[He may have been one of those who came to Our Lord, seeking His help for the centurion (St. Luke vii. 3; see Lesson 37).] What now brought him to Our Lord? [St. Luke viii. 42. What did he ask Our Lord to do? [St. Mark v. 23.] How did Our Lord treat his request? [St. Mark v. 24.] Compare Our Lord's method on this occasion with that which He adopted in healing the nobleman's son.

How was Our Lord hindered on His way to the house of Jairus? [By a sick woman who sought to be healed by Him.] What are we told of her circumstances? [That she had been suffering for twelve years from a distressing malady, and had spent all she possessed in trying to find remedies, but without avail.] What did she do when she got near to Our Lord? What was the effect of her touch? [She felt at once that she was healed.] What question did Our Lord ask? Why did this seem an extraordinary question? [Because of the crowd thronging and pressing upon Him.] What did Our Lord mean by saying that virtue had gone out of Him? [That healing power had gone from Him for the restoration of the suffering woman.] What did the woman do when she perceived that her case was known to Our Lord? [St. Luke viii. 47.] How did Our Lord speak to her? [ib. v. 48.] What spiritual lesson may we learn from this miracle? [The blessing which rewards the touch of faith ; we are brought near to Our Lord when we say our prayers, when we go to Church, when we are partakers of the Holy Sacraments; but this nearness may be no more than that of the crowd who thronged Our Lord; it is only if we draw near to Him with faith, as the woman did, that we shall obtain a blessing.]

What message was brought from the house of Jairus, while Our Lord was speaking to the woman? What did Our Lord say to the father of the child? Whom did He select as His companions on this occasion? What did He see when He reached the house? [A number of minstrels-or hired mourners-together with the members of the family, bewailing the dead child.] What did Our Lord say to them? [St. Mark v. 39.] How did they regard His words? What did Our Lord then do? [He sent away the people, and went into the chamber of death.] Who alone were allowed to go with Him? What did Our Lord do, and say, to the dead child? [St. Mark v. 41.] What was the effect of His words? What lessons does this miracle teach us? [(i) Our Lord's power over death; (ii) His Divine tenderness, shown to the sorrowing father, as well as to the child that was dead.]

HYMN.

Hymns Ancient and Modern, No. 288.
A few more years shall roll.'

SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS.

TWENTIETH SUNDAY AFTER

TRINITY.

RESTORING OF SIGHT TO TWO BLIND MEN.
THE MISSION OF THE TWELVE APOSTLES.

'The eyes of the blind shall be opened."

The Two Blind Men at Capernaum.

Read St. Matt. ix. 27-31.

Commentary and Explanation.-When Our Lord was leaving the house of Jairus, where He had performed the miracle of which we read in the last Lesson, He was followed by two blind men. They addressed Him as the Son of David [meaning by this to acknowledge Him as the descendant of David, foretold by the prophets, the Messiah Who was to sit on David's throne], and they prayed Him to have mercy upon them and relieve them from their sore affliction. At first Our Lord seems to have taken no notice of them, thereby testing their faith; they were not disheartened, however, by His apparent indifference, but followed Him into the house where He was going. Then He put the question to them, Did they believe that He was able to give them their sight? When they said that they did believe, He touched their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you; and their eyes were opened. Jesus charged them not to make known the miracle which He had performed on them. Perhaps He did not wish at this time to attract attention to Himself; perhaps there was something in their case which made it undesirable that they should be exposed to public notice. The men who had recovered their sight did not however observe Our Lord's command, but they spread abroad His fame in all that country. We may make excuses for them, and think they acted thus because their hearts were too full of gratitude for them to remain silent, but we cannot commend their want of implicit obedience to a plain command imposed upon them.

It has been said that every miracle is an acted parable, i.e., every miracle, besides being an evidence of the power and love of Our Blessed Lord, is also a means of teaching us some spiritual lesson. Blindness of the eyes is a terrible affliction, but there is a spiritual blindness, a blindness of the heart, which is even more terrible. When, in St. Paul's words (Eph. iv. 18), the understanding is darkened, when the eye of our soul has lost its power of seeing, when we have ceased to feel God's love, to

know the beauty of goodness, and the sinfulness of sin, then it is only Jesus who can open our eyes, and we must go to Him with the blind men's prayer, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us; or with the prayer of the Litany, From blindness of heart, good Lord, deliver us.

The Sending out of the Twelve Apostles.

Read St. Matt. x. 1-15. Compare St. Mark vi. 7–11 and St. Luke ix. 1-5.

Commentary and Explanation.--We read in a former Lesson [No. 32] that Our Lord chose from the whole number of His disciples twelve, whom He called His Apostles [or messengers], that they should be with Him, and that He might send them forth to preach (St. Mark iii. 14). Hitherto they had been fulfilling the former of these two objects for which they were ordained by Our Lord; they had been with Him as the witnesses of His miracles and the hearers of His instructions. Now they were to be sent forth to preach. Freely they had received, freely they were to give. We may notice some points in this first mission in which the Apostles were engaged :

(i) They were to go forth by two and two.--This direction given by Our Lord shows His loving consideration for the needs of those who were to minister in His Name. We all know how companionship helps us in any good work we undertake; if we are alone we are apt to grow dull and dispirited. The wise king Solomon wrote: Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow, but woe to him that is alone when he falleth (Eccl. iv. 9, 10).

