BAPTISM OF OUR SAVIOUR. [figure description] Illustration page. Image of Jesus with halo and dove hovering over him. He is standing in a river. John the Baptist is behind him with his arms raised, also in the river. Many other figures stand or kneel on the shore.[end figure description]

[figure description] Blank Page.[end figure description]

p612-146 LETTER X.

[figure description] Page 113.[end figure description]

My Dear Father:—I will commence this letter by
asking your dispassionate perusal of my preceding
epistle, and entreating you not to let any prejudice
unworthy of the wisdom and liberality by which you are
distinguished among men, lead you to reject, without examination,
belief of the events which have formed the
subject of my recent letters to you, and to close your
mind to the convictions to which they may give rise.
Please, my honored and beloved father, please to consider
impartially the things of which I have written, the preaching
of John, and his baptism of Jesus, whom, before ten
thousand people he declared to be Messias, to whom he
bore witness, and how the voice of God, as audible in the
ears of all as that which shook Horeb, proclaimed from
heaven that he was “His beloved son!” Think of all
this, and ask yourself seriously, “Is not this the Christ?”

This question need not pass far on its way ere it finds a
response from my lips and heart: “Yes, it is the Christ,
and I will believe in Him!”

I can see your face, my dear father, change its expression
of mild benignity, as you read this confession from my pen!
I can see you look both displeased and grieved. But you
have no reason to fear that I shall do or believe aught that

[figure description] Page 114.[end figure description]

will bring shame on your gray hairs, or your name. If
thou art a Jew, and proud of being descended from the
lineage of the Patriarchs who walked with the Lord, I am
also equally proud of my nation and of my faith. In believing
Jesus of Nazareth to be the Messias of God, I do
not make myself less a Jewess; but, without believing it,
my dear father, I could not be completely a Jewess. Has
not the Messias of our nation been the burden of Judah's
prayer, and of Israel's hope, for ages? Does not the belief
that Messias cometh, constitute one of the great characteristics
of the Jewish race? Do the Gentiles look for
the Christ? If not, then, and we alone look for him,
and every mother in Israel hopes tremblingly, with joy
and doubt, that he may be found in her first-born son, is
it that I am less a Jewess, or rather that I am only a true
Jewess, when I believe Jesus to be the Messias, seeing in
Him all that a Messias could bring, even the voice of God
in testimony of His Mission? But I sincerely trust, my
dear father, that I am defending my belief unnecessarily,
and that when you come to read and compare, and examine
well, you will rejoice with me that God has remembered
Israel, and that He is about to take away her
reproach among the nations.

I shall wait for your next parcel of letters with the
deepest solicitude, in order that I may know what your
decision is in reference to these extraordinary things which
are coming to pass. You will not hear them only from
my letters, dear father, for the report of these wonders is
broad-cast over the land, and men who witnessed the baptism
of Jesus, will, no doubt, report in Egypt what then
took place, especially the voice of God rolling like

[figure description] Page 115.[end figure description]

articulate thunder along the cloudless sky, and the descent of
the fiery dove upon the head of the new Prophet. Merchants
of Damascus and of Cairo were present, leaving
their trains of camels a little way off; and Arab horsemen
sat in their saddles on the outside of the crowd; while
Roman soldiers, strangers from Persia and Edom, and
even the merchants from Media, with numerous people,
Gentiles as well as Jews, were seen mingled with the
multitude. This thing, therefore, was not done in a
corner. The voice I plainly heard, and understood every
word! It seemed to me to come from the far blue depths
of Heaven at an immeasurable distance, but with the clearness
of a trumpet, and the sonorous majesty of thunder.
But the light which descended was the most dazzling that
human eyes ever encountered; and though when descending
with the velocity of lightning, it seemed like a lance
of fire; yet, upon reaching the bared head of Jesus, as He
came forth out of the water, it assumed, as I before stated,
the shape of a dove; and, resting upon Him, overshadowed
Him with its wings of light, and cast over his whole person
a glittering splendor, like the sun. This lasted for full a
minute, so that all eyes beheld it, and then came the voice
from heaven! The brilliancy of the light from the dove
was so resplendent that I could not behold it; and when
I looked again it had disappeared; but a halo of softened
lustre shone still around the head of Jesus, and his face,
like that of Moses, emitted rays of glory. While thousands
either stood stupefied, or fell upon their faces in adoration
and fear, He withdraw himself from the multitude, no one
knew how, save two persons, whose eyes never wander

[figure description] Page 116.[end figure description]

from him. These were the cousin of Mary, John, and
Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha.

The people, after recovering a little from their amazement
and awe, were looking for Him, and inquiring
whither he had gone, some gazing into the water, some
towards the wilderness, some even gazing upwards into
heaven, of which I was one, as if they expected to behold
Him ascending upon a chariot of dazzling clouds towards
the throne of his God and Father, who had acknowledged
Him to be his Son. The general impression was, that
He was taken up into Heaven; and some wept that a
Prophet was sent to be taken so soon; while others rejoiced
that the Lord had not forgotten to be gracious
unto the house of Israel; some doubted, and called it
magic and sorcery; and others, who were doubtless filled
with their own wickedness, mocked, and said the voice
was thunder, and the light lightning. But here they were
disputed against, for said hundreds, “There is no cloud
in the sky, then whence could come thunder and lightning?”
But the majority believed and greatly rejoiced at
what they had seen and heard. The prophet John, of
Jordan, appeared to me to be more surprised at what had
taken place than any others. He looked constantly around
for Jesus, and then, with his hands clasped together and
uplifted, gazed heavenward, as if satisfied, with the thousands
around him, that he had been received up into
Heaven.

The excitement which the sudden disappearance of
Jesus produced, led to a universal separation of the multitude,
who dispersed in all directions, some to seek for
Him, some to spread the news of what they had seen, and

[figure description] Page 117.[end figure description]

all forgetting John, whom they had hitherto followed, in
the greater splendor of the new Prophet, whose advent had
been so remarkably accompanied by fire and a voice from
the sky.

Rabbi Amos and our party remained standing near the
water, for he did not wish us to be lost in the retiring
throngs, and he desired to speak with John, who stood
alone in the midst of the water, precisely where he had
baptized Jesus. Not one of his disciples remained with
him. Rabbi Amos drew near, and said to him:

“Holy prophet, knowest thou what man, if man he
may be called, was just baptized by thee?”

The prophet, whose eyes had been steadfastly raised all
the while, bent his looks with tearful tenderness upon
Rabbi Amos, and said, plaintively and touchingly:

“This is He of whom I said—After me cometh a man
which is preferred before me, for He was before me. And
I know Him not; but He that sent me, to baptize with
water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see
the Spirit descending and remaining on Him, the same is
He that baptizes with the Holy Ghost. And I saw the
Spirit descending like a dove, and I saw and bear record
this is the Son of God!”

“And whither, oh, holy prophet of Jordan,” asked
Rabbi Amos, with deep and sacred interest, “whither has
He departed?”

“That I know not! He must increase and I must
decrease, whether He remaineth on earth, or be taken
up into Heaven! My mission is now drawing to its
close: for He to whom I have borne witness is
come.”

[figure description] Page 118.[end figure description]

“And is He come to depart so soon forever?” I asked,
with deep interest; “shall we behold Him no more?”

“The hidden things belong to God. I know not
whence He came, for I knew Him not until the Spirit descended
and abode upon Him, nor whither He goeth. Ye
have heard my testimony that this is the Messias, the
Christ, the Son of God!”

Thus speaking, he turned and walked out of the water on
the side towards Bethabara, and disappeared among the
trees that fringed the bank. I now looked in the face of
Rabbi Amos, upon whose arm Mary was tearfully leaning,
still under the influence of the terror which the scenes she
had been a spectator of, had produced in her soul. His
face was grave and thoughtful. I said, “Uncle, dost thou
believe all that thou hast seen and heard?”

“I know not what to say,” he answered, “only that
the things which I have beheld this day are evidences that
God has not forgotten his people Israel!” He said no
more. We left the banks of the Jordan in silence and
awe, and remounting our mules, which the two Gibeonite
slaves held for us in waiting, under a palm tree not far
off, we returned towards my uncle's house at Gilgal. On
the way we constantly passed crowds of people who were
riding and walking; and all were in high talk about
what had taken place at the river. The impression seemed
to be that Jesus had gone up into Heaven.

But, my dear father, it is with deep joy that I am able
to tell you that this wonderful person is still on the earth,
and doubtless permitted to remain for some great purpose.
I stated that my cousin John, and Lazarus, the Secretary
of the Scribes, had kept their eyes upon Him from the first,

[figure description] Page 119.[end figure description]

and that they had seen Him pass down the river, where
some projecting and overhanging trees hid Him at once
from view. Though they often lost sight of Him, they yet
followed Him by the print of His sandals in the wet sand
of the shore; and at length came in view of Him, as He
was leaving the river bank, and going towards the desert,
between two hills, which hid Him from their eyes. But
one of the young men said to the other, while both were
burning with wonder and love:

“Let us not fail to overtake Him, and follow Him
whithersoever He goeth; for with Him must be the well
of life, as He is the highly favored of God.”

So they went on; but though they moved on rapidly,
they next saw Him far distant, crossing the arid plain that
stretches south towards Jericho and the desert. They ran
very swiftly, and at length overtook Him, calling “Master,
good master, stay for us, for we would follow and learn
of thee!”

