,transcriber's note3 ,unusual and inconsistent spelling is as printed4 ,illustration3 ,,sowing ,,and ,,reaping4 ,,be ,,not ,,afraid ,,stories ,,from ,,the ,,new ,,testament ,by ,,catharine ,,shaw ,author of ,cherry's ,choice1 ,mother's ,bible ,stories1 ,suffer ,little ,children1 etc41 etc4 ,,london ,,john ,f4 ,,shaw 7#aibh7 ,,co41 ,,ltd4 #c ,,pilgrim ,,street1 ,e4,c4#d ,british ,manufacture ,,contents4 ,i4 ,the ,sermon on the ,mount3 ,how to ,live ,i ,,ii4 ,the ,sermon on the ,mount3 ,how to ,live ,,ii ,,iii4 ,the ,sermon on the ,mount3 ,how to ,pray1 and to ,look ,up ,,iv4 ,the ,sermon on the ,mount3 ,how to ,pray1 and ,enter ,in ,v4 ,the ,last ,supper ,,vi4 ,peter ,denies ,his ,lord2 and the ,risen ,saviour ,forgives ,,vii4 ,father's ,plan ,,viii4 ,prophecy of the ,jews3 ,a ,separate ,people ,,ix4 ,prepare ,ye the ,way of the ,lord ,x4 ,the ,prophecy of a ,suffering ,messiah ,,xi4 ,sowing and ,reaping ,,xii4 ,there was no ,room for ,them in the ,inn ,,xiii4 ,after ,his ,resurrection ,,xiv4 ,consider the ,lilies ,,xv4 ,a ,man ,named ,matthew ,,xvi4 ,calvary ,,xvii4 ,the ,good ,shepherd1 and the ,sheep that was ,lost ,,xviii4 ,the ,door of the ,sheep ,,xix4 ,in ,my ,father's ,house are ,many ,mansions ,,xx4 ,the ,parable of the ,two ,builders ,,xxi4 ,the ,labourers in the ,harvest ,,xxii4 ,as a ,hen ,gathereth ,her ,chickens ,,xxiii4 ,the ,sower ,,xxiv4 ,the ,ten ,virgins ,,xxv4 ,the ,good ,samaritan ,,xxvi4 ,no ,wedding ,garment ,,xxvii4 ,sowing the ,tares ,,xxviii4 ,the ,prodigal ,son ,,xxix4 ,the ,pharisee and the ,publican ,,xxx4 ,an ,uninvited ,guest ,,xxxi4 ,the ,barren ,fig ,tree3 ,nothing but ,leaves ,,xxxii4 ,the ,parable of the ,talents ,,xxxiii4 ,hid in ,three ,measures of ,meal ,,be ,,not ,,afraid ,i4 ,the ,sermon on the ,mount ,,how ,,to ,,live ,i ,by the ,lake of ,galilee there is rising ground1 situated near several villages on the borders of the lake1 where it is believed the ,lord ,jesus spoke those wonderful words which are called ,the ,sermon on the ,mount4 ,travellers who have been to this spot tell us that the rising1 rocky ground1 which is called ,the ,horns of ,hattin1 would be a most convenient place for any one who was speaking to large numbers of people4 ,and it is here1 it is thought1 our ,lord1 seeing the multitudes who had followed ,him from the villages beneath the mountain1 spoke to them of the blessings which they might possess if they kept ,his words2 and explained to them the duties which were laid upon those who loved ,him1 and the blessings in store for them4 ,in an earthly school1 the children are told of the prizes which will be given for earnest endeavour2 and each one on entering the school is able to read the list of these rewards1 and the conditions which are attached to them4 ,we all understand more or less of this earthly competition--this great endeavour to do our best1 to see some result of our hard work1 to have the joy of receiving a prize or of earning the approbation of the master who helps us to the attainment of our ideal4 ,this is in an earthly school--now we are going to turn to the heavenly side of life4 ,so when our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 from that rocky eminence raised above the multitude1 spoke to them and said-- ,blessed are the poor in spirit3 for theirs is the ,kingdom of ,heaven-- ,it seems to me that there is hidden in ,his words a ,promise2 and also a ,way made plain1 to obtain the ,prize4 ,so the first ,blessed is3 ,blessed are the poor in spirit2 and the promise is3 ,for theirs is the ,kingdom of ,heaven4 ,the poor in spirit does not mean a weak man1 but one who knows how likely he is to fail1 and therefore does not trust in himself or his pride1 but looks up into ,god's face1 instead of into his own faulty doings4 ,in a little country town in the ,west of ,england1 about a hundred years ago1 there lived a man who was spoken of as half-witted4 ,he was a general favourite2 but if1 at any time1 he was twitted by the boys1 or good-humouredly questioned by older people1 his invariable answer was-- ,i'm a poor ,sinner1 and nothing at all2 ,but ,jesus ,christ is my ,all-in-,all4 ,whatever else he had missed1 he had learned the blessedness of being poor in spirit1 and his reward has been1 for many a long day1 an entrance into the ,kingdom of ,heaven4 ,thus saith the high and lofty ,one that inhabiteth eternity1 ,whose name is ,holy3 ,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 ,and now comes the ,second ,blessed4 ,blessed are they that mourn3 for they shall be comforted4 ,ah6 ,it is a sad thing to mourn6 ,we know something about that in these sorrowful days4 ,to lose the one whom we have loved so tenderly6 ,to lose that which we have prized above any other earthly joy1 and to know that it can never come back to us here6 ,and yet our ,lord says3 ,blessed are they that mourn3 for they shall be comforted4 ,so the weary1 sorrowful heart must turn to ,jesus6 ,he healeth the broken in heart and bindeth up their wounds4 ,as one whom his mother comforteth1 so will ,i comfort you4 ,in ,jesus is infinite comfort1 if we will go to ,him4 ,the ,third ,blessed4 ,blessed are the meek3 for they shall inherit the earth4 ,now the man ,moses was very meek4 ,he was so ready to be taught1 and to do ,god's ,will1 that the ,lord spoke to him face to face1 as a man speaketh unto his friend4 ,the meek will ,he guide in judgment3 and the meek will ,he teach ,his ,way1 we read in the twenty-fifth ,psalm1 and this was true of ,moses2 and in after years1 he was allowed to come down from the glory of ,heaven to talk with the ,lord ,jesus before ,his ,crucifixion4 ,as to this meekness1 we often find in life that it is not to the ones who strive and struggle to get their own way that the blessing comes1 but to those who in meekness wait patiently for the ,lord2 for ,he1 ,himself1 was meek and lowly in heart1 and ,he will give rest to our souls if we learn of ,him4 ,the ,fourth ,blessed4 ,blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness3 for they shall be filled4 ,if we turn to ,jesus as the ,bread of ,life1 and ask ,him to fill us with the ,water of ,life1 we shall find that ,he satisfieth the longing soul1 and filleth the hungry soul with goodness4 ,the ,fifth ,blessed4 ,blessed are the merciful3 for they shall obtain mercy4 ,oh1 let us pray for a merciful heart6 ,to be generous to those in fault2 to be kind to those who wrong us2 to cultivate a fellow-feeling for all the suffering there is in the world1 and to endeavour to do our little part in trying to alleviate it4 ,the ,lord ,god is merciful and gracious1 slow to anger1 and abundant in mercy4 ,,ii4 ,the ,sermon on the ,mount ,,how ,,to ,,live ,,ii ,the ,sixth ,blessed4 ,blessed are the pure in heart3 for they shall see ,god4 ,what are these which are arrayed in white robes8 and whence came they8 4 4 4 ,these are they which came out of great tribulation1 and have washed their robes1 and made them white in the ,blood of the ,lamb4 ,therefore are they before the ,throne of ,god1 and serve ,him day and night in ,his ,temple3 and ,he that sitteth on the ,throne shall dwell among them 4 4 4 and ,god shall wipe away all tears from their eyes4 ,the ,seventh ,blessed4 ,blessed are the peacemakers3 for they shall be called the children of ,god4 ,st4 ,paul says in his letter to the ,ephesians3 ,let all bitterness1 and wrath1 and anger1 and clamour1 and evil speaking1 be put away from you1 with all malice3 and be ye kind one to another1 tender-hearted1 forgiving one another1 even as ,god for ,christ's sake hath forgiven you4 ,be ye therefore followers of ,god1 as dear children4 ,it is only as we strive day by day to remember to be loving and peaceful1 that we shall attain to the honour of being called a ,peacemaker4 ,the ,eighth ,blessed4 ,blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake3 for theirs is the ,kingdom of ,heaven4 ,let us think of the long ,roll of ,martyrs who have given their lives for ,christ's sake6 ,this blessedness can only be known1 and the ,prize obtained1 by firm faith in ,god6 ,those who have esteemed the reproach of ,christ greater riches than the treasures of the world have already entered into the recompense of the reward4 ,illustration3 ,,christ ,,addressing ,,the ,,multitudes4 ,they had seen the promises of ,god afar off1 and were persuaded of them1 and embraced them1 and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth4 ,for they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country4 ,and this country is a heavenly one1 and ,god is not ashamed to be called their ,god1 and ,he has prepared for them a city4 ,theirs is the ,kingdom of ,heaven6 ,the ,ninth ,blessed4 ,blessed are ye when men shall revile you1 and persecute you1 and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely1 for ,my sake4 ,rejoice1 and be exceeding glad3 for great is your reward in heaven3 for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you4 ,these troubles of ,his followers1 which ,jesus our ,lord mentions1 are all summed up in the words for ,my sake4 ,and here1 it seems to me1 is a key which will open the prison doors of many a trial4 ,our ,lord tells us that whosoever will come after ,him must take up his cross and follow ,him4 ,for ,my sake6 ,he says to us so tenderly4 ,take ,my yoke upon you1 ,he says again4 ,and what was ,his yoke8 ,it was doing the ,heavenly ,father's ,will4 ,bearing that heavy1 bitter ,cross to redeem the world which ,god loved so much that ,he gave ,his ,son4 ,leaving ,his glory in ,heaven for thirty-three years1 that ,he might show us how much the ,father loved us1 and to encourage us to work and bear for ,his sake4 ,god1 for ,christ's sake1 has forgiven us3 and if in this world there comes to us reproach of suffering1 for ,his sake1 shall we not meet it joyfully and patiently1 remembering the words of this last ,beatitude1 ,great is your reward in ,heaven8 ,if there was one man more than another who was persecuted for ,christ's sake1 it was the ,apostle ,paul4 ,have you ever read the list of his sufferings8 ,in labours more abundant1 in stripes above measure1 in prisons more frequent1 in death oft4 ,of the ,jews five times received ,i forty stripes save one4 ,thrice was ,i beaten with rods1 once was ,i stoned1 thrice ,i suffered shipwreck1 a night and a day ,i have been in the deep2 in journeyings often1 in perils of waters1 in perils of robbers1 in perils by mine own countrymen1 in perils by the heathen1 in perils in the city1 in perils in the wilderness1 in perils in the sea1 in perils among false brethren2 in weariness and painfulness1 in watchings often1 in hunger and thirst1 in fastings often1 in cold and nakedness4 ,besides those things that are without1 that which cometh upon me daily1 the care of all the ,churches4 ,and then1 in another letter1 he says ,i can do all things through ,christ1 ,which strengtheneth me4 ,all things6 ,then there is not a temptation1 or a sorrow1 or a disappointment1 or a task1 that is not included in that all things which the strength of ,christ will enable us to do1 and bear4 ,the ,last ,beatitude4 ,the last ,beatitude--which means blessed--ends up with the word ,rejoice6 ,those who follow and serve ,jesus ,christ here1 have the present possession of exceeding joy2 and as they follow ,him1 ,he leads them into the ,exceeding ,joy of the ,great ,reward in ,heaven6 ,,iii4 ,the ,sermon on the ,mount ,,how ,,to ,,pray1 ,,and ,,to ,,look ,,up ,our ,blessed ,lord had many things to teach those who listened to ,him so eagerly4 ,you will find numbers of beautiful and suggestive lessons in the fifth to the seventh chapters of ,matthew4 ,but ,i have not space to tell you a quarter of them2 yet one thing seems to stand out before me as so wonderful1 and so important1 that ,i must on no account leave it out4 ,it is called3 ,the ,lord's ,prayer4 ,our ,lord ,jesus explains to us that it is after this manner that we should pray2 and ,i have known people who have found great blessing and great help in using this beautiful prayer1 slowly and thoughtfully1 each morning4 ,it is of no use just to say the words quickly1 and think nothing about them6 ,that is what our ,lord calls using vain repetitions1 as the heathen do4 ,but to pray each separate petition slowly and reverently will surely bring you great blessing4 ,our ,father1 which art in ,heaven4 ,pause to think of ,his love and ,his majesty4 ,hallowed be ,thy ,name4 ,ask to be enabled to honour ,him all the day4 ,thy ,kingdom come4 ,ask to be helped to press forward that ,kingdom1 and to be ready for the ,lord ,jesus to come back4 ,thy will be done on earth1 as it is in ,heaven4 ,ask that we may do that ,will with all our hearts6 ,give us this day our daily bread4 ,ask ,him to send us our food1 and to feed us also with heavenly ,food3 ,his love1 ,his help1 ,his grace4 ,and forgive us our trespasses1 as we forgive them that trespass against us4 ,ask for pardon for ourselves1 and a loving forgiving spirit towards other people4 ,lead us not into temptation1 but deliver us from evil4 ,ask that ,jesus may be close to us in every trial1 and conquer ,satan for us1 when he tries to make us fall4 ,for ,thine is the ,kingdom1 and the ,power1 and the ,glory1 for ever4 ,amen4 ,god is our ,king1 we are ,his subjects2 ,he has all power1 so that we can rely on ,his help2 ,he has all glory1 and will share it with us by and by1 if we will yield ourselves to ,him and obey ,him4 ,and this will be for ever and ever6 ,when the ,lord ,jesus had finished telling the disciples about praying1 ,he went on to explain to them some of the beautiful things which they would find around them which would help them to trust in the ,heavenly ,father's love4 ,he said to them in words like these3 ,do not be anxious about what you will have to eat another day--look at the birds which fly round you6 ,are they anxious8 ,they do not sow any seed2 they do not reap the fields1 and gather the grain into storehouses--yet your ,father feeds them4 ,are not you of more value than they are8 ,do you make yourself grow8 ,can you make yourself taller8 ,is it not ,god ,who does that for you8 ,think of--consider--the lilies of the field1 ,he says1 how they grow6 ,they do not work1 they do not spin1 and yet ,king ,solomon1 in all his glory1 was not dressed like one of these lilies4 ,so1 if ,god clothes them like that1 how much more will ,he give you clothes to wear6 ,that is how the ,lord spoke to those men and women and children who listened to ,him on the mountain4 ,i was given a bunch of flowers the other day4 ,i sat down at the table1 and just thought of all this4 ,could ,i make one of those8 ,think of the root1 and the earth to grow it in6 ,think of the stalk1 with its tiny little pipes and channels6 ,think of leaves all alike1 and all on that plant getting nourished from the root4 ,consider the flowers--so white1 so exquisitely made2 each little flower a perfect bell4 ,and then the scent--consider the scent of those lilies1 which was exactly the same scent fifty years ago1 and no other flower has exactly the same smell4 ,i considered it all1 as our ,lord had said1 and ,i bowed my head and worshipped ,him1 ,who liveth for ever and ever6 ,so if at any time a doubt or a faithless fear should enter your heart1 just get a daisy1 or a buttercup1 or a blade of grass1 and sit down and think ,who made it2 and trust ,him better4 ,david says1 in the eighth ,psalm1 ,when ,i consider ,thy heavens1 the work of ,thy fingers1 the moon and the stars which ,thou hast ordained2 what is man1 that ,thou art mindful of him8 and the son of man1 that ,thou visitest him8 ,then our ,lord goes on to say1 in words like these3 ,do not be anxious about what you will have to eat or drink1 or what you are going to wear1 for your ,heavenly ,father knows that you have need of all these things4 ,i have seen so many instances of ,god's love and care1 both in my own life1 and in that of other people6 ,there was a bed-ridden woman who was very poor4 ,the district nurse said to her one morning1 ,my dear1 we want a new bed-jacket1 ,i think4 ,and the dear old invalid looked up brightly in answer3 ,my ,heavenly ,father will send me one1 just when ,he thinks it is the right time1 she said confidently4 ,and ,he did send her1 two days after1 a beautiful warm jacket6 ,she had sought the ,kingdom of ,god first1 and ,he had added to her all her need4 ,,iv4 ,the ,sermon on the ,mount ,,how ,,to ,,pray1 ,,and ,,enter ,,in ,here is a wonderful encouragement and a wonderful promise4 ,as our ,lord proceeded with the ,sermon on that ,mount1 and as ,he looked into the anxious1 eager faces of the multitude around ,him1 ,he revealed to them some of the deepest needs of our hearts4 ,his words are very simple1 and the youngest child can understand a little about them4 ,ask1 ,he says4 ,if a father or a mother says1 ,ask me when you next see me1 the child is quite sure he will get his request6 ,years ago1 when ,i was quite a little girl1 a favourite aunt tried to teach us all this lesson4 ,when the grandchildren went to stay at that dear country house1 they were told that on a ,saturday they could ask their aunt for a ,saturday penny4 ,she wanted to impress upon our minds that ,god loved us to ask for what ,he had promised6 ,so as surely as we asked1 however many there were of us1 she gave what she had promised4 ,and1 though that is seventy years ago1 you see ,i have not forgotten it6 ,well6 ,our ,lord says ,ask4 ,that shows that ,he knows we have some want in our hearts that we hardly are conscious of4 ,what is the need that hides down below everything else8 ,it is forgiveness--to be assured that our sins are washed away4 ,people1 however1 try a number of remedies first4 ,they think they will turn over a new leaf4 ,they think they will strive more earnestly to improve4 ,they make endless resolutions4 ,but all these remedies fall short of the need4 ,they do not go down to the root of the disease4 ,suddenly we find the remembrance of some sin flashes into our thoughts and makes us miserable2 or there is a defilement in our lives which we cannot get rid of by any of the means within our reach6 ,what then8 ,the words of ,jesus ,christ on the ,mount1 given so long ago1 but of living power to-day1 are-- ,ask6 ,ask of ,god4 ,he seems to say1 ,ask1 and you shall receive6 ,go to ,god for forgiveness4 ,ask ,him to wash you clean and white in the ,blood of ,jesus ,christ1 which cleanseth from all sin1 and then you will be at peace1 and life will be a different thing to you4 ,then our ,lord goes on to say1 ,seek1 and ye shall find4 ,a woman who loses a piece of silver sweeps diligently till she finds it6 ,a merchant seeking goodly pearls sells all he possesses to obtain ,pearl of ,great ,price6 ,and then comes the third thought and the third promise4 ,knock6 ,do not just go to the door of ,god's storehouse of blessings and give a careless knock1 and then turn away without even expecting an answer6 ,you see a boy delivering circulars down your road4 ,he knocks and then runs on1 and does not trouble himself further4 ,but there comes a needy man to one door4 ,he has been told to come at any hour on any day1 and he knocks4 ,there is no immediate answer4 ,shall he turn away8 ,his need is so great