,,the ,,life ,,of ,,jesus ,,christ ,,for
 ,,the ,,young  ,,by  ,,the ,,rev4      
,,richard ,,newton1 ,d4,d4  ,,royal     
,,scottish ,,academy  ,,vol4 ,,iii      
,,the ,,gallery ,,of ,,the ,,life ,,of  
,,jesus ,,christ  ,,volume ,,iii        
,,contents3  ,i ,,the ,,apostles        
,,chosen  ,,ii ,,the ,,great ,,teacher  
,,iii ,,christ ,,teaching ,,by          
,,parables  ,,iv ,,christ ,,teaching    
,,by ,,miracles  ,v ,,christ ,,teaching 
,,liberality  ,,vi ,,christ ,,teaching  
,,humility  ,,vii ,,christ ,,and ,,the  
,,little ,,children  ,,viii ,,the       
,,transfiguration  ,,ix ,,the ,,lessons 
,,from ,,olivet  ,x ,,the ,,lord',s     
,,supper  ,,illustrations3  ,,map ,,of  
,,palestine1 ,,in ,,colors  #da4 ,,the  
,,woman ,,of ,,canaan  #db4 ,,simon     
,,peter',s ,,faith ,,in ,,christ  #dc4  
,,the ,,transfiguration ,,of ,,christ   
#dd4 ,,jesus ,,healeth ,a ,,lunatic     
#de4 ,,let ,,he ,,who ,,is ,,without    
,,sin ,,among ,,you  #df4 ,,one ,,of    
,,ten ,,lepers ,,cured ,,is ,,grateful  

#dg4 ,,jesus1 ,,martha1 ,,mary1 ,,and   
,,lazarus  #dh4 ,,jesus ,,blesseth      
,,little ,,children  #di4 ,,the         
,,resurrection ,,of ,,lazarus1 ,,four   
,,days ,,dead  #ej4 ,,conversion ,,of   
,,zacchaeus1 ,a ,,publican  #ea4 ,,jesus
 ,,restoreth ,,sight ,,to ,,bartimaeus  
#eb4 ,,christ',s ,,triumphal ,,entry    
,,into ,,jerusalem  #ec4 ,,christ       
,,avoucheth ,,his ,,authority  #ed4 ,,at
 ,,night1 ,,jesus ,,abode ,,on ,,the    
,,mount ,,of ,,olives  #ee4 ,,jesus     
,,washeth ,,his ,,disciples' ,,feet     
#ef4 ,,the ,,betrayal ,,foretold ,,at   
,,the ,,supper  #eg4 ,,in ,,the ,,garden
 ,,of ,,gethsemane  #eh4 ,,the ,,arrest 
,,of ,,jesus  #ei4 ,,jesus ,,examined   
,,by ,,caiaphas  #fj4 ,,jesus ,,is      
,,thrice ,,denied ,,by ,,peter          
,,the ,,apostles ,,chosen      ,as soon 
as he returned victorious from the      
temptation in the wilderness1 ,jesus    
entered on the work of his public       
ministry4 ,we find him1 at once1        
preaching to the people1 healing the    

sick1 and doing many wonderful works4   
,the commencement of his ministry is    
thus described by ,st4 ,matt4 iv3       
#bc-be4 ,and ,jesus went about all      
,galilee1 teaching in their synagogues1 
and preaching the gospel of the kingdom1
 and healing all manner of sickness1 and
 all manner of disease among the people4
 ,and his fame went throughout all      
,syria2 and they brought unto him all   
sick people that were taken with divers 
diseases and torments1 and those which  
were possessed with devils1 and those   
which were lunatic1 and those that had  
the palsy2 and he healed them4 ,and     
there followed him great multitudes of  
people from ,galilee1 and from          
,decapolis1 and from ,jerusalem1 and    
from ,judea1 and from beyond ,jordan4   
,what a blessed beginning of the most   
blessed of all ministries this was6 ,he 
came to bless our world4 ,he did bless  
it1 as no one else could have done4 ,and
 here1 we see1 how he entered on his    
work4  ,and one of the first things he  

did1 after thus beginning his ministry1 
was to gather his disciples round him4  
,the first two that we find named among 
his disciples are ,john and ,andrew4    
,they had been disciples of ,john the   
,baptist4 ,their master pointed them to 
,jesus1 and said--,behold the ,lamb of  
,god4 ,when they heard this they        
followed ,jesus1 and became his         
disciples4 ,when ,andrew met with his   
brother ,simon ,peter1 he said to him we
 have found the ,messias--the ,christ4  
,and he brought him to ,jesus4 ,after   
this we are told that ,jesus findeth    
,philip1 and saith unto him1 ,follow me4
 ,he was an acquaintance of ,andrew and 
,peter1 and lived in the same town with 
them4 ,he obeyed the call at once and   
became one of the disciples of ,jesus4  
,philip had a friend named ,nathanael4  
,the next time he met him1 he said1 we  
have found him of whom ,moses in the    
law1 and the prophets did write1 ,jesus 
of ,nazareth1 the son of ,joseph4 ,but  
,nazareth was a despised place1 and had 

a bad reputation4 ,nathanael had a very 
poor opinion of the place1 and he       
asked--,can there any good thing come   
out of ,nazareth8 ,philip saith unto    
him--,come and see4  ,and this is what  
we should say to persons when we wish   
them to become ,christians4 ,there is so
 much that is lovely and excellent in   
,jesus that if people will only come and
 see1 if they will only prove for       
themselves what a glorious ,saviour he  
is1 they will find it impossible to help
 loving and serving him4 ,nathanael came
 to ,jesus4 ,and when he heard the      
wonderful words that ,jesus spoke to him
 he was converted at once1 and expressed
 his wonder by saying--,rabbi1 thou art 
the ,son of ,god2 thou art the ,king of 
,israel4 ,we can read all about this in 
,john i3 #dc-ea4 ,nathanael became a    
disciple of ,jesus1 and one of the      
twelve apostles1 and is supposed to be  
the same one who bears the name of      
,bartholomew in the different lists of  
the apostles4  ,after this we read of   

,jesus calling ,matthew the publican1   
who was a tax-gatherer4 ,this is what is
 meant by his sitting at the receipt of 
custom4 ,follow me1 were the words      
spoken to him4 ,he obeyed at once2 left 
all and followed ,jesus4 ,st4 ,luke and 
,st4 ,mark mention this same call1 but  
they give the name of ,levi to the      
person thus called4 ,this is not        
strange1 for it was common among the    
,jews for persons to have two names4    
,sometimes they were called by one of   
these names and sometimes by the other4 
,here we have the account of six        
persons1 who became disciples of ,jesus2
 and of the different ways in which they
 were led to follow him4 ,no doubt many 
others were led to become his disciples 
from simply hearing him preach2 and from
 listening to the gracious words that he
 spoke4  ,and very soon after he had    
gathered together a large company of    
disciples1 he made choice of twelve1 out
 of this number1 who were to be his     
apostles4 ,he wished these men to be    

with him all the time4 ,they were to    
hear his teaching1 and see his miracles1
 and so be prepared to take his place1  
and carry on his work when he should    
return to heaven4  ,it was necessary for
 these men to be chosen4 ,when          
,washington was appointed to conduct our
 armies during the ,revolution1 he chose
 a number of generals to help him4 ,and 
it is natural for us to think of        
,washington and his generals4 ,but just 
as natural it is to think of--,jesus and
 his apostles4  ,and this is the subject
 we have now to consider--,the ,apostles
 ,chosen4  ,and in considering this     
subject there are four things of which  
to speak4  ,the first1 is the condition 
and character of the men whom ,jesus    
chose as his apostles4  ,the second1 is 
the work these men were called to do4   
,the third1 is the help that was given  
them in doing this work2 and  ,the      
fourth1 is the lesson taught us by this 
subject4 ,or1 to make the points of the 
subject as short as possible1 we may    

state them thus3  ,the men4 ,the work4  
,the help4 ,the lesson4  ,we begin then 
with speaking of--,,the ,,men--or the   
condition and character of those whom   
,jesus chose to be his apostles or      
helpers4  ,now we might have thought    
that ,jesus would have chosen his       
apostles1 or helpers1 from among the    
angels of heaven4 ,they are so wise1 and
 good1 and strong1 that we wonder why he
 did not choose them4 ,but he did not4  
,he chose men to be his apostles4 ,and  
what kind of men did he choose8 ,if we  
had been asked this question beforehand1
 we should have supposed that he would  
certainly have chosen the wisest and the
 most learned men1 the richest and      
greatest men that could be found in the 
world4 ,but it was not so4 ,instead of  
this he chose poor men1 unlearned men1  
men that were not famous at all2 and who
 had not been heard of before4          
,fishermen1 and tax-gatherers1 and men  
occupying very humble positions in life1
 were those whom ,jesus chose to be his 

apostles4  ,and one reason1 no doubt1   
why ,jesus made choice of men of this   
character to be his apostles was that   
when their work was done1 no one should 
be able to say that it was the learning1
 or wisdom1 or riches1 or power of men  
by whom that work was accomplished4 ,the
 apostle ,paul teaches us that this is  
the way in which ,god generally acts2   
and that he does it for the very reason 
just spoken of4 ,he says1 ,god hath     
chosen the foolish things of the world  
to confound the wise2 and ,god hath     
chosen the weak things of the world to  
confound the mighty2 and base things of 
the world1 and things which are despised
 hath ,god chosen1 yea1 and things which
 are not1 to bring to nought the things 
that are2 that no flesh should glory in 
his presence4 ,i4 ,cor4 i3 #bg-bi4 ,the 
meaning of this passage is that ,god    
loves to work by little things4 ,this   
was the reason why ,jesus chose poor1   
unlearned fishermen to be his apostles4 
,and we see ,god working in the same way

 continually4  ,look at yonder sun4 ,god
 made it1 and hung it up there in the   
sky that it might give light to our     
world4 ,but the light which this sun    
gives comes to us in tiny little bits1  
smaller than the point of the finest    
needle that ever was made4 ,they are so 
small that hundreds of them can rush    
right into our eyes1 as they are doing  
all the time1 and not hurt them the     
least4 ,here we see how ,god makes use  
of little things1 and does a great work 
with them4  ,and then look at yonder    
ocean4 ,the waves of that ocean are so  
powerful that they can break in pieces  
the strongest ships that men have ever  
built4 ,and yet1 when ,god wishes to    
keep that mighty ocean in its place1 he 
makes use of little grains of sand for  
this purpose4 ,here again we see how    
,god employs little things1 and does a  
great work with them4 ,and we find ,god 
working in this way continually4 ,let us
 look at one or two illustrations4      
,what a ,plant ,did4 ,a little plant was

 given to a sick girl4 ,in trying to    
take care of it1 the family made changes
 in their way of living1 which added    
greatly to their comfort and happiness4 
,first1 they cleaned the window1 that   
more light might come in to the leaves  
of the plant4 ,then1 when not too cold1 
they opened the window1 that fresh air  
might help the plant to grow2 and this  
did the family good1 as well as the     
plant4 ,next the clean window made the  
rest of the room look so untidy that    
they washed the floor1 and cleaned the  
walls1 and arranged the furniture more  
neatly4 ,this led the father of the     
family to mend a broken chair or two1   
which kept him at home several evenings4
 ,after this1 he took to staying at home
 with his family in the evenings1       
instead of spending his time at the     
tavern2 and the money thus saved went to
 buy comforts for them all4 ,and then1  
as their home grew more pleasant1 the   
whole family loved it better than ever  
before1 and they grew healthier and     

happier with their flowers4 ,what a     
little thing that plant was1 and yet it 
was ,god's apostle to that family6 ,it  
did a great work for them in blessing   
them and making them happy4 ,and that   
was work that an angel would have been  
glad to do4  ,brought ,in by a ,smile4  
,a ,london minister said to a friend one
 day2 ,seven persons were received into 
my church last ,sunday1 and they were   
all brought in by a smile4  ,brought in 
by a smile6 ,pray what do you mean8     
,let me explain4 ,several months ago1 as
 ,i passed a certain house on my way to 
church1 ,i saw1 held in the arms of its 
nurse1 a beautiful infant2 and as it    
fixed its bright black eyes on me1 ,i   
smiled1 and the dear child returned the 
smile4 ,the next ,sabbath the babe was  
again before the window4 ,again ,i      
smiled1 and the smile was returned1 as  
before4 ,the third ,sabbath1 as ,i      
passed by the window1 ,i threw the      
little one a kiss4 ,instantly its hand  
was extended and a kiss thrown back to  

me4 ,and so it came to pass that ,i     
learned to watch for the baby on my way 
to church2 and as the weeks went by1 ,i 
noticed that the nurse and the baby were
 not alone4 ,other members of the family
 pressed to the window to see the       
gentleman who always had a smile for the
 dear baby--the household pet4  ,one    
,sunday morning1 as ,i passed1 two      
children1 a boy and a girl1 stood at the
 window beside the baby4 ,that morning  
the father and mother had said to those 
children3 ',get ready for church1 for we
 think that the gentleman who always    
smiles to the baby is a minister4 ,when 
he passes you may follow him1 and see   
where he preaches4'  ,the children were 
quite willing to follow the suggestion  
of their parents1 and after ,i had      
passed1 the door opened1 and the        
children stepped upon the pavement1 and 
kept near me1 till ,i entered my church1
 when they followed me1 and seats were  
given them4  ,when they returned home1  
they sought their parents and eagerly   

exclaimed3 ',he is a minister1 and we   
have found his church1 and he preached a
 beautiful sermon this morning4 ,you    
must go and hear him next ,sunday4'  ,it
 was not difficult to persuade the      
parents to go1 and guided by their      
children they found their way to the    
church4 ,they1 too1 were pleased1 and   
other members of the family were induced
 to come to the house of ,god4 ,god     
blessed what they heard to the good of  
their souls1 and seven members of this  
family have been led to become          
,christians1 and join the church1 and1  
,i repeat what ,i said before3 'they    
were all brought in by a smile4'  ,what 
a little thing a smile is6 ,and yet1    
here we see how ,god made use of so     
small a thing as this1 to make seven    
persons ,christians1 and to save their  
souls forever6 ,of the ,god who can work
 in this way1 it may well be said that  
he loves to work by little things4 ,it  
is the way in which he is working       
continually4  ,how eagerly1 then1 we may

 try to learn and to practise what has  
been very sweetly expressed in  ,,the   
,,mite ,,song4    ,only a drop in the   
bucket1     ,but every drop will tell1  
,the bucket would soon be empty1        
,without the drops in the well4    ,only
 a poor little penny1     ,it was all ,i
 had to give2   ,but as pennies make the
 dollars1     ,it may help some cause to
 live4    ,a few little bits of ribbon1 
,and some toys--they were not new1      
,but they made the sick child happy1    
,and that made me happy1 too4    ,only  
some out-grown garments2     ,they were 
all ,i had to spare2   ,but they'll help
 to clothe the needy1     ,and the poor 
are everywhere4    ,a word now and then 
of comfort1     ,that cost me nothing to
 say2   ,but the poor old man died      
happy1     ,and it helped him on the    
way4    ,god loveth the cheerful giver1 
,though the gifts be poor and small2    
,but what must he think of his children 
,who never give at all8  ,god loves to  
work by little means4 ,we see this when 

we think of the men whom ,jesus chose to
 be his apostles4 ,the first thing about
 this subject is--the men4  ,the second 
thing to speak of1 in connection with   
this subject1 is--,,the ,,work--they had
 to do4  ,what this work was we find    
fully stated in the fourteenth chapter  
of ,st4 ,matthew4 ,in this chapter      
,jesus told the apostles all about the  
work they were to do for him1 and how   
they were to do it4 ,in the seventh and 
eighth verses of this chapter we have   
distinctly stated just what they were to
 do4 ,as ye go1 preach1 saying1 ,the    
kingdom of heaven is at hand2 ,heal the 
sick1 cleanse the lepers1 raise the     
dead1 cast out devils4  ,on this        
occasion ,jesus sent his apostles to do 
the work committed to them1 not among   
the ,gentiles1 but only among the ,jews2
 or as he calls them--the lost sheep of 
the house of ,israel1 v4 #e1f4 ,but1    
after his resurrection1 and just before 
he went up to heaven1 he enlarged their 
commission4 ,his parting command to them

 then was--,go ye into all the world1   
and preach the gospel to every creature4
 ,st4 ,mark xvi3 #ae4  ,when ,jesus1    
their ,master1 went to heaven they were 
to take up and carry on the great work  
that he had begun4 ,those twelve men    
were to begin the work of changing the  
religion of the world4 ,they were to    
overturn the idols that had been        
worshiped for ages4 ,they were to shut  
up the temples in which those idols had 
been worshiped4 ,they were to turn men  
from darkness to light1 and from the    
power of ,satan unto ,god4 ,acts xxvi3  
#ah4 ,they were to go up and down the   
world1 everywhere1 telling the wondrous 
story of ,jesus and his love4 ,and in   
doing this work they were to be the     
means of saving the souls of all who    
believed their message1 and in the end  
of winning the world back to ,jesus1    
till1 according to ,god's promise1 he   
has the heathen for his inheritance1 and
 the utmost parts of the earth for his  
possession4 ,ps4 ii3 #h4  ,this was the 

grandest and most important work that   
men were ever called upon to do4 ,the   
apostles spent their lives in doing this
 work2 and then they left it for others 
to carry on4 ,the work is not finished  
yet4 ,and1 if we learn to love and serve
 ,jesus1 we may help to carry it on4 ,we
 may be apostles1 too1 though in a lower
 sense than that in which the first     
twelve were apostles4 ,an apostle       
means--one sent4 ,but ,jesus sends into 
the vineyard to work for him all who    
become his loving children4 ,and1 in    
this sense it is true that all who love 
and serve ,jesus are his apostles4 ,he  
says to each of us--,go1 work to-day1 in
 my vineyard4 ,st4 ,matt1 xxi3 #bh4 ,and
 in another place he says--,let him that
 heareth1 say1 ,come4 ,rev4 xxii3 #ag4  
,and when we are trying to tell people  
of ,jesus and his love1 and to bring    
them to him1 then we are helping to     
carry on the same great work that ,jesus
 gave his apostles to do4 ,let us look  
at some examples of persons who have    

been apostles for ,god and helped to do 
the work of apostles4  ,aunt ,lucy4 ,i  
heard the other day of a good old woman 
in the ,state of ,michigan1 known as    
,aunt ,lucy4 ,she is eighty-four years  
old1 and lives all alone1 supporting    
herself principally by carpet-weaving4  
,all that she can save from her         
earnings1 after paying for her necessary
 expenses1 she spends in buying ,bibles1
 which she distributes among the        
children and the poor of the            
neighborhood4 ,thirteen large family    
,bibles1 and fifty small ones1 have thus
 been given away--good1 well-bound      
,bibles4  ,a neighbor1 who has watched  
this good work very closely1 says that  
two-thirds of the persons to whom ,aunt 
,lucy has given ,bibles have afterwards 
become ,christians4 ,in doing this work 
,aunt ,lucy was an apostle4  ,the       
,charcoal ,carrier4 ,one ,sunday        
afternoon1 in summer1 a little girl     
named ,mary1 going home from a          
,sunday-school in the country1 sat down 

to rest under the shade of a tree by the
 roadside4 ,while sitting there she     
opened her ,bible to read4 ,as she sat  
reading1 a man1 well known in that      
neighborhood as ,jacob1 the charcoal    
carrier1 came by with his donkey4 ,jacob
 used to work in the woods1 making      
charcoal1 which he carried away in sacks
 on his donkey's back1 and sold4 ,he was
 not a ,christian man1 and was          
accustomed to work with his donkey as   
hard on ,sunday as on week-days4  ,when 
he came by where ,mary was sitting1 he  
stopped a moment1 and said1 in a        
good-natured way3  ,what book is that   
you are reading1 my little maid8  ,it is
 ,god's book--the ,bible1 said ,mary4   
,let me hear you read a little in it1 if
 you please1 said he1 stopping his      
donkey4  ,mary began at the place where 
the book was open1 and read3--,remember 
the ,sabbath day1 to keep it holy4 ,six 
days shalt thou labor1 and do all thy   
work4  ,there1 that's enough1 said      
,jacob1 and now tell me what it means4  

,it means1 said ,mary1 that you mustn't 
carry charcoal1 on ,sunday1 nor let your
 donkey carry it4  ,does it8 said       
,jacob1 musing a little4 ,i tell you    
what then1 ,i must think over what you  
have said4  ,and he did think over it4  
,and the result of his thinking was1    
that instead of going with his donkey to
 the woods on the next ,sunday1 he went 
with his two little girls to the        
,sunday-school4 ,and the end of it all  
was that ,jacob1 the charcoal carrier1  
became a ,christian1 and ,god's blessing
 rested on him and his family4  ,little 
,mary was doing an apostle's work when  
she read and explained the ,bible to    
,jacob and was the means of bringing him
 to ,jesus4  ,the ,use of ,fragments4   
,in the ,cathedral at ,lincoln1         
,england1 there is a window of stained  
glass which was made by an apprentice   
out of little pieces of glass that had  
been thrown aside by his master as      
useless4 ,it is said to be the most     
beautiful window in the ,cathedral4 ,and

 if1 like this apprentice1 we carefully 
gather up1 and improve the little bits  
of time1 of knowledge1 and of           
opportunities that we have1 we may do   
work for ,god more beautiful than that  
,cathedral window4 ,we may do work like 
that which the apostles were sent to do4
 ,here are some sweet lines1 written by 
,i know not whom1 about that beautiful  
window1 made out of the little pieces of
 glass3    ,great things are made of    
fragments small1     ,small things are  
germs of great2   ,and1 of earth's      
stately temples1 all     ,to fragments  
owe their weight4    ,this window1 peer 
of all the rest1     ,of fragments small
 is wrought2   ,of fragments that the   
artist deemed     ,unworthy of his      
thought4    ,and thus may we1 of little 
things1     ,kind words and gentle      
deeds1   ,add wealth or beauty to our   
lives1     ,which greater acts exceeds4 
,each victory o'er a sinful thought1    
,each action1 true and pure1   ,is1 'mid
 our life's engraving1 wrought     ,in  

tints that shall endure4  ,the second   
thing about the apostles is1 the        
work--they did4  ,the third thing1 for  
us to notice about the apostles1        
is--,,the ,,help--they received4  ,in   
one place1 we are told that ,jesus gave 
them power against unclean spirits1 to  
cast them out1 and to heal all manner of
 sickness1 and all manner of disease4   
,st4 ,matt4 x3 #a4 ,in another place we 
are told1 that for their comfort and    
encouragement in the great work they had
 to do1 ,jesus said to them1 ,lo1 ,i am 
with you always1 even unto the end of   
the world4 ,st4 ,matt4 xxviii3 #bj4 ,and
 if they only had ,jesus with them1 no  
matter what the work was they had to do1
 they would be sure of having all the   
help they might need4 ,the apostle ,paul
 understood this very well1 for he said1
 ,i can do all things through ,christ1  
which strengtheneth me4 ,phil4 iv3 #ac4 
,and then1 as if his own presence with  
them were not enough1 ,jesus promised   
that his apostles should have the help  

of the ,holy ,spirit in carrying on     
their work4 ,just before leaving them to
 go to heaven1 he said to the           
disciples--,ye shall receive power1     
after that the ,holy ,ghost is come upon
 you4 ,acts i3 #h4 ,and what this power 
was we see in the case of the apostle   
,peter2 for the first sermon he preached
 after the ,holy ,ghost came upon him1  
on the day of ,pentecost1 was the means 
of converting three thousand souls4     
,acts ii3 #da4  ,and the same ,god who  
gave the apostles all the help they     
needed1 has promised to do the same for 
you1 and me1 and for all who try to work
 for him4 ,there are many promises of   
this kind in the ,bible to which ,i     
might refer4 ,but ,i will only mention  
one4 ,this is so sweet and precious that
 it deserves to be written in letters of
 gold4 ,there is no passage in the      
,bible that has given me so much comfort
 and encouragement in trying to work for
 ,god as this ,i refer here to ,is4 xli3
 #aj4 ,fear thou not2 for ,i am with    

thee2 be not dismayed2 for ,i am thy    
,god2 ,i will strengthen thee2 yea--,i  
,,will ,,help ,,thee4 ,this promise was 
not given for prophets and apostles     
only1 but for all ,god's people to the  
end of time4 ,you and ,i1 if we are     
trying to serve ,god1 may take it as    
ours4 ,god meant it for us4 ,and when we
 get this promised help from ,god1 we   
can do any work he has for us to do1 and
 be happy in doing it4  ,for ,thine is  
the ,power4 ,i can't do it--it's quite  
impossible4 ,i've tried five times1 and 
can't get it right--and ,ben ,hartley   
pushed his book and slate away in       
despair4 ,ben was a good scholar4 ,he   
was at the head of his class1 and was   
very anxious to stay there4 ,but the    
sums he had now to do were very hard4   
,he could not do them1 and was afraid of
 losing his place in the class4 ,most of
 the boys had some one at home to help  
them2 but ,ben had no one4 ,his father  
was dead1 and his mother1 though a good 
,christian woman1 had not been to school

 much when a girl1 and she could not    
help ,ben4  ,mrs4 ,hartley felt sorry   
for her son's perplexity1 and quietly   
said1 ,then1 ,ben1 you don't believe in 
the ,lord's prayer8  ,the ,lord's       
prayer1 mother6 ,why1 there's nothing   
there to help a fellow do his sums4  ,o1
 yes2 there is4 ,there is help for every
 trouble in life in the ,lord's prayer1 
if we only know how to use it4 ,i was   
trying a long time before ,i found out  
what the last part of this prayer really
 means4 ,i'm no minister1 or scholar1   
,ben1 but ,i'll try and show you4 ,you  
know that in this prayer we ask ,god for
 our daily bread2 we ask him to keep us 
from evil2 and to forgive us our sins2  
and then we say3 'for thine is the      
kingdom1 and the power1 and the glory4' 
,it's ,god's power that we rely on--not 
our own2 and it often helps me1 ,ben1   
when ,i have something hard to do4 ,i   
say1 ',for thine is the power--this is  
my duty1 heavenly ,father2 but ,i can't 
do it myself2 give me thy power to help 

me1' and he does it1 ,ben1 he does it4  
,ben sat silent4 ,it seemed almost too  
familiar a prayer4 ,and yet he          
remembered when he had to stay home from
 school because he had no clothes fit to
 go in1 how he prayed to ,god about it1 
and the minister's wife brought him a   
suit the very next day4 ,but a boy's    
sums1 mother6 it seems like such a      
little thing to ask ,god about4  ,those 
sums are not a little thing to you1     
,ben4 ,your success at school depends on
 your knowing how to do them4 ,that1 is 
as much to you1 as many a greater thing 
to some one else4 ,now ,i care a great  
deal about that1 because ,i love you4   
,and ,i know your ,father in heaven     
loves you more than ,i do4 ,i would     
gladly help you1 if ,i could2 but he can
 help you4 ,his 'is the power2' ask him 
to help you4  ,after doing an errand for
 his mother1 ,ben picked up his book and
 slate and went up to his little room4  
,kneeling down by the bed he repeated   
the ,lord's prayer4 ,when he came       

to--thine is the kingdom1 he stopped a  
moment1 and then said1 with all his     
heart--',and thine is the power1'       
heavenly ,father4 ,i want power to know 
how to do these sums4 ,there's no one   
else to help me4 ,lord1 please give me  
power1 for ,jesus' sake1 ,amen4  ,ben   
waited a moment1 and then1 still on his 
knees1 he took his slate and tried      
again4 ,do you ask me if he succeeded8  
,remember what ,saint ,james says1 ,if  
any man lack wisdom let him ask of ,god1
 who giveth to all men liberally1 and   
upbraideth not3 and it shall be given   
him4 ,jas4 i3 #e4 ,that is ,god's       
promise1 and heaven and earth must pass 
away before one of his promises shall   
fail4 ,ben had prayed to ,god to help   
him1 and ,god answered his prayer4 ,he  
tried once more to work out those sums4 
,after thinking over them a little      
while1 he saw the mistake he had made in
 neglecting one of the rules for working
 the sums4 ,he corrected this mistake1  
and then he found they all worked out   

beautifully4 ,the next day he was head  
of the class2 for he was the only boy   
who could say that he had done the sum  
himself1 without getting any one at home
 to help him4  ,and yet ,i was helped1  
mother1 said ,ben1 for ,i am sure my    
,father in heaven helped me4 ,but that  
was not what the teacher meant4 ,after  
this1 ,ben never forgot the last part of
 the ,lord's prayer4 ,when he needed    
help he knew where the power was that   
could help him4  ,here was where the    
apostles got the help they needed in    
doing the hard work they had to do4 ,and
 how much help we might get in doing our
 work if we only make a right use of    
this power which belongeth unto ,god2   
and which he is always ready to use in  
helping us4  ,the help they received1 is
 the third thing to remember when we    
think about the apostles and their work4
  ,the last thing to bear in mind when  
we think of ,jesus choosing his twelve  
apostles1 is--,,the ,,lesson--it teaches
 us4  ,there are many lessons we might  

learn from this subject2 but there is   
one so much more important than all the 
rest that we may very well let them go1 
and think only of this one4 ,when ,st4  
,luke tells us about ,jesus choosing the
 twelve apostles1 he mentions one very  
important thing1 of which ,st4 ,matthew1
 in his account of it says nothing at   
all4 ,and it is this thing from which we
 draw our lesson4 ,in the twelfth verse 
of the sixth chapter of his gospel1 ,st4
 ,luke says--,and it came to pass in    
those days1 that he 7,jesus7 went out   
into a mountain to pray1 and continued  
all night in prayer to ,god4 ,and after 
this1 the first thing he did1 in the    
morning1 was to call his disciples to   
him1 and out of them to choose the      
twelve1 who were to be his apostles4    
,and the lesson we learn from this part 
of the subject is3  ,the ,lesson of     
,prayer4 ,jesus spent the whole night in
 prayer to ,god1 before he chose his    
apostles4 ,how strange this seems to us6
 ,and yet it is easy enough to see at   

least two reasons why he did this4 ,one 
was because he loved to pray4 ,we know  
how pleasant it is for us to meet1 and  
talk with a person whom we love very    
much4 ,but prayer is--talking with      
,god--telling him what we want1 and     
asking his help4 ,but ,jesus loved his  
,father in heaven1 with a love deeper   
and stronger than we can understand4    
,this must have made it the most        
delightful of all things for him to be  
engaged in prayer1 or in talking with   
his ,father in heaven4 ,and1 if we      
really love ,jesus1 prayer will not be a
 hard duty to us1 but a sweet privilege4
 ,we shall love to pray1 because1 in    
prayer we are talking to that blessed   
,saviour1 whom1 not having seen1 we     
love4 ,and this was one reason why      
,jesus spent the whole night in prayer1 
before choosing his twelve apostles4    
,but there was another reason why ,jesus
 spent so much time in prayer before    
performing this important work1 and that
 was to set us an example4 ,it was to   

teach us the very lesson of which we are
 now speaking--the lesson of prayer4    
,remember how much power and wisdom     
,jesus had in himself2 and what mighty  
things he was able to do4 ,and yet1 if  
,he felt that it was right to pray      
before engaging in any important work1  
how much more necessary it is for us to 
do so6  ,let us learn this lesson well4 
,let it be the rule and habit of our    
lives to connect prayer with everything 
we do4 ,this will make us happy in our  
own souls1 and useful to those about us4
  ,how full the ,bible is of the wonders
 that have been wrought by prayer6 ,just
 think for a moment of some of them4    
,abraham prays1 and ,lot is delivered   
from the fiery flood that overwhelmed   
,sodom and ,gomorrah4 ,gen4 xix3 #bi4   
,jacob prays1 and he wrestles with the  
angel1 and obtains the blessing2 his    
brother ,esau's mind is wonderfully     
turned away from the wrath he had       
cherished for twenty years4 ,moses prays
 and ,amalek is discomfited4 ,joshua    

prays and ,achan is discovered4 ,hannah 
prays and ,samuel is born4 ,david prays 
and ,ahithophel hangs himself4 ,elijah  
prays and a famine of three years comes 
upon ,israel4 ,he prays again1 and the  
rain descends1 and the famine ends4     
,elisha prays1 and ,jordan is divided4  
,he prays again1 and the dead child's   
soul is brought back from the invisible 
world4 ,isaiah and ,hezekiah pray1 and a
 hundred and eighty-five thousand       
,assyrian soldiers are slain in one     
night by the unseen sword of the angel4 
,these are ,bible illustrations of the  
help ,god gives to his people in answer 
to prayer4 ,and the ,bible rule for     
prayer1 as given by our ,saviour1 is1   
that men ought always to pray1 ,luke    
xviii3 #a4 ,st4 ,paul's way of stating  
it is--,praying always1 with all prayer1
 ,ephes4 vi3 #ah4 ,in another place he  
says--,pray without ceasing1 ,i4 ,thess4
 v3 #ag4 ,and even the heathen teach the
 same rule about prayer4 ,among the     
rules of ,nineveh1 an inscription on a  

tablet has been found1 which1 on being  
translated1 proved to contain directions
 about prayer4 ,it may be entitled3  ,an
 ,assyrian ,call to ,prayer4 ,these are 
the words of the call3      ,pray thou6 
pray thou6     ,before the couch1 pray6 
,before the throne1 pray6     ,before   
the canopy1 pray6     ,before the       
building of the lofty head1 pray6       
,before the rising of the dawn1 pray6   
,before the fire1 pray6     ,by the     
tablets and papyri1 pray6     ,by the   
side of the river1 pray6     ,by the    
side of a ship1 or riding in a ship1 or 
leaving the ship1 pray6     ,at the     
rising of the sun1 or the setting of the
 sun1 pray6     ,on coming out of the   
city1 on entering the city1 pray6       
,on coming out of the great gate1 on    
entering the great gate1 pray6     ,on  
coming out of the house1 pray6 on       
entering the house1 pray6     ,in the   
place of judgment1 pray6     ,in the    
temple1 pray6  ,this is like the ,bible 
rule of--praying always4  ,praying for a

 ,dinner4 ,grandma1 aren't we going to  
church this morning8 asked a little     
girl4  ,my child1 we have had no        
breakfast1 and have no dinner to eat    
when we come back1 said her grandma4    
,but the ,lord ,jesus can give it to us 
if we ask him1 said the little girl4    
,let's ask him4 ,so they kneeled down1  
and asked that ,god1 who feedeth the    
young ravens when they cry1 to remember 
them1 and help them4  ,then they went to
 church4 ,they found it very much       
crowded4 ,an old gentleman took the     
little girl upon his knee4 ,he was      
pleased with her quiet behaviour4 ,on   
parting with her at the close of the    
service1 he slipped a half crown into   
her hand4 ,see1 ,grandma1 she said1 as  
soon as they were out of church1 ,jesus 
has sent us our dinner4  ,but when we   
ask ,god to help us1 we must always try 
to help ourselves4  ,working as well as 
,praying4 ,two little girls went to the 
same school2 one of them1 named ,mary1  
always said her lessons well1 the other1

 named ,jane1 always failed4 ,one day   
,jane said1 ,mary1 how does it happen   
that you always say your lessons so     
well8 ,mary said she prayed over her    
lessons1 and that was the secret of her 
success4  ,jane concluded to try        
praying4 ,but the next day she failed   
worse than ever4 ,in tears1 she         
reproached ,mary for deceiving her4     
,but1 did you study hard1 as well as    
pray over your lesson8 asked ,mary4     
,no2 ,i thought if ,i only prayed1 that 
was all ,i had to do1 replied ,jane4    
,not at all4 ,god only helps those who  
try to help themselves4 ,you must study 
hard as well as pray1 if you wish to get
 your lessons well1 was ,mary's wise    
answer4 ,the next day ,jane studied1 as 
well as prayed1 and she had her lesson  
perfectly4  ,the greatest work we can   
ever do1 is to bring a soul to ,jesus1  
or to convert a sinner from the error of
 his way4 ,here is an illustration of   
the way in which this may be done by    
prayer and effort combined3  ,the       

,coachman and ,his ,prayer4 ,i was      
riding once1 on the top of a            
stage-coach1 said a ,christian          
gentleman1 when the driver by my side   
began to swear in a dreadful manner4 ,i 
lifted up my heart for ,god's blessing  
on what ,i said2 and presently1 in a    
quiet way1 ,i asked him this question3  
',driver1 do you ever pray8' ,he seemed 
displeased at first2 but after awhile he
 replied1 ',i sometimes go to church on 
,sunday2 and then ,i suppose ,i pray1   
don't ,i8' ',i am afraid you never pray 
at all2 for no man can swear as you do1 
and yet be in the habit of praying to   
,god4'  ,as we rode along he seemed     
thoughtful4 ',coachman1 ,i wish you     
would pray now1' ,i said4 ',why1 what a 
time to pray1 ,sir1 when a man is       
driving a coach6' ',yet1 my friend1 ,god
 will hear you1' ',what shall ,i pray8' 
he asked1 in a low voice4 ',pray these  
words3 ',o ,lord1 grant me thy ,holy    
,spirit1 for ,christ's sake4 ,amen4' ,he
 hesitated1 but in a moment he repeated 

them2 and then1 at my request1 he said  
them over a second1 and a third time4   
,the end of the journey was reached1 and
 ,i left him4  ,some months passed away1
 and we met once more4 ',ah1 ,sir1' said
 he1 with a smile1 'the prayer you      
taught me on that coach-box was         
answered4 ,i saw myself a lost1 and     
ruined sinner2 but now1 ,i humbly hope1 
that through the blood which cleanseth  
from all sin1 and by the power of the   
,holy ,spirit1 ,i am a converted man4'  
,and so1 when we think of the twelve    
apostles1 appointed by ,jesus to preach 
his gospel1 these are the four things   
for us to remember in connection with   
them1 viz43--the men whom he chose2 the 
work they had to do2 the help given them
 in doing that work2 and the lesson we  
are taught by this subject--the lesson  
of prayer4  ,whatever we have to do1 let
 us do it with all our hearts1 and do it
 as for ,god1 and then we shall be his  
apostles--his sent ones4 ,let me put the
 application of this subject in the form

 of some earnest1 practical lines that  
,i lately met with4 ,the lines only     
speak of boys1 but they apply just as   
well to girls4 ,they are headed3        
,,drive ,,the ,,nail4    ,drive the nail
 aright1 boys1     ,hit it on the head1 
,strike with all your might1 boys1      
,while the iron's red4    ,lessons      
you've to learn1 boys1     ,study with a
 will2   ,they who reach the top1 boys1 
,first must climb the hill4    ,standing
 at the foot1 boys1     ,gazing at the  
sky1   ,how can you get up1 boys1       
,if you never try8    ,though you       
stumble oft1 boys1     ,never be        
downcast2   ,try and try again1 boys1   
,you'll succeed at last4    ,ever       
persevere1 boys1     ,tho' your task be 
hard2   ,toil and happy cheer1 boys1    
,bring their own reward4    ,never give 
it up1 boys1     ,always say you'll try2
   ,joy will fill your cup1 boys1       
,flowing by and by4      ,,the ,,great  
,,teacher     ,teaching was the great   
business of the life of ,christ during  

the days of his public ministry4 ,he was
 sent to teach and to preach4 ,the      
speaker in the book of ,job was thinking
 of this ,great ,teacher when he        
asked--,who teacheth like him8 ,job     
xxxvi3 #bb4 ,and it was he who was in   
the ,psalmist's mind when he spoke of   
the good1 and upright ,lord who would   
teach sinners1 if they were meek1 how to
 walk in his ways4 ,ps4 xxv3 #h-i4 ,and 
he is the ,redeemer1 of whom the prophet
 ,isaiah was telling when he said--,he  
would teach us to profit1 and would lead
 us by the way that we should go4 ,and  
thus we know how true was what          
,nicodemus said of him1 that he was a   
teacher sent from ,god4 ,john iii3 #b4  
,thus what was said of ,jesus1 before he
 came into our world1 would naturally   
lead us to expect to find him occupied  
in teaching4 ,and so he was occupied1   
all through the days of his public      
ministry4 ,st4 ,matthew tells us        
that--,jesus went about all ,galilee1   
teaching in their synagogues4 ,ch4 iv3  

#bc4 ,further on in his gospel he tells 
us again that ,jesus went about all the 
cities1 and villages1 teaching in their 
synagogues4 ,ch4 ix3 #ce4 ,when on his  
trial before ,pilate1 his enemies       
brought it as a charge against him that 
he had been--teaching throughout all    
,jewry4 ,luke xxiii3 #e4 ,we read in one
 place that--the elders of the people   
came unto him as he was teaching4 ,matt4
 xxi3 #bc4 ,jesus himself gave this     
account of his life work to his         
enemies--,i sat daily with you teaching 
in the temple4 ,matt4 xxvi3 #ee4 ,and so
 we come now to look at the life of     
,christ from this point of view--as a   
,teacher4 ,there never was such a       
,teacher4 ,we do not wonder at the      
effect of his teaching of which we read 
in ,st4 ,john vii3 #df1 when the chief  
priests sent some of their officers to  
take him prisoner1 and bring him unto   
them2 the officers went1 and joined the 
crowd that was listening to his         
preaching4 ,his words had such a strange

 effect on them that they could not     
think of touching him4 ,so they went    
back to their masters without doing what
 they had been sent to do4 ,and when the
 chief priests and ,pharisees said unto 
them--,why have ye not brought him8 ,the
 officers answered1 ,never man spake    
like this man4 ,jesus was indeed--,the  
,great ,teacher4 ,in this light we are  
now to look at him4 ,and as we do this  
we shall find that there were five great
 things about his teaching which made   
him different from any other teacher the
 world has ever known4  ,in the first   
place ,jesus may well be called the     
,great ,teacher1 because of the--,,great
 ,,blessings--of which he came to tell4 
,we find some of these spoken of at the 
opening of his first great sermon to his
 disciples1 called ,the ,sermon on the  
,mount4 ,this is the most wonderful     
sermon that ever was preached4 ,jesus   
began it by telling about some of the   
great blessings he had brought down from
 heaven for poor sinful creatures such  

as we are4 ,the sermon begins in the    
fifth chapter of ,st4 ,matthew1 and the 
first twelve verses of the chapter are  
occupied in speaking of these blessings4
 ,as soon as he opened his mouth and    
began to speak a stream of blessings    
flowed out4  ,it was a beautiful        
thought1 on this subject1 which a boy in
 ,sunday-school once had4 ,the teacher  
had been talking to his class about the 
beginning of this sermon on the mount4  
,he had spoken of the sweetness of the  
words of ,jesus1 when ,he opened his    
mouth and taught his disciples4 ,how    
pleasant it must have been1 my dear     
boys1 said he1 to have seen the blessed 
,saviour1 and to have heard him speak6  
,a serious-minded little fellow in the  
class said1 ,teacher1 don't you think   
that when ,jesus opened his mouth1 and  
began to speak to his disciples1 it must
 have been like taking the stopper out  
of a scent bottle8 ,i cannot tell       
whether this boy had ever read the words
 of ,solomon or not2 but he had just the

 same idea that was in his mind when he 
said of this ,great ,teacher1 thy name  
is as ointment poured forth4 ,cant1 i3  
#c4 ,we perceive the fragrance of this  
ointment as soon as ,jesus opens his    
mouth and begins to speak4 ,if we had   
been listening to ,jesus when he began  
this sermon1 saying3-- ,blessed are the 
poor in spirit2 blessed are the meek2   
blessed are the pure in heart2 blessed  
are the peace-makers--and so on till he 
had spoken of nine different kinds of   
blessing1 we might have thought that he 
had nothing but blessings of which to   
tell4 ,it would have seemed as if his   
mind1 and heart1 and lips1 and hands    
were all so filled with blessings that  
he could do nothing else till he had    
told about these4 ,and the blessings    
spoken of here are not all the blessings
 that ,jesus brought4 ,they are only    
specimens of them4 ,the blessings he has
 obtained for us are innumerable4 ,david
 says of them1 ,if ,i would declare and 
speak of them they are more than can be 

numbered4 ,ps4 xl3 #e4 ,and these       
blessings are not only very numerous1   
but very great4 ,look at one or two of  
these blessings that ,jesus1 the ,great 
,teacher1 brings to us4 ,he says1       
,blessed are they that mourn1 for they  
shall be comforted4 ,jesus came to bring
 comfort to the mourners4 ,hundreds of  
years before ,christ came the prophet   
,isaiah had said of him that he would   
come to comfort all that mourn4 ,is4    
lxi3 #b4 ,and to show how complete this 
blessing would be which he was to bring1
 ,jesus said himself--,as one whom his  
mother comforteth --so will ,i comfort  
you4 ,is4 lxvi3 #ac4 ,a young girl was  
dying4 ,a friend who came in to see her 
said3  ,i trust you have a good hope4   
,no1 she answered1 distinctly2 ,i am not
 hoping--,i am certain4 ,my salvation   
was finished on the cross4 ,my soul is  
saved4 ,heaven is mine4 ,i am going to  
,jesus4  ,what a great blessing it is to
 have comfort like that6  ,when ,jesus  
was speaking to the woman of ,samaria1  

as he sat by ,jacob's well1 he compared 
the blessing of his grace to the water  
of that well4 ,pointing to the well at  
his side1 he said3 ,whosoever drinketh  
of this water will thirst again4 ,but   
whosoever drinketh of the water that ,i 
shall give him1 shall never thirst2 but 
the water that ,i shall give him1 shall 
be in him1 a well of water1 springing up
 unto everlasting life4 ,john iv3 #ac1  
#ad4 ,this is one of the most beautiful 
illustrations of the blessing ,jesus    
gives that ever was used4 ,it is a great
 blessing to have a well of clear1 cold 
water in our garden1 or near our door4  
,but1 only think of having a well of    
water in our hearts4 ,then1 wherever we 
go1 we carry that well with us4 ,we     
never have to go away from it4 ,no one  
can separate between us and the water of
 this well4 ,other wells dry up and     
fail4 ,but this is a well that never    
dries up1 and never fails4 ,this well is
 deep1 and its water is all the time    
springing up unto everlasting life4 ,how

 happy they are in whose breasts ,jesus 
opens this well of water6  ,coleridge1  
the ,english poet1 in writing to a young
 friend1 just before his death1 said3   
,health is a great blessing2 wealth1    
gained by honest industry1 is a great   
blessing2 it is a great blessing to have
 kind1 faithful1 loving friends and     
relatives1 but1 the greatest1 and best  
of all blessings is to be a ,christian4 
,one of the most able and learned       
lawyers that ,england ever had was ,john
 ,selden4 ,he was so famous for his     
learning and knowledge that he is always
 spoken of as the learned ,selden4 ,on  
his deathbed he said--,i have taken much
 pains to know everything that was worth
 knowing among men2 but with all my     
reading and all my knowledge1 nothing   
now remains with me to comfort me at the
 close of life but these precious words 
of ,st4 ,paul3 ',this a faithful saying1
 and worthy of all acceptation1 that    
,christ ,jesus came into the world to   
save sinners2' to this ,i cling4 ,in    

this ,i rest4 ,this gives me peace1 and 
comfort1 and enables me to die happy4   
,william ,wilberforce was another of the
 great and good men who have been a     
blessing and an honor to ,england4 ,when
 he was on his deathbed1 he said to a   
dear friend3  ,come1 let us talk of     
heaven4 ,do not weep for me4 ,i am very 
happy4 ,but ,i never knew what happiness
 was till ,i found ,christ as my        
,saviour4 ,read the ,bible4 ,let no     
other book take its place4 ,through all 
my trials and perplexities1 it has been 
my comfort4 ,and now it comforts me1 and
 makes me happy4  ,here we see this well
 of water springing up unto everlasting 
life4 ,and ,jesus1 who came to tell us  
of this water1 and to open up this well 
in our breasts1 may well be called1 the 
,great ,teacher1 because of the great   
blessings--of which he tells4  ,in the  
second place ,jesus may be called the   
,great ,teacher because of the--,,great 
,,simplicity--of his teachings4  ,i do  
not mean to say that we can understand  

every thing that ,jesus taught4 ,this is
 not so4 ,he had some things to speak   
about that are not simple4 ,he said to  
his disciples1 ,i have yet many things  
to say unto you1 but ye cannot bear them
 now4 ,john xvi3 #ab4 ,this means that  
there are some things about ,god1 and   
heaven1 of which he wished to tell them1
 but they were too hard for them to     
understand1 although they were          
full-grown men4 ,and so he did not tell 
them of these things4 ,but even among   
the things that ,jesus did tell about1  
there are some which the wisest and most
 learned men in the world have never    
been able to understand or explain4     
,some one has compared the ,bible to a  
river1 in which there are some places   
deep enough for an elephant or a giant  
to swim in2 and other places where the  
water is shallow enough for a child to  
wade in4 ,and it is just so with the    
teachings of ,jesus4 ,some of the most  
important lessons he taught are so plain
 and simple that very young people can  

understand them4  ,we have a good       
illustration of this in that sweet      
invitation which ,jesus gave when he    
said1--,come unto me1 all ye that labor 
and are heavy laden1 and ,i will give   
you rest4 ,matt4 xi3 #bh4 ,very young   
people know what it is to feel tired and
 weary from walking1 or working too     
much1 or from carrying a heavy burden4  
,and1 when they are too tired to do     
anything else1 they know what it is to  
go to their dear mother and throw       
themselves into her arms1 and find rest 
there4 ,and1 in just the same way1      
,jesus invites us to come to him when we
 are tired1 or troubled1 that our souls 
may find rest in him4 ,we come to       
,jesus1 when we pray to him2 when we    
tell him all about our troubles2 when we
 ask him to help us2 and when we trust  
in his promises4    ,was there ever     
gentlest shepherd     ,half so gentle1  
half so sweet1   ,as the ,saviour1 who  
would have us     ,come and gather round
 his feet8    ,there's a wideness in    

