some of us, most likely we would have got quite discouraged, and
carried the man back to his home.

These men had faith, and perseverance too. They are going to get their
friend to Christ some way. If they cannot get him through the door,
they will find a way through the roof! "Zeal without knowledge,"
people say. I would a good deal rather have that than knowledge
without zeal. You can see them pulling and tugging away at the burden.
If you have ever tried to carry a wounded man up a flight of stairs
you will know it is not an easy matter. But these four men were not to
be defeated, and at last he is up there on the roof.

Now, the question was, "How can we get him down?" They began to tear
up the tiling. I can see those wise men looking up and saying to one
another: "This is a strange performance; we have never seen anything
like this in the temple or in any synagogue we were ever in. It is
altogether out of the regular order. These men must be carried away
with fanaticism. Why, they have made a hole large enough to let a man
through. Suppose a sudden shower were to come, it would spoil the
house."

But these four workers were terribly in earnest. They let the bier, on
which the man was lying, down into the room. They laid their friend
right at the feet of Jesus Christ; a good place to lay him, was it
not? Perhaps some of you have a sceptical son or an unbelieving
husband, or some other member of your family, that scoffs at the Bible
and sneers at Christianity. Lay them at the feet of Jesus, and He will
honor your faith.

"When He saw _their_ faith." I suppose these men were looking down to
see what was about to take place Christ looked at them, and when He
saw their faith He said to the palsied man: "Son, be of good cheer;
thy sins are forgiven thee." That was more than they expected; they
only thought of his body being made whole. So let us bring our friends
to Christ, and we shall get more than we expect. The Lord met this
man's deepest need first. It may be his sins had brought on the palsy,
so the Lord forgave the man's sin first of all.

The wise men began to reason within themselves: "Who is this that
forgiveth sins?" The Master could read their thoughts as easily as we
can read a book. "Is it easier to say, 'Thy sins be forgiven thee,' or
'Rise up and walk?' But that ye may know that the Son of Man hath
power on earth to forgive sins, He said unto the sick of the palsy, 'I
say unto thee, arise; take up t