12. Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, He departed into Galilee; 13. and leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim: 14. that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, 15. The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; 16. the people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.

17. From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 18. And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea for they were fishers. 19. And He saith unto them, Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men. 20. And they straightway left their nets, and followed Him. 21. And going on from thence, He saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called was still worse, "being aliens Called Peter-i.e. afterwards from the commonwealth and called Peter, viz. xvi. 18; he had strangers from the covenants of before received the Aramaic promise, having no hope, and name of Cephas (John i. 42). S. without God in the world" Paul twice calls him Cephas (1 (Eph. ii. 12). Cor. xv. 5; Gal. ii. 9).

17. From that time-i.e. from the time of John the Baptist's ministry being brought to a close, or about nine months.

Jesus began to preach-i.e. began His Galilean ministry, for He had already preached in Judæa (John iv. 3).

And to say, Repent. Christ takes up John Baptist's strain, and sets His seal to the doctrine, that repentance is the groundwork of Christian teaching.

For the kingdom of heaven is at hand. His Own kingdom on earth-i.e. His Church.

18. Walking by the Sea of Galilee-called also the Lake of Gennesaret (Luke v. 1) and the Sea of Tiberias (its Roman name) (John xxi. 1), and the Sea of Chinneroth (Josh. xii. 3).

Simon-contraction for Simeon: "Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles" (Acts xv. 14).

Andrew his brother, both brothers being of Bethsaida (John i. 44). 19. Fishers of men. In the Gospel net, life is saved, not destroyed; Ezek. xviii. 27, "He shall save his soul alive."

20. Left their nets, and followed Him-i.e. as disciples, not as apostles till x. 1, 5.

21. James-i.e. James the Elder, writer of the Epistle, whom, together with his brother S. John, his mother Salome wanted to have placed on the right and left hand in Christ's kingdom (xx. 21), and who was killed with the sword by Herod (Acts xii. 2).

John. John the Evangelist, and writer of three Epistles, and of the Revelation, who leaned on Jesus' bosom, whom Jesus loved; afterwards "in the isle that is called Patmos for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus

them. 22. And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed Him.

23. And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. 24. And His fame went throughout all Syria and they brought unto Him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and He healed them. 25. And there followed Him great multitudes of people from Galilee,

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Christ" (Rev. i. 9). These two | justice, as well as places of worbrothers, surnamed by our Lord ship: "Delivering you up to the Boanerges, which is, The sons synagogues (Luke xxi. 12); of thunder" (Mark iii. 17); they and "if there come unto your aswished to "command fire to sembly," R.V. "synagogue" (James come down from heaven and ii. 2). Synagogues were in every consume" the village of the town, as e.g. at Nazareth (Luke Samaritans, who did not receive iv. 16), and at Capernaum (Luke our Lord (Luke ix. 54). They, vii. 5). There were several with S. Peter, were present at synagogues in a large town, as the Transfiguration (xvii. 1), at Damascus, where Saul desired and at the raising of Jairus' of the high priest letters "to daughter (Mark v. 37), and at the synagogues" (Acts ix. 2). the Agony in Gethsemane (xxvi. There were, it is said, 480 37). synagogues in the capital, Jerusalem.

23. Went about all Galilee-i.e. Upper Galilee. Galilee said to have then contained four hundred towns and villages.

Teaching in their synagogues. Synagogues, buildings for public worship, without altar and sacrifices, where Moses was read every Sabbath-day (Acts xv. 21). The synagogue and the temple distinguished by our Lord: "I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the temple" (John xviii. 20). The synagogue also used for judicial purposes, as courts of

Preaching the gospel-i.e. the good tidings.

Of the kingdom-i.e. Christ's kingdom on earth i.e. His Church. Isa. xl. 9, 11: “O Zion, that bringest good tidings, say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God! . . . He shall feed His flock like a shepherd: He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom."

All manner of sickness and all

manner of disease-i.e. all man

and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judæa, and from beyond Jordan.

Prayer.

O GOD, our Refuge and Strength, we beseech Thee to keep us mindful of our constant exposure to danger and temptation. Make us sensible that, like our Blessed Master, we may have to pass from the waters of baptism to the assaults of the wilderness; and that, even in times of closest and happiest communion with Thee, we must take heed lest we fall. We pray Thee, therefore, O Lord, to arm us for the day of trial. Gird us with that sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Bestow upon us power from on high to resist those three enemies of our soul,-"the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life." Grant that we may never have recourse to unsanctified means to escape from difficulty, nor presume to tempt the Lord our God by rushing into presumptuous sin. Blessed Lord, by the word of Thy lips Thou hast promised to keep us from the paths of the destroyer. Oh give unto us the armour of proof! Make us mighty in the Scriptures. And against all solicitations to sin, as well as all proposals to love this present world, enable us to feel that "the commandment is a lamp, and the law is light; and the reproofs of instruction are the way of life." Hear us, O Lord, for Thy mercies' sake. Amen.

AND

CHAPTER V.

The Sermon on the Mount

The (eight) Beatitudes.

Christians to be as salt,-as light.

Christ rescues the Divine Law from misinterpretation,

and enlarges it.

ND seeing the multitudes, He went up into a mountain : and when He was set, His disciples came unto Him: 2. and He opened His mouth, and taught them, saying,

ner of chronic, and all manner of tween the Mediterranean and acute diseases. the Euphrates.

Syria-then the country be

Which were lunatick-R.V.

3. Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

"epileptic;" distinguished from | eight paradoxes to those who the possessed. dream of a temporal kingdom. 25. Decapolis-a district (de- 3. Blessed... the poor in spirit riving its name from having ten-i.e. the humble-minded. The cities) east of the Jordan, chiefly inhabited by Gentiles.