He stopped, and turned upon them a look so pale, and
marred with sadness and anguish, that they both stood
still and gazed on Him with amazement at such a change.
The glory of his beauty had passed away, and the beaming
splendor which shone from his countenance was wholly
gone. The expression of unutterable sorrow that remained,
pierced them to the heart. Lazarus, who had been so
long his bosom friend, wept aloud. “Weep not! thou
shalt see me another day, my friends,” He said. “I go
now to the wilderness in obedience to the Spirit which
guideth me thither. Thou shalt, after a time, behold me
again. It is expedient that I go whither I go.”

[figure description] Page 120.[end figure description]

“Nay, but we will go with thee,” said Lazarus, earnestly.
“If thou art to endure evil, we will be with thee.”

“There must be none to help. There must be none to
uphold,” He said firmly, but sadly. “I must tread the
wine press of temptation alone!”

He then left them, waving his hand for them to go
back, which they did sorrowfully, wondering what his words
meant, and wherefore it was needful for Him to go into
the desert, where certain mysterious trials seemed to wait
for Him; and they wondered most of all at the change in his
countenance, which from being lustrous with celestial light,
was now, said Lazarus, “marred more than the sons of
men.” From time to time the two young men looked backward
to watch the receding figure of the Christ, till they
no longer distinguished Him in the distance of the desert,
towards which He steadfastly kept his face.

The two friends then came to the house of Rabbi Amos,
at Gilgal, the same night, and there Lazarus made known
to us what I have just related. It affected us all deeply;
and we sat together late at night upon the porch under
the fig trees, talking of Jesus, and the things that had
transpired concerning Him that day; and though we all
rejoiced that He was on earth, we wept to think that He
was driven by some destiny unknown and unfathomable
by us, to dwell alone in the wilderness.

Now, my dear father, how wonderful is all this! That
a great Prophet is among us, cannot be denied. The sun
of John the Baptizer's fame dwindles into a star before
this Son of God! That He will draw all men unto Him,
even into the wilderness, if He takes up his abode there,
cannot be questioned. But all is mystery, awe, curiosity,

[figure description] Page 121.[end figure description]

wonder, and excitement just now. No one has settled
upon any opinion as to what will be the end of these
things. Rabbi Amos advises all persons to wait patiently
the issue, for if God has sent a Prophet, He must have
a mission which in due time He will come forth from the
wilderness to deliver. In my next I may be able to write
you something further touching the development of that
which remains so much enveloped in mystery. May the
God of our father's house come forth indeed from the
Heavens, for the salvation of His Prophet.

p612-155 LETTER XI.

[figure description] Page 122.[end figure description]

My Dear Father:—In my last letter to you, I spoke
of our return from Jordan, to Gilgal, to the countryhouse
in the wheat fields of Peniel, where Rabbi Amos
sojourns during the two weeks of harvest. At the house
were assembled, not only John, the cousin of Mary, and
the noble Lazarus, but also Gamaliel, and Saul, his disciple,
of whom I have before spoken, who were invited to
partake of my uncle's hospitality for the night; besides,
the court of the dwelling was thronged with strangers,
and the common people, who, being far from their homes,
and without food, had freely been invited to lodgings and
food by the hospitable priest.

As we sat up late conversing upon the remarkable
events of the day, an observation made by John, when
speaking of the change in the face of Jesus, that “His
visage was marred more than the sons of men,” led the
venerable Gamaliel to say to us:

“Those are the words of Esaias, and are truly spoken
of Messias, when He shall come.”

“Let us consult Esaias, then, and see what further he
hath said,” cried Rabbi Amos. “Mary, bring hither the
roll of the Prophets.”

[figure description] Page 123.[end figure description]

My cousin Mary returned, and placed it on a small stand
before him, for, as I said in my last, we were all seated in
the porch, where the evening breeze was cool. A lamp
then being brought, I held it above the roll of parchment,
while my uncle found the part of the Prophet to which
the words belonged.

“Read aloud, worthy Rabbi,” said the philosopher
Gamaliel, “we will all listen; for though I do not believe
this young man who was to-day baptized is Messias and
Christ, who is to restore all things to us, yet I am prepared
to reverence Him as a Prophet.”

“And,” answered Rabbi Amos, “if we find the prophecies
do meet in him which we look for to meet in Messias
when He cometh, wilt thou believe, venerable father?”

“I will believe and reverently adore,” answered the
sage, bowing his head till his flowing white beard touched
his knees.

“Read, Adina, for thy eyes are young,” said my uncle;
and obedient, though embarrassed before such an audience,
I read as follows:

“Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be
exalted and extolled, and be very high. As many were
astonished at thee, His visage was so marred more than
any man, and His form more than the sons of men.”

“How completely,” said John, these words described
his appearance on the verge of the desert.”

“But,” said Saul, Gamaliel's disciple, “if this be prophesied
of the Christ, then we are to have a Christ of dishonor,
and not one of honor and glory. Read one part
that you have omitted, and you will see that there are
words that import a higher condition than that of this

[figure description] Page 124.[end figure description]

unknown person, whom John the Baptizer himself confessed
he did not know, nor ever beheld before.”

I read on as follows: “Behold my servant shall be exalted
and extolled, and be very high. He shall sprinkle
many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at Him.
He shall lift up his hand to the Gentiles, and set up his
standard to the people. Kings shall bow down to Him
with their faces to the earth, and lick up the dust of his
feet!”

“There! such is our Messias,” exclaimed Saul.

“Yes, it is a Christ of power and dominion who is to
redeem Israel,” added Gamaliel; “not an unknown
young man, scarcely thirty years of age, who came from
whence no one knoweth, and hath gone as he came. As
for the Christ, we shall know whence He cometh!”

At hearing this great and good man thus discourse,
dear father, my heart sank within me; for I could not
but confess that these prophecies of honor could not apply
to the humble person John had baptized; for Lazarus had
already told us that his friend Jesus was of humble birth,
a carpenter's son, and his mother a widow; that he had
known him from boyhood, but known him only to love
him. I now looked towards him, but I took courage
when I saw that the words of Gamaliel did not in the
least dim the light of his faith and confidence, which
sparkled in his eyes, that his friend Jesus was truly
Messias of God. But my eye fell on what follows, and as
I read it I gained more confidence: “He hath no form nor
comeliness: and when we shall see him there is no beauty
that we should desire him.”

“If the first part of this prophecy,” said Lazarus, his

[figure description] Page 125.[end figure description]

fine eyes lighting up, as he looked at Saul, “be of the
Christ, as you have confessed, then is this last of him;
and the fact that you reject him, is but the fulfilment of
this part of the prophecy.”

Hereupon arose a very warm discussion between
Gamaliel and Saul on one side, and Rabbi Amos, John,
and Lazarus, on the other, the former contending that the
prophecies referred to two distinct Christs, one of whom
was to be lowly and a sufferer, and the other honorable
and a conqueror; while the latter maintained, that the
seemingly opposite predictions referred to but one Christ in
two different periods and circumstances of his life.

“But let this be as it may,” said John, after the arguments
on both sides had been exhausted, “how will you,
O Gamaliel, and you, Saul, get over the extraordinary
voice and fiery appearance which distinguished the
baptism?”

“That must have been a phenomenon of nature, or
done by the art of a Babylonish sorcerer, whom I saw in
the multitude,” answered the philosopher.

“Did you not hear the words?” asked Rabbi Amos.

“Yes, Rabbi; nevertheless, they may have been thrown
into the air from the lungs of the sorcerer; for they do
marvellous things.”

“Would you suppose that a sorcerer would be disposed
to apply the sacred words of the Lord?” asked John,
earnestly.

“By no means,” he answered reverently.

“If Rabbi Amos will allow me, I will show you the
very words in King David's prophecies of Messias.”

All looked with interest on John, as he took from his

[figure description] Page 126.[end figure description]

mantle a roll of the Psalms. He read as follows, looking
at Gamaliel:

“Why do the rulers take counsel together against the
Lord, and against his anointed? I will declare the
decree. The Lord hath said unto me, `Thou art my Son;
this day have I begotten thee.”'

Upon hearing this read, Gamaliel was thoughtful.
Rabbi Amos said: “Of a truth, we Jews believe these
words were to be spoken to our Christ by the Lord Jehovah.
Have we not heard this prophecy fulfilled this very
day in our ears?”

“It is extraordinary,” answered Gamaliel. “I will
search the scriptures when I reach Jerusalem, to see if
these things be so.”

“And the light in the form of a dove! Dost thou find
an explanation for that?” asked Rabbi Amos.

“No,” answered he; “and I will withhold all further
opinion for the present.”

“It becomes you, O Gamaliel,” said Rabbi Amos,
“who art a father and teacher in Israel, to know whether
these things be so, that thou mayest teach thy disciples.”

“But,” said Saul with some vehemence, “listen while
I read some prophecies also.” And he unrolled a book of
the Prophets and read these words:

“Thou Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little
among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he
come forth unto me that is to be Ruler in Israel, whose
goings forth have been ever of old, from everlasting.”
“Now, you will confess, Rabbi Amos,” he added, with a
look of triumph, “that this refers to our expected Messias.”

