heart, or probably to try his faith, said, 'Except you see signs and wonders, you will not believe.'

As this was neither a refusal nor a grant of his prayer, and as he feared that, while our Lord delayed coming, his child would die, the nobleman urged his entreaty again with still more eagerness: 'Sir, come down ere my child die!' This last appeal was not in vain, and he received the gracious answer, 'Go thy way; thy son liveth.'

Believing the word of the Lord, he turned his steps homewards, and before he arrived at his house, he met several of his servants, who, full of joy, hastened out to meet him on the road, with the glad news that his son was not only still alive, but perfectly well.

You may fancy the happiness of the poor father, who eagerly inquired at what time they had observed the favorable change. 'Yesterday,' they said, 'at the seventh hour (one o'clock in the day,) the fever left him;' and the man remembered that it was exactly at that hour, the day before, that the Lord had said to him, 'Thy son liveth.'

He was so struck with this astonishing cure, which was performed without our Savior even seeing, or being near the sick person, that he and all his family became Christians.

Thus did our merciful Savior give joy to many sorrowing hearts, by his mighty word; and it is a great comfort

to us to know, that there is not a single instance in the history of His life of His having refused to hear the intercessions of those who prayed to him in behalf of their friends.

We, too, are allowed to pray to God for our dear friends,

not only for their good in this world, but for their eternal happiness in the next, and we may be sure he will no more turn away from our prayer, than Christ did from those whose prayers were addressed to him while he was on earth. God never changes. He is as compassionate as merciful,now, as through Christ he was then,-'the same yesterday, to-day, and forever.'

He looks down with tender love and approbation on the dutiful child, who daily prays to a Heavenly Father to watch over and bless an earthly parent. He loves to hear the prayer of affection for a beloved brother or sister. And the humble petition for an earthly friend will reach the heart of Him who so loved mankind that he sent his Son to die for our salvation.

But you must remember this, that the times of miracles are past, and therefore you must not always expect God to restore your friends to health and happiness at your entreaty; for He knows what is best for them, and if He does not grant your prayer, it is for some wise and gracious purpose, not known to us.

In every prayer for any earthly blessing, we should therefore always say,-" Thy will, not mine, be done:' but there are some things which we are sure we may always ask for our friends, that God would be pleased to teach them to love and serve Him here, that He would mercifully lead them through every trial and sorrow of this world, and at last bring them to everlasting joy in the world to come.

THE DRAUGHT OF FISHES.

WHILE Our Savior was in Galilee, He came one day to the lake of Gennesaret, where He was followed as usual by an immense number of people, who, in their anxiety to hear His instructions, pressed so closely round Him, that the crowd became very inconvenient, and it was quite impossible to make them all hear.

Now there were two fishing-boats on the lake, one of which belonged to a man of the name of Simon; but neither he nor the other fishermen were in their boats, having left them to go on shore to wash and dry their nets. Our Savior, however, who had known Simon before, got into his boat, that He might be free from the crowd, and be able to instruct the people with more ease.

On seeing our Lord enter his boat, Simon immediately returned to it, and, at our Lord's request, pushed it a little farther from the shore, though not so far but that the people could hear distinctly His holy word.

When He had finished His discourse, He desired Simon to launch out into the deep water, and to let down his net to catch fish; but Simon said, 'Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless, at thy word I will let down the net.'

With these words he cast. the net into the sea, and after waiting the usual time, attempted to draw it out again, but it was so heavy with the quantity of fishes which had now been caught, that in trying to do so, it broke with the weight, and he was obliged to beckon to his companions in the other boat to come and help him.

With their assistance, he succeeded in drawing out the net, and they began to fill both the boats with the fish they had caught. But now they got into still more trouble; for the number was so great that the boats began to sink, and they were afraid for their lives.

Simon had probably thought, like many others, that our Savior was merely a great teacher sent from God, and no more; but he now perceived by this miracle that he could be no less a person than the Savior who was expected, and