A Courtier, through Herodian's regions known,

Noble of birth, and kinsman to the throne; Whose dear and only son expiring lay, Address'd our Lord, and his life did pray.

THE NOBLEMAN'S SON HEALED.

The anxious father still implores His aid,
Which, if His presence longer be delay'd,
Would come too late; this answer Jesus gives,
"Return with joy; thy son's restor'd and lives."

"A NOBLEMAN saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die. Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son_liveth." (John iv. 49, 50.)

Our Lord's curing the nobleman's son that was sick of a fever, is recorded by the evangelist St. John. The father, a nobleman, went to Jesus himself, and besought him to come and heal his son. As to the

errand the father came upon,

serve a mixture in his faith.

we may ob

There was sin

cerity in it; for he believed that Christ could heal his son. Yet there was a degree of weakness in his faith; as it should seem,

he thought Jesus could not heal him at a distance.

The nobleman pressed his request till he prevailed; but he still discovered weakness of faith in the power of Christ. It seems hard to persuade ourselves that distance of time and place are no obstructions to the knowledge and power of our Lord Jesus. Observe what haste he is in: "Come down, ere my child die;" as if there were danger of Christ being too late. He that believeth refers himself to Christ; wilt, "thy will be done.”

Lord, do as thou

Christ gave an answer of peace; an instance of his power. Here is nothing said or done, nothing ordered to be done, apparently; and yet the cure is wrought. The nobleman would have Christ come down and heal his son. Christ will heal his son, and not come down: and thus the cure is the

sooner wrought, the nobleman's mistake rectified, and his faith confirmed. When he denies what we ask, he gives what is much more to our advantage; we ask for ease, he gives patience., Christ's saying, Thy soul lives, makes it alive. Of his pity; the nobleman's natural affection discovered itself in his words, "Ere my child, my dear child, die;" therefore Christ dropped the reproof and gave assurance of the recovery of his child. He knows how a father pities his own children.

The nobleman was satisfied. How quickly is that which is wanting in our faith perfected by the word and power of Jesus Christ! Christ said, "Thy son liveth," and the nobleman believed him; like the father of the faithful, against hope he believed in hope, and staggered not through unbelief. Christ said, "Go thy way;" and, as an

evidence of the sincerity of his faith, he went his way. As one entirely satisfied, he did not hurry home that night, but returned as one perfectly easy in his own mind.

His servants met him with the news of the child's recovery. He inquired what hour the child began to recover. "Yesterday, at the eleventh hour, the fever left him;" so the father knew that it was the same hour when Jesus said to him, "Thy son liveth." As the word of God, well studied, will help us to understand his providence, so the providence of God, well observed, will help us to understand his word..