Others were passing by them who had been to Jesus, and were now shouting with joy that they had been cured. Perhaps the happy leper, as he returned to his friends, spoke in hearing of the blind men, of the wonderful cure that Jesus had wrought for him. All this would cause them to feel still more anxious to come to the Saviour, and yet they could not hasten, for the next moment they might run against some person or thing, and be thrown prostrate on the ground. How distressed they must have felt! Never before had they heard of one who could open the eyes of the blind, and now they feared he would pass away before they could approach him, and they could never come near him again. Yet there was one thing they could do they could raise their voices, and this they did, crying, "Thou Son of David, have mercy on us." Son of David was one name by which the Saviour was called, because he was descended from David, a king, and good man, of whom we read in the Old Testament. We learn from the twenty-eighth verse that the blind men did not overtake the Saviour till he came into a house, and then he said to them, "Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord." They had not followed him with the cry, 66 Have mercy on us," without believing that he was able to do that which they desired. "Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you." That is, according to your belief in my power and willingness to heal shall you receive. "And their eyes were opened." O, how much happiness instantly flowed from this one act of the benevolent Saviour! How did these men rejoice in his power and compassion. Now they might return to their homes full of joy; and though they would not know the faces of their dearest friends, they would find them by their voices, and soon learn to look with pleasure on their countenances. And then, how much happiness they would find in examining the works of God in the new and interesting scenes around them; and how much pleasure in learning to read, and gaining a knowledge of God from his Word. We who have always enjoyed sight, do not realize how much happiness we derive from the use of our eyes, nor am I able to describe to you the blessing which Jesus imparted when he gave sight to the blind; but if any one should read this who was once blind, he will know it well. In these days people who are born blind are sometimes cured without a miracle, because learned men have examined the cause of their blindness, and have very skilfully taken off a film which in some cases grows over the sight. I once saw a little blind boy, whose friends were taking him to the "Eye Infirmary," hoping his sight might be restored. If he has obtained his sight, and I hope he has, perhaps he will read this, and he can tell his little friends far better than I can, how happy the blind person is who receives his sight: yet there is this difference; that little boy, or any one whose sight is restored in these days, must suffer a painful and dangerous operation before he can see; but Jesus cured these men by a touch. Jesus, my young friend, pitied the infirmities of our bodies, and loved to give comfort and happi-ness to those who were distressed; but this was not his great errand on earth. He came from heaven to earth to heal our spiritual diseases, and cure our spiritual blindness, and though I know not that I write to any who have been naturally blind, I know all my readers have been, or now are, spiritually blind. That is, as the Bible says, we are all born in sin. We have no sight to perceive the beauty and excellence of holiness. We do not love the Saviour, who is "the chiefest among ten thousand, and the one altogether lovely." This blindness Jesus came to cure. Will you not come to him as the blind man did? Ask him in prayer to show you how excellent and lovely he is, and make you his meek and humble follower while you live, and prepare you to dwell with him when you die. CHAPTER XII. THE MIRACLE OF HEALING THE WITHERED HAND. MATT, xii. 10-16, 10. And behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath days? that they might accuse him. 11. And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the Sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? 12. How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the Sabbath days. 13. Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other. 14. Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him. 15. But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all; 16. And charged them that they should not make him known. Ir appears that our Saviour sometimes visited the Jews' meeting-houses, which were called Synagogues, and he was in one of these places at the time that he wrought the miracle mentioned in the verses above. "There was a man which had his hand withered." He was affected by some distressing disease which had caused his hand to wither or shrink up, and now it hung useless by his side. Do you think Jesus will pity this man, as he did the leper and blind man? O yes, Jesus not only healed those who were suffering much, but all who were diseased. We are not told that the man even asked the Saviour to cure him, but it is said in the thirteenth verse that Jesus said to the man, "Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth, and it was restored whole like as the other." It was the wonderful power of God which gave strength to the hand which a moment before was entirely useless. Here again our Saviour did good, and produced happiness by working a miracle. But I wish you to notice particularly how some of the people were affected by the benevolent deeds of our Saviour. Perhaps you have thought while you have been reading of his kindness and compassion, "If I had seen him I know I should have loved him. I should have asked him to be my friend, and make me well if I was sick, and give me a new heart, and teach me how to pray. I should have delighted to journey with him around the country, and see him make the people happy by healing their diseases." I hope, my young reader, that you would have been among the number who did believe in Jesus, and love him, and desire to serve him-but do not feel too sure that you would. There were many who lived in those days that called themselves good people, and yet were offended at the mighty works of Jesus, and did not believe he was the Son of God. In the tenth verse, after it is mentioned that there was a man with a withered hand, we are told, "They asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath day? that they might accuse him." They, refers to the Pharisees, who are mentioned before in the chapter. These were a sect, or denomination among the Jews, who thought themselves very good people, much better than others, because they were strict to observe certain ceremonies; but Jesus, who knew their hearts, saw that their goodness was all outward show, while their feelings towards him, and towards every thing good, were much more wicked than those of others who did not profess to be good. These Pharisees, it appears, had been watching to get some opportunity to accuse the Saviour, and have him put to death; and now, when they saw him cure a man on the Sabbath, they thought they had found sufficient reason. Poor, wicked men! How vile their hearts must have been to wish to destroy him who went about doing good, him who came from heaven to earth to save the children of men from being lost for ever. Observe how wisely Jesus answered them. The Pharisees thought it right to take a sheep out of a pit on the Sabbath day, but a man, woman, or child, they |