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Christ heals a man

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9 For he was astonished, and all mediately the leprosy departed from A.M.4031.

An. Olymp. that were with him, at the draught him. of the fishes which they had taken:

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10 And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.

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14 And he charged him to tell no man: but go and shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing, according as Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.

15 But so much the more went there a fame

11 And when they had brought their ships to abroad of him: fand great multitudes came land, they forsook all, and followed him.

12¶And 12 And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.

13 And he put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean. And imAnd im

together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities.

16 And he withdrew himself into the wilT derness, and prayed.

17 And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and

* Matt. 4. 19. Mark 1. 17.-b Matt. 4. 20. & 19. 27. Mark 1. 18. ch. 18. 28. Matt. 8. 2. Mark 1. 40.

d Matt. 8. 4.

Le Lev. 14. 4, 10, 21, 22.-
John 6. 2.5 Matt. 14. 23.

Matt. 4. 25. Mark 3. 7. Mark 6. 46.

speaking out of the midst of the fire as we have, and LIVED? So Gideon expected to be immediately slain, because he had seen an angel of the Lord, and a miracle performed by him. See Judges vi. 21-23. So likewise Manoah and his wife, Judges xiii. 22. We shall surely DIE, for we have seen god. These different passages sufficiently shew in what sense these words of Peter are to be understood.

Verse 10. Thou shalt catch men.] Avigwπous on (wygwy, thou shalt catch men alive; this is the proper signification of the word. Fear not, these discoveries of God tend to life, not to death; and ye shall become the instruments of life and salvation to a lost world. These fish are taken to be killed and fed but those who are converted under your ministry, shall be preserved unto eternal life. See on Matt. iv. 18, &c. where this subject is considered more at large.

on;

Verse 11. They forsook all, and followed him.] God expects this from every person, and especially from those in whose hearts,|| or in whose behalf he has wrought a miracle of grace or of providence. Jesus intended to call Peter, James, and John, to become his disciples; and that they might see the propriety and importance of the call, he

A man full of leprosy] See this disease, and the cure, largely explained on Matt. viii. 2-4. and see it particularly applied to the use of public preaching, Mark i. 40, &c. See also the notes on Lev. xiii. and xiv.

Verse 16. And he withdrew himself into the wilderness] Or rather, he frequently withdrew into the desart. This I believe to be the import of the original words, ny voxwę. He made it a frequent custom to withdraw from the multitudes for a time, and pray, teaching hereby the ministers of the gospel that they are to receive fresh supplies of light and power from God by prayer; that they may be the more successful in their work; and that they ought to seek frequent opportunities of being in private with God and their books. A man can give nothing unless he first receive it: and no man can be successful in the ministry, who does not constantly depend upon God, for the excellence of the power is all from him. Why is there so much preaching, and so little good done? Is it not because the preachers mir too much with the world, keep too long in the crowd, and are so seldom in private with God? Reader! Art thou a herald for the Lord of Hosts? Make full proef of thy ministry! Let it never be said of thee," He forsook all

1st. TEACHES in their presence, that they may know his doc- to follow Christ, and to preach his gospel, but there was little

trine.

or no fruit of his labour; for he ceased to be a man of prayer,

2dly. He WORKS a MIRACLE before their eyes, that they and got into the spirit of the world." Alas! alas! is this lumight see and be convinced of his power.

3dly. He CALLS them to go forth with this doctrine, and through this power, that they might teach the ignorant, and be successful in their work.

Verse 12. A certain city] This was some city of Galilee; probably Chorazin or Bethsaida.

minous star, that was once held in the right hand of Jesus, fallen from the firmament of heaven, down to the EARTH!

Verse 17. On a certain day] This was when he was at Capernaum. See Mark ii. 1.

The power of the Lord] Avvaus Kugov-the mighty or miraculous power of the Lord, i. e. of Jesus, was there to heal

He heals a paralytic person.

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A. M. 4051. Judea, and Jerusalem: and the power An. Olymp. of the Lord was present to heal them. 18 And, behold, men brought in a bed, a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him.

19 And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch, into the midst before Jesus.

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27 And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the 20 And when he saw their faith, he said unto receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Folhim, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.

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Matt. 9. 2. Mark 2. 3.

b Matt. 9. S. Mark 2. 6, 7.- Ps. 32. 3.
Isai. 43. 25.

d Matt. 9. 9. Mark 2. 13, 14. Matt. 9. 10. Mark 2. 15. fch. 15. 1.

them; as many as were diseased either in body or soul. Where the teaching of Christ is, there also is the power of Christ to redeem and save.

