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brillance. Thoughts of love nestled in Christ's heart; words of love lingered on His lips; deeds of love flew from His arm; and His steps left behind them the impress of love. It threw its soft halo over His cradle at Bethlehem, and it fringed with its mellow splendours the gloom of the cloud under which He expired on Calvary. It gave edge to His reproofs, and pathos to His invitations. It was the magnet that guided Him in all His wanderings. It bound Him to the cross, and held Him there, and not the iron nail that pierced His hands and His feet. It thrilled in His bosom, and glistened in His eye. It prompted Him to impart miraculous aid on every opportunity. His meekness was but one of its features. It clothed itself in forgiveness toward His enemies, and its last pulsation was in a prayer for His murderers. It was the spiritual atmosphere in which He lived, moved, and had His being. There was love to His mother, love to His kinsfolk, love to His country, love to His disciples, love to His enemies, love to the Church, and love to the wide, wide world. Hath He not declared, in John xv. 9, 'As my Father hath loved me, so have I loved you'? The life and joy of every holy bosom is this precious truth from the lips of Him whose heart was the home of love. May we not appeal to His birth, His baptism, His agony, His death and burial, as tokens of His vast and ineffable fondness, and say, 'I have loved you?' These facts are irresistible evidence, for they are the elements of a history imbued with love. The babe on His mother's lap; the boy in the temple; the man on the banks of the Jordan receiving the Spirit, and in the wilderness wrestling with the tempter; the victim scourged and crucified; the corpse wrapt in linen and spices, are features of a picture on which the eye is never tired of looking, while the tongue is exclaiming in rapture, 'HEREIN IS LOVE!'"*

A FIFTH design in the public life and ministry of Christ was to call His apostles, and instruct them in their great commission of preaching the gospel. "Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: Simon Peter, and Andrew his brother, who were fishermen; James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were also fishers; Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican, who is also called Levi; James the son of Alphæus, who is called the Lord's brother; and Jude, the brother of James, who is also called Lebbæus, whose surname was Thaddeus; Simon, who is called Zelotes; and Judas Iscariot, who afterwards betrayed his Master,

These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the The Rev. John Eadie, D.D., LL.D., Glasgow.

Samaritans enter ye not: but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses, nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat. And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence.

Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. But beware of men; for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues; and ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops. And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward."

This is a specimen of the manner in which Christ instructed His twelve apostles, and forewarned them of the difficulties, dangers, and persecutions they might expect to encounter. At the same time He promised them the aids of His Spirit, and His own gracious presence to be with them. For these instructions and promises more fully, see Matt. x. and xxviii. In John xiii. 34, we find Him saying unto them, "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another."

"Such love as Christ's was a new thing in the earth,' and therefore the commandment based upon it and exemplified in it was a new commandment.' Besides, one of the ends our Lord had in view was indeed till then unheard of:-'By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.' Discipleship had been evinced in various shapes, and

discovered by numerous tests. But no 'master' ever dreamed of imposing such an obligation, and creating by it such a characteristic. The Jew was recognised by his dress and language, his reverence for Moses, his selection among meats and drinks, and his antipathy to all the races of the Uncircumcision. Did you, in any city of Judea, see a man clothed with a robe deeper than common, and adorned with a phylactery of unusual breadth, did you follow him, and hear him pray with a stentorian voice to attract all passers by, or see him give alms so ostentatiously as to draw upon him the public gaze and admiration, you would have no doubt that you beheld a Pharisee. But our Lord discards what is external; and His followers are to be known not by dress, language, or occupation, but by the mutual kindness which they cherished and exercised toward one another. They were to be known not by mind, but by heartnot by intellect, but by soul."*

EXERCISES.

What was the name of the angel that was sent by God to Mary, the mother of Jesus? Repeat the first sentence of Mary's song, and the last. Where was Christ born? Who first published His birth? To whom? By whom was He first worshipped? Of what bloody deed was Herod guilty? How did Christ escape? When did they return? Where, and among whom, was Jesus found when He was twelve years of age? At what age did He begin His public ministry? What was remarkable about His baptism? By what did He baffle all the temptations of Satan? Where have we the most copious example of His preaching? Mention the first design of His public ministry. The second. How many parables have we in the 13th chapter of Matthew? Name any one of them, and give its meaning. With what different sects had He disputations? What was the third design of Christ's public life and ministry? Name one or two of these miracles. What was the fourth design of His public life? Mention a few of the virtues which Christ left as examples for us to follow. What can you say of the LOVE OF CHRIST? What was the fifth design of His public life? Give the names of the apostles? By what were all men to know them to be Christ's disciples?

