and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon Him." He grew as other children grew, only in a childhood of stainless and sinless beauty-" as the flower of roses in the spring of the year, and as lilies by the waters."

There is, then, for the most part a deep silence in the Evangelists respecting this period; but what eloquence in their silence?

We may suppose that a large proportion of these childhood days were given to His intellectual and moral development.

For, strange as it may seem to us, we must remember that Jesus passed through all the stages, and was subject to all the necessities of human life. Hence His deep sympathy and interest in childhood and youth. He was purely a human being.

Evil alone had no seed, and consequently no growth in the spotless nature of the young Nazarene. The innocence of infancy was never lost by Him. He sanctified all the periods of human life through which He passed. He lived without sin, in the perfect development of all the Christian graces which He afterwards inculcated by a sinless life.

He was humanity's ideal from the cradle to the Cross. His human life was a perfect reflex of the Divine character.

His heart was the most sacred temple of the Holy Ghost, which was given Him without measure. His soul was a divine mirror which gave back to earth and heaven all of their imparted grace, and its own innate glory. He continued increasing in wisdom as He grew in stature, and waxed strong in spirit as He increased in favor, both with God and man. So that at twelve years of age He was found in the temple conversing with the learned doctors of the law.

Both His questions and His answers astonished beyond measure the astute and learned rabbis. It was evident that He had not taken His seat in the synagogue at Nazareth in vain. Neither had the young Nazarene studied the Scriptures for naught.

He had stored away for future use all the valuable lessons learned in God's holy sanctuary, until His whole existence, at this age, was purely and spiritually religious.

This marvelous boy also studied nature. His constant allusions to, and striking illus

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trations from natural things, in the discourse of His after-life, shows most conclusively that He had been a close and successful student of nature's arena.

But whatever He may have gathered from natural and human sources, He was also the pupil of heaven. His richest lessons came directly from the Father, who willingly bestowed wisdom without measure upon His Divine Son, Whose will was completely lost in the Divine will. The young Nazarene had a meek and meditative soul, vast in its youthful expansions, and infinite in its continued development. He also had a lofty soul which royalty could not dazzle; an humble soul which honors could not trouble; a pure soul which knew no vexation, and a noble soul which walked calmly alike through the joys and sorrows of life.

Being perfectly conscious of His own superiority, He journeyed on through this world spreading sunshine and blessing.

In His boyhood days, Jesus was simply learning how to live, that He might afterward, both by precept and example, teach others the same great lesson. The real victories of life

are gained in our apprenticeship at learning how to live.

The boy Jesus lived right. His manners were always sweet and attractive. His demeanor was ever generous and captivating, and He walked at all times conscious of the Divine presence.

The Father's grace ever distilled gently and softly upon His Son, like the falling dew or the morning light.

This youth of Nazareth not only taught us how to live, but taught us how to love and labor. Just as He was the only perfect life, so His was the only perfect love and joyous service the world has ever known. He was absolutely perfect in character, and infinitely perfect in degree.

He loved with purest and deepest devotion. those whose thoughts, purposes and hopes were kindred to His own.

He not only loved, but He both sanctioned and sanctified manual labor. He was called the "Carpenter's Son." He learned this humble trade, and made it the honorable means of His support for years. He recognized in labor the girdle of manliness and the salt of life.

In His example He showed what a noble and manly thing it is to work, even where idleness is the stamp of aristocracy. He was perfectly content to labor for others, when He had nowhere to lay His own sacred and weary head.

There is a unique charm in the vein of selfdenial which ran through the entire life of Jesus of Nazareth.

There is a part in the life of Jesus which may be designated as the "Silent Chapter." It is from the twelfth to the thirtieth year. We are told that from the time that Jesus and His parents returned from the "Passover" at Jerusalem, when He was twelve years of age, He gave Himself to the study of the law, and to manual labor, till He arrived at the age of thirty.

About eighteen years then passed away with no record of His words of wisdom, or deeds of daring. Not a footprint is left on the sands of time to mark definitely any of His mysterious journeyings.

We only know that, during this long period of His life, it was His custom to teach in the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and continued to increase in wisdom and stature, as He grew