garment, I shall be whole"? May I say this? Have I any warrant for it? I do not know. But this I know, O Saviour, that Thou hast still all power over sickness and disease, and that all things are possible with Thee. I dare not say Thou wilt make me well, for Thou hast not told me so: but I know Thou canst, and I humbly believe that Thou wilt, if Thou seest it to be for my highest good. For my highest good, O my Saviour, for Thou hast taught me to know that there are things Thou canst give, which are better than health itself.

Virtue, or power, went out from Jesus at the woman's touch, and healed her. What I humbly ask, O my Saviour, is, that virtue may go forth from Thee now for my healing, in whatsoever way Thou seest to be best. Even while I come to Thee, give me faith to believe that it will, help me thus to touch Thee with the touch of faith. Here I am on sure ground. I cannot be wrong in believing that virtue will go forth from Thee to me, when thus I come to Thee. In whatever way Thou pleasest, oh, put forth Thy healing

power for me; for my body, if Thou seest good; but, for my soul, for my heart, for the cure of every spiritual disease, for the strengthening of all spiritual weakness or decline, oh, let virtue proceed from Thee, my Saviour, for these. Even now, while I plead with Thee, even now put forth Thy healing and saving grace.

Wonderful, that Jesus Himself should attribute the cure to her faith! faith hath made thee whole."

"Daughter, thy

But was it not

the virtue that

His power that had healed her went forth from Him? Was it not that alone? Yes; but it was because of her faith that His power had been put forth, and so He said,

thy faith hath made thee whole." Faith itself is the gift of God; the little faith I have, even that faith by which I now draw near, I never should have had, but for His gift of grace. O Thou Who didst give me the first beginning, do Thou increase my faith! O Father, for Jesus Christ's sake, give me more faith ! Grant that I may lose none of Thy gifts through want or weakness of faith. For my Saviour's sake, who bade me ask in His name,

for His sake grant me the increase of faith and love.

Often had Jesus to rebuke His disciples for their want of faith; here He commended the woman for the greatness of her faith. Lord, make me like her. Thou Who didst plant that thought of faith in her heart, "If I may but touch His garment, I shall be whole,' give to me also the like secret, humble, firm and simple faith; by Thy Holy Spirit help me now thus to approach and touch Thee. Thou art unseen, but I know Thou art near.

CHAPTER XXXIII.

PASSING AWAY.

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'And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof; but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever."1 John ii. 17.

As I lie here, weak and failing, these words come to me as they never came before, "the fashion of this world passeth away," is passing away (1 Cor. vii. 31); and those other words of St. John too, "And the world passeth (is passing) away, and the lust thereof; but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever."

Whether it be the will of God that I should soon pass away from the world, I know not; that rests with Him: but this I feel,

that the world is passing

away from me.

What is the world to me now? What now is the fashion, the scheme or system, of the

I

world to me? Where are the worldly desires I used to have, "the lust thereof," the wish for more earthly pleasure or good? Where is my old ambition, and my love of praise, and my desire to be thought well of? I do not feel them now; I seem to have done with them; they are gone.

O my God, I was taught long ago in Thy word, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him" (1 John ii. 15). But I did not learn the lesson then; I fear I did love the world and its things. Hast Thou at length drawn me from the love of the world? Is it of Thy grace, the work of Thy Spirit, that I now feel so differently? Alas, I cannot but own that it was not till I felt the world passing away from me that I left off loving

it; if this illness had not come, if I had not been brought to a state in which the world can give me no pleasure, perhaps I should love the world still. But then again, I remember that the very reason given why I should not love the world is that "the