NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS COMPRISING CHOICE SELECTIONS, ANECDOTES, SIMILES, INCIDENTS EXPLANATORY AND ILLUSTRATIVE, GATHERED FROM MANY SOURCES IN THIS AND OTHER COUNTRIES, TOGETHER WITH ORIGINAL ARTICLES PREPARED EXPRESSLY FOR THIS WORK, BY WHICH MORE THAN ONE THOUSAND SELECTED PASSAGES FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT ARE ILLUSTRATED. BY REV. WILLIAM JONES, 1 1 WITH ARTICLES FROM Bishop Clark, Rev. Dr. Krummacher, Rev. T. L. Cuyler, Rev. D. Curry, D. D., Bishop Thomson, Rev. Dr. Crosby, Bishop Hall, Rev. Dr. Buddington, Rev. Dr. Chalmers, Rev. Dr. Tyng, Bishop Simpson, Rev. Dr. Busline!!, Rev. C. H. Spurgeon, Rev. T. DeWitt Talmadge, and other Celebrated Authors. ILLUSTRATED WITH STEEL ENGX HARTFORD : THE J. B. BURR PUBLISHING CO. 1875. Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1874, by WILLIAM JONES, In the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington. 3 PREFACE. It has been the intention of the author of this work, from the begin- ning of its construction, to use only such anecdotes and incidents as peculiarly illustrate selected passages of the New Testament. It is pos- sible that, to the minds of some readers, a portion of its articles may not appear to illustrate the texts to which they are attached. From such he craves a kind and charitable regard for the work, hoping they will remember, that what to some minds may appear less relevant and pointed than desirable to them may be valuable to others. It is humbly believed that this volume fills a hitherto unoccupied space in literature, by happily combining Scripture, Incident, and Exposition, so that the most common passages of Holy Scripture, when read in con- nection with the articles attached to them, will be invested with new interest, and suggestive of new lines of -thought. The following pages will preserve many valuable and hitherto scattered fragments of literature by putting them in permanent form. About five hundred different authors are represented in the work, which comprises more than one thousand separate articles. Many of these authors have been dead for centuries, but here speak again as voices from the grave. The compiler trusts that the minister of the gospel will find in this col- lection suitable illustrations to use in the pulpit, and helps in social meet- ings ; and that the superintendent of the Sunday school will be greatly aided by it in his work, while the common reader will find what will interest and pro^t him wherever he may open the book. The author would not Ml to make acknowledgment of indebtedness to the New Cyclopedia of Illustrations, by Rev. E. Foster, from which a few articles have been taken; also from Things New and Old, and Arvine's Cyclopedia, and other smaller volumes; while many of the selections have come from religious papers of various Christian denomi- nations. A considerable portion of the book has never appeared in print before, being original articles of the expository and incidental class, pre- pured by the author and others expressly for this work. If this volume shall strengthen the weak, encourage the young, in the service of Christ, embolden the timid, establish the wavering, awaken the careless, and recover the deceived from the error of his way, the author will feel that the labor of years has not been in vain. That some of these results, or all of them, may be realized by sending forth this book to the world, is the prayer of WILLIAM JONES. LYONS, N. Y., October, 1*874. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE. THE GOLDEN GATE, JERUSALEM FRONTISPIECE. JERUSALEM AND THE MOUNT OF OLIVES, . . . . . .63 CHRIST WALKING ON THE SEA, 71 CHRIST GIVING SIGHT TO THE BLIND, 146 "SUFFER LITTLE CHILDREN TO COME UNTO ME," .... 153 MOUNT SINAI AND THE PLAIN, 255 FRIENDS OF JESUS, 261 JESUS AND THE SAMARITAN, 28 1 MOSES AND THE TABLES OF THE LAW, . . . . . .30! THE PRINCESS FINDING MOSES 383 CITY OF ANTIOCH, 405 MOUNT LEBANON AND THE COAST OF Si DON, .... 441 CONTENTS. PAGE. A. A Beautiful Incident, .... 218 A Boy's Faith in God, .... 875 Absorbed in Religion, 630 Access to God, 625 Acknowledging God in Eating, . . 68 A Command disregarded, .... 665 A Compliment, 545 A Constant Miracle, 845 A Foretaste of Coming Misery, . . 837 A Fruitful Text, 424 After Death Influence, 843 Agony of Christ in the Garden, . 258 A Lesson of Trust, 557 All for the Best, 647 All Sufficiency of Christ, .... 628 A Life of Faith, 786 A Lost Man, 83 Almost and Altogether, .... 439 A man who Thought he Never _ Prayed, 419 Amusements, Things Miscalled, . 636 A Minister Reproved by his Dream, 380 A More Excellent way, .... 540 Amusements, what are Sinful, . . 835 An able Ministry, ." 565 An awful Confession, "I Am Lost," 570 And the Book was not There, . . 162 Anger without Sin, 807 An Incident with a Lesson, . . . 228 An Old Sea Captain's Advice, . . 582 A Misdirected Letter, 505 Answers to Prayer, 875 Apostles, Fate of, 355 Apostacy, Repenting of, .... 172 A Practical Refutation, 780 A Pulpit Baptism, 765 A Remarkable Meeting, .... 932 A Rich Poor Man, 742 A Sermon that Paid Well, . . . 434 A Skeptic's Test, 300 A Skeptic Silenced, 506 Ask Large Blessings, 340 PAGE. A Solemn but True Charge, . . . 637 A Son who Preached his Father's Funeral Sermon, 64 Atonement for sin, the felt want of man, 545 Atonement Illustrated by a Simile,.. 766 A Touch of the Whip, .... 724 A Trusting Faith the best, .... 192 Avoiding Temptation, 677 Awakened by a Father's Dream, . 547 A way of Escape, 533 A War Against the Book, . . . 9(5 B. Bad Books and their Influence, . . 420 Bad Principles Unsatisfactory in Death, . 857 Baptizing in the Name of Jesus, . 119 Be a Christian Everywhere, . . . 920 Beast, A Scarlet Colored, .... 929 Beautiful Prayers, 245 Be Careful of your Influence, . . 528 Be Content to Know what God Re- veals, 542 Be Devout in Conversation, . . . 648 Be Fair iii Comparing, 506 Be Gigantic Christians, .... 640 Begin Your Religion Aright, . . 266 Beguiling Souls by Corrupting them, 595 Belief, A Man Responsible for his, . 497 Belief, Dr. Chalmer's on, .... 842 Believe and not Doubt, 91 Be Merciful to the Poor, .... 1 94 Be not Burdened, 718 Bethlehem of Judea, 23 Beware of Pride, 8GO Be Ye Reconciled to God, . . . . 577 Beyond the Mercy of God, . . . 451 Bible, An Eloquent Tribute to the . 103 Bible or no Bible, 2S Bible, Authority of the, . . . . 191 Bible Promises of General Application, 845 8 CONTENTS. PAGE. Bible Reading, Remarkable Exam- ples of, 906 Billy Dawson's Eloquence, . . . 907 Bishop Ridley on Faithfulness, . . 422 Boasting in Christ, 702 Bodily Indulgence, 465 Book* The Inestimable, .... 189 Boldness Through Love, . . . . 872 Bishop Ilatto or the Mouse Tower, 867 Bishop Lattimer's Old Sermon, . . 446 Blasphemy, 923 Blessings with Restraint, . . . . 443 ! Blessed are the Dead, 926 Blood Purifying, 779 Blood/The Price of, 116 Blood of Christ, The 856 Boldness through Love, .... 872 Bound with his own Chain, ... 95 Brilliant but not Successful, ... 201 Buchanan, Claudius the Highlander, 834 Building on the Sand, 42 Business that God will not take, . 775 Business and Prayer, 417 By these we Overcome, .... 921 C. Call His Name Jesus, . . . . . 178 Can you Settle your Account ? . ." 234 Can we do More for Christ? . . . 464 Cares of this World, 61 Captain Waterman at the siege of Lucknow, 838 Carrying on Business for Christ, . 680 Cast all upon Christ, ...'.. 839 Cheer Him, 500 Certainty of a General Judgment, . 497 Character, Christian a growth, . 134 Character indicated by works, . . 41 Change of the Sabbath, .... 174 Change a Great in a Short Time, 137 Character made up of Morsels, . . 803 Cranmer's Forgivingness, .... 161 Child, a Much Indulged, .... 6:39 Children, the Early Conversion of, . 82 Children to be Early taught Divine Truth, 733 Childhood recognized in Christian- ity, 153 Christ's Kingdom founded in Thought 347 Christ is Wonderful, 468 Christ the Soul Physician, ... 390 Christian Experience Everywhere, . 410 Children and Christianity, . . . 372 Christ the Only Name, 368 Christ's Coming at the Sea, . . . 353 Christ the Metropolis of the Script- ures, 325 Christians represent Christ, . . . 344 Christ the Model Teacher, . . . 275 Christ our Sacrifice, 272 Christ our Soul's Food, .... 297 Christ Divine, 317 Christian Faithfulness, .... 47 Christ the Son of God, .... 72 Christianity a Finality, 100 Christ in the Garden, 113 Christ our Strength, 478 Christ our King, 930 Christ, be Alive for, 257 Christ, boldly Confessing, .... 402 Christ's heart given for the World, 170 Christ's Appeal to the Scriptures, . 27 Chiseled to make better, .... 798 Christ anticipating his finished work, 341 Christ's love Manifested in Sympathy, 320 Christ our Deliverer, 471 Christianity Exemplified, .... 492 Christ and Him Crucified, . . . 511 Christ and not Oratory, . . . . 511 Christian Labor not Mascrline, . . 655 Christ the Head of the Church, . . 660 Christian Burden a Blessing, . . 598 Christ our All in-all, 622 Christ at the Heart's Door, ... 901 Christ described by -St. John, . .917 Christ's Ascension, 268 Christian Women, 265 Christ in Sympathy with the Suffer- ing, 45 Christ, double Sufferings of, . . . 1 73 Christmas Evan's Polislud Arrow, . 567 Christian Liberality, 589 Christian Courtesy, 833 Christian Effort, 652 Christianity proving itself, ... 318 Church, a shining, 32 Chrysostom's Eloquence, .... 67 Cleaving to Christ, 335 Clinging, a Scripture Poem, . . . 946 Coming back to Christ, .... 853 " Come ye to the Waters," . . . 303 Commune, Refusing to, 536 CONTENTS. Come now, 226 Complete only in Christ, .... 664 Coming of the Son of Man, . . . 102 Converted Late in Life, 227 Confessor, a True, 484 Continued all Night in Prayer, . . 1 93 Convicted by their own Consciences, 305 Conquering one's self, 657 Conversion, 367 Conscience, Relief for a Distressed, 455 Count Gasparin, Conversion of, . 304 Courteous Reply to an Infidel, . . 293 Couple Heaveti with it, 840 Correct view of the Pulpit, . . . 735 Covetousness, the Sin of, . . . . 219 Covetousness, 635 Covetousness, a Soul Destroyed by, 816 Crucifixion Described, 350 Crowns of the Saints, 903 Cups of Cold Water, 151 Cyril of Cesarea, 573 D. Dancing that led to Murder, . . . 143 Danger in Doubting, 307 Daniel confirmed by Historic Discov- eries, 166 Daniel, Prophecy fulfilled, . . . 101 Day of Judgment and Perdition of Ungodly Men, 851 Death of a Backslider, 713 Dead yet Living, 785 Death of a Noted Infidel, . . . . 115 Dealing with a Young Infidel, . . 84 Deceivableness of Sin, 470 Death-bed testimony against Avari- ciousness, 221 Denying Christ through Covetous- ness, 729 Delivered unto death for our sins, . 459 Deliver us from evil, 214 Delivered, Providentially, .... 396 Departing from God, 754 Delay Dangerous, 758 Description of our Saviour, . . . 349 Despise not Prophesying, .... 685 Demonology of the Bible, ... 407 Despising and Ridiculing Religion, 400 Did she Walk in Newness of Life? 463 Did he not do Right ? 370 Did you ever drink of that Fountain ? 937 PAGE. Did not belong to Christ's Flock, . 862 Difficulties settled by Forgiving them, 559 Dignity of Believers, 749 Discipline of the Young, .... 797 Diligent in Doing Evil, .... 521 Dissimulation, 604 Divinity and Humanity of Christ, 480 Devices of Satan for purposes of advantage over Men, .... 560 Divine Anathema explained, . . 556 Divine Love 'for the Unworthy, . . 804 Doctrinal Preaching, 711 Doctrinal and Practical Preaching, 715 Doers of the Word, 805 Double Sufferings of Christ, . . 173 Dome of God's Providence, . . . 146 Do Nothing Religion, 208 Do not leave Christ out, .... 386 Do not Fret, 253 Do the Truth, 2SO Donald and the Duke, 779 Doing the Devil's Work, .... 393 Doing Good prevented Sin, . . . 453 Do you Ever Pray ? 489 Dr. Cummings on " The Real Pres- ence," 5.35 Dr. Channing as a Preacher, . . C01 Dr. Fletcher and the Dying Infidel, 316 Dr. Guthrie's Secret, ..... 135 Dr. Hall's Tract, "Come ta Jesus," 55 Drifting, 6CO Dr. Mason and the Dying Unitarian, COS Dr. Miller's Duck Story, .... 641 Dr. Morrison, Boyhood of, ... 693 Dr. Nettleton's reply to a Caviler, . 409 Dr. Judson's Conversion, .... 821 Dress of Christian Women, . . . 831 Dress as an Idol, 808 Drunkenness, 524 Dr. Rush on Theater Going, . . 466 Dying of Thirst, 284 Dying Without Hope, . . . . . 782 E. Earnest Faith, . . /TV . . 720 Earth, Destruction of by Fire, . . 853 Effects of Prayer, 868 Effectiveness of Appropriate Illustra- tion, 128 Embarrassing a Priest, 144 Emotional Christianity, .... 426. 10 COXTENTS. PAGE. Enlargement a Great Blessing, . . 580 Epistle, a Living, 563 Epistles of Christ, 564 Error, Contributions to, .... 847 Error Blind? the Mind; .... 696 Established in Faith, 406 Eternal Life, 452 Eternal Duration, 85 Eternity, 132 Evangelism against Boinaiiisin, 694 Evidences of Genuine Conversion, . 5S8 Evil Company, 523 Expository Preaching, .... 717 Example, a bad, and its Influence, . 499 Exposition of St. Matt. 1G: 18, . . 75 F. Faith, a Mother's, Rewarded, . . 75 Faithful Treadling, 103 Fair weather Christians, . . . . 115 Faith that Removes Mountains, . 160 Faith Triumphing over Nature, . 457 Faith which Justifies, 460 Faith Subject to the Will, ... 483 Faith, Contending for the, ... 882 Faithful Frances, ..;... C50 Faithful Resistance to Evil, . . .716 Faithfulness in the Discharge of Duty, . . 8SO Faith, Early Christian, .... 878 Faithful unto Death 894 Faithfulness Rewarded, .... 927 Faithful Dealing with Sinners, . . 931 False Conscientiousness, .... 100 False Charity, ....... 239 Falsir rivtenses, Rebuked for, . . 259 False Representations, .... 436 False Philosophy corrected by Chris- tianity, 552 Far from God, a Punishment, . . 151 Farragut, Admiral, and the Priest, . 880 Fashionable Women, 527 Father and Son, Equal Honor to, . 290 Father Sewell, Anecdote of, . . . 169 Frar the Sexton, 216 I-Y.-d My Lambs, 354 Female Influence, 262 Female Helpers in the Ministry, . 503 Fenclon, A Pupil of, 569 Figures of Heaven, 911 Final Destruction of the Covcteous, 2::8 Finding Happiness in God, . . . Fisk, 1). D., Rev. Wilbur, . . . Five Steps to the Gallows, . . . Flying to Christ, as the only Hope, Follow the True Light, .... For or Against Christ, Forgiveness Among Neighbors, . . Foolish Questions Wisely Answered, For Charlie's Sake, For the Gospel's Sake, Forgiveness, Rule of, Form of Godliness without the Power, Found Again in Safety, .... Fruit after Many Days, .... Fruitless Professors, From Darkness to Light, . Funeral Sermons, Be True in Preach- ing, Fully Saved, G. Getting on too Fast, Gcrizime and Ebal, Giving Thanks to God, .... Giving to God, a Condition of Re- ceiving, Gifts of Gold to Jesus, Give, Exalted to, Giving, Father Sewell 's Giving Scripturally and by Resolu- tion, Glory Awaiting us, Glorying in the Cross of Christ, . Glorifying God in all Things, . . Glorying in Tribulation, . . . " God was in Christ, " God's Promises, God's Way the Best Way, . . . God is not a Me reliant, . . . . God*s Name, God our all Sufficiency, .... God's Providence and Poor Jack, . God our Inheritance, God's Love to Man Gospel Likened unto an Angel, . Good Things Given with Grace, God's Testimony of Approbation, . God Answers Prayer, "Go," . . . ! Go Ye and do Likewise, .... PAGE (.28 405 916 771 21 56 240 251 328 529 667 730 830 612 897 941 375 6SO 26 285 682 773 23 378 391 554 572 619 836 403 576 583 593 623 G51 65S 731 751 870 913 38 79 92 175 211 CONTENTS. 11 God and Two Cents are Everything, 241 Gospel Light, the only True, . . . 270 God Only can do These Things, . 338 Gospel, Characteristics of, ... 121 God's Word, 342 God with His People, 382 Good Shepherd, Christ the, ... 315 God's Way to a Wicked Heart, . . 412 God's Special Providence, . . . 432 God's Anvil, . 460 Good Out of Evil, 475 God is Able to Graft Them in Again, 488 God's Word the Only Authority, . 508 God Giveth the Increase, . . . . 515 Great Results from Small Begin- nings,' 810 Grace and Salvation from God, . . 812 Grace, A Better View of, .... 852 Growth in Grace, 855 Grace, a Spiritual Sight, .... 911 Grace Freely Offered, 461 Guilty for not Coming to the Light, 279 H. Have Faith in God, .159 Harmony of Voice and Life, . . . 198 Habitual Christian Activity, . . . 501 Half a Century's Labors, .... 596 Having the Mind of Christ, . . . 650 Handsomely Declined, 717 Hardships of the Rich, . . . . 721 Having the Glory of God, . . . 941 He was God and Man, 44 Heaven Entered with Difficulty, . 154 Hearer, An Honest, 133 Hearing and Retaining, .... 199 He Rcceiveth Sinners, 230 He Pleads Guilty, 248 Heaven, Straight Road to, ... 239 He Mistook the Light, 252 He Healed the Distant Sick, ... 287 Heat and Light, 292 He Needed Light from Above, . . 319 " He Purgeth It," 333 Heaven a Locality, 357 Heroism of a Female Missionary, . 428 He will Raise us up, 472 "Heaven a Prepared Place, . . . . 480 He did not Keep his Vow, . . . 590 He gave More and felt Better, . . 591 PACK. "He Knows not what ho Saith," . C01 He Died for us, 60:2 He shrewdly Covered his Tracks, . 646 He was Tempted Like as we are, . 763 " Heavier the Cross," 796 Heart, A Pure, 741 He Found an Altar for his Sacrifice, 802 Heavenly Inheritance, ..... 823 He had the True Hope, .... 8G6 Helping the Preacher, 881 Hear for thy Life, 889 His Name called Jesus, .... 20 His Blood Shed for Us, .... 256 " Him that Cometh to Me," ... 299 Hidden Treasures in the Word, . 663 His Doctrine old enough, not true, 695 His Mouth was Stopped, .... 739 His Rights Forfeited, 800 How the Pure in Heart see God, . 30 How do you Treat my Master? . . 50 How this World may End, . . . 167 How could you say the Lord's Prayer? 195 Holy Bible, Great is the, .... 186 Holding to our Profession, . . . 781 How an Ignorant Cobbler knew Christ to be God, 198 Honor to Christ not to be Divided, . 204 How much do you owe the Lord ? . 235 How to have a Revival Church, . 364 How much a Christian is worth to the Church, 379 How all may Preach, 427 Honor God in Asking much, . . 339 How we should Eat and Drink, . 5.74 How the Doctor, found Jesus, . . 5G5 How can I meet it? 58"J Hoarding and Giving, 586 How Drunkards arc made, . . . 615 How best to Live in Pence, . . . 639 How to Make Successful Pastors, . 688 Holiness, 799 How a Fly Helped the Minister, . 895 Elugh Latimer's Conversion, . . . 200 Humility and Truth, 205 Elumility a Christian Grace, . . . 626 Humbled but Exalted, 813 Hurtful Pleasures Forbidden, . . 817 I. I am Jesus," 369 I Am," ,944 12 CONTEXTS. PAGE. Idlers in the Church, 88 Identity not lost in Death, . . . 549 Idleness the Root of Vices, . . . 698 " If thou Knewest the Gift of God," 283 If Untrue to God, why not to Man ? 611 Ignorance the Father of Infidelity, 849 Ignatius, a Primitive Marlyr, . . 922 " I in You," 329 Illustrious Scholars Give a United Testimony, 676 Importunity in Prayer, .... 215 Improve the Light now, . ... 323 Importance of Revival Labors, . . 368 Imputed Righteousness of Christ, . 458 Immortality of the Soul Proof of, 723 Imitation of Christ 858 Intended for a Joke, 85 Intention is Rewarded, 167 Infidelity does not Know,- .... 207 Integrity of the Sacred Text, . . 331 Inspiration, 362 Infidelity without Hope, .... 437 Intercession of the Spirit, . ". . 474 Invitation Society, 285 Instructive Etymology of the Word Tribulation, 477 Internal Glory of the Believer, . . 566 Intellectual Culture not the Highest Good, 606 Influence of the Hidden Life, . . 666 Infidel, An, and his Dog, . , . . 509 Inheritance, The Unseen, .... 659 Infinite Saviour, We need an, . . 664 In Season out of Season, ... 734 Innocence and Guilt Pictured, . . 755 Inscriptions on Believer's "Tombs, . 789 In Heaviness for a Season, . . . 823 Interesting Variety of the Bible, . 846 In the Spirit on the Lord's Day, . 893 Inexhaustible Store-house of Truth, 904 "It is I," 69 " It must Rain faster," .... 361 " It doth not yet Appear what we shall be," 865 " I was Sick, and ye Visited Me," . 103 I will Give Nothing, 194 " I will never Leave Thee," ... 801 I would see Jesus. 322 J. Jesus Swift to Save, PAGE. Jewish Phylacteries, 98 Jesus Tempted by Satan, .... 123 Jesus and the Blind Man, . . . 146 Jehoiada's Idea of Giving, . . . 163 Jesus in His Childhood, .... 185 Jesus at Jacob's Well, 281 Jesus the True Bread, 299 "Jesus Wept," 321 Jesus Whispering, 454 Jesuitical Ilvpocrisy, 708 Jesus Christ the True God, ... 878 Jesus the Lock, 899 John Maynard, the Faithful Pilot, . 106 Joy in Heaven, 231 Joy from Refreshing the Saints, . 747 John on Patmos, 892 Judgment Day Separations, ... 27 Judas, the Covetous Disciple, . . 168 Justly Ridiculed for his Wickedness, 309 Judgments of God Manifested, . . 374 Justification and Sanctification, . . 399 Judgment, the Future, 416 Judicious Advice to a Wag, . . . 454 Justly Rebuked, 578 Judgment, Fear of, 574 Justified through Faith in Christ, . 605 Judgment, A Solemn, 928 Judged at the Last Day, .... 935 K. Keep the Commandments, ... 86 Keep the Gate Shut, 788 Keeping Our Garments Pure, . . 928 Kingdom of Heaven, Least in, . . 52 Kingdom of God, ^y^l - - - 521 Knowledge that will not Profit, . . 527 Knowledge shall Vanish away, . . 541 Laborer, a True Harvest, . . La.ncntations of a Lost Soul, Laying up Eternal Stores, . Labor, Personal, Laying Aside the Bones, . . . 46 . Ill . 450 . 418 . 854 Left Behind, . . * 43 Leaving all for Christ, . . . . 155 Learn to be Silent, 172 Learning the Way to Heaven, . . 512 Less Denominational More Chris- tian, 514 Lepers of Jerusalem, 241 CONTENTS. 13 PAGE. Let me go, for 7 am a Christian, . 933 Living by the Day, 38 Life Printing Itself, 59 Liberal Christians and Broad Church- ism, 247 Life from God alone, . . '. . .413 Light Shining into Hearts, . . . 570 Live to be Useful, 575 Limited Atonement, 742 " Lord Save Me," 70 Lost Souls, no Hope to, . . . . Ill " Lo, I am with you," 121 Love for Christ Stronger than Filial Kelations, 229 Lost from Loving the Applause of Men, 294 Looking only to Christ, .... 365 Longing to Save Souls, .... 529 Love the True Test, 541 Loving Silver the Eoot of Evil, . 719 Love for the Saints, 746 Look to Jesus, 794 Love a Christian Duty, .... 828 "Lost," "Lost," 936 Luther's Mode of Preaching, . . 510 Luther's Argument with the Devil, .702 M. Made of one Blood, 414 Making Mock of Divine Things, . 224 Making the Right Use of his Eyes, 656 Mammoth Place of Amusement, . 421 Mansion, A Finer, 327 Martyr, A, of the Roman Coliseum, 51 Martyrdom of Paschal, .... 909 Martins, the Young Martyr, . . . 202 May Women Preach the Gospel, . 286 May we so Pray ? 644 Martyrdom at Rome, ..... 792 Means of Gi-ace properly used, . . 856 Mediator, Chi'ist our 704 Meditation, as a Moral Duty, . . 711 Melancholy and Temptations, . . 784 Meeting for the first time in Heaven, 919 Mirage, The Fatal, 616 Ministerial Propriety, 671 Ministerial Pride 705 " Mine is a Religion for all Weather," 873 Ministering to Him, ...... 107 Ministers, A Word to,' 130 Misfortune Changed to a Blessing, 136 Ministers Baptized of the Holy Ghost, 355 Ministering Angels, ...... 396 Ministering at the Sick Bed,. . . 109 Missions, Progress of, 401 Ministry of Affliction, 473 Ministers, Suggestions to, .... 502 Miser, The, 220 Moral Instincts, or Sonl Powers, Moral and Christian Men Contrasted, Money Received in Exchange for his Soul, Modern Iscariots, Modern Dancing and the Bible, . . Modesty of Apparel, Mother's Example, A Pious, . . . My Master's Errand, N. Natural Goodness, Named by the Angel, " The Son of God," Nathaniel R. Cobb's Covenant, . . Neglecting Salvation, Neglected Truths, Not Saved, Nothing to do, " Now God take Baby," .... Novel Reading, President Humphrey on, " Nothing but Leaves," .... Not Satisfied with a Part, .... Noah did not Close the Door, . . No Hope for the Moralist, . . . Noah Webster, Conversion of, . . Not by Works but by Faith, . . . Not Conformed but Transformed, . Now is the Accepted Time, . . . No Longer a Persecutor, .... Not Feeling but Faith, Not Justice but Pardon, .... Not What I Want Now, .... Not Ashamed to call Them Breth- 54 87 149 171 233 705 723 176 145 179 196 750 ren, No Mercy Except through Christ, . Not Eloquence but Love, .... Not Denominational but Christian, Not Afraid of Father's Voice, . , O. Obedience the Test of Piety, . . . 330 Obedience to Parents, 669 62 88 90 131 158 183 242 327 276 482 490 578 603 C07 634 678 752 783 869 910 915 CONTENTS, Obey Authorities, 744 Obedience a Moral Obligation, . . 748 "O ! He is a Great Forgiver," . .261 Oldest Christian Hymn, .... 543 Olympian Race, 793 Omniscience of God, 404 Only Believe, 140 Ordained to Stewardship, .... 517 Our Sorrows a Bitter Cup, . . . 345 Our Accusers, 433 Our Relation to God, 609 Our High Callings, 654 Our Completeness in God, . . . 670 Our Sins not Hidden from God, . 761 Over-Scrupulousness, 165 Our Religion the First Thing, . . 627 Our Faith Pleasing to God, ... 787 P. Paintings, The Spoiled 795 Parables, New Testament, . . . 209 Paine, Thomas, silenced, .... 225 Parental Duties in Regard to Child- ren, 311 Payson's Illustration by the Thread, 324 Paul and Felix, . . ... . . . ' 435 Passover, Christ the Christian, . . 522 Passed through the Sea, .... 532 Pastoral Prudence, 620 Paul and Trophimus, . ..... . 737 " Pearl of Great Price," .... 65 Peace Proclaimed, an Illustration, . 139 Persistent Praying Illustrated, . . 244 Peril in Amassing Riches, . . . 274 Peace in Jesus, 332 Pentecost, A Modem, 360 Pentecostal Gifts, 360 Persecuted because he was Good, . 430 Peter Yannest and the Prcdestina- rian 531 Persecuted but not Forsaken, . . 571 Perfeetncss of Christianity, . . . 806 Pigalle's Almsgiving, 215 Pilot, The Safe, . 296 Pious Christian Female, .... 503 Plants that shall be Rooted up, . . 73 Power of a Mother's Prayer, ... 74 Power of the Lord to Save, . . . 192 Power, The Indispensable, . . . 267 Power of Truth, The, 271 Power of Prayer, 373 PAGE. Power of a Good Man's Life, . . 394 Power of God's Word, .... 496 Possessing all Things, 579 Positive Christianity, 647 Power in the Pulpit, 653 Popish Practices in a Protestant Church, 850 Polycarp's Noble Confession, . . 924 Power Preaching of the Gospel, . 925 Power of the Bible, 937 Pray, 392 Prayer Answered, The "Wife's, . . 525 Prayer, Wrestling in, 670 Prayer, Extraordinary Answer to, 443 Praying in the Name of Christ, . 235 Prayer Answered Though Long Delayed, 244 Prayer, An Extraordinary Act, . 364 Prayer, Acceptable, Essential to, . 176 Pray for the Preacher, 697 Prayer Answered to his Ruin, . . 754 Pray that Sermon, 767 Prayer Answered in Judgment, . 814 Prayer, Efficacy in Healing the Sick, 818 Preach to Them as Sinners, . . . 142 Preach for the Masses, .... 163 Preaching Accompanied with Di- vine Power, 189 Preaching that Takes Hold, ... 562 Preaching by Telegraph, . . . . 313 Preaching the Main Thing, . . . 385 Preaching to a Single Hearer, . . 388 Preaching Peace by Jesus Christ, . 393 Preaching the Whole Truth, . . 424 Preaching an Institution of God, . 485 Preach Christ Crucified, .... 507 Preaching to one Passenger, . . . 693 Preach so as to Please God, . . . 675 Preaching from Experience, . . . 640 Preachers, Advice to, 631 Preach Pointedly and to Save, . . 53 I' reaching for a Crown, .... 7.'i6 Preacher, An Unfaithful, .... 738 Prevailing Prayer in the Old South Church, ". 80 1 'reservation of Moses, .... 3b3 " Prepare to M.-.-t Thy God," . . 433 Present the Promises, 841 Presumption is not Faith, .... 848 Presented Faultless, 886 Private Prayer, 143 CONTENTS. 15 Prince of Excellence, .... Profane Language, .... Problem, A Hard to Solve, . . Providence, Proportionate Giving, . . . , Providential Deliverance, . . , Pruning the Vine, Put a King on his Hand, . . . , Public Worship, Excuses for N"on attendance Pulpit, A Wonderful, . . . . Punished in Part, Punished Forever and Ever, . . . Purity, the Beauty of the Soul, Punishment, Endless, . . . . Punished by a Judgment from God, a. Queen, A Christian, . . . . Queen Victoria and the Sabbath, Quenching the Spirit, .... Quietness of Spirit, .... K. Reason and Religion Reaching the Hearts of the People, Reasons for Serving the Lord, . . Reading Prayers under Difficulties, Ready to Die, Religion, A, That can be Despi ed, . Religious Excitement Justifiable, . Rebuking a Scoffer, Rebuke, A Just, Religious Conversation, .... Reliei Obtained by a Dream, . . Recognition oi Friends in Heaven, . Refuge, City of, Christ our, . . . Remarkable from Association^, . . Remarkable Description of St. Paul, Reproducing the New Testament, . Repeating Sermons, Remarkable Facts, Redeemed from all Iniquity, . . . Religion the Power of God, . . . Retribution, Religion not to be Covered up, . . Reproach is Wealth, Retribution, Future, Resisting the Spirit, Resisting the Devil, Request of the Dying Infidel, . . Revelation, PAGE. 173 99 148 431 584 737 334 232 336 462 689 691 710 768 915 GO 263 683 832 126 129 23? 408 382 50 386 884 740 266 117 250 186 440 593 255 401 63 743 445 449 482 791 883 632 812 876 888 Resurrection, The, 550 Resurrection of the Dead, . . . 434 Rewarded Now or Then, .... 36 Rewarded for a Cup of Cold Water, 282 Resurrection, The Final, .... 291 Revivals, Dr. Lyman Beecher on, . 376 Responsibility, Personal, .... 498 Righteous Tribulation to Tfcv.iblevs, 690 Right and Wrong Relations of Money, 722 Rich for a Moment, POl Riches of the Gospel, . . . . . 06 1 Riches, Danger of, 246 Romanism, Escaped from, . . . 777 Romans, The First Chapter of, . . 446 Romish Errors, Date of, .... 447 Rowland Hill's Master Stroke, . . 672 Romanism Opposed to Improvement, 694 Rowing and Steering the Boat of Life, 426 S. Sabbath Keeping, A Blessing, . . 129 Salt, Covenant of, 152 Salvation, the Central Idea of the Bible, 180 Salvation of one Soul, The, . . . 17r> Saved by Believing, 321 Sanctification Through the Truth, . 343 Satan Vanquished, 279 Saved Through Grace, . . . . 4(3 Saved with Utmost Completeness, . 776 Sanctification Lost and Regained, 769 Sanctification, Archbishop Usher's Views of, 6S7 Saying the Same Words, 114 Scarlet and Crimson Sins, . . . 910 Scandal, 714 Sharper than a Two Edged Sword, 709 Small Things Make up a Godly Life, 4.30 Stars of the First Magnitude, . . 5-18 Stand up for Jesus, ...... 377 Stand Fast for Christ, 613 Stand Fast when Tempted, . . . 752 Stand by your Candidate, . . . 697 Straitened in Themselves, . . . 580 Shall I be one of Them 1 .... 926 St. Paul, the Apostle of the Gentiles, 429 St. Paul in Paradise, 597 Secret Prayer, 37 16 CONTENTS. PAGE. Send for the Gas Man, .... 93 Search the Scriptures, 293 Selling a Soul, 78 Second Birth, 276 " Seen of Angels," 707 Seeing Jesus, 750 Swearing in Hebrew, 33 She Preferred Christ to Home, . . 147 She Died without Mercy, .... 782 Speaking Evil, 633 Speak the Truth Always, .... 644 Swearing a Great Sin, 818 Steadfastness to Principle Rewarded, 756 Speaking of Christ, 81 Speaking for Christ, 81 Serious Affairs To-morrow, . . . 662 Sleeping in Church, 421 Swearing Alone, 938 Skepticism, Belief and, 613 Sincerity not a Saviour, .... 387 Simplicity of Saving Faith, . . . 459 Sin, Different Estimates of, . . . 471 Simplicity of the Gospel, .... 558 Sin, Every Forbidden, 808 Sins are Linked Together, . . . 187 Simply Believe, 297 Sin Against the Holy Ghost, . . 57 Simple Preaching, 29 Stingy Christians, .589 Spiritual Wrestling, 643 Spiritism, 868 Scriptures, How to Read Them, . 384 Scriptural Titles of Christ, ... 20 Scripture Transcribers, 66 Scriptural Separation from the World, 342 Spiritual Vision, 312 Spiritual Gifts 537 Spiritual Life Better than Ceremo- nies, 809 Scriptural Drink, 533 Striking God's Children, . . . . 110 Striking Retribution, 397 So Ought Husbands to Love Tlu.ir Wives, 638 Something More Valuable Thau Gold, 931 Sorrows of the Rich 815 Something to Hold on by, . . . 762 Some one Must Pray, 43 So it is When Believers Die, . . . 551 PAGE. Sons in the Family of God, . . . 610 Soul-Saving Perseverance in, . . 618 Sowing and Reaping, 617 So we Preach, 546 Solemn Thought Awakened, ... 26 Scoffer, A, Answered, 850 Snowden and his Unitarian Friend, 281 Slothfulness Forbidden, .... 492 Successfully Preaching Christ, . . 406 Sunday-school Teacher, A Success- ful, 558 Sunday, John, Anecdote of, . . . 575 Suffering and Reigning Joined To- gether, 726 Successful Preaching, 726 Sunday After the Resurrection, . . 352 Surrender, A Genuine, .... 298 Superstition and Conscience, . . . 346 Substitute, Christ our, 681 Systematic Giving, 555 St. Chrysostom's View of Piv.yer, . 212 T. Table of Bible Money, 81 Transfiguration of Christ, . . . 150 Transubstantiation, 169 The Book that is ever Ahead, . . 19 The Cruse that Faileth not, . . 34 The Rector's Happy Experience, . 35 The Pen of Heaven, 59 They Took no oil with Them, . . 104 The Door is Shut, 105 The Last Time, 1">6 The Widow's Mite, 164 The Glory of the Lord, .... 182 The one Thing Needful, .... 212 The Value of Churches, .... 230 The Eternal Rock, 249 The Mountains of Scripture, . . . 254 The Word, Awakened by, ... 269 The Boy that Would not Lie, . . 308 The day of Christ seen from Afar, 310 The Eleventh Commandment, . . 326 The Divine Comforter, .... 337 The Priceless Gift, 345 The Primitive Church and their Prop- erty, 3"3 The S'ilver Cup Restored, ... 438 The Rescue, 441 The Railway Ticket, 456 The Body of Sin Destroyed, . . . 464 CONTENTS. 17 PAGE. The Flags that Saved Life, ... 476 The Old Scotch Woman's Faith, . 479 The Gospel of Christ the True Civ- ilize.r, 481 The Bible is the Root, 487 Temperance, Catechism on, . . . 493 The Young Philosopher Confounded, 515 Temperance, Scriptural, .... 530 The Dividing Line, 581 The Fulness of Christ, .... 607 The Noble Convict, 613 The Absurdity of Error, .... 615 The Only Foundation, 625 The Coming of the Lord, . . . 679 The Miller and the Camel, . ' . . 686 Theological Preaching, . . . . 712 The Bible Tried by a Jury, . . . 725 The Snare of the J)cvil, .... 728 The Anchor Holds, 772 The Poisoned Ring, 805 The Tongue as an Index of the Heart, 811 The Humanness of the Saints, . . 820 The Manifest Wisdom of God, . . 824 The Watchword, 825 The Holy Scriptures, 827 The Christian's Calling, . ... 829 The Weaker Vessel, .... . 833 The Devil a Wily Foe, .... 839 T he Bib'e, 844 The Anti-Christs of to day, . . . 861 The Promises of Christ," Proof of Divinity, 891 The Deserting Soldier, .... 899 The Destroyer's Work, . . . . 918 The Devil Leads en to Destruction, 934 The New Jerusalem, 939 The Bible to be much Read, . . . 942 " This I Did for Thee, What Doest Thou for Me?" 871 Trials and Endurance, 771 Trinity, Doctrine of, 863 Trinity in Unity, 472 Time's Flight, Texts for, .... 526 To Bristol either Way, .... 40 Thomas Paine's Last Hours, Two Scenes, .491 Thoroughness in Preaching, . . . 727 Through Much Tribulation, ... 340 Tholuck's Seeking and Following, . 587 Trusting in God's Providence, . . 222 PAGE. Trust in God, . 703 Trusted and Were Delivered, . .621 TJ. Unapproachable Light, Glimpses of, Unappreciation of the Bible, . . . Unchangeable One, Christ the, . . Unfaithfulness, t Temptations to, in the Ministry, Unbelief, Marvelotisncss of, ... Uncle Johnson, Bound for Canaan, Understanding and Faith, . . . Unbelief, A Victim to, Unlearned yet Powerful, . . . . Unbelief a Sliding Agency, . . . Universalism, Christ's Teaching on, Unitarianism not Successful, . . Undivided Attention to the Ministry of the Word, ....... Unity of the Bible, Universal Obligation, Unitarianism, Dr. Holland's Views on, Unconscious Influence, Unthought of Consideration, . . " Unto Him Who hath Loved Us," Use Your Talents, V. Various Seasons of Prayer, . . . Various Readings, '. Variety in Gifts, Variety in Experiences, .... Value of a Single Tract, . . . . Value of Personal Experience, . . Very Injudicious, Victory Over Himself, Voltaire as a Translator, .... 720 486 801 371 y 225 278 306 369 757 224 363 381 629 743 887 351 495 890 533 126 734 539 594 204 273 701 874 732 W. Warned by a Dream, 25 Warning, A Timely, Unheeded, . . 134 Walking in the Fatherhood of God, 39 Waiting to be Released, . . . . 177 Walking and Talking with Christ, 2G4 Warned by a Signal Fire, . . . 520 467 I Walking after the Pattern, . . . 603 Walking with God, 893 Warm Hearts Wanted 900 Waring Against the Saints, . . 918 Waiting to be Born Again, . . . 82f> What Jesus is Able to do. 46 18 CONTENTS. PAGE. What will you say Sir ? .... 94 What Think Ye of Christ, ... 97 What Shall I do with Jesus, . . 118 What it Cost Him, 203 What I Have Seen, 237 " What is Truth ?" 348 What the Church Most Needs, . . 356 What the Reading of a good Book Did, 518 \V*hat Disqualifies for the Kingdom Of God, 524 " What is the State of Your Soul, My Friend V GOO What has it Done for You ? . . . G54 What a Country that will be, . . 791 What Shall / Carry into Eternity ? 943 " Wrath to Come," 674 Watchfulness, a Condition of Strength, 897 We Have a Merciful God, ... 745 Wo Know in Part, 543 Weapons that are Mighty, . . . 592 Well Answered, 181 Wesley's Testimony Against Intoxi- cating Liquors, 359 We Live by Believing, 785 Wreck of " The Sabbath Breaker/' 448 Where did Moses get that Law ? .301 Where is our Self-denial ? ... 77 Where is the Redeemer, .... 415 Witnesses for the Bible, . . . . 411 Wise in Spiritual Things, . . . 914 Willing to Bear his Proportion, . 395 PAGE. Wine that Jesus Made, 273 Wines, Communion, 112 Wise for the World to Come, . .236 Wise in Winning Souls, .... 48 Whitefield's Eloquence, .... 416 Whirlpool, Avoid the, 758 Wisdom to Learn the Way to Heaven, 804 Worship to be given to the Creator Only, 903 Working for a Penny a Day, . . 89 Working in God's Vineyard, . . 92 Women as Helpers in the Church, . 358 Words Timely Spoken, .... 668 Work of the Spirit, 945 Words Acceptable to God, "'> 96 Worthy Example of Moral Princi- ple, 494 Who are Saints ? 444 Who are Truly Strong, .... 860 Who Separate Themselves, ... 885 Why the Judge did not Help Them, 635 Why the Infidel was Troubled, . . 22 Why am I not a Christian ? . . .157 Why the Jewesses are Beautiful, . 261 Why were not the Angels Redeem- ed? 883 Y. Ye are the Salt of the Earth, . . 31 Ye are my Witnesses, 896 Youthful Firmness in Persecution, . 429 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. THE BOOK THAT IS EVER AHEAD. The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham. Matthew 1:1. THE Bible has a history in its make-up that belongs to no other book. Portions of it antedate all other books by at least one thousand years. It was not written during the lifetime of any one man, nor in any one generation, nor in any one country; for it was about seventeen hundred .years in being written. It had nearly one hundred different writers, of various educational attainments ; yet it contains no essential error in science, philosophy, or art, while it is the standard in morals for the whole world. Though written so long ago, and by so many different persons, under such a variety of social and political conditions, it needs no alteration in its de-" scription of God, its code of morals, its system of motives, and its adaptation to the needs of mankind. Other books wear out, and are laid aside this Book multiplies with years. Other books speak of the past, or cautiously approach the present this Book opens up the future. The world out- grows other books the world grows into this, for the world is taking on the letter and spirit of the Bible. Bishop T/iomson. 19 20 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. HIS NAME CALLED JESUS. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS : for he shall save his people from their sins. Matthew 1 : 21. " nPHOU shalt call his name Jesus," said the angel who an- JL nounced his birth to Joseph, " for he shall save his peo- ple from their sins." -Even Joshua, whose name is identical in Hebrew, was so called prophetically, as the saviour or deliverer of Israel from enemies and dangers ; and in this he was a type of him who was to come, not as a military con- queror and earthly prince, though men so expected him ; not as a deliverer of the Jews from Roman vassalage, and the re- storer of their ancient independence, but as a Saviour from a far worse bondage and a more terrific ruin from perdition, from damnation, not of angels, nor of devils, nor of men, with- out exception or discrimination ; but of those predestined to belief in him ; his people, the Saviour of his people ; not from temporal or physical distresses, but from sin ; not from the sins of others, but their own ; not from its effects, but from itself; not merely in the life, but in the heart ; not merely in the stream, but in the spring, the source, the principle, the essence ; for the gospel is not only good news of a Saviour, but of him who came, of him who was called Jesus, because he was to save his people from their sins. Joseph A. Alexan- der, D. D. SCRIPTURAL TITLES OF CHRIST. Behold, a virgin shall he with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. Matthew 1 : 23. THE following collection of scriptural names which refer to Christ is both curious and remarkable : Adam, Advocate, Almighty, Amen, Angel, Ancient of Pays, Anointed, Apostle, Author and Finisher of Faith ; Babe, Beginning of the Creation of God, Begotten of the Father, Beloved, Bishop, Blessed, Branch of Righteousness, Brazen Serpent, Bread of Life, Bridegroom, Brightness of the Father's Glory, Bundle of Myrrh ; Camphire, Captain, Child, Chosen, Consolation of NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 21 Israel, Corner Stone, Covenant, Counsellor, Covert, Crea- tor; David, Day's Man, Day Star, Deliverer, Desire of all Nations, Dew, Diadem, Door of the Sheep ; Eagle, Elect, Emmanuel, Ensign, Eternal Life, Everlasting Father, Express Image ; Faithful Witness, Feeder, Finisher of Faith, Fir Tree, First Begotten, First Fruits, First and Last, Flesh, Fountain, Forerunner, Friend of Sinners ; Gift of God, Glory of God, Glorious Lord, God, Gold, Golden Altar, Governor, Gracious, Guide ; Habitation, Head of the Church, Heir of all Things, Help, Heritage, Highest, High Priest, Most High, Holy One of God, Holy One of Israel, Holy Child, Honey-comb, Hope, Horn of Salvation, Husband; I Am, Jacob, Jah, Jehovah, Jesus, Image of God, Immanuel, Immortal, Inheritance, In- visible, Israel, Judah, Judge ; King ; Ladder, Lamb, Lawgiver, Leader, Light, Lion of the Tribe of Judah, Living God, Long Suffering, Lord, Lovely ; Man, Master, Mediator, Melchisedek, Merciful, Messenger, Messiah, Michael, Mighty God, Minister, Morning Star ; Nazarite ; Offspring of David, Only Begotten, Ointment; Passover, Plant of Renown, Potentate, Prince, Prophet, Propitiation, Power of God, Purifier, Physician, Pol- ished Shaft, Priest ; Ransom, Reaper, Redeemer, Resurrection, Refiner, Refuge, Righteousness, Rock, Rod and Staff, Root of David, Rose of Sharon, Ruler in Israel ; Sacrifice, Salvation, Samaritan, Sanctification, Sanctuary, Seed of Abraham, Seed of the Woman, Seed of David, Second Man, Servant, Shepherd, Shield, Shiloh, Solomon, Son of God, Son of Man, Spirit, Stone Refused, Strength of Israel, Strong God, Substance, Sun of Righteousness, Surety, Sharp Sword ; Tabernacle, Teacher, Temple, Testator, Treasurer, Tree of Life, Truth ; Vine ; Wall of Fire, Way, Well of Living Water; Wedding Garment, Wis- dom of God, Witness, Wonderful, Word of God, Worthy ; Yesterday, To-day, and Forever. FOLLOW THE TRUE LIGHT. Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. Matthew 2 : 2. T is the observation of a good man now with God (Bishop Hooper, in a letter to Mistress Anne Warcup), that the I 22 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. wise men, travelling to find Christ, followed only the star, and as long as they saw it they were assured that they were in the right way, and had great mirth in their journey ; but when they entered into Jerusalem (whereas the star led them not thither, but unto Bethlehem), and there would be instructed where Christ was born, they were not only ignorant of the place where, but they had lost the sight of the star that should guide them thither. Whereof we learn in any case, that whilst we be going to learn Christ, to seek Christ, which is above, to beware we lose not the star of God's Word, who only is the mark that shows us where Christ is, and which way we may come to him. These are the good man's own words ; whereunto may be added, that whereas David made the Word of God a lantern to his feet, and a light unto his path (Psalm 119 : 105), we would not suffer ourselves to be led aside by every ignis fatuus, every false fire that presents itself unto us, but to keep close to the Word of God, which will bring us to the knowledge of Christ here, and the full enjoyment of him hereafter. WHY THE INFIDEL WAS TROUBLED. When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Matthew 2 : 3. "YTOTHING save the essential truths of God's Word can li give comfort and true peace, either living or dying. And in living, if men are not resting on the Word of God, they can at least have no rest in denying it. The very fear lest the Bible be true is enough to mar all earthly enjoyment. A celebrated infidel said one day to a friend of his who had imbibed the same principles, " There is one thing that mars all the pleasures of my life." " Indeed ! " replied his friend. " What is that ? " He answered, " I am afraid the Bible is true ! If I could know for certain that death is an eternal sleep, I should be happy ; my joy would be complete ! But here is the thorn that stings me. This is the sword that pierces my very soul. If the Bible is true, I am lost forever." He will find it true. NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 23 BETHLEHEM OP JUDEA. And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, art not the least among the princes of Judah : for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel. Matthew 2 : 6. VHAT sacred emotions fill the soul at the mention, of Bethlehem ! What deep prophetic truths are uttered concerning the nativity of our. Saviour 1 " And thou Bethle- hem, in the land of Judah, art not the least among the princes of Judah : for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel." More than eighteen centuries have rolled away since the shepherds of Judea watched on the plains of Bethlehem, listening to the angelic strains, " Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." Since then, the name of Jesus, dear to millions, has bowed the heart wherever it has been proclaimed. And at this period, sublime with the march of Christianity, the name of Jesus, upheld on the starry banner of the cross, pours the oil of healing on the stricken, the suffering, and the oppressed, with magic power. The pilgrim goes and comes from this sacred spot deeply impressed with the sanctity of the place. The Christian grows strong in faith, expecting the fulfill- ment of the divine prophecy, when the Son of God shall ap- pear in all his glory, descending to judge the nations of the earth. Wm, D. Ensign. GIFTS OF GOLD TO JESUS. