and hate of an “ungodly nation” have so moved Him, let them do their worst. But all through it is made evident that He saw and recognised the will of His Father. For this causo came He into the world. This will He now volantarily and finally accepts. The ac ceptance means soul-suffering of the extremest kind, as afterwards “ the cross" did : but the acceptance is made with a full foreknowledge of what was involved. In one of his finest hymns, Horatius Bonar tells how Jesus, whom angel hosts adore

“Went to Olivet for me;
There drank my cup of wrath and woe,
When bleeding in Gethsemane."

Yet, strictly speaking, the agony in the garden is not the drinking of the cup, but the yielding of consent to drink it—the yielding of the last consent: if one might say so, He takes the cap from His Father's hands, and lifts it to His lips, from which it is not removed till He has " drained the last dark drop.”

Besides the cap itself, there would seem also—though we must speak with hesitance-to have been the pressure of the “power of darkness” upon Him, to make Him forego the cross. The tempter. who, in the beginning, offered Him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them for the bowing of His knee, assails Him once more-it was his last opportunity-endeavouring to prevail on Him to set up a kingdom without a sacrifice and an atonement.

But could the prospect of the cross.—even taking into account Satanic temptation—thus move Jesus ? For many of His followers have gone forward to a death as cruel, not merely with unshrinking but even exulting fortitude ; and from scaffold and fiery stake has risen ap the martyr's song, clear, unfaltering, undaunted. Even a Socrates could take his cup of poison calmly, and drink it smiling : he knew of no Gethsemane. Thinking of such cases, some very unguarded things have been said about Jesus, to which one cannot consent. I would say that even as regards the mere agony and shame of the cross, it is no subtraction from His fortitude and nobleness that He should have recoiled from it with an awful horror. On the contrary, the recoil is rather a sign of the greatness, and, if I may say, the Divine sensibility of His nature. For our salvation He consented to a thing which He knew to be unutterably and hideously dreadful ; and the agony is the sign that He foreknew it, while yet in love to us He accepted it. In the light of all this I read the words of the apostle Paul, * Him who knew no sin God hath made sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him."

Crucifixion was one of the punishments whose horror, as to the elements both of torture and of shame, has not been exaggerated in the popular imagination. It was the most ignominious kind of death that was known, and the most dreadful to endure. In most other kinds of violent death insensibility soon comes on, and the sense of pain ceases; whereas in crucifixion every moment is full of torture to the last. Even the fierce Roman soldiers could hardly bear to look upon it, and with å kind of barbarous humanity were in the habit of administering a stupefying draught when they nailed the victim to the cross. All that shame and suffering lay before Jesus. But when we have taken it all into account, we have not explained Gethsemane ; we feel that we are yet but where the eight disciples were outside and afar off from the centre of the mystery. It had been written of old concerning the Lord God, “ His soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.” Here is One who has come among us with a soul sensitive to evil as the eye is to touch, before whom all the world's sin rises into view, in whose ear resounds the deep wail of humanity. Here is One who knows all that sin means, in all its actual and possible developments. Here is One on whose holy and loving heart the sin of man bears down with an intolerable pressure. Here is the sin-bearer who has stooped to lift our load, and to sustain its weight. He is now bearing it in His own body to the tree, there to make full atonement; and the prophetic word is about to be fully accomplished in Him, " It pleased the Lord to bruise Him: He hath put Him to grief." None can tell what was in " the cupsave He who drank it.*

Just as the scene of agony closes, an armed band led by Judas is seen approacbing the garden for the purpose of arresting Jesus. He does not flee, nor take any other means to escape, but waits their coming, and when they are near, goes forth to meet them. Just then, Judas stepped forward before the rest, and said, “ Hail, Master!" and kissed Him, immediately afterwards retiring. It was the preconcerted “sign " by which Jesus should be pointed out to the band ; but it was given in a hurry, and given too soon, and so it failed to serve its purpose. Jesus then advances to meet the band, and asks, “Whom seek ye?" They say to Him,“ Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus answers, “I am He ;” and as He spoke the word, “they went backward and fell to the ground.”. Thus He made it manifest that no power could have taken Him against His own consent; and having done so, He surrendered Himself into their hands. When they rose from the ground, He repeated the question, "Whom seek ye ?" They answered again, " Jesús of Nazareth ;” and He then said to them, “ I have told you that I am He; if therefore ye seek me, let these (pointing to the disciples) go their way ;” and with these words He gives Himself into their hands. When Peter sees it, he draws his sword and smites a servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear. † The Lord refuses the help of Peter's sword, telling him that He had only to speak to His

* If any one would see how utterly shallow an accomplished man can become, let him read Renan's explanation of Gethsemane, and all about "the fountains of Galilee," and so forth.

