not appear.

[Footnote 1: Matt. x. 17, 18; Luke xii. 11.]

[Footnote 2: Matt. v. 10, and following; x. entirely; Luke vi. 22, and
following; John xv. 18, and following; xvi. 2, and following, 20, 33;
xvii. 14.]

To whom should we turn, to whom should we trust to establish the
kingdom of God? The mind of Jesus on this point never hesitated. That
which is highly esteemed among men, is abomination in the sight of
God.[1] The founders of the kingdom of God are the simple. Not the
rich, not the learned, not priests; but women, common people, the
humble, and the young.[2] The great characteristic of the Messiah is,
that "the poor have the gospel preached to them."[3] The idyllic and
gentle nature of Jesus here resumed the superiority. A great social
revolution, in which rank will be overturned, in which all authority
in this world will be humiliated, was his dream. The world will not
believe him; the world will kill him. But his disciples will not be of
the world.[4] They will be a little flock of the humble and the
simple, who will conquer by their very humility. The idea which has
made "Christian" the antithesis of "worldly," has its full
justification in the thoughts of the master.[5]

[Footnote 1: Luke xvi. 15.]

[Footnote 2: Matt. v. 3, 10, xviii. 3, xix. 14, 23, 24, xxi. 31, xxii.
2, and following; Mark x. 14, 15, 23-25; Luke iv. 18, and following;
vi. 20, xviii. 16, 17, 24, 25.]

[Footnote 3: Matt. xi. 5.]

[Footnote 4: John xv. 19, xvii. 14, 16.]

[Footnote 5: See especially chapter xvii. of St. John, expressing, if
not a real discourse delivered by Jesus, at least a sentiment which
was very deeply rooted in his disciples, and which certainly came from
him.]

CHAPTER VIII.

JESUS AT CAPERNAUM.

Beset by an idea, gradually becoming more and more imperious and
exclusive, Jesus proceeds henceforth with a kind of fatal
impassibility in the path marked out by his astonishing genius and the
extraordinary circumstances in which he lived. Hitherto he had only
communicated his thoughts to a few persons secretly attracted to him;
henceforward his teaching was sought after by the public. He was about
thirty years of age.[1] The little group of hearers who had
accompanied him to John the Baptist had, doubtless, increased, and
perhaps some disciples of John had attached themselves to him.[2] It
was with this first nucleus of a church that he boldly announced, on
his return into Galilee, the "good tidings of