“Without doubt,” answered my uncle—“but”—

[figure description] Page 127.[end figure description]

“Wait,” said Saul, “until I read you another prophecy:
`I have made a covenant with David, Thy seed will I
establish forever, and build up thy throne to all generations.
His seed shall endure forever, and his throne as the sun
before me. Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I
will raise unto David a righteous Branch.' Now you
will all admit, brethren, that these prophecies refer to
Messias. He is therefore to come of the lineage of David,
and he is to be born in Bethlehem. Show me that this
Jesus, the Nazarene, fulfills both conditions in his own
person, and I will prepare to believe in him.”

This was said haughtily, and with the air of one who
cannot be answered.

But immediately Lazarus rose to his feet and said:
“Although I did not before know of this prophecy, that
Christ was to be born in Bethlehem, yet I am overjoyed
to find the fact respecting Jesus fulfills it. He was born
in Bethlehem of Judah. This I have known some years;
and—”

Here, while my heart was bounding with joy, Gamaliel
said sternly, “I thought this man was born in Nazareth?”

“He has lived,” answered Lazarus, “in Nazareth from
childhood only. During the days when Cesar Augustus
issued a decree that all the world should be taxed, his
mother, and Joseph her husband went up to the city of
David to be taxed, which is Bethlehem, and there Jesus
was born, as I have often heard from her lips. But it is
on the records in the proper office of the Temple, and can
be referred to there.”

“Admitting, then, that he was born in Bethlehem,”

[figure description] Page 128.[end figure description]

said Saul, who appeared to be much given to argument,
“you have to prove his lineage from David's line.”

“Wherefore did his parents go to Bethlehem, David's
city, unless they were of his royal line?” asked Rabbi
Amos; “for none went to any other city to be taxed than
that of their own family. The fact that they went there
is strong evidence that they were of David's house.”

“Every one born in the city of David,” remarked
Gamaliel, “is not of necessity of David's house; but it is
surprising if this Jesus was born in Bethlehem.”

“But may not his lineage be ascertained without a
doubt from the records of the tribes, and of their families,
kept by the command of the law in the Temple?” I asked
of my uncle.

“Without question. These books of the generations of
our people are to be relied on,” he answered.

“In fact,” said Gamaliel, “they are kept with the
greatest accuracy, and so ordained by God, for the very
reason that when Messias cometh we may know whether
he who claims to be such be of the house of David or no.
I will examine the book of the Generations, and see if his
mother and father come of the stock and seed of David.”

“And if you find that they do,” asked John, with emotion,
“can you doubt any longer whether Jesus be the
Christ? Will not the fact of his being born in Bethlehem,
and of the lineage of David, not to speak of the witness
of God's own audible voice, heard by our ears this day—
will not these facts lead you to believe that he is the
Christ?”

“They will prevent me from actually rejecting him,”
answered the cold philosopher. “But every child born in

[figure description] Page 129.[end figure description]

Bethlehem, and of the house of David, and there are many
in Judah, fulfills, so far, the conditions of these two
prophecies; they are not therefore Messias.”

“What more can you ask for?” asked Mary, with feeling,
for she as strongly believed that Jesus was the Christ
as I did, and she was pained by so many doubts, and such
subtlety of objection from those who were so learned in
the Prophets. But men reason and reason, while women
simply believe.

“Miracles?” answered the disciple of Gamaliel, and
glancing at the face of his master inquiringly.

“Yes, miracles,” answered the sage. “The Messiah is
to heal the sick by a word, restore sight to the blind, cast
out devils, and raise even the dead.” And here he desired
Saul to read the particular prophecy giving the power of
miracles to the Christ.

“If he restore the blind and raise the dead, I will doubt
no longer,” answered Saul.

There was at this moment an interruption caused by a
noisy dispute in the court among some of John the Baptist's
disciples, who had been baptized only by kneeling, and
having the water poured on them where the place was
shallow, and others who at the flood had been wholly immersed;
the latter contending that the former were not
rightly baptized. Rabbi Amos, as host, went out to put
an end to these disputings, when Gamaliel retired to his
chamber, and the conversation was not renewed.

Thus you see, my dear father, that even on the very day
of these events by eye-witnesses themselves, there is much
difference of opinion concerning who Jesus is; and therefore
I do not expect you, who are so remote from the scene,

[figure description] Page 130.[end figure description]

and who know them only by report, to believe all at once,
as I myself do. Will you write me and tell me what
view you take of all this subject, and what can be brought
from the Scriptures to prove that Messias has not yet come?

The next morning early the people departed from the
court where they had lodged; and when the sun was
about an hour high we also took saddle and rode to Jericho,
where we passed the day with Miriam, the daughter of
Joel, who was cousin to my mother. We found them in
very great affliction, and they could not be comforted by
any consolations which we could administer. It seems
that her daughter Marah, or Mary, as they call her, had
been so unfortunate, from her extraordinary beauty, as to
attract the notice of Æmilius Lepidus, the Prefect of the
Legion, who did honorably, though a Roman, and one of
our conquerors, ask her in marriage of her parents. But
they being Hebrews could not consent to such a union
with a Gentile, and kept her with great strictness, so that
he might never behold her again. But Marah, being very
much devoted to the love of the noble Roman; and he
being also attached to her, they met by stratagem, and
she fled with him to the town of Magdala, where he has a
villa. She is therefore lost forever to the faith of her
fathers, by this simple flight with a Gentile lover, who,
though he marry her according to the Roman laws, doth
not make her an honorable wife according to our own.
This event was the cause of our finding the house of
Miriam a house of mourning. It has produced great indignation
among the Jews against the Romans. Mary was,
I am told, the most beautiful maiden of the tribe of Benjamin,
with golden brown hair that flowed to her very

[figure description] Page 131.[end figure description]

feet, and she was beloved by all who knew her. Thus am
I disappointed in seeing her, as I hoped to have done; and
the pearl armlet which you wished me to bestow upon her,
I still retain in my possession, a sorrowful memorial of the
loved and lost.

Lazarus has returned to Bethany, where his occupation
demands his attendance; but his friend John remained
with us, having agreed with Lazarus that he would go
into the desert and not give up his search for the Divine
Prophet, Jesus, until he had found him; for both young
men feel as sad as if they had lost a beloved and honored
brother. Your daughter,

p612-165 LETTER XII.

[figure description] Page 132.[end figure description]

My Dear Father:—How shall I thank you for your
forbearance with me, and your kind answers to all
my letters, filled as they are with so many inquiries and
opinions, which must surprise, and perhaps displease you.
You say that you have read all that I have written with
impartiality, and that you do not marvel that “one whom
you are pleased to call so imaginative and full of sensibility
as myself, should be affected by what has passed under
my observation in Judea.” You nevertheless refuse,
on your part, my dear father, to listen, with the least proximation
to belief, to the extraordinary recital I have given
you. You are pleased to question the reality of the voice
at Jordan, and the presence of the dove of fire, and to refer
it, as many others try to do who actually witnessed it, to
an illusion of the senses. You are willing to admit that
Jesus may be born at Bethlehem, for many whom you
know “who are not prophets, neither sons of prophets,
were born there.” You are willing to admit that he
“may be of the lineage of David, for David's descendants
are as numerous as they are poor and obscure, yet they are
not Messias, nor pretend to be Christs.” You are content
with doubting the accuracy of the memory of the mother

[figure description] Page 133.[end figure description]

of Lazarus, as to the scene in the Temple, though acknowledging
you have often seen both Simeon and Anna in the
Temple, and about the time stated by her. But your
main objection to receiving John's evidence that this is
the Christ, is, “that he is poor, of humble station, destitute
of influence, received baptism of a man, when the
Messias was to be the baptized of God.” “Who,” you
ask, “of the wise and the venerated, and the learned, and
the aged, with years and experience; who of the doctors,
and lawyers, and priests; who of the Scribes, and who of
the Pharisees, and of the great men of Israel, are to unite
in acknowledging as Him of whom Moses and the Prophets
did write, as the central sun around which all the
dazzling prophecies of Moses revolve; as the end and
crown of the law; as the Lion of the tribe of Judah; as
the Shiloh of the nations; as the Wonderful, the Counsellor,
the mighty God and the Prince of Peace; as the glory
of Israel, and the Joy of the whole Earth—an obscure
young man of thirty, unlearned in letters, the son of a
carpenter, a citizen of Nazareth, a city proverbially mean,
without name, character, power, rank, wealth, influence,
or talents, and the last that was heard of whom was, that
he had fled into the desert.” You add, dear father, that
this mere enumeration of what the true Christ ought to be,
with the enumeration of what is wanting in this man,
should be sufficient to convince me that I have given my
sympathies and faith to one who has no claim to them.
You say further, “that you do not call my Messias an impostor,
because so far as you can learn, he has professed
nothing, proclaimed nothing, declared nothing, respecting
himself. In silence he appeared, and in silence

[figure description] Page 134.[end figure description]

disappeared, none knowing whence or whither;” and you close
your review of my history by saying, “that you shall wait
for further development before you can give the subject
your serious consideration.”

In your next letter, where you again allude to the theme,
you say, that if this prophet reappears, and from his own
lips declares himself sent from God, and by an appeal
to undisputed miracles gives proof of his divine mission,
declaring himself to be the Christ, you will then believe
in Him, provided the whole of the prophecies can be shown
to meet in his person.

