CHAPTER XXIII.

CONCLUSION.

We have now finished our survey of the history of our Lord's life. It may be well, before closing the work, to give a hasty glance at the main points of the story, and indulge in a few of the thoughts which it naturally suggests.

Let us first transport ourselves back to the age in which he lived. We find that then, owing to certain prophecies in the sacred books of the Jews, there was a strong expectation amongst that people that some remarkable person would soon appear and assume the dominion of the world. They were eagerly looking for him to deliver them from the oppression of the Romans, and restore the nation to its former glory. Under cover of this expectation, we find that many ambitious men came forward, pretended to be the Messiah, collected the people in arms, and rose against the Roman yoke. Such adventurers were eagerly followed; for they were precisely such persons as it was supposed the Messiah would be.

In this state of things, Jesus appears in Galilee

as a teacher and reformer, claiming to bear a special commission from God, and confirming his pretensions by supernatural works. The people gather eagerly around him. They hope that this is the promised deliverer. But he does not declare himself to be such. He simply goes about doing good, and teaching the people. They at length become impatient, and endeavor to compel him by force to be their king. He resists the attempt. He avoids all interference with the civil and political affairs of the country. He preaches peace and non-resistance, repentance and reformation. He denounces hypocrisy, ambition, and all the corruption of the times, and calls men to a pure and more spiritual virtue. The multitude are disappointed. The leading men and the powerful sects are exasperated. They combine against this humble teacher of purity, this bold prophet of truth, and condemn him in their chief council as an impostor and blasphemer. They carry him before the Roman authority as one claiming to be king in opposition to Cæsar. He is put to death by a cruel and ignominious execution, and his panicstricken followers are dispersed.

Such, in few words, is the history we meet with; and, when thus much has been told us,' does it not seem as if the enterprise of Jesus had failed? Could human wisdom give any hope of its revival and success? For who shall be its advocates,

when its Head has been cut off, and his friends are scattered in despair? Yet behold, in a few weeks, they reappear, full of confidence and zeal. They speak boldly of their Master; they publicly proclaim him the Messiah; they assert that he has risen from the dead, and given them authority to establish a new dispensation of religion. They are immediately denounced, threatened, and imprisoned; but they adhere manfully to their testimony, they are indefatigable in their zeal, they rapidly gain adherents, and are soon at the head of a powerful and spreading sect, which gains a footing in all the cities of the world, and in three centuries takes the place both of Judaism and Paganism. This is the brief and wonderful history. Who could have anticipated it, that had stood by the infant at Bethlehem? or had seen the young man toiling with Joseph at Nazareth? or had witnessed his death at Calvary, amid insult and derision from Jew and Roman? Who would have dared to conjecture that this person thus apparently baffled, thwarted, and successfully opposed -was he whom God had appointed to be the chief Reformer and most glorious religious Prince of the world?

We look a little more nearly, and we observe several particulars which corroborate this general impression. The first is, the shortness of the period during which his earthly ministry lasted.

This, as we have seen, did not probably exceed a year and a quarter; certainly not three years and a half. And this little time was spent, not in the capital of the nation, not in securing influence amongst men of learning and power, but almost entirely in the country, and among the peasants of Galilee. He indeed passed from place to place, attended by crowds whom his benefactions and his instructions and the hope of his Messiahship drew about him; but he never announced himself to them as the Messiah, nor took pains to secure their permanent adherence. A few months thus spent would seem to give little promise of a lasting influence; and it is only when we look at the actual result that we are able to conceive it possible that they should have prepared the way for a universal change of religion.

Another similar point is, the small extent of territory to which our Saviour's labors were confined. It does not appear that he visited even the larger part of his own land. He was principally engaged in that small tract which lies between. Jerusalem and Capernaum; a distance hardly exceeding eighty miles. And the whole land was but a speck on the face of the earth; being somewhat less in extent than the State of Massa

chusetts. Yet, upon a small portion of that small spot, Jesus labored for fifteen months, and

the consequences have endured to the present day. Eighteen centuries, instead of obliterating, have only served to confirm the impressions which he made, and to extend the work which he began.

The mode which he adopted for establishing his religion and effecting his great purposes is equally worthy of remark. It was altogether by word of mouth, principally in familiar conversation.

Even when accompanied by great multitudes, it does not seem to have been his custom to address them in elaborate discourses or systematic lectures. His longest discourse, as recorded by the Evangelists, was not long; and in general he was satisfied with a brief illustration of some important truth, or a striking parable which should convey some profitable lesson. What is yet more observable, he committed none of his instructions to writing, nor caused them to be written during his life. The prophets of the Old Testament recorded their prophecies; but Jesus recorded nothing. The illustrious philosophers of antiquity, who hoped to enlighten and benefit mankind, elaborately wrote out their doctrines, that they might remain in a permanent form. But Jesus wrote nothing. He seemed to trust to the Divine energy of the truth itself, and the protecting spirit of God; and cast it abroad, with a sublime unconcern, to make its own way