that he knocks again4 ,and still the answer is delayed4 ,he told me to come1 murmured the man4 ,he told me to knock at his door6 ,so he goes on knocking2 and by and by the master1 who is alone in the house1 comes to the door1 and with words of welcome1 he bids the needy man enter4 ,and inside the master's house there is a storehouse of blessings6 ,more than the needy man can ask or think4 ,and the master showers warmth1 and love1 and food1 and riches upon him1 so that he goes on his way with every want supplied1 and with promises of an endless supply4 ,how to enter in4 ,the answer comes back to us1 like sweet chimes from afar1 in our ,lord's own words-- ,i am the ,door3 by ,me1 if any man enter in1 he shall be saved4 ,and ,jesus shows us what to do and what to avoid1 if we want to enter the ,kingdom of ,heaven4 ,he says3 ,enter ye in at the ,strait ,gate3 for wide is the gate1 and broad is the way1 that leadeth unto destruction1 and many there be which go in thereat because strait is the ,gate1 and narrow is the way1 which leadeth unto ,life1 and few there be that find it4 ,the ,broad ,way1 looking so easy and attractive at first1 is the way of sin1 and leads downwards to destruction4 ,the gate is wide open1 and so tempting4 ,the ,narrow ,way leads upwards1 to ,everlasting ,life4 ,the entrance to it is narrow and strait1 and the path needs courage and perseverance to walk in it bravely2 but at the end there are pleasures for evermore1 and no more pain or sorrow or death1 but ,eternal ,life6 ,st4 ,paul says ,i have fought a good fight1 ,i have finished my course1 ,i have kept the faith3 henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness1 which the ,lord1 the ,righteous ,judge1 shall give me at that day4 ,shall we not accept ,him ,who is ,himself the ,way8 ,he is the ,way1 all along the path1 let it be smooth or rough4 ,he is the ,truth1 and will never deceive us4 ,he is the ,life1 and in ,jesus ,christ it is reserved in ,heaven for us4 ,v4 ,the ,last ,supper ,the ,jewish ,feast of the ,passover drew near1 and our dear ,lord sent two of ,his disciples to prepare for it4 ,he told them they were to go to a certain house in ,jerusalem and they would find an upper room furnished2 and there they were to make ready to eat the ,passover1 as all other ,jewish men did at this season4 ,it will help us very much to understand this last supper of our ,lord and ,saviour if we go back and recall the circumstances of the first ,passover supper fourteen hundred years before4 ,we read in the #abth of ,exodus3 ,it is a night to be much observed unto the ,lord1 for bringing them out from the land of ,egypt3 this is that night of the ,lord to be observed of all the ,children of ,israel in their generations4 ,you may remember that the children of ,jacob had gone from ,canaan into ,egypt to buy food in a time of famine4 ,there they found their brother ,joseph1 whom they had sold as a slave1 who now was the greatest lord in ,pharaoh's kingdom4 ,joseph was very kind to his brothers1 and ,pharaoh welcomed them and their father ,jacob to stay in the land1 and be nourished there4 ,but by and by there arose a king who did not remember ,joseph1 and he began to put burdens on these ,children of ,israel the ,pharaohs1 one after another1 making them into slaves1 till at last their bondage was so cruel that they turned to the ,lord their ,god1 and cried to ,him to deliver them4 ,he raised up ,moses2 and at length there came a night--that wonderful night--when the whole multitude of the ,children of ,israel were delivered right out of ,egypt6 ,god told ,moses that on this night ,he was going to send a destroying angel through the land of ,egypt1 and that the firstborn of all the ,egyptians and of every living thing was to be destroyed1 as a great judgment4 ,but ,god had provided a way of escape for the ,children of ,israel4 ,he told them to take a lamb for each of their households1 and to kill it and roast it and eat it that night in all their houses4 ,god told them that when they killed that lamb they were to save its blood in a basin1 and take a bunch of hyssop and sprinkle that blood upon the lintel and on the side-posts of their doors2 and ,he promised that if they did this1 ,he would not allow the destroying angel to come near that house1 and they would be perfectly safe4 ,god said1 ,when ,i see the blood ,i will pass over you4 ,and this was why it was called ,the ,pass-over4 ,illustration3 ,,this ,,do ,,in ,,remembrance ,,of ,,me4 ,so during that night there was a dreadful cry in the land of ,egypt1 for in every house1 where the blood had not been sprinkled1 there was one lying dead6 ,the ,egyptians were so terrified that they thrust out the ,children of ,israel--they and all their little ones escaped right out of the land of ,egypt for ever6 ,and this is why1 the night before our ,lord was crucified for us--the ,lamb of ,god ,who taketh away the sin of the world--,he gathered ,his twelve disciples together1 and sat down to eat that ,feast with them in the upper room4 ,jesus told them that1 with great desire1 ,he had desired to eat this ,passover with them4 ,he knew that to-morrow ,he would die4 ,and as they were eating1 ,jesus was troubled in spirit1 and told them that one of them would betray ,him4 ,close to ,his side1 leaning on ,his bosom1 was the disciple whom ,jesus loved2 and ,peter beckoned to him to ask the ,lord who it would be who should betray ,him8 ,so ,john1 lying on ,jesus' breast1 whispered1 ,who is it1 ,lord8 ,and ,jesus answered1 ,it is he to whom ,i give a sop when ,i have dipped it4 ,and he gave the sop to ,judas ,iscariot4 ,and as they were eating1 ,jesus took bread1 and gave thanks1 and brake it1 and gave unto them saying1 ',this is ,my ,body1 which is given for you3 this do in remembrance of ,me4' ,likewise also the cup1 after supper1 saying1 ',this cup is the new testament in ,my ,blood1 which is shed for you4' ,st4 ,paul says1 ,christ our ,passover is sacrificed for us1 therefore let us keep the ,feast4 ,and from that ,last ,supper before ,his death1 till now1 nearly for two thousand years1 in one unbroken chain1 week by week1 those who love ,christ have partaken of this ,holy ,feast1 in remembrance of ,him1 till ,he shall come back again4 ,the ,holy ,supper was over4 ,judas had left them to go and betray his ,master1 and was gone out into the darkness4 ,in that wonderful conversation1 as ,jesus talked with them for the last time1 ,he told them many things1 which they understood more clearly afterwards4 ,he told them that ,he would not leave them comfortless1 but would come to them2 ,he told them that ,he was going to prepare a place for all who loved ,him1 in the many mansions of ,his ,father's house4 ,all ,his words were full of glory and comfort4 ,and then they sang a hymn together--,jesus and ,his disciples--and after that they went into the ,mount of ,olives1 where the ,easter ,passover moon was shining among the sombre trees2 and there it was that ,judas found ,him1 and betrayed ,him to the multitude4 ,,vi4 ,peter ,denies ,his ,lord2 and the ,risen ,saviour ,forgives ,the time had come at length for our ,lord ,jesus ,christ to go to the death which ,he had come to bear for us4 ,he had told ,his disciples that ,he would be betrayed1 and given into the hands of the ,jews2 and that now all the prophecies in the ,old ,testament about ,himself were going to be fulfilled4 ,the disciples had listened1 but they could not believe that such dreadful things would really happen to ,him4 ,on the very night that ,he was betrayed by ,judas1 the ,lord told them that all of them would be offended because of ,him that night2 and would forsake ,him1 but that after ,he was risen from the grave1 ,he would go before them into ,galilee1 where they should see ,him again4 ,then ,peter answered3 ,though all men shall be offended because of ,thee1 yet will ,i never be offended6 ,jesus said unto him1 ,verily ,i say unto thee1 that this night1 before the cock crow1 thou shalt deny ,me thrice4 ,still1 ,peter1 confident in himself1 and confident in his love for his ,master1 said that he would rather die with ,him than deny ,him6 ,and so they all said4 ,but ,peter had to find out1 by bitter experience1 that he was weak in himself2 for when ,judas betrayed ,jesus with a kiss in ,gethsemane1 and when the soldiers from the ,high ,priest seized ,him and too ,him bound to ,jerusalem1 all the disciples forsook ,him and fled6 ,illustration3 ,,peter ,,denies ,,his ,,lord4 ,peter1 however1 followed ,him afar off1 right into the ,high ,priest's palace2 but the servants round the fire in the hall charged him with being one of the disciples1 and their raillery1 and the accusations of a maid1 were ,satan's wiles to cause ,peter1 to stumble and fall3 and so he denied all knowledge of ,jesus1 with oaths and curses4 ,and at that moment the cock crew2 and ,peter remembered what ,jesus had said3 and horrified at what he had done1 he hurried to the door2 and as he went1 the ,lord turned and looked upon ,peter4 ,and he went out and wept bitterly4 ,poor sorrowful ,peter6 ,ah1 no one can fathom what he went through that night1 and the next awful day of the ,crucifixion3 and the two following days1 when the ,lord's ,body lay in the grave1 and ,peter recalled with agony that he had forsaken ,him when ,he needed his love most6 ,we can only picture it to ourselves2 but it must have been truly dreadful4 ,at length came the third day1 when ,jesus had told the disciples ,he would rise from the dead4 ,their hearts were so heavy with grief1 and so slow to take in what our ,lord had so constantly told them1 that they did not expect1 when they visited the grave on that third day1 to find it empty6 ,the women with their loving hearts were the first to reach the spot1 carrying sweet spices to anoint their ,lord6 ,they had expected to find ,his dearly loved ,body lying in the grave--dead4 ,instead1 they found the grave empty and a ,vision of ,angels6 ,they were so frightened that they were hurrying away1 but the ,angel who was sitting within the empty tomb told them not to be frightened1 for though they sought ,jesus of ,nazareth ,who was crucified1 yet ,he was not there1 for ,he was risen6 ,and then the ,angel gave them this message from ,god3 ,go tell ,his disciples1 and ,peter1 that ,he goeth before you into ,galilee3 there shall ye see ,him1 as ,he said unto you4 ,why was that separate message sent to ,peter8 ,oh1 the graciousness of the forgiveness of ,jesus6 ,peter had said he was not one of them1 meaning not one of ,his disciples4 ,and it may be1 that if the ,angel's message had only been ,go1 tell ,his disciples1 that ,peter would have been utterly hopeless4 ,but the sorrowing man had a message all to himself6 ,ah1 what that must have meant to ,peter6 ,and we have another sweet assurance of the forgiving love of our ,god and ,saviour4 ,we read1 in the last chapter of ,luke1 that those two whom ,jesus had met going to ,emmaus after ,his ,resurrection1 had hurried back to ,jerusalem to tell the eleven that they had seen the ,lord2 and were greeted with the joyful news which the other disciples had also heard--that the ,lord was risen indeed1 and had appeared to ,simon ,peter6 ,we have no account of what ,jesus said to ,peter1 nor what ,peter said to ,jesus4 ,but the fact is full of deepest comfort to all of us who so often grieve ,him1 that1 in spite of ,peter's sad denial1 his risen ,lord appeared to him1 forgave him his sin1 and restored him to his place among the others4 ,thenceforward ,peter became one of the most faithful of ,christ's disciples2 and when he preached that wonderful sermon at ,pentecost1 a few weeks afterwards1 ,god gave him the honour of bringing three thousand souls to love and believe in our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 ,who was dead1 but is alive again6 ,many years afterwards1 ,st4 ,paul mentions the name of ,peter among the list of those who saw the ,lord after ,his ,resurrection4 ,he calls him ,cephas2 but if you turn to the first chapter of ,st4 ,john's ,gospel1 you will see that our ,lord1 when ,he makes ,simon the son of ,jonas one of ,his disciples1 calls him ,cephas1 which means a stone1 or ,peter2 and ,i have read that ,cephas means a piece of ,rock1 and ,the ,rock ,itself--is ,christ6 ,,vii4 ,father's ,plan ,now ,i want you to picture to yourselves an earthly father gathering his children around him before he took a journey4 ,he told them he would only be away a month1 and at the end of that time it would be holiday time1 and they could all prepare for a visit to the seaside4 ,he bade them get everything packed up2 and he said he had engaged a house at a certain place1 and had arranged with an experienced boatman to be at their service all day long4 ,he had hired a pony carriage for their mother1 and everything was all ready when he should come home4 ,you can imagine how delighted the children were1 and how they talked of nothing else but ,father's plan for the whole month4 ,but did all this ever happen8 ,no2 not one of these plans came to pass4 ,the cloud of war came that summer1 and darkened all the bright prospect4 ,that visit to the seaside never came off4 ,instead1 their father was detained in a foreign country for months and months2 the lodgings were shut up1 for the coast was in danger2 the boatmen had to join the ,navy2 the holidays came1 indeed1 but an epidemic at the school spoilt all plans for many months1 and the children had to learn1 and so had the dear mother and father1 what bitter disappointment means4 ,and yet nothing seemed more certain than ,father's plan4 ,but there is ,one ,whose ,throne is above the highest ,heavens2 and when ,he plans1 there is no mistake2 no war can hinder it2 no illness nor misfortune can prevent the carrying out of what ,he purposes4 ,in chapter xlvi1 of ,isaiah we read what ,god says about this1 and it is a very solemn verse-- ,remember the former things of old3 for ,i am ,god1 and there is none else2 ,i am ,god1 and there is none like ,me1 declaring the end from the beginning1 and from ancient times the things that are not yet done1 saying1 ,my counsel shall stand1 and ,i will do all ,my pleasure 4 4 4 ,i have purposed it1 ,i will also do it4 ,when we look into our ,bibles1 and begin to think about the things which ,god has told people beforehand1 and which have come to pass1 we are amazed to find how many there are1 and how wonderful are the fulfilments4 ,,the ,,prophecy ,,in ,,eden4 ,gen4 iii4 #ae4--;,gal4 iv4 #d4 ,the first ,prophecy1 and with it a great ,promise1 was given by ,god in the ,garden of ,eden4 ,when ,adam and ,eve were disobedient1 and were tempted by ,satan to eat the forbidden fruit1 ,god could not let them stay in that beautiful garden any longer1 but ,he told ,adam he must go and dig the ground4 ,and ,god told ,satan that he would be like a ,serpent always1 and eat dust2 and then ,god gave this promise to ,eve1 that her ,seed--that meant one of her children's children1 long after1 should bruise the head of the ,serpent who had deceived her4 ,and this came true four thousand years after6 ,god sent ,his ,son2 and it was through the death of ,jesus on the ,cross that ,he destroyed the power of ,satan2 for those who turn to ,jesus ,christ for ,salvation have ,everlasting ,life given them4 ,,prophecy ,,of ,,the ,,flood4 ,gen4 vi4 #ag4--a ,peter iii4 #bj4 ,in the two thousand years after that promise in the ,garden of ,eden1 there came to be a great many people on the earth1 but most of them were very wicked1 and at last ,god said that ,he would destroy the wicked people by a great ,flood1 in one hundred and twenty years4 ,but there was one man who loved ,god1 and his name was ,noah4 ,so ,god told ,noah ,he was going to send a ,flood1 and ,he instructed him to prepare an ,ark1 so that he and his family should be saved from the ,flood4 ,but though it was such a long time that the ,ark was being built1 and ,god was very long-suffering1 at last the day came when ,he told ,noah to come into the ,ark with his wife and children1 and to take two1 and in some cases seven pairs1 of every living creature into the ,ark with him4 ,then the ,lord shut them in safely1 and the rain began1 and never ceased till even the highest mountains were covered right up4 ,thus the ,word of the ,lord1 spoken one hundred and twenty years before1 was fulfilled4 ,at length the rain stopped and the waters began to go down1 and at last the ,lord told ,noah to come out of the ,ark4 ,so he and his family and all the living creatures came out2 and ,noah built an ,altar1 and the ,lord accepted his sacrifice4 ,then ,god gave a beautiful ,promise and a beautiful ,prophecy1 and of both we see the constant fulfilment now4 ,the ,promise was1 that ,he would never send a ,flood again3 and the ,prophecy was--,while the earth remaineth1 seed-time and harvest1 and cold and heat1 and summer and winter1 and day and night shall not cease4 ,and then ,god gave them the ,token of ,his ,promise1 in putting ,his rainbow in the cloud whenever there is rain and the sun shines at the same time4 ,god said ,he would look upon the rainbow and remember ,his covenant not to send another ,flood2 and when we turn our eyes to that beautiful coloured arch above us1 we can say reverently3 ,god is looking on that bow too4 ,the rain reminds us of the ,flood2 but the sunshine reminds us of ,god's love3 and the rainbow itself reminds us that in that great love ,he gave ,his beloved ,son4 ,he is our rainbow of ,promise4 ,,viii4 ,prophecy of the ,jews3 ,a ,separate ,people ,numb4 xxiii4 #i4--,rom4 ix4 #d1 #e4 ,i have heard children say carelessly3 ,oh1 that is only an old ,jew6 ,and when my children were little1 ,i used to tell them that we should love the ,jews1 and be kind to them1 and pray for them4 ,for they are ,god's own dear people1 and our ,lord ,jesus ,christ was a ,jew1 when ,he came to earth and took our human nature4 ,it is true that the ,jews are scattered all over the world now for their unbelief and disobedience2 but by and by1 ,god tells us1 they will be gathered in their sows land1 and ,jesus will reign over them as ,king of kings1 and ,lord of lords4 ,in ,numbers xxiii4 #i we find a prophecy about the ,jews4 ,balaam prophesied3 ,the people shall dwell alone1 and shall not be reckoned among the nations4 ,god separated them in various ways to be ,his own people4 ,he promised to go with them2 and ,he also gave them certain laws which they were to keep4 ,they were not permitted to marry outside their own nation2 they were only allowed to use certain animals for food1 and the animals must be killed in a certain way1 so that the blood was poured out4 ,they were forbidden to worship idols1 or to follow the practices of the nations round them4 ,they were to keep one a day week holy1 and they were to go up to ,jerusalem once a year to keep the ,passover4 ,these rules kept them separate from all other peoples1 and as long as they obeyed ,god they were abundantly prosperous4 ,thus the prophecy spoken by ,balaam so long ago1 about the ,jews being a people apart by themselves1 is fulfilled to the very letter to-day4 ,,prophecy ,,of ,,deliverance ,,from ,,egypt4 ,gen4 l4 #bd4--;,josh4 xxiv4 #cb4 ,once when ,god was talking to ,abraham1 and promising to give the ,land of ,canaan to his children1 ,he told him that they should be strangers in a land which was not theirs for four hundred years1 and should be afflicted by those among whom they dwelt2 but also the nation whom they shall serve will ,i judge1 said ,god1 and afterwards shall they come out with great substance4 ,the ,children of ,israel1 who are now called the ,jews1 travelled from ,canaan into ,egypt to their brother ,joseph1 because1 of the great famine1 and lived in ,egypt for four hundred and twenty years4 ,but when ,joseph came to die1 he called his brothers to his side and uttered this prophecy3 ,i die2 and ,god will surely visit you1 and bring you out of this land which ,he swore to ,abraham1 to ,isaac1 and to ,jacob4 ,and ,joseph took an oath of his brothers1 saying3 ,god will surely visit you1 and ye shall carry up my bones from hence4 ,so ,joseph died at the age of a hundred and ten years1 and they embalmed and put him in a coffin in ,egypt4 ,but when the time came for the children of ,israel to be delivered from ,egypt1 as they escaped from their cruel task-masters1 in all their hurry and confusion1 ,moses remembered to take the bones of ,joseph with him2 and as the ,children of ,israel wandered in the ,wilderness1 they bore that coffin with them1 till at last they reached the land of ,canaan which ,god had promised to give them4 ,here ,joshua1 who led the people after ,moses' death1 buried the bones of ,joseph in ,shechem1 in a piece of ground which ,jacob had bought before he was carried down into ,egypt at the time of the famine4 ,thus the prophecy uttered hundreds of years before was fulfilled to the very letter4 ,,prophecy ,,of ,,the ,,captivity4 ,jer4 xxv4 #ab4--;,dan4 i4 #a-c4--;,ezra i4 #a-f4 ,many years had passed away1 during which the ,children of ,israel had been governed by judges1 and by the kings of ,judah and ,israel2 but gradually the people got slack2 they forgot the ,lord that brought them out of the land of ,egypt1 and forsook ,his commandments and fell into idolatry and dreadful sin4 ,at length ,god told the ,prophet ,jeremiah that the sins of the people were so great that ,he must send ,nebuchadnezzar1 ,king of ,babylon1 to carry them away captives1 and that they would serve him for seventy years1 while the land of ,canaan should be a desolation1 and enjoy her ,sabbaths4 ,we read in the first chapters of ,daniel about this captivity4 ,meanwhile ,god was very pitiful to ,his people whom ,he had had to punish1 and ,he sent them this message through ,jeremiah3-- ,for thus saith the ,lord1 ,that after seventy years be accomplished at ,babylon1 ,i will visit you1 and perform ,my good work toward you1 in causing you to return to this place4 ,god told ,jeremiah to tell them to build houses and make families during that seventy years2 to pray for their enemies1 and to ask ,god to send them peace4 ,and ,god heard their prayers2 and when the seventy years were accomplished1 ,he fulfilled the prophecy in a very wonderful way1 by raising up ,cyrus1 ,king of ,persia1 to send the ,jews back to rebuild ,god's ,temple at ,jerusalem4 ,and ,cyrus helped them in every way1 even giving them back the sacred vessels of the ,house of ,god which ,nebuchadnezzar had taken2 and by encouraging his people to help the ,jews by giving them silver and gold1 and beasts to carry the treasures1 and all that they needed4 ,thus ,god fulfilled ,his own word1 and the people returned at the end of the seventy years4 ,,ix4 ,prepare ,ye the ,way of the ,lord ,isa4 xl4 #c4--,matt4 iii4 #c4 ,seven hundred years before our ,lord ,jesus was born1 in ,bethlehem1 the ,prophet ,isaiah foretold that a man would live in the wilderness1 and would cry aloud1 ,prepare ye the way of the ,lord6 ,make straight in the desert a highway for our ,god6 4 4 4 ,the grass withereth and the flower fadeth1 but the word of our ,god shall stand for ever6 4 4 4 ,o ,jerusalem that bringest good tidings1 lift up thy voice with strength2 lift it up1 be not afraid2 say unto the cities of ,judah1 ,behold your ,god6 ,that was the prophecy1 and we read the fulfilment in the ,gospels of ,matthew and ,john4 ,in those days came ,john the ,baptist1 preaching in the wilderness of ,juda1 and saying1 ,repent ye3 for the ,kingdom of ,heaven is at hand4 ,for this is he that was spoken of by the prophet ,isaiah1 saying1 ,the voice of one crying in the wilderness1 ,prepare ye the way of the ,lord1 make ,his paths straight6 ,do you not think that ,john the ,baptist must have felt greatly honoured to know that he was this messenger of the ,lord8 ,he was the cousin of the ,lord ,jesus4 ,and before ,john's birth1 an angel told his father1 ,zacharias1 that his name was to be ,john1 and that he should be great in the sight of the ,lord1 and should preach in the spirit and power of ,elijah1 and make ready a people prepared for the ,lord4 ,it was ,john the ,baptist who1 you remember1 had the great honour of baptizing the ,lord ,jesus2 and it was he who uttered one of the most wonderful sentences in the ,bible3 ,behold the ,lamb of ,god1 ,which taketh away the sin of the world4 ,,prophecy ,,of ,,christ',s ,,birth4 ,isa4 ix4 #f4--,matt4 ii4 #aa4 ,now when ,jesus was born in ,bethlehem of ,juda1 in the days of ,herod the king1 behold1 there came ,wise ,men from the east to ,jerusalem2 and as they entered the city1 their first question astonished everyone4 ,where is ,he that is born ,king of the ,jews8 they asked4 ,for we have seen ,his star in the east1 and we are come to worship ,him4 ,herod was the king then1 placed there by the ,romans1 and he did not like to hear that there could be another king6 ,he sent at once for the scribes1 and demanded of them where ,christ should be born4 ,so they told him that ,micah had prophesied in their ,scriptures that ,christ should be born in ,bethlehem4 ,and ,herod was so anxious to make sure of this1 that he sent the ,wise ,men to inquire in ,bethlehem1 and said he would come to worship ,him4 ,and the ,star moved before the ,wise ,men till it came and stood over where the young ,child was4 ,then the ,wise ,men saw the ,holy ,babe1 with ,mary1 ,his mother2 and they fell down and worshipped ,him1 and opened their treasures1 and gave ,him the precious gifts they had brought from the east4 ,in ,isaiah vii4 #ad the ,jews were told that the mother of the ,lord should be a virgin2 and in ,jeremiah xxiii4 #e that ,he should be of the royal house of ,david4 ,and now comes the fulfilment of all these prophecies off seven hundred years before4 ,he was born of a virgin1 in ,bethlehem1 ,david's city4 ,also ,god said by ,micah ,he was to be ,ruler in ,israel2 and in ,isaiah xlix4 #f we have this great and further prophecy which embraces the whole world3 ,i will also give ,thee for a light to the ,gentiles1 that ,thou mayest be ,my salvation unto the end of the earth4 ,so we think of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ as the great ,gift which ,god the ,father gave to the world4 ,no wonder that the angel announced to the shepherds that it was tidings of great joy1 which should be to all people6 ,no wonder that the multitude of the ,heavenly ,host came down and joined in the ,song of ,praise1 on that night when the glory from ,heaven shone round about them all1 and the earth received the ,gift of the only begotten ,son of the ,father4 ,,prophecy ,,of ,,christ',s ,,ministry4 ,isa4 lxi4 #a4--,luke iv4 #ba4 ,when the ,lord ,jesus began ,his ministry on earth ,he went into the synagogue at ,nazareth1 and stood up to read4 ,the attendant handed ,him the ,roll containing the ,prophecies of ,isaiah2 and the ,lord found the place1 and this is what ,he read3-- ,the ,spirit of the ,lord ,god is upon me2 because the ,lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek2 ,he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted1 to proclaim liberty to the captives1 and the opening of the prison to them that are bound2 to proclaim the acceptable year of the ,lord4 ,and ,jesus closed the book1 and ,he gave it again to the attendant1 and sat down4 ,and the eyes of all that were in the synagogue were fastened on ,him4 ,and ,he began to say unto them ,this day is this ,scripture fulfilled in your ears4 ,the ,prophecy in ,isaiah was written more than seven hundred years before6 ,that day it was fulfilled6 ,the ,king of ,glory had taken our human nature upon ,him1 that ,he might taste death for every man2 and ,his first words as to ,his mission were1 that ,he would preach the ,gospel to the poor1 and heal the brokenhearted6 ,think how full of mercy ,his days were6 ,how ,he gave the widow's only son1 who was dead1 back to her alive2 how ,he healed the ,roman soldier's servant1 who was dear to him2 how ,he touched the lepers and made them well2 how ,he forgave the sins of the palsied man1 and healed him2 how ,he forgave ,peter and restored him4 ,no wonder ,st4 ,john in his ,gospel says3 ,if all the things which ,jesus did should be written every one1 ,i suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written6 ,x4 ,the ,prophecy of a ,suffering ,messiah ,isa4 liii4 #c-e4--;,john xix4 #e4 ,there is a great deal said in the ,old ,testament about the ,reign of ,christ as ,king2 but though the ,jews read these ,scriptures every ,sabbath day1 they did not notice that it was written in a number of places that before ,he was crowned ,king ,he was to suffer and die4 ,why did ,he die8 ,the reference quoted at the head of this page1 written by ,isaiah so long before1 tells us why it was4 ,he was wounded for our transgressions1 ,he was bruised for our iniquities3 the chastisement of our peace was upon ,him2 and with ,his stripes we are healed4 ,all we like sheep have gone astray2 we have turned every one to his own way2 and the ,lord hath laid on ,him the iniquity of us all4 ,jesus ,himself said3 ,i lay down ,my life for the sheep 4 4 4 ,no man taketh it from ,me1 but ,i lay it down of ,myself4 ,i have power to lay it down1 and ,i have power to take it again4 ,this ,commandment have ,i received of ,my ,father4 ,isaiah tells us ,he was despised and rejected of men2 a ,man of sorrows and acquainted with grief4 ,and when the council of the ,jews had judged ,him1 and condemned ,him to be worthy of death1 they handed ,him over to ,pilate1 the ,roman governor1 to execute the cruel death which they could not carry out themselves4 ,and so the soldiers mocked ,him and platted that crown of thorns1 and ,pilate brought ,him out wearing the royal robe that the soldiers had put upon ,him in mockery4 ,but not satisfied with the cruel death ,he was to die1 ,pilate ordered ,him to be scourged1 all the time protesting that he found no fault in ,him4 ,thus those words in ,isaiah liii4 #h were fulfilled3 ,he was taken from prison and from judgment 4 4 4 for ,he was cut off out of the land of the living3 for the transgression of ,my people was ,he stricken4 ,and then ,he was taken to the ,cross4 ,,prophecies ,,of ,,the ,,death ,,of ,,the ,,messiah4 ,dan4 ix4 #bf4--;,acts ii4 #bc4 ,we read in ,daniel that ,the ,messiah shall be cut off1 but not for ,himself4 ,and ,zechariah says3 ,and one shall say unto ,him1 ,what are these wounds in ,thine hands8 ,then ,he shall answer1 ,those with which ,i was wounded in the house of ,my friends4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,three ,,crosses4 ,as our ,blessed ,lord hung on that ,cross ,he was numbered with the transgressors1 for two thieves were crucified with ,him4 ,in the twenty-second ,psalm we learn to understand a little of the anguish which made ,him cry on the ,cross3 ,my ,god1 ,my ,god1 why hast ,thou forsaken ,me8 ,it was because ,he bore our sins in ,his own ,body on the tree4 ,he bare the sin of many1 and made intercession for the transgressors4 ,but though all this came upon that beloved ,son of ,god1 in order that ,he might redeem the world1 we have1 in ,isaiah liii4 #aj1 a great and beautiful promise of the ,resurrection1 and of ,his afterwards reigning in glory as ,king3-- ,when thou shalt make ,his soul an offering for sin1 ,he shall see ,his seed1 ,he shall prolong ,his days1 and the pleasure of the ,lord shall prosper in ,his hand4 ,he made ,his grave with the wicked1 and with the rich in ,his death4 ,this was fulfilled when rich ,joseph of ,arimatha buried ,him in beautiful fine linen in his own new grave in that garden near ,calvary4 ,,prophecy ,,of ,,the ,,resurrection4 ,psalm xvi4 #i1 #aj4 ,mark xvi4 #f4 ,jesus rose from the dead4 ,it was impossible that the ,son of ,god should be holden of death4 ,illustration ,,he ,,is ,,risen6 ,the angel came down and rolled away the stone1 and then told the frightened women that ,jesus was not there1 but was risen1 as ,he said4 ,all through the whole of the ,bible it is ,as ,he said4 ,as ,god has said--so it will surely be4 ,jesus told the disciples that ,he would ascend to ,his ,father2 and ,he led them out to ,bethany and went up to ,heaven in their sight4 ,he told them that the ,father would send the ,holy ,spirit down1 and that they were to wait for ,him4 ,they did wait1 and at the appointed time the ,holy ,spirit came1 and is with us still1 though we cannot see ,him2 ,he is our ,comforter and ,guide4 ,all these things are very solemn realities4 ,we have been dwelling on some of the ,prophecies that have been fulfilled4 ,there are numbers more yet to be fulfilled hereafter4 ,,prophecies ,,which ,,are ,,not ,,yet ,,fulfilled4 #b ,peter i4 #ai4--,matt4 xxiv4 #ad4 ,the central one of all is1 ,jesus ,christ is coming again to take ,his people to be for ever with ,him4 ,he says3 ,behold1 ,i come quickly1 and ,my reward is with ,me4 ,in the fiftieth ,psalm we have a wonderful ,prophecy and the promise3 ,the mighty ,god 4 4 4 hath spoken 4 4 4 ,our ,god shall come1 and shall not keep silence4 ,gather my saints together unto ,me1 those that have made a covenant with ,me by ,sacrifice4 ,and the last ,prophecies in the ,bible tell us about ,heaven and the future life4 ,we read in ,revelation xxi4 #a-d these words-- ,i saw a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away4 ,and ,i heard a great voice out of heaven1 saying-- ,behold the tabernacle of ,god is with men1 and ,he will dwell with them1 and they shall be ,his people4 ,and ,god shall wipe away all tears from their eyes2 and there shall be no more death1 neither sorrow1 nor crying1 neither shall there be any more pain3 for the former things are passed away4 ,,xi4 ,sowing and ,reaping ,our ,lord ,jesus ,christ was sitting on ,jacob's ,well1 waiting for the return of the disciples1 who had gone to the nearest village to buy food4 ,it was mid-day1 and the ,syrian sun had been beating down on the wearied ,lord of all the earth4 ,at the bottom of the steps1 travellers tell us1 leading down to ,jacob's ,well1 there is a small excavation or shelter between some overhanging stones1 and here the dear ,lord may have found a little shade while ,he waited4 ,a woman had come down these steps to draw water1 and the ,lord had spoken of the ,living ,water which ,he would give her if she asked ,him2 and then1 after they had been talking a little while1 she had left ,jesus sitting there1 and had hurried into the town to tell her neighbours that she had found the ,messiah--the ,christ4 ,while she was gone1 the disciples returned and quickly offered food to their ,lord4 ,but ,his reply astonished them4 ,he said3 ,i have food to eat that you do not know of4 ,my food is to do the will of ,him that sent ,me1 and to finish ,his work6 ,while they had been away1 wearied and hungry as ,he was1 ,he had brought a sinful soul to realize her sin1 and to find in ,him her ,saviour6 ,and then ,he said to them3 ,are there not four months before the harvest8 ,but lift up your eyes and look on the fields1 for they are white already to harvest4 ,he that reapeth receiveth wages1 and gathereth fruit to life eternal3 that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together4 ,you may say3 ,what does ,he mean by sowing8 ,in the winter you see the fields1 over which the plough has been pulled by the patient horses1 and the patient farmer4 ,then comes the man with a basket of seed1 and he puts the grains carefully into the furrows1 and covers them over1 and goes on his way4 ,have you seen that8 ,he is the sower4 ,then comes the dew and the rain1 the air and the sunshine1 and the little seed grows and grows till1 by and by1 behold it is ,harvest6 ,and the golden grain is gathered into the safe garner6 ,this is the work ,god has given each one of us to do4 ,to sow the ,seed of the ,word--to tell of the ,love of ,jesus6 ,each one of us8 ,do you shrink1 and say that you cannot--you so young and ignorant8 ,or you1 perhaps1 are too old and feeble to go into the world and spread ,his ,word8 ,there are many ways of doing it4 ,you can all pray1 young or old1 for the ,seed to be blessed6 ,the children can work for the missionaries1 and can save some of their pennies to put into the ,missionary ,box4 ,the old can spare some pennies1 too--many or few1 according to what they have--and can pray much1 and encourage much1 by showing ever a sure confidence that ,god will send the harvest by and by4 ,a few years ago1 a sweet story was told me of this ,seed-sowing4 ,it was about a little ,japanese boy2 and he lived in ,hakodate1 and ,i have a photograph of him1 taken when he was about eighteen4 ,when the ,missionaries first heard of him he was a miserable little crippled invalid1 for he had no legs1 lying in the corner of a hut1 neglected1 dirty1 hopeless4 ,nobody loved him1 and he hated everybody4 ,he spent his time in throwing stones at all who came near him1 and saying wicked words1 which were shocking to hear4 ,after a while these ,missionaries1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,nettleship1 heard of this poor boy1 and went to see him4 ,they told him of ,jesus our ,saviour1 and how ,he loved him1 and had given ,his life for him4 ,by and by this living ,seed sank into the heart of the poor child1 and a change came over him4 ,he ceased to throw stones1 he ceased to swear2 and when the dear ,missionaries offered to take care of him1 he gladly went to them1 and was with them for years4 ,they called him ,samuel1 and he learnt to read and write1 then helped them afterwards in their work4 ,he learnt to play the concertina1 and used to lead the hymns in the ,sunday ,school2 and he was full of joy and brightness4 ,the kind ,missionaries made a loose ,japanese robe for him1 in which he could move about1 and which covered up his poor maimed body4 ,he learned to move about1 swinging himself on his hands and arms1 so that he could cross a room quite quickly2 and they told me that his face was full of ,heaven's sunshine4 ,i used to send him a book every year till his death2 and he painted several beautiful ,japanese pictures for me1 which ,i keep as great treasures4 ,on one of these1 he outlined these words in ,japanese3 ,when the ,chief ,shepherd shall appear ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away4 ,just before his loving friends had to leave ,hakodate for a time1 dear ,samuel was taken ,home6 after a short but painless illness1 so that he never missed the loving care he had had6 ,it seems to me that