confidently rely upon all thy gracious promises, and may lead me to pray to Thee in full expectation that thou wilt answer my prayers. I ask thee especially to bless me with an earnest desire for the spiritual welfare of those who are near and dear to me, and to enable me to shew that desire in persevering and faithful prayer on their behalf. I particularly intreat thy blessing upon (here mention any of your relations who may more particularly need your prayers.) [2] Keep me I pray thee from deadness of feeling in approaching Thee, let me not be satisfied with formal prayer only; let me not think that I shall receive any blessing because of lip-worship. But give me grace that I may come to Thee fully sensible of my own great need, and of thy great power and love towards me, so that I me, so that I may be blessed with a lively spirit of faith in every act of worship. [3] Give me that real humility which may make me ashamed of myself as a sinner, and may produce a true modesty in my heart and in my conduct. Keep watch over my lips, that I may not speak unadvisedly nor be eager to talk of myself. But give me I beseech thee the spirit of a sound mind, that I may know when I may wisely speak for thy glory concerning those things which thou hast done for my soul. And whensoever I am called upon by thy providence to tell of thy dealings with me, give me boldness and wisdom to declare thy loving kindness and mercy, however it may expose my own folly and sinfulness. Hear me, O gracious Father, and answer my prayer, which I offer up in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. AMEN.

Our Father, &c.

EIGHTIETH PORTION

I. BEGINNING PRAYER.

MAY GOD, for the sake of JESUS CHRIST, give me the HOLY SPIRIT, that I may understand this portion of his Holy Word, and profit by it. AMEN.

II. THE SCRIPTURE.

Read Matthew's Gospel, chap. ix. ver. 27 to 34.

III. THE MEANINGS;

[There is no word used in this portion, the meaning of which seems difficult to understand.]

IV. THE EXPLANATION.

After raising the young girl from the dead, and restoring her alive to her parents, Jesus left the house of Jairus to return to that from which he had come out. On his way thither two blind men joined the crowd which was following him; and as they went along they cried out to him, entreating him to have mercy upon them, and calling him the Son of David. This was the name by which the Jews very commonly spoke of the Christ whom they expected to appear

(see portion seven, vol. i. page 56.): because He had been described by the prophets, as " a righteous branch of David." (Jer. xxiii. 5; xxxiii. 15.), "as a root out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch out of his roots." (Isa. xi. 1, 10.); see also Matt. xxi. 9; xxii. 42. John vii. 42. Rom. i. 3. 2 Tim. ii. 8. Rev. v. 5; xxii. 16.

Jesus did not think proper to attend to them while he was surrounded by so many people; but they followed him to the house, and when he had gone in, they went in after him. Our Lord asked them, whether they believed that he really had the power to do what they desired of him. They declared that they did; upon which he touched their eyes, and said that his touch should take away their blindness or not, according as they really had faith or not. The consequence was that their sight was at once restored to them. Our Lord gave them very particular directions that they should not go and talk about this miracle to any body; probably for the same reason which had induced him to wish his miracles to be kept private upon former occasions. (See portion forty-four, page 15, and portion fifty, page 72.) The men however were so overjoyed at the blessing which had been bestowed upon them, that they could not refrain from speaking of it wherever they went; so that he became more famous in all that part of the country.

As they were going out of the house where Jesus had performed this miracle, some people were bringing in another object of compassion, for the purpose of applying to our Lord for help. This was a man under the possession of an evil spirit, which prevented him from speak

ing. Jesus exercised his power to relieve this unhappy man also. The man immediately recovered his power of speech, and began to talk to all the people in the house, as well as to the crowds that were outside, who were all struck with astonishment, and declared that the like had never been known in all the history of their nation. The Pharisees however could not bear to hear the power of Christ thus plainly acknowledged; and as they were not able to deny the fact that such miracles were really done, they shewed their perverseness by repeating the foolish and wicked blasphemy which they had spoken the day before, when our Lord had performed a similar miracle by casting out a devil from one who had been made both blind and dumb. They had then said that it was Satan himself, whom they called Beelzebub, that enabled Jesus to cast out devils; and though our Lord had then shewn the foolishness and wickedness of what they said, yet they continued with obstinate hardness to say the same thing upon the present occasion. (See portion sixty-one, page 159.)

V. THE REPETITION.

Now read again the Scripture, see No. II.

VI. THE APPLICATION.

1. The faith of these blind men was grounded upon a knowledge of the scriptural character of our Lord. They knew that the Christ was to be the Son of David, and they called upon Jesus as such. In consequence of this knowledge, they believed that the person, to whom they gave the scriptural title of the Son of David, was able to restore their sight; which was one of the divine

powers specially mentioned in prophesy as belonging to the Messiah. Our faith must be like theirs, resting upon the word of God, and believing only according to what we find written. It must have appeared very wonderful to these poor blind men, that by a word from the Son of David they might be able to see. But the Scripture declared that when he came, it should be "to open the blind eyes." (Isa. xlii. 7.); and therefore however it might seem extraordinary, they were emboldened to believe that this could be done, as soon as they believed that Jesus was the person of whom the scripture spoke. In the same way when we believe the Scriptures as true, and find that they lead us to Jesus; though the promises of spiritual blessings which we find there are very wonderful, and much beyond what we should venture of ourselves to ask, yet we need not fear to make them the subject of our prayers ́so long as we make the Scriptures the ground of our hope. Those who are really convinced of the difficulty they have in rightly understanding spiritual things, will be ready to acknowledge their spiritual blindness; and will gladly take advantage of the encouragement which the Scriptures afford to those who ask for more light from above, that they may know themselves, and know God. So that, in their hearts, they will be continually offering up the prayer of the Psalmist, " open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law." (Psalm cxix. 18.)

QUESTIONS.

Is my faith, not a vague notion of doctrine taken upon hearsay, but really built upon the word of God?