had been made whole and that I needed naught save the bidding of Jesus to tell me when to arise. And when the word came, I arose.’ Now,” said Nathanael, “thus spake Mattathias to me. But if he spake aright, then methinks Jesus hath a power to create faith in the heart as well as to heal the diseases of the body.” All that night I meditated upon the words of Nathanael and upon the story of Mattathias: for that a prophet should cure diseases seemed possible, though wonderful; but that any one, yea, even though he were the Redeemer of Israel himself, should have power to create peace and faith, this indeed seemed a marvellous and almost an impossible thing. But it came to pass that on the morning of the very next day, as I remember, we went into the house of a certain rich man with Jesus; and a great company was assembled (some because of the mighty work that Jesus had wrought on the Gadarene, but others, of the richer sort, because they desired to abet the plotting of the Pharisees against him), and Jesus was now on the point to speak to the people, when a noise was heard from the roof above. There had been no small stir, even before, near the door of the house, and none had taken heed thereof; but now we looked up, and behold, one sick of the palsy in a bed was let down by ropes, until the bed reached the place where Jesus was; for he sat in the gallery that ran round the court‐yard, but we stood in the court‐yard below. Now many of us thought that Jesus would not heal one that thus thrust himself into the midst of the people, interrupting his exhortation and doctrine; and some cried out to remove the man, but others cried out Nay. Howbeit, when Jesus gave command that there should be silence, there was silence, even such a silence that men feared almost to breathe; so great was the expectation of all to see what Jesus would do. Then sounded forth these words above the heads of all the congregation, full of pity, yet like unto the sound of a silver trumpet in clearness: “Thy sins be forgiven thee.” I myself was so far off that I heard the words, but could not see the countenance of Jesus. But they that saw him told me that it was even as Nathanael had described unto me the healing of Mattathias. For Jesus fixed his eyes steadfastly on the man, as if he saw, not the man himself, but the man’s angel standing in heaven bound before the throne of God, with the chains of Satan round him, and all the host of heaven looking thereon. “His countenance also shone as the sun: pity and sorrow were there, but pity and sorrow swallowed up in the brightness and glory of joy and triumph; and the sick man’s face gave back the brightness. But when Jesus perceived that the time had come, and that the word of God had gone forth, and that the chains in heaven had been broken, then Jesus spake and broke the chains on earth.” So spake one unto me afterwards, describing the manner of Jesus, how he forgave the palsied man.