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this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even fuch mighty works are wrought by his hands?

3 Is not this the carpenter, the fon of Mary, the brother of James and Jofes, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his fifAnd they were of

ters here with us?

fended at him.

4 But Jefus faid unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his kin, and in his own house.

5 And he could there do no mighty works, fave that he laid his hands upon a few fick folk, and

healed them.

with which he deliver'd them, and at the Power by which he worked fuch Miracles to confirm the Truth of what he taught.

3. But, notwithstanding all this, the Meannefs of his Family and Education prejudiced them against him; So that they faid amongst themselves: He preaches indeed admirably, and he does wonderful Things; but we all know that his Father was a poor Tradefman, and his Mother and Kinsmen all mean Perfons, and fome of his nearest Relations live even yet in the Town with us; He cannot therefore be fuch an extraordinary Perfon, as he seems to be. And they were afhamed to follow him.

4. Then Jefus faid; A Prophet or Preacher of true Religion, is no where likely to be fo little esteemed, as in his own Country, among his own Kinfmen and Acquaintance, who know his Birth and Original, and are apt to judge of him, not by his real Excellencies and true Worth, but by outward and worldly Confiderations: by the Quality of his Family, and by the Circumftances of his Relations.

5. And for this Reafon Jefus in his divine Wisdom did not think fit to do fo many Miracles at Nazareth, as he had done in other Places; For the Unbelief of the People who knew him there, was fuch, that his working more Miracles, which they would certainly have rejected, would only have rend red them more inexcufable, and expofed himself to greater Envy and Hatred. He therefore only healed a few fick People, that had Faith to be healed; and fo departed.

6. And he wondred greatly at the Perverseness of their Judgment, in rejecting him upon fuch an unreasonable Prejudice as the Meannefs of his Parentage. However, when he went away, he preached in all the little Towns thereabouts, as he went through.

7. About this time, Jefus took afide his Twelve Apoftles; And having given them Inftructions what they fhould preach, and a Power of working even the greatest Miracles to confirm their Doctrine; he fent them out by two and two, to preach in the Cities of Judæa.

89. And in their Inftructions he commanded them, not to make any Provifion for their Journey, either of Bread, Money, or Cloaths; but to go just as they were; each Man *See Note with only the fame Staff, Shoes, on Mat. X. and Cloaths, which he then had; and to depend upon the Providence of God, in whofe Service they were employed, to raise them up Friends, and to provide for their Suftenance and Defence in the Way.

10.

10. He added moreover, and faid: When you firft enter a Town or City, go into any Family that is willing to entertain you, and well-difpofed to hear your Doctrine; and when you are once received into a House, continue in the fame, and fettle therein a lafting Friendship, without removing from one Lodging to another, till you depart out of that Town.

II. And if any Place be fo obftinate and wicked, that you can meet with no Entertainment there, nor find any Perfons who will attend to your Preaching and receive your Doctrine;

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trine; depart from thence; and, as you go away, fhake off the very Duft from your Feet, as a Proteftation against their Impenitence, and that you will have nothing more to do with them, but leave them to the righteous Judgment of God. Affuredly I tell you, the Deftruction which God will bring upon the Inhabitants of that Place in the Day of his Vengeance, fhall be more terrible than was the Overthrow of Sodom; because they reject clearer Declarations of the Will of God, and greater Means of Conviction, and Offers of greater and more lafting Happinefs.

12. With thefe Inftructions the

Apoftles went out to preach; And the Sum of what they taught and exhorted every where, was, that Men should forfake their Sins and reform their Lives.

13. And they proved their Divine Commiffion by undeniable Miracles; by cafting out Devils, and healing all forts of Diseases.

14. By this Means the Fame of Jefus grew every Day greater and greater; fo that at laft the Report of the mighty Works done by him and his Difciples, came to the Ears of King Herod: Who, confcious of his having flain John the Baptift, whom he believed to be a Prophet; presently fufpected that That good Man, whom he had unjustly beheaded, was by the Power of God restored to Life, and therefore manifefted himself in this extraordinary Manner.

15. And indeed, various were Peoples Conjectures concerning Jesus; VOL. I.

S

fome

fome thinking that he was Elias, whom Malachi had foretold fhould appear; others fancying that he was one of the old Prophets, raifed again from the Dead; and others, that he was a new Prophet, in Power and Dignity like to thofe of old.

16. But Herod, as I faid, whose Confcience terrified him for the unjuft Murder of John the Baptift, concluded that it muft needs be John rifen from the Dead, and appearing again.

17 & 18. For Herod had imprisoned John, and beheaded him in the Prifon. And the Occafion of his acting that Cruelty, was this. Herod having married Herodias, one that had before been his own Brother's Wife; was told by John, with great Plainnefs and Freedom, that the Thing was abfolutely unlawful.

19. Hereupon Herodias bore a conftant Grudge against John, and perfwaded Herod to put him in Prifon, but could not yet prevail upon him to put him to Death.

20. For Herod, though he could willingly enough have put John to Death, yet he was afraid to do it, because of the great Efteem and Authority which John's extraordinary Holine's had gained among the People. And befides, the Experience which he himself had of John's being a juft and good Man, had forced him to have fome kind of Respect and Veneration for him; fo that he would often, when he was in a good Humour, take Delight to hear him Difcourfe; and would frequently yield to do many things according to his Advice and Direction.

faid,

And others
That it is a prophet,
or as one of the pro-
phets.

16 But when Herod heard thereof, he faid, It is John whom I beheaded,

he is rifen from the dead.

17 ForHerod himfelf had fent forth, and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prifon for Herodias fake, his brother Philips wife; for he had married

her.

18 For John had faid unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brothers wife.

19 Therefore Herodias had a quar rel against him, and would have killed him, but fhe could

not.

20 For Herod fear

ed John, knowing
that he was a juft
man and an holy,
and obferved him;
and when he heard
him, he did many
him gladly.
things, and heard

on

Death.

21 And when a 21 & convenient day was come, that Herod his birth-day made a fupper to his lords, high captains, and chief eftates of Galilee :

22 And when the daughter of the faid Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod, and them that fat with him, the king faid unto the damfel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee.

23 And he fware unto her, Whatfoever thou fhalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my king.

dom.

24 And fhe went forth, and faid unto her mother, What fhall I ask? and the faid, The head of John the Baptift. 25 And the came in ftraightway with hafte unto the king, and asked, faying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger, the head of John the Baptift. 26 And the king was exceeding forry, yet for his oaths fake, and for their fakes which fat with

him, he would not reject her,

22. But at laft Herodias found the following Opportunity to prevail upon the King to put John to Herod having made a great Feaft upon his Birth-Day, at which all his Nobles, and the Officers of his Army, and the principal Men in his Kingdom were prefent; the Daughter of the faid Herodias came and danced before them, and pleafed the King and all his Guefts fo extreamly, that he promised to grant her whatever she would defire.

23. And to give her the more Affurance to ask what she would, he confirmed his Promise with a rash Oath, that he would certainly grant her whatever the defired, though it fhould coft

him half his Dominions.

24 & 25. Upon this, the young Woman went out to advife with her Mother, what she should ask of the King; and returning again in great hafte, fhe defired that he would prefent her with the Head of John the Baptift immediately.

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