amiss." He then turned to the Lord Jesus, and said, "Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom." Our Lord was full of love and mercy, and He said to the penitent thief, "Verily I say unto thee, To-day shalt thou be with Me in paradise."

Some who loved Jesus stood weeping by His cross. The blessed Virgin Mary, and Mary Magdalene, and Mary the wife of Cleopas stood there, with the holy Saint John. It almost broke the heart of the Virgin Mary to see her dear and blessed Son so cruelly treated. It was then that a sword pierced through her soul, as the good old Simeon told her, when he took the infant Jesus in his arms. Jesus looked down from the cross and saw them. And He said to His sorrowful mother, "Woman, behold thy son." He then said to St. John, "Behold thy mother;" and from that time

St. John took the blessed Virgin to his own home. Whilst our Lord Jesus hung upon the cross, the sun became dark, and there was an earthquake. This was enough to convince the Jews that He was the Son of God.

Jesus now cried with a loud voice, and said, "My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?" He then said, "I thirst.” And one of the men filled a sponge with vinegar and gave it to Him to drink. The Lord Jesus then said, It is finished!" and cried out, Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirit;" and He died. As soon as Jesus was dead, the veil in the temple was torn in half, and many graves opened, and the dead came to life and went into Jerusalem.

How much the Lord Jesus must love us poor sinners, to suffer all this for us! Let

us pray that we may so love Him, that we may never do any thing that will displease Him.

46. OUR LORD RISES FROM THE DEAD.

In the evening the Body of our Lord was taken down from the cross; and a soldier ran a spear into His side, and there came out blood and water. A rich man, named Joseph, loved the Lord Jesus, and wished to bury Him; and he went to Pilate and asked him for the Body of Jesus. Pilate told him he might have it. Joseph took the body of his Saviour with great respect and care, and wrapped it in a clean white cloth. An- V other rich man, whose name was Nicodemus, brought some very expensive spices to put on the Saviour's precious Body. They then carried it with great

care, and put it into a new tomb, which was cut out of a rock in Joseph's garden; and they rolled a great stone over the mouth of the cave.

The next day the chief priests and Pharisees went to ask Pilate to have the grave watched, because the Lord had said that He would rise again on the third day. They then went and sealed up the stone, and set men to watch it, for fear the disciples should take the Body away. But they could not prevent Christ rising from the dead; for very early on Sunday morning there was an earthquake, and an angel came down from heaven and rolled the stone away, and sat upon it. He was clothed in white, and his face shone like lightning; and when the watchmen saw him, they fell down, almost dead with fear.

The holy women, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, went to the tomb before

daylight, and found the stone rolled away. They then went in, but could not find the body of the Lord Jesus; but they saw two angels, who told them that the Lord was risen from the dead. Mary made haste to tell St. Peter and St. John. When they heard it, they ran to the sepulchre, and found the linen clothes lying by themselves. The disciples then went home very much astonished at what they had seen. As Mary stood crying in the garden, the Lord appeared to her; but she did not know Him, until the Lord called her by her name. As soon as she knew Him, she fell down at His feet to worship Him; and the Lord said, "Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God." After this He appeared to two of the disciples as