But mark the crowd which surrounds the house in which the Son of God is pleased to dwell; and observe, all are so engrossed as to neglect that languid and attenuated and helpless paralytic, who, lying on a bed, is just brought from his house by four of his kind neighbours, to seek relief from Jesus. This man and his bearers, in spite of neglect, are resolved to present themselves before the Lord; and as they cannot come nigh unto him for the press, the bearers are taking steps to convey their friend to the housetop, with the intention of uncovering the roof, and thus introducing him into the apartment in which the Lord is preaching the word of life. At this point of time we join a small company, who, like ourselves, are unable to gain access to the house of Simon, and who have resolved to bend their steps towards the shore, that they may enjoy the breeze which passes over the pure expanse of the shelly lake, while they commune together relative to the object of their newly-awakened hope. Several of them are strong in faith, being convinced that this Prophet, mighty in word and G deed, is sent for the redemption of Israel. They discern in his advent an exact fulfilment of prophecy, and in his doctrine and miracles a like demonstration of divine agency. But our company has been joined by gainsayers;-pharisees, and sadducees, who having discovered that our Lord has no intention of re-establishing the Jewish polity, which is crumbling into dust; that his kingdom is not of this world, but a spiritual kingdom; and that, upon its establishment, the remnant of their power may be expected to dissolve, attend upon our Lord, that they may weaken his authority. The Mosaic institutions, say the pharisees, are the chief object of Satan's enmity: Jesus of Nazareth, in his contempt of the Sabbath, shows that he also is an enemy to Moses and the law, and is leagued with Satan; and Satan, who has the power of producing diseases, and disturbing the elements, rebukes his own subjects, stops the course of diseases which he has caused, and calms the rage of the storm at that man's desire. 'Friend,' says a believing follower of Jesus, who had been listening to these insinuations, have you not witnessed how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached?-who but Messiah can do these things? Have Have you forgotten the enmity which God put between the serpent and the woman, and between his seed and her seed, and that Messiah, the predicted seed of the woman, was to be raised up to bruise the head of the serpent, to overthrow the kingdom of Satan and lead him captive? What communion then can there be between the kingdoms of light and darkness? if Satan be leagued with Jesus, he will be divided against himself, and then how shall his kingdom stand?' Here a cold and subtle follower of Sadoc, equally opposed to Jesus, breaks in upon the discussion, and denies the reality of those miracles in which devils were cast out, by this reputed Messiah. What proof,' exclaims the Sadducee, have we of the existence of angels, of spirits, or of devils? Who has ever seen Satan or any of his fancied legions, whom this Jesus alleges that he has cast out? His miracles are either the effect of collusion, or they consist in the removal of natural diseases by a strong impression upon a warm imagination, and are such as any other juggler could perform as well as he.' Alas! for the fallen state of the human mind, which was created to reflect the truth of God,' again observed he who had answered the Pharisee, the latest of our Lord's miracles removes this uncandid objection. Was it a natural disease, which left him who had dwelt in the tombs; or was it an impression made upon his active imagination, that caused the herd of swine to run violently down a steep place into the lake and be choked!' This remark was barely uttered, when lo! on our return to Capernaum, we witness a fresh instance of Almighty goodness. The crowd are leaving the house of Simon, and they accompany one who in the full vigour and polished roundness of early manhood, with an elastic step and bright and glowing countenance, like one prepared for the Olympic or Isthmian games, bounds along under the weight of his bed, which |