his fame spread abroad throughout all the region round about Galilee.

And forthwith, when they were come out of the synagogue, 29 they entered into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. But Simon's wife's mother lay sick of a fever; and 30 anon they tell him of her. And he came and took her by the 31 hand, and lifted her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them. And at even, when the sun did 32

set, they brought unto him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils. And all the city was gathered to- 33 gether at the door. And he healed many that were sick of 34 divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him. And in the morn- 35

ing, rising up a great while before day, he went out and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. And Simon, 36 and they that were with him, followed after him. And when 37they had found him, they said unto him, All men seek for thee. And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I 38 may preach there also: for therefore came I forth. And he 39

cated to them have never ceased to vibrate on the human soul. Jesus has vindicated his right to teach and command us, by doing the works which no man could do, except God were with him, as well as by speaking the words of the Father.

29-34. See on Mat. viii. 14-17. 32. At even, when the sun did set. Was set. It was the Sabbath, verse 21. The Jewish day ended at sunset, and accordingly after that hour, they would not be guilty of violating the Sabbath by bringing the sick. Devils, in this connexion, should always be rendered demons. No Jew supposed any one was possessed with devils, in our sense of that word, but with demons, the spirits of bad men— a superstition which corresponds to the belief in witchcraft and ghosts of modern times.

34. To speak, because they knew him. Margin reads, to say that they knew him. It was not yet time for

his Messiahship to be proclaimed. To set up such a claim now, would equally embarrass his ministry, with the officiousness of aspiring friends, and the hate of exasperated enemies.

35-38. Departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. Luke iv. 42, 43. We have a glimpse here into the more retired hours of our blessed Saviour, when the crowds had withdrawn, and diseases no longer vanished at his touch. While his habits of private devotion reveal to us the lustre of his piety, they indirectly recommend to us the imitation of his delightful example. If his pure spirit required prayer, and thirsted for communion with God, can it be viewed as any thing short of folly or madness in us, so imperfect and sinful as we are, to reject the high exercises of devotion, and never, or but rarely, address our Father in heaven? For therefore came I forth. The object

40

preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils.

And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst 41 make me clean. And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou 42 clean. And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy 43 departed from him, and he was cleansed. And he straitly 44 charged him, and forthwith sent him away; and saith unto him,

See thou say nothing to any man; but go thy way, show thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which 45 Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. But he went out, and began to publish it much, and to blaze abroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city, but was without in desert places: and they came to him from every quarter.

CHAPTER II.

The Paralytic. Conversations of Jesus.

AND again he entered into Capernaum, after some days; and 2 it was noised that he was in the house. And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached 3 the word unto them. And they come unto him, bringing one 4 sick of the palsy, which was borne of four. And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let

down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay. When Jesus 5 saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. But there were certain of the scribes sitting 6 there, and reasoning in their hearts, Why doth this man thus 7 speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only? And 8 immediately, when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts? Whether is it easier to say to the 9 sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk? But that ye may know that the 10 Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, 11 and go thy way into thy house. And immediately he arose, 12 took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.

And he went forth again by the sea-side; and all the multi- 13 tude resorted unto him, and he taught them. And as he passed 14 by, he saw Levi the son of Alpheus, sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him. And it came to pass, that as Jesus sat at meat in 15 his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples; for there were many, and they followed him. And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with 16 publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners? When 17 Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole, have

They brought the sick man on a litter, and, finding it impossible to approach Jesus below, they went up by the stairs, usually placed in the gateway of the house, to the flat roof. They then rolled back the awning, which was spread over the court, and which is called the roof in the text, and broke up, or removed, a part of the balustrade, or parapet, and let down the couch, by the tiling, directly into the midst of the place where Jesus was teaching. Their perfect

confidence in his healing power was thus most strikingly manifested.

10. Power on earth to forgive sins. The same power which God had delegated to his Son, was also given to the apostles. Mat. xvi. 19, xviii. 18; John xx. 23.

14. Levi, supposed to be the same as Matthew, for two names were not uncommon among the Jews.

15-22. See notes on Mat. ix. 10 –17.

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no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.

And the disciples of John, and of the Pharisees, used to fast: and they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John, 19 and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not? And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bride-chamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom 20 with them, they cannot fast. But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they 21 fast in those days. No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an

old garment: else the new piece that filled it up, taketh away from 22 the old, and the rent is made worse. And no man putteth new

23

wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred but new wine must be put into new bottles.

And it came to pass, that he went through the cornfields on the Sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck 24 the ears of corn. And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, 25 why do they on the Sabbath day that which is not lawful? And

he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was a hungered, he and they that were with 26 him? how he went into the house of God, in the days of Abiathar the high-priest, and did eat the show-bread, which is not lawful to eat, but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with 27 him? And he said unto them, The Sabbath was made for man, 28 and not man for the Sabbath: therefore, the Son of man is Lord

also of the Sabbath.

17. To repentance. These words are generally regarded as spurious. 21, 22. New cloth on an old garment - new wine into old bottles. Expressions to denote great incongruity and unfitness.

23-28. See Mat. xii. 1-8, and the notes.

23. The ears of corn. The heads of grain.

26. In the days of Abiathar the high priest. From I Sam. xxi. 1, 2, 8, we infer, that the chief actor in the scene with David was not Abiathar, but his

father, Ahimelech. Various modes have been resorted to for the explanation of this difficulty. It is sufficient to say, that the event in question did in fact occur in the days of Abiathar, who was afterwards, if he was not then, high-priest; and that his name may have been mentioned rather than that of Ahimelech, as being more famous. 1 Sam. xxii. 20, 21, 22, xxiii. 6.

27. The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. The institutions, and means, and influ

CHAPTER III.

Miracles of Jesus, and his Choice of the Twelve.

AND he entered again into the synagogue; and there was ́ a

man there which had a withered hand.

And they watched him, 2 whether he would heal him on the Sabbath day; that they might accuse him. And he saith unto the man which had the withered 3 hand, Stand forth. And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do 4 good on the Sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace. And when he had looked round 5 about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thy hand.