Happy they who find out this truth in their early days, or ever the years draw nigh, when they shall say, we have no pleasure in them! Happy they who come to the understanding of these matters or ever trouble, sorrow, need, sickness, or any other adversity befal them! Yea, happy they who gain this knowledge at all, or even as this "certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum !" How excellent is that saying in the Proverbs, "Riches profit not in the day of wrath: but righteousness delivereth from death." How exactly was it illustrated in the history of this nobleman! As far as we may judge, he had given little or no thought at all to heavenly things. His possessions were here, and so was his heart also. It had not occurred to him that there were things which even riches could not command, and which though he should "lay up gold as dust, and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks 5," it could not purchase. What indeed are riches, when the apple of a man's eye is at death's door? What avail they one whom the Almighty is troubling, and the increase of whose house is departing? What could they do for this nobleman whose son lay now so sick? They could not remove affliction such as his was,—they could not deliver from death! No! no! that discharge was not so easy. They profit not in the day of wrath. Thousands of rams, and whole rivers of 4 Job xxii. 24. oil, unless the Great Physician speak the word, avail not at such a time. High and low, rich as well as poor, descend alike to "the house appointed for all living." The rich man's wealth is then no longer his "strong city"." Death is a leveller of earthly distinction,-in death "the rich and the poor meet together"." The question will be no more one of riches and of poverty,-but every one will "receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad." Steward! "Give an account of thy stewardship!" O! how little at such a time, Christian brethren, avail riches, and honour, and power, or nobleness of birth! This nobleman's son was sick at Capernaum, but his riches could not save him. Like the "skirts of the people" and the lowest of the children of men, as far as riches were concerned, he must return to the dust of the earth, out of which he was made! But God dealeth in various ways with his people, and his tender mercies are over all his works, and there was good in store, as well as rebuke, for this nobleman. He appears, as it was said, to have trusted in his riches, and they proved a rotten staff, and helped him not in the day of his trouble. However, what neither his honours nor his wealth, nor his nobleness of birth could do, affliction did. It did more than all these, it drew his soul nigh unto God. And so it is written in the Prophet, "I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face; in their affliction they will seek me early." What is true of a nation in this sense is true of an individual. This nobleman's thoughts were turned from earthly to heavenly aid. God, as saith holy Job, "maketh his heart soft, and the Almighty troubleth him "." And of whom sought he aid?-It may be that heretofore, though not a Jew himself, he had joined in their cry which said, "Can any good thing come out of Galilee?" It may be he had taken up their taunting proverb, and had asked, "Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary?" But mankind are not the same in sickness and in health, in prosperity and in adversity. The rebel heart that defies his God when all is well, is turned backwards and put to rebuke when the arrows of the Almighty stick fast in it. You shall see the worst Parishioner, yea, the veriest blasphemer, when he is well, full of confusion and dismay when all his bones are out of joint in his sickness 3. 1 Hos. v. 15. 3 2 Job xxiii. 16. 3 I am familiar with a case like to this, and yet he is an unbeliever still! The iron seems only softened in the furnace that the temper may be the harder. Chaucer hits the right nail upon the head; "His studie was but litel on the Bible." "It hath long been observed," says Jer. Taylor, "concerning those bold people that use their reason against God that gave it, Now, without laying this heavy account at the nobleman's door in question, we behold him awake to the truth that "riches profit not in the day of wrath." Accordingly he looks about for other aid. And it chanced at this time that "Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine." Likely enough the nobleman had thought little of this miracle before, but now "he listens after Christ's return into Galilee. The most eminent amongst men will be glad to hearken after Christ in their necessity. Happy was it for him that his son was sick, he had not else been acquainted with his Saviour, his soul had continued sick of ignorance and unbelief: why else doth our good God send us pain, losses, opposition, but that He may be sought to? Are we afflicted; whither should we go but to Cana, to seek Christ? whither but to the Cana of heaven, where our water of sorrow is turned to the wine of gladness?-to that omnipotent Physician who healeth all our infirmities?-that so we may say with the Psalmist, It is good for me that I have been in trouble "." Some thoughts like to these will have crossed the nobleman's mind, according to the light he had, for it came to pass in his distress, that they have one persuasion in their health, and another in their sickness and fears; when they are well, they blaspheme: when they die, they are superstitious." Vol. v. p. 191. * See Hall's Contemplations, ed. fol. 1634. 'Ps. cxix. 71. "The Ruler's Son Cured," p. 63, "when he heard that Jesus was come out of Judæa into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought him that he would come down, and heal his son: for he was at the point of death "." Such was the request of the nobleman, and, were it not for what follows, and for what is recorded elsewhere, we might perhaps see no reason to doubt his earnestness. Faithless he was not, or he had never come to Christ at all. Altogether faithful also, and understanding the power of the Son of God, he was not likewise, or he had not besought the Lord to come down, but had trusted to his Almighty power to heal as far as from Cana to Capernaum. And so our Saviour replies, "Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe "." Far otherwise than this was the conduct of Capernaum's centurion, which came unto our Saviour "beseeching him and saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.” Nothing more did he say, neither taught he God how to work, but was eloquent in his silence. And the consequence was, that "Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him." To which wondrous condescension the centurion replied, "Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed "." He demanded not the Lord to come down, but knew him to be God as well afar off as 5 John iv. 47. 6 Ibid. 48. 7 Matt. viii. 5—8. |