freely given to us of God." We feel ourselves in a position to warrant the employment of St. Peter's own words, when we speak of the gracious manifestation of the Saviour's presence, of our communion with him, and of our actual reception of his benefits: "We have not followed cunningly devised fables." This happy and hallowed communion with Christ is especially realized in the devotional exercises of the closet, in the social gatherings of Christian people, and in the public ordinances of the house of God. It is no strange thing, blessed be God! for Christian people to be so filled with the Spirit and love and joy of the Redeemer, as to be constrained to say, "Master, it is good for us to be here." No doubt it was very good to be there; nevertheless, Peter was wrong in wishing to remain, and the proposal he made to that effect was very foolish. He had now a glimpse of glory to cheer him; but that glimpse was never designed to make a heaven of Mount Tabor. Rapturous joy was given him for a while; but that joy was not intended to excuse him from laborious service in his Master's cause. There was work to be done, trials to be endured, and battles to be fought; and he must, therefore, come down from the Mount, and enter upon the task assigned him. No doubt it is very pleasant when a traveller, faint and weary, arrives at a green and fertile spot, sits down to refresh himself, and drinks of the cooling brook. He may say, "It is good to be here." So it is. But there is another place to be reached; and if you remain here, you will never accomplish the journey which you have undertaken. "It is good to be here:" so it is; but there is work to be done, important work,-work for Christ. His truth has to be distributed; his enemies overcome; his kingdom to be established. You have resources of talent, influence, property: all must be actively employed for him. The darkness which now rests upon the world, the darkness in which men go astray, and stumble into woe, this darkness must all be dispersed by you, who are 66 the light of the world." Men are dying around you: go and proclaim his truth, and dispense his grace, and thus heal the sick and save the dying. His sheep are scattered on the mountains nor home nor shepherd have they go seek the wandering flock, and bring them to the fold. A moral waste is around you, and stretches far away beyond the range of your vision, a waste where only things rank, unsightly, and unwholesome grow: go work in it: extirpate the useless and pernicious growths; sow the good seed of the kingdom; plant trees of righteousness; work till the whole scene is changed, till the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the desert rejoices and blossoms as the rose. : The Prince of darkness has usurped the kingdom; he rules over the children of men; he leads them captive at his pleasure; he hurries to hell with his prey. The prey must be taken from the spoiler; the captive redeemed from the mighty; and the dark usurper driven back to his own hell. It is good to be with Christ on the Mount; but we cannot remain there: nor should we wish to remain, while a world is dying below. We must labour for Christ, and suffer for him, till he say, "It is enough, come up hither.” Ah! well might the raptured disciple exclaim, 'It is good for us, Lord, to be here.' "And when on the Mount of communion divine We, too, in the spirit and sentiment join, "O yes, and the Christian, whatever his lot, "By sorrow, afflictions, and troubles beset, The language of faith and of hope will be yet, SCENE VI. ASLEEP IN GETHSEMANE WHILE HIS MASTER PRAYS. "THEN Cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. And he came and found them asleep again for their eyes were heavy."-Matt. xxvi. 36-43. WHAT a contrast does this scene present to the one which last engaged our attention! That was on the mountain, this is in the valley. In that the Redeemer was seen in his glory; in this he is overwhelmed with anguish, and casts himself on his face on the ground. Then his face shone as the sun in his strength, and his raiment was exceeding white and glistering as the light; but now, being in an agony, he sweats, as it were, great drops of blood, falling down to the ground. On that occasion, M Moses and Elias were with him in glory; but on this, the powers of darkness surround and afflict him. Then he and his illustrious visitants conversed about "his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem;" but now he pours out prayer with strong crying and tears unto Him who was able to save him. There is a peculiar and affecting interest attached to every thing which occurred on this memorable evening,the last evening of the Saviour's life. It was spent chiefly in the company of his twelve Apostles. He ate the Passover with them in an upper room at Jerusalem, and immediately afterward instituted the Christian sacrament of the Lord's supper. Having done this, he then offered up the prayer recorded in John xvii., and closed the deeply-interesting service in the upper room with the singing of a hymn. This hymn was probably the concluding part of that called the Hallel, or "Hymn of the Five Psalms," usually sung at the feast of the Paschal Lamb. The five Psalms were Psalms cxiii. to cxviii. inclusive. Two of these were sung during the feast, and the other three at the close. This hymn having been sung by our Lord and his Apostles, they left the upper room, and proceeded toward the Mount of Olives. This Mount is situated on the east of Jerusalem, about a mile from the city, and separated from it by the valley of Jehoshaphat. The brook Kedron runs along the bed of this valley, and was crossed by our Saviour and his disciples on their way to Gethsemane. The Garden of |