January 31

Malachi iii. — 1. Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me; and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.

2. But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap.

3. And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.

4. Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord as in the days of old, and as in former years.

5. And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the Lord of hosts.

John ii. — 13. And the Jews' passover was at hand; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem,

14. And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money, sitting:

15. And, when he had made a scourge of small

cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables;

16. And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence: make not my Father's house an house of merchandise.

17. And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.

18. Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, What sign showest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?

19. Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.

20. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building; and wilt thou rear it up in three days?

21. But he spake of the temple of his body.

22. When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.

23. Now, when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast-day, many believed in his name when they saw the miracles which he did.

24. But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men,

25. And needed not that any should testify of man; for he knew what was in man.

Our Lord observed carefully all the requirements of the Old-Testament ritual. Although its provisions would be superseded by his sacrifice upon the cross and his priestly mediation in heaven, he continued to regard them until the day of his death; and, on the very night of his betrayal, he kept the passover with his disciples. And, while he himself thus honored the worship appointed of God, he could not endure to see it perverted or dishonored by others, and changed from a devout spiritual offering to a matter of merchandise. The animals required for the sacrifices, and the Jewish coin — the sh'vel — exacted for tribute, were exposed for sale within the outer court of the temple; and this chaffering was going on in sight and hearing of the religious services. By his

authority as a prophet, which he had already proved by his works, Jesus drove out these intruders with haste from the precincts of the sacred building. There was a place in his gentle, loving spirit for righteous indignation and holy zeal. Awed by his appearance and manner, the Jews called for some special token of his authority. The temple begun by Herod upon a scale of unprecedented magnificence, the work of almost half a century, was well-nigh completed, and was the pride and boast of the Jews. Yet it must soon give place to that spiritual edifice of which Christ himself was then the representative. To dark, unappreciative minds he announced the glorious resurrection of that temple whose growing splendor we are permitted to behold.

APPROPRIATE HYMNS.]

Prayer.

[Nos. 5, 78, 104.

Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. Oh, may thy kingdom fully come in our hearts, casting out all sin; may thy will take possession of our wills, so that in all things we shall please and serve thee! Thy mercy, O Lord! of which every night and morning bears witness, binds us to thee in love and gratitude; and we dedicate ourselves to thee this day as obedient children. Help us to fulfil our vows. Keep us, we pray thee, from the love of this world, and from the power of evil.

O God, the protector of all that trust in thee, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is

holy! increase and multiply upon us thy mercy; that, thou being our ruler and guide, we may so pass through things temporal, that we finally lose not the things eternal. Dwell thou in our hearts by thy Spirit; yea, make our very bodies temples of the Holy Ghost: and may all sin be put far away from us! O Lord our Saviour! make this home thy habitation. [May the children gather about thee with songs of praise, with hearts and hands to do thy will!] And finally bring us unto our Father's house, to dwell forever in love and purity and joy. And to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, be glory forever. Amen.