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Cities of the Jews, teaching and inftructing the People, and confirming his Doctrine with Signs and Miracles.

2. The Report of which Miracles fpreading over all the Country, came alfo at length to the Ears of John the Baptift; whom Herod for his freedom in reproving his Faults, had shut up in Prison: But his Difciples were admitted to come to him in the Prifon, and they acquainted him with the Fame of Jefus's Miracles. Whereupon John fent two of them to Jefus :

3. And bad them ask him, Whe.ther He were indeed the expected Meffias, or whether they fhould look for another.

4. Jefus, upon their asking this Queftion, worked immediately feveral Miracles before their Face, and then bid them judge What he was by his Works; Go, faith he, and tell John what things ye have not only heard, but alfo feen with your Eyes.

5. Tell him that the Blind receive their Sight; that the Lame walk; that the Leprous Perfons are cleanfed; that the Deaf hear; that the Dead are raised; and that poor and meek, and humble Men, have the glad Tidings of Salvation preached unto them,

6. And blefled is he, whofoever fhall not be afhared of my Doctrine, or + difcouraged by any temporal Evils from obeying it.

he departed thence to teach and to preach

in their cities.

2 Now when John had heard in the pri fon the works of Chrift, he fent two of his difciples i

3 And faid unto him, Art thou he that fhould come, or do we look for another?

4 Jefus answered and faid unto them, Go and fhew John again those things which do hear ye and fee:

5 The blind receive their fight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.

6 And bleffed is

he whofeever shall

not be offended in

me.

*'Tis probable John did this, not fo much that he doubted himself of Chrift's being the Meffias, but to fatisfie his Difciples, who it seems had fome fmall æmulation against Jefus and his Difciples; as may be gathered from Matt, ix. 14.

Thus the word axavda evidently, Matt. xiii. 21.

fignifies in other places; and most 7 ¶ And

7 And as they departed, Jefus began to fay unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the Wilderness to fee? A reed shaken with the wind?

8 But what went ye out for to fee? A man cloathed in foft

raiment ? behold

7. With this Anfwer the Difciples returned to John. And when they were gone, Jefus took occafion to fpeak to the People concerning John; and he faid, What was it that ye went out into the Wilderness unto John to fee? I prefume it was not for nothing, and in mere trifling, that ye went out in fuch Multitudes.

8. What was it then, that ye went out to fee? Was it in expectation of feeing fome great Perfon, finely cloththey that wear fofted, and appearing in great delicacy and are in fplendor? No; The Wilderness was not a proper place, to expect fuch a Sight in.

cloathing, kings houfes.

9 But what went ye out for to fee? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more then a prophet.

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9. What then was it, that ye went out to fee? Was it in hopes to fee a Prophet? Yea verily, and a Prophet it was that ye did fee; and a much greater one too, than any of the Prophets that went before him.

10. For this was he, of whom the Prophet Malachi foretold, that he should be fent as a Fore-runner, to make ready the Way for the coming of the Meffias, and to prepare Mens Hearts for the Reception of the Gofpel.

11. Affuredly I tell you, that of all the Prophets and holy Men, that ever yet appeared upon the Face of the Earth, there never was any equal to John the Baptift; nevertheless, the meanest Preacher of the Gofpel in the Kingdom of the Meffiah, has a greater and more excellent Office and Ministry than he.

12. 'Twas John the Baptift that first declared openly the coming of the Meffiah, and preached publickly God's Defign of accepting Repentance as the Condition of the Gofpel-Salvation:

And from that time forwards all forts of People, not only Jews but even Gentiles alfo, and Publicans, and the greatest Sinners, have preffed in to hear this gracious Doctrine, and to accept the Terms of Repentance and Forgiveness.

13. For till the time of fohn, Men had only the Guidance and Direction of the Law and the Prophets; but fince that time, the Gofpel hath been begun to be published to the World.

14. And if ye will bear that I fhould tell you the Truth, this John is the Perfon whom the Prophets foretold fhould appear in the Power and Spirit of Elias, to prepare the Way for the coming of the Meffiah.

