Page images
PDF
EPUB

Certainly this Man muft be the
Meffiah.

24. But the Pharifees, who were hardened against all Conviction, when they heard the People thus talk, faid within themfelves: No; This Man, who is a breaker of Sabbaths and a defpifer of our Traditions, cannot act by Divine Power and Authority; but it must be by Confederacy with the Prince of the Devils, that he thus cafteth out Devils.

25. But Jefus knowing their Thoughts, faid; With what perverfenefs do you now reafon among your felves! For whatever is done by Confederacy with evil Spirits, must be fomething that promotes the Interest of Evil Spirits and the caufe of Wickednefs, and not any thing directly contrary thereto Unless you will imagin that any Kingdom or Society, can be fupported by Quarrels and Divifions within it felf.

26. If therefore cafting out Devils, and that in Confirmation of a Doctrine directly contrary to the Intereft of evil Spirits, be a thing not to be done by Confederacy with thofe Evil Spirits; then nothing can be more abfurdly malicious, than this your Accufation of

[merged small][merged small][ocr errors]

zed, and faid, Is not this the fon of David?

24 But when the Pharifees heard it, doth not caft out dethey faid, This fellow vils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.

25 And Jefus knew their thoughts, and faid unto them, Every kingdom divided against it felf, is brought to defolaon and every city

or houfe divided againt it felf, fhall not ftand.

26 And if Satan caft out Satan, he is divided against him

his kingdom fland?

felf; how fhall then

27 And if I by Beelzebub caft out devils, by whom do your children caft

them out? therefore they fhall be your judges.

28 But

28 But if I caft out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God

is come unto you.

29 Or elfe, how

can one enter into a

ftrong mans houfe, and fpoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.

30 He that is not with me, is against me: and he that gathereth not with me, fcattereth abroad.

needs acknowledge that I caft out Devils by a Divine Power.

28. And now if the thing it self be apparent, and ye cannot without extream Unreasonablenefs and the utmoft degree of Malice deny it, that what I do is by the immediate Power of God; then here is a convincing Proof, that I am truly fent from God, that I act by his Commiffion, and that the Doctrine which I preach is for the eftablishment of his Kingdom.

29. For as one's entring into a strong Man's House, and forcibly difpoffeffing him of his Goods, is an evident Proof, that he who fo enters, is ftronger and comes with greater Authority than he that had the firft Poffeffion: So my breaking the Power of Devils, by cafting them out of the Bodies, and deftroying their Dominion over the Minds of Men, is an undeniable Demonftration of my being fent by a Power and Authority greater than theirs.

30. When two great Powers are at irreconcilable Enmity against each other, even he that only forbears joining with one fide, is thereby reputed to be against it: * How much more therefore ought I, who have actually done fo many things towards deftroying the Power and Kingdom of the Devil, to be believed to act really in oppofition to him? And he that fhall not joyn with me in this great Work, shall be look'd upon to be against me.

** This Verse being capable of two Senfes, whereof it is not eafie to determine which was principally intended by our Saviour, I have endeavoured in the Paraphrafe to exprefs both.

[blocks in formation]

31. Since therefore 'tis as evident as is poffible, that the Works which I do, are by the Authority of God, and by the Power of his holy Spirit; I tell you, whofoever fhall refift this Conviction, by fuch a degree of Malice as afcribing these Works to the Power of the Devil, God will not afford to fuch a Man any further Conviction fo that though all other Sins and Blafphemies whatfoever may be repented of and forgiven, yet he that shall be guilty of this, fhall never have granted him any further means of Repentance and Forgiveness.

;

32. All other Sins, I fay, may be forgiven: Even he that fpeaks against me, and is not convinced by my preaching, may yet afterwards be convinced by the Power of the Holy Ghost, and repent and be forgiven. But he that fhall obftinately refift this laft Means of Conviction, which God has thought fit to make ufe of for the Converfion of Mankind, and fhall maliciously revile the most evident Operations of the Spirit of God; fuch a one has no further Means left, by which he might be convinced and brought to Repentance, and confequently he can never be forgiven.

