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S. To Saul, to whom He said, "I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest." Acts, ix. 5.

T. Give an instance of the angel of God's presence delivering His saints.

S. The Lord sent His angel to deliver Peter out of prison, "out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the Jews." Acts, xii. 11.

T. Why was God turned to be the enemy of His people Israel?

S. Because "they rebelled and vexed His Holy Spirit." T. Of whom was Moses the type?

S. Of Christ, who "is the Shepherd of His flock," the Church; and who by baptism, of which the Red Sea is a type, leads them from the bondage of sin, through the wilderness of this world, to the promised land of rest.

T. (The last verses of this Epistle seem prophetic of the calling of the Gentiles, the judgment on the apostate Jews, and their destruction by the Romans.) words may we apply to ourselves with comfort?

Which

S. "Doubtless thou art our Father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not. Thou, O Lord, art our Father, our Redeemer, thy Name is from everlasting."

T. How are we called by the name of Christ?

S. As Christians (the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch. Acts, xi. 26).

T. How does David exclaim to the people of God? Ps. cxxii. 6.

S. "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee."

The Gospel. St. Mark, xiv. 1.

AFTER two days was the feast of the passover, and of unleavened bread and the chief priests and the

:

scribes sought how they might take him by craft, and put him to death. But they said, Not on the feast-day, lest there be an uproar of the people. And being in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard, very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head. And there was some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made? for it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor: and they murmured against her. And Jesus said, Let her alone, why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me. For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good; but me ye have not always. She hath done what she could; she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying. Verily, I say unto you, Wheresover this Gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.

T. On this and the following day, it seems that our Lord taught in the Temple during the day, returning to Bethany (about fifteen furlongs, or two miles, from Jerusalem) with His disciples at night. Yesterday we considered the wickedness and malice of the unbelieving Jews. What do we notice in this narrative?

S. The love and devotion of those who believed on Him.

T. How was this shown?

S. Simon, called the Leper, whom Christ had pro

bably healed of his leprosy, received Him into his house at the time He was persecuted by the chief priests and elders, who were planning His death; Martha served; Lazarus was one of them that sat at table with Him; and Mary anointed His head and His feet, and wiped them with her hair. John, xii. 1-3. T. What was the

lievers ?

blessing conferred on these be

S. Christ came to them, eat and drank with them, receiving their gifts and blessing them; and opened their eyes to understand the purpose of His life and His death.

T. What may we learn from Simon?

S. To show our gratitude for Christ cleansing us from sin as from leprosy, by not fearing the anger or scorn of the wicked, but leading such good lives as may invite Christ to dwell with us in our homes, and hear, and teach, and bless us.

T. What do we notice when Martha first received our Lord into her house? Luke, x. 40, 41.

S. He reproved her for being "careful and troubled about many things."

T. What do we afterwards learn concerning her? John, xi. 5.

S. "Jesus loved Martha:" therefore we conclude she was in the performance of His will.

T. How may we profit by her example?

S. If we try to correct our failings, when we find them reproved by God's word.

T. What may we learn from her conduct related in the Gospel?

S. Not to choose the best place, but perform such humble offices as are our duty and suitable to our abilities.

T. What do we know concerning Lazarus ?

S. He must have been a good man, for our Lord loved him (John, xi. 5), and wept for him (35), and raised him from the dead (43). He was a witness of our Lord's divine power; for many of the Jews came from Jerusalem, not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, and by reason of him went away and believed. (xii. 11.)

T. What do we know of Mary?

S. We observe her first sitting at our Lord's feet hearing His word, having, as our Lord declared, chosen that good part (Luke, x, 39); she believed in Christ's power to heal her brother (John, xi. 32); and in to-day's Gospel we read of a proof of her love for Christ (she was silent when Judas and the other disciples murmured at her, leaving her cause with Him who knoweth the secrets of the heart).

T. How did our Lord answer the objections as to the waste of money?

S. "The poor always ye have with you, but me ye have not always."

T. What was God's promise concerning the poor? Deut. xv. 11.

S. "The poor shall never cease out of the land."

T. (Spikenard, or nard, was an aromatic plant growing in the Indies, and the oil extracted from it was highly valued by the ancients.) Of what was Mary's

anointing our Lord prophetic?

S. Of His death and burial. It was the custom among the Jews to prepare the dead body for burial by anointing it.

T. Finally, how may we follow Mary's example with profit ?

S. By studying Christ's words like her; choosing

Him first, giving Him our best gifts, not such as cost us nothing, and worshipping Him in the lowliest

manner.

T. How may believers now give unto Christ?

S. Through His poor. Inasmuch as we do it to the least of His brethren, we do it unto Him. (Matt. xxv. 40.) A cup of cold water given unto them, because they belong to Christ, shall receive a reward. Mark, ix. 41.

TUESDAY BEFORE EASTER.

For the Epistle. Isaiah, 1. 5.

THE Lord God hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back. I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting. For the Lord God will help me, therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed. He is near that justifieth me; who will contend with me? Let us stand together; who is mine adversary? let him come near to me. Behold the Lord God will help me; who is he that shall condemn me? Lo, they all shall wax old as a garment the moth shall eat them up. Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the Name of the Lord, and stay upon his God. Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks; walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have

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