trary, by your great and hypocritical pretences to Piety, ye your felves are far more incurable than even thefe known and moft open Sinners. 33. About this time fome of the Jews, who were Difciples of John Baptift, and had been accustomed to Fastings, and greater Aufterities than ordinary; being fomewhat difpleafed at that freer way of living, which Jefus feemed to allow his Difciples; came to Jefus and faid: How is it, that though you commend the Holinefs of our Master, John the Baptift, and profefs to be your felf a Teacher of extraordinary Piety, yet you permit your Difciples to live with greater Liberty, and fuffer them to omit those Mortifications and Aufterities, which both the Difciples of John, and alfo of the Pharifees, conftantly practise; fasting often, and fetting apart, at least, fome Days in every Week for Prayer and Abftinence? 34. Jefus anfwered; I do not condemn you for your Conftancy and Abftinence in Faftings; but every thing is good only in its proper Seafon; and this is by no means a fit time to put my Difciples upon fuch Aufterities. For as it would be very unreasonable, to require the Friends of a Bridegroom to Faft, juft at the time of the Wedding, and while they are with the Bridegroom at the Feast: So it is by no means proper to make my Disciples Faft, fo long as I, their Mafter, am with them. 35. But the time will come, and that shortly, when I fhall be taken away from them; and then they will have Occafions enough, of Mourning and Fafting, 35 But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from they faft in thofe them, and then fhall days. 36. Moreover Jefus illuftrated to them the reasonableness of this his Proceeding, by a plain Similitude. As no prudent Man, faid he, puts a piece of new Cloth into an old Garment, which it will by no means fuit or agree with; fo it would be very improper for my Difciples to mix Mourning and Rejoycing together, by entring into a Course of fevere and ftrict Abftinence at the time that I am perfonally prefent with them. 37. Again, as no wife Man puts new and ftrong Wine into old and * * See weak Bottles: So it would be very un- Note on fit, to burden my Difciples with heavy Mat. ix. and unneceffary Injunctions of Faft- 17. ing and Abftinence, while I am yet forming their Minds, and giving them the firft Inftructions about their Ministry. 38. For all these barely positive and prudential Precepts, ought always to be accommodated with Wisdom and Difcretion, to the Condition of the Perfons, and to the Circumstances of the Time. 39. And moft especially, at the fetting up any new İnftitution, nothing burdenfome and unneceffary ought by any means to be impofed, but with the greatest Gentleness and Moderation; that Men may by degrees be prevailed upon to change their Cuftoms, and amend their Lives. С НА Р. 6. CHA Jefus fhows, that pofitive Inftitutions must give place to Neceffity or moral Duty, ver. 1. Chufes his Apoftles, ver. 13. Heals many Difeafes, ver. 18. The Blefedness of the Righteous, and of thofe that fuffer for Religion, ver. 20. The Mifery of worldly Men, ver. 24. That Charity must be univerfal and extend even to Enemies, ver. 27. That doing Good ought to be the principal Bufinefs of Mens Lives, ver. 30. That Minifters ought to practife what they teach, ver. 39 and 41, &c. That Suffering for Religion must be expected, ver. 40. Obedience the only Proof of Sincerity, ver. 44. the fecond Day of the Paf NOW on the Sabbath after AND it came to fover; as Jefus was walking with his Difciples through the Corn-fields; his Difciples being hungry, plucked the Ears of Corn, and rubbing out the Corn with their Hands, began to eat. 2. Which when fome fuperftitious Pharifees, that were prefent, obferved; they immediately reproached the Difciples, for breaking the Sabbath; and Jefus himself, for not rebuking them. نوع 3 & 4. But Jefus in vindication of his Difciples, replied; Ye who pretend to be the greatest Masters, and to have the moft exact Skill in interpreting the Law; do ye not remember, the ScripSam-xii. ture relates, how David and his Men, when they were hungry upon a Journey, eat Shew-bread out of the Tabernacle, which the Law allowed only the Priests to eat; and yet David is no where accufed as guilty of a Crime in fo doing? pafs on the fecond fabbath after the firft, that he went through the cornfields; and his difciples plucked the ears of corn, and did eat, rubbing them in their hands. 2 And certain of the Pharifees faid unthat which is not to them, Why do ye lawful to do on the fabbath-days? 3 And Jefus anfwering them, faid, Have ye not read fo much as this, what David did, when himfelf was an hun gred, and they which were with him: 4 How he went into the houfe of God, and did take and eat the fhew-bread, and gave alfo to them 5. 'Tis evident therefore, that God never design'd by any merely pofitive and ceremonial Inftitution, fuch as the Confecration of Bread; the ftri&t Jewish Obfervation of the Sabbath, and the like ; to put fuch Difficulties upon Men, as to hinder them from performing either any greater Duty, or complying with any urgent and neceffary Occafion of Life. So that in these Cafes of Neceffity or Duty, a pofitive Inftitution may be difpenfed with by any Man; and how much more by me ? 6. ¶ On another Sabbath-Day, Jefus went into the Synagogue to preach; and there was prefent in the Congregation, a Man whofe Right-hand was withered, the Flesh being wafted away, and the Sinews fhrunk up, so that it was become utterly useless. 7. Upon which Occafion, the Scribes and Pharifees again watched Jefus, to fee if he would cure the Man upon the Sabbath-day; that they might find out fome Pretence to accufe him. 8. But Jefus, knowing their Thoughts, and refolving to reprove their Hypocrify openly in the prefence of all the People; bad the Man with the withered Hand, rife up, and stand forth in the midft of the Congregation. Which he, in full hopes of a present Cure, joyfully did. 9. Then Jefus, looking about upon the People, and directing himself to the Pharifees, faid, I appeal to your felves; Judge ye, and declare in the prefence of this Congregation: Which do you think is the beft Service, and most acceptable to God? take the firft opportunity of doing a to Work Work of Mercy and Charity; or to neglect it on pretence of keeping the Sabbath more ftrictly? 10. To which Queftion, when the Pharifees were afhamed to give any Anfwer; Jefus in great Indignation at their obftinate Malice and Hypocrify, bad the Man ftretch forth his Hand; which as foon as he had done, it returned to its perfect strength and foundnefs in an inftant. 11. Whereupon the Pharifees falling into the utmoft Rage, and refolving to deftroy Jefus by any means whatfoever, went out and confulted among themfelves, how they might moft certainly procure his Death, 12. But to return to the History of Jesus's chufing and inftructing his Disciples. After had believed many on him, and become his conftant Followers, he retired one Evening to the Top of a Hill where he spent the whole Night in Meditation and Prayer. 13. And the next Morning, calling all his Difciples together about him, he chofe out of them Twelve Men, whom he called Apoftles; appointing them to preach the Gofpel in his Lifetime, through all the Cities of Judæa; and defigning to fend them after his Refurrection, with an extraordinary Commiffion to establish the Christian Religion in the other Parts of the World. 14, 15, & 16. Now the Names of the twelve, were these ; 1. Simon Peter. 2. Andrew. 3. James. 4. John. |