The Touch of Faith.

MARK V. 25-34; LUKE viii. 43—48.

By Effie Williamson.

"WHO touched Me?" The question might well surprise the disciples, in the face of the multitude that thronged on every side. But Jesus knew that "virtue had gone out of Him,” ah, yes, and one other felt it too; the poor trembling woman who thought but to touch the hem of His garment.

That touch of faith had done all she asked, in healing her long tortured body from "that plague;"-she would have gone away thankful for this, not expecting more, but the loving heart of Jesus was not satisfied that it should be so; He longs for face to face communion with the healed one. He turned "about to see her who had done this thing," and the poor woman not knowing Him yet came fearing and trembling to fall at His feet, even the place of blessing; she found it so, for looking now on that face so full of tender love, her tongue is loosened to glorify Him by telling "before all the people" what had been done in her. Only in self-forgetting could she have done this.

Dear Christian readers, is there not a lesson here for us? are we not too easily satisfied like this poor woman, with healing and pardon, not desiring such close fellowship as the heart of Jesus seeks, and is willing to bestow. Perhaps we fear having to confess His name before all. But if we were at His feet looking unto Him, we could not be silent! we would forget self and all around, and be taken up only with His glory.

Let His tender question, "Who touched Me," reach the hearts of all who rejoice in sins forgiven, and may it lead them to His feet in adoring gratitude. Then, remaining

there, learning of Him, looking unto Him, they will find true power for service and courage to confess His name, and will it not be reward enough to see His smile of approval, and hear His voice saying, "Son," "Daughter," claiming and owning kinship?

O the wonders of His condescending grace! "Thy faith hath made thee whole," how wonderful that He should own even our feeble faith, yet there it is, He does not say "My power,” but “Thy faith hath saved thee." Well might He say, "Learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly."

Let none be content with following Jesus, like Peter, afar off. We know the sad result of such following, and how it ended in denying His name. Keep near, very near to Him, He loves to have you so. Looking in His face, who could deny Him?

"Whoso shall confess Me before men, him will I confess also before My Father which is in heaven."

The Touch of Faith.

By Effie Williamson.

"WHO touched Me?" Jesus said, and looked around ;
His seamless robe, soft flowing, reached the ground,
And many thronged Him; yet the feeble touch
Of one poor trembling woman's hand was such,
That healing virtue, with life-giving stream,
To meet her need, spontaneous flowed from Him.
Ah, yes, her secret and unspoken need

She knew was met; her captive body freed,
Freed, from the fell disease that long held thrall.
"Who touched Me?" on her ears the soft words fall;
Moved by His tender voice and gentle grace

She ventures now to gaze upon His face.

And, kneeling lowly at His blessed feet,
His heart and hers in sweet communion meet;
One look of love, her faltering tongue grows bold,
Forgetting self, before them all she told

The story of that glad eventful hour,
Told all the wonders of His healing power.

And e'en to magnify His name, confessed
The secret need long hidden in her breast;
"Daughter" from lips of Him she owns as Lord,
How softly falls the sweet endearing word
Proclaiming kinship; wondrous grace alone
Thus lowly stoops humanity to own.

"Thy faith hath made thee whole," she wondering heard That thus her feeble faith should meet reward.

"Go in peace," His parting words, that evermore
Should linger on her ears, the sweetest lore,
Unfolding daily more and more, and show
Peace like a river deepening in its flow.

Daily Bible Thoughts for the Month.

ON THE UNION OLD TESTAMENT READINGS. By B. A. Rowan.

I CHRONICLES XIX. TO 2 CHRONICLES XVII.

FEB. 1.-I CHRONICLES xix. 2. David reaped the reward of his kindness to Hanun for his father's sake, both in the victory which followed and personally (See 2 Sam. xvi. 27). Even a cup of cold water given for Christ's sake to one of His children "shall in no wise lose its reward" (Matt. xxv. 45; Matt. x. 42; Eccles. xi. i ; Gal. vi. 7-9).

Feb. 2.-Ch. xx. 2. This crown was won for David; Christ has won His crown, the Church (Cant. iii. 11), through the suffering of death. Each precious stone in it cost Him "all that He had." "He took our crownless place (Lam. v. 16) that He might offer us the throne of many diadems" (Rev. xix. 7; Rev. iii. 21).

Feb. 3.-Ch. xxi. 22, 26. Ornan's full surrender of all that he had to David is a beautiful lesson to us. David asked the price of the threshing-floor (Prov. xxiii. 26; Ps. cxxxii. 13, 14), and bought it for the full price (Eph. v. 25; Acts xx. 28; 1 Cor. vi. 20). Ornan said, "I give it all." Contrast Matt. xix. 22.

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Feb. 4.-Ch. xxii. 9. "Solomon signified "Peace; " he was also called "Jedidiah," or "Beloved of the Lord;" here he is the man of rest." How blessedly all these titles remind us of the Greater

than Solomon "-and of our share in them (Is. ix. 6; Matt. xvii. 5; Jer. 1. 6; Eph. ii. 14; Deut. xxxiii. 12; Matt. xi. 28).

Feb. 5.-Ch. xxiii. Notice how every distinct service was divinely apportioned. Let us each seek to know our own place in the Church of God (Eph. iv. 11, 12; 1 Cor. xii. 27, 28).

