HELPS TO THE STUDY OF THE BIBLE.

THE DISPENSATIONS OF OUR LORD.

IF WE WOULD BE MEMBERS OF CHRIST AND JOINT-HEIRS
WITH HIM OF THE PROMISES

WE MUST "PRAY ALWAYS,'

"And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, He went out
and departed into a solitary place and prayed,'
"He went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in
prayer to God,".

"When He had sent the multitude away, He went up into a mountain
apart to pray, and when the evening was come, He was there
alone,"

"Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe

on me through their word, that they all may be one," "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do," .

TEXTS.

Luke xxi. 36

Mark i. 35.

Luke vi. 12.

Matt. xiv. 23.

John xvii.
Luke xxiii. 34.

WE MUST LOVE THE LORD OUR GOD WITH ALL OUR HEART, SOUL, MIND AND STRENGTH, Mark xii. 30.
See His example in the loving manner in which He always spoke of and

addressed His Father.

WE MUST BE ZEALOUS IN DOING GOD'S WILL,

When only twelve years old-" Wist ye not that I must be about my
Father's business?"

"My MEAT is to do the will of Him that sent me, and to finish His work,"
"I have kept my Father's commandments,"

"I have glorified thee on the earth, I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do,"

WE MUST HONOR OUR PARENTS,.

"He went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them,"

See also account of His committing the care of His mother to John, when about to die,.

WE MUST LOVE THE CHURCH,

"A new commandment give I unto you, That ye love one another; as
I have loved you, that ye also love one another,
"This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved
you,"

WE MUST LOVE AND DO GOOD TO ALL MEN,

"Jesus of Nazareth,. who went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil,"

"The blind receive their sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them,".

WE MUST LOVE AND FORGIVE OUR ENEMIES,.

"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do,"

WE MUST PRACTICE THE CHRISTIAN GRACES,.
Humility-He "made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the
form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. . . . He
humbled Himself,"

Meekness-He" when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suf-
fered, He threatened not,"

Mercy-"Neither do I condemn thee; go and sin no more,'

Self-denial "Though He was rich, yet for our sakes He became poor,'
Compassion-"Jesus wept,".

Firmness-See account of His temptation in the wilderness,
Submission to and acquiescence in God's will-"The cup which my Father
hath given me, shall I not drink it?"

HAPPY AND BLESSED INDEED WILL WE BE IF WE FOLLOW HIS STEPS,"
In this world-"All these things (temporal necessaries) shall be added
unto you,"

Eternally in heaven-"Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have
entered into the heart of man, the good things which God hath
prepared for them that love Him,"

HELPS TO THE STUDY OF THE BIBLE.

HELPS TO THE STUDY OF THE BIBLE.

ORDER OF EVENTS IN THE TRIAL OF OUR LORD. After the observance of the Paschal feast, and having instituted the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, to be observed in commemoration of the Great Sacrifice which was about to be offered, JESUS and His Disciples went together to the first scene of his suffering, at the base of the Mount of Olives (Matt. xxvi. 30; Mark xiv. 26; Luke xxii. 39).

Crossing the brook Kedron, they enter the Garden of Gethsemane (the oil-press). A part of this garden still remains, and the few olive trees which continue to live in it seem to be old enough to have been growing in our Saviour's time. Here JESUS took PETER, JAMES and JOHN to be near Him during the awful scene of His Agony. Thereafter, the traitor and the officers of the temple appeared, and having arrested Him, His alarmed Disciples forsook Him and fled; but the zeal of PETER and the love of JOHN led them to follow at a distance (Matt. xxvi. 36-56; Mark xiv. 32-50; Luke xxii. 39-53; John xviii. 2-11).

Taken Before Annas.-The Divine Prisoner was taken first to the house of ANNAS, the father-in-law of the High-priest, CAIAPHAS, probably to ascertain if it would be safe to risk a public trial. It is obvious that all parties among the rulers desired to go forward, and ANNAS sent Him bound to CAIAPHAS, who had already publicly advised His death (John xviii. 13, 14, 24).

Arraigned Before Caiphas.-The examination took place in the house of CAIAPHAS, and here the melancholy denial of PETER occurred. To understand the scene, it should be remembered that Oriental houses and palaces were erected with an open court-yard in the centre, and the apartments surrounding and openIn the middle of this yard the servants and officers had made a fire, ing into it. because of the cold of the spring night. PETER and JOHN had entered, and PETER rashly took his place among the soldiers. The Saviour had been led into one of the chambers, and thus both JESUS and JOHN could hear and see all that took place; thus it is obvious that JOHN's testimony, as recorded in his Gospel, is of the utmost value, as he was an eye-witness. "The High-priest asked JESUS of His Disciples and His Doctrine," evidently desiring to ascertain how far His influence had spread (John xii. 42), especially to learn if any members of the Sanhedrim had become His followers, and thus to prepare for dealing with them as well as with Him. On the first point, JESUS gave no information, and on the second He referred to the evidence of those who had been His hearers, whereupon an officer struck Him for contempt of the High-priest (John xvii. 19–24).

