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and our religious advantages should be lost upon us, and end in our eternal confusion and ruin.

Let the prayer of the publican be ours, and it shall be granted. Let the penitent sinner take encouragement from the acceptance of this petition, and be joyful. While the prayer of his heart is, God be merciful to me a sinner, he may be assured that our heavenly Father will not cast out the humble supplication of the lowly who are abased at His footstool. They shall be pardoned and accepted with Him, and justified before Him, for the sake of that Redeemer, whose merits they plead in His presence. For while He beholdeth the proud afar off, it is written, thus saith the High and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.76 Therefore, if we confess our sins, we may be assured that He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. And those who are washed, and sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God, shall be eternally saved. They shall inherit the kingdom of God,18 and shall praise Him for His redeeming love throughout the countless ages of eternity.

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76 Isaiah Ivii. 15. 77 1 John i. 9. 78 1 Corinthians vi. 10, 11.

SERMON XLVII.

FOR THE

TWELFTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY.

THE DEAF AND DUMB CURED.

Mark vii. 37.

THEY WERE BEYOND MEASURE ASTONISHED, SAYING, HE HATH DONE ALL THINGS WELL: HE MAKETH BOTH THE DEAF TO HEAR, AND

THE DUMB TO SPEAK.

THE miracle of which an account is given in the Gospel for this day, is related by St. Mark alone. St. Matthew merely mentions in general terms, that great multitudes came unto Him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus' feet, and He healed them; insomuch that the multitude wondered when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see; and they glorified the God of

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Israel.79 Thus our Lord Jesus Christ went about doing good to the bodies of men by His miracles, as well as to their souls by preaching the gospel of the kingdom.80 Their bodily distresses brought numbers to Him, to listen to His heavenly doctrine, who would not otherwise have gone to hear the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth; notwithstanding it was said of Him, Never man spake like this man.81 And in the present day, likewise, it frequently happens that temporal distress of some kind or other, and often bodily affliction or disease, is that which leads the children of men to seek for the blessings which the knowledge of the gospel of Christ alone can communicate. The end of God in sending affliction is to induce sinners to seek for a better portion than this world can give, to show the vanity of all things here below, to remind us that we must soon quit our hold of the things of this life, and that it is therefore our wisdom to provide for happiness in eternity. Happy are they whose afflictions so detach them from this world, that they are led to set their affection on things above, instead of things on the earth.82 That is a blessing, whatever it may be, which produces this salutary effect.

In the Gospel for this day, the Evangelist informs us, that Jesus departing from the coasts

79 Mat. xv. 30,31. 80 Mat. ix. 35. 81 John vii. 46. 82 Coloss. iii. 2.

of Tyre and Sidon, came unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis. He had been visiting the coasts of Tyre and Sidon on the Mediterranean Sea, to the north-west of Galilee. There he had wrought a miracle on behalf of a poor woman, who had applied to Him to dispossess her daughter of an unclean spirit. She had manifested such strong faith in the midst of the discouragements that were presented to her, that her conduct is recorded as being truly worthy of imitation, by all applicants at the throne of grace. From the coasts of the Mediterranean, our blessed Lord crossed the country in a south-easterly direction towards the sea or lake of Galilee or Tiberias; the country round which seems to have been known by the name of Decapolis, on account of there being ten noted towns or villages situated on the border of the lake.

When Jesus returned to this part of the country, where He was well known; they bring unto Him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech Him to put His hand upon him. This man appears to have been born deaf, and therefore to have been unable to speak so as to be understood, though he might articulate in some degree. The miracles which had been wrought by our blessed Saviour, induced the people to bring this poor man to Him. And as they had often seen Him heal with a

touch, they doubted not that, if He should merely put His hand upon this man, the disorder with which he was afflicted would be immediately removed. But as He wrought no miracles for the purpose of making a display, instead of at once doing as He was desired, He took the man aside from the multitude, to a place where the transaction would not be open to common or public observation; and then He put His fingers into his cars, and He spit, and touched his tongue; and looking up to heaven, He sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. For what reason He was pleased to use these means is not stated. Those who saw them used, might, if they chose, ascribe the cure to them. The means were very simple. They show us, that when it pleases Him to make use of any means, however inadequate they may appear to be, the end will be accomplished by their instrumentality. But the touch of the fingers, or the application of the spittle, or the uttering of a word, would have had no effect, without the exertion of almighty power, to make them effectual for the purpose which He designed. He sighed, or groaned, no doubt from observing the ravages which sin had made upon mankind; beholding its effects in the case of this afflicted man. soon as He had spoken the word, Be opened; straightway the ears of the poor man were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and

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