Verse 18. A man-taken with a palsy] See this case described on Matt. ix. 1, &c. and Mark ii. 1, &c.

17.

sions, were it not for the indisputable evidence we have of their reality.

Verse 27. Levi] See on Matt. ix. 9. Mark ii. 14. Verse 28. And he left all] Kara-completely abandoning his office, and every thing connected with it. He who

Verse 19. Went upon the housetop] See on Matt. xxiv. wishes to preach the gospel like the disciples of Christ, must

Verse 21. Who can forgive sins, but God alone?] If Jesus were not God, he could not forgive sins; and his arrogating this authority, would have been blasphemy against God, in the most proper sense of the word. That these Scribes and Pharisees might have the fullest proof of his Godhead, he works in their presence three miracles, which from their nature, could only be effected by an omniscient and omnipotent Being. See on Matt. ix. 5, 6.

have no earthly entanglement. If he have, his whole labour will be marred by it. The concerns of his own soul, and those of the multitudes, to whom he preaches, are sufficient to engross all his attention, and to employ all his powers.

Verse 29. A great feast] Aox μɛyahny, a splendid entertainment. The word refers more properly to the number of the guests, and the manner in which they were received, than to the quality or quantity of the fare. A great number of his Verse 26. Strange things] Пazadoka, paradoxes. A para- friends and acquaintance was collected on the occasion, that dox is something that appears false and absurd, but is not they might be convinced of the propriety of the change he really so: or, something contrary to the commonly received || had made, when they had the opportunity of seeing and hearopinion. We have seen wonders wrought which seem impos- || ing his heavenly teacher. sible; and we should conclude them to be tricks and illu

Verse 30. Why do ye eat and drink, &c] See what passed at

The question about fasting answered

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32 I came not to call the righteous, || No man putteth a piece of a new gar-
ment upon an old; if otherwise, then An. Olymp.
both the new maketh a rent, and the
piece that was taken out of the new agreeth
not with the old.

33¶ And they said unto him, "Why do the disciples of John fast often, and make prayers, and likewise the disciples of the Pharisces; but thine eat and drink?

34 And he said unto them, Can ye make the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them?

37 And no man putteth new wine into old bot tles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish. 38 But new wine must be put into new bot

35 But the days will come, when the bride-tles; and both are preserved. groom shall be taken away from them, and then

shall they fast in those days.

39 No man also having drunk old wine, straightway desireth new: for he saith, The

36 And he spake also a parable unto them; old is better.

Matt. 9. 13. 1 Tim. 1. 15- Matt. 9. 14. Mark 2. 18.

Matt. 9. 16, 17. Mark 2. 21, 22.

this entertainment, considered at large on Matt. ix. 10-17.|| entertaining but highly instructive. There are few chapters Mark ii. 15-22.

Verse 37. The new wine will burst the bottles] These old bottles would not be able to stand the fermentation of the new wine, as the old sewing would be apt to give way. It is scarcely necessary to remark, that the Eastern bottles are made of skins; generally those of gouts.

Verse 39. The old is better.] Xensorsgos-is more agreeable to the taste or palate. Herodotus, the scholiast on Aristophanes, and Homer, use the word in this sense. See Raphelius. The old wine, among the Rabbins, was the wine of three leaves that is, wine three years old: because, from the time that the vine had produced that wine, it had put forth its leaves three times. See Lightfoot.

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1. The miraculous draught of fishes-the cleansing of the leper--the healing of the paralytic person-the calling of Levi --and the parable of the old and new bottles, and the old and new wine-all related in this chapter, make it not only very

in the New Testament, from which a preacher of the gospel can derive more lessons of instruction: and the Reader would naturally expect a more particular explanation of its several parts, had not this been anticipated in the notes and observations on Matt. ix. to which chapter it will be well to refer.

2. The conduct as well as the preaching of our Lord is highly edifying. His manner of teaching, made every thing he spoke interesting and impressive. He had many preju dices to remove, and he used admirable address in order to meet and take them out of the way. There is as much to be observed in the manner of speaking the truth, as in the truth itself, in order to make it effectual to the salvation of them who hear it. A harsh unfeeling method of preaching the promises of the gospel, and a smiling manner of producing the terrors of the Lord, are equally reprehensible. Some preachers are always severe and magisterial: others are always mild and insinuating: neither of these can do God's work; and it would take two such, to make one Preacher,

CHAPTER VI.

