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stowed upon us.

We shall "honour and obey the King, and all that are put in authority under him." We shall "order ourselves lowly and reverently to all our betters."

We shall "hurt

no body by word or deed." We shall "be true and just in all our dealings."

Such is the conduct which Christianity inculcates on all who profess to follow its dictates. Let us ask ourselves, Do the principles here unfolded regulate our conduct? Is it our anxious desire and aim to conform ourselves to the will of God as it is revealed in His holy word? Do we take the word of God for our directory; desiring that it may be a lamp unto our feet, and a light unto our path? If this be the case, we living in obedience to

shall be good subjects, the laws of our country. For so is the will of God, that with well doing we may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men,10 who would persuade themselves that a profession of religion is merely a mask of hypocrisy. It is for the glory of God that those who profess to adhere to His cause, and to be His servants, should act consistently with their profession, according to His holy will and commandment. The glory of God is the great end which His people should ever propose to themselves. Let this be our object continually. And, that we may keep it

9 Psalm cxix. 105.

10 1 Peter ii. 15.

in view, let it be our earnest prayer that the words of our Lord Jesus Christ may be written upon our hearts, that we may receive them with pure affection, and that the effect of believing them may be manifest in our life and conduct. This will redound to the glory of God, and to our own comfort and salvation.

Now to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost, the Triune Jehovah, be all honour and glory, dominion and praise ascribed for evermore. Amen.

SERMON LIX.

FOR THE

TWENTY FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER

TRINITY.

THE BLOODY ISSUE HEALED: AND THE RULER'S DAUGHTER RAISED.

Matthew ix. 22.

BUT JESUS TURNED HIM ABOUT; AND WHEN HE SAW HER, HE SAID, DAUGHTER, BE OF GOOD COMFORT; THY FAITH HATH MADE THEE WHOLE. AND THE WOMAN WAS

MADE WHOLE FROM THAT HOUR.

THE miracle here recorded was wrought by our Lord Jesus Christ as He was proceeding to the house of one of the rulers of the synagogue at Capernaum, with the intention of raising to life. his daughter who was dead. This man had left his own house when his child was apparently at the point of death, to go in quest of our Lord Jesus Christ, hoping that the almighty

ff

Saviour might be induced to return with him, and restore her again to life and health. He had probably heard of the miracle which had been wrought in favour of the nobleman's son, who was instantaneously healed of a malignant fever, which threatened his life, by the word of the Lord Jesus." For this event had occurred at Capernaum, the place where Jairus, the ruler of the synagogue, lived. And he was therefore encouraged to make application to the Lord Jesus, under his own similar circumstances of affliction and distress.

At the time when he came to Jesus, our blessed Saviour was answering an inquiry of the disciples of John the Baptist, respecting a difference which they had observed between the conduct of His disciples, and that which had been enjoined upon themselves by their Master, and which was adopted also by the Pharisees. They asked Him, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but Thy disciples fast not? He replied to them, that the circumstances in which His disciples were then placed, were not such as called for grief and mourning; but rather for rejoicing. But that in a short time their situation in this respect would be altered; when sorrow and mourning with the natural consequence, fasting, would be their portion. And He compared the enjoining of bodily

1 John iv. 46-54.

12 Matthew ix. 14.

mortifications upon persons who were not in circumstances of affliction, to the inconsistency of sewing a piece of new cloth on an old threadbare garment, which would make bad worse; or to putting new wine into old goat-skin bottles, which would be burst by the fermentation of the liquor, so that the wine would be lost, and the bottles rendered useless.

The Gospel for this day commences with the statement, that while Jesus spake these things unto John's disciples, behold, there came a certain ruler and worshipped Him, saying, My daughter is even now dead, or as St. Mark says, at the point of death; and the word here used denotes that either one or the other might be the case; but come and lay Thy hand upon her, and she shall live. The prayer of faith was never offered to our blessed Saviour in vain. He did not refuse the worship which was paid to Him by this man; as His apostles did when they were addressed in a similar manner.13 But He at once compassionated the ruler's distress, when He saw the earnestness and anxiety with which His aid was implored, and the faith that was manifested in His almighty power. And Jesus arose and followed him, and so did His disciples. Without delay He complied with the humble request that was made to Him. And as He was going on His

13 Acts x. 26, xiv. 15.

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