macdonald tells of a young marquis who lived for a number of years as a poor fisherman in his own scotch village, enduring the hardship of the men who win their living from the sea, his rank being meanwhile unknown. finally he declared his position and assumed the rights of his place, and now the men whenever they were in trouble brought to him their grievances, with a feeling of certainty that he knew their sufferings and would sympathize with them.

so jesus, having once lived in the flesh, and for our sakes became poor, and having suffered weariness, hunger, thirst, bitter temptations, and finally death itself, knows all our human estate, our sorrows, cares, and anxieties, and ever sympathizes with us with infinite tenderness and love. we have not a saviour who cannot understand all that comes to us. he was a baby, a child, a man. he was despised and honored; loved and hated; tenderly cared for and finally killed by envious hearts. so, you see, he will understand anything we want to tell him about.