his own home, part of the pain of
dying was gone from his own heart. His mother would have tender care.

The story of this blessed friendship should sweeten forever in
Christian homes the relation of mother and child. It should make every
mother a better woman and a better mother. It should make every child
a truer, holier child. Every home should have its sacred friendships
between parents and children. Thus something of heaven will be brought
down to our dull earth; for, as Mrs. Browning says,--

In the pure loves of child and mother
Two human loves make one divine.

CHAPTER III.

JESUS AND HIS FORERUNNER.

Where is the lore the Baptist taught,
The soul unswerving and the fearless tongue?
The much-enduring wisdom, sought
By lonely prayer the haunted rocks among?
Who counts it gain
His light should wane,
So the whole world to Jesus throng?
KEBLE.

The two Johns appear in many devotional pictures, one on each side of
Jesus. Yet the two men were vastly unlike. The Baptist was a wild,
rugged man of the desert; the apostle was the representative of the
highest type of gentleness and spiritual refinement. The former was
the consummate flower of Old Testament prophecy; the latter was the
ripe fruit of New Testament evangelism. They appear in history one
really on each side of Jesus; one going before him to prepare the way
for him, and the other coming after him to declare the meaning of his
mission. They were united in Jesus; both of them were his friends.

It seems probable that Jesus and the Baptist had never met until the
day Jesus came to be baptized. This is not to be wondered at. Their
childhood homes were not near to each other. Besides, John probably
turned away at an early age from the abodes of men to make his home in
the desert. He may never have visited Jesus, and it is not unlikely
that Jesus had never visited him.

Yet their mothers are said to have been cousins. The stories of their
births are woven together in an exquisite way, in the opening chapters
of the Gospels. To the same high angel fell the privilege of
announcing to the two women, in turn, the tidings which in each case
meant so much of honor and blessedness. It would have seemed natural
for the boys to grow up together, their lives blending in childhood
association and affection. It is interesting to think what the effect
would have been upon the characters of both