"But whoso drains the cup that I bestow, Observe, my love, what a blessed doctrine is that of our holy religion. Were they all good men, who were the disciples of Jesus? Nay, my dear child; when he first called them, they were wicked men. And did he eat and live with wicked men, Mamma? It is mentioned, that on one occasion, as he was travelling, he saw a man named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom ; to whom he said, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him. It also occurred, that with this sinner Jesus condescended to dine. And as he sat at meat in the house, behold many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? No sooner, however, Jesus heard that, than he said unto them, They that be whole heed not a physician, but they that are sick : but go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." So you observe, my child, that God did not come to a good world, but a wicked one: had it been the former, there would have been no occasion for redemption through Jesus Christ. But this fact is more beautifully illustrated, on one occasion, when "a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried untó him, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of Da vid; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. Jesus, however, answered her not a word; so that his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. At length he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she, on hearing these gracious expressions in answer to her fervent appeal, and worshipped 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 master's table. O woman, exclaimed our pitying Lord, great is thy faith be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour." And still think, my dear child, God's mercy is yet more beautifully illustrated in the instance of one of the Pharisees, who desired that he would' eat with him. Having consented, he went into the Pharisee's house, and sat down to meat. And, be hold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, and stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hair of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him, for she is a sinner, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee, remarked the heart-searching Lord. Master, he said, say on. There was a certain creditor, said Jesus, which had two debtors; the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty; and when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me, therefore, which of them will love him most? Simon answered and said, I suppose that he to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged. And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house: thou gavest me no water for my feet; but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. Thou gavest me no kiss; but this woman, since the time I came in, hath not ceased to kiss my feet. Mine head with oil thou didst not anoint; but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. Wherefore I say unto thee, her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much : but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. Can any thing be so beautiful, my love, as this charity? Were there many disciples, Mamma ? *. Yes, my child, there were twelve disciples: he gave them power against unclean spirits to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness, and all manner of disease. Now the names of the twelve disciples are these: the first, Simon, who is called Peter; and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alpheus; and Lebbeus, whose surname was Thaddeus; Simon the Canaanite; and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him. These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not; but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of God is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils : freely ye have received, freely give. Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses: nor scrip for your journey; neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves; for the workman is worthy of his meat. What, Mamma, did one of the disciples indeed betray Jesus? Yes, he did indeed, my love; and this explanation will illustrate the description of Joseph and the twelve brethren to you. You remember he was sold for thirty pieces of silver: so did this vile wretch behave to our beloved Lord. It happened, on one occasion, that Jesus took unto him the twelve disciples, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully intreated, and spitted on : and they shall scourge him, and put him to death; and the third day he shall rise again. But they un-: derstood none of those things; and this saying was hid from them; neither knew they the things which were spoken. It was not long after this circumstance, my love, when Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went unto the chief priests to betray him unto them. And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money: so that he' sought how he might conveniently betray him. |