MARY MAGDALENE AND THE RISEN JESUS.

BY THE EDITOR.

Sr. Mark says: "Now, when Jesus was risen early, the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils." Seeking Him early in the morning, "when it was yet dark," and finding only an empty grave, she turned away weeping. At that moment Jesus stood before her in the garden. She knew Him not at first, but thought it was the gardener. He called her by nameMary!" The familiar tone of His voice wakened her from her dream of sorrow, and she knew Him.

Overjoyed she would have embraced His feet, as she was wont to do in devout and familiar love. But He forbids her. "Touch me not: for I am not yet ascended to my Father." These mysterious words have some mystical significance, which is rather to be felt than understood. She was yet in her mortal state, and He was in His resurrection state. With this feeling of awe He would no doubt inspire her by His words: "Touch me not!"

With this feeling of holy awe upon her heart, she is to bear the blessed news to the other disciples, who in another place, as St. Mark tells us, "mourned and wept." "Go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God." Then "Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord and that he had spoken these things unto her."

Let us meditate for a few moments on the lessons contained in these words of Jesus to Mary. They teach us this important truth, that Jesus makes Himself, and the glorious news of His grace, known to human beings. He sent Mary to carry the news to His brethren.

He had intended to go Himself, but she must go before. There were also angels at hand, but He does not send them.

The angels themselves act by the same rule. St. Matthew tells us that the angel whom the woman met at the tomb said to them, "Go quickly, and tell his disciples, that He is risen from the dead." Math. 28: 7. On the way, as they went, Jesus, Himself met them; but He did not go with them. He sent them in like manner on before, saying, "Go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me." 9.

There lies a deep truth in this precedent. We find the same habit of the divine economy of grace illustrated after Christ's ascension, in the founding of the church, as is shown by several incidents in the Acts of the Apostles.

The Ethiopian eunuch, impelled by an unconscious longing after the faith of Christ, was returning from Jerusalem, whither he had gone to worship, sitting in his chariot reading the prophet Isaiah. He needed light. The ANGEL of the Lord told Philip to go down into the desert toward Gaza and meet him. He went. As he came near to the eunuch "the SPIRIT said unto Philip, go near and join thyself to this chariot.'

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Mary Magdalene and the Risen Jesus.

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He did so; and when he had fulfilled his mission in instructing and baptizing the eunuch, "the spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more."

Here the angel and the spirit direct Philip, but not the eunuch. Why did not the angel or the Spirit go and instruct and convert the inquiring man? This is not God's way. Through one human being God instructs and converts another!

In the spirit of Cornelius the centurion in Cesarea there dawned a like longing after Christ, whom then he knew not. About the ninth hour of the day an angel came to him. Did the angel instruct him? No. He only told him that there was favor for him in store, because his prayers and alms had come up as a memorial before God. Farther, the angel can only say, "And now send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter: he lodgeth with one Simon a tanner, whose house is by the sea-side: he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do."

He did so. He sent three men. The next day, Peter having been prepared by a vision to receive a Gentile message, was informed by the "Spirit" that three men were seeking him; and the Spirit told him not to doubt, but go down, for He had sent the men. He went, told Cornelius "words," and he, and many other Gentiles received the truth, the Holy Ghost, and baptism. Behold, by men God saves men. The Spirit and the angels publish grace and salvation through men !

When Saul was on his way to Damuscus to persecute the christians, he was struck down on the way, and heard a voice, which was that of Jesus Himself: "I am Jesus whom thou persecutest." Then Saul, trembling and astonished asked the direct question, "Lord what wilt thou have me to do?" Did Jesus tell him? No. "He said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do." He went. There Ananias was sent to him; and he, putting his hands on him, said, "Brother Saul, the Lord-even Jesus Christ who appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest-hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost." Acts 9: ix. He was baptized. Behold God's way! He saves men through men! Such is the divine order. He sends man to man, that man may be saved through man. Thus He says to Mary, "Go tell my brethren ;" and she "came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord."

What a truth is this for every christian to ponder. Whenever Christ reveals Himself in any way to us, he says go and bear that good to others. Christ the Head, works and dispenses His grace, through the church, His body, and through the members which are in the body. As the will says to the hand or foot; "move, and do this," so the gracious will of Christ, says to every vital member in Him "go tell, go do, go act, for me." Thus Christ, in and by all His members, reaches forth, dispensing His grace, and gathering souls to Himself.

Thus, as we have seen, the Saviour, the Spirit, and angels all work on men through men. As Christ lives in each one so He works by him on others. As the Spirit dwells in each one, so He acts through him for the reclaiming of others. And what angels do for men they do through men. Christ is Head over all things to the church. Having ascended on high, he now continues his power on earth through meu. For "he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evan

gelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ." Eph. 4: 11, 12. And to all Saints He says: "Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light."

What one christian knows he must make known to others. Like Mary, we must tell what we have seen of Christ and what he has said to us. As soon as we are blest by a revelation of Christ to ourselves, He sends us on before to those to whom He would Himself come. Even such as are already brethren and disciples, may be blessed still farther by new messages from Christ-messages borne by fellow disciples.

