Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1896-02-15

OF this lesson, next 10 the presence ol
Christ. is that a Roman centurion had
servant who was very dear Ia him, and
this servant was at this time VI sick,
and 1t seemed as If he would die. Math.
viii, 8, says that his sickness was the
palsy, and that he was grieyously torinent-
ed. He was a helpless man.
8. The centurion seems 10 have known
somewhat of Jesus, either having heard or
seen some OF the things which He had
done. and hearing that He was in the city
he sent some Of the elders of the Jews TO
ask Him to come and heal his servant. We
may imagine that the centurion lost no
time. His dear servant seemed to be dy-
ing; there was no hope for him, no human
helper; the only one who could help was
in the city: the one thing To do was TO
have Him come quickly. Jesus is the very
same today II helpless, call Him.
4, s. When the elders came TO Jesus,
their plea was that the centurion WAS
worthy because he had shown his love To
the nation by building a synagogue. The
same thought is in many minds today, for
there a.c laany who think that If they
build a church or give SO much 10 the
church, or To the poor or 10 missions,
or 10 some good cause, they will thus
merit the favor Of God, whereas the fact =
that grace means favor for the undesery-
ing, the poor and the helpless and even
those who are rcbelling against God Con
slider we'll Rom. Y, Z, s, and kindred pas
sages until you see the meaning of grace.
8. Jesus at once went with them not
because the centurion was worthy, but be.
cause of the need of the poor sick and help
less servant, but other servants meet Him,
from the centurion, with this message:
81 am not worthy that Thou shouldest
enter under my roof. I" The grace of God
was doing something for this man, for it
is only by grace that we get true humility.
Job thought great deal Of himself till he
saw God; then he abhored himself and
magnifed God. Compare job xxx with
xiii, o. and see also Isa VII B, and Dan,
x, 8.
z. Not only did the centurion feel UNI
worthy to have Jesus come into his house,
but ne also felt unworthy even to come to
Jesus and now sends by these servants this
message: Say In word, and my servant
shall be healed, or, as In Math. viii, s,
"Speak theword only" Is IL possible that
he had become familiar with these words
of Scripture by the word of the Lord
were the heavens made, He spake, and
1t was done" 'He sent His word and
And was he thus led TO have such un-
bounded confidence In this One whom he
evidently believed to be God or sent of
God?
8. He knew what it was to obey and to
be obeyed, and somehow he had faith in
this Man that he could command diseases
and demons at pleasure. 1t is written in
the Psalms, from which book we have al
ready wanderingly quoted, that fire
and hail, snow and vapors and stormy
wind fulfill His word, and that the an
gels who excel IN strength do His COM
mandments, hearkening unto the voice of
His word FPS. oxlviii, s.; Gill, 20), and
that, though the Lord be high, yet hath He
respect unto the lowly Fps. cxxxyiii, %.
Did this centurion learn his faith and hui
mility from this bookY
9. Such faith was so pleasing to the
Lord that He spoke of it to the people as
exceliing any faith that He had seen IN
Israel. Without faith it is impossible to
please God Heb. XII, o., but by believing
Him and having confidence in Him we
can please Him. That the disciples re-
ceived the words of the Lord made Him SO
glad that He spoke Of IL to His Father in
His prayer on the night before His cruel
flxion (.John xvii, 81. Consider also the
faith of the Syro-Phenician in Math.
XIV, 20.
TO- When the messengers returned, the
servant was well. 1t would appear from
the account in Matthew that having sent
the elders and then tho servants he after
ward went himself to meet the Lord, and
that the Lord said unto him, go thy
way, and as thou hast believed so be 1t
done unto thee" We are reminded of the
nobleman of Capernaum whose son was
sick, and to whom Jesus said, go thy
way; thy son liveth." The man believed
the word and went and found as Jesus
had said John iv SOY. Assurance and joy
and peace all come by believing (Rom.
XIV. 13).
IL. We now find Him entering the city
Of Main, accompanied by many of His dis
ciples and much people. Being sent of
God and filed with the Spirit, He went
about doing good and everywhere taught
and healed. He was truly the Comforter
In the power of the Spirit. He has given
us the same Holy Spirit, whom He calls
'the Comforter, = that He in us may still
go about doing good in His name for we
are here in Christ's stead to magnify God.
IL. AS He entered the city the body of a
dead man was being carried out for burial,
and he had been the only stay of his poor
mother, and she widow In very short
time the body would be laid away out OF
the sight of that broken hearted widow.
ID. The Comforter, the Almighty Help
or, the Resurrection and the Life meets
her. He is sorry for her, and He says,
"Weep not. +" The time Is coming when
He will wipe away all tears and there shall
be crying no more even on this eofth Rev.
vii, IL; xxi, Al, but until that time the
tears come, and come again even though we
wipe them away. Yet there might be
fewer tears II there was more faith in Him.
IA, Is. At His word the procession
stops. He speaks TO the dead man, the
man lives, sits up and begins 10 speak, and
Jesus, instead of saying to him, Follow
me, gives him back to his mother What
a word is thisl 1t Is even the same that
created the world; that spake and it was
done; the same word that at the appointed
time will bring all dead bodies from their
graves John V, 2S), the righteous at the
beginning and the rest at the end of the
hour, or thousand years Rev. k, b, 90.
IS. They acknowledged Him as a great
prophet and glorified God, saying that He
had visited His people. BY and by He
will come in power and glory, and Israel
| shall say: This Is our God We have walt
ed for Him, and He will save us. Then
will He swallow up death in victory and
wipe away all tears lisa. XIV, 8, ~. Let
| His word enter us now and give a fore
taste of these things.
UcEEN7e E1cIEI111