to Rachel. She was also, through her posterity, the mother of Moses, -David, John the Baptist, and the greatest honor of all, was the mother -of our precious Lord Jesus Christ. Leah was not an idolator, so far as -we know, while the beautiful Rachel was tainted with this abomination, -and it seems to have clung to her posterity, for it was the tribe of -Ephraim that led Israel in the sin of idol worship. So that while Leah -may not have been as beautiful as her fair sister, she was more loyal -to God, and doubtless was, on that account, so greatly honored of Him. - -But the fair, clear-eyed, beautiful Rachel, like the lovely Sarah -and sprightly Rebekah, was barren and childless, and because of this -became very much dejected, and exclaimed, “Give me children or else I -die!” From this expression we are to understand, she would die from -dejection. Doubtless this dejection led to the substitution of her maid -Bilhah. Her jealous love for Jacob is overbalanced by her envy of her -sister. The favored Rachel desired children as her own, at any cost, -lest she should stand beside her sister childless. The ambition to be -among the progenitors of the Messiah made Hebrew women eager to have -children. Rachel was not willing to leave the founding of the people -of God to her sister only, but wished also to become an ancestress, as -well as Leah, but in very deed, not until Joseph’s birth, her very own, -could she say, “Now God has taken away my reproach.” - -At length, after a service of twenty years or more, God called Jacob -to return to his own people. Laban had been a hard master, not only to -Jacob, but to his own daughters. “Are we not counted of him strangers?” -said they in their conference with Jacob concerning the return. He -had sold them as strangers, more as slaves, for the service of their -husband. Hence they had nothing more to hope for from him, for this -very price, that is, the blessing resulting from Jacob’s service, he -had entirely consumed. The daughters had received no share of it. Hence -it is evident that they speak with an inward alienation from their -father, and are quite willing to go with Jacob to the land of promise. - -The time set for the departure was the feast of sheep-shearing. -Either Laban had not invited Jacob to this feast, or Jacob took the -opportunity of leaving, in order to visit his own flocks. As the -sheep-shearing lasted several days, the opportunity was very favorable -for his flight. - -“But Rachel had stolen the images,” the Penates or household gods, -which were honored as guardians, and as oracles. From this incident we -may infer that she was not altogether free from the superstitions and -idolatry which prevailed in the land whence Abraham had been called, -and which still, to some degree, infected even those families among -whom the true God was known. It is thought she was actuated to steal -them with the superstitious idea that her father, being prevented from -consulting them as oracles, would not be able to pursue Jacob. This -act, however, as also the well-planned and ready dexterity and presence -of mind with which she concealed her theft, and prompt denial to her -father, reveals a cunning which is far more befitting the daughter of -Laban than the wife of the prudent patriarch. - -Jacob continued his journey without interruption until the fords of -the Jabbok were reached. While at Mahanaim he sent messengers to -Esau, with a view of bringing about a reconciliation with his grieved -brother. When he reached the Jabbok the messengers returned and brought -the alarming intelligence that Esau was coming to meet him, and four -hundred men were with him. This greatly distressed Jacob, and led him -to divide his family and his flocks, and to send them in bands before -him. Once more, in a critical time, when he expected an attack from -Esau, his discriminate regard for Rachel is again shown by placing Leah -and her children in the place of danger, in advance of Rachel and her -child. - -[Illustration: JACOB’S STRUGGLE AT THE JABBOK.] - -Having thus disposed of his family and his flocks, Jacob remains behind -to pray. It was the great struggle of his life. And the burden of -that midnight cry was, “Deliver me, I pray Thee, from the hand of my -brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, lest he will come and -smite me, and the mother with the children.” At length the angel of the -Lord said, “Let me go, for the day breaketh!” But Jacob, as if his life -hung on the issue, which it doubtless did, replied, “I will not let -Thee go, except Thou bless me!” - -God heard his prayer and delivered him out of the hands of his brother, -Esau. - -As Jacob passed over the Jabbok “the sun rose upon him,” and he set -forward on his journey a changed man. - -In due time Jacob reached the Jordan at Succoth, thence to Shechem, and -then to Bethel. At each of these places he halted. - -It seems that for a considerable time after the return to Palestine, -the images, or household Penates, which Rachel had stolen from her -father, remained in the family, perhaps connived at by Jacob, till, -on being reminded by the Lord of the vow which he had made at Bethel -when he fled from the face of Esau, and being bidden of Him to erect -an altar to the God who appeared to him there, Jacob felt the glaring -impiety of thus solemnly appearing before God with the taint of -idolatry cleaving to his beloved Rachel, said, “Put away the strange -gods from among you.” After thus casting out the polluting things from -his house, Jacob, at Bethel, amidst its sacred associations, received -from God an emphatic promise and blessing. - -After his spirit had been purified and strengthened by communion -with God, by the assurance of the divine love and favor, by the -consciousness of evil put away and duties performed, it was, as he -journeyed away from Bethel, that the chastening blow fell and Rachel -died. Doubtless the blessings that came as a result of the cleansing -and purging from idolatry at Bethel had their effect in bringing Rachel -to a higher sense of her relation to that Jehovah in whom her husband, -with all his faults of character, so firmly believed. - -Five miles south of Jerusalem, and a mile and a half from Bethlehem, -in the way to Hebron, is a beautiful chapel, sacred to the memory of -Rachel. This is the place where beautiful Rachel surrendered her own -life for the life of her second son, whom she named Ben-oni (son of my -pain). The wish she had uttered at Joseph’s birth, that God would give -her another son, now, after a long period, perhaps sixteen or seventeen -years, is at last realized. - -Rachel held Jacob’s love to the last, and even down to his old age he -mourned her loss. The stone pillar which he set up at her grave is the -first recorded instance of the setting up of a sepulchral monument; -caves having been up to this time spoken of as the usual places of -burial. The tomb of Rachel is one of the shrines which Mohammedans, -Jews and Christians unite in honoring, and concerning which their -traditions are identical. At the time of our visit, it happened to be -the time of new moon, when the chapel was open and all lighted up with -olive oil lamps, and the chapel and crypt filled with weeping women. -The lamentations were real and sincere, and, had we remained very -long, we should have wept out of very sympathy for the grief-stricken -mourners of this princess of Israel. The thought that here this lovely -woman in White Raiment sacrificed her own life for another was in -itself depressing. This first mortuary monument, sacred to the memory -of a great love and a great sorrow, has come down to us through more -than three thousand years. One may see it “but a little to come to -Ephrath.” - - “Tell me, ye winged winds, - That round my pathway roar, - Do ye not know some spot - Where mortals weep no more? - Some lone and pleasant dell, - Some valley in the west, - Where, free from toil and pain, - The weary soul may rest? - The loud wind dwindled to a whisper low, - And sighed for pity as it answered, ‘No!’” - -Leah probably lived for some years after Jacob reached Hebron. Whether -she ever found grace in his sight is not stated. However, in Jacob’s -differences with Laban both Leah and Rachel appeared to be attached to -him with equal fidelity, while later, in the critical moment, when he -expected an attack from Esau, his discriminate regard for the several -members of his family was again shown by his placing Rachel and her -child hindermost, in the least exposed situation, Leah and her children -next, and the two hand-maids, with their children, in front. Of her -death nothing is said. From the expression, “There I buried Leah,” -(Gen. xlix, 31), we are led to believe that she died at Hebron before -Jacob went down into Egypt. She was buried in the family sepulchre, -“in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre.” Since Hebron is -only twenty-five miles from Rachel’s tomb, near Bethlehem, it is quite -strange that Jacob did not bury his beloved Rachel in the family -sepulchre, along with Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, and Leah, -and where he was himself finally buried. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -Womanhood During the Egyptian Bondage and in the Desert of Sinai. - - JOCHEBED--HER REMARKABLE COURAGE--THONORIS--HER COMPASSION--HEROIC - LABORS SEEMINGLY UNREWARDED--ZIPPORAH, THE MIDIANITE - SHEPHERDESS--GLORIFYING DAILY LABOR--AT A WAYSIDE INN--MIRIAM--HER - SONG OF TRIUMPH AT THE RED SEA--HER AFFLICTION AT HAZEROTH--AN - EVENTFUL LIFE. - - -The history of the human race runs on from the tomb of Rachel for -over four hundred years without bringing to our notice any woman in -White Raiment until Jochebed, the mother of Moses, is reached. In the -meantime, the dreams of Joseph are told, his wandering in the fields -of Shechem, and the finding of his brethren in Dothan, the heartless -transaction with the Midianites, who, in turn, sold Joseph into Egypt, -his prison life followed by his elevation next to the throne and a -seven years’ famine, when Jacob and his sons, as Abraham had done -before them, went down into Egypt, the years of favor in the house of -Pharaoh, and the bondage, bitter and hard, all are told. But, in spite -of all, the suffering Israelites, because blessed of God, prospered and -“increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceedingly mighty; -and the land was filled with them.” - -The reigning Pharaoh became alarmed at this state of affairs, and, to -repress the Israelites, “made their lives bitter with hard bondage, -in mortar, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field.” -But, as a stream in a spring freshet bursts through every obstruction, -so the Israelites overleaped every barrier thrown in their way by the -Egyptian taskmasters. At length a decree was issued that every son born -to the Israelites should be cast into the Nile. - -But there was at least one woman in the house of bondage who feared -the Lord more than she feared Pharaoh. Her name was Jochebed, which -means, whose glory is Jehovah. If ever a name had attached with it the -characteristic of the person bearing it, it was Jochebed, the wife of -Amram, and daughter of Levi. That the glory of this woman in White -Raiment was Jehovah, is evident from the fact the hard circumstances in -which she was placed by the command of Pharaoh could not make her lose -faith in God. Others might obey the unwarranted and heartless, as well -as wicked decree, she would not, for she believed it was better to obey -God rather than man, and to this belief her faith was anchored, and -held steady amid the awful wail of bereaved motherhood as it ascended -into the ear of God from the fields of Goshen. - -Jochebed was already the mother of Miriam and Aaron, and, since Aaron -was three years older than Moses, the decree that all Hebrew male -children should be cast into the Nile could not have been in force at -Aaron’s birth, or at least had not reached its dangerous climax. As a -member of the house of Levi, Jochebed shows the daring and energetic -boldness for which her tribe had become distinguished, and indicated -the qualities needful for the future priesthood. That the child was -so fair, she recognized in it as a good omen. Josephus traces this -intuition of faith, which harmonized with the maternal feeling of -complacency and desire to preserve his life, to a special revelation. -The means of preservation chosen by Jochebed is especially attributed -to her genius and courage. It was all the more daring, since in the use -of it she seemed to have, from the outset, the daughter of Pharaoh in -mind. - -Prompted by an heroic faith, this poor Hebrew slave woman, in the house -of a cruel and heartless bondage, dared to disobey the royal decree, -trusting in God to carry her through the perilous enterprise of saving -the life of her well-favored child. The chrism of hot tears which -fell on the babe’s forehead, set him apart to the tremendous task of -leading up to nationhood a race of degraded slaves whose hands were -horny with unpaid toil, whose faces had grown scowling and knotted -under the overseer’s lash. - -[Illustration: THE ISRAELITES IN BONDAGE.] - -Jochebed held the boy hard against her heart when she found she could -no longer hide him, and said, more to herself and God than to any human -helper, “My baby shall not die.” The resolution once formed in the -mother’s heart, the next task was to carry it into effect. Then came -the gathering of the papyrus leaves, the getting of the bitumen, the -building of the little ark, and the finding of the best place for it -among the flags of the Nile. - -At length the little craft, with many a scalding tear mingled with the -bitumen, was found waterworthy. Then, with many a prayer and heartache, -and no small faith in the righteousness of her act, the dear child of -promise, with many a passionate kiss, such as mothers only can give, -was laid asleep in as soft a nest as the loving hands of mother could -devise. Then the little craft, baby and all, was carried to the great -river of Egypt, “and she laid it in the flags by the river’s brink.” -Quickly the mother walked away, though her heart was crushed and -bleeding, for how could she look upon her child if any disaster should -overtake his small boat on the bosom of the mighty Nile? But her faith -in God was sure. Her good sense had done its best. Her courage made her -equal to facing the anger of the king; and she would leave the care of -her little darling to the God of her fathers. - -But the mother-love could not wholly abandon the little craft to its -fate, without at least knowing how it fared with the child. So, back -a little from the river, where the tall flags formed a gracious shade -over the little brother, and her body concealed in the rank grass, the -large, bright eyes of Miriam were fixed on the babe’s hiding-place, -and the swift feet of the sister were ready to run to tell the mother -whatever might happen. - -Pretty soon the watchful eyes of Miriam saw a royal retinue issue from -the palace gate, and as it drew near the river’s brink she discerned -that it was Thonoris, the daughter of Pharaoh, and her maidens, come -down to the Nile to bathe in the open stream, as was the custom of -ancient Egyptians. As the princess and her maidens walked along the -river’s side, she saw the little ark among the flags, and sent one of -the maids to fetch it. And when she saw the child she had compassion on -it, and said, “This is one of the Hebrew’s children.” But the eyes of -Miriam, the faithful sister, closely watched the scene, and when the -little ark was safely drawn to shore by the maids of Thonoris, she ran -up to the Egyptian princess and said, “Shall I go and call to thee a -nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee? And -Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the -child’s mother.” - -[Illustration: MOSES RESCUED FROM THE NILE.] - -The compassion of the princess towards the beautiful child led her to -adopt him; and when she did so, making him, therefore, prospectively -an Egyptian, she did not need, we may well believe, to educate him -secretly. The taking of the child into the royal household, doubtless -rendered the cruel edict less severe, if not wholly inoperative. - -All this reads like a fairy tale, but there is no end of the wonders -wrought by our God on behalf of those who trust His love and power. - -“And the child grew.” Of course it would under the watchful care of -such a nurse. One can easily see how during those years in which -Jochebed was nursing her boy as the adopted son of the Egyptian -princess, she made the most of her opportunity. In a tongue not -understood in the palace she taught the child of Him who should redeem -the race. She held him loyal to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. -Her instruction had been careful, thorough, and direct from her father, -Levi, the son of Jacob; and she was true to her faith from her very -heart’s core. So that, with the very life of his mother, the growing -boy had drank in the Hebrew spirit. - -At first it must have been a surprise to the young heir to the Egyptian -throne when his Hebrew nurse unfolded to him the secret of his descent. -That while legally and formally he was the son of the Princess -Thonoris, inwardly he was the son of another mother, and belonged to -another race, not of the dominant, but of the servile, race; not a -worldly, but a spiritual prince. Probably he had the usual struggle -with self. It was no easy matter to lay aside the flattering prospect -of one day sitting on the throne of Egypt, to forever renounce the -glory and glitter of an earthly court, and to identify himself with the -slave people whose lives were made bitter in all manner of service. -Surely, Jochebed must not only have been a loving mother, but a wise -spiritual teacher to thus gain the surrender of all that was dear to -her child of the earthly life, that he might gain the heavenly. He must -have been completely regenerated when he refused to be called the son -of Pharaoh’s daughter, but chose to suffer affliction with the people -of God. Only a personal knowledge of the Redeemer could have brought -him to esteem the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures -of Egypt. - -No better compliment could have been paid Jochebed than the fact that -in that corrupt, magnificent, heathen court she was able to do her work -so well. Her son’s flawless choice of the Divine will made him the -greatest man, the Son of God excepted, ever veiled in human flesh. That -was the best possible sign and seal of her capability and faithfulness. - -When her child had passed beyond the years of childhood, and, as a -nurse, could no longer retain him, “she brought him unto Pharaoh’s -daughter,” and Thonoris, with almost infinite care, completed the -boy’s education by instructing him in all the wisdom of Egypt; hence -Moses was prepared both negatively and positively for his life work. -Positively by his great-hearted mother, Jochebed; negatively by the -Egyptian princess Thonoris, thereby, by her own hand, brought up the -deliverer and avenger of the oppressed Israelites. - -At this point Jochebed is lost to view. She drops out of history, and -nothing more is known of her. Hers emphatically was a work of faith, -for in all probability she died while Moses was under discipline in the -land of Midian. Her people, for whom she had wrought so heroically, -were still serving “with rigor” in building for Pharaoh the “treasure -cities Pithom and Raamses.” The son from whom she had hoped so much -as the crown prince of the land was in exile in the back side of the -desert; yet her faith held steady as she said with her parting breath, -“God will deliver His people. He saved Moses from the wrath of Pharaoh -and from the reptiles of the Nile; He will yet bring him back to lead -Israel out of this cruel bondage.” - -How many a mother has gone down to her grave in sorrow without -realizing the fruit of her toil, perhaps broken-hearted, as Jochebed -may have done, when she saw her son hastening into the desert to escape -the vengeance which would surely have overtaken him for smiting the -Egyptian. Doubtless she never again saw his face, and may have wondered -to what purpose was all her labor. It is difficult to conceive of a -grander purpose in motherhood than that of sending out into the world -young men spiritually, morally and physically healthy, with correct -principles and holy purposes; and it is one of the saddest spectacles -in life when these preparations are cast aside by ungrateful or wayward -acts. All human help is vain, her sorrow and her anguish are too deep -to be reached by sympathy. God alone is her refuge. She is often at -the throne of grace with strong cries and tears, and with a faith that -will not shrink. Doubtless such were the last days of the brave, the -courageous, the heroic Jochebed, as she saw the form of her beloved -Moses disappear in the desert of Midian. But God honored her faith as -no woman’s faith had ever been honored in the life and works of Moses, -the great law-giver, and leader of Israel’s hosts out of the land of -bondage. - - “Faithful, O Lord, Thy mercies are, - A rock that can not move: - A thousand promises declare - Thy constancy of love.” - -But though Moses had fled from the face of Pharaoh because, in his -effort to defend a Hebrew who was being smitten by an Egyptian, slew -the oppressor, he had not gone into the land of Midian so far but His -eye followed the young refugee. - -Away in the south-eastern part of Arabia, toward the close of what -we may well believe to have been a long day’s travel through the -burning sand of that arid country, the young refugee sat down under -the grateful shade of a cluster of palm trees that flourished by the -side of a well. As he sat there resting, possibly quite homesick, the -daughters of Jethro, a Midianite sheik and priest, came with their -father’s flock to the well to water them. The fact that it took seven -of these daughters to lead the flock to the well, shows that the -Midianite was wealthy. These maidens lowered their buckets into the -well and then drew them up brimming full of water, and poured it out -into the stone troughs. They did this again and again, while Moses was -a silent observer. It does not appear that he in any way interrupted -the work. - -But scarcely had the panting nostrils of the flocks begun to cool -a little in the brimming troughs than some rough Bedouin shepherds -came with their flocks and drove the maidens and their flock from the -well. This was too much for Moses. His face began to color up, and -his eyes flash with indignation, and all the gallantry of his nature -was aroused. He naturally had a quick temper, as he demonstrated in -the case of the Egyptian oppressing an Israelite, and as he showed -afterward when he broke all the Ten Commandments at once by shattering -the two granite slabs on which the law was written. Hence the harsh -treatment of the girls sets him on fire. The injustice of these Bedouin -shepherds was more than he could bear, and he came to the rescue of the -maidens of the Midianite sheik. Driving the shepherds away, he told -the daughters of Jethro to gather their flock once more and bring them -again to the watering troughs. Here the beautiful character of Moses -comes out, and shows that the careful training of his faithful mother -had not been in vain. Though brought up as a prince in the court of -Egypt, he takes hold of the water buckets and draws water from the -well, and waters the immense flock which had taken seven maidens to -drive to the well! What a sight it must have been to these daughters -of the priest of Midian as they stood by and saw this brave, unselfish -act. What wonder that Zipporah fell in love with such a young man? - -Hard as the task must have been, it was quickly finished and the flock -early sheltered in the fold. So much so that Jethro asked of his -daughters, “How is it that ye are come so soon to-day?” They answered, -“An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also -drew water enough for us, and watered the flock.” Jethro further -inquired, “Where is he? Why is it that ye have left the man?” - -We confess it was a somewhat ungrateful act on the part of these girls -not to invite the young man to their father’s home, but it only shows -that they were so modest as to be too bashful to make such an advance. - -So Moses was invited to the home of the Midianite sheik, and in due -time Zipporah was given to him in marriage, and she became the mother -of his two sons, Gershom and Eliezer. - -The Bible does not record much of Zipporah’s life, but, evidently -from the fact that she was a shepherdess, she was industrious, -notwithstanding the great wealth and influence of her father. What -was the use of Zipporah’s bemeaning herself with work when she might -have reclined on the hillside near her father’s tent, and plucked -buttercups, and dreamed out romances, and sighed idly to the winds, and -wept over imaginary songs to the brooks. But no. She knew that work -was honorable, and that every girl ought to have something to do, and -so she led her father’s flock to the fields, to the watering troughs, -and to the safe shelter of the fold. In how many households are there -young women without practical and useful employments? Many of them -are waiting for fortunate and prosperous matrimonial alliance, but -some lounger like themselves will come along, and after counting the -large number of father Jethro’s sheep and camels will make proposal -that will be accepted; and neither of them having done anything more -practical than to chew chocolate caramels, the two nothings will start -on the road of life together, every step more and more a failure. -Not so with the daughter of the Midianite sheik. Moses found her at -the well drawing water. And Zipporah soon learned that Moses could -also draw water. Ye daughters of idleness, imitate Zipporah. Do -something helpful. The reason that so many men now condemn themselves -to unaffianced and solitary life is because they can not support the -modern young woman--a thousand of them not worth one Zipporah. There -needs to be a radical revolution among most of the prosperous homes -of America, by which the elegant do-nothings may be transformed into -practical do-somethings. Let useless women go to work and gather the -flocks. The stranger at the well may prove to be as good a man as was -Moses to Zipporah. - -Still further, watch this spectacle of genuine courage. No wonder when -Moses scattered the rude shepherds he won Zipporah’s heart. Sense of -justice fired his courage; and the world wants more of the spirit that -will dare almost anything to see others righted. There are many wells -where outrages are practiced, the wrong herd getting the first water. -Those who have the previous right come in last, if they come it at all. -Thank God we have here and there a strong man to set things right! - -This child of the desert, full of industry and energy, very naturally -had a quick temper, and, for once at least, it came out in her life. -Moses was on his way to Egypt, as the deliverer of Israel. Zipporah -and sons set off to accompany him, and went part of the way. While -stopping for the night at a wayside inn the Lord suddenly withstood -Moses. It appears, for some reason, possibly because Zipporah opposed -it, their sons, Gershom and Eliezer, had not been circumcised. And, -since the neglect of this rite would cut them off from God’s covenanted -people, the Lord suddenly afflicted Moses so that his life must have -been despaired of by the wife and mother. In her distress, to save the -life of her husband, she herself performs this rite. The expression, -“took a sharp stone,” means a sharp stone-knife (more sacred than a -metallic knife, on account of the tradition). Under the trying ordeal, -and notwithstanding the life of her husband was still in the balance -between life and death, she was unable to conceal her ill-humor, and -charged him with being “a bloody husband.” Which may mean that the rite -of his people was distasteful to her, and doubly so since she had to -perform it with her own hand to save the life of Moses. - -It appears, probably on account of the performance of this rite upon -their two sons, she had to return to her father’s house, as the -children would not be in a condition to continue the journey into -Egypt, and Moses had to perform the remainder of the way alone. - -The only other incident recorded in Zipporah’s life is the bringing -of herself and her two sons to Moses by her father, when the host of -Israel had reached the Peninsula of Sinai, after they had departed out -of the land of Egypt. - -It has been suggested that Zipporah was the Cushite (A. V. Ethiopian) -wife who furnished Miriam and Aaron with the pretext for their attack -on Moses. (Num. xii, 1). The death of Zipporah is not mentioned, but -undoubtedly it occurred before Moses took the Cushite to be his wife. - -It has also been thought that Jethro and his house, before his -acquaintance with Moses, was not a worshipper of the true God. Traces -of this appear in the delay which Moses had suffered to take place in -respect to the circumcision of his sons. But the fact that Zipporah -started from her home in Midian to accompany her husband upon his -mission in Egypt, and of her joining him when he had reached the -wilderness, upon his return, shows that she was in sympathy with his -work, and, doubtless, if up to the time the Lord suddenly withstood -Moses at the wayside inn, she was not fully in accord with him in her -faith, that this incident fully established her in the true faith. -There is a legend which, if not true, is characteristic of the priest -of Midian. This Midrash tale relates that Jethro was a counselor of -Pharaoh, who tried to dissuade him from slaughtering the Israelitish -children, and consequently, on account of his clemency, was forced to -flee into Midian, but was rewarded by becoming the father-in-law of -Moses. - -The wife of so excellent and remarkable a man as Moses, and one who -possessed so many womanly qualities as did this shepherdess whom Moses -found by the well in Arabia, in the faithful discharge of her duties, -deserves a place in the galaxy of Women in White Raiment. - -The hospitality, freehearted and unsought which Jethro at once extended -to the unknown, homeless wanderer, on the relation of his daughters -that he had watered their flock, is a picture of Eastern manners no -less true than lovely, and gives us a fine view of the quaint habits -and honest simplicity of the Oriental people. - -We now pass to the daughter of Jochebed, namely, Miriam. She first came -to our notice when the little ark of Moses was placed among the flags -of the Nile. Her mother set her to watch the little craft as it floated -on the bosom of the great river. When the princess Thonoris, Pharaoh’s -daughter, discovered the child and sent her maid to rescue him from -his perilous surroundings, Miriam, then probably a young girl, appeared -before the Egyptian princess, and asked if she should call a nurse for -the child. In reply to this question, Thonoris said to her she might -find for her a nurse. And Miriam hastened to the home of her parents, -“and called the child’s mother.” - -This act shows that Miriam was not only quick-witted, but had the -courage to carry her convictions into effect. Though very human, as -fully demonstrated in after years, she was faithful to her mother when -she watched the boat woven of river plants and made water-tight with -asphaltum, carrying its one passenger. And was she not very courageous -and did she not put all the ages of time and of a coming eternity under -obligation when she defended her helpless brother from the perils of -the Nile? She it was that brought that wonderful babe and its mother -together, so that he was reared to be the deliverer of his nation. What -a garland for faithful sisterhood! - -What part Miriam took in the care of her illustrious brother while in -the arms of his mother-nurse, we are not told, but we may well believe -her sisterly love was strong and unwavering during the years while the -precious charge was in the care of the mother. - -But there was a long period of eighty years between the infancy of -Moses and his return from the desert of Midian, so that the clear-eyed -and sprightly girl had grown away from the buoyancy of youth during the -years of his exile, and must have been nearly, if not quite, a hundred -years old, when God’s chosen people were led out of the iron furnace -of bondage, a fact we must not lose sight of in the brief narrative -of this noble woman in White Raiment. Her age may, in part at least, -account for the high position given her. “The sister of Aaron,” is her -biblical distinction which she never lost. In Numbers xii, 1, she is -placed before Aaron, and in Micah vi, 4, reckoned as one of the three -deliverers of God’s chosen people, “I sent before thee Moses and Aaron -and Miriam.” Hence it is quite evident that she had no small part in -the redemption of the house of Israel from the land of oppression. -Whether or not the prejudices of that day gave her full honor, the Lord -admitted her to the triumvirate of deliverance, the three children of -the brave, faithful Jochebed. - -She was also the first person in her father’s house, and the first -woman in the history of God’s people to whom the prophetic gifts -are directly ascribed. “Miriam the prophetess,” is her acknowledged -title in Exodus xv, 20. She stood, as the leader of Hebrew women, -appropriately by the side of the future conductor of the religious -service. - -[Illustration: MIRIAM’S SONG OF TRIUMPH.] - -In the song of triumph which the children of Israel sang after their -passage of the Red Sea, Miriam, with cymbal in hand, led the women in -their part of the glad song of deliverance. It does not appear how far -the Hebrew women joined in the song, that is, the part led by Moses, -but in the antiphony, Miriam repeats the opening words, in the form -of a command to the women, saying, “Sing ye to Jehovah, for he hath -triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath He thrown into the -sea.” - - “Sound the loud timbrel o’er Egypt’s dark sea! - Jehovah has triumphed, His people are free! - Sing, for the pride of the tyrant is broken; - His chariots, his horsemen, all splendid and brave; - How vain was their boasting! the Lord hath but spoken, - And chariots and horsemen are sunk in the wave. - - “Sound the loud timbrel o’er Egypt’s dark sea! - Jehovah has triumphed, His people are free! - Praise to the Conqueror, praise to the Lord! - His word was our arrow, His breath was our sword. - Who shall return to tell Egypt the story - Of those she sent forth in the hour of her pride? - For the Lord hath looked out from His pillar of glory, - And all her brave thousands are dashed in the tide. - Sound the loud timbrel o’er Egypt’s dark sea! - Jehovah has triumphed, His people are free!” - -Miriam must have been exempt from the infirmities of age to a -remarkable degree, to be able at her advanced years to lead the host of -Hebrew women and maidens in the music and songs of triumph and general -rejoicings over the mighty deliverance out of the hand of Pharaoh on -the farther shores of the Red Sea. The victory, however, was such a -marked one, and the deliverance so great as to cause old age, for the -time being, to be swallowed up in the youth of praise and thanksgiving. - -Taking up their line of march from the shores of the Red Sea, we do not -learn anything farther concerning Miriam until Hazeroth is reached. -Here she seems to have been the instigator of an insurrection against -Moses. In some respects it must have been grievous to him, all the more -so, from the fact that Aaron had also suffered himself to be carried -away by his sister’s fanaticism. By virtue of their office as prophet -and prophetess, in the minds of the people, they held almost equal rank -with Moses. - -The occasion of this insurrection was a marriage which Miriam regarded -as objectionable, though, notwithstanding, she had the example of -Joseph, who married an Egyptian woman, before her, and which marriage -did not prove to be antitheocratic. Moses had married a Cushite. It is -true the prohibition to marry with the daughters of other than their -own people had special reasons of religious self-preservation, and for -that reason the High Priest was allowed to marry only a Hebrew virgin, -but that was a limitation belonging to his symbolic position. The -prophetic class, on the other hand, had the task of illustrating the -greatest possible letting down of legal restraint. The union of Moses -with this Cushite may have symbolized the future calling of the Gentile -nations, a sort of first fruit, as Rahab and Ruth later on proved to -be, and it offers a remarkable parallel that the next greatest man of -the law, Elijah, lived for a considerable time as the table companion -of a heathen widow of Zarephath. - -It is manifest that Moses endured in silence the domestic obliquity -which his sister drew down upon him, patiently committing his -justification to God, until her would-be pious zeal assumed a more -alarming aspect. Since Aaron had made common cause with Miriam, Aaron, -who wore the breast-plate, Urim and Thummim, and Miriam, who, as a -prophetess, had already led the chorus of the women of Israel, must -have held high places in the minds of the people; hence, when they -raised the question, “Hath the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses? hath -he not spoken also by us?” there is no telling where this sedition of -Miriam and Aaron might have ended, had not the Lord Himself taken it -promptly in hand. - -But the Lord heard that complaint, which implied that the prophetic -gift was exercised by them also, that they were prophets, vested with -authority, and if they even suffered Moses, since his objectionable -marriage, to remain in the prophetic college, they could at least -outvote him. So Moses, Aaron and Miriam were suddenly cited to the -tabernacle of the congregation. When the three presented themselves at -the place appointed, the Lord came down in a cloud at the door of the -tabernacle, and “called Aaron and Miriam” apart from Moses, and there, -at the door of the tabernacle, administered a stern rebuke to both of -them. They had lived with Moses so long, and yet knew so little of his -exalted position. As a brother he stood too near to them, and they -themselves, with their self-consciousness, stood too much in their own -light. - -“And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle.” As Aaron saw the -cloud lifting up and moving off, he must have been inwardly crushed -at this punishment. The fires on his altar went out, the pillar of -smoke no longer mounted up as a token of grace, the divine presence -was withdrawn, and it was as if an interdict of Jehovah lay on the -services of the Sanctuary. But this was not all. “Miriam became -leprous, white as snow.” There seems to be a singular connection -between the punishment of Aaron as the representative of the Church, -and Miriam, who had thought herself and Aaron above Moses, snow-white -in righteousness, while she looked down on him as unclean. She would -dominate the Church, for she dominated Aaron, and now, as a leper, she -must be excluded from the Church. - -When Aaron looked upon his afflicted sister, though High Priest, -the Lord having withdrawn the symbol of his favor from the altar of -sacrifice, was as helpless as Miriam, and he now implores Moses, as his -superior, to intercede. Here only the spiritual high priesthood of a -divine compassion can deliver the helpless High Priest himself and his -unfortunate associate in the prophetic office. In his appeal, Aaron -almost speaks as if Moses could heal the leprosy. Moses, however, -understood it as an indirect request to intercede for Miriam. - -“And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying: Heal her now, O God, I beseech -thee.” The Lord granted the request, accompanied with a sharp reproof, -“If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be unclean -seven days?” The figurative expression compares her, who desired to be -the prophetic regent of the nation, to a dependent maiden in whose face -her father had spit on account of unseemly behavior. Such a one must -conceal herself seven days on account of her shame. The same treatment -was dictated for Miriam, and she was “shut out from the camp seven -days.” The silent grief of the nation must have been profound, for the -people remained encamped at Hazeroth during the seclusion of Miriam, -and not until she was pronounced clean, and the prescribed sacrifices -required on her reception back again, were made, did the Lord’s host -depart from their encampment. All these are proofs of the high place -she held in the affections of the people. - -This sad stroke, and its most gracious removal, is the last public -event of Miriam’s life. She died toward the close of the wilderness -wanderings at Kadesh, and was buried there. According to Jewish -tradition, the burial took place with great pomp on a mountain in the -edge of the wilderness of Zin, and the mourning of the whole camp of -Israel lasted for thirty days, Jerome tells us that her tomb was shown -near Petra. - -According to Josephus she was the wife of Hur and the grandmother of -Bezaleel, the inspired artisan of the Tabernacle. According to the -Targum, the miraculous supply of water at Rephidim was given in her -honor. It failed when she died at Kadesh, and was restored only at the -second stroke of Moses’ rod, and later, by the digging of the princes -with their staves of office, while the people sang a hymn of praise and -faith. - -These traditions are of but little value except to show in what high -esteem she was held. - -A long, beautiful, eventful, inspired life--one of patient waiting, -intense activity, deep enthusiasm and triumphant faith--transformed -the brave little slave girl into the mighty princess and leader of the -Lord’s hosts. But for the one assumption of unwarranted authority at -Hazeroth, her record would have come down to us untarnished. