After the leper, some poor mean creature perhaps, had gone from the Lord, having had his request granted and his body healed from the loathsome plague, a man in better circumstances, a captain of a company of Roman soldiers, one hundred in number, a Centurion, as he is called, came to Jesus, entreating him, and saying, Lord! my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. The palsy is a disorder which deprives people of the use of all, or of some of their limbs, of the use of an arm and leg, and sometimes of life; and is seldom, if ever, cured. How good was it in the Centurion to take this care of a sick servant! How much trust did it shew that he had in the power of Jesus to leave his home, and to come to him for help! How good and kind in our blessed Saviour to tell him immediately, I will come and heal him. The Centurion, though no mean person, thought that this was too great a condescension in so divine a being as Jesus Christ! He was an hum

ble minded-man: he had no high and foolish notions of his dignity and rank, to think that he was worthy of a visit from the Saviour of the world! He replied, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldst come under my roof, but I have such a belief of thy power, that if thou wilt speak the word, my servant will be healed, though at a distance. He tells our Saviour that he had soldiers under him, and that he could say to one of them, Go, and he would instantly go, and to another of them, Come, and he would instantly come, and that he would tell his servant, Do this, and he would do it. He knew and believed, that the Saviour of the world had as much authority, over men and angels, and even all nature, as he had over his servants; and that if he chose at a distance to bid the sickness leave his servant, the sickness would obey him and leave the poor man. Our Saviour was much pleased with his answer, which shewed, that though he was not one of our Lord's countrymen, he had more faith than

those countrymen. He therefore tells him, Go thy way, you may return home, and as you have believed in me, you will find your servant healed. And what do you think? how great was the power of Jesus Christ! The servant was healed at the self-same hour. As soon as Jesus gave the word that he should be healed, he was healed! Without touching, without seeing the servant, he cured him of his sad and melancholy sickness. After this, he went into the house of Peter, one of his disciples, and cured the mother of Peter's wife of a fever only by touching her hand! No wonder after this, that many sick persons were brought to him from all quarters. As soon as their friends heard what a godlike man had come among them, they brought all the sick to him, and he, merciful and kind-hearted as he was, healed them all. Well was it said of him by one who lived many years before he came down from Heaven, that he would take away the infirmities of men, and heal all their sick

ness.

This shewed not his power only, but his goodness. He might have shewed the people that he was God, by bidding the thunder come down from Heaven and destroy all the wicked. But this would have shewn only his power. Whereas by healing sicknesses by a word, he shewed his goodness and mercy also: he shewed, as he himself tells us, that he had come to seek and to save that which was lost! O merciful and adorable Saviour! thou art the kindest friend to man, that man ever knew! And although thou art no longer on earth to heal our sicknesses, thou art in Heaven to hear our prayers, thou canst plead with the Father to raise from the bed of sickness those whom we love! thou canst pour down upon us thy Holy Spirit to help us through all the troubles of life, in making our way, by good thoughts, good desires, and good deeds, to that Heaven, where thou art! May we trust in thee, believe in thee, and obey thee! And may we follow, as far as we can, thy good and

kind example, and be merciful ourselves, as far as we can, to all who are in sorrow! May we help the sick, share our morsel with the hungry, and be kind to all.

Our Saviour did not come into the world like a prince, a king, or great man. If he had, he might have had followers who would have followed him for the hope of gain or advantage. He could not have tried the hearts of people. But by coming into the world in mean and poor circumstances, he found out those who were worthy of him. He shewed the poor and mean, that poverty and meanness are no, thing if the heart is right in the sight of God, and that riches and the good things of life are often snares and traps to draw us away from God and religion, and that while the rich think only of this world, and live without thinking of another, the poor may feel that their only treasure is in Heaven, and may seek it there by their humbleness of mind, their patience, their