J. COLLIER & SONS, 37, High Street, Peckham; 1, Market Place, Gardiner's Lane, Putney; 28, Market Place, High St., Merton; 6, Orleans Terrace, Stanley Road, Teddington Chief Office: 136 & 138, CLAPHAM ROAD, S.W. DAINTREE & CO., THE LARGEST WORKS IN LONDON DYERS, DUNN'S TAILORS' LABOUR AGENCY, NEWINGTON CAUSEWAY. BEST HOUSE FOR JUVENILE CLOTHING. GA REAL MUSICAL TREASURE. THE AUREPHONE! This charming Instrument performs every description of Music for Psalm, Song, March, or Dance. It plays thousands of tunes. There is no limit to the number. It requires no knowledge of music on the part of the player, and can be played by any one, even a child. The tone is very rich and pleasing, blending beautifully with the human voice in singing. The AUREPHONE is cheap enough for the poor man's cottage, and PRICE, packed in strong deal box, including One Roll of Tunes, £3 5s GEO. WHIGHT & CO., 143, HOLBORN BARS, LONDON, E.C. (CORNER OF BROOKE STREET.) ESTABLISHED 60 YEARS. PULLARS' DYE-WORKS. PERTH. By appointment to Her Majesty CHENIES STREET, TOTTENHAM COURT ROAD West End Office-8, SLOANE STREET, S.W. City Office-64, FINSBURY PAVEMENT, E.C. Parcels called for and delivered daily by our own Vans. Daily despatches of Goods to and from Works. Appliances and Machinery of the most improved kinds for Cleaning, Dyeing, and Finishing Soiled and Faded Curtains, Dresses, Polonaises, &c. Nettoyage à Sec-the Parisian process of Dry Cleaning-extensively used-cannot be too highly recommended for its economy and efficiency. It is invaluable for Ladies' Dresses, Children's Robes, Opera Cloaks, &c.; also for Gentlemen's and Youths" Clothing, Professional and Theatrical Dresses. For dusty, smokebegrimed Curtains the effect is wonderful. For full particulars, see large Catalogue. CAUTION.-Ladies ought invariably to see that the parties to whom they send Goods are really acting for PULLARS' DYE-WORKS at PERTH. PARCEL POST.-Complete arrangements are made for this system. ANOTHER HIGHEST AWARD-GOLD MEDAL, CALCUTTA, 1884, DEGHJONES A 64-page Illustrated Pamphlet on receipt of post card. MOONLY ADDRESS 57, Great Russell Street, London. SURGEON DENTIST No charge for Consultation. POSSESSING ALL THE PROPERTIES OF THE FINEST ARROWROOT, BROWN & POLSON'S CORN FLOUR IS A HOUSEHOLD REQUISITE OF CONSTANT UTILITY FOR THE NURSERY, THE FAMILY TABLE, NOTE.-Unlike many other Corn Flours, this bears the name of its Manufacturers, who Ask for Cadbury's Refreshing Cocoa Makers to the Queen THE SWORD AND THE TROWEL. APRIL, 1885. Jesus the Great Object of Astonishment. A COMMUNION ADDRESS AT MENTONE. BY C. H. SPURGEON. "Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men: So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider."-Isaiah lii. 13-15. UR Lord Jesus Christ bore from of old the name of "WONDERFUL," and the word seems all too poor to set forth his marvellous person and character. He says of himself, in the language of the prophet," Behold, I and the children whom the Lord hath given me are for signs and for wonders." He is a fountain of astonishment to all who know him, and the more they know him the more are they "astonied" at him. It is an astonishing thing that there should have been a Christ at all: the Incarnation is the miracle of miracles; that he who is the Infinite should become an infant, that he who made the worlds should be wrapt in swaddling-bands, remains a fact out of which, as from a hive, new wonders continually fly forth. In his complex nature he is so mysterious, and yet so manifest, that doubtless all the angels of heaven were and are astonished at him. Oh, Son of God, and Son of man, when thou, the Word, wert made flesh, and dwelt among us, and thy saints beheld thy glory, it was but natural that many should be astonished at thee. He was a marvel from the very first. Now, our text seems to say that our Lord was, first, a great wonder in his griefs; and, secondly, that he was a great wonder in his glory. HE WAS A GREAT WONDER IN HIS GRIEFS. "As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men." His visage was marred: no doubt his countenance bore the signs of a matchless grief. There were ploughings on his brow as well as upon his back; suffering and brokenness of spirit, and agony of heart, had told upon that lovely face, till its beauty, though never to be destroyed, was "so" marred that never was any other so spoiled with sorrow. But it was not his face only, his whole form was marred more than the sons of men. The contour of his bodily manhood showed marks of singular assaults of sorrow, such as had never bowed another form so low. I do not know whether his gait was stooping, or whether his knees tottered, and his walk was feeble; but there was evidently a something about him which gave him the appearance of premature age, since to the Jews he looked older than he was, for when he was little more than thirty they said unto him, "Thou art not yet fifty years old." I cannot conceive that he was deformed or ungainly; but despite his natural dignity, his worn and emaciated appearance marked him out as "the Man of Sorrows," and to the carnal eye his whole natural and spiritual form had in it nothing which evoked admiration; even as the prophet saith, "When we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him." The