The Life of Christ in the Synoptic Gospels
THE CHILD IN THE MIDST
The Life of Christ in the Synoptic Gospels
THE CHILD IN THE MIDST
Lesson Plan:
1. Adults – True Greatness
2. Children – True Aim of Life (vs 1-5)
3. Adults – A Warning
4. Children – Keep Pure and True (vs 6-9)
5. Adults – Despise Not the Little Ones
6. Children – God’s Care and Love (v 10)
7. Jesus Cares for Children (vs 11-14)
Lesson Setting:
Time: Autumn of A.D. 29, not long after the Transfiguration and the healing of the epileptic boy.
Place: Some house in Capernaum.
Research Thoughts: Jesus and civic duties. What is true greatness? What is it to have the childlike spirit? Jesus and the children. What older people can learn from dealing with children. Putting stumbling blocks in the way of children. Their angels, verse 10. Despising the little ones.
Introduction: Jesus and Civic Duty – After the events of our last two lessons Jesus and His disciples returned to Capernaum. Matthew 17:24. "Here are the receivers of custom, as soon as they hear of the arrival, demanding tribute, the temple tax of a Jewish half shekel, payable annually by every Jew above twenty as a tribute to the temple." Jesus, as the Messiah King, of the royal family, should be exempt; but to avoid being misunderstood as opposed to the Temple and its services and thus hindering His cause through prejudice, He collected the money in a royal way, by a silver stater-shekel sufficient to pay the tax for Himself and Peter, a resident of Capernaum. Note: Jesus did not shirk His taxes or His civic duties.
Scripture Reading: Matthew 18:1-5
1. Adults – True Greatness
2. Children – True Aim of Life
Jesus Takes Childhood as the Subject and Object Lesson of a Series of Practical Instructions: "At the same time" (v 1) as the incident of the tribute money. Somewhere on the way to Capernaum there arose a discussion among the twelve as to which of them was the greatest (Luke), deserved the highest place in the new kingdom. Jesus had noticed their excited actions or overheard their words, or saw into their hearts. "And when he was in the house," Mark says, "he asked them." Note: Jesus reproved His disciples, not before the crowd, but in private. This was the wise and effective way in case of errors committed in private. Jesus first asked them, what were ye reasoning in the way? (Mark). But they held their peace (Mark), "kept silent." After a time, The disciples, or some of them, ask Jesus ...
v 1 ... "Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" Will you settle the question for us? Their question was not, what elements of character make true greatness? Who of us is greatest? But, who of us shall occupy the highest place in your coming kingdom? What seductive dreams of greatness and glory rose before these Galilean fishermen as the nearest followers of the great King. Jesus replies that they have mistaken the very nature of greatness in the kingdom of heaven.
v 2 ... "And Jesus called a little child unto him." "The task of Jesus is not merely to communicate instruction, but to rebuke and exorcise an evil spirit; therefore He does not trust to words alone, but for greater impressiveness uses a child who happens to be present as a vehicle of instruction" (Expositors Greek Testament).
v 2 ... "And set him in the midst" by His side (Luke), and later taking him in His arms (Mark), as an object lesson which would help them to see the truth more clearly, and feel it more deeply.
v 3 ... "Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted," better as in R.V., "Except ye turn," as the Greek word is always translated in the A.V. except in this instance. It always signifies a radical and complete change in method, spirit, or course. Here it is: Unless you turn entirely away from this habit of self-seeking, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven, much less be greatest in it. Note: The difference between ‘converted’ and ‘turn.’ Some men have waited for God to convert them, when it was their duty to turn ‘right about face.’