this simple story helps us to understand what sowing and reaping mean4 ,the ,sowing was done in that dark and dirty hovel in ,japan4 ,the full of joy of the ,reaping will come by and by in ,heaven2 but a foretaste of it was surely in the hearts of those dear ,missionaries who carried that ,living ,seed to that poor neglected child1 and who saw him grow up into an earnest1 devoted ,christian6 ,,xii4 ,there was no ,room for ,them in the ,inn ,luke ii4 #c-bj4 ,on the last ,sunday before ,christmas1 a little girl sat at the back of a ,church1 holding in her hand a card which had just been given her1 on which was a beautiful picture of a sweet young mother and a tiny babe4 ,it was a ,children's ,service1 and the ,clergyman was telling them about that card1 and describing to them the ,christmas story which we all love4 ,presently he said3 ,do any of you remember what my sermon was about this time last year8 ,there was dead silence in the ,church1 and then the ,clergyman saw in the very back1 underneath the gallery1 a hand raised up suddenly1 in token that some one could answer his question4 ,well1 dear1 what was it8 he asked4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,infant ,,jesus ,,and ,,his ,,mother4 ,and in the surprised silence a little girl rose to her feet and said in a clear1 distinct voice1 which reached every part of the ,church3 ,you asked us to pray this little prayer-- ',o come to my heart1 ,lord ,jesus1 ,there is room in my heart for ,thee6' ,yes6 said the ,clergyman4 ,that was it6 ,and you are a very good little girl to have told us so nicely1 and to have remembered it all this time6 ,so to-day1 with this sweet thought in our minds1 we can remember that there is a place in the heart of each one of us which we can keep for ,jesus4 ,we can think of ,his love to us1 we can love ,him in return1 and worship ,him every day we live4 ,and if we make room for ,jesus in our hearts here1 we shall find by and by ,he will give us a crown of glory that fadeth not away4 ,now let us think about the picture which all the ,children at the ,service are holding in their hands1 and looking at so earnestly4 ,they could see the ,holy ,babe and ,his mother4 ,they could see some men1 shepherds1 bending down and worshipping this ,holy ,babe2 and they see that this is not a beautiful ,castle where a ,king would be born1 with curtains1 and bright carpet and pretty cradle2 but instead it seems to be a sort of ,cave1 cut out of the side of a hill--a stable1 with a manger for the food of the cattle1 while straw is scattered on the ground1 and there is an ,eastern donkey1 raising his head in wonder to see a babe lying in his manger6 ,illustration3 ,,lying ,,in ,a ,,manger4 ,how came those shepherds there8 ,do shepherds leave their sheep in the middle of the night to go to a stable more than a mile off to see a little new-born babe8 ,ah6 but it was something very wonderful that had happened in those dark fields at ,bethlehem1 which made the shepherds go4 ,they had been quietly watching their flocks1 and perhaps looking out anxiously for the dawn1 when suddenly1 without any warning1 an ,angel came down to them from heaven1 and the ,glory of the ,lord surrounded them with a great and wondrous light4 ,the shepherds were very frightened at first1 but the ,angel quickly reassured them by saying that he had brought very good news1 which would be great joy to all people6 ,for a ,holy ,babe was born in ,bethlehem that night1 ,who had come to this earth to be the ,saviour of the ,world6 ,then the ,angel told them that they would know his words were true1 by finding the little ,babe wrapped in swaddling clothes1 and lying in a manger4 ,and1 suddenly1 a multitude of the heavenly host were with the ,angel who had been sent first2 and they all praised ,god1 and said1 ,glory to ,god in the highest1 and on earth peace1 good will toward men4 ,then the angels all went back to heaven1 and the shepherds turned to each other in solemn awe1 and they said1 ,the ,lord has made known to us a wonderful thing--let us go to ,bethlehem and see for ourselves what has come to pass4 ,so they left their flocks and hurried to the town4 ,and there1 in a lowly stable1 they saw the ,holy ,babe who was sent to ,mary on the morning of ,christmas-day6 ,months before this1 the ,angel ,gabriel had been sent from heaven to tell ,mary that she was to be the most blessed of all women1 for the ,holy ,child who was to be given to her was to be called the ,son of ,god4 ,now ,he had come6 ,and she laid ,him--the ,son of ,god--in the manger1 because there was no room for ,him in the ,inn4 ,why did ,jesus come to earth8 ,how could ,his ,heavenly ,father spare ,him8 ,he was very rich in heaven6 ,but for our sakes ,he became poor1 that we might be rich6 ,that was why ,he came--for our sakes6 ,many years ago1 just after a very happy ,christmas1 one of my little girls came to me and said earnestly1 ,i love ,jesus1 ,mother6 ,i clasped her in my arms and said1 ,when did you find that out1 darling8 ,i was looking over my ,christmas cards this morning1 she said1 and it was this one--and1 as ,i read the words1 all at once ,i knew that ,he had come to save me6 ,and the words were-- ,god so loved the ,world that ,he gave ,his only begotten ,son1 that whosoever believeth in ,him1 should not perish1 but have everlasting life4 ,,xiii4 ,after ,his ,resurrection ,for forty days after the ,lord ,jesus ,christ had risen from the dead1 ,he appeared to ,his disciples numbers of times4 ,st4 ,paul1 in the fifteenth chapter of the ,first of ,corinthians1 gives us a list of the times that ,jesus appeared4 ,and the list is very wonderful4 ,he says3 ,for ,i delivered unto you first of all that which ,i also received1 how that ,christ died for our sins according to the scriptures3 and that ,he was buried1 and that ,he rose again the third day according to the scriptures3 and that ,he was seen of ,cephas 7,peter71 then of the twelve3 after that1 ,he was seen of about five hundred brethren at once2 of whom the greater part remain unto this present1 but some are fallen asleep4 ,after that1 ,he was seen of ,james2 then of all the apostles4 ,and last of all ,he was seen of me also4 ,st4 ,paul referred to the time when he had seen ,jesus1 and ,he had spoken to him on the way to ,damascus4 ,the ,lord did not live on this earth in those forty days as ,he had done before1 but ,he was the same ,jesus ,who had been with them throughout ,his ministry4 ,the same1 and yet different4 ,now in ,his blessed hands and feet were the marks of the cruel nails of the cross4 ,in ,his side was the wound which the soldier's wanton spear had made6 ,and the ,lord now came in and out among them with a ,presence which was quite different from what they had known before1 for ,he came to them when doors were shut and fastened1 and ,he left them without passing through those doors2 ,he simply vanished out of their sight4 ,the first evening of that ,resurrection ,day1 when the disciples were assembled with closed doors for fear of the ,jews1 suddenly the ,lord stood in their midst and said ,peace be unto you4 ,and when ,he had said this1 ,he showed them ,his hands and ,his side4 ,how very glad the disciples must have been when they saw that their ,lord was alive6 ,but ,thomas was not with them when ,jesus came that time2 and when1 afterwards1 the others told him that they had seen the ,lord1 he said to them3 ,except ,i shall see in ,his hands the print of the nails1 and put my finger into the print of the nails1 and thrust my hand into ,his side1 ,i will not believe6 ,jesus was not present when ,thomas said all that1 but ,he knew all about it1 as you will see4 ,eight days after1 the disciples were again together in that upper room where they assembled1 and ,thomas was with them4 ,then1 though the doors were fast shut1 ,jesus came again and stood in the midst of them1 and again ,he said ,peace be unto you4 ,then ,he turned at once to ,thomas1 and said to him3 ,reach hither thy finger1 and behold ,my hands2 and reach hither thy hand and thrust it into ,my side3 and be not faithless1 but believing4 ,and ,thomas answered and said unto ,him1 ,my ,lord and my ,god6 ,jesus saith unto him1 ,thomas1 because thou hast seen ,me1 thou hast believed3 blessed are they that have not seen1 and yet have believed4 ,and the ,apostle ,john ends that wonderful account with these words3 ,and many other signs truly did ,jesus in the presence of ,his disciples1 which are not written in this book3 but these are written1 that ye might believe that ,jesus is the ,christ1 the ,son of ,god2 and that believing1 ye might have life through ,his ,name4 ,the forty days that the ,lord was going in and out among ,his disciples was nearly over4 ,we read in the first chapter of the ,acts the account of the last talk that the ,lord had with them4 ,he had been explaining many things to them about the ,kingdom of ,god1 and telling them that they were to stay in ,jerusalem till the ,holy ,spirit was sent down to them1 which ,god the ,father had promised when ,jesus went back to ,heaven4 ,illustration3 ,,at ,,pentecost4 ,the ,holy ,spirit came at ,pentecost1 and ,he is here with ,god's people now4 ,it is ,he who whispers in our hearts and checks us if we do wrong4 ,it is ,he who tells us about ,jesus1 and helps us to understand ,his forgiving love1 and all ,he has done for us by ,his life and death4 ,we should pray earnestly that ,god would give us more of the ,holy ,spirit's presence and comfort4 ,the ,lord told them that they were to be ,his witnesses all over the world1 and that repentance and forgiveness of sins were to be preached in ,his ,name among all nations4 ,then ,he led them out as far as ,bethany1 which is just over the brow of the hill called the ,mount of ,olives4 ,and as they stood together there1 ,he blessed them1 and while ,he blessed them and they were looking at ,him ,he was taken up1 and a cloud received ,him out of their sight4 ,and while they looked stedfastly towards heaven as ,he went up1 behold1 two men stood by them in white apparel2 which also said1 ,ye men of ,galilee1 why stand ye gazing up into heaven8 ,this same ,jesus1 which is taken up from you into heaven1 shall so come in like manner as ye have seen ,him go into heaven4 ,illustration3 ,,and ,,while ,,he ,,blessed ,,them1 ,,he ,,was ,,taken ,,up 4 4 4 ,,out ,,of ,,their ,,sight4 ,and it is this promise which should cheer us all in these dark days4 ,st4 ,paul calls it that blessed ,hope1 the glorious appearing of the great ,god and our ,saviour ,jesus ,christ6 ,may we all be ready to welcome ,him when ,he comes6 ,,xiv4 ,consider the ,lilies ,nazareth is a place of many flowers and of lovely views4 ,from the hills around1 those who go there can see peeps of the blue ,mediterranean2 and travellers tell us that the fields and hillsides are carpeted with countless flowers4 ,here ,jesus1 our ,lord1 lived for thirty years4 ,here ,he wandered as a child1 and grew up as a young man4 ,when at length the time came for ,him to fulfil ,his great ,mission1 ,he came down to the cities round the ,lake of ,galilee4 ,for ,he had come from ,heaven to preach the ,gospel to the poor1 to heal the sick and brokenhearted4 ,but more than all these things1 ,he had come down from ,his home in ,heaven to save sinners6 ,this was why ,jesus1 the ,lord of ,glory1 came to earth4 ,so when ,he came from ,nazareth to the busy cities round the ,lake1 ,he began at once to heal the sick people1 and to teach them about ,god and the ,kingdom of ,heaven4 ,one day ,he told the crowds who listened to ,him about the little corn seeds growing up1 and bearing numbers of seeds which would make the harvest by and by4 ,another day ,he told them all about the lilies of the field1 which they could see around them1 but which they had never thought of considering4 ,what do you think considering means8 ,it means thinking about something2 turning the matter over in our minds1 till we understand its full meaning4 ,so ,jesus said1 ,consider the lilies of the field1 how they grow4 ,who makes them grow8 ,how do they get those delicate roots1 those graceful green leaves1 those sweet-smelling lovely flowers8 ,every spring we see the daisies and the buttercups1 the wild geraniums1 the primroses and bluebells1 and hundreds of other flowers1 which come up in the fields and hedges1 without our knowing that they were there6 ,who kept them all the winter8 ,who made them bloom out in the spring8 ,do you guess the answer8 ,you know the answer2 it is ,god who makes them grow1 and come up for our joy4 ,and this wonderful thought helps us to understand the ,resurrection2 for by ,god's power the bodies of those who love ,him1 and who are lying in their graves1 will rise to meet ,jesus when ,he comes1 and will bloom for ever in the lovely ,paradise of ,god's ,home4 ,but some people do not believe in the ,resurrection3 they put away the thought1 and say they cannot see how it can be6 ,and ,i am going to tell you a true story of a very curious thing that happened some few years ago4 ,a man who lived on the ,continent--,i do not remember the name of the town--was a great infidel2 one who did not believe in ,god's power1 or that there would be a resurrection of the dead by and by4 ,this man knew he must die some day1 so he bought a grave in a certain spot1 and he gave orders that when he died he was to be buried in that grave1 and that a great stone was to be put over it4 ,this stone was to be clamped at the corners with strong iron bands and bars1 so that it could not be moved or taken away2 and he ordered that certain words were to be cut on the stone deep and legible4 ,he left instructions1 and money1 to carry out all these plans2 so that when he died there should be no mistake4 ,at length he did die1 and was buried in that grave4 ,all his instructions were carried out4 ,the great stone was laid over him1 bound with iron1 and the stonemason cut words in the stone1 just as he had said4 ,and these were the words--so sad1 because they were spoken to defy ,god4 ,,this ,,grave ,,is ,,not ,,to ,,be ,,opened ,,for ,,ever4 ,and now comes the sequel to that story4 ,one day a gentleman came into my husband's office and laid a photograph down on his desk4 ,he said he had just returned from the ,continent1 and had bought this photograph there4 ,and then he told my husband the story that ,i have told you about the iron-bound grave4 ,ah6 ,there was the photograph1 but it showed the grave all broken to pieces6 ,the iron bars were there1 but they were bent and twisted in every direction2 and the great stone was all broken to pieces1 and lifted quite out of its place6 ,do you ask how8 ,was it a miracle8 ,yes1 just the miracle of one of ,god's little living seeds1 which ,he had allowed to be thrown into that grave6 ,for a seed-pod of a silver-birch tree had been shovelled in with the earth which was used to fill up the infidel's grave when he was buried4 ,the seed had taken root in the earth1 and had grown and grown in the grave1 till at last it became a strong silver-birch tree2 and gradually the branches had burst the iron bars1 and raised up the stones1 and there was the infidel's grave laid open for everyone to see4 ,a photographer had heard of it and came among the sight-seers1 and had taken the wonderful photograph1 which my husband saw1 and held in his own hand6 ,let this ,resurrection ,story remind us of one great truth4 ,if we have ,jesus for our ,saviour1 ,he is the ,living ,seed in our hearts2 and when the time of the ,resurrection comes for us1 we shall rise1 because ,his ,life will be in us3 and we shall go to be with ,him1 in joy1 for ever4 ,,xv4 ,a ,man ,named ,matthew ,matthew ix4 #i4 ,one day the ,lord ,jesus made ,his way to the lake-side1 and near the water's edge ,he found a crowd of busy people4 ,some of them were carrying heavy loads from the boats which were moored at the bottom of the steps2 others were lifting down baskets of fruit or provisions1 to put into the boats which were being emptied4 ,everyone was busy1 for those who brought goods in1 or those carrying goods out across the lake1 had to pay a toll or tax to the ,roman ,governors1 and the men who collected the tax were on the look-out that no one should slip past without paying his toll2 often the ,publicans1 as they were called1 cheated the poor ,jews very much4 ,some ,jews1 who saw what a lot of money was made at this business1 became tax-gatherers themselves1 and they were despised and hated by their countrymen4 ,as ,jesus neared the lake-side1 and looked on the busy1 eager crowd1 as they thronged the place of ,custom1 ,he was looking for a man1 a ,jewish ,publican1 who was1 as ,he knew1 among that crowd4 ,then the loving eyes of ,jesus fell upon him as he sat writing down the money and putting it in safety in a bag4 ,this was the man ,jesus wanted2 this was the man who was to do ,his work1 and be known as ,his servant1 for nineteen hundred years1 ,matthew the ,publican6 ,when ,jesus saw him1 ,he said unto him1 ,follow ,me6 ,did ,matthew hesitate8 ,did he look at the precious bag of money by his side8 ,no6 ,he left all1 rose up1 and followed ,jesus6 ,matthew heard the call--and he obeyed4 ,and this is the decision that ,jesus1 our ,lord1 wants each one of us to make1 young and old4 ,if we listen to ,his voice1 if we will heed the pleading love in ,his eyes1 an instant firmness will come to us1 and1 like ,matthew1 we shall rise up1 and follow him4 ,,xvi4 ,calvary ,luke xxiii4 #cc4 ,where the dear ,lord was ,crucified1 ,who died to save us all4 ,a while ago1 someone sent to me a most beautiful photograph of the ,hill of ,calvary1 which is just outside ,jerusalem on the northern side4 ,the photograph was so carefully done that you could plainly see why that little hill was called ,the place of a skull1 for when the sun shone in a certain direction the rocks had the appearance of a man's skull2 and that was why it was called ,calvary1 which is the ,latin for skull4 ,and here they crucified the ,lord of glory4 ,when we look at the picture of those three crosses1 with ,jesus1 our ,saviour1 in the midst1 our hearts seem to stand still1 as we remember how ,he died for us4 99 99 99 99 99 ,now1 ,i am going to tell you a true story1 which a nurse told me1 about one of her patients4 ,one day she was visiting a man who had been ill for many months2 and when his wife opened the door to her she exclaimed1 ,oh1 nurse6 he is better6 ,he has had such a wonderful dream6 ,so the nurse hastened upstairs1 and to her amazement the man's face was quite altered1 and1 instead of despair and suffering1 he looked inexpressibly happy4 ,nurse6 he said4 ,do you remember saying to me yesterday1 ',prepare to meet thy ,god'8 ,but while ,i was thinking1 ever so sorrowfully1 about those words1 ,i seemed to fall asleep2 yet what ,i saw seemed happening before my eyes4 ,i saw the ,cross of our ,saviour1 set up in front of me1 and ,he was nailed to that cross with cruel nails4 ,and close to the cross1 between me and it1 ,i saw a great deep hole--and ,i found myself moving nearer and nearer to that dark pit4 ,then ,i knew that ,i should fall into it1 because ,i was not prepared to meet ,god2 and yet ,i could not but look on our ,saviour's face1 