,god's mercy1     ,like the wideness of 
the sea2   ,there's a kindness in his   
justice     ,which is more than liberty4
    ,there is no place where earth's    
sorrows     ,are more felt than up in   
heaven2   ,there is no place where      
earth's failings     ,have such kindly  
judgments given4    ,there is plentiful 
redemption     ,in the blood that has   
been shed2   ,there is joy for all the  
members     ,in the sorrows of the head4
    ,if our love were but more simple1  
,we should take him at his word2   ,and 
our lives would all be sunshine1     ,in
 the sweetness of our ,lord4  ,the      
prophet ,isaiah foretold that when      
,jesus came1 he would teach his         
doctrines to children just weaned4      
,chap4 xxviii3 #i4 ,this shows us that  
his teaching was to be marked by great  
plainness and simplicity4 ,and this was 
just the way in which he did teach when 
he uttered those loving words3--,suffer 
the little children to come unto me1 and
 forbid them not2 for of such is the    

kingdom of ,god4 ,mark x3 #ad4 ,none of 
the other famous teachers known to the  
world ever took such interest in        
children as ,jesus did4 ,and none of    
them ever taught with such great        
simplicity4 ,what multitudes of young   
people have been led to love and serve  
,jesus by thinking of the sweet words he
 spoke about children6  ,the ,child's   
,gospel4 ,a little girl sat still in    
church listening to the minister4 ,she  
could not understand what he was saying 
till he quoted these words of ,jesus    
about the children4 ,but she understood 
them4 ,she felt that they were words    
spoken for her4 ,they made her feel very
 happy4 ,and when she went home she     
threw her arms around her mother's neck1
 who had been kept at home by sickness1 
and said1 ,o1 mother1 ,i have heard the 
child's gospel to-day4  ,it's ,for ,me4 
,little ,carrie was a heathen child1    
about ten years old4 ,after she had been
 going to the ,mission ,school for some 
time1 her teacher noticed1 one day1 that

 she looked sad4  ,carrie1 my dear1 she 
said1 why do you look so sad to-day8    
,because ,i am thinking4  ,and what are 
you thinking about8  ,o1 teacher1 ,i    
don't know whether ,jesus loves me1 or  
not4  ,carrie1 what did ,jesus say about
 little children coming to him when he  
was on earth8  ,in a moment the sweet   
words she had learned in the school were
 on her lips--,suffer the little        
children to come unto me1 c4  ,well1    
,carrie1 for whom did ,jesus speak these
 words8 ,at once she clapped her hands  
and exclaimed3 ,it's not for you1       
teacher1 is it8 for you are not a child4
 ,no3 it's for me6 it's for me6  ,and so
 this dear child was drawn to ,jesus by 
the power of his love4 ,and thus1       
through all the hundreds of years that  
have passed away since ,jesus was here  
among men1 these same simple words have 
been drawing the little ones to him4    
,and so1 because of the great simplicity
 which marked his teaching1 ,jesus must 
truly be called--the ,great ,teacher4   

,but in the third place there           
was--,,great ,,tenderness--in ,jesus1   
and this was another thing that helped  
to make him the ,great ,teacher4  ,it   
was this great tenderness that led him1 
when he came to be our ,teacher and     
,saviour to take our nature upon him and
 so become like us4 ,he might have come 
into our world in the form of a mighty  
angel1 with his face shining like the   
sun1 as he appeared when the disciples  
saw him on the ,mount of                
,transfiguration4 ,but then we should   
have been afraid of him4 ,he would not  
have known how we feel1 and could not   
have felt for us4 ,but instead of this1 
his tenderness led him to take our      
nature upon him1 that he might be able  
to put himself in our place1 and so to  
understand just how we feel1 and what we
 need to help and comfort us4 ,this is  
what the apostle means in ,heb4 ii3 #ad1
 when he says--,forasmuch as the        
children were partakers of flesh and    
blood1 he also himself likewise took    

part of the same4 ,he did this on       
purpose that he might know1 by his own  
experience1 how we are tried and        
tempted2 and so be able to sympathize   
with us and help us in all our trials4  
,here is a little story1 very simple1   
and homely2 but yet1 one that           
illustrates very well the point of which
 we are speaking4 ,it is a story about3 
,a ,lost ,horse ,found4 ,a valuable     
horse was lost1 belonging to a farmer in
 ,new ,england4 ,a number of his        
neighbors turned out to try and find the
 horse4 ,they searched all through the  
woods and fields of the surrounding     
country1 but in vain4 ,none of them     
could find the horse4 ,at last a poor1  
weak-minded fellow1 who was known in    
that neighborhood as simple ,sam1       
started to hunt the horse4 ,after awhile
 he came back1 bringing the stray horse 
with him4 ,the owner of the horse was   
delighted to see him4 ,he stroked and   
patted him1 and then1 turning to the    
simple-minded man who had found him1 he 

said3  ,well1 ,sam1 how came you to find
 the horse1 when no one else could do   
it8  ,wal1 you see1 said ,sam1 ,i just  
'quired whar the horse was seen last2   
and then ,i went thar1 and sat on a     
rock2 and just axed mysel'1 if ,i was a 
horse1 whar would ,i go1 and what would 
,i do8 ,and then ,i went1 and found him4
 ,now1 when ,sam1 in the simplicity of  
his feeble mind1 tried to put himself1  
as far as he could1 in the horse's      
place1 this helped him to find the lost 
horse1 and bring him back to his owner  
again4 ,and so1 to pass from a very     
little thing to a very great one1 when  
,jesus came down from heaven to seek and
 to save sinners that were lost1 this is
 just the way in which he acted4 ,he put
 himself in our place as sinners4 ,as   
the apostle ,paul says3 he who knew no  
sin1 was made sin for us1 that he might 
save us from the dreadful consequences  
of our sins4  ,and we see the tenderness
 of ,jesus1 not only in taking our      
nature upon him and becoming man1 but in

 what he did when he lived in this world
 as a man4 ,he went about doing good4   
,it was his great tenderness that led   
him to do this4 ,suppose that you and ,i
 could have walked about with ,jesus    
when he was on earth as the apostles    
did4 ,just think for a moment what we   
should have seen4 ,we should have seen  
him meeting with blind men and opening  
their eyes that they might see4 ,we     
should have seen him meeting with deaf  
men1 and unstopping their ears that they
 might hear4 ,we should have seen him   
meeting sick people who were taken with 
divers diseases and torments and healing
 them4 ,we should have seen him raising 
the dead2 and casting out devils2 and   
speaking words of comfort and           
encouragement to those who were sad and 
sorrowful4 ,if we could have looked into
 his blessed face1 we should have seen  
tenderness there1 beaming from his eyes 
and speaking from every line of his     
countenance4 ,if we could have listened 
to his teaching we should have found    

tenderness running through all that he  
said4 ,just take one of his many        
parables as a sample of his way of      
teaching--the parable of the lost       
sheep--and see how full of tenderness it
 is4 ,the sweet lines of the hymn1 about
 the shepherd seeking his lost sheep1   
that most of us love to sing1 bring out 
the tenderness of ,jesus here very      
touchingly4    ,there were ninety and   
nine that safely lay     ,in the shelter
 of the fold1   ,but one was out on the 
hills away1     ,far off from the gates 
of gold--   ,away on the mountains1 wild
 and bare1   ,away from the tender      
shepherd's care4    ',lord1 ,thou hast  
here ,thy ninety and nine2     ,are they
 not enough for ,thee8'   ,but the      
,shepherd made answer3 ',one of mine    
,has wandered away from me2   ,and1     
although the road be rough and steep1   
,i go to the desert to find my sheep4'  
,but none of the ransomed ever knew     
,how deep were the waters crossed2      
,nor how dark was the night that the    

,lord passed through1     ,ere he found 
his sheep that was lost4   ,out in the  
desert he heard its cry--   ,sick and   
helpless1 and ready to die4    ',lord1  
whence are those blood-drops all the way
     ,that mark out the mountain's      
track8'   ,they were shed for one who   
had gone astray1     ,ere the shepherd  
could bring him back4   ',lord1 why are 
,thy hands so rent and torn8'   ,they   
are pierced1 to-night1 by many a thorn4 
,but all through the mountains1         
thunder-riven1     ,and up from the     
rocky steep1   ,there rose a cry to the 
gates of heaven1     ',rejoice6 ,i have 
found my sheep6'   ,and the angels      
echoed around the throne1   ',rejoice1  
for the ,lord brings back his own4'     
,and all that we know of ,jesus as the  
good ,shepherd1 demonstrates his great  
tenderness for his sheep4  ,but perhaps 
there was no act in all the life of our 
blessed ,redeemer that showed his       
tenderness more than taking the little  
children in his arms1 and putting his   

hands upon them1 and blessing them4  ,to
 think of the ,son of ,god1 who made    
this world1 and all worlds1 and whom all
 the angels of heaven worship1 showing  
so much interest in the little ones2    
this proves how full of tenderness his  
heart was4  ,i ,like ,your ,jesus4 ,an  
,english lady who had spent six months  
in ,syria1 writes3 ,going through the   
places where the ,mohammedans live1 you 
continually hear the girls singing our  
beautiful hymns in ,arabic4 ,the        
attractive power of ,christ's love is   
felt even by the little ones1 as we     
learned from a dear ,moslem child1 who1 
when she repeated the text1 ',suffer the
 little children1' said1 ',i like your  
,jesus1 because he loved little         
children4 ,our ,mohammed did not love   
little children4'  ,and if we all try to
 imitate the tenderness of ,jesus1 then1
 though we may have no money to give1   
and no great thing to do1 yet by being  
tender1 and gentle1 and loving1 as      
,jesus was1 we shall be able to do good 

wherever we are4  ,doing ,good by       
,sympathy4 ,a ,christian mother used to 
ask her children every night if they had
 done any good during the day4 ,one     
night in answer to this question1 her   
little daughter said3 ,at school this   
morning ,i found little ,annie ,g----1  
who had been absent for some time1      
crying very hard4 ,i asked her what was 
the matter8 ,then she cried more1 so    
that ,i could not help putting my head  
on her neck1 and crying with her4 ,her  
sobs grew less1 and presently she told  
of her little baby brother1 whom she    
loved so much2 how sick he had been2 and
 how much pain he had suffered1 till he 
died and was buried4 ,then she hid her  
face in her book1 and cried1 as if her  
heart would break4 ,i could not help    
putting my face on the other page of the
 book1 and crying1 too1 as hard as she  
did4 ,after awhile she kissed me1 and   
told me ,i had done her good4 ,but1     
mother1 ,i don't know how ,i did her    
good2 for ,i only cried with her6  ,now 

this little girl was showing the        
tenderness of ,jesus1 the ,great        
,teacher4 ,nothing in the world could   
have done that poor sorrowing child so  
much good as to have some one cry with  
her4 ,sometimes tears of tenderness are 
worth more than diamonds4 ,and this is  
why the ,bible tells us to weep with    
them that weep4 ,rom4 xii3 #ae4 ,jesus  
did this in the tenderness of his loving
 heart4 ,and this was one of the things 
that made him the ,great ,teacher4  ,but
 then there was--,,great ,,knowledge--in
 ,jesus2 and this was another thing that
 made him great as a teacher4  ,if we   
wish to be good teachers1 we must study1
 and try to understand the things we    
expect to teach4 ,if a young man wishes 
to be a minister1 he must go through    
college2 and then spend three years in  
the ,divinity ,school1 so that he may   
understand the great truths of the      
,bible1 which he is to teach the people 
who hear him4 ,but ,jesus never went to 
college1 or to a divinity school4 ,and  

yet he had greater knowledge about all  
the things of which he spoke than any   
other teacher ever had4 ,we are told in 
the book of ,job that ,he is perfect in 
knowledge4 ,job xxxvi3 #e4 ,and the     
apostle ,paul tells us that in him are  
hid all the treasures of wisdom and     
knowledge4 ,col4 ii3 #c4 ,this is more  
than can be said of any man1 or any     
angel4 ,if we could take all the        
knowledge of all the best teachers who  
ever lived1 and give it to one person1  
it would be as nothing compared to the  
knowledge which ,jesus1 the ,great      
,teacher had4 ,he knew all about heaven2
 for that had always been his home      
before he came into our world4 ,he knew 
all about ,god2 for1 he was in the bosom
 of the ,father1 ,john i3 #ah2 and1 as  
he tells us himself1 had shared his     
glory with him1 before the world was4   
,john xvii3 #e4 ,he knew all about the  
world we live in1 for he made it4 ,john 
i3 #aj4 ,he knew all about all other    
worlds1 for he made them1 too4 ,john i3 

#c2 ,heb4 i3 #b4 ,he knew all about his 
disciples and every body else in the    
world1 for he made them all4 ,he saw all
 they did2 he heard all they said2 he   
knew all they thought1 or felt4 ,wise   
and learned men have been studying1 and 
finding out things for hundreds of      
years1 about geography and natural      
history--and astronomy2--about light1   
and heat1 and electricity--and          
steam--and the telegraph1 and many other
 things4 ,jesus knew all about these    
things when he was on earth4 ,he could  
have told about them1 if he had seen fit
 to do so4 ,but he only told us what it 
is best for us to know1 in order that we
 might be saved2 and kept back all the  
rest4 ,the things that ,jesus did teach 
us when he was here on earth were       
wonderful2 but it is hardly less        
wonderful to think of the things that he
 might have taught us1 and yet did not4 
,when we think of the great knowledge of
 ,jesus1 as a ,teacher1 we are not      
surprised that some of those who heard  

him wondered at the gracious words he   
spake2 or that others asked the         
question3 ,whence hath this man this    
knowledge1 having never learned8  ,some 
one has written these sweet lines about 
,christ as--,the ,great ,teacher3       
,from everything our ,saviour saw1      
,lessons of wisdom he could draw2       
,the clouds1 the colors in the sky2     
,the gentle breeze that whispers by2    
,the fields all white with waving corn2 
,the lilies that the vale adorn2        
,the reed that trembles in the wind2    
,the tree1 where none its fruit could   
find2     ,the sliding sand1 the flinty 
rock1     ,that bears unmoved the       
tempest's shock2     ,the thorns that on
 the earth abound2     ,the tender grass
 that clothes the ground2     ,the      
little birds that fly in air2     ,the  
sheep that need the shepherd's care2    
,the pearls that deep in ocean lie2     
,the gold that charms the miser's eye2  
,the fruitful and the thorny ground2    
,the piece of silver lost and found2    

,the reaper1 with his sheaves returning2
     ,the gathered tares prepared for   
burning2     ,the wandering sheep       
brought back with joy2     ,the father's
 welcome for his boy2     ,the          
wedding-feast1 prepared in state2       
,the foolish virgins' cry1 'too late6'--
     ,all from his lips some truth      
proclaim1     ,or learn to tell their   
,maker's name4  ,but the difference     
between ,jesus1 the ,great ,teacher1 and
 all other teachers is seen1 not only in
 the greater knowledge he has of the    
things that he teaches1 but in this     
also1 that he knows how to make us      
understand the lessons he teaches4 ,here
 is an incident that illustrates how    
well ,jesus can do this4 ,we may call   
it3  ,the ,well ,instructed ,boy4 ,a    
minister of the gospel was travelling   
through the wildest part of ,ireland4   
,there he met a shepherd's boy1 not more
 than ten or twelve years old4 ,he was  
poorly clad1 with no covering on his    
head1 and no shoes or stockings on his  

feet2 but he looked bright and happy4   
,he had a ,new ,testament in his hand4  
,can you read1 my boy8 asked the        
minister4  ,to be sure ,i can4  ,and do 
you understand what you read8  ,a       
little4  ,please turn to the third      
chapter of ,st4 ,john1 and read us a    
little1 said the minister4 ,the boy     
found the place directly1 and in a clear
 distinct voice1 began3  ,there was a   
man of the ,pharisees named ,nicodemus1 
a ruler of the ,jews2 the same came to  
,jesus by night1 and said unto him1     
,rabbi4  ,what does ,rabbi mean8  ,it   
means a master4  ,right2 go on4  ,we    
know thou art a teacher come from ,god2 
for no man can do these miracles that   
thou doest1 except ,god be with him4    
,what is a miracle8  ,it is a great     
wonder4 ',jesus answered and said unto  
him1 verily1 verily1 ,i say unto thee4' 
,what does verily mean8  ,it means      
'indeed4' ',except a man be born again4'
  ,what does that mean8  ,it means a    
great change1 a change of heart4        

,except a man be born again he cannot   
see the kingdom of ,god4  ,and what is  
that kingdom8  ,he paused a moment1 and 
with a very serious1 thoughtful look1   
placing his hand on his bosom1 he said1 
,it is something here2 and then1 raising
 his eyes to heaven1 added1 and         
something up yonder4 ,this poor boy had 
been taking lessons from the ,great     
,teacher1 and he had taught him some of 
the most important things that we can   
ever learn4 ,jesus may well be called   
the ,great ,teacher1 because of his     
great knowledge4  ,but there is one     
other thing that ,jesus has1 which helps
 to make him the ,great ,teacher1 and   
that is--,,great ,,power4  ,other       
teachers can tell us what we ought to   
learn1 and to do1 yet they have no power
 to help us learn1 or do what they      
teach4 ,but ,jesus has this power4 ,let 
us take a single illustration from many 
of the same kind that occurred while he 
was on earth4 ,one day he was going     
about teaching in the streets of        

,jerusalem4 ,as he went on1 he passed by
 the office of a man who was gathering  
taxes for the ,roman government4 ,the   
persons who did this were called        
publicans4 ,this man1 sitting in his    
office1 was named ,matthew4 ,he was     
busily engaged in receiving the taxes of
 the people4 ,it was a very profitable  
business4 ,the men engaged in it        
generally made a great deal of money4   
,jesus stopped before the window or door
 of this office4 ,he beckoned to        
,matthew1 and simply spoke these two    
words3--,follow me4  ,now1 if any other 
teacher had spoken these words to       
,matthew1 and had tried to make him quit
 his business and engage in something   
else1 he would have said3 ,no2 ,i can't 
leave my office4 ,this is all the means 
,i have of getting a living4 ,the       
business pays well1 and ,i am not       
willing to give it up4 ,but when ,jesus 
spoke to him1 he did1 at once1 what he  
was told to do4 ,we read that ,he left  
all1 rose up1 and followed him4 ,matt4  

ix3 #i2 ,luke v3 #bh4 ,he became one of 
the twelve apostles and wrote the gospel
 which bears his name4 ,but it was the  
great power which ,jesus has over the   
hearts of men that made ,matthew willing
 to do1 at once1 what he was told to do4
  ,and the power which ,jesus exercised 
over ,matthew1 in this case1 he still   
has1 and still uses4 ,and when he is    
pleased to use this power the very worst
 people feel it1 and are made good by   
it4 ,and ,jesus1 the ,great ,teacher1   
uses this power sometimes in connection 
with very simple things4 ,here is an    
illustration4 ,we may call it3  ,saved  
by a ,rose4 ,some time ago1 a ,christian
 gentleman was in the habit of visiting 
one of our prisons4 ,it occurred to him1
 one day1 that it would be a good thing 
to have a flowering plant in the little 
yard connected with each cell4 ,he got  
permission from the officers of the     
prison to do so4 ,he had a bracket      
fastened to the wall1 in each yard1 and 
a flower pot1 with a plant in it1 placed

 on each bracket4 ,one of these         
prisoners was worse than all the rest4  
,he was the most hardened man that had  
ever been in that prison4 ,his temper   
was so violent and obstinate that no one
 could manage him4 ,the keeper of the   
prison was afraid of him1 and never     
liked to go near him4 ,he was such a    
disagreeable-looking man that the name  
given to him in the prison was ,ugly    
,greg4 ,a little rose bush was put on   
the bracket in ,ugly ,greg's yard1 and  
the effect produced by it is told in    
these simple lines1 which some one has  
written about it3      ,ugly ,greg was  
the prisoner's name1     ,ugly in face1 
and in nature the same2     ,stubborn1  
sullen1 and beetle-browed1     ,the     
hardest case in a hardened crowd4       
,the sin-set lines in his face were bent
     ,neither by kindness nor           
punishment2     ,he hadn't a friend in  
the prison there1     ,and he grew more 
ugly and didn't care4      ,but some    
one--blessings on his name6     ,had    

caused to be placed in that house of    
shame1     ,to relieve the blank of the 
white-washed wall1     ,flower-pot      
brackets1 with plants on them all4      
,though it seemed but a useless thing to
 do1     ,ugly ,greg's cell had a       
flower-pot1 too1     ,and as he came    
back at the work-day's close1     ,he   
paused1 astonished1 before a rose4      
',he will smash it in pieces1' the      
keeper said1     ,but the lines on his  
face grew soft instead4     ,next       
morning he watered his plant with care1 
,and went to his work with a cheerful   
air2     ,and1 day by day1 as the       
rose-bush grew1     ,ugly ,greg began   
changing1 too4      ,the soft1 green    
leaves unfolded their tips1     ,and the
 foul word died on the prisoner's lips2 
,he talked to the plant1 when all alone1
     ,as he would to a friend1 in a     
gentle tone2     ,and1 day by day1 and  
week by week1     ,as the rose grew     
taller1 so ,greg grew meek4      ,but1  
at last they took him away to lie       

,on a hospital bed1 for they knew he    
must die1     ,they placed the rose in  
the sunny light1     ,where ,greg might 
watch it1 from morn till night1     ,and
 the green buds grew1 from day to day1  
,as the sick man faded fast away4       
,the lines which sin and pain had       
traced1     ,seemed by the shadowing    
plant effaced1     ,till1 came at last1 
the joyful hour1     ,when they knew    
that the bud must burst its flower4     
,greg slept1 but still one hand caressed
     ,the plant2 the other his pale     
cheek pressed4     ,the perfumed crimson
 shed a glow     ,on the old man's hair1
 as white as snow2     ,the nurse came  
softly--',look1 ,greg6' she said1       
,ay1 the rose had bloomed1 but the man  
was dead4  ,and the meaning of all this 
is1 not that the rose itself saved this 
hardened sinner4 ,no2 but it led him to 
think of the lessons of his childhood1  
when he had been taught about ,jesus1   
the ,rose of ,sharon4 ,it led him to    
think about his sins4 ,it led him to    

repent of them2 to pray to ,jesus2 to   
exercise faith in him2 and in this way  
he became a changed man1 and was saved4 
,and so1 though we speak of him as--a   
man saved by a rose2 yet it was the     
power of ,jesus1 the ,great ,teacher1   
exercised through that rose1 which led  
to this blessed change and saved ,greg's
 soul from death4  ,and thus we have    
spoken of five things which help to make
 up the greatness of ,jesus as a        
,teacher4 ,these are--,the ,great       
,blessings--,the ,great                 
,simplicity--,the ,great                
,tenderness--,the ,great ,knowledge--and
 the ,great ,power connected with his   
teachings4 ,let us seek the grace that  
will enable us to learn of him1 and then
 we shall find rest for our souls6      
,,christ ,,teaching ,,by ,,parables     
,we have spoken of our ,saviour as ,the 
,great ,teacher1 and tried to point out 
some of the things in his teaching which
 helped to make him great4 ,and now1 it 
may be well to speak a little of the    

illustrations which he made use of as a 
,teacher4 ,these are called--parables4  
,our ,saviour's parables were           
illustrations4 ,this is what is meant by
 the ,greek word from which we get the  
word parable4 ,it means something set   
down by the side of another4 ,when we   
teach a lesson we are setting something 
before the minds of our scholars4 ,but  
suppose it is a hard lesson and they do 
not understand it4 ,then we use an      
illustration4 ,this is something set    
down beside the lesson to make it plain4
 ,then this1 whatever it be1 is a       
parable4  ,at the beginning of his      
ministry1 our ,saviour did not make much
 use of parables4 ,but1 after he had    
been preaching for some time1 he made a 
change in his way of teaching1 in this  
respect4 ,he began to use parables very 
freely4 ,his disciples were surprised at
 this4 ,on one occasion1 after he had   
used the parable of the ,sower1 they    
came to their ,master and asked him why 
he always spake to the people now in    

parables8 ,we have our ,saviour's answer
 to this question in ,st4 ,matt1 xiii3  
#aa-ah4 ,and it is a remarkable answer4 
,the meaning of it is that he used      
parables for two reasons3 one was to    
help those who really wished to learn   
from him to understand what he was      
teaching4 ,the other was that those who 
were not willing to be taught might     
listen to him without understanding what
 he was saying4 ,these people had heard 
him when he was teaching without        
parables4 ,but1 instead of thanking him 
for coming to teach them1 and of being  
willing to do what he wanted them to do1
 they found fault with his teaching1 and
 would not mind what he said4  ,now1    
there is a great difference between the 
way in which we are to learn what the   
,bible teaches us about ,god and heaven2
 and the way in which we learn other    
things4 ,if we want to learn what the   
,bible teaches us we must be careful    
that we are having right feelings in our
 hearts2 but if we want to learn other  

things it does not matter so much what  
our feelings are4 ,for instance1 suppose
 you have a lesson to learn in          
geography2 no matter how you are        
feeling1 whether you are proud1 or      
humble2 whether you are cross1 or       
gentle2 yet if you only study hard      
enough1 and long enough1 you can learn  
that lesson4 ,but1 if you want to learn 
one of the lessons that ,jesus teaches1 
no matter how hard1 or how long you     
study it1 yet while you are giving way  
to proud1 or angry feelings in your     
heart1 you can never learn that lesson4 
,and the reason is that we cannot learn 
these lessons unless we have the special
 help of ,jesus1 by the ,holy ,spirit4  
,but this help can never be had while we
 give way to wrong feelings in our      
hearts4 ,in learning geography1 and     
other such lessons1 we do not need the  
special help of ,god4 ,we can learn them
 ourselves1 if we only try4 ,but we     
cannot learn the lessons that ,jesus    
teaches in this way4 ,this is what the  

,psalmist means when he says3--,the meek
 will he teach his way4 ,ps4 xxv3 #i4   
,and this was what our ,saviour meant   
when he said3 ,if any man will do his   
will1 he shall know4 ,st4 ,john vii3    
#ag4 ,we must be willing to be          
taught2--and willing to obey2 if we wish
 to understand what ,jesus1 ,the ,great 
,teacher1 has to tell us4  ,some one has
 well said that truth1 taught by a      
parable1 is like the kernel hid away in 
a nut4 ,the parable1 like the shell of  
the nut1 covers up the kernel4 ,those   
who really want the kernel will crack   
the shell1 and get it3 but those who are
 not willing to crack the shell will    
never get the kernel4 ,the shell of the 
nut keeps the kernel safe for one of    
these persons1 and safe from the others4
  ,but1 after the time of which we have 
spoken1 ,jesus used parables freely4 ,we
 are told that--without a parable spake 
he not unto the people4 ,st4 ,mark xiii3
 #cd4 ,he used parables among his       
disciples for two reasons3 these were to

 help them to understand1 and to        
remember what he taught them4  ,we have 
a great many of the parables of ,jesus  
in the gospels4 ,a full list of them    
will contain not less than fifty4 ,it   
would be easy enough to make a sermon on
 each of these parables4 ,but that would
 make a larger work than this whole     
,,life ,,of ,,christ1 on which we are   
now engaged4 ,it is impossible therefore
 to speak of all the parables4 ,we can  
only make selections1 or take some      
specimens of them4 ,we may speak of five
 different lessons as illustrated by    
some of the parables of ,christ4 ,these 
are--,the value of religion3 ,christ's  
love of sinners3 ,the duty of           
forgiveness3 ,the duty of kindness3 and 
the effect of good example4  ,well then1
 we may begin by considering what ,jesus
 taught us of--,,the ,,value ,,of       
,,religion--in his parables4  ,the      
parable of ,the ,treasure ,hid in the   
,field teaches us this truth4 ,we find  
this parable in ,st4 ,matt4 xiii3 #dd4  

,here ,jesus says1 ,the kingdom of      
heaven is like unto treasure hid in a   
field2 the which when a man hath found1 
he hideth1 and for joy thereof goeth and
 selleth all that he hath1 and buyeth   
that field4 ,the words kingdom of heaven
 are used by our ,saviour in different  
senses4 ,sometimes1 as here1 they mean  
the grace of ,god1 or true religion4    
,and what ,jesus teaches us by this     
parable is that true religion is more   
valuable than anything else in the      
world4  ,the next parable1 in the       
forty-fifth and forty-sixth verses of   
the same chapter1 is about ,the ,pearl  
of ,great ,price4 ,this teaches the same
 lesson4 ,it reads thus3--,the kingdom  
of heaven is like unto a merchantman    
seeking goodly pearls3 who1 when he had 
found one pearl of great price1 went and
 sold all that he had and bought it4 ,by
 this pearl of great price ,jesus meant 
true religion1 as he did by the treasure
 hid in the field in the former parable4
 ,and the truth he teaches in both these

 parables is that religion is more      
important to us than anything else in   
the world4 ,let us look at some         
incidents that may help to illustrate   
for us the value of religion4  ,jesus   
,makes ,everything ,right4 ,a poor lame 
boy became a ,christian1 and in telling 
what effect this change had upon him1   
these are the words he used to a person 
who was visiting him3 ,once every thing 
went wrong at our house2 father was     
wrong1 mother was wrong1 sister was     
wrong1 and ,i was wrong2 but now1 since 
,i have learned to know and love ,jesus 
it is all right4 ,i know why everything 
went wrong before3--it was because ,i   
was wrong myself4 ,and this is true4    
,the first thing that religion does for 
us is to make us be right ourselves1 and
 then to do right to others4  ,be4 ,a   
young lady had been trying to do        
something very good1 but had not        
succeeded4 ,her mother said1 ,marian1 my
 child1 ,god gives us many things to do1
 but we must not forget that he gives us

 some things to be2 and we must learn to
 be what ,god would have us be1 before  
we can do what ,god would have us do4   
,o dear mother1 please tell me about    
being1 and then ,i shall know better    
about doing4  ,well1 listen my child1   
while ,i remind you of some of the      
,bible be's3 ,god says3  ,be--ye kindly 
affectioned one to another4  ,be--ye    
also patient4  ,be--ye thankful4        
,be--ye children in malice4  ,be--ye    
therefore perfect4  ,be--courteous4     
,be--not wise in your own conceits4     
,be--not overcome of evil4  ,thank you1 
dear mother1 said ,marian4 ,i hope ,i   
shall have a better day to-morrow2 for  
,i see now that doing grows out of      
being4  ,this is a point worth dwelling 
on1 and so ,i will introduce to your    
notice here3  ,a ,,swarm ,,of ,,bees    
,,worth ,,hiving4      ,be patient1 ,be 
prayerful1 ,be humble1 ,be mild1     ,be
 wise as a ,solon1 ,be meek as a child4 
,be studious1 ,be thoughtful1 ,be       
loving1 ,be kind1     ,be sure you make 

matter subservient to mind4      ,be    
cautious1 ,be prudent1 ,be trustful1 ,be
 true1     ,be courteous to all men1 ,be
 friendly with few4      ,be temperate  
in argument1 pleasure and wine1     ,be 
careful of conduct1 of money1 of time4  
,be cheerful1 ,be grateful1 ,be hopeful1
 ,be firm1     ,be peaceful1 benevolent1
 willing to learn2      ,be courageous1 
,be gentle ,be liberal1 ,be just1       
,be aspiring1 ,be humble1 because you   
are dust4      ,be penitent1            
circumspect1 sound in the faith1     ,be
 active1 devoted2 ,be faithful to death4
      ,be honest1 ,be holy1 transparent 
and pure2     ,be dependent1 ,be        
,christ-like and you'll be secure4      
,here is a swarm of between forty and   
fifty bees4 ,the religion of ,jesus will
 help us to make these all our own4 ,how
 great then must the value of religion  
be6 ,surely it is worth while for each  
of us to try and secure it6  ,i think ,i
 never saw a better view of the value of
 religion than is seen in the following 

statement of what it does for us4 ,i    
know not by whom it was written1 but it 
is put in the form of that sacred sign  
to which we owe all the blessings of    
salvation--the sign of  ,,the ,,cross4  
,blest they who seek     ,while in their
 youth1     ,with spirit meek1     ,the 
way of truth4     ,to them the sacred   
scriptures now display     ,christ as   
the only true and living way2     ,his  
precious blood on ,calvary was given    
,to make them heirs of endless bliss in 
,heaven4     ,and e'en on earth the     
child of ,god can trace     ,the        
glorious blessings of the ,saviour's    
grace4     ,for them ,he bore     ,his  
,father's frown2     ,for them ,he wore 
,the thorny ,crown2     ,nailed to the  
,cross1     ,endured its pain1     ,that
 his life's loss     ,might be their    
gain4     ,then haste to choose         
,that better part1     ,nor dare refuse 
,the ,lord thy heart1     ,lest he      
declare1--     ',i know you not1'       
,and deep despair     ,should be your   

lot4     ,now look to ,jesus1 who on    
,calvary died1     ,and trust on him who
 there was crucified4  ,leaving it ,all 
with ,jesus4 ,annie ,w 444 was a young  
,christian4 ,in her fourteenth year she 
was taken with a severe illness1 from   
which the doctor said she could not     
recover4 ,when she became too weak to   
leave the sofa1 she would send for one  
and another of the neighbors to come in 
to see her1 and then she would speak to 
them of ,jesus and his great salvation4 
,one day a poor old woman who was not a 
,christian1 came in to see her4  ,you   
are very ill1 my dear1 she said to      
,annie4  ,yes1 she replied1 but ,i shall
 soon be well4  ,the poor woman shook   
her head as she looked at ,annie's      
mother1 saying1 ,poor dear creature2 she
 cannot possibly get well4 ,no3 she will
 never get over it4 ,then turning to    
,annie1 she said3  ,don't you know1 my  
dear1 that you are going to die8  ,i    
know ,i am going to live1 she said with 
a sweet smile4 ,i shall soon be with    

,jesus in heaven1 and live forever with 
him4  ,oh1 how can you know that1 my    
dear8 ,we must not be too sure you know1
 said the poor woman4  ,oh1 said ,annie1
 pointing to a card hanging on the wall1
 near her bed1 on which was printed in  
large letters the hymn headed--,i leave 
it all with ,jesus4 ,that's what ,i do6 
,that's what ,i do4 ,these are the words
 of the hymn which gave that dear child 
so much comfort on her dying bed3    ,i 
leave it all with ,jesus1     ,then     
wherefore should ,i fear8   ,i leave it 
all with ,jesus1     ,and he is ever    
near4    ,i leave it all with ,jesus1   
,trust him for what must be2   ,i leave 
it all with ,jesus1     ,who ever thinks
 of me4    ,i bring it all to ,jesus1   
,in calm1 believing prayer2   ,i bring  
it all to ,jesus1     ,and ,i love to   
,,leave it there6    ,each tear1 each   
sigh1 each trouble1     ,each           
disappointment1--all   ,i love to ,,give
 to ,jesus1     ,who loves to ,,take    
them all4  ,and here we have a beautiful

 illustration of one of the things which
 ,jesus taught us in his parables1      
namely--the value of religion4  ,another
 thing we are taught in these parables  
is--,,christ',s ,,love ,,for ,,sinners4 
,the parable of the lost sheep teaches  
us this truth3 but as we had occasion to
 speak of this in our last chapter1 when
 illustrating the tenderness of ,christ1
 as the ,great ,teacher1 we may let that
 pass now4 ,but the parable of the lost 
piece of money teaches the same lesson4 
,we have this parable in ,st4 ,luke xv3 
#hth and #ith verses4 ,here we are told 
of a woman who had ten pieces of silver1
 and lost one of them4 ,then she laid   
the others aside1 and searched          
diligently for the lost piece till she  
found it4 ,this woman represents ,jesus4
 ,the lost piece of money represents our
 souls lost by sin4 ,the efforts of the 
woman to find the lost piece represent  
what ,jesus did1 when he left heaven1   
and took our nature upon him1 and came  
as the ,son of man to seek and to save  

that which was lost4 ,and it was the    
love of ,jesus for poor sinners which   
led him to do all this for us4 ,and     
everything connected with the history of
 ,jesus when he was on earth shows the  
greatness of his love4 ,think of        
,bethlehem and its manger2 there we see 
the love of ,jesus4 ,think of           
,gethsemane with its bloody sweat2 there
 we see the love of ,jesus4 ,think of   
,calvary with its cross of shame and    
agony2 for there we see the love of     
,jesus4  ,and the parable of the        
prodigal son teaches us the same lesson4
 ,we read of this in the same chapter1  
,st4 ,luke xv3 #aa-cb4 ,this son had    
been disobedient and ungrateful4 ,he had
 taken the money his father gave him and
 had gone away and spent it in living   
very wickedly4 ,and when the money was  
all spent and he was likely to starve1  
he went back to his father1 hungry and  
ragged1 and asked to be taken in4 ,and  
instead of scolding and punishing him as
 he deserved1 as soon as his father saw 

him1 he ran1 and fell on his neck and   
kissed him2 and took off his rags1 and  
dressed him in good clothes1 and made a 
great feast for him4 ,how beautifully   
this parable illustrates the love of    
,christ for sinners6  ,and when we learn
 to know and feel the love of ,christ   
for us1 it does two blessed things for  
us4  ,one is1 it makes us good4 ,we hear
 a great deal about conversion4 ,this   
word conversion simply means--turning4  
,when a person has been living without  
trying to serve or please ,god1 and is  
led to see how wrong it is to live in   
that way1 and then feels an earnest     
desire to turn around1 and live         
differently1 and really does so3--that  
is conversion4 ,the teaching or         
preaching of the gospel is the chief    
means that ,god employs to convert men4 
,and the thing about the gospel in which
 this converting power lies is--the love
 of ,christ4 ,here is an illustration of
 what this means4  ,he ,loved ,me4 ,an  
,english minister of the gospel was     

traveling in ,switzerland one summer4   
,as he passed from place to place1 he   
preached by means of an interpreter in  
various churches4 ,one ,sunday night he 
preached from the words1 ,he loved me1  
and gave himself for me4 ,gal4 ii3 #bj4 
,then he went on his way without knowing
 what effect had followed from his      
preaching4  ,one ,saturday evening1     
several weeks after1 the minister of    
this church was sitting in his study4   
,there came a faint knock at his door4  
,he opened it1 when1 to his great       
surprise he saw there a young man1 who  
was known as the wickedest young man in 
that neighborhood1 and the leader of    
others in all sorts of wickedness4 ,he  
invited him in1 gave him a seat1 and    
asked him what he wished4 ,judge of his 
surprise when the young man said he     
wished to inquire if he might come to   
the sacrament of the ,lord's ,supper1   
which was to be celebrated in his church
 the next day6  ,but are you not aware1 
my young friend1 said the minister1 that

 only those who love ,christ1 and are   
trying to serve him1 have any right to  
come to that holy ordinance8  ,i know   
it1 sir1 said the young man1 and ,i am  
thankful to feel that ,i am among that  
number4  ,but1 asked the astonished     
pastor1 are you not known in this       
village as the ringleader in all evil   
doings8  ,alas6 it is too true that it  
has been so1 he replied1 but thank ,god 
all is changed now4  ,i am happy indeed 
to hear it2 but pray tell me what led to
 this great change4  ,i was in your     
church1 sir1 said he1 some weeks ago1   
when that ,english minister preached    
from the words1 ',who loved me and gave 
himself for me1' ,that was the first    
time ,i ever understood about the love  
of ,christ4 ,it led to my repentance and
 conversion2 and now ,i wish to show my 
love to ,jesus by trying to serve and   
please him4  ,here we see how the love  
of ,christ makes us good4  ,but it makes
 us happy1 as well as good4 ,here is a  
little story that illustrates this point

 very well4 ,we may call it3  ,maggie's 
,secret4 ,maggie ,blake1 how can you    
study so hard1 and be so provokingly    
good8 ,this question was asked by       
,jennie ,lee1 who was one of the largest
 and wildest girls in the school4       
,maggie hesitated a moment1 whether to  
tell her secret or not4 ,but1 presently 
she lifted up her eyes1 looked her      
companion bravely in the face1 and      
said--,it's for ,jesus' sake1 ,jennie4  
,but do you think he cares8 asked       
,jennie in a soft1 subdued voice1--do   
you think he cares how we act8  ,i know 
he does1 said ,maggie4 ,and it makes it 
so pleasant you see1 even to study and  
get hard lessons1 when ,i know he is    
looking at me1 and is pleased to have me
 working my best for him4 ,he always    
helps me to get my lessons2 and then    
helps me to say them right4 ,you know ,i
 used to be so frightened ,i could not  
say them1 even when ,i had learned them 
well4  ,yes1 said ,jennie1 remembering  
very well how ,maggie had changed in    

that respect4  ,that was before ,i      
thought of learning them for ,jesus4    
,after that he helped me all along4 ,it 
makes me like school2 and even          
disagreeable things are pleasant when ,i
 think of doing them for him4  ,jennie  
had often watched ,maggie1 and wondered 
what made her have such a bright1       
cheerful1 happy look4 ,now she knew the 
secret of it4 ,it was doing everything  
for ,jesus' sake4  ,she felt she would  
gladly give everything she had to be as 
happy as ,maggie4 ,she asked ,maggie to 
pray for her1 and she began to pray for 
herself4 ,then ,jesus helped her1 and   
she soon had ,maggie's secret for her   
own4 ,the girls in school wondered at   
the change which had come over ,jennie4 
,but when they heard that she had been  
confirmed1 and had joined the church1   
they understood it all4 ,they knew she  
had been with ,jesus2 and that it was   
learning to know and feel his wonderful 
love which had made ,jennie so good1 and
 so happy4  ,and so1 we see that ,jesus 

was doing a blessed thing for us when he
 taught the parables which show his love
 for sinners4  ,a third thing taught us 
by some of the parables of ,jesus       
is--,,the ,,duty ,,of ,,kindness4  ,one 
day1 while ,jesus was on earth1 a young 
man came to him with the great question1
 what he should do to obtain eternal    
life4 ,jesus referred him to the ,ten   
,commandments2 and reducing them to two1
 he told the young man that these       
commandments required him to love ,god  
with all his heart1 and his neighbor as 
himself2 and then said if he would do   
this he would be saved4  ,this is       
perfectly true4 ,any one would be saved 
who would do this4 ,but no one ever has 
done this except our blessed ,lord      
,himself4 ,he magnified the law and made
 it honorable by keeping it perfectly4  
,i suppose that ,jesus intended to give 
this young man some lessons about the   
commandments of ,god which would lead   
him to see that he never could keep them
 himself2 and that he would need some   

one to keep them for him1 and that this 
was the only way in which he1 or any one
 else could be saved4 ,it may have been 
that the young man did not want to hear 
any thing more on that subject1 and so  
he gave the conversation a different    
turn by asking--who is my neighbor8 when
 ,jesus said he must love his neighbor  
as himself4 ,and then1 in answer to this
 question ,jesus told the parable of the
 ,good ,samaritan4 ,we have this parable
 in ,st4 ,luke x3 #cj-cg4  ,here we are 
told of a certain man who was going down
 from ,jerusalem to ,jericho1 and fell  
among thieves4 ,they robbed him2 and    
wounded him2 and left him half dead4    
,while he was lying there helpless and  
suffering1 a priest and a ,levite came1 
and looked on him1 and passed by on the 
other side1 without giving him any help4
 ,then we are told that a certain       
,samaritan came by1 and when he saw the 
poor wounded man lying there1 although  
he was a ,jew1 and the ,jews and the    
,samaritans hated each other very much1 

yet he pitied him1 and went up to him1  
and bound up his wounds1 and set him on 
his own beast1 and carried him to an    
inn1 and told them to take care of him1 
and said that he would pay all his      
expenses4 ,then ,jesus asked the        
question1 ,which now1 of these three    
thinkest thou was neighbor to him that  
fell among thieves8 ,and he said1 he    
that showed mercy on him4 ,then said    
,jesus unto him1 ,go1 and do thou       
likewise4  ,thus ,jesus taught the duty 
of kindness4 ,this kindness we must     
show1 not to our friends only1 but to   
our enemies4 ,kindness to all is the    
duty that ,jesus teaches4  ,let us look 
at one or two illustrations of the way  
in which we should do this4  ,the ,honey
 ,shield4 ,it is said that wasps and    
bees will not sting a person whose skin 
is covered with honey4 ,and so those who
 are exposed to the sting of these      
venomous little creatures smear their   
hands and faces over with honey1 and    
this1 we are told1 proves the best      

shield they can have to keep them from  
getting stung4 ,and the honey here very 
well represents the kindness which      
,jesus teaches us to practise4 ,if      
kindness1 gentleness1 and forbearance   
are found running through all our words 
and actions1 we shall have the best     
shield to protect us from the spiteful  
stings of wicked people4  ,androcles and
 the ,lion4 ,most of those who read     
these pages may have heard this story1  
but it illustrates the point before us  
so well that ,i do not hesitate to use  
it here4  ,androcles was a ,roman slave4
 ,to escape the cruel treatment of his  
master he ran away4 ,a lonely cave in   
the midst of the forest was his home for
 a while4 ,returning to his cave one day
 he met a lion near the mouth of the    
cave4 ,he was bellowing as if in pain2  
and on getting nearer to him1 he found  
that he was suffering from a thorn which
 had run into one of his paws4 ,it was  
greatly swollen and inflamed1 and was   
causing him much pain4 ,androcles went  

up to the suffering beast4 ,he drew out 
the rankling thorn and thus relieved him
 of his pain4 ,his nature1 savage as it 
was1 felt the power of the kindness thus
 shown to him4 ,he became attached to   
the lonely slave1 and shared his prey   
with him while they remained together4  
,but1 after a while the retreat of      
,androcles was discovered4 ,he was taken
 and carried back to his master4 ,the   
lion also was made a prisoner soon      
after4 ,androcles was kept in prison for
 some time2 and finally1 according to   
the custom of the ,romans1 he was       
condemned to be devoured by wild beasts4
 ,the lion to be let loose on ,androcles
 had been kept a long time without food 
and was very hungry4 ,when the door of  
his den was opened he rushed out with a 
tremendous roar4 ,the ,colosseum was    
crowded with spectators4 ,they expected 
to see the poor slave torn to pieces in 
a moment4 ,but1 to the surprise of      
everyone1 the great monster1 hungry as  
he was1 instead of devouring the        

condemed man1 crouched at his feet1 and 
began to fondle him1 as a pet dog would 
do4 ,he recognized in the poor prisoner 
his friend of the forest and showed that
 he had not forgotten his kindness4 ,the
 kindness of ,androcles had been like   
the honey shield to him4 ,it saved his  
life1 first from the savage beast in the
 forest2 and then from the savage men in
 the city4 ,let us all put on this      
shield1 and wear it wherever we go4 ,the
 lesson of kindness which ,jesus teaches
 in this parable1 has been very well put
 by some one in these sweet lines3      
,,the ,,lesson ,,of ,,kindness4         
,think kindly of the erring6     ,thou  
knowest not the power     ,with which   
the dark temptation came     ,in some   
unguarded hour2     ,thou knowest not   
how earnestly     ,they struggled1 or   
how well1     ,until the hour of        
weakness came1     ,and sadly then they 
fell4      ,speak kindly to the erring6 
,thou yet may'st lead him back     ,with
 holy words1 and tones of love1         