33. In vain do ye Pharifees pretend to Holinefs and Sincerity of Heart, while ye fuffer your Mouths to utter fuch Blafphemies. For as a Tree is known by its Fruit, fo a Man's Words are Signs of the Difpofition of his Heart. Either therefore forbear Blafpheming, or elfe pretend not to Religion at all, with which fuch Behaviour is utterly inconfiftent,

34. But indeed it is impoffible ye fhould fpeak otherwife than Evil. For

[blocks in formation]

can ye, being evil, fpeak good things?

for out of the a-
bundance of the
heart the mouth

speaketh.
35 A good man
out of the good
treasure of the
heart, bringeth
forth good things:
and an evil man
out of the evil trea-
fure, bringeth forth
evil things.

36 But I fay un-
to you, That every
idle word that men
fhall fpeak, they
fhall give account
thereof in the day of
judgment.
37 For by thy
words thou shalt be.
justified, and by thy
words thou fhalt be
condemned.

ye are a perverfe and malicious Generation of Men, and the Thoughts of Mens Hearts will difcover themselves by their Words.

35. A good Man, whofe Thoughts and Defigns are good, will utter good Things: And a wicked Man, whofe Thoughts and Defigns are wicked, will utter evil Things.

36. And do not think that Mens Words are a light thing, and pass unheeded in the fight of God. I tell you, there is no falfity or evil Word, that a Man fpeaks, fo trivial, which fhall not be examined and have its regard in the exactnefs of the Divine Judgment; how much more fhall Revilings and Blafphemies be accounted for?

37. For not only by Mens Actions, but alfo by their Words, fhall their State be determined; and Judgment accordingly be paffed upon them.

38. Then fome of the Jewish Doctors and Pharifees fpake to Jefus, faying; Mafter, we are not fatisfied with the Works you have yet done; we defire would call for fome miraculous

Sign from Heaven, which may demonftrate you to be fent from God, and to act by his Power and Commiffion.

38 Then certain of the Scribes and of the Pharifees anfwered, you faying, Mafter, we would fee a fign from thee. 39 But he anfwered and faid to them, An evil and adulterous generation feeketh after a fign, and there fhall no fign be given to it, but the fign of the prophet Jonas.

won

39. But Jefus knowing their Obstinacy and Malice, anfwered them thus. Ye are a perverfe and degenerate Generation of Men: I have already worked many and great Miracles, and ye believe me not; I have done many derful Works in your Sight here on Earth, and now nothing will fatisfy you but a Sign from Heaven. I tell you, God will not vouchfafe any more Signs to this Generation: but only one fuch Sign as was that of the Prophet Jonas, to render them inexcufable.

40. For

40. For as Jonas, after having been three Days buried in the Sea in the Belly of the Whale, was caft up again alive: So Chrift, after he fhall be killed and buried in the Earth, fhall on the third Day be raised again.

;

41. And then this Generation fhall, by being compared with the People of Nineveh, appear to be moft juftly condemned to utter Deftruction. For when the Men of Nineveh were preach'd to by Jonas, who was a Stranger, and but a mean Perfon who continued among them but three Days, and worked no Miracles to confirm his Miffion; they yet hearkened to him and repented. But this Generation, though they have Chrift himself fent to preach. to them; though they hear his Doctrine, and fee his Miracles; though they wonder at the Authority and Plainness with which he teaches, and are aftonished at the Power by which he acts; yet they are not by all these things brought to Repentance.

42. Again, this Generation fhall, by being compared with the Queen of Sheba, appear to be moft juftly condemned and deftroyed. For the having heard afar off the Fame of Solomon's Wifdom, took a very long Journey to go and fee and admire it: But the Men of this Generation, having a Teacher of far greater Wisdom and Knowledge, offering himself to instruct them in their own Streets, yet defpife and reject him.

منع

43 44 45. I will tell you & therefore by an eafie Similitude, what

fhall be the Cafe of the Men of this Generation, and how they fhall be dealt with. As an evil Spirit, when he is caft out of a Man, wandreth through the World, and not meeting with En

40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whales belly; fo fhall the fon of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

41 The men of Nineveh fhall rife in judgment with this generation, and

fhall condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonas, and behold, a greater than Jonas is here.

42

The

queen

of

the fouth fhall rife up in the judgment with this generati

on, and fhall condemn it: for the came from the uttermoft parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, a greater then Solomon is here.

43 When the unclean fpirit is gone

out of a man, he walketh through dry places, feeking and findeth

reft,

none.

44 Then

« PreviousContinue »