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -Womanhood During the Conquest and the Theocracy, or Rule of the Judges. - - RAHAB--GREAT GRACE FOR GREAT SINNERS--THE FALL OF JERICHO--THE - COVENANT REMEMBERED--DEBORAH--HER REMARKABLE COURAGE--SISERA’S IRON - CHARIOTS BROKEN--THE DAUGHTER OF JEPHTHAH--HER LOVING DEVOTION - AND SACRIFICE--THE STORY OF NAOMI--ORPAH’S KISS--THE LOVING - RUTH--GLEANING AMONG THE REAPERS--HER RICH REWARD--HANNAH--HER - CONSECRATION--YEARLY VISITS TO SHILOH--STITCHING BEAUTIFUL THOUGHTS - INTO SAMUEL’S COAT--HER BEAUTIFUL LIFE. - - -After the death of Miriam at Kadesh, on the borders of Zin, and the -death of Aaron on Mount Hor, and of Moses on lofty Pisgah, Joshua “sent -out of Shittem two men to spy secretly, saying, Go, view the land, even -Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot’s house, named Rahab, -and lodged there.” - -The occupation of this woman has called out much comment, and many -attempts have been made to clear her character of the stains of vice -by affirming that she was only an inn-keeper, and not a harlot. No -doubt there is much truth in this statement, for we can not entertain -the thought that two pure-minded young men sent out by a leader like -Joshua would pass by an inn and purposely seek an house of ill repute. -It is also possible that to a woman of the age in which she lived, -such a calling may have implied a far less deviation from the standard -of morality than it does with us, with nearly two thousand years of -Christian teaching. We must not forget that Rahab was a heathen; and -the heathen knew very little of the simplest principles of truth and -purity. In the first chapter of Paul’s Epistle to the Romans he gives a -life picture of pagan morals. Even among the polished Greeks, loyalty -to their religion made personal purity impossible. The Canaanites were -so vile that, in the emphatic language of Scripture, the land vomited -them out. The glimpse we catch of Lot’s neighbors may show in what a -cesspool of vice Rahab was brought up. But even if we judge this woman -by our modern standards, and admit that she was all that is implied in -the opprobrious term, the fact that she is listed among God’s elect -women shows the wondrous power of divine grace. God can save a great -sinner just as easy as a small one. Notwithstanding she carried the -double disability, that of being a heathen and a great sinner, her -story is told in full. She has honorable mention by the Apostle James -as an illustration of the works that show strong faith; and by the -spirit of inspiration in the Epistle to the Hebrews, giving her a -place among the mighty heroes and heroines who wrought marvels through -confidence in God. - -At the time when the Israelites were encamped in Shittem, ready to -cross the Jordan and enter the land of promise, Jericho was the -strongest fortified city in Canaan, and, as the key to Western -Palestine, commanded the two mountain passes which led into the land -that was to be possessed. It was to be taken; but how? Joshua sent two -of his most trusted men to spy out the land, remembering, no doubt with -much trepidation, the failure of forty years before, which made them go -back and die in the desert. - -The life of the spies, the success of the enterprise, and the courage -their report would give the Israelites, all turned on the faith and -skill of Rahab. She saved to God’s people the battle they had lost -forty years before. No wonder that Hebrew writers have thrown the -glamor of romance over her story. - -Her house was situated on the wall, probably near the city gate, so as -to be convenient for persons coming in and going out of Jericho. She -seems not only to have kept an inn for wayfaring men, but also to have -been engaged in the manufacture of linen and the art of dyeing, for -which the Phœnicians were early famous, since we find the flat roof of -her house covered with stalks of flax, put there to dry, and a stock -of scarlet or crimson line in her house, a circumstance which, coupled -with the mention of Babylonish garments as among the spoils of Jericho, -indicates the existence of a trade in such articles between Phœnicia -and Mesopotamia. It also appears she had a father and mother, brothers -and sisters, who, if they were not living in the same house with her, -were dwelling in Jericho. - -Traders coming from Mesopotamia, or Egypt to Phœnicia, would frequently -pass through Jericho, situated as it was near the fords of the Jordan, -and, according to the customs of the times, these travelers would seek -a public inn. - -These men, coming and going, would naturally enough carry the news of -current events with them. Rahab therefore had opportunity to be well -informed with regard to the events of the Exodus. As we learn from her -own story, she had heard of the passage through the Red Sea, of the -utter destruction of Sihon and Og, and of the irresistible progress -of the Israelitish host. The effect upon her mind had been what one -would not have expected in a person of her way of life. It led her to -a firm faith in Jehovah as the true God, and to the conviction that He -purposed to give Canaan to the Israelites. She may have thought long -and deeply on these strange events, and, possibly, her better nature -may have loathed the vices of her people, in which she herself had -become involved, and longed for the pure worship of the wonder-working -God of whom she had heard. - -When, therefore, the two spies sent out by Joshua, who must have been -men of moral character and worthy of so important a commission, came to -Jericho, no doubt they were divinely directed to her house, who alone, -of the whole population, was friendly to their cause. Her heart, at all -events, was prepared to receive the message with which they intrusted -her, and she gave them the information they sought. And such faith had -she in the purposes of God to give the land to the hosts of Joshua that -she made a covenant with these representatives of his army, to save her -and her family when the city fell into their hands. - -The coming of these spies, it seems, was quickly known, and the king of -Jericho, having received information of it while at supper, according -to Josephus, sent that very evening to require her to deliver them up. -It is very likely that, her house being a public one, some one who -resorted there may have seen and recognized the spies, and at once -reported the matter to the authorities. But not without awakening -Rahab’s suspicions, and she was courageous enough to hide them under -the flax on the roof, and throw the officers off their suspicion, while -she let the Hebrews down over the wall and hurried them away to the -mountains, to stay till the hunt was given up and the guards had come -back from the fords of the Jordan, thus allowing them to escape across -the river to their camp. - -For her kindness to them she had asked that when the city should be -taken, her life and the lives of all that belonged to her should be -spared, and it was agreed that she should hang out her scarlet line at -the window from which the spies had escaped. - -The event proved the wisdom of her precautions. The pursuers returned -to Jericho after a fruitless search, and the spies reached the -encampment of Israel in safety. The news they brought of the terror of -the king and citizens of Jericho doubtless inspired the Israelitish -host with fresh courage, and, within three days of their return, the -passage of the Jordan was effected. - -No one could have been more interested than Rahab during those eventful -days. Perhaps, from the window of her dwelling on the city wall, she -saw the waters of the Jordan piled on each other, and stretching back -over the plain as far as the eye could see--a sight she had never -seen, and equal to the dividing of the Red Sea. Toward evening she saw -the advance guards of Joshua’s host, and then the white-robed priests -bearing the ark, followed by the army and people, and encamping at -Gilgal, within two miles of Jericho, and in full view of the city. - -After having carefully reviewed her household to assure herself that -her father and mother, brothers and sisters, were all there--for this -was the covenant she had made with the spies--she probably seated -herself at the window from which hung the scarlet cord, to watch the -strange procession that marched around the city seven days. Each -morning it came filing up from Gilgal in solemn silence, except as the -white-robed priests blew their trumpet-blasts. - -No one can tell what risk Rahab took, or what indignities she suffered -in convincing her relatives that they must be in the covenanted place -when the city fell. On her part it was a beautiful faith. Perhaps she -recounted to them the ten awful plagues that fell on the Egyptians, -the deliverance of His people from the house of bondage, the disaster -to Pharaoh and his army at the Red Sea, the opening of streams in the -desert, the nightly dewfall of food, the lofty column of cloud that -shaded and led by day, and the pillar of fire that kept them safe from -night enemies, human and bestial. All this she told to the assembled -household as the ground of her faith, with which she would inspire -them. No doubt this woman of Jericho, sick at heart on account of her -own past life, and the wickedness of her city, thirsted for a fuller -knowledge of the true and holy God whose name she hardly dared to take -on her sin-polluted lips, and yet, strange as it may seem, she had the -strength and honesty to succeed in the preaching of righteousness to -her friends. - -Day after day she watched the strange procession marching around the -closely shut and guarded city. Joshua and the soldiers were at its -head; then came the priests with their trumpets, and after them the Ark -of the Covenant, hid from view with coverings, and carried reverently -on men’s shoulders, while soldiers guarded it from real dangers. - -Jericho breathed a little more freely when it saw that the strange -desert people marched around the city day after day without striking a -blow; but Rahab’s faith held steady, and the scarlet cord swung from -her window. That cord may have meant to her the blood of the Redeemer -cleansing from sin. No doubt, like Moses, she knew the meaning of the -“reproach of Christ.” - -The seventh day she was found early at her window, with a sense of -completeness in her obedience and faith. Again the Hebrews filed forth -from their camp and marched around the city; but this time they kept -on till they had gone around the wall six times. The seventh round, -the voice of the old captain at the head of the host rang along the -line--“Shout! for Jehovah hath given you the city.” - -[Illustration: THE FALL OF JERICHO.] - -Before Rahab fully realized the meaning of this strange command, her -ears were filled with the crash of falling walls. In the dust and din, -the cries, the shrieks, the terror, but little could be distinctly -remembered, only that the desert soldiers who were taking the town were -leading her and her kindred forth to a place of safety. - -The narrator adds, “and she dwelleth in Israel unto this day,” meaning, -the family of which she was reckoned the head, continued to dwell among -the Lord’s people. May not the three hundred and forty-five “children -of Jericho,” mentioned in Ezra ii, 34, and “the men of Jericho” who -assisted Nehemiah in rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, have been the -descendants of her kindred? - -As regards Rahab herself, we learn from Matt, i, 5, that she became -the wife of Salmon the son of Naasson, and the mother of Boaz, the -grandfather of Jesse. It has been conjectured that Salmon may have -been one of the spies whose life she saved, and that gratitude for so -great a benefit led to their marriage. But, however this may be, it -is certain that Rahab became the mother of the line from which sprang -David, and eventually Christ. - -Distasteful as it may be to goody-good people, the fact remains that -Rahab believed God, and when He delivered her out of her heathen -surroundings, she entered upon a pure life. Whom God pardons, He -justifies. Whom he justifies, He brings to that relation with Himself -that would have been held if the sin had never been committed. He does -not doom man or woman to life-long penance for sins that have been -washed away by the blood of the Lamb. - -It is not accidental that Matthew traces the Saviour’s genealogy -through four women, namely Thamar, Rachab, Ruth, and Bathsheba, who -were not of the Israelitish stock, three of whom were of doubtful -morals, and one, Rachab, who carried a double disability. Christ came -to save humanity, and that He might be an all-sufficient Saviour, He -abased Himself--took us at our worst--that no human soul, however sunk -in sin, might despair. And Rahab the harlot was transformed into Rahab -the saint, cleansed and purified, and clothed in White Raiment. - -From the thrilling incidents just related, the history of God’s chosen -people runs on for a hundred years or more before Deborah comes to view -on the stage of life. In the meantime Joshua had led the Israelitish -hosts to victory, had subdued the several kings, and divided the -land among the tribes. Then came years of rest and prosperity, and, -strange to say, a turning away from the Author of all their blessings. -These departures from their national faith brought down upon them the -judgments of God. - -The Israelites were now ruled by judges, and at the time Deborah comes -to our notice, Barak seems to have been the executive head of the -nation. - -Deborah was probably a woman of the tribe of Ephraim. Her tent was -spread under the palm-tree between Ramah and Bethel in Mount Ephraim, -and she was a prophetess, in whom was combined both poetry and -prophecy. Deborah stands before us in strong contrast with the customs -and prejudices of her time. God’s people were being oppressed by the -Canaanites. In the midst of this great national crisis she was called -to stand at the head both of statesmanship and the terrible exigencies -of war. - -Sisera, the general of Jabin’s army, with nine hundred iron war -chariots, and a multitude had assembled in the western extremity of -the great plain of Jezreel, near the brook Kishon that flows along the -northern base of Mount Carmel. Barak, the executive head, was either so -timid or apprehensive that the campaign would fail, and thus fasten the -tyrant’s chain yet more strongly, that the people looked to Deborah for -judgment. She tried to arouse Barak’s courage. She even appealed to the -prejudices that were strong in those times, namely, that the victory -would be given to a woman if he refused to go. But in vain. He would -not move without her. She knew, far better than he, that the battle was -not theirs, but God’s. The Lord alone could give victory. Faith was -easier to her than to Barak, for she had the spiritual insight that -knows the utter nothingness of human help. - -For twenty years God’s people had been oppressed by their enemies. -At last they had repented of the sins that made necessary their -captivity, and the Lord had inspired Deborah to rally them to resist -their oppressors. Perhaps Barak hesitated, because, viewed from a human -standpoint, he may have felt the utter inadequacy of the Hebrew army -to cope with the Syrians and their nine hundred iron war chariots. But -just there lies the secret of all success. Only when we are weak, are -we strong. This is the victory, even our faith. We have not that faith -till we get to the end of our own resources and trusts. - -But while Deborah put Barak at the head of the army, she bravely stood -by him with her counsels, her prayers, her faith, and her wholesome -reproof, for Deborah was a practical and sensible woman. Her name -signifies “the bee,” and she was well provided with the sting as well -as the honey, and knew how to stir up Barak by wholesome severity as -well as encourage him by holy inspiration. He is a very foolish man who -refuses to be helped by the shrewd intuitive wisdom of a true woman, -for while her head may not be so large, its quality is generally of -the best; and her conclusions, though not reasoned out so elaborately, -generally reach the right end by intuitions which are seldom wrong. -Woman’s place is to counsel, to encourage, to pray, to believe, and -pre-eminently to help. This was what Deborah did. - -Barak, however, was not always weak. As soon as he had recovered -himself from the surprise of the unexpected call to lead the little -army of ten thousand against the myriads of Sisera, he consented on -condition that the courageous Deborah go with him. By this timidity he -lost not a little of the honor that he might have won, and his sharp -and penetrating leader plainly told him that the victory should not be -wholly to his credit, for God should deliver Sisera into the hands of a -woman; and so there were really two women in this struggle for liberty, -and Barak was sandwiched in between them. With Deborah in front, and -Jael in the rear, and Barak in the midst, even poor, weak Barak became -one of the heroes of faith who shine in the constellation of eternal -stars, upon which the Holy Spirit has turned the telescope of the -eleventh chapter of Hebrews. - -How the inspiring faith of Deborah must have nerved Barak for heroic -action. Her message to him is all alive with the very spirit and -innermost essence of the faith that counts the things that are not -as though they were. “Up,” she cries, as she rouses him by a trumpet -call from his timorous inactivity; “for this is the day,” she adds, -as she shakes him out of his procrastination, “in which the Lord hath -delivered Sisera into thine hand.” She goes on to say, as she reckons -upon the victory as already won, “Is not the Lord gone out before -thee?” She concludes, as she commits the whole matter into Jehovah’s -hands, and bids him simply follow on and take the victory that is -already given. - -Is it possible for faith to speak in plainer terms, or language to -express with stronger emphasis the imperative mood or the present tense -of that victorious faith, for which nothing is impossible? - -Again, we have here the lesson of mutual service. This victory was -not all won by any single individual, but God linked together as He -loves always to do, many co-operating instruments and agents in the -accomplishment of His will. There was Deborah representing the spirit -of faith and of prophecy. There was Barak representing obedience -and executive energy. There were the people that willingly offered -themselves; the volunteers of faith. There were the yet nobler hosts -of Zebulun, and Naphtali, that jeoparded their lives unto the death, -the martyrs who are the crowning glory of every great enterprise. And -there was Jael, the poor heathen woman away out on the frontiers of -Israel, who gave the finishing touch, and struck the last blow through -the temples of the proud Sisera, while high above all were the forces -of nature, and the unseen armies of God’s providence; for the stars in -their courses fought against Sisera, and the flood of the Kishon rolled -down in mountain torrents and swept the astonished foe away. - -Sisera’s iron chariots were broken and scattered; but his will and -prowess would soon have another army in the field, more terrible than -the first. To answer fully the faith that took hold of God’s strength, -the Canaanitish general must die. But not by the hand of Barak. His -wavering faith had forfeited that honor. That last act which should -bring victory to the army of Israel would be performed through the -courage of a woman. The woman who was to complete the deliverance was -the wife of an Arab sheik, of a family descended from Jethro, Moses’ -father-in-law. - -The tribe of Jael and of her husband, Heber, was encamped under the -“Oak of the Wanderers.” These Arabs were on good terms with both -Hebrews and Syrians; but Jael must have had the spiritual sense to -see that the Lord had taken in hand the freeing of Israel, and she -must use the opportunity to further His plans. So when Sisera left his -unmanageable chariot and escaped from the battle on foot, he came to -her tent worn out with the fatigue of the fight and flight, and she -gave him the hospitality for which he begged; but while he was in the -deep sleep of exhaustion, she drove a tent pin into his temple. His -death made impossible the rallying of the host against God’s people. -Better far that one man should die, than that thousands of both Hebrews -and Syrians should fall on the battlefields of prolonged warfare. - -Jael has honorable mention in Deborah’s superb song of triumph. Stanley -says of that pæan of victory: “In the song of Deborah we have the only -prophetic utterance that breaks the silence between Moses and Samuel. -Hers is the one voice of inspiration (in the full sense of the word) -that breaks out in the Book of Judges.” - -Jael is the only woman mentioned in the Bible who ever took a human -life. We confess that the exploit seems unwomanly, but we must not -forget there is no sex in right or wrong-doing, though it may be long -before we can rid ourselves of the habit of requiring a higher morality -in a woman than in a man. - -In this heroic effort on the part of Deborah to throw off the yoke of -a cruel oppressor, we see the curse of neutrality, and the pitiful -spectacle, which seems always to be present, of the unfaithful, -ignoble and indifferent ones who quietly looked on while all this -was happening, and not only missed their reward, but justly received -the curse of God’s displeasure and judgment. And so, in the Song of -Deborah, we hear of Reuben’s enthusiastic purposes, but does nothing. -We see her fiery scorn for those who strayed among the bleatings of -the sheepfolds, rather than the trumpet of the battle. We see her -sarcasm strike the selfish men of Gilead who abode beyond Jordan; the -careless Danites who remained in their ships, and men of Asher who, -secure in their naval defences, stayed away up yonder on the seashore, -and took refuge in their ports and inland rivers, while, above all the -echoes of her denunciations, rings out the last awful curse against the -inhabitants of Meroz, a little obscure city that probably had taken -refuge in its insignificance, because its inhabitants had refused to -come up to the help of the Lord against the mighty. - -Finally, this scene is a pattern page from God’s book of remembrance. -Some day we shall read the other pages and find our names recorded -either with the inhabitants of Meroz and Reuben, or with the victors of -faith who stood with Deborah, and Barak, and Jehovah, in the battles of -the Lord. Oh, shall we shine now like stars in the night, and then like -the sun in the kingdom of our Father? - -Passing on in our narrative from the brave deeds of Deborah, we next -come to one of the most heroic daughters in Israel, and her great act -of utter abnegation to save a father’s vow is so beautiful that, like -the good Samaritan in our Lord’s touching parable, uttered in answer to -the question, Who is my neighbor? the name is lost in the fragrance of -the deed. She is simply Jephthah’s daughter. - -It was during that stormy period in the history of Israel, when again -and again they had fallen into the idolatrous practices of their -heathen neighbors around them. These unlawful acts had often called -down the judgments of God upon them. In the time of Jephthah, the -Israelites were smarting under the oppression of an Ammonitish king. -The unsettled character of the age was such that the elders of the -people sought in vain for a suitable leader, who could command the -confidence of his countrymen. - -There was one man, however, a native of Gilead, who was a brave and -successful leader. This was none other than Jephthah, but, because he -had been born a child of misfortune, his brethren disowned him, and -had cast him out. In most persons such treatment develops a spirit of -misanthropy and bitterness which often find expression in revenge. - -But Jephthah seemed to have possessed a much sweeter disposition than -his brethren. His faith seems to have been anchored to God, and, as is -usually the case, when all else forsook him then the Lord took him up, -and, trusting in Jehovah, he lived to have a glorious revenge upon his -unkind people by bringing them a blessing instead of the curse that -they had given him. - -We have a little touch of his character in the name he gave his new -home. He called it the land of Tob. Tob means “good,” and this is but a -little straw to tell how the wind blew in Jephthah’s life. - -And so the day came when Jephthah’s brothers were glad to send -for him to be their deliverer, and Jephthah had the high honor of -returning good for evil, and saving the people that once despised -him. He consented to become their leader on the condition, which was -solemnly ratified before the Lord in Mizpah, that in the event of his -success against the Ammonitish king he should still remain as their -acknowledged head. This is the way that God loves to vindicate us, to -make us a blessing to those that hated us and wronged us. His promise -is, “I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know -that I have loved thee.” - -When Jephthah responded to their appeal, and came for their help, we -see in his very words and acts the spirit of godliness and a lofty -faith. We are told explicitly that all his words to his own people -were “before the Lord.” He spoke as in Jehovah’s presence. He also went -against his adversaries in the name of Jehovah God. The battle was not -his, but the Lord’s, and such faith never can be confounded. It was -not long before Jephthah returned in triumph from the slaughter of his -enemies. His country was delivered, his claims vindicated, and his -enemies were destroyed. - -But now we come to the great trial in Jephthah’s life, which shows -not only the loftiest faith, but the sublimest faithfulness. In the -hour of peril he had vowed a vow unto Jehovah, pledging that when he -returned in victory the first object that he met should be dedicated to -the Lord, an offering to Him. As he came back amid the acclamations of -universal triumph, the first who met him when he approached his home -was his beautiful daughter, and as he realized all that his vow had -meant, he was overwhelmed for a moment with the deepest emotion. But -not for an instant did he hesitate in his firm and high purpose, nor -once did that dear child shrink back from the sacrifice imposed upon -her, but stood nobly with her father, demanding that he should fulfill -his vow to the utmost. - -The scene is very graphically described: When “Jephthah came to Mizpah -unto his house, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels -and with dances; and she was his only child; beside her he had neither -son nor daughter. And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent -his clothes and said, Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, -and thou art one of them that trouble me, for I have opened my mouth -unto the Lord, and I can not go back.” - -This noble child of faith certainly was equal to her father’s trial, -and lovingly replied, “My father, if thou hast opened thy mouth unto -the Lord, do to me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy -mouth.” - -There has been much discussion as to the real meaning of Jephthah’s -vow, and the real fate of his lovely, obedient daughter. That the -daughter of Jephthah was really offered up to God in sacrifice, slain -by the hand of her father and then burned, is a horrible conclusion, -and contrary to all we know of his life, upon which we have dwelt at -some length in order to bring out its characteristics. With such a -sweet trust and confidence in God as is manifest in his every act, we -can not believe that either Jephthah meant to make a human sacrifice, -or that his daughter so understood it. There are several passages and -constructions which can leave no doubt in the mind of the candid reader -that such was not the literal intention, and that this fair child -of faith and obedience was not to be slain upon the altar like the -children of Ammon before their god of fire, but that her fresh life was -given in all its purity as a living sacrifice of separation and life of -service to Jehovah. - -In the eighteenth chapter of Deuteronomy we find the most solemn -warnings given to Israel against imitating in the least degree the -cruel and wicked rites of the Ammonites, especially in offering human -sacrifices. Now these Ammonites were the very people against whom -Jephthah had gone forth to war, and as godly follower of Jehovah -he must have been familiar with the commandments of the book of -Deuteronomy. For him, therefore, to directly disobey these solemn -injunctions would have been to prove false to all his character and all -the meaning of his victory in the name of Jehovah. - -Again, in the twelfth chapter of Exodus, it is clearly taught that -the first-born of Israel were all to be recognized as the Lord’s, and -liable, therefore, to death, like the Egyptian first-born. But, instead -of their lives being literally required, they were redeemed by the -blood of a lamb, and the Paschal lamb was offered instead of the life -of the Hebrew, and that life was still regarded as wholly the Lord’s, -given to Him in living consecration, of which the whole tribe of Levi -was regarded as the type, and therefore it was separated unto the -service of the Lord as a substitute for the lives of the first-born. - -In all this was clearly taught the lesson that what God required -from His people was not a dead body, but a “living sacrifice.” It is -much harder to live for God than to die for God. It takes much less -spiritual and moral power to leap into the conflict and fling a life -away in the excitement of the battle than it does to live through -fifty years of misunderstanding, pain and temptation. It would have -been easier for Jephthah’s daughter to have lain down amid the flowers -of spring, the chants and songs of a religious ceremonial, the tears -and songs of the people who loved her, and know that her name would -be forever enshrined, than to go out from the bright circle of human -society and all the charms of youth and beauty and domestic and social -delight, and live as a recluse for God alone, giving up the dearest -hope of every Hebrew woman, not only to be a mother, but to be the -mother of the promised Christ; giving up also, along with her father, -the fond desire of a son to share his honor and his sceptre, to prolong -his name. All this it meant. This was the sacrifice she made. And so we -read that she did not go aside to bewail her approaching death, but she -went aside for two months to bewail her “virginity,” the loneliness of -her own life, then gladly gave her life a living sacrifice to God. - -There are several other considerations that might be added if necessary -to establish this construction of the passage. It is enough to briefly -refer to the fact that the phrase in the eleventh chapter of Judges, -verse thirty-nine, is in the future tense, and refers to her future -virginity and not her past, and also that the translation of the -fortieth verse in one of our versions, is that the daughters of Israel -went yearly “to talk” with the daughter of Jephthah four times in a -year. It is not necessary to pursue the argument further. Enough for -our present purpose that we catch the inspired lesson. That lesson is -supreme, unqualified, unquestioning fidelity to God. - -How tender and beautiful the lesson which this passage gives to the -young as well as the old! Just as Isaac stands out in the older story -in a light as glorious as Abraham in yonder sacrifice on Mount Moriah, -so Jephthah’s daughter’s sacrifice must not be forgotten in the honor -we pay her father. Sweet child of single-hearted consecration! God help -her sisters and her followers to be as true. Oh, beloved, do not wait -until desire shall fail and age chill the pulses of ardent youth, and -the world fall away from you itself. But when the flowers are blooming, -and the cup is brimming, and the heart beats high with earthly love -and joy and hope, then it is so sweet, it is so wise, it is so rare, -to pour all at His blessed feet, as Mary poured her ointment on His -head, and some day to receive it back amid the bloom and peals of -yonder land, where they that have forsaken friends and treasures, fond -affections and brightest prospects for His dear sake, shall receive a -hundredfold, and shall have the still richer joy of knowing that they -have learned His spirit and understood His love. - -Following the story of Jephthah’s daughter and her heroic -self-sacrifice, we next come to the touching scenes and incidents -related in the life of Ruth and her mother-in-law, Naomi. This is, -confessedly, one of the sweetest idyls ever written. As a singular -example of virtue and piety in a rude age and among an idolatrous -people; as one of the first fruits of the Gentile harvest gathered -into the Church; as the heroine of a story of exquisite beauty and -simplicity; as illustrating in her history the workings of Divine -Providence, and the truth of the saying, “the eyes of the Lord are -over the righteous;” for the many interesting revelations of ancient -domestic and social customs which are associated with her story, Ruth -has always held a foremost place among the Women in White Raiment. - -The story begins at Bethlehem, so dear to the Christian heart. A famine -had occurred, and even the fertile plains of Bethlehem Ephratah (the -fruitful) failed to give sufficient food to its inhabitants. On this -account Elimelech, an Ephrathite, left his home with his wife and -two sons and went to sojourn in the land of Moab, the hilly region -south-east of the Dead Sea, where the descendants of Lot dwelt. Here -Elimelech died, and Naomi, his wife, was left a widow with her two -sons, Mahlon and Chilin. - -The young men, when grown, took them wives of the women of Moab. -Probably this was another severe trial to Naomi, for she had doubtless -warned them that it was contrary to God’s law that they should marry -daughters of the heathen. Other strokes came quickly upon her, for her -two sons died also. Naomi, notwithstanding her nationality, had won the -respect and warmest attachment of her sons’ wives; and now, when death -had desolated their homes and laid in the dust the strong men to whom -they had clung, they only drew the closer to each other. - -At the end of ten years, and having heard that there was plenty again -in Judah, Naomi resolved to return to Bethlehem. Orpah and Ruth also -purposed to accompany her. We can imagine the sad farewell visit to the -graves of the beloved dead, and then together set out on foot for the -land which the Lord had blessed. - -After they had gone on their way for some distance, Naomi, with -heartfelt acknowledgment of their fidelity to her, endeavored to -persuade them to return to their own kindred. But they both declared -that they would cleave to her. And so they trudged on until probably -the borders of Moab were reached, when Naomi once more urged them to -return to their people. Orpah this time yielded to Naomi’s urgent -request, and giving her a kiss of farewell, returned to her people. -Ruth, however, still clave to Naomi, with self-sacrificing love. -Pointing to the form of Orpah, Naomi entreated Ruth to follow her -sister’s example. - -This was the crisis in Ruth’s life, on which her future destiny was to -turn. But the clinging nature of Ruth refused to be separated from the -warm heart of Naomi, and no one can fail to be moved by the pathos of -her reply, “Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following -after thee; for whither thou goest I will go; and where thou lodgest, I -will lodge; thy people shall be my people, and thy God, my God; where -thou diest, I will die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to -me, and more also, if aught but death part thee and me.” This tender -loyalty and undying love must have touched the strong, brave heart of -Naomi, for Ruth’s noble plea covered every possible condition in life -through which they might be called to pass, and refused to be separated -even in death. - -[Illustration: RUTH THE FAITHFUL FRIEND.] - -The decision was so firmly, so solemnly stated that there was nothing -more to be said, and Naomi, doubtless glad in her loneliness to retain -the treasure of such a true and loving heart, made no further effort -to alter her purpose, and so the two journeyed on together towards -Bethlehem. - -There were two things in conflict, one with the other, at this stage in -the experience of these women. 1. Ruth had learned to know and to love -the true God, and we must believe she loved him with the intensity of -her nature. The opportunity was offered, and she determined to forsake -her heathen idols, and to unite herself with the people of Jehovah, and -to rest within the shadow of the wings of the God of Israel, regardless -of trials or poverty that might await her in the future. 2. On the -other hand, Naomi was brave to take Ruth with her, for she knew the law -that excluded the Moabite, and it is marvelous that Ruth was received -into the Hebrew nation, for her people were specially interdicted, and -doubtless this was the reason why Naomi sought and urged Orpah and Ruth -to turn back. - -At length, after days of travel, the two lone women, weary and -footsore, arrived at Bethlehem, and all the city was moved about the -event, and as they looked into the face of the elder woman and saw the -deep lines of sorrow, they said, “Is not this Naomi?” Yes, it was Naomi -(which means delightsome), in her youth, before her life became blasted -with sorrow and want. In her destitution her name seems to her to be -a mockery, and she exclaims, “Call me Mara!” that is, bitterness. She -went out with her husband and sons full of hope, now she has returned -with only the bitter recollection of three graves in the land of Moab, -and herself in abject poverty. - -No one seemed to have helped Naomi in her sorrow and distress. But -Ruth, true to her declaration, clung to Naomi, and bravely took it upon -herself to provide for both. It was the time of the barley harvest, and -the brave girl went out into the fields to glean after the reapers, a -privilege that the law of Moses allowed to the poor of the land. - -“Her hap” was to enter the field of Boaz. It was a “hap” so far as -Ruth was concerned, but back of it was the ordering of Him who is the -husband of the widow and the Father of the fatherless. Boaz came into -the field, and after the good manners of those times, exchanged pious -and kindly salutations with his reapers. Now Boaz was a near kinsman of -Ruth’s deceased husband, and a man of wealth and consideration, but of -course knew nothing about this Moabitess. However, having learned that -she was the companion of Naomi, he generously permitted her to glean -among the sheaves, and instructed his reapers to let drop a handful now -and then on purpose for her. - -And so this loving heart gleaned through the hot hours of the day until -evening, and then she beat the barley from the straw, and the result -proved she had “about an ephah” (over a bushel) of barley. - -With the result of her day’s labor under her arm, she hastened home, -and when Naomi saw it, she asked, “Where hast thou gleaned to-day?” - -Ruth replied that the name of the man in whose field she had gleaned -was Boaz. - -Naomi loved her beautiful, widowed daughter-in-law; and she was eager -for her to have a happy home, claiming in Israel the inheritance of the -departed, and so she told Ruth of the relation in which Boaz stood to -her, and instructed her to claim at the hands of Boaz that he should -perform the part of her husband’s near kinsman, by purchasing the -inheritance of Elimelech, and taking her to be his wife. But there -was a nearer kinsman than Boaz, and it was necessary that he should -have the option of redeeming the inheritance for himself. He, however, -declined, fearing to mar his own inheritance. Upon which, with all due -solemnity, Boaz took Ruth to be his wife, amidst the blessings and -congratulations of their neighbors. - -The most sweetly primitive and poetic touch of all this story is the -blessing of the women upon Naomi, when the babe that had been given -Ruth after her marriage to Boaz was laid in the mother-in-law’s bosom: -“Blessed be the Lord, which had not left thee this day without a -kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel. And he shall be unto -thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age; for thy -daughter-in-law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven -sons, hath borne him.” - -Ruth, by birth, was a heathen. As such, she was excluded from God’s -covenanted people. But, in her case, love was mightier than law. In the -fullness of time it was shown to be the fulfillment of law. Though her -people were specially interdicted, she was admitted to the first rank -and led by Providence into the line of the world’s nobility. Her life -shows how God values beautiful, loving character even more than great -deeds. As her name indicates, she was a “faithful friend.” It was what -she was, rather than what she did, that brought her the high honor -of being the mother of Obed, and the ancestress, not only of David -and Solomon, the greatest Jewish kings, but of Christ Himself. To a -believing people like the Hebrews, who lived for the future, that was -the climax of Divine approval. - -What amazing results have been accomplished by women of faith. It will -be well for us to study and emulate the sweet, obedient faith of this -beautiful Moabitess. We must remember that it is not the quantity, -but quality, of our service that pleases most our heavenly Father; -not what we do, but what we are. We may never do great things, but, -through grace, we can all be faithful. We may pass from the stage of -action, but the splendid deeds wrought in faith will remain, shedding -their influence across the bosom of a sinful world, like so many beacon -lights guiding a guilty race back to a Father’s love, and the world’s -final redemption. - -We now come to Hannah, the last woman in White Raiment under the -Theocracy. The mother of the great and good Samuel will ever stand in -history as among the purest of women. It often happens that the mother -is lost sight of in the fame of her son. This is quite true in the life -of Samuel. He stands out the great Reformer of his time, lifting his -people out of the Dark Ages of the Old Testament and leading them into -the Golden Age of David’s kingdom and Israel’s pre-eminence among the -nations. - -But while Samuel ranks with Joseph, and Joshua, and Daniel, in the -blamelessness of his life, let us not forget that back of that great -life was a woman’s broken heart, a woman’s tears, a woman’s life made -bitter by disappointment and humiliation, made so by a polygamous -system whose fruit must ever be jealousy and sorrow--ever a sign of a -low condition of social morality. - -Poor, heart-broken Hannah was one of the two wives of Elkanah, an -Ephrathite. However, the record does not show that she was unloved by -her husband. Indeed, it appears that he tried to comfort her, gallantly -asking her if he were not more to her than ten sons. But her sorrow -that she had no children made her countenance sad, and took away her -appetite for food. At length, however, out of her crushed heart came -the believing prayer that brought her victory and consolation. - -It was the fixed habit of Elkanah to go with his family “yearly to -worship and to sacrifice unto the Lord of Hosts in Shiloh.” On one of -these yearly visits, Hannah poured out her prayer in great sobs and -tears. She was very definite in her petition. She asked for a son, -not that she might know the joy of motherhood, but that God might be -glorified. She promised that she would “give him unto the Lord all the -days of his life.” And so earnest was she in pressing her suit, that -Eli the priest thought her drunk, and reproved her for her conduct. -But she bravely told him her story. She said she was a “woman of a -sorrowful spirit.” She had drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but had -poured out her soul before the Lord. - -The spirit of prophecy came upon the good old man, and though he knew -nothing of the nature of her prayer, he promised its fulfillment. “Go -in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast -asked of Him.” Hannah believed, and she “went her way, and did eat, and -her countenance was no more sad.” - -After her beautiful boy was born, and began to show his charming baby -ways, she trembled under his dainty caresses, and the kisses of his -pure, sweet mouth, for she remembered her vow; but she was true and -faithful. - -It is a brave, strong, submissive mother who can give up without a -murmur the child that God takes to Himself; but to know that he is -alive somewhere, and at that very hour may be grieving for lack of the -love and care that only a mother can give, O how that ordeal must rend -the heart! Just that was the test of Hannah’s loyalty. In just that -severe balance of obedience and trust was she weighed, and she was not -found wanting. - -When her child was old enough to be left without a mother’s watchful -care she took him to the Tabernacle and gave him to Eli, to be brought -up as a child of the sanctuary. “I have lent him to the Lord,” she -said, “and as long as he lives he shall be lent unto the Lord.” Not for -a few days or weeks did she give him up, but she gave him wholly and -with a sacrifice that only a mother could understand, she consented -that the little feet for whose pattering she had longed should be heard -no more in her cottage, that the prattle for whose music her lonely -heart had waited a lifetime should sound no more in her ears, but that -she should live on till the end alone, glad to know that he was all the -Lord’s, and was giving back to God the blessing which he had brought -to her. This is love and this is the difference between the love of -earth and the love of heaven. Earthly love loves for the pleasure it -can find in loving. Heavenly love loves for the blessing it can give to -the loved one. Hannah knew that her sacrifice was best for Samuel, and -that in giving him to God she was getting more for him than a mother’s -selfish fondness could ever have bestowed. - -And yet there was still the sweet thought behind it all that he was -hers. She was not losing him but lending him, and God counted her -sacrifice a real service, and some day would restore the loan with -infinite and eternal additions. - -When Hannah had triumphed over her own heart, and her boy was safely -under the care and instruction of Eli, to be used to the utmost in -the Lord’s service, she sung her song of thanksgiving for the birth -of her son. Her hymn is in the highest order of prophetic poetry. -Its resemblance to that of the Virgin Mary has been noticed by -Bible students, and is specially remarkable as containing the first -designation of the Messiah under that name. Though written in the days -of scant literary attainment, the song of Hannah is an exquisite piece -of composition. It is full of keen insight and superb power. Besides -what was written by Moses, men wrote but little poetry in that early -time. The hymns of Miriam, Deborah and Hannah have rare beauty. It was -the daughters rather than the sons who prophesied in song. - -But while the child Samuel, “girded with a linen ephod,” “ministered -before the Lord,” in the Tabernacle, in Shiloh, the loving mother -heart, in her home, was stitching her beautiful thoughts year after -year into the little coat which she annually brought to him, “when -she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.” And we -may well believe that Hannah’s loyalty and good sense made plain, -serviceable garments, so that the mind of the young Samuel was not -diverted from his Tabernacle duties to gay and bright colors in his -tunics, and so his young heart was kept from the blight of pride. This -was the lad’s high privilege. He was always a holy child. He never -knew the defiling breath of wickedness. This may be the privilege of -your child, Christian mother. God help you to protect your innocent -babe from the foul breath of sin’s contamination and always to shelter -that trusting life under the protecting wings of God. This may be your -privilege, happy Christian child, who perchance may read these lines -to-day. Oh, let God have your earliest years and may you never know the -mystery of iniquity and the memories of sin and shame which, though -they may be forgiven, yet come back to defile and distress the heart. - -But Samuel was not holy and good by natural birth or disposition. It -was not because that he was good anyhow by temperament. The keynote of -his life was, “Speak, Lord, for Thy servant heareth.” At first even he -made some mistakes and misunderstood the voice that spake to him so -gently in his little chamber. Three times it called to him in vain, and -he thought it was the old priest’s message, but even when he understood -not he still responded and sprang to his feet, ready instantly to obey. - -The very peculiarities of Samuel’s call lingered in his later life in -his messages to Saul, “Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and -to hearken than the fat of rams.” All his blessings had come to him -by hearkening and obeying, and all Saul’s calamities had come to him -because he willfully took his own way and refused to listen to God. - -From Hannah’s consecration of her child we may learn two excellent -lessons, embodying the greatest principles that underlie the human side -of the redemption of the race: First, the mother’s power; and second, -the child’s ability to know God. She had so thoroughly lent Samuel to -the Lord that he held true to God in the degeneracy of Eli’s judgeship -and the slackness of the priesthood, as illustrated in the family of -Eli. The social condition of the age was a shocking exhibition of low -sensuality, licentiousness and cupidity that would disgrace even the -grossest heathenism. Eli himself, while a just and holy man in his own -private character, was weak and inefficient as a judge and a priest, -and utterly failed to restrain his ungodly family or exercise any just -administration of public affairs. The whole nation was, therefore, in -a most pitiable condition, at the mercy of its foreign oppressors and -so enfeebled that a few years later we find there was not a sword in -Israel, and they had even to go to the grindstones of the Philistines -in order to grind their plough coulters for the ordinary operations of -husbandry. It was at such a time as this that God called Samuel to be -at once the pattern and deliverer of his country. - -In the very outset, the Lord had some very unpleasant work for Samuel -to do, which must have tested his obedience. While yet quite young he -had a hard, sad message to deliver to his old friend and instructor, -and it was no easy task to go to Eli and tell him all that God had -spoken against his house. It was the hard test which often came again -in his later ministry as the messenger of God to sinful man. Again and -again did he have to go to those he loved and say to them the thing -which nearly broke his heart. - -When this child of promise finally passed from under the watchful care -of the devoted Hannah, we are told, “the Lord was with Samuel,” and he -“let none of his words fall to the ground, and all Israel knew that -Samuel was established to be a prophet of the Lord.” - -The life of Samuel marks a transition period in the history of Israel -from the time of the Judges to the kingdom of Saul and David. His was -an epoch life like Abraham’s, Joshua’s and John the Baptist’s. - -He also enjoyed the distinguished honor of being the founder of the -school of the prophets and the first in that glorious succession of -holy men who spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost, and who formed -the only unbroken line of truth and righteousness in the history of -God’s ancient people. From the days of Samuel the prophets formed a -distinct class, and had a regular school of training, corresponding -somewhat to our theological seminaries and training institutes, and -Samuel had the pre-eminence of being the founder of these prophetic -schools. Later in his life he went about the country as a pastor and -overseer, visiting the towns and villages, holding conventions, from -place to place and instructing the people in the law of God and the -schools of the prophets in the principles of the kingdom. - -But, above all his public ministries and even his national influence, -Samuel was himself a beautiful and spotless character. In an age of -almost universal corruption he lived a life of blameless piety, and at -a later period, when bidding farewell to the nation as their judge, he -could truly call upon them to witness to his uprightness and integrity. -“Behold,” he said, “I am old and gray-headed, and I have walked before -you from my childhood unto this day. Behold, here I am; witness against -me before the Lord and before His anointed. Whose ox have I taken? -or whose ass have I taken? or whom have I defrauded? whom have I -oppressed? or of whose hand have I received any bribe to blind mine -eyes therewith? and I will restore it to you.” And they said, “Thou -hast not defrauded us nor oppressed us, neither hast thou taken aught -of any man’s hand.” - -Samuel stands forth as one of the blameless lives of sacred history; -human no doubt in his infirmities, but no fault has been recorded -against him, and his personal character is the most eloquent testimony -of all his history. - -We have been permitted to trace this beautiful life to its source. Some -characters, like Elijah’s suddenly burst upon our vision and we only -know them in the public and closing chapters of their history. Some, -however, are like a beautiful river that you can trace to its crystal -fountain and follow all through its winding channel until, like our own -Hudson, it pours its volume into the sea. Thus we have been permitted -to stand by Samuel’s cradle and even to know something of his prophetic -future before his very birth. We enter into the joys and sorrows and -the believing prayers of Hannah, the devoted mother, who was the real -fountain, not only of his natural life, but also of his piety and holy -power. And we walk side by side with him through his childhood and -his youth until, at last, we meet him in the busy activities of his -manhood and follow him until he lays down his ministry and passes to -his honored rest. - -What a touching story is the life of Hannah of motherly consecration of -herself and her Samuel. If all who wear the crown of motherhood were as -noble, as loyal, as self-giving and trustful as Hannah was, and brought -up their children to know and obey the voice of the Lord, what a world -this would be. O that our land were filled with Hannahs, then would we -have more Samuels. