428

All things are possible to those that
believe.” Then the father cried
out, and said with tears, “ Lord,
I believe; help thou mine unbe-
lief.” Jesus was willing to heal the
child; he only wanted the father to
believe ; and now He spoke to the
evil spirit, and said, “Thou dumb
and deaf spirit, I command thee to
come out of him, and enter no more
into him.” And the spirit obeyed
the command, and came out; but
the child was left so weak and ill,
that the people said, “ He is dead.”
Then Jesus took him by the hand,
and lifted him up, and he arose.

We may hope that the father
taught this child to love and serve
Jesus; that he brought him up “in

THE TRIBUTE-MONEY.

the nurture and admonition of the
Lord.” This is what all really good
parents and teachers try to do with
their children. They wish to bring
them to Jesus, as this father brought
his poor boy. All children have, by
nature, an evil spirit within them,
Satan fills them with angry pas-
sions and sinful tempers, and tries
to destroy their souls, as this deaf
and dumb spirit tried to destroy the
body of the poor boy. And only
Jesus can cast out the evil spirit,
Only His grace can take away the
wicked passions of children, and
make them gentle, and humble, and
obedient; but Jesus is willing to
give this grace to all who ask for it,

erent a eennennencneneaaniias
Ga

CCXCII.

| y HE JRipute- Money,

HE Jews were required to
pay a sum of money for
the service of the temple
in Jerusalem. It was
quite right that they
should do so, in obedience to the
law, and for the support of public
worship in the land; for the Bible
tellsus to “render to all their dues;
tribute to whom tribute is due;
custom to whom custom; fear to
whom fear; honor to whom honor.”
Romans xiii. %.

The men who collected the tri-
bute-money came to Peter, and
said, “Does not your master pay
tribute?” Peter answered, “ Yes ;”

+ pane
( :
oy t
; ei

 

for he knew that Jesus always

obeyed the laws himself, and taught
the people to do so too. And be-
fore Peter said anything to Jesus
about the tribute-money, Jesus
himself told him that it was right
that the tax should be paid. But
how could they find the money?
Jesus was poor, and Peter was poor,

and the disciples were poor ;—what
could they do? Jesus told Peter to
go to the sea, and cast in a hook,
and take up the first fish that came.
Then Peter was to open the fish’s
mouth; and Jesus told him, that
he would there find a piece of
money, which he must take and
give to the people, as tribute-money
for himself and Jesus. So Peter