sion on the two, he said to Mary, "Woman, behold thy son;" and to John, "Behold thy mother." To the sensitive and sympathetic John this mere hint was sufficient. He rightly interpreted it into a wish that Mary be spared the pain of witnessing the closing scene of all. Gently and tenderly John led her away to his own home. With him she made her abode until her death.

There is something pathetic and beautiful in this incident. It was a recognition of the motherlove by him whose work had been such as to render him, for several years, almost an exile from that love. Yet he recognized its purity and strength, and hallowed it by making it the last tie that bound him to earth. Having made provision for his mother's residence with one who would be a tender guardian, he had no further earthly duty to perform. Surely no higher recognition of the sacred tie of motherhood-the acme of the development of true womanhood-can be thought of than this. And it came from a Jew, whose history is recorded in the book which some would say denies to woman her true station in the social order.

But little more is said of Mary in the Bible. It does not appear perfectly clear that she had the privilege of seeing Jesus after his resurrection. Two Marys, Magdalene and the wife of Cleophas, are mentioned as preparing spices to place with the body on the day after the Sabbath, and to these, as well as to Salome, mother of

James and John, Jesus appeared in his resurrected condition. But if his own mother is mentioned at all in this connection, it is only by John; and it is doubtful that the Mary he refers to is she.

The last mention of her is in the first chapter of Acts. She is there referred to as engaging in prayer with some of the other disciples. One writer has said: "This is the last view we have of her. Holy Scripture leaves her engaged in prayer. From this point forwards we know nothing of her."

Regarding the character of Mary, I cannot do better than quote the words of Dr. Smith: "The character of Mary is not drawn by any of the evangelists, but some of its lineaments are incidentally manifested in the fragmentary record which is given of her. It is clear from St. Luke's account, though without any such intimation we might rest assured of the fact, that her youth had been spent in the study of the Holy Scriptures, and that she had set before her the example of the holy women of the Old Testament, as her model. This would appear from the Magnificat (Luke 1:46). Her faith and humility exhibit themselves in her immediate surrender of herself to the divine will, though ignorant how that will should be accomplished (Luke 1:38); her energy and earnestness, in her journey from Nazareth to Hebron (Luke 1:39); her happy thankfulness in her song of joy (Luke 1: 48); her silent, musing thoughtfulness

178

in her pondering

over

the shepherds' visit

(Luke 2: 19); and in her keeping her son's words in her heart (Luke 2: 51), though she could not fully understand their import. In--a-word, so far as Mary is portrayed to us in Scripture, she is, as we should have expected, the most tender, the most faithful, humble, patient, and loving of women, but a woman still."

II. ELIZABETH.

The history of the mother of John the Baptist is closely associated with that of the Virgin Mary. She was descended from Aaron, and was married to a priest of the same descent, named Zacharias. She had reached an advanced age at the time when mention is first made of her in Bible history, but she had remained childless. At that time barrenness was a particular source of grief to a Hebrew woman, for the reason that important events seemed to foreshadow the early birth of the Messiah; and it had always been the highest ambition of every Jewish wife to be the mother of the Christ. Hence her own statement that her childlessness was "a reproach to her."

It should be stated, also, that Elizabeth was related to Mary, although she lived in the hill country of Judea, while Mary lived in the northern province, at Nazareth. Thus the blood of the kingly line flowed in Elizabeth's veins, mingling with the blood of priestly descent.

In the providence of God, the time had come for the advent of the Messiah, and it was necessary

for one to go before him and prepare the way. It was fitting that his birth, as well as that of Jesus, already related, should be miraculous. Therefore this woman, Elizabeth, childless and old, was chosen to be his mother; just as Mary, young and a virgin, was chosen to be the mother of Messiah. John, or Jehoanan, as the Hebrew name is given, "the gracious gift of God," was to be a gift from Jehovah in very deed, even as Isaac, Samuel, and Jesus were such gifts.

This fact was shown to Zacharias in a most impressive way. He was in the temple performing his priestly duty of burning incense on the altar, when an angel appeared to him, announcing himself as Gabriel, and declaring that Elizabeth, the wife of Zacharias, should have a son. On account of her advanced age, her husband seems to have had the same skepticism regarding this announcement that Sarah felt when the promise of a son But because he was a priest of was made to her. God, and had seen the glorious apparition of an angel, his skepticism must be punished by some such sign as he had asked for. Therefore, he was told he should remain dumb until the birth of the child.

When he came out of the holy place, and joined the large congregation praying in the outer court, they perceived from his dumbness and his strange demeanor, that he had seen a vision. In their expectation of the Messiah, they naturally set great store by this incident, taking it as another indica