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solicitous about their spiritual welfare as about the health of this mortal body? Almighty Physician! exert thine energy in this instance as a token of farther favours! Convince men of their pollution and danger, and bow their stubborn knee, that it may bend in submissive and importunate supplication!

Let the compassionate air with which this cure was wrought, be considered by all spiritual physicians as a lesson of condescension and tenderness; and let the modesty, with which it was conducted engage us to avoid every appearance of ostentation and vain glory.

To conclude; since Christ himself found it proper to retire into a desert place to pray, when crowds of admirers were flocking in upon him, let it teach those who are engaged in the scenes of public business and fill them up with the greatest applause, yet resolutely to command some seasons for retirement; as remembering, that the more various and im portant our public labours are, the more evidently do we need to draw down succour by ardent prayer, that we may be strengthened and prospered in them.

SECTION XXX.

MATT. IX. 2-8.-MARK II. 1-12.-LUKE V. 17-26. AND again he entered into Capernaum after some days, and it was noised that he was in the house. And straightway many were gathered together, inso much that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them. And it came to pass, on a certain day, as he was teaching, there were Pharisees, and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them. And behold, men came unto him, bringing a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed, which was borne of four. And they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him. And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, nor find by what way they might bring him in, because of the multitude, they went upon the house, top, uncovered the roof where he was, and when they had broken it up, they let him down through the

tiling with his couch, into the midst before Jesus. And when he saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, be of good cheer, thy sins are forgiven thee. And behold, certain of the Scribes and Pharisees sitting there began to reason within themselves, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies! Who can forgive sins but God alone? And immediately, when Jesus perceived in his spirit, that they so reasoned within themselves, knowing their thoughts, he, answering, said unto them, Why reason ye these things? Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? For whether is it easier, to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee, or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house. And immediately he rose up before them, and took up his bed, and went forth before them all, and departed to his own house, glorifying God, insomuch that when the multitude saw it, they marvelled, and were all amazed, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men, and were filled with fear, saying, We never saw it on this fashion, We have seen strange things to-day.

It is a pleasure to reflect upon it that Christ was attended by such vast numbers of people, and that they who were teachers of others should themselves sit down to hear him. But it is melancholy to reflect on the perverse purposes with which many of them came; and how few did, on the whole, receive his word into their hearts, so as to bring forth fruit unto perfection. Curiosity led some, and interest others; and some came to find occasion of hurting him whose whole business in life was to do good. Yet these low, these vile purposes did not prevent his preaching and working miracles before them, and being ready to exert his power for their benefit. Thus courageous and resolute let us be in the discharge of our duty; thus solicitous, that we may not be overcome of evil, but may (which, on the whole, is always in some degree practicable) overcome evil with good. Rom. xii. 21,

How industrious were the attendants and friends of this poor paralytic to obtain a cure for him! What contrivance, what labour did they use to find a proper opportunity to bring him in, and lay him before Jesus. Ought we not to be as tender and zealous in all the offices of the truest friendship; and to imitate, so far as suits the difference of circumstances, their importunate application and their lively faith?

Theirs had its praise and its reward. Our Lord said to this distempered person, Thy sins are forgiven thee. He pardoned all his iniquities, while he healed all his diseases. Ps. ciii. 3. This was a blessing that would render the cure yet incomparably more valuable; and this reviving declaration had the Son of God a power to add and to pronounce. The scribes and Pharisees, ignorant and prejudiced as they were, considered such a declaration as blasphemy. Their principle indeed was right, that God alone has power to forgive sins, and it is impious for men to claim it; but their application was evidently wrong. The miraculous effect plainly shewed the Divine authority of the blessed Jesus. And he has still the key of David; he openeth and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth. Rev. iii. 7. Almighty Saviour, may we each of us receive from thee forgiveness of our sins; and we will not complain though our sicknesses should not immediately be removed! Let us glorify God who has given this power to his Son; and thankfully acknowledge that we are ourselves, in many respects, the monuments both of his pardoning and healing mercy.

SECTION XXXI.

MATT. IX. 9-17.-MARK II. 13—22.—Luke v. 27-39. AND after these things he went forth again by the sea side, and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them. And as he passed forth from thence, he saw a publican, named Matthew or Levi, the son of Alpheus, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow me. And he left all, rose up, and followed him. And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: And it came to pass, that as Jesus sat at meat, behold, a great company of publicans and sinners came, and sat down also with him and his disciples, for there were many, and they followed him. But when the Scribes and

Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they murmured against his disciples, saying, Why eateth your Master, and why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners? But when Jesus heard that, he answering, said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: For I am not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.

And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast, and they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast often, and make prayers, but thy disciples fast not, but eat and drink. And Jesus said unto them, Can ye make the children of the bride-chamber fast and mourn, as long as the Bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. But the days will come, when the Bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days.

And he spake also a parable unto them: No man seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment; else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old garment, and the rent is made worse, and the piece that was taken out of the new, agreeth not with the old. And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine will burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles shall perish. But the new wine must be put into new bottles, and both are preserved. No man also having drunk old wine, straightway desireth new, for he saith, The old is better.

Let us view with humble wonder and pleasure this instance of the condescension and grace of the Redeemer in the call of Matthew; his condescension in calling to so near an attendance and so intimate a friendship, a man who was a publican, infamous as that employment was; and his grace, which could immediately inspire him with so firm a resolution of quitting all the profits of it, that he might reduce himself to circumstances of life as precarious as those of his divine

Master. Many, no doubt, censured him as a rash enthusiast, or a lunatic, rather than a sober convert; but he is even now reaping the abundant reward; his loss is gain, and his contempt glory.

There is no reason to wonder that Matthew should gladly embrace so proper an opportunity of introducing other publicans and sinners into the presence of that condescending Saviour, from whom, though he once was numbered among them, he had received grace and the apostleship. Let us with pleasure observe how ready our blessed Lord was to receive them. Surely, whatever offence the proud Pharisees might take on such an occasion, Jesus will appear peculiarly amiable in such a circle as this.

From the example of Christ, and the whole genius of his gospel, let us learn to make all proper allowances to those about us, that we may teach them, and train them up as they are able to bear it; not crushing them under any unnecessary load, nor denying them any indulgence which true friendship will permit us to grant them; lest the good ways of God should be misrepresented, disgraced, abandoned, through our imprudent, though well-meaning, severity; a caution to be peculiarly observed in our conduct towards young persons; and not to be forgotten with respect to those who, like the disciples here in question, are training up for the ministerial office.

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