for tears rolled down it1 and ,i did not like to see ,him cry6 ,so ,i said to someone standing by1 ',why does our ,saviour cry8' and he said1 ',because you will fall into that pit4 ,he is dying to save you1 but you will not come to ,him to be saved6' ,and ,i said1 ',oh dear ,saviour1 ,i do not want to make you cry1 ,i will come and be saved6 ,you shall not die in vain for me6' ,and then1 when ,i looked for the pit1 it was quite filled up6 ,and then ,i began to wake from my dream1 for my wife was shaking me by the arm1 and she said1 ',smith1 ,smith1 you are singing in your sleep6' ,so ,i said1 ',what was ,i singing8' ,and she answered1 ',the hymn that was in the book nurse lent you1 ,wash me and ,i shall be whiter than snow6' ,and so1 nurse1 ,i woke up2 and ,i'm saying all the time1 ',wash me in the ,blood of the ,lamb1 and ,i shall be whiter than snow6' ,for ,he is my ,saviour now6 ,,xvii4 ,the ,good ,shepherd1 and the ,sheep that was ,lost ,now you must picture to yourselves an ,eastern shepherd sitting among his sheep on the mountains4 ,he loves them6 ,he knows every one of them2 and in return they know him1 and love him4 ,they will not follow a stranger1 nor come to him if he calls them4 ,i heard ,mr4 ,moody say years ago that1 when he was visiting at a farm in ,america1 he asked his friend the farmer if he might go out to see his sheep4 ,he remembered those words in the tenth of ,st4 ,john's ,gospel3 ,and a stranger will they not follow1 but will flee from him1 for they know not the voice of strangers4 ,so he asked the farmer if he might stand behind a great tree where the sheep could not see him1 and then he would copy the farmer's familiar call1 and he would see if the sheep would come to him4 ,but when he gave the call1 the sheep looked very frightened1 and then they all turned tail1 and ran away as far as they could go6 ,yes--they knew not the voice of a stranger6 ,but when the farmer1 who was their shepherd too1 and their master1 gave the call1 they turned back1 and came up one by one to his side1 expecting him to give them the food they longed for1 and the love which day by day he lavished upon them4 ,this is a picture of the ,eastern shepherd4 ,he loves his sheep1 as ,i told you2 he calls them by name2 he leads them out to green pastures4 ,if enemies come1 he is ready to give his life to protect them6 ,if1 in his absence1 a hired man has to take care of them1 the hireling runs away if he hears the roar of the wild beast1 or sees a sudden storm coming up6 ,but the shepherd thinks first of his sheep4 ,he leads them into a place of safety to escape the storm2 he defends them against the wild beast with his own hand1 and his own life6 ,jesus is the ,good ,shepherd--all these good things of which ,i have told you belong to ,him in fullness4 ,he calls ,his own sheep by name6 ,he says to each one of you1 however young you may be1 your own1 own name6 ,he calls you in loving1 tender tones4 ,he says1 ,come to ,me1 and ,i will give you rest4 ,he says to every one who will have ,him as his ,saviour1 ,i have called thee by thy name1 thou art ,mine4 ,in the old days1 when there was a ,high ,priest1 he had a breastplate on which was engraved the names of the twelve tribes of the ,children of ,israel1 and we are told in the fifteenth of ,exodus that they shall be upon ,aaron's heart when he goeth in before the ,lord4 ,this is such a sweet thought3 that our names1 if we love ,him1 are on the heart of ,jesus1 in the glory6 ,but there is another story that ,jesus tells us about the sheep4 ,we have been thinking about the happy flock who are with the shepherd1 feeding in green pastures1 lying down by still waters1 preserved from enemies1 taken to the safe fold at night4 ,but our ,lord tells us this story of one1 out of the hundred sheep that the ,eastern shepherd has1 who had wandered away6 ,perhaps he had thought there were fairer pastures than those which the shepherd had brought him to8 ,perhaps he thought that the waters in another field were more sparkling than those still ones where the shepherd had so gently led them8 ,whatever was the reason1 one of these sheep wandered away4 ,at first1 perhaps1 only a little way off just behind a rock1 or round the other side of a wood4 ,but the farther off he went1 the easier it became to wander away6 ,at length came the dark night1 and as the shepherd counted his hundred sheep into the fold1 he found one was lost6 ,lost8 ,the shepherd would not lose his sheep for anything6 ,he left his ninety-nine in the fold1 and hurried away into the wilderness to find the one which was lost4 ,through the darkness of night2 through the tangles and the briars2 through the deep waters of the rushing stream1 on he passed2 and as he went1 he repeated to himself words which seemed to dwell in his very heart--until ,i find it6 ,on he went1 weary and worn1 till at last in the silence of the deep night he heard a faint cry6 ,then the shepherd called1 and stood listening for the answer4 ,and again came that faint cry1 and the shepherd knew that somewhere near him1 in the darkness1 his lost sheep was lonely1 helpless1 and hopeless4 ,then the shepherd's arms were stretched out to reach him1 caught in the briars at the edge of an awful precipice4 ,he leaned down over the abyss and stretched out his hands1 and1 regardless of the tearing thorns1 he grasped his sheep1 he disentangled the briars1 and lifted it into safety4 ,but the sheep was so weary and faint that he could not walk1 so the tender shepherd put him on to his shoulders1 and brought him home rejoicing6 ,and then the shepherd called his friends together1 saying3 ,rejoice with me1 for ,i have found my sheep which was lost6 ,and ,jesus1 our ,good ,shepherd1 says3 ,i say unto you1 that likewise joy shall be in ,heaven over one sinner that repenteth6 ,,xviii4 ,the ,door of the ,sheep ,the ,lord ,jesus calls ,himself by many wonderful and tender names in the ,new ,testament4 ,these are some of them4 ,he says1 ,i am the ,bread of ,life4 ,he says1 ,i am the ,light of the ,world4 ,he says1 ,i am the ,good ,shepherd4 ,he says1 ,i am the ,door of the ,sheep4 ,perhaps this last name of ,jesus is a little difficult for you to understand2 but ,i am told that those who have visited ,palestine have seen the shepherd acting as the real door of the sheep6 ,when night comes on1 the ,eastern shepherd gathers his sheep from the mountains where they have been feeding1 and he leads them to a safe place1 called the fold1 where perhaps1 shut in by rocks1 or by walls1 or by the sides of some steep hill with the broken rocks around as a protection1 he brings them to a spot where they may rest without fear4 ,then1 having counted them in1 and having found that all are there1 he places himself across the doorway1 and bids his dear flock lie down1 because while he is there as their door1 no harm can come to them4 ,this is a little picture of how it is ,jesus1 the ,good ,shepherd1 can call ,himself the ,door of the ,sheep4 ,i think ,he wanted ,his people--,his sheep and ,his lambs--to understand that if ,he is the ,door1 that is their safety4 ,if they have entered by ,him2 if they have come to ,him to be saved1 and washed and made ,his own sheep1 then they have entered by the door into the sheepfold1 and are safe within it6 ,jesus says1 no man shall pluck them out of ,his hands4 ,satan may try to get in and snatch the sheep or the lambs1 but if ,jesus is their own ,shepherd and ,saviour1 if they are truly ,his sheep and lambs1 then they need fear no evil1 for ,he says1 ,because ,i live1 ye shall live also4 ,illustration3 ,,he ,,leads ,,them ,,to ,a ,,place ,,of ,,safety4 ,,the ,,door ,,of ,,the ,,sheep ,jesus is our ,shepherd1 ,wiping every tear2 ,folded in ,his bosom1 ,what have we to fear8 ,only let us follow ,whither ,he doth lead1 ,to the thirsty desert1 ,or the dewy mead4 ,jesus is our ,shepherd3 ,for the sheep ,he bled2 ,every lamb is sprinkled ,with the blood ,he shed2 ,then on each ,he setteth ,his own secret sign2 ,they that have ,my ,spirit1 ,these1 saith ,he1 are ,mine4 ,jesus is our ,shepherd3 ,guarded by ,his arm1 ,though the wolves may raven1 ,none can do us harm2 ,when we tread death's valley1 ,dark with fearful gloom1 ,we will fear no evil1 ,victors o'er the tomb4 ,,xix4 ,in ,my ,father's ,house are ,many ,mansions ,the very last evening that our dear ,lord was on earth before ,his death1 ,he and ,his twelve disciples were gathered together in that upper room to eat the ,passover4 ,on the morrow he was to die6 ,but though ,he had told the disciples very often of ,his death1 they had failed to believe it4 ,peter had said ,that be far from ,thee1 ,lord6 and had1 like the other disciples1 dismissed the fear from his thoughts4 ,it had only been a few days before this ,passover night that ,mary1 the sister of ,lazarus1 had poured the sweet-smelling spikenard ointment on our ,lord's ,head at the supper table2 and ,he1 knowing all things that were coming to pass1 said she had anointed ,his ,body for ,his burial4 ,but still1 the listening disciples paid no heed4 ,but now the last evening had come4 ,the ,passover supper was over1 and ,judas had left them and gone out into the darkness4 ,if no one else expected the death of the ,lord of ,glory1 ,judas knew in his heart that he had sold his ,lord for thirty pieces of silver1 and that the ,jews would surely kill ,him6 ,but ,judas was gone out2 and now our ,lord turned to the eleven who were left1 and began to comfort them1 with words of strength and hope4 ,he had just told ,his over-confident disciple1 ,peter1 that before the cock should crow in the morning he would thrice deny ,him6 ,and all the disciples were full of dismay at such a possibility4 ,so our ,lord's first words1 in ,his talk with ,his own1 we read in the #adth of ,st4 ,john's ,gospel2 and they come as a wonderful comfort to all sorrowing and fainting ones1 from that holy hour down to this time which seems so hard to us6 ,he said these words to ,his eleven disciples and to all who love ,him3 ,let not your heart be troubled2 ye believe in ,god1 believe also in ,me4 ,and then1 because of the coming trials which ,he knew ,his disciples would have soon to pass through1 ,he gives them the wonderful promise1 which has comforted thousands and thousands of weary hearts since then3 ,in ,my ,father's ,house are many ,mansions2 if it were not so1 ,i would have told you4 ,i go to prepare a place for you4 ,he seems in these words to say something like this3 ,my ,father's ,house is safely ,above1 where no storms can touch its security4 ,it is an ,everlasting abode--one that will not pass away with the ravages of time1 or the thunders of war4 ,it is an ,everlasting ,home2 and ,i go to get it ready for each one of you4 ,and then ,he points them on to another great thought-- ,he says3 ,and if ,i go and prepare a place for you1 ,i will come again1 and receive you unto ,myself2 that where ,i am1 there ye may be also6 ,so ,he bids us to look forward in the trials and sorrows which will come to all of us1 as we pass through life to the ,father's ,everlasting ,home--to ,his being there to get ready that ,home for all who love ,him--and then ,he promises to come back and fetch ,his people1 and take them to be for ever with ,himself6 ,john1 the disciple whom ,jesus loved1 who had sat close to his ,lord1 and had leant on ,his breast1 heard all these heart-cheering words1 as ,jesus uttered them4 ,but little did he know1 then1 that he would be chosen to write all these lovely words down in his ,gospel2 nor that by and by he should be a prisoner for years in the rocky ,isle of ,patmos1 and see glorious visions of the ,father's ,house1 and the many ,mansions4 ,there1 in the loneliness and solitude1 the glorified ,saviour came to ,his loved disciple and said to him these wonderful words3 ,i am the ,first1 and the ,last1 and behold ,i am alive for ,evermore4 ,he told ,john that many sorrows and difficulties would beset ,his followers1 but that those who overcome shall sit down with ,him on ,his ,throne1 even as ,he had overcome and is seated with ,his ,father on ,his ,throne4 ,by and by1 near the end of these wonderful ,revelations1 ,john was allowed to have a glimpse into ,heaven itself1 and he saw a vision of the many mansions which ,jesus is preparing for us6 ,here are the words-- ,and ,i ,john saw the ,holy ,city 4 4 4 and ,i saw no temple therein3 for the ,lord ,god ,almighty and the ,lamb are the temple of it4 ,and the city had no need of the sun1 neither of the moon1 to shine in it3 for the glory of ,god did lighten it1 and the ,lamb is the light thereof4 ,and ,god shall wipe away all tears from their eyes2 and there shall be no more death1 neither sorrow1 nor crying1 neither shall there be any more pain3 for the former things are passed away4 ,and ,he that sat upon the throne said1 ',behold1 ,i make all things new4' ,and ,he said unto me1 ',write3 for these words are true and faithful4' ,more than six hundred years before these visions to ,john in ,patmos1 the ,prophet ,isaiah wrote-- ,for since the beginning of the world1 men have not heard1 nor perceived by the ear1 neither hath the eye seen1 ,o ,god1 beside ,thee1 what ,he hath prepared for him that waiteth for ,him4 ,and our ,lord ,jesus1 in the ,revelation1 says to every one who reads these words-- ,behold1 ,i stand at the door and knock4 ,if any man hear ,my ,voice1 and open the door1 ,i will come in to him1 and will sup with him1 and he with ,me4 ,the entrance to that ,everlasting ,home is in listening to this loving ,voice of ,jesus ,christ now1 and by opening the door of our hearts1 to let ,him in6 ,jesus says3 ,i am the ,door2 by ,,me if any man enter in1 he shall be saved4 ,illustration3 ,,many ,,mansions4 ,,xx4 ,the ,parable of the ,two ,builders ,the ,lord ,jesus taught the people numbers of lessons about ,himself1 or ,his ,heavenly ,father1 or about the ,kingdom of ,heaven1 by drawing word-pictures3 and we can learn the deepest truths that concern ourselves by reading them and thinking about them4 ,one of these that ,i am very fond of is a picture of two builders1 and what became of the results of their building4 ,the first man was a wise man4 ,he looked about him to find a sure and suitable foundation1 and he built his house on a firm rock4 ,by and by bad weather came1 and the rain poured down and the floods came and beat upon the house1 but it stood firm1 for it was founded upon a rock4 ,our ,lord ,himself not only gives us the picture1 but ,he gives us the explanation of this story first of all4 ,he says3 ,whosoever heareth these sayings of mine1 and doeth them1 ,i will liken him unto a wise man1 which built his house upon a rock3 and the rain descended1 and the floods came1 and the winds blew and beat upon that house2 and it fell not3 for it was founded upon a rock4 ,and every one that heareth these sayings of mine1 and doeth them not1 shall be likened unto a foolish man1 which built his house upon the sand3 and the rain descended1 and the floods came1 and the winds blew and beat upon that house2 and it fell3 and great was the fall of it4 ,here were two men3 they had heard that it was a wise thing to have a house to live in1 and they both decided that they would begin at once to build4 ,the wise man thought it all over1 and considered what ground would be suitable1 what foundation would outlive the storms1 and he decided it must be upon a rock1 which stood high above the rivers1 and was strong and enduring4 ,but the other man was careless4 ,there was1 perhaps1 a pleasant spot nearer to him4 ,the materials with which to build were easily carried to that spot1 the sunshine flooded the landscape1 and all looked fair and beautiful4 ,so he hastened to build upon the sandy foundation1 and soon his house was finished and he took possession4 ,but in that country there were frequently sudden violent storms2 and one day such a storm overtook the two houses4 ,the rain came in torrents1 the winds blew1 and they beat upon those two houses4 ,and because the foundation was unstable the house upon the sand began to slip and shake1 and by and by cracked open1 and fell to pieces1 and lay in a ruin beneath the rushing flood4 ,and the house on the rock8 ,calm amidst the storm it stood firm4 ,the rain came1 and the wind blew and the floods rose1 but it fell not3 for it was founded upon a rock6 ,do you want to know how this story affects our lives8 ,do you want to answer that question which perhaps rises up in the depths of your own heart3 ,what am ,i building up out of my life8 ,and what foundation am ,i building upon8 ,there is a verse which tells us very distinctly the answer to that question1 if we are asking it in our hearts-- ,other foundation can no man lay than that is laid1 which is ,jesus ,christ4 ,if we come to ,him1 ask ,him to take us just as we are--weak1 sinful1 unworthy--,he will stretch forth ,his hand and grasp us1 and set our feet upon a ,rock and establish our goings4 ,when once we have come to ,christ for pardon1 our feet are on the ,rock3 and then we can begin to build4 ,you ask what is building8 ,to do each day what will please ,jesus4 ,as ,he says when ,he begins this story of the ,two ,builders3 ,to hear these sayings of ,his and to do them1 is the sure way of having a building that will last when the storms of life overtake us4 ,if you watch the people who bear trouble the best1 who are patient in trial1 hopeful in adversity1 brave in difficulty1 triumphant in death1 you will find that it is they who have built on the ,rock ,jesus ,christ1 and have found that there is security and peace there4 ,and then about the house on the sand8 ,oh1 what desolation to find that what you thought was all pleasant and bright will not last1 but the insecure foundation melts away1 and the hopes founded upon it fall to pieces4 ,if you have even a misgiving that you are not on the true ,foundation1 give up your earthly plans and make a fresh start4 ,the ,arms of love and mercy are ready to embrace you1 and one of those wonderful sayings of ,jesus is3 ,him that cometh unto ,me1 ,i will in no wise cast out4 ,the ,foundation of ,god standeth sure1 having this seal3 ,the ,lord knoweth them that are ,his4 ,,xxi4 ,the ,labourers in the ,harvest ,in the ,bible we have many vivid pictures in which ,god would teach us1 by earthly things1 concerning ,his heavenly things4 ,this ,parable of the ,labourers in the ,vineyard is one of these pictures4 ,we have the account of it in the #bjth chapter of ,matthew4 ,there was an ,eastern householder4 ,he had great estates1 and fields and vineyards1 stretching far up on the hillsides1 and kept with great care by his vine-dressers4 ,by and by the grapes were ready for picking and the householder went out early in the morning to hire the labourers for his vineyard4 ,in those days there was a certain coin which was considered fair pay for a day's wages4 ,some of you who read the story in the ,bible may say1 ,a penny for a day's work6 ,but this is only because the money then was of such a different value from what it is now2 and a ,roman penny was worth nearly eight times what our penny is now1 and was at that time the usual hire for a day's work4 ,so the lord of the vineyard went out early to engage the men to get