While Jesus was making one of his incoherent speeches, somebody told him that his mother and brothers were without, desiring to speak with him. "But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren." There is here manifested a want of natural affection unbecoming any man, and which justifies M. Rénan in saying, notwithstanding his great reverence for Jesus, that he was more loved than loving. There is scarcely a trace of affection throughout his life, from his childhood to his death. He was mystical and fanatical, like all who seek to set themselves up as inspired teachers. One day Jesus sat by the sea-side and talked to the people in parables. He is answerable for the following:--"For whosoever hath to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance; but whosoever hath _not_, from him shall be taken away even that he hath." He says immediately after, as a sort of apology, "Therefore speak I to then in parables, because they seeing, see not; and hearing, they hear not, neither do they understand." It would be a miracle greater than that worked among the pigs, if anyone did understand. This sort of talk must have been indulged in for amusement--it could not have had any serious purport, or if it had, it is too profound to be understood. When Jesus learnt the execution of John the Baptist, he departed into a desert place, but the multitude heard of him, and followed him out of the cities. And when evening came, the disciples asked him to send the multitude away, that they might go into the villages and buy themselves victuals. We do not usually find villages in _desert_ places; but that was quite as possible in this case as what followed. Jesus said they need not go, and told the disciples to give to the people to eat. They said, We have here but five loaves and two fishes. He said, Bring them hither to me. And then looking up to heaven, he blessed and brake, and distributed to the multitude. Now out of this very small commissariat, about five thousand men, besides women and children, ate and were filled, and left twelve baskets full of fragments at the end of the feast. All we can deplore is, that the age of miracles is past. If anyone could do this now, what a number of attached followers be would have, no matter what his speculative opinions might be. He might believe in the eternity of punishments; in three Gods in one, or one in three; in election, predestination, or transmigration of souls--in short, in anything or nothing; if he could only feed his flock by casting his eyes up to heaven, he would soon empty all the churches and chapels in the kingdom. As Rénan very powerfully points out, no miracle ever yet took place under scientific conditions; and till one of this description is wrought under such conditions, we must be allowed to suspend our judgment.