,from misery's thorny track3     ,forget
 not thou hast often sinned     ,and    
sinful yet must be3--     ,deal kindly  
with the erring one     ,as ,god hath   
dealt with thee6  ,the duty of kindness 
was the third lesson ,jesus taught in   
the parables4  ,a fourth lesson taught  
us in some of the parables of ,jesus    
is---- ,,the ,,duty ,,of ,,forgiveness4 
,the apostle ,peter came to ,jesus one  
day1 and asked him how often he ought to
 forgive a brother that offended him2   
and whether it would be enough to       
forgive him seven times4 ,the answer of 
,jesus was1 ,i say not unto thee1 until 
seven times1 but until seventy times    
seven4  ,st4 ,matt4 #ah3 #bb4 ,then     
,jesus spoke the parable of the two     
debtors4 ,st4 ,matt4 #ah3 #bc-ce4 ,one  
of these owed his master ten thousand   
talents4 ,if these were talents of      
silver they would amount to more than   
fifteen millions of dollars4 ,if they   
were talents of gold1 they would amount 
to three hundred millions4 ,this would  

show that his debt was so great that he 
never could pay it4 ,then his master    
freely forgave him4 ,but not long after1
 he found one of his fellow-servants1   
who owed him a hundred pence1 or about  
fifteen dollars of our money4 ,the man  
asked him to forgive him the debt4 ,he  
would not do it2 but put him in prison4 
,when his master heard this he was very 
angry1 and put him in prison1 where he  
should be punished until he had paid all
 his great debt4 ,and ,jesus finished   
the parable by saying--so likewise1     
shall my heavenly ,father do unto you1  
if ye1 from your hearts forgive not     
every one his brother their trespasses4 
,and here we are taught the great duty  
of forgiveness4 ,and this same duty is  
taught us in the ,lord's ,prayer1 where 
he says--,forgive us our trespasses1 as 
we also forgive those who trespass      
against us4 ,if we use this prayer      
without forgiving those who injure us1  
then1 in so using it1 we are really     
asking ,god not to forgive us4 ,and     

,jesus practised what he preached4 ,as  
he hung bleeding and agonizing on the   
cross1 while his enemies were cruelly   
mocking his misery1 he looked up to     
heaven1 and uttered that wonderful      
prayer--,father forgive them2 for they  
know not what they do4 ,here we have the
 best illustration of forgiveness that  
the world has ever seen4  ,example of   
,forgiveness4 ,in a school in ,ireland1 
one boy struck another4 ,the offending  
boy was brought up to be punished1 when 
the injured boy begged for his pardon4  
,the teacher asked--,why do you wish to 
keep him from being flogged8 ,the ready 
reply was--,because ,i have read in the 
,new ,testament that our ,lord ,jesus   
,christ said that we must forgive our   
enemies2 and therefore ,i forgive him1  
and beg that he may not be punished for 
my sake4  ,good for ,evil4 ,at the foot 
of a street in ,new ,york1 stood an     
,italian organ grinder1 with his organ4 
,a number of boys had gathered round    
him1 but they were more anxious to have 

some fun than to hear music4 ,one of    
them said to his companions3  ,see6     
,i'll hit his hat6  ,and sure enough he 
did4 ,making up a snow ball1 he threw it
 with so much force that the poor man's 
hat was knocked into the gutter4 ,a     
gentleman standing by expected to see   
him get very angry1 and swear at the    
boy4 ,but1 very different from this was 
the result that followed4 ,the musician 
stopped2 stepped forward and picked up  
his hat4 ,then he turned to the rude    
boy1 and gracefully bowing1 said3  ,and 
now1 ,i'll play you a tune to make you  
merry6 ,there was real ,christian       
forgiveness4  ,the ,power of the        
,gospel4 ,years ago some carpenters     
moved to the ,island of ,new ,zealand1  
and set up a shop for carrying on their 
business4 ,they were engaged to build a 
chapel at one of the ,mission ,stations4
 ,one of these carpenters1 a pleasant1  
kind-hearted man1 engaged a native      
,christian to dig his garden for him4   
,when the work was done the man went to 

the shop for his pay4 ,another of the   
carpenters there1 who was a very        
ill-tempered man1 told the native to get
 out of the shop4 ,don't be angry1 was  
the gentle reply2 ,i have only come to  
have a little talk with your partner1   
and to get my wages from him4 ,but ,i am
 angry4 ,and then taking hold of the    
,new ,zealander by the shoulder1 he     
abused and kicked him in the most cruel 
manner4  ,the native made no resistance 
till the carpenter ceased4 ,then he     
jumped up1 seized him by the throat1 and
 snatching a small axe from the bench1  
flourished it threateningly over his    
head4 ,now1 you see1 said he1 your life 
is in my hand4 ,you see my arm is strong
 enough to kill you2 and my arm is quite
 willing1 but my heart is not4 ,i have  
heard the missionaries preach the gospel
 of forgiveness4 ,you owe your life to  
the preaching of the gospel4 ,if my     
heart was as dark now as it was before  
the gospel was preached here1 ,i should 
strike off your head in an instant6     

,then he released the carpenter without 
injuring him and accepted from him a    
blanket as an apology for the insult4   
,how faithfully this man was practising 
the duty of forgiveness which ,jesus    
taught6  ,the only other thing of which 
we shall now speak1 as taught by our    
,saviour in the parables1 is--,,the     
,,influence ,,of ,,good ,,example4  ,the
 parable which teaches this lesson is   
that of the lighted candle4 ,it is one  
of the shortest of our ,lord's parables1
 and yet the truth it teaches is very   
important4 ,we first find this parable  
in the sermon on the mount4 ,these are  
the words in which it is given3 ,neither
 do men light a candle and put it under 
a bushel1 but on a candlestick2 and it  
giveth light unto all that are in the   
house4 ,let your light so shine before  
men1 that they may see your good works1 
and glorify your ,father which is in    
heaven4 ,matt1 v3 #ae4 ,this parable is 
so important that we find it repeated in
 three other places4 ,mark iv3 #ba1     

,luke viii3 #af1 and xi3 #cc4  ,we find 
the same idea taught by one of          
,england's greatest writers4 ,looking at
 a candle shining through a window1 he  
says3      ,how far yon little candle   
throws its beam6     ,so shines a good  
deed in a naughty world4  ,and the      
lesson we are here taught is that we    
should always set a good example by     
doing what we know to be right1 and     
then1 like a candle shining in a dark   
place1 we shall be useful wherever we   
go4 ,let us look at one or two incidents
 that illustrate this4  ,a ,boy's       
,influence4 ,two families lived in one  
house4 ,in each of these families there 
was a little boy about the same age4    
,these boys slept together4 ,one of them
 had a good pious mother4 ,she had      
trained him to kneel down every night1  
before getting into bed1 and say his    
prayer in an audible voice1 and to      
repeat a text of scripture which she had
 taught him4 ,now the first time he     
slept with the other little boy1 who    

never said any prayers1 he was tempted  
to jump into bed1 as his companion did1 
without kneeling down to pray4 ,but he  
was a brave and noble boy4 ,he said to  
himself--,i am not afraid to do what my 
mother taught me4 ,i am not ashamed for 
anybody to know that ,i pray to ,god4   
,i'll do as ,i have been taught to do4  
,he did so4 ,he let his light shine4    
,and see what followed from its shining6
  ,the little boy who had never been    
taught to pray learned his companion's  
prayer1 and the verse he repeated1 by   
hearing them1 and he never forgot them4 
,he grew up to be an earnest ,christian 
man4 ,when he lay on his deathbed1 quite
 an aged man1 he sent for the friend1   
whose prayer he had learned1 to come and
 see him1 and told him that it was his  
little prayer1 so faithfully said every 
night when they were boys1 which led him
 to become a ,christian4 ,he repeated   
the prayer and the verse1 word for word1
 and with his dying lips thanked his    
friend for letting his light shine as he

 did1 for that had saved his soul4      
,here is another illustration of a      
,christian letting his light shine and  
the good that was done by it4 ,we may   
call it3  ,the ,shilling ,bible1 and    
what ,came of ,it4 ,some years ago a    
,christian gentleman went on a visit for
 three days to the house of a rich lady 
who lived at the west end of ,london4   
,after tea1 on the first evening of his 
arrival1 he called one of the servants1 
and telling her that in the hurry of    
leaving home he had forgotten to bring a
 ,bible with him1 he requested her to   
ask the lady of the house to be kind    
enough to lend him one4  ,now that house
 was beautifully furnished4 ,there were 
splendid pictures on the walls1 and     
elegantly bound volumes in the library  
and on the tables in the parlor2 but    
there was not a ,bible in the house4    
,the lady felt ashamed to own that she  
had no ,bible4 ,so she gave the servant 
a shilling and told her to go to the    
book store round the corner and buy a   

,bible4 ,the ,bible was bought and given
 to the gentleman4 ,he used it during   
his visit1 and then went home1 little   
knowing how much good that shilling     
,bible was to do4  ,when he was gone the
 lady at whose house he had been staying
 said to herself3  ,how strange it is   
that an intelligent gentleman like my   
friend could not bear to go for three   
days without reading the ,bible1 while  
,i never read it at all1 and don't know 
what it teaches4 ,i am curious to know  
what there is in this book to make it so
 attractive4 ,i mean to begin and read  
it through4 ,she began to read it at    
first out of simple curiosity4 ,but1 as 
she went on reading she became deeply   
interested in it4 ,it showed her what a 
sinner she was in living without ,god in
 the world4 ,it led her to pray         
earnestly for the pardon of her sins2   
and the end of it was that she became a 
,christian4 ,then she desired that her  
children should know and love the       
,saviour too4 ,she prayed for them4 ,she

 talked with them1 and taught them the  
precious truths contained in that       
blessed book4 ,and the result was that1 
one by one1 they were all led to ,jesus 
and became ,christians4 ,and so that    
whole family were saved by means of that
 shilling ,bible4  ,when that gentleman 
asked for the use of a ,bible in the    
house where he was visiting1 he was     
setting a good example4 ,he was putting 
his candle on a candlestick and letting 
it shine4 ,and the result that followed 
gives us a good illustration of the     
meaning of our ,saviour's words when he 
said3--,let your light so shine before  
men1 that they may see your good works  
and glorify your ,father which is in    
heaven4  ,and so1 when we remember the  
parables that ,jesus taught1 among other
 things illustrated by them1 we can     
think of these1--the value of           
religion2--,christ's love for           
sinners2--the duty of kindness2--the    
duty of forgiveness2--the influence of a
 good example4  ,i know not how to      

finish this subject better than in the  
words of the hymn3    ,father of        
mercies6 in thy word1     ,what endless 
glory shines6   ,forever be thy name    
adored     ,for these celestial lines4  
,o1 may these heavenly pages be     ,my 
ever dear delight2   ,and still new     
beauties may ,i see1     ,and still     
increasing light4       ,,christ        
,,teaching ,,by ,,miracles      ,we have
 seen how many valuable lessons our     
,saviour taught while on earth by the   
parables which he used4 ,but we teach by
 our lives1 as well as by our lips4 ,it 
has passed into a proverb1 and we all   
admit the truth of it1 that ,actions    
speak louder than words4 ,if our words  
and our actions contradict each other1  
people will believe our actions sooner  
than our words4 ,but when both agree    
together1 then the effect is very great4
 ,this was true with our blessed ,lord4 
,there was an entire agreement between  
what he said1 and what he did4 ,his     
words and his actions1 the teaching of  

his lips1 and the teaching of his       
life--were in perfect harmony4 ,he      
practised what he preached4  ,but then1 
in addition to the every day common     
actions of the life of ,christ1 there   
were actions in it that were very       
uncommon4 ,he was daily performing      
miracles1 and doing many mighty and     
wonderful works4 ,and the prophets      
before him1 and apostles after him1     
performed miracles too2 yet there were  
two things in which the miracles of     
,christ differed from those performed by
 others4 ,one was as to the number of   
them4 ,he did a greater number of       
wonderful things than anyone else ever  
did4 ,indeed if we take the miracles    
that were done by ,moses1 by ,elijah and
 ,elisha1 in the ,old ,testament1 and   
those that were done by the apostles in 
the ,new ,testament and put them all    
together we shall find that they would  
not equal1 in number1 the miracles of   
,christ4 ,there are between thirty and  
forty of the mighty works wrought by our

 ,saviour mentioned in the gospels4 ,and
 these1 as ,st4 ,john says1 are only a  
small portion of them4 ,ch4 xxi3 #be4   
,the other thing in which the miracles  
of ,christ are different from those     
performed by other persons1 is the way  
in which they were done4 ,the prophets  
and apostles did their mighty works in  
the name of ,god1 or of ,christ4 ,thus  
when ,peter and ,john healed the lame   
man at the gate of the temple they      
said3--,in the name of ,jesus ,christ of
 ,nazareth1 rise up and walk4 ,acts iii3
 #f4 ,but ,jesus had all the power in   
himself by which those wonderful things 
were done4 ,he could say to the         
leper1--,i will2 be thou clean4 ,he     
could say to the sick man3--,take up thy
 bed and walk4 ,when speaking of his    
death and resurrection1 he could very   
well say that it was his own power which
 would control it all4 ,his life was in 
his own hands4 ,it was true1 as he said1
 ,no man taketh it from me2 but ,i lay  
it down of myself4 ,i have power to lay 

it down and ,i have power to take it    
again4 ,john x3 #ah4 ,and it was the    
same with all his other mighty works4   
,he had all the power in himself that   
was needed to do them4  ,and these      
miracles of ,christ were the proofs that
 he was the ,messiah1 the great         
,saviour1 of whom the prophets had      
spoken4 ,this was what ,nicodemus meant 
when he said to ,jesus3--,we know that  
thou art a teacher come from ,god3 for  
no man can do these miracles that thou  
doest1 except ,god be with him4 ,john   
iii3 #b4 ,and ,jesus himself referred to
 his miracles as the proof that ,god had
 sent him4 ,john v3 #cf2 x3 #be4  ,and  
this was what he meant by the message   
which he sent to ,john the ,baptist1    
when his disciples came to ,jesus1      
saying1 ,are thou he that should come1  
or look we for another8 ,jesus answered 
and said unto them1 ,go1 and show ,john 
again those things which ye do hear and 
see2 the blind receive their sight2 and 
the lame walk2 the lepers are cleansed2 

and the deaf hear2 the dead are raised  
up2 and the poor have the gospel        
preached unto them4 ,matt1 xi3 #b-f4    
,these were the very things which the   
prophets had foretold that ,christ would
 do when he came4 ,is4 xxix3 #ah4 xxxv3 
#d-f4 xlii3 #g4  ,it is clear from these
 passages that all the miracles         
performed by our ,lord were intended to 
teach this lesson1 that he was the great
 ,saviour of whom the prophets had      
spoken4 ,but then1 in addition to this1 
these wonderful works of ,jesus were    
made use of by him to show that he has  
power to do everything for his people   
that they may need to have him do4  ,it 
is impossible for us to speak of all the
 miracles of ,christ4 ,we can only make 
selections from them1 as we did with the
 parables in the last chapter4 ,in      
looking at these we may see ,jesus      
teaching us that he has power to do four
 things for his people4  ,in the first  
place some of the miracles of ,christ   
teach us that he has great power        

to--,,help4  ,we see this in the account
 given us of the miraculous draught of  
fishes4 ,luke v3 #a-aa4  ,peter was a   
fisherman before he became a disciple of
 ,jesus4 ,and ,james and ,john1 the sons
 of ,zebedee1 were partners with him in 
the same business4 ,on one occasion they
 had been busy all night throwing out   
and hauling in their nets1 but without  
catching a single fish4 ,early the next 
morning1 ,jesus was walking along the   
shore of the lake1 near where their     
boats were4 ,he knew how tired and      
discouraged they were1 and how much they
 needed help2 and he wished to show them
 what wonderful power he had to help in 
time of need4 ,so he told them to cast  
their net on the other side of the ship4
 ,they did so2 and immediately their    
nets were full2 and they had more fish  
than they could well manage4 ,here we   
are taught that even in the depths of   
the sea nothing can be hid from the     
all-seeing eye of our divine ,saviour4  
,he knows where everything is that his  

people can need2 and he has the power to
 bring it to them4  ,and then1 by his   
miracle of walking on the sea ,jesus    
taught the same lesson4 ,we have an     
account of this miracle in three places4
 ,matt1 xix3 #bb-cc4 ,mark vi3 #de-eb4  
,john vi3 #ad-ba4  ,at the close of a   
busy day1 in which he had been teaching 
the people and feeding them by miracle1 
,jesus told his disciples to go on board
 a vessel and cross over to the other   
side of the lake4 ,then he sent the     
multitude away1 and went up into the    
mountain to pray to his ,father in      
heaven whom he loved so much4 ,it proved
 to be a stormy night4 ,the wind was    
dead ahead2 and the sea was very rough4 
,the disciples were having a hard time  
of it4 ,tired of rowing1 and making     
little progress1 there was no prospect  
of their getting to land before morning4
 ,but1 dark as the night was1 ,jesus saw
 them4 ,it is true as ,david says1      
that--,the darkness and the light are   
both alike to thee4 ,ps4 cxxxix3 #ab4   

,he saw they needed help and he resolved
 to give it to them4 ,but there was no  
boat at hand for him to go in4 ,true3   
but he needed none4 ,he could walk on   
the water as well as on the land4 ,he   
steps from the sandy shore to the       
surface of the storm-tossed sea4 ,he    
walks safely over its troubled waters4  
,the disciples see him4 ,supposing it to
 be a spirit1 they are alarmed1 and cry 
out in their fear4 ,but presently the   
cheering voice of their ,master comes to
 them1 saying3 ,it is ,i4 ,be not       
afraid4 ,he steps on board4 ,the wind   
ceases1 and immediately1 without another
 stroke of the oars1 the mighty power of
 ,jesus brings them in safety to the    
haven where they would be4 ,other       
miracles might be referred to as        
teaching the same lesson4 ,but these are
 sufficient4 ,and ,jesus has the same   
power to help now that he had then4     
,here are some illustrations of the     
strange way in which he sometimes helps 
his people in their times of need4  ,the

 ,dead ,raven4 ,a poor weaver in        
,edinburgh lost his situation one       
winter1 on account of business being so 
dull4 ,he begged earnestly of his       
employer to let him have work2 but he   
said it was impossible4 ,well said he1  
,i'm sure the ,lord will help4 ,when he 
came home and told his wife the sad news
 she was greatly distressed4 ,he tried  
to comfort her with the assurance--,the 
,lord will help4 ,but as he could get no
 work1 their money was soon gone2 and   
the day came at last1 when there was    
neither food nor fuel left in the house4
 ,the last morsel of bread was eaten one
 morning at breakfast4 ,what shall we do
 for dinner8 asked his wife4  ,the ,lord
 will help--was still his reply4 ,and   
see how the help came4 ,soon after      
breakfast1 his wife opened the front    
window1 to dust off the sill4 ,just then
 a rude boy1 who was passing1 threw a   
dead raven in through the window4 ,it   
fell at the feet of the pious weaver4   
,as he threw the bird in1 the boy cried 

out in mockery1 ,there1 old saint1 is   
something for you to eat4 ,the weaver   
took up the dead raven1 saying as he did
 so3--,poor creature6 you must have died
 of hunger6  ,but when he felt its crop 
to see whether it was empty1 he noticed 
something hard in it4 ,and wishing to   
know what had caused its death1 he took 
a knife and cut open its throat4 ,how   
great was his astonishment on doing     
this1 to find a small diamond bracelet  
fall into his hand6 ,his wife gazed at  
it in amazement4 ,didn't ,i tell you1 he
 asked1 in grateful gladness1 that the  
,lord will help8  ,he went to the       
nearest jeweler's1 and telling how he   
had found the precious jewels1 borrowed 
some money on them4 ,on making inquiry  
about it1 it turned out that the        
bracelet belonged to the wife of the    
good weaver's late employer4 ,it had    
suddenly disappeared from her chamber4  
,one of the servants had been charged   
with stealing it1 and had been          
dismissed4 ,on hearing how the bracelet 

had disappeared1 and how strangely it   
had fallen into the hands of his late   
worthy workman1 the gentleman was very  
much touched2 and not only rewarded him 
liberally for returning it--but took him
 back into his employ1 and said he      
should never want work again so long as 
he had any to give4  ,how willing1 and  
how able our glorious ,saviour is to    
help those who trust in him6  ,the      
,sailor ,boy's ,belief4 ,one night there
 was a terrible storm at sea4 ,all at   
once a ship1 which was tossing on the   
waves1 keeled over on her beam ends4    
,she'll never right again6 exclaimed the
 captain4 ,we shall all be lost6  ,not  
at all1 sir6 cried a pious sailor boy   
who was near the captain4 ,what's to    
hinder it8 asked the captain4 ,why you  
see1 sir1 said the boy1 they are praying
 at this very moment in the ,bethel ship
 at ,glasgow for all sailors in danger3 
and ,i feel sure that ,god will hear    
their prayers3 ,now see1 sir1 if he     
don't6  ,these words were hardly out of 

the boy's mouth1 before a great wave    
struck the ship1 and set her right up   
again4 ,and then a shout of praise1     
louder than the howling of the storm1   
went up to ,god from the deck of that   
saved ship4  ,and so1 in the miracles   
that he performed1 one thing that ,jesus
 taught was his power to help4  ,in the 
next place1 among the miracles of       
,christ1 we find some that were         
performed in order to teach us his power
 to--,,comfort4  ,one day1 a great      
multitude of people waited on ,jesus    
from morning till evening1 to listen to 
his preaching4 ,they were so anxious to 
hear that even when hungry they would   
not go away to get food4 ,as the evening
 came on1 the disciples asked their     
master to send the people away to get   
something to eat4 ,but ,jesus told them 
to give the people food4 ,they said they
 had only five loaves and two fishes4   
,jesus told them to make the people sit 
down on the grass4 ,and when they were  
seated he took the loaves and blessed1  

and brake them1 and gave them to the    
disciples1 and they gave them to the    
people4 ,and great as that multitude was
 the supply did not fail4 ,this was     
wonderful6 ,those loaves were very      
small4 ,they were not bigger than a     
good-sized roll4 ,the whole of the five 
loaves and two fishes would not have    
been enough to make a meal for a dozen  
men4 ,and yet they were made sufficient 
to feed more than five thousand hungry  
people4 ,how strange this was6 ,the     
mighty power of ,jesus did it4 ,we are  
not told just where1 in the interesting 
scene1 this wonder-working power was put
 forth4 ,it may have been that as ,jesus
 brake the loaves and gave the pieces to
 the disciples1 the part left in his    
hands grew out at once1 to the same size
 that it was before4 ,or the broken     
pieces may have increased and multiplied
 while the disciples were engaged in    
distributing them4 ,it is most likely   
that the miracle took place in immediate
 connection with ,jesus himself4 ,the   

power that did it was his3 and in his   
hands1 we may suppose that the wonderful
 work was done4 ,as fast as he broke the
 loaves they increased1 till all the    
people were fed4 ,this was indeed not   
one miracle1 but a multitude of         
miracles1 all performed at once4 ,the   
hungry multitude ate till all were      
satisfied3 and yet the fragments left   
filled twelve baskets4 ,five thousand   
men were fed1 and then there was twelve 
times as much food left as there was    
before they began to eat4 ,all this was 
done to satisfy that hungry crowd1 and  
to teach them1 and us1 what power this  
glorious ,saviour has to comfort those  
who are in need or trouble4  ,and when  
he healed the daughter of the           
,syrophoenician woman1 as we read in    
,st4 ,matt1 xii3 #ba-bh2 when he healed 
the lunatic child1 as we read in ,st4   
,matt1 xvii3 #ad-ba2 and when he raised 
,lazarus from the dead1 after he had    
lain four days in the grave1 as we read 
in ,st4 ,john xi3 #a-ed1 he was working 

miracles to show his power to comfort   
those in trouble4  ,and we see him using
 his power still to comfort persons who 
are in distress4 ,here are some         
illustrations of the way in which he    
does this3  ,shining in ,every ,window4 
,a ,christian lady1 who spent much time 
in visiting among the poor1 went one day
 to see a poor young girl1 who was kept 
at home by a broken limb4 ,her room was 
on the north side of the house4 ,it did 
not look pleasant without or cheerful   
within4 ,poor girl6 she said to herself1
 what a dreary time she must have6 ,on  
entering her room she said3  ,i am      
sorry1 my friend1 that your room is not 
on the other side of the house1 where   
the sun could shine upon you4 ,you never
 can have any sunshine here4  ,oh1 you  
are mistaken1 she said3 the sunshine    
pours in at every window1 and through   
every crack4  ,the lady looked          
surprised4  ,i mean ,jesus1 'the ,sun of
 righteousness1' shines in here1 and    
makes everything bright to me4  ,here we

 see ,jesus showing his power to        
comfort4  ,ice in ,summer4 ,some years  
ago a ,christian merchant1 in one of our
 eastern cities1 failed in business1 and
 lost everything he had4 ,after talking 
over their affairs with his wife1 who   
was a good ,christian woman1 they       
concluded to move out to the west and   
begin life again there4 ,he bought some 
land on the wide rolling prairie1 built 
a log cabin1 and began to cultivate his 
farm4 ,in the midst of the second       
summer1 hard work and exposure to the   
sun brought on an attack of sickness1   
and a raging fever set in4 ,they were   
twelve miles away from the nearest town4
 ,one of the neighbors went there and   
came back with a doctor4 ,he examined   
the case very carefully1 and left some  
medicine with them1 and told them what  
to do4 ,he said it was a very dangerous 
attack4 ,if they could only get some ice
 to apply to the burning brow of the    
sick man1 he thought he might get over  
it2 but1 without that1 there was very   

little prospect of his recovery4  ,as   
soon as the doctor was gone1 the        
sorrowful wife gathered her family and  
friends round the bedside of her sick   
husband1 and kneeled down with them in  
prayer4 ,she told ,god what the doctor  
had said1 and prayed very earnestly that
 he who has the power to do everything1 
would send them some ice4  ,when the    
prayer was over1 some of the neighbors  
whispered to each other that the poor   
distressed woman must be losing her     
mind4 ,the idea of getting ice here1    
they said1 when everybody knows there   
isn't a bit of ice in all the country6  
,it would be contrary to all the laws of
 nature to have ice in summer4  ,the    
wife of the sick man heard their        
remarks1 but they did not shake her     
faith in ,god1 and in the power of      
prayer4 ,silently1 but earnestly1 her   
heart breathed forth the cry for ice4   
,as the day wore on1 heavy clouds began 
to gather in the western sky4 ,they     
rolled in darkness over the heavens4    

,the distant thunder was heard to       
mutter4 ,nearer and louder it was heard4
 ,the lightning began to flash4         
,presently the storm burst in its fury4 
,it came first in rain1 and then in     
hail4 ,the hail-stones came in lumps of 
ice as big as eggs4 ,they lay thick in  
the furrows of the field4 ,the thankful 
wife went out1 and soon came in         
rejoicing with a bucket full of ice4 ,it
 was applied in bags to her husband's   
head4 ,the fever broke1 and he was      
restored to life and health4  ,this     
grateful woman never troubled herself   
with any questions about whether it was 
a miracle or not4 ,she only knew that   
she had prayed for ice in summer1 and   
that the ice had come4 ,and her faith   
was stronger than ever that the gracious
 ,saviour1 who did so many miracles when
 he was on earth1 has just the same     
power now to comfort his people when    
they are in trouble4  ,in the third     
place1 we see ,jesus performing miracles
 to teach us what power he has          

to--,,encourage--his people4  ,we have  
an account in ,st4 ,luke xiii3 #aj-ag1  
of the miracle he performed on the woman
 who had a spirit of infirmity4 ,this   
means that she was a cripple4 ,her body 
was bound down1 so that she had no power
 to straighten herself or to stand      
upright4 ,she had been in this condition
 we are told for eighteen years4 ,how   
hard to bear--and how discouraging this 
trial must have been to her6 ,no doctor 
could give her any relief1 and she had  
made up her mind1 no doubt1 that there  
was no relief for her till death came4  
,but when ,jesus saw her1 he pitied her4
 ,a miracle of healing was performed    
upon her4 ,he laid his loving hand upon 
her bent and crippled body1 and in a    
moment her disease was removed4 ,she    
stood straight up1 and glorified ,god4  
,what encouragement that must have given
 to her6  ,one day1 when ,jesus was at  
,capernaum1 the tax-gatherers came to   
,peter to get the tribute1 or tax-money1
 that was due to the ,roman government1 

for himself and his master4 ,but1 it    
happened so that neither of them had    
money enough with which to pay that tax4
 ,peter went into the presence of ,jesus
 to speak to him about this matter4 ,but
 ,jesus knowing what was in his mind1   
before ,peter had time to say anything  
on the subject1 told him what to do4 ,he
 directed him to take his fishing-line  
and go to the lake1 and cast in his     
line1 and catch the first fish that     
should bite2 and said that in its mouth 
he would find a piece of money with     
which he might pay the tribute that was 
due for them both4  ,peter went4 ,he    
threw in his line4 ,he soon caught a    
fish4 ,he looked into the fish's mouth  
and lo6 there was a piece of money      
called a stater4 ,it was worth about    
sixty cents of our money1 and was just  
enough to pay the tribute for two       
persons4 ,how wonderful this was6 ,if   
,jesus made this piece of money in the  
mouth of the fish1 at the time when     
,peter caught it1 how wonderful his     

power must be6 ,and if1 without making  
it then1 he knew that that one fish1 the
 only one in the sea1 probably1 that had
 such a piece of money in its mouth1    
would be the first to bite at ,peter's  
line1 then how wonderful his knowledge  
must be6  ,peter would not be likely to 
forget that day's fishing as long as he 
lived4 ,and when he thought of the      
illustration it afforded of the         
wonderful power and the wonderful       
knowledge of the master whom he was     
serving1 what encouragement that would  
give him in his work6  ,and ,jesus is   
constantly doing things to encourage    
those who are trying to serve him4  ,let
 us look at some of the ways in which   
this is done4 ,our first illustration is
 from the life of ,washington ,allston1 
the great ,american painter4 ,we may    
call it3  ,praying for ,bread4 ,many    
years ago ,mr4 ,allston was considered  
one of the greatest artists in this     
country4 ,at the time to which our story
 refers1 he was living in ,london4 ,then

 he was so poor that he and his wife had
 not a morsel of bread to eat2 nor a    
penny left with which to buy any4 ,in   
great discouragement he went into his   
studio1 locked the door1 and throwing   
himself on his knees1 he told the ,lord 
his trouble1 and prayed earnestly for   
relief4  ,while he was still upon his   
knees1 a knock was heard at the door4   
,he arose and opened the door4 ,a       
stranger stood there4  ,i wish to see   
,mr4 ,allston1 said he4  ,i am ,mr4     
,allston1 replied ,mr4 ,a4  ,pray tell  
me1 sir1 who has purchased your fine    
painting of the ',angel ,uriel1' which  
won the prize at the exhibition of the  
,royal ,academy8  ,that painting has not
 been sold1 said ,mr4 ,a4  ,where is it 
to be found8  ,in this very room1 said  
the artist1 bringing a painting from the
 corner1 and wiping off the dust4  ,what
 is the price of it8 asked the          
gentleman4  ,i have done fixing a price 
on it1 said ,mr4 ,a41 for ,i have always
 asked more than people were willing to 

give4  ,will four hundred pounds be     
enough for it8 was the next question4   
,that is more than ,i ever asked4  ,then
 the painting is mine1 said the         
stranger1 who introduced himself as the 
,marquis of ,stafford2 and from that day
 he became one of ,mr4 ,allston's       
warmest friends4  ,what a lesson of     
encouragement the great painter learned 
that day1 when he asked for bread1 and  
while he was asking1 received help that 
followed him all his days6  ,the ,hushed
 ,tempest4 ,a minister of the gospel in 
,canada gives this account of a lesson  
of encouragement to trust ,god in       
trouble1 which he once received4  ,it   
was in the year #ahec1 about the middle 
of the winter that we had a succession  
of snowstorms1 followed by high winds1  
and severe cold4 ,i was getting ready to
 haul my supply of wood for the rest of 
the winter4 ,i had engaged a man to go  
out the day before and cut the wood and 
have it ready to haul4 ,i borrowed a    
sled and two horses from a neighbor and 

started early in the morning to haul the
 wood4 ,just as ,i reached the place1 it
 began to snow hard4 ,the wind blew such
 a gale that it was impossible to go on 
with the work4 ,what was ,i to do8 ,if  
it kept on snowing1 ,i knew the roads   
would be impassable by the next day4    
,besides1 that was the only day on which
 ,i could get the help of the man or the
 team4 ,unless ,i secured the wood that 
day it would not be in my power to get  
the fuel we needed for the rest of the  
winter4 ,i thought of that sweet        
promise1 ',call on me1 in the day of    
trouble1 and ,i will deliver thee1' ,ps4
 i3 #ae4  ,i kneeled down amid the      
drifting snow1 and said1 ',o1 my ,god1  
this is a day of trouble to me4 ,lord   
help me4 ,the elements are subject to   
thy will3 ,thou holdest the winds in thy
 hands4 ,if thou wilt speak the word1   
there will be a great calm4 ,o ,lord1   
for the sake of my helpless little ones1
 let this snow lie still1 and give me   
the opportunity of doing what ,i came to

 do1 and what it is so necessary to do  
to-day1 for ,jesus' sake4 ,amen6'  ,i do
 not think it was more than fifteen     
minutes from the time ,i began to pray1 
before there was a visible change4 ,the 
wind became more moderate2 the sky was  
calm2 in less than half an hour all was 
still2 and a more pleasant time for     
wood-hauling than we had that day ,i    
never saw1 nor desire to see4 ,while ,i 
live1 ,i never shall forget the lesson  
of encouragement to trust in ,god that  
was taught me on that day4 ,and this was
 one of the lessons ,jesus taught us by 
his miracles4  ,in the fourth place1    
among the miracles of ,jesus we see some
 that were intended to teach us his     
power to--,,protect--his people4  ,and  
there is no lesson that we more need to 
be taught than this2 because we are     
exposed to many dangers1 from which we  
are too weak to protect ourselves4  ,one
 day1 ,jesus went into the house of the 
apostle ,peter1 and found the family in 
great distress1 because the mother of   

,peter's wife was very ill and in danger
 of dying4 ,we judge from the history   
that she was the head of the family4    
,her death would have been a great loss 
to them all1 and yet it seemed as if no 
human power could protect them from that
 loss4 ,but ,jesus performed a miracle  
to save them from this threatened       
danger4 ,he went into the room where she
 lay4 ,he put his healing hands upon    
her1 and at once she was well4          
,immediately she rose up from that sick 
bed1 and took her place in the family   
and waited on ,jesus4  ,on another      
occasion he was crossing the sea of     
,galilee with his disciples4 ,weary with
 the work of love in which he had been  
engaged1 he laid down in the hinder part
 of the ship and fell asleep4 ,while he 
was lying there a sudden storm burst    
upon the sea4 ,the wind howled in its   
fury4 ,the angry waves rose in their    
might and dashed against the vessel in  
hissing foam4 ,the ship was full of     
water1 and in danger of sinking4 ,the   

terrified disciples came to their       
sleeping ,master with the earnest       
cry3--,lord save us3 we perish4 ,he     
heard their cry4 ,he rose at once4      
,quietly he took his stand by the side  
of the storm-tossed vessel4 ,he rebuked 
the winds1 and said unto the sea3--     
,peace3 be still4 ,they recognized their
 ,master's voice and obeyed4 ,the wind  
ceased1 and immediately there was a     
great calm4  ,as long as those disciples
 lived they never would forget the      
lesson he taught them by that miracle of
 his power to protect in danger4  ,and  
then many of the miracles of our        
,saviour were performed for the purpose 
of showing what power he had to protect 
his people from ,satan1 and the evil    
spirits that serve him4 ,it pleased ,god
 to allow these evil spirits to have    
more power over men during the time when
 ,jesus was on earth than they had      
before1 or than they have now4 ,we often
 read in the gospels of men who were    
possessed of devils4 ,this means that   

the evil spirits entered into the bodies
 of these men1 and used them as their   
own2 just as you1 or ,i1 might go into  
an empty house1 and use it as if it     
belonged to us4 ,but ,jesus performed a 
number of miracles to show that he was  
able to control those spirits2 to cast  
them out of the bodies of men and to    
protect his people from their power4 ,we
 have an account of one of these        
miracles in ,st4 ,matt1 viii3 #bh1 #cd2 
of another in ,st4 ,mark v3 #a-bj2 and  
of another in ,st4 ,luke viii3 #bf-ci4  
,the ,bible speaks of ,satan going      
about1 like a roaring lion1 seeking whom
 he may devour4 ,i4 ,peter v3 #h4 ,but  
he is a chained lion3 and ,jesus holds  
the chain4 ,if we are trying to love and
 serve ,jesus1 we need not be afraid of 
this roaring lion4 ,he cannot touch us  
till our ,saviour gives him permission2 
and he will not let him hurt us4 ,we see
 this illustrated in ,job's case4 ,satan
 wanted very much to injure ,job in some
 way4 ,but he could not do it4 ,and the 

reason of it was1 as he said himself1   
that ,god had put an hedge about him1   
and about his house1 and about all that 
he had on every side4 ,job i3 #aj4 ,this
 hedge1 or fence1 means the power which 
,jesus exercises to protect his people  
from the harm that ,satan desires to do 
to them4 ,in this way he protected ,job4
 ,and in this way he protects all who   
love and serve him4  ,let us take an    
illustration or two to show how he is   
doing this continually4  ,providential  
,deliverance4 ,one of the best men1 and 
one of the most useful ministers in     
,london1 during the last century1 was   
the ,rev4 ,john ,newton4 ,before        
entering the ministry he held an office 
under the government4 ,one of the duties
 of this office was for him to visit and
 inspect the vessels of the navy as they
 lay at anchor in the river ,thames4    
,one day he was going out to visit a    
man-of-war that lay there4 ,he was a    
very punctual man4 ,when he had an      
engagement he was always ready at the   

very moment4 ,but when he reached the   
dock on this occasion the boat which was
 to take him off to the man-of-war was  
not there4 ,he was obliged to wait five1
 ten1 fifteen minutes before the boat   
came4 ,this displeased him very much4   
,but the hand of ,god was in this delay4
 ,for1 just as the boat was leaving the 
dock1 a spark fell into the powder      
magazine on board the man-of-war4 ,an   
explosion took place4 ,the huge vessel  
was blown to pieces1 and all the men on 
board of her were killed4 ,that delay of
 a quarter of an hour saved ,mr4        
,newton's life4 ,in this way that       
gracious ,saviour whom he served        
protected him from the danger to which  
he was exposed4  ,willie's ,heroism4    
,one summer afternoon a teacher told her
 geography class that they might close  
their books and rest a little1 while she
 told them a story4 ,the story was about
 ,william ,tell1 the famous hero of     
,switzerland4 ,she told the scholars how
 a wicked governor placed an apple on   

the head of ,tell's little boy and then 
compelled the father to take his bow and
 arrow and shoot the apple from the head
 of his son4 ,he was very unwilling to  
do it1 for he was afraid the arrow might
 miss and kill his child4 ,but the brave
 boy stood firm1 and cried out--,shoot1 
father6 ,i am not afraid4 ,he took a    
steady aim2 fired1 and knocked the apple
 off without hurting his son4  ,just as 
the teacher was telling this story a    
sudden storm burst from the sky4 ,there 
was a flash of lightning1 and a loud    
crash of thunder4 ,some of the children 
screamed1 and began to cry and ran to   
the teacher for protection4 ,but a      
little boy named ,willie ,hawthorne1    
kept his seat and went on quietly       
studying his lesson4  ,when the storm   
was over the teacher said3  ,willie why 
were you not afraid like the other      
children8  ,because1 said he1 ,i knew   
the lightning was only an arrow in my   
,heavenly ,father's hand1 and why should
 ,i be afraid8  ,how well ,willie had   

learned the lesson which ,jesus taught  
his disciples when he performed so many 
miracles to show what power he has to   
protect his people from danger6  ,here  
is just one other story to illustrate   
this truth4 ,we may call it3  ,the      
,widow's ,tree1 ,some years ago a       
violent storm1 with wind and thunder1   
swept through the valley of ,yellow     
,creek1 in ,indiana ,county1 ,georgia4  
,for more than a mile in width trees    
were uprooted1 houses1 barns1 and fences
 were thrown down1 and ruin and         
desolation was spread all over the land4
  ,in the centre of the region over     
which this hurricane swept stood a small
 cabin4 ,it was occupied by an aged     
,christian widow1 with her only son4    
,the terrible wind struck a large tree  
in front of her humble dwelling1        
twisting and dashing it about4 ,if the  
tree should fall it would crush her     
home1 and probably kill herself and son4
 ,the storm howled and raged1 and the   
big trees were falling on every hand4   

,in the midst of all the danger the     
widow knelt in prayer1 and asked ,god to
 spare that tree1 and protect her home1 
and save her own life1 and that of her  
son4 ,her prayer was heard4 ,and when   
the storm was over1 the widow's tree was
 spared1 and strange as it may seem1 was
 the only one left amidst that scene of 
desolation4 ,there it stood1 as if on   
purpose to show what power our loving   
,saviour has to protect from danger     
those who trust in him6  ,but1 in the   
last place1 we see that ,jesus performed
 some of his miracles for the purpose of
 teaching us that he has power          
to--,,pardon4  ,a man was brought him1  
one day1 who was sick of the palsy4 ,his
 limbs were helpless4 ,he was not able  
to come to ,jesus himself1 so his       
friends carried him on a bed4 ,at this  
time ,jesus was preaching in the yard1  
or court1 connected with some rich man's
 house4 ,in those eastern countries the 
houses were not built as ours are1 with 
a yard back of them4 ,there is a square 

yard in the centre1 and the house is    
built round the four sides of this      
square4 ,this open space is generally   
used as a garden4 ,it has a fountain    
playing in it1 and a covering of cloth  
or mats spread over it to keep off the  
sun4 ,it was in one of these open courts
 that ,jesus was preaching on this      
occasion4 ,a great crowd had gathered   
round him1 so that the friends of the   
palsied man could not get near him with 
the bed on which the sufferer lay4 ,then
 they concluded to carry him up to the  
top of the house1 and lower him down    
inside4 ,this would not be easy to do   
with us4 ,but the eastern houses are not
 so high as ours4 ,and then they have   
flat roofs1 and a flight of steps       
leading from the ground1 on the outside1
 to the top of the house4 ,this made it 
very easy to get up4 ,when they were on 
the roof they removed the covering from 
the inner court1 and let down the bed1  
with the sick man on it1 directly in    
front of our ,saviour4 ,when he saw him 

he pitied him1 and said1 ,son1 be of    
good cheer2 thy sins be forgiven thee4  
,the people were surprised at this4 ,the
 ,pharisees said among themselves ,this 
man blasphemeth4 ,jesus knew their      
thoughts and told them it was as easy   
for him to heal the souls of men1 as it 
was to heal their bodies4 ,and then1 to 
show them that he had power on earth to 
forgive sins1 he said to the sick       
man--,arise1 take up thy bed1 and go    
unto thine house4 ,and he arose1 and    
went to his house1 ,matt1 ix3 #a-h4     
,certainly the object ,jesus had in     
view1 in performing this miracle1 was to
 prove that he had power to forgive     
sins2 or to pardon4  ,and when he healed
 the leper it was to teach us the same  
great truth4 ,this disease was not only 
like all other diseases1 the result of  
sin2 but1 unlike most other diseases1 it
 was a type1 or figure of sin4 ,it      
affected the body as sin affects the    
soul4 ,and then1 leprosy was a disease  
which none but ,god could cure2 just as 

sin is an offence which none but ,god   
our ,saviour can pardon4 ,and so ,jesus 
performed the miracle of healing the    
palsied man and the lepers in order to  
teach his disciples the great lesson    
that he had power on earth to forgive   
sins4  ,and he has the same power still4
 ,here are some illustrations of the way
 in which he exercises this power now4  
,no ,pardon but ,from ,jesus1 ,there was
 a heathen man in ,india once1 who felt 
that he was a sinner1 and longed to     
obtain pardon4 ,the priests had sent him
 to their most famous temples1 all over 
the country1 but he could get no pardon1
 and find no peace4 ,he had fasted till 
he was about worn to a skeleton1 and had
 done many painful things--but pardon   
and peace he could not find4 ,at last he
 was told to put pebbles in his shoes   
and travel to a distant temple1 and make
 an offering there2 and he would find   
peace4 ,he went4 ,he made the offering2 
but still he found no relief from the   
burden of his sins4  ,sad1 and          

sorrowful1 he was returning home with   
the pebbles still in his shoes4 ,wearied
 with his journey1 he halted one day in 
the shade of a grove1 by the wayside1   
where a company of people was gathered  
round a stranger who was addressing     
them4 ,it was a ,christian missionary   
preaching the gospel4 ,the heathen      
listened with great interest4 ,the      
missionary was preaching from the       
words3--,the blood of ,jesus ,christ    
cleanseth from all sin4 ,he showed what 
power ,jesus had to forgive sins and how
 able and willing he is to save all who 
come unto him4 ,the heart of the poor   
heathen was drawn to this loving and    
glorious ,saviour4 ,he took off his     
shoes and threw away the pebbles1 saying
 ,this is the ,saviour ,i have long     
sought in vain4 ,thank ,god6 ,i have    
found salvation6  ,here is one more     
illustration of the way in which ,jesus 
pardons our sins1 and of the effect     
which that pardon has on those who      
receive it4 ,we may call it3  ,pardon   

and ,peace4 ,an officer who held a high 
position under the government of his    
country1 and was a favorite with the    
king1 was once brought before the judge 
and charged with a great crime4 ,he took
 his place at the bar with the greatest 
coolness1 and looked at the judge and   
jury and the great crowd of spectators  
as calmly as if he were at home1        
surrounded by his own family4  ,the     
trial began4 ,the witnesses were called 
up1 and gave clear evidence that he was 
guilty4 ,still he remained as calm and  
unmoved as ever4 ,there was not the     
least sign of fear visible on his       
countenance2 on the contrary1 his face  
wore a pleasant smile4  ,at last the    
jury came in1 and while the crowd in the
 court-room held their breath1 declared 
that the prisoner was guilty4 ,in an    
instant every eye was turned upon the   
prisoner to see what effect this        
sentence would have upon him4 ,but just 
then1 he put his hand in his bosom1 drew
 out a paper1 and laid it on the table4 

,it was a pardon1 a full1 free pardon of
 all his offences1 given him by the     
king1 and sealed with the royal signet4 
,this was the secret of his peace4 ,this
 was what gave him such calmness and    
confidence in his dreadful position as a
 condemned prisoner4  ,and so ,jesus    
gives his people pardon in such promises
 as these3 ,though your sins be as      
scarlet1 they shall be white as snow3   
though they be red like crimson1 they   
shall be as wool1 ,is4 i3 #af4 ,let them
 return unto the ,lord1 for he will     
abundantly pardon4 ,is4 lv3 #g4 ,all    
that believe are justified from all     
things4 ,acts xiii3 #ci4 ,these promises
 are like the king's pardon which the   
officer had received4 ,faith in these   
promises brings pardon1 and the pardon  
brings peace4 ,and so1 by what he is    
doing now1 as well as by the miracles he
 performed when on earth1 we are taught 
the precious truth1 that--,the ,son of  
man hath power to forgive sins4  ,then  
when we think of the wonderful miracles 

that ,jesus did1 let us always remember 
the illustrations they afford of the    
power he had to help--to comfort--to    
encourage--to protect--and to pardon4   
,let us seek to secure all these        
blessings to ourselves1 and then we     
shall find that what ,jesus taught by   
his miracles will be very profitable    
teaching to us6       ,,christ          
,,teaching ,,liberality      ,if we     
should attempt to mention all the       
parables which ,jesus spoke1 and the    
miracles which he performed1 and the    
many other lessons which he taught1 it  
would make a long list4 ,as we have done
 before we can only take one or two     
specimens of these general lessons which
 ,jesus taught4  ,we have one of these  
in the title to our present chapter1    
which is--,christ ,teaching ,liberality4
 ,this was a very important lesson for  
,jesus to teach4 ,one of the sad effects
 of sin upon our nature is to make it   
selfish1 and covetous4 ,we are tempted  
to love money more than we ought to do4 