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -Womanhood During the Reign of the Kings. - - ABIGAIL--CHURLISH NABAL--CHIVALROUS APPRECIATION--DAVID’S - MESSENGERS--SAUL’S DAUGHTERS--HIS TREACHERY--MICHAL’S - STRATAGEM--RIZPAH--HER HEROIC ENDURANCE AND LOVING FIDELITY--THE - QUEEN OF SHEBA--HER VISIT TO JERUSALEM--THE GLORY AND WISDOM OF - SOLOMON--THE HALF NOT TOLD--THE QUEEN’S ROYAL GIFTS. - - -Passing out from under the Theocracy, or rule of the Judges, the first -woman in White Raiment that appears on the page of the Sacred Record -is Abigail. She was the wife of Nabal, a wealthy owner of goats and -sheep in Carmel, not the Mount Carmel of Central Palestine, between -the maritime plain of Sharon on the south, and the great inland -expanse known as the plain of Esdraelon on the north, but a town in -the mountainous country of Judah, to the west of the lower end of the -Dead Sea. She was a woman of good understanding and of a beautiful -countenance--a fit combination. - -Her character had written its legend on her face. The two things do not -always go together. There are many beautiful women wholly destitute -of good understanding, just as birds of rarest plumage are commonly -deficient in the power of song. But a good understanding, which is -moral rather than intellectual, casts a glow of beauty over the -plainest features. - -But Abigail’s husband was a churl. The great establishment over which -she presided would be called, in our modern times, a sheep ranch, and, -under the management of such a man as Nabal, the servants doubtless -often echoed the ill-temper of their master, and her wits would be -often sharpened to the utmost to keep all within the limits of safety -and comfort. - -Evidently, at her birth, Abigail had been a welcomed child in a happy -home, amid plenty and even luxury, such as the times in that rude age -of the world could give. Her parents named her “Source of joy.” She -had grown up in a glad, breezy confidence that made her equal to any -emergency. Since God has floods of glory for the gloomiest souls, why -will not parents keep their children in the clear, warm sunshine of -joyful love? Many drudge early and late to provide culture and comfort; -but they withhold a better, richer gift. They becloud hopelessly the -dear young lives with their own disappointments, and foredoom them to -despondency. - -This sprightly, happy, beautiful Abigail at length married the selfish, -churlish Nabal. When we look over society to-day, it is remarkable how -many Abigails get married to Nabals. God-fearing women, tender and -gentle in their sensibilities, high-minded and noble in their ideals, -become tied in an indissoluble union with men for whom they can have no -true affinity, even if they have not an unconquerable repugnance. In -Abigail’s case this relationship was, in all probability, not of her -choosing, but the product of the Oriental custom which compelled a girl -to take her father’s choice in the matter of marriage. As a mere child -she may have come into Nabal’s home, and become bound to him by an -apparently inevitable fate. In other ways which involve equally little -personal choice, compelled by the pressure of inexorable circumstances, -misled by the deceitful tongue of flattery, her instinctive hesitancy -overcome by the urgency of friends, a woman may still find herself in -Abigail’s pitiful plight. To such a one there is but one advice--you -must stay where you are. The dissimilarity in taste and temperament -does not constitute a sufficient reason for leaving your husband to -drift. You must believe that God has permitted you to enter on this -awful heritage, partly because this fiery ordeal was required by your -character, and partly that you might act as a counteractive influence. -It may be that some day your opportunity will come, as it came to -Abigail. In the meantime do not allow your purer nature to be bespotted -or besmeared. You can always keep the soul clean and pure. Bide your -time; and, amid the weltering waste of inky water, be like a pure -fountain rising from the ocean depths. - -But if any young girl of good sense and earnest aspirations, who reads -these lines, secretly knows that, if she had the chance, she would wed -a carriage and pair, a good position, or broad acres, irrespective of -character, let her remember that to enter the marriage bond with a man, -deliberately and advisedly, for such a purpose, is a profanation of the -Divine ideal, and can end only in one way. She will not raise him to -her level, but she will sink to his. - -There came a time when Nabal had an opportunity to show kindness, to -pay back, in part at least, his appreciation for the protection David -and his men had given Nabal’s shepherds from Bedouin and other desert -robbers. It was sheep-shearing time, a season of gladness and of -feasting. David and his men were shut up in the wilderness of Engedi, -driven thither by the persecutions of Saul. Doubtless they were in need -of food, and David thought that the owner of three thousand sheep, and -a thousand goats, in the very midst of the sheep-shearing festivities, -could send him a token of remembrance in his hunger and need. So David -sent ten of his young men with salutations of peace and prosperity, and -a request for any favor he felt disposed to give. But Nabal answered -the young men saying, “Who is David? and who is the son of Jesse? there -be many servants nowadays that break away every man from his master. -Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my flesh that I have -killed for my shearers, and give it unto men, whom I know not whence -they be?” - -The young men returned to David with the message of Nabal, and, -naturally enough, David felt insulted and outraged. Taking a band of -four hundred men, he resolved to impress upon Nabal who the “son of -Jesse” was, and to make him pay dearly for his foolhardy conduct. - -But, in the meantime, one of Nabal’s servants told Abigail how David’s -young men had been treated. Evidently this thoughtful and prudent -servant knew the excellency of his mistress, and could trust her to -act wisely in the emergency which was upon them. So he told her all. -Told how David and his men had been “a wall” unto the shepherds “both -by night and by day,” and for all this kindness Nabal, his master, had -“railed” upon David’s messengers. - -[Illustration: THE BEAUTIFUL ABIGAIL MEETING DAVID.] - -Abigail immediately grasped the situation and at once despatched a -small procession of provision-bearers along the way David would come. -In this she did not even take Nabal into her counsel, and she prepared -to pay bountifully for the conduct of her foolhardy husband. - -The band had scarcely started when she followed after, and, as she -expected, met the avenging warriors by the covert of the mountain, and -the interview was as creditable to her woman’s wit as to her grace -of heart. The lowly obeisance of the beautiful woman at the young -soldier’s feet; the frank confession of the wrong that had been done; -the expression of thankfulness that so far he had been kept from -blood-guiltiness and from avenging his own wrongs; the depreciation -of the generous present she brought as only fit for his servants; the -chivalrous appreciation of his desire to fight only the battles of -the Lord and to keep an unblemished name; the sure anticipation of -the time when his fortunes would be secured and his enemies silenced; -the suggestion that in those coming days he would be glad to have no -shadow on the sunlit hills of his life, no haunting memory--all this -was as beautiful and wise and womanly as it could be, and brought David -back to his better self. Frank and noble as he always was, he did not -hesitate to acknowledge his deep indebtedness to this lovely woman, and -to see in her intercession the gracious arrest of God. “And David said -to Abigail, Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, which sent thee -this day to meet me; and blessed be thy wisdom, and blessed be thou, -which has kept me this day from blood-guiltiness, and from avenging -myself with my own hand.” - -What a revelation this is of the ministries with which God seeks -to avert us from our evil ways! They are sometimes very subtle and -slender, very small and still; sometimes a gentle woman’s hand laid on -our wrist, the mother reminding us of her maternity, the wife of early -vows, the child with its pitiful, beseeching look; sometimes a thought, -holy, pleading, remonstrating. Ah, many a time we have been saved from -actions which would have caused lasting regret. And above all these -voices and influences there has been the gracious arresting influence -of the Holy Spirit, striving with passion and selfishness, calling -us to a nobler, better life. Blessed Spirit, come down more often by -the covert of the hill, and stay us in our mad career, and let us not -press past thee to take our own wild way, and we shall have reason for -ceaseless gratitude. - -Only ten days after Abigail’s womanly intercession Nabal died by the -judgments of God. - -When David heard of Nabal’s death, he was very grateful indeed that -he had been restrained by the prudent words of Abigail, and sent -messengers to her at Carmel, asking her hand in marriage. And this is -the touching reply she sent back to David, “Behold, let thine handmaid -be a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.” - -“And Abigail hasted, and arose, and rode upon an ass, with five damsels -of hers that went after her; and she went after the messengers of -David, and became his wife.” After her marriage, she accompanied David -in all his fortunes; and no doubt her shrewd business sense was of -great service to her husband. The words she told David while he was -sinking under discouragement from Nabal’s ingratitude, that he would be -“bound in the bundle of life with the Lord his God,” became prophetic -of her own after life. She proved that-- - - “They who get the best are those - Who leave the choice to Him.” - -We next come to Michal. As Abigail had saved the life of Nabal, so -Michal had saved the life of David. She was the younger of the two -daughters of Saul, the first king in Israel. David had been very -successful in the slaughter of the Philistines, and on his return -the women came out singing songs of welcome, in which they chanted, -“Saul hath slain thousands, and David ten thousands.” Saul was highly -displeased with this popular welcome to David and said, “What can he -have more but the kingdom?” - -But, with a view of exposing the life of David, Saul promised his elder -daughter, Merab, in marriage, if he would fight his battles. However, -in this Saul had missed his calculations, for the Philistines were not -able to take the life of David. So, no doubt, in order that he might -have one more opportunity of exposing David to the dangers of war, -he gave Merab to Adriel, the Mehoathite, to wife. It was a treachery -such as Saul frequently practiced upon David. So he offered Michal, -the second daughter, in marriage, fixing the price for her hand at no -less than the slaughter of a hundred Philistines. David, by a brilliant -feat, doubled the tale of his victims, and Michal became his wife. - -Michal was not averse to the good luck of David, for she had so -appreciated him that she had fallen violently in love with the young -hero. It was not long, however, before the strength of her affections -was put to the proof. After one of Saul’s attacks of frenzy, in which -David had barely escaped being transfixed by the king’s spear, Michal -learned that the house was being watched by Saul’s soldiers, and that -it was intended on the next morning to attack her husband as he left -his door. Michal seemed to have known too well the vacillating and -ferocious disposition of her father when in these demoniacal moods, so, -like a true soldier’s wife, she met stratagem by stratagem. She first -provided for David’s safety by lowering him out of the window by means -of a rope. To gain time for him to reach the residence of Samuel at -Ramah, she dressed up the bed as if still occupied by him, by placing -a teraphim in it, its head enveloped, like that of a sleeper, in the -usual net used for protection from gnats--a sore pest in Palestine. - -It happened as Michal feared. Her father sent officers to take David. -Michal made answer that her husband was ill and could not be disturbed. -At last Saul would not be longer put off, and ordered his messengers -to force their way into David’s apartment, when they discovered the -deception which had been played so successfully, Saul’s rage knew no -bounds, and his fury was such that Michal was obliged to resort to -another deception by pretending that David attempted to kill her. - -When Michal let David down by a rope through a window on that memorable -night in which she saved his life, it was the last time she saw her -husband for many years. When the rupture between Saul and David became -open, Saul gave Michal in marriage to Phaltiel, of Gallim, a village -not far from the royal residence at Gibeah. - -After the death of Saul, Michal and her new husband moved with the -royal family to the east of Jordan. - -It was at least fourteen years since she had watched David’s -disappearance down the rope into the darkness of the night and had -imperilled her own life to save his. During all these years, it would -seem, his love for his absent wife had undergone no change, for he -was eager to reclaim her when the first opportunity presented itself. -That opportunity came when Abner revolted from Ishbosheth. Important -as it was to him to make an alliance with the court of Ishbosheth, -established at Mahanaim, and much as he respected Abner, he would -not listen for a moment to any overtures till his wife was restored. -And David sent messengers to Ishbosheth saying, “Deliver me my wife -Michal.” There seemed to be no alternative, and Michal was taken from -Phaltiel. That she had equally won the love of Phaltiel is manifest -from the sad scene when she was taken from him, and now under the joint -escort of David’s messengers and Abner’s twenty men, _en route_ from -Mahanaim to Hebron, he followed behind, bewailing the wife thus torn -from him, and would not turn back until commanded to do so by Abner. - -But when Michal was received into the royal home, then at Hebron, she -was not the affectionate companion of David’s youth. And, doubtless, -he was no longer to her what he was before she had bestowed her love -upon another. They were no longer what they had been to each other. -The alienation was probably mutual. On her side must have been the -recollection of the long contest which had taken place in the interval -between her father and David; the strong feeling in the palace at -Hebron against the house of Saul, where every word she heard must -have contained some distasteful allusion, and where at every turn -she must have encountered men like Abiather the priest, or Ismaiah -the Gibeonite, who had lost the whole or the greater part of their -relatives in some sudden burst of her father’s fury. And more than -all, perhaps, the inevitable difference between the husband of her -recollections and the matured and occupied warrior who now received -her. The whole must have come upon her as a strong contrast to the -affectionate Phaltiel, whose tears had followed her along the road over -Olivet until commanded to return home. - -It also seems she did not enter into David’s religious sympathies. -When he brought the Ark of Jehovah into Jerusalem, after the seat of -government was transferred from Hebron to that city, Michal watched -the procession approach from the window of the royal palace, and when -she saw David in the triumphal march, “she despised him in her heart.” -It would have been well if her contempt had rested there; but it was -not in her nature to conceal it, and when the last burnt offering had -been made, and the king entered his house to bless his family, he was -received by his wife not with the congratulations which he had a right -to expect and which would have been so grateful to him, but with a -bitter taunt which showed how incapable she was of appreciating either -her husband’s devotions, or the importance of the service in which he -had been engaged. David’s answer showed that they were as wide apart -religiously as he and her father had been politically. He said, “It was -before the Lord, which chose me before thy father, and before all his -house, to appoint me ruler over the people.” This reproof gathered up -all the differences between them which made sympathy no longer possible. - -We must think of Michal what she was to David in her youth, and what -she might have been had she not been given to another, perhaps against -her own will. Thus David lost her womanly affection, which he so much -needed, and Michal lost his brave, heroic but devout spirit, which -would greatly have helped her to a correct knowledge of God, for, from -the fact that she had a teraphim in her house, would indicate she was -not wholly free from idolatry, and this doubtless accounts for her -lack of sympathy with David in his religious nature, for his devotions -to God were unquestioned. Her surroundings from childhood were bad -every way, and her want of religious sympathy was not so much the want -of faith as the lack of opportunity to know God. We give her a place -here for what she was in her youth, in saving the life of David, and -what she would have been could she have grown up under the religious -influences of David. - -Upon the death of Saul, the first king in Israel, Rizpah, a secondary -wife, and mother of his two sons Armoni and Mephibosheth, appears on -the stage of action. After Saul was defeated and met with death on -Mount Gilboa and the Philistines occupied the country west of the -Jordan, the seat of government was transferred from Gibeah to Mahanaim -for greater protection, and Rizpah accompanied the inmates of the royal -household to their new residence. - -Ishbosheth, the youngest of Saul’s four legitimate sons, and his -rightful heir to the throne, had been proclaimed king in place of his -father. Abner, Saul’s uncle, however, had command of the army, and had -much to do in administering the affairs of the kingdom; and, because -of this relation, and for reasons not stated, he seemed to have had -frequent consultations with Rizpah, and this excited Ishbosheth’s -jealousy. Among those primitive people, to take the widow of a deceased -king was to aspire to the throne. Ishbosheth accused Abner of that -ambitious design, and the captain, in his resentment, replied, “Am I -a dog’s head, which against Judah do shew kindness this day unto the -house of Saul thy father, to his brethren, and to his friends, and -have not delivered thee into the hands of David, that thou chargest me -to-day with a fault concerning this woman?” Abner was so wroth that -he left Ishbosheth and went over to David--a piece of spite which led -first to Abner’s death through Joab’s treachery, and ultimately to the -murder of Ishbosheth himself. - -We hear nothing more of Rizpah till the three years’ famine made it -necessary to settle an old score against the house of Saul for that -king’s wicked dealings with the Gibeonites. According to the crude, -rough justice of the times, they demanded the death of seven of Saul’s -descendants. The two sons of Rizpah and five of Saul’s grandsons were -handed over to them for crucifixion. - -Here Rizpah’s love, and endurance is brought to our notice. The seven -crosses to which her two sons and her five relatives were fastened, -were planted in the rock on the top of the sacred hill of Gibeah. The -victims were sacrificed at the beginning of barley harvest--the sacred -and festal time of the Passover--and in the full blaze of the summer -sun they hung till the fall of the periodical rain in October. During -the whole of that time Rizpah remained at the foot of the crosses on -which the bodies of her sons were exposed. She had no tent to shelter -her all those months from the scorching sun which beats on that open -spot all day, or from the drenching dews of night, but she spread on -the rock summit the thick mourning garment of black sackcloth, which, -as a widow, she wore, and, crouching there, she kept off bird and beast -till their bodies could have honorable burial. - -At length the heroic actions of Rizpah were brought to the notice of -David, who, with his usual kindness, had the bodies of Saul and his -friend Jonathan brought from Jabesh-Gilead, and the bodies taken from -the crosses and sepulchred in the family tomb of Kish. - -Rizpah, by birth was a Hivite, and probably had not the sustaining -grace which God alone can give. She had trained her sons for the -splendors of a court. They were cut off in their prime, and her -desolate heart had only its pride to sustain her during her superhuman -anguish and endurance. Her loving, passionate nature was a bright light -in a rude, dark age. With such a beautiful example before us, we need -never say the circumstances of our life forbid the possibilities of -living for God. The blacker the cloud the brighter may be the rainbow. -The harder our situation the more can our life become a protest against -it. The lighthouse needs the midnight darkness and the storm-beaten -shore to bring out its value and its purpose, and there is no situation -so trying and difficult but God can sustain us in it, and when we have -learned our lesson enable us to triumph over it. - -Rizpah’s loving fidelity has placed her in the front ranks of Bible -women whose holy ministries have made them famous. She may very justly -be characterized as the _Mater Dolorosa_ of the old dispensation. Her -fidelity to the memory of departed loved ones has no equal in the -history of the world. And all this without the sustaining grace of -God, for it must be remembered poor Rizpah was but a heathen woman, in -a rude, dark age of the world. How glad we should be, that in a world -where there is so much to sadden and depress, we have a Saviour to go -to who knows all about our sorrow, and is touched with the feeling of -our infirmities, and have blessed communion with Him in whom is the one -true source and fountain of all true gladness and abiding joy! In a -world where so much is ever seeking to unhallow our spirits, to render -them common, how high the privilege of entering into the secret of His -pavilion, and there, by consecration and prayer, receive strength for -days to come. Such was not Rizpah’s privilege, hence her devotion is -all the more remarkable. - -The history runs on. David had established his throne, and the visit of -the Queen of Sheba marks the climax of the greatness of that kingdom, -and the glory and wisdom of Solomon. It is a remarkable proof of the -new spirit that had come upon the nation. Hitherto the people of Israel -had been wholly agricultural. The great peculiarity of their country -was its isolation, situated in the very midst of the nations of the -earth, yet it was curiously shut in and shut out. A seaboard without -a single navigable river, with a vast desert on the south, a lofty -mountain range on the north, and that strange descent of the Jordan -valley in the east going down more than a thousand feet below the -level of the sea. But Solomon changed all that. His enterprise did -not exhaust itself in building the Temple and palace of Jerusalem. He -actually crossed the great desert to the south and at the head of the -gulf that runs up to the east of the Arabian peninsula he made a harbor -and himself superintended the building of a fleet of ships, and sent -them to traffic in the east, and brought home the sandalwood and many -of the treasures of the Indies, with which he enriched the palace and -the garden. - -[Illustration: SOLOMON’S MERCHANT SHIPS.] - -Thus his merchants went away to strange lands, carrying with them -wherever they went the tidings of their great king, of the Temple that -he had built to Jehovah, the God of Israel; of the palace splendors; of -his throne of state in the cedar Judgment Hall, a throne of ivory with -golden lions on each step, and a footstool of gold. - -Now of the countries that they visited one was famous for its gold -and frankincense and precious stones. It was the land of Sheba to the -south. Thither came the captains and crews of Solomon’s ships, and the -queen heard of the strangers who had come to trade with them in their -vessels from afar, men of a strange language. She sent for them to the -court to hear from their own lips the wonderful things they had to tell -of their great king, and of their God, and of Jerusalem. - -The mere pageantry of the visit to Jerusalem has hidden from us the -true queenliness and spirit of this woman. It was no idle curiosity -that prompted a journey involving so much risk and difficulty. Her very -throne itself was imperilled by her departure and long absence. It -is a proof of how firmly she was set in the affections of her people -that she could venture to leave the land; a proof of her courage that -she should dare set out on such a journey. Hearing of the wisdom of -Solomon, hearing of the great things he had done for his people, -hearing above all that he had brought such prosperity to the land that -every man could sit safely under his own vine and fig-tree, she formed -her purpose to go. If she could learn to do so much for her own people -it were worth everything. - -When the merchants had gone we can see her turn to her statesmen, every -inch a queen, and full already of her lofty purpose, address them -thus, “If I could but secure such well-being for this nation of mine, -I should count it cheaply earned if I went to the ends of the earth to -get it.” - -It is also worthy of observation that this queen of the south was not -content with hearing about Solomon. She did not listen to the tale -these merchants told, and straightway forgot it all, as if it were of -no further concern. She made up her mind, there and then, that if such -a one lived she would go to him and ask such questions as he, and only -he, could answer, that would give her peace and be a blessing to her -people. - -So important was this matter that she did not send an ambassador to the -king. To her they were so real and sacred she must go herself, and go -she did. - -Oh, the misery of it is that such hosts among us are content with -hearing about these blessings of God. Alas, there are thousands of -people who think all this is only to be preached about, never to be -sought after; only to be heard about, never really found. - -She had a long way to go. We read, she came from the uttermost parts of -the earth. Distances were immense in those days. It was a journey for -camels, by no means a comfortable method of traveling. Soldiers must -guard her, for there were many robbers; servants must go to wait upon -her, for her state must be in keeping with the greatness of the foreign -court. She must take with her a load of the most splendid gifts. Then -there were long stretches of hot, wind-swept deserts to be crossed, in -which many had perished in the sand storms. But she was not daunted, -she was not to be turned aside. She had made up her mind, and bravely -faced all the dangers. - -And then, also, we must not overlook the fact she had no invitation. -She did not know how he might receive her. These great kings were -jealous of strangers. Upon some pretence that she came to spy out the -land, he might have her seized as a prisoner, and held her and her -servants to be ransomed at some enormous cost of money. Such things -were common enough; and, if he received her, was it not likely that -he would look with contempt upon her? Even civilized people like the -Greeks were accustomed to regard those as barbarians whose language and -ways were foreign to themselves. But this brave woman will risk it all, -and with a splendid courage, the courage of a woman, she comes. - -So the Queen of Sheba came to see King Solomon, and the scene of her -coming was one of the utmost splendor. It was a tribute indeed to the -far-reaching fame of Israel, which king and people alike may well have -sought to turn to the fullest account. - -[Illustration: THE QUEEN OF SHEBA.] - -At the city gate Solomon came forth to meet the queen in all his -glory, with flashing crown of pure gold, and royal robes of costliest -magnificence. About him are the great officers of state in their -gorgeous apparel, the old wise counselors, the chief captains of his -army. Everywhere are the vast crowds of citizens, thronging every -house roof and city wall, and clustering on every point of vantage. -The music of his singing men and singing women fills the air with glad -welcome. - -And now, seated at his side, in the chariot of cedar with its -tapestried curtains, and drawn by the horses of Egypt all richly -caparisoned, they go on their way. Solomon points out to her the Temple -which he was seven years in building, and which Josephus likened to -a “mountain of snow, covered with plates of gold, whose brightness -made those that looked upon it turn away their eyes.” He told her -there were used “talents” of gold, of silver, and of brass in its -construction valued at the enormous sum of $34,399,110,000. The worth -of the jewels placed at figures equally as high. The vessels of gold, -according to Josephus, were valued at 140,000 talents, which reduced to -money, was equal to $2,821,481,015. The vessels of silver were still -more valuable, being set down at $3,231,720,000. Priests’ vestments, -and robes of singers, at $10,050,000. He told her ten thousand men -hewed cedars, seventy thousand bore burdens, and eighty thousand hewed -stones, and it required three thousand three hundred overseers. Surely -it was the wonder of the world. Then he pointed out to her the Judgment -Hall, the house of the forest of Lebanon, and many other stately -edifices. - -And now they reach the palace, with its luxurious gardens filled with -treasures from all lands. And, seated at the great banquet which the -king had spread in her honor, she sees his wealth, the vastness of his -possessions, the hosts of his servants, the cupbearers at his side, -the banqueting hall, itself a marvel of splendor, the “ascent by which -he went up unto the house of the Lord.” As she saw all this, we read, -“there was no more spirit in her.” She was overwhelmed by the sight of -such boundless wealth and the vision of such glory. - -The Queen of the South communed with Solomon, we are told, of all that -was in her heart. Simply and earnestly she told of her longings for her -people and of the difficulties that beset her. She communed with him of -the mystery of life, how to reach the highest and best. She asked him -of many a matter that perplexed her. Graciously the king listened, and -wisely he answered her. We can easily imagine the words which showed -his skill in answering her questions. There may have been and doubtless -was the keen wit, the brilliant saying, the flashes of wisdom, the -glow of poetry, the genius like that which settled the dispute between -the two mothers. Never did she dream of wisdom like that, and she -exclaimed, “Behold, the half was not told me!” What she saw and heard -excited her wonder to such a degree that it seemed to her directly -imparted by the God of Solomon, whom he adored, and for whom she became -filled with reverence. The light of heaven seemed to break on her soul -when she exclaimed, “Blessed be the Lord thy God, which delighted in -thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel.” - -She gladly acknowledged the truth of all that she had heard. “It was a -true report that I heard in my own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom.” -It was not mere learning, the answering of hard questions, the solution -of metaphysical problems, but his works, appointments, the sitting of -his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, the civil officers -who sat at the royal table, convinced the queen of his great wisdom, in -which she recognized the working of a peculiar power and grace imparted -by God. It was also a practical or life-wisdom, such as Solomon himself -describes, “a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her, length of -days is in her right hand, and in her left hand riches and honor.” -Such wisdom, which rests upon the foundation of the knowledge and love -of God, “is more precious than rubies, and all the things thou canst -desire are not to be compared unto her.” - -But the queen was not content with the words of praise and thanks. She -makes proof of her gratitude by means of great and royal gifts. “She -gave the king an hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices -very great store, and precious stones.” The presents which she made -consisted of those articles in which her land most abounded, and for -which it was most famous. The spices were principally the celebrated -Arabian balm, which was largely exported, and the shrub of which is -said to have been introduced into Palestine by the Queen of Sheba. - -How high the significance which has always been attached to this -visit of the Queen of Sheba to Solomon is shown by the fact that -the remembrance of it has been preserved outside of Palestine for -thousands of years, and that two ancient peoples, the Arabians and -Abyssinians, regard her as the mother of their line of kings. And when -the Lord, from out the treasure of the Old Testament history, chooses -this narrative, and presents it for the shaming of the Pharisees and -Scribes, this presupposes that it was known to and specially esteemed -by all other nations. Sheba was reckoned to be the richest, most -highly favored and glorious land in the ancient world, and therefore -was given the unique name of “The Happy.” Now when the queen came with -a splendid retinue to visit this distant land, and from no political -design, but merely to see and hear the famous king; and when she, the -sovereign of the most fortunate country in the world, declared that -what she had seen and heard exceeded all her expectations; this surely -was the greatest homage Solomon could have obtained. The visit of the -Queen of Sheba marks, therefore, the splendor and climax of the Old -Testament Kingdom, and marks an essential moment in the history of the -covenant as well as of Solomon, and when our Lord said, “The Queen of -the South shall rise up in the judgment with this generation and shall -condemn it; for she came from the uttermost part of the earth to hear -the wisdom of Solomon, and behold a greater than Solomon is here,” He -recognized the prophetical and typical meaning of our narrative. It -is said in the prophetical descriptions of the peaceful Kingdom of -Messiah, “The Kings of Sheba and Seba (Meroe) shall offer gifts; yea, -all kings shall fall down before him; all nations shall serve him.” The -Queen of Sheba, who came from afar, is a type of the kings who, with -their people, shall come from afar to the everlasting Prince of Peace, -the King of kings, and shall do Him homage. Her visit is an historical -prophecy of the true and eternal Kingdom of peace. - -The Queen of Sheba had everything that pertains to temporal prosperity, -high rank, honor and wealth. But all these satisfied not her soul. -She spared no expense or hardships, in order to satisfy the longing -of her heart for the Word of Life. She said not, “I am rich, and have -an abundance, and need nothing,” but she felt she still needed the -highest and the best. How superior is this heathen woman to so many in -Christian lands, who hunger and thirst after all possible things, but -never after a knowledge of truth and wisdom, after the Word of Life. -And then we do not need to journey on camels through burning deserts to -Jerusalem to find Him who is greater than Solomon, for He has promised, -“I am with you forever, until the end of the world,” and can be found -by “whosoever” will seek after Him. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -Womanhood in the Time of the Prophets and During the Captivity. - - THE WICKED JEZEBEL--THE WIDOW OF SAREPTA--THE TISHBITE AT THE CITY - GATE--HIS STRANGE REQUEST--THE WIDOW’S UNFALTERING OBEDIENCE--AN - APPEAL TO ELISHA--A POT OF OIL--THE WIDOW’S WONDERFUL FAITH--THE - RICH WOMAN OF SHUNEM--HER MODEST LIFE--BARLEY HARVEST--A RIDE - TO CARMEL IN THE GLARE OF THE SUN--ESTHER--HER BEAUTIFUL TRAITS - OF CHARACTER--CROWNED AS QUEEN--PLEADING FOR THE LIFE OF HER - PEOPLE--FOUND FAVOR WITH THE KING. - - -The glory of the united kingdom of Israel, described in the last -chapter, in a few years departed as a dream of the night. It was rent -in twain, and Ahab, the wicked king, was on the throne of the northern -kingdom, with the seat of government in Samaria. He had married -Jezebel, the daughter of Ethbaal, King of Sidon, and she had introduced -into the kingdom of Israel the heathen abominations of the Sidonians. -She had even torn down God’s altars, and persecuted his prophets to the -death. And it seems that too many of the Israelites raised little or -no protests against these wicked acts of Jezebel. Indeed, one of the -reasons why the kingdom, after the death of Solomon, was wrenched from -Rehoboam, his son, was the people worshipped Ashtoreth, the goddess of -the Sidonians. - -So grievous had these abominations of the Sidonians become, that -God was about to visit the nation with judgment. But, as He always -sends warnings, and gives a season to repent, so he sent Elijah, the -Tishbite, from the hill country of Gilead down to Ahab in Samaria, with -this message, “As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, -there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my -word.” And James tells us, “it rained not upon the earth for the space -of three years and six months.” - -During these years of famine, the Lord directed Elijah to a widow in -Sarepta, after the waters of the brook of Cherith had dried up. Sarepta -(or Zarephath) was a city of Phœnicia. But the distress of the famine -in Israel was felt even here, for Israel was the great grain field -for Phœnicia. And this explains why Elijah, when he came to the city -gate of Sarepta, found a poor woman, a widow, gathering a few sticks, -that she might bake the last morsel of bread and share it with her -child, after which there was nothing more to hope for. The famine was -doing its awful work among the cities of the coast. The hills back of -Sarepta were scorched, and the beautiful valleys on either side of -the city were cracked in great fissures. In her distress this widow, -in her person had wasted to a skeleton, faltering, trembling, as she -staggered out to gather a few sticks to bake her last cake for self and -child, and then to die. Her cheeks were sunken, her eyes hollow, and -her nerves seem never to have known what rest meant. As she walked she -staggered; when she stood she reeled. She was leaning against her gate, -the sticks in her arms when the Tishbite saluted her with the request, -“Fetch me, I pray thee, a drink of water.” - -In a moment she was going toward her water pot. “Bring me, I pray thee, -a morsel of bread in thy hand,” the prophet called after her while on -the way to get the water. - -“Bread!” Distressed and sorely tried, the poor woman breaks down, and -discloses the sad condition of her home in the ever-memorable words, -“As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but a handful of meal -in a barrel and a little oil in a cruse, and behold, I am gathering two -sticks that I may go and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it -and die.” - -She may or she may not have been an Israelite. She may have been one of -the seven thousand who had not bowed unto Baal, and possibly knew who -it was who addressed her. At all events she must have heard of this -“lighted fire-brand, fallen out of the clouds, and hurled by the hand -of Jehovah” at the wicked Ahab. She may even have heard that in the -midst of the drought Ahab had divided the country between himself and -Obadiah, to seek if possible, amidst its former fountains and brooks -a little “grass to save his horses and mules alive,” though it did -not matter to this hardened wretch of a king if his subjects died by -the thousands. So this demand of Elijah must have been a real trial -to her faith. Nor did her distressed condition change the demand of -the Tishbite. “Do as thou hast said,” he commanded, “but bake me a -little cake first!” What, serve this stranger from Gilead before her -starving child? Surely how could she, with her mother heart, obey such -an order? But, noble woman, staggering under the request, she placed -the gathered sticks on the fire, went to the barrel and took out the -last handful of meal, and poured the last drop of oil from the cruse, -and baked for God’s prophet the cake, and served him _first_! Was -there ever such unselfish self-surrender? But for her poverty and her -appearance, she might have passed for an angel who had strayed away -from heaven, got caught in the famine and could not find her way back. -If God had not been behind this exorbitant demand of the prophet it -had been simply heartless. But, along with the demand were the words, -“for the Lord God of Israel hath said it.” If God said it, that was -the end of all questionings, this angel in human form, reduced in her -poverty, staggered off to meet the demand. There may have been no -small stir in heaven when it became known that she had gone to bake -her last cake for the man of God, and then to die without tasting it -herself. If the jasper walls had that moment let down around her, and -all the glorified had gathered about that oven, she would have felt -perfectly at home without a change of raiment. But that “last cake” -was never baked. As the trembling widow stood by the heated oven, in -sublime obedience to God’s requirement, even as Abraham once stood by -his altar fires on Moriah, with the bound Isaac upon it, there came -the gracious “_Fear not!