met by every holy man and woman who is filled with the Holy One. We know not how much nearer God's ideal we are to-day, than we should have been, had He not allowed us to know and love, and be influenced by some who are now in Heaven, or who are still with us, fighting life's battle. It is true, as the poet sings "Whene'er a noble deed is wrought, To higher levels rise. The tidal wave of deeper souls Into our inmost being rolls, And lifts us unawares Out of all meaner cares." As by the light of Scripture we gaze on the lovely form and expressive face of Mary, as wonderingly and reverently she receives the inscrutable mystery from the angel Gabriel, are we not touched by the revelation of the true woman? No rebellious questioning, no selfish pleading, no sinful fear, but simple trust, loving submission. "Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it unto me according to thy word." Well might her cousin, the mother of John the Baptist, exclaim, "Blessed is she that believeth, for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord." Can we not picture to our mind's eye, those deep, wondering, trustful eyes, as they are gently raised to her heavenly visitant, the expression of affectionate awe which marked her countenance as the consciousness dawned upon her of what had taken place. She and Joseph would seem to have observed a holy reticence concerning the sacred mystery, but unto the Lord she gave vent to her full heart in grateful, jubilant song, in those noble words which are still sung daily by thousands in Christendom: "My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour," etc. In the Mother of our Lord we behold Thought and Feeling as they ought ever to be; linked in closest fellowship, Mary was lovingly thoughtful and meditative, her tender feelings reposed on strong thought, and her heart kept and pondered the Divine revelations and realities. With what holy joy must not this blessed mother have presented herself in the temple and dedicated her Firstborn to the Lord, and how her heart must have been struck with a sacred surprise when the aged and holy Simeon, taking her child in his arms, his face lit up with heavenly radiance, blessed God, and said, "Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word, for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation," etc. From the Gospel narrative we may infer that Mary's love was true and unselfish. There is no pushing herself prominent, no interfering with her Divine Son, for if, in her kindly consideration towards the host of the wedding feast at Cana, Mary's words may be taken as interference, the sequel shows how willingly she submitted to her Divine Son. We read she said unto the servant, "Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it." On one occasion, it is written that our Lord's Mother wanted to speak to Him when He was teaching in the house at Capernaum, but she waited and waited outside, when her heart probably was aching with anxiety for her Son's safety, as at the time, it is probable, a rumour had just reached her of the peril he was in. How indicative of patient, self-sacrificing love! how sure a sign of a modest, submissive spirit! When next in the sacred narrative Mary comes before us, it is in the last scene of Christ's life on earth, and as we remember the love that must have welled in her heart towards her Divine Son, and think of her standing by the Cross, have we not indeed the type of loving submission? The Mother by the Cross! The awful spectacle of the beloved Saviour upraised, nailpierced there, crowned with agonized form, and deathlike face. As those eyes she had so loved to gaze into looked at her, and those lips she had so often kissed and blessed spoke to her for the last time, was not the prophecy of Simeon fulfilled-"A sword shall pierce thine own soul?" We know not what anguish she endured, what these dark days of grief wrought in her. The veil of secrecy thrown over her we would not attempt to raise; but how grateful may we not feel that once more Mary appears in the sacred page, and that one mention throws a blessed light on her whole life. The Lord has risen and ascended, and in an upper room in the City of Jerusalem, heartfelt prayers are rising from earnest, sympathetic souls for the gift of the Holy Spirit: the Mother of the Lord was there; and may we not feel sure to her wounded, anguish-stricken heart, the Comforter brought healing and life. Do we not feel, as we study the features of Mary's character, "This is she the Father loves, This is she the Son approves." In the Saviour's treatment of women when He was upon earth, we may clearly perceive what pleases and satisfies the Heavenly Father. Now Jesus Christ did not tell woman how badly she had been treated; nor expatiate on the greatness of her mission; but by His looks, words, and deeds, He drew out her better self, made her conscious of her deep responsibility, and in all His treatment of her there breathed a spirit which would help her to honour herself. Is it the glory of woman to submit? Christ, and Christ alone has glorified submission. Some women think submission a cross; never is submission itself a cross; when it is, it is made so by some wrong or abuse. Is there not an instinctive craving in the heart of every true woman to be under authority? It is joy to submit to the true, the pure, the loving. If the women who are standing up for their rights, pleading for their position, exulting in their mental and moral attainments, eagerly grasping the dignities and honours which have been appropriated by men, would learn that woman's true glory is to be humble, submissive, unselfishly and purely to love, the world would be much better and happier, and womanhood would be crowned with honour. How is it, my sisters, that we are not tossing madly in the wild sea of our passions, restlessly rushing from scene to scene of exciting pleasure, or miserably striving to drown feeling by sensual excess? Is it not because the craving of our hearts has been satisfied, and we have found One to obey, serve, and love? To the wild waves of passion He has spoken authoritatively, Be still; and over our sins He has caused the sea of His forgiving grace to pass, and our spirits He has made pure by His presence, and blessed by His love. To be His is to be satisfied, to be in captivity to Christ, and in Him, and for His sake to obey, submit, to serve and love, is woman's grandest right. Even those who most tenaciously hold to woman being "the weaker vessel," acknowledge that she has to suffer most. Now it is universally allowed that to suffer is harder than to do. to suffer is strong indeed. born to suffer is indisputable. He or she who is strong The fact that women are |