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and ʼn heir ofensivmes agans. My minite Majesty. Wunder sal I fir e 'snui and body, bus to Thee the Prymum if sous. Vi lewest those who are honka s iact, aut poest meticine to heal their sickness? I am sick, mi aya Thee for help; bind, and seek to Thee, the Login of de; dead, and impion Thee, Was a Liset O Justs! my Divine Deliverer! hare merry on ne. If Thou wilt, Thou canst make me dean. 0 Fammin of Health! hearken to my explaints, and heal my diseased and leprous soul Stretch forth Thy Hand mi dleanse me with Thy healing touch. Raise me. O Life Eternal, from the grave of my sins, for my misery is great. I will, therefore, confess my vieness before Thee, and show Thee all my trouble. Help me, O my Strength! Shine upon me, O Thou my true Light! Come, and quicken me, O my Life, by Whom alone I live. For Thou only art my Help and Light, my Life, and my Joy, my LORD, my Saviour, and my GOD. See also Meditations, page 181.

Prayer.

O LORD JESUS CHRIST, Who didst come down from Thy FATHER'S throne into the Virgin's Womb, to cure the leprosy of man; lo, I, a leper, covered with manifold spots of sin, adore Thee. If Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean. Stretch forth the Hand of Thy Grace and Mercy, touch the body and soul of the leper who calls upon Thee, pity me a penitent, and speak with power to the disease of my sins. My

GOD, and my Saviour, Who wouldst not the death of a sinner, but that he should be converted, O perfect in me a sinner, this work of thorough conversion, that my soul may be renewed, and live with Thee for ever. Amen.

See also "Prayer for Pardon," and "Confession of Sin." Devotions for the Sick Room, pages 101 and

146.

CHAPTER XVI.

THIRD SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY.-PART II.

THE LORD MANIFESTS HIS DIVINITY IN HEALING THE CENTURION'S PARALYTIC SERVANT.

Gospel Narrative.

See S. Matt. viii. 5-13, and S. Luke vii. 1—10.

Reflections.

And when JESUS was entered into Capernaum, a cen

turion came unto Him. This Roman soldier came with the faith, desire, and devotion of a Jew, not of a stranger. But being an alien he did not presume to come to JESUS himself, thinking himself unworthy; and therefore he deputed the elders of the Jews to go in his name, and say, " My servant (slave) lieth at home sick of the palsy." He does not cast him out of his house, as many proud, inhuman masters do, sending their servants to a hospital when they are afflicted with sickness, to save themselves the trouble of attending on them.

He uses these three words, "lying," "paralytic," and "grievously tormented," to show the anguish of

his soul, and to move the LORD to compassion. He merely named his affliction, but he leaves the remedy in the hands of the LORD's mercy. But the Jews are sent by the providence of GOD, that, if they remained incredulous after seeing the miracles, and the faith of the Gentile, they might be without excuse. The centurion had heard of the miracles of JESUS, and firmly believed that He could cure his slave, who was dear to him, and who would have died, had he not been healed by Him.

By this we should learn to commiserate our servants and inferiors, and show care and solicitude for them. The centurion was not like many, who are more anxious about themselves in health than their dependants when sick, and who show more condescension to themselves in their pleasures, than to their inferiors in their necessities. He therefore asked Him earnestly to come to his house, thinking, from the anguish of his slave and his desire for his cure, less than he ought of the reverence and majesty of CHRIST. But JESUS, knowing his devotion, answered by the messengers, "I will come," (observe His humility,) "and heal him," (observe His clemency.) But He had power to heal, without being bodily present. How very different is His conduct to that of those physicians, who are ready to visit the rich, and not the poor.

And when He was now not far from the house, the centurion, thinking more fully of the Majesty and Eminence of CHRIST, and turning to it by an act of faith, before the return of the others, sent to request Him not to come, saying, "LORD, trouble not Thyself;

for I am not worthy that Thou shouldest enter under my roof." He feared, from a consciousness of his Gentile life, that he should offend CHRIST, if He should come unto him. His calling himself unworthy made him worthy of JESUs entering, not into his house, but into his soul. In great humiliation he therefore added, Therefore thought I myself not worthy to come unto Thee." "But only," without Bodily Presence, "speak the word," that word by which all things are created, governed, and healed," and my servant shall be healed.” Great is that faith which can believe, that to speak is to do. We have here three wonderful virtues in this soldier: humility, faith, and knowledge. For he had great humility, who, when the LORD was coming to him, considers himself unworthy that He should come under his roof; he had also perfect faith, for, though a Gentile, he believed that the LORD could restore his servant to health by a word only. He had likewise no small degree of foresight (or knowledge), for he recognizes a latent Divinity beyond His Flesh; and though he saw Him walking Bodily, yet believed Him everywhere present by His Godhead. Neither was he deficient in charity, as we have seen by his care for his servant. Persevering in his faith, he shows that he believes that JESUS can heal by a word; for he adds, "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." From this he concludes, that if at his word, one goeth and another cometh, and another does what he bids him, much more, if CHRIST, Who is GOD and LORD, says to the disease, "Go," it will go,