The agony is just over, when a band of soldiers and others from Jerusalem, led by Judas, comes to apprehend Him. One scintillation of His power, showing that they could do nothing against Him except as He permitted, and that He laid down His life of Himself, unconstrainedly and in loving freeness-and He calmly surrenders Himself into their hands, to be bound and led away. The cup He takes is "the cup which my Father giveth me.' Father giveth me." After the first show of resistance the disciples are scattered, but in a short time John recovers himself and follows*-not, like Peter, "afar off," but closely and as a friend. Strong in love, he is with Him all that sleepless dreadful night, and all that "guilty morning," as He is hurried about from place to place, into the presence of Annas, Caiaphas, Herod, Pilate, and the Jews, and subjected to all indignity and wrong. In the morning, by our nine o'clock, the Son of the Blessed hangs between two malefactors on the cross. All day the malice of triumphant wickedness surges around Him. John stands near Him, learning what it means to drink His cup and to have place on His right hand and His left, and witnessing His long, slow, dreadful sufferings till He bows His head and dies. Only love, of the purest and intensest kind-the love which is stronger than death-could have done so. Just before the darkness fell, Jesus seeks out with His eye His mother, Mary, and the beloved disciple; and to His mother He says, as His glance passes from her to John, Woman, behold thy son; and to John,-His glance passing back again to Mary, Behold thy mother; and "from that hour he took her to his own home." Whatever impulse may previously have been in his own heart to do this very thing is now sanctioned and sanctified by the word of the Lord. After Jesus had bowed His head and given up the ghost, John still holds his station near the cross. In order that the bodies might not remain suspended over the Sabbath, the soldiers come before nightfall and break the legs of the two malefactors who are crucified with Jesus, but finding Him dead already, they do not break His legs, but one of them in passing thrusts his spear into His side, to make sure, "and forthwith came thereout blood and water,"+ in such quantity and so distinguishable that John takes special notice of it, and bears solemn "record' record which not only settles the fact of His death, and confirms ancient prophecy, but enables physicians to speak of it from their special point of view. The burial takes place the same evening. All the next day, being the sabbath, "the flesh" of the Redeemer "rests in hope." Early in the morning that follows, Mary Magdalene * Not "another disciple," but "the other disciple." Archbishop Whately, “On the Characters of our Lord's Apostles," thinks he has proved that "the other disciple," who followed Jesus, and procured admission for Peter into the high-priest's house, was not John but Judas. Not many will accept his view. + Compare 1 John v. 6. See Dr. Stroud's treatise" On the Physical Cause of the Death of Christ,” published thirty years ago, to which fresh attention was called lately by Dr. Hanna, "The Last Day of our Lord's Passion," appendix containing letters for Sir James Simpson and others. At first goes forth with other women to the sepulchre. Seeing the stone taken away, she instantly concludes that the body is removed, and runs breathless and sorrowful to tell Peter and John. The two immediately hasten to examine for themselves. They run both together, but John outruns Peter, and comes first to the sepulchre. Stooping down and looking in, he sees the linen clothes lying, but does not enter. Peter, characteristically, goes in at once and looks round. The linen which had enswathed the body lies in one place, and the napkin which had been about the head is folded up and laid in another place. glance this may appear a trivial matter, noticed only by the fondness of love; but not so if we reflect. There is nothing torn, nothing disarranged, no sign of violence or hurry; everything betokens deliberation and composure. The living One had risen and gone forth" with grand tranquility." The grave-clothes are folded up and laid deliberately aside: the Lord has no more need of them. "went in also, and he saw and believed." Believed what? Not that the grave was empty; that he saw. But rather foremost in faith-he believed what he had not hitherto understood from Scripture, that the Lord was risen, to die no more. Then John The same day at evening, and on subsequent occasions, John is present when the risen Lord appears to His assembled disciples, filling them as with a joy unspeakable and full of glory, and commissions them to be His messengers to all the ends of the earth, to