The Son of said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. man is not come to destroy men's lives but to save them." (Luke ix. 55, 56.) Through the entire of His earthly career He manifested the same patient, forbearing, and forgiving disposition; but never did He exhibit these qualities so strikingly as in the circumstances immediately associated with His death. "He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He openeth not His mouth." Without a word of complaint He submitted to the unjust sentence pronounced on Him by a timeserving judge, and endured without resentment the mockery of the Roman soldiers, and the revilings of His own countrymen. As He listened to their impious ravings, and suffered the pain inflicted by their cruelty, He might justly have hurled against them the thunderbolts of His indignation, and involved them in one fearful ruin. But He dealt not thus with them; on the contrary, He regarded them with yearning pity, and with His expiring breath pleaded with God that their merited doom might be averted. "Father," said He, "forgive them; for they know not what they do." He who had taught others to forgive, Himself forgave, and thus condemned for ever the angry and vindictive passions of human nature. We have heard some professed disciples of Christ contend that it is not their duty to forgive offenders until they repent; such persons have evidently learnt very imperfectly this lesson of the cross. Jesus forgave His enemies, even when they were inflicting on Him the greatest injuries; and as we observe His compassionate countenance, and ponder His loving words, we remember the Apostolic injunction, "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus." Socrates in prison, submitting quietly to the unjust award of the Athenian judges, has been rightly extolled as an extraordinary example of heathen magnanimity; but how superior to his, in calm dignity, melting pathos, and Godlike forgiveness, is the demeanour of the dying Nazarene! Never was His superiority to ordinary humanity so gloriously illustrated as then; and in vain do we search among the most beautiful and magnificent scenes of nature for such manifestations of the Godhead as then shone forth. Calvary teaches us the beauty and obligations of filial love. Christ, though the Son of God, was the Son of Mary, "according to the flesh," and, that He might "fulfil all righteousness," He, in subordination to the higher claims of His Father in heaven, never failed to reverence and obey her. Prompted by a mother's love she, when His disciples "forsook Him and fled," followed His steps, and now, resolved not to leave Him while life remains in His suffering body, she stands by His cross. Every groan that He utters is as a sword-how sharp none but herself can know-piercing her heart. With looks of maternal love she, as nature will permit, watches the countenance of her dying Son; nor is He so engrossed with His own sufferings as to forget hers, or be unmindful of the sad future in reversion for her. "Now," says John, with touching simplicity, "there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary, the wife of Cleopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus, therefore, saw His mother, and the disciple standing by, whom He loved, He said unto His mother, Woman behold thy Son! Then saith He to the disciple, Behold thy mother!" (John xix. 25-27). In these words Christ speaks both as God and man. As man He sympathises with His probably widowed mother, and provides for her a home; while as God He shows a perfect knowledge of John's loving and generous disposition, and confidingly commits her to his care. Filial love is a duty taught alike by the laws of nature and of Revelation. The son who cares not for his aged parents, or refuses, according to his ability, to administer to their wants, is worse than an infidel; he who can lift his hand against them-alas! that such a crime should be possible -is a monster of iniquity; "the common damned," when such an one goes to his own place, may, from self-respect, shun his society, "And look upon themselves as fiends less foul." With cheerful promptitude John accepted the bequest of his dying Lord. "From that hour that disciple took her to his own home." He offers none of those calculating plausible objections which many would have made to such a trust, but renders prompt and willing obedience. He had previously professed to love his Master; he now proves it; without hesitation and without delay he took Mary under his care. "O how dreadful are some of the kind offices of life! To lead such a mother home from the execution of such a Son, how it rends, yet how it heals the heart." How important is the lesson thus taught us. While multitudes declare their love to Christ, He, in effect, says to them, as He points to the aged, infirm, and suffering daughters of poverty, in the midst of whom they live, "Behold my mother and my brethren," and it is in vain that they utter protestations of attachment to Him, unless they take these to their hearts, and help them to bear their burdens of priva tion and sorrow. "To obey, is better than sacrifice, and to hearken, than the fat of rams." The poor are Christ's representatives, and the service rendered them for His sake will be regarded by Him as done to Himself. Oh, the felicity of hearing Him say, in the presence of congregated nations, as He looks at those who have been benefited by our self-sacrifice, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto Me!" Nor let us retire from Calvary with only admiring sympathy for the Divine sufferer, and mourning the premature extinction of a life so spotless and useful as His. He suffers; but it is that He may save mankind from the fang of the worm which dieth not. He dies; but He shall live again, and become the Lord of an innumerable multitude, who, bought by His blood, and sanctified by His Spirit, shall become the trophies of His grace on earth, and then dwell for ever in His presence as memorials of His boundless love. Though laid in the sealed and carefully guarded sepulchre, He did not "see corruption." In fulfilment of His own prediction, on the morning of the third day, He rose triumphantly from the abode of death, and having furnished incontestable evidence of His Messiahship, by shewing" Himself alive by many infallible signs" to those who had formerly known Him, He ascended "far above all heavens;" entered the gates of the New Jerusalem, amid the welcomes of an innumerable company of angels and the spirits of just men made perfect; sat down at the right hand of God, as the High Priest and rightful Lord of redeemed humanity; and there He now is, adored by the myriads of shining ones who dwell amid the radiance of His throne, sympathizing with His people still struggling with the sorrows of earth, controlling all things for the accomplishment of His gracious purposes, and confidently anticipating the universal triumph of His cross. Before it He sees slavery fall, war expire, and Antichrist perish; while emancipated and happy millions exultingly exclaim "Alleluia; salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God." This consummation was a part of "the joy" for which "He endured the cross," and, ultimately, it must be realized. O Thou once reviled and crucified, but now exalted and glorified Redeemer, gird Thy sword upon thy thigh; go on, in thy great strength, from conquering to conquer; cause Thy enemies speedily to lick the dust; and reign the acknowledged Sovereign of the universe which thou hast ransomed ! "Come then, and added to Thy many crowns, And thou hast made it Thine by purchase since, Thy saints Proclaim Thee King; and in their hearts 'Dipt in the fountain of eternal love." The Words of Jesus.