in his harvest2 and when he had agreed with them for a certain sum1 he sent them into his vineyard4 ,by and by1 about nine o'clock in the morning1 he went out again2 and seeing others standing idle in the market-place1 he said to them3 ,go ye also into the vineyard1 and whatever is right ,i will give you4 ,so they went their way1 and entered the vineyard4 ,then came twelve o'clock1 and then three o'clock2 and still the householder wanted more men to labour in his vineyard4 ,as our ,lord had said in another place1 ,the ,harvest truly is plenteous1 but the labourers are few4 ,at length1 at the last hour before sundown1 the householder went out once more1 and found others standing idle1 and he said to them3 ,why are you standing here idle all the day8 ,and they answered him3 ,because no one has hired us4 ,so the householder said to them3 ,go ye also into the vineyard1 and whatsoever is right1 that ye shall receive4 ,and soon the short ,eastern twilight came1 and then1 as a poet says3 ,the sun sinks1 the stars rush out1 and the day was over6 ,then the lord of the vineyard said to his steward3 ,call the labourers and give them their hire1 beginning from the last ones even to the first4 ,so the last men came1 who had worked only one hour1 and they were each given the ,roman penny4 ,but when the first ones1 who were hired early in the morning1 were given their money1 they supposed that they should have received more for their long day's work4 ,but they each received the ,roman penny4 ,illustration3 ,,they ,,began ,,murmuring ,,against ,,the ,,good ,,man ,,of ,,the ,,house4 ,then they began murmuring against the good man of the house1 saying3 ,these last have only worked one hour1 and thou hast made them equal to us1 who have borne the burden and heat of the day6 ,but the lord of the vineyard explained to them that he had given each man what he had agreed upon2 and that he had done them no wrong2 for he said he had a right to do what he willed with his own money4 ,now there are several things to learn from this picture story1 and as ,i go along ,i think you will see them for yourselves4 ,the vineyard belongs to the ,lord ,god4 ,the vines here represent the people in the world whom the ,lord wants to store in ,his beautiful garner1 the ,heavenly ,home1 by and by4 ,the labourers are ,god's own people1 whom ,he calls to bring those precious grapes into the garner4 ,god calls each one of us who loves ,him to be a labourer in ,his ,kingdom4 ,to one1 who is perhaps strong and able1 ,he gives work that will last him the whole long day of a long life6 ,of another1 ,he asks half a lifetime--of another1 a quarter of a lifetime2 or only one short hour perhaps6 ,to each one1 when the day is ended1 the ,lord will give ,his own reward4 ,if the worker has been faithful in what has been given him to do1 the ,lord of the ,harvest will say3 ,well done1 good and faithful servant1 enter into the joy of thy ,lord4 ,little children can work for this ,heavenly ,lord4 ,they can do little kindnesses for ,christ's sake2 they can try to be like ,jesus4 ,they can listen for ,god's commands like little ,samuel1 and obey ,him when ,he speaks to them4 ,these may be like the one hour servants1 but they will get their full rewards6 ,some of the servants of the ,lord of the ,harvest have very hard and toilsome work to do4 ,he has given them that to do1 and ,he will surely give them their pay6 ,what is that pay8 ,not a ,roman penny2 not any earthly coins or rewards2 but they are promised that if they are wise1 and turn many to righteousness1 they shall shine as the stars for ever and ever6 ,does not this encourage us to do what we can to tell others of the love of ,jesus ,who died on the ,cross that we might be saved8 ,we can all pray that ,god will call us to work for ,him2 and surely1 if ,he does call and we listen to ,his ,voice1 ,he will teach us how to bring many to righteousness1 and earn the crown of glory that fadeth not away6 ,,xxii4 ,as a ,hen ,gathereth ,her ,chickens ,not long before our dear ,lord ,jesus was crucified1 ,he was walking one day in the streets of ,jerusalem4 ,he had been telling the ,scribes and ,pharisees that they were trusting in their own goodness1 but were far-off from the ,kingdom of ,god4 ,his loving heart was filled with pity for those who would not come to ,him to be saved4 ,do you not remember how ,he had said1 ,come unto ,me1 all ye that labour and are heavy laden1 and ,i will give you rest6 ,he longed to have the poor1 sorrowful people find joy and rest in ,him4 ,had ,he not said at the very beginning of ,his teaching that ,he had come to bind up the brokenhearted8 ,so on this day as ,he passed along through the streets1 ,he noticed a hen with her chickens round her4 ,perhaps ,he paused to watch them as they ran hither and thither4 ,perhaps ,he heard the hen give a sudden warning cry1 and watched the little chickens respond to it by running with outstretched wings to the shelter of her feathers1 beneath which they nestled serene and safe from all alarms4 ,and then the tenderness of the heart of ,jesus comes out so beautifully6 ,o ,jerusalem1 ,jerusalem6 ,he exclaims1 ,how often would ,i have gathered thy children together1 even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings1 and ye would not6 ,do you not know how1 sometimes1 a mother holds out her arms to a child who has been naughty1 but perhaps the child turns away and will not come back to the loving embrace8 ,have you not seen how sad that mother's face has looked8 ,but ye would not6 goes to her heart4 ,and that is something like ,jesus felt when sinners would not come to ,him to be forgiven4 99 99 99 99 99 ,it was only a very little while after ,he had said those words about the hen and the chickens1 and about ,ye would not1 that ,he wept over ,jerusalem as ,he came down from the ,mount of ,olives and came in sight of the beautiful city1 and thought of all the sorrow that was coming upon it4 ,and as ,he wept ,he said1 ,if thou hadst known1 even thou1 at least in this thy day1 the things which belong unto thy peace6 ,but now they are hid from thine eyes4 ,i think these sorrowful words of our dear ,lord should sink into our hearts1 and we should look up into ,his face now in the glory1 and tell ,him we will not grieve ,him by our want of love6 ,let us run from ,satan1 our great enemy1 to ,his sheltering arms6 ,like those little chicks1 at sight of danger1 let us fly to ,him2 and ,he will receive us1 and comfort us1 and protect us4 ,god ,himself says in the #iast ,psalm3 ,he shall cover thee with ,his feathers1 and under ,his wings shalt thou trust4 ,and we shall find1 whether we are young or old1 that whenever we put out trust in ,jesus1 ,he will surely come to our help6 ,do not let ,him have to say of us1 as ,he said of those ,jews in ,jerusalem1 ,but ye would not6 ,but let us believe ,his love1 and joyfully answer the dear ,lord who loved us so-- ,i will trust in the covert of ,thy wings6 ,i heard the ,voice of ,jesus say1 ,come unto ,me and rest2 ,lay down1 thou weary one1 lay down ,thy head upon ,my breast6 ,i came to ,jesus as ,i was1 ,weary1 and worn and sad2 ,i found in ,him a resting-place1 ,and ,he has made me glad4 ,i heard the ,voice of ,jesus say1 ,behold ,i freely give ,the living water1 thirsty one1 ,stoop down1 and drink1 and live6 ,i came to ,jesus1 and ,i drank ,of that life-giving stream2 ,my thirst was quenched1 my soul revived ,and now ,i live in ,him4 ,,xxiii4 ,the ,sower ,one day when the ,lord ,jesus was staying near the ,sea of ,galilee1 ,he went out with ,his disciples and sat by the side of the lake4 ,this lake is called by several names--the ,sea of ,galilee--the ,sea of ,tiberias--the ,lake of ,gennesaret--and it is one of the most interesting places which we read of in the ,bible4 ,the ,lord ,jesus did many of ,his ,wonderful works round the shores of this lake2 and ,he often went across in the fishermen's boats from one side to the other4 ,it was on this lake that once ,he walked on the water4 ,that was in the middle of the night1 when the disciples were toiling at their oars and could not get to land because the wind was against them1 that ,jesus came to them1 walking on the top of the waves4 ,perhaps you say ,how could ,he walk on water8 ,there is only one answer to that3 ,because ,jesus is the ,son of ,god6 ,then it was sailing on this lake1 that ,jesus was asleep on a pillow in the hinder part of the ship2 and the disciples awoke ,him because there was a great storm1 and they were very frightened and were afraid they would be drowned4 ,so ,he rose up1 and told the wind and the waves to stop their raging--saying to them ,peace6 ,be still6 ,could you do that8 ,you shake your head4 ,no1 it would be of no use for you to tell the wind to stop blowing1 would it8 ,it was because ,jesus is the ,son of ,god1 that ,he could do it4 ,well1 one day1 as ,i said1 the ,lord ,jesus was sitting by the shore of this lake4 ,the people who had been cured of their diseases1 or who wanted to be cured1 saw ,him going out of the house where ,he was staying1 and they followed ,him down to the lake4 ,but as so many came crowding to ,him1 ,jesus asked one of the fishermen to let ,him sit in his boat1 that ,he might speak to the people from there4 ,and as ,jesus looked out on the fields behind the thronging multitude1 ,his eyes rested on a man who was busily sowing the field with seed4 ,and ,jesus said to the people ,look6 ,there is a sower1 who is going out to sow his seed6 ,and then the ,lord told them the story of the seeds1 and ,his blessed words were something like this1 so that even the little children who were standing by could understand4 ,the sower sets out from home1 and he carries the seed in a basket1 or perhaps wrapped up in a corner of his garment2 and as he walks along the field1 he throws handful after handful on to the ground4 ,some seeds fall by the side of the path and the birds who are following him as he walks1 and who watch what becomes of every handful he throws1 fly down and pick up all they can see1 and eat it up4 ,but the sower passes on1 and some of his little seeds fall on stony places1 where there is very little good earth2 and when the seeds spring up and begin to grow1 there is not enough earth for them to flourish1 or to feed the little plants2 and the sun gets hot1 and they are scorched1 and wither away4 ,but still the sower goes on sowing4 ,and the next seeds fall among the bushes that grow by the path2 and the little seeds get choked with the big1 thorny bushes1 and never grow up to be good plants1 or to be of any use to anyone6 ,but at last the sower comes to a part of the field where the ground is good and soft4 ,he throws the handfuls now with joy6 ,he knows there will be a harvest by and by6 ,the seed sinks into the good ground1 it takes root1 and when the time of harvest comes1 and the reapers come to gather the beautiful corn1 there are heaps of sheaves2 for some of these little seeds had grown up to bear a hundred other seeds6 ,and some sixty1 and some thirty6 ,when the ,lord had done talking to the multitude1 the disciples gathered round ,him and asked ,him why ,he had told them that story of the seeds--called a ,parable4 ,then ,jesus explained to them that the seed that ,he had been talking about was the ,word of ,god4 ,those who try to tell other people about ,god1 are like the ,sower4 ,and the ground is like our hearts4 ,then ,satan our great ,enemy1 like those birds in the ,parable1 watches eagerly where the seed falls1 and tries to pick it up and carry it away6 ,that is the seed by the wayside4 ,then there are the stony places4 ,that is when the ,word of ,god is spoken to us1 and our hearts are hard1 and there is no deep1 soft feeling in them2 no love to ,god4 ,and the little seeds get dry1 and wither away6 ,but1 children1 if we feel our hearts are hard1 let us turn to ,god quickly1 and ask ,him to send us ,his ,holy ,spirit to help us to love ,him1 and to make us grow up to bear fruit2 and ,he will1 if we ask ,him4 ,well1 then1 besides the two kinds ,i have told you about1 some of the little seeds fall into ground that has other things growing in it4 ,what are the other things that grow in our hearts and choke ,god's ,word8 ,they may be too much pleasure1 too much enjoyment1 too many toys1 love of money1 love of our own way--heaps of things in our hearts may choke ,god's good seed1 and it may not grow up and bear fruit4 ,oh1 how sad1 if this should be so with our hearts6 ,let us ask ,god not to let them be overgrown with thorns4 ,but at last the seed falls on to good ground4 ,the ,word of ,god comes to a heart which is ready to receive it4 ,a heart which is longing for the ,lord ,jesus to live in it4 ,longing that ,his seed may grow and bear fruit1 and that people may know that we love ,jesus and want to please ,god4 ,can you think of some of the things which can be called fruit1 and show that ,jesus is indeed living in your heart8 ,are you loving8 ,do you try to be8 ,are you pure and good1 and straight-forward in all your dealings with your companions8 ,are you obedient at home1 loving and dutiful8 ,think of these things1 and if the seed has really taken root in your heart1 think of what a glorious harvest-time there will be by and by1 when ,jesus comes to gather all who have loved ,him into the ,father's eternal ,harvest-home4 ,,xxiv4 ,the ,ten ,virgins ,in the #bdth of ,matthew and the #ddth verse our ,lord tells ,his disciples about ,his promise to come back again1 and ,he earnestly begged them to be watchful1 reminding them that ,his coming would be very sudden4 ,he described how two would be in a field1 and how one should be taken and the other left behind3 and that two should be grinding flour with the mill-stones1 and how one would be taken and the other would be left behind4 ,and then our ,lord added this warning1 ,watch therefore3 for ye know not what hour your ,lord doth come4 ,he wants all who love ,him to be quite ready for ,him4 ,now you know just what it means to be ready8 ,a father is perhaps going to take his children for a holiday in the country1 and he says to them1 ,be quite ready1 children4 ,i am going out to get a cab1 and we must start the moment it comes1 or we shall lose the train4 ,keep looking out for me1 and be quite ready waiting4 ,i do not want one of you to be left behind6 ,illustration3 ,,lord1 ,,lord ,,open ,,to ,,us6 ,well1 some of the children are very obedient1 and they do exactly as they are told4 ,but one child thinks to herself1 ,there is plenty of time--,father has hardly got to the end of the road yet1 and ,i do just want to finish this page of my book6 ,then ,i will dress in a hurry6 ,but the page takes longer than she thought1 and while she hastens upstairs to dress1 the cab drives up1 and she is not ready6 ,the father looks dreadfully sorry1 for the train will not wait2 and the little girl has to be left behind6 ,that is why our ,lord says in that #bdth ,chapter1 ,be ye also ready3 for in such an hour as ye think not1 the ,son of man cometh4 ,so after ,jesus had urged them so earnestly to watch1 and to be ready1 ,he told them a story1 which will help us all to understand what ,he meant4 ,then shall the ,kingdom of ,heaven be likened unto ten virgins who took their lamps1 and went forth to meet the ,bridegroom1 ,he said4 ,and five of these virgins were wise1 and five were foolish4 ,those that were foolish took their lamps1 but took no oil with them4 ,they wanted to meet the ,bridegroom1 but they forgot that perhaps ,he might come when it was dark night1 and their lamps would be of no use unless there was oil in them4 ,it was not that they could not have obtained the oil2 oh1 no6 ,but they were careless1 and did not think4 ,but the wise virgins took oil in their pitchers1 with their lamps4 ,so they all went out to meet the ,bridegroom1 some with oil1 and some without it4 ,but it seemed a long time before the ,bridegroom came1 and all the virgins fell fast asleep while they waited4 ,but at midnight there was a sudden cry6 ,but it was a sound of happy voices6 ,behold the ,bridegroom cometh6 the voices said joyfully4 ,then the virgins waked out of their sleep1 and they rose up and quickly trimmed their lamps4 ,but the foolish virgins found to their dismay that their lamps had gone out1 and their little pitchers were empty6 ,so they ran to the wise virgins1 and asked them to give them some of their oil6 ,but the wise virgins shook their heads1 for they knew they must not give their oil away1 or they would have none left for their own lamps to meet the ,bridegroom4 ,go quickly and buy6 they urged the foolish virgins4 ,and while they went to buy1 the ,bridegroom came2 and those who were ready went in with ,him to the marriage2 and the door was shut4 ,oh1 the terrible sound of those words--the door was shut6 ,afterwards the other virgins hurried back2 and when they came to that closed door1 they called with bitter longing and entreaty1 ,lord1 ,lord open to us6 ,but the ,bridegroom answered in these sorrowful words which should be a warning to every one of us as we read them1 ,verily ,i say unto you ,i know you not4 ,this story has1 as you see1 a very sorrowful ending4 ,and the ,lord ,jesus would not have told it to us unless ,he had intended us to take a great warning from it4 ,the ,oil spoken of in this ,parable is a type or picture to help us to understand about the ,holy ,spirit4 ,for we must have the ,holy ,spirit in our hearts if we want to go in with ,jesus to the ,marriage supper1 in ,heaven4 ,when ,jesus was baptized in ,jordan1 ,john saw the ,holy ,spirit descending like a dove1 and resting upon ,him4 ,perhaps you ask1 ,could those foolish virgins have had the oil8 ,ah6 ,indeed they might6 ,evidently they could have bought the oil4 ,the ,holy ,spirit is given to us without money and without price1 for our ,lord says1 ,how much more shall your ,heavenly ,father give the ,holy ,spirit to them that ask ,him4 ,some years ago we had a young maid who could not understand how she was to find ,jesus4 ,i told her that if she would pray for the ,holy ,spirit1 she would certainly be shown the way4 ,in ten days she came to me with a joyful face4 ,i did pray as you told me1 she said1 and ,i have come to ,jesus1 and ,he is my ,saviour4 ,,xxv4 ,the ,good ,samaritan ,there was once a lonely man1 walking in ,palestine on the mountainous road between ,jerusalem and ,jericho4 ,he had no one with him1 and his heart sank as he recalled the stories of the wild men who lived in the caves1 and came out to rob unfortunate travellers who passed that way4 ,the silence was unbroken1 and as he looked from side to side and hurried along1 he began to hope that he might reach ,jericho without mishap4 ,the road lay between steep hills and mountains1 and there were sharp corners and jutting rocks all along the way1 which would hide any number of the robbers who haunted the place4 ,but all his fears and all his anxious1 watchful glances were of no use4 ,suddenly a band of thieves sprang out of their hiding-place behind him1 and in a moment they surrounded him1 robbed him of all his property1 and1 as he evidently resisted them with all his might1 they not only robbed him1 but cruelly wounded him1 and