the sand, and when the winds, and the rain, and the floods came it
fell, and great was the fall of it.

The people went away from this great meeting among the hills to think
it over. It was so new and so wonderful, not at all like the teaching
of the scribes, for the young carpenter of Nazareth spoke like a
Teacher of teachers. Ever since that day when the Lord sat and taught
the truths of the Kingdom of Heaven, and the people stood upon the
grassy plain among the spring flowers and the wild thyme to hear his
words, the Sermon on the Mount has been known as the greatest sermon
the world has ever known.

CHAPTER XVIII.

THE LORD OF LIFE.

Jesus came down to Capernaum again and found the same crowds of needy
people, who were like sheep having no shepherd. The rich as well as
the poor had their wants and their troubles.

A good Roman officer, called a Centurion, because he was captain over a
hundred men, had a servant who was so faithful to him that he was very
fond of him. The servant was very sick, and when the Centurion heard
that Jesus was again in Capernaum he went to the chief men of the city
and asked them to get Jesus to come and cure his servant. He feared to
ask the favor himself, for he thought Jesus was a Jew who would not
like to have dealings with the Romans. So the Jews spoke to Jesus
about it saying that the Centurion was the good man who had built a
beautiful synagogue for them. Jesus did not need to be urged to be
kind to a Roman for He loved all the people of the earth alike.

While He was on His way some friends of the Centurion came to meet Him
with a message.

"Lord, trouble not Thyself," he said, "for I am not worthy that Thou
shouldst enter under my roof; Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy
to come unto Thee; but say in a word and my servant shall be healed."

Jesus told the people who followed Him that He had not found such faith
as this among their own people. And when the men returned to the
Centurion's house they found the servant cured of his sickness.

But some of the Jews were offended because Jesus had said that a pagan
Roman could have more faith than a Jew, and that they would enter the
Kingdom of Heaven while the Jews would be left out.

The next day Jesus and His disciples went to a little city called Nain,
set up among the hills, more than twenty miles away. When they were
near the city gate they met a funeral procession coming out. They were
going to