On this ground, I am willing that the issue should be
met, dearest father; and you add, with your usual candor,
“that you will not hesitate to acknowledge as the
Christ a man who fulfills all prophecy in his own person,
though he come in a state and condition contrary to
your preconceived notions of the character of the Messias;
for that it would be safer for you to question the correctness
of your own interpretation of the Messiac prophecies
hitherto, than the identity of one in whom, without
question, do meet all the golden threads of the predictions
relating to the Christ.” Here I am content, my
dear father, to let it remain, being fully persuaded that
though this humble young man, Jesus, hath come lowly
and obscure, yet He will prove himself to the world that
He is the true Messias, Christ of God.

Now, my dear father, let me resume the interesting
subject, of which my letters have been so full; and,
moreover, as you have desired me still to keep you informed
of all that transpires touching Jesus of Nazareth,
and as no theme upon which I can write is so pleasing

[figure description] Page 135.[end figure description]

to me, I will narrate all that I have heard since I last wrote
to you.

It is now eight weeks since our return from Gilgal.
For five weeks after we reached Jerusalem, we heard
nothing of Jesus until John re-appeared. He and Lazarus
came into the city together, and to the house of Rabbi
Amos. Our first inquiry was:

“Have you seen him? Have you heard anything
from him?”

“John has seen him,” answered Lazarus, seriously;
“ask him and he will tell you all.”

We looked at John, who sat sad and pensive, as if he
were dwelling in his mind upon some painful, yet tender
sorrow. The eyes of my cousin Mary, which always
caught their lustre from his, were shaded with an inquiring
look of sympathy and solicitude.

“You are not well, I fear,” she said, placing her fair
hand upon his white brow, and putting back the hair from
his temples. “You have been long away, and are weary
and ill.”

“Weary, Mary? I shall never complain of weariness
again, after what I have beheld.”

“What have you seen?” I asked.

“Jesus in the desert; and when I remember him there,
I shall forget to smile more.”

“You found him, then?” I eagerly asked.

“Yes, after days of painful search. I found him in
the very centre of the desert of Ashes, where foot of man
had never trod before. I saw him upon his knees, and
heard his voice in prayer. I laid down the sack of bread
and fishes, and the skin of water I had brought with

[figure description] Page 136.[end figure description]

me to succor him, and with awe drew near where He
stood.”

“How did you find him there?” I asked, with that
painful interest which exacts all details.

“By his footsteps in the sand and ashes. I saw where
He sat down to rest, and where two nights He reposed upon
the ground. I expected to find him perished, but each
day I discovered his progressing footsteps and followed
them. As I now drew near him, I heard him groan in
spirit, and He seemed to be borne down to the earth by
some mortal agony. He seemd to be talking to some
invisible evil beings who assailed him.

“Master, good Master, I said, I have brought thee food
and water. Pardon me if I have intruded upon thy awful
loneliness, which is sacred to some deep grief; but I weep
with thee for thy woes, and in all thy afflictions I am
afflicted. Eat, that thou mayest have strength to endure
thy mysterious sufferings.

“He turned his pale countenance full upon me, and
extended towards me his emaciated hands, while He smiled
faintly, and blessed me and said:

“`Son, thou art very dear to me. Thou shalt one day
be afflicted for me, but not now, and understand wherefore
I am now a sufferer in the desert.'

“Let me remain with thee, Divine Messias, I said.

“`Thou believest, then, that I am He?' he answered,
regarding me with love.

“I replied by casting myself at his desert parched feet,
and bathing them with my tears. He raised me, and said,
`Go thy way presently. When the time of my fasting
and temptation is past, I will see thee again.'

[figure description] Page 137.[end figure description]

“Nay, I will not leave thee, I asserted.

“`If thou lovest me, John, thou wilt obey me,' he answered,
with a tone of gentle reproof.

“But thou wilt first eat of the bread I have brought,
and drink of the water, I entreated.

“`Thou knowest not what temptation thou art offering
to me,' he replied, sadly. `Thou hast not enough for thine
own needs. Go, and leave me to gain the victory over
Satan, for which I was led by the Spirit thither!'

“I once more cast myself at his feet, and He lifted me
up, kissed me, and sent me away. You would not have
known him. Worn to a skeleton by long abstinence, weak
through suffering, He looked but the shadow of himself.
He could not have lived if there had not been a divine
power within to sustain him. His existence so long, for
He had been at the desert five weeks without food, when
I found him, was a miracle, proving the power of God to
be in him!”

“For what mighty work among men is God preparing
him?” said Rabbi Amos, with emotion. “Surely He is a
Prophet come from God.”

“Think you He is still alive?” I asked, with anxious
fears.

“Yes,” answered John; “I am come to tell you He
was sustained through all, and after forty days He came
forth from the wilderness, and suddenly presented himself
on the banks of Jordan, among John's disciples. I was
standing near John, discoursing of the Christ, and marvelling
when his exile to the desert would terminate, when
the Prophet, lifting up his eyes, cried with a loud voice
full of joy:

[figure description] Page 138.[end figure description]

“`Behold the Lamb of God, upon whom the Spirit descended!
He hath come forth from the furnace, like
gold seven times tried in the fire! He it is who taketh
away the sins of the world.'

“I turned, and beheld Jesus advancing. He was pale,
and wore an expression of gentle, uncomplaining suffering,
on his benign countenance. His calm, chastened, dignified
aspect, the serene composure and peace of his looks,
awed me, while they caused me to love him. I hastened
to meet him, and was kneeling in joy at his feet, when
He embraced me as a brother, and said, `Faithful, and
full of love, wilt thou follow me?'

“Whithersoever thou goest, I answered. `Where dwellest
thou, Divine Master?' then asked one of John's disciples,
Andrew by name, who was with me.

“`Come and see,' he answered; and we went after
him with joy unutterable that we had at length found
him.”

“What passed between him and the Baptizer,” asked
Rabbi Amos, “at the river side on this meeting?”

“Not a word. They met and parted like strangers, John
going away across Jordan into the wilderness, as Jesus
entered the village of Bethabara; and approaching the
house of a widow, where he abode, He went in and we
followed him, and took up our abode with him. Oh,
how shall I be able to make known by words,” added John,
“the sweet expression of his discourse? In one day in his
presence, I grew wise; his words filled the soul like new
wine, and made the heart glad. The next day He wished
to go into Galilee, and so to Nazareth, where his mother
dwelleth; and as I had made up my mind to follow him

[figure description] Page 139.[end figure description]

as his disciple henceforth, I have only come hither to
make known my purpose to Mary, to arrange my affairs
in the city. To-morrow I leave again, to join this, my
dear Lord, at Cana of Galilee.”

“Oh, happy, and to be envied, friend and brother,”
said Lazarus. How gladly would I go also and be one of
his disciples! but the care of my mother and sisters cometh
upon me, and I must deny myself the happiness of being
ever near this divine man, and listening to the heavenly
wisdom that flows from his lips. How blind I have been,
not to have discovered, under his gentle and loving character,
and unobtrusive wisdom, the Messias. Truly, he
was among us, and we knew him not.”

“Canst thou divine at all his purpose?” asked Rabbi
Amos of John, “whether He intends to found a school
of wisdom, to preach like the prophets, to reign like David,
or to conquer like his warrior namesake, Joshua!”

“I know not, save that he said He came to redeem that
which was lost, and to establish a kingdom that shall
have no end!”

Upon hearing this, all our hearts bounded with hope
and confidence in him, and we altogether burst forth into
a voice of thanksgiving, and sang this hymn of praise:

“O sing unto the Lord a new song: for He hath done marvellous
things: his right hand and his holy arm hath gotten the victory.

“The Lord hath made known his salvation: his righteousness
hath He openly shewed in the sight of the heathen.

“He hath remembered his mercy and his truth towards the house
of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our
God.

“Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth: make a loud
noise, and rejoice, and sing his praise.

[figure description] Page 140.[end figure description]

“Sing unto the Lord with the harp: with the harp, and the voice
of a psalm.

“With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before
the Lord, the King.

“Let the sea roar, and the fullness thereof: the world, and they
that dwell therein.

“Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together.

“Before the Lord; for He cometh to judge the earth: with
righteousness shall He judge the world, and the people with equity.”

There was this morning no little excitement produced
among the Chief Priests by a formal inquiry sent by Pilate
to Caiaphas the High Priest, asking whether this new
prophet was to be acknowledged by them as their Messiah,
“for if he is to be, it will be my duty,” said the Governor,
“to place him under arrest, inasmuch as we understand
the Jewish Messias is to declare himself king!”
Upon this, there was a tumultuous assembling together of
the Priests in the porch of the Temple, and with many
invectives they agreed to send answer to Pilate that they
did not acknowledge Jesus of Nazareth to be the Christ.
They were led to this the more urgently, inasmuch as
they feared an arrest of Jesus would give the Romans
occasion for arresting other Jews, and so bring on the nation
great troubles; just as, a few years ago, when a certain
impostor rose up and called himself the Christ, the
Romans were not satisfied with taking and destroying him,
but they punished with fines every city in Judah. Therefore
the Priests both denied to the Procurator any knowledge
of Jesus, and entreated him not to pay any attention
to him, till indeed he should find that he openly took the
lead of armed men. What Pilate will conclude to do, I
know not. Rabbi Amos informed us that the Procurator

[figure description] Page 141.[end figure description]

had got some news by a courier that morning, that Jesus,
on his way to Cana, had been followed by full a thousand
people, who, having recognized him as having seen him
baptized of John in Jordan, hailed him as the Christ.

