The Life of Jesus Christ for the Young Part 21

A little way off she saw a clump of trees on a piece of rising ground. Towards that spot she directed her steps, and strained every nerve to reach it. At last she succeeded in doing so.

For a moment the poor mother and her child were comparatively safe.

But, on looking around, she saw that the flames were approaching her from opposite directions. Escape was impossible. Death--a terrible death by fire, seemed to be the only thing before her. She might wrap herself in that great shawl, and perhaps live through it. But, there were the children. Of course a mother could not hesitate a moment what to do under such circ.u.mstances. Wrapping the baby round and round in the folds of the shawl, she laid it carefully down, at the foot of one of the trees. Then, taking off her outer clothing, she covered the other child with it. She laid her down beside the baby, and then stretched herself across them. In a few moments the helpless little ones were sound asleep. The long hours of the night pa.s.sed.

The raging flames licked up the withered foliage about that clump of trees, and then left their blackened trunks to the keenness of the wind and frost.

The next day the heart-broken husband and father returned to find his home burnt, and his family gone--he knew not whither. He set out to search for his lost treasures. He found them by that clump of trees.

There lay his wife--her hair and eyebrows, her face and neck scorched and blackened by the fire--but her body frozen stiff. Whether she perished by the flames or the frost no one ever knew. But, on lifting her burnt form they found, warm and cozy beneath, her two sleeping children. The elder child as they roused her, opened her eyes exclaiming, "Mamma, is it morning?" Yes: it was morning with that faithful mother, in the bright world to which she had gone!

Now, suppose that those children, as they grew up, should have had preserved among their treasures a piece of the burnt dress, or a lock of the scorched hair, of their devoted mother. As they looked at it, every day, it would be in _remembrance_ of her. How touchingly it would tell of her great love for them, in being willing to lay down her life to save theirs! And how that thought would thrill their hearts and make them anxious to do all they could to show their respect and love for such a mother!

And so the broken bread and the poured out wine of this solemn sacrament should melt our hearts in the remembrance of the wonderful love of Christ to us, and should lead us to show our love to him by keeping his commandments.

And as we keep this solemn memorial service, how well we may say, in the words of the hymn:

"According to thy gracious word, In meek humility, This will we do, our dying Lord, We will remember thee.

Thy body, broken for our sake, Our bread from heaven shall be: Thy sacramental cup we take, And thus remember thee.

"Can we Gethsemane forget?

Or there thy conflict see, Thine agony and b.l.o.o.d.y sweat, And not remember thee?

When to the cross we turn our eyes, And rest on Calvary, O Lamb of G.o.d, our sacrifice, We must remember thee."

_But Jesus has connected this blessed sacrament with the hope of his glory_--as well as with the word of his command and the memory of his sufferings.

He made this connection very clear when he said at the inst.i.tution of this solemn service--"I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom." St. Matt, xxvi: 29. And the apostle Paul pointed out the same connection when he said, "As often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death, _till he come_." I. Cor.

xi: 26. This sacrament of the Lord's Supper is the point of meeting between the sufferings of Christ and the glory that is to follow--between his cross, with all its shame and anguish, and his kingdom, with all its honor and blessedness.

We have sometimes heard or read of magicians who have pretended to have wonderful mirrors into which persons might look and see all that was before them in this life. If there were such a mirror, it would be a strange thing indeed to look into it and find out what was going to happen to-morrow, or next month, or next year, or twenty years hence. But, there never was any such mirror. As the apostle says, "We know not what shall be on the morrow." No mortal man can tell what will happen to him as he takes the very next step in life.

Yet, this solemn sacrament is like such a magical mirror. We can look into it and see, clearly represented there, what will happen to us in the future, not of _this_ life indeed, but of the life to come. It leads our minds on to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And a voice from heaven declares--"Blessed are they who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb." Rev. xix: 9. That marriage supper represents the highest joys of heaven. It gathers into itself all the glory and happiness that await us in the heavenly kingdom. And this sacramental service is the type or shadow of all the bliss connected with that great event in the future. If we are true and faithful partakers of this solemn sacrament--this memorial feast, we shall certainly be among the number of those whose unspeakable privilege it will be to sit down at the marriage supper of the Lamb, in heaven.

There we shall be in the personal presence of Jesus, our glorified Lord. Our eyes "shall see the King in his beauty." And we shall see all his people too in the perfection of glory that will mark them there. And in happy intercourse with that blessed company we shall find all "the exceeding great and precious promises" of G.o.d's word fulfilled in our own personal experience.

