his sword and smote one of the multitude, who happened to be a servant of the highpriest. But Jesus, who through that whole memorable scene had displayed the same calmness and meekness as when alone with his disciples, gently rebuking Peter, reached forth his hand and touched the wound, and healed it. But the multitude, not perceiving, or entirely unmoved by this miracle of compassion and love, bare him away with loud tumult and imprecations to the house of Caiaphas. I saw no more of him till I went in with Peter to witness his trial;* for we were all seized with an unaccountable panic, and forgetful of our love and obligations to him, forsook him and fled; and that, too, when but a few hours before we had all solemnly affirmed that we would die with him sooner than forsake him. Ah! Selumiel, beware of selfconfidence. Trust not your own strength. Remember Gethsemane.'

"And so will I remember it, blessed bosomcompanion of Jesus," said Selumiel to himself, almost unconscious of the presence of the boys; so will I remember it, and trust

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* See John xviii 16.

my heart will never lose the lessons of wisdom and piety it received from thy lips."

The boys had listened in unbroken silence to John's narrative, as given them by Selumiel. They had often read the accounts of Matthew and Mark, which contain all the principal facts. But they had never seemed so impressive or real before. To be upon the very spot; to stand under the very trees where Jesus wept and prayed; and to hear the circumstances all related on the very spot, and so directly from the mouth of an eyewitness of the scene, gave a vividness and reality to it which it had never had before.

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Perhaps, uncle," said Jonathan, "it was under this very tree that Jesus knelt and prayed, or by the side of yonder clump of vines that he used to sit with his disciples after his discourses in the temple. Indeed, uncle, a thought has struck me that this may be the place where Jesus used to come with his disciples and explain to them those parables which he spake to the Jews."

"This was without doubt one of the places," said Selumiel, "where Jesus often resorted with his disciples for the purposes of

private conversation and devotion, and it is not difficult to conceive of him, as seated under one of these spreading vines, with his beloved disciples gathered around him, unfolding to them those divine mysteries' which it 'was given to them to understand,' while to the unbelieving Jews all was spoken in parables.'

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"I should like to ask, uncle," said Simon, "why Jesus did not speak plainly to the Jews. Of what use were the parables to them if they could not understand them?"

"A natural but somewhat difficult question, Simon," replied Selumiel, "but I will try to answer it as well as I am able. The reason why the Jews did not understand his parables was not that they could not be understood; but they needed, in order to understand them fully, a teachable disposition, and an obedient heart. These parables were designed to excite attention and inquiry among them; and if any of the Jews had manifested an earnest desire to know the truth, and had come meekly to seek instruction, he would have given it, as he did to his disciples. These parables

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then were a test of character, just as the Christian religion is now."

Thus wandering among the shady walks of the garden, and discoursing of the cruel scenes which had there passed, they were almost insensible of the progress of time. The boys were never satisfied with asking questions in regard to every spot they visited. In the north-west corner of the garden stood an oilpress, from which the garden took its name, Gethsemane signifying in Hebrew an oilpress. It was composed of two receptacles or troughs, hewn out of a large rock, one situated above the other. The upper one was about eight feet square and four feet high. Into this the olive berries were thrown, and trodden out by men with their feet.* The oil ran out through a grated opening into the lower receptacle.

Jonathan and Simon, who had never seen a press before, were very particular in their inquiries respecting the manner of making oil. Selumiel, ever ready to instruct his little nephews, and especially to give them any in* Micah vi. 15.

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formation which would enable them to understand the Scriptures better, described to them the whole process of raising the trees and manufacturing the oil. "Dry, sandy, and mountainous land, such as the sides of Olivet, which you see, is most favourable to the production of the olive. These trees, whose branches spread out so widely, and some of which are nearly two hundred years old, will produce a thousand pounds of oil each. These circumstances show you why it is used in the Scriptures as a symbol of prosperity, especially of a numerous family. So David says, 'Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thy house; thy children like olive plants round about thy table.'"*

"But time would fail me," said Mr. Anderson, "to repeat to you all the discourse which passed between them; to rehearse Selumiel's glowing description of the blessings of the early and the latter rain with which Jehovah had crowned Judea; the increase of the corn, and wine, and oil, by which he had distinguished Palestine above all lands; for to a Jew no country had charms like Palestine.

* Psalm cxxviii. 3.