The disciples pluck and eat the ears of corn on the sabbath day, and the Pharisees find fault, 1, 2. Our Lord shews the true use of the sabbath, 3-5. He heals the man with the withered hand, 6-11. He goes into a mountain to pray, and calls twelve disciples, 12-16. nounces four blessings, 20-23. and four woes, 24-26. being patient, gentle, kind, grateful, and merciful, 27-30. 38. The parable of the blind leading the blind, 39. and corrupt tree, 43, 44. The good and evil treasure Builded on the rock, and the other on the sand, 46–49.

37,

Multitudes are instructed and healed, 17-19. Pro-
Gives various instructions about loving our enemies,
Harsh judgments censured, and charity recommended,
Of the mote in a brother's eye, 40-42. Of the good
of the heart, 45. The parable of the two houses, one

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NOTES ON CHAP. VI.

On the 14th of Nisan, the pass-over was killed; the next day Verse 1. On the second sabbath after the first] Ev σaßßαTw (the 15th) was the first day of the feast of unleavened bread; drugongwtw, in the first sabbath after the second. What does the day following (the 16th) the wave-sheaf was offered, purthis mean? In answering this question, cominentators are suant to the law, on the morrow after the sabbath; Lev. xxiii. greatly divided. Dr. Whitby speaks thus: "After the first 11. The sabbath here, is not the seventh day of the week, day of the pass-over, (which was a sabbath, Exod. xii. 16.) but the first day of the feast of unleavened bread, let it fall ye shall count unto you seven sabbaths complete, Levit. xxiii. on what day of the week it would. That and the scventh day 15. reckoning that day for the first of the first week, which of that feast were holy convocations, and therefore are here was therefore called Sergongo, the first sabbath from the called sabbaths. The morrow therefore after the sabbath, i. e. second day of unleavened bread, (the 16th of the month ;) after the 16th day of Nisan, was the day in which the wavethe second was called deutigoditegy, the second sabbath from sheaf was offered; and after that seven sabbaths were counted, that day; and the third drgorg Toy, the third sabbath from and fifty days completed, and the fiftieth day inclusively the second day; and so on, till they came to the seventh sab- was the day of Pentecost. Now these sabbaths, between the bath from that day, i. e. to the 49th day, which was the day Pass-over and Pentecost, were called the first, second, &c. of Pentecost. The mention of the seven sabbaths, to be num- sabbaths after the second day of the feast of unleavened bread. bered with relation to this second day, answers all that Gro- This sabbath then, on which the disciples plucked the ears of tius objects against this exposition." WHITBY'S Notes. corn, was the first sabbath after that second day. Dr. LightBy this sabbath seems meant that, which immediately fol-foot has demonstrably proved this to be the meaning of this lowed the two great feasts, the first and last day of the pass-raßßaто JEUTICоENTOV, (Hor. Hebraic. in locum) and from over, and was therefore the second after the proper pass-over him, F. Lamy and Dr. Whitby have so explained it. This day. The words in the Greek seem to signify, the second sabbath could not fall before the pass-over, because till the sefirst sabbuth: and in the opinion of some, the Jews had three cond day of that feast, no Jew might eat either bread, or first sabbaths; viz. the first sabbath after the pass-over; that || parched corn, or green cars. (Levit. xxiii. 14.) Had the disafter the feast of pentecost; and that after the feast of taber-ciples then gathered these cars of corn on any sabbath before nacles. According to which opinion, this second first sabbath the pass-over, they would have broken two laws instead of must have been the first sabbath after the pentecost. So one; and for the breach of these two laws, they would infalwe have the first Sunday after Epiphany; the first after libly have been accused: whereas now they broke only one, Easter; the first after Trinity; and the first in Lent. Bp. (plucking the ears of standing corn with one's hand, being exPEARCE. pressly allowed in the law, Deut. xxiii. 25.) which was that of the sabbath. They took a liberty, which the law gave them upon any other day; and our Lord vindicated them in what they did now, in the manner we see. Nor can this fact be laid after pentecost; because then the harvest was fully in. Within that interval therefore, this sabbath happened; and this is a plain determination of the time, according to the Jewish ways of reckoning, founded upon the text of Moses's law itself. DR. WOTTON's Miscellaneous Discourses, &c. vol. i. p. 269.

This was the next day after the pass-over, the day in which they were forbidden to labour, Lev. xxiii. 6. and for this reason was termed sabbath, Lev. xxiii. 15. but here it is marked by the name, second first sabbath, because being the day after the pass-over, it was in this respect the second: and it was also the first, because it was the first day of unleavened bread, Exod. xii. 15, 16. MARTIN.

