[There is no injunction upon you to conceal this matter from the world : you are rather commanded to make it known to all around you. He said to the demoniac, " Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on theem." And thus also he says to you. Not that spiritual blessings should be a subject of ostentatious boasting11; but it never can be wrong to comply with that ardent exhortation of the Psalmist0 — or to perform that very duty, for the promoting of which the mercy was vouchsafed p. Let every one then adopt the language of the blessed virgin q — but let there be also a conscientious regard to the commands of Jesus. Whether we see the rea- sons of them or not, we must punctually observe them. Thus will Christ eventually be magnified in our conduct, and sinners will be most effectually encouraged to flock unto him.]
m Mark v. 19. n Prov. xxv. 27. and xxvii. 2.
0 Ps. cv. 1 — 3. p 1 Pet. ii. 9. i Luke i. 46 — 48.
-
Mark ii. 8 — 12. And immediately n-lten Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts ? Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be for- given thee ; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and ivalk ? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath poiver on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take tip thy bed, and go thy tvay into thine house. And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.
WE cannot wonder that such multitudes attended the ministry of our Lord, or that his occasional retire- ments from labour were so often interrupted. But it is indeed astonishing that so many should continue hostile to so benevolent a person; and that he should persist in doing good, when his words and actions were so constantly perverted, and made grounds of accusation against him. Having retired to a house in Capernaum, he was soon encompassed with a crowd: amongst them were many Scribes and Pharisees who