* 66 OUR author says that "we must place Jesus in the first rank of the sons of God-that Jesus never asserted Himself to be the Son of God." Actions speak more loudly than words, more profoundly than common assertion, and, consequently, more demonstratively. The professor is pleased to find fault with the absence of self-asser tion on the part of the Divine Missionary. We cannot imagine what he would have on this point which may not be found in the Gospel. Jesus of Nazareth, everywhere and in everything, wa God and Man. He was the only Master of self-assertion the world has ever had. He is the eternal ME! The everlasting My! The Almighty I!" All power is given unto ME in heaven and in earth." "Bring him to ME." "Come unto ME." "Believe in Mr." "Learn of ME." "Abide in ME." "Follow ME." "As the Father hath loved ME." "He that seeth ME, seeth Him that sent ME.” "My Father." "My kingdom." "Mr sheep." "My word." "My commandments." "My will." "My doctrine." "Mr time." "Abide in My love." "That My joy might remain in you." "Mr name's sake." "I speak unto you things which are spirit and life." "I and My Father are one." "I have chosen you." "I have made a man whole." "I am the Bread of Life." "I lay down My life." "I will raise him up at the last day." "I receive not honour from men." "I am come in My Father's name." I say unto you, Ye shall hear the voice of the Son of God in that day and live "I will, be thou clean." "Before Abraham was, I am.' 92 "I am the Resurrection and the Life." "I speak even as the Father." "I,if I be lifted 66 will draw all men unto ME." up, say unto you, your enemies." "Why call ye me Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say ?" "I give unto you power over all evil things," "I will be with you alway.' "Where two or three of you gathered in My name I will be in the midst." "I will come again, and receive you unto Myself." Here is self-assertion, surely-dis tinctive and sublime egotism, such as the princes and kings of the earth refrain from employing; and it is that description of self-asser tion, too, which not only suggests and implies, but which speaks out the uniqueness of the speaker-the uniqueness of His efforts, and the absolute sovereignty of His will. It is the language of a Master Spirit, giving utterance to the dictates of a mighty mind-the words of Majesty responding to the wish of Omnipotence. Thus it is that Jesus had no words to recall-no thought to amend-no sggestion to correct-no doctrine to retract-no action of His own to regret no deeds to re-essay. That which He said and did needed not supervision-required not la dernière main; while we find the I * From J. A. Gage's "Response to M. Renan's 'Vie de Jesus.'" Love are most learned of men have to weigh their words, measure their thoughts, guard their style, take counsel on their composition, compare their ideas with those of other men, reject the superfluous, strengthen the feeble, reset their beauties, and often recast the entire, and then timidly, or at least unconfidently, advance their fresh discoveries of genius, new efforts of intellect, and rare sallies of imagination, with expectations far from satisfactory to their friends or themselves, be they originals or imitators. Yes, indeed: what prudente réticence d'esprit what respect for others' opinions-what regard for respectability-have weight with men in reference to their literary designs! And how frequently do rare intellectual efforts, works of singular merit-chefs d'œuvre-reveal to many of their readers hasty negligence, or the chaotic, or the shapeless, or the unfinished; with but little of the magical, excelling, and matchless! While the unstudied language, the unpolished periods, the tender sentiment, and divine lessons of Jesus, are universally admired, as being all the sublime excellencies, all the magnetic verities, all the inimitable traits, all the attractive originalities in miniature-the premises of everything worthy, lovely, useful, holy, sublime-virginal purities, spring-time promises, everfreshful goodness, dew-besprented joys, morning rays-affabilities, sprung of day and celestial gentleness-virtues of heaven, swathed in the grace of God's sanctity, and which the coming hours shall unveil to an assembled world, that all their intrinsic and admirable glories may burst forth in one sun-like blaze, to confound those who have slighted their transcendent beautifulness and controlling influence. Thus men may now see, while it is day, that the truths enunciated by Jesus were not bodiless emptinesses-flying shadows, impossible to be laid hold of, but, incontestably, they were living, vivifying substantialities, which abide all time, and which man's sense may apprehend and his heart cherish, and he find himself treble the man for his soulful effort. The self-asserted facts of Jesus are always fresh, grand, sublime, singular, and solacing-as far from the abstract notions, subtle thoughts, and pompous sentiments of men, as the end of heavenly blessedness is from its beginning. The words of Jesus fill the most capacious soul with grandeur to overflowing—warning, enlightening, and comforting at the same time; while a savant may devour all the world's philosophies, moralities, poetries, and beaux-arts, and only feel the more hungry after his so gorgeous repast-the less enlightened for his excess of light, and all the more cold for his so much fire. No disparagement to science and letters, reason, enthusiasm, and taste. At the same time, we know that the things of men die daily; not so the Gospel of Jesus, which is still pregnant with young life, with sacred genius that lives for ever. Grace was poured into His lips-He was full of grace and truth. His hands cast abroad celestial flowers, amaranthine, everblowing and choicely fragrant as the roses of Sharon or the golden lilies of Palestine. His was a creative pencil, capable of tracing upon the world's hearts such living traits-such enduring beauties-as time can never fade, and only eternity nourish to perfection. Hence at this moment the truths Jesus uttered are as sound, virile, and |