In the case before us, a woman is sent. Though she principally moves in a silent in-door sphere, yet is she not excluded from doing good. She also is sent forth by Christ. We need but look into the gospels and epistles to see how extensively the blessed ministry of woman wrought for the founding and spread of the church. And now still they are more than one half of the church, not only in numbers, but also in labor for furtherance of every merciful and benevolent work.

Mary Magdalene was once a sinful woman-very sinful! But that does not now hinder her from being useful. Grace has filled her, in whom once dwelt seven devils, with the blessed spirit of Jesus Christ; and now like Him she goes about doing good. How highly is she honored of Christ, who makes her the bearer of glorious news to the rest of the disciples. She was one of those last at the cross, and now she is first at the sepulchre, and sees first the risen Saviour. Behold! they who stand firmest with Christ, and walk nearest Him, shall receive his choicest revelations, and be honored with joyful messages from Him to others.

THERE was once a rye-field-it stood in full bloom, and was very beautiful to behold. The stalks stood gracefully leaning, and the blooming heads sent out a fragrance which quite intoxicated with delight those that passed by it. When the breath of spring swept gently over the field, saying: I greet you, ye lovely heads of rye! they bowed so pleasantly, I tell you, many a town maiden has stood for days before the glass and the dancing-master, making courtesies, and yet has not been able to do the thing so nicely as those stalks of rye. Then there was a ceaseless whispering between the wind and the rye-heads, and a humming so pleasant and fine what were they telling one another? Surely they were mutually communicating the most interesting stories. Ah! who can know these and relate them to you. True, the poets understand somewhat the language of the wind and the rye-heads, the trees and flowers, the birds and fountains; but all they do not understand, and how much there may be spoken and done in the fields and woods, which no human heart can conceive!

In our rye-field every thing was very cheerful and lovely. There were also beautiful flowers in it; these looked out smilingly between the green stalks, and it was pleasant to behold how they kissed their blooming sisters, or bowed to them solemnly as if they were blessing them. It was easy to see that they loved one another, the rye-heads and the flowers; and they seemed to belong together by such an inward bond, that one felt reluctant to separate them by plucking the flowers, and thus robbing the field of its modest ornaments. Then, too, the most beautiful butterflies came, and with golden-edged wings flew from head to head, from flower to flower, bringing their greetings from their sisters in the garden, and told them stories of the beautiful rose, and the tender lily, and how sweetly the nightingale sings in the woods, and how charmingly the little brook babbles in the meadow.

But the chief charm of the field were the many larks which had built their nests in it. Oh, how endearingly, and with what care did the

friendly rye hide the tender young birds in its warm bosom, sheltering them from wet and cold, and protecting them from the hands of rude boys and from the deadly shot of the hunter. The flowers, also, hung around the peaceful nest, and smiled encouragement whenever the young fledglings moved their wings in their first efforts to fly. What joy when at last they soared from the green field, high, high, into the blue sky, singing their fresh songs down to earth and still higher up, like a prayer that seeks the loving Father's heart in heaven. Then again did the long stalks of grain bow low and thankfully toward the earth; and in their silent and happy hearts they said: We nursed and protected those sweet songsters, so that they might rise so high and pour forth their songs in so free and blessed a manner in the sunny heights, telling all creatures on earth, in notes sublime, of God's eternal goodness and love. We, it is true, are confined to the earth; we must furnish to men earthly food; but pleasant is it to know that to our nurslings God has given a voice which reminds men of a spiritual life higher than earth, and which can raise them to God and Heaven.

So thought the humble and modest stalks of rye.

But the flowers in joy raised their bright and beautiful crowns, when the song of the larks came down to them. They smiled at one another, and said: We loved and encouraged them; our beauty inspired and ele. vated them; and all that we thought and experienced together in silent and pious solitude here below, they now sing out above in blessed songs, and it sounds already over the wide, wide creation.

In the evening, when the larks returned home from their high flights, to nestle and rest in their well-protected home in the rye-field, how sweetly they told all that they had seen and heard in the clouds, in the blue air, and in the bright sunlight above, where they had sailed and sung in bliss! Thus it was a blessed love in which they lived together, the rye-heads, the flowers and the larks; and not a day passed without bringing some new joy to each and all.

THE MOTHER MOULDS THE MAN.-That it is the mother who moulds the man, is a sentiment beautifully illustrated by the following recorded observation of a shrewd writer:

"When I lived among the Choctaw Indians I held a consultation with one of their chiefs respecting the successive stages of their progress in the arts of civilized life; and, among other things he informed me that, at their start, they fell into a great mistake-they only sent their boys to school. These boys came home intelligent men, but they married uneducated and uncivilized wives, and the uniform result was, the children were all like their mothers. The father soon lost all his interest in both wife and children. 'And now,' said he, 'if we would educate but one class of our children, we should choose the girls, for when they become mothers they educate their sons."" This is the point, and it is true. No nation can become fully enlightened when mothers are not in a good degree qualified to discharge the duties of the home-work of education.