† There was pain and disfigurement for Malchus, without injury to life. But how near the sharp edge went to the jugular vein and the carotid artery! The escape was a very narrow one.

Father and presently He would have had more than twelve legions of angels : but how then could the Scripture be fulfilled ? Thus Geth. semane shows that the sacrifice of Calvary is willingly undergone: "I lay down my life that I might take it again ; no man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself; I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it again : this commandment have I received of my Father."

WAS HE A HERO ?

A STORY IN TWO CHAPTERS.
CHAPTER I.

two other families living on the is.

land, and in each was a boy about JACK HASBROUCK was rather a Jack's age. Joe Kiesler was a little common sort of boy. His light older, and a good deal sharper-so brown hair was generally very much everybody thought — than Jack. tumbled up, his face was plain and Charley Grant was a year younger, freckled, and his honest hazel eyes and a sort of body-servant to the did not sparkle or glow, or do any- | two older boys, who liked him and thing in particular but enable their tyrannised over him to their hearts' owner to see. He was fourteen content. The three lads generally years old, a strong, healthy lad, got on together very pleasantly. very fond of play, and not a bit There was plenty for them to do. fond of study or work. So, take They played at work when required, him all in all, Jack was not such a and worked at play with all their boy as one would naturally select might whenever they could get off for a hero.

from the drudgery of working. Jack's home was on an island- They were all good boatmen, and Winona Island, we will call it could pull as steady a stroke, and lying in a broad river about forty "feather” their oars as neatly, as miles from the sea. All round the the best man on the island. They island, which stretched its rocky each had a boat, a staunch little length a mile along the western craft, built of cedar, light and side of the river, rose grand high-easily handled, but able to stand a lands covered to the summit with heavy sea; and many were the “the forest primeval.” Between races the boys had, up and down the western shore and the island the river, and across it, and in lay a broad salt marsh, and be among the coves and biglts of the yond the marsh, for miles and island shore. When the wind swept miles, spread out an almost track down from the north-west, and the less forest. On the eastern side tide was running out, it was tough flowed the river, at this point half work pulling up-stream. Somea mile wide and more than a hun- times the boats would remain dred feet deep. It was rather a “stock still" for nearly half an hour wild spot for a home, and a rough where the tide rushed round some place in which to pass a winter. jutting point, and the boys would But in summer it was rarely beau- have to pull with might and main tiful, and a fine place for every to keep from going back instead of kind of boyish sport.

forward. But it was rare fun (seeing There were, besides Jack's family, it wasn't work), and it made their muscles like bowstrings for strength, single heap, and divide by handfuls. and suppleness.

| This made a pretty even division, There were other sports, too- and nobody had any just cause for fishing, hunting, swimming, climb-complaint. ing the mountains on the mainland, But to-day an ugly spirit of and splendid skating in winter. mischief-or perversity-seemed to And in the autumn, after the early have got under Master Joe's jacket. frosts had done their duty as nut- When they had poured their glossy burr openers, there was a fine treasures into the common heap he chance for chestnutting. On the began to make the division, but upper part of the island, which was every second time round he put 80 rocky that it could not be cul- two handfuls instead of one into his tivated, was a thick wood; and own pile. among the prim cedars and stal-What are you doing there?" wart oaks were a few grand old asked Jack, with a slight touch of chestnut trees, from which bushels fierceness in his tone. of shiny nuts could be gathered, “I'm dividing,” said Joe briefly. and of course were gathered-in “You ain't doing it fair, any. the season.

way,” added Charley. It was a pleasant morning to "You shut up!” was Joe's emward the end of October. Jack and phatic rejoinder; and Charley dared Joe had been lounging about the say no more. dock for an hour or so, watching Now look here!” said Jack, the river craft as they swept by in getting into a heat. “You can't the fresh breeze, and talking boy- come that game over us. Divide fair, talk about nothing in particular. or you shan't divide at all.” Presently. Charley came running. “I'd like to know who's going to down with a bag.

