ON THE COLLECT FOR ST. STEPHEN'S DAY. As it was my friend Charles's custom to read to the blind woman the Psalms and Lessons appointed for each day, and as he generally asked me to accompany him to her cottage, we visited her together the day after Christmas- day, and found her little granddaughter looking out the places ready for us in her large Bible. This Bible con- tained many pictures; and, amongst others, the little girl's attention was particularly drawn to the one she had just opened, the subject of which was the stoning of Ste- phen. "O grandmother," she said, "what cruel people M a good man," she continued, turning to Charles, "don't you think so, for bad people never pray to God?" "Yes," said Charles, "he was a good man, Jane, and we are going to read to your grandmother all about him. He was stoned in that cruel way, because he was a Christian, and because he told the people that they had done wrong in putting Jesus to death. But who do you think he is praying for, Jane?" "O," she said, "I suppose he is praying that God would save him out of their hands. He is praying, perhaps, that God would ease the pain he is suffering from the wounds the stones have made." "No, Jane. Let us read the words in Acts vii. 60: 'He kneeled down and cried, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.' He prays for his murderers, not for himself; he remembered that when Jesus was dying, He said, 'Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do;' and, like a true follower of Jesus, he prayed that they who were despitefully using and persecuting him, might be forgiven. Was not this being really a Christian?" "Yes, indeed," exclaimed little Jane, "that was really doing what Christ commanded in the Sermon on the Mount Bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute you.' I said the collect yesterday at school, but I never thought so much about it as I shall now, since have told me this story. But was it any use to pray for those wicked men? Surely God would punish them for their cruelty." you "O Jane, we have no right to say what God would or would not do. He alone knows the heart. He can tell whether they were really killing Stephen out of malice, or whether they were blinded by others who falsely taught them that it was right to kill all who did not worship God in the way they did. You have read some of the histories of the Old Testament, and you may remember the story of the man who was stoned for gathering sticks on the Sabbath-day. Now Jesus taught that it was lawful to do good on the Sabbath-day; and that, if necessity required it, any work of mercy might be done on that day, such as healing the sick or teaching the poor. All which both the Saviour and His disciples did on the Sabbath-day, which gave great offence to the Jews, who were so strict in keeping to the words of the law, without minding the real meaning of it. As Stephen was so good that they could find no fault in him, they were obliged to set up false witnesses against him, who said that he had foretold that Jesus should change the customs which Moses gave them. Stephen tried to show them that Jesus was greater than Moses; that He came not to destroy the law, but to teach them how to keep it better than they had ever been taught before. He wished to show them that God was a spirit, and that they must worship Him in spirit and in truth; not merely with outward respect, by saying many prayers, but by truly loving and serving Him, and by believing in Jesus Christ, whom He had sent. This they refused to hear, and therefore they stopped the mouth of Stephen, drew him out of the city, and stoned him. But all were not so guilty as you seem to think. If you look at the corner of the picture, Jane, what do you see?" "I see a young man sitting down, looking on, with a pile of garments at his feet. What is his name?" "Look in the chapter, Jane, at verse fifty-eight; his name was Saul. Now tell me if Stephen's prayers were of no use," continued Charles, turning to me. "I see your meaning," I replied. "His prayers were heard. This Saul, who was afterwards called Paul, obtained mercy, because he did it ignorantly; and I now remember a passage in one of his speeches, when he was brought before Agrippa, which always surprised me very much, but now you have explained it: I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.' It seemed so strange that he should be so blind as to think there was anything right in being a cruel persecutor." "If you had recollected," said Charles, "our Lord's words in John xvi. 2: 'the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service,' St. Paul's conduct would not have surprised you. The Jews were commanded to destroy all false prophets; and as they looked upon Jesus and His followers as such, we must not hastily condemn them, as if they were acting without any warrant for such acts of violence. Their sin consisted in unbelief-in rejecting Jesus, though in Him was fulfilled all that Moses in the law and the prophets did write: in hardness of heart, in refusing to repent according to His preaching, in closing their eyes against the true light, and choosing instead to sit in darkness and the shadow of death." "St. Stephen's prayer," said the old woman, "though it might seem a fruitless supplication, is recorded both for our example and for our encouragement. It teaches us to pray for those who have injured us, and it prevents us from being disheartened if the prayers we offer up for our children, or for those about whom we are anxious, are not immediately answered. Saul went on still some time longer, making havoc of the Church, breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord; but the pardon and grace which Stephen had begged for him, were at length granted. The scales fell from his eyes; and he who once was a blasphemer and a persecutor, not only preached the faith which once he destroyed, but laboured more abundantly than all his fellow disciples; and was enabled, when his time came to suffer for his Lord's sake, to rejoice in the prospect of death; and, like Stephen, to see the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, ready to bestow on him a crown of righteousness. O what are our sufferings compared to those which these holy men endured? How ready are we to take offence at the slightest provocation, how slow to forget injuries, how unwilling to be reconciled to those who have offended us! How prone are we to be ashamed of our religion; and, like Peter, though with far less cause for fear, to deny our Lord, from the dread of worldly loss, forgetting His command, 'Fear not them which kill the body, but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.' "People often say," added Charles, "what use is there in remembering the histories of the saints and holy men of old; and when they hear me say, 'I am going to Church because it is a Saint's day,' wonder what I mean. But I have found that it is very profitable to meditate on these days, on the particular examples they set us, and to pray for grace to copy them, and to follow them as they followed Christ." "You say right," said our aged friend, "all those things were written for our ensamples; and St. Paul repeats at length the histories of many holy men for this express purpose; that we being compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, might be stirred up to run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.'' L. S. R. THE SACRAMENT OF THE LORD'S SUPPER. ON those days when the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper is administered, as soon as the sermon is over, the Church doors are thrown open, and the greater part of the congregation always leave the Church. The services of the morning are not then concluded, but yet by far the greater part of the congregation go away. Now why is this? Why do so large a number of persons come to worship the Lord in His holy house, and then depart when the worship of God is only partly over -and when the part which remains is the most important of the whole? How many are there who have any good reason for going away? There are first those who are too young to partake of the Lord's supper: these go away of course. Then there are probably some few who are prevented from staying by having the care of children, or some other unavoidable hindrances. But these are certainly very few out of the whole number. Why then do all the rest go away? All those who have neither children nor sick persons to attend upon, nor any other engagement which obliges them to return home? Now there may be some tender consciences, with which I would desire to deal tenderly. There may be some who desire to eat and drink at the Lord's table, but cannot yet see their way clear to it. To such I say, if you are really in earnest, you will not remain very long in difficulty. "If any man will do the will of God, he shall know of the doctrine." Only be not slothful. Follow on |