preach repentance and forgiveness of sins. One special manifestation is recorded at great length, which took place on the shore of the sea of Galilee. Seven disciples go a fishing, of whom John is one. They toil all night in vain. As they make for shore in the morning twilight, a stranger whom they know not questions them, and bids them cast the net on the right side of the ship. They do so; and the net is filled. John, recognising the beloved voice and form and way, exclaims, It is the Lord! and they all hasten to the shore, the denier foremost. After eating together, and after the gracious dealing with Peter that ensued, Jesus rises, and begins to walk away from the spot, saying to Peter, John also follows, unbidden; as he had done once before when the Baptist said, Behold the Lamb of God! Peter, turning round and seeing him, asks, Lord, and what shall this man do? To whom the Lord replies, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me. His future lies in my will. The saying went abroad among the disciples that John was not to die; and a legend arose afterwards that he only slumbered, breathing, in his grave, and that the turf was tremulous above him.* Yet Jesus said not, He shall not die, but If I will that he tarry till I come. This is the last glimpse we have of John's companionship with Jesus on to the ascension into heaven, when He sat on the right hand of God. On the banks of the Jordan, in the beginning, he followed Jesus unbidden, and abode with Him that day; on the shore of the sea of Galilee, Follow me. *"The English sect of Seekers' under Cromwell expected the reappearance of the apostle as the forerunner of the return of Christ."-Tholuck. after the resurrection, he begins to follow-again unbidden-in a course that runs down through eternity,-neither death nor life able to separate him from his Lord and Saviour. It is thus apparent that not only had John special qualifications for being a witness of the Lord's life, but special opportunities of observation and intimate knowledge were afforded him; special disclosures of the Lord's glory were opened up to him; and none of the twelve penetrated more deeply into the revelation, or treasured it up more faithfully and lovingly in his heart. ANNIE AND HER PAPER FLOWERS. A TALE. "MOTHER, I am so hungry!" The speaker was a thin pale-faced little girl, about ten years old; and as she spoke, she laid down the flower paper she was making, to wipe the tears from her eyes, for fear they should fall and spoil her work. Her mother made no reply, but went on gloomily with her occupation of putting wire stalks to the roses Annie was making. But presently she laid her work aside. "It's of no use," she said in a hard tone; "I am getting blind, I know;" and she laid her hand across her eyes. In a moment Annie was at her side. "Oh, mother, don't cry," she sobbed; "it will make your eyes worse. I will make the flowers, and you shall take them to the shop and sell them; and I won't mind being hungry one bit." Her mother shook her head. There were no tears in her eyes, but a look of fixed stony despair-of unutterable misery-as she said, "I don't know what I am going to do with these that we've made, for they don't want any more at the shops." 66 "Oh! mother," gasped poor Annie; "what shall we do then? How is it they can't take any more ?" she asked. I thought people were always wanting paper flowers in the summer for their stoves, and in the winter to put among the holly at Christmas. How is it they don't want any now?" "But what shall we do, mother?" asked Annie. "Do, child! why, we must die of want, as hundreds of others do here in London." Annie shivered at the tone in which the words were spoken. “Oh, mother! it is so hard to think of dying like that,” she said. "I know it, child; but I can't help it. I've tried and tried till I have just gone blind, trying to keep you and myself from starving. I never thought it would have come to this," she went on. When your father was alive, Annie, we had a nice home; but it's all gone;" and she looked round on the bare room with its few remnants of furniture ; and the recollection of those happy by-gone days brought the tears into her eyes. "Yes, I was happy then, and never expected I should be brought to this. Don't forget that you have been brought up respectably, Annie.” Poor Annie was used to having this charge given her. The neighbours all said that Mrs. Anderson and her little girl were a great deal too proud for them, and so Mrs. Anderson at any rate was. Trouble and sorrow had so hardened and soured her heart that it seemed closed against all kindly influences; and the unhappy woman rarely spoke to any one. A kind Christian lady frequently called at the other houses in the court, and