entrance protected by a huge stone. Jesus commanded the stone to be removed, but Martha remonstrated, saying, that the body must now be in a state of putrefaction, as it had lain so long in the tomb. Jesus replied, " Said I not unto thee that, if thou wouldst believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?" The stone being removed, Jesus lifted up his eyes to heaven, and addressed the following prayer to God. "Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always; but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me." He then turned to the Sepulchre, and exclaimed in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!" Immediately the bonds of death were broken, Lazarus arose from the grave, swathed in the burial-clothes, with which the Jews were accustomed to wrap the dead, and having a napkin over his head. Jesus then commanded that the tight swathings should be removed, and Lazarus returned to his own house.

Many of the spectators were converted by this singular miracle, but some hasted to convey the intelligence to the Pharisees, who were greatly enraged and alarmed. A meeting of the Sanhedrim, or Jewish council, was convened to determine on the means

of putting an end to this dangerous increase both of his fame and his doctrines. They argued, "What do we? for this man doeth many miracles. If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation." It pleased God to inspire Caiaphas, who was the High Priest that year, with the gift of prophecy for that special occasion. He said "Ye know nothing at all, nor consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not." Caiaphas and his hearers were equally unconscious of the import of this prophecy, which truly foretold that Jesus should suffer death, not for the Jewish nation only, but for all the faithful which were to be gathered together in him from the four corners of the earth. The advice of the High Priest was readily adopted, and, after the council had once resolved on Christ's death, they were easily determined to cut off Lazarus also, the sight of whom daily increased the number of believers.

Jesus, who knew his own appointed time, as well as the result of the late consultation, withdrew to a small city called Ephraim, near the forest of the same name, where Absalom was overthrown when he

revolted against his father David. He continued there until the feast of the Passover drew nigh, when he returned to Bethany, and stopped at the house of Lazarus. Here on the Sabbath evening he and his disciples were sumptuously entertained. While they were at supper, Mary, to show her gratitude for the recent miracle performed by her divine guest, anointed his feet with a box of precious spikenard, whose fragrance filled the whole house. Judas, who bore the common purse out of which the disciples were supported, and who thence obtained the name of Iscariot, or Ish-charret, that is, "the man with the bag," was indignant at what he considered extravagant waste, and reproached Mary for not selling the ointment and giving the price to the poor; a censure in which several of the others seemed disposed to join. But Jesus rebuked them, saying to them, "Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me. For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always. For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial. Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her."

This reproach sunk deep into the heart of Judas, and thenceforth he began to meditate the betrayal. of his master.

CHAPTER XI.

LAST YEAR OF CHRIST'S MINISTRY. PASSION WEEK..

Sunday.

THE history of that important week in the stupendous work of man's redemption was sealed by the blood of the Son of God,-when Love was exhibited which "astonished heaven, confounded hell, convulsed all nature, rent the rocks in sunder, and broke the slumbers of the mouldering dead, yet failed to pierce the obdurate heart of man,"-is one so crowded with events, and so full of interest, that in order to facilitate its contemplation it appears advisable to devote a separate chapter to the occurrences of each day. Christ's entry into Jerusalem from Bethany took place on the tenth day of the month Nisan, in the year of the world 4036, which corresponds with

the twenty-ninth of March, A. D. 33, of our era. It was the day on which the Paschal Lamb was taken to be presented at Jerusalem.

After leaving Bethany, Jesus again warned the apostles of his approaching end, but, to console them, graciously revealed his immediate resurrection, saying, "Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again." But even this warning was not sufficient to remove their delusive expectation, of a temporal kingdom; the mother of James and John came to our Lord begging that he would grant her a petition. Jesus enquired the nature of her request; she replied, “Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom." Our Lord, alluding at once to their mistake and his approaching sufferings, said, “Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with ?”

The two disciples, probably not comprehending