20 And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not i no place or dwelling of his own to rest in, or where to lay his head. entertain any follower. 21 And another of his disciples said k unto him, Lord, k Lord, I desire and firmly purpose to be a suffer me first to go constant follower of thine, but for a time I beseech and bury my father, thy leave, that I may abide at my father's house, unto him, Follow me; to perform the last rites of funeral obsequies unto 22 But Jesus said and 'let the [k] dead bury their dead. him. leave that office to be performed by others, 23 And when who are not embarked in this more holy and divine he was entered into employment; for as in the law the Nazarites and a ship, his disciples the priests might not meddle with the interments m followed him. insomuch that the 24 And, behold, even of their parents, but others might lawfully do there arose a great it, others that were not Nazarites or priests might tempest in "the sea, bury one another: so thou that art a consecrated ship was covered with person, the departing to bury a deceased friend, the waves: but he though it be a father, or to receive an inheritance was asleep. or legacy from him, is an employment unfit for 25 And his dis- thee. ciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. 26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of the winds and the m his disciples and none else followed- ye that in the due season make not use of little faith? Then he that promise in the psalmist, Psalm cvii. 23. 28, arose, and rebuked and apprehend not the fulfilling of it in and by sea; and there was Christ; ye that have so poor an opinion either of a great calm. my power, or care of you, as to doubt of my pre27 But the men sence to secure you? Then marvelled, saying, 27. And at this they were wonderfully amazed, What manner of man and terrified, (Mark iv. 41, Luke viii. 25.) saying— is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him! 28 And when he was come to the other side into the P that country where Gergesa and Gadara (Mark country of the Ger- v. 1) lie near together: see Mark viii. 10. gesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the [] tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way. 29 And, behold, they cried out, say ing, What have we Be quiet, let us alone; we desire not to have to do with thee, any thing to do with thee, thou Son of God and Jesus, thou Son of Saviour of mankind: our time is not yet come of hither to torment us being remanded to our prisons, do not thou hasten and precipitate it. God? art thou come before the time? 30 And there was a good way off from them an herd of many [m] swine feeding. 31 So the devils 31. And thereupon the devils knowing that besought him, say- Christ would cast them out, and by that miracle ing, If thou cast us so far shew forth his power, that it would proout, suffer us to go bably bring all the country to believe on him, away into the herd desired to prevent this, and thereupon fell on 32 And he said this project, which might incense the countrymen unto them, Go. And against him, (as it proved in the event, ver. 34,) when they were come and in order to it besought Christ, saying— of swine. out, they went into the herd of swine: and, behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters. 33 And they that kept them fled, and went their ways into 32. See Mark v. 13, Luke viii. 32. gave them notice of the loss of their swine, the city, and told and telling the occasion of it, let them know how every thing, and what as their swine were lost on one side, so two men was befallen to the possessed of the de- possessed with devils were recovered, and that Christ had done this since his coming thither. vils. 34 And, behold, out to meet Jesus: and when they saw 34. Hereupon the whole city, as being very much the whole city came concerned in that which had happened, came out to meet and see Jesus, which did such miracles; and instead of being wrought on by his cure on the men him that he would to desire his continuance among them, the considerdepart out of their ation of the loss of their swine made them desire, and beseech him, &c. him, they besought coasts. CHAP. IX. AND he entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his own a city. Capernaum, where he now dwelt, ver. 7. and Mark i. 21. 45. and c. ii. 1, and to which he removed 2 And, behold, they from Nazareth, Matth. iv. 13. brought to him a man sick of the pal sy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing bby this extraordinary course of bringing the sick their faith said unto the sick of the pal- man, discerning the great vigour of their faith, said sy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee. с 3 And, behold, certain of the scribes said [a] within either in their hearts or in private discourse one themselves, This man with another, not heard by him or his disciples, This— blasphemeth. 4 And Jesus know- 4. And Jesus by his divine power, as searcher of ing their thoughts hearts, discerning whether their thoughts or words said, Wherefore think ye evil in your whispered among themselves and not spoken audibly, said unto them, Why do you pass such malicious hearts? 5 For whether is causeless censures? easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, d Arise, and walk? 6 But that ye may e know that the Son d Be cured of thy palsy, and walk about. e that Christ in this state of exinanition hath auof man hath power thority to forgive sins here, to men that lie under on earth to forgive punishment of them, and consequently to deliver sins, (then saith he from their bond those that were delivered up to Satan, to the sick of the and so tormented by him (This power given to palsy,) Arise, take Christ on earth in the commission received from his up thy bed, and go unto thine house. Father, ver. 8, to be from this time continued on the 7 And he arose, earth, and accordingly committed by Christ at his and departed to his departure to the apostles, John xx. (and in them to their successors,) that what they forgive on earth multitudes saw it, should be forgiven in heaven, and the bonds loosed), they marvelled, and then saith he house. 