Feb. 6.—Ch. xxiv. 19. Observe the words "Under their father," and compare with Heb. v. 8; Phil. ii. 8; Heb. x. 7. "The obedience of Christ" is to be the standard of ours (2 Cor. x. 5). Independence

is altogether opposed to God's Word.

Feb. 7.-Ch. xxv. Remark the prominence given to praise in the services of the Temple. It is equally enjoined upon God's "Holy" and " Royal" Priesthood now (see I Pet. ii. 5; Heb. xiii. 15; 1 Pet. ii. 9; Jno. iv. 24; Eph. v. 19; Ps. xl. 3). Only the Redeemed can sing the "New Song."

Feb. 8.-Ch. xxvi. 30-32. Let us see that the "business of the Lord," and the "service of the King," is given the first place in our lives. We are to do all in His name. The command and promise in

Matt. vi. 33, are very definite.

Feb. 9.-Ch. xxvii.

What account shall each of us have to render

of our stewardship? The sphere through which the influence of our daily lives extends is a solemn responsibility.

Feb. 10.-Ch. xxviii. 19. Let us be sure that we have Divine guidance as to every detail of our work.

used in even the smallest vessel was given

The weight of gold to be

"by the Spirit" (Isa. lviii.

11; Ps. xxv. 9; Ps. xxxii. 8; Ps. lxxiii. 24; Jno. xvi. 13).

It finds its relief in praise.

Feb. 11.-Ch. xxix. 9. There is no joy like that of a yielded life. The King also rejoiced with them (see Prov. xxiii. 15; Heb. ii. 12). Shall we not give this joy to Christ? Feb. 12.-2 Chronicles i. 10, II. The wisdom Solomon asked for was in order that he might serve the Lord better, and not for his own glory. If we desire Christ the "wisdom of God," God will freely with Him give us "all things" (1 Cor. i. 24; Rom. viii. 32).

Feb. 13.-Ch. ii. 6. Observe Solomon's beautiful humility. It is always the humblest, and those willing to be nothing, whom God exalts, and uses most in His service. A cake of barley meal (Jud. vii. 13); jaw-bone of an ass (Jud. xv. 13); a shepherd's sling (1 Sam. xvii. 40).

Feb. 14.-Ch. iii. 4. As the temple was overlaid within and without with pure gold, type of the Divine nature, so, whether as the whole Church, or as individuals, His Holy Temple is now both enclosed in (Cant. iv. 12; Zech. ii. 5) and indwelt by Christ (I Cor. iii. 16; Eph, iii, 17).

Feb. 15. Ch. iv. 6. Christ, who has given Himself for the Church, also sanctifies and purifies it (Eph. v. 26; Titus iii. 5, 6). Confession is of the highest importance, cleansing follows upon it (I Jno. i. 9; 2 Sam. xii. 13; Isa. vi. 5-7; Dan. ix. 20, 21, 22); and communion cannot be maintained without it.

Feb. 16.-Ch. v. 10. Some of us have taken for our motto, "All or Jesus." Shall we not seek to be cleansed from everything which hinders its practical fulfilment? It could be said of Christ alone that there was nothing in His heart but the "law" of God (Heb. x. 7; Ps. xl. 8; John iv. 34).

Feb. 17. Ch. vi. 18. It was God's purpose to dwell with man upon the earth (Prov. viii. 31). He walked with Adam in Eden. He commanded a sanctuary to be made that He might dwell among His people in the wilderness (Ex. xxv. 8, xxix. 45, 46). He permitted Solomon to build Him an house (2 Chron. vi. 2). Ezekiel describes in vision His departure (Ez. x. 18; xi. 22, 23). He returned in the person of Christ (2 Cor. v. 19; John i. 14; Gal. iv. 4), in the person of the Holy Ghost (John xiv. 16; Acts ii. 1-5), to abide for ever— Final reign (Rev. vii. 15-17). Feb. 18.-Ch. vii. 15, 16. The Lord sees and hears everything we say or do. What a comfort it is to know that He "knows all, but loves us better than He knows" (Ps. xciv. II; Heb. iv. 12).

Feb. 19.-Ch. viii. 13, 14. God does not entrust us with more than to-day's strength (Deut. xxxiii. 25), food (Ex. xvi. 21; Luke xi. 3), and grace (2 Cor. iv. 16). And we are told not to anticipate to-morrow's needs or trials (Matt. vi. 28-31).

Feb. 20.-Ch. ix. 4.

Christ's "Ascent" to His Father's house in glory, was Gethsemane, Calvary, the Resurrection, and Ascension. He invites His people to share this ascent, and the secrets of it, with Him. Not merely to know it historically, but to enter with Him into the "secret places of the stairs" (Cant. ii. 14; Phil. iii. 10).

Feb. 21. Ch. x. 8. Rehoboam would have done better had he respected the advice of those far more experienced than himself, and better still had he taken God as his "Counsellor" (Is. ix. 6; 2 Tim. iii. 1, 2; James i. 5). The result shows that God makes even the mistakes of man carry out His own designs.

Feb. 22. Ch. xi. 14, 17. The presence of the faithful Priests and people cast out by Jeroboam from Israel, strengthened the kingdom of Judah. Let us seek to gather around us the Lord's people, for "the friendship of the world worketh death" (James iv. 4; 2 Cor. vi. 17; 2 Thess. ii. 7; Matt. v. 13, 14; Gen. xviii. 32; Jer. v. 1).