He has no humility, neither has he any earnestness of purpose, neither does he rest on Him, in Whom alone he can be safe. His building, therefore, his profession of Christian faith, cannot resist temptation; hence it is quickly overthrown. His ruin, too, is great, because He might have been as an angel, but has fallen to the condition of a devil; he might have been raised up to heaven, he has been thrust down to hell.

O Almighty LORD and everlasting GOD, vouchsafe, we beseech Thee, to direct, sanctify, and govern both our hearts and bodies in the ways of Thy laws and in the works of Thy commandments, that through Thy most mighty protection, both here and ever, we may be preserved in body and soul; through our LORD and SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST. Amen.

CHAPTER VII.

1 Now when He had ended all His sayings in the audience of the people, He entered into Capernaum.

2 And a certain centurion's servant, who was dear unto him, was sick, and ready to die.

3 And when he heard of JESUS, he sent unto Him the elders of the Jews, beseeching Him that He would come and heal his servant.

This Roman soldier seems to have "turned from idols to serve the living and true GoD:" he was what is called "a proselyte ;" he felt, however, that he was not actually one of the chosen race, that there was still "a middle wall of partition" between him and the Jews; and in his humility he thought that the prayer of the Jewish elders would be more prevailing than his own: therefore he sent them to JESUS.

4 And when they came to JESUS, they besought Him instantly, saying, That he was worthy for whom He should do this.

5 For he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue.

"Instantly" means, with strong entreaties; very earnestly.

He loved the holy nation, because in it was the true GOD, His laws, His sacrifices, and His prophets. He loved the Jews, and therefore he tried to amend those dwelling about him; building for them a synagogue, where they might hear of GOD, and pray to Him. He was merciful, and so he obtained mercy; he was poor in spirit, and so, found an entrance into the kingdom; he spent his money in GOD's service, making to himself "friends of the Mammon of unrighteousness," and through these he entered into the "everlasting habitation.'

6 Then JEsus went with them.

Consider here how much one man's faith may do for others. If the Centurion's faith availed to bring the LORD JESUS to his house, and then to heal his servant, how much more, even than this, will the deep true faith of a loving Christian heart do for itself and others.

LORD, increase our faith, our faith in Thee, the ever-blessed Trinity; our faith in Thy power, Thy truth, and Thy love.

And when He was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to Him, saying unto Him, LORD, trouble not Thyself: for I am not worthy that Thou shouldest enter under my roof:

7 Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto Thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed.

:

"There is no need for Thee to come; Thy actual presence is not required however distant Thou mayest be from him who needs Thy healing power, Thou hast but to speak, and a cure will be wrought:" such seems to have been the centurion's meaning.

8 For I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers, and I say unto one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.

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"If I, who am under the orders of others, can yet command, and receive immediate obedience; how much more canst Thou speak the word, and be obeyed, Who art not under authority, Who art Thyself the King of kings and LORD of lords ?"

Great indeed was this Gentile soldier's humility! He was high in authority, yet he thought himself unworthy that CHRIST should come into his house; and this, though he was rich, and CHRIST was exceeding poor. Great, too, was his faith; for he saw the power of the Godhead in CHRIST, though to outward eyes He was but an obscure and very lowly Man. Great, too, was his love; that love which "vaunteth not itself," and "is not puffed up," and "is kind;" for he loved a helpless slave, and the Jewish people, and sought their good both in body and soul.

9 When JESUS heard these things, He marvelled at him,

This may be "He was as one that marvelled," for of course nothing is marvellous to Him" Who alone doeth great wonders ;" and yet it may be that He did truly marvel, expressing, by His wonder, His gracious approbation and love.

and turned Him about, and said unto the people that followed Him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.

Yet, surely, some, such as S. Andrew and S. Peter, S. James and S. John, S. Matthew and S. Nathaniel, had already brought forth very wonderful fruits of faith. But we must remember what great aids to faith these saints had "in the oracles of GOD," while this centurion had been born and brought up a heathen.

"Grant me, O LORD, the faith of this blessed Centurion; that I may have such a sense of Thy Word, and such a knowledge of Thy Presence, that I may in heart hallow Thy Name, and that so Thy Kingdom may come to me in greater fulness than that to which I have yet attained."

10 And they that were sent, returning to the house, found the servant whole that had been sick.

He had been healed, then, without even a word from CHRIST : He secretly willed that the poor sufferer should be healed, and he was healed: the only outward indication of His Will being con

veyed, not to the servant, but to his master, in the words which are recorded by S. Matthew (viii. 13), " As thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee." Oh, awful power of His Will, Who, being GOD, became Man, never ceasing to be GOD, GOD from everlasting, God blessed for ever, GoD all-loving, all-powerful.

11 And it came to pass the day after, that He went into a city called Nain; and many of His disciples went with Him, and much people.

12 Now when He came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow ; and much people of the city was with her.

What a picture of utter desolation do these words describe ! Is not mourning for an only son, the description which God Himself gives of bitter sorrow? (Jer. vi. 26; Zech. xii. 10; Amos viii. 10)? The mother was a widow, she had no hope of other children; she had no one to whom she could look; he was her only son; he it was who made her bome happy; all the joy and boast of a mother's heart were centred in him alone; and he is being borne to his grave!

All earthly comforts vanish thus ;

So little hold of them have we,
That we from them, or they from us,
May in a moment ravished be.

13 And when the LORD saw her, He had compassion on her,

He felt with her as man feels, but He wrought for her as GOD works; for presently will be the first, though in truth a very partial, fulfilment of His Words: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the SON of GOD: and they that hear shall live." (S. John v. 25.)

and said unto her, Weep not.

Cease to mourn for him, as dead, whom presently thou shalt embrace, alive and well; it is I, Who say it, I, Who am the resurrection and the life.1

Isa. xxv. 8; Rev. xxi. 4.

14 And He came and touched the bier:

Our LORD touched the bier, in the first place to stop the bearers: but as touching a bier conveyed uncleanness according to the law, He desired, it may be, in the second place, to intimate that He could not be made unclean; and perhaps further, that all such uncleannesses were now being done away.

and they that bare him stood still. Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.

And He said,

15 And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak.

Here, life and death met face to face; life in the LORD JESUS, death in its human victim, and death is swallowed up in victory, for verily no man raiseth another from slumber, so easily as this Man raiseth from death.

"CHRIST is not like Elijah, mourning over the son of the widow of Sarepta, (1 Kings xvii. 20); neither is He like Elisha, stretching his own body over the dead, (2 Kings iv. 34); neither is He as S. Peter, praying over Tabitha, (Acts ix. 40); but as GOD, He calls those things that are not as though they were, (Rom. iv. 17.) He speaks to the dead as though he were alive, 'Young man, Í say unto thee,' and by speaking raises him to life."

may

Now what death does to the body, that, wilful, indulged sin does to the soul, it slays. This young man, therefore, may be taken as a type of those who are living in open sin, and, it be, have so lived for some time, even as the daughter of Jairus is a type of those who live in secret sin, and Lazarus, of such as have grown old in it: but He Who is Life, can make them live. We meekly beseech Thee, O Blessed JESU, to raise us from the death of sin unto the life of righteousness, that when we depart this life, we may rest in Thee; and that at the general resurrection at the last day, we may be found acceptable in Thy sight, and receive that blessing, which Thou shalt then pronounce on all who love and fear Thee.

And He delivered him to his mother.

The young man had ceased to belong to her, for he had lost the life which he had received from her; but now to complete her joy, He, Who had given him a second life, gives him back to her. And we may learn from this how penitents owe themselves to GOD, and how they are bound to spend their lives in the service