Thus, you see my dear father, that this divine person
is already taking hold of the hearts of the people, and
arousing the jealousy of our enemies. Be assured that
the day will come when He will lift up his standard to the
Gentiles, and draw all men unto Him. The developments
of his power are daily taking place; and although
He has yet performed no such miracle as would be deemed
by you a test of his divine mission, yet I have no doubt
that in due time He will give this proof, and all other
needful manifestations, that He is the Christ of God.

p612-175 LETTER XIII.

[figure description] Page 142.[end figure description]

My Dear Father:—I have received your last letter by
the Cairo merchant, Heber, the son of Malchial, and
having read it to Rabbi Amos, he said, after careful reflection
thereupon, that he could not agree with you in your
opinion touching the undimmed glory of Messiah, viz:
“that he is to come as a King, and Mighty Leader of
Hosts, and reign and prosper, and rule the earth, King of
the kings of the earth.” He desires me to ask you what
is meant by “Messias being a man of sorrows and
acquainted with grief,” as prophesied of him; and how
you interpret, dear father, other than as referring to a violent
end, the words of the wise Daniel, “And after three-score
and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for
himself?” Uncle also desires me to ask you to examine
into the time named by Daniel, when Messiah the Prince
is to come, and take note that we live in the day of the
close of the threescore and two weeks, whereof the prophet
writeth and saith, “Know, therefore, and understand, that
from the going forth of the commandment to restore and
to build Jerusalem unto Messiah the Prince, shall be seven
weeks and threescore and two weeks.” Rabbi Amos says,
the time for the appearing of Christ is come, as all must
confess who read the Prophets; and the only reason that

[figure description] Page 143.[end figure description]

Jesus is not believed to be he, is that he comes in poverty
and humility, fasting and suffering. But, my dear father,
may it not be ordained that He shall come in lowliness and
end in power? Oh, that you could have the faith in
Jesus of Nazareth, that He is Messias, that I have, dearest
and most honored father! Since I last wrote you, my
faith has been confirmed by the testimony which in one of
your letters you demanded. You said, “let me hear that
he has done an authentic miracle in attestation of the
divinity of his mission, such a miracle as was prophesied
Messias shall do, as healing the sick by a word, restoring
the blind to sight, and raising the dead, and I will prepare
to believe in him.”

A miracle He has performed, dear father, and one the
genuineness of which is not disputed by any one. I can
give you the particulars best by extracting from a letter
written by John to Mary, a few days after his departure to
join Jesus at Nazareth; for John has joined himself to
him, and become his disciple.

“Upon reaching Nazareth,” says the letter, “I was
guided to the humble dwelling occupied by the mother of
Jesus, by a large concourse of people gathered about it,
of whom inquiring, I learned that it was to see the new
Prophet they had assembled. `What new prophet?' I
asked, wishing to know what the multitude thought of
Jesus.

“`The One John of the wilderness foretold,' answered
one.

“`They say he is Messias,' replied another.

“`He is the Christ,' boldly asserted a third.

“Hereupon, a Levite standing by said scornfully, `Does

[figure description] Page 144.[end figure description]

Christ come out of Galilee? You read the prophets to
little purpose, if you see therein any Christ prophesied to
come out of Nazareth of Galilee.' Hereupon, seeing the
faith of many staggered, I said, `Brethren, Christ is truly
of Bethlehem; and verily Jesus, though He dwelleth in
this place, was born in Bethlehem.' `Thou canst not
prove it, man,' said the Levite, angrily. `The stranger
speaketh truly,' spoke up both an old man and a grayhaired
woman in the crowd; `we know that he was not
born here, and that when his parents moved here, when
he was an infant, they then said he was born in Bethlehem.
We all remember this well.'

“Hereupon, the Levite, seeing that he had not the
people with him, passed on his way, while I went to the
door of the house where Jesus dwelt with his mother.
There were two doors, one of which led into a work-shop,
where I noticed the bench and tools of the occupation at
which he had toiled to support himself and his mother.
This sight made me half question whether he who was an
humble artisan, whose tools and shop I saw before me,
could in truth be the Christ of God, the Prince Messias
whom all the patriarchs and prophets looked forward to
with the eye of faith, desiring to see his day! and it
required the recalling of the wonderful scenes of his baptism,
the holy dove and voice of God, and his miraculous
preservation in the wilderness, to revive my assurance;
but when, as I entered the dwelling, I saw him standing,
teaching those who hung on his lips, and listened to his
calm voice, and heard the sublime wisdom of his instructions,
beheld the dignity of his aspect, and the heavenly
benignity of his manner, I forgot the carpenter, I forgot

[figure description] Page 145.[end figure description]

the man, and seemed to behold in Him only Messiah the
Prince, the Son of God.

“Upon beholding me, he extended his hand, and received
me graciously, and said, pointing to five men who stood
near him, regarding him with mingled love and reverence,
`These are thy brethren, who have also come out of the
world to follow me.'

“Of these, one was Andrew, who was, as well as myself,
John's disciple, and we were talking with him when
Jesus came forth out of the wilderness. Another was
Andrew's brother, whose name is Simon, who hearing his
brother speak of Jesus as the Christ, had gone with him
to see him; and had no sooner beheld him than he joined
himself to him; and Jesus, from the firmness and immovable
zeal of his character, which He seemed to understand,
called him also Peter, or Stone. The fourth disciple was
of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. His name
was Philip, and he followed Jesus from having been prepared
by John the Baptist to receive him. He was, however,
so overjoyed at finding the Christ, that he ran to the
house of his brother Nathaniel, and finding him in his garden,
beneath a fig-tree, at prayer, exclaimed, `We have
found Him of whom Moses in the law and the prophets
did write, the Messias of God!' `Where is He, that I
may behold Him?' asked his brother, rising. `It is Jesus
of Nazareth, the son of Joseph,' Philip answered. Upon
hearing this answer, the countenance of Nathaniel fell,
and he replied, “Can there any good thing come out of
Nazareth?' `Come thou and see for thyself,' answered
Philip. Nathaniel then went with him where Jesus was.
When Jesus saw him approaching, He said to those about

[figure description] Page 146.[end figure description]

him, `Behold an Israelite, indeed, in whom there is no
guile!' `Whence knowest thou me?' asked Nathaniel,
with surprise, for he had heard the words which were
spoken. Jesus answered, and said, `Before Philip called
thee, when thou wast under the fig-tree, I saw thee.'
Upon hearing this, Nathaniel, who knew that he was all
alone in his garden, and unseen at prayer, when his
brother came, regarded the serene face of Jesus steadfastly,
and then, as if he beheld therein the expression of divinity,
he cried before all the people, `Rabbi, Thou art the Son
of God! Thou art the King of Israel!' Jesus looked
upon him as if pleased at his confession, and said,
`Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig-tree,
believest thou? Thou shalt see greater things than
these. Verily, verily, I say unto you, hereafter ye shall
see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending
and descending upon the Son of Man.'

“These four, Andrew and Peter, Philip and Nathaniel,
were then present in the house with him; and, to my
surprise and joy, with them stood my own brother James,
whom Jesus had seen on the lake in his boat, and called
him, when James left all and followed him. Thus we
were six disciples in all, bound to him by ties of
confidence and love. The mother of Jesus, a noble
and matronly woman, still beautiful, and with a face
of the holiest serenity, was present, and gazed with love
and tenderness upon her Son, listening to his words, as if
she also would learn of him that wisdom which hath
descended upon him from above. The next day James
and I went to the sea of Tiberias, but two hours distant,
to see our father Zebedee, and transfer our interests

[figure description] Page 147.[end figure description]

to him; and, during the afternoon, Jesus passed near
the shore on his way to Cana, when, calling us, we left
our ships with our father and joined him. His mother,
and many of her kinsfolk were of the company, all
going to a marriage of the cousin of the family. Upon
our arrival at Cana, we were ushered into the guestchamber,
and Jesus, in particular, was received with
marked respect by the Hebrew master of the house,
though he was an officer in the service of the Romans.
We here met Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptizer,
who is a relative of Mary, the mother of Jesus. The
meeting between them was very touching.

“`Ah,' said the mother of the prophet, as she looked
upon Jesus, who was talking with the governor of the
feast, `How blessed art thou, O, Mary, to have thy son
ever with thee! while I am a mother, and yet no mother.
The son whom God gave me He hath taken from me to be
his prophet, and he is to me as if he were dead! Since
his twelfth year he has been in the wilderness, knowing
no man, until six months ago he came forth to proclaim
the advent of thy holy Son!'

“The marriage feast at length commenced. The
wine which should have come from Damascus, had not
arrived, the caravan having been delayed by the insurrection
near Cesarea. The guests had therefore but
little wine, and the chief ruler of the town presiding at
the feast, seeing that the wine had given out, bade
the servants to place more upon the board. The mother
of Jesus, who knew that the wine was out, turning to
him, said, `They have no wine!' for it seems that she
knew the power that was within him, though he had not

[figure description] Page 148.[end figure description]

yet manifested it openly. I sat next to him, and heard
her when she whispered to Jesus. He looked grave, and
said with a slight tone of respectful reproof, and applying
to her that title which we in Judea believe most honorable
of all others, `Woman,' he said, `what have I to do with
thy private requests for the exercise of my power? You
wish me to perform a miracle before this noble company,
that they may behold and believe on me. Mine hour for
manifesting my glory to men is not yet come, nevertheless,
in obedience to thy wish, my honored mother, I will do
what thou desirest me to do.'

