young Man lay without Motion and fenfelefs, so that many of the Standersby thought he was dead. 27. But Jefus taking him by the Hand, raised him up; and he recovered perfectly. 28. The Disciples all this while held their Peace, being afraid to give Jefus occafion of rebuking them again in the Prefence of the Multitude for their want of Faith. But when they were retired alone with him into a Houfe, then they asked him privately, what the Reason was, that they were not able to work this Miracle, as they had done many others. 29. Jefus faid; 'Twas for want of fufficient Faith, accompanied with Fafting and earneft Prayer to God. For there are fome fort of Miracles, faith he, fuch as this of cafting out Devils, which ye cannot attain Power of effecting, but by an extraordinary Degree of Faith, with fervent and affectionate Prayer, put up by a pure Mind, and with a Devotion raised and exalted by fasting. a 30. After this, Jefus refolving to go into Judea, went with his Difciples by private Ways through Galilee; defiring to conceal himself in the Journey, that he might not be detained from arriving at Jerufalem by his appointed time; and alfo that he might have Opportunity to give his Difciples fome private Inftruction. 31. For, faith he to his Difciples, it is pofitively determined by the Will of God, that I must be delivered into my Enemies Power; and they fhall abuse me, and condemn me, what he meant by dying and rifing again; and they were afhamed to ask him any more about it. * 33. Only in general they thought, that after a little longer continuing in a State of Obfcurity and Humiliation, Jefus fhould manifeft himfelf to be the Meffiah, (according to the Prejudices they had entertained concerning him,) with great Temporal Power and Glory. And upon this Occafion they fell into a Contention among themselves on the Road, debating which of them fhould have the Preheminence and be efteemed greater. than the reft, when their Mafter came to manifeft himfelf in that glorious Kingdom. Which weak and vain Contention of theirs, Jefus took no Notice of in the Way; But when he was come to his own Houfe at Capernaum, he called them to him and asked them what they had been difputing about upon the Road. Erafmus's Conjecture is here not improbable, that this Con. tention might arise between those Three Difciples on the one hand, to whom Jefus feemed now to give fome Preheminence, by admitting them to a more private Intimacy with him than the rest, ver. 2. and ch. v. ver. 37: And thofe on the other hand, who were their Superiours in Age, or nearer of Kin to Jefus. 34. The Disciples, afhamed to own that they had difputed about Precedenheld their Peace. cy, 35. Then Jefus, fitting down and bidding them all ftand about him and attend, faid: Ye are greatly mistaken, if ye think the Kingdom of the Meffiab will be like the Kingdoms of this prefent World, where every Man ftrives for Honour and Precedence. No; In my Kingdom they only, who are most humble and modeft, fhall be accounted the Greateft: And Dignity fhall not be measured by Temporal Honours and Advantages, but by Mens Humility and Diligence in labouring to serve and to do Good to all. 36. And that this Doctrine might make the ftronger Impreffion upon them, he gave them a fenfible Emblem or Representation of it, by calling to him a little Child, which he took up in his Arms and embraced, and fetting it down before them, he faid: 37. They who defire to be greatest in the Kingdom of God, must be, like this little Child, free from Pride, Contentioufnefs, and all Ambition. Such Perfons as these only, are true and fincere Teachers of the Gospel; And whofoever receives Them and their Doctrine, fhall be efteemed to have entertained me, which is the fame thing as receiving and obeying the Commandments of God himself. 38. Upon Occafion of this Difcourfe, John told Jefus, faying: Mafter, we faw a Man fometime fince, cafting out Devils in your Name, who was neither one of the Twelve, nor nor of the Seventy whom you fent out to preach, neither had he ever followed you in our Company. Being jealous therefore of your Honour, we forbad him to make ufe of your Name any more, because he belonged not to us. Did we well in forbidding him, or no? 39. Jefus faid, No; ye ought not to difcourage any one, whom ye find promoting the Doctrine of the Gofpel. For though perhaps he has not the fame Knowledge of me, that you have; yet, to be fure, he has fome Refpect and Honour for me: For it can hardly be, that one who cafts out Devils in my Name, will speak evil of that Name by which he works his Miracles. 40. And if he has any manner of Refpect for me; though it be not fo much as to make him joyn with you in following me; nay, though it were no more than fuch only as prevented him from expofing and hindring you; he ought to be encouraged, and to be look'd upon as of our Side. 41. For there is nothing fo fmall, which any Man does for the Service of God and promoting his Truth, but fhall certainly have a proportionable Recompenfe. God not only rewards the great and eminent Performances of his beft and most faithful Servants; but even every the leaft Service that is done to Religion, and every the leaft Expreffion of Kindnefs that is made to those who labour in that Work, fhall most certainly be rewarded. * Probably it was one of John Baptiff's Difciples, and who had fome knowledge of Chrift. 42 And 42 And whofoever fhall offend one of thefe little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a milftone were hanged about his neck, and he were caft into the fea. 43 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, then having two hands, to go into hell, into the fire that never fhall be quenched : 44 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 45 And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter half in to life, then having two feet, to be caft into hell, into the fire that never fhall be quenched: 46 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire not quenched. thee, 47 And if thine eye offend pluck it out; it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one then having two eyes to be caft 48 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is quenched. eye, into hell fire: not 42. And on the contrary, whofoever by Any Means hinders or dif courages any the meaneft of God's Servants, either from performing their own Duty, or from propagating the Truth among others; God will fo feverely punish him, that it had been better for him not to have been born at all, or to have perifhed early by fome untimely Death. 43, 44, 45, 46, 47 & 48. It may perhaps feem very hard for a Man to avoid all the Ways of falling under this Guilt, and becoming liable to this Punishment. 'Tis poffible it may fo happen, that he can by no Means do it without incurring fome great Difficulties, or denying himself some of the greatest Satisfactions of Life. But if the Cafe be fo, he had better chufe to forfake any Pleafure, or fuffer any temporal Inconvenience whatfoever, than fall under the utmoft Difpleasure of God. 'Tis poffible alfo that you may be tempted not only to difcourage others, but even to apoftatize from the Truth your felves, by fome Perfon or Thing that is very dear to you; fo that perhaps you cannot perfevere in the Profeffion and Practice of true Religion, without forfaking fome Friend, or parting with something as dear to you as any Mem ber of your own Body. But when the Cafe is thus; as Men chufe to lofe a Hand, or a Foot, or an Eye, if there be no other Way of preferving their Life; fo ought you readily to forfake any Friend, and part with any Thing, though never fo dear to you, rather than fall under the laft Severity of the Divine Vengeance, and be caft into that Place of Torment, where there VOL. I. U will |