As the transactions of ancient events prefigured Christ, so some of Christ's actions seemed to signify others. It cannot be doubted that health restored to the body was a figure of health restored to the mind; the prophecy therefore was twice fulfilled; first, when Christ employed himself in healing the sick, and afterwards, when by his death on the cross he obtained the remission of our sins.

He miraculously cures a leper. Marki. Luke v.

THE next miracle was wrought on a leper, cured on his own petition. Jesus touched him, disregarding the ceremonial uncleanness that would ensue, and in performing the miracle he asserts his sovereignty, "I will, be thou clean.” In this cure he prefigures his power of forgiving sins, in that of the paralytic man he declares it. The leprosy is an infectious disease of the skin, of slow progress. During our intercourse with Palestine, through the crusades, it was not uncommon in our own country, as may be inferred from the hospitals founded for lepers. It is now of very rare occurrence. In hot climates it is accompanied by formidable symptoms, such as mortification, and is considered incurable. "Am I God,” said a king of Israel, “to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy?" 2 Kings v. 7. It excluded the sufferer from all intercourse with society, and was an emblem of the pollution of sin; and was regarded more particularly as a divine judgment, probably because we know that it was such in certain instances, as in those of Miriam, Uzziah, and Gehazi. Lepers were obliged to live apart, at a distance from habitations; not even kings were exempted from this law; (2 Kings xv. 5.) and the sister of Moses herself, when leprous, was put out of the camp, Numb. xii. 14. They were obliged to make themselves known by their dress, and when any one approached, to warn him of their uncleanness. The cleansing a leper with a word or a touch is an undeniable miracle, for an immediate change must be effected in the whole mass of the blood. The priests are authorized in the

law to ascertain a leper's recovery; our Saviour therefore charges this person to show himself to one, that he might offer the appointed sacrifice, which would authenticate his cure, and thereby restore him to society; and would be, at the same time, a testimony to the divine mission of him who cured him. Matthew mentions his forbidding him to make the miracle publicly known; the other Evangelists add, that he disregarded it. The reason was, that he might not needlessly exasperate his enemies, and so urge them on to premature designs against him. But when he wrought miracles on heathens, or persons dwelling among them, as in the case of the demoniacs of Gadara, he bids them declare what God hath done for them. Attention to such circumstances will, in many instances, remove apparent contradictions.

He forgives the sins of a paralytic man, and restores the use of his limbs. Mark ii. Luke v.

THE cure of the paralytic man, who was let down on his couch into the court of the house in which Jesus was, because the crowd prevented their approaching him in any other manner, is remarkable for his mode of addressing the sufferer,

Thy sins are forgiven thee." The Pharisees were offended by this language, as a blasphemous invasion of the prerogative of God. He does not deny their position, "Who can forgive sin but God alone?" but he shows, by an instantaneous miraculous cure, that he had Divine power; thus tacitly allowing the justice of the remark. Omnipotence was alike required to forgive this sinner, or to cure him of his palsy; and since by the latter he showed that he possessed that attribute, this visible demonstration of it ought to have convinced them that he could as easily remit sin, though that could not be exhibited to their senses.

31. Matthew is called, and obeys. Mark ii. Luke v. AFTER this, Levi, or Matthew, who was sitting at his office by the lake side to receive the duties imposed upon

goods, was invited by Jesus to follow him; and he immediately renounced his profession, and became his disciple. Living in Capernaum, he must have known of his miracles, and had probably heard his discourses; nor is it improbable, that, like those Apostles who were called to be fishers of men, he might before have occasionally attended on him. The tribute of the provinces was farmed by the Roman knights; the publicans of the Gospels were those to whom they underlet them, who, we may presume, were generally natives. Such we know was Zaccheus, who is styled a chief publican, receiver, probably, of all the taxes of Jericho; and this Matthew, who, on quitting his profession, provided an entertainment for his new Master. He mentions it in connection with his call, but does not say it took place immediately; and harmonists in general, I think with reason, place it after the return from Gadara. The collecting of taxes is in its nature unpopular; still more, when they are levied for the support of a foreign power. It was peculiarly odious to the Jews, who, out of a mistaken principle, scrupled to pay taxes, considering that as an acknowledgment of the right of the heathen Romans to govern them; and they esteemed it infamous in their own countrymen, who were, moreover, brought by it into familiar intercourse with sinners, as they called the Gentiles. Our Saviour might purposely choose an Apostle out of this despised class, to reprove the narrow prejudices of the nation. We may perceive from the parable of the Pharisee and the publican, that the latter was considered as nearly synonymous with extortioner. They had strong temptation to enrich themselves, by exacting more than was due, especially in a province remote from the seat of government; and the low estimation in which they were held, would be at once both the cause and the effect of dishonesty. Yet, as there were Pharisees who were not hypocrites, so, no doubt, there were publicans exceptions to the general character; and nothing is hinted against the honesty of Matthew.

