drink it; thy will be done. It was impossible for God to have arrested that day's doings; and certainly such hellish work as murdering the Prince of life was not God's wish. God never has, since he gave man dominion over every creature, interrupted the course of nature, or compelled human events to protect the innocent and enforce righteousness, save through the wills of men. The scribes and the Pharisees were disregarding his outstretched hand. At the request of Jesus, the Father could have sent him more than twelve legions of angels; but this would have been an arbitrary enforcement of righteousness, and the spirit of the Scriptures would not have been fulfilled. Had Jesus come down from the cross, by his own miraculous powers, it would have been a miracle in self-defence,—which in fact would have been self-interest. Again there was no other man on earth with power in holiness to command the forces of nature at will against them, till they would have ceased their wicked work; as Moses did with Pharaoh. The perfection of Jesus Christ's sanctification was reached when he came into the full power of doing God's will with the voice of the flesh absolutely hushed. Thy will be done by men is the same as, Thy kingdom come on earth. Moreover his release by miraculous force could have produced no such moral effect; as his going to the cross has done. He would have been spared from the shame and the pains of the cross; but he received grace by which he went to the cross willingly, and in his preparation gained the last victory over every power of the flesh, by which as a certain consequence, he rose from the tomb in triumph over sin and death. Never did the will of God have such perfect course, and never was it in such almighty power on earth, among men. The strength of a man is revealed when beset with temptations, when suffering disappointments and when passing through hard trials. Jesus went to the cross, stripped of every thing that was dear to the flesh. Common sentiment was so strong against him that his disciples stood afar off, then one of them had betrayed him; and his closest companion swore that he never knew him, even when he was passing through the throes of his trial before the pagan court, yet in calmness he bore it all. In the hour of temptation self-love waked in the soul of our mother Eve and she fell. At the waters of Meribah the patience of Moses gave way, the people were not sanctified, and Moses did not lead them into the promised land. The more highly refined men are, the more intense are their sufferings. None were ever so full of life as Jesus. Few die on the cross from sufferings in less than a day or even days, but Jesus died in less than six hours. Yet with his most sensitive nature, though sorrows with all their accumulated forces laid hold upon him; though death was preparing to disrobe him of his flesh; though he was legally condemned by the righteous rulers as a blasphemer; though the power of his life by reason of his denial of self, was misinterpreted by the legalistic rulers, (He saved others, himself he cannot save); though all manner of other taunts were cast in his teeth by the most influential people of Jerusalem, and that while he was suffering the excruciating pains of the cross, yet through all, love never broke down, nor gave place to wrath for a single sentence. The cross was the crucial test, by the hottest fires sin can kindle, giving the determination, that the dross of self had been expelled from Jesus and that he lived and died doing the will of the Father only. The conduct of Jesus at the cross exemplified the great principle, that the regeneration of society into better conditions is not by strife, not by self-defense to correct wrongs against us, nor even to enforce righteous conduct in others by the strength of the law; but while bearing our sins in his body, he committed his cause to him that judges righteously; and we by the manifestation of his battle, being dead to selfishness, may be made whole in spirituality to live unto righteousness. The influence of the history of the six hours of that fore-noon, has done more for the uplifting of the human race toward God, the support of men in severe trials, and for the correction of social wrongs, than all philosophy, all science, all the workings by the law,-in a word, all the operations of the flesh combined. No wonder Paul wrote, 32I am determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ and him crucified. When the sun has risen the stars and the moon are darkened by its greater light. The holy prophets and the martyrs for the truth, suffered death because of their righteous lives, but none of them died in such triumph over death. That their spirits were not left in hades, and their flesh did not see corruption. It was possible for Jesus to be put to death, because he was in a natural body of flesh and blood; but though men could so sin against him, the powers of nature which were in sin touched not his sacred flesh with their corrupting influence. The death of Jesus was the setting of a sun that never should have gone down, but in its setting it presaged a following day of fuller light and glory. He was crucified through weakness, but he rose in the power of God. He rose the finished new creation. In his glorified body, he was "I Cor. 2:2. a higher development in the physical than natural men, as men are above brutes, or as animal life is above plant life. He was the new man created after God in holiness. He was the first man living in a spiritual body. He was a second Adam. The first Adam was made a living soul, the last Adam a living spirit. The apostles gloried in his resurrection triumphant over death, in spite of the determinations of the law; but never rejoiced in the fact that his blood had been shed. It is Christ that died, yea rather that, was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God. Paul writes to his generation, saying, 86Though he was delivered on account of our offences, he rose and in his resurrection is the hope for our justification. The grace of God that bringeth salvation to all men hath appeared, teaching us that denying ungodliness, worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world; looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify as himself a peculiar people zealous of good works. **Rom. 8:34. "Rom. 4:25. "Titus 2:11-14. CHAPTER XVI THE LIVING TRUTH TRAIN eastward bound had pierced the night, and while the approaching morning was folding up the darkness and storing it away in the west; a man with nervous step and lines in his face denoting a positive character, walked down the aisle of the sleeper, and stopping in front of a berth where a babe was crying, shouted in commanding tones, "That baby has been crying all night. No one can sleep with such a noise. If its mother can't keep it quiet, she ought to keep out of the sleeper." The man voiced the opinion of many of the passengers, although they had been too prudent to say so. In reply, a man looked out from behind the curtains, with a careworn face and a sad countenance, because she who had been his hope and comfort in life was no more answering, said, "I am sorry the babe has disturbed you, but I have done all I could to keep it quiet. Its mother is in the express car. I am taking her back to bury her in the old churchyard, among the hills of Vermont." In a few minutes, a girl with hastily arranged toilet, emerged from behind the curtains of a berth, a few sections away; and going in front of the berth where the child was crying, called to the father saying, "Let me have the babe, I can get it quiet." Looking out he replied, "You are very kind, but I am doing every thing for it that can be done, and it won't stop crying. No one can get it to quit." "Yes I can," she said, "I am a school-teacher and understand children. Let me have it." He gave it to her. She took it to the window. She pointed out to it the objects the train was |