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshiped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. Matthew 2:11. ALL down through the Christian centuries, covetousness has been the chief barrier to Christ's cause ; the one great and only insurmountable obstacle in the way of the world's evangelization. This world will never be converted until Christian nations, imitating the example of the wise men front 24 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. the east, shall lay their gold at Jesus' feet. Prophecy is full of this idea. Whenever she takes her harp to hymn the glories of Messiah's reign, the consecration of the world's wealth forms a prominent strain in the lofty anthem. " To him shall be given of the gold of Sheba." " The merchandise of Tyre shall be holiness to the Lord ; it shall not be treasured nor laid up." " Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish, first to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the Lord thy God.' ; " Kings shall bring presents unto him. 7 ' '- They shall bring gold and incense." Dr. John Harris, in his admirable treatise on " Mam- mon," utters a sentiment which ought to be read and re-read, and pondered, and prayed over, by every disciple of Jesus. He says, " We repeat the momentous inquiry, and we would repeat it slowly, solemnly, and with a desire to receive the full impression of the only answer which can be given to it, What has prevented the gospel from fulfilling its first promise, and completely taking effect ? What has hindered it from filling every heart, every province, the entire mass of humanity, with the one spirit of divine benevolence ? Why, on the contrary, has the gospel, the great instrument of divine love, been threat- ened, age after age, with failure ? It must be attributed solely to the treachery of those who have had the administration of it to the selfishness of the church. No element essential to success has been left out of its arrangements ; all those ele- ments have always been in the possession of the church ; no new form of evil has arisen in the world, no antagonist has appeared there, which the gospel did not encounter and sub- due in its first onset ; yet at this advanced stage of its ex- istence, when it ought to be reposing from the conquest of the world, the church listens to an account of its early triumphs, as if they were .meant only for wonder, and not for imitation ; as if they partook too much of the romance of benevolence to be again attempted." NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 25 WARNED BY A DREAM. And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way. Matthew 2 : 12. REV. G. TENNBNT, of New Jersey, relates that a young man of his congregation, by trade a carpenter, from being of sober habits became an habitual drunkard. He dreamed one night that he returned home intoxicated, fell from the top of the stairs to the bottom, broke his neck, and opened his eyes in hell. Horrified at what he heard and saw, he entreated the governor to let him depart. " No, no," said the governor, " there is no discharge from this place ; you see thousands coming in, but none going out." He, however, continued his entreaties, and at last was allowed to leave on one condition that he would return that day twelvemonth. In his efforts to flee he awoke, and found it was a dream! He called on Mr. Tennent the next day, and, greatly alarmed, related his dream. Mr. Tennent told him it was a mercy he was out of hell, and that if he did not repent, and seek for mercy through Christ, he would in reality reap the fruit of his doings through an eternity in hell. The young man forsook his former com- pany, applied himself cheerfully to work, and became a re- formed character. About six months after this he was met by some of his old profligate companions, who began to jeer him for his sober habits, and asked him to go with them and take a glass. He first refused, but at last gave way. This led to his former drunken habits. He returned home one night in- toxicated, fell from the top of the stairs to the bottom, broke his neck, and, without doubt, his guilty spirit must have been hurried to that place of woe where hope never comes. " No drunkard," says the Bible, "shall inherit the kingdom of God." From a memorandum made by Mr. Tennent at the time the man called on him, it appeared he was killed on the night twelve- month on which he had dreamed the fearful dream. His dream had been actually fulfilled. 4 26 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. GETTING ON TOO FAST. And saying, Repent ye : for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Mat- thew 3 : 2. A PIOUS old slave had a wicked master. This master had much confidence, however, in the slave's piety. He be- lieved he was a Christian. Sometimes the master would be serious and thoughtful about religion. One day he came to the old slave, with the New Testament in his hand, and asked if he would explain a passage to him. The slave was willing to try, and asked what it was. " It is here in Romans/' said the master. " Have you done all that it tells you to do in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John ? " inquired the slave, seriously fixing his eye upon his master's. " No, I haven't/' said he. " Then you're getting on too fast, too fast, master. Go back to the begin- ning of the book, do all that it tells you till you get to Romans, and you will understand it easy enough then, for the book says, If a man will do my will, he shall know of the doctrine." SOLEMN THOUGHT AWAKENED. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his bap- tism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come ? Matthew 3 : 7. AN irreligious young man once went to hear Mr. Whitefield preach; he took for his text Matthew 3:7, 8. "Mr. Whitefield," said the young man, " described the Sadducean character ; this did not touch me. I thought myself as good a Christian as any man in England. From this he went to that of the Pharisees. He described their exterior decency, but observed that the poison of the viper rankled in their hearts. This rather shook me. At length, in the course of his sermon, he abruptly broke off, paused for a few moments, then burst into a flood of tears, lifted up his hands and eyes, and ex- claimed, ' 0, my hearers, the wrath to come ! the wrath to come ! ' These words sank deep into my heart, like lead in the waters. I wept, and when the sermon was ended, retired NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 27 alone. For days and weeks I could think of little else. Those awful words would follow me wherever I went: i The wrath to come ! the wrath to come ! ' ' The result was, that the young man soon after made a public profession of religion, and in a short time became himself a preacher of the gospel. JUDGMENT DAY SEPARATIONS. Whoso fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner ; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. Matthew 3 : 12. AS wheat or chaff we all shall appear in the great day of judgment. There is a machine in the Bank of England which receives sovereigns, as a mill receives grain, for the pur- pose of determining wholesale whether they are of full weight. As they pass through, the machinery, by unerring laws, throws all that are light to one side, and all that are of full weight to another. That process is a silent but solemn parable for me. Founded as it is upon the laws of Nature, it affords the most vivid similitude of the certainty which characterizes the judg- ment of the great day. There are no mistakes or partialities to which the light may trust : the only hope lies in being of standard weight before they go in. Arnot. CHRIST'S APPEAL TO THE SCRIPTURES. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Matthew 4 : 7. WE cannot fail to be struck, in the course of the Saviour's public teaching, with his constant appeal to the word of God. While at times he utters, in his own name, the author- itative behest, " Verily, verily, J say unto you," he as often thus introduces some mighty work, or gives intimation of some im- pending event in his own momentous life : "These things must come to pass, that the Scriptures be fulfilled, which saUli" He commands his people to " search the Scriptures ; " but he sets 28 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. the example by searching and submitting to them himself. Whether he drives the money-changers from their sacrilegious traffic in the temple, or foils his great adversary on the mount of temptation, he does so with the same weapon: " It is -writ- ten" When he rises from the grave the theme of his first discourse is one impressive tribute to the value and authority of the same sacred oracles. The disciples on the road to Em- maus listen to nothing but a Bible lesson : " He expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself." How momentous the instruction herein conveyed ! The ne- cessity of the absolute subjection of the mind to God's written word, making churches, creeds, ministers, books, religious opinion, all subordinate and subservient to this " How readest thou ? " rebuking the philosophy, falsely so called, that would distort the plain statements of Revelation, and bring them to the bar of proud Reason. If an infallible Redeemer, " a law to himself," was submissive in all respects to the " written law," shall fallible man refuse to sit with the teacha- bleness of a little child, and listen to the divine message ? There may be, there is, in the Bible what reason staggers at : " We have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep." But " Thus saith the Lord " is enough. Faith does not first ask what the bread is made of, but eats it. It does not analyze the compo- nents of the living stream, but with joy draws the water from " the wells of salvation." BIBLE OR NO BIBLE. The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung np. Matthew 4 : 1C. REV. DR. ADAMS, addressing the New York Bible Society, beautifully illustrated the benign influence of the Word of God, by contrasting those countries where it is perused with those in which it is prohibited. " Tell me," said he, " where the Bible is, and where it is not, and I will write a moral geog- raphy of the world. I will show what, in all particulars, i.s the physical condition of that people. One glance of your eye NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 29 will inform you where the Bible* is, and where it is not. Go to Italy : decay, degradation, suffering, meet you on every side. Commerce droops, agriculture sickens, the useful arts languish. There is a heaviness in the air ; you feel cramped by some invisible but mighty power. The people dare not speak aloud they walk slowly an armed soldiery is around their dwellings the armed police take from the stranger his Bible before he enters the territory. Ask for the Bible in the bookstores : it is not there, or in a form so large and expensive as to be beyond the reach of the common people. The preacher takes no text from the Bible. Enter the Vatican, and inquire for a Bible, and you will be pointed to some case where it re- poses among prohibited books, side by side with the works of Diderot, Rousseau, and Voltaire. But pass over the Alps into Switzerland, and down the Rhine into Holland, and over the Channel to England and Scotland, and what an amazing con- trast meets the eye ! Men look with an air of independence ; there are industry, neatness, instruction for children. Why this difference ? There is no brighter sky there are no fairer scenes of nature -but they have the Bible ; and happy is the people who are in such a case, for it is righteousness that exalte th a nation," The light shines in Italy now. SIMPLE PREACHING. And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preach- ing the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. Matthew 4 : 23. A CORRESPONDENT of the Christian Intelligencer, writ- JLJL ing from Saratoga, speaks as follows : " One of the most delightful acquaintances I have formed at the springs this season was the great and good Judge McLean, of the United States Court. He was built for the Supreme Bench, physically and mentally. I was specially interested in his criticisms on preaching. l We want,' said he, l more simple, practical ser- mons right to the conscience made lively by Scripture, history, and incidents. I like an occasional anecdote, if well 30 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. put ; for our Saviour spoke ifi parables. But I cannot abide dry, abstract discussions, or cold homilies. Preaching should be piquant and popular, and suited to " common people." ' There was a capital lecture on pulpit rhetoric in the judge's remarks." Luther, reproving Dr. Mayer because he was faint- hearted and depressed on account of his simple kind of preach- ing, as he supposed, in comparison with other divines, reproved him, and said, " Loving brother, when you preach, pay little attention to the doctors and learned men, but think of the com- mon people, and try to instruct and benefit them. In the pulpit we must feed the common people with milk ; for each day a new church is growing up which stands in need of plain and simple diet." HOW THE PURE IN HEART SEE GOD. Blessed are the pure in heart : for they shall see God. Matthew 5 : 8. NOT the beholding of his glorious majesty in eternity, nor yet the glorious God-Judge at the last great day. The idea of union and communion with him in this life is involved in this declaration of our Lord. It means that our spiritual vision shall be so illuminated and enlarged, that we shall see God in his works, his ways, and his Word. In his works, by seeing him in this world as we never saw him before. We see him in the green fields and budding trees ; we hear him in the singing birds, the rippling stream, and roaring sea. The pure in heart see God in his ways with the children of men. Providences that by some are called severe, and that often lead the unsaved to murmur and complain, are to the sanctified soul all right. His heart saith, My Father is too wise to err, and too good to be unkind. " Even so, Father, for so it seemeth good in thy sight." The pure in heart see God in his Word. To him the Bible is a new book. "with open face, he beholds the glory of the Lord." portions that used to be passed over with comparative indif- ference, are now thought upon with delight, and he is often led to say, " Lo, God is hero, and I knew it not." Rev. J. in Guide to Holiness, NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 31 "YE ARE THE SALT OF THE EARTH." Ye arc the salt of the earth : but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Matthew 5 : 13. SALT is the one mineral that men eat. Its use is nearly as ancient and as general as the race. The Hebrews had it in abundance from the Salt Sea, and if they chose, from the Med- iterranean, as well as from fossil salt near the Dead Sea. It had a peculiar meaning to them from its place in the sacri- fices. An indescribable longing for salt comes over any one who has long been without it. In most countries the cattle are very fond of it, and eagerly lick the rock salt. In Africa the children suck a piece of salt rock as American children do sugar. A mixture of salt and water will sometimes be sweet enough to the delicate palate of the bee to attract it. Salt is good. Nor is it savory only, but necessary. It is a part of the blood, and the blood is the life. While it seasons the food, it preserves for future use what is not needed for present wants. What would otherwise rot is kept sweet by its presence. Hence it suggests purity and perpetuity. And the Lord's people, according to our Saviour, are the " salt of the earth." They are necessary to its continuance, keep it from corruption, and are finally to leaven and influence the entire human race. There are many substances in the world that look like salt. They crystallize, are white, more or less heavy, and can be measured and weighed. But there is a subtile essence in the salt that is perceived by the taste, and which cannot be weighed and measured, but only tasted. This makes the value of the salt. And it is so with profess- ing disciples. They can be counted, and their influence or their wealth can be measured. But the savor, that which dis- tinguishes them as Christians, is too fine and delicate to be declared in this way. It reveals itself to the judgment and conscience of men, and to the eye of God. The saltness gives value to'the salt. Eeal living godliness gives value to profess- ing Christians. If we % had salt without saltness, according to our Lord, it would be " good for nothing." And so professors without true Christian life are good for nothing. NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. A SHINING CHURCH. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Matthew 5 : 1G. A CHURCH may be what the world calls a strong church, jLA_ in point of number and influence. A church may be made up of men of wealth, men of in'.ellect, fashion; and being so composed, may . be, in a worldly sense, a very strong church. There are many things that such a church can do. It can launch ships and endow seminaries. It can diffuse intelligence, can uphold the cause of benevolence, can maintain an imposing array of forms and religious activities. It can build splendid temples, can rear a magnificent pile and adorn its front with sculptures, and lay stone upon stone, and heap ornament upon ornament, till the costliness of the minis- trations at the altar shall keep any poor man from ever enter- ing the portal. But, brethren, I will tell you one thing it cannot do it cannot " shine." It may glitter and glare like an iceberg in the sun, but without inward holiness it cannot shine. Of all that is formal and material in Christianity, it may make a splendid manifestation, but it cannot shine. It may turn almost everything into gold at its touch, but it can- not touch the heart. It may lift up its marble front, arid pile tower upon tower, and mountain upon mountain ; but it cannot touch the mountains and they shall smoke ; it cannot conquer souls for Christ ; cannot awaken the sympathies of faith and love ; it cannot do Christ's work in man's conversion. It is cold at heart, and has no overflowing and saving influences to pour out upon the lost. And with all its strength that church is weak, and for Christ's peculiar work worthless: And with all its glitter and gorgeous array, it is a dark church it can- not shine. Ori the contrary, show me a. church, poor, illiter- ate, obscure, unknown, but composed of praying people. They shah 1 be men of neither power, nor wealth, nor influence ; they shall be families that do not know one week where they are to get bread for the next. But with them is the hiding of God's power, and their influence is felt for eternity, and wherever they go there is a fountain of light, and Christ in NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 83 them is glorified, and his kingdom advanced. They are his chosen vessels of salvation, and his luminaries to reflect his light. Dr. Olin. SWEARING IN HEBREW. But I say unto you, Swear not at all ; neither by heaven, for it is God's throne ; nor by the earth, for it is his footstool ; neither by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Matthew 5 : 3-i, 35. A LADY, riding in a car on the New York Central Railroad, was disturbed in her reading by the conversation of two gentlemen occupying the seat just before her. One of them seemed to be a student of some college on his way home for a vacation. He used much profane language, greatly to her annoyance. She thought she would rebuke him, and on beg- ging pardon for interrupting them, asked the young student if he had studied the languages. " Do you read and speak Hebrew?" "Quite fluently." "Will you be so kind as do me a small favor?" "With great pleasure. I am at your service." " Will you be so kind as to do your swearing in Hebrew?" The lady was not annoyed any more by the un- gentlemanly language of this would-be gentleman. Probably ten men swear in this country where one prays, and the swearing man swears out loud a hundred times a day, while the praying man prays secretly perhaps twice or thrice. If men would swear in unknown tongues, it might spare the feel- ings of their hearers ; but even then the Lord God would hear it all. But there will be an end of this torrent of blasphemy by and by. Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his saints to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. (Jude 14, 15.) 34 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. THE CRUSE THAT FAILETH NOT. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thec turn not thou away. Matthew 5 : 42. IS thy cruse of comfort wasting? Rise and share it with another, And through all the years of famine It shall serve thee and thy brother. Love divine will fill thy storehouse, Or thy handful still renew ; Scanty fare for one will often Make a royal feast for two. For the heart grows rich in giving ; All its wealth is living grain j Seeds which mildew in the garner, Scattered, fill with gold the plain. Is thy burden hard and heavy ? Do thy steps drag wearily ? Help to bear thy brother's burden ; God will bear both it and thee. Numb and weary on the mountains, Wouldst thou sleep amid the snow ? Chafe that frozen form beside thee, And together both shall glow. Is the heart a well left empty ? None but God its void can fill ; Nothing but a ceaseless fountain Can its ceaseless longings still. Is the heart a living power ? Self-entwined its strength sinks low ; It can only live in loving, And by serving, love will grow. Author of Schonberg- Cotta Family. NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 35 THE RECTOR'S HAPPY EXPERIENCE. Bo ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. Matthew 5 : 48. EEV. W. E. BOARDMAN, D. D., in The Times of Refresh- ing, gives an account of an English rector, who was happily led to a higher experience in the divine life, through the instrumentality of a Wesleyan minister. The following is the account : One of his own servants was prostrated by disease, and about to die. As the rector came to his bedside to receive the last words of his dying servant, and administer to him the last rites saving, as he believed them to be of his sacred office, he was suddenly confounded by the words, which, in whispering tones, fell on his ear. " Please, sir, won't you send for the Wesleyan minister to come and see me ? " For a mo- ment the rector sat in silence, and then said, " Am I not your minister ? " " Yes, sir you are, sir but, sir I am dying, and I want to know the way to heaven. You, sir, do not know the way for yourself, and I am sure you cannot show it to me."" The rector was struck as dumb before his own ser- vant, by these words, as Zacharias had been before the Lord by the words of Gabriel, and, like Zacharias, could only go out and await the result. The Wesleyan was sent for. The rector was careful to be present at the interview. The servant was right. Like Philip, the Wesleyan preached Christ, and the dying man believed and passed away, in the triumphant assurance that he should be this day with Christ in paradise. This was the voice of God, who, by his Son, is speaking to us in these last days ; it utterly shook, and caused to pass away, the foundation upon which the rector's confi- dence had been placed, and suddenly burned up the hay, wood, and stubble of his ritual superstructure built upon it. He was humbled in the dust. His proud heart was broken. Like his own servant, he took his place at the feet of the be- fore despised Wesleyan, listened to the preaching of Christ by his lips, believed, and. was saved. A new career opened before him. He entered upon it with 36 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. all the ardor of a generous nature, stimulated by the energies of a new life. Many were brought to believe in the Lord and be saved. But it was not long before he became sensible of the need of a still deeper work of grace, if he would be able to overcome his own sinful propensities, and present Christ, the overcomer, to his people. This necessity was still further enforced by the consciousness of lack of power as a preacher of the gospel. At times, indeed, he was borne up as on eagles' wings, in his work, and felt himself sustained full} 7 , and rilled to overflowing, like a spring welling up unto everlasting life, and pouring forth streams of living water ; then, again, he felt himself to be like the dry well, with a dry pump, from which no living water would come, pump he never so hard. Still further this matter came home upon him, by the Wesleyan's testimony that all his needs in these respects and every other might be supplied by our Lord Jesus Christ experimentally received. Therefore once again he humbled himself in the lowly seat of a learner at the feet of the Lord in the person of his humble servant, and accepted Christ as his emancipator from all sin, his pride, his unbelief, his impatience, his preju- dice, himself, and as he by whom Satan and the world should be overcome, his soul filled with faith and the Holy Ghost. Nearly similar were the experiences of Dr. Coke. REWARDED NOW, OR THEN? And when thou prayest, thou slialt not be as the hypocrites are : for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. Matthew a : 5. A MINISTER, in the early part of the seventeenth century, JjL was preaching, before an assembly of his brethren ; and, in order to direct their attention to the great motive from which they should act, he represented to them something of the great day of judgment. Having spoken of Christ as seated on his throne, he described him as speaking to his ministers ; examin- ing how they preached, and with what views they had under- NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 37 taken and discharged the duties of the ministry. " What did you preach for ? " " I preached, Lord, that I might keep a good living that was left me by my father ; which, if I had not entered the minis- try, would have been wholly lost to me and my family." Christ addresses him, " Stand by, thou hast had thy re- ward/'' The question is put to another, " And what do you preach for ? " " Lord, I was applauded as a learned man ; and I preached to keep up the reputation of an excellent orator, and an in- genious preacher." The answer of Christ to him also is, " Stand by, thou hast had thy reward.'! The judge puts the question to the third, " And what did you preach for ? " " Lord," saith he, " I neither aimed at the great things of this world, though I was thankful for the conveniences of life which thou gavest me ; nor did I preach that I might gain the character of a wit, or of a man of parts, or of a fine scholar ; but I preached in compassion to souls, and to please and honor thee ; my design, Lord, in preaching, was, that I might win souls to thy blessed majesty." The judge was now described as calling out, " Room, men I room, angels ! let this man come and sit with me on my throne ; he has owned and honored me on earth, and I will own and honor him through all the ages of eternity." The ministers went home much affected, resolving that, through the help of God, they would attend more diligently to the motives and work of the ministry than they had before done. SECRET PRAYER. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret ; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thcc openly. Matthew G : 6. PRESIDENT EDWARDS, in one of his discourses on prayer, JL gives the following solemn advice : " I would exhort those w r ho have entertained a hope of their being true converts, and yet since their supposed conversion have left off the duty 38 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. of secret prayer, and do ordinarily allow themselves in the omission of it, to throw away their hope. If you have left off calling upon God, it is time for you to leave off hoping and flattering yourselves with an imagination that you are the children of God. Probably it will be a very difficult thing for you to do this. It is hard for a man to. let go a hop.e of heaven, on which he hath once allowed himself to lay hold, and which he hath retained for a considerable time. Those things in men which, if known to others, would be sufficient to convince others that they are hypocrites, will not convince themselves." GOOD THINGS GIVEN WITH GRACE. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness ; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6 : 33. WHEN the great bargain is concluded between God and the soul of man; when the kingdom of heaven with righteousness is made sure, God throws into the bargain the good and needful things of this life, as unworthy of mention in so great a transaction. Like the farmer who sells a large and valuable farm, he throws in certain second-hand imple- ments of husbandry, or, like the importing merchant, who, in selling one of his ships, throws in any cordage or other ship- stores that may be lying about the vessel ; while he who seeks to get " all these things " without securing the kingdom of God, will be like the sailor, who, with ship-stores, finds, when too late, he has not the ship. In securing the greater, we get the less ; but if we look only for the less, we shall fail to possess the greater, or enjoy the less. Hopkins. LIVING BY THE DAY. Take, therefore, no thought for the morrow : for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Mattheio C : 34. I COMPARE,' 7 says John Newton, the troubles which we have to undergo in the course of the year to a great NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 39 bundle of fagots, far too large for us to lift. But God does not require us to carry the whole at once. He mercifully un- ties the bundle, and gives us first orie stick, which we are to carry to-day, and then another, which we are to carry to- morrow, and so on. This we might easily manage, if we would only take the burden appointed for us each day; but we choose to increase our troubles by carrying yesterday's over again to-day, and adding to-morrow's burden to our load be- fore we are required to bear it." William Jay puts the same truth another way. " We may consider the year before us a desk containing three hundred and sixty-five letters addressed to us one for every day, announcing its trials, and pre- scribing its employments, with an order to open daily no letter but the letter for the day. Now, we may be strongly tempted to unseal beforehand some of the remainder. This, however, would only serve to embarrass. us, while we should violate the rule which our Owner and Master has laid down for us : 1 Take, therefore, no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.' " WALKING IN THE FATHERHOOD OF GOD. If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? Matthew 7:11. , brothers, think, sisters, we walk in the air of an JL eternal fatherhood. Every uplifting of the heart is a looking up to the Father. Graciousness and truth are around, above, beneath us, yea, in us. When we are least worthy, then, most tempted, hardest, unkindest, let us yet commend our spirits into his hands. Whither else dare we send them ? How the earthly father would love a child who would creep into his room with angry, troubled face, and sit down at his feet, saying, when asked what he wanted, " I feel so naughty, papa, and I want to get good." Would he say to this child, " How dare you ! Go away, and be good, and then come to me " ? And shall we dare to think God would send us away 40 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. if we came thus, and would not be pleased that we came, even if we were angry as Jonah ? Would we not let all the tender- ness of our nature flow forth upon such a child ? And shall we dare to think that if we, being evil, know how to give good gifts to our children, God will not give us his own spirit when we come to ask him ? George Macdonald. "TO BRISTOL EITHER WAY." Enter ye in at the strait gate : for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there he which go in thereat : Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Matthew 7 : 13, 14. FTIRAVELING, some years ago, in the interior of New JL Hampshire, I reached a point from which two roads diverged, passing in nearly opposite directions for some dis- tance, but taking ere long a semicircular course, and meeting at a well-known village. Just at the point of divergence, above described, stood a post with a " guide board " attached *to it, reading thus : " To Bristol either way." Very often have I thought that this queer but truth-telling guide-board represents a large class of preachers. Now, just look at that Universalist minister, as he stands up before his people from Sabbath to Sabbath, pointing with one hand to the narrow way of life, and with the other to the broad way of death, while he blasphemously exclaims, " To heaven either way 1 " What an insult to the God of truth ! Has not the Lord Jesus Christ himself told us that the " narrow way leadeth unto life/' while " few there be that find it " ? Yes. And has he not also said, in the same breath, that the " broad way leadeth unto destruction," and that " many there be which go in thereat " ? Yes. Well, does not the " narrow way " mean holiness, and does not the " broad wav" mean sin? Most obviously. And does not life mean heaven, while destruction signifies hell ? Are not two eter- nities here brought to view ? What sensible, candid man will question it? But Christ declares that these two roads lead to two very NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 41 different worlds, while the Universalist contradicts the Son of God, and tells you that both roads lead to heaven ! Now, which will you believe ? 0, reader, be not deceived, God is not mocked ; for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. If we sow to the flesh, we shall of the flesh reap" cor- ruption ; but if we sow to the Spirit, we shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. 0, sow to the Spirit, and live forever ! CHARACTER INDICATED BY WORKS. Wherefore, by their fruits ye shall know them. Matthew 1 : 20. IN visiting the penitentiary the other day, we saw in a cell a fierce, savage-looking man, and, on inquiry, we were told that he- was sentenced for highway robbery. We asked the warden if he claimed to be a Christian ! He was very much astonished at our question, but replied, Such men never claim to be Christians ; they invariably declare that Christianity is mere priestcraft, Christians hypocrites, and the so-called doc- trines of grace fit only to amuse women and children, and they repudiate any sympathy with the concern. To this we replied, That is precisely our experience. Wicked men are fully qual- ified to be infidels and atheists, but not to be Christians. So much is this felt to be the case, that they dare not make even a pretense to being Christians. They feel that even the most degraded would laugh at such a claim ! " Did you ever hear," said the late Dr. Mason to an infidel, " any great excitement over a professed infidel getting drunk or breaking the seventh commandment ? " And we would further ask, Is it usual to charge against atheists and infidels that the} r are hypocrites when they do such things, or that they violate the canon of their creed by such conduct ? 6 42 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. BUILDING ON THE SAND. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand. Matthew 7 : 26. IN the East the peasants' huts are often very unsubstantial structures. They are built of mud or sunburnt brick. A night's hard rain-storm will sometimes nearly demolish an entire village. Their mountain streams also possess a very pe- culiar character. The beds of these brooks are called wadies. In the hot season they are entirely dry. Yet even then they afford often the best pasturage. In the rainy season they are swollen streams. The shepherd builds his hut by the banks of one of these wadies. If it is built high upon the rock it is safe. If it is built on the sandy soil, though there is no water at the time of building, the treacherous foundation gives way with the first freshet. Appearances are often deceitful this is one lesson of the image. The. man's house seems safe so long as the wady is dry. It needs a torrent to test it. No man knows whether he is safe till he has been tried. The storm is needed to show whether he is built on the rock or on the sand. There is another lesson quite as important. The hearers of Christ's sermon understood it, doubtless. A friend of mine was traveling through Palestine. The party pitched their tents in one of these wadies. The night was fair, the air clear, the grass green and soft, the torrent bed dry. Suddenly my friend was awakened by hearing the gurgling of water. Before he was dressed it was a foot high beneath his bed. He escaped with difficulty. His clothing, books, manuscripts, were carried off by the stream. Rain in the mountains had in a few hours filled the dry bed with a roaring torrent. So, without, stormy experiences of temptation come. They that are not built on a rock fall. There is no time to prepare after temptation assails. Peter in the palace has no time to think. He must do his thinking before. NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 43 SOME ONE MUST PRAY. And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven : but the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer dark- ness : there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 8:11, 12. THE social life of heathen nations is penetrated through and through by their religion, arid the commonest duties in the family, in business, and in travel are identified with re- ligious observances. It were well if Christian nations were equally scrupulous. We give an illustration from the Sunday School Times : " A man of learning and talent, but an unbe- liever, was traveling in Manilla on a scientific expedition. He was escorted by a native of rank, and, as they were about to start, the native, with the refined politeness which character- izes the Orientals, requested the white stranger to pray to his God. This was probably the only thing he could have been asked to do without being able to comply ; and on his declin- ing, the native said, ' Well, some God must be prayed to, so you will excuse me if I pray to mine.' ' Full many a shaft at random sent, Finds mark the archer never meant.' " So it was in this case. The unbeliever was rebuked by a heathen, and the man of science, who had gone there in quest of natural curiosities, returned, having found the ' pearl of great price.' His next visit is to be as a missionary to preach Christ." LEFT BEHIND. But Jesus said unto him, Follow me ; and let the dead bury their dead. Matthew 8 : 22. THE caravan was within but a few days' journey of the Syrian limit, and of its desert journey more than three- fourths had been performed. The tents had been lifted in the first blush of the morning, and the company, before the sun was an hour in the heavens, were out of sight from the spot 44 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. where they had halted. It was a little dell, which the shelter of a high rock had produced. A fountain of sweet water welled up through the matted soil, which the waving of the long tropical ferns produced j and underneath the shade of the rock was the double shade of the date and aloe tree. There still rested a young man in sleep. No wonder that the cool- ness of the shade and the softness of his bed should have de- ceived him, but still he was left behind. There were leagues of danger between himself and his company. Every moment the danger increased. In a little while the danger would be in- surmountable. If he had taken that moment for thought, he might then have understood how time neglected becomes eter- nity. Have you, my reader, been left behind ? Has the car- avan of God's church passed out of your sight ? Hurry on, for soon you will find that the distance is insurmountable. Left behind ! And by what ? The lovety and holy of all ages the general assembly and church of the first-born the company of the just made perfect ! Only in that blessed host which thus in its solemn procession has passed on can salvation be found ; for who is there who is ashamed to ac- knowledge his Master on earth, and to follow him without the camp, who will be acknowledged by him in heaven? HE WAS GOD AND MAN. But the men marveled, saying, "What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him ! Matthew 8 : 27. A WRITER in The Christian Advocate thus writes of Christ : " What manner of man is this ? " He is truly man, but how high does that manhood rise ? As line is added to line in our faint sketch, we are compelled to higher and higher conceptions of him, until with Thomas we adoringly cry, " My Lord and my God ! " We cannot stop short of it. Wo must so confess, or turn away from his earthly life as an unsolved and unsolvable enigma. He is the God-man, our divine-human Lord, manifesting God to men, and lifting hu- manity up to God. To such a result do we come, tracing the NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 45 facts upward from his conceded manhood. Suppose, however, we begin at the uppermost fact, with God, as the Scriptures reveal his character, and ask, If he were to become incarnate for the purpose of saving a lost race, how different might we rea- sonably expect him to be from what we actually find in Jesus of Nazareth ? We freely concede that no man would before- hand conceive such an incarnate life as his was ; but now that it has been set before us, we can see that a God with such a purpose, becoming just what Jesus was, doing just as he did, speaking just as he spoke, and passing through just his career, would take the course best adapted to secure his end. A God incarnate to save men would be likely to appear as Jesus of Nazareth. CHRIST IN SYMPATHY WITH THE SUFFERING. But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. Matthew 9 : 12. " /^OME unto me,' 7 says the blessed Jesus, " all ye that labor \J and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." And herein he exactly fulfills the appointment of his Father, and acts in the most perfect conformity to the commission he received from Him ; of which we have a fair copy in Isaiah Ixi. 1, " The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings to the meek ; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound." From this passage it plainly appears that humbled, convinced souls are his peculiar charge ; he is the physician, not of the whole^ but of the sick ; not of those that justify themselves, but of those who are perishing in their own apprehension, who feel their need of him, and know something of the worth of that salvation which he brings. Walker. 46 . NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. VIIAT JESUS IS ABLE TO DO. And when he was come into the house, -the hlind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this ? They said unto him, Yea, Lord. Matthew 9 : 28. " A BLE even to subdue all things unto himself." Phil. 3 : 21. jLl_ " Able to make all grace abound toward you ; that ye, always having all-sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work." 2 Cor. 9:18. " Able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy." Jude 24. " Able to succor them that are tempted." Neb. 2 : 18. " Able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him." Heb. 7:25. " What he had promised, he was able also to perform." Rom. 4 : 21. " Able to make him stand." - Rom. 14 : 4. " Able to keep that which I have committed unto him." 2 Tim. 1 : 2. " Able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified." Acts 20 : 32. " Able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think." Eph. 3:20. " Believe ye that I am able to do this ? " Matt. 9 : 28. A TRUE HARVEST LABORER. Pray ye, therefore, the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labor- ers into his harvest. Matthew 9 : 38. A BIBLE class in Troy, N. Y., was commenced twenty-two years ago by a lady, who is still its teacher. The original class numbered sixteen, fifteen of whom have died. Five hundred persons have belonged to- this class. Three hundred of them have united with the church. This excellent teacher has kept an accurate history of each scholar, and has always corresponded with the absent. She visits the regular mem- NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 47 bers twice a year. They visit her socially, and as a class, by invitation. Although from the poorer classes of the commu- nity, arid all working for a livelihood, they support a native preacher in Burmah, are educating a negro in Texas for the ministry, and are helping to carry on a church in Iowa, besides paying all their own class expenses. The daughter of one of her former pupils is now a regular member of her class. Many of the pupils have gone West, but she continues to respond to their frequent requests for counsel. She has been at the fu- nerals of all her class who have died. The secrets of her success are these four : 1. Self-consecration. 2. The consecration of her pupils to the Lord. 3. Visitation at their own homes, with conversation and prayer. 4. Social influence at her own home. CHRISTIAN FAITHFULNESS. And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Matthew 10 : 7. "VTOT long since, while visiting the sick, in company with a \ Christian brother, I received from him, in substance, the following account : Many years ago, while in an unconverted state, he was returning from a journey to the West, and tarried at a public house, where many intemperate and profane peo- ple were assembled. One old man, however, was there, who neither swore nor drank with them. When they retired to rest, it was his lot to sleep in the same room with this serious aged man, who soon commenced a conversation on religion. The veteran of the cross ascertained that his young friend knew nothing, by experience, concerning the love of God shed abroad in the heart. His pious observations made no sensible impression on the mind of the youth, who soon fell into a slum- ber. The morning came ; they arose ; and perhaps most Christians would have thought any more religious conversation with the careless sinner would have been useless. Not so with this old gentleman. Before his friend left the place, he took him by the hand and advised him to seek the salvation of his soul. He received his thanks for his advice, but still the 48 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. youth was as careless as ever. However, lie had not traveled far, before the recollection of the admonitions he had received was made the means of his awakening. He thought of the af- fectionate solicitude of one who was a perfect stranger to him, and began to be anxious concerning his own state. While on his way, he tarried a night at a tavern w^here frolicsome mirth was abundant ; but it was a miserable place to him. At length he reached home, but with feelings far different from those he formerly had. Two months elapsed before he found him who was born at Bethlehem, and when he did find him it was in a manger. While on his knees in prayer, the Saviour appeared in his behalf, and he was happy in God. What encourage- ment is here to strive, at all times, to do good. " Go thou and do likewise. 77 ISE IN WINNING SOULS. Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves : be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. Matthew 10 : 16. IN March, 1854, Bishop Simpson and myself were passing up the Columbia River from Portland, Oregon, to the Dalles. It was before the keels of .noble steamers had vexed the waters of the Upper Columbia. At the Cascades, seventy miles from Portland, we took passage in an Indian canoe for the Dalles, fifty miles distant. The whole country was a wilderness, unoccupied save by a small company of United States military at the Dalles and a few daring whites, adven- turers, and some of them men of dissolute habits and depraved morals. Besides these the Indians were numerous. Our crew in the canoe were two Indians and three or four squaws. The passengers, besides the bishop and myself, were two or three Indian dogs, and two white men more depraved than the dogs. Their hides the men's -r were full of mean whiskey, and each luul a quart bottle full to replenish from as evaporation diminished the supply they had imbibed. Their mouths were full of cursing, bitterness, and obscenity. Their foul dialect, employed for the purpose of irritating their clerical fellow- NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 49 passengers, was very annoying. Once or twice a stern rep- rimand rose to the lips of the writer, and it was almost half uttered, but at a signal from the bishop it was repressed. After a while one of the drunkards fell off into a condition of insensibility. The other became silent. At length the bishop very kindly inquired of him whether his mother were still liv- ing. He very eagerly answered that she was. Another ques- tion, "Is your mother a praying woman?" " 0, yes." " Do you think she is praying for you every day?" With deep feeling the answer came, " I have no doubt of it." Finding that he had struck a chord that vibrated, the bishop con- tinued, " Do you suppose your mother knows the kind of life you are leading?" The sensibilities of the dissipated youth were stirred, the fountains of tears were unsealed, and, with sobs and flowing tears, the young man replied that " he would not have her know it for the world." The subject was followed up by the bishop with an earnest, feeling exhortation, which was apparently well received. The day passed away. We lodged at an Indian camp, and the next morning parted with our whiskey-bloated fellow-passen- gers. The bishop has probably never seen those men since ; but the seed he sowed there by the wayside brought forth its harvest in God's own good time, as the writer learned more than ten years afterwards. In October, 1864, as I was coming down the Upper Columbia in a splendid steamer, one of perhaps a hundred passengers, a well-dressed, respectable- looking gentleman introduced himself to me, informing me that he was the young man to whom the bishop put those searching but kindly questions in the canoe, in March, 1854, and that that interview had been made a life-long blessing to him, " for," said he, " I have drank no more whiskey ; I have led a sober, industrious life ; I have a respectable family ; I have amassed a competence, and I am trying to live a reli- gious life." He ascribed it all, under God's blessing, to the faithfulness of the good bishop. Rev. T. H. Pearne. 7 50 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. "HOW DO YOU TREAT MY MASTER?" The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. Matthew 10 : 24. DR. PAYSON was once going to one of the towns in Maine for the purpose of attending a ministers' meeting, accom- panied by a friend, when they had occasion to call at a house on the journey, where Dr. Payson was unknown. The family had just sat down to tea, and the lady of the house, in the spirit of genuine hospitality, invited the strangers to partake of the social repast. Dr. Payson at first declined, but being strenuously urged, he consented. As he took his seat, he in- quired if a blessing had been asked ; and being answered in the negative, requested the privilege, which was readily granted, of invoking the benediction of Heaven. This was done with so much fervor, solemnity, and simplicity, that it had the happiest effect. The old lady treated the company with the utmost attention, and as Dr. Payson was about to leave, he said to her, " Madam, you have treated me with much hospitality and kindness, for which I thank you sin- cerely ; but allow me to ask, how do you treat my Master ? That is of infinitely greater consequence than how you treat me." He continued in a strain of appropriate- exhortation, and having done his duty in the circumstances, proceeded on his journey. This visit was sanctified to the conversion of the lady and her household. The revival continued in the neighborhood, and in a short time a church was built, and the regular ordinances of religion established. . A RELIGION THAT CAN BE DESPISED. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. Matthew 10 : 38. FTUIE late Dr. Harris, of Dumbarton, walking out one day in J_ one of the large villages of a neighboring state, met one of the champions of Universalism. It was General P- , the leader and main supporter of the large Universalist NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 51 society which had for years existed in that place. He was a high-minded man, quite wealthy, and very influential, hav- ing a good deal of general information and considerable skill in argument, which last he did not hesitate to use whenever and wherever opportunities were presented. He and Dr. Harris were personally strangers j but knowing something of each other by reputation, they readily introduced themselves. The general very soon lifted up his standard, and began his war of words, not doubting but that, though he might fail to convince his opponent, he should at least show him that he was no ordinary combatant, but knew well on what ground he stood, and how to wield the sword of sectarian warfare to good advantage. The doctor heard him through ; then calmly turned to him, and said, " General P , it is of no use for us to contend. We shall not probably convince each other by arguments ever so protracted. But there is one thing in relation to this matter which deserves consideration. It is this : I can treat your religion just as I please ; I can turn from it, as an utter abomination ; I can despise it ; I can spit on it, and trample it under my feet ; and yet, after all, I SHALL BE SAVED shan't I, General P ?" The general, of course, was obliged to assent, or give up the doctrine. There was no room for evasion. " But/ 7 added the doctor, while the general was writhing at the contempt thus thrown upon his gods, " it will not do for you to- treat my religion so. If you do, YOU ARE A LOST MAN ! " This was enough ; nothing more was said. A religious system that can thus be despised with impunity, is evidently not from God, and therefore unworthy the faith or confidence of men. A MARTYR OF THE ROMAN COLISEUM. He that findeth his life shall lose it : and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it. Matthew 10 : 39. ONE of the martyrs of the Coliseum was Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch. While the Emperor Trajan was visiting that city, he heard of the faith and zeal of this minister of Christ, and offered him a reward if he would sacrifice to the Roman 52 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. gods. He replied, " Should you offer me all the treasures of your empire, I would not cease to adore the only true and living God.' 7 Ignatius was threatened, and when this had no effect, he was summoned to Rome. On his way to the imperial city, he was met everywhere by Christian friends whom he encouraged to persevere, and who in turn strength- ened his heart in his purpose not to shrink from any suffering for the sake of Christ. He besought the disciples at Rome not to intercede for his life, expressing his perfect willingness to meet the wild beasts, and thus to prove his love to his divine Master. When brought into the amphitheater, he thus addressed the assembled multitude who were eager to witness his death: "Men and Romans, know that I am not brought here for any crime, but for the glory of the God I worship ; " and the words were scarcely fallen from his lips, when the lions were let loose upon him, and tore him in pieces. An ancient tradition relates that Ignatius, when a child, was one of those whom the Saviour took in his arms and blessed, say- ing, " Suffer little children to come unto me/' &c. LEAST IN THE- KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. . Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of iromen there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist : notwithstanding, he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. Matthew 11 : 11. HE who is least in the kingdom of heaven, is not the one who has least piety, or the least faith, but the one who is least, or humblest in rank or in gifts, while the whole analogy of the comparison supposes him to have maturely attained the light and privilege of Christ's kingdom. John was more honored in official rank, and knew more of Christ, than any of the prophets ; but here is one, in the kingdom of heaven, of humblest capacity and rank, not called to be a prophet, who has entered into the fullness of Christ's doc- trine and dispensation. Few there are, and have been, in the world's history, as compared with the multitude of nominal believers, who have received by faith and assimilated into their character by experience, the fullness of their dispensa- NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 53 tions. Enoch did it when ho " walked with God." Abraham did it when " faith wrought with his works, and by works his faith was made perfect/' It was then he saw " Christ's day and was glad." Moses did it when he received the law, and when he beheld the glory of Jehovah. John entered into the spiritual depths of redemption, as his gospel and epistles show. Such like characters represented the light, knowledge, and glory of their times, not by their extraordinary gifts, but by their faith, and were more precious in the sight of God than all the gifts of miracles that ever were delegated to man. Rev. F. G. HMard, D. D. PREACH POINTEDLY, AND TO SAVE. But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for thee. Matthew 11 : 24. IN one of the battles of Philip, king of Macedon, an arrow struck his eye and put it out. He picked it up, and found it inscribed with the words, " To Philip's eye" An archer, whose arm was so sure that he could mark his arrows with their destination with a certainty that they would reach it, had aimed at the eye of the king, and his arrow had reached its point. Such should be the certain aim of the ministers of Christ. There are arrows in the quiver of the Almighty for every class of our race. The minister of the gospel should select and send them to their destination with the precision of the archer to the king's eye. When the bold blasphemer enters the house of God, a pointed arrow should reach him, dipped in the spirit of rebuke from the Almighty. So when the humble penitent enters the sanctuary seeking peace, an arrow should be ready prepared by God's mercy, and dipped in the blood of Christ. 54 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. MORAL INSTINCTS, OR SOUL POWERS. At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these tilings from the wise and pru- dent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Matthew 11 : 25. IT is not to be supposed that God should give to man power through the senses to know material things, and not give to him moral instincts, or soul-powers, by which he may know his Creator, and enjoy his favor. Knowledge through the senses is the lowest form of sentient life. It belongs to brutes, as well as to men ; and is" often found in greater perfec- tion in the lower order of animals than in man. Sight, hear- ing, and smelling are senses enjoyed by beasts and birds, far beyond human powers in those departments. But man is en- dowed with another class of powers not found in the brute creation, such as soul-poWers, or moral instincts, which an- swer in man,, but in a higher degree, what is instinct in brutes. These moral instincts are to be exercised by the soul in finding its way back to God, through those channels of instruction and enlightenment which God has mercifully given to us. As the physical man does not hear with his eyes, nor see with his ears, nor feel by smell or taste, so, in threading back the path of departure, till he shall find God, and repose in the light of his favor, man does not rest upon his intellect, judgment, or understanding; but the moral in- stincts cry for peace, and rest in the living God. In the lower order of animals, instinct leads them to carry out the design of their Creator for their greatest good. Moral instincts in man turn their soul-powers towards God, as the soul's only satisfying portion. This spiritual sense is sometimes called " conviction," which means that these soul-powers are stirred to unusual activity. If a man should put out his own eyes, and then hope to see with his ears, he would seek a result God will not allow through such a channel. When man ignores his moral sense, and throws himself upon the intellections and understanding of his mind-nature, he will be as far from finding peace to his soul as he who should substitute his ears for seeing, after hav- NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 55 ing voluntarily destroyed his eyes. The Holy Ghost comes into the sepulchre of the soul through this door of moral sense, and calls these powers to " come forth." Till such moral resur- rection, the soul is said to be " dead in trespasses and in sins ; " but when revived, and exercised in humbly trusting in God, a knowledge of spiritual and divine things is possessed which is never reached by purely intellectual efforts. This explains a fact widely known, why so many, though ignorant in the learning of the schools, do possess a knowledge of God, and spiritual things, that mere intellectual scholars never loam. This fact helps us to understand those words of our Lord, when he said, " I thank" thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes." (Matt. 11 : 25.) Not hidden by any arbitrary decree on the part of God, but only hidden, as hearing is hidden from the eye, or light from the ear ; God's method of reaching the soul being through the moral sense, and not through the intellect. The worldly wise not using moral senses for moral results. DR. HALL'S TRACT, "COME TO JESUS." Come unto me, all ye that labor, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11 : 28. DR. NEWMAN HALL'S account of the origin of this tract, as narrated by a correspondent of the "Sunday School Times, is as follows : " While in Hull, attending a missionary meeting, I accepted an invitation to dine at the house of a wealthy merchant, a friend of missions and reform. When the feast was ended and the cloth removed, as I do not drink wine or smoke, I withdrew, and, in company with a friend, went on the street to see something of the masses, and if opportunity offered, to speak to them of Jesus. We turned down an alley, and soon found a crowd, whose attention we attracted by singing the familiar hymn, ' Come to Jesus,' in which they joined heartily. Taking these words, l Come to Jesus/ for a text, I asked, 'Who is Jesus? 7 'He is God. 56 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. He is man.' i Where is Jesus ? ' ' He is in heaven. He is here.' Thus familiarly I talked to them of the Saviour, and they listened attentively. Returning to my room, I jotted down the eight or nine points of my simple talk ; and, reflect- ing upon the deep impression it seemed to have made upon my street audience, I embodied my rough notes in a sermon, during the week, which I preached to my people the follow- ing Sabbath. Soon after I was prostrated by a severe illness, from which for a time it was thought I could not recover. What shall I leave behind me if I die? I asked myself, de- spondingly. Only a tract on Temperance. I wish I could leave more than that one tract, and I will, if God should spare my life. It was his good pleasure that I should recover, and during my convalescence the tract was written, and it proved a pleasant work for leisure hours. When ready for the press, I ordered an edition of two thousand copies, which was soon exhausted ; then ten thousand were issued ; then fifty thousand followed, and soon one hundred thousand. Missionaries all over the world translated it into other languages, and now it is read in as many languages as the Bible. In England alone one million arid a quarter copies have been circulated, and, including America, two million in all. There is not," he con- tinued, " much of man in it, for it did not cost great intellect- ual effort ; but it contains only the simple truths of the gospel, and it is such means that God often blesses in a wonderful FOR, OR AGAINST, CHRIST. He that is not with me is against me ; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. Matthew 12 : 30. DURING the remarks of Mr. Farwell, at a meeting in the Howard Street Methodist Church, he related the follow- ing incident of himself: About a dozen years ago, a Christian young man of his acquaintance came into his store, and said that he and a number of fellow-Christians had appointed a prayer-meeting for the evening, and each one had promised to" bring with him one of his inipi'iiiu-nt friends. He then NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 57 said that, in fulfillment of his part of the obligation, he had come to ask Mr. Farwell to accompany him to the meeting. As he, Mr. Farwell, was himself at that time a professor of religion, the invitation did not afford him a great deal of pleasure. It set him to reflecting, however, and, in thinking, he came to the conclusion that if his life so far had been such us to give, to those who knew him, the impression that he was still among the u impenitent," it was time for him to be wak- ing up, and to be more active in the cause of his Saviour. The result, to those acquainted with him, is well known. He now, though having the management of a large mercantile business, finds time to do a great deal, by personal effort, for the spirit- ual interest of his fellow-men. He told the writer that he visited the Bridewell at Chicago which answers to the sta- tion-house or city prison here as often as once a week, to distribute tracts to the prisoners, and to talk to them about eternal things ; and when he is abroad, he does not hesitate to show his colors, and make himself known as a soldier of the cross. This is what every Christian ought to do ; but we very much fear that there are many in the church who give but little evidence, by their lives, that they are not yet among the " impenitent," and who need something like this to bring them to a sense of their condition. SIN AGAINST THE HOLY GHOST. Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be for- given unto men : but the blasphemy against the Hol^ Ghost shall not be forgiven^unto men. Matthew 12 : 31. THE late Rev. Herman Norton records the following affect- ing instance. Often have I listened to its recital from his own lips. " An aged procrastinator, taking the servant of God by the hand, said, < Sir, do you think there is any mercy in heaven for a man who has sinned more than eighty years ? ' " < There is mercy/ I replied, < for those who repent of sin, and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.' 58 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. " Stjll pressing my hand, while tears were flowing down his wrinkled cheeks, and his frame trembling, he more earnestly renewed his inquiry : { My dear sir, do you believe that God will forgive a man who has rebelled against him eighty-one years in this world ? ' Before a word was uttered in reply, he cried out, in agony, 1 1 know I shall not be forgiven ! I shall die in my sins ! ' " This caused me to ask how he knew, or what induced him to believe, that God would never have mercy on him. " He replied, ' I will tell you, and disclose what I have never uttered to any human being. When I was twenty-one, I was awakened to feel that I was a sinner. I was then intimate with a number of young men, and was ashamed to have them know that I was anxious for my soul: For five or six weeks I read my Bible, and prayed every day in secret. Then I said in my heart one day, I will put this subject off until I am married and settled in life, and then I will attend to my soul's salva- tion. But I knew that I was doing wrong. " ' After I was settled in the world, I thought of the resolu- tion I had made, and of my solemn promise to God then to make my peace with him ; but, as I had no disposition to do so, I again said in my heart, I will put off this subject ten years, and then prepare to die. " t The time came, and I remembered my promise ; but I had no special anxiety about my salvation. Then did I again postpone and resolve that if God would spare me through another term of years, I would certainly attend to the con- cerns of my soul. God spared me, but I lived on in my sins ; and now I see my awful situation. I am lost. " 1 1 believe that I sinned against the Holy Ghost when I was twenty-one, and that I have lived sixty years since'my day of grace was past. I know that I shall not be forgiven.' " When asked if I should pray for him, he replied, < Yes ; but it will do no good.' So fearfully certain was he of de- struction i He continued in this state for weeks and months. All attempts to urge him to accept of salvation were in vain ; this blighting sentiment was ever first in his thoughts : ' It will do no good.' His feelings were not contrition or repent- ance for sin, but the anticipation of wrath to come. And in this state he died." NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 59 LIFE PRINTING ITSELF. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. Matthew 12 : 36. OUR lives, whether good or bad, aro printed thoughts, words, and deeds, for eternity. By the discoveries of modern science, the rays of the sun are made to form the exact portrait' of him on whom they shine. We are all living in the sunlight of eternity, which is transferring to plates more enduring than brass, the exact portrait of the soul in every successive act with all its attend- ant circumstances. Interesting to the antiquary is the moment when he drags out from the sands of Egypt some obelisk on which the " pen of iron, and the point of a diamond," have graven the portraits, the attitudes, the dresses, and the pursuits of men who lived and died three thousand years ago. But none can utter the in- terest of that moment, when from the silence of eternity shall be brought out tablets thick set with the sculptured history of a sinful soul, and men and angels, with the sinner himself, shall gaze appalled on the faithful portraiture of a life of sin. Remember, then, transgressor, you must meet the record of your sin in eternity ! Reader, a stain on thy character, though not of flagrant complexion, though it may have been made under many palli- ating circumstances a stain, trivial though it may appear in the view of the world, must stand on the page of thy history for ever. A stain on thy character will not only have a bear- ing on thy whole future welfare, but it may help to form the grand result that shall be made out at the judgment. THE PEN OF HEAVEN. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. Matthew 12 : 37. THE most common action of life its every day, its every hour is invested with solemn grandeur, when we think it extends its issues into eternity. Our hands are now sowing 60 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. seed for that great harvest. We shall meet again all we are doing, or have done. The graves shall give up their dead, and from the tombs of oblivion the past shall give up all that it holds in keeping to be witness for or against us. 0, think of that ! In yonder hall of the Inquisition see what its effect on us should be. Within those blood-stained walls one is under examination. He has been assured that nothing he re- veals shall be written for the purpose of being used against him. While making frank and ingenuous confession, he sud- denly stops. . He is dumb a mute. They ply him with questions, flatter him, threaten him ; he answers not a word. Danger makes the senses quick. His ear has caught the sound : he listens ; he ties his tongue ; a curtain hangs beside him, and behind it he hears a pen running along the pages. The truth flashes. Behind that screen a scribe sits, com- mitting to the fatal page every word he says, and he shall meet it again on the day of trial. Ah ! how solemn to think that there is such a pen going in heaven, and entering on the books of judgment all we say or wish, all we think or do. Would to God we heard it ! What a check ! and what a stimulus ! Are we about to sin ? how strong a curb ; if slow to duty, how sharp a spur. What a motive to pray for the blood that blots out a guilty past, and for such grace, as, in time to come, shall enable us to walk in God's statutes, to keep his commandments, to do them. " Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men." Dr. Guthrie. A CHRISTIAN QUEEN. The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this genera- tion, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon ; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here. Matthew 12 : 42. WILLIAM IV. expired, about midnight, at Windsor Palace. The Archbishop of Canterbury, with other peers and hiii-li functionaries of the kingdom, were in attendance. As soon as the " scepter had departed " with the last breath of NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 61 the king, the archbishop quitted Windsor Castle, and made his way with all possible speed to Kensington Palace, the res- idence, at that time, of the princess already by the law of succession queen Victoria. He arrived long before daylight, announced himself, and requested an immediate interview with the princess. She hastily attired herself, and met the venerable prelate in her ante-room. He informed her of the death of William, and formally announced to her that she was, in law and right, successor to the deceased monarch. The sovereign of the most powerful nation at the feet of a girl of eighteen ! She was, de jure, queen of the only realm, in fact or history, on which the " sun never sets." She was deeply agitated at the formidable words, so fraught with blessing or calamity, and the first words she was able to utter were these, " I ask your prayers in my behalf." CARES OF THIS WORLD. He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulncss of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. Matthew 13 : 22. THE good seed of God's word often falls on the ground already pre-occupied with thorns ; the cares of this world .and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it is unfruitful. God intended business to be a thing which we should LIVE BY, not a thing we should LIVE FOR. If men would but use it as God intended it, there would be less of that care which quenches or hinders the religious life. But when thought, interest, energy- are concentrated with all their force on this one thing, it takes possession of the whole of our na- ture ; it rules us, enslaves us, and resolutely shuts out every competing subject, very especially shuts out that which de- mands to be chief and controller of all. " My son, give me thine heart,'' says the great Father ; but the heart is already given to the world, and cannot get free ; yea, is so thoroughly absorbed in worldly care that it hardly hears the loving re- quest so graciously made. " Seek first the kingdom of God 62 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. and his righteousness," says the Saviour, but the command is received too late ; they are already seeking the things of the world, and all the strength and richness of their nature are drawn to that which soon, very soon, must perish. They do not always gain what they thus earnestly seek after, and then they lose both worlds. But, 0, if they succeed in their quest, what shall it profit if they gain the whole world and lose their own soul ! NOT SAVED. Let both grow together until the harvest : and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them : but gather the wheat into my barn. Matthew 13 : 30. harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved ! " Such are the words which the weeping prophet Jeremiah put in the mouth of a " disobedient and gainsaying people." To us it seems strange that summer should be mentioned after the harvest, but this may be easily explained. In Palestine the autumnal rains begin to fall the last of October. This is the seed-time. Grain usually matures in May, which is therefore the time of harvest. Later, and during the summer, occurs the fig harvest. This, then, is the passage plainly expressed : " The grain harvest is past, the fig harvest is also ended, and we are not- saved." The picture in all its sad beauty is this : The grain has been sown, the early rain has fallen, winter is over, the latter rain has also fallen, and the grain has matured. The reapers have entered the field, and gathered much into the garner but not all ! The fig harvest too ha.s come and is ended, but many remain ungathered. Here and there stalks of grain in the open field, and figs upon the leafless trees, remain, un- sheltered and alone, when the harvesters have completed their work ! These, when they find themselves left behind un- saved, lift up their voices with the mournful cry, " The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved ! " NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 63 REMARKABLE FACTS. Another parable spake lie unto them : The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened. Matthew 13 : 33. CHRISTIANITY began its progress at Jerusalem. At the VJ expiration of forty days after the death of Christ, it num- bered about one hundred and twenty followers ; immediately after, three thousand ; and soon after, five thousand more ; and, in little less than two years, great multitudes at Jerusalem only, as well as throughout Judea. Mohammed was three years occupied in making fourteen converts, and those too of his own family ; and proceeded so slowly at Mecca, where he had no established religion to contend with, that in the sev- enth year, when he was compelled to flee to Medina, only eighty-three men and eighteen women retired to Ethiopia. Within a century from the time of the ascension, Christianity, without any aid but that of preaching, pervaded not merely Syria and Libya, Egypt and Arabia, Persia, and Mesopotamia ; not merely Asia Minor, Armenia, and Parthia, but a large por- tion of Europe. Islam, on the contrary, had no considerable success, until -it achieved it by the sword ; and when it ceased to use the sword in making proselytes, its progress was at once arrested. We then ask the infidel, To what was this remarkable progress of Christianity owing ? Not, certainly, to the rank or power of its author ; he passed the greater part of his life in obscurity, working as an artisan, and the residue as a wandering teacher ; and at last was publicly executed as a malefactor. Not to the learning or influence of his follow- ers ; they were fishermen and publicans. Not to the sword ; he employed none, 'except "the sword of the spirit." Not to the aid of government ; for both Jews and Romans were banded together to destroy it. Not to the hopes of wealth, honor, or power ; for its author very frankly told those who became his followers, " My kingdom is not of this world ; " and taught them to expect not merely contempt and persecution, but the loss of all things, even of life. Not to its flattery of the human character ; for it expressly declares, " Except a 64 A'EW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Not to any license given to sensual indulgence ; for the language of its author was, " If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me." Not to the hopes of a sensual heaven ; " Into that city nothing shall enter that defileth." Not to a blind credulity ; for many, who embraced Christianity during the first two centuries, were men of distinguished talents, and enlightened minds ; and all, who cordially embraced it, became men of a virtuous charac- ter. We then repeat the question to the infidel, " Why did the religion of one who was publicly executed between two thieves ; of one who was without friends, without influence, and without power ; a religion which flattered no one, which exposed its followers to the loss of all things in this world, which required self-denial and self-renunciation, and offered no reward in the future world but holiness, why did it im- mediately pervade the city and region where he wg,s thus ex- ecuted, and in a little period, all the surrounding world ? If the infidel attributes it to miracles merely, he renounces his infidelity. If he admits that it was owing to the inherent evi- dence of its truth and its divine origin, he does the same ; and if he denies both, he asserts a far greater miracle, in the progress of Christianity under these circumstances, than any, or than all those which he disowns. A SON THAT PREACHED HIS FATHER'S FUNERAL SERMON. But the tares are the children of the wicked one ; the enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers. are the angels. Mattheiv 13 : 38, 39. T ATE in the winter of 1872, a Mr. P., who had been in Jj other years a Christian and a minister of the gospel, but who had been deposed from the ministry, and expelled from the church of which he was a member, for acts of immorality, and having taken up Universalism as better suited to his char- acter, advertised to preach on a Sabbath evening at South Shaftsbury, Vt, on " The Death of the Devil." In the afternoon NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 65 of the same day, Rev. S. W. Clemans, of the Troy Confer- ence, preached in the same church, it being one of his reg- ular appointments. After the preaching, Mr. Clemans said to the congregation, with great solemnity, " I understand there is to be a funeral in this church this evening, the peculiar feature of which is, a son is to preach his father's funeral ser- mon. The relatives are requested to take seats in the body pews of the church." In the evening the sermon came off, aocording to appointment ; only a few, however, of " the rela- tives " occupied the designated pews. The notice, as given by Mr. Clemans, was a pointed but just rebuke to one who had left the service -of God, and had accepted service in the work of the devil ; " strengthening the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life." (Ezek. 13 : 22.) In the Scriptures, the term children describe natural relations, and moral resemblances. Hence our Lord said of certain wicked persons, " Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do." (John 8 : 44.) Good persons are said to be " children ofGod" (1 John 3 : 10), while bad persons .are called " the children of the wicked -one." When a person does the work of " the wicked one," .in oppos- ing the truth and work of God, when he uses his might against the cause of the Lord Jesus, and seeks to turn away souls from Christ, we have the example of our Lord for caUing such " children of the devil." Great will be the condemnation of such, who, in this age of gospel light and truth, accept the old falsehood of Satan to Eve, " Ye shall not surely die," and teach others so. PEARL OF GREAT PRICE. Who, when, he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that lie had, and bought it. Matthew 13 : 4G. A WEALTHY lady of Java, having married an English mer- -LJL chant, went to England to reside. She was unacquainted with the language, the customs and manners of the country. She amused herself playing with her children, and decking her- self with her jewels and pearls, of which she had a large and 9 66 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. costly collection. Her Scotch nurse being one day in her room, she said to her in broken English : " Nurse, this poor place poor place." " Why, madam ? " said the nurse. " We look out of the window," replied the lady, " and see no woman in the street all covered with diamonds and pearls, as in my country." The nurse replied, " We have a pearl in this coun- try, a i Pearl of great price.' ; The Javanese lady caught her words with great eagerness and surprise. " Have you, in- deed ? that my husband was come home ! He buy me this pearl; me part with all my pearls when he come home, to get this pearl of so great price." " 0," said the nurse, " this pearl is not to wear. It is not to be had in the way you think. They who have it are at peace with God, and are truly happy." " Indeed," said the lady, " what can this pearl be ? " " The pearl," said the nurse, " is the Lord Jesus Christ, who came into the world to save sinners. All who truly believe in him, have Christ in their hearts, and are truly happy. So precious is Jesus to them, that they count all things loss for the excel- lence of the knowledge of Jesus Christ their Lord." It pleased God -to bless these words of the nurse to her mistress's spir- itual good. By these few words, applied by the spirit of God, she got a believing view of Christ, in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, and with this view of Christ, this world's gems ceased to shine and attract, just as the stars lose their brightness in the rising sunlight of day. Some time after the lady died, and on her death-bed she de- sired that her jewels might be sold, and the value realized go towards sending the knowledge of the Pearl of Great Price to those in far off countries who have it not. SCRIPTURE TRANSCRIBERS. Then said ho unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven, is like unto a man that is an householder, which bring- eth forth out of his treasure tilings new and old. Matthew 13 : 52. I N transcribing the sacred writings, it has been a constant rule with the Jews, that whatever is considered as corrupt NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 67 shall not be used, but shall be burnt, or otherwise destroyed. A book of the law, wanting but one letter, with one letter too much, or with an error in one single letter, written with any- thing but ink, or written on parchment made of the hide of an unclean animal, or on parchment not properly prepared for that use, or prepared by any but Israelites, or on skins of parchment tied together by unclean strings, shall be holden to be corrupt ; that no word shall be written without a line first drawn on the parchment, no word written by heart, or without having been pronounced orally by the writer ; that before he writes the name of God he shall wash his pen ; that no letter shall be joined to another ; and that if the blank parchment cannot be seen all around each letter, the roll shall be corrupt. There are certain rules for the length and breadth of each sheet, and for the space to be left between each letter, each word, and each section. Even to this day, it is an obligation on the persons who copy the sacred writing of the syna- gogues, to observe them. Selected. CHRYSOSTOM'S ELOQUENCE. For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for lierodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife. Matthew 14 : 3. fT)HE following bursts of eloquence from Chrysostom, when he JL was sentenced to banishment, are a good specimen of the style of this " silver-tongued " preacher : " What can I fear ? Will it be death ? But you know that Christ is my life, and that I shall gain by death. Will it be exile ? But the earth and all its fullness is the Lord's. Will it be the loss of wealth ? But we brought nothing into the world, and can carry nothing out. Thus all the terrors of the world are contemptible in my eyes, and I smile at all its good things. Poverty I do not fear. Riches I do not sigh for. Death I do not shrink from, and life I do not desire, save only for the progress of your souls. But you know, my friends, the true cause of my fall. It is that I have not lined my house with rich tapestry. It is that I have not clothed me in robes of silk. It is that I have not flattered the 68 HEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. effeminacy and sensuality of certain men, nor laid gold and silver at their feet. But why need I say more ? Jezebel is raising her persecution, and Elias must fly. Herodias is taking her pleasure, and John must be bound in chains. The Egyptian wife tells her lie, and Joseph must Jbe thrust into prison. And so if they banish me, I shall be like Elias ; if they throw me into the mire, like Jeremiah ; if they plunge me into the sea, like the prophet Jonah ; if into the pit, like Daniel ; if they stone me, it is Stephen that I shall resemble ; John the fore- runner, if they cut off my head ; Paul, if they beat me with stripes ; Isaiah, if they saw me asunder." ACKNOWLEDGING GOD IN EATING. And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. Matthew 14 : 19. AN English ship-of-war once touched at one of the ports of the Sandwich Islands, when the captain gave a dinner to the royal family and several of the chiefs. The table was spread upon the quarter-deck, and loaded with viands and del- icacies of all kinds. After the company were seated, and everything was ready, the islanders seemed unwilling to be- gin. The captain could not understand them, and thought the hesitation arose from a fear to partake of such entertainment. He assured them it was such as they might enjoy, but still they refused to begin. A pious steward, guessing the cause of the delay, whispered, " They are waiting for the blessing, sir." " Ask it, then," said the captain. The steward did so, in a very earnest and simple manner. No sooner was this done than the royal party and the chiefs did ample justice to the feast, and thus taught the English Christians a lesson how to eat to the glory of God. Some time ago a landed proprietor in the north of Scotland was visiting his tenantry, and happened to call on one of them at the dinner hour. The farmer, a pious man, was seated with his wife and family at the dinner table, and was just about to begin their frugal meal. Apologizing NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 69 for his intrusion at such an unseasonable hour, the landlord very familiarly urged his tenant to go on with his dinner, and he would wait. The tenant, with much earnestness, asked a blessing. After dinner, and when the landlord left, he said to himself, " I stand reproved. Here is a poor man, with his simple fare, thanking God for it, and praying for the bread of life, while I, with every necessary and luxury that can be desired, have never once acknowledged God's goodness in his gifts." His conscience smote him. He could visit no more that day. His mind was led to think over his state, and be- coming alarmed as to his condition before God, was led to seek for mercy and grace. He found the blessing, and now lives to advance the interests of the Redeemer's kingdom. "IT IS I." But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer ; it is I ; be not afraid. Matthew 14 : 27. LORD, it is thou ! and I can walk Upon the heaving sea Firm in a vexed, unquiet way, Because I come to thee. If thou art all I hope to gain, And all I fear to miss, There is a highway for my heart Through rougher seas than this. These waters would not hold me up If thou wert not my end ; But whom thou callest to thyself Even winds and waves defend. Our very peril shuts us in To thy supporting care ; We venture on the awful deep, And find our courage there. It shall be strength howe'er it tend The bidding sweet and still TO NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. Which draws to one ennobling love And one benignant will. Most precious when it most demands, It brings that cheering cry Across the rolling tide of life " Take heart ! for it is I." Forth from some narrow, frail defense, Some rest thyself below, Some poor content with less than all, My soul is called to go. Yes, I will come ! I will not wait An outward calm to see ; And, my glory, be thou great Even in the midst of me. "LORD, SAVE ME." But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid ; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. Matthew 14 : 30. A MINISTER asked the maid of an inn in the Netherlands if she prayed to God. She replied, she had scarce time to eat, how should she have time to pray ? 'He promised to give her a little money, if, on his return, she could assure him she. had meanwhile said three words of prayer, night and morning. Only three words and a reward, led her to make him the promise. He then solemnly ga-ve her the following words to repeat : " Lord, save me ! " For a fortnight she said the words unmeaningly ; but one night she wondered what they meant, and why he bade her repeat them. God put it into her heart to look at the Bible, and see if it would tell her. She liked some verses where she opened so well, that the next morning she looked again, and so on. When the good man went back, he asked the landlord for her, as a stranger served him. " 0, sir ! she got too good for my place, and lives with the minister 1 " He went to see her ; and so soon as she saw him at the door, she cried, " Is it you, you blessed man ? I jJ^IBS^ f?S NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 71 shall thank God through all eternity that I ever saw you. I want not the money : I have reward enough for saying those words ! " She then described how salvation by Jesus Christ was taught her by the Bible, in answer to this prayer. JESUS SWIFT TO SAVE. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt ? Matthew 14 : 31. rPHE Arabian gazelle is swift as the wind. If it get but one J_ glimpse of the hunter, it puts many crags between. Solo- mon, four or five times, compares Christ to an Arabian gazelle (calling it by another name) when he says, "My Moved is like a roe." The difference is, that the roe speeds the other way ; Jesus speeds this. Who but Christ could have been quick enough to help Peter, when the water-pavement broke ? Who but Christ could have been quick enough to help the Duke of Argyle, when, in his dying moment, he cried, " Good cheer ! I could die like a Roman, but I mean to die like a Christian. Come away, gentlemen. He who goes first, goes cleanest"? I had a friend who stood by the rail-track at Carlisle, Penn./when the ammunition had given out at Antie- tam ; and he saw the train from Harrisburg, freighted with shot and shell, as it went thundering down toward the battle-field. He said that it stopped not for any crossing. They put down the brakes for no grade. They held up for no peril. The wheels were on fire with the speed as they dashed past. If the train did not come up in time with the ammunition, it might as well not come at all. So, my friends, there are times in our lives when we must have help immediately or perish. The grace that comes too late is no grace at all. What you and I want is a God now. ! is it not blessed to think that God is always in such quick pursuit of his dear children ? T. De Witt Talmage. 72 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. CHRIST THE SON OF GOD. Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God. Matthew 14 : 33. THEN they that were in the ship came and worshiped him, saying, Of a truth, thou art the Son of God. (Matt. 14 : 33.) And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. (Matt. 16 : 16.) Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. (Mark 1 : 11.) And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee : therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee, shall be called the Son of God. (Luke 1 : 35.) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only -begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16.) He that believeth not is condemned already, be- cause he hath not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God. (18.) And we believe, and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God. (John 6 : 69.) The God of our fathers hath glorified his Son Jesus ; whom ye de- livered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go. (Acts 3 : 13.) Unto you first, God having raised up his Son Jesus, sent hkn to bless you. (26.) Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh ; and de- clared to be the Son of (Grod with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. (Rom. 1 : 3.) For if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son ; much more being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. (Rom. 5: 10.) God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh. (Rom. 8 : 3.) He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? (32.) But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 73 hearts, crying, Abba, Father. (Gal. 4:4-6.) And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. (1 Thess. '1:10.) PLANTS THAT SHALL BE ROOTED UP. But he answered and said, Every plant which my heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted up. Matthew 15 : 13. HAYING occasion to go into the cellar, Gotthold found a turnip, which had been left by accident, and had vege- tated and sent forth long and slender shoots. These, however, were unnaturally of a pale yellow color, and therefore unfit for use. Here, thought he, I have the 'type of a human under- taking from which God withholds his blessing, and which must, therefore, necessarily miscarry. This plant wants sunshine and open air, without which it cannot thrive, and so it grows in weakness for a little, and then withers and dies. It is the same with all our acts and enterprises, which are not irradiated by the grace of God, nor fostered by his blessing. According to the words of the Saviour, " Every plant, which my Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up." We imagine our faith, our charity, our patience, to be of the most luxuriant growth, although, perhaps, they are of the sickliest kind. " Experience makes able men ; the cross, good Christians." This plant was never shone on by the sun, nor moistened by the dew, nor watered with the rain, nor shaken by the wind, nor hardened by the cold, and, therefore, it is good for nothing. In like manner the Christian, as yet not tried by prosperity and adversity, favor and affliction, must be considered unripe. Beautifully does the great and much-afflicted apostle say, " Tribulation worketh patience, and patience experience, and experience hope, and hope maketh not ashamed." 10 74 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. POWER OF A MOTHER'S PRAYER. And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought liim, saying, Send her away ; for she crieth after us. Matthew 15 : 22, 23. AN aged, pious woman had one son. She used every means in her power to lead him to the Saviour, but he grew up gay and dissipated. She still followed him with prayers and entreaties, faithfully warned him of his awful state as a sinner before God, and told him what his end would be, dying in that condition. But all seemed alike unavailing. He one day said, " Mother, let me have 'my best clothes ; I am going to a ball to-night." She expostulated with him, and urged him not to go ; but all in vain. " Mother," said he, " let me have my clothes ; I will go : it's useless to say anything about it." He put on his clothes, and was going out. She stopped him, and said, " My child, do not go." He. still persisted ; when she added, " My son, remember, when you are dancing with your companions in the ball-room, I shall be out in that wilderness, praying to the Lord to convert your soul." The youth went to the ball, and the dancing commenced ; but instead of the usual gayety, an unaccountable gloom pervaded the whole assembly. One said, " We never had so dull a meeting in our lives." Another observed, " I wish we had not come : we have no life ; we cannot get along." A third continued, " I cannot think what is the matter." The young man in ques- tion felt his conscience smitten, and, bursting into tears, said, " I know what is the matter : my poor old mother is now pray- ing in yonder wilderness for her ungodly son." He took his hat, and said, " I will never be found in such a place as this again." From that night he began to pray for mercy ; his mother's prayer was heard for his conversion, and he gave evidence that he was become a new creature in Christ Jesus. Rev. J. Young. NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 75 A MOTHER'S FAITH REWARDED. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith : be it xinto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour. Matthew J5 : 28. A VENERABLE old lady, who looked serenely happy, was JjL asked if her children were converted. " Yes," she re- plied, " all my children are members of the church of Jesus. Two of my sons, who were converted when they were only fourteen years old, are just where they ought to be, ministers of Christ." "It must be very cheering to you, madam, to know that all your children are converted," remarked her friend. " Yes/' she replied, while a beautiful and heavenly smile played round her lips. " Yes ; but I always had faith in the promises." Parents, have you such faith? Children, have you gladdened the hearts of your parents by giving your- selves to Christ ? EXPOSITION OF MATTHEW 16 : 18. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church ; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Mat- thew 1G : 18. lias been much dispute for centuries, respecting JL the meaning of our Lord, when he uttered those words, " Thou art Peter," &c. The following exposition is from the Commentary of Dr. P. D. Whedon, which is evidently a faith- ful and just explanation of the passage : " As Peter signifies stone, and as thou and thy fellow-disciples are to be the foun- dation stones of my new church, I name thee forever by that symbolical title of Peter, that is, stone. In the Syriac language, in which our Lord spoke, the word- Peter and this word rock were doubtless the same word. But they were all as truly stones, and made of rock,, as he. But as he alone spoke the verbal confession, so to him alone was addressed and belonged the verbal title which commemorated it. Indeed they are expressly called stones (Eph. 2 : 20 : Rev. 21 : 14), though the 76 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. word, in the original, lithos, is a different, without being a less expressive, word than Petros. The expression, this rock upon which I build my church, has received very different interpre- tations from the doctors of the church in various ages. The first is the construction given by the Church of Rome, and made the basis of the enormous imposture of the papacy. It affirms that the rock is Peter individually, that the commission constituted him supreme apostle, with authority inherited from him by the bishops of Rome. But first, As may be shown, not Peter alone, but each apostle, was a rock and a recipient of the keys, and all were co-equal in powers. Second, Were the authority .conveyed to Peter alone and personally, it must still be shown that this personal prerogative was among the successional attributes conferred upon him. Tnat Peter was ever bishop of Rome, is without historical foundation ; and the pretense of a succession from him by the Romish bishop is a fa- ble. Some have made the word rode designate Christ himself. They hold it to be derogatory to Christ's dignity for there to be any other foundation stone of his church than Christ him- self. They hold that our Lord said, Thou art Peter, a stone, and upon this rock (pointing to himself) I will build my church. But this is inconsistent with the laws of a natural interpretation. Others understand that the confession which Peter made was a rock. Thou art a stone, and upon this rock of truth which thou hast confessed, and upon this faith which thou hast professed, will I build my church. But Biblical language always holds men, not truths, to the foundation stones. The rock is not the doctrine, nor the confession, but the confessor. " I understand that it is the apostle himself who is the- rock ; yet not as a man, nor as a private confessor of the Saviour's Messiahship, nor as Lord of the apostolic Twelve, but as a specimen and representative of what all the twelve were. For the church is said by this same Peter (no doubt in allu- sion to this celebrated passage) to be built on the foundation of the prophets and apostles, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone. It is plain that the question which Peter answered was put to the whole twelve, and that he confessed for the whole twelve, and that the key^ which are given in NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 77 the nineteenth verse, were given to the whole. (18 : 18.) They were all Peters, or stones of the foundation, as well as he ; only he, being the first stone of the pile, bore the inscrip- tion of the name of Peter, which essentially belongs to all. This image of a rock, as Stanley remarks, may have been suggested by the rock above the town, upon which stood the temple of Caesar Augustus." In regard to the promise of our Lord, that the " gates of hell shall not prevail against it," Dr*. Whedon adds : " As the gates would be special points of attack, they were forti- fied so as to be specially impregnable. And as through the gates the whole city went in and out, there were always the concourse and the crowd. There men resorted for news, for marketing, and for proclamations. The gates became struct- ures with chambers, in which courts were held, legislation was performed, and negotiations with foreign nations trans- acted. Hence the word gate became a symbol of power and of empire. The gates of death, the gates of hell, were the powers of death or hell. Hell here is, in the original, Hades. The word properly signifies the invisible state or place of de- parted spirits, both of the righteous and the wicked. In this sense it is opposed or antithetical to the state of the living. But in a stricter or more usual sense it stands opposed to paradise, and signifies the abode of the departed wicked, for which we have no other English word than hell. The gates of hell are, therefore, the infernal powers, who from their in- visible stronghold manifest their visible hostility. The rock- built church, and the gates of hades, are thence two opposing potencies. 7 ' WHERE IS OUR SELF-DENIAL? Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. Matthew 16 : 24. A FEW years since, a pious lady was preparing for a journey. As she was making some necessary additions to her ward- robe, a friend suggested, " You will need a new silk, my dear. Your means are sufficient, and you can well afford this indul- 78 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. gence. Come, let us select one." The lady hesitated. A dress of less expensive material would answer her purpose quite as well, and with the surplus she might do much good. After some thought, the cheap material was procured, and the money which otherwise must have been expended, carefully laid aside, until, in the providence of God, it could be used for some purpose. While journeying, she met with a young man who, having the ministry in view, had entered college under circumstances somewhat embarrassing, and even now was in need of money to liquidate present liabilities. With a thank- ful heart she turned to her companion : " Now I know why I was not permitted to purchase that expensive silk/' said she ; " I can spare enough to relieve our young friend, and still go on my journey comfortably, and with a lighter heart than I could had I worn an expensive dress, and found myself un- able to respond to this call of my blessed Master." This college student is now a preacher of the gospel, and often refers to the time when he was strengthened and encouraged to go forward in the path of duty. SELLING A SOUL. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul ? Matthew 16 : 26. A GAY young lady was deeply impressed with the sense of her sinfulness, and found no peace day or night. A brother who had always shared with her in her worldly amusements, was much troubled and annoyed at her present state of mind. He tried all the shafts of ridicule and sarcasm to turn her mind away from the solemn interests of eternity. But still the conflict went on. She would not yield to his persuasions, and she felt that she could not just yet decide wholly for the Lord. At last her brother said, " Eliza, if you will give this nonsense all up, and be yourself again, I will give you five dollars." It seemed a paltry price indeed at which to sell a soul; but the sister hesitated, and even to parley with such a temptation was to give the enemy infinite NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 79 advantage. No doubt she considered that she could take the money and dismiss the subject just for this time, resuming it again whenever she chose. She took the five dollars, and her destiny was sealed. Outwardly she was little changed. She did not scoff at religion, nor oppose it in others ; but her heart was as insensible to its influence as the hardest rock. Nor did anything ever make an impression upon it afterward. She saw that beloved brother lie upon his dying-bed, and heard his agonizing entreaties that she would turn from that fearful way into which he had led her footsteps ; but she heard him perfectly unmoved. A short time afterward she also was called away, and she died as she had lived. The awakening from the frightful lethargy of soul was upon the other shore. GOB'S TESTIMONY OF APPROBATION. While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them : and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased ; hear ye him. Matthew 17 : 5. GOD adds his testimony of approbation to what was spoken of the sufferings of Christ by Moses and Elijah; thus showing that the sacrificial economy of the Old Covenant was in itself of no worth, but as it referred to the grand atonement which Jesus was about to make ; therefore he says, " In him am I well pleased ; " intimating that it was in him alone, as typified by those sacrifices, that he had delighted through the whole course of the legal administration. That it was only in reference to the death of his Son, that he accepted the offerings and oblations made to him under the Old Cove- nant. " Hear him." The disciples wished to detain Moses. and Elijah that they might hear them ; but God shows that the laio which had been in force, and the prophets which had prophesied until now, must all give place to Jesus, and he alone must now be attended to as to the Way, the Truth, and the Life ; for no man could now come unto the' Father but through him. This Transfiguration must have greatly con- firmed the disciples in the belief of a future state, and in the 80 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. doctrine of the Resurrection ; they saw Moses and Elijah still existing, though the former had been gathered to his fathers upwards of fourteen hundred years, and the latter had . been translated nearly nine hundred years. Dr. A. Clarice. PREVAILING PRAYER IN THE OLD SOUTH CHURCH. Howbcit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting. Matthew 17:21. THE great fire in Boston having spared the Old South Church, it becomes more dear than ever to Bostonians, and all New England. The following incident, showing the power of prevailing prayer, is connected with the history of that church, though more than a century ago. The French Armament under the command of. Duke d'Anville, in the year 1746, consisting of forty ships of war, was destined for the destruction of New England ; had sailed from Chebucto in Nova Scotia for that purpose ; but was itself destroyed in the following manner : The godly men in Boston being apprised of their danger, and feeling that their only safety was in God, had appointed a day of fasting and prayer to be observed in all their churches. While Rev. Mr. Prince was officiat- ing in this Old South Church, on this fast day, and praying most earnestly to God to avert the dreaded calamity, a sud- den gust of wind arose (till now the day had been perfectly clear and calm), so violent as to cause a loud clattering of the windows. The pastor paused in his prayer, and looked round upon the congregation with a countenance of hope, then re- commenced his prayer with great devotional ardor, supplicat- ing Almighty God to cause that wind to frustrate the object of the enemy, and save the country from conquest and popery. A tempest ensued in which the greater part of the French fleet was wrecked on the coast of Nova Scotia. Duke d'An- ville, the principal general, and the second in command, both committed suicide. Many died with disease, and thou- sands were consigned to a watery grave. The small number that survived returned to France, without health and without spirits. The enterprise was abandoned, and never again re- sumed. Arvine's Cyclopedia. NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 81 TABLE OF BIBLE MONEY. Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast a hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up ; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou slialt find a piece of money : that take, and give unto them for me and thee. Matthew 17 : 27. THE following Table of Bible Money is from Professor Hitchcock's Complete Analysis of the Holy Bible. The money enumerated is reduced to United States currency, and may be relied upon as being as accurate as it is possible to determine at this distance of time. Value, nearly. $5.69 569.00 56,900.00 Denominations. Grains. Gold Shekel, ... 132 Gold Maneh, . . . 13,200 Gold Talent, . . . 1,320,000 Silver Gerah, ... 11 Silver Beka, .. . . 110 Silver Shekel, . . . 220 Silver Maneh, ... 13,200 Silver Talent, . . . . 660,000 Copper Shekel, ... 528 Copper Talent, . . . 792,000 Persian Daric, or Dram (gold), 128 Maccabasan Shekel (silver), 220 " Piece of Money " (Stater, silver), 220 Penny (Denarius, silver), . 58^- Farthing (Quadrans, copper), 42 Farthing (Assarium, copper), 84 Mite (copper), ... 21 SPEAKING OF CHRIST. And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and hecomc as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18 : 3. WHEN the famous Bishop Usher and Dr. Preston, who were very intimate friends, were talking together, after much discourse of learning and other things, the bishop would say, " Come, doctor, one word of Christ now before we part." 11 82 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. Christians, who owe their all to Christ, should be often talking of him. And surely those who know the worth of souls cannot but be concerned for their ignorant, careless neighbors ; which concernedness should put us upon doing all we can to keep out of that condition. And if there be any that are asking the way to Zion with their faces thitherward, pray tell them the way. Tell them, 1. There is but one gate into this way, and that is the strait gate of sound conversion. 2. Tell them that the way is narrow ; that there is not elbow-room for their lusts. Let them know the worst of it ; and that those who would be good soldiers of Christ must endure hardness. 3. Tell them, notwithstanding this, it is a way of pleasantness ; it gives spiritual, though it prohibits s,ensual, pleasure. 4. Tell them there is life eternal at the end, and. let them be assured that one hour of joy in heaven will make them amends for an age of trouble upon earth ; one sheaf of that harvest reward enough for a seed-time of tears, Ifenry, THE EARLY CONVERSION OF CHILDREN. But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Matthew 18 : 6. I HAVE one incident which has written its lesson indelibly upon my heart : At the age of a little over four years, one of my little girls was converted to God, and from that time she loved the Saviour, and endeavored, with child-like simplicity, to follow his commands. A little after six years she was taken sick ; she thought she was going to die ; her experience was as bright and clear as the experience of a half century. We could not give her up; we could not realize that death was among us ; that so fair a flower could fade so early. Yet she felt a nny a golden opportunity of fellowship with Christ is lost for want of this. Let us, when we enter into our closet, and shut the door, think, " I am now alone with God ; no eye but his looks down upon me ; no ear but his hearkens to my words. His presence surrounds me, and I kneel before him to implore his help. Let 144 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. me, with deep seriousness, and lively faith, address myself to the supreme God. " I ought to pray before seeing any one. Often, when I sleep long, or meet with others early, and then have family prayer, and breakfast, and forenoon-callers, it is eleven or twelve o'clock before I begin secret prayer. This is a wretched system. It is unscriptural. Christ rose before day, and went into a solitary place. David says, ' Early will I seek thee ; thou shalt early hear my voice.' Mary Magdalene came to ' the sepulcher ' while ' it was yet dark/ Family prayer loses much of its power and sweetness, and I can do no good to those who come to seek it from me. The conscience feels guilty, the soul unfed, the lamp not trimmed. Then, when secret prayer comes, the soul is often out of tune. I feel it is far better to begin with God, to see his face first, to get my soul near him before it is near another. ' When I awake, I am still with thee.' " Robert M. McCheane. EMBARRASSING A PRIEST. Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands? Mark 7 : 5. DR. JESSUP, writing to the Evangelist from Beyrout, Syria, say's, " I am almost amazed at the extent to which evan- gelical light pervades the nominally Christian communities here. The Greek church in Beyrout will go over en masse some day to Protestantism, if the light continue to spread in the future as it has in the past ten years. A prominent Greek said, a few days ago, l You Protestants need not trouble yourselves about converting Syria. Our children are all going to be Protes- tants whether you will or not. The Bible is doing the work.' Another Greek was visited recently by a priest who came to receive the confession of the family previous to the Mass. The priest said, ' My son, I have come to hear you confess.' ' All right, your reverence. I have a big score to confess to-day.' ' Go on, my son.' ' I do not believe in the worship of pictures.' (This is a cardinal point in the Greek church.) ' No matter NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 145 about that, as long as you are orthodox Greek.' l But I do not believe in the invocation of the Virgin and the saints.' ' Ah ! you do not? Well, that is a small matter. Go on.' l Nor do I believe in transubstantiation.' * No matter about that ; it is a question for the theologians.' ' Nor do I believe in priestly absolution.' < Very well ; between you and me, there is room for objection to that, so no matter as long as you confess.' 1 But I do not believe in confession to a priest.' Here the priest became somewhat confused, but finally smoothed the matter over, and said, l No matter about that.' The man then replied, * What business have I, then, in the Greek church? Good morning, your reverence ; I have done with the tra- ditions of men.' " NATURAL GOODNESS. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. Mark 7 : 21, 22. TOU go home, some evening, and find your clock stopped. But it so happened that the hands just now are exactly right. Does that prove that the works inside are in order? But, having nothing to do, you sit down and slowly move the hands round with your finger, and so keep them right the whole evening ; will that put the works in good condition ? How many such operations would mend a broken main-spring, or clean the wheels ? Now, a man who is all wrong at the main- spring, in the heart a man who has none of the love to God, which is the foundation principle of a sound character may often do generous acts in his life, outside, on his dial-plate, and be essentially the same man as before. To be acceptable to God, we must be right at heart. Christianity provides for making the bad good, by taking away heart-sins, and regenerating the soul by the power of the Holy Ghost, As some external power mighfc move the hands on the dial till they were occasionally right, but could not correct the internal defect, so some acts of outward mo- rality may appear well, even when the heart is wrong. 19 146 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. DOME OF GOD'S PROVIDENCE. He hath done all things well. Mark 1 : 37. IN the Baptistery of the cathedral at Pisa is a wonderful dome. Spacious, symmetrical composed of the choicest marble. It is a delight to stand beneath, and gaze upon its beauties. Thus I stood, one sunny April day, when suddenly the air became instinct with melody. The great dome seemed full of harmony. The waves of music vibrated to and fro, loudly beating against the walls, swelling into full chords like the roll of a grand organ, and then dying away into soft, long-drawn, far-receding echoes, melting in the distance into silence. It was only my guide, who, lingering behind me a moment, had softly murmured a triple chord. But beneath that magic roof every sound resolved into a symphony. No discord can reach the summit of that dome and live. Every noise made in the building, the slamming of seats, the tramping of feet, all the murmur and bustle of the crowd, are caught up, softened, harmonized, blended, and echoed back in music. So it seems to me that over our life hangs the great dome of God's providence. Standing as we do beneath it, no act in the divine administration toward us, no affliction, no grief, no loss which our heavenly Father sends, however hard to bear it may be, but will come back at last, softened, and blended into "harmony, within the over-arching dome of his Avisdom, mercy, and power, till to our corrected sense it shall be the sweetest music of heaven. Professor J. Dorman Steele.^ JESTJS AND THE BLIND MAN. And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the toAvn ; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if lie saw aught. Mark 8 : 23. CAN we read this narrative without being deeply touched by the ways of our lowly and loving Lord ? No hand but his own guided that poor blind man ; and as we contemplate him gently leading " the blind by a way they knew not," NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 147 prophecy and promise stand out before us as finding their true fulfillment here, and the action of our Lord is seen to be sig- nificant of his wondrous way in all time with his Church as a whole, with his people as individual. Blind as this poor man was, surrounded by unbelievers like those in Bethsaida, Jesus finds us dark by nature and ignorant. Then he puts forth his guiding, his saying hand, and, leading us apart, away from the busy crowd of careless and indifferent men, he draws us iii solitary thought to deal with him alone, till the blessed moment when he puts his hand forth again, and opens the blind eyes. It has been well said by Tholuck, " Faith is a new sense." This is true in the experience of those who have it ; but in order that they may attain it, Jesus has led them by the hand " out of the town," and has dealt with them as he deals with those whom his Father has given him, out of the world. But there is often a difference between our cases and that of this man. He was willing, thankful, happy to be led wherever Jesus pleased : how often are we faithless, reluc- tant, rebellious ! " The meek will he guide in judgment the meek will he teach his Avay." Let us pray that he give us meek hearts, willing to be guided ever by that gracious hand ! SHE PREFERRED CHRIST TO HOME. Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. Mark 8 : 34. wise choice in the following incident is worthy of JL commendation : " A gentleman and his wife were present at a camp-meeting. Neither had ever made a profession of religion. Under one of the sermons the lady was deeply and sorely convicted of sin. She desired to go forward and kneel at the altar as a poor penitent. Her husband protested against it, and tried to lead her from the ground. Her conviction was so profound and intense that she insisted upon presenting herself at the altar. He used his authority, forbidding her to go. She pleaded with him, for her soul's sake, not to interfere with her con- 148 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. science. He threatened to desert her if she dared to go. ' Never return to rny house if you go/ said he. Swept as by an irresistible current of anxiety and longing, she ran to the altar. Casting herself upon the ground, she pleaded for the divine mercy. Such earnest longing found a speedy response, and the i peace of God ? rested upon her spirit. ' 0, where is my husband ? ' she exclaimed, as she tried to rise from her knees. ' Here I am,' sobbed the crushed and penitent man, who had followed her in her flight toward God, and had fallen by her side, himself crying for mercy. Peace soon came to his heart, and they went from the meeting rejoicing in God." A HARD PROBLEM TO SOLVE. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Mark 8 : 36. A YOUNG man who had graduated at one of the first col- leges, and was celebrated for his literary attainments, particularly his knowledge of mathematics, settled in a village where a faithful minister of the gospel was stationed. It was not long before the clergyman met with him in one of his evening walks, and, after some conversation, as they were about to part, addressed him as follows : " I have heard you are celebrated for your mathematical skill ; I have a problem which I wish you to solve." " What is it ? " eagerly inquired the young man. The clergyman answered with a solemn tone of voice, " What shall it profit a man if he should gain the whole world, and lose his own soul ? " The youth returned home, and endeavored to shake off the impression fastened on him by the problem proposed to him, but in vain. In the giddy round of pleasure, in his studies, the question still forcibly returned to him, " What if I gain the whole world, and lose my own soul ? " It resulted in his conversion, and his becoming an able advocate and preacher of the gospel he once rejected. NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 149 MONEY RECEIVED IN EXCHANGE FOR HIS SOUL. Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Mark 8 : 37. THE great London preacher, Mr. Spurgeon, tells the follow- ing story in one of his sermons : " There is a story told of a most eccentric minister, that walking out one morning he saw a man going to work, and said to him, ' What a lovely morning ! How grateful we ought to be to God for all his mercies!' The man said he did not know much about it. t Why,' said the minister, ' I suppose you always pray to God for your wife and family for your children don't you?' 'No/ said he, 'I do not know that I do.' i What,' said the minister, ' do you never pray ? ' ' No.' 'Then I will give you. half a crown, if you will promise me you never will, as long as ever you live.' ' 0,' said he, ' I shall be very glad of half a crown to get me a drop of beer.' " He took the half crown, and promised never to pray as long as he lived. He went to his work, and when he had been digging for a little while, he thought to himself, l That's a queer thing I've taken money, and promised never to pray as long as I live.' He thought it over, and it made him feel wretched. He went home to his wife, and told her of it. ' Well, John/ said she, l you may depend upon it, it was the devil; you've sold yourself to the devil for half a crown.' This so bowed the poor wretch down that he did not know what to do with himself. This was all his thought that he had sold himself to the devil for money, and would soon be carried off to hell. " He commenced attending places of worship, conscious that it was of no use, for he had sold himself to the devil ; but he was really ill, bodily ill, through the fear and trembling which had come upon him. One night he recognized in the preacher the very man who had given him the half crown ; and probably the preacher recognized him, for the text was, ' What shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?' The preacher remarked that he knew a man who had sold his soul for half a crown. The poor man rushed forward, and said, 'Take it back! Take it back!' 'You said you 150 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. never would pray/ said the minister, l if I gave you half a crown ; do you want to pray ? ' ' 0, yes ; I would give the world to be allowed to pray.' That man was a great fool to sell his soul for half a crown ; but some of you are a great deal bigger fools, for you never had the half crown, and yet you do not pray, and I dare say never will ; but will go down to hell, never having sought God." TRANSFIGURATION OF CHRIST. And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses : and they were talking with Jesus. And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here : and let us make three tabernacles ; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. Mark 9 : 4, 5. CONCERNING the wonderful event known as the Trans- \J figuration of Christ, Dr. Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on Matt. 17 : 7, 9, says, " It is very likely that this transfigura- tion took place in the night, which was a more proper season to show forth its glory than the daytime, in which a part of the splendor must necessarily be lost by the presence of the solar light. That this transfiguration was intended to show forth the final abolition of the whole ceremonial law ; which necessarily could not fail to irritate the Jewish rulers and peo- ple, and should therefore be kept secret till Jesus had accom- plished vision and prophecy by his death and resurrection. " The whole of this emblematic transaction appears to me to be intended to prove the reality of the world of spirits, and the immortality of the soul ; the resurrection of the body, and the doctrine of future rewards and punishments ; the abolition of the Mosaic institutions, and the fulfillment of the predictions of the prophets relative to the person, nature, sufferings, death, and resurrection of Christ, and the glory that should follow. The establishment of the mild, light-bringing, and life-giving gospel of the Son of God. That as the old Jewish covenant and mediatorship had ended, Jesus was now to be considered as the sole teacher, the only availing offering for sin, and the grand mediator between God and man." NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 151 CUPS OF COLD WATER. For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward. Mark 9 : 41. THERE is a pleasant story told of a man living on the bor- ders of an African desert, who carried daily a pitcher of cold water to the dusty thoroughfare, and left it for any thirsty traveler who might pass that way. And our Saviour said, " 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." But cups of cold water are not given in African deserts alone. A spiritual Sahara spreads over the whole earth, and to its fainting trav- elers many a ready hand holds forth the grateful " cup." . A lady, whose home looks out upon our beautiful Common, called to ask me if I would tell her of some poor and sick per- sons to whom she could be of service in furnishing good books. The names of two were given ; and the Testament, in large type, which shortly found its way to the old man's abode, also the green tea and white sugar rare luxuries for the feeble woman in the cellar kitchen, and the dollar bill, slipped into her hand at parting, were they not " cups of cold water ? " TAR FROM GOD -A PUNISHMENT. Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. Mark 9 : 46. LET the fairest star be selected, like a beauteous island in the vast and shoreless sea of the azure heavens, as the future home of .the criminals from the earth, and let them pos- sess whatever they most love, and all that it is possible, for God to, bestow; let them be endowed with undying bodies, and with minds which shall for ever retain their intellectual powers ; let no Saviour ever press his claims upon them, no God reveal himself to them, no Sabbath ever dawn upon them, no saint ever live among them, no prayer ever be heard within 152 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. their borders ; but let society exist there for ever, smitten only by the leprosy of hatred to God, and with utter selfishness as its all-prevailing and eternal purpose ; then, as sure as the law of righteousness exists, on which rests the throne of God, and the government of tlie universe, a society so constituted must work out for itself a hell of solitary and bitter suffering, to which there is no limit, except the capacity of a finite nature ! Alas ! the spirit that is without love to its God or its neigh- bor, is already possessed by a power which must at last create for its own self-torrnent a worm that will never die, and a fire that can ne.ver more be quenched. Dr. Norman Madeod. COVENANT OF SALT. Salt is good : but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another. Mark 9 : 50. IN order to give a pledge of the inviolability of their engage- ments, the Orientals have, from time immemorial, been in the habit of eating salt together. Some think that, as with all sacrifices salt was offered, a covenant of salt means one confirmed by solemn sacrifice. Others are of opinion that it contains an allusion to the fact that covenants were gener- ally confirmed by the parties eating together, salt being a necessary appendage. This act of eating another's salt has always been regarded as a token of fidelity and friendship ; hence, during the British war in India, there were bitter complaints that those who had eaten English salt had rebelled against English authority. Tamerlane, speaking of a traitor who had gone over to the enemy, but who afterwards returned to loyalty and obedience, says, " My salt which he had eaten filled him with remorse, till at length he fled from his new master, and threw himself on my mercy." - If Herbetat mentions the following incident of Jacoub-ben- Laith, the founder of a dynasty of Persian princes, who is said to have broken into the palace of that country, and having collected a very large booty, which he was on the point of carrying off, he found las foot kicked something which made LITTLE CHILBREH TO COME KIOTO) ME NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 153 him stumble. He imagined it might be something of value, and putting it to his mouth the better to distinguish what it was, soon found it was a lump of salt. Upon this he was so touched that he left all his booty, and retired without taking any part of it with him. Great was the surprise in the palace, and strict the inquiry made on the following morning, when it was found that Jacoub was the guilty man. On examination, he stated the whole of the circumstances to the prince, with such apparent sincerity, as to gain his favor. Having been engaged in many successful enterprises, he was raised by the prince to the highest position in the army, and on the death of his sovereign, became the absolute master of the province, from whence he afterward spread his conquests far and wide. His regard to salt, and the principles it symbolized, laid the foundation of his greatness. CHILDHOOD RECOGNIZED IN CHRISTIANITY. ' And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them; and his disciples rebuked those that brought them. But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not ; for of such is the kingdom of God. Mark 10 : 13, 14. OF all the great religious systems, such as Pagan, Moham- medan, and Christian, Christianity alone officially recog- nizes childhood. By this recognition, it shows it is designed for humanity, without regard to age or sex. Little children are made partakers of its benefits, and sharers in the privileges of its covenant blessings. It not only allows little children attendance upon the public worship of God, but before they can express a faith, or perform obedience, they are allowed to enter covenant relations, and receive the seal of that cove- nant in baptism. Jesus said, " Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the king- dom of God." The " come unto me," means as much wln-n predicated of children as of adults, though the " coming " may require the parents' arms in bringing them. It is worthy of remark that our Lord was never " much displeased," except when his mistaken disciples rebuked those parents who brought young children to him, that he might touch them. 20 154 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. He was betrayed by Judas, denied by Peter, mocked by Roman soldiers, spit upon, and beaten by his enemies, and delivered over by his countrymen to be crucified ; but in all this he was not " much displeased." But when his disciples, without authority, rebuked those parents as they brought their infant children to Jesus, then was he " much displeased." If allowed to pass unnoticed and unrebuked by our Lord, that unchristian act of the disciples might be taken as an indication that children under the gospel dispensation are disallowed covenant blessings. But with the sharp rebuke of our Lord to those disciples, and his words which follow, no Christian parent should hesitate to secure to his infant child Christi- anity's official recognition. That little children are officially recognized in the gospel is shown First. By the unrepealed constitution of the Jewish church, which allowed to infant children the relation of members with their parents, and the same seal of the covenant as their par- ents. That the Jewish church, founded in Abraham upon the basis of faith, is continued in its fundamental principle under the gospel dispensation, is shown by the apostle, who says, " Know ye, therefore, that they which are of faith, the same are children of Abraham." (Gal. 3 : 7.) And St. Paul calls him " the father of all them that believe." (Rom. 4:11.) Second. By the declaration of Jesus : " Suffer the little chil- dren to come unto me, and forbid them riot." T/iird. By the renewal on the day of Pentecost, of the promise made by Joel the prophet : " For the promise is unto you and to your children." (Acts 2 : 39.) Fourth. The baptism of households by the apostles. (Acts 16:15; 1 Cor. 1 : 16.) JF. /. HEAVEN ENTERED WITH DIFFICULTY. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. Mark 10 : 25. ALL the important cities of the East, in ancient times, were surrounded by high and massive walls ; and so they are, as the modern traveler informs us, at the present day. At NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 155 certain points these walls are perforated by large pass-ways for the exit and entrance of the inhabitants. These passage- ways in times of peace were open by day, but at night they were closed by massive gates, capable of resisting any com- mon assault. Now, by these large entrances were very much smaller ones, used by foot passengers, and by those who had occasion to go forth or enter the city by night. They were called " the needle's eye/ 7 as Lord Nugent, an English traveler of modern times, when at Hebron, was directed to go out by the " needle's eye," that is, by the small side gate of the city. The camel can go through the needle's eye, but with difficulty, and hardly with a full load, nor without stooping. I think this expresses the just idea of the passage, " It is easier for a camel to go through the needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter the gate of heaven." It is not impossible for a rich man to enter heaven, for we may believe there are many already in the paradise of God who consecrated their wealth to the service of their Redeemer, and trusted in him always for salvation. But just as the camel must be relieved of part of his load before he can pass through the " needle's eye," so the rich man must divest himself of large portions of his wealth in the walks of benevolence in order to enter the gates of glory. Our Saviour seems to have reference to the same idea when he says, " Strait is the gate." And as the camel was compelled to stoop in order to enter by the low and narrow gate of the city, so must the rich man learn humility if he would " see the Lord in the fullness of joy." LEAVING ALL FOR CHRIST. Then Peter began to say unto Mm, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee. Mark 10 : 28. ITHE late Rev. W. E. Miller, before he devoted himself to the -L Wesleyan ministry, was an eminent musician in Sheffield. He possessed a violin which, it is said, he estimated at the value of three hundred guineas ; the probability is, that, with his well-known disregard of money, it was invaluable. The 156 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. tradition in current vogue used to be, that, when young Miller was in India, he heard that, in the court of Tippoo Saib, an exquisite instrument was in use by one of the sultan's band ; and, having pushed his way to Seringapatam, he so enchanted the sovereign by his performances as to obtain possession of the prize. Whatever may have been the means by which he came to be possessed of it, he acquired it in India. That which is the means of acquiring happiness or glory, though in itself unimportant, becomes interesting to its possessor, and often the fond object of superstitious affection. The horse which carried Alexander through his wars was next to deified by the hero. Mr. Miller's violin had more than carried him to the height of his fame and popularity : it had been the com- panion of his wanderings in a foreign land ; it had soothed his hours of weariness on board ship ; and it had given life to, and made vocal, the deep, tender, enthusiastic, and melancholy emotions of his inmost soul. When, however, Mr. Miller was brought to feel the necessity of a perfect decision in religion, he found that this instrument stood in his way ; it was the idol of his heart ; he was perfectly wedded to it ; and he felt it to be a great snare. " With almost unexampled firmness and resolution," adds his biographer, " he laid it aside, though at the time he was esteemed the second, if not the first, per- former in England, with the purpose never to touch it more; and he kept his resolution to the day of his death." THE LAST TIME. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. Mark 10 : 47. A CLERGYMAN of this city, while making some remarks on J\_ the case of blind Bartimeus, as recorded in Mark 10 : 46- 51, observed that our Saviour on that occasion was passing through Jericho for the last time ; and that it was the last oppor- tunity which the poor man could ever have enjoyed for obtain- ing that mercy which he sought. In applying this to the case of impenitent sinners, he observed that there is to each one a last time in which the offers of salvation are made. To impress NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 157 this truth more deeply, he mentioned a case which came under his own observation : He was called to visit a very aged man on his death-bed, so deaf that it was with great difficulty he could understand what was said to him. A young woman was present, to whom the clergyman observed that it was dan- gerous putting off preparation for death till a dying hour that the present was the best time to attend to so important a concern and that it might be the last time in which the offers of salvation would be made to her. She was soon after taken with a violent fever, which deprived her of her reason. The clergyman was sent for. but it was too late she had heard the gospel for the last time, and neglected it, and death closed the scene. WHY AM I NOT A CHRISTIAN? And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise ; he calleth thee. Mark 10 : 49. 1. TS it because I am afraid of ridicule ? _L " Whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed." 2. Is it because of the inconsistencies of professing Chris- tians ? "Every man shall give an account of himself to God." 3. Am I not willing to give up all for Christ ? " What shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul ? " 4. Am I afraid that I shall not be accepted ? " Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out." 5. Is it for fear I am too great a sinner ? " The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth from all sin." 6. Is it because I fear I shall not " hold out " ? " He that hath begun a good work in you, will perform it unto the day of Christ Jesus." 