ness than, with us, would be conveyed in the word. 'madam,' or 'my lady,' and was intended to convey respect and deference. At the same time our Lord meant gently to hint to the Virgin Mary, that though she was His mother as a man, she had no claim to His obedience as God.

Mary accompanied Jesus to Capernaum, where she had the privilege of seeing Him healing the sick, feeding the hungry, and preaching to all around Him. Seeing Jesus thus occupied about 'His Father's business,' truly her heart must have ' rejoiced in God her Saviour.'

But yet how often must this mother's tender, loving heart have bled, at the contempt and scorn with which her blessed Son was treated, and at the bitter enmity called forth by His gracious words, 'who spake as never man spake.' Then to see Him, the Blessed One, the meek and lowly, the Lamb of God, betrayed by His own friend, forsaken and neglected by His own disciples, led before Pontius Pilate! What must have been her sorrow, her distress!

But even more than this had the loving Mary to endure. Picture, you Christian mothers, her agony of soul at the cruel scourgings, the crown of thorns placed upon that lovely brow, the mocking, the insult, the shame! And then to hear (if indeed she heard it) that awful cry, 'Crucify him! crucify him!' Few words, but full of helpless sorrow, of unutterable woe, are these: 'And

there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother.' Yes, His beloved, gentle, tender, best of mothers, who had borne Him, nursed, tended, reared Him, and had loved her perfect Son with a love strong as death, 'surpassing the love of woman,' she stood by His cross and witnessed His Passion. 'Was ever sorrow like unto my sorrow?' might she well have asked!

But even in this stupendous agony, the blessed Virgin Mother had holy, God-sent comfort poured by her Divine Son into her mourning, sorrowing heart. He who is 'full of love, whose compassions fail not, and is plenteous in mercy,' could not fail in His love and tenderness towards her, from whom He took His mortal, human nature. No, my sisters, while life remained, Jesus remembered His mother. His loving eye beheld her, full of grief and sadness, weeping by His cross; and in true, son-like consideration, with His dying breath He intrusted her to the beloved disciple John, saying first to Mary, 'Behold thy son!' and then to John, 'Behold thy mother!' And 'from that time that disciple took her to his own home,' where her grief was doubtless too deep, too sacred, to be recounted even in Holy Writ.

A few days of anguish unspeakable, and then the 'Sun of Righteousness arose,' and the joyful, glorious cry resounded, 'He is risen.' Her blessed Son had vanquished Death, and burst the tomb, and 'brought life and immortality to light.'

We do not know whether Mary held personal converse again with the risen Saviour during the forty days He dwelt on earth, previous to His glorious Ascension into heaven; but we are told, as the last notice we have of the Virgin Mary, that after Jesus ascended into heaven, the disciples, having returned from Bethany to Jerusalem, 'continued with one accord in prayer with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus.'

Thus, dear friends, in dwelling carefully and prayerfully upon the life and character of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we find very much to admire, to love, and, by the help of her most blessed Son, to imitate. Mary had taken much of her Saviour's gentle, loving, forgiving spirit, and would doubtless, when standing by His cross, re-echo His dying, touching prayer, even for His murderers, 'Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.' Her sweet, womanly character, we must ever remember, was, among others, traced and 'written for our learning and example.'

May each one of us, then, in our different spheres of life, as women, wives, and mothers, imitate, in love to Christ, this handmaid of the Lord.' Then may we one day humbly hope to be called by Mary's Lord 'My mother or My sister.' For Jesus Himself hath said, 'Whoso doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven, the same is My brother, My sister and mother.'

136

THE WIDOW OF NAIN.

COLLECT.

O merciful God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Resurrection and the Life; in whom whosoever believeth shall live, though he die; and whosoever liveth, and believeth in Him, shall not die eternally; who also hath taught us, by His holy Apostle Saint Paul, not to be sorry, as men without hope, for them that sleep in Him. We meekly beseech Thee, O Father, to raise us from the death of sin unto the life of righteousness; that, when we shall depart this life, we may rest in Him; and that, at the general resurrection in the last day, we may be found acceptable in Thy sight, and receive that blessing which Thy well-beloved Son shall then pronounce to all that love and fear Thee, saying, Come, ye blessed children of My Father, receive the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world: grant this, we beseech Thee, O merciful Father, through Jesus Christ, our Mediator and Redeemer. Amen.

Luke, vii. 11-15.

And it came to pass the day after, that He went into a city called Nain; and many of His disciples went with

Him, and much people. Now when He came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow and much people of the city was with her. And when the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. And He came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And He said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And He delivered him to his mother.

THERE is among us one class of mothers, dear friends, who have a peculiarly strong claim upon our sympathy; I mean the widowed mothers. These verses which I have just read to you tell us of such an one, a 'widow indeed,' bereaved and doubly afflicted. Not only had she lost the mainstay of her life, her guide, her companion, her husband, but also her only son. Her only child is taken from her, and can no longer comfort her in her sorrow, or aid her in her loneliness. This is an exquisitely touching story, not surpassed in the Holy Scriptures for pathos, for beauty, and simplicity. For here we behold Jesus, as indeed the 'man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief,' bestowing upon all the same gracious and loving kindness and tender mercy.

Jesus was at Capernaum, and had just healed with a word, and even without seeing him,' the Centurion's servant,' as a reward for the faith of his Gentile master. The day after, Jesus went into a