Lady Mary Ross

“ The accusers being now come, Felix sat to judge the matter, and hear what each party had to say. "And when he was called forth, Tertullus," in the name of the Jewish priests and rulers, "began to accuse" Paul, "saying, Seeing that by thee we enjoy great quietness, and that very worthy deeds are done unto this nation by thy providence, we accept it always, and in all places, most noble Felix, with all thankfulness. Notwithstanding, that I be not further tedious unto thee, I pray thee that thou wouldest hear us of thy clemency a few words." ”

“ The Pharisees could not deny the miracle; but immediately some of them raised the objection, "This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the Sabbath day." Others, however, less determined to disbelieve even the testimony of their own senses, said, "How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them. They say unto the blind man again, What sayest thou of him, that he hath opened thine eyes?" The blind man, though still ignorant of the real character of Jesus, felt that He was most certainly more than a common man, and said, "He is a prophet." ”

“ Meantime, the Jews assembled at Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles, seem to have been disappointed at not seeing Jesus there; and enquired, "Where is he?" And "there was much murmuring among the people concerning him: for some said, He is a good man: others said, Nay; but he deceiveth the people. Howbeit no man spake openly of him, for fear of the Jews." The people had seen His miracles, and heard His teaching; but all that they knew of His condition in life was so unlike what they had expected of the Messiah, that they could not make up their minds to acknowledge Him as the Son of God. ”

“ Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come: that Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first who should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles." Strange indeed did these things sound in the ears of the heathen governor; and without pausing to consider whether they might not indeed be true, "Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad." ”

“ To fight against God is to resist His will, to try to prevent what He wills from being done. This is folly as well as sin; for the Will of God must be done, and we "cannot overthrow it." Let us try to bring our Wills into subjection and agreement with the Will of God: where His Will contradicts our hopes and wishes, let us yield at once, and pray that we may at all times be able to say from our hearts, "Father, not my Will, but Thine be done." Those who through life resist, and fight against the Will of God, will be forced at last to submit to it, to their eternal misery. ”

“ Chapter XXVI.—JESUS IN THE HOUSE OF SIMON THE LEPER The speech made in the Sanhedrim by Caiaphas, meant a great deal more than he did, when he used the words. Caiaphas meant, that if there were any chance of offending the Romans, it would be better at once to put one man to death, than to bring destruction upon the whole nation. But St. John bids us take notice that, without intending it, Caiaphas thus proclaimed the blessed plan of salvation through the atonement, which, by the death of One, would be made for all mankind. ”

“ The twelfth century began as the eleventh had ended; for the Crusaders continued to persecute the Jews in Germany and other countries, as well as in Palestine.
The cry of the Christians was, "Let us destroy the descendants of those who crucified Jesus Christ, so that the name of Israel be no more remembered"—a cry as much at variance with prophecy, as with the spirit of Christianity; for the Holy Scriptures had plainly declared, that the once chosen people of God, though scattered throughout all lands, and severely punished for their unbelief, should never be destroyed. ”

“ This sudden ceasing of the storm filled the Apostles, accustomed as they were to see wonderful works done by Jesus, with astonishment and awe. We are told, that "the men marvelled, and they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this? for he commandeth even the winds and the water, and they obey him." Such a miracle must have strengthened the faith of the disciples, and convinced them more and more, that he who could do such things, was indeed no mere man, but the Son of God, the Ruler of the universe, to whom all things do bow and obey. ”

“ Jesus was no longer silent: pleased with her faith, He said aloud, "O woman, great is thy faith: for this saying, be it unto thee even as thou wilt: go thy way: the devil is gone out of thy daughter." ”

“ One party of Jews, in their mistaken zeal for the strict observance of the Sabbath, had come to the extraordinary decision, that no one might comfort the sick or mourning on that day; though another party did permit the people to prepare medicine, and to perform any service which was required for the actual preservation of life. Instead of answering a question only put for the purpose of having something to accuse Him of, Jesus said unto them, "I will ask you one thing; Is it lawful on the Sabbath days to do good or to do evil? To save life or to destroy it?" ”

“ And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." What blessed words! and then they doubtless explained to him that the faith here spoken of, meant such a belief in Jesus, as would lead to repentance for all sin so displeasing to Him, and make men strive to do all in their power to please Him: for to believe the Gospel, means to do all that the Gospel teaches. Such, no doubt, was the Apostles' teaching, as "they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house." ”

“ By "Thy Kingdom come," we ask that all mankind may become Christians, and so be brought into the Lord's kingdom on earth: also, that we, and all who are Christians, may have the kingdom of God in our hearts; that is, may obey, and love, and serve Him with all our hearts; so that when we die we may be admitted into His glorious kingdom in heaven. Further, we pray, that the Will of God may be done by man on earth, as perfectly and entirely as it is done by the Angels in heaven. ”

“ The Pharisees, in their wilful blindness and hardness of heart, reproached the officers for being also "deceived," as they called it; and reminded them that none of the rulers, or learned men, had believed in Jesus, and that as to the people, they were ignorant; adding the most unwarrantable assertion, "This people, who knoweth not the Law, are cursed."
The Pharisees, who were very proud of their own knowledge, not only despised all who were unlearned, but believed that only the learned would enjoy happiness after death, whilst the ignorant would be miserable. ”

