I

if any man

am, there shall also my servant be: serve me, him will my Father honour. Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify thy name."

A voice from heaven answered "I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again." The multitude, not rightly comprehending the words, mistook the voice; some said "It thundered," others that an angel had spoken to him; Jesus, however, explained to them the nature of the divine interference, saying, "This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes. Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me."

The phrase "lifting up" so clearly intimated the kind of death which Christ intimated to be prepared for him that the people, comprehending the purport of his prediction, answered, "We have heard out of the law that Christ abideth for ever: and how sayest thou, The Son of man must be lifted up? who is this Son of man?" Jesus replied, "Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he

G

goeth. While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light." These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them.

It might have been supposed that this heavenly discourse, taken in connection with the previous miracles and the wondrous manifestation of the celestial voice, would have ensured their conversion, but, as the Evangelist St. John declares, their blindness and perversity had been long before predicted by the prophet Isaiah in these express terms, "Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed," and again, "Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed."

Those of better dispositions were afraid to own themselves convinced, for fear of being thrust out of the synagogue as the Pharisees had threatened.

When evening came, Jesus, to avoid the crowd, returned again with his disciples to Bethany. On his way to or from the village he saw a fig-tree afar

off, apparently blooming and vigorous; upon his approaching nearer, expecting to find fruit, he found that the tree was barren, and he pronounced a curse upon it as an emblem of unprofitable servants. The tree withered to its very root, and thus the owner was delivered from a worthless plant, which exhausted nourishment from the soil without making any

return.

CHAPTER XIII.

PASSION WEEK.

Tuesday.

WHEN Jesus and the disciples were coming back to Jerusalem, on the third day of the week, Peter cast his eyes upon the barren fig-tree, now changed to a withered stock, and could not forbear expressing his surprise at the sudden blight. Our Lord took advantage of his exclamation to impress upon his disciples the efficacy of faith, saying unto them, "Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That who

soever 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. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any; that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses."

When they came to the Temple, Jesus, as usual, began to preach to the people, upon which the Pharisees and Scribes began to insist upon his giving them fresh proofs of his mission and authority. He referred them to the testimony of John the Baptist, which they could not deny without danger, nor yet admit without convicting themselves. They returned an evasive answer, upon which Jesus refused to give them any further satisfaction. At the same time he endeavoured to awake them to a sense of their obstinacy and danger, by relating the following parables." A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and digged a place for the winefat,

and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country. And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard. And they caught him, and beat him, and sent him away empty. And again he sent unto them another servant; and at him they cast stones, and wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully handled. And again he sent another; and him they killed, and many others; beating some, and killing some. Having yet therefore one son, his well-beloved, he sent him also unto them, saying, They will reverence my son. But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be our's. And they took him, and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard. What shall therefore the lord of the vineyard do? he will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others. And have ye not read this scripture; The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner. This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes." Disappointed in this mode of attack, the Pharisees sought how they might "entangle him in his talk," that is, lead him to make use of some unwary expres