our blessed Lord himself
shall give us authority to do so.

Let us never forget the word--_remembrance_, as used by our Saviour
here. It is the root out of which the whole tree of this solemn
service grows. Let us hold on to this root word, and it will save us
from the errors into which many have fallen in reference to this
subject.

And, surely, there is nothing so precious for us to store away in our
memories as the thought of Christ in the amazing sufferings he once
bore for us, in the great work he is now doing for us, and in the
saving truth he embodies in his own glorious character. The story is
told of Alexander the Great, that when he conquered King Darius he
found among his treasures a very valuable box or cabinet. It was made
of gold and silver, and inlaid with precious jewels. After thinking
for awhile what to do with it, he finally concluded to use it as his
choicest treasury, or cabinet, in which to keep the books of the poet
Homer, which he was very fond of reading. Now, if we use our memory
aright, it will be to us a treasury far more valuable than that
jeweled box of the great conqueror. And the thought of Christ, not in
his sufferings only, but in his work, and in his character, is the
most precious thing to lay up in our memory. And if we keep this
remembrance continually before us it will be the greatest help we can
have in trying to love and serve him better.

Here is an illustration of what I mean, in a touching story. We may
call it:

"Love Stronger than Death." Some years ago there was a great fire in
one of our Western cities that stood in the midst of a prairie. A
mother escaped from her burning dwelling. Her husband was away from
home. She took her infant in her arms, and wrapped a heavy shawl
round herself and the baby. Her little girl clung to the dress of
her mother, and they went out into the prairie, to get away from the
flames of the burning buildings. It was a wild and stormy winter's
night and intensely cold. She tried to run; but burdened as she was
that was impossible. Presently she found that the tall dry grass of
the prairie had caught fire. It was spreading on every side. A great
circle of flame was gathering round her.

A little way off she saw a clump of trees on a piece of rising
ground. Towards that spot she directed her steps, and strained every
nerve to reach it. At last she succeeded in doing so.

For a moment the poor mother and her child were comparatively safe.
B