“ Great indeed was the wilful unbelief of the Jews, if they could for one moment believe such an absurd story, as the Priests and elders had bribed the soldiers to tell. Amongst the Romans, death was the punishment for any soldier who went to sleep whilst upon guard: yet, in spite of this, men were required to believe, that sixty soldiers, and their commander, were all so fast asleep, that the noise which must have been made by moving the stone, did not even awake one of them. ”

“ Many of us, in a moment of passion or self-will, commit acts which embitter our whole future lives. Let the young beware, lest they bring upon themselves such life-long misery; they may truly repent and mourn, and God, for Jesu's sake, may forgive the sin; but the act itself, and its bitter consequences, can never be undone.
The Priests and elders cared not whether Jesus was innocent or guilty, so as they could treat Him as if He were guilty. His holy life, His heavenly teaching, showed them their own sinfulness, and therefore it was because He was good, that they sought to destroy Him. ”

“ Had the Pharisees and Scribes been really anxious to know the truth, praying to God to show it to them, this miracle must indeed have convinced them that Jesus was the Messiah; but their hearts were hardened against believing in a Messiah, who did not come as a king in earthly power and glory.
But whilst the Scribes and Pharisees would not believe the evidence of their own eyes, the poorer people were less obstinate. When they saw the poor sick man walk away completely cured, the multitude were all amazed at such a wonderful proof of the power of God. ”

“ And this is often the case amongst men, who to gain something they want, persuade others to do wrong. Those who have sinned to help them, may afterwards be filled with remorse and misery; but they will meet with neither help nor pity from those who led them into sin. Like the Priests, they will say, What is that to us?
In vain did Judas look for pity from his partners in guilt; the unfeeling answer of the Priests was, "What is that to us? see thou to that." Had Judas repented truly, he would, like Peter, have gone out and wept bitterly, and sought forgiveness of his Lord ”

“ Even mothers, on the approach of the merciless Crusaders, killed their children with their own hands, telling them it was far better for them to go at once into Abraham's bosom, than to fall into the hands of the Christians. Some of the Jews, less brave and conscientious than their brethren, saved their lives by pretending to adopt the Christian religion, which they must naturally have hated more than ever, since those who professed to be guided by its precepts, had acted with a degree of cruelty and inhumanity, worthy only of the most ignorant savages. ”

“ The righteousness of Christ is the real wedding garment of believers; and this will cover and save all, whose faith is true and lively; such as will show itself in their words and deeds.
The Pharisees and Scribes saw that these parables were spoken against them, to show them how wrong they were; and this made them the more angry, and the more desirous to destroy Jesus. ”

“ When Jesus cast the devils and unclean spirits out of the bodies of men, it was a plain proof that His power was greater than theirs; and that he could, therefore, most certainly deliver the souls of men from the power of their enemy.
Evil spirits were thus allowed to show their power, in order more clearly to manifest, or show forth, the great power and glory of the Son of God, Whom even the devils were bound to obey: they were, moreover, forced to bear witness to the fact that He was the Messiah, for on many occasions they cried out, "Thou art Christ, the Son of God." ”

“ Both doctrines were equally fatal to the hopes of Christians: if Jesus Christ did not share our human nature, He could not atone for the sin of man; if He were only man, however free from sin Himself, He could not atone for the sins of His fellow mortals. Thus a firm belief in Jesus Christ as God and Man, is absolutely necessary for all who look for salvation through Him. Another set of false teachers taught, that those who believed themselves to be justified by faith, and so freed from the restraints of the Levitical Law, might sin without fear of punishment. ”

“ These Priests, who were ready to break a positive commandment by putting an innocent person to death, would not break the Law in a small matter.
The fact is, that by this time the religion of the Jews had become a mere form: they made a great fuss about observing ceremonies and customs, which required no self-denial; but they did not care to obey the Will of God, when it interfered with their own wishes and inclinations. They had had no scruple in buying the life of an innocent man, but they would not put the price of his blood into the treasury. ”

“ Mankind must now be considered as divided into three classes: First, the Heathen, who, in addition to all former wickedness, now added a spirit of hatred and persecution towards those who rejected their false religion, for the Truth as is in Jesus. Second, the Jews, who, in spite of all the miseries they had gone through for their rejection of Jesus Christ, still clung to the Law of Moses; hating the Heathen, but above all, hating the followers of Jesus with an increasing hatred. ”

“ Disobedience, passion, quarrelsomeness, idleness—in short, all the faults you can have—are evil things which defile the temple, and render it unfit for the abode of the Holy Spirit. If you try to resist evil, the Holy Spirit will help you to do so; but if you give way to bad passions, and allow the Devil to govern you, you will grieve the Holy Spirit of God, and at last force Him to leave you to follow your own ways. To be left to follow your own evil ways is the most dreadful thing that can happen to you. ”

“ Then Jesus, answering the question put to Him by the disciples of John, said unto them, "Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that 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 unto them." The Jews all knew perfectly well, that the doing of all these wondrous miracles was to be a sign to point out the Messiah, for the prophets had declared that He should do them. ”

“ Faithfully did Peter obey his Master's command, "Follow me"; for he went about teaching after His example, until He died by the same death. But in his death, Peter gave a further proof of humility; for considering himself unworthy even to die in the same way as Jesus had done, he begged to be crucified with his head downwards; and this request was granted. Death for the sake of our religion is called martyrdom, and those who so suffer, are martyrs. ”