v 3 ... "And become as little children." An old saying worth repeating, what you would have your child be to you, that be yourself to God. The Childlike Spirit in Contrast with the Self-seeking Spirit: The ideal childhood is exemplified by the childhood of Jesus Himself. The childlike spirit which Jesus required of His disciples includes those qualities which are characteristic of childhood as distinguished from the qualities which characterizes the adult. Not the incidental evils which belong to human nature young and old alike, but the qualities which belong to the ideal childhood, as God created it to be. As the true child is related to a wise parent, such should be the relation of the good man to his Father in heaven. (a) The freedom from selfish worldly ambition, such as the disciples had shown in their discussion. Self-seeking ambition leads to Satan’s kingdom, not to Christ’s. It is the spirit of hell, not of heaven. It begets evil innumerable and sorrows unspeakable. "Fling away ambition; by that sin fell the angels." Aut Caesar aut nullus, "To be first or nothing," leads to crimes and wars. It was Milton’s Satan who said, "Better to reign in hell than serve in heaven." "How like a mounting devil in the heart rules the unreined ambition." "If," says Chrysostom, speaking of the child, "you show him a queen with a crown, he does not prefer her to his mother albeit clothed in rags, but would choose rather his mother in such attire than the queen in her bravery." "A king’s child has no more thought of greatness than a beggar’s" (Exp. Gk. Testament). (b) Humility, the consciousness of need and of ignorance, full of questionings and the desire to know. One who knows that he knows all there is to know is not going to try to learn anymore; therefore he will stop learning and growing, and stand still and shrivel up in his knowledge. On the other hand, one who is sure that knows little is likely to try to learn more every day, and as long as he keeps that up, he will never stop growing. Who is likely, then, to be the greater in the matter of knowledge? One who considers himself beyond the need of more knowledge? Or one who retains a childlike eagerness to know more, because of believing that he knows so little? This is one of the greatest problems with regard to modern day full time preachers. "Much of modern preaching is anemic, with the life-blood of God’s nature absent from the message. Evangelist center their message upon man. Man has sinned and missed a great blessing. If man wants to retrieve his immense loss he must act thus and so. But the Gospel of Christ is very different. It begins with God and His glory. It tells men that they have offended a holy God, who will by no means pass by sin. It reminds sinners that the only hope of salvation is to be found in the grace and power of this same God. Christ’s Gospel sends men to beg pardon of the Holy One" (Walter Chantry). Without a childlike spirit of humility, is a full time preacher any more than just a materialistic, professional person? Is he any different (except in title) than just a worldly, high paid motivational speaker? In such a condition, without humility, is his own soul safe? "I am a fool for Christ. Whose fool are you?" (John Wimber). What is true of knowledge and the way to grow in knowledge is true of everything else in which we need to grow. Humility is the secret of it all. When different great philosophers of Greece were one time telling of their own claims each to be the wisest man in Greece, because of the much that they know, Solon said quietly, "I know more than all of them, for I know that I know nothing; therefore I am the wisest man in Greece." (a) Faith, unquestioning confidence in the guidance and strength and love of a power higher and wiser than they, as in parents and teachers. To a young child the parent is the representative of God. (b) The child is affectionate, loving, and hungering for love. (c) Obedience, receptiveness, service, a delight in helping.
The Way to Enter the Kingdom of Heaven: "Except ye ... become as little children" (v 3) with such qualities as have just been described, and you become toward God and His Son Jesus Christ what children are to their parents "ye shall not" ‘in no wise’ (R.V.) "enter into the kingdom of heaven." He not only cannot be greatest in that kingdom, but he cannot even get into it. Why? (a) Because the kingdom of heaven is a spiritual kingdom, and to enter it one must have the spirit and principles that are its very essence, and the self-seeking spirit is diametrically opposed to its spirit. The childlike spirit is the only gate to that kingdom, just as a musical taste is necessary to entering into the kingdom of music, and a love of literature into the kingdom of learning. Sitting in a church pew every time the doors open does not of itself grant entrance into the kingdom of God, any more than sitting in a music hall or in a library does not give entrance into those kingdoms. (b) Because without this spirit one will not even seek to enter by the only door. He will be self-confident in his own wrong way. They are idols of hearts and of households, They are angels of God in disguise; His sunlight still sleeps in their tresses, His glory still gleams in their eyes; Those truants from home and from heaven – They have made me more manly and mild’ And I know how Jesus could liken The kingdom of heaven to a child! I have taught them the goodness of knowledge; They have taught me the goodness of God (Charles M. Dickinson).
