the night by the tempest; so that in the fourth watch, or between three and six o'clock in the morning, they were not above a league from the shore.

Their divine Master beheld, from the mountain, their distressed situation; but they were ignorant of his presence, though he was coming to their relief. Such was the state of the disciples; they were tossed by boisterous waves, and opposed in their course by the rapid current of the wind, so that all hopes of reaching the place intended were vanished; when, behold, their heavenly Master, to assist them in this distressful situation, comes to them, walking on the foaming surface of the sea. Their Lord's approach filled them with astonishment; they took him for an apostate spirit, and shrieked for fear. Their terrors were, however, soon removed: their great and affectionate Master talked to them, with the sound of whose voice they were perfectly acquainted. "Be of good cheer," said the blessed Jesus, "it is I, be not afraid."

Peter, a man of warm and forward temper, beholding Jesus walking on the sea, was exceedingly amazed, and conceived the strongest desire of being enabled to perform so wonderful an action.

Accordingly, without the least reflection, he immediately begged that his Master would bid him come to him on the water. He did not doubt but that Jesus would gratify his request, as it sufficiently intimated that he would readily undertake anything, however difficult, at the command of his Saviour. But it appeared, that his faith was too weak to support him to that height of obedience to which he would have willingly soared. To convince this forward disciple of the weakness of his faith, and render him more

diffident of his own strength, our blessed Saviour granted his request. He ordered him to come to him upon the water.

Peter joyfully obeyed his divine Master; he left the boat, and walked on the surface of the sea. But the wind increasing, made a dreadful noise, and the boisterous waves at the same time threatened to overwhelm him. His faith now staggered; his presence of mind forsook him; he forgot that his Saviour was at hand; and, in proportion as his faith decreased, the waters yielded, and he sunk. In this extremity he looked around for his Master, and, on the very brink of being swallowed up, cried, "Lord, save me!" Ilis cry was not disregarded by his compassionate Saviour: "he stretched forth his hand and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, where fore didst thou doubt?"

Peter was convinced, before he left the ship, that it was Jesus who was coming to them on the water: nor did he even doubt it when he was sinking, because he then implored his assistance. But when he found the storm increase, and the billows rage more terribly than before, his fears suggested that either his Master would be unable or unwilling to support him amid the frightful blasts of the tempest.

This miracle alarmed the disciples, for, though they had so lately seen the miracle of the five loaves, they did not seem to have formed a proper idea of his power; but being persuaded that he could be no other than the expected Messiah, they "came and worshiped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God." Matt. xiv.: 33.

Our Saviour seems to have confirmed this miracle

by working another; for the evangelists tell us, that he had no sooner entered the ship, and hushed the violence of the storm, than they arrived at the place whither they were going. "Then they willingly received him into the ship; and immediately the ship was at the land, whither they went." John vi: 21.

When our Lord disembarked, the inhabitants of the neighboring country ran to him, bringing with them all those that were sick-and they were all healed. It must be remembered, that though Jesus ordinarily resided in the neighborhood of Capernaum, yet he had been absent ever since his visiting Nazareth; and therefore it is natural to think, that the inhabitants, on his return, would not omit the opportunity of bringing their sick in such prodigious crowds, that it seems our Saviour did not pay particular attention to each of them, and this was the reason of their beseeching him "that they might only touch the hem of his garment and as many as touched were made perfectly whole." Matt. xiv: 36.

The virtue of that power by which he wrought these miracles, lay not in his garments, for then the soldiers who seized them at his crucifixion might have wrought the same miracles; but it was because Jesus willed it to be so. It was now the acceptable time, the day of salvation, foretold by Isaiah, and Christ's power was sufficient to remove any distemper whatsoever.

CHAPTER XV.

PHARISAICAL SUPERSTITION SEVERELY REPRIMANDED THE GREAT REDEEMER CONTINUES TO DISPLAY HIS POWER AND BENEVOLENCE IN THE RELIEF OF SEVERAL OBJECTS OF AFFLICTION-GUARDS HIS DISCIPLES AGAINST THE PREVAILING ERRORS AND FALLACIES OF THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEES-PROCEEDS ON THE WORKS OF HIS HEAVENLY FATHER.

T

HE season of the grand passover approaching, Jesus went up to Jerusalem, to attend that solemnity. But the Jews being offended at his discourse in the synagogue of Capernaum, made an attempt upon his life. Our Lord, therefore, finding it impossible to remain at Jerusalem in safety, departed from that city, and retired into Galilee.

The Pharisees were sensible they could not perpetrate their malicious designs upon him on that occasion; they therefore followed him, hoping to find something by which they might accuse him; and at length ventured to attack him for permitting his disciples to eat with unwashed hands, because, in so doing, they trans gressed the tradition of the elders.

Moses had, indeed, required external cleanness as a part of their religion, but it was only to signify how careful the servants of the Almighty should be to purify themselves from all uncleanness, both of flesh and spirit. These ceremonial institutions were, in

process of time, prodigiously multiplied, and the Pharisees, who pretended to observe every tittle of the law, considered it as a notorious offence to eat bread with unwashed hands, though, at the same time, they suf fered the more weighty precepts of the law to be neglected and forgotten.

To expose the absurdity of such superstitious customs, our Saviour applied to them the words of the prophet Isaiah: "This people honoreth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me." Adding, that all their worship was vain, and displeasing to the Almighty, while they praised themselves, and imposed upon others the frivolous precepts of man's invention, and at the same time neglected the eternal rules of righteousness; and to remove all objections that might be brought against this imputation of gross profaneness in the Pharisees, he supported it by a very remarkable instance. God, said the Saviour of the world, hath commanded children to honor their parents, and to maintain them when reduced to poverty by sickness, age, or misfortunes; promising life to such as obey this precept, and threatening death to those who disregard it. But, notwithstanding the peremptory commandment of Omnipotence, you teach that it is more sacred in children to enrich the temple, than to nourish their parents, although reduced to the utmost necessity; pretending, that what is offered to the great Parent of the universe, is much better bestowed, than what is given to the support of our earthly parents; making the honor of God absolutely different from the happiness of his creatures. Nay, ye teach that it is no breach of the commandment for a man to suffer his parents to perish, provided he has given what ought to nourish them to