Pe. wr/2 Lencration, | Chriſt here calls them nor fo, with reſpect to juſtiiving Fairh, bur char Fairh which reſpected the Divine Power, 2s to working Miracles, Every Revelation of the Divine Wilt is the Obje&t of Faith, Chriſt had revealed to the Fews that he was ſen of God, and furniſhed with fuch a Power : Tis the Jews, and particularly the Scribes, did nor believe. The Faith of rhe Father of this Child was bur very weak in the Cale; 19 more, as we 1h.ll ſee afterwards, was the Faith of the Diſciples ſo as he may be underſtood to relpctt them all, cho' in dittcrent Devrees. Ke calls chem Perverſe, becauſe they had fo otren teen, and experienced his Power of c:is Nature, yer their Fatth was not clear, and {tr-n35. He bidderh that rhe young Man thould be brought co him, and it was done. [ And when he ſaw him (taich Mah) Rraightray, the Spirit Fare Pim, Sc, Our Saviour could eaiily have preventcd this, bur probably he ſuffered it, that the liracle might be more evident. However it Jerrech us ſee how hardly the Devil perceth with his Poticfſion in us in any Degree, and how ready he is co run to the length of his Line in dowg us Miſchief. Chit acked bis Father, how long he had been ſo vexed ; his Ether tefls him from a Child. By this allo the Miracle was more Vluitrious, which probably was the rcaton why Chriſt pro- pounded the Queſtion. No Evils are to0 Invererare for Chriſt ro remove. Tae Father renewerh his Requeſt, and in it ſhewerh the Weaknels of his Faith, {If ſaith he, thou canſt do any thing, } his cominz to Chriſt, and crying to him, arguerh that he behev- ©d he could do ſomething; his Saying, If thou cans d any thing, {peaks the Weaknefs of his Faich. Chriſt cells him, [ If he could Lolieve, of! things ave poſſible.) Nothing tieth God's Hands bur his Creature: Unbelict. It is aid, Thar Chriſt could nor in Caper- 12m, d» 1.uny mighty Works, becauſe of their Unbelief. Upon this the Farher crics out, | Lord, T believe, help my Unielief. \ Men may truly believe, and yer have a Mixcure of Unbeliet. God re- wards a we.:b Ezith to Souls Jlabouring under the Senſe of their weakneſs, and detiring an Increaſe of Strength. Chriſt rebukes rhe Spirir (called a Dm and Deaf Spirit, becauſe it made the Perſon ſuch, thar was thus affected wich it) Chriſt commands the Spirit ovr, and 15 ro come our, as never mcre to enter into hum, The evil Spirit r2ars, renderth him, comes our, and leaveth him as one dead : Which ſtill confirmerh us in his Malice ro Mankind. He will do what Harm he can, when he cannot do us the Harm he
would.
19 Then came the diſciples to Jeſus apart, and
fiid, Why could not we caſt him out ? 20 And Jeſus ſaid unto them, Becauſe of you un- + Ch. 2r, beliet: for verily I fay unto you, * It ye have faith 21. as 4 grain of muſtard-ſeed, ye ſhall ſay unto this Mars 11 mountain, Remove hence to yonder place, and it ſhall
1% 15,4, remove; and nothing thall be unpoilible unto you. i Cor. 13 21 Howheit, thiskind gocth nor out but by pray- 2, cr aud faſting.
M:k repeats only what we have here, v. 19, 21. The Reaſon aſhened here by our Savior why his Ditciples could nor caſt out this Devil, was their Vnbelirf;, nor their rotal Want, burthe Weak- nels of their Frith, Chrift here again lets us fee the Power of Fiith, and the Milchiet of Unbelief. I rake the plain Senſe of the Text © be this, Thar rhere 15 nothing which may rend to the Glory ct Grd, cr ro Gur Good, but may be obtained of God by a firm Exercite of Faith jn him; wherher our Saviour here
TT HEM; flood not that S.1ying, and were afr.id to ah him, Lube ſaith, 1, 9. 44. he ſaid unto them, Let theſe Sayings finb down *::14 joy Eurs ;, for the Son 'f .*1.m fhall be delivered into the Hands « f Men, But they under'*008 rt this Saying, and it was hid from them z that they perceived it nit, and they feired to ah him that S. ings Itis ſaid, Thar Criſt raught his Diicipies, as they were able to kear Mark 4.33.9. he tells chem, 75h.16.12.He had many things to (x3 1n- to them, but they could not hear them ot that time, Chriſt a 1onz time concealed the Dodrine of Is Paſſion, and Reſwrection from te Dead, trom them, until he had confirmed them in the ereat
; Paint of his Divine Power, and 115 being the true 3/efi.ch ; now
he bezins to deliver tits Doctrine unto them, that whar they ſhould now foun tee, might nor weaken their Faith in kim, as the Z:ffiah and the Son of Gcd: Nily, in regard of that in- vetcrate Opinion which had potlefled the Generality of the Fews, thar the Meſſtth ſhould be a Temporal Prince, and ſhould deliver the ers trom that Servitide under which they wcre, and had tor a long time been : Partly, 1n regard of the Difficulty to conceive, how he who was the Son of God could dye. Oncecr rwice before therefore he had begun ro ſpeak to them abour his Paſſion, Ch. 16. 21. Afojes and Elizs had ſome Diſcourſe with him abour it, Like 5. 31, The Text faith, They underſtood 1t wir, It was hid from them. Tyey perceived it mt. They were afraid 9 as kim. {They were ſorry. } Poifibly they were forry, that they could nor underſtand it, and reconcile ir to the Notion of the Meſſizs they had drank in; for it ſeems hard co aflert, they were forry for what Chriſt faid abour his ſuffering, becaute the Seri. pture ſaith, They wnderſtsod it not, Eliinkings our Sivicur had not ſpoken plainly of a Matter of Fat which ſhould be, but that ke incended ſomething elfe betides what his Werds tecmed plainly co 1MPorr.
24 And * when they were come to Capernaum, and ſaid, Doth not your malter pay tribare ?
houſe, Jeſus prevented him, ſaying, Whar think thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth rake cuſtom or tribute? of their own children or of ftran- gers :
26 Peter ſaith unto him, Of ſtrangers. Jeſus ſaith unto him, Then are rhe children tree.
27 Notwithſtanding, leit we ſhould oitend them, go thou to the Sea, and calit an hook, and take up the fhi{h that firſt comerh up : and when thou haſt open. ed his mouth, thou ſhalt find |} a piece of money : thur take and give unto them for me and thee.