any particular reference to the Old Testament, and directly from the suggestions of his own divine mind at the time. And is he not now in the midst of our assembly, ready to teach us? "In all places where I record my name," saith Jehovah, "I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee." "Go and teach all nations," saith our Lord," teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." May he now vouchsafe to us his gracious presence and blessing, that we may find it good for us to be here!

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It was our Lord's usual way, you will be aware, to connect his miracles with his teaching: the advantage of this was obvious; for, his miracles tended to awaken deep attention to his teaching, and were a proof of the truth of what he said. "Rabbi," said Nicodemus, 66 we know that thou art a teacher come from God; for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.” On this occasion, an opportunity presented itself of working a most gracious miracle in the midst of the assembly: for," behold, there was" present a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself." She laboured under some disorder which, whatever it was, had so contracted, or relaxed, her frame (for, in either case, the appearance produced would be much the same), that her body was very much bent together, and bound down towards the ground; and her infirmity, or weakness, was so great, that she was not able, in any degree, to raise herself up, and stand straight. This would have been a very heavy affliction in any case; but, in this case, it was aggravated by its being, what is here called, "a spirit of infirmity;" that is, by its being brought on her, in some way, by the agency of an evil spirit. Various passages of Seripture show that Satan is often permitted to inflict disease on men, and in various ways to vex them. We read, for example,* that "Satan went forth from the presence," and with the permission, "of the Lord, and smote Job with sore boils, from the sole of his foot unto his crown," the Lord having said, " Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life." We read, too,† that "the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him." The description given of the devil as "having the power of death," seems to imply, not merely that by tempting man to sin he made him fall under the

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*Job ii. 7. + 1 Sam. xvi. 14. Heb. ii. 14; and Scott, in locum.

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sentence of disease and death, but also that, as accuser and executioner, he has some power in inflicting and aggravating these things." Writing to the Corinthians, Paul speaks of delivering an offender to "Satan, for the destruction of the flesh:" and he describes a certain trial, which was sent on himself, as a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan, to buffet him." Several of the maladies which Christ miraculously cured, are ascribed to the agency Satan; and this malady, in particular, or rather the evil spirit who occasioned it, is here designated as " a spirit of infirmity." How far any similar agency may still be exerted, we cannot say; but we have the unerring authority of inspiration for its existence in this and many other cases, and it is a striking illustration of the malice and power of the wicked one. It was another heavy aggravation, too, of the poor woman's malady, and showed its hopeless nature, humanly speaking, that it had been of so long continuance.

You see, however, the commendable desire this woman discovered for the public ordinances of religion; unseemly, and mortifying to human vanity, as her malady was, and difficult and painful as it must have been for her to move, she was not prevented, by false shame, or bodily weakness and suffering, from going to the synagogue. How different the conduct of different persons in this respect! Very slight causes indeed, and even circumstances that present hardly the shadow of an excuse, prevent some people from going to church; while others have such a desire for it, that nothing but absolute inability, or a clear call of mercy, keeps them away. Let not the worldly smile contempt on the zealous strivings of any of God's weak and weary children to reach the habitation of their Father's house which they love so well; nor let any of them cease to come to it, as long as they are at all able. It is a pleasant sight to see an infirm Christian making his way with difficulty to the sanctuary, there to forget all his burdens and griefs, in holding communion with his God and Saviour, and feasting on the blessings of salvation. It is quite true that infirmities often increase to such a degree as completely to incapacitate people from going to the house of God: in such circumstances, to acquiesce in the deprivation, and to seek to God with all diligence at home, must be the duty of those who are detained, while they ought to be remembered and visited, with words and actions of Christian kindness, by those who are able to go about. go about. Surely, however, with a few very parti

cular exceptions, those who are able to go anywhere else should not doubt of its being their duty to frequent the congregation of the Lord; surely, the place where his honour dwelleth should be the very last place to which they cease to repair. So be it with every one of us that has ever known the grace of God, and seen his beauty in the sanctuary. Here let us be found on all proper occasions, unless prevented by absolute inability, or the calls of mercy.

To this diligent attendance on public ordinances, the success of this afflicted woman must be considered a great encouragement. Luke goes on to say, "And, when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity." He saw her, and beholding her, looked on her with an eye of pity. Thus it is said of the widow of Nain, as she was accompanying her son's bier, "When the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her." And is it not a delightful thought, that the divine Saviour, who sees and knows all things, beholds, with special interest, those who love to be found in his house? Not one of them, however lowly, escapes his notice; but, if out of a multitude, there be one more feeble than the rest, on that object his eye fixes with the deepest sympathy. A pleasing thought it is that we have not an high priest who cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but one who can, and does, have compassion on us.