_” She had gone to a point in her faith where -God always breaks down. He saw it all, and out of divine compassion He -answered, “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.” -And the record goes on to say that she, and the prophet, and her house, -had enough through the years of the famine. There was so much meal and -oil that even the widow’s poor and starving relations came to partake -thereof. That is the way God blesses--it always overflows upon others. - -How this incident at Sarepta glorifies God, whom the Scripture teaches -us to know in His unapproachable greatness and in His affable mercy -and condescension! As we sat by the little brook in Sarepta, amid -the noontide glow of an Oriental sun, and read afresh this charming -story, and then raised our eyes to look on the little chapel which -the crusaders had erected on the reputed site of the widow’s home, -the thought of such a God flooded us with His precious nearness, for, -in our human needs, we love to feel His comforting presence in our -hearts. The Jehovah, the Almighty God, the maker of worlds, the ruler -of systems beyond human vision, whose perfect will is done in heaven -by angels, who holdeth the dew of heaven, the rain in the clouds, the -waters of the oceans in His hands, who gives and withholds the needed -bread and water, He is our Father, and exercises a father’s care, so -that the individual is not forgotten of Him. He holds not only the -whole, but the single parts; He looks not only into the palace of -kings, but into the cottages of poverty. The need and misery of a poor -widow are not too insignificant for Him; He observes her sighs and -tears, and her silent, desolate cottage is for Him a place worthy of -the revelation of His glory and goodness. - -Matchless widow of Sarepta! As long as the name of Elijah lives, with -its imperishable renown, so long shall thine be found side by side with -it in the unfading annals of the church of God! - -But our story runs on. The wicked Ahab had died, and Jehoram, his son, -reigned in his stead. The great hero, prophet of the kingdom of the -ten tribes, had also passed over the Jordan, and somewhere among the -valleys, overshadowed by the lofty dome of Nebo, the “chariot of fire -and horses of fire” came down and translated the first and greatest -of the prophets. His mantle, however, fell upon Elisha, the son of -Shaphat. Elisha had scarcely returned from the land of Moab, whither -he had gone to relieve the armies of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, out -of the horrors of a water famine, when there met him a certain widow -of the wives of the sons of the prophets, and cried unto him in her -distress. Of what particular prophet she was the widow the record does -not state, nor is her name given. Josephus and the rabbis will have -it that she was the widow of Obadiah, who, they think, had exhausted -his fortune in the provision for the persecuted prophets in the time -of the drought, in the reign of Ahab, when, faithful to God, amidst -the splendors of Ahab’s corrupt court, he hid such of the prophets as -escaped out of the hands of Jezebel, the wicked queen, hid them in -caves, feeding them on bread and water through the sore distress of the -three years’ famine, and so had fallen into debt, basing their claim -upon the woman’s statement that her husband “feared the Lord,” which -is also stated in respect to Obadiah. But whether she was the widow of -Obadiah or not, she was greatly in need, and, in her distress, appealed -to Elisha, who was the acknowledged head of the prophetic school. - -But what a calamity had come into her widowhood! Her husband had not -only been taken from her by death, but now, after bravely struggling -to provide for her family, the creditors had come to take her two sons -to be bondsmen. If that will not touch a mother’s heart we do not know -what will. And so she hastens away to relieve her burdened heart in the -ears of the sympathizing prophet. He listened to her story, and then -asked, “What hast thou in the house?” - -What a question to ask a mother whose sons were about to be sold into -slavery for debts! What could she have of value she would not gladly -dispose of to save her children? - -She answered, “Thine handmaid hath not anything in the house!” Not -anything? Oh yes, there is “a pot of oil.” She was in a more deplorable -condition than the widow of Sarepta, for she, aside from the cruse of -oil, had a “handful of meal.” But this one was entirely destitute, even -of the oil so essential in the preparation of food--she had only a -little pot for anointing purposes. But even this was enough for God and -faith to work on. - -“Go,” said Elisha, “borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbors, -even empty vessels; borrow not a few.” Comforted in her heart, she -went home and told her anxious sons what the prophet had said. “It is -vessels you want, is it mother?” “Yes,” she answered, the prophet said, -“borrow not a few!” - -So all that morning, and far into the afternoon, the widow’s sons were -calling on their neighbors for empty vessels, crocks, great waterpots, -casks, firkins, in short, anything that would hold oil. As the boys -were going empty-handed down the streets and returning loaded with -vessels, the people began to wonder what that poor widow of the prophet -should want of so many vessels, especially as it was known that she -had nothing in her house. But the boys kept at their work until every -neighbor was borrowed empty, and her house looked more like a depot for -freight, than a poor woman’s cottage. All the rooms were filled, the -open court was filled, and all the approaches were filled. The widow’s -sons, if their industry in borrowing and carrying home vessels would -save them from being sold into slavery, they certainly would escape -out of the hands of their mother’s creditor, for was there ever such a -sight of empty vessels! And not until there were no more to be borrowed -did they cease from their work. - -And now the supreme moment came. The prophet had told her, after the -vessels were all in, she should shut the door upon herself and upon her -sons. Only her boys should be witnesses to the mighty deliverances -of God. The locking of the door had no other object than to keep -aloof every interruption from without. The action in question was not -an ordinary, simply external, operation, but an act which was to be -performed by the command of the man of God, and with the heart directed -towards God, that is, in faith, so that it was to be completed, not -in the noise and distraction of everyday life, but in quietness and -solitude. And we may also well believe she first asked God’s blessing -upon her undertaking, so far carried on in faith, for though her house -was full of vessels, they were all as yet empty. - -The prayer ended, she took down her ointment jar--and Oh, it was such -a very little pot! Holding it in her hand, she told her oldest son to -bring one of the smallest jars, for how could the little vessel in her -hand fill even the smallest of the borrowed utensils? As she tipped the -little pot, the golden stream began to flow, and it kept on flowing -until the vessel was filled to the brim, to the utter astonishment -of herself and sons. This one filled, another was quickly brought. -And as the oil flowed, the poor woman’s faith grew, and the sweat was -now rolling down the faces of her sons as they brought up the empty -vessels, and removed the full ones. Her face fairly shone as she filled -the last vessel, and in her excitement cried out, “Bring me yet a -vessel!” “Why, mother,” both the sons speaking at once, “there is not a -vessel more!” So when the last was filled to the brim, “the oil stayed.” - -As she looked over the sea of vessels all filled to the brim with -golden oil, out of the gladness of her heart she hastened to tell -Elisha what had happened at her house. She had oil in her vessels and -thanksgiving in her heart, and she must tell it out, and who was better -prepared to share her joy than the prophet who had listened to the -story of her distress. - -And he said, “Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt.” The religion that -comes from heaven looks well after its creditors. The debt was paid, -her sons were spared to her, and a surplus was left for them to live -upon. - -What a beautiful lesson of faith! We suppose if any of her neighbors -had known that all these empty borrowed vessels were for the purpose -of experimenting with a little pot of anointing oil, it would have -created a sensation. Some, doubtless, would have said, the creditor, -in threatening to take her sons, has driven that poor widow out of her -mind. Why, such a thing as filling these pots, and firkins, and great -casks of ten and fifteen gallon capacity, with a little pot of oil has -never been heard of in Israel, and we can’t understand who could have -put such an absurd idea into the poor woman’s head. Indeed, there was -good reason for shutting the world out, for, if they had seen her take -down the little pot of oil and attempted to pour into the vessels, they -would have laughed her to scorn. But then, we Christian people should -know that the things which are impossible with men, are perfectly -possible with God. Yea, He loves to multiply the impossibilities of -men, that no flesh may glory in His presence. - -Then also the number of vessels borrowed speak well for the faith of -this woman. Our Lord tells us, over and over, according to our faith -shall it be done unto us. If her faith had been small, and she had been -content with a few vessels, the oil would have ceased to flow when the -last vessel was filled. If our heavenly Father is ever pleased with the -action of His earthly children, it must be over the audacious faith of -a poor woman who, in her poverty and distress, borrows of her neighbors -empty vessels for Him to fill out of His gracious benevolence. - -But not all women, in the time of the prophets, were widows and poor, -but even the rich needed the consolations God only can give in times -of trouble. And so our story runs on from the widow of Sarepta and the -widow who, in her extremity, appealed to Elisha, to the rich woman of -Shunem. - -Over against Jezreel, under the base of _Jebel Duhy_ (the so-called -“Little Hermon”) amid luxuriant gardens of lemon, orange and fig trees, -which cast their refreshing shades over the hot and sultry bridle-path, -is the village of _Sulem_, in which we recognize the ancient Shunem, -rendered so dear to every lover of the Bible by the beautiful, sweet -story of the rich Shunammite woman who prepared a prophet’s chamber in -her house, where Elisha often found a shelter from the oppressive heat -of the noontide sun as he passed that way. - -The little city, in the division of the land, under Joshua, was -allotted to the tribe of Issachar, and is three miles north of Jezreel, -five miles from Mount Gilboa, about four miles from Nain, where our -Lord raised the widow’s son, and is in full view of the sacred spot -on Mount Carmel. In the southern section of the village, at the base -of the hill Moreh, flows out a transparent stream of sparkling water, -which renders the fields green and beautiful, said to be the finest in -the world. - -Amid these enchanting and picturesque scenes lived the Shunammite. The -Bible gives her no name. She needs none. She is simply “a great woman.” -Standing in her doorway, in three directions, she could look out over -the fields of grain, and see the slow movements of the heavily loaded -camels drudge up from the seaport of Acre, or down through the great -plain of Esdraelon from the mountains of Naphtali or the hill country -of Gilead, beyond the Jordan. If Elisha came from Carmel, he would -approach Shunem by the Acre road. Accompanied by Gehazi, one of the -sons of the prophets, she could see them trudging along the dusty camel -path at a great distance, and she said to her husband, “Behold now, I -perceive that this is an holy man of God.” So much for the personal -appearance of Elisha. He carried a good face, which commended itself -even to this discerning woman. Prompted by the manly bearing of the -prophet, he had scarcely reached the gate when she stood before him, -and pointing to her home, “she constrained him to eat bread.” - -It appears that Elisha passed frequently through Shunem. No doubt -Carmel, which lay in the middle of the northern part of the kingdom, -was the place where the faithful worshippers of Jehovah, who lived in -the north, came together from time to time, and were strengthened in -their faith, and instructed by the prophet. This would call Elisha to -pass up from Carmel to Shunem and the north. “And so it was, that -as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread.” Happy -household! Most gracious hospitality! That sweet home, amid the olive -groves of Shunem, ever afterwards became the resting place of the good -Elisha. - -The pious, but keen-sighted woman, who at the first recognized in -Elisha “an holy man of God,” was not deceived or disappointed when she -became more fully acquainted with him in his frequent stops. Indeed, -she must have been very favorably impressed with his bearing, for she -proposed to enlarge her hospitality. She said to her husband, “Let us -make a little chamber, I pray thee, on the wall,” that is, upon the -flat roof of the house, with walls which would be a protection against -storms, “and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool -and a candlestick.” Beautiful and thoughtful provision. In such a room -Elisha would be protected from every interruption, such as it was -hardly possible to avoid entirely in the house, and there he might pass -his time in quietness. - -Elisha wished to make some return to his hostess, who had received and -entertained him so liberally and so often, but he did not know what -would be acceptable to her a woman of wealth. In order to learn this, -he does not address himself directly to her, but directs his servant -to ask the necessary questions, that she may express herself with -less embarrassment and less reserve. He asks, “What is to be done for -thee? Wouldest thou be spoken for to the king, or to the captain of -the host?” This question presupposes that Elisha at that time stood -in favor and respect at court. The king, in this instance may have -referred to Jehu, whom Elisha caused to be anointed. The commander of -the army is named in connection with the king as the most powerful and -most influential man at court. - -This excellent woman sent a most beautiful reply to the prophet. “And -she answered, I dwell among my own people.” She asks no recompense -for the good she had done. She wishes to have nothing to do with the -court of the king, and the great ones of the world. She had no favors -to ask, and desired no political honors. Hers was a contented life. -Perhaps, in this reply, she wished to show, at the same time, that she -had not entertained the prophet for the sake of any return, but for -his own sake, and for the sake of God. She had received him in the -name of a prophet, and not for the sake of a reward, or any temporal -gain. She loved God, and therefore loved His servant, and she showed -him kindness, because this was the law God had written upon her heart. -Although she lacked that which was essential to the honor and happiness -of an Israelitish wife, namely, a son, yet she was contented, and no -word of complaint passed her lips--a sign of great humility and modesty. - -But the noble-hearted Elisha could not endure the thought of receiving -all these favors without making some return, and he felt all the -more bound to do something for her. To be barren, in those days, was -regarded as a disgrace, so the prophet summoned her into his presence. -But out of modesty and respect she only came to the door. Elisha -announced to her that her home is to be blessed in the birth of a -son. There were the disabilities of nature, and the woman regarded -the announcement as improbable of realization, and, in true Oriental -language, replied, “Nay, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie unto -thine handmaid,” that is, do not deceive me, by exciting vain hopes in -me. The Lord, however, according to His grace and truth, remembers even -the desires which we cherish in silence, as no doubt this woman had -done, but did not express, and He often gives to those who yield to His -holy will without murmurs or complaints just that which they no longer -dared to hope for. It makes a great difference whether we doubt of the -divine promises from unbelief, or from humility or want of confidence -in ourselves, because we consider the promises too great and glorious, -and ourselves unworthy of them. - -But God remembered this noble woman of Shunem, who had shown such -kindness to His servant, and, according to the promise, a son was -born into the great woman’s home. A ray of sunshine had indeed broken -through the parted clouds and entered that home--sunshine such as had -never been there before, and such as outshone all her estates. - -Below the village, stretching away towards the south and east, were the -wheatfields, and the child, as children sometimes will, slipped out -from under the mothers watchful care, into the field where the reapers -were at work. Absorbed in the work of the reapers, neither the father -nor the son realized the intense heat pouring down out of a clear sky -upon the field at the hottest season of the year. Presently, this child -of promise, which had gladdened the hearts of his parents and brought -such joy and sunshine to their home, came up to his father and said, -“My head, my head.” - -It was scarcely barley harvest when we crossed this plain with the -glare of the sun out of a clear sky shining in our face, and with blood -heated and thirsty withal, and the danger of a sun-stroke, we thought -of the words of the child, and ever since they have had a new meaning. -At once the father directed a lad to carry the child “to his mother,” -and when the lad had brought him “he sat on her knees till noon, and -then died.” All the mother’s hope turned to ashes, and her joy into -grief, made all the more bitter because it was her only child. As she -sat in her house with the dead child folded to her bosom, her soul -cried out: “What is life?” Though passing fair, it is but as - - A flower just opened in the sun, - And wilted, withered, ere the day is done; - - A vapor swiftly floating in the sky, - That vanished as it caught our eye; - A fragrant perfume borne upon the gale, - That’s gone before we could its sweets inhale. - - A bright pinioned warbler but just flitting by - Is lost, while we gaze in the depths of the sky; - A bud just bursting when the cruel frost - Steals all its beauty and its fragrance is lost. - - Strains of sweet music floating on the air, - Soon turned to moans and wailings of despair; - A glowing smile while flashing o’er the face, - Suddenly to glistening tears give place. - -The grief-smitten mother carried the body of her precious child into -the upper chamber and tenderly laid it on the “bed of the man of God, -and shut the door upon it.” Doubtless, for the present, she intended to -keep the death of the child from the husband and father. Evidently she -cherished the secret hope that the prophet, who had promised her a son -in the name of Jehovah, and had not deceived her, could help to restore -him. At all events she acted promptly. She called her husband to send a -young man out of the field to make ready with all haste to go to Mount -Carmel, and when ready she said to the servant, “Drive, and go forward; -slack not thy riding for me, except I bid thee.” - -Elisha, from his outlook on mount Carmel, saw a cloud of dust in the -plain of Esdraelon, and he called the attention of Gehazi to the flying -figures at the head of it. On swept the riders over the plain. Elisha -once more put his hand up to shade his eyes from the glare of the sun, -and said, “Behold, it is the Shunammite; run now,” and ask, “Is it well -with thee? is it well with thy husband? is it well with the child?” By -sending his servant to meet her, Elisha showed how highly he esteemed -this woman. However, to the salutation of Gehazi, she returned only -the short, indefinite answer, “It is well,” in order, doubtless, not -to be detained by further explanations. She would at once hasten to -the prophet himself. When she came near him, overcome by grief, which -she had repressed until then, she threw herself at his feet, in the -manner of Orientals, and sobbed out her great sorrow, at the same time -imploring his assistance. Gehazi could not understand it. He thought -her conduct in clasping his master’s feet an offence against his -dignity, and “came near to thrust her away.” But Elisha said, “Let her -alone.” Give the poor grief-stricken woman a chance to compose herself -and to tell her trouble. - -Presently, the stricken mother called the prophet’s attention to -his own promise, meaning to say thereby, I did not complain of -my childlessness, and did not demand a son; now, however, I am -grief-smitten, for it is better never to have a child than to have one -and lose it. - -The grief and the lamentation of the woman moved the compassionate -heart of the prophet so much that he desired to bring her relief as -soon as possible. He therefore said to Gehazi, “Gird up thy loins, -and take my staff in thine hand and go thy way; if thou meet any man, -salute him not.” This shows that he was to go as quickly as possible. -He was even to refrain from saluting any one. It is well known that -salutations are far more ceremonious in the Orient than with us, and -inferiors always remain standing until persons of higher rank pass by, -and thus annoying delay was often occasioned. This command to hasten -would draw off the attention of the mother from her excessive grief, -and, possibly, Elisha may have hoped that life had not yet entirely -left the child, and that utter decease might yet be prevented by swift -interference. But the importunity of the woman, that Elisha himself -should come, proceeded from the conviction that the child was already -completely dead, and that now not Gehazi, but only the prophet himself, -who had promised her the son, could help. To this deep confidence he -promptly responded. - -Gehazi carried out his commission by hastening on to Shunem, and -placing the prophet’s staff upon the face of the child, and, by means -of the divine power, of which the staff was the symbol, he was to -execute a prophetical act in awakening the child out of the death-sleep. - -Before Elisha, with the sorrowing mother, arrived at Shunem, Gehazi had -discharged his commission, although in vain, and was on his way back -again, when he met the prophet, and said, “The child is not awaked.” -Though he had the external symbol of the prophet’s power, yet it lacked -the spirit of Jehovah, which was the special gift of God, and which -even Elisha might not delegate, according to his own will and pleasure, -to his servant. - -The want of success of Gehazi’s commission spurred on the prophet all -the more to do what he could in order to restore the child to life. -Having reached the house of sorrow, and the little chamber where the -loving hands of the mother had laid the body of her child, Elisha shut -the door, and “prayed unto the Lord.” In that awful hour of a mother’s -heart-crushing suspense, God heard His servant’s cry, and gave back the -precious child to life again. - -The closing scene is very beautiful indeed. The mother having been -called, when she reached the chamber, Elisha said, “Take up thy son!” -We are not told whether the mother heart first leaped to embrace the -child, or, out of modest gratitude, she first fell at the prophet’s -feet in a flood of grateful thanksgiving. The bread of kindness she -had been casting upon the waters, in honoring God’s servant, now all -returned to her. She certainly was reaping with tears of joy, and, had -she lived in this gospel age, she could have heard the Lord of life -saying, “Inasmuch as ye did it to one of these My servants, ye did it -unto Me.” Marvels of marvels, that prophets’ homes do not dot our land -in this day of gospel light. - - As Elisha broke asunder - Death’s cold hands and said, “Arise,” - Give the child back to his mother-- - So Thy power doth still suffice. - -Immortal woman of Shunem! Home-builder for the prophets of the Lord; -the saints in glory salute thee to-day, and the saints on earth are -thrilled with thy worthy example. There is scarcely a story in the Old -Testament which is more beautiful than the one related of this “great -woman” in White Raiment, who built a prophet’s chamber in her own house -at Shunem, where the servant of the Lord might turn in out of the glare -of the noontide sun and find rest. - -From the incidents connected with the beautiful life of the rich woman -of Shunem, to the time of Queen Esther, there is a period of about four -hundred years, and they are years of turbulance on the part of the -people and admonitions on the part of God, until finally He suffered -them to be led away into captivity. - -The scene of our next woman in White Raiment is in the reign of -Ahasuerus, son of Xerxes, who lived B. C. 462. After several severe -conflicts he was settled in peaceable possession of the Persian Empire, -and, in honor of his victory, appointed a feast in the city of Shushan, -which continued for one hundred and eighty days, after which he gave a -great feast to all the princes and people who were in Shushan for seven -days. - -[Illustration: HADASSAH IN THE PERSIAN COURT.] - -Queen Vashti, at the same time, made a like feast, in her apartment for -the women. - -On the seventh day of the feast, Ahasuerus commanded the seven -chamberlains to bring Queen Vashti before him, with the crown royal on -her head, that he might show to the princes and people her beauty. - -This she refused, for the act would be contrary to the usage of Persia, -very indecent and unbecoming a lady, as well as the dignity of her -station. Whereupon the king was incensed, and fearing the influence -among the people of the realm in encouraging women to disobey their -husbands, called a council of seven, to determine what should be done. -The council advised putting away the queen, and she was removed from -her high position as queen, and a collection of virgins was ordered -throughout the realm for the selection of a successor. - -There lived at this time in Shushan a Jew named Mordecai, a descendant -of Babylonish captives and who was a porter at the royal palace. -Mordecai, not having children, brought up Hadassah, his uncle’s -daughter. Her life opened like a cactus flower on the thorny stem of -the captivity, but nevertheless is an exquisite jewel with a royally -superb setting, and gleams and sparkles in Hebrew history. - -Her mother named her Hadassah, for the myrtle tree, which was not only -beautiful, with its glossy, dark-green leaves and luxuriant clusters of -white bloom, but was useful for perfumery and spice. It was the emblem -of justice, and bearing it may have added strength to her character. -Her Persian name was Esther, for the planet Venus. Orientals held the -myrtle sacred to the goddess of Love. - -Esther, being fair and beautiful, was made choice of among other -maidens in this collection of virgins which had been ordered, and was -carried to the king’s palace and there committed to the care of Hegai, -and was assigned to the best apartments. - -This captive young woman was discreet. Those who have great beauty do -not always have discretion. Depending upon the power of their personal -charms, they neglect to cultivate the mind and soul. Physical beauty, -like fruit, begins to decline as soon as it reaches its best. Mental -and spiritual beauty grow with the years as long as the hygienic laws -of grace are obeyed. But she was not only discreet, but also amiable. -Amiability costs only self-control and unselfish love, and it is the -best possible investment. Genuine amiability is God’s gift to those who -trust Him to cleanse them from all that is contrary to love. - -Then also this Hebrew maiden must have known severe discipline. She -showed its effect in the gentle deportment that won the favor of the -officers that guarded the king’s harem. She submitted her taste in -dress and ornament to the one who had the responsibility of preparing -her for the royal presence, and in the docility with which she heeded -the advice of Mordecai. - -These graces of mind and heart commended her to the king’s favor and -she was advanced to higher honor, and subsequently, when Queen Vashti -was deposed, Esther was crowned in her stead. Thus she was raised at -once to the highest place that the world could give a woman at that -day--as the queen and favorite of the mightiest monarch of his time. - -This event was celebrated by a great feast which the king made to all -his princes, called Esther’s feast, and which was attended with high -honor, and by the presentation of gifts, “according to the state of the -king.” - -About this time Haman, the chief minister or vizier of King Ahasuerus, -was promoted, so that his seat was “above all the princes.” The Targum -and Josephus interpret the description of Haman, the Agagite, as -signifying that he was of Amalekitish descent, the sworn enemies of -the Israelites in their march through the desert, and the sparing of -whom cost Saul, the first king of Israel, his crown. This Haman was the -king’s favorite, and all the under officers and servants were required -to pay reverence unto him. - -But there was one man who would not bow. This was Mordecai, the -porter at the royal palace. He would not salute Haman, the idolatrous -descendent of the old enemies of his people. This greatly displeased -Haman, but he scorned to lay hands on Mordecai, and knowing him to -be a Jew, resolved to destroy him and his people. He took council and -determined by lot on the day for the accomplishment of his purpose. - -To do this successfully he must deceive the king and entrap him to -do a wicked act. So he said to Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people -scattered abroad and dispersed among the people in all the provinces -of thy kingdom; and their laws are diverse from all people; neither -keep they the king’s laws; therefore it is not for the king’s profit -to suffer them. If it please the king, let it be written that they -be destroyed; and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver to the -hands of those that have the charge of the business, to bring it into -the king’s treasuries.” And so this hateful Amalekite, by offering -to pay into the king’s treasury more than $10,000,000, obtained the -royal decree to put all the Israelites in the hundred and twenty-seven -provinces of Ahasuerus, extending from India to Ethiopia, to death. - -When Mordecai heard of the decree, he and the Hebrews made great -lamentation, and he made Queen Esther acquainted with the plot to -destroy her people, and entreated her to go in unto the king and make -supplication for their rescue. At first she excused herself, but being -led to understand that she, too, was included in the decree, she put -her life on the hazard for the safety of her countrymen. It was no -light matter for the beautiful young queen to risk her life to save -her people. Surrounded as she was by the luxury and elegance of that -magnificent Persian court, keenly alive to the charm of all lovely -things, it meant much for her to go down to the grave in the brilliant -morning of her youth. - -But when Mordecai turned to her for help, he reminded her that she -had come to the kingdom for such a time as that. His faith asserted -that God would deliver His people; and, if she failed to do her part, -she and her father’s house would perish. She said she would make the -attempt. “If I perish, I perish,” was her wail of submission. - -However, in her great undertaking, she displayed a humble dependence -upon the God of Israel; she also showed great prudence and wisdom. She -asked her people to fast and pray three days; and all her maidens--who -were selected, no doubt, on account of their sympathy with her -faith--would also fast and pray. When the books are opened it may -appear that the Hebrews were led, through the deliverance that she -wrought for them, to the penitence that made it possible for God to -take them back to the fatherland. - -[Illustration: ESTHER PLEADING FOR HER PEOPLE.] - -At the end of the fast she put on her royal apparel and went unto the -king while he was seated upon his throne. The first gleam of hope -lighted up her distressed heart when Ahasuerus held out his golden -sceptre. - -It has been said that men’s hearts are reached through their stomachs. -Whether this was true of Ahasuerus, or whether Esther knew of this -avenue or not, she certainly showed great tact when she desired to -make a banquet for the king and his favorite prince, Haman, which the -beautiful queen would prepare, where he could then hear her request. - -It would have been a most natural thing to do, after Esther had risked -her life by going uncalled into the presence of the king, and when -she found him graciously disposed to partake of her feast, to throw -herself at once upon his mercy, and beg for her life and the lives of -her people. But no. She must have great power over him to get him to -undertake the difficult task of setting aside one of his own decrees. -Probably her faith in God was not yet strong enough for her to make a -sure move. She saw that she was not yet sure of her ground, nor firm -in her faith; so, when he made the great offer even of dividing his -kingdom with her, she simply asked that he and Haman should honor her -with their presence at another banquet. - -Doubtless, as she sat at the second banquet with the perfect -self-control that they have who rely only on God, having used every -device to fortify her position in the good graces of the capricious -despot, her keen Hebrew insight weighed every light expression from his -lips, although she knew a sword of doom hung over her jewel-crowned -head, and yet she was calm and self-contained, as if she had no thought -but to please him. Thus she led the king on until her power over him -was at its height, and when he again offered her half the kingdom, she -asked only for her life and the lives of her people. - -It must be that, although Haman was present at this banquet, he did -not hear the request of Queen Esther, for he went forth from the feast -“that day joyful and with a glad heart.” But when he saw Mordecai, in -the king’s gate, and that he still refused to bow to him, “he was full -of indignation.” - -So when he reached his own residence, he called his friends, and took -counsel with them, and they advised him to cause a gallows to be built, -eighty feet high, and to ask the next morning to have the king order -Mordecai to be hanged thereon. - -But matters had taken a different turn at the palace. The king could -not sleep that night. To pass the long, wakeful hours, he called for -the reading of the records of the kingdom. As they were reading before -the king, it was found written in the chronicles of the conspiracy of -Bigthan and Terish, and that Mordecai had discovered the plot, and that -nothing had been done for him as a reward. - -In the meantime the morning drew on, and Haman had entered the court of -the palace to confer with the king about the hanging of Mordecai. We -can well believe the mind of Ahasuerus was in a bad frame to talk about -hanging the man who had saved his life by discovering the plot of the -king’s chamberlains. But the king did not know what dark deeds were in -the heart of Haman as he ordered him to be called. When Haman came into -the presence of Ahasuerus, the king asked what should be done with the -man whom he wanted to honor. - -The king’s favorite, who had just shared two private banquets with -the king, was so inflated with himself that he did not think there -was another man in the Persian empire in whom Ahasuerus would be so -delighted to honor as himself, so he advised that the royal apparel be -brought forth and the king’s horse and his crown, and given to one of -the noble princes to array the man whom the king delighted to honor, -and take him through the city on horseback with a proclamation, “This -is the man whom the king delighteth to honor.” - -The command was given to Haman to thus honor Mordecai, which he did, -with not very good grace, for, when he had finished his task, he -“hasted to his house mourning, and having his head covered,” and -related his mortification to his wife and friends. - -After all, for the moment at least, it must have seemed to Haman and -his friends as a strange act on the part of the king, for while they -were yet talking over the humiliation, the king’s chamberlains came, -requesting Haman to hasten and come to the banquet Esther had prepared. -It must have seemed to Haman that Esther had really gone into the -banqueting business, so frequently had he been honored of late. - -When the king and Haman sat down to the banquet the king again asked -Esther what was her petition. Whereupon she humbly prayed the king -that her life might be given her and her people, for a design was laid -for the destruction of her and her kindred. At which the king asked -with much anger who it was that durst do this thing. She told him that -Haman, then present, was the author of the wicked plot, and she laid -the whole scheme open to the king. Who can tell how much her own chance -of salvation depended on her courage, self-control and tact? A look, -even the droop of an eye-lid, might have betrayed her into the hands -of the most cringing and unscrupulous of royal favorites, and sent her -and her whole race to their death. But God held her steady in nerve and -growing in faith, as He does all who put their whole trust in Him. - -The king rose up with much wrath from the banquet and walked out into -the garden. - -Haman saw his opportunity. Quickly he stood up to plead for his life. -Perceiving that there was evil determined against him by the king, he -prostrated himself before the queen upon the couch on which she was -sitting to supplicate for his life; in which position the king found -him on his return. - -The motive for Haman’s unhappy attitude before the queen was -misunderstood by the king, and he spoke in great passion, “What, will -he force the queen before me in the house!” - -At which words the servants present immediately covered Haman’s face, -as was the usage to condemned persons, and the chamberlain, who had -called Haman to the banquet, acquainted the king with the gallows he -saw in his house there prepared for Mordecai, who had saved the king’s -life. - -The king ordered Haman should be forthwith hanged thereon, which was -accordingly done. A feast was then consecrated in commemoration of the -deliverance of the Jews, called the feast of Purim. - -This story of Esther, which has in it the real romance of life, has -also a consummate blending of works and faith. Preparing a banquet of -every luxury that could please a dangerous tyrant, and at the same time -fasting and praying in heart-humbling agony for Divine deliverance. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -Womanhood in the Time of the Saviour’s Nativity. - - AN ANGEL BY THE ALTAR OF INCENSE--HIS MESSAGE--AN ISRAELITISH - HOME--IN THE SPIRIT OF ELIJAH--THE DESERT TEACHER--THE - ANNUNCIATION--THE VISIT OF MARY TO ELIZABETH--MARY’S - MAGNIFICAT--JOURNEY TO BETHLEHEM--THE NATIVITY--HOME LIFE IN - NAZARETH--AFTER SCENES IN MARY’S LIFE--HER RESIDENCE AND DEATH - AT EPHESUS--THE PROPHETESS ANNA--HER WAITING FOR REDEMPTION IN - JERUSALEM--THE LESSON OF HER PURE AND BEAUTIFUL LIFE. - - -Isaiah, looking adown the ages to the coming of Christ’s Kingdom, -likened it to waters breaking out in the wilderness and streams in -the desert. For centuries there was no voice of prophet in Israel -or revelation from God to His chosen people, when suddenly the long -silence was broken. It was in the days of Herod the Great, when sin and -misery had reached their climax, and when the yearning for Messiah’s -appearance was more intensely felt than ever. The Temple, so often -the scene of the manifestation of the glory of God, became again the -centre, whence the first rays of light secretly break through the -darkness. - -One of the priests, named Zacharias, while performing his duty in -the service of the sanctuary, burning incense before the Lord, had a -vision, in which he was assured that his prayer was heard, and great -distinction conferred upon him in a twofold answer: First, the Messiah -shall indeed appear in his days; and, secondly, that he shall himself -be the father of the forerunner, who is to prepare His way--an honor -he could not have ventured to anticipate. What human tongue could have -foretold it to him, or how could he have ventured to hearken to the -voice of his own heart, without direct revelation? Zacharias sought -first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all other things -were added to him. - -In the service of the sanctuary the burning of incense before the -Lord was considered exceedingly important and honorable. The people -were accustomed to unite in the outer court in silent supplication, -while the priest in the sanctuary offered the incense, which was ever -regarded as the symbol of acceptable prayer. - -Remaining longer in the sanctuary than was strictly necessary, the -people, who were waiting in the outer court of the Temple, feared -that some misfortune, or sign of the divine displeasure, had befallen -him, for they “marveled that he tarried so long.” And when he finally -appeared “he could not speak.” While standing before the altar, -awaiting the signal to sift the precious incense, a heavenly messenger -appeared unto him. When Zacharias saw the angel he was troubled, and -fear fell upon him. The heavenly messenger quickly answered, “Fear not, -Zacharias, for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elizabeth shall bear -thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.” - -Both Zacharias and Elizabeth were of the priestly race, and he himself -was a priest of the course of Abia, and she was of the daughters of -Aaron. Both, too, were devout persons, walking in the commandments of -God, and waiting for the fulfillment of His promise to Israel. But in -the midst of the glorious revelations the angel had made, strange to -say, Zacharias had asked for some sign or confirmation of the glad -tidings. The angel answered, “I am Gabriel” (the Might of God) “and, -behold, thou shalt be dumb.” As faith is to be the chief condition -of the new covenant, it was needful that the first manifestation of -unbelief should be emphatically punished, but the wound inflicted -becomes a healing medicine to the soul. The aged priest was constrained -to much silent reflection, and, according to the counsel of God, the -secret was still kept for a time. - -There is here a remarkable coincidence between Zacharias and Abraham on -the one side, and Elizabeth and Sarah on the other; not only in the -fact of their lack of an heir during so many years, but also in the -frame of mind in which they at length received the heavenly message. -In these parallel histories, the man of the olden times is strong in -the faith, the woman weak; while under the new covenant it is the man -whose faith falters. On the very threshold of the new dispensation -woman, in the person of Elizabeth, takes her place in the foreground -by the heroism of a living faith. It is also quite in keeping with -Divine wisdom that in this case unbelief in view of the rising sun of -the gospel salvation is much more severely punished than under the old -dispensation. - -[Illustration: THE ANGEL’S MESSAGE.] - -The sight of Zacharias struck dumb awakened among the people an -expectation of some great and heavenly event; soon will “the things” -done in the priest’s house be “noised abroad throughout all the hill -country of Judea,” and the voice of “him that crieth” shall soon -resound over hill and valley. - -The sacred duties performed, retirement was next in order. As a priest, -in the “course of Abia,” the twenty-four courses in the services of the -temple relieved each other weekly, each course ministering during a -whole week. So Zacharias and Elizabeth leave Jerusalem for their home -among the picturesque hills of Judea, south-west of Bethlehem. How -beautiful are the pictures of these Israelitish homes into which the -Bible bids us so often to look. The familiar vine and fig-tree; the -flower-planted courts; the waterpots filled for quenching thirst; the -basin and towel and servant to bathe the heated, often dust-covered, -feet; the domestic scene morning and evening in the grinding of the -food in the familiar hand-mill, the work always performed by the women; -the delightful views from the housetops in the cool of the evening; -the maidens busy in filling the waterpots; the halting of visitors -in the outer court, waiting for some damsel to open the door; the -thousand little touches of real life which are always so charming to -the observer. In addition to these outward signs, the good manners and -propriety, the atmosphere of true courtesy; the youth rising up before -the hoary head; the child learning at his mother’s knee, or inquiring -of father or elder; a joyousness, such as a mind at peace with God only -can exert, are all manifest in these Bible pictures which ages can not -dim. Yet most striking are the proofs that in every household children -were desired, and gladly welcomed. - -Notwithstanding a barren wife in an Israelitish home was often a cause -for divorce, Zacharias was pre-eminently a man of hope. As a pious -husband and lover, he had faithfully and tenderly clung to his beloved -Elizabeth through the long years of youth and middle age, and even -after hope had died out of their longing hearts. Both had learned “the -patience of unanswered prayer”--a lesson not easily mastered by the -bravest of us. But now the hope was to be realized, the “reproach among -men” was to be taken away. In that home among the hills of Judea was to -be a child in the arms of its mother. The name of the child, and he a -son, was to be John (Jehovah shows grace). Many homes would rejoice in -his birth, and he would be God’s man, eating nothing to inflame carnal -passions, and filled with the Holy Spirit, he would become prophet -and reformer. The grossly literal hope of the people for Elijah’s -appearance in the flesh would be spiritually fulfilled, for Elizabeth’s -son was to have the spirit and the power of the Tishbite; and thus -gifted of the Almighty, was to be the forerunner of the Christ. All -that was spoken of the Messiah’s messenger by Isaiah, as “the voice of -one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His -paths straight,” and by Malachi, “Behold, I will send my messenger, and -he shall prepare the way before me,” were fulfilled in this son of many -prayers. - -In due time he was born, and on the eighth day, in conformity with the -law of Moses, was brought to the priest for circumcision, and, as the -performance of this rite was the accustomed time for naming a child, -the friends of the family proposed to call him Zacharias after the -name of his father. The mother, however, required that he should be -called John--a decision which Zacharias, still speechless, confirmed -by writing on a tablet, “his name is John.” The judgment on his want -of faith was then withdrawn, and the first use which he made of his -recovered speech, was to praise Jehovah for his faithfulness and mercy, -a proof that the cure had taken place in his soul also. - -A single verse contains all that we know of Elizabeth’s child of -promise for the space of thirty years--the whole period which elapsed -between his birth and the commencement of his public ministry. The -record is, “The child grew and waxed strong in the spirit, and was in -the desert till the day of his showing unto Israel.” But we must not -forget that through his childhood and youth he was under the care of a -wise, loving mother. Elizabeth’s unfaltering faith and prudent counsel, -we must believe, exerted a lasting influence over this child of the -desert. - -The child thus supernaturally born, was surely a sign that God was -again visiting His people. His providence, so long hidden, seemed once -more about to manifest itself in the person of Elizabeth’s son, who, -doubtless must be commissioned to perform some important part in the -history of the chosen people. Could it be the Messiah? Could it be -Elijah? Was the era of their old prophets about to be restored? With -such grave thoughts were the minds of the people occupied, as they -mused on the events which had been passing under their eyes, and said -one to another, “What manner of child shall this be?” - -So when John passed out from under the wise training of Elizabeth, his -reputation for extraordinary sanctity, and the generally prevailing -expectation that some great one was about to appear, were sufficient -to attract to him a great multitude from “every quarter.” Brief and -startling was his first exhortation to them, “Repent ye, for the -kingdom of heaven is at hand.” His preaching of repentance, however, -meant more than a mere legal ablution or expiation, it meant a change -of heart and life. While such was his solemn admonition to the -multitude at large, he adopted towards the leading sects of the Jews a -severer tone, denouncing Pharisees and Sadducees alike as “a generation -of vipers,” and warning them of the folly of trusting to external -privileges as descendants of Abraham. He plainly told them, “the axe -was laid to the root of the tree,” that formal righteousness would be -no longer tolerated. Such alarming declarations produced their effect, -and many of every class pressed forward to confess their sins and to -accept John’s ministry. - -This son of Elizabeth is one of the most striking characters in the -Bible. Destined from before his birth to be a prophet, his life was -worthy of his high office. Pure, unsullied, earnest, fearless, humble, -he much resembled his great predecessor, Elijah. Like him, he was an -ascetic, and like him, he had his time of fearless outspeaking and -of reproval of kings, and hypocrites; and like him, also, a time of -depression, as when he sent to Christ to ask, “Art thou He that should -come, or shall we look for another?” - -A noble example of the fearless manner in which he proclaimed the truth -is illustrated in the denunciation of the unlawful marriage of Herod -Antipas, the Tetrarch. He had married a daughter of Aretas, King of -Petra, but seeing Herodias, the wife of his half brother, Philip, he -became infatuated with her, divorced his own wife and married Herodias, -who abandoned Philip to marry him. Herodias was a grand-daughter of -Herod the Great. This unprincipled woman wrought the ruin of Herod -Antipas. Aretas, angry at the treatment of his daughter, made war upon -Herod. John reproved Herod for all this, and he evidently had not -minced words. Neither had he spoken in such low whispers that he might -seem to others to disapprove the crime, but still escape the notice of -the king. He thundered out his denunciations in a way to make even the -royal couple alarmed, and caused them to shut John up in prison, lest -his growing popularity should undermine the security of Herod’s throne. -And then Herodias secured the execution of John, which angered the -Jews, for they counted John as a prophet and held the subsequent defeat -of Herod by Aretas as a judgment upon him for this wicked deed. - -Such, in brief was the son of the most highly and signally honored -Woman in White Raiment in sacred history, Mary, the mother of Jesus, -only excepted. The strong faith of the pious Elizabeth, as developed -in her noble son, has been a blessing to the whole race of man. The -clear shining faith to grasp the promises of God are most beautifully -exemplified in the pure, self-sacrificing, and devoted life of -Elizabeth. - -Closely related to the events in the life of Elizabeth, as just -narrated, is the birth of our blessed Lord. - -There is no person in sacred or in profane literature around whom so -many legends have been grouped as around the Virgin Mary, and there -are few whose authentic history is more concise. Doubtless the very -simplicity of the sacred narrative has been