knew that it was at the same hour, in the which JESUS said unto him, Thy son liveth o.’

But was this all the servants' reply? Not so. Severely brief as the sacred narrative confessedly always is, it is yet marvellous to observe how very full and particular it is, also. These works of Grace, (the Gospels,) remind us of the works of Nature in one striking respect,-namely, that on close inspection they are discovered to contain an infinite number of unsuspected details; and all, of wondrous value and beauty. Thus, 'Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him,' -is found to have been the very striking testimony which the servants bore on this occasion. As if they had said,-Thy son never 'began to amend' at all! There was no gradual departure of the fever; no inch-by-inch recovery from prostrated strength; no languor of limb, and dimness of eye, leaving the sick child too slowly for any one to pretend to tell thee at what precise hour he began to amend.' No. It was the seventh hour; and suddenly, to the amazement of all who were watching by that sick bed, 'the fever left him!' He suddenly became well! The eye regained its brilliancy; the pulse, its healthy music: he rose up from where he lay, in

8 St. John iv. 53.

all the vigour, all the beauty, of perfect health! . . . . It is ever thus. Every work of CHRIST is a perfect work.

Are we surprised at the concluding statement, -' And himself believed, and his whole house?' It reminds us of a truth which is often brought before us in the perusal of the Gospel narratives; namely, that Faith admits of degrees. There must have been Faith in CHRIST, from the very beginning. The nobleman must have believed,' -in order, at such a moment, to have taken a journey from Capernaum to Cana in quest of the great Physician. The man believed the word that JESUS had spoken unto him,'-(we are distinctly told it,)—when he heard Him say, 'Thy son liveth.' At once, therefore, his Faith was both confirmed and increased. And yet, a still fuller measure of Faith was his, when he discovered from the statement of his servants that the moment of his child's recovery corresponded with the hour at which he had enjoyed his memorable interview with his great Benefactor. Can we doubt that his greatest advance in this great grace, was yet future; when, besides his own breast, Faith pervaded every member of his household? How must they all,-he by his narrative of what had taken place afar off; they, by their

testimony as to what had taken place at home,have mutually confirmed one another! How must Faith have grown in such a household, day by day; sustaining itself by the presence of one whom JESUS of Nazareth' had restored to them, even from the very gates of the grave!

'LORD, increase our Faith!' When blessings are delayed, give us grace to submit, with loving confidence, to that delay. When unexpected hindrances arise, give us grace to believe that ‘it is the LORD;' and that doubtless there is a purpose in the hindrance; that all is, doubtless, working together for our good. Shall we be slow to believe that He who, at Cana, could heal the youth who lay sick of a fever, at Capernaum, could have healed him without that visit of the father? Surely, He saw from afar the necessity; watched the failing life, and knew the heart's desire of all! And doth He not still, as faithfully as ever, behold the sick bed,-the suffering one, upon it; and the suffering ones around it? If then He could heal at a distance, can He not heal at a distance now? is His arm shortened that it cannot save? or do we really think that the difference between few miles and many, sets a limit to His power? . . . . 'LORD, increase our Faith!'

The Twenty-second Sunday after Trinity.

THE RESURRECTION OF THE BODY.-PART I.

PHILIPPIANS iii. 20, 21.

We look for the SAVIOUR, the LORD JESUS CHRIST; who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious Body.

In all our thoughts and words about the Life to come, we dwell too much on what will befal the soul, and not enough on what will befal the body. No one, of course, denies or doubts the Resurrection of the Body.' It is one of the Articles in the Belief,' which we repeat in the course of the daily service. But although we state the doctrine so very fully in the Athanasian Creed, and doubtless believe it too, we are very apt to use language which shews that this great truth does not form a part of our habitual reasonings concerning Heaven and Hell. The Resurrection of the Body is not woven into the staple, as it were, of our thoughts. We talk of the Body turning into dust, and of the Soul going to GOD: as if the first could not live,

and the second could not die. We dwell much on the corruption of this mortal flesh, and the incorruption of our immortal souls; but we do not always add that the end of the matter will be that this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal put on Immortality. We very often forget that till this has come about, the work will be an incomplete work. Let us attempt a familiar illustration of what makes this seem so unreasonable.

If some one were to promise that he would build us a splendid Cathedral in the place of our parish Church: instead of stone, that we should possess walls of dazzling white marble; a cieling fretted all with gold, and painted with vermilion; a splendid quire in the place of humble Psalmody; and instead of modest windows, gorgeous figures of Saints and Angels in coloured glass but, as the first step towards all this, if he were to tell us that we must submit to see our Church dismantled and destroyed,-laid level with the dust: should we be so simple as to rest contented with the work of destruction, instead of looking forward to the work of restoration? Would the prospect of the ruin which must first take place be any joy to us? Surely not. And yet that is the way