* Rev. Dr Eadie, Glasgow.

CHAPTER XXIV.

FROM THE YEAR OF THE WORLD 4004, TO THE YEAR OF OUR LORD 34-continued.

Christ's Entrance into Jerusalem-He Purifies the Temple-Foretells the Destruction of the City-The Last Supper-Gethsemane-Trial and Sentence--Christ's Crucifixion-His Burial-Resurrection, and Ascension.

Having in the last chapter briefly adverted to the nativity, public life, and ministry of our Saviour, let us now proceed to the solemn contemplation of the awful scenes of His sufferings, respecting which the sacred narratives distinctly shew the importance of minute details. I would therefore say, in the language of one who visited these scenes lately,* “Come now, believer in the gospel, be my companion, while for eight days, the most eventful of its history, we look around, and upon ZION, the city of our solemnities.'

We begin on SUNDAY before the resurrection of our Lord. The Jews in Jerusalem are now preparing for their great feast, which, during this week, bears precisely the same relation to Good Friday and Easter Day, as when 'Christ our passover was sacrificed for us.' For some days before, our Lord had been dwelling in Ephraim with His disciples. This was a city north from Jerusalem, in the direction of Jericho, and near the wilderness of the temptation. He went thither to escape the excitement produced in Jerusalem and its neighbourhood by His miracles, especially the raising of Lazarus. He wished also to place himself for a time beyond the reach of the chief priests and Pharisees, who were already taking counsel to destroy Him, saying, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles. If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him; and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation.' But the passover being nigh at hand, and the people from all parts of Judea collecting together for its celebration at Jerusalem, the Saviour also, with full knowledge of His impending sufferings, left His seclusion, and, with His twelve disciples, turned His face towards that city, and the altar of His sacrifice. His path was over a rough and mountainous region, ill cultivated, and little frequented. A wearisome walk of about six miles brought Him in view of a pleasant village, lying upon the slope

*The Rev. J. M. Wainwright, D.D., New York.

of a hill towards the east. This was His well-known and favourite place of resort, and here was His frequent abiding-place in the house of His friend Lazarus, the foundation of which is still pointed out; and in memory of the friend of Jesus, the Turks, at this day, call their village Lazari. At a short distance, higher up upon the right, are still to be seen a few miserable huts, as marking the place where Bethphage stood. Here it was that our Lord, wearied with His walk over a mountain road, or rather in view of the fulfilment of an ancient prophecy, sent two of His disciples, saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her loose them, and bring them unto me. And if any man say ought unto you, Ye shall say, the Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them.' The direction having been complied with, our Lord, seated on the humble animal, and attended by the twelve, pursued His journey.

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CHRIST'S TRIUMPHAL PROCESSION INTO JERUSALEM.-But it is no longer the twelve, or small companies, that are making their silent way towards the city. An eager and shouting multitude, cutting branches from the neighbouring palm-trees, are strewing them and their garments upon the way, over which some honoured individual is passing. Their shouts can be distinctly heard, and from the multitudes that went before, and that followed, in united chorus, the cry is, 'HOSANNA to the Son of DAVID! Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord! HOSANNA in the highest!' As yet, the crowd upon the walls and parapets of Jerusalem see not the object of this exalted praise, so great around Him is the throng of His disciples, of the blind, the lame, the sick, whom He had healed, and of the multitude, whom the fame of His miracles, and the gracious words that proceeded out of His mouth, had collected to Him. Now, nigh to the gates the ranks open, and what do they see to justify this tumult of zeal? Not the stately air of an earthly king or conqueror, nor His splendid array. 'Behold, O daughter of Zion, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.' Well might the city be moved, and all cry out, Who is this? Who is this, in appearance so unassuming, riding upon the humblest of animals, attended by poor fishermen of Galilee, and yet thousands are shouting His praise? They hail Him Son of David, and exhibit joy at His coming, such as David never saw, when returning most triumphant from his enemies. To the demand of simple, honest curiosity, and the question of scornful priestly pride, the multitude answer alike, 'This is Jesus, the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.' We may suppose 'the two blind men, whom He

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