I think with many commentators, that this transaction happened on the first sabbath of the month Nisan; that is, after the second day of the feast of unleavened bread. We may well suppose, that our Lord and his disciples were on their way from Jerusalem to Galilee, after having kept the pass-opic, and three of the Itala. A note in the margin of the over. Bp. NEWCOME.

The word Surgongwrw, the second first, is omitted by BL. four others, Syriac, latter Arabic, all the Persic, Coptic, Ethi

latter Syriac says, This is not in all copies. The above MSS. The Vulgar Latin renders devregonerov, secundo-primum, read the verse thus: It came to pass, that he walked through which is literal and right. We translate it, the second sabbath the corn fields on a sabbath day. I suppose they omitted the after the first, which is directly wrong; for it should have above word, because they found it difficult to fix the meanbeen the first sabbath after the second day of the pass-over.ing, which has been too much the case in other instances.

The Pharisees blame the disciples.

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3 And Jesus answering them said, Have ye not read so much as this, what David did, when himself was an-hungred, and they which were with him;

4 How he went into the house of God, and did take and eat the shewbread, and gave also to them that were with him; which it is not lawful to eat, but for the priests alone?

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8 But he knew their thoughts, and said to the man which had the withered hand, Rise up, and stand forth in the midst. And he arose and stood forth.

9 Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing: Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to de-. stroy it?

10 And looking round about upon them all, he said unto the man, Stretch forth thy hand. 5 And he said unto them, That the Son of And he did so: and his hand was restored whole man is Lord also of the sabbath.

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11 And they were filled with madness; and communed one with another, what they might do to Jesus.

12 ¶And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray; and continued all night in prayer to God.

Mark 3. 1. See ch. 13. 14. & 14. 3. John 9. 16.- Le Matt. 14. 23.

watched him. This is the import of the word, chap. xiv. 1. xx. 20. and in the parallel place, Mark iii. 1. See Raphelius on the last quoted text, who has proved by several quotations, that this is the proper meaning of the term.

An accusation against him.] Instead of xarnyogiav autou, his accusation, several eminent MSS. and Versions add κατα, against, which I find our translators have adopted.

Verse 9. I will ask you one thing] I will put a question to you. See on Mark iii. 4, 5.

Verse 2. Which is not lawful] See on Matt. xii. 2-8. Verse 3. What David did] See on Mark ii. 26, 27. Verse 4. After this verse, the Coder Beza and two ancient MSS. quoted by Wechel, have the following extraordinary addition : Τη αυτή ημέρα θεασάμενος τινα εργαζομενον τω σαββάτω, είπεν αυτώ, Ανθρωπε, ει μεν οίδας τι ποιεις μακαριος ει : ει δε μη οιδας | επικατάρατος, και παραβάτης εκ του νόμου. On the same day, secing one working on the sabbath, he said unto him, Man, if indeed thou knowest what thou dost, blessed art thou: but if thou knowest not, thou art cursed, and art a transgressor of the law. Verse 10. Whole as the other.] Many MSS. both here and in Whence this strange addition proceeded, it is hard to tell. the parallel place, Mark iii. 5. omit the word vying, whole. GriesThe meaning seems to be this: If thou now workest on the bach leaves it out of the text. The hand was restored as the Jewish sabbath, from a conviction that that sabbath is abolish- other :-But had it only been a luxated joint, even allowing with ed, and a new one instituted in its place; then happy art thou, a German critic, that the bone regained its place, by the effort for thou hast got divine instruction in the nature of the Mes-made to stretch out the arm, without the intervention of a siah's kingdom: but if thou doest this, through a contempt || miracle, it would have required several weeks to restore the for the law of God, then thou art accursed, forasmuch as thou muscles and ligaments to their wonted tone and strength. art a transgressor of the law. The Itala version of the Codex Why all this learned labour to leave God out of the question? Bera, for agafaras, transgressor, has this semi-barbaric word trabaricator.

Verse 6. Whose right hand was withered.] See on Matt. xii. 10, &c. The critic who says that Engav xega signifies a luxated arm, and that the stretching it out, restored the bone to its proper place, without the intervention of a miracle, deserves no serious refutation. See on ver. 10.

Verse 11. They were filled with madness] Pride, obstinacy, and interest combined together, are capable of any thing. When men have once framed their conscience according to their passions, madness passes for seal, the `blackest conspiracies for pious designs, and the most horrid attempts for heroic actions. QUESNEL.

Verse 12. In prayer to God.] Or, in the prayer of God: or, Verse 7. Watched him] Пagerngovy autor, they maliciously || in the cratory of God, ev în #goσEUX” tou Osov. So this passage

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