7. Am I thinking that I will do as well as I can, and that God ought to be satisfied with that ? " Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, is he guilty of all." 158 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 8. Is it because I am postponing the matter, without any definite reason ? " Boast not thyself of to-morrow, for thoti knowest not what a day may bring forth." Reader ! think of these several questions, divinely an- swered. NOTHING. BUT LEAVES. And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon : and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves ; for the time of figs was not yet. Mark 11 : 13. ]^TOTHING but leaves ! The Spirit grieves \ Over a wasted life : O'er sins committed while conscience slept ; Promises made but never kept ; Folly, and shame, and strife ; Nothing but leaves. Nothing but leaves ! No gathered sheaves Of life's fair ripening grain ; We sow our seeds, lo ! tares and weeds, Words, idle words, for earnest deeds ; We reap with toil and pain, Nothing but leaves. Nothing but leaves ! Sad memory weaves No vail to hide the past ; And as we trace our weary way, Counting each lost and misspent day, Sadly we find at last Nothing but leaves. Ah ! who shall thus the Master meet, Bearing but withered leaves ? Ah ! who shall at the Saviour's feet, Before the awful judgment-seat, Lay down for golden sheaves Nothing but leaves ? NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 159 "HAVE FAITH IN GOD." And Peter calling to remembrance, saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away. And Jesus answering, saith unto them, Have faith in God. Mark 11:21, 22. IT appears from the chapter in which these words are found, that Christ had said of the fruitless fig tree, " No man shall eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever." " And his disciples heard it." Subsequently, " as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Peter calling to remembrance, saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away." The Saviour replied, " Have faith in God." This, says Dr. Clark, is a mere Hebraism ; have the faith of God ; i. e., have strong faith, or the strongest faith. The importance of having " the faith of God " cannot be too deeply felt by every Christian who would act understand- ingly and efficiently in the work assigned him. The apostle is clear and emphatic on this point, in the llth chapter of Hebrews : " But without faith, it is impossible to please him ; for he that cometh to God, must believe that he is, and that he is a re warder of them that diligently seek him." While we consider the importance of faith, the inquiry nat- urally arises in the mind, "What is faith?" And this is an inquiry of momentous importance to every one who believes the doctrine of the moral agency of man, and that man's salvation depends upon his having faith in " God manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory." Fortunately for us, a question of so much importance is not left without an answer an answer so plain that " the way- faring men, though fools," need " not err therein." " Now f-iithis the substance (margin, ground, or confidence) of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Faith is the subsistence of things hoped for ; the demonstration of things not seen. (Clarke.) This question, and the answer, should receive our most serious, candid, and prayerful consideration. No man ever became great in any sense, without laboring for it with all his strength ; and especially is it true, that no one 160 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. ever became a distinguished Christian, without taking great pains. If we would obtain the crown, we must " run with pa- tience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith." FAITH THAT REMOVES MOUNTAINS. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea ; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass ; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Mark 11 : 23. IN one of the Swiss valleys there is a tremendous mountain of rock, which completely blocks up one end. Two travel- ers, journeying up this valley, caught sight of this mighty barrier, and one of them said, " Let us turn back ; there is no way in this direction j it is quite impossible to climb that per- pendicular rock." " Come on," said the other, " I am sure we shall get over." So on they went, and at length discovered a wonderful groove, cut in zigzags, on the face of this rock, by means of which they gradually ascended, and passed out of the valley. Now, you see the belief which the one traveler had, prevented that mountain appearing to his mind such an insurmountable thing as it seemed to the other. Jesus urges us to have a faith which will remove mountains ; that is, such a belief as will prevent our thinking any spiritual difficulty insurmountable, or anything too hard for the Lord. The faith which saves is not a faith in Christianity, but a faith in Christ. The question is, " How can we get from this valley of sin and death into the region of holiness and life?" Our guilt seems to be like an impassable barrier that per- pendicular rock; but as soon as we believe in Christ, the diffi- culty at once vanishes, for we see that Christ is the way. We believe in him, and then feel sure he will guide us home. Whenever you ride calmly through a railway tunnel, it is because you have faith, .or confidence, in the engine driver : and all who have a holy calmness in the darkest part of the valley of death, get it by trusting entirely in the grace, merit, and mercy of the Lord Jesus. Thus they " go in peace ; NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 161 their faith saves them " from all vain fears. As a little child can take its spoonful of rnilk, and be sustained by it as surely as the man is sustained by his strong meat, so the little child with its hand of faith can take as firm a- hold of Christ, and get life and salvation as surely as an aged Christian. CRAMER'S FORG1VINGNESS. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven for- give your trespasses. Mark 11 : 26. AMONG the early enemies of this great and good man were Dr. Thornton, suffragan of Dover, and Dr. Barber, a civilian, who, though entertained in his family, intrusted with his secrets, and indebted to him for many favors, entered into a conspiracy against him. Their letters were discovered : Cranmer took them both into his study, telling them that he had been basely and falsely abused by some, in whom he had always reposed the greatest confidence, and desiring them to give him their advice as to the conduct to be pursued toward them. " Harry ! " said Barber, " such villains and knaves deserve to be presently hanged, without further trial." " Hanging is too good for them," said Thornton ; " and if there wan't an executioner, I would be hangman myself! " " Lord, and most merciful God ! " exclaimed Cranmer, solemnly looking up to heaven, " whom may a man trust in these days ? How truly is it said, i Cursed be he that trusteth in man and maketh flesh his arm.' 7: Then, taking out the letters from his pocket, he asked, " Know you these letters, my masters ? " They fell on their knees, and humbly sued for forgiveness. " Well," replied the archbishop, with mingled tenderness and dignity, " God make you both good men ; I never deserved this at your hands ; but ask forgiveness of God, against whom you have highly offended." 21 162 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. "AND THE BOOK WAS NOT THERE." This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes. Mark 12 : 11. IN the year 1832, the Flat Heads and Nez Perces tribes of American Indians had determined, in solemn council, to send four of their number to " the Rising Sun," for that " Book from Heaven." They had learned, in some way, of the Bible and the Saviour, from the Iroquois. Four Indians, one of them a chief, made their way to St. Louis. The perils of this great journey of over one thousand miles were so many, that but one of them lived to return. They fell into the hands of Gen- eral Clark, who, with Lewis, had traveled extensively in the regions of the Columbia River, in the north-western territory. He was a Romanist, and took them to his church, and, to en- tertain them, to the theatre. How utterly he failed to meet their wants is revealed in the sad words with which they departed : " I came to you," and the survivor repeated the words to Rev. Mr. Spaulding, years afterwards, "I came to you with one eye partly opened; I go back with both eyes closed and both arms broken. My people sent me to obtain that Book from Heaven. You took me where your women dance as we do not allow ours to dance, and the Book was not there. You took me where I saw men worship God with candles, and the Book was not there. I am now to return without it, and my people will die in darkness." And so they took their leave. But this sad lament was overheard. A young man wrote to liis friends in Pittsburg. They showed the account to Catlin, of Indian portrait fame, who, ascertaining the facts, said, " Give tlftj Bible to the world." The Rev. Mr. Lee was soon sent out in search of these tribes, who, with certain others, established a Christian mission among them. They got the Book, and with it light from heaven. With the Book came the knowledge of Christ, then peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. There is no substitute for the Book of God the Holy Bible. All grades of society, and classes of men, alike need it. That is a false religion that keeps " the Book " from the people. NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 163 PREACH FOR THE MASSES. And the common people heard him gladly. Mark 12 : 37. IF the minister will lose sight of self, he will more effectually exhibit Christ. Our fine preachers embody too many ideas in their discourses, and mystify them with too many learned words. They attempt to meet the supposed demands of the cultured few in their congregations, instead of the simple- minded many. Consequently the few praise the preacher, while the many go away unfed. Nine tenths of the hearers of some preachers can give no intelligible synopsis of their sermons, and for the reason that they are over-crowded with thoughts expressed ^in language beyond the comprehension of the people. I often wonder, while listening to such dis- courses, what models do such preachers follow. Certainly not Christ and his apostles. Their discourses were simple talks, with few but clearly-defined ideas, expressed in the plainest language of the people, and accompanied with convincing power. Such, too, was the style of the early Methodist preach- ers ; such must our fine preachers condescend to adopt if they would have the " common people hear them gladly." a a North. JEHOIADA'S IDEA OF GIVING. And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury : and many that were rich cast in much. Mark 12:41. IN collecting money for the repairs of the temple, which Athaliah and her sons had dilapidated, the good priest did a thing worth noticing. He had a chest placed right alongside the brazen altar in front of the temple, and in the lid of the chest was a hole bored, and into the hole the priests, selected for the purpose, dropped the coins which the people brought, either as their half-shekel tax, or as the offerings for vows, or as the free-will offering to the temple of Jehovah. When I read this story, and then read from Paul's First Epistle to the Corinthians, "Upon the first day of the week (the Lord's day, 164 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. mind you !) let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him," I cannot help thinking that giving is a part of worship. Close alongside the great altar where the type of the Lamb of God was offered up was the money-chest. How exalted giving to the Lord's cause is in this light ! And Paul calls it Sunday work, puts it with prayer, and praise, and Bible instruction, and all that is improving to the soul. I take it that if all Christians in our land would entertain the notion of Jehoiada and Paul about giving to the Lord (and it is not their notion but the Holy Ghost's), our spiritual temple would not be so dilapidated thousands would flow forth from willing hearts, where now hundreds are squeezed out. Take the idea, my brother with the long purse, yes, and my brother with the short purse, too. Make your giving a part of your worship, and then thank Jehoiada and Paul, but above all the Lord, for making your Christian life the happier. Rev. Dr. Crosby. THE WIDOW'S MITE. And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. Mark 12 : 42. IT is quite time that the value of the widow's mite should be determined. Her example is frequently quoted, and even the penurious use it as a sort of shield. A gentleman called upon a wealthy friend for a contribution. " Yes, I must give my mite," said the rich man. " You mean the widow's mite, I suppose ? " replied the other. " To be sure I do." The gentleman continued, " I will be satisfied with half as much as she gave. How much are you worth ? " " Seventy thousand dollars," he answered. " Give me, then, a check for thirty- five thousand, that will be just half as much as the widow gave ; for she gave all she had." It was a new idea to the wealthy merchant. The late missionary, Rev. Daniel Temple, once said at a meeting of the missionary board, " The poor widow's gift is not to be estimated so much by what she gave, as by what she Lad left." NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 165 OVER-SCRUPULOUSNESS. But take heed to yourselves. Mark 13 : 9. THE Rev. Dr. McLeod (father of the late Norman McLeod) was proceeding from the manse of D to church, to open a new place of worship. As he passed slowly and gravely through the crowd gathered about the doors, an elderly man, with the peculiar kind of wig known in that dis- trict bright, smooth, and of a redidsh brown, accosted him. il Doctor, if you please, I wish to speak to you." " Well, Duncan," says the venerable doctor, " can ye not wait till after worship ? " " No, doctor ; I must speak to you now, for it is a matter upon my conscience." " 0, since it is a matter of conscience, tell me what it -is ; but be brief, Duncan, for time presses." " The matter is this, doctor. Ye see the clock yonder on the face of the new church. Well, there is no clock really there nothing but the face of the clock. There is no truth in it but only once in the twelve hours. Now, it is, in my mind, very wrong, and quite against my conscience, that there should be a lie on the. face of the house of the Lord." " Duncan, I will consider the point. But I am glad to see you looking so well ; you are not young now ; I remember you for many years ; and what a fine head of hair you have still ! " " Eh, doctor, you are joking now ; it is long since I have had my hair." " 0, Duncan, Duncan ! are ye going into the house of the Lord with a lie upon your head ? " This settled the question, and the doctor heard no more of the lie on the face of the clock. 166 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. DANIEL CONFIRMED BY HISTORIC DISCOVERIES. But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not (let him that readeth understand), then let them that be in Judea flee to the mountains. Mark 13 : 14. E read in Daniel 5 : 30, that when Darius took Babylon, Belshazzar, the king of it, was in the city, and in " that night was Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, slain." Herodo- tus, the Greek historian, informs us that the king of Babylon, whose name was Labynetus, was absent when the city was taken ; that he sought shelter in Barsippa ; that Cyrus attacked him there, took him, stripped him of his regal dignity, but allowed him to retire, and to spend the rest of his life in ease in Caramansa. The two statements appear to be contradic- tory, and that the credit of historic veracity must be denied either to Daniel or to Herodotus. Thus stood the matter, when Sir Henry Rawlinson, the celebrated Oriental scholar, discovered in his Eastern researches one of those cylinders on which historic records used to be written in the cuneiform characters by the ancients. Having deciphered the writing on this relic of antiquity, it was discovered that at the capture of Babylon, referred to by Daniel and Herodotus, there were two kings presiding over the empire, a father and his son ; and thus we can see that Herodotus speaks of the father, who escaped, while Daniel speaks of the son, who was slain. This unsuspected fact not only reconciles the prophet and the his- torian, but explains an otherwise inexplicable expression, in Daniel, where it was promised to the prophet by Belshazzar, that if he could explain the writing on the wall, he would make him the third ruler in the kingdom. (Daniel 5 : 17.) Now, why not the second ruler, as Joseph in similar circumstances had been made in Egypt ? The cylinder answers the ques- tion : there were two kings in Babylon, and therefore the place next to the throne could be only the third ruler in the kingdom. NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 167 HOW THIS WORLD MAY END. Heaven and earth shall pass away : but my words shall not pass away. Mark 13 : 31. THE disappearance of stars from the planetary world is suited to awaken deep and solemn reflections in the human mind. They indicate that the period is coming when this earth also will disappear, and the heavens be rolled together as a scroll, and the grand catastrophe at the end of the world will come to pass. During the last two or three centuries, upwards of thirteen fixed stars have disappeared. One of them, situated in the northern hemisphere, presented a peculiar brilliancy, and was so bright as to be seen by the naked eye at midday. It seemed to be on fire, appearing at first of dazzling white, then of a reddish yellow, and lastly of an ashy pale color. La Place supposed that it was burned up, as it has never been seen since. The conflagration was visible about sixteen months. How dreadful ! a whole system on fire, the great central lumi- nary and its planets, with their mountains, forests, villages, cities, and inhabitants, all in flames, consumed ! And here we have a presumptive proof of the truth, and a solemn illustra- tion of a singular passage in the Bible, " The heavens will pass away with a great noise, the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the world also, and the works therein, shall be burned up." INTENTION IS REWARDED. She hath done what she could : she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying. Mark 14 : 8. "VTO higher praise could be bestowed upon a servant of \\ Christ than this. All that our Saviour and Master does is not to exact of us this or that visible or positive result, and then for this, and this alone, reward us ; he simply requires that, in whatsoever position, and under whatsoever circum- stances, we do what we can to advance his cause. He will not ask what has he done, but what has he desired to do, and 1G8 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. tried his very best to do ; not how many sheaves has he gath- ered, and does he bring from the great harvest-field, but how many has he sought to bring. I bless God for this comforting thought. I see little that we have done to encourage us to continue to labor and toil, to preach and pray ; little that is calculated to sweeten the retrospections of my dying pillow ; but, blessed thought ! Jesus will consider only what I have desired and sought to do. JUDAS, THE COVETOUS DISCIPLE. And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went unto the chief priests, to be- tray him unto them. And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. And he sought how he might conveniently betray him. Mark 14 : 10, 11. sin of covetousness has an awful record ; for many JL crimes have sprung from it, as its prolific root. Achan's covetous humor made him steal that wedge of gold which served to cleave his soul from God ; it made Judas be- tray Christ ; " what will ye give me and I will deliver him unto you." It made Absalom attempt to pluck the crown from his father's head. He that is a Demas, will soon prove a Judas. (2 Tim. 3 : 2), " Men shall be covetous ; " and it follows in the next verse, " traitors." When covetousness is in the premises, treason will be in the conclusion. Why did Ahab stone Na- both to death, but to possess the vineyard ? The covetous person bows down to the image of gold. His money is his god, for he puts his trust in it. Money is his creator ; when he hath abundance of wealth, then he thinks he is made : it is his redeemer ; if he be in any strait or trouble, he flies to his money, and that must redeem him : it is his comforter; when he is sad, he tells over his money, and with this golden harp he drives away the evil spirit. When you see a covetous man, you may say, there goes an idolater. In the parable, the thorn choked the seed. This is the reason the word preached doth no more good ; the seed often falls among thorns ; thousands of sermons lie buried in earthly hearts. A covetous man hath a withered hand, he cannot reach it out to clothe or feed such as are in want. NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 169 TRANSTJBSTANTIATION. And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat ; this is my body. Mark 14 : 22. WHEN Wolsey and Erasmus disputed on this point (an essential change in the elements), Wolsey said to Eras- mus at parting, " Well, only believe that it is so, and it will be so." Erasmus, on leaving England, borrowed Wolsey's palfrey to take him to the ship ; but, instead of returning it, carried the animal off with him to the continent, and sent Wolsey this answer on paper : " If wine and bread, mere human food, Becomes the Saviour's flesh and blood, When I in faith receive it ; Then faith for you as much may do, And your lost jade is safe with you, If you will but believe it." ANECDOTE OF FATHER SEWALL. And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them : and they all drank of it. Mark 14 : 23. THE inconsistency of refusing to commune with those who are manifestly good Christians, whose baptism has not been after a particular pattern, is well rebuked in the following anecdote : " The recent death of this good man reminds me of an inci- dent I heard of him several years since, which is too good to be lost. He had been employed by a Baptist church in the State of Maine as a stated supply, during a season when they were unable to support a settled pastor. His fervent piety and faithful labors won their Christian confidence, and even veneration. At length, desiring to commemorate the Lord's supper, they obtained a Baptist clergyman to come and admin- ister the ordinance, a measure in which Mr. Sewall very cheerfully concurred. When the season arrived, the brethren 22 170 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. were much embarrassed about Mr. Sewall. He was present, and would probably partake of the supper, unless forbidden. But how could they forbid such a man their own preacher, under whose ministry they had sat with so much delight and profit? No wonder their best feelings revolted at the ungra- cious task. They, however, mustered courage to signify to him, that, according to the rules of the Baptist church, he could not be permitted to commune with them on that occasion. 4 What/ said he, 'is not this our Father's table?' i Of course it is,'' they replied. l Do you not, then, regard me as a child of God ? ' i Certainly/ they answered ; l we have more confidence in your piety than in our own.' ' If, then, I am a child of God, why may I not come to my own Father's table ? ' More confused and embarrassed than ever, they could only reply, that it was contrary to the rules of their church. ' Well, then/ said the old gentleman, l if you will not let me come to my own Father's table, I will go and tell my Father. ,' He rose from his seat and moved toward the door, when the Baptist brethren, overcome by the obvious and irresistible force of so simple an argument, begged him not to ' tell his Father/ and they would receive him to the table." CHRIST'S HEART GIVEN FOR THE WORLD. And saitli unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death : tarry ye here, and watch. Mark 14 : 34. FT is one of the traditions of the age of chivalry," says Rev. JL Dr. Williams, " that a Scottish king, when dying, be- queathed his heart to the most trusted and beloved of his nobles, to be carried to Palestine. Enclosing the precious deposit in a golden case, and suspending it from his neck, the knight went out with his companions. He found himself, when on his way to Syria, hard pressed by the Moors of Spain. To animate himself to supernatural efforts, that he might break through his thronging foes, he snatched the charge intrusted to him from his neck, and, flinging it into the midst of his ene- mies, exclaimed, ' Forth, Heart of Bruce ! as them wast wont, ' NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 171 and Douglas will follow thee or die.' And so he perished, in the endeavor to reclaim it from the trampling feet of the infi- dels, and to force his way out." Your Master's heart has flung itself in advance of your steps. In the rushing crowds that withstand you in your work of the ministry, there is not one whom that heart has not cared for and pitied, however hostile and debased, unlovely and vile. It is your business to follow the leadings of his heart, and to pluck it from beneath the feet of those who, in ignorance and enmity, would tread it in the dust. MODERN ISCARIOTS. And he that betrayed him had given them a token, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he ; take him, and lead him away safely. Mark 14 : 44. WE do great injustice to Iscariot in thinking him wicked above all Avickedness. lie was only a money-lover ; did not understand Christ ; could not make out the worth of him. He did not want him to be killed. He was horror-struck when he found that Christ would be killed ; threw his money away instantly, and hanged himself. How many of our present money-seekers, think you, would have the grace to hang them- selves whenever they killed ? But Judas was a common, selfish, muddle-headed fellow, his hand always in the bag of 'the poor, but not caring for them. He didn't understand Christ, yet he believed in him much more than most of us do ; had seen him do miracles, thought he was strong enough to shift for himself, and he might as well make his own by-perquisites out of the affair ; Christ would come out of it well enough, and he have thirty pieces. Now, that is the money-seeker's idea all over the world. He does not hate Christ, but he can't understand him ; he does not care for him, sees no good in. that benevolent business, but takes his own " little job " of it at all events, come what may. And thus, out of every class of men, you have a certain amount of bagmen men whose main object is to make money, and they do make it in all sorts of unfair ways, chiefly by 172 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. weight and force of money itself, or what is called capital ; that is to say, the power which money once obtained has over the labors of the poor, so that the capitalist can take all the produce to himself except the laborers' feed. That is the modern Judas' way of " carrying the bag," and bearing what is put therein. Ruskin. REPENTING OF APOSTASY. And the second time the cock crew. And Peter called to mind the word that Jesus said unto him, Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. And when 1 he thought thereon, he wept. Mark H : 72. . A RCHBISHOP CRANMER, under the pressure of the queen J\. and court, was induced to subscribe to the errors of Rome. Of this he soon repented, and took his former decided posi- tion, which brought upon him the wrath of Bloody Mary. When the flames of martyrdom were kindled around him, he thrust the hand that subscribed to his shame into the flames, and held it until consumed, often exclaiming, " That unworthy hand." LEARN TO BE SILENT. And the chief priests accused him of many things ; but he answered noth- ing. Mark 15 : 3. IT is a great art in the Christian life to learn to be silent. Under oppositions, injuries, still be silent. It is better to say nothing, than to say it in an excited or an angry manner, even if the occasion should seem to justify a degree of anger. By remaining silent, the mind is enabled to collect itself, and to call upon God in secret aspirations of prayer. And thus you will speak to the honor of your holy profession, as well as the good of those who have injured, when you speak from God. NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 173 DOUBLE SUFFERINGS OF CHRIST. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Mark 15 : 34. E may paint the outward appearance of his sufferings, but not the inward bitterness or invisible causes of them. Men can paint the cursed tree, but not the curse of the law that made it so. Men can paint Christ bearing the cross to Calvary, but not Christ bearing the sins of many. We may describe the nails piercing his sacred flesh, but who can de- scribe eternal justice piercing both flesh and spirit? We may describe the soldier's spear, but not the arrows of the Al- mighty ; the cup of vinegar which he but tasted, but not the cup of wrath, which he drank out to the lowest dregs ; the derision of the Jews, but not the desertion of the Almighty forsaking his Son, that he might never forsake us who were his enemies. J. Madaurin. PRINCE OF EXCELLENCY. And when the centurion which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God. Mark 15 : 39. IF you go to weigh Jesus, his sweetness, excellency, glory, and beauty, and lay opposite to him your ounces or drachms of suffering for him, you will be straitened in two wa} 7 s: 1. It will be a pain to make the comparison, the disproportion being by no understanding imaginable ; nay, if heaven's arith- metic and angels were set to work, they could never number the degrees of difference. 2. It would straiten you to find a scale for the balance to lay that high and lofty One, that ever- transcending Prince of Excellency. If your mind could fancy as many created heavens as time hath minutes, trees have had leaves, clouds have had rain in drops, since the first stone of the creation was laid, they would not make half a scale in which to weigh boundless excellency. Rutherford. 174 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. CHANGE OF THE SABBATH. And very early in the morning, the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. Mark 1C : 2. A NOTHER confirmation of the doctrine of the resurrection 1A_ of Christ, is the establishment of the first day of the week as the Lord's day, in commemoration of this great event. The apostles, as instructed by their Lord, and taught by the Holy Spirit, enforced upon all Christians the obligation of observing the first day of the week as the day of holy rest and of religious worship. The seventh day had been appointed as the Sabbath in Eden, as a sign of the completion of creation, when God did rest the seventh day from all his works. But Jesus, as the Lord of the Sabbath, exercised his prerogative in changing the Sabbath from the seventh to the first day of the week, as a remembrance to the end of time that a greater work than that of creation had been achieved by the death of the Son of God, and by his resurrection from the dead, the greater work of redemption for a lost world. The New Testament records, the testimony of early Christian writers, and of contemporary writers who were not Christians, all go to show that it was an established ordinance among Christians, universally observed, to keep the first day of the week as the Lord's day, in commemoration of the resurrection. It is fitting that a work vastly more glorious than that of speaking into existence a world from nothing, the wondrous work of redemption, and the declaration of its completion and of the triumph of the Son of God over sin and death and hell by his resurrection from the dead, should be perpetually declared by the sacred observance of the holy day of the Lord, and that his people, blending into one the world's creation and man's redemption, should celebrate both on the Christian Sab- bath. The religious observance of the Lord's day was, among primitive Christians, a badge of the Christian profession ; hence, says Ignatius, " All who love the Lord love the Lord's day as the queen and chief of all days." NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 175 GO. And he said unto them, Go yc into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. Mark 16 : 15. IT is with Christian work just as with all other work, the chief desideratum is persistent application. Arago says, in his autobiography, that his greatest master in mathematics was a word or two of advice which he found in the binding of one of his text-books, the words of D'Alembert to a discour- aged student : " Go on, sir, go on." Those two little words made Arago the greatest astronomical mathematician of his age. And those two words have made many a life a poem which shall sing for ever. Christ abbreviated them into one, and his almighty " Go " (spoken when he stood on the extreme verge of this world, only one step from his throne), drove Paul restlessly around Asia and Europe with the message of mercy, and has been sounding in the ear of the Church ever since as its unrepealed and unrepealable marching order. Rev. C. D. Foss. THE SALVATION OF ONE SOUL. He that believeth and is baptized, shall be saved ; but he that believeth not, shall be damned. Mark 16 : 16. JOHN ANGELL JAMES, in the preface of his admirable book, " An Earnest Ministry," makes this observation, which we transcribe to set, as a star, in sight of every reader. " There is a time coming in every man's history when the knowledge of having been the instrument to pluck a single brand from eternal burning, will yield more real satisfaction than the certainty of having accomplished the loftiest objects of literary ambition." The remark is specially designed for the ministry, but it is pertinent to every member of human society. It has a truth in it that should dwell in every heart, and rouse to energy and zeal. The fact is, that no man lives without influence, and there is none so poor, so lowly, so obscure, as to be unable to 176 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. do something for the salvation of men. What is the honor of saving men compared to the joy of saving a soul from death ! " 0," said an eloquent preacher, who loved the souls of men far more than their praise, though of this he had much, " God knows I do not want their applause I want their salvation." " The time coming," to which Mr. James alludes, may be the hour of death, or of judgment, or away in eternity ; but it will come, and the truth of his remark will be felt for ever. ESSENTIAL TO ACCEPTABLE PRAYER. But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias : for thy prayer is heard. Luke 1 : 13. SEE here, my brother, do you remember how often it has occurred to you, when you warmed up in prayer, threw off your embarrassment, and had an easy, happy flow of lan- guage, that you were now doing very finely in your petitions, and that God was giving special audience to your unfettered utterance ? Now, just take a second thought, and remember that all one's easy, happy flow of language usually indicates but little, and that in itself it is nothing in the hearing of God. Remember that it is the honest heart, the upright and obedi- ent life, that are essential to acceptable prayer. If your heart and life are right, your most stammering utterance shall pre- vail with God. If your heart and life are wrong in God's sight, your tongue of eloquence will be only babbling and mockery in the ears of the Almighty. Never, then, con- gratulate yourself upon liberty in prayer till you are convinced that that prayer went from a heart honest, sincere, and wholly given up to love and serve the Lord. MY MASTER'S ERRAND. And the angel answering, said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God ; and am sent to speak unto thce, and to shew thee these glad tidings. Luke 1 : 19. CHRISTIAN brother, in New York, on entering a car, felt it his duty to speak to a gentleman respecting his A NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 177 soul. The gentleman seemed restive, and soon said, " Sir, will you cease speaking to me upon that subject ? " " As soon," said the devoted brother, " as I have done my Master's errand ; " and went on until the Holy Spirit assured him he had. Months after, a gentleman grasped his hand on the crowded street. He was surprised. " Do you not recognize me the man to whom you would do your f Master's errand ' on the cars ? " " 0, yes ; now I do." " Well, that conversation was, by the blessing of God, the means of my soul's salvation," said he, with tears of joy j and together, in Mammon's thoroughfare, they gave praise to God. WAITING TO BE RELEASED. And it came to pass, that as soon as the days of his ministration were ac- complished, he departed to his own house. Luke 1 : 23. PRESIDENT HITCHCOCK tells an incident. which thrilled JL his soul with holy emotions, witnessed by him in one of the deep coal mines of Virginia, where he was more than a thousand feet below the surface of the earth. He says, " While wandering through their dark, subter- ranean passages, the sound of music broke upon my ear. It ceased upon my approach, and I caught only the sweet re- frain, may be an attractive title to the man who does not wish to part with his sins ; but scan it closely, and its " broadness " may be its chief objection. It is too broad for its depth, for it does not go down into the heart- work of a sinner. It is too broad for its length, for it stops short of meeting the needs of the soul. It is too broad for its height, for it does not reach up to the higher graces of the Spirit ; and it is too broad for " the narrow way and strait gate," which lead to life. Our Lord's liberal Christianity goes through the strait gate of pardon, regeneration, and sanctification of the Spirit. 248 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATION'S. HE PLEADS GUILTY. And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Luke 19 : 22. A CLERGYMAN was once preaching in a town much in- fested with the heresy of the Universalists, who profess to believe that all men, whatever may be their character, shall ultimately be saved. A preacher of this doctrine, who wus present with a view to " withstand the truth," became greatly enraged in the progress of the discourse. It was no sooner closed than he began to challenge the preacher to a defense of his doctrines. As it was rather late, the clergyman who was preaching declined a formal debate, but proposed that each should ask the other three questions, to which a direct answer should be returned. This was agreed to. The Uni- versalist began. He put his questions, which were promptly answered. It then came the clergyman's turn. His first question was, " Do you pray in your family ? " Thunderstruck, and dismayed, the preacher of smooth things knew not what to say. At length he asked, " Why, what has that to do with my doctrines ? " " Much," was the reply. " By their fruits ye shall know them." At length he frankly confessed that he did not. Then for the second question, " When you get somewhat displeased, do you not sometimes make use of profane language ? " This was carrying the war into the inner temple of his infi- del ambitions. There was no door of escape. Answer he must. It was of no use to deny it ; he confessed that he was profane. " I will go no further," said the pious clergyman, " I am satisfied ; " and, turning to the congregation, added, " I pre- sume you are also. You dare not trust your immortal welfare to a prayerless and profane guide." Anecdotes for the Family. NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 249 THE ETERNAL ROCK. "Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken ; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind liim to powder. Luke 20 : 18. TTTHAT a commentary upon the word, " Whosoever falls on T V this stone shall be broken," is the whole history of the heresies of the church and the assaults of unbelief! Man after man, rich in gifts, endowed often with far larger and nobler faculties than the people who oppose him with indomita- ble perseverance, a martyr to his error, sets himself up against the truth that is sphered in Jesus Christ; and the great Divine message simply goes on its way, and all the babblement and noise is like so many bats flying against a light, or the wild sea-birds that come sweeping up in the tempest and the night, against the hospitable Pharos that is upon the rock, and smite themselves dead against it. Skeptics well known in their gen- eration, who made people's hearts tremble for the ark of God, what has become of them ? Their books lie dusty and undis- turbed on the top shelf of libraries ; whilst there the Bible stands, with all the scribblings wiped off the page, as though they had never been. Opponents fire their small shot against the great Rock of Ages, and the little pellets fall flattened, and only scale off a bit of the moss that has gathered there ! My brother, let the history of the past, with other deeper thoughts, teach you and me a very calm and triumphant confidence about all that people say nowadays ; for all the modern opposition to the gospel will go as the past has done, and the newest systems which cut and carve at Christianity will go to the tomb where all the rest have gone, and dead old infidelities will rise up from their thrones, and say to the bran new ones of this generation, when their day is worked out, " Ah, are ye also become. like one of us ? " " Whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken ; " personally, he will be harmed ; and his opinions, and his books, and his talk, and all his argumentation, will come to nothing, like the waves that break into impotent foam against the rocky cliffs. Alex. McLaren. 32 250 A'EW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. RECOGNITION OF FRIENDS IN HEAVEN. But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage : neither can they die any more : for they are equal unto the angels ; and are the chil- dren of God, being the children of the resurrection. Luke 20 : 35, 36. " C1HALL we know eacli other there?" is a question often k3 asked, as if by some irrepressible impulse of the soul. From all the light we have on the subject of recognition in heaven, it is certain beyond a doubt that we shall know our friends there, for "we shall be as the angels of God." But shall our knowledge of that happy throng be limited to our friends only ? They will be few as compared with that great " company which no man can number." Recognition implies previous knowledge, for cognition means to know ; recognition means to know again. Will not intuition almost infinitely surpass recognition, as a soul attribute in the heavenly world ? Shall we not know all the saints, as well as recognize such a number of them as we chanced to know here on the earth ? When Peter and John, on the mount of transfiguration, knew Moses and Elias, that was not recognition, but intuition ; for those apostles had never known those Old Testament apostles. So we think it will be in heaven. Our knowing the glorified ones, saved, as we then shall be from all the infirmities of the flesh, and exalted through Christ, the second Adam, to a con- dition higher than that of the first Adam in Eden, we shall know, by intuition, our fellow -saints with whom we are to spend a happy eternity. But, along with this subject of re- cognition and intuition, many persons have thoughtlessly attached in their minds the idea of natural affection, supposing that this element, which belongs to our earthly relations, will continue in heaven. Such persons do not heed what our Lord said about those " which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world and the resurrection from the dead," that they " neither marry nor are given in marriage, neither can they die any more, for they are equal unto the angels." Natural affec- tion belongs to natural life, and will end with it. It is neces- sary to the relations we sustain to each other here ; but with these relations ended, natural affection will have served its NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 251 purpose, and expire. Love in heaven there will be, incom- parably higher and purer than parental or filial love here, but it will not be affection growing out of the relations we sustain to each other in this life j but then, as we shall be " children of God, being the children of the resurrection/ 7 our love will be to God, and the whole family of the saved, world without end. An argument is sometimes framed against the Bible doctrine of everlasting punishment, on the basis of natural affection. Appeals are made to family feelings, and the claim set up that a parent saved in heaven would be rendered mis- erable by the knowledge that a sinful son or daughter was lost in hell. Such an argument is utterly worthless, because it sets out with a false premise, that "flesh and blood," with the instincts and affections belonging thereto, will be trans- ferred to heaven, which is positively contradicted by our Lord. No soul saved in heaven will mourn over any administrative act of God, but will rather say, " Great and marvelous are thy works, Lord God Almighty, just and true are thy ways, thou King of Saints." FOOLISH QUESTIONS WISELY ANSWERED. And after that they durst not ask him any question at all. Luke 20 : 40. A CERTAIN man went to a dervis, and proposed three questions. First. " Why do they say that God is omnipresent ? I do not see him in any place ; show me where he is. Second. u Why is man punished for his crimes, since what- ever he does proceeds from God ? Man has no free will, for he can not do anything contrary to the will of God ; and if he had power, he would do everything for his own good. Third. " How can God punish Satan in hell fire, since he is formed of that element? and what impression can fire make on itself?" The dervis took up a large clod of earth, and struck him on the head with it. The man went to the cadi, and said, " I proposed three questions to a dervis, who flung such a clod of earth at me as has made my head ache." The cadi, having 252 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. sent for the dervis, asked, "Why did you throw a clod of earth at his head, instead of answering his questions ? " The dervis replied, " The clod of earth was an answer to his speech. He says he has a pain in his head ; let him show me the pain, and 1 will make God visible to him. And why does he exhibit a complaint to you against me ? Whatever I did was the act of God. I did not strike him without the will of God, and what power do I possess ? And, as he is compounded of earth, how can he suffer pain from that element ? " The man was con- founded, and the cadi highly pleased with the dervis's an- swer. J. H. Vincent. HE MISTOOK THE LIGHT. And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived. Luke 21:8. AND what was the consequence ? Why, one of the largest steamships in the world, with a rich cargo, and a company of three hundred souls on board, was wrecked, in a dark and stormy night, on the most dangerous part of the coast of Ire- land. The noble ship, which cost upward of a million of dol- lars, left her port that very afternoon, in fine trim, and with every prospect of a safe and speedy voyage ; and at nine o'clock she was thumping upon the rocks, the seas breaking over her with terrific violence, and threatening to send peo- ple, ship, and cargo to instant destruction. But how could they mistake the light ? Were the captain and his officers on the lookout ? Yes. Was the chart closely examined ? Yes. And were the common precautions taken to keep the ship on her proper course ? Yes ; all this was done. How, then, could she have met such a sad disaster? Why, because a light appeared which was not noted on the chart ; and the captain was deceived by it. He mistook it for another light that was on the chart; and so, when he supposed he was running out to sea, he was really running in upon the breakers. How great a mistake ! and how terrible the consequences ! Every reader of these lines is sailing on a more hazardous voyage than "The Great Britain" attempted, and has the NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 253 command of a nobler vessel and a richer freight than hers ; yes, richer than all the treasures of the world. Thousands of plans are laid to mislead and divert him from his course. False lights are purposely held out to betray him ; and tides and currents, of almost resistless power, set against him from every point of the compass. Will he steer clear of them all ? It will depend on two things : 1. Whether he has the true chart the Holy Scriptures. 