7 fick of the palsy, grievously tormented. And Jesus 8 faith unto him, I will come and heal him. The centurion answered and faid, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be 9 healed. For I am a man under authority, having foldiers under me (c): and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth: and to another, Come, and he cometh: and to my servant, Do this, and he 10 doeth it. When Jesus heard it, he marvelled (d), and said unto them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found fo great faith, no not in Ifrael. II And I say unto you, that many shall come from the east and west, and shall fit down with Abraham, and Ifaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven: 12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing 13 of teeth. And Jefus faid unto the centurion, Go thy way, and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the self fame hour.

14

And when Jesus was come into Peter's house, he faw his wife's mother laid, and fick of a fever. 15 And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose and (e) ministred unto them.

16

When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were poffeffed with devils: and he caft out the spirits with his word, and healed all that 17 were fick: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Efaias the prophet (f), saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our ficknesses. 18 Now

(c) The orders that I give are executed at a distance. How much more certainly and perfectly will your's be obeyed, who can command all the powers of nature!

(d) Jesus marvelled, because the centurion was a foreigner, who had not been brought up in the law of Mofes, and yet excelled the Jews in fo readily believing his divine power.

(e) Was fo perfectly recovered that the attended on them.

(f) That it might be fulfilled fignifies no more than Thus was

ful

18

Now when Jefus faw great multitudes about him, he gave commandment to depart unto the other fide. 19 And a certain scribe came, and faid unto him, Master, 20 I will follow thee whitherfoever thou goeft. And Jesus faith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the fon of man hath 21 not where to lay his head (g). And another of his difciples faid unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and 22 bury my father. But Jefus faid unto him, Follow Fol me, and let the dead bury their dead (h).

23 And when he was entred into a ship, his dif24 ciples followed him. And behold, there arose a great tempeft in the fea, infomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was afleep. 25 And his difciples came to him, and awoke him, 26 faying, Lord, fave us: we perish. And he faith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arofe, and rebuked the winds and the fea, 27 and there was a great calm. But the men marvelled, faying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the fea obey him!

28

And when he was come to the other fide, into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two poffefied with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that

29 way. And behold, they cried out, faying, What have to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art

thou come hither to torment us before the time (i)?

fulfilled. Chap. i. Note (d). This prophecy is no less true in an higher and spiritual sense, applied to our fins. See Heb. ix. 28. 1 Pet. ii. 24.

(g) If you follow me, you must prepare to undergo poverty and distress; for I, though the Son of Man, defcribed by Daniel (vii. 13.) am expofed to the greatest hardships.

(h) The office you pretend to be so defirous to perform, you may be well affured, will not be neglected. Many, who are (as it were) dead to any concern about their own future flate, are nevertheless careful enough about the funeral rites of others.

(1) Before the day of judgment.

30 And there was a good way off from them an herd 31 of many swine feeding. So the devils besougl t

him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to 32 go away into the herd of swine. And he said unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine (k): and behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the fea, and perished in the 33 waters. And they that kept them fled, and went their ways into the city, and told every thing; and what was befallen to the possessed of the devils. 34 And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they befought him that he would depart out of their coafts.

2

1 AND he entred into a ship, and passed over, and came into his own city (a). And behold, they brought to him a man fick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith, said unto the fick of the palsy, Son be of good cheer, thy fins be for3 given thee (b). And behold, certain of the scribes 4 faid within themselves, This man blafphemeth. And Jesus knowing their thoughts, said, Wherefore think 5 ye evil in your hearts? For whether is it easier to say, Thy fins be forgiven thee? or to say, Arife, and

(k) This is the only miracle recorded to have been wrought by our Lord to the damage of any person; and though the nature of the guilt of the Gergesenes is not mentioned, we may be sure it must have been very great, to require such a punishment. For, God is infinitely wife, just, and holy, and can never act but for fome wife, juft, and holy purpose, whether that purpose be by us discoverable, or not.

(a) He chiefly lived at Capernaum; which is therefore called his own city, as well as Bethlehem where he was born, and Nazareth where he was brought up.

(6) The fins for which you were punished by this disease are for

given, and the effect of them shall be removed.

6 walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive fins (c), (then faith he to the fick of the palsy) Arife, take up thy bed, and 7 go unto thine house. And he arofe, and departed to 8 his house. But when the multitude saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given fuch power

9

10

unto men.

And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man named Matthew, fitting at the receipt of cuftom (d): And he faith unto him, Follow me. And he arofe and followed him.

And it came to pafs, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and finners came and II fat down with him and his disciples. And when the Pharifees faw it, they faid unto his disciples, Why 12 eateth your mafter with publicans and finners? But when Jesus heard that, he faid unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are fick. 13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not facrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but finners to repentance (e).

14

Then came to him the disciples of John, faying, Why do we and the Pharifees fast oft, 15 but thy difciples fast not? And Jefus faid unto them, Can the children of the bride-chamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with

(c) But that ye may know, that the Son of man hath power (though none elfe on earth hath) to forgive fins, I will instantly work a miracle before your eyes. Then faith he, &c. See Mark ii. 9.

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(d) St. Matthew was fitting to receive custom, because he was a publican, or collector of the public taxes. See Chap. v. 46.

(e) Mercy, and not facrifice, signifies Mercy rather than facrifice: and if God prefers Mercy to the most sacred offices of religion, I can furely deferve no blame for keeping company with Publicans and Sinners. It is indeed the very end of my coming into the world, to reform and fave finners, who, sensible of their unworthinefs, are delitous of my instruction; whereas they who think themselves fufficiently righteous already, despise and refift every means of

improvement.

:

them (f)? but the days will come when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they 16 fast. No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment (g): 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: elfe the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bot-.. tles, and both are preferved,

18

While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshipped him, faying, My daughter is even now dead (b); but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live. 19 And Jefus arose and followed him, and so did his difciples.

20

(And behold, a woman which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and 21 touched the hem of his garment. For the faid within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I 22 shall be whole. But Jefus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort, thy faith hath made the whole (i). (And the woman was made whole from that hour.)

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(f) There is a time to weep, and a time to rejoice. Whatever we do, whether of a religious, or a common nature, ought to be fuited to the proper feafon.

(g) It would be as improper to put my difciples on fafting and other austerities in the beginning of their inftructions for my mi*niftry, as in common life it is found imprudent to join ftrong things to weak, to put new cloth to an old garment, or new wine into old bottles (fuch as were then in ufe) made of skins, which of courfe, when dry, are apt to crack and burst. We find this prudence and tenderness of our Lord afterwards imitated by his apofiles, who fed their new converts with milk, and not with meat; propofing easy doctrines and precepts, before they led them to the more difficult. See 1 Cor. ii. 1, 2. See this answer of our Lord further explained, Mark ii. 21. Note, and Luke v. 37.

:

(h) I left her at the point of death; but though past human help, thy power, I know, can restore her. Mark v. 23. Luke viii. 41. (i) Thy belief that I could do this, was the occafion of my healis ing thee.

C2

23 And