28 me all

Come unto ye that labour, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn

of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart :

and ye fhall find reft

unto your fouls.

30 For my yoke is eafie, and my burden is light.

CHA P. XII.

The Difciples plucking and eating Corn on the Sabbath-day vindicated, ver. I. A withered Hand healed, ver. 9. A blind and dumb Man healed, ver. 22. Blafphemy against the Holy Ghoft, ver. 31. Hypocrifie of the Pharifees, ver. 33. Their unreasonableness in asking a Sign from Heaven, ver. 38. Obedience the chief thing respected by Chrift, ver.46.

A

T that time Jefus went on the Sabbath-day through the corn, his difciples an hun

and

were

28. Come therefore unto me, ye that are weary of the flavery of Sin, and defirous to know how to be reconciled to God. Come unto me, ye that are weary of tedious Rites and burdenfom Ceremonies, and I will teach you the moft eafie and acceptable way of ferving God.

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29. Take upon you my Religion, and become my Difciples. I will teach and inftruct you, not in the ways of Pride, Haughtinefs, and Cruelty; but in Meeknefs, Gentlenefs, and Mercy. And I will change a heavy and burdenfom Service, to fuch a reasonable Obedience, as every good Man must approve and rejoice in.

30. For my Religion is eafie and good; and the Commandments of the Gospel are by no means grievous.

I.

A Bout this time it hapned that

Jefus walked through the Cornfields on the Sabbath-day with his Difciples. Difciples. And as they were going, the Difciples being hungry, and knowing what they were permitted by the Law

*

* When thou comeft into the flanding Corn of thy neighbours, then thou maift pluck the ears with thine hand, Deut, xxiii. 25.

VOL. I.

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4. Do ye not remember, how when he was hungry in a Journey, the Prieft (1 Sam. xxi. 6.) gave him confecrated Shew-bread out of the Tabernacle, which in ftrictness none but the Priefts were allowed to eat; and both David and they that were with him, eat of it? Now if David be no where blamed for doing this, why do ye reproach my Difciples for doing so small a thing, as plucking and eating a few Ears of Corn on the Sabbath-day?

5. Again, Do you not remember how the Priests are by the Law appointed to do feveral forts of Works in the Temple upon the Sabbath-day, and yet they are no where accufed for breaking the Sabbath in so doing?

6. You will fay perhaps, this was a Cafe excepted, becaufe in this Cafe the Priests were employed in the Temple, and about the Service of God, by God's own exprefs Command. Very true; And if fo, then the Business of

7 But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy and not facrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.

8 For the for of

an is Lord even of
e fabbath-day.

9 And when he

was departed thence,
he went into their
fynagogue.

10 ¶ And behold
there was a man

which had his hand
withered: and they

Mens Salvation, which my Difciples are
going upon, and my Prefence, and my
Permiffion, will much more excufe them
in this fmaller Inftance.

7. But befides; fince God every where declares, that he prefers Works of Righteoufnefs and Charity, before Sacrifices and the exacteft performance of all pofitive Laws and outward Ceremonies; ye have no reafon to accufe my Difciples, for being fo intent upon Works of greater Importance, as not to have made provifion for a strict Obfervation of the Sabbath in its Pharifaical and utmost Rigour.

8. Efpecially it being evident of the Sabbath in particular, that having been inftituted for the ufe and relief of Man, and not to be a hindrance to him in the performance of Moral Duties; it may in Cafes of neceffity be difpenfed with by any Man, and much more have its Rigour relaxed by + me.

*

9. On another Sabbath-day, Je- * See Luke fus entred into the Synagogue; and then vi. 6. there offered it felf an occafion of confirming the fame Doctrine by a Miracle in the Synagogue, which he had before preached in the Fields.

10. For there happened to be in the Synagogue a Man having a withered Hand; And the Jews ftill watching for fomewhat whereof they might

++ Since on the one hand the Phrafe Son of Man cannot without harshness be underflood of any other than Chrift; and since on the other hand fome Expofitors not without great Arguments, (and especially from the parallel place, Mark ii. 27.) conceive it in this Paffage to mean only Man in general; I have therefore endeavoured In the Paraphrafe to exprefs both Senfes.

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accufe

accufe Jefus, observed him and † asked whether he would think it lawful to heal the Man on the Sabbath-day.

11. But Jefus faid to them, Who is there among you fo ftrict and fcrupulous an Obferver of the Sabbath, as that if but a Beaft of his fhould by any Accident come'in danger of its Life, or of any great Mischief, he would not immediately relieve it, though it were on the Sabbath-day?

12. If then the fear of the lofs of a Beast, be accounted by you a fufficient Excufe for breaking the Sabbath; how much more ought an act of Charity towards a Man, to be preferred before all ceremonious Obfervances? So that, even your felves being Judges, it is lawful to do Acts of Righteoufnefs and Charity upon the Sabbathday.

13. Then Jefus bad the Man ftretch out his Hand; and its Strength immediately returned to it, and it became

found as the other.

14. Upon this, the Pharifees went out; and being filled with Rage and Indignation against Jefus, they confulted among themfelves how they might deftroy him.

15. But Jefus knowing their Defgns, and because his Time of Suffering was not yet come, retreated from thence with his Difciples into a private Place. Nevertheless the Multitude, difcovering whither he went, followed him; and he healed all their Difeafes and Infirmities.

asked him, saying,

Is it lawful to heal
on the fabbath-days?
that they might ac-
cufe him.

By their oops, their mutterings one to another. Luke

vi. 8.

16 And charged them that they fhould not make him known:

17 That it might be fulfilled which

was spoken by Efaias phecy of Efaias (Ifai. xlii, 1.)

the prophet, saying, 18 Behold, my fervant whom I have chofen, my beloved in whom my foul is well pleased: I will put my fpirit upon him, and he fhall fhew judgment to the Gentiles.

19 He fhall not ftrive, nor cry, neither fhall any man hear his voice in the

ftreets.

20 A bruised reed

fhall he not break, and fmoaking flax fhall he not quench, till he fend forth judgment unto victory.

21 And in his

name fhall the Gentiles truft.

22 Then was brought unto him one poffeffed with a devil, blind and dumb and he healed him, infomuch that the blind and dumb both spake

and faw.

16. Yet because he was not willing to make any more Difturbance, and to enter into more Contentions with the Pharifees; but defired to discharge his Office quietly, and to heal and do good to all Men without much noife; therefore he commanded the People not to make him known.

23 And all the people were ama

17. And thus was fulfilled that Pro

18. Behold, my fervant, whom I have chofen; my beloved, in whom my Soul is well pleafed. I will put my Spirit upon him; and he shall preach true Religion, not only to the People of Ifrael, but to the Gentiles alfo. 19. And

this he fhall do in all

Meeknefs, Gentleness, and Humility; without Contention and Noife, without Tumult and Disturbance.

20. He fhall not with rigour and feverity destroy thofe that are weak and fallen, but shall with mercy and gentlenefs recover and reform them; till by his meekness and goodness he shall caufe true Religion to be spread triumphantly over all the World, and be established for

ever.

21. Infomuch that even the Gentile World fhall be converted by his Doctrine, and publickly profefs his Name and Religion.

22.

After this, the People brought to Jefus a Man poffeffed with a Devil, and fo miferably afflicted, that he was deprived of the use both of his Eyes and his Tongue. And Jefus caft out the Devil, and healed the Man; and immediately he that had been blind and dumb, both spake and faw.

23. At which Miracle the People were exceedingly furprized, and faid;

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