“She then thanked him with deep emotion, and turned
to the servants and beckoned to them, while her cheek
borrowed a rich color from her hidden joy, and her eyes
kindled with the feelings of a mother about to see her son
display powers such as only come by the gift of God, and
which were to seal Him as a Prophet, before the eyes of
Jew and Gentile. For myself, Mary, not anticipating, or
suspecting what was to take place, I regarded the nervous
emotions of the joyful mother with marvel. When two or
three of the servants approached, she said to them:

“`Whatsoever He saith to you, do it.'

“They then fixed their regards upon him, awaiting his
commands, as little suspecting what they would be as I
did. The face of Jesus, ever calm and dignified, now
seemed to express a certain consciousness of power within,
that awed me. Casting his eyes upon several stone vases,
which stood by the door empty, he said to them:

“`Fill the water-pots with water.'

“In the court, in full sight from the table, was a well,
to which the servants went with jars, which I saw them

[figure description] Page 149.[end figure description]

fill with water, bear in upon their heads, and pour it out
into the water-pots, until they had filled them all, six in
number. While this was going on, the governor of the
feast was relating to the guests, and fixing their attention,
as well as his own, how Herod and Pontius Pilate had
recently become enemies, because the latter, on his way
from Cesarea Philippi to Jerusalem, to be present with
his forces during the weeks of the Passover, having come
to a caravanserai, at night, which was occupied by Herod
and his body-guard, turned them out to make room for his
own, saying that a Roman Procurator was more honorable
than a Jewish King of Galilee. `It will be long,' added
the governor, as the last water-pot was filled, `before this
quarrel will be made up between them. But we talk, my
friends, and forget our wine.'

“`Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the
feast,' said Jesus to the servants.

“They obeyed, and pouring rich, blood-red wine from
the jars which I and others had seen filled up with water
from the well, the amazed servants bore it to the chief of
the feast. He had no sooner filled his goblet and tasted it,
than he called to the bridegroom, who sat in the middle of
the table, and said:

“`Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine,
and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse,
but thou hast kept the good wine until now.'

“`Who hath brought this wine?' asked the bridegroom,
drinking of the water that was made wine. `Whence it
came, sir, I know not.'

“Then the servants and others told that they had filled
the six water-pots with water to the brim, at the

[figure description] Page 150.[end figure description]

command of Jesus, and that when they drew out, behold it
flowed forth wine instead of water. Upon this there was
a general exclamation of surprise; and the governor of the
feast crying out, `A Prophet hath been among us, and we
knew it not,' rose to approach and do honor to Jesus; but
he had already conveyed himself away, rising and passing
out through the door, and sought the solitude of the garden.
Thither I followed him, and worshiping him, sat at his
feet and listened to him, while he unfolded to me wonderful
things concerning himself, showing that he is truly
the Son of God, and the very Christ. But these things I
cannot speak to thee of now, for I do not clearly understand
all that he is to be, save that I know he is destined to
suffer, and to be exalted. Doubt not,” concludes the
letter to Mary, “doubt not that Jesus is the Christ. His
miracle at Cana, of turning water into wine, is a public
display of his divine power. All men at the feast have
believed on Him, and his fame is spreading abroad throughout
Galilee and Samaria. He has told me privately that
he must soon visit Jerusalem, and he will there openly
proclaim his mission as the Christ of God.”

In this manner, my dear father, writes the betrothed
husband of my cousin Mary; and I have given you the
extract from his letter in order that you may see that Jesus
is already attracting great attention, that he has disciples,
and that he is by no means poor who has the power to
convert wells of water into wine. From this letter you
must perceive that Jesus is at least a Prophet, equal to
Elijah, who kept the cruse of the widow of Zarephath.
If, therefore, you acknowledge this much, you must confess
that he is a good man. Now, a good man will not lie.

[figure description] Page 151.[end figure description]

Yet Jesus hath said to John, that He is the Christ! How,
then, my dear father, can any one deny, who believes him
to be a prophet, that he is more than a prophet, even Messias?
Pardon your daughter for thus presuming to reason
with you, but I am so earnest that you should believe,
that I sometimes forget the daughter in the disciple of
Jesus. As for my uncle, the good and learned Rabbi
Amos, he is more than half his disciple; and I have no
doubt that when Jesus shall present himself in Jerusalem,
and he can see him and hear his divine teachings, he will
cast off all prejudice and become his follower.

The rumor of the miracle at Cana has reached Jerusalem
since I began this letter, and I hear that it has produced
no little excitement in the market-places and courts
of the Temple. Rabbi Amos, on his return from sacrifice,
a few minutes ago, said that he saw more than thirty
priests with rolls of the Prophets in their hands, engaged in
looking up the prophecies of Christ. So, my dear father,
you see that the young man “who came,” as you
remarked, “no one knew whence, and went, no one knew
whither,” is already taking hold of the attention of Israel,
and stirring up the minds of all men to investigate his
claims to be the Christ.

p612-185 LETTER XIV.

[figure description] Page 152.[end figure description]

My Dear Father:—You will not require the testimony
of my letters to enable you to appreciate the fame of
the wonderful young man of Nazareth, Jesus, who is daily
proving himself a Prophet indeed, and mighty before God,
showing all the people that God is with Him. Not a
stranger cometh into Jerusalem who does not bring report
of some new miracle which He hath done, some wonderful
manifestation of his power. He still delays coming
to Jerusalem, but is engaged in preaching the coming of
the kingdom of David and of God on earth, teaching in
the gynagogues, and showing from the Prophets that He
is truly the Messias. And his fame for wisdom, for knowledge
of the Scriptures, for power to teach, and for miracles,
has gone abroad through all Syria, so that they bring
to him sick persons, both rich and poor, even from Damascus,
to be healed of him; and he heals all who are
brought unto him, whether possessed of devils, lunatic,
or having the palsy. His footsteps are attended by thousands
wheresoever he goes, and even the Governor of
Philippi, in his chariot, hath mingled in the throng, and
kneeling at his feet, asked the health of his son, who was
palsied; and his son was healed by him, by a word,

[figure description] Page 153.[end figure description]

though many leagues distant. While I now write, a
company is passing by the open window, bearing upon
beds two wealthy men of Jerusalem, who have been given
over by their physicians, who are going to him to be cured;
for all Jerusalem talks of nothing else than the wonderful
miracles of Christ. There was a man who wove
baskets, who has occupied a stall opposite our house for
many years. He had lost entirely the use of his legs, for
twelve years, and had to be carried to and fro. Hearing
of the fame of Jesus, he was seized with a strong desire to
have him perform a miracle upon him. For this purpose,
he begged money from the priests as they went by to the
Temple, but though some gave, all laughed, saying that
he could not be cured, inasmuch as one of his limbs was
withered. But the man had faith, and having begged
money enough for his journey from the benevolent, hired
two men to convey him five days' journey into Galilee.
At the end of three weeks he returned, walking upright,
and well in body and limbs! All the city flocked to behold
him; and he related how that when he had reached Capernaum,
where Jesus was, the crowd was so great that his
bearers could not for some time get near him. At length
Jesus moved on, healing the files of sick as he passed
through them, at a word. “Seeing me,” said the man,
“he fixed his eyes upon me, and said, calling me by
name:

“`Great is thy faith. As thou hast believed, be it
done unto thee.'

“Immediately my legs and ancle-bones received
strength; I leaped from the litter to the ground, and
found that I was whole, without pain or illness. I would

[figure description] Page 154.[end figure description]

have fallen at his feet in ecstasy of joy, but the crowds
which pressed him separated me from the sight of him.
But I filled the air with shouts and hallelujahs to the Son
of David!”

This man, my dear father, I now see daily, moving
about sound in limb and health; but this one instance is
but one of a thousand. John who follows Jesus everywhere
he goes, and is a witness of all that he does and
teaches, writes to Mary, that “the sick and afflicted from
all parts of the land of Galilee, from Decapolis, from
Jerusalem, from beyond Jordan, even from Lesser Asia,
come to him. When my beloved master,” he writes,
“comes forth from a synagogue, where he has been reading
the Prophets to the people, who hear him gladly, I
have beheld two hundred persons, the lame, the palsied,
the withered, the blind, the possessed of devils, and persons
afflicted with all manner of diseases, laid in rows
before the gate of the synagogue, awaiting his coming forth.
Those who bore them were standing in eager expectant
groups near them. It was a painful, yet sublime spectacle,
to behold the hollow eyes of those wretched sufferers,
turned towards the door as the people came running forth,
shouting, `He comes! He comes!' The writhing torments
of the possessed with devils ceased for the moment,
and groans gave way to expecting silence. Jesus at
length appears, and upon seeing his face, that ever expresses
holy benignity and innate power, they set up
touching cries of the most thrilling appeal for his aid,
and such appeals are never uttered in vain. Going through
the rows of beds and litters, He lays his hand upon some,
speaks a word to others, touches the eyes of the blind

