20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them: 21 Not every one that faith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven : but he that doth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will fay to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophefied in thy name? and in thy name have caft out devils ? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you, depart from me ye that work iniquity. Man, and, if he continues so, designed of God to deftruction. 20. By these Fruits therefore of good and evil Dispositions and Actions, may ye certainly diftinguish the Preachers of true Religion, from Deceivers and false Prophets. 21. And according to these fruits of good and evil Lives, will God him felf judge and reward or punish Men. For not every one that makes an outward profession of Religion, and believes and calls upon my Name; but they only, who in their Lives obey the Commandments of God, shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. 22. Many will fay unto me in the Day of Judgment; Lord, have we not believed and embraced thy true Religion, and taught and preached it to others? And have we not had fo great Faith, as even to cast out Devils and work Miracles in thy Name? Wilt thou not therefore now receive us, and acknowledge us for thy true Difciples ? 23. But I shall reject them, saying; Notwithstanding you have indeed done all these things, yet since in your Lives and Conversations ye did not obey my Commandments, but were proud or covetous, or sensual, or contentious, therefore I never * looked upon you as my true Disciples; neither do I now approve or acknowledge you: * The words ἐδέποπε ἔγνων, I never knew you, fignifie in Scripture Phrafe, I never approved you. Thus Pfalm i. 6, The Lord knoweth, that is, approveth the way of the righteous. So Rom. vii. 15, That which I do, & γινώσκω, I know not, that is I allow not. So 1 Cor. viii. 3, If any man love God, he is known, that is, approved of him. D2 Depart Depart from me, all ye that have lived wickedly. 24. Wherefore he that shall not only hear and receive these my Instructions, but also remember, and confider and practise, and live according to them; fuch a Man may be compared to one that builds his House upon a Rock. 25. For as a House founded upon a Rock, stands unshaken and firm, against all the affaults of Rains and Floods, and Storms: So the Man who in his Life and Conversation actually practises and obeys my Instructions, will firmly refift all the temptations of the Devil, the allurements of Pleasure, and the terrors of Persecution; and shall be able to stand in the final Judgment, and be rewarded of God. 26. But he that shall hear and receive my Instructions, and yet not obey them in his Life and Actions; may fitly be compared to a foolish Man, who builds his House upon the Sand. 27. For as a House without foundation, built upon the loose Sand, is not able to refift the afsfaults of Winds and Floods, but is easily overturned and ruined by them: So the Man who hears, and believes, and makes profeffion of true Religion, but lives not fuitably to the Precepts thereof; cannot refift the violence of Temptation, and will not be able to stand before God in Judgment, but shall perish for 28. Thus Jesus ended his Sermon : And the People which heard him were furprized with admiration at the Excellency of his Difcourse. ever. : 24 Therefore, whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doth them, I will liken him unto a wife man which built his house upon a rock : 25 And the rain defcended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house: and it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock. 26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the fand: 27 And the rain descended, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it. 28 And it came to pass when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doEtrine. 29 For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. 29. For his Doctrine was not like the Preachings of the Jewish Doctors, formal and trifling, full of vain Traditions, and depending on the groundless Authority of Rabbies and Heads of Sects. But the things which he spake, were Great and Noble; and he delivered them with a Voice of Majefty and Authority, of Gravity and Truth. CHAP. VIII. A Leprous Person healed, ver. I. A Centurion's Servant healed, ver. 5. Peter's Mother-in-law healed, ver. 14. The Poverty of Christ, ver. 18. Of Perseverance, ver. 21. A Tempest miraculously stilled, ver. 23. Devils caft out of a Man, and entring into Swine, ver. 28. WHEN he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. 2 / I. Esus having finished his Discourse, And behold, 2. And there met him a Man that there came a leper was Leprous, and fell down before and worshipped him, him, and intreated him to take pity faying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. on him and heal him; saying, Lord, I firmly believe, that, if you please, you have Power to make me clean from this Disease. 3 And Jesus put 3. Jesus being pleased at the Man's forth his hand and Faith, touched him with his Hand, touched him, fay- and faid, I will do what you defire; ing, I will, be thou Be clean from your Disease. And his clean. And imme diately his leprofie Leprofie was immediately cured. 4. But Jesus, not being willing to was cleanfed. Jesus give any unnecessary Offence or Scandal unto him, to the Jews, charged the Man, saying: D3 Do not go immediately and publish every every where, that you have been healed by me; but go and shew your self regularly to the Prieft, who is to judge of your being clean; and offer the Sacrifice which the Law requires for your Purification; * that we may convince them of the reality of the Cure, and yet not give them any occafion of Çalumny. 5 & 6. After this, Jesus went to Capernaum; and as he was entring into the City, there met him Messengers from a Centurion, or Captain of the Roman Soldiers, to entreat him for a Servant in his House, lying very dangeroufly ill of a Palfie. 1 7. Jefus knowing the Man's Faith and Humility, and intending by making the Virtues of this Stranger more confpicuous, to take an occasion of rebuking the Pride and Infidelity of the Jews; faith, I will go down to the House and heal him. 8, The Man fent again other Friends, and answered; Lord, I am originally a Gentile, and have been long a Sinner, and am not worthy that you should honour my House with your Prefence : I know, that if you do but fay the Word, my Servant shall be healed. 9. For if I, who am but an inferiour Officer in an Army, can give the word of Command, and be immediately obeyed by my Servants: How much more may you, to whom God hath committed fuch Power and Authority, say but a Word, and what you say shal be effected ? See thou tell no man, but go thy way, shew thy felf to the prieft, and offer the gift that Mofes com manded, for a teftimony unto them. 5 And when Jesus was entred into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, befeeching him, 6 And faying, Lord, my fervant lieth at home fick of the palfie, grievoufly tormented. 7 And Jesus faith unto him, I will come and heal him. 8 The Centurion answered and fald, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldeft come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my fervant shall be heal ed. 9 For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he go eth and to another, Come, and he com eth: and to my fervant, Do this, and he doeth it. *Among the various Senfes, which Expositors give of these words, ἐις μαρτύριον ἀντοῖς this feems the most probable. 10. When 10 When Jefus heard it, he marvelled, and faid unto them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no not in Ifrael. 11 And I say unto you, that many shall come from the east, and west, and shall fit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the king dom of heaven. 12 But the children of the kingdom shall be caft out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 13 And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way, and as thou haft believed, so be it done unto thee. And his fervant was healed in the felffame hour. 14 And when Jesus was come into Peters house, he faw his wives mother laid, and fick of a fever. 15 And he touchsd her hand, and 10. At this Answer Jefus was furprized, and said to his Disciples, and to the People that followed him; Verily I have not found so great Faith among the Jews themselves, who have lived always under a Revelation of the Will of God, and have had the conftant Ufe of the Scriptures and the Prophets, as this Stranger has now discovered. 11. They esteem themselves indeed the Children of Abraham and the Patriarchs, the peculiar People of God, to whom the Promises of Salvation are made: But assuredly I tell you, that many Strangers out of the Heathen World, shall come from all Parts, and join themselves to the true Church of God here on Earth; and shall hereafter be received with Abraham, and Ifaac, and Jacob, into the Kingdom of God in Heaven: 12. While the Jews, to whom the Promises did originally belong, exclude themselves out of the true Church of God here, and shall hereafter be thrust out of the Kingdom of Heaven into the Darkness which is without, where shall be fruitless Repentance and endlefs Woe. 13. Then sending back the Meffengers to the Centurion, he bad them say thus to him: As you have believed, so is it done to you. And his Servant was found to be healed at that very inftant. 14. After this, Jesus retired from the multitude, and went into Peter's House; and there he found Peter's Wifes Mother lying upon the Bed, fick of a Fever. 15. And he took her by the Hand and helped her up; and the Fever was immediately cured so entirely, that her Strength D 4 |