THE AFFLICTED CHILD.

GOLDEN TEXT.

All things are possible to him that believeth.-VERSE 23.

MARK ix. 17, 21-29.

AND one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit;

And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child.

And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us.

Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.

And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.

And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead.

But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose.

And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out? And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.

EZRA'S PRAYER AND CONFESSION.

GOLDEN TEXT.

Thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive.-PSALM lxxxvi. 5.

EZRA ix. 5-9.

AND at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the Lord my God,

And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens.

Since the days of our fathers have we been in a great trespass unto this day; and for our iniquities have we, our kings, and our priests, been delivered into the hands of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to a spoil, and to confusion of face, as it is this day.

And now for a little space grace hath been shewed from the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage.

For we were bondmen; yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up the house of our God, and to repair the desolations thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem.

THE CHILD-LIKE BELIEVER.

GOLDEN

TEXT.

I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is if a con trite and humble spirit.-ISAIAH lvii. 15.

MARK ix. 30-37.

AND they departed thence, and passed through Galilee; and he would not that any man should know it.

For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day.

But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask him.

And he came to Capernaum: and being in the house he asked them, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way?

But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed by themselves, who should be the greatest.

And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.

And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them and when he had taken him in his arms, he said unto them,

Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me.

NEHEMIAH'S PATRIOTIC PRAYER.

GOLDEN TEXT.

Prosper, I pray Thee, Thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.-VERSE 11.

NEHEMIAH i. 4-9.

AND it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,

And said, I beseech thee, O Lord God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments:

I

Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father's house have sinned.

We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses.

Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations :

But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place I have chosen to set my name there.

REVIEW

OF THE QUARTER'S
LESSONS.

Truly this was the Son of God.-MATTHEW Xxvii. 54.

They went out, and preached that men should repent. -Mark vi. 12.

Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.-Revelation ii. 10.

I am the Bread of life.-John vi. 35.

What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him ?-Matthew viii. 27.

In vain do they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.-Mark vii. 7.

He maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.Mark vii. 37.

Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. -Luke xii. 1.

Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.-Matthew xvi. 16.

Whosoever will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.-Mark viii. 34.

The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory.—John i. 14.

All things are possible to him that believeth.-Mark ix. 23. I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit.-Isaiah lvii. 15.