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unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work

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iniquity. Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell and great was the fall of it. And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: "for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

24 We have here a lively emblem of the folly and danger of those who rest their hope of happiness on this world, and the wisdom and safety of those who build their hope upon religion, that rock of ages, against which the storms and tempests of adversity and persecution shall beat, but beat in vain.

29 So now the word you hear read is delivered by the voice of man; but its authority is of God.

CHAPTER VIII.

JAN. 10, MAY 10, SEPT. 7.

WHEN he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes

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followed him. And, behold,

there came a leper and wor

2 The leper believed in Jesus as God.

shipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me

clean. And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean.

3 Faith was rewarded. O let me, a sinner, have faith in the same Jesus as my Saviour and my God *. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, and saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. 8 The centu- 8 How surely does humility mark rion answered and said, Lord, the truly great and good!

I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.

* The leprosy is too apt an emblem of sin. No human aid can heal or relieve it.

9"If I am obeyed by my servants, how much more must thou be able to command and be obeyed-thou, to whom God hath given such power!"

9 For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. And I say unto you,¦ that many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 13 And Jesus said un- 13 This command was a sharp test to the centurion, Go thy way; of faith. How nobly did he bear it! and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour. And when Jesus was come into Peter's house, he saw his wife's mother laid, and sick of a fever. And he touched her hand, and the fever left her and she arose, and 16 What infinite benevolence! None ministered unto them. 16When ask healing for their sins, and ask in the even was come, they vain! brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses. Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave commandment to depart unto the other side. And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever 20 Jesus avows his extreme poverty, thou goest. 20 And Jesus saith in order to check any worldly hopes unto him, The foxes have in those addressing him. holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. 22 But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.

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22 "Let each man attend to his appointed duty. Thine is to follow me."

And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. 26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O

26 The wind sometimes lulls suddenly, but the agitation of a stormy sea continues long after the tempest

ye of little faith? Then he has ceased. The calm therefore was

arose, and rebuked the winds

and the sea; and there was a great calm. 27 But the men

miraculous.

27 It is clear that they understood the miracle.

marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the

winds and the sea obey him! 28 And when he was come to the other side into the coun

28 The tombs were caves hewn in the rock which faced the lake of Gennesareth. They continue to this day.

try of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way. And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time? And there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine feeding. So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine. And he said unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and, behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters. And they that kept them fled, and went their ways into the city, and told every thing, and what was befallen to the possessed of the devils. And, behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus: and when they saw him, they besought him that he would depart out of their coasts.

This history proves Jesus to have been "the power of God and the wisdom of God"-Lord of the natural and the spiritual world; wise to detect the spirits of evil; powerful to controul them. Blessed truth! O let my soul repose itself in peace under the shadow of this Mighty One!

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CHAPTER IX.

JAN. 11, MAY 11, SEPT. 8.

AND he entered into a ship, 1 Jesus dwelt at Capernaum.

and passed over, and came into his own city. And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed : and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy 3 They judged rightly, that to forsins be forgiven thee. And, give sins was the province of God behold, certain of the scribes only.

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said within themselves, This man blasphemeth. And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man

6 Their conclusion was wrong in refusing to acknowledge Christ as God; for he did the works of God,

and opened to them the very thoughts of their hearts, able therefore to forgive sins.

hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. And he arose, and departed to his house. But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such 9 And as power unto men. 9 What exemplary promptness to Jesus passed forth from forth from follow Christ. thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him. And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans 12 Sin is the sickness of the soul, and sinners ? 12 But when and Jesus is the appointed healer. Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not? 15 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast. No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse. Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved. While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler and worshipped him, saying, My daughter is even now dead but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live. And Jesus arose, and followed him, and so did his disciples. And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment: "1 for 21 The secret breathing of faith in she said within herself, If I your heart at this moment is known may but touch his garment,

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15 "There is a time for all things." Fasting is for seasons of sorrow. Such a season was approaching, when Christ, their Master, Lord, and Friend, should be removed. They would then have sorrow, and mourning, and woe,

to the Searcher of hearts!

I shall be whole. saw her, he said, hath made thee from that hour.

But Jesus turned him about, and when he Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith whole. And the woman was made whole And when Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise, he said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose. And the fame hereof went abroad into all the land. And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou son of David, have mercy on us. And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto 29 If your faith fail not, be sure him, Yea, Lord. 29 Then God's mercies cannot fail. touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you. And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it. But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all that country. As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil. 33 And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake: saying, It was never so seen in Israel. 34 But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through the prince of the devils. And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. "Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; pray ye therefore the will send forth labourers into his harvest.

33 Not even Moses, the prophet of Israel, equalled Jesus.

and the multitudes marvelled,

34 This assertion confutes itself; for the devils would hardly destroy their own power*.

35 So now, Jesus is at hand; ready "to heal every sickness and every disease" of our sinful souls.

37 The world is the field, the inhabitants thereof the corn, and the ministers of the word the appointed labourers therein hereafter, the angels shall be the reapers.

Lord of the harvest, that he

*The record of the fact is valuable, as proving that the bitterest enemies of Christ neither did nor could doubt that the miracles were wrought: and wrought by Him.

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