15. Whoever is defirous or willing to be taught and inftructed, let him obferve what I fay.

16. But the Men of this Generation are perverse and obftinate; and whatever we fay or do, they will be fure to interpret crofly and perverfely. No Arguments can perfuade them to hearken to Inftruction, and no manner of Behaviour can remove their Prejudices against us: But they are just like Children in a froward and peevish Humour.

17. For as Children in fuch an humour, do every thing juft contrary to what their Companions defire and expect; If others laugh and play, they will be fad and fullen; if others be forrowful, they will laugh and mock: Even fo the Men of this Generation cannot be worked upon either by one way of Teaching, or another.

18. For John the Baptift, when he came to preach to them, came folitary

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in the Wilderness, with great Aufterity and Severity of Life, with Fafting and Abftinence, with Mortification and Self-denial: And they faid, he is mad,

and hath a Devil.

19. On the contrary, Chrift comes to them without this Aufterity, in a freer way of Converfation: And they call him a loose Perfon, a Glutton and a Wine-drinker, and a Companion of the worst of Men. But when the perverseness of Men has faid and done all that it can, Wisdom will still vindicate it felf and appear to be Wisdom, in whomfoever it be found, and in what manner foever it be exercised.

20. Then began Jefus to upbraid the Cities wherein he had worked moft of his Miracles, for their invincible

Obftinacy and Malice; that though he had taught them fuch excellent Doctrine, and proved his Authority by fuch undeniable Miracles, yet they could not be perfuaded to repent.

the

21. And he faid, Wo unto you Inhabitants of Chorazin and Bethfaida : For if God had vouchfafed to Tyre and Sidon the fame Demonftrations of his Power, and the fame Offers of his Mercy, that he has graciously been pleased to make unto you; they might long fince have repented in all Humility.

22. Therefore I tell you, the Punishment of the Inhabitants of Tyre and which fhall be inflicted upon you in the Sidon, fhall be more tolerable than that Day of Vengeance: Because ye have withstood greater Convictions, and rejected the Offers of greater Mercy.

23. And thou Capernaum, which art now fo great, and flourishing, and proud a City; fhalt be utterly destroyed and brought to nothing. For if God

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God had done the fame wonderful things in Sodom, that he has done in thee; it might have repented, and have escaped that dreadful Vengeance which fell upon it.

24. Therefore the Overthrow of Sodom fhall appear to have been more tolerable, than that dreadful Deftruction which fhall be inflicted on the Inhabitants of Capernaum in the Day of Vengeance.

25. After these things, Jefus prayed, and faid: I return thee Thanks and Praife, O Father, the Almighty Creator and All-wife Governour of the World; for that in the infinite Wifdom of thy Divine Providence thou haft fo ordered the Difpenfations of thy Mercy, that the Myfteries of the Gofpel, and the Means of attaining eternal Happiness, are not so much understood and embraced by the cunning, politick, and proud Men of this World, as by the modeft and humble and meek.

and

26. Moft juftly, O Father, haft thou fo difpofed things: For thus it became infinite Goodness and Juftice to do; and thus it seemed good to the eternal Wisdom of thy All-feeing Providence. 27. Jefus added moreover, faid: The whole difpofal of all things relating to the Salvation of Men, is now committed to me by God the Father. And as no one understandeth the nature of this Oeconomy, but God the Father who has fent the Son into the World; fo no Man can understand in what manner God the Father will be worshipped and obeyed, but the Son to whom he has committed the Discovery of his Will, and they to whom the Son fhall reveal that Difcovery.

be

to

heaven, fhalt
brought down
hell: for if the migh-
ty works which
have been done in

thee, had been done in Sodom, it would

have remained untill this day:

24 But I fay untd you, that it fhall be

more tolerable for the land of Sodom, in the day of judgment, then for thee.

25 At that time Jefus answered and faid, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou haft hid

these things from the wife and prudent, and haft revealed them unto babes.

26 Even fo Fa

ther, for so it seemed good in thy fight.

27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no

man knoweth the Son but the Fathers neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him,

28 Com:

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