one cause of the abundance -of the legendary matter of which she forms the central figure. -According to the genealogy given by Luke, which is that of Mary, her -father’s name was Heli. She was, like Joseph, her husband, of the tribe -of Judah, and of the house and lineage of David. We are informed that -at the time of the angel’s visitation she was betrothed to Joseph and -was therefore regarded by the Jewish law and custom as his wife, though -he had not yet a husband’s rights over her. - -The angel Gabriel, who had appeared to Zacharias in the Temple, -appeared to her and announced that she was to be the mother of the -long-expected Messiah; that in Him the prophecies relative to David’s -throne and kingdom should be accomplished; and that his name was to be -called Jesus. He further informed her, perhaps as a sign by which she -might convince herself that his prediction with regard to herself would -come true, that her relative Elizabeth was about to be blessed in the -birth of a child. - -It appears that Mary at once set off to visit Elizabeth in her home -in the hill country of Judea. When she had reached her destination, -and immediately on her entrance into the house, she was saluted by -Elizabeth as the mother of our Lord, and had evidence of the truth -of the angel’s saying with regard to her cousin Elizabeth, Mary then -embodied her feelings of exultation and thankfulness in the hymn known -under the name of the _Magnificat_. The hymn is founded on Hannah’s -song of thankfulness (1 Sam. ii, 1-10), and exhibits an intimate -knowledge of the Psalms, prophetical writings and books of Moses, from -which sources almost every expression in it is drawn. - -In approaching this exquisite bit of Hebrew poetry uttered by Mary we -may profitably consider, first, its beauty of expression; and second, -its nobility and grandeur of sentiment. The hymn consists of four -stanzas of four lines each, and its literary character is best brought -out by a translation which so arranges it. The first stanza reads: - - My soul doth magnify the Lord, - And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour, - Because He hath looked upon the humility of His bondmaiden; - For behold, from henceforth all generations shall pronounce me - blessed. - -In this stanza three points of parallelism appear in the first two -lines. In the first occurs the word “soul,” and in the second the -word “spirit,” which we understand to be but different designations -of the same elements of our natures. Whatever difference in the use -of these terms in other places it is evident that here according to -the ordinary requirements of Hebrew poetry, the two words are chosen -because of their similarity in meaning. The other synonymous terms are -the words “magnify” and “rejoice;” “the Lord” and “God my Saviour.” -Thus is introduced the so-called Magnificat. The characteristic of -Hebrew poetry is not that it is arranged in rhyme and measured feet, -but in the grander rhythm belonging to parallelisms of thought. Such -a rhythm has far more freedom and force than that which consists of -mere similarity of measure and sound. Hence it is that the poetry of -the Bible is so readily translated into other languages, and loses so -little of its force in the process; whereas poetry which depends upon -the peculiarities of any given language is incapable of translation. -The essential thing in Hebrew poetry is sublimity of thought and -diction, accompanied by a substantial repetition of the sentiment in -terms that are nearly synonymous. The thoughts are thus held before the -mind till it can fully see their grandeur and beauty, and receive those -shades of impression which come from repeated efforts at statement. - -In the second couplet of the above stanza Mary gives the reason for -her rejoicing. She was of humble origin, and, before her neighbors and -friends, was to be humbled still further. But, as is so often the case, -what was Mary’s extremity was God’s opportunity, and He was to glorify -Himself by making the weak things of the earth confound the mighty. As -He brought Moses from the wilderness and David from the sheepfold, so -was He to bring Mary from the seclusion of Nazareth and the humiliation -in the stable at Bethlehem to a position of honor attained by no other -woman, and all generations were henceforth to call her blessed. - -The second stanza reads: - - For the Mighty One hath done great things for me; - And Holy is His name. - And His mercy is unto generations and generations - Of them that fear Him. - -Here the great things spoken of as done to Mary (in the first line) -correspond, or rather constitute, the mercy (of the third line) which -flows forth from the gospel from age to age; and the holiness of His -name mentioned in the second is that characteristic of God which evokes -the fear mentioned in the fourth line. - -The third stanza may be literally rendered as follows: - - He hath exercised the strength which is in His arm; - He hath scattered abroad those who were proud by reason of the - thoughts of their hearts; - He hath cast princes down from their thrones, and exalted the lowly, - The hungry hath He filled with good things, and the rich hath He sent - empty away. - -In this, as all through the hymn, we have the flavor of Hebraistic -forms of speech. In their poetical conceptions they did not think of -God as an abstract being, but as having a mighty arm with which He -swayed the nations and dashed their foolish plans in pieces, as one -might break a potter’s vessel with a rod of iron. How little do men -know the flimsiness of the schemes which they organize against the Lord -and His anointed! The third and fourth lines of this stanza contain a -double parallelism and a twofold antithesis. He casts down the kings -and lifts up the lowly people; He fills to fullness the hungry, and -sends the rich away empty. - -In the fourth stanza we read: - - He hath taken hold to help with Israel His servant, - In order that He might call to mind the mercy characteristic of His - nature - (According as He hath spoken unto our fathers) - To Abraham and his seed for ever. - -What a glorious conception this is of Israel, the hero of God, and -who was not a servant, but a son, for that is the true meaning of the -word rendered “servant.” The word is also one of endearment. And so we -are reminded, in the second line, of His tender mercy. The only mercy -of which He could have spoken to our fathers was His own, expressing -itself in the whole scheme of salvation as revealed in the Bible. It -was a peculiar plan of mercy revealed to Abraham and his spiritual -descendants. - -Such, in brief, are the noble conceptions and the lofty figures of -speech of this exquisite hymn of Mary. And we ask involuntarily, -Whence comes it that so humble a maiden should thus in the beauty of -her diction and the sublimity of her conceptions have rivaled, if not -eclipsed, all the poets both of ancient and modern times? - -It might seem a short answer to this question to say that Mary was -inspired. But such an answer does not satisfy the reasoning mind. God -in His wisdom does not ordinarily see fit to disregard the secondary -causes which He has created. We are led to look, therefore, to the -character and condition of Mary herself as a partial explanation of -the character of this piece of literature. And, upon examining the -hymn, we find that it is largely composed of sentences from the Old -Testament, embodying the Messianic expectations of the Jewish people. -It sounds like an echo, not only of David’s and Hannah’s, but also of -Miriam’s, and of Deborah’s harps; yet independently reproduced in the -mind of a woman, who had laid up and kept in her heart what she had -read in Holy Scripture. Out from the large body of sacred literature -which was the rare heritage of her people, she had extracted that -which was best and noblest and most appropriate. We do not, however, -deny the direct inspiration of this hymn; but we would emphasize the -broader conceptions of Providence, how the Holy Spirit can use a mind -well stored with the deep things of God, as evidently was the mind of -Mary, for, from beginning to end, this hymn assumes a sympathizing -acquaintance with the history of the Jewish people, and of all the -noble conceptions of the Deity with which the history of that people -has made the world familiar. - -The unity of God is assumed without question. It is the Lord Jehovah -that her soul magnifies. It is the only true God her Saviour in which -her spirit rejoices. Nor is it a God of mere power, but a God of love -and tenderness, whom she adores. It is one who has regard not for men -alone and the great ones of the earth, but for the humble woman who -occupies the most contracted sphere that falls to the lot of any. And -in this the power of the God she adores appears pre-eminent, for he is -able to make great things out of small. It was He who took Israel as a -little vine and made him a great nation. It was He that multiplied the -widow’s cruse of oil and handful of meal till she had a superabundance. -It was He who lifted Rahab out of her wicked and heathen surroundings -and placed her in the line of royal women in whom all the families of -earth were to be blessed. It is He that notes the sparrow’s fall, that -numbers the hairs of our heads, that hears the prayers we offer in -secret when the door is shut, and that rewards us openly. It is He that -can exalt the humblest life and make it gleam with the sunshine of His -own glory. “Not many mighty, not many noble, are called ... but ... God -hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which -are mighty ... yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought the -things that are.” - -Only such a God could lift on high so humble a maiden, and turn upon -her the gaze of all the nations of the earth. But the God of Israel -well might do it, for He is the Mighty One, and able to do great -things, and His mercy is upon them that fear Him from generation -to generation. In Israel’s deliverance from Egypt and in all their -subsequent history, He had shown the strength of His arm. The wrecks of -the nations that opposed Him strew the whole pathway of history. And as -He raised Joseph from prison and exalted Daniel from the lion’s den, -so should He ever lift up the meek, and help His servant Israel, and -remember His promises to Abraham and His seed forever. Only one who is -familiar with such a history could write such a hymn. Surely it is a -great thing to be educated into such thoughts as these. To breathe in -such sentiments in the very atmosphere of one’s home and in the social -circles in which one daily moves is the highest of earthly privileges. -It is only in such a hymn as this of Mary that we get a proper -conception of the grandeur and nobleness of the thoughts underlying -Hebrew history. In her Magnificat, Mary breathed the thoughts of those -that surrounded her. From the days of pious Hannah down to those of -Elizabeth, the women of Israel had been moved by such longings and -animated by such hopes as have never been possible to any other people. -They had the promise made in Eden that the seed of the woman should -bruise the head of the serpent who led the world astray. And now to -her, to this humble virgin of Israel, had the fulfillment of this -promise come, and truly blessed was she among women. For here was the -performance of those things which had been told her from the Lord. The -great crisis of the world’s history had arrived, and she was the chosen -channel through which the hope of the nations was come. - -O, blessed Woman in White Raiment, may thy hymn of praise, divinely -inspired, be often upon our lips, and the sweetness of its precious -truths continually in our hearts! - -The words of the angel in respect to Elizabeth having been confirmed by -this personal visit of Mary to her home in the hill country of Judea, -she returned to Nazareth. - -Soon after this the decree of Augustus, the Roman emperor, that all the -world should be taxed, was promulgated, and Joseph and Mary traveled to -Bethlehem to have their names enrolled in the registers of their tribe. -It would seem that the Israelites still clung to their genealogies and -tribal relations, and, though the undertaking was a severe strain upon -Mary, and notwithstanding, according to the Roman custom, her name -could have been enrolled without her personal presence, this woman, -who was to be the most blessed of women, greatly preferred to accompany -her husband on this journey of over seventy miles, much of the way up -and down steep, rocky hills. Traveling in the East, under its most -favorable conditions, is a slow, tiresome affair, especially for women. -But Mary drudged along the mountain path, in company with her husband, -all the way from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Her love for the city of David -seems to have overcome all difficulties. Possibly a contemplative mind -like hers may have perceived that this decree of Cæsar Augustus was but -an instrument, in the hand of Providence, to fulfill ancient prophecy -with respect to the birthplace of the Messiah, for Micah had declared -that out of Bethlehem Ephratah, though little among the thousands of -Judah, “yet out of thee shall He come forth unto Me that is to be ruler -in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” -So, while it would seem that an arbitrary decree decided where Christ -is to be born, God had manifested His wisdom in the choice of the -time, place and circumstances, and was faithful in the fulfillment of -the word of prophecy, ever carrying out His plans through the free -acts of men. In this instance the great Roman Cæsar, even without his -knowledge, became an official agent in the kingdom of God. - -So it came to pass, in the fullness of time, and in the beloved city of -David, Bethlehem Ephratah, Mary brought forth the Saviour of the world, -and humbly laid Him in a manger. Here, amid these humble surroundings, -in the stall of an inn, among the beasts, was the advent of the Son of -God, the Saviour of the world. And, behold, the Life which was to lift -“empires off their hinges” and turn the “stream of centuries out of -its course”--a life which was to revolutionize the world and transform -humanity--had begun. - -The place where the inn stood is now occupied by an enormous pile of -buildings, known as the “Church of the Nativity.” Down in the crypt of -this church, reached by fifteen stone steps, and in the eastern wall -of it, is a silver star, around which are the words: “_Hic de Virgine -Maria Jesus Christus natus est_”--“Here Jesus Christ was born of the -Virgin Mary.” One can not with indifference behold such a spot as this. -To us it was a sacred and hallowed place, and we felt subdued and -reverent while beholding the place where began the greatest life earth -has ever contained. To the Christian, Bethlehem stands first among -the holiest places on the face of the globe, and we were hushed into -reverence by its sacred associations and charmed by its natural beauty. - -The “inn,” the scene of the nativity, stood on the crest of a hill that -rapidly falls away to a valley seven hundred feet below. At its base -is the “well” for the waters of which David so greatly longed. On the -opposite side is a hill still more precipitous than the one on which -Bethlehem stands. The little valley between the hills gradually opens -out eastward, where once stood the wheatfields of Boaz, in which Ruth -gleaned after the reapers. Just beyond this, scarcely a mile from the -“city of David,” is the field where the shepherds were “keeping watch -over their flock by night, when lo, the angel of the Lord came upon -them,” with this glad proclamation, “Behold, I bring you good tidings -of great joy, which shall be to all people.” Then suddenly night -was turned into day by the radiant brightness of a multitude of the -heavenly host, filling earth and sky with their song: - - “Glory to God in the highest, - Peace on earth, good-will to men.” - -The visit of the shepherds to the inn, the circumcision and -presentation in the Temple, the visit and adoration of the wise men who -saw His star in far off Persia, the cruel massacre of the children of -Bethlehem by Herod, and the flight into Egypt, are rather scenes in the -life of Christ than that of his mother, and are fully described in “THE -CHRIST LIFTED UP.” - -However, in passing, it may be well to pause long enough to observe -how the presentation in the Temple brings the limited circumstances of -Joseph and Mary to our notice. The custom of ceremonial purification -by a Jewish mother in the sanctuary with a sacrifice is fully stated -in Lev. xii. Two offerings were required, a burnt and a sin offering. -When Mary presented herself with her babe in the court of the women, -in the Temple, the proper offering was a lamb for a burnt offering, -and a young pigeon or a turtle-dove for a sin offering; but with that -beautiful tenderness which is so marked a characteristic of the Mosaic -law, those who were too poor for so comparatively costly an offering -were allowed to bring instead two turtle-doves or two young pigeons. -Mary, instead of the lamb and dove, brought the offering of the -poor--two doves. With this offering in her hand, she presented herself -to the priest. - -One incident more occurs in the presentation in the Temple. At the -moment when Mary had completed her consecration, an old man came -tottering through the throng. It was the aged Simeon, “just and devout, -waiting for the consolation of Israel.” Taking from Mary’s arms her -precious infant, and, as with face aglow and eyes kindled with heavenly -fire, in speaking his holy rapture, one passage is specially directed -to her, “Yea, a sword shall pierce through thine own soul also.” This -“sword,” we must believe, entered her heart as later she saw her Son on -the cross. - -In the return from Egypt after the death of Herod the Great, it appears -to have been the intention of Joseph to have settled at Bethlehem at -this time, as his home at Nazareth had now been broken up for a year or -more, intending there to rear the infant King, at his own royal city, -until the time should come when he would sit upon David’s throne and -restore the fallen kingdom to its ancient splendor. But “when he heard -that Archelaus did reign in Judea,” he turned aside into Nazareth, as -well he might, if he knew the life and character of the new prince, -thinking, no doubt, the child’s life would be safer in the tetrarchy of -Antipas than in that of Archelaus. - -Henceforward, until the beginning of our Lord’s ministry, so far as is -known, Mary lived in Nazareth, in a humble sphere of life, the wife -of Joseph the carpenter, pondering over the sayings of the angels, -of the shepherds, of Simeon, and those of her Son, as the latter -“increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man.” Two -circumstances alone, so far as we know, broke in on the otherwise even -flow of her life. One of these was the loss of Jesus out of the company -of the homeward journey, when he remained behind at Jerusalem upon the -occasion of His first visit to the Temple. His mother is the first to -speak. “Son,” she said, “why hast thou thus dealt with us?” His reply -gave the keynote of His life, “Wist ye not that I must be about my -Fathers business?” The other was the death of Joseph. The exact date -of this last event we can not determine. But it was probably not long -after the other. - -From this time on Mary is withdrawn almost wholly from sight. Four -times only is the veil removed, which is thrown over her, and surely -not without reason. - -1. The first is at the marriage of Cana. It is thought from the -interest Mary took in it that the bride or bridegroom, were friends, if -not relatives of the family. “And Jesus was called, and His disciples.” -The disciples were invited out of respect for their Lord. This -unexpected addition to the company may have been the cause of Mary’s -evident embarrassment, and she appeals to her Son by saying, “They have -no wine.” It is impossible to know all that was in her heart. Possibly -from the Jordan had come wonderful news concerning her Son which had -inspired her with the hope that now at least, after so long waiting, -the time of His manifestation was at hand. What if He should use the -present opportunity to show His power! Might she not at least mention -it to Him? But, mark His answer, “Woman, what have I to do with thee?” -While His reply, in the original, does not have in it the severity it -has in the plain English, yet He would have her understand that in -His divine character He could not acknowledge her, nor be influenced -by her suggestions. Henceforth there must be room between her and Him -for His Father. And so He told her with all the tenderness that words -and looks could convey that the matter she hinted at was a matter -between Him and His Father. Mary quickly acceded to this. By woman’s -enlightened intuition she perceived His meaning, and so she said to -the servants, “Whatsoever He saith unto you do it.” In confident -expectation, she believed He would supply the need. Her beautiful faith -in Him was unshaken. - -2. The second time Mary comes to view is in the attempt which she and -others made to speak with Jesus in the midst of His conflict with the -Scribes and Pharisees at Capernaum, when they sought to destroy His -good name and influence by applying that most horrible and loathsome -epithet, “He had Beelzebub.” We can hardly realize what satanic forces -were massed against Jesus at that time. And Mary, who probably, with -some friends, stood on the outside of the crowd, became alarmed, and -would rescue Him from the malice of His enemies. So she sent a message, -which probably was handed on from one person to another, begging Him -to allow His friends to speak to Him. Again He refuses to admit any -privilege on account of their relationship. “Who is my mother, and who -are my brethren?” He loved His mother, but infinite wisdom saw best -that she must in no way influence His divine work, which He could not -share with another and be the Saviour of the world. He must tread the -winepress of men’s malice alone. - -3. The third time Mary comes to our notice is at the foot of the -cross. She was standing there with Mary Magdalene, Salome, and other -women, having no doubt followed her Son as she was able throughout -that terrible morning of our Lord’s several trials. It was now three -o’clock in the afternoon, and He was about to expire. Standing near the -company of the women was John, and, with almost His last words, Christ -commended His mother to the care of this disciple. And from that hour, -John assures us, he took her to his home. If, by “that hour,” John -means immediately after the words were spoken, Mary was not present at -the last scene of all. The sword had sufficiently pierced her soul, -and she was spared the hearing of the last loud cries and the sight of -the bowed head. However we might have understood His relation to Mary, -while the great scheme of human redemption was being wrought out, He -now turns in beautiful and touching tenderness to her, who tenderly -loved Him, even when she could not fully understand His work. - -4. The fourth and last time Mary is brought to our view is in the -company of the one hundred and twenty believers, assembled at -Jerusalem, waiting for the descent of the Holy Spirit. This is the -last view we have of her. The Word of God leaves her engaged in prayer -in the “upper room,” with the women, and with His brethren. From this -point forward we know nothing of her. It is very probable the rest of -her life was spent in the home of John, cherished with the tenderness -which her sensitive soul would have specially needed, and which she -undoubtedly found in him who had borne the distinction of “that -disciple whom Jesus loved.” - -When the disciples “were scattered abroad” after the martyrdom of -Stephen, and the apostles assumed the charge of important centres, we -read of John being minister of the church at Ephesus. No doubt Mary -removed with John to Ephesus, where, tradition says, she died, and -where she was buried. Probably she died before John was banished to -Patmos. While at Ephesus, we visited her sepulchre. It is on the north -side of Mt. Prion, half way up the mountain side. The tomb is cut out -of the solid rock, and in full view of the church, which doubtless she -loved so well. - -We have already dwelt at considerable length upon the beautiful -character of Mary in connection with her song of rejoicing in the house -of Elizabeth and known as the Magnificat. So far as Mary is portrayed -to us in the Scripture, she is, as we should have expected, the most -tender, the most faithful, humble, patient and loving of women, but a -woman still, and how she herself regarded her relation to her divine -Son is best expressed in her own words: - - “My soul doth magnify the Lord, - And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.” - -[Illustration: THE MINISTRY AT EPHESUS.] - -No doubt she was a comfort in the home of John. The dark shadows of the -cross were dissipated when she saw Jesus alive after His resurrection, -and communed with Him, and, doubtless, saw Him ascend to heaven in a -cloud, and had heard the angels assure His disciples, as they had seen -Him depart, in like manner He would come again. She was comforted in -the wonderful scene at Pentecost, when three thousand acknowledged -Jesus as their Saviour as well as her Saviour. She lived to see the -Gospel spread through Judea and Samaria, and the great centres in Asia -Minor. She had nobly done her work at Jerusalem and at Ephesus--had -told, as none could tell it, the sweet story of the infant Jesus and -her glorified Saviour. On account of her presence there was a strange -interest about the services of the great church at Ephesus, because the -mother of Jesus was among the worshippers. Even the life and ministry -of the beloved John was made richer because of her helpful presence. - -But now she is growing old. Her earthly mission is drawing to a close. -She can not stay longer to bless the people who had learned to love -her. Indeed, her affections had already stolen away and preceded her -upward. The glad day has come for her to go. Her weary feet will -soon stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem. The low murmur of voices -and the subdued sobbing of loved ones around her she heeds not, as -a strange light breaks upon her, and she hears celestial symphonies -from the glory shore. White-winged messengers--jasper walls--pearly -gates--golden streets--life’s river--and she is with Him in the land -where swords can never enter stricken hearts! - -We can not close this chapter without making mention of Anna the -Prophetess. It would seem that at the coming of the Saviour into the -world, earth and sky clapped their hands for joy, and the mountains -and hills broke forth into singing. Not only did Zacharias prophesy, -saying “Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel;” and Mary sing her hymn -of praise, in which she exclaimed, “My soul doth magnify the Lord;” -and the angels who sang, “Glory to God in the highest;” and the aged -Simeon, who, coming into the Temple, and taking the child in his arms, -burst forth in doxology, “Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in -peace, according to Thy word, for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation,” -but also Anna the Prophetess. Scarcely had the sweet strains of the -aged Simeon ceased, when the prophetess, coming into the court of the -women, in the Temple, and seeing Mary presenting herself with her babe, -caught the meaning of the scene and added her voice of praise, “and -spake of Him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.” - -It was very fitting that women should have such a prominent part in -these human and angelic songs over the nativity of Him who, in after -years, proved women’s best friend. Who alone, of all earth’s great -teachers, wept with and over woman’s broken heart; who alone pitied -woman taken in sin; who alone stood up in defence of woman against -cruel criticism; who alone placed in contrast a poor penitent woman -over against a well-washed, and we had almost said, “white-washed,” -Pharisee; who, on the way to the cross, had words of comfort for -womanhood, in the ever-memorable exclamation, “Daughters of Jerusalem, -weep not for Me!” And why should not these daughters weep for one who -had elevated them to their true position? Surely, they might well weep, -for they had never had such a friend. - -Anna was a daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher, and of very -great age--eighty-four years. Her age is specially mentioned, to show -that, though she had passed but few years in the married state, she had -reached this advanced age as a widow; a fact redounding to her honor -in a moral sense, and ranking her among the comparatively small number -of “widows indeed,” whom Paul especially commends. It is somewhat -remarkable that the name of Anna’s father should be mentioned, and not -that of her husband. Perhaps her father survived her husband, and may -also have been known as one who waited for the consolation of Israel. -The pious words Anna uttered in the presence of Mary and her child in -the court of the women can not be the only reason of her being called a -prophetess. Such an appellation must have been caused by some earlier -and frequent utterances, dictated by the Spirit of prophecy, by reason -of which she ranked among the list of holy women who, both in earlier -and later times, were chosen instruments of the Holy Spirit. If the -spirit of prophecy had departed from Israel since the time of Malachi, -according to the opinion of the Jews, the return of this Spirit might -be looked upon as one of the tokens of Messiah’s advent. - -In Simeon and Anna we see incarnate types of the expectation of -salvation under the Old Testament, as in the child Jesus the salvation -itself is manifested. At the extreme limits of life, they stand in -striking contrast to the infant Saviour, exemplifying the Old Covenant -decaying and waxing old before the New, which is to grow and remain. -Old age grows youthful, both in Simeon and Anna, at the sight of the -Saviour; while the youthful Mary grows inwardly older and riper, as -Simeon lifts up before her eyes the veil hanging upon the future. -Joseph and Mary marveled at the revelations, not because they learned -from Simeon’s prophecy anything they had not heard before, but they -were struck and charmed by the new aspect under which this salvation -was presented. - -There is something very beautiful in this aged Anna, the prophetess, -who “departed not from the Temple, but served God with fastings and -prayers night and day.” And the reason given for this consecrated -devotion is, she “looked for redemption in Jerusalem.” This aged saint, -into whose obscure but loyal keeping the spirit of true religion has -always retired in times of a degenerate and formal faith, under the -Divine Spirit, refused to depart from the courts of the sanctuary day -nor night. Many a long and weary year she had waited for redemption -in Jerusalem, and had watched with eager eyes the long procession of -fathers and mothers as they presented, according to custom, their -first-born at the altar steps. But the Child for whose coming she had -waited with such spiritual patience had not come. - -At length the supreme day of her life had dawned, and with an unusual -expectancy she goes early to her accustomed vigil. As the humble Joseph -and Mary draw near, unheralded of men and with no sign of lineage or -worth beyond the rank and file of common people, the clear vision of -the aged prophetess discovers the King, and with a joy that blossomed -into song, she unites with the devout Simeon, who like herself, -was also “waiting for the consolation of Israel,” the praises that -redemption had at last come to Jerusalem. There was providential -coincidence in her coming in just at “that instant,” when Simeon -was prophesying and when the babe was in the Temple, for a divine -propriety, so to speak, seemed to require that the new-born Saviour -should first receive the homage of the elect of Israel. - -[Illustration: ANNA, THE PROPHETESS.] - -With this temple scene, the aged Anna comes into and goes out of -history, but in its light certain great facts are made luminous -forever, namely, that Jesus the Christ comes into our common humanity -along no royal road, but through the great common gateway of common -people. Jesus touches life at its majority points, meeting our needs -and our weakened nature with a brotherhood that loves us and lifts us -up. Christ’s first welcome into the world was not through Herod, nor -the famous Council of the Seventy, nor through the wise Scribes, or -great Pharisees, but through the trembling arms of an aged man and -woman. - -To pause upon the romantic fitness of this temple scene were easy, when -the heart of the old and the new, the beginning and the end of life -throb together, but rather we turn to the mission of Christ to old age -as embodied in this incident of Simeon and Anna. Age is to a well-spent -life what the fruit is to the vine, the garnered and best part of it. -That ripeness of experience, of mind, of judgment, which comes alone -from long and patient drudging on until the mile-posts are many, that -calm which comes at the sunset--these are the crowns that come to the -soul as it stands on the delectable mountains with the Celestial City -in full view. Youth is clear-visioned and hopeful, early life is busied -with palpable ambitions, and later on is occupied with the harvesting -of ventures and the fruitage of success. But age has nothing but a -memory and a hunger, therefore it was a fitness and a providence that -Simeon and Anna should reach out their trembling hands in initial -welcome to the Son of God. - -Again, Anna stands as the type of the spiritually-minded, to whom -in old age are vouchsafed the revelations of God. Her attitude was -very significant. She “departed not from the Temple,” that is, she -was watchful. She served God “with fastings and prayers,” peculiarly -expressive of Old Testament piety, with its minute attention to -precept and ceremony. That to this woman it was permitted, under the -Spirit’s guidance, that morning to come into the court of the women -at the “instant,” indicates a perpetual spiritual condition, rather -than a sudden impulse or illumination--the habit of one who walked and -talked with God “night and day.” These reveal the spiritual qualities -of the prophetess of Jehovah, where an obedient will and loving heart -are linked to far-sighted spiritual vision in the discernment of the -providence and truth of God. To such elect souls revelations are always -coming, because of spiritual affinities and the unerring insights of -love. Therefore it was no accident, this coming into the courts of the -Temple at the “instant,” but in accord with a world-wide and unbroken -law of spiritual discernment, for spiritual truths are spiritually -discerned. - -She that desires this spiritual sense must do as Anna did, wait upon -God in prayer. She “served God.” She was spiritually-minded. An intense -desire always precedes possession. Our Lord said, “Blessed are they -which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be -filled.” Do we hunger after righteousness, with a hunger that joins -a great longing with a strong will? Then shall we possess it, for -these powers of the mind and heart wait with sure benediction upon -the prayers of earnest souls. This desire lies at the threshold of -spiritual-mindedness. It is synonymous with love. Do I love God? Is my -eye single and my heart pure? If so, I shall see Him. If not in the -court of the women, as Anna did, in the inner courts of an unending -eternity. - -The other factor that enters into this spiritual life is abiding. -Anna “departed not from the Temple.” She waited patiently. Go back -to that night in Shiloh, ere the lamps of God had gone out, and note -how Samuel the child became Samuel the prophet by waiting on God in a -listening attitude and prompt obedience. Follow Paul from the vision on -Anti-Lebanon to the prisons of Nero, and the roadway of his Christian -life is literally paved with waiting and prompt obedience, and both -the seer and the apostle give us the rule of spiritual expansion, and -set the step for all the regiments of the heavenly-minded. An eminent -divine has said, “Every duty we omit obscures some truth we should -have known,” and a greater than this divine has said, “He that doeth -truth cometh to the light.” The secret of all soul degeneracy, of a -seared conscience and a blunted moral sense, alas! we all know too -well, is disobedience to the heavenly visions. Like Eli, our eyes are -grown dim, and like Paul’s fellow-travelers to Damascus, we hear a -sound, but no articulate voice of call. “To obey,” said the great and -good Samuel to the disobedient Saul, “is better than sacrifice.” It is -because of disobedience to the clear visions of duty there is so much -of moral “near-sightedness” in the modern Christian life. The options -of spiritual life or death are always with us, to see or not to see, to -know or not to know. Here is the power and the peril of the Church our -Saviour purchased at the price of His own blood; here is her strength -and her weakness; for the dominant danger in the Church of our time, -with its wealth, its average moralities and its social compromises, -is unspirituality, when the lines of division between a refined -worldliness and a perfunctory Christianity are so vague that both seem -so near alike to many professed followers of Jesus as not to know where -worldliness ends and the Christian rule commences. An unspiritual life -is the real apostacy which clogs the chariot wheels of God and dims the -eye to the King in His excellent glory. - -Do you wonder at the high honor heaven conferred upon this aged -prophetess, who “departed not night nor day from the Temple,” lest she -should miss the opportunity of a lifetime, of making her the first -woman to witness for Christ? It was in perfect keeping with God’s -eternal plan of exalting the humble of this world who have loyal -hearts. Rebekah, with cheerful alacrity, watered the ten camels of -Eliezer, the servant of Abraham, when he called her to be the bride of -Isaac; Rachel was driving her father’s sheep to the well in Haran when -she won the heart of Jacob, the heir of promise; Miriam watched the -little craft among the rushes of the Nile, before she led the women in -triumphal song at the Red Sea; Ruth gleaned in the fields of Bethlehem -to relieve her own and Naomi’s necessities, when she attracted the -attention of Boaz; Esther lived a modest, retired life in the house -of Mordecai, the porter at the royal palace, when she was called to -be queen over the Persians. Poverty and homely toil are no hindrance -to holy zeal in Christian service; nor are they hindrance to high -communion with the Eternal. - -These are truths attested by revelation and by history. We are -sometimes tempted to question humility as a stepping-stone to -exaltation, and to complain of our lot; tempted to think ourselves -hemmed in and circumscribed, thus to lack all opportunity for large -service or large vision, or large attainments of any kind. Nothing -is more common among those whose life is crowded with what is termed -coarse and common toil, who are loaded down with many cares, and -confined in what seem to them narrow bounds, to count others vastly -more highly favored than themselves, and to regard themselves as out of -range of all spiritual visions or special divine communications! Let -her who is left to think such thoughts, or to place such estimate on -her lot in life, remember that no eye of Scribe or Pharisee, of priest -or king, saw or recognized the Son of God that day when Mary presented -Jesus in the Temple. Such vision was reserved for the aged prophetess, -who was looking for redemption in Jerusalem. - -What is the lesson? This, that the waiting and the morally qualified -are the chosen channels of divine communication; that to such the -revelations of God unfold wonderful visions. Heaven and earth meet -where the truly devout are found watching “night and day” by the altars -of prayer. If doxologies of the soul are to be rendered in the ear of -mortals, they shall hear them whose hearts are open towards the throne -of grace, and whose longings are for “redemption in Jerusalem!” and who -are “waiting for the consolation of Israel.” - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -Womanhood During our Lord’s Galilean Ministry. - - CHRIST AND WOMANHOOD--NOONTIDE AT JACOB’S WELL--THE LORD’S WONDERFUL - TACT--FIELDS WHITE TO THE HARVEST--AN UNINVITED GUEST AT SIMON’S - FEAST--COLD HOSPITALITY--A CONCISE PARABLE--FORGIVING SIN--A STREET - SCENE--HUMBLE CONFESSION--MOST GRACIOUS WORDS--COAST OF TYRE AND - SIDON--SYRO-PHŒNICIAN WOMAN--STRANGELY TESTED--HER HUMILITY--WENT - AWAY BLESSED. - - -We now come to the beautiful ministries of womanhood during our Lord’s -earthly mission. No teacher had ever lived who sought to elevate women -as did the Saviour. The most casual reader of our Lord’s acts of mercy -as He moved among the people, must have noticed how often He wrought -some of His most wondrous works among women. He talked with a woman -of questionable character by the wayside, He stretched out his hands -over one whose very touch was considered unclean, and tenderly said, -“Thy sins are forgiven!” He called another, whose shrinking fear, after -she was healed, caused her to sob out her confession, “Daughter, be of -good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole.” What a sweet picture -that is of the mothers who bring their little children to Him that “He -should touch them,” and their faith was rewarded not by a mere “touch,” -but He took the mothers’ darlings in His arms and blessed them. With -a yearning of divine pity He brings back to life three persons that -motherhood and sisterhood might be comforted. Surely womanhood must -have been precious in His sight, and there is a peculiar force in the -word _precious_ as of God’s own choosing. When He speaks of precious -things, or permits in His inspired servants such ardent language, we -may be assured there is a deep meaning in the expression, and that -whatever is spoken of, is of great value, costly and rare. “I know the -thoughts that I think toward you,” says the dear Lord, “thoughts of -peace and not of evil.” And they are so continuous! “How great is the -sum of them? If I should count them they are more in number than the -sand!” We have walked the wide beach, as it stretches on for miles and -miles in one unbroken line of white sand. Could we count a single rod -of it? Yet these thoughts of our Lord outnumber the sand on the shore -of the sea. And how precious they are, because begotten of pure love; -and royal with kindness; and tender with compassion; and fragrant with -blessings; exquisite with sweetness; infinite, incessant, immeasurable. - -In our love, we mainly dwell upon the thought of what God is to us, -and so are apt to forget what we are to Him. “He has chosen Israel for -His peculiar treasure.” “The Lord’s portion is His people.” Does He so -esteem us? Does He hold us close to His heart, and say, I love thee -“since thou wast precious in My sight!” The mother thinks of her child, -the wife of her husband, the lover of his beloved. And how sweet are -these thoughts of our dear ones. Unbidden they crowd upon the soul; -comforting, tenderly cherished and precious are the thoughts of the -absent for one another! Memories of form and feature, look and smile, -word and deed, affection and purpose, are ever present. Does God, the -Infinite, thus think of us! Oh, wondrous alchemy of grace that can turn -such poor unworthy souls into gems so beautiful, so priceless, so dear -to the Infinite heart of God; so highly esteemed that if even the least -were lost, it would be a loss to Him. Then, also, the trial of our -faith is “much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be -tried with fire.” If we bear this in mind, we shall better understand -the Saviour’s acts as we read the story of His love for womanhood. Oh, -ye tired, troubled ones, put into God’s crucible, did you ever feel -that you were forgotten, overlooked, too long or too severely tested? -God is watching with an eye that never slumbers. The trial going on is -precious to Him. He tempers the heat when too strong, and adds fuel -when too light. He creates the smith to blow the coals; and here, be -sure, He makes no mistake. You would not have chosen as He has; and -yet the process must go on, for it is a precious one; so much so that -our Beloved can not trust it to other hands than His own. He will not -let you be harmed. “Many shall be purified and made white and tried.” -Are you not glad He has chosen you among these? The trial is painful to -you, but precious to Him, and “will be found unto praise and honor, and -glory,” walking with Him in White Raiment, as those who “are worthy.” - -Through human personality is God best made known. There is a revelation -in nature; the movements of planets, the return of seasons, the -regularity and uniformity of natural laws, reveal a fixed order in -the universe; the balanced relationship, the correspondences and -adaptations in nature reveal mind as the centre of activities; wisdom -speaks out in the organizations, kingdoms and beneficent purposes of -nature, while beauty shines from the splendor of the world. All this -is very good, but it is not conclusive. It is written of the Son of -God, that He endured the cross for the joy that was set before Him. He -recognized the sore need of humanity, and the Father’s plan to meet -that need, and gave Himself a willing offering. Christ is the living -manifestation of God’s love. To be “able to save to the uttermost all -who come unto God by Him,” was the joy set before Him for which He -endured the cross and now ever liveth to make intercession for us. -Surely His thoughts of us must have been most precious, and, in view -of the great price He paid for our redemption, let us never minify our -lives however humble our lot: - - “A commonplace life,” we say and we sigh, - But why should we sigh as we say? - The commonplace sun in the commonplace sky - Makes up the commonplace day. - The moon and the stars are commonplace things, - And the flower that blooms, and the bird that sings. - But dark were the world, and sad our lot, - If the flowers should fail and the sun shine not-- - And God, who studies each separate soul, - Out of the commonplace lives makes His beautiful whole. - -If we partake of the Divine nature, we will want to share in His work -of saving, and thus enter into the joy of our Lord. To be able to touch -life hopefully, and to see it expand and grow day by day into the -similitude of the All-perfect, is to experience a joy not of earth. -Womanhood has come into her kingdom in the sense of having reached a -place of large opportunity, in the use of her God-given power. Our -Saviour has honored woman by giving her a place in his heart and work, -and most loyally does she “lay her hands to the distaff and with her -hands hold the spindle” in the making of the great fabric of human -destiny. - -[Illustration: CHRIST AND WOMANHOOD.] - -How womanhood, in the days of the Saviour’s incarnation, manifested -her appreciation, will be amplified in this and the next chapter, and -her loving ministry does credit to her head and heart, for we read, as -He journeyed with his disciples from place to place, “Certain women, -which had been healed of infirmities, Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna, -and many others, ministered unto Him of their substance.” How beautiful -is all this. Women