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Come unto me all ye that labour, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

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28. Come therefore unto me, ye that are weary of the flavery of Sin, and defirous to know how to be reconciled to God. Come unto me, ye that are weary of tedious Rites and burdenfom Ceremonies, and I will teach you the moft eafie and acceptable way of serving God.

29. Take upon you my Religion, and become my Difciples. I will teach and inftruct you, not in the ways of Pride, Haughtiness, and Cruelty; but in Meeknefs, Gentlenefs, and Mercy. And I will change a heavy and burdenfom Service, to fuch a reasonable Obedience, as every good Man must approve and rejoice in.

30. For my Religion is eafie and good; and the Commandments of the Gospel are by no means grievous.

CHAP. XII.

The Difciples plucking and eating Corn on the Sabbath-day vindicated, ver. I. A withered Hand healed, ver. 9. A blind and dumb Man healed, ver. 22. Blafphemy against the Holy Ghost, ver. 31. Hypocrifie of the Pharifees, ver. 33. Their unreasonableness in asking a Sign from Heaven, ver. 38. Obedience the chief thing respected by Christ, ver.46.

AT that time Jefus went on the Sabbath-day through the corn, and his difciples

were an

hun

I.

A Bout this time it hapned that

Jefus walked through the Cornfields on the Sabbath-day with his Difciples. And as they were going, the Difciples being hungry, and knowing what they were permitted by the Law

*

* When thou comeft into the flanding Corn of thy neighbours, then thou maift pluck the ears with thine hand, Deut, xxiii. 25.

VOL. I.

F

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3. Jefus answered, faying; God never defigned by any pofitive Conftitutions, fuch as the frict Judaical obfervation of the Sabbath, and the like, to put fuch Difficulties upon Men, as to hinder them from doing things abfolutely neceffary. For have ye not read how David behaved himself in a like Cafe?

4. Do ye not remember, how when he was hungry in a Journey, the Priest (1 Sam. xxi. 6.) gave him confecrated Shew-bread out of the Tabernacle, which in ftrictness none but the Priests were allowed to eat; and both David and they that were with him, eat of it? Now if David be no where blamed for doing this, why do ye reproach my Difciples for doing fo fmall a thing, as plucking and eating a few Ears of Corn on the Sabbath-day?

5. Again, Do you not remember how the Priefts are by the Law appointed to do feveral forts of Works in the Temple upon the Sabbath-day, and yet they are no where accufed for breaking the Sabbath in fo doing?

6. You will fay perhaps, this was a Cafe excepted, becaufe in this Cafe the Priests were employed in the Temple, and about the Service of God, by God's own exprefs Command. Very true; And if fo, then the Business of

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9 And when he was departed thence, he went into their fynagogue.

10 And behold there was a man which had his hand

Mens Salvation, which my Difciples are
going upon, and my Prefence, and my
Permiffion, will much more excufe them
in this fmaller Inftance.

7. But befides; fince God every
where declares, that he prefers Works
of Righteoufnefs and Charity, before
Sacrifices and the exacteft performance
of all pofitive Laws and outward Cere-
monies; ye have no reafon to accufe
my Difciples, for being fo intent upon
Works of greater Importance, as not
to have made provifion for a strict
Obfervation of the Sabbath in its Pha-
rifaical and utmost Rigour.

8. Efpecially it being evident of the Sabbath in particular, that having been inftituted for the ufe and relief of Man, and not to be a hindrance to him in the performance of Moral Duties; it may in Cafes of neceffity be difpenfed with by any Man, and much more have its Rigour relaxed by † me.

9. On another Sabbath-day, Je- *See Luke fus entred into the Synagogue; and then vi. 6. there offered it felf an occafion of confirming the fame Doctrine by a Miracle in the Synagogue, which he had before preached in the Fields.

10. For there happened to be in the Synagogue a Man having a withered withered: and they for fomewhat whereof they might Hand; And the Jews ftill watching

++ Since on the one hand the Phrafe Son of Man cannot without harshness be understood of any other than Chrift; and since on the other hand fome Expofitors not without great Arguments, (and especially from the parallel place, Mark ii. 27.) conceive it in this Paffage to mean only Man in general; I have therefore endeavoured In the Paraphrafe to exprefs both Senfes.

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74

accufe Jefus, obferved him and asked
whether he would think it lawful to
heal the Man on the Sabbath-day.

11. But Jefus faid to them, Who is
there among you so strict and scrupu-
lous an Obferver of the Sabbath, as
that if but a Beaft of his fhould by
any Accident come in danger of its Life,
or of any great Mifchief, he would not
immediately relieve it, though it were
on the Sabbath-day?

12. If then the fear of the lofs of
a Beast, be accounted by you a fuffici-
ent Excufe for breaking the Sabbath;
how much more ought an act of Chari-
ty towards a Man, to be preferred
before all ceremonious Obfervances
So that, even your felves being Judges,
it is lawful to do Acts of Righteouf-
nefs and Charity upon the Sabbath-
day.

13. Then Jefus bad the Man ftretch
out his Hand; and its Strength imme-
diately returned to it, and it became

found as the other.

14. Upon this, the Pharifees went out; and being filled with Rage and Indignation against Jefus, they confulted among themselves how they might deftroy him.

15. But Jefus knowing their Defigns, and because his Time of Suffering was not yet come, retreated from thence with his Difciples into a private Place. Nevertheless the Multitude, difcovering whither he went, followed him; and he healed all their Diseases and Infirmities.

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13 Then faith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand:

and he ftretched it forth, and it was reftored whole, like as the other.

14 Then the Pharifees went out,

and held a counsel a

gainst him,how they might destroy him.

15 But when Jefus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all,

vi. 8.

By their days, their mutterings one to another. Luke

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17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Efaias the prophet, faying, 18 Behold, my fervant whom I have chofen, my beloved in whom my foul is well pleased: I will put my fpirit upon him, and he fhall fhew judgment to the Gentiles.

19 He fhall not ftrive, nor cry, neither fhall any man hear his voice in the

ftreets.

20 A bruifed reed fhall he not break, and fmoaking flax fhall he not quench, till he fend forth judgment unto victory.

21 And in his name fhall the Gentiles truft.

22 Then was brought unto him one poffeffed with a devil, blind and dumb and he healed him, infomuch that the blind and dumb both spake

and faw.

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16. Yet because he was not willing to make any more Disturbance, and to enter into more Contentions with the Pharifees; but defired to difcharge his Office quietly, and to heal and do good to all Men without much noise; therefore he commanded the People not to make him known.

17. And thus was fulfilled that Prophecy of Efaias (Ifai. xlii, 1.)

18. Behold, my fervant, whom I have chofen; my beloved, in whom my Soul is well pleafed. I will put my Spirit upon him; and he shall preach true Religion, not only to the People of Ifrael, but to the Gentiles alfo.

19. And this he fhall do in all Meeknefs, Gentlenefs, and Humility; without Contention and Noife, without Tumult and Disturbance.

20. He shall not with rigour and feverity deftroy thofe that are weak and fallen, but shall with mercy and gentle nefs recover and reform them; till by his meekness and goodness he shall cause true Religion to be spread triumphantly over all the World, and be established for

ever.

21. Infomuch that even the Gentile World fhall be converted by his Doctrine, and publickly profefs his Name and Religion.

22. After this, the People brought to Jefus a Man poffeffed with a Devil, and fo miferably afflicted, that he was deprived of the use both of his Eyes and his Tongue. And Jefus caft out the Devil, and healed the Man; and immediately he that had been blind and dumb, both spake and faw.

23. At which Miracle the People were exceedingly furprized, and faid; F 3

Cer

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