8 But when the unto men. glorified God, which were amazed to see it, and acknowledged it an had given such power incomprehensible mercy of God, to send a prophet 9 And as Jesus to them with such a commission, power of pardoning passed forth from sin, and that testified by doing an absolute miracle, thence, he saw a ver. 6. man, named Mat g thew sitting at the 1 8 a toll-gatherer or publican by trade, busy about [b] receipt of cus- his work; and upon Christ's first word of command, tom: and he saith or call, he left his trade, and attended him as his unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and constant disciple. followed him. 10 And it came 2 sat at meat in the 10. And this new disciple of his made him a feast, to pass, as Jesus Mark ii. 14, and that a great one, Luke v. 27, (though house, behold, ma- Matthew, being the writer of this Gospel, affirm it ny [c] publicans and not of himself,) and as Jesus was at that feast in Mat sinners came and thew's house, many other publicans, such as Matthew sat down with him had been, who were looked upon by the Jews as the and his disciples. vilest sort of men, that no Jew was to eat or drink it, or converse with familiarly, came II And when the Pharisees saw they said unto his disciples, Why eat- h Why do your Master and you, Luke v. 30, a eth your Master with thing which is so unlawful, eat with publicans and sin ners? 12 But when Jesus heard that, he said i he raised his voice and directed it to the Pharisees unto them, They that stood thus cavilling by, and said, They— that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. 13 But go ye and meaneth, I will have what is the meaning of that speech, Hos. vi. 6, learn what that I prefer acts of mercy and charity, especially spiritmercy, and not sa- ual, belonging to the rescuing and saving of souls, crifice: for I am not before ceremonies, even of the worship of God, come to call the right- such ritual laws as these, of not accompanying with a eous, but sinners to heathen, or unclean person: for repentance. 14 Then came Our master John observeth strict rules of abto him the disciples stinence, and appointeth us to do what the Pharisees, of John, saying, the strictest sect among the Jews, do, viz. to fast [d]Why do we and twice every week, Luke xviii. 12, whereas thou and the Pharisees fast oft, thy disciples use no such abstinences, what is the reabut thy disciples fast not? unto them, son of that? 15 And Jesus said m Can the special guests of a marriage feast fast, Can or retain any thing of sadness, as long as the marthe [e] children of riage solemnities last? This duty of fasting will be the bridechamber more seasonable after my death, and then shall it be the bridegroom is practised by my followers. 'mourn, as long as with them? but the n and then shall they fast. diminishes the beauty or handsomeness of it, days will come, when and there is made by that means a worse breach, the bridegroom shall (either because the new cloth teareth from the old, or be taken from them, because in a pieced garment, if the piece do not look like the cloth, the rent is more discernible, and the 16 No man putteth parts more divided and different one from the other, a piece of new cloth than if it had not been pieced at all (both these are for that which is put set down, Luke v. 36): and this proves well that point in to fill it up "tak- in hand, both that joy and mourning do not well toeth from the gar-gether, and that young novice disciples, that were not ment, and the rent yet renewed by the coming of the Spirit upon them, and so were not strong enough for such, must not 17 Neither do men put new wine into presently be overwhelmed with severe precepts, such old [f] bottles: else as fasting, &c., lest they fall off and be discouraged. is made worse. 3 lay along, συνανέκειντο. 4 strong, loxúovTes: see note [m] on Rom. viii. 5 Or, fast; for the Gr. and Lat. MS. reads vnσtevew. 6 undressed, unfulled, unworn, ảyvápov. the bottles break, and the wine run neth out, and the bottles perish: ° but but strong precepts are adapted to strong disthey put new wine ciples, and then they do very well, which otherinto new bottles, and wise being unseasonably enjoined, will be brought both are preserved. into hatred and contempt. 18 While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain P Pone of the consistory of that city, that dwelt [9]ruler, and wor- there, Mark v. 22, and fell down, beseeching him, shipped him, saying, and saying, My daughter, when I came from my My daughter is even now dead: but come house, was at the last gasp, Mark v. 23, so that I supand lay thy hand pose her dead by this time: but— upon her, and she shall live. 19 And Jesus arose, and followed him, and so did his disciples. 20 T And, behold, 20. And as Jesus was a going to the ruler's house a woman, which was to cure his daughter, behold— diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment: 21 For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. 22 But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour. 23 And when Jesus came into the ruler's house, and and found them very busily preparing for the saw the [h] min- interment of the ruler's daughter, with music and strels and the peo- other solemnities for the funeral, he— 8 ple making a noise, 24 He said unto r for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. them, Give place: ris not so departed that she shall not return again, her death shall not continue above the space of And they laughed an ordinary sleep, and she shall, as from a sleep, awake from it. And they— him to scorn. 7 by this time, ǎPTI. 8 company in an hurry, or, making a stir, xλov lopußoúμevor. |