And he spake to his disciples, that a small ship should wait on him.-MARK iii. 9.

A curious family. Curious birds. The owner. A strange supposition. What is power? Life of Christ. The birds a text. How the birds live. The lilies. Christ's servants. Peter and the fish. The fish is Christ's. The little ship. How the boat was made. How long in building it. Christ riding. The wild ass. A quiet servant. The young choir. A chair provided. A mountain a servant. Servants always ready. The sick wait for him. The river Jordan. Angels are servants. Two times of need. The garden of agony. The angel's aid. Specimens of heaven. Conversation of heaven. Spirits wait on Christ. A tomb waiting on him. A wonder! Many servants. A great Saviour. Heaven waits on Christ. Harvesters. All things are servants. Servants for ever. The little child called.

My dear children, I once went into a gentleman's grounds, on which he had all kinds of forest-trees that would grow in this climate, all kind of shrubs and flowers, and all kinds of fruittrees. And then he had a great yard in which were deer and curious animals, peacocks and fowls, and all kinds of doves. Some of these he kept because they had such strange voices, and made such awful noises; some because they were so beautiful in form or colour; some because they were so strange in shape. Some of the doves had curious tails, some curious feathers, and some seemed to have great, huge breasts, as if they had a small pillow under their feathers. Then he had many kinds of geese and ducks diving and tumbling in a little pond. Then he had horses, great ones and little ones, and many other animals and birds.

Now you say, this must be a very rich man. And so I have no doubt he is. God has given him a great deal of money. Whether he ought to spend it in this way, when there are so many poor children who need homes and schools and books, is a question you may think of. But would you not love to have all these things for your own? So many playthings? But suppose, now, that this rich man had the power to make these creatures all do just as he pleased; so that, when he

THE LITTLE SHIP.

wanted, the horses would come up to the door of themselves; and when he wanted, the hens would run and lay their eggs, and geese would scream, and the doves coo, and the birds sing. and the fish leap about, and the trees rustle their leaves, and the flowers open and smile on him, and the fruit-tree drop its ripe fruit just at the moment he wanted it; and the duck would lead off just as many little ducklings as he wanted; and the birds would fly at his command, and the deer leap before him, and the peacock spread his tail just when he wanted him to do it! And all as if these creatures were his servants to wait on him, and to do just what and just when he wanted! Would he not be a very great and a very rich man? Would he not have what we call a great deal of power?

In the four Gospels, which have been written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, we have an account of the life of Jesus Christ. It was said of him, that all things should be put under his feet; that all things should be his servants. Now, let us see how this was.

At a certain time Christ wanted to teach his disciples not to be over-anxious about what they should eat, or what they should drink, or how they should be clothed. (Matthew vi. 25-34.) Just then he wanted some birds from which he could instruct them, and, behold! the birds are there! He points to a flock of birds feeding near by-contented, happy, "Behold the fowls of the air; for they and free from care. sow not, neither do they reap nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feedeth them! Are ye not much better than they?" The storms would come, and the cold winds would blow, and the snow and ice would fall. They have no wheat laid up in the storehouse. They have no warm home provided. What will they do? Ah! the same great Power that brought them to the road-side just at the moment he wanted them to preach from, will take care of them! They do not know how to plough or sow or reap. They have not mind enough nor strength enough to sow or reap; but God will take care of them. He has already made the tree to grow in which they shall be sheltered. He knows just where every worm and every seed will be found when they are hungry. So when he wanted flowers to preach about, behold, the lilies stand in the field just by, and he points to them! What a multitude! How they hang, all painted and dotted, and Are his friends afraid they will want striped and beautiful! "Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; for clothing! they toil not, neither do they spin; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these!"

upon it, and describe the ruin of Jerusalem and the end of the world. He always found just such servants to wait on him as he needed. Did he want to show that he was Lord of the Sabbath and could heal diseases-even such as nobody else could cure? Why, there was the Pool of Bethesda, and there was the great multitude of sick folks, and there was the man who had been sick thirty-eight years. And these seemed all to be waiting for him to come and show his great power and mercy.

He wanted to be baptized and "fulfil all righteousness,” and all things wait for him. There is the river Jordan, and its waters are waiting for him. There is John the Baptist, wondering why Jesus should come to him; and these all wait on him, like the little ship. There, too, was the Holy Spirit himself, coming down in the form of a dove and resting on him, and a voice from heaven saying, "This is my beloved Son." These all wait on Christ! There were two places and two times when Christ needed help from the angels. One was when he had been out in the desert among the wild beasts, fasting and getting his soul ready to begin his work. It was before he preached hardly a single sermon. After being worn out with fasting forty days and forty nights, and tempted till he was very feeble-probably too feeble to walk, and when he had nothing to eat-then the angels came to him and brought him food. They "ministered unto him." The other time and place was the night before his death. He knew that to-morrow he must die. So he went out into a garden, where were trees and shadows, and there knelt down in prayer. He wanted a retired place, and this garden was ready for him. He was in great agony of soul, and wrestled with God in prayer till bloody sweat rolled from his face, and fell in great drops upon the ground Then his strength was gone. Then he was fainting. His disciples were asleep, and there was none to hold up the head of the Saviour, and so an angel came and "strengthened him." Perhaps he whispered some sweet texts out of the Bible in his ear. Perhaps he brought some message of comfort from the Eternal Father. Perhaps he told him that his prayer, so earnest and so tearful, had been answered. We know not whether he helped him by holding up his weary head, by giving him a cup of cold water, or by whispering comfort to his soul. We only know that he needed the help of angels, and that they waited on him like the little ship, to do what he might wish or say.

