were created by him, and for him; and he is before all things, and by him all things consist."

Again, John, in his vision of the future glory of the Church, saw the Eternal Throne, and Jesus the Mighty Conqueror seated upon it: and heard voices chanting in angelic strains, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come." And four-and-twenty elders, clothed in white robes, with crowns of gold, fell prostrate before him, and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever, saying, "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and honour, and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created."

When Adam had ruined himself and his posterity by eating the forbidden fruit, Jehovah, in his infinite love, gave him the promise of a MESSIAH, in the words addressed to the serpent: "I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."

As we trace along the stream of time, we see this faint promise oft renewed, brightening with every repetition.

When Jehovah had destroyed the world by a flood, on account of its wickedness, preserving only the family of Noah to repeople it, and had scattered the builders of Babel, confounding their language, he said to faithful Abram: "Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: and I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee; and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed."

Jacob, on his way to Padan-Aram, slept, and saw in the night-vision, a ladder, with its foot upon

the earth, and its top reaching to heaven, and lo! angels were ascending and descending upon it. And he heard the voice of the Lord from the top of the ladder, saying unto him: "I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; and thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth; and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed."

Thus from time to time was the promise of a coming Saviour renewed, until, on the plains of Bethlehem, a glorious light burst upon the watching shepherds, and an angel appeared, saying; "Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

And when the angels had departed, the shepherds said one to another, "Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us." And they came with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen.

Eight days after, at the circumcision of the child, he was called Jesus, which signifies Saviour, a name given before he was born: "for" said the angel, “He shall save his people from their sins."

B

CHAPTER II.

THE CHILDHOOD OF JESUS.

THE HE Incarnation of the Son of God, presents us with an example of condescension and humiliation, only equalled by the exaltation of its subjects. He came to earth, that he might exalt us to heaven. His sufferings and death, clothe us, who are dead in sin, with immortality, and secure to us the bliss of an eternal Paradise. To trace the footsteps of Jesus, God Incarnate, and to present the words that dropped fresh from his wise and holy lips, while on his mission of mercy to this sin-stricken world, will be the object of these pages.

The child grew and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him. But his first word, on record, was uttered at the age of twelve years. A multitude had assembled at Jerusalem. The eight days' worship being ended, the crowds disperse and scatter to their homes in the distant countries round about. The parents, supposing "the child Jesus" to be among their relatives and acquaintances in the great throng, pass on a day's journey, when they seek him but find him not.

They return, anxious and sorrow stricken, to Jerusalem, where they find him still in the Temple, sitting with the Doctors of the law, and astonishing the multitude with his understanding and answers. His mother, though amazed at his wisdom, gently chides her son for his lack of parental fidelity,

saying, "Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing." And he said unto them,

How is it that ye sought me? Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?

And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them. And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them; but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.

Eighteen years now pass away without the record of another word. While he honoured his earthly parents, and was diligent in his daily toil, he was doubtless ever busy in the work assigned him by his Father in heaven. Multitudes may have been charmed by his youthful eloquence, confounded by his wisdom, and melted under his sweet spirit of love. But to us it is one great blank. This brief sentence among the doctors in the temple, in answer to the question of the anxious mother, is like some blazing comet, which for a brief space lights the starry vault with its radiance, and then shoots off, in its eccentric course, to be seen no more for years to come. During these silent years, multitudes had passed to their reward. "Seed time and harvest, summer and winter, day and night," had succeeded each other, in regular order; while the "bow in the cloud" had constantly reminded the world of the gracious promise of God to Noah. But not a word is preserved from the lips of this wonderful child. Not a footprint marks his journeyings.

At the age of thirty he suddenly appears again on the page of history. Let us now follow his footsteps, and listen to his words.

CHAPTER III.

THE BAPTISM AND TEMPTATION OF JESUS.

AND it came to pass in those days, that Jesus

came from Nazareth of Galilee, to Jordan, unto John, to be baptized of him. But John forbade him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? And Jesus answering said unto him,

Suffer it to be so now; for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, went up straightway out of the water; and praying, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and there came a voice from heaven, saying, "Thou art my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased."

And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost, returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, to be tempted of the devil. And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts. And in those days he did eat nothing. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungered. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But Jesus answered and said,