more than once had knocked at Mrs. Anderson's door; but it had never been opened to her. And once when the city missionary found it open, and was about to enter, it was abruptly closed in his face. Mrs. Anderson rarely left the narrow court where she lived, except in the evening, or to take her flowers home; and Annie was not allowed to make any acquaintance with the children of the neighbourhood. So the poor child's life had not been a happy one, shut up all day with her sad desponding mother. The only brightness she knew was in the coloured papers which she twisted into imitation leaves and flowers. A real flower Annie had scarcely you think I had better ask Him now ?" she added. Mrs. Anderson was at a loss for a reply. She had never looked to God in her trouble; but had often thought hardly of Him and His dealings towards her. So she answered testily, "I don't know anything about it." But Annie knew more than her mother thought she did. Often, in passing the solitary child on the stairs, the kind missionary had said a few words on the love of Jesus to little children; and they had been thought over by Annie although she had never ventured to tell her mother of them until now. "I think the Lord Jesus, who was so kind to the little children, would hear me if I asked Him to help us," she said; "perhaps He'd show us the way to another shop where they sell flowers. I'd like to go out and see, mother," she added. "I don't know what to tell you to do," said her mother, despairingly. "And you're hungry, mother, as well as I," said Annie. "I'll go and try to sell some of these that are finished;" and as she spoke she put down the paper she had in her hand, and tied on her bonnet and cape. "Mother, the gentleman said that it is proper to kneel down when we speak to the Lord Jesus," she said as she finished tying her bonnet. Mrs. Anderson did not reply; but with a little bewildered wonder how Annie should know anything about this, or venture to propose it, she kneeled down by the chair, and Annie came and knelt beside her. The child's words were as simple as could be. She spoke as though God were present with her in the roomas though there could not be a doubt of His hearing and answering her prayer; then she stood up and kissed her mother's tearful face-for there were tears on it now. Annie took several bunches of flowers, and went out into the street; but the hurrying stream of people that pushed her from side to side, as she tried to step in among them, almost frightened her, unaccustomed as she was to the noise and turmoil of the open thoroughfare. Quarrels, fights, and noises of that sort, she was used to see in the court; but these numberless people pushing and driving, all bent upon their own business, and never heeding anything else, was more than she could comprehend; and she soon found herself pushed against the wall with her flowers somewhat tumbled. Tears stood in Annie's eyes as she noted this, and tried to rearrange them. 66 I don't see a shop," she said sadly, looking up and down the street. 'I wonder whether it is quite true about Jesus, and His being able to help me. Yes, I think it must be true," she added softly to herself; "but perhaps I've come the wrong way, and the shop is at the other end of the street;" and she turned in the opposite direction, keeping as much out of the way as possible. But although she walked as far as where the broad thoroughfare branched off in several directions, she saw no shop where they were likely to buy paper flowers; and, faint with hunger, she at last sat down upon a doorstep and began to cry. How many have you sold today?" asked a girl about her own age, carrying a nearly empty watercress-basket. Annie looked up shily. "I haven't sold one," she said; "I never came out selling things before." "I thought not," said the girl. "You don't know how to go about it, I can see. Let me try for you, shall I?" and she set down her basket as she spoke, and took two or three of the bunches of flowers in her hand. The crowd did not trouble her, and she contrived to squeeze in and out among the people, without getting the flowers injured as she cried, Buy my flowers, pretty flowers." In a few minutes they were sold, and Her companion thought for a minute before she made any reply. "I think you've made a mistake,' she said at last; "just such a mistake as I made once. God helps us to help ourselves. You should have tried to sell your flowers when you came out, not have sat down on the step and cried because the people did not ask you to sell them." "Well, I thought that wouldn't be much use; for mother has been trying and trying ever so hard, and can't get on a bit, so I thought I'd just ask Jesus, and let Him help us.' "Yes, but you didn't try yourself, |