actually following Jesus, as disciples, and out of -their means ministering to His physical necessities. Heathenism has no -place, socially for women, as we have shown in our introductory. Christ -sought to bless and elevate womanhood. - -The skill of our Lord’s wayside teaching is beautifully brought out in -the scene at Jacob’s well. In one of His tours through Samaria our Lord -reached Jacob’s well, in the neighborhood of Sychar, about noon, and -being weary, sat down upon the stone seat in the little alcove erected -over the well. It offered a shelter from the glare of the noontide -sun. John, in his gospel, tells us that Jesus, “being wearied with His -journey, sat thus on the well.” The words in the original imply that -He was quite tired out with His journey, and doubtless overcome with -the extreme heat. In His exhaustion, He seems to be quite anxious, if -possible, to obtain a little rest, while the disciples had left Him, to -procure in the nearby city, the necessary bread. - -The disciples had scarcely departed, when a lone woman, with face -veiled, and on her head a great stone waterpot, came to the well to -draw water. It was an unseasonable hour, for morning and evening only -would the well be thronged by women, whose duty it is to carry the -water for household use. For some reason, possibly because she was -in no good repute, this woman avoided the throng at the well in the -morning or evening hours, and availed herself of this unseasonable time -to come for water. - -The scene before us is pathetically picturesque. The Son of God resting -in the refreshing shade of the little alcove, and a woman of doubtful -character coming in out of the noontide glare and heat of the sun to -draw water. We almost wonder if our Lord, in His exhausted and fevered -condition, had not been casting around in His mind how He might obtain -a cup of refreshing water from the depth of the well. And now is His -opportunity. With the nicest tact and politeness He asks, “Give me -to drink!” To ask for a drink of water in the East is a proffer of -good-will. Under no circumstances would an Oriental ask or receive -water or bread of one with whom he was unwilling to be on good terms. -So when Jesus said to the woman, “Give me to drink,” it was as if He -had said, “I wish you well; I feel kindly towards you and yours.” - -We are somewhat surprised at the conduct of the woman after such kindly -salutation. Instead of quickly offering Him a drink, she proceeds to -ask, “How is it that thou being a Jew askest drink of me, which am a -woman of Samaria?” She would recognize the nationality of Jesus by -His dress. The color of the fringes on the Jewish garments was white, -while those of the Samaritans were blue. Possibly His appearance and -accent in His speech would also identify Him. However, in explanation -of her conduct, she goes on to say, “the Jews have no dealings with -Samaritans.” So that while this non-intercourse between the two -people was not absolute, a request of such a nature might surprise -a Samaritan. And yet we must confess she is more ready to conduct a -religious discussion with the Son of God Himself than to offer cups of -cold water. - -But with what wonderful tact Jesus drew the mind of this woman away -from the religious differences between Jews and Samaritans. He was not -to be drawn off from the main point at issue. He had asked for water, -for He was really thirsty. She had come to the well for water, for it -supplied a need. When she came to the well her aspirations reached -no farther than a pitcher of water. So, with water for a text, Jesus -proceeds to tell this Samaritan that good as the well was, and great as -Jacob was, all who drank of that water would thirst again. The best the -world had to offer could never satisfy her thirst. She could not help -but see the truth of these words. They were but the echo of her daily -experience. - -Now the divine Teacher proceeds to uncover another well to this woman. -“Whosoever,” Jesus proceeded to say, and the whosoever included all -Samaritans and the world as well, “drinketh of the water that I shall -give him, shall never thirst; for the Holy Spirit that I shall put in -him shall be a well of water springing up into everlasting life--it -shall satisfy his thirst and he shall be continually refreshed.” - -How deftly Jesus turned this conversation into a spiritual channel! It -was done so easily that the woman was not conscious of the change. She -thought he was talking about literal water, though the seriousness in -his tones had awakened her utmost attention. She knew what it was to -thirst, and the labor of coming to the well to carry away pitchers full -on her head, only to repeat the labor with each returning day. He had -awakened in her a desire, though that desire was no higher than water, -and she said, “Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come -hither to draw.” Though the woman did not understand His words, she was -really, in her mind, struggling with the great problem of not thirsting -any more, and of doing away with the necessity of daily coming to -Jacob’s well. How the Lord delights to lead inquiring minds to the -higher things of life! He saw, doubtless, by supernatural intuition, -the sinful blemishes in her life, as well as the deeper aspirations -of her soul which His words had awakened. How shall He get at the -plague-spot which corrupted the fountain of her life? - -In a tender, pathetic tone he said to the woman, “Go, call thy -husband!” It was a painful request to make of this poor woman, but He -could not trifle. He must be faithful. The request had its desired -effect. It drew off the woman’s attention from her desire for fountains -of water, to see the wretched condition of her life. - -Yet, with a frankness that showed an honest soul, she replied, “I have -no husband!” - -Ah! that was the point this wisest of Teachers was bringing her to. He -did not want to see her husband, but He wanted her to see herself. His -words probed to the plague-spot in her soul. She admitted her guilt, -but could not quite bring her will to give up her manner of life. - -When Jesus told her that she was living with the fifth man, and he not -her husband, she perceived that He was a prophet, and was ready with -another batch of theological questions. “I know I am not what I ought -to be,” she said in effect, “but then there are some things I don’t -understand, and now, since you are a prophet, perhaps you can inform -me. We Samaritans claim that our way is right, and you Jews claim that -your way is right. Both can’t be right; tell us what we are to do?” -Referring to her Samaritan ancestors, she continued, “Our fathers -worshipped in this mountain,” pointing to Mt. Gerizim, under the shadow -of which they almost stood, and which had a special sacredness as the -mount of blessing. It was also claimed by the Samaritans that their -worship was earlier, and, therefore, older than that at Jerusalem. -However, it is not clear that she meant to urge this as one of the -reasons in favor of Mt. Gerizim, on the summit of which the Samaritan -Temple stood. In the Scriptures which the Samaritans possessed (the -Pentateuch) the name of Gerizim had been inserted in the place of -the holy city of the Jews. On the other hand, the claim of the Jews -was exclusive. Men must worship in Jerusalem. If the woman regarded -the supremacy of Gerizim or Jerusalem an open question, it showed -her candor and a willingness to accept the revelation of the truth, -whatever it might be. - -But see how our Lord sweeps the idol of locality from this inquirer’s -mind, “Believe me,” he said, “the hour cometh when ye shall neither -in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.” Men have -ever looked upon their places of worship as sacred. Islamism has its -Mecca, the heathenism of India its Baneras and Ganges, the idolaters of -China their sacred mountains, the apostates of modern times their holy -shrines. Jesus abolishes local limitations, and announces that what one -worships is of more importance than where; that God is a Spirit, and -that true worship is unlimited by time, place or form. - -[Illustration: THE NOONTIDE HOUR AT JACOB’S WELL.] - -Such wonderful words had never fallen upon the ears or entered the -heart of this woman. No priest or scribe had ever uttered such sublime -conceptions of our relations to God. She had thought him a “prophet,” -but such utterances are almost divine. She thinks of the Messiah, and -answers, “I know that when Messias cometh, which is called Christ; when -He is come, He will tell us all things.” This was in accordance with -the Samaritan view of Christ. While showing a desire for a fuller -knowledge she thinks of a higher authority of the expected Messiah. In -this He did not rebuke her. He lets her question, yet is never turned -from His purpose. Step by step His love lifted this inquiring mind, -until at last she was ready for such an avowal of His nature and office -as He had never given to Scribe or Pharisee or disciple, “I that speak -unto thee am He!” - -Wonderful news! Filled with surprise and joy, she “left her waterpot” -on the well, and ran into the city, forgetting all about her own need, -as well as the request of the Saviour for a drink of water. Her haste -shows how absorbed she had become in the wonderful words from the lips -of Him who declared Himself the long-expected Son of God. And He, the -blessed Lord, was so intent on saving a soul that He had forgotten all -about His thirst and His weariness. - -Just as she had left the well, the disciples came, having made the -necessary purchase of food, and “marveled that He talked with the -woman,” yet were mysteriously restrained from asking Him why He did -so. Presently they spread their noonday meal, but observing that Jesus -did not share with them their meal, they urged Him, saying, “Master, -eat.” But great was their surprise when He answered, “I have meat to -eat that ye know not of.” They could not understand that the chance to -help an inquiring soul was more to Him than food or drink, and said to -one another, “Hath any man brought Him ought to eat?” He astonished His -inquiring disciples yet more, when knowing the thoughts uppermost in -their minds, said, “My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me,” and -to carry out the mission for which I am in the world. - -In the meantime the flying feet of the woman had reached the city, and -she hastened from street to street delivering her message, “Come, see a -Man who told me all that ever I did. Is not this the Christ?” - -The theological questions over which Jews and Samaritans contended, -whether Jerusalem or Gerizim was the place where “men ought to -worship,” had dropped entirely out of her mind. But she proved an -excellent evangelist, for presently the people came flocking out of the -city in the direction of Jacob’s well, pouring out of every gate, and -led over the fruitful plain by the woman. - -It must have been a grand sight, and showed that Jesus was not mistaken -when, looking into the face of the woman, He saw a pearl of great -beauty and worth beneath the rough exterior of this semi-heathenish, -yet quick-witted, sprightly and susceptible Samaritan. - -As the Saviour lifted up His eyes over the plain and saw the -approaching multitude, He was evidently well satisfied in withgoing His -weariness and thirst while talking to this Samaritan Magdalene as she -came with her water-pitcher to the well, and not only was He satisfied -with the results of His labors, but He seems also to have been pleased, -for, as the host filled the plain, He called the attention of his -disciples to the beautiful sight, and exclaimed, “Say not ye, there -are yet four months, and then cometh harvest!” Doubtless this was true -in the physical world, but spiritual conditions do not have to depend -upon the slow processes of the natural world, and the well-sown seed -amid the glare of the noontide, was already ripening unto the harvest. -Behold the thronging people! said our Lord. “Lift up your eyes, and -look on the fields; for they are white already to the harvest.” - - “Laborers wanted!” The ripened grain - Waits to welcome the reaper’s cry; - The Lord of the harvest calls again; - Who among us shall first reply, - “Who is wanted, Lord? Is it I?” - - The Master calls, but the servants wait; - Fields gleam white ’neath a cloudless sky. - Will none seize the sickle before too late, - Ere the winter’s winds come sweeping by? - Who is delaying? Is it I? - -As the people thronged the well to hear and see the Man who had -revealed the hidden life of the woman, He must have taught this people -with wise, loving words, for they forgot all about their prejudices -and hate and begged Him, though of a race with whom the Samaritans had -no dealings, to stay among them. And He graciously complied with their -request, and it took Him two whole days to harvest that whitened field. -And the record is, “Many of the Samaritans of that city believed on Him -for the saying of the woman.” - -But what a testimony is all this to that Samaritan woman. What, if her -previous life had not been of good repute? What though she was a social -outcast? One thing she discovered that noonday, as she came out to draw -water from Jacob’s ancient well, that the Man who laid open her inner -life in such modest words and patient forbearance, was none other than -the long-expected Messiah, and she was altogether too generous-minded -to lock up the glad tidings in her heart, but at once, without -commission or priestly authority, witnessed for Christ, published the -glad tidings of salvation through the streets of Sychar, and brought -her whole city to a knowledge of her Saviour. And so this woman became -the first gospel preacher in Samaria. That was before church councils -had decided women may not speak for Jesus. - -Jacob’s well is no longer used, and the grain fields, which “Stood -dressed in living green” before the Saviour’s eyes, have long been -trodden under foot of Islam’s hordes, yet the living spring of water -which our Lord opened there to the poor, sinful, yet penitent woman, -is as deep and fresh as ever, and has flowed on and out over the earth -to remotest nations, and will quench the thirst of souls to the end of -time. - -We see also in this beautiful scene at Jacob’s well that Christ’s -intercourse with women was marked by freedom from Oriental contempt of -womanhood, and a marvelous union of purity and frankness, dignity and -tenderness. He approached this woman as a friend who wished her well, -and yet as her Lord and Saviour. And, to the good sense of womanhood -be it said, when the light of truth broke over her inquiring mind, she -believed! And behold how she loved Him! Forgetting her errand to the -well, yea, even leaving her pitcher, she hastened to publish the glad -news. Surely the Saviour “must needs go through Samaria,” on His way -from Judea to Galilee, and His resting in the little alcove of Jacob’s -well, for the moment sheltered from the glare of an Oriental midday -sun, was more than a geographical “_must_.” It was the necessity of -love laid upon His heart to meet and to help that woman who came with -an empty stone pitcher to the well at the same hour of the day, but -went away with a heart filled with “living water ... springing up into -everlasting life.” - -Some time after this, on one of those days while Jesus was teaching in -lower Galilee, a Pharisee, by the very common name of Simon, invited -our Lord to a feast. Why he invited Him is not stated. Possibly he -may have been impressed with the character and teaching of Christ, -and disposed, in a social way, and at his own table, to give Him a -further hearing, thinking, perhaps, by coming in personal contact with -our Lord, aside from the throngs which attended upon His ministry, he -could the better satisfy himself as to the merits of this new Teacher -in Israel, and so invited Jesus to dine with him. Our Lord had not -yet broken with the Pharisees, and was still anxious, if possible, to -conciliate them, if by any means He might win them, and withal, willing -to show his good-will, accepted the invitation. - -However gracious the invitation may have been given, it is quite clear -that the hospitality was meant to be qualified. These Pharisees who -loved the uppermost seats at feasts, knew how to entertain. But in -this feast, all the ordinary attentions which were usually paid to -honored guests were strangely omitted. There was no servant with basin -of water and towel for the weary and dust-covered feet, no anointing -of the head, no kiss of welcome upon the cheek, nothing but a somewhat -ungracious admission to a vacant place at the table, and the most -distant courtesies of ordinary intercourse, so managed that this Guest -from among the common people might feel that he was receiving honors -in the house of a rich and influential Pharisee. Many a poor man’s head -has been turned by such feigned and mock courtesies. It would have been -a thousand times better to the head and heart of Simon if he had never -invited the Lord, than to assume in His presence what he was not at -heart. - -Our Lord must have keenly felt these omissions. But, since he had been -invited, He made the best of this empty show at hospitality, only we -may be quite sure He was clothed in His usual gentleness and modest -dignity. We may well believe our Lord showed no signs of being piqued -at the slights put upon Him, nor embarrassed in the presence of His -host and the distinguished guests present. While Jesus cared little for -show or etiquette, yet it was but natural that He should have keenly -felt these omissions so gracefully shown to the others at this feast. - -But before us rises another scene. “Behold, a woman in the city, which -was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s -house, brought an alabaster box of ointment.” How thoughtful these -women are! This one was not satisfied with merely following the throng, -but she takes with her the most costly gift at her command. What a -contrast between her and Simon, who haughtily thought within himself -that anything was good enough for this lowly Prophet of Nazareth. - -When this woman, whose character seemed to have been well known, too -well indeed for her own comfort, reached Simon’s house, she found the -door thronged by a crowd of people who had doubtless followed Jesus, -and now stood, and looked, and listened--for privacy seems a thing -impossible in the free and easy life of Orientals. For a moment she -lingered amidst the throng. While there, men, as they passed in to the -feast, gathered their robes as they passed her, lest by a passing touch -she should defile them. As she sees the scanty preparations, the cold -reception, her woman’s heart is made indignant. “Would that I were -worthy to ask Him beneath my roof, or would that I could bid Him come -and sit at meat with me; all that I have were His to minister in any -way to His comfort. But I, alas, am so far down and He so holy--there -is no chance for me.” So she thinks. - -Then lo, that face is lifted, the eyes meet hers. He, all pitiful, -reading her heart looks an invitation that she can not resist. And then -in the presence of the Pharisees, as they start with horror, every man -shrinking from this infamous intruder, every face filled with scorn, -she hurries across to the side of the Lord Jesus and falls at His feet. -She pours forth her penitence in a flood of tears; then, startled that -she should thus have bathed His feet, she loosens her hair and wipes -them with reverent hands, and tenderly kissing His feet, she draws from -the folds of her dress a pot of unguent, and pours its fragrance upon -them. - -Who she was or how she had come to know Jesus, or when she had been -moved by his preaching and converted by the grace of His words we do -not know. It is quite likely, having been attracted like others to be -one of His auditors somewhere, she had heard His gracious words of love -and pity, and had gladly on her part accepted their healing influences. - -But when the Pharisee saw the marked attention of this woman of the -street to his Guest, he commenced talking to himself in his heart, -“This man, if He were a prophet,” he muttered to himself, “would know -who and what manner of woman this is that is thus lavishing her love -upon His feet, for she is a sinner, whose very touch is pollution.” -No doubt Simon was shocked beyond measure, especially when he saw -Jesus allowed it, and was glad at that moment that his cold caution -at the commencement of the feast had prevented him from giving Jesus -too cordial a welcome. “I am glad now I did not compromise my honor or -forfeit the good opinion of those of my set; that I wasted none of my -perfume upon His head; that I gave Him no kiss of welcome; yea, even -that I did not bid a servant wash His feet. Such acts of hospitality -would, in a measure at least, have committed me, in the eyes of the -people, to Him as a friend, and would have exposed me to the criticisms -of my brethren. I fear I have already gone too far, but will get out of -it as quickly as possible, and when I extend another invitation He’ll -know it. In my opinion, He is not only no prophet, but is altogether -too free with the common people to make Him desirable among my fellow -Pharisees.” - -To be sure, Simon did not utter these thoughts aloud, but his frigid -demeanor, and the contemptuous expression of countenance, which he -did not take the trouble to disguise, showed all that was passing in -his heart. He little realized that Jesus had read his thoughts as -unerringly as if he had written them upon the walls of his dining-room, -and at once proceeded to lay open the heart of His host to himself -in a manner he had never thought it possible, and He did it by first -relating a little parable, and thus addressed the Pharisee: - -“Simon, I have somewhat to say to thee!” - -“Master, say on,” was the somewhat constrained reply. - -“There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. The one owed five -hundred pence, and the other fifty; and when they had nothing to pay he -freely forgave both. Tell me, then, which of them will love him most?” - -The construction of this parable is marvelous for its conciseness, -naturalness and simplicity. In its application Jesus makes Simon -condemn himself for his uncharitable judgment. He is compelled to admit -the whole force of the great scheme of salvation by pardoning grace. -It doubtless never entered Simon’s poor, proud, but sinful heart that -he, too, was a debtor and needed to be as freely forgiven as the woman -whose touch he considered pollution, and yet this is one of the lessons -taught by the comparison here drawn between the abandoned woman and -the proud Pharisee. It is pitiable to see the bitterness of the world -towards a lost woman. And yet why should not her companion in sin -suffer as much as she? But he never does. Let us be fair. Cast her out, -if you feel called on to be her judge, but at least do the same by him. - -The fact remains that this poor woman knew she was an outcast. No -one would forgive her. Never could she regain her social standing. -But Simon? Ah! Simon was really quite a model man. As the world -judges worth, she stood at one extreme and he at the other. Simon was -eminently respectable. As a Pharisee he belonged to one of the first -families; he was recognized in Church and State; he had social position -which introduced him to the refined and educated. If he met a public -speaker of eminence, or a man of reputation, he honored him by inviting -him to dinner. Let us not too severely pass upon the conduct of Simon. -He was undoubtedly a worthy man. Christ’s reference to him in the -parable implies that his outward life was not that of a hypocrite or a -mere formalist. But this parable makes him a bankrupt debtor. He can -no more pay his fifty pence than the woman her five hundred pence. So -both were sinners, and both needed to be forgiven. Here there was no -difference. Both had broken the law of God, and both were in need of a -Saviour. - -We see again that penitence breaks down the wall that separated from -God. This poor woman saw her dreadful sin and turned from it in an -agony of repentance. She sought the Lord. He was the only friend to -whom she could turn in her need. She was sure of His sympathy and help. -She desired forgiveness and found it. She had been alienated from God, -but through her penitence had reached a comprehension of Christ’s -character impossible to the self-satisfied Pharisee. She was far more -at one with God, as He was revealed in Christ, than was the dignified -gentleman, indignant at her presence in his house. - -This woman felt a great need. She was sin-burdened, and needed a divine -deliverer, and the Saviour proved to be an all-sufficient helper. -How was it with Simon? Why, he relied on himself. He felt no need -of Christ’s help. He was self-satisfied--a very good man in his own -opinion. The woman had expressed her gratitude in many touching ways, -but Simon had no sense of gratitude. He had given no kiss of welcome, -had provided no water for the feet, had failed to anoint the Saviour’s -head. - -Beyond a doubt there are a great many excellent people to-day of -Simon’s stamp. They are quite courteous, if their social position is -not compromised thereby. They will spread a feast, and invite the -Lord to dinner. And yet, they feel no need of Christ. The whole show -of hospitality is a cold, heartless formality, with no tenderness -of emotion towards Him. They feel no longing to make sacrifices for -His sake as expressive of their love. And so, while treating Christ -respectfully, they do not treat Him lovingly. They think too well of -themselves. They need to recognize more fully their position of danger -and their dependence upon Christ. - -There is also a wonderful picture in this narrative of Christ’s -love for us. How considerate His treatment of this penitent and -broken-hearted woman! He was not supercilious. He had no feeling of -pride that resented her touch. It was not necessary that He avoid her -in order to vindicate His own purity. - -Hitherto Jesus had said nothing to the woman, though it must have -thrilled her soul when she heard what had been said to Simon in the -application of the parable. She was first indirectly assured of the -grace of God in respect to herself, and of the principle on which her -forgiveness was vouchsafed. She knew that He was not ashamed of her, -and, finally, she heard Him say in so many words, “Her sins which are -many are forgiven her.” - -Having said so much to Simon concerning her, Jesus now turned to the -woman herself, laid His hand tenderly upon the bowed head, for He would -not break the bruised reed, nor quench the smoking flax, He would not -by bitterness drive her from Him, but as her Defence and Deliverer, -personally addressed her, and said, “Thy sins are forgiven!” There now -remained not a doubt in her mind. She had His word personally addressed -to her, and this was the ground of her assurance. - -[Illustration: THE UNINVITED GUEST.] - -Now see what followed. “They that sat at meat with Him began to say, -within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also?” Simon and his -friends were offended because there was no sympathy in their hearts -for Christ and His works of mercy. They did not desire the salvation -of this woman who had come in to their feast. It did not once occur -to them that Christ could know the character of the woman and yet be -willing to let her approach Him that He might forgive her sin. They saw -only a man, and said, “Who is this that forgiveth sins also?” Only God -could do that. But she saw a Saviour before her, and our Lord fearing -the cavil of the Pharisees might distress the woman, He said to her, -“Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace!” He would get her away from -the doubting Pharisees as quickly as possible. - -It is worthy of observation that, notwithstanding the beautiful -exhibition this woman gave of her love and affection, it was her -“faith,” not her love, that saved her. - -Tradition identifies this woman as Mary Magdalene, a native, it is -thought of Magdol, the modern _Mejdel_, a town on the west shore of -the Sea of Galilee, and south of the plain of Gennesaret. The present -village lies close to the water’s edge, and, Tiberias excepted, is the -only place on the western coast of Galilee which survives the wreck of -time. - -Much is said by the Talmudists of her wealth, her extreme beauty, her -braided hair, but all we know of her from Scriptures is her enthusiasm -of devotion and gratitude which, henceforth, attached her, heart and -soul, to her Saviour’s service. For we read, “And it came to pass -afterward,” after this feast in the house of Simon the Pharisee, that -Jesus “went through” the cities and villages of Galilee “preaching and -showing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God,” and “certain women, -which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary Magdalene, -out of whom went seven devils, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s -steward, and Susanna, and many others,” “ministered unto Him of their -substance.” Thus we find this woman, with others, ministering to the -temporal necessities of our Lord. - -In the last journey of Christ to Jerusalem, Mary Magdalene accompanied -the women who were in the company. She was also among the women on the -day of crucifixion who “stood afar off, beholding these things” during -the closing hours of the agony on the cross, and remained till all was -over, waited till the body was taken down, and wrapped in the linen -cloth and placed in the sepulchre of Joseph of Arimathea. Thus, this -loving, faithful woman, true to her nature, clung to her Lord to the -very last. - -On the morning of the resurrection, Mary Magdalene was among the women -who found the tomb of our Lord empty. Instantly she hastened to inform -the disciples. While she was gone, the remaining women saw the angels, -who asked, “Why seek ye the living among the dead?” And instructed -them to tell his disciples. So when Mary returned to the sepulchre, -she was alone. She was also ignorant of what the angels had said to -the other women, and the poor woman’s heart could no longer retain her -pent-up grief, and stood at the open sepulchre weeping. Presently she -saw a man, and supposing him to be the gardener, said, “Sir, if thou -hast borne Him hence, tell me where thou hast laid Him, and I will take -Him away.” - -While she is speaking to the supposed gardener, Jesus addressed her -by her given name, “Mary!” Behold, it was her Lord, and she exclaims, -“_Rabboni!_” It was the strongest word of reverence which a woman of -Israel could use, and, in her joy, would have fallen on His neck, had -He not restrained her. But what honor the Lord conferred upon her. She -was the first human messenger to the world of a risen Saviour! - -Such was the beautiful pearl our Lord saw in the woman who poured out -her penitence in a flood of tears at His feet in the house of Simon -the Pharisee. While it was her faith that saved her, surely it can -truthfully be said of her, “She loved much.” - -It was after Jesus had begun His new method of teaching by parables, -the keynote of which was, “Take heed how ye hear,” and had, at the -close of a hard day’s labor, sailed over the Sea of Galilee, and spent -the night in the region of Decapolis, in the hope of getting away from -the multitudes to obtain a little rest, that, on the following morning -as he returned to Capernaum, the people, from the hillsides were -watching for His return, and as soon as they recognized the sail of the -little vessel, and long before he reached land, great throngs had lined -the shore to welcome His return. - -Notwithstanding the prejudices of the Scribes and Pharisees had already -been aroused against Christ, there was, on the shore, nervously moving -among the people, a very prominent citizen of Capernaum, by the name -of Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue. From the deep lines of anxiety -visible on his face, he was evidently in great mental distress. And -well he might be, for his beautiful twelve year old daughter had been -given up by the physicians and was dying. As a last resort, he hastened -to find Jesus, who already had performed many cures in his city, and -so when he learned that our Lord had passed over the Sea of Galilee, -he could do no better than wait His coming. No sooner had the little -vessel touched the landing than Jairus pushed his way through the -crowd, and when he got near enough fell at Jesus’ feet, and in great -agony of heart besought Him, saying, “My little daughter lieth at the -point of death; I pray Thee come and lay Thy hands on her, that she may -be healed.” There was no calmness in this appeal. On the other hand, -it was full of agitation and fear, mingled with fancies that the Lord -must first lay His hands upon his dying child. There is a striking -similarity between this appeal of Jairus, and that of the nobleman who -came to Jesus in the early part of His ministry, and cried out, “Come -down ere my child die.” Then the Lord told the nobleman to go his way, -his child should live, but here His divine compassion went out to the -distressed father. Doubtless Jesus saw the weakness of his faith, but -He also saw his sincerity, and so He “went with him.” - -But the daughter of Jairus was not the only sufferer in that city. We -read, there was “a certain woman which had an issue of blood twelve -years, and had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent -all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse.” -Surely she was in a sorrowful condition, had suffered many things, -besides the disease which was wasting her life away, for medicine -in that age was but imperfectly understood, and diseases were often -exorcised by charms, and, doubtless her “many physicians” practiced all -sorts of charms and resorted to every kind of omen, until her money -was gone, and she was not only poverty-stricken, but daily growing -worse under her affliction. One almost wonders, since Jesus had now -been for a year and a half a resident of Capernaum, that she had not -sooner appealed to Him for help. Perhaps his work had been in another -part of the city, or she may have been deterred from asking His help -because of the nature of her malady, or she may have thought within -herself that she could do in the throng what she had not the courage to -do openly, for she said, “If I may but touch His garment, I shall be -whole.” And now was her opportunity, for “much people followed Him, and -thronged Him.” Besides, on this occasion, Jesus may have passed through -the street on which she lived, since He has such a way of passing by -the door of helpless, suffering humanity, for He is “touched with the -feeling of our infirmities.” - -This woman at first does not impress us as having a very exalted idea -of the Saviour or faith in His ability to heal. Doubtless she shared -the superstition of her people, and imagined that Christ healed by a -sort of magic or magnetism, for, as she mingled in the throng, she said -to herself, if I come “in the press,” if I can only get near enough to -“touch the hem of His garment,” I will be healed. These seem to be the -thoughts passing through her mind as she ventured out on her errand of -being healed. It is important, however, though difficult, to realize -her situation, for she had become impoverished, diseased, and almost -helpless. Once she was possessed of health, and some means at least, -and, no doubt moved in respectable society. Her changed relations -to her former surroundings made it all the harder to be publicly -recognized, and so she timidly permits herself to be absorbed by the -multitude as they pressed their way through the crowded street that -morning. There may be another reason of which she was fully conscious, -namely, according to the Mosaic law, such a sufferer was unclean, and -was required, after the cure was wrought, to bring an offering for -purification. Orientals had a perfect abhorrence of such a person, for -her very touch would render them unclean. Perhaps could we know all the -circumstances which shaped her actions, the wonder would be, that she -came at all, and that her courage was greater than her faith. - -At length, and as unobtrusively as possible, she came up, in the press -of the people, behind Jesus, and stretched out her trembling hand, and -in such a modest way touched the hem of His garment that no one saw -it, not even His disciples, who were nearest the Saviour. Since no one -saw her act, she thought no one needed to know it. Perhaps she was so -careful that she even thought Jesus was not conscious of it. But to our -Lord there was a difference between the touch of faith and the touch of -the crowd. She was all too deeply conscious of her great need. She was -carried along with the multitude, because she believed if she could get -near enough to Jesus to touch Him, she would receive that which all her -physicians were unable to bestow, namely, restoration to health. She -was there for a blessing. The crowd was there through idle curiosity. -They wanted nothing, only to see. They pushed through the thronged -highway together, and as they did so talked about the simplicity of the -great Man in their midst, were interested in Him because of His fame, -discussed His origin, wondered at the growing opposition of the Scribes -and Pharisees, but hoped some good would come of Him to the nation. The -woman believed she would personally receive new life from Him. In this -she was not disappointed, for “straightway the fountain of her blood -was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that -plague.” To her there was an inward consciousness, which could not be -mistaken, of the staunching of a wound through which her life, for long -years, had been slowly and yet surely ebbing, and she felt the rising -tide of new existence and a return to wholeness. - -But now the scene changes. The great throng came to a halt. What has -happened? one inquired of another. See! Jesus has turned around “in the -press” and is sharply looking into the faces of those nearest Him, and -demanding, “Who touched my clothes?” - -To the disciples this seemed a strange inquiry, and they could not -understand its meaning, and replied, “Thou seest the multitude -thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?” To appreciate -the astonishment of the disciples one must see an Oriental throng -pushing its way through a narrow street of an Eastern city. There is -no resisting its onward rush. Like some mighty river which, fed by a -thousand spring freshets, irresistibly bears everything before it, so -is an Eastern crowd, and the wonder is that Jesus could stay at all. -But He immediately knew in “Himself that virtue had gone out of Him.” -He was conscious that He had put forth power for the woman’s healing. -He would there and at once correct any superstition that there was any -healing virtue in His clothes. Not in the touch of the garment, for the -people pressed Him on all sides, and experienced nothing of His healing -power, even though one or another might have had a concealed disease, -simply because this conscious need of help was lacking in them, and so -it was her own faith had saved her, even though in the beginning it was -not wholly free from superstition. - -But what a trial this stop must have been to the woman, especially -when there was such urgent haste, and this seeming leisurely way of -calling out all the circumstances of the case, even after all disavowed -touching Him, and His looking “round about to see her that had done -this thing.” She must have thought to herself, “I will surely be -discovered.” And timidly shrank back in the crowd, her face burning -with confusion, for doubtless she was not only alarmed at the delay, -but also mortified and afraid on account of the nature of her malady, -disturbed by the consciousness of impropriety, as having, while -Levitically unclean, dared to mingle with the people, and even touch -the great Teacher Himself. We wonder, in the sweep of the Saviour’s eye -over the multitude “to see her,” as she caught sight of His beneficent -face, possibly for the first time, she did not see something in it -that calmed her fears and inspired hope? It would seem so, for even -while yet “fearing and trembling” she came promptly out from among the -throng, “fell down before Him,” and, hard as it must have been for -her to tell her shame in the ears of the multitude, woman-like, she -bravely “told Him all the truth!” Confessed the whole sad story of her -life, and twelve long years of suffering. Oh, the touch of loyalty to -truth and honor in this woman, prostrate at the feet of Jesus, pleading -for mercy and forgiveness! How His own heart must have been touched by -it. He would not break the bruised reed, even in this necessity for -the good of her faith, to have her openly confess the great blessing -she had received. Doubtless the Lord constrained her to make this -confession, partly to seal her faith and to strengthen her recovery, -and partly to present her to the world as healed and cleansed. - -But while she is sobbing out her confession at the Saviour’s feet, He -graciously addresses her, “Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath -made thee whole; go in peace!” Had ever such endearing words fallen -upon human ears! To the woman in the house of Simon the Pharisee, He -had said, “Thy faith hath saved thee!” To this one He says, “Daughter, -be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole!” That endearing -appellation, “daughter,” must have sounded as a lost note out of heaven -in the ear of this woman. Could it be possible that she, who, under -the Levitical law, had been held by her people as unclean, is called -“daughter” by the pure, sinless Son of God? Did ever heaven come down -to earth in such graciousness, and rescue from the mire of uncleanness -and elevate womanhood to be a princess of the sky? Surely these were -days of heaven upon earth, and we may well believe that “daughter” -arose from her prostrate attitude at the feet of the Lord of life and -glory, “a new creature” in Christ. - -Early ecclesiastical legends have garlanded this woman with many -beautiful fancies. Her birthplace, according to tradition, was Paneas -(the modern Banias), located at the sources of the Jordan. Here, in -the front of her residence, she caused a monument to be erected to her -Deliverer. She must also have been in the company of women who followed -Jesus to Jerusalem at the last Passover, for, at the several trials of -our Lord she is made to appear under the name of Veronica, and is said, -in the presence of Pilate, to have proclaimed, in a clear, loud voice, -the innocence of our Lord, and after he was condemned to be crucified, -on the way to Calvary, wiped His face with her own handkerchief. - -Whatever value or genuineness there may be attached to these -traditions, they certainly show in what reverence she was held in -Christian antiquity, and how highly the faith and the hope of this -sufferer were esteemed. - -But, above all these traditionary legends, we behold the glory and -majesty of our Lord in that, in the midst of the multitude, He -displayed no traces of excitement, but that in calm consciousness He -was ready to receive any impression from without. Of this there is -the clearest evidence, when, in the midst of the excited crowd, He -perceived that one timid, shrinking woman, in the agony of her faith -touched the fringe of His garment; and when He stopped to comfort and -confirm the trembling believer, whom His power and grace had restored, -He had recognized, even in a throng, that faith which was unperceived -by men, and only found expression in the inmost desires of the one who -was not even known to the crowd. He alone could develop and strengthen -this unobtrusive and shrinking “daughter” until she breaks forth in -open and public profession. - -There are also reasons why Christ ascribes to faith the deliverance -which He alone works: 1. Faith alone can receive the needed -deliverance. 2. Shrinking modesty, and even a feeling of unworthiness, -need no longer be kept back by any sense of uncleanness, from the full -exercise of that faith. 