mere earthly friend, but one who is " God over all, blessed forever," as well as man. The pertinacity with which Romanists and their allies cling to the doctrine of Christ's real corporal presence in the Lord's Supper, is only another exhibition of Mary's feeling when she wanted Christ's body, or no Christ at all. Let us pray for a right judgment in this matter, as in all other things concerning our Lord's person. Let us be con- tent to have Christ dwelling in our hearts by faith, and present when two or three are met in His name, and to wait for the real presence of Christ's body till He comes again. What we really need is not His literal flesh, but His Spirit. It is not for nothing that it is written, *' It is the Spirit that quickeneth : the flesh profiteth nothing." " If we have known Christ after the flesh, yet henceforth know we Him no more." (John vi. 63 ; 2 Cor. V. 16.)
We see, lastly, in these verses, how kindly and gra- ciously our Lord speaks of His discip>les. He bids Mary Magdalene carry a message to them as " His brethren." He bids her tell them that His Father was their Father, and His God their God. It was but three days before that they had all forsaken Him shamefully, and fled. Yet this merciful Master speaks as if all was forgiven and forgotten. His first thought is to bring back the wanderers, to bind up the wounds of their consciences, to reanimate their courage, to restore them to their for- me>r place. This was indeed a love that passeth knowl- edge. To trust deserters, and to show confidence in backsliders, was a compassion which man can hardly understand. So true is that word of David : " Like as a Father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him. For He knoweth our frame ; He remem- bereth that we are dust." (Psalm ciii. 13, 14.)
Let us leave the passage with the comfortable reflec- i6*