The Way to be Great in the Kingdom of Heaven: "Whosoever therefore shall humble himself (so as to be) as this little child" (v 4) is in this company, his natural, unassuming self. To humble one’s self is not to think meanly of one’s self, not to disparage one’s self, not to be unconscious of our powers or knowledge, but not to think highly of ourselves on this account, not to seek honor or greatness for ourselves, but simply to use whatever we have or are in the humblest service, with no thought of ourselves.
v 4 ... "The same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven," for he has most of the heavenly spirit. Whoever would be greatest in any kingdom, where love is the greatest thing in the universe; where all are trying to help others, not to be greater. Loving service is the very essence of heaven. A writer wrote, "The Christian ideal is leisure in a future world to play harps and sing songs." Not true. It is to serve others so gladly, so joyously, that the service itself is an intrancing song, and every opportunity is a harp on which to produce heavenly strains. Note: The error of the twelve lay not in their desire to be great in the kingdom of heaven, but in their ideal of greatness. Note: The way of real success in the church or state lies in hiding ourselves behind the cause we are seeking to advance. The moment we want selfish gain, or honor, or applause, we injure out cause. Have you noticed examples of this in the church, the state, and in Washington? Nothing hinders success so much as the ambition to be known as its producer, to be the seeker after the halo. It is not possible to ‘greatest’ in this way, the accomplisher of the greatest things. The statesman is greater than the politician, because the statesman is absorbed in making his cause a success; while the mere politician seeks the honor and emolument of success. "Humility and service, in the kingdom of God, not only lead to greatness, but are greatness. It is one of the signs that the world is becoming a seat of the kingdom of God, that rulers, leaders, employers, and others are beginning to recognize this idea of service" (Int. Crit. Com.). Shakespeare wrote: Heaven doth with us as we with torches do, Not light them for ourselves; for if our virtues Did not go forth of us, ‘twere all alike As if we had them not. Spirits are not finely touched But to fine issues.
v 5 ... "And who so shall receive one such little child." The ideal child and the childlike disciples which the child represents. To receive is "to esteem as fellow disciples in spite of their insignificance" (Exp. Greek Testament). It means to recognize and welcome those who have the childlike characteristics, receive them into their hearts and friendship "in my name," because they have the characteristic qualities of Jesus, and have proved that they belong to Him.
v 5 ... "receiveth me." Welcomes Me, loves Me, in associated with Me in work, in character, and principles. This is the test of discipleship. What a man loves shows what he is. Note: The successful church must set the child in its midst. It must not only learn its lesson from the child, but must give a first place to the instruction and training of the child, make its buildings, equipment for Bible School, and the young people, as attractive and convenient as the buildings for the older people; and provide for their share of expenses. Worship services should always consider and take in mind the little ones, the young ones; and parents and teachers should constantly be encouraging children to attend. The effect of children in the church is most blessed upon the church itself. It is beneficial to the spirit of the church. It brings youthful enthusiasm and hope. It influences the preaching (or should) and the form in which Bible doctrines are expressed, so as to be best for the older ones because adapted to the young.
The relationship of churches of Christ to youth is a matter of greater importance than of all the combined problems of all the countries of the world. President Roosevelt said, "If you are going to do anything permanent for the average man you have got to begin before he is a man. The chance of success lies in working with the boy and not with the man." Walter Smith said, "No greater and more vital truth has ever been announced from two continents by two of the world’s greatest master-men than the identical truth in their respective statements. The problem of the boy unquestionably is by far the most important and vital problem of the time. Why? Because tomorrow depends upon him." An old but true saying: Ere your child has reached the seven Have him taught the way to heaven; Better still, if he would thrive He should know the way before he’s five; Best of all, if at your knee He knows the way before he’s three. Child-nurture in the church of our Lord is a work in which we may have large expectation. It promises vastly greater results than other kinds of Christian effort, though long-term in nature. Children are reached far more easily and far more effectively than grown-up people. If all churches of Christ would set themselves to secure early conversions in every family, all the children in all our homes might be well developed, experienced Christians in a score of years. Certain it is that that specific congregation of Christians which acts most wisely and promptly and effectively in the training of children is the one that will be most greatly prospered in the coming years. It will stand foremost in rank and power in conquering the world for Christ. But in what practical ways can this child- nurture in the church be best performed? (a) By the church inciting parents to this work of child- training. They are the church’s officers for this ministry. The old country proverb is still true, "An ounce of true mother is worth a pound of priest." And the exhortation is not to mothers alone. The chief apostolic command on this subject is, "Fathers, bring up your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." (b) By the church supplementing the efforts of parents with more direct and personal work with the children. Parents cannot do it all, especially in today’s world. Hence the place and work of the Bible School and the preaching of the Gospel. (c) By endeavoring to build up Christian character, no matter what methods are employed in this work of child-training. For example, elders, preachers, and other leaders in the Lord’s church cannot do all that should be done for the children, unless they find some way of coming into personal contact with them. Whether this should be done by sermons on Sunday, or by general one on one or group meetings with children, or by having separate, special Bible School classes with their teachers, or by seeking them out personally one by one, depends completely on the visionary focus of the leaders of the church and the conditions under which everyone works. Thus, through the home and the church, the children are to be ‘nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine.’ They must be trained in the habit of self-denial, in the spirit of love and sympathy and sacrifice. Looking forward to the future, it would seem that our boys and girls should be prepared to do the great benevolent work of the church of our Lord.
