History of Liberty Author:Samuel Eliot Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER II. THE LAW OF LOVE. " If the Son, therefore, shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." — S. Jons, viii. 3fi. Our Lord and Saviour appeared... more » amongst the subjects of the earth. Born in a manger, bred as the son of an artisan,1 He passed not only His childhood but His early manhood, surrounded with all the ignorances2 and the sufferings3 of the inferior classes by whom the world was peopled. It was to them that He set the example of humility. "Waiting while another went forth to preach repentance and remission of sins, He came at length to John the Baptist, not to assume the majesty foretold by that prophet, but to stoop to be baptized. From the light that shone through the opening heavens, He withdrew to the darksome wilderness. Thence He issued to choose his first disciples from the lowliest of the people. His first 1 " Is not this the carpenter's tudes, He was moved with com- son ?" S. Matt., xnt. 55. passion Od them, because they 2 " How knoweth this man let- fainted, and were scattered abroad ters, having never learned!" S. as sheep having no shepherd.' John, vn. 15. S Matt., ix. 36. 3 " When He saw the multi- chapter{Section 4miracle was wrought at the most retired of festivals in a country village. A ruler was left with vague instruction concerning the events by which he had been moved to seek Jesus at Jerusalem.4 But to a Samaritan woman of despised birth and sinful life, He revealed the worship of the Father and the advent of the long expected Messiah.5 Throughout His subsequent course, He frequently refused the praise of those whom He healed or enlightened.6 Still more decided was His rejection of the homage with which the excited multitude would have hailed Him king.7 Even the more consistent reverence of His nearest followers was conti...« less