,we are not so willing to part with it  
as we should be4 ,and we never can be   
good and true ,christians unless we     
overcome the selfishness of our sinful  
hearts1 and not only learn to give1 but 
to give liberally4 ,the ,bible teaches  
us that ,god not only expects his people
 to give1 but1 as ,st4 ,paul says1 in   
one place1 to give cheerfully4 ,,ii4    
,cor4 ix3 #g4  ,and this is the lesson  
,jesus taught when he said to his       
disciples1--,give1 and it shall be given
 unto you2 good measure1 pressed down1  
and shaken together1 and running over1  
shall men give into your bosoms4 ,st4   
,luke vi3 #ch4  ,and when we come to    
consider these words of ,jesus1 there   
are three things to engage our          
attention4 ,the first of these is       
the--,,lesson ,,of ,,liberality--here   
set before us4  ,the second is--,,the   
,,proof--that this lesson is taught all 
through the ,bible4  ,and the third     
is--,,the ,,illustrations--of this      
lesson4  ,and then1 when put into its   

shortest form1 our present subject may  
be thus expressed--the lesson of        
liberality2 its proofs2 and its         
illustrations4  ,and the lesson which   
,jesus here taught is all wrapped up in 
this little word--,give4 ,here we learn 
what the will of ,jesus is on this      
subject4 ,this is not simply the        
expression of his opinion4 ,it is not   
merely his advice2 no1 but it is his    
command4 ,he is speaking here as our    
,master--our ,king--our ,god4 ,he       
commands us to--give4 ,and when we      
remember how he said to his disciples1  
,if ye love me1 keep my commandments1 we
 see plainly1 that we have no right to  
consider ourselves as his disciples if  
we are neglecting this or any other of  
his plain commands4  ,and this command  
about giving is not intended for any one
 class of persons among the followers of
 ,christ1 but for all of them4 ,it is   
not a command designed for kings1 or    
princes1 or rich men only1 but for the  
poor as well4 ,it is not a command for  

grown persons alone1 but for children   
also4 ,as soon as we begin to get1 ,god 
expects us to begin to give4  ,jesus    
says nothing here about how much he     
expects us to give4 ,but1 from other    
places in the ,bible1 we learn that he  
expects us to give at least one-tenth of
 all that we have4 ,if we have a        
thousand dollars he expects us to give  
one hundred out of the thousand4 ,if we 
have a hundred he expects us to give    
ten4 ,if we have ten dollars we must    
give one of them to ,god4 ,if we have   
only one dollar we must give ten cents  
of it to ,him4 ,if we have but ten cents
 we must give one of them4 ,if we have  
no money to give1 ,god expects us to    
give kind words1 and kind actions1 our  
sympathy and love4  ,jesus does not tell
 us here how often we are to give1 but  
simply--give4 ,this means that we are to
 learn the lesson and form the habit of 
giving4 ,his command is--give4 ,and in  
giving us this command he is only asking
 us to imitate his own example4 ,he is  

giving all the time4 ,the apostle ,paul 
tells us that ,jesus is exalted to the  
right hand of the ,father to--give4 ,he 
never tires of giving4 ,he giveth to all
 life1 breath1 and all things4 ,and if  
we have not the ,spirit of ,christ in   
this respect1 we are none of his4       
,this1 then1 is the lesson of liberality
 that ,jesus taught when he said--give4 
,and that giving is ,god's rule for     
getting is what we are taught by our    
,saviour1 when he said--,give1 and it   
shall be given unto you4  ,and now1     
having seen what this lesson of         
liberality is1 which ,jesus taught1 let 
us look at some of the ,scripture proofs
 of it4 ,the same lesson is taught in   
other places in the ,bible4 ,let us see 
what is said about it in some of these  
places4  ,in ,ps4 xli3 #a ,david        
says--,blessed is he that considereth   
the poor3 the ,lord will deliver him in 
time of trouble4 ,considering the poor  
here1 means being kind to them1 and     
giving them such things as they need4   

,and the blessing promised to those who 
do this means that ,god will reward them
 by giving to them good things in great 
abundance4 ,and1 if this is so1 then we 
have proof here that giving is ,god's   
rule for getting4  ,we have another     
proof that giving is ,god's rule for    
getting1 in ,prov4 iii3 #i1 #aj4 ,here  
,solomon says--,honor the ,lord with thy
 substance1 and with the first-fruits of
 all thine increase3 ,so shall thy barns
 be filled with plenty1 and thy presses 
shall burst out with new wine4  ,when   
the ,jewish farmers gathered in their   
harvests they were required to make an  
offering to ,god1 of what had been      
gathered1 before they used any part of  
it for themselves2 and the offerings    
thus made were called the first-fruits4 
,god considered himself honored by his  
people when they did this1 because they 
were keeping his commandments and doing 
what he wished them to do4 ,and the     
meaning of this command1 when we apply  
it to ourselves1 is that we should give 

something to the cause of ,god from all 
the money1 or property we have1 and from
 all the gain1 or increase that we make 
to the same4 ,this is the ,bible        
rule--the will or command of ,god for   
all his people4 ,and then1 in the other 
part of this passage we have the promise
 of ,god to all who do this4 ,so shall  
thy barns be filled with plenty1 and thy
 presses shall burst out with new wine4 
,this means that they shall be rich and 
prosperous4 ,and so we see that this    
passage from the book of ,proverbs1     
teaches the same lesson of liberality   
that our ,saviour taught when he        
said--,give and it shall be given unto  
you4 ,it proves that giving is ,god's   
rule for getting4  ,and ,solomon teaches
 the same1 again1 when he says1 ,the    
liberal soul shall be made fat2 and he  
that watereth shall be watered also     
himself4 ,prov4 xi3 #be4  ,a liberal    
soul means a person who is in the habit 
of giving2 and to be made fat means to  
be prospered and happy4 ,if you         

undertake to water a garden1 you are    
giving to the thirsty plants that which 
they need to make them grow and thrive2 
and when it is promised that the person 
who does this shall be watered also     
himself1 the meaning is that he shall   
have given to him all that is most      
important to supply his wants1 and make 
him happy4 ,and this1 we see1 is only   
teaching what our ,saviour taught when  
he said1 ,give1 and it shall be given   
unto you4 ,it furnishes us with another 
proof that giving is ,god's rule for    
getting4  ,in the nineteenth chapter of 
,proverbs and seventeenth verse we have 
a very clear proof of the lesson we are 
now considering4 ,here we find it said3 
,he that hath pity upon the poor1       
lendeth unto the ,lord2 and that which  
he hath given will he pay him again4    
,having pity on the poor1 as here spoken
 of1 means giving them such things as   
they need4 ,whatever we use in this way 
,god looks upon as so much money lent   
unto him2 and we have his solemn promise

 that when we lend anything to him1 in  
this way1 ,he will pay us again4 ,and   
when he pays again what has been lent to
 him1 it is always with interest4 ,he   
pays back four1 or five1 or ten times as
 much as was lent3 to him4 ,this proves 
that giving is ,god's rule for getting4 
,one other passage is all that need be  
referred to in order to prove that the  
lesson of liberality which our ,saviour 
taught is the same lesson which the     
,bible teaches everywhere4 ,in ,eccles4 
xi3 #a1 ,god says1 ,cast thy bread upon 
the waters2 for thou shalt find it after
 many days4  ,if we should see a man    
standing on the end of a wharf and      
throwing bread upon the waters1 we      
should think that he was a foolish man1 
who was wasting his bread1 or only      
feeding the fishes with it4 ,but suppose
 that you and ,i were travelling through
 ,egypt--the land of the celebrated     
pyramids and other great wonders4 ,the  
famous river ,nile is there4 ,during our
 visit the inundation of that river     

takes place4 ,it overflows its banks1   
and spreads its water over all the level
 plains that border on the river4 ,this 
takes place every year4 ,and when the   
fields are all overflowed with water1   
the farmers go out in boats1 and scatter
 their grain over the surface of the    
water4 ,the grain sinks to the bottom4  
,the sediment in the water settles down 
on the grain1 and covers it with mud4   
,by and by the waters flow back into the
 river4 ,the fields become dry4 ,the    
grain springs up and grows4 ,the mud    
that covered it is like rich manure1 and
 makes it grow very plentifully1 and    
yield a rich harvest4 ,and here we see  
the meaning of this passage4 ,god makes 
use of this ,egyptian custom to teach us
 the lesson of liberality that we are   
now considering4 ,he tells us that the  
money which we give to the poor1 or use 
to do good with1 is like the grain which
 the ,egyptian farmer casts upon the    
water1 and which will surely yield a    
rich harvest by and by4  ,this teaches  

us the lesson of liberality4 ,and when  
we think of all these passages1 we see  
very clearly that the ,bible teaches the
 same lesson which ,jesus taught when he
 said to his disciples1 ,give1 and it   
shall be given unto you4 ,and what we   
learn1 both from the teaching of        
,christ1 and from the different passages
 referred to1 is--that giving is ,god's 
rule for getting4  ,and now1 having seen
 some of the ,bible1 proofs for this    
lesson of liberality1 or for this rule  
about giving and getting1 let us go on  
to speak of some of the illustrations of
 this rule4 ,these are very numerous4   
,and we may draw our illustrations from 
three sources1 viz43--from the ,bible2  
from nature2 and from everyday life4    
,there are two illustrations of which we
 may speak from the ,bible4 ,we find one
 of these in the history of the prophet 
,elijah4 ,you remember that there was a 
great famine in the land of ,israel     
during the lifetime of this prophet4    
,for more than three years there was not

 a drop of rain all through the land4   
,the fields1 the vineyards1 and gardens 
dried up1 and withered1 and yielded no  
fruit4 ,during the first part of the    
time when this famine was prevailing1   
,god sent ,elijah to the brook ,cherith1
 that is before ,jordan1 ,i4 ,kings     
xvii3 #g-ag4 ,there the ravens brought  
him food1 and he drank of the water of  
the brook4  ,but after awhile the brook 
dried up4 ,then ,god told him to go to  
the city of ,zarephath1 or ,sarepta1 on 
the coast of the ,mediterranean ,sea1   
and that he had commanded a widow woman 
there to sustain him4 ,he did not tell  
him the name of the woman2 nor the      
street she lived in2 nor the number of  
her house4 ,elijah went4 ,when he came  
near the place he met a woman1 picking  
up some sticks of wood4 ,i suppose ,god 
told him that this was the woman he was 
to stay with4 ,elijah spoke to her1 and 
asked her if she would please give him a
 drink of water4 ,when she was going to 
get it1 he called to her again1 and said

 he was hungry1 and asked her to bring  
him a piece of bread4 ,then she told him
 that there was not a morsel of bread in
 her house4 ,all she had in the world   
was a handful of meal in a barrel1 and a
 little oil in a cruse1 and that she was
 gathering a few sticks1 that she might 
go and bake the last cake for herself   
and her son1 that they might eat it and 
die4 ,and ,elijah said1 ,fear not2 go1  
and do as thou hast said2 but make me   
thereof a little cake first1 and bring  
it unto me1 and after make for thee1 and
 for thy son4 ,for thus saith the ,lord 
,god of ,israel1 ,the barrel of meal    
shall not waste1 neither shall the cruse
 of oil fail1 until the day that the    
,lord sendeth rain upon the earth4      
,this was a hard thing to ask a mother  
to do4 ,it was asking her to take the   
last morsel of bread she had1 and that  
she needed for herself and for her      
hungry boy1 and give it to a stranger4  
,yet she did it2 because she believed   
,god4 ,i seem to see her turning the    

meal barrel up1 to get the meal all out4
 ,then she pours out the oil from the   
cruse1 and drains out the last drop4    
,she mixes the meal and the olive oil   
together1 as is the custom in that      
country still1 and makes a cake which   
can soon be baked4 ,she takes it to the 
man of ,god1 who eats it thankfully1 and
 is refreshed4 ,then she returns to the 
empty barrel and cruse1 and finds as    
much in them as she had lately taken    
out4 ,she prepares some bread for       
herself and her son1 and they eat it    
thankfully as bread sent from heaven4   
,the next day it is the same1 and the   
day after1 and so on through all the    
days of the famine4 ,we are not told how
 long it was after ,elijah went to the  
widow's house before the days of the    
famine were over4 ,but suppose we make a
 calculation about it4 ,the famine      
lasted for three years4 ,now let us     
suppose1 that the first half of this    
time was spent by the prophet at the    
brook ,cherith4 ,then his stay at the   

widow's house must have been at least   
eighteen months4 ,and1 if this miracle  
of increasing the meal and the oil was  
repeated only once a day1 there would be
 for the first twelve months1 or for the
 year1 three hundred and sixty-five     
miracles2 and for the six months1 or the
 half year1 one hundred and eighty-two  
more2 and adding these together we have 
the surprising number of five hundred   
and forty-seven miracles1 that were     
performed to reward this good widow for 
the kindness she showed to the prophet  
,elijah1 when she gave him a piece of   
bread1 and a drink of water6 ,what an   
illustration we have here of the truth  
we are considering1 that giving is      
,god's rule for getting4  ,but the best 
illustration of this subject to be found
 in the ,bible is given in our          
,saviour's own experience4 ,he not only 
preached the lesson of liberality1 but  
practised it4 ,he is himself the        
greatest giver ever heard of4 ,in       
becoming our ,redeemer he showed himself

 the ,prince of givers4 ,he gave--not   
silver and gold2 not all the wealth of  
the world1 or of ten thousand worlds    
like ours2 but ,he gave ,himself for us4
 ,he can say indeed1 to each of us1 in  
the language of the hymn3    ,i gave my 
life for thee1     ,my precious blood ,i
 shed1   ,that thou might'st ransomed   
be1     ,and quickened from the dead4   
,and what is the result of this glorious
 giving to ,jesus himself8 ,st4 ,paul   
answers this question when he says1     
,wherefore ,god also hath highly exalted
 him2 and given him a name which is     
above every name2 that at the name of   
,jesus every knee should bow1 of things 
in heaven1 and things in earth1 and     
things under the earth2 ,and that every 
tongue should confess that ,jesus       
,christ is ,lord1 to the glory of ,god  
the ,father1 ,phil1 ii3 #i-aa4 ,because 
of what he gave for us men1 and for our 
salvation1 he will be loved and praised 
and honored in heaven1 on the earth1 and
 through all the universe1 above all    

other beings1 for ever and ever4 ,what a
 glorious illustration we have here of  
the truth of this statement1 that giving
 is ,god's rule for getting4 ,these are 
some of the illustrations of this lesson
 of liberality that we find in the      
,bible4  ,and now1 let us look at some  
illustrations of this subject1 that we  
have in nature4  ,solomon suggests one  
of these when he says1 ,there is that   
scattereth1 and yet increaseth4 ,prov4  
xi3 #bf4 ,he is evidently speaking here 
of a farmer sowing his fields with      
grain4  ,now suppose that we had never  
seen a man sowing2 and that we knew     
nothing at all about the growth of      
grain1 or how wonderfully the seed sown 
in the spring is increased and          
multiplied when the harvest is reaped4  
,then1 the first time we saw a farmer   
sowing his fields1 we should have been  
ready to say1 ,what a foolish man that  
is6 ,he is taking that precious grain by
 the handful1 and deliberately throwing 
it away4  ,of course1 we should have    

expected that the grain thus thrown     
away1 or scattered over the ground1     
would all be lost4 ,but1 if we could    
have come back to visit that farmer when
 he was gathering in his harvest1 how   
surprised we should have been6 ,then we 
should have learned that for every      
handful of grain that the farmer had    
scattered1 or1 as we thought1 thrown    
away1 in the spring1 when he was sowing1
 he had gained forty or fifty handfuls  
when he reaped in his harvest4 ,then we 
should have understood what ,solomon    
meant when he said1 ,there is that      
scattereth1 and yet increaseth4 ,and we 
should have here a good illustration of 
our ,saviour's lesson of liberality1    
when he said1 ,give1 and it shall be    
given unto you2 and of the ,bible truth 
we are now studying1 that giving is     
,god's rule for getting4  ,yonder is the
 great ocean2 it is one of the grandest 
of nature's works4 ,and the ocean gives 
us a good illustration of the lesson of 
liberality which our ,saviour taught4   

,the waters of the ocean are spread out 
for thousands of miles4 ,as the sun     
shines on the surface of the ocean1 it  
makes the water warm1 and turns it into 
vapor1 like the steam that comes from   
the boiling kettle4 ,this vapor rises   
into the air1 and helps to form the     
clouds that are floating there4 ,these  
clouds sail over the land1 and pour out 
the water that is in them1 in refreshing
 and fertilizing showers of rain4 ,this 
rain makes the rills start from the     
sides of the mountains4 ,the rills run  
down into the rivers1 and the rivers    
flow back into the sea again4 ,in this  
way the ocean is a great giver4 ,it has 
been giving away its water for hundreds 
and thousands of years1 ever since the  
day when ,god made it4  ,now1 let us    
suppose that the ocean could think1 or  
speak2 and that it had power to control 
its own motions4 ,and suppose that the  
ocean should say3--,well1 ,i think ,i   
have been giving away water long enough4
 ,i am going to turn over a new leaf4   

,the sun may shine as much as it        
pleases4 ,i won't let another drop of   
water go out from my surface4 ,i am     
tired of giving1 and ,i mean to stop    
doing it1 any longer4 ,let us pause for 
a moment here1 and see what the effect  
of this would be upon the ocean itself4 
,we know that all the water in the ocean
 is salt water4 ,but when the sun takes 
water from the ocean1 in the form of    
vapor1 it is always taken out as fresh  
water4 ,it leaves the salt behind it4   
,then the water on the surface of the   
ocean1 from which this vapor has been   
taken1 has more salt in it than the     
water underneath it4 ,this makes it     
heavier than the other water4 ,the      
consequence of this1 is that this       
heavier water1 on the top of the ocean1 
sinks to the bottom2 and at the same    
time the lighter water at the bottom    
rises to the top4 ,and so a constant    
change is taking place all over the     
ocean4 ,the water from the top is       
sinking to the bottom1 and the water    

from the bottom is rising to the top4   
,and this is one of the means which ,god
 employs to keep the waters of the ocean
 always pure and wholesome4 ,but if the 
ocean should stop giving away its water1
 as it has always been doing1 then this 
constant change of its waters would     
cease4 ,the ocean would be left still   
and stagnant4 ,it would become a great  
mass of corruption2 and the breezes from
 the ocean1 that now carry health and   
life to those who breathe them1 would   
carry only disease and death4 ,and the  
thousands of people who now love the    
ocean and seek its shores every summer1 
to get strong and well by breathing the 
air that sweeps over its surface1 and by
 bathing in its foaming surf1 would all 
be afraid of the ocean2 and would keep  
as far away from its shores as they     
could4 ,and so we see how the ocean     
stands before us as a grand illustration
 of the lesson of liberality which our  
,saviour taught when he said1 ,give1 and
 it shall be given unto you4 ,the ocean 

gives away its water continually1 and1  
in return for this1 ,god gives it       
freshness and purity1 and makes it a    
blessing to the world4 ,and so the ocean
 illustrates the truth of the lesson we 
are now studying1 that giving is ,god's 
rule for getting4  ,and yonder is the   
great sun1 shining up in the sky4 ,we do
 not know as much about the sun as we do
 about the ocean1 because it is so far  
away from us4 ,the ocean is very near   
us4 ,we can walk along its shores1 and  
plunge into its waters1 and sail over   
its surface4 ,we can study out all about
 the laws that govern it1 and what the  
effect of those laws is upon it4 ,but it
 is very different with the sun4 ,it is 
about ninety millions of miles away from
 us4 ,this is too far off for us to know
 much about it4 ,and yet1 we know enough
 about the sun to get from it a good    
illustration of ,god's rule about giving
 and getting4 ,the sun1 like the ocean1 
is a great giver4 ,it is giving away    
light all the time4 ,it was made for    

this purpose2 and for this purpose it is
 preserved4 ,if the sun should stop     
giving1 and should try to keep all its  
light and heat for itself1 the effect   
would be its ruin4 ,by ceasing to give  
it would be burnt up and destroyed4 ,and
 so1 when we see the sower sowing his   
seed1 or the reaper gathering in his    
harvest2 when we look upon the ocean1   
and see the clouds formed from its      
waters1 as they go sailing through the  
sky2 or when we see the sun rising in   
the morning1 going forth again to his   
appointed work of giving light to a dark
 world2 let us remember that these are  
nature's illustrations of the lesson of 
liberality which ,jesus taught when he  
said1 ,give1 and it shall be given unto 
you4 ,they all help to show how true it 
is1 that giving is ,god's rule of       
getting4  ,and now we may go on to look 
for our illustrations of this subject   
from everyday life4  ,if we are only    
watchful we shall meet with             
illustrations of this kind continually4 

,it would not be difficult to fill a    
volume with them4 ,here are a few out of
 many that might be given4  ,the        
,travellers in the ,snow4 ,two          
travellers were on a journey in a sleigh
 during a very severe winter4 ,it was   
snowing fast as they drove along4 ,one  
of the travellers was a liberal1        
generous-hearted man1 who believed in   
giving2 and was always ready to share   
whatever he had with others4 ,his       
companion was a selfish ungenerous man4 
,he did not believe in giving2 and liked
 to keep whatever he had for himself4   
,as they drove along1 they saw something
 covered up in the snow that looked like
 the figure of a man4 ,look there1 said 
the generous man to his friend1 that    
must be some poor fellow overcome by the
 cold4 ,let's stop and see what we can  
do for him4  ,you can get out1 if you   
like1 was his reply1 but it's too cold  
for me4 ,i intend to stay where ,i am2  
and he wrapped his furs closely round   
him4  ,the other traveller threw aside  

his furs and jumped out of the sleigh4  
,he found it was a poor man1 who had    
sunk down in the snow a short time      
before1 overcome by the cold4 ,he shook 
the snow from him1 and began to rub his 
hands and face and feet4 ,he kept on    
rubbing for a good while4 ,at last the  
man began to get warm again and was     
saved from death4 ,then the             
generous-hearted traveller helped him   
into the sleigh1 and shared his         
wrappings with him4 ,the exertion he had
 made in doing this kind act put him all
 in a glow of warmth4 ,he made the rest 
of the journey in comfort4 ,but when    
they stopped at the end of their        
journey1 the selfish man1 who was not   
willing to do anything for the help of  
another1 had his fingers1 and toes1 and 
nose1 and ears frozen4 ,this illustrates
 the lesson of liberality2 and shows    
that giving is ,god's rule for getting4 
,here we see the truth of the lines     
which someone has written3    ,numb and 
weary on the mountain     ,wouldst thou 

sleep amidst the snow8   ,chafe the     
frozen form beside thee1     ,and       
together both shall glow4   ,art thou   
stricken in life's battle8     ,many    
wounded round thee moan2   ,lavish on   
their wounds thy balsams1     ,and that 
balm shall heal thine own4  ,the        
,officer and the ,soldier4 ,in one of   
the terrible battles in ,virginia1      
during the late war1 a ,union officer   
fell wounded in front of the            
,confederate breastwork1 which had been 
attacked4 ,his wounds brought on a      
raging fever1 and he lay on the ground  
crying piteously for water4 ,a          
kind-hearted ,confederate soldier heard 
the touching cry1 and leaping over the  
fortifications1 with his canteen in his 
hand1 he crawled up to the poor fellow  
and gave him a drink of water4 ,o1 what 
a comfort this was to the wounded man6  
,his heart was filled with gratitude    
towards this generous and noble soldier4
 ,he pulled out his gold watch from his 
pocket1 and cheerfully offered it to his

 benefactor2 but he refused to take it4 
,then he asked the soldier's name and   
residence4 ,he said his name was ,james 
,moore1 and that he lived in ,burke     
,county1 ,north ,carolina4 ,then they   
parted4 ,this noble soldier afterwards  
lost a limb in one of the ,virginia     
battles1 and returned to his home as a  
cripple4  ,the officer recovered from   
his wounds2 but he never forgot the     
kindness of that ,confederate soldier4  
,and when the war was over1 and he was  
engaged in his business again1 he wrote 
to ,james ,moore1 telling him that he   
intended to send him the sum of ten     
thousand dollars in four quarterly      
installments of twenty-five hundred     
dollars each2 and that he wished him to 
receive the same in token of the        
heartfelt gratitude with which his      
generous kindness on the battle-field   
was remembered4 ,certainly these were   
two noble men4 ,it is hard to tell which
 was the more noble of the two4 ,but    
when the crippled soldier thought of the

 drink of water which he gave to the    
wounded officer1 and of the ten thousand
 dollars which he received for the same1
 he must have felt how true our         
,saviour's words were1 when he said3    
,give1 and it shall be given unto you4  
,and he must have felt sure of the      
lesson we are now considering1 that     
,giving is ,god's rule for getting4     
,the ,secret of ,success4 ,some time ago
 a ,christian gentleman was visiting a  
large paper mill that belonged to a     
friend of his1 who was a very rich man4 
,the owner of the mill took him all     
through it1 and showed him the          
machinery1 and told him how the paper   
was made4 ,when they were through the   
visitor said to his friend1 ,i have one 
question to ask you2 and if you will    
answer it1 ,i shall feel very much      
obliged to you4 ,i am told that you     
started in life very poor1 and now you  
are one of the richest men in this part 
of the country4 ,my question is this3   
will you please tell me the secret of   

your success in business8  ,i don't know
 that there is any great secret about   
it1 said his friend1 but ,i will tell   
you all ,i know4 ,i got a situation1 and
 began to work for my own living when ,i
 was only sixteen years old4 ,my wages1 
at first1 were to be forty dollars a    
year1 with my board and lodging4 ,my    
clothing and all my other expenses were 
to come out of the forty dollars4 ,i    
then made a solemn promise to the ,lord 
that one-tenth of my wages1 or four     
dollars out of the forty1 should be     
faithfully laid aside to be given to the
 poor1 or to some religious work4 ,this 
promise ,i kept religiously1 and after  
laying aside one-tenth to give away1 at 
the end of the year1 besides meeting my 
expenses1 ,i had more than a tenth left 
for myself4 ,i then made a vow that     
whatever it might please ,god to give   
me1 ,i would never give less than       
one-tenth of my income to him4 ,this vow
 ,i have faithfully kept from that day  
to this4 ,if there be any secret to my  

success--this is it4 ,whatever ,i       
receive during the year1 ,i feel sure   
that ,i am richer on nine-tenths of it1 
with ,god's blessing1 than ,i should be 
on the whole of it1 without that        
blessing4 ,i believe that ,god has      
blessed me1 and made my business        
prosper4 ,and ,i am sure that anyone who
 will make the trial of this secret of  
success1 will find it work as it has    
done in my case4  ,this man was         
certainly proving the truth of our      
,saviour's words1 when he said--,give1  
and it shall be given unto you4 ,and his
 experience shows most satisfactorily   
that giving is ,god's rule for getting4 
,the ,steamboat ,captain and the        
,soldier4 ,during the late war there was
 a steamboat1 one day1 in front of a    
flourishing town on the ,ohio ,river4   
,the captain1 who had charge of her was 
the owner of the boat4 ,the steam was   
up2 and the captain was about to start  
on a trip some miles down the river with
 an excursion party1 who had chartered  

the boat for the occasion4 ,while       
waiting for the party to come on board1 
a poor wounded soldier came up to the   
captain4 ,he said he was suffering from 
severe sickness1 as well as from his    
wounds4 ,he had been in the hospital4   
,the doctor had told him he could not   
live long2 and he was very anxious to   
get home1 and see his mother again1     
before he died2 and he wished to know if
 the captain would give him a passage   
down the river on his boat4 ,on hearing 
where his home was1 the captain said    
that the party who had chartered his    
boat were going near that place2 and he 
told the poor soldier that he would     
gladly take him to his home4  ,but1 when
 the excursion party came on board1 and 
saw the soldier1 with his soiled and    
worn clothes1 and his ugly-looking      
wounds1 they were not willing to let him
 go2 and asked the captain to put him   
ashore4 ,the captain told the soldier's 
sad story1 and pleaded his cause very   
earnestly4 ,he said he would place him  

on the lower deck and put a screen round
 his bed1 so that they could not see    
him4 ,but the young people refused4     
,they said as they had hired the boat1  
it belonged to them for the day1 and    
they were not willing to have such a    
miserable-looking object on board their 
boat2 and that if the captain did not   
put him off1 they would hire another    
boat1 and he would lose the twenty      
dollars they had agreed to give him for 
the day's excursion4  ,the good captain 
made one more appeal to them4 ,he asked 
them to put themselves in the poor      
soldier's place1 and then to think how  
they would like to be treated4 ,but     
still they refused to let the soldier   
go4 ,then the noble-hearted captain     
said3 ,well1 ladies and gentlemen1      
whether you hire my boat or not1 ,i     
intend to take this soldier home to-day4
  ,the party did hire another boat4 ,the
 captain lost his twenty dollars4 ,but1 
when he returned the poor dying soldier 
to the arms of his loving mother1 he    

felt that the tears of gratitude with   
which she thanked him were worth more   
than the money he had lost4 ,the gentle 
mother dressed the wounds of her poor   
suffering boy2 and nursed and cared for 
him1 as none but a mother knows how to  
do4 ,but she could not save his life4   
,he died after a few days2 and the last 
words he spoke1 as his loving parents   
stood weeping at his bedside            
were--,don't forget the good captain4   
,and he was not forgotten4 ,for after   
the soldier's funeral was over1 his     
father went up the river to the town    
where the captain lived4 ,he found him  
out4 ,he thanked him again for his      
kindness in bringing home his dying boy2
 and made him a present that was worth  
four or five times the twenty dollars he
 had lost for the hire of his boat4     
,but this was not the end of it4 ,for   
not long after this1 the captain and his
 wife were taken suddenly ill with a    
fatal disease that was prevailing in    
that region of the country4 ,they both  

died2 leaving two little orphan         
children1 with no one to take care of   
them4 ,the soldier's father heard of it2
 and he went at once and asked that he  
might be permitted to take the two      
helpless little ones and adopt them as  
his own children4 ,he took them home2   
and was a father and a friend to them as
 long as he lived4  ,how beautifully our
 ,saviour's words--,give1 and it shall  
be given unto you1 are illustrated in   
this story6 ,how clearly we see here1   
that ,giving is ,god's rule for getting6
  ,i have just one other illustration   
before closing this subject4 ,we may    
call it3  ,the ,miser and the ,hungry   
,children4 ,in a village in ,england    
were two little motherless girls who    
lived in a small cottage4 ,sally1 the   
elder1 was about eight years old and her
 sister ,mary was six4 ,they were very  
poor4 ,their father was a laboring man1 
and he found great difficulty in        
supporting himself and his children4    
,once1 in the midst of winter1 these two

 little girls were left alone all day1  
as their father had gone out to work4   
,they had their breakfast in the morning
 with their father1 before he left4 ,but
 they had no dinner1 nor anything to eat
 during the rest of the day4 ,about the 
middle of the afternoon1 ,mary said to  
her sister3 ,sally1 ,i'm very hungry4   
,is there anything in the closet that we
 can get to eat8  ,no1 said ,sally2     
,i've looked all through the closet2 but
 there isn't a crust of bread1 or a cold
 potato2 nor anything to eat4 ,i wish   
there was something2 for ,i'm hungry    
too4  ,o1 dear6 what shall we do8 cried 
,mary2 ,i'm too hungry to wait till     
father comes home6  ,mary1 said her     
sister1 suppose we ask our ,father in   
heaven to give us something to eat8 ,let
 us kneel down1 and say the ,lord's     
,prayer4 ,when we come to that part     
about 'daily bread' we'll say it over   
three times1 and then wait1 and see if  
,god will send us some4  ,mary agreed to
 this4 ,they both kneeled down1 and     

,sally began3 ,our ,father1 who art in  
heaven2 hallowed be thy name2 thy       
kingdom come2 thy will be done on earth1
 as it is in heaven3 give us this day   
our daily bread2 give us this day our   
daily bread2 give us this day our daily 
bread4 ,then they waited quietly1 to see
 if anything would come4  ,and now1     
while this was going on inside of that  
little cottage1 let me tell you what was
 taking place outside4  ,not far from   
this cottage lived an old man who was a 
miser4 ,he had a good deal of money1 but
 he never gave any of it to others2 and 
never would spend a penny for himself1  
if he could possibly help it4 ,but1 on  
that afternoon1 he had left home to go  
to the baker's and buy a loaf of bread4 
,he got the loaf1 and1 as it was a      
stormy afternoon1 he put it under his   
coat before starting to walk home4 ,now1
 it happened1 that just as he was       
passing the cottage in which the little 
girls were1 a strong blast of wind blew 
the rain in his face1 and he stepped    

into the porch of the cottage and       
crouched down in the corner1 to shelter 
himself from the wind and rain4 ,in this
 position his ear was brought quite     
close to the keyhole of the door4 ,he   
heard what the little girls had said    
about being hungry4 ,he heard their     
proposal to pray to the ,father in      
heaven to give them bread4 ,he heard the
 thrice repeated prayer--give us this   
day our daily bread4 ,and then came the 
silence1 when the little ones waited1   
and watched for the bread4 ,this had a  
strange effect on the miser4 ,his hard1 
selfish heart1 which had never felt a   
generous feeling for anyone1 warmed up1 
and grew suddenly soft in tenderness    
towards these helpless1 hungry little   
ones4 ,tears moistened his eyes4 ,he put
 his thumb on the latch of the door4    
,the latch was gently lifted and the    
door opened4 ,he took the loaf from     
under his coat and threw it into the    
room4 ,the little girls1 still waiting  
and watching on their knees1 saw the    

loaf go bouncing over the floor4 ,they  
jumped up on their feet1 and clapped    
their hands for joy4  ,o1 ,sally1 said  
little ,mary1 how good ,god is to answer
 our prayer so soon6 ,did ,he send an   
angel from heaven to bring us this      
bread8  ,i don't know who brought it1   
answered ,sally1 but ,i am sure that    
,god sent it4  ,and how about the miser8
 ,for the first time in his life he had 
given to the poor4 ,did the promise fail
 which says1 ,give1 and it shall be     
given unto you8 ,no2 ,god's promises    
never fail4 ,he went to the bakery and  
bought another loaf for himself1 and    
then he went home with different        
feelings from what he had ever had      
before4 ,the warm1 soft feeling that    
came into his hard heart when he gave   
the loaf to those children did not pass 
away4 ,it grew upon him4 ,he had found  
so much pleasure in doing that one kind 
act that he went on and did more4 ,and  
,god blessed him in doing it4 ,he began 
to pray to that ,god who had answered   

the prayer of those little girls for    
bread in such a strange way4 ,he read   
the ,bible4 ,he went to church4 ,he     
became a ,christian2 and some time      
after1 he died a happy ,christian death4
 ,but before he died1 as he was the     
owner of the cottage in which the little
 girls lived1 he gave it to their       
father4 ,what a beautiful illustration  
we have here of our ,saviour's          
words--,give1 and it shall be given unto
 you6 ,this miser gave a loaf of bread  
to these hungry children and ,god gave  
him the grace that made him a           
,christian6 ,and as we think of this we 
may well say that giving is ,god's rule 
for getting4  ,and thus we have         
considered the lesson of liberality     
which our ,saviour taught2 the proofs of
 that lesson found in the ,bible2 and   
the illustrations of it from the ,bible1
 from nature1 and from everyday life4   
,the three things to be remembered from 
this subject are the lesson--the        
proofs--the illustrations4  ,i will     

quote here1 in finishing1 three verses  
which teach the same lesson that our    
,saviour taught when he spoke the words 
from which ,i have tried to draw the    
lesson of liberality4 ,the title at the 
head of them is taken from ,solomon's   
words in one of the passages from the   
book of ,proverbs1 which we have already
 used4  ,,there ,,is ,,that ,,scattereth
 ,,and ,,yet ,,increaseth4    ,is thy   
cruse of comfort wasting8     ,rise1 and
 share it with another2   ,and through  
all the years of famine1     ,it shall  
serve thee and thy brother4   ,god      
himself will fill thy storehouse1       
,or thy handful still renew3   ,scanty  
fare for one will often     ,make a     
royal feast for two4    ,for the heart  
grows rich in giving2     ,all its      
wealth is living grain3   ,seeds which  
mildew in the garner1     ,scattered1   
fill with gold the plain4   ,is thy     
burden hard and heavy8     ,do thy steps
 drag wearily8   ,help to bear thy      
brother's burden1--     ,god will bear  

both it and thee4    ,is thy heart a    
well left empty8     ,none but ,god its 
void can fill2   ,nothing but a         
ceaseless fountain     ,can this        
ceaseless longing still4   ,is the heart
 a living power8     ,self-entwined its 
strength sinks low2   ,it can only live 
in loving1     ,and by serving love will
 grow4       ,,christ ,,teaching        
,,humility      ,during the earthly life
 of our blessed ,saviour1 we see how    
everything connected with it teaches the
 lesson of humility4 ,this is pointed   
out in the beautiful collect in ,the    
,book of ,common ,prayer for the first  
,sunday in ,advent4 ,here we are taught 
to say3--,almighty ,god1 give us grace  
to cast away the works of darkness1 and 
put upon us the armor of light1 now in  
the time of this mortal life1 in which  
thy ,son ,jesus ,christ came to visit us
 in--great humility4  ,if ,jesus had    
come into our world as an angel1 it     
would have been an act of humility4 ,if 
he had come as a great and mighty king1 

it would have been an act of humility4  
,but when he was born in a stable1 and  
cradled in a manger2 when he could say  
of himself1 the foxes have holes1 and   
the birds of the air have nests1 but the
 ,son of man hath not where to lay his  
head2 when there never was an acre1 or a
 foot of ground that he called his own1 
although he made the world and all      
things in it2 when he sailed in a       
borrowed boat1 and was buried in a      
borrowed tomb2 how well it might be said
 that he was teaching humility all the  
days of his life on earth6 ,yet he did  
not think that this was enough4 ,and so 
he gave his disciples a special lesson  
on this subject4  ,we have an account of
 this lesson in ,st4 ,john xiii3 #d-ae4 
,it is taught us in these words3--,he   
riseth from supper1 and laid aside his  
garments2 and took a towel and girdled  
himself4 ,after that he poureth water   
into a bason1 and began to wash his     
disciples' feet1 and to wipe them with  
the towel wherewith he was girded4 ,then

 occurs the incident about the objection
 which ,peter made to letting ,jesus    
wash his feet1 and the way in which that
 objection was overcome4 ,and then the  
story goes on thus3--,so after he had   
washed their feet1 and had taken his    
garments1 and was set down again1 he    
said unto them1 ',know ye what ,i have  
done unto you8 ,ye call me ,master1 and 
,lord2 and ye say well2 for so ,i am4   
,if ,i then1 your ,lord and ,master1    
have washed your feet2 ye ought also to 
wash one another's feet4 ,for ,i have   
given you an example1 that ye should do 
as ,i have done to you4'  ,this was a   
very surprising scene4 ,how astonished  
the angels must have been when they     
looked upon it6 ,they had known ,jesus  
in heaven1 before he took upon him our  
nature1 and came into this fallen world4
 ,they had seen him in the glory which  
he had with the ,father1 before the     
world was4 ,they had worshipped him in  
the midst of all that glory4 ,and then1 
when they saw him1 girded with a towel  

and washing the feet of poor sinful men 
whom he came from heaven to save1 how   
surprising it must have seemed to them6 
,and when ,jesus told his disciples that
 his object in doing this was to set    
them an example1 that they should do as 
he had done to them1 he did not mean    
that they should literally make a       
practice of washing each other's feet2  
but that they should show the same      
humility to others that he had shown to 
them1 by being willing to do anything1  
however humble it might be1 in order to 
promote their comfort and happiness4 ,it
 is not the act itself1 here spoken of1 
that ,jesus teaches us to do2 but the   
spirit of humility in which the act was 
performed that he teaches us to         
cultivate4 ,we might go through the form
 of washing the feet of other persons1  
and yet feel proud and haughty all the  
time we were doing it4 ,then we should  
not be following the example of ,jesus  
at all4 ,when ,jesus washed his         
disciples' feet1 what he wished to teach

 them1 and us1 and all his people1 is   
how earnestly he desires us to learn    
this lesson of humility4 ,and when we   
think of the wondrous scene which took  
place on that occasion1 the one thought 
it should impress on our minds1 above   
all others is--the importance of        
humility4  ,and if any one asks what is 
meant by humility8 ,no better answer can
 be given to this question than we find 
in ,romans xii3 #c1 where ,st4 ,paul    
tells us not to think of ourselves more 
highly than we ought to think1 but to   
think soberly4 ,pride is thinking of    
ourselves more highly than we ought to  
think4 ,humility is--not thinking of    
ourselves more highly than we ought to  
think4 ,and humility is the lesson we   
are now to study4 ,this is the lesson   
that ,jesus wishes all who love him to  
learn4 ,it is easy to speak of five     
reasons why we should learn this lesson4
  ,and the first reason for learning it 
is--the ,,command--of ,jesus4  ,when he 
had finished washing his disciples'     

feet1 he told them that they should do  
as he had done to them4 ,this was his   
command to his disciples1 and to us1 to 
learn the lesson of humility4 ,and this 
is not the only place in which ,jesus   
taught this lesson4 ,he gave some of his
 beautiful parables to teach humility4  
,we find one of these in ,st4 ,luke xiv3
 #g-ab4  ,on one occasion when he saw   
the people all pressing forward to get  
the best seats for themselves at a      
feast1 he took the opportunity of giving
 his disciples a lesson about humility4 
,he told them1 when they were bidden to 
a wedding feast1 not to take the highest
 seats2 because some more honorable     
person might be bidden1 and when the    
master of the feast came in he might say
 to them 'let this man have that seat1  
and you go and take a lower seat'2 then 
they would feel mortified1 and ashamed4 
,and then he gave his disciples this    
command3 ,when thou art bidden1 go and  
sit down in the lowest room1 or seat2   
that when he that bade thee cometh1 he  

may say unto thee1 ,friend1 go up       
higher3 then shalt thou have worship--or
 honor--in the presence of them that sit
 at meat with thee4 ,here we have ,jesus
 repeating his command to all his people
 to learn and practise the lesson of    
humility4  ,and then we have another of 
our ,saviour's parables in which he     
taught this same lesson of humility1 and
 that is the parable of the ,pharisee   
and the ,publican4 ,we find it in ,st4  
,luke xviii3 #aj-ae4 ,the parable reads 
thus3 ,two men went up into the temple  
to pray2 the one a ,pharisee1 and the   
other a publican4 ,the ,pharisee stood  
and prayed thus with himself1 ',god1 ,i 
thank thee1 that ,i am not as other men 
are1 extortioners1 unjust1 adulterers1  
or even as this publican4 ,i fast twice 
in the week1 ,i give tithes of all that 
,i possess4' ,here we have a picture of 
a proud man4 ,he pretended to pray1 but 
asked for nothing1 because he did not   
feel his need of anything4 ,and so his  
pretended prayer brought him no         

blessing4  ,and then in the rest of the 
parable we have our ,saviour's          
description of a man who was learning   
the lesson of humility1 and of the      
blessing which it brought to him4  ,here
 is a story told by one of our          
missionaries of the way in which this   
parable brought a heathen man to        
,christ4  ,that's ,me4 ,a poor          
,hottentot in ,southern ,africa lived   
with a ,dutch farmer1 who was a good    
,christian man1 and kept up family      
prayer in his home4 ,one day1 at their  
family worship he read this parable4 ,he
 began1 ,two men went up into the temple
 to pray4 ,the poor savage1 who had been
 led to feel himself a sinner1 and was  
anxious for the salvation of his soul1  
looked earnestly at the reader1 and     
whispered to himself1 ,now ,i'll learn  
how to pray4 ,the farmer read on1 ,god1 
,i thank ,thee that ,i am not as other  
men are4 ,no1 ,i am not1 whispered the  
,hottentot1 but ,i'm worse4 ,again the  
farmer read1 ,i fast twice in the week2 

,i give tithes of all that ,i possess4  
,i don't do that4 ,i don't pray in that 
way4 ,what shall ,i do8 said the        
distressed savage4  ,the good man read  
on till he came to the publican1        
standing afar off4 ,that's where ,i am1 
said the ,hottentot4 ,would not lift up 
so much as his eyes unto heaven1 read   
the farmer4 ,that's me1 cried his       
hearer4 ,but smote upon his breast      
saying1 ,god be merciful to me a sinner4
 ,that's me2 that's my prayer1 cried the
 poor creature1 and smiting on his dark 
breast1 he prayed for himself in the    
words of the parable1--,god be merciful 
to me a sinner6 ,and he went on offering
 this prayer till the loving ,saviour   
heard and answered him1 and he went down
 to his house a saved and happy man4    
,thus we see how this poor man learned  
the lesson of humility which ,jesus     
taught1 and how much good it did to him4
  ,and it is ,jesus who is speaking to  
us and commanding us to learn this      
lesson of humility1 when we read1 in    

other passages of ,scripture1 such words
 as these3--,put on                     
therefore--humbleness of mind1 meekness1
 long-suffering4 ,col4 iii3 #ab4 ,humble
 yourself therefore in the sight of     
,god4 ,james iv3 #aj4 ,be clothed with  
humility4 ,i4 ,pet4 v3 #e4 ,in all these
 places we have ,jesus repeating his    
command to us to learn the lesson of    
humility4 ,and this command is urged    
thus earnestly upon us because it is so 
important4  ,when ,st4 ,augustine1 one  
of the celebrated fathers of the early  
,church1 was asked--,what is the first  
important thing in the ,christian       
religion8 his reply was--,humility4     
,what is the second8 ,humility4 ,and    
what is the third8--the reply still     
was--,humility4  ,and if this be true1  
we need not wonder that ,jesus should   
have been so earnest in teaching this   
lesson2 or that he should have urged so 
strongly on his disciples to learn it4  
,the command of ,christ is the first    
reason why we should learn the lesson of

 humility4  ,but the second reason why  
we should learn this lesson is1 because 
of the--,,example--of ,christ4  ,there  
are many persons who say and do not4    
,there are some ministers who preach    
very well1 but they do not practise what
 they preach4 ,such persons may well be 
compared to finger-boards4 ,they point  
out the way to others1 but they do not  
walk in it themselves4 ,but this was not
 the case with our blessed ,saviour4 ,he
 practised everything that he preached4 
,and when he gave us his command to     
learn this lesson of humility1 he gave  
us1 at the same time1 his example to    
show us how to do it4  ,he was          
illustrating this command by his example
 when he washed his disciples' feet4    
,and this was only one out of many      
things in which he set us this example4 
,when he chose to be born of poor       
parents1 he was giving an example of    
humility4 ,when he lived at ,nazareth   
till he was thirty years of age1 working
 with his reputed father as a carpenter1

 and during the latter part of the time1
 as is supposed1 laboring for the       
support of his mother1 he was giving an 
example of humility4 ,when he said1 ,the
 ,son of man came not to be ministered  
unto1 but to minister1 ,matt4 xx3 #bh2  
and again--,i am among you as he that   
serveth1 ,luke xxii3 #bg1 he was giving 
an example of humility4 ,when he        
borrowed an ass to make his triumphal   
entrance into ,jerusalem2 though he     
could say in truth1 every beast of the  
forest is mine1 and the cattle upon a   
thousand hills2--7,ps4 #a3 #aj71 he was 
setting an example of humility4 ,when he
 hid himself away from the people       
because he saw that they wanted to take 
him by force and make him king1 he was  
giving a lesson of humility4 ,when he   
allowed himself to be taken prisoner1   
though he knew that if he had asked his 
,father in heaven1 he would1 at once1   
have sent more than twelve legions of   
angels to deliver him1 he was giving an 
example of humility4 ,when he kept      

silence1 at the bar of the high-priest1 
of ,herod1 of ,pontius ,pilate1 like a  
lamb dumb before her shearers1 while his
 enemies were charging him falsely with 
all kinds of wickedness2 when he allowed
 the ,roman soldiers to scourge him with
 rods1 till his back was all bleeding2  
to put a crown of thorns upon his head2 
to array him in a purple robe in mockery
 of his being a king2 to smite him with 
the palms of their hands1 and spit upon 
him2 and then to nail him to the cross1 
and put him to the most shameful of all 
deaths--as if he were a wicked man1 who 
did not deserve to live--he was giving  
the most wonderful example of humility  
that ever was heard of4 ,jesus1 the     
,lord of glory hanging on the shameful  
cross6--,o1 this was an example of      
humility that must have filled the      
angels of heaven with surprise1 and     
wonder6  ,and when we think of all that 
,jesus did and suffered1 to set us an   
example of humility1 it should make us  
ashamed of being proud2 and anxious1    

above all things1 to learn this lesson  
which he did so much to teach us4       
,imitating ,christ's ,humility4 ,i think
 ,i never heard of a more beautiful     
instance of persons learning to imitate 
the humility of ,christ1 than is told of
 some ,moravian ,missionaries4 ,these   
good men had heard the story of the     
unhappy slaves in the ,west ,indies4    
,those poor creatures were wearing out  
their lives in hard bondage4 ,they had  
very little comfort in this life1 and no
 knowledge of that gracious ,saviour who
 alone can secure1 for sinful creatures1
 such as we are1 a better portion in the
 life to come4 ,these missionaries      
offered to go out to the ,west ,indies1 
and teach those slaves about ,jesus1 and
 the great salvation that is to be found
 in him4 ,but they were told that the   
owners of the slaves would not let them 
go to school or to church4 ,they would  
not allow them to take time enough from 
their work to learn anything about the  
salvation of their souls4 ,there was    

only one way in which those poor slaves 
could be taught anything about ,jesus   
and his love1 and that was1 for those   
who wished to teach them1 to go and be  
slaves on the plantations1 to work1 and 
toil1 if need be1 under the lash1 so    
that they could get right beside them   
and then tell them about the way of     
salvation that is in ,christ ,jesus4    
,this was a hard thing to undertake4    
,but those good missionaries said they  
were willing to do it4 ,and they not    
only said it1 but did it4 ,they left    
their homes1 and went to the ,west      
,indies4 ,they worked on the plantations
 as slaves4 ,and working thus1 by the   
side of the slaves1 they got close to   
their hearts4 ,the slaves heard them4   
,their hearts were touched because these
 teachers of the gospel had humbled     
themselves to their condition4 ,while   
they were teaching the commands of      
,christ1 they were illustrating and     
following his example4 ,how beautiful   
this was6 ,how grand6 ,how glorious6    