Then, as we extend our missionary enterprises, they will become intelligent, sympathetic, and generous supporters of these great Christian charities. (a) By seeking to have children unite with the body of Christ. While ‘joining the church’ (as some say) should not be the ostensible aim of this training, yet elders, preachers, Bible School teachers, and other leaders in the church of our Lord ought to examine carefully their methods if a large number do not come into active church relations at twelve or fourteen, or, at the furthest, sixteen years of age. It is wonderful how rapidly the person changes and advances after this age is passed. Now is the time of all others for the forming of Christian fellowship for life, and all the influences of the home and the church should be brought to bear toward holding gently but firmly these young lives to the service of Christ and communion of the house of God. (b) By entrusting the work of child-nurture to capable Christian workers.
The Children: The children can see in this incident the virtues that God has implanted in their natures which they are to cherish as among God’s best gifts. They are the ideal and goal of their lives. They should realize that these qualities are the means through which God touches their lives, draws them to Himself, helps them to grow into noble, useful, successful men and women. Tennyson wrote: There on the border Of boundless ocean And all but in heaven Hovers the gleam. O young mariner, Down to the haven Call your companions. Launch your vessel, Acrowd your canvas, And ere it vanishes Over the margin, After it, follow it, Follow the gleam.
Scripture Reading: Matthew 18:6-9
3. Adults – A Warning
4. Children – Keep Pure and True
v 6 ... "But whoso shall offend," cause to stumble, in life’s way. The word, ‘offense,’ has so changed its meaning since the days of King James that ‘occasions of stumbling,’ into which it was changed by the Revisers, is a decided improvement. Yet even this rendering does not reproduce exactly the original metaphor. The Greek word thus translated meant the stick of a trap, i.e., the piece of wood to which the bait is attached. As soon as the animal nibbles at this, a catch is released and the door is closed. The man who puts temptation in the way of another acts the part of a bait-stick. Our Lord’s mention of the hand and the eye in this connection indicates that things which are in themselves not merely harmless but useful may, in certain conditions, become incitements to evil. A piece of cheese is a whole-some and nourishing things, but at the end of a bait-stick it may be fatal to the mouse.
v 6 ... "One of these little ones which believe in me," children, and all who are weak or inexperienced in the Christian life.
v 6 ... "It were better for him that a (great) millstone." Two kinds of millstones were in use: the one turned by hand; the other, and larger, by an ass. It was this latter of which Jesus speaks. (The smaller, in Matt. 24:41; Lk. 17:35)
v 6 ... "Were hanged about his neck," to make escape impossible.
v 6 ... "And that he were drowned in the depth of the sea," which was not far away. It is better to die a thousand deaths than to lead another into sin, and thus to murder his soul. The offender gains a millstone, but loses his life. It is Satan that says, "All that a man hath will he give for his life" (Job 2:4). To every true man there are many things worth more than life. For sadder sight than eye can know, Than proud bark lost, or seamen’s woe, Than battle fire, or tempest cloud, Or prey bird’s shriek, or ocean shroud – The shipwreck of the soul. But there is one sadder sight, and that is the shipwrecking of others’ souls, holding out the false light that ruins others as well as ourselves. The number of pitfalls, temptations, snares, around the young, are many. Traps of every kind, everywhere, and of all degrees of deadliness, which bad men are employing to ensnare the young through such things as music, films, magazines, the internet, to mention a few. Would that those who thus are ruining the young would listen to the ‘woes’ of Jesus, and repent.
