this poor loving superstitious soul, to the diseMe, he never seems for II moment tn splendid proportions which it reaohed in the he.ve contemplated hie wrestling with death; lives of e. Stoplicn and e. Paul. Faith in indeed, the bare thought of recalling the him, from its rudOBt form to it& grandest spirit to the deeE1rted cle.y tenement evidently development, the M&Bter knew would ever never occurred to any of the.t ee.d household, purify e.nd elevate the che.ract.er. H would, while the hired mourners (vere. 52, 63, e.nd BB it grew, be the best teacher e.nd the Mark v. SS), too aocuetomed to the eight of truest monitor of the noble, generous Ii fe death in a.II its forms to dream of e.ny mnn, he loved. Therefore he watohed for it, however grc.e.t e. physicill.Il, reoe.lling the encouraged it, helped it; e.nd his Church, dead to life, transgressing all courtesy, posi- Hit would imitate its Master, would do well tively laughed him to soom. It seems to to follow his wise e.nd loving example by us strange now the.t this supreme miracle fostering in every form, however erode, faith should have seemed so much hn.rder e. thing in J 88llS Christ; for this incident in the to e.ccomplish the.n the bee.ling of blindness Divine e.nd perfect life which we he.ve just or deafness, or the creation of wine e.nd dwelt on, kaches us with striking clearness bread e.nd fish, or the inetnnte.neous quieting that he oan o.nd will bless the dimmest, most of the elements, the waves, CLnd the wind. imperfect faith, the faith of the little child, While sufferers e.ud their friends e.nd the e.nd of the poorest untaught one. Lord's disciples, in countless instances, asked Ver. 45.-Who touohed me 1 The Master'e him to put forth his power in co.see of words here e.nd the statement of ver. 46, disease and sickness, neitlier friend nor " For I perooi ve that virtue is gone out of disciple ever asked him to raise the dee.d to me," tell ue something of the earnestnel!B life. To the last, in spite of what they he.d and faith of the suppliant. Me.ny, e.s Peter seen, none, till after the Resurrection, could B&id, in the.t orowd were touching J esue e.e persuade themselves the.t he we.s, indeed, they prel!Bed round him to look on his face the Lord of death e.s well &B of life. or to listen to his words, but of them o.11 Ver. 50.-Bu, when les118 heard it, he none se.ve this poor sufferer "touched" him answered him, saying, Fee.r not: believe in the true deep sense of touching, with the only, and she she.11 be me.de whole. No fixed idea. the.t contact with his bleseed shadow of hesitation crossed the Redeemer's Person would bAnefit or bee.I tliem. mind; with unruffled calmness he whispered Ver. 48.-De.ughter, be of good oomfort. hie words of cheer to the grief-strioken Thie is the only ple.ce in the Goapels where father, e.nd bade him fee.r nothing, for that our Lord is reported to have used this loving all would yet be well with the child. Then word to e.ny woman. Eusebius preserves e. follows the well-known, often-ree.d story ourious legend in connection with this a.et told in such few words, yet e.re they BO vivid, of healing. le his time (fourth century) the BO dre.me.tic, that we seem to be looking house of this happy one who met Jesus in on the scene. The grief-stricken household, her se.d life-journey, we.s shown e.t Po.nee.a, the hired mouruere, the still death-room, e. town in the north of Palestine. At the the white motionless form of the dee.d entrance of the house, on e. stone pedestal, girl-the ruler's only child-lying on her stood two brazen ste.iuee-one represented little bed, the group of the six with tee.r- e. woman kneeling; the other, e. man with dimmed eyes standing round ; the loving hie cloak over hiB shoulder '8.nd his hand Master bending over the little dee.d, his stretched out toward the kneeling woman. smile e.s for e. moment he took be.ck the e.11- Eusebiue relates how he he.d seen the house power he he.d laid aside e. little season /or and ete.tues 1md heard the legend (' Hist. our sakes; the far-off look in hia eyes e.s for EccL,' vii 18). In the e.pocryphe.l Gospel e. moment his vision ranged over hia old of Nicodemus, e. very early writing, though home of peace e.nd grandeur; e.nd then the not one possessing much critical value, the two words spoken in the fe.milie.r A.re.me.io name of the woman is ste.ted to be Veronica. (Hebrew), which Me.rk, or re.thor Mark's It was she, goes on the story to relate, who, master, Peter, remembered so well," Te.lithe., on the Vie. Dolorose., when the Lord, on his ku.mi I " e.nd the dee.d child rose up a.go.in, we.y to Ce.Jva.ry, stumbled e.nd fell, ge.ve the the spirit had returned to its frail tene- he.ndkerohief to wipe the blessed face. ment. Ver. 49.-While he yet spa.ke, there cometh Ver. 53.-They le.ughed him to soorn. one from the ruler of the synagogue's house, These were, no doubt, the hired mourners. saying to him, Thy daughter is dee.d; trouble Fe.milie.r e.s they were with death, they not the Me.ster. This i11terruption, which ridiculed the idea of one whom they knew must he.ve occupied some time, we.s, no he.d po.seed e.we.y, a.we.king a.go.in &e from o doubt, a sore trial to the ruler's faith. His sleep. These public mourners were oustom- little daughter was, he knew well, dying; e.ry figures in a.II Jewish homes, even in the and tltougli lie trusted the.t the famous poorest where e. death had occurred. They B.&bhi be.d power to e.rrest the progreos of e.re still usual throughout the Levant. The cm. vm. 1-M.J TUE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. LUK~. 211
expression," lo.ughe<l him to scom," ia found meat. She ha<l been grievously ill, siok, in Sho.keepeare- we know, even to death ; and now tho.t the " Our castle's strength old strength and health had come ho.ck Will laugh a siege t.o scorn." e.ge.in, the Master felt she wonld at onoo, (' Macbeth,' act v. eo. 5.) nfter her long o.bstinence, need food. Evon the child's mother wo.s not eo motherly o.s The Arnmo.io words, Talitha, kumi I " Mo.id, Jeans. arise I " were just homely words, spoken in Ver. 56.-He oharged them that they the lauguage whioh the little girl was iu ahould tell no man what was done. The the habit of hearing and using. Tho entbnsiasm in Galilee just then needed no Mo.ster'e tender care for the child wns shown extra spur. Tbe crowds which followed not merely in the choice of the language him were increa..ing. Tbe excitement, the and the words, but in his loving thought Mo.ater feli, was unreal and evanescent; he after her reeurreotion, for we read how- wiahed rather to oalm it than to increase il Ver. 66.-He oommand811 '41 give Iler