,and yet ,christ's own example was still
 more glorious4 ,he laid aside the glory
 of his ,godhead1 and came down from    
heaven to earth1 that he might get by   
our side4 ,he laid himself beside us    
that we might feel the throbbings of his
 bosom and the embrace of his loving    
arms2 and he draws us close to himself1 
while he whispers in our ears the sweet 
words1 ,god so loved the world that he  
gave his only begotten ,son1 that       
whosoever believeth in him should not   
perish1 but have everlasting life4  ,and
 so1 when we think of the example of    
,christ1 we should strive to learn the  
lesson of humility which he taught4  ,a 
third reason why we should learn this   
lesson of humility is because of        
the--,,comfort--that is found in it4    
,just think for a moment what ,god says 
on this subject1 in ,is4 lvii3 #ae4     
,these are his words3--,thus saith the  
high and mighty ,one that inhabiteth    
eternity1 whose name is ,holy2 ,i dwell 
in the high and holy place1 with him    

also that is of a contrite and humble   
spirit1 to revive the spirit of the     
humble1 and to revive the heart of the  
contrite ones4 ,here1 the same loving   
,saviour who gave us the command to     
learn the lesson of humility promises to
 give comfort to all who learn this     
lesson4 ,and the way in which he secures
 this comfort to them is by coming and  
dwelling in their hearts4 ,and who can  
tell what a comfort it is for a poor    
pardoned sinner to have ,jesus--the     
,lord of heaven and earth--dwelling in  
his heart8 ,it is his presence in heaven
 which makes those who dwell there feel 
so happy4 ,this is what ,david taught1  
when he looked up to him1 and said--,in 
thy presence is fulness of joy4 ,ps4    
#af3 #aa4 ,and when that presence is    
felt1 here on earth1 it gives comfort   
and joy1 as certainly as it does in     
heaven4 ,it was the presence of ,jesus  
which enabled ,paul and ,silas to sing  
at midnight1 for very joyfulness1 in the
 prison at ,philippi1 though their feet 

were fastened in the stocks1 and their  
backs were torn and bleeding from the   
cruel scourging which they had suffered4
 ,and it was this presence of ,christ in
 the hearts of his people that good     
,john ,newton was speaking of1 in one of
 his sweet hymns1 when he said3         
,while blest with a sense of his love   
,a palace a toy would appear2   ,and    
prisons would palaces prove1     ,if    
,jesus would dwell with me there4  ,but 
it is only those who learn the lesson of
 humility that ,jesus will dwell with4  
,he says himself1 ,if any man love me1  
he will keep my words2 and ,my ,father  
will love him2 and we will come unto    
him1 and make our abode with him4 ,st4  
,john xiv3 #bc4 ,and among the words of 
,christ which we must keep1 if we wish  
him to dwell in our hearts1 are those in
 which he commands the lesson of        
humility4 ,it is only the humble with   
whom he will dwell4 ,for every one that 
is proud in heart is an abomination unto
 the ,lord4 ,prov4 xvi3 #e4  ,the reason

 why so many people are unhappy in this 
world is that they do not learn the     
lesson of humility4  ,learn to ,stoop4  
,the story is told of some celebrated   
man--,i think it was ,dr4 ,franklin--who
 had a friend visiting him on one       
occasion4 ,when the gentleman was about 
to leave1 the doctor accompanied him to 
the front door4 ,in going through the   
entry there was a low beam across it1   
which made it necessary to stoop1 in    
order to avoid being struck by it4 ,as  
they approached it the doctor stooped   
himself1 and called out to his friend to
 do the same4 ,he did not heed the      
caution1 and received a severe thump on 
his head as the result of his neglect4  
,in bidding him good-bye1 the doctor    
said--,learn to stoop1 my friend2 and it
 will save you from many a hard knock1  
as you go on through life4 ,this        
illustrates the comfort which comes from
 learning the lesson of humility4 ,it is
 those who are unwilling to stoop2 or to
 be anything1 or nothing1 as ,god wants 

them to be1 who have no comfort4  ,the  
,fable of the ,oak and the ,violet4 ,in 
a large garden there grew a fine oak    
tree1 with its wide-spreading branches1 
and at its foot there grew a sweet and  
modest violet4 ,the oak one day looked  
down in scorn upon the violet1 and said3
 ,you1 poor little thing1 will soon be  
dead and withered2 for you have no      
strength1 no size1 and are of no good to
 anyone4 ,but ,i am large and strong2 ,i
 shall still live for ages1 and then ,i 
shall be made into a large ship to sail 
on the ocean1 or into coffins to hold   
the dust of princes4  ,yes1 answered the
 violet1 in its humility1 ,god has given
 you strength1 and me sweetness4 ,i     
offer him back my fragrance1 and am     
thankful4 ,i hope to die fragrantly1 as 
,i have lived fragrantly1 but we are    
both only what ,god made us1 and both   
where ,god placed us4  ,not long after  
the oak was struck by lightning and     
shivered to splinters4 ,its end was to  
be burned4 ,but the violet was gently   

gathered by the hand of a ,christian    
lady1 who carefully pressed it1 and kept
 it for years1 in the leaves of her     
,bible to refresh herself with its      
fragrance4 ,here we see illustrated the 
difference between pride and humility4  
,the ,secret of ,comfort4 ,some years   
ago there was a boy who had been lame   
from his birth4 ,he was a bright        
intelligent boy1 but he was not a       
,christian4 ,as he grew up1 with no     
other prospect before him but that of   
being a cripple all his days1 he was    
very unhappy4 ,as he sat by his window1 
propped up in his chair1 and saw the    
boys playing in the street1 he would say
 to himself3 ,why has ,god made me thus8
 ,why have ,i not limbs to run and jump 
with like other boys8  ,these thoughts  
filled him with distress1 and caused him
 to shed many bitter tears4  ,one day a 
,christian friend1 who was visiting him1
 gave him a book and requested him to   
read it4 ,he did so2 and it led to his  
becoming a ,christian4 ,his heart was   

renewed2 the burden of his sin was      
removed2 and the love of ,god was shed  
abroad in his heart by the ,holy ,ghost4
 ,he learned the lesson of humble       
submission to the will of ,god4 ,after  
this1 as he looked out1 and saw the     
young people happy at their sports2 or1 
as he gazed on the green earth and the  
beautiful sky1 and knew that he must    
remain a helpless cripple as long as he 
lived1 he yet could say1 with the utmost
 cheerfulness3--,it's all right4 ,my    
,father in heaven has done it4 ,i love  
him4 ,he loves me4 ,i know he is making 
all things work together for my good4   
,he had learned the lesson we are now   
considering1 and we see what comfort it 
gave him4 ,and the thought of the       
comfort which this lesson gives1 should 
be a good reason with us all for        
learning it4  ,a fourth reason why we   
should learn the lesson of humility is  
because of the--,,usefulness--connected 
with it4  ,jesus tells us1 by his       
apostle1 that ,god resisteth the proud1 

but giveth grace to the humble4 ,st4    
,james iv3 #f4 ,if we have the grace of 
,god we can be useful in many ways1 but1
 without that grace we cannot be useful 
at all4 ,and this is what our ,saviour  
taught his disciples1 when he said to   
them--without me ye can do nothing4 ,st4
 ,john xv3 #e4 ,by the words without me 
he meant without my help1 or without my 
grace2 or without the help of my grace4 
,and it was of this grace that ,st4     
,paul was speaking when he said--,i can 
do all things through ,christ who       
strengtheneth me4 ,phil1 iv3 #ac4  ,and 
we could not possibly have a stronger   
reason for trying to learn the lesson of
 humility than this1 that our receiving 
the grace of ,god1 and consequently our 
usefulness1 depends upon it4 ,god will  
not give us his grace to enable us to be
 truly good and to make ourselves       
useful1 unless we learn this lesson4    
,and unless we have the grace of ,god1  
we cannot be useful4 ,like barren       
fig-trees we shall be useless cumberers 

of the ground4  ,now let us look at one 
or two illustrations which show us how  
pride hinders the usefulness of men1    
while humility helps it4  ,the          
,fisherman's ,mistake4 ,an ,english     
gentleman was spending his summer       
holidays in ,scotland4 ,he concluded to 
try his hand at fishing for trout in one
 of the neighboring streams4 ,he bought 
one of the handsomest fishing rods he   
could find1 with line and reel1 and     
artificial flies1 and everything        
necessary to make a perfect outfit for a
 fisherman4 ,he went to the trout       
stream1 and toiled all day1 but never   
caught a single fish4  ,towards the     
close of the day he saw a ragged little 
farmer boy1 with a bean pole for a rod1 
and the simplest possible sort of a     
line1 who was nipping the fish out of   
the water about as fast as he could     
throw his line in4 ,he watched the boy  
in amazement for awhile1 and then asked 
him how it was that one1 with so fine a 
rod and line1 could catch no fish1 while

 he with his poor outfit was catching so
 many4 ,the boy's prompt reply          
was3--,ye'll no catch ony fish ,sir1 as 
lang as ye dinna keep yersel' oot o'    
sicht4  ,the gentleman was proud of his 
handsome rod and line1 and was showing  
it off all the time4 ,his pride hindered
 his usefulness as a fisherman4 ,the    
farmer's boy had nothing to show off2 so
 he kept himself out of sight1 and thus 
his humility helped his usefulness in   
fishing4  ,the ,thames' ,tunnel         
,teaching ,humility4 ,most strangers who
 visit the great city of ,london go to  
see the famous tunnel under the river   
,thames4 ,this is a large1 substantial  
road that has been built1 in the form of
 an arch1 directly under the bed of the 
river4 ,it is one of the most wonderful 
works that human skill ever succeeded in
 making4 ,the man who planned and built 
it was made one of the nobility of      
,england4 ,his name was ,sir ,isambard  
,brunel4 ,he was so humble that he was  
willing to learn a lesson from a tiny   

little ship worm4 ,these worms bore     
small round holes through the solid     
timbers of our ships4  ,one day ,mr4    
,brunel visited a ship-yard4 ,an old    
ship was on the dry-dock getting        
repaired4 ,a quantity of worm-eaten     
timber had been taken out from her      
sides4 ,he picked up one of these pieces
 of timber1 and saw a worm at work1     
boring its way through4 ,if he had been 
a proud man1 he might have thrown the   
timber aside1 and said--,get away you   
poor little worm4 ,i am a great master  
builder4 ,you can't teach me anything4  
,and if he had done so that famous      
tunnel under the ,thames would probably 
never have been built4 ,but ,mr4 ,brunel
 had learned the lesson of humility4 ,he
 was willing to learn from anything that
 ,god had made1 however insignificant it
 might be4 ,so he sat down and watched  
the worm at its work4 ,he studied       
carefully the form of the hole it was   
boring4 ,the thought occurred to him how
 strong a tunnel would be1 that was made

 in the shape of this hole6 ,and when he
 was asked whether it would be possible 
to build a tunnel under the ,thames1 he 
said he thought it could be done4 ,he   
undertook to build it4 ,he succeeded in 
the work4 ,but1 in accomplishing the    
great undertaking that little ship-worm 
was his teacher4  ,and now1 if any of my
 young friends who may read this book   
should ever visit ,london1 and go to see
 the great tunnel1 as they gaze in      
wonder at it1 let them remember ,sir ,i4
 ,brunel1 and that little ship-worm2 and
 then1 let them say to themselves3 ,this
 mighty tunnel is an illustration of the
 truth that humility helps to make us   
useful4  ,george ,washington and ,his   
,humility4 ,here is a story connected   
with the great and good ,washington--the
 ,father of his country1 which          
illustrates very well this part of our  
subject4  ,during the war of the        
,american ,revolution1 the commander of 
a little squad of soldiers was          
superintending their operations as they 

were trying to raise a heavy piece of   
timber to the top of some military works
 which they were engaged in repairing4  
,it was hard work to get the timber up1 
and so the commander1 who was a proud   
man and thought himself of great        
importance1 kept calling out to them    
from time to time1 ,push away1 boys6    
,there she goes6 ,heave ho6  ,while this
 was going on1 an officer on horseback1 
but not in military dress1 rode by4 ,he 
asked the commander why he did not take 
hold1 and give the men a little help4   
,he looked at the stranger in great     
astonishment1 and then1 with all the    
pride of an emperor1 said3  ,sir1 ,i'd  
have you know that ,i am a corporal6    
,you are--are you8 replied the officer1 
,i was not aware of that1 and then      
taking off his hat1 and making a low    
bow1 said1 ,i ask your pardon ,mr4      
,corporal4  ,after this he got off his  
horse1 and throwing aside his coat1 he  
took hold and helped the men at their   
work till they got the timber into its  

place4 ,by this time the perspiration   
stood in drops upon his forehead4 ,he   
took out his handkerchief and wiped his 
brow4 ,then turning to the commander he 
said3  ,mr4 ,corporal1 when you have    
another such job on hand1 and have not  
men enough to do it1 send for your      
,commander-in-chief1 and ,i will come   
and help you again4  ,it was ,general   
,washington who did and said this4 ,the 
,corporal was thunderstruck6 ,the great 
,washington1 though honored above all   
men on the continent1 was humble enough 
to put his hand and shoulder to the     
timber1 that he might help the humblest 
of his soldiers1 who were struggling for
 the defence of their country1 to bear  
the burdens appointed to them4  ,this is
 an excellent illustration of the truth 
we are now considering4 ,and certainly  
we should all try to learn the lesson of
 humility which ,jesus taught1 when we  
see how it helps to make us useful4     
,and then there is one other reason why 
we should learn this lesson1 and that is

 because of the--,,blessing--that       
attends it4  ,mary1 the ,mother of      
,jesus1 in her noble song about the     
birth of her wonderful ,son1 said that  
,god filleth the hungry with good       
things1 and sendeth the rich empty away4
 ,by the hungry she meant the humble and
 by the rich the proud4 ,and the good   
things with which ,god fills them mean  
the blessings ,he bestows on the humble4
 ,our ,saviour taught the same truth    
when he said1 he that humbleth himself  
shall be exalted4 ,luke xiv3 #aa4 ,being
 exalted here means being honored and   
blessed4 ,these passages teach very     
clearly the truth of which we are now   
speaking4 ,they show us that we must    
learn the lesson of humility if we hope 
to have ,god's blessing rest upon us4   
,and it is not more true that two and   
two make four1 than it is that ,god's   
blessing does attend and follow those   
who learn the lesson of humility4  ,how 
many illustrations of this truth we find
 in the ,bible6 ,moses had learned the  

lesson of humility before ,god sent him 
on his great mission1 which has given   
him a name and a place among the most   
famous men of the world4  ,gideon had   
learned the lesson of humility before   
,god made choice of him to be the       
deliverer of his people ,israel from the
 hands of their enemies2 and then1 for  
years to be their honored ruler4 ,john  
the ,baptist was so humble that he said 
of himself that he was not worthy to    
stoop down and unloose the latchet of   
our ,saviour's shoe2 and yet ,jesus said
 of him that he was one of the greatest 
men that ever had been born4  ,the      
apostle ,paul was so humble that he     
considered himself less than the least  
of all saints1 and the chief of sinners2
 and yet ,god honored and blessed him   
till he became the most famous and      
useful of all the apostles4  ,if we turn
 from the ,bible1 and look out into the 
world around us1 we may compare proud   
people to the tops of the mountains2    
these are bare and barren1 and of little

 use to the world4 ,we may compare      
humble people to the plains and valleys4
 ,these are fertile and beautiful1 and  
are the greatest blessing to the world1 
in the abundance of grain1 and fruit1   
and other good things which they yield4 
,and then1 if we take notice of what is 
occurring in the scenes of daily life1  
we shall meet with incidents continually
 which furnish us with illustrations of 
the part of our subject now before us1  
that ,god crowns the humble with his    
blessing4 ,let us look at one or two of 
these illustrations4  ,the ,little      
,loaf4 ,in a certain part of ,germany1  
some years ago1 a famine was prevailing1
 and many of the people were suffering  
from hunger4 ,a kind-hearted rich man   
sent for twenty of the poorest children 
in the village where he lived1 to come  
to his house4 ,as they stood on the     
porch of his house1 he came out to them 
bringing a large basket in his hand4 ,he
 set it down before him and said3       
,children1 in this basket there is bread

 for you all4 ,take a loaf1 each of you1
 and come back every day at this hour1  
till it shall please ,god to send us    
better times4  ,then he left the        
children to themselves and went into the
 house1 but watched them through the    
window4 ,the hungry children seized the 
basket1 quarreled and struggled for the 
bread1 because each of them wished to   
get the best and largest loaf4 ,then    
they went away without ever thanking the
 good gentleman for his kindness4  ,but 
one little girl1 named ,gretchen1 poorly
 but neatly dressed1 remained1 humbly   
standing by1 till the rest were gone4   
,then she took the last loaf left in the
 basket1 the smallest of the lot4 ,she  
looked up to the window where the       
gentleman stood2 smiled at him2 threw   
him a kiss1 and made a low curtsey in   
token of her gratitude1 and then went   
quickly home4  ,the next day the other  
children were just as ill-behaved as    
they had been before1 and the timid     
humble ,gretchen received a loaf this   

time not more than half the size of the 
one she had on the previous day4 ,but   
when she came home1 and her poor sick   
mother cut the loaf open1 a number of   
new silver pieces of money1 fell        
rattling and shining out of it4  ,her   
mother was frightened1 and said1 ,take  
the money back at once to the good      
gentleman2 for it must certainly have   
dropped into the dough by accident4 ,be 
quick ,gretchen6 be quick6  ,but when   
the little girl came to the good man and
 gave him her mother's message1 he      
kindly said1 ,no1 no1 my child1 it was  
no mistake4 ,i had the silver pieces put
 into the smallest loaf as a reward for 
you4 ,continue to be as humble1         
peaceable1 self-denying1 and grateful as
 you have now shown yourself to be4 ,a  
little girl who is humble enough to take
 the smallest loaf rather than quarrel  
for the larger ones1 will be sure to    
receive greater blessings from ,god than
 if she had silver pieces of money baked
 in every loaf of bread she ate4 ,go    

home now1 and greet your good mother    
very kindly for me4 ,here we see how    
,god's blessing attends the humble4     
,humility ,proving a ,blessing4 ,some   
time ago a young man went into the      
office of one of the largest dry-goods  
houses in ,new ,york and asked for a    
situation4 ,he was told to call again   
another day4  ,going down ,broadway that
 same afternoon1 when opposite the      
,astor ,house1 he saw an old apple      
woman1 in trying to cross the street1   
struck by an omnibus1 knocked down1 and 
her basket of apples sent scattering    
into the gutter4  ,the young man stepped
 out of the crowd1 helped the old woman 
to her feet1 put her apples into her    
basket1 and went on his way1 without    
thinking of it4  ,now a proud man would 
never have thought of doing such a thing
 as that4 ,but this young man had       
learned the lesson of humility1 and did 
not hesitate a moment to do this kind   
act4  ,when he called again to see about
 the situation1 he was asked what wages 

he expected4  ,he stated what he thought
 would be right4 ,his proposal was      
accepted4 ,the situation was given him1 
and he went to work4  ,about a year     
afterwards1 his employer took him aside 
one day1 reminded him of the incident   
about the old apple woman2 told him he  
was passing at the time1 and saw it2 and
 that it was this circumstance which    
induced him to offer the vacant         
situation to him1 in preference to a    
hundred others who were applying for it4
  ,here we see what a blessing this     
young man's humility proved to him6     
,and thus we see that there are five    
good reasons why we should learn the    
lesson of humility4 ,these are the      
command of ,christ2 the example of      
,christ2 the comfort that humility      
gives2 the usefulness to which it leads2
 and the blessing that attends it4  ,the
 first verse of the hymn we often sing  
contains a very suitable prayer to offer
 when we think of the lesson of humility
 we have now been considering3    ,lord 

forever at thy side     ,let my place   
and portion be2   ,strip me of the robe 
of pride     ,clothe me with humility4  
,,christ ,,and ,,the ,,little ,,children
      ,if1 when ,jesus was here on      
earth1 he had shown a great interest in 
kings1 and princes1 in rich1 and wise1  
and great men1 it would not have been   
surprising2 because he was a king and a 
prince1 himself2 he was richer than the 
richest1 and wiser than the wisest1 and 
greater than the greatest4 ,but he did  
not do this4 ,he took no particular     
notice of them2 but he showed the       
greatest possible interest in children4 
,when mothers brought their little ones 
to him1 the disciples wanted to keep    
them away4 ,they thought1 no doubt1 that
 he was too busy to take any notice of  
them4 ,but they were mistaken4 ,he was  
very busy indeed4 ,he had many lessons  
to teach4 ,he had sermons to preach2 and
 sick people to heal2 and blind eyes to 
open2 and deaf ears to unstop2 and lame 
men to make whole2 and dead men to raise

 to life again4 ,he had all his         
,father's will to make known to men2 and
 all his ,father's commandments to keep4
 ,he had to suffer1 and to die for the  
sins of the world2 that he might open   
the kingdom of heaven to all believers4 
,he was the busiest man that ever lived4
 ,nobody ever had so much to do as he   
had4 ,and yet1 he was not too busy to   
attend to the little children4 ,he had  
time to give to them4 ,so he rebuked his
 disciples for trying to keep the       
children away from him4 ,he told the    
mothers to bring them near4 ,they did   
so4 ,and then1 one by one1 he took them 
up in his arms1 put his hands upon them 
and blessed them4 ,and when he had done 
this1 as though that were not enough1 he
 spoke those precious1 glorious1 golden 
words3--,suffer the little children to  
come unto me1 and forbid them not1 for  
of such is the kingdom of heaven1 verily
 ,i say unto you1 whosoever shall not   
receive the kingdom of ,god as a little 
child1 he shall not enter therein4      

,these things are told us by three of   
the evangelists4 ,st4 ,matthew mentions 
them in chapter xix3 #ac-ae4 ,st4 ,mark 
x3 #ac-af1 and ,st4 ,luke xviii3 #ae-ag4
  ,on another occasion1 when he was in  
the temple1 the children sang hosannas  
to him as the son of ,david4 ,the chief 
priests and scribes were greatly        
displeased1 when they heard it1 and said
 unto him1 hearest thou what these say8 
and ,jesus said unto them1 yea3 have ye 
never read1 out of the mouths of babes  
and sucklings thou hast perfected       
praise8 ,matt1 xxi3 #ae1 #af4 ,here he  
quoted from the ,old ,testament 7,ps4   
viii3 #b7 to prove to them from their   
own scriptures1 that ,god loves little  
children1 and delights to have them     
engage in his service1 and sing his     
praises4  ,and there was one other      
occasion on which ,jesus spoke about the
 children1 and showed his interest in   
them4 ,this was after his resurrection4 
,we read about it in ,st4 ,john xxi3    
#ae-ah4 ,he met his disciples1 one day1 

on the shore of the sea of ,galilee4    
,peter1 who had shamefully denied his   
,master on the night in which he was    
betrayed was present with them4 ,jesus  
said to him1 as if to remind him of his 
great sin1 ,simon1 son of ,jonas1 lovest
 thou me8 ,yea1 ,lord1 thou knowest that
 ,i love thee1 said the penitent        
disciple4 ,feed my lambs1 was his       
,master's reply4 ,here again1 how       
beautifully ,jesus showed his great love
 for the little ones of his flock6      
,from these different passages1 we see  
clearly how dear little children are to 
the heart of our blessed ,saviour6 ,he  
is the only great ,teacher who ever     
showed such an interest in children4    
,and the religion of ,jesus is the only 
religion which teaches its followers to 
love and care for the little ones4 ,the 
worshipers of the idol ,moloch1         
mentioned in the ,bible1 used to offer  
their children as burnt-sacrifices to   
their cruel god4 ,mahometans look upon  
their women and children as inferior    

beings4 ,the ,hindoos neglect their     
infants1 and leave them exposed on the  
banks of the ,ganges1 or throw them into
 the river to be devoured by the hungry 
crocodiles4 ,in the city of ,pekin many 
infants are thrown out into the streets 
every night4 ,sometimes they are killed 
by the fall4 ,sometimes they are only   
half killed1 and linger1 moaning in     
their agony1 till the morning4 ,then the
 police go around1 and pick them up1 and
 throw them all together into a hole and
 bury them4  ,in ,africa1 the children  
are sometimes buried alive2 and         
sometimes left out in the fields or     
forests for the wild beasts to devour   
them4 ,in the ,south ,sea ,islands      
three-fourths of all the children born  
used to be killed4 ,sometimes they would
 strangle their babies4 ,sometimes they 
would leave them1 where oxen and cattle 
would tread on them1 and trample them to
 death2 while1 at other times1 they     
would break all their joints1 beginning 
with their fingers and toes1 and then go

 on to their wrists1 and elbows1 and    
shoulders4 ,how dreadful it is to think 
of such practices6 ,and when we turn    
from these scenes of heart-rending      
cruelty and think of the gracious       
,saviour1--the gentle ,jesus1 meek and  
mild1 stretching forth his arms in      
loving tenderness1 and uttering the     
sweet words1--,suffer the little        
children to come unto me1 and forbid    
them not2 for of such is the kingdom of 
,god1--what a wonderful contrast it     
makes6  ,and when we think of all that  
,jesus did and said to show his interest
 in children1 we may well ask ourselves 
such questions as these1--,why was it   
so8 ,what did he do it for8 ,and when we
 come to look carefully into this part  
of the life of ,christ1 we can see four 
great things in it2 and these are the   
reasons why ,jesus did and said so much 
about children4  ,in the first place we 
see--,,great ,,love--in the interest    
,christ manifested towards the young4   
,it was the same love which brought him 

down from heaven1 and made him willing  
to become a little child himself2 the   
same love which made him willing to live
 in poverty--and suffer the dreadful    
death upon the cross that led him to    
show such interest in the little ones4  
,but if he had not told us himself how  
he feels on this subject1 we could not  
have been sure of it4 ,children might   
well have said1 when they heard about   
the love of ,christ1 ,yes1 we have no   
doubt that ,jesus does love grown up    
people1 men and women in general4 ,we   
believe this because the ,bible tells us
 so2 but how do we know that he loves us
 children8 ,if he had not told us so    
himself1 we could not have been sure of 
it4 ,but we know it now4 ,and when we   
hear1 or read of the love of ,christ1 we
 may be sure that it takes the children 
in4  ,during a famine in ,germany1 a    
family became so poor that they were in 
danger of starving4 ,the father proposed
 that one of the children should be     
sold1 and food provided for those that  

remained4 ,at last the mother consented2
 but then the question arose which one  
of the four should be selected4 ,the    
eldest1 their first-born1 could not be  
spared2 the second looked like the      
mother1 the third was like his father1  
and they could not give either of them  
up2 and then the youngest--why1 he was  
their pet1 their darling1 how could they
 give him up8 ,so they concluded that   
they would all perish together1 rather  
than part with one of their little ones4
 ,when those children knew of this1 they
 might very well feel sure that their   
parents loved them4 ,but ,jesus did more
 than this for us1 he was willing to die
 upon the cross1 and he did so die1 that
 not one of his little ones should      
perish4  ,being ,loved ,back ,again4    
,little ,alice ,lee sat in her rocking  
chair4 ,she was clasping a beautiful wax
 doll to her bosom1 and singing sweet   
lullabies to it4 ,but every little while
 she looked wistfully at her mother4    
,she was busy writing1 and had told     

,alice to keep as quiet as possible till
 she got through4  ,it seemed a long    
time to ,alice2 but after awhile her    
mother laid down her pen1 and pushed    
aside her papers1 and said3--,now ,i am 
through for to-day1 ,alice1 and you can 
make as much noise as you please4  ,in a
 moment ,alice laid down her doll1 and  
running to her mother1 threw her arms   
round her neck1 and nestled sweetly in  
her loving bosom4  ,i'm so glad1 said   
,alice1 ,i wanted to love you so much1  
mamma4  ,did you1 darling8 and the      
mother clasped the little one tenderly  
in her arms4 ,i am very glad that my    
little girl loves me2 replied her       
mother1 but ,i thought you were not very
 lonely while ,i was writing2 you and   
dollie seemed to be having a good time  
together4  ,yes1 we had1 mamma2 but ,i  
always get tired of loving dollie after 
awhile4  ,do you1 dear8 ,tell me why8   
,o1 because she never loves me back     
again4  ,and is that why you love me8   
,that is one why1 mamma2 but not the    

first one1 or the best one4  ,and what  
is the first1 and best8  ,why1 mamma1   
can't you guess8 and the little girl's  
blue eyes grew very bright1 as they     
gazed earnestly into her mother's face4 
,it's because you loved me when ,i was  
too little to love you back2 that's why 
,i love you so4  ,and what a reason this
 is why we should love ,jesus6 ,he loved
 us when we were too little to love him 
back4 ,the ,bible says--,we love him    
because he first loved us4 ,he loved us 
before we knew him1 or had ever heard of
 him4 ,he loved us before we were born4 
,before the world was made ,jesus       
thought of you and me1 and loved us4    
,this is what he means when he says3--,i
 have loved thee with an everlasting    
love4 ,jer4 xxxi3 #c4 ,this means a love
 that never had a beginning1 and that   
will never have an end4 ,this is very   
wonderful4 ,and when we think of it1 we 
may well sing out our thankfulness in   
the words of the hymn3    ,i am glad    
that our ,father in heaven   ,tells of  

his love in the ,book he has given2     
,wonderful things in the ,bible ,i see2 
,this is the sweetest1 that ,jesus loves
 me4     ,i am so glad that ,jesus loves
 me1     ,jesus loves--even me  ,and    
when we think of all the kind words and 
actions of ,jesus1 by which he showed   
his interest in little children1 the    
first thing that we see in them         
is--great love4  ,now1 let us take      
another look at this part of our        
,saviour's life1 and the second thing   
that we see in it is--,,great ,,wisdom4 
,it is wise to take care of the children
 and try to bring them to ,jesus when   
young1 because then they are easily     
controlled4  ,suppose we plant an acorn 
in a corner of our garden4 ,after awhile
 a green shoot springs out from it4 ,we 
go to look at it when it is about a foot
 high4 ,we find it getting crooked2 but 
with the gentlest touch of thumb and    
finger1 we can straighten it out4 ,we   
wish it to lean in a particular         
direction4 ,we give it a slight touch1  

and it leans just that way4 ,afterwards 
we conclude to have it lean in the      
opposite direction4 ,another slight     
touch1 and it takes that direction4 ,it 
is true1 as the poet says1 ,just as the 
twig is bent1 the tree's inclined4 ,but1
 suppose we let it grow for twenty or   
thirty years1 and then come back to it4 
,it is now a great oak tree4 ,there is  
an ugly twist in its trunk4 ,we try to  
straighten it out2 but in vain4 ,no     
power on earth can do that now4 ,you can
 cut it down2 or saw it up2 or break it 
into splinters2 but you cannot          
straighten it4  ,suppose1 that you and  
,i should go to one of the highest      
summits of the ,rocky ,mountains4 ,in a 
certain place there1 we should find two 
little fountains springing up near each 
other4 ,with the end of a finger we     
might trace the course in which either  
of those little springs should flow4 ,we
 could lead one down the eastern side of
 the mountains1 and the other down the  
western side4 ,it would be very easy to 

control them then4 ,but suppose now we  
travel down the side of the mountain    
till we reach the plain1 at its base4   
,now see1 yonder is a great river1      
rolling on its mighty flood of waters4  
,that is what the little spring has     
grown to4 ,it is too late to control it 
now4 ,the time for controlling it was up
 yonder near the spring4  ,it is easy to
 control the spring2 it is very hard to 
control the river4 ,jesus wished to     
control the spring when he directed us  
to bring the children to him4 ,and in   
this he showed his wisdom4  ,it is wise 
to take an interest in children1 and    
bring them early to ,jesus--because they
 have great influence in the world4     
,who can tell the influence that        
children are exerting in the world8 ,we 
have an illustration of this in the     
words that were once spoken by          
,themistocles1 the celebrated ,grecian  
governor and general4 ,he had a little  
boy1 of whom his mother was very fond   
and over whom the child had very great  

influence4 ,his father pointed to him1  
one day1 and said to a friend1 ,look at 
that child2 he has more power than all  
,greece4 ,for the city of ,athens rules 
,greece2 ,i rule ,athens2 that child's  
mother rules me1 and he rules his       
mother4  ,i feel sure our ,saviour must 
have felt very much as some one has     
done1 who writes in this way about      
,,the ,,good ,,that ,,children ,,do4    
,a dreary place would be this earth     
,were there no little people in it2     
,the song of life would lose its mirth  
,were there no children to begin it2    
,no little forms1 like buds to grow1    
,and make the admiring heart surrender2 
,no little hands1 on breast and brow1   
,to keep the thrilling love-chords      
tender4    ,no babe within our arms to  
leap1     ,no little feet towards       
slumber tending2   ,no little knee in   
prayer to bend1     ,our loving lips the
 sweet words lending4    ,life's song   
indeed would lose its charm1     ,were  
there no babies to begin it2   ,a       

doleful place this world would be1      
,were there no little people in it4     
,and if children have so great an       
influence in the world it was wise in   
,jesus to desire to have them brought   
early to him that they might learn to   
use that influence in the best possible 
way4  ,and then it was wise in ,jesus to
 desire this1 again1 because bringing   
children to him prevents great trouble1 
and secures great blessing4  ,we are all
 familiar with ,dr4 ,watts' sweet hymn1 
which says3  ',twill save us from a     
thousand snares   ,to mind religion     
young4  ,here is a striking illustration
 of this truth in the history of3  ,one 
,neglected ,child4 ,a good many years   
ago1 in one of the upper counties of    
,new ,york1 there was a little girl     
named ,margaret4 ,she was not brought to
 ,christ1 but was turned out on the     
world to do as she pleased4 ,she grew up
 to be perhaps the wickedest woman in   
that part of the country4 ,she had a    
large family of children1 who became    

about as wicked as herself2 her         
descendants have been a plague and a    
curse to that county ever since4 ,the   
records of that county show that two    
hundred of her descendants have been    
criminals4 ,in a single generation of   
her descendants there were twenty       
children4 ,three of these died in       
infancy4 ,of the remaining seventeen1   
who lived to grow up1 nine were sent to 
the state prison for great crimes2 while
 all the others were found1 from time to
 time1 in the jails1 the penitentiaries1
 or the almshouses4 ,nearly all the     
descendants of this woman were idiots1  
or drunkards1 or paupers1 or bad people1
 of the very worst character4 ,that one 
neglected child thus cost the county in 
which she lived hundreds of thousands of
 dollars1 besides the untold evil that  
followed from the bad examples of her   
descendants4 ,how different the result  
would have been if this poor child had  
been brought to ,jesus and made a       
,christian when she was young6  ,the    

,result of ,early ,choice4 ,here is a   
short story of two boys1 of the choice  
they made when young1 and the different 
results that followed from that choice4 
,a minister of the gospel was preaching 
on one occasion to the convicts in the  
state prison of ,connecticut4 ,as he    
rose in the desk and looked around on   
the congregation1 he saw a man there    
whose face seemed familiar to him4 ,when
 the service was over he went to this   
man's cell1 to have some conversation   
with him4  ,i remember you very well1   
sir1 said the prisoner4 ,we were boys in
 the same neighborhood2 we went to the  
same school2 sat beside each other on   
the same bench1 and then my prospects   
were as bright as yours4 ,but1 at the   
age of fourteen1 you made choice of the 
service of ,god1 and became a           
,christian4 ,i refused to come to       
,christ1 but made choice of the world   
and sin4 ,and now1 you are a happy and  
honored minister of the gospel1 while ,i
 am a wretched outcast4 ,i have served  

ten years in this penitentiary and am to
 be a prisoner here for life4  ,jesus   
knew what blessings would follow to     
those who were early brought to him1 and
 we see that there was great wisdom in  
the words that he spake when he         
said--,suffer the little children to    
come unto me4  ,in the next place there 
was--,,great ,,encouragement--in what   
,jesus did and said about children4  ,if
 a company of boys or girls should try  
to get into the presence of a monarch1  
some great king1 or emperor1 they would 
find it a pretty hard thing to do4 ,at  
the door of the palace they would meet  
with soldiers or servants1 the guards of
 the queen or king4 ,they would say to  
the children--what do you want here8    
,and if the children should say1 ,please
 sir1 we wish to go into the palace and 
see the queen1 the answer would be3 ,go 
away2 go away4 ,the queen is too busy4  
,she has no time to attend to little    
folks like you4 ,and the children would 
have to go away without getting to see  

the queen4  ,but1 ,jesus is a greater   
king than any who ever sat upon an      
earthly throne4 ,he has more to do than 
all the kings and queens in the world   
put together4 ,and yet he never gave    
orders to the angels1 or to any of his  
servants to keep the children away from 
him4 ,on his great throne in yonder     
heavens he says still1 what he said when
 he was on earth--,suffer the little    
children to come unto me1 and forbid    
them not4 ,and he says this on purpose  
to encourage the children to come to    
him4 ,and the thought that ,jesus loves 
them and feels an interest in them has  
encouraged multitudes of little ones to 
seek him and serve him4 ,here are some  
illustrations of this3  ,learning to    
,love ,jesus4 ,a little girl came to me 
one day1 said a minister of the gospel1 
and said1 ',please sir1 may ,i speak to 
you a minute8' ,i saw that she was in   
some trouble2 so ,i took her kindly by  
the hand1 and said1 ',certainly1 my     
child4 ,what do you wish to say8'       

',please1 sir1' said she1 as her lip    
quivered and tears filled her eyes1     
'it's a dreadful thing2 but ,i don't    
love ,jesus4'  ',and are you not going  
to love him8' ,i asked4  ',i don't know2
 but please sir1 ,i want you to tell me 
how4' ,she spoke sadly1 as if it was    
something she never could do4  ',well1' 
,i said1 ',st4 ,john1 who loved our     
,lord almost more than any one else ever
 did1 says that we love him because he  
first loved us4 ,now if you go home     
to-night1 saying in your heart1 ,jesus  
loves me1 ,i think that to-morrow you   
will be able to say--,i love ,jesus4'   
,she looked up through her tears1 and   
repeated the words very softly1 ',jesus 
loves me4' ,she began to think about it 
on her way home1 as well as to say it4  
,she thought about his life1 about his  
death on the cross1 and about his sweet 
words to the little ones1 and she began 
to feel it too4  ,the next evening she  
came to see me again2 and1 putting both 
her hands in mine1 with a bright happy  

face1 she said3  ',oh6 please sir1 ,i   
love ,jesus now2 for ,i know he does    
love me so6'  ,here was a little one    
encouraged to come to ,jesus by thinking
 of the interest he feels in children4  
,doesn't ,he ,love to ,save8 ,a mother  
had just tucked her little boy in bed1  
and had received his good-night kisses4 
,she lingered awhile1 at his bedside1 to
 speak to him about ,jesus1 and to see  
if he was feeling right toward him4 ,he 
was a good1 obedient boy1 but that day  
he had done something that grieved his  
mother4 ,he had expressed his sorrow for
 it1 and asked his mother's forgiveness4
 ,as she stooped down for the last kiss1
 he said--,is it all settled1 mother8   
,yes1 my child1 she said1 it's all      
settled with me2 but have you settled it
 all with ,jesus8 ,yes1 mother3 ,i've   
asked him to forgive me3 and ,i believe 
him when he says he will2 for doesn't he
 love to help and save children8 ,he    
does1 my child1 he does1 said his       
mother1 as she gazed on his happy little

 face1 lighted up with the joy of that  
gospel1 so often hidden from the wise   
and prudent1 but revealed to babes4     
,here we see how this little fellow was 
encouraged to seek ,jesus from the      
assurance that he feels an interest in  
children1 and loves to help and bless   
them4  ,love ,leads to ,love4 ,a little 
boy named ,charley stood at the window  
with his mother one morning1 watching   
the robins as they enjoyed their morning
 meal of cherries from the tree near    
their house4 ,mother1 said ,charley1    
,how the birdies all love father4  ,they
 do1 said his mother1 but what do you   
suppose is the reason that the birdies  
love your father8  ,this question seemed
 to set ,charley to thinking4 ,he did   
not answer at first1 but presently he   
said1 ,why mother all the creatures seem
 to love father4 ,my dog is almost as   
glad to see him as to see me4 ,pussy1   
you know1 always comes to him1 and seems
 to know exactly what he is saying4     
,even the old cow follows him around the

 meadow1 and the other day ,i saw her   
licking his hand1 just as a dog would4  
,i think it must be because father loves
 them4 ,you know he will often get up   
and give pussy something to eat2 and he 
pulls carrots for the cow1 and pats her2
 and somehow ,i think his voice never   
sounds so sweet as when he is talking to
 these dumb creatures4  ,i think his    
voice is very pleasant when he is       
talking to his little boy1 said his     
mother4  ,charley smiled1 and said1     
,that's so1 mother4 ,father loves me1   
and ,i love him dearly4 ,but he loves   
the birdies too ,i am sure4 ,he whistles
 to them every morning when they are    
eating their cherries1 and they don't   
seem a bit afraid of him1 although he is
 near enough to catch them4 ,mother ,i  
wish everything loved me as they do     
father4  ,do as father does1 ,charley1  
and they will4 ,love all things and be  
kind to them4 ,don't kick the dog1 or   
speak roughly to him4 ,don't pull       
pussy's tail1 nor chase the hens1 nor   

try to frighten the cow4 ,never throw   
stones at the birds4 ,never hurt nor    
tease anything4 ,speak gently and       
lovingly to them and they will love you1
 and everybody that knows you will love 
you too4  ,now ,charley's father1 in    
acting as he did1 was trying to make all
 the dumb creatures about him know that 
he was their friend2 that he loved them1
 and had nothing but kindness in his    
heart towards them4 ,in this way he     
encouraged them to come to him1 and not 
be afraid of him4  ,and this is just the
 way in which ,jesus was acting when he 
did and said so much to show his        
interest in children4 ,he wants them all
 to understand that he is their friend2 
that he loves them1 and wants them to   
come to him and love and serve him4 ,and
 so every child who hears or reads about
 ,jesus may feel encouraged to say3     
,once in his arms the ,saviour took     
,young children just like me1   ,and    
blessed them with his voice and look    
,as kind as kind could be4    ,and      

though to heaven the ,lord hath gone1   
,and seems so far away1   ,he hath a    
smile for every one     ,that doth his  
voice obey4    ,i'd rather be the least 
of them     ,that he will bless and own1
   ,than wear a royal diadem1     ,and  
sit upon a throne4  ,and so we may well 
say that in what ,jesus did and said    
about the children there is great       
encouragement4  ,and then there         
are--,,great ,,lessons--too1 in this    
part of the life of ,christ4  ,there are
 two lessons taught us here4 ,one is    
about the work we are to do for ,jesus  
here on earth4 ,when ,jesus said to     
,peter1 ,lovest thou me8 ,feed my lambs1
 he meant to teach him1 and you1 and me1
 and all his people everywhere1 the best
 way in which we can show our love to   
him4 ,the lambs of ,christ here spoken  
of mean little children1 wherever they  
are found4 ,and to feed these lambs is  
to teach them about ,jesus4 ,when we are
 trying to bring the young to ,jesus and
 teaching them to love and serve him1   

then we are doing the work that is most 
pleasing to him3--the work that he most 
loves to have his people do4 ,it was    
thinking about this that first led me to
 begin the work of preaching regularly  
to the young4 ,and this is the lesson   
that ,jesus would have all his people   
learn when he says to each of           
them3--,lovest thou me8 ,feed my lambs4 
,the ,angel in the ,stone4 ,many years  
ago there was a celebrated artist who   
lived in ,italy1 whose name was ,michael
 ,angelo4 ,he was a great painter1 and a
 great sculptor1 or a worker in marble4 
,he loved to see beautiful figures      
chiseled out of marble1 and he had great
 power and skill in chiseling out such  
figures4 ,one day1 as he was walking    
with some friends through the city of   
,florence1 he saw a block of marble     
lying neglected in a yard1 half covered 
with dust and rubbish4 ,he stopped to   
examine that block of marble4 ,that day 
happened to be a great holiday in       
,florence and the artist had his best   

suit of clothes on2 but not caring for  
this he threw off his coat1 and went to 
work to clear away the rubbish from that
 marble4 ,his friends were surprised4   
,they said to him3--,come on1 let's go2 
what's the use of wasting your time on  
that good-for-nothing lump of stone8    
,o1 there's an angel in this stone1 said
 he1 and ,i must get it out4  ,he bought
 that block2 had it removed to his      
studio1 and then went to work with his  
mallet and his chisel1 and never rested 
till out of that rough1 unshapen mass of
 stone he made a beautiful marble angel4
  ,now1 every child born into our world 
is like such a block of marble4 ,the    
only difference is that children are    
living stones--marble that will last    
forever4 ,and when we bring our children
 to ,jesus1 and by his help teach them  
to love and serve him1 we are doing for 
them just what ,michael ,angelo was     
doing for his block of marble--we are   
getting the angels out of the stones4   
,and this is what ,jesus loves to have  

us do4  ,how to ,get the ,angels ,out4  
,a ,christian mother1 whose children had
 all been early taught to love and serve
 ,jesus1 was asked the secret of her    
success in bringing up her children4    
,this was her answer3--,while my        
children were infants on my lap1 as ,i  
washed them day by day1 ,i raised my    
heart to ,god that he would wash them in
 that blood which cleanseth from all    
sin2 as ,i clothed them in the morning1 
,i asked my heavenly ,father to clothe  
them with the robe of ,christ's         
righteousness2 as ,i provided them food 
,i prayed that ,god would feed their    
souls with the bread of heaven1 and give
 them to drink of the water of life4    
,when ,i prepared them for the house of 
,god ,i pleaded that their bodies might 
be made fit temples for the ,holy ,ghost
 to dwell in4 ,when they left me daily  
for the week-day school1 ,i followed    
their youthful footsteps with the prayer
 that their path through life might be  
like that of the just1 which shineth    

more and more unto the perfect day4 ,and
 night after night1 as ,i committed them
 to rest1 the silent breathing of my    
soul has been1 that their heavenly      
,father would take them under his tender
 care and fold them in his loving1      
everlasting arms4  ,let ,christian      
mothers follow this example and they    
will not fail to bring the angel out    
from every block of living marble that  
,god has given them4  ,the ,best ,time  
for ,doing ,this4 ,a faithful minister  
of ,christ had a dear only daughter4    
,she had been a thoughtful praying      
child4 ,when only twelve years old she  
had joined her father's church4 ,she now
 lay on her dying bed4 ,as ,i sat by her
 bedside1 says her father1 among the    
things she said which ,i shall never    
forget were these3--',father you know ,i
 joined the church when ,i was          
young--very young4 ,some of our friends 
thought that ,i was too young4 ,but1 oh6
 how ,i wish ,i could tell everybody    
what a comfort it is to me now to think 

of it4' ,then reaching out her hand--the
 fingers were already cold--and grasping
 mine1 she said with great              
earnestness3--',father1 you are at work 
for the young4 ,do all you can for them 
while they are young4 ,it's the best    
time--the best time4 ,oh6 ,i see it now 
as ,i never did before4 ,it is the best 
time--while they are young--the younger 
the better4 ,do all you can for them    
while they are very young4' ,and then   
she fell asleep in ,jesus4  ,this is the
 lesson about the work we are to do for 
him on earth1 that ,jesus taught in what
 he said concerning the children4  ,but 
when we think of those sweet words of   
,jesus--,of such is the kingdom of      
heaven1 we are taught a lesson about the
 company we shall meet there4 ,we learn 
from what our blessed ,lord says on this
 subject that he saves all the little   
ones who die before they are accountable
 for their actions4 ,and we know that of
 all the persons born into our world    
more than half of them die before they  

reach this age4 ,and this makes it very 
certain that more than half the company 
of heaven will be made up of little     
children4 ,this is a very sweet thought 
to those who have lost little ones2 and 
to those who love them4  ,and some      
people think that when young children   
die and go to heaven1 they will not grow
 up to be men and women1 but will always
 remain children4 ,the ,rev4 ,mr4       
,bickersteth1 of ,england1 in speaking  
of a father meeting his little ones in  
heaven1 who died years before he did1   
represents him as meeting them there1   
just of the same age and size as they   
were when they died4 ,and then he       
expresses his own thought on this       
subject in a single line3      ,a babe  
in glory1 is a babe forever4  ,but ,god 
has not said anything on this subject in
 the ,bible4 ,and when he himself has   
not spoken on such a point as this1 it  
is impossible for us to say certainly   
which way it will be4 ,but when we get  
to heaven and find just how it is1 we   

shall all agree that ,god's way is the  
best way4  ,and then ,jesus shows us    
plainly what our character must be if we
 hope to go to heaven and join the happy
 company there4  ,these are the words he
 spake on this subject2 ,verily ,i say  
unto you1 whosoever shall not receive   
the kingdom of ,god as a little child1  
he shall not enter therein4 ,mark x3    
#ae4 ,jesus refers here to some of the  
best things that we find marking the    
character of a good child4 ,such a child
 is gentle1 and loving1 and kind2 and   
this must be our character1 if we hope  
to enter heaven4 ,such a child is       
willing to be taught3--believes all that
 his parent or teacher tells him2 and   
does everything that he is told to do2  
and such must our character be if we    
hope to enter heaven4  ,and so when we  
come to study out this part of our      
,saviour's life1 and think of all that  
he did and said to show his interest in 
children1 we see these four great things
 in it3 viz41 great love2 great wisdom2 

great encouragement2 and great lessons4 
,i know not how to express in a better  
way the feelings which should be in the 
heart of everyone1 young or old1 on     
thinking of this great subject1 than in 
the words of one who has thus sweetly   
written3      ,lamb of ,god6 ,i look to 
,thee1     ,thou shalt my example be2   
,thou art gentle1 meek and mild2        
,thou wast once a little child4         
,fain ,i would be as ,thou art1         
,give me thy obedient heart3     ,thou  
art pitiful1 and kind2     ,let me have 
thy loving mind4      ,let me above all 
fulfill     ,god my heavenly ,father's  
will2     ,never his good ,spirit       
grieve1     ,only to his glory live4    
,loving ,jesus1 gentle ,lamb6     ,in   
thy gracious hands ,i am2     ,make me1 
,saviour1 what ,thou art2     ,live     
thyself within my heart4      ,i shall  
then show forth thy praise2     ,serve  
thee all my happy days2     ,then the   
world shall always see     ,christ1 the 
,holy ,child in me4       ,,the         

