Ver. 21.-Faith marred by superstition. "If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole." "The woman's touch was an ignorant and snperstitious appeal to the mercifulness of Christ." As viewed by Christ, the faith shown in the touch was of much greater importance than the superstition which connected blessing with the touch. Our Lord could easily look over the superstition, and accept the faith. "She did not think of a will that seeks to bless and save, but of a physical dflucnco passing from the body to the garments, and from the garments to the hand that touched them." "Even the ignorance and selfishness of the woman did not neutralize the virtue of her simple faith. It was not, of course, through her superstitious touch that she was healed, but through the faith that prompted the touch; a faith full of defccts,- ignorantly conceived, secretly cherished, furtively put forth, openly exposed, humbly confessed, as if it had been a sin,-but yet, because a true faith, graciously accepted, rewarded, and perfected." In the woman's case we may see represented the religious experience of many. See the four stages of the woman's experience. I. SHE KNEW HERSELF TO BE A SUFFERER. Some diseases carry on their work for a long time in secret. There is hope when they reveal their working, and set us upon finding remedies. It is a great,thing to know our true moral condition, (1) as sinners, exposed to the wrath of God, on account of our bad past; (2) as diseased, and in an actual present state of corruption. The realities of our sin and danger are far more serious than we feel them to be. II. SHE TRIED TO GET CURE, BUT TBIED IN VA.ll!I. She had been to many physicians, and had spent all that she had. So the awakened soul will try to use means and to cure itself, (1) by goodness; (2) by wrestlings with sin; (3) by devotions; (4) by rites and ceremonies. These are its "many physicians," all helpless in treating soul- diseases. III. SHE HEABD OF JESUS, A.ND BOUGHT HIM OUT. We can only imagine what she heard, but we can clearly trace the influence of what she heard. It gave faith in Christ such a power as even enabled it to triumph over diffidence and superstitions; or, rat.her, enabled it to carry its superstitions along with it. IV. SHE FOUND HEALING AND LIFE FLOW FBOM CHRIST, Because her touch was to him a touch of faith, and of faith so really strong and Bincere that he did not ea.re to notice the strand of weakness that ran through it.-R. 'l'. ~
Ver. 25.-Restoration with a word. "Took her by the hand, and the ma.id arose." This is the first instance of our Lord's dealing with death, which represents the extreme effect of sin. "Siu, when it is finished, bringeth forth death;" "The wages of sin is death." If our Lord had not delivered from the power of physical death, it would have been open to his enemies to say that the supreme evil of humanity he had failed to reach. 'l'hat reproach cannot be made, for our Lord recovered one who had only just died; one who was being carried out for burial; and one who had lain in the !(rave four days. And he himself burst asunder the bands of death, when they had been fastened upon him. But the point which is more especially presented to view, in this incident, is the glorious manner in which our Lord dealt with death. There is a revelation of his glory and claim in the calmne&s of his mastery over tho supreme human foe. I. HE RESTORED TIIE DEAD WITHOUT l,lAKING EVEN A SHOW OF AGENCIES. Hero is a striking fact, which has not been duly noticed. In opening blind eyes Jesus used agencies-he made clay and anointed the eyes--but in neither of the cases of restoring the dead did he use any agencies. This comes to be more striking when we contrast the cases in which the great prophets, Elijah and Elisha, dealt with the dead. Elijah stretche<! himself upon the dead child three times, Elisha went "up" to the chamber MATTHl';W, 2D ~02 THE GOSPEL AOOORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. [oH, IL 1-38,