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Lefon 134.

On the next day, as they were coming down from the hill, much people met them: And, when He came to his Difciples, He faw a great Multitude about them, and the Scribes queftioning with them. And ftraight way all the people, when they beheld Him, were greatly arnaz'd, and running to Him, faluted Him. And, He askt them, What do you queftion of among you? And, behold there came to Him a certain man of the company, who, proftrating himfelf before Him, cry'd out faying, Mafter I have brought to Thee my fon, who has a dumb fpirit: I befeech thee look upon him; for he is my only child. Lord! have Mercy on my fon; for he is lunatick and fore vexed. Often times he falls into the fire, and often into the water. And, lo, a spirit takes him, and where he takes him, dashes him and tears him; and he fuddenly cries out and foams and gnashes with his teeth, and pines away;) and bruifing him, hardly departs from him. And I brought him to thy Disciples, and befought them tom to caft him out; and they could not.

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Refp. Look down, O blessed JESU! from thy Holy Hill, and fee thy true Believers with a Multitude about them, that delight in nothing but to question and contradict and perpetually dispute. Open their eys, O Lord, that they may fee Thee and, amaz'd at the Beauty of by Truth, come running to Thee and adore Thee. Now they, alas! fall often into the fire of fury against thy Servants, and often into the water of carelefnefs for their own Souls: the wicked spirit tears them into fchifms, and dashes them one against another; and, bruising them, so hardly departs, that Thy Difciples can but feldem caß him out. *Open their

Lesson 135.

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Then JESUS anfwered and faid, O faithlefs and perverfe generation! how long shall I be with you? how long shall I fuffer you? Bring thy fon hither to Me. And they brought him to Him: And as he was yet coming, when He saw him, ftraightway the Devil threw him down and tare him: and fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming. And He askt his Father, How long is it fince this has hapned to him? And he faid, From his Infancy;

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Infancy; and oft times it has caft him into the fire and into the water to defroy him but, if Thou canst do any thing, have compaffion on us and help us. JESUS faid to him; If thou can't believe, all things are poffible to him that believes. And ftraightway the father of the child cry'd out, and said, with tears, Lord, I believe, help Thou my unbelief. When JESUS faw that the people came running together, He rebuk'd the foul fpirit, faying to him, Thou dumb and deaf fpirit, I charge thee come out of him, and enter no more into him: And he came out of him, crying aloud and cruelly tearing him; and he was as one dead; infomuch that many faid, He is dead. But JESUS took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arofe; and the child was cured from that very hour: And he deliver'd him again to his father. And, they were all amaz'd at the mighty power of God.

Refp. Good God to what fad calamities is our Nature fubject? to how many forts of miferies is one Man expos'd? But, we have a strong Redeemer, whofe power +21

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can do all things for them that believe. *Lord, we believe; help Thou our unbelief. Caft out, O Holy JESU! the wicked fpirtts that moleft us, and let them not enter any more to afflict us: all things, Thon fayeft, are poffible to them that believe. Lord, we

Leffon 136.

When JESUS was come into the house, his Difciples came to Him apart, and askt Him privately; Why could not we caft him out? And JESUS faid to them, Because of your unbelief. And the A. pofiles faid to our Lord, Increase our Faith: But, our Lord faid, If you have Faith as a Grain of Muftard-feed, you fhall fay to this Mulberry-tree, Be thou rooted up and tranfplanted into the Sea; and it fhall obey you. If you have Faith as a Grain of Muftard-feed, you shall fay to this Mountain, Remove hence to fix yonder place, and it fhall remove, and nothing thall be impoflible to you. How beit, this kind cannot be caft out, but by prayer and fafting.

Refp. Thus will I strive to do, O Gracious Lord, in all my unsuccessful endeavours not murmur up and down against thy Provi

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Providence, but privately retire to Thee alone, and there lay open all my difficulties. Thou wilt instruct my doubts ; Thou wilt fupply my defects. O make my Faith as a Grain of Muftar-feed, vigorous and fruitful; and nothing then can be impoffible to me: Nothing that concerns the Salvation of my Soul, and nothing else should concern me. * Thou

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Leffon 137.

And, going thence, they paffed by Galilee; neither would He that any man should know it. And, while they abode in Galilee, and every one wonder'd at all things which JESUS did, He faid to his Difciples, Lay up in your hearts thefe fpeeches: for, the Son of Man fhall be deliver'd into the hands of Men, and they fhall kill Him; and after He is kill'd, He fhall rife the third day. But, they understood not this faying, and it was hid from them that they perceived it not: And they feared to ask Him of it, but were ftruck exceedingly fad. Refp. Bleffed, O my God, be thy merciful Wifdem, that, in the day of profperity, forewarns as against the night of troubli

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