[figure description] Page 155.[end figure description]

and the ears of the deaf, lays his hand gently upon the
head of the lunatic, and commands in tones of authority
the devils to leave the bodies of the possessed. And what is
extraordinary,” continues John, the devils always conduct
with more terrific violence as he draws near, and while
they leave the man with curses, they confess loudly that
Jesus is `the Son of David—the Son of God!' and implore,
in the most abject manner, not utterly to destroy them!
So great is the multitude which everywhere follows him,
that he is often compelled to withdraw from them by
stealth, to get to some by-place of quiet where he can
refresh his wearied strength for a few days. At such
times we, who are his immediate followers, have the benefit
of his teaching and private instructions. But he
cannot remain long away from the people. They soon
penetrate his retirement, and he never can refuse their
appeals to his miraculous powers to do them good. How
wonderful is He who thus holds in his hand divine power!
The power of kings is nothing before that which he
possesses in his voice; yet he is serene, humble, oh, how
humble! to our shame, and always calm and gentle. He
spends much time in private prayer to God, whom he
always addresses as his Father. Never was such a man
on earth. We who know him most intimately stand
most in awe of him; yet with our deep reverence for his
holy character is combined the purest affection. In one
and the same breath I feel that I adore him as my Lord,
and love him even as my brother. So we all feel towards
him. His engaging manners, his patience with our ignorance,
his forbearance with our grossness, his ready excuses
for us when we are in fault, ere we have time to

[figure description] Page 156.[end figure description]

exculpate ourselves, all have bound us to him with ties that
can never be sundered. When I next write to you,” continues
John, “I will relate to you, so far as they are understood
by me and my fellow-disciples, the things which
he reveals respecting himself and the object of his mission
on earth. Some things, however, are not comprehended
by us, but he promises that we shall by and by understand
what now appears obscure to us.”

Such, my dear father, is the tenor of the letters which
my cousin Mary receives from John, the disciple of Jesus.
They are all filled with accounts of his miracles, of his
teachings, and of his journeyings. When we shall see Jesus
at Jerusalem, I shall be able from personal observation to
write to you more particularly concerning his doctrines
and miracles. That He is the Christ, thousands now believe;
for they ask, very naturally, how could he do these
things unless God were with him? What is also of
importance, it has been proven by the results of the examination
made by some of the scribes of the Temple, that
he was truly born in Bethlehem, and that both his mother
Mary, and Joseph her husband, are lineally descended of
the house of David. Moreover, Phineas, the venerable
priest, whom you know, hath borne testimony to the fact,
that when Jesus was an infant, during the reign of the
elder Herod, there arrived in Jerusalem three eminent
princes, men of wisdom and learning. One of these came
from Persia; one from the Grecian province of Media; and
one from Arabia, and brought with them gifts of gold and
spices, and were attended by retinues. These three
princes reached Jerusalem the same day by three different
ways, and entered by three different gates, each

[figure description] Page 157.[end figure description]

unknowing the other's presence or object till they met in the city
before Herod's palace. One represented himself descended
from Shem, another from Japhet, the third from Ham!
The king hearing that these three strangers had arrived
in Jerusalem, sent to know wherefore they had honored
his kingdom with a visit. “They answered,” says
Phineas, as he yesterday related the narrative in the presence
of Caiaphas, and many of the rulers and Pharisees,
`that they came to do homage to the young Prince, who
was born king of the Jews.' And when Herod asked what
prince they spoke of, they answered, `we have seen his
star in the East, and are come to worship him!”'

“`How know you the star you have seen indicates the
birth of a Prince of Judea?' demanded King Herod, greatly
troubled at what he heard.

“`It had a motion towards this city,' they answered,
`and we have been led by a heavenly impulse to follow
it, and lo, it has led us to Jerusalem, over which, were
it now night, you would see it suspended, burning with
the glory of a planet; and it hath been revealed to us that
it is the star of the birth of one who is to reign King of
Judah! Tell us therefore, oh king, where this august
Prince is now to be found, that we may worship him!'

“Hereupon,” says Phineas, “the king issued an edict
for all the chief priests and scribes of the people to assemble
in the council chamber of his palace. He then addressed
them:

“`Ye to whom is given the care of the Books of the
Law and of the Prophets, whose study they are, and in
whom lies the skill to interpret the prophecies, search
therein, and tell me truly where the Christ is to be born.

[figure description] Page 158.[end figure description]

Behold here present these august and wise men who have
come from afar to do Him homage; nay more, as they
aver, to worship Him as God. Let us have the courtesy
to give them the answer that they seek, and let us not be
found more ignorant of these things than those who dwell
in other lands!'

“Several of the Chief Priests then rose and said, `It is
known, oh, king, to all who are Jews, and who read the
Prophets, that Messias cometh of the house of David, of
the town of Bethlehem: for thus it is written by the prophet:
“And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, art
not least among the Princes of Judah, for out of thee shall
come a Governor that shall rule my people Israel!”

“This question being thus decided,” continued Phineas,
“Herod dismissed the council, and retiring to his own
private room, sent to the three princes of the East to inquire
of them what time the star appeared. And when
they had named the very day and hour on which they had
first seen it, he was thereby enabled to arrive at the probable
age of the infant. He then said to them:

“`You have my permission, noble strangers, to go to
Bethlehem, and search for the young child; and when
ye have found him, bring me word again that I may
come and worship him also; for it is but meet that we
should pay all possible honors to a Prince of our realm,
whose birth is heralded in so unusual a manner, and to
worship whom even the East sends forth her wise men.'
They then left the presence of Herod, and it being dark
when they left the palace, they were overjoyed to behold
the star which they saw in the East, going before them.
They followed it until it left Jerusalem by the Bethlehem

[figure description] Page 159.[end figure description]

gate, and it led them on to the town of Bethlehem, and
stopped above an humble dwelling therein. When they
were come into the house, they saw a ray of the star resting
upon the head of an infant in the arms of its mother
Mary, the wife of Joseph. They at once acknowledged
and hailed him as Prince and King of Israel, and falling
down worshiped him; and opening their treasures they
presented unto him gold, frankincense, and myrrh, gifts
that are offered on the altar to God alone!”

When Phineas was asked by Caiaphas how he knew
this fact, he answered, that he, himself, prompted by curiosity
to see the Prince they had come to worship, had
followed them out of the palace of Herod, out of the gate,
and even into Bethlehem, and witnessed their prostrations
and offerings to the infant child of Mary. “And,” he
added, “if this be doubted, there are many Jews now
living in Jerusalem, and a certain Hebrew captain, now
stricken in years, who can testify to the slaughter, by
Herod's command, of the infants of Bethlehem; for this
captain Jeremias led on the soldiers.”

“And wherefore this slaughter?” asked Caiaphas. “It
is not on record.”

“Kings do not record their deeds of violence,” answered
Phineas. “Herod kept it hushed up when he found that
he gained nothing by it but hatred. He slew them in
order that the infant Jesus might be destroyed among
them; for the three wise men, instead of returning through
Jerusalem to their own country, and informing him where
they had found the child, departed by another way; and
when Herod found that they were gone, he became so
enraged, that he sent out a party of troops, under Jeremias

[figure description] Page 160.[end figure description]

their captain, who now liveth to testify, ordering them to
slay every child under two years of age in Bethlehem,
hoping, as I have said, to kill the infant Jesus among the
number. But the child escaped, doubtless by God's powerful
protection; and his fame in his manhood this day fills
the ears of all Israel. The adoration of these three men,
who were sons of Shem, Ham, and Japhet, represents the
homage of the whole race of mankind that shall yet be
paid to Him!”

“Dost thou believe in him also?” asked Caiaphas,
with angry surprise, looking sternly on Phineas.

“I will first see, and hear him speak; and if he appear
to me to be Messias, I will gladly worship him.”

“Hereupon,” said Rabbi Amos, who gave me the details
of the foregoing interview between Caiaphas and
Phineas, “there arose a great uproar, some crying that
Jesus was the Christ, and others that Phineas should be
stoned to death.”

Thus you see, my dear father, how the evidence increases
in value and importance, proving Jesus to be the
Messiah. His very cradle bears testimony to his divine
character; and surely do his miracles now confirm the
pledge given by the remarkable circumstances attending
his childhood. The captain Jeremias, now a gray-headed
old soldier, having been called upon, testifies that he obeyed
such an order of Herod, and that it was given within
three days after the three Princes of the East quitted
Jerusalem for Bethlehem. Now, my dear father, let me
sum up the evidences that Jesus is the Messiah. First,
his presentation in the Temple, when holy Simeon and
Anna worshiped and prophesied of him. Secondly, the

[figure description] Page 161.[end figure description]

star which led the wise men to Bethlehem. Thirdly, their
adoration of him in his cradle. Fourthly, the testimony
of John the Baptist. Fifthly, the voice of God at his
baptism. Sixthly, the descent of the Holy Ghost upon
him in the form of a dove. Seventhly, his miracle at
Cana of Galilee. And lastly, the glittering coronet of
miracles that now encircles his brow, shedding a light and
glory upon his path that blinds and dazzles the eye steadfastly
to behold. Tell me, dear father, is not this the
Christ?

p612-195 LETTER XV.

