strengths of faith in all temptations, and may be refreshed with the comforts of a holy hope in all my sorrows, and bear the burden of the Lord, and the infirmities of my neighbours, by the support of charity; that the yoke of Jesus may become easy to me, and my love may do all the miracles of grace, till from grace it swell to glory, from earth to heaven, from duty to reward, from the imperfections of a beginning and still growing love, it may arrive to the consummation of an eternal and never-ceasing charity; through Jesus Christ, the Son of Thy love, the anchor of our hope, and the author and finisher of our faith; to whom, with Thee, O Lord God, Father of heaven and earth, and with Thy Holy Spirit, be all glory, and love, and obedience, and dominion, now and for ever. Amen."

PASSAGE FROM OUR BLESSED LORD'S LIFE AND SUFFERING.

"Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man!"

MEDITATION.

"Behold the Man.' - After the soldiers had inflicted their severe treatment on Christ, 'Pilate therefore again went out' from the judgment-hall to the Jews, taking Jesus with him, in the hopes of moving His enemies by so miserable a spectacle of suffering, so that they would relinquish their murderous purpose; 'and says to them, Behold I bring Him out to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in Him.' That is to say, By this punishment which I have inflicted on Him, you may perceive that I am satisfied there is no charge against Him which can warrant

His death. As he spake these words, the soldiers were bringing forth the object of their cruelties, bleeding, with all the signs of the maltreatment He had received at their hands. 'Jesus therefore,' says St. John, 'came forth, bearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And he saith unto them, Behold the Man! Very desirous to mitigate them, and induce them to relent on this occasion. Pilate drops the offensive expression, the King of the Jews,' which he had been using in derision, and adopts a term that might conciliate their pity towards one so unworthy of their envy. If it is the king ye envy,' says St. Augustine, 'spare Him now when thus debased. He saith unto them, 'Behold the Man!'' Very remarkable again and wonderful are Pilate's words; for our Lord had declared Himself God, and for that confession He was condemned to death; but Pilate brings Him forth to all the world as perfect 'Man.' As it were by a strange providence, he had before been even dwelling on this word. He spoke of Him as 'the Man,' and kept repeating the term, saying, 'ye have brought this Man;' and, but in this Man I find no fault.' It was the very term by which our meek Lord delighted to express His humiliations,

the Son of Man.' And surely, if any term could move all that was human, all that has left in it the milk of human kindness in man, it was this term, 'Behold the Man!' Evil spirits might still go on to vent their hate, but on mankind such an appeal should not be in vain. What part is there of Him which has not already by ill-treatment evinced His perfect humanity? To all the world Pilate has set Him forth in these words, 'Behold the Man.'"

PASSAGES FROM THE LIVES OF HOLY PERSONS.

Life of St. Clement.

"St. Clement having converted Theodora, a noble lady, and afterwards her husband, Sisinnius, a kinsman and favourite of the late Emperor Nerva; the gaining so great a man quickly drew on others of chief note and quality to embrace the faith: so prevalent is the example of religious greatness to sway men to piety and virtue; but envy naturally maligns the good of others, and hates the instrument that procures it. This good success derived upon him the particular odium of Torcutianus, a man of great power and authority at that time in Rome, who by the inferior magistrates of the city excited the people to a meeting against the holy man, charging him with magic and sorcery, and for being an enemy and blasphemer of the gods; crying out, either that he should do sacrifice to them, or expiate his impiety with blood. Mamertinus, prefect of the city, a moderate and prudent man, being willing to appease the uproar, sent for St. Clement, and mildly persuaded him to comply. But finding his resolution inflexible, he sent to acquaint the emperor with the case, who returned this short rescript, that he should either sacrifice to the gods, or be banished to Cherson, a disconsolate city beyond the Pontic sea. Mamertinus having received the imperial mandate, unwillingly complied with it, and gave order that all things should be made ready for the voyage; and accordingly he was transported thither, to dig in the marble quarries and labour in the mines. Damnatio ad metalla is a punishment frequently mentioned in the Roman laws, where it is said

to be proxima morti pœna, the very next to capital punishments. Indeed, the usage under it was very extreme and rigorous; for, besides the severest labour and most intolerable hardship, the condemned person was treated with all the instances of inhumanity, whipped and beaten, chained and fettered, deprived of his estate, which was forfeited to the exchequer, and the person perpetually degraded into the condition of a slave, and consequently rendered incapable to make a will. And not this only, but they were further exposed to the most public marks of infamy and dishonour; their heads half-shaved, their right eye bored out, their left leg disabled, their forehead branded with an infamous mark, a piece of disgrace first used in this case by Caligula, (and the historian notes it as an instance of his cruel temper,) and from him continued till the time of Constantine, who abolished it by a law, Ann. Chr. 315; not to mention the hunger and thirst, the cold and nakedness, the filth and nastiness, which they were forced to conflict with in those miserable places."

Sixth Wednesday in Lent.

PREPARATION FOR HOLY COMMUNION-continued.

PASSAGE FROM HOLY SCRIPTURE.

"I HAVE received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus the same night in which He was betrayed took bread: and when He had given thanks, He brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is My body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of Me.

"After the same manner also He took the cup, when He had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in My blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of Me.

"For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till He come.

Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord."

RULES.

"1. When the holy man stands at the table of blessing, and ministers the rite of consecration, then do as the angels do, who behold, and love, and wonder that the Son of God should become food to the souls of His servants; that He, who cannot suffer any