no rebukes so severe as those of pitying love-no wounds so painful, yet so healthful, as those given by a true friend.

Then, again, the pure and true love of Jesus could alone comprehend the real nature of the sin which was in those sinners. Strange though it may at first appear to you, yet so it is, that a bad man cannot understand a bad man so well as a good man can do. A man loving sin may know as a fact the sin which another loves, but he does not know either his own or another's sin as sin, and as such therefore vile, and deserving the curse of God. The dishonest, the selfish, the proud, do not know the real evil of dishonesty, selfishness, and pride, as the honourable, the loving, and the humble-minded do. The pure alone can comprehend the vileness of impurity; the loving alone can truly see the hell that is in hate. And accordingly the worse a man is, the less does he know how bad he himself is, and others like him are. He is in too great darkness to see those who are in the midnight of sin. Nay more, the good alone can sincerely desire to deliver others from the evil which once crushed and tormented themselves, and the remains of which are still so hateful; and

they alone can seek with their whole hearts to make others share that good which they themselves possess, and rejoice in. And do we not therefore feel, that if we ourselves were living wicked lives and feeling miserable in them, we would not and could not open our hearts to those as bad as ourselves. To them only would we go who were acquainted with God, and sought to please Himwho had found peace with Him, and freedom in his service. We would feel that they alone could understand us, pity us, and do all in their power to deliver us; while others would more likely be indifferent to our fate, laugh us to scorn, try to keep us as we were, or make us worse.

Thinking over all this we shall cease to wonder that publicans and sinners drew near to Christ. And oh! what thoughts would arise in their hearts when they actually saw Him and listened to Him! As they heard Him saying, "Come unto me, all ye who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest;" as they beheld his countenance beaming kindness and good-will to all; as they saw the deeds of mercy and the wondrous healing which came from his looks, his hands, and his very garments; as they listened to his awful and

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righteous rebukes of evil, pronounced without fear of men against all classes, not excepting the powerful and the so-called religious, mingled with his tender and touching invitations, without exception, to every man to come unto Him for life;-then would a sense of sin begin to stir in their minds, and a discovery be made of their own darkness in the presence of this light of life; and a conviction of death and corruption would be quickened by the words of Him who was the resurrection and the life. We can indeed well conceive how these publicans and sinners would say to themselves somewhat in this manner-"We never met any one like this! We never met any one who had such love to God, and peace with God, as this man, or who could read our very souls as He can. We never met any one who longed as He does to deliver us from evil, and to restore us to our God and to ourselves. Oh, if there is any one on earth who knows us, feels for us, pities us, and can help us, this is the man! To Him or to no one can we confess our sins, and tell our misery, our weakness, our emptiness of heart, and utter hopelessness. Jesus Christ, to Thee we come have mercy on us and help us!"

And there was another reason why those publicans and sinners drew near to Jesus, and it is this:— that Jesus did not appear among men, revealing to them their sins and lost condition only, or merely pitying them, but as one sent from God with authority and power to pardon sin and to deliver from its power. No doubt the way in which He was to do this-by his atoning death and all that followed, including the gift of his Spirit-was not at that time so fully revealed to them as it was after his resurrection, and as it is now revealed to us in the Gospels. But the fact was clear enough that He did not come only to show people how diseased they were and how deadly were their diseases, but also to heal them and give them perfect health. He did not preach guilt only, but pardon also; not sin, but holiness also, offering power to become holy; not death, only as the wages of sin, but through Him that eternal life also which is the gift of God. He did not say merely, "Behold what I am, and in this see and learn what God wishes you to be; and behold yourselves also and see what you have become through sin ;" but He also said, "Behold what I am, and understand that this is what you may be, must be, or perish.

Behold me, and in me

Behold in my character and in my peace what I have come to impart to you, and what the worst of you will most surely possess who believes in me, and will learn of me,‚—as sure as I am the way, the truth, and the life! behold the Lamb of God, promised and now come to take away the sins of the world: "for God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil."

This was the gospel of the glad tidings of the grace of God, the message of peace on earth and good-will to men, with glory to God in the highest, which Jesus preached by word, life, and act, by every sign and miracle of power and love. And publicans and sinners felt that what He gave was