(ii) Their mission was only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. They were expressly forbidden to go amongst the Gentiles [those who were not Jews]; they were not even allowed to enter into any city of the Samaritans [though the Samaritans claimed some sort of kinship with the Jewish people]. The religion of Jesus Christ was designed to spread in Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the earth (Acts i. 8), but it must first be offered to those who were the heirs of God's promises, to His chosen people the Jews.

(iii) Their message was, 'The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.' -It was the same message which was proclaimed by John the Baptist and by Our Lord Himself (St. Matt. iii. 2 and iv. 17).

(iv) The Apostles were gifted with the power of working miracles. This power was promised to them at their ordination (St. Mark iii. 18) and it was to be exercised during this mission; they were to heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils, even as they had seen their Master do. These wonderful works would be the means of inducing men to attend

to their teaching, and would prove that their work was appointed and approved by GOD.

(v) They were to depend for their entertainment and subsistence on the bounty of those to whom they ministered.-They were expressly forbidden to take with them any money, or any clothing beyond what was absolutely necessary. Our Lord said that the rule The workman is worthy of his meat applied to His ministers as well as to other workers. St. Paul was probably referring to this when he wrote to the Corinthians: The Lord hath ordained that they which preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel (1 Cor. ix. 14).

(vi) A blessing would rest on those who received His ministers and punishment on those who rejected them.-On entering any one of the towns to which they were sent, they were bidden first to inquire Who in it was worthy? i.e., who, amongst its inhabitants, was of such a character and manner of life as to make their teaching likely to be profitable to him, and with this person they were to dwell as long as they stayed in the town. When they entered any house they were to say, Peace be to this house [the same words which are used by the priests of our Church in their pastoral visitations of the sick], and GOD's peace was promised to those who were worthy of it. Wherever their teaching was rejected, they were to shake off the dust of their feet, an Eastern way of indicating that they renounced all connection with the people; and Our Lord spoke solemn words with reference to the woe that awaits those who thus reject His ministers; 'It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment than for that city': those wicked Cities of the Plain, destroyed by fire from heaven because of their wickedness, shall be visited with less severe punishment than the cities of Israel which refused the teaching of Our Lord's Apostles.

Questions.-Who followed Our Lord as He was leaving the house of Jairus? How did these blind men address Him? [As the Son of David.] What did they imply by this title? [That they believed Him to be the Messiah, Who was spoken of by the Jews as the Son of David-see St. Matt. xxii. 42.Ĵ Where in the Prayer Book is Our Lord addressed by the same title? [In the Litany, when we pray, O Son of David, have mercy upon us.] How did Our Lord answer the blind men? [At first He made no reply to their appeal.] What seems to have been the reason of His silence? [It may have been intended to test their faith and perseverance.] What did the blind men do? What lesson do they teach us? [The duty of persevering in prayer, when God does not at once grant us our requests.] What did Our Lord say to them when they followed Him into the house? How did they answer? [St. Matt. ix. 28.] What did Our Lord then do to them? [He touched their eyes.] What was the

purpose of this touch? [It was an outward sign, intended to quicken their faith in the miracle that was to be performed.] What did Our Lord say to them? [According to your faith be it unto you.] What is Faith? [The assurance of things hoped for.-Heb. xi. 1, R. V.] What was it these blind men hoped for? [The opening of their eyes.] How was their faith rewarded? What command did Our Lord lay upon them? [v. 30.] How did they observe this command ?

What other blindness do we read of, besides blindness of the eyes? [Blindness of heart.] What does this mean. [Spiritual blindness, a state in which we do not see things which are good and right for us to do.] How alone can we be delivered from this blindness? [By the power of Jesus Christ.] Where do we pray to be so delivered? [In the Litany: From blindness of heart, good Lord, deliver us.]

How many Apostles did Our Lord choose? For what two purposes did He choose them? [St. Mark iii. 14.] Which of these did they first fulfil? [They were Our Lord's companions for some time after their call to the Apostleship.] What were they now sent to do? [To preach the Gospel.] What does that mean? [To proclaim good tidings.] What was the message they had to proclaim? [The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.} What was the meaning of this? [That Christ was setting up His Kingdom of righteousness and goodness in the world; and all righteous and good men were invited to enrol themselves as subjects of His Kingdom.] To whom was this message to be proclaimed? [At first only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.] Why were the people of Israel spoken of as lost sheep? [Because they were wandering from the good Shepherd, Jesus Christ.] Were the Apostles to go singly to their work? [No! They were sent by two and two.] Why was this? [ [That they might help one another by sympathy and association in common work.] What powers did Our Lord bestow upon them? [St. Matt. x. 1.] How were they to be supported during their journey? [By the hospitality of those to whom they preached.] What reason did Our Lord give for this? [The workman is worthy of his meat.] How were they to act when they came into any town? [St. Matt. x. 11, 12, 13.] What were they to do in case their teaching was rejected? [v. 14.] What does Our Lord say of the peril of those who reject His ministers? [v. 15.] What does this teach us? [How great will be our peril if we do not heed the words which our clergymen and teachers and parents speak to us in GOD's Name.]