2. Whether he commits him- self, and the whole direction of the voyage, to Him whose foot- steps are on the sea, and who rides upon the wings of the wind. DO NOT FRET. In your patience possess ye your souls. Luke 21 : 19. /CALMNESS and equanimity ought to be part of every one's \J religion, even as it is a part of the Quaker's. " I dare no more fret," said John Wesley, " than to curse and swear." One who knew him so well said that he never saw him low- spirited or fretful in his life. He could not endure the society of people who were of this habit. He says of them, " To have persons at my ears murmuring and fretting at everything, is like tearing the flesh from my bones. By the grace of God I am discontented at nothing. I see God sitting on the throne, and ruling all things." If every one was of John Wesley's spirit, it would revolu- tionize the world. Christians lose all their wayside comforts, and dishonor the Master by their fretfulness over little troubles. Some who can bear the great sorrows of life with a martyr's faith and patience are utterly overthrown by the breaking of a vase. We have seen men in fever of impatience, even anger over the loss of a shirt-button, the mislaying of a cane, or fifteen minutes' delay of dinner, who have stood by the graves of dear ones gone and made no sign. Men and women have come to 'think, somehow, that Chris- tian calmness finds its test hour only when some great afflic- tion crushes down. There never was a more sad mistake. Christian calmness has meet opportunity for exercise daily 254 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS, and hourly. It is the little trials that test it most. In every family circle much is happening that demands its perpetual presence and influence. Necessarily a cultivated virtue, in nearly all cases, let us see that it is more thoroughly cultivated. So shall our homes be more beautiful, our happiness more per- fect, our Christianity more generous and loving, we had almost said more saving. THE MOUNTAINS OF SCRIPTURE. Then lot them which are in Judea flee to the mountains. Luke 21 : 21. MOUNT ARARAT, whereon, says Moses, the ark rested, consists of two peaks separated by a valley. The Great Ararat rises to a height of seventeen thousand two hundred and ten feet from the level of the sea, and the lesser, or Little Ararat, to thirteen thousand. The Great Ararat was as- cended, after great toil, by Professor Parrot, in 1829 ; probably then pressed by the foot of man for the first time since Noah. CARMEL, the scene of the trial between Elijah and the wor- shipers of Baal, as to whether Jehovah or Baal was God, is the general name of a range of hills extending north-west from the plain of Esdraelon, and ending in a bold promontory on the shore of the Mediterranean, forming the bay of Acre. The extent of the range is six miles, and the greatest height fifteen hundred feet. MOUNTS EBAL and GERIZIM, in Samaria, rise about eight hun- dred feet, having a valley about two hundred and fifty paces wide between. On these hills was performed the grand cere- mony, on the Israelites gaining possession of the land of promise, for which Moses had left directions. Six tribes were placed upon Mount Gerizim to bless the people, and six upon Mount Ebal to curse. In later times, the Samaritans built a i''in])le on Mount Gerizim, and the Samaritans still regard it as holy ground. MOUNT HOR, on the summit "of which Aaron died, is situated in Arabia Petraea, on the confines of Idumea, and rises to the elevation of three thousand feet. LEBANON, whose renowned " cedars " are many times alluded t. is the name applied in Scripture to both the Libanus and NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 255 Anti-Libanus mountains, two parallel ranges, running from north-east to south-west, on the northern shores of Palestine. The average height of the range is about ten thousand feet. MOUNT MORIAH, one of the hills upon which Jerusalem was built of old, and the site of Solomon's Temple, and the present Mosque of Onier, is about two thousand feet above the level of the Mediterranean, and separated from the Mount of Olives by the narrow valley of Jehoshaphat. The MOUNT OF OLIVES, sacred as the frequent resort of the Saviour for meditation and prayer, derived its name from the number and beauty of its olive trees. It rises about five hun- dred feet above its' opposite neighbor Moriali, and is the place of burial of the Jews. MOUNT SINAI, where " the Lord descended in fire," and gave the commandments to Moses, is a wild, desolate region of granite peaks and precipices, deep ravines and watercourses. Its height is seven thousand feet, and the length of the whole range three miles. MOUNT TABOR is a beautiful mountain, standing alone on the north-east border of the plain of Esdraelon, south from Naza- reth. To this hill tradition points as the spot hallowed by the transfiguration of our Lord ; and this event is still yearly cele- brated there by the Latin and Greek churches. MOUNT ZION, many times alluded to in Scripture as the " holy hill," " beautiful for situation," Christ ? ' and then preach a sermon, running along the road to the great metropolis Christ. And," said he, " I have not yet found a text that has not a road to Christ in it. If I should, I would make one. I would go over hedge and ditch, but I would get at my Master, for the serfnon can not do any good unless there is a savor of Christ in it." 326 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. THE ELEVENTH COMMANDMENT. A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another ; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. John 13 : 34. . A RCHBISHOP USHER, being once on a visit to Scotland, ]\. heard a great deal of the piety and devotion of Mr. Sam- uel Rutherford. He wished much to witness what had been told him, but was at a loss how to accomplish his design. At length it came into his mind to dress himself like a pauper ; and on a Saturday evening, when turning dark, he called at Mr. Rutherford's house, and asked if he could get quarters for a night. Mr. Rutherford consented to give the poor man a bed for the night, and desired him to sit down in the kitchen, which he cheerfully did. Mrs. Rutherford, according to custom on Saturday evening, that her servants might be prepared for the Sabbath, called them together and examined them. In the course of the examination she asked the stranger how many commandments there were. To which he answered, " Eleven." On receiving this answer, she replied, " What a shame is it for you, a man with gray hairs, in a Christian country, not to know how many commandments there are ! There is not a child of six years old in this parish, but could answer this question properly." She troubled the poor man no more, thinking him so very ignorant, but lamented his condition to her servants. After giving him some supper, she desired a servant to show him up stairs to a bed in the gar- ret. Mr. Rutherford, on discovering who he was next morn- ing, requested him to preach for him that day, which the bishop consented to do, on the condition that he would not discover him to any other. Mr. Rutherford furnished the bishop with a suit of his own clothes, and early in the morn- ing he went into the fields ; the other followed him, and brought him in as a stuange minister passing by, who had promised to preach for him. Mrs. Rutherford found that the poor man had gone away before any of the family were out of bed. After domestic worship and breakfast, the family went to the church, and the bishop had for his text, John 13 : 34, " A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 327 one another." In the course of his sermon he observed, that this might be reckoned the eleventh commandment : upon which Mrs. Rutherford said to herself, " That is the answer the poor man gave me last night ; " and looking up to the pulpit, said, " It can not be possible that this is he ! " After public worship, the strange minister and Mr. Rutherford spent the evening in mutual satisfaction ; and early on Monday morn- ing the former went away in the dress in which he came, and was not discovered. A FINER MANSION. In my Father's house are many mansions : if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. John 14 : 2. ANEW ZEALAND chief, Tamahana, who visited England a few years ago, was remarkable for the deep spirituality of his mind, and his constant delight in the Word of God. One day he was taken to see a beautiful mansion one of the show- places near London. The gentleman who took him expected to see him greatly astonished and much charmed with its magnificence and splendor ; but it seemed, to his surprise, to excite little or no admiration in his mind. Wondering how this could be, he began to point out to him its grandeur, the beauty of the costly furniture brought from all parts of the world, the view from the windows, &c. Tamahana heard all silently ; then, looking round upon the walls, replied, " Ah ! my Father's house finer than this." " Your father's house ! " thought the gentleman, who knew his father's home was but a poor mud cottage. But Tamahana went on, " My Father's house finer than this ; " and began to speak in his own expres- sive, touching strain of the house above the house of " many mansions " the eternal home of the Redeemer. NO HOPE FOR THE MORALIST. Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life : no man cometli unto the Father, but by me. John 14 : 6. A MAN once dreamed that he died, and went into the other world. He saw a high enclosure surrounding heaven, 328 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. with a little gate through which he was about to pass. As he came near to enter, he saw written at the top of the gate, " Without holiness no man shcdl see the Lord I " " All right/' said he ; " I have that ; " and he was for marching straight in. But at that moment a man touched his shoulder, saying, " Stop ! you think of entering through that gate ? " " Certainly," said he ;." I have holiness : I am no sinner." " But do you not re- member that when we were boys, and were playing together, you once cheated me out of a marble ? " " Yes, I believe I do." " There is one sin, then," said the man ; " and since you have committed one sin, you can not go in at that gate." At this the moralist was in trouble and deep distress. And while weeping at his exclusion and disappointment, he saw another gate, over which was written, " TJie blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin." " Thank God for that ! " he cried, and immediately renounced his own righteousness, and sought ad- mittance through Christ, who is " the way, and the truth, and the life. 19 FOR CHARLIE'S SAKE. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. John 14 : 13. " GOME years ago, in war time," said Mr. Moody, " a well- O known judge, who had much interested himself for the welfare of the suffering soldiers, resolved that while a certain case was pending, he would turn away all applicants for char- ity, that he might devote himself wholly to the duties of his profession. " One day a soldier came into his office, poorly clad, his face bearing the deep lines of suffering. The judge, pretending not to notice him, continued his work. The soldier fumbled in his pockets for a long time, and then said, in an uncertain, disappointed voice, as though ho saw that he was unwelcome, ' I did have a letter for you.' The judge, acting against the prompting of a warm, generous heart, made no reply. Pres- ently a thin, trembling hand pushed a note along the desk. The judge raised his face slightly, and was about to say, ' I have no time for such matters as those/ when he discovered NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 329 the writing was that of his own son, a soldier in the army. He took up the note. It read in substance, l Dear father : The bearer is a soldier, discharged from the hospital. He is going home to die. Assist him in any way you can, for Charlie's sake.' " All the tender emotions of his soul were laid open. He said to a friend afterward, ' I took the soldier to my heart, for Charlie's sake; I let him sleep in Charlie's bed. I clothed him, and supplied him with every comfort for the sake of my own dear boy.' " My friends, God will never turn the needy away without a blessing, for his dear Son's sake for Jesus' sake." "I IN YOU." At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. John 14 : 20. THE most wonderful event in the history of the universe is the Incarnation. That God should in very deed dwell with man, made the wise soul of Solomon bow the lower in astonishment and adoration. What if he had seen that he would dwell in a Person, selected, created for this purpose ; that he would appear before all the hosts of earth, and heaven, and hell, not only the Son of God, but the Son of Man ? How far mightier an awe would have possessed his soul ! He saw, as in a glass darkly, this strange futurity. Beyond his appre- hension stood forth the object of his faith ; the seed of the woman bruising the head of sin, and delivering the soul of the sinner. But Christ in his parting words goes farther than the wisest dare to dream or hope. God has in very deed dwelt with man. He has clothed himself in the garments of hu- manity, spirit, and flesh. He has made these finite robes lustrous with the glory that shone through them upon the most bleared and prejudiced eyes. Now he is about to lay them aside for a season. He will resume them, only to trans- fer them from the sight of mortals to that of immortality. His friends gather round him to catch his last words. Sorrow fills their hearts. Dread of their enemies, in whose power they 42 330 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. will seemingly be left, increases their grief. Weakness and anguish come upon them. Then speaks the mighty Emmanuel. In this day of my departure and your distress shall ye know that " I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you." What means this divine enigma ? Will God in very deed dwell with man ? Will he reincarnate himself in his creatures ? Is the mystery of Bethlehem to be repeated multitudinously throughout earth and time ? So some fancy who reduce that mystery to a mere inspiration of God in the soul of a Jewish youth. If we follow the faith of Renan, and of a large body of dreamers of our day, who call themselves reasoners, all the more as they exhibit the less of reason, we can easily read the meaning. " Jesus, the Son of Mary, was a good man. His goodness came from God. The influence of his example has affected all other seekers after the good, and so he dwells in God, God in him, and he in every l meek lover of the good.' ' : Is this all ? Then why these sublime exhortations and prayers ? Why this weight of agony upon both Disciple and Teacher, a weight of infinite burden upon his soul ? Why this promise of the Comforter, not an effluence, but a Person ; even the Spirit of Truth. " He," not it, shall be in you. No mirage of mere breath, however divine, is this Splendor of strength and joy. " I in You," is the personal, conscious communion of Christ with his believer. It is as separate, yet as intimate as the fellowship of two kindred souls ; more separate, and more intimate. It is as clearly revealable to our consciousness as the fact of our own being. We are one with him, yet infinitely below him. We are in perfect communion, and in ineffable contrast. Our natures assume his likeness. Our thoughts are as his thoughts ; our ways as his ways. Not because they are ours, but his. OBEDIENCE THE GREAT TEST OF PIETY. Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, lie will keep my words : and my father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. John 14 : 23. THE Bible assigns peculiar importance to the test of religious character which is furnished in obedience. God knows NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 331 the blindness of the human heart, and the strange exposure of men to self-deception. He has therefore provided that the reality of those dispositions we profess to cherish toAvard him, shall be evinced by corresponding conduct. Do you inquire, who are the friends of Christ ? " Ye are my friends if ye do whatsoever I command you." Do you ask, who are those that love the Redeemer? " He that loveth me, keepeth my com- mandments." Do you ask, how shall we know that we pos- sess a saving knowledge of him ? " Hereby do we know that we know him, if we t keep his commandments. 7 ' ; Would we know the evidence of hostility to Christ ? " He that loveth me not, keepeth not my sayings." Would we know who are they that are deceived or deceivers ? " He that saith he knoweth him and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him." Would we trace out the grand line of demarkation between saints and sinners ? " In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil he that doeth not righteousness is not of God." Would we know what will be the grand and universal rule of trial at the final day ? " Without respect of persons, the Father will judge every man according to his works." From beginning to end, from first to last, the great test of character is, " .By their fruits shall ye know them," INTEGRITY OF THE SACRED TEXT. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remem- brance, whatsoever I have said unto you. John 14 : 2G. DR. KENNICOTTS testimony respecting the Hebrew Scriptures has been often quoted. When he had an au- dience of his sovereign to present his great work, his majesty asked him, What, upon the whole, had been the result of his learned and laborious investigation ? To which he replied, that he had found some grammatical errors, and many varia- tions, in the different texts ; but not one which in the smallest degree affected any article of faith or practice. Similar is the following testimony, recently borne by a distinguished bibli- cal student, James Smith, Esq., of Jordan Hill, F. R. S. : 332 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. " It may be satisfactory to those who look with suspicion upon the numerous various readings appended to critical editions, to know that, in that very considerable portion of the Gospels which I have copied, I have not been able to detect a shade of difference in the meaning, either doctrinal or histori- cal. But the difference between the earlier and the later MSS., although unimportant as to the matter, are of great im- portance in an inquiry like the present" (Origin and Con- nection of the Gospels), " where so much depend supon verbal expression. 7 ' PEACE IN JESUS. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you : not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John H : 27. BLESSED heritage ! The Saviour lays great stress upon it. The apostles speak of it continually. Scarcely any word is so often repeated in the Bible as Peace. Every be- liever ought to have it. None ought to be a day without it.. Peace in Jesus is a free gift. Simply to take it on trust is to have it. Trust brings rest. The presence of Jesus is always manifested to the trusting soul. Power accompanies his man- ifested presence. Peace is the work of his power. It is an abiding privilege. Nor does it abide alone. Where the peace of God is, there is also the very God of peace. Where peace in Jesus abides, there abides Jesus, the Prince of Peace. Where peace keeps the heart and mind, there dwells the Comforter, without whom no one can say that Jesus is the Son of God. The peace of God indicates the will of God. He who has the peace of God in him can not be out of his will. Would you know how to tell when you are in God's will? You can quickly tell when you are not in his will. When peace de- parts from you, it is because you depart from God. Like the pillar of cloud and of fire over Israel, the peace of God abides with you while you abide in God's will. It is also a great power. It keeps the heart and mind in love, in obedience, in the will of God, in the Spirit, and so in NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 333 the power of God. One word spoken in the will, and in the Spirit, and in the power of God is worth a hundred sermons in self. One casting of the net on the right side of the ship, in obedience to the will of a present Saviour, is worth a thou- sand fruitless efforts in the night of toil, in the absence of Jesus, the Prince of Peace. "HE PURGETH IT." Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh away : and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. John 15 : 2. \ IN a sermon on " Christ the True Yine," by Trench, we find this comforting thought, for those who watch and often wonder at God's dealings with his children : " We sometimes wonder, with regard to some of God's deal- ings with the elect, that he should cast them again and again into the crucible of trial. It seems to us as though they were already refined gold. But he sees that in them which we do not see, a further fineness which is possible ; and he will not give over till that be obtained. It is just as in a portrait by some cunning artist, which is now drawing near to its com- pletion. Men look at it, and count it perfect, and are Well- nigh impatient that the artist does not now withhold his hand and declare it is finished, while he, knowing better, touches and re-touches, returns again and again to his work. And why? Because there floats before him an ideal of possible excellence at which he has not yet arrived, but which he will not rest nor be contented till he has embodied in his Avork. It is thus with God and some of his elect servants. Men seeing their graces, which so far exceed those of* common ^ men, wonder sometimes why they should suffer still ; why they seem to be ever falling from one sorrow to another. But he sees in them that which no other eye can see : the grace which is capable of becoming more gracious still ; and in his very faithfulness he will not deprive them, or suffer them to come short of this. They are fruit-bearing branches, and because they are so, l he purges "them, that they may bring forth 334 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. more fruit.' My brethren, how blessed must God's service be, when he can give nothing better to his servants, in reward of their obedience, than the ability to serve him more and better ! " PRUNING THE VINE. I am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit ; for without me ye can do nothing. John 15 : 5. r\ OTTHOLD, visiting a person who was in deep affliction and VJ sorrow, was told by the family that he was in the garden. Thither he followed, and found him employed in clearing a vine of its superfluous leaves. After a friendly salute, he inquired what he was doing. " I find," was the reply, " that owing to the abundant rain, this vine is overgrown with wood arid leaves, which prevents the sun from reaching and ripen- ing the grapes. I am therefore pruning part of them away, that it may bring its fruit to maturity." Gotthold rejoined : And do you find that in this operation the vine resists and opposes you ? If not, why are you* displeased that a gracious God should do to you, what your vine must not be displeased that you do to it ? You prune off the superfluous foliage in order that it may bear the better fruit ; and God takes away your temporal blessings and earthly comforts, in order that faith may produce its noble fruits of love, humility, patience, hope, and prayer, and these larger, and fairer, and sweeter than before. Let them talk as they please. When a man has- a superfluity of all things, and is a total stranger to the cross, the Sun of Righteousness, with its gracious rays, can scarcely reach the heart ; and hence his Christianity usually bears only the. harsh and acrid fruits of hypocrisy, pride, ivnkindness. and implacability. Let God, therefore, do with you as he will ; he will do you no harm. You are now stripping the vine of its leaves; in spring you hoed it, planted layers, pruned the suckers, and bound the branches. My friend, you arc yourself a branch on the spiritual Vine, which is the Lord Jesus. God i> the dresser, and he well knows that, without his grace and care, he can look for no good at your hands. This is the reason NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 335 why he employs contempt to lay you in the earth, trials to prune, affliction to restrain, and poverty to strip you of your leaves. He intends it all to make his grace sweeter to you, and your heart sweeter to him. CLEAVING TO CHRIST. If yc abide in me, and my Words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. John 15 : 7. I HAVE seen a heavy piece of iron hanging on another not welded, not linked, not glued to the spot, and yet it cleaved with such tenacity as to bear not only its own weight, but mine too, if I chose to seize it and hang upon it. A wire charged with an electric current is in contact with the mass, and hence its adhesion. Cut that wire through, or remove it by a hair's breadth, and the piece of iron drops dead to the ground, like any other unsupported weight. A stream of life from the Lord, brought into contact with a human spirit, keerJs the spirit cleaving to the Lord so firmly that no power on earth or hell can wrench the two asunder. From Christ the mysterious life-stream flows, through the being of a disciple it spreads, and to the Lord it returns again. In that circle the feeblest Christian is held safely, but if the circle be broken the dependent spirit instantly drops off. Arnot. PRAYING IN THE NAME OF CHRIST. Ye haVe not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit shouhl remain : that whatso- ever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. John 15 : 1(5. E can not pray in our own names, for our names are evil : we can not make mention of our own righteousness, for we have none ; "all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags ; " but in the name of Christ we may ask what we will, assured that God will hear us for the sake of his only begotten Son. Every rJrayer, therefore, offered by the Christian, should be 336 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. definitely presented in the name of Jesus Christ ; for there is no approach to -the Father but by his Son our Lord. We must come to God in the name of Christ, then he will be our Bondsman, Surety, Indorser, Intercessor with the Father. He will present our petition, and plead his own merits in our behalf; and he never pleads in vain. As the high-priest, under the Levitical dispensation, entered the Holy of Holies once a year, bearing the names ^of the chosen tribes on his breastplate, so. the great High-Priest of our profession now stands in the holiest of all, bearing the name of every follower and friend on his heart. When you send up your prayers, be sure to direct them to the care of the Redeemer, and then they will never miscarry. M. Henry. EXCUSES FOR NOT ATTENDING PUBLIC WORSHIP. If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin ; but now they have no cloak for their sin. John 15 : 22. OVERSLEPT myself could not dress in time. Too cold - too hot too windy too dusty. Too wet too damp too sunny too cloudy. Don't feel disposed. No other time to myself. Look over my drawers. Put my papers to rights. Letters to write to my friends. Taken a dose of physic. Mean to walk to the canal. Going to take a ride. Tied to business six days in the week. No fresh air but on Sundays. Can't breathe in church, always so full. Feel a little feverish. Feel a little chilly. Feel very lazy. Ex- pect company to dinner. Got a headache. Intend nursing myself to-day. New bonnet not come home. Tore my muslin dress comirig down stairs. Got a new novel must be returned on Monday morning. Wasn't shaved in time. Don't like a liturgy always praying for the same thing. Don't like extempore prayer don't know what is coming. Don't like an organ 'tis too noisy. Don't like singing without music makes me nervous. Can't sit in a draft of air windows or door open in summer. Stove so hot in- winter, always get a headache. Can't hear an extempore sermon . NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 337 too frothy. Dislike a written sermon too prosing. Nobody to-day but our minister. Can't always listen to the same preacher. Don't like strangers spurn them with contempt. Can't keep awake when at church. Snored aloud last time I was there shan't risk it again. Mean to inquire of some sensible person about the propriety of going to so public a place as church. Will publish the result. Amicus. THE DIVINE COMFORTER. Nevertheless I tell you the truth : It is expedient for you that I go away : for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you ; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. John 16 : 7. THE peculiar designafion, " the Comforter," or " the Par- aclete," which is only the Greek word put into an English form, given to the Holy Spirit by our Lord in his utterances on the night of his betrayal, is a good, strong term, and affords a foundation for a hope of the largest help. Four times in the three chapters here alluded to the word is applied to the Holy Spirit ; besides which it occurs but once in the whole New Testament, and then it is used of the Lord Jesus as our " ad- vocate with the Father." There is no single word in our language that exactly expresses its import ; literally it signi- fies one who is called to our side to aid us. The word " advo- cate " suggests the thought of aid given us by one speaking in our behalf; and so Christ does speak in our behalf with God, and the Holy Spirit speaks in his behalf with us. When we talk of " comfort," the idea is quite commonly of relief and support under some distress of body or mind ; and the Holy Spirit does sympathize with us in every trouble. But this only partly covers the ground. The Divine Comforter is sent to our side to aid us in every way, and to help and strengthen us in everything in which Jesus helped and strengthened his disciples while he was on the earth, and in which we can de- rive help from the presence of our God. To our side, we say ; and yet nearer than that is he to us, for Jesus said of him, " He dwelloth with you, and shall be in you ; " and the apostle taught that the bodies of believers are temples of tho Holy 43 338 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. Spirit. He is, then, a divine indweller and helper, in whom God's children may implicitly trust, in the expectation of be- ing upheld and kept by his power, and of finding support and the blessedness of a perfect rest of soul. GOD ONLY CAN DO THESE THINGS. All things that the Father hath are mine : therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you. John 16 : 15. ' T CAN NOT find, in the lively oracles, a single distinctive JL mark of Deity, which is not applied without reserve or limitation, to the only begotten Son. l All things whatsoever the Father hath are his. 7 Who is that mysterious Word that was in the beginning with God ? 'Vftio is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the ending, the first and the last the Almighty ? Who is he that knows what is in man, because he searches the deep and dark recesses of the heart ? Who is the Omnipresent, that has promised, l Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them ; ' the light of whose countenance is at the same moment the joy of heaven and the salvation of earth ; who is encircled by the seraphim on high, and walks in the midst of the golden candlesticks ; who is in this assembly ; in all the assemblies of his people ; in every worshiping family ; in every closet of prayer ; in every holy heart ? Whose hands have stretched out the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth ? Who hath replenished them with inhabitants, and garnished them with beauty, having created all things that are in both, ' visi- ble and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers 7 ? ^ By whom do all things consist ? Who is the Governor among the nations, having on his vesture and on his thigh, a name written, l King of kings and Lord of lords'? Whom is it the Father's will that all men shouhl honor, even as they honor himself? Whom has he commanded his angels to worship ? Whom to obey ? Before whom do the devils tremble ? Who is qualified to redeem millions of sin- ners from the wrath to come, and preserve them by his grace to his everlasting kingdom ? Who raiseth the dead, having NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 339 life in himself to quicken whom he will, so that at his voice all that are in their graves shall come forth ; and death and hell surrender their numerous and forgotten captives ? Wlio shall weigh in the balance of judgment the destinies of angels and men, dispose of the thrones of paradise, and bestow eternal life ? Shall I submit to the decision of reason ? Shall I ask a response from heaven ? Shall I summon the devils from their chains of darkness ? The response from heaven sounds in my ears ; reason approves, and the devils confess This, Chris- tians, is none other than the great God our Saviour" HONOR GOD IN ASKING MUCH. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. John 16 : 23. SMALL attainments in grace, when " great grace " is freely offered, dishonors God. The world does not see in such persons how mightily the gospel of Christ can save. God is honored when we ask and receive large blessings. " What would you think of one who was permitted to light his dwelling at night as brilliantly as he would, without cost, who should only kindle a solitary jet amid the darkness of his home, and sit down content in that somber twilight ? Or of one who should have free access to a spacious garden filled with bloom, with leave to pluck and gather what he chose, who should only put one foot inside the gate, and take away a single flower ? Or of one made welcome to draw from a bank account of millions, who should fill his check for only enough to keep him from absolute starvation ? Would these men be any wiser, would they honor their benefactors more than we, to whom Jesus opens all his stores of grace, and who yet keep so faint a spark of spiritual life, and who experience, so little of comfort and strength ? " Rev. A. L. Stone, D. D. 340 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. ASK LARGE BLESSINGS. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name : ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. John 16 : 24. A LEXANDER THE GREAT had a famous, but indigent, jLl_ philosopher in his court. This adept in science was once particularly straitened in his circumstances. To whom alone should he apply but to his patron, the conqueror of the world ? His request was no sooner made than granted. Alexander gave him a commission to receive of his treasurer whatever he wanted. He immediately demanded, in his sovereign's name, ten thousand pounds. The treasurer, surprised at so large a demand, refused to comply ; but waited upon the king, and represented to him the affair, adding withal, how un- reasonable he thought the petition, and how exorbitant the sum. Alexander heard him with patience ; but as soon as he had ended his remonstrance, replied, " Let the money be in- stantly paid. I am delighted with this philosopher's way of thinking he has done me a singular honor ,* by the largeness of his request he shows the high idea he has conceived, both of my superior wealth and my royal magnificence." Thus let us*honor what the inspired penman styles the marvelous loving- kindness of Jehovah. " He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things ? " THROUGH MUCH TRIBULATION. These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer : I have overcome the world. John 16:33. NO one reaches heaven without passing through the waters of tribulation. It is the law of the kingdom, and a neces- sary law. The Psalmist accounts for it on the principle im- plied in the declaration, " Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God." Yes, changes, sad and painful changes, are often necessary in order to the turning the faces NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 341 of God's chosen heavenward. Said a Christian, who lost his house and property by fire, " If they had not perished, I should have perished ; " and another, who had lost his eyesight, " I could never see till I was blind." Thus God leads through the troubled waters, up to the sunshine and the peace of the rest above. Most true it is, through much tribulation ye shall enter the kingdom. CHRIST ANTICIPATING HIS FINISHED WORK. I have glorified thee on the earth : I have finished the work which tliou gavest me to do. John 17 : 4. T) IBLICAL scholars long since remarked the peculiar majmer JD of the Saviour, in the prayer recorded in this seventeenth chapter of John. The form of the verb, which he uses in speaking of his own work, is the indefinite past (the Aorist), the Greek tense of narration, employed in speaking of events that belong to past time, and without reference (as in the per- fect tense) to the present. Thus he says in verse 4, " I glori- fied thee on earth : I finished the work which thou hast given me to do ; " in verse 6, " I manifested thy name to- the 'men whom thou hast given me out of the world ; " in verse "12, " Those whom thou hast given me, I watched over, and nono of them perished ; " in verse 18, " As thou didst send me into the world, I also send them into the world ; " in verse 25, " And the world knew thee not ! But I knew thee, and these knew that thou didst send me." The key to this remarkable peculiarity is found in verse 12, " While I was with them, I kept them in thy name." He was still with them, and still was keeping them. But his thoughts, while thus absorbed in communion with God, are withdrawn from the present, and contemplate his earthly mission as a completed work, on which he looks back, and speaks of it as finished and belonging to the past. It is for this reason he says in verse 4, u I glorified thee on the earth ; I finished the work which thou hast given me to do." This shows the con- sistency of the petition in verse 5 (as also in verse 2), " And now, Father, glorify thou me with thine own self, with the 342 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. glory which I had with thee before the world was ; " for in view of his finished work, as he was now contemplating it, he could claim that glory which was to be its reward. The whole passage is thus clothed with new light and beauty, when we are permitted to trace what was passing in the Saviour's mind, just as the sacred writer himself expressed it. SCRIPTURAL SEPARATION FROM THE WORLD. I have given them thy word ; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. John 17 : 14. AS truly now as in the days when the apostles were ac- counted the " offscouring of all things " are the real disciples of Jesus a " separate " people. And it is only by their keeping up wisely, kindly, and decidedly this line of spiritual separation that they will preserve themselves from the " evil " of the world, and become the instruments of its salvation. As the Father sent the Son into the world to redeem it, so the Son sent his disciples. For their sakes he sanctified himself, that they might sanctify themselves for the salvation of their fellow-men. They were to be no more of the world than was he>; and they would not, he assured them, be specially loved by the worldly heart, as the world had not loved him. The church will not save the world by yielding to its demands to secularize itself, to conform to its spirit, to accept its codes of morality, and to drink from its fountains of enjoyment. When the world has succeeded in bringing the church to its senti- ments as to all human relations, and secured so broad a creed as to cover every body, what has it gained ? It certainly has not improved its own condition, and it has destroyed the vital leaven by which God is pleased to save human society and individual souls. GOD'S WORD. Sanctify them through thy truth : thy word is truth. John 17 : 17. SEEING a man reject the inspiration of the Scriptures, while he said he maintained his belief in Jesus Christ and his NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 343 redemption, I had compared him to some one who has a costly perfume in a glass vessel ; he breaks the vessel, thinking that he can at the same time preserve the perfume, but he loses it all. Set aside the inspiration of the Scriptures, and all Chris- tian doctrine will disappear. This is not a theory, I have seen it to be a fact ; therefore the question is one of the greatest importance. I am not ignorant of the objections, of the difficulties that are raised, but the plenitude of the divin- ity to be found in the Scriptures is too great to be in the least prejudiced by them. I say from the depth of my heart, " Thy word is truth." Not to believe that the Bible is God's message is voluntarily to deprive one's self of all true, whole- some, well-founded knowledge about God and our future state. It is returning to darkness ; it is to ruin our own prospects, and perhaps also the welfare of many others with us. Merle D'Aubigne. SANCTIFICATION THROUGH THE TRUTH. And for their sakcs I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. John 17 : 19. THE reception of divine truth, and its relation to personal salvation, are subjects of the utmost importance. The truth of God as revealed in the Bible is operative, not a mere idea, or a dogmatic creed ; but a divine energy in the soul, moving it toward Christ as a Saviour, and toward heaven as its ultimate destiny. When a person apprehends God's truth by a willing faith and obedient spirit, that truth, like leaven in the meal, begins to work the purification of that soul, as Jesus prayed that they " might be sanctified through the truth.''' This shows us the difference between truth and error in moral results. Error is powerless for good, while truth is the power of God unto salvation. Sanctification through the truth is not the reward of receiving the truth, but the result of it. " He that believeth not shall be damned," is not a pen- alty for not believing the gospel, but the result of it. Truth lifts up the soul, purifies the heart, clothes with garments of righteousness, and prepares us for heaven. Error has no such power. The five foolish virgins were not shut out of the mar- 344 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. riage festivities because they went away to buy oil, but- be- cause they were not prepared to enter at the only entering time. Unitarianisin fails to be a system of saving faith be- cause it exalts and magnifies manhood into untrue and unnat- ural proportions, lifting it above where the Bible puts it, while it minifies the Godhead by denying the divinity of Christ, whom the Scriptures call " The true God and eternal life." So also of Universalism and Deism ; they have no power to bring up the fallen soul into acceptance with God, but are opiates to quiet the awakening of Conscience. Truth is life- imparting and life-preserving. CHRISTIANS REPRESENT CHRIST. I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one ; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them as thou hast loved me. John 17 : 23. WHILE Christ in glorified humanity represents his re- deemed ones before the throne of his Father in heaven, he leaves them here to represent him on earth. His redeemed family on earth are as truly precious objects of his love and care, as are his angel family in heaven. Angels were never redeemed, but proportionate to the price paid for man's re- demption is he more precious than even angels in the sight of God. Christ can just as fully save a soul on earth and keep it free from the touch of pollution, as he can thus save and keep a soul in heaven. " All power is given him in heaven and on earth. 7 ' Who would dare to limit the power of Christ to save to the uttermost, whether the subject of his saving power be on earth or in heaven ? If, then, we may as surely be kept and saved on earth as though we were already in heaven, who would not rather inhabit a human form, and for a short space do the will of God on earth, and go about doing good ? Surely, it is more glorious to be a representative of Christ than a representative of angels. How much more effi- cient in the work of saving souls, the services of a purified spirit inhabiting a human form, than the services of the highest sin-hangcl robed in the glories of immortality! Mrs. P. Palmer. NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 345 THE PRICELESS GIFT. And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it : that the love wherewith thou hast loved me, may be in them, and I in them. John 17 : 20. rflHE Eev. Dr. Wentworth relates the following interesting JL incident : " The Chinese are exceedingly mercenary. They will do almost anything for money. They have no notion of any man taking a course which does not tend to profit. Many of them think we pay people to become Christians j that we hire men and women to receive baptism, and profess faith in the doc- trine of Jesus. One of our new converts recently held the following dialogue with a neighbor who attempted to catechise him on the- subject: " ' How much did these foreigners give you to join their church ? twenty dollars ? ' " < More than that.' " < A thousand dollars ? ' " l More than that.' " l How much, pray ? ' " ' More than the value of the weight of this mountain in silver and gold.' " ' In the name of Buddha ! what"? ' cried the astonished in- terrogator. " ' This precious book/ said the Christian 2 holding up the Bible, ' which tells me of God and Christ, Calvary, salvation, everlasting life in heaven ! ' " OUR SORROWS A BITTER CUP. Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath : the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it? John 18 : 11. ONE of the most eminent divines of New England tells us that soon after the death of his wife his two children were taken from him within a few hours of each other. " My cup of sorrow," he says, " was filled to the brim. I stood a few moments and viewed the remains of my two darlings who had 44 346 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. gone to their long home never to return. I felt at first as if I could not submit to such a complicated affliction. My heart rose in all its strength against the government of God, and then suddenly sunk under its distress, which alarmed me. I sprang up, and said to myself, ' I must submit, or I am undone for ever.' In a few moments I was entirely calm and resigned to the will of God. I never enjoyed greater happiness than during that day and the next. My mind was full of God, and I used to look toward the burying-ground, and wish for the time when I might be laid by the side of my departed wife and little ones." There is a great beauty in such religion as this j for the grace of submission to a bereaving father is the hardest and rarest of Christian attainments. There is such a temptation to angry rebellion when the blow cuts deep. A wife is sud- denly taken ; a crib is left empty, or a cradle deepens into a grave. A noble, gifted son is cut off in his sinewy prime ; a son who was all the world to her who leaned upon him. A lovely daughter withers and droops ; her beauty falls off like the rose-leaves, and presently she goeth down to darkness and the worm. Beside such new-made graves unbelief utters its reproaches, " not loud,. but deep." But submission whispers with faltering lips and choking utterance, " The cup that my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it ? " The will of the Lord be done. SUPERSTITION AND CONSCIENCE. Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment : and it was early; and they themselves went not into the judgment-hall, lest they should be defiled ; but that they might eat the passover. John 18 : 28. A LATE narrative of travels in Russia contains the follow- ing illustration of religious fervor in that country : - " A lady on leaving a private party in St. Petersburg, at a rather advanced hour in the morning, called a droschke, and having given directions to the driver, the latter proceeded toward her home, as she thought, instead of which he drove her to a rather deserted part of the city, when he 'suddenly NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 347 turned round and cut her throat, the sable -lined cloak in which she was enveloped having excited his cupidity. Having divested her of this, he dragged the body to the brink of the canal, and threw her into it. On his way back to the stand he was hailed by a gentleman, and however reluctant, obliged to take him as a fare. The gentleman not only noticed the cloak, but touching it found his fingers stained with blood. He said nothing till he reached a police station, where, having ordered the driver to stop, he gave him into custody on sus- picion. The gentleman was the husband of the lady, and recognized the cloak as belonging to his wife. The tragedy happened during Lent, when meat -is forbidden. The mur- dered lady had a little basket with her which contained a pie. Having been asked by the commissary why he had not eaten the pie, l How could I think of eating the pie ! ' replied the assassin, l it may contain meat, and ' devoutly crossing him- self ' I am, thank God, a good Christian ' ! " CHRIST'S KINGDOM FOUNDED IN THOUGHT. Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews : but now is my kingdom not from hence. John 18 : 36. EEV. WILLIAM ARTHUR lately said in a speech, " The Lord founded a kingdom, very unlike any other kingdom. He founded it without drum, or trumpet, or banner, or scep- ter, or throne, or crown. He founded it without geographical limits without fortress, without fleets. He founded it as a kingdom whose foundations were laid in thought ; as a king- dom whose wars were to be carried on in thought ; as a king- dom whose instruments were those of thought ; whose sword was not the sword in hand, but the sword that ' proceedeth out of the mouth of God ; ' whose charter was the power of the Word ; whose battle-field was only and ever the battle- field of thought. Into this world of thought Christ's kingdom came, to attack all who opposed ; and in its own calm, search- ing, but irrepressible way, with. a word, with a message, with an invitation, with an argument, with an exhortation, with an 348 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. entreaty, with a continuous pointing upward upward, as if it had a distinct connection with invisible powers, which it had ; and ' bringing into captivity every thought to the obedi- ence of Christ,' thoughts high, thoughts deep, thoughts old, thoughts built upon the foundations, as men supposed, of ever- lasting principles, thoughts certainly reared up with all the elaborate beauty of human genius and of vast national toil, thoughts consolidated by the suffrage of ages, and thoughts adorned and enriched by the splendor of empires ! What was the result ? Of all other powers none has the hold upon hu- man thought that Christ has at this moment, and there is none advancing year by year as is the kingdom of the Lord Christ. The world has been always talking of its feebleness and fail- ure, but where is the power that will venture at this moment to say, ' I will sweep Christ out of human thought ; ? " WHAT IS TRUTH? Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all. John 18 : 38. THERE is a circle of earthly truths, the dust, the shell of things, and inward lies the " pearl of great price," the truth of truths, that leadeth up to God ; that grows more and more glorious, through the endless cycles of eternity through Christ's eternal salvation. That truth is eternal, because it is from God, and ends in God surrounded by infinite mind, infinite love, infinite glory, infinite peace and bliss. The panorama of the world its wisdom the scene of the stars all things of time will be as nothing compared with an eternal communion witli God by the souls of "just men made perfect by the blood of Christ." Why not, man ! seek this truth ? You love the truth ; and do you not think that the loving and truthful Jesus spoke the truth when he said, " I am the truth " ? O, how sweet is that truth ; how glorious is its author ! He shed his precious blood on the cross to prove it, and save all who come by that way ! More than eighteen centuries have passed NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 349 away, and now, in the midst of the nineteenth century, and all its civilization, learning, and grandeur, we can do nothing, see nothing, learn nothing, beyond the grave, if we accept not the truth as it is in the Lord Jesus, who is the resurrec- tion and life from God to every man who confesseth hirn ; and consents to walk with him in spirit. DESCRIPTION OF OUR SAVIOUR. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man ! John 19 : 5. THE following epistle was taken by Napoleon from the public records of Rome, when he deprived that city of so many valuable manuscripts. It was written at the time and on the spot where Jesus Christ commenced his ministry, by Publius Len- tullus, the emperor. It was the custom in those days for the governor to write home of any event of importance which tran- spired while he held office : " Conscript Fathers : There has appeared in these our days a man named Jesus Christ, who is yet living among us, and of the Gentiles is accepted as a prophet of great truth ; but his own disciples call him the Son of God. He hath raised the dead, and cured all manner of diseases. He is a man of na- ture somewhat tall and comely, with a very ruddy counte- nance, such as the beholder may both love and fear. His hair is the color of the filbert when fully ripe, plain to his ears, whence downward it is more orient of color, curling and wav- ing about his shoulders ; in the middle of his head is a seam or partition of long hair, after the manner of the Nazarites. His forehead is plain and delicate ; his face without spot or wrinkle, beautified with a comely red ; his nose and mouth are exactly formed ; his beard is of the color of his hair, and thick not of any great length, but forked. In reproving, he is terrible ; in admonishing, courteous ; in speaking, very modest and wise ; in proportion of body, well shaped. None have seen him laugh, but many have seen him weep. A man, for his surpassing beauty, excelling the children of men." 350 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. CRUCIFIXION DESCRIBED. And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew, Golgotha : where they crucified him, and two others with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst. John 19 : 17, 18. MR. JAMES JONES of Amoy, an eye-witness, says, " The cross was of the Latin form, the foot being inserted in a stout plank ; and the criminal, standing on a board, had nails driven through his feet, his hands stretched and nailed to the cross-beam. His legs were fastened to the cross with an iron chain, and his arms bound with cords ; and on the cord round his waist was inserted a piece of wood, on which was written his name and offense. A similar piece on his right arm con- tained his sentence ; namely, to remain on the cross day and night until he died : another on his left arm had the name of the judge, with his titles and offices. The criminal was nailed to the cross inside the yamun, in the presence of the magis- trate, and then carried by four coolies to one of the principal thoroughfares leading from the city, where he was left during the day, but removed at night inside the prison for fear of his friends attempting to rescue him, and again carried forth at daylight in charge of two soldiers. He was crucified at noon on Wednesday, and at five in the evening complained of pain in the chest, and thirst. On Thursday he slept for some hours, when the cross was laid down within the jail enclosure. No one was allowed to supply him with food or drink ; and dur- ing the day there was quite a fair in front of the cross, peo- ple being attracted from a distance, and the sweetmeat vend- ers driving a large trade. On Saturday he was still alive, when the taotal was appealed to by a foreigner to put an end to the wretch's sufferings ; and he immediately gave orders that vinegar should be administered, which he expected would produce immediate death ; but the result was otherwise ; and at sunset, when the cross was taken within the jail, two soldiers, with stout bamboos, broke both his legs, and then strangled him." Foster's Cyclopedia. NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 351 UNCONSCIOUS INFLUENCE. Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulcher, and seeth the Ifnen clothes lie ; and the napkin that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. Then went in also that other disciple which came first to the sepulcher, and he saw, and believed. John 20 : G-8. IT is said that among the high Alps at certain seasons the traveler is told to proceed very quietly, for on the steep slopes' overhead the snow hangs so evenly balanced that the sound of a voice or the report of a gun may destroy the equi- librium, and bring down an immense avalanche that will over- whelm everything in ruin in its downward path. And so about our way there may be a soul in the very crisis of its moral history, trembling between life and death, and a mere touch or shadow may determine its destiny. A young lady who was deeply impressed with the truth, and was ready, under a conviction of sin, to ask, " What must I do to be saved ? " had all her solemn impressions dissipated by the un- seemly jesting and laughter of a member of the church by her side as she passed out of the sanctuary. Her irreverent and worldly spirit cast a repellent shadow on that young lady not far from the kingdom of God. How important we should always and everywhere walk worthy of our high calling as Christians ! " So let our lives and lips express The holy gospel we profess." Let us remember that we are always casting the shadow of our real life upon some one ; that somebody is following us, as John followed Perter into the sepulcher. Happy if, when all the influences of life flow back and meet us at the judgment, we can lift up clean hands and spotless robes, and say, " I am free from the blood of all men ! " Happy then to hear even one soul saying to us out of the great multitude, that, follow- ing the shadow of our Christian life and devotion, he found Jesus and heaven. Rev. T. Stork, D. D. 352 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. SUNDAY AFTER THE RESURRECTION. Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. John 20 : 19. 4 THE second appearance of our Lord after his resurrection was on the eighth day, or on the second Sunday of the Christian dispensation. " The Sunday after the Sunday of the resurrection, the second Christian Sabbath or Lord's day. It has not ceased to be commemorated from that time to this, as a holy day in the tradition of the Christian church. The fourth commandment requires that one day in seven should be Sabbath ; the Jewish church, under divine guidance, fixed that seventh upon Saturday, the Christian church upon Sunday." - Whedon. " Where Christ was during these eight days, and the rest of the time of his abode on earth, would be folly to inquire, and presumption to determine. He deferred his second ap- pearance so long as seven days, for three reasons : "First. That he might put a rebuke on Thomas for his in- credulity, and perhaps also for his negligence. "Second. That he might try the faith and patience of the rest of the disciples. "Third. That he might put an honor upon the first day of the week, and give a plain intimation of his will, that it should be observed in his church as the Christian Sabbath, that is, the weekly day of holy rest and holy convocations. That one day in seven should be religiously observed, was an appointment from the beginning, as old as innocence ; and that, in the king- dom of the Messiah, the first day in the week should be that solemn day, Christ's meeting his disciples in a religious as- sembly once and again on that day, was indication sufficient. " Add to this, it is highly probable, that in his former ap- pearance to them he had ordered them to come together again that day seven-night, and had promised to meet them, and also that he appeared to them every first day of the week during forty days. And the religious observance of that day NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 353 has been from thence transmitted down to us through every age of the church. This, therefore, is the clay which the Lord has made sacred, and appointed for his peculiar worship and service." Benson. CHRIST'S COMING AT THE SEA. But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore ; but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. John 21 : 4. I SUPPOSE there is no event in the whole life of Christ to which, in hours of fear or doubt, men turn with more anx- ious thirst to know the close facts of it, or with more earnest and passionate dwelling upon every syllable of its recorded narra- tive, than Christ's showing himself to his disciples at the Lake of Galilee. There is something preeminently open, natural, full, fronting our disbelief in this manifestation. The others, recorded after the resurrection, were sudden, phantom-like, occurring to men in profound sorrow and wearied agitation of heart; not, it might seem, safe judges of what they saw. But the agitation was now over. They had gone back to their daily work, thinking still their business lay net- ward, unmeshed from the literal rope and drag. " Simon Peter said unto them, I go a-fishing." They say unto him, " We also go with thee." True words enough, and having far echo beyond those Galilean hills. That night they caught nothing; but when morning came, in the clear light of it, behold a figure stood on the shore. They were not thinking of any thing but their fruit- less hauls. They had no guess who it was. It asked them simply if they had caught anything. They said, No. And it tells them to cast yet again. And John shades his eyes from the morning sun with his hand to see who it is ; and though the glistening of the sea, too, dazzles him, he makes out who it is at last; and poor Simon, not to be outrun this time, tightens his fisher's coat about him and dashes in, over the nets. One would have liked to see him swim those hundred yards, and stagger to his knees on the beach. Well, the others got to the beach too, in time, in such slow way as men in general do in this world, to its true shore, much impeded by that won- 45 354 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. derful " dragging the net with fishes," but they get there seven of them in all first the denier, and then the slowest be- liever, and then the quickest believer, and then the two throne- seekers, and two more, we know not whom. They sit down on the shore, face to face with him, and eat their broiled fish as he bids. And then, to Peter, all dripping still, shivering and amazed, staring at Christ in the sun on the other side of the coal fire thinking a little, perhaps, what happened by another coal fire, where it was cooler, and having had no word once changed with him by his Master since that look of his to him, so amazed, comes the question, " Simon, lovest thou me ? " Try to feel that a little, and think of it until it is true to you. Ruskin* "FEED MY LAMBS." So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon son of Jonng, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord : thou know- est that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. John 21 : 15. T)ARENTS, Pastors, Teachers : Do you hear these stirring JL and imperative words of Jesus, " Feed my lambs " ? The clear little souls that cluster around you are the lambs of Jesus, the great Shepherd. Should not every pastor feel that it is his duty and privilege, simply but faithfully to preach such sermons as the youthful part of his flock can fully understand? Sermons that will tell upon their young and tender hearts, and which shall help to lead the lambs of Jesus into the green pastures of his love, and by the side of the still waters of his salvation? Then in the Sabbath school, and in the common schools, as opportunities serve, should he not still press eternal truths upon the rising race, and also from house to house ? Where can he find a more promising field? How easy children maybe converted by wise arid proper care, and also kept from falling back ! x But a great share of the duty of feeding these precious lambs of Jesus devolves upon parents and teachers. They can impart knowledge which none else can, and which chil- dren will not otherwise obtain. NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 355 FATE OF THE APOSTLES. Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me. John 21 : 22. ALL the apostles and evangelists were assaulted by the en- emies of their Master. They were called to seal their doctrines with their blood, and nobly did they bear the trial. Schumacher says, " Matthew suffered martyrdom by being slain with a sword at a distant city of Ethiopia. " Mark expired at Alexandria, after having been cruelly dragged through the streets of that city. " Luke was hanged upon an olive tree in the classic land of Greece. ' John was put into a caldron of boiling oil, but escaped death in a miraculous manner, and was afterward banished to Patraos. " Peter was crucified at Rome with his head downward. " James the Greater was beheaded at Jerusalem. " James the Less was thrown from a lofty pinnacle of the temple, and then beaten to death with a fuller's club. " Bartholomew was flayed alive. " Andrew was bound to a cross, whence he preached to his persecutors until he died. " Thomas was run through the body with a lance at Coro- mandel in the East Indies. " Jude was shot to death with arrows." MINISTERS BAPTIZED OF THE HOLY GHOST. And being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. Acts 1 : 4. THE difference in moral results, between a minister bap- tized of the Holy Ghost, and not so baptized, is thus de- scribed : " Wesley, the learned, the prayerful, watching, fasting, alms- giving, visiting the sick and imprisoned, economical of mo- 356 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS, ments, but unfruitful in saving souls, is a type of a ministry unbaptized from on high : Wesley, adding to these a " heart strangely warmed," going forth full of the Holy Ghost and of faith, and setting the kingdom in a blaze, the spiritual father of thousands and millions who have now risen up and call him blessed, is the representative of the ministry that must con- quer the world. Of two ministers r one learned and the other unlearned, the Holy Spirit being upon them alike, we cannot question which will accomplish the most for the church. A Wesley without the Holy Spirit could not hold his own ; an Abbott with the Holy Spirit shook all New Jersey. Let our ministry be thus endowed from on high, and the weakest will become strong, while our strong men will become mighty. We are building and enriching our schools in the hope of a future, of a higher and more complete culture, but it must be a culture of heart as well as brain, through the sanctifica- tion of the Holy Spirit." Rev. D. Curry, D. D. HAT THE CHURCH MOST NEEDS. But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon yon : and ye shall be witnesses unto me, both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. Acts 1 : 8. EEV. B. F. CRARY, D. D., editor of the Central Christian Advocate, thus speaks of the need of the church at this time : " The great institutions of the church need not be changed, but we need most of all the outpouring of the Holy Gfrost upon all our ministers and members. Methodism with the Pentecostal baptism would make a world-wide impression. Now she sheds a feeble light ; then she would spread such a fire as, by the grace of God, would be seen over the whole earth. Our prime want is not more machinery, but more of the Holy Ghost in our lives and preaching. We feel a sort of dread when wo see the church hoping or depending on any other means of saving sinners than the Holy Ghost. T^iy, scholastic preaching, devoid of spiritual power and unction, will only paralyze the churck It is a sad thing to see any NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 357 church trying to live without the life which Christ imparts. There is but one spiritual life, and that is Christ Jesus himself. He lives in us, if we are his. Our strength and hope are in him. We need not more machinery, but more power, and power is the indwelling of the Holy Ghost. If the church drifts away from the old doctrine and the old experience of the regenerating, sanctifying effects of the Holy Spirit, she will perish, for she has no real glory, no real power but this. All else is but the walls and trappings of the temple, this is the Shekinah on the mercy -seat, the light and fire on our altars." The above primal need is as true concerning all other churches as that of the Methodist Episcopal church. HEAVEN A LOCALITY. Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. Acts 1:11. IT has been made a question whether heaven this term denoting in general the happy condition of the righteous after death, either before or after the resurrection has any locality, or is only a state. But no question seems to us more idle. Certainly, the Scriptures, in the phrase " a better coun- try," and in other instances, assign a place to them or assign them to a place. The Saviour, at his second coming, and even on their departure from this world, will receive them to him- self, in order that, as he said, they may " be with me where I am," " that where I am, there ye may be .also." " To-day," said he to the penitent thief, " thou shalt be with me in Para- dise." There would have been no doubt as to the obvious meaning of these and other representations, but for the meta- physical notion that space and time belong to our present mode of being, and can not be as positively affirmed of any other. Hence some persons count it philosophical to limit the idea of heaven to that of a mental state, and would construe the inspired language accordingly. But it never can be shown that space is not as real in all other modes of .being as 358 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. in ours, or that we can ever possibly exist without it. Nor can we so much as conceive of our existence, now or here- after, apart from any place. That we can not determine our future locality, unless it be the renovated earth, is not im- portant. Of course, no mere place, apart from a suitable mental state, can ever be to us a heaven ; our heavenly condi- tion can not be external only, but must be internal also ; yet still we must conceive of the mental place as having also its "own place." Even if the Scriptures had not used the language of locality in this connection, in entertaining the subject itself, we could not rid our minds of the notion. We have no right, therefore, to reject or overlook it in their rep- resentations ; we ought to receive them in this their obvious import. It is both scriptural and rational to speak intelligibly and familiarly, as we may, of our final home as another country and a better country. WOMEN AS HELPERS IN THE CHURCH. These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren. Acts 1 : 14. THE faith, devotion, and Christian zeal of godly women have greatly aided the cause of God. " The strength of the church has always largely been in its women ; from the time when they lovingly ministered to the Saviour, in life and at death, met with the apostles for prayer prior to the Pentecostal baptism, and were the comforts and helpers of Paul in his missionary labors, down to the present day. They have so lived and worshiped, have so exemplified the virtues of the wife and mother, have so illustrated the beauty of holiness, have so trained for the church its noblest men, that they have compelled the admiration of the worldling and the skeptic. Many a man has found that the last link which still bound his believing mind to some intellectual faith in Christianity was the remembrance of his mother's piety, or the daily vision of the purity of his wife. The eulogy of Li- banus, pronounced upon the Christian women of the primitive churches, has lost none of its meaning in this nineteenth cen- NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 359 tury. In chasteness of morals, general intelligence, social culture, self denying benevolence, and genuine and unaffected piety, our Christian women are the glory of the age; and it is at once the honor and the triumph of the missionary work that it is rapidly raising the converted women of heathen lands to a similar level." WESLEY'S TESTIMONY AGAINST INTOXICATING LIQUOR. Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity ; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out. Acts 1:18. E may not sell anything which tends to impair health. Such is, eminently, all that liquid fire commonly called drams or spirituous liquors. It is true these may have a place in medicine ; they may be of use in some bodily disorders, although there would rarely be any occasion for them, were it not the unskillfulness of the practitioner. Therefore, such as prepare and sell only for this use may keep their con- sciences clear. But who are they ? Who prepare them only for this end ? Do you know ten such distillers in England ? Then excuse these. But all who sell them in the common way, to any that will pay, are poisoners- general. They murder his majesty's subjects by wholesale, neither does their eye pity or spare. They drive them to hell like sheep. And what is their gain ? Is it not the blood of these men ? Who, then, would envy their large estates and sumptuous palaces? A curse is in the midst of them. The curse of God cleaves to the stones, the timber, the furniture of them ! The curse of God is in their gardens, their walks, their groves ; a fire that burns to the nethermost hell ! Blood, blood ! is there. The foundation, the floor, the walls, the roof, are stained with blood ? And canst thou hope, and thou man of blood, though thou art " clothed in scarlet and fine linen, and farest sump- tuously every day," canst thou hope to deliver down thy fields of blood to the third generation ? Not so ; for there is 360 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. a God in heaven, therefore thy name shall soon be rooted out. Like as those whom thou hast destroyed, body and soul, " thy memorial shall perish with thee." J. Wesley. A MODERN PENTECOST. And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. Acts 2 : 1. IN one of the German churches, just as the company who had been together from the station and out-stations were about to break up to take a little refreshment and then depart, a young lad came to the minister, and said, " We must put off the eating and drinking, and keep on praying. There is a little cloud, as big as a man's hand, and it is going to rain." While he was speaking, another came with a more pressing message, and, as the German brother said, they had to " let their coffee grow colder while their hearts grew warmer." It was like another Pentecost. They fell down together before God, and for two hours continued in prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. An unconverted spectator might have said, as they did anciently, " These men are full of new wine." At the close twenty-two persons were found to have been " bap- tized with the Holy Ghost and with fire," happy in a new life, and they went on their way rejoicing. PENTECOSTAL GIFTS. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Acts 2 : 4. descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles is generally JL supposed to have been about the fiftieth day from the res- urrection of Christ, the latter end of May, and about nine o'clock in the morning. Now, on this day, let us view them all humbly waiting at the footstool of God's throne, in obedi- ence to their Master's command, and in full expectation of the fulfillment of his promise, perfectly in the use of their reason, JVEIV TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 361 and feeling a sweet unanimity and love among themselves. And, behold ! how suddenly they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Here were twelve apostles and seventy disciples, with thirty-eight other Christians, which amounted to one hundred and twenty of the faithful followers of Christ. The apostles and disciples were poor illiterate men, who had never been at any college of learning in their lives, and yet in a moment they were enabled to speak with fluency and propriety no less than fifteen languages, and were capable of addressing these dif- ferent nations in their respective tongues ; and in these lan- guages of the east, the west, the north, and the south, they proclaimed the wonderful works of redemption and salvation. Let us contemplate with the utmost veneration this illustrious day, and glory in such a clear evidence of the truth and excel- lence of the Christian religion. Ryland. "IT MUST RAIN FASTER." And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh : and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. Acts 2 : 17. MANY of our readers will remember this characteristic ex- pression of Dr. Lyman Beecher, in describing, a few years ago, at a public meeting in New York, the necessity of increased revivals. Regarding our past history, the growth of our popu- lation, the multiplying inroads of skepticism, indifferentism, and worldliness, he cast his eyes with a somewhat prophetic ken into the future, exclaiming, in view of the religious affla- tus that is needed to keep alive and expand the flame of god- liness, " It must rain faster." The demands of Christ's cause call not for occasional but for frequent and copious effusions of the Holy Spirit. Well might such an utterance from one who combined so much experience, wisdom, and zeal in the kingdom of his Master, come, as it did, with the force of an oracle. 46 362 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. INSPIRATION. And on my servants, and on my hand-maidens, I will pour out in those days of my Spirit ; and they shall prophesy. Acts 2 : 18. REV. DR. FLOY is much pleased with the character of some of the most pious negroes in the South. The fol- lowing opinion is worthy of thought : " And here I will place on record my own deliberate convic- tion as to the means by which so much gospel light has pene- trated the thick darkness in which these people have dwelt from generation to generation. By all who associate with them and listen with unprejudiced ears to their religious con- versation, it is an unceasing source of wonder that they are so well acquainted with the great truths, the practical teach- ings of Christianity, and many of the deep things of God. Not from the written word did they derive this knowledge, for probably not one in a thousand knows a letter of the alphabet ; and as certainly not from oral instructions, which are always meager the merest skimming upon the surface. My opin- ion is, that God himself teaches them, even as he taught the bondrnen in Egypt, and our fathers in the olden time when as yet there was no Bible. Many of the elders among these de- graded people talk of revelations from the Lord. They profess to have dreams and visions in the night season. Christians brand all these assertions as absurd, arid ridicule them as the results of distempered brains and ignorant superstition. I think there were among the ancient Israelites those who thus regarded that strange story told by Moses about the burning bush. Possibly, too, Jacob's vision at Bethel would be placed by many, even at this day, in the same category, were it not recorded in a book that we deem divine. There can be no doubt that our heavenly Father could, if it pleased him, by similar methods reveal himself, and make known his will to those bondmen for whom Christ died ; and it seems to me perfectly consistent, and in harmony with all his glorious per- fections, that he should do so." NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 363 UNITARIANISM NOT SUCCESSFUL. Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Acts 2 : 37. "VTO wonder Unitarians are studying the genius of Method- -Ll ism, and lamenting the comparatively insignificant practi- cal results of their own system. There are some considerations which might have led to the anticipation that Unitarianism would be a very popular religion. It has intelligence and wealth. It is exceedingly easy in its demands on the moral conduct of its adherents, and grants unbounded license in belief. The religion it teaches is of a very satisfactory sort to the natural heart ; there is nothing humiliating nor hard about it ; it is the religion of natural goodness, self-culture, and universal salvation. If any one had been asked before- hand how such a religion would succeed, the answer would probably have been, " Men will like it ; it will be a popular panacea for wounded consciences ; it will soon outnumber all other denominations." Ah, the aching heart of man spurns the counterfeit, apprehending that it is cheap because it is worthless ! It has less than fifty thousand communicants in this country, and, so far as we know, not a single mission sta- tion in all the heathen world. The plain, searching declaration of the Bible about the de- pravity of the heart, about our guilt and peril, about the need of a new birth and a divine Saviour, find a ringing answer in men's experience. The heart hates the gospel, but feels it to be true. And so the world sees plain, blunt Methodism start- ing among the lowly, and multiplying to more than two mil- lions ; and cultured Unitarianism, sneering at depravity, prat- ing of self-culture, denying a divine Saviour, throwing down all barriers to church membership, and managing to rally to its standard a pitiful and motley fifty thousand ! licv. D. Gurrig, D. D. 364 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. HOW TO HAVE A REVIVAL CHURCH. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. Acts 2 : 42. Pulpit and the Pew thus discourses on the method of -L securing a revival : " That pastor can not fail who understands how to develop the powers of his people. 1 1 envy Dr. S. more than any other minister in New York/ said the late Dr. Alexander, ' for he has the art of keeping all his people at work.' It is a rare art, and one acquired by prayer and experience. The most effectual way to make a working church is to feed the church into strength with solid gospel food, and to fire it into enthusiasm kindling in their souls the love of Jesus. This is the one un- dying inspiration. If you want a revival, give your people searching, arousing, practical discourses. Use God's fire, and not your own devices. When you get the most bountiful contributions to a benevolent cause, it will not be by elabo- rate begging ; it will be after you have roused and kindled their hearts by the glorious gospel of Christ. Pitch your preaching to a heavenly key ! Magnify the cross of Calvary ! Pour on your people's hearts overwhelming claims of God. Come to them every Sabbath with Christ in your heart, and Christ on your tongue. The l power from on high ' will then come with you, and the baptism of fire will give you a pen- tecost. The church that is mighty in prayer is mighty in work." PRAYER AN EXTRAORDINARY ACT. Now Peter and John went up together into the temple, at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. Acts 3 : 1. late Professor Peabody, of Dartmouth College, in a dis- _L course published by the Congregational .Journal, remarks, that " Prayer is one of the most natural, and, at the same time, one of the most extraordinary acts of life. It is one of the most natural : for what is it but the cry of helplessness for succor of guilt for pardon of anguish for relief? And it NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 365 is one of the most extraordinary acts ; for what can be more wonderful than an earthborn creature approaching, with un- shrinking assurance, the infinite God a self-ruined sinner laying hold of the Almighty arm as if, in the agony of inter- cession, to modify the dispensations of providence and grace ! Here we see absolute weakness maintaining its cause before omnipotent sovereignty ; a mere particle of intelligent being, stained with sin, and conscious of death- worthiness, entering into the presence and seeking a special interest for itself, or for others like itself, in the government of the eternal, omniscient mind. Thus it is, that in the duties as well as in the doc- trines of religion, the finite and the infinite are brought into close conjunction : a circumstance which, while it may offend and perhaps disgust the unbeliever, imparts a sublimity to our faith, and a perfection to the character founded upon it, which nothing else can supply. " Prayer is the link between our own littleness and the vast resources of power and grace above us. It is an acknowledg- ment of what we are, and an apprehension of what we are allied to, and what we may secure in the spiritual world. It is the labor of a poor helpless spirit, striving to reunite the broken chain between itself and God, to regain his forfeited favor and lost image. It is the medium through which celes- tial light is conveyed into the darkened understanding, and the riches of unbounded love poured into the desolate soul." LOOKING ONLY TO CHRIST. Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk? Acts 3:12. A GENTLEMAN said he heard Rev. Mr. Spurgeon, in Lon- IJL. don, relate the following in regard to Whitefield : " It had come to be believed among the common people of England in general, that Mr. Whitefield never staid over a night in a family that he did not have them all converted when he left them the next morning. A well-to-do family had heard this same thing, and they believed it. They were not 366 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. indifferent on the subject of religion, but were anxious. So the husband said one day, ' Wife, I am not a Christian, nor are either of our five children. Now let us send for Mr. White- field, and ask him to stay over night.' So they sent an earnest invitation to him to come and spend three days, and they would do all they could to make him comfortable. " When Mr. Whitefield came, in obedience to this invita- tion, they did all they could to make him happy. They were intelligent people, and knew how to do it. The first day passed away, and Mr. Whitefield said nothing on the subject of religion. On the next their attentions were redoubled, but salvation was not named. The third day passed in the same way. They were sedulous and anxious, but religion was not named ; and the hour of his departure came, and he was gone. " These people were in sore distress, and they said to each other, l What does this mean ? Three days, and he has not said a word about religion not a word.' " Mr. Whitefield, just before leaving, had written on the window-pane of the room where he lodged, with his diamond ring, these words, l One thing thou lackest.' " The host, in looking over the room where the good man had slept, discovered these words, and called to his family below, ' Come up here ! come right up here, every one of you ! Come up here ! ' And when they came, the good man. of the house said, ' Here is Mr. Whitefield's message. It is true every word true ; we all lack the one thing needful.' " The wife said, ' I thought how sad he looked, 0, so sad ! Now I know why he looked so.' " l 0, let us pray/ said the husband, ' for that one thing needful, and choose to day the good part that shall never be taken away.' " They fell on their knees around the bed, and there they gave themselves to Christ, and afterward proved the sincerity of their consecration in their earnest Christian lives." NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 367 CONVERSION. Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. Acts 3 : 19. IN St. Dennis Hotel, once, in Broadway, New York, I was summoned to visit a sick young man, who came from Charleston with a widowed mother. I had known them there the mother, not the youth. They had been a^ Saratoga, and had come back to New York, and in this hotel the young man was lying to die. His mother had sent for another clergyman to visit him, and that clergyman said that the poor young man was crazy ; and when I asked that religious brother, " What did you do to him .? " he said, " Do ? I tried to pacify him ; I tried to quiet him ; I said, ' We will not talk, but say a little prayer/ and I left him in peace." His mother was not satisfied, and sent for me. He lay before me, a splen- did youth of nineteen, his eyes like jets of the brilliancy of a diamond. " Dr. Tyng," said the young man, " my mother has always told me that I must be converted : that I could not be saved except I was converted. I am not converted. How can I be converted ? Can I be converted ? 0, tell me how, how can I be converted ? " I sat by a the side of that youth, and told him the story of Jesus. I showed him the simplicity of the gospel plan of salvation. I bade him realize that his heavenly Father had received and accepted him in Christ when Christ willingly died to bear his load, and he was to come in the simplest faith of a little child, and rest himself gratefully, hopefully upon it. We spent an hour in conversation. Twenty-four hours after I called again. 0, how changed that face ! It shone like an angel's. He reached out his long, tapering hand to me with the sweetest possible smile, and said, " 0, sir, I understand it ! I understand it. Love for Jesus is conversion ! Love for Jesus is conversion ! Sir, all night I was asking Jesus to let me love him ; to show me how to love him ; and I feel to-day as if my whole soul was overflowing with love to Jesus. Is that conversion ? " " My dear Julian, that is conversion." Dr. Tyng. 3G8 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. IMPORTANCE OF REVIVAL LABORS. Howbeit, many of them which heard the word, believed ; and the number of the men was about five thousand. Acts 4 : 4. CJTRANGE, indeed, is it that any professing to be Christians O should not desire what are popularly termed revivals, when the very commencement of the church was with such a blessed outpouring of the Spirit. Men may talk about constant re- vivals, and" the superior advantages of a regular increase, by the use of ordinary means, as much as they please, there never was a truly prosperous age of vital piety that was not charac- terized by revivals, and the constitution of human nature must be changed before the work of God can truly advance without them. So long as man is a social being, and men are moved by men, there will be times when masses will be influenced by the same impulses, when the attention of many will at once be directed to religion, and when the prayers of the faithful will arise with unwonted fervency, and when the sluggish will be aroused to activity, and when the Spirit will display its mightiest power, and when souls will be added to the church daily of such as are saved ; and then is the time for Christians, if need be, to make extraordinary sacrifices to God. Such was the occasion when the apostles first unfolded to the world the banner of the gospel, and to carry on the work, the first subjects of it contributed all they had. Rev. E. 0. Haven. CHRIST THE ONLY NAME. Neither is there salvation in any other ; for there is none other name under heaven given among men^ whereby we must be saved. Acts 4 : 12. A FEW persons were collected round a blind man, who had taken his station on a bridge and was reading from a Bible with raised letters. While he received from the passers- by of their carnal things, he ministered 1<> them spiritual things. A gentleman on his way home from the city was led by curiosity to the outskirts of the crowd. Just then the poor man, who was reading the fourth chapter of the Acts, lost his NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 369 place, and while trying to find it with his fingers, kept repeating the last clause he had read, " None other name none other name none other name." Some of the people smiled at the blind man's embarrassment, but the gentleman went away deeply musing. He had lately become convinced that he was a sinner ; he had been trying in many ways to obtain peace of mind ; but religious exercises, good resolutions, altered habits, all were unable to relieve his conscience of its load, and enable him to rejoice in God. The words he had heard from the blind man, however, rang like solemn music in his soul " None other name." When he reached his home and retired to rest, these words were still heard: " None other name none other name none other name." And when he awoke, the strain continued : " None other name none other name none other name." The music entered his soul, and by the blessing of God he awoke to a new life. " I see it all," said he ; " I see it all ! I have been trying to be saved by my own works, my repentance, my prayers, my reformation. I see my mistake. It is Jesus who alone can save. To him I will look. Neither is there salvation in any other. For there is none other name none other name none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved." UNLEARNED, YET POWERFUL. Now, when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled ; and they took knowl- edge of them, that they had been with Jesus. Acts 4 : 13. THE apostles were, for the most part, unlearned, in the worldly acceptation of that term, and yet a more efficient class of ministers never existed. And what great numbers, both of ministers and laymen, unlearned in human science, have been among the most efficient and powerful ministers and laymen in the church of God ; while, for the most part, men that have been the most famed for human learning, have been, in a great measure, inefficient and useless in the church of God. This by no means proves that human learning is 47 370 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. unimportant, but it does prove, beyond all gainsaying, the paramount importance of the baptism of the Holy Ghost. I would therefore repeat, with great emphasis, what I said at first, that the difference in the efficiency of ministers does not consist so much in the difference of intellectual attain- ments, as in the measure of the Holy Spirit which they enjoy. And how abundantly do the facts that lie right upon the face of the church's history demonstrate the truth of the assertion ! I do not hesitate to say, that whatever the age or the . learning of ministers may be, he is a mere child in spiritual knowledge, experience, and qualifications for his office, without the bap- tism of the Holy Ghost. He certainly will, and must for ever remain so. Until he knows what it is to be " filled with the Spirit," " to be led by the Spirit," " to be endued with power from on high," to fulfill his high and reasonable functions, he is a mere child, and by no means qualified to be a leader in the church of God. A thousand times as much stress ought to be laid upon this part of a thorough preparation for the ministry as has been. Until it is felt, acknoAvledged, and proclaimed upon the house- tops, run through our halls of science, and sounded forth in our theological seminaries that this is altogether an indispensable part of the preparation for the work of the ministry, we talk in vain and at random when we talk of the necessity of a thor- ough preparation and course of training. Rev. C* G. Finney* DID HE NOT DO RIGHT? But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. Acts 4 : 19. /GEORGE WALKER, who died in 1651, aged seventy years, U was called by Anthony Wood, " A learned man, but a severe Puritan." He merited the title by his earnest opposi- tion to popery, his zeal for the observance of the Sabbath, and his belief that we ought to obey God rather than men. For urging the necessity of observing the Sabbath, he was called before Laud, and received canonical admonition. He was NE W TESTAMENT ILL USTRA TIONS. 