marring was not of that lovely face alone, but of the whole fabric of his manhood, so that many were astonied at him. Our astonishment, when in contemplation we behold our suffering Lord, will arise from the consideration of what his natural beauty must have been, enshrined as he was from the first within a perfect body. Conceived without sin, and so born of a pure virgin without taint of hereditary sin, I doubt not that he was the flower and glory of manhood as to his form, and from his early youth he must have been a joy to his mother's eye. Great masters of the olden time expended all their skill upon the holy child Jesus, but it is not for the colours of earth to depict the Lord from heaven. That "holy thing" which was born of Mary was seen of angels," and it charmed their eyes. Must such loveliness be marred? His every look was pure, his every thought was holy, and therefore the expression of his face must have been heavenly, and yet it must be marred. Poverty must mark it; hunger, and thirst, and weariness must plough it; heart-griefs must seam and scar it; spittle must distain it; tears must scald it; smiting must bruise it; death must make it pale and bloodless. 66 "How doth that visage languish Which once was bright as morn!" The second astonishment to us must be that he could be so marred who had nothing in his character to mar his countenance. Sin is a sad disfigurement to faces which in early childhood were surpassingly attractive. Passion, if it be indulged in, soon sets a seal of deformity upon the countenance. Men that plunge into vice bear upon their features the traces of their hearts' volcanic fires. We most of us know some withered beings, whose beauty has been burned up by the fierce fires of excess, till they are a horror to look upon, as if the mark of Cain were set upon them. Every sin makes its line on a fair face. But there was no sin in the blessed Jesus, no evil thought to mar his natural perfectness. No redness of eyes ever came to him by tarrying long at the wine; no unhallowed anger ever flushed his cheek; no covetousness gave to his eye a wolfish glance; no selfish care lent to his features a sharp and anxious cast. Such an unselfish, holy life as his ought to have rendered him, if it had been possible, more beautiful every day. Indulging such benevolence, abiding in such communion with God, surely the face of Christ must, in the natural order of things, have more and more astonished all sympathetic observers with its transcendent charms. But sorrow came to engrave her name where sin had never made a stroke, and she did her work so effectually that his visage was more marred than that of any man, although the God of mercy knows there have been other visages that have been worn with pain and anguish past all recognition. I need not repeat even one of the many stories of human woe: that of our Lord surpasses all. Remember that the face of our Well-beloved, as well as all his form, must have been an accurate index of his soul. Physiognomy is a science with much truth in it when it deals with men of truth. Men weaned from simplicity know how to control their countenances; the crafty will appear to be honest, the hardened will seem to sympathize with the distressed, the revengeful will mimic good-will. There are some who continually use their countenance as they do their speech, to conceal their feelings; and it is almost a point of politeness with them never to show themselves, but always to go masked among their fellows. But the Christ had learned no such arts: he was so sincere, so transparent, so child-like and true, that whatever stirred within him was apparent to those about him, so far as they were capable of understanding his great soul. We read of him that he was "moved with compassion." The Greek word means that he experienced a wonderful emotion of his whole nature, he was thrilled with it, and his disciples saw how deeply he felt for the people, who were as sheep without a shepherd. Though he did not commit himself to men, he did not conceal himself, but wore his heart upon his sleeve, and all could see what he was, and knew that he was full of grace and truth. We are, therefore, not surprised, when we devoutly consider our Lord's character, that his visage and form should indicate the inward agonies of his tender spirit; it could not be that his face should be untrue to his heart. The ploughers made deep furrows upon his soul as well as upon his back, and his heart was rent with inward convulsions, which could not but affect his whole appearance. Those eyes saw what those around him could not see; those shoulders bore a constant burden which others could not know; and therefore countenance and form betrayed the fact. Oh, dear, dear Saviour, when we think of thee, and of thy majesty and purity, we are again astonished that woes should come upon thee so grievously as to mar thy visage and thy form! It Now think, dear friends, what were the causes of this marring. was not old age that had wrinkled his brow, for he was still in the prime of life, neither was it a personal sickness which had caused decay; much less was it any congenital weakness and disease, which at length betrayed itself, for in his flesh there was no possibility of impurity, |