[figure description] Page 162.[end figure description]

My Dear Father:—The inquiry you made in your last
letter, “What hath become of John of Jordan, since
the fame of Jesus hath so far eclipsed his own?” I can
answer, but with sadness. Your inquiry seems to infer
that he would feel envious of the power and the miracles
that distinguish his Successor. But on the contrary, John
always plainly declared in his preaching, that “he was
not worthy to unloose the shoe latchet of Him who was to
come after him;” and he distinctly said many times to all,
that “He to whom I bear witness must increase, but I
must decrease!” The mission on which John came terminated
when Jesus came. Soon afterwards he left the
wilderness and entered Jericho, where Herod was then
dwelling. Here he preached in the public places, and in
the market, and on the very steps of the palace, that God's
judgments were coming upon the earth, and that men
must by repentance appease his wrath; and that Christ
would be the Judge of men! Now while he was thus
speaking to the people, and the officers and soldiers of the
Tetrarch's guard, Herod himself came forth upon the balcony
to listen, for he had heard much of John, and had
long a desire to hear him. The prophet no sooner beheld
him, than he boldly addressed him, and sternly reproved

[figure description] Page 163.[end figure description]

him for the sin of having married the widow of his brother
Philip contrary to law. Now Herod, it is said, did not
show resentment at this plain dealing, and inviting the
prophet into his hall talked much with him, and in parting,
offered him gifts, which John refused to touch. The next
day he sent for him again to ask him some questions
touching the Messias whom he preached. Now Herodia,
when it was reported to her how that the prophet had
publicly spoken against her marriage with Herod, became
very angry; and when she found that John was still
favored by her husband, she sent for Herod, and said, “that
if he would please her he must throw the prophet of Jordan
into prison.” Herod would have excused him, asserting
that he was a man of God; but Herodia only the more
vehemently insisted that he should be cast into prison. At
length Herod yielded, against his own will, and gave
orders for the arrest of the prophet, who the same night
was thrown into the ward of the castle. When this intelligence
reached the followers of John, it created great sorrow;
and many went to see him and talk with him. But
he told them they must think of him no longer; that his
short stay was drawing to its close; but that they must
turn their eyes towards the Christ the Sun of Righteousness,
whose rising was unto an everlasting day. “Said I
not unto ye,” he asked of them, “He must increase and I
must decrease?” For some weeks this holy man, whose
only offence was that he had the courage to reprove sin in
high places, remained in prison, while Herod each day
sought to find some excuse for releasing him without displeasing
Herodia, of whose anger he stood in great fear, he
being an abject slave to his love for her. At length the

[figure description] Page 164.[end figure description]

birthday of Herod arrived, and he conveyed word to John
that in honor of the day he would send and fetch him out
of prison, so soon as he should obtain the consent of his
wife, which he believed she would accord to him on such
an anniversary.

Now, after the feast, Philippa, the daughter of Herodia
and of her former husband Philip, came in and danced
before Herod; and being beautiful in person and full of
grace in every motion, she so pleased her step-father that
he made oath, having drunk much wine with his guests,
that he would give her whatever she would ask, were it
the half of his kingdom. Her mother then called to her,
and whispered to her imperatively.

“Give me,” said the maiden, turning towards Herod,
asking what her mother had commanded, “the head now
of John Baptist in a charger.”

The king no sooner heard this request than he turned
pale, and said, fiercely:

“Thy mother hath been tampering with thine ears, girl.”
Herodia, however, betrayed no confusion, but sat unconcerned.
Herod, it is said by those who were present, hesitated
a long time, and at length said: “Ask half of my
kingdom and I will give it thee; but let me not shed
blood on my birthday.”

“Wilt thou falsify thine oath?” asked his wife, scornfully.

“For mine oath's sake, and for these who have heard it,
I will grant thy desire,” he at length answered, with a
sigh of regret and self-reproach. He then turned to the
captain of the guard, and commanded him to slay John

[figure description] Page 165.[end figure description]

Baptist in prison, and bring presently there his head upon
a charger.

At the end of a quarter of an hour, which was passed
by Herod in great excitement, walking up and down the
floor, and by his guests in silent expectation, the door
opened, and the captain of the guard entered, followed by
the executioner, who carried a brazen platter upon which
lay the gory head of the eloquent forerunner of Christ.

“Give it to her!” cried Herod sternly, waving him
towards the beautiful but cruel and heartless maiden, who
stood near the inner door. The executioner placed the
charger in her hands; and, without turning pale, but with
a smile of triumph, she bore it to her mother, who had
retired to an inner chamber. It is said, that no sooner did
she behold it, than she spat in the face, and setting it up
before her, reviled it. His disciples, when they heard of
his death, came to Herod and asked the body of John,
and taking it away, buried it; but when they would have
asked the head also of Herodia, she answered, “that she
had given it to her dogs to devour!” So terrible can be
the revenge of a woman who fears not God!

All the disciples of the murdered prophet then went
where Jesus was preaching and healing, and told him what
had been done to John. “When Jesus heard of the death
of John he was very sorrowful,” writes John, his disciple,
to Mary, “and went away into a desert place apart, in
order to mourn over the fate of his bold and holy forerunner.”
In the meanwhile, the disciples of John Baptist,
believing that the murder of their prophet was but the first
blow of a general slaughter, fled into the deserts, and
sought Jesus to protect and counsel them. At length he

[figure description] Page 166.[end figure description]

found himself surrounded by a great multitude, who had
fled from the cities, chiefly of John's disciples, besides
many who came to hear him preach, and be healed of
him. The place was a desert, and far from any town.
Forgetful of all else, save following Jesus, they were without
food. “Which,” says John, writing to Rabbi Amos,
“we who were his disciples seeing, suggested that Jesus
should send them away to the villages to buy themselves
victuals. But Jesus answered us and said quietly:

“`They need not go away—give ye them to eat.'

“And Simon said, `Master, where can we get bread for
so many? There is verily here an army to be fed, and we
have among us but five loaves and two small fishes.'
Upon hearing this, Jesus said, `It is enough; bring them
hither to me.'

“We collected the bread and fishes, and I, myself, laid
them upon a rock before Jesus. He then said to us,
`Command the multitude to sit down on the grass.' And
when they were all seated he took the five loaves, and
laying his hands upon them and upon the two fishes, he
looked up to heaven and blessed them; and then breaking
them into fragments, he gave them to us his disciples,
and bade us distribute to the people. As often as we
would return for more, we found the loaves and the fishes
undiminished, and I saw with wonder how when he would
break off a piece of one of the fishes, or of a loaf, the same
part would immediately be seen thereon as if it had not
been separated; and in this manner he continued to break
and distribute to us for nearly an hour, until all ate as
much as they would, and were filled; and when no one
demanded more, and he ceased to break, he commanded

[figure description] Page 167.[end figure description]

us to gather up the fragments which lay by his side,
which he had piled up about him as rapidly as he broke
them off, and they were twelve baskets full over and above
what was needed. The number that were thus miraculously
fed was about five thousand men, besides nearly an
equal number of women and children. And this mighty
Prophet, who could thus feed an army, voluntarily suffered
forty days and nights the pangs of hunger in the desert!
He seems both a man in suffering, and a God in
creating!”

This wonderful miracle, my dear father, is one that has
too many witnesses to be denied. He who could feed five
thousand could feed all men! Must not He then, who
could feed all mankind, be divine? Surely, this must be
the Son of God! If I should mention to you all the
miracles which have been done by him, I should fill many
letters. Not a day passes that we do not hear of some
more extraordinary exhibition of his power than the
preceding. Every morning, when men meet in the
market places, or in the courts of the Temple, the first
inquiry is, “what new wonder has he performed? Have
you heard of another miracle of this mighty Prophet?”
Indeed, so great is the interest here felt to see Jesus
and witness his miracles, that where one went to hear
John preach in the wilderness of Jordan, ten go to see
Christ in Galilee. The priests alone are offended, and
speak evil of him through envy. They say that he
draws off people from the sacrifices; that he is preaching
another law than that of Moses; that he eats with
sinners; that he enters the houses of Samaritans; and
that he loveth Galilee rather than Jerusalem, which they

[figure description] Page 168.[end figure description]

contend, is an evidence that he is not the Christ who was
“to come to the Temple and send forth his law from
Jerusalem.”

They even have gone so far as to assert that he performs
his miracles by magic and the aid of Beelzebub, the Prince
of the devils. “If we suffer him to take men's minds as
he doth,” said Caiaphas to Rabbi Amos yesterday, when
he heard that Jesus had walked on the sea to join his disciples
in their ship, and stilled a tempest with a word,
“the worship in the Temple will be at an end, and the
sacrifice will cease. He draweth all men unto him.”

Herod having, as I have said, slain John, and hearing
soon after of the fame of Jesus, said to Herodia: “This is
John Baptist risen from the dead, and therefore do mighty
works show forth themselves in him.”

“If he rise from the dead threescore and ten times, I
will as many times have his head,” answered Herodia;
whereupon Herod privately sent to Jesus, supposing him
to be John Baptist, to keep in the parts of Galilee where
he was. The Levites and Scribes of the city contend that
he is Elias, who it is prophesied must come and restore all
things before Messias. Others believe that he is Isaiah,
or Jeremiah, raised from the dead; and some say one
thing, and others another thing. They are willing to
believe Jesus to be everything but that which he is, viz.,
the true Christ, Son of the Highest.

You have asked, dear father, in your letter, “Where is
Elias, who is to precede Messias, according to the Prophet
Malachi?” This question Jesus himself has answered,
says John, when some Rabbis put it to him. He answered
them thus:

[figure description] Page 169.[end figure description]