PART IV.

32. The cure of the cripple at Bethesda. John v.

SEVERAL instances of miracles performed on the Sabbath day are here brought together. The first was wrought at a feast, which must have been the Passover, if it be correctly connected in order, with his disciples rubbing the ears of corn. The day was chosen by Jesus, to afford him an opportunity of publicly shewing that he was the Messiah. The scene was a bath called the house of mercy, because at a certain season an angel agitated the water, and whoever first stepped in after was cured, whatever might be his disease. Attempts have been made to give a natural explanation of the fact, but, as might be expected, without success; and it is not unreasonable to suppose with Lightfoot, that to this water flowing from Siloam, as the type of the Messiah, it might please God to give this virtue, sometime before Shiloh, or He that was sent, appeared, that true Bethesda, that fountain opened, as foretold by Zechariah, for sin, and moral uncleanness, not unto one, but to all (spiritually)"impotent folk." The person chosen had been suffering thirty-eight years from infirmity, produced by sin, and was too poor to pay any one to help him into the bath. Jesus not only cures him, but orders him to carry his bed, which would give his cure the greatest publicity. The subject of the miracle felt, no doubt, like the rest of his countrymen, and the trial therefore of his faith was heightened, when he was not only called upon to

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a There are remains of the pool to this day, and as it is sunk in the rock, it may remain the same for ever. The Greek term κολυμβήθρα implies, that it was deep enough to swim in. "It is," said Sandys in his Travels, a great square profundity, into which a barren spring doth drill between the stones of the northward wall, and stealeth away almost undiscovered." Thus it was observed by him on Good Friday, 1611. Maundrell, 1697, does not mention the spring, so that possibly it is intermittent, and to this day, in the Evangelist's language, runs, xarà xaigdy, occasionally. Calmet's Dictionary of the Bible.

take up his bed, an apparent impossibility, but to do it also on a day on which it was unlawful, for the carrying of burthens was not merely a prohibition of their scribes, but had been expressly condemned by Jeremiah xvii. 21, 24. He was convinced, however, that the person who spoke to him was endued with power from God; and his miraculous cure satisfied him that he was justified in the breach of the commandment. The Jews, if candid, might believe, that satisfactory reason could be shown, why the commandment should be broken, for the sake of the cripple who had been so long a sufferer, but the same would not hold for carrying the bed, which was neither a work of necessity, nor of charity; Jesus, therefore, now takes a higher ground than on other occasions, and maintains that he is not amenable to the law. "My Father worketh hitherto, and I work ;" an argument which could have no weight in the mouth of one who was no more than other men. His enemies considered it as equivalent to claiming equality with God; and instead of denying their conclusion, or explaining away his declaration, he goes on to confirm it by asserting, that the Son performs the same acts as the Father, and that the final judgment of mankind has been entirely made over to him, because of his assuming the nature of man; and he assigns as the reason for it, that may receive from men the same honour as the Father, and declares that whoever refuses to do this, does not really honour the Father. The Anti-Trinitarian pleads, that the worshipper of Christ robs the Father of the honour due to him, by paying it also to his Son; but if he believes that these words were indeed spoken by him, how can he satisfy himself with disobeying a positive command, and think that God can be dishonoured by our acting according to his pleasure. The Apostle, when he tells us that every tongue is to confess that Jesus Christ is the Lord, to prevent such an inference, adds, that it is to the glory of God the Father, Phil. ii. 1. Jesus does not require them to believe this claim on his simple assertion, but he appeals to the testimony of the Baptist, whom they acknowledged as an inspired

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