prevent me!” "Hullo, fellers, let's go ches'- | Joe was getting worse every nutting."

minute. What was merely a spirit "All right! come on,” said Joe, of mischief at the start had now taking the leadership as usual; and become a hard, wicked purpose to off went the three, as happy as be unfair, in spite of everything. Jarks. In a few minutes they were Jack jumped to his feet, the fire in up in the great trees, and nuts his heart bursting into a hot and were rattling down like hailstones furious flame. on the thick carpet of brown and “It's a mean trick, and you're a yellow leaves beneath them. After mean fellow to do it, so there giving each tree a thorough shaking, now!” the boys came down to gather up The two boys had always been the spoils and make a division. good friends. They had had their

Now it was a part of the un-* tiffs," like other boys, but these written Constitution—the Common were little affairs and soon made Law-of the Winona Republic, that up; for the lads were really very When the three boys went nutting fond of each other, and could not together they should “share and bear to be at enmity long. But share alike." This was fair enough, here was a more serious affair. On because it could not be told which the one side an act of outrageous one s.100k down the most, and the injustice-on the other an accusa. gathering was always “thrown in” tion that no boy of spirit, especially as too small a matter to be con- if he deserved it, could endure for a sidered. So they would gather up moment. all they could find, put them in al Joe was on his feet now, and with

clinched fists and angry face “I'll get even with him, some shouted,

way !” was the one thought that “Say that again if you dare!" surged through his breast, as he

There was an instant's pause. tramped homeward through the Poor little Charley stood by in an leafless woods, and past the vineagony of wonder and fear. It was yards and hothouses; and if any not a pleasant scene to witness in means of doing Joe a serious injury the pleasant woods on that bright had occurred to him at the moment, October day. But angry passions he would probably have jumped at spoil many a lovely day in this fair it as a trout jumps at a tempting world of ours !

fly in August. Fortunately, no such "I do dare to say it again, and unhappy chance presented itself, you know it's true!” said Jack, and Jack had time to cool down with a hot flush on his freckled face. before being able to avenge the

The words had scarcely passed cruel insult he had suffered. his lips when Joe, stung to fury by For several days the boys kept the taunt, sprang forward and apart. Joe was too proud to "own planted a heavy blow in Jack's face. up," and Jack too angry to have It was an ugly deed—the first blow anything to do with him. Charley he had ever struck, except in fun. had a hard time of it between them,

Now if Jack had been a hero, he for they both wanted him to be with would probably have put himself in them, and scolded and threatened fighting attitude, and a pitched in” to “lick” him if he went with for a regular battle with his angry the other. All the usual sports friend. They would have had a were neglected. October faded into furious fight, and after mauling each November, and the first week proved other for some time and getting a cold and stormy one. The fierce black eyes and bloody faces, would north-west winds came howling have shaken hands and “made up." down the mountain sides, lashing If he had been the kind of boy we the river into foamy " white caps," read of sometimes—but seldom and putting the hardy river craftsmeet—he would perhaps have said, men to their utmost skill to avoid with disarming mildness and dig: an upset in the narrow pass between nity,

the hills. It was a dreary time, " Joseph, I am sorry if I have and the boys felt, as they had never hurt your feelings, and although felt before, how tiresome the island you have struck me, I forgive you, was in heavy weather. and ask to be forgiven."

Perhaps something like that, in spirit, at least-would have been

CHAPTER II. better, on the whole, than what Jack did.

ONE morning, while the storm But Jack was neither a physical still raged, Charley came running nor a moral hero, to any great over to Jack's house all breathless extent. He was afraid to fight Joe, and excited. . who was bigger and stronger than “ Joe's ill ! " he cried, as soon as he; and he had not the slightest he could catch his breath. “The inclination to make up with him in doctor's come, and they don't think any way. He simply turned round he'll ever get well.” without another word, and walked Good Mrs. Hasbrouck imme, rapidly away. But his boyish heart | diately went over to offer her neigh; was in a very tumult of angry pas-bourly services, and soon returned sion.

| for something needful. Jack, eagerly,