received his condemnation of Pilate no doubt adding much to his popularity, and he in turn responded by conferring many favours. We fill in these years and get local colour from our gospels, which cover this period. Doctrine apart, and religion apart, and taking the accounts at their lowest possible value as legend and tradition alone the most exigent critic will at least admit they are existent-we get a vivid picture of the times. What we read is the story of a king, not merely of a spiritual king, or a mystery king, or a king imagined for edification, but of an actual king, a king de jure, though possibly not de facto, but for all that every whit as much recognized by his followers as their temporal lord as if the weight of government had been on his shoulders. The Jews in their tribal relations were much as many a Scottish clan, which had its chief to whom they gave whole-hearted allegiance. And such was Christ among His people. From His birth to His death His royal descent is emphasised, and in His life He is of right royal carriage. He speaks as one having authority; He is of those who order and do not obey. And the more literally we read the narrative in this respect, the more perfectly He fits into His niche in the history of man. The account begins with His royal ancestral house. His pedigree would not exactly carry a peerage in our House of Lords, but as tradition it is unanswerable, and it is of one otherwise accepted as the undoubted descendant of their king. And all the legends connected with His birth are those of a royal child. His parents-humble, maybe, in this world's goods, but great in ancestrylive at Nazareth. Sentiment imperatively demands that the royal infant shall be born in Bethlehem, the city of His fathers. But there is danger in any such venture. Herod, destroyer in his youth of Hezekias, is not likely in his age to be too kind to the scion of any princely house. He would have no titular head about whom this most turbulent of people could rally. And in their turn they have established relations with

every possible potential enemy of Herod and of Rome, and amongst them the Persians have been advised of the expected birth of an heir, and they have cast the horoscope of the child, they have calculated the star of his nativity, and they have come to bring Him salutation and royal gifts. And so also the country folk, the farmers, the shepherds, the peasants, the backbone of the resistance to Herod and his rule have been kept advised, and the event has evoked great rejoicing. It was in this element of the people the strength of the David party was to be found, and at this juncture they had every reason for wishing to inflame their enthusiasm to the highest pitch possible. And rumours of their proceedings reached Herod, and proved that their fears were well founded. The massacre of the Innocents finds no place in history, but for all that some poor child may well have been put out of the way in mistake for the infant Jesus. But Herod's efforts were vain. The wise men from the East took other road home, and the child and its mother with Joseph found refuge in Egypt. There, and in Alexandria in particular, they were certain of welcome. That they were of the Galilean party would be no drawback, for the Egyptian Jew, as we remember, had his own temple at Heliopolis, and was in none too great sympathy with his priestly brother at home.

And we follow Christ through His life. It is always as a royal figure that we see Him. We have but a glimpse of Him as a boy of twelve, but we see Him. even then as commanding respect. At this time the Jews were well governed and were enjoying much prosperity both at home and in their many settlements. In consequence a new spirit was growing up amongst them, so that many were prepared to accept the position, viz. that of an honoured dependency of the Roman empire. In this period of calm there was a great wave of popular feeling in favour of peace generally. This in especial was the trend of thought in Alexandria, and was not altogether dis

tasteful to the Jews of the homeland. And more,

for the moment we are to see the irreconcilable element also quiescent, and the ensuing years are to be singularly deficient in incident both in Galilee and Judea alike. And the reason would not seem to be far to seek. In His most impressionable years Christ had come within the influence of the strong peace party in Egypt. There had been the flight into Egypt, which probably lasted until the deposition of Archelaus some ten years later, and when he returned to Galilee it is to make himself definitely the leader of the movement in his own country. With the opinion of Alexandria solid in support of his policy, he was probably able to carry with him these patriots ever so restless. But with them their loyalty was beyond question, and they accept the conclusions of their accepted chief. And Christ deprecates all hostility to Rome. The need of His people is peace. For Himself He disclaims all earthly sovereignty. assertion means risings, and wars, and massacres, and reprisals, and He sets His face against them all. His kingdom is not of this world. It is as a spiritual teacher He will conquer mankind. His mission is to teach His disciples a new and higher life. And thus we see Him contemporaneous with the one moderately long period of peace which in these times the country knew. Other causes no doubt contributed to the same end, but can we in reason dissociate Him entirely from such results? That He is never mentioned by Josephus-passages referring either to Christ or His apostles are so obviously spurious as not to be worth a second thought-is that the very peace He was instrumental in preserving was the very reason for there being so little to attract the attention of the most attentive of historians. It is in His teaching that Christ is to remake the world, and Josephus lived in days when His teaching for the time was to be altogether lost sight of. In Christ's own life it made certain headway; then, in the storm that followed, war and its cries filled the land, and it was only after