then made off1 leaving him by the roadside1 half dead4 ,sad indeed was his plight1 lying there in the glaring sunshine1 aching with pain and consumed with thirst4 ,would no one come to help him8 he sadly thought4 ,yes--he heard footsteps coming down the stony path1 and as they drew nearer and nearer1 his hope began to revive4 ,surely some kind man would take pity on him6 ,and then the steps came close to him1 and at last1 as he lifted his weary eyes1 he saw one of the ,jewish priests standing for an instant1 arrested by the sad sight1 but1 when the priest saw him1 he passed by on the other side of the road1 and went away4 ,so the lonely man lay there1 still suffering and uncared for4 ,presently another step was heard1 and another man1 a ,jewish ,levite1 came along the road1 and1 catching sight of the wounded man1 he came over and looked at him2 but he1 too1 passed by on the other side4 99 99 99 99 99 ,but at length there was a traveller who was making the same journey1 and he saw the poor man lying there dying2 and when he saw him1 he had compassion on him4 ,a great pity filled his heart4 ,he could not bear to see him wounded and suffering4 ,so he quickly went to his side and bound up his wounds1 putting on them the only salves he had with him1 oil and wine1 which would both soothe and heal the sores2 and then he lifted him on to his own donkey1 and walking by his side and doing everything he could for the poor man1 he brought him at length to an ,inn1 where he made him as comfortable as ever he could1 and stayed with him all night4 ,you can picture to yourself this kind traveller sitting quietly by the suffering stranger1 and cheering him with kind words1 and bidding him hope for better times1 when he should be well again4 ,at length the morning came1 and the traveller was obliged to proceed on his journey4 ,so he called the ,master of the ,inn and gave him some money1 and told him to take care of the stranger1 and promised to repay the ,innkeeper1 when he returned1 whatever he had spent in caring for the sick man4 99 99 99 99 99 ,nov when the ,lord ,jesus told this story to the lawyer who had been questioning him1 ,he turned to him and asked him1 ,which do you think was a neighbour to this man that fell among the thieves8 ,so the lawyer answered him1 ,the one who shewed mercy on him6 ,and ,jesus said to him words like this1 ,then you go and do the same4 ,and now1 ,i think1 our ,lord ,jesus1 who looks down from heaven at all that is happening here1 says to each one of us1 as we pass on our journey through this world--,go thou1 and do like that kind ,samaritan4 ,and perhaps you say to yourself3 ,how can ,i8 ,i do not see any wounded men that want help--,i am only a boy1 and nobody needs my care6 ,i am only a girl1 and ,i have lessons and work to do1 and ,i have not got any neighbours1 such as that story speaks of--people who want my help--,i am only a little girl6 ,yes1 that is natural for you to say to yourself1 but just stop for a moment and think4 ,you have a brother who is a ,scout6 ,is not he always looking out for opportunities to help others8 ,cannot you be a ,scout for ,jesus our ,king8 ,cannot you1 whether you are boy or girl1 do at least one kindness a day8 ,that invalid sister drops her ball of wool6 ,cannot you stop as you are racing out to play1 to pick it up1 and give her a sweet smile of cheer into the bargain8 ,that schoolfellow has a headache and cannot get his sums right4 ,could you not bend over him for a moment or two1 and help him find out the mistake1 and set him free to come out and play8 ,oh1 do not say in your heart1 ,he is nothing to me1 ,i cannot help his troubles6 ,do not be like the ,priest and the ,levite4 ,cheer up everyone you come across1 and if you do this for ,jesus your ,king1 believe me1 your life will be full of sunshine and joy4 ,do one kind deed every day1 and you will end in being1 in very truth1 like the ,good ,samaritan whom ,jesus praised4 ,,xxvi4 ,no ,wedding ,garment ,our ,lord told the people who listened to ,him many wonderful stories1 or parables1 which were meant to sink deep into their hearts1 to warn them lest they should sin1 or to encourage them to be good4 ,he often told them stories about the ,kingdom of ,heaven1 for ,he wanted all who heard ,him to enter into that ,kingdom1 and to share its everlasting joy4 ,the parable ,i am going to tell you to-day is one in which the ,kingdom of ,heaven was likened to a certain great ,king who made a marriage feast for his son4 ,he invited a great many guests1 and when all was ready1 he sent his servants to call them all to the wedding4 ,but the guests who were invited were so busy about their own affairs that they did not trouble to come to the ,king's house6 ,then the ,king sent some more servants1 with the message that everything was prepared for the feast1 and to bid the guests to come to the marriage4 ,but they made light of the invitation6 ,one went to his farm1 and another to his business2 and the rest treated the ,king's messengers very badly1 and even killed some of them4 ,then the ,king was very angry1 and sent his armies against the men who had murdered his messengers4 ,then the ,king said to his servants1 ,the wedding is ready1 but those who were invited were not worthy3 go instead into the highways1 and bid all that you can find to come to the marriage4 ,so the servants went out1 and gathered all they could find1 and brought them to the ,king's ,palace1 both bad and good4 ,and this time there were plenty of people who came to accept the invitation4 ,then the ,king came in to see the guests1 and his eyes fell on one of them who had not on a wedding garment4 ,i think it is plain from the story1 as our ,lord told it1 that this man might have had a wedding garment if he had chosen to do so4 ,doubtless the servants had beautiful clean garments ready in another room1 which the ,king had provided for every guest to put on4 ,but this one guest had no wedding garment6 ,then the ,king said to him3 ,friend1 how did you come in to the banquet without having a wedding garment8 ,but the man was speechless2 he had no answer to make2 he had no excuse to offer4 ,perhaps he thought his own clothes were good enough for any wedding feast6 ,perhaps he had been angry with the servants for offering him the ,king's garment6 ,we are not told--we only know that unless he had that garment which had been provided1 he could not taste of the ,king's feast4 ,the ,king ordered him to be sent away2 and1 in the dark night outside1 how earnestly he must have wished that he had not been so proud1 or so careless2 and how he must have wept when he realized all he had missed4 ,i think that the ,lord ,jesus told this story as a solemn warning against some things which prevent people from entering the ,kingdom of ,heaven4 ,these things are just as likely to prevent people now1 as they were in the time that our ,lord gave this parable to the multitude4 ,the chief danger is carelessness4 ,people say3 ,oh1 ,i haven't time6 ,oh1 ,i can't take the trouble to be religious1 ,i do very well as ,i am4 ,they think it is all very well to be invited to the ,wedding-feast in the ,kingdom of ,heaven1 but they have other things to do2 and they esteem the servants of the ,king1 who bring the message1 as very troublesome persons1 who had better mind their own business6 ,those are some of the people who miss getting into the ,kingdom of ,heaven4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,king ,,ordered ,,him ,,to ,,be ,,sent ,,away4 ,,xxvii4 ,sowing the ,tares ,when the ,lord ,jesus was on earth1 ,he taught many of ,his most wonderful lessons by means of ,story-pictures1 or ,parables4 ,perhaps you are older than some of your school-fellows1 and the little ones gather round you and say ,tell us a story6 ,don't they love stories8 ,and don't you love stories8 ,so did the people to whom our ,lord spoke4 ,he often put a word-picture before their eyes1 and it sank into their hearts1 and they remembered it ever after4 ,i am going to tell you about one of these ,parables which our ,lord told to the listening multitudes4 ,this one was about ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven4 ,this is the word picture which he put before their eyes4 ,he said that the ,kingdom of ,heaven was like a man who had a field1 and who sowed it with good seed4 ,but at night1 under cover of the darkness1 while men were asleep1 there came an enemy into this field4 ,he carried a basket in his hands1 and as he went up and down the field1 he looked stealthily round him to make sure that no one was aware of his presence4 ,and then he took handful after handful of seed from his basket and scattered it all over the field4 ,then he crept away in the darkness4 ,illustration3 ,,sowing ,,the ,,tares4 ,why did he do it1 do you think8 ,it was because he hated the owner of the field1 and wished to destroy his beautiful harvest4 ,by and by the seeds began to grow1 and the little blades came up green all over the field4 ,then the servants of the master of the field1 looking closely at the crop1 saw that some of the blades were of good wheat1 but some looked like tares1 which were of no use to anyone and only injured the wheat4 ,so they hastened to the owner of the field1 and they said1 ,sir1 did you not sow good seed in your field2 how have the tares got there8 ,and the owner said1 ,an enemy has done this4 ,then the servants asked if they might root up the tares at once4 ,i have read that when the little plants are young1 the blades of the wheat and the blades of the tares are so much alike that it is difficult to tell them apart4 ,so the master of the field answered1 ,no2 you had better not try to pull up the tares1 lest you should pull up the wheat with them4 ,let them both grow together until the harvest2 and in time of harvest ,i will say to the reapers1 ',gather together the tares first1 and bind them in bundles to burn them2 but gather the wheat into my barn4' 99 99 99 99 99 ,this is a story1 as ,i said1 of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven4 ,and it is important to all of us1 because we all live in that ,kingdom4 ,our hearts ought to be ,god's throne here1 we ought to be growing up as ,his ,good ,seed1 to be gathered into ,his eternal ,home when the ,harvest comes6 ,you may not always live in ,england--you may go to ,canada1 or ,australia1 or ,france1 or ,germany6 ,but in this ,kingdom of ,heaven you may always abide1 till the ,harvest-day comes2 and happy for you if you do6 ,god's ,kingdom is a place where ,his ,good ,seed grows4 ,perhaps your ,mother or your ,teacher tells you of ,jesus our ,saviour1 and of ,his love1 and you long to be able to serve ,him4 ,you would like to be kind and loving to those round you2 you are sorry when you do wrong1 you are happy when you do right4 ,that is the ,good ,seed taking root and growing in your heart6 ,but at other times you feel differently4 ,you are not so happy2 you do not wish to do good things so much2 you even find yourself wanting to do wrong things6 ,you find it hard to be loving2 you want so much to do something you have been forbidden to do2 you are sure no one will see you if you do wrong1 and you say to yourself1 ,after all1 it is such a little thing1 or ,it is only this once6 ,ah6 ,those are the tares sown in your heart6 ,how did they get there8 the servants asked the ,master4 ,and ,he answered1 ,an enemy has done this4 ,satan is our enemy4 ,it is true we cannot see him1 but he is near us all the same4 ,like the enemy in the ,parable1 he creeps out when men are asleep--when you are off your guard--when you have forgotten to watch and to pray2 and it is he who whispers to you that3 ,no one will see4 ,that it is such a little thing4 ,that it is so hard to obey6 ,ah6 ,what must the little ,christian boy do when he finds tares in the field of his heart8 ,what must the little ,christian girl do when she finds tares in ,god's ,kingdom in her heart8 ,i think the best thing to do is to look up to ,jesus instantly1 and ask ,him to conquer the great enemy for you4 ,say the ,holy name ,jesus softly to yourself1 or out loud if you are alone1 ,satan1 our great enemy1 will run away1 you will surely find4 ,he was named ,,jesus 7which means ,victory74 ,for ,he shall save ,his people from their sins4 ,,xxviii4 ,the ,prodigal ,son ,there was a man who had two sons4 ,he loved them both very much1 and did everything he could to make them happy4 ,but the younger son was restless1 and got tired of being quietly at home4 ,he had heard something about the world outside1 and he thought it must be a very fine place by all accounts4 ,so one day he asked his father to divide what he had to leave to him and his brother1 so that he might do as he liked with his share of it4 ,not many days after1 the younger son took his journey into a far country1 and as he had no one there to guide him1 and as he did not heed the advice of his dear father1 he began to waste his money and get into evil ways4 ,very soon he had spent all his father had given him1 and had nothing left in his purse4 ,up to this time he had thought he could do very well without his father1 but now he began to be in want4 ,it was so hard to be hungry1 to find his clothes get ragged1 and for his companions to forsake him4 ,and it made him sad and afraid when he remembered that he had no house to sleep in1 and no friends near4 ,by and by a farmer took pity on him1 and hired him to go and feed his pigs2 and he was so hungry that he could almost have eaten the pigs' food4 ,but no one gave him anything4 ,at last as he sat dejectedly watching the pigs1 he came to himself6 ,he began to remember his dear home and his father's love4 ,he no longer prided himself on what he could do1 and what he could buy4 ,he saw his behaviour in its true light4 ,he told himself that he had been very naughty and very disobedient1 and he began to be sorry4 ,and when he came to himself he said1 ,how many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare1 and ,i1 his son1 am dying of hunger6 ,i will arise and go to my father1 and tell him ,i have sinned1 and ask him to make me one of his servants4 ,so he got up to go to his father4 ,his father had been very sad all the time his boy had been away4 ,his heart had ached terribly1 though his son had never thought of that4 ,every day he looked out for his lost one1 and watched for him along the roads and over the mountains till it grew too dark to see4 ,but one day1 when the son was yet a great way off1 his father saw him coming6 ,then the dear father ran to meet him1 and fell on his neck and kissed him4 ,and the son said1 ,father1 ,i have sinned before ,heaven and in thy sight1 and am no more worthy to be called thy son-- ,but he could not get any further than that in what he meant to say6 ,for his father's arms were round him1 and his father's voice was saying in the old familiar tones1 ,bring hither the best robe1 and put it on him6 ,and put a ring on his hand1 and shoes on his feet2 and bring here the fatted calf and let us make a feast2 for this my son was dead1 and is alive again2 he was lost1 and is found6 ,children1 we have here a picture of the way our loving ,heavenly ,father welcomes back those who have wandered from ,him4 ,his heart is full of love2 ,he grieves that we want to take our own way1 and go far-off from ,him4 ,but if we are sorry1 and come back to ,his loving arms1 we shall find that they will open to receive us2 ,he will put the best robe upon us1 and ,he will prepare a feast for us2 and there shall be joy in the presence of the angels of ,god over one sinner repenting6 ,do you want to know what the best robe means8 ,it is the ,robe of ,christ's righteousness4 ,for ,christ's sake1 who has shed ,his precious blood to make us clean and white1 we can be dressed in that perfect robe2 and then we shall be fit to join in the feast and the rejoicings1 which are coming by and by in heaven4 ,,xxix4 ,the ,pharisee and the ,publican ,two men were wending their way towards ,god's ,temple at ,jerusalem1 a ,pharisee and a ,publican4 ,there1 on a hill1 stood the beautiful building with its white marble pillars glistening in the sun2 and as they walked along the hot roads towards ,god's ,house1 their thoughts were very different4 ,they knew that ,god's ,holy ,presence was in that ,temple to which they were going1 and one of them thought with awe that he would soon be in the place where he would meet with ,god4 ,the other man was thinking entirely about himself1 and nothing at all about ,god4 ,so they ascended the many steps leading up into the ,temple1 and at last stood within the ,sacred ,house4 99 99 99 99 99 ,and then the ,pharisee thought of how he understood all about ,god's law1 and how he did not need anyone to teach him what was written in the ,scriptures4 ,but he did not know two things which would have made him a different man--he did not know his own heart1 and he did not know ,god's heart4 ,he did not know that his own heart was full of pride and love of self2 he did not know that ,god's heart was full of pity and tender love towards sinful men who came to ,him to be forgiven4 ,so the ,pharisee began to pray4 ,and when the ,lord ,jesus told us this story about him1 ,he said he stood and prayed thus with himself4 ,but he began his prayer like this3-- ,god6 ,i thank thee that ,i am not like other men6 ,i am not one who exacts more than ,i should from others2 ,i am not unjust or impure2 or even like this ,publican4 ,i fast twice in every week1 and ,i give tithes of everything ,i have4 ,then the ,pharisee1 having finished his prayer1 went down once more to his home4 ,he had not seen the vision of ,god6 ,he had not come near to ,him1 nor waited to receive the answer to his words4 ,he did not even know what he had missed6 99 99 99 99 99 ,and the other man who went up to pray was the ,publican4 ,he was a collector of the ,roman taxes2 and because of the frequent cheating of these publicans1 they were hated by the ,jews4 ,it was a calling which gave great opportunities for dishonesty1 and when some of the ,jews1 for the sake of gain1 engaged in it1 they were despised and called traitors4 ,so this ,publican1 whom our ,lord ,jesus told about in this story1 was evidently a ,jew1 as he among other ,jews went up into the ,temple to pray4 ,and when he entered ,god's ,house1 there stood the ,pharisee praying2 but the ,publican1 standing afar off1 not full of his own good deeds1 but feeling ashamed of his own sinfulness1 would not even lift up his eyes to ,heaven1 but smote his breast saying3 ,god be merciful to me1 a sinner6 99 99 99 99 99 ,and our ,lord turned to those who were listening to ,him and said1 ,i tell you1 this ,publican went down to his house justified1 rather than the other4 ,do you wonder what it is to be justified8 ,should we not all like1 when we have been naughty1 or have done wrong1 to know that we may go down1 like the ,publican did to his house1 justified8 ,it means1 ,i think1 for a person to realise that some one greater and richer than himself has undertaken to set him free from his debt4 ,it means that we have come to ,god and told ,him that we are very sorry we have been naughty1 and have asked ,him to have mercy upon us1 and to