Once, when on earth, Christ wanted to show men a speci

men of the people who live in heaven. So he took James and John and Peter, and went with them up a very high mountain. And there, away from men, and with these witnesses, he himself put on the garments of heaven. How his face shone! How his garments hung like melted silver upon him! How light seemed to pour out and flash out from his whole person! Then soft footsteps are heard, and two men, Moses and Elijah the prophet, come to meet him. They also come in the robes of heaven! How glad they are to meet him! How honoured above all in heaven, in having this opportunity to meet him! They do not talk about banks, or ships, or factories, or stores, or business, or gains, or money; they do not talk about places of honour; but they talk about his "death" which he was to die at Jerusalem! He wanted to talk with somebody about it; for he could not talk with his disciples. They could not understand it. They could not believe he would-so good and so holy a man-be put to death by wicked men! But Moses and Elijah understood it; and when he wanted to talk about it, they were there, all ready. He knew just where to find them, and just when they would come. They were like the little ship that waited upon him.

And when he came to die he needed a tomb. He wanted to borrow one-not as we want ours, till the resurrection day, but for only three days. Where will they find one? They have taken down his body, and are in haste to put it some, where. Just then a rich man recollects that he has just been hewing a new tomb out of a solid rock, and that it is in his garden near by. A new tomb, and in a solid rock! No man had ever been buried in it. He had never needed it before; but now, at the very moment when needed, the tomb is all ready! It is done, and waiting for him! The rock was created and kept and got ready for this very purpose! Like the little ship, it waited upon him!

How strange it is! Christ was so poor that he had not where to lay his head, and yet you see how his servants were around him just when he needed them. It was as if he spake that they should wait on him, and they did. He had his servants in the air, in the sea, in the fields, by the wayside, in the river, in the mountains, in the solitary garden, in the great city, in the grave, and every where. They came around him, the lilies, the birds, the wild ass, the fish, the boat, the men, the angels, and even the Spirit of God, just when he wanted them. The waters would bear him up, so that he could walk on them, to go to his friends, and out of raging storm he could call the sweet calm, and it came.

upon it, and describe the ruin of Jerusalem and the end of the world. He always found just such servants to wait on him as he needed. Did he want to show that he was Lord of the Sabbath and could heal diseases-even such as nobody else could cure? Why, there was the Pool of Bethesda, and there was the great multitude of sick folks, and there was the man who had been sick thirty-eight years. And these seemed all to be waiting for him to come and show his great power and

mercy.

After

He wanted to be baptized and "fulfil all righteousness," and all things wait for him. There is the river Jordan, and its waters are waiting for him. There is John the Baptist, wondering why Jesus should come to him; and these all wait on him, like the little ship. There, too, was the Holy Spirit himself, coming down in the form of a dove and resting on him, and a voice from heaven saying, "This is my beloved Son." These all wait on Christ! There were two places and two times when Christ needed help from the angeis. One was when he had been out in the desert among the wild beasts, fasting and getting his soul ready to begin his work. It was before he preached hardly a single sermon. being worn out with fasting forty days and forty nights, and tempted till he was very feeble-probably too feeble to walk, and when he had nothing to eat-then the angels came to him and brought him food. They "ministered unto him.” The other time and place was the night before his death. He knew that to-morrow he must die. So he went out into a garden, where were trees and shadows, and there knelt down in prayer. He wanted a retired place, and this garden was ready for him. He was in great agony of soul, and wrestled with God in prayer till bloody sweat rolled from his face, and fell in great drops upon the ground Then his strength was gone. Then he was fainting. His disciples were asleep, and there was none to hold up the head of the Saviour, and so an angel came and "strengthened him." Perhaps he whispered some sweet texts out of the Bible in his ear. Perhaps he brought some message of comfort from the Eternal Father. Perhaps he told him that his prayer, so earnest and so tearful, had been answered. We know not whether he helped him by holding up his weary head, by giving him a cup of cold water, or by whispering comfort to his soul. We only know that he needed the help of angels, and that they waited on him like the little ship, to do what he might wish or say.

Once, when on earth, Christ wanted to show men a speci