or its prescriptions, but we are to bring all that the ablest and the most gifted assert, all that the most venerable council propounds, to the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to it, it is because there is no truth in them. Let us ever remember that the visible church is not always Christ's true church. The visible church in the days of our Lord had been utterly apostate; it has become apostate since. The true church was composed of Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, and the rest in that sanhedrim constituted the apostacy. The true church still consists of all the true members of the body of Christ, and all beyond and beside are only portions of the apostacy. At present the tares are mingled with the wheat; the day comes when the tares shall be gathered into bundles, and cast into everlasting fire, and they that are the wheat shall shine forth in the kingdom of their Father, like the stars, for ever and Amen.

ever.

LECTURE XIX.

THE WITHERED HAND.

And it came to pass, that he went through the corn-fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn. And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful? And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him? How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him? And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath. And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand. And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him. And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth. And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace. And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other. And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.-MARK 11. 23-28; 1. 1—6.

BEFORE proceeding to explain the interesting and instructive facts recorded in the passage I have chosen, I may just state that there is, what is very important, another version of this same transaction, differing only in words, though fuller in some portions of the narrative, in Matt. xii. "At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day. But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him; how he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests? Or have ye not read in the law [here is the additional illustration] how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless? But I you, that in this place [this also is one greater than the temple.

say

unto

is additional] But if ye had

known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and

not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the

guiltless.

For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day. And when he was departed thence, he went into their synagogue: and, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him. And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days. Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other. Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him."

We thus perceive that the two narrators of the transaction that occurred on the very same day, were not in any way in communication one with the other, or copyists the one of the other's narrative. We have here (putting altogether out of question, for the moment, that each was inspired) the independent versions of one transaction, as it presented itself to two distinct persons, told each in his own way, and according to the im

nesses saw,

pression made at the time. We invariably find, when two witnesses are examined before a judge and jury about one transaction which both witthat the one will state facts which the other omits, and his testimony will be supplemented by other facts which the other narrates. The reason of this is, that no two men, looking at one occurrence, are equally touched by every incident in that occurrence. One fact strikes one, and makes the deepest impression upon him ; another fact strikes the other, and makes the deepest impression upon him; and when each gives his statement of what he saw, he states first and at greatest length the facts that made the deepest impression, and are therefore retained the most in his memory; and thus the judge and jury have the clear evidence that these are two impartial narrators of an actual transaction. Now this is one of the indirect, but quiet proofs, that the evangelists who record the life and transactions of Jesus, were actual witnesses of all they wrote, and that they have given in their narrative the facts as they saw them, guided and governed at the same time by that overshadowing inspiration which guarded them from all error, and