"She was a warm-hearted, spirited girl, brought up by worldly parents, and allowed to do very much as she pleased in most things. After she grew up to womanhood, it happened that she heard some startling sermons from an eminent preacher of the Gospel, which convinced her that there must be something more interesting in religion than she yet understood, and a great deal more to be done than she had ever attempted. So she resolved to renounce 'the world,' which, in her view, consisted of amusements, visiting, gay and expensive dress, and novel-reading, all of which she rigidly denied herself, and thought she was wonderfully successful in attaining an exalted position among the people of God. Any appearance of remonstrance or opposition on the part of her indulgent friends made her declare herself firm and ready for martyrdom in defense of her new opinions. You do not need me to tell you that her religion was as much opposed to the pure Gospel as her worldliness, and more dangerous to her soul; for she was building herself up in self-righteousness, while the religion of the heart, and the teaching of God's Holy Spirit, were still unknown to her. "One day, during a course of lectures on the history of the Lord Jesus Christ, Elizabeth's favorite minister took for his text this short passage, and she sat ready, as usual, to listen and admire, proud of her ability to appreciate what she called 'a good sermon.' "'How clever!' thought she, as she prepared her pencil and paper to take notes. 'What can he say about such a little text as that?' "And now I am going to read to you what she was able to remember afterward of the sermon. "'They crucified Him.' "'They,'" repeated the preacher, pausing on the word, "who were they? 'Crucified,' what was it? 'Him,' who was He? Let us answer the last question first. "'God who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things.' 'Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.' "He was the same of whom it is written, 'The Word was with God, and the Word was God;' and 'the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us . . . the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.' "But how came this wonderful person in company with thieves, enduring a disgraceful death, a public execution? He was not personally guilty, for no charge deserving of punishment could be proved against him. He was not powerless, for he could heal the sick and raise the dead; and angels who were eagerly looking into the events of his extraordinary career, would have sped to do his bidding.