,,transfiguration      ,this was one of 
the most surprising scenes in the life  
of our blessed ,lord4 ,it forms a great 
contrast to the other events mentioned  
in his history4 ,he came to visit us in 
great humility4 ,when we read how he was
 born in a stable1 and cradled in a     
manger2 how he had not where to lay his 
head2 when we read of the lowliness1 and
 poverty1 and suffering that marked his 
course1 day by day1 we come naturally to
 think of him as the man of sorrows and 
acquainted with grief4 ,and though1 when
 we remember how he healed the sick1 and
 cast out devils1 and raised the dead to
 life again2 how he walked upon the     
waters1 and controlled the stormy winds 
and waves with his simple word1 he seems
 wonderful in his power and majesty2 yet
 there is nothing1 in all his earthly   
life1 that leads us to think so highly  
of him1 as this scene of the            
,transfiguration1 of which we are now to
 speak4  ,the account of this event is  
given us by three of the evangelists4   

,we find it described by ,st4 ,matt1    
xvii3 #a-ac4 ,st4 ,mark ix3 #b-ac4 ,st4 
,luke ix3 #bh-bi4  ,a short time before 
this took place1 ,jesus had told his    
disciples how he was to go up to        
,jerusalem1 to suffer many things1 to be
 put to death1 be buried1 and be raised 
again on the third day4 ,st4 ,matt1 xvi3
 #ba4 ,he also told them of the         
self-denial1 which all who became his   
disciples would be required to exercise4
 ,this was very different from what they
 were expecting and must have been very 
discouraging to them4 ,they did not yet 
understand that their ,master had come  
into the world to suffer and to die4    
,instead of this1 their minds were      
filled with the idea that the object of 
his coming was to establish an earthly  
kingdom and to reign in glory4 ,and1 for
 themselves1 they were expecting that   
they would share his glory and reign as 
princes with him4 ,and so they must have
 been greatly troubled by his words4 ,to
 encourage and comfort them1 therefore1 

he told them that1 before they died1    
some of them should see the ,son of ,man
 coming in his kingdom4  ,and then1 some
 days after this1 he took three of his  
disciples1 the favored ,john and ,james 
and ,peter1 and went up with them into a
 mountain1 apart by themselves1 and was 
transfigured before them4 ,we are not   
told what mountain it was that was thus 
honored4 ,mount ,tabor1 near ,nazareth1 
on the borders of the ,plain of         
,esdraelon1 has long been regarded as   
the favored spot4 ,but1 in our day1 many
 persons think that it was not on the   
top of ,tabor1 but on one of the summits
 of ,mount ,hermon1 where this wonderful
 event took place4 ,one of the principal
 objections to supposing that ,tabor was
 the place is1 that in those days there 
was a large fortress on the top of this 
mountain1 and this1 they think1 would   
interfere with the privacy that would be
 desired on such an occasion4 ,but1 for 
myself1 ,i still incline to think that  
,tabor was the mountain chosen4 ,i went 

to the top of this mountain1 when in    
,palestine4 ,and though there is a large
 convent there now1 yet the summit of   
,tabor covers a wide space of ground4   
,and outside of the walls of the        
convent1 and even out of sight of its   
walls1 ,i saw a number of retired1 shady
 places that would be particularly      
suitable for such a scene as this4      
,but1 it is impossible to decide        
positively which was the ,mount of      
,transfiguration4 ,and it is not a      
matter of much consequence4 ,those who  
think it was ,hermon are at liberty to  
think so2 and those who think it was    
,tabor1 have a right to their opinion1  
for none can prove that they are        
mistaken in thinking so4  ,and when we  
come to consider this great event in the
 life of our ,saviour1 there are two    
things to speak of in connection with   
it2 these are the wonders we see in it2 
and the lessons we may learn from it4   
,or1 to express it more briefly--,the   
,transfiguration--its wonders1 and its  

lessons4  ,there are three wonders to be
 spoken of1 and three lessons to be     
learned from this subject4  ,the first  
wonder is--,,the ,,wonderful            
,,change--that took place in the        
appearance of our ,lord on this         
occasion4  ,jesus went up the mountain  
with his disciples4 ,it was probably at 
the close of one of his busy days that  
he did this4 ,it would seem from ,st4   
,luke's account1--chap4 ix3 #cb--that   
,peter and his companions were weary    
with the day's work1 and soon fell      
asleep4 ,but1 while they were sleeping1 
,jesus was praying4 ,and it was while he
 was engaged in prayer that the         
,transfiguration took place4 ,st4 ,luke 
tells us it was--as he prayed4  ,let us 
notice now1 what the different          
evangelists tell us about this change4  
,st4 ,matthew says--,he was transfigured
 before them3 and his face did shine as 
the sun1 and his raiment was white as   
the light4 ,st4 ,mark says1 ,his raiment
 became exceeding white as snow1 so as  

no fuller--one who cleans1 or whitens   
cloth--on earth can white them4 ,st4    
,luke says--,as he prayed1 the fashion  
of his countenance was altered1 and his 
raiment was white and glistening4       
,these are the different accounts we    
have of this surprising scene4 ,if the  
disciples had been awake when this      
marvellous change began to take place1  
we cannot for a moment suppose that they
 would have gone to sleep while the     
heavens must have seemed to be opening  
above them and this blaze of glory was  
shining around them4 ,they were1 no     
doubt1 asleep when the transfiguration  
began4 ,and1 as we know that the taking 
of an ordinary light into the room where
 persons are asleep will often awaken   
them1 it is not surprising that the     
disciples should have been aroused from 
their slumber by the flood of light and 
glory that was beaming round their      
,master then4 ,how surprised they must  
have been when they opened their eyes on
 that scene6 ,they would never forget it

 as long as they lived4 ,it was more    
than half a century after this when ,st4
 ,john wrote his gospel2 and it was1 no 
doubt1 to this scene that he referred   
when he said1 in speaking of ,jesus2--we
 beheld his glory1 the glory as of the  
only begotten of the ,father ,st4 ,john 
i3 #ad4 ,and1 not long before his death1
 ,st4 ,peter thus refers to it3--,we    
were eyewitnesses of his majesty4 ,for  
he received from ,god the ,father1 honor
 and glory1 when there came such a voice
 from the excellent glory1 saying1 ,this
 is my beloved ,son in whom ,i am well  
pleased4 ,,ii4 ,pet4 i3 #af1 #ag4  ,one 
object for which this wonderful         
transfiguration of our ,lord took place 
was1 no doubt1 to give to the disciples 
then1 and to the followers of ,jesus in 
all coming time1 an idea of what his    
glory now is in heaven1 and of what it  
will be when he shall come again in his 
kingdom4 ,he had told his disciples     
about his sufferings and death1 and the 
shame and dishonor connected with them2 

and here1 as if to counterbalance that1 
he wished to give them a glimpse of the 
glory that is to shine around him       
forever4  ,how wonderful it must have   
seemed to the astonished disciples6     
,when they had last looked on their     
,master1 before going to sleep1 they had
 seen him as the man of sorrows1 in his 
plain everyday dress1 such as they      
themselves wore3 but1 when they looked  
on him again1 as they awoke from their  
sleep1 they saw his face shining as the 
sun1 and his raiment dazzling in its    
snowy whiteness4  ,to what may we       
compare this wonderful change8 ,suppose 
you have before you the bulbous root of 
the lily plant4 ,you look at it         
carefully1 but there is nothing         
attractive about it4 ,how rough and     
unsightly it appears6 ,you close your   
eyes upon it for a brief space4 ,you    
open them again4 ,but what a change has 
taken place6 ,that plain-homely looking 
bulb has disappeared1 and in its place  
there stands before you the lily plant4 

,it has reached its mature growth4 ,its 
flower is fully developed and blooming  
in all its matchless beauty6 ,what a    
marvellous change that would be6 ,and   
yet it would be but a feeble            
illustration of the more wonderful      
change that took place in our ,saviour  
at his transfiguration4  ,here is       
another illustration4 ,suppose we are   
looking at the western sky1 towards the 
close of day4 ,great masses of dark     
clouds are covering all that part of the
 heavens4 ,they are but common clouds4  
,there is nothing attractive or         
interesting about them4 ,we do not care 
to take a second look at them4 ,we turn 
from them for a little while1 and then  
look at them again4 ,in the meantime1   
the setting sun has thrown his glorious 
beams upon them4 ,how changed they now  
appear6 ,all that was commonplace and   
unattractive about them is gone4 ,how   
they glow and sparkle6 ,gold1 and       
purple1 and all the colors of the       
rainbow are blending1 how beautifully   

there6 ,are these the same dull clouds  
that we looked upon a few moments       
before8 ,yes2 but they have been        
transfigured4 ,a wonderful change has   
come over them4 ,and here we have an    
illustration of our ,lord's             
transfiguration4 ,the first wonder about
 this incident in his life is the       
wonderful change which took place in his
 appearance then4  ,the second wonder   
about the transfiguration is--,,the     
,,wonderful ,,company--that appeared    
with our ,saviour then4  ,at the close  
of his temptation in the wilderness1    
,jesus had some wonderful company too1  
but it was different from what he had   
now4 ,then1 we are told that angels     
came1 and ministered unto him4 ,and in  
the garden of ,gethsemane1 when he was  
sinking to the earth1 overcome by the   
terrible agony through which he was     
passing1 he had more company of the same
 kind2 for we read that--there appeared 
unto him an angel from heaven           
strengthening him4 ,st4 ,luke xxii3 #dc4

 ,but it was not the company of angels  
that waited on him at the time of his   
,transfiguration4 ,no3 but we read that1
 there appeared unto him ,moses1 and    
,elias1 or ,elijah4 ,and if we ask why  
did not the angels come to him now1 as  
they did on other occasions8 ,why did   
these distinguished persons1 of the ,old
 ,testament history1 come from heaven to
 visit him in place of the angels8 ,it  
is easy enough to answer these          
questions4 ,this transfiguration of     
,christ took place1 as he himself tells 
us1 in order to give his disciples a    
view of the glory that will attend him  
when he shall come in his kingdom4 ,when
 he shall appear1 on that occasion1 all 
his people will come with him4 ,those   
who shall have died before he comes will
 be raised from the dead and come with  
him1 in their glorious resurrection     
bodies4 ,and those who shall be living  
when he comes will1 as ,st4 ,paul tells 
us1--be changed in a moment1 in the     
twinkling of an eye--,i4 ,cor4 xv3 #eb1 

#ec--;and have beautiful1 glorified     
bodies1 like the bodies of those who    
have been raised from the dead4 ,and    
both these classes of ,christ's people  
were represented by the distinguished   
persons who formed the company that     
appeared with ,jesus at the             
,transfiguration4 ,moses had been in    
heaven nearly fifteen hundred years when
 this scene took place4 ,he had died1 as
 other men do1 and had been buried4 ,it 
is supposed by many wise and good men   
that his body had been raised from the  
dead1 that he might appear in it on this
 occasion4 ,and thus ,moses represented 
all the dead in ,christ1 who will be    
raised to life again at his coming4     
,elijah had been in heaven for almost a 
thousand years4 ,he had never died1 and 
never lain in the grave4 ,he was        
translated4 ,this means that he was     
taken up to heaven without dying4 ,but  
,st4 ,paul tells us that bodies of flesh
 and blood1 like ours1 cannot enter     
heaven4 ,i4 ,cor4 xv3 #ej4 ,they must be

 changed1 and made fit for that blessed 
place4 ,and so1 we know1 that as ,elijah
 went up to heaven1 in his chariot of   
fire1 the same wonderful change must    
have passed over his body which we have 
seen will take place with those of      
,christ's people who shall be living on 
the earth when he comes again4  ,jesus  
was transfigured that we might know how 
he himself will appear when he comes in 
his kingdom4 ,and ,moses and ,elias     
appeared with him in glory1 to show us  
how the people of ,christ will appear   
when they enter with him into his       
kingdom4 ,and this was a good reason why
 these very persons1 and not the angels1
 should have formed the company that    
came to visit our ,saviour on the ,mount
 of ,transfiguration4 ,it was wonderful 
company indeed that waited on ,jesus    
then4 ,but1 it was a wonderful occasion4
 ,none like it had ever occurred before2
 none like it has ever occurred since2  
and none like it will ever occur again  
till ,jesus shall come in the glory of  

his heavenly kingdom4 ,the second wonder
 of the ,transfiguration was the        
wonderful company4  ,the third wonder   
connected with this great event         
was--,,the ,,wonderful                  
,,conversation--that took place between 
,jesus and his visitors4  ,all the three
 evangelists1 who tell of the           
,transfiguration1 speak of this         
conversation4 ,st4 ,matthew and ,st4    
,mark merely state the fact that ,moses 
and ,elias were talking with ,jesus2 but
 they do not tell us the subject of the 
conversation1 or what it was about which
 they talked4 ,but ,st4 ,luke supplies  
what they leave out4 ,he says1 they     
spake of his decease1 which he should   
accomplish at ,jerusalem ,this means    
that they talked about the death upon   
the cross which he was to suffer4 ,and  
when we remember that these great and   
good men had just come down from heaven1
 where ,god1 the loving ,father of      
,jesus dwells1 and where all the holy   
angels are2 and that this was the only  

time when they were to be present with  
,jesus1 and have an opportunity of      
talking with him1 during all his life on
 earth1 we may wonder why they did not  
choose some more pleasant subject of    
conversation4 ,and yet they did not make
 a mistake4 ,god the ,father had sent   
them from heaven to meet his beloved    
,son on this occasion4 ,and1 no doubt1  
he had told them what subject they were 
to talk about1 and what they were to say
 to ,jesus1 on that subject4 ,and then  
they knew very well how ,jesus felt     
about this matter4 ,and painful as the  
death upon the cross would be1 they knew
 it was the nearest of all things to the
 heart of ,jesus4 ,it was the will of   
his ,father that he should die on the   
cross1 and it was the delight of his    
heart--the very joy of his soul to do   
his ,father's will4 ,and here we learn  
the unspeakable importance of the death 
of ,christ4 ,the apostle ,paul was      
showing his sense of its importance when
 he said1 ,god forbid that ,i should    

glory1 save in the cross of our ,lord   
,jesus4 ,gal4 vi3 #ad4 ,he puts the word
 cross of ,christ1 for the death of     
,christ1 but it means the same thing4   
,some one has compared the cross of     
,christ to a key of gold1 that opens the
 gate of heaven to us1 if we believe in 
,jesus2 but if we refuse to hear and    
obey the words of ,jesus1 it becomes a  
key of iron1 and opens the gate of      
destruction before us4  ,the ,power of  
the ,cross4 ,a heathen ruler had heard  
the story of the cross and desired to   
know its power4 ,when he was sick and   
near his end1 he told his servants to   
make him a large wooden cross1 and lay  
it down in his chamber4 ,when this was  
done1 he said--,take me now and lay me  
on the cross1 and let me die there4 ,as 
he lay there dying he looked in faith to
 the blood of ,christ1 that was shed    
upon the cross1 and said--,it lifts me  
up3 it lifts me4 ,jesus saves me6 and   
thus he died4 ,it was not that wooden   
cross that saved him2 but the death of  

,christ1 on the cross to which he was   
nailed--the death of which ,moses and   
,elias talked with him1 that saved this 
heathen man4 ,they knew what a blessing 
his death would be to the world1 and    
this was why they talked about this     
death4 ,here is one of ,bonar's         
beautiful hymns which speaks sweetly of 
the blessedness and comfort to be found 
in the cross of ,christ4    ,oppressed  
with noonday's scorching heat1     ,to  
this dear cross ,i flee2   ,and in its  
shelter take my seat2     ,no shade like
 this to me6    ,beneath this cross     
clear waters burst2     ,a fountain     
sparkling free2   ,and here ,i quench my
 desert thirst1     ,no spring like this
 to me4    ,a stranger here1 ,i pitch my
 tent     ,beneath this spreading tree2 
,here shall my pilgrim life be spent1   
,no home like this to me6    ,for       
burdened ones a resting place           
,beside this cross ,i see2   ,here1 ,i  
cast off my weariness2     ,no rest like
 this for me6  ,moses and ,elias        

understood how the blessing of the world
 was to flow out from that death upon   
the cross which ,jesus was to suffer2   
and so1 we need not wonder that during  
the short visit which they made to      
,jesus1 amidst the glory of his         
,transfiguration1 the subject1 above all
 others1 about which they desired to    
talk with him--was his death upon the   
cross1--his decease1 which he should    
accomplish at ,jerusalem4  ,these are   
the three great wonders of the          
,transfiguration--the wonderful         
change--the wonderful company--and the  
wonderful conversation4  ,and this      
brings us to the second part of our     
subject1 which is--the three lessons    
taught by the ,transfiguration4  ,the   
first of these is--,,the ,,lesson ,,of  
,,hope4  ,one thing for which the       
,transfiguration took place was to show 
us what we may hope to be hereafter1 if 
we are the servants of ,christ4 ,we are 
told how ,jesus appeared on this        
occasion4 ,his glory is described4 ,the 

brightness and glory that shone around  
him exceeded that of the noonday sun4   
,but there is no particular description 
given ,moses and ,elias4 ,we are not    
told how they looked4 ,it is only said  
of them that--they appeared in glory4   
,st ,luke ix3 #ca4 ,i suppose the       
meaning of this is that they shared in  
the glory which ,jesus himself had when 
he was transfigured4 ,their raiment was 
as white as his2 and the same brightness
 and beauty beamed forth from their     
faces which made his so glorious4 ,they 
shared their ,master's glory4 ,and1 if  
we are loving1 and serving ,jesus1 this 
is what we may hope to share with him   
hereafter4 ,this is what we are taught  
to pray for in the beautiful ,collect   
for the sixth ,sunday after the         
,epiphany4 ,these are the words of that 
prayer3 ,o ,god1 whose blessed ,son was 
manifested that he might make us the    
sons of ,god1 and heirs of eternal life2
 ,grant us1 we beseech thee1 that having
 this hope1 we may purify ourselves1    

even as he is pure2 that when he shall  
appear again1 with power and great      
glory1 we may be made like unto him in  
his eternal and glorious kingdom2 where1
 with thee1 ,o ,father1 and thee1 ,o    
,holy ,ghost1 he liveth and reigneth1   
ever ,one ,god1 world without end4      
,amen4  ,and it is right to offer such a
 prayer as this1 because the ,bible     
teaches us to hope for this great glory4
 ,how well a hope like this may be      
called a hope that maketh not ashamed1  
,rom4 v3 #e2 a good hope through grace1 
,,ii4 ,thess4 ii3 #af2 that blessed     
hope1 ,tit4 ii3 #ac2 a lively hope1 ,i4 
,peter i3 #c4 ,and how well it may be   
spoken of as a helmet--to cover the head
 in the day of battle2 and as an anchor 
to keep the soul calm and steadfast when
 the storms of life are bursting upon   
it6 ,moses and ,elias appeared with     
,jesus at his ,transfiguration1 and     
shared his glory on purpose to teach us 
this lesson of hope1 and to show us what
 we shall be hereafter4 ,we shall be as 

glorious as ,jesus was on the ,mount of 
,transfiguration6 ,this seems something 
too great and too good to be true4 ,but 
no matter how great1 or how good it     
is--it is true4 ,jesus taught this      
lesson of hope when he said--speaking of
 the time when he shall come in his     
kingdom1 ,then shall the righteous shine
 forth as the sun in the kingdom of     
their ,father1 ,st4 ,matt1 xiii3 #dc4   
,he taught us the same lesson1 in his   
prayer to his ,father1 when he said1    
speaking of all his people1 ,and the    
glory which thou gavest me1 ,i have     
given them1 ,st4 ,john xvii3 #ba4 ,and  
the apostle ,john taught us the same    
lesson1 when he said1--,we know that    
when he shall appear we shall be like   
him1 ,i4 ,john iii3 #b4 ,these sweet    
passages make this lesson of hope very  
sure4 ,and this is just the way in which
 we are made sure about other things we 
have not seen4  ,how we ,know ,there is 
a ,heaven4 ,a ,sunday-school teacher was
 talking to one of her scholars about   

heaven and the glory we shall have when 
we reach that blessed place4 ,he was a  
bright boy1 about nine or ten years old1
 named ,charlie4 ,after listening to her
 for awhile1 he said3 ,but you have     
never been there1 ,miss ,d41 and how do 
you know there really is any such place8
  ,charlie1 said the teacher1 you have  
never been to ,london2 how do you know  
there is such a city8  ,o1 ,i know that 
very well1 said ,charlie1 because my    
father is there2 and he has sent me a   
letter1 telling me all about it4  ,and  
,god1 my ,father1 is in the heavenly    
city1 said ,miss ,d41 and he has sent me
 a letter1 telling me about the glory of
 heaven1 and about the way to get there4
 ,the ,bible is ,god's letter4  ,yes1 ,i
 see1 said ,charlie1 after thinking     
awhile1 there must be a heaven1 if you  
have got such a nice long letter from   
there4  ,the lesson of hope is the first
 lesson taught us by the                
,transfiguration4  ,the next lesson     
taught us here is--,,the ,,lesson  ,,of 

,,instruction4  ,the great event of the 
,transfiguration took place in our      
,saviour's life for this reason1 among  
others1 that we might learn from it how 
we are to think of ,christ4 ,while the  
disciples were gazing on the glory of   
that scene1 and on the distinguished    
visitors who were there1 there came a   
cloud and overshadowed them4 ,this      
cloud1 we may suppose1 was like a       
curtain round ,moses and ,elias1 hiding 
them from the view of the disciples4    
,and1 as ,jesus in his glory was left   
alone for them to gaze upon1 there came 
a voice from the overshadowing cloud1   
saying--,this is my beloved ,son2 in    
whom ,i am well pleased4 ,this was the  
voice of ,god1 the ,father4 ,it spoke   
out on this occasion to teach the       
disciples then1 and you and me now1 and 
all ,god's people in every age1 what to 
think about ,christ4 ,god1 the ,father1 
tells us here what he thinks about him2 
and we must learn to think of him in the
 same way4 ,his will1 his command is    

that all men should honor the ,son1 even
 as they honor the ,father1 ,st4 ,john  
v3 #c4 ,moses and ,elias were great men 
in their day4 ,they appeared on this    
occasion to add to the honor of ,christ4
 ,and then they disappeared1 as if to   
show that they were nothing in          
comparison with him4 ,he is the greatest
 and the best of all beings4 ,he must be
 first4 ,prophets and priests1 and      
kings1 and angels even1 are as nothing  
to him4 ,we must love him--and honor him
 above all others4 ,the words of the    
hymn we so often sing1 show us how ,god 
would have us think and feel towards    
him3    ,all hail the power of ,jesus'  
name     ,let angels prostrate fall2    
,bring forth the royal diadem1     ,and 
crown him ,lord of all4    ,let every   
kindred1 every tribe1     ,on this      
terrestrial ball1   ,to him all majesty 
ascribe1     ,and crown him ,lord of    
all4  ,how ,christ ,should be ,honored4 
,there is a story told of the ,emperor  
,theodosius the ,great which illustrates

 very well how we should honor ,christ4 
,there were at that time two great      
parties in the church4 ,one of these    
believed and taught the divinity of     
,christ--or that he is equal to ,god the
 ,father4 ,the other party1 called      
,arians1 believed and taught that       
,christ was not divine2 and that he was 
not to be honored and worshiped as ,god4
 ,the ,emperor ,theodosius favored this 
latter party4 ,when his son1 ,arcadius1 
was about sixteen years old1 his father 
determined to make him a sharer of his  
throne1 and passed a law that his son   
should receive the same respect and     
honor that were due to himself4 ,and1 in
 connection with this event1 an incident
 occurred which led the emperor to see  
how wrong the view was which he held    
respecting the character of ,christ1 and
 to give it up4 ,when ,arcadius was     
proclaimed the partner of his father in 
the empire1 the officers of the         
government1 and other prominent persons1
 called on the emperor in his palace1 to

 congratulate him on the occasion1 and  
to pay their respects to his son4       
,among those who thus came1 was a       
celebrated bishop of the church4 ,he was
 very decided in the views he held about
 the real divinity of ,christ1 and very 
much opposed to all who denied this     
divinity4  ,coming into the presence of 
the emperor1 the bishop paid his        
respects to him1 in the most polite and 
proper manner4 ,then he was about to    
retire from the palace1 without taking  
any special notice of the emperor's son4
 ,this made the father angry4 ,he said  
to the bishop1 ,do you take no notice of
 my son8 ,have you not heard that ,i    
have made him a partner with myself in  
the government of the empire8  ,the good
 old bishop made no reply to this1 but  
going to ,arcadius1 he laid his hand on 
his head1 saying1 as he did so--,the    
,lord bless thee1 my son6 and was again 
turning to retire4  ,even this did not  
satisfy the emperor1 who asked1 in a    
tone of surprise and displeasure1 ,is   

this all the respect you pay to a prince
 whom ,i have made equal in dignity with
 myself8  ,with great warmth the bishop 
answered--,does your majesty resent so  
highly my apparent neglect of your son1 
because ,i do not treat him with equal  
honor to yourself8 ,what1 then1 must the
 ,eternal ,god--the ,king of            
heaven--think of you1 who refuse to     
render to his only begotten ,son1 the   
honor and the worship that he claims for
 him8  ,this had such an effect upon the
 emperor that he changed his views on   
this subject1 and ever afterwards took  
part with those who acknowledged the    
divinity of ,christ1 and honored the    
,son1 even as they honored the ,father4 
,and so we see that the second lesson   
taught by the ,transfiguration was the  
lesson of instruction4 ,we must learn to
 think of ,christ as the ,father in     
heaven thinks of him4  ,and then there  
is--,a ,,lesson ,,of ,,duty--that comes 
to us from this ,transfiguration scene4 
,we are taught this lesson by the last  

two words that were spoken1 by the voice
 which the apostles heard from the cloud
 that overshadowed them4 ,these are the 
words3--,hear ,him4 ,this is my beloved 
,son1 in whom ,i am well pleased3 ,hear 
,him4 ,this is ,god's command to every  
one of us4 ,to hear ,jesus1 means to    
listen attentively to what he has to    
say1 and to do it4 ,and what does ,jesus
 say to us8 ,he says many things4 ,but  
the most important thing he has to say  
to the young1 is what we find in ,st4   
,matt1 vi3 #cc3 ,seek ye ,,first the    
kingdom of ,god4 ,this means that we    
must give our hearts to ,jesus1 and     
serve him while we are young4 ,we must  
do this first1--before we do anything   
else4 ,we cannot hear or obey ,jesus in 
anything1 till we hear and obey him in  
this4 ,and there are three good reasons 
why we should do this4  ,we should hear 
him because there is safety in it4 ,we  
are exposed to dangers every day1 and   
nothing will so help to keep us safe in 
the midst of these dangers as hearing   

,jesus1 and doing what he tells us to   
do4 ,here is an illustration of what ,i 
mean4  ,life in the ,midst of ,danger4  
,there was an alarm of fire one day1    
near one of our large public schools4   
,the children in the school were greatly
 frightened4 ,they screamed1 and left   
their places1 and began to rush to the  
windows and stairs4 ,the stairway       
leading to the door was soon choked up2 
and although the fire never reached the 
school-house1 many of the children had  
their limbs broken and were bruised and 
wounded in other ways4  ,but there was  
one little girl who remained quietly in 
her seat during all this excitement4    
,when the alarm was over1 and the       
wounded children had been taken home1   
and order was restored in the school1   
the teacher asked this little girl why  
she sat still in her seat1 and did not  
rush towards the door1 as the other     
girls had done4  ,my father is a        
fireman1 she said1 and he has always    
told me that if ever there was a cry of 

fire when ,i was in school1 ,i must     
remain quiet in my seat1 for that was   
the safest way4 ,i was dreadfully       
frightened2 but ,i knew that what father
 had told me was best2 and so ,i sat    
still1 while the others were running to 
the door4 ,this little girl heard her   
father4 ,she minded him4 ,she did what  
he told her to do1 and she found safety 
in doing so4 ,and if we hear him of whom
 the voice from the ,mount of           
,transfiguration speaks to us--we shall 
find safety from many a danger4  ,we    
ought to learn this lesson of duty1 and 
hear him1 because there is success in   
it4  ,in old times1 when the racers were
 running in the public games1 if a man  
wished to be successful in the race1 it 
was necessary for him to fix his eye on 
the prize1 at the end of the            
race-course1 and keep it fixed there    
till he reached the end4 ,no one could  
have any success in racing who did not  
do this4  ,here is an incident about    
some boys at play that illustrates the  

point now before us4  ,how to ,walk     
,straight4 ,a light snow had fallen in a
 certain village1 and some of the       
village boys met to make the best use   
they could of the new fallen snow4 ,it  
was too dry for snowballing1 and was not
 deep enough for coasting2 so they      
thought they would improve the occasion 
by playing at making tracks in the snow4
  ,there was a large meadow near by1    
with a grand old oak tree standing in   
the centre of it4 ,the boys gathered    
round the tree1 and stood1 on opposite  
sides1 each one with his back against   
the tree4 ,at a given signal they were  
to start1 and walk to the fence opposite
 to each of them2 and then return to the
 tree1 and see which had made the       
straightest track4  ,the signal was     
given4 ,they started4 ,they reached the 
fence1 and returned to the tree4 ,now1  
boys1 who has made the straightest      
track8 said one of the boys1 named      
,james ,allison4  ,henry ,armstrong's is
 the only one that is straight at all1  

said ,thomas ,sanders4  ,i don't see how
 we all contrived to go so crooked1 when
 the meadow is so smooth1 and there is  
nothing to turn us out of the way1 said 
one of the boys4  ,and then1 looking to 
their successful companion1 they        
said--,tell us1 ,harry1 how you managed 
to make so straight a track8  ,now mark 
what ,harry said3--,i fixed my eye on   
yonder tall pine tree on the other side 
of the fence towards which ,i was to    
walk1 and never looked away from it till
 ,i reached the fence4  ,the other boys 
were walking without any particular aim 
in view4 ,no wonder that their walk was 
crooked4 ,after the apostle ,paul became
 a ,christian1 he made one of the       
straightest tracks through this world to
 heaven that ever was made4 ,and he made
 it in just the same way in which ,harry
 ,armstrong made his straight track     
through that meadow4 ,we have seen what 
,harry said of his track through the    
snow2 now see what ,st4 ,paul says of   
the way in which he made his straight   

track through this world to heaven4     
,this is what he says3  ,one thing ,i   
do2 forgetting those things which are   
behind1 and reaching forth unto those   
things which are before1 ,i press toward
 the mark1 for the prize of the high    
calling of ,god1 in ,christ ,jesus1     
,phil1 iii #ac1ad4 ,this was just what  
the racer used to do in the ancient     
games1 when he fixed his eye on the     
prize and pressed right forward till he 
reached it4 ,and it was just what ,harry
 ,armstrong did in his play4 ,he fixed  
his eye on the big pine tree and never  
turned to the right hand or to the left 
till he reached it4 ,the apostle ,paul  
fixed his eye on ,jesus1 and made a     
straight track through the world till he
 reached the glorious heaven where      
,jesus dwells4 ,and1 in doing this1 the 
great apostle was only practising the   
lesson of duty taught by the voice that 
speaks from the ,transfiguration scene4 
,hear him1 said that voice4 ,and if you 
and ,i listen to it1 and obey it1 as    

,st4 ,paul did1 it will lead us to      
follow him as he followed ,christ2 and  
then we shall make a straight path      
through this world to heaven1 as he did 
in his ,christian course4 ,there is     
success in doing this4  ,and then there 
is--profit--in learning this lesson1 as 
well as safety and success4  ,david     
says1 when speaking of ,god's commands1 
,in keeping of them there is great      
reward1 ,ps4 xix3 #aa4 ,this is true of 
all ,god's commands2 and it is          
especially true of the command we are   
now considering--,hear him4  ,samuel    
obeyed this command1 and it made him a  
blessing and an honor to the nation of  
,israel4 ,david obeyed it1 and it made  
him one of the greatest and most        
successful kings4 ,daniel obeyed it1 and
 it covered him with honor1 and made him
 a blessing to his own nation1 and to   
the church of ,christ in every age4     
,the ,reward of ,obedience4 ,here is an 
,eastern story which illustrates this   
point of our subject4 ,the story says   

there was once an enchanted hill4 ,on   
the top of this hill a great treasure   
was hidden4 ,this treasure was put there
 to be the reward of any one who should 
reach the top of the hill without       
looking behind him4 ,the command and the
 promise given to every young person who
 set out to climb that hill1 were--do   
not look behind you1 and that treasure  
shall be yours4 ,but there was a threat 
added to the command and promise4 ,the  
threat was1 if you look behind1 you will
 be turned into a stone4 ,many young    
persons started1 to try and gain the    
prize4 ,but the way to the top of the   
hill led them through beautiful groves1 
which covered the side of the hill4 ,in 
these groves were birds singing sweetly1
 and sounds of music were heard1 and    
melodious voices inviting those who     
passed by to stop and rest awhile4 ,one 
after another of those who set out for  
the prize at the top of the hill would  
stop1 and look round to see where the   
voices came from2 and immediately they  

were turned into stones4 ,hence1 says   
the story1 in a little while the        
hillside was covered with stones1 into  
which those had been turned who         
neglected the command given them when   
they started4  ,of course there never   
was such a hill as this4 ,but the story 
gives us a good illustration4 ,our life 
may well be compared to such a hill4    
,the treasure1 on the top of it1        
represents the reward that awaits us in 
heaven1 if we serve ,god faithfully4    
,the songs1 and the voices1 from the    
groves1 on the hillside1 represent the  
temptations that surround us in our     
daily paths4 ,the lesson of duty that   
comes to us from the ,transfiguration   
scene--,hear him--is the only thing that
 can preserve us from these temptations4
 ,if we hear ,jesus when he says to     
us--follow me2 if we give him our hearts
 and walk in his way1 he will carry us  
through all temptations2 he will bring  
us safely to the top of the hill2 and   
the reward laid up there will be ours4  

,let us learn this lesson of duty1      
because there is safety in it2 there is 
success in it2 there is profit in it4   
,and so we have spoken of two things in 
connection with the ,transfiguration2   
these are the wonders that attended it1 
and the lessons taught by it4 ,the      
wonders are three--the wonderful        
change--the wonderful company--and the  
wonderful conversation2 and the lessons 
are three--the lesson of hope--the      
lesson of instruction--and the lesson of
 duty4  ,in leaving this subject1 let us
 lift up our hearts to ,jesus1 and say1 
in the beautiful language of the ,te    
,deum3      ,thou art the ,king of      
,glory1 ,o ,christ6     ,thou art the   
everlasting ,son of the ,father4        
,when ,thou hadst overcome the sharpness
 of death     ,thou didst open the      
kingdom of heaven to all believers4     
,thou sittest at the right hand of ,god1
     ,in the glory of the ,father4      
,we believe that thou shalt come to be  
our ,judge4     ,we therefore pray thee1

 help thy servants     ,whom thou hast  
redeemed with thy precious blood4       
,make them to be numbered with thy      
saints1     ,in glory everlasting4      
,amen4       ,,the ,,lessons ,,from     
,,olivet      ,our last chapter was on  
the ,transfiguration4 ,the next will be 
on ,the ,last ,supper4 ,between these   
two events in our ,saviour's life1 how  
many interesting incidents took place6  
,how many important sayings that fell   
from his gracious lips during this      
period are written for our instruction  
by the four evangelists6 ,there is1 for 
instance1 the beautiful lesson about    
what it is on which the value of our    
gifts depend4 ,he taught this lesson    
when he saw the rich casting their gifts
 into the treasury4 ,among them came a  
certain poor widow1 casting in two      
mites4 ,and he said1 ,of a truth ,i say 
unto you1 that this poor widow hath cast
 in more than they all2--for she of her 
penury hath cast in all the living she  
had1 ,luke xxi3 #a-d4 ,but1 from among  

all these1 we have only room for one    
chapter4 ,a dozen1 or twenty chapters   
would be needed on this part of the life
 of ,christ4 ,where there are so many   
that might be taken1 it has been very   
difficult to decide which is the best4  
,in deciding this matter1 ,i do not     
think we could do better than join the  
company of the three favored disciples1 
,peter1 ,john1 and ,james1 and go1 in   
thought with them1 as they followed     
their ,master from his last visit to the
 temple in ,jerusalem1 up to the top of 
the ,mount of ,olives4 ,there ,jesus    
took his seat1 and his disciples sat    
around him1 anxious to ask him some     
questions about what he had said to them
 in the temple4 ,we read in ,st4 ,mark  
xiii3 #a-b1 that as he was going out of 
the temple the disciples called his     
attention to the beauty of that sacred  
building and the great size and splendor
 of some of the stones that were in it4 
,then ,jesus pointed to that great      
building1 and told them that the time   

was coming when it would be destroyed1  
and there should not be left one stone  
upon another that should not be thrown  
down4 ,this filled the minds of the     
disciples with surprise and wonder4     
,they supposed that their temple would  
last as long as the world stood4 ,they  
thought that it was the end of the world
 of which ,jesus was speaking2 and they 
were very anxious that he should tell   
them something more about it4 ,and so1  
as soon as they were seated around him1 
on the ,mount of ,olives1 they said1    
,tell us1 when shall these things be8   
and what shall be the sign1 when all    
these things shall be fulfilled8 ,st4   
,mark xii3 #d4  ,and now1 we may imagine
 ourselves sitting with ,jesus and his  
disciples on the ,mount of ,olives4 ,as 
we look down we see the city of         
,jerusalem spread out beneath our feet4 
,we see its walls1 and its palaces4 ,and
 there1 just before us1 outshining      
everything in its beauty1 is that sacred
 temple1 that was forty and six years in

 building4 ,its white marble walls1 its 
golden spires1 and pinnacles1 are       
sparkling in the beams of the sun1 as   
they shine upon them4 ,no wonder the    
,jews were so proud of it6 ,it was a    
glorious building4  ,but now ,jesus is  
beginning to speak4 ,let us listen to   
what he says4 ,the lessons that he      
taught on the ,mount of ,olives run all 
through the twenty-fourth and           
twenty-fifth chapters of ,st4 ,matthew4 
,in the first of these chapters1 ,jesus 
gave them a sign1 by which those who    
learn to understand what he here says1  
might know when his second coming is to 
take place4 ,these are some of the      
lessons from ,olivet4 ,i should like1   
very much1 to stop and talk about them4 
,but this cannot be now4 ,we pass over  
to the twenty-fifth chapter of ,st4     
,matthew4 ,in this chapter we have three
 of our ,saviour's parables4 ,these are 
very solemn and instructive4 ,they all  
refer to the judgment that must take    
place when ,jesus shall come into our   

world again4 ,the second of these       
parables is the one we are now to       
consider4 ,it is called--,the ,parable  
of the ,talents4 ,we find it in ,st4    
,matt1 xxv3 #ad-cj4 ,and the lessons    
from ,olivet1 which we are now to try   
and learn1 are all drawn from the words 
of our ,saviour1 contained in the verses
 just mentioned4  ,this1 then1 is our   
present subject--,the ,lessons from     
,olivet4 ,and there four lessons1 in    
this part of our ,saviour's discourse1  
of which we are now to speak4 ,the first
 is--the lesson about the ,master4 ,the 
second--the lesson about the servants4  
,the third is--the lesson about the     
talents2 and the fourth1 the lesson     
about the rewards4  ,the lesson         
about--,,the ,,master--is the first     
thing of which we are to speak4  ,in the
 #adth verse of this #beth chapter of   
,st4 ,matthew1 ,jesus speaks of himself 
as--a man travelling into a far         
country1--and of his people as--his own 
servants4 ,in the #aith verse he speaks 

of himself as the lord of those         
servants1 coming back1 after a long     
time1 to reckon with them4  ,in ,st4    
,luke xix3 #aa-bg we have another of our
 ,saviour's parables1 very similar to   
the one now before us4 ,there1 he speaks
 of himself as a nobleman who went into 
a far country to receive for himself a  
kingdom1 and to return4 ,this language  
was borrowed from a custom that         
prevailed in those days4 ,the           
headquarters of the government of the   
world then was in the city of ,rome4    
,the kings and rulers of different      
countries received their appointments to
 the offices they held from the ,roman  
,emperor4 ,archelaus1 the son of ,herod1
 succeeded his father as king of ,judea4
 ,but1 it was necessary for him to go to
 ,rome and get permission from the      
emperor to hold and exercise that       
office4 ,he had done this1 not very long
 before our ,saviour applied to himself 
the words we are now considering4 ,this 
was a fact well known4 ,and this is the 

illustration which ,jesus here uses in  
reference to himself4 ,he is the        
,head--the ,prince--the ,lord--the      
,master of all things in his church4 ,he
 spoke of himself to his disciples as   
their ,lord and ,master1 ,st4 ,john     
xiii3 #ad4 ,he tells us that he has gone
 to heaven1 as ,archelaus went to ,rome1
 to receive for himself a kingdom and to
 return4 ,he said he would be absent a  
long time1 verse #ai4 ,and this is true4
 ,he has been absent more than eighteen 
hundred years4 ,he said he would return1
 or come again4 ,and so he will4 ,it is 
just as certain that he will come again 
as it is that he went away4 ,and he will
 come1 not in figure1 or in spirit1 but 
in person1 as he went4 ,remember what   
the angels said about this to his       
disciples1 at the time of his departure4
 ,ye men of ,galilee1 why stand ye      
gazing up into heaven8 this same ,jesus1
 which is taken from you into heaven1   
shall so come1 in like manner as ye have
 seen him go into heaven1 ,acts i3 #aa4 

,he said he would return1 and so he     
will4  ,but1 in the meantime1 he would  
have us remember that he is still our   
,lord and ,master4 ,no master ever had  
such a right to be ,lord and ,ruler as  
he has4 ,god the ,father has appointed  
him to be ,head over all things to his  
church1 ,ephes4 i3 #bb4 ,he is our      
,master1 because he made us4 ,this is   
what no other ever did for his servants4
 ,he is our ,master because he preserves
 us4 ,we cannot keep ourselves for a    
single moment1 but he keeps us all the  
time1--by night1 and by day4 ,and he is 
our ,master because1 when we had sold   
ourselves into sin1 and were appointed  
unto death1 he redeemed us4 ,he bought  
us with the price of his own precious   
blood4 ,he made our hands to work for   
him2 and our feet to walk in his ways4  
,he made our hearts to love him2--our   
minds to think about him2 our eyes to   
see the beauty of his wondrous works1   
our ears to listen to his gracious      
words1 and our lips and tongues to be   

employed in speaking and singing his    
praises4  ,we cannot be our own masters4
 ,i am my own master6--said a young man1
 proudly1 to a friend who was trying to 
persuade him from doing a wrong thing2  
,i am my own master6  ,that's           
impossible1 said his friend4 ,you can   
not be master of yourself1 unless you   
are master of everything within1 and    
everything around you4 ,look within4    
,there is your conscience to keep clear1
 and your heart to make pure1 your      
temper to govern1 your will to control1 
and your judgment to instruct4 ,and then
 look without4 ,there are storms1 and   
seasons2 accidents1 and dangers2 a world
 full of evil men and evil spirits4     
,what can you do with these8 ,and yet1  
if you don't master them1 they'll master
 you4  ,that's so1 said the young man4  
,now1 ,i don't undertake any such thing1
 said his friend4 ,i am sure ,i should  
fail1 if ,i did4 ,saul1 the first king  
of ,israel1 wanted to be his own master1
 and failed4 ,so did ,herod4 ,so did    

