THE FAMILY ALTAR

September 7.

"He hath done all things well; He maketh both the deaf to

hear and the dumb to speak." Mark 7:31.

When the people saw the wonderful cure which our Lord

effected with His omnipotent word on their deaf-mute friend, they

broke out into the joyful cry: "He hath done all things well; He

maketh both the deaf to hear and the dumb to speak!" We all

have reason to join in this adoring praise of our Savior. By nature

we were all spiritually deaf and dumb. Through the sin that is

in us we did not know our God and Savior, did not live in blessed

communion with Him. We remained deaf to the pleadings of His

love that so earnestly desired to save us from sin and everlasting

perdition; we were dumb in His praise; no fervent prayer or

hymn of gratitude to His wondrous name came over our silent lips.

But, oh, the boundless mercy of our Lord who could not see us die

in our sin-lost state ! He has come to us also with His quickening,

saving Word, saying to our deaf-mute souls: "Be opened!" And

now we can hear and understand with a believing heart His in-

comprehensible love to us dying sinners, and praise and glorify

Him for His great mercy toward us. Though He took us aside

from the multitude, as He did the deaf-mute in the Gospel, and

laid us on a painful bed of sickness in order to reveal His saving

truth to us; though He may still lead us into dark, mysterious

paths where we must abide alone in our grief and sorrow, still we

have reason to confess: "He hath done all things well." In such

dark nights of affliction we hearken more diligently to His blessed

voice, speak more eagerly and fervently in our prayers to Him,

our only God and Eedeemer. And though we now can see but

through a glass, darkly, we shall in due time see face to face;

though we now know only in part, then we shall know even as also

we are known ; then there will be no end to our astonishment, and

through all eternity our grateful song of praise shall ring out:

"He hath done all things well."