palsied man in strength and joyfulness went forth from the place of his healing, so you will go happily onward, by his help, to heaven.

And now for one last lesson. These wonders of Christ's mercy were wrought, as I have reminded you, at Capernaum. In all the world there was no place more greatly honored at that time than this little city on the shores of the Galilean lake. As Jesus himself said afterwards, the place was "exalted to heaven;" but He said it sadly. For the people, who had seen his mighty works, and heard his holy words, repented not. He had, therefore, to add, "Thou shalt be thrust down to hell." What, did that crowd, through which the forgiven and restored paralytic pressed to join his faithful friends, after all reject the Saviour? I fear it was even so.

Dear children, privileges of themselves are nothing. It will be of no use for us to have heard of Christ's forgiving power and tender love, if we do not seek Him; nay, rather, this will only sink us into deeper ruin. We have seen that Christ's miracles were pictures. One of the last was a picture with a most sad and solemn meaning.

There stood a fig-tree by the way-side, full of

leaves, but without fruit. Jesus looked at it, and said, "Let no fruit grow on thee henceforth forever." And presently the fig-tree withered away. Ah, dear young readers, if after all that you have heard and learned, all the fair leaves of promise which have often appeared among you, there should be no fruit, no repentance, no love to God, no true piety, that tree may set forth your end as truly as that of Capernaum and of Jerusalem.

May that blessed Jesus, who came not to destroy but to save, forgive your sins, and give you his strength ever to serve and glorify Him! Amen.

VIII.

THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT.

MATT. v. 1-20.

A Kingdom proclaimed. - Hopes of the People. - Their Heathen
Oppressors. Gathering of the People. - The Lovely Scene. -
The First Words of Jesus. -A Sad Disappointment; but a
Kingly Promise. Contrasts with Sinai. -"Not to destroy, but
to fulfill "- -The Seven Blessings. - The Four and the Three.
-The Seeker: his Humility, Meekness, Mourning, and Desire.
The Happy Disciple. - The Temple - Marks of the Kingdom.
- Mercy, Purity, and Peace.

-

THE words of this chapter and of the two next

are the proclamation of a kingdom. Some of you have heard, or have read in history, of times when a king or an emperor, on coming to the throne, has called his great men and nobles around him, or has gathered his people to a great assembly, to declare to them the plans and laws according to which he means to govern. Such times have been in the past very famous and memorable. But here we have the grandest of them all. The King of Israel, the King of men, ascends the mountain-side as a throne, and the

1