3. God’s gifts are not alone for the rich and -those high in the ranks of social life, for even this ruler of the -synagogue had to give place to this timid woman, therefore faith may -be exercised by those in the humblest walks of life. 4. Jesus would -convert the act of faith into a life of faith. This woman was not hid -from the searching glance of Christ, but His gracious act of healing -was concealed from the world until He brought her before Him in her -public confession. - -If there is anything that can grieve the heart of Christ it must be -the person who absorbs like a sponge all the gifts of grace, but never -gives any of them out to others. If every one acted thus, Christianity -would be blotted from the face of the earth in a single generation. -Hence the wisdom and justice in requiring believers to be witnesses and -confessors. If you have received any good, tell it out, that others may -be blessed and God glorified. - -It was now becoming manifest that the opposition of the Pharisees was -deepening, and, because they were bitterly offended at the Saviour’s -work, shortly after the healing of the woman with a bloody issue, -Jesus withdrew from Capernaum to the “borders of Tyre and Sidon.” Only -a little before this so many were coming and going that our Lord and -His disciples “had no leisure so much as to eat,” and because of these -throngs upon His public ministry, He had said to the apostles, “Come -ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest awhile.” So they -sailed for the farther shore, to find a safe retreat in the sheltered -uplands in the dominion of Herod Philip. But the people, who seemed to -be always on the watch, when they saw the little vessel sailing out -from Capernaum, and knew, by the direction it was taking, they quickly -spread the news of His departure, and thronged out of Capernaum, -Bethsaida, Chorazin and other cities, and hastened on foot around the -shores of the sea, and outran the vessel and reached His contemplated -place of retirement in advance of the little craft, and there was no -rest, but a great multitude to be instructed, and healed, and fed, -for it was on this occasion that He spread a table in the desert, and -five thousand, besides women and children, sat down to eat. And so -there was nothing but a hard day’s work, and a night on the desolate -mountain in prayer. So obviously His journey to the “borders of Tyre -and Sidon,” was to find seclusion and rest, which He had sought, but in -vain, in the “desert place.” But even here, down by the coast of the -Mediterranean, “He could not be hid,” although, when He had reached the -“borders” of the land, He “entered into a house and would have no man -know it.” - -To our mind this is one of the most remarkable incidents in our Lord’s -ministry. In the house of some sheltering friend, on the remote -frontier of Galilee, He hoped to escape popular attention and to be -relieved from the demands of the crowds, who had even deprived Him -of the needed time to eat, but “He could not be hid.” A woman, a -Syro-Phœnician, that is to say, one of the mixed race, in whom the -blood of the Syrians and Phœnicians mingled, and for that reason doubly -despised by the Jews, this woman had observed His presence, and was -soon “at His feet.” From the fact that she was a Gentile, and of a -mixed race at that, made her coming to Jesus an act of heroic faith. -She came not only without invitation, or a single promise to warrant -her coming, but in the face of heart-breaking discouragements. We -have been trained to believe, from the clear teaching of Scripture, -that when we come to Christ with our burdens of sorrow, be they ever -so heavy, and ask for help, our prayers must always be subject to His -will. And indeed He set us a beautiful object-lesson in His own great -agony in Gethsemane. But here it would seem as if the process had been -reversed, and as if this poor Syro-Phœnician woman had succeeded in -imposing her will on the Son of God. Did He not say, “Be it unto thee -even as thou wilt?” And is there not in this the appearance, at least, -of the monarch abdicating in favor of the subject? Strange, indeed, -that any one should get their own way and will with the Sovereign -of all, for the sin that is in us so dyes the color of our will and -deflects it, that we can seldom think of it as being other than a -crooked piece of bent or twisted iron. It is very wonderful that this -woman’s faith was able to get deliverance for her daughter possessed -of an “unclean spirit.” Somehow she believed beforehand in His love -to her, a poor Gentile mother, and this was great faith indeed. All -the miracles of Christ were wrought in response to faith, either in -the sufferers who besought His aid, or in their friends. There must -be faith by which, as over a bridge, the divine help might pass into -the nature of man. Faith is the unfurled petal, the opened door, the -unshuttered lattice. And so, in this case, it was through the mother’s -faith that God’s delivering help passed to the child. - -Upon a careful study of the secret of this woman’s faith, we shall -discover that her faith was severely tested. Christ gave her four -tests, each of which was necessary to complete her education; and by -each, with agile foot, she climbed the difficult stairway, which some -would say was of upward ascent, but which in point of fact was one of -downward climbing, until she got low enough to catch the waters which -issue from the threshold of the door of heaven’s mercy. - -The first test was that of silence. “She cried unto Him, saying, Have -mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed -with a devil.” The effects of these unclean spirits are described in -the instance where the distressed father brought his demoniac boy to be -healed. And while the father is bringing him, the poor child is seized -with paroxysms of his malady, having fallen to the ground at the feet -of Jesus, foaming at the lips under the violent convulsions. When the -father was asked how long the boy had thus been possessed, he answered, -“Of a child, and ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the -water to destroy him;” and whenever the spirit “taketh him, he teareth -him, and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth and pineth away.” -Such was the demon this poor mother’s daughter was possessed with, -and grievously tormented. But to her appeal for help, Jesus “answered -her not a word.” He alone had the power to help, but the agonizing -mother awakened no response. And yet, His very silence is a testing of -her faith. Often it has happened that God’s answer which has best met -our need was the silence which has not been a refusal, but has given -time for us to reach a condition of lowliness and helplessness before -God. He always lets the fruit upon His trees ripen before He plucks -it. Through the silence of the winter the sap is touching again its -mother earth, and becoming reinforced by her energy for its work in -the blossoms of May and the fruit of September. The mind reaches its -clearest, strongest conclusion by processes carried on in its depths -during hours of silence and repose. It is in the long, silent hours, -when the heart waits at the door, listening for the footstep down the -corridor in vain, that processes are at work that shall make it more -able to hold the blessedness which shall be poured out from the chalice -of a Father’s pity. - -Again. She was sorely tested in the conduct of the disciples. They -were eager to rid themselves of the worry of this woman’s crying, and, -as the quickest solution--a solution which we are all ready enough -to imitate--advised Christ to give her what she wanted and send her -off. They thought a miracle to Christ was not more than a penny to a -millionaire. They did not see that Christ’s hands were tied until the -conditions of blessing were fulfilled in the suppliant. He loves us too -well to give His choicest boons to those who have not complied with the -lofty spiritual conditions which are part of the standing orders of the -kingdom of heaven. Much of our charity is sheer selfishness. We would -rather grant the request any day than have an unsightly beggar intrude -into our bowers of selfish repose. “She crieth after us,” the disciples -said; “her misery is unpleasant; heal it.” - -But Christ was tied by the terms of His commission. She had appealed -to Him as Son of David, and He said that He had been sent to the -lost sheep of the house of Israel. She belonged to one of the alien -races. She was not even a “sheep” of the house of Israel, much less a -“lost” one. The question was, “Could He, even for once, transcend His -commission, and grant the request of this weary soul which had traveled -so far to find the Christ?” As Messiah, she had no claim on Him, for, -in that capacity, He had been commissioned to the house of Israel only. - -Once again. Her faith was tested in His farther refusal to her -pleadings, when He said, “It is not meet to take the children’s bread, -and cast it to the dogs.” Somehow her quick woman’s instinct perceived -a way up what had seemed to be the unscalable path of Christ’s refusal. -If she had no claim on Him as Messiah, was He not something more? Was -He not Lord and Master? Did not deity blend with humanity in that -nature, which, whilst His voice repelled her, yet fascinated and -attracted her? It would almost seem as if the Holy Spirit whispered, -“Accost Him as Lord;” “Touch Him on the side of His universal power;” -“Speak to Him as Son of Man.” So she acted upon His suggestion, and, -throwing herself at His feet, said, “Lord, help me.” To this appeal -Christ gave answer that seemed churlish enough. But the bitter rind -encased luscious fruit. The nut had only to be cracked to disclose -the milk, sweeter than that of the cocoanut in the desert waste. He -compared the Jews to children, Himself to bread, and this woman to a -dog. But for the word “dog” he used the tender diminutive, which was -not applicable to the wolfish, starving animals that prowl and snarl -through the streets of Eastern towns, but was used for the little dogs -brought up with the children in the home. Now, hope once again sprang -up in her heart. Jesus had talked about dogs, and little house dogs, -the playthings of the children. He said it was not proper to cast the -children’s bread to dogs. If by children he meant the “sheep of the -house of Israel,” then she must belong to the household after all. - -She was quick to see her opportunity. “Truth, Lord!” she exclaimed, -“Yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table!” -When she said that, her lesson was learnt. In her former reply she -had given the Lord His right place; in this she took her own as a -little dog. You are not a child of Abraham’s stock! Truth, Lord. You -are a Syro-Phœnician, and, for that reason, doubly unfit to be called -a child! Truth, Lord. All I do for you must be of grace, and not of -merit! Truth, Lord. She admitted all and accepted His most discouraging -statements concerning herself. But, after the worst that can be said -about dogs, they “eat of the crumbs.” All these seeming objections are -in favor of her request. She only wants a little crumb of His mercy, -which will take nothing from others. - -Jesus could stand such pleadings no longer, and he answered and said, -“O, woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt.” -She had come for crumbs, but the Lord handed to her the key of the -storehouse, and said, “Have your way, go in and help yourself to all -its stores.” She would have been content with the crumbs that fell -beneath the table on the floor, but she finds herself seated at the -table itself, and feasting like a daughter of the king on its rich and -bountiful provision. No longer a dog, she proves herself to be one of -those other sheep which shamed the lost sheep of the house of Israel by -docility and purity and grace. - -This woman had many graces. She had wisdom, humility, meekness, -patience, perseverance in prayer; but all these were the fruits -of her faith; therefore, of all graces, Christ honors faith most. -The perseverance of this woman may well be considered as every way -calculated to teach us the power and efficacy of faith, and the -greatness of her faith consisted in this, that in spite of all -discouragements she continued her plea. Many a blessing has been lost -out of our lives just because we lacked these graces of the soul. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -Womanhood During Our Lord’s Judean Ministry. - - THE SISTERS OF BETHANY--THEIR CHARACTERISTICS--NOT GOOD, BUT BEST - GIFTS--THE EXTRAVAGANCE OF LOVE--SALOME’S STRANGE REQUEST--HER - FIDELITY--JOANNA--THE POOR WIDOW’S GIFT--HOW ESTIMATED--THE - SAVIOUR’S WORDS OF PEACE. - - -The sisters of Bethany, Martha and Mary, come to our view three times -during our Lord’s Judean ministry. The first view we have of them is -recorded in Luke x, 38-42, where these sisters entertain our Lord after -a long, weary day’s teaching. The second is recorded in John xi, 1-46, -and relates to the sickness and raising from the dead their brother -Lazarus. The third is the anointing of Jesus by Mary, the account of -which is found in Matt. xxvi, 6-13; also in Mark xiv, 3-9, and John -xii, 1-8. Though these three events are each distinct, yet a careful -study will discover a close connection between the deep, underlying -truths in each, the attitude taken by Jesus, and the results in the -circumstances of everyday life. - -A great deal has been said and written about these sisters of Bethany, -some regarding Martha at fault, while others think Mary did not do the -right thing to leave her sister do all the work. It is related of three -theologians that they were talking together about these two women, and -at last made their discussions concrete by questioning each other as -to which of the women they would like to have married. The first said -he would rather take Martha, to have his home looked well after; the -second said he would much prefer to have married Mary, the tender and -the loving; and the third, who had been silent up to this point, said, -“I should like Martha before dinner and Mary after.” We think there is -a great deal in this statement. There are excellencies in each, and -it is impossible for us to do without our busy Marthas in our homes -and churches, but we must remember at the same time that our Lord’s -estimate is that Mary had chosen the better part which was not to be -taken from her. - -The location of Bethany is most picturesque and charming. It is -scarcely two miles from Jerusalem, yet, by its situation on the -south-eastern side of a lateral spur of Olivet, is completely hid from -view. Here, amid the olive yards and fig orchards, lived this happy -family in comfortable circumstances, and, we think, were possessed of -considerable property, and ranked well among the learned and affluent. -Jesus had been slowly journeying from Galilee down the east borders of -Samaria to Jerusalem. Those who are familiar with that journey will -remember how replete it was with incidents, wayside sermons, parables -and miracles. At length, late in the afternoon, we may well believe, He -arrived at Bethany weary with the long journey, exhausted by the labors -which attended it, and glad to get away from the multitudes which -thronged Him. That there should be some stir in the pious household at -the coming of such a guest is perfectly natural, and that Martha, the -busy, eager-hearted, and no less affectionate hostess, should hurry -to and fro with somewhat excited energy to prepare for His proper -entertainment, is not to be wondered at, for, in all probability, -she had had no information of His coming, and along with Him twelve -disciples to be provided for. The wonder is she was as self-contained -as she was. - -There can be no doubt but Martha was a good housekeeper. She kept -everything straight, clean and neat. And when Jesus came, it upset her -somewhat, and she ran out into the kitchen, at the back of the house -to get the supper; not a single thing must be left undone, everything -must be there. She is so eager about it, coming in and out of the -little guest-chamber where the Master is sitting, hurrying here and -there with this one thought in her heart, that the Lord must have -her best, nothing must be left unturned to give Him comfort. And, -of course, there is a good deal of excitement and possible anxiety. -The disarranged furniture is hastily put to rights, the table had -to be freshly laid with clean white cloths, and the dining-room made -presentable, for it must be remembered Christ did not come alone. -He had a group of twelve disciples with Him, and such an influx -of visitors would throw any village home into perturbation. Then, -no doubt, the day’s labor had been a good appetizer. The kitchen -department that day was a very important department, and probably -Martha had no sooner greeted her guests than she fled to that room. No -doubt she was a good cook. Mary had full confidence that her sister -could get up the best dinner of any woman in Bethany, for Martha was -not only a hard-working and painstaking woman, but also a good manager, -ever inventive of some new pastry, or discovering something in the art -of cookery and housekeeping. - -On the other hand, Mary had no worriment about household affairs. She -seemed to say, “Now, let us have a division of labor. Martha, you -cook, and I’ll sit down and be good.” So you have often seen a great -difference between two sisters. Mary is so fond of conversation she has -no time to attend to the household welfare. So by this self-appointed -arrangement, Mary is in the parlor with Christ, and Martha is in the -kitchen. It would have been better if they had divided the work, and -then they could have divided the opportunity of listening to Jesus; -but Mary monopolizes Christ while Martha swelters at the fire. It was -a very important thing that they should have a good dinner that day. -Christ was hungry, and He did not often have a luxurious entertainment. -Alas! if the duty had devolved upon Mary, what a repast that would have -been! But something went wrong in the kitchen. Perhaps the fire would -not burn, or the bread would not bake, or Martha scalded her hand, or -something was burned black that ought only to have been made brown; -and Martha lost her patience, and forgetting the proprieties of the -occasion, with besweated brow, and, perhaps with pitcher in one hand -and tongs in the other, she rushes out of the kitchen into the presence -of Christ, saying, “Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left -me to serve alone?” - -Now look at Martha, but while you look, do not get out of patience -with her. She is cumbered and growing fretful. Her service is getting -too much for her, she can not get things done as well as she would -like. And being fretful and tired she goes wrong herself. First she is -cumbered; the next thing she feels cross with Mary; “Mary is sitting -there at the feet of Jesus, and I am so busy getting the supper. What -right has she down there when I am so busy?” The third thing she gets -cross with Jesus, and she says, “Dost not Thou care that my sister -hath left me to serve?” Cumbered in her own spirit, angry with her -sister, reflecting upon her Master, and putting the blame on him of -her weariness. Dear soul, how she loved and wanted that supper to be -all that it ought to be, but she had forgotten that service only was -acceptable which was filled up with communion with the Lord. - -How tenderly the Lord deals with Martha! There was nothing acrid in -His words. He knew that she had almost worked herself to death to get -Him something to eat, and so He throws a world of tenderness into His -intonation as He seems to say, “My dear woman, do not worry, let the -dinner go; sit down on this ottoman beside Mary, your younger sister. -Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things, but -one thing is needful.” Is there not a volume of love and sympathy -expressed in these words? And may not the Marthas of to-day learn -wisdom from them and seek in Jesus that Friend who can be touched with -the feelings of our infirmities, “that good part which shall not be -taken away?” The Saviour looked with love and pity upon the troubled -Martha, for He realized that she was not only cumbered with many -cares, but she was also anxious for His personal comfort. He was her -Guest. Though the Lord of Glory, He was also man, having human wants. -He hungered and thirsted as other men, and it was the duty of these -sisters to provide for Him the necessary food. If at the last day it -will be a matter of condemnation to any one that he has seen one of -Christ’s disciples an hungered or athirst and did not minister unto -him, how much more guilty would they be who would suffer Christ Himself -to go without food when He was hungry, and that too in their own house! - -Martha was right, therefore, in seeing that a suitable meal was -prepared for her guests. Her mistake was that she set an undue -importance upon the matter. She represents that large class of Marthas -which emphasizes fidelity to temporal cares and subordinates the -devotional and spiritual. Mary represents that side which magnifies -the devotional and spiritual, and which subordinates the temporal and -physical things, making them subserve the other. The one is serving -Christ in our own way and according to our own zeal; the other is -humbly waiting at His feet for direction. Martha must needs get up a -great entertainment. She must have a needless variety of dishes, show -thereby the skill and resources of her art as a housekeeper. Instead of -thinking mainly of what her distinguished Guest might do for her, of -the infinite store of blessing that hung upon His lips, she was wholly -intent upon what she might do for Him. While thus absorbed and fretted -with cares of how she might give her table a more comely appearance, -she was losing the heavenly manna which Jesus came to dispense, and -which she so much needed for her soul. Not only did she throw away this -priceless opportunity of hearing the words of eternal life directly -from her Lord, but she was unreasonably vexed at Mary for not being as -foolish as herself. - -The thoughts and purpose of her heart were as open to Him as were those -of the gentle, loving Mary; and while one revealed care and anxiety for -the perishing things of this life the other told of perfect love and -trust in her adored Lord; of earnest longing for the knowledge of the -truth, of deep humility, of self-forgetting devotion, of that quiet -courage which fears neither ridicule nor opposition. - -There may have been some truth in Martha’s complaint against her -sister. Very possibly Mary may have been so absorbed with the “good -part” which she had chosen, as to be really negligent of her household -duties, and to throw upon Martha burdens which should have been shared -equally by the sisters. Had Mary, sitting at the Master’s feet and -drinking in the precious doctrine that fell from His lips, been puffed -up thereby, and said to Jesus, “Speak to my sister Martha, that she -stop her household cares, and come and sit with me in this devout -frame of mind,” very likely the rebuke would have fallen in the other -direction. - -Observe, Jesus did not meet Martha’s words against her sister with -a denial, or with an apology. He simply vindicated Mary’s religious -integrity, by testifying that she had “chosen the good part.” She -was a faithful, humble, loving disciple, and delighted to sit at His -feet and receive instruction. That which Jesus calls “that good part” -must be of priceless value, a treasure well worth obtaining in this -changing, perishing world; for it is to be enduring, “it shall not be -taken away.” Like the favored Mary, we may not literally sit at the -Master’s feet, yet He is speaking to every humble child of God, in and -by His Word. We may choose the world with all its vanities which perish -with the using, or we may choose Christ as our portion, both for time -and eternity. O! how many troubled Marthas there are in these modern -times that need to choose the “good part,” that need to sit humbly at -the dear Saviour’s feet, to be nourished by His love, cheered by His -council, and approved by the divine “well done!” The lowly life of -humble sacrifice is the only life worth living. - -The next view we have of this beautiful Bethany home the scene is all -changed. The sunshine is all gone out and great clouds of sorrow and -distress have rolled into the sky of its happiness. Prosperity has -given place to the bitterest adversity, the brightness and gladness are -banished, and the sisters are right down under the deepest, darkest -shadow of sorrow that ever settled on their home. The well-beloved -brother, Lazarus, is ill unto death, and Jesus is far away, and in -the very midst of His Peræan ministry. In their distress, the first -thought of these sisters was of Jesus. “If He only knew our brother was -sick,” they doubtless said one to the other, He would sympathize with -us, and at once restore him to health. And so they sent him the simple -message, “He whom Thou lovest is sick.” - -Our first thought is when the messengers, bearing the sad intelligence, -had informed the Lord, He would have at once promptly responded to this -cry of help coming from the home where he had been so heartily welcomed -and so bountifully entertained. But how different was His reception of -the message from what we naturally expected. So far as is known, He did -not even return an answer. Could they have been mistaken? Did not Jesus -love Martha and her sister, and was not the very message couched in the -words, “He whom thou lovest?” Would He dishonor the confidence they had -reposed in Him? - -For two whole days He continued His Paræan ministry “in the same place -where He was.” To us this conduct is most surprising. O, how often the -Lord does so with us, even when we cry after Him in our sorrow He does -not come. But always right in front of the statement, that He does not -come, we have “Jesus loved.” How it added to their sorrow. Lazarus -dying, Christ not coming, and at last Lazarus is dead and in the tomb, -and yet the Master has not come. Surely the dense gloom of bereavement -has settled down over the home, but a little while ago so full of -sunshine and beauty. - -Heartbroken, the sisters keep their vigil by the sepulchre, but among -the friends coming and going to tender their sympathy, the Friend does -not appear. He came not to save; He comes not to weep. The fact must -have added poignancy to their grief. But wait in your judgment. Right -through these dark hours Jesus loved these sisters. Do not lose sight -of this fact. It may comfort you some day. He refrained from bestowing -a small favor only that He might have an opportunity to bestow a -greater. If he had healed Lazarus by a word, Martha and Mary would -have been grateful and satisfied, but by waiting He could give them a -greater blessing, and one which might be shared by sorrowing ones in -all ages to come. - -But Jesus is coming. Lazarus is dead, but Jesus is come at last, and is -halting on the brow of the hill, just outside of the village. The news -of His arrival reach the stricken sisters. How does the intelligence -of His presence affect them? “Then Martha,” the dear woman, “as soon -as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him; but Mary sat -still in the house.” What a contrast. Martha hastens along the village -road to the brow of the hill where the Saviour had halted, doubtless -that He might meet the sisters apart from the crowd, which had come in -accordance with Jewish custom, to mourn with them, and as she comes -running to meet Him, she exclaims, “Lord, if Thou hadst been here my -brother had not died.” He certainly understood that. But in her blind -grief she could not understand how, if He loved her and her sister, He -could delay His coming until it was too late. In her words there was -almost the accent of rebuke and reproach, “If _Thou_ hadst been here my -brother had not died.” But how graciously He deals with her. He comes -to her in her argumentative state and with words the most comforting -said, “Thy brother shall rise again.” - -Martha could hardly believe her ears, as she certainly did not -comprehend the meaning of these words with her heart, and replied, “I -know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” She -believed in the life everlasting, but she was going to put off being -comforted until “the last day.” In that Martha has many sisters. - -But how patiently our Lord recalls the mind of Martha from the -resurrection of the last day to Himself. He said, “I am the -resurrection, and the life; he that believeth in Me, though he were -dead, yet shall he live; and whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall -never die!” He is master of the thing that fills her heart with dread, -and patiently He deals with her. Was not that beautiful? - -Comforted in her heart, Martha hastened back to her home, and called -Mary her sister secretly, saying, “The Master is come, and calleth for -thee.” He wanted to meet Mary apart from the public mourners, as He had -met Martha. The custom was for the comforters to do as the mourners. If -they were silent, to remain so; if they wailed, to wail with them. The -shrieks of Oriental mourners are often ear-piercing. Our Lord wanted -to avoid this, and so no doubt, although it is not chronicled, He had -commissioned Martha to bear the tidings of His arrival, and she went -and quietly and said, “The Master wants you, Mary.” - -Mary “rose quickly, and came unto Him.” But mark her coming. Unlike her -sister, “when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw Him, she _fell -down at His feet_, saying unto Him, Lord, if Thou hadst been here, my -brother had not died.” That’s what Martha said. Yes, but what effect -did it produce upon Him when Mary said it? “When Jesus therefore saw -her weeping,” and the company of mourners who had followed her soon -after she left the house, “also weeping” with her, “He groaned in the -spirit and was troubled,” no doubt, at the empty platitude on the -part of those miserable comforters. But at the sepulchre, where lay -the mortal remains of the loved Lazarus, He wept. The Son of God in -tears! His great heart sharing another’s sorrow. This scene is the most -precious and comforting in the record of the Saviour’s life so far as -the revelation of His heart is concerned. - -Martha gets His teaching, Mary gets His tears. Martha said exactly what -Mary said. When Mary said it, what a difference! Which do you think -was the better thing, to run after Him and get His teaching, or wait -till sent for and get His tears? The reasoning mind will receive the -Master’s teaching; the broken, weeping heart, His tears. Bright and -luminous as were His words with resurrection glory, Mary got to deeper -depths in the heart of God when she came than Martha, because she drew -His tears of deepest sympathy with her sorrow. - -Why did Jesus weep? Because Lazarus died? No, He is going to call Him -back for a definite purpose. He knows that bereavement has broken the -hearts of these two sisters, and though He is going to heal sorrow’s -wound, He sympathized with their grief, and His heart went out in -their distress. Every wounded heart that belongs to a child of God, -the Master is going to heal by and by; yet He suffers with you in the -wounding, and enters by tears with you into the sacrament of your -sorrow. And so He wept when these women wept. There are times in our -lives when the tears of sympathy speak greater comfort than the most -eloquent words. Beloved, when you go to your friend sitting in the -shadow of her deepest sorrow, spare your words, but freely mingle your -tears with hers. Job’s comforters sat in silence for seven days before -they spoke. But if you are not delivered out of your bereavement, may -this scene in the life of our Lord comfort you with the thought that -He has something better for you. The best thing came to these sisters, -right after the bitter weeping. - -In the third and last view we have of this blessed Bethany home, we -see some of the scenes of the first view coming up to us. It is the -same home, only, because of better accommodations, the feast is held in -the house of Simon, but the same people are in it. But what a change -there is here! Let us get the humanness as well as the divinity out of -it. Look at those people, what are they doing? Sitting at the table. -A lovely place for us men to sit. _But Martha served._ Do not miss -that. She is doing what she did before,--getting supper ready. She is -bustling about in her earnestness, but she has lost her grumbling. She -gets through the entertainment with smiles from first to last. She is -no less busy, but she is at rest in her mind. She is cumbered, but is -not angry with Mary, and is not reflecting on Jesus Christ. She had -learned something in the day of sorrow and darkness. It has not altered -her power to serve, but the matter and the manner of her service. - -What about Mary? If you have carefully studied the last few days of -our Lord’s life upon the earth you have noticed that He was a lonely -man, and that even His disciples failed to enter into sympathy with His -suffering as it overshadowed His life. Take the story of those last six -days and our Lord’s journey to Jerusalem, and you will find that it is -an awful picture. He has the shadow of the cross upon Him, and He keeps -calling these men to Him saying, “I am going to Jerusalem to suffer, -to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will crucify Me.” His -disciples broke in upon that awful revelation by asking, “Master, who -is the greatest among us?” - -But there was one soul that saw the cross--Mary. Never forget it, you -men; it was a woman that saw the cross and went into the shadow of it -with Christ, as it was a woman who became the first human preacher of -the resurrection when He came back again. So while He “sat at meat,” -in the house of Simon the leper, with the man whom He had cured of -the most terrible of diseases upon one side, and the man whom He -had raised from the dead on the other, and the disciples on either -side of these, Mary looks into the faces of the guests, and they -all were happy, as men usually are with a feast spread before them, -and even Christ, though fully conscious of his approaching death, -and all the humiliation accompanying it, did not abandon Himself to -melancholy feelings or looks, yet with that deep intuition that is -only born of the highest and the holiest love, she sees what no one -else sees, that on His heart is the shadow of a great sorrow. And she -is thinking, “What can I do? Can I do anything that will let Him see -I know something of His pain? Can I go into the darkness with Him -and share in that sorrow?” And when love does this kind of thinking -it is always extravagant. She slipped away from her sister’s side in -serving, hastened to her room, where the precious treasure was kept, -and seizing the alabaster box of spikenard, for which she had paid more -than 300 pence, she hastened back to the feast, saying to herself, “I -will give Him this; it is the choicest thing I can get hold of, and -I want to pour it out upon Him, for He knows I can see His sorrow and -pain.” So speaking, she fell at His feet and poured the perfume on His -head and feet. It was a lavish waste of love--nearly $1,000 expressed -in our money now. But nothing is wasted that is done in love for our -Lord. Some murmured, others “had indignation,” and Judas spoke right -out, “Why this waste?” Poor Mary, she had never thought of there being -any waste to her act of love. “Three hundred pence!” Judas had quickly -ciphered out the contents of the broken alabaster box, and just now, at -the expense of Mary, was very benevolent. The unbroken box of ointment -might have been sold, and the money “given to the poor.” - -But, in a moment they were hushed. “Let her alone,” said Jesus. How -fortunate for Mary that she had a more righteous Judge to pass sentence -upon her action. “Against the day of My burying hath she kept this.” -Nobody else understood it. The motive determines the act. “Nothing -can be wasted that love pours upon Me, because love enters into My -suffering and sorrow, and that is what it meant.” - -“She hath done what she could.” O, what a precious revelation! Jesus -is fully satisfied with the limit of our ability to serve Him. And -the sequel showed that she met her Lord’s future as no other of His -disciples had been able; anointed His brow for the thorns, and his feet -for the nails, that both thorns and nails may draw blood in the perfume -of at least one woman’s love. - -In this act of love done for Jesus she has erected to herself a -monument as lasting as the Gospel, for the Master declared, “Verily, -verily, I say unto you, wheresoever this Gospel shall be preached in -the whole world, there shall this also, that this woman hath done, be -told for a memorial of her.” Mary had loved wiser than she knew, but -then it is just like Jesus to pay back into our hands a hundredfold -more than the most liberal of us ever bestowed upon Him. The sweet -story of that beautiful act of the breaking of the alabaster box -will be told as long as there is a Gospel to be preached or a soul -to be saved. The wonder of wonders is, that in this world of sin and -suffering there are not more Marys to break alabaster boxes over the -world’s burdened laborers. - -We now pass to notice another beautiful womanly character in White -Raiment, namely, Salome. Her name means “peaceful,” and, though she -developed considerable womanly ambition, her name quite describes her -character. She was the wife of Zebedee, a well-to-do fisherman on the -Sea of Galilee, and the mother of James and John, two of our Lord’s -best loved disciples; two who, with Simon Peter, one of their business -partners, constituted the inner apostolic circle. She had not only -given two sons to the ministry, but she herself accompanied Jesus in -His Galilean ministry, and, with others, ministered of her substance -in meeting the expenses of His journeys. She must, therefore, not only -have been a woman of means, but liberal in her use of it. No doubt -she was a quiet, home-loving body; but she liked so well to listen to -those sayings of our Lord that she was glad to leave her pleasant, -comfortable Bethsaida house beside the beautiful “blue sea of the -hills,” to go about hither and thither with her sons and drink in the -wonderful words of Christ. - -Salome is best remembered as coming to our Lord, on His last memorable -journey to Jerusalem, with the strange request that her two sons might -sit, the one on the right hand of Jesus and the other on the left, in -His kingdom. Just as in the Sanhedrin, on each side of the high priest -there sat the next highest dignitaries, so here she requested the two -highest places for James and John. However, perhaps, this was not a -selfish ambition, since the request is made for others. Some one has -said, “Plan great things for God, and expect great things from God,” -and an apostle has said, “Covet earnestly the best gifts.” O, these -mothers, when there are seats of honor to be given out can not only -“covet,” but “earnestly” ask for great things for their sons. - -These two disciples had already been favored. They were with Jesus -when He raised Jairus’ daughter from the dead; they were with our -Lord on the Mount of Transfiguration, and, later on, in the Garden -of Gethsemane, and witnessed His agony. Though of the inner circle, -yet they possessed characteristics of their own. They were more eager -for extreme measures for pushing their Master’s cause than was even -the tempestuous Peter. Their self-poised love of the truth made them -zealous. It was they who rebuked the one who cast out demons in Jesus’ -name, because he did not follow them. They requested Christ to call -down fire from heaven to burn up the Samaritan village that refused to -receive them on account of an old prejudice against the Jews. If these -disciples could have had their own way, that village, with all its -inhabitants, innocent and guilty, would have speedily been reduced to -ashes. How little they understood their Lord, or even themselves. They -did not get the idea from their Lord, for He came to save men’s lives, -and not to destroy them. - -Possibly Salome may have thought her sons had some claim to these -honors. The family had some business standing. They had partners and -servants. John had some acquaintance with the High Priest, the great -head of the Hebrew Church. They had left all to follow Jesus, giving -up not only their business prospects, but their friendship with -ecclesiastical aristocrats, and now she was looking out for a good -place in His kingdom for her sons. - -Probably the two brethren had directed this request through their -mother, because they remembered the rebuke which had followed their -former contention about precedence. She asked simply, directly, humbly, -nothing for herself, but what she thought was her due. He gave her no -rebuke, as He would have been sure to do if she had asked through any -selfish motive. Turning to James and John He questioned them about -their fitness for such promotion. Could they drink of His cup and be -baptized with His baptism? They thought they were able. They knew -better what He meant when Herod beheaded James, and John was banished -to Patmos. - -Salome remained true to her Lord. When the terrible death-hour came she -stood beside the cross, held there by her faith and love through the -jeers of the mocking crowd, the dying agony of her Saviour, and the -darkness which veiled His terrible suffering. - -[Illustration: SEEKING THE LIVING AMONG THE DEAD.] - -After the body was taken down from the cross, Salome, with others, -“beheld where He was laid.” O, this loving, faithful woman, true to her -nature, how she clung to her Lord to the very last. And on the morning -of the resurrection, “as it began to dawn,” we find Salome among the -company of women hastening to the sepulchre to complete the anointing -of the body of our Lord which had been so hurriedly buried on the -evening of the crucifixion. But, upon reaching the garden, these women -were amazed to find the tomb open and empty. These women--Salome, Mary -Magdalene, Joanna, and others with them--came seeking a dead body, but, -instead, they found a living angel, who asked, “Why seek ye the living -among the dead?” “He is risen; He is not here; behold the place where -they laid Him!” - -What these women, in company with Salome, had seen was enough to fill -them with astonishment, and what they had heard from the lips of the -angel was enough to fill their hearts with joy. Wonderful that He whom -they had mourned as dead was indeed alive again, though they could -hardly believe it. - -But Salome’s prayer for her sons had sure answer. To James was given -the high honor of being the first apostolic martyr. John had the -distinction of caring for the Virgin Mary during her last years, and, -on Patmos, the little rocky isle of his banishment, where he could hear -only the sea-bird’s cry and the melancholy wash of waves, he listened -to apocalyptic thunderings that were enough to tear any common soul to -tatters. He was permitted to put the capstone on the magnificent column -of Holy Scripture, a column that had been forty centuries in building. - -Salome, the peaceful and brave, at the last went gladly away to her -reward; for she was sure that her sons, having drank of His cup, and -been baptized with His baptism, were now seated with Him in the throne -of His glory. - -In connection with our Lord’s Galilean ministry, we find the name of -Joanna mentioned. She was the wife of Chuza, the steward of Herod -Antipas. No doubt she followed Jesus, and ministered to Him out of her -substance, out of gratitude for having restored her child to health. -Her husband was the nobleman who went all the way from Capernaum to -Cana, and besought our Lord that He “would come down and heal His son, -for he was at the point of death.” Joanna was both at the crucifixion, -and is mentioned by name as being one of those who brought spices -and ointments to embalm the body of our Lord on the morning of the -resurrection. - -These women must have possessed means, as well as a spirit of -liberality. All this is very beautiful indeed. - -The last woman in White Raiment during the ministry of our Lord, is -the widow with two mites. Her act of benevolence has associated with -it many tender and pathetic touches. The circumstances, so far as they -relate to the ministry of our Lord, are inexpressibly sad. He had come -down to the last day of His public teaching, and the last hour of that -ministry. Indeed the time of His departure from the Temple was at hand. -He had taught in their streets, by the wayside, in desert places, in -the Temple. He had wept over Jerusalem that had seen so many of His -mighty works, and as in mental vision He saw the coming doom, He sobbed -out, “Oh if thou hadst known ... the things which belong to thy peace!” -But they refused to know, and had finally rejected Him as they had -rejected His teaching. The very tears of the suffering Saviour broke -out in great sobs of grief in the words, “_Ye would not!_” So, in the -very last act, all efforts having failed, He exclaims, “Behold your -house,” it was no longer God’s house, “is left unto you desolate!” As -Jesus on that last day, and at the close of the last hour of the day, -closed the door of mercy, how that word, “DESOLATE” must have sounded -through its God-forsaken courts. - -At a time when such a burden of unrequited toil and sorrow was resting -upon the grieved heart of Jesus, the touching incident of this poor -widow comes to our view. Jesus had left the inner court of the Temple, -and, on His way through the court of the women, paused over against -the treasury to point out one more beautiful lesson to His disciples. -The people were casting their offerings into the thirteen great chests -set to receive their gifts. These offerings were gifts of the people, -and had no reference to “tithes.” These Jews, though they had utterly -failed to comprehend the “day of their visitation,” were, nevertheless, -liberal givers. They did not content themselves with giving a tenth of -their income. So it was the “freewill offering,” the love gifts, that -Jesus was watching. Twice in Exodus, once in Deuteronomy and once in -Leviticus had God commanded, “And none shall appear before Me empty.” -Three times a year was every Jew required to come before the Lord, and -not one time empty-handed. Never was there an exception for rich or -for poor, for great or for small. Not a pauper from Dan to Beer-sheba, -would have dared to come without his offerings. In these modern times -a sickly sentimentality has well-nigh made void the commandment of -God. He made no discrimination in favor of the poor. He that had -little, gave little. He that had much, gave much. A lamb or a kid was -an offering acceptable. If any were too poor to furnish either, “a -pair of turtle-doves or two young pigeons” might be brought. If this -was too much, a few “tablespoonfuls of fine flour” was enough, and -any neighbor would furnish them these. The money value of gifts might -be brought, but the law was inexorable, “None shall appear before Me -empty-handed”--none at these great feasts. At all other times they -might be brought, at these they must. - -So while the people brought their offerings, “Jesus sat over against -the treasury.” He noted carefully each person, and the ability of -each one, as the long line of contributors moved forward toward the -treasury. No one escaped His notice. The rich, from their mansions of -luxury, rulers of the people, clad in costly robes, stately Pharisees, -nobles, grand and lordly, jingling with ornaments of their social -standing, swept over the tessellated floor to the treasury as if by -special training for that particular occasion; and there, from soft -white hands whose fingers were decked in gold, cast into the treasure -chests such offering as their liberality prompted. Among the throng -came a “certain poor widow.” No one knew who she was, or where she came -from. Gliding so softly that no ear heard her footfall, and shying so -timidly that no eyes but His saw her, until her hand was over the -trumpet-shaped mouths through which the money was cast into the chests. -She deliberately of her “penury cast in all her living that she had.” -How much was that? Mark tells us her offering consisted of “two mites, -which make a farthing.” They were the smallest copper coin, and the -two were equivalent to two-fifths of a cent of our money. As these two -mites slid down the narrow tube of the trumpet-shaped aperture into the -chest below, they did not ring as did the gold and silver pieces of the -rich, but they rang to the echo in our Lord’s ears. - -She was a “poor widow” before this contribution, but now she is an -utter bankrupt. If she ever had any financial standing, this rash act -of giving swept it all away. She would have to go without her supper, -for there was no opportunity, at the Passover time, to earn money. On -the contrary, it was a time for spending it. These great conventions -absorbed the small earnings of poor people. But such sacrifices -never go unrewarded, and that poor widow had her supper through some -God-appointed channel. - -Jesus was so well pleased with her gift, and the faith which prompted -it, that He called the attention of His disciples to this act of -benevolence, and said, “This poor widow had cast in more than all -they.” Not more money. Two mites can not be more than the “abundance” -of the rich. How more, then? All gifts have double value--their -commercial and their representative value. They represent the -self-denial, the faith and the love of the giver. In the markets of the -world the two mites would hardly have been looked at, but in the eyes -of the King they represented more than all. - - “Ah! He knew of want and hunger, - Grief and care, and sorrow too; - And the widow’s paltry farthing - Cost a sacrifice He knew. - So all fruits of self-denial - Are the gifts He loves the best; - Not the richest or most costly - Are the offerings most blest!” - -If ever there was an exception, or if ever one could be exempt, surely -this widow would have been. She was in the weeds of widowhood; in the -depths of poverty; in the extreme of want; with only “two mites” in the -world and no bread for the morrow. Her own weary fingers her only means -of living; with her earthly all in her hands she freely cast it into -the treasury. Jesus was sitting where He saw it all. He who-- - - “Searched and tried the hearts” of men, - Saw what prompted every offering, - With His wondrous, God-like ken. - -Did He stop her? He came to preach the gospel to the poor; did He tell -her she was too poor to do as she had done? He brought all His apostles -to witness the sight; did He say, “It shall not be so among you?” He -was giving laws for His Kingdom for all generations; did He say, as He -did in other cases where He intended any modification, “Ye have heard -that it was said by them of olden times that ‘none should come before -Me empty,’ but I say unto you, that whosoever is poor and needy shall -bring no gift into mine house?” Did He say it, or anything like it? Can -there ever be another occasion half so thrilling on which to say it? - -The contrast between the rich and noble, the grand and lordly, who -offered tithes of all their stores, and this shy and shrinking woman, -in her garb of widowhood, is very striking. There is not a word of -reflection on the gifts or the motives of the rich. “The rich and the -poor meet together--the Lord is the maker of them all.” “No respecter -of persons” is He. All honor to the rich who bring their treasures -into the storehouse of God. All honor to the poor who make “their deep -poverty abound unto the riches of their liberality.” May we not from -this lesson draw illustrations of consecration? - -God requires of every Christian a complete consecration of soul, body, -time, talent, means, and everything else. Consecration means giving to -God. When a thing is given away, ownership is transferred in the act of -giving, or presenting from the giver to the receiver. In consecration -the Christian gives himself literally to the Lord, and is henceforth -not his own, but the Lord’s. This transaction must be as real as any in -life, and divine ownership of all given to God must be recognized. - -If we wholly consecrate our souls, our bodies, our time, our several -abilities, then God can use us. The Holy Spirit dwelling in the soul -will dictate to the eyes where to look, and what to look upon, that -the soul may be enriched by seeing. He will direct the feet in paths -of safety and usefulness. He will teach the hands to labor skillfully, -laying up treasures in heaven. He will give the lips messages of love, -comfort and sympathy to speak. He will direct us how to use our time, -that the best possible results may be achieved for both God and man, -and also for heaven and earth. When such consecration is made, and we -recognize fully God’s supreme ownership, then we are in a condition to -“bear much fruit.” - -Few men would banish God from the universe. Too many worlds are -wheeling in their orbits, and their orbits cross and recross each -other too often to be left without a guiding hand. Moreover, the one -we inhabit is the home of the earthquake and the volcano; hurricanes -and tornadoes are born and bred on every continent and island; plague -and pestilence ride on every breeze; death and destruction waste at -noonday. In the presence of such dangers it is a comfort to know “the -Lord reigneth.” But, alas! how many would banish God from their hearts! -The clouds are the commissary trains of the nations; who would have -them without their driver? Men want God on the throne, but not in their -hearts. They would have Him watch the worlds, the clouds, the seasons, -but not their actions. As if God was not a discerner of the very -thoughts and intents of the heart. - -And then this poor widow loved much. And in God’s sight no offering -of love is too small. Love is sometimes a babbling brook, leaping, -laughing, sparkling, splashing. It is beautiful then. It is sometimes a -mighty river--deep, broad, swift and strong, shouldering the burdens -of a continent and bearing them without a murmur. It is glorious then. -But it is sometimes the boundless ocean--feeding all the brooks and -rivers, bearing the commerce of the world, and yet never losing one -note in its everlasting lullaby. It rolls against all its shore lines -and moans, “If there were no bounds, I’d bring your ships to all your -doors.” Love is sublime then. The widow’s love was like the ocean; it -rolled against its farthest shore and longed to go farther. “She of her -penury” had cast into the treasury all that she had, and therefore had -given “more than all they,” for, not what is given, but what is left, -marks the grade of self-denial. There may be trust for bread when the -storehouse is full, but the faith that empties the storehouse and then -trusts for bread, is a purer and diviner faith. This poor widow was a -heroine of faith. - -This apparently trifling event in the life of our Lord is of -inestimable importance. It shows, after He had ended His oppressive -day’s labor in the Temple, how he would still pause, in retiring from -it, to bless the loving act of a poor widow, rendered unto the Lord -in faith, and to adorn even so lowly a head with the crown of honor. -We need no other proof for the celestially pure temper in which He -left the inner courts of the Temple after He had pronounced His great -denunciations against the hypocritical professions of Scribes and -Pharisees. It is as if He could not so part, as if at least His last -word must be a word of blessing and of peace. - -This incident of the poor widow with the two mites is also a new proof -of the power of little things, and of the gracious favor with which -the Lord looks upon the least offering which only bears the stamp of -love and faith. The last object on which our Lord’s eyes rested as He -departed from the Temple was the widow’s two mites. