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could not be a prophet. "This man," said the Pharisee to himself, "if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him; for she is a sinner." Luke vii: 39.

But though Simon spoke this only in his heart, his thoughts were not concealed from the great Redeemer of mankind, who, to convince him that he was a prophet, and that he knew not only the character of men, but even the secret thoughts of their hearts, immediately conversed with him on the very subject he had been revolving in his mind. He did not, indeed, expose him before the company, by relating what he had said in secret; but, with remarkable delicacy, pointed out to Simon alone the unreasonableness of his thoughts. "Simon," said the blessed Jesus, "I have somewhat to say unto thee. There was a certain creditor which had two debtors; the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me, therefore, which of them will love him most? Simon answered and said, I suppose that he to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged." And then immediately he applied this parable to the subject of the woman, on which the Pharisee had so unjustly reasoned with himself. "Simon," continued our Saviour, "seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in, hath not ceased to kiss my feet. My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment." Luke vii: 40-46.

This woman's kind services were in no danger of losing their reward from the blessed Jesus, who possessed the softer and finer feelings of human nature in their utmost perfection. Accordingly, he added, in pursuance of so kind an invitation he had before made to weary and heavy-laden sinners, "Wherefore I say unto thee, her sirs, which are many, are for given; for she loved much: but to whom little is for given, the same loveth little." Luke vii: 47.

The blessed Jesus having thus commended the conduct of the woman to the company, and rebuked, with great delicacy, the unjust suspicions of Simon, turned himself to the woman, and, in the kindest manner, assured her that "her sins were forgiven." But the power he assumed in forgiving sins, greatly offended the Jews, who, not being acquainted with his divinity, considered his speech as derogatory to the honor of the Almighty. Jesus, however contemned their malicious murmurs, and repeated his assurance, telling the woman, that her faith had saved her, and bade her depart in peace.

The next day Jesus traveled from Capernaum to different parts of Galilee, going "throughout every city and village, preaching and showing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God." Luke viii: 1. That is, he declared to the people the welcome tidings of the Almighty's being willing to be reconciled to the children of men, on condition of their repentance and embracing the gospel of the grace of God. Leaving Galilee, he repaired to Jerusalem to keep the passover, being the second feast of that kind since his public ministry. In this journey he was accompanied by certain pious women, "who ministered to him of their substance."

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CHAPTER XII.

MIRACULOUS CURE EFFECTED AT THE POOL OF BETHESDA

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REPROOF OF THE SUPERSTITION OF THE JEWS, IN CONDEMNING THE PERFORMANCE OF NECESSARY WORKS ON THE SABBATH-DAY AFTER DOING MANY ACTS OF MERCY AND WONDER, OUR BLESSED LORD IS VISITED BY HIS MOTHER AND HIS BRETHREN, AND MAKES A SPIRITUAL REFLECTION ON THAT INCIDENT.

UR Lord had no sooner entered the ancient city

of Jerusalem, so long famous for being the dwelling-place of the Most IIigh, than he repaired to the public bath or pool, called, in the Hebrew tongue, "Bethesda," that is, "the house of mercy," on account of miracles wrought there, by the salutary effects of the water, at certain seasons. This bath was surrounded by five porches, or cloisters, in which those who frequented the place were sheltered both from the heat and cold; and were particularly serviceable to the diseased and infirm, who crowded thither to find relief in their afflictions.

These porches were now filled with a "great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water whosoever then first after the troubling of the

water stepped in, was made whole of whatsoever disease he had." John v: 3, 4.

Among these objects of pity was one who had labored under his infirmity no less than thirty and eight years. The length and greatness of this man's afflictions, which were well known to the Son of God, were sufficient to excite his tender compassion, and make him the happy object to demonstrate that his power of healing was infinitely superior to the sanative virtue of the waters; while the rest were suffered to remain in their afflictions.

IIad not our Lord at this time restored any of them to health, he would not have acted contrary to the general account which the evangelists give of his goodness. on other occasions; namely, "that he healed all who came to him." For such diseased persons who left their habitations, through a persuasion of his power and kindness, were proper objects of mercy; whereas the sick in the cloisters of Bethesda were no more so than the other sick throughout the whole country, whom he could have cured with a single word of his mouth, had he been pleased to have uttered it.

Our compassionate Lord now approached the man whom he had singled out as the person on whom to manifest his power: he asked him, whether he was desirous of being made whole?-a question which must have induced the man to declare publicly his melancholy case, in the hearing of the multitude, and consequently, rendered the miracle more conspicuous. And as this was done on the Sabbath-day, our blessed Saviour seems to have wrought it to rouse he sons of Jacob from their lethargy, and convince the inhabitants of Jerusalem, that the long-expected

Messiah was now come, and had actually visited his people.

This distressed mortal, beholding Jesus with a sorrowful countenance, and understanding that he meant his being healed by the sanative virtue of the waters, answered, "Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me."- John v: 7. But the compassionate Redeemer of mankind soon convinced him that he was not to owe his cure to the salutary nature of the waters, but to the unbounded power of the Son of God; and accordingly said to him, "Rise, take up thy bed, and walk." No sooner was the heavenly mandate uttered, than the impotent man, to the astonishment of the multitude, "was made whole, and took up his bed and walked." John v: 9.

This great and miraculous cure could not fail of having a great effect on the spectators; and his carrying his bed on the Sabbath-day-which the Jews considered as a profanation of that day of rest-tended greatly to spread the fame of the miracle over the whole city. Nor did the man scruple to obey the commands of his kind physician; he well knew that the person who had the power of working such miracles must be a great prophet, and, consequently, that his injunction could not be sinful. He, therefore, thought that he gave a sufficient answer to those Jews, who told him it was not lawful to carry his bed on the Sabbath-day, to say, "IIe that made me whole, the same said unto me, take up thy bed and walk." John v: 11. He that restored my strength in an instant, and removed, with a single word, a disease that

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