all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority he commandeth even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him. And immediately his fame spread abroad throughout all the region round about Galilee. And forthwith, when they were come out of the synagogue, they entered into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. But Simon's wife's mother lay sick of a fever; and anon they tell him of her. And he came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them. And at even, when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils. And all the city was gathered together at the door. And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him. And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. And Simon and they that were with him followed after him. And when they had found him, they said unto him, All men seek for thee. And he said unto them, let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, for therefore came I forth. And he preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils. And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean. And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed. And he straitly charged him, and forthwith sent him away; and saith unto him, See thou say nothing to any man: but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. But he went out, and began to publish it much, and to blaze abroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city, but was without in desert places: and they came to him from every quarter.

It has been often remarked, that our Lord's miracles evidence not only divine power, but divine mercy; and

that while Moses and other mere servants of God dealt out alike miraculous kindness and miraculous severity; in the case of the Son of God, the divine interposition was all in unison with the heavenly host's proclamation of peace on earth, and good will towards men,' as well as 'glory to God in the highest.'

In the miracles here enumerated by St. Mark, this characterising feature is abundantly apparent. The first objects of Christ's power, are objects of his mercy -the demoniacs, the diseased, and especially those afflicted with that deplorable and loathsome disease, the leprosy.

But this is not the only character which the miracles of Jesus exhibit when compared with those wrought by others. Their didactic use—their application as hints and instructive signs-has been noticed; and besides this very remarkable application of them by our Lord, he sometimes so exercised his miraculous power as to awaken the startling surmise, that he was not only working the works of God, but doing what God had reserved to himself alone. Of this kind was his cure of the lepers. The habitual notions of the Jews associated it with the immediate agency of God himself. Leprosy was believed to be inflicted by a sentence of the Most High. Its removal was connected with a religious ceremony, which denoted that God himself had removed, as he had inflicted it. It was under this impression that when Naaman was sent to the king of Israel to be cured of his leprosy, the

king of Israel exclaimed, 'Am I God to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy ?'* When, therefore, our Lord undertook of himself to heal this disease, he not only proved that God worked with him, but indicated that he thought it not robbery to be equal with God, and to exercise the divine power which none but the Lord in Heaven had hitherto exercised. So, too, when he cast out devils, he manifested a power over the author of all evil, as inherent in himself, and not merely as a gift.

Another circumstance about these miracles is their conformity to certain prophecies which foretold the Messiah's ministry. Such is this of Isaiah. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing.'† On this conformity there will be several convenient opportunities of saying more.

The particular cases of miraculous cure here recorded, suggest one further observation. In that of the demoniac-the first of the kind that is mentioned; in that of the many out of whom he afterwards cast out devils; and in that of the leper cleansed; in all these cases he enjoined secrecy, or, at least, forbad the publication of the miracles. He charged the persons healed 'to say nothing to any man,' and he ‘suffered not the devils to speak because they knew him.' This, be it remembered, was the beginning of his

* 2 Kings v. 7.

† Isaiah xxxv. 5, 6.

ministry; and his revelations of himself were gradual, and the evidences also, by which the truth of those revelations was supported. He dispensed both truth and evidence, as men could bear the one, and required the other.

CHAPTER II.

JESUS CURES A PALSIED MAN.

Ver. 1-12.

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, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them. And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four. And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay. When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only? And immediately when 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 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 on 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 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.

UR Lord had, according to the preceding narra

rative, performed various miracles of bodily healing, which, not less than that here recorded, were