v 7 ... "Woe unto the world." Not a wish, but a lamentation, a warning, a statement or fact.
v 7 ... "Because of offenses." ‘Occasions of stumbling’ in the way of becoming good, and especially in the way of children. No parent, without a feeling of dread, looks forward to the dangers, the pitfalls, the temptations, the fierce storms, the dragons and Apollyons, the deadly moral malaria, the enemies of every kind which his child must meet. Who shall preserve thee, beautiful child, Keep thee as thou are now; Bring thee a spirit undefiled At God’s pure throne to bow?
v 7 ... "For it must needs be that offenses come." It is unavoidable in this sinful world that those who would serve Christ should be tempted.
v 7 ... "But woe to that man by whom the offense cometh!" Who is guilty of this most awful of sins, the leading of others into sin? He that sins himself is weak, but he that leads others into sin is devilish. It is a friend’s business, especially to so treat the children and the weak.
vs 8, 9 ... "If thy hand or thy foot offend thee (lead thee into sin), cut them off." The meaning is, if objects dear as the right eye and useful as the right hand, i.e., honors, possessions, enjoyments, stand between us and the righteous heavenly spirit, not merely tempt us, but cause us to fall into sin, if we are unable to battle with and overcome the temptation, we must give them up rather than the heavenly life.
v 8 ... "hand." The temptation to ‘do’ what is wrong.
v 8 ... "foot." ‘Going’ into forbidden ways.
v 8 ... "halt." Or ‘lame’ from the loss of a foot.
v 8 ... "maimed." From the loss of a hand.
v 9 ... "eye." Coveting, lusting.
v 9 ... "It is better for thee to enter into life," the true spiritual life here, that is eternal in its nature, and abounds in every good that makes life worth living, the life that makes heaven what it is ... "halt" ... "maimed" ... "with one eye," deprived of some of the choicest possessions, and enjoyments, even those which are innocent and useful, if they bring temptations too strong for us to overcome; as men submit to the loss of a bodily organ or limb in order to preserve the body as a whole ...
v 8 ... "rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire," that nothing can cause to cease its burning. Like the laws of nature the fire is eternal; and the only way to escape is to cease breaking the laws, cease doing the things which must be burned.
v 9 ... "two eyes to be cast into hell fire," ‘the Gehenna of fire.’ Gehenna is the Greek representative of the Hebrew Ge-hinnom or Valley of Hinnom, a deep narrow glen to the south of Jerusalem, where, after the introduction of the worship of fire-gods by Ahaz, the idolatrous Jews sacrificed their children to Molech (2 Kin. 23:10). After this it became the common refuse- place of the city, into which the bodies of criminals, carcasses of animals, and all sorts of filth were cast. From its depth and narrowness, and its fire and ascending smoke it became the symbol of the place of future punishment of the wicked. As fire was characteristic of the place it was called the Gehenna of fire. This terrible warning comes from the most loving heart in the universe. It is love, not hate that points out the danger of sin. Love’s hand rings the warning fire bell. Love lights the beacon to keep men from being wrecked. It is the voice of Him who says, "Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord God; and not that he should return from his ways, and live? As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn ye, Turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die?" The Children: Be good and true at all costs. Like Christian in Pilgrim’s Progress, you should keep your face always toward the Celestial city, for like him you will find many difficulties and temptations and snares on the way, Sloughs of Despond, Giant Despairs, Hills of Difficulty, Apollyons, Vanity Fairs, and many of the characters Bunyan so vividly portrays. Let the warnings in these verses keep you from these snares, and help you to triumph over every hindrance and conquer every difficulty, for life, joy, success, heaven are for those who overcome.
