came out to meet him; and, as if afraid of fome farther punishment, befought him to depart out of their coafts.In the beginning of the ninth chapter, therefore, we are informed, that Jefus returned to Capernaum; as he found the Gergefenes not yet fufficiently prepared to receive the gospel.

When his coming was known, a man afflicted with a palfy was brought to him. Jefus obferving that several of the Scribes, or doctors of the law, were mixed with the multitude, chofe to take this opportunity to give them a convincing proof of the efficacy of the gofpel; by the whole tenor of which the fins of every new convert, on his faith and repentance, were immediately forgiven. Knowing, therefore, that the man had faith fufficient to be a convert to christianity, he told him, his fins were forgiven. This the Scribes conceived within themselves to be dire& blafphemy: when Jefus, giving them a new inftance of his almighty power by discovering their thoughts, afked them, whether they did not think the fame power, which could cure a disease by speaking a word, was able also to forgive fin? He then healed the man, and left the Scribes to their own malice; while the people,

ftruck

ftruck with the juftness of what he had faid, glorified God for fending fo great a prophet among them.

We are next informed how St. Matthew, the writer of this goípel, was called to be a difciple; which he himself tells us, with great modesty. As Jefus was walking by the fide of the lake, he faw Matthew fitting at his booth, collecting the Roman taxes; for he was a publican—that is, a tax-gatherer. Jefus, no doubt, obferving the modesty and fimplicity of the man, bade him follow him as a disciple, which Matthew immediately did. Jefus accompanying him to his house, met there a number of people of bad lives, Matthew's former acquaintance, whom he had probably invited to gain inftruction from Jefus; and to be converted, as he himself had been, of the badnefs of their lives.-No men had a worse name among the Jews than these tax-gatherers. The Pharifees, therefore, took great offence at our Saviour, on feeing him in fuch company. Jefus afked them, whether they thought the healthy, or the fick, had more need of a physician? He then bade them confider, whether those works of mercy in which he was engaged, or those rites and ceremonies of the law, in which they

thought

thought religion confifted, were more pleasing to God? He laftly told them, he was then engaged in the very work which he came into the world to accomplish-that of calling finners to repentance.

About this time, fome of the difciples of John the Baptist asked Jefus, Why his difciples did not faft, as they, and the difciples of the Pharifees were inftructed to do? Jefus faid, Can the children of the bride-chamber mourn while the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom fhall be taken away, and then fball they faft. The meaning of which expreffion is, that while I am with them, who may be confidered as the bridegroom, they cannot mourn; but after my death, they must expect a time of fuffering and felf-denial. Jefus added, No man putteth a piece of new cloth into an old garment ; for that which was 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; 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. That is, as my disciples have yet their worldly prejudices about them, which may be compared to an old gar

ment,

ment, it would not be proper for me at once to put upon them the fevere and harsh doctrines of religion, which would be like piecing the old garment with new cloth. The new part would too violently tear away the old, and the garment would not be amended." If new wine, alfo," faid Jefus," should be put into old bottles, both would be loft; but when my difciples, like new bottles, fhall be able to contain new wine-that is, their new doctrine, they fhall be inftructed in it."-You will remember that the Jewish bot tles were made of leather.

The next miracles recorded, are those of the woman with the iffue of blood, and the ruler's daughter; in neither of which there seems to be any difficulty. When Jefus faid, The maid is not dead, but fleepeth, it is plain he meant, her death fhould only have the effect of sleep.-Neither is there any difficulty in the next miracle recorded -that of the blind man.

With regard to the miracle of the man poffeffed with a devil, we find here another instance that the devil had, in those days, more outward power than he has now. How far his wicked agents ftill tempt mankind, we know not. The fcriptures, every where, feem to confider us al

ways

ways under this invifible temptation; but the devil might have more visible power before christianity, to fhew how much the power of Christ was fuperior.

After these miracles are particularly recorded, we are told in general, that Jefus went about all the country, healing the fick, and preaching the gospel. As numbers followed him in every place, he compared them to fheep without a shepherd; alluding to fuch miserable guides as the Scribes and Pharifees, who were their former instructors. He then obferved to his disciples, on feeing the numerous crowds that furrounded them, that the harveft was great, though the labourers were few; and bade them pray to God to enable them to be thofe faithful labourers, who fhould reap this plentiful harvest by properly instructing the people.

We are told, therefore, in the beginning of the tenth chapter, that Jesus sent forth his twelve disciples to preach; and ordered them to go only among the cities of Ifrael, as to thofe the gofpel was firft offered. He gave them power to work miracles; forbade them to provide more than the neceffaries of life; and for the rest, to depend on God.-The following part of

the