Page:Lazarus, a tale of the world's great miracle.djvu/94

82 that He had been captured and imprisoned; or, worse, put to death? For all those who really believed in Him were imbued with the foreboding of His approaching death. The Nazarene Himself had prepared them for it, and, as each day dawned, each one of His true followers in turn rejoiced that He was still with them, but dreaded what might befall before the night.

"I go My way and ye shall seek Me; whither I go, ye cannot come."

Poor Magdalene! How she trembled, thinking of the moment when He who had brought salvation and forgiveness to her poor worn-out soul would depart, leaving her desolate in the world, that world which had been cruel alike in its adulation and its judgment! Would she have the strength, despised and scoffed at by women, persecuted on account of her great beauty by the worst type of men, would she be able to weather the storm alone? Poor, weak, loving creature, would she have the strength? She had no more faith in herself, no courage left; only a growing remorse that had kindled into a devouring flame, and then been quenched by the love of the Saviour, who had brought words of consolation to the sinner:

"Neither do I condemn thee; go, and sin no more."

How well He had understood, this pure and spotless Jesus, the terrible lurings of sin, the horrible temptations of a loving, clinging soul; and how poor, erring sinners were goaded to further sin by the harshness of the world's judgment; plunged into still lower depths by the powerful and the