371 afterward called before the star-chamber. He had preached in his own church a sermon to prove " that it was a sin to obey the greatest monarch upon earth, in those things which stand opposed to the command of God." For this heinous offense he was arrested and kept in prison ten weeks, when he was brought to trial, as it was called. His living was taken from him, and he was compelled to enter into bonds for a thousand pounds to confine himself to his brother's house in Cheswick. He continued thus a prisoner for two years, when he was released by order of Parliament. The House of Com- mons declared his prosecution and imprisonment illegal and unjust, and that he ought to receive reparation for the dam- ages he had sustained. After his release, he returned to his ministerial charge, and continued it to the close of his life without molestation. TEMPTATIONS TO UNFAITHFULNESS IN THE MINISTRY. And now, Lord, behold their threatenings : and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word. Acts 4 : 29. MEN do not like to have their sins brought to light and re- buked, or to be hard pressed with the humiliating and self-denying doctrines of the gospel ; and yet, many who cleave to their sins often become the most liberal patrons of the ministry, and when rich and influential and some such are found in most congregations, especially in our cities how great the temptation to the servant of God to yield to their demand that he prophesy to them smooth things. Alas, this has been the bane of the church in all ages ! It was so in the time of Israel's apostasy, and so it was with the church of Rome, and so, to a greater or less extent, has it always been. Witness the silence of the American pulpit, for more than a half century, upon the great sin of the nation, a sin which at length brought upon it the overwhelming calamities of civil war. 372 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. CHILDREN AND CHRISTIANITY. By stretching forth thine hand to heal ; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus. Acts 4 : 30. IX an address at the late anniversary of the American Sun- day School Union, Rev. Dr. Armitage said, " I find a child in no religion but in the religion of Jesus.. Mohammed seemed to know nothing about a child. The hea- then seemed to know nothing about children in their mytholo- gy. Their gods were not born as children. They were never clothed with the sympathies of children. They were never endowed with the attributes of children. They never threw themselves into the social ties of children. 0, no ! That would not have been natural. That would not have been divine, in their conception. And hence they make no pro- vision for children. " But the great elemental fact of Christianity is the holy Child Jesus. Born of a woman, born under the law, in total helplessness, physically, laid in a manger, cared for by no man y but the Child of the everlasting Father and the Prince of Peace. So that the gospel of Jesus is the only religion on earth that makes provision for a child, and is the only religion in which a child is laid at the basis and foundation of its faith. " The Bible is the child's book as well as the philosopher's book ; and if the stern facts of the Bible, beautiful in love, came to the heart of the sturdy old tinker in Bedford jail, they also stole upon the heart of his little blind Mary at his feet ! So that the philosopher and the child stand on equal ground in the matter of salvation. A child is not expected to depend upon the faith of mystery, but the faith of great, grand moral facts. The Saviour is a fact ; Sin is a fact not a doctrine, nor a theory, merely ; God is a fact ; Holiness is a fact ; Heaven and Hell, and Christ, and Faith, and Love are all facts ; and when a child feels that he is a living fact, and a loving God inspires him with love, with faith, with obedience, what can Gabriel more than love, and believe, and obey God in return ? " NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 373 POWER OF PRAYER. And when they had prayed, the place Avas shaken whera they were assem- bled together ; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness. Acts 4:31. THE Bible account of the power of prayer is the best we have, or can have. Abraham's servant prays Rebekah appears. Jacob prays the angel is conquered ; Esau's revenge is changed to fraternal love. Joseph prays he is delivered from the prison of Egypt. Moses prays Amalek is discomfited ; Israel triumphs. Joshua -prays the sun stands still ; victory is gained. Hannah prays the prophet Samuel is born. David prays Ahithophel goes out and hangs himself. Asa prays Israel gains a glorious victory. Jehoshaphat prays God turns away his anger, and smiles. Elijah prays the little cloud appears j the rain descends upon the earth. Elisha prays the waters of the Jordan are divided ; a child is restored to life. Hezekiah prays one hundred and eighty-five thousand As- syrians are dead. Hezekiah prays the sun-dial is turned back ; his life is prolonged. Mordecai prays Haman is hanged ; Israel is free. Nehemiah prays the king's heart is softened in a minute. Ezra prays the wall of Jerusalem begins to rise. The church prays the Holy Ghost is poured out. The church prays again Peter is delivered by an angel. Paul and Silas pray the prison shakes j the door opens, every man's bands are loosed. THE PRIMITIVE CHURCH AND THEIR PROPERTY. Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet. Acts 4 : 37. E believe that the primitive converts who sold their possessions, lands, and goods, and laid the price at the 374 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. apostles' feet for distribution, were impelled to that act by the Holy Spirit ; that not enthusiasm but genuine piety moved them, and that for that act they deserve not our pity, but our highest praise. Moreover, the fruit of their generosity suf- ficiently exhibits its true glory ; for we are told in immediate connection, " And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved." It is necessary, if we would correctly appreciate the true spirit of this history, that we should have an exact understand- ing of the event itself. It is evident that it was voluntary. It Avas not an express or implied condition of membership with Christ's followers to sell every or any possession, and throw the proceeds into the common fund. The act does" not seem to have emanated from the command, or even the advice, of the apostles. There is no intimation of the kind in the history. On the other hand, Peter said to Ananias, who sold his land and brought only a part of the price of it to the apostles, " While it remained was it not thine own ? and after it was sold was it not in thine own power ? " Implying clearly that if Ananias had let his land remain without sale, he would not have sinned, and even if after the sale he had retained the whole price for himself, he would have incurred no blame. But he could not have remained out of the church of Christ without sin ; certainly he could not have refused Christ with- out sin ; therefore he might have been a Christian, and yet not sold his land. The sin of Ananias was lying bringing only a part of the price, under the pretense that it was the whole price; had he brought a part, and openly avowed that it was but a part, he would have been free from blame. The whole act was voluntary, and seems to have proceeded from a spontaneous impulse, felt by the Christians themselves, prompted, we suppose, by the Holy Spirit. Rev. E. O. Haven. JUDGMENTS OF GOD MANIFESTED. A/id Ananias hearing these words, fell down, and gave up the ghost. And great fear came on all them that heard these things. Acts 5 : 5. ALTHAZAR'S quaffing in the church plate proved a fatal draught unto him. Korah, Dathan, and Abiram had no B NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 375 sooner opened their rebellious mouths against Moses, but the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up quick. An- anias and Sapphira had no sooner told a lie, and stood to it, but the/ are struck dead to the ground. Herod had scarcely made an end of his oration to the people, and received their applause, but the angel of the Lord smote him, and made an end of him. 0, that sinners of all sorts, blasphemous swearers, bloody murderers, unclean adulterers, and sacrilegious church robbers, when the devil eggs them on to any impiety or vil- lainy, would but cast this rub in their way, and say to them- selves, What if God should take me in the manner, and strike me in the very act, and cast me into the dungeon of hell, there to be tormented with the devil and his angels for evermore ? Do I not provoke him to do it ? Do I not dare him ? hath he not threatened as much? hath he not done as much? That which is one man's case, may be any man's case, y interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith. Acts IS : 8. chief thing the devil does in this world, is to tempt JL people to do wrong. Awful as it is to say this of any d' God's creatures, he lives only to sin himself mid to make others sin. Is it not an awful thing, my young friends ? Yet there are people in this world who, though not as bad as the devil, are very much like him, and take pleasure in doing his NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 399 work for him. Who are they ? Who does the devil's work for him ? Every person, every boy, and every girl who tempts any one to do wrong ; every such person is doing the devil's work. And of all awful things in the world, is not this among the most awful ? There is nothing that makes one so like the devil as tempting people to sin. Now, has no one who reads this sometimes done this very thing ? A boy wants to stay from Sunday school, and tries to prevail upon some other to do the same. By so doing he tempts him, and thus does the devil's work. A little girl dis- obeys her mother, and then asks her sister not to tell their mother, when she inquires who did it. And this little girl does the devil's work by tempting her sister to tell a lie. Yes, every boy or girl is doing the devil's work who tries to make any one do what that person knows to be wrong. The sin of tempting others makes one like the devil. 0, never do this. Never ask any one, or try to prevail upon any one, to do wrong. It is hateful to God. JUSTIFICATION AND SANCTIFICATION. And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. Acts 13 : 39. JUSTIFICATION regards something done for us; sancti- fj fication something done in us. The one is a change in our state, the other in our nature. The one is perfect, the other gradual. The one is derived from the obedience of the Saviour, the other from his spirit. The one gives us a title to heaven, the other a meetness for it. Suppose you had a son you forbade him to enter a place of contagion on pain of losing all you could leave him. He goes, and is seized with the infection. He is guilty, for he has transgressed your com- mand, but he is also diseased. Do you not perceive that your forgiving him does not heal him? He wants not only the father's pardon, but the physician's aid. In vain is lie freed from the forfeiture of his estate, if he be left under the force of the disorder. Rev. W. Jay. 400 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. DESPISING AND RIDICULING RELIGION. Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish : for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you. Acts 13 : 41. NEVER laugh at religion. Never make a jest of sacred things. Never mock those who are serious and in ear- nest about their souls. The time may come when you will count those happy whom you laughed at ; a time when your laughter will be turned into sorrow, and your mockery into heaviness. Whatever you please to laugh at, don't laugh at religion. Contempt of holy things is the high road to infidelity. Once let a man begin to make a jest and joke of any part of Chris- tianity, and I am never surprised to hear that he has turned out a downright unbeliever. Have you really made up your mind to this ? Have you fairly looked into the gulf which is before you if you persist in despising religion ? Call to mind the words of David : " The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God." (Ps. 14 : 1.) The fool, and none but the fool ! He has said it, but he has never proved it ! Remember, if ever there was a book which has been proved true from beginning to end, by every kind of evidence, that book is the Bible. It has defied the attacks of all enemies and fault-finders. " The word of the Lord is in- deed tried." (Ps. 18 : 30.) It has been tried in every way, and the more evidently has it been shown to be the very handiwork of God himself. Matthew Henry tells a story of a great statesman in Queen Elizabeth's time, who retired from public life in his latter days, and gave himself up to serious thought. His former gay companions came to visit him, and told him he was becoming melancholy. " No," he replied, " I am serious ; for all are serious around about me. God is serious in observing us, Christ is serious in interceding for us, the Spirit is serious in striving with us, the truths of God are serious, our spiritual enemies are serious in their endeavors to ruin us, and why them should not you and I be serious too." Don't laugh at religion. Rev. J. C. Ryle. NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. . 401 REPEATING SERMONS. And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath. Acts 13 : 42. A VERY senseless prejudice exists in many minds against 11. the repetition of sermons. The feeling is peculiarly prev- alent in the West. In the East, the repetition is much more common. The Rev. Theodore L. Cuyler, writing from Sara- toga, uses the following language with respect to this matter : " A poor, juiceless sermon ought never to be preached the first time ; but a nutritious, savory discourse may be made all the better on a second delivery. Dr. Addison Alexander preached his glorious sermon on the ' Faithful Saying ' until he wore out the manuscript ; and Dr. Griffin repeated his elaborate discourse on the ' Worth of the Soul ' ninety times ! He never wearied of it nor did his audience either. As congregations change constantly, and memories are leaky, a first-rate practical sermon ought to be repeated (with extem- pore improvements) about once in five years. Fewer sermons and richer should be a settled pastor's aim. Whitefield at- tained great finish and power by giving the same discourses over and over again through all his missionary tours.-" PROGRESS OF MISSIONS. For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, and thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth. Acts 13 : 47. SOME years ago a secretary of the Home Missionary Society, who has since gone to his rest, said to me, " When I think that for every blow which the church strikes in behalf of mis- sions, God strikes ten, it overwhelms me." And well it may overwhelm us all, when we look at the history of missions. Go back, for instance, thirty years, and see what changes God has wrought in this work. Thirty years ago the missionaries who had gone to China were sitting down under the shadow of those high walls, patiently, hopefully, trustfully waiting for 51 402 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. the first practical breach. Thirty years ago the empire of Japan was sealed utterly against the Christian world, with the exception of a few Dutch traders at Nangasaki. Thirty years ago Hindostan was held by the East India Company that great corporation that was so blind to its true mission even to the end. But He that is glorious in his apparel, trav- eling in the greatness of his strength, has gone forth, and now Asia, from the Mediterranean to the utmost borders of Niphon, is trembling under his footsteps. Bev. S. B. Treat. BOLDLY CONFESSING CHRIST. Long time therefore abode they speaking boldly in the Lord, which "gave testimony unto the word of his grace, and granted signs and wonders to be done by their hands. Acts 14 : 3. ONE of Frederick the Great's best generals was Hans Joachim von Zieten. He was never ashamed of his faith. Once he declined an invitation to come to his royal master's table, because on that day he wished to present himself at the table of his Lord and Master Jesus Christ. It was sacrament day. The next time he appeared at the palace , the king,* whose infidel tendencies were well known, made use of some profane expressions about the holy communion of the Lord's Supper ; and the other guests laughed at the remarks made on the occasion. Zieten shook his gray head solemnly, stood up, saluted the king, and then said with a firm voice, " Your majesty knows well that in war I have never feared any danger, and everywhere have boldly risked my life for you and my country. But there is One above us who is greater than you or me, greater than all men : he is the Saviour and Redeemer, who has died also for your majesty, and has dearly bought us all with his own blood. This Holy One I can never allow to be mocked or insulted; for on him ivpose my faith, my comfort, and my hope in life and death. In the power of this faith, your brave army has courageously fought and conquered. If your majesty undermines this faith, you undermine, at the same time, the welfare of the state. I salute your majesty." This open confession of his Saviour by Zioten NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 403 made a powerful impression on the king. He felt he had been wrong in his attack on the faith of his general, and he was not ashamed to acknowledge it. He gave his hand to Zieten, his right hand, placing the left on the old man's shoulder, and said with emotion, " happy Zieten ! how I wish I could also believe it ! I have the greatest respect for you. This shall never happen again.' 7 The king then rose from the table, dismissed his other guests, but said to Zieten, " Come with me into my cabinet." What passed in that conference, with closed doors, between the great king and his greater general, no one has ever learned ; but this we know, that the Lord's own words are now verified to Zieten : " Whosoever shall confess me before men, him will I confess before my Father which is in heaven." British Workman. GLORYING IN TRIBULATION. Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. Acts H : 22. C\ UY DE BREZ, a French minister, was prisoner in the VJ Castle of Tournay, in Belgium. A lady who visited him said she " wondered how he could eat, or drink, or sleep in quiet." " Madam," said he, " my chains do not terrify me, or break my sleep ; on the contrary, I glory and take delight therein, esteeming them at a higher rate than chains and rings of gold, or jewels of any price whatever. The rattling of my chains is like the effect of an instrument of music in my ears ; not that such an effect comes merely from my chains, but it is because I am bound therewith for maintaining the truth of the gospel." SAVED THROUGH GRACE. But we believe, that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, we shall be saved, even as they. Acts 15 : 11. WHEN M. Monod and I attended the University of Geneva, there was a professor of divinity who confined himself to lecturing on the immortality of the soul, the existence of God, and similar topics. As to the Trinity, he did not believe 404 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. /t it. Instead of the Bible, he gave us quotations from Seneca and Plato. St. Seneca and St. Plato were the two saints whose writings he held up to admiration. But the Lord sent one of his servants to Geneva : and I well remember the visit of Robert Haldane. I heard of him first as an English or Scotch gentleman who spoke much about the Bible, which seemed a very strange thing to me and the other students, to whom it was a shut book. I afterward met Mr. Haldane at a private house, along with some other friends, and heard him read from an English Bible a chapter from Romans, about the natural corruption of man, a doctrine of which I had never heard before ; in fact, I was quite astonished to hear of men being corrupt by nature. I remember saying to Mr. Haldane, " Now I see that doctrine in the Bible." " Yes," he replie'd ; " but do you see it in your heart ? " That was a simple ques- tion ; but it came home to my conscience. It was the sword of the Spirit ; and from that time I saw that my heart was corrupt, and knew from the word of God that I could be saved by grace alone. Dr. Merle D'Aubigne. OMNISCIENCE OP GOD. Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world. Acts 15 : 18. all-seeing and the all-knowing of God are truths over- J_ whelming to man. Is this universe an unsurveyed and sol- itary waste ? Do you fancy there is no presence to cheer it, nor eye to look upon it for ever ? There is an eye whose vision is spread all over this amazing scene. There is a mind present unto it in all its illimitable extent. The Eternal One, at the same moment, converses with its immeasurably remote extremes. There is a mind to whose intelligence all this amazing vast of worlds on worlds, and suns on suns, and sys- tems on systems, is distinctly apparent. Every atom in this magnificent immensity, whether sinking in its depths or Aspir- ing in its heights, whether resting on its axis, or whirling on its verge, is watched by the intense and eternal scrutiny of the omnipresent and omniscient God. Bishop Hamliue. NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 405 KEY. WILBUR FISK, D. D. Then pleased it the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch, with Paul and Barnabas ; name- ly, Judas surnamed Barsabas, and Silas, chief men among the brethren. Acts 15 22. T)ERHAPS no individual, of any denomination, had acquired J[ throughout New England so universally the esteem and confidence of all classes as did Dr. Fisk. We recollect an instance in which the influence of his name was strikingly exhibited. It occurred during a trip from Middletown to New York, a short time before the General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church of 1832. The doctor was on his way to the conference. The number of passengers was greater than usual, and they all had assembled in the cabin for the purpose of having their berths assigned them for the night. Immediately after this business had been attended to, the clerk of the boat announced that Dr. Fisk would perform religious services before the company retired to rest, and re- quested those who were not favorable to it to withdraw to the forward cal}in. One individual, apparently a military officer, availed himself of this privilege. The doctor rose near the stairway, and after making a few remarks, intended to pro- duce a feeling of dependence upon God, especially under the circumstances by which we were then surrounded, he gave out an appropriate hymn, in singing which a number of the passengers united. When he bowed to address the throne of grace, we paused a moment to look over the solemn and unaccustomed scene before us. It is usual, as is well known, in miscellaneous assemblies, for all to stand during prayer, but in this instance it was otherwise ; with scarcely an exception every one of the passengers had bent themselves before the Lord, thus evincing not only a proper veneration for religion, but their high respect for the individual who was leading the devotions. Those who knew the doctor need not be told what was the effect of these services, for no man possessed the faculty of improving such occasions to better advantage. We retired to rest that night with more devotional feelings than we ever experienced on board of a steamboat, and it will be long befor.e the impression produced by this circumstance will be effaced. 406 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. ESTABLISHED IN FAITH. And so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily. Acts 16 : 5. IF a man pray as he should, it is " the prayer of faith." If a man obey as he should, it is " the obedience of faith." If a man war in the church militant, it is " the fight of faith." If a man live as a Christian and holy man, he " liveth by faith." Nay, shall I yet say more ; if he die as he ought, he " dieth by faith." " These all die in faith." What is that ? The power of faith that directed and ordered them in the cause of their death, furnished them with grounds and principles of assur- ance of the love of God, made them carry themselves patiently in death. I can say no more, but with the apostle, " Examine yourselves whether you be in the faith." Why does not the apostle say, Examine whether faith be in you ; but " whether you be in faith " ? His meaning is, that as a man is said to be in drink, or to be in love, or to be in passion, that is, under the command of drink, or love, or passion ; so the whole man must be under the command of faith. If he pray, faith must indite his prayer ; if he obey, faith must work ; if he live, it is faith that must quicken him ; and if he die, it is faith that must order him in death. And wheresoever faith is, it will .do wonders in the soul of that man where it is ; it can not be idle ; it will have footsteps ; it sets the whole man on work ; it moves feet, hands, eyes, and all parts of the body. Mark how the apostle disputeth : " We, having the same spirit of faith, ac- cording as it is written : I believe, therefore have I spoken ; we also believe, and therefore speak." The faith of the apos- tle, which he had in his heart, set his tongue agoing. If a man have faith within, it will break forth at his mouth. Thos. Hooker. SUCCESSFULLY PREACHING CHRIST. These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation. Acts 16 : 17. R. COLLINS' preaching was often attended by divine unction almost resistless. Crowded congregations bowed M NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 407 beneath its influence as trees in a wood before a mighty wind. While preaching at Northianl, from Isaiah 43 : 25, 26, feeling grew until the people instinctively rose from their seats. During the final appeal preaching merged into praying, all seemed carried to the throne, the chapel resounded with loud amens and shouts of glory, glory. Many were saved, and be- lieving souls were filled with glory and with God. Success was not limited to trophies won at the altar for penitents. A certain baker, whose wife was pious, finding the chapel lit up late one evening, walked in. The flour- covered garb of his trade made the man very conspicuous as he stood curiously and undevotionally gazing in wonder at the scene. " Lord, have mercy on that baker/ 7 cried Mr. Collins. The man started like a frightened deer, but the arrow was in him. u Lord, have mercy on that baker," kept ringing in his ears until he made the prayer his own. It was answered then, and a few weeks after, happy in God, he joined the society from whose sanctuary in such scared confusion he had fled. D. Nash. BIBLE DEMONOLOGY. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour. Acts 1G : 18. DR. WHEDON, in his excellent Commentary on the Gospels, makes the following exposition on the subject of the New Testament demons. In his notes on Mark 5 : 2, Dr. Whedon s.\ys, u First. The whole system of Bible demonology presupposes an arch-enemy of God and man, finite, yet powerful, an arch- angel of evil, who is the mightiest finite representative of wickedness revealed to us in the universe. (See note on Matt. 4:1.) He makes his appearance in Eden under the base guise of a serpent, and procures the fall of man. As Belial, he is known in Old Testament history, and perhaps as Azazel. He is Satan, in the book of Job. He is Satan, Beelzebub, and prince of devils, in the New Testament. "Second. Out of the range of the Scripture lands, the powers 408 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. of evil widely and powerfully ruled. Yet it may have been under other names, and wearing other guises. The same world of invisible evil powers in its great outlines is dimly disclosed ; but the demoniac agencies appear in different specific modes and styles, as the customs and institutes of men admitted them. There were the oracles, revealing ap- parently more or less of hidden truth, and with their devotees more or less inspired and frenzied. And it is by this very oracular inspiration that the girl, in Acts 16 : 16, was said to be filled, namely, by the spirit of Pythan, which was the name of the god of the oracles. And this maiden exhibited the same peculiar phenomena as those demoniac, in showing a supernatural knowledge of the true character of the apostles, proclaiming them to be the servants of the Most High, while she herself only professed to belong to a far inferior. opposing power. " It is a striking fact (which we shall again notice) that the Father of the Christian church boasted that the oracles be- came dumb after the coming of Christ. This brings us also to another striking conclusion of the church, namely, that the demons of the New Testament the devils of Scripture lurked under the guise of much of the mythology of heathen- dom. And in that view of the case, we are at no loss to find an abundance of phenomena, in pagan antiquity, analogous to the possessions in the New Testament." W. Jones. READING PRAYERS UNDER DIFFICULTIES. Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks. And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God : and the prisoners heard them. Acts 16 : 24, 25. THE following witty anecdote is related of Rev. Dr. Calvin Chapin, formerly a Congregationalist preacher in Albany, N. Y.: " Many years ago, before Albany was linked to .Boston by iron bands, a meeting of the American Board of Commission- ers for Foreign Missions was held at Albany, and Dr. Chapin, NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 409 with a number of other clergymen from this region, attended, performing the journey by stage. At the close of the meet- ing they returned by the same conveyance. The stage started at four o'clock in the morning, which at that season of the year was before daylight, Al* the passengers in the stage but one were Congregational clergymen ; that one was a young Episcopal minister. At first starting, the passengers were all silent, till after some time our young Episcopal friend, with somewhat more of courage than of discretion, proceeded to de- liver himself substantially as follows : " ' I have been examining those portions of the Scriptures, lately, in which prayer is spoken of, and have satisfied myself that prayer is never spoken of in the Bible where the circum- stances do not render it probable yea, I may say certain that the prayer must have been read.' " To this somewhat startling proposition, no one made any reply ; but our young friend, nothing daunted, went on : " i I will defy any gentleman present to bring forward an in- stance where this was not the case.' " There was again a short silence, which was broken by Dr. Chapin, who said in his blandest and most deferential tones, " 1 1 do not mean to deny your position, sir ; but there is a question I should like to ask, if you will be so kind as to an- swer it.' " l 0, ask as many questions as you please I will answer them,' said the young man. " ' The question I wished to ask, was,' said Dr. Chapin, very deliberately too, ' who it was held the candle for Jonah when he read prayers in the whale's belly ? ' " It is said that the juvenile divine maintained a dignified silence during the rest of that journey." DR, NETTLETON'S REPLY TO A CAVILER. Then ho called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas ; and brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? Acts 16 : 29, 30. A CAVILER once asked Dr. Nettleton, " How came I by my 1JL wicked heart ? " " That," he replied, " is a question 52 410 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. which does not concern you so much as another, namely, How you shall get rid of it. You have a wicked heart, which renders you entirely unfit for the kingdom of God ; and you must have a new heart, or you can not be saved ; and the question which now most deeply concerns you is, How shall you obtain it ? " " But," says the man, " I wish you to tell me how I came by my wicked heart." " I shall not/' replied Dr. Nettleton, " do that at present ; for if I could do it to your entire satisfaction, it would not in the least help you toward obtaining a new heart. The great thing for which I am solicitous is, that you should become a new creature, and be prepared for heaven." As the man manifested no disposition to hear any thing on that subject, but still pressed the ques- tion how he came by his wicked heart, Dr. Nettleton told him that his condition resembled that of a man who is drowning, while his friends are attempting to save his life. As he rises to the surface of the water, he exclaims, " How came I here?" " That question," says one of his friends, " does not concern you now. Take hold of this rope." " But how came I here?" he asks again. " I shall not stop to answer that question now," replies his friend. "Then I'll drown," says the infatuated man; and spurning all proffered aid, sinks to the bottom. CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE EVERYWHERE. And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house. Acts 16 : 34. prominent features of religious experience are the same JL among all Christian people in every quarter of the globe. There are certain marks of genuine conversion, which, wherever appearing, carry with them irresistible evidence that the per- son has indeed become the workmanship of the Holy Spirit. In South Africa I have met with many who know by happy experience the saving power of godliness; who exemplify its principles by their general walk and conversation, and in wliom we are compelled to glorify God. They prove them- selves to be true disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. I NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 411 remember one young man, connected with the society in Fort Beaufort, a Fingoe, whose modest spirit, sincere piety, and consistent deportment won my ardent affection. He was a local preacher, and evidently lived in the enjoyment of God's saving grace. This young man 'informed me, that when he was awakened to a sense of his condition as a sinner, he left his home, and wandered to the distant mountains in search of solitude for prayer. There he continued two days and a night, engaged in religious meditation and fervent pleading with God for pardon, determined not to rest until God had removed from his conscience the burden of guilt. Nor was he disappointed. His prayer was heard, his guilt canceled, his soul brought into glorious liberty ; and he returned from the mountains rejoicing in God his Saviour. This is the course frequently pursued by the people in such circum- stances. The majority of those whose testimony to the enjoy- ment of the divine favor I have heard, appear to have found the- blessing in the mountain or the bush. WITNESSES FOR THE BIBLE. And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three Sabbath days reasoned with them out of the Scriptures. Acts 17 : 2. THE Rev. Professor Leonard Woods said, " When I com- menced my duties of professor of theology, I feared that the frequency with which I should have to pass over the same portions of Scripture would abate the interest in my own mind in reading them ; but, after more than fifty years of study, it is my experience that with every class my interest increases." Daniel Webster said, " From the time that, at my mother's feet, or on my father's knee, I first learned to lisp verses from the Sacred Writings, they have been my daily study and vigilant contemplation. If there be anything in my style or thoughts to be commended, the credit is due to my kind par- ents in instilling into my mind an early love of the Scrip- tures/' Fisher Ames said, " I will hazard the assertion that no man 412 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. ever did or ever will become truly eloquent without being a constant reader of the Bible, and an admirer of the purity and sublimity of its language." The great Milton said, " There are no songs comparable to the songs of Zion, no orations equal to those of the prophets, and no polities like those which the Scriptures teach." Even the brilliant infidel Rousseau said, " I must confess to you that the majesty of the Scriptures astonishes me ; the holiness of the evangelists speaks to my heart, and has such strong and striking characters of truth, and is, moreover, so perfectly inimitable, that if it had been the invention of men, the inventors would be greater than the greatest heroes." GOD'S WAY TO A WICKED HEART. God that made the world, and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands. Acts 17 : 24. " INHERE was an infidel in England," said a speaker in the JL Fulton Street prayer meeting, " who had a very pious wife, and also a little girl about twelve years old, who was a great pet with her father, and of whom he was very fond. He would never allow her to be taught to read, for fear she might be led to read the Bible, for he hated the Bible with a bitter hatred. He would not allow the name of Christ to be spoken in his presence. He would not allow his wife to speak to him on the subject of religion. This poor, anxious woman often studied how she could reach the heart of her wretched hus- band. She had a pious friend with whom her husband was intimate. So she resolved to invite him to come and talk with her husband about the salvation of his soul. She did so ; and the conversation made no impression upon him. He was very angry with. his wife. He declared he would have no more of this ; and to make the matter certain, he took a piece of board and wrote on it, in large letters, with chalk, ' God is nowhere/ and nailed the board to the foot of the bed, so that all could see it who entered the room. He said he was not going to have his sentiments mistaken ; all should know that lie disbelieved in a God." NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 413 " He was taken very sick, and even his little daughter could not see him he was so ill. Meantime his daughter began to learn to read, and improved rapidly. One day, when the father had got better from his long sickness, he had his little daughter called into the room. " i What have you been doing/ said he, l since I have been sick ? 11 ' I have been learning to read, father,' she answered. a i "Well, then, read what is written on the board.' The child could only read by spelling out the words. So she be- gan : l God is now here ' reading wrong one word. But that misreading was the means of the father's conversion.' 7 LIFE PROM GOD ALONE. Neither is worshiped with men's hands, as though he needed anything, see- ing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things. Acts 17 : 25. IN {he course of his address at the opening of the Belfast Methodist College, the Rev. W. Arthur, president, said, u No man knew the sublime teaching but the man who felt faith in the active intervention of God for the regeneration of human beings. Every visitor to Rome had stood before that wonderful horse 011 the Capitoline Hill, and almost fancied that he saw Michael Angelo standing before it, and staring at it till it had impressed itself upon his soul, and then saying, 'Animal, march, march ! ' This was not the utterance of hope, but of despair. It was his aspiration striking against the cage that held in his ambition. With what faith would that man have gone to work if there was a possibility that at some point of his progress, on the touch of his chisel, a fire from the unseen world would enter, and his work would begin to live ! Now, that was the position of the Christian teacher. He was work- ing upon an immortal being, working upon the image of God with an instrument pointed by God, and moment by moment expecting that God himself would appear in the midst of the work, and send through it the unseen fire that would light up within that soul the principles of eternal life." 414 NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS ."MADE OF ONE BLOOD." And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation. Acts 17 : 26. THERE is a common life- stream flowing through the veins of all men, of whatever tribe or nation, which, notwithstand- ing its accidental modifications caused by influence of climate, food, health, and habits, is yet everywhere characteristically the same, and can be recognized as such. This life-stream of the human race is characteristically dif- ferent from all other life-streams found in all other creatures, in other words, the blood of beasts, birds, or fishes, or any other creeping thing, and can be clearly distinguished there- from. Science has actually established our interpretation of the Pauline statement as the true one ! The light breaks at last upon our path ! The achievements of scientific naturalists furnish to our hand the materials for a true interpretation, and bring vividly to mind the pertinent and far-reaching remark of Bishop Butler, that " Events as they come to pass will open the fuller sense of Scripture." The microscope ac- complishes to-day a splendid work in behalf of the living- oracles of God. It interprets to-day a part of the oration of Paul. It has superseded the tedious and circuitous method of chemical analysis, relied upon for the last twenty years, but with so much misgiving and dissatisfaction. The motit that could be accomplished by this means, was simply the detection of the presence of coloring matter in the blood, without any evidence whatever whether the blood was that of a man, a beast, or a bird. But the microscope has done more. It has done for the blood just what the telescope has done for the nebulous stream in the heavens. It has resolved the mazy mass into separate globes, anf his sermons at ]vlin!)iir;j,-li. " lie is, sir," s-iid Mr. Hume, " the most inir.Mi- ious preacher I ever heard; it is worth while to go. twenty NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 417 miles to hear him." He then repeated a passage toward the close of the discourse which he had heard. After- a solemn pause, he thus addressed his numerous audience: " The at- tendant angel is just about to leave the threshold, and ascend to heaven. And shall he ascend, and not bear with him the news of one sinner among all this multitude, reclaimed from the error of his ways?" To give the greater effect to the exclamation he stamped with his foot, and with gushing tears, cried aloud, " Stop, Gabriel ! stop, Gabriel ! stop ere you enter the sacred portals, and yet carry with you the news of one sinner converted to God ! " He then, in the most simple but energetic language, described what he called a Saviour's dying love to sinful man, so that almost the whole assembly melted into tears. This address was accompanied with such animated yet natural action, that it surpassed, said Hume, anything that I ever saw or heard in any other preacher. BUSINESS AND PRAYER. This man was instructed in the way of the Lord. Acts 18 : 25. IF a professed disciple would not have his secular business become as a millstone about his neck to drown him in per- dition, he must be a man of prayer ; he must daily secure spiritual communion with God. If he suffer his business to consume his time and spirit so as to deprive him of oppor- tunities for prayer, reading. the Bible, and real communion with God, he must decay in piety, and his service of mammon eat up his service of God. No one who believes that God an- swers prayer will think of omitting either secret or family devotion for want of time, even when business is unusually urgent. Which is worth more to you or your family an additional period of your own unblessed labor, or the blessing of God on your efforts, won by spending that time in pleading with him in prayer ? The plea of want of time is essentially atheistical ; none should urge it but those who regard prayer as an empty mockery that never receives an answer from the Lord. Let the clay begin with communion with God, let the 53 418 * NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. disciple pass the whole day in the spirit of prayer, and all its scenes will be inscribed with " Holiness to the Lord." This point may be best enforced by the words of a de- voted disciple of Christ. He said, with great earnestness and simplicity, " I have made a discovery this summer which I regard as of great value. I used -to defer my morning devo- tions till after the first work of the morning. But this sum- mer, immediately on rising, before doing aught else, I pray ; and I pray till I feel God's presence. Then I read the Scriptures till breakfast, and I find my heart warm, and ready to engage with interest in family prayer. At noon the hay wants turning ; but I push* on to spend a season in prayer ; and the heart having become warm in the morning, it needs but little to restore its fervor, and I am soon at work again with a lively sense of God's presence. When all is done, I look back on the day spent with God, and give thanks for all his mercies, commending myself to him. And now," he added, with the greatest animation, " I can commend the plan to all Christians. It has carried me all through haying and harvesting, and in the busiest of it all 1 have had as much enlargement of heart and spiritual joy as ever in my life." PERSONAL LABOR. And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue : Whom, when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly. Acts 18 : 26. DR. WAYLAND says, " After leaving college I entered upon the study of medicine. I was sitting alone one day in the office of the physician with whom I studied, when a plain man, evidently from the country, entered to procure some medical advice. After we had sat some time in silence, or in conversation upon different subjects, without any introduc- tion he turned to me, and asked, " ' What is the difference between hope and expectation ? ' " I was taken by surprise, and gave him such an answer as occurred to me. He said, " ' We may hope for a thing when we have no definite NEW TESTAMENT ILLUSTRATIONS. 419 ground on which our hope rests, and while we are making no effort to secure it, as we hope for fair weather or rain. When we expect a thing, we at least believe that we have some solid ground on which our expectation rests, and we, of course, make efforts necessary to secure it. I suppose every man hopes to be saved at last, whatever may be his life, or how much he may neglect the great salvation. A man, however, never expects to enter heaven unless he has some solid reason on which his expectation may be realized.' tl He then made a brief application of the subject to me personalty, and shortly afterward left the office. I have never seen him since, I never knew his name ; but I never think of him without gratitude and love. If ever I shall be so happy as to enter the gates of the New Jerusalem, I know that I shall meet him there, and shall thank him, in better language than I can n