Page:Spiritual Reflections for Every Day in the Year - Vol 1.pdf/76

 merciful command of the Prince of Peace. When we know that Peter, James, and John, are the representatives of the three ruling principles in the Church, of faith, charity, and the works of charity, how important is the instruction here given. We see that all who have a faith in Jesus, who love Him and do his commandments, will be raised to the high mountain of celestial love, will see the Lord in his beauty, and the bright cloud of literal truth will teach, as by a living voice, that Jesus, being the manifested God, is the sole Divine Object of adoration. They will exclaim, like Peter, "It is good for us to be here." And, with their eyes lifted up, or their understandings illustrated, they will see "no man save Jesus only."

HEN John the Baptist, as the forerunner of the Lord Jesus, came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, the doctrine he taught, as a first step made towards the kingdom of heaven, was Repentance. Without the due performance of this first work, all others are vain and useless, and no solid hope of obtaining heaven and its joys can be rationally entertained. Hence the first doctrine John taught the people was, "Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand," or near. When the Lord sent forth his disciples to preach the glad tidings of the approach of his kingdom, they went forth and preached that men should repent. (Mark vi. 12.) The Lord himself