May 21

Matthew xi.—1. And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities.

2. Now, when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,

3. And said unto him, Art thou he that should come? or do we look for another?

4. Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and show John again those things which ye do hear and see:

5. The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.

6. And blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in me.

7. And, as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John. What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?

8. But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.

9. But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.

10. For this is he of whom it is written, Behold,

John, who had been so bold in proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah, appears to have fallen under a cloud. Shut up in prison, exposed to a cruel death, he fell to wondering why Jesus did not proclaim himself in his royal power, and sent his disciples to beg some positive assurance of his Messiahship. Jesus pointed to his deeds of power and mercy; but above these physical wonders he placed the simple fact that he preached his gospel to the poor. Then, taking John as a text, he reproved his hearers for false standards of character. He refused to conform to popular notions, or to minister to popular prejudices, either in his own manner of life or in the constitution of his kingdom. His gospel was not to be a system of asceticism, nor of any kind of external uniformity. It

APPROPRIATE HYMNS.]

Father of lights, thou hast dispersed the darkness of another night, and permitted the sun once more to arise upon us. O thou Sun of righteousness! do thou disperse the darkness of sin; cause the scales to fall from our eyes, that we may receive sight; shine on us with the brightness of thy rising; let us enjoy this day the blessedness of peace with God.

Lord Jesus, we commit ourselves anew to thy keeping. In all the concerns of life, teach us what thou wilt have us to do. May it be our sovereign motive so to walk as to please thee! May we be governed by thy will, and not by our own will nor by the will of our fellow-men! May we diffuse around us the silent influence of a heavenly life! May we deal tenderly with others, remembering the tenderness of Him who would not

I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.

11. Verily, I say unto you, Among them that are born of women, there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding, he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

12. And, from the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.

13. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.

14. And, if ye will receive it, this is Elias which was for to come.

15. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

16. But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows.

17. And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented.

18. For John came neither eating nor drinking; and they say, He hath a devil.

19. The Son of man came eating and drinking; and they say, Behold, a man gluttonous, and a wine-bibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But Wisdom is justified of her children.

would take men as it found them, and enter into the daily life. The kingdom of heaven was more than meat and drink, more than names or rules: men must take hold of it from within, with true earnestness of spirit, with energy of faith,—must break away from the world, not by going into the desert, but by breaking off from sin. The outer life must be governed by the inner spirit of wisdom, truth, and love. In outward affairs, questions of conformity or nonconformity, of toleration or dissent, change from generation to generation. The Christian should not bind himself by tradition or custom in things not essential. The true Christian spirit will not compromise with sin, nor court the world; yet it is full of mercy and of good fruits.

Prayer.

[Nos. 9, 121, 183.

break the bruised reed nor quench the smoking flax, and whose dying words were words of forgiveness.

We pray for all the sick, the infirm, the afflicted, the sorrowing. O thou God of all consolation! be a father to the fatherless, a husband to the widow, the stranger's shield, and the orphan's stay. Enable thy suffering people to rest in thy love. Bless our beloved friends: if there be any among them who are still strangers to thee, make them to know thee in Christ. Preserve us as a household from all danger and sin; hide us in the hollow of thy hand; and may death, when it shall come, find us still doing that which thou hast given us to do, and watching for our Lord! And unto the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, be praise forever. Amen.