On some occasions, Jesus exerted his power to heal, in consequence of direct applications from the afflicted persons, or their friends; on other occasions, as here, spontaneously, without waiting for any request being made to him. So, it sometimes happens, that mercy is shown to the soul, without any apparent anxiety to obtain either the mercy itself, or the means of it: indeed, the first truly spiritual movement must always be on the part of God. In reference to the calling of the Gentiles, are the words of the Lord, by Isaiah, "I am sought of them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought me not: I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation that was not called by my name." yet, we must not pervert these illustrations of sovereign grace, to the neglect of seeking earnestly to God in the use of prayer and other means. There is no promise made to those who do not seek the Lord; but there are many promises to those who do seek him. "Ask, and ye shall receive; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you," saith the Redeemer; and again, "All that the Father giveth me shall

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come unto me; and him that cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast out." May he graciously inspire us with an earnest longing for salvation, "preventing," that is, anticipating, us "with the blessing of his goodness."

Jesus called the afflicted woman to him, who, of course, (and must it not have been an interesting sight?) infirm, and decrepid, and bent almost to the ground as she was, made the best of her way, with all the little speed she could, through the midst of the people, towards that part of the synagogue where he was. So, when he calls us to come to him, let us, with all the little effort which we can command, forthwith repair to him mentally, and, in believing expectation, stand reverently before his presence, or humbly cast ourselves at his feet. When the woman had come close up to him, he “said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity." She, as it is afterwards expressed, was bound by Satan, and now she is loosed. She was just on the point of being delivered from her bondage, and therefore Jesus speaks of her deliverance as already effected.

Having said these words, "he laid his hands on her." This solemn imposition of hands was a mode frequently adopted by him, and was very expressive of virtue, or power, being exerted by him, or going out of him, to heal. Divine power did accompany the words and the manual sign, "and immediately she was made straight." The cure was instantaneous, complete, and permanent. She forthwith stood erect, and walked with as much ease as if nothing had ever ailed her.

It is worthy of remark, that this woman appears to have entered the synagogue, at this time, for her spiritual benefit, and not with any view of a bodily cure; and that, while she was seeking, and, there is every reason to believe, finding the greater blessing, she obtained also the less. In this she should be followed as a pattern by us all. We are taught, in the Lord's Prayer, to pray for the advancement of God's glory, and the coming of his kingdom in ourselves and others, even before we pray for our daily bread; and we have the direction to "seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness," followed up with the promise that, if we do so, all other things necessary will be added unto us.

But, let us not pass from the consideration of this miracle, without viewing it as a representation of the gracious work of Christ on the soul. The state of this woman, bound by Satan, infirm and bowed down, gives a striking representa

tion of the state of all men by nature. They are overcome and kept in bondage by the evil one; their infirmity, their weakness, as to spiritual exertion, is complete; they are without strength and ungodly; their mental powers are distorted; they are bent down to grovel in earthly things; and they can in no wise lift themselves up to set their affections on things above, or to walk upright before the Lord; and this miserable infirmity is both natural to them, and also confirmed and increased by long habit. But, as the Lord Jesus delivered this woman by miraculous power, so does he, by his blood and Spirit, deliver sinners from the dominion of Satan, correct their disordered souls, rectify the obliquity of their depraved wills, raise them from the degradation of guilt and corruption, and enable them to walk, and even to run, in the way of God's commandments. Let poor, weak, and perishing sinners think of this-let them come to Christ at his call, and he will lay the powerful hand of his grace upon them, and save them.

But this miracle may also be viewed as an illustration of the kindness of the Saviour to afflicted, weak, and contrite disciples. Some, who love his house and his person, labour under much infirmity of soul, and are greatly depressed in their minds, because of their sins, and various spiritual and temporal trials. Such was the state of the Psalmist's mind, when he said, "I am troubled, I am bowed down greatly: I go mourning all the day long." But, when their Lord calls them to come to him, and enables them to come in the renewed exercise of faith, then he restores to them the joy of his salvation, and upholds them with his free Spirit; and thus, as the Psalmist says, "The Lord upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down."Lord looseth the prisoners; the Lord raiseth them that are bowed down."—"The Lord lifteth up the meek.” Let all the afflicted and contrite, who love his name, think of this: let them trust in him, and they shall find that his grace will be sufficient for them, and that his strength will be made perfect in their weakness. "Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees."-" Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart; wait, I say, on the Lord."

"The

This great deliverance was received by the woman with suitable feelings, and acknowledged in a suitable manner; she "glorified God"-audibly describing, probably, the severity, and, humanly speaking, hopelessness, of her com