forgive us for ,jesus' sake4 ,when we have done that1 we may1 indeed1 like the ,publican1 go away justified4 ,perhaps some boy gets into trouble at school1 and owes something to another boy1 which he has no means of paying4 ,so the boy who owes the money goes to his father4 ,he knows he has done wrong1 but he tells his father all about it1 and asks him to help him4 ,and the loving father sees to it all for him1 and pays the debt4 ,the school-fellows know nothing about this1 but they have heard about the debt1 and they whisper to each other1 and jeer when the boy comes near4 ,but to their surprise1 he raises his head now6 ,my father has paid1 he says1 with shining eyes4 ,i think that is being justified4 99 99 99 99 99 ,and it seems to me that that was how the ,publican felt1 when he had told ,god he was a sinner1 and had asked for ,his mercy4 ,he went home happy1 and forgiven6 ,illustration3 ,,god ,,be ,,merciful ,,to ,,me1 ,a ,,sinner6 ,here is a comforting promise for us all-- ,this is a faithful saying 4 4 4 that ,christ ,jesus came into the world to save sinners6 ,,xxx4 ,an ,uninvited ,guest ,one day the ,lord ,jesus was invited to dinner by a rich man whose name was ,simon4 ,perhaps this rich man asked ,jesus to dinner because he wished to see ,him do some miracle--something wonderful which no one else could do2 or he may have imagined that people would think more of himself if he had ,jesus for a guest2 at any rate1 by what we read afterwards1 ,i am afraid ,simon the ,pharisee did not invite ,jesus because he loved ,him4 ,but there was somebody present at that feast who did love ,jesus1 but she was not invited4 ,in ,eastern lands the houses are not shut up like our houses1 but because it is so warm1 the dining-rooms are often open to the air on one or two sides1 or people take their meals in the cool shady courtyards4 ,when a great man makes a feast1 people hear of it1 and come round the house to look at what is going on4 ,in the city there lived a poor sinful and sorrowful woman who had learned to love the ,lord ,jesus3 perhaps she had heard ,him say these loving words1 ,come unto ,me1 all ye that labour and are heavy laden1 and ,i will give you rest4 ,when this sorrowful woman heard that ,jesus was gone to dinner at the ,pharisee's house1 she brought a little box made of alabaster1 which was filled with some very sweet-smelling ointment1 and she made her way into the open dining-hall1 and when she saw where the ,lord was sitting or reclining1 as the custom was1 on a sort of couch to the table1 she came up1 and stood behind ,him6 ,and as she stood there and thought of all ,his love and compassion1 she began to weep1 and her tears fell down over ,his feet as ,he reclined at the table4 ,then she wiped ,his feet with her hair1 and anointed them with the sweet ointment4 ,but the ,pharisee who had invited the ,lord ,jesus looked on with anger4 ,he thought if ,jesus were a great teacher1 ,he would not have allowed a woman from the city to come and wash ,his feet with her tears4 ,but ,jesus knows all our hearts1 and ,he could see that the poor woman loved ,him so much that she would go away and try never to grieve ,him any more4 ,by and by ,he turned to ,simon1 and told him to look at this woman and compare her love with his4 ,jesus said words something like this3 ,simon1 ,i was tired and dusty with my journey when ,i came in1 and you did not give me water to bathe my feet1 but she has washed my feet with tears2 you did not offer me a kiss1 but this woman has not ceased to kiss my feet2 you did not anoint my head with oil1 but she has anointed my feet with precious ointment4 ,she has loved me very much1 because ,i have forgiven her very much4 ,and turning to the woman1 ,jesus said to her1 ,thy sins are forgiven2 4 4 4 go in peace4 ,oh1 the joy of hearing ,jesus say those words6 ,and we may have that joy too1 if we come to ,him with humble loving heart1 and tell ,him that we are sorry4 ,he never turns anyone away who comes to ,him2 so1 dear little children1 let us trust ,his loving heart1 and though we know we are very unworthy1 do not let us stay away for that1 for ,jesus longs that we may be forgiven1 and so be able to go away in peace4 ,,xxxi4 ,the ,barren ,fig ,tree ,nothing but ,leaves ,i have seen a picture of a fig tree1 and ,i want to describe it to you1 that we may understand a little about one of our ,lord's ,parables4 ,there are a great many ,parables in the ,new ,testament3 they are word-pictures to teach us ,god's great lessons4 ,at school your teacher has a large blackboard1 and sometimes she sketches an object1 and explains it to you1 does she not8 ,one day she drew a cracked cup1 the crack of which grew wider under her clever fingers1 and she turned round and said to her class1 ,is this cup of any use8 ,and there were plenty of ,no's from all over the room2 but one child ventured ,perhaps it could be mended6 ,and then the teacher gave a bright look1 and she said1 ,yes1 ,charlie1 you are right6 ,and so are the others with their ',no's' all over the room4 ,for unless the cup is mended1 it is of no use4 ,the cup is a picture of our characters6 ,if there is a flaw in them1 a crack that gets wider and wider1 then the cup is of no use1 is it8 ,it might be thrown away6 ventured another child4 ,yes1 said the teacher2 but1 if it could be mended--as ,charlie said--then it could be used again4 ,so what must we do1 ,charlie8 ,she turned her face to the little boy1 and a smile came over his features as he answered1 ,there's a china-mender comes down our road every week--he could do it6 ,and the teacher smiled back4 ,did ,charlie know that he had touched on a great truth8 ,so she went on-- ,yes1 we must 'have faith in ,god4' ,we must take our cracked cups1 and our faulty characters1 to the ,great ,mender1 ,jesus our ,saviour1 and ask ,him to make us useful1 serviceable little ,christians6 ,so now1 ,i am going to make an imaginary blackboard and show you a branch of a fig tree6 ,look at that fig growing out of the stalk2 it is large1 and oblong1 and plump1 and it is firmly fixed to the big branch4 ,and then1 above and below it are little sprouting leaves1 some just come out1 some not yet burst from their little buds2 and soon the fruit1 which is already ripe1 will be covered up by the leaves1 as they grow larger and larger4 ,but suppose1 when you lift the leaves1 there is no fruit8 ,then you come to the conclusion that the tree must be a barren tree1 and you turn away sorry and disappointed4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,barren ,,fig ,,tree4 ,and this is a little word-picture of the barren fig tree1 about which our ,lord gives us a ,parable4 ,he was coming from ,bethany1 and it says ,he hungered4 ,perhaps the ,lord ,jesus had been up all night praying to ,his ,father4 ,so1 as ,he came near to the fig tree1 ,he saw it was full of leaves2 but when ,he got close to it1 ,he found there were no figs under the leaves--it was barren4 ,and as ,he turned away ,he said1 in the disciples' hearing1 ,let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever4 ,oh1 how sad ,he was to have to say that6 ,and presently the fig tree withered away4 ,just before this1 the ,lord came down the side of the ,mount of ,olives1 and in turning a corner of the steep path a sight of the beautiful city of ,jerusalem burst upon their view4 ,it says in the ,gospel of ,luke-- ,and when ,he was come near1 ,he beheld the city1 and wept over it1 saying1 ,if thou hadst known1 even thou1 at least in this thy day1 the things which belong unto thy peace6 ,but now they are hid from thine eyes4 ,jesus wept for all the sorrow that was coming on the beloved city1 and because the ,jews would not have ,him as their ,saviour4 ,this was indeed like the fig tree1 which had leaves1 but no fruit4 ,the ,jews ought to have known from their own ,scriptures of the ,old ,testament1 which they read every ,sabbath1 that on this very day it was foretold in the ,book of ,nehemiah1 and also in ,daniel and ,zechariah1 that the ,messiah was to enter ,jerusalem as ,king1 meek and lowly1 and riding on an ass's colt4 ,they were proud of their knowledge1 and of their possession of ,god's ,temple1 and ,his ,scriptures2 but they had not fruit under the leaves of their pride and unbelief4 ,they had even been plotting to kill ,him4 ,they had rejected ,him in their hearts1 and in a few days' time they were going to crucify ,him6 ,the next day ,jesus and ,his disciples passed by that fig tree again1 and it had begun to wither and dry up2 and the disciples said1 ,how soon is the fig tree withered6 ,and the answer of our ,lord must have astonished them4 ,have faith in ,god6 ,he said4 ,now1 like the teacher with the blackboard1 ,i want to gather up the lesson ,i have learned from this story-- ,do not let our dear ,lord1 ,who died for us1 come and look into our hearts and find no fruit1 but only leaves6 ,how ,he must long to have us all we should be6 ,do not let us be like the cracked and useless cup6 ,but let us go to the great ,healer and ,mender and ,cleanser of our poor characters1 and ask ,him to make us what ,he would like to see us4 ,the only way to get mended and to bear fruit instead of only leaves1 is to go to ,him ,who died on the ,cross to save us1 and to find in ,him forgiveness1 strength1 and peace4 ,,xxxii4 ,the ,parable of the ,talents ,what is a ,talent8 perhaps some one asks4 ,a ,talent in our ,lord's time was a piece of money of great value1 of about #cdb1 and in the story which ,jesus told the disciples1 a ,talent was described as something precious which was given to the servants of a great lord1 to trade with1 while he was on a long journey4 ,to one servant this lord gave ten ,talents to trade with2 to another1 five2 to another1 two2 according to their several ability2 and to another1 one4 ,and what do you think the servant who had only one did with his ,talent8 ,he went away and digged in the earth1 and hid his lord's money6 ,then the lord of those servants took his journey4 ,at length the time came for his return1 and he called his servants and reckoned with them4 ,the one who had traded with ten ,talents brought ten ,talents more to his lord2 and the man with five brought five more2 and the man with two brought two more4 ,and the lord was very pleased with these faithful servants1 and said1 ,well done6 to each of them1 and gave them great rewards4 ,but at last there came the man who had only received one ,talent2 and as he spread the one ,talent out before him1 he said1 ,i knew that you were a hard master1 so ,i was afraid1 and went and hid your ,talent in the earth4 ,lo6 ,then1 you have what is yours6 ,and the great lord was very grieved and angry with that wicked and idle servant1 and he took the ,talent from him and gave it to the one who had ten2 and the faithless servant was cast out1 and in the darkness he wept despairingly that he could never enter1 as the others did1 into the joy of their lord4 ,and now ,i am going to tell you a true story to try and explain to you the meaning of these ,talents in our present-day life4 ,i told you that to us1 the ,talent that ,jesus spoke of is not money1 but something more precious still1 which we are given by ,god to trade with4 ,trade with8 you ask4 ,yes--that is the idea4 ,if we are ,god's servants1 if we have taken ,jesus ,christ as our own ,blessed ,saviour1 ,god expects us to try to get others to trust ,him too1 and so to multiply the ,talents which ,he has given into our charge4 ,you will understand this a little better when you have read the true story ,i am going to tell you4 ,there was a lady taking a ,journey a few years ago1 and she had to pass through ,london and go to another terminus on her way4 ,she had one of ,god's ,talents in her heart4 ,she knew that ,jesus ,christ was a great and precious ,saviour2 and before she started on her journey she prayed3 ,make me a blessing to somebody as ,i travel6 ,well1 by the time she had reached ,london1 she was tired1 and when she got to the other terminus1 as she went along the platform she saw a man sitting in a carriage alone4 ,but she passed on2 she thought she was too tired to speak to that man4 ,so she hid her ,lord's money6 ,but her heart smote her2 and after a moment she got out1 and entered the carriage where the man1 who appeared to be a foreman in some works1 sat in the farthest corner4 ,they were soon off1 and though she felt very nervous1 she moved nearer to him1 and made a remark on the beautiful sunset6 ,he seemed surprised4 ,and when1 further1 she said1 ,how it reminded her of ,god's love4 ,he answered3 ,oh1 ,i do not think of those things6 ,i leave that to my wife and daughters6 ,i and my sons read different things from that6 ,we do very well with our lives1 and leave them to theirs6 ,the lady hardly knew what to answer4 ,she felt she was not up in all these unbelieving questions of the day4 ,but then she bethought herself3 ,i wish ,i could think of some word of ,god that would suit his case6 ,for the ,word of ,god is living and powerful4 ,and like a flash1 she remembered the parable of the ,pharisee and the ,publican1 and she said1 ,did you ever hear this8 ,and found herself able to repeat it to him word for word3 ,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 himself3 ,god1 ,i thank ,thee that ,i am not as other men are 4 4 4 ,and the ,publican1 standing afar off1 would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven1 but smote upon his breast1 saying1 ,god be merciful to me a sinner4 ,i tell you1 this man went down to his house justified rather than the other4 ,illustration3 ,,he ,,spread ,,the ,,one ,,talent ,,out ,,before ,,him4 ,as the lady finished that parable1 which ,god had so wonderfully helped her to repeat1 the train began to slow down at the next station4 ,the man gathered up his things1 came to her side and shook her hand warmly4 ,thank you very much1 he said earnestly1 for what you have said6 ,and then he jumped out1 and the train took the lady on to her destination4 ,all of us are given ,talents1 according to our several abilities4 ,whatever it is--let each one of us do what we can to tell others of ,god's love in giving us a ,saviour2 and if we do1 surely--yes1 surely--,god will say to us1 ,well done1 good and faithful servants1 enter into the joy of your ,lord6 ,,xxxiii4 ,hid in ,three ,measures of ,meal ,one day the ,lord ,jesus gave a very short ,parable to ,his disciples of only one verse1 but ,he would not have told it to us1 if ,he had not intended us to learn a lesson from it4 ,i will copy the verse for you1 because it is so very short1 and then ,i will explain it afterwards4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,leaven ,,in ,,the ,,meal4 ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven is like unto leaven1 which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal1 till the whole was leavened4 ,leaven is what we now call yeast4 ,in the dictionary1 leaven1 or yeast1 is described as something which pervades a mass1 and changes its nature4 ,and so we will think of it in that light1 and try to draw out from it something which may help us every day4 ,if the ,kingdom of ,heaven is hidden in our hearts1 then it ought to pervade our whole lives4 ,i have seen an untidy woman1 and an untidy home1 perfectly transformed by the love of ,god1 and her desire to please ,him4 ,a year or two ago1 ,i knew a woman who had become rather fond of drink4 ,all at once she found that if she wanted to enter into the ,kingdom of ,heaven1 that temptation must be left off4 ,so she told the ,lord ,jesus all about it1 and then she left it off in the strength which ,he gave her2 and she said to me3 ,i have never taken any since6 ,so she found1 like many others whom ,i have known1 that when the ,kingdom of ,heaven takes possession of our hearts1 our whole nature becomes changed1 and we try to live to ,god's glory6 ,in the same chapter in ,matthew1 the thirteenth1 that has in it the ,parable about the leaven1 our ,lord gives us another picture of the ,kingdom of ,heaven4 ,he describes a man who was digging in a field2 who came by chance upon a great treasure4 ,the man hastily covered up the ground1 and went to the owner of the field1 and asked him to let him buy the whole field4 ,the price was very high1 but the man thought of the treasure1 and he did not hesitate4 ,he went back1 and sold all that he had1 and came and bought the field4 ,he did not grudge it1 for the treasure was worth everything he possessed6 ,then our ,lord tells us of another man4 ,he was a merchant2 and he travelled to far-off countries seeking beautiful pearls4 ,at length he came across the most beautiful pearl he had ever seen--it was of great price4 ,this man did not hesitate either4 ,he saw the value of that pearl1 and he sold everything he had and bought it6 ,in the twenty-fifth of ,matthew1 ,jesus gives us another ,parable1 and it is about ,his coming back2 and ,i am sure you will like to hear that one1 for you have perhaps seen pictures of those ,ten ,virgins who went out to meet the ,bridegroom1 with little lamps in their hands8 ,five of these ,virgins were wise1 and five were foolish4 ,why was it that some were wise and some not8 ,perhaps you have a brother who has cycled into the country1 and comes home later than you expected1 and tired-out8 ,yes1 he says1 ,i have had to walk my machine for half-a-dozen miles--my lamp went out1 and there was not a shop to be seen6 ,yes1 that was it2 he had not taken oil to fill his lamp4 ,so the foolish ,virgins took their lamps1 but took no oil with them2 but the wise took oil in their vessels1 with their lamps4 ,the ,bridegroom seemed long in coming1 and they all fell asleep while they waited4 ,and at midnight there was a cry made3 ,behold the ,bridegroom cometh6 ,go ye out to meet ,him6 ,then all the ,virgins arose1 and trimmed their lamps4 ,and the foolish said to the wise3 ,give us some of your oil1 for our lamps are gone out4 ,but the wise answered that they must not do that1 lest there should not be enough for them both2 instead they advised the foolish ,virgins to go and buy for themselves4 ,and while they went to buy1 the ,bridegroom came1 and those who were ready went in with ,him to the marriage2 and the door was shut4 ,afterwards1 when the other ,virgins came back1 they asked that the door might be opened2 but the ,bridegroom answered that ,he did not know them4 ,i am sure you will feel sad when you think that the foolish ,virgins could not share in the ,marriage ,supper4 ,i think this is told us to warn us to ask ,god to give us ,his ,holy ,spirit in our hearts1 which1 like the oil in the little lamps1 will show us the way1 and keep us brightly shining for ,him6 ,our ,lord ,jesus ,christ is the ,heavenly ,bridegroom in this ,parable4 ,when ,he was on earth1 ,he told ,his disciples over and over again to watch most earnestly for ,him to come back4 ,he warned all of us who love ,him1 to be ready to open to ,him if he knocks2 to guard against being so bound up in the pleasures of life that the day of ,his return should take any of us by surprise4 ,jesus ends this ,parable with these words-- ,watch therefore3 for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the ,son of man cometh4