Scripture Reading: Matthew 18:10
5. Adults – Despise Not the Little Ones
6. Children – God’s Care and Love
v 10 ... "Take heed that ye despise not." Look down upon as of small account, so as to neglect their interests, or be careless of what you do for them, or in their presence.
v 10 ... "for I say unto you." Making the revelation emphatic. Making the revelation emphatic.
v 10 ... "that in heaven their angels." The angels who represent them and have them under their care, not after death, but now, all the time. No one knows whether each child has its special guardian angel or not. But after what Jesus has said about the greatness of service, we know that nothing can be more worthy of the angels than to guard and protect little children. It is just like the angels. It is just like the highest and greatest of the angels, who are "ministering spirits sent forth to do service for the sake of them that shall inherit salvation" (Heb. 1:14).
v 10 ... "do always behold the face of my Father." Either those to whose care the little ones are committed are the highest and holiest angels nearest the throne, or they always have ready and immediate access to the Father (representing as a king receiving messengers and ambassadors), to present their needs and wrongs. The warning is double. (a) It shows how the Lord cares for these little ones; and (b) that they have the mightiest defenders, and to tempt them is to defy the Almighty God and His host of angels. The Children can take great courage from this fact: They can be stronger to do right when they realize how interested the angels of God are in their being good, and overcoming every evil within them and around them. It is a great thing to be friends with the angels.
Illustration: Richter, the German artist, painted a series of paintings illustrating the ministry of angels. He showed us the child-angels who sit talking with mortal children among the flowers, now holding them by their coats lest they fall upon the stairs, now with apples enticing them back when they draw too near the precipice; when the boy grows tall and is tempted, ringing in the chambers of memory the sweet mother’s name; in the hour of death coming in the garb of pilgrim, made ready for convoy and guidance to the heavenly land. O beautiful pictures! setting forth the sacred ministry of each true Christian heart.
Scripture Reading: Matthew 18:11-14
7. Jesus Cares for the Children
v 11 ... "For the Son of Man has come to save." This verse is not found in the best manuscripts, but it is perfectly true and is recorded elsewhere more than once.
v 12 ... "If a man have an hundred sheep." Enough, but not too many, so that each one could be under the personal watch and care of the shepherd. The sheep are those who belong to the Good Shepherd, for whom He has the utmost care. Sheep are among the most helpless of animals, and represent the human face in its weakness and ignorance.
v 12 ... "And one of them be gone astray," even one little child starting out on the journey of life, wandering as his own will after forbidden delights, till he is lost in the wilderness of sin and surrounded by a thousand dangers, suffering from hunger and thirst, unable to find the way back, yet sure to perish unless he does.
v 12 ... He "goeth ... and seeketh that which is gone astray," at all cost, doing all that is possible to bring back the lost one to the fold.
v 14 ... "Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish." If our Father and Jesus so earnestly desire that every child should grow up to be the best possible man or woman, how much we should care and do for the children. It’s been said, "When an old sinner turns to God, a soul is saved. When a child turns to God, a life is saved as well as a soul". Save a man and you save a unit; save a boy and you save a multiplication table. Dr. William Harrison wrote the following, titled Christ and the Little Ones: "The Master has come over Jordan." Said Hannah, the mother, one day; "He is healing the people who throng Him, With a touch of His finger, they say. "And now I shall carry the children. Little Rachel and Samuel and John; I shall carry the baby Esther, For the Lord to look upon." The father looked at her kindly, But he shook his head and smiled; "Now, who but a doting mother Would think of a thing so wild? "If the children were tortured by demons, Or dying of fever, ‘twere well; Or had they the taint of a leper, Like many in Israel" – "Nay, do not hinder me, Nathan, I feel such a burden of care; If I carry it to the Master, Perhaps I shall leave it there. "If He lay His hand on the children My heart will be lighter, I know, For a blessing forever and ever Will follow them as they go." So over the hills of Judah, Along by the vine-rows green With Esther asleep on her bosom, And Rachel her brothers between; "Mid the people who hung on His teaching, Or waited His touch and His word – Through the row of proud Pharisees listening She pressed to the feet of the Lord. "Now, why shouldst thou hinder the Master," Said Peter, "with children like these? Seest not how from morning to evening He teacheth and healeth disease?" Then Christ said, "Forbid not the children; Permit them to come unto me!" And He took in His arms little Esther, And Rachel He sat on His knee; And the heavy heart of the mother Was lifted all earth-care above, As He laid His hand on the brothers, And blessed them with tenderest love; As He said of the babes in His bosom, "Of such are the kingdom of heaven," – And strength for all duty and trial, That hour to her spirit was given.
