VIII. 12. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into utter darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of

teeth.

But many of those, who, by their privilege and profession, are my selected people, even the Jews, to whom the Church of God seems now to be confined, shall be utterly disclaimed and rejected; and, in the end, shall be cast down into hell, where there is nothing but horror, and extremity of sorrow, and pain, and torment.

VIII. 17. That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.

That, even in this sense also, might be fulfilled that word of Isaias the prophet; viz. That, as he did in his own person undertake to bear our sorrows and infirmities; so also, by his divine power, he removed and took away the bodily complaints and sicknesses of men, as he did away their sins, which are the causes of their sufferings, so also their diseases and infirmities, which are the effects of their sin.

VIII. 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 where to lay his head.

And Jesus saith unto him, If, in the purpose of following me, thou hast any aim at thine own ease or honour in the world, thou shalt be much mistaken; for, though I be the true Son of God, yet now I have taken upon me the form and estate of a Servant; and, in this humbled condition of mine, I do not so much as provide a set house room for myself and my family, wherein I have willingly abased myself below the very fowls of the air and the meanest beasts upon earth: the foxes have holes, &c.

VIII. 22. But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.

But Jesus said unto him, Those, that are truly called by me, must not delay their answerable obedience; no, not for a day; but must presently address themselves to my service: as for that excuse, which thou makest of burying the dead, it is a work needful indeed to be done; but there are enough besides fit for this business; even those, which lie still dead in their sins, and have not entertained any good purposes of betaking themselves to the seeking and following the means of salvation. VIII. 29. And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?

O thou Jesus, the Son of the Everliving God, it is our great misery, that we are fallen into thine hands: what wilt thou now do with us? dost thou mean now to accomplish our full torment before the day of final judgment?

IX. 2. And Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.

And Jesus, seeing the faith both of the palsied man and of those that brought him, said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, be of good cheer: thou art come hither, in desire and confidence of cure; I will give thee more than thou askest: thou comest hither for the recovery of thy bodily health, I give thee, besides that, a happy restitution to a good estate of soul: thy palsy is healed; thy sins, the cause of this evil, are forgiven thee.

IX. 6. But that ye may know that the Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.

Ye know well, that no finite power can forgive sin, which is an offence of an Infinite Majesty; only therefore an infinite power can remit it: and now that ye may know the Son of Man hath this power in his hand, I will demonstrate it to you, by this miraculous effect; none but an infinite power can so far transcend nature, as by a mere command, instantly to restore legs and strength to this impotent man; you shall now see it done by me. Then saith he to the sick of the palsy; Arise, take up thy bed and go to thine house.

IX. 9. Sitting at the receipt of custom.

Sitting in the toll-booth of the publicans, to gather up the rents and taxes that the Jews were to pay unto the Romans, their masters.

IX. 10. Behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples.

Many publicans and persons that had been noted for infamous, and known offenders, as consorting together (being abandoned by their neighbours in a conceit of the unlawfulness of their conversation) came, and sat down with him, and his disciples.

IX. 13. I will have mercy and not sacrifice. See Hosea vi. verse 6.

IX. Ibid. For I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

I come not to call them, that are just and righteous in their own conceit; but those, that are convinced in themselves of their own sinfulness, those am I come to call home to me, by a true and hearty repentance: as for those other, how can they be capable of repentance and conversion, when they think they have done nothing worthy to be repented of?

IX. 15. And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bride chamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.

There is a time for all things: there are times of feasting,

and times of mourning and abstinence: marriage feasts are of all other wont to be times of mirth and jollity; look then, how unproper it would be for the bridemen that attend the wedding to fast while the bridegroom is celebrating his marriage with great cheer and mirth, so unfit would it be for my disciples to fast and mourn while I their Master and Saviour am personally present with them; but as, when the wedding feast is over and the bridegroom is gone the guests may then give place to fasting and sad austerity and it is seasonable so to do, even so shall my disciples when I am taken from them find it meet to mourn and humble themselves by fasting and such like bodily exer

cises.

IX. 16, 17. No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse. Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.

There must be great wisdom and discretion in making choice of those things, which are fit to be imposed upon several persons that, which is meet for one, is not meet for another: my disciples are like unto a cloth, or a bottle: an austere course of life is like to a new rough cloth, or to new wine that is full of strong and busy spirits. Now look, how unmeet and dangerous it is to piece a new cloth to an old, or to put new wine into an old crazy cask, for hence the rent in the garment grows greater and the wine breaking the cask is spilt and lost; so unfit and inconvenient it might be, to put my disciples, which are yet but novices in this holy profession they have undertaken, to overstrict and difficult and severe courses, which afterwards upon better experience and more seasoning, they may be fit for.

