CHURCH HISTORY. I? 



manhood was as the veil which was thrown over His 

 Divinity. If it should seem to any of us to be 

 incredible that God should condescend to visit this 

 earth and take upon Him our nature, the reply is : 

 It pleased Him so to do, and thus our redemption 

 has been accomplished. 



Four of His disciples, whom we now call 

 Evangelists, were moved by the Holy Spirit to 

 record what He did, and what He said, during 

 the time He dwelt among men. These are 

 very brief histories, and contain but the merest 

 outline, but they are sufficient to give us some 

 clear idea of His character and the work He came 

 to do. 



From these four histories, which we call Gospels, 

 we may gather this outline : 



The birth of Jesus took place in Bethlehem, of 

 the Virgin Mary, during the reign of Augustus Caesar. 

 His youth was spent at Nazareth. When He was 

 about thirty years old he began to teach and to 

 preach. In course of time He gathered about Him 

 a chosen band of followers, comprising a few simple- 

 hearted men, to whom He made known more fully 

 His mission, and whom He commissioned to make 

 it known to their fellow-men. When He was less 

 than thirty-four years old, He was put to death by 

 crucifixion, but on the third day after that event, 

 He arose from the dead, and remained on the 

 earth forty days, during which time He gave them 

 i 



