ple who were possessed with devils or unclean spirits. In those days the evil spirits had gained such power that they actually took possession of men, and made them say and do as the evil spirits pleased, and made them do harm to themselves and others. Even children were possessed in this way. But when the Lord came near, the devils were afraid and cried out; and when He commanded them to depart, they obeyed. The evil spirits knew the Lord, for He resisted and overcame them first in His own heart. They knew that they

must obey. And the same Lord who cast them out protects us from them, so that people are not possessed to-day as they were in the old time. The Lord is with us in every temptation, so that evil may not overcome us without our leave.

Now we are with the people in the synagogue at Capernaum, on a Sabbath day.

And in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice, saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I

know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God. And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not. And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying, What a word is this! for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out. And the fame of him went out into every place of the country round about.

And he arose out of the synagogue, and entered into Simon's house. And Simon's wife's mother was taken with a great fever; and they besought

(Hofmann: B. Benda, Lausanne; Wm. H. Rau, Phila.) The Lord healing the sick.

him for her. And he stood over her, and rebuked the fever; and it left her: and immediately she arose and ministered unto them.

was

Now when the sun setting,* all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them. And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking them suffered them not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ.

And when it was day, he departed and went into a desert place: and the people sought him, and came unto him, and stayed him, that he should not depart from them. And he said unto them, I must preach

the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent. And he preached in the synagogues of Galilee.-Luke IV. 33-44.

And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. And his fame went throughout all Syria: † and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed

*The report of what the Lord had done in the synagogue had spread to every home, but it was the Sabbath day, when no work was done. At sunset the Sabbath rest was over, and they could bring their sick friends to the Lord and ask His help.

† Syria means the country about Damascus.

them. And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis,* and from Jerusalem, and from Judæa, and from beyond Jordan.-Matthew IV. 23-25.

THE PALSIED MAN.

THE Lord had been away from Capernaum for a time, but had come back again to the little town by the sea, which was called His home. The people had seen a great many signs of His wonderful kindness and power. He had healed in their synagogue, and when the sun set they had come about the house and been healed of many sicknesses. They heard that He was there, and came again to find Him. The multitude pressed about the door. We think of a house not very

different from that in Cana where the marriage feast was held, when the Lord made the water wine. It was a low house of perhaps two stories, built about a courtyard. The doors and windows of the house opened upon this court and a gate-way led to it from the street. Perhaps around the court, opening from the rooms of the second floor, there was a balcony shaded by a light roof where the Lord was stand

*

Decapolis, the region of "the ten cities," was mostly east of Jordan, and southward of the Sea of Galilee.

ing. Near Him in the chamber or on the balcony Pharisees and doctors of the law were sitting, who had come from distant places, listening and watching sharply, ready to find fault. The court below was full of eager people, and the gateway which opened from the street.

Among those who heard that the Lord was there were the friends of a man sick of the palsy, and they came, four of them, carrying the light couch or mat on which he lay. Palsy is paralysis, a disease in which one cannot move or cannot control his motions. The poor man who was brought to the Lord seems to have been unable to move at all. If his friends could only bring him to the Lord He would surely help him.

There were usually stairs on the outside of the house leading to the flat roof, and often the houses were built in

such a way that one could walk from one roof to another. The roofs in that country are made by laying long level rafters, across these short sticks, on these brush, and on this a layer of mud which is rolled hard. They climbed to the roof, perhaps by an outer stair, and from it they could reach the lighter tiling or thatch over the balcony where we think of the Lord as standing. They uncovered it, and let the sick man down before the Lord. See them tenderly lowering the bed, the Pharisees sitting by watching, the crowd in the court below with eager faces. The Lord spoke to the sick man, "and immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all." Read the story, and the words which the Lord spoke when He healed the palsied man.

And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house. And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them. And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four. And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay. When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only? And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts? Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house. And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.-Mark II. 1–12.

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KEEPING THE SABBATH.

'REMEMBER the Sabbath day to keep it holy." This is one of the Ten Commandments which the Lord gave to the

children of Israel at Mount Sinai. Sabbath means rest. We ought on that day to lay aside our everyday work, and to