HOMILY XVII. MATTHEW IX. 1-17. 1. And he entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his own city. 2. And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee. 3. And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth. 4. And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? 5. For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk? 6. But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. 7. And he arose, and departed to his house. 8. But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men. 9. And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him. 10. And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. 11. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? 12. But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. 13. But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice : for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. 14. Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not? 15. And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast. 16. No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse. 17. Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved. EACH of the four Evangelists has a separate commission, and sets forth Christ, in his works and in his teaching, in some one especial feature and character, more than all the rest, according to God's gracious purpose, to show forth the image of the incarnate Godhead, on all the four sides of his cherubic likeness. St. Matthew especially pourtrays Christ as the king; in the growth, and power, and glory of his kingdom. St. Mark represents Him more especially in his human nature. St. Luke pourtrays Him as the sacrifice for sinners, and enumerates more miracles of mercy, more instances and parables of the forgiveness of sins, than the three others. St. John shows forth the highest doctrines and mysteries of our faith, and of Christ's divine and human nature, and the redemption. St. Matthew especially sets forth Christ's kingly majesty and power; and accordingly there are several marks of his kingly authority brought together and successively recorded in this chapter. But none can Behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed. And Jesus said, Thy sins be forgiven thee. forgive sins, but only God. therefore, asserted the right and prerogative of God, the King omnipotent and all-glorious. Palsy is the type of sin; of the sin inherent in the world and all its members, by which it lies prostrate and powerless to lift up itself at all by its own effort, or by any strength less than that of the God himself, who imposed this curse upon all Adam's race, for its own selfabandonment to the god of the world, and the lusts of appetite. The palsy, too, like other plagues and diseases, is the effect and consequence of sin; being all preludes and parts of that doom of death which was begun upon Adam in the very day of his transgression when the devil gained the throne, and : the power, and dominion, and took possession of his kingdom in the world,-till one stronger than he should come, and take his power and his dominion from him, and reign as king in his stead. When our Lord then commanded the paralytic to rise and walk, and him that was borne of four (Mark ii. 3), the four corners or carnal passions and powers of the world,-to rise up and carry that whereon he lay, to bear away the world's delusive affections and comforts, as an offence and a vanity,-in token that He had the greater and higher power to forgive sin, and to command it to be borne away and dismissed from the Redeemer's presence,-He showed that he came as a Conqueror and a King, to bind Satan and his angels of sin, and disease, and misery, and to take his throne, and himself to sit on his seat of power, and dominion, and glory. And the multitudes marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men. For it was the Son of Man who had this power; to whom God had given this power. All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. (Matt. xxviii. 18.) The Father hath committed all judgment unto the Son :-to Man the Son of God-the Son of Man. It has been observed, that the expression, "Son of God," means, "Man, the Son of God;" and that "Son of Man," means "God, the Son of Man." "The Son of God," means the elevation of human nature, and its adoption into the Godhead; and "Son of Man" expresses the humiliation and condescension of the Godhead to our nature and weakness. "The Son of God," therefore, refers to manhood; "the Son of man" to Godhead. However this may be, the intention and force of the present passage is, to signify the exaltation of manhood to power and dominion over even the world of sin, and the spirits of darkness; namely, that exaltation and power which is to be obtained by humiliation and self-sacrifice; such self-abasement and condescension as was that of our Lord in leaving the bosom of the Father, and coming down from heaven, and becoming "the Son of man," with all human sorrow, and sinfulness, and infirmity. Therefore the multitude wondered when they saw this power, and glorified God |