,judas4 ,no man can be his own master4  
',one is your ,master1 even ,christ1'   
says the apostle4 ,i work under his     
direction4 ,he is my regulator1 and when
 he is ,master all goes right4 ,think of
 these words1--',he is your ,master even
 ,christ4' ,if we put ourselves under   
his leadership we shall surely win at   
last4  ,and as we cannot be our own     
master1 if we refuse to take ,christ as 
our ,ruler1 there is nothing left for us
 but to have ,satan as our master4      
,these are the only two masters we can  
have4 ,we must make our choice between  
them4 ,if ,jesus is not our ,master1    
,satan must be4 ,if ,jesus is our       
,master here1 he will share his glory   
with us hereafter4 ,if we serve ,satan  
here1 we must share his punishment      
hereafter4 ,this is one of the solemn   
lessons that ,jesus taught on ,olivet4  
,he is speaking of the day of judgment4 
,he represents himself as on the        
judgment-seat4 ,two great companies are 
before him4 ,on his right hand are those

 who took him for their ,master4 ,to    
them he says--,come1 ye blessed children
 of my ,father1 inherit the kingdom     
prepared for you1 from the foundation of
 the world1 ,st4 ,matt1 xxv3 #cd4  ,on  
his left are those who took ,satan for  
their master4 ,the awful words he speaks
 to them are3--,depart from1 ye cursed1 
into everlasting fire1 prepared for the 
devil and his angels4 ,st4 ,matt4 xxv3  
#da4  ,this is our first lesson from    
,olivet--the lesson about the ,master4  
,the second lesson from ,olivet is the  
lesson about--,,the ,,servants4  ,we are
 told that before this nobleman went    
away to the far country1 he called to   
him his own servants4 ,the nobleman here
 spoken of means ,jesus1 our blessed    
,master4 ,and now the question is--who  
are meant by his own servants8 ,he has  
three kinds of servants4 ,the first kind
 is made up of those who serve him      
ignorantly4 ,this takes in all those    
things that have no knowledge or        
understanding4 ,there1 for instance are 

the sun1--the moon1--the stars1--the    
mountains1--the hills1--the plains1--the
 valleys1--the rivers1--the seas1--the  
wind that blows1--the rains that        
descend1--and the dews that distil2     
these all serve ,god1 without knowing   
it4 ,he made them to serve him1 and they
 do it2 but they do it ignorantly4 ,his 
kingdom ruleth over all1 and it makes   
all these things his servants4 ,they do 
exactly what they were made for1 but    
they do it ignorantly4  ,and there is   
another class of our ,lord's creatures  
who serve him unwillingly4 ,this is a   
very large class4 ,it takes in all the  
wicked men1 and the wicked spirits who  
are to be found anywhere4 ,they do not  
wish to serve ,god1 and yet1 in spite of
 themselves1 they are obliged to do it4 
,we see this illustrated1 when we think 
of the way in which the crucifixion of  
our blessed ,saviour was brought about4 
,satan stirred up the ,jews to take     
,jesus and put him to death4 ,god       
allowed them to do it4 ,they did it of  

their own choice--as freely1 and as     
voluntarily1 as they ever did anything  
in their lives4 ,they did it because    
they hated him1 and wished to get him   
out of their way4 ,so they nailed him to
 the cross in their malice and their    
rage4 ,this was the very thing ,god had 
determined should be done1 that he might
 save and bless the world4 ,he allowed  
,satan1 and the ,jews1 to do just what  
their wicked hearts prompted them to do2
 and then he overruled it for good4     
,and1 in this way1 as ,david says1 he   
makes the wrath of man to praise him1   
and the remainder of it he restrains4   
,and thus we see how evil men1 and evil 
spirits1 are ,god's servants            
unwillingly4  ,but then1 there is       
another class of persons who serve ,god 
willingly4 ,this takes in all those who 
know and love him4 ,he speaks of them1  
in this parable as his own servants4    
,when they find out what he has done for
 them1 the thought of it fills their    
hearts with love2 and then they desire  

to serve him1 and do all he tells them  
to do1 in order to show their love to   
him4 ,and this is what ,jesus means when
 he says--,take my yoke upon you2 for my
 yoke is easy1 and my burden is light1  
,when we really love a person1 anything 
that we can do for that person is easy  
and pleasant to us4 ,and so it is the   
great love for ,jesus1 that his people  
have1 which makes his yoke easy1 and his
 burden light to them4  ,how to ,become 
a ,willing ,servant to ,jesus4 ,a little
 boy came to his grandmother one day1   
and asked her how he could become a     
,christian4 ,she answered very simply1  
,ask ,jesus to give you a new heart1 and
 believe he does it when you ask him4   
,is that all8 said the little fellow    
joyfully2 oh6 that is easy enough4 ,so  
he went to his room1 and kneeling beside
 his bed1 asked ,jesus to give him a new
 heart4 ,he believed that the dear      
,saviour1 who loves little children1 did
 hear and answer his prayer4 ,and he    
left his room with a happy heart1 for he

 felt sure that he was now one of       
,christ's own loving children1 and      
willing servants4 ,and this is the way  
in which we must take the yoke of ,jesus
 upon us1 and become his willing        
servants4 ,and then in everything that  
we do we can be serving him4 ,as ,st4   
,paul says--whether we eat or drink1 or 
whatsoever we do1 we can do all to the  
glory of ,god4  ,a good man once said   
that if ,god should send two angels down
 from heaven1 and should tell one of    
them to sit on a throne and rule a      
kingdom1 and the other to sweep the     
streets of a city1 the latter would feel
 that he was serving ,god as acceptably 
in handling his broom as his brother    
angel was in holding his sceptre4 ,and  
this is true4 ,we see the same          
illustrated in the fable of3  ,the      
,stream and the ,mill4 ,i notice1 said  
the stream to the mill1 that you grind  
beans as well and as cheerfully as you  
do the finest wheat4 ,certainly1 said   
the mill2 what am ,i here for but to    

grind8 and so long as ,i work1 what does
 it signify to me what the work is8 ,my 
business is to serve my master1 and ,i  
am not a whit more useful when ,i turn  
out the finest flour than when ,i turn  
out the coarsest meal4 ,my honor is1 not
 in doing fine work1 but in doing any   
thing that is given me to do in the best
 way that ,i can4 ,that is true4 ,and   
this is just the way in which ,jesus    
wishes us to serve him when he says to  
his own servants1 ,occupy till ,i come4 
,this means serve me1 in everything1 as 
you would do if you saw me standing by  
your side4  ,how to ,serve ,god4        
,willie's mother let him go with his    
little sister into the street to play4  
,she told them not to go off the street 
on which their house stood4 ,willie was 
a little fellow1 and lisped very much in
 talking2 but he was brave1 and he was  
obedient4 ,presently his sister asked   
him to go into another street2 but he   
refused4 ,mamma thaid no1 was ,willie's 
answer4 ,the thaid we muthn't do off    

thith threet1 said ,willie in his       
lisping way4 ,only just a little way    
round the corner1 said his teasing      
sister4 ,mamma'll never know it4  ,but  
,i thall know it my own thelf2 and ,i   
don't want to know any thuch a mean     
thing2 and ,i won't6 ,and ,willie       
straightened himself1 and stood up like 
a man4 ,that was brave and beautiful in 
,willie4 ,and that is the way in which  
we should try to serve our heavenly     
,master4  ,how a ,boy ,may ,serve ,god4 
,a gentleman met a little boy wheeling  
his baby brother in a child's carriage4 
,my little man1 said the gentleman1 what
 are you doing to serve ,god8 ,the      
little fellow stopped a moment1 and     
then1 looking up into the gentleman's   
face1 he said3--,why1 you see1 ,sir1    
,i'm trying to make baby happy1 so that 
he won't worry mamma who is sick4 ,that 
was a noble answer4 ,in trying to amuse 
his baby brother1 and to relieve his    
poor sick mother1 that little boy was   
serving ,god as truly and as acceptably 

as the angel ,gabriel does when he wings
 his way1 on a mission of mercy1 to some
 far off world4  ,and this is the lesson
 about the servants that comes to us    
from ,olivet4  ,the lesson about--,,the 
,,talents--is the third lesson that     
comes to us from ,olivet4  ,this parable
 tells us that before the ,master went  
away1 he called his own servants1 and   
delivered unto them his goods4 ,unto one
 he gave five talents1 to another two1  
to another one2 to every man according  
to his several ability4 verses #ad1 #ae1
 ,in ,st4 ,luke's account of the        
parable1 what the master gave to his    
servants is spoken of as pounds1 and    
each servant is said to have received   
one pound4 ,these talents or pounds both
 mean the same thing4 ,they denote      
something with which we can do good1 and
 make ourselves useful4 ,and it is      
plain1 from both these parables1 that   
the ,master gave at least one talent1 or
 one pound1 to each of his servants4    
,none of them were left without some    

portion of their ,master's goods4 ,and  
the lesson from ,olivet which comes to  
us here is that every one of us has a   
talent1 or a pound1 that our ,master    
,jesus1 has given us1 and which he      
expects us to use for him4 ,and the most
 important thing for us is to find out  
what our talents are1 and how we can    
best use them1 so as to be ready to give
 a good account of them when our ,master
 comes to reckon with us4  ,a ,,talent  
,,for ,,each4    ,god entrusts to all   
,talents few or many2   ,none so young  
and small     ,that they have not any4  
,little drops of rain     ,bring the    
springing flowers2   ,and ,i may attain 
,much by little powers4    ,every little
 mite1     ,every little measure1       
,helps to spread the light1     ,helps  
to swell the treasure4    ,god will     
surely ask1     ,ere ,i enter heaven1   
,have ,i done the task     ,which to me 
was given8  ,one ,talent ,improved4 ,one
 day1 amidst the crowded streets of     
,london1 a poor little newsboy had both 

his legs broken by a dray passing over  
them4 ,he was laid away1 in one of the  
beds of a hospital1 to die4 ,on the next
 cot to him was another little fellow1  
of the same class1 who had been picked  
up1 sick with the fever which comes from
 hunger and want4 ,the latter boy crept 
close up to his poor suffering companion
 and said3  ,bobby1 did you ever hear   
about ,jesus8  ,no1 ,i never heard of   
him4  ,bobby1 ,i went to the            
mission-school once2 and they told us   
that ,jesus would take us up to heaven  
when we die1 if we axed him2 and we'd   
never have any more hunger or pain4     
,but ,i couldn't ax such a great        
gentleman as he is to do anything for   
me4 ,he wouldn't stop to speak to a poor
 boy like me4  ,but hell do all that for
 you ,bobby1 if you ax him4  ,but how   
can ,i ax him1 if ,i don't know where he
 lives8 and how could ,i get3 there when
 both my legs is broke8  ,bobby1 they   
told us1 at the mission-school1 as how  
,jesus passes by4 ,the teacher said he  

goes around4 ,how do you know but what  
he might come round to this hospital    
this very night8 ,you'd know him if you 
was to see him4  ,but ,i can't keep my  
eyes open4 ,my legs feels awful bad4    
,doctor says ,i'll die4  ,bobby1 hold up
 yer hand1 and he'll know what you want1
 when he passes by4 ,they got the hand  
up2 but it dropped4 ,they tried it      
again1 and it slowly fell back4 ,three  
times they got up the little hand1 only 
to let it fall4 ,bursting into tears he 
said1 ,i give it up4  ,bobby1 said his  
tender-hearted companion1 lend me yer   
hand4 ,put your elbow on my piller3 ,i  
can do without it4 ,so the hand was     
propped up4 ,and when they came in the  
morning1 the boy lay dead2 but his hand 
was still held up for ,jesus4 ,and don't
 you think that he heard and answered   
the silent but eloquent appeal which it 
made to him for his pardon and grace1   
and salvation1 to that poor dying boy8  
,i do1 ,i do4  ,bobby's friend had been 
once to the mission-school4 ,he had but 

a single talent2 but1 he made good use  
of it when he employed it to lead that  
wounded1 suffering1 dying boy to ,jesus4
  ,good ,friends4 ,i wish ,i had some   
good friends1 to help me on in life6    
cried lazy ,dennis1 with a yawn4  ,good 
friends1 said his master1 why you've got
 ten2 how many do you want8  ,i'm sure  
,i've not half so many2 and those ,i    
have are too poor to help me4  ,count   
your fingers1 my boy1 said the master4  
,dennis looked down on his big1 strong  
hands4 ,count thumbs and all1 added the 
master4  ,i have2 there are ten1 said   
the lad4  ,then never say you have not  
ten good friends1 able to help you on in
 life4 ,try what those true friends can 
do1 before you go grumbling and fretting
 because you have none to help you4     
,now1 suppose that we put the word      
talents1 for the word friends1 in this  
little story4 ,then1 we may each of us  
hold our two hands before us1 and say   
here are ten talents1 which ,god has    
given me to use for him4 ,let me try and

 do all the good ,i can with these ten  
talents4  ,,the ,,best ,,that ,i ,,can4 
',i cannot do much1' said a little star1
     ',to make the dark world bright2   
,my silvery beams can not struggle far  
,through the folding gloom of night2    
,but ,i'm only a part of ,god's great   
plan1   ,and ,i'll cheerfully do the    
best ,i can4'    ,a child went merrily  
forth to play1     ,but a thought1 like 
a silver thread1   ,kept winding in and 
out1 all day1     ,through the happy    
golden head4   ,mother said1--',darling1
 do all you can2   ,for you are a part  
of ,god's great plan4'    ,so he helped 
a younger child along1     ,when the    
road was rough to the feet1   ,and she  
sung from her heart a little song       
,that we all thought passing sweet2     
,and her father1 a weary1 toil-worn man1
   ,said1 ',i1 too1 will do the best ,i 
can4'  ,a ,noble ,boy4 ,not long ago1   
said a ,christian lady1 ,i saw a boy do 
something that made me glad for a week4 
,indeed it fills my heart with          

tenderness and good feeling whenever ,i 
think about it4 ,but let me tell you    
what it was4  ,as ,i was walking along a
 crowded street ,i saw an old blind man 
walking on without any one to lead him4 
,he went very slowly1 feeling his way   
with his cane4  ',he's walking straight 
to the highest part of the curb-stone1' 
said ,i to myself4 ',and it's very high 
too4 ,i wonder if some one won't help   
him and start him in the right          
direction4'  ,just then1 a boy1 about   
fourteen years old1 who was playing near
 by1 ran up to the old man and gently   
putting his hand through the man's arm1 
said3--',allow me1 my friend1 to lead   
you across the street4' ,by this time   
there were three or four others watching
 the boy4 ,he not only helped the old   
man over one crossing1 but led him over 
another to the lower side of the street4
 ,then he ran back to his play4  ,now   
this boy thought he had only done an act
 of kindness to that old man4 ,but just 
see how much farther than that the use  

of his one talent went4 ,the three boys 
with whom he was playing1 and who had   
watched his kind act1 were happier and  
better for it1 and felt that they must  
be more careful to do little kindnesses 
to those about them4  ,the three or four
 persons who stopped to watch the boy   
turned away with a tender smile upon    
their faces1 ready to follow the good   
example of that noble boy4 ,i am sure   
that ,i felt more gentle and loving     
towards every one1 from what ,i saw that
 boy do4  ,and then1 another one that   
was made happy was the boy himself4     
,for1 it is impossible for us to do a   
kind act1 or to make any one else happy1
 without feeling better and happier     
ourselves4 ,to be good and to do good1  
is the way to be happy4 ,this is our    
mission here in this world4 ,whatever   
talents our ,master has given us1 he    
intends that we should use them in this 
way4  ,tiny's ,work for ,god4 ,two      
little girls1 ,leila and ,tiny1 were    
sitting1 one summer day1 under the tree 

which grew beside their home4  ,both    
children had been quiet for a little    
while1 when suddenly ,tiny raised her   
blue eyes and said1 ,i am so happy1     
,leila4 ,i do love the flowers1 and the 
birdies1 and you1 and everybody so much4
 ,then she added1 in a whisper1 ,and ,i 
love ,god1 who made us all so happy4    
,sister1 ,i wish ,i could do something  
for him4  ,mother says if we love him1  
that is what he likes best of all1 said 
,leila4  ,yes1 but ,i do want to do     
something for him--something that would 
give me trouble4 ,can't you think of    
anything8  ,leila thought a little1 and 
said1 ,perhaps you could print a text   
for the flowers mother sends every week 
to the sick people in the hospital4     
,they are so glad to have the flowers1  
and then the text might help them think 
about our ,father in heaven4  ,oh6 thank
 you1 sister1 that will be so nice6 ,i  
will write--',suffer the little children
 to come unto me1 and forbid them not4' 
,but ,tiny was only a little over four  

years old1 and it was hard for her to   
hold a pen1 but she managed to print two
 letters every day till the text was    
finished4 ,then she went alone to her   
room1 and laying the text on a chair1   
she kneeled down beside it1 and         
said--,heavenly ,father1 ,i have done   
this for you3 please take it from ,tiny1
 for ,jesus ,christ's sake4 ,amen4 ,and 
,god heard the prayer1 for he always    
listens when children truly pray4  ,so  
,tiny's text was sent up to ,london1 and
 a lady put a very pretty flower into   
the card and took it to the hospital4   
,she stopped beside a bed where a little
 boy was lying4 ,his face was almost as 
white as the pillow on which he lay1 and
 his dark eyes were filled with tears4  
,is the pain very bad to-day1 ,willie8  
,yes1 miss2 its dreadful-like4 ,but it's
 not so much the pain as ,i mind4 ,i'm  
used to that1 yer know4 ,father beat me 
every day a'most1 when he was drunk4    
,but the doctor says ,i'm too ill for   
'im to 'ave any 'opes for me1 and ,i'm  

mighty afeard to die4  ,if you had a    
friend who loved you1 and you were well1
 would you be afraid to go and stay with
 him1 ,willie8  ,why no1 ,i'd like to   
go1 in course4  ,i have brought you a   
message from a ,friend1 who has loved   
you all your life long4 ,he wants you to
 trust him1 and to go and live with him4
 ,he will love you always1 and you will 
always be happy4  ,then the lady read   
,tiny's text1 ,suffer the little        
children to come unto me1 and forbid    
them not4 ,she told him how ,jesus had  
died1 and then had risen again1 and had 
gone to heaven1 to prepare a place for  
him1 and for many other children4 ,she  
told him how ,jesus is still saying     
,come1 and his hand is still held out to
 bless4  ,so ,willie turned to the ,good
 ,shepherd1 and was no longer afraid4 ,a
 few days afterwards he whispered--,lord
 ,jesus1 ,i am coming2 and he died with 
,tiny's text in his hand4  ,that little 
girl used the talent that was given her1
 and it helped to bring a soul to       

,jesus4  ,,every ,,talent ,,useful4     
,though little ,i bring1     ,said the  
tiny spring1     ,as it burst from the  
mighty hill1     ',tis pleasant to know1
     ,wherever ,i flow1     ,the        
pastures are greener still4      ,and   
the drops of rain     ,as they fall on  
the plain1     ,when parched by the     
summer heat1     ,refresh the sweet     
flowers     ,which droop in the bowers1 
,and hang down their heads at our feet4 
,may we strive to fulfill     ,all ,his 
righteous will1     ,who formed the     
whole earth by ,his word6     ,creator  
,divine6     ,we would ever be ,thine1  
,and serve ,thee--our ,god1 and our     
,lord6  ,let us never forget this third 
lesson from ,olivet1 the lesson         
about1--the talents4  ,the fourth1 and  
last lesson from ,olivet is the lesson  
about--,,the ,,rewards4  ,the parable   
tells us that when the ,master came     
back1 and reckoned with his servants1 he
 said to each of those who had made a   
right use of his talents3--,well done1  

good and faithful servant1 thou hast    
been faithful over a few things1 ,i will
 make thee ruler over many things2 enter
 thou into the joy of thy lord4 ,in the 
parable in ,st4 ,luke we are told that  
the servant who had gained ten pounds   
was made ruler over ten cities2 and he  
who had gained five pounds was made     
ruler over five cities4 ,this shows us  
that ,god will reward his people1       
hereafter1 according to the degree of   
faithfulness with which each one shall  
have used the talents given to him4 ,and
 this is the lesson which the apostle   
,paul teaches us when he says that1     
,every man shall receive his own reward 
according to his own labor4 ,i4 ,cor4   
iii3 #h4  ,all the willing1 loving      
servants of ,god will receive a crown of
 life when ,jesus comes to reckon with  
them4 ,but those crowns will not be all 
alike4 ,they are spoken of as crowns of 
gold3 ,rev4 iv3 #d2 as crowns of glory3 
,i4 ,peter v3 #d1 and as crowns of life3
 ,rev4 iii3 #aa4 ,but still there will  

be very great differences between these 
crowns4 ,some will be simply crowns of  
gold1 or of glory1 without any gems or  
jewels to ornament them4 ,some will have
 two or three small jewels shining in   
them4 ,but1 others again will be full of
 the most beautiful jewels1 all         
glittering and sparkling with glory4    
,and this will all depend upon the way  
in which those who wear these crowns    
used their talents while they were on   
earth1 and the amount of work they did  
for ,jesus4 ,there is an incident       
mentioned in ,roman history about a     
soldier1 which illustrates this part of 
our subject very well4  ,the ,faithful  
,soldier and ,his ,rewards4 ,this man   
had served forty years in the cause of  
his country--of these1 ten years had    
been spent as a private soldier1 and    
thirty as an officer4 ,he had been      
present in one hundred and twenty       
battles1 and had been severely wounded  
forty-five times4 ,he had received      
fourteen civic crowns1 for having saved 

the lives of so many ,roman citizens2   
three mural crowns1 for having been the 
first to mount the breach when attacking
 a fortress2 and eight golden crowns1   
for having1 on so many occasions1       
rescued the standard of a ,roman legion 
from the hands of the enemy4 ,he had in 
his house eighty-three gold chains1     
sixty bracelets1 eighteen golden spears1
 and twenty-three horse trappings1--the 
rewards for his many faithful services  
as a soldier4 ,and when his friends     
looked at all those honors and treasures
 which he had received1 from time to    
time1 how well they might have said as  
they pointed to those numerous          
prizes--that he had received his own    
reward1 according to his own labor1 and 
faithfulness6 ,and so it will be with   
the soldiers of the cross1 who are      
faithful in using the talents given them
 by their heavenly ,master4  ,a ,great  
,harvest from a ,little ,seed1 ,some    
years ago there was a celebrated artist 
in ,paris whose name was ,ary ,scheffer4

 ,on one occasion he wished to introduce
 a beggar into a certain picture he was 
painting4 ,baron ,rothschild1 the famous
 banker1 and one of the richest men in  
the world1 was a particular friend of   
this artist4 ,he happened to come into  
his studio at the very time he was      
trying to get a beggar to be the model  
of one which he desired to put into his 
painting4  ,wait till to-morrow1 said   
,mr4 ,rothschild1 and ,i will dress     
myself up as a beggar1 and make you an  
excellent model4  ,very well1 said the  
artist1 who was pleased with the        
strangeness of the proposal4 ,the next  
day the rich banker appeared1 dressed up
 as a beggar1 and a very sorry looking  
beggar he was4 ,while the artist was    
engaged in painting him1 another friend 
of his came into the studio4 ,he was a  
kind-hearted1 generous man4 ,as he      
looked on the model beggar1 he was      
touched by his wretched appearance1 and 
as he passed him1 he slipped a louis    
d'or--a ,french gold coin1 worth about  

five dollars of our money--into his     
hand4 ,the pretended beggar took the    
coin1 and put it in his pocket4  ,ten   
years after this1 the gentleman who gave
 this piece of money received an order  
on the bank of the ,rothschilds for ten 
thousand francs4 ,this was enclosed in a
 letter which read as follows3  ,sir3   
,you one day gave a louis d'or to ,baron
 ,rothschild1 in the studio of ,ary     
,scheffer4 ,he has invested it1 and made
 good use of it1 and to-day he sends you
 the capital you entrusted to him1      
together with the interest it has       
gained4 ,a good action is always        
followed by a good reward4  ,,james ,,de
 ,,rothschild4  ,in those few years that
 one gold coin1 of twenty francs1 had   
increased to ten thousand francs4 ,and  
this illustrates the way in which ,jesus
 the heavenly ,master rewards those who 
use their talents for him4 ,see how he  
teaches this lesson1 when he            
says--,whosoever shall give to drink    
unto one of these little ones a cup of  

cold water only in the name of a        
disciple1 verily ,i say unto you1 he    
shall in no wise lose his reward4 ,st4  
,matt1 x3 #db4 ,and in another place we 
are told that the reward shall be an    
hundred fold1 and shall run on into     
everlasting life4 ,st4 ,matt1 xix3 #bi4 
,how sweetly some one has thus written  
about  ,,the ,,reward ,,of ,,heaven4    
,light after darkness1 gain after loss1 
,strength after weariness1 crown after  
cross2     ,sweet after bitter1 song    
after sigh1     ,home after wandering1  
praise after cry2     ,sheaves after    
sowing1 sun after rain1     ,light after
 mystery1 peace after pain2     ,joy    
after sorrow1 calm after blast1         
,rest after weariness1 sweet rest at    
last2     ,near after distant1 gleam    
after gloom1     ,love after loneliness1
 life after tomb4     ,after long agony1
 rapture of bliss1     ,christ is the   
pathway leading to this6  ,the last     
lesson from ,olivet is the lesson about 
the rewards4 ,and taking these lessons  

together1 let us remember that they     
are--the lesson about the ,master3 the  
lesson about the servants3 the lesson   
about the talents3 and the lesson about 
the rewards4  ,the ,collect for the     
thirteenth ,sunday after ,trinity is a  
very suitable prayer to offer after     
meditating on the lessons from ,olivet3 
,almighty and merciful ,god1 of whose   
only gift it cometh that thy faithful   
people do unto thee true and laudable   
service3 ,grant1 we beseech thee1 that  
we may so faithfully serve thee in this 
life1 that we fail not finally to attain
 thy heavenly promises2 which exceed all
 that we can desire2 through the merits 
of ,jesus ,christ our ,lord4 ,,amen6    
,,the ,,lord',s ,,supper      ,we are   
approaching now the end of our          
,saviour's life4 ,the last week has     
come1 and we are in the midst of it4    
,this is called ,passion week4 ,we      
commonly use this word passion to denote
 anger4 ,but the first and true meaning 
of the word1 and of the ,latin word from

 which it comes1 is--suffering4 ,and    
this is the sense in which we find the  
word used in ,acts i3 #c4 ,there1 ,st4  
,luke1 who wrote the ,acts1 is speaking 
of ,christ's appearing to the apostles1 
after his resurrection1 and he uses this
 language3 ,to whom he showed himself   
alive1 after his passion2 or after his  
suffering and death4  ,in the midst of  
this last week--this passion week--one  
of the interesting things that ,jesus   
did was to keep the ,jewish ,passover   
for the last time with his disciples4   
,this ,passover feast had been kept by  
the ,jews every year for nearly fifteen 
hundred years4 ,it was the most solemn  
religious service they had4 ,it was     
first observed by them in the night on  
which their nation was delivered from   
the bondage of ,egypt and began their   
march towards the promised land of      
,canaan4 ,we read about the             
establishment of this solemn service in 
,exodus1 twelfth chapter4 ,the first    
,passover took place on the fourteenth  

day of the month ,nisan4 ,this had been 
the seventh month of the year with the  
,jews4 ,but ,god directed them to take  
it for their first month ever           
afterwards4 ,they were to begin their   
year with that month4 ,every family was 
to choose out a lamb for themselves1 on 
the tenth day of the month4 ,they were  
to keep it to the fourteenth day of the 
month4 ,on the evening of that day1 they
 were to kill the lamb4 ,the blood of   
the lamb was to be sprinkled on the two 
side-posts and upper lintels of every   
door4 ,they were to roast the lamb and  
eat it1 with solemn religious services4 
,and1 while they were doing this1 the   
angel of the ,lord was to pass over all 
the land of ,egypt1 and1 with his unseen
 sword1 to smite and kill the           
first-born1 or eldest child1 in every   
family1 from ,pharaoh on his throne to  
the poorest beggar in the land4 ,but the
 blood1 sprinkled on the door-posts of  
the houses in which the ,israelites     
dwelt1 was to save them from the stroke 

of the angel of death as he passed over 
the land4 ,and so it came to pass4 ,the 
solemn hour of midnight arrived4 ,the   
angel went on his way4 ,he gave one     
stroke with his dreadful sword--and     
there was a death in every ,egyptian    
family4 ,but in the blood-sprinkled     
dwellings of the ,israelites1 there was 
no one dead4 ,what a wonderful night    
that was6 ,nothing like it was ever     
known in the history of our world4 ,it  
is not surprising that the children of  
,israel1 through all their generations1 
should have kept that ,passover feast   
with great interest--an interest that   
never died out1 from age to age4 ,nor do
 we wonder that our blessed ,saviour    
looked forward longingly to the occasion
 when1 for the last time1 he was to     
celebrate this ,passover with his       
disciples4 ,as they began the feast he  
said to them1 ,with desire ,i have      
desired that is1 ,i have earnestly1 or  
heartily desired to eat this passover   
with you before ,i suffer1 ,st4 ,luke   

xxii3 #ae4 ,it is easy to think of many 
reasons why ,jesus should have felt this
 strong desire4 ,without attempting to  
tell what all those reasons were1 we can
 readily think of some things which     
would lead him1 very naturally1 to have 
this feeling4 ,it was the last time he  
was to eat this ,passover with them on  
earth4 ,this showed that his public     
work1 for which he came into the world1 
was done4 ,he had only now to suffer and
 die2 to rise from the dead1 and then go
 home to his ,father in heaven4  ,this  
,passover had been one of the services  
established and kept for the purpose of 
pointing the attention of men to himself
 as the ,lamb of ,god who was to take   
away the sins of the world4 ,and now1   
the time had come when all that had thus
 been pointed out concerning him1 for so
 many hundred years1 was about to be    
fulfilled4 ,he1 the one true ,lamb of   
,god1 had come4 ,he was about to die for
 the sins of the world4 ,then the       
,jewish church would pass away1 and the 

,christian church would take its place4 
,and then the blessings of true         
religion1 instead of being confined to  
one single nation1 would be freely      
offered to all nations2 and ,jews and   
,gentiles alike1 would be at liberty to 
come to ,christ1 and to receive from him
 pardon1 and grace1 and salvation1 and  
every blessing4  ,there was enough in   
thoughts like these to make ,jesus long 
to eat this last ,passover with his     
disciples4 ,in each of the four gospels 
we have an account of what took place   
when the time came for keeping this     
,passover4 ,what is said concerning it  
we find in the following places3 ,st4   
,matt xxi3 #ag-cj1 ,st4 ,mark xiv3      
#ab-bf1 ,st4 ,luke xxii3 #g-ci4 ,st4    
,john begins with the thirteenth        
chapter1 and ends his account at the    
close of the seventeenth chapter4 ,he is
 the only one of the four evangelists   
who gives a full and particular account 
of the wonderful sayings of our ,lord in
 connection with this last passover1 and

 of the great prayer that he offered for
 all his people4  ,here is a brief      
outline of these different accounts4    
,when the time came to keep the         
,passover1 ,jesus sent two of his       
disciples from ,bethany1 where he was   
then staying1 to ,jerusalem4 ,he told   
them1 that1 when they entered the city1 
they would meet a man bearing a pitcher 
of water4 ,they were to ask him to show 
them the guest-chamber1 where he and his
 disciples might eat the ,passover      
together4 ,there were always great      
crowds of strangers in ,jerusalem at the
 time of this festival2 and many        
furnished chambers were kept ready to be
 hired to those who wished them1 for    
celebrating the ,passover4 ,this man1 of
 whom our ,saviour spoke1 was probably a
 friend of his1 and according to our    
,lord's word1 he showed the disciples   
such a room as they needed4 ,then they  
made the necessary preparations2 and1   
when the evening came1 ,jesus and his   
disciples met there to keep this solemn 

feast4  ,many of the pictures that we   
see of this last ,supper1 represent the 
company as seated round a table1 very   
much in the way in which we are         
accustomed to sit ourselves4 ,but this  
is not correct4 ,the people in those    
,eastern countries were not accustomed  
to sit as we do4 ,on this occasion the  
roasted lamb1 with the bread and wine to
 be used at the feast1 was placed on a  
table1 and the guests reclined on       
couches round the table1 each man       
leaning on his left arm1 and helping    
himself to what he needed with his right
 hand4  ,various incidents took place in
 connection with this last ,supper4 ,the
 disciples had a contest among          
themselves about which of them should be
 greatest4 ,this led ,jesus1 in the     
course of the evening1 to give them the 
lesson of humility1 by washing his      
disciples' feet1 of which we have       
already spoken4 ,then he told them how  
sorrowfully he was feeling4 ,he said    
they would all forsake him1 and one of  

them would betray him that very night4  
,this made them feel very sad4 ,each of 
them suspected himself--and asked       
sorrowfully--,lord1 is it ,i8 ,they did 
not suspect each other2 and none of them
 seems to have suspected ,judas         
,iscariot at all4 ,then ,peter whispered
 to ,john1 who was leaning on the bosom 
of ,jesus1 to ask who it was that was to
 do this8 ,in answer to ,john's         
question1 ,jesus said it was the one to 
whom he should give a piece of bread    
when he had dipped it in the dish4 ,then
 he dipped the sop and gave it to       
,judas4  ,after this1 we are told that  
,satan entered into him1 and he went out
 and made preparation for doing the most
 dreadful thing that ever was done from 
the beginning of the world--and that was
 the betrayal of his great1 and good1   
and holy ,master1 into the hands of his 
enemies4 ,when ,judas was gone1 and     
before the ,passover feast was finished1
 making use of some of the materials    
before him1 ,jesus established one of   

the two great sacraments to be observed 
in his church to the end of the         
world--the sacrament of the ,lord's     
,supper--or the holy ,communion4  ,this 
is ,st4 ,luke's account of the way in   
which it was done1 chapter xxii3 #ai1   
#bj--;,and he took the bread1 and gave  
thanks1 and brake it1 and gave unto     
them1 saying1 ,this is my body which is 
given for you3 this do in remembrance of
 me4 ,likewise also the cup after       
supper1 saying1 ,this cup is the ,new   
,testament in my blood1 which is shed   
for you4 ,st4 ,matthew adds1 and--for   
many4  ,such is the account we have of  
the first establishment of the ,lord's  
,supper4 ,it was to take the place of   
the ,jewish ,passover1 and to be        
observed by the followers of ,christ all
 over the earth1 until the time when he 
shall come again into our world4  ,and  
this solemn sacrament--this holy        
communion--this ,supper of our ,lord1   
ought to be observed1 or kept1 by all   
who love him1 for three reasons3 these  

are its connection with the word of his 
command--the memory of his              
sufferings--and the hope of his glory4  
,jesus connected this sacrament with the
 word of his command when he said--,this
 do in remembrance of me4 ,st4 ,luke    
xxii3 #ai4 ,this is the command of      
,christ4 ,it is a plain1 positive       
command4 ,jesus did not give this       
command to the apostles only1 or to his 
ministers1 or to any particular class of
 his followers1 but to all of them4 ,it 
was given first to his apostles1 but it 
was not intended to be confined to them4
 ,jesus does not say--,this do1 ye who  
are my apostles2 or1 ye who are my      
ministers4 ,he does not say--,this do1  
ye old men1 or ye rich men1 or ye great 
men2 but simply1 ,this do4 ,and the     
meaning of what he here says1 is--,this 
do1 all ye who profess to be my         
followers1 all over the world1 and      
through all ages4 ,and the words that he
 spake on another occasion come in very 
well here3 ,if ye love me1 keep my      

commandments4 ,and this is one of the   
commandments that he expects all his    
people to keep4 ,he points to his holy  
sacrament1 which he has ordained in his 
church1 and then to each one of his     
people he says--,this do4 ,no matter    
whether we wish to do it or not2 here   
are our master's words--,this do4 ,no   
matter whether we see the use of it1 or 
not2 ,jesus says--,this do4 ,it is      
enough for each follower of ,jesus to   
say1 here is my ,lord's command2 ,i must
 obey it4  ,in an army1 if the general  
issues an order1 it is expected that    
every soldier will obey it4 ,and no     
matter how important1 or useful1 in     
itself considered1 any work may be1 that
 is done by one of those soldiers1 yet1 
if it be done while he is neglecting the
 general's order1 instead of gaining for
 that soldier the praise of the general1
 or of securing a reward from him1 it   
will only excite his displeasure3--he   
will order that soldier to be punished4 
,but the church of ,christ is compared  

in the ,bible to an army4 ,he is the    
,captain or ,leader of this army4 ,and  
one of the most important orders he has 
issued for his soldiers is--,this do in 
remembrance of me4 ,if we profess to be 
the soldiers of ,christ1 and are        
enlisted in his army1 and yet are       
neglecting this order1 he never can be  
pleased with anything we may do while   
this order is neglected4 ,we seem to see
 him pointing to this neglected order1  
and saying to each of us1 as he said to 
,saul1 the first king of ,israel1 by the
 prophet ,samuel3 --,behold1 to obey is 
better than sacrifice3 and to hearken1  
than the fat of rams4 ,i4 ,sam4 xv3 #bb4
  ,no age is fixed in the ,new          
,testament at which young people may be 
allowed to come to the sacrament of the 
,lord's ,supper4 ,but1 as soon as they  
have learned to know and love ,christ   
and are really trying to serve him1 they
 ought to be allowed to come4 ,and yet  
ministers and parents sometimes keep    
them back1 and tell them they must wait1

 and be tried a little longer1 before   
they receive the help and comfort of    
this ordinance of ,christ1 even when    
their conduct shows they are sincerely  
trying to love and serve the blessed    
,saviour4  ,if a farmer should send his 
servant out into the field1 when winter 
was approaching1 telling him to put the 
sheep into the fold1 that they might be 
protected from the wolves1 and from the 
cold1 it would be thought a strange     
thing if he should allow him to bring   
the sheep into the shelter of the fold1 
and leave the little lambs outside4     
,this is a good illustration to show the
 importance of taking care of the lambs4
 ,but it fails at one point4 ,the       
shelter of the fold is absolutely       
necessary for the protection of the     
farmer's lambs4 ,they could not live    
without it4 ,if left outside of the fold
 they would certainly perish4 ,but there
 is not the same necessity for admitting
 young people to the ,lord's ,supper4   
,they are not left out in the cold1 like

 the lambs in the field1 even when not  
admitted to this holy ordinance4 ,they  
are already under the care and          
protection of the good ,shepherd4 ,he   
can guard them1 and keep them1 and cause
 them to grow in grace1 even though1 for
 awhile1 they do not have the help and  
comfort of this sacrament4 ,and1 if they
 are kept back through the fault or     
mistake of others1 he will do so4 ,this 
sacrament1 like that of baptism1 is1 as 
the catechism says1 generally necessary 
to salvation4 ,this means that it is    
important where it may be had4 ,but1 if 
circumstances beyond our control should 
prevent us from partaking of it1 we may 
be saved without it4 ,still1 ,i think   
that young people who give satisfactory 
evidence that they know and love the    
,saviour1 and are trying to serve him1  
ought to be allowed to come forward to  
this holy sacrament4  ,some people when 
urged to come to the ,lord's ,supper    
excuse themselves1 by saying that--they 
are not prepared to come4  ,but this    

will not release any one from the       
command of ,christ--,this do4  ,what the
 preparation is that we need in order   
that we may come1 in a proper way1 to   
this holy sacrament1 is clearly pointed 
out in the exhortation that occurs in   
the communion service of our church4    
,here the minister says--,ye who do     
truly and earnestly repent of your sins1
 and are in love and charity with your  
neighbors1 and intend to lead a new     
life1 following the commandments of     
,god1 and walking from henceforth in his
 holy ways3 draw near with faith1 and   
take this holy sacrament to your        
comfort4 ,and there is no excuse for    
persons not being in the state these    
words describe3 for this is just what   
,god's word1 and our own duty and       
interest require of us4 ,if we have not 
yet done what these words require1 we   
ought to do it at once2 and then there  
will be nothing in the way of our       
obeying the command of ,christ1 when he 
says--,this do1 in remembrance of me1   

,by all the authority which belongs to  
him our ,saviour commands us to keep    
this holy feast4 ,and the first reason  
why we ought to do this1 is because of  
its connection with the word of his     
command4  ,the second reason why we     
ought to do this--is because of its     
connection with the memory of his       
sufferings4  ,we are taught this by the 
word remembrance1 which our ,saviour    
here uses4 ,he says1 ,this do in        
remembrance of me4 ,this means in       
remembrance of my sufferings for you4   
,and this is the most important word    
used by him when he established this    
sacrament4 ,it is the governing word in 
the whole service4 ,it is the word by   
which we must be guided in trying to    
understand what our ,lord meant to teach
 us by all he did and said on this      
occasion4  ,you know how it is when we  
are trying to understand the music to   
which a particular tune has been set4   
,there is always one special note in a  
tune1 which is called the key-note4 ,the

 leader of a choir1 when they are going 
to sing1 will strike one of the keys of 
the organ1 or the melodeon they are     
using1 so as to give to each member of  
the choir the proper key-note of the    
piece of music they are to sing4 ,it is 
very important for them to have this    
key-note1 because they cannot have a    
proper understanding of what they are to
 do without it4 ,this holy sacrament of 
the ,lord's ,supper is like a solemn    
song4 ,and the key-note of the music to 
which the song is set is this           
word--remembrance4 ,it teaches us that  
the sacrament of the ,lord's ,supper is 
a memorial service4 ,and1 in going      
through the music to which the song of  
this service has been set1 every note   
that we use must be a memorial note4    
,and the language used by our blessed   
,lord when he established this ,supper1 
or sacrament1 must be explained in this 
way4 ,when he broke the bread and gave  
it to his disciples1 saying--,this is my
 body1 which is given for you3 this do  

in remembrance of me1 he meant that we  
should understand him as saying--,this  
is the memorial of my body4 ,and when he
 gave them the cup1 and said--,this is  
my blood of the ,new ,testament1 he     
meant that we should understand him as  
saying--,this is the memorial of my     
blood4 ,and we are sure that this was   
the meaning1 for two reasons4  ,one     
reason for believing this is that this  
was the way in which similar words had  
been used in the ,jewish ,passover1     
which ,jesus and his disciples were then
 keeping4  ,in the ,passover service1   
when the head of the family distributed 
the bread1 he always said--,this is the 
bread of affliction4 ,when he           
distributed the flesh of the lamb1      
roasted for the occasion1 he used to    
say--,this is the body of the ,passover4
  ,but every one knows1 and every one   
admits1 that the ,jewish ,passover was a
 memorial service4 ,it was kept in      
memory of the wonderful deliverance of  
their forefathers from the bitter       

bondage of ,egypt4 ,and the words used  
at that service were memorial words4    
,and so1 when ,jesus1 a little while    
before1 had given to his disciples the  
,passover bread1 saying--,this is the   
bread of affliction3 he did not mean to 
say that that was the very same bread   
which their forefathers had eaten1 in   
the time of their affliction in ,egypt4 
,what he meant to say was--this is the  
bread which you are to eat in memory of 
your forefathers' trial and deliverance4
 ,and when he gave to each of them a    
piece of the sacrificial lamb1 saying1  
,this is the body of the ,passover2 he  
did not mean that in any mysterious1 or 
supernatural sense1 that was the very   
lamb of which their forefathers had     
eaten on the solemn night of the        
,passover2 he only meant that it was the
 body of which they were to eat in      
memory of the ,passover4 ,the ,passover 
was a memorial service2 and the words   
used at the ,passover were memorial     
words4  ,and so1 when ,jesus went on1   

from the last ,passover of the ,jewish  
church1 to the first sacramental feast  
of the ,christian church1 and began by  
saying1 ,this do in remembrance of me1  
what else could the apostles possibly   
have thought1 but that he intended this 
new service of the ,christian church to 
be a memorial service1 just as the old  
festival of the ,jewish church had been8
 ,when he gave them the broken bread1   
and said1 ,this is my body2 they could  
only have understood him as meaning this
 is the memorial of my body4 ,and when  
he gave them the cup into which he had  
just poured the wine1 and said3 ,this is
 my blood2 they could only understand   
him as meaning this is the memorial of  
my blood4 ,and so1 the sense in which he
 had just before used the words employed
 in the ,jewish festival must have led  
the disciples to understand them in the 
same way when he used similar words in  
the ,christian sacrament4 ,this is a    
good1 strong reason for thinking of this
 sacramental feast as a memorial        

service4  ,there is indeed1 one point of
 difference between the ,jewish         
,passover and the ,christian sacrament1 
when we think of them as memorial       
services4 ,the ,jews kept their solemn  
festival in memory of a dead lamb--the  
,passover lamb that was put to death for
 them1 but never came to life again4 ,we
 keep our ,christian sacrament in memory
 of the ,lamb of ,god1 who died for us  
indeed1 but who rose from the dead1 and 
is alive forevermore4 ,as we keep this  
solemn festival1 we may lift up our     
adoring hearts to him and say for       
ourselves personally1    ,o1 the ,lamb6 
the loving ,lamb6     ,the ,lamb of     
,calvary6   ,the ,lamb that was slain1  
but liveth again1     ,and intercedes   
for me6  ,and though they are both      
memorial services1 yet this one thought 
makes a world-wide difference between   
them4 ,the bread and meat which the     
pious ,jew ate1 when he kept the        
,passover1 and the wine which he drank  
on that occasion1 would strengthen his  

body1 but there was nothing connected   
with those material substances that     
would do any special good to his soul4  
,it is different1 however1 with our     
,christian festival of the ,lord's      
,supper4 ,and this difference is clearly
 brought out in what we find in the     
catechism of our church on this subject4
 ,in speaking of this holy sacrament1   
the question is asked--,what are the    
benefits whereof we are partakers       
thereby8 ,and the answer to this        
question is--,the strengthening and     
refreshing of our souls1 by the body and
 blood of ,christ1 as our bodies are by 
the bread and wine4  ,here we see that  
while the ,lord's ,supper is a memorial 
service indeed1 it is at the same time  
something more than that4  ,and then1   
the actual bodily presence of ,christ   
with them must have compelled the       
apostles to understand the words he used
 on that occasion1 in this memorial     
sense4  ,they could not possibly have   
considered him as meaning that the bread

 and wine which he gave them at that    
solemn service did1 in any mysterious   
and supernatural way1 become his actual 
flesh and blood2 because1 these were    
already before them in the form of his  
own body4 ,and they could not be in his 
body and in the bread and wine1 at the  
same time4 ,the sense in which ,jesus   
first used these words--my body and my  
blood1 was clearly the memorial sense4  
,he meant his disciples to understand   
him as saying ,take this bread in       
remembrance of my body1 which is to be  
crucified for you2 and ,take this wine  
in remembrance of my blood which is to  
be shed for you4  ,this was what he     
taught the apostles when he first used  
these words among them2 and this was all
 he taught them2 and we have no right to
 use these words in any other sense till
 our blessed ,lord himself shall give us
 authority to do so4  ,let us never     
forget the word--remembrance1 as used by
 our ,saviour here4 ,it is the root out 
of which the whole tree of this solemn  

service grows4 ,let us hold on to this  
root word1 and it will save us from the 
errors into which many have fallen in   
reference to this subject4  ,and1       
surely1 there is nothing so precious for
 us to store away in our memories as the
 thought of ,christ in the amazing      
sufferings he once bore for us1 in the  
great work he is now doing for us1 and  
in the saving truth he embodies in his  
own glorious character4 ,the story is   
told of ,alexander the ,great1 that when
 he conquered ,king ,darius he found    
among his treasures a very valuable box 
or cabinet4 ,it was made of gold and    
silver1 and inlaid with precious jewels4
 ,after thinking for awhile what to do  
with it1 he finally concluded to use it 
as his choicest treasury1 or cabinet1 in
 which to keep the books of the poet    
,homer1 which he was very fond of       
reading4 ,now1 if we use our memory     
aright1 it will be to us a treasury far 
more valuable than that jeweled box of  
the great conqueror4 ,and the thought of

