One by one each approaches the Servant of God, places his hands upon the hallowed head, and confesses over it the sin of the Israel of his own day.

They pass away, and other shapes succeed. Do they personate the heathen nations? It seems so, for the foremost wears the swarthy features of an Egyptian, and has his dress covered with the mysterious hieroglyphs of his people, depicting a man weighed in the balances and found wanting. An Assyrian follows and vainly attempts, till he touches the Victim, to wash the blood-stains from his hands. A third, of more gentle and graceful aspect, with long flowing hair, must belong to the race of Javan, and his features, formed to express so readily every bright thought and joyous emotion, now tell of inexpressible weariness. Then come a hundred others, black, white, copper-coloured, the sunken and the imbruted, the cultured and intellectual, all repeating the same sad tale of sin, all laying their hands on that One Head.

The Stricken One rises from the ground, but is still bowed as if the load of the sins of all those peoples had indeed been allotted to Him to bear. He is standing before some tribunal, for soldiers in a foreign dress are about Him, and others with unknown implements of death seem awaiting Him, while men on either hand with eager faces lay to His charge deeds of rebellion and words of blasphemy. But He only looks calmly on with those piercing but mild eyes of His, and answers not a word.

Then, as if maddened by that meek quietness, they begin to assail Him. They smite Him on the head,

they spit in His face, they bow the knee in mockery, they strike Him with opened palm and clenched fist, but still He stirs not, answers not," dumb as a sheep before her shearers."

The exasperation of His foes increases. The Divine patience and gentleness of the sufferer only call forth greater bitterness and malice. At last they close round Him and hide Him from Azriel's eyes, but he can hear the cruel blows that fall on the sacred body, answered at last by a cry, not of despair, nor of entreaty, nor of anger, but of supplication for the pardon of the brutal murderers that still wreak upon Him their insensate fury.

The crowd disappears. His mangled form is lying on the ground quite dead, and there are ghastly rents in His hands and feet, a deep wound gapes in His side, the whole frame is discoloured with blood; and yet He prayed for their pardon and longed to lift His torturers up from their debasement to the very light of

God!

And now a new wonder. An altar fashions itself about the sufferer, and He lies upon it, a Sacrifice ready to be offered; and then the fire of God comes down and consumes the wondrous Victim, while the smoke fills the whole atmosphere with heavenly perfumes. Again a change, the altar becomes a throne of glory, and the Servant of Jehovah is seated upon it. The thorns that pierced His brow become rays of light, that interwoven form a gorgeous crown. The coarse torn dress is transfigured into a robe of dazzling sheen, like white clouds permeated by golden sunshine, and

tinged with the purple and vermilion of the evening sky. Around the throne a throng soon gathers, gazing on that glorious Being with imploring looks and streaming eyes, while He, rising from His seat, lifts His sacred hands to heaven and makes intercession for the transgressors. And oh, mystery of love! those kneeling suppliants were the very men that trampled on the Holy One and slew Him. Then came together, as from the four winds, a countless host composed of all nations, peoples, and tongues, over all of whom His hands were stretched out in blessing,-when Azriel awoke, and behold it was a dream! But in that dream he had learned how "Heavenly Love shall outdo hellish hate," and how Love upheld, endured, ruled, and atoned for all our guilty race. And filled with this great thought he saw almost unmoved the stern face of the jailer, who stood by him and said, "Thou art called to answer before the king for thy crimes!"

CHAPTER XXX.

MARTYRDOM.

Ir was nearly noon when Manasseh, arrayed in royal apparel, took his seat on the throne, on which Jehoshaphat and Hezekiah had so often pronounced righteous judgment, but where now Lust, Falsehood, and Murder, hiding their hideousness in a fair and youthful form, dealt out torture and death to all that was truest and holiest in Jerusalem. Several idolatrous priests soon gathered round the king, and the royal body-guard so filled the court of judgment that but few of the people could find a place there. Then Azriel was brought in, heavily ironed and strongly guarded, and placed directly in front of the throne.

Manasseh seemed somewhat abashed as he met the gaze of his late guardian, but nerved himself for the task before him, and asked, "Who hath aught to lay to the charge of the son of Hananiah?

After a short pause the son of Shobab left his place of honour at the left hand of the throne, and advancing before it said, "I do, my lord the king. I swear that the son of Hananiah hath blasphemed thee

and the gods thou dost worship. He hath said that thou art the unworthy son of thy father, and that Jehovah hath given thee to be a curse to this land. He hath said, 'As well offer prayers to a rock or a tree as to the great glory of the sun.'

"Is it, indeed, thus, O Azriel?" asked the king.

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'My lord the king," answered Azriel, "thou knowest that I serve Jehovah. What else can I say of thee but that thou art as a curse to this people, while thou causest them to wander from the ways of the God of thy father, who walked before Him with a perfect heart? But if thou repent of thy wickedness and turn from thy idols thou shalt have no servant more devoted than the son of Hananiah."

An apostate priest now stepped forward, and made lowly obeisance. "O king, live for ever! Half of the iniquity of Azriel hath not been told thee. I was present when he with many traitors met in the crypt of the Temple. Against thy life did they conspire, O Manasseh! They purposed to surround the fane of Moloch, while thou wert worshipping there, and to treat thee and thy servants as Jehu, king of Israel, treated such as worshipped Baal. Surely thou hast only escaped because thy gods loved thee.”

The king turned pale.

"The priest bears false witness," answered Azriel. “I indeed heard this counsel given, but I protested against such who gave it, for I dared not lift my hand against the anointed of Jehovah, the son of David." "My lord!" interposed Shobab, "he hath confessed that he united himself to traitors. Why shouldest