And then there is nothing that can sustain and comfort us under the many trials of this mortal life like the hope of sharing this joy with our blessed Lord, when he shall come in the glory of his heavenly kingdom.

"The Hope of Glory." A Christian gentleman was in the habit of visiting, from time to time, a poor afflicted widow woman who lived in his neighborhood. She had once been very well off, and was the wife of a well-known and apparently successful merchant. But finally he failed in business and died soon after, leaving her alone in the world, and without anything to live on but what she could earn by her own labor.

After awhile her health failed, and then she was entirely dependent for her support on the kindness of her Christian friends. But she was always cheerful and happy. "On going in to see her one day," says this gentleman, "I found, on talking with her, that she was feeling very comfortable in her mind.

"'Tell me, my friend,' I asked, 'have you always felt as bright and cheerful as you seem to feel now?'

"'O, no,' she replied, 'very far from it. When my husband died, and I was left alone in the world, I used to feel very sad and rebellious. Many a time I was so sorrowful and despairing as to be tempted to take away my own life. But, in the good providence of G.o.d, I was led to read the Bible, and to pray for help from above. I became a member of the church. But, for a while, I did not find much comfort in my religion. And the reason of it was that I did not have very clear views of Christ as my Saviour, and of the wonderful things he has promised to do for his people in the future.

"'But, on one communion occasion, my minister preached on the words--"_Christ in you the hope of glory_." That was a blessed communion to me. I saw then, as I had never seen before, how that sacred and solemn service was intended by him to be to all his people, at one and the same time, the means of preserving in their minds the remembrance of the sufferings he has borne for them in the past, and also of keeping alive in their hearts the hope of sharing in the glory which he has prepared for them in the future. And I have never had any trouble in my mind since then. My communion seasons were always bright and blessed seasons to me as long as I was able to go to church. And though I can no longer go up to the sanctuary and partake of the bread and wine, "the outward and visible signs"

made use of in the heavenly feast; yet, blessed be G.o.d's holy name, I can, and do partake in a spiritual manner of that which those signs represent. I feel and know what it is to have "Christ in me the hope of glory." And this "satisfies my longing, as nothing else can do." I find peace and comfort in simply "looking unto Jesus." I have had much outward trouble and affliction since then. I live alone. There is no one here to help me. Sometimes I have nothing to eat, and but little to keep me warm. You see me _sitting_ here now. Thus I have to spend my nights. My complaint is the dropsy, and this prevents me from lying down. _But I would not exchange my place as a forgiven sinner, with "Christ in me the hope of glory," for all the wealth and the honor that Queen Victoria could bestow upon me!_'"

What a blessed Saviour Jesus is, who can thus spread the suns.h.i.+ne of his peace and hope through the hearts and homes of the poorest and most afflicted in the land!

And thus, we have spoken of three good reasons, why all who love our Lord Jesus Christ should keep this solemn sacrament which he has ordained; we should do it because we see in it--_the word of his command--the memorial of his sufferings--and the hope of his glory_.

And when we partake of this solemn ordinance ourselves, or see others partaking of it, how well we may say in the beautiful lines of Havergal, the English poetess:

"Thou art coming! At thy table We are witnesses for this, While remembering hearts thou meetest, In communion closest, sweetest, Earnest of our coming bliss.

Showing not thy death alone, And thy love exceeding great, But thy coming, and thy throne, All for which we long and wait.

"O the joy to see thee reigning, Thee, our own beloved Lord; Every tongue thy name confessing, Wors.h.i.+p, honor, glory, blessing, Brought to thee with glad accord, Thee our master and our Friend, Vindicated and enthroned; Unto earth's remotest end, Glorified, adored, and owned."

"_THIS DO IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME_."

ILl.u.s.tRATIONS:

THE WOMAN OF CANAAN

Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. 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 him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she and wors.h.i.+pped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast _it_ to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great _is_ thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.--_St.

Matt. xv: 21-28_.

_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_

_The picture ill.u.s.trates the scenery and gardens in the neighborhood of Beyrout, which lies on the coast at the foot of Lebanon and within the Syro-Phoenician border._

SIMON PETER'S FAITH IN CHRIST

When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some _say that thou art_ John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living G.o.d. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed _it_ unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of h.e.l.l shall not prevail against it.

And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.--_St. Matt, xvi: 13-20_.

_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_