 ,christ1 not in his sufferings only1   
but in his work1 and in his character1  
is the most precious thing to lay up in 
our memory4 ,and if we keep this        
remembrance continually before us it    
will be the greatest help we can have in
 trying to love and serve him better4   
,here is an illustration of what ,i     
mean1 in a touching story4 ,we may call 
it3  ,love ,stronger than ,death4 ,some 
years ago there was a great fire in one 
of our ,western cities that stood in the
 midst of a prairie4 ,a mother escaped  
from her burning dwelling4 ,her husband 
was away from home4 ,she took her infant
 in her arms1 and wrapped a heavy shawl 
round herself and the baby4 ,her little 
girl clung to the dress of her mother1  
and they went out into the prairie1 to  
get away from the flames of the burning 
buildings4 ,it was a wild and stormy    
winter's night and intensely cold4 ,she 
tried to run2 but burdened as she was   
that was impossible4 ,presently she     
found that the tall dry grass of the    

prairie had caught fire4 ,it was        
spreading on every side4 ,a great circle
 of flame was gathering round her4  ,a  
little way off she saw a clump of trees 
on a piece of rising ground4 ,towards   
that spot she directed her steps1 and   
strained every nerve to reach it4 ,at   
last she succeeded in doing so4  ,for a 
moment the poor mother and her child    
were comparatively safe4 ,but1 on       
looking around1 she saw that the flames 
were approaching her from opposite      
directions4 ,escape was impossible4     
,death--a terrible death by fire1 seemed
 to be the only thing before her4 ,she  
might wrap herself in that great shawl1 
and perhaps live through it4 ,but1 there
 were the children4 ,of course a mother 
could not hesitate a moment what to do  
under such circumstances4 ,wrapping the 
baby round and round in the folds of the
 shawl1 she laid it carefully down1 at  
the foot of one of the trees4 ,then1    
taking off her outer clothing1 she      
covered the other child with it4 ,she   

laid her down beside the baby1 and then 
stretched herself across them4 ,in a few
 moments the helpless little ones were  
sound asleep4 ,the long hours of the    
night passed4 ,the raging flames licked 
up the withered foliage about that clump
 of trees1 and then left their blackened
 trunks to the keenness of the wind and 
frost4  ,the next day the heart-broken  
husband and father returned to find his 
home burnt1 and his family gone--he knew
 not whither4 ,he set out to search for 
his lost treasures4 ,he found them by   
that clump of trees4 ,there lay his     
wife--her hair and eyebrows1 her face   
and neck scorched and blackened by the  
fire--but her body frozen stiff4        
,whether she perished by the flames or  
the frost no one ever knew4 ,but1 on    
lifting her burnt form they found1 warm 
and cozy beneath1 her two sleeping      
children4 ,the elder child as they      
roused her1 opened her eyes exclaiming1 
,mamma1 is it morning8 ,yes3 it was     
morning with that faithful mother1 in   

the bright world to which she had gone6 
,now1 suppose that those children1 as   
they grew up1 should have had preserved 
among their treasures a piece of the    
burnt dress1 or a lock of the scorched  
hair1 of their devoted mother4 ,as they 
looked at it1 every day1 it would be in 
remembrance of her4 ,how touchingly it  
would tell of her great love for them1  
in being willing to lay down her life to
 save theirs6 ,and how that thought     
would thrill their hearts and make them 
anxious to do all they could to show    
their respect and love for such a       
mother6  ,and so the broken bread and   
the poured out wine of this solemn      
sacrament should melt our hearts in the 
remembrance of the wonderful love of    
,christ to us1 and should lead us to    
show our love to him by keeping his     
commandments4  ,and as we keep this     
solemn memorial service1 how well we may
 say1 in the words of the hymn3         
,according to thy gracious word1     ,in
 meek humility1     ,this will we do1   

our dying ,lord1     ,we will remember  
thee4     ,thy body1 broken for our     
sake1     ,our bread from heaven shall  
be3     ,thy sacramental cup we take1   
,and thus remember thee4      ,can we   
,gethsemane forget8     ,or there thy   
conflict see1     ,thine agony and      
bloody sweat1     ,and not remember     
thee8     ,when to the cross we turn our
 eyes1     ,and rest on ,calvary1     ,o
 ,lamb of ,god1 our sacrifice1     ,we  
must remember thee4  ,but ,jesus has    
connected this blessed sacrament with   
the hope of his glory--as well as with  
the word of his command and the memory  
of his sufferings4  ,he made this       
connection very clear when he said at   
the institution of this solemn          
service--,i will not drink henceforth of
 this fruit of the vine until that day  
when ,i drink it new with you in my     
,father's kingdom4 ,st4 ,matt1 xxvi3    
#bi4 ,and the apostle ,paul pointed out 
the same connection when he said1 ,as   
often as ye eat this bread1 and drink   

this cup1 ye do shew the ,lord's death1 
till he come4 ,i4 ,cor4 xi3 #bf4 ,this  
sacrament of the ,lord's ,supper is the 
point of meeting between the sufferings 
of ,christ and the glory that is to     
follow--between his cross1 with all its 
shame and anguish1 and his kingdom1 with
 all its honor and blessedness4  ,we    
have sometimes heard or read of         
magicians who have pretended to have    
wonderful mirrors into which persons    
might look and see all that was before  
them in this life4 ,if there were such a
 mirror1 it would be a strange thing    
indeed to look into it and find out what
 was going to happen to-morrow1 or next 
month1 or next year1 or twenty years    
hence4 ,but1 there never was any such   
mirror4 ,as the apostle says1 ,we know  
not what shall be on the morrow4 ,no    
mortal man can tell what will happen to 
him as he takes the very next step in   
life4  ,yet1 this solemn sacrament is   
like such a magical mirror4 ,we can look
 into it and see1 clearly represented   

there1 what will happen to us in the    
future1 not of this life indeed1 but of 
the life to come4 ,it leads our minds on
 to the marriage supper of the ,lamb4   
,and a voice from heaven                
declares--,blessed are they who are     
called to the marriage supper of the    
,lamb4 ,rev4 xix3 #i4 ,that marriage    
supper represents the highest joys of   
heaven4 ,it gathers into itself all the 
glory and happiness that await us in the
 heavenly kingdom4 ,and this sacramental
 service is the type or shadow of all   
the bliss connected with that great     
event in the future4 ,if we are true and
 faithful partakers of this solemn      
sacrament--this memorial feast1 we shall
 certainly be among the number of those 
whose unspeakable privilege it will be  
to sit down at the marriage supper of   
the ,lamb1 in heaven4 ,there we shall be
 in the personal presence of ,jesus1 our
 glorified ,lord4 ,our eyes shall see   
the ,king in his beauty4 ,and we shall  
see all his people too in the perfection

 of glory that will mark them there4    
,and in happy intercourse with that     
blessed company we shall find all the   
exceeding great and precious promises of
 ,god's word fulfilled in our own       
personal experience4  ,and then there is
 nothing that can sustain and comfort us
 under the many trials of this mortal   
life like the hope of sharing this joy  
with our blessed ,lord1 when he shall   
come in the glory of his heavenly       
kingdom4  ,the ,hope of ,glory4 ,a      
,christian gentleman was in the habit of
 visiting1 from time to time1 a poor    
afflicted widow woman who lived in his  
neighborhood4 ,she had once been very   
well off1 and was the wife of a         
well-known and apparently successful    
merchant4 ,but finally he failed in     
business and died soon after1 leaving   
her alone in the world1 and without     
anything to live on but what she could  
earn by her own labor4  ,after awhile   
her health failed1 and then she was     
entirely dependent for her support on   

the kindness of her ,christian friends4 
,but she was always cheerful and happy4 
,on going in to see her one day1 says   
this gentleman1 ,i found1 on talking    
with her1 that she was feeling very     
comfortable in her mind4  ',tell me1 my 
friend1' ,i asked1 'have you always felt
 as bright and cheerful as you seem to  
feel now8'  ',o1 no1' she replied1 'very
 far from it4 ,when my husband died1 and
 ,i was left alone in the world1 ,i used
 to feel very sad and rebellious4 ,many 
a time ,i was so sorrowful and          
despairing as to be tempted to take away
 my own life4 ,but1 in the good         
providence of ,god1 ,i was led to read  
the ,bible1 and to pray for help from   
above4 ,i became a member of the church4
 ,but1 for a while1 ,i did not find much
 comfort in my religion4 ,and the reason
 of it was that ,i did not have very    
clear views of ,christ as my ,saviour1  
and of the wonderful things he has      
promised to do for his people in the    
future4  ',but1 on one communion        

occasion1 my minister preached on the   
words--,christ in you the hope of glory4
 ,that was a blessed communion to me4 ,i
 saw then1 as ,i had never seen before1 
how that sacred and solemn service was  
intended by him to be to all his people1
 at one and the same time1 the means of 
preserving in their minds the           
remembrance of the sufferings he has    
borne for them in the past1 and also of 
keeping alive in their hearts the hope  
of sharing in the glory which he has    
prepared for them in the future4 ,and ,i
 have never had any trouble in my mind  
since then4 ,my communion seasons were  
always bright and blessed seasons to me 
as long as ,i was able to go to church4 
,and though ,i can no longer go up to   
the sanctuary and partake of the bread  
and wine1 the outward and visible signs 
made use of in the heavenly feast2 yet1 
blessed be ,god's holy name1 ,i can1 and
 do partake in a spiritual manner of    
that which those signs represent4 ,i    
feel and know what it is to have ,christ

 in me the hope of glory4 ,and this     
satisfies my longing1 as nothing else   
can do4 ,i find peace and comfort in    
simply looking unto ,jesus4 ,i have had 
much outward trouble and affliction     
since then4 ,i live alone4 ,there is no 
one here to help me4 ,sometimes ,i have 
nothing to eat1 and but little to keep  
me warm4 ,you see me sitting here now4  
,thus ,i have to spend my nights4 ,my   
complaint is the dropsy1 and this       
prevents me from lying down4 ,but ,i    
would not exchange my place as a        
forgiven sinner1 with ,christ in me the 
hope of glory1 for all the wealth and   
the honor that ,queen ,victoria could   
bestow upon me6'  ,what a blessed       
,saviour ,jesus is1 who can thus spread 
the sunshine of his peace and hope      
through the hearts and homes of the     
poorest and most afflicted in the land6 
,and thus1 we have spoken of three good 
reasons1 why all who love our ,lord     
,jesus ,christ should keep this solemn  
sacrament which he has ordained2 we     

should do it because we see in it--the  
word of his command--the memorial of his
 sufferings--and the hope of his glory4 
,and when we partake of this solemn     
ordinance ourselves1 or see others      
partaking of it1 how well we may say in 
the beautiful lines of ,havergal1 the   
,english poetess3      ,thou art coming6
 ,at thy table     ,we are witnesses for
 this1     ,while remembering hearts    
thou meetest1     ,in communion closest1
 sweetest1     ,earnest of our coming   
bliss4     ,showing not thy death alone1
     ,and thy love exceeding great1     
,but thy coming1 and thy throne1        
,all for which we long and wait4      ,o
 the joy to see thee reigning1          
,thee1 our own beloved ,lord2     ,every
 tongue thy name confessing1            
,worship1 honor1 glory1 blessing1       
,brought to thee with glad accord1      
,thee our master and our ,friend1       
,vindicated and enthroned2     ,unto    
earth's remotest end1     ,glorified1   
adored1 and owned4  ,,this ,,do ,,in    

,,remembrance ,,of ,,me4                
,,illustrations3      ,,the ,,woman ,,of
 ,,canaan     ,then ,jesus went thence1 
and departed into the coasts of ,tyre   
and ,sidon4 ,and1 behold1 a woman of    
,canaan came out of the same coasts1 and
 cried unto him1 saying1 ,have mercy on 
me1 ,o ,lord1 thou son of ,david2 my    
daughter is grievously vexed with a     
devil4 ,but he answered her not a word4 
,and his disciples came and besought    
him1 saying1 ,send her away2 for she    
crieth after us4 ,but he answered and   
said1 ,i am not sent but unto the lost  
sheep of the house of ,israel4 ,then    
came she and worshipped him1 saying1    
,lord1 help me4 ,but he answered and    
said1 ,it is not meet to take the       
children's bread1 and to cast it to     
dogs4 ,and she said1 ,truth1 ,lord3 yet 
the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall   
from their masters' table4 ,then ,jesus 
answered and said unto her1 ,o woman1   
great is thy faith3 be it unto thee even
 as thou wilt4 ,and her daughter was    

made whole from that very hour4--,st4   
,matt4 xv3 #ba-bh4         99       99  
99       99       99  ,,note ,,by ,,the 
,,artist  ,the picture illustrates the  
scenery and gardens in the neighborhood 
of ,beyrout1 which lies on the coast at 
the foot of ,lebanon and within the     
,syro-,phoenician border4      ,,simon  
,,peter',s ,,faith ,,in ,,christ        
,when ,jesus came into the coasts of    
,csarea ,philippi1 he asked his         
disciples1 saying1 ,whom do men say that
 ,i the ,son of man am8 ,and they said1 
,some say that thou art ,john the       
,baptist3 some1 ,elias2 and others1     
,jeremias1 or one of the prophets4 ,he  
saith unto them1 ,but whom say ye that  
,i am8 ,and ,simon ,peter answered and  
said1 ,thou art the ,christ1 the ,son of
 the living ,god4 ,and ,jesus answered  
and said unto him1 ,blessed art thou1   
,simon ,bar-jona3 for flesh and blood   
hath not revealed it unto thee1 but my  
,father which is in heaven4 ,and ,i say 
also unto thee1 ,that thou art ,peter1  

and upon this rock ,i will build my     
church2 and the gates of hell shall not 
prevail against it4 ,and ,i will give   
unto thee the keys of the kingdom of    
heaven3 and whatsoever thou shalt bind  
on earth shall be bound in heaven3 and  
whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth    
shall be loosed in heaven4 ,then charged
 he his disciples that they should tell 
no man that he was ,jesus the           
,christ4--,st4 ,matt1 xvi3 #ac-bj4      
99       99       99       99       99  
,,note ,,by ,,the ,,artist  ,the site of
 ,csarea ,philippi is one of the        
loveliest spots in ,northern ,palestine4
 ,on ground carpeted with an infinite   
variety of wild flowers1 the traveller  
rests in the grateful shade of oak and  
mulberry1 olive and fig tree4 ,the sound
 of many waters is heard on all sides as
 they hasten from the adjacent slopes of
 ,herman to join the head waters of     
,jordan1 bursting in strength from a    
cavern at the foot of a mighty cliff4   
,hither1 with his handful of followers1 

came ,jesus1 weary and in deep          
depression of spirit1 a fugitive from   
his own people1 who had finally rejected
 him2 and here1 in reply to searching   
and anxious enquiry1 ,whom say ye that  
,i am8 he received from ,simon ,peter   
the memorable confession1 ,thou art the 
,christ1 the ,son of the living ,god4   
,,the ,,transfiguration ,,of ,,christ   
,and after six days ,jesus taketh       
,peter1 ,james1 and ,john his brother1  
and bringeth them up into an high       
mountain apart4 ,and was transfigured   
before them3 and his face did shine as  
the sun1 and his raiment was white as   
the light4 ,and1 behold1 there appeared 
unto them ,moses and ,elias talking with
 him4 ,then answered ,peter1 and said   
unto ,jesus1 ,lord1 it is good for us to
 be here3 if thou wilt1 let us make here
 three tabernacles2 one for thee1 and   
one for ,moses1 and one for ,elias4     
,while he yet spake1 behold1 a bright   
cloud overshadowed them3 and behold a   
voice out of the cloud which said1 ,this

 is my beloved ,son1 in whom ,i am well 
pleased2 hear ye him4 ,and when the     
disciples heard it1 they fell on their  
face1 and were sore afraid4 ,and ,jesus 
came and touched them1 and said1 ,arise1
 and be not afraid4 ,and when they had  
lifted up their eyes1 they saw no man1  
save ,jesus only4--,st4 ,matt1 xvii3    
#a--h4         99       99       99     
99       99  ,,note ,,by ,,the ,,artist 
,from the days of ,st4 ,jerome1 when    
pilgrims first began the attempt to     
identify sites hallowed by sacred       
events1 ,mount ,tabor has1 until recent 
years1 been regarded as the ,mount of   
the ,transfiguration4 ,but closer       
examination of the text and comparison  
of dates1 and the fact that ,tabor      
itself was at that time the site of a   
fortified town containing a ,roman      
garrison1 combine in this instance to   
discredit tradition4 ,one of the spurs  
of ,herman must therefore be the        
alternative and more probable scene of  
the ,transfiguration2 the seclusion of  

this district of mountain1 valley1 and  
woodland providing opportunity for      
contemplation1 and preparation for the  
end which was now imminent1 the decease 
which ,jesus was to accomplish at       
,jerusalem4      ,,jesus ,,healeth ,a   
,,lunatic     ,and it came to pass1 that
 on the next day1 when they were come   
down from the hill1 much people met him4
 ,and1 behold1 a man of the company     
cried out1 saying1 ,master1 ,i beseech  
thee1 look upon my son3 for he is mine  
only child4 ,and1 lo1 a spirit taketh   
him1 and he suddenly crieth out2 and it 
teareth him that he foameth again1 and  
bruising him hardly departeth from him4 
,and ,i besought thy disciples to cast  
him out2 and they could not4 ,and ,jesus
 answering said1 ,o faithless and       
perverse generation1 how long shall ,i  
be with you1 and suffer you8 ,bring thy 
son hither4 ,and as he was yet a coming1
 the devil threw him down1 and tare him4
 ,and ,jesus rebuked the unclean spirit1
 and healed the child1 and delivered him

 again to his father4--,st4 ,luke ix3   
#cg-db4         99       99       99    
99       99  ,,note ,,by ,,the ,,artist 
,the picture gives an average           
representation of the outskirts of a    
village in ,northern ,palestine1 with   
its sordid1 untidy1 mud-built houses1 on
 the roofs of which are seen the reed   
booths or ,succth1 occupied by the      
inhabitants during the oppressive heats 
of summer4 ,the snow-capped ridge of    
,hermon is indicated in the distance4   
,,let ,,he ,,who ,,is ,,without ,,sin   
,,among ,,you     ,now about the midst  
of the feast ,jesus went up into the    
temple1 and taught4 ,and the ,jews      
marvelled1 saying1 ,how knoweth this man
 letters1 having never learned8 ,jesus  
answered them1 and said1 ,my doctrine is
 not mine1 but his that sent me4 ,and   
the scribes and ,pharisees brought unto 
him a woman 4442 and when they had set  
her in the midst4 ,they say unto him1   
444 ,moses in the law commanded us1 that
 such should be stoned3 but what sayest 

thou8 ,this they said1 tempting him1    
that they might have to accuse him4 ,but
 ,jesus stooped down1 and with his      
finger wrote on the ground1 as though he
 heard them not4 ,so when they continued
 asking him1 he lifted up himself1 and  
said unto them1 ,he that is without sin 
among you1 let him first cast a stone at
 her4 ,and again he stooped down1 and   
wrote on the ground4 ,and they which    
heard it1 being convicted by their own  
conscience1 went out one by one1        
beginning at the eldest1 even unto the  
last3 and ,jesus was left alone1 and the
 woman standing in the midst4 ,when     
,jesus had lifted up himself1 and saw   
none but the woman1 he said unto her1   
,woman1 where are those thine accusers8 
hath no man condemned thee8 ,she said1  
,no man1 ,lord4 ,and ,jesus said unto   
her1 ,neither do ,i condemn thee3 go1   
and sin no more4--,st4 ,john vii3       
#ad-af2 viii3 #c-aa4         99       99
       99       99       99  ,,note ,,by
 ,,the ,,artist  ,the scene is          

represented as taking place in one of   
the great cloisters or porticoes which  
surrounded the ,temple courts1 and which
 like the ,forum of ,rome1 and ,paul's  
,wall in ,elizabethan1 ,london1 served  
the purpose of a public promenade and   
place of meeting4 ,these porticoes were 
of magnificent construction and         
proportions1 the ,stoa ,basilica alone1 
upon the south side1 with its quadruple 
colonnade of one hundred and sixty-two  
pillars1 covering a great area4 ,the    
,eastern ,cloister1 known as ,solomon's 
,porch1 was probably so-called as having
 been erected upon the site of a similar
 construction in the first ,temple4     
,,one ,,of ,,ten ,,lepers ,,cured ,,is  
,,grateful     ,and it came to pass1 as 
he went to ,jerusalem1 that he passed   
through the midst of ,samaria and       
,galilee4 ,and as he entered into a     
certain village1 there met him ten men  
that were lepers1 which stood afar off4 
,and they lifted up their voices1 and   
said1 ,jesus1 ,master1 have mercy on us4

 ,and when he saw them1 he said unto    
them1 ,go shew yourselves unto the      
priests4 ,and it came to pass1 that1 as 
they went1 they were cleansed4 ,and one 
of them1 when he saw that he was healed1
 turned back1 and with a loud voice     
glorified ,god4 ,and fell down on his   
face at his feet1 giving him thanks3 and
 he was a ,samaritan4 ,and ,jesus       
answering said1 ,were there not ten     
cleansed8 but where are the nine8 ,there
 are not found that returned to give    
glory to ,god1 save this stranger4 ,and 
he said unto him1 ,arise1 go thy way3   
thy faith hath made thee whole4--,st4   
,luke xvii3 ,,ii--#ai4         99       
99       99       99       99  ,,note   
,,by ,,the ,,artist  ,the town of ,cana 
in ,galilee1 with its background of low 
hills1 as seen from the ,nazareth ,road1
 supplies a landscape setting for this  
picture4 ,the ingratitude of the nine   
lepers no doubt added to our ,lord's    
sorrow just now at the growing influence
 of the opposition of his enemies4      

,,jesus1 ,,martha1 ,,mary1 ,,and        
,,lazarus     ,now it came to pass1 as  
they went1 that he entered into a       
certain village3 and a certain woman    
named ,martha received him into her     
house4 ,and she had a sister called     
,mary1 which also sat at ,jesus' feet1  
and heard his word4 ,but ,martha was    
cumbered about much serving1 and came to
 him1 and said1 ,lord1 dost thou not    
care that my sister hath left me to     
serve alone8 bid her therefore that she 
help me4 ,and ,jesus answered and said  
unto her1 ,martha1 ,martha1 thou art    
careful and troubled about many things4 
,but one thing is needful3 and ,mary    
hath chosen that good part1 which shall 
not be taken away from her4--,st4 ,luke 
x3 #ch-db4         99       99       99 
99       99  ,,note ,,by ,,the ,,artist 
,bethany is situated on the southern    
slope of the ,mount of ,olives1 about   
two miles from ,jerusalem4 ,the house of
 his friends1 ,martha1 ,mary1 and       
,lazarus1 the only place which1 during  

the latter part of his ministry1 ,jesus 
could call a home1 was probably that of 
people in easy circumstances1 and as    
such is here represented4 ,in the       
vineyards of ,palestine the vine is     
cultivated bushlike on the ground2 but  
in gardens1 the plant is occasionally   
trained erect1 as in ,europe and        
,america1 or1 as in the present         
instance1 for the purposes of shade1    
upon a pergola4 ,in the middle of the   
village of ,bethany are the ruins of an 
important house4 ,here some years ago a 
,french explorer discovered on the base 
the remains of an ancient chapel ,this  
seems to point with probability to a    
valid tradition of the site of the house
 of ,martha1 ,mary1 and ,lazarus4       
,,jesus ,,blesseth ,,little ,,children  
,and they brought young children to him1
 that he should touch them3 and his     
disciples rebuked those that brought    
them4 ,but when ,jesus saw it1 he was   
much displeased1 and said unto them1    
,suffer the little children to come unto

 me1 and forbid them not3 for of such is
 the kingdom of ,god4 ,verily ,i say    
unto you1 ,whosoever shall not receive  
the kingdom of ,god as a little child1  
he shall not enter therein4 ,and he took
 them up in his arms1 put his hands upon
 them1 and blessed them4--,st4 ,mark x3 
#ac-af4         99       99       99    
99       99  ,,note ,,by ,,the ,,artist 
,in the ,hebrew ,bible--the ,talmud--it 
is stated that1 according to pious      
custom1 parents brought their little    
children to the synagogue that they     
might receive the benefit of the prayers
 and blessings of the elders4 ,rabbis   
also1 of recognized sanctity1 were      
frequently appealed to in a like manner2
 and his fame as a prophet and          
benefactor having preceded him into     
,peraea1 infants were now brought to    
,jesus1 that he might lay his hands upon
 them in supplication and blessing4 ,the
 architectural setting of the picture is
 adapted from that of a small square    
near the ,damascus ,gate of ,jerusalem4 

,this kindly and gentle act of our ,lord
 has been of incalculable consequence to
 the life of children in the development
 of ,christian civilization4      ,,the 
,,resurrection ,,of ,,lazarus1 ,,four   
,,days ,,dead     ,then said ,jesus unto
 them plainly1 ,lazarus is dead4 ,and ,i
 am glad for your sakes that ,i was not 
there1 to the intent ye may believe2    
nevertheless let us go unto him4 ,jesus 
therefore again groaning in himself     
cometh to the grave4 ,it was a cave1 and
 a stone lay upon it4 ,jesus said1 ,take
 ye away the stone4 ,martha1 the sister 
of him that was dead1 saith unto him1   
,lord1 by this time he stinketh3 for he 
hath been dead four days4 ,jesus saith  
unto her1 ,said ,i not unto thee1 that1 
if thou wouldest believe1 thou shouldest
 see the glory of ,god8 ,then they took 
away the stone from the place where the 
dead was laid4 ,and ,jesus lifted up his
 eyes1 and said1 ,father1 ,i thank thee 
that thou hast heard me4 ,and ,i knew   
that thou hearest me always3 but because

 of the people which stand by ,i said   
it1 that they may believe that thou hast
 sent me4 ,and when he thus had spoken1 
he cried with a loud voice1 ,lazarus1   
come forth4 ,and he that was dead came  
forth4--,st4 ,john xi3 #ad41 #ae1ch-dd4 
99       99       99       99       99  
,,note ,,by ,,the ,,artist  ,the        
painting illustrates a form of rock-cut 
tomb which1 though not so common as     
others in the neighborhood of           
,jerusalem1 is nevertheless selected as 
being in accordance with the description
 of what took place in the present      
instance4 ,it is obviously the type of  
tomb which is referred to on a          
subsequent occasion1 and explains the   
meaning of the stone rolled away from   
the sepulchre ,the entrance of the tomb 
is at the bottom of a flight of steps1  
and is covered by a disc-shaped stone1  
like a mill-stone1 which can be rolled  
back into a slot cut in the rock for its
 reception4 7,the kneeling man in the   
background has apparently just performed

 this duty87 ,the entrance is closed by 
rolling the stone forward1 dropping a   
small block behind it to prevent its    
recession1 and finally by covering the  
before-mentioned slot with a slab1      
which1 being cemented down1 the tomb is 
sealed4      ,,conversion ,,of          
,,zacchaeus1 ,a ,,publican     ,and     
,jesus entered and passed through       
,jericho4 ,and1 behold1 there was a man 
named ,zacchus1 which was the chief     
among the publicans1 and he was rich4   
,and he sought to see ,jesus who he was2
 and could not for the press1 because he
 was little of stature4 ,and he ran     
before1 and climbed up into a sycomore  
tree to see him3 for he was to pass that
 way4 ,and when ,jesus came to the      
place1 he looked up1 and saw him1 and   
said unto him1 ,zacchus1 make haste1 and
 come down2 for to day ,i must abide at 
thy house4 ,and he made haste1 and came 
down1 and received him joyfully4 ,and   
when they saw it1 they all murmured1    
saying1 ,that he was gone to be guest   

with a man that is a sinner4 ,and       
,zacchus stood1 and said unto the ,lord3
 ,behold1 ,lord1 the half of my goods ,i
 give to the poor2 and if ,i have taken 
any thing from any man by false         
accusation1 ,i restore him fourfold4    
,and ,jesus said unto him1 ,this day is 
salvation come to this house1 forsomuch 
as he also is a son of ,abraham4 ,for   
the ,son of man is come to seek and to  
save that which was lost4--,st4 ,luke   
xix3 #a-aj4         99       99       99
       99       99  ,,note ,,by ,,the   
,,artist  ,the sycomore tree referred to
 in the text is a species of fig bearing
 small1 coarse fruit1 which is used as  
food only in cases of necessity4        
,although occasionally of great size1   
the tree is easily climbed1 as the trunk
 is short1 and the branches are numerous
 and wide spreading4 ,jericho1 rebuilt  
by ,herod1 was a somewhat fashionable   
town4 ,to signalize the despised        
tax-gatherer in such a way was to teach 
a permanent lesson of absolute          

unworldliness4      ,,jesus ,,restoreth 
,,sight ,,to ,,bartimaeus     ,and they 
came to ,jericho3 and as he went out of 
,jericho with his disciples and a great 
number of people1 blind ,bartimaeus1 the
 son of ,timaeus1 sat by the highway    
side begging4 ,and when he heard that it
 was ,jesus of ,nazareth1 he began to   
cry out1 and say1 ,jesus1 thou son of   
,david1 have mercy on me4 ,and many     
charged him that he should hold his     
peace3 but he cried the more a great    
deal1 ,thou son of ,david1 have mercy on
 me4 ,and ,jesus stood still1 and       
commanded him to be called4 ,and they   
called the blind man1 saying unto him1  
,be of good comfort1 rise2 he calleth   
thee4 ,and he1 casting away his garment1
 rose1 and came to ,jesus4 ,and ,jesus  
answered and said unto him1 ,what wilt  
thou that ,i should do unto thee8 ,the  
blind man said unto him1 ,lord1 that ,i 
might receive my sight4 ,and ,jesus said
 unto him1 ,go thy way2 thy faith hath  
made thee whole4 ,and immediately he    

received his sight1 and followed ,jesus 
in the way4--,st4 ,mark x3 #d4f--eb4    
99       99       99       99       99  
,,note ,,by ,,the ,,artist  ,the site of
 ,jericho is still an oasis in the      
surrounding desert1 but neither its     
fertility nor its dimensions bear       
comparison with those which it attained 
in former days2 and hardly a tree       
remains of the celebrated groves of     
balsam1 spice1 and fruit-bearing trees1 
and the palms which earned for ,jericho 
the title of ,the ,city of the ,palm    
,trees1 and which made its neighboring  
plain the garden of ,palestine--the     
divine district as ,joseph us calls it4 
,this fertility was owing entirely to   
skilful irrigation1 traces of no less   
than twelve aqueducts having been       
discovered4 ,no class of sufferers more 
frequently claimed and obtained from    
,jesus the exercise of his compassion   
and healing power than that represented 
by blind ,bartimaus4 ,the malady of     
blindness is grievously common in       

,palestine1 the proportion of those thus
 afflicted being one in every hundred of
 the population1 whereas in ,europe the 
proportion is only one in a thousand4   
,,christ',s ,,triumphal ,,entry ,,into  
,,jerusalem     ,and when they drew nigh
 unto ,jerusalem1 and were come to      
,bethphage1 unto the mount of ,olives1  
then sent ,jesus two disciples4 ,saying 
unto them1 ,go into the village over    
against you1 and straightway ye shall   
find an ass tied1 and a colt with her3  
loose them1 and bring them unto me4 ,and
 if any man say ought unto you1 ye shall
 say1 ,the ,lord hath need of them2 and 
straightway he will send them4 ,all this
 was done1 that it might be fulfilled   
which was spoken by the prophet4 ,and   
the disciples went1 and did as ,jesus   
commanded them4 ,and brought the ass1   
and the colt1 and put on them their     
clothes1 and they set him thereon4 ,and 
a very great multitude spread their     
garments in the way2 others cut down    
branches from the trees1 and strawed    

them in the way4 ,and the multitudes    
that went before1 and that followed1    
cried1 saying1 ,hosanna to the son of   
,david3 ,blessed is he that cometh in   
the name of the ,lord2 ,hosanna in the  
highest4 ,and when he was come into     
,jerusalem1 all the city was moved1     
saying1 ,who is this8 ,and the multitude
 said1 ,this is ,jesus the prophet of   
,nazareth of ,galilee4--,st4 ,matt1 xxi3
 #a-d41 #f-aa4         99       99      
99       99       99  ,,note ,,by ,,the 
,,artist  ,had ,jesus omitted to command
 to bring its mother along with the     
colt1 upon which he elected to ride1 his
 disciples would probably have brought  
her as a matter of course4 ,it is the   
custom of the country2 and as journeys  
are accomplished at a walking pace1     
mares and she-asses are frequently      
accompanied by their foals4 ,it may be  
noted that in this picture one of the   
gates of ,hebron does duty for that     
through which ,jesus makes his triumphal
 entry into ,jerusalem2 the former being

 suggestive of far greater antiquity    
than any which are to be found at the   
present day in ,jerusalem itself4       
,,christ ,,avoucheth ,,his ,,authority  
,and he taught daily in the temple4 ,but
 the chief priests and the scribes and  
the chief of the people sought to       
destroy him4 ,and could not find what   
they might do3 for all the people were  
very attentive to hear him4 ,and it came
 to pass1 that on one of those days1 as 
he taught the people in the temple1 and 
preached the gospel1 the chief priests  
and the scribes came upon him with the  
elders4 ,and spake unto him1 saying1    
,tell us1 by what authority doest thou  
these things8 or who is he that gave    
thee this authority8 ,and he answered   
and said unto them1 ,i will also ask you
 one thing2 and answer me3 ,the baptism 
of ,john1 was it from heaven1 or of men8
 ,and they reasoned with themselves1    
saying1 ,if we shall say1 ,from heaven2 
he will say1 ,why then believed ye him  
not8 ,but and if we say1 ,of men2 all   

the people will stone us3 for they be   
persuaded that ,john was a prophet4 ,and
 they answered1 that they could not tell
 whence it was4 ,and ,jesus said unto   
them1 ,neither tell ,i you by what      
authority ,i do these things4--,st4     
,luke xix3 #dg1 #dh2 xx3 #a-h4          
99       99       99       99       99  
,,note ,,by ,,the ,,artist  ,the        
occasion on which ,jesus encountered for
 the last time the opposition of his    
priestly enemies to his teaching1 and   
when1 in the presence of the assembled  
multitudes1 he exposed and denounced    
their hypocrisy1 is supposed to take    
place in one of the great outer courts  
of the ,temple1 the buildings of which1 
although begun forty-six years          
previously1 were at this time still     
unfinished1 and were indeed never fully 
completed in accordance with their      
original design4      ,,at ,,night1     
,,jesus ,,abode ,,on ,,the ,,mount ,,of 
,,olives     ,and in the day time he was
 teaching in the temple2 and at night he

 went out1 and abode in the mount that  
is called the mount of ,olives4--,st4   
,luke xxi3 #cg4         99       99     
99       99       99  ,,note ,,by ,,the 
,,artist  ,as we ascend towards sunset  
the slopes of ,olivet1 and pause to gaze
 on the scenes beneath1 the panorama of 
the city presented to view is in its    
leading features essentially similar to 
that upon which the eyes of ,jesus      
rested1 when at night he went out1 and  
abode in the mount that is called the   
,mount of ,olives ,yonder stands a      
temple within that sacred enclosure     
which1 for well-nigh three thousand     
years1 save for the period during which1
 the abomination of desolation spoken of
 by ,daniel the prophet stood in the    
,holy place1 has been dedicated to the  
worship of ,jehovah4 ,the citadel of    
,jerusalem breaks the skyline where     
stood the tower of ,hippicus1 and to the
 left1 against the setting sun1 the     
cypresses in a monastery garden mark the
 spot once covered by the gardens of the

 palace of ,herod4 ,siloam stands as of 
old on the hither side1 overlooking the 
valleys of ,hinnom and ,kidron2 while   
to-day1 as in former times1 the olive   
yards beneath and the trees around1     
might well give the name which it bears 
to the hill on which we stand4          
,,jesus ,,washeth ,,his ,,disciples'    
,,feet     ,now before the feast of the 
passover1 when ,jesus knew that his hour
 was come that he should depart out of  
this world unto the ,father1 having     
loved his own which were in the world1  
he loved them unto the end4 ,and supper 
being ended1 the devil having now put   
into the heart of ,judas ,iscariot1     
,simon's son1 to betray him4 ,jesus     
knowing that the ,father had given all  
things into his hands1 and that he was  
come from ,god1 and went to ,god4 ,he   
riseth from supper1 and laid aside his  
garments2 and took a towel1 and girded  
himself4 ,after that he poureth water   
into a bason1 and began to wash the     
disciples' feet1 and to wipe them with  

the towel wherewith he was girded4 ,then
 cometh he to ,simon ,peter3 and ,peter 
saith unto him1 ,lord1 dost thou wash my
 feet8 ,jesus answered and said unto    
him1 ,what ,i do thou knowest not now2  
but thou shalt know hereafter4 ,peter   
saith unto him1 ,thou shalt never wash  
my feet4 ,jesus answered him1 ,if ,i    
wash thee not1 thou hast no part with   
me4 ,simon ,peter saith unto him1 ,lord1
 not my feet only1 but also my hands and
 my head4 ,jesus saith to him1 ,he that 
is washed needeth not save to wash his  
feet1 but is clean every whit3 and ye   
are clean1 but not all4--,st4 ,john     
xiii3 #a-aj4         99       99        
99       99       99  ,,note ,,by ,,the 
,,artist  ,a dwelling house1 claiming to
 be one of the most ancient in          
,jerusalem1 supplied materials for the  
study of the large upper room1          
represented in this and some other of   
the paintings4 ,the general features of 
the chamber1 with its arched ceiling and
 flattened dome1 its leewans 7raised    

platform7 and the entrance-passage of   
colored stones1 where guests leave their
 foot-gear before stepping upon the     
mat-covered floor of the room1 may1 for 
the reasons adduced elsewhere1 be       
accepted as typical of similar          
apartments of the period under          
consideration4      ,,the ,,betrayal    
,,foretold ,,at ,,the ,,supper     ,when
 ,jesus had thus said1 he was troubled  
in spirit1 and testified1 and said1     
,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto you1 that  
one of you shall betray me4 ,then the   
disciples looked one on another1        
doubting of whom he spake4 ,now there   
was leaning on ,jesus' bosom one of his 
disciples1 whom ,jesus loved4 ,simon    
,peter therefore beckoned to him1 that  
he should ask who it should be of whom  
he spake4 ,he then lying on ,jesus'     
breast saith unto him1 ,lord1 who is it8
 ,jesus answered1 ,he it is1 to whom ,i 
shall give a sop1 when ,i have dipped   
it4 ,and when he had dipped the sop1 he 
gave it to ,judas ,iscariot1 the son of 

,simon4 ,and after the sop ,satan       
entered into him4 ,then said ,jesus unto
 him1 ,that thou doest1 do quickly4 ,now
 no man at the table knew for what      
intent he spake this unto him4 ,for some
 of them thought1 because ,judas had the
 bag1 that ,jesus had said unto him1    
,buy those things that we have need of  
against the feast2 or1 that he should   
give something to the poor4 ,he then    
having received the sop went immediately
 out3 and it was night4--,st4 ,john     
xiii3 #ba-cj4         99       99       
99       99       99  ,,note ,,by ,,the 
,,artist  ,comment has already been made
 upon the custom prevailing at this time
 of reclining at meat4 ,we are aware1   
from other sources of information1 that 
in partaking of the ,passover1 the      
attitude of standing had1 as a point of 
ritual1 long been abandoned in favor of 
the recumbent posture1 and this is      
directly evidenced by the words of the  
text 7v3 #bc and #be71 which are only   
compatible with the supposition that on 

the present occasion the guest-chamber  
was furnished with couches which ran    
around the three sides of the table in  
the usual manner4 ,authorities differ as
 to which was regarded as the highest   
seat some maintaining that this was the 
outermost place on the right-hand couch2
 others1 again1 preferring the          
arrangement followed in the painting1   
where ,jesus occupies the centre4       
,,in ,,the ,,garden ,,of ,,gethsemane   
,then cometh ,jesus with them unto a    
place called ,gethsemane1 and saith unto
 the disciples1 ,sit ye here1 while ,i  
go and pray yonder4 ,and he took with   
him ,peter and the two sons of ,zebedee1
 and began to be sorrowful and very     
heavy4 ,then saith he unto them1 ,my    
soul is exceeding sorrowful1 even unto  
death3 tarry ye here1 and watch with me4
 ,and he went a little farther1 and fell
 on his face1 and prayed1 saying1 ,o my 
,father1 if it be possible1 let this cup
 pass from me3 nevertheless not as ,i   
will1 but as thou wilt4 ,and he cometh  

unto the disciples1 and findeth them    
asleep1 and saith unto ,peter1 ,what1   
could ye not watch with me one hour8    
,watch and pray1 that ye enter not into 
temptation3 the spirit indeed is        
willing1 but the flesh is weak4 ,he went
 away again the second time1 and prayed1
 saying1 ,o my ,father1 if this cup may 
not pass away from me1 except ,i drink  
it1 thy will be done4 ,and he came and  
found them asleep again3 for their eyes 
were heavy4 ,and he left them1 and went 
away again1 and prayed the third time1  
saying the same words4 ,then cometh he  
to his disciples1 and saith unto them1  
,sleep on now1 and take your rest3      
behold1 the hour is at hand1 and the    
,son of man is betrayed into the hands  
of sinners4 ,rise1 let us be going3     
behold1 he is at hand that doth betray  
me4--,st4 ,matt1 xxvi3 #cf-df4          
99       99       99       99       99  
,,note ,,by ,,the ,,artist  ,as the word
 ,gethsemane means the oil press the    
,garden was in all probability an olive 

yard1 whose actual site1 though it      
cannot be determined with certainty1    
must have been in the immediate vicinity
 at least of the spot which age-long    
tradition indicates as the scene of the 
,agony4 ,the great age of the trees in  
this enclosure has been urged in favor  
of the tradition1 but it is fatal to    
their claim as witnesses1 that ,titus is
 known to have cut down1 for military   
purposes1 all the trees in the          
neighborhood of the besieged city4 ,this
 site is now owned by the ,russians who 
have turned it into a neat and trim     
garden1 and built a bright new white    
church on the upper level with five     
large gilded bulbous domes4      ,,the  
,,arrest ,,of ,,jesus      ,judas then1 
having received a band of men and       
officers from the chief priests and     
,pharisees1 cometh thither with lanterns
 and torches and weapons4 ,jesus        
therefore1 knowing all things that      
should come upon him1 went forth1 and   
said unto them1 ,whom seek ye8 ,they    

answered him1 ,jesus of ,nazareth4      
,jesus saith unto them1 ,i am he4 ,and  
,judas also1 which betrayed him1 stood  
with them4 ,as soon then as he had said 
unto them1 ,i am he1 they went backward1
 and fell to the ground4--,now he that  
betrayed him gave them a sign1 saying1  
,whomsoever ,i shall kiss1 that same is 
he3 hold him fast4 ,and forthwith he    
came to ,jesus1 and said1 ,hail1 master2
 and kissed him4 ,and ,jesus said unto  
him1 ,friend1 wherefore art thou come8  
,then came they1 and laid hands on      
,jesus1 and took him4 ,and1 behold1 one 
of them which were with ,jesus stretched
 out his hand1 and drew his sword1 and  
struck a servant of the high priest's1  
and smote off his ear4 ,then said ,jesus
 unto him1 ,put up again thy sword into 
his place3 for all they that take the   
sword shall perish with the sword4      
,thinkest thou that ,i cannot now pray  
to my ,father1 and he shall presently   
give me more than twelve legions of     
angels8 ,but how then shall the         

scriptures be fulfilled1 that thus it   
must be8 ,in that same hour said ,jesus 
to the multitudes1 ,are ye come out as  
against a thief with swords and staves  
for to take me8 ,i sat daily with you   
teaching in the temple1 and ye laid no  
hold on me4 ,but all this was done1 that
 the scriptures of the prophets might be
 fulfilled4 ,then all the disciples     
forsook him1 and fled4--,st4 ,john      
xviii3 #c-f2 ,st4 ,matt1 xxvi3 #dh-ef4  
99       99       99       99       99  
,,note ,,by ,,the ,,artist  ,cunningly  
conceived indeed was that signal of the 
kiss2 for in the very act of betrayal1  
,judas thus covered his own treachery2  
and1 had the plot failed1 it would even 
have appeared as if1 when all the       
disciples forsook him and fled ,judas   
alone had courage1 in the hour of       
danger1 to stand by and openly to       
acknowledge ,jesus as his ,master4      
,,jesus ,,examined ,,by ,,caiaphas      
,and they that had laid hold on ,jesus  
led him away to ,caiaphas the high      

priest1 where the scribes and the elders
 were assembled4 ,but ,peter followed   
him afar off unto the high priest's     
palace1 and went in1 and sat with the   
servants1 to see the end4 ,now the chief
 priests1 and elders1 and all the       
council1 sought false witness against   
,jesus1 to put him to death4 ,but found 
none3 yea1 though many false witnesses  
came1 yet found they none4 ,at the last 
came two false witnesses1 ,and said1    
,this fellow said1 ,i am able to destroy
 the temple of ,god1 and to build it in 
three days4 ,and the high priest arose1 
and said unto him1 ,answerest thou      
nothing8 what is it which these witness 
against thee8 ,but ,jesus held his      
peace4 ,and the high priest answered and
 said unto him1 ,i adjure thee by the   
living ,god1 that thou tell us whether  
thou be the ,christ1 the ,son of ,god4  
,jesus saith unto him1 ,thou hast said3 
nevertheless ,i say unto you1 ,hereafter
 shall ye see the ,son of man sitting on
 the right hand of power1 and coming in 

the clouds of heaven4 ,then the high    
priest rent his clothes1 saying1 ,he    
hath spoken blasphemy2 what further need
 have we of witnesses8 behold1 now ye   
have heard his blasphemy4 ,what think   
ye8 ,they answered and said1 ,he is     
guilty of death4--,st4 ,matt1 xxvi3     
#eg--ff4         99       99       99   
99       99  ,,note ,,by ,,the ,,artist 
,the outward ceremonial of the hastily  
convoked and ,irregular tribunal before 
which ,jesus underwent the mockery of a 
trial was similar to that of the ancient
 ,sanhedrim4 ,the members sat on a      
semi-circular divan1 the president in   
the centre1 and a scribe at each        
extremity1 who recorded the evidence and
 the decisions of the court4 ,it may be 
noted1 that while laws had been         
carefully formulated for the conduct of 
such trials1 almost every one of them   
was flagrantly violated on the present  
occasion in order to ensure a           
pre-arranged condemnation4 ,for example1
 these rules provided that witnesses    

should be summoned1 and that an advocate
 should plead on behalf of the accused2 
and they forbade that criminal trials   
should be conducted at night1 that      
condemnation should be pronounced on the
 day of trial or on a holy day2 and1 if 
the crime were capital1 that execution  
should follow on the day of sentence4   
,,jesus ,,is ,,thrice ,,denied ,,by     
,,peter     ,now ,peter sat without in  
the palace3 and a damsel came unto him1 
saying1 ,thou also wast with ,jesus of  
,galilee4 ,but he denied before them    
all1 saying1 ,i know not what thou      
sayest4 ,and when he was gone out into  
the porch1 another maid saw him1 and    
said unto them that were there1 ,this   
fellow was also with ,jesus of          
,nazareth4 ,and again he denied with an 
oath1 ,i do not know the man4 ,and after
 a while came unto him they that stood  
by1 and said to ,peter1 ,surely thou    
also art one of them2 for thy speech    
betrayeth thee4 ,then began he to curse 
and to swear1 saying1 ,i know not the   

man4 ,and immediately the cock crew4    
,and the ,lord turned1 and looked upon  
,peter4 ,and ,peter remembered the word 
of the ,lord1 how he had said unto him1 
,before the cock crow1 thou shalt deny  
me thrice4 ,and he went out1 and wept   
bitterly4--,st4 ,matt1 xxvi3 #fi-gd42   
,st4 ,luke xxii3 #fa1 #fb4         99   
99       99       99       99  ,,note   
,,by ,,the ,,artist  ,in the ,east1 the 
houses of the great and official        
residences usually consist of a group of
 separate yet connected buildings1      
surrounding a quadrangular paved court  
planted with trees and flowering shrubs1
 and furnished in the centre with an    
open cistern or fountain4 ,such was     
probably the construction of the palace 
of the ,high ,priest 7,caiaphas71 and1  
apparently1 this open court1 across     
which ,jesus would be conducted to or   
from the hall of trial1 was the place   
where bitterness was added to his sorrow
 in hearing himself denied by his       
friend--and that man who had been the   

first to profess belief in his          
,messiahship1 and who1 but a few brief  
hours before1 had stoutly sworn to stand
 by him1 even unto death4