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fick of the palfy, grievoufly tormented. And Jefus 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 fervant fhall 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 fervant, Do this, and he 10 doeth it. When Jefus heard it, he marvelled (d), and said unto them that followed, Verily I fay unto you, I have not found fo great faith, no not in Ifrael, II And I fay unto you, that many fhall come from the eaft and weft, and fhall fit down with Abraham, and Ifaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven: 12 But the children of the kingdom shall be caft out into outer darkness: there fhall be weeping and gnashing 13 of teeth. And Jefus faid unto the centurion, Go thy way, and as thou haft believed, fo be it done unto thee. And his fervant was healed in the felf fame hour.

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

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

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(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) Jefus 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 she attended on them.

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

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Now when Jefus faw great multitudes about him, he gave commandment to depart unto the other fide. 19 And a certain fcribe came, and faid unto him, Master, 20 I will follow thee whitherfoever thou goeft. And

Jefus faith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nefts; but the fon of man hath 21 not where to lay his head (g). And another of his difciples faid unto him, Lord, fuffer me first to go and 22 bury my father. But Jefus faid unto him, Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead (b).

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And when he was entred into a hip, his dif24 ciples followed him. And behold, there arofe a great tempeft in the fea, infomuch that the fhip 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 perifh. 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!

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And when he was come to the other fide, into the country of the Gergefenes, there met him two poffeffed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, fo that no man might pafs by that 29 way, And behold, they cried out, faying, What have to do with thee, Jefus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time (i) ?

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

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

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

(2) Before the day of judgment.

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

him, faying, If thou caft us out, fuffer us to 32 go away into the herd of swine. And he faid unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of fwine (k): and behold, the whole herd of fwine 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 poffeffed of the devils. 34 And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jefus and when they faw him, they befought him that he would depart out of their coafts.

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ND he entred into a ship, and paffed over, and came into his own city (a). And behold, they brought to him a man fick of the palfy, lying on a bed and Jefus feeing their faith, faid unto the fick of the palfy, Son be of good cheer, thy fins be for3 given thee (b). And behold, certain of the scribes faid within themselves, This man blafphemeth. And Jefus knowing their thoughts, faid, Wherefore think 5 ye evil in your hearts? For whether is it easier to fay, Thy fins be forgiven thee? or to fay, 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 Gergefenes is not mentioned, we may be fure it muft have been very great, to require fuch 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 forgiven, and the effect of them fhall be removed. C

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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 palfy) Arife, take up thy bed, and 7 go unto thine houfe. And he arofe, and departed to 8 his houfe. But when the multitude faw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given fuch power

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unto men.

And as Jefus paffed forth from thence, he faw 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 Jefus fat at meat in the houfe, behold, many publicans and finners came and II fat down with him and his difciples. And when the Pharifees faw it, they faid unto his difciples, Why 12 eateth your mafter with publicans and finners? But when Jefus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a phyfician, but they that are fick. But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not facrifice: for I am not come to cail the righteous, but finners to repentance (e).

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Then came to him the difciples of John, faying, Why do we and the Pharifees faft oft, 15 but thy difciples faft 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 inftantly miracle before your eyes. Then faith he, &c.

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work Mark ii. 9. (d) St. Matthew was fitting to receive cuflom, because he was a publican, or collector of the public taxes. See Chap. v. 46.

(e) Mercy, and not facrifice, fignifies Mercy rather than facrifice: and if God prefers Mercy to the most facred 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, fenfible of their unworthinefs, are delious of my inftruction; whereas they who think themfelves fufficiently righteous already, defpife and refift every means of improvement.

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them (f) but the days will come when the bridegroom fhall be taken from them, and then fhall they 16 faft. 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 worfe. 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 bottles, and both are preferved,

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While he fpake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshipped him, faying, My daughter is even now dead (h); but come and lay thy hand upon her, and the fhall live. 19 And Jefus arofe and followed him, and fo did his difciples.

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(And behold, a woman which was difeafed with an iffue 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 fhall be whole. But Jefus turned him about, and when he faw her, he faid, Daughter, be of good comfort, thy faith hath made thec whole (i). (And the woman was made whole from that hour.)

(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 aufterities in the beginning of their inftructions for my. miniftry, as in common life it is found imprudent to join trong 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 burft. 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 eafy doctrines and precepts, before they led them to the more difficult. -See 1 Cor. iii. 1, 2. See this anfwer of our Lord further explained, Mark ii. 21. Note, and Luke v. 37.

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

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