calamity had overwhelmed the race that men's minds went back to their great Master who had warned them of the dangers that were before them if they took the road of the sword. "He that taketh the sword shall perish by the sword," and with them so it was.

56. But for all such teaching the priestly class were venomous in their hate of Christ. The Christ, more correctly, Jesus the Christ: the Messiah: the BRANCH: the Anointed: the KING. And they hated all kings. Kings were only to be tolerated when they grovelled to their order, or when the title was but adjunct to the greater title of High Priest. And for all the fourth party had taken up their cry, "No king but God," it was in disdain and not in support of their pretensions to rule as God's nominees. And more, they had revived the slumbering rights of the royal and sacred house of David. It had fallen upon evil days, but now for purposes of their own this Judas party had resurrected every pretension with tenfold insistence." And Herod was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him." The menace in the birth of Christ was not limited to Herod alone. In dull times priestly leadership might suffice, but war brewing and a king was in demand. It was thus in the days of Saul"Give us a king to lead us into battle." A high priest might serve to offer prayers for victory, make sacrifice, and such like, but the people wanted a leader not afraid of hard blows. And what of this new pretender, this new Christ or anointed one born outside their body and its authority, and whose birth already had. been occasion of so much grievous anxiety? What matter His political attitude, whether in accord or out of accord with their general policy. He was not to be brooked. And more, this Jesus-the worse that He was the undoubted heir-was no mere puppet in abler hands, nor did He go out of His way to placate them. His heart was torn for the miseries of His people, and the imprecations of Amos paled before those He showered on themselves. In them and their Scribes and Pharisees He saw the oppressors of His people.

Maybe in His own home life he was with those who had suffered from their extortions. In dignity He was all royal, but in worldly possessions He had not where to lay His head. And He denounced them as no other shams have been denounced, and they writhed under the whip of his tongue. And they can make no reply. He is not one to be cowed, and He braves them in their own den. And He has too great a following to be openly attacked. They know the power He sways. There is suggestion that the Samaritans, even, had been bewitched by His personality. With all contumely He had purged the Temple of its moneychangers and its dealers in sheep and in oxen and in doves. He represents too large a body of opinion in antagonism to the city element to be lightly challenged. The nation is radically divided. And now at this Passover feast there is influx by their thousands of those thronging in from the country and neighbouring villages, largely the puritan element which, through the ages, have made the Jew a power in the world. And it is their hosannas reach the priestly ears to magnify their fears and inflame them with wrath. But there is also the resident faction, and they never love their brother of the open lands too well. And opportunity offers; treachery is to serve them well, and they are to seize their prey with safety. He knows His danger, but He is of a family ever reckless when honour calls, and He disdains precautions. And another mob-a city moband crucify Him is to be the cry of the morrow. Meantime hosannas fill them with dismay. His death is imperative. And captured: to risk his delivery is unthinkable. Of themselves their power is insufficient to cope with Him and His screaming mob-the curs, how they hate them; and curs to bite as well as snarl! Rome must be brought in or He yet will escape their toils. And events must be rushed through. Maybe, as told, they are crowded overmuch in less than twenty-four hours, but a moment's delay and they are in a shiver of nervous anxiety. And Pilate must