And he went his way. And as he was now going

down his servants met him, and told him, saying, thy

son liveth. Then inquired he of them the hour when

he began to amend. And they said unto him, yesterday

at the seventh hour the fever left him. So the father

knew that it was at the same hour in the which Jesus

said unto him, thy son liveth; and himself believed,

and his whole house. This is again the second mira-

cle that Jeses did, when he was come out of Judea into

Galilee.

LECTURE XXII.

HISTORY OF JESUS CHRIST.

Mat. viii. 5, 12, and Luke vii. 1, 10. And when Je-

sus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him

a centurion, beseeching him, and saying, Lord, my

servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tor-

mented, and Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal

him. The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not

worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but

speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For

I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me,

and I say to this man, go, and he goeth; and to another,

come, and he cometh; and to my servant do this, and he

doeth it. When Jesus heard it he marvelled, and said to

them that followed, verily I say unto you, I have not found

so great faith, no not in Israel. And I say unto you, that

many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit

down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom

of heaven: but the children of the kingdom shall be cast

into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing

of teeth. And Jesus said unto the centurion, go thy way,

and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And

his servant was healed in the self-same hour. Now when

he had ended all his sayings in the audience of the peo-

ple, he entered into Capernaum. And a certain centurion's

servant, who was dear unto him, was sick, and ready to

die. And when he heard of Jesus, he sent unto him the

elders of the Jews, beseeching him that he would

come and heal his servant. And when they came to

Jesus they besought him instantly, saying, that he was

worthy for whom he should do this: for he loveth

our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue. Then

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Jesus went with them. And when he was now not far

from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying

unto him, Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy

that thou shouldest enter under my roof: wherefore nei-

ther thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say

in a word, and my servant shall be healed. For I also am

a man set under authority, having under me soldiers; and

I say unto one go, and he goeth; and to another come,

and he cometh; and to my servant, do this and he doeth

it. When Jesus heard these things he marvelled at him,

and turned him about, and said unto the people that fol-

lowed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith,

no not in Israel. And they that were sent returning to

the house, found the servant whole that had been sick.

LECTURE X.

HISTORY OF JESUS CHRIST.

John vi. 1, 14.- After these things Jesus went over the sea

of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias. And a great

multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles

which he did on them that were deceased. And Jesus

went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disci-

ples. And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.

When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great com-

pany come unto him, he saith unto Philip, whence shall

we buy bread, that these may eat? (And this he said to

prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.) Phi-

lip answered him, two hundred pennyworth of bread is not

sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.

One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother,

saith unto him, there is a lad here, which hath five

barley loaves, and two small fishes, but what are they

among so many? And Jesus said, make the men sit

down. Now there was much grass in the place.

the men sat down, in number about five thousand.

And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given

thanks he distributed to the disciples, and the dis-

ciples to them that were set down; and likewise of

the fishes as much as they would. When they were

filled, he said unto his disciples, gather up the frag-

ments that remain, that nothing be lost. Therefore

So

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they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets

with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remain-

ed over and above unto them that had eaten. Then those

men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said,

this is of a truth that prophet that should come into the

world.

SACRED BIOGRAPHY.

LECTURE I.

In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things, were made by him ; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life: and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that light, but was sent to bear witness of that light. That was the true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God; even to them that believe on his name : which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the father,) full of grace and truth.-JOHN i. 1-14.

THE idea of

a

beginning involves that of antecedent existence, from which that beginning originated. The VOL. IV.

B

beginning of a man's life implies parentage; the being of a tower of a city, necessarily supposes a pre-existent head to plan, and a hand to execute. The vast frame of Nature must have had its commencement from a preceding skill to contrive, and a power to perform. The Mosaic account of the Creation is is the only one that sound reason can admit. If GOD created the heavens and the earth, God was before the heavens and the earth. Moses the historian, and John the evangelist carry us back to one and the same era, carry us up to one and the same all-wise, all-powerful Being. Nature and Grace issue from the same source and tend toward the same grand consummation. The prophet and the apostle employ the self-same terms to describe the same objects. "He that built all things is GOD."

It has been remarked that the four Evangelists introduce their great subject in a retrogade series of representation. Matthew's gospel opens with a display of the Saviour's humanity, and presents us with his descent as a man. Mark conveys us back to the age of prophecy, and "the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God" is traced up to the predictions of Malachi and Isaiah. Luke the beloved physician refers us to the Levitical preisthood, to the altar of incense, and the services of an earthly sanctuary, "a shadow of good things to come." But John soars above all height; he recurs to the birth of nature, and ascribes that birth to a pre-existent, omnific WORD, which in "the fulness of time was made flesh, and dwelt among us." We have beheld his glory displayed in the ages before the flood, in the persons and predictions of patriarchs and prophets, by whom "GOD at sundry times and in divers manners spake unto the fathers." But Moses and Elias have disappeared, the "voice crying in the wilderness" is heard no more; it is lost in a "voice from heaven," saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him."