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -Womanhood During the Apostolic Ministry. - - TABITHA--GLORIFIED HER NEEDLE--THE RESULTS OF - LITTLE ACTS--LYDIA--HER HUMILITY--PHILIP’S FOUR - DAUGHTERS--PHŒBE--PRISCILLA--EUNICE--LOIS--EUDIA--SYNTYCHE--HULDA-- - THE HEBREW MAID--TAMAR--MOTHERS OF GREAT MEN--THE AUTHOR OF THE - BIBLE WOMAN’S BEST FRIEND. - - -We now come to the blessed ministry of women during the Apostolic age. -And the first of these is Tabitha. Her residence was at Joppa. She was -a “disciple,” and Luke renders her name, Tabitha, out of the Aramaic -into the Greek as Dorcas. We further read that she was “full of good -works,” among which that of making clothes for the poor is specifically -mentioned. Tabitha had, without doubt, served Christ with her needle -for many years, and exercised her faith by performing works of love. -But there came a day when the fingers refused longer to ply the -needle, and the heart grew faint, and in weariness she laid aside the -unfinished garment, just to take a little rest, and when the neighbors -and “widows” came in, they quickly saw the flushed cheek, and her -critical condition aroused their anxious solicitude to relieve and care -for and comfort her. The fear of losing her excited and agonized them. -The apprehension of their great loss, in case she should be removed -from them, almost drove the little church at Joppa to distraction. - -But, notwithstanding the tender ministry of loving hands and aching -hearts, Tabitha daily grew worse, and finally yielded up her spirit. - - “The calm moon looked down while she was dying, - The earth still held her way; - Flowers breathed their perfume, and the wind kept sighing; - Nought seemed to pause or stay.” - -Clasp the hands meekly over the still breast, they have no more work -to do; close the weary eyes, they have no more tears to shed; part -the damp tresses, they have no more pain to bear. Closed is the ear to -love’s kind and gentle voice. No anxious care gathers on the marble -brow as you gaze. No throb of pleasure pulsates from the dear, loving -bosom, nor mantling flush mounts the blue-veined temple. Can this be -death? Oh, if beyond death’s swelling flood there was no eternal shore! -If for the struggling bark there were no port of peace! If athwart that -lowering cloud sprang no bright bow of promise! Alas for love if this -were all, and naught beyond the parting at earth’s portals. - -The remains of Tabitha were carefully laid in a retired upper chamber. -And now there was hurry and bustle in preparation for the final rites. -Friends were sent for, neighbors were present, the funeral arrangements -were discussed, the mourning procured, the hospitalities of the house -provided for. All was excitement--the loss was not then perceived in -all its greatness. But after the preparations were all made, after the -bustle had subsided, and the watchers had come for the night, then it -was that the friends of Tabitha began to realize what had befallen -them. Now the house seemed so still and sepulchral, though in the heart -of the city, and though its threshold was still trodden by friendly -feet, it seemed so empty. The apartments--how deserted! especially -the room where she struggled and surrendered in the last conflict. -There are the clothes, the garments and unfinished coat, there was the -vacant chair and idle work-basket. During her sickness they had not -so much noticed these things, for they were ever hopeful that these -things might be used or occupied again. But now it can not be, and they -perceive the dreadful vacancy everywhere. - -Oh, how dark and cheerless the shadows came down over that home! No -moon or stars have ever shown so dimly--no darkness ever seemed so -utterly dark. The ticking of the clock resounds like bell-strokes all -over the house. Such deep silence! No footsteps now on the stairs, or -in the sick-chamber; no nurse to come and say, “she is not so well,” -and come and ask for you. No, indeed, only the silent watchers move -about with muffled step, and “you may sleep on now and take your rest,” -if you can. Ah, poor bereaved hearts! It will be long ere the sweet -rest you once knew will visit your couch. Slumber will bring again the -scenes through which you have just passed, and you will start from it -but to find them all too real. God pity the mourners after the body of -the loved one lies unburied “in an upper chamber.” - -All the members of the Christian congregation of Joppa appear to have -been deeply moved by the loss which they had sustained, and to have -entertained the wish in their hearts, although they did not venture to -express it, that, if it were possible, Tabitha might be recalled to -life, and yet, in sending for Peter, who at this time was at Lydda, -ten miles away, they scarcely expected a miracle, and only desired -that he would address words of consolation to them. Much is already -gained, when they who abide in the house of mourning sincerely desire -the consolations of God’s word spoken through human lips. It was only -after her death that it became known what a treasure she had been to -the church. It is one of the beautiful charms of the Christian life, -that in nearly every congregation there is a Tabitha to be found who -constitutes, as it were, the central point around which the love that -exists in the society, collects. Every love is guided by her hand, and -even when she utters no words, she successfully admonishes others. - -Such a woman could not well be spared out of the Joppa church, and so, -with the sunrising, the little congregation despatched two men, who -hastened over the plain of Sharon to Lydda, with a message to Peter, -saying, “Delay not to come to us!” There was haste in the matter. The -body of Tabitha, in accordance with Oriental usage, could not be long -held “in the upper chamber.” Peter seemed to have recognized this, for -he at once “arose and went with them.” - -As soon as the Apostle, who had made no delay, had arrived at Joppa, -the elders of the congregation conducted him to the late home, and -to the upper chamber in which the corpse lay. As Peter entered he -saw the widows, on whom the deceased had conferred such benefits, -standing around the bier of Tabitha, weeping, and “shewing the coats -and garments which Dorcas made, while she was with them.” These acts of -benevolence which survived their author, were indeed noble testimonials -of the deceased woman’s love and charity. - -After these weeping widows had told out their sorrow and their -gratitude, Peter directed them all to withdraw. Doubtless he made -this request that he could more fully engage in prayer when alone. He -may also have perceived that some were governed by an idle curiosity. -At all events, he did not yet know whether it was the Lord’s will to -restore the deceased woman to life. Hence he desired to be alone with -the Lord, in order to make known to Him the requests of the disciples. - -After having poured out his soul in fervent prayer on his knees, Peter -turned toward the body and called to Tabitha, saying, “Arise.” Luke -gives us a graphic description of the scene: at first she opened her -eyes, then, on seeing Peter, rose and sat up, and, at length, when -Peter had given her his hand, stood up. - -The Lord having restored Tabitha to life through the prayers of Peter, -the Apostle called to the saints and widows, and presented to them the -woman, who had been raised up by the power of God. - -This great miracle, we are further told, produced an extraordinary -effect in Joppa, and was the occasion of many conversions. “Many,” Luke -says, “believed in the Lord.” - -Doubtless, Tabitha, when she realized what the Lord had done for her, -for the remainder of her life, said: - - “I shall go softly,” since I’ve found - The mighty arm that girds me round - Is gentle, as it’s sure and strong; - “I shall go softly” through the throng - And with compulsion calm and sweet - Lead sinners to the Saviour’s feet. - -Tabitha, in her good works and alms-deeds, and in her garments that she -made, is not a fashion-plate, but a model for every Christian woman. We -may learn, in her life, the glorification of little things. She was not -rich, at least we are not told that she was, and yet how she glorified -her needle, until a whole city is moved to bitter weeping at her death. -Her needle brought her unsought fame. Little acts are the elements of -all true greatness. They test our disinterestedness. The heart comes -all out in them. It matters not so much what we have, as to what use we -put that which we have. A man who had made an immense fortune out of a -factory in which its builder had sunk $75,000 and failed, said, “I am -always here to watch the little things, to pick up a bunch of cotton, -to tighten a screw, to turn on a nut, to regulate a machine, to mend a -band, to oil a dry place, and so prevent breakages and stopping of the -work. These little wastes of material and machinery in time will eat up -the profits of any business. These little things I attend to myself. I -can hire men to attend the large things.” - -This is the secret of success in every department of business and -walk of life. The principle is equally applicable to women’s work. -Perhaps no class of people ought to look after little things more than -the house-wife. Certainly every woman ought to know that careless -extravagance, and the little wastes in many ways, destroy the profits. -There are a thousand ways in which opportunities for good may be -wasted. Never wait for the evil to increase. “A stitch in time saves -nine,” saves a rent, and, under the well-trained eye of Tabitha, saved -a garment. Heavy doors turn on small hinges. Fortunes turn on pivots. -Look out for small things. They are the atoms, the trifles, that make -up the large things. A stitch is a small thing, but led by the needle -of Dorcas, the garments and coats multiplied. - -So of Christian usefulness. The needle in Tabitha’s hand was a very -small instrument, but the deeds it wrought, clothed the widows and -blessed a church. The two mites of the poor widow were a little -sum, but measured by their motive, they were perhaps the largest -contribution ever made to Christian charity. It is said that a tract, -from the hands of a servant girl, led to the conversion of no less than -Richard Baxter. He awoke to a world of usefulness. Among the library -of books he wrote was the “Call to the Unconverted.” It fell into the -hands of Philip Doddridge. It led him to Christ. Doddridge, too, awoke -to a world of usefulness. His “Rise and Progress” was the means of the -awakening of William Wilberforce. A book of his writing led to the -salvation of Leigh Richmond. He wrote the “Dairyman’s Daughter,” that -fell upon the world like a leaf from heaven--all the fruitage of a -single tract from the hand of a maid. - -“What is that in thine hand?” the Almighty asked Moses while he kept -Jethro’s flock in the back side of the desert, and Moses said, “A rod,” -a shepherd’s staff, cut out of the thicket near by, with which he -guided his sheep. Any day he might throw it away and cut a better one, -but God said, “With this rod thou shalt save Israel.” - -What is that in thine hand, Sarah? Three measures of meal with which I -prepare my dinner. Hasten, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth, -and angels shall sit at thy table to-day. What is that in thine hand, -Rebekah? A pitcher with which I carry water. Use it in watering the -thirsty camels of Eliezer, and thou shalt be an heir in the house of -Abraham? What is that in thine hand, Miriam? Only a timbrel. Use it -in leading the women of Israel in the song of triumph over Pharaoh’s -hosts. What is that in thine hand, Rahab? Only a scarlet thread. Bind -it in the window, and thou shalt save thyself and household. What is -that in thine hand, poor widow? Only two mites. Give them to God, -and behold, the fame of your riches fills the world. What hast thou, -weeping woman? An alabaster box of ointment. Give it to God. Break it, -and pour it on thy Saviour’s head, and its sweet perfume is a fragrance -in the church till now. What is that in thine hand? A broom. Use it for -God. A broom in the hand of a Christian woman may be as truly used for -His glory, as was the sceptre of David. What is that in thine hand? A -pen. Use it for God. Oh, matchless instrument! Write words of comfort -and sympathy that shall echo around the globe. Oh, can you not find -some poor soul to-day who does not know Jesus? Can you not tell some -wanderer about the Christ? What is in thine hand? Wealth. Consecrate -it now to God. What is in thy mouth? A tongue of eloquence. Use it for -God. The tongue is the mightiest instrument that God ever made. What -is in thine hand? A kindly grasp? Give that to some sad, desponding -soul. We need grit and grace to use the common things in the ordinary -way in the daily occupations of life. Consecrate the pen, the needle, -the tongue, the hands, the feet, and the heart to Jesus. Our Lord gave -dignity to labor; the sweat-beads of honest toil stood on His brow. - -This is God’s way of working. He chooses to use the least things--even -things that amount to nothing--to accomplish His work in the salvation -of the race. Use your leisure. Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit -the sick, comfort the wretched, spread the gospel far and wide. If you -have nothing else, use your needle, and the garments will multiply, -and the destitutes will be clothed. A poor girl who had nothing but -a sewing machine, used it to aid a feeble church; all her earnings -above her needs were given towards building a house of worship, and -in a year she paid more than a hundred others richer than she. So you -can do if you will. If you but knew it, you have Tabitha’s needle in -your hand--the simple instrumentality with which to do good. When -the pierced hand of our Lord is laid on consecrated needles, on the -ordinary means within our reach, on wealth, on learning, on beauty, on -culture, on every gift and grace in every relation in life, then the -splendor of the millennial dawn will color the eastern sky with its -crimson and gold. - -From the beautiful home of Tabitha, in Joppa, the Sacred history runs -on until Lydia, in the city of Philippi, is reached. - -While at Troas, Paul had a remarkable vision in the night, of a -man of Macedonia, standing before him and praying, “Come over into -Macedonia, and help us.” How Paul knew this man to be a Macedonian is -not stated. Perhaps he may have frequently seen Macedonian seamen in -Tarsus, his birthplace, which was a flourishing commercial city on the -Mediterranean, or he may have recognized him by his speech or national -dress. This man entreated him, in the vision, to cross over the sea -from Asia into Europe, and come to the aid of the inhabitants of -Macedonia. Paul had never been in Europe, and had no thought of going -there. On the other hand, he had been delivering the decrees issued by -the church council at Jerusalem, through the maritime cities of Asia -Minor, and “assayed to go into Bithynia,” but was restrained by the -Spirit of God. Being thus convinced, he embarked at Troas, taking with -him as fellow-laborers, Silas, Timothy, and Luke. - -After a rapid and successful voyage over the peaceful waters of the -Ægean Sea, in a direct course to the north-west, they reached the -island of Samothrace. The next day they proceeded to Neapolis, situated -on the Strymonic Gulf, and a seaport of Thrace. From this point they -continued their journey, probably, on foot. Following the ancient -well-paved road up the steep Symbolum hills, until they reached the -solitary pass through the mountains, at an elevation of 1,600 feet -above the sea. Once through this lonely pass and a magnificent view -is obtained of the plain in which Philippi is located, and of the -Pangæus and Hæmus ranges, which close in the plain to the south-west -and north-east. At one point on the summit of Symbolum one can look -down into Neapolis on the sea, and into Philippi in the plain. From -this point the Apostles descended to the plain below by a yet steeper -road than the ascent out of Neapolis. At length, at the end of a twelve -miles’ jaunt on foot, finds them in “the chief city of that part of -Macedonia,” and they were quite prepared for a good meal and a night’s -rest. - -The next morning, being the Sabbath day, the Apostles began to look -about the city for a synagogue. But there was no synagogue in Philippi, -only one of those light, temporary structures, called proseuchæ, which -was merely an enclosure without a roof, and was located on the banks -of the swiftly-rushing Anghista (not the Strymon, as some writers have -it), and so the Apostles hastened “out of the city” to the “river -side,” to the proseuchæ, “where prayer was wont to be made.” - -[Illustration: THE CITY BY THE ANGHISTA.] - -This place without the city wall was not a solitary locality, secluded -and retired from the endless confusion of city streets, but, on the -contrary, it was a market place, especially set apart for the mountain -clans of the Pangæus and Hæmus ranges, who came down with their pack -animals to trade. No doubt this stream had its fountains high up among -the Hæmus hills, and with great force came rushing down the mountain, -and spreading out in the plain, gave a plentiful supply to man and -beast. It flowed down through the market place; it was within reach of -every child’s pitcher; it was enough for every empty vessel. The small -birds came down thither to drink; the sheep and lambs had trodden down -a little path to its brink. The thirsty beasts of burden, along the -dusty road, knew the way to the stream, with its soft, sweet murmur of -fullness and freedom. The clear, sparkling river must have reminded the -Apostles of the waters of life and salvation, which they were bringing -to these Philippians. This stream sometimes may cease to flow, and -every other may be dry in the days of drought and adversity, but the -heavenly stream whose spring was in Jesus Christ, they well knew, would -never cease to flow. And they also well knew that whosoever drank from -the river issuing from under the threshold of divine grace, should -never thirst. - -Amid these surroundings, Paul and his companions sat down in the -proseuchæ, “and spake unto the women” who had already assembled in -the place of prayer. It would seem that there were no Hebrew men in -Philippi, and possibly, for the reason this city was a military, and -not a mercantile centre. Even the women may have been few in number, so -that the speaker could not deliver a formal address, but only engage in -familiar conversation, which could be easier done in a sitting posture, -and in a comparatively free and conversational intercourse, thus -assuming at once the attitude of teachers. - -The gracious words which fell from the lips of Paul in this first -attempt to introduce the gospel into Macedonia, are not reported by -Luke, but he tells us that the Lord opened the heart of a woman named -Lydia. There is something very beautiful in this incident, that God -should honor woman with being the first convert in Europe! It was a -man who stood before Paul in his vision, praying, “Come over into -Macedonia and help us,” but it is a woman who is first willing to be -helped. There was, that Sabbath morning, in the proseuchæ, by the -rippling waters of the Anghista, one solitary woman who was in a -special degree, open to the influence of the truth, and who listened -with earnest attention to all that Paul said. - -Luke tells us that Lydia was a dealer in purple, and a citizen of -Thyatira, Asia Minor, and, as Thyatira was a Macedonian colony, we -may the more readily understand that circumstances connected with -her trade brought her at this time to Philippi, and was probably -only a temporary resident. Thyatira was celebrated, at a very early -period, for its purple dyes and purple fabrics. The purple color, so -extravagantly valued by the ancients, and even by the Orientals at the -present day, included many shades or tints, from rose-red to sea-green -or blue. Philippi being the military centre of Macedonia, the military -trappings, with all their tinsel and show, made a brisk market for the -purple cloth of Lydia, and, no doubt, she was a woman who prospered in -her business, and was in good circumstances, and, possibly, possessed -of considerable wealth, as she generously offered her home and -hospitality to Paul and his companions. - -But now see how the words and acts of this noble woman demonstrates the -genuineness of her faith. She at once, with her household, presents -herself for baptism. While it is quite probable that the baptism was -not performed on the spot, it took place, no doubt, at the first -opportunity. Having become a member of the household of faith, she -addresses the Apostles saying, “If ye have judged me to be faithful,” -that is, judged that I am one that believeth in the Lord, “come into my -house, and abide there.” What gentleness in her language, “If ye have -judged me faithful,” humbly submitting to the experienced judgment of -her religious benefactors, yet urgently inviting the Apostle and all -his companions to enter her house, and remain there as her guests. This -proffered hospitality furnished direct evidence of her love to her -Redeemer, which proceeded from faith, and which manifested itself by -disinterested and kind attentions to His messengers. She supported her -plea by appealing to the judgment which they had themselves pronounced -in her case, and without which they would unquestionably have declined -to baptize her. - -That these messengers of the gospel acceded to the request of Lydia, -and entered her house as guests, may be confidently assumed. We also -see with what beautiful fidelity she remained true to Paul and Silas -when they were persecuted. - -It is also interesting to notice that through Lydia, indirectly, the -gospel may have been introduced into that very section (Bithynia), -where Paul had been forbidden directly to preach it. Whether she was -one of “those women” who labored with Paul in the gospel at Philippi, -as mentioned afterwards in the Epistle to that place (Phil. iv, 3) -it is impossible to say, but from what we know of her history, it -would be just like her, for, surely such a royal entertainer in true -hospitality, would make a heroic laborer in any gospel field. - -We may learn from Lydia’s life that the human heart is closed and -barred by sin, so that divine truth can not enter to enlighten the -mind, direct the will, or renew the spiritual life forces until divine -grace, through operations of the Holy Spirit, opens the heart. When -the Lord opens the heart, conversion is possible, but it is actually -effected only when the heart, like the prepared field, with willingness -receives the seed of divine truth. God calls, and if but few are -chosen, it is simply because men choose not to obey the call. The -Lord opens only the hearts of those for His spiritual kingdom who are -willing to and do accept His conditions. - -In the conversion of Lydia we see the Kingdom of Christ in its -incipient state strikingly illustrated. In the parable of the grain of -mustard-seed, Jesus told his disciples that the gospel in its beginning -would be just like that smallest of seeds, but would grow and spread, -and finally succeed. Lydia is only one convert, a lone woman in a -great military camp of a heathen city, and women, socially, in those -days, did not count for much. Humanly speaking, this first European -convert appeared about as insignificant as a grain of mustard-seed. And -yet this apparently insignificant seed produced a rich and precious -harvest in the flourishing congregation of Philippi, in the spread of -the gospel over all Europe, and it will soon cover the whole world. - -From Lydia’s candid reception of the gospel, her urgent hospitality, -her unfaltering and continued friendship to the Apostles, her modest -bearing in being accounted worthy of the confidence of her benefactors, -we are led to form a high estimate of her character. Though possessed -of considerable wealth, and, possibly, of social rank, she had -the grace of humility. Her deep humility in the presence of God’s -messengers was a clear and sufficient proof of her humility before God, -and that it was real; that humility, if not already a resident in her -heart, had, with the incoming of divine grace, taken up its abode in -her, and become her very nature; that she actually, like Christ, made -herself of no reputation, especially when persecution came to Paul and -Silas. - -When, in the presence of God, lowliness of heart has become, not a -posture we assume for a time, but the very spirit of our life, it will -manifest itself, as it did in Lydia, in all our bearing towards others. -The lesson is one of deep import. The only humility really ours is not -that which we assume in our devotions to God, but that which we carry -with us in our ordinary conduct. The insignificances of the daily -life are the importances of eternity, because they prove what spirit -really possesses us. It is in our most unguarded moments we really show -what we are. To know the humble woman, to know how the humble woman -behaves, you must accept her hospitality as the Apostles accepted the -hospitality of Lydia, and follow her to her home, and into the common -course of daily life. - -Humility before God is nothing if not proved in humility before men. -It was when the disciples disputed who should be greatest that Jesus -taught the lesson of humility by washing their feet. And this heavenly -grace runs all through the epistles of Paul, the spiritual father of -Lydia. To the Romans he writes, “In honor preferring one another.” -“Set not your mind on high things, but condescend to those that are -lowly.” “Be not wise in your own conceit.” To the Corinthians he said, -“Love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is -not provoked.” These are all the gracious fruits of humility, for -there is no love without humility at its roots. To the Galatians the -Apostle writes, “Through love be servants one of another. Let us not be -desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.” -To the Ephesians, immediately after the three wonderful chapters on -the heavenly life, he writes, “Therefore, walk with all lowliness -and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love;” -“Giving thanks always, subjecting yourselves one to another in the -fear of Christ.” To the Philippians, “Doing nothing through faction -or vain glory, but in lowliness of mind, each counting others better -than himself. Have the mind in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who -emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, and humbled Himself.” -And to the Colossians, “Put on a heart of compassion, kindness, -humility, meekness, long-suffering, forbearing one another, and -forgiving each other, even as the Lord forgave you.” - -It is in our relation to one another, that the true lowliness of mind -and the heart of humility are to be seen. Our humility before God has -no value but as it prepares us to reveal the humility of Jesus to our -fellow-men. Let us cultivate this beautiful gem of divine grace, which -was developed in such a marked degree in the life of Lydia, the first -European Christian. - -But we hasten on in our narrative, and gather up in a group, as one -would gather a handful of flowers, those Women in White Raiment so -briefly mentioned in the Sacred records as not to give us enough of -their history to write upon. - -Among these are the unnamed four daughters of Philip the evangelist, -who lived at Cæsarea. These daughters ranked high in the early church. -They possessed the gift of prophetic utterance, and who apparently -gave themselves to the work of teaching. Though no record is left us -of their work, we may well believe their distinguished accomplishments -brought them into contact with many people of that busy seaport city on -the Mediterranean, where people of all nations came and went. - -Phœbe of Cenchrea, one of the ports of Corinth. She must have been a -woman of influence, and worthy of confidence and respect. She is not -only commended by Paul, but was also a deaconess in the church at -Cenchrea. On her was conferred the honor of carrying the letter of Paul -from Corinth to Rome. Whatever her errand to Rome may have been, the -independent manner of her going there seems to imply (especially when -we consider the secluded habits of Greek women) that she was a woman of -mature age, and was acting in an official capacity. She was not only a -woman of great energy, but possessed of wealth. She evidently was of -great service to Paul, and he had confidence in her integrity, for he -writes in the very letter of which she was the bearer to the Romans, -“I commend you unto Phœbe our sister, which is a servant of the church -which is at Cenchrea.” - -Priscilla, the wife of Aquila, who had fled from Rome, in consequence -of an order of Claudius commanding all Jews to leave Rome. She, with -her husband, came to Corinth. In the days of the Apostle, Corinth was -a place of great mental activity, as well as of commercial enterprise. -Its wealth and magnificence were so celebrated as to be proverbial; -so were the vices and profligacy of its inhabitants. But it was just -the kind of city Paul delighted in carrying the gospel to. Where vice -abounded he would have grace much more abound. Here Priscilla became -acquainted with Paul, and they abode together, and wrought at their -common trade of making the Cilician tent. This woman, while taking -stitches in the haircloth out of which the tents were made, could also -conduct a theological school with no less apt a student than that of -Apollos, already noted for his eloquence, and who was “mighty in the -Scriptures.” But Priscilla, as she heard this eloquent young man, at -once discovered there was something wanting in his ministry. It seemed -to her that Apollos knew only the baptism of John. She knew of a more -excellent way, and so while she was setting stitches, she “expounded -unto him the way of God more perfectly.” O, for more Priscillas, versed -in heavenly lore and skilled to impart it! Priscilla is certainly a -noble example of what a woman in the ordinary walks of life may do for -the church. - -[Illustration: CORINTH, THE GATE OF THE PELOPONNESUS.] - -Eunice, the mother, and Lois, the grandmother of Timothy, are beautiful -examples of women in the home. These women had such unfeigned faith -in the gospel, and so ably instructed Timothy in the Scriptures, -that this home scene made a deep and lasting impression upon Paul, -and later on, in one of his epistles to Timothy, he writes, “When I -call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt -first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice, ... I put thee -in remembrance (of this excellent home-training, and by reason of its -superior advantage) that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in -thee.” - -Euodias (or rather Eudia) and Syntyche, deaconesses in the church at -Philippi. These women afforded Paul active co-operation under difficult -circumstance, and in them, as well as other women of the same class, -is an illustration of what the gospel, in the Apostolic times, did for -women, and also what the women did for the gospel, for the Apostle -expressly states that these women labored with him in the gospel, -besides many other elect women, the detailed mention of whom fills -nearly all of the last chapter of the epistle to the Romans, whose -history, if known, would doubtless be as interesting as the history of -those whose names and acts have been preserved to us for our study and -comfort. - -And then there are a host of women whose names are not mentioned, -but who, we have every reason to believe, were numbered with the -Princesses of God, women whose faith and patience in labor clothed them -in White Raiment. Of such we note a few: Noah’s wife and her three -daughters-in-law, who must have exercised the same faith as their -husbands, and who must have been in full sympathy with their labors; -the host of Israelitish women led by Miriam in their song of triumph -over the Lord’s deliverance from Pharaoh’s army; the wife of Manoah, -the mother of Samson, who was twice visited by the angel of the Lord; -Hulda, the prophetess, who lived in the time of King Josiah, to whom -Hilkiah, the high priest, had recourse, when the book of the law was -found, to procure an authoritative opinion, for, doubtless, in her -time she was the most distinguished person for prophetic gifts in -Jerusalem; the captive Hebrew maid in the house of Naaman, the Syrian -general, who knew all about the prophet in Samaria, and had faith to -believe that Elisha would heal him of his leprosy, even though captive -as she was, and in a strange land; in the days of Saul and David, when -returning from the conquests, “the women” who “came out of all the -cities of Israel” to welcome, with tabrets and song, the deliverers of -God’s people. - -Perhaps we should not fail to briefly mention Tamar, the daughter of -David, for she was not only a chaste virgin, but was also remarkable -for her extraordinary beauty. Her high sense of honor must ever stand -as a memorial of her virtue, especially when we take into account the -low standard of morality which prevailed in her time. - -Added to her beauty, she had domestic accomplishments. It would almost -seem that Tamar was supposed, at least by her perfidious brother Amnon, -to have a peculiar art in baking palatable cakes. - -With no suspicion of any wicked design, this beautiful princess, at -her father’s request, goes to the house of her supposed sick brother -to prepare the food she was assured he would relish. So she took the -dough and kneaded it, and then in his presence (for this was a part of -his fancy, as though there was something exquisite in the manner of -performing the work), kneaded it a second time into the form of cakes. - -After the cakes were baked, she took them, fresh and crisp, to Amnon -to eat. When she fully realized his wicked designs, she touchingly -remonstrated, and held up to him the infamy of such a crime “in -Israel,” and appealed to his sense of honor, saying, “As for thee, thou -shalt be as one of the fools in Israel.” Her indignation after his -unnatural designs were accomplished, and she had been thrust out, was -even more heroic than her protests. In her agony she snatched a handful -of ashes and threw them on her beautiful hair, then tore her royal -gown, and, clasping her hands upon her head, rushed to and fro through -the streets crying. - -While this is one of the most pathetically sad scenes recorded in Bible -history, yet it brings out in a remarkable manner, the virtue and high -honor of womanhood in those rude ages of the world. - -But over against this dark background of Amnon’s conduct the careful -home-training of Timothy, under the moulding influence of his mother -Eunice, and his grandmother Lois, shines with a brightness that -reflects great credit. And if such careful home-training was so -far-reaching in its results as to cause Paul, in later years, to remind -Timothy of this training as an inspiration to stir up the gift of God -in him, what shall be said of motherhood and wifehood of the many noble -characters found in the Sacred record? It is a fact that women have -great influence in shaping the lives of men. Who can tell how greatly -womanhood influenced the lives of such men as Enoch, who walked with -God; Noah, whose faith led him to the building of the ark; Abraham, -whose wonderful life of trust has made him the father of the faithful -in all generations of men; Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of -the most high God; Job, whom adversity could not shake, and who, in -the midst of his calamities, exclaimed, “Though He slay me, yet will -I trust in Him;” Caleb and Joshua, whose confidence in God’s ability -to lead the host of Israel into the promised land, was unwavering -under most trying circumstances; Elijah and Elisha, who stood as the -defences of God’s people amid idolatrous times; the good King Hezekiah, -and his ever faithful counselor, Isaiah, who went up into the Temple -and spread out the insulting letter of Sennacherib, and “prayed and -cried to heaven;” Daniel and his companions, who walked through the -fire and the den of lions, and thus proved their fidelity to truth -and righteousness; Nehemiah, who, by moonlight, viewed the ruins of -the city of his fathers, and then, with wonderful courage, repaired -its broken-down walls and set up its gates that had been burned with -fire; and the great host of women mentioned by Paul, who, through -faith, “received their dead raised to life again,” and others who “were -tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better -resurrection.” Surely such mothers and wives would raise up heroic -men. The Spartan mother told her son, when he started for the war, “to -return with his shield, or upon it.” But the Hebrew women led armies, -subdued kingdoms, and turned to flight the armies of the aliens. - -Such is the womanhood of the Bible, and while with her companion, -man, she inherited the infirmities brought upon the race in the -transgression, yet she is infinitely in advance of the women living -in lands where the Bible is unknown. Indeed, the condition of Hebrew -women has always presented a marked contrast with heathen women, and -for the reason, while the Bible seeks to elevate them, heathendom has -sought to degrade them. Heathen oppression of womanhood rests upon the -nations where the Bible is not known, like the mountain upon Typho’s -heart. Buddhism presents no personal god. He is “eyeless, handless, -never sad and never glad.” For sinning man there is no pity, for of -all his hundreds of names there is no “Father.” Confucianism, with its -backward gaze, teaches no sin, no Saviour, and only China for heaven. -Mohammedanism has its creeds, prayers, alms, fastings and pilgrimages. -But its creeds were partly written on human bones, its pilgrimages -are corrupt and its formal prayers are to “Allah,” who bears little -resemblance to the Christian’s God. Not censure, but pity, hovers over -these classic religions and the millions who are under the pall of -paganism. - - Hark! From far distances voices are calling; - Hushed be earth’s clamor, be silent and hear; - Thrilling the heart with sad cadences falling, - Comes the appeals in their syllables clear, - Knowing no song but the breath of a sigh, - Send o’er the ocean their heart-breaking cry. - - Lips that are muffled yet utter their story, - O the sad plea of their multiplied wrongs; - Grim superstition grown ancient and hoary, - Shuts in dim prisons these languishing throngs, - Heathen womanhood, with piteous pleading, - Call to us blindly, their woes interceding. - -The non-Christian religions offer no light in life and no hope in -death. The bitter cry of the Hindoo widow’s prayer is, “O God, let no -more women be born in this land.” The horrors of heathenism are unknown -in Christian lands. What makes the difference? We have clearly shown -in these pages that it is the teaching of the Bible, and this one fact -alone stamps the book as divine. It has God for its Author, and, from -Genesis to Revelation, it blesses and elevates women. - -Why does paganism oppress womanhood? Because these monstrous systems -are dominated by Satan, and knowing as he must, that woman stands at -the fountain of the race, he poisons and corrupts the very sources of -life. For the truth of this one needs only to compare Christian with -heathen lands. Compare America with its happy Christian homes, with -India in whose cloistered zenanas are millions of widows, many of them -under ten years of age, and doomed to a living death--must sleep on -the ground, feed on herbs, and practice rigid mortification. Before -Christianity entered that land, the horrors of the suttee (the burning -alive of the widow with her dead husband), the sacrificing of infants -to the River Ganges, the slaying of young men and women in Hindu -temples to appease Kali, the god of the soil, the “Car of Juggernaut,” -rolling over hundreds of beings annually, and crushing them to death, -the burning alive of lepers, the hastening of the death of a parent -by the children in carrying the former to the River Ganges and there, -on the banks, filling the afflicted one’s mouth with sand and water -are left to die, the public exhibition of voluntary starvation on the -part of Hindu devotees,--all these terrible practices, once so popular -in India, have passed away since the missionary has planted his foot -upon the soil. To-day none of these things can be found, and India’s -voice, as well as the voice of all Christendom, can go up to God in -praise that these things no longer exist there. And what has taken -place in India, is also fast taking place in China and Africa. Surely, -the Christian woman needs to press her Bible to her heart, and love -it as she loves her God, for, were it not for this blessed book, her -condition would be no better than is the condition of woman in the -lands where Buddhism, Confucianism and Mohammedanism have crushed out -of her all that is worth having, and even denies that she has a soul. -It must be seen that such systems are incapable of elevating womanhood. - -The thought uppermost in our mind, when we set out to write these pages -was, to show that God created man and woman as equals, that Christ came -to save our whole humanity, and that Christianity is the true friend -of woman. How beautiful is all this in contrast with the cruelties of -heathenism. See how patiently Jesus talks with a lone woman by Jacob’s -well, how tenderly he speaks to the woman who sobbed out her sorrow -for her sins at His feet, how compassionately He says to the woman for -whose blood her accusers had clamored, after He had silenced them, -“Go, and sin no more.” And, to the credit of head and heart, be it -said, woman has appreciated her Saviour, and in many ways shown her -gratitude. Perhaps there is no more beautiful and touching incident -in the life of our Lord than that recorded by Luke, where women -“ministered unto Him of their substance.” - -Finally, if any have been helped to a better understanding and -appreciation of the Bible by the perusal of these pages, and have been -lifted nearer to the heart of God, we shall feel that our labors have -not been in vain. - - - - -TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES: - - -Italicized text is surrounded by underscores: _italics_. - -Obvious typographical errors have been corrected. - -Inconsistencies in hyphenation have been standardized. - -Archaic or variant spelling has been retained. - -The cover image for this eBook was created by the transcriber and is -entered into the public domain. - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WOMEN IN WHITE RAIMENT *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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