Before the Sanhedrim.-At dawn of day (15th of Nisan, i. e., April 6th) the Council (Sanhedrim) met, and JESUS was arraigned before them (Luke xxii 66). The first object was to convict Him as a false prophet and a blasphemer, and thus, according to the Jewish law, bring Him in as worthy of death. Two witnesses were required, but the evidence of all who testified was contradictory. They aimed at proving blasphemy against Him for speaking irreverently about the temple, when He referred to His own death and subsequent resurrection, but their testimony failed to establish their charge (Matt. xxii. 59-63; Mark xiv. 55-61). At length the High-priest reproached Him for His silence, and adjured Him by the LIVING GOD to say whether or not He was the CHRIST, the SON OF GOD. He then plainly said, I AM, and warned them of the time when they should see Him sitting in His power, at the Right Hand of God and Coming in He was forthwith condemned for blasphemy, whereupon the Clouds of Heaven. the officers covered His face, spat on Him, and buffeted Him, mocking and asking Him to say who it was that struck Him (Matt. xxvi. 63-68; Mark xiv. 61–65;

ORDER OF EVENTS IN THE TRIAL OF OUR LORD-Continued. Luke xxii. 67-71 and 63-65; comp. Isa. 1. 6; liii. 7). According to Jewish law, He would now have been led out of the city and stoned to death. But "the sceptre had departed from Judah," and the power of life and death did not now rest in Jewish hands. Their national life had ended, and the time must therefore have arrived when the Shiloh had come (Gen. xlix. 10). Hence, they unwittingly fulfilled the prophecy of JESUS respecting His Death. It was effected by the act of PILATE and the consent of HEROD, So that the ecclesiastical rulers of the Jews and the civil authority of Rome combined (comp. Ps. i.), and thus that form of death was inflicted which was the most painful, the most ignominious, and being the usual punishment of slaves and the most degraded criminals, attested the depth of that humiliation to which THE SON OF GOD descended for the salvation of man (Gal. iii. 10; vi. 14; Phil. ii. 8; Heb. xii. 2; Col. ii. 14).

Thence Taken to the Roman Procurator, Pontius Pilate.-JESUS was then led to the Prætorium, where the Roman Procurator PONTIUS PILATE had taken his seat early in the morning. The Jews could not enter a court that was inaugurated with heathen sacrifices without being polluted, and therefore unable to keep the feast, so PILATE came out to ascertain the charge against the prisoner. They accused Him at first as a malefactor, and next with the political offence of forbidding the people to pay tribute to Cæsar, and with the desire also of making Himself a King; thus aggravating their guilt (of malevolence) by falsehood, as they knew that they had in vain sought to entrap Him into a political offence, and that He had even by a miracle provided for the payment of the Roman tax. JESUS replied to the interrogation of PILATE that His "Kingdom was not of this world." After further inquiry, PILATE attempted to dismiss Him, but the priests and the elders assailed Him with other charges (Matt. xxvii. 1, 2, 11, 14 ; Mark xv. 1-5; Luke xxiii. 1-5; John xviii. 28-38; comp. Isa. liii. 7).

By Pilate Sent to Herod Antipas.-At the mention of Galilee as the scene of His seditious teaching, PILATE resolved to send Him to HEROD ANTIPAS, who had come to Jerusalem to the Passover-a practice by which He hoped to conciliate the Jews. HEROD was pleased by the conduct of PILATE, with whom he had been long at variance, but getting no information from JESUS, he sent Him back again to PILATE, and thus "the kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together against THE LORD and against His ANOINTED." (Luke xxiii. 4-12; Ps. ii. 1, 2; comp. Acts iv. 25, 26).

Again Before Pilate-Barabbas Preferred to Jesus.-Obliged to decide the case, PILATE tried an appeal from the rulers to the people. Knowing that the envy and malice of the priests had instigated the charge, he proposed to liberate Him whom the populace had lately hailed with such enthusiasm. The cunning of the priests, however, defeated the scheme. They knew that the brigands who opposed the Roman power were favorites with the people, and that one of this class had forfeited his life and was lying under sentence of death. The priests therefore suggested the liberation of BARABBAS, and as the people saw that no political change was likely to be effected by JESUS, they took up the cry, "Not this man, but BARABBAS!" Again PILATE tried to bring them to reason, being affected by the interference of his wife. To his inquiry, "What will ye then that I shall do to Him, whom ye call king of the Jews?" the vehement outcry of the fickle mob was "Crucify Him!" The loud cries of the populace prevailed over reason, conscience and justice, and PILATE yielded up JESUS to their will, washing his hands and protesting before the people that he "was innocent of the blood of this just person." They accepted the awful responsibility, exclaiming, "His blood be on us and on