İX. 23. He saw the minstrels and the people making a noise. He saw the minstrels, that were wont to be hired for funeral lamentations, and the people also, with much noise expressing their sorrow.

IX. 24. For the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn.

The maid is not in such a state of death, as under which she shall continue; but she shall be so soon revived, as if she had only slept for a while, and were now to be awaked: and when ye shall see her presently to be raised up and move, ye will be ready to imagine it was no other, &c.

IX. 37. The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few.

Here is a great and plenteous harvest towards, of many souls, that are to be gathered into the barns and granaries of the Church and of Heaven; but the labourers and teachers,

by whose painful ministry they are to be gathered in, are but few.

X. 5, 6. Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go ye rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

It is not yet time, to preach these glad tidings of Salvation to the Gentiles: they shall, in their season, be called: but onwards, do ye confine your pains and preaching, within the bounds of Judea; and do not so much as go aside into any of the cities of the Samaritans, who, though they challenge an affinity and interest both of blood and religion, yet, for those gross mixtures of heathenism and heresy and idolatry, which they have entertained, are not worthy to be so far respected by me, as to be privileged with this my first mission unto them: But go ye rather to those my peculiar and selected people of Israel, who are, as it were, lost in their own infidelity and disobedience, and labour to reclaim them.

X. 9, 10. Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses, Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat.

Make no provision of money, for the charge for your journey; as if ye should labour and travel upon your own cost: Neither carry with you provision of victuals: neither take with you change of suits; whether of coats for your backs, or of shoes for your feet, or of staves for your hand, but content yourselves with what you have then about you; and if any of these should fail you, in your way, they shall be supplied unto you, by those among whom ye bestow your pains: for the workman is worthy of his maintenance, whithersoever he goes.

X. 11. And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence.

When ye enter into a city or town, enquire who may be the fittest host for you, and most worthy, through his good report, to be graced by your presence; and when ye have pitched in any house, do not change your lodging, while ye remain in that city, that ye may not seem inconstant or delicate, and may by this means give discontent to your first host.

X. 13. And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, then let your peace return to you. And if the house be worthy, let that blessing, which your prayers have wished thereunto, fall upon it; but if it be not worthy, those well wishes of yours shall return back into your own bosoms.

X. 14. Shake off the dust of your feet.

Shake off the dust of your feet; to signify unto them, that do not mean to have ought to do with them; and to let them see, that their contempt of my message hath made them so

ye

odious to God, that the very dust of their streets is a kind of pollution to the feet of those that tread upon it.

X. 17. But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues.

They are wolves and not men, amongst whom I must send you take heed therefore of these wolvish men; for they will persecute you for your message' sake, and deliver you up as offenders into the hands of authority, and scourge you in their assemblies.

X. 19. But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for &c.

When they deliver you up to their rulers, be not ye too fearfully solicitous what answers ye shall give; neither do herein trust too much to your own wit, and dexterity of replying; but know, that the Spirit of God shall be present with you, and shall put answers into your mouth.

X. 23. But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of Man be come.

It is not enough for you, that ye have in one city endured persecution; but when ye have suffered there, ye must betake yourselves to another city: for verily I say unto you, All the cities of Israel must have this Gospel of mine preached unto them by you; but, ere ye can have gone through them all, I, the Messiah, who send you, will personally second you in this mission of mine, and make manifest to the world my power and kingdom.

X. 25. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?

I am the great Master of the Family, my Church; ye are my servants and attendants therein: if they have not stuck to cast reproaches upon me your Master in so high a degree, as to call me a devil, how much less do ye think will they spare you of my household?

X. 26. Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.

Fear them not, therefore; neither be discouraged with the obscureness of this errand of the Gospel, which I do now commit unto you: for, howsoever it be now only preached in corners, in some little parcel of the world, it shall spread forth to all the utmost coasts of the earth; and, howsoever the despiteful world do now load you with slanders and unjust reproaches, yet the day shall come wherein your innocence and their malice shall be openly manifested unto all the world.

X. 27. What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops. Be not, therefore, afraid to publish this message of mine: