Strength returned to her, and she made Provision for them, and they fat down to Meat, and she served them. 16. But as foon as the Evening was come, and the Sabbath past, the Multitude gathered together again about Jesus, and they brought to him diseased and poffefsed Persons; and he cast out the evil Spirits, and healed all their Difeases with a Word. 17. So that not only by his fuffering in our stead upon the Cross, but even in This Sense also, by his curing Mens Diseases, was fulfilled that Prophecy of Ifaias: He took our infirmities, and bare our ficknesses, iii. 4. Ifa. 18. Another time, Jesus being pressed with a great multitude of People, commanded his Disciples, to get ready a Boat to carry him over the Lake. 19. Which while they were doing, a certain Doctor of the Law, who imagined that Jesus would shortly come to great Glory and Power, faith unto him, Lord, I will be your Follower, and go along with you whitherfoever you go. 18 Now when titudes about him, Jesus saw great mulhe gave commandment to depart unto the other fide. 19 And a certain scribe came, and faid unto him, Master, I will follow thee whitherfoever thou goest. 20 And Jesus faith 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. 21 And another of his disciples faid unto him, Lord, fuffer me first to go and bury my father. 22 But Jesus said unto him, Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead. 23 And when he was entred into a 22. But Jesus answered him; You have forsaken all your earthly Relations and Fortunes, to become a Preacher of Righteousness; and if your Heart look back to any of those temporal Things, you are not worthy of this facred Ministry. No; Do you continue to follow me; and let others, who have not taken upon them this holy Office, take care to bury their own Dead. 23. By this time the Disciples had ship, his difciples fol- provided Jesus a Boat, and he went into lowed him. 24 And behold, there arose a great tempest in the fea, infomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was afleep. 25 And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, faying, Lord save us: we perish. 26 And he faith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the fea, and there was a great calm. 27 But the men marvelled, saying, of What manner fea obey him? 28 And when he was come to the other fide, into the country of it together with his Disciples. 24. And as they were rowing over the Lake, a great storm of Wind arose, so that the Water grew rough, and the Billows beat into the Boat, But Jesus himself was afleep. 25. And the Disciples ran to him in a great Fright and waked him, saying; Lord, help us, we are just sinking. 26. But Jesus designing to inure them to bear all hardships couragioufly and without fear, answered: O ye fearful and distrustful Men! Have ye thus long heard my Doctrine and seen my Miracles, and dare ye not yet truft your God? How selves to the Providence of 27. At which both the Men of the Boat, and the Disciples themselves were exceedingly furprized, faying, How great is this Man? And how extraordinary is his Power? That even the Winds and the Waters obey him. 28. Now when Jesus had croffed the Lake, and was landed on the other fide in the Country of the Gergefenes, there met him two poffefsed Men, which used to wander in defart Places, and and among the Tombs, and were so exceeding strong that they could not be bound with any Chains, and so fierce that no Man durft pass that way for fear of them; these Men by the especial Providence of God, met Jesus at his landing. 29. At the fight of whom, the Devils which poffefsed the Men, knowing and being terrified at his Divine Power and Virtue, cried out immediately; Wherefore, O thou Son of the most High God, art thou come to torment us, before the Time appointed of God for our final Judgment? 30. Now there was at a distance a great Herd of Swine feeding. 31. And when Jesus had commanded the Devils to come out of the Men, they begged leave of him to enter into the Herd of Swine. 32. And he * gave them leave. And they came out of the Men, and entred into the Swine; and all the Swine ran headlong immediately down a Precipice into the Lake, and were drowned. - 30 And there was a good way off from them an herd of many fwine, feeding. 31 So the devils befought him, faying, If thou cast us out, fuffer us to go away into the herd of swine. 32 And he said unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and behold, the whole herd of fwine ran violently down a steep place into the fea, and perished in the waters. 33 And they that * Whether our Saviour permitted this, to show the great power of evil Spirits, and how terrible the effects of their Malice would be upon Men, if they were not restrained by God: Or whether it was to punish the Gergesenes for keeping these Beafts which were a Snare and Offence to the Jews, their Flesh not being permitted to be eaten: Or, for whatever other wife Reafon it was: Certain it is, that this is the only Miracle our Saviour worked, whereby any Man fuffered damage. down upon kept them fled, and went their ways into the city, and told every thing; and what was befallen to the poffefsed of the devils. 34 And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus, and when they faw him, they besought him, that he would depart out of their coafts. A Palfie cured; and Christ's Power of remitting Sins, occafionally afferted, ver. I. The calling of Matthew, and Christ's eating with Publicans and Sinners, ver. 9. The Disciples not fafting, defended, ver. 14. A Woman raisfed from the dead, and a Bloody-flux cured, ver. 18. Two blind Men cured, ver. 27. A dumb Man cured, ver. 32. The want of good Ministers, ver. 35. ESUS perceiving hereby their difpofition of Mind, and their un preparedness to receive his Doctrine, went again into the Boat, and croffed over the Lake, and returned into his own City Capernaum, 2. And while he was there, they brought to him a Man so ill of the Palfie, that he was forced to be carried upon a Bed. To whom Jesus, perceiving both his and his Friends Faith by their Diligence to get to him through the Crowd, faid; Son, be of good Courage; your Sins, which were the cause of your Disease, are forgiven. 3. At this Saying, many of the Jewish Doctors who were present, were greatly offended in their Minds, and faid within themselves; what a Blafphemer is this Man, to undertake to forgive Sins, which no one but God alone has Authority to do! 4. But Jesus perceiving their Thoughts, faid; Why are ye thus disturbed at my Words: And why do you reason thus perverfely and enviously in your own Minds? 5. For what great Difference is there between forgiving the Man's Sins, and healing his Disease? Or, what less Power or Authority does it require, to heal the Disease which is the Consequence of his Sins, than to forgive the Sins which were the Caufe of his Difeafe? 6. But I expressed my self thus, that ye might fee that the Meffiah has Power upon Earth to forgive Sins; God confirming my Sentence of Absolution, by the visible Miracle of healing the Man's Disease. Then Jesus turning himself to the fick Man, said; Arife, take up your Bed, and go home. 7. And the Man was immediately healed, and the use of his Limbs returned to him entirely; so that he took up his Bed and carried it Home. 8. And the Multitude being convinced by so undeniable a Miracle, of the Divine Power refiding in Chrift, glorified God for having sent to them a 6 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive fins, (then faith he to the fick of the palfie) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. 7 And he arose, and departed to his houfe. 8 But when the multitude saw it, they marvelled, and had given such pow glorified God, which er unto men. |